fairnymph

Colourless oil. Roast chicken with lots of gravy - exactly! My roommate swears it's leftover roast chicken & mayo sandwiches. I don't get the mayo, but I do get the creaminess which I read as gravy. Not bad, this is the first savoury BPAL that's ever made me hungry.

Wow, this is surprisingly nice! It's a light, sweet, fruity scent in the bottle that's quite fresh, a tart edge - the pomegranate is definitely standing out. The lotus doesn't smell like bubblegum at all, although it's still a sweet, girly floral - it reminds me more of Davana here note-wise. On my skin, it's still a fresh fruity floral but with a bit more depth; still juicy, but backed up by something more. The rose is much more apparent, though this is not a bullying rose note by any means, but more subtle, almost resinous, like crystallized red rose. The lotus combined with the softly creamy red sandalwood provide a sense of golden glowing warmth that's lovely. But a few notes are niggling away in the background unpleasantly - a hint of perfumey powder from the amber, which is not a type that suits my skin, I can tell, and a sort of soapy, but still dark and sort of 'smudged', incensey frankincense, and then a murky haze of opium, though it's thankfully not as heavy on my skin as opium usually is. I can at least see through this haze; it's not smothering. Still, these latter 3 notes for me clash with the lighter, girlier, more luminescent fruit, florals and sandalwood, really dragging it down, or dirtying or defiling it. Which could be a vibe that works for some people, but not for me. The red sandalwood has amped up quite a bit, and is deliciously creamy, musky and both adds that warmth and a bit of an exotic, oriental feel (specifically, I imagine a female yogi emits this scent). Amber bridges the gap between the wood and incense notes; much less perfumey, despite having amped, it's now only faintly, pleasantly powdery, and very much warm, golden, and summery (it's one of the ambers in L'Estate, I'm sure of it). The opium and frankincense have merged so that they can't be easily picked out, and together lend a soft wisp of faded incense, again oriental - how a quiet temple smells between services, but with the lingering essence of worship still present in the air. Very soft, a sort of smoky golden colour that complements the golden lotus & warm-tone sandalwood perfectly. The pomegranate is the note that has faded the most, despite being initially strongest and a note that my skin generally holds very well; I can still pick it out, but it's a struggle because it's so much lighter and this scent is so impenetrable. It still adds some sweet-tart fruitiness which prevents this scent from being too dull or hazy, as well as deep reddish depth that reminds me, again, of late summer and its bounty of fruit. The rose and lotus seem to merge in a manner similar to the incense nose, and both have a crystalline, but not sharp or sparkling, more of muted glow that comes across as coral-colured. The rose has amped up a bit as rose does on me usually, but the lotus hasn't, surprisingly; it has held at a constant level over time, and tempers the rosiness of the rose otto as well as adding a lighter floral top-note rose's deeper heart-note. These florals really round out the scent and also give the blend a distinctly feminine, and again, somewhat exotic feel. This dries down QUITE differently - and I wasn't paying attention so an hour at least has passed and it smells totally different. It has really come together as scent; it's beautifully balanced and complex yet seamless. It doesn't have that initial fresh, bright fruity-floral quality thatI liked at first anymore, but is instead now very subdued, tranquil in feel. It reminds me very much of Dolce Stil Nuovo (a scent I just found out I love!), not so much in notes, although the final drydown is in the same general scent category, I would say - but very much in terms of the vibe of scent. Peaceful and soothing and all that I just said, just like DSN, but whereas DSN has a 'cool' bluish-lavender feel to it, like an early morning in Spring on a weekend, Lotus Mun has a 'warm' energy, more like sunset when things air is still warm but the hot late Summer day has begun to cool off, and is not longer sweltering but instead just pleasantly, lightly warm. Softly sweet & sunset-hued florals and subtle, sweet red fruit over a warm base of musky, creamy sandalwood and summery, golden amber with a distant, reverent hint of lingering incense of a calm, quiet temple in some exotic Eastern place, on an August evening at twilight. I don't do warm scents, but this is a STUNNINGLY evocative and masterfully blended scent that I very much enjoy smelling on myself right now. It's both soothing and energizing, and above all deeply comforting, like a hug from loving maternal figure. This have excellent throw, though it does fade a bit it sort of amps back up, and it has good longevity, too. Brava, Beth! This may be your best Lunacy so far this year.

#98 Rich sugary & buttery (definitely some tonka in here) vanilla frosting and some sort of juicy, refreshing fruit - maybe melon and cucumber? But underneath it is a strange dark earthy note, maybe a smoky wood or tobacco not - not necessarily unpleasant, but a bit at odds with the other notes. There's also a weird plastic/rubber tinge to this scent. This rapidly turns to the mustiness that most baked goods foody scents do on me, with a sort of nauseating clash between the cloying tonka and dark note, that smells like burnt wood that's been dipped in water, or maybe stale cigarettes a little - oh, it's really not good. I get a bit of sugared violet, very much like Faith, so it's like the melon and tonka and dark note have been layered over Faith, bc that creamy sweet vanilla-ness IS the strongest note. Not a lot of morphing after the first few minutes, other than that dark note fading dramatically It's rich buttery tonka and sugared violets over vanilla frosting with a lingering wisp stale cigarette smoke and dark wood. Much more pleasant than initially on my skin, with good throw and excellent longevity. It's too foody for me, but one of the better CT Vanillas I have tried by FAR.

