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Showing results for tags 'Halloween 2015'.
Found 94 results
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Sour green apples encased in a sticky shell of iconic glossy red caramelized sugar syrup. Note: I am not familiar with the scent of actual candied apples. I think I've only had caramel apples. In the bottle: A juicy apple. I think this features a red apple note. Wet: Juicy red or red and yellow apples. The apple note somewhat tart, but I don't think it is tart enough to be a green apple. The apple is a lot stronger than the sugar. The candied aspect isn't that prominent, though I can tell that it is there, especially when I compare it to scents like Poisoned Apple. Dry: Sugary red apples. It's a lot sweeter now. I prefer this phase of the scent. Verdict: This one is nice. It's not one of my favorite apple scents, but I think I'll be holding onto my bottle, as I really need some spiceless Weenies in my collection.
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No joke! Greasy petrolatum, lanolin, and titanium dioxide accords smeared with vanilla cream. Please note: this product contains no clowns or clown-derived materia. I HAD to have this. But I can't imagine what this will smell like... In The Bottle: Sort of like vanilla Play Dough Wet On Skin: A soft, white sweet smell. Not even vanilla, exactly. Like marshmallow fluff, or sweet-scented stage fog. Dry Down: It's become almost a sweet light musk. It's incredibly unassuming, very sweet and charming. Not the chemical greasepaint I had feared. But it's honestly rather hard to describe. In All: low to medium throw, sweet and comforting. Much better than clowns!
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Literally everything! Pumpkin spice it all with this traditional brew of cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and clove. Okay, usually, I'm not a big fan of scents that include pumpkin, because I don't like cooked pumpkin and they tend toward pumpkin pie. Not so with this. I smell juicy raw pumpkin, with a dash of spice. Really lovely!
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The perfume of withering leaves, their brittle forms surrendering to the flame, releasing a sigh of bitter smoke that is flickering with the ghosts of summer’s memory. Bottle: very piney on first sniff On my skin is has a wonderful transformation from wet to dry that smells like the stages of a wildfire. First I get a forest scent, but then the smoke emerges with a warmth behind it. Finally I'm left with a smoldering cedar fire scent.
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Ay, thou art welcome, heaven's delicious breath! When woods begin to wear the crimson leaf, And suns grow meek, and the meek suns grow brief And the year smiles as it draws near its death. Wind of the sunny south! oh, still delay In the gay woods and in the golden air, Like to a good old age released from care, Journeying, in long serenity, away. In such a bright, late quiet, would that I Might wear out life like thee, 'mid bowers and brooks And dearer yet, the sunshine of kind looks, And music of kind voices ever nigh; And when my last sand twinkled in the glass, Pass silently from men, as thou dost pass. Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air. This is the scent I've looked forward to - some of my favorite autumn smells, all rolled into a single perfume. In the bottle, this was sharp and masculine. Ooo, very sharp. Wet, it transformed immediately to the scent of mouldering leaves, with an overtone of men's cologne. Dry, the throw is all wet, decaying leaves (which I find quite pleasant), but unfortunately, when I bring my wrist to my nose, all I smell is cheap men's cologne and a whiff of musk. On the whole, I think my skin chemistry has played me false once more.
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Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. I am nervous to be the first here but everyone is clamoring for a review. In the bottle: This smells like opening a new package of brown sugar- deep, fresh, bright. It reminds me of bartending and making my own simple syrup on the stove-top before work. When the sugar becomes heated and begins to boil, the scent rises up like this. Mmmm...almost like the crusted shell of a freshly-made creme brulee. On my arm and wrist: Whoa! This is suddenly taking on a new shape and I am falling in love There is a snap to the smell now that was undiscernableb/f in the bottle. Its almost spicy and definitely gives an edge to the sugar smell. I keep on sniffing my arm, wanting to smell it agian and again. It reminds me of something...hmm...what is it?? Kinda reminds me of Demeter's Snow fragrance which is clean and makes you feel pure and happy. Except that this being Bpal, it is far more complex and provocative. Something in this smell makes me think of Big Red gum but I don't know why...I don't get a cinnamon hit off this oil but I keep coming back to this impression. A few hours later: This has mellowed but is still going strong. Now, it reminds me of marzipan with maybe a hint of mint or something refreshing like that in it. I love it! This one has really surprised me...I generally don't go in for the sweet scents but this one has bite and legs must be the "skull" in the "sugar"!
