Penance

Origin: Frimp in a LJ purchase. Preconceived notions: I've been wanting to try this one after reading the reviews. I'm expecting spicy fruit (apple or pear, maybe apple cider), fir/pine/evergreen and maybe some smoke. It sounds like the perfect Christmas scent. First sniff: Yay, Christmas in a bottle! As much as I love the smell of things like Mistletoe (which is a fantastic almost-pine scent), when I think Christmas scents, I think of blends that have everything all rolled into one. The smell of the Christmas tree, some hot spiced apple cider, a roaring fireplace, baking spices, the whole shebang. And that's what Quick Grope Under the Mistletoe smells like in the imp. Wet on skin: Spiced apple cider with just a touch of smoke. It reminds me quite a bit of Fearful Pleasure, but somehow more wintery and less autumnal. I don't know if it's just the name that's causing my brain to associate this with winter instead of fall, but they definitely "feel" different to me and conjure up different mental images. Dry down: This one's a morpher on me. As soon as the oil starts drying, a new scent comes out. Quick Grope has gone from spicy apple cider to spicy Christmas tree and it's beautiful. I also get a touch of smoke here and it reminds me of a Christmas tree, decked out with cinnamon ornaments (the kind I made when I was little from ground cinnamon and, I think, applesauce...it's been a long time, but we've still got one in our box of decorations and it has a strong cinnamon scent to it even now), next to a crackling fireplace. The bottom line: This is an awesome Christmas scent. I'm definitely going to need to get ahold of a bottle of this soon.

Origin: Lagniappe from the lovely DangerInRed. Preconceived notions: I love the smell of gingerbread and gingersnap cookies, do this one is almost definitely going to be a winner for me. First sniff: Gingersnaps, made with a touch of molasses, and...lemon? I'm getting something very faint and slightly citrusy here. It reminds me a bit of gingersnaps with a very thin layer of lemon royal icing on top. Normally, I'm not a lemon (or citrus in general) fan, but I like the little bit of zing that I'm getting from Bedbug! Wet on skin: Same as in the imp. Deliciously spicy. This isn't just the smell of a combination of spices that would go into a gingersnap cookie. It's definitely the smell of the cookie itself. Dry down: Once Bedbug dries, I'm left with mouthwatering, chewy gingersnap molasses cookies and fresh, grated ginger, rather than lemon. That makes me think that Bedbug is another scent where my nose temporarily confuses the smell of fresh ginger with lemon, like it does with White Rabbit. It only seems to happen when there's a very strong, fresh ginger note in a scent rather than a dried, crystallized or "spicy" ginger note. The bottom line: I really like this! I'd definitely buy a bottle if it were available in bottle form. I'll be savoring my little imp (and laughing at the name and label art) until it's used up.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I love clove and I like blackcurrant, so I'm expecting Arachne of Lydia to be a winner. I'm thinking that since the clove is described as being "dusty" that this is going to be something other than a truly foody/fruity scent and something a little more unclassifiable. First sniff: This may sound like an unflattering comparison to some people (and like high praise to others, I imagine), but this smells a lot like Witches Brew (I think WB started out as a Yankee Candle scent and then spread through the etailers' world like wildfire). I believe WB is supposed to be a mixture of patchouli and cinnamon, but it's always smelled just the slightest bit fruity to me, too. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing yet, since I got burned out on Witches Brew ages ago after really liking it for a long time. Wet on skin: No real change from in the bottle. It smells just a little bit more like BPAL's Sweet Clove single note, now, though. I'm not really getting fruit from this. It's a definite spice scent for me, with something soft and velvety purple-black in the background. It's a bit hard to describe, but I'm liking it. Dry down: This still smells a bit like Witches Brew to me. They're not identical, but they're definite scent relatives. Cousins maybe, or step-siblings. It's a soft, spicy, dry scent. I don't really get any identifiable fruit from this. Just dusty clove, maybe some cinnamon (although it's not noted in the description, so it could be that I'm being influenced by the WB comparison) and something that I can only describe as soft and deep purple. Like a deep purple, once ornate and beautiful, now faded (and edging towards threadbare) dress that's been hidden away in a trunk in someone's attic, packed away with clove pomanders to keep pests away. The bottom line: I really like this. It's definitely not a fruity scent, so if you're looking for juicy fruit, look elsewhere. But if you love BPAL's sweet clove note and are looking for something soft and spicy and evocative, this is a real winner.

