zankoku_zen

Dust, rags, leather, and shining steel. Brown leather, steel and a touch of dust. Honestly, this makes me think of a cross between Quincy Morris and the Torture Queen. If you've ever been craving a replacement for Quincy Morris, I'd give this puppy a whirl. Good throw and wear length.

White pine, palmarosa, Roman chamomile, patchouli, and lavender. On wet, this is mainly lavender and pine, and as it dries, I get more of the chamomile and patchouli. It becomes much grittier and dirtier. It starts off as a very cool, fresh lavender, and then chamomile/patchouli tag team its way to dominance of the blend. Good throw, and wear length.

2006 brought us to New Orleans for Convergence XII, which was an amazing event on so many levels, but also marked the first time we were able to get together with our sisters, the moderators of bpal.org. Smut first besmirched the virginal sanctity of our catalogue in Spring, Carnaval Diabolique materialized on August 2nd of 2006, and Black Moon and Schwarzer Mond appeared for the first time over the dark skies of BPAL. That winter, Krampus made himself known in our Yule update for the first time. A scent celebrating fifteen years of the FRUITS of our labor. Haaaaaaaaaa…. I sure love my awful Uncle Jokes. Snake Oil with Schwarzer Mond’s terebinth, a swish of Krampus’ switches, black currant, pomelo, and chthonic black pomegranate. Snowy pine, black pomegranate, a touch of wood and black currant on a musky base. I don't really get Snake Oil from this, and all of the other components win out on my skin particularly the pine and black pomegranate. Good throw and wear length.

French lavender and white gardenia with Himalayan cedar. Silence is pure crystalline lavender and gardenia, over a base of cedar. On wet, I get mainly lavender and gardenia. As it dries, you get the cedar coming out at the tail end. Peaceful and quiet. Good throw and wear length.

Huh. I get mainly patchouli and nag champa. And while that tends to be an association I have with potsmokers, its not like it smells like weed itself. There's an almost cedar like edge to this.

Champaca, oudh, vanilla, and a whiff of cream. It's a very soft, golden skin musk. The oudh makes it slightly perfumey, and the champaca really grounds it. Medium throw and wear length.

“Why you are standing at the door?” asked a woman’s voice. Shadow looked over Czernobog’s shoulder, at the old woman standing behind him. She was smaller and frailer than her sister, but her hair was long and still golden. “I am Zorya Utrennyaya,” she said. “You must not stand there in the hall. You must go in, sit down. I will bring you coffee.” Sweet black coffee and a touch of ambrette seed. I get sweet dark coffee, and as it dries it becomes more about the ambrette seed, which is slightly musky nuttiness to me. So more like roast coffee and hazelnut musk. However, the description doesn't do much to really convey how subtly magical this is. It has an oddly Russian vibe to it (I think its the ambrette conjuring some old-timey Czarist decadence), and the impression that what you see isn't the whole story. Not even close. It smells comforting, like grandma offering you a cup of tea, right before she goes and chases down a chicken and kills it with her own bare hands. Decent throw and wear length.

Alright, Lyncanthrope, we need to talk. You start as this delicious cardamon flavored cream, and then suddenly take a detour into Bananaville, and then you just GHOST ON ME. This entire scent is like a relationship where you meet someone and they are almost perfect, and then turn into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on you for a hot second, BEFORE GHOSTING COMPLETELY, as you reel trying to figure out WTF just happened. This blend is totally MIA from my skin about 45 minutes later. And you know what I now catch a whiff of? Bananas. ... Why?

Guava, sugar, orchid and a touch of lime. This is sweet, fruity, and pink. And its got some throw. I got some on my thumb decanting and its massive. Pink, sugary, fruity. Delicious. If you're looking for a fruity blend, pick this one up.

Cool black leather with ozone. The ozone actually stops this from being a super scary screechy black leather (I'm looking at you, DeSade, specifically). It's much more wearable and approachable. Almost skin soft. Low throw, good wear length.

Wisteria, honeysuckle, jasmine chypre. This one is definitely a floral. There's a trace of lilac on wet, and when you first apply it, it's a honeysuckle-jasmine unapologetic floral in your face. It dries down to more a delicate floral. There's something that kinda smells almost like a hairspray note that I catch a whiff of every now and then, but it's not unpleasant but just there enough to remind you that this blend is artificial. In the same way that rose gold eyelids are artificial. Pretty, but not really found in nature, yanno? Medium throw and wear length.