Very dark red-brown oil, a bit viscous. Red musk! and something citrusy-fresh, either lemon blossom or lemon peel or lemongrass. On my skin, some sandalwood emerges as well as clove and a slightly mentholic herbal note - could be an aspect of the lemongrass, if that's the lemony note in this. Also some fresh ginger gives this a little kick. I get some of the same lily note from Parker Lily, which lightens this others red musk-heavy blend - though this is not at all what I'd call a floral blend. On later drydown, some leather coms out as well as some sweet orange. It really shows more layers over time on my skin, and the lemongrass (my best guess) and ginger amp over time, keeping this very fresh and bright. Very interesting and unlike anything else in BPAL. In feel, it does remind me of Parker Lily and there's the same lily/red musk base, but this is fresher and more unisex.

Decants here from a circle. CT Vanilla 186 (I bet #86 a few posts above is actually #186 or our decants were mislabeled bc they seriously sound similar) Boozy grape, maybe wine? But boozier than that - like a brandy or whiskey note, and some bourbon vanilla. Also very mentholic/medicinal like some sort of (cherry?) cough syrup, but very sharp, unpleasant, plastic and fake smelling - this is absolutely the worst part of the blend. I also get a bit of foody baked goods mustiness on the drydown though it's only mildly foody in the imp. The throw is also VERY strong and that harsh medicinal note is absolutely unbearable. Off to the sink. CT Vanilla 102 Soft. There if a faint iris note and maybe a touch of lily or orchid - I get a clean, nocturnal feel that I get from a lot of the Funereal florals. However, the florals here are subdued and well-behaved, and play definite second fiddle to the very realistic vanilla angel food's cake base. It's sweet, and foody but not buttery or cloying or too-rich. It's more fluffy, almost meringue light and quite lovely, with a sort of crystallized sugary edge and hint of some red berry. I quite like this one, but it's very faint and seems to fade quite a bit, unlike the horrible one above, which of course, is the one that amps into insane throw.

CT Vanilla 40 Soapy-powdery florals (a bad sort of rose?) and sort of nutty maple syrup? I'm not getting much vanilla out of this one at all, though there is a definitely syrupy sweet foodiness beneath the soapy powdery floral top layer. Definitely a nut or grain of some sort, which in combo with the maple syrup makes me think pancakes. I get a bit of a Dana O'Shee vibe with the maple-syrupy grains, and I think there is some honey in here too. In fact it reminds me a little of O, this particular honey note. The florals are surprisingly fainter on my skin, but I'm positive about the rose, and I think it might be a type of white rose, like the note in Katrina Van Tassel. It's much more pleasant and less 'old lady floral talcum powder' within just minutes, and if there's any vanilla here it's merging with the rose in a sort of KvT/Hope sort of way 'sugared vanilla with rose' and a creamy edge Before it's even dry the notes seem to balance out so that they are all about even in potency, and a new note has emerged, a sort of fizzy lime note. With the evolution of the rose into a much nicer note - almost backwards evolution, from soapy powder to softly powdery but much fresher, more well-behaved rose - I could almost like this. Except that the maple-syrup drenched honey-nut pancakes 1) really don't work with the sugar/vanilla/lime/rose and 2) I just don't like that sort of foody scent ever, period. I wish I could take the first part by itself bc it reminds me of this wonderful fizzy bath scent from Fantasy Bath called Days of Limes and Roses, and I find it refreshing and lovely with a sugary-creamy edge that makes it rather girly. This is oddly melding together somehow. The layers are merging. It's still REALLY odd, but it's not BAD, and it's no longer so chaotic. However, it's also fading very quickly, which could explain it being more pleasant and coalesced to my nose. I have tried many CTs (nearly a hundred) and this may be the oddest scent I have ever tried, in terms of really bizarre combinations of notes. Faint honeynut pancakes and vanilla syrup with trace of sugared lime and vanilla-creamed white roses, but it's a wisp - like I'm eating the aforementioned meal and the smell of fruit and flowers is wafting in faintly through the open window in the Spring air, or there's a vase of roses on the table and I'm drinking limeade, or maybe I just took a bath with that fizzy lime & bath scent and then put on a creamy sugary vanilla body lotion. Really interesting how this one coalesced then diverged and now is so evocative, and actually turns out to be not so bad. Not something I'd wear, especially given how my skin EATS this, but crazy morphing into a final drydown that's quite wearable.

