abejita

Snake Oil with cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger. First impression in the bottle: My eyes! Heh. It's just a very, very thick and intense woody cassia. That's all I get. Overwhelming enough to catch in my throat. It's the cassia of Monster Bait: Underbed with the dial set on 11. On, wet: My wrists are warm, but no burn. I would not suggest applying this right after a shower, though. The cassia is still howling, but not to the point where my throat feels scratchy sniffing it. I smell something sweet, but oh that cassia. Pipe down, you! Well, hello cinnamon. It's nice to make your acquaintance. The cinnamon is politely asserting itself, firmly telling the cassia to chill the fuck out. The cassia has decided to be sensible and take cinnamon's good advice and has receded, but not departed. Red ginger is peering in the doorway, probably trying to gauge cassia's mood. Dry: Red ginger has decided that it is safe to make an appearance. Cassia is contrite and apologizing like hell to red ginger. They have made up and are strongly joined in the scent. The cinnamon is a sweet cinnamon. Like in Australian Copperhead, the Snake Oil aspect is the backdrop. It's there, but not centerstage. Again, this will probably emerge more on aging. The Verdict: Even before aging, this is a great spicy, warm scent, just not as deep as I'd like. I have confidence that in a few weeks, this will be killer. I am not disappointed, I am looking forward to this one "maturing." ETA: Strong throw like whoa. I put my wrist down to my side and it still smells like I'm huffing it. Edited again to add: Hours later and the Snake Oil is much more apparent. It's a great mix with the spice.

Snake Oil with acai berry, amber, cardamom, neroli, and smoked vanilla. First impression in the bottle: Whoa, açai and neroli! On, wet: The açai is bright and vivid, berrylike without being at all candyish or cloying. It's just like the real thing. What a great note, I hope to see it in other things. The neroli is also bright and herbal. There is some sweetness and vanilla here, I suspect it will emerge more fully any moment... Dry: Oh, yes. Here is the vanilla and it is definitely smoky. The amber isn't so prominent, just adding a richness and a complement to the vanilla. The açai is calmer, but still a major player. The cardamom seems less spice and more round and full. Kind of like the cardamom in Bastet, as opposed to it in, say, Pumpkin Queen. As time goes on, I can pick out more Snake Oil-ish elements, but they are a backdrop. To me, this is more a scent in its own right than just a "Snake Oil variant." The Verdict: I am so happy with this. Predictably, I can see it aging beautifully, but it is more than wearable now. It's not like anything else I have tried, thusfar, but it still has that recognizable SO feel to it. I hope very much that this scent is representative of the beauty of the rest of the Snake Pit. If they are all this good, my wallet is sunk. ETA: Strong throw.

She finished the drink, hefted the sword over one shoulder, and looked around at the puzzled factions, who now encircled her completely. 'Sorry to run out on you, chaps,' she said. 'Would love to stay and get to know you better.' The men in the room suddenly realized they didn't want to know her better. She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, but not up close. And she held her sword, and she smiled like a knife. Red ginger, black spices, patchouli, honeysuckle, and three blood-soaked red musks. The label is a woman's face, smiling wickedly. She has long, red hair. In the bottle: a mishmash of patchouli/spice/musk with a piping note of honeysuckle. Wet: oh, my. This is gonna be a good one. The ginger is making its presence known, with everything else lying coiled beneath it. Dry: Round, warm velvety red musks and red ginger, with a gentle patchouli. The honeysuckle sweetens it, but floral-haters, don't be afraid. Not foody, not floral. Spicy and round, rich. There is something indolent, cat-like about this. It's a lioness who could lay you open from neck to groin, if she wanted, but for now she'd prefer to roll on her back and bask in the sun. For now. Edited to add: A few days later, a sharp black peppery note has emerged. I really can't stand pepper, so this bottle has found a new home.

LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY Percy Bysshe Shelley The fountains mingle with the river, And the rivers with the ocean; The winds of heaven mix forever, With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single; All things by a law divine In one another's being mingle; -- Why not I with thine? See! the mountains kiss high heaven, And the waves clasp one another; No sister flower would be forgiven, If it disdained it's brother; And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea; -- What are all these kissings worth, If thou kiss not me? Vanilla, saffron, and cream. In the bottle: Creamy vanilla. I can tell this is going to be really nice. Wet: A face full of creamy vanilla. There is a hint of Black Lace here. I think it's the same vanilla. The cream is also very apparent. Saffron is just a breath. Dry: This is more or less what I wished Underpants had been. Underpants had a really high-pitched, hairspray kind of note to it that just killed the blend for me. The blend is fairly simple and straightforward. From the notes, I feel like it should be a seriously foody blend, but while that gourmand element is there, this is not a foody like, say, Día de los reyes. I am a vanilla lover, and this is a great vanilla. Saffron is always a winner, too. Cream, though, is hit or miss (though when it hits, it hits BIG). I am pleased to say that the cream in this blend is just gorgeous. No sour milk or buttery weirdness whatsoever. I predict that this blend will be wildly popular.

Dark chocolate and key lime truffle. The Chocolatier series is very straight-forward, as I think they should be. This one is exactly as described, down to the specific (very juicy) key lime note. It's no other kind of lime, it's very much that breed. The chocolate takes more of a background here, but I think that's the nature of a citrus note in perfumery. I anticipate the lime losing its aggression just a little bit. The longer I wear it, the sweeter it gets, though it's still not a blend I'd describe primarily as sweet (not sugary at all).

Osmanthus, honey, golden musk, vanilla flower, and ginger. In the bottle: Musk and osmanthus. Very flower/musk. Hmmm. Not a huge floral fan, so this isn't promising. Wet: Flowery flowers. Dammit. It's all osmanthus at this point. Damn its apricotty fruity flowery self. I was hoping for a honey-musk-vanilla-spice kind of thing. But this is all floral, all the time. I think that osmanthus just does not appeal to me. It seems to overtake a blend, unless there are a lot of other bold notes (like Dark Delicacies). I can tell now that it's why I didn't care for Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku and Shoggoth. Dry: Fruity, floral. There is some honey here. The osmanthus is finally mellowing and I like the blend a whole lot more. It ends up smelling like a very mild apricot/peach blend with a bare hint of gold musk. I don't dislike it the way I did wet, but I don't think I will hold onto it.

August is a month of reflection. It is the month of rest before the harvest, and it holds for us a time between toils, a brief period of relaxation before we take up the burden of our work again. It is the Time of the Phoenix, a season of celebrating health, vitality, warmth and joy, but it is also the time at which the Corn God dies for the sake of the land, his blood soaking the earth to ensure a bountiful harvest in the fall. The Full Red Moon of August was named thus by some Native American tribes because as the moon rises, it dons a reddish veil, visible through the hot, sweltering summer evening haze. Our blend for this Moon mixes traditional lunar oils with the warmth of amber, red musk, and heliotrope, the russet haze of dragon's blood resin, sunflower, and crushed orange peel, with a dusting of summertime herbs: chamomile, rue, elder flower and marigold. In the bottle: orange peel, heliotrope, chamomile. Orange dominates, and this is the scent of the peel, not the flower, not the juice. Wet: Sunflower! The dragon's blood is evident, as is a musk/amber duo. The orange peel has receded a lot. Dry: This is becoming more of an amber-y scent. The various notes now seem much more blended and smooth. The orange peel is nearly gone, just a tiny hint of tartness. The herbs are warm and dry, the chamomile is a little sweet. Dragon's blood, which I almost always amp like crazy, is there, but it's just one more note in a well-balanced chorus of warmth. There is something a little decadent about this, lush and opulent. This scent is a gold-tinged red to me, shimmery and rippling. It's very evocative of summer. I have never smelled the first Red Moon, so I can't compare the two, unfortunately.

