theseagrows

wow, this is a really pretty scent. at first i wasn't so sure, because i got a weird sour thing that i often do from wood notes. now that the sourness has faded, this smells like a candied rose with a hint of amber. i LOVE how this turns candyish on me. it's like hope is a sugary rose, but this is a candied-rose, and i think i might need a bottle of this too.

the amber in this goes WAY powdery on me. at first the rose and oak are a bit sour, but that fades quickly, and i'm left with a musky-powdery-amber with a hint of rose and moss. i like this, as i can do powdery florals, though this is REALLY powdery. however, i have a lot of amber scents, so i'm not sure i need to keep this since it is similar to many other scents i have, that i like better.

got this one as a frimp, and for some reason i've never even heard of it either. sniffing the imp it's definitely a "dirt floral" scent. it reminded me of a subtler zombi at first. it basically smells like dirt and something...woodlike? i'm not sure, but it's the bone/papery note bpal uses that turns weirdly off and sour on me, mixed with dirt and a slightly spicy green floral. glad i got to try this, even if it's not really "me".

hm, something in this has a sweet, fruity plasticky smell, similar to plum. luckily, the poppy is subtle, because poppy doesn't often work with my skin chemistry. something in this off though, maybe it's the rose wood. it smells like a very sweet, bordering on fruity resin. it really does smell like incense, kind of like this cherry champa i tried once. all in all, it's not for me.

i was pretty sure i'd love this one, as long as the dragon's blood wasn't too strong, and alas, it is not! it's a warm, sensuous vanilla-oriental-floral on my skin. it is one of those scents with many notes that is so well-blended, that i really have trouble picking all the notes out. it's mostly amber, fig and vanilla on me. the resins are very subtle, and i can't detect the leather at all. i think the oak peeks out a tiny bit, which comes off as a slightly foody tinge, almost like nutmeg. i think this may be going on my bottle wishlist!

wow, unfortunately, this scent doesn't smell like the description on me AT ALL. i love musk and leather, and honey is hit or miss, but the only thing i can smell that's in the description is the leather. it's like someone dropped a leather jacket on a rainy night in the woods, and the sun is just coming up and the scent of leather, herbs and leaves is coming forth. in theory it sounds good, but i don't like how it smells on me. but what's weird is it's nothing like the description!! i almost think that maybe i got something mislabeled? (decant from a swap.) because there is no honey-musk warmth to this at all. it's herbal and leafy and leathery...i am thoroughly confused! even in the decant, it smells similar, so i am not totally sure that only my skin chemistry is to blame...hmm.

unfortunately, this smells pretty terrible on me. sour, green and herbal, like old rotting leaves or something. i can't really make out any notes, just know it smells icky. eta: a few hours later it smells like a sweet floral that's pretty innocuous. not really bad or good, still, much better than the initial stages.

holy ginger! i am getting mostly ginger, berry and a bit of the smoky vanilla. a little touch of clove makes it smell yule-like. it reminds me of this xmas craft fair i went to with my mom when i was a child. it was out in a barn and it smelled of pine and apple cider. this scent is reminiscent of apple cider to me, actually but with that drop of berry instead. very pretty and yule-like. since it's spring, i'll probably save this for next winter-it's a very cozy, nostalgic scent.

i got a frimp of this in a swap! i am just testing it like a normal perfume, so i can't say anything for its massage qualities. it does indeed smell earthy to me. it smells like vetiver to me, though that note is not mentioned in the description. i think sometimes patchouli can smell vetiver-y on me though. i get the myrrh and the other notes are very subtle. i can see how this is grounding-it's very very earthy with a bit of warmth. i don't wear a lot of earthy scents, so i'm not sure i'd try this massage oil full-on, but i'm glad i got to try it.

what an odd scent. at first, this positively reeks on me. i'm not kidding-my skin chemistry just does not like it...it smells like burning vomit or something. however, i gave it awhile to settle and didn't sniff my arm for awhile, and it smells better now that it's dried. it still smells odd on me, but not gross. it smells ike a metallic-ozone leather jacket on me. there is just no other way i can describe it but that.

what a soft lovely scent! at first it's a sweet tangerine, with the cypress and musk barely hinted at in the background. after it dries it turns to pure white musk and cypress on me. i am not too familiar with cypress as a note, but it seems to work in this on me. and i love white musk, so i find this quite nice. it's subtle, fresh and i think it's a good spring/summer scent. i kind of wish the tangerine lasted longer on me, though.

holy crap, this is beautiful. i LOVE olive blossom, and all the other notes, so i was 90% sure i would love this too. i only have one other BPAL with olive blossom but it's one of my favorites. this is light, springy and beautiful. at first it's a bit sweet from the flowers and maybe the fig, but that dies down and i am getting a beautiful olive blossom-tobacco scent with a bit of sage, herbs and flowers in the background. need.big.bottle.now.

