inurbanus

This one is hard for me to describe, as it manages to fall into several different scent categories -- it's floral, spicy, and foody. I like that it manages to stay focused, though. While it might have several disparate elements, they come together into something very unusual, but also cohesive and yummy. This smells a lot like apple pie to me, but not in a literal way. It brings to mind the image of the pie sitting on a table on a deck, with the breeze wafting the smell of flowers around it. It's a very light scent, but I agree that it's reminiscent of a sachet. I would love to put this in my oil burner -- it would make my bedroom smell fabulous. Queen Alice is very comforting, and while I don't think I need a bottle of it, my imp of this will definitely be used. 4/5

To put it simply, this is exquisite. I don't have a good track record with Ars Amatoria scents, but as soon as I put this on, I knew it was going to be amazing. I've begun to notice that I do better with scents that have fewer notes. In the case of Bathsheba, the power of the blend comes from the richness of the plum, the spice of the carnation, and the smokiness of the Arabian musk. While it might seem that any scent resulting from this combination would be flat or bland, the depth of Bathsheba is incredible. It's a truly decadent blend, and I haven't smelled anything this sensual in a long time. What I really like about this is that while it is sexy, it leaves a lot "unsaid." It's not over-the-top or in your face. It embodies the idea of leaving things to the imagination. I think I'm going to have to upgrade this to a bottle. I'm pretty picky about my General Catalogue bottles, so that's a big deal, at least for me. 4.5/5

I was expecting Cytherea to be dry, with the sandalwood, orris, and kush, but while I was right on that account, the blend was altogether different than I was expecting. For the first fifteen minutes, all I could smell was incense smoke. I think the patchouli was responsible for this, and I was surprised how non-threatening it was! Usually patchouli and I don't get along, but here it was beautiful. It was very hazy, but sophisticated too. The next stage was the dry one, and it was intense. The sandalwood became the star of the blend, but I could smell the orris and the kush as well. This is probably the driest BPAL scent I've ever smelled -- it was bone dry without any moisture. It was a little discomfiting. I have to say though, it really matched up with the picture -- very reminiscent of Cytherea's chiton -- because it had a really gauzy feeling. Cytherea's last stage was my favorite, because the amber and vanilla came out, and transformed this into a creamy blend. The mood of the scent shifted a bit -- it wasn't so forboding anymore, and became more playful. While I enjoyed this one, I feel like I've smelled a lot of blends similar to it before. 3.5/5

Inferno was one of the first BPAL scents that I tried, so I feel very nostalgic wearing this again. Cinnamon is definitely the star of this one. It's got a different feeling than the cinnamon in Eclipse -- Inferno's cinnamon smells like Red Hots, while Eclipse's is snicker doodle-y. I can smell a little bit of the bitter almond under the cinnamon; during the first fifteen minutes, it's a little fruity, and after that it goes soft, almost powdery. While this might be an intense scent straight out of the imp, it dries into something gentle and comforting. Great for a rainy day or when you're in need of a lift. 4/5

This is AMAZING. It's one of those blends that is so intricate and well-blended that I'm afraid to review it, because I don't think anything I say about it will do it justice. As strange as it sounds, the really appealing thing about The Black Swan is that it's pond wanter. Well, not really. It's a gorgeous interpretation of pond water. But it's deep and heady and you really get the sense that there are all kinds of things happening in the background of this. When I first smelled this in the bottle, I just went "Whoa!", because it's one of the most intense BPAL scents I've ever smelled. It's a very strong floral, with the marine and seaweed accords having disappeared after the first fifteen minutes. The flowers here are almost indescribable, but they're unlike any BPAL floral I've ever smelled. They're sinister, but in a beautiful, deeply seductive way. The eeriness of the painting really comes out, I think. I'm not well acquainted with the Salon scents, but if they all have this level of complexity, I definitely need to try some more! 5/5

