abejita

What was going so off for me in this one? I love rosewood, oak, and teak. And nothing in this blend should smell so blatantly awful on my skin, not that I know of. I don't have any issue with rose, but this rose smells rotten to me. And there is something really bitter, too. I thought I'd like this one (I love Teresina and Pulcinella), but this is one of my rare outright dislikes.

I think I just need to accept that these kinds of scents are simply not for me. It's salty, aquatic, leathery, which isn't at all surprising. The "ocean" type scents smell almost all alike to my nose. I'm sure they'd smell great on the right person, but I just get cologne. Ah, well. I like the idea of it more than the reality.

Honey and musk rarely fail to do it for me. Add in the cherries, clove, and vanilla and I'm sold. This is a great blend. It alternates, through the day, between a dark cherry to a spiced honey, with the vanilla, poppy, and vetivert balancing everything so beautifully. It's very dark, raw, and overtly sexual. I think a bottle may be in my future.

I don't understand why I'm not into this one. I like all the components. Dragon's blood tends to amp on me, but not horrendously so. But something about this blend just turns really indistinct on my skin. It's a touch of fig, a log of dragon's blood, a little of this, a little of that. But... not a blend, if that makes sense. It really does nothing for me, and I've tried it several times, and even tried aging it. I wanted to like this one, but it's just not for me.

This is one of the few BPAL scents that I absolutely disliked. In the imp, all I could think of was rotting, squisy grapefruit. On my skin, it was more intensely rotting citrus. Definitely not for me.

In the vial: Hrm. Sharp lavender. Medicinal and scratchy. I'm not so sure about this.

On my skin wet: Lavender, stop chewing on my ass, please. I usually dig the lavender, but STOP ALREADY.

Dry: Whoa. This IS Yvaine. I can see it (smell it) now, finally. The magnolia is creamy, sweet, and pure. The lavender has scaled back and gives a twilight feel to the blend. There is a crystalline, airy feel to this, without being fabric softener or anything like that. How does she do that?

I've liked all the other 13 blends, but none of them have really been "me," so they've found other homes. I think this one, however, may be a keeper. It starts out as straight up, bittersweet dry cocoa. On my skin, however, it blooms into a beautiful honeyed fruit blend. I usually can't do the fruity ones, especially peach. Peach and peach blossom tend to amp all the way to 11 on my skin. I totally get the starfruit, too, which is a pleasant surprise. The orchid and the massoia bark make everything round and rich. This is a honey golden scent and I like it a lot. I was expecting it to be all chocolate, but it really isn't on me. It's a gourmand without being cloying or childish. Very, very nice.

Carnival Diabolique! Love it!

Punkie Night! It's mischief and apple-y fun. That's my vote.

I like this one a lot. It's very simple, sweet, and girlie. It's to rose what Pink Moon 07 is to carnation.

I homebrew, and to me this smells like orange wine in primary fermentation (I've made orange wine), when the yeast is gorging rapidly and you can hear it bubbling from across the room. It's fruity, fizzy, sweet, and pleasant. A nice summery scent.

I didn't think I'd like this one much, but apparently I underestimated the sheer ick factor. In the vial, it's bitter, white-green smelling. On my skin, it's still bitter, almost hairspray-ish. I can get a little of the floral, but there is this horrible, blaring high note I can't get past. I am going to scrub this off.

Milk, cream, warm honey-- very true to its description. It is much like the 2007 version, just minus the fruits. I also see the comparison to Obatala, its the same milky note. I like it a lot, but I'll be content with Obatala and MM '07.

This is entirely too perfumey for me. The musks are dry, the poppy is drier. The patchouli is tying to dirty it up a little, but it isn't working. Just not fo rme.

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.

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.

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.

I agree with the Scherezade recommendation. I'd add in Bengal (skin musk and honey spice is a great combination). Also, Dorian. It's not so spicy, but it's a huge favorite of BPAL lovers in general. Shub is one of my favorites, too.

I got a bottle of this, thinking it would be a sure winner. I love Misk U, after all, and so few BPAL blends have a coffee note to them.

 

I really want to like this one, and I do, to an extent. But there is one note in there that is really funky to my nose. The tobacco wrappers are turning on me, I think. There is sort of an acrid tinge to them, and a vague hint of... wet cardboard? Argh.

 

I'll hold onto this for a good swap, at least.

I expected to like this one a lot more than I did. From in the bottle to the dry-down, all I get is a bundle of very dry woods of indistinct type, dry patchouli, and some almost generic sweetness. I usually like woods, nuts, and caramel, but this just doesn't smell right on me.

There must be a lot of lavender haters out there, because it seems Gemini is getting no love.

 

In the bottle: lavender. Very.

 

Wet: why, yes, lavender, you did already introduce yourself. Let go of my hand.

 

Dry: The lavender is still very much a presence, but its character is altered by the benzoin, which sweetens the blend, and the orchid, which adds some lushness. The frankincense seems to give it some clarity.

 

I'm your archetypical Gemini, and I like this blend. It's nice to see something that evokes more the mental/thought aspect of the Gemini instead of the flightiness or loquaciousness.

In the bottle: Holy vetiver. Dark, dark green vetiver and nothing but.

Wet: Sweet coconut and screaming vetiver.

Dry: Oooooh yeah. Rich black coconut, sweet resinous opoponax, creamy vanilla, all held together by the spices of the Snake Oil and the green vetiver, which has receded considerably. There is also a very interesting salty note. It's unexpected, but I like it a lot.

 

Why on earth did I wait so long to get this? It was on my list of things to buy when it came out, but kept getting superceded by other things. I'll definitely be picking up another bottle. I like Snake Oil, but it's never been my all time favorite. However, Death Adder has shot up to my top ten. Maybe top five. I think it's even beat out Boomslang for my favorite of the Snake Pit.

I was hoping for mostly opoponax and wild ginger, but instead I got a very floral honeysuckle/dragon's blood amped up sky high. Zero spice. The pepper was evident while wet, but disappeared quickly. It's not bad, just utterly unremarkable on me.

This, to me, is a floral the same way that Antique Lace is a floral. In other words, not so much. I agree with one of the previous reviewer that the "floral" aspect makes the blend seem ethereal. I really enjoy the spice aspect of this scent, it's smooth and not at all bite-y like so many of BPAL's spicy oils. At first I thought it was non-descript, pleasant but I didn't understand how on earth it had made it to Beth's "favorites" list. After it was dry, I started to get it. It's hard to pick out any single note. It's just a rush of dark, warm spice with a delicate breath of flowers.

I am an opium FIEND. I buy anything with an opium note, right away. I vastly prefer the resiny smoky opium to the more floral poppy note.

 

Chrysanthemum Moon. This is what made me fall in love with the scent in the first place. Spicy, rich, smoky, touch of floral.

 

Kanishta - heady florals and thick opium. Totally beautiful and creamy.

 

Red Lantern - more caramel and tobacco than opium, but still lovely.

 

Darkness and Anathema. Simpler GC blends, both very pleasant.

 

Carnaval Diabolique. A nice play of bright/dark. The opium smoke is dark, the lemon is bright, and the vanilla/coconut rounds it out.

 

Poisoned Apple is good if someone doesn't mind the serious apple-ness of it all.

 

Debauchery, Belle Epoque, Laudanum, Parlement of Monsters, and Dr. Seward didn't do much for me.