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BPAL Madness!

grashopper8

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Everything posted by grashopper8

  1. grashopper8

    Albedo v5

    Thanks to sunshinedaisybliss for sharing this testable sniffie!! I definitely smell a hint of creamy coconut, in the context of subtlety and good taste. The coconut is remarkably low-key and lovely. I think I smell the candied gardenia note from Marae. There is an obvious citrus-herbal note that I also believe to be lemongrass. zankoku_zen mentioned B&BW Coconut Lime Verbena, and I can see the comparison for sure, except this scent is far more sophisticated, natural, balanced, and finely-tuned - it lacks the sickly sweet too-much-coconut and plasticky overtone of B&BW's CLV. Of course it does. This is BPAL! This is the good stuff! Very enjoyable. A great scent for a steamy tropical vacation.
  2. grashopper8

    Rubedo v4

    Huge thanks to sunshinedaisybliss for this testable sniffie!! This starts out herbal with a hint of rose, not at all the strong rose scent I was anticipating from reviews. The fresh, green, herbal notes are almost minty, just without the actual bite of mint. Eucalyptus? I can see where someone said lilac, there is a softness to this blend that makes me think of lilac as well. And a hint of sweetness that reminds me of gardenia, but not the lab's usual gardenia note - something softer and less sugary - magnolia? linden blossom? I'm horrible out picking out florals when they're not obvious. It's probably just dragon's blood in here giving that overall soft sweetness to the scent, but it's not a dominant incense note at all - it's just a hint. Very well blended. Rubedo (v4) is unique, fresh, soft and lovely. I really really love it, and if I had the chance, I would definitely buy a bottle. If Beth releases this scent, I hope she doesn't change a thing!
  3. grashopper8

    Montresor

    A yummy, dark berry wine - blackcurrant (cassis)? Blackberry? Boysenberry? A hint of precious woods, a whisper of vanilla. Juicy with delicate nuances of creamy sophistication. Wow, did I really just score a whole bottle of this???!?!?!?! How are people not tweaking, seeking this scent out??!!!? A hidden jewel of vintage BPAL (for me, anyhow). Never heard of it, bought a bottle on a whim from reading the notes. Magically delicious. 4.7 out of 5 :evol:
  4. grashopper8

    D'Anjou Pear

    Sweet, juicy, apple-y pear. Candied and juicy and dripping with fresh deliciousness. This is lovely! Oh well, 'tis better to have loved and lost....I have to pass this sniffie along in my imp-swap circle!
  5. grashopper8

    Devil's Night

    2006 version This smells like baked goods to me, and I also get the boozy rum note. Some wintry spices. Meh, not feeling it for some reason.
  6. grashopper8

    Hellion v2

    Delicious, juicy plum with a hint of incense. I think I smell clove. So this is why everyone's obsessed with Hellion! Never smelled the actual scent, but this proto is awesome : -) I have a plum scent from another company that I love. If I didn't, I'd be bat-shit crazy trying to hunt some of this nectar down (and broke)!
  7. grashopper8

    Agapē

    This starts out a little cloying and buttery....the fruit is a little too bright and juicy. Once it warms up on my skin, it reminds me of Haloes - the delicious vanilla cream note is divine. I really love this perfume after it dries down. It's worth seeking out. Oops to me for missing out just because I hate carnation! This scent is gorgeous. I can't smell the carnation, thankfully!
  8. grashopper8

    Geek

    At the beginning, this is really fascinating, unique blend of spice/wood/leather. It smells like the air as a bonfire is just starting. I really liked the burst of pine, but it didn't stay long on me. The sweet cinnamon at the beginning was also awesome and a great accompanying note, but it also disappeared rather fast. The cedar and patchouli threaten at a body odor and pencil shavings with my chemistry. My skin is just amping the wood notes, and not in the most pleasant way. Oh well, I won't be pining after Geek.
  9. grashopper8

