mspixieears

Pumpkin with sweet pear. I get the tiniest hint of jasmine and maybe the tea? This isn’t so heavy on the pumpkin like I expected it to be.

I firstly detect something quite citrusy in this blend and none of the notes that it purports to have! Perhaps I need to wait for it to dry down to detect the other notes. At the moment it reminds me of unsweetened homemade lemonade with a touch of something extra. As it starts to dry I can detect the fougere but am hoping for more of the white musk and jasmine. I’m a bit surprised I’m not loving this as much as other people seem to love it. I think it deserves another chance so will be retested. Much later, its true beauty seems more apparent but will definitely retest.

Ooh, this is glorious! Soft, floral and lightly musky, it’s also very hard to describe. I swear I get hints of peach amidst all the beautiful Asian florals. Probably what I can pick up is the white sandalwood which I’m a big fan of and the ginger as well as a greenness that reminds me of green tea. Delicate and subtle. I only put on a little bit and the throw is just amazing.

I got this specifically for the blackcurrant which I can’t quite detect – what I do get though is the black amber. I think this would be wonderful on a man. I can’t really detect the other notes though there is definitely something very woody which must be the cedar? As it dries down there is something sweet evident in it – must be the blackcurrant. Not sure that this is bottle-worthy, might need to sell this. Would have been better if I only got a decant.

I’m not sure what chrysanthemums actually smell like but I definitely get the ginger and pulsing musk – the musk is very strong. Not sure if it’s to my liking. There is definitely something very Oriental about it, however. There is also something slightly medicinal about it too. It gets a lot more floral after drydown, absolutely lovely.

This is surprisingly very floral and not as honeyed as the name suggests when it is applied and still drying. There is a slight hint of the mildest spice – I’m wondering if those are the herbs of passion? I really like the honeysuckle in this, makes it a very youthful, exuberant fragrance just like a marriage in first blush. Have decided the herbs make it very sultry. Despite dousing my arm in it accidentally, it is quite a gentle fragrance. I like that there is a touch of innocence about it.

Traditionally, Beaver Moon is named thus for a very obvious reason: during this time of year, beavers are hard at work building their dams and preparing for the onset of winter. However, we at BPAL rarely let an opportunity for sleazy campiness pass us by! For your pleasure and amusement, we present this year's incarnation of Beaver Moon: wild cherry with vanilla cream accord, and a hint of strawberry. This is mouth-wateringly good! The vanilla cream is just delicious and the strawberry is tart and juicy just like ripe berries should be. I can actually smell the strawberry more than the cherry. A wonderful foody scent though it does remind me of a less cakier version of Eat Me. Lasting power is not as strong as I’d like but am very happy to reapply.

Another one for Old Moon, just tested it today and it's so wintry!

Smoky with a hint of sweetness. This is one of those fragrances that smells completely different in the vial than it does on skin. I can’t really smell the beer but that’s okay as not really sure I’d like to smell of beer! Great throw. And it really does smell of a bonfire!

This one smells lovely! I can definitely smell the Snake Oil upfront. As it starts to dry down I detect the frankincense and maybe the labdanum but would be hard pressed to detect the other scent notes. Very earthy and manly – I think this would smell fantastic on a man.

This is slightly smoky – I think it’s the leather. I do believe I detect the sage as a herby presence in this but the scent of Snake Oil is very faint. One for the retest pile I believe.

Instant scent of cinnamon – very strongly. This doesn’t smell so much of Snake Oil though. It reminds me of something else I’ve tried in the BPAL catalogue but can’t recall what. Not one of my favourites.

I quite like the frankincense blends so was looking forward to trying this one. The frankincense is very heavy and none of the Snake Oil seems apparent initially. I fancy the floral I can smell is the orris but that might be wishful thinking? This is another I like because it’s so different to Snake Oil – there is virtually no similarity.

