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BPAL Madness!

ajansuz

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Everything posted by ajansuz

  1. ajansuz

    Hollywood Babylon

    I first received this as a frimp, but I instantly fell in love and bought a bottle as soon as I could. Of all of the BPAL scents I own, this one nets me the most consistent complements and, uh...attention, for lack of a better way to put it. If your skin likes this, just be aware it's not an office scent or something to wear to a polite soiree. Those who like the scent on you, men and women alike, will be quite forward about it. In the bottle, it's juicy candy, a very naughty cherry cordial threaded through with grapey red musk. Wet, my skin amps the musk to overdrive to the point that for a few minutes, that's just about all I smell, but this phase doesn't last long. As it dries down, the vanilla and amber both amp to hold their own with the red musk. There's still a hint of cherry candy. It keeps the scent just shy of the realm of straight up sex and has a playful edge. It is long-lasting with tremendous throw. I once wore it through a 10 hour, very busy work shift in which I sweated quite a bit, and at the end of the shift just walked past a co-worker who was seated outside. He immediately asked me what I was wearing and told me I smelled incredible. (Not an office environment!) Whereas my body usually completely absorbs Snake Oil within two hours, it hangs onto Hollywood Babylon and throws it like crazy. Not only does it get nice reactions, it makes me feel good, too. This is my go to perfume for a night on the town when I aim to misbehave.
  2. ajansuz

    Queen

    This was a frimp from the lab. In the vial, this is a very juicy, herbal scent with the sweetness of the honey of O, an evergreen freshness and something sharp and reminiscent of anise. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of it or if it would behave on my skin. Wet, the honey note blossoms into a very sensual skin scent and reminds me even more of O. There's also something a little powdery at this point, like amber, and the herbal note goes more toward a green floral, like violet or even violet leaf. The evergreen keeps it grounded. I can see why several have said this is a mature, powerful scent. There is nothing at all girlish about Queen. On the dry down even more of the violet comes out for me, like Saturnalia without the vetiver. It's slightly waxy, but not in an unpleasant or fake way. This scent lasts for several hours with medium throw. The boy thought it was sexy without finding it overpowering or too in his face. It doesn't morph much once it has dried down. It stays honey/amber sweet and somewhat herbal/evergreen. As much as I like it, I already have enough bottles with similar notes that smell even better on me and don't go as powdery. I'll keep and use the imp but likely not purchase more.
  3. DRIED IS THE BLOOD OF THY LOVER What broke off the garlands that girt you? What sundered you spirit and clay? Weak sins yet alive are as virtue To the strength of the sins of that day. For dried is the blood of thy lover, Ipsithilla, contracted the vein; Cry aloud, “Will he rise and recover, Our Lady of Pain?” Dragon’s blood resin, myrrh, red musk, vetiver, black clove, and cassia. I've been wanting to try one of the BPTP candles for a while now. It has only recently been cold enough in my area to want to take a chance on having it delivered without finding a big blob o' wax in my metal mailbox. Wonky weather! Anyway, very pretty label and votive, smoked glass, and the candle is a nice, natural beige tone. The scent is VERY strong. If you're not a fan of burning candles, you could have this sitting in a room, and it would still pack a scent punch. It's strongest on the red musk and the dragon's blood, a very sweet, sharp, incensy fragrance. Burning it brings out a warmer, spicy note that doesn't really read as clove to me but also not generic spice cabinet. The heat lessens the overall sharpness of the musk and rounds out and balances the blend. I like it lit better than not and can still smell it when it's all the way across the room from me unlit. It burns smoothly and evenly. It's not creating a wax pit in the center of the candle. There is minimal smoke or soot from the wick and no funky scent after dousing. I rarely burn candles because I'm really picky about them and get a headache from most synthetic fragrance blends. Natural candles are often too weak to bother with. It's great to have an option that makes the room smell fantastic and that doesn't cause me problems. I don't think I'll need more than one at a time, but I can safely say I will buy more BPTP candles in the future.
  4. ajansuz

