elissamay
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Everything posted by elissamay
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Just beautiful. Fizzy at first, almost a little tropical; I'm guessing that's the coconut milk peeking through. Jasmine sambac really works for me more than any other in the jasmine world, and this is no exception. Sweet, but not cloying. Fresh, but not laundry. Floral, but not overwhelmingly so. The sandalwood and amber are in the background at first, but they appear as this warms. This is absolutely giving me Luper in the Weenies vibes. I love it. Also, if you liked To Lallie, I think you will like this one.
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A dusting of fireplace ash on warm puppy and kitten fur, taking a break by the glowing amber-sweet wood embers before the next romp. Sweet, a little smoky, a little fuzzy, and grounded with smooth wood. Very enjoyable and evocative; a great fall or winter mood.
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I don't go for floral, as a rule, but I just love Alice. Carnation is the one flower I tend to always enjoy, so that helps, but this is just such a perfect essence of innocence and mischief. If you like the spice of carnations and fresh-cut red roses, smoothed and sweetened with milk and honey, try Alice. It's an iconic BPAL creation everyone should try at least once.
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This is petrichor, but make it fashion. Bursting with cypress evergreens and suffused with a woody red patchouli, the mud is an earthiness anchoring it all together. The rain has passed, the earth is sodden, and the forest floor is alive and quenched. Breathe it all in! I'd like to layer this with Death Cap next time!
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It smells exactly like a well-loved black leather motorcycle jacket that's been drenched in years of that scent you get when you open your box of BPAL imps. You know the one. It's a gentle black leather; this isn't strong or overpowering leather for the leather-averse (me). And it morphs together seamlessly with a balanced blend of l'essence de BPAL: an amalgam of dragon's blood, musk, amber, patch, and incense. Dragon's blood is the loudest player in the melody, but the orchestra is all here. It's like one of our souls captured in a 5ml amber apothecary vial. I feel like while this scent may be a love letter to the Lab's dear friend behind the brand Bloodmilk, it's also kind of a love letter to the BPAL fandom.
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This reminds me a bit of Horses Cooling Themselves in Water, but that one was sweet with a touch of musk. The hazelnut leads the dance on my skin, with the chammomile gently behind. I get some of the woodiness coming in behind that, which for me is a lovely combo of that unmistakeable cedar and my beloved woody red patchouli. This is very dry, so if you crave a scent that isn't sweet, and you enjoy a nutty or woody blend, I'd give this one a go. Utterly genderless; this could smell sohpisticated and elegant on anyone.
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This is airy, sweet, and somehow also a little crisp. It's almost a linen-y quality but not laundry. Just airy and light and white. As it dries down there's a citrus to it, which I'm guessing is how I'm reading the tea, and it's floating on top of a very smooth and gentle amber and wood base. Very sheer and ephemeral. Will be a great one to come back to and check in with as it matures.
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Ooh, I love this! It's kind of just an earthy, lemony amalgam of goodness for me that I can't really pick apart, but it's perfect. It smells much more funky OOB than it does once you apply it and it dries down.
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For me, this is the black musk that I absolutely adore from Streets of Detroit, but here sweetened and warmed and fuzzed with amber instead of myrrh and motor oil. It's dark and absolutely feline, and I can see it becoming one of my go-tos. I really, really love this one.
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This is really beautiful. In the bottle and wet, this amber is giving me something a like balsam, or another very gentle pine resin, sweetened. As it warms on the skin, it really blooms. This amber is sweet, warm, with that little touch of balsam-maybe, and maybe a sprinkle of spices. Reminds me of the way Horses conjured radiant warmth from an animal's body for me. So comforting and redolent of safety, trust.
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WOW. Majestic af. I did not expect this one to be an unabashedly red musk sexpot powerhouse! It's a day out of the mail, so YMMV. Super intense red musk with the distinct haze of (what I now know to be) red labdanum there in the background. It's sweetened up by the vanilla and honey, but not in a sugary/foodie way. There's just so much happening here, but it's pretty seamlessly blended, so I can't really pick out the other notes leaping forward. There's an earthiness or fuzziness that could be the patch/myrrh/tonka or maybe even the cashmere. I'm finding the oakmoss as it dries down, but again, not leaping forward. The musk envelops everything and blurs the lines. Into the drydown, the vanilla starts to show itself in a more obvious way. Ginger cat in a bottle? If so, it's an absolutely bold and over the top tribute!
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Fluffy, vanilla-marshmallowy, and just a touch of fuzzy, amber-glow musk. Cozy and comfortable like a warm, purring, fluffy white cat!
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I thought I'd reviewed this one, but apparently I didn't. This is a totally unique scent that is ideal for spring and summer because it is all about green, juicy freshness with just enough green musk to keep it on the ground. More of a skin scent, which is also a great pairing for hot weather, and it really surprises you when you catch it. Who knew that cabbage perfume could smell fresh, clean and a little sweet, even? I get the crunchy lettuce and pulpy cucumber, but the cucumber isn't dominant as others mentioned. Definitely not my usual and I'm very happy I took a chance on something completely different.
