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BPAL Madness!

OxfordComma

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  1. OxfordComma

    The Woodland So Wild

    This is really lovely, no doubt about it. Dreamy is definitely the vibe. Velvet carnation petals floating in creamy vanilla and orris. The peony adds an extra oomph of fresh florals, a muted pastel bouquet of pinks and cream. A very gentle soft leather and dry cedar at the base. Honestly, ghoulnextdoor's description of smelling perfume on your scarf is perfect, it has that quality of smelling something on a jacket you haven't worn in a while and trying to figure out what it was. Maybe two things that ended up layering beautifully. On my skin the florals stand out, but on my sleeves the base notes are prominent and the two halves make a really lovely whole. Middling throw, I can smell it on myself just fine but not sure if others could. Soft but not too quiet. If you like Solstice's Winter Dove but didn't love the heavier gourmandish cream and nutmeg aspects, I think this would be a winner for you.
  2. OxfordComma

    On Beauty

    This starts out kind of funky-mothbally, Narcissus stretching its legs. That bit recedes quite a bit within the first few minutes for me, thankfully. The dry down is immensely familiar to me. I can't ID exactly but it's the scent of some beauty product or maybe a combo of beauty products that my mom and grandmother used. It makes me think of expensive creams in sleek packaging. An airy vanilla floral, loaded with saffron. Incredible throw. No idea where the heavily creamy, as in lotion, not cream cream, vibe is coming from. It's quite nice once it gets past the funk zone.
  3. OxfordComma

    On Time

    I'm not sure I've tried Shanghai, but this immediately made me think of Bugbear Doula! Citrusy white tea is the loudest both in the bottle and on, which is fine by me because I love their white tea note. The frankincense smoke is truly airy, a light tendril of scent. The white tea and ambergris combo makes me think of seafoam, not like... realistically, but fantasy seafoam. Birth of Venus vibes. Wispy and romantic is a great description! This has pretty good throw for me, and lasts a decent while for so many 'lighter' notes. If this was an Ars Anni I think it would something like a Sorolla, maybe Walk on the Beach or, better yet, Niña. Whimsical yet poignant.
  4. OxfordComma

    Beatrice and Dante

    Wow this is pretty! Velvety rose petals scattered over resins and softly glowing amber. The iris adds a cool edge to this, while the beeswax softens the edges. Really really pretty. Reminds me of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Incredible throw on this one! Barely applied and my whole living room is a rose temple. I actually have a rose petal rosary I bought at Our Lady of Guadalupe some 20 years ago and it still has a faint scent and this is spot on for it! That rosary smelled fantastic for a solid decade and I was sad when it started to fade, so very happy to have a wearable version.
  5. OxfordComma

    Gummi Fangs

    Yep, that is gummy fangs! Like uncannily. Smells like a bag of red gummies, but with that odd creamy vibe that opaque gummies have. Starts out with insane throw. I put a tiny dab on the back of my hand and it overran what I wearing on my neck. But it dies back and stays fairly close to the skin after that. It's quite nice, if you want to smell like gummies.
  6. OxfordComma

    With Care and With Joy

    I agree with, well, all of these reviews. The facets of fur and yeast are drenched in a honeyed toffee and something inexplicably rosey. It kind of reminds me of Marthe Bibescu but where that one was crisp, brittle toffee this is the confection whilst it's cooking: sticky sweet and melted. Wet, it's a bit much for me with the brown buttery-toffee-honey throwing like crazy, but as it dries it gets a lot more wearable and complex. Still retains solid throw! A lot more complex than expected from two notes, I suspect 'ethereal lure' might be it's own thing.
  7. OxfordComma

    Retch

    Update: I've worn this a couple times since my original review and the animalic/goat vibe is much less pronounced, so idk if it was just a weird sinus day or hormones or what. The oudh reads more woody with just a touch of barn. Still no sign of booze. It's really quite nice all around and the lack of goat makes it much more publicly wearable haha. The reviews made me very curious about this one, despite not normally going for chocolate scents. This smells like rich hot chocolate and a whiff of...goat. Surely the oudh, but I can't help but think of goats. It's not stanky per se, but more... animalic in a furry or hay way. No pooudh here, for me anyways. I don't detect any booze at all, surprisingly. I don't drink so those notes usually stand out to me, but I'm not mad about it. It was the note I was most concerned about haha. Or maybe it's rather peaty and combining with the oudh to give me the hay impression? 🤔 Longevity is not supreme, but throw is good. Growing up we always went to a holiday event held by a large church in our area that went balls to the wall on Christmas lights. Acres of em. They served free hot chocolate that was approximately 600° in little styrofoam cups and you walked around holding it for warmth more than anything because it was undrinkable for like a solid hour. They also had a petting zoo of little goats and ponies and rabbits. This smells exactly like those nights. It's the scent of riding the little train because my mom loved it and scalding the fuck out of your mouth because the cocoa smells drinkable but is actual magma. The Yules this year really came for my nostalgia, man.
  8. OxfordComma

