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BPAL Madness!

strahlend

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Everything posted by strahlend

  1. strahlend

    Lampades

    My first impression is that Lampades is what would happen if Lilith and Satyr had a child. It has the rich red wine with incense feeling from Lilith and the musky woodsy sweetness from Satyr. I realize that none of those notes are part of the description, but that's what it smells like to me and I really, really like it.
  2. strahlend

    Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat

    This was a frimp from the lab and I'm so thankful! This is a lovely realistic melon and lime scent that's perfect for warm weather, like many people above have said. Surprisingly my strictly non-foody partner even likes it. Yet another blend to add to the ever growing bottle buy list.
  3. strahlend

    Door

    Heavenly. Door is a light honey with a slightly fruity smelling bit of floral mixed in. The post above describes very well my impression of this scent. It feels very naturally beautiful. This scent makes me think of drinking honeyed tea in a comfortable window seat and wearing pretty dresses. This scent does feel very feminine to me although I don't normally think of scents as masculine or feminine. There's just something about it that evokes femininity very clearly. I feel like this is reminding me of one of the recent Shungas but I can't quite place which one. I was a little afraid that a scent with such a light feel would fade quickly but it's quite the opposite. The longer I have it on the better it gets, which is really saying something because it starts out beautifully.
  4. strahlend

    The Marquis de Carabas

    I predict that the Marquis de Carabas will be very popular. This is drop dead gorgeous. Enticing, warm, and sexy this is great for putting on yourself or someone you would like to be close to. This is a perfect blend of light rum, it really is just a splash, spice and leather. This is a soft supple leather, not the sharp new kind. Sometimes in other spice blends spice ends translating as clove which easily overpowers me, but this isn't like that at all. Sometimes also opium ends up being kind of cloyingly sweet, which is also not the case here. I just realized this is a blend made of things that are normally too strong, but in this blend they are so perfectly balanced that it ends up being a whole new thing that's even better than any of the parts. It dries down into a softer, closer to the skin version of when it was wet. I wish that my skin could smell like this naturally! *edit to add* I find myself reaching for this more than any of the other Neverwhere blends I ordered and even more than some other long time favorites. It's never gone bad for me, it's great for morning as well as evening, I can comfortably where it anywhere I go and it works in warm or cool weather. This scent is really, honestly, amazingly, FANTASTIC. I think I'm in love with the Marquis!
  5. strahlend

    The Floating Market

    I was pretty excited to try this scent since I really enjoy scents inspired by an atmospheric feeling. In the bottle this is a complex mixture of citrus and spice. On my skin the citrus comes forward with a feeling of herbal greenery and spices right beside it. I looked around for information about some of the notes I hadn't heard of and found out that copaiba balsam is said to have a warm honey-like scent.Petitgrain has a strong, bitter, floral, citrus scent. Sinicuichi is a perennial shrub with hallucinogenic properties - I couldn't find a scent description. Betel was described as smokey or peppery. And wattleseed is a spice (which seems to be in popular use) with a perhaps smoky or nutty type of flavor and is used in both sweet and savory dishes. That being said, this is quite a unique scent in its variety and coheisiveness. It somehow manages to be both a deep, rich, spice and a light citrus at the same time... and for some reason I attribute compeltely to Beth's amazing skill... this blend is both at the same time and it WORKS. It's a beautiful blend and my words aren't doing it justice. My advice is to get some to sniff for yourself. It really is incredible.
  6. strahlend

    Anesthesia

    This smells like a peppermint single note sniffing straight from the bottle. Wet on my skin – wow is this pepperminty!It dries almost immediately. Cooling sensation on the skin, nose and even eyes when I brought my face near my arm to sniff. This is a higher, sharper crystalline type of lavender than is in other lavender blends I've tried. Wow! I'm sitting in a large aura of lavender mint, I don't detect even a hint of anything else. This is very clean and pure smelling. More than five minutes later I'm still feeling the cooling sensation on my skin and it's showing no sign of stopping soon, usually that goes away for me pretty quickly. I've tried other lavender mint blends and this is not like any of them. It is neither sweet or musky or soft or powdery - this is a minty lavender that is sharp, pure, cool, and very straight forward. Anesthesia is going to be a fantastic scent for this summer.
  7. strahlend