#198 In the bottle, it's all rich, boozy vanilla buttercream frosty, very foody, sweet but not cloying, and highly decadent. On my skin, the foodiness is still very much present and doesn't morph but remains true - however, three notes immediately emerge. One is a sexy, musky rich and creamy sandalwood note that reminds me of Antique Lace, XCLD13, and Jingo-Kogo. Two is a warm, slightly powdery-perfume, 'lacy' feeling amber that I'm POSITIVE is the same one from Antique Lace. Three is a personal nemesis note for me, namely Sweet Pea, which turns into intense powder rapidly and amps up to hover over the other notes. However, because the bourbon vanilla, buttercream, and sandalwood notes are pretty damn strong in their own right, they are not overwhelmed. I'm sure that on most people without my reaction to sweet pea, this would be a very lovely blend. But it's not a scent I can wear, bc not only is sweet pea a NO, NOT EVER sort of dealbreaker note in perfume for me, but this is just too foody and rich. The sweetness is substantial but of a level I find pleasant, so it's really just the rich foody buttercream frosting that I can't tolerate. It also goes a little musty on me the way that most 'foody' scents do once fully dry, so I hope this finds its way to a home where it can be enjoyed. Later a definite purple-blue vibed berry comes out - blueberry is my first guess, so this makes me think of blueberry muffins now (with frosting & sugared flower garnish!), but it could be huckleberry bc it's not the same note as in Blue Phoenix.

This smells like plum pudding/christmas pudding with spices and dried fruits and cake, then doused in butter-brandy custard sauce (which could be a butter rum note) - it really reminded me of Christmas in Australia when my grandmother was still alive and made her pudding every year. Very evocative scent, quite POTENT, but not cloying or unappealing. I'd never wear it as a non-foody person, but it's much more appealing than most 'dessert' like scents in BPAL, bc it smells so realistic and yet doesn't have any unpleasant edges, like too-sharp spices, heavy butter, musty cake drydown, etc. It is very similar to Fruitcake, actually, which is one of very few food scents I can wear and that doesn't turn badly on my skin.

Delicious, sweet, tropical fruit and berries, decent throw and longevity; definitely some tropical notes like gauva, papaya, maybe pineapple - and I think a raspberry note (almost boozy, like Chambord raspberry liqueur), and I agree with the grenadine assessment. The berries don't go artificial or plastic on me, amazingly! There could be a light, sweet, fruity-toned floral here, such as plumeria or pikaki, but it's definitely in the background with the fruits dominating. I think I get the same lemon blossom from Tiki King and The Zieba Tree. Definitely sweet-tart and totally Tiki/tropical in theme - just gorgeous. I also get a musky-creamy backdrop that strengthens this scent overall and adds a sweet, sexy richnesss - maybe amyris a musky mysore sandalwood and a little vanilla?

Lots of dark woods and some dirt but more softly earthy than soil. WINE is foremost then the dark pomegranate note and sharp, shockingly floral mimosa.

Stale incense smoke, and DUSTY stone. Totally agree with Inganok comparisons.

Sweeter, darker TKO. Exact same lavender note. I don't get any jasmine or, sadly, tea.

Lots of dark, dark opium and sour, old-smelling, soapy ROSE.

Exactly as the notes would suggest; dark polished wood (but not too heavy or bitter, more smooth and deep), surprisingly light and softly smoky tobacco - more like lingering smoke, not someone smoking currently, and the slightly sharp-bright freshness of traditional men's cologne. I get hints of what I suspect are spice, incense, and maybe green musk - vaguely reminiscent of I Married a Vampire. Instantly sweeter and spicier - cinnamon and clove, most likely, maybe some ginger and almost definitely some black pepper, too - a lot of dry spicy warmth that's a little like holiday potpourri, but more masculine. The wood is so smooth (polished, truly) that I struggle to pick out on my skin, and it's also a bit overwhelmed. The cologne is also harder to pick out, and what I can pick out is more deeply musky than fresh or bright. The tobacco is stronger and smokier, and just richer overall with a that sweet, rounded, gourmand quality. It's just beneath the spices, which are many and which I'm amping above all other notes. I think the combo of spice and tobacco was giving me the incense vibe, which I'm no longer as sure of - although if there is incense, I suspect frankincense. Whoa, more morphing. The wood has amped up and is once again distinct; I suspect mahogany with maybe a touch of rosewood or red mysore sandalwood. Very smooth, very deep, but subtle, not like being clubbed as dark wood notes can behave. This is still quite spicy, but less so than initially wet on my skin - btw, this oil is very slow to dry, and in fact hasn't yet fully. Cinnamon and a sweet clove, yes, and maybe a touch of mace (dusty/peppery)? I get a lot of 'red' coloured vibe. This has gone a lot muskier, and I suspect a blend of musks. Some black, Egyptian or Indian with that exotic sexy depth, and dashes of red and green, too. In the wake of the amped musks which now dominate and the stronger wood, the tobacco is harder to pick out. It's definitely still present, but as in the bottle, more of a background note, and I think it's melding with the wood, but it still has a light smokiness. Cologne - almost entirely turned to musk. This is a very complex and paradoxical scent, bc I get a lot of deep notes but I don't get a feeling of heaviness and I'm surprised by how light, and almost airy, or perhaps hazy, this scent feels. The notes blends more and more together coalescing into a very seamless scent quite quickly. After several hours, it becomes a very well-blended balance of the dark but gleaming mahogany wood, softly smoky and slightly sweet/gourmand tobacco, a bright yet also deep and sexy blend of multiple musks, and a melange of slightly dusty dry spices that I can't pick out individual notes from. It has decent throw, but fades quite a bit before holding faintly. Masculine to unisex. Definitely one that must be skin-tested and probably my favourite of the series (other than TFH, which is the only Black Helicopter I actually LOVE and WANT) despite the spicy phase! But, nonetheless, not something I would wear.

