tinyvulture

Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint. On me, this smells like watered down strawberry and watermelon Jolly Ranchers, combined with powdery confectioner’s sugar. It’s tooth-achingly sweet. Sugary, fruity, and playful. But I am surprised by how light and faint it is. I would say Hollywood Babylon is a similar scent, but with more kick.

this is a very unique and different cologne. at first, i smell dark, mossy woods. i’m guessing it’s heavy on the oakmoss. but there’s also something that makes me think of the smell of hot asphalt – a smell i happen to find appealing. in fact i can’t seem to stop sniffing my skin. it sweetens up slightly after awhile, as the musk develops. at this point it smells slightly less unusual, but it’s still got that pleasantly chemical asphalt scent lingering in the background. i like it best at this point. however, after about 10 minutes, the pimento berries make their presence felt, and i don’t care for the odd berry/asphalt contrast. it’s like two very different notes are playing tug-of-war in my nose. this phase lasts until the scent fades entirely. i’m glad i only got a small amount of this one. it started off so interesting, but in the end, it just wasn’t right for me.

when i first apply this, it smells licoricey and lemony, like some sort of herbal elixir you would drink when you have a cold. after a glance at the description, it seems that it’s actually fennel and anise i’m smelling, rather than licorice. they, and the lemon verbena, are the strongest notes. after awhile, the pomegranate comes out and adds some fruit juiciness. but i’m still not caring too much for the strong citrusy, medicinal qualities of this scent.

warm, sweet woods. so sweet, almost syrupy. i’m not sure if it’s the copaiba balsam, tolu balsam or hiba wood – or perhaps all three – that is the source of this incredible sweetness, but i love it. then there’s the wonderful indian spiciness of cardamom. cardamom is a note that often disappears on my skin, but not in this case! this is a rich, deep scent with good throw -- a new favorite!

Lascivious, flirtatious, and vampy as hell. A true heartbreaker’s perfume. The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli. i like orange blossom because you get the sweetness of orange without the acidic citric tang. instead you get a lovely warm powderiness. it tempers the astringent ginger nicely. the ginger is the most dominant note here, spicy and exotic. the patchouli is quite gentle and adds a nice earthiness. Vixen IS similar to Snake Oil, as others have noted. in fact, if you’re a fan of the “ginger + Snake Oil” goodness of Saw-Scaled Viper, i would strongly recommend this as a GC equivalent. there’s also a boozy note that reminds me quite a lot of Smut. very nice.

a strong, sharp floral perfume with bold rose and lily notes. there’s also an unusually sweet amber note. that’s the only thing i can pick out besides the flowers. this is not a floral for the faint of heart… or for those who dislike lily, like myself. this one goes into the swap pile.

to me, this smells like a soapy washcloth -- a nice creamy, rose-scented soap on a soft clean rag. i’d like my clothes to smell like this when they come out of the wash; it would make a nice scent for a dryer sheet. i have no idea what worsted wool smells like, but this is pretty.

my shortened descripton of this scent would be “sexy grapefruit.” the grapefruit is citrusy and cheerful, but the orchid and teak add sophistication, while hints of leather and warm amber add sex appeal. also, there’s a nice subtle sweetness to it, like a fine dusting of powdered sugar. refined, yet light and refreshing.

at first i smell the nutmeg – wow, it’s strong! then the black pepper, which i admit i was worried about, but it’s not overpowering. the beeswax, leather and sandalwood are also apparent. this may be the only beeswax scent where the note doesn’t completely fade into oblivion on my skin. i can really smell it here. this is a dry, charred scent –- extremely spicy, not at all sweet -- very unique and hard to describe. as suileach said, it’s sulfuric, like a lit match. one of the lab's creepier blends. i'm glad i got to try it but i would not want to wear it in the future.

this is the awesome copal scent i’ve been hoping for. it totally reminds me of the copal incense i’ve smelled at the dia de los muertos parade that my city holds each year. in addition to the copal, i smell tobacco and floral notes. note to rose haters -- i couldn’t tell that the floral was rose. it’s extremely light. the agave nectar adds a pleasant sweetness. again, it’s very light. nothing about this scent is too heavy. it reminds me of incense wafting gently through a crowd. it’s sort of addictive – because it’s not that strong, i find that i keep re-applying it throughout the day so i can smell it again and again. i also think it bears a resemblance to last year’s Dia de Los Muertos, minus the cocoa.

i smell a strong tobacco note, sweetened up by bourbon vanilla. and there’s the familiar spice of bay rum, but it’s faint. it doesn’t pack its usual punch (like in Baron Samedi). here it’s covered up by something earthy, damp, and herbaceous -- like moss-covered ground. i have no idea what i’m smelling – maybe it’s the life everlasting or High John the Conquerer? i’m unfamiliar with those notes. i would really describe this scent as “murky.” it’s deep and dark and heavy. something about it reminds me of humid, oppressive summer evenings. it really weighs on you. and yet, it’s not very strong. it doesn’t have a lot of throw and really needs to be slathered on. hmm, i just don’t know about you, Hellhound. i love the concept, love the Robert Johnson tribute, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s working on my skin

although i don’t see it in the description, i smell a strong “scorched grass” element, like in The Death of Autumn or Scarecrow. it’s sharply green/herbal, almost bitter, and makes me think of the last, hottest days of summer and the beginning of fall. the black cherry is also prominent. i’ve always loved black cherry candles. the spices – clove, sage, fennel – are really nice, too. after it dries, the cherry and spices are what i mostly smell. it’s not as spicy as the drydown of Fearful Pleasure (and of course this is cherry rather than apple). it’s a lovely scent for the changing season.

