Assimbya

Eclipse goes on as a pretty almond/marzipan with some hints of vanilla; almost too foody for me, but I enjoy the almond which is lovely on my skin. As it dries, the cinnamon and frankincense become more and more prominent, along with a pink candy like note which I suppose must be the heliotrope, and they meld into something which feels peculiarly dusty and stale to my nose. I have a sense that the way these particular notes combine on my skin must have some negative association for me that I can't quite pinpoint; the urge to wash this off is stronger than seems logically warranted! It's an odd experience that I'm glad I was able to have, but I probably won't keep this imp around and instead enjoy other almond-centric blends which don't do this on dry down.

This is an impressively inoffensive scent - clean, well-blended, reminiscent to me of hand soap or lotion from a fancy hotel. The white musk here smooths out the other notes, rather than adding the depth that it does to many other blends on my skin. I can see why this is so popular, and especially why it would be a good entry point to BPAL for those who might feel more wary of strong or unusual notes, but it's just not what I'm here for. I'll see if I can rehome my frimps to some people in my life who might be otherwise more hesitant about perfume oil.

Beautiful smooth golden honey with a sharply dangerous floral undercurrent. My skin loves honey notes, and I appreciate the way that on me the sweetness doesn't overwhelm so I can get the complexities of the blend. This is a simple but lovely perfume on me - I don't know that I'll need any more than my imp, but I'm glad to have that when I'm in the mood for it.

Similar to others, I get a sweet, marzipan-like creamy almond at the beginning, and a gently blended musk with it. As it dries, it morphs to become primarily myrrh, with a hint of almond in the background. This has extremely low throw on me, and fades quite fast. It's pleasant, though not particularly Hecate to my sensibilities, and the speed with which it fades makes it one that I'm unlikely to wear often. But I am still glad to have my imp to wear around the house, when I can easily reapply it.

This is totally gorgeous on me, and I am so grateful to have received it as a frimp from someone here! It's a beautiful velvety red rose, with a heavenly sweetness from the musk and an edge of sharp powderiness which is how amber often shows up on me. Amber can take over on my skin, but here the musk keeps it in check and it's part of a very balanced whole. Over time, the rose, initially the strongest note, fades into the background of the musk and amber, but I really love it at all its stages. This may be one I end up wanting a bottle of, though I want to spend more time with it before deciding, especially since I have quite a number of rose scents already. But I just love them all so much!

I saw the first snowdrops and croci of the season yesterday, so of course I had to wear this today! On me this is a bright, clean, lily scent, lightly fruity in a sort of fleshy-floral type of way, the absolute opposite of indolic. There's a cold sense to it that feels the image of a snowdrop, but it's pretty much purely the lily note. This is very pleasant and fun, and I would like to wear it more, though I don't know where I will need a bottle; I personally prefer wearing the more complex and mature white floral of the Lab's Datura Blossom. Prague also fades quite fast on me, though this may be because my imp is rather old.

This really does have such a chilled, melancholy feeling to it! I am enjoying wearing it on this very cold day where I am. This is a lovely aquatic. On me it's predominantly cold river water rushing with bergamot and a very clear, almost herbal jasmine. There's this earthy grittiness beneath which I identify as the moss-covered stones and actually really enjoy; it gives the scent this effective atmospheric feeling. I don't think I can distinctly pick out the water lilies, plum, or carrot seed, though the perfume as a whole has a layered complexity which makes it clear there are other notes there. My only disappointment in it is that the longevity is pretty low - it fades substantially a couple hours into wearing it. Maybe apropos for a misty river, but I would prefer to have it stick around longer!

This one has a dry, herbal, bitter quality to it which I find really compelling. On me, the saffron and blood musk are definitely the dominant notes, with a distinct coppery metallic note which I think is from the blood musk. The amber and honey for me are this perfumey undertone, winding through the red-gold of the musk and saffron. This feels like such a good Erinyes scent to me - it's bloody and dark but in classical way, not a traditionally gothic one. The saffron is such a great choice to create that sensibility! I like this one a lot; it goes in the same category for me as Seven Inches of Blood from the Carmillas as another intense metallic blood perfume which is beautiful and scary at the same time. They're not perfumes I want to wear every day, but I really love them as a way to embody a certain mode and side of my self. And it's a delight to now have this one which lets me do that in a more hellenic sensibility!

I have been really enjoying this one after getting it as a free imp. I get a rich, juicy, slightly sweet rose, with the dragon's blood and wine blending beautifully together. I think this is the same wine note as the one in Athens, which works really well for me, and it lovely with the rose. I don't know that I'll want a bottle of this one, especially since it's note as good an everyday scent for me as Athens, but I will definitely continue wearing my imp.

On me this is predominantly sour-sweet cranberry, with a hint of earthy ginger grounding it. Alas, I really don't get any of the lily, and definitely no smoke. I'm finding that red fruit notes really take over on my skin and end up smelling quite artificial. This isn't for me.

I really love this! It's at once sharp and sweet, and complex, layered floral which feels mature and elegant with grounding of the sandalwood and amber. It's a little challenging to pick out specific notes in this one, but I think the pear blossom is the clearest on me, which is a lovely scent I haven't had much experience with previously. My partner and I keep joking about the "ode to delicate femininity" descriptor, but there is something that does feel accurate about it; this is a scent which makes me feel confident and put together within a feminine self-presentation. This is the first hair gloss I've actually gotten into, and it has excellent throw and longevity. I love that it's a way I can enjoy sandalwood and amber without having to worry about them amplifying enormously as they both tend to on my skin.

I would second the recommendation for Les Fleurs du Mal! It has a pale, melancholy feel that may be what you're looking for. I have also been loving Eusapia from this year's Yules, which I have found to be a beautiful, true lilac. Perhaps not as funereal, but very lovely.

This is a lovely scent! Definitely a sister scent to Alice, as others have suggested above, but in sort of an opposite direction as the GC Maiden; while Maiden takes Alice's notes in a sharper, more astringent direction, Dawn: Maiden is smooth and creamy and gentle. I am not sure I can identify heliotrope yet, but I can distinctly pick out olive blossom, honeysuckle, and tea roses, and combined they give a certain golden luminosity that feels appropriate to the name (I am not familiar with the comics which inspired the scent). With the milk and honey this feels like a more grown up and less sharp tongued Alice. I am so glad I decided to try this one and expect it to easily enter into my rotation of daytime perfumes.

This feels very pink and clean and bright. As other reviewers have described, I get mostly pear and sweet pea, a little musk and other florals. There's something very young and girl about it, in a way that doesn't feel romantic or sexual - I'm thinking more of Emily in Our Town than Juliet herself, to be honest. I would have preferred to have the lily and honeysuckle (two of my favorite notes!) show up more strongly, though I do get some more of them on dry down. It's a pretty scent, but I think ultimately it feels too youthful and fruity to be quite right for me.

I was given a decant of this by the wonderful paperflowers in her Yule decant circle! I'd never used hair gloss before and so was curious to try, though nervous about the cotton candy note. But I shouldn't have been worried - this is a sweetened, bouncy dragon's blood, It has great longevity and throw in my (very long) hair, and while the scent isn't quite me it's fun and pleasant to use. Taking this as an indication to continue exploring hair gloss!