Sweet, bright, tart and complex, with a bright, light yellow-green feel, almost pastel neon. I get the sugar, the citrusy/lemony notes (in order of potency: citron, lemongrass, elemi), lots of white musk, and I definitely get the zdravetz, which adds a refreshing herbal green note that's like a minty geranium, as well as the mentholic, slightly medicinal ravintsara, which is both literally and to my nose, camphoric. But it's a blend that works, and reminds me a little of Schrodinger's Cat and greatly of a sugared Phobos. I instantly get the bright smooth cologney white amber, which grounds this scent along with the rather heavy, slightly perfumey white musk (the same note from Thoos). The sugar is stronger, sweeter, and richer - verging on foody. The various citrusy notes merge quickly into a blend that I have difficulty dissecting, other than being able to determine that the citron is clearly on top, so this smells much more like real lemon than the notes would suggest. With the sugar, this is almost a 'lemon sugar cookie' version of Mr. Nancy's lime sugar cookie aspect, and like that blend, has some sort of creamy note like tonka or vanilla that gives it the foody edge. The geranium is still going strong and the ravintsara has smoothed out into note that's still bright and green, but not medicinal. I don't get the 'chemical undertone' of this scent, beyond white musk smelling a bit generic and synthetic on my skin as it can in some blends. This stuff has some crazy-ass throw on me. Like...whoa. Distractingly potent.The white musk and the citron are really the standouts, though this is a pretty well-blended scent and those two aren't necessarily overwhelming the other notes, but they are clearly dominating. They are also both notes my skin loves to amp, and the combo reminds me a lot of Whitechapel. The wafts I get with my wrist far from my face are almost exactly Whitechapel, with geranium in place of the lilac. But if I sniff more closely, I get all the other notes, other than the lemony ones which remain firmly melded into one whole note. The final drydown after several hours is a bit odd, and it could be due to the time of month, though it shouldn't be. I'm left with cotton candy, exactly the smell of cotton candy, and a softly earthy, oakmossy-sort of musk. In fact it's exactly how oakmoss dries down on me, or how musks of any type dry down on me during 5 days a month, so either there's some oakmoss in here, or my skin is doing weird things to the white musk. Regardless of form, that white musk sticks around. And if I sniff intently, I can pick out the citrus and greenery, but none of these as listed distinctly other than the geranium. In summary: sticky, sugary cotton candy, oakmoss, and white musk comprise 90+% of this blend in late drydown. It has very strong throw for hours that fades gradually until it's still good throw, but most of the notes have burned off, at which point it holds extremely well. Better than I expected based on the initial white musk blast and the listed elemi which can be problematic for me, and overall I enjoyed testing this, but it's not something I need.

Dark, slightly bitter, sharp and medicinal woods. Definitely some evergreens, that sort of harsh piney note that verges on Pinesol, but with a little bit of lighter cypress and dogwood. I get the dryness of the sunflower. I get some vetiver-ish bark and dirt. This is conceptually spot on - an overgrown dark forest, sweetened by a hint of syrupy sassafras. MUCH stronger on my skin, sharp, sharp, medicinal, harsh, bitter, eye-watering, cringe-worthy woods and noxious weeds, with that harsh pine note jumping out the most. The sassafrass is quick to jump out though, as this dries within seconds, and adds a much needed sweetness to counteract the dirty, dark greenery. But it's still, not the sassafras note of rootbeer, but the one of sap, dark and sticky and not without its own medicinal bite. The sunflower has amped and adds an almost powdery dryness to this scent. Still incredibly strong throw, but it's settled down a little bit - some of the harshness has burned off. Still, this is, as so many of the scents in this line, a combination of notes that I really detest. The only note that I'm liking here is the citrusy-fresh cypress, and the dogwood and comfrey are pleasant light greenery, more grassy - but quite overwhelmed, by the PINE, SASSAFRAS, vetiver and maybe patchouli, some sort of resin, and did I mention the PINE? I also still get the sort of 'bitter dark green vines and weeds' feel, ominous and swamplike, a tangled scary mess. Again, very much accurate conceptually. This scent blends together quite well - I'll give it that; for what it is, it's very well made and well blended, it's just not something I personally like at all. The sassafrass and some mysterious resin sweeten this up, the pine settles further, and all the various greenery, woods, earthy notes and dry sunflower merge into a unified whole. It's no longer medicinal or biting, but it's still very dark, woodsy, and masculine with roughness to it, like bark and thorny vines. It's just darker and much more intense than I expected. It has great throw and longevity.