    Gothic Gatekeeper

    For some reason both fresh and now months later, this smells like nag champa incense and clove to me. I have no idea where the spicy note is coming from but it reminds me very much of the clove cigarette smoke in Black Lipstick. So, yea. Spicy nag champa. 🤷‍♀️ No idea why lol
  9. OxfordComma

    Hiss & Hearse

    I just found my Weenie 'maybe' pile to retest before they come down! So here we go. I... also get lime? I remember this reminding me of *something* when I tested it originally so maybe it was Mr Nancy? I don't really recall getting lime before but maybe??? Otherwise, I get a lot of dirt so I'm assuming I didn't get a Lime Green mixup. Maybe some weird combo of the moss and Dorian is resulting in a pithy lime vibe? 🤔 Regardless, I actually like this a lot now. It's dirt but like...✨suave dirt.✨ A little snake oil vanilla sweetness peaking through, a little airy Dorian clawing out of the grave. The dirt note is milder now than I recall, less petrichory. I think I shall toss a bottle in my order. It's got a kind of 'nice bog witch' energy that I strive for.
  10. OxfordComma

    Gingerbread Glory Hole

    There were so many great Yules this year but this might be my favourite? Soft gingerbread, cuddly brown musk, and a dusting of warm patchouli. It's so comforting. Baking unhinged gingerbread cookies has been a family tradition for decades and this is the perfect scent for that. Spiced baked goods and cozy vibes. Not super foodie but not not foodie. Great throw and longevity.
  11. OxfordComma

    Bed of Books

    This starts out very leather centric with a splash of an aquaticy-cucumbery thing that I've heard other people get from some lab paper notes, but I don't think I've encountered? There's something vaguely chemical/dye feeling that I often get from old book themed perfumes. I'm assuming it's something used to add a dustiness or aged feel but that reads really wonky to my nose. It's not as strong here as it has been in other scents, and burns off quickly. This dries down to well kept leather bound books, mixed with worn clothbound books, and a bit of old paperbacks. Maybe something like soft incense, but that may be an errant woody note. I can't fully shake the aquatic note, which ends up smells like cool damp air. Kind of adds a feeling of being inside on a cool day with the windows open and it's gently raining. It's not terribly strong, but it's a nice 'clean but cavernous bookstore' scent.
  12. OxfordComma

    Frog Moon: Iris and Wild Patchouli

    Really, really lovely. The way these notes combine is an almost atmospheric gardening scent. The iris is purple and airy. Simultaneously dry and greenly floral. The Patchouli is earthy and rooty without being the usual hippie patch. In fact my patch-hater partner didn't ID this as patchouli at all, and actually likes this perfume quite a bit! Smells like a cool toned dusty purple. I hope the lab does more patch floral combos like this, it's such a stunner.
  13. OxfordComma

    Dead Leaves and a Wooly Jumper

    This was one I grabbed a sample of at launch and then decided not to keep... But then I kept thinking about it and thinking about it and wanting to smell it again. So I grabbed a bottle. The first impression was, and is, not great for me haha. It reminds me of this nail polish remover I had, like, in the 90s. Scented, pink, with a built in felt pad scrubby thing. Super effective, probably full of carcinogens. Anyways, that's what this smells like at first. But after that brief foray into yesteryear, it emerges triumphant in all it's pastel neutral-tone fair isle knit glory. Dry crunchy leaves skitter at your feet, the cool autumn wind whipping them into dust devils. But you are cozy and warm in your fuzzy sweater and scarf combo (matching, of course). Nice throw and incredible longevity. I could smell it on my sweater days later when doing the laundry. Sidenote: the DL here is not the cronchy bell pepper one or particularly cologney imo. It's a much softer, crumbly dry forest floor vibe. Not sure if it's a different version of the note or just the way it combined with the other notes but, I realllllly like it.
  14. OxfordComma

    The Erl-King’s Pale Daughter

    A misty river bank, lined with dewy night-blooming lilies, gently illuminated by the moon peeking between the clouds. The musk is aquatic without being blue musk, ozonic without being shrill. The lily note is really lovely, but not overt. Like smelling flowers on the air but you can't pinpoint where it's coming from. This is really pretty and perfect for the line, but maybe too aquatic for my tastes. If it were an Ars Anni scent it would be something like Steck's Ophelia. Tragic, moody, and softly luminescent.
  15. OxfordComma

    Pine Cone Sack Attack

    The "little full, lotta sap" scent from Christmas Vacation now conveniently bottled for your wearing enjoyment. A face full of sticky sap, romanticised with glowing golden amber and lightly dusted with fireplace ash. All the Yules I've tried this year have a lovely sort of nostalgic whimsy to them and this also kind of has that vibe to me, but maybe it's just my associations with the movie haha. Pretty solid throw and wear length!
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