parrot_suspect

After hearing that a bottle of this went for upwards of $200 on eBay, I had to try it. I was fortunate to be able to get an imp of Samhain in a swap.

At first sniff, it smelled woodsy and piney. Then as it dried down, the other notes came out. I detect apple cider, spices, pumpkin, patcholi. It's a fantastic blend of cozy, "homey" kitchen scents and an eerie, lost-in-the-woods-at-night kind of scent.

It truly does capture the spirit of fall and of Halloween. I sure hope Samhain will be available again this fall.

At first, this smells like pure cedar on me. Just plain ol' cedar, with maybe a bit of pine, like a walk through a northern forest. Must be that juniper note.

This "cedar" phase lasts for quite a while, but it finally dries down to a soft whisper of woods and amber.

It's an interesting scent, but I find it more masculine than I generally prefer.

It starts out sweet and almost syrupy, with that cherry note that many of the BPAL blends have. It eventually dries down to a pleasant sweetish floral, but I just can't get beyond that strong cherry note at the beginning. I don't get any incense from this whatsoever.

This is one of those BPAL scents that morphs quite a bit as it dries down.

At first, it smells a lot like Vicks Vapo-Rub. It's a strong, medicinal kind of note.

Within an hour, this note is gone and is replaced by a pine-forest type of scent...like a bayberry candle you'd get from Yankee Candles.

An hour after that, it smells like pine mixed with sweat. Ugh! I felt the urge to wash it off, but I persevered to see what would happen next.

Much later: The sweaty note is gone, thank goodness. Now it's sort of a sweet, soapy floral.

Overall, not a bad fragrance, but I don't think I'll get a large bottle. I really don't like the "sweaty" stage.

This is a sweet (but not heady or suffocating) floral-musk blend on me. To my nose, it is *very* similar to Terra Nova China Rain. The scent seems to stay about the same from application to drydown -- unusual for a BPAL. It's a just-showered, fresh, soapy type of floral. A leeetle bit too floral for me, alas.

Starts out medicinal, but in a pleasant way -- like spicy herbal cough drops. Do I detect eucalyptus? It slowly evolves into a balsamic, slightly woodsy, slightly spicy scent. In the end it's sweet and balsamic. A pleasant scent. I think people who like resinous, woodsy or spicy blends will like this one. Not sure if I'll get a big bottle, but I'm glad I had a chance to sample it.

I didn't care for this one. It started with a weird, unpleasant, medicinal sort of twang, then within an hour or so, morphed into an anise/licorice scent. I'm not a fan of anise/licorice notes (except in very small doses), so this just wasn't for me.

Just curious -- what's the fastest anyone's ever gotten their order?

I've noticed turnaround time (from date of order, to date of package arrival) seems to be exactly two months right now. I recall an order I placed last year, before I was really "into" BPAL, took six weeks.

Do you think orders arrive more quickly when they're "regular" orders, not orders during a full moon or 24-hour LE? Yes, I know this is probably just wishful thinking on my part. I'm an eager newbie with two orders out, placed in the last two weeks. Guess I better develop some patience, huh?

If you're looking for a dark, heady, almost disturbing floral, Glasya is the way to go. On me, the rose and ylang-ylang come out quite strongly. I don't get the base notes (myrrh, patchouli, etc.) as much. It's very heady, like a garden full of jasmine on a sultry summer night.

I'd say this scent is best for someone who likes rich, deep, floral blends. I have an imp of this, and it's going to be going up for swap; as beautiful as this blend is, it's just not my type of scent.

Based on the description of Veil, I thought I'd love it. However, on me, the only note that really stands out is the violet. All I get is violet, from the moment I apply it through the drydown. It reminds me of an African Violet oil I once purchased at some hippie shop. Really, it's almost like a single-note fragrance on my skin. It's pleasant enough, but I don't see any reason to get a bottle.

What a wonderful fragrance this is! I'm so glad I got an imp of it in my last order.

Scherezade is billed as a spicy red musk. On me, it's a rich, powdery blend...soft and intriguing. Kind of like Snake Oil without the vanilla. The spices aren't strong and peppery, just gentle and soothing. The musk isn't the soapy variety (it's nothing like, say, Kiehl's musk), it's powdery and elegant. Imagine FM Musc Ravageur without the lavender note. Scherezade smells a bit like a musk-scented stick of incense, if that makes any sense.

This is the kind of fragrance that would work well for almost any occasion. It's soft and mellow, yet sexy and deep. I'll be getting a 5 ml (or maybe even a 10 ml) of this in my next order.