    Numb

    Clean, an herbal soapy clean. I don't smell violets at all, and I love violet. I do smell lily, I think. Someone else mentioned hotel soap. I'm inclined to agree. Although it is pleasant, I'm not too sad that I missed out on a bottle of this one.
  10. grashopper8

    Capela Dos Ossos v5

    This is indeed a light, dry incense. I'm not amazing at picking out resins. I think I smell a clean (but smooth, not sharp) sandalwood. Capela Dos Ossos is faint on me. It's subtle. I prefer deeper, sweeter incense/resin scents myself. This fragrance is eerily evocative though.
  11. grashopper8

    Ivanushka

    A powdery, soft musk with a little amber and maybe a hint of patchouli. There's some kind of yummy woods, faint but distinctive. Unique yet familiar. I like it. I can see why so many have fallen in love with this one. It's lovely. Smells like loving hugs.
  12. grashopper8

    Copper v1

    Lemony, with a hint of orange, and a drop of clove, and most DEFINITELY tea tree oil. Zingy, herbal, and eye-opening. A smooth, subtle patchouli at the base. This smells like a high-end organic herbal shop/spa/aromatherapy ~ it's simple and familiar, and relaxing and rejuvenating. I can really visualize gleaming copper metal while I sniff this.
  13. grashopper8

    Hod

    I HATE carnation. Sorry to all of you Hod lovers, I just hate hate Hate carnation. Got to sniff this in a circular imp swap. I'm just one less BPAL'er to compete with over this scent, ugh I really just hate carnation! I bet it smells gorgeous to people who like carnation, because I really liked Hod in the few moments before the note bloomed on my skin. Then I had to wash it off. I'm almost sorry for not being able to enjoy it!
  14. grashopper8

    Euphrosyne

    I'm not loving the tea-rose, and I'm not a real rose-lover, but all the other notes are my favorites so I do end up enjoying this scent. The vanilla is the soft powdery vanilla from Antique Lace and the like. The gardenia fades away fast, as it usually does on me. The jasmine is similar to the jasmine in Oneiroi and Lilith and the Jarocho, but it's a hint of jasmine and not the main note. Everything blends together into a lightly sweet, candied soft floral. It's really nice, and for some reason it reminds me of playing with toys as a child.
  15. grashopper8

    Lucy's Kiss

    The same rose from Somnus. Therefore, I feel a little drifty and sleepy.... : -) A medicinal rose scent. To me, anyhow - scent association!
  16. grashopper8

    Black Butterfly Moon

    This starts out very mossy and very high-pitched floral (orchid and lily). It takes a few hours for the scent to sweeten, and at that point the candied gardenia and opopponax come out. It's very perfumey, and heavy on the oakmoss. Not a love scent for me. Oakmoss lovers and orchid/lily fans need to try it though!
  17. grashopper8

    Trick or Treat

    2009 version: This smells like maple syrup and cinnamon and caramel and almost a hint of pumpkin. It's freakin delicious!! Nothing at all like candy corn but it's warm and sweet and very foody. Someone upthread mentioned snickerdoodle cookies. Yup. Yum. I love this!!
  18. grashopper8

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    Child Perfume most closely resembles Pele as a BPAL. However, Pele is not as concentrated and does not have the lasting power of Child. Although it's a million times less expensive!! The note you are loving is indeed Pikake Jasmine - it used to be listed as a note in the description of Pele (which is why it was one of the first BPAL's I ever tried) : -)
  19. grashopper8

    Perpetuum Bonum

    I received a small vial of Perpetuum Bonum as a freebie in a swap, and I was so happy! I needed some good luck - I had to go to the RMV for the 5th time to attempt registration of my car....and I am a thorough, methodical person, so having to go more than once was infuriating, and having to go 4 times was unreal. The day before, I anointed my forehead, heart chakra, and wrists with the oil. It smells like strawberries and a hint of vanilla or some other sugared sweetness. It's delicious! I repeated the ritual the next morning, and headed out on my journey. The wait was over an hour, but I got my car registered!! The strawberry candy scent is lovely enough, but this oil gave me the luck I was hoping for as well!
  20. grashopper8

