galahad

In The Bottle
Snake oil, lavender and patchouli. A little unsettling because of the lavender/patchouli interaction.

On Application
Interseting. Almost a wintergreen and snake oil vibe. Wow. Very different than I expected from first sniff.

Dry Down
There is a really unusual trat berryness to this to start with. The notes do not play well together to start with and then, magically (just when I have crossed it off my must haves list), it turns incredible. Sweet and powdery dry, I can start to make a out the snake oil spiciness and the amber and patchouli. In the end, lovely.

Rating (0-5)
4

In The Bottle

Definitely a flavoured tobacco and something vaguely sweet

 

On Application

Gorgeous, first up. Strong tobacco and dry woods.

 

Dry Down

I really love this. It kind of reminds me of a sawmill and tobacco. Seems to stay fairly true thoughout the drydown. This is so very different from any other BPAL scent I have tried that I am mildly surprised. I absolutely must have this.

 

Rating (0-5)

5

In The Bottle

Surprisingly sharply cologney

 

On Application

The "cologne" scent is the faded incense, I think. This is really not what I expected.

 

Dry Down

This eventually deepens and becomes smokier. It is not until about 15 minutes into the drydown that I get The old dustiness that I was expecting. And the candle wax comes though gently. I like it and I would wear it but the beginnig is somewhat confusing.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

In The Bottle

Mandarin, a touch of bergamot and cinnamon

 

On Application

Rose? Definitely rose and mandarin. Huh? Quite nice though

 

Dry Down

This reminds me of a soap but I donlt know what. It is nice but I still get strong rose. And the it degenerates to a generic floral air freshener. Would smell nice on someone other than me.

 

Rating (0-5)

1.5

In The Bottle

Definitely leather, vanilla, red musk and patchouli. Deep and complex

 

On Application

Leather, musk and ginger first up. Gorgeous, dark and thick

 

Dry Down

This really is stunning. A smooth base of vanilla, musk and honey with spikes of ginger, pepper and clove and leather all the way through. At times the leather really amps up but it is the amazing deep, aged leather that BPAL does so well. Outstanding

 

Rating (0-5)

5

In The Bottle

Dark lavender

 

On Application

Lavnder, promarily, but I can detect magnolia and labdanum

 

Dry Down

Herby and a little green. And then just straight lavender with a tiny touch of amber's sweet powderiness.

 

Rating (0-5)

2

Yep, Othello, although I don't really get a lot of actual rose from it I love it

In The Bottle

I smell vetiver

 

On Application

Very, very strong vetiver. Smokestack strong

 

Dry Down

The vetiver has a bacony tinge to it. This is pretty much a dead ringer for Smokestack. I like them both but don think would wear them.

 

Rating (0-5)

3

In The Bottle

All I can smell is jasmine :-(

 

On Application

Jasmine and lily. Ugh!

 

Dry Down

I would swear there is call lily in this blend as well. Starts off as nasty jasmine based floral (don't get me wrong, I like jasmine - on other people). I was hoping the musk and vanilla would come along and save the day but apparently they don't like jasmine either.

 

Rating (0-5)

1.5

In The Bottle

Kind of green and fruity

 

On Application

Slightly fruity and creamy to start and then some florals

 

Dry Down

This is definitely very much like Snow White. May be a little more floral. I prefer Snow White.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

In The Bottle

Vetiver and a touch of Snake Oil

 

On Application

Strong vetiver with the smooth spiciness of snake oil.

 

Dry Down

Pretty much all vetiver supported by spiced vanilla. I like vetiver but this is strong and unsettling. I am so not sure about this one. I love vetiver but this does nothing for me.

 

Rating (0-5)

3

 

ETA: On final drydown this smells like strong coffee and smoke so now I love it

In The Bottle

Sweet and floral

 

On Application

Very floral but I can pick out the spicy narcissus. Snake oil comes to the fore very quickly

 

Dry Down

This reminds me of Hunger (one of my favourites) very much - smoky vanilla and narcissus. The florals lighten up as the other floral notes make an appearance cutting through the initial heavinesss and headiness of the oil. And then the whole thing kind of disappears on me. Snake oil never does that. Strange.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

In The Bottle

Berryish and a lttle bit herbal with a faint snake oil edge

 

On Application

Nice. Dry and amberish with a sweet fruitiness without being really fruity.