yep, this is mostly a clovey-black musk, but not as bitter as i thought it would be. the "copper colored feathers" add a nice sensual softness to this scent. it gets a bit powdery from the black musk, but not in a bad way. it's a very warm and enveloping scent to me. i like it quite a bit...it is reminiscent of a few other bpal's, but this one is more warm and sensual ( and i can't remember the names of the others, either. )

this is a grassy, sweet, springtime floral. there is a floral note that i just cannot place...it's not orchid or plumeria or lotus, but it's in the same vein. maybe it's lily, but i'm not totally sure. very light and pretty-perfect for spring, but very similar to other BPAL scents i have, so i will probably swap it.

i can't do snake oil, but i seem to be able to do many snake oil variants (the snake pit!) this reminds me A LOT of snake charmer, but with more honey. BPAL's snake oil and honey note both can go powdery on me, and it's no exception here. it's a honeyed, powdery snake oil that is reminiscent of snake charmer, but not quite as deep and complex. smells very sexy, but i think i'll stick to snake charmer, as it works better with my skin chemistry.

this smells like soapy incense on me-what a strange combination! i think it's tarragon, ginger, coriander and oud that i am mostly getting here, perhaps. i can't sense amber, lime or white musk...3 notes i really love. oh well. it's kind of like a white floral gone slightly sour mixed with a head shop...not really what i was hoping for. to my skin chemistry.

ooh pretty scent! it's kind of fruity for my regular tastes, but i quite like this! the mandarin and quince add just the right amount of fruityness without being overwhelming. the honey and tobacco add a rich warmth-this scent is very peach, orange and golden-evocative of the corresponding painting. this scent is very warm, deep and autumnal. i will definitely keep my decant-i think this would be great on a cold wintry day.

hm, this scent is weird. it smells very young and very mature to me at the same time-not sure why that is. this is an interesting vanilla-paired with the orris it's reminding me of a slightly white floral-white musk combination. the violet is evident at first, but goes into the background once dry, and the narcissus (i think) comes up to the forefront, making this like a narcissus-white musk kind of scent on my skin. it smells like a musky yet fresh spring scent. i don't really love it, nor do i hate it...andi'm not sure i'd wear it too much.

ooh very interesting. when i sniff the decant it smells like straight up alcohol. now that it's on my skin, it's mostly cabernet, coffee and oak. very interesting, but not sure i'd wear this too much. it's so interesting though that i can't stop smelling my wrist. it's like a warm, velvety, slightly earthy wine scent.

this is an interesting scent, and i am on the fence about it. it smells slightly...bubbly? to me. i think it's the mandarin, maybe. i can sense that, the blackberry and the khus mostly. i don't get much musk at all, and the gardenia seems to be supporting in the background. i wish i got a bit more musk, but i still like this scent. no need for a bottle, but i may wear it from time to time.

this is very mars-y. when it first hits my skin i get a kind of weird sour scent, but once it settles a bit more, i am getting pure red, hot spiciness. i thought pretty much every note in here worked well on me and i was 90% sure i'd like this, but i am not really liking it much with my skin chemistry. it has that hotness that cinnamon has, but is dryer and less...sweet? it reminds me of the desert-a parched, dry, spicy scent.

i like this one. the lilac in this is different than the lilac that i think BPAL used in the past...or, maybe it's just the way the notes blend? this lilac works quite well with my skin chemistry, while previous ones did not. anyhow, i get a fairly strong lilac note with something else i can't place, but the tonka and vanilla come through later. the lilac settles and the vanilla becomes more prominent after a burst of slight smokiness that lasts awhile. i feel like there are other florals in this, but i can't place them. maybe it's the galbanum, which i am only a little familiar with... a nice scent-i'll keep my imp and like it quite a bit.

something in here goes wonky on my skin-i think it's the white sandalwood. sandalwood is hit or miss, and it's missing here, unfortunately. this smells like a powdery yet sour honey on my skin and i get no oakmoss, which is one of my favorite notes off to swaps with this one.

ugh, unfortunately, this doesn't work on me AT ALL. i think that usually most of these notes work on me, but combined they just aren't working at all. this smells like a sour rose scent on me-that's really all i get. i think maybe it's rose + vetiver that's doing it, but sometimes sandalwood goes a bit sour on me too, so it could be that.

ooh i like this-very subtle, warm and soft. i think i am mostly getting olive blossom and cardamom, and some kind of musk. it doesn't seem to have florals at all, or if so, they are very subtle and not what i think of as typical of florals. i don't smell anything remotely aquatic as the snowball suggests, but do get a similar vanilla-y scent that seems to be in other scents with "snowballs." this is lovely, i may have to get more of this...