Balame

Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum. I finally get to try the famed Mme. Moriarty, and I'm underwhelmed. Which is probably a good thing, since it's beloved by so many others. From the notes I was expected sweet but dark fruits warmed by vanilla. In actuality, as others have said, it reminds me of gross menthol cigarettes. It's definitely dark and smoky, but also sickeningly sweet. There was a little bit of complexity at first and I could pick out some nice patchouli and plum, but after a few short minutes it goes musty and outputting. I'm not a huge fan of red musk in the first place, but usually I can tolerate it. Here it just makes an already bad combo heavier and more cloying. Not sexy at all to me. At least I won't be having to hunt more down.

I haven't tried it (or RL: Romance), but maybe Madame Tracy (Tea rose, ume blossom, geranium, lily of the valley, violet, and heliotrope)? The reviews describe it as having a soapy edge with rose, lily and violet being predominant, which seems to mirror the notes in Romance. If she just likes rose in general I recommend Two, Five & Seven (Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose… and just an itty bitty bit of green grass). It's a wet, rich and comforting burst of roses. There's also Marie, which is "a blend of sinuous violet and elegant tea rose," described as being heavier on the violet. Kurukulla (Three lotus blooms and three roses) also comes to mind since the lotus is watery. Hope that helps!

Fairy Wine. Playful, sexy, juicy and vibrant. Delight & Consternation for the softness and sweetened citrus. Waters of the Well of Wisdom for the pure zen vibe and coolness. Y'ha-nthlei is awesome for an energetic, beachy vibe. Hungry Ghost Moon is gentle yet bright. Black Pearl fits summer too, but might be best as a nighttime scent since it's a bit slinky.

This sounded like it would have the same vibe as Atlas, my favorite BPAL blend, and it starts out nicely enough. It does indeed mirror the creamy mallow in Atlas with vanilla and backs it with sweet resins. Then some weird stuff starts happening. It went through a stage where it smelled like astringent suntan oil on me (plastic-y coconut versus the nice kind) then it settles into a powdery oak with more medicinal, almost fruity vanilla. Verging on peachy, I'd say? Even in this state it's not bad, but not what I was looking for. It actually reminds me of a sweeter, lighter version of Aziraphale (dusty, a little dry, sweet woods).

I don't know... not to dismiss the other recommendations, but you say you don't like incense much so I'm not sure Trevor would be the best fit. As for Rogue, it is indeed rather sweet and smooth to me. I would see/smell you wearing something more neutral versus sugary. Maybe: Captain Cully - A cocky light musk with leather, tonka, a dusting of dry woods, and a splash of porter. Cully was nearly single note leather on me, but with a brightness/fun vibe from the porter. Red Rider, Fighter, Macbeth and the Witches and In His Hands All Thy Cruelties Thrive are all strong, non-flouncy leathers as well. For your tea fix, perhaps Koito and Sashichi. It was straight up green tea on me and not cutesy. At best you'll get some of the nice (non-sweet) resin and tobacco as well. Koito and Sashichi - Green tea, tobacco absolute, and agarwood. A lot of the recent Ragnarok scents are pretty gender neutral. Managarm's Bloody Jaws - Ironwood needles and blood-matted fur. (Fierce but friendly.) Sword of Surtur - Red-hot ginger, fossilized amber, prickly poppy, red cedar, cubeb, star anise, and scorpion pepper. (For as spicy as this sounds I think the metal grounds it and makes it a good match for someone with a stable, confident personality like yourself.) The Rending of the Rock - The tattered remains of Gelgja, smashed stone, feral grey musk, and blackened blood. (Sounds scary but I swear it's not. Do you know if you like vetiver? It's always been a very empowering note to me.) If you want to give something a bit sweeter a go you can do that without subjecting yourself to florals/incense: Wulric, the Wolfman - Cocoa absolute, French vanilla, birch tar, lavender, bourbon vetiver, wild musk, clary sage, and cistus. Luperci - Raw, down and dirty patchouli, Gurjam balsam, and essence of Sampson Root sweetened with the heightened sexuality of beeswax, virile juniper, oakmoss, ambrette seed over honey and East African musk. (I think this would be really good for you, for whatever reason. It has an understated sexiness but also feels laid-back to me.) Kagema - Himalayan cedar, rum absolute, bay leaf, teakwood, orange peel, wooly thyme, and tobacco absolute. (This is one of my personal favorite guy-ish scents. It definitely has a charisma about it.) Mr. Ibis - Papyrus, vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, African musk, aloe ferox, white sandalwood. (A super calming, clean but slightly sweet blend. Another favorite, would match your "chill" vibe.) Galvanic Goggles - Metallic notes with Indian musk, tobacco flower, and African balsam. (Depends on whether you like musk or not, but this is frequently cited as favorite for anyone who likes powerful, unisex blends.)

