Assimbya

I was frimped a decant of this and I'm glad I was. I was initially quite confused because I looked it up and found the perfume oil, which shares none of the same notes, and I kept wondering where the pomegranate was! Definitely agree that this is a woodier, sharper Snow White; the snow and oudh notes are pretty evenly balanced on me, and the sweet-woody combination works well. I'm wearing it right now alongside White Rabbit, which helps also to bring out the black pepper note just a bit. It's quite pleasant, and is making me curious about the Snow White HG, which previously I hadn't felt so interested in.

This scent made me lose my mind when I first tried it a few months back, and I feel so tremendously lucky that I was able to obtain a bottle. It feels very special both as a scent unto itself and also for me personally, and, though I know it's difficult to find and so my review won't be a help to many here, I wanted to write one just for the sake of reflecting on my experience with it! Backstory here is that I am a major fan of the novel Dracula, and have been for many years; the novel has been really important in my life in a variety of ways, and still has a very particular place in my heart. As a fan of it I've always tried to champion the characters of the Brides of Dracula, who get so little space in the book, and who so often are represented in adaptations in really misogynistic ways. A lot of my participation in the fandom has been about trying to open up the possibilities for what the undead lives of these characters could have been like, as full people rather than stereotypes. So when I learned about BPAL's Order of the Dragon collection I of course really wanted to try the Brides of Dracula scent for the sake of that connection, but I didn't imagine it could really match or live up to my own associations and experiences with these characters; I tried to keep my expectations low. And Brides of Dracula doesn't seem like much for the first few minutes that I put it on - a hint of spice, of sandalwood, faint floral; a little pretty but nothing special. But something happens as it blooms on my warm skin, and it becomes utterly intoxicating. The skin musk is smooth and sensuous and quietly enveloping; it mingles with a beautiful golden perfumey osmanthus and the sharp edge of the plum blossoms; honey and amber are very well-blended in but each give their own kinds of glow to the scent, unearthly and shimmering. It has very little throw on me, but I don't care; I'm happy with this as a private skin scent just for me. And it lasts for hours upon hours, and gets better and better over that time. Every time I put this one on there are a few minutes where I think maybe I've misremembered how good it is, maybe my sentimentality about the source material has clouded my judgment, but each time I am proven right again. What's so special about this, aside from the fact of whatever perfect alchemy it's doing with my skin chemistry, is the fact that this is a scent for Brides of Dracula as I see and imagine and want other people to see them - beautiful and unearthly and dangerous but also with their own dignity and sorrow. It's not the kind of loud, overtly gothy scent that would be fitting to the movie/pop culture versions of these characters. It's a very special thing to know that this perfume was being made back in 2006 when I was developing my own deeply felt relationship with these characters but had no knowledge of BPAL, and that I get to wear it now, nearly twenty years later. I am so grateful for that.

Sweet fruit nectar, very green and pink, with just an edge of floral and plantlike sensibility under the juiciness. This is very fully realized but just so incredibly not me; it makes me think about how something that's been really interesting for me in exploring BPAL has been experiencing the way different perfumes seem to evoke different types of self-presentations to me, across all different arenas. BPAL has a lot of different variations on what ideas of femininity or masculinity can be or, or what sexiness or sensuality can be, and having the intensely visceral reaction to a scent of "that's me" or "that's not me" is fascinating. Penetralia feels like a sexiness that is just so alien to my own - this is frothy pink lingerie, clean contemporary girlishness. It seems like an edges towards more of a mainstream body spray type scent, but done with a freshness and naturalness that those products never seem to achieve. I'm sure there will be a lot of people who love wearing this (and I think of some in my life to whom I could give my decant!), but I am not one of them.

On me, this is a predominantly lemon blossom scent - a softer, gentler floral lemon, wearable as lemon notes rarely are for me. As it dries down, a warm, caramelized (but not at all foody) sense comes through which I think is the combination of honey, cedar, and amber. Just a hint of frankincense and ylang-ylang for me. There's something very enthralling about this scent, a way that it's at once sensuous and cozy, and I find myself repeatedly smelling it to try to make sense of the experience. It doesn't personally quite feel like me, despite how well-done it is, but I appreciate it very much. On the other hand - on my partner it totally blooms (really all the notes come out, especially the neroli), and feels all of us a beautiful piece; it's a new rival for his favorite scent. So our household is definitely getting a bottle, but probably I won't be the one who mostly wears it.

