kerikeri

Resurrected version: In the bottle, I smell mint and coconut rum-- delicious! On me, the sharpness of the mint and booze burn off quickly, and it starts to smell more like coconut milk, with a soft candy mint edge. Unfortunately something here, maybe the coconut or vanilla, goes a bit plastic on my skin. I am sort of getting suntan-lotion vibes, which isn't necessarily bad but isn't what I was expecting from this. I wish the mint would stay a bit sharper-- it might counteract the plasticiness. Still, it's got potential, and I might try it as a room scent.

This is awesome at first, a boozy mint scent that reminds me of mojitos, which I love... but unfortunately I'm one of the people who gets nothing but baby powder from it on the drydown.

This smells a lot like orange sherbet on me. The fig isn't strong, and does smell more like a spiced, cooked, foody fig note than the sharp earthy fig that tends to go bad on me. It's a simple blend, but smells really nice and reminds me of summer (though that might just be the sherbet/Creamsicle association).

I wouldn't normally have tried this, because musk and jasmine are... not exactly among my favorite notes, but I got it as a frimp and I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised. It's soft, pretty and a little powdery-- I'm getting mostly amber and pink musk (which I think is one of the only musks that actually works on me, as I also liked it in Mlle. Lilith). Over time it becomes a little more sharp and floral-- maybe the jasmine is poking its head out, but it's not too bad. This is really nice for a traditional feminine scent.

I got this as a free tester, and I'm not really familiar with any of BPAL's stone or metal blends/notes, so I'm having trouble putting my observations into words. On me it's powdery and surprisingly sweet, almost cloying, though not in a way that's obviously fruity or floral or anything else I can place. It does have that clean laundry-like feel to it, but it's much heavier than most clean scents. There's something cologney/masculine about it, but again, in an oddly over-sweet way. I'm not really a fan of how this smells, and it doesn't particularly suggest stone or metal to me (though I guess I'd be hard-pressed to say how stone or metal does smell-- I would at least expect something ozone-like for the metal and something earthy for the stone, anyway). But it's intriguing me, just because I've never smelled anything like it before and I can't even begin to place the notes. The powdery-sweetness is similar to what musk usually does on my skin, but beyond that I'm stumped.

From bottle to drydown, this is extremely syrupy-sweet and artificial-smelling fruit, with a boozy sharpness underneath. It's not a good combination. I don't really smell white chocolate, although it may be contributing to the overall cloying effect. I've really enjoyed the apricot note in a few other blends, but it's not working here-- overall, this smells like a very cheap, artificially-flavored fruit liqueur. Tragic, as I really thought I'd love this.

In the vial this smelled interesting, chocolate and a powdery green tea scent, as you'd expect. As soon as I applied it to my skin, though, that hated Froot-Loops-and-Pledge lemony-death note reared its ugly head, just as it did in Crib Girls a few months ago. I smelled no chocolate and no green tea whatsoever, just screaming LEMON. And it gave me a headache.

This is the unexpected favorite of the 2010 Lupes so far for me. It goes on very woody and cologney, but over time the cranberry and currant add a sweet overlay to the wood, with a bracing touch of mint. It's a bright, fresh, kind of energizing scent, and I really like it even though it's not much like the kinds of scents I'm usually drawn to.

This is a soft, perfumey scent on me; the notes blend together so it's difficult to make them out individually. It's kind of a sharp, citrusy scent, only slightly sweetened, with none of the creaminess of vanilla coming through. It's not bad, but I was hoping for something a bit more warm and lush, more amber and vanilla and less citrus and myrrh. edit: Gave this another shot today and I may have been too harsh on it. It is a pleasant, soft scent, and I could make out the red tea note better this time around. The citrus elements aren't lemony-sharp or tropical, more like a warm, gentle orangey citrus. It's very light and subtle and not very sweet, which still makes it not really my thing, but it's still one of the better scents from this update that I've tried so far.

