Lycanthrope

Whoops, Eutectic and I discovered at my pad that we are Rose-Ampin' BPAL twins.

 

Because there was definitely a sleek sharp citrus, almost a touch cool (?leather?) that completely, utterly hid the rose which lashed out at me like so much angsty poetry. I was all like *angst* *flail* *rose*

 

The subtelty was pretty nice though, and I think on someone whose skin plays well with rose, this could be an awesome cool citrus rose - cold and dark, and with talons.

Again, due to Eutectic locality, I got to dab this on and try it.

 

So... I will just write my impression.

 

POWDER'D!!!

 

It's a very strong sweet musky powder aroma on me. Like whoa. I was informed there was something more sinister beneath it, but I think this is sinister enough on me already. Like I just got uppercutt'd by a baby who was just recently changed and surrounded by a cloud of talc. Mayhaps better on other folks' chemistry, because mine apparently not only amps lily and rose, but baby bum.

As I am local to Eutectic, I got to sniff (and dab!) a coveted drop of this wonderful blend.

 

On first sniff, It's a very well blended slightly wet floral, no particular dominating essence. There's a hint of a bright aura of some sort. This, I warn, is a blend you should not try, for you shall covet it. On my skin, there's again that interesting sharp brightness, which I can't put my finger on. There's a swirl of vampy flowers, like lilies and maybe a hint of rose or possibly a little... oh, I dunno. It's just a very striking, dangerous floral. And over it all is that brightness... and a hint of a wet, sweet fruit...

 

Oh. Is that cognac? It's a beautiful note if present - I can smell a deep grape-y wine aroma that isn't too super strong. Peeking past the skin scent is just a tingle of honey - like a tickle - nothing overpowering. Overall, this prototype blend is remarkable in how many subtle scents it holds - and it gradually transforms over wearing time. Even this one small drop shows off so many gradations of aroma that I'm floored.

 

Over time, I'd say this retains a touch of honey sweetness magic, and a dangerous floral.

 

I think it's like Black Lily on steroids, if steroids caused explicit awesomeness.

Good eve, Queen Ysabel, I welcome you to my court.

 

What's this, you say? Your court-girls have entered my salon and have filled it with ruby red rose petals. Their scent, to me, is always cloying and somewhat frightening as they, much like their tossers' pastiched lips of crimson, crescendo into a frightening...

 

But, hold. What is this? Queen, you enter, holding a marvelous crystal flacon filled with a most mysterious aroma, which you, arching an eyebrow, mist into the air like mist from a waterfall, a beautiful concoction of mysterious, enticing carnation, pushed forward but not overwhelmed with the tickling fiery sweet clove, and supported by a thrum of murky patchouli. The effect is intoxicating, mesmerising, I close my eyes in ecstasy, and I forget all about the bevy of rose littering my grand chambre, even as your slightly deranged handmaidens pull from beneath their petticoats even more petals and find yet-unexplored corners to stuff damp, velvety torn rose petals into.

 

You step closer, a smile, and I take another breath.

 

The carnation, the spice, the swirling smoke, the absolute hypnotism, the...

 

*WALLOP!*

 

I black out. Awakening on my left side, the first thought is on the condition of my dress linens, and at what horrid cost it will be to clean them properly. The second is the aroma of roses, wet, squished, blood red, at eye level, slightly torn and dragged across the cement floor, intermixed with that lovely symphony of scent. Oh, how I hate roses.

 

But, as I rise slowly to my feet and kneel before my majesty, that wonderful carnation rises again, with another spritz it opens my eyes and mind with its glorious radiance, and within my heart I know that I can't live without this perfect aroma, and take it, roses and all.

 

I glance up at you, your majesty, as you hoist a large, flowery umbrella, composed of tightly stitched rose blossoms, over your shoulder, a duke-shaped dent apparent in the careful tempered metal frame. You snap open an intricate fan covered in the finest lacework, a brilliant ivory, and from behind it I can see your dark, brooding eyes sparkle with the laughter of a conqueror.

 

I am yours, my crimson Queen!

Boadicea, in the bottle, is quiet, swirling malevolence. There are wisps of the snap of vetiver, just barely, a little smokiness, something sweet, feminine, but definitely smoldering.

 

On my skin, this is very sweet indeed, in fact, there's maybe a snap of smoke and sharpness which gives way to a smooth powdery amber accented and sweetened by the vanilla. Neither the patch nor dragon's blood announce their presence in their usual way on my skin (no deep, dusty dirt aroma nor sharp, slighty tangy citrus-oid resin), they just get swirled up into this very smooth amber.

 

Which... as this amber tends to do, a possibly similar amber as in The Ifrit, goes to powder. A very nice, fancy powder, but puffy and light, and pleasant, but not menacing at this point. Still quite nice. I like it, but it evokes a more peaceful scene to me than the destruction of Romans.

I kind of smell like meat.

 

It's a ferocious true woodfire scent that on me sometimes approaches crispy striped meat territory.

 

Glowy, though, a summer campfire.

Whoa.

 

Iz like I've been shucking corn and cutting the tips off of string beans from Mom's garden.

 

Like Whoa.

