renfair

Mod Note: This perfume was first available at the August 2017 LA Lunacy event, and a small release was also made available on the BPTP Etsy store. Dragon's blood lollipop with a touch of strawberry! Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow! This is my first "first" review! I'll try to do it justice, since this is such a special little scent First Sniff Impression: Not what I was expecting? Like a light lollipop smell with something floral like honeysuckle. Wet in Vial: It a light, fruity floral in the bottle. Almost like a nice shampoo or similar to Kamisuki. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down I'm wondering "Where's the dragon's blood?" or really "Do I even know what dragon's blood smells like?!" Cause it's like this nice lily of the valley meets honeysuckle floral with pink strawberry lollipop. So then I went and looked up Dragon's Blood and found out I don't think I've ever tried a BPAL Dragon's Blood before, except for Bloodlust, which to me was very overpowering with the red musk, patch, and vetiver. So this is an interesting experience! It's definitely not what I was expecting it to be looking at the notes after I went ahead and blind bought it on an impulse Dry on Skin: Dry this really reminds me a lot of Kamisuki Hair Gloss from this past year's Trading Post Lupers: a similar blend of floral plus fruity that can't be classified as only one or the other. The floral aspect is a little more "wildflower" than the Kamisuki Asian floral is to me, but the strawberry note is very similar. It has a "nice shampoo" type smell, very "commercial-friendly" if you needed a scent that doesn't scream PATCHOULI! or something for the workplace. I'm also pleasantly surprised because about 2/3 of the time with a floral scent I tend to amp those notes until I can't get anything else and it becomes sort of ruined old lady cologne on me. And I'm not getting that at all here. It's very balanced. Conclusion: I was very, very happy to get to try this. Knowing the story behind its creation was super cute, too! It's really a great one for people who want something pretty, fruity, and feminine. And it makes me really want to try other BPAL blends with Dragon's Blood in it! Brava, Lilith!

First Sniff Impression: Sweet, slightly candy-like floral Wet in Vial: The amber and bourbon vanilla mix really well to make a creamy sweetness, and the tea blossom adds fresh sweetness along with the lotus. Drying Down: Wet the tea blossom comes out most prominent. At the moment it's also pretty close to the skin and subtle. What must be the sweet oak or blue lotus starts to come out more strongly on skin than in the vial, though it's still all pretty well blended. It's really pretty. Dry: Dry it goes a touch powdery on me, which is a little disappointing but also not unexpected with the blue lotus because I think I've had that happen before with that note. The tea blossom note seems pretty much gone. The amber also isn't very strong compared to how much the amber came out on me with Ivory Vulva. Overall it's a slightly sweet, powdery floral on me. Conclusion: Kind of hoping this would stay the way it smelled on the bottle for me, but my experiences with the Vulva perfumes so far seem to be that they morph quite a bit with the least dominant note in the bottle coming out strongly on skin. It's pretty but I don't feel the need to have more of it at this point.

First Sniff Impression: Cologne-y floral with strawberry and maybe a hint of red musk? Wet in Vial: Ok I think the "red musk" I thought I might be getting was the wine mixed with frankincense. The strawberry is definitely not a strong one. But it all seems pretty balanced. Drying Down: Wet on skin nothing jumps out right away. It's definitely a different, "pink" strawberry than the note the Lab usually uses from my own experience. The gardenia and champaca are fortunately pretty far in the background with the frankincense since all of those are things that tend to amp on me with BPAL. Nothing is amping so far. It's surprisingly well blended. I thought one of these notes would shoot out and ruin it. Dry: Dry it's still very blended. It's kind of a fruity floral with an incense edge. It's actually really pretty but I'd have to be in the right mood for it. Kind of a warm fall version of Kamisuki or something (Kamisuki always being the fruity/floral I tend to compare things to). The frankincense stays nice and subtle. The strawberry and blackberry with the vanilla are perfectly balanced with the floral champaca and gardenia. The florals give it a slightly tropical/heavy edge which works nice for a Japanese-inspired scent. It brings to mind a woman's perfume in the air of a hot, heady Japanese summer. Conclusion: Not one that really stands out in general, but it's pretty enough that I wouldn't mind a very low partial bottle of it to put the decant I have into. Glad I tested it!

