zomathesadist

This was my most anticipated Weenie, and it arrived today. Wet in bottle: VERY foody. Straight buttery pound cake. On skin: the buttery note fades quickly to be replaced by...I'm not sure. Uh oh. I'm not sure how this is going to go. After 5 minutes: I'm not sure WHAT this smells like. After 10: is that the anise? and the orange blossom? not a ton of custard left, but the distasteful sharpness is fading too. Verdict: the jury's still out. But I've been obsessed with the idea of smelling like orange cake for three damn months, so I WILL MAKE IT WORK ON ME, DAMMIT.

This is a review of a bottle I've had for 4 years. It was one of my first BPAL purchases. Wet in bottle: Mostly the sandalwood, with some dark patchouli. On skin: Cinnamon comes out to play, making the Spousal Equivalent call me Cinnamon Girl. I looooove cinnamon. The patchouli is there, too, but for such a dark patchouli, it's not taking over. Mostly sandalwood and cinnamon. After 20 minutes: Amber has come round to sweeten up the deal. So it's resiny, spicy, just a tiny bit sweet. It is AWESOME. I feel like a million bucks when I wear it. Drydown: Cinnamon and sandalwood with the patchouli and amber keeping it real. I love this. I'm thinking I should buy another bottle NOW to age. This is not a daytime scent, and it's not really work appropriate. This is lascivious, sexual, leering and confident. There's great throw, and it's quite strong. You'll be noticed in this. Rating:

this is a very red, ripe scent. In the bottle: rich damp red that almost seems alive. shimmery, almost. On skin: red musk love. red musk is a hate it or love it note, and my skin (and nose) love it. the lotus and currant make it quite sweet, which I wasn't expecting. Dry: bergamot peeks out here and there, but behaves, as it can sometimes go acrid on me. the currant chills as well. still fruity rich red musk. I won't say I love it yet, as I'll have to see how it wears, but I'm glad I have a bottle. wearlength: unsure. throw: strong.

My experience with Severin was...baffling. I LOVE tea notes. I LOVELOVELOVE BPAL's leather note. I did NOT read the description/scent notes before applying. ...and really did NOT like this one. I'm absolutely puzzled. It just smelled VERY sweet, and quite strong. Granted, I think I've had enough sweetness from the GIANT Thanksgiving dinner yesterday to last awhile, but still! At first it seriously turned my stomach. After about 15 minutes it mellowed out, and the tooth aching sweetness went away, and it got better. I still didn't find it to be a very "me" scent. It smelled like something I would have worn in high school. After about 45 minutes, then the tea note was strongly identifiable. But it's all I could really smell. My thought was, "I'll just stick to Dorian for my tea needs." Now it's settled alot, and it's not as strong, not as sweet, but still not what I would have expected at all. And NO leather. none. and then I looked up the scent description and realized that I ordered that imp months ago because I thought I would absolutely love it, I just forgot I had it until now. so, in a nutshell: not what I would have expected. stupid skin. I really think I'm going to have to try it again...maybe not on Black Friday!

In the bottle: rich, sweet, caramel. Wet on skin: OH HAI GUISE CARAMEL IS HERE WITH ITS BFF CREAM. as it dries down, it stays very sweet, and very rich. It's not cloying, but it's not something I'd wear if I had a headache or nausea. after about ten minutes, something sharper peeps out from the back, and I'm thinking it's the delphinium, because it's almost floral. drydown: caramel has toned down, but now it's just sweet, with that slight edge. It's very nice, but I've had it for 9 months and never worn it, and I don't see myself reaching for it in the future.

