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BPAL Madness!

zipegs

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Everything posted by zipegs

  1. zipegs

    Lightning Strikes Literature

    Really have been enjoying this one! As others have stated, it's very ozone-heavy—it starts off very cool, blue, and kind of aquatic on me at first, and I only really start to appreciate the warm beeswaxy notebook-y base of the fragrance with wear. All in all, it's a very pleasant and fun morph, and I think I'll get a lot of use out of this one!
  2. zipegs

    Moon When The Cherries Turn Black

    Kind of wishing I got a full-size of this one!! On first application, I wasn't convinced—it smelled exactly like I'd smeared a melted cherry lollipop over my skin. But within a minute or two, that sharp, simplistic candy smell rounded out and turned beautifully dark. There's still a bit of cherry, but it's blended beautifully with the musk, blackcurrant, and amber. A lovely "dark" scent that still manages to be fruity and approachable. Really lovely autumn perfume!!
  3. zipegs

    Plunging Into The Hellmouth

    This gave me a VIVID flashback to Bath and Body Works' sweet pea scent 😂 Specifically, their hand sanitizer, which I used all the time. Unfortunately that's a little too much for me, so this one's going into the destash pile.
  4. zipegs

    Imose-Yama

    Not a huge fan of this one, unfortunately. There's something a bit strange going on that I almost wanted to say was kind of indolic but I'm wondering now if it's the fleur de lait not behaving well for me. It's pretty syrupy-perfumy sweet to my nose, too, which isn't something I'm usually a fan of.
  5. zipegs

    The Snow-Woman

    This actually reminds me a lot of Stainless Steel Dildo! I"m not getting too much pine, actually. It's a cool, fresh wet-snow scent that's kind of gingery and bubbly (much like Stainless Steel Dildo or Spurious Cooter Bees without the punch of Honey). It does fade pretty quickly on my skin but I'm enjoying it enough that I'm eyeing a full-bottle purchase!
  6. zipegs

    White Chocolate, Strawberry Pulp, and Calvados

    This is a fun, sweet scent! Like other reviewers have said, I really don't get any alcohol from this blend, and I'm not getting much white chocolate either. It maybe lends the strawberry a bit of creaminess, but this is more or less a fun, sweet but not overpowering strawberry. Fades relatively quickly on my skin. I'll probably use up my decant of this, but I don't know that I'll be grabbing myself a full bottle.
  7. zipegs

    Blacklight Reactive Alice Poster

    I don't have much experience with BPAL's Mad Tea Party line, although this is definitely making me want to dig out my frimps and pay them some more attention! I didn't expect to fall in love with this scent as much as I did, and I'm so glad I blind-bottled this one. The red currant tarts and grapefruit are the strongest notes for me. On application, the tarts come out beautifully—deliciously sweet with just a little buttery-crust roundness. That recedes relatively quickly, and the grapefruit takes center stage, rounded out by the tarts and florals. I'm not really getting any weed at all—maybe the tiiiiiiiniest bit as it wears down. Overall this is a very fun, spunky scent that I know I'll be getting a lot of use out of in the warmer weather.
  8. zipegs

    Stainless Steel Dildo

    I'm really in danger with these Lupers 😅 This is another scent I was convinced I wouldn't like but decided to take a chance on anyway, and, although my wallet might not be, I'm so glad I did! I agree that it's not a typically "metallic" scent (i.e. doesn't smell like wet metal), although it does feel metallic. It's very light and sharp and kind of bubbly. Can't really pinpoint what exactly I'm smelling, but it feels very sophisticated and masculine to me. Loving this for a hot day!
  9. zipegs

    Smut

    2022 version! I was absolutely 100% convinced I'd hate this, but it seemed so iconic and so fun that I had to grab myself a decant just for fun. And oh boy am I glad I did!! Almost none of BPAL's red musks have worked for me, but I'm really loving this scent! It's really not pulling animalic or overly "musky" at all, honestly—there's maybe a little additional depth or groundedness to the scent, but it's mostly tangy and sweet to my nose. With wear, that sweetness tones down a bit, but it never turns overly down 'n dirty sensual musk to my nose. I'm wondering if the musk will come out more with aging? At any rate, I'll definitely be grabbing myself a bottle!
  10. zipegs

    Move On, Please

    Body chemistry strikes again 😫 I loved this one out of bottle, and on first application, it was a fresh, wild, little bit dark green grassy/mossy scent. Like others have said, the mud note wasn't strong on me at all—if anything, it just rounded out the greenness a bit and added a little darkness. But unfortunately, after a few minutes, I started getting that same damn rubbing alcohol morph that I got from some of the 2021 Weenies. I'm wondering if the 'wagon wheel' has some sandalwood in it, because I think one of the lab's sandalwood blends has been the culprit when this happened to me with the Weenies.
  11. zipegs