[No additional description provided.] I got a set of Dead Leaves gloss decants cause Dead Leaves is one of my favorite collections and I wanted to TRY THEM ALL before picking out a favorite or two to buy "big." This was the second one I tried: yay SUGAR!! First Sniff Impression: Very, very subtle. Hard to smell anything really. Wet in Vial: This pretty much smells just like dead leaves, but very subdued. The almost peanutty note I got in DL & Burnt Marshmallow is there, which makes me think it may be from the DL themselves or a base oil. It adds a bit of depth and warmness, and fades very quickly in case anyone is worried you end up smelling like peanut butter Drying Down: Drying down some of the sweetness starts to come out, so the leaves are sort of calm, warm, and subtle still. Like the scent coming off a leaf pile that's sitting in the sun. Dry: Dry this gets really pretty. It's like a sweet, floral dead leaves perfume, but somehow different from the Lab's actual dead leaves perfumes. It's really just like a delicate, sweetened leaves bouquet. SO PRETTY! Conclusion: I don't know if I'd need an entire bottle of this, but it's such a pretty one I'd want to have a bit of it around. It seems like a fresh, inoffensive way to wear a very nature-y scent without it screaming HEY I'VE BEEN ROLLING AROUND ON THE FOREST FLOOR! Not that there's anything wrong with that, especially if you have company, lol. I think this would be a wonderful introductory scent to someone who hasn't tried the Dead Leaves note yet and is nervous about it.

I got a set of Dead Leaves gloss decants cause Dead Leaves is one of my favorite collections and I wanted to TRY THEM ALL before picking out a favorite or two to buy "big." This was the third one I tried: not my usual go-to set of notes, but I'll try anything with Dead Leaves in it! First Sniff Impression: Very sharp and "yellow" Wet in Vial: Sharp, herbal, and yellow-green straight away. Drying Down: Drying down some notes are combining to make almost an orchid note to me. There's something incredibly familiar about the general scent, but I can't place it. The gloss is smelling amazingly "pretty" wafting from my hair, since the spray on my hands still is sharper and more like incense. I didn't get any of the honey specifically straight off, but I'm sure it's there warming up and sweetening the overall scent. Dry: Dry, this scent is well blended, but it's not my personal style. I'm not great at describing it since I don't usually wear these sort of notes often. I'd say it's pretty heavy on the saffron, from what I can tell. I don't get much outright patchouli at all, and I'm terrible at picking out oudh (I get more of a "feeling" from scents with oudh instead of an actual scent). The honey does seem to be giving everything a sweet, golden glow though I don't get a strong honey note like in Hair Loosened and Soiled gloss. And honestly I don't really get much dead leaves at all. I feel like the other notes are overpowering them, but it may be one of those instances if I smelled the same thing without the dead leaves then I'd notice and miss them. Conclusion: Glad to try it, because I love stepping out of my comfort zone to experience different things. But overall something about these notes together reminded me of my grandmother (and hey, that's not a bad thing. She was amazing and always smelled really nice. I just kind of don't want to smell like her, you know?) I think I'll be passing this decant on to someone who's appreciate it better.

I got a set of Dead Leaves gloss decants cause Dead Leaves is one of my favorite collections and I wanted to TRY THEM ALL before picking out a favorite or two to buy "big." And of course cause MARSHMALLOW this was the one I tested first. First Sniff Impression: The NICE Dead Leaves note I love, with some nommie sweetness. Wet in Vial: The Dead Leaves are thankfully the fresh, dry, crisp ones I like, not the cologne-variety that utterly hates me. The burnt marshmallow is interesting because it smells almost nutty like peanut butter. Drying Down: The peanut-type note is actually nice, because it seems like it's like the caramelization of the marshmallow when it starts to really toast, bubble, and burn. [ETA: I've since tried DL & Sugar Crystals too and got the same slightly peanut note. I think it's probably a from a base oil or the DL themselves. It's very subtle, though, and fades quickly. Adds a bit of warmth to the scent!] Dry: Dry it's such a surprisingly light, amazing blend. The burnt marshmallow seems like it could've gone sicky-sweet, but it's super fresh, sweet, and light almost like cotton candy. The leaves are a subtle, outdoorsy backdrop. Conclusion: I was hoping to love this one simply cause MARSHMALLOW but was reserving judgement since I've had marshmallow notes that haven't ended up working for me. This one was YUMMY! Perfect soft, light, fluffy, toasted sweetness with my favorite Dead Leaves gloss note. HEAVEN IN A BOTTLE!