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A joyous celebration of La Catarina, La Flaca, La Muerte... Glorious, Beautiful Death. In Mexico, death is not something to be feared or hated; She is embraced, loved, and adored. La Muerte is fêted, as the celebrant "...chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love." This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus. Okay, I've been wearing Dia de Los Muertos in my hair as it seems to be one of the best places for me to use many scents without smelling this overpowering scent on one part of my body. I put in one drop in my leave in conditioner (mind you it was a largish drop). When I first put it on, I definately smelled a smokiness that I can only assume is the tabacco. After about an hour or so I noticed that the scent had mellowed and that I was picking up smells that were a cross between Pan de Huevo (mexican pastry- it an egg bread type product with vanilla and other stuff) and Dulche de Leche candies. Later yesterday I noticed another scent as I was bowling, probably because I was sweating a little, That I believe was the cereus (I haven't been back to Tucson in blooming season for those in over two years). I washed my hair this morning and I can still smell the scent. Given that I normally go girlie girl with scents, this one is a bit out there for me (as it I wouldn't normally seen it smelling really good on me) but I think it smells amazing, and I spent most of yesterday catching whiffs and thinking man I want to go back to desert. Edited to add the lab's description--andrabell
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Louis Boulanger Oman frankincense, black clove, and tobacco tar. This is a beautiful sweet frankincense (definitely the same frankincense in All Souls) and the clove adds a little spice. Super up my alley! Lovely and simple. I feel like this is destined to become a favorite.
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Yussss. Cherry cordial and dragon's blood make for a juicy scent that oddly enough, totally does remind me of stage blood.
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John Nixon Honey, cream and white rose petals buffeted by toadstools, creeping moss, bog cypress, and myrrh. In the bottle: Honey, myrrh and something tangy, which is probably the mosses and myrrh. Wet: Fizzy penny sweets! Like cherry cola bottles. I dunno what's going on there. Dry: Mostly a rosy myrrh and maybe a little honey. It's gorgeous and I love it.
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Agostino Veneziano White sandalwood, opoponax, shriveled black plum, and vetiver. Eep! I never (well, almost never) post reviews, because I'm not terribly good about picking out notes, but I feel the need to review this one! I blind bought a bottle of this, and it's turned out so much more lovely than anticipated. In the bottle it was pure sandalwood, but on my skin I feel as though all of the notes are working together to create a single and unique thing of loveliness. I can't compare this to anything else in the BPAL universe, except to say that the plum note, which is the last note standing as the scent fades (and it takes awhile--this on has moderate throw but excellent staying power on my skin) is the plum from Snake Charmer and Tarantula Fascinator. If this collection of notes works well for you I recommend you pick some up!
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Henry Fuseli Golden amber, carnation, blackcurrant, aged black patchouli, red musk, and vetiver. Red Musk, vetiver, and carnation with an under current of patchouli are the highlights of this blend while wet. As it dries the amber comes forth with its golden resinous feel. The black currant gives just the barest touches of sweetness. As this dries the patchouli remains a dark base for the scent as the vetiver and musk swirl around while the amber and the carnation and currant attempt to lift the blend out of the dark earth. This is the first blend where I've been able to reliably pick out vetiver and found out I actually like it. So beware those hoping this is light on vetiver ... it's not. Edit: Okay, this was reminding me of something and I just couldn't figure it out but it finally came to me! It's like a cousin of Lawn Gnome. It has that same patch/currant combo. That's why I love it so much. =)
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John William Waterhouse Vanilla-infused frankincense and clary sage with 7-year aged patchouli, jasmine sambac, honey myrtle, and oudh. I love Waterhouse's art, and The Magic Circle has long been a favorite, so I knew I needed this one! I have to say, vanilla-infused frankincense is delicious. The vanilla really softens the sharp edge that frankincense can sometimes have on my skin, yet it still retains that solemn incensey vibe that I love. The clary sage is very distinctive, as always, but is prevented from being too masculine for me by the sweetness of the jasmine sambac. I don't get a lot of my beloved aged patchouli, it seems to be laying low with the honey myrtle and oude to create a nice base. It may become more prominent with age, too. This is gorgeous. I think I need all the Pickman Hecate blends. Oy!
