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sprout

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  1. sprout

    Witch Dance

    For me, this was 50/50 Sugary bonfire with grapey Red musk (2016 version). Maybe something like blackberry wine but that accord is subtle, bonfires in the distance, and Smut type Musk coated with sugar. If Devils Night, Smut, and Samhain have a 3 way orgy with a sexy Witch baby as the result, this is what she will smell like. Quintessential BPAL Halloween, yet not a duplicate of anything else I have, this does incorporate elements of many favorites, Smut, Devil's Night and Samhain primarily.
  2. In the imp, the opoponox is forward with more than a hint of the "black " wine. Wet, opoponax is perfumey and almost like hairspray. The Black wine is dominating the scent, however, and strikes a chord between Black currant and blackberry. There's a herbal component beneath, like Baneberry but it's subtle. Dry, the wine recedes a bit, the opoponox is more resiny and maybe there's something like Blood Musk. The herbal component is more evident, it reminds me of sleek, shiny, deep purple berries. For shits and giggles, I goggled spindle tree sap. I've no idea what it smells like, but it is a plant associated with the Furies and is poisonous in excess, consumption of the berries is fatal to sheep, goats, and horses (and children!). In small doses, the berries are medicinal as a purgative. So this blend really grew on me after 3 tests. The Black wine is like nothing else in my huge bottle collection. So I will seek out a full bottle, although I almost blind bought this just because of the mythology association with Furies and Clytemnestra. So I really wanted to like it. Opoponox can make or break a blend for me and I wanted to be sure that the drop of blood wasn't overpowering DBR, is the chief reason I tried a decant first. I really love the black wine aspect here. This reminds me of Insects from the Crimson Peak series, minus the citrus chypre.
  3. sprout

    A Pale and Glimmering Light Appeared Before Him

    In the imp, Jasmine is in evidence, with a sweet, indistinct backdrop. Wet, this is quite floral forward, but the oleander and jasmine share equal footing. I agree with above reviews which described the floral component as Southern and humid. Having lived in the deep South, this certainly evokes memories of moist, warm nights. The beauty of these White florals is that they aren't high pitched or headache induction type. The rockrose provides a comforting support of sweet fuzziness, like whispy White feather down. It reminds me somewhat of orris, but more woody and no Violet. The scent of baby powder but not powdery. This lasted about 4 hours for me with modest throw. I am anticipating it will wear well in the summer where I can't take anything too potent or heavy. Drying, the ambrette lends support but doesn't eclipse the rockrose. The florals last but fade away slowly in potency. This is a sweet, soft floral reminiscent of warm, humid nights with soft, warmth coming from the resins. You have to appreciate jasmine to enjoy this, it is present but balanced by the oleander. I love this, but that's not surprising given the notes. I am hoping to score a full bottle. There are so few perfumes with Oleander that I think I need this and something about ambrette and rockrose is very comforting. I did not appreciate any smoke like notes here, just soft and sweet resins, which seem to glow like the art.
  4. sprout

    The Chamber of Content

    In the imp: fruity apple Wet: Honey and apples Drying: juicy apples paired with honeyed carnation and a musky, nutty support which is the ambrette. Another full bottle worthy creation. The carnation makes this different enough from straight honeyed apple. This is a lovely carnation scent with the apple balancing the spice of the carnation and sweetened with a hint of honey. Love this, it's going into heavy rotation in the Springtime and Summer. Like a more mature Alice tasting an apple.
  5. In the imp, Honeyed florals Wet: creamy florals, Orange Blossom Honey and a hint of mallow (more floral, not foodie) Dry: magnolia petals, waxy and dripping with honey. So, a creamier The Bride with honey instead of sugar and orange blossom bringing an orange Creamsicle impression, from a distance, the wild Musk is apparent and it's glorious, I have to qualify my review to state that orange blossom tends to be sweet on me. Wow, I was worried about the neroli but it isn't sharp at all. If Muse of Fire and The Bride had a Honey covered Creamsicle baby, this is what that baby smells like. Must. have. full bottle. Edit to add, late drydown is Honey covered marshmallows. Love this!
  6. sprout

    The Red Egg

    I was anticipating a skin reaction to the cinnamon but fortunately that didn't happen. In the vial, this was mostly cassia. Wet on skin the cassia is the most dominant note but the musk is present as is the myrrh. Unaged myrrh is unpleasant to my nose or maybe it's just my skin. Coffee makes this a little bitter. This phase oddly evokes a red egg. It's almost like flan with coffee liquor and cinnamon (my nose reads the cassia as cinnamon). In a way this phase reminds me of the Trading Post scent Great London Spaghetti Hunt. It is not unlike a creamy egg based dessert sprinkled with cinnamon. Drying there is a phase where the myrrh becomes quite powdery and amps. My skin does this fairly consistently and YMMV. Drydown phase revealed the musk. I love the egg shell Musk. It is delicate and light as an egg shell and seems fragile. It is different from white musk. It is a bit reminiscent of the musk from the Monster bait series. I really like the imp and will be pursuing a full bottle because I enjoy Musk based scents and this Musk is Heavenly. The Red Egg nailed the concept for me. The unpleasant myrrh powder phase should improve with a little age. Brava!
  7. sprout

    Crisp, clean sheets

    I would suggest Lady of Shallotte
  8. Lady Una with blackberry leaf, but is a sweet blend due to the addition of honey Firethorn Berry Tea, very tart Black tea with mystery fruit (or perhaps Beth really distilled Firethorn berries, they smell similar to tart red fruits to me) Yurei, white tea with hibiscus The East, Tea Leaf and red currant Apothecary, Tea and fig FBT is probably closest to what you're looking for Searches for Pomegranate didn't find any Tea notes Search for persimmon turned up no results!
  9. sprout

    ISO *Perfect* Winter Scent!

