Thy Godfather's Present

[Upstart Crow]

THY GODFATHER’S PRESENT
When the boy had grown up, his godfather one day appeared and bade him go with him. He led him forth into a forest, and showed him a herb which grew there, and said, "Now shalt thou receive thy godfather's present. I make thee a celebrated physician. When thou art called to a patient, I will always appear to thee. If I stand by the head of the sick man, thou mayst say with confidence that thou wilt make him well again, and if thou givest him of this herb he will recover; but if I stand by the patient's feet, he is mine, and thou must say that all remedies are in vain, and that no physician in the world could save him. But beware of using the herb against my will, or it might fare ill with thee."

A bruised purple bundle of herbs with hyssop and life-everlasting.

To recap: Godfather Death is my favorite fairy tale, and I love it to the point of obsession. I own bottles of all three scents (yes, unsniffed) and am ecstatic that I have the opportunity to review them first.

The Godfather's bestowing of his gift is another breathtaking moment in the story; it shows not only a profound (and unusual, given Death's role in our affairs), trusting relationship between godfather and godson, but gives us the unforgettable image of a life-giving herb--an herb which has haunted my imagination and filled my notebooks for years.

I had a lot of hopes for this one (despite having been put off a few of BPAL's more herbal blends in the past, such as Larentalia). They were not dashed at all. This is my favorite scent of the three.

In bottle: a beautiful, mysterious and strong floral sweetness. Like the herb itself, there's just no way I can describe this to do it justice. The closest I can come is to say it is like Desdemona, only with a little more depth. Desdemona grown up.

On me, wet: That same, floral sweetness and strength. There seems to be a hint of water, too--another symbol of life.

Drying down: I think that's the hyssop coming out? I don't know what life-everlasting smells like, so it could be that, too.I also begin smelling some herbs, similar to those in Larentalia, I think. But they don't overpower like they do in this blend.

Verdict: One of BPAL's most gorgeous florals ever! (Floral haters: you should probably refrain) Though it has herbs as an ingredient, don't be fooled: this is not an herbal perfume in the same way The Witch's Garden is. Edited October 19, 2009 by Shollin

[Katherynne]

This is wet and sweet in the imp, much more aquatic than I was expecting.

 

When I put it on the hyssop scent warms on my skin, and while I, too, don't know what life everlasting smells like, if that is the note of AWESOME I am experiencing, then I'm in love with it.

This is an herbal, wet floral, it is extremely beautiful. It's a very serene scent.

 

Will need a bottle.

[Little Bird]

I don't really like herbal scents or most floral scents, so I'm not sure why I wanted to try Thy Godfather's Present. It really is a beautiful, surprising scent, though, and I find it very wearable.

 

This smells like a creamy, sweet, slightly perfumey floral (maybe a bit tropical smelling as well) and a bit of greenery, but the green aspects smell almost sparkly and crisp. I agree with previous reviews in that something about this smells slightly aquatic, but aquatics usually go soapy on my skin, and this smells like clear, cool water.

 

Thy Godfather's Present makes me think of a creamy, sweet gardenia with its green stem shimmering underneath a pool of clear water. It smells beautiful, serene, and a bit magical. The scent doesn't really strike me as being herbal at all. It's more of a beautiful, watery, sweet floral.

 

I like this scent a lot, but it does have a strong floral quality that's slightly perfumey. I imagine that this could give me a headache if I didn't apply it very sparingly.

[zankoku_zen]

Creamy, sweet, slightly perfumey floral. It does have 'water' as a component though, as I get the same sort of vibe as in from Water Phoenix and the Festival of Anukhet.

 

As a scent, it works better than WP and FoA did, but I'm not sure I like it enough to keep.

[Iceblink]

I'm surprised by this one--it's lighly aquatic and lightly floral and a lot nicer on me than I'd expect! Very faintly herbal but the water and flowers are mostly what I smell. It has a cool, clear feeling, very delicate. Nice!

[fairnymph]

I tested this blind on a whim when I received this as a lab frimp - thanks, lab!

