Assimbya

I found this scent to be almost eeriely realistic. Gently sweet beeswax and a hint of smoke at first, and then as it dries the smoke becomes more prominent, as if the candle is continuing to burn out. Plus that ineffable just extinguished candle scent which isn't quite smoke or wax. I feel quite wary of smoke notes and so while I felt curious about this one I didn't initially want to get it. I am so glad my partner did, because wearing it is such a cool experience, and it's amazing to see how the lab is able to capture this kind of fleeting moment. The smoke is definitely there, but it's clearly candle smoke, contained and sweetened by the wax. Much to my surprise, I love this. I hope it gets a lot of appreciation.

This scent is like sitting peacefully in a Mediterranean garden. It opens with the neroli, which is slightly sharp in a pleasant way but does fade back into gentleness as it dries, very much like a breeze. After that, the honeysuckle is the strongest note, though I can distinctly get both the tea rose and osmanthus as well, with the amber as a backbone. I was not able to distinguish the vanilla chiffon, but didn't mind. On me it was a lovely nearly pure floral, layered but in the way that the floral scents might be if I was sitting in the garden and getting the scents of each of the flowers in it alternately. Softer and more complex than Katharina, which I wore right afterwards to compare the orange blossom/neroli note. I found this delightful and very soothing, but it's definitely an uncompromising floral.

Smooth yet strong floral aquatic with a hint of fruitiness in the background (cucumber?). It starts primarily violet + aquatic on me and since violet is one of the very few floral notes I don't typically like on myself I was rather disappointed. However, after about an hour of wear some other floral notes come out as well - I get lily and a very light rose - which I like more. I'll have to test this a few more times to see whether the violet-only early stage is tolerable enough for me to keep this around, but if so I'll probably keep my frimp, though I don't imagine this will be a bottle for me.

This was my first experience with a chocolate scent, and I was a little nervous about it, as I generally don't like gourmands. But I do love both hot chocolate and vampires, so the premise was impossible to resist. I get a creamy milk chocolate in the decant and wet on my skin, with just a hint of a spicy sweetness from the blood that comes off almost candy-like at first. As others have said, on drydown the blood notes comes out more and more, and it's unquestionably dragon's blood resin, which true to form on me is a spicy floral. There's some chocolatey sweetness throughout, but the dragon's blood resin is the indisputable center of the scent, with just a hint of something metallic which makes the blend more truly blood-like. It's like the inverse of Seven Inches of Blood, which is a very cool effect - this is Carmilla putting on her pretense of civility to fit into polite society drinking chocolate with the blood concealed, while Seven Inches of Blood is her in revealed as vampiric, with still a hint of that entrancing chocolate. It's a very cool effect to compare them, and I've found I can't stop thinking about Chocolat Viennois, even though it doesn't match my usual taste.

An imp of this was my first experience with dragon's blood, and I had no idea what to expect! On me it feels like a sharp, almost spicy floral scent, but with something frozen and amber-like which takes it out of the realm of the floral. Retesting Dragon's Hide again after having tried a few more scents with dragon's blood in them (thank you Carmillas!) and I can pick out the leather smoothing out the edges of this scent - the first time the dragon's blood was such a new experience that I couldn't notice anything else. I still don't get any smoke, though my imp is quite aged. The combination of leather and the relatively unfamiliar scent of dragon's blood makes this feel to me like a scent out of a fantasy world, maybe of some magical warrior. It's an energizing scent for me. After some experimentation I think I prefer dragon's blood mixed with more other notes, so I won't try to track down a bottle of this one, but I am glad to have it and glad that it was my introduction to dragon's blood.

This was one of the first BPAL scents I tried in July (I got the Beloved Favorites imp pack, which I think was a great choice to start exploring), and I liked it from the beginning, but it's taken several times wearing Alice to fully appreciate it! I just decided to buy a full bottle after some vacillation. On me its milky tea (definitely earl grey, of course, because of the bergamot) with a slight sweetness and a lot of spice from the carnation. The rose note on me is very subtle and as a rose fan I would be happy to get more of it, but Alice is very beautiful as it is. It feels very appropriate to the character, with the spiciness matching Alice's cleverness, spirit, and ability to speak up. It's playful but not childish, gentle with an edge of spice. I like wearing it to go out to tea or to work.

