hexnut

Due to the distinctive reverse on the label, I knew I was testing a Steamworks scent; I had ordered two and received one as a frimp. This oil was brown. In Vitro Deep, slightly sweet, akin to aftershave. Wet Freshly applied this smelled of citrus up close, but after a minute it was strictly lemon verbena. Drying The verbena faded after fifteen minutes allowing a mellow sweetness to emerge. It became a lovely vanilla-ish sweetness with some residual brightness of lemon verbena. Not quite an hour after application the scent was a fading vanilla-citrus that was almost cologne but not astringent, and it remained that way as it faded out. Aelopile didn't thrill me but it was very wearable and I wouldn't mind having a bottle.

This was a frimp from the Lab, light brown-orange in the vial. Blind test. In Vitro Perfumy, floral and/or resin. Wet Fresh on this was an old-fashioned floral perfume. After a few minutes the faintest whiff of soap joined in. Drying The same, perhaps a bit less sweet. Faint after four hours. After revealing the label that same evening I dabbed a bit on and picked up a bit of what might be an aquatic note. On the whole this was floral with no identifiable components. Most of the reviews for The Sea Foams Blood mention dragon's blood and since I got nothing but floral sweetness from Dragon's Hide, I'm not surprised by the result here. I do like this and it's strong on me but I don't need a bottle.

XIUHTECUHTLI I ordered this and the imp arrived cracked and only one quarter full, my first BPAL shipping mishap. Naturally I tested it first. Ex Vitro A lemony, "pale" cologne scent that permeated the shipping box. Wet A pleasant light floral, with a bit of what might be orange. Sniffing closely got definite orange and possibly spice. At this point I looked up the description and decided I was also smelling plumeria. Drying The scent went back to citrusy floral cologne, but in a good way. Over the next two hours it faded and became more floral than citrus, although not specifically plumeria. On my card I wrote, "respectable cologne/perfume". Twelve hours later I detected an extremely faint vanilla scent. I liked Xiuhtecuhtli enough to want to try it again but the vial is empty and I don't want to risk a bottle purchase on the strength of a single skin test. I'll just have to order another imp. 72

I bought two bottles of this at the February Will Call, the first time I've purchased multiples of a BPAL scent, and officially tested it today to make notes for this last-minute review. In Vitro Sniffed in the bottle this was fabulous deep chocolate, not creamy or dry or notably spicy. It smelled like Bliss, and I adore Bliss. Wet Fresh on this was chocolate with a slight peppery note. After a few minutes it was still chocolate but with a strong "dry" and spice-like component. Definitely different from Bliss but still very good. Drying This dried down less sweet and more spicy, even earthy. It was still recognizably chocolate but was now a complex and wonderful skin scent that remained reasonably strong for hours. The "earthiness" did recede a bit in favor of a milder chocolate smell. Love, love, love. I shall cherish my bottles.

AMBERGRIS I tested this at Will Call in March and liked it enough to purchase a bottle. With the deadline approaching I thought I'd better do a formal review. In Vitro A slightly lemony and "fresh" scent. Wet The lemony quality diminished leaving a faint, fresh smell and a possibly salty note. A few minutes later I detected a tiny hint of vanilla. Drying Ten minutes after application it was faint, fresh, and lightly sweet. A very short time later it was barely detectable, and throughout the morning I kept sniffing my right wrist in disbelief. I put on a generous dollop, where did it go? About two hours in I smelled something again, this time the "vanilla" that I got from Golden Priapus and that I associate with amber. Now I remembered why I bought this. It is still barely present, without a hint of the rubber smell I get from real vanilla, almost twelve hours after application. This single note isn't strong on my skin but few scents are; what is more important is that it behaves nicely. I'll keep this bottle and see what Ambergris does on cloth. 87

Very pale yellow, tested blind. In Vitro Perfumy and slightly sweet. Wet First impression was citrus, which turned into something like lemon verbena. It reminded me of a lemon-herb Ricola lozenge. Drying This mellowed and sweetened but retained the bright top note. It faded very quickly and was gone after two and a half hours. Huh. I like the scent of violets but I didn't pick it out in this test, and I don't know where the citrus came from. This imp will stay in its box for a while.