 

Totally not a 'wearable' scent for me, but srsly like whoa.

 

It's snappy, herbal without being super green, and smells like leaves.

Odd!

I found this imp tucked in with my Irish Poets bottles. It has green lettering, and perfect for St. Patrick's Day, which is just around the corner.

This is definitely an 'earthy' scent, possibly some sort of resin/galbanum, not dirty in a 'dirt' or 'patchouli' sense but with a certain lightness. It's fairly hard to pin down, and I always have trouble without a note list. There's definitely blades of grass or clover, it's peeking around the top of the scent, and then that sort of smooth snappy metal note (maybe representing the gold or cast iron pot?). Oh, dude, there's De Sade leather in this at the end. Mmm.

Very intriguing. I'm going to wear this out tonight. Oh! I need to wear green!

The bottle is beautiful. It has very graceful appearing boats, over blue and violet text.

On fresh sniff and wet, this has a resemblance to but much softer opening akin to Thunder Moon. It's definitely a toned-down ozone. Wet, it's a fresh, crisp aquatic. As it starts to settle on the skin, there's a touch more 'ocean spray lemon,' which goes progressively more salty as the oil dries down. The snap of ozone remains although this is going more towards marine/fresh bright waters. This is ocean air on the East Seaboard, but only on a bright, sunny day. This is like what the area that inspired Kingsport would be with no clouds, bright sun, at high noon, light reflecting off the water. Very lighthearted, not somber or misty at all.

As it dries further, there's a touch more soapiness but overall it remains a more gentle marine aquatic.

I can see this being good summertime wear, for when you need something unobtrusive.

The color is like a light, bubble pale powder blue/teal. I think of Polo Ralph Lauren commercials when I smell this.

Pwah? I have no idea why, but whenever I put this on, I immediately think of LUSH's Retread conditioner, the yogurt/melon/violet concoction that is all sorts of wonderful. It's got this greenish snap that reminds me of violet leaf, which may be the paper bag note. On me, the berries and cognac stay really quiet and it's mostly this ruffly underside of a leaf aroma. Quite odd.

 

I really do like it but probably won't need more than this bottle.

Soft, and less firm than I would have expected such a rigidly defined scent to be. From the base of the bush-like woodsy wood notes, I detected a prick of soft sandalwood, dribbling with the hint of sweet tonka, but not being overtaken, there was a tiny pulse of musk. I don't detect honey, and this scent, while engorged and waiting, is now a bit more shy and curves away from where I expect it to go. That's ok, it's good enough to get where I need it to go and it does tickle some part deep within. Not usually my type but with the right situation it can satisfy my craving for fuzzy woodsy scents.

Bottle sniff. Sweet. Very faint. Seems kind of pale. It's funny 'cause the guy on the label has the 'i' going up a very particularly odd place! The label is also spelled 'Glukupikros.'

Wet, this is still very light. Over time there is a tiny bit more of a sweet sharpness, definitely a pale musky sandalwood. There is not too much flagrant cedar, narcissus, or lavender... this is all very smoothly herbal with a touch of translucent musk. The vanilla caramel is perhaps what is giving this a little sugary sweetness, but by no means is it foody caramel. This scent is striking me as very androgynous, actually.

Hrm. I'm puzzled by this scent, I thought it'd be more uniformly ferocious, given some of the notes in it - vanilla caramel, or lavender, for example, but again this is a very tight skin-scent which has hints of all of its ingredients, but doesn't really showcase any one of its components. If I'd have to sum it up, Glukuprikos is a slightly mossy dry herbal wood with light throw.

So, I have had my bottle since the original release, but never reviewed it. In short, the drydown is like Love's Philosophy but with less sharp saffron, and more chocolate. So, it's a deep cocoa layered over a neutral-sweet cream note. It's ok. The curious thing about my bottle is that it also smells like alcohol, and on my skin it is thinner than most of my BPAL, and has a cooling sensation. I have no idea if what I have is pure CB, or if there was a cleansing snafu. Regardless, I got this direct from the Lab, so I'm wondering if the very strong alcohol note is expected.

So...

 

Anyone with experience transporting a stash, it's counting down time until I join the CO BPALers... June! I may consider moving a bit of BPAL with me the first trip and storing it - or would y'all not?

 

Anyhow. I have already prepped most of my backup stash except for the new incoming backups (lots... sigh) with sealant tape (the white rubbery nonsticky type) and a thin layer of bubble wrap. Then I pack them as tight as they will fit into these interlocking Target boxes. They sure are heavy.

 

I'm wondering if anyone else has add'l info - my time is not going to be plentiful unfortunately so I can't do anything too elaborate, but I must secure the smellies for the long drive.

 

I'll probably haul the box in and out of the hotel... more important than my computer

Ok. So, the whole 'light floral' thing is not my usual cup of tea. I somehow found a very tiny partial bottle of this from a forumite, and it crept its way, all unassuming and sneaky, and then one day on my way running out to work, it was the only bottle I saw and I had to make a snap decision. Dabbed on neck, wrists, and out.

