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BPAL Madness!

OxfordComma

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Everything posted by OxfordComma

  1. OxfordComma

    A View From the Window

    (Ok I swear to God I'm not just terrible at picking out notes. Maybe I'm just really good at picking scents that will inexplicably conjure up grade school memories?) I digress. This smells so uncannily like scented pencils at first. Kinda generically fruity and pencil shaving-esque wood. On the skin, it opens up a bit and the notes are more discernable. There's a dry woodiness from the oak and sandalwood, beeswax (might be the one from that deer moon duet?), a hint of chewy tobacco, maybe some brown leather, and i still get a bit of a fruity vibe for awhile.... maybe there's red musk in the crimson velvet? It has a very "shut up in the library" feel to it, definitely hits the vibe of the painting. Bookish without being heavy. Not as rich as expected tbh, but I'm not mad about it. Throw and longevity are average on me.
  2. OxfordComma

    Lavender Silk Sheet Ghost

    This one started out kinda iffy for me tbh. The lavender reminded me of the one in Lavender Plum Galette which was almost....peppery(?) at first, and there was a note that was coming across as cloying, which I get sometimes with silk notes. But after it's had time to think about it's life, it's now a lovely lavender musk and incense scent, that strangely dries down to something that keeps making me think of nag champa. It smells like lavender laundered sheets in a home that burns incense. Cozy, fluffy, soft, dreamy. No regrets on this one! 💕
  3. OxfordComma

    Melancholy Fire

    I really hesitated to review this but, here we go! I gotta be honest.... this one baffles me. When I first got it, it reminded me of those little crappy erasers that are shaped like stuff? The ones that you used to get as a kid from like dentists reward treasure chests? That just me? Idk. It smelled like a rubber eraser. And it..... still kind of does. I feel like this is mostly the clove, which is a note that I don't often have good luck with, doing something weird. There's something almost.... honeyed about it? So like a sticky sweet eraser. This sounds like a crazy person review lmao. But I've had this for a few weeks now and it hasn't really changed. I might be getting a little incense smoke but I might also just be trying to convince myself it's there. I.... got nothing. I'd never be able to guess these notes blind. It does somehow conjure up the concept of frostbite or a burning cold flame. Probably better for lovers of clove.🤷‍♀️
  4. OxfordComma

    Dry Ice Cocktail

    Tart citrus(lemon peel maybe?), glowing absinthe, and a truly foggy ozonic note that isn't an icepick to the sinus like ozone can often be for me. It smells like a humid chilly night, when the fog rolls in, but you're watching it while sipping a dry martini splashed with absinthe. Very refreshing and unique. Kind of reminds me of Toad Hall but without the wood notes that lurked at the base of that one. Perfect for this 80° Halloween weather here.
  5. OxfordComma

    Snakes in the Berry Sonker

    Agreed with above! Rich dark berries and flaky crust when wet, then the SO starts slinking around the edges until it become dark berry snake oil. The molasses is lovely, but I love molasses and I'll raw dog it straight from the jar so 🤷‍♀️. The berries really do smell cooked, like when you're making jam. Definitely a different vibe than Serpent Berries, this is more rich. Darker, purplier, and more saturated. Both of these snakes were slam dunks and I'm glad to have grabbed em. ♡
  6. OxfordComma

    Snakes in the Coconut Cake

    Came here to say this, basically! This... is phenomenal. I hate buying backup bottles, I never ever do it but this.... this I might get a second bottle of. It's coconutty af, drizzled with SO, so it's not too foody. It's perfect. It's great. It's every positive adjective. ✨️ Longevity and throw are also excellent. Possibly my new favorite SO variant. Don't tell my other bbs.
  7. OxfordComma

    Forgive Us Our Virtues, Forgive Us 2024

    Adding to the 'agreed' pile haha! At first sniff I was like "In Templum Dei? Is that you?" but this is a little woodier in comparison, and on skin they share DNA but are cousins at best. FUOVFU dries down to a soft, woody patchouli and frankincense, gilded around the edges with a very much not red-hots cinnamon. A cuddly, personal scent. Low throw but good longevity.
  8. OxfordComma