Powdery, a little sharp (maybe the citrusy cistus), shockingly resinous/deep, with lots of powdery, heady white florals - the muguet and orris are rooty and intense. I get an almost cedary, dry, very dusty sort of sandalwood note, and barely any vanilla. I am underwhelmed to say the least. The muguet and orris instantly amp on my skin into the heady floral mess I expected from the bottle smell, with a ton of baby powder that has an almost plastic edge. Also, I swear to god this must have the dry, dry dusty sort of cedar note because I am getting it very strongly, pencil shavings galore. I am getting the vanilla though, too - unfortunately it seems to be the fake plastic vanilla candle type of vanilla. The cistus's sharpness has faded (or been overwhelmed), but I get a sticky resin base nonetheless. Not a simplistic scent by any means. Recently, I've tried some orris blends that have made me think orris can be pretty nice. This orris note, however, is the type that made me think orris is demonic. I'm being SMOTHERED by powder, huge swathes of sickly sweet powdery, clogging my throat, making the bile rise. The muguet is sweetening and strengthening it, as is the fake vanilla note (it's that same horrid note from O) and the sweet resins. In light of the orris-muguet-vanilla takeover, the cedary pencil shavings have faded a bit, and now I do think I can get a little white sandalwood, and yes, some types can be that dry and dusty I now believe, bc I've tested white sandalwood blends before that smelled like this and I swore there was cedar then, too. This reminds me of a feminine version of Smoky Moon and Sitting Up With a Sick Friend, were they to breed a daughter. But it's more powdery than either, perhaps the most powdery scent I've tried, and much more floral and 'traditional perfumey' with the fake vanilla. You might think that the resinous base would somehow smooth out or balance or otherwise mitigate the sweet, floral powder, but no - it just makes the whole mess more sickly sweet, more heavy and overwhelming. Enough of this - off to the sink. WHY is this entire line so mediocre to atrocious on me? GAH!

Sweet, perfumey, musky, floral - it really does remind me of older perfumes. I get lot of orange water and ambergris and benzoin, the soft rose that's fresh and demure, and some dark wood that is maybe the lignum? This has the orange water and rose as light top notes but there's a bunch sweet and musky resin below. Orange blossom water galore. Fortunately, unlike orange blossom itself, this is a scent that plays well on my skin. It's very refreshing, a little masculine (with that bitterness one gets from chewing an orange seed accidentally), and a little exotic bc I associate it with baklava and Balkan/Middle Eastern sweets. The very honeyed benzoin, which amps too, only adds to this association. The rose is stronger, as expected, on my skin, but it's still behaving - it's by no means stealing the show. I think this fits the concept very well - I can see a Medieval minor royalty wearing this, lounging about maybe in Spain or Portugal - I think it's the musky, strong ambergris that recalls maritime cultures. Whoa. Apparently Reptoid Dominion is not the only scent from this line that I amp. Bc this orange water is powerfully amping on me. Again, it's a scent that I like, but it's not a scent that I would wear myself and it feels very masculine, as well as very - well, it smells like a Medieval cologne, but for me that conjures up the reasons why colognes became popular - to cover up the stench of premodern life. And, this also seems - simplistic, generic - this is not what a king would wear, but some minor lord who can't afford a scent more complex and unique. The lemon balm is coming through a bit now, but faintly, while the rose and benzoin hold. The ambergris, meanwhile, has softened and become much more rounded and pleasant, perhaps it's melding with the 'vegetal musk' which I certainly can't pick out. Regardless, this is still heavily ORANGE WATER. Yeah, after the initial drying and amping this doesn't morph on me. It's 80% orange blossom water, slightly bitter, slightly floral, and quite masculine, 5% honeyed, golden benzoin, 5% classic, slightly dried (like crumbled petals) rose, 5% masculine, deeply musky, slightly salty-oceanic ambergris, and the rest a faint, oddly powdery blend of wood and herbs and maybe other resins and musks - it's a haze I can't decipher into its component parts. Overall, other than the strong orange blossom dominance which may be my skin chemistry, it's a pretty well-balanced and blended scent, with no particular flaws but no particular appeal, either. As with most of this line...meh. Strong throw and longevity.

