vthesiren

This is one of my favorite BPAL blends ever. Smells like a well-loved coat rack in a music store full of vintage instruments. It does have a sexy edge, but to me, it's comforting - it's a scent I wanna sink myself into and wrap around myself like a good blanket. Love, love, love.

I was hesitant because other Earl Grey blends/tea musks (think the Dorian/Theodosius family) haven't really worked on me, but I'm glad I took a chance on this one! On me, it's true to life Earl Grey with creamer with a hint of sweetness, and not overpoweringly so. I'd like to dig this out again when the weather cools down for maximum coziness!

I put this on initially, thought "cool, pumpkiny wood", and didn't think much of it afterwards apart from "nice skin scent". However, after I woke up from a nap, I found myself bewildered by the most BEAUTIFUL vanilla-tobacco smell with a light pumpkin overtone. A morpher for sure and a pleasant surprise! I may have to track down more of this.

First sniff: Count Dracula, is that you?! Super spicy clove with a faint background of sandalwood. Drydown: Clove, wood, and what reads to my nose as a bit of greenery. Not as complex as the Count, but definitely one of his siblings. I get very little that screams CHARCOAL to me, so it must be exceptionally well-blended. Clove fans need this in their collections, and I need to hunt down a bottle.

This is so interesting because it is totally NOT what I expected. In my head this was going to be smoky and wooden, but in the vial and on the skin I get the same sweet, spiced milk/cake note from Cockaigne. The tobacco prevents this from going super foody; the oak is more like a backdrop. Fans of Antikythera Mechanism, Perversion, and Cockaigne should give this a whirl.

I also get the strange effervescent note - there's a fizzy quality to this that I wasn't really expecting, almost like champagne/soda. Not much rose, it must be super well-blended. The musks are gorgeous and it winds up drying down into something woody. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I'll hang onto the decant.

Starts off as all tart green apple, but burns down within an hour to just a hint of cedar. I'll hang onto the decant, but wish it lasted a little longer. Fans of apple scents should enjoy this!

I was so hoping that the "scorched" aspect would keep the dead leaves from doing their celery thing on me, but alas. This is straight out of the mail and I can tell that there's something really nice, soft, and sweet beneath the screeching green pepper/celery note, so I will hang onto this and try again in a few days. EDIT: This dries down to a WONDERFUL marshmallow scent close to the skin, but that first hour was rough. I was hoping for more toastiness.

This is absolutely the sort of thing I would put next to my Mars Ultor bottles as an "everyday" unobtrusive masc scent. That metallic note is SO realistic, it's almost aquatic, but the oakmoss prevents this from turning to dryer sheets on me. The cardamom lends a touch of spice (and thank goodness it's not turning to cumin like others have mentioned!). In the end, it dries down to a slightly sweet patch. Earthy without feeling dirty. I need a bottle, yesterday.

#65 decant - black musk and amber, maybe vanilla? Orange-y. A touch of something grounding, if I concentrate. Reminds me most of Velvet Panther and Haunted, which are two of my faves. Will definitely hang onto this.

I'm getting the same weird white floral/nutty notes as others - I suspect that the champaca and frankincense are not playing nice with me. A shame, because I was looking for this one for a while because of the leather/rum/vanilla in the notes. I was definitely hoping for something a tiny bit sweeter. I'll let it sit for a few days and try again.

This is the rose that's super subtle and soft on me, like in Harlot. It's predominantly rose, but the cacao offers /just/ a bit of sweetness without turning foodie. It's a lovely, "your skin but better" kind of scent. One for my rare girly/pretty moods; might have to hunt down a bottle.

This is one of those scents I could never wear out because it's just so strong and evocative, but I love having it to myself. Very strong red patch and vetiver with a touch of cedar - yeah, I get the burning grass/gasoline comparison, but it makes me feel weirdly powerful. Like the drydown of a super-"manly" cologne. Dirty and delightful.

At first test, this was a pleasant spicy fall candle - a great wearable Halloween scent, not too overbearing. A half hour later, however, it's All Cumin, All the Time. 😕 I had such high hopes at first and wish this worked better on me!

