ND¢

No one's mentioned Sachs- Not as smoky as you might like, but there is complexity to it, and it wouldn't be too hard to get your hands on some.

First thought: HEMP. Wet, it's a blast of hemp with sweet undertones. I like the near-brashness and the very faithful hemp scent. As it dries, I can smell a background, but none of the other notes except, I think, the honeysuckle are really distinguishing themselves at all. Maybe I smell the beeswax a bit. Hemp with a touch of honeysuckle and beeswax. I am not displeased in the least. First potential bottle purchase of my Luper decants. I like light, springy scents that aren't Floral.

I hope my high expectations of this one don't let me down. Wet: This is the Ronin-style honey, thick and strong. The apricot smells not like apricot, quite, but I can't pick out what it DOES smell like, and I don't get cayenne pepper at ALL. More of a nondescript potpourri smell, inoffensive and pleasant, but BPAL shouldn't remind me of 'inoffensive potpourri.' I think I can almost see the 'cheesecake' comparison Balame made. The apricot note's got a tang to it, an almost dairy tang. The generic potpourriness recedes as it dries... pretty, simple. I'll keep this one for aging purposes. I often have a kitchen-sink effect with so many notes in one perfume, so this nice, simple apricot honey scent (as it is in the drydown) is refreshing.

Like most, I get hit with the orris as soon as I opened my decant. It (fortunately) quickly pipes down a tiny bit-- I associate the smell with Johnson's baby shampoo and, while pleasant, I don't need to smell like it. There's a faint whiff of ambergris and maybe a gentle bit of musk. Either the amber is just softening it up or I'm not unentangling it from the golden musk. I might keep this decant to see how it ages.

No go: LE: Appalling Abbatoir, Bloody Banister, Chellah v4,Byron v13, Dia de los Muertos 09, Doozers, Eisheth Zenunim, Egg'd Mailbox, Gaoler's Daughter, Hellfire, Horrors of My Secret Toil. Lick It, Taphophobia Vespertilio Proterus GC: Bathsheba, Bensiabel, Bluebeard, Black Pearl, Black Rider, Bread and Butterfly, Dragon's Musk, Dragon's Tears, Eden, Grandmother of Ghosts, Libertine, Masquerade, Meliai, Rapture, Thy Godfather's Present, Titania, Tzadikim Nistarim, Viola .::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::. The Man's Collection: Aperotos Eros, Bloody Banister, Brood XIX, Coyote, Incubus, Laudanum, Loosening of the Obi, Men Ringing Bell With Penises .::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..::. Indy's Scents: (see bottle collection, plus these imps) Light: Mad Kate, Dormouse, Severin, Karme Sweet: G Poppet 10, Kumiho, Parker Lily, Pandy Spicy: Raven Moon, L'Autunno, Perversion, Glowing Vulva, White Rider Dutty: Snake Oil, Snake Charmer, Spanked res, hippie ghost, Nightmarchers v5, Third Charm (notice pattern? Snakes, Charms,... March? )

Through the graciousness of a generous forumite who preferred to share than to hoard, I got a wonderful, full bottle. I first notice the sarsaparilla, which easily and quickly blends with a vanilla note. The dry (but still soft) spice of this is given fullness by the leather note, which is very soft indeed, but unmistakeble. I think that this is the mildest patchouli I've ever smelled, adding only the suggestion of sharp fullness carrying the perfectly blended sarsaparilla/french vanilla. I was afraid the honeysuckle might drown everything else on me as florals tend to do, but it's so well blended that I don't even truly detect it as a separate scent. The longer I wear this, the warmer and more vivid the leather becomes, remaining sweetly spicy and redolent of sarsaparilla, french vanilla and that coy twinge of patchouli. This is just so good, and even though I will probably never be so lucky to find a bottle, I will cherish every drop of this scent.

I received my bottle from the lovely Catseyes who posted above me *waves* And though I am sorry it didn't work for her, I've wanted to try DMH since, literally, Day One of my BPAL existence. And though after six years it is doubtful I will get DMH, I was 100% to see her post. Of course, you all know what it smells like. On me the essentially Leather SN quickly adds a subtle layer of gentle herb or a nice, inoffensive soft men's cologne scent, and that's pretty much how it stays rather than being leather and nothing else. Since I haven't ever smelled the original DMH, I don't know if it had a similar tendency. But it's so subtle my nose can forget about cologne and go 'leather' again. I will love wearing every drop of this out, both alone and as a layering base (I tried it a few times already. It did give my other recent Grail BPAL, Trick #1, a nice little above and beyond what it already has.) I consider one of my Grail BPALs officially fulfilled.