Snake Oil: Mme. Moriarty, Snake Charmer, Halloween: Las Vegas Fairy Market: Tristran, The East, Butterflies, Flowers and Jewels Attending, Midnight on the Midway Jezebel: Catherine, Womb Furie, Pandy Callidora: Centzon Totochtin, La Mano del Destino, Lucy, Kissed Blood Kiss: Bloodlust, Three Cocks, VILF, Countess Willie No one who's been around longer than a day. Kathmandu: Cathedral, A Demonstration of Affectionate Excitement, Magus, Scrappy Damsel Hymn to Proserpine: Philosopher in Meditation, Ezekiel's Phoenix, September Midnight Peacock Queen: Kurukulla, Two, Five and Seven, Sudha Segara: Bezoar, Bengal, Queen of Sheba, Dragon's Milk, Alice

Thanks so much! I have a few of these on my wishlist already but I don't know how I passed up a few of your GC picks like Alcie or Tweedledee. I'll start the search.

Did I actually get this blend or did it get swapped with Love? I kid you not. Very strange things happened here. Upon first application it's definitely salty and gross in the same way Boundless Vista was. Like moldy seawood/wet dog. I immediately dismiss the scent and leave it alone for about 20 minutes, then I get a whiff of something rosy and lovely. It's... Thought and Legend? Okay then, we're back in the game. Suddenly all I smell is super gorgeous sugared rose with a soft, smooth base of resinous oudh and patchouli. The tallow almost makes it creamy. What the heck happened? I like rose all right but I'm not a big floral person overall, but I have to say this is probably my favorite BPAL rose blend. It ends up a lot like Love on me, but less sharp and candyish. Instead its silken cream rose resin. I really lucked out with the drydown here.

I posted before but I have decently varied tastes, so I'd love to hear some more recs. Another top five: Jacob's Ladder ... Golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka. Hungry Ghost Moon ... Ginger candy, sugar cane, smoky vanilla and rice wine mingle with a ghost's perfume of white sandalwood, ho wood, ti, white grapefruit, crystalline musk and aloe. This scent is tapered by the presence of seven herbs, woods and resins used in the purification of the spirit and the purging of earthly concerns from the soul. Fairy Wine ... An ethereal vintage, steeped with dandelion, honey, and red currants. Y'ha-Nthlei ... The deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris. Go to Sleep, Darlings ... 
Kiss-soft clouds of spun-sugar snow.

I amp red musk so I wasn't sure if I'd get much more than that in this blend, but everything else sounded too good to pass up. Fortunately, although this starts out heavy on the juicy, slightly fruity musk (that's just how red musk "reads" to me, not so much because of the currant) it then lightens up and I pick out delicious honey and vanilla. It's not like the combo in O, however. For some reason the honey there always came across as plastic to me, but here it's delightfully realistic. The chypre lends it a touch of earthiness, but I'm not getting big blasts of patchouli or bergamot. It seems like a lot of people are finding this cologne-y, but it's actually super light on me. So much that it's essentially gone within a short 20 minutes. I guess my skin just eats this one, sadly.

You sound a lot like me in high school. Hated every moment and was very reserved, though I was also a bit of a rebel. Don't worry, once you get out into "the real world" things get infinitely better. You do what you want on your own terms and only have to associate with the people you choose. Fairy Wine - An ethereal vintage, steeped with dandelion, honey, and red currants. Antique - Fossilized amber, juniper berry, wild musk, oudh, vetiver, white cedar, black currant, oakmoss, and leather. Ranger - Untamed wilderness: buckskin accord with Terebinth pine, Russian birch, black ironwood, elder bark, hay, armoise, juniper, patchouli, galangal root, Spanish moss, and cabreuva. Aglaea - Three golden ambers, bright musk, peach wine and myrtle. Tamora - Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean. Silence - White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach. Jupiterian Phoenix - Sarsaparilla, juniper berries, Himalayan cedar, Terebinth pine, sweet clove, green tea, nutmeg, and hyssop. Ship of Hel - Black oak and sprucewood with opoponax, myrrh, black ambergris, and the silent ice of Niflheimr. (I know you said you don't like aquatics but I picked it for the smoothness and peaceful vibe it evokes. It's not salty if that's what bothers you... a beautiful, sweet ice + woods scent.) You know BPAL also used to have a Juniper Berry SN, but it's very old now.