This smells like a spicy chai-infused chocolate bar. The ginger and cardamom are very strong, with impressive throw. I don't really get any rum or coconut, just warm spices and creamy milk chocolate. It's a very intense foody scent, possibly a bit too strong, but smells quite delicious.

Starts out as a dark, thick, rich red wine scent, very reminiscent of the GC scent Centzon Totochtin, but with additional smoky wood notes. It's very heady and a bit overwhelming. Then it almost completely morphs-- the cherry and plum notes rise to the top, adding a brighter, sweeter, almost sparkling quality to the scent, though it's still grounded by the darker wine and wood underneath. This one surprised me with its metamorphosis-- I was just thinking it was nice, but a bit too similar to all the other dark, vampy wine scents I've tried, and then it totally changed into something unique. I liked Centzon Totochtin when I tried it, but the occasion never seemed quite right to wear such a heavy, decadent scent; Zadok Allen Vineyard seems to be its lighter, dressed-down cousin, and I can see myself wearing it in everyday situations a lot more easily.

On me, this wavers back and forth between nothing but lilac and lilac plus smoky, creamy vanilla and tonka. I can smell the supporting notes better in the throw, but up close the lilac is really strong. I'm not usually a fan of florals at all, but my mom grew lilacs in the backyard when I was a kid, so the scent has a certain amount of nostalgia for me. I wish the vanilla and tonka were stronger and the lilac a little more subdued, but this is still pretty wearable, and might make a nice scent for spring.

I had high hopes for this one because of that ginger cream note-- I was hoping for something more like Glowing Vulva, but instead it's earthy and harsh with barely any creaminess and no ginger at all that I can make out. At first it's a very sharp cologne, but the drydown is more of an almost "dirty" skin scent (in the working-in-the-garden sense, not in the haven't-showered-in-days sense). If you like unisex earthy scents, I'd definitely recommend this, but it's not what I was hoping for and not my kind of thing.

Resurrected version: At first it's all strong tobacco, and then it fades down to faintly smoky baby powder. Some BPAL vanilla/cream notes work wonderfully on me, and some automatically turn to powder; this seems to contain the latter. I can smell some complexity to it if I sniff up close, but that baby-powder scent overwhelms everything else. Over time, it morphs a bit. Still powdery, but darker and sweeter, and somehow intriguing-- I think the incense and cognac have shown up to the (funeral) party. I'm not sure how I feel about it now-- there's something I really like about it, but the powderiness hasn't disappeared, it's just had some more interesting notes layered over it. I think this might work for times when I needed a more traditional, mature, serious kind of scent, but it wouldn't be appropriate for everyday use.

Dark, dusty tobacco, sandalwood and clove. These are all notes that work well on me, if leaning a bit masculine, and this is just on the edge of how dark a scent I can wear without feeling like I'm wearing cologne. Layering with Black Heart makes it sweeter, obviously, and also brings out the citrus notes I couldn't really smell before. It's an interesting combination and makes both a little more wearable than they are individually for me. Gets even nicer as it dries-- the candy sweetness of Black Heart plays off the clove and sandalwood in Black Death really wonderfully, resulting in a scent that's both shadowy and alluring. I don't know if I'd want to buy two scents just to layer them, but it's tempting.

Sweet, light and powdery-- a little floral, a little candy-like. The sweettarts comparison is apt, as it does have a slightly tart edge to it. It's definitely another soft, girly scent like Agape, and like Agape I just can't really get excited about it-- it's pretty, but not something I can see myself wanting to wear much.

I bought an unsniffed bottle of this the moment I learned of its existence, as the title and bottle art were more than I could resist as a total Lovecraft fanatic, but I honestly didn't know if I'd like the scent at all-- aquatics usually go oddly watermelony on me, which didn't sound like it would go well with chocolate. This was a pleasant surprise, though. The aquatic notes are very light and subdued, adding a unique edge without making the whole thing smell like a waterlogged box of candy. The chocolate is dominant at first, but eventually an incense note similar to the one in Story Time at Dark Delicacies rises to the surface and adds some spicy darkness. This actually smells somewhat similar to Story Time on me, but better, sweeter and less dry thanks to the chocolate. I'm glad I have a bottle!

