rorygory

I am in completely addicted to Incubus. "Mint" and "caramel" seem like a terrible combination on paper, but out of the bottle, it's a loud, green fresh note paired with a round, sugary skin scent that is striking and sexy. BPAL's tobacco scents always win my heart, and Incubus is no exception. The green freshness fades as it dries down, and the nicotiana and sage notes come forward to create a sweet, herbal tobacco heart. It's a warm, masculine, sensual skin scent that perfectly illustrates the devilish concept. I love it.

In the bottle, what first strikes my nose is Magdalene's wonderful rose scent, one of my favorite notes. BPAL roses are really unpredictable, though- they can range from absurdly stuffy to hysterically shrill to utterly deranged. This is an unexpected BPAL rose, with a pleasant, rather "normal" floral roundness, a reasonable, refreshing greenness, and an unusual depth. On first application, Magdalene has a sharp burnt note that reminds me of the off top notes of my vintage Le Galion Snob. There is something about these burnt chemicals hovering over an otherwise pleasant floral that I really love. It's like a synthetic rebelliousness, a shabby chic dress, the chaotic beauty of imperfection. Magdalene then settles down into one of my favorite BPAL rose scents. Everything about the description is true: roses, orchids, labdanum; stirring yet gentle; love and devotion mingled with heart wrenching sorrow. The order of words is important here- it is first, love and devotion, then sorrow. The sweet, gorgeous floral notes are grounded by the labdanum, and it is the conflict between them that makes the emotion of this perfume so expansive. It reminds me of Guerlain's Après L'ondée, which also has that expansive conflict. Après L'ondée is a play between wet, tearful florals: rose, iris, and heliotrope; and the grounding bouquet de Provence: thyme, rosemary, and sage. The result is revelatory: it is the shift from rain to sunlight, from tears to a smile. Whereas Après L'ondée has a holy, transcendent quality to it, what I love about Magdalene is its shift, not to clarity, but to darkness. Après L'ondée's play between sorrow and hope seems to beg, to insist, to pray that hope will conquer. Magdalene, on the other hand, lets the darkness in, and the play between love and sorrow suggests that sorrow will win. The scent passively, but seductively, accepts this idea, and dries to a dark, rosy labdanum. The entire experience is sexy, complicated, emotional and beautiful.

They are 5ml bottles, not imps, so that sounds like my answer! Thanks for all the info

Hi there! My name is Rory, and I'm a new BPAL addict. I just joined this site recently. I've browsed through all the forums looking for an answer to this question, but haven't found any- apologies though if I am asking something that has already been answered somewhere! I just had a multi-swap with a really sweet girl on Makeupalley who threw in a number of BPAL prototypes: Rose Red, Peacock Queen, Snow White, Midwinter's Eve, and Krampus. All of them come with a white label that says "Prototype not for sale" Does anyone know what these are? Are they test formulations of the scents? Is it the kind of thing you can buy if you're out in LA? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks! Rory

I love this! I just got a sample as an extra in a MUA swap. Unfortunately there was only a little left (I think it leaked in transit, sad) but enough to wear for a day. To me, Alice smells like warm, sweet milk with honey... baby powder... it would be cloying, but the tang of bergamot makes it feel precocious and fun. The floral note, carnation, adds a freshness to it that makes it just delightful. Just a perfect scent for Alice As to the reviewers who have noted a restroom smell (hahah!) I think it's because there is phenylacetic acid in it, used to create the honey note? I know that phenylacetic acid smells like honey in dilution and urine in concentration, and that some people are more sensitive to it than others. Serge Lutens "Miel de Bois" has been noted by some to be a story of honey gone horribly wrong, lol. Does anyone know if BPAL uses this in their formulation? Btw, I am new to this BPAL forum, just joined