Vega

Sniffed: A juicy, sugary fruity-floral. Quite reminiscent of Holiday Moon, albeit nuanced and more complex, and less bold as a result. On skin: When wet, Peacocks is sugary, juicy, fruity green-floral. Airy and discreet, yet full-bodied and watery in a juicy-fruit way. Everything is very blended and I can't quite pick out any particular notes. It is quite similar to Holiday Moon when wet (must be the bamboo pulp, the only common note listed), but definitely more floral and complex. Unfortunately, after drydown, a sour, thin note emerges that threatens to overwhelm the blend -- lemon verbena tends to be the culprit, but there's no verbena listed! Thankfully, the rest of the blend is grounded enough to prevent this sour note from overwhelming, and it eventually disappears. Overall, Peacocks ends up a gentle, light, juicy-green fruit-floral. It also fades very quickly on my skin. Verdict: Even though it's pretty, I can never remember how Peacocks smells after I've worn it out -- I think it suffers from having too many notes and, as a result, has no distinctive character. The mystery sour note also spoils what otherwise would be a pleasant blend. Not memorable, I won't be keeping it.

Sniffed: Light, fruity-floral and sweet. Airy and clear. On skin: La Vague is a bright, graceful, juicy-wet (but not aquatic) fruit-floral blend. It's well-blended and I can't pick out individual notes, but everything is harmonizing and nothing is standing out or overwhelming the others. Warm, not cold -- indeed like creamy white wave-foam instead of the watery wave itself. The epitome of an airy, sweet, feminine scent. Stays much the same over time. Verdict: While I think La Vague is a lovely blend that embodies the Salon image, it is unfortunately vague, doesn't distinguish itself. I can never remember how it smells after I've worn it out -- a big minus in my books -- so it'll probably get swapped.

Sniffed: Clean, dry and very woody, a bit parchment-like. On skin: Oof, Aziraphale is all sharp, dry, pale woods. Light, thin, incisive and bold, almost spicy with sharpness. Perhaps there is a touch of musk and parchment/paper, but this is all woods. It has a dry, forgotten air, like an empty ancient house, albeit one that is clean and airy and brightly lit. Colour impression is a very light brown. Verdict: I was hoping for more parchment, but alas, Aziraphale is all woods and way too masculine for me.

Sniffed: Sharp and perfumy, possibly the apple blossom and ylang ylang working together. An undercurrent of something rich that must be the honey. On skin: Hmm, rather perfumy in the departmental-store-perfume kind of way. I like rose, but not apple blossom or ylang ylang, and the latter two seem to be working together to make a floral that I don't really like. Honey tends to turn all kinds of nasty on my skin, but the honey in Eve forms the rich, deep, liquid base and isn't as bad as I expect. Even so, I can't say I'm fond of it. Verdict: Meh, I don't like Eve. But I'm not surprised since I don't like 3 of the 4 of the notes here. Swaps!

Sniffed: Dry coconut with dark, syrupy fruit. On skin: Lamia is a fascinating and somewhat unsettling juxtaposition between dry and dusty, and sweet and slightly juicy. Coconut is the dominant base note, contributing a dry yet intense sweetness. When wet I can detect the juicy, almost syrupy currant and peach; after drydown, darker, dry and dusty notes begin to emerge -- it's quite complex but I can faintly pick out champaca, myrrh and vetiver, and maybe vanilla amber is contributing. Beneath all this is coconut, and indeed I find its sweetness a bit too overwhelming in this context. A full-bodied, dark feminine scent, balanced and well-blended, yet somehow manages to be unsettling. Colour impression is pure white slowly being overwhelmed by dark crimson and black-purple. Verdict: I have a hard time describing Lamia -- she is very complex, simultaneously enticing and menacing. I haven't read Neverwhere, but I think this scent does work for the character. I'm still not sure what to think about this blend. Will have to keep testing to see if it grows on me.