As a librarian I always have to try these book/museum/library-themed scents, but so far most of them either don't work on me or just aren't very evocative of the theme in my opinion. This, however, is surprisingly a huge win. I was expecting it to turn to cologne or be overwhelmingly leathery, but instead it's a light, slightly "green" woodsy scent rounded out with a gorgeous non-foody vanilla note and the lightest touch of leather. To me, it smells like something an adventurer-scholar of any gender would wear-- a scent equally at home exploring old ruins in the wild outdoors and studying in a cozy dark old library. I'm not sure if the mainstream would consider this a seductive scent, but it's quite alluring to this bibliophile. I think I need to hoard this.

Augh. Okay. See, I thought "filth" meant a dirt note. I can just about deal with dirt-- sometimes I amp it, but I was hoping the foody cupcakey goodness here would overcome that tendency. Apparently, however, my skin chemistry decided to interpret "filth" a little more literally. At the risk of being crude, this smells like poo on me. Chocolate and fertilizer. I'm not kidding. Even had my friends sniff it, and they agreed I should stay far away from it from now on. There are plenty of other foody scents in the sea, so I'm not too heartbroken, but... goodness. That's the fastest I've ever run to the sink to scrub an oil off after application.

Bright fruit settling into a warm, spicy punch scent. I'm a huge fan of plum scents, and this is lovely and unique, more of a sticky gooey cooked plum than the fresh plum note I've smelled in other blends. Oddly, something in this is reminding me of honeydew melon-- I have no idea what quince is supposed to smell like, so perhaps it's that. I love this. Sometimes fruit scents are too sugary-bright and sometimes spice scents are too overwhelmingly cinnamon-potpourri on me, but this is a perfect balance.

I tried this several months ago at a meet & sniff and was unimpressed at the time, although I was trying so many scents that night that my nose was overwhelmed, so I made a note to try it again later. I'm glad I did, because it's just become one of my favorites. Soft and fruity, but tempered with the incense and wood notes-- Shango was way too sweet in an artificial-fruit-punch-candy way for me, but this is a delicious, warm and wearable fruit blend. I also tend to amp red musk, but it looks like pink musk and I get along just fine, although this doesn't overtly smell musky to me. Very nice!

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. Mmm... sweet strawberry cake with buttery vanilla frosting and a sort of sharp edge. Some of the really over-the-top foody BPAL blends have a strange (but not bad) tendency to take on an almost metallic note on my skin-- I assume it's a caramelized or burnt-sugar note that is interacting a little unexpectedly with my chemistry, but I actually quite like it. It keeps this from being too sickeningly sweet and gives it a unique edge. Definitely a winner.

Initially this is all lemony cookies with leather and a hint of herbs/resins-- it has a similar feel to Mr. Nancy. The cookie scent fades out fairly quickly, and for a few minutes it smelled strongly of cologne, but it eventually settled into a slightly spicy, dusty incense with a hint of sweetness. It's not a dead-on old books scent on me, but it is evocative of that kind of atmosphere, and I do get whiffs of that ink and parchment occasionally. I do like it-- I'll have to test it more to see if it's something I'd actually wear, as the cologne stage worries me, but I like the final drydown and as a librarian I'd love to find a book-related scent that works on me.

This is a bright, cool ozone scent-- the mint is understated, not sharp toothpaste or sugary candy mint, just adding a subtle chilling touch to the blend. Something in this read as citrusy to my nose, possibly the eucalyptus. It's very light and fades fairly quickly, and isn't really my style, but it would be excellent to wear in summer as a cool, clean, refreshing scent.

On my skin, this is MANDARIN, and nothing but. The citrus just overwhelms all the other notes-- maybe there's a hint of tea in there, but certainly no cocoa, tonka or tobacco, and I can't even smell the red musk, which is strange because I usually amp it to a certain degree. It might be a fluke caused by chemistry fluctuations, but testing this didn't go at all like I thought it would.