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BPAL Madness!

zankoku_zen

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Everything posted by zankoku_zen

  1. zankoku_zen

    Mechanical Phoenix

    This one on me was pure male cologne. The ozone was very predominant, but very masculine. I didn't get any of the 'steel' or 'metal' connotations on this one. Unfortunately, it isn't the kind of scent that the hubby is interested in wearing. But on the right guy - comandeering, cool, and yet very passionate. It makes me think of Clive Owen, and that is never a bad thing.
  2. zankoku_zen

    Pisces 2008

    Mutable water: the essence of faith. Hemp, opium poppy, sarsaparilla, grains of paradise, passion flower, wisteria, Irish moss, and gentian. This on me was something that smelled like a musky rose. Warm, inviting, but somehow the florals combined together smelled like roses on me. I didn't really get the aquatic stage.
  3. zankoku_zen

    Cheshire Moon

    Definitely a strange kitty! What a morpher! At the beginning, it is a lemon buttercream frosting. Which smells absolutely yummy, but I don't want to smell like frosting all day. As it dries, both the lemon and frosting aspect disappear, and warm florals pop out. They remain in my mind, forever link to frosting, so they smell like edible flowers. Very tasty.
  4. zankoku_zen

    Scarecrow

    At the beginning, this was sweet grass. But as it dries, the sweetness damps down and it does end up smelling more like a weird combination of straw and oddball men's cologne. SAAAD.
  5. zankoku_zen

    Blood Lotus

    This has to have dragon's blood resin because I get that musky sweetness from it, as I have with other blends that have had DBR, inc. the Ars Draconis scents. That being said, lotus invariably turns into bubblegum on me. At the beginning, it was like a spicy bubblegum, and now it's mainly DBR.
  6. zankoku_zen

    Moon of Ice

    This will be a bit skewed at the moment - since I tried it and forgot to take into account "my scheduled fluctuations in hormonal levels". In the vial, this was snowy and piney and very very lovely. I agree with an initial impression of Ice Queen, simply edgier and perhaps more pepperminty. On wet, it morphed a little - and it got something almost spicy on me, but its a light base. I have an overlay of cold florals, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition. I think the spicyness might be from a flower I've smelled before since it doesn't have an incense/sandalwood/food condiment association in my head. I'll be trying this in a week and seeing how it compares. It's absolutely gorgeous in the vial - but I want to try it when the fluctuations have ended for a more accurate review.
  7. zankoku_zen

    Her Voice

    At the beginning, the very predominant note is of lilies. And then it erupts into this bouquet of flowers, with rose being a predominant smell. This is sweet, without being overly sugary or foodie, and floral in a light, spring walk among the meadows kinda way. It's a refreshing floral, with a hint of innocence, sun shining in her hair kinda way.
  8. zankoku_zen

    The Presence of Love

    Normally, jasmine and I get along. Not in this blend! I get the dreaded 'cat pee' phase --- and it lasts forever. In fact, it's like a cat taking a whizz among the rose garden. Which is not what I think about when I'm in the presence of MY love. Yeah. This so didn't work out.
  9. I've found that Cloister Graveyard in the Snow shares some commonalities with Ice Queen. It's not the same, but as a single blend, its the one that has come the closest on me. I am going to attempt layering Nuclear Winter with Old Moon and see what I get. Will report later.
  10. zankoku_zen

    Leather

    Like-wise. On the other hand, A Bachelor's Dog is a much more comfortable leather. If you can handle the smoky tobacco in the background. Personally, I love Severin and Whip, but neither of them are a pure-leather blend.
  11. zankoku_zen

    Singing Moon

    Ah, this would be like Ireland covered in honey. It's an herbally floral with a sweetness that makes me think of clover honey. Too sweet for me, but it does make me think of an emerald isle in the sea, with blooms and bees and rivers of honey. I imagine a fairy would like this scent.
  12. zankoku_zen