Dante and Virgil on the Ice of Kocythos, Henry Fuseli. A sea of ice with white tea leaf, eucalyptus, white ginger, bleached stone, and hellsmoke. Oh man, this has the same slushy ice note that Ice Queen and Monastery in the Mountains, but with white tea and brimstone at its base. Its icy on wet, and then dries to a much warmer winter blend. FUUN!

On November 22 – thanks to our brilliant, beautiful Web Goddess, Kaitlin – the Thirteenth Labor of Hercules was completed, and we were able to introduce our new web site design. Kaitlin, you are amazing and we love you. 2013 ushered in our Dark Crystal Skeksi series, our Gatekeeper scent for Lone Shark’s Maze of Games, the Miskatonic Valley Philharmonic (with special thanks to Erich Zann, Principal Conductor and Music Director, and the illustrious Aylesbury Star Cult Temple Choir), Black Phoenix Trading Post’s sculpture for Neil Gaiman’s All Hallow’s Read, and the Festival, a Yuletide homage to Lovecraft. This year also brought BPAL and Haute Macabre together for our first collaboration. Samantha, you are an inspiration, and it is a joy working with you. Witching time in the hills of Arkham: patchouli and bourbon vanilla, crumbling autumn leaves, sweet black vetiver, and a thin, grey sliver of bonfire smoke. Vetiver, patchouli, bonfire smoke, and a touch of dead leaves. WHY HELLO THERE VETIVER. This has a very acrid, in your face, smoke opening. In fact, I sort of squinted and went Gore Shock, is that you? (I am assuming because vetiver and patchouli). It dries down to a much more calm version of vetiver-patchouli and then you get the bonfire smoke note and a touch of dead leaves. This smells like an autumn bonfire. I think there's been a few BPAL that smell like that. If you're missing autumn's bonfires, or have a thing for V for Vendetta, give this puppy a whirl. Good throw and good wear length.

Soft roses and patchouli. This one is a much much softer blend than I anticipated.

Smoky tobacco, hints of lavender and lace. This one is more tobacco than lavender on me. Kinda mournful and wistful. In some ways, it reminds me to ancient linens. Medium throw and wear length.

Spooky beeswax, velvet curtains, grease paint and a whiff of tobacco. This smells theatrical, opulent, and beeswaxy. It's fantastic. Love it. Would definitely get more.

Damp clusters of brown patchouli, dried maple leaves, black sage, spikenard, and curled, misshapen mandrake roots. Sage, mandrake, and patchouli with a whiff of maple leaves. This one reminds me to damp autumn earth. Fair bit of green sage in this. Good throw and wear length. Spooky, autumn, dirt.

So on wet, it has a very intense grape smell. Like High John the Conqueror grape intensity. It has a more oak dryness that comes through on the drydown, and mellows out to a nice grapey whiskey sort of smell. Medium throw and wear length. I sort of enjoy how luxuriously boozy this blend is. On the other hand, do I want to pledge allegiance to an imp-only blend?

Sweet milk and honey, with a touch of cereal. This one is super super soft on my skin.

White rose, velvety brown oudh, and a touch of moss. Soft, silky, and velvety. Medium throw and wear length.

Black roses with a touch of apricot and fig. Medium throw and wear length.

This one is a Coraline prototype. I get resinous myrrh, with a touch of cherries and a slight boozy note. It was dark, sensual, and a little creepy. Just like the Other Mother.

Bay rum, oak, oriental perfumes, and a whiff of aftershave. This smells like an expensive Victorian parlour. Sophisticated, regal, and underneath all that silk, a lot of naughtiness. Medium throw and wear length.

Smoky vetiver patchouli that dries down to a sugary patchouli with a smidge of smoky honey. It reminds me to Silkybat in that sugared patchouli sense right now. Good throw and wear length.

Rose, apricot, and honey musk. On wet, its much fruitier but as it dries the rose starts to assert itself, and then its a honeyed musk at the very bottom. Feminine, wily, honey. Good throw and wear length.