Dionysia really threw me -- I might have to come back and edit after I try this again, because I'm not sure how I feel about it. Let me just say, I love plum and pomegranate. If a blend has either, I'm 99% sure I'll love it. But this blend seems to be in the 1% that isn't automatically awesome on me. As some of the previous reviews mentioned, this starts out very earthy, with no fruit. Patchouli is the most easily recognizable note, but I could smell the benzoin and mahogany too. Then the fruits slowly struggled to emerge. I say "struggled" because it really seemed like they were fighting the patchouli to take over the blend. They eventually won dominance, but the earth notes remained as a funny undercurrent that threw off what could have been a very enjoyable scent. For some reason, the first hour of this was very artificial smelling -- I thought I smelled a lot like potpourri, which is good to smell, but not something I really want to smell like. (I had that same problem with Perversion.) Then, the plum blossom slowly emerged, and as it did, I began to like this more. Either the earthy notes faded away or they blended way better with the plum blossom, because I didn't notice them anymore, and what remained was a sweet, flirty perfume that I would really enjoy wearing. Overall, my problems with this one are the same that I had with The Grindhouse -- lovely perfume, but it takes awhile to get to that stage. Part of it might be that my skin usually doesn't do well with patchouli, but I also think my expectations might have been off on this one. I was anticipating the fruit notes so much that I forgot about the other ones, and that could've definitely skewed my perception. 3/5, for now, but this could change. I'm still kind of scratching my head.

Do you have any blends where you can sense greatness in them, but for whatever reason they don't work out on you? The Grindhouse is totally one of those on me, and I'm really sad about it because out of all the new Carnaval Diaboliques, I was anticipating this one the most. And the thing is, it's not an offensive scent -- it's just so close to being awesome on me, but doesn't quite make it. My problem with The Grindhouse comes down to the red musk. It completely dominates everything, to such an extent that the first half hour I smelt like plastic. I was really worried then, because there are some things I can tolerate in a perfume, but plastic isn't one of them. I held on and waited some more, and luckily the red musk began to relax its hold. The vanilla and clove came out (strangely, I'm not getting a strong floral out of this, just a soft suggestion of flowers) and smoothed things over, and what remains is a very interesting scent, very different than what I'm used to wearing. It's sexy, but not in the same smoky, come-hither way as Smut. It's bawdier, more playful than smoldering, and so is more in keeping with the way I imagined the Madam would smell. The red marabou boa in the picture completely captures what this blend smells like to me. I like the dry-down very much, but my overall perception of this one is skewed by the first half hour. As for others considering this one, if you have skin chemistry that doesn't let red musk boss it around, definitely check The Grindhouse out. If not, this is a bit of a risk. I think it ultimately pays off, though. 3.5/5

I tend to get nervous when I try really popular blends, because they never seem to work out on me. Isn't skin chemistry awesome? Dorian, though, exceeded my expectations. While I don't think I need a bottle of this, it certainly is a nice scent, and I do like the smell of it. Dorian is warm tea with lemon and a little bit of vanilla. Each of these elements ebbs and flows on me -- sometimes I get lots of tea, then lemon, then vanilla. I can smell a little bit of musk, too. I think it has to be white musk; it has that same powdery background that Embalming Fluid has. Come to think of it, with the lemon, this reminds me a great deal of Embalming Fluid. I think this is a scent I would rather bathe with than wear as a perfume -- maybe I should check out the Dorian soap from the Trading Post. 3/5 ETA: I actually like this a lot more now than when I originally reviewed it. I'm not sure why -- maybe my decant aged significantly or my skin chemistry shifted. Anyway, this is great! Vanilla tea, with cloudy musk. I want to get a bottle as soon as possible. 4.5/5

Have you ever eaten one of those gummy candies that is coated in marshmallow? That's what Peacocks smells like in the bottle -- it's sweet, but not in a tooth-achingly way. It's soft and creamy, with a little bit of the crushed greenery. Straight out of the bottle, it reminds me of a more subdued Hungry Ghost Moon, but then morphs into something citrusy. I must admit, I'm not clear on what bamboo smells like, but the scent I was getting during the middle stage smelled a lot like lemon verbena, with a little bit of pear. It's almost luminescent. Now, the citrus scent has vanished, and the fruit I smelled at the beginning has come back, only this time it's softer and a bit more mellow. Overall, I'm very impressed with this one. It's an effortless scent -- lovely, but not "too much", if that makes any sense. I also have to say I'm glad that the jasmine in this behaved on me; I wouldn't have known it was in there if I hadn't read the notes. 4.5/5