I was a-diggin' through my imp bag to see what to put in my oil burner. (that's where they go when they breed too vigorously in my house.) It smelled like a clean, fruity nondescript scent, so it's in my oil burner now. But I decided to try it out on my skin. When I first put it on, I didn't have the notes handy, and took a deep sniff. "Apple," I thought. "Apple and pear for sure." FAIL. so apparently I can't pick out notes to save my life. What I'm assuming is the sweet pea is predominant, and is very sweet. Not cloyingly so, but this is very girly, very sweet, and very...not me, O Lover of Resins and Spice. It smells nice, and is scenting my house beautifully, but florals like this don't really do it for me. drydown: soap. sneezy sneezy soap. so, Aeval is not a winner for me, apparently. Thank God--the last thing I need is to buy more bottles!

chiming in to say that I also used to have a bottle of Demeter's Brownie...and it went *poof* and disappeared about about 15 minutes. I feel your pain, believe me. If you can score a decant, I think Midway might be right up your alley. Or maybe you could try Gluttony. Gluttony definitely has that caramel toffee smell. If you're looking for chocolate at all (you mentioned Bliss) El Dia De Reyes is WONDERFUL. eta: durr, I just reread and saw that you were concerned about the relative rarity of Midway. You know, I see bottles of it up for sale pretty frequently, since they reissued it. You might just try posting an ISO here or on LJ. But I really don't think you'll have that much trouble finding it.

'08 vintage... wet on skin, it's got the same sort of sassafrassy fizziness that people keep mentioning. But really only a suggestion of it, and then it gives way to the scent. I am having trouble putting it into words. SM is very evocative...it's dark (duh) and I wear it when I'm feeling sort of quiet and introspective, but don't want to be fucked with (which is exactly why I wore it today!). It's distinctive but not LOUD. It is present without being obtrusive. It's friggin' great. what i assume is the pimienta racemosa comes out next, and smells like peppery amber. that, combined with the patchouli, is enough to make this amazing. But then the myrrh gives it that slow sort of indolent feeling, and the opoponax makes it dead sexy. This whole blend is dead sexy. The drydown is fabulous...it slowly dries down to a gentle musky sweetness. And it's wonderful. For the first time, I regret not having a backup bottle. But I will love and cherish this bottle for sure. Wearlength is great, and the throw is good without being obnoxious.

in the imp, it smells good. fruity, and green, with a spookiness to it that I like. wet on skin: pretty much the same. mostly fruit, with green florals and citrus. Quite sweet, too. drydown: SCREAMING MIGRAINE AND NAUSEA! d'oh. don't know if it was the 51 that caused the headache, but I'll be damned if I'm not reminded of it every time I sniff it. So I gave it away, which is a shame, because it was a lovely, fruity, inoffensive smell.

Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean. This was one my most anticipated CDs, based on my Dorian love. At first the tea note is quite strong and there is a huge similarity to Dorian. It's greener and softer, though. Wet on skin: nose-wrinkle. rut roh! for about 15-20 minutes there's something almost acrid. It's the same something that made me not like Depraved, which makes me wonder if there's patchouli in here, to ground the jasmine leaf. I love patchouli, but certain kinds of it are less friendly to me. It might actually be the jasmine leaf doing it; though it doesn't smell like jasmine, I do not like jasmine at ALL. hmm. after 45: still the funny smokiness, not as strong, but I can still smell the vanilla and the tea. I can deal with this. drydown: all vanilla musk. =) he was worth the wait! don't know if it will supplant Dorian from my top ten, but it's nice to have around.

You know, even though this has been in my top 3 for at least 4 years, I don't think I ever bothered reviewing it! *smacks self* This scent is perfect. Absolutely wonderful. Leather loves my skin, and this is a sharp, glossy black leather, not a weathered suede like in Quincey Morris. The tobacco is the next to poke out, and the chardonnay notes peek out to give it a little feminine touch. I know that there is the Great Coconut Debate, but I can definitely smell it. It lasts really well, and just smells GOOD, without smelling generic. It's distinctive smelling, without smelling like perfume. Drydown: beautiful leather and tobacco. teh yum.

