Diva Urd

The establishment at No. 97 Mercer street is a parlor house of the third class. Nothing is here to be found but painted and padded beauties. A voluptuous torrent of peony blossoms and robust sweet orris with white sandalwood, vanilla orchid, ambrette seed, warm musk, white patchouli, and white carnation. I bought a bottle of this off the etsy shop since my skin has been dry recently and I wanted to see if BPTP fantastic body products would be a win on this front as well. The notes sounded up my alley, so I took a chance! In the bottle, it kind of smells like... paint? I mean, I get a little bit of the florals, but there's a strange undertone that smells like wallpaint. Perhaps the base notes in concentration gave me that impression. Still, I poured two capfuls of it into a tub full of hot water, and planted myself in it for about an hour. Once in the water, the scent literally blooms. I would say the strongest notes were the peony, orris, and carnation; I did not get vanilla or patchouli, and the musk and sandalwood only a tiny bit - they're an underpinning, rather than active components of the scent. After getting out and drying off, the scent left on me is one of peony with a hint of musk and ambrette. Now, I think I get winking hints of the white patch. It lasts for multiple hours after the bath, and I find it quite enjoyable, though I'd say that it smells just a tiny bit soapy. Still, I like it, and it did a great job in moisturizing me from head to toe!

Disclaimer: I've always been a bit wary of ozone, since, in some combinations, my skin forces scents containing it into Dryer Sheet Syndrome. However, I'm also a sucker for BPAL's black leather and have drag-kinged before, so I risked a blind buy from Etsy in the hopes that I'd be able to swap it away if it turned out it wasn't for me. Well, long story short, I'm no longer worried about trying to find a new home for it, because this baby stays right here in my paws. The leather is delicious, and the ozone gives the scent a coolness that makes this the perfect leather blend for summer for me (if I wear other leather blends such as Kroenen or Adam, they tend to make me feel too hot in 93 degree F/33 degree C weather, but this one doesn't!). The throw is good, but not OMG LET ME OVERPOWER THE ENTIRE ROOM from what I can tell, and wear length is well within the 12-hour range (it stays even longer on clothes). tl;dr: Much love for Groom of Frankenstein from me <3

Oh, this is very interesting. In the vial, I get mostly dragon's blood, I think. On me, I believe I detect red musk, and perhaps a variety of lotus? Overall, it's a fairly sweet, light floral, though it doesn't seem to have a ton of waft or staying power on me. I like it, but I'll just keep the decant.

I bought a full bottle of the sage version since I figured I wouldn't have a problem passing it on if it wasn't my thing, and just the other day, I also received a decant of the original, so it was DEATHMATCHING TIME! I have to say I agree with Silvertree, particularly since I also have difficulties wearing rose. The one in Eve is fairly restrained, so it's probably not necessarily a death note for similarly challenged folks, but it's there on my skin, if not necessarily in the vial (in vitro, so to say, they are very difficult to tell apart for me). As a result, OG Eve is a bit softer than SFU Eve, but also has an ever-so-slightly soapy tinge on me, which is absent in the sage version. tl;dr: I'm really glad I have a bottle of Eve WSFU, and I don't think I'll have to hunt down a bottle of OG Eve, though I will keep the decant for when I'm in a rare "softer" mood.

TRUE! nervous very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? A proclamation of sanity: a dignified bay rum cologne and a hint of respectable lime aftershave, pierced through by glittering shards of madness. Well, since no one has written a review for this yet, I'll give it a try, particularly since I found that I really like this. The primary note is indeed bay rum, given a little zing by the lime. I don't know that this codes as super-masculine for me - I'd call it unisex. As for the "glittering shards of madness," I find myself wondering whether there might be a hint of carnation in here and that's what that refers to. It doesn't scream floral in case you might be worried about that, but the note underneath the two big players mentioned above reminds me a lot of Amaterasu v2 somehow. The overall feeling of this is a bit powdery and a bit "fizzy," not too outrageous to wear while out and about, but also not exactly shy in terms of throw and wear length. Very enjoyable!

Although it doesn't have any "true" rose note listed (rose geranium is a different plant species, though it reads as rose to some in the reviews), reading your description made me wonder if Kostnice might be up your alley? It's DC'd, but regularly shows up in sales posts and on the BPAL etsy site: A celebration of the Bone Church of Prague. Frankincense, rosewood, lily, and geranium rose. Here's the review thread: http://www.bpal.org/topic/2609-kostnice/

So, confession time: I'm not usually a vanilla fiend - I like it as a component in scents, but I'm not in favor of it if it's super-foody. A decant of this HG only wandered into my order belatedly, because I was curious about its combination with rice, musk, and orris root and I did have the money to spare. At first, I liked it, but didn't love it. However, then, I found myself reaching for it again... and again... and again... By now, it's probably my favorite of the Luper hair glosses. As others have mentioned above, it's not overly sweet or foody, unobtrusive, and goes with a wide range of other scents, but even when I'm only wearing it by itself, I can't stop sniffing my hair. I've just ordered a full bottle.