 

It's very clean and fresh, a little cologney, almost aquatic with a faint but pleasant soapiness and a bit of mintiness no doubt due to the hyssop. But there is also a light bit of herbal sweetness that I suspect is due to basil, which for some reason smells - a bit citrusy, the lab's note at least = other perfumiere's basil, I don't know. It's not the sort of 'herbal' blend I imagined at all, and it doesn't smell particularly herbal in the bottle or on my skin. This doesn't feel purple at all on my skin, but a pale green-white, or like old glass that has that greenish tint, perhaps a piece found on the beach that's been worn to a matte finish but still has some translucence.

 

It's more like Squirting Cucumber than any other scent in the catalogue, and similar in feel, but this one is a bit more towards masculine, even though I'm quite enjoying it on my skin. Actually, there's some white, slightly heady but still Springlike floral - a really nice one that's a bit creamy, possibly my beloved daffodil bc I get a bit of a Kitsune-Tsuki association. It has rather suddenly emerged and quickly amps on my skin, making it firmly unisex, and actually much more towards feminine on my skin when dry. There could be a little crocus in here too, maybe purple crocus to be true to the note description. It's faintly herbal, cologney, aquatic & floral all at once and has that bright citrusy-basil kick , making it something unique enough to be bottleworthy. I'm glad I had the urge to test this so I can order a bottle (or two!) before the price hike!

 

Overall, this is one of those blends that could almost pass for traditional classic perfume, but has just a little twist that makes it that much better - the beauty of BPAL. It's much like Amsterdam, Squirting Cucumber, Prague, Danube and blends of that ilk. It also amps to have great throw and longevity! A surprise winner and another reason why one should always test every blend even if the notes don't sound appealing - bc very often, the notes have little or no relevance to the resulting smell.

 

Edited March 27, 2010 by fairnymph

[angelicruin]

Green herbs & an aquatic note on my skin. Not really for me.

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: A pale green oil that looks very promising. Sweet green and something like lilies, or freesia, only not as unpleasantly overblown as I usually find them. Also something fruity like citrus or berries.

 

Wet: Something fruity and floral like Cheshire Cat, with a hint of mint, and I do believe I am getting lavender and lilac.

 

Dry: Lilac and lavender with something deliciously minty, fruity and herby.

 

After a few minutes: A sweet, pleasant, softly herbal, faintly green floral, but the wow factor has died down for me. Since the blend doesn't mention for certain that it has lavender, only that it is purple, I find myself feeling not as enthusiastic as I would be if I had definite confirmation. Although my enthusiasm is waxing again, it does smell very nice. Argh, why is it so hard for me to decide?

 

After first hour: Sweet violets, lavender, lilac and green herbs fading fast.

 

After two and a half hours: Soft powdery, floral violet.

 

After 5 hours: Soft floral with a hint of mint, almost gone.

 

Final verdict: I don't think I'm ready to get rid of this one, it warrants further examination.

[Venneh]

In the imp, this is very much a purpley herb scent. On my skin, again, purple herbs and I think hyssop. Hrm. We'll see where this goes. Ends up being a lighter, more delicate herb, but not quite for me.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Venneh

[SophieCedar]

Wet purple florals and herbs, aquatic notes, and juniper. Honestly to me, this smells very much like b&bw's Juniper Breeze. That's not a bad thing. It used to be one of my favorite scents when I was younger. Hanging on to this one.. very fresh,clean, herbal with color impression of aquatic blues and teals with a veil of lavender purple.

[INFJ4w3]

This is a new favorite of mine. It is herbal, but not green: definitely purple. Slightly minty, slightly sweet, with a touch of licorice, dusty and soft rather than fresh or grassy. Aged, dried, but not really dead. It is intriguing, but not too weird. Although the scent isn't strong, it sticks around and wafts quite a bit. Yep, I really like it. 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Let it grow on you. It may not be exciting at first, but it keeps you coming back for more.

[hkhm]

wet: very fresh and green, like when the very first flowers of spring begin to open.

 

dry: faint watery aquatic and zingy florals. i like this a bit more than i was expecting to.

