Okupsidedown

I strongly suspect there's hidden lemongrass and you can't change my mind. I hates it at first, however, the drydown is just absolutely gorgeous.

Ooooooh fffffffudge. This is a major hit for me. It doesn't smell like dead leaves, leather, or pink pepper. Just effing gorgeous. I guess pink? Kinda like the Gap scent? It. Is. So. Good. IT'S JUST AMAZING OK?

2021 Oof. I love Samhain. I've got a 10ml, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The first time I tried was 2017. I was a fool. I yeeted. Luckily, though, I yeeted to a friend who wore it around me. It smelled so good on her that I had to try again. Every year I've tried has started out Simple Green, and ended up gorgeous woods with a baking pie in the distance. This year, I'm convinced has mullein, which is a very creamy green herb to me. In conclusion: Just as gorgeous as every year with addition of a forward mullein.

I've worn this a couple times and the end result was adoration! Pepper in any variation has become a favorite note of mine. It clips the scent off at the end. I love it. Red musk can be a little messy and pepper renders it neat. Precise. And there is a dryness. Not necessarily sandalwood, just a lovely dryness. There's a whisper of juicy red musk, but with the dry punctuation of pepper and wood. LOVE!

Sweet dry violet forward. Slightly joyful, so "Song" is very appropriate. It does have the typical sort of gooey orris, but it melds well. Oak is jumping out a bit it's just a lovely song. If you loved Instinct of Hope, but want something slightly more sweet, this is the one!

Wet: Pomegranate reminiscent of The Body Shop. Very perfumed fruit, but the mint cuts it pretty quickly. But this is not the part that matters. Dry: THIS IS WHERE IT GETS GORGEOUS! The black musk is amazing. Is it in Mme Moriarty? I don't know, I'll look up the notes for her when I'm done. It's black musk with dry, sharp, wisps of pomegranate lost in memory.

I scored the 2011 version off the Etsy page, and didn't let it rest before trying. MISTAKE. Now, 8 months later, I'm testing again. SUCCESS. In the bottle, it's pretty much just gingerbread, but once applied, I get wonderful candy notes! Mostly fruity hard candy notes. Obviously with a consistent gingerbread base. It's wonderful and really does smell like the full experience of a gingerbread house building adventure, including eating more candy than gluing to your house!

I bought this blind in a gourmand "gimme" frenzy, and regretted my life choices. So, without even a skin test, I put this away until now. I'M SO GLAD I DID! In the bottle, it's very true to the description. However, immediately upon application, I Starbrow's experience with citrus muffin. But then!! It dries down into this amazing perfume. And I mean perfume, it's not gourmand at all any more. It's a lush, rich, creamy, and lightly spiced perfume. You know how a lot of gourmands are great at first, but after a while you wish they'd calm their tits? This one does!! Into a gorgeous creature. I love it!

This smells like the chocolate cupcake dolls from my childhood and I'm here for it! In the bottle, it's super dark chocolate brownie batter. Same going on, but as it dries, it dries in scent as well. It smells like cocoa powder. Not a whole not of throw, so I'd slather if I were wearing as a perfume instead of merely testing.

In the bottle: smells like Snake Oil and funnel cake. 🤷‍♀️ Wet: Whoa, butter batter! With a little of that delightful sugary darkness that is Snake Oil. Dry down: Still a little too buttery battery for me. If this doesn't turn gorgeous soon, I'm gonna do what Marared suggested and hide it for a few years. The throw is nice. I feel like it really needs aging, though.

I like to skim the notes, then go by the nose when reviewing. A sort of happy medium between blind and fully informed reviewing. In the bottle: Gorgeous, sweet, dry, dark purple. A little wood. I tried this before and did not enjoy, but it's had a couple months to rest. Wet: Purple!! I'm starting to be able to recognize elemi. It's like a white floating floral, but not flowery. If that makes any sense. I'm smelling a beautiful wood that blends so well with the purple dry sweetness. I think I remember it being sandalwood? Gonna go peep the notes now. Dry down: No wonder this is so lovely and smoky without smelling like actual smoke! Nicotiana is a tobacco plant! I love orris, and its gorgeous dry floral beauty. The sandalwood keeps this from smelling too traditionally perfumey. But if you're transitioning from the mainstream, this is a gorgeous blend for you! Dry: White musks, which are normally so forward, are just now starting to whisper. Wow, I can't believe this wasn't an immediate love!!! This is beautifully perfectly blended and balanced!! Synopsis: Beautiful, dry, soft sandalwood with gentle white musks and dry orris without going powdery. Nicotiana is mildly chewy, and elemi is floaty and sweet.