I like this one a lot! The combination of notes (clove + honey + dark fruit + floral) reminds me a little of some of the Carmillas (especially You Are Mine, You Shall Be Mine.. and Mircalla), but it has a particular complexity all its own. I've been really obsessed lately with the blooming apricot trees in my area, which have a very unique and gorgeous scent - slightly sharp, complex, with that fuzziness characteristic of fresh apricots? It's so difficult to describe. The Ume note in this perfume isn't quite that, but it's the closest I have experienced in a perfume; it's distinct and I love it. The mogra/jasmine, as others have noted, is quite gentle here, very well-blended with the other notes, lending this atmospheric white floral sensibility. The plum is dark and not too sweet, very balanced with the honey and clove. I'm not noticing the lavender, which I'm okay with. Overall, this feels dark and complex without being overwhelming, predominantly floral but not purely so, and subtly sexy.

Hi everyone! I'm on a bit of a floral completionist journey, and one type of floral note I love but don't have in any perfumes at the moment is frangipani, also known as plumeria. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for any blends that really showcase this note for you, whether one of the current GCs/unimpables I could add to my wishlist or even a past LE I could keep my eyes out for moving forward! In particular I'm wondering if anyone who has tried Delight or Touched Twice can speak to how much the frangipani comes through in those against the other notes? La Belle au Bois Dormant also looks beautiful, both for frangipani/plumeria and also for a number of other florals, but unfortunately that one is out of stock. Thank you for any ideas!

It's so interesting how different people's experiences of different scents can be! For me, in contrast to the poster above, this one was so so clearly White Rabbit - the white chocolate note, which is really quite gentle and only softly sweet, adds more creaminess and softens some of White Rabbit's crisp edges (from the pepper, ginger, and linen), but it's really quite close. As a fan of White Rabbit, that isn't a problem, and this is really pleasant and wearable. It's lovely, and I'm glad to have a decant, but for me it's not different enough from White Rabbit for me to need a bottle.

I wish I could drink this one!! So incredibly delicious. I can pick out all the notes on this one (it's even clearly green tea rather than black to my nose! And for me I do get the almond milk specifically, though agree that it's an exceptionally rich and creamy almond milk), and they are all so realistic and fun. I'm not really a gourmand person, and the experience of smelling this but not getting to drink it drives me a little crazy, but it's so sweet and pretty and playful. I don't think this is one I'll wear frequently, so I don't expect I'll be getting a bottle of it, but I'm glad it exists and I'm happy to have a decant.

When this goes on I get a splash of bright blue lilac, with calla lilies supporting and just a hint of green tea - it's a very fresh, cool, clean floral and I like it a lot at this stage. As it dries down the peony milk becomes more and more prominent until the lilac and calla lilies have basically vanished - the peony milk is very pink and green scent, creamy and sweet. It's pleasant, but as the other florals vanish it starts to feel sort of cloying on me, and I really miss the freshness of its wet stage. This reinforced for me how much I love lilac, but this is unfortunately not the scent in which I'm going to get to really appreciate them.

The magnolia trees in my area have started blooming, and I've been really intensely craving magnolia scents as a result! And since lilac is another very very favorite note of mine which I don't have that many perfumes that showcase (except my dear Eusapia!), I was really hopeful about this one. As it turns out, it's everything I had hoped for - very balanced magnolia and lilac on me, lush and smooth and cool, with a definite sense (somehow!) of shining black satin in the background. I don't get much that I can discern as from the orris root or ambergris accord, except a soft saltiness which comes through more on drydown and lends definition and sophistication to the florals. This is so spectacularly elegant, and it makes me so happy to wear it! The only problem, unfortunately, is that it has quite brief longevity on me, and is pretty much entirely faded within a couple of hours. I envy the person above who got 7+ out of it! Possibly I need to try wearing more of this perfume than I'm used to, or perhaps resting will improve the longevity. Even if it stays short-lived, though, I'll likely want a bottle.

Definitely agree with @doomsday_disco that this reads like the Lab's white tea - it reminds me very much of the tea note in Maiden. On me it's quite citrus, but not in a way that feels distinctly identifiable as bergamot. The florals likewise are quite indistinct and very dry on me, mixing with the matcha, and I think also the sandalwood and white musk into something that feels more like dried, powered petals mixed with tea. I don't get any distinguishable blackcurrant. As with Maiden, I think this is a case where my skin chemistry has led me astray - as a whole this is very astringent and powdery, rather than the happy springtime floral I was hoping for, even though these notes are largely ones I adore. I think it would work better on me with some sweetness or a lactonic note to cut through the sharpness, which I'm learning is what I really sort of need with tea scents (and maybe that's fitting, since I always do drink my tea with milk and sugar!). I'll retest my decant a few times as I'm not ready to give up on this quite yet, but unfortunately I don't think it's going to be for me despite loving the idea of it.

