Penance

Origin: Got a 5mL of this from Diana. Preconceived notions: I'll be the first to admit I was curious about Yuletide because it's supposed to smell like holly berries and my name is Holly, but when people started saying they got spices and pine from it, too, that clinched it. I'm really hoping this one loves me. First sniff: Beautiful! I was a bit worried about the berries since they're normally hit or miss with me, but this is downright gorgeous. The first thing I actually smell is cinnamon and then faint berries. Honestly, this smells like potpurri, but in a good way. It's slightly tart and wonderfully spicy and perfectly Christmasy smelling. Wet on skin: Sharp berries and spice. Other than the spice, this is exactly what I would have expected from reading the description. Yuletide feels warm to me and deliciously cozy, like sitting in front of a roaring fire drinking mulled cider. This is a wonderful scent for a day like this when there's six inches of snow on the ground and icicles on the gutters. The perfect remedy to winter chills. Dry down: All I get is cinnamon now. This is real cinnamon, too, not cinnamon red hots. It's like sticking my nose in a bowl full of cinnamon sticks. I really love the way this one turned out although I'm curious if I'm the only one who didn't get any berries in the dry-down. The bottom line: Gorgeous! Warm and cozy like sitting in front of a roaring fire. Spicy and Christmasy and just beautiful.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: If this didn't have lemon in it, I'm sure I would have tried it already, but Nero does have lemon in it and I'm worried. Lemon and I don't get along. First sniff: So far, so good! I don't smell the lemon in this right out of the imp; instead I get rosemary and pine and a hint of bay. This is very herbal smelling. Not green herbal the way Hemlock was for me, just...herbal. It's hard to explain, but it has more of a "dried herbs" feel to it than a "green herbs" feel if that makes sense. Wet on skin: Still no lemon! Now the rosemary and bay are strong. It's like sticking my nose in a spice rack in the best possible way. The pine is also picking up now that it's on my skin, creating a woodsy backdrop for the dried herbs. Strangely, something in this also smells vaguely like cinnamon to me and while I can't place it, it's beautiful and goes nicely with the other notes. Dry down: I still smell cinnamon and rosemary...I have no idea what the spicy cinnamon note is coming from, but I like it. A lot. The lemon still hasn't made an appearance and that makes me a very happy girl. I really like this belnd a lot! I never thought I'd like this because of the lemon, but I guess I didn't need to worry. The bottom line: Surprisingly reminiscent of a spice rack with not even a hint of lemon. I really like Nero. A lot.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I really don't know what to expect from this one. I'll be the first to admit that I have no clue what spikenard or hyssop or galangal are, let alone what they smell like, so I'm going into this blind, but I love the name and the story behind this scent, so I'm hoping for the best. First sniff: Something in this is reminding of me of King of Spades and I have absolutely no idea what it is. I smell something vaguely fruity in here for sure...since I have no idea what the majority of the notes in this smell like, I have no idea what it is. It could be the olive I'm smelling, but I don't think of olive as smelling fruity normally. I can smell a bit of frankincense in the background, but, apart from that, fruitiness is all I can pick out. Wet on skin: Now I smell the olive and I know it's olive, there's also something vaguely floral smelling here, too, and frankincense in the far, far background. This is really very unusual smelling and I'm not sure if I love it or hate it. It's also hard for me to pin down; on one sniff I smell olive, on another, frankincense, and on another something herbal and almost metallic. I wish I knew what the "mystery notes," that I've never heard of outside of BPAL were because I have a feeling it would clear up a lot of my confusion. Dry down: Ugh, olive and nothing else. I smell like I ought to be dipped in a martini. Unfortunately, I hate olives, so this is an unfortunate turn for this one. I was up in the air about it until it dried, but now I'm sure this isn't for me. Me + olives = The bottom line: As much as I wanted to like this, the olive is just too strong for me, so the Tzadikim Nistarim will be moving on. Afterthoughts: I got curious and looked up the "mystery notes" and, apparently, none of them will explain what I was smelling, so it must have been the olives after all. Very strange...very, very strange.

