Voleuse

This blend is a strong and sweet patchouli on first application, and faintly boozy to my nose. For some reason, the throw reminds me of Blood Moon--I get the same almost-vanilla echo from this. As it dries, the ginger peeks in, lending a bit of spice to the blend. The blend mellows out nicely, though the patchouli never really fades. It's a great blend, but a little too strong for me.

This is a super-sultry, super-floral blend. The honeysuckle and jasmine are drooping and sweet, and I can almost feel the humidity against my skin. After a bit, I can smell the lemon, though I can't identify any individual spices. Lovely and evocative.

This is immediately bittersweet florals on me, sharp and almost herbal. The myrrh blooms after a moment, though, mellowing the bitterness. There's a wood note, as well, but it's smothered by the incense. In the end, this dries to a heavy incense, overlaid by florals. There's a greenness I suspect is the juniper, but it's mostly overwhelmed by the other notes.

On first application, this is dirt and sweet flowers, but there's something headier as well. The bourbon, perhaps? It's a quiet scent on me, close to the skin, with a hint of green. As it dries, the earth note strengthens into a richer loam, but the booze tempers it quite a bit. It's a lovely scent, very dignified and sweet.

Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods. Definitely a masculine type of scent, and almost generic on first application. As it dries, however, it becomes more complex. The rum and salt strike me as dominant, and only on a deeper sniff do I detect the leather. After a while, the blend rounds into something more aquatic, more sweet. This is a steady, deep scent, but it's also an open and serene one as well. Perfect ocean.

This is a lovely scent, sweet and creamy. Sadly, creamy scents tend to go a little plasticky on me, and this is no exception. It doesn't lose any of its lovely top notes, but something underneath it morphs, making it smell artificially flavored. Like scent sprayed on an action figure. Sigh.

Huh. I can't quite figure out how to describe this. The rose is balanced with the frankincense evenly, but the lavender keeps this from being a rose scent, to my nose. I don't smell the orchid at all, but there's a huskiness to the blend that reminds me of musk. As it dries, the rose actually becomes less detectable to me. This is a beautiful and complicated blend. Coy, almost. It changes every time I sniff, but I'm compelled to keep trying.

I looked up the bone church as described, and I'm already fascinated. The scent itself is a solemn, green floral on first application, fresh but static. As it dries, however, the blend takes on a woodsy bent, reminding me of polished wood and incense. This is the churchiest BPAL blend I've smelled yet, and it's beautiful. Cool and echoing and a little ancient. There's barely any incense, which I actually like--my chemistry tends to amp incense until I can't smell anything else. I don't imagine I'd wear this much, but it's a gorgeous blend.

Oooh. To my untrained nose, this is a prettier, fancier Nero. The rosemary and the lemon stand out first, but the bergamot pops out after a short while. It's a crisp and light scent, but somehow it strikes me as masculine. The amber lends it a little warmth, but for the most part, this blend gives way to the herbs. Nicely done, and beautifully blended--I can't discern the other notes, but they keep peeping in and out as I sniff.

Chocolatey goodness! At first sniff, this reminds me of Lump of Coal, but after a moment, it clarifies itself. This isn't brownies--this is a bowlful of milk chocolate, shredded into rich crumbs. Yum! It's sweet, and the tiniest bit dry. It fades rather quickly on me, but otherwise it's delicious.

This is actually quite heavy on me, resin and faint florals. It's not dark, but it's thick, if that makes any sense. Gooey sunlight and sweet smoke. As it dries, the floral notes actually fade away, until all I get is amber. It's nice, but not for me.

This is an ephemeral scent, light and sharp. It's tea with citrus overtones, and barely sweet. I like it, but it disappears quickly.

Oooooh. On first sniff, this is sunlight and forest, with a stab of citrus wafting through. It's not masculine, particularly, but it's something that would be damn sexy on a certain type of guy--or gal, for that matter. It's fresh and foresty, but the white musk lends it a compelling sensuality. It's definitely a smell I'd want to get closer to. Rawr.

