inurbanus

On a map showing the similarities between BPAL scents, I think Miss Lupescu would be close to Snake Oil. It has that same blast of smoky resin that I get when I open my bottle of SO, and the overall vibe of Miss Lupescu has the same dark sensuality I get with scents in the Snake Oil family. However, Miss Lupescu is definitely lighter. There's a delicate quality in Miss Lupescu that's very interesting - I think it must be a combination of spice and almond that makes this almost foody. I would love to know how this is going to age, but until I can get my mitts on a big bottle, I'll be content with my decant. 3.5/5

This is wet, slushy snow. I've finally figured out that BPAL's snow note doesn't do that much for me, but I'm sure that anyone who does appreciate it will like this. Unfortunately, all I smell is a thick blanket of slush, kind of like Cloister Graveyard in the Snow without the soil note. I don't get anything floral out of The Macabray, just snow and a little hint of mint hiding in the background. Nice, but not for me. 2.5/5

Ooh! I had some doubts about The Lady on the Grey when I put it on -- something wasn't meshing and this started out smelling a little chemically, but now this is very pretty! It's one of those scents that clings quietly to your skin, so I don't know if anyone is going to smell Lady on me, but I like knowing she's there. As others have said, Lady is ghostly, with a soft, slightly melancholic air. She seems to me to be the shy cousin of The Torture Queen. I don't know when I'll be able to own a bottle of Lady, but I certainly want to. 4/5

The first few minutes of Kindly Moon are rough - there's something acrid lurking in the background that makes me think of hairspray, but luckily it goes away and Kindly Moon blossoms. From the notes, I was expecting something a little more substantial in terms of throw, but KM is very delicate, like a thin golden chain. It's a very ethereal scent, along the lines of Fairy Market. I would say that the peach blossom is the most prominent note, as KM is very fruity, but every now and then I get whiffs of gardenia. Overall, I like this. I wish it was stronger, but that might ruin the whole "mood" of the scent, so I guess I'll just deal. Try this if you like gentle florals or fruity scents. 4/5

E Pluribus Unum proves that you should never judge a BPAL scent by how it smells in the bottle. I was worried when I sniffed for the first time because this was a lot more herbal than I was expecting, but I dabbed some on and am very happy I did so. This is really nice. It reminds me a little bit of my Sea of Tranquility, which has lost a lot of its sweetness as it's aged. This is a like a rougher, more homespun version of that. Unum isn't in-your-face at all; it's quite mellow and laid back, making it perfect for those who aren't big floral fans. As far as blended florals go, this isn't my favorite, but I think a lot of people will enjoy it. I can tell this is going to age really well. 3.5/5

Venice was one of the first BPAL scents I tried, so in a fit of nostalgia, I decided to try it again. It's not quite as heavy as I remembered it and the lemon has become more pronounced, I think, but overall it's still quite nice. It's a thick, sensuous floral with a strong aquatic undertone. Very "red", very "Renaissance" smelling. This isn't something I could wear everyday, but if you want something really opulent, this would be a good pick. 4/5

I'm wearing Fearful Pleasure today. I'm having a hard time deciding what I want to wear with my Nurse Joker costume - either Samhain or Graveyard Dirt.

Unfortunately, Mourning Moon was so faint on me that I couldn't get a strong impression of it. The most dominant notes were the orange and the grapefruit, with some of the flowers poking through. From what I could smell, this reminds me of Vampire Tears, which I'm not a very big fan of. I'm hoping aging will strengthen this.