    There Yet Shall Be Sorrows

    This smells wet and damp for sure. There's something sharp and bitter, the rue? It's almost like a very concentrated pithy citrus essential oil, but more green? It's only really evident if I sniff directly. The throw is herby and wet, like a bundle of freshly rinsed ingredients foraged from a wild wood. Interesting but a little too forest hag for me lol
  9. OxfordComma

    The Lilies and Languors of Virtue 2024

    My experience mirrors @sea turtle's pretty closely! The vial sniff is.... not great. Almost...mildewy? But that vanished within seconds of application and it turned surprisingly fruity. A sort of mixed bag of fruity candy. Like those Twinkle candy lollipop on the long plastic sticks. A crystalline fruit candy with floral nuances and a chilly musk. Great for hot weather!
  10. OxfordComma

    Encounter with a Female Ghost

    I didn't love this in the vial or freshly applied. It was just kinda meh spicy floral with something kinda funky around the edges, but as soon as it starts to warm and dry on my skin it quite literally blooms into velvety lily petals with a really nice dragonsblood wafting around. The woodier/haylike notes get stronger as it wears and it's warm, spicy, woody floral that manages to stay airy and light enough to not be oppressive in hot humid summer weather. This went from meh to the FS contender list.
  11. OxfordComma

    Pink Moon 2024

    Oh my God thank you! It's been driving me nuts. I knew it was something so familiar but not nesquik. It is totally Strawberry Ensure lmao it's a weirdly nostalgic scent for me and I'm not normally a sugary-gourmand person but this is just strangely comforting. I keep it by my laptop and wear it while I'm just chilling and playing cozy games. Fluffy, pink, and delightfully strawberry-y.
  12. OxfordComma

    Coconut Tree Single Note

    Yep. That's coconut! The husk note gives this a kinda lightly toasted feel. It's definitely got a vintage suntan oil vibe, which is honestly what I was hoping for. It's warm, tropical, and aggressively coconutty. A little synthetic whiff occasionally but we'll see if rest settles it. Currently I am existing in a cloud of shredded coconut and I am at peace. 🌴🥥
  13. OxfordComma

    Deer Moon: Golden Tobacco and Beeswax

    I came here to see if anyone had reviewed this because my bottle just arrived and it does in fact smell like petrichor. Like straight up wet stone/earth and nothing else on bottle sniff. I thought, surely this is mislabeled or something?? But having seen the review above I guess I'm not alone! How bizarre. I guess we'll see what some rest does but I was expecting this to be a no brainer slam dunk of a blind buy and unfortunately petrichor type scents are not my jam. 🥲 Update: skin test time! Fully agree with VioletChaos about this being similar to Penny Dreadful! The petrichoriness burns off and warm, creamy notes starts to shine through. I still get dirt vibes, but spices and occasionally a whiff that makes me think of pipe ashes become more prominent as it wears. The beeswax is there if I sniff directly, looking for it, but otherwise reads as a creamy base for this weirdo tobacco note. Not the cuddly, luxe tobacco scent I was expecting but I like it on a million times better than expected from bottle sniff. Might not get a lot of wear in this heat but we'll see how he fits into my collection!
  14. OxfordComma

    Roses, Pearls, and Rubies

    I was kind of expecting this to be a red, fruity bomb with some incense notes, since both strawberry and rhubarb usually have no chill. But this is... the opposite I guess! Nag champa and I'm guessing the red labdanum, no big cola vibes. A red fruity hint at first, and then the rose starts to arrive. A red rose, but not the one in Peacock Queen. More dried, like those rosaries made of crushed rose petals. In fact this whole scent reminds me of those. The leftover wafts of incense from a cathedral and a rose petal rosary. Light, airy. Good throw. One swipe on a wrist and I can smell it easily. I like this more than I expected after realizing it wasn't gonna be a strawberry-rhubarb fiesta.
  15. OxfordComma

    Tonka Bean, Black Tea, and Leather

    Agreed with both of the above. This is sleek and chic. Polished, spotless leather, strong black tea and airy tonka. Academia vibes for sure. Classy. Good throw and decent wear length!
  16. OxfordComma

    Cannibal Soliloquy

    This was mostly bergamot and champaca on me, and was actually pretty enjoyable with the hints of white amber and frankincense wafting in and out but! The throw was nonexistent sadly, and the longevity was not hot either. 🥲
  17. OxfordComma

