yeahbutnobut

Since April is Black Phoenix's Month of Absurdity, we present a melding of Victorian Grotesquery and springtime fecundity: mold-crusted dirt, decomposing organic matter, coffin wood, drooping funeral flowers, congealed blood, gloomy lunar oils, cuckoo flower, and a gruesome burst of overripe red fruits. Worm Moon In the bottle: dirt! Very similar to Graveyard Dirt, also reminiscent of Penny Dreadful and Madeline. Wet on skin: soil, but also hints of wilted funerary blooms and dust. Dry on skin: is that a bit of rose I smell here? I don’t know, but something here reminds me of Zombi, The House or Madeline, but not as powerfully rosy. But I’m sure I smell some rose in here. It still smells like soil, but now it’s less of a rained-on wet soil, more of a slightly damp compost, but not a bad smelling one-I’d say this is a humus made from decaying leaves, bark, and mosses. There’s also a lovely dusty, stony aspect reminiscent of tombstones or catacombs. But something else, the flowers I think, make this smell like perfumed dirt. A sharp note like dry rose petals and possibly white lilies, a funeral bouquet thrown upon a grave. That’s what makes it wearable-it doesn’t smell like straight up soil, but like soil with a sophisticated undertone. I don’t smell the fruit yet but I do smell something like blood, a slight hint of metal, but not as sweet/fruity as the usual blood accord. After a while: eventually the dirt fades away fast and all I’m left with is rose perfume! How odd. I think I’m the only one who’s getting lots of rose here? Not that I mind though, I do love rose, but this is a particularly tart, wilted rose. I also smell narcissus, or daffodil perhaps…it’s a soft spring floral note. I also smell more in the way of dust than soil, and also a sharp fruity note which may be pomegranate or currant, but there’s nothing sweet in the fruity notes here, just sharpness. There’s also a hint of dragon’s blood, which may explain the bitter floral and metallic scent this has. It’s not bad, but a bit sour for my likings…but I really miss the dirty note! Now that the soil’s disappeared, it seems the worms have nowhere to play…another thing is that the scent as a whole gets much fainter now, my skin is eating it up. Verdict: at first, this smells gloriously dirty, a floral-rosy take on Graveyard Dirt, a lighter Zombi. This to me smells of rose cologne mixed with dirt, hints of old wood, sharp blood and decaying moss. Fragrant dirt with a touch of the perfumey to it, but with scent evoking graveyards and rotting houses full of dark secrets. This has something to it reminiscent of the Poe scents, both in scent and theme-it has that similar dirt note that I get in the Poes, and also an old, almost faded and dusty floral scent (I myself get a lot of rose from it) which reminds me of the dark mood of the Maelstrom and DD scents. the sad thing is, whilst I love the earthiness, this stage doesn’t last as long as I hoped it would. I really wished the dirt would stick around more, once that’s gone, the perfumey scent turns sour, and then fades away very fast altogether. I don’t even get that much fruit. I’m a tad disappointed but not too much, I’m certainly keeping one bottle of this because it’s my birth moon and such a unique Lunacy scent. I just wished it stuck around for longer and was earthier. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes-this is a really unusual scent and it’s my birth moon too, but I’d rather keep the one bottle. If you like this, try: Zombi, Thanatos, The House, Premature Burial, Madeline, Destroying Angel, Penny Dreadful, Burial

April Fool In the imp: a sweet yet sharp berry with a herbal, basil-like bite. Wet on skin: now I smell all the fruity notes, the tangy tangerine and berry with lemon blossom. Dry on skin: mmm, I quite like this! It actually smells quite strongly of orange blossom now, must be a mix of tangerine and lemon blossom doing this. I also smell the parsley, which smells green and herbal, and definitely like parsley, but I really like it-it’s unusual and different. I do smell some berry, but no rose yet, no tobacco flower either. It reminds me of Jester, but I prefer this. After a while: oh, what a little trickster this crazy fool is. Now the scent has moved from that lovely, bouncy, neroli-type scent into something I’m not so keen on. Now the huckleberry really comes out, and it’s a lot nicer than the berry in Jester (that smelt like synthetic sweets) but now it smells overripe, like the berries are fermenting, and it’s going a bit cloying. It reminds me of what some blossom notes do on my skin, turn to a really sickly overripe fruit scent. I still smell the herbal parsley, some lemon and maybe a hint of nicotiana, but no rose. Thankfully it doesn’t turn to full blown rotting berry like I feared it would. It does, sadly, turn to a fake fruit scent, reminiscent of those sour sweets. Not glorious sweet juicy berries like I hoped for (for that, I should stick to redcurrant) and certainly not much rose or tobacco. Ok, maybe a hint of nicotina, a teasing hint. But it still smells of strangely odd berries. Not sure if I am digging this scent. After a while I get something like pine, which is very pretty. The berry is still the strongest note though, and it goes into a fermenting phase at times. Verdict: oh April Fool, I was born in your month, so why must you play a trick on my skin, laughing in my face as your scent turns bad? You started out so well, with your happy citrus scent, like neroli and jaunty tangerine with a hint of green, basil-like herbs. And then, you smell like huckleberry. Now I realise what made me dislike Jester so much, it was the huckleberry. On me this smells very fake berry and sour sweets with hints of herbs. No rose at all, very little tobacco flower. Not exactly ‘epic fail’ but considering that I really was hoping this would be my perfect April scent after the disappointment of Poisson D’Avril (which turned to soap) it was a shame to have it go bad on me, but not totally unexpected considering the notes. And I love the label so much! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No, I managed to pass it on to someone else who loves it. If you like this, try: Jester, La Vita Nuova, Delirium, Rosalind

Hexennacht 08 In the bottle: clean, wet, cold fir and herbs. Almost reminiscent of Buck Moon! Wet on skin: fir! Smells almost like Christmas trees…but then I smell sappy resins and smoke. Dry on skin: ohh, this is really good! It smells a bit like Buck Moon meets Wolf Moon! I smell lots of fir, which has a slightly different feel to it than pine (can’t say why but it does), and it smells like thick green fir needles. I also smell the smoke and incense, which smell wonderful, reminiscent of campfire smoke made more fragrant by adding magical woods and resins to it. I also smell a gorgeous musk, almost like the musk in Buck Moon, but less furry, more clean. It seems to me like the spring version of Samhain. After a while: the fir notes get drier and I smell more of the incense. It smells like wonderful loose woody-resinous incense, it reminds me of the scent they burn inside the pagan stores that I’ve visited. Wonderful witchy incense, it’s a really magical scent, and there’s that musk and amber adding a warm, sensual glow to the scent. After a couple of hours or so, the scent mellows into something very reminiscent of Devil’s Night, a spicy smoky musk, but with added evergreen. Think Devil’s Night in the forest, on a warm spring/summer night instead of a cold autumn night. It’s sultry and really does have a scent of glowing skin tinged with smoke and fir sap. The amber adds a golden scent that flickers like a flame through the darkness. Verdict: I actually prefer this greatly to the original Hex. This has a gentler fir note, a much more pleasant musk (the other one went a bit sour on me?), the incense is wonderful and there’s the addition of amber which makes this even better. This really is evocative of a dark forest with fires burning and witches dancing to wild, frenetic rhythms and the air filled with sacred smoke. The forest notes are cool but not wintry, the incense is complex and nuanced with hints of bonfire, the skin and amber notes make this smooth and sensual, especially at drydown. A fantastic and atmospheric scent, celebratory and magical, I am very glad I bought a bottle of this. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! Still trying to decide whether it’s a two bottle scent or not, but one bottle, yes. If you like this, try: Wolf Moon 07, Snow Storm, Mistletoe, Old Moon, Stranger in Camp, Capricorn 07, Devil’s Night

