SophieCedar

Ohhhh I can never resist a scent supporting the UCLA. Everytime..I have to blind bottle it. This one is wonderful but lower throw than expected. I get more juniper at first application,than some, but then again I amp it. Pretty straight-forward and true to the description- smoky sandalwood vanilla with leather with musky golden oudh (my favorite type of oudh). Sophisticated and subtle.

Now Caesars approaching murder was foretold to him by unmistakable signs. A few months before, when the settlers assigned to the colony at Capua by the Julian Law were demolishing some tombs of great antiquity, to build country houses, and plied their work with the greater vigor because as they rummaged about they found a quantity of vases of ancient workmanship, there was discovered in a tomb, which was said to be that of Capys, the founder of Capua, a bronze tablet, inscribed with Greek words and characters to this effect: Whenever the bones of Capys shall be discovered, it will come to pass that a descendant of his shall be slain at the hands of his kindred, and presently avenged at heavy cost to Italy. Suetonius King mandarin, bronze tobacco, white sandalwood, and chamomile.. Hoouuuulllyyy moouuulllly. This is perfect for me! The mandarin is sweet, not too tart/acidic, bronze tobacco just GLOWS, white sandalwood gives a touch of dry incense and chamomile is a devious little joyful ninja in the background. Color impression is shiny dark orange. Perfect! Orange is my favorite color. It amps like crazy, which is nice...I mean with the power and notes cascade of a lush perfume...but it actually reminds me of Tokyo Milk's Bittersweet, minus the cake flour note. Very glad I took the risk of buying a bottle blind.

2017 version: A bit smoother than previous years...or maybe my nose has dulled. The rose, pink and snow notes meet evenly. I remember previous years having a zestier rose and stronger snow note. I like this one! Its cozier and more cuddly. Less explaining as to why I smell like an antique dollhouse room in grandmas house. More just nuzzly.

2017 version: Ooh clean cool draft ozone and a touch of citrus zest. I like this. Its not overpowering like when mixed with dirt or aquatics or stuffy like computer room baking circuit boards ozone. Its just airy cool night air on a spring day ozone. Yay!

Yessss!! A sufganiyot I can wear! Well, isn't this a keeper. Backup bottle worthy. I love black currant. Its sweet, tart, dark and syrupy with a sophisticated perfumey edge. Combining it with the sufganiyot note? Its to die for rich european pastries ....making me upset that american chefs don't use currants and gooseberries and rose and lavender and caper berries and buckets of thyme and all those little accents I read about in traditional european cooking, more frequently. /rant Anyways, if you found the other sufs too cloying after a bit, try this one. Its sweet but entrancing. Its kinda like a uhm...grown up sufganiyot? Yea. That's it!

Hearth 2017- Total winner, rocketing to my top 10 on first sniff. Yes, there's a cherry note from the cherrywood, yes there's sweet tobacco and a waft of firesmoke. Yes, there's the smell of a worn leather armchair. Yes, I've been there in front of a hearth smelling like this. Yes, this is incredibly accurate. The combination of all notes is overwhelmingly comforting and atmospheric. Brings me right back there. Thank you, bpal. <3

Anyone wondering if this actually aged well....it did. VERY well. I initially skipped Peach XIII in 2015 knowing full well it would've been a skin disaster...plus I was broke anyways. Glad I waited til now bc this has aged into a smooth musky beauty. When 1st applied, the cypress camphorously gasses and escapes like a legion of spectres from a freshly opened crypt. Bye bye..have fun destroying the living! Write soon! ( cypress hates me. Glad to see it go so quickly.) What's left is just... ungh. Its beautiful. Smooth as Morocco, depth like weenie's Depart Pour Le Sabbat, but actually smells a bit like Gun Moll lite. Confused yet intrigued? Me too. This is such a keeper.

On me, this has the smooth muskiness of Morocco. Unexpected and the notes are light, well blended but all present. Tobacco, like french tobacco, is the most prominent, sugar cane and cocoa second, caramel 3rd. Badgered is wonderful! Its kinda just a smooth, blonde musk. Totally not as heavy as I thought it would be but the throw is strong and it lasts for hours.