Given the fact that Hungry Ghost Moon is my favorite Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scent, it feels odd to have not reviewed it before. Well, I guess there's no time like the present. Hungry Ghost Moon is a bit of an enigma. It's sweet and fruity, and at times I can catch a little bit of floral hidden in it as well. But I don't think those descriptors really describe why I love it so much. It's a shimmering scent, utterly ethereal, and without compare. The grapefruit in this is sugary and joyful - this is something I wear when I want to celebrate. I can't smell the ginger in this, or the woods, just a sugary sweet blanket of scent. The closest thing I've been able to find that is similar to this is Arcana's Haint, but Hungry Ghost Moon has so much more depth. I don't know if HGM is for everyone, but if you like sweet scents, you must try this. It's incredible. 5/5

Tamamo-no-Mae is a tranquil, dreamy blend. It seems very "peachy" to me, not just because of its fruity sweetness, but also I feel very comfortable and relaxed when I wear it. I would say that it belongs in the same scent grouping as Haloes and L'Estate, which both have a warm, ethereal vibe. It also a great example of BPAL's Asian-themed blends. It's one of those blends that has to be experienced - no review of mine could do justice to it. On that note, I would recommend tracking down a decant of it if you're new to BPAL, since it's just so lovely. 4.5/5

So I admit, I was skeptical about Snake Oil. I haven't had the greatest experiences with red musk scents, and it would be just my luck that something that works on practically everyone wouldn't work on me. I was wrong, though. As soon as I opened my bottle, I took a deep whiff of it, and was instantly won over. Snake Oil is a lot more resiny than I was expecting; it reminds me a lot of Schwarzer Mond. However, this has a lot more depth than most resin scents. It's deep and dark, smoky and seductive. Every time I open my bottle (which is admittedly only a few months old), it gets better. I actually have to stop myself from wearing it too often, in order to let it age better. It's hard, but I can tell it's going to be worth it. 4.5/5

It doesn't seem like Thunder Moon gets a lot of love on this board, which is shame, because it's quite nice. Granted, the ozone is a little too cologne-y for my taste, but it doesn't last long, and when it wears off, a beautiful, lush amber blossoms on me. It's gorgeous, and unfortunately I haven't smelled anything similar to it in other BPAL scents. It's sweet, but it has a musky quality that must be the scorched wood. The closest comparison I can make is between this and Mag Mell, but this doesn't smell as green as Mag Mell does to me -- it's more golden. This is a great scent to wear during warm weather. It's cold now, but when I wear this, I can pretend that it's July. At least for a little while. 4/5

So, I'm not usually into really musky scents, but I figured that the illustrious Mme. Moriarty deserved a chance. Wet, this is really heavy musk and patchouli. I thought I was doomed, since it was very overwhelming and medicinal smelling, like others have pointed out. Luckily, the musk calmed down a little, and the whole scent transformed into a sultry, dark fruit scent. Very sexy, and still very strong. I don't know if I'm bold enough to wear M.M. in public a lot, since it is such an attention-getting scent, but it smells wonderful and I'm glad I have a bottle of it. 4/5

In the bottle this smells like chocolate frosting. On me, there are about two seconds of chocolate, then I get the melting plastic smell. Once that's over, there's a soft creamy dry down that I really like. Someone mentioned that it's similar to Snow White, and I would agree with that. Anyway, it's really pretty. Chocolate usually doesn't do so well on me, so I'm not really surprised that this turned out the way it did. Maybe aging will improve... 2.5/5

Haloes is...hard to describe. It's definitely a glowing scent, along the lines of L'Estate and La Primavera. Peach-colored, with little flashes of gold. The most prominent component is the vanilla, but the apricot and ginger are also there, supporting it. It took me a while to figure out if I liked Haloes or not, but I've decided I really do. It's a scent that's strange, yet familiar. I've been racking my brain since the first time I smelled this, trying to figure out what Haloes reminds me of. I still haven't figured it out. My only problem with Haloes is that it doesn't have a lot of throw. I guess I'll be the only one here who gets to enjoy it, then. 4.5/5

