Penance

RANGER Untamed wilderness: buckskin accord with Terebinth pine, Russian birch, black ironwood, elder bark, hay, armoise, juniper, patchouli, galangal root, Spanish moss, and cabreuva. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I really like the prototype version of Ranger, but it tends to go peppery on my skin unless I apply it on the back of my hands and even then it's started to be iffy. So I'm very excited about the released version. It sounds a lot like v5, so I'm hoping it'll be similar but without whatever it is that gives me the pepper note of doom that made me take the proto out of my favorites box. First sniff: Very, very woodsy. I get strong pine (like the pine in Wolf Moon 2011 or even Hexennacht or Nocnitsa). An intense, deep green pine note, not the high-pitched juniper-like one that I sometimes get in some of the Lab's pine scents. Think deep woods, not Christmas tree. I can tell there's more in here than just pine, but the impression I get is of standing in an unspoiled evergreen forest in the middle of summer. Wet on skin: Intense pine with a backing of rich wood (I couldn't tell you what kind, but there are non-evergreen trees here, scattered among the pines). I don't get any buckskin yet, which is a little disappointing because I really love soft leather notes, but I still love this. I'm a lover of all things woodsy, although pine can be an iffy note at times. Ranger is one of the pine scents that really work. Dry down: Mostly the same before. This one's not as much of a morpher as the prototype. Whatever kind of wood gives the prototype the pepperiness seems to be missing from this version, too, which makes me very happy. I finally get some of the buckskin once Ranger has time to settle completely. It's very subtle and adds just a touch of soft leather to the picture. There's also a faint sweetness to the scent that I can't identify. There was a similar note in the prototype that I took to be benzoin or maybe tonka, but it's not listed in the notes of the released version, so I'm not sure what it is. I suppose it could be the cabreuva, which apparently has "a delicate, sweet, woody-floral scent." I don't get any florals, though, just a soft sweetness. This is such an evocative scent and it really nails the concept. If I close my eyes, I can imagine myself in the deep forest, a faint breeze stirring the pine needles at my feet. The air is full of the smells of wood, earth and moss. There's not another human being for miles around and everything is quiet and peaceful. The only noises are the sounds of birds calling. The bottom line: I love this. If you're a lover of intensely woodsy scents, then you need Ranger. But if pine and heavy woods aren't your thing, you may want to look elsewhere.

ORC Field grey courgette musk, roughly cured leather, and vetiver. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I had to try this one for the sheer weirdness of it. I'm not a fan of the smell of zucchini (although I do like cucumber in perfumes sometimes), but curiosity got the better of me here. Plus, the rest of the notes sounded good. First sniff: Yeah, that's definitely zucchini. I'm not sure what field grey zucchini musk is supposed to smell like, but this just smells like zucchini to me. Fresh, vegetabley and green. Slightly watery and darker than cucumber. I don't get any leather or vetiver (which is unusual since vetiver has a tendency to jump out and wallop me right in the nose when it's present in a scent). Wet on skin: Zucchinis for everyone! I'm mostly getting a freakishly realistic zucchini note with the slightest touch of leather in the way background. Still no vetiver. Dry down: No change. I was hoping the leather (or even the vetiver) might come to the front once Orc dried, but no such luck. This would be a great summer scent if you're into smelling like fresh vegetables. That's not my sort of thing, though. The bottom line: Curiosity sated. Zucchini perfume is exactly what it is. An interesting experience, but not something that I need to keep around. My bottle's moved on to a new home.

ATLAS Mallow, oak bark, coffee bean, hinoki wood, and khus. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This one sounds really promising. Everything here has the potential to be awesome, especially now that I've learned to love coffee scents. First sniff: Soft and almost fluffy smelling somehow. It's a brown scent, but a soft, cuddly brown. You know how TKO smells fluffy and cuddly? That's what Atlas feels like, only instead of being innocently girlish, it's gender neutral. Wet on skin: Brown, coffee-dusted marshmallows with a very faint touch of khus. I get everything listed in the notes. There's a soft marshmallow-vibe from the mallow, a gentle woodiness from the hinoki and oak bark, a rich brown scent from the coffee and just the faintest touch of ashy green from the khus. Dry down: I love this. I really, really love this. It's snuggly and cuddly and warm and brown and... Atlas dries down to a scent that's similar to the smell in the bottle, only better. It's a soft, slightly spicy, slightly woody brown scent. It's hard to pick out individual notes at this point because everything just swirls together. The bottom line: This is the first of the 2011 Metamorphosis scents that I've tested, but I'm positive that it's going to be my favorite of the bunch. This is going to be a multi-bottle scent for sure.