I was very lucky to procure a bottle of F#&K from a kind fairy from the event! First Sniff Impression: A rich, full cherry. Not too much like cough syrup, with a baked crust behind it. Wet in Vial: I can definitely get the crust, though it feels more like a regular pie crust than a sugar crust. The cherry is pretty rich and warm, not too sicky sweet or medicinal. There is some kind of scent in the background that's making me think of like cherry cigarettes or something. Like a hint of tobacco. Or maybe someone I used to know who smoked and smelled like cherries and I barely remember it? Drying Down on Skin: Yeah, there's definitely some kind of smokiness to the cherries, at least to my nose. It's not bad, but it definitely makes it more seductive and less girlish like candy. Dry on Skin: After about an hour a lot of the POW CHERRY sexiness has mellowed out. It's a lot more subtle now, though still with pretty much the same fragrance. Being worn, however, I have to say I'm not really getting any of the crust smell. It's more just sweetening the cherry. Conclusion: This scent is fine, but not really anything I'm excited about mainly because I'm personally just not a huge cherry person. That said, if you like cherry you will probably LOVE this one! It had none of the medicinal or plasticy associations I usually get with cherry scents. It's definitely great for a hot date night!

First Sniff Impression: Mellow and fragrant. Reminds me of maybe tobacco or a very subtle suede. Wet in Vial: I feel like I can get most of the notes in this one, though no sandalwood, but that might amp and come out. Definitely the tonka and tobacco incense, the sweet mahogany and the booziness of the rum. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down it's immediately much sweeter. There's still the "mellowness" of the tobacco and the other notes combined are making this pretty masculine for now. As it continued to dry, some of the golden-ness of the oudh is there and it grows warmer from the vanilla mahogany. Dry on Skin: Dry it eventually had a sort of balance between the tobacco/rum and the golden notes. After a couple hours the sweet golden vanilla plus oudh came out even more strongly. Conclusion: I think I prefer this to Gluggagaegir, which it reminded me of, but I don't really know honestly when I'd put either of them on again to actually wear. They seem more for writing-scent-inspiration or something, or if I can ever get some BPAL on my husband

First Sniff Impression: Pretty, inoffensive. A nice, floral perfume. Reminds me of those "bath beads" that I used to have in the 90's. Wet in Vial: The rose is strongest for me, but fortunately there's enough else in it to cut the rose a bit Drying Down on Skin: Drying down the rose is still strongest, a very pink girly rose, though I feel there's another pink floral so probably the peony. No lavender or apricot yet. Dry on Skin: Fully dry the floral notes definitely seem more "sugared" than how fresh they were at first. It's awesome the sweetness is coming out more strongly and it's not amping rose on me, cause usually I just CAN'T wear rose as much as I want to love it. But I love this the way it is! Conclusion: I was so worried the rose would completely trample the other notes, even though it's pretty, but fortunately it remained pretty balanced. I don't think I need to have more than I already do, but it's a lovely scent! I think it would be even more amazing layered with a sweet vanilla like Antique Lace.

I got Zorya P as a half bottle from a decant circle. I was really looking forward to trying it because I've become a total sucker for vanilla. First Sniff Impression: More "perfumey" than I thought it would be, less heavy on the vanilla. More linen floral? Wet in Vial: All I can think of in the vial is that it's mainly a sort of fake "fresh linens" smell. Like it smells more like what I thought Antique Lace would be like before I tried that one and loved it. Drying Down on Skin: This seems fairly heavy on the floral part, probably the moon flower. There's definitely something there "softening" it, but I don't get any overt vanilla note. It's definitely an interesting scent where it feels old yet innocent at the same time. Dry on Skin: This is really just amped super sweet floral on me. In a much lighter dose it would be pretty, but it's giving me a headache the way it is. A review here said it was like "vanilla dryer sheet" which is pretty much what I'm getting. It kind of smells like a nicer version of the scent you get walking through the cleaning/air freshener aisle at the store. Conclusion: I really, really wanted to love this one since it seems like the run away favorite of the American Gods line, but it either doesn't like me or I have a personal preference for not really loving it. I'll probably let it sit for a few months and see if aging bring the vanilla more to the forefront. Honestly I want to just smell someone else's too because it SO heavy on the floral and so light on the vanilla I almost feel like I got a different scent than what everyone else here is describing (and I want THAT ONE!). I do have to say that the next day what was left was a gorgeous soft, floral vanilla. I wish I was like that straight off :/

