sunlitgarden

I bought this bottle off Etsy because I'm a big fan of Dracula, and wanted to keep my Carfax Abbey company with another of the Order of the Dragon scents. In the bottle: Soft floral, on the sweeter side, with an almost brown sugary note. It's one of the more "wistful" florals that makes me picture the color lavender, and perhaps an old, forgotten woman's dressing table. On my skin it smells fresh and "cool" at first, almost snowy, with the florals in the background. As it dries, it starts to smell a bit spicier, and almost dusty (which is probably a combination of the sandalwood and skin musk), with the florals still remaining fairly soft. I find this to be a really pretty scent and I'm glad I snagged a bottle.

In the bottle it's definitely tropical, with coconut and flowers, but it's also a bit on the cool and refreshing side thanks to the lime and mint. Rather than reminding me of a sunny beach, like many of the tropical blends, this is more a damp, green rainforest. On my skin a pineappley fruit scent comes out a bit when it's fresh. As it dries, it's almost like a milkshake or smoothie... rich, thick, cool-fruity, tart/sour, but also with hints of spice from the ginger. I imagine drinking this frothy concoction out of a coconut shell, while in the humid rainforest with flowers nearby. Amazingly evocative scent. I wouldn't have expected a Halloweenie to be one of my top tropical blends, but BPAL is nothing if not full of surprises!

In the bottle Mrs. Grose is mostly tea, but once applied to my skin, the spices and rosewater start to appear. On me it's in the same scent-family as Alice, with the tea and rose, but it includes warm spices and orange rind. It reminds me of the Market Spice shop in the Pike Place Market in Seattle -- all their jars of spices and tea, and their signature blend which is an orange-cinnamon spice tea. It's very warm, comforting, and snuggly, and has become one of my favorite scents.

(2010 version) Wow, how have I not reviewed Peacock Queen before? It's one of my top rose scents, and I'm a big rose lover. This bottle has aged for several years now. Now, in the bottle, there's an almost chocolatey note. Rose Red is another of my favorite rose scents, but to contrast, that one has a juicy tartness to it, which isn't present here. Peacock Queen is more like a wine. It doesn't smell like wine, exactly, but evokes the rich ruby thick sweetness. On my skin it's pretty much pure velvety red rose. I feel just like I'm sticking my face into a dark red rose flower, even with the almost "fuzzy" texture of the petals as my nose brushes against them. It's almost magical. [Note, I reviewed it without looking at the description again -- I had forgotten that it had the word velvet in it. It really does smell velvety!] If a rose was made into a wine, it would be Peacock Queen. (As a side note, since it's called Peacock Queen, and peahens are fairly plain, I'm imagining a fabulously pretty villain sipping the rose-wine, while imagining evil plans of world domination. Smexy. )

This basically smells just like the spicy hot chocolate mix that Trader Joe's used to have. (I miss it.) On me, the scent is pretty consistent all day, doesn't really morph or anything. It's a rich milk chocolate scent with vanilla and warm spices. Unlike some foody scents, it doesn't really smell like I spilled it on myself -- more like I am a mug of hot chocolate. This is one of my favorite Box of Chocolate scents, along with the similarly spicy Milk Chocolate, Coconut, Cardamom, Rum, and Ginger Truffle from 2010.

In the imp and wet on my skin, Ladon smells like a fresh/tart green apple (Granny Smith type) plus sweet spring florals (which tend to be the kind of florals that I prefer, and that work on me). Some of the other dragon's blood scents are kind of cherry-ish on my skin, but this one isn't; it's more deep and almost spiced. Most apple notes vanish quickly on my skin, especially the "fresh/tart" note as opposed to sweet/spiced. But Ladon's apple note lasts all day. The tartness does fade, and it becomes sweeter over time. It's a very nice scent, but it does kind of remind me of a bathroom potpourri or soap. Not in a bad way -- it's very high quality -- but it's that sort of generally inoffensive, pleasant sweet-floral scent. I think this would be a great introduction to BPAL for people who enjoy more "mainstream" floral scents.

I received this as a frimp in a recent lab order. In the imp there's something almost...banana-y? as well as an impression of beery yeast/hops, and a cellar-like, cool dampness. There's also a faint bitter leafy note, somewhat like tobacco. There's a richness that almost reminds me of chocolate or something, too. I don't really get leather, either in the imp or on my skin. Not overly metallic despite the "iron" note listed, and the stone seems to be the wet/damp stone note rather than the chalky/dusty one I've encountered in a few scents. On my skin, the hops note is smelling pretty sweet/baked, though the banana-ish note I smelled in the imp isn't showing up on my skin. It isn't too strongly foody, though, but it's a definite "grain" type scent predominantly, with a bit of a back-of-the-throat bitter note. When fully dry, the bitter smell takes over more and becomes a smoky, burnt smell, presumably the soot note. Michi says it reminds her of a firecracker. I find this stage unpleasant, unfortunately.