The forks of the road: an in-between place, sacred and tangibly magickal in innumerable cultures and faiths. This scent is dark with mystery, taut with power. A chill twilit garden of blooms over dry earth and mosses, heavily laden with incense and offertory herbs. First sniff: I'm in pure heaven today, everything I've tried has been utterly gorgeous and Crossroads is no exception! Crossroads bears a passing resemblance to Zombi right out of the bottle...it's the deep, loamy dirt and moss scent that I adored in Zombi but there's more to it. There's incense here and herbs as well and they make it more multi-dimensional than Zombi is and also less cloying. Why didn't I get a bottle of this? I'm such a fool. Wet on skin: Mmm, moss and dirt and herbs and incense...everything I love in a perfume! There's also some flowers here...they're beginning to come to the surface now, sweetening Crossroads and making it less aggressively dark smelling. This is still a dark scent, though...dirty and mossy and perfect for me. This is almost like a cross between Bayou and Zombi for me with some incense thrown in for good measure...it combines the best of both worlds and then some and I love it. Dry down: Crossroads has dried down into a soft loamy dirt, moss, incense and light hothouse florals scent. This is so utterly gorgeous; it's just what I love in a perfume. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind now, Beth is some sort of evil genius with the ability to work magic with simple oils. This scent has my name written all over it. The bottom line: Deep, wet loamy dirt, moss, incense and hothouse florals. Crossroads is (for me) the child of Bayou and Zombi with a bit of incense thrown in for good measure. I'm going to have to scrimp and save and come up with the cash to buy a bottle of this at the next update, too.

The Native American Creator / Trickster God of Chaos and Change. The warmth of doeskin, dry plains grasses and soft, dusty woods warmed by amber and a downy, gentle coat of deep musk. First sniff: Oh, this is beautiful! It smells like dry grass and dusty dirt, which is exactly what I was hoping it would smell like! This perfectly captures what I imagine when I think of the word "coyote." This is the scent of dusty plains studded with tufts of dried grass, the kind that nips at your legs when you walk through and that smells like straw. This is so utterly gorgeous I can't even begin to describe how much I love it. Wet on skin: Mmm, dry grass and soft amber. It's slightly musky but dry and dusty and parched smelling. This is unbelieveable. This is exactly what I imagined when I first saw that there was going to be a scent called Coyote. So far, the amber is staying in the background and behaving itself quite well (amber often turns into sour milk on me) and the prominent notes are the dusty grass and musk. I love, love, love this scent so far. I'm already regretting not getting a bottle of it. Dry down: Soft musk and dusty grass. This is a coyote and its habitat all rolled into one and poured into a tiny vial. This scent is just more proof that Beth is some sort of magic worker...I have no idea how she can create something that's so perfectly dead on to the image she's trying to create. Unbelieveable. Absolutley unbelieveable. I'm going to have to break down and buy a bottle of this at the next update, there's no way I can live with just an imp. This is love. The bottom line: The dry plains of the Southwest mixed with a soft animal musk and dry grasses. This is absolutely perfect. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this at the next update.

GOOD Shimmering celestial musk with vanilla, white honey, acacia, and sugar cane. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This isn't my usual kind of scent. Not by a long shot. But something about it sounded so pretty that I had to order a bottle anyway. The only thing here that actually worries me is the acacia, because I'm not a floral fan. The other notes should be okay, although they're not the sort of thing I normally gravitate towards. First sniff: I can't really pick out the notes in the bottle. I just get a general impression of a pale, sweet, delicate scent. Very feminine and pretty. Wet on skin: Soft, gentle honey with a touch of vanilla and musk. I can definitely see this being what "good" would smell like. Dry down: Soft white honey. It's not the heavier honey note that is in so many of the Lab's scent. This is a very light, delicate, ethereal honey. The bottom line: Good is fairly one-dimensional on me once it dries (which isn't really a drawback since the RPG scents were meant to be layered), but it's pretty all the same. I like this. It's not the sort of thing I'd wear every day but it will get worn. I can see this being one of the more popular RPG scents.

