galahad

In the Bottle: Very dark. Champaca, musk and clove are prominent. Slightly vinegary On the Skin: There is an oudh-like funkiness to start and the musk is super strong. The vinegar note burns off quickly to reveal something quite beautiful. On the Drydown: This becomes very dry and woody, which must be the black coconut. It's quite husky and a little dusty. The musk re-emerges to add some dark sweetness and the myrrh adds it's resin to round the blend out a bit. At times there is almost a motor oil vibe. The clove is definitely smoky but doesn't dominate. I like it

In the Bottle: Hard to describe. Definitely some mahogany and that delicious amber cream with an almost floral muskiness On the Skin: Creamy and rich, smooth musk, The mahogany emerges quickly to dry the blend a little but adds that rich red woodiness which is softer than the BPAL redwood note but similar. One the Drydown: Uber sophisticated and elegant - silk and cashmere rather than cotton and wool. There is a slightly gourmand feel to this but not super foody. This smells so much better when you get wafts than when you sniff directly. I get occasional wafts which are absolutely divine. Good throw and wear length

I was on the fence about blind bottling this one but ended up throwing it in my cart. I am so glad I did and it's worth a backup bottle or two In the Bottle: A sweet musk On the Skin: Sweet musk with the woodsy honey notes of rooibos On the Drydown: As this dries it reminds me a lot of Buck Moon and Faun with the note reminiscent of honey musk and touch of gentle earthiness. It has good staying power and great throw but isn't obnoxious. As it dries further the oakmoss definitely features more prominently. It's not a dirty scent but the oakmoss adds a certain organic earthiness

In the Bottle: Myrrh and red currant with a slight creaminess On the Skin: The red amber cream is just divine especially with the thick myrrh. There is almost a cardamom spiciness to this at the start. Rich but not heavy On the Drydown: This is another really special blend from this year's Lupercalia (and there are a few). It's absolutely delicious and becomes quite dry but not desiccated. The rice milk add a lightness to the rich cream and resin of the myrrh. The vetiver just adds a touch of smokiness. Sublime

In the Bottle: A complex floral honey with a slight tea freshness in the back. Can pick the jasmine and white musk, clearly On the Skin: Rich honey and jasmine and the plum blossom is surprisingly robust On the Drydown: A very musky floral with honey richness and a slight backing of bitter lemon peel. Extremely sophisticated and elegant but more a winter/autumn floral for me rather than spring or summer. The honey on me is very thick and sticky-sweet. Very nice

In the Bottle: Well hello! Not quite what I thought but fascinating so far. Boozy dusty sandalwood with a distinct caramel note On the Skin: Strange and unsettling but I can't stop sniffing! Pretty much as above but the cassis liqueur developing. This reminds me of something but I can't think what On the Drydown: This quickly smooths out and I think the vanillic muskiness of tonka is to be credited. This is so unique, strange and wonderful it is hard to describe. I love it but I'm not sure if I will wear it. Ageing could change my mind

In the Bottle: Sparkly ginger, ti leaf and a touch of cardamom adding it's unique twist On the Skin: Wow. Interesting. Smells like gingery date pudding to start with. This is the first BPAL rice milk blend I have tried and I am loving the subtle creaminess. On the Drydown: Continues the date pudding theme for a while then turns very dry ginger/cardamom with the rice milk taming with the creaminess and the oakmoss adding a dirtiness. The previous reviewer says this is energising and it absolutely is. Zingy

In the Bottle: Mostly lemony green tea with a floral note On the Skin: The tea is now more white tea than green tea, subtler and less lemony. A touch of woodiness from the sandalwood On the Drydown: Stays pretty linear fresh green/white tea for ages and then the honeycomb very slowly starts to emerge to warm up the blend and add some richness. The vanilla orchid is barely there and the sandalwood isn't overtly obvious. A nice spring/summer scent but not quite what I was expecting

In the Bottle: Lilac underscored by blueberry at first sniff and a tiny bit of sweet pea at the back On the Skin: Beautiful lilac and some huskiness from the tobacco but only gently supporting the blend. Blueberry not that prominent but it gives a general, vague fruitiness. On the Drydown: The sage really emerges a short way into the drydown but it's not aggressive, just adding a less sweet note to add some character. The blueberry and sage component are just genius - the blueberry wafts in and out and the sage adds some sophistication. Really like this ETA: the extreme drydown is very dry with lilac floating over the top. Lovely!