Origin: Imp bought on LiveJournal. Was going to wait and see if I got this as lagniappe from the Lab or an extra in a swap, but I was buying a few other things from the seller and it was cheap, so I grabbed it, too. Preconceived notions: Anyone who knows me and my scent preferences knows that I despise roses. They're truly a note of doom for me. Only one rose scent has ever worked for me (and by "worked" I mean I could tolerate being around it for an extended period of time, not that I could wear it) and that was Rose Red. The only reason Rose Red worked was the sheer amount of greenery involved. So, that being said, I'm hoping that the roses in The Knave of Hearts are drowned out by the blackcurrant tarts. Honestly, I have (highly unlikely) fantasies of a blackcurrant version of March Hare. I know it's not going to happen, but that's my little BPAL fantasy du jour. First sniff: Not bad. I can smell some rose here, but it's mostly buttery pastry and black fruit. It actually smells more like blackberry to me than blackcurrant. Wet on skin: Same as in the bottle. The roses come out just a little bit more (unsurprising, since my skin apparently loves rose as much as I hate it), but not so much that this becomes a floral blend. It's mostly a soft fruit and pastry scent with soft florals floating in the background. I'm imagining a kitchen in summer, the windows opened to let out the heat from the oven, with blackcurrant (or blackberry) tarts cooling on the counter. There's a soft breeze blowing and it's wafting the scent of newly bloomed roses in through the window. I have to admit, it's pretty. If it stays like this, I think I may have found a rose scent I might potentially be able to wear. Time will tell with this one, I think, unless it goes bad during the drydown (which has been known to happen). Dry down: The rose does indeed come out more as this dries, but they're still pretty understated. I don't know that I would call this scent foody or floral. It's both and neither, at the same time. If I take a shallow breath, I get buttery jam-filled tarts, which is wonderful. If I breathe deeper, I get a very realistic, slightly powdery rose with a thin layer of blackberry jam on top. That's prettier than it sounds, I swear. The bottom line: I'm honestly not sure yet how I feel about this. I think I like it, but I don't love it (the roses see to that). I also think I need more time to wrap my head around it and feel out this whole rose thing. I'm positive it'll never be a bottle purchase for me (if I liked roses, though, it would be because it's a pretty scent), but I'm probably going to keep my imp around.

Origin: 5mL from bombus. Preconceived notions: I love the smell of fresh-cut grass, but florals are my arch-nemeses, so I'm hoping this is heavy on the grass and light on the flowers. But, if it's not, dandelions are one of the few florals I can sometimes enjoy the smell of, so it might not be a deal breaker. First sniff: Super strong fresh-cut grass with just the faintest hint of sweet dandelion in the background. This smells like sitting on our front porch when I was little while my dad mowed the lawn, breathing in that green, dewy smell under the warm summer sun. It's summer in a bottle. Wet on skin: This starts out as pure, green grass and then, within a few seconds, starts developing an extremely strong, extremely bitter note that has to be dandelion sap. It smells exactly like the inside of a dandelion stem tastes (if you've never tasted it, they're extremely bitter and the taste seems to cling to your tongue). I'm guessing it must be a skin chemistry thing, since it doesn't seem to be something that other reviewers have experienced, but I'm confused by that since I can wear Roadhouse (which also has dandelion), without experiencing this bitteriness. Maybe the Lab uses more than one kind of dandelion note? Dry down: One to Tie fades pretty quickly (within an hour it's all but gone), but the bitterness does ease up toward the last third of its lifespan on my skin and I end up with a soft dandelion blossom scent with a background of green grass. I'm not normally a floral fan, but I actually really like the smell of the dandelion in this. It smells soft, feathery and slightly sweet, just like a dandelion in full bloom. The bottom line: I think this one's destined for wear in my scent locket only because I just can't tolerate the ultra bitter stage, especially since the lifespan is so short on my skin. It makes me a bit sad to miss out on the unexpectedly pretty dandelion blossom last stage drydown, but I'm going to have to compromise here. It's either miss that stage or not wear it at all since I know I won't be willing to suffer through the dandelion sap stage. I do really like One to Tie, Two to Win, though. It's one of those BPAL scents that perfectly captures a nostalgic memory for me. It's childhood happiness in a bottle and, for that, I'm willing to overlook the fact that I'm only going to be able to wear it in a locket.

Cathedral. I couldn't decide what to wear, so I just reached into my "favorites" box and blindly pulled one out. Probably would have rather worn Flesh-Eating Reindeer, now that I'm thinking about it again. Oh well. EDIT: Washed off Cathedral (at least off my wrists; I washed my neck as well as I could without getting my shirt wet) and I'm wearing Flesh-Eating Reindeer now. Normally I'd wear Cathedral any day (quite happily), but today feels more like a gingerbread sort of day.

Aww, that's cute! Somehow, I was expecting something darker/meaner looking.