    Loup Garou

    This came as s frimp with my latest order. In the imp, holy eucalyptus, Batman! A really strong blast of it with sharp pine beneath it. In general I enjoy evergreen blends, so the pine wasn't as much of a put off as eucalyptus. I have negative mental associations with it from suffering severe respiratory infections as a child. Wet for about ten minutes the eucalyptus dominated. It cleared my sinuses and got my nose running. This was from a very tiny wand swipe at my wrists, rubbed together, and then at the crooks of my arms. As it dried down, the pine scent came out much stronger. At that stage it smelled like Golden Priapus without the vanilla. It was a warmer scent by then, with a spiciness that had to be the galangal. In the crooks of my arms it stayed sharper. It had medium throw and lasted perhaps three hours or so before really fading. I love Golden Priapus and already have a bottle of it. This is so close to it without the vanilla note that makes it magical that I'll have to pass. Nice, though, once the eucalyptus burns off and goes away.
  5. ajansuz

    Epitaph

    This was a lab frimp with my most recent order. Holy crap am I in love with this scent! In the imp it was kind of scary, not gonna lie. VERY strong, cloying, sweet lily with a touch of ozone and tiny pink rosebuds. It was so sweet and strong I was afraid it might give me a headache, so I applied sparingly. I need not have worried because... Wet, it blossomed into the most gorgeous, soft scent cloud. At my wrists it was lily and a somber aquatic. At the crooks of my arms the rose was stronger, and it had some greenery to balance out the sweetness. Maybe even a touch of white musk or something else to ground it a little. The dry down was the real magic. Nothing amped out of proportion, nor did it go soapy as some lily blends can do on me. It's a much more feminine and floral fragrance than I normally like, but wearing it I felt pretty, confident, comfortable, and just the slightest bit aloof. This is the sort of perfume I love best for curling up with a blanket and a book on a rainy afternoon. I wouldn't hesitate to wear this at work or to a formal occasion. It's versatile, classy, and stays close enough to the skin that no one is going to wonder when the funeral is when you walk into the room. If you hate florals, thpugh, give this one a pass.
  6. ajansuz

    The Dodo

    This was a lab frimp. It was both intriguing and frustrating. In the imp was the promise of cassia and strong wood with the problematic touch of lemon. Lemon scents rarely work well on me. I always wind up smelling like a love child of Dawn dish detergent and Lemon Pledge. Nonetheless, I'm committed to trying every BPAL that comes my way, so I put it on. Wet it hurt and stung. My skin at the crook of my arms had an adverse reaction to the cassia and made two big welts. Yet the scent virtually disappeared. Literally within a minute of putting this on, it was completely gone. Nothing at my wrists, nothing at my arms except the uncomfortable burning. I can't tell you what it smelled like when dry. My skin ate it whole and got indigestion. Clearly not a blend for me.
  7. ajansuz

    Chuparosa

    Oh, Chuparosa, I wanted to love you, but alas your love is for someone else. This was a lab frimp with a recent order, and it should have been magic judging from the scent in the imp. Heady rose, honeysuckle, and something both woody and spicy that made me think of cassia. Wet the spicy note hung out with the florals, preventing them from being overly sweet, and there was a strong scent of crushed honeysuckle leaf and vine. Very green and fresh, very nice with the powerful floral. Unfortunately, as it dried, that was all that was left, a very strong, sour crushed greenery that smelled like I had been abusing the honeysuckle vines with my weed whacker and then rolling in the sappy carnage.
  8. ajansuz

    Jazz Funeral

    This was a lab frimp with a recent order. I had been wanting to try this for a while now, so I was pretty excited! In the imp there's a lot going on. It's an intriguing blend. The florals are sweet and swampy, lily, magnolia, gladioli, a hint of carnation. I really love the lab's dirt note, and it's fairly prominent here. I'm not getting the booze notes which surprises me since they're usually pretty prominent. Wet the dirt comes out more strongly in the crooks of my arms than on my wrists. On my wrists the florals are sweet with a hint of decay. It's very evocative of its name. I'm a little concerned it could go cloying, but it doesn't. If this has a weakness, it's in the lasting power. After just two hours, it's very faint. When it first dries, it's a lovely, intriguing white floral with the complexity of earth and moss. After three hours it's gone completely. I'll really enjoy the imp, but I think that will be the extent of it. I like my fragrances to last a little longer than this.
  9. ajansuz