Huh, the only imps of Hemlock I've seen have been green. Either yours was an odd batch or it was mislabeled, methinks.

First sniff: Interesting...definitely not what I was expecting. Incantation is very light smelling and all I can pick up right out of the imp is sandalwood, a tiny bit of vetiver and a very light touch of lemon. I've been a bit ambivalent about trying this one since it has lemon rind in it and I don't like lemon, but this isn't half bad. Wet on skin: The lemon is much more prominent now, drowning out almost everything else but a bit of the sandalwood that sneaks through. This isn't dark and somber like I imagined it would be, it's actually light and cheerful smelling, strangely enough. It's a nice scent, but definitely not for me since I normally refuse to wear lemon scents and like something darker. Dry down: The lemon has faded a little and, honestly, Incantation smells like light sandalwood mixed with that weak lemonade they sell at fairs, the kind they make by shaking up half a lemon with a cup of sugar water. It's a nice scent as far as lemon scents go, but it's not something I want to smell like, particularly. Lemon and I just clash personality-wise, unfortunately. The bottom line: Soft lemon over a background of light sandalwood. Very subdued smelling but cheerful and, alas, definitely not me by any strech of the imagination.

First sniff: Oh my...this is it! This is the ozone scent I've been searching for! I've tried just about every ozone scent BPAL makes and was always turned off by the citrus tones to them, but Thunderbird...oh, yes, this is it. This is pure ozone on me. Crisp and metallic, like licking a penny (don't tell me you've never done that)...I think I'm in love. Wet on skin: Very light and clean smelling, like the air right before a major thunderstorm. This is exactly what I've been searching for in a "storm" scent. This practically screams thunder and lightning and I'm a thunderstorm addict...I love everything about them, the sound, the smell, the rain on my face...and Thunderbird is that experience trapped in a tiny bottle. Dry down: This one's a very stable blend. It doesn't change at all on me from bottle to dry down and that's fine by me. This is without a doubt one of my favorite BPAL scents and it's everything I ever wanted in a storm scent. Wearing this, I can close my eyes and pretend I'm standing in the middle of a field with the lightning crackling overhead and the clouds getting ready to open up. The bottom line: Thunderbird is gorgeous beyond words. I'll definitely be needing more of this one.

Sarada are you stealing my thoughts again? ::Puts on her tinfoil hat:: Seriously, I have a serious weakness for LE's...I'll buy them in abnormally large numbers just because they're LE's. I've learned most of my favorites are LE's and I don't ever want to run out. Beth is an evil marketing genius, I swear.

::Sigh:: I wish I got incense from All Saints...all I got was butteriness. It was kind of weird...nice, but not what I wanted. I envy everyone who got some serious church incense out of it.

Okay, I retract my last statement about Dublin. The last time I tried it I tried the prototype, which is apparently vastly different than the currently available formulation. The new one smells (honest to God) so close to Skadi that I almost can't tell them apart on my skin.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I love trying up-and-coming's and I've been pretty keen to try Val Sans Retour for a while since someone said it smelled like fresh-cut grass (a scent I love), so I'm hoping it's the grassy goodness I've been pining after. First sniff: This is very green smelling. It really does have that slightly bitter, green fresh-cut grass scent to it although I also smell what appears to be citrus of some sort under it. This reminds me of long afternoons spent lazing around in my neighbor's field growing up, chewing on grass blades and watching the clouds. Wet on skin: This is extremely light on me, but absolutely gorgeous! This smells the way dandelion stems taste...it's the only way I can think of to describe it and the resemblance is spot on. It's a slightly bitter, very green scent that puts me in mind of rolling meadows and making bracelets out of dandelion stems. This is a very happy scent for me...I love this so much more than I ever could have hoped for! Dry down: Green, green, green! I swear I'm smelling dandelion stems...just the stems. I suppose it's an aquired taste, but I just love the way they smell and they bring back so many happy memories. Just a moment ago, I put my nose to my wrist and had the clearest flash of a memory of my uncle who died 7 years ago. Somehow the smell of green grass and fresh air has always reminded me of him and, for once, I'm crying tears of happiness instead of grief and anger. It's still hard to think of him without feeling the pain of him not being in my life, but I'm starting to learn that I can remember the good times without feeling guilty and Val Sans Retour just triggered the strongest flash of that sort of feeling I've had since we lost him. The bottom line: I can't even begin to describe how happy this scent makes me or how healing it is for me. Thank you, Beth!

