The Storm

[doomsday_disco]

Rain-dappled moss, golden silk, and sheer, gossamer vanilla.

[ghoulnextdoor]

While I am much usually much more expansive in my reviews, I am confident in saying that all you need to know is this scent is BPAL’s Antique Lace, those faded phantom attic-trunk florals, and the milky-musky-powderiness of cobwebby linens, caught up in the misty salt-air mystery and bitter cliffside botanicals of smugglers and shipwrecks on the windswept Cornish coast of Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn.

[citharadraconis]

On me, this smells almost exactly like my memory of Sea of Glass: luminous and fresh, evoking sunshowers or dew on lilies rather than the heart of a tempest. I don't have an imp of that handy to compare more precisely (this might be sweeter?), but the resemblance is striking. Both are beautiful scents.

Edited May 14 by citharadraconis

[dancingchair]

Wet, this is a big bouquet of petrichor and indolic florals. As it dries, the gossamer vanilla takes over. It is a sweet vanilla, but it's not rich enough to become gourmand to me. It's almost got a sugared note to it, but almost like a lace doily spun out of delicate strands of sugar. There is a definite fabric note to this, but it doesn't turn into a clean laundry perfume at any point. The florals stick around into the dry phase, but they become a faint ghost of their loud presence during the wet stage. The indoles also calm down significantly, which I like because I'm particularly sensitive to that quality in a floral. The petrichor is still present during the dry stage, but it's more like the smell of rain drifting in through the cracked window of a dusty attic rather than the full blast during the wet stage. I don't get a ton of moss from this one, generally. It's more of a background player. I know I compared it to a dusty attic earlier, but there is definitely a sunny, golden quality to this perfume.

 

Maybe it's the unlisted sugar note I get mixing with the petrichor or the golden silk note, but there's something almost fruity and juicy in here. In a weird way, it reminds me of I'm Close from the 2023 Lupers. If you were curious about that one but scared by watermelon, this might be interesting to try? Or maybe my nose is broken. 😆

 

If you like fabric notes and vanilla, this is probably a safe bet. I don't think it goes too aquatic or mossy, but I am a person who enjoys aquatics so maybe grab a decant if you're super sensitive to them.

[gentle-twig]

Very difficult to describe for me. But a cool/floral vanilla is definitely the focus. The dew note veers ozonic and camphorous, threatening but failing to turn to detergent. The golden silk accord definitely involves a classic amber accord because the labdanum is noticeable (but by no means dominant) on me. The moss is subtle. And I wonder if there is patchouli in the mix—it might make sense in a “silk” accord as patchouli was used to deter bugs from eating silk along the Silk Road.  For me, a shade dappled canvas of vanilla. Somehow smooth and polished.

[Geminirubyshoes]

To me, this one is like a puddle of They Shut Me Up in Prose as a warm soft rain mists itself over it . I don’t wear anything with a moss not enough to really pick it out but it’s eleven thousand degrees in Vermont today and this is making me feel better about it. 

[Grim]

If Shut Me Up in Prose and Zorya P had a baby, this would be it 

[roseus]

Beautiful blend of fresh rain and vanilla! A bit earthy from the moss, with a billowy warmth from the vanilla and silk notes. Clean but warm and cozy. Makes me think of sitting at a cottage window during a warm summer rain. 

[doomsday_disco]

I once had an aged imp of Lyonesse that was so glorious with its aged golden vanilla note that I had to immediately grab a bottle. But my bottle, even 11 years later, does not smell as wonderful as that aged imp did.

 

But The Storm reminds me of that aged imp of Lyonesse! It's mostly a golden vanilla and rain-touched moss on me, with the silk in the background and the moss becoming the dominant note after a while.

 

I didn't think I'd end up enjoying this as much as I do with moss listed as the first note. I am going to have to deathmatch it with Lyonesse, but I think Lyonesse is going to lose. I predict a bottle in my future.

ETA: Just wanted to add that I did bottle this one and deathmatched it with Lyonesse, and it wins, hands down.  

Edited September 11 by doomsday_disco

[daemonrabbit]

I agree with the association with Sea of Glass. They share a certain fruitiness, but the Storm almost seems to have a white amber aspect overlaying it. I prefer Sea of Glass but wonder if aging this will make a difference.

Edited July 11 by daemonrabbit

[Little Bird]

I love vanilla aquatics and gourmand aquatics (my favorite is Solstice Scents' Sea of Gray, followed by Molinard's Vanille Marine, 4160 Tuesdays' What I Did On My Holidays, and Reminiscence's Etoile de Rem).  The touch of salt and freshness mixed with something like sweet vanilla or caramel is just so attractive to me. 
I wore The Storm to my massage therapy appointment a few days ago, and I laid here for about a half hour into my massage just wondering what essential oil my therapist was using that smelled so wonderful and relaxing.  After a while, I realized that it was The Storm wafting from me that smelled so dreamy and spa-like.  I like Lyonesse and Sea of Glass, but The Storm is better than both of those blends to me.  Lots of creamy, sweet yet not sugary vanilla, a touch of salt, and an impression of serene, cold water.  I'm surprised that there's no blue musk in this.  It's so calming and lovely.

[Amoraexcena]

On my skin, this is the rain-soaked, adventure-loving half-sister to They Shut Me Up in Prose. Less demure and approachable but no less beautiful - hauntingly so, in fact. She has sirens or nymphs or mermaids in her blood. Maybe all three.

 

As folks before have said, this is a gorgeous, gently sweet rain-and-vanilla that feels like a cross between Sea of Glass and They Shut Me Up in Prose, with a dash of Zorya P. I'm glad I got two bottles blind, and thank you to previous reviewers for convincing me to! 

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Have you ever put on your bestest silk underwear then thrown on your favourite coat and hat that are both made entirely of soft dark green moss, popped some vanilla beans in your pockets and gone outside to sit in the rain?

 

What do you mean "no, of course I haven't"?!? Well, honestly if that's the case — you haven't lived. But hey — the good news is, you don't need to! Just put on some of this, and you'll get the exact same experience. There's a beautiful deep green in here that somehow manages to be both fresh and earthy at the same time — that sits at the back of a beautiful gold warmth, like sun peeking through rainclouds. The vanilla is indeed sheer and wispy to the point where it's not a 'regular' vanilla at all — it's like the vibe that vanilla leaves behind after it's left the room, or that hint of vanilla you get when you catch a whiff of someone wearing it as they walk past you. 

 

This is the BPAL to take with you the next time time you embark on a journey through a mossy forest, because you'll blend in so well with all the other scents in the air that the animals won't even notice you're there and you'll be able to walk right up to an unsuspecting deer and gently stroke its back. It's really quite different to anything else I've tried from BPAL, and very lovely.