ShadowEtienne

There are some really beautiful GC aquatics worth trying! Here are ones that I personally like: - Sea of Glass [Sin and Salvation]: Upon the Sea of Glass, glowing with the perfection of spiritual union and the radiance of true wisdom, rests the throne of God. A scent of inimitable purity, crystalline grace, and limitless light. (My take - Soft floral aquatic to me.) - Cthulhu [Picnic in Arkham]: A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters. (My take - sea spray and that ozonic storm smell and flowers blooming in amongst the sea grasses that blanket the headlands. There's the smell of seaweed in the ocean air, but not the way it gets weird when on the shore too long) - Y'ha-nthlei [Picnic in Arkham]: A great undersea metropolis located below Devil's Reef. A swirling, lightless, effervescent scent: the deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris. (My take - cousin of Cthulhu as a scent but creamier and softer) - R'Lyeh [Picnic in Arkham]: The sunken city of the Great God Cthulhu. A hellishly dark aquatic scent, evocative of fathomless oceanic deeps, the mysteries of madness buried under crushing black waters, and the brooding eternal evil that lies beneath the waves . (My take - also a cousin scent to Cthulhu but giving more ocean depths) - Lightning [Bewitching Brews]: Lightning slashing the midnight skies over the endless reaches of the ocean. The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain. (My take - beautiful fresh aquatic if you are also down for ozonic) There are a lot of really beautiful aquatic LE scents over the years, but those might be some good starting places for what to look into. I can tell you about all the LEs I love too if you want.

This is almost overwhelmingly coconut cream on my skin. Now I like coconut cream, but the only thing holding this scent back from being something that would make me chew on myself (because I like coconut cream, but it's a food) is the light waft of a slightly floral aquatic somewhat reminiscent of Sea of Glass. I think that I will pass this frimp along to someone else, but I'm glad I gave it a proper test. It's leaning dangerously close to being a scent that makes me chew on myself.

On my skin, the rose is delicate and airy, adding a floral gentleness to the scent. The lemon is also delicate, adding just enough tart brightness in conjunction with the other notes. The apple is the star of the show, but it too is a light, fresh note. It's the note released when biting into a perfectly ripe, not too sweet, pink lady or similarly juicy and fresh pink skinned apple. Overall, this is light and delicate and not too strong. But it's a lovely fresh scent that makes me think of springtime.

This is lovely and entirely floral on my skin, the sandalwood never showed up and I'm not mad about it. The neroli is the beautiful rich neroli that I love (not the sad sour one that occasionally jumpscares me and keeps neroli out of my very favorite notes reliably), and the ylang ylang is is tart and bright. This is basically a two note on my skin, and if this was readily in stock, I'd definitely consider getting more of it.

I was lucky enough to get a bottle of Yuki-Onna Vintage (Amber Bottle) as a gift on my order from a kind forumite. I'm going to be really interested to compare this to my sister's blue bottle. On my skin, the lemon verbena absolutely runs away with the scent. Now, I like lemon verbena, this is not a bad thing, but most of the rest of the notes never even stood a chance. The sandalwood and bergamot have in no way shown up to the party, and the jasmine is the faintest of background breaths. It's a really pretty jasmine, and I really like jasmine, so I would have appreciated a tad more of it deciding to be present on my skin. I think that it's not balancing quite right on me, but I like it all the same. This is a beautiful nearly single note lemon verbena on me with just the slightest hint of jasmine. I'm going to want to try wearing it a few more times before I reach a final verdict, but I think that my skin may not be doing this bottle favors even if it's still nice.

The beautiful sappy-resinous evergreen in fall scent of spruce and pine are the backdrop of this scent. It's a very fall sort of smell for the trees to have for me, fitting this scent in general. Camellia and moonflower give a haunting floral element that wafts over everything and makes the space that these trees are in seem almost unreal. There's a dewiness here that makes me think that it has either rained recently, or there was very heavy dew or mist that morning. The other notes don't come out particularly strongly on my skin, but I can sort of feel the shape of them in the scent. On me, this is a fairly delicate scent, definitely a fall floral. I definitely want to give it some longer wear tests and see how it behaves with a heavier application.

