edenssixthday

Okayaki - I am soooo getting a bottle of this! It's absolutely my favorite of the Shungas. I can't believe it doesn't have vanilla or musk in it -- it's so vanilla-sweet and creamy. I think it's the combination of the olive blossom and the lily and snow. Once it dries down, the amber comes through, giving it a wood-like base for the lighter scents to rest upon. I seriously cannot put into words how gorgeous this is. I'm in some hardcore, serious love. This is one of those scents that makes me want to get rid of the rest of my collection and make this my one-and-only signature scent!

Dark Chocolate - I was so excited to get to try this because I have had a love/hate relationship with BPAL's chocolate note for five years now. I wanted to try this since it didn't seem to be blended with any musks or woods or resins or any other notes that could affect how it comes across on my skin. Sniffing it in the vial was heavenly. It smelled like dark, thick, heavy, chocolate fudge. The chocolate separates, so I warmed the vial against my skin for quite some time, at which point, I was able to easily mix the chocolate with the rest of the oil and apply it to my skin. It instantly took on this weird plasticky scent that quickly turned into the not-so-sweet scent of baby poo. It was ghastly, and I sat on my couch, sniffing my wrists and giggling away that this scent is so coveted. And then it dried down, mellowed out, and became... well, not quite "heavenly", but pretty darn close. You should smell it on my wrists right now. Yum! You know those molten lava cakes that have a melted chocolate center? That's what this smells like -- the melted chocolate center. It smells so good! I know now that BPAL's dark chocolate note is not the culprit of bad smells, as I was beginning to suspect... the culprit of stinkiness is BPAL's dark chocolate note only when blended with something else like black musk or patchouli or whatever other notes can be "iffy" on me. On its own, it's delicious and decadent.

Thoos - White musk is one of those weird notes that I can't smell. When I tried the white musk single note, it smelled like I'd put water on my skin. My nose does not detect white musk at all. So on me, this was 100% tangerine and cypress, and I looooved it! It is very masculine to me, and something I think would smell amazing on my husband. I love how the bright citrus note compliment the sharp wood note. This scent lasted a long time on my wrist, although after several hours, the tangerine had worn away, but the cypress was still going strong. I wish my husband wasn't allergic to fragrance. I'd love to smell this on him!

Bijoux Y'Ha-nthlei - This is a deep, warm, tropical scent. It's that ginger, neroli, and lime that's giving it the tropical feel, and the beeswax and amber that deepen the scent. I didn't think this was going to work on me, and while the neroli definitely made its best attempt at sucking on my skin, it still turned out to be very pretty. It lasted several hours on my skin and while the brighter notes wore off more quickly than the heavier notes, it remained pretty until it disappeared.

Enyalios - Whoa, quite strong on the patchouli and the balsam and juniper. This is very much a patchouli & wood scent. The thyme gives it a bit of herbalness, too. It's actually quite strong and overwhelming when first applied, but as it dries down, the notes settle into each other and become more balanced. This is definitely not my type of scent. It's more of an outdoorsy guy-scent, and something that would smell drop-dead sexy on my man (even though he's not an outdoorsy type).

Boadicea Bath Oil - Oh wow, this is AWESOME! Tons and tons of sweet, syrupy vanilla, with amber and fig and a bit of patchouli. Where can I find a bottle NOW?

The Perfumed Garden 2010 - My review for the 2006 version is here and my review for the 2007 version is here. I don't know if Beth changes the formulation or if my skin chemistry changes, but The Perfumed Garden is different to me each time it's released. This year, it smells like tuberose to me. I know there's no tuberose listed in the ingredients. I think it's the combination of jasmine, apple peel, and myrtle that, to my nose, mimics tuberose. It is sweet and pink and gorgeous. I can't identify the other resiny, woody, citrus, or herbal notes at all because the "tuberose" scent is so incredibly strong to my nose. This year's The Perfumed Garden actually reminds me a lot of Tiki Queen in it's "pinkness" and prettiness. (I still can't believe tuberose isn't listed in the scent ingredients!) It's very strong when it first goes on, but then lightens up significantly and doesn't stick around on me for very long.