Another Snake that I’m sceptical about because it contains mint, however, it’s much nicer than I thought it would be and has excellent throw. It actually reminds me of something else I’ve smelt before – the chocolate mint plant at my parents’ place. I don’t get any of the bergamot or green tea but I would expect the mint to overpower that anyway. A while later the mint fades and it smells like Snake Oil proper again.

Do not like in the vial or on me initially – cannot smell the Snake Oil and red apple generally doesn’t like me. I do love plumeria and gardenia but I seriously doubt I’ll be able to detect it in this fragranc. Not liking at all, I want to wash it off!

This is a very floral snake! I actually like a lot of the flowers listed in this blend but it doesn’t really smell of Snake Oil at all. The most striking of the bunch I’ve tried so far. I would consider getting a bottle of this. Very summery and love how much throw there is.

Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk. It’s very thick and syrupy in the vial. Alcoholic in its pungency, that would be the cocoa making it all boozy-smelling. The teakwood is a nice addition, it’s slightly reminiscent of sandalwood. There is a note in this that I’m not fully comfortable with – I do think this is slightly too overpowering. I think it’s that funny faecal note again.

I’m testing the Snake Pit fairly quickly and am quite sceptical about detecting the notes in this blend though the actual Snake Oil is wonderfully strong. There’s definitely a mossy presence any maybe if I strain I can get the olive leaf (there is an ‘oily’ quality to this Snake blend). I quite like this one, it’s gentle and subtle.

Almond doesn’t tend to like me so was quite sceptical about this blend though oddly enough the myrrh makes it more palatable on. I don’t smell any of the mandarin in this blend, just Snake Oil with myrrh and almond. A hint of something spicy or could that just be the myrrh? A while later it does just smell like Snake Oil proper.

I don’t usually like pumpkin scents so this will be an interesting one to test though I’m intrigued by the addition of peach. It’s very sweet and foody with a hint of spice, I may need to compare it with my beloved Pumpkin Queen. There is something oddly medicinal or earthy about the fragrance when I sniff it up close. Nice to sample but not essential for me. Ooh, as it dries I can smell the peach! I do prefer peach with other things though.

A gentle, soothing floral scent, reminds me of subtly scented floral toilet water. I can pick up the rose which is not at all overpowering and perhaps the floral nature of this composition is smoothed down by the vanilla – I really love it when vanilla is in floral perfumes for this reason. As it starts to dry I detect the jasmine and honeysuckle which give it an old world elegance. Reminds me a little of Victoria. The amber gives it a slightly powdery edge.

Mmm, yummy red musk and berries – the musk reminds me a little of Smut. Probably not a fragrance for summertime – it does conjure up very sensual evenings though for some reason! I think it would be very sexy worn at night. The berry I get must be the pomegranate and/or the wild plum which I’m hoping will become more prominent. So far wet this seems pretty musky. The musk is deliciously smoky and very alluring.

I can’t pinpoint why I dislike this so much but it’s definitely not to my taste – I think it might be the sarsparilla I don’t like. The patchouli is too pungent for my taste though the tobacco smoke is nice. Unfortunately, the smell makes me feel ill so definitely not keeping. It does dry down to a gentler, masculine scent but still a bit headache-inducing.

A gently floral cedar when applied wet, smells of antique furniture. There is some sweetness in it like cinnamon perhaps? Not sure. I think at present it’s a tad too masculine for my liking. Develops to smell like smoky or burning cedarwood. Might also be nice as a room fragrance.

When I first apply this I get the lemon verbena and a freshness that I assume is the lavender. Because of the lavender, it is a very calming, soporific blend. The lemon verbena note protrudes a little too much for my liking – I know that citrus notes tend to be quite volatile so perhaps it’ll die down later on? It’s beginning to dry down and the wild plum is emerging which adds to the sensuality of this fragrance as it’s becoming really dominant. I can smell it better from afar than up close (when I put my nose close to my wrist I still get the lemon verbena). Finally, I recall what it reminds me of – a milder Bathsheba which I much prefer to this, I think. This does however have excellent throw.