    Night's Bridge

    On me this is a beautiful soft musk. There's more going on here that I'm having trouble putting into words. Despite being a relatively soft scent it is wafting up from my wrists really nicely. Very smell-able but not overpowering. I'm not getting ozone/soap here at all. I wish I was more familiar with the various musks so I could describe this better, but I would guess egyptian or white. It feels like there's a soft floral in the background maybe too. It's very pretty and I'm glad to have a bottle. It's not what I expected at all, I was guessing this would be more cold and aquatic perhaps... but instead this is quite warm and inviting. 2 weeks later... I'm testing this out again and now it seems to have more of a tart/musk scent as the dominant note, I can't figure out what it is though. I wouldn't call this stone at all... it's driving me crazy trying to figure out what I would call it because I really have no idea. There's some kind of vibe here that's reminding me of Giant Vulva and Velvet Nudie and the only thing those two have in common is skin musk... so maybe that's it? I had to take a decant out of the bottle so I could see the color separation people have been talking about. It really is very pretty!
  8. strahlend

    The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair

    Sweet, amber, warm, a soft woodsy and musky scent with a good throw. I love it! I don't get the greenery or florals others mention - mainly amber with some vanilla and sandalwood.
  9. strahlend

    Velvet Dogs Playing Poker

    If I could slather myself in this from head to toe and roll around in sniffing myself all day that is exactly what I would do. I can't remember the last time I felt this excited about a blend. Which is not to say that there aren't a whole bunch that really ring my bell... but this one... this one makes me feel like if it were a person I would declare my unending love and run away with it in the night. But what does it smell like? It smells mostly like wood and coffee... but that just doesn't even begin to cover it. This is the wood like an old room filled with heavy wood furniture when all the walls were real wood panels. It makes me think of dark wood, like mahogany - but I'm not really sure. There's a smokiness too, like in this room there have been many pipes of expensive and fragrant tobacco have been smoked. There's a rich sweetness and a hint of booziness that deepen and intensify the atmospheric feel. This is a room I never want to leave... it's dreamy and serious and inspirational and comforting and super sexy - all at once. I'm on a mission to hoard as much of this as I possibly can, starting right this minute.
  10. strahlend

    Velvet Nudie

    Wet on my skin I get lemons. I normally don't care for lemons, but these lemons are fresh and just a little sweet, like lemonade. A short time later they fade back a bit and the most wonderful soft, sweet, natural musk comes to the front. It's a very sexy kind of musk and I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Mmm... I smell goooooood. It's amazing how this scent is able to smell so natural, I keep thinking that this is how Pan's nymphs would smell. It does seem to fade within a couple hours, but that's ok with me. It's a lovely scent. Oh, and I was going to include that I think this is going to be a staple for me during the Summer. It's sweet, sultry and musky while still being light, fresh and clean. Perfection!
  11. strahlend

    Gourmand - Foody Scents - General Recommendations

    Oh man. I haven't ever come across a horchata scent but.... mmmmmmm.... that would be fantastic. What a great idea!
  12. strahlend

    Staged Moon Landing

    I have an impression of purple flowers and mint. I smell the vanilla really well in the imp but it seems to fade in and out of existence on my skin. It does remind me of Silver Phoenix in a way. It's very pretty but I have a feeling that my decant is enough for me.
  13. strahlend

    Traipsing through the Crop Circles

    This is the Helicopter I was most excited to try. In the imp - I'm getting seeds and grains similar to Season of the Emergence, with a side of.. dandelion? Wet - I amp all things lemon-esque, and I'm getting some unexpected lemon here, that phase fades quickly and I start getting sweet florals with a soil feeling in the background Dry - this has totally turned into dirt, particularly Graveyard Dirt, for me with mild florals in the background. Summary - I was hoping for more corn. I think I'll test again in a week or two. Maybe my nose is just off right now.
  14. strahlend

    Salomé

    To my nose this is mainly a jasmine blend, but this is the darkest, richest, jasmine I've ever encountered. I also get a strong impression of smoke and fragrant wood, like a bonfire. Every time I sniff Salome I think of a woman wearing jasmine perfume dancing around a fire - and I'm madly in love with her.
  15. strahlend

    How do you apply your BPAL oils?

    I don't know if that's an "official" slather or not, but it sounds like a fun and delightful application method! Yay for cleavage mooshing! I've been reading through this thread and thinking that I must be some kind of crazy person for using several drops at once
  16. strahlend

    How do you apply your BPAL oils?