So I've been waiting and wanting to get this scent for four years, and now thanks to a lovely forumite, I have it. I feared opening it and being disappointed. aquatics are not my friend, so I feared those reviews as well as I bent to my task. In the bottle: Green. Green and open with a tangy note in the middle of a gentle background of wet plants. Breathing in deeply you can detect an authentic smell of soggy leaves that's spot on and terrific. And I haven't even put it on yet. wet on the arm: wet green plants with that same high fragrancey note and something in it is the same note as in one of my CT3s: an aromatic but strongly natural smell (eta: probably the tomato leaf.) I really like it. The quest of so many years: success.

Distinctly smoky cinnamon-apple smell.

Before I even open this imp (a generous freebie in a swap) I will just say I've got very high hopes for it, so we'll see how they bear up under testing. I would be prepared to layer this with something gourmand or sweet if it is lacking in balance, but I adore Beth's 'simple' (few notes) blends and... okay okay. In the imp: Harsh sandalwood, not too spicy, and leather. On me: I totally get the stable comment for the first second. Then it immediately gains a slight dimension of sandalwood-spice, enough to throw it off a bit from that (thank god.) A sharp or almost 'raw' leather scent with sandalwood layered over it, and a vague spice as I exhale. It wants to tip into 'cologne' but doesn't quite, also thank God. Yeah, there is a little sweetness to it like people have mentioned. You know what, I like it. I tried a little Pandy on over it and, though it wasn't a match, I still think this will be great for a subtle layering.

This is the scent that finally nailed neroli as a no-go for my skin. It's just sharp and very, well, shrill. This is an interesting scent, but the neroli dominates any hope of perceiving it other than through a thick fog. I think the peach would be a sweet, cute note, and I almost get the cocoa absolute too.

It's like the previous reviewer said... something about this just works for me and I don't know why. It's a comfortable, natural scent. I get the odd duality of the cool vs the food note. On me the caramel (and prob. musk and nicotiana) smell terribly familiar. It's another BPAL that I can't pick out (not Hearth, as someone mentioned.) Strange, evocative, and very straightforward, and since I'm not a floral girl I enjoyed this more than I thought I would given the description. A totally non-buttery caramel, BTW, for those like me who overamp and as such avoid like the plague the lab's buttery foodie scents. This is definitely more gourmand, and I don't see it as a masculine fragrance at all so much as a very simple, almost alluring scent. Sometimes I feel like oils with a jillion notes in them are just a screaming mishmash that is more trouble to discern than to enjoy. This is not overly complex, and doesn't have that problem.

I discovered how BPAL-licious today would be when I keyed open my mailbox and found not one, not two but three packages. Without further ado: One of the packages is not a swap, but instead an Etsy order: mineral makeup from 8 Bit Cosmetics. I'll review that separately.... The first package is from the lovely Gateau. Karme, Pandy and Hippie Ghost. Originally what drew me to it was Karme-- I've been wanting to smell it since I read the description. Karmê (Κάρμη): Sun-warmed squashes, peppers, salad greens, snap peas, radishes, green onions, and silphium. Lab imp. In the imp: a familiar floral? no... oh no. Aquatic note with an undercurrent of garden-y complexity. I never trade for or buy aquatics, because there's a note that smells identical to me in all of them and it reminds me of some perfume-in-a-can I had from Walgreens when I was a kid. And in all those drugstore perfumes it's supposed to be 'water' but to me it's sweet and formulaic. I smell it in Karme. I capped it back up for a minute because if that's what I get from this scent I'm going to cry. On me: The aquatic dissipates, thank heavens, and morphs a dandelion very reminiscent of Roadhouse or... it's been a long time since I smelled One to Tie Two To Win, did it have this? A Blade of Grass? ... It does smell like plants, though no onions- people mention cucumber, and I can see that-- not actual cucumber but perfume-cucumber, a sweet flowery version of the real. I like having this imp and I will definitely keep it-- at the very least until I acquire Roadhouse and do a side-by-side sniff comparison. Pandy: Fresh white musk, honeycomb, sweet apricot, elemi, orange blossom, and mischievous pink pepper. In the decant I smell the sweet apricot and what I'm GUESSING is the honeycomb, because it's reminding me of a sweet food I can't place. on me: ooh, that's nice. apricot with a sweet background of gentle honey. I wish I knew more about honey notes and how to distinguish them. But other people mentioned they mostly got a honeyed apricot too, so there you have it. I think I smell a bit of pepper beneath it, but as for the rest, if it's there I can't tell. But what there is of it I do like and I'm a-buying a bottle. Comforting and feminine, this is a scent I would proudly go out wearing and expect to catch a few looks. Hippie Ghost: A faded snapshot of patchouli-stained peasant blouses, soft suede boots, and smoke. In the decant I smell patchouli and a kick of disagreeable stinky smoke. Some people said pot smoke, but that's a nice smell and this is nasty to me. on me: Well-blended but not pretty smelling... I don't get anything but a vaguely cologney bite under a muddled grimy almost-patchouli. Maybe a little more weedy-smelling than it was in the imp. It mellows out pretty quickly-- When dry it's a well blended sharpish pot-smoky patchouli with leather peeking out. I like it when it's dry- well-blended and smooth, but I don't need a bottle. And along with the imps, Gateau included a huge, lovely jar of Nyx eyeshadow powder! Now I'm about to carry my pretties off and incorporate them into my collection....