My decant is of uncertain year (not 2010). Sniffed: Resin-sweet; vanilla-like but not entirely so. Golden, gentle and radiant. On skin: Sweet, nutty resins: heavy and a little syrupy, fluffy and hazy. Jacob's Ladder may be a "simple" blend without many nuances, but it is incredibly rich and full-bodied: the epitome of a cozy, comforting scent. What's more, if I huff deeply I can smell a clear, radiant note that I can't quite identify. Indeed like a halo of thick, luxurious sweet haze surrounding a heart of limpid brilliance. Jacob's Ladder really does seem like a somnolent, dreamlike vision of Heaven suffused with a warm, golden light. It also reminds me of Haloes and Lyonesse in that it runs on a similar theme (but smells somewhat different). Colour impression is rich gold touched with pink. Verdict: What a wonderful blend! Jacob's Ladder is so comforting and evocative, but it's a bit heavy and rich, and I already have similar blends that I prefer. Nevertheless, I'm so glad I got to try this.

Sniffed: White musk with a touch of verbena and fruit -- gentle, slightly creamy and fuzzy. On skin: Gentle and light, ghostly and indistinct. The white musk forms a fuzzy backdrop to the clear, watery, fruity notes. A sour, thin citrus note that I now recognize as verbena, occasionally threatens to dominate the blend. Thankfully the other notes aren't having any of this, and the blend is overall a pleasant watery, fruity musk, although the dirty sourness morphs in and out. Over time the verbena fades, and the scent just becomes fainter and gentler. Colour impression is a vague melange of white, pale blue and leaf-green -- it really does evoke the dreamy ephemerality of the Salon image. Verdict: Eh. Rozpustnica is pleasant and I'm thankful the other notes are tempering the verbena. But it's really nondescript and I see (smell?) no compelling reason to keep it. For swaps.

Ahh geez, how embarrassing. Sorry for the goof-up... I was thinking "recently discontinued Steamworks scent" and Ether was foremost on my mind since I was bummed about that loss! As for Ultraviolet vs. The Coil, I haven't tried Ultraviolet but The Coil is definitely heavy on the mint and eucalyptus. (But I amp mint to high heaven, so...)

Hi there! I haven't tried either (quite bummed about the loss of Ether, myself!) but here are the scent notes: Ether - Translucent blooms, ethereal white resins, and davana. Ultraviolet - Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint. The notes look substantially different, especially since Ether has white resins and Ultraviolet has mint and neroli. So I don't think they are anything alike in scent. You can also check out the Reviews for each to see what people's impressions are, and compare whether they are anything alike. But it seems like not! I hope this helps!

Sniffed: Rose sweetened with cream. On skin: Rose is one of my favourite notes, so I'm delighted that the rose is prominent. The clear, sweet florals (rose and a distinctly non-rose floral that must be orchid - which I can actually distinguish for the first time!) float over deep, rich musk touched with milky cream. The florals remain consistent while the musk and cream morph occasionally, but it's largely a constant scent. Full-bodied, sensual yet innocent and romantic. Othello is very similar -- both are rose/musk/spice blends -- but Abhisarika is a little more complex, more creamy-sweet and not as deeply musky. Verdict: I love the many permutations of rose-dominant blends available at BPAL. Out of those, Abhisarika is a winner: a beautiful and evocative blend, rose-dominant but also showcasing the other notes. Between this and Othello, I may have all the rose/spices/musk blends that I need!

Created to represent the essence of Bram Stoker’s tragic heroine, Lucy Westenra. Seductive, wanton and deadly, but underscored with a soft, wistful innocense. The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices. Sniffed: Simple, pure rose. On skin: Lucy's Kiss is clear, sweet rose deepened with spices to become something pretty and fragrant, even a bit fruity. Simple, yet full-bodied and beautiful and "complete"; gentle, innocent and girly, like a proper, chaste Elizabethan maiden. Colour impression is a lush pink-orange. Perfect for those who love pure rose accentuated with other notes. (Another simple rose blend is Rose Cross.) Verdict: I love rose, so Lucy's Kiss is beautiful! However, I have found other lovely rose blends with a bit more complexity, so this is likely to get overlooked and swapped.

