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BPAL Madness!

harmonyfb

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Everything posted by harmonyfb

  1. harmonyfb

    Milk Moon 2005

    Oh. My. God. Creamy, soft, sweet (but not too sweet), this is a perfect smell for me. It reminds me of Miskatonic without the coffee notes, and I find it very comforting. There's a faint vanilla note that warms it without turning it into baked goods. The perfect fragrance for a lactating mother. Why, oh, why, are all my favorites long gone before I try them? I'm hoping like hell that they re-release it in April. ::fingers crossed::
  2. harmonyfb

    Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo

    In the bottle: Pink and sweet. Wet: Bubblegum! Dry: Bubblegum! It's that 'Bazooka' type, with the white powder on the outside of the little square. How weird. Voodoo effectiveness: Good. It did seem to lighten my mood considerably.
  3. harmonyfb

    Lump of Coal

    This is the truly sinful scent of a sticky, thick, dark and rich fudge brownie. This smells like...brownie batter. In the bottle, wet, dry...it's an amazing feat to have completely reproduced that particular smell. And yet, it is incredibly vile as a personal fragrance. Bleah. I'm glad I got to sample it, but boy, howdy, I could never actually wear this on my person. Plus, it made me hungry. ::is craving brownies::
  4. harmonyfb

    Hamadryad

    I didn't expect to like this one. I got it because the name appealed to me, but I haven't had much luck with BPAL's "dry wood" note. But this? Brill. In the bottle it was a green, refreshing scent. Wet, it smelled sheer and green, a light fragrance with just the barest whisper of flowers. Dry, it reminds me of a summer afternoon spent wandering in the woods. There's a pleasant, mossy undertone, but it's still light and beautiful. I'll be buying a 5ml of this, for sure.
  5. harmonyfb

    Sol

    Eccequambonum was kind enough to let me try this out. Wet, it was spicy - I could smell a little amber, but it was overwhelmed in a scent that reminded me of the kitchens. I wish I could put my finger on it. Cloves? Allspice? It continues to elude me. Unfortunately, it amped up until it was all I could smell, harsh and strong. Dry: Baking spice. Dry, 1 hr later: The harsh spice is gone, and what's left is the warm, sunshiney fragrance that others have reported. I'm glad I got to try it.
  6. harmonyfb

    O

    In the bottle: Yummy vanilla and the golden note of amber. Wet: Warming amber (I was a bit concerned, as I had a bad experience with another BPAL amber scent), and then... Dry: Baby powder. Dammit. Off to swap.
  7. harmonyfb

    The Dormouse

    In the bottle, this smelled of green tea. It was a bit worrying, because I don't much care for how green tea smells on me. But once on my skin, it blended with other types of tea to become a light, refreshing scent. I think this is what Embalming Fluid should have smelled like, if it hadn't had that evil lemon component. There's just a whiff of the peony, lending it a little sweetness. I really like it - seems like it would be a good scent for hot summer days. After an hour or so, the peony has come to the forefront, but it's beautifully balanced with the teas. Just lovely.
  8. harmonyfb

    Dublin

    In the bottle, sweet pine. Wet, resinous pine. Drydown: Pinepinepine....and suddenly, there's something spicy. Really spicy. Carnation? Is there carnation in this? I'm not sure if I like it or not. Dry, an hour later: Hm. Kind of a soft, dusty scent that's fading fast. Sadly, the rose never made an appearance, and I can only assume the spiciness was supposed to be the alder leaf. Hmm. I think I'll hang onto this and try it again in a few days, see if it changes.
  9. harmonyfb

    Pink Phoenix

    In the bottle: Cotton Candy. Strawberry-flavored cotton candy. I approached cautiously, because I had a strong unpleasant reaction to Hollywood Babylon, and was afraid it had to do with the strawberry. Happily, that doesn't appear to have been the case. Wet: It smelled like...bubblegum. Bubbalicious Strawberry Bubble Gum, as a matter of fact. Dry: Um...pretty much strawberry bubble gum. Ah, well. It's not unpleasant or off-putting, but I just can't see myself ever wearing this as a perfume, so it's off to swaps.
  10. harmonyfb

