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BPAL Madness!

kbrighton

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Everything posted by kbrighton

  1. kbrighton

    Queen of Sheba

    Received what looks like an aged imp from a generous forumite. Wet: I smell fruit, I don't see fruit in the notes, so it must be the almond=cherry some people report. Dry: the fruity/almond scent disappears quickly and I am left with a sweet spicy incense. There was a moment during drydown when I felt I must get a bottle IMMEDIATELY--but that magical moment was fleeting and while I enjoy the spices that remain I am not compelled to purchase a bottle. Will have to try this in the scent locket, if that holds the magical not wet/not dry scent, Oooh la la!
  2. kbrighton

    The Miller's Daughter

    I wanted rose infused amber, and after an hour there it was, to get there I had to get through the tears, a sharp aquatic mash of scents which I did not care for. ETA--6 weeks later and I tried Millers Daughter again. It went straight to rosey amber, no aquatic upfront at all. I like it more than the first time roundl. Note to self, don't give up on any scent with only one trial.
  3. kbrighton

    Embalming Fluid

    Fabreeze? Lemon, why do you hate me so?
  4. kbrighton

    Rose Red

    2005 version Pure rose, rose, ROSE. Just like the (very expensive) straight rose essential I used to wear. I've grown to love the lab's rose blends and found this pure rose almost too much, I swiped the wand through my hair, and oh boy, this is one strong rose. Beautiful. Pure. Red. Rose.
  5. kbrighton

    Dorian

    Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea. Oh Dorian, everyone else seems to love you so, why don't you love me? I suppose I should not be surprised since I'm not crazy about tea as a drink, and lemon can go terribly wrong on me. This was super sweet and strong, hot dark tea with 5 heaping teaspoons of sugar.
  6. kbrighton

    The Witch's Garden

    Oh this is delightful. I was completely taken by surprise by my love for Hosts of the Air and immediately began looking for a GC scent to take it's place in my heart once my bottle is gone. This is not a note for note substitute for Hosts, but it does have same the lingering green loveliness. Wet on skin, this is a strange greenness that threatens to go to soapyness, but doesn't go there. It becomes a beautiful mix of fresh cut herbs, and a hint of wildflowers. I close my eyes and see myself standing in the midst of the herb garden, the hem of my dress wet with dew, holding a wicker basket collecting herbs and a few wildflowers. My inner witch is delighted with this scent. If it continues to live up to expectations I see a bottle in my future, I believe this would be wonderfully cooling on a hot summer day.
  7. kbrighton

    Coyote

    Soft warm amber. It's snuggling up with a warm golden furred animal on a sunny day. The smell of dry grasses, a little musk in the background. I love this. It sticks close to the skin and I have yet to determine just how much I need to slather to smell it without huffing my arm. I tested this a few hours before bed, it was comforting sleeping with this scent and when I woke up I still smelled the light musk.
  8. kbrighton

    Bastet

    Oh, how I LOVE this scent. It's golden, warm and furry, like the coat of a cat who has been basking in the sun. The almond is sweet and adds to the comfort of Bastet. My cat died last night, and I picked Bastet at "random" from my imp box this morning. Bastet was the perfect scent to wear today, and I am singing Her praises as both a scent, and a work of magic. It truly does invoke the goddess Bastet.
  9. kbrighton

    Velvet Panther

    Wow, this smells just like the namesake. Black panther on black velvet. Dark, Dark, DARK. My tastes tend towards the light and flowery so this is well out of my comfort zone. It morphs quite a bit and once the dark assault passed I was able to get close and enjoy the different layers. A very complex scent starting out like a black hole (now there is a scent idea, the smell that draws all other smells into it's orbit, never to be seen again--but I digress) and then reveals a complex blend of fruit and musk.
  10. kbrighton

    Nanshe

    LOL, I got this from Inventrix in a decant circle. My first impression was I had never smelled such a sharp blend in my lift. It was like sniffing knives. But when I found it was from the Somnium line, and I wanted to try all of them out, I tried a dab before sleeping. The shaprness eases as the oil dries and while it did not bring prophetic dreams it was a delightful scent to go to sleep with. I smelled lavender and lemonbalm, very fresh and sharp. I can see this one slicing through psychic barriers under the proper set of circumstances.
  11. kbrighton

    The Host of the Air

    Can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet. I love, love, LOVE it--and did not think I would, I ordered it for my sister through a decant circle, but she went ahead and bought a bottle before the decant arrived so I got the imp, and am I ever glad. This is the scent of spring in a bottle. It's a masterful blend, swoon worthy even When first applied the scent of fresh green is strong and the most enjoyable phase to me. I reach for this often
  12. kbrighton

    Croquet

    A fun, happy making scent. I never thought lime would be a note I sought out, but am I ever happy I gave it a try. The effervescence of lime blends can turn my mood around. Wonderful for springtime and summer. Light and fun. When I lived in LA I frequented the zoo. They have a flock of flamingos and they had a very distinctive smell. Croquet reminds me of drinking a pink lemonade on a hot day outside the flamingo enclosure. Fascinating!
  13. kbrighton

    La Belle Dame Sans Merci

    Wow, the reviews are all over the place. I'm assulted by floral mix right out of the imp, then ROSES, and an hour later--nothing? Where did you go? ETA: oh, there you, after 30 minutes of vanishment another scent emerges, a nice yet indisticnt floral. I do wish notes were listed, as my nose can't identify them without some help.
  14. kbrighton