Mugwort, French rose, Lily of the Valley, broom, frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, foxglove, woodruff, rowan wood, ivy, sandalwood, spring mint, thyme, iris, copal, and night blooming jasmine. Beltane 08 In the bottle: warm mint. That sounds contradictory, but that’s what it smells like, cool mint with warmth and greenery. Wet on skin: very, very minty! It’s a green garden mint though. Underneath, I smell lily of the valley. Dry on skin: oh, this is very pretty. It’s mainly mint, surrounded by lots of green herbal lushness. reminds me of Envy, but I prefer this. I can smell the thyme as well, and the lily which for now is being pleasantly floral and not soapy…this reminds me of the nice lily of the valley from Bilquis and Lilium Inter Spinas. I think I also smell some tree bark/wood and jasmine. I think the resins are adding a warm, deep base. But for now, mint rules supreme. It smells like a fresh wet, bright springtime scent. After a while: the mint is gone now, and the scent is a fresh green floral-herbal scent. I now smell much more of the lily of the valley, and it’s turning a tiny bit soapy, but not too much to make this smell bad. I also smell something that might be copal or benzoin, but not much of the frankincense or myrrh that I was hoping for (I love the deep resinous undertone in Ostara). I also smell a lot of rose here now. There’s a bitter soapy scent from either the jasmine or the lily that preventing me from loving this, but I really like it. As it dries down, it goes through these phases of ‘mmm, this is lovely’ and then ‘hmm, this smells weird’. It went into a bitter-soapy floral stage where the lily and one of the green notes/flowers went all bitter and not very nice on me and I wanted resins. Now, I smell what could be the myrrh under the green florals, and I really like it. But sadly, it’s just not resinous enough for me. And the notes don’t seem to mix well on my skin either. Verdict: I thought this version of Beltane would be an instant love. I loved the 06 version, with it’s vibrant greenery and velvety musk undertone. This one is totally different and despite being a lovely spring scent it is on me, sadly, a bit disappointing. I quite like the minty start, fresh and cool and full of wet green notes and a hint of floral, but then the lily and possibly the jasmine, as well as something almost like wisteria, make this smell rather bitter and like floral notes turned bad on me. it’s not too bad, but it’s not really sitting right on my skin. the green notes also have turned soapy. The biggest disappointment is the lack of resins on my skin. with frankincense, myrrh, copal and benzoin listed, I was hoping at least one of them would really show up, but none of them do, really. I loved the resinous-floral scent Ostara had, I was hoping for something similar here. But instead it’s just a floral-green scent that I’m not crazy about. I’m keeping a bit to see if age will bring out the resins. I still prefer Beltane 06. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Just a decant or so. Not a bottle. If you like this, try: Envy, Green Phoenix, The Passionate Shepherd, Lilium Inter Spinas, Beltane 06, Lick It (any)

Phoenix Steamworks In the bottle: a strange, oddly sweaty metal scent. like Mechanical Phoenix, but dirtier. Wet on skin: mmm, this is much nicer. Now I smell a soft sweet powder mingling with the metals and sage, possibly some resins too. Dry on skin: wow, this is really lovely! It really does smell like metal but not like that generic cologne scent I get from most metal scents. I think this is the first metallic scent (other than the blood accord scents) that I really love. It smells slightly ozone-y and a little bit like perfume, but with a definite metal bite to it. But I think it’s the incense that makes me love this. A gentle powdery scent like the ashes of burnt incense, mixed with warm spicy resins, and a hint of fuzzy, balmy sage. I also smell something a bit fruity, like wine? And there’s something oily to it as well, and something musky and grimy. This reminds me a lot of the Bloody Sword but I prefer this a lot more. After a while: this then seems to go into that dirty-sweaty scent I wasn’t crazy about, but it’s not too long before this improves once more. It now smells like a sweeter metal with incense and dirt. Slightly white and floral now, I think there’s an ozone note here, but it’s a nice ozone. The scent is a strange but pleasant contrast of very clean with oily and dirty. It’s a very intriguing scent, I can’t say if I love it, but it sure does smell unusual. I also smell something smoky here at this point. Then it gets really metallic. Very harshly metallic-but so realistic. It’s the olfactory version of biting metal, tasting it at the back of your throat. It really does smell like bronze or steel, and there’s now something electric about it, sparks dashing up and down the shiny surface. The scent gets sharper and loses that soft incense scent and the metal dominates. Then, another morph. Wow, this is a real morpher of a scent. now it smells like metal and deep dark smoke, that’s probably the incense returning, now smelling like it is burning. The sweet floral-powdery scent also makes a comeback. The smoke is really lovely but then the sour metal comes back again. Verdict: this is a really interesting scent! I prefer it to Mechanical Phoenix and the metal note in here is spot on. Previously I’ve been a bit disappointed that metal notes turned to men’s perfume on me but this one, even though there’s a hint of perfumey freshness, is uncannily metallic, I can almost feel it. there is something in here that I’m not sure about, a dirty, sweaty kind of scent, and there are times when the metal note is just too metallic to bear, but the moments when the incense really shines through, which I love. It’s a real morpher of a scent, moving from incense to oily bronze/brass to shiny steel to powdery ashes. Fascinating and incredibly unique, not my kind of scent but I love the artistry of it and I can’t wait to smell what the other Steamworks scents are like after trying this. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I’ll keep an imp’s worth because I love the conceptual, unusual nature of this scent. If you like this, try: Mechanical Phoenix, Bloody Sword, Philosopher in Meditation, Dee, Macbeth and the Witches, Black Tower