This is a very well-blended scent, but I get almost all the listed notes, with the exception of vanilla. It's predominantly tea on me, with the sharpness of the ginger and pepper tempered by the milkiness. There's a crispness (certainly the linen), which gives it a sense of urgency very appropriate to the always-late rabbit. It goes through a brief edge of dustiness during drydown which I have gotten from some other milk/vanilla scents, but that fades quickly and the spicy tea remains. This is a scent which makes me feel very pulled together and competent, distinctive without being overwhelming, sharp with some gentleness. It's so far one of my favorites to wear to work.

I totally adore this scent, as a devoted lover of rose. In the bottle it's sweet and a little heady, slightly overwhelming, but then on my skin it brightens and opens up gradually - it feels like walking through a rose garden and smelling bloom after bloom after bloom, each subtly different but mingling together. On my skin I don't get the sweetness others mention, but I amplify astringent notes, so that might just be me. What I do get is a tart undertone that reminds me of that almost citric edge that fresh roses can have. The green is just a hint, like the glimpse of a lawn outside the bounds of the rose garden. I get reasonable longevity on this for a floral, with a hint still of fragrance five hours later. While I haven't yet tried that many of BPAL's rose blends, this feels like my ideal of what I was hoping a rose perfume would be, and I look forward to being able to wear it in the winter when I am lamenting Persephone's absence. I look forward to trying more rose scents, but I am so glad to have this one.

This is beautiful. On me I get all three notes - the tart blackcurrant, the floral rose, and the a darkening haze of velvet which I have trouble naming but think must be the musk the review above mine named. It reminds me of the drydown stage of Wilhelmina Murray, but simpler in its balance. This is smooth and sensual, definitely fitting for an elegant woman vampire. I am delighted with it.

I adore this one, but have been having some difficulty describing it! I also haven't (yet) tried Snow White, so can't speak to the comparison others have made, though I am now quite eager to try it. My Soul Acquiesced in It goes on intensely almond and vanilla, with a hint of rose and a slight dusty edge to it. As it dries, the elements smooth out and balance, with the rose and musk much clearer, the almond and vanilla adding sweetness but not at all like something edible. Color-wise, this feels like it shifts between cream, pale pink, and sheet-white. There is indeed something icy and liquid about this, as the notes describe, pretty and elegant but slightly remote - it definitely works for me as the ambivalent intoxication of vampiric hypnosis. This is very, very feminine, in a way that feels very good and right for me but may not for everyone. I keep wanting to wear it everyday, and having to remind myself of my other scents!

This is such a fascinating scent! In the bottle I get pretty much just the lead, very sharp and acrid, almost difficult to inhale; it feels as if it might be some noxious chemical. I felt sort of scared of it, and of the prospect of putting it on my skin. Going on, it's mostly the lead still, though the scent becomes brighter, more metallic and less acrid, with just a hint of spice. As it dries, clove and dragon's blood come forward and are spicy and lovely and dark, with a rounded sweetness from the red musk. The lead becomes a background note, faintly threatening; it fits the image of the leaden coffin filled with blood as an old and solid object containing the other notes. The cacao is quite subtle and I have to work to pick it out - it's very definitely cacao and not chocolate, more spicy-herbal than at all foody. It's a strong scent - I only needed to apply a very small quantity. I'm pretty surprised by how much I like this in its final incarnation, given how the lead freaks me out in the bottle. It paints such an effective scent-picture, and is dark and vampiric and scary without being unwearable. I don't know yet in what contexts I'll wear it, but I am very glad I can. Even though have only tried a few of the Carmilla scents so far, I am really impressed by the thematic coherence of the collection and the way the repetition of the notes tells a story. The way the clove and cacao return in this scent, sort of melted into the red musk and dragon's blood and surrounded by the lead, truly does give a sense of the terrifying reveal of Carmilla's true nature, and the continuity between her unconscious vampiric self and the face she shows to Laura.

This is gorgeous. I had no idea what datura itself smelled like, but the closest thing I can compare this scent to is a fleshy white lily - it has that same sense of body and life. There's more green here, making it feel fresh and wet. I found this enthralling and am so happy I bought a bottle.

On me this is pretty much entirely patchouli and vetiver, both of which amp on me. I don't get any of the other notes, including the dragon's blood which I was hoping for! Maybe just a hint of cinnamon. This one is definitely not for me but I was glad to try it - it confirmed my sense so far that patchouli and vetiver both amplify so much on me.

