filigree_shadow

As usual, the "cold" part of this scent amps unreasonably on me. I can barely smell any fruit or spruce or musk. What it smells like to me is just a cold and sweet scent. Vaguely floral-ish. I can't really distinguish this from the other cold blends due to my crazy skin chemistry, so I'll let the decant go on to a better home.

I think I'm addicted to Grr. I got a little sniffie of it in a swap, and today I had a little bit of a sinus headache so I tried it out. Wow. It feels like it cleared out my head. The dull pain that has been sort of lingering in there all day is gone. However, I wouldn't suggest putting this on the back of your hand (like I did) because then you'll walk around for half an hour with your hand next to your nose (like I did). I think putting it straight onto your head would be best. The peppermint oil in it makes my nose tingle, but I can tell that's not all that's in here. There's also something herby in it that I can smell when it's dry. It never gets sharply herbal, but there's an undertone.

When I first tried this one I liked it a lot, so much that I bought a bottle. However, that was a long time ago, and since then I've found a lot of BPAL scents that I like better than this one. It smells like sour neroli on me at first, but when it's dry the sandalwood becomes much more prominent. It becomes dry and slightly perfumey (from the ylang ylang), but it still manages to smell a bit watery. I like this scent just fine, it's just that it's no longer one of my favorites.

When it's wet, it smells almost entirely of resin. A woody, sweet, kind of sticky scent. When it's dry I guess the white rose comes out a little more, but to be honest I'm not sure that I'd be able to tell this had rose in it. It has a nice floral sweetness but it's not easily identifiable to me as rose. I happen to be testing Peacock Queen at the same time I have this one on, and I like that one better, so I won't be keeping this bottle.

This has the cold scent that so many of the Yule scents have -- which amps outrageously on my skin, unfortunately. This one feels a little softer than usual because of the florals, but it doesn't seem that different to me than all the other cold blends. (It's terrible that they all smell the same on me. Stupid skin.) It's pretty, though.

A red rose. At first it reminded me of Moon Rose because it smelled so dewy, but as it's drying it isn't quite so dewy-smelling. It's more velvety than the usual rose blends, and I think that's why I like this one more than most rose blends. It just smells pure and feminine. It's quite lovely. Edited to add: I originally wrote this review about the 05 version, but I've just tried the 07 version and I get exactly the same impression. I don't think that I still have any of the 05 one so I can't do a side-by-side comparison, but my old review would certainly fit the 07 scent too. It's still lovely.

I think of this one as the rose scent for people who don't like roses because they're not dark enough. This one is a dark rose. Just enough rose to make you think, "Oh, pretty!" and just enough wine and dragon's blood to make you think, "Oh, naughty!" For quite a while this was the only rose scent I would wear. Since then I've discovered some other ones that I like too, but this one is still way up there on my list of favorite rose blends. It smells so red and almost sinister that I can't resist it.

Whenever I see "opium poppy" or "poppy" in a list of the notes in the scent description, I usually think that I'll probably like the blend. On its own, though? Not so much, it turns out. I like the stinging perfumey quality that this has -- it's almost metallic. I personally love that sort of scent, and I can usually count on opium poppy to deliver. It's present here, and that's the good part. The bad part is that this is not quite Eau d' Band-Aid on me, but almost. The thought jumped into my head as I was sniffing, and now every time I sniff this I think of adhesive bandages. Maybe I'll come back to this another time, and hopefully by then I will have forgotten about that awful association.

Soft, a little bit green, and not really a juicy berry type of scent. This reminds me a little bit of... oh, what's that one with berries and heather. Glasgow! That's it. Sort of grassy-ish but with a berry scent as well, as if maybe I'm standing next to a meadow under a mulberry tree. (I realize that's not the type of berry in Baneberry, but my personal experience with berry trees is limited, LOL.) This isn't too green and isn't too berry-ish. It's a good blending of the two.

Sweet like candy at first (it was reminding me of Eris there for a little while), and then it dries down into a lovely smooth sweet scent. The honey in this doesn't turn into play-doh on me like it usually does, to my everlasting relief. I don't really smell grapes per se in this; the sweetness seems to be coming from the sugar cane because it's kind of an all-purpose sweetness rather than being sweet from a specific fruit. The musk and the deeper notes (like opoponax and oakmoss) give it a good grounding. It smells cute and springlike, while being warm and smooth and the same time. Quite nice. I like it a lot.

This is the 04 version. (I posted my review of the 05 version over on the Hearth 05 thread.) I can definitely tell the difference between the two. The cherry wood is prominent in this, and I love the tobacco in it. Lightly smoky. But with all that, I don't think this is overly masculine. It just smells warm and comforting. I like the 05 version, but I like this one better. The cherry wood is really pretty.

