ClareN

On me, this is lots of peach, over a sweet-woodsy backdrop of redwood, hemp, red musk and tobacco. I thought I detected a hint of clove in the topnotes, but it vanished pretty quickly. If you miss March Hare, the peach blossom note in this smells exactly like March Hare's apricot to me, though unfortunately there is barely any clove here. It reminds me of Depraved, too. The note is decidedly more peach fruit than peach blossom. I love peaches, but I'm not a fan of smelling like peaches; there's something just fake enough about this note to make me think of peach-flavored candy, and I can't get rid of the "cheap artificial flavoring" association. I should've known better, since I always have this reaction to fruity scents. Fruit notes often overpower everything else to my nose. If you don't mind fruit, you may not find it as prominent as I do. After a few hours, the hemp-tobacco thing gets stronger and it's quite a pleasant hippie-ish sweet smoke scent. It's definitely at least a 3/5. I try not to hang on to scents I don't love, though, and this is still too much peach for me, especially in the opening stages.

From the reviews, this seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it scent, so I was curious what it'd do on me. Lots of musk (grapey red musk as in Smut), caramel, a little tobacco, a little frankincense...and something weird, deep, and off-putting. Several reviewers have picked up on this scent's strangeness, and I think it's caused by the combination of muguet, tobacco and juniper (who besides BPAL would ever put those notes together? ), along with some sage and orchid in supporting roles. I can see why some are calling it a baby wipes/baby powder note, though if you sniffed it next to baby powder, I think you'd find Virginia much more complex and dark. Personally, it reminds me of a combination of cocoa and vinegar, like uncooked six-minute chocolate cake batter. The off-putting top note fades completely in the drydown, and it's not unpleasant at this stage: all red musk, tobacco and caramel. But it's too similar to other red musk scents for me to wear. If you like red musk and Indian musk, good news: those notes are very prominent. It's the other stuff that will make or break the scent for you. Worth a try if the Big Red Musk scent category is one you enjoy. Try if you like: Smut, Marianne, Bien Loin d'Ici, Urd, Scherezade

I don't think they ever answer this type of question, unfortunately. My guess would be no, since as far as I can tell from some cursory Googling, there is no extract of pomegranate that smells like pomegranate for use in perfumery (pomegranate seed oil is faintly-scented and used as a carrier oil or antioxidant). So the pomegranate in Mme Moriarty is probably an accord, but there's no way to tell for sure. You're the best judge of whether it's worth the risk. If I had a severe allergy I wouldn't go near it, but if I had an allergy that was not anaphylactic or otherwise life-threatening, I'd get a decant and risk it. (Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice )

So if anyone's been looking for a BPAL equivalent to Le Labo's outrageously expensive Labdanum 18, go directly to Haunted.

I've given up on cinnamon blends, especially after I started to associate the smell itself with the itching, burning sensation - even sniffing it in the bottle makes me uncomfortable The only one I persist with is Chimera, since the cinnamon is light (despite the description calling it "fiery", haha) and well-blended with creamy honeysuckle and myrrh, but I still don't risk it on skin - I wear it in my hair (apply to back of wrist; brush wrist through hair; wash wrist). It smells gorgeous in hair: I get wafts of it all day long, and it lasts at least 24 hours (basically until I shower).

Aged 6 years, Hunter Moon 2007 is a lovely, radiant, sweet musk. The musk doesn't really resemble the common BPAL red musk or black musk notes; I think of it as a dark pink musk, and that colour association is so strong that I'm always surprised when I put it on and see that the oil is clear. The scent reminds me of that powdery pink musk candy, except somehow sexy instead of gross (I hate those candies, but Hunter Moon is fantastic). It's just the slightest bit animalistic--furry, not civety. I get no wine or bonfires, but there is a suggestion of dry dead leaves. I think it used to be a little "wilder" when it was fresh, but now it's all pink creamy sweetness. This doesn't evoke hunters and woods to me; it's much sweeter and more innocent. The image I get is of a teenage girl in a pink dress, wearing some sweet, girly perfume and playing with a wolf pup in a clearing full of fallen leaves. Hunter Moon is great, and it's like virtually nothing else in BPAL's catalogue. I'll never understand why it isn't a lot more popular. I hope it comes back someday so I can get a fresh bottle.

I am a huge BPAL fan, but I don't care for the way they do white florals...When I was a newbie I kept trying jasmine after jasmine scent before realising that jasmine was the note I hated in all of them. So I may not be the right person to answer this, but the prettiest light white floral BPAL I've tried is Pele. Voyage sounds like it could be similar to BPAL Absinthe - wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon. They don't use cardamom often enough for me, as it's one of my favourite notes, and when they do it's usually in heavy/musky scents rather than light ones.