I ordered a goblin of this from the Post because the notes sounded absolutely lovely. First Sniff Impression: Bright, light, fruity. Wet in Vial: I couldn't smell this one in the vial because of the spray nozzle. Wet on a blanket it's super light and bright. Effervescent. Drying Down on Blanket: Immediately this smelled very spritely and energetic, like grapefruit or a fruit spritzer or something like that (so maybe the bergamot and thimbleberry?). Drying down some of the pine and leaves are becoming more prominent, giving it more of a forest feel than a bright field or something. The scent is pretty strong. It must be concentrated to fill a whole room. A little goes a long way. Dry on Blanket: Fully dry it's a citrusy pine. I think next time I'd want to spray it way up in the air and let it diffuse. It was too strong sprayed all on one spot on a blanket. Conclusion: This is a really nice scent, but it seems best for a blanket or a room during the day. I don't think it would be good on a pillow for sleep. It's too energetic.

First Sniff Impression: Smells weird in the bottle, but it also smells like it has awesome promise. Wet in Vial: An almost sour chocolate. I'm pretty sure it's just the tea note giving it sourness. Drying Down on Skin: So far this stays really close to the skin. But the notes begin to separate almost immediately, with the dark chocolate and black tea, slightly sweetened by honey and all tied together with a thin thread of leather. It's a very dark scent. It makes me think of a late party at a shadowy inn during wintertime. After a couple minutes some of the chocolate starts to recede, which is ok because it was almost too bitter with the tea and leather. The tea becomes spicier, which is nice. Dry on Skin: Fully dry a lot of the bitterness and sourness is gone, leaving behind this very unique smell that's honestly hard to describe. I keep getting that image of a super dark inn. So maybe it's like resinous old, dark wood mixed with all the sweet cooking smells of holiday baking and the aroma of what I imagine pipe smoke in a fantasy novel would be like. Conclusion: I like this one, but I think it needs a dose of sweetness to make it fully wearable for me. I'm going to re-test it later with some French Vanilla added. I have to say, hours later it did have a wonderful, sweet, comforting bit of smell left.

Because this is one of those scents that everyone just gushes about, I had to give it a try myself when I was able to, somehow, find a decant of it. First Sniff Impression: Light sweetness with a touch of softness I know is wool from the notes. Wet in Vial: Subtle in the vial. Sweet, but not overly sweet. I wouldn't be able to tell there was wool if I didn't read the notes. Drying Down on Skin: It's immediately sweeter, more marshmallow, and woolly on application. It's VERY nice. Dry on Skin: It does stay close to the skin, however. I have to sniff almost touching my arm with my nose to get the full range of the scent. The wool is a lot softer and more subtle than the cashmere in Hoiru, which almost smelled damp. This is lighter and fluffier, like the marshmallow. But it doesn't have much staying power, at least the marshmallow part. Conclusion: I liked this one a lot, but not enough to fork over $50 a bottle or whatever it goes for. Really, in its fully dried state it smelled similar to some of the coffee or sweet Lilith blends once they start to fade. I'd rather have a scent that makes more of an impact. But hey, if someone threw a cheap bottle my way, I wouldn't say no!

I bought this at the actual Loved to Death store, while I was in San Francisco for a wedding. It was awesome to be able to sniff so many BPAL perfumes right there, though I decided in the end to just go with their signature fragrance. First Sniff Impression: Like Nasty Woman without the booze and fig. Incense. Wet in Vial: Some kind of incense (must be clove and cinnamon), a smear of honey and a dash of licorice. Drying Down on Skin: This has a really nice blend of incense in it. The honey (or beeswax, I guess) becomes stronger. It's obviously reminiscent of Nasty Woman to me because I hadn't tried many other scents yet, but it's somehow lighter and has less of a throw, maybe cause there's no actual patchouli in it. An excellent balance of sweet and spicy. Barest hint of a floral in there. Dry on Skin: This remained just so warm and sweet. It had a fairly long strength to it as well, and remained pleasant and balanced throughout. Conclusion: I'm definitely glad I picked up some Loved to Death at their store. It did end up being a super awesome scent, and being able to buy it in person and also sniff their other BPAL scents in stock was really cool!