On first application, this is bright and sparkling. The iris is strong, but swathed in warm spices that remind of Christmas. It's pretty, but it also makes me want to sneeze. As it dries, however, the scent morphs to amber with golden spice overtones. It's rather evocative--a spacious room, polished bright, recently vacated. Beautiful.

In the bottle and on first application, this is absolute peony, sweet and freshly blossomed. It's very feminine and lush, with a decent throw. After a minute, I can smell something rounder behind the peony--plum, definitely, and a drier wood note. Pretty! Soon enough, however, the scent fades almost completely on me. What I can still smell is just as vivid and fresh, but it's elusive now. A little disappointing, yes, but I think it's worth keeping, especially now that I have a scent locket to use in experiments.

At first, this is a faintly sweet and herbal scent, like walking into a fancy soap shop. I smell lavender and chamomile right away, and though I can't discern the other notes, there is definitely something more complex in the background. As it dries, the blend gets a little soapier on me, though there's a woodsy note that gets stronger over time. Overall, this is a nice, calming blend, but nothing that screams MUST HAVE to me.

This is amazingly sweet on first application--pomegranate, but softened by the rose. Yum! The scent lasts a relatively long time on me, and it doesn't morph at all. It isn't really something that calls out to me, but I'll keep it in mind, if ever I want a dependable rose scent.

The Greek God of Tears, Patron of Mourners, who dictates and accepts honors paid to the dead. He is the personification of grief and the sorrow and emptiness that comes from loss. Weeping is his hymnal, and this is his perfume. Salt tears over white roses, the fumes of thin funereal incense and the hollowness of calamus. Salt and roses is a perfect description of this. Rose is definitely the floral note, but the sweetness is completely replaced by an herbal, bitter edge. It reminds me of a funeral on a sunlit day, where there are bouquets littering the grounds, but your hands are feeling cold. This isn't a pretty scent, but it's apt, I think. Solemn.

Wow, honeydew! Sparkling and sweet and dripping with juice. After a minute, I get a hint of sharp grape beneath it, but it's mostly (almost) overpowering melon. My mouth is watering. This blend has excellent throw, and actually lasts quite a bit of time, which is remarkable for my chemistry.

What a great name! Hee. This is all spice and plums on first application, light and sweet. It smells rather like a juicy reddish-purple, if that makes sense. Dark but vibrant. As it dries, the scent gets a little lighter, and I can discern a drier, floral note in this. Pretty!

Huh. On first application, I have absolutely no idea how to describe this. It's dark, but rather ephemeral to my nose. Spicy and a bit sweet, but not anything I can name particularly. As it dries, it doesn't morph on me at all. It's really, really nice. It's somber and warm, and rather striking, but not something I would particularly wear.

This is definitely incense on first application, a dry, warm sort of resin on my skin. It's a bit stronger than I expected, given the description. As it dries, it gets more "perfumey," and a little soapy on me. Nice enough, but not really to my taste.

On first application, I get fresh green apple and a swath of mint. If I sniff carefully, I can smell the iris as well, but I don't get much more than that. This is definitely an aquatic scent however, gently and sweetly lapping against my ankles. I find it very calming, even though I wouldn't necessarily wear it as perfume. This one will definitely go on my bottle wishlist.

I love this. It's cocoa sweetened by dragon's blood deepened by a hint of vetiver and sharpened by spice. I don't get a lot of musk, but a warm halo of it, surrounding the other notes. This is beautiful--not as complex on me as, say, Freak Show, but gorgeous in its own right. Definitely a keeper. I am all kinds of thrilled with this scent, because I've loved the story for years now. I was determined to purchase a bottle, regardless of the notes, and then the notes were all ones I liked! And they all work on me, to boot! Yay! I think I might need a second bottle.

This is dizzying honey and mild incense to my nose, offset by a spicy floral note. As it dries, however, it tips over strongly towards incense. It's warm and a little sweet, and it gets caught in my throat. After a while, I get a powdery musk that I dislike. Something with my chemistry, I suppose. Sigh.