Metal, oil, spice and... hairspray? Oh Surtur, you started out so nice. I was happy that the ginger and pepper weren't burning my nose. Spicy but smooth and muted, sort of similar to how Three Cocks keeps its clove in check with musk/copal. But when I first put on SoS I mainly get metal. Glorious metal. It's the metal I love from Robotic Scarab amplified and heated up. The scent that gets on your hands after working on a car engine. Hot and slick and tangy. It's super realistic and I love it. The ginger is a little gingerbread cookies to me since the amber sweetens it slightly (would have preferred one or the other), so it feels somewhat out of place, but man is that iron good. This is not a heavy scent despite what the notes might make you imagine. It really does evoke a sword. A metal object isn't going to smell strongly, but I smell the hot air around it and a spiced oil burning on the blade. Yes, a flaming sword of badassery! For about 30 minutes. Then it all goes downhill for me. The metal dissipates and the amber/ginger takes the lead. Okay, a bit more perfumey than before, but it still feels strong and mature. But whoa, what is that chemical note crawling to the front? It's... it's ozone. So much ozone. OH GOD WHY IS IT ONLY OZONE THIS IS GINGER HAIRSPRAY DEATH NOOO– And scene. So yeah, I was sad about this. I wasn't expecting to like SoS but I did during its wet stages, so it was disappointing when it went all astringent ozone on me. I actually enjoy ozone and imagine it was contributing to the airiness I got before, but it just gains far too much prominence later on. I would say people should try this if they like ginger and/or metal and have a good history of their skin chemistry not ridiculously amping ozone.

My pleasure! I hope you like it - Trist is really beautiful. And enjoy the Ragnarok blends heading your way too.

I would stick with Okayaki then. It may be sweeter than Orofluido, but it's a dusty/powdery blend that's quite delicate and pretty.

I wonder what the "oriental" notes are. Is it floral, fruity, musky? You might want to give Okayaki a shot. It's a warm and powdery scent with a vanilla/amber musk vibe. Some of the recent Shungas might work as well - Blooming Flowers of Spring (which has honey and amber) or Reflected Vulva (guessing that maybe Asian = cherry blossom while the cream will provide a vanilla-ish base).

I think these two got skipped over, so here are my thoughts for these lovely individuals: La Mort - Pomegranate accord, red rose accord, opopponax, benzoin, champaca flowers, and star anise. I think this would be perfect for you. It's a dark and moody rose with incense and juicy pomegranate backing it. The anise gives a licorice vibe, too. It seems to match your dark yet bohemian personality. I'd also recommend: The Cat - Sleek, black, dark, and clever: benzoin, honey, cedar, and dark musk. The Final Darkness - Black amber and shimmering moonflower blackened by opoponax, khus attar, smoked oudh, and myrrh and all swallowed by the fathomless depths of a lightless ocean. Sheol - Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka. Liz - A light, feminine vanilla floral perfume and a swirl of smoke and leather. Black Rose - Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk. Yay for more INTJs! My first thought was Tristran (Redwood, tonka bean, white sandalwood, lemon peel, patchouli, rosewood, coriander, and crushed mint) because of your adventurous nature coupled with an introverted, sensitive side. Also check out: Endymion - A sweet, wistful blend of d'Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk. Dee - Soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. Philosopher in Meditation - Smoldering woodfire embers, Galen's Kyphi, and Abramelin incense. Mr. Ibis - Papyrus, vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, African musk, aloe ferox, white sandalwood. Eldritch Drunken Constellations - Eucalyptus sap, white tea leaf, and ambergris foam.


Woohoo! A big bright burst of lemon and matcha right off the bat. It doesn't change much as it dries, just gets calmer and lets the yokan come out a bit. Sadly I was hoping for more amber or sandalwood to temper the citrus, but no such luck.

I'm experiencing the same thing as Avi, this is just pure green tea on me. It's very nice and refreshing, but I was hoping some of the other notes would darken it up and create a bit more complexity. It's a wet and juicy note, not dry. Makes me thirsty just smelling it!

This is so pretty! I'm amazed by the other reviews because to me the vetiver is hardly here at all. Normally that would bum me out since I'm a fan, but this is a gorgeous blend of soft, juicy apricot, creamy vanilla and very well-behaved patchouli. It's a surprisingly delicate scent. I imagined it would be rather husky with all the wood notes, but nope, it's dainty and romantic. If you love vanilla and apricot but are wavering because of the vetiver/ceder/patch then I strongly suggest you give Awabi a go, since if it plays nicely with your chemistry it's stunning. There is a slight woodsiness here, but it's mainly serving to ground the sweetened apricot. Totally lickable and refreshing; this would be a great summer scent.