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Solar-powered electric melons and droplets of pina colada caught in an electrical storm. This is one sweet, cool creamy scent! Green melon, white cream, lime, cocanut, and the sense that it's cold. It's almost like melon pina colada ice cream. I do not get much in the way of water or rain or ocean or other "aquatic" smells, but those notes do very well for me, so they may just be blending into the other notes for me. I tested this straight out of the mail. If things have changed when I try it again after it has settled, I will update my review!
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ALL SOULS A day of remembrance and intercession. Without the prayers and sacrifices of their families and loved ones, the faithful departed may not be cleansed of their venal sins, and thereby cannot attain beatific vision. On November 2nd, prayers are sung and offerings are made to aid lost souls in transcending purgatory. An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes. When I first put this on, I could mainly smell soft incense. I thought that it was my imagination until I re-read the description. I can smell buttery cake notes in the background, but mostly I smell soft incense and what I think is the currant note, rather sharp coming out from behind the incense. My skin will tend to amp the sweet, but maybe others will smell more of the foody notes. I think that this is a lovely combination of foody and incensy, which for me is the best of both worlds
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Because you might want to get a bit of shimmery color over the holiday without risking a moonburn, right? The scent of skin-softening moonscreen: coconut and sugared red patchouli. I expected this one to be super light and summer but was quite pleased to find the patchouli is glorious. This is beautiful.
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Artist Unknown Honey, rose petals, and carnations - a drop of blood - red clover, cubeb berries, and vanilla cream. Aww, the thing that looks like a miniature version of the dragon-dog from The Neverending Story isn't on the label. In the bottle: I believe features the same carnation note as Startled Toad. At least, there is a lemony aspect present, and the combination of whatever that note is and the carnation remind me of that scent. It's not the spicy carnation found in scents like Queen Alice. I feel like this scent is similar to the Trading Post's Butterfly Nectar bath oil. This is a peppy scent. I'm mainly getting sweet flower petals and what I think may be the cubeb berry. The vanilla cream note is present, but it resides in the background. Wet: I'm getting more of the vanilla cream note on my skin. The carnation note is the most prominent note, which isn't surprising – carnation tends to do that on my skin. I don't dislike it, but I hope this doesn't turn into carnation single note. At the moment, the rose is quite prominent as well. Dry: I think the blood note contains clove, as I can smell some clove now (or is that the cubeb berry?), along with the florals, honey, and a bit of vanilla cream. After a while, I mainly smell carnation, clove (or cubeb? The Google tells me that is peppery), rose, and a hint of the vanilla. Verdict: I bought this one because of the name and the sugary florals. But I was worried about the carnation being too prominent for my liking, and it is. I'm going to let this settle some more and retest it before deciding whether or not to keep it. Hopefully the vanilla will come out more with age. I don't dislike it, but I own a lot of sugary floral scents, and I can't see myself reaching for this one very often.
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Henry Fuseli Mandrake root, apple blossom, dusty brown sandalwood, coconut milk, woodmusk, and soft leather. This is a contemplative scent, soft and dusty in a pleasant way. The first things I smell in the wet stage are the sandalwood and coconut milk. I love the uniqueness of this sandalwood note, which really sets itself apart form the too-dry sandalwoods and the sexy sandalwoods that often appear in Ars Amatoria and the Lupers. This one is unexpectedly comforting, like a furry blanket you've just discovered in the attic and now can't let go. There is an additional, earthier woodiness behind it, which I believe is the mandrake root, and a hint of very well-worn brown leather. The creamy coconut milk and gently floral apple blossom also wrap themselves around you like that furry blanket. It's something I would want to be wearing during a long rainy day, curled up on the sofa, oblivious to everything else except the book I'm reading.