Parsifal is absolutely gorgeous in the bottle -- the ozone is so thick and lush that I felt like I was standing outside, watching a thunderstorm approach. I've never smelled this type of ozone in a BPAL blend before. Usually, ozone smells fruity to me, but this is almost salty. It hangs in thick clouds over the rosemary, producing a wet garden effect that is very refreshing. I see that a lot of other reviewers commented on the floral component of this, which I can't smell well. The flowers hide in the background, giving off a little bit of sweetness that adds more depth to the blend. Parsifal is the second Salon I've tried, and I'm just amazed at how well the art is captured by the scent. I don't know if this scent is more masculine than what I usually go for, but it definitely is gender neutral. Even if you don't like clean scents, I think Parsifal is worth a try. It's just amazing, really. 4.5/5

I thought that Zephyr would be fresh and invigorating like Mag Mell, but looking over the notes again, I'm not sure where I got that impression. Instead, this is soft, sweet, and powdery. It's a dry scent -- the different musks form a cushion for the vanilla, but they kind of take over the blend. This seems to me what a porcelain doll would smell like. It's a little cloying and seems more geared towards someone younger than I. I think I had a perfume that smells like this when I was a little girl, so that might be where I'm getting that vibe from. I'm afraid I just don't like this one. Strangely, the scent itself is very unassuming, but its affect on my skin is overwhelming. There are a lot of scents similar to Zephyr in the BPAL general catalogue. Off the top of my head, I would recommend Endymion, Morocco, Black Opal, Alice, and Regan. 2/5

This is a pretty little scent, but unfortunately, it's very light on me, so my impressions of it aren't very well-defined. I did get complimented on this, which is rare at my house, so that must count for something. I really love how this smells right out of the imp -- sweet, nectarous peach. It reminds me a little bit of Lolita Lempicka. After that, a lot of the sweetness dissipates and the oakmoss comes out to play. It transforms the scent into something a little more sophisticated; the peach is still there, but it's grounded and a bit more down to earth. From time to time I get something sparkly, which I'm guessing is the heliotrope. Overall, this is a lovely scent. It's not quite me, but I wouldn't mind wearing it every once and a while. Peach is one of those notes that I forget I like, so it's nice to be reminded of how good it can smell. 3.5/5

On a whim, I decided to go through my imp bag and find something that I hadn't reviewed yet. I'm actually not sure if I've ever worn La Belle Dame Sans Merci before, since I did a Great Imp Purge earlier this year, which this managed to survive. If I have worn it before, I must have blocked it out. I really wish I knew what is in this, so I can explain better why it doesn't work on me. I've looked at some of the previous reviews of this, and I have to say, I'm jealous. I don't get anything floral from La Belle Dame -- this is a very strange powder-herb hybrid on me. I don't think that's what was intended when this was created. It smells like baby wipes, as some of the more herbal Rappaccini's Garden scents do, on me. I could burn this in my oil burner, just to see what it's supposed to smell like, but I don't know if it's really worth the effort. Hmm... 2/5

... Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea. I usually go into testing and reviewing with a pre-conceived notion of whatever I'm trying will smell like. Strangely enough, I did not do this with Aizen-Myoo, so I was able to test it with an open mind. Straight out of the imp, this is bitter, tart fruit with something musky lurking in the background. I thought it smelled like BO, and with the fruit on top of it, it reminded me of someone dousing them self with body spray after going to the gym -- something was off. I stopped paying attention for a while, and when I smelled myself again, I was shocked by how good this smelled. It's kind of hard to describe, but it was an amazing fresh scent, candy-sweet and lush. Definitely citrus, but in a weird way it kind of reminded me of Bath and Body Works' White Cherry Blossom scent. If BPAL was to to ever come out with a line of shower gels and lotions, this would be a perfect addition to the collection -- it just seems like it would be perfect for the bath. 4/5

Oh wow. I really was not expecting this level of awesome from The Apothecary. For some reason, I thought I was going to get something deep, herbal, and heavy, but this is light and almost sparkling. The note I recognized instantly was the tea leaf, and while I'm not really a tea expert, it seems like green tea to me. It's soapy, but in a way I can only describe as playful. Combined with the grass and the ginger, it reminds me a lot of blowing soap bubbles outside when I was younger, with the sun warming the grass and the bubbles popping and getting soap on everything. I can smell something smooth in the background that's binding the scent together -- could this be the fig? Overall, I get a very laid-back laid-back impression from this one -- it seems to me to be something to wear while bumming around the house. I was immediately struck by how similar this is to Mag Mell, so if you love that one like I do, you must check The Apothecary out. Also, Embalming Fluid has the same "vibe" as this, and I think the two would layer really well together. 4.5/5