    Honey Moon

    Honey Moon contains five different honeys, ranging from pale and sweet to deep and heady, with hints of jasmine, white gardenia, Hawaiian white ginger and thyme. This is the first of the moons I've found myself drawn to, and it doesn't disappoint. If you had told me a year ago that I would actually be able to differentiate honey notes in anything, I would've thought that was crazy, but I honestly do smell several different honey layers when I open the bottle, from sweet and sexy to herbal and the faintest touch of beeswax. There's a cherry cordial kind of sweetness, too, surprising since nothing like that is listed. When it's wet, it's lush honey, both the beeswax sweetness of The Lights of Men's Lives and the more herbal honey of Yewberry Infused Honey. If there's any floral, it's all blended together so well it just leaves a fresh, white impression overlaying the honey. As it dries, the herbal honey takes front and center. It stays skin close and soft. I don't worry that I'll overpower anyone else with a cloud of scent. It's formal enough to stand up to a business function yet soft enough for after dinner intrigue, if you care to invite someone to invade your space. I'm very pleased with the purchase. It's different enough from the other honey scents I own to stand on its own and be reached for on those days I want a little mystery in my life.
  10. ajansuz

    Love

    Sometimes you read a BPAL description and hope with all your heart that it will deliver exactly what it says and that your skin chemistry will cooperate. And sometimes it happens just so. In the bottle I was a little concerned. It was more rose than anything else. While I adore rose, I already have more rose blends than any one person should at one time. The rose had some stem going on, a touch of strawberry, and that was about it. Wet the marshmallow made itself known in a glorious fluffy burst of puffed sugar goodness and dragged strawberry along to play. It was dizzyingly sweet without making it into cloying territory. It was pretty much exactly what I had been hoping for. The rose came out more strongly in the crook of my arm than on my wrists. Even so it didn't dominate, but complimented. The throw was medium, the staying power around five hours before it began to fade. After the fade, a faint vanilla/marshmallow/strawberry sweetness lingered with a touch of red rose at my elbow. This isn't a sexy, va va voom fragrance. It's fun and playful and kind of comforting in a sugary dessert kind of way. Foody without being overly gourmand. If you're afraid of rose, you don't really need to be with this. I usually amp rose out the wazoo. It behaved itself very nicely in this blend.
  11. ajansuz

    Rapunzel in Ballpoint

    In the bottle it's tart green apple, just like a Granny Smith when you first bite into the skin. There's something kind of fizzy about it that reminds me of a good ginger ale without the ginger bite. It's got just a hint of bitterness, too. It's the bitter I associate with apple peels. Very nice! Wet it takes on more of a candied quality rather than smelling like natural apple flesh. It's still delicious but not as much like fruit. I can't detect any musk at all. As it dries, something kind of dry and powdery comes into play. It retains its apple candy goodness but loses the juicy quality. The throw is strong, and the staying power lasts for several hours. Sadly, I never got to try Snow, Glass, Apples as anything other than a soap fragrance. This reminds me a little of that without the complexity. I think it's a great, fun summer fragrance I'll be wearing a lot.
  12. ajansuz

    Twenty-One

    This was a frimp with a recent order, yet another one of those that fall into the category of, "I'd never have ordered this on my own, but damn is it good!" In the imp it smells pretty much straight up like a martini. Booze notes aren't always nice with my skin chemistry, so it was with caution that I tried this, just a tiny swipe across each wrist. Wet it was pretty magical. Fresh, crisp, clean and effervescent. A clean herbal scent with a hint of juniper and dry lime. A suggestion of gin without screaming GIN. It didn't morph when it dried. On me it stayed a skin scent. There was never much throw. However, whenever I managed to catch a whiff, I felt refreshed and energetic. Like Embalming Fluid, this is a terrific hot weather scent in my opinion. Refreshing without ever overpowering. Slightly sweet without cloying. Best of all, while it is a little boozy, it doesn't amp too high on my skin or make me smell like a sloppy drunk. I'd definitely wear this to a party or for a casual night out when I wanted to smell good without attracting tons of attention for it. Very nice!
  13. ajansuz