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SONNET D'AUTOMNE Ils me disent, tes yeux, clairs comme le cristal: "Pour toi, bizarre amant, quel est donc mon mérite?" - Sois charmante et tais-toi! Mon coeur, que tout irrite, Excepté la candeur de l'antique animal, Ne veut pas te montrer son secret infernal, Berceuse dont la main aux longs sommeils m'invite, Ni sa noire légende avec la flamme écrite. Je hais la passion et l'esprit me fait mal! Aimons-nous doucement. L'Amour dans sa guérite, Ténébreux, embusqué, bande son arc fatal. Je connais les engins de son vieil arsenal: Crime, horreur et folie! - Ô pâle marguerite! Comme moi n'es-tu pas un soleil automnal, Ô ma si blanche, ô ma si froide Marguerite? - They say to me, your eyes, clear as crystal: "For you, bizarre lover, what is my merit then?" - Be charming and be still! My heart, which all things irk, Except the candor of the animals of old, Does not wish to reveal its black secret to you, Whose lulling hands invite me to long sleep, Nor its somber legend written with flame. I hate passion; intelligence makes me suffer! Let us love each other sweetly. Tenebrous Love, Ambushed in his shelter, stretches his fatal bow. I know all the weapons of his old arsenal: Crime, horror, and madness! - pale marguerite! Are you not, like me, an autumnal sun, O my Marguerite, so white and so cold? - Charles Baudelaire, translated by William Aggeler Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves. This kid is biz-arre. Right onto the skin this is the crispy, decaying dried leaves note like from Death of Autumn, which I will mourn to the grave. Ooooooh, yeah. Dark, kinda moldy and acidic. My kinda thing. But then...morph...mint? What the hell? It smells like it's changing into the Last Unicorn. Now, with the Last Unicorn I blamed this minty/misty niff on the lilac, but methinks it be the white chocolate! WHY?!?! Gaaaaaah!!!! At this stage of the game, I'm not very happy. My leaves are gone and it smells a lot like lavender and chamomile baby powder and White Rabbit. Again-why? It smells...good...pleasant...like back in 05 when I wore White Rabbit and was nursing my babies...but I'm kind of freaking out. She's changed from Doc Martin's on the pavement to ballet slippers in the nursery, from fall to winter, in a matter of moments. THEN, she sweetens up and mellows out considerably, looses the "minty" and much of the "baby", and becomes more musky...sexier. Now, while it is still a sweet and cool scent, it feels a lot like a cousin of Snow White and Antique Lace. Hours later she's a wisp of clean, sweet, warm, slightly ambery vanilla musk. My kids say I smell really good. Shhh...Me and Sonnet...we are going to have to get to know each other a little better. Maybe I'm just being a gunshy freaky bitch, but I think she's...crazy. Like, she seemed really fierce and independent at first but it turns out she might be really squishy and girly. Is she putting on some kind of act? I know...I KNOW! That's a HORRIBLE thing to say. We are definitely having some issues. I'm just not used to it! I need to get used to it. I want to like her! I have every reason TO like her. She's complex, keeps me on my toes, stays close to the skin, likes to snuggle, good with the kids. It's the SHIFT, it's the mystery mint thing... It's not you, it's ME! I thought you'd be darker, creepier, more autumny. I want to get to know you...I DO! OMG! You smell GOOD! What do you WANT from ME?!?! Sigh... Let's go for a ride, bitch...I think we can work it out. It's gonna be really interesting to see how she works out for other people.
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Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus An accolade: drifting leaves tinted in the bold reds of pomegranate and currant, the golds of amber and honey, russet myrrh, a touch of cypress-green, and crisp patchouli-brown. This is by far my favorite from this update that I've received so far. It is beautiful and morphing, just like Magnificent Autumn. It starts off with a blast of pomegranate and currant. Sweet and red. But then the amber and honey comes out. Moving then into the myrrh, the cypress, and then lastly the patchouli. I am so enjoying smelling this as it morphs. My husband says it's very nice and subtle. This is one of the few honey scents I can wear where it's not amping like crazy on me, or smelling ... off. Seems that after it's gone through the stages, it goes back to the amber/honey combo with a touch of myrrh and a hint of patchouli. So beautiful and complex. I love these scents Beth is making that feel like a journey.