 

Oh my god, does this scent blossom. It sits lightly against the skin like a veil of lightly warmed, sweet and tender blossoms, rustling silks and lightly dappled fabrics wafting in a breeze scented with a light kiss of honey. It's osmanthus heaven. It's an exotic scent merging the beautiful astringency of tea without the sharpness, accentuated by a touch of powder... that is not talc-y in the least, melded and fitted delicately and countering the brisk sweetness of the honey.

 

In the drydown it keeps a sweet astringency. So, this is like bright honey powder infused with osmanthus, which having had tea infused with osmanthus in the past, this is a beautiful execution of the flower.

 

Holy crap, I think I just described myself into needing a bottle of this eventually when I burn through this tidbit.

Oh, my.

 

I just snagged a 5 mL of Shub-Niggurath and a big bottle of Castitas. No patience for me! (Hah hah, Patienta... hah... ok, not that funny). But it's funny how all my gifts turn into BPAL/BPTP in the end. And technically, didn't pay a cent and still have about a buck left over to cover anything else I buy from the 'zon.

Mmm.

 

This is a very woodsy, twiggy, campfire-y aroma. In fact, it smells like the favorite bits of Yankee Candle's Fireside candle, with a whiff of something yeasty (stout?). The leather, if present, is clean and not overpowering at all. There's a smattering of resin, but to me this is a woodsmoke, tasty aroma. Snuggly. It doesn't really amp up in my car, so this'll definitely be an atmosphere, at home kinda spray.

 

I really really like it. *grabbypaws*

Hrm... Sage.

 

I find that Moon of Small Spirits has a good sagebrush/sweetgrass note. Coyote does as well.

 

The problem with both is that MoSS is rather slushy (not fruity, but perhaps 'floral') and Coyote does have a skin musk note.

 

I would avoid Aeval, it's a very sweet scent, heavier on some sweet tonka and something... else... sweet pea? Or floral. I dunno.

I've already added a few things to my wishlist. I think my friends will be surprised at the prices though, I'm desensitized because it's WORTH IT! But they may go '8 ounces of oil for... 27 bucks?' And what is all this TKO business?

 

I guess it's a good thing there's only part of the catalog up for sale, because if not, this gift cert I have from my friend would have melted very fast.

Goodness.

 

This has a first fresh burst that reminds me of those box-gum 'Fusen' things you could buy at asian markets, little globs of gum that never lasted long, but always had a characteristic grape flavor. Then it deepens and smells like a very sparkly burgundy berry scent, with white sugar crystals. There's the deep 'dark bitterness' of currant definitely sniffable, but it's all kept very bubbly with the apples and pears, which lend an airy sugar to this without being too 'snappy' or overpoweringly fruit.

I didn't see a prior review of this up... so here goes.

Metal Phoenix smells very faintly citrussy and airy-sweet in the bottle. On me, it has that burnished metal note present in Bed of Nails, Torture Queen, sort of a faint airy musk. This is followed with very soft, sweet florals, kind of like the aura of scent around a cold flower, if that makes sense. There's a little spice from the carnation but it's not very potent. It seems to be very light, and over time there's a veeeery slight powder-sweetness at the extreme drydown.

Very good, but with less floral than I'd like, and more nice balance between mild citrus ozone and bright cold florals.

Whoa. This smells like an old, aged leather bar.

 

Not ... er, that I've been in one, certainly not...

 

But it has that whole rough-edged, smokey, sort of body scented aroma, but it's also very ... potent.

 

I don't think I like my apartment smelling like this, because it's very, very strong, but it's actually very evocative of a saloon.

Yes! It is why I now have the practice of writing down all my pending Lab charges from any source, and then that helps me remember when I get the charges a few weeks later.

I was very excited for this fragrance as I love scents with grassy notes, and I'm also a big fan of Beth's snow/ice/slush scents.

 

This is a good scent, one that I will enjoy wearing, and will keep a stash of (as I tend to). Wet and in the bottle it smells green without being overtly grassy, and there's a hint of dry brush grassiness. This isn't A Blade of Grass raging, rollicking verdant leaves, but this also isn't the hay absolute note of Hay Moon or Bezoar sharpitude.

 

This reminds me a lot of a colder, less musky Coyote, with a very pleasant slushy snow note overlaid on top. There definitely is a softer pine here, it's not supremely sharp, and it plays together with the grasses to create a delicate, wistful winter scent. For me, this is a dry prairie without much snow at all, just a few smatterings, like a tundra.

 

It's very pleasant!

 

In the vein of yeahbutnobut: If you like Coyote and/or Talvikuu and were always curious to know what would happen if they were combined, this is a pretty good example. Minus musk.

Reminds me of Malkuth initially with all the plummy spiciness and a distinct 'maroon purple' vibe I get. There's a smattering of De Sade-like leather that tickles in the background but this is a masculine-appearing spicy splort of lilac plums. On me, after the spices have burned off it trends towards being lilac and amps up on that, which by no means is bad, but it's going less manly and more 'hidden tendencies towards wearing lilac perfume in the closet' is coming up. Spices have decreased.

 

However! If you liked Malkuth, you will probably like Bensiabel. You'd also like him if you like lilacs, this is pretty good.