A tribute to Lajos Pap, a spiritualist medium whose specialty was apporting snakes, lizards, rats, and frogs – live and dead – during séance. A pattering of night-creatures: indigo musk and patchouli croaking with oakmoss and a skittering of gleaming black olibanum. In the Bottle: Inky and dry in the bottle. Very intriguing. The oakmoss is apparent On the Skin: That indigo musk is stunning - slinky and velvety dark. Quite resinous, initially but the musk adds a gorgeous elegance. I like the use of the word "skittering" in the description because this is slick, dark and dry reminiscent of an insect carapace. On the Drydown: I almost get a dark purple (indigo?) floral from this. It is truly magnificent and dark as night.

"So. I got to say it, because nobody else here will. We are at the center of this place: a land that has no time for gods, and here at the center it has less time for us than anywhere. It is a no-man's-land, a place of truce, and we observe our truces, here. We have no choice. So. You give us the body of our friend. We accept it. You will pay for this, murder for murder, blood for blood." Black oudh, patchouli, opoponax, black pepper, and blackened cacao. In the Bottle: Rich, dark oudh with a pepper kick On the Skin: Intense oudh and rich resins with an almost fruity sweetness. This does have a bloody quality without going into red musk territory. The black pepper gives a spicy kick. On the Drydown: A somewhat linear drydown, just getting drier as it settles into the skin. I could almost swear that there was jasmine in this. This is a decadent and powerful scent which will be spectacular with some aging.

Laotian oudh, labdanum, bourbon vanilla, red benzoin, and myrrh. In the Bottle: Beautiful oudh and a slight red musk vibe (red musk not a listed component) On the Skin: The oudh is immediately tamed by the other components, especially the bourbon vanilla. It's a gently spicy oudh forward resin blend. The labdunum lends a softness as it dries down a bit more. On the Drydown: In the end, a very nice spiced oudh/resin blend. I like a lot

It freezes - all across a soundless sky The birds go home. The governing dark's begun: The steadfast dark that waits not for a sun; The ultimate dark wherein the race shall die. Death, with his evil finger to his lip, Leers in at human windows, turning spy To learn the country where his rule shall lie When he assumes perpetual generalship. The undefeated enemy, the chill That shall benumb the voiceful earth at last, Is master of our moment, and has bound The viewless wind it-self. There is no sound. It freezes. Every friendly stream is fast. It freezes; and the graven twigs are still. - Hilaire Belloc The steadfast dark that waits not for a sun: opoponax and myrrh, gum Arabic and frankincense, blackened juniper and bitter agarwood. In the Bottle: Juniper, resins and a tinge of agarwood On the Skin: The juniper is forward but pleasant. Eventally the frank and opoponax come forward to merge with the juniper and tame it somewhat On the Drydown: The agarwood adds a rich resinous woodiness. This dries down to a golden resin with a juniper overlay. If juniper isn't your jam you might want to reconsider purchasing this one but I quite like it and some age would benefit

In the Bottle: Tobacco and the labs awesome grey amber (it smells like there is some lavender in there as well) On the Skin: Beautiful tobacco sweetened by the amber and lightened by the opopponax. There is a thin ribbon of smoke but not overpowering. On the Drydown: This is such an elegant tobacco blend almost with a light leather vibe to it. It is melancholy and sweet.