    Cockaigne

    I LOVE this scent. Buttery goodness forces it's way to the top of the imp, pushing the sweet cakes, milk, honey and wine to the back of the bus. Once on it's OMG a bakery on my skin. In the dark days pre-BPAL I never would have thought I'd want to smell like a bakery. Those days are behind me now and my nose is so happy. The almost overpowering butteryness fades fairly quickly and the cake note lasts and lasts. When I huff my wrist I pick up the hint of what must be wine, though it reminds me of rum soaked raisins. Big bottle? Yes, I do believe so.
  15. kbrighton

    Rapture

    I love roses, I love jasmine, I love neroli. I should love this scent more, but it's very light on me--perhaps it's one I need to slather rather than swipe. I put some in an atomizer, and it makes a fantastic room spray. It's my going to sleep blend, so soothing and rich and lasts in the air quite some time.
  16. kbrighton

    413 U.S. 15 / Miller Vs. California

    Put this on at the breakfast table this morning, and my son immediately got a stuffy nose -- not a good sign. wet: I smell like a smoker/drinker who is trying to cover it up with perfume--you're not fooling ANYONE dry: After the initial unpleasantness this smells rather nice. I get figs and berry with something dirty underneath.
  17. kbrighton

    Giant Vulva

    It's a light scent that sticks close to the body and goes a little soapy towards the end. There's just not much to this scent, I wanted more from honey, beeswax and copal.
  18. kbrighton

    Thirteen (13): February 2009

    So excited to get this in the post yesterday I smelled rich dark spicy cocoa, not sweet at all. I can pick out nutmeg, but can't pick out the ginger, and I love ginger. I want ginger!!!! It has an oddly familiar smell and I could not place it at first. After an hour or so I got it, it reminds me of when my sisters and I would make "perfume" in the backyard. Water, grass clippings, leaves, and every spice we could find in the cupboard. I think this may need some time to age and blend, it's good from a distance, but up close a bit sharp. ETA I'm loving this more and more. The scent has grown on me, it's not my usual style.
  19. kbrighton

    The Music of Erich Zahn

    I really, really don't like this scent. A frimp from the lab, I never would have chosen this, the description conjured up images of a smelly sweaty man who smokes too much, probably has a cheap cigar clamped in his teeth and whiskey breath. But I'm game and tried it anyway. In the imp -- nasty, wet -- nasty, drydown--I gave it an hour and hoped no one in the house got too close, becasue it remained nasty. I washed it off. I wonder if this is the vetiver effect so many people mention (you either love it or hate it) Sorry Mr Zahn--you were not for me.
  20. kbrighton

    Snake Oil

    Brand new imp of Snake Oil arrived yesterday, along with 9 other imps. I had high hopes for Snake Oil, based on it's popularity--but I'm not impressed. I smell incense and very little vanilla. With all the love for this scent I expected more....... well, more love from me. Alas, I'll put this in the back of my collection to age and try it again in a couple of months.
  21. kbrighton

    EPIC BPAL Spreadsheet Thread

    This spreadsheet is AWESOME It will save me from reviewing the same scent twice, which I nearly did yesterday
  22. kbrighton

    Forbidden Fruit

    The description of this scent is what made me place my first order with BPAL. I love lotus as a single note, I love amber as a single note also. I thought this would be magic. Alas, no. Not on me. It starts out fruity and gives me a strong feeling of innocence and naivette that seemed inappropriate for an older woman like me. I felt uncomfortable knowing I smelled like this. Which is funny because that sense of innocence is just what "Forbidden Fruit" implies. I just didn't think it through, that scent and my age. As it dries down the sense of inappropriate innocence departs (thank goodness) and it settles down to an innocuous sweet scent, I can detect the roundness I associate with jasmine, and the wateryness of lotus. Wish there was some amber showing through. Iwant to like this one, so I'll leave it till spring and summer, and try again.
  23. kbrighton

    Absinthe

    Initial impression wet. Ick, lemon cleanser. Dries down to a nice herbal smell. I like it a lot. It stick close to the skin though and i can only appreciate it with my nose to my wrist. Don't know if it's worth putting up with the lemon cleanser to get to the good stuff.
  24. kbrighton

    Defututa

    In the imp: foody, I want to eat this, not wear it. Honey and--something, I can't pick out the notes. On the skin: A bit overpowering at first but settles down to a sweet tasty floral and incensey blend. I can't pick out the notes. But it is so delicious! It did not seem to last that long, only a few hours. Vanilla gave me a headache many, many years ago. But the headache was so memorable I've stayed away from that scent ever since. I did not read the ingredients on Defututa before applying or I would never have dared try this frimp. But I can't pick out the vanilla and no headache. I'll have to try more BPAL scents with vanilla. ETA: Ah, now I recognize the jasmine, and love the sense of enfoldment (all wrapped up in something comforting) that scent gives me. I wear this when I expect to be facing a stressful situation, calms me right down.
  25. kbrighton

    Yvaine

    This is my first ever review In the bottle: I smell lavender, I get the impression of space -- wide open space On wet: sharp lavender note which quickly subsides to blend with the other secents as it dries Hours later: a powdery blend of scents has developed. When I bury my nose into the scent I feel like I'm wrapped in a silk cape. A very delicate scent.
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