April, too, marks the apex of the year's fertility, expresses the reawakening of the sexuality of the Earth and her inhabitants, and May's full moon celebrates both the fecundity of the creatures and flora of this world and the vibrancy, rejuvenation and life-affirming energy of Spring. Flower Moon embodies the unrestrained bliss, energy and color of the season: a bouquet of vivid, sexy blooms, coated in thick, golden honey... wisteria, swamp jasmine, honeysuckle, daffodil, rhododendron, phlox, and a mix of California wildflowers. I do not like florals. You hear me? I do NOT like florals. I like scents that may have a floral element, but stick too many flowers in there, and it's all downhill. The only all floral I've liked until now has been Beltane '06. Until now. Oh, my word. This is just beautiful. It's so intensely fresh and innocent and sexy the way that a nymph would be sexy, delighting in one's own skin. This blend has the same juiciness as Beltane, but this is not the same blend. These aren't hothouse exotic flowers, they are definitely wild. The honey holds everything together, enhancing the fresh/sexy thing it has going on. The mood is so joyful, it really captures a wildly blooming spring. I am actually keeping a floral blend. Holy shit.

I almost didn't order this, because I typically dislike icy scents (and all things cold), but I think I've found one of my new favorites. There is an interesting point and counterpoint here-- the coolness of the ice and the warmth of the amber. It's a warm, cuddly amber, rather than a grey one. I don't really get floral rose, but rather a pinkness to the amber itself. No one element dominates, and even after a full day's wearing, I can smell it all clearly. It's one of those simple-yet-complex scents that Beth somehow manages to pull off. I'll be looking for a backup, and I almost never do that.

Fixed Fire: the essence of pride. Egyptian amber, walnut bark, chamomile, frankincense, and saffron. In the bottle: nutty amber. Not just amber, Egyptian amber. My favorite. This bodes well. Wet: oh, yeah. Egyptian amber. I love this stuff. Saffron, too. Gentle woody/nuttiness. Dry: Did I mention Egyptian amber? You know, one of the Best Notes Ever? This is sweet, dark, dark golden, rich, and lovely. Saffron and Egyptian amber mix pefectly. The frankincense is subtle, but adds to the smooth resiny quality. The chamomile is gently sweet, like in Red Moon. I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those instant BPAL hits. I am going to look for a second bottle right away to age. It's just that good. This is the best of the zodiacs thusfar, and I loved me some Gemini. If you like the Pumpkin Queen or Bastet, get this. If you wanted to like them, but couldn't deal with the pumpkin note, or the lotus note, get this. Oh, hell, just get it. Edited to add the year to the title.

Velvet-thick vanilla in the description, paired with oudh is insta-buy for me, and this lives up to my expectations. It's deeply sensual and has that perfect amount of throw that announces itself without screaming. Good lasting power, too. It's dominated by the vanilla/red sandalwood, which is always a good combination. It has that Morocco feeling, though not close enough to confuse the two scents. The myrrh gives it an incense background and seems to increase the staying power, rather than take over the scent. The red pepper isn't obvious on its own to me, it just gives it a touch of a spice note that gives the sweetness some counterpoint, bringing out their character beyond just the sweetness. The oudh is a bit more obvious, and adds a fullness and elegance to the vanilla/wood combination. The champaca is more of the incense character than the floral character, which is a good thing for me-- sometimes highly floral champaca turns a little to rotting fruit/garbage on my skin. I love this one so much. After a decade, I have more BPAL than I could ever wear, so I almost never buy a backup bottle. This one, however, may send me looking for a 2nd bottle.

Oriental is my favorite scent category, to the point where I'd say that about 80-90% of my collection veers this way. I don't have a signature scent, but I am instantly attracted to every sort of vanilla (and benzoin, and tonka!), I just prefer it in non-overtly foody blends. #196 - Oil is clear. White amber is dominant. Specifically white amber. I think there is a light skin musk/white musk along with it. Pretty in an understated way. It smells clean, but not soapy. Clean skin with light amber perfume. Intimate, but not at all animalic (the musk is not that kind of musk). Dry, but avoids being powdery. I keep thinking there is a touch of lavender, but it morphs into something else, a very slight astringency. #200 - Oil is slightly orange-tinged yellow. This one is maddening. I recognize a central, dominant note that I got from a Chaos Theory II bottle. I loved it then, I love it now. What IS it? Argh. It's sweet, but not cloying or candy. I have a slight knee-jerk "orchid" response, but it's not overwhelmingly floral. It has something in common with the original Dark Delicacies perfume. Oh, Beth, you confound me. In a good way. Some sweet myrrh present. Edit: The scent has settled and now I detect a touch of orris and some pink carnation. Both are gentle and understated, without being bland. I could see these as oils I wear on days I'm just not sure what I feel like wearing. Neither are screechingly perfume-y in the way that Orientals can be. Keepers.