    When I put on oils I usually take a clean swizzle stick and dip it in the oil about three times to get three dots of oil on my arm, then I lightly rub my arms/wrists together and then rub my arm across my neck and my wrist across my chest. Is that a slather? How much oil is a dab, how much oil is a slather? Please talk to me about how much oil you use - if you define it as a dab or a slather - and exactly how you put it on, I'm really curious. I'm also wondering if slathering references mostly the amount used in one application or if slathering also includes frequency of application. Like, maybe someone only puts on a small dab each time, but ends up applying it 10 times a day - does that end up being a slather?
  17. strahlend

    Lilith

    I love Lilith so much. On me this is all red wine, red fruits and incense. I'm not usually one for fruits, but in this case they totally work. This is deep and rich, it feels like there's a plush-ness to this scent, like falling onto a bed with a red velvet comforter on it in a room where the walls are dark red, there's an open bottle of red wine on the table, the lights are low, and the best incense you've ever smelled wafts through the air. Lilith is decadant, intense, rich, powerful and sexy. Oh, and I'm normally sensitive to rose in a blend, but oddly enough I do not detect it here at all.
  18. strahlend

    Worm Moon 2008

    This reminds me of dirt and dryer sheets. Clean, linen, powder and cotton... but with dirt. It's kind of odd. I prefer Graveyard Dirt since it's just dirt and nothing else, but I love the name and label of Worm Moon.... and maybe someday I'll want to smell like clean laundry and dirt. It could happen.
  19. strahlend

    Machu Picchu

    I'm getting citrus and pretty flowers. Light, clean and inviting. I would sware there's something from the lemon-esque family in here. I'm not sure where I know these flowers from, but they feel familiar. Alas, the citrus is stealing the details. That's probably a personal skin chemistry issue though. Very pretty, but it does fade fast. Maybe it would do better in a locket? ~edit - I think this is reminding me of Giant Vulva in a way. I wonder if anyone else gets that?
  20. strahlend

    Giant Squid

    This is such a unique scent. It's very watery - aquatic, some unusual floral, green - like moss or kelp with more juicy green of another variety I can't quite identify. I love green scents but I hate it when they go soapy - Squid is in no danger of going soapy at all. This is a whole other kind of aquatic. On the drydown I get a hint of a salty vibe. All together this is a fantastic water with green kind of scent and I'm totally head over heels in love with it. edit for spelling
  21. strahlend

    Mlle. Lilith, Fortune Teller

    I really love this scent. It opens up with a nice light coconut and during the dry down I get the incense. I'm not usually a fan of fruit (pom, currant, berries or anything like that) but this is kind of sweet and fruity without making me feel like a fruit bowl. It reminds me a lot of being in the incense area at a new age bookstore or at a natural food store. It's sweet and incensy at the same time and it's lovely. Fun, playful, sweet and also a little sexy and mysterious... An especially great scent for spring/summer.
  22. strahlend

    Death Cap

    This has been a favorite for quite a while. Hard to describe though. It gives the feeling of soil without directly smelling like dirt. The closest thing I can think of is when mushrooms are just starting to saute - but with dirt. It's warm and earthy and absolutely fantastic. I really need to get a bottle of this instead of just buying imps here and there.
  23. strahlend

    Can I use BPAL to train my nose?

    I think Scribens advice to start with what you know is a good idea. So how you develop your nose depend on what you're already familiar with. I can't tell you how many times I've made notes that said, "I don't know what ____ is, but it must smell like this because __, __, and __ don't usually smell like this". Process of elimination, right? I give similar advice to people who are learning to cook - start with what you know and build on that.
  24. strahlend

    Green Phoenix

    I was all set to write a review about how this seems kind of soapy but almost not quite when my SO across the room said, "something smells like soap" - and I knew that yes, indeed, this does smell soapy. I like cucumber, grass, lime, mint, everything listed... but none of the notes feature prominantly enough to keep this from smelling like a mellow blend of all things green and clean which ends up translating as soapy. I really wanted to love this one more.
  25. strahlend

    Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo

    This scent reminds me of bright red cherries and helium. I've put a dab of this on when I was in not the greatest circumstances and it really has helped to perk me up a bit. It isn't within my normal range of prefered scents, but it really does cheer me up and so I've grown quite fond of it through association.
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