From the decant it's all BPAL's luscious cream note. I wish they'd make a single note because I'd take out stock, but I know better than to get hopeful about it in blends. I'm looking at you, Blossoms in Springtime, which smelled deceptively gorgeous in the bottle then went astringent and weird on me. Plovers is indeed another morpher, but it's more delicate in comparison. It starts out big on the abalone accord, which is sweet in a wonderfully aquatic way. Then it quickly focuses on the tea rose and beeswax. Very soft and almost "girly" to me. My beloved cream isn't too big of a player; it mostly comes across as a smooth and slightly fruity (maybe from the tuberose, it kind of has that vibe) floral.

I thought I’d like The Final Darkness most out of the Ragnarok line, and it’s not disappointing. Very sexy! Kind of reminds me of Schwarzer Mond without the icky dry zdravitz that kept it from working on me. There’s something almost nutty in here. I would describe it as “powdered darkness” or “tendrils of night,” if that makes any sense. It’s not actually powdery/dusty to the nose, but it’s a gentle yet mysterious mix of awesome. Cool like night air, yet also sweet and comforting. Like a dark figure you know is watching over you rather than looking to cause trouble. As much as I love many of the notes here, it’s tough to find them! It’s a gossamer sort of blend. I think I can find my beloved khus after a while. The earthiness of vetiver gets softened up by the myrrh for a truly seductive mix. I feel like I'm smelling jasmine even though it's not listed, and here’s the crazy thing—I usually hate jasmine. Yet this reminds me more of the fruity version versus the dry stuff I can’t stand. I think the moonflower is probably pushing it towards being juicier as well. I quite like this, even though it dries on the floral side. Makes me think of an Arabian princess. I can’t say it’s aquatic in the way I’m familiar with (not foamy or salty), but “sweet and magical night air over the sea” would be apt. *edit* So I've had this for about a year now, and sweet jumpin' Odin. This has aged more gloriously than any other oil I've ever owned. The moonflower/jasmine-y aspect has almost completely disappeared, and when I put it on I'm immediately bathed in the scent of deep, sweet amber and heavenly incense. It's completely warm now, like being cuddled against the side of a mystical, black-furred beast. Or black silt swirled through with flecks of gold. Truly a comforting darkness. It also lasts for ages and I get whiffs of stunning myrrh and ambergris weighed down by amber all day/night. This is seriously perfection for resin and incense lovers.

Weird, this really is Sweet Tarts at first sniff! And slushy grape snowballs? It calms down into a soft, sweet pine and cool ice. It retains some of the grape for me but it’s not as dark or dramatic as I imagined. I’m not into frosty pine enough to want a bottle of this, but I imagine Yule lovers will adore it. A pretty and regal blend.

This blend is actually very soft and pretty! I was concerned about the “fiery red ginger” since notes that are too spicy can end up burning my nostrils, but here it provides just the lightest touch of “oomph” beneath a delicately sweet basil and warm musk. The cistus is very noticeable as well – it comes from rock-rose, which has a slightly fruity, honey-like scent. I’m not picking out much else. It’s not intensely herbal or even amping the patchouli, but overall this is a sweet, musky and happy scent. I definitely imagine it having a serpent-green color… mischievous but not too harsh. My husband smelled it and immediately said “incense,” which isn’t a bad descriptor! It’s somehow both light and dark, but it gives off a gentler vibe than I expected.

Ha, I smell no butts here! But this is super herbal and bitter on first application. As it dries it becomes nicely cool and refreshing. A clean, herbal water. The thyme is so fresh and relaxing. There’s not too much else to say about it because the description is pretty much spot-on. I’m surprised by how nice I find this since straight herbals are usually not my thing. I like it much more than Vial of Holy Water, which was just sweet white florals with an aquatic edge. This feels truer to pure, crystalline water with healing herbs on the side. It's potently "good." I could definitely see (smell?) myself wearing this on a hot day. Totally natural, inoffensive and beautiful. I imagine a monk in pure white robes sitting at the edge of a shimmering lake. Peaceful and calming amid all the potent, musky blends in the rest of this line.

Another surprisingly gentle scent. A big transformer, too. It’s not screeching an evergreen note like I thought it would. Despite what Lycanthrope said about ironwood, I actually do smell something lemony. It starts out vague then amps more and more, until it’s almost at “cleaning liquid” level. And that’s all I really get for about 20 minutes. Then a sort of warm dustiness starts peeking out, the fuzzy musk. It overtakes the lemon but it’s still barely there; I guess with my chemistry I’m just not getting a lot of complexity. So that’s it: fur and slightly sweetened, very muted lemons. After a long time (like 2+ hours) it finally eliminates the citrus and goes straight fur musk. No blood. I like it a lot at this stage, super cuddly, but it takes quite a while to reach it.