I grew up just south of San Francisco, and I spent a lot of time in my childhood and teens in SF - Chinatown, both Pacific and Bay Side waterfronts, the Castro, Golden Gate Park, and just walking all over The City. Fall in SF was always one of my favorite times. This scent launches me back to rainy days walking all over the city in the early to mid 00s in my teens. There are sodden fallen leaves, a mix of yellow and still green just starting to yellow but ripped loose by the wind. There's rain falling, starting to wash away the fog, which still lingers in sheltered spots. There's the two distinct salt air smells of the Bay and the Pacific that mingle into a uniquely SF ocean air scent up on the overlooks and hills. I'm emotional over this scent. It reminds me of some really good moments in a really hard part of my life, and also just some moments of peace and clarity found in The City of my early years. It makes me want to see SF in the fall again, with fully adult eyes, to go back and tell The City where I felt there was at least a chance of being accepted for who I was that yeah, I made it out OK, and it's not my City anymore, but it will always be an important city to me. While my melancholy and nostalgia does not stem from the same place as that feeling in the description, I think that this scent managed to gather those feelings well. I'm so glad that I have this bottle, I'm not sure that it's a scent that I'll be able to wear often though because too many emotions.

This is a review of the 2008 version. This is a very calming, meditative scent. Nothing is too sharp or loud, but it does have a pleasant amount of throw on me. When first applied, the strongest notes are the savory herbal notes of thyme backed by other herbals that are harder to distinguish but I kind of feel like I might be able to replicate if given a full array of kitchen herbs to work from and sniff. The flowers take a little bit longer to build, and the crocus is definitely the most distinct on my skin (I really like crocus, this is not a problem), I can smell the gladiola in there, and the florals sacred to the Silent One of the description seem to fit a lot of the labs white florals (especially those with more somber connotations). I'm inclined to say "not lily" because lily usually amps on me, but probably more accurately - if there's lily in there it's not a lot and it's very well balanced by other things. The cypress is a lovely backdrop. It never quite keeps up with the herbal and floral notes that are the strongest on my skin, but it is present and adds the sense of forest to the back of the scent. I think that the overall scent would lack depth without this note. Overall, this is a lovely scent that falls into my calming/meditative range. It's restful and soothing, and I think that it fits its description well.

This really does smell quite like stepping into a florist shop, but one in a slightly otherworldly dimension, or perhaps, as the name suggests, an enchanted wood. There is a blend of many different fresh cut flowers. I'm getting lily (amps on my skin), daffodil, and other more vague white florals (a similar floral blend to Night-Gaunt as someone else mentioned). Probably some fruit blossoms in that mix. There are crushed moonflowers underfoot, but none fresh cut. There's a dewy note and a greeness that reminds me of fresh cut flower stalks, which perhaps comes from the grass note, but for once, grass commits no crimes on my skin. It's not as sweet as I would have expected from the description, and there is a faint hint of something woody in the background that I can't quite distinguish. This is a florist's shop that I would want to frequent for the aroma alone, and I'm happy to have this in my collection to wear.

I was very excited to get a bottle of this to split with my sister. Cala lily is an absolute favorite note, and I'm very fond of water lily and jasmine as well. Roses can be lovely but are more my sister's thing than mine, but I tend to like them as part of a floral blend. Amber is the only thing in this notes list that is hit or miss for me. Once fully dry, a slightly sharp cala lily is the dominant note of this on my skin, pretty closely backed by a fresh waft of jasmine and semisweet slightly aquatic water lily. Rose and a tiny hint of powdery resinous amber are only a background whisper. It does take a bit to get there on my skin though and during the first 15 minutes goes through a very worrying moment of the amber being very loud and too sweet. Fortunately that only lasts a few minutes on it's way to smelling lovely.

This is soft dewy moonlit lotus in its pond on me first and foremost. There are breaths of other florals and some soft background of wood and resin, but only in the sense that this feels like the lotus pond is in a well tended garden. This is beautiful and peaceful, and the lotus is not at all the candy like lotus note that sometimes happens. I'm definitely going to keep this bottle in my rotation of soothing scents.