Got this as a Lab frimp in a recent order. In the imp it's mostly warm spicy incense, but also with a "watery floral" note, perhaps the violet. Kind of an odd mix of scent types, but it works. On my skin, I really like the cinnamon-incense, which smells "dusty" as well as warm. But the violet note is adding a slightly soapy quality to it. I'm not generally a fan of violet, though my skin chemistry has seemed more forgiving of it recently (it used to be TERRIBLE, like some kind of burned rubber, now it's just kinda soapy). Overall, this is a scent that I think would be nice for a room, like a bathroom, but it's a little too.. potpourri-ish? to wear as a perfume. I like it, though.

(Without looking at notes): Violet, violet, violet. Borderline soapy floral. It's a pleasant enough scent on my skin, which is odd because violet usually goes bad on me. It's borderline soapy, but definitely a higher quality scent than would be found in soap. It kind of reminds me of an older-lady smell, but not in a bad way. More of just a nostalgia-evoking way, sweet, soft floral. Still mostly violet, but there's definitely rose in here too. It's kinda like being hugged by a grandmother or other older relative. It's too bad this is discontinued, because it's a nice scent, though a little more overtly feminine than I prefer to wear.

In the imp: Manly, resiny-woody, a bit bitter with the vetiver but not overpoweringly strong. A bit of sweetness to it, too. On my skin: A rare blend where vetiver isn't totally doing the "campfire remains" thing on me. A sort of opopanax-y bitterness to it. Smelling a bit more "burnt" as it dries, but not unpleasant. Kind of makes me think of sitting by a fire, rather than rolling around in ashes - I assume this is how vetiver is normally supposed to smell, rather than what it usually becomes on my skin (which is gross). Not sure I would actually wear this, but I like it

In the imp: herbal and aquaticy Fresh on skin: kind of dryer sheety, aquatic, cool bluish-green. Not unpleasant though, most scents like this give me a headache or make me kind of queasy, but this doesn't. When I smelled it on Michi, it smelled like a really nice, light, floral scent - almost like rose flower water used for cooking. I didn't smell that note at all when it was wet, but it's starting to come out a little bit as it dries more. But it's still largely a dryer-sheety aquatic on me. I always want to like aquatics, but they usually end up giving me a headache thanks to my chemistry. So this CAN smell really nice! Just apparently not on me.

The Ambergris SN is very difficult to describe, but quite pleasant to behold (besniff?) It's a bit salty, musky, almost earthy-woody, all at once. It smells musty, but in a pleasant way, like discovering a treasure in your grandpa's attic that had been lost for decades. This isn't something I can wear on my own, but I am glad I got to sniff it in isolation, because now I find it much more easy to pick out in blends that contain it.

In the imp: Sweet lemony verbena, herbal, a little astringent. Pleasant, but a bit soapy, like a nice quality herbal scented soap that you'd find in someone's guest bathroom. Verbena tends to amp on me, and it's pretty strong on my skin here too, but it's nice. Herbal and sweet. Overall, this reminds me of one of the light scents from L'Occitane. (I enjoy their products, though they're a bit too pricey for me to buy for myself.) Nice, but a bit too soapy on me. I got a bit of it on my face by mistake (a hazard while wrist-sniffing) and it burns. Ow. >_<

In the bottle wine is the dominant note along with some red musk. On my skin, still wine (which on me is usually just "grape" and this time is no exception), but the cocoa note starts to come out more, but unfortunately fades away fairly fast. This isn't really my style to wear on a regular basis, but it does smell quite good. I'm getting a dark red-purple vibe from it. As it starts to dry the grape-fruity note is amping on me, smelling very candy-like, along with red musk. I'm also getting what smells like a sweet floral note? It's been quite a while since I smelled it but I feel like Hollywood Babylon was fairly similar to this on me.

On me Peter Quint is mostly clove with a little tiny bit of leather. I really love clove, so it's wonderful. Very warm and comforting. As it dries more, I get a bit of the piney balsam. I love this scent.

I received Aeval as a frimp in a recent lab order. In the imp, I'm mainly getting sweet pea and something herbal, I'm guessing the sage. On my skin it's a nice mix of floral and fresh. I'm not sure I'd wear it much, because it's fairly light on me. It's a really nice sweet pea scent though.