Beanman & Beanwoman Prepare to Attack the Vagina - If it's possible for a fragrance to be too pretty, this would qualify. It is so perfectly pretty that I can hardly stand it. Every single note is evident, yet every single note is in perfect balance with all the others. I honestly can't describe this in a way that gives enough credit to how truly beautiful this blend is. Read the other reviews -- they go into details about the notes. Ny review is just going to describe this as the absolutely perfect, pretty, feminine, sprintime scent. I can't get enough of it. I need a gallon. I wish I could bathe in this from head to toe, all the time, every day.

 

 

ETA: Great throw and wear length. My skin tends to eat up scents like this, but I've been wearing it for about 4 hours now, and it has as much throw now as it did when I first put it on. I keep catching gorgeous wafts of it all around me. I wore it yesterday evening, too, and when I woke up this morning, I could still smell a faint trace of it on my skin. Awesome staying power for such a clean, fresh, light, pretty scent!!!

Pink Mood - All the other reviewers get licorice, which makes me sad because I love licorice/anise, and I don't smell it AT ALL in this scent! This is a really, really weird scent on me. It has an odd plasticky-band-aidy flatness about it that, I'm guessing, comes from the type of vanilla being used, since on me, "band-aid" scent can usually be traced back to a certain type of vanilla. (Although some vanillas are LOVERLY on me!) It's a very pink plastick-band-aid scent, and kind of creamy, but mostly just really weird. In the right context, every single one of these notes (with the possible exception of neroli) should smell great on me, but combine them together, and they don't blend well at all. I'm surprised this one made it past the prototype stage with the weirdness of the blend and the oddness of the scent.

Brotoloigos - This opens up as a dark myrrh single note! It's gorgeous and makes me giddy and happy because I love dark myrrh so much. As it dries down, a strong woodiness comes out and blends gorgeously with the myrrh and it becomes a woody-myrrh scent. It goes through one phase where the tobacco overwhelms everything else, but that seems to last only about 20-30 minutes and then it's back to being a woody-myrrh scent when I sniff my skin up close, and the wafts of scent I catch around me are myrrh, myrrh, myrrh. I'm SO BUMMED that I can't smell the geranium in this, as geranium is my favorite note of all time. Still, even without the geranium, I love this. It's strong and hard and very manly without being a men's-only fragrance.

Konseishin the Penis God - This is a really lovely scent. It reminds me a lot of Faunalia without the musk. The fir needle is the dominant note on me, with white sandalwood right behind it. The apple blossom isn't present at all (which is good since it goes soapy on me) and thankfully, the Peru balsam is also not very strong at all (since balsam and I don't get along). The myrrh is soft, but adds a nice level of texture to this scent. It's mostly a fir/sandalwood/myrrh scent on me. Overall, this is a really lovely scent. But on me, it's so similar to Faunalia, that now I'm wondering which of them I want more -- the resiny-forest goodness of this one, or the musky-forest goodness of Faunalia. Hard choice. Maybe I can have both?

 

 

Picture Book and Pleasure Toys - My skin ate this one up. I put it on and while it was strong at first, it was completely gone within 2 hours. It's a strange scent on me, a weird combination of rose, red musk, red sandalwood, oakmoss, and amber. It slightly reminds me of Butterflies & Plovers, but less juicy-sweet. For the most part, it's a solid woody-floral scent and very "oriental" in spirit. The various notes are interesting together, but on me, they're kind of weird. I'm having a hard time describing this probably because I have a hard knowing exactly how I feel about it.

The Steeple - The herbs are the strongest note. This is very, very green and very heavy on the herbal notes. There is a soft touch of woods that's almost dusty, and I don't really smell the fungus note at all. I actually find this scent incredibly intriguing, even though it's not at all my typically preferred type of fragrance. It makes me think of the rainforest in the Pacific Northwest for some reason. I think people who love green scents and herbal scents will potentially really love this one. The throw is very strong and the staying power is about average.

