ringmaster-red

This has become one of my favorites! In the bottle: sweet grapes Wet: Vanillic spiced grapes, not boozy, very light. Dry: It's a morpher! It's gone from spiced cakes, to warm resin, to sweet musk, and then it all blends together as warm spiced resinous sweet musks. I was honestly a little worried before I tried this one, because BPAL's boozy notes usually make me nauseous, but Haloa is so beautiful!!!

A sultry and unruly blend that emulates the ambient scent of the markets in ancient Bengal: skin musk with honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger. This is probably the only BPAL perfume I’ve tried so far (I’ve tried many) besides Inferno where I can ACTUALLY SMELL THE SPICES. It’s sweet and warm with straightforward spices. It’s like there’s an actual pile of cinnamon powder in front of me. Where Inferno is bitter, Bengal is raw and sweet. There’s some decent throw. The honey softly wafts in and out. I can’t stop sniffing my wrists. I might get a full bottle.

In the vial: Orange and clove. Very nice. Wet: Very very woody with clove and just a hint of orange. I'm not sure if I like it or not. Dry: I'm definitely amping a wood note. Orange and clove hang around in the background, and I get clearer whiffs of them in the throw. It does definitely remind me of thrift stores and such. It's nice but I probably wouldn't say I lovelovelove it. Note: I was on my period when I tested this, so I plan to test it again in a couple weeks or so just in case it's a morpher.

In the vial: Cherry-honey Wet: Sickly sweet lollipops. Then mostly honey, with something green and dewy floating in the background. I’m hoping the white musk will come out soon to tame it. Average throw. Dry: Mostly honey, fading quickly. Still holding on to the lollipop note, with the pink pepper peeking out every now and then in the throw. Note: I was on my period when I tested this. I have to test it again in a couple weeks or so, just in case it’s a morpher.

In the vial: Strong, salty, almost floral acquatic. Reminds me of the ocean or rain yankee candles. Wet: Very strong on the salty acquatic note. I'm not getting any milk yet. After a few minutes, it's a warm almost floral acquatic. Still very candle-y. Dry: It's still a candle-y apartment. I'm not getting any milk at all. Note: I was on my period when I tried this, so I'm planning on trying it again in a couple weeks or so just in case it's a morpher.

In the vial: Grapefruit and chocolate Wet: Grapefruit, ginger, tea, tonka bean (at least that’s what I’m assuming the cocoa-like smell is?), and a blend of upbeat florals. Honestly, it almost smells like cloying grape-flavored children’s medicine with just a touch of cocoa, or like a flat cup of Dr Pepper. It’s warm and sickeningly sweet. Dry: It’s warm, cocoa-like, sweet, and herbal. Lots of throw. I’m not sure yet how much I like it. I’ll have to test it another time.

In the vial: slightly boozy chocolate Wet: I’m definitely getting the cocoa, musk, amber, woodiness, and a slight touch of booze. Interesting. It’s mildly cloying. As it dries, it warms and smells “dry” and slightly woody. Dry: Woody fruity cocoa. Lots of throw. It’s a little childlike. I’m not sure yet how much I like it. I’ll have to test it another time.

In the vial: warm amber and pomegranates Wet: I can definitely smelt the amber and pomegranates. It’s very fruity and a little bit powdery. It’s a little musky too. It’s a very womanly scent. Dry: Warm, musky amber and pomegranate. Very straightforward. After a few more minutes, though, the pomegranate fades and it’s soapy amber. Aw man! I hope it morphs again. Later it becomes a nice musky amber that reminds me a bit of Vasilissa, but there’s still that soapy undertone. After an hour or so, it’s a beautiful musky sweet, slightly fruity, amber.

In the vial: aquatic florals Wet: Exactly what it sounds like. Salty, aquatic, and just a hint of florals. Tears and drowned florals. Dry: It’s very clean. The aquatic note is very nice. It gets warm and a little spicy. Other reviewers have said there’s a lavender note, which I think I’m detecting. The lavender is making my allergies act up. It’s not a bad scent, but it’s not evocative or gorgeous or really “me”.

In the vial: very fresh white florals Wet: Still fresh white florals. The smell dewy and wet. After a few minutes, it gets a little bit spicy and dusty. Maybe a touch of fir? It gives me a headache. It becomes woody and fresh and I’m pretty sure there’s fir involved. Dry: Same, but it’s become sickeningly cloyingly sweet and woody. It’s really not me.

Patron of the Aztec pantheon, he is the personification of light within darkness, warmth in the cold, and life in, and after, death. He is a creative and destructive God of Fire and Light, and is appeased only by sacrifice, trial, and the slaughter of his people's enemies. Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms. In the vial: incense and lemon pledge Wet: Lemon pledge with something stinky behind it. A few minutes later, something incense-y. Dry: Bland and faint. I don’t think this is for me.

In the vial: Tropical florals Wet: Tropical flowers and fruit. I almost want to say it’s a fragrant juicy apple or pear with a background of florals. Dry: Cloying tropical florals. It’s very clean, almost soapy. I don’t think it’s for me.

In the vial: slightly tart, cloying honey Wet: Immediately upon application, very strong on the tart berries, slightly green, and I can pick out the honey. Then it goes very strong cough syrup. Lots of throw. It’s giving me a headache. Dry: After 20 minute drydown, it’s tart dark berries (probably blackberries, but I’ve never eaten those so I couldn’t be sure myself) and fresh raw right-out-of-the-hive honey. From farther away, I get wafts of pure fresh raw darkened honey. It’s dewy and clean and foody and sweet. I like it fine enough, but I don’t think it’ll be a bottle purchase for me.

In the vial: odd, floral, and woody. Wet: Very strong varnish. Ugh. Very, very, very strong wood varnish with too much throw. After another minute, it goes root beer. Strange. It’s like woody birch beer or root beer. It smells carbonated. Then it walks the line between birch beer and wood varnish. Very strange and borderline unpleasant. After another 20 minutes, it’s just wood varnish again. I had to wash it off.

In the bottle: fresh, rainy, green. Fitting for a rainforest. Wet: Green, wet, slightly spicy, slighty fruity. After a minute, the banana leaf and rainy notes comes out. It’s certainly a wet, almost foody, humid green. It’s quite pleasant. Very fresh. Dry: It’s a nice spicy humid green. It’s fine, but I don’t think I love it enough for a bottle.