LiberAmoris

The Sunlight and the Moonlight Fall from Thee is for lily-lovers. This one strays pretty true from wet to dry on me—heaps of those red lilies, rounded with tuberose and given depth with frankincense. The pepper provides a textural foil to the velvety florals—the spicy, elegant grit that it adds makes the lily even more lush somehow, while also cutting the headiness of the florals in a really lovely way.

I can't speak for the other Lupers, but Lovers in the Tea house is more of a lemon blossom-y amber with a little sake than matcha tea. It is there, but the tea gives more of a refreshing tinge to it than anything else.

 

Although, from a single review, I heard that Furo from the Shungas smells like straight black tea with a breath of bergamont. I'd wait for more reviews before trying it, but perhaps it's the tea note I'm looking for.

Furo is so lovely. I rarely get backups, but I think I might need one more bottle! It's one of the most delicate black tea blends I've tried from BPAL, truly a lightly sweet black tea with a twist of bergamot.

Love Lay Upon Her Eyes is a must for lovers of white amber. On my skin it's definitely the star in this blend, with the rose recognizable but not overwhelming. After a half hour, it's a nice clean, almost sweet amber with very subtle rose—like a rose trapped in amber. There's something pure about it, and comforting. It's pretty enough to wear all on its own, or I imagine that it would be a great blender as well.

I had to get this one for the art and name alone. I'm dying for someone to ask me what I'm wearing...

 

I was hoping that the coffee note here wouldn't be too strong—as much as I love coffee, it doesn't always work well on my skin. But in Destructive Vagina of the Fox Spirit, it's really just right. About five minutes after application, this is a snuggly, warm, incensey mix of vanilla, amber, and champaca on me. The coffee note is really gentle. It's truly like a creamy, coffee-dipped nag champa!

I love being able to go back and forth between BPAL perfumes that have a kajillion notes and are lovely, complex beasts—an orchestra of notes—and then dip into one the next day that's just as lovely but is more like listening to a solo. Well, it more like a trio here. But there's a primacy to Love and Time and Sin that I appreciate and enjoy.

 

On me the rose and musk feel doled out in equal measure, and it reminds me a lot of Spellbound, one of my early favorites from the Lab. As with Spellbound, you get red musk and rose, but instead of Spellbound's warm amber, there's opoponax, which I always find really tough to describe. It smells like a cross between a wood and a resin to me—grounding and slightly herbal, slightly earthy. Love and Time and Sin is definitely worth trying if you like red roses and red musk, because they're strong and rather glorious here!

Furo really is a showcase for that lovely black tea note. On me, it's lighter and airier than I would have thought—almost evanescent. The bergamot is bright at first, but burns off quickly, leaving the tea and vanilla, with just a touch of patchouli and peru balsam. Those bottom notes are handled with a light touch—just enough to give a bit of weight and structure. For those wary of patchouli, I wouldn't necessarily know it was in here if it wasn't listed. It fits so neatly behind the other notes that it falls more like a light shadow than an outline of its own.

 

A couple of hours later, it's soft, slightly peppery and close to the skin—I smell tea and vanilla and the warm underpinnings, but the overall effect is almost like a tea-inspired skin musk. I don't normally seek out tea as a note, but it's gorgeous here, and utterly wearable. I think Furo would also pair really well with Silkybat hair gloss. In fact, I might try that today.

One of the hits from my Lupercalia order, Queen Venus with a Hood Striped Gold and Black is resins and rose, resins and rose. Like a snake chasing its tail, they blend together so beautifully that it seems more like some heady single note—like if a rose tree bled golden sap in a storybook. It reminds me a little of my beloved Rose Red...but older, wiser, with more at stake but less to lose.

 

After an hour or so, this is a beautiful rosy amber on me. Definitely a keeper.

Discussion on the First Climb of the Mountain of Passion is so pretty. The carnation, peony, moss and frankincense are the strongest notes for me, with the lemon, rose, and peppercorn asserting themselves gently between those broader strokes. I'm a sucker for peony, and it's nice and complex in this mix—I'd call this floral forward but well balanced. It does a great job of capturing the colors in the art that inspired it—which, by the way, is so gorgeous with the tumult of fabric prints.

 

Wherever I spray this one, it smells like spring. After the winter we've had/are still having, I can't think of anything better.

This review is long overdue—I love House of Unquenchable Fire atmo spray. Like my beloved British Blondes, it's an amber and vanilla fest, but at times it also reminds me of one of my favorite perfumes from my teenage years: Benetton Colors. Sometimes on the weekend I give my whole apartment a good spray and then just revel in the golden, warm, rich scent that seems to coat everything in sunny glamour.