Hanami In the bottle: a light, crisp and perfumey floral. Wet on skin: this smells lovely and fresh and cool, and also different to the other Japanese scents. Dry on skin: oh my. I really like this! I was expecting doom-blossom and wisteria to ruin this, but for now this is a wonderful crisp springtime floral. It does have a perfumey feel to it but I really like that in this scent, it reminds me of the nicer perfumes I would have chosen in the days before BPAL. It smells totally different to the other Japanese cherry/plum blossom scents, and yet there’s something that reminds me of Tamamo No Mae. I do smell the cherry blossom too…not as sweet as Cheshire Moon, this is like the blossoms wafting in the breeze (maybe a hint of ozone suggesting the breeze? It explains the tangy perfume-ish scent). The dominant scent though is wisteria. And that’s a good thing because this wisteria note that Beth has been using in recent scents smells really wonderful on me, not like bitter wilted flowers but like the scent of wisteria covered in dew on a spring day. After a while: it may be that the ‘ume’ note is different to the usual plum blossom, or this blend is being miraculous on me, because the plum blossom isn’t turning bad on my skin at all! I can smell it, but it’s not the cloying funk it usually is on me. It smells like what plum blossom should be. In fact, now this smell reminds me of peaches or nectarines, like peach blossom perhaps? Something about it now reminds me of Ebisu, but much more pleasant than that scent was on me. The drydown is just as lovely as the other stages-a a very classy springtime floral scent. it does remind me very slightly of either the Body Shop or L’Occitane’s cherry blossom scents now. Verdict: I wasn’t expecting to love this at all, but this is my new springtime favourite. It falls into the ‘more perfumey’ scent category, as it has a fresh and modern feel to it reminiscent of the more mainstream scents, but it doesn’t smell banal or bland, and doesn’t have that high-pitched alcoholic tone to it. It’s a fresh, youthful springtime floral with a breezy lightness. It does remind me of some of the Japanese scents-mainly Tamamo and Ebisu-but it also smells very different to other Asian scents with cherry and plum blossom. It smells crisp, clean and a little bit tart, not a sweet pink cherry blossom but more like a sophisticated floral perfume with hints of fruit and aquatic/airy notes to it. And it’s the only plum blossom scent so far that doesn’t turn cloying, soapy and overripe on me. And the wisteria in here is also very good. This is just perfect for warm spring days and for everyday-it’s approachable and uplifting. I’ve been wearing this a lot recently and every time I wear it, I love it even more. A surprise hit! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! I’m surprised at how lovely this is. It’s perfect for spring. If you like this, try: Tamamo No Mae, Cheshire Moon, Aquarius 08, The Spell of Amorous Love, Ebisu Making Love, Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree

Frenum In bottle: a fresh salad of lettuce and cucumber, and crisp white tea. On skin: the lettuce turns very leafy, mushy and green, slightly bitter, and the tea is very sharp, high pitched and tangy in here. This seems like the opposite to Gula, whilst that smells very calorific and like the most sinful dessert, this smells like a healthy salad served with a cup of green tea. It is a fresh, tart scent, wet and green but despite the cucumber and lettuce, this ends up smelling less like a salad and more like a garden-I think the cherry blossom is coming out now. It reminds me a bit of the lunar scents, with a hint of the tea-blossom scent found in the Asian fragrances. It is a cool, clean (but not soapy) and dewy scent now. The lettuce note is watery and reminds me of the same note from Cancer, and the cherry blossom is not as sweet and fluffy-pink as usual, it smells more like fallen spring blossoms upon grass and new growing plants. The garden-like scent is stronger now, and slightly wet like rained-on plants, with blossoms, I swear I even smell branches and tree bark. It does go a tiny bit soapy and a bit bitter at times which stops this from being a favourite, but I really like this simple yet effective scent, clean and cool and evocative of springtime.

Gula In bottle: caramelised chocolate-like Gluttony with more chocolate, also reminds me of Boomslang and Reindeer Poop. On skin: the honey, vanilla and currant join the chocolate fun. This is gorgeously indulgent! This is a lot nicer than Gluttony and not as heavy on the caramel as I feared it would be. The chocolate is a rich dark cocoa, like Boomslang, the vanilla is soft and gourmand and there’s a bit of toffee as well. I think it’s the honey, currant and sugar cane that stop this from smelling too cloying and sticky. The currant is tart and fruity and the honey has a beeswax-like aspect to it, slightly sharp, and golden. The sugar cane is a lighter juicier sugar that lifts the scent. in fact, the scent shifts from a toffee chocolate scent to a honeyed currant with sugar cane and vanilla, very similar to the Heroine scent with honey and currant. It smells fruity and honeyed and sweet but not ‘OMGfoody!!’ and I really love that. This scent is growing on me-I was expecting it to be too rich and too caramelised, but this is foody in the most sophisticated way. I’m testing this on the skin but I can’t wait to bathe in this. This smells delicious and very foody, but in the most luxurious way possible. And of course it layers wonderfully with any gourmand BPAL.

Frederic In the bottle: patchouli and bay rum, a masculine and fresh scent with a darker undertone. Wet on skin: very, very masculine chypre now, with patchouli and woods, and a bit of musk. Dry on skin: whoa, this smells manly. Very handsome and dashing but also rugged, just the way that pirates should be. The scent is a tiny bit aquatic from the bay rum (which smells like ‘aquatic’ aftershave on my skin) and there’s also something spicy in here. The scent is very heavy on the patch and woods as well, even though the bay rum dominates. The chypre is also very manly as a scent, I think this is the chypre that has violet, neroli and white musk to it, as well as oak moss? It smells powdery and clean and traditional but not old fashioned. I can also smell hints of rose and currant. Underneath is an endearing sweet amber musk. The scent is a bit salty and seaweed-y, but doesn’t smell like soap or washing powder. After a while: this loses the initial ‘aftershave’ scent and becomes much more woodsy, darker, a bit spicy too. It still reminds me of a more masculine scent, now I smell much more of the aquatic chypre, the combination of musk, patchouli, moss, labdanum and something like seaweed. There’s something reminiscent of pepper as well. the deep woods are also stronger now. I don’t smell any rose, currant or amber now. The scent becomes softer but also drier as the woods really become the dominant scent in here. The chypre is still going strong, it’s not as aquatic/bay rummy as before but the scent is still very much a ‘man’ scent and I don’t get much of the amber musk. I think this would be so sexy on a guy. Shame I don’t have any guy to slather it on… Verdict: Frederic is a charming, charismatic manly scent on me. Very dashing and almost clean cut but with a touch of roughness round the edges, but a little too masculine for me to pull off. What I like about this is that it smells aquatic and evokes the scents of the sea and the kelp and salty spray against ship’s woods, but doesn’t go bad on my skin the way most other pirate scents do. No soap and no detergent here. There is a lot of bay rum and a lot of chypre here with deep patchouli and woods, which makes this a real ‘man’s scent’ on my skin, but the rose, currant and amber musk don’t really come out as much as I hoped they would, to balance the scent out. So whilst I like this scent and find it appealing, it’s not really a ‘me’ scent. Now, if I were to smell this on a man though…mmmm. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not sure. Pirate Moon is still my favourite pirate scent. If you like this, try: Calico Jack, Sailor’s Den, Jolly Roger, Mary Read, Baron Samedi, Port Royal

Luxuria In bottle: a mix of red musk, incense (nag champa), orange and something oddly grainy. On skin: I’m giving this oil a quick skin test…and it smells nicer on the skin. It now reminds me a bit of Mme Moriarty, only there’s a note here that smells really toasty, not burnt but reminiscent of bread or corn. Other than the musk and the ‘toast’, I also smell pomegranate and patchouli (again, very similar to Mme) and the tangy orange and currant, it also smells spicy, thanks to the nutmeg. There’s a hint of vanilla as well. I really like this, but the ‘toast’ smell then starts to smell a bit like popcorn. Not a bad thing but I’m not sure what to make of it. I do love the musky rich sweet-spicy exotic scent this has though, it reminds me of Scherezade and Mme Moriarty with a hint of incense (I smell saffron or sandalwood here too, even though it’s not listed). Over time this becomes less red-musky and more of a spicy patchouli scent with a crisp pomegranate-currant note to it. The ‘popcorn’ note still lingers a bit but not as strongly as before. I do think this is nicer as a skin scent than a bath oil (maybe as an after-bath oil?) but I’m surprised that this isn’t wowing me as much as expected-since I normally love all the notes here and I’m a huge fan of the red musk scents. But I think I prefer Mme Moriarty and Scherezade.