Man, I love the Lab's sweet pea note. It's sweet, delicate, and very pink. I think that Mouse is *the* best Lab scent that features sweet pea (although Titania comes in a close second). The vanilla, amber, and sandalwood blend perfectly with it, supporting the sugary sweetness of the sweet pea without overwhelming it. This is a very clean blend to me -- I could easily see a little girl wearing this, as her very first perfume. I think it fits in well with the other classic "creamy" BPAL GC scents: Dorian, Antique Lace, and Dana O'Shee. Anyway, anyone who likes sweet or floral blends needs to try this at some point. 4.5/5

This is a buttery, distinctly foodie smell on me. It reminds me a great deal of Cockaigne without the latter's sweet syrup note. Every now and then I get whiffs of plastic, which worries me a little. Overall, I think foodie lovers will appreciate this. I know I'll be reaching for it when I'm hungry. I just wish there was a little more of the berry syrup. However, this is still nummy. 3.5/5 ETA: Okay, roommate just came in and said our room smells like pancakes. Let's bump this puppy up to a 4/5!

Pretty! In a nutshell, this is flowery orange tea. I can smell a little bit of vanilla and musk, too, but the focus is on the tea. The one disappointing thing about this is how light it is -- I was expecting a big WHOOSH! of scent from the notes, but this is a dainty scent. This definitely has the same vibe as the other salon scents I've tried -- it's got that high-end department store fragrance feel, which I like. I feel kind of guilty wearing this while I'm in jeans -- I feel like this demands a sun dress and open-toed shoes, for some reason. Anyway, if you like floral scents, tea blends, or other scents in The Salon, I think you would like this.

In the bottle, this smelled very fruity to me, which boded well, since I was afraid of the baby powder note. Well, The Gladdener is powdery, but in a wearable, fuzzy kind of way like Alice and Inez. It's creamy, and at the beginning, herbal, but I can still smell a little bit of it (after putting it on at 10:00 this morning) and it's dried down to soft, honeyed powder. The carnation and the rose otto were also dominant in the beginning, which I think contributed to the fruity smell. I honestly don't know how often I would wear this or Lilith Victoria in public, but I'm betting that they'll be marvelous sleep blends.

This one moves in stages on me - first I get strong lavender, then Dorian, then Snake Oil. I'm not acquainted enough with Snake Oil to determine the "extra" notes, but there is a really strong herbal smell at the base of this, which I'm thinking is the fennel. Overall, this is pretty deep and dark. I guess I was hoping that it would come out more as Dorian on me than Snake Oil, but I'm sure that this is going to age spectacularly, so I'm going to keep it and see what happens.

Okay, this is spooky -- definitely dirt, with an undertone of sandalwood. It's a bit lighter than I was expecting, but very true to life. I don't know how often I'll wear this, but it's realism intrigues me. I wonder if this would be a good room scent... 3.5/5

I really wanted to like this. For the most part, it's cool and refreshing -- very evocative of a lake. But there is something in here that is just too bitter (it almost smells like BO), which makes the first half hour of this not very pleasant. I like mossy, pond-y things, so this was a disappointment. I'm that the bitter note will leave with some aging. 3/5

Wow, this is a very autumnal scent -- if I didn't know when this was released or its name, I think I would still be able to tell that it's a Halloweenie. Anyway, this is mainly apples with some fresh greenery and a little nutmeat. I just went apple-picking yesterday, and To Autumn really embodies that experience. I don't know how often I'll wear this one, but it's nice. I'm curious to see how aging will affect it. 3.5/5

Not surprisingly, this is emerald green grass, topped with crunchy dried leaves. This is the closest BPAL scent I've found to Gap's Grass perfume ( ). Anyone who likes the more natural scents (dirt, grass, moss) should check this out, since it's so true to life. 4/5

MCLXIX I'm terrible at picking out notes in the bottle, but this smelled really creamy. On me, it's a pretty fruity-floral. It reminds me a lot of 51, but it's way more subdued. I can smell something sweet which I think is probably melon, veiled by some gentle flowers. Maybe there's some bamboo in here as well. Unfortunately this doesn't last long, but I like it. Perfect for the rest of the hot days, before it gets cool out. 3.5/5