Took me a while to appreciate how unusual this scent is (or to appreciate it at all, for that matter... it sat neglected, beautifully aging, in my BPAL box for literally a year and a half if it was a day. Then I dug it out one day when I was bored and stuck at home after surgery and smeared a shitton on my neck and the back of my ear. Honey was not a scent I thought I liked, but the pepper blends cleanly with it to sharpen it up (I think this is how I avoid the artificial/play-doh smell on me, to some extent, because some floral honeys smell weirdly fake on me.) And this is a strong, dominant honey instead of a girly light honey. I am sure the 'strong dominant' perception comes not only from the, well, dominance of the honey note but also from the slightly muddying oakmoss. And then it dries down to a beautiful perfect sandalwood that's so crisp and simple that it's like brushstrokes on white paper. This reminds me of Mum Moon, which I also love.

So let's see. Current as of 2/13/13. The bottles with asterisks are not up for swap except in certain Grail-scent-related-cases. Albedo v5 x3 Atlas Badgers* (decants poss for Storyville, Voodoo Queen, Dolly Kei, and Pinched.) Blood Moon 2005 x2 Dead Man's Hand v8* Gaoler's Daughter Geek x2* Gypsy Harikata Hod (original 10mL) Hod Res x 3 Hungry Ghost Moon (pending) Loosening of the Obi* (boyfriend appropriated this one...) Men Ringing Bell With Penises* (...and this one) Mum Moon* Nagarjuna v2 Phyllocrania Paradoxa v1 Planting Moon* (see Badgers restrictions) PX23 Ronin Sachs Shanghai Tunnel Shub-Niggurath Snake Charmer (orig CN version)* Taphophobia v2 Tamamo-no-mae x2 Trick #1 * Vipralabda x3

One thing I hadn't predicted from reading the previous reviews is how LIGHT this scent is. I had to get right up on my wrist to smell it. So I slathered that arm like no other and... This does smell like Graveyard Dirt and recalls Penny Dreadful as well, but there's a hint of spice as previous reviewers have said instead of the flowers of PD or the 100% freshly turned ground of GD. My boyfriend was reminded of a 'moss' and a quality that I think others have referred to as loam.. it reminds me of my dad's old leather wallet and a ghost of spice all in one. As if this wasn't an unusual and fascinating enough scent (I almost felt compelled to keep sniffing and 'figure it out') as the drydown went on I started to notice what might have been the sandalwood previously mentioned. The combination of loamy dirt and a hint of earthly spice is a bit haunting, as portrayed so gently here. I'll definitely keep and appreciate using this, maybe layered with some delicate and simple sweeter SN that needs the depth this would bring it.