Mort de Cesar In the bottle: mmm, rich clove incense and musk! Wet on skin: whoa, I smell the spikenard straight away. A rich dark earthy musky incense, with clove. Dry on skin: this is strong stuff! There’s a really strange, rather sour smell to it like sour camomile with sage and saffron, I’m not sure what that is (maybe the tagetes?). It reminds me of something I disliked in Delphi, but I find it more tolerable here. I also get a ‘savoury spice’ scent from this, rather like cumin or turmeric. I see why others say it reminds them of meat…I don’t get meat but it smells savoury and strange, I hope it tones down. I also smell the blood, which is a much rawer blood note than usual. It smells unusual, a bit sweaty (almost unwashed at times), feral and musky, unsettling…but also exotic. I also smell the earthy spikenard incense and the clove note, which adds a sweeter spiciness to the scent. I smell a soft amber-musk too which adds a smoothness to this dark scent, but no jasmine, opoponax or grapes. After a while: the sour-savoury smell eventually goes, and what I am left with is so beautiful! it reminds me of a cross between the original Three Witches (that same creamy clove) and Diwali (floral sweet spicy incense) with a dark, metallic-fruity note of blood-tinged wine, and a beautiful amber glow. I love the amber musk in here. This now doesn’t smell uncomfortable or dirty, but cosy and spicy and enchanting. Eventually this smells like a darker, less fruity Diwali, the clove note is so lovely here, so strong and not bitter at all, but sweet and smooth, and the amber musk is velvety and golden, and I just love the smoky-dirty-incensey note of the spikenard underneath it all. I don’t get much of the jasmine attar. This then mellows into a comforting clove and amber musk scent with incense. Now it reminds me a bit of Longing and Morocco, maybe also Bastet, but more intense…almost masculine at times, but not too much. It smells strong and powerful and entrancing. And full of clovey goodness. Verdict: at first, I really am not keen on this. There’s a spice note here, not sure what, that smells so pungent, so strong and a little bit off putting. Kind of like a dirty sour sweat smell mixed with a savoury spice-herbs. But underneath I smell the sweetness and warmth of the clove, the musk, the rich spikenard incense. thankfully that pungent scent does disappear quickly and the scent that remains is incredible. Sweet, velvety, rich and decadent, a scent of cloves and warm amber musk with incense and a hint of wine. I adore the clove note here and the amber musk is so gorgeous. It smells a tiny bit like a very good manly perfume, but a bit more unisex. It gets smoother and more delectable as the scent develops, that wonderful creamy clove and musk scent with a hint of incense smoke that has amazing throw and makes me want to sniff my wrist compulsively. I really love the drydown, despite that wet stage that I really don’t like, because of this I am unsure as to whether to keep my backup bottle, but I know that I’m keeping at least one bottle of this. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! Not sure if I’ll keep two bottles, but certainly one. If you like this, try: Diwali, Count Dracula, Lycaon, Dracul, Smiling Spider, I Married a Vampire from Planet X

Luperci 08 In the imp: PATCHOULI. And a bit of moss and honey. But this is heavy on the patch. Wet on skin: deep, dark patchouli with a woodsy note, a hint of juniper, some beeswax and moss. Dry: whilst the 06 version has aged into a wonderful earthy honeyed incense with a bit of mossy wood, and 07 was very heavy on the moss, this is all about the patchouli. There is a hint of incense to it, and the beeswax in here is wonderful, and there’s that gorgeous earthy smell like tree roots to it, along with moss. There’s also something about it which reminds me of Shanghai Tunnel, the moss maybe? I adore Luperci 06 and this is closer to it than last year’s version. After a while: ooh, now this actually reminds me of Lush Tramp, with incense! It’s the patchouli-oak moss combination (and there’s a lot of patch here, it’s actually stronger now) but with added incense-like notes, musk and beeswax. But for some reason, I smell frankincense here too? I don’t know why I get resins here, maybe it’s the gurjum balsam? This is a very good version of Luperci on me! This then turns into a gorgeous earthy patchouli incense with a lovely feel of ‘underground’ about it, thanks to the root-like or soil-like scent I sometimes get here. Verdict: I’m now not sure which is my favourite Luperci, the 06 version which has aged magnificently, or this one which smells so good when fresh that I bet it’ll be incredible in a year or two. This is incredibly heavy on the patchouli, but not so much that it blots out the other notes…in fact, this smells like patchouli with incense burning in the depths of an ancient forest. Beeswax and golden resinous/spicy notes with green notes of moss and dark earthy notes. If Lush Tramp were made into incense, it would smell a bit like this, I think. After last year’s being a little too thickly damp and mossy for me, I love this version. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes, I got a bottle as a backup for Lup 06. If you like this, try: Omen, Dance of Death, Goblin, Burial, Forbidding Foyer, Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife, Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn

Red Lantern 08 In the imp: caramelised tobacco, very similar to past versions. Wet on skin: now the opium is coming out, along with the coconut. Dry: mmm, this is not as caramelised as 06, this version is a bit like 07 but without the soapy note I got from that version. It smells mainly like light incense with an exotic opium scent, with sandalwood, tobacco, coconut, a little bit of sugar (but not total caramel overload) and something vaguely floral-fruity. it’s a gorgeous coconut-opium incense scent. After a while: now it’s going a bit odd on me. the floral note is smelling really powdery now, and I’m not sure if it’s a good powdery reaction. It still smells of caramelised coconut and tobacco and opium, not much of the amber (which I get lots of from 06), but there is that flowery note which is doing something similar to some violet notes on my skin, turning to an old fashioned powdery smell. it smells a little bit like a traditional dusting powder, and now I also smell that the tobacco is starting to smell a bit burnt, like it did in Black Lace. However this burnt note fades and then the scent turns a little bit cloying on me, with that strong powdery note. it’s not bad, but it’s nothing compared to the first Red Lantern on me (though that scent may be better due to age). However, at times, the throw smells amazing, even more than the close to the skin scent. I wondered ‘what is that fantastic incense?’ and I realised it was coming from Red Lantern! And then I realise that the scent on my skin has improved greatly, now it smells more like RL06. it’s a coconut-opium incense with amber and spices and tobacco, but I swear there’s sandalwood here too. Verdict: this isn’t as lovely as 06, but it’s a lot nicer than 07 was on me. I think age has also helped, maybe because of this version’s freshness, it’s not so good on me? it smells like opium, caramel and coconut with incense, but at times it smells a bit traditionally powdery and a bit cloying, like a kind of dusty smell like scented dusting powder mixed with ashes. I’m not so keen on that-it’s not as soapy as the reaction I got with 07 though, but it lacks the rich amber-caramel-spice of 06. I do like the moments when it smells like sweet coconut and tobacco incense though. But I have enough of the 06 version to keep me satisfied. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I’m fine with RL 06. If you like this, try: Elegba, Perversion, Goblin, Khajuraho, Opium Poppy