I'm very glad that this had time to rest out of the mail and I gave it time to settle in on my skin. Immediately upon hitting my skin, this one gave me a fright with a blast of acrid evil sodden leaves. Underneath though there was something promising, so I pulled my sleeve down over it, and intentionally didn't smell it for a bit. Fifteen minutes later, it was doing something wonderful. Soft peppery fallen leaves with a hint of being carved pumpkin are now the backdrop of the scent, and the tangy tart citrus from the blood orange and distinctly sour orange candy, with a fresh breath of floral orange blossom have taken the front notes of the scent. This is what I was hoping for, and I'm glad that each time I sampled it onto my skin, I remembered to give it time! The citrus is definitely what makes this work for me, and I have a slightly fraught relationship with dead leaves, but they work here! But only once they've had time to settle on my skin.

Liquidambar is a beautiful note on my skin, it's definitely one of the predominant notes in this on me. It's giving a warm resinous fall forest when backed with the sandalwood and labdanum. The cardamom enhances that spiced woody-resin of those notes, and is distinct on my skin, sharp and hinting at sweetness, there's something almost haunting about this cardamom. The jasmine is the main floral on my skin, wafting through those woods mysteriously. The plant is not in sight, but it's aromatic blossoms, which feel almost out of season add to the feeling of being gracefully haunted. The rosewater is a murmur of floral support that just adds to that haunting element. The coconut milk adds a beautifully soft, dreamy creaminess to all of this that soothes over any rough edges. Bringing the whole of it to elegant and haunting autumn woods with the memories of other seasons. I love this, and I love it for a fall scent especially!

The last black berries of the year drying on the vine and releasing soft syrupy notes into the air. Some of the vines have been cut back recently, adding a note of blackberry sap to the mix. All of this is smoothed over by an airy slightly sharp black tea. This is a lovely atmospheric scent, and I am very glad to have my own bottle now.

I've been trying to get my hands on some of the Springtime in Arkham scents for sometime because I'm slightly obsessed with BPAL's Arkham scents in general, and I love aquatics (especially Picnic in Arkham aquatics), so Kingsport was very high on my list. A kind kind forumite gave me the chance to purchase a bottle. I'm kind of in love with Kingsport! This is a stunningly beautiful fresh aquatic. There's a swirl of sweet and tart coastal flowers and a sense of morning fog that has rolled in over the coastal headlands where waves crash in throwing up salt spray. There's fresh seaweed out in the water near the shore, but also a sense of depth, like perhaps there are ocean caverns that undercut those headlands. This is going to become one of those scents that I would always be happy to get my hands on more of. I'm glad that I have Cthulhu and Yha'nthlei (and Nyarlathotep and Ry'leh) from Picnic in Arkham to fulfill some of the same slightly mysterious oceanic scents, because I would otherwise be very sad that this is a hard scent to get my hands on. Each of these scents is different and evokes its own mood, but they are very related scents.

I am fascinated with the various Arkham scents, and many of my favorite BPAL's are in the Picnic in Arkham line. I've had Springtime in Arkham scents in my wishlist for a bit, and this is one of the first two I was able to get my hands on. This is a fascinating scent! In the bottle, I was a little uncertain. It was a little cologney which while I like aquatics, isn't really usually what i go for. But on the skin, it does something strange and different. I'd almost say that my skin ate the scent, except it was still there, but in a strange and quiet way. I do love the description as being the scent of air and darkness, because I think it does capture that well. There is a subtle dark ozonic element in this that reminds me of Ry'leh (Picnic in Arkham), but it's distant and kind of still somehow. There's something subtly woodsy and almost spicy, that reminds me of coastal cypress in the PNW. But all of these notes are quiet and still. This reminds me of going out in the quiet night in coastal campground when it is incredibly dark and still. Specifically on a warm winter night. There's still the memory of chill, but the weather has suddenly turned warmer. There's the idea of the sea in that dark ozonic note, but it isn't right there, instead I am in a sheltered spot. There is no wind, no sound, just a tiny shiver of something disconcerting in the air. I love this more than I was expecting, and I love the description and how well this fits it!