I'm wearing Spicebush Swallowtail for Christmas Eve - the warm clove and plum and spiced-ness just seems fitting. (Especially because the Polish traditional Christmas Eve dessert is sort of a sweet soup with dried plums... aka prunes.. we all make jokes about not actually liking it, but it would be weird to not have it!) For Christmas tomorrow, I will probably wear Gingerbread Poppet or another Yule. Haven't decided which yet. Maybe Waltz of the Snowflakes.

In the imp Juliet is very floral, with a sort of dewy freshness from the pear. I can smell the musk if I sniff down into the imp, but not on the application wand, interestingly. I can't really pick out any individual floral notes, but it's very springy, and on the sweet side. On my skin, it's very pretty, though very feminine and girly, which is not often my style. I doubt it's something I'd wear too often, but it would be nice for spring.

Imp: Dryer sheety aquatic. On my skin, it's still a dryer sheety aquatic, but I'm also getting some herbaly green notes like the parsley. No decectable wood notes. There's also a bit of a floral edge. The overall impression is unfortunately bathroom cleanery. And, as it dries more, it starts to smell like an actual bathroom with an understone of poop. Not a match for my chemistry... washing-off time now.

In the imp Bess is almost candylike, or like a mixed drink of some kind. Fruity with the citrus and grape, and minty. It also reminded me of a cough drop for a second. On my skin it's more "cool" and herbal. As it dries a bit I can start to smell the rose. It's kind of rosey-lemony when my nose is up against my wrist. The throw is mostly grape. I like it okay, but don't think I would seek it out to wear.

I've been enjoying the scent of Blood Moon for over 2 years now and haven't reviewed it yet... mostly because I find it very well blended and tricky to describe. I finally feel ready to try, though. It's a warm, rich, "dark" smell, like being wrapped in layers of red and black velvet. The main note I smell, especially at first, is cassia -for a while I thought it was cinnamon, but now that I'm familiar with the note, to me cassia has kind of a richer, deeper smell to it (though I enjoy cinnamon quite a bit as well.) The scent has a warm musky base. I usually wear it at night.

In the imp: suntanny coconut, and a bit of nutty warmth. On my skin, the hazelnut is doing the dry and dusty thing that nut notes often do on my skin. It's not too bad though, because it kind of smells like wood, and reminds me of a pirate ship (also due to power of suggestion from the name, of course.) But it also feels soft, and a bit cool. (Warmth from the nuttiness, coolness from the coconut and white musk... it sounds like a paradox, but it works. That's BPAl for you.) It makes me think of a pretty lady, very pale and dressed in white, possibly a ghost, on the ship. While I don't think I would wear this enough to make it a bottle purchase, I do like it. It's very evocative, and is a way to at least transport my spirit away to the tropics during a wet and cold Seattle winter.

I got this as a frimp in my most recent lab order. In the imp: A jumble of sweet notes. Fruit and floral - Mainly orange and jasmine, or a similar white floral. I can smell the amber when it hits my skin, giving it a bit of spiciness. It's still kind of overpoweringly sweet and floral for me though. I'm not getting the "bubblegum" lotus scent here, but it is very sweet. I don't really like this kind of heavy scent... it's just too much. As it dries more it's actually kind of smoky, but in a "wet ash" kind of way that isn't pleasant. Not a match for my chemistry, I'm afraid.

I received this as a frimp in my most recent lab order. In the imp: Pretty sure the "blood" in blood musk here is dragon's blood. I'm mainly smelling dragon's blood and a bit of powdery softness from the orris and coconut. It's a little bit on the soapy side, sweet but a little resinous as well. On my skin it smells okay, but not great. It's a little heavy-smelling, and kind of makes me think of a grandma's air freshener, or something. Dragon blood is unfortunately a hit or miss note on my skin -- Dragon's Milk does something similar. Even though it's not really "me", it's a definitely "BPAL" smelling blend... unique and interesting.

In the bottle Sundew smells quite pleasing to me, but is difficult to describe. Scents without notes are hard! I'd say it's kind of halfway between "planty" and "floral", with an edge that reminds me a bit of soap, but not in a bad way... it just gives at a clean, fresh feeling. I'm kind of envisioning a light green color with bubbles floating around (yay scent synesthesia.) Wet on my skin, it's similar. I'd say it's more of a "cool" feeling than "warm". Turning more floral. I think there might be lily of the valley/muguet? Some sort of lily, I think, anyway. Maybe peony too. This is the kind of floral that works on me, anyway -- in much the same way as Weeping Branches Moon. Although I'm sad this was DCed from the GC, I am glad that I managed to find a bottle on the secondary market. I think this was discontinued at the same time as Moon Rose, and I can definitely believe there's a shared component here (Moon Rose too is another floral that works on me, and I regret not buying a bottle when I had the chance -- though I have a couple of more imps on the way, which will probably be enough.)