Sugar Moon In the bottle: it’s the lovechild of La Befana and the Emathides-currant, flowers and caramel. Wet on skin: black currant and blackberry (please don’t cat pee on me…) and burnt sugar. Dry on skin: berries! This is actually really nice-it smells like berries covered in brown sugar, with hints of woods, herbs (I swear I smell sage) and musk. The strawberry note doesn’t turn acidic or cloying, the blackberry doesn’t turn to cat pee. I wonder if that ‘miracle musk’, blue musk, which made the normally unwearable lilac so beautiful in Night Thoughts, is also working it’s magic here by making the caramel, blackberry and strawberry smell lovely on me? After a while: now this reminds me of Bitter Moon…but not bitter! It’s got a similar blackberry-rose thing to it, only the blackberry actually smells like berries here, not feline urine. I also smell the woods and musk and even a hint of incense, and brown sugar. This isn’t cloying caramel at all, this is a sugary dark scent like La Befana, but even less caramelised than that. I’d say it was more like Bad Luck Woman Blues? It also reminds me of a less foody version of Knave of Hearts. There’s a lovely tart juiciness like you get in fresh berries, cutting through the sweetness. This then smells just like a berry fruit salad, freshly picked, with hints of wood and musk. It’s such a pretty scent! the brown sugar then turns into the juicier scent of sugar cane, and then it smells like teak and fresh summer berries with something sage-like, and blue musk. Verdict: I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I do but this is berry perfection on me. So many scents containing strawberry and blackberry smell wrong on me. Not this one. Here, the berry notes smell pure and true, and combined with a darker sugar note than expected, this smells just like a salad of berries sprinkled with brown sugar. The other notes just enhance the lovely fresh sugary berry scent, the woods add a nice solid base, there’s a hint of gentle floral, and the blue musk adds an ethereal lunar glow over everything. This is really beautiful-slightly caramelised but not cloying, and fruity with a tart freshness. I’m going to wear this one a lot…only problem is that now I can’t get the KD Lang song out of my head! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yup, this is my favourite blackberry scent. If you like this, try: La Befana, The Emathides, Lady Una, Knave of Hearts, Bitter Moon, Rose Moon, Midnight on the Midway

Anactoria In the imp: a slightly perfumey scent, I think it’s Arabian musk and kush? Wet on skin: mmm, red currants wrapped in musk and a smoky note. Dry: oh, I like this. This is a mature scent, classic in feel, with a golden-red tone to it. I smell the crisp currant note, underneath that is the musk, and I find Arabian musk to be the most ‘perfume-y’ musk in BPAL (and that’s no bad thing) and it’s very strong here. I smell the kush, which also has perfume-y tones but also adds a feel of smoky incense (no hash here) and the amber rounds everything off. I smell very little honey-just a touch of it, but white honey always seems more like flower nectar than honey on me…it’s sweetening up the scent very nicely. After a while: this has now sweetened a lot! It’s almost sugary now. The currant note is reminiscent of the sweet red currant in Fairy Wine, and the amber has now strengthened a bit. The honey is still of the sweet nectar-y variety, the kush has become a little smokier (it actually smells like a tobacco perfume in here) and the musk gives the scent a very classy aura. I must say, after an hour or so, the musk has merged with the amber and currant, to give an effect very much like the musk-plum-amber in Snake Charmer. Of course this doesn’t smell like SC, but there’s a slight resemblance which I love! After some time I smell some of the dragon’s blood-and it’s not the resin that turns to red crayons/wilted lilacs on me, but the DB I like that was also in Red Moon 07 and Vampire from Planet X. The musk, kush, currant and amber are still going strong but now I smell the DB and also more honey. Verdict: this is another sexy stunner of a scent! This smells very sophisticated and classy but with an undertone of something sensual and raunchy to it. My decant and my bottle smell a little different-in the decant it smelt at first like a perfumey currant scent, with the very grown up and perfume-like exotic scent of Arabian musk mixed with honey and tart currant boosted by the wonderful amber and with a smoky incense undertone. This then turned even more wonderful as the musk, amber and fruit notes went all Snake Charmer on me (not identical, but there’s a similarity-it’s SC without vanilla) at times. The bottle on the other hand has more of the SC-like scent to it, and as a result I am besotted with this scent. This is another one of those stunning blends of amber and musk and fruit with a bit of honey and smoke-it’s like Snake Charmer, but all dressed up for a night on the town. A new Lupercalia love. I bet it will be amazing when aged too. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! I have two bottles. If you like this, try: Nahemoth, Skuld, Bathsheba, O, Fairy Wine, Othello, Eat Me, Svadhopatika

Valentine of Rome In the imp: mmm, a beautiful slightly floral-fruity incense. Wet on skin: the myrrh really comes out on the skin, and it’s dark and smoky with a bit of sweetness. Dry: oh, incense! I love incense so much and this is another beautiful incense scent. The frankincense and myrrh have a lovely ‘churchy’ smell to them, and this is enhanced by a note here that smells uncannily like candle smoke! I have no idea what it is but the candle smoke note here is gorgeous. The frank and myrrh in here remind me a bit of Haloa, with a reddish tinge (the blood accord, I think-different to dragon’s blood, blood accord comes out as more of a dark fruity metallic scent on me) and a cypress note. It also reminds me of Heavenly Love and Earthly Love. The olive blossom adds a light sweetness to it all. After a while: this gets smoother, lighter and sweeter. There’s a powdery aspect to it which I like, it’s almost like ashes, and the smoky candle scent has also become stronger, the myrrh now has a slight smouldering scent to it as well. This is a gorgeous scent. The blood note is identical to Chilling Cellar’s, it’s dark and red and wine-like with a metallic undertone that really works (and smells remarkably like metal, but not in an offputting way). This is now a bit like what I hoped the Cracked Bell would smell like-whilst I love CB, this is truly a ‘smoke, incense and blood’ scent. But the incense is strongest, especially the myrrh note. The drydown is like a lighter, drier Haloa, smoky myrrh and olive blossom (which smells a bit like olive leaf in here, but more floral) with a hint of redness. Verdict: this is yet another magnificent incense scent from the Lab. I adore the frankincense and myrrh scents, all with a sacred feel evoking churches and temples, yet each of them are different and have their own character. The beautiful resins in here are lifted by that wonderful olive blossom note which I’ve come to realise is a new favourite of mine, and darkened by a blood note, another note that I am really warming to, especially as it smells less like blood and more like dry red wine (and in my bottle of Valentine, there’s a hint of clove to this scent which I adore!) this is a new favourite in my collection of resinous scents, it reminds me of Haloa but drier and less sweet, smokier, slightly woodsy as well. It smells stunning when fresh, and I just know this is going to age wonderfully. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes-I have two bottles. If you like this, try: Haloa, Heavenly Love and Earthly Love, Chilling Cellar, Cracked Bell, Midnight Mass, Minotaur, Pit and the Pendulum

