Dirge

[Kytha]

We do lie beneath the grass
In the moonlight, in the shade
Of the yew-tree. They that pass
Hear us not. We are afraid
They would envy our delight,
In our graves by glow-worm night.
Come follow us, and smile as we;
We sail to the rock in the ancient waves,
Where the snow falls by thousands into the sea,
And the drownd and the shipwreckd have happy graves.

Thomas Lovell Beddoes

Yew berries and cypress boughs, ropes of kelp and sea spray.

I haven't tried any of BPAL's other sea/themed scents, so I can't say how this stacks up to them for comparison. I tried this at New York Comic Con with no plans to make a purchase, but I ended up buying a whole bottle because I couldn't think of any BPAL scents I've tried that smelled like this!

In the Bottle: saltwater.

Wet: Salt and cut greens. There's an astringent quality on the edge of the salt that immediately reminded me of The Beer from the Marshwoman's Brewery -- which made sense when I looked up the notes, because they both have yew berries.

Dry: The cypress comes out here, but it's wood drenched in salt water -- like standing at the edge of a dock in the winter, or being underway on an old galleon. If you've ever been to a maritime history museum which recreates historical boats and their construction, this will immediately put you in mind of that. For lack of a better word, it smells nostalgic.

In Sum: A unique scent that stands out for me among all of BPAL's products that I've sniffed over the years. I would recommend it more as a room/atmospheric scent than for use on yourself, but it's immensely refreshing and bracing. If you want a little bit of the sea to keep in a bottle, this would be the scent for you.

[zankoku_zen]

Kelp, sea spray, and a touch of cypress. It's very salty aquatic, sort of ghostly, and sort of melancholic. It's a great aquatic - soft, very wearable, and gender neutral. Love the heavy kelp in it. Medium throw and wear length.