    Black Satin Sheet Ghost

    I'm loving this one a lot more than I thought I would!! I've been having awful luck with indolic florals recently and fully expected this scent wouldn't work on me, but I'm so happy to be proved wrong! While there's definitely a little musky 'oomf' to the scent, and it's definitely not something I'd wear to the office, it's balanced out so well by the coolness of sage and toned down beautifully by the mate. It's definitely a complex and bold scent but I'm all about it!
  12. Was a bit afraid of this one because of the jasmine (although I know star jasmine is much tamer than regular ol' jasmine) but it ended up settling a bit weird on me for other reasons. I loved this out of bottle—a very fresh, lush, cool floral that I was very excited to try in the recent warmer weather! Wet, it played very nice on my skin. I didn't get any creamy paper or incense, unfortunately, but it was still a beautiful fresh scent that I was hoping would be a nice more-floral less-green counterpart to Ivy Twining Around a Discarded Skull, which I've been loving. Unfortunately, as it dried down, it went Tresemmé hairspray. Might try my decant a few more times before deciding to destash, but unfortunately body chemistry wasn't kind to me with this one.
  13. zipegs

    Skeletons Dancing to a Tune

    I am going to fistfight whatever in my skin chemistry is making some of the sandalwoods in these Weenies turn to rubbing alcohol on my skin. I love this guy in the bottle—he's a cool, ambery, dragon's blood-y sandalwood with a bite of cinnamon. On first application, it really blooms and warms up a bit—the sandalwood turns hot and dry, and I get a bit of a kick from the red pepper. But it starts turning rubbing alcohol pretty quickly. I don't mind a little sharpness to my sandalwood (actually, I'm planning on keeping this decant for now at least because this blend in particular just seems to toe the line between sharp sandalwood and straight-up rubbing alcohol on me, and I love what I smell beneath it so much that I'd hate to abandon it entirely) but these guys have been testing my limits. Thankfully, unlike some other blends, the rubbing-alcohol phase seems to mostly come along with the heart notes, so I get some good top and base not wear without that taint. Glad I picked up a decant of this, and if my skin chemistry didn't mess with it, I'd DEFINITELY be grabbing myself a full-size or two
  14. zipegs

    Innocent Souls Turned Carrion Birds

    Loved this one from the bottle and on first application, it was a really lovely warm, fuzzy scent. Felt a bit like a really nice ambergris. Unfortunately, the grey sandalwood must be what has been turning to straight-up alcohol on my skin, because after a minute or so, that's all I can smell. It does the same thing that Pyramid of Skulls does on my skin and just ends up smelling like I just sprayed an EDP with a really strong alcohol base.
  15. zipegs

    On Wednesday, I Will Promise You a Phantom

    I have to sit on this one a little more! I really love the scent wet and out of the bottle—the lavender is beautifully pungent and verrrrrry gently softened by a warm, round vanilla/myrrh combo. But the lavender fades pretty quickly for me, and the myrrh, vanilla, and other florals take over. At that point, it verges on too sweet for me. It's still a very pretty scent—powdery sweet and warm enough that I would want to keep this to cool spring weather at the hottest—but I'm not sure it's going to end up in my wheelhouse. It's definitely more light and powdery than thick and syrupy, which is a point in its favor from the standpoint of my own personal taste, but at this point, I don't think it's going to end up being full-bottle worthy. I'll definitely finish my decant though!
  16. zipegs

    Every Day is Halloween

    Think I might have found another new favorite 😅 I definitely agree that the notes don't convey the true feeling and complexity of this perfume! Actually, I kind of did a double-take after sniffing to make sure I didn't grab the wrong decant. On my skin, the sandalwood takes a bit of a back seat. It's definitely present, but I actually get a pleasantly sharp bite of ginger at first, which melts slowly into a gingery clove backed by bright sandalwood. I don't get that much pumpkin from this—more pumpkin spice, but that isn't quite right either. It's not pumpkin spice in the PSL, pumpkin pie gourmand way, but more the cologne versions of individual spice elements of that blend. Like I mentioned, I get a lot of ginger and clove from this! Feels like a smart masculine or maybe unisex scent to me. Maybe made a bit warmer or creamier by the pumpkin, but if you told me there wasn't any pumpkin in this at all, I'd believe you. I'm just really in love with this! It's a bit warm but not so much that it can't be worn out of season, and it's definitely not too autumn-y or pumpkin-y to be relegated only to the fall season. I'll definitely be buying a full bottle of this one before the Weenies come down!!
  17. zipegs

    The Song of the Carp

    When I sniffed this right out of the mail, I was 100% sure I'd made a horrible mistake. All I got was indole, indole, indole! It's been sitting for about a month now and has been slowly but surely calming down, at least to the point that I can start to call the scent a little 'blue.' Can't really pick out any other notes—maaaaaybe a little chamomile or oud—and it's still pretty indolic wet on skin. Not totally convinced on this one yet, but I'm curious to see what happens as it settles further. Just have to decide if I have the patience! I'll probably give it another few weeks at least and a few more tests before I decide to destash, but if it stays as is, I'm definitely leaning that direction. Wish it played little nicer on my skin! EDIT: Okay, it's calming down a LOT with more wear. Still not sure if I'd be willing to put up with the indolic opening stage, though.
  18. zipegs