Satyr, for sure.

so being from the desert Southwest, I knew I had to give Western Diamondback a shot. Not to mention, BPAL's leather looooves my skin. sniffed in bottle: Snake Oil. slightly less sweet. after ten minutes: resiny loveliness. I love it, much as I expected to. I can't really pick out any of the disparate elements, though. Maybe I should try SO on one wrist and WD on the other. I'm not getting a ton of sage or leather, or anything...it's just a *good* smell. drydown: the best part! it's a sweet, close skin scent, I'm thinking the leather mixed with the sage. beautiful!

this was one of my most anticipated CDs. in the bottle it smells sort of...murky. and kind of medicinal, almost. not what i was expecting. wet on skin: HONEY! that's really all I get. sweet, sticky, wet honey. this threatens to go the No. 93 Engine way on me (overripe avocadoes) but though I don't smell the patchouli, pine or tobacco, I believe that's what's keeping the honey in check. STRONG. i agree with another poster; if you put your nose right up to it, it's too much but the waft is lovely. sidenote: I asked the boy what he thought (he's my BPAL helper) and he sniffed and said, "Hmm. Snickerdoodles." i think it will be nice once it's colder--definitely too heavy for right now.

arrived today! I had just enough time to slather it before running out the door to go to work. in the bottle, apple is the predominant scent, but not the sweet fruit--more like the skin. it's more appley, and less sugary, if that makes sense. this is a true apple scent, not something that smells like apples. on skin: apple, and eucalyptus, and ozone. Fans of The Coil, take heart: this is VERY similar, to my nose. I wonder if you could get a similar effect by layering Poisoned Apple and The Coil. As others are saying, the apple note is very short lived. like, ten minutes short lived. drag. i was hoping it would linger. no matter, though. it feels cool on the skin (the minty eucalyptus-ness tingles!) and is nice and fresh. it's perfect for summer! drydown: the florals peep out. now it's soft florals with soft mint. and it sweetens up quite a bit. it really does smell quite similar to The Coil, which I love. don't really get the sexy vampireness, but it is a nice scent, that I'm glad to have. throw: I wouldn't expect a scent like this to have much throw, and it doesn't. Very much a skin scent, but it clings. I put it on before my shift at 4 and it's 2.46 am now and I can still smell it quite well in my cleavage and in the crooks of my elbows. great wearlength. nutshell: true apple scent with bracing mint and eucalyptus. not much throw, GREAT wearlength. a must try for any BPAL addict!

frimp from the Lab! I was pawing through my imps on this hottest of days. Snake Oil? No. Beaver Moon? No way. Shub? You gotta be kidding me. What's a spicy/sweet/resin lover like myself to DO on warm days, when the favourites are too heavy? Slobbering Pine to the rescue! Lovers of Hexennacht, take heart--this really smells very similar. This is fresh and crisp, like I was hoping. A bit sweeter than I figured it would be, but still nice. I wish it had more 'cool' notes, like eucalyptus or something but that's okay. It's nice. I'm sure I'll finish my imp, but I probably won't get a bottle. But by the time it's gone, it'll be time for my favourites again.

first thing that came to mind was Blood!

Hmm. This is one that kind of puzzles me. I love EVERYTHING that's in it (well except for the raspberry, but I just hate eating them--I dont mind the smell). When I first put it on, though, a few months ago, it really didn't impress me much. I liked it, but I didn't fall in love with it. And it didn't have that "ZOMG SEXXAY" vibe that Snake Oil, or Loviatar have. So I put it back in my BPAL box, and left it for about 3 months. Wet on skin: Patchouli, and not a whole lot else. I'm not getting a ton of fruit or vanilla, either. No red musk. Just PATCHOULI, which amps on me. Very well, I shall wait. After ten: OW BURNING WELTY HURTYNESS. Weird... After 30: No more burny, thank Goddess. Now the patchouli has sweetened considerably. Maybe the vanilla bean? Drydown: the loveliest vanilla possible. Still no fruit. *head scratchy* But that's okay, because this vanilla bean drydown is magnificent. Verdict: I"ll hang onto my bottle. I suspect it was an issue of fresh vs. aged, and the best is yet to come. I wonder if I should get a backup...