ROGUE Soft, well-worn black leather, hemp, and rosin. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: Something about Rogue really grabbed my attention and I ordered two bottles right off the bat. I just have a feeling that this one's going to be one of the standouts of the RPG collection (for me). Leather is hit or miss, but well-worn leather notes tend to be hits. Hemp and rosin should be fine, although pine can also be hit or miss. First sniff: This smells almost exactly like I'd pictured. Soft, worn-in leather and gentle pine pitch (rosin is made from pine sap). It's in the same sort of family as Ranger, only with much stronger leather (of a different sort) and much less wood/pine. Wet on skin: The leather gets stronger while the rosin stays the same. It's a slightly woodsy leather scent. The hemp starts to come out a little at this point, giving it a subtle, hay-like sweetness. Dry down: The rosin intensifies as Rogue dries and I end up with a scent that's equal parts pine pitch, hemp and worn-in leather. It's a simple scent (again, like with Good, that may be because they were designed to be layered), but I like that about it. I don't always want a complicated scent. Sometimes simple is better and I think this is one of those cases. This is a winner. The leather's not chemically in the slightest and the rosin adds a nice, resinous pine scent without being overpowering or smelling like a Christmas tree. The hemp is bordering on being just a little too strong (it starts to overpower the other notes at points during the drydown), but I like it. The bottom line: If you're a leather fan and like woodsy scents, this will probably be a winner for you. I have a feeling that skin chemistry is going to play a part in how strong the rosin ends up being, but for me, it's a well-balanced scent that I can smell all the notes in. ETA: After having set for a couple of days, the hemp is much stronger and the rosin weaker in the bottle and when the oil is wet on my skin, but it's about the same once its dried completely.

MAGE All mystique and thrumming power: gurjum balsam, Sumatran dragon's blood resin, olibanum, galangal, oleo gum resin, and frankincense. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I'll admit right off the bat that I don't know what everything in here is supposed to smell like. But I know enough to know that most of these are resins or incensey notes, with a bit of greenness thrown in here and there. First sniff: Definitely an incense/resin blend, but this isn't church incense. It's not headshop incense, either. Instead, I'd say it smells like a pagan or occult store. It has that sort of darkness and mysteriousness to it. Wet on skin: Slightly sweet, resinous incense. Mage is a little bit smoky, but mainly, it smells like a mix of unusual, mysterious-smelling resins. It does put me in mind of what a mage might smell like. Dry down: A tiny bit of balsam is peeking out now, adding some pine to the resins. It's still mostly an incense blend, but the balsam gives it an appropriate touch of woodsiness. This mage doesn't spend all his time cooped up working on perfecting his magic. He goes out gathering herbs and practicing in the forest. The bottom line: I like this one a lot. I could take or leave the balsam, but the piney note it adds is subtle enough not to distract me from the beautiful resins.

NEUTRAL A flawless skin musk. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I'm really excited about this one, oddly enough. I have a skin musk scent from another company that's one of the (very few) non-BPAL scents that I wear even semi-regularly, so I'm looking forward to a BPAL scent along the same lines. First sniff: I can barely smell this. There's just the faintest hint of slightly powdery skin musk here, but mainly I get a noseful of nothing. Wet on skin: Still very faint, but I can smell it now. It's not as smooth as I'd expected. Instead it's on the powdery side and even a tiny bit sharp. More like freshly washed skin than (my idea of) skin musk. Dry down: That's better. Neutral stays extremely faint, but the almost sharp powderiness calms down, but it takes a few hours for it to reach that point on me. In the end, I'm left with a soft, gentle skin musk scent. It's very similar to the other brand's version that I love so much, but not as strong. The bottom line: This one is definitely best suited to layering. If it went straight from the bottle scent to the drydown, I'd probably wear this semi-regularly on its own because I love the simplicity and subtleness of it, but I think it's going to be used almost solely for layering with other scents and only when I've got time to let it work the kinks out, since the drydown takes a while to finish.