    Miaiphonos candies

    To inflame with lust: MIAIPHONOS Clove, anise, mandarin, and cumin. I bought this one with a little more trepidation than the Nymphia. Anise in candy can sometimes really overpower everything else, as can clove, and I hate spice drops gum drops. Anyway, I decided to have faith in the confectioners, and I'm very glad I did. This is a bold candy. The cumin gives it a real depth and complexity, a small touch of savory and a suggestion of Indian food in something quite sweet. The only flavor I have trouble picking out in this individually is the mandarin. It seems to make an appearance more as a juicy quality than a citrus flavor. The clove is strong enough to numb the tongue very slightly, and the anise keeps it from completely overpowering the entire lozenge. It's not strong enough to taste like straight up licorice. This is how spice drops could taste if they didn't get so heavy handed with the clove. I do have a complaint about this candy that I didn't have with the other offerings. The plastic wrapper has stuck to every one I've opened in tiny little slivers that you can't really see. It winds up coming off in your mouth, and you have to find it on your tongue and pick it off. The other candies seemed to have a more thorough coating of the tapioca powder to keep this from happening. I recently had a sore throat. Happily, this candy also worked well to numb it down and cut down on the coughing, allowing me a better night's sleep until it cleared up, better than an actual cough drop because it wasn't harsh. I made sure the cold was cleared up before tasting this with an eye toward a review.
  14. ajansuz

    Schrodinger's Cat

    This was a frimp fresh from the lab. I really should not have even tried to put this one on, because pink grapefruit is always bitter yuck on me, and the lab's lavender note goes to old gym socks on me. In the imp, it's a nearly overpowering bitter citrus blast, like floor cleaner. Wet it's grapefruit and gym socks. The dry down didn't get any better for me. I wound up washing this one off. If you like citrus and it likes you, go for it. It's very, very fruity.
  15. ajansuz

    Endymion

    Selune, the Moon Goddess, fell in love with a beautiful shepherd named Endymion. She appealed to Zeus, asking him to cast Endymion into everlasting slumber so that she could be with him for all eternity. Her wish was granted, and every night the Goddess visited her love as he slept. A sweet, wistful blend of d’Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk. Oh, my goodness, this is so beautiful. I used to say I hated fruit scents, but Beth is making a fruit lover out of me over time. In the imp it was shockingly sweet. I was slapped across the nostrils by white florals and a little frightened. I hadn't read the notes, and it was as heady as gardenia which manages to go headache inducing on me. I shouldn't have worried. Wet I got a blast of sweet, juicy pear to the point it made my mouth water. The rose and the lily are very well blended and complemented rather than competed with one another. The pear held its own against them. It was sweet and bright and more complex than one might expect. It's a floral fruit. Thankfully, nothing got soapy like some have reported, but all of these are notes that I know play very well on my skin chemistry. As it dried, it wasn't much of a morpher on me. The pear and the two floral notes stayed pretty balanced. My wrists amped the florals the most, rose and lily. The crooks of my arms held onto the pear. The throw overall was medium. I kept getting these lovely whiffs of pear as I move around. It lasted a few hours which surprised me since my skin pretty much inhaled the pear in The Vine after less than an hour. Another serious bottle contender, like I don't have enough rose blends yet.
  16. ajansuz

    Namaste

    Namaste was a frimp, and all I could think was why have I never tried this before? It's all notes that play nicely with my skin and...yeah! Let's get to that review! In the imp, my nose read the lemongrass as grapefruit, a sparkly, tangy grapefruit minus the bitterness that usually makes that a no-starter for me. The jasmine was very obvious with rose right under it. Strong sandalwood. This smells almost exactly like some solid perfume from India I had years ago and loved to pieces except that it never lasted more than an hour or so on my skin. Wet it was pure magic. Sandalwood came out more strongly for me than it ever has with any other BPAL. The jasmine didn't get too sharp and still had rose partnered with it strongly enough that it didn't dominate. The lemongrass stopped smelling like grapefruit but also wasn't screaming lemon which will just kill any love I have of anything involved with it. It was a bright, sparkly citrus that blended really well with the wood and floral notes. No patch that I could detect. Maybe it was grounding it all a little to keep it from being too sweet, hard to say. The dry down was also a good stage for me. Nothing morphed strangely. Instead it all just settled in. It was exactly like I had always wished the solid perfume would be, staying around with decent throw. This blend definitely made me feel peaceful and happy. It's different enough from everything else I currently own that I'd be insane not to snag a bottle. On my skin chemistry I'd give this a 5/5.
  17. ajansuz