    The Emathides

    Upon application -- Soy Sauce?!?! The wet stage still pretty much smelled like a floral soy sauce (hey, don't look at me, I'm also unhappy about that!) The drydown is a dusky, musky floral --- like the fine hair of a furry animal with a sprinkling of dust. It makes me think of bats (although the Emathides were feathered birds), with the sleek membranous skin, which is still delicate and their beady eyes in the darkness. The wet stage pretty much ruins it for me, but this is a scent unlike any other, and in some ways one of the most evocative of a particular animal. Admittedly, I don't get birds, but I still get a scary winged creature! (Okay, not really scared of bats, but you know...)
  13. zankoku_zen

    Pumpkin Patch IV (2005, 2006)

    This is a spicy pumpkin, and the image that came to mind was running your hands through a just sanded plank of wood. Why this wood smells like sandalwood, but I have no idea. And the bits of dust on your hands just smell pretty amazing. None of the buttery death of Jack, just pumpkin and some good solid wood-spice to it.
  14. zankoku_zen

    Storm Moon

    This is very ozoney on me, almost masculine. It does remind me to Tempest in that case, but it's a little softer due to the lunar oils. Not my cup of tea, but I was still very curious about it.
  15. zankoku_zen

    Frost Moon

    I was hoping against hope that the lotus would work with the other components. Unfortunately, it doesn't. I get a very sweet, almost bubblegum/fruity kinda smell from this. Kinda like a cool refreshing mixed drink. Snowy? No. Frosty? No. Pineapple snowcone? You betcha. Curse you skin chemistry. Curse you.
  16. zankoku_zen

    What scents are masculine? Gender-neutral?

    Pollution. Smells more like a commercial perfume (minus the alcohol cloud). Good transition point, esp. if he has never smelled BPAL before. Or if he likes traditional perfumes.
  17. zankoku_zen

    The Great Sword of War

    This is an herbal red musk. Oddly enough it makes me think of pizza. I'm not sure that 'Great Pizza of Musk' is as attractive a name as 'Great Sword of War'. Definitely not martial in my mind. Instead it's more like 'hey guys, who ordered the herb pizza?' kinda vibe for me.
  18. zankoku_zen

    Three Brides

    This is sweet creamy amber and rose. The amber is a little on the powdery though.
  19. zankoku_zen

    Carnal Soap (by Silk Road Trading Company)

    The Carnal perfume was too sweet for me. Not in soap! This is a creamy white soap, with nice lather and the fig has a woodsy/earthy vibe to it, so it isn't too sweet. The scent is nice and light afterwards. Very comforting.
  20. zankoku_zen

    Pollution

    I can't pick out the notes in this one but its a masculine ozoney/aquatic musk. It kinda does put me in mind to Acqua di Gio. I might swab this on the husband and see what he thinks. ETA: swabbed it on the husband. And it smells divine on him. He likes Wilde, but Pollution ends up smelling much more masculine on him than Wilde does. And he likes that. It also reminds him to Acqua di Gio, but without all the alcohol. In any case, he wants a BOTTLE! Huzzah! Definitely a winner in the house... because he smells soooo good.
  21. zankoku_zen

    Kill-Devil

    This was very caramel/brown sugar heavy when I first applied. This has scaled back to a more burnt sugar kinda smell, and I get a honeyed sort of wood with a hint of molasses. Foodier than I imagined. But interesting nonetheless.
  22. zankoku_zen

    Mary Read

    This at the beginning was sea spray and sandalwood, but it's softened to something more feminine. A light aquatic kinda floral, with just an edge of saltiness.
  23. zankoku_zen

    Morocco

    One word: Full.of.Win This on me is like a spicier version of Antique Lace but much more subtle and delicate. There is not a single note that stands out on me, but rather is a very warm, sexy blend. It's been a while, but I really enjoy this scent. A lot.
  24. zankoku_zen

    A Bachelor's Dog

    This is such a leather and smoke scent. Really. It's like sitting in a leather chair in a cigar shop. If you fancy that, this is totally your scent.
  25. zankoku_zen

    Arkham

    At the beginning, this was a fairly woodsy scent with a whiff here and there of flowers. Dry down, its a pretty floral scent. Although admittedly, there is just a slight sheen of creepy to it all. Like being in the woods and knowing something is out there.
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