lizabelle

Dark soil upturned by raking claws, a shiver of pine needles, glints of white frankincense, and a gleaming black rustle of lavender, cade, and opoponax. This is a blend of things I never would have thought to put together, and it really, really works. The pine and lavender are not a combination I would have guessed I wanted, but it's beautiful! The pine is strong at first, but the the lavender amps to balance it perfectly. Anyone who likes the lavender in Mari Lwyd, The Air and the Ether, Hidden Purpose, etc. will like this. It's not too herbal or too floral. The frankincense and opoponax are soft and stick to the background, but they warm up the scent and keep it from feeling too icy, which is a problem I sometimes have with pine. This is truly a standout from the Yules I've tried, and I'll probably end up getting backups.

But on what could an impression be left? An impression of such a nature becomes a material thing and implies a material nexus, however subtle. So far as we know there are only two things there, the air and the ether. The air is a mobile thing and could not carry a permanent impression. But is the ether a mobile thing? It is pictured as a most delicate medium with vibrating currents flowing in it, but it seems to me that a most tenuous jelly with quivers and thrills would be a closer analogy. We could conceive the whole material universe embedded in and interpenetrated by this subtle material, which would not necessarily change its position since it is too fine for wind or any coarser material to influence it. I feel that I am rushing in where even Lodges fear to tread, but if it should prove to be as I suggest then we should have that permanent screen on which shadows are thrown. The block of ether upon the stairs is the same that it always was, and so conveys the impression from the past. the Edge of the Unknown, Arthur Conan Doyle Gentle, almost imperceptible, permeating all things: pale amber vibrating with ambergris and a thread of lavender. This is one of the purest, most beautiful lavenders I've ever smelled. It's up there with Hidden Purpose bath oil! It's the perfect balance between floral and herbal lavender, with just a hint of salty, spicy ambergris enhancing it. The ambergris gets more prominent as it dries down, with more of a 50/50 balance between that soft ocean scent and the lavender. It's amazingly, and yes, a little ethereal. I'm probably going to need more bottles.

Soft grey amber, white patchouli, and roasted nuts. Spritzed on my hand for review purposes, as it's too subtle on my short hair to smell from a distance. I had hoped this would be a soft, warm, slightly salty scent. And it is! The grey amber/ambergris is the star here, although it's not as strong as in Hag Grey, for example. It blends almost equally with the patchouli, which is a soft version that doesn't overpower. It's slightly dusty/woody and is set off interestingly by the ambergris. The nuts actually stick to the background in this, and form one of the most interesting bases I've ever smelled. It's rich and fresh, and if I had to guess at a specific type I think I'd go with walnuts. There's also a soft, nutty sweetness throughout. I'm glad I took a chance on this! It's so unique.

A rustle of black wings: sweet black patchouli and clove with black amber, agarwood, and gilded lilac. Put this on my hand to sniff and review, as it's subtle enough on my short hair that I can't smell it. Not sure if that influences the scent at all, but I thought I should note it! In short, I love this. The amber/agarwood base is smooth and sweet, and the spice notes are subtle. Patch doesn't take this one over in the least, which happens a lot with patch scents on me. I find it to be mostly agarwood. The lilac is more perfumey than floral, and blends nicely with the agarwood. It has a dark quality to it but also smells clean (i.e. this isn't a sexy kind of scent for me, even with the patch/amber/agarwood combo that would usually signal such a thing). It reminds me of a calm, late autumn night or a walk through the woods as the leaves are starting to fall. I find it surprisingly unisex, given the notes.

Confession: I've never actually smelled Mme. Moriarty before. I haven't felt like blind-bottling and it's not one I often see up for swap. Now that I have this on my hair, I can see why! The patch is surprisingly subtle, with the fruit blending in perfectly and forming a warm, sweet base. The vanilla (and possibly the musk?) are creating this incredible cotton candy overtone that ends up as the most prominent part. I love the lab's pure-sugar notes, so this is a huge plus for me. Throw is decent but not huge on this, and I can think of lots of things in my collection this will go with perfectly. Very glad I took a chance on it, and eventually I'll have to get the perfume version too.

I've been all over this ever since I got a bottle, both because it's such a clean smell and because it goes with everything. This is one of the purest tea scents I've ever smelled, and it's also strong and lasting, which rarely happens with tea notes. The sage is earthy and a little sharp, keeping it from being too clean and soft, but it's also subtle and doesn't take over. I've reached for this so many times in the last few weeks that I've lost count, and I'm really happy I got it.