I really wanted to like Rogue, but the first time I tried it (months ago), I found it so off-putting that the imp almost went straight into the swap box. I can't remember what I smelled in it back then, but I'm glad I retested it, because it's very good now. The rosin and hemp is reading as a beautiful foresty-green herbal-wood-leafy scent to me. Light green leaves over leather. It's very much like a paler, less sinister version of Luperci, which is my all-time favourite green/forest scent. It also resembles Theodosius minus the Earl Grey and Dorian elements, and the fir/cedar from Doc Constantine. The topnotes are lovely and addictive. The drydown, while still pleasant, is a flat, dustier version of the same. I wish it had a stronger basenote to keep things interesting throughout its lifespan, but perhaps that's why the RPG scents are meant to be layered. Overall, I think I'll reach for Luperci or Theodosius when I want this type of scent, so I'll pass on my imp to a gamer friend who always plays rogues. If you like leathers, though, Rogue is a good GC to add to your collection. If you like this, try: Luperci, Theodosius the Legerdemain, Doc Constantine, Brom Bones, Dee, Antony

Add me to the list of those who get nothing but cinnamon or cassia from this scent. My skin's turning red where I applied it, which confirms the presence of cinnamon (I don't have this reaction to other spices, including cardamom). I love cardamom, leather, bourbon, and patchouli, and was hoping to smell those, but this is all cinnamon - sharp, non-foody cinnamon, like chewing on cinnamon sticks. As it dries down, I get more creamy leather and patchouli coming out, but it's still faint under the cinnamon, or maybe that's just wishful thinking. Don't get it at all, but I'm curious to try the aged version and see how it differs. If you like this, try: Plunder, Bengal, Saw-Scaled Viper, Chimera

This is very much like a lighter version of Eat Me. Berry oatmeal with cinnamon, apples, milk and honey. I'm sure there's no actual cinnamon here, because my wrist isn't turning red, but something is giving a cinnamon-spice-like impression. Others have mentioned Christmas candles, and I have to agree; not necessarily a bad thing, though, if you like Christmas spices and apple cider and similar scents. Straight-up foodie scents almost never grab me, and Halfling is no exception. But for those of you who love to smell like a cookie, you'll want to try this. If you like this, try: Eat Me, Huesos de Santo, any Beaver Moon, Fearful Pleasure, Lambs-Wool, Gunpowder

Spicy leather and sweet incense with faint anise, rounded off with smooth metallic notes. The opening is a little harsh, but after it settles down it continues to develop in interesting ways for the next 15-20 minutes. Very nice. After that, sadly, it goes a bit stale and "off" with my skin chemistry - metallic notes and I rarely get along. Reminds me of the "soft, masculine leather/oakmoss" genre of BPAL, including scents like Dee, Casanova and Saint-Germain. One to try for anyone looking for a complex leather blend.

My imp of Veritas is now aged about 9 months, and it's beautiful. I get mostly chamomile, carnation, and frankincense. I'm not entirely sure what heliotrope or angelica smell like, but I'll assume they're responsible for the other sweet non-powdery yellow floral notes in the background. The carnation reminds me a lot of Maiden, one of the prettiest BPAL florals, but Maiden turns flat on me in the drydown, while this is staying nice. The chamomile is sweet, and the carnation and frankincense combine to create a spicy-incense effect. It's like drinking honeyed chamomile tea in an old wooden temple. Lovely. Try if you like: Maiden, Morocco, Libertine, Ephemera, floral-incense or floral-wood scents in general

I didn't care much for Black Pearl or Nefertiti, and most fruits and black musk don't cooperate with me, which rules out several of the suggestions here. LOVE King Cobra, but I'd like something with even more orris/iris. Are there any other iris-dominant scents, GC or LE?

Anyone have a more recent version? Looking for Pickman Gallery and this year's Lupercalias

Try Chimera! Vanilla isn't a listed note, but it reads as vanilla to me alongside cinnamon and honeysuckle.

Just tried Serge Lutens Sa Majeste La Rose and it reminded me very much of BPAL's Rose Red...which in turn is similar to The Rose (The Rose has more greenery).

For the person who was looking for Elizabeth Arden Green Tea equivalents earlier, try Embalming Fluid. I find it has the "cool, sweet but not sugary feeling" that you describe. I'm looking for recommendations similar to Frederic Malle's Musc Ravageur. It's a scary intense animal musk topnote that backs off to a sort of salty vanilla/lavender/musk. It's warm and sexy and the lavender is sweet and not overly sharp and herbal. I'll buy a bottle of the real thing as soon as I'm a millionaire, but suggestions for anything that smells vaguely like it would be welcome, because I'll probably like that too

I'd kill for a BPAL equivalent to Tobacco Vanille. Bow and Crown of Conquest doesn't work for me - the imp I have is all about the sage and lavender, no tobacco or vanilla in sight. I wonder if that's a batch or aging difference, or just my nose? Retesting Dolly Kei now - this is closer, and really nice, but not quite it. There's a faint cloying caramel or bubblegum note in it (tonka?) that makes Dolly Kei not quite a must-have for me. And it doesn't have the ultra-deep tobacco and vanilla that the Tom Ford scent has.

