forspecial_plate

I can do black musk sometimes but not always. This smells like black musk and spices, and I was a little surprised that there's no clove, because this reminds me a lot of Hell-Gate Of Ireland. Maybe the spices and rum are tricking me into smelling clove. Anyway, I like the Hag even better, it's a little more full-bodied and complex. I love spices and vetiver is a friend of mine so this is good! I cannot smell blackcurrant at all, so maybe that will come out with time. For some reason I can't usually pick out rum in any scent and this is no exception. Overall, a very nice spicy scent that I'll get some wear out of.

This is an odd scent. It is complex and I'm smelling things that aren't even there. I could make a whole checklist of notes I smell and notes I don't smell, but I won't. When I first put it on I smell tomato, and I'm not sure where that comes from. Basically I smell some deep fruits and spices, but as a whole there is a 'deep' quality here and I can tell there are a lot of 'supporting' notes. After some time passed I smelled a more floral and herbal aspect.

 

Basically, this smells more like an atmosphere scent than a perfume to me, and this is coming from someone who likes to walk around smelling like a craft store or candle store. I might be able to wear this but I think it just needs to be put away in a box for a while, like maybe a few months. It could be one of those scents that totally wows me after it has had time to mature just a little bit. It could be that I'm just not 'getting' it right now so I will try again later.

^^Can't help you with those questions, but I'm sure someone else around here could! However...speaking of leather....

 

I'm noticing that Avant Garde by M. Micallef has a resemblance to Bpal's 413 U.S. 15/Miller Vs. California.

 

Avant Garde notes: bergamot, grapefruit, cocoa bean, tobacco, incense, Russian leather, tonka bean, grey amber

 

Miller Vs. California notes: Leather, cognac, fig, ripe berry, and cream, stuffed into a plain brown paper bag

 

.....so, one is a semi-hard to find LE (Miller Vs. California), and the other is prohibitively expensive. Not sure if that really helps anyone but I thought I would point it out! : ) They're not dupes by any means but the mood is similar.

This isn't working for me.....goes on smelling weirdly like bubble gum, then a lot of black pepper comes out....too much black pepper. I want more myrrh! This is reminding me of either Hastur or Ligur which I can never remember which is which, and I didn't really like either one of those. If you like that particular kind of dark scent you should try this. I can appreciate the complexity but to be honest I think I need to wash this off. : (

Serge Lutens, Serge Noir...."patchouli, cinnamon, amber and black woods"......once you get past the alarming cumin wet stage (even though it's not listed, lots of reviews complain about a BO vibe in the beginning), there is a bpal feel to this scent. I would say it's a cross between Brimstone and Sin.

 

I liked it but bpal is better and more complex!

Thanks, gwydion. I have looked up and down Steamworks, and listed a few I've tried and liked above (for some reason, Galvanic Goggles didn't register on me, quite a disappointment). I really think I need to spend some more time in Marchen and Arkham.

 

Any scents that use a lot of oakmoss? I don't think I've tried that particular element.

 

(And I did tag Lurid for future imping. Does sound yummy).

 

For oakmoss I recommend Cathode..."Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints", and Omen...."oakmoss, juniper berry, myrrh and patchouli". There are others but those two are pretty good for the mossy experience.

 

There is also Bad Luck Woman Blues....."Keep that bad luck woman away with a blend of Spanish moss, black pepper, mullein, sweet sage, vandal root, cypress, cigar tobacco, and a puff of goofer dust cloaked by a swarthy cologne of vetiver, lime, dark musk, caramel accord, and lilac". One of the best mossy scents, if you can find it!

I was searching for a word to describe this, and I thought of 'crystalline'....then I saw that it's already in the description! This isn't like a lot of other wintry scents. This reminds me of a babbling brook in a winter forest, but there's not really any pine or woods. It's more like the crisp air of the forest. Also this is different from most of the typical aquatic scents, but I'm not sure how to express how it's different. Finally, I am picking up on some spices, maybe ginger, and possibly some kind of furry musk, but just a little bit. This is a lot lighter than Wolf Moon '07 but the spirit of the scent is the same. This one is more gentle.