Muscadine, black and red patchouli, cereus and nag champa. First sniff: Gorgeous! Wild grapes and patchouli with a hint of nag champa. This smells like the wild grapes me neighbor used to grow when I was little combined with the earthiness of patchouli and the sweet incense smoke of nag champa. I don't normally do fruit scents, but this is absolutely gorgeous. Wet on skin: The nag champa and patchouli are more prominent now, bubbling up from under the grapes and making it completing the mental picture I have of a grape vine. The muscadine gives the scent of the grapes and the patchouli the scent of the earth the vines are growing in. I was a bit worried that the muscadine would be too strong for me since I don't normally wear fruit scents, but this is gorgeous! Dry down: The muscadine has faded to the point where it's only a whisper in the background. Urd is pure patchouli and nag champa on me now which makes me a very happy girl! This is just the sort of scent that I love. I'm definitely going to have to get a bottle of this one, no doubt about it. The bottom line: Urd is gorgeous. Earthy and slightly fruity on the dry down. It reminds me of a vinyard and it smells divine. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this.

Unreleased prototype, no notes or description given. Origin: 5mL bought on Etsy. Preconceived notions: Since there aren't any other reviews, I'm not sure what to expect from this. I bought it completely blind, but realized after I did that there was a good chance it was going to be at least somewhat aquatic since the toe biter (how could you not love a scent named after a bug called a "toe biter"?) lives in water. Now, I don't normally do aquatics, so that's not a promising idea. The only aquatic I genuinely like is Water of Notre Dame, although I can tolerate some others. First sniff: Hard to pin down. It's definitely aquatic, but also green and slightly sweet with a touch of something herbal. It's a tiny bit cologney, maybe. Wet on skin: Not quite as aquatic as in the bottle. I'm almost completely at a loss here. I couldn't tell you what notes I'm getting, just a vague description of the scent families involved. It's still a clean, green aquatic, slightly sweet the way that Water of Notre Dame is, but there's something here that's ringing bells in my brain but that I can't place. It's almost like a spice of some sort. Dry down: I wouldn't call this aquatic at all anymore, although I'm not sure what to call it. It reminds me a little bit of cologne or aftershave of some sort (although it's not classically cologney). It's kind of green, kind of sweet, kind of spicy and kind of herbal, all rolled into one. It's definitely not a bad scent, but it's very unique to my nose. It's still reminding me of something (some sort of green plant, I think plus a bit of something almost fennel-like), but not another BPAL scent, of that I'm certain. It smells like it would be at home in the Conjure Bag or maybe the TAL line. The bottom line: Definitely not my favorite prototype ever, but it's not bad once it dries down all the way. I'm almost definitely going to be keeping my bottle in spite of my attempts to force myself not to keep anything that I rarely wear and only keep for the name or bottle art.

Dark musk, linen, and red chypre. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I immediately had to order a bottle of Male Nude even though I'm not entirely sure exactly what it's going to smell like. I'm finding that I really enjoy dark musk and I generally like the Lab's linen note. The questionable factor here is going to be the "red chypre," which I'm not quite sure about. Chypre-based scents can go wrong on me because of the floral and citrus, although I love moss and musks. First sniff: Very chypre..y? I know, that's not a word, but I'm making it one. I get a very cologne-type vibe from this that I associate with chypre-based scents. It reminds me a bit of Dracul in that it has the same sort of oddly musky, mossy, citrusy, powdery thing going on. Wet on skin: Basically the same as in the bottle. It's hard for me to describe exactly what Male Nude smells like, except to say that it's (all at the same time) mossy, powdery musky, dry and papery. It reminds me a little bit of The Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn and a bit of Dracul. Unfortunately, neither one really works all that well on me and both ended up finding new homes when I owned them. Dry down: Still smells like the lovechild of Wild Men and Dracul on me. I wouldn't call this chypre "red," personally, but that's probably because I have strong color/scent associations in my head that don't necessarily reflect the actual notes (which I'm unsure of in this case). To me, if Male Nude had a color, it would be a lichen-like grey-green with hints of brown. Totally unhelpful, I'm sure, but I feel like I need to say what color it smells like since I don't think it smells red. Basically, Male Nude smells like...well, a chypre blend. It's mossy and musky with an almost mint-like smell to it underneath (like Dracul does to my nose). The bottom line: This is just too cologne-like for me. I'm learning that chypre scents are misses more often than hits for me, but it doesn't stop me from trying them. This one's moving on to a new home with someone who loves it.