I'm testing this today, so it's had a bit to settle into itself. In the bottle: FIG! Wet: Intense, rich fig. Make no mistake, this is a menage. So. Fig, you shall have. Glorious fig in all its abundance. Dry down: The Brown Sugar is mostly just serving to enhance the fig. Not molasses heavy, just crystallized, light brown smelling. The combination of the VERY tame oak bark and brown sugar remind me of the vanilla husk in So Weit. A beautiful, sweet, dry, mild wood. Dry: Gorgeous. Deep jammy fig with a dry, husk sugary finish. Needles to say, I love this blend. If you've found it difficult to pick out fig in blends before, get you some of this! It's a gorgeous FIG blend.

Apostrophe of Time In the bottle: Little woodsy, little lemon peel. Wet: LEMON! It's the good lemon peel lemon, though. The kind that it almost spicy, and goes nicely with the woody note I'm getting. I'm guessing the sort of round, sweet note is the neroli? Don't have enough blends with it to know that's what I'm smelling. I never can smell BPAL's bergamot, which is so sad. It always makes for lovely blends, though. Dry down: Is it fading? Lemme drink some coffee, hold up. Ooooooo there we go! Amber! I amp BPAL's amber 50% of the time. This is one of those times, and it's a good thing! More coffee, I keep losing the scent, it's weird. Oomph! Amber with gorgeous, glittering citrus notes. Wood has faded, but is still kiiiiiiiinda there. Why am I getting a faint impression of cocoa? I don't know, it's BPAL. Dry: Nary a sage to be smelled in the whole process, even after coffee cleanser and concentrated sniffing. Wood is still gone, but woody notes tend to resurrect HOURS later, so I'll come back if it does. Am getting a sort of sharp note now? Maybe the sage has finally decided to show up? Yeah, I think that might be what's happening. Conclusion: Amber and citrus forward with whispering suggestions of wood and sage adding depth. Gender neutral.

Ok. I'm gonna try Mother's Hot Ghosts. Even though it smells like FEET! Straight up FEET. In the bottle: I'm scared. I don't wanna F this G at all, she smells like FEET. As I keep sniffing, I wonder if the FOOT smell has dulled my senses, cause I'm getting some of that lovely amber and white musk. Is it possible? Ugh. Here goes. Wet: Oh God, POO!! Ew! Why?! Sour, footy poo! I get whiffs of gorgeous, glittering amber and musk, and naively sniff my wrist and am slapped in the face with POO! Dry down: As long as I don't sniff my wrist, it's beautiful, ephemeral white musk sweetened with dusty amber. Seriously, the poo is gone. Even when I sniff my wrist now. It's only been about 5 minutes. Phew! I thought I was gonna hafta shower! I can smell the petitgrain and the woody note of the agarwood. Dry: Ok, as long as you can make it through that first stage (just don't sniff your wrist!!!!!), this is actually quite lovely. I get why they used "billowing" in the description. I'm looking for the poo smell, and it's gone. Mostly just white musk and a minuscule sour woody note. Almost like paperwhites, but toned down by a million. I'd totally wear this, actually. Dang, I was so scared to try this! It's a helluva morpher. Now, I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Geez. Ok, Mother's Hot Ghosts, you got me. Kinda reminds me of Jovan Musk (don't tell me no one gave it to you for Christmas when you were a kid!!).

Voluptuous Wantonness In the bottle: Very thick, scarlet resin. And a subtle waft of something akin to root beer. Licorice root or sassafras or even fennel. Can't really pick out any single notes. Wet: Ooh, this is a lovely oudh, especially after yesterday! Vanilla husk is almost smokey. Black plum, while not making any major statement is sweetening the scent. Not getting musk yet. The mimosa is very subtle, but adds a lovely, light green floral. Tobacco is sharp and rich. Dry down: She settles rather quickly, single notes are tough to pick out, and the musk is coming forward. There's a slight woody note, which I'm guessing is the oudh? The woody note is almost spicy? Dry: More wood. A little musk. Teeny bit of plum. It's a beautiful scent, but I don't love it for some reason.

Anathema Device In the bottle: Sandalwood and blackcurrant!!! Wet: Blackcurrant and amber with a little sandalwood. Dry down: Oh, the blackcurrant and sandalwood play beautifully together. Amber has wandered off, but I suspect she'll be back, holding hands with Lady Bourbon Vanilla. We'll see. Dry: I was right! And the blackcurrant has an almost apricot aspect. Fascinating. The sandalwood is vaguely channeling a delicious, rich, mellow patchouli. Amber and bourbon vanilla flit around the edges.