HELLCAT Blind test of the last imp in the box. In Vitro Boozy... plastic? Wet Boozy sweetness and slight plastic but pleasant spice underneath. Throughout the wet phase it exhibited a dual nature: nice up close, but a nearly nauseating throw. Drying As this dried on my wrist the sickly component diminished but remained as an unpleasant note in the mix. Twenty minutes after application the overall scent was better, and moderately strong. After an hour it had faded to a nice spicy scent with a bare hint of plastic if I inhaled deeply. Many hours later there remained a very faint sweetness and no plastic smell. Upon seeing the list for Hellcat I was surprised this wasn't worse. I now strongly suspect that it's not alcoholic notes per se that go Lovecraftian on me, but the combination of booze and any of BPAL's dairy notes - buttercream in this instance. The end stage was nice but not worth enduring a stink cloud to get there. 67

L'ECOLE DES FILLES Technically a blind test, but there were only two imps remaining in the box so I knew it was either this or a frimp. In Vitro Sweet; floral? Wet A sweet bright floral, possibly orange blossom, rather nice. Drying Only ten minutes on this had mellowed, and faded to skin-close. A half hour on it was still sweet but "flat" somehow, and I wondered if there might be musk present. Two and a half hours after application the scent was extremely faint. I actually liked this more than the terse description implies. L'Ecole des Filles has none of the properties (e.g., cloying, powdery) that turn me off most floral perfumes and I wonder if that's due to the vegetal musks or is a quality of orange blossom. I will certainly use up the imp and might get a bottle some day. 66

Rosewood and black cherry with white musk, red rose, red musk and a spark of lavender. In Vitro Blind test; very pale yellow in the imp. Sweet but not sharp, nothing I could identify. Sniffing deeply produced something like cinnamon. Wet A bit of citrus-like throw during application. Freshly on this was possibly citrus and spice. After three minutes this was joined by a possible floral, which dominated the initial notes after another three minutes. The whole was nice but not strong. Drying Ten minutes on this was floral-y, citrus-y, and mildly spicy, faint but very nice, and remained that way through the first half hour. At the one hour mark I was surprised by musk-type sweetness, and it was actually a bit stronger. This stage lasted another hour, fading to vague sweetness. Looking at the notes list I can see I guessed correctly at musk and floral, although I couldn't pick out rose even when I sniffed the imp again knowing the contents. The "spice" might have been the lavender or maybe the rosewood. I don't need a bottle of this but I'll use the imp.

A pale yellow oil, tested blind. In Vitro Sharp, sweet-pungent. Citrus? Wet Herbal throw during application. On skin it was sharp and pungent, almost mentholic, definitely herb-y; maybe eucalyptus? After eight minutes it was much less pungent and something like clove was peeking through. Nice. Drying Definitely clove, which I love. The scent retreated close to my skin and faded, but otherwise remained clove dominant for at least an hour. Later in the day it was faint and vaguely vanillic with no clove. Temple of Dreams was a pleasant surprise, and I'm grateful to the Lab for sending it along because I never would have picked this on my own. While testing this without knowing its identity I thought it would be refreshing for short-term daytime wear. Now seeing that it's a Somnium blend I'm curious enough to try it at bedtime.

In Vitro Tested blind. In the imp this was slightly sharp, light, and citrusy/floralish. Wet Floral/fruity and more bright than sharp. My first guess was Thalia because it definitely smelled like white blossoms, possibly plumeria. Drying Nine minutes on it was fading floral with the tiniest hint of soap. Quite nice, actually. I was apprehensive because of the champagne note but it caused no trouble at all and in fact may have contributed the "bright" quality. Thalia is a lovely light blend but it fades fast on me, not surprising given its similarity to Pele. Still, I might take a chance on a bottle.

A frimp from the Lab, tested blind. In Vitro Fresh; citrus? Wet Light, sweet, floral/fruity. After three minutes, a bit lemony. Nice. Drying Twenty minutes on this was faded, milder, and slightly soapy. Later - I didn't note the time - there was only faint sweetness. Given the exotic-sounding notes I would have hoped for something more, but this was unmemorable on me.

MAG MELL Light brown in the imp, tested blind. In Vitro Spice and citrus? Wet Some throw during application that I described as "planty". Fresh on this was very pretty, possibly floral. One minute along it was orange plus something, and remained the same for several minutes. Really wonderful. Drying The "orangeness" was less prominent and I detected a sweet base with something unknown beside. It was almost bitter, but still pleasant. An hour after application this was presumed floral plus sweet base and very faint bitterness, nice but not wonderful. Later the same day I put some more on the same wrist and rubbed it in, and this time it smelled more like lemon balm. About two hours after that the scent was faint and vanillic. The name reveal wasn't too surprising as Mag Mell was my second guess, after L'Ecole des Filles. There's no orange listed but ginger can smell like citrus on me (and possibly contribute pungency/bitterness), and the "lemon balm" could have been the verbena. The overall scent was very nice and I would not mind having a bottle although I wish the drydown would smell more like the wet phase. 60