I get the metallic edge too.... wet, florals and a base note that reminds me of dirt. Was expecting it to smell more dirt like. Drying: thankfully the florals are mellowing. I got this one, as not-a-floral-lover, because sometimes I do love them-- Mum Moon, Tamamo, Shoggoth, so on and so on. And Penny Dreadful: now that's dirt and flowers. There's a smell that's almost citrusy and gives me an 'Asian' association in the drying down.... the florals are quite well blended and sophisticated. Very intriguing. The edgy metallic note went away gradually. I'll let this sit a while and see what I think of it, but I'm suspecting that nothing is going to do until I finally get my hands on Planting Moon. I ought to have just gotten a bottle of Graveyard Dirt and dabbed a bit of Tamamo or some such on it. Huh, and there's something familiar smelling about the florals. I don't get why all I smell is FLOWERS SPICE AND FLOWERS and now basically no dirt. What the heck is this reminding me of? Sigh, disappointment. On a positive note (ha ha, note, get it? Note?) this might be my favorite label design of all time. Maybe I ought to track down a shirt and swap the bottle. ETA: So once it's fully dried down the floral has changed into a still-sophisticated, spicy, almost-wood, almost-cologne. For all it's not what I hoped, it IS a very interesting scent. Anyone who enjoys florals would greatly enjoy this, I should think.

I searched this thread for #118 but either no one reviewed it before me or I missed it. This one's been tagging around with me for ages. Wet it's a very strong, sweet vanilla that's clearly got undertones that haven't come out yet. When it's dry it's got a roundness to the scent that made both my boyfriend and I associate it with cake-- a vanilla cake or pastry with a sweet, lightly spiced vanilla frosting.

Many previous reviews have eloquently captured this evocative scent, so I'll confine myself to saying that it smells exactly, EXACTLY like the herb store I used to go to in Albuquerque, down by the university. A nice fond memory whose comparison doesn't break down with long nasal inspection. It *does* feel like an 'old' oil in the most positive connotation of the word... as if I'm privy to something secret, almost. The slight, light sweetness underneath the almost somber overtone sets it off perfectly. Will definitely keep the imp, and I'm so glad a kind forumite gifted it to me in a sale! This would layer well under a light, gentle, subtle blend, I think; maybe a SN. It works well with Tamamo-no-Mae on me.

This one's definitely not for me. Strong, sharp floral that reminds me of, well, industrial strength bathroom freshener. Feels harsh in my nose as I exhale and.... I'm washing it off.

A few people have mentioned lemon and citrus. That's what I get right out of the bottle, a screaming citrus backed by a green smell that slides into a more manageable floral with the citrus pounding and shouting on the other side of the door. And it's kind of a floor-cleanser citrus. Sigh. But as it dries, it does become more, well, becoming. Floral and more floral. Not a scrap of peach. Not one. And that's why I got it, so that's unfortunate. Maybe a tiny whimper of vanilla in the background. It's a basically pleasant scent and I'll keep it and see if it can grow on me.

Been wanting this one for years, and finally took the plunge. Opened the bottle: underwhelmed. A weird, loud synthetic herb mishmash that is hard to describe. Drying down I didn't think this would work (spoiler: now I think it will)-- the vanilla smelled artificial, the chamomile smelled wrong; I was sad. But now as it's dried, about twenty minutes later maybe, it's a true vanilla with the chamomile adding an authentic layer of complexity to what I feared would smell like generic artificial vanilla flavoring. It isn't an immediate YES on me like it was for so many people because a bad wet stage is hard for me to swallow, but the end product merits more chances. It's reminiscent of Snake Oil some, of a brasher Snow White a tiny bit, like Sachs is Snow White's hard-knocks cousin. ETA: The smokiness comes out after a while, almost as I need to apply more (eaten by skin like sponge in Sahara Desert.) Mmm. Okay, winner.

