AmyO'Shields

JOYFUL ROMP Plum blossoms and white sandalwood with indigo, tuberose, plum musk, and a drop of vetiver. I have been looking forward to testing this and it arrived today! Disclaimer: i don't like vetiver. I *almost* didn't get a decant because of it but i love plum so very much that i crossed my fingers that it would behave. If there's a way that vetiver could improve a blend, i would say it does here. I can smell it, but the way it supports the plum is exquisite...just lends a smooth bitter/reedy quality to the blend. It smells like the plum musk is infused with vetiver, if that makes sense. After 10 minutes, the tuberose comes through and the vetiver remains and the plum takes a backseat to the tuberose. Dry? Well, to be honest, i am still sniffing my hand in disbelief that i love it so much and it has vetiver and i can smell it and it isn't killing the blend! This is stunning, almost breathtaking but comfortable...and i need a bottle. The drydown of this reminds me so much of the Evening on the Veranda atmo spray...they don't really smell that similar, but the vibe is the same to me...i love this!!!

Woo hoo! I'm first! Let me preface this by saying that I have been on pins and needles waiting for this hair gloss...Amber? Patchouli? Yes please and thank you. This works just like the other amazing hair glosses - makes my hair sleek, shiny, soft and untangled...also beautifully scented. The scent? Well...it's mostly Amber with a bit of Patchouli underneath. It's the best Amber ever though! If you were worried about the Patchouli in this being too strong, don't. Now, I am a HUGE fan of Patchouli, and the stronger the better, but this is delicious. My new 2nd favorite BPTP product (first will always be a tie between Snow White Bath Oil and Autumn Grove Atmo Spray). If you are a fan of Amber GET THIS. 10/10

Thomas Stothard White leather and cypress-tinged white musk with cardamom, smouldering incense, Ceylon cinnamon and white sandalwood. Holy moly. This reminds me most of the Hell of Great Heat meets the Evening on the Veranda atmo spray from Trading Post. I would assume if you enjoyed either one of those (as I do) you would love this. The leather isn't harsh or chemical-y and I smell it first with a touch of cypress and cinnamon. Then...there is a spicy incense explosion! Cardamom, yes. Cinnamon, yes. Incense, yes. Wow. This one is going to age like a dream, but it is already perfect. LOVE THIS.

New release: smells like spicy craft store pomegranate??? There's a touch of the 'dragon's blood' floral here, too. This is not what I expected. I like it and am glad I got the chance to try it. I like this more and more the longer I have it on...very nice!

Soapy skin musk. No Frankincense. Touch of aquatic? Oh well! Glad I got to try it.

LAWFUL Rigid oak, blue chamomile, rhubarb, and fig leaf. Lawful smells sparkly. The first thing I smell is the Blue Chamomile which, despite being a flower, is so earthy and comforting. Next the Rhubarb and Fig Leaf come out and smell delicious together - the Chamomile is starting to lessen. After about 20 minutes, this turns into such a wonderful blend - I can still smell the Chamomile and the Fig leaf with a sparkle of Rhubarb, and the oak lays nicely underneath. I love Oak, but it tends to be quite powerful, and in this blend it is very smooth and understated. What a great blend - I'd say this is my favorite of the RPGs so far. 5/5

The Lady of the Graveyard! Autumn leaves, wild roses, bourbon vanilla, dry chamomile, and a bouquet of bright chrysanthemums and Mexican marigolds. Aw...I'm first? La Calavera Catrina is one of the most beautiful Autumnal scents ever. The Autumn flowers are perfectly blended, and the vanilla sweetens them up. There's a hint of rose, and chamomile, but neither one overpowers the blend. I get a hint (or more a "feel") of leaves, and they are definitely the crunchy sort that have already fallen to the ground. If you liked Flor de Muerto and Nothing Gold Can Stay, I would highly recommend this. 10/10 ETA: I just wanted to add that this has aged so beautifully and I get compliments every time I wear it. Every. Time. It has become really well blended and more perfumey which is just fine with me! Gorgeous scent and I hope I don't run out.

Holy moly this is like Lemon Scented Sticky Bat and Silky Bat had a love child and I am in love! Beautiful!

I guess I'm the odd person out because I get no frankincense from this whatsoever. It must be my skin chemistry. The rose is super duper strong and that's all I get. I have a really sensitive nose and work with essential oils often so I'm familiar with several types of frankincense, I just don't smell any in this blend.

The Moroccan Goddess of Carnal Desire. Dwelling in fresh-water springs and rivers, she is doom: her embrace drives men mad with mindless lust. Sacrifices are made to the Lady of Lust on the Summer Solstice in the hopes of placating her passions and driving her red-tinged gaze away. Black musk, blackened saffron, lemon peel, and vetiver draped over thick honey. I'm a sucker for Black Musk and Lemon and I love Saffron. Vetiver and Honey are both firmly seated against me. I had to get an imp of this to try. All I could do was sniff the imp wand...at least, so far. Its VETIVER, Honey and a bit of Black Musk. I will update here if/when I'm brave enough to put this on my skin.