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In bottle: Rich tobacco and aftershave-like green notes Wet on skin: Same as in bottle. There is a bitter note that is coloring the tobacco, making it deep and rich. There is also a cool note that is interesting against the warm tobacco Dry on skin: Not much change, the cool note has subsided a bit, leaving the beautiful tobacco note against a bed of vegetal notes (doesn't quite read as dead leaves to me, yet). The vegetal notes do eventually fade into a paper thin evocation of the crunch of dead leaves against the beautiful tobacco note. The tobacco note itself is my favorite I have ever smelled from BPAL. It's not wildly different from anything else I've smelled, but it has a lot of depth. Later: I would encourage any tobacco lovers to try this blend even if they have trouble with the lab's dead leaf accord. I've never tried a leaf scent before, and I can't say I was wild about the green opening, but this ends up being a gorgeous, cozy tobacco note with just a bit of brittle leafiness in the background to keep things interesting. Think about smoking a pipe with a window open on a crisp fall day with a steaming cup of herbal tea in the far corner of the room. I'm testing this at the same time as my other Weenies (La Ronde du Sabbat and SN Bonfire) and this is definitely the comfiest. I think I prefer La Ronde du Sabbat, but it is a bit ostentatious. I'll definitely be getting more wear out of this. This really captures the spirit of fall in an unpretentious but utterly charming way. ETA: After settling for a week, the vegetal notes definitely do read as leaves. Although this blend still starts off green, it dries down to a delightfully wearable dead leaves scent. Think dry, crunchy, brown leaves on the sidewalk. The tobacco suggests the color of dry sycamore leaves to me, creating a more evocative experience than even a straight dry leaf accord may have been.
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A barrel of beer, a pyramid of cakes, and three sticks of incense. Wet: Sweet, almost peanutty. A tinge of sourness cutting through the cakes. Not smelling the incense much. Dry: Incense, cake and beer, it's all there but nothing is overpowering the other two. Fantastically blended and not overly foody. Sweet, musky, with a hint of something....extra. I will be getting backup bottles of this! Yum! Lasting Power: Light/Medium. Throw: Light
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Jean Veber Pumpkin cream, honey, vanilla sugar, and smoked vanilla bean. In The Bottle: sweet, creamy vanilla and scratchy vanilla bean, with a breath of pumpkin. Yum! Wet On Skin: the pumpkin comes out a bit more and the honey with it, warming the scent up a bit. Dry Down: A beautiful, light pumpkin ice cream! In All: low throw, a sweet, gentle scent. Not too foodie. Perfect for daytime wear throughout the fall. Total keeper!
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Albert-Joseph Pénot Bourbon vanilla, sweet red patchouli, oudh, goat's milk accord, and white honey. In The Bottle: Creamy goat's milk and sweet patchouli. YUM! Wet On Skin: the Oudh just popped out and it's adding a nice grounding aspect. Dry Down: This now has the warm spice of Hod, but with the goat's milk adding a little milky texture into the mix. It's a bit odd, to be honest. But I find my self compelled to sniff repeatedly. In All: Low throw, close to the skin scent. I would wear this primarily during the day, as a scent to feel cozy with, like curing up with a good book and a mug of tea.
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Appalachian black apple with sweet tobacco and patchouli, orange blossom, vanilla champaca, lavender, and white honey. I couldn't stand to wait for this bottle to settle from shipping, so I gave it a test last night and I'm wearing it again now. The apple and tobacco are the stars of this show, and lavender and vanilla champaca are kind of peeking out from behind them, looking for some of the spotlight. Last night it was a little more stereotypically "masculine" than I expected, probably thanks to the tobacco, patchouli, and maybe the lavender, but it didn't put me off because I dig some masculine scents now and then. Now that it's settled overnight, it's smelling more mellow and unisex. I can detect more of the lavender today, but it's still mostly apple and tobacco. I don't notice any orange blossom or white honey for now. My 2011 bottle of Samhain is an apple pie wafting from the back of a flatbed truck on a hayride on the outskirts of a forest. Apple III is the walk to the truck on that brisk October afternoon to get to the hayride. This does remind me of the Appalachian mountains in early autumn, as I hoped it would do. I think it's a little more of a daytime scent that would be okay for work because it's not heady. It's almost a skin scent. People who are afraid of the patch shouldn't be concerned, I think.