In the Bottle: Deeply spicy leather, red musk and vetiver blend. There is an intense huskiness to the whole On the Skin: Dark weathered leather blackened by vetiver. The earthiness of the patchouli murmurs under the surface. The red musk is present adding a rich spiciness and the black pepper definitely has a kick as it develops on the skin. On the Drydown: This is a very warm spice blend backed by leather and sweetened a tiny bit by red musk. Rose is never obvious. As it dries down further this flips to a spiced leather blend rather than the other way around. On the extreme drydown, this is reminiscent of Behind the Veils becoming a mature and elegant perfume. Nice for winter

In the Bottle: Light, clear honey sweetness over a cool balsam fir tinged snow note On the Skin: Sweet but light honey and a slightly minty snow component. The honey adds some warmth so this isn't a frigid scent just cool much like Buck Moon is. On the Drydown: The honey becomes richer and thicker . I know there has been a lot of speculation about the snow note and for me it's more like Snow White to my nose - cool and creamy. Not a multiple bottle blend but I will wear it.

In the Bottle: Hello patchouli! With sweet labdanum and a whisp of saffron On the Skin: Really nice patchouli and rich ambery labdanum. The myrrh kicks in a little to cut through the sweetness. The shadow musk (which is always a pure win note for me) lifts the blend to a more refined level a little later on. On the Drydown: This is a lovely dark blend - all resins, inky musk and earthy patchouli. The saffron adds a little spice but isn't overpowering. At times there is a fruitiness that emerges but I am sure that will disappear with ageing and this will age magnificently

In the Bottle: Slightly sour milk and powder-sweet iris On the Skin: Straight up iris, briefly, to start with and then some lilac. The milky note is subtle and a little chalky. On the Drydown: Mostly powdery iris with a backing of slightly fatty milk to keep it from becoming too dry and screechy. There is almost a maltiness to the milky fluid. Pretty and close to the skin

In the Bottle: Wasn't what I was expecting. Smells like very strong (and slightly sour) black tea. Interesting. On the Skin: Surprisingly sweet on the skin this is absolutely gorgeous. I really get some heady kyphi which I am very happy about. Overall a sweet herbal and resinous incense. On the Drydown: This is all so well blended. I get occasional very slight whiffs of star anise which was the worrying note for me but it never becomes a problem. The overall scent is dark black tea, aromatic herbs and sweet incense. Stunning and multiple bottle worthy

In the Bottle: A white resin blend rather than dark. The round ambery resin of the rockrose against the dry white sandalwwod is fascinating. Elegant On the Skin: This takes quite a while to warm up on the skin but when it does it is a refined sandalwood with a dry floral facet. On the Drydown: I was hoping the sandalwood would be more restrained in this blend. Further into the drydown the benzoin tames the sandalwood slightly. The white amber is slightly noticeable in the deep drydown. A little ageing will make this more rounded

In the Bottle: Bay rum and cigar smoke with a touch of leather On the Skin: Much lighter and more cologney than in the bottle, initially. I love the smell of cigar smoke and that note in this blend is delightful. The leather is worn and black and the vetiver is definitely there but restrained as is the oudh. On the Drydown: This is the scent of a well-used dark library, complete with dust and the memory of cigar smoke. It is richly masculine

In the Vial: Opium and ozone. Definitely a deep purple vibe On the Skin: The ozone is pretty intense and sharp to start with but the incense note is gorgeous when it emerges soon after application. On the Drydown: As advertised, it's slightly sour opium, dark incense and ozone murmuring under the surface and rearing it's head every now and then. I quite like it but not enough for a bottle

In the Vial: Red musk, lavender, patchouli and a little lime On the Skin: The lavender is very evident but with rich red musk and patchouli reining it in a little. A touch of coconut adds a little creaminess and the lime is there but restrained, although it is smelling a little like a commercial cleaner on my skin. On the Drydown: This is primarily a lavender blend and IMO not the best lavender blend I have tried from the Lab. I like lavender but the other elements to this make it too murky.

In the Vial: Sweet pink bubblegum with a rusted metal edge On the Skin: As above but the metal (and it is rusty) takes centre stage. The combination of the metal note and the bubblegum is very intriguing. On the Drydown: I'm not sure how I feel about the drydown. It sells of fine soap and a LOT of rusty metal. On the fence.

In the Vial: Oudh and vanilla with a touch of rose On the Skin: Vanilla and oudh to start which jar against each other but the fight settles down pretty quickly to leave a vague woody incense softly backed by vanilla. I am loving the white incense note. On the Drydown: Very little lasting power. 10 minutes in and it's barely a whisper of sweet musk