The last time I reviewed this, I had tried the prototype, this time I'm reviewing the current version. Origin: I got an imp of this from Evil Kitten. Preconceived notions: This has been low on my list of imps I still needed to test (since I'd already tried the prototype) until people started comparing this to Skadi and Mistletoe. Since I absolutely adore both of those, this immediately jumped to the top of my list. If this really does smell like Skadi or Mistletoe, I'll be a very happy girl. First sniff: Amazing! If I didn't know better, I'd swear I was smelling Skadi! Maybe it's because I was expecting it, but Dublin smells almost exactly like Skadi does in the bottle, right down to the slushy snow and berries. I have absolutely no clue what in Dublin could possibly be replicating those notes, but I'll be damned if this isn't almost identical to my beloved Skadi! Wet on skin: I smell pine, but it's a slightly musky smelling pine and much darker than the prototype was. I don't get any rose out of Dublin now, just a faint powderiness in the background that lets me know it's there. Mainly, I get damp pine trees and a hint of something vaguely musky/sweet that I can't place. Wet, this isn't quite identical to Skadi (it's a tiny bit more powdery), but it's close enough to be an extremely good replacement. Dry down: Misty pine forests with the slightest hint of something snowy smelling and a bit of musky sweetness. I think I like this better than the prototype, but only because I like a stronger, bolder scent to something more subdued and feminine. I can see this being the perfect replacement for Skadi once I run out of it. The bottom line: Skadi's long-lost twin. The two aren't quite identical, but they're extremely similar and Dublin is every bit as gorgeous as Skadi is.

Origin: I got an imp of this from Eoywin. Preconceived notions: When I think of "chypre," I think of woodsy, so I'm hoping this is at least somewhat woodsy. I'm guessing there'll be some sort of citrus in here, too, to compliment the Queen. I think this one's going to be hit or miss, what with the citrus (assuming there is citrus in this) and all. First sniff: This is pretty much what I expected. To me, this smells like oakmoss, musk and some sort of citrus. I don't think it's lemon...it may be orange or white grapefruit or both, it's hard to tell for some reason. I'm not sure I'm going to like this. I think the citrus may be too prominent for me, unfortunately. Wet on skin: This is a lot less citrusy once it's on me, but now it smells like generic men's cologne rather than the slightly woodsy citrus I got out of the imp. This has overtones of both Vicomte de Valmont and Villain for me. They all seem to share a sort of generic, vaguely citrusy smell and I don't really love any of them. I just would rather not smell like generic men's cologne is all. Dry down: This is very similar to Vicomte de Valmont on me. It's pretty non-descript smelling in the same way that most commercial men's colognes are non-descript to me. This isn't a bad scent, just definitely not me. The bottom line: I'm glad I didn't buy a bottle of this. It's not unpleasant by any means, it's just too generic smelling for my tastes, unfortunately.

OMFG, you guys were right! I tried Dublin again today (the current version this time, not the prototype like last time) and OMFGWTFBBQ, it smells almost exactly like Skadi! I'm in awe. Absolutely amazing. I'm a very happy girl right now!

Dammit, now I want my Hemlock back! I need to compare them again...I loves me some Mistletoe. Oh, and Centzon Totochtin is like the bastard child of Dia De Los Muertos and Grog. It's not as close as Kali, but it is similar.

Blood Countess and Queen of Spades are damn near identical to my nose. Also, Centzon Totochtin smelled like the bastard child of Grog and Dia De Los Muertos on me.