Ok, have to preface this by saying The Phantom of the Opera is my absolute favorite book of all time, and I've been obsessed with it since second grade. So getting this perfume and Christine were kind of a huge deal to me. First Sniff Impression: Clean, cool, men's cologne. I love it! Wet in Vial: Cooler than I was expecting. More aquatic. I was expecting dusty and dry, and it's kind of the opposite, which I love. I can definitely get the wood, and there's almost a sweet decay to it, which is just perfect for the character. Drying Down on Skin: Oooh, I think I'm getting the leather now (heaven!!) It's almost floral in a way (someone in reviews said beeswax, so maybe that's it). But it's getting a little more bitter and dry, some of the aqua is going away. The resin-wood is coming out more strongly, and I think I can actually smell the kerosene note. It really is making me think of backstage an old theater, with all of the contruction going on, and the gas lamps. It's starting to feel like something older, that's been shut away for a long time. Dry on Skin: Dry, the oil and kerosene (and maybe leather/resin?) are really prominent and have the most throw. Honestly, it's now not a scent I would want to wear, but it's still excellent for the character, especially if you consider how Erik's sanity really deteriorated as the story went on. It's now gone from a sort of seductive men's cologne to straight up BURN DOWN THE MOTHER #$@&ING OPERA HOUSE! But now, about an hour after that, he's starting to sweeten up again ... LIKE IN THE BOOK. Conclusion: Erik had a very strong strength, which is fitting even though it changed a lot from wet to fully dry and fading hours later. Like Christine, I really felt like Erik told a story, and one that was very reminiscent of the character the perfume is named after. I wouldn't wear Erik again as a personal scent, but I'd still like to smell it once in a while. I'm going to try layering it with Christine and see how that goes.

Ok, have to preface this by saying The Phantom of the Opera is my absolute favorite book of all time, and I've been obsessed with it since second grade. So getting this perfume and Erik were kind of a huge deal to me. First Sniff Impression: Sweet floral. Wet in Vial: It's straight away a white floral, but there's a spice there (frankincense) that I think will help keep it grounded. Drying Down on Skin: A little old fashioned, but in a good way. More nostalgic and antique than old-fashioned. And girly at the same time. It makes me think of a younger woman putting on an expensive perfume to try and feel more "mature." It feels like a very fitting perfume for Christine, a young woman aged by tragic experiences to someone much older than her actual years. I think I'm getting the most of the orchid, though I can't be sure since I'm not familiar with the other flowers. Dry on Skin: A few hours after fully dry the orchid has pretty much vanished, to be replaced with one of the other florals. It definitely feels more mature now, with hardly any of the young girl sweetness. It's subtle, and you really have to stick your face in there to get it but it's there. Conclusion: Though Christine faded after a bit, a warm floral remained for a decently long time. This isn't one I'd wear by itself, since it's a bit too formal and straight-up floral for me, but I love it for the story it tells. I'm going to try layering it with Erik and see how that goes.

My cousin is obsessed with this scent, so I felt compelled to buy a decant when I was able to track one down without a ton of fuss. First Sniff Impression: Champagne like Bon Vivant, but less like ginger ale. And almost kind of smoky and musky. Wet in Vial: I obviously get the champagne, and other booze that must be the white cognac. For some reason I get a scent that's reminding me of my husband? Maybe cause of cocktails he likes to make for himself or something? And it's definitely slight musky and antique-smelling. Drying Down on Skin: The champagne in this isn't quite as fizzy as the Bon Vivant one was, but I also don't know the age of either of those. I'm not sure what exactly the "lace" is, so I'll have to compare with maybe the Black Lace I have. But it's a great partly sweet, partly smoky scent so far. Dry on Skin: The champagne note hangs around for a while, even though it goes "flat." The vanilla and smoke is also pretty consistent. It's a rather close-to-the-skin smoke and musk, and the vanilla is light and not too sweet. It gives it a very sophisticated, antique Victorian scent. Conclusion: This went back to more of a single champagne note at the end. It also had a decent lasting strength, at least in some form. I liked it a lot, but not enough to hunt down a super coveted, expensive bottle of it. I'll stick with a more readily available champagne scent if I'm craving that note.