I love this one! The pomegranate and rose geranium blend together to be almost one note--floral, fruity, and a bit perfumey. The pumpkin rind is sharp and spicy and sets off the geranium well. It's a heavier blend than I expected, but also very wearable. It's a beautiful harvest-y scent, but I can also see wearing this in spring. It should be noted that this is a very strong scent, and the first time I wore it I could still smell it more than three full days later. I tend to use less of it than my other HGs for this reason, because it gets overwhelming in large quantities.

Here's where I mark myself as uncool: I have no idea what cannabis smells like. So, obviously, I can't comment on its presence or absence in this scent. That said, I am loving this. The patchouli is intense, but not overpowering. It's a woody, almost fruity red patch that I love in so many other scents; it's very similar to the one in Anne Bonny, although a bit sweeter. That may be the vanilla's influence. It gets much more prominent over time, and while it's never quite a vanilla-centric scent, it is a very vanillic woody one. Cozy and very wearable.

At my old house, we had a honeysuckle bush that got so big it all but took over one corner of our yard. This smells almost exactly like it! Absolutely beautiful. It has great throw and seems like it would be wearable in just about any season--it has a quality like several of the lab's "cool" florals, but there's an almost citrusy quality that seems great for hot weather. Overall quite versatile and more nuanced than I expected for a single note.

As with several of the other Yules I picked up this year, this is not what I expected. That's not necessarily bad, but it was definitely a surprise! I find that most rose blends are very rose-dominant, but that actually isn't the case here. This is much more of a fresh/green scent than a rosey one, and I find it to be surprisingly unisex. The bergamot is front and center in this, much greener and less orangey than I'm used to but still lovely. Bergamot is a favorite of mine in any form. The cognac is more perfumey than boozy and gives the bergamot some depth and spice. As the citrus fades the rose comes in and is shockingly true to life for being "rosewater." If anything it smells like a rose that's been recently dried; there's a papery quality to it. Overall this is a really interesting and elegant scent.

This is very heavy on the leaf notes, so much so that I almost don't smell anything else. A bit of fig does come through as it settles, but it mixes with the dirt and ends up as more of an earthy undertone. It's definitely more of a perfumey fig than a fruity or sweet one. I get no honey and no cypress, which is really disappointing. I thought this was a no-brainer from the notes, but it's much darker and heavier than I expected. I may let it age a bit before I swap it, to see if the fig or honey come out more with time.

Something about this reminds me of...cola? The resins are recognizable, and I can sort of pick out the juniper as a gin-like note. I was expecting more of a woodsy juniper-resin combo, but on my skin this turns into something light and bubbly. I don't hate it, but it's nothing like I expected! I may let it age before swapping it away, though--it seems like the type to age very well.

2017 version: This is an incredibly beautiful scent. I wasn't sure what to expect out of "olive oil," but it reminds me of a softer, less-sweet osmanthus note. The beeswax blends with it to make a very smooth, comforting whole. Just smelling it makes me feel relaxed. The smoke is subtle, threading through just enough to be reminiscent of candles burning (which is perfect, given the inspiration). There really is a gravitas to this, and I completely believe it as a spiritual/religious scent--in fact if someone covered the label and asked me to guess, I might have pegged it as a TAL. I've barely managed to talk myself out of more bottles, as it will eventually come around again, but this is a masterpiece and has rocketed to the top of my favorites list.

Huh! I picked this up because of my love of Devil's Night, which to me is cotton candy and woodsmoke. I figured this would be similar, but it's only barely in the same family. There's definitely something boozy about it, and I almost smell rose? Not BPAL's normal rose but an electric pink, candied, mainstream-perfume rose. It's like boozy rose bubblegum, with an undercurrent of smoke. It's definitely perfumey, and I find this quite wearable. I think I'll be surprising myself with how much I wear it.