Drat! I've worn this before and thought I really liked it. I haven't had problems with any of the notes listed except possibly black musk. But I'm wearing this today and all I can smell is a vague powdery sour patchouli. I know it's the black musk that's turning powdery because it does do that sometimes, but generally I like black musk more often than not.

This scent is barely there which is really odd, given the notes. On paper it seems like it would be really strong, but like I said it's just a faint wisp of a scent. Olfactory blind spot?? I may hold onto the decant because I remember liking this before, and maybe I'm just having an off day with it.

I think Sin was reformulated slightly. I have an old imp and a newer imp, a little different, and I don't think it's just due to aging. The old one is a darker reddish brown, and the newer one is light reddish gold.

 

"Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon".

 

When I compare them side-by-side, the differences pop out. The older one has a powdery sweet note that I'm guessing is the amber. The newer one has a more woody scent, which I guess would be the sandalwood. It's possible that it's an aging thing, but they are different enough that it might be a reformulation. I kind of like the newer one better.

There are a very small number of bpal scents that I disliked so much they "ruined" my nose for a while even after washing them off. This scent is like that. It starts out brown and crumbly, a very potent incense scent. Normally I love the scents that smell like incense, but this one just rubbed me the wrong way, a lot. It's way too sweet, reminding me of something high and.....sorry but rotting is the word. There is a gritty, crumbly undercurrent that reminds me of civet. I love fir but it doesn't save this scent for me. And just like in Black Lace, the Indian musk turns super soapy for me.

 

So, yeah....had to wash this off, couldn't get it to go away, and couldn't even put on something else to cover it. Very, very strong. There was one other scent that ruined my nose like that for hours afterward, I want to say it was Sepulcher but I'm not completely sure. Needless to say, Aperotos Eros is not for me.

This smells industrial and.....dirty on me. Bpal's leather note is pretty touch-and-go for me, and to be honest fails more often than it works. Even Quincey Morris turned on me last time I wore it, I'm sad to say.

 

I don't know....I just didn't like this. Kind of a grimy car mechanic smell which I like the idea of, and I like Mechanical Phoenix, so I feel like I should like this. But maybe I should be grateful since it's apparently hard to come by. Not for me!

This is very strong when I wear it. It's mostly leather with some spicy musk, almost like red musk but not quite as red. Still, this reminds me a little of The Red Rider. Reminds me of oakmoss, too.

 

This is one of those scents that is just too strong for me even though it smells good. It just overpowers me but I still wear it every once in a while.

Great topic! I was inspired to test a few 'masculine' rose scents. Unfortunately I can't find Zombi or Black Rose, even though I know I have imps of both somewhere.

 

Anyway my favorite is Thanatos. I second this recommendation whole-heartedly. It's a scent I should wear more often and I've thought about getting a whole bottle of it. I love the resins combined with the rose.

 

I also like Blood Rose. I'm testing 4 scents at the same time and Blood Rose seems to have the strongest throw. It has somewhat of a fruity wine note.

 

I tried Burial which does not have rose in the description, but has flowers and possibly rose. I used to love this scent but I'm finding it too sharp for me right now.

 

[i also tested Czech and Speake No. 88 just for comparison. It is not bpal and not a perfume oil so I won't say more about it, except that it is a woody, masculine rose scent that fades really fast compared to bpal. I wanted to compare it to Thanatos, and they have some similarities but are mostly different]

This is #135. Kind of an odd scent! This goes on very much like a sweet, fruity creamsicle, and I'm guessing at the notes of orange, coconut, perhaps a little fig? It's as if someone took the concept of sweet fruity creamsicle and made it into an ultra-elegant, sexy sunset perfume. But as it dries, I find there is more to this scent. I think there is a very smooth woody aspect......or perhaps some kind of resin........but honestly, I'm thinking wood here, just a touch, like teak or balsam. Overall it's deceptive because it's like a fruity tropical sunset, but when you sniff up close, you find a bit of salty driftwood, something a little soapy that shouldn't fit in, but absolutely does.