I got this as a decant from a Luper circle. First Sniff Impression: Apple and juniper. Almost smells like a really nice, "organic" cleaning product? I'm getting Mrs. Meyers from this. Wet in Vial: Maybe because it's settled now, I don't get as much juniper as before. The apple is also less obvious. It's a sort of lightly fruit, herbal blend. Drying Down on Skin: I think I'm getting the juniper, though it's smelling less like actual juniper and more like that Bath and Body Works "Juniper Breeze" scent. I still think this smells somehow more like a nice cleaning product or detergent than perfume, at least on me. The apple is there, but it's very faint and green. Dry on Skin: Dry, I think this actually smells like a deodorant I used to have or something? There's something to it that's very familiar, but in a commercial, boring way. I feel like the white musk is coming out and sort of smothering all the other notes. I can't see myself ever actually wearing this. Conclusion: I feel like this scent would be good for someone who likes the commercially "musky" and "sexy" scents that Bath and Body Works or Victoria's Secret put out. For me it was interesting in the vial, but quickly turned into a heavy, almost powdery deodorant smell. It's not one I'm interested in trying again.

I got this as a decant from a Luper circle. First Sniff Impression: A somehow spiced, rich honey orange and apricot. Like a cordial or candy almost. Wet in Vial: In the vial it's heavily orange lollipop, like the cheap ones you'd get at the doctor's office. Drying Down on Skin: Applied the notes besides the fruits come out, balancing everything out so it's less candy-like. What I think is the dragon's blood gives is a rich spiciness for support. Dry on Skin: This has a nice spiciness to it that really helps to balance out what would probably be a heavy, syrupy orange without it. I don't get as much apricot as orange, but maybe that's what's adding to the heaviness of the fruit, along with the honey. But the oudh and dragon's blood are nice and subtle in the background. However, I feel like this would make a better candle scent than perfume for me. Conclusion: This oil wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't quite right for me. However, the balance of fruit to incense was really well done. If I was more into candied orange and muskier scents, I think I would have loved this.

I got this as a decant from a Luper circle, and then ended up tracking down a half bottle cause I really liked it. First Sniff Impression: Oh, really nice. Refreshing light honey pine and leaves. Wet in Vial: A sharp green, like when you take a stem of something in the woods, snap it in half, and smell the center of it. Drying Down on Skin: The honey helps this one out right away, otherwise the greenery would be too sharp and almost bitter. It smells like very fresh leaves, like the first shoots of them coming out in spring. It's a forest, slightly pine scent, but very different from some of the deeper pine oils. I'm not getting musk at all yet, though, which is ok with me. Dry on Skin: Ok, this does get muskier as it dries, but it's definitely a woodsy, almost sweet furry animal musk. It's not the heavy red musk that I can't stand in other scents. It simply adds to the honey to warm up the leaves, which are now much more subtle and blended with everything else. Conclusion: I actually liked this one better when I first put it on: fresh, sharp and green like a new forest. What it morphed into wasn't unpleasant at all, but I have less of an idea when I'd actually want to wear it now. I guess it's fitting for Lupercalia that it went from fresh, virgin woods to forest goat sex party, but yeah. I'll just have to revisit this later and see what I think then.

I got this as a decant from a Luper circle, and this ended up being I think the only decant I got from The Devil's Lovers that I ended up keeping. It's lovely! First Sniff Impression: Very light, pink rose. Delicate Victorian. Wet in Vial: Very light, "pink" rose with the sugar to sweeten it, though I don't get carnation or cognac yet. Drying Down on Skin: I think I can almost get the carnation drying down, because it's still rose and floral but not so absolutely rose now. The carnation makes it slightly "greener." Dry on Skin: Dry, this is a very pretty rose scent, more what I would be looking for in a rose than some of the other BPAL roses that are just RED ROSE IN YOUR FACE. It's very light and fresh. More like rosewater than actual roses. Conclusion: This scent is really pretty. I think I'll keep it for the mere fact that I do like rose and have yet to find a BPAL rose scent that doesn't amp up to unbearable on me. However, I feel like I should like it more than I do. Maybe it's because it's something I would've loved as a kid, and thought it was very "grown up" smelling. But for me now, it's a little too "pretty" and almost simple. But it's still very nice!

