Poenari

I began raving about The Gorobble from the minute I first opened the bottle. It's the perfect autumn campfiresmokymeltymarshmallow scent. I don't think it's especially foody-sweet, and it doesn't have a burnt sugar smell to me. (for comparison, I adore Sugar Skull and this is nothing like it.) I predict it's going to age beautifully. Oh, and it came with a Pickman Gallery business card! Too cool! I wore Pumpkin Princess to work yesterday, and it's a completely different sort of pumpkin scent than we've had before. It's not the strong buttery pumpkin of Jack, nor is it the overly strong spicy pumpkin pie scent in Blue Pumpkin floss. This is a slightly fruity, slightly floral pumpkin scent- sweeter and lighter than most, and the pumpkin is what grounds it. I was slightly worried about the guava, since that is a note that typically doesn't work on me, but it works ok. I think I'll end up saving it for late summer days, when I'm jonesing for some pumpkin but it's still too hot to wear my deep autumn scents. Oh, and it's worth getting just for the adorable label art! Last night I wore Halloween: Las Vegas to bed. (not "technically" a Halloweenie since it's forum-only, but still....) It started out with the same grape note that is in some of the more grapey wine scents (for example, Prospero, or Anthesteria bath oil). Asit dried down I started to pick up the Snake Oil, and just a slight smokiness- but not cigarettes or strong smoke. It's very well-blended, though, and definitely reminds me of Lilith Victoria in the way it's blended, but without the lavendar. I still have to try out my bottles of Sprinklecake, Blood Moon, and Autumn Cider. And I'm waiting on a bunch of other Pickman Gallery scents from a decant circle.

This oil went live at the time I was sitting in the tattoo chair, getting the second round of my back piece worked on. Getting tattooed is a major life-changing event for me, and everything about the intent of this oil just called to me at the perfect time. It's a lovely verbena scent, not too strongly lemon-scented, and grounded with the frankincense. Today I applied a small amount to a cotton pad and wore it in my Cheshire Cat scent locket. This afternoon, I was sitting in my office talking to an employee, and I kept catching wafts of this lovely scent that seemed to brighten what was a miserable, chilly, rainy afternoon. It actually took me a while for it to register that it was Leo Stellium wafting from my locket! I've tried many different scents in my locket, but this is the first one that wafted so strongly that I could actually smell it. Lovely, and exactly what I needed.

I love Midnight Kiss, and I heartily recommend Centzon Totochtin! The notes are "Bittersweet Mexican cocoa with rum, red wine, and a scent redolent of sacrificial blood." And I can't even begin to tell you how beautifully it ages.

This was a frimp from Puddin' with my Etsy order, and I'm so happy that he included it! I would never have noticed this scent before, but I absolutely love it. It is so perfect for the season right now, too. It's a softly spiced apple cider, with a hint of cinnamon and cloves. Not strong enough to burn the skin, and gentle enough for a warm September day, while still giving hints of autumn. And I can really use the intent of the perfume for my life right now.

Everyone has already listed so many perfect choices! These are all my favorite scents, and reading everyone's suggestions is like going through my BPAL box inventory! Another one that is not GC, but you might be able to find a decant, is a Retail-Only: Heavenly Love & Earthly Love. Ambergris accord, benzoin, teakwood, frankincense, myrrh, Mysore sandalwood, and incense.

I'm beginning to think the forum ate some of my reviews, because I was certain that I had reviewed All Souls! Oh well.... I have tried the 2007 and 2010 vintages, and this is a scent that must stay true from year to year because I don't detect any particular variation. The cake is very present, but this isn't the sweet cake that I love in Eat Me and Cake Smash. The incense dries that cake out and makes it stale cake with a dry sweetness, if that makes sense. However, this scent perfectly evokes and takes me right back to the cemetary I visited in Romania on All Souls Day 2005, where the graves were covered in flowers, cakes, and candles and beautifully lit at night.

This one is lighter than I had expected, but unfortunately it immediately turns to rose and nothing but rose, which then becomes soap and nothing but soap. None of the other notes are even present after the rose strangled them.

I just retested my original decant, and this is another one that has aged pretty well. My original notes say "swampy with leather and mild pumpkin" even though neither of those items are listed as notes. So I'm glad I retested. This is definitely aquatic, but I get no rotting scent. There's almost a mild sweet mint scent, and it's very green.

Sticky Pillowcase will give you cavities if you don't watch out! This is sweeter than Sugar Skull and without the brown sugar. I like it, but Sugar Skull is one of my top scents, and this doesn't come close, so a decant of this will suffice. For those who describe and dislike a "burnt sugar" note in Sugar Skull, then this should be great for you.

2007 decant: I used it all up so I can't retest. My notes from my spreadsheet after the original skin-test indicated that this smelled exactly like a milder version of Samhain. If it returns this year, maybe I'll try another decant.

I just retested my original 2008 decant. My notes from the initial skin-test say "mild, dry floral, slight rose." But today, well this has aged very well! It completely evokes the South American vibe. I get the copal, agave, and the South American spices with barely a hint of non-soapy rose. This is a pleasant surprise!