I have this on as we speak - it was the first thing I tried from my Halloween order. This scent reminds me a lot of Athens, which is one I love very much. In the bottle I get honeyed wine, very sweet and rich. It goes on still as a strong, sweet, wine scent with the myrrh coming out - this is the stage so far at which it most closely resembles Athens. As it dries the frankincense balances out the myrrh, and the oud is like a sharp, earthy edge, grounding it. The red rose shows up as an ineffable wet floral quality, though it seems very well blended with the wine and honey scents. Maybe an hour into wear I think I'm starting to get some of the cardamom, but it definitely isn't the dominant note. I like this a lot. It's definitely close to Athens, but the oud and frankincense give it a sharper, spicier quality which feels very appropriate to the inspiration. It's heady without being overpowering, sophisticated but also a little passionate. It feels like the scene it's inspired by but from Carmilla's perspective - this is how she's experiencing Laura's pleasure/fear, not Laura's own overwhelm. I picture it as a wet red and dull gold. ETA the very important conclusion I came to that, as an Athens-like vampire scent, this scent should actually be the signature perfume of minor character in the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles Eudoxia - a classical Athenian lesbian vampire.

It seems I have a very similar experience of this one to others - very sweet, candylike violet. I hardly get any hint of the rose, which was a disappointment to me! The violet is pretty and distinct, but so sweet that I found it unwearable.

I am in the process of learning about aquatics, so was excited and curious to test this one! Wet this is sharp and soapy on me, like a detergent, with what I suppose must be the ambergris creating this sort of fizzing musky note. As it dries, the soapiness calms down and eventually almost disappears, and first the eucalyptus and then the bergamot come forward. The scent as a whole evens out to become a lovely wearable aquatic. It feels blue-green in color to me, but also bright. It's enjoyable but not astonishing - I can imagine wearing this in the daytime, including to work, but don't imagine I'll want a bottle of it.

This is a gentle, relaxing scent. On me it's a pretty evenly balanced blend of eucalyptus and lavender, with just a hint of anise in the background. It seems to have very little if any throw, and fades quite quickly, so I don't know how useful it would be as a perfume to wear out, but I would be happy to use it for it's intended purpose.

Definitely get the bubblegum, and powdery candy. There's a waxiness which reminds me of makeup or lip balm marked to young children, bright and pink. I founded it mildly unpleasant, and wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it in public.

It's fascinating how different this one seems to be on different people! Wet I got intense rosemary, which I loved, with a hint of floral citrus which I assume is the orange flower. As it dries, the grape comes out more and more until it overpowers the other notes; I barely get any rose at all, maybe a hint if I strain to pick it out. I find the grape unpleasant, and so this isn't one for me, though it's a fascinating and ingenious scent. It makes me want a purer rosemary/orange flower scent, though!

My imp is aged, unsure how long. On application I get really intense myrrh, thick and incense-y, with a high throw. As it dries, the jasmine comes forward more to balance it, but the myrrh stays intense and biting. The rose creeps in around the edges, but it's an herbal kind of rose, dry and not wet. I definitely get evil queen from this - alone in a decaying castle, beautiful and proud. I like this, and it conjures a strong image, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable wearing it out, certainly not for everyday use.

This is a fascinating scent. I absolutely get dirt, but not wet loam but dry, powdery - not direct in which things grow. The hint of perfume is a little spicy on me, and vaguely unsettling alongside the dusty direct. This conjures a vivid picture, and while I wouldn't be comfortable with it for everyday use, I imagine I will absolutely want to use it for getting into a very particular mood (and that mood is "Jean Rollin heroine").

In the vial and on initial application I get cherry cough syrup, cloying and sharp to the point that I thought I might have to wash it off. But after a few minutes the cherry starts to calm through and the lily comes through - majestic and mature, with the cherry just an off-kilter hint in the background, and I like it quite a bit. It matches the character, which I didn't expect - I thought a scent for her would require roses, but this is actually more fitting, slightly weird with some aggression in the cherry, but also the charismatic queen who draws Alice in. This won't be something I'd wear for everyday occasions, but for a weekend trip to a botanic garden then baking tarts it's a great choice.

In the vial I get a lot of sweetness, musk and amber and really like the scent; it's a soft gray. Wet on me it's similar, with a hint of the star jasmine. But as it dries the sandalwood goes acrid on me; the musk fades and the jasmine vanishes. If it stayed as it is wet I would love this, but as it is I think the sandalwood might simply not work on me, though I want to test it a few more times.

Truly lovely floral. It goes on strongly lavender for me, and the jasmine comes through as it dries and becomes the center, with the honeysuckle winding in. It's strong initially, though wear-length isn't as long as I would hope; overall it's beautiful, balanced, and gentle. This was my First BPAL after previously wearing only very simple floral perfumes, and it was an easy transition that made me wiling to try more adventurous scents.