I got this as a decant from a Luper circle, and I'm going to have to defend my negative review by saying I must have either thought I was ordering a different scent (Humanite, maybe?) or because I hadn't done a lot of BPAL testing yet and literally had zero idea what these notes meant. Knowing what I know now, I would've left this one for the vetiver lovers and stayed far away from it. First Sniff Impression: Really dark, musky patchouli Wet in Vial: This is a very dark, heavy, musk. I'm actually not sure why I bought it, looking at the notes now. It might've just been ignorance at the time. Drying Down on Skin: This is very strong when applied. I think it's the vetiver, patchouli, and musk combination that's giving me a super Bloodlust vibe, which is not great since that's one of my least favorite scents. Actually I think this is worse. There's absolutely no sweetness at all to this. It's very dry and ashy, like something that's been charred. Dry on Skin: There's something almost medicinal to this scent, too. It somehow reminds me of hospitals. Maybe it's a kind of latex-type scent? After a little bit I think maybe the patchouli is winning out, for it's slightly less charred and a bit more like incense, but I'm afraid I have to go wash this off. I really can't stand it. Conclusion: This is possibly my least favorite BPAL of all time. As soon as I applied it, I wanted to wash it off. And I did wash it off about five minutes later. This will definitely jive with some people's tastes, but it's sooooo not mine.

I bought a half-bottle of this from a Luper circle, and I ended up being really glad I did! First Sniff Impression: Oooh, like fresh mint honey. Wet in Vial: The green tea and wasabi in this combine to make such a refreshing, awesome scent. It actually reminds me of rosemary mint bodywash I used to have and love. The honey sweetens it just enough.. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down, I am SO glad I have a half bottle of this with more on the way. It's just how I love to smell sometimes: fresh and sweet in a very natural, herbal way. Dry on Skin: After a couple hours the freshness of the wasabi went away, leaving a sweet honey green tea behind. It was still really nice, but I worry if I might get sick of it after a while. Conclusion: I'd probably need to wear this few and far between in case I start to get sick of the sweet-phase. But it's still a wonderful scent and I'm glad I have an original bottle of it.

From a decant circle of my first Lupers! First Sniff Impression: Oooh, a sweet, leathery, slightly musky and bitter herbal cologne. Wet in Vial: I can maybe pick out the bourbon but everything else mushes into a big, blackish-smelling cologne. Drying Down on Skin: There's too many ingredients for me to tell what exactly is going on here. Leather, I guess, and patchouli. Something sweet but not overly, so perhaps the bourbon vanilla. I think I can tell the amber. It does smell kind of "golden." There's a "soft" note in there too, keeping it from being heavy or too much incense. Dry on Skin: This is much better dry. Some of the ambiguity of what exactly I'm smelling has faded away. The cashmere and leather seem the dominant notes, bringing to mind the idea of being curled up in a leather chair wearing a thick wool sweater that's maybe still a little damp Conclusion: This one ended up being much better than I was expecting from immediate application. However, it's still too masculine and "woolly" for me. But I like it, so I might see if I can try it on my husband. (Post Review notes: I did end up buying a half bottle because I loved the warm, leathery cashmere. It will be amazing to wear in the wintertime. And interesting translation note: I looked up "Hoiiru" in my favorite online dictionary cause I was curious what it meant ... and yeah, it means literally what's happening on the label. )

2017 Version, from a decant circle of my first Lupers! But ordered before I found out Snake Oil literally HATES ME :( First Sniff Impression: I can get a hint of the Snake Oil, but the honey sweetens everything up really nicely. I'll have to try this on to see if the SO turns on me like usual. Wet in Vial: This is the nicest of any Snake Oil-based scent I've smelled in the bottle. The honey is perfect and the Snake Oil is there but it doesn't smell the way it usually does. It's more of a subtle scent than FAKE BABY DIAPER PERFUME. Drying Down on Skin: So no "fake baby" yet on, but sometimes it takes until fully dry for that death note to come out on me. It a good honey, ever so slightly musky-type scent. I like it, but I don't know if I'd choose it over other honey-ish scents I have. It does have the tiniest bit of of baby powder base but I have to REALLY search to find it. Dry on Skin: Fake Baby Death Note hasn't come out yet, still, which is kind of surprising. But even though it hasn't turned to total baby powder, I don't think I like the general scent of Snake Oil either. So even though there's nothing particularly *wrong* with this one, it's just not my thing. It's just so ... mellow somehow? It's not me. Which makes me sad. Conclusion: This one should be a huge hit for people who like honey and Snake Oil. Unfortunately, I've kind of cemented the fact that Snake Oil is simply not a scent for me and I don't think I'll be trying it anymore. I also need to have something to balance honey out. This was too sweet on both ends.