Khalkokorustes is love. I didn't think I'd like this. Most of the notes in it are "iffy" at best on me. Pear is usually too sweet for me, cedar usually smells like pencil shavings, champaca is usually too dry on me, jasmine usually amps on me. Somehow, the combination of all of them (plus they other notes) equals perfection. This is one of those scents that makes me realize that if I had a full bottle of this, I wouldn't need as many other perfumes as I have and maybe it's time to cull the herd a bit. The champaca and cedar temper the sweetness of the pear, while the sweetness of the pear keeps the champaca and cedar from being too dry and sawdust-like. While I've been able to wear jasmine for the past couple of years, I still have to be careful with it, as jasmine does tend to amp on my skin. For the first two hours I was wearing this, I didn't even know there was any jasmine in it. It was only when I looked at the ingredient list again that I realized there's jasmine in it and know that I know it, I think I can detect it, but barely. The staying power is above average and the throw is perfect -- subtle, but I occasionally catch unexpected wafts, which are just delightful. It's such a beautiful, pretty, gorgeous, wonderful scent that I could see smelling fabulous on a man, too. I really can't say enough about it. I'll be adding a bottle to my next order from the Lab.

Andreiphontes - This smells like cheap men's soap-on-a-rope from the clearance bin at Ross.

Signior Dildo - This scent is a perfect example of why I test even the scents that sound awful and don't smell good in the bottle. This scent's ingredient list didn't intrigue me in the least, and when I smelled it in the bottle, I was unimpressed. But I tried it on, and was instantly blown away by the gorgeousness it takes on the moment it touches my skin. The narcissus isn't present in this scent at all (to my nose, at least). The vanilla isn't the rich, warm, buttery scent I associate with most of the vanillas I prefer, but it's light and sweet, and almost floral. The dry orris and sweet violet compliment the vanilla perfectly. I can't put into words what a beautiful, feminine fragrance this is on me. It's perfect for springtime and just delightful. I'm soooo glad I tried it after all!

 

Edited to add that my skin tends to eat up vanilla blends, but this one has really good staying power, even though it sticks pretty close to my skin after the first hour or so.

Kiss Amongst Discarded Tissues - This is a really pretty fruity-floral on me. The Indian musk seems to be the strongest note, with the mandarin rind right behind it. The blackberry is stronger on me than any of the other previous reviewers noted, and blends quite nicely with the darker top notes. The gardenia is light and since I don't usually like gardenia, I'm surprised at how pretty it smells in this blend -- not heavy or heady at all. The khus is very, very faint, and gives the scent a nice earthiness about it. The blackberry fades after the first 20-30 minutes, leaving this scent smelling less juice, and more of a darker, non-juicy fruity-floral.

 

 

Penis Admiration - When I first smell this in the bottle, it smells amazing. I am certain it is going to be the "winner" of this year's Shungas, if not the entire Lupercalia update. The smooth, warmth of the tonka and the smoky, sweet vanilla blend together to create the most gorgeous scent. In the very far background is the tiniest hint of lilac, but it's barely there. And then I put it on my skin and it all goes to hell. The moment it touches my skin, the lilac revs its engines and pushes its way to the front of the blend, and I have to say, creamy tonka-vanilla and lilac absolutely do not work together. It's just a really, really bad combination of notes. I keep hoping the lilac will settle down or that the tonka and vanilla will move far into the background, but pretty much, they all vie for the dominant place, and the end result is a really bad smell on my skin. I am so sad because without the lilac, or with about 1% of the lilac it actually contains, it could be a gorgeous scent. I wish it smelled on my skin as awesome as it does in the bottle. Oh well, that just means there's more for the rest of you, I suppose.

Prosperity of a Country - This is gorgeous. I can't stop huffing away at my skin!!! On me, it's predominantly frankincense layered on top of a smooth, dark leather. For a good hour or longer those are the only two notes that I can detect at all. My skin amps frankincense (in a good way), so it's not until it starts to step back a bit that I can detect the orris, and that's only when I'm sniffing my skin very closely. The orris gives it a light, almost powdery rootiness, and compliments the other notes perfectly. I never do smell ginger or cream -- they just don't make it past the frankincense at all. Also, I have no idea what asuhi is, so I have no idea if I can detect it or not. I don't think I smell anything that I can't identify. Anyway, this is a really awesome fragrance. It's something I would love to smell on a man, but since I wear frankincense really well, I fully intend to wear it myself, too.