    The Naiads' Hour

    Salty champaca. A little soapy, as champaca sometimes pulls, probably being helped along in that direction by the aquatic notes. This is a warm, dry scent on me. Towels that were hung out to dry on the beach. Salty, cuddly, infused with sunlight. A nap in a sun puddle, with the windows open and a sea breeze blowing. Throw/longevity were mid for me.
  18. OxfordComma

    Chocolate Musk

    I agree that this is a very sweet, melted milk chocolate. I was hoping for a more dry, cocoa powder vibe but the warm, sweet musks might be adding to the vibe there. The musks here do remind me of SO, as Little Bird mentioned. Kinda a mix of red/brown/black? Fuzzy but not too furry/animalic. Not dirty. This is on the verge of being sooo good, but is just a tad too sweet for me. I find a lot of chocolate scents read as cloying on me lately, so I assume it's a me issue. In the bottle this is stunning, but after an hour or so it starts wear on me and I end up washing it off. Great longevity and throw though!
  19. OxfordComma

    Fuzzy Pink Handcuffs 2024

    Soft, sweet pink rose jam and a cuddly vanilla. I wouldn't ID cotton candy per se, but definitely a fluffy sugary vibe without being too sugary for me. I've had pretty good luck with the longevity and throw here, surprisingly.
  20. OxfordComma

    The Serpent in the Roses 2024

    Sadly, this was nonstop red musk on me. A very grape candy one. After a few hours, I got some rose peeking out from behind it, and a hint of amber and SO's spices. I was kinda hype for this one but the red musk never calmed down with rest. Strange. I've gotten several other SO blends lately that smelled, well, like SO, but this was just a sticky sweet red musk bomb. Maybe something in the black rose accord doesn't love me?
  21. OxfordComma

    Poet's Hearts Break So

    Delicate porcelain violets, wispy vanilla and a decidedly airy red musk. I'm not usually a huge red musk fan, a lot of times it pulls too grapey-sweet for me, but this is a beautiful rendition. A sheer voile veil of red musk. The dry vanilla fougère and red musk linger after the more floral notes fade away but it's very pretty from start to finish. Longevity isn't astounding, but it lasts better than I'd expect for such a delicate scent. Throw is low-mid, but it has improved. I ended up full sizing this, it's just so pretty and airy and wearable.
  22. OxfordComma

    Several Penises

    This is really nice. My absolute favorite of all the Shungas I've tried. Creamy, bright sandalwood with a round lemon note make a smooth sandalwood dreamsicle glaze over the chewy tobacco, and the whole thing is glorious. The tobacco here reminds me of the one from Fake News maybe? But where that was hard, gilded, and luxe, this is almost cuddly. The same scent after a tough day at the office, now at home in a fuzzy robe, sipping lemon herbal tea. I've got a partial bottle but I'm really considering a back up, which I never ever do.
  23. OxfordComma

    A Lesson in Wisdom

    Neroli champagne! I'm not super keen on neroli, but this is actually really nice. Very much fresh fizzy/sparkly vibes. I wish some of the other notes came out more but this is a lovely springy-summery scent. It is fairly strong with good throw and lasting power on me. If only it were more rose + champagne, it would be perfect ♡
  24. OxfordComma

    A Ghostly Encounter

    Clean, luxe. Creamy ambergris with palo santo and juniper splashed on top. Sadly the throw is really low on me, even slathering I only occasionally get a whiff while going about my day. Longevity isn't bad, but I like a decent throw.
  25. OxfordComma

    Bringer of Evil

    In the bottle, I get a really nice pithy grapefruit with a purple tinge to it. On skin this just starts getting sweeter and sweeter and sweeter. So, firstly, I'm an idiot. I read the notes and my brain was like "mimosa🥂" not "mimosa🌸" so color me very surprisedpikachumeme when it starts pulling this soft floral honey note and not fizzy champagne lollllll. SIGH. So. Recalibrated expectations in hand, this scent is somehow both a verdantly green and dark purple. The leafy notes, combined with the truly purple tart fruit vibe and the honey-mimosa make me think of elderberry syrup? Or something along those lines. On me it's a very sweet fruity-floral, the blue musk is hiding offstage. I'm on the fence on this one, but I'm not sure how much of that is because it's not what I was (completely wrongly) expecting from it.
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