    Dirty

    Huh. Wet, this smells like fabric softener. Floral-based fabric softener. Drydown took an extra-long time, and yup, it still smells like fabric softener/floral soap. Bleah. Off to swap.
  11. harmonyfb

    Snow Moon

    In December, the skeletal, ice-rimmed fingers of winter take hold, and the nights are long, chill and dark. The first flurries of snow touch the land, and the earth itself becomes quiet. A scent of purity and silence, soft with falling snow, as dark as Midwinter: an icy flurry over the winter blooms of narcissus, pansy crocus, dahlia, tulip, chrysanthemum and white rose, with a hint of fir and birch. In the bottle, this was a perfect dupe for Skadi. I eagerly dabbed it on, enjoyed the rush of sweet pine, and waited. And waited. And waited. Didn't matter how long I waited, this never became anything other than pine. No florals, no 'slush' notes, no nothing but pine. Not unpleasant, but not what I wanted. ::sigh::
  12. harmonyfb

    Spanked

    In the bottle, this smelled wonderful - warm and spicy. Wet: Raw leather with a hint of cardamom. Dry: PatchouliPatchouliPatchouli. It's giving me a headache. Damn. Off to swap.
  13. harmonyfb

    La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente

    Soft, lush myrtle and dry, sweet melilot with wild rose, pomegranate juice and peach blossom against a background of deep aquatic notes and a twirl of melancholy autumn breezes. In the vial: Candyish smell of pomegranate Wet: Sharp (but pleasant) pomegranate scent that stays candy-sweet. Dry: I can smell the myrtle and rose and other wonderful scents underneath the utterly too-sweet pomegranate, but they're just completely overwhelmed. ::sigh:: Obviously, not for me. Why can't BPAL come out with a myrtle/rose scent without the added throw notes?
  14. harmonyfb

    Asphodel

    In the vial: Spring flowers. Wet: Smells like daffodils, pleasant if a bit strong. Drydown: Oh, hell. Jasmine. We meet again, my enemy. So long to any other floral note, because... Dry: JASMINE!! ::Jasmine proceeds to shake her ass in my face, step all over my feet and spill her drink on my carpet:: ::sigh::
  15. harmonyfb

    Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

    So far, I've only had the bad Cathode reaction (headache, nausea, amping up of the blend, metallic taste in mouth) with two other scents: Ultraviolet and Hollywood Babylon. Neither were as bad as the reaction to Cathode, but both were similar. I can't figure out what element would be common to all three, though? To be on the safe side, I won't be testing Numb or Nuclear Winter, though. It's a very unpleasant reaction.
  16. harmonyfb

    Shill

    Dude. It smells exactly like salty buttered popcorn. (How does she do this? It's magic! Made me hungry, too.) I really don't want to smell like I crawled in the popper at the local theater. Off to swap.
  17. harmonyfb

    Shadow Witch Orchid

    Nothing. But. Plastic. Bleah. Off to the swap pile.
  18. harmonyfb

    Talvikuu

    Hmm. This isn't what I expected. When I first put it on, there was a pine smell, but not the green pine of Skadi. This was a bit darker, a bit more woodsy. When it cleared, there was left a cold scent that seemed very familiar, but that I couldn't identify. To me, it isn't anything like Skadi - and it really isn't the scent for me. Off to swap.
  19. harmonyfb

    Yew-Trees

    Well, I'm disappointed. In the bottle: Sharp, medicinal. Wet: Pine-sol. Nothing but nasty pine-scented cleaner. Dry: Stale cigarettes, I swear to Goddess. Stale cigarettes with a whiff of Pine-sol. Ugh! I'm so happy I didn't slather.
  20. harmonyfb

    Arkham

    This doesn't smell like your normal floral blend. It's all dry woods and herbs, kind of a shy, retiring scent. It does remind me of Arkham - the quiet, unassuming facade that hides all sorts of interesting secrets. I don't know if I'll wear it often, but it is wonderfully different kind of perfume. ETA: A half-hour later, it has become sickly sweet, and I really really really do not like it. ::sigh::
  21. harmonyfb