A new year's blessing! Peony, China's national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, lychee for strong family relationships and peace in the home, orange for happiness, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, coconut for longevity, and candied melon for good health, with a splash of blazing red of dragon's blood... to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. Earth Rat In the imp: bright sweet fruit! I smell melons and oranges. Like a fruit salad! Wet on skin: yes, this does remind me of Fee, only with citrus added! Dry: this is gorgeous! It is less citrussy than Fire Pig, this is full of melon and I also smell a bit more lychee in here than in FP. I do smell hints of the flowers but thankfully they are not too strong. For now, I really like this. It reminds me of Fee meets Tanuki, a melon and citrus scent with a sweet undertone and just a hint of flowers. Bright, happy, a scent that speaks of spring and summer. After a while: as the melon’s juicy scent calms down, now I smell more in the way of plum blossom. Not good news because PB is one of my flowers of doom, it tends to turn bad on my skin. It’s turning soapy and cloying, but it’s not too bad in here-maybe because the other notes, possibly the lychee and pine, are keeping it fairly restrained. But I don’t like this scent as much as before. It’s a bit soapy, not as sparkly as before. the drydown is very floral, peony and plum blossom, with a hint of coconut. But I must say that the PB in here is a lot better behaved than usual. It’s only a tiny bit soapy, it isn’t turning wilted or like floral bananas, like it usually does. Actually, this is now a pleasant spring scent with an Asian flair to it, but with coconut hinting at summer. The scent does turn to pure blossom eventually, and it’s a bit too cloying for me. Verdict: at first, I love the bright, lively melon scent this has. Happy and sweet and fresh, this is a delicious fruity fun scent of summery coconut and juicy melon and lychee. It reminds me of Yemaya and even of Fee, and I adore Fee…but I’m not so keen on what the Rat turns into. As usual in scents with plum blossom, that note amps up and takes over with it’s cloying and overripe/wilted scent. However, I think the melon keeps this rampant floral restrained, so it doesn’t amp to ‘doom blossom’ proportions as usual, but overall this scent isn’t a favourite, despite the promising introduction. I think I’ll stick to Yemaya (and my beloved Fee) for my melon fix. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really. If you like this, try: Yemaya, Fire Pig, Tanuki, Budding Moon, Peony Moon, The Spell of Amorous Love

In the imp: pine and a hint of sweetness, something floral too. Wet on skin: pine and juniper, with vanilla and florals just detectable under the evergreens. Dry: hmm, this is really intriguing. It smells very pine-y, and it’s a really lovely pine note, with a bite of juniper to it. underneath it I smell floral notes-can’t distinguish them just yet but I just about make out jasmine (and it doesn’t seem to be a bad jasmine note) and rose, a citrus hint of bergamot, and sweet vanilla. I then smell lily of the valley, and this note is soaping this scent up a tiny bit, making the pine note in here a little soapier than usual (usually terebinth is a rich resinous pine on me), but other than that, this isn’t bad. It’s very unusual-a floral and evergreen scent which is very unique. After a while: damn. It seems the lily of the valley/jasmine and pine mix reminds me too much of pine cleaning fluid. It’s the combination of soapy flowers and pine that does it. It reminds me a bit of TP’d Trees now, though I prefer this greatly…it’s a lot more sophisticated, but the lily of the valley is turning rather waxy as well, and I don’t smell the vanilla any more. The scent then settles into a mix of waxy but not too unpleasant lily petals and juniper. An intriguing and different mix of floral and forest-y notes. It’s not bad, actually, but I wanted vanilla, rose, benzoin etc, as well as the lily and pine/juniper notes. The scent swings from floral to pine-y every now and then. After a few hours it smells mainly like juniper, with a bare hint of flowers. The drydown is a really lovely warm spicy-sappy pine scent with vanilla, the kind of pine note I love…in fact it reminds me of a floral version of Capricorn 07, and I love that…but I prefer Capricorn because of the lack of soapiness in the first hours of wear. Verdict: this is such an unusual and multifaceted scent. it’s not often you see mixes of evergreens and lush flowers, and this is such a scent. it’s like a mix of winter forest pines with tropical floral notes, hints of lily and rose and just a faint trace of vanilla. But since this scent contains lily of the valley and jasmine, it was inevitable that this scent wouldn’t be too nice on me, and as expected, the flowers turn a bit soapy. It smells like a much nicer version of TP’d Trees, flowery pine and softness, but I’m really not keen on the soapiness. I do like the drydown better, when the scent is a gorgeous pine resin-needle scent, and I love how different this is, but ultimately, it’s not a keeper. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really. Not crazy about how soapy the flowers get here…I love the drydown though. If you like this, try: Moon of Ice, Stranger in Camp, Capricorn 07, Wolf Moon 07, Noche Buena, Kubla Khan

Her Voice In the imp: a fresh and crisp scent of hyacinths and lilies. Beautiful, but will it be nice on me? Wet on skin: agh, now it seems to be going very sour and sharp! Dry: a strange mix of sour soapy flowers, sharp bitter greenery, and a promising hint of sweetness at the back. This is one of those fresh floral scents that despite smelling beautiful in the vial/bottle, smell terrible on me. There’s a hint of the ‘florist shop green’ scent to it, but that’s going very bitter on me. The hyacinth note that I smell is very true and genuine, but it’s drowned out by the bitter stems and screaming floral notes…I think it’s the lily of the valley and honeysuckle that are doing bad things on me…maybe also the tiger lily. Because the lovely notes-rose, vanilla amber, beeswax-are not detectable at all. After a while: this gets even more bitter, not as wet and dewy, now it smells like dry wilted flowers and leaves with a bitter, harsh feel, and a bit of soap. However underneath those unpleasant notes, I smell the vanilla and beeswax. I wish those could come out a bit more…the floral/greenery in here overpowers those sweet notes too much. But this scent is teasing me…every now and then I get a honeyed vanilla amber that rises up in little wafts and I smell it in the scent’s throw, but when I sniff my wrist, all I get is bitter wilted flower stems and dead hyacinths. The scent does get a little better over time. The bitter dry grass/stems/flowers scent still hangs around but now I smell more of the amber and beeswax, with more beeswax than amber, but I smell them both, a golden scent glimmering under the greenery. The amber really comes out after a few hours and it is gorgeous and sweet, thanks to the vanilla. but that bitter green scent is still there, but it’s not as bad as before. Eventually the scent loses that bitterness (after about 6 hours) and then it smells a bit like O meets To Helen with a hint of Mouse’s Long Sad Tale, a lovely honeyed amber with a hint of floweriness. But I much prefer To Helen and Mouse’s Tale. Verdict: sadly, this scent is a bit of a cacophony on me because of all the flower notes in here that turn bad once they hit skin. Lilies, honeysuckle, something harshly green like bitter stems and wilted grass, it’s really not good on me, at least for a few hours of wear. It does become a bit acceptable after a while when the notes I love (amber, beeswax) come out. The bitter green-soap-floral scent still sticks around, but the glowing sweetness of the vanilla amber and the honeyed scent of beeswax add a golden softness to the scent which I like, especially when it resembles Mouse’s Long and Sad Tale with added honey. But it’s not enough to make me keep this scent…I don’t think it’s worth waiting through hours of floral doom for that golden drydown when I can get something similar from other scents I much prefer. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really, despite smelling lovely at the end. If you like this, try: Poisson D’Avril, Hi’iaka, Noche Buena, Witch Queen, Oval Portrait, Mouse’s Long and Sad Tale

