Shattershatter

I have the 2024 bottle. It reads Ava without the almond. Amazing. Light. Floaty. Not gourmand at all. Instant love. I hope it doesn’t change as it ages, it’s amazing as it is.

Coming around a year later (this gives a more true experience when blends include mint and florals), this is incredibly sharp. That bright, almost citrusy ti leaf hits you first. It’s dang nigh shrill. A little later (3 hours), and you’ve got lovely lilac and ti leaf at equal, thankfully quieter levels. They’re rounded out very subtly by a soft, sugary amber. I didn’t really smell mint at all. So first, you’re punched in the nose by a bougie Crabtree and Evelyn type soap smell, but once it settles, it’s truly lovely. It probably smells like the settled version to a passerby from the start. I got an immediate compliment from my current partner upon application.

There’s definitely red musk and vetiver up in here! The amber sort of coats everything with a gorgeous sugary blanket. I don’t really smell oak? Just vetiver. It’s gorgeous though. Big and poofy personality with a dark sexy vibe. Kinda like if OG Sanguinem Menstruum was your mom, Rickety Staircase is your outspoken, witchy, single, man-eating aunt.

I was introduced to BPAL in 2015, but didn’t know anything about independent perfume back then. I only bought imps for a few years. My first full bottle was a GC. I had no idea backups were a thing, but the moment I smelled this, I immediately ordered another. Olive blossom is one of my favorite notes, Defututa being the first time I smelled it. It’s sweet, dry, and ethereal. Orris can go sour on me, and often does, but not this time. Ambergris is a lovely skin-but-better, as always, and the frankincense in this one is the bright lemony kind. I’m not getting a clear read on the other notes, but suffice it to say, this scent is gorgeous, sweet, lightly floral, and contemplative. I’ve gone on to buy many many backups since, but 5 years ago, this scent changed the way I BPAL.