    For snow plus berry: Midwinter's Eve! Perchta Snow Maiden I hate to mention Rares but Ice Queen too For Snow plus sweet: Snow White Snow Flakes Winter-Time Night Guant
  10. Mother Ginger Flesh Eating Reindeer from Uranus Shub Niggurath (3rding the suggestion) Gingerbread Poppet (hard to find but not impossible) Gingerbread Sin Ginger Skulls Vespertilio Proterus (seconding) Saw-scaled Viper I have a thing for ginger myself , these are the sweeter, foody gingers that I like, I can go off on other categories if you like
  11. sprout

    My Little Grotesque

    Quintessential cupcakes blend. The only way to hate this is if you dislike buttercream, Vanilla, or Cardamom. This blend be truth in advertising, my hearties. Truth with a capital "T" It smells like delicious, freshly baked but cooled, Yellow cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing then dusted with Cardamom. I am not sure if there are spice ampers, batch variations, or my skin turns things sweet (probably that), but I am getting 30/30/30 Yellow Cake/buttercream/Cardamom. Full bottle acquired, hoard mode activated!!! Throw is average, dry down a little better (longer) than average. I think I can actually let go of things like Cake Smash and Sprinkle cake...
  12. sprout

    Hunting for the ultimate _____ blend

    Okay I have a few holy grails to suggest. I am searching for the perfect Leather scent (please not Loviatar, I can't afford it). Jammy Rose Ambergris Petrichor Night air Vanilla with Amber Carnation (I'm on a carnation quest at the moment with leather a close second) Wine
  13. sprout

    Hunting for the ultimate _____ blend

    Try layering Scarecrow or SN Bonfire with your favorite Forest/wood blend? Also, it's old, so possibly tricky to find, but there was a BPAL perfume called Wildfire. Also, I can't miss an opportunity to plug The Ifrit and Agnes Nutter. (You'd have to layer to get the forest)
  14. sprout

    The Dead Can Hear and the Dead Have Sight

    If you are a fan of Zombi, you're probably going to love this. The roses are somber and subdued, which is a new experience for me. The ivy and moss bring astringent balance to the sweetness of the roses. These smell like the flowers, very natural, not powdery or soapy. Some roses smell almost fruity to my nose but these don't, this is more of a white rose. Drying, the balanced rose and ivy maintain a presence as the moss and shadow musk join the dance. This is a nice Musk of the not quite Black variety, fairly androgynous. The moss is a fuzzy base without the sour I get from oakmoss. I'm guessing closer to Spanish moss. Overall, the composition is very balanced yet all the notes are well represented. The rose is a restrained floral, bringing sweetness and moisture to the dry ingredients, peppery ivy adding some astringency and likely keeping the rose in check, and moss and Musk providing a warm, fuzzy base. If you have wanted a Rose that behaves itself, this could be the perfume of your dreams. If you collect Rose scents, you probably already ordered this. I started my review comparing this to Zombi, and this lacks the dirt and arid quality of that scent, it's more moist, if you will, but this would be quite at home with the Ars Moratoria line. This may become a bottle purchase for me as I'm looking for behaved Rose scents and this is different from most of what I have, my previous Rose acquisitions tend to be the more fruity, jammy types and I like the ivy and moss here. This would be fantastic layered (I'd like layering with dirt or wood but incense or cake combinations would be interesting too) I'm wondering too how the musk will age, will this be like the loved Crypt Musk? Only time will tell.
  15. sprout

    The Avenging Vase

    Yes, there are some who will say this perfume suggests women of a certain age. I agree with nostalgic, vintage, classic, and even grandmotherly. But these are not bad connotations. This does evoke an earlier and more flower centric age of perfumery and an Era where make up products were scented with Rose water and violet. The rose is indeed divaesque initially, over a bed of what could be cosmetic cream, as in cold cream. This isn't Ponds purchased from your five and dime though, it's something exclusive and probably costs more than $100 per ounce. It does remind me of Clown White, but less vanilla. Drying the iris makes her appearance, upstaging the rose, which is teetering on the edge of powdery and soapy. Rose and Iris battle for a few minutes, but Rose is no match for Grand Dame Iris. No soil here, just regal iris, pale and almost violaceous, a watery rose water backing, in a bed of expensive cosmetic cream. This is beautiful. I am a stay at home wallflower type that rarely goes to parties so I'm not sure that I could use a full bottle of this but Lawd! it is beautiful. I love iris as a note and I'm quite tempted. I may get a full bottle yet. If you are looking for a Springtime floral that isn't high pitched or cloying, you have a match.
  16. sprout