Lover’s Parodies of Sumo Holds In the imp: there is some darker oil at the bottom of the decant. The scent is a really lovely tangerine. Wet on skin: ginger? I have no idea why I smell spices in here, but this is spicy tangerine. Dry: tangerine, spices, and myrrh. Not sweet opoponax, but something that smells like deep bittersweet aged myrrh resin, sticky but a lot drier in scent than opoponax usually is. It’s a rich spicy resin topped with sweet citrus. Then I realise that the combination of resin and ti leaf in here smells very similar to Ligur, only this time with a fruity scent to it, not a smoky one. The amazing thing is that for now, I don’t smell any floral notes. After a while: this is really unusual in that the jasmine isn’t even showing up here, let alone turning nasty on me! I smell a hint of velvety tropical flower petals, I think that’s the pikaki, but it’s the resinous notes which are strongest here. As well as tangerine, this scent is almost all about the opoponax. This note has a really dark and aged feel to it, and there’s even a hint of something almost boozy to it, like it’s been macerated in wine. This is the same deep smoky moody opoponax as the one in Ligur. A wonderful ancient myrrh scent with hints of spice and smoke, a faint trace of tonka and benzoin for sweetness. I’m also amazed as to how long the tangerine is hanging around here. The bitter, dark and haunting opoponax still dominates the scent long after the tangerine leaves, and I just about smell the flowers trapped under the thick smoky resins. This is a really intriguing scent! Verdict: this one really took me by surprise. I was expecting a very floral scent with hints of citrus and resin. But what I get is actually very strong resin with a splash of citrus and a very gentle floral undertone. In here, after an intro of spiced tangerine that lingers for longer than usual, the opoponax rules supreme, and it’s dark, rich, bittersweet and smoky. I love it when opoponax and benzoin do this, and it reminds me of a drier Event Horizon with a hint of Ligur and a spicy orange scent. the flowers only come out at the end. I like this more than I expected but it’s not my favourite dark resin scent. I think the flowers make this smell a bit weird on me, a bit more bitter than usual? But it’s not the ‘jasmine of doom’ reaction I was fearing. Not bad, and very unusual and different. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Maybe, but I have other opoponax/myrrh/benzoin scents I prefer. This smells a bit strange to me? If you like this, try: Ligur, Vampire Tears, Event Horizon, Butterflies and Plovers, Three Gorgons

Harikata In the imp: a light floral honey. Wet on skin: still floral honey, now with a bare hint of ginger. Dry: mmm, this is a very pretty cool dewy floral honey scent. the floral aspect of the scent has a cool, almost watery scent to it that makes me think of pure mountain stream water strewn with petals, this reminds me of Vaskakajja. But the floral here is different-it’s vanilla flower and osmanthus, and the osmanthus is gentler than usual. The ginger is very subtle, and the honey is a mix of sweet sticky honey and sharper ‘O’ honey. This scent is almost a twin to Itaso Kansei, although the honey in here is not as sweet, and the osmanthus is not as intense. After a while: this is what I hoped I’d get in Itaso and Brides of Dracula. No overpowering osmanthus, but a very balanced mix of honey and sweet flowers. There’s something almost innocent to the floral notes, not blatantly sexy, this is more of a gently sexy scent. I am tempted to call this white floral scent ‘virginal’, but then look at the artwork again and cast that thought out of my mind! It still has the cool pure floral scent from before, I could see this as a great summer fragrance. Another word that comes to mind when I smell this is ‘silky’, it’s a very smooth floral scent tinged with honey. At times this reminds me of a much gentler, more coherent version of Mad Kate. (Sane Kate?) The floral note, after a while, smells like what I want many jasmine scents to smell like on me. At this point the scent reminds me of Regan, a beautiful soft honeyed vanilla orchid. The more I smell this, the more I love it. Verdict: this is one of the most beautiful honeyed vanilla florals out there! At first it has this amazingly cool, pure scent to it, a flowing floral scent with a clarity like crystal clear water. It also smells exotic and indulgent. Then the scent warms up a bit, sweetens, the flowers then tone down a little and the honey and vanilla really show up and makes this smell a bit like Regan-if Regan was from Japan, that is. It’s a vanilla orchid tinged with honey and musk with a very calm osmanthus which doesn’t amp to high heaven on me. It’s beautiful, sophisticated and very feminine scent, smooth as silk sheets and just as sensual. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I have a bottle. If you like this, try: Itaso Kansei, Vaskakajja, Regan, Mad Kate, Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree, Kindly Moon, Brides of Dracula, Al Araaf, To Helen

Castitas In decant: the most sublime creamy vanilla ever. On skin: oh my, this is gorgeous! It reminds me strongly of something I’ve smelt elsewhere-maybe a kind of moisturiser or sun cream (and I don’t mean that in the coconut-scented way) of some kind? It smells like creamy soft sweetness, vanilla ice cream with a hint of floral. Yes, this does smell like sophisticated ice cream, and I love that. The rice flower note does prevent this from smelling like a purely foody scent, adds a little bit extra to it. The cream is not sour at all, nor is it buttery, and the vanilla is soft and fluffy but has a rich, indulgent undertone to it (probably because it’s Bourbon vanilla, the finest of all). The floral note smells almost tropical, for some reason. This smells so much nicer than Chaste Moon, I must say. CM had a weird soapy smell to it, but this doesn’t. It just smells like a summery vanilla cream scent, warm and sweet and cuddly. This just gets smoother, sweeter, creamier and softer as it develops on the skin. The perfect vanilla flower scent. This is what I wanted Love’s Philosophy to smell like. I want to try this in the bath next, but I also think this will be amazing worn as an after-bath body oil, a wonderful background for many BPAL scents, especially the vanilla or creamy ones. Oh, the layering possibilities of this oil are endless! I think I will need a big bottle!