Another one chiming in with the "Snow White" comparison. I love how Snow White smells in the bottle, but on my skin? Straight up woodsmoke. If I wear Snow White, multiple people that day will invariably ask me if I smell that bonfire, or if I walked through woodsmoke, something to do with me smelling like straight up smoke. And I can't say I blame them, it goes to straight woodsmoke on me. This is what I want Snow White to smell like on my skin. It's like all the other batches were "off," and this one is right. Only, it's not Snow White, it's Go To Sleep, Darlings. (It's really, Snow White, dammit! It is!)

This is stunning. This is THE resin blend I have been looking for, since I discovered BPAL in 2006. It's three of my all-time favorite notes (and, to be honest, more than half of my collection is vanilla-centered), so the moment I saw it listed, I knew I'd have to have it. It exceeded my hopes. There is something understated about it. When I sniff directly at my wrist, it's deceptively light (though somehow deep, at the same time). It's one of those scents that, throughout the day, will have you asking, "What smells so amazing?" only to realize after a moment that it's you. Even after I think it's faded away on my wrists, I still catch tantalizing hints of it when I move. It's the perfection of all three listed notes. The vanilla is dark, the amber is rich without crossing that line into powdery or gourmand, and the oudh is, indeed, sweet. It's a warm, velvety blanket on bare skin. I feel like I've found my new default, the blend that's the most me of all of them. Since I've been amassing BPAL for almost eight years now, I don't really DO backup bottles. But this is the exception. I so wish it were GC.

Dark chocolate, whiskey, and cognac truffle. This is pretty much what you'd expect from the description. Foodie, but with a certain refinement. The dark chocolate is full of rich, deep, velvety cocoa. The whiskey darkens it further, while the cognac offers a higher, ever-so-slightly sweeter note. The booze is very forthright. This is exactly what I wanted

I didn't care for the first version of Honey Moon, which was odd because I love honey scents. It seemed too floral to me, perhaps a little thin/insipid. I picked this one up on a whim and it's amazing how a scent with the same notes can be so different. The 2013 Honey Moon is rich and, to my nose, has all five honeys standing front and center. I get the gardenia a little more than the jasmine, but both are background to me. The thyme is only the barest whisper for me, which is good since I'm not a big fan of herbal/green. I'm not catching the ginger much, either. This is honey, honey, honey, honey, honey. All five of them. I thought I'd end up swapping, and now I'm wanting another bottle. Great summer scent.

It's very nice to now be able to pinpoint exactly what Siberian Musk is, in comparison to Beth's other musks. I get that "cola" character I've heard others mention now, when before I couldn't pick it out and recognize it over notes in blends. And it's definitely part of the unique make-up of Snake Oil. I can recognize that very clearly. This is a sweet and wearable (though I don't recommend slathering) musk. I like applying it under other scents, or in tiny amounts for a nighttime perfume.

This, as others have said, is distinctly RED carnation. It's not a pink carnation (and I love both). It's amazing how different those two variations on the theme present. I love how this scent shifts slowly from a cool floral spiciness to a warm one. It's like pulling a red carnation, greens and all, from a florist's cooler and then fixing it to a wrist corsage and letting it warm and bloom with your body heat. I'm loving it.

Holy screaming VANILLIAC VANILLUMS. Jesus. I'm a vanilla-fiend. If you were to put my most beloved scents side by side, almost all of them share a heavy vanilla presence (or at least benzoin or tonka). I love vanilla in all its varieties: floral, smoky, foodie, light, heavy. All of it. This one is almost too much. Almost. The moment you open the bottle, it slaps you in the face. It's definitely gourmand, and yes, the rum is present. I'm not getting dark or the slight smokiness mentioned in the description at all, however, I would be willing to bet that will emerge with some time and aging. I like the scent, but I don't find it wearable now except in the tiniest pin-pricks of droplets (as I mentioned in my King Mandarin review, it's actually very lovely paired with that particular SN, in a scent locket). But I know vanilla. And I know how it ages. I'm looking forward to this one a year or so from now.