 

To be honest, I don't really need an orangey creamsicle-y scent, even though it's a really good one. But on the other hand, the odd juxtaposition with the wood makes it really interesting and one of the better Chaos blends that I got this time around.

I couldn't find any pics of a grey witch moth, but the black ones and white ones are so pretty and impressive, I was really attracted to this perfume. Also, orris is a note that I wish worked better for me, because it seems so elegant and classy, but usually it turns to fuzzy powder. This time is no exception.....the scent is all fuzzed out and powdery, kind of all mashed together, but not horrible. Orris is one of those notes that, for me, just takes over the whole blend (not always). So I smell a lot of sweet powdery fuzz and I can't really pick out any other notes. Like I said, it's not a bad scent, and since I first started wearing bpal I am a lot more tolerant of some powder in my scents.......still, this isn't something I'll reach for often.

This is a strange one, especially given the notes that are listed. I expected something fruity and juicy but first applied, it's more of a warm and toasty scent.......when I say warm, I mean a kind of sun-warmed, summery scent. It brings to my mind an image of a delicate drift of reddish orange pollen grains floating down from the butterfly as it flits by. I kind of like it at first.

 

Then, as it starts to dry, I smell something very honey-like, which I guess could be the sugar cane. I don't like honey notes in perfume (usually) so this is a total turn-off for me. After a while the honey impression takes over completely, and I just can't enjoy this, even though it's an unusual and interesting scent. To me it's kind of like a springy relative to Samhain. Please note that I'm not saying I think there's honey in this for sure.......there's none listed in the notes.......just that it gives me a very strong and lasting impression of honey. Maybe it's the sugar cane in combination with the pumpkin, I really don't know. I also want to mention I didn't pick up on the ginger at all, the 2 times that I tested this.

I got number 354! I wish I loved it! : (

 

It has rose. Well, we know it has amber too, so amber and rose. Other than that I believe there might be sandalwood, the dry papery kind, and possibly vanilla. I might actually be able to wear this......I mean, I don't wear a lot of rose scents, but this is very pretty so I'm going to try to learn to love it.

 

It totally reminds me of The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair, minus the tiare, with the rose from Peacock Queen. I don't know if it has sandalwood, vanilla, or both, but it's a dead ringer for the Harp, plus rose.

This scent is totally weird. I had high hopes, because the combination of notes reminded me of a couple of my favorite scents......Dr. John Seward and Quincey Morris. However, when I wear this, it is something different entirely. So of course, at first I didn't like it. It took a few tries for me to get over my expectations and I still can't quite get a grasp on what I'm smelling. It's not floral or woody, not fruity, and not really spicy either. I feel that I'm somewhat familiar with all of the notes listed, and not a single one of them stands out in this blend, although if I use my imagination I can sort of pick out a couple of them.

 

So, what does it smell like? The closest thing I can think of is that it reminds me of some kind of high-class skin product, like if Aveda made a suntan oil (maybe they do). That's really not doing it justice, and makes it sound less interesting than it actually is, but that's all I can come up with to describe it. I like it, but I know I won't wear it very often, maybe due to its oddness. A decant is enough for me.

If you loved Doc Buzzard I recommend trying a decant or sniffie of Helios. They're 2 different scents but I'm finding the same 'cola' quality in the resins in both. I have no idea what notes they might share if any, but Helios is sharper and woodier. Definitely worth a try if you miss the Doc!

 

Not to mention, Helios is shaping up to be my favorite scent of the year.....

I think it's just a matter of taste. A lot of people in hot weather like to wear icy or cool, refreshing scents. I personally like a whole range of scents in hot weather (or any weather, really). I like to wear spicy autumnal scents all year long. And I like 'heavier' scents with red musk and whatnot in the hot weather, too. In fact, I think those scents last longer when I'm sweating a lot. I don't think there are any rules (and if there were I would be likely to break them!). : )

 

I can understand why people don't like heavier scents in stifling, hot weather. Sometimes if it's too hot, I prefer not to wear scents at all. But in that case I spend most of my time in air conditioning anyway so it doesn't really matter.