I was hoping the honeyed aspect wouldn't be strong, alas it ruins the other beautiful notes for me. Time for me to stop trying anything with even the mere mention of honey.

I am not a fan of clove on my skin, but I barely smell any here. How different we all are! This is all about the wisteria and green tea on me and it is really nice. The frankincense never shows up. Very pretty blend and I will enjoy my decant.

VENUS GENETRIX Venus the Progenitor Black amber and jasmine tea with 7-year aged vanilla bourbon absolute. Beautiful. I smell the same jasmine tea note from The Mysterious Warning, and a similar vanilla to the one from Signior Dildo...i don't get much amber yet but would assume it will become more prominent with aging. No throw but a beautiful skin scent. I am glad i bought a bottle, it is lovely. ETA: i put this on early this morning and it has changed a bit...the amber reminds me of the amber from Hesiod's Phoenix but not sweet at all. The jasmine tea gives the amber a slightly bitter/astringent sweetness. No vanilla this morning. I cannot wait to smell this when it is settled in at the end of Spring...very nice blend. Funny, i don't get the licorice from BPAL's black tea note so i am thinking this is more of a Darjeeling? Quite nice. :-)

This is delicious but it is more like blackberry than blackcurrant. I was expecting the gorgeous blackcurrant note from Knave of Hearts and this isn't that. I've been wishing for a great blackberry perfume oil though so this is great. So, glorious blackberry jam doughnut!

A barren grove, silent. Dry, crumbling oak leaves dance through the skeletal, grasping arms of ancient trees. Yes. If you loved the candle (like I do!), you will not be disappointed! This is a bit greener? than the candle somehow and is a perfect cold weather scent. The green is sort of cologney but not in a bad way. Cold forest in winter but no evergreen. Love. I am so glad to have this!

Autumn Overlooked My Knitting is probably the coziest BPAL scent I have ever smelled. COZY.

Fallen sounds similar...maybe give that a try?

I will second Scherezade and Fenris Wolf as favorites. Sin is amazing. Maybe consider Anteros, The Coiled Serpent, Haunted, Fake News and Aureus? Good luck! :-)

Jean Miélo White musk, tobacco flower, white tea, Tunisian neroli, and blonde leather. Still no reviews? Ok, my mediocre one will have to do. This is beautiful. I love all of the notes here so I had to buy a bottle. Very well blended - the tobacco flower is wonderful here with the neroli! The white tea gives it a refreshing, almost delicate feel and the leather is not the star...just a nice bottom layer to meld with the white musk and ground this higher pitched blend. This reads as more of a Spring/Summer perfume to me, but for some reason I find myself planning to wear it for our first day of snow, whenever that may be. I really, really like this now and I'm looking forward to seeing how it ages. Another masterful blend! ETA: this is becoming stronger even with such a short amount of aging! Very refreshing and comforting at the same time.

POST-MORTEM LAUREATUS Post-Mortem Laureatus, Loghi Kimon. White sandalwood and twining ivy. I seriously cannot believe no one has reviewed this yet! I loved this at Will Call and I love it in my bottle...this is one of the nicest fresh GREEN scents...all Ivy with just a touch of sandalwood underneath. It is kind of loud while it is wet, but the drydown is silky smooth. I detect a wee bit o musk in this while it is drying, kind of like the phantom musk in October...it's good. If you are a fan of green scents without mint, give this a try...it's a 9.5/10 on the Amy scale of love. ETA: This screams Spring to me...even though it will be beautiful year round.

Fantastic. The leaves are the ones from October - musky and dry yet colorful? Hard for me to put into words but definitely not green. The Red Musk sparkles like the one used in Bloodbath. So beautiful! Neroli gives this blend just a touch of a bitter (in the best possible way) and sweet floral lift. The drydown is similar to wearing October over Bloodbath minus the patchouli and rose...spectacular and I might just have to get another bottle.

Some folks claim to get ozone from Little Sister is Watching You (with cherry blossom) but I don't really notice it. I think The Phoenix in Summer from '10 had ozone in it? I might be wrong. Good Luck! :-)

White sandalwood, orris root, wood violet, sugared violet blossom, and violet leaf. Well hello orris root and sugared violet! Woohoo! The white sandalwood is incense-like (to me) next to the violet (sweet) and orris root (creamy)...there is a bit of bitter green from the violet leaf and it all combines to smell exactly as I had hoped from reading the notes and dreaming about a violet/iris perfume that I can actually wear! Just, yes.

^^ Yup. Exactly what happened to me. I was so much looking forward to Red Sandalwood and Saffron (two of my very favorite notes and, together?!) and they must have been suffocated by the oudh. Crappers.

I really wanted to love this but I get no Iris and the oudh is definitely fecal, to me. I bought a decant and a bottle so I guess the bottle will find a better home. I will hold on to the decant in hopes that oudh settles down...