I'm going to have to second: Cathedral Penitence The Caterpillar Aureus The Coiled Serpent Gaueko Of those, I absolutely adore Cathedral, Penitence, Aureus and The Coiled Serpent and like the rest and I'm a certified incense-scent addict. Anne Bonny is my personal favorite, but I know you've already tried it.

You know, that's odd. I didn't get pine from Dublin the last time I tried it...maybe it's time to give it a whirl again. (I love pine, too.)

First sniff: This reminds me of a combinatin of Dia De Los Muertos and Grog. I smell strong bittersweet cocoa and rum right out of the imp...this isn't a sweet chocolate scent by any means, it's like burying your nose in a canister of pure cocoa powder and inhaling, complete with the tickling sensation. I have a feeling I'm either going to love this one or hate it. Wet on skin: The cocoa is a lot less overpowering now and I smell rum and red wine most prominently. It's boozy smelling but with an underlying bitterness from the cocoa. This isn't a wallflower kind of chocolate scent, it grabs you by the collar and shakes you - Centzon Totochtin is aggressive and rowdy-smelling and not at all bashful - just the sort of thing I love in a scent. Dry down: Now that it's dry, Centzon Totochtin has mellowed some. The cocoa has lost its edge and the rum and wine have combined to form a sort of rich, boozy foreground that's not quite rum and not quite wine, but something in between. This reminds me of a more jaded version of Dia De Los Muertos. I was worried about how strong the cocoa was initially in this one (I hate chocolate), but I really like the dry down. The bottom line: A grown-up's chocolate scent. There's nothing sweet or innocent about Centzon Totochtin; it's bawdy and brash and sophisticated all at once and it's definitely a winner in my book.

First sniff: Oh God, I'm going to be ordering a 10mL of this...I can tell already. This is beautiful; herbal and woodsy, but not overpoweringly so. I love this kind of scent, so I'm really looking forward to trying this one! Wet on skin: This reminds me of summer camp so strongly that it's scary...I always loved the smell of the woods - the dirt and leaves and wood and fresh air - and Yggdrasil is that smell in a bottle but very subdued and not at all overpowering. Dry down: Dry wood and dusty herbs. This is the woods in autumn, when all the trees are shedding their leaves and the ground is dry and dusty. Yggdrasil is so much more beautiful than I ever could have hoped for...I'm absolutely, utterly in love with this one. The bottom line: This is going to be an immediate 10mL buy, no doubt about it. I love this one!

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. First sniff: Rose is the first thing that jumps out at me when I smell Eve straight out of the bottle, which is surprising since I figured that, given the name, the apple blossom would be the most prominent note. The next thing that I smell is the ylang-ylang and then the honey. So far, this is too floral for my tastes in spite of my love of honey scents, but I'll still give Eve a try. Wet on skin: Now the apple blossom is the most prominent note, followed by the honey and then the rose and finally the ylang-ylang. I definitely prefer the way Eve smells on my skin to the way it smelled in the bottle, but I still don't think she's for me. Eve is very feminine and innocent smelling...this must be Eve before the Fall. It smells pure and natural somehow. Dry down: Very soft and almost creamy smelling. If this scent had a color, it would be white. White for clean...white for innocent...white for creamy white flowers brushed with honey. It's actually a beautiful scent, but, unfortunately, it's just not me. I can't seem to do this kind of scent no matter how much I may like it. The bottom line: Gorgeous but definitely not me, no matter how much I may like it in principle. I just can't pull off this kind of scent, so Eve is going to be finding a new home.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. First sniff: I have no clue what kind of musk this is (I'm not very knowledgeable about animalistic notes) but I like this in spite of how strongly musky it is. This is smooth musky, not sharp the way Haunted and Hunter Moon were...it almost smells warm, like burying your nose in a fur rug. I'm sure that sounds stupid, but it's the best way I can think of to explain Satyr's scent. Wet on skin: Satyr smells exactly the same when it's wet as it does in the bottle. It's a warm, sexual musk...I'm thinking there may be civet in this one because now that it's starting to dry it's getting that "cat pee" smell (I'm sorry, but there's just no other way to describe what civet does on my skin) that civet and my body chemistry love to create. Dry down: If there's not civet in this, then there's another kind of musk that I dont know about that reacts the same way on my skin because, now that Satyr is dry, I'm getting Eau de Cat Pee and nothing else. I think that reaction's pretty much killed this scent for me, so I'm not even going to test it on the boy. The bottom line: Sadly, my body chemistry has turned Satyr into Eau de Cat Pee. I'm sure this could be gorgeous on someone else with less finicky body chemistry, so, in that spirit, it's going up for swaps.