51 Blind test, but see below. In Vitro Light; aquatic? Wet Aquatic or a light floral. After four minutes the "aquatic" note diminished leaving unidentified floral. This is when I first guessed it was 51. Drying Twenty-five minutes after application this was a faint mixed floral. At thirty-five minutes it had an undertone of body odor or plastic. I wondered if this might be Thalia* instead with its unfamiliar (to me) champagne note. And then my BPAL bane officially appeared: plastic. Not as strong as in the Picnic In Arkham scents but very similar. Four and a half hours after application there was virtually nothing left. Given that other users raved about 51 I was disappointed but not surprised that it didn't work on me. A few orders later I got 51 as a frimp, the first duplicate the Lab has sent to me. This second test was "semi-blind" because I accidentally read the label while unpacking so I knew 51 was among the scents to be tested. In Vitro Mild and perfumey. Wet Extremely light, possibly citrus and/or aquatic. Drying A light blend, probably aquatic. Ten minutes on: faint plastic? At twenty-three minutes there was a definite unpleasant component. No surprise at the label reveal that evening. If anything it was worse the second time. I am sad. *For the record, Thalia didn't go bad on me. Review to come. 59

JUPITERIAN PHOENIX Long story short - just sweet evergreen in the bottle, on my skin, and on cloth. I keep referring to it as "Juniper Phoenix". It works nicely as a room spray but I expected more given the list of notes. There's at least half the bottle remaining so I'll screw the cap down tight and hope the scent ages to something more complex, or that my nose gets better. I must say, the label art is wonderful. 65

DELIGHT In Vitro A yellow oil, tested blind. First sniff was sweet and resiny. Wet This went on sweet and thick-smelling, with a lot of throw at application. I guessed at floral but couldn't identify which flowers. It did remind me of commercial perfume, specifically my mother's Fleur(s) de Rocaille. Drying Less strong, but aside from mellowing a bit the scent didn't morph. Five hours after application I could still faintly smell this on my wrist. Because of the staying power I was expecting to see one or more base notes in the description. Rose, jasmine, and tuberose did not surprise me, but …frangipani? Oh, you mean plumeria! I love plumeria. I was surprised how well this worked on me, and although the scent isn't really my style (see "my mother's", above) I will certainly use up the imp. 58

PAIN In Vitro Yellow oil. Tested blind, but I knew this was Pain from the first sniff - minty! A penetrating smell. Wet Strong pennyroyal, no lavender yet. Drying Twenty-eight minutes on this was much less powerful. There was a soapy note and the whole thing was slightly sweeter. As the scent faded it was pleasantly minty and I detected some possible lavender. Five hours after application I could smell faint mint, and when I checked at seven and a half hours it was gone. I like this even though I'm not sure how I'd use it. When I was a kid our cat wore a "natural" flea collar that was soft rope soaked in pennyroyal, and I enjoyed the smell even then so I have no negative associations for this scent. With its initial jolt and and an unobtrusive drydown, Pain could be a good workday morning perfume. 57

Pale yellow, tested blind. In Vitro Boozy? Spicy? Wet Strong boozy/spicy with a pungent undertone. I was down to a few imps when I tested this and I knew Shub was one of them, so I guessed that that pungent note was ginger. A few minutes on the suggestion of booze went away and the scent was a mix of sweet resin/spice base and fresh, almost bitter (presumed) ginger - a nice contrast. Drying Ten minutes along this was complex, warm, and spicy, and even had a bit of throw. Very nice. Unfortunately the ginger mostly disappeared after another ten minutes leaving strong Xmas spices, but it was still pretty good. And then, at one hour and twenty minutes after application, the dreaded plastic note raised its misshapen head. I stopped sniffing my wrist for a while and much later noted that the plastic had finally gone, leaving faint sweetness that lasted almost eight hours. On my skin Shub-Niggurath is indeed "corrupted", but not in a good way. I can only hope that entombing this imp in a dark drawer for a year or three will diminish the guilty component.

JUKE JOINT Blind test. The oil in the imp was dark yellow. In Vitro Spicy, deep, and rich. Wet I thought this was resin-based; slightly sharp, not too sweet, and a lot of throw at application. Quite nice. Drying It mellowed and faded a bit but still smelled resinous to me. However, an hour and a half after application the scent was faint but much sweeter, almost vanillic. (That's a word, right?) It remained faint and sweet all day. When I revealed the label you could have knocked me over with a feather. Bourbon? There was a booze note and it didn't turn on me? And where the yotz was the mint? I sniffed the imp again and detected a sharpness that might be mint, but that was all. My verdict on Juke Joint is mixed. It's interesting in the early stages and nice but uninspiring for hours afterward. The longevity is good but Against Idleness and Mischief lasts at least as long on me and is more lively. Still, it's nice to know that not every BPAL booze note is doom on my skin. 55

A frimp from the Lab, blind tested. The oil was colorless. In Vitro Sharp, aquatic, and a bit soapy. Wet A fresh, aquatic smell, possibly with citrus. Very nice but weak. Drying At the ten minute mark this was, to quote from my notecard, "absurdly faint". Strange, looking at the description I thought I would have amped patchouli at least, but on me Wilde was less than the sum of its parts.