a heavy, dark and masculine scent. church incense (think Cathedral) drifts among the pine and cedar. then there’s the strong ozone note, which really makes this scent unique. it truly does smell of the chilly outdoors, the forest air at night. i typically don’t care for ozone because it turns really sweet on my skin, but that’s not happening here. it’s actually the tiniest bit lemony, but that’s okay.

i wasn’t sure i liked this when i tried it yesterday because it had a sour, apple cider vinegar note that took awhile to fade. but i’m giving it another chance today and that note is not present. maybe it was a weird skin chemistry issue, or perhaps the bottle needed to sit for awhile after being shaken up in the mail. anyway, today what i smell is cinnamon apples, or heavily spiced apple cider, with oaky, woodsy notes and something smoldering and smoky in the background. it’s a homey, cozy sort of scent. from childhood, i associate autumn with going to the cider mill to stock up on jugs of the stuff, so i’m really glad BPAL has done a cider scent this year!

recently, i was baking oatmeal cookies and i thought, “i wish there was an oatmeal cookie bpal.” there’s just something about that combination of oats, butter and brown sugar. Gunpowder isn’t really an oatmeal cookie scent, but it's close. i am loving the combination of maple oats and molasses! the carrot note stands out, too. this actually smells like the carrot halwa dessert that you get at indian restaurants. i can’t think of another BPAL blend with carrot, but it reminds me of some burt’s bees carrot lotion that i’ve used in the past. the hay and chaff are noticeable in the background. they smell like cereal. i don’t smell the apples at all but that’s fine since i have other halloweenie blends with plenty of apple! this isn’t a strong, “notice me!” kind of blend, but it is sweet and comforting -- so glad i got a bottle!

I love the resinous spiciness of some of the Ars Draconis scents, but others turn soapy on me. Sad to say, this one falls into the latter category. It's the ylang-ylang. I can smell its floral soapiness, and the amber, but no poppy . Off to swaps for this one. I'm just glad Dragon's Milk smells so heavenly on me!

this oil is bright green in color, and its fresh-out-of-the-bottle scent is “green” as well. it’s pleasantly medicinal and herbal – lots of eucalyptus or mint. but then the minty note fades somewhat, and i smell green leafy plants combined with something mossy or earthy. it’s like an overgrown garden left to decay. it’s also a little soapy, and actually reminds me a lot of lush’s demon in the dark soap. which is to say, i like it.

ooh, treacle! that unmistakable sticky, syrupy sweetness really jumps out at first, followed by lovely wine and carnation notes, and a jolt of sour apple cider. but the cider fades as quickly as it appears, and sadly the treacle and wine disappear as well. i’m left with a gentle carnation perfume. the amber isn’t noticeable as an individual note but i think it adds a soft, powdery touch to the floral. i do like carnation, but i prefer the bold spiciness of Pink Moon.

i smell an unmistakable sandalwood note, violet and other florals (jasmine maybe?), and warm, somewhat animalistic musk. no trace of amber or vetiver. thanks to all the florals, it seems quite feminine for a Lucifer blend, but that’s just my opinion. it’s also quite sweet on me, and not extremely strong. you have to get up close to smell it. i don't find anything sinister about it, but i’m curious to see what it smells like on my husband.

Truly a “clean laundry” scent just as the description says. I can’t think how else to describe it other than that. Like burying your nose in a basket of freshly laundered sheets and taking a deep breath. It’s crisp and slightly aquatic. I think there’s a touch of cool cucumber, and some gentle floral notes. It’s actually not “me” at all, but my husband loves it and wishes there were candles with this scent.

For cinnamon lovers, this is a sweet and foody cinnamon scent. I wouldn’t have guessed there was pine sap in it until I read the description. The cinnamon isn’t too sharp – it’s soft and powdery like in Chimera. But while Chimera is cinnamon, resins and floral, this is straight-up foody. A warm cinnamon roll with sweet vanilla icing. Want a bottle.

A lovely cologne with gorgeous frankincense and agarwood resins, golden amber and warm ambergris, and just the right amount of fruity citrus in the form of blood orange. Can also smell the lilac, but this is not a "floral" blend. Sweet and slightly powdery, yet strong and masculine. Usually not a fan of citrus, but it complements the other notes perfectly here. Definitely one of my top cologne scents -- can’t wait to try it on my husband. And if he thinks it’s too sweet, I’ll have no problem wearing it myself!

a fruity, herbal floral. i’m not sure what notes, exactly, but it’s very green. like an herbal essences shampoo. i think there’s some sweet, juicy green apple… a hint of green grass… and then some kind of floral which i’m guessing is lily. over a period of a few minutes, the sweetness fades and it turns a bit soapy. it’s a pretty blend for fans of cheerful florals, but not really my thing.

warm, dark musk, licorice-y basil, and resinous dragon’s blood are the notes my nose can pick out. what an interesting combination. no other BPAL blend comes to mind that has such a strong basil note. i love the astringent, medicinal quality it adds to this blend of sexy musk and deep resins. it really turns it into something complicated and mysterious. i only wish it had stronger throw. with such bold notes, i am surprised at how faint it is.

a cool, light, fruity floral. if this perfume had a color, it would definitely be a pale pastel. i can smell the light pear and white grape notes, along with the sweet pea and moonflower. i have to admit those are not two of my favorite floral notes. i can never get really excited about them; they always seem so reserved. this makes me think of a warm spring evening, an outdoor gathering on someone’s patio, everyone is nicely dressed, drinking white wine, having a nice time but making sure to stay on their best behavior. because the gathering is being thrown by friends of your parents, or something like that.