This is such a pretty scent, but the labdanum kills it for me. It's definitely one of those notes that either blends in and disappears and I don't even notice or it goes SUPER MEGA ULTRA COLA and I hate it. I hate it so much. And it went the cola route here, at least when Osculum was wet. Once it dried, it turned to a sweet, lovely, well-blended resin scent. Not a headshop incense or even really "incense incense," but something more subtle. The honey in this smells like agave nectar to my nose, rather than the syrupy, intense scent I'm used to. It's still very pretty, but not quite the same. I'm assuming it's the vegan vs. non-vegan honey component making the difference. I'm very happy to see Beth making this one open to everyone, vegan or not, though.

I didn't know what to expect here, with this mishmash of ingredients and, having tried it, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It goes through surprisingly great smelling stages and then some that are "meh" to me. Nothing bad, just "meh." When wet, the smoke, fur and chains dominate, with some chocolate in the background and maybe a tiny bit of mint? Then it turns into a sort of gourmand-adjacent scent that's made up of gourmand notes. I never get the schnapps, but I do get the bonbons (no malted milk, just chocolate) and the mint. The mint strengthens as it dries and all traces of the fur, smoke and chains is gone, which is disappointing. I'm on the fence with this one. It's reminding me so strongly of something else once it dries down; a GC, I think (maybe a discontinued one), but I can't put my finger on which one it is. I almost think. Or maybe a mish-mash...a little bit Death on a Pale Horse, a little bit Envy, a little bit Cloister Graveyard in the Snow, but not quite like any of those.

This starts out strongly whiskey-forward - sweet and smooth, not too harsh - with a backing of weed that I wouldn't necessarily nail as weed if I wasn't already told (in spite of being a medical user who's familiar with the scent). The whiskey reminds me a bit of Sweeney Todd. I guess Sweeney likes the greeny? 🙃 Once it dries down on my skin, though? Through some sort of metamorphosis it's changed. Rich, deep, expensive tobacco with a hint of vanilla. Unexpected, but awesome. Love.

I bought this one one of those wild whims I'm prone to when ordering LE's and it had more likelihood to go wrong than right, but I do love me some white chocolate and the idea of white chocolate madelines sounded lovely. Lavender is just so herbal and strong on my skin. I can't tell if this scent is light or if it's my decreased sense of smell, but this stays close to the skin and doesn't last terribly long. At first, the lavender is the dominant note, though there's a nice creaminess from the white chocolate (which smells like white cholate, not milk chocolate as BPAL scents sometimes do). As it dries, the lavender fades into the background and it's mostly white chocolate madelines. I get just a little cakiness from the madelines and the lavender is a surprisingly nice addition. Surprise winner!

I generally love musk, but who knows what hag musk smells like? Apparently it smells like a brown musk in the bottle, with a faint hint of something faintly spicy? It goes on a bit herbal or astringent with a strong backing of what still seems to be brown musk. On the dry-down, the astringency is long gone and it's been replaced by a soft, close-to-the-skin, sort of spicy (where is that coming from?) musk with the faintest hint of powder if I smell really hard. I mainly collect the weirdly named (and inspired) single notes because I love the weird factor, not because they're really wearable (necessarily), but this one is one of the wearable ones. It'd make a nice layering note.

Again, this is a weaker scent than expected, but that's probably my post-COVID nose. The first thing I smelled was gingerbread, then a touch of soft leather. The clove and tobacco come out later on the drydown and are subtle. A little smoky spicy and a touch of smooth tobacco in the far back. I like this a lot, but I don't know if it needs aged to let the notes really come out and get stronger or if it's just my nose. Either way, it's still a keeper.

A tiny bit "generic gingerbread" like one or two others in this line, but I like it. At first, it's all gingerbread, then the chocolate and coffee start to appear. I don't smell anise as its own note (thank goodness, I hate anise, but will try scents with it and am often surprised if it's well hidden). I end up with a chocolate-gingerbread with a hint of coffee sprinkled in. Not terribly unique, but nice!