 

I sprayed the inside of one of my long wool jackets with it, and now every time I wear it, I'm enveloped by House of Unquenchable Fire. Even after I take the jacket off, traces of it cling to me like gold dust and I can smell it all day. Truly an everyday luxury!

I'll pretty much try anything with patchouli, so this hopped right into my cart. The patch pulls ahead with the ambrette, but it's brightened and softened by the orange blossom and the sandalwood. The balsam gives it a tangy touch that keeps it from being too relaxing and sleepy—make no mistake, this is a sexy spray. But I can also see myself spritzing a room just to be surrounded by its happy, hazy radiance.

I think a lot of people will dig the incensy vibe of this atmo spray—it reminds me of some of the wonderful Fred Soll sticks I've burned. Earthy, sensuous, blood pressure-lowering stuff. Like the spray equivalent of a smoky eye done in copper, gold, bronze, and dark brown—smudged a little after a long kiss. Or y'know, a tortoiseshell dildo. One of my favorite atmos yet.

I think this might be my favorite of the Lupers I ordered this year. It feels opalescent to me, with hints of color—like white streaked with fine pinks and reds. The rice flower, cream, and rose are the most recognizable notes, with the abalone adding a hint of salty tang and the moss gently grounding everything. The beeswax, tuberose, and red currant are very subtle. In the bottle I can smell the florals much more clearly than on my skin.

On the drydown it's absolutely beautiful and incredibly delicate—and the kind of blend that even people who are a little wary of floral notes might enjoy, because everything is so well-blended. It has cream, but it's not foody. It has florals, but it's not stridently floral (at least on me!). It has abalone and red currant, but it doesn't smell of the sea or dark berries. It smells like cloudy light through white, pulled-down shades, and the intimacy of skin on skin.

The closest comp I can think of is To Helen, from the 2008 Lupers...also a favorite of mine. And it reminds me a bit of Chaste Moon. It shares a creamy, dreamy quality with both of those blends—and yet, of course, it has a distinct and luminous voice of its own. Tough to describe but definitely worth trying.

ETA: Absolutely my favorite from my Lupers order, and it's hard to keep myself from wearing this every day!

From You I Have Been Absent in the Spring is the most unabashed floral from my order—the lilies and roses and orchids bloom on the skin like a huge bouquet when first applied. At first the other notes sit well below that tumult of flowers, and provide a subtle warm, resiny, woody base, but after about a half hour, the top notes settle down. Then the most prominent notes are the lilies, orchid, frankincense, and oudh. The clove and patchouli and pepper are more subtle—I can pick them out if I concentrate on them, but they're not prominent. Then it goes through a bit of an awkward phase on me where the notes seem a little muddy or soapy—could just be my hormones/chemistry. And then it somehow mellows even more to a very nice vanilla-infused lily.

This isn't an incensey blend on me or one with thick base notes to fill in the higher pitched florals—although both the frankincense and oudh become stronger with wear. It feels like a classic perfume, like perfume from some gorgeous '50s flacon. There's something retro and glam about it that I really like, even though I might not be up for a headstrong floral every day of the week.

OK, Pumpkin Patch fans, I need some help. . . I bought Sin in the Pumpkin Patch and Snakes in the Pumpkin Patch. They smell really, really similar on the skin. I love Alice, Morocco and Dorian, but didn't buy those pumpkin versions. Tell me if I need to keep both of the ones that I have, if one can go, &/or if I need to add one of the ones I skipped! I'm completely befuddled.

Moroccan Pumpkin Patch is really great—the spices in Morocco blend really beautifully with the pumpkin. It's my favorite after Sin and Snakes.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to review The British Blondes atmo spray...it's absolutely stunning and I've been spraying it every which way for the past few years. I only have an inch or so left in the bottle, and I'll be so sad when it's finally gone! Vanilla, orchid, and amber...sounds relatively straightforward, but like so many blends, it's entirely more than the sum of its parts. The golden amber is the strongest note, with the orchid coming through brightly and with that great dusky tang that they have. The vanilla rounds everything out and adds warmth and sweetness. It smells like brass on blonde wood, like the perfect red lipstick, like a pile of furs in the back of a Rolls Royce. There's something Gatsby-esque about it—outsized, unabashed and luxe. I'll enjoy every last spritz!

I bought an Erebos atmo spray a while back because work was so stressful that I was having trouble sleeping. I give the bed and pillows a few squirts before I start getting ready to sleep each night and it's been working wonders. As almost everyone has said, it's very reminiscent of TKO and harmonizes well for those wearing TKO as a sleeping oil—but Erebos is more floral and less astringent. I'm one of those people who often wears TKO to bed, and the combination of TKO and Erebos is pretty much heavenly. It's one of my BPTP essentials...I hope to never be without it. It would also make a really great gift for anyone who needs help relaxing, and frankly, that's most us!