Earth Ox In the bottle: Sweet and juicy. I love BPAL'S peony, and can always pick it out, but that may be unique to me. There's a cool, almost aquatic vein cutting through the sweet juice. It's an impressive balance. Wet: That aquatic suggestion I'm getting must be a combination of the lychee, pine resin, and oakmoss. The sweet juiciness has really dialed it back to allow the pine, oakmoss, and tobacco I so adore to take center stage. Upon immediate application, I got the citrus burst of orange and mandarin, but that's already fading, and plum, peony, and lychee are coming forward. Dry down: This is a busy, complex blend, but let me tell you, it is lovely! It's fresh, sharp, sweet, and juicy all at once. The oakmoss has gone a little dusty, as is its wont, but everything else in the blend keeps it from going full powder thus far. Lychee already tastes and smells like perfume in its raw state, and lends itself perfectly to the application of scent. The three citruses and plum keep it from smelling too commercial. I'm not getting any more of that lovely pine, which saddens me a bit. We'll see what happens a bit later. A bit later: Aaaaaaah, that's nice. Earth Ox is quite a delightful morpher, but appears to have settled into a lovely, peony and oakmoss forward juicy fruity blend with a little punch from pine and tobacco. Hot damn, this is lovely!

Snake Eyes Gleaming in Spring's First Twilight In the bottle: Mellow oudh, a little green from that oakmoss, and herby lavender. You can detect the SO base, which I always love. Wet: Oudh. It hasn't gone poopy like MHG did, but still undeniably oudh. Lovely, sharp violet and lavender. Dry down: Oakmoss is doing its lovely dusty business on dry down. Geranium is starting to perk up. Waiting on the oudh to morph or chill out. Seems to be happening. The sugared vanilla of the SO is asserting itself. I love the dark, sharpness balanced precariously with the sweet softness and the quietly unsettling oudh. Dry: Aaaaaah, lovely. Oudh is so far in the background as to be almost silenced, but still gives the blend that piquancy we all love in BPAL's scents. Violets to the fore, SO close behind, lavender and geranium keeping it light and fresh, and oakmoss still sweet and dusty. After testing Mother's Hot Ghosts, I discovered that my chemistry lends itself nicely to oudhs, and while I can still smell it in this, it is sweet, not sour. I love the way it smells in the air more than sniffing my wrist. I expect that, after an hour or two, the scent on my wrist will match the scent in the air. It's so much lighter than I was expecting. Sweet, and playful with a little mischief. I imagine this was the intent, considering the name. I love it!

Fledgling Raptor Moon It's the New Moon, so I'm testing one of my new to me Moons. In the bottle: Soft, clean, sweet woods. A tiny bit of that bay if I think about it while sniffing. Wet: Sandalwood and clove jumped to the front, and that bay is lovely. It is a soft, brown, fluffy scent. Dry down: Beautifully clean and gender neutral. A little spicy from that gorgeous bay and carnation. I can't get over the bay! I can pick out everything except the vanilla, but the bay is just amazing. Dry: The vanilla has finally showed up and rounded everything out nicely. If slightly masculine scents go screeching headache on you, but you really really really want to love them, this is the scent for you. It is so gentle and well blended. I love it! If I see anyone selling it, I'll definitely grab a backup.

Kabuki Ice In the bottle: Clean, sweet, and fresh with brittle shards of white musk. It's hard to pick any one thing out, this scent is nicely balanced. Wet: The mint pops out in front, and it's lovely and light. Almost poofy. Now, the eucalyptus bolsters the mint, making it a little less poofy and more stompy. It's still overall an ethereal clean scent with a suggestion of sharp edges. Dry down: It's gorgeous! Why did I sleep on this for so long! I'm not familiar enough with elemi yet to tell you what role it's playing, but this scent is beautiful. Light. Cold. Sweet. It's just great. I can't stop sniffing my wrist! This might be a new favorite, but that will depend on how long it lasts. Dry: I'm finally getting a hint of gloopy warmth from the ginger, but it's still mostly just lovely airy sweet light. I'm not getting ruthlessness or razors. That doesn't bother me at all, this is just AMAZING.