Totally unlike what I expected. Wet, sweet, dark soil and an aquatic note. Very outdoorsy, reminds me of the Nile-themed soil-based aquatics strongly. On my skin, it's instantly much sweeter and rounder with some creamy, nutty grain notes emerging. Still, the dark wet soil note is strongly in command, with only a bit of the almost honeyed grain notes (reminiscent of Dana O'Shee) peaking through. The grains are almost foody, but not quite - I get a note that somewhere between vanilla and tonka but doesn't seem to be either that's giving me the sweet creaminess. Due to spillage, I slathered quite a bit accidentally, but this still seems to be drying quite slowly. As it does, the sweetness amps, the grains amp,and the soil fades, but the inexplicable aquatic note remains. Maybe it's recently rained heavily on these crop circles? There's a definite freshwater feel that rain could explain. More and more of a honeyed aspect to the grains, so now these are not like any grain notes I've smelled before; this is a unique grain-based scent in many ways. 45 minutes later, this is finally mostly dry, but it hasn't changed much after the first 15 minutes on my skin. Despite the slathering, it's a mild scent, and it still feels very outdoorsy with the soil and rain notes, while the honeyed grains add a sort of harvest feel, almost autumnal - this could almost be a Harvest Moon scent, and I think the grain notes here are most similar to the grain notes in those lunacies. If I sniff carefully I can pick out the barley and maize (the latter reminding me a tad of Feeding the Dead), but I can't pick out the wheat. So, in the end, it's a well-balanced blend of wet black soil and sweet, honeyed, creamy-nutty grains that verge on foody but don't quite become so. It is a subtle scent, and doesn't have a lot of throw, but it holds very well on my skin, or at least it does if you slather it as I did. Definitely worth trying if you like soil notes, clean aquatics (not a hint of soapiness), and grain notes. Very evocative. By far the most unique and interesting of the Black Helicopter line, but not something that I'd wear.

Dark, gritty, and smoky. HELLO VETIVER! A little chemical, maybe like asphalt? Reminds me a bit of Sky City After, as well as Brimstone. I get maybe some black amber in the distance, but musk, where is the musk? I get NO musk of any sort. Apparently alien musk is nothing like earthly musks. Bitter, soooooo bitter, sharper and harsher on my skin, with a sour sort of anise note. It reminds me vividly of something but I can't place it. Some sort of spice, but stale and without its full kick. I also think there is saffron on this, giving me some chemical sharpness, and the vetiver is rooty and gritty...but there is an even rootier, earthier note - why hello, black patchouli. It's just a gang of black nasties. I do get a hint of dark sweetness that could be the black amber I initially suspected, or else black currant - I'm remind of the Ares blend with the black currant and saffron. This is morphing a lot even though it's slow to dry. It's going realllllly dusty in the 'bitter black incensey cloud' way that can only be myrrh. Thus, so far, this is turning into my nightmare scent, full of notes I detest. The spice has a peppery tinge...maybe it's mace? I also get some woodiness, that reminds me a lot of the scorched black sandalwood note in Hellion. There is a lot going on in this scent; it's complex and multifaceted like a black gem with rainbow, oil-slick shimmer. Except that this is not a shimmery scent at all, it's matte, dust-covered, smoky, opaque and merciless. And absolutely malevolent. This shit doesn't dry, but it amps (the only of the entire Black Helicopter line to amp on me, naturally). This is also reminding me of Fuwa from the Sakura-con line, but with this odd sourness that MUST be due to the black currant. But it almost smells like - a poisonous dark berry. It's not a juicy fruity note, nor is it that urine-y type, but it's more - dusty and black and wild, brambly. As I said, it's like this scent smells different every time I sniff it, constantly changing, tumultuous. But it's been not even a half hour and with my weak stomach these days, I'm going to have to wash this off before it amps further. This is a terrifying scent that I cannot imagine someone wearing as a perfume, unless they were maybe a psychopath or serial killer. It has a deep evil vibe. I may have nightmares.

I never posted in this thread bc I didn't want my love for this blend to create competition. But um...this is my favourite BPAL scent of all time. Now that I have plenty, I can finally review it! I wrote a longer review at some point, but I can find it. But to summarize: this is very fizzy, the fizziest of the fizzy blends, tart grapefruit soda. It's as if you took a ripe, juicy and fresh and barely sweet whole grapefruit, pulverized it, and blended it with lots of highly carbonated water and a little bit of sugar syrup. It holds on my skin, it's very clean, it doesn't turn to powder or soap. It's not a particularly sweet scent, and it's not even firmly feminine, but it is so fizzy and bright and light and fresh - it's what I want perfume to be, it's what *I* want to be. I get no other citrus than grapefruit. No ginger, no creaminess.

I love how the only scent from this line that I actually WANT is a frickin' imp with bottle purchase only. Fresh, clean, metallic, ozone, sparkly and pleasantly citrusy/fruity. It's light in feel but it actually has pretty good throw and longevity, again, better than most of the actual bottles. HRUMPH. I am annoyed! Most awesome conceptual line in a while and the scents all bore me except for the ONE that I CAN't get.