 

Dry Down

This one is so cool. The acai berry is definitely reconisable as fruit but there is a greenness to it. The snake oil starts to manifest fairly soon after application to the skin but doesn't take over. The fruit tends to turn a little sour and tart but I quite like that.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

In The Bottle

Apple, red and ripe

 

On Application

Beautiful apple with a bit of plumeria giving it a floral tinge

 

Dry Down

It takes a while for the snake oil to make an appearance. This is mostly apple with a dry, dusty background until the snake oil comes through. I am impressed with the staying power of the apple.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

In The Bottle

Snake oil and almond

 

On Application

Strong almond with a snake oil backing. Almost leathery.

 

Dry Down

The almond backs off to let the myrrh through with a strong snake oil component. I get a tiny wee bit of citrus. Almond is not a favourite note but it is quite nice in this because it behaves and gives the whole blend a depth. This ends up slightly smoky and the myrrh gives a dryness which is delightful and almost peppery. Not my favourite snake but nice and bottle worthy.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

Kumari Kandam might fit the bill as well

 

It definitely has a chill and the florals are soft and have a Pacific vibe for me

In The Bottle

Dragon's blood and wine

 

On Application

The rose emerges softly through the dragons blood. Quite nice

 

Dry Down

The rose becomes a little strong for me but it is quite pretty overall

 

Rating (0-5)

2.5

 

In The Bottle

Mainly soft pine - fir perhaps?

 

On Application

Eucalyptus and fir

 

Dry Down

I don't really get any berry. Not for me.

 

Rating (0-5)

1

 

In The Bottle

Jamine and spice

 

On Application

Strong jasmine and lemon. The lemon tames the jasmine somewhat

 

Dry Down

Not bad but I am not a jasmine fan

 

Rating (0-5)

1.5

 

In The Bottle

The jasmine scares me but surprisingly I can smell daffodil

 

On Application

Surprisingly plummy with a floral backing. The jasmine and orchid seem to be behaving

 

Dry Down

The combination of plum, florals and musk give this a surprising tea-like scent. I like it but don't love it

 

Rating (0-5)

2.5

 

In The Bottle

Veeery woody and spicy. Definitely clove and pepper. Love!

 

On Application

Wow this is powerful. Very, very dry and spicy.

 

Dry Down

There is almost a soft vanillary note in this which I think might be the skin musk which pulls the shapr spices back a bit. Overall this smells like an old wooden spice chest which has been well used. A definite bottle of this in my future.

 

Rating (0-5)

5

 

In The Bottle

Fruity and buttery brandy. I'm scared as butter doesn't work on me!

 

On Application

The butter note immediately dissipates on the skin leaving an incredibly rich brandy/pastry/fruit scent.

 

Dry Down

This really doesn't morph from the above. It stays rich, boozey and kind of foody. I like it but not a bottle purchase for me, I think

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

 

In The Bottle

I get bay, bourbon vanilla and patchoulil with a touch of clove and a general greenness. Smells amazing in the bottle

 

On Application

As amazing as this was in the bottle multiply that by 100 once it touches skin. The sandalwood is definitely toasted! Dry, woody and slightly spicy

 

Dry Down

Damn! I wish I had ordered 10 bottles of this before it disappeared. As most of the other reviewers have pointed out this has the lovely soft and smooth clove that Beth uses. It is golden and glowing. Just stunning. I know Beth does amazing ice/snow and dirt based scents but it always amazes me how she can get the feeling of fur/feathers in a scent. Mole was a classic example and this is another. While this does go through an unsettling celery stage as it dries down I am sure that will disappear as the bottle ages.

 

Rating (0-5)

5

 

In The Bottle

Bay rum and OMG leather in the bottle

 

On Application

Quite cool and dank on the skin. Definitely leather and bay rum with a woody resin which i assume is the massoia bark.

 

Dry Down

This ranks up there with my favourite leather scents (Brom Bones, Western Diamondback, The Black Rider) yet is very different for any of those primarily due to the bay rum and opium residue. The wool note that I love from BPAL comes out quite quickly. This is the only scent from the Neverwhere range that I absolutely had to try and I am gald I did. I love it. The end result is kind of green herbal, leather and incense.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

 

In The Bottle

Tobacco and smoke with just a faint trace of leather

 

On Application

Seems to have a good dose of vetiver in this. Very smoky and that is all I smell at this stage

 

Dry Down

Surprisingly this softens quite quickly with the smoke/vetiver backing away to let through the glorious tobacco and something that smells suspiciously like a man's cologne. And then it becomes soft, papery and dusty with a whiff of incense. The leather backs everything up but is not really apparent. Gorgeous

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5