Something about these notes combined goes incredibly sweet on my skin, like almost overpowering sweet. I'm amping the rose-amber and the sandalwood vanishes. So overall impression is incredibly sweet resinous rose. It's actually quite pretty, but not what I want to smell like.

I got this as a frimp, and it's not something I ever would have bought for myself based on the description, but it seemed worth trying since my experiments in beard oil from BPAL have shown me that leather notes while iffy for me are sometimes just fine (Jolly Roger and Dee are my I will accept this leather scents so far). Moss is also often an iffy but sometimes works note for me. There is nothing inherently wrong with The Red Rider, but it's definitely not a me scent. It's a very tannic leather, and I think the mos combination brings me almost to leather in the process of being tanned. The basalm's resinous woody-cinnamony note is entirely the saving note of this scent for me. I like basalm, and it does come forward as the scent dries on me. Verdict: like the basalm element, don't enjoy the rest of it, though it's not awful and I think does what it aims for, just not for me. Will be passing it along to someone who will enjoy it more.

This is the 2009 version of the scent. Osmanthus, Ylang Ylang, and daffodil are the stars of the show on my skin. Bright and freshly bloomed during the last snows of the year. There is an almost creamy aquatic element to the snow that overlays them, but most of all the florals shine on my skin. I'm not getting much in the way of berries at all, and maybe the barest hint of an evergreen and some mint in the background as part of the snow/hoarfrost element. Overall, this is all about the flowers on my skin, and I'm here for it!

I appreciate that the scent of this is light. Rosewood is one of the main notes on my beard as it is on my skin, but it's very mellow on my beard in the form of beard oil. This has the impression of a private library or a music room for me (rosewood reminds me of music rooms because one of the baroque recorders that I learned on was rosewood). This is good for pairing with other wood scents (it's playing really nicely with Bits of Birnam Wood), but I could see it being overwhelmed by a lot of other scents, and not clashing with too much. It's not my favorite BPAL beard oil, but I'm happy to add it to my collection and to have it for pairing with things it is particularly harmonious with or on days when I want something very lightly scented.

Like the reviewer above, my bottle had the copy for Socrates, but I suspect this is a misprint because I'm definitely getting sage as the herbal. The juniper here also smells like it has the berries on right now, but the somewhat sweet and fruity frankincense and aromatic sage are the predominant notes to me. The formulation is lovely and I'm very excited to have more variety in my BPAL beard oils.

I'm not a huge fan of grass, and sometimes it is prone to amping on my skin, so I was nervous about this just based on description. My sister got an imp before I did, so I was able to pre-test it and it was lovely from a short test, so I was happy to get my hands on it and get a chance to give it a longer test (I got a lovely imp from a forumite, and actually have another on the way from the lab now amusingly). Amazingly for me, the grass never showed up! It's young fresh ginger, sage, and verbena in a gently falling rain. It's a soft, fresh but also tart and a tiny bit spicy with the herbs sort of scent. The only hint that the amber is in there on my skin is that this is a slightly warmed scent, like sun is starting to consider burning off the cloud cover. Overall, this is lovely, and a nice change of pace on grass not taking out a scent for me.

Fresh growing not quite ripe blackberries, and the scent of the entire growing plant. There is a background element that smells of just finished rain and fresh morning breezes. The heather is there in the background, but not the star of the scent. This is such a beautiful realistic blackberry! I would be thrilled if I could find more of this than just the sniffie/tester imp I was gifted.

Ooh this is lovely! Lilies take the unsurprising lead on my skin (I tend to amp lily). Not far behind are peppery carnation and a vivid chrysanthemum. The rose never once shows up to the party. Overall, this is an excellent, realistic floral, but it doesn't fill a role that I'm missing in scents. Glad to have the imp though.

A soft herbal-floral aquatic. This is a small clear stream with small flowering herbs growing on its banks. There's some gentle white florals in the background. This does remind me of a much quieter, more herbal Prague, as mentioned by someone else, and since Prague is one of my favorite scents, I'm pleased with that. I'm glad I got the chance to try this, but not too sad that it is no longer getable.