I have tested this one a couple of times now, and really am not sure what to make of it, though I think I must reluctantly conclude that it doesn't work on me, despite having a lot of notes which really should. It's somehow at once acrid and syrupy - typically honey is lovely on me, but here whatever the honey note is mingles with extremely sharp sandalwood and neroli to make something that's quite unpleasant. I don't get any rose at all; I do get clove, which I often really like, but it's not enough to save this one. As loath as I am to admit that any vampire bride-related scent doesn't work for me, I think it's just the truth here! I can console myself with my other sexy roses and other beautiful female vampire blends. ETA: I got my partner to try this and it was so much better on him - largely honey and neroli, almost edging into gourmand. I've decided that this is actually a scent for Jonathan Harker from the brides' perspective - entrancingly edible. So now I feel better about it not working on me!

Hi @Alethia! It looks like you and I have some overlaps in our favorite notes, so I'll definitely be looking at your reviews for recommendations as well. I was going to suggest Katharina, which on me is such a heavenly mildly fruity orange blossom-white musk combination, but it looks like it's already one of your favorites! As far as GC scents I also have found Endymion to have such an absolutely gorgeous white musk, if you haven't tried that one yet. I realize I'm sounding like a broken record here because I bring it up all the time, but My Soul Acquiesced in It from the Carmilla collection is the white musk scent of my dreams; the other notes are also pretty prominent and I don't think it would work unless you like almond (I see you do like rose and vanilla!), but for me the white musk is the heart of that blend and it's just stunning on me. I was fortunate enough to get to try the old Lupercalia The Presence of Love which also has a very beautiful white musk, sharped by amber, grapefruit, and jasmine but very much noticeable as its own note. I have also seen Paladin recommended a lot for white musk, though on me I get a lot of frankincense which makes it tricky to detect - I do need to retest that one, though.

Athens was one of the batch of imps I bought in my very first order, for the classical connection, and has turned out to be a strong contender for my favorite GC. I feel like I don't see it often in people's list of favorite or what they regularly wear, and I think it deserves more attention! I experience Athens as somehow at once regal and comforting - it reminds me of the sensibility of the major arcana tarot The Empress; it has this red-gold feeling with its deep, sweet, honeyed wine. The wine note is on me the same one in Blood Rose or the Carmilla collection's Indescribable Solemnity and Fear, but it's sweeter and smoother here, rich but with no distinct alcohol. I definitely do get the myrrh, which is resinous rather than incense-like, and adds a depth and elegant sharpness which tempers the sweetness. There's a floral sensibility, but I couldn't pick out the "sweet flowers" on their own, or make a guess at what they are. This has reasonable throw and longevity (today it's now fading on me about 6 hours in), and makes me feel very capable and feminine in a mature way. As someone who feels very connected to Ancient Greece, it's very special to have a perfume based on one from that time, and to be able to hold that connection in a private, subtle way when I wear it. I love wearing this one to work, or in general to activities for which I want to feel confident.

2024 version. To me this perfume is very much like a fantasy of snow - white and fluffy and soft and sparkling. As far as notes, I can pick out a light musk with vanilla, almond, nebulous white florals, and something that if I squint I can call coconut, but they're all very fully blended together into a single picture. I do get a slight plasticky edge on my skin, but somehow this doesn't bother me; it feels like part of the fantasy snow image, like it's inside of a snow globe. I came to this one sort of backwards, seeing people compare other blend to it, primarily My Soul Acquiesced in It from the Carmillas, which is my absolutely favorite BPAL to date. I can see the resemblance to My Soul Acquiesced, but the snow in Snow White is opaque in contrast with My Soul Acquiesced's crystalline clarity. Snow White also feels more youthful - a sweet fantasy, in contrast to My Soul Acquiesced's adult elegance. I enjoy Snow White a lot; it's fun to wear, and I would be pleased to try other blends with this snow note. But the playfulness of it means that I find myself wanting to wear it in more limited settings and moods, and it doesn't feel quite as much 'me' as some other perfumes (that experience of having a perfume feel distinctly 'me' is such an interesting one! I'm so curious to think more about how it works), so I don't think it will become an absolute favorite for me, or fully become part of my regular rotation.

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.