Sniffed: Rose and something more. On skin: Ahh, this is my beloved rose, limpid and sweet, deepened by the Arabian musk and spices, even though I can't pick them out individually. Othello is perfect: the rose is at the centre of the blend, with the other notes enriching and rounding it out without overwhelming it. While I enjoy the simple rose-and-one-other-note blends like Rose Cross and Lucy's Kiss, Othello is more complex and alluring -- and so much better. This is feminine without being girly, definitely romantic but also giving off a heroic and slightly exotic, mysterious presence. Verdict: Othello is contending with Abhisarika for Vega's Favourite Rose, I just love the rose/musk/spices combination. I think it may be big-bottle worthy!

Sniffed: Sweet and syrupy, lighty resinous. On skin: Sweet, syrupy/sticky resins, with a slightly glowing, citrus/sour edge. This tartness gets more prominent upon drydown, melding with the light resins. Not always successfully -- the tartness often threatens to overwhelm the blend -- but this is overall light, syrupy resins, laced liberally with something citrus, with whiffs of spices and perhaps florals. I've had mixed success testing Cairo: my early notes say that it eventually dries out and become fragrant spices and citrus, but subsequent tests have all ended up a sour, thin, resin-laced citrus. I suspect there's a verbena or a specific citrus note that is the culprit. Ah, well... Colour impression is sandstone pink and brown. Verdict: Sadly, Cairo has mixed success on my skin, and while it's a solidly good BPAL blend, there are better out there. I wonder what this sour note is, I may have to avoid it in future.

Sniffed: Evergreen gently laced with fruit. On skin: This is a simple blend: sharp and dark evergreen, made juicy and sweet by grape. I can't smell the resins, maybe they are softening and rounding out the pine. No ozone either, which is disappointing. Colour impression is -- surprise surprise -- pine green mingled with red-purple grape. The Shivering Boy faintly reminds me of The Snow Storm: both have a similar evergreen base, but the Boy is also fruity while the Storm remains a pure, fresh pine forest. Verdict: A pleasant fruity/evergreen blend, but ultimately not that interesting. For swaps.

Glowing amber and citrus, labdanum, verbena, cedar, and oud. Sniffed: Glowing, smooth resins laced with citrus and verbena. On skin: For a brief spell, Aelopile was a lovely mix of deep, golden resins and thin, shining citrus and verbena; shining and cold like polished metal, thin and almost metallic but still managing to be fruity-sweet. But it changed dramatically upon drydown: the complexity vanished, leaving a hollow, sour citrus note. I can smell a ghost of the former resinous beauty, but Aelopile is mostly just unpleasant brassy tartness. Ugh, I fear it's the verbena and unidentifed "citrus" turning nasty... Verdict: Unfortunately, Aelopile is one of those rare blends that smells one thing in the imp, and another thing on my skin. I'm disappointed that the goodness was so fleeting and the verbena ended up turning sour. Oh well, for swaps.

I absolutely adore G. B. Piranesi's Carceri -- I own a folio-sized artbook of the entire collection. So of course I had to try this blend! Sniffed: Woody, gentle, smooth, warm, very slightly gritty and smoky-spicy. On skin: Mm-mmmm! Delicious, well-blended woods/incense/spice. Carceri d'Invenzione is sweet, rich, full-bodied woods and frankincense injected with the perfect amount of light, sharp pepper and gritty tobacco to make an interesting edge. Smooth and light, with a strong presence, and not dark at all. Colour impression is dark red-brown with a golden sheen. Verdict: Beth's interpretation of the Carceri is very different from mine -- I would think the Prisons would be dark, dry, gritty, smoky and shadowed. But this doesn't stop me from loving this blend, which is incredibly beautiful in its simplicity. I don't think I'll go for a bottle, but I'm keeping my decant!