    Jailbait

    I received this as a frimp. In the imp, it's a blast of pink Bazooka bubblegum. Exactly the scent you get when you first untwist the paper wrapper. Crazy! Wet, bubblegum blast with something kind of plastic-y. I'm transported back to sixth grade when all of us were wearing Bonne Bell Lip Smacker lip glosses in bubblegum and cherry flavors. Then, owwie! Contact dermatitis! I can't even smell it yet, but there has to be cinnamon in this. It's the only thing I know of that burns my skin like that and makes red spots. I have no idea what this might have done on me in the dry down. I had to wash it off before it gave me hives. Not a huge loss as a woman in her 40s doesn't need to smell like this. Still, it was a fun little fragrance while it lasted and brought back some good memories. If it wasn't for the name, I'd have no hesitation in sending this to my eleven year old niece. However, I don't think my brother-in-law and sister-in-law would see much humor in her aunt giving her a perfume called "Jailbait."
  18. ajansuz

    Havana

    Given my recent love affair with BPAL tobacco and leather accords, I had to try this when I read the description. It doesn't disappoint. In the imp, tobacco is the dominant note, the same tobacco in The Tata and The Antykithera Mechanism. There's something sweet alongside it, sidling up and making nice. I'll assume that's the date. It's not a note I'm familiar with. Wet the tobacco still dominates, and the sweetness is even sweeter. It almost makes me think of chewing sugar cane, that rich scent that comes along with it. I like this a lot, very casual but also assertive. It's not until it dries that the leather makes its presence known. It's a comfortable older leather jacket a little beaten at the elbows, not new leather. I have no idea what snakeroot smells like except to say there is a vegetative note in here that's fresh and a little sappy. It's a nice contrast to the more grounding notes. This is unisex on me. I don't feel it leans either masculine or feminine. If tobacco and leather work on you, and not every fruit turns to a note of doom, I'd suggest giving this a try. Throw is minimal. It's really more a skin scent. On me it lasted a good eight hours or so before it was faded enough not to smell anymore. I have some really stunning tobacco blends in my collection right now, so I'll be giving this a pass. Once my LEs run out, I'll be running to it.
  19. ajansuz

    Bon Vivant

    This was a frimp recently arrived. In the imp I got a strong blast of lemon, almost Lemon Pledge territory, which has never done well on my skin. However, except with a few notes that I know for a fact to be headache inducing on me, I'll give anything a skin test. Wet at first it's loud, loud lemon overpowering everything else. When it starts to settle down it's a light ginger ale, similar to Gnome. The lemon morphs to Pez. When it's dry, it's cheap ginger ale and Pez. I would've loved to smell like this when I was around 9-12, not so much now. Sadly, Bon Vivant is not for me.
  20. ajansuz

    Dwarven Ale

    In the imp this smells exactly like the BPTP Honey Pumpkin Stout bath oil, rich, buttery, and spicy pumpkin ale with a touch of sweetness. It's a delicious fragrance, but it worries me because the cinnamon in that is strong enough to trigger contact dermatitis. When I put it on, sadly that was exactly what happened. Swollen, itchy red spots everywhere the oil was applied. If you have a skin sensitivity to cinnamon, be careful with this oil. There's enough of it to get you. Unfortunately, I couldn't let it stay on to see how it would dry. I was really enjoying the scent. It would be something nice to wear in the autumn or early winter.
  21. ajansuz

    Thieves' Rosin

    In the imp it smells like teak and cologne, a fairly sharp men's cologne with a strong wood note. Wet it did something horrible for about ten minutes. It smelled exactly like being in the dentist's office with a helping of latex band-aid on top of that. I was really tempted to wash it off. However, I was heading out and in a hurry, so I refrained. As it began to dry, there was a little pine, a little moss, and something sweeter and more incensey. OK, that was much easier to tolerate. I was happier with that stage. It's the dry stage after several hours where it really shines. The moss note grounds it. There's teak wood again, and a rich, resinous scent that reminds me of a sandalwood necklace I used to own. If there is musk in this, it's one of the lighter ones, not black, brown, or red. There's almost no throw. I just occasionally get this nice whiff that reminds me I do have perfume on today. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays with Thief and maybe Fighter.
  22. ajansuz