I've loved Sin for a long time. It was one of the first GCs that I bought a 10ml of when I first started collecting BPAL, and I still wear it often. So I was excited but a little nervous about trying Sin in the Pumpkin Patch, because y'know, don't mess with perfection. But this is SO GOOD. All the warmth and sultriness and straight-up mellow goodness of Sin...plus pumpkin. Like fall wearing over-the-knee boots and a smirk and nothing else.

 

I've already bought one back up bottle, and I'm contemplating getting another (or two) in case it doesn't make a reappearance in the future.

Editing my own review placeholder, ha!

Silkybat Hair Gloss is like a patchouli-scented confection as whipped up by some masterful candymaker. The patchouli here isn't the deep, dark oil in some blends, but lighter, less earthy and more airy. In fact, the spray comes out entirely clear—no brown or light brown tint at all to this hair gloss. After applying and blowdrying, the scent in my hair is gently sweet and subtle and refined. Like a patchouli-inflected puff of cotton candy—but better. Totally sexy stuff. Would be fantastic for going out on Halloween, or just a regular Saturday at home.

ETA: I now have several backup bottles of this hair gloss, that's how much I love it. It's absolutely stunning, and every time I wear it out, I get compliments.

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This post is merely a placeholder for future reviews of this TAL oil. Whoever is first to review, please report this post using the report button below, so a mod can merge it with yours. Thanks!

Mod Note: FYI, there is another 'Meditation' oil/review topic located in the TAL sub-category of Utility Blends.

 

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It's been a really long time since I bought an aquatic—I love them, but I find I just don't wear them that much on my skin. But I'm glad I took the plunge with Octopus. At first, it's like a wave, with the watery notes crashing hard. But receding, the drydown is subtle and nostalgic. I get as much ambergris after 10 minutes as I do the moss and kelp. It's clean and warm and elegant.

 

Reminds me a bit of House of Mirrors, but Octopus is much softer, like something lovely seen at the oblique. I'll enjoy every drop of my bottle.

I'm loving Third Charm. I think it's definitely one to try for those who've enjoyed Snake Oil, Womb Furie, Infernal Lover and O. The honey comes forward on my skin, and after a half hour or so, it's a soft, musky, honeyed skin scent with the patchouli darkening the edges ever so slightly. And it smells a little bit like nag champa (!), which is a total bonus.

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Mourning Lace is perfect for people who step into Reccs and say they're looking for a BPAL that smells a bit like clove cigarettes. The clove is wonderful here, and although it is well blended with the other notes, it remains distinguishable through the dry-down, at least on my skin. The oak, frankincense and myrrh work together to create a resiny, oaky base that's lifted from heaviness by the vanilla blossom. The clove warms everything up and adds an enlivening spice. I think I can pick up on the cognac—something that reminds me of wine—but it's not prominent.

 

ML stays close to my skin and hours later I get occasional wafts of what smells like a clovey skin-musk. There's something contemplative about it that seems true to mourning, but it also smells very comforting to me. I bought this for my boyfriend but I think we may have to share it.

There had been a previous request for Emeraude by Coty, but I was hoping with additional details I might get some great scent recommendations for me to get my mom for Christmas. From Fragrantica, Emeraude by Coty is a Oriental fragrance for women. Emeraude was launched in 1921. The nose behind this fragrance is Francois Coty. Top notes are orange, bergamot and lemon; middle notes are jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and brazilian rosewood; base notes are amber, sandalwood, patchouli, opoponax, benzoin and vanilla. My mom has been wearing this scent since the 1960s. The formulation of Emeraude seems to have changed several times, and we stopped buying it for her in the early 1990s when it became too artificial and chemical. I would love to find something in BPAL's catalog that has a similar feel.

 

On her, it had a green, citrussy feel when wet, but dried into a very soft romantic, not overly floral, scent. None of the notes, top, middle, or base, seemed to be dominant, and the whole thing had a rich, complex velvet scent without being too formal. She hasn't really worn any other scents, so I am not sure if any of the particular notes of Emeraude were standouts for her.

 

Previous recommendations from the earlier request included Snake Oil, Resurrection of the Flesh, New Orleans, Ave Maria Gratia Plena, Namaste, and The Obsidian Widow.

 

I am new to BPAL so any recommendations of scents that might give a similar feel would be appreciated. I am hoping to give her several imps for Christmas so GC would be appreciated. However, if you think an LE or discontinued scent would be a good match, please let me know.

 

Thanks,

Jessie

Let me second the recommendation of Snake Oil, which I have long maintained is reminiscent of Emeraude. Of all the BPAL scents I've tried, it comes the closest, at least to my nose.