Elizabeth of Bohemia is my favorite LE. Its Rose with oudh. Otherwise, here's my favorites (that are not discontinued): Eostre of the Dawn (american gods) Salome Ode on Melancholy Melisande, The Puppet Mistress Theodosius, The Ledgerman Hope & Faith, The Siamese Twins Santa Eularia Des Riu Oneiroi Maiden Marie Nocturne Alice Pepper Pontarlier Roses Pearls and Diamonds Snooty Rose Brusque Violet

Gorgeous. This is totally worth a blind bottle purchase. Its veiled and light without disappearing; a perfect combination of resin, gourmand, and floral notes. A classy smooth perfume similar to Lyonesse. All notes are harmonious and nothing screams at the top or base. Truly emotes the character described, plus sticks around for HOURS. A winner and (I predict) a collector staple.

Peach and almond blossom with tonka, narcissus, and black amber. If you're not expecting a peach-forward scent and you're into the darker side of the bpals, this will be perfect for you. Its one of the more unique scents I've acquired over the past few years. The peach is sweet and crystalline, due to the addition of almond blossom. These 2 notes aren't singularly discernible, but fuse together wonderfully. Something in this smells like Leather Phoenix on me. I mean, to the point I thought there was gleaming black leather in it. Pretty sure its the narcissus...ok so apparently I amp narcissus? Who knew! The tonka is warm and gritty. The black amber isn't forward but adds warmth.

Uhm. I'm kinda addicted to the wet>drydown processs of this scent. Its like a food, porn, person I was convinced I'd hate (bc I think I know myself soooo well...) but I discover I actually truly enjoy it. Mind fuckery, I tell you! Wet: My big initial problems I had with Interlude were the fir and crushed ginger. Both go screaming sharp and acidic on me. What happened here, instead, was the sensation of s spring breeze flowing through fir trees. Totally refreshing. Drydown: a bit of funkiness smelling of pee for a second then *poof* warm dry woods, sweet apricot and oakmoss. Warm, inviting, low throw. Calming. Overall, an intense dramatic experience like a good thriller movie. I like it.

Wonderfully soft, warm, and flowing. Its smooth golden sweet incense. Definitely getting a bottle. Very wearable and a great cause!

This....this is pure ungh! The smoked honey amps on me to create the sweetest campfire smell EVER. The tobacco is sweet and the leather is perfectly balanced and earthy, not chemically. The cinnamon is playing nice like in Chimera and benzoin isn't going dry. Its like Perversion and Variety of Pleasing Amusements mated. TOTAL>FUCKING>WIN. I swear plentifully when I get psyched. Be prepared for when you meet me in person.

I keep waffling on a bottle purchase for Humanite. Its lovely...sometimes reminding me of clean fruity soap or perfume from the 90's, sometimes deeper and better than that. The tuberose goes *super creamy*..like how I wish gardenia would go.. and the caramelized vanilla gets consistently stronger. Basically the 2 are squashing out the fillings in this scent sandwich. Well, there's a little peach left. Its airy, sweet, voluptuous floral, refreshing. I think it'll be great for warmer temps. Snag a bottle now and save yourself some whining/hunting when the summer's heat finally hits

Mahahaha..this is glorious. This is not a white leather, like The White Rider. White Leather is something I definitely cannot wear, no matter what application. I'd undoubtedly know if it was, as soon as it touched my skin...too chemically. I'm not sure where people are getting the white leather smell from? Its clean, rich, riding crop leather with a beautiful floral tobacco and grounding incense-y sandalwood. Definitely buying a bottle. Maybe more. This is my kinda leather 100%.

Huh... my scent profile has changed with chemistry over the years, apparently. When I 1st started collecting in 2009, I woulda made a finger cross and hissed at Seraphim. Now? It speaks wonders in my ear, just reading the notes. Its straight-forward, no fuss, wonderful clean florals with grounding enlightening frankincense. The wisteria has staying power against the calla lily, I'm surprised. Overall color/texture impression is ivory tulle with eyelet lace. Anyone getting married soon? Grab this!

