AEris

Cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and pine sap. This is like a love child of Chimera, Shub-Niggurath, and Gingerbread Poppet. I have bottles of all 3, so I'm not tempted to nab a 4th blend of this type (trying to keep my hoarding to a minimum!), but if I didn't have a cinnamon/spice blend yet I'd be all over this. Yummy! 4.3 out of 5

At first, this is all orange. After a little drydown, the orange calms down a lot as it is joined by frankincense, lilac, and amber. It's an interesting combination that ends up smelling like powdery, orangey incense. 3.4 out of 5

WEIRD!!!!! Star anise. WEIRD! This is definitely the most unique *ahem* weird BPAL scent I've ever tried. The exotic anise note fades after a few minutes, and I can smell the papery note, a hint of lavender, and....and....Hell, I don't know what the hell I'm smelling! Worth a try, just to experience the craziness in this one! I could never pull it off, though 2.4 out of 5

Honeyed beeswax, leather, nutmeg, and sandalwood. The beeswax starts out dominant, but is soon overshadowed by the leather. lilacea mentioned the movie Hostel, and that does it for me - Too Scary! Ack! Honestly though, this blend is very appealing on my skin, albeit a little flat, somehow. 4.1 out of 5

Vetiver is hit or miss for me (more miss than hit, to be honest) and this blend is a slightly sweetened vetiver. It's still dry and smoky and intense, and I wouldn't wear it, but I can appreciate it as one of the more palatable vetiver BPALs. 3.1 out of 5

In the decant, this is a dry paper scent, and although it's evocative, I was hesitant to put it on my skin. It warms up a lot, though - the main notes that I can pick out during the drydown are the red musk, myrrh, and dragon's blood. It's very nice, but it's also similar to other resinous scents that I own. 4.2 out of 5

All I can smell is fruity cucumber, which is definitely not what I was expecting! It's fresh, sweet, and bright. It's sweeter than Gibbous Moon, Blue Moon, and Sturgeon Moon, but there are resounding similarities to each (with my chemistry, anyways). I like this, but I wouldn't wear it often, so I'm going to pass. 3.8 out of 5

The incense and resins in this scent are just a bit too smoky and dark for me to be drawn to. It's a little like Sapphics, a lovely scent but maybe one notch drier and darker than the types of scents I tend to wear. A well-executed blend, but it doesn't appeal to me personally. 3.4 out of 5

The balsam notes in this blend are not pine-fresh at ALL, they're golden and resinous - I am mostly reminded of the pinion salve that you can find in trading posts all over Navajo Nation. There is also a very strong amber note, which is mingling with the hay so much that they are indistinguishable from one another. This is a deeply golden scent, and it's fascinating. 4.3 out of 5

Blood Garden is okaaay on me, not a 5mL'er though. It's pleasant enough, with the grape/red currant and fresh lily and hint of leather....for some reason, it's just not captivating my attention. Nice, just not memorable. 3.6 out of 5

White amber, vanilla musk, white tea, ambergris, gardenia, and chrome. Oh wow I love this scent!! It really reminds me of China Musk - a clean, white musk scent. The white tea and ambergris are so pretty together, I love the contrasting soft smoothness of the amber and musk with the fresh tea. I think this is another winner for me! Yumsies! 4.7 out of 5

I've put this on twice, and both times I could hardly smell it. : -( Am I going nose-deaf? I'll give it a try tomorrow....

This is a strong jasmine scent, with a powdery feel to it. On me, it's really just jasmine and baby powder. It's kind of pretty, but at the same time, it's not my style. Soft and understated, for pale girls in pink sweaters. 3.5 out of 5

I agree that this smells like Smut, a darkly sweet musk. The florals give Marianne a slightly lighter feel than Smut, but this is most certainly not a 'light' scent. I especially like the black currant note, it glides into this blend perfectly! I love Marianne. It's my favorite of the Carnaval Acts IV & V so far (I'm about halfway through), and the only one that I will buy 5mL of. Gorgeous! Super-sexy, too! 4.8 out of 5

This is a very pretty blend! The gardenia and tuberose are sweet, soft complements to the fresh rose notes. A simple, endearing, fresh floral perfume. 4.3 out of 5

Smells almost exactly like Tamamo-no-Mae to me, maybe a touch more citrus but just about the same. Which is to say, GORGEOUS!!!!!! Anyone who wishes they could get more Tamamo, get Marcilla while you can. 4.5 out of 5

I like everything except the cedar in Inez. The amber is luxurious, the vanilla musk is soothing and soft, the myrrh is deep and sexy, and the cedar is like wood-chips-soaking-up-puke-in-a-school-hallway. : -( I just can't get past it, it smells like pencil shavings and BO, ruining what would otherwise be one of my favorites. Oh well, more for everyone else whose chemistry agrees with Inez! 2 out of 5

Hmmmm....I actually like the fact that this is a soapy rose. One of the other notes in here (the sage, maybe?) has a soil/dirt quality that I'm not really into, though. The tonka is a nice touch, smooth like vanilla but not as sweet or foody. The musk also softens the otherwise biting rose. I like this, but I prefer Libra (my only 5mL rose BPAL). 3.6 out of 5

Meh, this is a bit too fruity for my taste. It's a bummer because I really do like the underlying honey note, but I'm not much of a peach scent fan. 3 out of 5

Initially. the acai berry and tea dominate Daiyu. Then, the most beautiful musk note EVER starts exploding from my skin and takes the fresh scent into fruity, creamy territory. The chrysanthemum and jasmine are supporting the scent nicely, and are so well blended that I am struggling to pick them out. Jasmine haters, you will not be able to find the jasmine in this scent. I am reminded primarily of Tamamo-no-Mae. Very lovely! This one deserves additional consideration.... 4.5 out of 5

This reminds me of Midnight Kiss and Mme. Moriarty. A red fruit/patchouli party. It's nice, but I am trying not to buy scents that are too similar to eachother (to my nose, anyhow). I'll stick with my Madame for my juicy patch fix! 3.5 out of 5

This reminds me a little bit of Snow White, a scent I didn't like because it seemed dusty to me. I feel like Cytherea is soft and quiet, a little sweet, and a bit dry and boring. I like the amber note in here, but I'm not attracted to the other notes. Good thing the Carnaval is so immense! So much to try.... 2 out of 5

Spicy! I can pick out the clove, carnation, and patchouli. Honestly, I totally hate carnation, but the patchouli and clove complement it rather nicely. I wouldn't wear it because of the carnation, but I will say it's the closest I've come to understanding why people like it as a scent. The patchouli really brings out its best qualities, in my opinion. 3.6 out of 5

This reminds quite a bit of Monyette Paris, because of the coconut/floral blend. It's totally yummy, but since it smells so much like Monyette (which I own), I'm not interested in buying more. My personal hoarding assessment aside, the combination of lilac, coconut, tonka bean, musk, and tobacco is blended seamlessly and it's a surprisingly smooth and lovely scent. A winner! 4.3 out of 5

This is interesting, and indeed well-blended, but it ends up a bit "off" on me and I can't describe why. It's incensey and fruity and musky and floral and maybe there's just too much going on. Plus, I don't really like fig in perfume, so this probably didn't stand a chance anyhow. Oh well! 2.5 out of 5