    Rain Scents

    Thunder Moon, Waiting, Poisson D'Avril for rainstorm Pool of Tears, Sea Foams Milk, Y'ha Nthlei, Windward Passage, Cristobal, Gold and Tears for salt water My favorite aquatic is Lady of Shallot, Sea of Glass gets honorable mention, as does Water of Notre Dame With respect to searching, I find the best ideas by going to the Directory on the Lab's website, and clicking on their categories, especially individual notes, but they have themes also like Rain, Rage, etc. It's time consuming to search this way, but worth it. Also, if I love a particular BPAL perfume, I search the review thread and hunt down samples or read reviews of what others consider to be similar scents
  17. sprout

    When your favorite GC blends are discontinued

    I've never sniffed The Temptation but La Bella Donna Mia Mente has some notes in common, Peach blossom, Musk, Rose.
  18. sprout

    Dead Leaves, Blackcurrant, and Tobacco Tar

    And finally a Dead Leaves perfume that disproves my rule of not being able to wear these kinds of scents, yay! Dead Leaves note starts this off with peppery vegetable vibes (as in cutting Red Bell Peppers). Luckily this straightens out as the Tobacco comes into play. The tobacco note is earthy, dry, and toothsome. Interestingly, the tobacco note helps the Dead Leaves smell drier and more like actual leaves. Drying, the black currant joins the party and keeps the dry ingredients in check. Without smelling like fruity shisha, it brings a balance to the dry leaves and Tobacco, keeping things from blowing away, becoming too dry, bitter, or acrid. It adds a hint of sweetness without smelling fruity. This has medium sillage and better than average wear time. My love of tobacco perfumes compels me to add this as a full bottle to the ranks. Brava! Beth. Love this one. I am pleased as punch to have a dead leaves scent that I can wear and will be eagerly searching through my decants as this gives me hope that there could be other winners.
  19. sprout

    The Dead Lips that Thirst to Kiss

    Leads off with the frozen aldehydes, which smell to my nose like eucalyptus, the blossom. Benzoin takes this into sweet, vanillic baby oil territory. The iris is pearlescent and melds with the cold notes. Iris dominates the drydown and has quite the throw! My impression: chilled baby oil. I agree with the cold cream association. I like this especially as a chilling yet earthy floral that does not veer into screeching high notes. This would be a gorgeous perfume for those sweltering dog days of summer. But then, I'm an iris/orris fan. Interesting and evocative, this is the olfactory equivalent of insubstantial, dry lips that shimmer in the moonlight. I think I'm possibly talking myself into a bottle. Conceptually this is genius and it's certainly unique. I'd love to try layering this with a patchouli based scent.
  20. sprout

    Apple IX

    Wet, this starts off like fruity wine coolers, overly ripe fruit and cheap wine. Fortunately, it quickly rights itself to bubbly champagne with apple flavor dominant and melon just at the limit of detection. I only appreciate the melon note with my nose because my eye spied it reading the notes. This is lovely: fizzy, just sweet enough, and lasts much longer than I would have predicted. The throw is less than average but this isn't a skin scent only. Despite having many Apple scents, I'll be getting a bottle of this as I don't have anything like it. Tres magnifique!
  21. This is vanilla kissed lavender with a hint of clove for me. This differs from TKO in being more sweet, less herbal, and more ethereal (soft, fuzzy). I am hoping to hoard this as a sleep scent: definitely shooting to my top 5 favorites.
  22. Hearth 2005 for me is very smoky
  23. sprout

    Pumpkin Spice Flan Atmosphere Spray

    This is perfect! I wish I'd purchased a big bottle of this. It smells like Pumpkin Spice caramel popcorn! The creaminess of the butter or cream accord balanced the spice notes. As an atmosphere spray, my skin doesn't turn the cream into spoiled milk. Be warned, it made me crave popcorn and so I had to pop some right away. No egg note detected. This may be my favorite of the Weenies I've tried this year.
  24. sprout

    Pink Pumpkin Floss

    Well, like the eponomymous Pumpkin Spice Latte, this was mostly Pumpkin Spice without the actual gourd itself at the start but all strawberry cream in the dry phase. The red currant helps the strawberry pop and contributed to the juicy quality at the heart. To be honest, I was hoping for more strawberry and more throw but I'm willing to cellar it to see if that helps. This smells more like strawberry cream hard candies (think Lifesavers brand) than cotton candy. No regrets, I'm keeping my bottle. This is my first Pumpkin Floss to try and I'm looking forward to acquiring more!
  25. sprout

    Pumpkin Orange Hair Gloss

    This was predominantly cardamom for me although the orange and mango were more in evidence when I first sprayed it. If you are worried about the neroli taking this into masculine territory, it doesn't. For such a fruity sounding blend from the notes, it's surprisingly dry smelling. More spice than fruit. I really like this. The musk is delightful too. It isn't a red musk, it's more golden
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