whoa, holy cloying sweetness! I opened the envelope and nearly got knocked over by the smell. This stuff is strong, and very sweet in the bottle. I'm not scared, though! just a dab on skin and it's already morphing! it's staying surprisingly close to the skin, which is nice--a smell this sweet makes a good skin smell. there's definitely a pastry/doughnutty/cheesecakey/vanilla cake smell. definitely baked goods. that's what I most smell in the bottle, too. after ten: the pastry/buttery smell chills out and the fruit starts to emerge. this is nice. =) I'm not normally one for foody smells, but there's something sort of innocent and guileless about this one. It's a definite change from the leather and patchouli I love so much, but I like it. unsure of wearlength or throw.

in the imp, it's minty fresh and GREEN! I was going to a barbecue yesterday on a warm day and thought it was the perfect time to test. wet on skin: again, minty and herbalicious. so far so good. It's fresh and clean without smelling sweet. after 10 minutes: mint is way less noticeable, but it seems to be fading really quickly. after an hour: faint herbs. damnnnnnnnnnnn! my skin ATE it. No lasting power, no throw. I really really like this--it just doesn't last on me at all. I had just gotten out of the shower and put on lotion, though, so maybe that has something to do with it. In any case, it's gorgeous, light and fresh without being floral or fruity. Definitely bottleworthy if I can get it to stay on. nutshell: gorgeous minty green herbal, very 'real' smelling. Almost no throw, short wearlength (on me, boo hoo).

Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage. of all the BPALs that didn't work on me, why did it have to be this one? I LOVE BPAL's beeswax note, and with the herbally resins, I thought for sure it would be divine. I was really hoping it would be an incensey relative to Luperci (which loves me). At first, it truly is. It's sexy spicy honey. The wet stage is resiny with enough sweetness to keep the churchy smell away. It's magnificent. AND THEN IT DRIES. And becomes sickeningly, cloyingly sweet, with a dash of footrot. damn it!!! I ask the CoPilot for feedback on all my BPALs. He loved this one wet, but as soon as it dried, he wrinkled his face and said, "Ew. You smell like avocados gone bad. And rotten tomatoes. Yep. You smell like rotting nightshades." I'll give it another try, but I think it's going on to another home.

I totally used to wear that, too! And I was just thinking nostalgically of it the other day. i don't have any suggestions, but I certainly would love one! ETA: a quick google search revealed the notes of it to be cassis, bergamot, and sandalwood. and it is still available! just not from Naturistics.

I've been wearing The Coil a lot lately. It's really cool and refreshing. Also Blue Fire.

in the imp, it's oddly aquatic. Not in a bad way, just not what I was expecting. hmmm... wet on skin: I can smell the patchouli, but really just barely. Not getting a ton of vetiver either, which is odd for me. Usually vetiver reaches out and smacks me in the face yelling, "ACKNOWLEDGE MY VETIVERNESS!!" not today. just a whisper of, "Hullo. I am vetiver." not much leather. drag. I LOVE BPAL's leather note, and it loves me too. drydown: sweet. quite sweet, actually. it's really well blended. the florals keep the vetiver and patchouli from being too heavy and I can only assume it's the leather going sweet on me. that's a consolation. don't know if it's bottle worthy yet. I'm really hoping! I'll definitely keep the imp though, for sure.

i was frimped a decant of this by a very generous forumite. and I am grouchy from a long day at work, and trying not to dwell on the fact that I think I LOVE this. On me, it is LEATHER. and BPAL's leather note LOVES me. damn it. in imp: patchouli with a hint of spice. wet on skin: leathery spicy loveliness. there's something odd though--it definitely seems SNARLY! just like the description. but not SNARLY like, get down and dirty with someone hot--SNARLY like a crazy person or wild animal. I really like it, though--very evocative. It's also staying warm on my skin, too. Not warm enough to tingle, but warmer than my other hand. drydown: yep. leather, with patchouli playing second fiddle. my skin AMPS patchouli, and the leather is really keeping it under control. the cinnamon bark is in the background. I'm trying to tell myself the only reason I like it is because I can't find it anymore, but I really do think it's awesome. drat. in a nutshell: spicy, leathery patchouli, with very subtle florals keeping it from smelling dirty.