This scent, right now, is a subtle whisper. It lingers, but is extremely close-wearing (very little throw). It does have a butterscotch-y feel, and a breath of something that reminds me of Butter Rum Lifesavers. Right now, it seems unsettled and a little on the thinner side. However, I've grown familiar with Beth's tonka over the years, and it is one of my favorites when aged long-term. I'm tucking this one away.

I got this bottle as an unexpected freebie, to make up for an order error (I should post in BPAL Chatter about the customer service, classy and helpful as always!). What a lovely surprise. I hadn't ordered it because citrus just fades so quickly, and I worry about the longevity of a 5ml. I have so much perfume that it seldom go through an entire bottle of anything but my most beloveds. I thought this SN would be lovely, but seldom-used. It may be more often used than I thought. The scent is dead on, specifically mandarin above other types of orange/citrus. And it's the whole fruit, juice, pith, peel. It's almost hard to review, because it's difficult to say anything but "Why, yes, yes this IS single note King Mandarin." It's lovely, and I look forward to layering it. It does last longer in a scent locket than on skin. Pairing it with Madagascan Vanilla Rum is delicious, by the way.

Since I got this blend, I've been wearing it just about every day to try and get a handle on it. It's just that complex. I've been a BPAL fiend since 2006, and I've tried, well, a lot of scents. At this point, I can generally predict what I'll enjoy enough so that I can (mostly) buy a bottle, un-sniffed, with confidence. Leather Phoenix is not a blend that I normally would purchase. Green tea? Ick. Narcissus? Ugh. Petitgrain? Eh. I don't do fresh, green, or clean, generally. Leather is so hit or miss, since it varies a lot within BPAL scents. Same with rose. Champaca is great when it works, but more often it's too-ripe fruit in character. Cedar? Often too raw. I don't mind oudh, but it's usually paired with things I don't like so much. ... and then I saw the bit about the 11-year-old patchouli. And the star anise. And the incredible age of the oudh. That's what sold me on this blend, coupled with what Beth had to say about it. Damn, this is good. After several days of wear, I regret not having a backup bottle. My very first impression was, "I smell expensive." Every note is in exquisite balance. I can pick out some individual notes, but a few years ago, I wouldn't have been able to, except for the leather. I would characterize this scent as the kind of sexy that comes with a well-earned sense of confidence. It makes me think of someone with a direct gaze and a triumphant smile. I love this blend so much. Bravo, Beth.

It's so funny how differently things react to people's skin. On me, Osun is too-sweet floral powder, almost unrecognizable as honey. Hony Mone was also very floral on me. The Rappacini's Apiary scents varied a lot, though none were much like Mead Moon on my skin. Horse Chestnut Honey was very foody, though, and would probably be the closest for me from that series.

Another huge Mead Moon fan, here. I have tried almost all of the honey-heavy scents and the closest to Mead Moon, on me, is No. 93 Engine. Now, they are definitely different scents. No. 93 Engine is more resinous. But they, to me, share a similar character in the honey/beeswax area.

This will be joining my scant handful of multiple bottle scents. I want to say that Tattered Lace has a resemblance to Black Lace (and the other lace scents), but only in the way that a series resembles each other. It's more like it shares a feel, a theme, an era of time. Tattered Lace has a creaminess to it that isn't... cream. It's creamy like a very high end piece of parchment would be. Hello, synesthesia, right? It's got that lovely gourmand vanilla that isn't foody. This scent has texture. The opium is the tarry, rich note I love so much (rather than the thinner, floral poppy note). The tea is light and gives just a hint of Dorian-like character as it melds with the vanilla. The coconut is smooth and subtle. Cognac is a note I love in general, here it adds another dimension of sweetness that, to my nose, harmonizes well with the vanilla. The moss is almost undetectable, I think it grounds everything. The frankincense is a little raw, but that should age out. It's definitely wearable and lovely now, without aging, so I'm really excited to see what this will be like in six months to a year. I love it so much. It's shot up to my top ten. Thank you, Beth!