Origin: I got an imp of this from SilverAngel. First sniff: This reminds me of Queen of Spades...it must be the plum. Plum is really all I can clearly pick out in this, although there's something resinous in the background that must be the opium. I'm hoping Blood Countess stays true to the way it smells in the vial once it's on because this is absolutely gorgeous! Wet on skin: I smell plums when I inhale and gardenia when I exhale. This reminds me very strongly of Queen of Spades almost to the point where I can barely tell them apart. I was worried this would be too floral, but the plum and opium caught my eye and I'm very glad I tried this one! This smells fantastic! Dry down: This is still a damn near dead-on duplicate of Queen of Spades, at least on me. It's fruity and purple but smoky and mysterious and I love it! I love Queen of Spades, too, so it's nice to know I have a replacement for when I run out of the Queen. The bottom line: The Countess is the Queen of Spade's long-lost twin. The two are almost identical, at least on me, and, like the Queen, the Countess is gorgeous!

Origin: I got an imp of this from SilverAngel. First sniff: I smell myrrh first, then honey and then red wine. This reminds me of another BPAL scent, but I can't put my finger on what it is right now...maybe it'll come to me later, but right now it's driving me crazy. Wet on skin: I'm thinking it's the wet stage of F54 that this is reminding me of. They're not identical, but there is a similarity that I never would have expected or even believed if I weren't smelling it myself. The honey and red wine are the strongest notes, followed by the myrrh and a hint of florals. I decided to try this one on a whim and, so far, I'm quite glad I decided to! Dry down: The myrrh is the dominant note now, with the honey and wine lingering in the background. This doesn't smell like F54 anymore, but it's lovely in its own right. I'm developing an all new appreciation for wine and honey scents and Athens is just more fuel for that fire. This is lovely and subdued smelling...vaguely sweet, a little like wine and softly resinous. The bottom line: I quite like Athens. It's resiny without smelling like a headshop, sweet without smelling like a bakery and smells of wine without smelling boozy. Beautifully balanced and subdued.

Preconceived notions: According to Pekeana, Gingerbread Poppet is even better than Villainess' Ginger Snapped smooch, which smells so good I have to stop myself from eating it, so I'm really looking forward to trying this one. First sniff: If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was Ginger Snapped! This smells almost identical to it. It's a gorgeous soft gingerbread cookie smell, heavy on the cinnamon and cloves. This smells so unbelieveably good...I could sit here and smell it all day. I don't normally care for foody scents, but Gingerbread Poppet is pure olfactory bliss. Wet on skin: I smell the "cookie" portion of Gingerbread Poppet now. Whereas in the bottle it was more spices than cookie, when it's wet on my skin, it's more cookie than spices. I smell nutmeg very strongly now, too, especially when I put my nose right up against my wrist. It's that dry, spicy, almost bitter smell that I know so well from helping my mom bake cookies when I was little. Dry down: Mmm, all I smell are the spices now. The cookie portion of the scent seems to have disappeared, which is fine because I love spicy scents as much as I love the smell of gingerbread. Gingerbread Poppet smells like my kitchen does when I'm making gingerbread cookies...like the cinnamon and nutmeg and clove when all the containers are open and their smells are mixing together. This is a very warm, cozy smell that I can easily see myself wearing all year-round. The bottom line: This is gorgeous in all its stages from bottle to dry-down. I can definitely see myself wearing this regardless of the season.

I found Blood Countess to be very similar to Queen of Spades. And that's a damn good thing because I love the Queen.