    Vial of Holy Water

    In the imp, it's hard to smell this at all. It's very light and a little ozone-y. It makes me curious about how it will smell when it hits skin, since nothing jumps out or seems dominant. Wet I get cucumber and white musk. It's a little sharp and high, but it settles down pretty quickly to something quite lovely, a light musk with herbal undertones. It's much stronger once it hits the heat of skin than in the imp. The throw turns moderate. The musk lingers and settles in with cucumber and something that smells a lot like oakmoss to me. As the hours pass, all that remains is whatever is registering as oakmoss and a little musk. Good staying power. This is something complex enough to stand on its own and likely to play nicely with some of the other RPG scents.
  23. ajansuz

    Druid

    In the imp, this is rich humus and dry spruce needles. It smells very much like a forest floor with a similar dirt note to Zombi. Wet for a while the dirt is pretty strong, overpowering anything else. It also smells damp and a little musty, like wet wool. Not liking it very much at this stage. It dries into something fairly surprising. I'd say this trends more masculine than unisex. It's not quite cologne, although it has that quality to it. The evergreen comes up enough to keep it fresh and natural rather than chemical or perfumey. It doesn't have much throw, but it lingers for hours. It's not really me; however, it's not unpleasant. It's a good interpretation of the class and might do better blended with something else.
  24. ajansuz

    Bard

    This is a very naughty and mercurial bard. I like! In the imp, it's fairly straightforward, a spicy honey. The bay rum is heavy on the bay, and there's a freshness to it that has a playful quality. Wet, I can easily see where some say this is a more masculine O. The honey has that deeply sensual quality to it that I associate with O. The bay comes on strong, more bay, less rum, and the wood note comes out to turn this even more toward the masculine. As it dries, bay rum really dominates. I was somewhat disappointed at this stage as that's not one of my overall favorite fragrances. However, it isn't done! After several hours, the honey reemerges, not in its O incarnation but more like the honey from Yewberry Infused Honey. It has that lovely herbal quality I enjoy so much in that blend. The throw is medium, the staying power impressive. Bard is complex enough to stand on its own merits. I'm curious to see how it will blend with some of the other RPG imps, too. Of the class interpretations, this is one of my favorites. Very true to its namesake.
  25. I was tempted to leave it at that, but that's not very helpful, is it? OK. In the bottle, this is exactly as stated, a spicy, dry chocolate. Very foodie to the point that it reminds me of a dry rub I make to season pot roasts. I use most of the listed ingredients minus the vanilla. Annatto has a lovely, rich nutty presence, just a little on the bitter side and a very nice complement to cocoa. The pepper in the blend is just a hint of spice, enough to tickle the nose. It's also a touch smoky, not quite like chipotle but close. I had a bit of concern since I have a skin sensitivity to cinnamon, but this didn't just explode cinnamon at me when I opened it, so I thought perhaps I'd be safe. I applied it fairly sparingly to my wrists and the crooks of my arms. If cinnamon will act up, that's where it will do it. Thankfully, I had no reaction, no redness, no itching. There's not much morph in the wet stage. I smelled like I do when I'm making the roast rub. It's not a sweet scent, and even when the vanilla begins to make its presence known, it's not a sweet vanilla. Think the vanilla of Tombstone, not of Lyonesse or Gypsy. On dry down it gets a little bit of an incense quality to it, something about that smoky pepper. This stays a skin scent for me. I have to put my nose right on top of it to get the fragrance. I found myself doing that for a large part of the day. It's delicious. The cocoa stays assertive and maintains its presence without fading. It's all blended so well that you can pick out individual notes without having any one overwhelm the others, and at the same time the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I know it's not listed, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was a little copal hiding in here somewhere. I wouldn't consider this a date night seduction kind of perfume. Wear it when you're heading out for a casual night to throw back a few beers and maybe eat hot wings, or perhaps when you're going on an outdoorsy sort of adventure. It's a rugged, unisex scent that I think wouldn't be offensive even to those who are otherwise sensitive to perfumes.
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