This smells exactly like instant maple oatmeal- the kind with the dried apples in it. There's nothing "horsey" about this. It's a nice, sweet scent, and I love the idea, but a decant was enough.

2006 was my first year of discovering BPAL, and I was still newb enough to think that I would stick to GC's and not purchase LE's. When the Order of the Dragon scents appeared, it took all of my willpower not to purchase any, and I didn't understand decant circles yet, so I missed them all. (stoopid, I know, and I got over it) At the time, Count Dracula would have been the first one I ordered, so imagine my dismay when I finally came to my senses about LE's and Halloweenies in particular, and this one was such a hard to find scent. I finally purchased a bottle from a lovely forumite, and behold the wonder of Count Dracula! I understand the love. It's not too masculine for me to wear. This is a softly spiced clove and incense scent, in some ways it reminds me of a softer Mort de Cesar. But the BIG NEWS is that this is the one and only scent I have ever found with leather that I can wear!

This smells exactly like the mashed insides of pumpkin pulp. Unfortunately, with the leather added, this scent smells really bad on me. I always try to give my scents a fair trial, so I was wearing it to breakfast and the waitress walked past me and said really loud "Why does it smell like ether in here? It's awful!" I am certain that it was this perfume on me!

2009 version: boozy caramel and buttered rum, and exactly as described. I loved this one so much I promptly ordered a second bottle from the lab after I received and tested my first bottle.

2010 decant: This is as described, a sweet apple cider, slightly tart from the cranberries, and mildly spicy. It's very nice, but I much prefer satisfying my cider needs from Lamb's Wool and Fearful Pleasure.

The Hag has a surprising (to me) sweetness to it. It's got a darker vibe going, due to the black musk and vetiver, but it's much lighter than I had expected. I love the dark scents, and this one is in the ballpark, but I have others in this category that are home runs.

This is for the 2009 version: candy corn, sweet, with a light spice and caramel tinge, but not enough to worry those who don't care for caramel. It doesn't morph, it's light enough to wear to work, and it's a fun Halloween scent. I really like this!

I was really surprised to notice that I never reviewed Samhain. I have several vintages, and find this to be very consistent from one year to the next. Unfortunately, I don't get apples or pumpkin from any version of this scent. It's a melange of medicinal fir, autumn leaves, and patchouli, but I think it's the mullein that overwhelms everything else. However, I have a strange attraction to this scent- it both repels and attracts me, which is why I keep trying it. It is, however, a quintissentially fall scent. This is a scent that I should love, want to love, try to love, but it just doesn't love me back. But no matter what Samhain, I just can't quit you! edited for spelling

Disclaimer: I'm retesting my decants from the original release in anticpation of this year's Weenies. Therefore, this is a review of the previously opened and now aged decant, after my retest. Simply put, this is a soft green scent that is very light, with a slight soapiness. It's just as described- dandelions and clover, This would be nice for those who like lighter green scents, but it's definitely not for me.

This is a beautiful, soft and mildly spicy scent. The notes are all very well-blended, but I can detect the sandalwood first, with the carnation giving it the gentle spiciness. It's grounded by the patchouli, but in no way is this a patchouli scent. Overall, I really love this and find it comforting.

This was a giftie from Puddin' in my Etsy order. The other reviews mentioned leather, and that's a note that I just don't care for. However, the other reviews also mentioned that it's not a real strong scent, so I took this one to work to try out in my office instead of at home. As so many other reivewers have said, this has a very strong alcohol scent. I have several of the atmo sprays, and this one is the first that's blasted the alcohol. Then, almost nothingness. It's a very mild earthy scent, and fortunately no leather. I even gave it several squirts, which is more than I would usually have to do with the other sprays, and could barely smell this one. This is definitely the lightest of all the atmo sprays I've tried so far.

A very brief review based on the notes I made on my spreadsheet after trying my decant way back in 2006. That decant is all used up so I can't re-try it and update my original thoughts: Strong, soapy rose and an early indication that rose doesn't work on me, despite the incense. Perhaps if it returns in 2011 I'll give it another chance.

I'm retesting my decants from last year, while waiting impatiently for the Halloween update, and finally posting some reviews. So this review is for the scent after it's been aged for a year. It's still primarily a soft, lemony citrus! Citrus usually fades quickly, so I had hoped that the moss would have come through more. I love the smell of spanish moss, but I don't catch it here. It's definitely an aquatic scent. It's a pleasant enough scent, but I don't care to wear aquatics or citrus, so it's not right for me.

I'm finally reviewing this after having my decant for a year, although I tried it initially. I am re-trying some of last year's Halloween scents in anticipation of what's to come for this year, so this review is for the scent after my decant has been aged for a year. This is a sweet woody scent. I was surprised at the sweetness in it, but not disappointed. The woodsy notes definitely remind me of the scent of the hardwood floors in the 85 year old house that I used to live in. The black musk gives it a powdery dry-down. It's not extremely long-lasting and doesn't amp up any particular note on my skin. Nice enough, but one decant will suffice.