These bath bombs were crafted by Porcelain Wolf exclusively for Black Phoenix Trading Post. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab crafted a ludicrous scent for the project: a radiant, ridiculous blend of banana, sweet orange, ambrette seed, and neroli. Well, this baby was certainly super-fruity~ The banana and orange are front and center, making this smell all bubbly and tropical, almost mango-y. it wouldn't usually be my style and I don't know if I'd have sprung for it if it hadn't been a one-off bath bomb, but, say, a bath oil, but taking a bath with it was, for lack of a better word, fun! The water turned a deep orange and felt almost velvety after the bath bomb had completely dissolved. The scent was energizing and uplifting, and I'd say "ridiculous" would also be a good way to describe it I emerged from the tub with a smile on my face, and my skin well-moisturized. Would definitely buy more bath bombs coming out of a Porcelain Wolf x BPTP collaboration! *is keeping the miniature rubber chicken in her purse for luck from now on*

This is very light, but it's an incredibly comforting scent. It's like "It Sifts From Leaden Sieves" and "Goblin" had the cutest love child together! The patch anchors the coconut, vanilla and tonka, there's only the slightest whiff of leather here and there, and while it's definitely a skin scent, it lasts long enough on me that I can justify a bottle. Beautiful!

This is a gorgeous spring floral with a hint of spice in the backdrop. Initially on, this and "Consoling Pussy" smell quite similar due to the first wisteria waft, but where "Consoling Pussy" gets deeper and a little smoky from the incense, this one turns lighter and zippier. This is beautiful! I ordered myself a bottle. If you like florals that aren't all about rose, lily, or jasmine, give this one a try!

LXVI: I really like this one! It's hard to tell what all might be in here, but I think I smell opium and nag champa. Very incense-y, good throw, definitely my thing!

I took a chance on this as I'm a lover of most things patchouli and sandalwood, but unfortunately, either due to my hair or because my nose is broken, I'm not getting either from this. Instead, the tobacco and the sage seem to combine into something that leaves me with the impression that I'm smelling a mixture of antifreeze and marijuana fumes at first. When the DH physically recoiled from the lock of hair I tested it on, I went to take a shower right away. I'll rehome this decant - it wasn't meant to be my friend.

I absolutely *adore* this. It's so very intensely green - all moss and dandelion with some musk to anchor it. It also lasts a long time, and plays well with the musk- and patch-heavy oils I like to wear (and is dead-on matched with "Road House"). I had to get a full bottle of this, because I never want to be without it again.

A volcanic swirl of colors: yellow jasmine, green mint, black patchouli, white sandalwood, and red poppy with rivulets of volcanic red pepper musk and a blast of sulphur. Oh goodness, I've never been first to review anything... well, here goes. When I got this fresh out of the mail, it was all jasmine, all the time, and while I don't mind jasmine, I was disappointed to find that it was all SN in the bottle as well as on me. However, I told myself to let it settle for a few days, and by now, I'm getting the following: In the bottle: Still very, VERY jasmine, but you can tell something is lurking behind it, and there's a sharp overtone to it (probably from the pepper musk). On: Once it has dried, the other notes come forward a bit more - the patchouli, sandalwood and poppy don't stand out as distinct, but provide a depth that the jasmine note really needs to be kept from screaming. The base reminds me a bit of Languor, perhaps due to the poppy (I haven't had enough poppy blends to where I would be able to tell red from black, but it's somehow very calming). There is a hint of an edge from the pepper musk peeking through once in a while, as well as tiny glimmers of freshness that might be the mint (though it doesn't register as "minty" beyond that freshness). The only thing that's definitely AWOL on me is the sulphur. Wear length seems to be medium-ish - it doesn't stick around forever/overnight, but it also doesn't go poof after only an hour or two. I like it as it is right now, but I'm hoping that aging it a bit more will strengthen the non-jasmine notes even further. I'll hold on to my bottle and see what happens!

Languor. Not just because of the name - I'd swear that stuff smoothes out my brainwaves and makes lounging about twice as enjoyable. It's so effective, I actively avoid it if I have ANYTHING to do for the duration of the wear length, because if I wear it I'm too tempted to just forget about it, shrug, and laze around some more.