A new years blessing! Peony, Chinas national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, orange for happiness, lychee for household peace, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat for prosperity, King mandarin for good fortune, cypress for longevity, sticky rice cakes for abundance and hopes for a rich, sweet life, and a splash of blazing red of dragons blood to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. Oh no, am I first? I'll try to do it justice. I had to get this one because I'm a rooster. It starts out with a very loud peony, and I think it's blending in with all the fruit because it's almost sour. I don't get actual orange (for whatever reason, BPAL's oranges just disappear on me) but I could see the lychee and especially the kumquat (and maybe even the dragon's blood?) amplifying the sharp fruitiness of a fresh, or even slightly past its prime, flower. During this phase there's also a sticky rice/rice milk note far in the background, and I wish it was more prominent for balance's sake and because it's really nice and true-to-life. After about an hour it tones down into the soft, sweet peony note I love so much from The Dormouse, with a woody variation of cypress underneath. There's still a touch of rice in this phase, too, but it's sweeter and drier. The drydown is powdery and a bit soapy, but not offensively so in either case. While I do like it, I think I'll give it some time to age before I really start wearing it and see if that mellows out some of the starting sharpness. I'll update this review once I do!

I wanted so much to love this! It sounded more floral/incensey than aquatic, so I tracked down a decant. The osmanthus/honey/labdanum combo is rich, sweet, and gorgeous for approximately two minutes before the aquatic notes take over and turn it to soap on my skin. I thought for sure they wouldn't, but this is making me think I amp those notes in addition to turning them bad. I get no salt or florals in the drydown, either. What a shame.

This is way more unisex than I was expecting from "aftershave and brimstone." This is a soft, fuzzy kind of scent, with the aftershave and candy dominating. There's a hint of smoke curling throughout, and a warm musk that I guess must be the cat. I get nothing close to "litterbox" out of this, and the whole thing is refreshing and slightly sweet. This also seems like it would layer or pair well with Liz, which is fitting!

This is the first oil I've tried that's been this separated--several large globs of what I expect is cacao sank to the bottom, and while I mixed it back up as best I can, I'm not sure it worked completely. I definitely smell the apple, which is light and crisp in contrast to the bite of vetiver. BPAL vetiver often goes to burned wood on me, but here it's sharply green and herbal. There's a little bit of very dark, thick cacao at the base, but it only comes through at the end of the sniff. It accents the other notes well, and none of them overwhelm or unbalance the mix. This is different from any of the other apple scents I've tried, and I like it a lot; I'll keep the imp.

Oh, man. I get no tea at all from this. Earl Grey is my favorite, so I'm doubly sad about it. There are many, many butter cookies here, though, with some honey and a weird plasticky note. Maybe that's the tea after all, but something's off about it and it makes me wrinkle my nose. I'll pass this on to someone who will like it more.

This is a fascinating, dark scent that still manages to feel light and maybe even a little magical. It reminds me of nighttime at the very end of summer, when it's dark outside but still way too hot. It's mostly tart, rich fruit on me, with a delightful zing of mugwort. The incense is soft, but it adds a mysterious quality to the whole thing and gets stronger as the scent settles. I'm a Cancer with Scorpio as my rising and moon signs, so I felt I had to at least try this; it far exceeded my expectations. I'll keep the decant.

Hm. I love fig scents but this one is a bit odd. There's something kind of soapy in here, which leads me to believe there's some kind of aquatic note clouding things. There is a dark, borderline-chocolatey rootiness that I also smelled in Deadly Nightshade Honey and Oleander Honey. I wouldn't quite call it earthy, but it adds a lot of depth. Overall much sweeter and softer than I expected.

On me this is quite similar to Anne Bonny: it has the same wood and salt notes, plus some soft leather in the base, minus the red musk. I don't get a lot of bay rum out of this. It's mostly salty wood and well-worn leather. Definitely a unisex scent, and softer than the description sounds. If I had to choose between the two I slightly prefer Anne Bonny, but this one is great too.

Glancing at the other reviews, I think I agree with the magnolia comments. It's a note that's extremely finnicky on me, and usually smells like rotting fruit, but somehow here it doesn't. There is a definite fruity quality to it, and something almost candylike. The musk makes it slightly powdery and softens it all up. I don't hate it, but I'm also not a huge fan.

How odd. I smelled the cinnamon for about a minute before something dark and earthy took over and masked it completely. There's also something reminiscent of cream here, and maybe lily? I don't find it particularly sexy, more like intriguing in a way that might make someone want to get closer. I find it similar to O, so maybe whatever made that one go weird on me (compared to other reviews, at least) is in this, too. Oddly, I still smell the cinnamon from a distance, but it's disappeared up close.

When I read that this is meant to alleviate stress, I wasn't really expecting bubblegum out of it. In its defense, it is a true bubblegum and not the "lotus-gone-wrong" version that always makes me slightly ill. It also has a powdery quality that reminds me a bit of conversation hearts. This is a playful, happy scent, but I don't know that I would reach for it much.