    Pink Phoenix

    This scent is Pink-In-A-Bottle! The delicious sweet pea, pear, sugar, and strawberry smell so fantastically fun and powdery! It smells like Love's Baby Soft with strawberry and violet. After it dries down a bit, the subtle honeycomb and smooth, creamy vanilla bean come out to play. I love this perfume! It is so pink and fuzzy and fun, I feel like wearing a pink frilly dress and twirling in a sunshiney summer meadow! Pink Phoenix also has incredibly long wear-time. I worked a 15-hour day yesterday, til 2AM, and it stayed strong! A wonderful treat, may cause cavities but who cares. Pure fun and innocence; and I agree, it does remind me of my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls!
  21. grashopper8

    Has No Hanna

    Wet, this is a gorgeous, beautiful gardenia, round and creamy and sweet, the same gardenia note from the original Scorpio '04, Unheavenly City, and my beloved Gardenia Single Note imp. As the fragrance dries down, a rose note comes forward. It reminds me of the sleepy-time rose in TAL Nocturne and Somnus. Rose is fine for aromatherapeutic purposes on me, but I don't love it in a day-wear perfume. I'm kinda bummed, this is one of the first GC's in a while that smelled like a must-have-5mL in the vial for me. The rose drydown cut into the magic, personally speaking. I must say that I'm extremely fascinated by people's vastly different experiences with this scent. Very curious! I've had some back luck getting my car registered (the Massachusetts RMV is the sixth circle of hell) so maybe I'll give Has No Hanna a try. 5th time's the charm, right??
  22. grashopper8

    Swadhisthana

    The same lovely jasmine that's in Lilith and the Jarocho, Somnus, and Khajuraho. Gorgeous. Worth the price and a definite keeper. 4.4 out of 5
  23. grashopper8

    Chaos Theory V: Recursive Self Similarity v4

    CCCLXXI I bought this bottle from mountainwitch through the forum. Here are my vague impressions: I am kind of stumped by this Snake Oil chaos theory!!! I think there might be carnation in it, but it's not a heavy or unpleasant carnation, and since I don't like carnation, and I like this scent, I might be wrong about it having carnation....It has some powdery spicy floral thing going on....man, I really do suspect carnation. I am reminded of Crabtree and Evelyn's Nadira scent, and also of the far less mainstream Bruno Acampora's Prima T. I think I can smell rose, but not an easily detectable rose, so maybe not. Could be bergamot, I get rose and bergamot confused sometimes. So maybe bergamot, carnation, and Snake Oil? It's hard to say with this one, it's very well blended. Maybe jasmine? Oh and there is a clean musk note in there for sure, at least that I can definitely pick up on here!! Overall, it's a mature, spicy, powdery floral scent with just a hint of Snake Oil at the bottom - if I didn't know there was Snake Oil in this, I would not have even mentioned it. Complex and well blended. Good job labbies!!
  24. grashopper8

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    This is an opposite recommendation, but for fans of Monster Bait: Underpants, try Bvlgari Omnia. The saffron note in Omnia is the same as the one for Underpants to my nose, and smells freakin AMAZING!!! My friend wore Omnia to work today and I thought it was Underpants. Schmells good.
  25. grashopper8

    Gula Bath Oil

    YUM!! I split a bottle of this with the lovely alyssinwonderland, and the first thing that I noticed was that it was a golden oil with a small layer of chocolate goodness at the bottom. *shake shake shake* The chocolate oil disperses and Gula takes on her true form, a deeply rich chocolatey color. My first sniff, is Chocolate, Honey, and Vanilla. Heaven!!! On the skin, it transforms into a more complex, sultry scent. The smoky caramel note is the same as the one in Red Lantern - it smells like caramel tobacco to me. I do not smell currant but I was not looking for it. Perhaps I will detect it next time I wear it. I slathered this on my legs after I got out of the shower, and I could smell it alllll day. Incredibly long lasting and delectable!
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