Sniffed: Fluffy, sweet vanilla. On skin: Ohh, Haloes is beautiful! It's pure creamy, fluffy, golden vanilla. I'm not sure how the other notes are contributing, as they are quite subtle (if there at all), but if I huff close to my skin, I occasionally catch a whiff of something a little more tart and juicy and woody. This is the ultimate comfort blend: cozy, warm, full-bodied and gently enveloping. And it does really evoke a halo: glowing vanilla from a distance, but growing stronger and a little more complex the closer I sniff my skin. Colour impression is a warm, rich, sunny gold, just like the artwork. Lyonesse is very similar, if a bit less fluffy and more watery. The Antikythera Mechanism is a deeper, smoother variant. Verdict: Ah, Haloes is one of my favourite blends, vanilla perfected! Totally hoard-worthy too... I'd be devastated if this were discontinued. Between Haloes, Snake Oil and The Antikythera Mechanism, I have my 'light' and 'dark' vanilla blends covered. Wonderful!

Sniffed: Warm vanilla, with a slight watery/mossy tang. On skin: At first, I thought Lyonesse was a dead ringer for Haloes: both have the same warm, golden vanilla scent. (And they have many common notes.) But after skin-testing both together, Lyonesse actually is a bit lighter, with a distinctly cool, watery, almost metallic dimension. I recognize sea moss and elemi, maybe orris and ambergris are also contributing. Very fascinating, how the warm vanilla is transformed into something cool and oceanic by the other notes, yet the whole blend remains beautiful and balanced. I've tested Lyonesse several times -- the watery note is stronger some days, and other days it is like Haloes "Lite". Colour impression is gold mixed with grey ivory, edged with sea green. Verdict: Lyonesse is truly beautiful and distinct, it really evokes a golden land washed over by green ocean waves. Unfortunately, it is just too similar to Haloes, which I love more. If I hadn't found Haloes first I would've been in love with Lyonesse, but alas!

Sniffed: Musky and incense like. Smooth and deep (but not heavy). On skin: Oh, this is velvety alright: a soft, full-bodied scent that is all rounded without edges, thick but not stifling, a touch powdery (must be the amber), darkened but with the gentlest hint of brightness from the florals. The Velvets is quite a complex dark musk/incense/dark floral blend, but I can't pick out any individual notes. It's cozy, "muffled" and enfolding, but remains enigmatic and elusive to my nose. Colour impression is very dark blue-purple velvet with a sheen. Verdict: This is a unique blend that defies my attempts to describe it. I've never read Neverwhere, but this fits to a tee the description and name of The Velvets. Not a favourite, but fascinating. I think I will try more black musk in the future.

Sniffed: Deep, gritty and earthy, with a slightly burnt flavour. Must be clove, mixed with orange and maybe patchouli. On skin: Mmm-mmm, this is gooooood! Vespillo is mostly a deep, full-bodied patchouli, laced with clove's dark smoky-spice. There's a touch of glowing orange sweetness from neroli; the other florals remain undetectable. The clove and patchouli are the stars of this scent, which exudes a gritty, dry, earthy, yet intensely spicy and fragrant flavour. I've tested it numerous times, and each time I get a variation on the theme: sometimes more earthy, sometimes burnt, sometimes sweeter and lighter. Overall, Vespillo feels grounded, earthy, a bit intimidating, yet also welcoming and warm. And very, very attractive. Colour impression is the warm, orange-golden light amidst the blackness of burning coals and embers. Verdict: Phwoar! Most of the Vampires have only been mildly interesting, but Vespillo... now this is a most alluring vampire, and the only one I've had a firm positive reaction to. It's not a scent I usually go for, but boy is it fascinating and delicious. I'm keeping my decant around (and maybe a bottle is in store) -- I SO want to find out more about this vampire.