My imp is aged around 3-4 years. The almond and dark, resinous myrrh are very strong in the opening. I really like both these notes, and it's pleasant at this stage. Unfortunately, it goes to something that reminds me of spicy scented candles in the drydown. Black Phoenix is quite similar but better, with deeper, cola-like resins, but if I want a scent of this type, Voodoo is the one I'll reach for every time - the almond and myrrh are balanced beautifully by patchouli, vetiver and spices. If you like this, try: Black Phoenix, Asp Viper, Eclipse, Voodoo

Infernal Lover WITHOUT red musk is a cousin to Lady Una. No green tea or blackberry, but the "honey musk" note that dominates Lady Una is similar to the light honey sweetness of that version of Infernal Lover.

Oh, this is great. In the imp, it's all metallic notes and pine. Smells like the sort of thing that goes to cleaning fluid and air freshener, and I'm assuming this will never work. Fortunately, when applied to skin, those fade down immediately and the musk/leather/frankincense (in that order) take over. Pine & metal stay well-behaved, just adding an interesting accent in the background. (I know pine isn't listed; I don't know where I'm getting it but I swear there's some subtle evergreen in here. It's soft, like the pine in The Illustrated Woman.) I've tried hundreds of BPAL oils so I'm fairly picky and it needs to stay smelling good well into the drydown to be a keeper. This does! I think it's bottle worthy, especially since paladins are one of my favorite RPG classes. Now to pray that Cleric works on me this well. If you like this, try: The Illustrated Woman, Theodosius, Golden Priapus, Dorian, Lurid

I have both the red musk and non red musk versions, thanks to the lovely forumite Lilacea who sent me both to try. The red musk is such a strong component of the recipe that the red version and the clear version smell nothing alike at all. The red musk version smells like single note red musk, as others have said. Despite the description, I find it to be on the dry side rather than sweet, as red musks go. It's sweet but not nearly as sweet as, say, Mme Moriarty or Smut. More like the red musk in Black Rose or Spellbound (without the rose, obviously). The non-red musk version is a sweet, delicate, creamy honey with some spice like cardamom - "sugared cardamom" was my first thought, the "spice" (which my nose is probably imagining) isn't overpowering. As you'd expect, it does feel like half a scent, like a base note is missing, but it's gorgeous on its own anyway. I much prefer this one, especially since I have so many red musk scents already. Too bad it's hard to find. The closest thing to it in the GC is Lady Una - I suppose it's the "honey musk" that has the same thin delicate sweetness. As for the red musk version, if it were GC I might get a bottle, but as a rare LE I'll pass - the similarity to other scents means there's nothing that would make me crave it over, say, Scherezade or Spellbound.

2012 version. Freshly applied, it's smooth honey (smells a lot like O, with less of the "playdough" note) with a hint of spiciness. Dry, still primarily honey - rich, expensive floral honey - but a touch of fresh Snake Oil is coming out. I can see how it will improve with aging, but despite all the hype for aged Snake Oil, fresh Snake Oil is still an awesome scent on its own. Womb Furie is quite strong, but even though I can smell it in the air around me I can't stop bringing my nose to my wrist. I need a bottle of this, and I'm so extremely glad that it seems to be coming back as a regular Lupercalia now. In the meantime, I may have to see if I can get similar results by layering Snake Oil with O. I've never been a huge fan of O, but I'm now seeing it in an entirely new light.

Cherry blossom and anise, mainly. I recognise the cherry blossom note from Lush's Sakura bath ballistic. It's a soapy smell, but very pleasantly so. Along with Whitechapel and Embalming Fluid, this may be one of my favorite "clean" scents from BPAL as it doesn't seem to be going stale or turning towards air freshener the way many florals and "fresh" scents do; it's just pure spicy cherry blossom soap. Very nice.

This is really, really pretty. It's a soft brown scent, mainly sweet sandalwood and champaca on me. It reminds me of Temple Viper without the Snake Oil. I also recognise the brown musk from some other blend - can't think which one, but it's a beautiful note, wish it were used more often. Dancing Koi is a little lighter and softer than most of the scents I wear but if it stays this nice into the drydown I might have to track down a bottle. (Not gonna lie, I'm extra tempted to get a bottle because of the label, that painting is the greatest thing ever.)