Right, so I might be a little bit of a weirdo... here are my current favorites (i.e. in regular rotation): 1. Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree 2. Our Lady of Pain 3. Byron v13 4. A Sudden Invitation 5. Flower Moon '09 None of these smell alike. Can anyone tell me what I enjoy?

Oh my god, this is delicious I get all listed notes. At first, the vanilla is very strong and sweet, but once it calms down, this is all leather and musk, with a hint of salty freshness from the ambergris, and the remnants of vanilla lifting the scent out of the darkest depths. purplegirl above mentions that it reminds her of Lyonesse, and I have to agree. It gives off the same overall feel, only it's more musky and leathery on me. Absolutely amazing, I already wish I had more than just a decant!

Kroenen! If your skin can tame the vetiver (not listed as a note as such, but most definitely present), he's a sexy, leathery, evil beast! Reviews and notes are here!

Late to the party, but since I'm a patchouli fiend, I figured I'd add on! I definitely second/third/nth the recommendations for The Coiled Serpent (a beautiful dry patch, probably with some woods and a hint of incense), Goblin (before Goblin, I didn't know patch and coconut went so well together!), Depraved (patch and apricot sound incongruous, but really compliment each other) and Anne Bonny (my go-to patch scent and by far my most-worn GC blend. The patchouli is not harsh at all, thanks to the frankincense - and who doesn't want to smell like a female pirate?). Another scent you can look for is Luperci. This is an LE from the Lupercalia (Valentine's Day) update, but it has been available every year since 2006 except 2009, so it's not a terribly rare LE. Its patchouli is definitely detectable, but not hippie-ish - in fact, the other notes lend it a sensuality that's pretty hard to miss. This is the scent description:

I recently received this as a frimp from the lab (...huh). In the imp: Berries and licorice On: Initially a STRONG blast of berry, tending towards over-ripe. After dry-down, the ouzo reasserts itself with a vengeance, and I smell like black licorice. I LIKE black licorice. I don't like SMELLING like it too much, though. Later: This has no staying power on me - an hour at most, and it's gone. I don't think this is for me.

In the bottle: Ohh, what a pretty bouquet, with some soft coconut and a hint of very gentle musk. There's a fresh, almost minty note to it, as well. On: ROSE!!!!! with a bit of coconut. This is what I was fearing would happen As it dries, the ROSE still dominates, and a more high-pitched, slightly soapy floral with a lemony edge rises to the top. The coconut seems to lose its battle to the ROSE. WHY CAN'T YOU SMELL ON ME LIKE YOU DID IN THE bottle?! Later: Maybe it's because I'm tired and it's been too long since my last dose of allergy medicine, but all I get is ROSE. "Touched Twice", we apparently were not meant to be. Might give this another test tomorrow when I'm more awake, and if my opinion changes, I'll edit this post, but right now, this is firmly in the swap/sale corner.

In the vial: Zingy peach! The zing probably comes from the bergamot. There just a hint of floral and clean, white musk. I don't get a lot of oakmoss in the vial. On: Fruity and clean. Almost effervescent peach is front and center, grounded by the musk. Bergamot, oakmoss and heliotrope only play supporting roles and don't seem to be present as distinct notes. It gets quite weak upon drydown, though. Later: Very weak fizzy peach candy. Not terrible, but I can't see myself reaching for it.

In the vial: A mixture of floral (jasmine, I'd say), herbs (hard to tell which one exactly) and vanilla, it seems. On: Sweet jasmine with a hint of spice and a hint of cream. I think there may also be dragon's blood in there, because this has similarities to Wolf's Heart (where many agree there's DB in there) and multiple Ars Draconis blends. No more herbs. A very sweet floral with a little zing and a bit of creaminess. I like it. Later: This has quite a bit of staying power - it barely gets weaker over the course of a couple of hours. I don't know that I need a bottle, but I'll keep the imp.

In the vial: Sharp citrus, but the florals on top soften it enough to where it may just be wearable for me. On: The citrus takes over - I smell like lemon candy. Initially, there is just the tiniest hint of flowers, but the citrus screams them into submission. Later: Now it's a relatively strong heliotrope/honeysuckle mixture. The citrus has left the building. Now it's actually quite nice, but I really didn't like the beginning. Swap.

In the vial: Ethereal frankincense and lilac, and a brown/black tobacco note. There's some sharpness too - that might be the tea. On: I dunno whether this is a psychosomatic reaction, but... this scent makes me hungry! That aside, it smells hollow, a bit gritty and a bit girly - chainsmoking model? I kinda like it, although I'm not head-over-heels for it. Later: I like the frankincense/lilac combination, but the tobacco makes it smell a little off. The tea has left the building. If sniffed from further afield, the wrongness is not as easy to detect, only if I get close. I will have to ponder this one some more, so I'll keep the decant.