Night Thoughts In the imp: lilac and cool air. This is stunning-it smells like a lilac bush on a spring night. Wet on skin: the scent now has green stem-like notes, and I smell a greener cedar note than usual. Dry: this has the potential to turn bad and bitter-soapy on me, but I hope it doesn’t because for now this is unbelievably pretty. It smells like a dewy garden on a spring night. Cool air and dew, crushed grass and lilac, and hints of orange blossom. The blue musk and ozone combine to form the night air scent, whilst the herbs smell grassy, and the cedar adds a woodsy base. Something in here reminds me of Night’s Pavilion, even though the two scents have no common notes. After a while: thankfully, this scent doesn’t go down the bitter, soapy path I feared it would. This is what I want my lilac scents to smell like-real lilacs blooming and the scent wafting in the breeze. Now this scent is a mix of this very genuine lilac scent, a greenish cedar, a touch of grass, and a beautiful blue musk with a very nice ozone note. This is so gorgeous! The herbs come out more as this scent progresses, but the musk seems to stop them from smelling too bitter-green. There’s an airy ethereal feel to this scent that I just love. The scent that remains on my skin is rather faint after a few hours, but it’s a lovely ozone and musk mix, still airy, still a bit green, with a hint of neroli. Verdict: I’ve been looking for the perfect lilac scent, and I think I’ve found it. Usually lilac scents smell bitter, wilted and harsh. But not this one. I think it’s the blue musk here making this work…because this smells like lilacs on a night breeze. Such a natural lilac scent. There’s also ozone here, which I normally dislike, but this ozone is an airy one which is beautiful, cool and fresh. The herbs smell green but not soapy-bitter like grassy notes can do, the cedar adds a solid woodsy background. The blue musk just completes it and enhances it, that ethereal, sparkling musk. I am so glad this works on me because the poem is beautiful, and I love the night/star themed BPAL scents, and this is another wonderful night scent to add to my collection. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! I’ve not had a lilac BPAL work so well on me until I tried this. If you like this, try: Night’s Pavilion, Yvaine, Nuit, Melancholia, Virahotkandita, White Moon

To Helen In the imp: honey and a soft powdery sweetness. Wet on skin: mmm, honeyed amber and that cool sweet ‘opal’ scent I get in Black Opal. Dry: now I smell the moonflower and a bit of the ozone, but as far as ‘electric ozone’ goes, this isn’t bad at all-usually electric notes turn horrid on me. But this is lovely. It reminds me of the ozone in Aeaea, I think-that deep blue scent. Only this time it’s not mixed with watery/woody notes, but with honey, floral and even mineral notes. The beeswax note smells less like wax and more like honeycomb, and the moonflower adds a lovely crystalline floral aspect. The white amber is fabulous…but it’s the opaline notes that are really interesting. It’s that same powdery-sweet mineral scent from Black Opal, only this time with blue ozone and golden honey notes. I don’t really smell roses in here. This is a really beautiful scent. After a while: this gets even nicer as the slight sharpness of the ozone and honey tones down a lot, and the scent becomes really smooth. Now I smell more of that delightful amber, as well as more of the powdery opal scent, and now the honeycomb smells sweeter. The ozone is still there but it’s not misbehaving at all on my skin…it adds an edge to this otherwise totally smooth scent. This just gets smoother and smoother until it is a beautiful and feminine scent of soft powdered honey mixed with luminous amber, a dusting of minerals (this smells like wet rocks-how does Beth do that?) and a hint of flowers and the gentlest breath of ozone. This now reminds me of a more grown up version of another favourite Poe-themed scent, Al Araaf. Then the scent turns to the most gorgeous soft warm powdered vanilla sugar wrapped in white musk! As of late I’ve been getting this reaction to a lot of scents, not just in BPAL, it could be a skin chemistry change, but it’s a positive one and I love it! In here this scent is mixed with honey dust. Verdict: this is such a fascinating scent and one I thought the ozone note would totally ruin, but it’s really beautiful! The electric ozone, normally one of my bane notes, doesn’t smell electric at all, just sharp and airy. But it’s the beeswax, opal notes and amber which really make this stunning. The beeswax is like honey, very strong, and the opaline notes, of course, smell like the mineral vanilla-musk I love in Black Opal. I also smell a touch of bright moonflower, and the amber is so gorgeous here, sweet and luminous. It’s a wonderfully unusual scent-sumptuous honey and amber, gentle flowers, and the scents of sweetened minerals and night air. A masterful blend, one I shall be wearing a lot of. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes and I need a bottle or two. If you like this, try: Black Opal, Al Araaf, Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree, Kindly Moon, Brides of Dracula

Sapphics In the imp: mossy grey amber with resins, a soft misty-grey coloured scent. Wet on skin: mmm, mossy and softly amber-y! This reminds me of another BPAL but I can’t say which right now. Dry: mmm, this is gorgeous! I think the scent this reminds me of is Lyonesse, or Death and Life Completed? Maybe with a hint of Roux Ga Roux? It smells really interesting. The moss, a soft powdery grey-green scent, is dominant, followed by the sweet-powdery grey amber. There’s a gorgeous myrrh undertone to it as well, a hint of deeply sweet tonka. I also smell something almost reminiscent of crumbly grey stone? The muguet is subtle and adds a hint of white floral, but for now it’s not turning to soap! This is a very unusual but sophisticated scent. After a while: it’s so hard to describe this scent, but the overall feel I get from this scent is of a dark grey or blue-grey colour, the colour of old stone flecked with moss, or rain clouds above white flowers, it’s almost melancholy but not quite. It’s heavy on the myrrh, which is of the powdery and sweet variety (no bad thing) and with a dusting of moss, and the grey amber in here is like the amber in Death and Life, which I love. This is the darker, silvery sister of Lyonesse and Haloes. The muguet note really completes the scent. Normally I dislike this note but I love it in here-it adds a floral element that really works. Over time this becomes smokier as the myrrh really comes into it’s own, and the tonka is wonderfully dark and sweet and shadowy here. Now there’s something pleasantly dusty to this scent. And now I realise what this reminds me of most of all…Eshe! The myrrh in here, as well as the dustiness and hint of floral, really reminds me of Eshe. Maybe a bit sweeter and mossier. The moss also reminds me of the soft purple-mossy scent I get in Robin Goodfellow. This gets richer and myrrh-ier and I also smell something like musk to this. It now comes across as a very grown up scent. Verdict: this is a sophisticated, rich and beautiful scent. There’s a feel of something both classic (as in it smells like a classy vintage perfume) and classical (in that it brings to mind images of Greek statues when I smell it-I think it’s the moss and powder notes evoking images of stone), and all the notes merge in a scent of silvery blue-grey, it’s a scent that’s a little bit resinous, a bit floral, a bit musky, a bit mossy, a bit smoky…but all of it merges so nothing stands out and it’s a very seamless blend. The myrrh and powdery amber are dominant, with moss and muguet (which works in here!) also coming out at times. Definitely bottle-worthy and one which will age wonderfully, I think. (I don’t get hairspray from this scent but at times it does remind me of Stardust.) Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes-one to get a bottle of. If you like this, try: Lyonesse, Death and Life Completed, Eshe, Roux Ga Roux, Stardust, Robin Goodfellow