Milk Chocolate, Coconut, Cardamom, Rum, and Ginger Truffle - My experience with this is very different from the other reviews so far -- from the moment I open the bottle, the dominant note by far is cardamom. It is an amazing scent! When I was in college, I was a nanny for an East Indian family and the mom of the family used to come home from work every day and make a pot of black tea on the stove that had in it slices of fresh ginger, cardamom pods, coconut milk, and sugar. It was the most amazing tea I've ever had in my life. That's exactly what this fragrance smells like. When I apply it to my skin, the cardamom is still the strongest note and ginger gives it a nice kick of spiciness. After about 45-60 minutes, I can finally smell the chocolate on my skin, and with it, the cardamom and ginger. Then, at around the two hour point, the spices have eased off significantly, and that's when the coconut really comes through with the chocolate. I never am able to distinguish the rum from the other notes. I am not much of a chocolate scent person, but this one kicks @$$ and takes names. The chocolate never at any point becomes plasticky or dusty, as it often does on me.

 

This is by far the best "foody" BPAL I've ever encountered in all of my years of trying hundreds upon hundreds of BPALs. It is beyond awesome.

Enchanted Wood Florist - This is a very pretty floral blend that isn't a typical floral blend on me at all. It's an interesting combination of high-pitched florals (that don't overwhelm the blend at all) and soft greenery and a bit of heavy, green stemminess. It's got a breezy, ethereal quality to it and is just really, really pretty. I agree with the reviewer who said this is similar in quality to The Unicorn -- I was going to write that myself! In fact, I should just re-type the first reviewers entire review word-for-word -- I had the exact same experience as her. My skin tends to eat up the majority of fragrances pretty quickly, but this one lasted a good 11 hours or so. The throw was, of course, not so strong at the end, but at the beginning of the wear, it was quite strong, but since it's such a subtle, soft floral blend, it's not going to offend anyone around you. They're just going to think you smell like a pretty, fresh, spring day.

Needlework - When I sniffed the bottle, all I smelled was a note that's usually rotten on me -- lavender. But I got some on my fingers, so I rubbed it on my arm to go ahead and give it a shot. Once it dries down, it's actually really gorgeous! Even though I can still smell the lavender, it's faint, and the wisteria and musk are the top notes, and the lavender compliments the overall scent really nicely, surprisingly enough. I thought I'd dislike this, but it's really pretty. It's very much a springtime scent, highly feminine, and makes me think of ladies wearing flowered dresses with big hats and white gloves, drinking tea while sitting in wicker chairs on the patio in the shade of a freshly blossoming tree or two. It's a very calm and pretty scent.

Harimise - This is mostly a chestnut and rice scent on me with the barest hint of magnolia. Bummer I can't smell the rose geranium at all since that's my favorite BPAL note! This scent smells very sweet and almost vanilla-y in the bottle, but as soon as I put it on my skin, it's obvious the chestnut is the dominant note, and that is what is giving it it's warm, rich, almost buttery smoothness. The rice sweetens the scent up a bit. (I have not yet figured out what osmanthus and khus smell like, so I really don't know if I'm smelling them or not or how they play into the other notes.) This is a lovely scent that's on the foody side of things, but not overtly so. It's warm and sweet and rich. It's lovely and would make a nice home fragrance, too.

 

Two Loves - With the exception of angel's trumpet, which I've never smelled, and possibly the white lilies, everything in this list of ingredients should have been a total and complete WIN!!! for me. Sadly, this scent was a huge, giant F.A.I.L. from beginning to end. It went on floral and soapy, and then the blue musk and violets and rose tried really, really hard to come out, but the soapiness won and in the end, for several hours, it was nothing but icky old lady floral soap on my skin. So sad, because it had so much potential!

Miaiphonos - This is by far my favorite of the Ode to Mars blends. On me, it's predominantly anise, with a hint of clove and citrus. I don't smell the cumin at all. I do understand where a previous reviewer mentioned this is like the licorice NECCO wafers. I totally smell that...and that's a good thing, since NECCO licorice wafers are one of my favorite candies in the world. I wish I could put into words how awesome this is. I think it just surpassed Absinthe and The Last Squished Jellybean as my favorite licorice/anise blend. Mmmm! I love it!