This is pretty overwhelming at first, but after a couple hours it mellows out into a beautiful and sophisticated scent. I was expecting this one to be dirtier, because of the grave loam, but this is actually wonderfully spicy. It's got an old-school feeling that I really like -- this smells like it came straight out of the '20's or '30's. I adore the concept and execution; it reminds me why I love BPAL. 3.5/5

This is so odd. My mind understands that Alice smells good, but something about it creeps me out. It's soft and snuggly -- like a well-worn sweater, but it's almost too sweet, too comfortable. I have no idea why I'm so weirded out by this, and deep down, I know it's a nice scent, but it's just not working out. Hunh. I don't even know how to rate this one. I guess a 3/5, with misgivings. ETA: In the search for work appropriate scents, I tried this one again and liked it a lot better. This time, the carnation and rose came out and they really made a difference - this is very comforting now. I'll bump it up to 4/5.

No. 93 Engine actually smells like a church to me. I know that there are plenty of blends out there that are based around the concept, and since I really like resin-y scents, I've tried and enjoyed a lot of them. However, most of them are based solely on resins, while No. 93 Engine incorporates the whole "church" package: I can smell soft incense smoke, beeswax candles, even a little bit of stone. It's very atmospheric, and I don't know how often I can actually wear this one, but I really love the smell -- I know it'll make an excellent room scent, that's for sure. If you like resins, you should really try this one. It's different, but that's part of its appeal. 4.5/5

I ordered Tiki Queen on an impulse, and I could not be more pleased with it. Sometimes I have a hard time finding florals that are substantial enough to be smelled, but not too overpowering. Tiki Queen is heady and lush, but without being garish. The "SweeTart effect" is there in the beginning, but quickly disappears as the scent develops on me. Out of the flowers in this, I can smell the tuberose the best, followed by hibiscus. Tiki Queen is definitely one of the best BPAL scents I've gotten to try this year -- it's not to be missed. 4.5/5

I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a dissenter -- Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener smells like shaving cream to me. In the bottle, I can smell a little bit of the sassafras; it doesn't smell quite like root beer, but it's close enough that I can tell it's there. This is mostly an herbal blend, and while there's some sweetness that I'm guessing comes from the vanilla, it's actually quite dark and murky. I was expecting this one to really "lift" on my skin, but that isn't the case. I'm going to chalk it up to wonky skin chemistry. 2.5/5

I've discovered that my skin amps red musk, so Hollywood Babylon, which smells deliciously fruity in the imp turns into the red musk show on my skin. In this case, it's slightly cherry scented. Since I love all the notes in this, I was hoping for something more complex, but I really do like this. I think it would benefit from a scent locket, just so I could get something more than just red musk & cherry. This has a very old-school Hollywood vibe to it, and I definitely think it's more of a nighttime oil. It's kind of like Monsterbait: Bloody Mary, all grown up. 4/5

Black Opal is soft, powdery vanilla. It reminds me a little bit of Morocco, but Black Opal is a lot lighter. There's something harsh at the beginning that soon mellows, but I kind of like the early stage -- at least it's interesting. This one falls into the "pleasant but unremarkable" category. 2/5

Mmm...this is tea doused with honey, with a clean green edge. White Rabbit immediately springs to mind, but I think that Nostrum Remedium is a little bit more intense -- the tea is stronger, there is more honey, and the wasabi really adds an interesting twist. White Rabbit is what I would wear in the daytime, while I would be more inclined to wear Nostrum Remedium at night, if that makes any sense. I really like this one, and I think I'm going to spring for a bottle of it, but it fades very quickly on me, which is a problem. Still, it's a fabulous scent. 4/5

Velvet smells like...velvet. But it's a dusty, musty velvet at the beginning. There's a muskiness that thankfully goes away after a while (I think that's the chocolate). After that, smooth sandalwood and myrrh stick around. I wasn't really expecting the chocolate to work on me, so I'm not disappointed by its disappearance. The remaining sandalwood scent is nice, but not me. 2.5/5

This is very deep and woody. I'm not getting any "golden notes", but I'm okay with that. Greed reminds me a great deal of Dance of Death, except lighter. While I like this scent, it's not very dynamic, and I don't think I would wear it very often on my person. However, I think it would make an awesome room scent, so I'm going to experiment with it. 3/5