 

dry: this is more aquatic once dry. i think i liked the wet stage better but it's till very pretty.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Watery floral/stinky violet aquatic. Not for me.

[thekittenkat]

In the frimp: Certainly the purple herbs. Sweet herbs.

 

Wet: More herbal, and less purple. Good throw.

 

The dry-down: There's a powdery scent coming out, probably from some of the herbs. And also a hint of violets. Alas, the Lab's violet note does not work very well on me. This smelt lovely in the imp, so I'll just use this in my scent locket.

[Ryokumuji]

Frimp from the lab.

 

Oh my gosh, it's soap! Pure soap! I always wondered what people meant when a blend smelled soapy... This one starts out as smelling like dish washing liquid, the green kind. But as it dries down on my skin, that super soap smell fades away into a very pretty floral, with a purple feel to it. It stays pretty "clean" smelling though. I'll wear it but probably not that often.

[tkannon]

This is one I wear to bed. It smells like a hayloft with hay that has flowers scattered in it that has been warmed by the sun. Reminds me of my great great uncle's barn and the naps I used to take in it.

[ami226]

On the skin: Definitely purple and herby. It gets less herbal as time goes on. Smells like a lovely soap.

 

Not for me!

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Sharply herbal and oddly sweet in it’s floralness. It does manage to convey a sense of purpleness, like dried flowers. Wet: An herbal green sort of delicate purple floral. It’s a purple wildflower sort of floral and the herbs are rich and pleasant green. They go together well. It’s more herbal as it warms and it quickly gains dominance, while the flowers fade to a gentle top note. The herbs smell fresh cut. I am detecting what I suspect is some lemon verbena, or at least some similar citrus adjacent herb in the mix, but I’m failing to find names for the others, though they are familiar. Dry: sweet purple herbs. No really.

[Honey]

Please, no violet..

 

 

Imp: Sweet warm herbs, green notes, interesting floral notes I cannot pin down.

 

Wet: Purple floral notes and sharp, sweet spices. Smells very much like a soap. Nice - but not for me.

 

Dry: Citrus notes appear. Green, sharp, tart.. and a bit like sweat.. erk.

[countessmouse]

Very citrusy at first, this has dried down to a lovely herbal aquatic with a hint of floral. Fresh and clean.

 

Think I need a bottle of this one.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I have no clue as to what this will smell like, so either way it'll be a surprise!

 

Wet: This is strongly soapy on my skin.

 

Dry down: Soapy still, but the herbs are coming out to play.

 

Dry: This would make a very nice hand soap, but it's not working on my skin.

 

Verdict: Sales!

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Herbal but not harsh or astringent. Almost fresh, somehow, and it definitely smells purple. Don't know how that works, but it does.

 

On skin, wet: Much the same. A hint of soap, which is worrying.

 

On skin, dry: The soap dies back down some, though it's still subtly present. But otherwise, not much change.

 

After an hour: No more soap. But otherwise, this one is neither a morpher nor particularly special.

[Gateau]

Grassy, herbal, hay, wildflower. I don't really pick up the purple ( it's not violet or plum). As others have said, it's got a quality that would make for a very nice scented soap.

[Gin]

I can hardly smell the herbs, all I get here is soap--pleasant, French-milled soap, but soap nonetheless.

[Scorianelle]

Well, as usual I tried this after having forgotten what was supposed to be in it. So here are my impressions as just your average, amateur rube.

 

First Sniff: Soft, clean floral. A bit apple-y.

 

Second Sniff: A clean, high, windy scent. Floral and... lime?

 

Wet: The very strong, distinctive smell of the Nivea moisturiser that my mum uses. It's a soapy smell without the soap.

 

Dry (30 mins): It's... meh. An uninspiring, generic floral.

 

Dry (1.5 hours): Same mild, demure floral.

 

Dry (3 hours): It's already almost gone, but it has changed slightly. It's now more of a 'classic' than 'generic' smell, but still so faint.

 

Throw: none.

 

Colour association: Really, really light pastel green.

 

So, safe to say this is not for me. To the swaps.