Fresh, grassy, bright and outdoorsy greenery and wildflowers hit me first; clean, unisex, evocative with a hint of soap. This aspect reminds me of The Little Bird, quite a bit, and this feels more like greenery than florals despite the notes at first sniff. Searching more, I get a touch of something spicy, the dryness of the sunflower and sage (though I can't pick out the notes themselves), and a very subdued magnolia note that has a green edge - it's like magnolia buds. I get a smashed wooden note - it reminds me of the wood in 51 - and a hint of slightly stale smoke that I suspect is due to vetiver. Much more floral instantly on my skin, as is typical of my chemistry, and edging a little more towards soapiness. The bluebell pops out, bright and fresh and a little sweet, the thistle is more distinctly grassy, and the magnolia has opened up a little, adding slightly heady richness and a white creaminess - very reminiscent of the note in Yvaine. I can pick out the sunflower fairly strongly now, and if I strain, the sage (which doesn't smell cedar-y to me) very faintly. The woody note is much the same, light and clean, a bit like freshly sawn wood, but without any dustiness - it really IS that smashed woods note from 51. I no longer get any smokiness at all. And I get something a little citrusy - almost like the green citrus peel - again, I'm reminded of 51, and this has a similar feel but is a much softer, fainter and more unisex scent, less sweet and more soapy, too. Oh, I am really like how this is evolving! The lovely magnolia note is amping as is the bluebell, and this becoming more creamy while remaining fresh and palely green in feel, like milky grassiness. The slight kick of the poppy reminds me of the hint of leafy spiciness that I get from the Host of the Air, which generally the greenery as well reminds me of now - much more than the Little Bird as this scent initially resembled. The sunflower has faded, or been subdued by the other floral notes, so this is now only very faintly dry, and the sunflower note seems to blends with the smashed wood note, which grounds this scent and keeps it light at the same time - without the wood, bluebell, and thistle, the magnolia would be too heavy. The thistle note, in addition to adding the grassy greenness, adds a dewy tone that reminds me a lot of heather - or possibly heather is present here, too. And maybe the thistle is a little spicy, too? This scent has turned into something really gorgeous that's only marred by a tinge of Irish Spring-like soap. This just goes too soapy for me; it's gradual, perhaps insidious...because it creeps up on me, it almost seems tolerable, but then I think of other scents in this niche - floral/green/fresh - and how much more I like so many others in comparison. I'm somewhat sad, because I don't really have a scent that blends grassy greenery and wildflowers with gentle, creamy magnolia, and I really LOVE the smashed wood note here, whatever it is, it's sort of sweet and musky, maybe a type of white sandalwood? And I like how this is mostly unisex, but leans a little towards the feminine side - that's right my alley. But the soapiness is too much, and furthermore - right after I put this on, I got really ITCHY *everywhere*, all over my body, and I'm pretty sure this is making my rosacea flare - so it's not a scent I really COULD wear, anyway. Faint throw, but decent longevity. So far, I am really just extremely underwhelmed by this line; all the scents seem generic and are so faint in throw. Sadness, but honestly, the blend ended up pleasing me more than I expected after seeing the notes, so I'm not disappointed.

Clean, light, fresh and surprisingly soft, without barely any ozone or bright white amber peeking through, let alone sharp neroli. I do get some lovely silvetone metals, but I have to seek them out. It's the sweet white mint that leaps out at me most, though this is not a very leaping sort of scent, with violet just behind, making this feel like a ultraviolet glowstick. There's a bit of dry herbalness that must the best sage but it's not distinct as such. Still very minty, definitely white mint, quite sweet. I get the neroli now a little, adding a bit of sharp edge as well as a rotting floral note, or else something else is giving that off. I get more white amber, more of a cologney feel, and more ozone - more tingly and zesty now, though checked a bit by the mint's sweetness.The sage is still light but has amped to be distinct, and the metal remains a rather vague background noise. The violet has a very feminine, classic, Victorian feel and a hint creamy-powderiness. This is SO different from what I expected, much more gentle and feminine, it reminds me of a mintier Violet Ray quite strongly. Quite different within minutes; the mint doesn't hold and what was once the strongest note is now in the background, though this scent is even sweeter now - though still not sugary by any means - so something else must be adding this sweetness. I suspect it's the white amber, which is finally amping, and it's round, gleaming and softly sweet. I think the metals are adding sweetness too, I don't know why, the metals just have a sweet tone to them, maybe bc they seem to merge with the white amber. Beyond that, there is something more traditional sweet and creamy here, a very soft vanilla or maybe vanilla musk, that my skin is definitely amping. The neroli has faded a little, it's now a faint nagging sharp-rotten floral, but pretty tolerable. The sage is not longer distinct, and this feels less dry. The ozone, I'm pleased to say, is holding, and the violet has amped furher, turned a tad orris-like, but this is definitely my favourite violet BPAL blend so far. The violet is amping and amping, and this has become a very much violet-dominated blend with a strong orris tone, but the pleasant faintly powdery, creamy sort not the rooty type, and though it's clearly in command, it doesn't clash with the rest of the scent, it stands apart but it complements the background, which is now mostly comprised of a sweet, rounded, shiny blend of white amber, silver metal, and faint white mint. It's a pale gleaming scent that reminds me of a brighter, more metallic Silver Phoenix now, though again, it still has much in common with the Violet Ray - the feel is a bit more like SP's drydown, even though the actual scent is more like VR's. The neroli and sage are gone, and the ozone has amped further, strangely since that's usually a note that fades on me. I could be confusing the metal and the ozone, which often aren't dramatically different to my nose. After the initial drydown this doesn't really evolve, beyond the violet and the white amber calling a truce for dominance, and the metal amping up to a distinct chrome note, the one from Torture Queeen. It is a pleasant scent that blends beautifully over time, and has a distinct feel and colour of rounded, gleaming, pale metallic lavender. The mint doesn't fade away completely and it adds coolness and sweetness despite being totally indisinct. The neroli and sage however are just GONE totally after maybe half and hour. The throw of this scent fluctuates oddly on my skin, but is never strong; overall, it has a very low throw, but the longevity after it settles down is good. I like this scent, but it's rather generic, and at this point I just have so many other scents that I prefer and give me a similar feel and/or have similar notes. So I'm just not wowed enough nor do I find this unique enough to wear. Meh.

