ACVail24

Winter Heavens

In the Bottle:

clear & cold smelling - but not overwhelmingly strong like other 'cold' scents

On my Skin, Wet:

'Black crystalline' is the best way to describe this one.

it's like looking through a heavy crystal vase in a deep dark forest at midnight.

On my Skin, Dry:

Not as cold now, but still pretty dark & clear.

I don't really detect any one note - just the final product, the vision as a whole.

it's an atmospheric perfume, not foody or spicy or floral or resiny.

Verdict:

I really like this one - it's dark but not moody

I really like the clear quality of this one, and it's especially nice to have such a clear perfume without the heavy cold aspect.

lovely!

Yellow Snowballs

This reminds me of Archangel Winter - which is an awesome thing!

Cold, snowy citrus goodness.

this is just a little bit lighter & creamier though.

only a little bit though

Nightmare

In the Bottle:

Dark & very dry - with a bitter quality to it

On my Skin, Wet:

The bitterness amps for about 10 minutes.

it must be the 'blackened fruit gums'

after the 10 minute mark the bitterness goes away and the resin and lavender make an appearance

On my Skin, Dry:

Evil bedsheets with sleep inducing lavender.

hmmm, interesting

Verdict:

not at all pleasant during the wet stage, and the dry stage is so strangely unique that I don't really know what to make of this one.

On Darkness 2009

In the Bottle:

I detect the lavendar & some dark resins/incense

On my Skin, Wet:

A burst of blackness.

It's like everything is covered in soot without smelling like smoke.

On my Skin, Dry:

Ok, this is better.

I get the lavendar again, and the dark incense

It does have a slightly smoky touch to it, but it's just a hint.

Every now and then I get a whiff of the rose geranium, which adds a dark floral tone to this scent.

Verdict:

Very unique.

It's an interesting mix of dark resins with a dark floral.

White Rabbit

In the Frimp:

Strong black tea & spicy pepper

On my Skin, Wet:

Fermented note, pepper & something spicy.

I assume that's the ginger

On my Skin, Dry:

Black tea, cream, & faint traces of either the pepper or ginger...it's just a teeny bit spicy.

I get a note of the linen every now & then.

Verdict:

I didn't like the initial application or the immediate dry-down.

the fully dry, several-hours-later version is nice, but nothing special for me.

meh.

I am glad that I got to try it, I know that most people really like this one. Sadly I am not one of them.

I haven't tried this one personally, but it sounds lovely.

no jasmine in sight

HERMIA

How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak;

How low am I? I am not yet so low

But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

Pink pepper, golden amber, honeysuckle, and passion flower.

As advertised - a gorgeous lavendar honey cheesecake!

it's about equal parts of each listed item - with a distinct buttery graham cracker crust, but this element just re-inforces that cheesecake vibe.

On me, this is a very dark musk with some soft, mildly sweet resins peeking out.

Every so often I get a whiff of something fresh & green.

I like it overall, but it's not something I'll reach for very often.

La Mort: mon ironie depasse toutes les autres!

This is a lovely rose & spicy pomegranate.

and that's all - nothing more, nothing less.

The Green Apple of Venus

In the Bottle:

green apple & carnation

On my Skin, Wet:

A blast of green apple & pink carnation - I think I detect the pomegranate too - it's very subtle.

On my Skin, Dry:

The carnation becomes more noticeable, and the green apple almost completely disappears.

I don't notice anything else about this blend now.

Verdict:

it's very pretty in the wet phase, but it's not all that great dried down.

this is going for a test run in a scent locket to see if the wet phase lasts.

ETA: silly nose, carnation isn't even listed in this blend!

OMG YUM!

this smells fantastic!

it's got a gorgeous white tea note, that smells so clean & fresh.

The sage is subtle & adds to the overall freshness of this scented hair product.

My hair is noticeably less frizzy, and generally slightly smoother & easier to manage.

My hair is usually pretty shiny on it's own, so judging the shine factor may be apparent with continued use.

I don't think I'll have any trouble using this up before it's 6 month "expiration/shelf life"

I used about 7-8 spritzes & that covered just about all my hair (5-6 were directly on the hair away from the scalp, 2 were squirted onto my brush for brushing the roots)

Great product!

Thanks BPAL & BPTP!!

Autumn Cider

Yowza!

this is heavy on the 'fermented' note!

it's very dominant on the apple note & cinnamon note - but holy cow is that fermentation strong.

I'm not sure I'll be able to wear this anywhere but outside.

The Vampire Bride

In the Bottle:

Musk and a crystalline note - note sure what that is

On my Skin, Wet:

A burst of violet! interesting!

This burst lingers for a bit, then the red musk starts to make an appearance.

On my Skin, Dry:

There's that crystalline note again!

it's very soft and low to the skin, that allows wiffs of violet and hints of red musk.

Verdict:

I was expecting this to be a stronger scent based on the notes listed, but this scent is delicate and ethereal.

it's very soft and sweet with a gentle bite to it

Sonnet D'Automne

In the Bottle:

Meh. Not much to detect

On my Skin, Wet:

THIS IS AMAZING!