I bought this because I'm loving the Lab's motor oil/grease note, unsure what to expect. I definitely didn't expect this to nag champa incense over this layer of smooth darkness in the background. Somehow this smells boho, elegant and a little dirty (in a "not dirt" sort of way) all at the same time.

I almost missed this one before it was discontinued and I'm so glad I got a chance to get some. Camazotz is a great scent if you love leather. Heavy leather (a worn in, saddle kind of leather to my nose) and a tiny bit of spice (soft clove and that slightly black pepper-ish note I always get from mezcal). This is going to age beautifully, I think.

I wasn't sure about this one (only because the non-gingerbread notes, while lovely sounding, seemed like they'd be drowned out by the gingerbread), but the Lab's gingerbread scents are almost all winners for me. This one reminds me a bit of Ghost Milk, sans goat's milk. If Ghost Milk had a baby with gingerbread and added a touch of very faint, almost sweet sandalwood and extra vanilla, this is what it would smell like. It's beautiful but quite light, just like the others I've tried. I'm hoping these deepen with age, because, right now, they're beautiful but weak. This is gingerbread + soft, smooth, creamy sweetness. Not like frosting. Just like a layer of ethereal vanilla/marshmallow over gingerbread with the faintest sandalwood on the late dry down (which really adds something here). EDIT: It looks like maybe my sense of smell is still suffering from post COVID effects since other people are saying the gingerbread note is strong. I'll bow to them and assume that my nose just can't detect that strength of scent yet.

This is another of those scents that shouldn't work for me (I despise nuts) but for some reason I think I've got have it. Probably 95% of the time that that happens, I end up liking or loving it, so I went against my better judgment and bought it anyway. Chestnuts and hazelnuts? This should never work and yet it does! It has a soft, nutty smell (more like chestnut than hazelnut to me) that overlays the gentle spiciness of the gingerbread (all the gingerbread notes in these have been pretty soft so far to my nose; I'm hoping they strengthen with age). Sprinkled over all that is this soft, sweet combo of the honey, molasses and powdered sugar. ----- I asked my husband what he thought (without telling him what I was wearing or anything about it) and his responses were initially that it smelled like a Cinnabon (I can actually sort of see that) and then that it smelled "warm and spicy, like something you'd wear in the winter" and "it's heavy, especially for this time of year." He's literally never give me anything other than "I like it" or "meh" or "no," before and he was right on all fronts. But I'm still wearing this all year 'round because I don't hold with seasonal perfume. EDIT: It looks like maybe my sense of smell is still suffering from post COVID effects since other people are saying the gingerbread note is strong in the Gingerbread Monsters line. I'll bow to them and assume that my nose just can't detect that strength of scent yet.

Whoa, holy morpher! This one goes through a few stages with a quickness. It starts out very tangy, almost sour goat's milk, then turns into marshmallow-white chocolate milk, if that were a thing. Then it turns again into a soft, snuggy, fuzzy musk. It stays very close to the skin and has very little throw and a light scent. It's a very soft, ethereal scent, but it's beautiful. I just wish it were stronger. I haven't tried layering it yet, but I may end up experimenting for the first time.

I'm a sucker for a perfume with weird notes. Chainsaw grease and chocolate chip cookies? Sign me up! I don't even normally like the smell of chocolate chip cookies and I'm excited about this. In the bottle, it's shockingly gourmand. I guess I was expecting a noticeable amount of thick, black grease, not just freshly opened cookie jar, but it is what it is. And when I put it on, it remains shockingly gourmand. There's basically nothing there but chocolate chip cookies (I can even smell that they're crisp, not chewy...how is that possible?). Slowly, though, an unidentifiable note comes out. It's impossible for me to describe at first, other than it adds a strange, but appealing darkness to the chocolate chip cookies. Not spooky darkness, just darkness of scent. As it dries, it turns from an almost complete gourmand scent into a sort of "break room at the auto repair shop", with grease-covered hands eating cookies. It's shockingly wearable and even more shockingly appealing. It really does smell better than it sounds and I'm considering getting a backup.