LIGHTNING Blind test of a nearly colorless oil. In Vitro The first word that came to mind was "fresh". Wet On my wrist this was the same fresh smell, possibly citrus or bergamot. The intensity was low. Drying A bit sweeter and less fresh, and quickly fading. It was reminiscent of cologne but without the astringent or alcoholic quality. I ordered Lightning as an example of an aquatic fragrance, a category I'm not familiar with. This is different and quite pleasant and I wouldn't mind smelling like this, especially on a hot day. Unfortunately it's weak on my skin and I would need to slather it to get results. I'm glad I tried it though. 52

A nearly colorless oil, tested blind. In Vitro Sharp, sweet, and spicy. Wet The first impression was of lemon balm. After a minute I guessed that the "lemon" I was smelling was actually ginger, specifically fresh ginger root. A few minutes later the scent was less lemony and more of a dry spice. Drying This continued to be a good lemony ginger but was not strong. Around the half hour mark the zesty note was overtaken by sweetness, and at the end of the first hour the overall scent was sweet and mildly spicy. At two and a half hours there was a brief scare when an itch developed at the application site, but that went away in less than five minutes. Three hours on this was very faint. It's weird, it just seems like I should like this more than I do at present. One of the very few commercial perfumes that I ever liked was ginger-dominant and I was hoping to find a BPAL analogue, but on me Sudha Segara is lacking somehow. If only it were stronger it would be in my top ten.

In Vitro Tested blind; the oil was pale yellow in the imp. It smelled sharp and sweet with unidentified spice. Wet Straight away this was a lovely warm and spicy scent. It only got deeper and better in the next few minutes and I couldn't stop huffing my wrist. Drying Less strong but still very good; sweet and a bit spicy. Twenty minutes after application this was a comforting warm blend, and over the next three hours it remained that way as it slowly faded. I was mildly surprised at the reveal because AIaM was my second guess after Sudha Segara. When I put some on the other wrist I identified what could be herby-spicy honey. This was a wonderful discovery - given the way my skin tends to amp anything sweet, I would not have guessed that honey could play nice on me. And even though it didn't immediately strike me as a signature scent, Against Idleness and Mischief deserves more wear for its longevity alone. There may be a bottle of this in my future.

Blind test. In Vitro Strong butterscotch booze. Wet At first sniff this was artificial butterscotch or caramel and I worried that the Lab had sent me a frimp of Miskatonic University. Then something else emerged but remained secondary to the artificial flavor. Drying A plastic note came to the fore. This wasn't Misk. U but it wasn't something I much liked either. For the next two hours, plastic and butterscotch took turns being the dominant note. Much later the last of the sweet plastic disappeared and a very faint, sweet spice remained. Too little, too late. Aside: the throw from the capped imp was so strong that I had to move it away from my bedside. My poor Grateful Dead teddy bear, who holds my imps while they're in use, reeked of Grog for two days.

In Vitro Blind test. The first sniff was sharp and intriguing. Wet Pungent menthol, possible eucalyptus, with something sweet in the background. After two minutes the menthol top note overwhelmed the sweet note, then receded a few minutes later to allow to sweetness to peek through. The scent became sweet and bracing, and I speculated that it might be an aquatic. Drying Most of the menthol burned off leaving an airy, "fresh" smell. I had Lightning somewhere in my queue of samples for testing so that was my guess at that point, but the sweet component seemed floral. After a while I picked up something like grape flavor, and as the overall scent faded it settled into a subtle, sweet mixed floral with no hint of menthol. The label reveal was a surprise because I know what rosemary smells like and it's nothing like menthol or eucalyptus to my nose. I suppose the mint factored into it but again, to me mint is distinct from menthol, as is lemon peel. On testing Bess a second time I definitely got grape but fortunately the "spirit" part didn't translate to a typical BPAL booze note that hates me. I couldn't pick out rose or orange blossom. This oil is like two different perfumes in one vial, and I like the drydown but it fades too quickly to be a bottle candidate although I will certainly keep the imp.