Koumori

I bought this knowing it contained several notes that don't usually work for me (amber and lavender particularly; both tend to spike and sharpen very quickly on me), and hoping the others would balance them out. They didn't. In the bottle, I thought this was similar to other BPAL "manly cologne" scents I've tried, like Whitechapel, but with a bit of a muskier, earthier feel. On me, though, it really did not work, and even though I should have known it wouldn't! it's going up for swap.

I found this one almost indistinguishable from Earth Rat in the bottle, but as soon as it was on, the differences became apparent. Earth Ox has earthier undertones; the pine came out immediately as a grounding influence, and the difference between the Rat melon and the Earth lychee became easier to detect. I was hoping to love this, since I'm an Ox and I'm very fond of Earth Rat, but it faded on me fairly quickly and left a dry, dusty afterscent, which often happens to me when I try to wear musks and some flowers-- I guess peony must be one of them. All things considered, I prefer the Rat, and this one will go up for swap.

I want a boyfriend so I can make him wear this. Although I'm very "girly" in appearance, I tend to love masculine-leaning scents. And I love this one! I can't stop sniffing my bottle, and I love the complex, woody, mossy scent of it on me- but I almost feel like I need a new wardrobe to be able to wear it. It's rare that I don't wear a scent because it's *too* masculine, but this one wavers right on the edge. It makes me want to break out ties and vests and pressed trousers.. all of which would be terrific if I actually owned any of those things. It's delightful, but I need to grow into it or change to make it fit me properly, so I don't know if I will actually wear it often. But if I do get a boyfriend... look out!

Manhattan is a cool, clean citrusy scent with woody undertones in the bottle. On me, it quickly morphs into a sophisticated, rather 'perfumy' floral; I guess that's the orchid coming out. Lemon BPAL notes don't have a tendency to last long on me, so I'm not surprised by that. The tea is there, very lightly, in the background. On the whole, light but very grown-up and self-assured.

I can't figure this one out. I got a sort of fruity incense in the bottle, but upon application, it seems to have gone through several very quick morphs and ended up rather "perfumey"-- a rather LUSH-type incensey floral. There are so many notes in the description, I wasn't sure what to expect, and I"m still not sure how to describe it; I think I was hoping for something a little more spicy/foody. I'm still undecided on this one.

I got this one because I've always liked the story-- forgetting that smoky/ashy/incensey BPALs often don't work on me, and this sadly is not an exception (There's never an exception-- I just keep hoping). At the beginning it's a sweet, warm, sugary scent, but the ash/charcoal quickly takes over-- and that's not something I like to smell like, alas.

I am not the world's biggest chocolate fan. Bliss et al. left me cold. But there is one thing I love, and that is Mexican hot chocolate, so when I saw this scent, I jumped at it. In the bottle, I was a little disappointed because all I smelled was chocolate, not the spices I associate with Mexican cocoa-- but that changes as soon as I put it on and all the teriffic cinnamon and sugar come out. I don't get the coffee and booze that others have described, just straight up chocolate/cinnamon/maybe a hint of almond. Misk U didn't work on me, and I really wanted it to, so I'm thrilled that this does.

I'd gotten an imp of the 2004 Ides of March, and it remains one of my absolute favorites, a gorgeous, clean scent, green but not overpoweringly so. I've hoarded that imp for years now, applied sparingly since I knew I wouldn't be able to get any more if I ran out - and I was thrilled when I saw the Lab was bringing it back for 2007! Surely the answer to my scenty dreams! Not so much, as it turns out... the new bottle has a much lighter, more lemony fragrance, and the scent itself evaporates on me completely within just a couple of hours. I'm going to hold on to it for a few months and see if it ages into something more like the first one, but I may just be left clinging to my half-imp.

Once again, a nice name, well-written description, and literary associations make me forget certain things. Namely, that I hate the smell of lilies. There isn't a lot more for me to say about this one. It's mostly lily, with the other notes all playing distant backing roles. I love this poem, but I.. man, I don't like lily. What was I thinking?

This is a very "perfumey" scent, full of deep lavender florals. It strikes me as a mature scent; not old-ladyish, but definitely not for a girl too young to have experienced The Way Of The World. There are several notes in here that normally don't work well on me (lavender, amber, jasmine), but none of them jostles out the others to the extent they sometimes do. Very nice.

Good gravy, this is spicy!! In the bottle I got a round, warm, foody smell, but as soon as I put it on, the spice factor went through the roof! Cardamom, I guess; I didn't get cinnamon, and it didn't irritate my skin the way cinnamon oils usually do. It stayed there for just a few minutes before settling down into a sweeter, spicy foody scent. I'll need to give this another try before I decide for sure what I think of it. Excellent throw, not much staying power.