Vanilla, Champaca, and Gardenia In the bottle: Mostly just vanilla and gardenia. Not getting that purported toasted rice thing people say champaca gives off. Maybe a little, if I concentrate while sniffing. Wet: I amp gardenia, and I'm a little nervous, but here goes. Ooo nice! A little powdery in a very pleasant way. Gardenia dancing happily in the foreground, but not hogging the limelight. Vanilla and champaca are beautiful and soft. Dry down: Hmm. Gardenia starting to whine. I like champaca, and I'm happy to be able to experience it in a Menage. It's almost like mimosa. Floral, but very mildly so. I can see why people get rice from it. Dry: Damn this is another lovely! Floral powder, but not granny perfume. More subtle. All fears of gardenia taking over are gone. So beautifully balanced.

Gardenia, Tobacco Leaf, and Oakmoss In the bottle: Gardeeeeeeeeeniaaa. Maybe some tobacco leaf, but super shy. Wet: More gardeeeeeeeeeniaaa. Oi, so much gardenia. Is it going to calm down? Will there be any of my beloveds tobacco leaf or oakmoss?? Oh. Wait. Maybe some sharp tobacco leaf peeking through. Dry down: Starting to get that lovely dusty oakmoss thing. I love oakmoss on me, it's similar to olive blossom: green and dusty. Ok, I'm liking what's happening here. Gardenia can be so stompy sometimes, but there's green from the oakmoss and sharp from the tobacco. Dry: Still gardenia forward, but I dig it! Not headache inducing, as heavy florals can sometimes be. The oakmoss and tobacco lend complexity to a really beautiful floral scent. It smells a little fancy. Someone asked how this one compares to Vanilla, Champaca, and Gardenia, and I'd have to say they don't smell similar at all. The V, C, & G is almost poofy. G, TL, & G is a sharp floral with green undercurrents.

We Wear the Mask In the bottle: Lavender and carrot seed! It's lovely! Wet: I was on the phone when I put this on and described it as beautiful light unisex cologne. It's still very lavender and carrot seed forward with those lovely, dry woods. The iris and wisteria are way off in the background, for which I'm grateful. I wouldn't say I smell smoke, but there is a sexy, smokey layer. I would literally climb someone wearing this. Climb. Like a sex dancer pole. I've been searching for someone who smells like this my whole life, and I didn't know it. Mmphh! Whatever, I don't need to say any more, this is one of the sexiest scents I've ever smelled. Jeez! I might get a bottle and decant the whole thing and just give it to people I'm... dancing with.

7 Word Story: Greed In the bottle: Strange, disconcerting ambergris. I'm not familiar enough with orris yet to be able to say, "That's definitely what I'm smelling!" Through the process of elimination, though, maybe that light, powdery geranium vibe I'm getting is it? No carrot seed. Wet: Odd. Just... I can tell I applied perfume, but it kinda just smells like skin amplified. Dry down: I looooooooove carrot seed, and it is just blooming on my skin! Yay! The combination is sweet, sharp, powdery, and buttery. Oh, I like this! My first experience with carrot seed was Pulmonary Valve, and I've wanted all the carrot seed since. Dry: The ambergris warms the carrot seed. This scent kind of... billows. I'm guessing it's the orris that gives you that powdery poof on the backsniff. I'm not sure I love it as much as Pulmonary Valve, I'd have to try them back to back, but it's definitely a keeper!

7 Word Story: Pride In the bottle: Kiiiiiinda smells like Drakaar Noir. Don't you judge, you loved someone in 9th grade who wore it, and don't deny it! Can sorta smell the cucumber. Definitely smell the mosses, and smell murky black, but not necessarily patchouli. No carrot seed, but I'm hoping my skin's tendency to amp it will bring it out. Wet: Dusty oakmoss immediately. Carrot seed already! Woohoo! I'm getting something woody, but it doesn't smell like patchouli. More like cedar, is that possible if it's not listed? I've seen that they don't always list all the notes. No cucumber. Are there any 'Fumes that are heavy cucumber? I've been searching for one. Carrot seed, carrot seed, carrot seed. I love it. That woody note ain't patchouli, unless black patchouli smells like sandalwood or cedar. I'm guessing sandalwood, cause it's vaguely reminiscent of the sandalwood in Anathema Device. Dry down: Greens are coming forward a bit more now. Muggy green mosses. Water-logged, but not watery. Could definitely be considered slightly masculine. Dry: I like it! I don't usually go for woody blends, but I loooooooove carrot seed and oakmoss. Vaguely sudsy. I just keep getting distracted by that gorgeous carrot seed.