I get the dried leaves right away, swiftly followed by a vanilla-y, sugary cocoa.

On my Skin, Dry:

The leaves fade to the background, and I'm getting a soft creamy white chocolate now as the dominant note.

There is also a hint of vanilla that I'm picking up.

Verdict:

excellent! unique!

this is definitely a contender for a backup bottle!

The initial wear was a sugary pumpkin that had an spicy undercurrent.

After a couple of hours, the spice was overwhelmingly strong & drowned out a lot of the pumpkin & obliterated the sugars.

This may need to age - hopefully the spice calms down

I agree with Violetblue.

smells wonderous in the jar, but just didn't perform in water.

I didn't get many bubbles either but I didn't know how much to use, so maybe round 2 will be the rest of the jar

Creepy 2009

In the Bottle:

Red Apples & sugary booze

On my Skin, Wet:

Red Juicy Sliced Apples, followed closely by a dollop of sugary caramel then some booze.

On my Skin, Dry:

Whole apples, sugar, and booze.

Verdict:

aging has done great things for this blend - before it was just a boozy mess, but now it's a couple of years old and FABULOUS!

I would get this blend again if it's ever offered again.

Used this one last night!

equal parts vanilla & mint for me - the vanilla is like a raw vanilla with a pinch of sugar & the mint is a strange, "warm yet crisp" variety.

I love the simplicity of this one!

Muilearteach

In the Bottle:

Lots of musk - mostly red

On my Skin, Wet:

A burst of red musk, and a little bit of black musk.

these settle down with an icy background developing.

On my Skin, Dry:

Red musk, icicles (which smell a little like wet ozone, but it's definitely 'cold'), and a very faint vanilla spice undertone

Verdict:

I was intrigued by this one while it was available, then the musk was too much when it was fresh.

after a year of aging - this is GORGEOUS!

the musks aren't as overpowering as they once were, I love the cold element, and the weird apparition of the vanilla spice is just glorious!

I love this Trick!

IO

At first, this blend was just a sweet mess - just a pile of sugar with maybe a single berry intermixed.

after a few months of aging, this is one of the more interesting BPALs in my collection

In the Bottle:

Mango & herbs

On my Skin, Wet:

A huge burst of juicy & sweet mangoes - I pick up the thyme too

On my Skin, Dry:

Mango is replaced by Poms & Cranberries.

I'm not sure if I can distinguish the blackberry or the red musk, but I think they are lending themselves to deepening the overall impression

Verdict:

aging was well worth the wait!

I love the Mango/Thyme combo, and it's certainly unique in my collection.

Revenge

smells like a orange with some white florals

does not last long, which is disappointing since it does smell quite lovely

Buttery autumnal nuts.

Heavy on the butter in the first spray - then it becomes a lovely, dry celebration of bitter acorns, sugary pecans, & raw walnuts (for my nose, anyway)

not the longest lasting, but does hang around for a couple of hours

Berry Moon 2011

In the Bottle:

as advertised; "a deep berry bouquet"

On my Skin, Wet:

A burst of alcoholic berries, red & deep plum in color

On my Skin, Dry:

I detect the brandy.

The berry bouquet is very seamless, I don't smell any individual fruits.

Verdict:

I have the previous version of Berry Moon & they don't smell remotely similar, which I was afraid of.

I like the 2011 version better, I think the brandy is a better choice for my chemistry than the musk from previous release.

Schwarzer Mond 2011

In the Bottle:

Musty Patchouli

On my Skin, Wet:

Musty Patchouli with some dark resins and a hint of what smells like smoke.

On my Skin, Dry:

Still musty, but the patchouli has subsided.

the smokey dark resins are taking the forefront - nice but a little heavy on the smoke factor on me.

Verdict:

undecided - it's an interesting blend, but it's so outside my usual fare that I don't really know if I find it pleasing or if I'm just tolerating it for novelty's sake.

ETA:

OK, it took 3.5 hours, but this is now truly a deep dark gorgeous resin scent.

I really do like it in this stage, but the smokey, musty pacthouli phase is a little off-putting.

Luna Negra

In the Bottle:

patchouli?

that's not a listed note, but I swear that's all I smell

On my Skin, Wet:

Now this is interesting - to me this smells like a 'blue' version of Crypt Queen.

Crypt Queen always has a 'red' feeling to me, probably because of the blood accord & raspberries.

Luna Negra smells almost exactly like Crypt Queen to me, but I guess the blackberry gives it the 'blue' quality.

weird synesthesia.

On my Skin, Dry:

Smoky resins, patchouli (??), and a hint of the berries, but not much at all.

yep - this is a 'blue' version of Crypt Queen to my nose.

very strange indeed.

Verdict:

I really like this one, even though patchouli isn't my thing - and even though it does not seem to be an ingredient.

I like the depth of this scent, and it's 'evilness'

it's a great scent for the upcoming fall months, and I am looking forward to wearing it in October particularly.

p.s.

Crypt Queen is probably my favorite Halloweenie scent but I'm always hesistant to wear her because I don't want to run out or creep anyone out as she has that presence.

this is going to sit along side her so I can have a red & blue version.

awesome!!