This smells nothing like I thought it would, based on the notes. The wormwood gives an absinthey-lemonness to the scent, and there's a pretty floral underneath it. Mostly it smells like a crisp, clean scent. I like it. I think there are some in the current GC that smell similar to this, but offhand I can't remember which ones.

This smells like leather and cleanliness. It doesn't smell like soap, but it smells like something that's clean. The combination reminds me quite a lot of my husband's own natural skin scent. When I sniff it, I automatically think of him. I like it a lot just for that reason alone. But it's wonderful anyway, just on its own. The leather isn't overly strong, it's slightly subdued. The teas give it some class so that it doesn't smell like a raw and raunchy leather scent. It smells polished and refined. Great scent.

Of the masculine blends in Illyria, I think this one is my favorite. Not because it smells great on me (on my skin it goes powdery from the amber and too sweet from the frankincense) but because it smells good on my husband. The sandalwood stays nice and dry, the bergamot sweetens it up, and the dark musk gives it a wonderful depth. It makes me think of a rogue-ish character, someone you shouldn't necessarily trust because underneath the flash and glamor lurks a dark heart.

I like this scent up close. The hops and dandelions reminds me a lot of when I was a kid at my family reunions, with all my uncles drinking beer and all the kids playing in Grandma's yard. But when my nose is the regular distance away from my wrist, all I can smell is booze. So this won't be one that I can wear. I don't fancy walking around smelling like I've tied one on.

Grassy green and musky, but mostly grass, it seems. This is a warm scent, and it smells like being outside, to me. I actually like the scent even though it's not something that I'd wear. If I smelled this one someone else I think I would instantly like that person. I like the concept of this one, and I think the scent is great for what it's supposed to be evoking. Because of that I kind of have a soft spot for this scent. It makes me think of playing outside with my dogs.

I like red musk and cherry, but not usually anise. In Kabuki, the star anise is very bold at first, but it calms down when the scent is dry. It seems like it's mostly cherry and red musk, with a little bit of anise making it interesting. On me, the combination smells almost reminiscent of sleek black leather when it's dry, which is not a bad thing, in my opinion. I should mention that this is one of the strong BPAL oils. A little goes a long way.

I don't work with the Loas, so I'm only going to comment on the scent. This is probably the most beautiful TAL oil I've smelled. It's a lovely creamy floral scent. I imagine the Loas would be very pleased with this scent; it's gorgeous. (In case you can't tell, I really like it a lot, LOL.) It smells to me like Beatrice, with a very tiny amount of spice or herb. If BPAL came out with a perfume that smelled like this, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I had a decant of this that a very generous friend gave me, and I in turn gave it to another friend who works with the Loas and really wanted it.

This smells exactly like candy canes on me. It even makes my nose tingle when I sniff it. However, I don't really like the smell or taste of candy canes -- peppermint is not one of my favorite scents -- so I don't think I'll be wearing this. I like a couple other BPAL mint scents, but not the peppermint ones.

Hmmm. I'm not sure about this one. It's a little too hot for me personally. Plus it goes powdery on me. Hot powder. I don't think this one will work for me. I like the patchouli and moss in it, but they're buried down too far under the other notes.

Mmmmm! Sugared violets! I didn't really like Hope, but I like Faith a lot. The sugar seems to be just as strong as the violets -- very well-balanced. This is lovely.

Bay rum and cologne with a hint of bourbon. I'm not sure if I can smell the tobacco. It's a little sweet right at first, but as it dries down the bourbon comes out a little more and makes it smell interesting. I guess I'm not very good at describing it, but I know I like it. I gave the imp to my husband to try.

I didn't like this very much when it was wet because it smelled too much like mossy earth. That dirt kind of smell is pretty strong, and it smells a little odd with the caramel. However, a couple of hours after putting it on, I like it. It smells like caramel, but kind of a masculine caramel -- which sounds strange but works. I'm not sure if I like waiting through the wet stage to get to the good part, so I'm still undecided about this scent.

I almost won a partial bottle of this on eBay many moons ago, and I'm glad I didn't. I like the scent okay, but I don't love it, so I'm glad someone else got the bottle. It mostly smells like a soft citrus scent on me. As it dries it becomes almost astringent. There must be some herbs in there too. But it's really soft, and I don't think it's offensive at all. It's just not my thing.

Hmm. A pink oil. I bet I will like this. Well, whaddya know. Yes, I do like it. The almond is pretty strong at first, but as usual the almond isn't quite so strong after it's dry. A previous reviewer said that it smells like a spiced creamsicle (orange and creamy with some spice), and that's what it smells like on me too. I like it. When it's released I'd like to get some.