The honey oudh is sweet and resinous. The bourbon vanilla is quite dry, so maybe that's what people are talking about when they say woodsy? Not getting much woodsiness as previously mentioned. Overall, syrupy oudh and dark alcohol vibe vanilla, like pure distilled beans. Color impression is gossamer golden brown. Its a deep, booming, rolling, trance-like scent on me and I love it.

Allegory of winter showcases a perfect marriage of iffy notes & definite wins, resulting in higher confidence that I don't need to ban all scents including iffies. 2 iffy notes - crimson musk, coal. 3 wins - brown leather, amber, and blood orange. The wet phase is lovely. A burst of blood orange and amber, glowing red by the inclusion of crimson musk. Drydown smells like an old armchair. Warm, comforting, leathery, cozy, and a bit musty. Crimson musk and coal go a bit mealy but lets just contain my anxiety about them, shall we? Overall, a positive exposure therapy experience.

Fake News, I love you. I mean, in real life I hate you but, in oil form I love you. Reverbing the whole expensive luxury perfume thing, here. It smells like how you want to be treated at a luxury boutique. Wet: WWWHHHOLY JEBUS...smells identical to original release Prada Amber unisex perfume>> Sephora's extremely limited stock, it sold out in a few days and it was like $110 for 80ml....yea.. well, this was when Sephora was King Shit....hahahaa! The mass market release done in 2008 IS NOT the same. Original I'm talking about is much richer. Dry: slightly like CK's Euphoria now? Well the pink pepper has sweetened and whatever the leather/musk/resin combo was has smoothed. I still love it. Now that I think of it, the cascade from BLAST during wet to calm waters in drydown matches BPALs intended evocation, right? Good work lab, good work. <3

I wanted this to smell like goths stuck at a family holiday party, rolling their kohl laden eyes and frequently sneaking outside to suck down clove cigarettes. Yep. That's exactly what I got.

This is a testament to how well SSTIS has aged. Everything has smoothed and its GORGEOUS.Any sharpness that could be derived from the red musk or vetivert is gone. Once again..this is so frikkin SMOOTH. I'd suggest people retry their decants, now.

Snake Oil with blood orange, red apple, lemon peel, plumeria, and gardenia. 2016: Wet: I'd have to agree with the mothball vibe described by rhinestone housewife. The lemon peel is totally fucking with me! Drydown: what happened? it smells like all my favorite sexy flower friends again... oh well! Its the same old sexy glorious Coral Snake, as reviewed previously for the 2006 version. C'est la vie. Bonjour, mon amour!

(disclaimer***This is the 1st day in 2 weeks I've been able to smell, due to a mega-nasty cold. I can smell as good as a canine...my nose has been reborn! Hence, you're dealing with a very fresh palette perspective, olfactory-wise.) Wow. This is so much stronger than the 2006 version. I'm very happy. Wet: Snake oil isn't notable. Narcissus is more potent in 2016 = opium-esque floral oriental base. The passionflower is binding with the narcissus, if you can imagine the stupor that could induce.....Its the feeling of a lucid dream haze. 2006 was barely a whisper of narcissus. More watery linden and white calla lily = plucky innocent maiden vibe. Drydown: the staying power of the narcissus..wow. I can smell a bit more calla lily. The linden blossom is so delicate I think its getting overrun. Snake oil is coming out but don't misunderstand me... if you're looking for a scent that's snake oil + somethingsomething...look elsewhere. These florals are strong and obscure the SO completely. Overall, I love this though ok I have to go. My dog nose is picking up the smell of my armpits. Shower time.

Wet: citrus bar cleaner mixed with triple sec spilled on the floor? Am I back at a mexican restaurant when it opens the day after a heavily attended evening? I know this smell... Dry: ozone, lavender, green musk, bergamot. Much more mellow. I actually like it. Whew