According to my searches, shittim wood is acacia wood which is highly tannic and can be psychedelic. Soft rosy incense is my first impression; faint dried rose petals with a light sourness - not I AM ROSE sort of note, with dusty, bitter, musty incense that must contain a ton of myrrh. I am reminded of a much softer Rose Cross, and I think I get some frankincense in here, too - though that could be the pipe tobacco. Certainly, there is a smoky sweetness here, a little stale, but much softer than I feared. There's a lot of dark, bitter wood that reminds me of black oak notes, but is thinner and higher pitched. Both the incense and roses amp right away on my skin, and they were already dominating in the bottle. I'm now positive about the frankincense and the myrrh is further confirmed - nothing else produces this sort of dark dustiness on my skin. The roses are still sour, and a little fresher, less like the dried petals or stale rose absolute I got initially. With the amped rose, I'm reminded a bit of the Empress - same rose note, but fresher here as it's a newer oil. I'm actually glad for the sweetness of what I think is mostly coming from the pipe tobacco - it reminds me a little of Hearth, but minus the fruitiness - it's a smoky note but with a bit of the gourmand quality of tobacco absolute, and that aspect blooms on my skin. The wood note has changed a lot, it has taken on an almost citrusy tone; it's very polished and bright despite feeling dark, and not heavy at all. It reminds me a bit of black tea, a well brewed type that is smooth and clean. I'm a bit conflicted, bc while I'm loving the wood, and liking the tobacco, the incense and rose are still dominating and both are horrid. So it's like Rose Cross got a little bit of those nice notes thrown in, but it's not enough, and this scent is not anywhere near blended. The roses have amped further, to the point that I take back my earlier statement of it being light or faint - it's pretty strong now, absolutely the rose from the Empress, though it's more subdued than many rose notes are on me - again, it smells old, stale, like it is weak due to age. The incense seems to have thickened into a tangible black cloud that sticks to the back of my throat, smothering. Other than the sour rose on top battling for dominance with the incense, this scent is starting to coalesce more. If I could draw a linear chart of how the notes group on my skin, you'd see rose on the left, all alone, then a big gap to where the incense is overlapping with the pipe tobacco (which is obscured somewhat now, and adds mostly sweetness that is cloying on top of the amped frankincense) - and then just to the right of that middle group, distinct but not far away, is the citrusy/black-tea, polished shittim wood. Both the rose and wood pop out, they both have an acidic tone, though the former is an almost chemical sourness, and the latter is bright and pleasant. As I rather expected, this is a distinctly masculine blend; there are no women in this elite cult. The roses seem to go a little soapy and dusty-powdery, the blend comes together a bit more, making my chart smaller and less gappy, but otherwise this really doesn't morph much beyond final drydown. Sour, almost pickled, mouth-puckering rose rules but only by a small margin; heavy, dense smoky-sweet myrrh, frankincense and tobacco (in that order, with possibly other incenses or resins) cling together like a single ominous, dense presence just below the rose. I'm surprise the shittim wood can stand up to the aforementioned, but it holds its own well from the moment it hit my skin, and is the loveliest note in this blend, IMO - a bright, clean, citrusy-tea like note that feels like dark, polished wealth but without the weight. It's a little like mahogany and a little like cypress, but unique and fascinating. Moderate throw and good longevity. This is not a scent I would ever wear for a variety of reasons, and the early stages were close to intolerable. As I've said, imagine Rose Cross with extra myrrh, pipe tobacco, cypress and mahogany and you have this blend; so it's basically a more complex and woody version of RC. Blech.