OctoberGwen

Red rose petals dusted with a trove of ancient spices. I always love the spicey rose blends, and this one is no exception. Here the rose and spices blend into something sophisticated and lovely; in fact, this reminds me of something that I can't quite put my finger on. It has a very classic feel to it, and would be appropriate for the office as well as a night out on the town.

I adore this! A perfect blend of Dorian and Antique Lace, without the too-sweet quality each scent has on me individually. I get zero pink pepper and zero lavender - or the latter blends so well with the vanilla and tea that it's indistinct, which is fine by me. Feminine and pretty, with fairly decent wear and a nice throw. I'll reach for this one a lot.

Sweet red patchouli and hay absolute with a hint of orange peel, cocoa, and amber. Oh, I'm SO glad I got this! I'm a patchouli fan, but surely the "sweet red" variety is palatable to all - it's delicious, and the hay note seems to be taking the chewy edge off of it even more (I think it's the hay, anyway.) I definitely get orange peel, which is gorgeous with the patch, and just a hint of amber. I expect this note will deepen and become more prominent with time. Overall a sweetish, really lovely scent with just a bit of bite. LOVE. A million thanks to my wonderful D*Con fairy!

Mmmm, oudh is generally lovely on my skin and it is really gorgeous with amber! This is deep and dark and has an expensive vibe to it. Sometimes the pared-down blends are surprisingly rich. I will reach for this one often, I think.

MMMMMmmmmmmm. I love this, but bear in mind I'm a huge fan of vetiver and patch, and there aren't many musks I don't love. The patchouli is very smooth and the vetiver is wrapped around it like a shroud. The musk is in the black family, probably, but it's almost like smoke here. There is a slightly dry quality, which I like, and not even a hint of sweetness - also good, in my book. A strong, assertive scent.

Complex, cerebral, elegant, and neat...this does my firstborn Virgo child proud. Very well blended, the lemon verbena lifts what is otherwise a beautifully earthy - yet somehow bright - scent. I don't get patchouli per se but I know that is what's grounding things here, keeping it from getting too high pitched. I think this would smell equally good on a man, but it's not leaning masculine. I'd wear this to a night out at the theater or a gallery opening; something sophisticated and dressy. Virgo is gorgeous, and I don't have any other BPALs like it.

Beth's best ghostly scent to date, as far as I'm concerned. The "pierced veil" description is perfect: this is a drifting, haunting scent - with my beautiful ambergris and a surprisingly subtle frankincense to keep it from being both too airy and too flowery. It's not white, it's misty grey. And it's stunning.

The scent of actual lilac flowers is one of my favorite smells, bringing me right back to my childhood. Sadly, as a perfume note lilac almost always goes sour on my skin, and the one in this blend is no exception. I was hoping "lilac water" would work somehow, but...nope. With the correct skin chemistry, I imagine this is a delicate, old-fashioned scent of win, though.

Floral aficionados take note: Lullaby is pretty stunning. It's a beautiful, slightly haunting blend that on me is very moonflower-dominant, which I LOVE. Usually if lavender is present, it stomps all over the other notes - but not here, thankfully. I think this is a slightly melancholy cousin to June 23, 1868 from the Only Lovers Left Alive collection; they both have a lovely English cottage garden by night feel, but Lullaby's moss note gives it a lonely, yearning air. SophieCedar nailed it: this will be a very underrated scent that floral lovers who miss out will be seeking later. Get it now!

I adore this. On me, the ambergris is front and center (which is perfect, as Beth's ambergris accord is one of my favorite notes.) I detect the white rose, and I'm very happy that the vanilla amber is not turning too sweet on me. I get zero "fizzy" quality, just a light muskiness. Oftentimes I try these types of scent and they just go sickly sweet - I'm thinking of Ava, and Edith, and Butterflies Flowers & Jewels. This one is a perfect blend for me: sweet, yes, but not cloyingly so, and ambergris-dominant rather than vanilla-heavy. Exquisite, classic, and very pretty. It also evokes the scene in the film it is named for very successfully. I need a couple of bottles of this one.

Opium is often not my friend, and when I first tried this scent the poppy seemed to be doing a similar sharp thing on my skin. I put it away (I actually thought I had swapped it), and pulled it out today after finally seeing the film a few days ago. Can I just say that I am so glad I didn't swap this one? After several months, whatever wackiness was happening has completely smoothed out, leaving a stunning, darkly beautiful scent that falls firmly in my wheelhouse. There's very little not to like about a myrrh/musk/sandalwood combo, and the poppy lends an Oriental air to all that dark goodness.

Iris blossom, violet leaf, grey amber, soft white leather, a drop of coconut and a sliver of angelica seed. Something about this combination isn't working with my skin chemistry. I get a sense of what the light-colored amber/coconut/leather should smell like, and it's beautiful, but on me there is also a very strong, almost chemical smell happening that is overpowering the scent. I think I'm coming to the conclusion that the only type of coconut that works on me is the black variety, and the only leather I can wear is brown, since both black and white go chemical-y.

Pendulous blue wisteria, white peonies, ho wood, magnolia petals, plum juice, and red benzoin. This is a very strong, very 'present' floral with perhaps an undertone of benzoin. I don't smell the plum juice at all. There's a slightly spicy quality here as well as something that almost tips into sour territory, but not quite. Floral aficionados will probably enjoy this very much, as wisteria and peony are very distinctive. I prefer my florals with some musk or a resin that has a bit more presence than the benzoin has here. I will say that the drydown is very pretty, when my beloved magnolia makes more of an appearance. I will reach for this when in the mood for a distinctive non-rose floral, perhaps.

Red musk and almond husk with sweet fig, Bulgarian rose absolute, blood orange rind, and green cognac. Oh, this is lovely, and it reminds me of another BPAL blend but I can't put my finger on it. If I think of it, I'll come back and edit. I happen to looooove red musk, and it loves me, but if you are afraid of it then Daruma Doll is one you may want to try. The red musk is subdued and blends quite beautifully with the fig (normally a note I dislike), almond husk, and Bulgarian rose (one of my favorite roses.) The blood orange rind is just a whisper, lifting things up a little bit, and right now I'm not getting the cognac but this bottle is only a day out of the mailbox and I expect it to show up with a bit of settling. I love this blend and will almost certainly put it into regular rotation.

Lemon peel and white incense. Sometimes the simpler blends can be really stunning, and I've been hoping for a lemon-based one because citrus notes always improve my mood. This is very, very pretty; especially when first applied. The lemon peel lifts and brightens while the incense note gives it depth - I'm not sure how Beth achieved the "white" quality with this incense but that is most definitely what it is. And it's not "lemon Pledge" at all, nor is it juicy, fleshy lemon; it's a bright hint of lemon zest. There is a point about midway through the drydown when it threatens to go funky on my skin, but that hint of funk quickly dissipates and it's back to being light and pretty. The far drydown is a slightly spicy lemon peel. Really nice. A very early-Springtime type of fragrance.