Hi! I'm new here, so I definitely haven't sampled everything. But Tiempe Passate is a favorite of mine as well...I always get tons of compliments when I wear it. So far the only BPAL scents I've found that are *remotely* similar are Saint Germain and Morocco. They are not identical or even terribly similar -- they just have a little bit of the same feel as Tiempe Passate. Morocco is a soft, woodsy skin-musk type of scent; Saint Germain has an herbal, bergamot-y quality like the top notes in Tiempe Passate. HTH! If you do find something that's very similar, please let me know.

Can anyone recommend a BPAL scent similar to the Antonia's Flowers fragrance 'Tiempe Passate'??? This scent is decsribed as "a musky, floral scent with it's key notes being Cedarwood, Amber, Clementine, Bergamont and Montauk Rose". Its absolutely beautiful...and ridiculously expensive

 

TIA

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Hmm. I am new to BPAL, but of what I've sniffed so far, there aren't a lot scents similar to Amazing Grace or Falling in Love. However, there are a few that are in the same vein -- light, kind of foody, sweet. I think Dana O'Shee would layer well with Falling in Love. It's sweet and vanillic. And Sudha Segara is in the same vein as Amazing Grace...SS has a citrusy, fresh, musky skin-scent sort of feel.

I did not find Veil at all similar to any philosophy scent. Veil, on me, was almost all violets. YMMV, of course.

I don't get a lot of vanilla, spice or any type of floral from Morocco (I'm testing a tarted imp of "Old Morocco."). What I do get -- soft, almost soapy, powdery woods. This is a dead-ringer for the fragrance Costes (by Hotel Costes). A gentle, clean, soapy woodsy scent, with a touch of musk and incense in the drydown. I detect cedar and sandalwood -- but again, these woods are soft and muted, not harsh and sharp. I'm thinking I need a 5 ml of this, because I do like the woodsy scents.

I wanted to love this one, but it just didn't work on me. Normally I like milky/foody/vanillic, such as Dana O'Shee. But Milk Moon is different -- it's an odd blend of coconut, mint and a buttery/vanilla type scent. It doesn't smell particularly "milky" on me...on me it seems to be a fight between the mint and the buttery note. Oh well, up for swap it goes!

Oh, how I love this scent! I'll be lurking on eBay and the swap board, trying to find some of this. I should have ordered last year when I had the chance.

On me, this is a lovely, elegant, yet comforting scent. I definitely get a "baby powder"-y feel, but I like powdery scents, so this is a good thing. It's more complex than just pure baby powder, though. I detect amber, a very light citrus note (bergamot?), a light floral blend. This actually brings to mind classic French perfumery -- this fragrance is almost like a blend of Guerlain's Shalimar and L'Heure Bleue. Fascinating and complex. Ethereal.

This is a great thread -- I'm learning a lot!

Has anyone found anything similar to Unseelie? I absolutely adore Unseelie, but of course, it's discontinued.

Thanks

This scent was not what I was expecting, but I love it just the same, and have just placed an order for a 5 ml.

I had expected something creamy, sweet and foody along the lines of Dana O'Shee. Instead, this is milky/vanillic yet refreshing -- with a blast of ginger (that, to me, smells almost citrusy). Now normally I can't stand anything even remotely citrusy, but this is a beautiful fragrance. Happy, playful, yet comforting. A clean skin scent. It remnds me a bit of Frederic Malle L'Eau d'Hiver. Not exceptionally "creamy," yet very wearable.

In short, a fantastic blend of notes. I can see this one appealing to a large number of people.

The description intrigued me, so I ordered an imp of this. However, the fragrance wasn't really what I was hoping for. On me it's a light, rather sweet fruity floral with a strong lemon-y, citrus-y note. I'm not one for florals -- I prefer deep, resinous, musky type scents (Sin is my all-time fave BPAL). And I really don't care for citrusy notes. So I guess this will be one for the swap list.

I am utterly smitten with this rich, Oriental fragrance. It reminds me very much of Tabu, and a bit of Lush Karma. The fragrance is resinous, deep, and a bit spicy, with a fabulous drydown. Very sexy, very "come-hither." The patchouli and sandalwood dominate on me, with the amber rounding it out and giving it a mellow, golden feeling. I've just ordered a 10 ml of this because I love it so much. Anyone who likes deep, rich, Oriental-type scents that are not smoky or musty-smelling will probably like this.