When I first tried this, I thought it was rather boring. I smelled a lot of powdery amber and rose, a little citrus, not much else.

I've tried it again recently and I see now that it's actually quite remarkable. The amber is still somewhat on the powdery side but there is a strength behind this scent that comes across like smoldering resins. This is one of those unique rose scents where the rose is content to linger in the background instead of taking center stage. And honey? Well, it's pretty amazing I'm not only not washing this off, but actually enjoying it. Usually I just don't do honey except for a couple of rare exceptions. I can smell the honey but it's definitely tempered and balanced by the other notes (I love cardamom).

Overall, this is indeed copper, in olfactory form. There is a metallic strength to this scent, warm and....well....coppery, if it had a color. I like it a lot and it's strong enough that I don't need more than this decant. It will be great for days when I want to reach for something unique.

I cannot seem to get the name of this scent fixed in my mind. I always have to stop and think.....'is it Spicetail Swallowbush?'.

 

I love this scent!!

 

First applied I get mostly brown sugar and clove. It reminds me of oatmeal cookies baking in the oven. I recognize the brown sugar note, it reminds me of Sugar Skull. After a while, there is a shift and Spicebush becomes a little less dessert and a little more dry. It's no longer strictly cookies at this point. I never really picked out plum specifically, but I can imagine what it's doing for the scent as a backing note. So if you read the description, and you're familiar with those notes, and you like them, I don't think you'll find any unwelcome surprises here.

 

Long story short, Spicebush Swallowtail is a winner. It will be an incredible autumn scent, too.

Subjectively, Psychological Horror is hairspray single-note and nothing else. I would guess there is some form of opium or poppy in this scent, because those notes often remind me of hairspray.

 

From a perfume standpoint, this is kind of nostalgiac, like something from the seventies. It works pretty well for the concept. I can imagine the leading lady in a seventies movie like Don't Look Now.....she might wear this, or something like it. Me? Not so much.

I'm not a girl but my senior prom was in '89....I didn't go, but my point is, I was around! : ) I remember one friend of mine loved Poison.

 

I second parrot_suspect's rec for Lurid: "Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes". I also think Malice might work: "A profound, complex scent that encapsulates the joy one finds in another's pain. Ylang ylang, clove, Indonesian red patchouli, and dark myrrh". Both are in the general catalogue so they're easy to get.

 

I think the 80s smelled like hairspray and Revlon's Charlie... I don't know if there's a BPAL equivalent, but I kind of hope not

 

When I wear any bpal around my friend Jen, she whispers "I can smell your Charlie!".

 

I was already curious about this, but the mixed reviews made it a definite must-try for me. I'm kind of contrary sometimes and negative reviews just make me want to like a scent even more!

 

"Synthetic" is the word that comes to mind. This is like a sinister green mist or gas, glowing, probably poisonous. You know instinctively that these reptilian beings do not have good intentions.

 

As a scent, this is somewhat complex and layered. There is a lighter powdery layer, with a bit of tart fruit, maybe blood orange. I keep thinking I smell the lab's opium note, which reminds me of chemicals and aerosol spray. But when I sniff up close there is a gritty, sour under-tone that is pretty evil. After a while, when the scent has had time to dry, I think I can smell some dry, brittle woods.

 

As a perfume, I don't love this, but I'm not running to wash it off, either. It reminds me of something I've smelled before, and it's driving me a little crazy trying to think of what.....something from Rappacini's Garden, maybe? Or one of the Faces Of Heroines scents, from a few years back?

 

But the concept and label art make this a keeper for me, for the time being. It's just too interesting a scent to let go.

 

Edit: One and a half hours after applying, this is reminding me of Antonino or Faiza, with less fruit.