    Vetiver & White Myrrh

    When I first sniffed this bottle, I was a huge fan! I agree that it was very myrrh-forward—warm, sweet, and powdery. I applied it to skin for the first time today and for whatever reason, from my first sniff out of the bottle all through application, I've been getting powdered sugar peanut butter notes?? Almost akin to peanut butter balls or tandy cake or the peanut butter syrup from an ice cream parlor. Calmed down a bit on the dry down and some of the truer scent has started to poke through, but I can't disassociate it now. No idea what the hell is going on with my nose lmao. It's very pleasant! Soft and sweet. But entirely unexpected. Will definitely be trying this one again in the future to see if this was just a one-time thing or what
  19. zipegs

    The Choirs of Angels

    This is so lovely! The frankincense is definitely the main player for me, but I do get a bright, tea-like whiff of the white bergamot and florals when first applied. It's a very bright but placid scent, definitely not as sharp or astringent as some other scents I've tried along these lines. My only complaint is that my skin just totally ate this scent up—it had faded remarkably within a half hour. Might try this one on a scent locket and see how that goes
  20. zipegs

    Pyramid of Skulls

    I was so certain this would be a shoe-in. I love sandalwood and I love tobacco, and I got a decant of this fully expecting to sniff it once and pull the trigger on a full bottle (and possibly backups). Alas, that was not the case. I don't get any of the earthy, chewy tobacco others have noted. Actually, most of what I smell is a really astringent alcohol scent akin to what VetchVesper described. Ends up smelling like an overly sharp, generic cologne on me. If I could get the alcohol sting to settle a bit, I think I'd at least stick with my decant, but unfortunately it's just too pungent for me. As much as I love masc and unisex scents, this one's just a bit too much for me. Sadly to the destash pile it goes
  21. zipegs

    Ivy Twining Around Discarded Skull

    I actually really like this one!! The incense, sandalwood, and "drooping" notes are definitely latecomers on me and even on dry-down remain really subtle, though they do lend the scent a really nice brown warmth. This is all about the ivy on my skin—a dark freshness and greenness that definitely feels more "dark academia" than bright sunny garden. It's definitely a green, leafy scent, but it's got a lot more depth and intrigue than most of my other greenery scents. A winner for me!
  22. zipegs

    Paisley Sheet Ghost

    Funny enough, this is actually a little bit more in line with what I was expecting from Traditional Sheet Ghost (in terms of feel, at least) than Traditional Sheet Ghost was. The weed notes almost scared me away from trying this guy out, but I don't get any weed at all from this. As others have noted, I find it to be a kind of clean, old-fashioned, kind of aged linen-y scent. A hair sweet, a little herbal, and overall very pleasant. Ordered myself a full bottle but now am wondering whether I should've gotten a backup too 😂
  23. zipegs

    Traditional Sheet Ghost

    This one was definitely not what I was anticipating! I was expecting (and hoping for) something more in line with the subtly sweet clean-laundry scents others have described, but on my skin it's really just screaming lemon frankincense. Very astringent, almost prickly from the resin, and hardly any cotton or marshmallow. I definitely want to try it again and see if I like it any more now that I've got an impression in my head, but that will likely just help me decide between destashing and finishing off my decant—I don't see a full bottle of this in my future. EDIT: I take it back 😅 Pulled this one out again and am finding it MUCH calmer this go-around. The frankincense is still dominant, but it's not as astringent as I found it on my first try, and I'm getting some really nice cool whiffs of cotton. Would have loved a bit more of that cotton scent, and I'm still not really getting any marshmallow, but I'm actually enjoying it on this wear.
  24. zipegs

    The Air and the Ether

    Although I got mostly lavender in the bottle, I'm getting hardly any on my skin. This one's super subtle on me—at first sniff, I almost discounted it as a destash right away because I could barely smell anything at all, even with my wrist smashed right up to my nose. But as it dried down, I started to get the pale amber and ambergris. Still a very light and close-to-skin scent, but I think this will be a new go-to for situations where I want to wear something subdued and not overpowering. Really lovely! Definitely getting some light vanillin and ambergris on the dry-down.
  25. zipegs

    Ice Age Baton

    Just pulled this one out of the mail—so this is probably a premature review—but after sniffing briefly, I couldn't resist trying it on! 😂 In the bottle it's a gorgeous chalky white chocolate. Smooth and silky and rich without being overly saccharine. On skin, it mellows out a bit and the vanilla and cacao recede a little to let the amber and tobacco lighten and dry it up a little bit. I agree with HerbGirl that it's in the same vein as Grey Columns (can't speak to Zorya P.) but definitely distinct! A little less heavy and rich—definitely feeling a warm, earthy, chalky vibe. I'm already prepared to jump the gun and order backups!
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