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This is certainly a more floral-leaning scent, based on the notes, than I would usually choose, but the benzoin and musk (and the concept) caught me. I'm glad they did! "Blanket of benzoin" is apt, because this dries down into a sweet, vannilic, cozy musky cloud, with blooms in the background. I don't really use sleep scents, but this would be one if I did. That's not to say the floral notes aren't here: while wet this is more floral than sweet and cozy. But if you're like me and don't reach for floral, this one may still appeal to you once you get to the drydown.
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Musky dead leaves, rich raw honey, and a squeeze of juicy blackberry. I get a hit of maple sugar as it dries down. Cozy.
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This is incredible. I can't say more than what's already been said. Snake Oil's impossibly sexier older sister. She left the vanilla and ran away from home with that one guy with the motorcycle.
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So, "serpent scale accord" is in A Sorceress, and I wasn't a fan of it there, full disclosure. This isn't what I expected. First applied, I get wet leather and red berries. The lemony frankincense comes in behind those notes, and the sweet myrrh as it warms and dries. It's very close to the skin, and a little unsettling. I want to keep sniffing it to see what happens next. I don't know the scent of spikenard, but after a quick look-up, yes it's here. It's a little bit barnyard, a little off-putting. BUT, wrapped up in the leathery scales, berries, and frank & myrrh, it's not the star of the show. It's there like a warning, but you're taking a deeper look anyway. This is weird and somehow wonderful blend. It sweetens as it dries completely. Sacred and definitely profane. Note: I'm testing this fresh from the mail since these are only available for a limited time, so ymmv!
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Beautifully grassy while wet. There's a sweetness below, and the vaguest impression of distant blooms. A gentle and fleeting blend while wet on the skin. As it dries, it gets sweeter and a little fuzzier. Like fur that's been running through dew-kissed grass. The stones come through as it dries, a little mineralic quality. This hare is popping in and out of its lair, checking for danger, bringing the earth below and the grass above together on its paws. A really lovely, gentle blend. Deceptively fragile with lots more to offer under the surface. Note: I'm testing this fresh from the mail since these are only available for a limited time, so ymmv !
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This is wet and juicy, like the smell of the sensation of squishing wet grass beneath your feet. Cool, earthy, but infused with this luscious green muskiness. There's an element of cologne-ish vibe here, but darkened. A little sinister with the oud. This toad looks harmless enough, but get too handy and it packs a wallop. As it dries down the cologne elements settle, letting the green musk and mosses shine. Note: I'm testing this one day fresh from the mail since these are only available for a limited time, so ymmv!
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A feral burnt offering take on Satyr, with an almost metallic crackle of red labdanum, deep vetiver, and just a hint of herbaceousness from the rosemary while wet. The amber comes to frolic during the dry down, entwined with the musk. If you love, love that primal, animal musk vibe, you'll enjoy this, especially because it takes something you love and elevates it with offerings of other notes. It's sex musk, but make it witchy. Later in the drydown, that charred sandalwood makes itself known. Paired with the musk and amber, it almost reads as sweet leather. Sex on four legs! (Four hooves?) Note: I'm testing this one day from the mail since these are only available for a limited time, so ymmv!
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Licorice but drier, maybe more akin to fennel in that it's licorice without being cloying, sugary sweet or candy-like. Root, not confection. A realistic sweetness from the earth. Wet it's a blast of this beautiful anise-y sweetness with dark amber unfurling from the middle. I don't find the patch or the incense while it's wet. It's intoxicating. I keep coming back to this shiny, shiny spot on my wrist, coveting it. Drying down, the resinous incense comes through. It's deeper down, below the amber. The patch begins to appear, a whisper on wings in the background. It's a sweet patch, perfectly paired with the licorice root. This is like nothing I've ever smelled. Enigmatic and endlessly fascinating, like the familiar that inspired it. I can't stop going back for another inhalation. I couldn't wear this regularly, but when I do wear it it, I will embody it. Late stages, the licorice root soars away into a sweet cloud of incense. Almost vanillic. Note: I'm testing this literally fresh from the mail since these are only available for a limited time, so ymmv!
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Must. Love. Clove! From the moment you open this bottle, Cinderpaw is no shy kitty. Bold, smoked clove with a sort of rooty, mildly medicinal undercurrent while wet. It's all about the smoked clove here, though. It's so potent as to give that incredible almost numbing quality when you give it a nice, deep inhalation. As it warms and settles in, the smoked clove is still the dark and slinky star, but a fuzzy muskiness shows up to sort of blur the edges. Not a strong musk; just enough to add some softness. The rootiness of the patch comes through more as it dries down, too. Not a brash or hippie headshop patch. It's just enough to notice, and like the musk, just enough to help tame this fierce and ferocious smoked clove familiar. Note: I'm testing this literally fresh from the mail since these are only available for a limited time, so ymmv! This is a big HELL YES from me, an admitted dark and smoky clove fiend. I'm gonna need some coffee to allow my nose to smell ANYTHING else after this one! ?
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This myrrh reminded me of Streets of Detroit immediately. Sort of if you took that myrrh and lit it on fire with the kick of the red peppercorn. Really sexy and perfectly spicy.
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Candy corn and boozy apples. Almost a little pipe tobacco.
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Like realistic and straight-no-chaser buttered popcorn at first, but when dry it goes to buttery, spicy, coconutty pumpkin cake.