Grail scents I would always buy or swap for: Cagliostro Crumpet Rebellion Geek Graveyard Dirt Pinched With Four Aces Planting Moon Quincey Morris Severin Storyville Snake Charmer Res. Voodoo Queen Protos, event-specifics and similar that I desperately want to try, even a small amount: Amaterasu v2 & v3, Sekhmet v5, Kinnabari, Capela dos Ossos, Anti-Saloon League, Hermes Tris v2, Vrishka Rajaya v2 BTPU1, PX717, PRC12, XCDL13, PP42005 LE/DC (sought in any amount): Atlas Antique Lace* Autumn Lace Black Lace De Sade* Gothabilly Glowing Vulva* Inquisition 07: Ecstasy of Passion Karmê (Κάρμη)** Lughnasadh Mabon Res.* Pumpkin King LE/DC- prefer a bottle: Black Temple Burlesque Troupe** Byron v13* Diable en Boîte Hanerot Horn of Amalthea Katrina Khrysopelex Lambs-Wool Loosening of the Obi Men Ringing Bell with Penises the Smiling Spider Smut Sunflower Toad Hall Unheavenly City** LE/DC- prefer a decant: Arrival @ Sabbath & Homage to the Devil Carceri d'Invenzione CD: Parliament of Monsters* CD: Faith* CD: Gennivre* CD: Western Diamondback* Great Grey Witch Infernal Lover** La Mano del Destino the Magdalena Miles** Mother Shub's Gingerbread Temples/Stygian Nougat** Nothing Gold Can Stay Pickled Imp Pisces Sweet Lavinia's Dread Puddings/Risalamande** Tobacco Honey GC (indicated below if I prefer imp but bottles always OK): Aperotos Eros*** Bensiabel (imp) Bien Loin d'Ici Death on a Pale Horse (imp) Depraved Herbert West (imp) Kumiho (imp) Le Lèthè Mr. Ibis Nero (imp) Panacea TKO (imps ok too) Penny Dreadful Perversion Port-au-Prince** The Red Rider (imp)** Roadhouse (imp) Shoggoth Panacea: TKO** Panacea: Moxie Witch's Garden**

CB IHP: try me. I like it all, but esp. tea/water/dirt/rain/stone, etc. Greenbriar 68*** Memory of Kindness*** In the Summer Kitchen Violet Empire M2 Black March** M1 Narcissus Under the Arbor Revelation I Am A Dandelion In the Library Grass Soaked Earth Ginger Flower Hay Rich Tobacco Forest/Wild Hunt Viennese Pastry Tomato Vine Rainstorm Falling Water Bamboo Flower Wildflower Honey Gathering Apples Sweet Smoke Cedarwood Tea, Lavender Tea, Black Tea, Russian Caravan Tea, Japanese Green Tea Conjure: Nejla (The Souk) Golden Amber, Tomato Leaf (Apothecary) Twr, Anna, Fire In The Earth (Feri) How You Doin', Queen Elizabeth Root, Bling Bling (Hoodoo) Earl Black, Befuddling Fan (Miss Victoria's) Notus, Anemoi (Elementals) El Alacran, La Corona (Loteria) Shakti (Mythos) DSH: Erotica (oil) Special X (any) Eden Botanicals: Pepper CO2 Select, Black German Blue Chamomile Ginger Immortelle Absolute Liquidambar HAEE: Fairy Queen, Vanilla Musk Haus of Gloi: Perfume, soap, scrub, you name it. Haus Amber, Lavender Sugar, Mango Sticky Rice, Moon Dog, Old Cider Haus,Picaroon, Pumpkin Queen, Honey Tree (soap/scrub) MAC: Both Lustreglass and Lipglass in anything but really dark colors. Eyeshadows: I'm open to all shades and styles. Want to try the pigments too. propaganda: Opium Den soap Villainess: Dulces En Fuego, Friction, Grampa Joe, Spun Sugar. Pretty much all non-fruity scents... just a slice? Whipped: Possets Indigo, Mud: Scintillating, Pearl Diver. Killer Beez oil sample, Nesthtai anything, Datura and Scintillating oils wicked cosmetics: Abricot de Vanille WoobieBath: Vanilla Tea

There are always exceptions, but as a guide to what works and doesn't. Generally good: amber, benzoin, bergamot, cardamom, clove, dirt/earth/soil, subtle wood scens (e.g. fir), ginger, grass, incense, leather, musk of ALL kinds, oakmoss, opoponax, peach/apricot, delicate floral (e.g. rice flower; T-n-M, HGM, Obi), white sugar, tomato leaf and other plant scents, tonka, vanilla of all kinds, subtle foody scents. Generally bad: Anise, Aquatics (except The Deep Ones), brimstone/smoke, uber-buttery, candy, civet, cinnamon, cypress, dragon's blood, most strong/sharp florals (e.g. ylang ylang), most fruity scents, harsh wood scents (e.g. juniper) , muscadine, neroli, ozone, pennyroyal, vetiver, wine (except rice wine)