Sniffed: Fresh, tart, juicy fruits. The yuzu is most prominent. On skin: Aizen-Myoo is a purely fruit scent: sharp, tart yuzu is tempered by sweet, juicy mandarin and persimmon, while black tea grounds the fruits and gives it a contemplative feel. This scent manages to be zesty and fresh, but also serene and deep. It resembles a still, idyllic pond surrounded by bamboo groves... amazing, because Holiday Moon had the same vibe (albeit different scent). If BPAL's Asian blends are all like that, I want more! Aizen-Myoo is light, cheerful but also mellow, it remains much the same over time. Colour impression is a mix of gentle, lush yellow, pink and orange, with the slightest dusting of leaf green -- the colour of a peach, or a blush of dawn. Verdict: I like how Aizen-Myoo is both sweet and tart, and introspective while being upbeat. Even though it doesn't blow me away, this is one of the many solidly GOOD blends in BPAL's general catalogue. Wonderful!

Sniffed: Dry dragon's blood and prominent woods. On skin: Wet on skin, this is predominantly dry, austere woods; the dragon's blood is very discreet, and there's a ghost of unfamiliar sweetness that must be the orris. Throughout drydown is a tug-of-war between the prominent woods and the bright, soft sweetness of orris and dragon's blood, but the woods end up winning. The other notes morph in and out, and the blend occasionally becomes a really lovely mix of sweet spice and dry woods. But overall, Dragon's Bone is purely woody and I'm not fond of it. Verdict: I discovered through Dragon's Bone that while I adore sandalwood (and most woods) in more complex blends, I don't like it by itself. For swaps.

Sniffed: Smoke and something "meaty" which must be the leather. On skin: Black but clean smoke and hard, gnarly leather are the stars upon a backdrop of subtle dragon's blood. This scent is unashamedly smoke and "brown" leather (that's my impression, because this is not the black leather that appears in other blends), it has a quality that I can only describe as meaty or salty. Thankfully, the dragon's blood lightens and sweetens what would otherwise be a harsh, dry blend. The smoke eventually burns away upon drydown, leaving behind slightly smoking leather mingled with hints of bright, lush dragon's blood. Colour impression is reddish brown leather. Verdict: Truly like a dragon's hide! It's not an unpleasant scent -- in fact, I'm amazed at how nice it smells, given the notes and the scent theme. It's not something I'd wear, but I really enjoyed how this blend delivered on its theme.

Sniffed: Yike! Vetiver! On skin: Vetiver explodes out, laced with traces of neroli and perhaps some sandalwood dryness. And burns forevermore. Verdict: Just took one sniff to know I can't wear this. Vetiver is fine in minuscule amounts and in more complex blends, but this is unwearable. Love's torments, indeed... I've already swapped my frimp.

Sniffed: Light and "perfumy". On skin: The blend opens with a sharp, slightly sour tang, then calms down into ozone with a touch of sweetness. I adore the humid, water-laden ozone note that is in Lightning/Parsifal/Sea of Glass, so I was a bit surprised (and a little disappointed) to discover that the ozone in Nowhere in Particular is much colder, thinner and drier -- truly like fog instead of rain. There is the faintest breath of sweetness that must be from the apples, but it's indistinct; I don't smell any dust/stone note. The blend tends toward thin and astringent -- in fact, this is the first BPAL blend that I can label "perfumy" in the "drugstore-alcoholic-perfume" sense. It also has a tendency to morph into something sour and salty on occasion. Over time, the fog/ozone recedes and the apple note emerges, but the scent remains faint. Verdict: I must say, Nowhere in Particular does resemble its name: it's rather obscure, weak, and not interesting at all. And it has the dubious honour of being the first "perfumy" BPAL I've smelled. Even though the ozone note here is quite fitting, I can't help but be a little disappointed in this blend.