    Hexennacht (2005, 2016)

    In the bottle: an almost medicinal smell, a little off-putting. Wet: Nothing. It's like my skin drank it up and didn't even belch afterward. Drydown: Ok, I smell...flowers. The hell? There are no flowers in this! Dry: Now, I smell like pipe tobacco and flowers. No pine, no bonfire smoke, just flowery pipe tobacco. ::looks at oil:: Maybe the person I swapped with accidentally mislabeled a Dia de los Muertos decant? I smell like a tobacconist's shop. Bleah. Might smell good on a man, but definitely not for me. ETA: I notice that some of the reviews mention how strong this scent is - not on me. I can barely smell it when my nose is right up next to my wrist. ETA, Again: An hour later, I can smell the bonfire scent I was desperately craving, but it's completely overwhelmed by flowers. And I wanted so much to like this one.
  22. harmonyfb

    Snow Bunny

    Skadi is my OTP (One True Perfume), so when I started reading reviews which mentioned how like Skadi "Snow Bunny" is, I had to try it. It starts out smelling exactly like Skadi. Green, clear pines that clear my sinuses. They're a little more resiny and a little less green than Skadi, but I could work with that. The difference came in the drydown. Instead of the soft, sweet berries of Skadi, this has a slush, cold and white. I was disappointed when I first applied it, but now, an hour or so later, I'm admiring the wintry smell (all snow and cold and just a hint of pine trees in the background). I might order a bottle, for when my stash of Skadi runs out.
  23. harmonyfb

    Ode on Melancholy

    This is gorgeous. I'm not a big fan of florals, and probably wouldn't have tried this, except it was a frimp in my last order. In the bottle: Soft lavender. Wet: Lavender, with a touch of some other flower that I can't identify (maybe that's the Wisteria?) Dry: The sandalwood and rose mingle with the lavender to make a nicely balanced, and yes, very sad and somber fragrance. Dry, 20 min later: White musk has overwhelmed everything but the rose, but it is still a lovely scent. I may not order a bottle (florals, not my thing), but I will use the imp - it smells lovely on my skin.
  24. harmonyfb

    #20 Love Oil

    In the bottle, it was OMFG ALMOND! Bleah. I hate almond-smell. In the interest of experimentation, I dabbed it on, and waited. Wet: It went on as almonds, and then suddenly became this dry, weedy, herbal-smelling mix. When my husband walked in, I held it up for his opinion. He said, "Ooo. That smells nice. But I thought you didn't like roses." Roses? I lifted my wrist back to my nose, and sure enough - all I smell is rose. Weird. I don't really like roses, so I don't think I'll wear this as a personal scent, but as a Voodoo oil it seems to have great efficacy. My husband doesn't like perfume (and in fact thinks my bpal obsession is silly), but he stopped to compliment me a number of times while I was wearing it. I think I'll keep it in reserve for those days I need to feed a little more attractive.
  25. harmonyfb

    Ultraviolet

    I approached this scent cautiously, as I had a really horrible reaction to Cathode, and I thought this might be more of the same. In the vial, it was wonderfully minty (so was Cathode). I dabbed the barest, tiniest amount on my skin, and hoped for the best. Wet, there was a delicious rush of mint. Drydown: Crap. There it goes, changing and twisting, just like Cathode did. Happily, my reaction to Ultraviolet was not nearly as strong or horrible as the one I had to Cathode, but still, I had an unpleasant reaction. Dry: It smells like...mothballs. Seriously. It's making me vaguely nauseous, and yes, indeedy, I have the metallic taste in my mouth that I got from Cathode. The difference in the reaction is that this time, my skin didn't amp it up, it washed off easily, and I didn't have the pounding headache with it. But it was bad enough I won't be wearing it again. Bleah. Guess I'll be steering clear of Nuclear Winter and Numb, too, since they're described as being similar. I don't know what ingredient is causing the reaction, but damn, I hate it.
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