Leather and a splash of gin, whiskey swirled tobacco, rose petals, and bourbon vanilla. Oh, gosh, am I the first? Here we go... In the bottle, it's sweet and boozy. It's a little bit overwhelming, a little nail polish remover-like, but have no fear! It's quite the morpher on the skin. Wet on the skin, the gin is initially the strongest note. Leather comes out a little bit to play. After a while, this settles into a BEAUTIFUL chewy tobacco, with a little sweetness from the vanilla. I want to point out how well-blended the rose petals are - they really are just a "swirl", adding a nice subtle floral top note. The leather really grounds everything and really feels like more of the "black jacket" variety. Overall: awesome, awesome, awesome. If you like your leather and tobacco scents on the boozy side, get this. My immediate scent associations: Tavern of Hell; Perversion; L'Heure Verte

I am so thankful that I'm not amping the sandalwood this time around, because this is the sultry leather/tobacco scent I have always wanted. Makes me want to wear loud lipstick, a fur coat, and start smoking outside a sleazy club at night.

I was afraid to skin-test this one, because I kept getting this incredibly funky note that put me off. On the skin, I can make out the coconut, but the rest kinda melds into this weird diaper-esque thing that's just not very pleasant. I'm gonna let this sit for a few more weeks and try again.

Hm. Can anyone who has both Dragon's Hide and Dragon's Musk tell me how they differ? I got a frimp of Dragon's Musk in my latest order, but I sniffed and tested it and it smells JUST like Dragon's Hide - I swear I'm getting the leather and smoke, even. I'd definitely smell SOME musky notes if it were Dragon's Musk, right? Or do I just really amp dragon's blood?

I love this. Predominantly vetiver, with maybe a whiff of black coffee if I concentrate, but it's SO ROUNDED by the vanilla. This is one of the nicest vetiver blends I've smelled, honestly. It's not too green OR too smoky and doesn't go super acrid on me like some other blends sometimes do. If you're a vetiver fan, this is well worth checking out. EDIT: Letting this rest for a few days worked wonders. The black coffee is now at the front when it hits the skin, with a wonderful smoky vetiver as support. This is sexy, man. Bottle upgrade.

So, I also tend to turn the Lab's black tea note into anise, but there's a roundness and depth to this that I haven't found in other similar blends (ex: A Peculiar Spirit). I find the clovey smoke adds a little depth and the cake crumbs add a soft, vanillic note. Going to give this a full-day wear before deciding whether or not to spring for a bottle before Liliths come down.

Happy, happy sighs. I serendipitously received a goblin squirt of this in a recent BPAL community order, and I'm in love. I have problems with the Lab's rose notes going sour or rotten on my skin sometimes, which is a shame because I looove rose notes. I had to let Two, Five & Seven go after one too many wonky skin chem days, and this is very similar, but now I can sleep with it. ❤ It's also very reminiscent of my Rose Red hair gloss, but nowhere near as overwhelming. A beautiful rose scent with a hint of greenery. Will definitely upgrade to a full bottle from the Post at some point.

So, I loved the apple/honey combo from Eve (the DC'd Excolo), but sometimes the florals would misbehave. This is like the Lab heard my unvoiced prayer. What it says on the tin - lots of apple and honey with a hint of SOMETHING musky. It's smooth and golden and lasts FOREVER, with pretty strong sillage, to boot. There is something almost high-end shampoo/perfumey about this, but it just smells airy and GOOD. May have to spring for a bottle.

You know those big, chewy cookies that are always on sale for $1 at the grocery store? The big ones that come in packs of six or something and come in flavors like Dutch Chocolate and Oatmeal Raisin? That's what this is reminding me of - super-chewy soft sugar cookies with, indeed, just a "swirl" of caramel and chunks of fresh apples. Unfortunately, there is a note that threatens to turn to plastic on my skin as well, but I'm going to test this one a few times before making a final judgment.

If you can't find any of the Bonfire Night renditions, I think you'll be happy with Malediction from the general catalog.

I think I have to be wary of myrrh in the future - I really wanted to love this, but this winds up way too sweet and powdery on my skin. It also has very little throw - I have to press my nose to my skin to smell anything. I was hoping for something a little smokier, I suppose. Oh, well. Will pass on this half-decant to someone who loves it! I should mention that I tested this three separate times, and it was faint all three. And I barely get any clove. But it does remind me a lot of Old Demons of the First Class, so if you love this, get that (and vice-versa).