Tangy, sharp, bright berries; at first application, I actually thought of grass clippings. Upon drydown, more of the Snake Oil comes out, and the cardamom asserts itself a little more, deepening the berries into a "riper" scent. I wasn't sure I liked this at first, but I will give it another try. ETA: Gave it another try. No thank you very much.

On first application, Al Azif comes across as a sweet incensy floral, a more masculine version of Scherezade or Baghdad; one of the resin and spice scents. It picks up a cola scent upon drydown, and becomes a powdery resin quickly. Vetiver usually goes straight into my sinuses, but while it's a constant presence here, it doesn't quite get overpowering. All the same, it's not a note I much like, and it's definitely there under the powder. Not something I think I want to smell like. 1/5.

All right, this finally tears it for me: I just can't wear BPAL's myrrh blends. I liked this in the bottle (I like them all in the bottle!) as a soft, golden incense with an herbal undertone. But the minute I put it on, everything evaporates except the myrrh, which emerges to both eat all the other scents and give me a headache, same as all the other myrrh blends I keep trying, hoping to find one that won't do this. Body chemistry 1, Myrrh Blends 0. I had to wash it off. 1/5.

Y HALO THAR WINTERGREEN. Like a number of other blends I've picked up lately, this bottle smells much more complex in the bottle than it does on me. I was really hoping for a sort of winter version of Arkham Revisited's wildflower woods, and in the bottle that's what I got - cool pine and aquatic over multilayered florals. But as soon as I put it on... well, see above. 1/5.

I'm surprised by how much I like this. My first impression was of elegance and sophistication. The vanilla-musk combination really seems to suit me, and for some reason I get a very foody vibe from this one once it ripens a little. Rich, round, haughty and elegant. 5/5

I like this; it feels a little simpler than some of the other BPALs I've been trying lately. I get a strong scent of white wine in the bottle and on first application, but that dissipates very quickly into a sort of hard-edged pear, and the whole rapidly becomes a very lively, sophitisticated white fruity scent. Keeper. 4/5

I'm starting to think that maybe the scent I thought was lavender isn't. I've always thought of lavender as a soft floral, and the BPAL blends I've tried that have strong lavender notes all smell *very* strong and sharp on me. It could be the vetiver at work, too; I'm not sure, but this scent went right up my nose and hung out in my sinuses until I washed it off. Similar to Wilde, I think, and just as powerfully strong on me. 1/5

I got this as a frimp with my last order, and had no idea what the concept was until I came to write this review, so seeing the other reviews is very interesting! I get a delightful, warm, earthy scent out of this. There's an aquatic note, but an underlying mossy spiciness as well; it feels like a combination of elements. Sophisticated and complex. Rating: 4/5.

Stardust.. wasn't quite what I was expecting. I didn't get any kind of hard edge or sense from it at all; as soon as it dried on me, it was a sweet powdery floral not too far removed from Endymion or any number of other sweet powdery florals. It's nice enough, but there's nothing decadent about it. ETA: This was Stardust 06.

Out of the bottle, this hits me as grape Kool-Aid. The grape note vanishes almost as soon as I apply it, and what's left is a heavy wine scent laced with purple florals. After an hour or two, the wine peels away too, and it becomes a powdery violet floral. Not really to my taste, but I'm glad I gave it a try. Rating: 2/5.

Wet, a slick icy aquatic with a hint of underlying floral. Once on, the aquatic and "darker" notes fade quickly into the background, and I'm left with a light, perfumey white floral. More sporty than cold, and not as winter-evocative for me as most of the other Yuletide scents have been. Not a keeper for me (and it gave my SO a mentholated headache, so off it goes...) Rating: 3/5.

I got a whiff of mint on the first application that distinguished Snow-Flakes from Snow White. It's a lighter, more delicate version of that scent, a delightful minty aquatic, and very evocative of its name. I actually prefer it to Snow White. 5/5.

PATCHOULI! But sweet, "thick" patchouli; I agree there's something cola-like and syrupy about this scent. The resins underneath peek through every so often to help cut the hippie associations, but patchouli is still the dominant note on me. It's a step up in sophistication from your basic head-shop patchouli, but it seems like you'd almost have to have an occasion to wear it. 3/5.

Lick It Again smells like a bottle of peppermint extract used for baking - minty, but sweet and a bit thin, with maybe a hint of alcohol. I put on a much bigger sample than I normally do, but even so, the scent didn't last more than an hour on me. This didn't really give me the Christmas peppermint vibe I was hoping for, alas.