Can't see your picture, lamenteuse.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I ordered this on the spur of the moment, after waffling over whether I'd like it or not. Leather is a love it or hate it thing for me. I don't like the smell of real leather, but I do enjoy it in some perfumes (Hellfire, for example) if it's blended with the right notes. Western Diamondback has the potential to be a winner, though, I think. I have a feeling the sweetness/spiciness/muskiness of the Snake Oil will temper the leather note and make it more wearable for me. I'm a little concerned about the sage, though, since it sometimes reminds me of poultry stuffing. First sniff: Snake Oil (quite distinctly, unlike with Temple Viper and King Cobra) and a touch of very soft, dry leather (it reminds me more of Dead Man's Hand than Spanked at this point, if that helps you figure out what kind of leather note this is). No stuffing sage to be smelled yet. I really like this right now. Oddly enough, the Snake Oil smells more aged than fresh. I'm not sure if that's the leather note tricking my nose or if, perhaps, aged Snake Oil was used in this (which wouldn't make much sense, because I don't think Beth has vats of aged Snake Oil sitting around to blend into other scents...I could be wrong, though). Wet on skin: Initially, Western Diamondback is the same on my skin as it is in the bottle, but then it starts to develop a soft, worn-in leather smell (now it's more like Spanked than Dead Man's Hand) within maybe 30 seconds of hitting my skin. Still no sage. I really like it at this point because the leather is definitely there, but it's covered with a soft, smooth layer of Snake Oil. The sweetness/spiciness/muskiness of Snake Oil takes the edge off the leather and makes it much more subtle than it would be on its own. Dry down: The leather develops more and more as this dries, until I'm left with something that's definitely leather with a background of Snake Oil (red musk, vanilla and spice, maybe a touch of patchouli hiding somewhere deep down). It's still softer and less in-your-face-OMG-leather than it would be alone, but it's definitely more leathery than it was in the bottle and in the wet stage. The sage never does make an appearance here, which I'm happy about. The bottom line: I like this quite a bit, although it's not my favorite of the Snake Pit scents. I think I'd put it behind Boomslang, King Cobra and Temple Viper but in front of Saw-Scaled Viper and Death Adder. I'm curious to see how this one is going to change as it ages. I have a feeling it's going to get deeper, richer and better, but I'm hoping the leather continues to behave itself and that the sage keeps its distance.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: Everything but the rose sounds great. I've read the reviews pretty thoroughly and it looks like other people aren't getting much rose. Honestly, that's the only reason I bought this one, since rose is an immediate deal-breaker for me 99% of the time. I hate rose. First sniff: Uh-oh. There are roses in this incense! I can smell them, lurking under the beautiful resins, trying to blend in with the scenery. They're doing a pretty good job of it, actually, since the rose smell is faint and mostly covered by dark, dry resins, but I can still tell they're there and it worries me. Wet on skin: Off to a good start for about three seconds (no roses to be found) and then wham, full-on floral attack! The Blasphemare Reliquary goes from dry resins (quite beautiful, but also similar in feel to Penitence) to powdery, rosy incense almost faster than I can register it. In all fairness, it's possible that the rose in this isn't quite as obvious to everyone else as it is to me. It's just one of those notes where if it's in a blend, it tends to jump out at me in a big way, even if I don't amp it. Dry down: Stronger and stronger on the rose as it dries. I was hoping it might pull a disappearing act and go away again on the drydown, but no such luck. I wish I was one of the people who gets little to no (preferably no) rose from TBR, but it looks like it's not to be. Instead, I get a strong, powdery incense scent made with dried, crushed rose petals. I don't mean this as an insult (it's not, I swear), but at this stage, Blasphemare makes me think of someone's dotty old grandma...but a dotty old grandma who holds séances and likes to burn old, crumbling powdery incense while wearing her favorite dusty rose perfume. That probably sounds bad, but I think it could be pretty on (and for) someone else. It's not an old lady scent (in that it's not going to make you smell like an old lady). It just happens to call to mind that particular mental image because my brain likes to free associate in strange ways. The bottom line: I'm not a rose fan by any stretch of the imagination (Rose Red is the only rose scent I've ever been able to tolerate and that's because it has so much greenery and a crisp, fresh, plant-like smell rather than that heady/powdery scent I normally get from rose blends), so The Blasphemare Reliquary isn't for me, as much as I wanted to love it. My bottle's moved on to another home where (hopefully) it's lurking rosiness can be better appreciated.

Origin: 5mL bought on LiveJournal. Preconceived notions: I'm a little up in the air about what to expect from this one. On the one hand, I'm thinking it might be similar to Snowblind (which I love) or one of the Lick It variations (which I definitely don't love). But, then, the reviews mention chocolate, which isn't mentioned in the description, and that makes me think it won't be like either one. I was desperate to get ahold of Tokyo Stomp, though, and paid more than I really wanted to, so I'm really hoping this works, regardless of what it ends up smelling like. First sniff: The comparisons to the inside of a York peppermint patty are spot on. This is brisker and crisper than Snowblind and doesn't the "butter mint" effect that Snowblind has. I do smell a bit of chocolate here, too. In fact, this reminds me of a more pepperminty, crisper version of Spooky. That's not a bad thing, but it's not great, either, since I have too much Spooky already (when I rarely wear it) and I don't need more of something that smells like it. Wet on skin: At first this is super intense, almost eye-watering peppermint patty filling. It's very pepperminty and very crisp, not smooth and soft like Snowblind or Spooky. Then it quickly develops a hint of chocolate to it. Dark chocolate, I think. Just a touch. Dry down: As this dries, it turns into something very much like Spooky without the coconut on my skin. It's not identical, but it's really, really close to being Spooky's twin on me. If you took a York peppermint patty and crossed it with a Grasshopper cookie, you'd get something like Tokyo Stomp. I like it in spite of not being a big mint or chocolate fan (although I'm learning to love BPAL's dark chocolate scents), but I'm disappointed in how close it is to being a Spooky dupe. The bottom line: I was worried this would smell too much like Snowblind, but it turns out smelling like Spooky. It smells good and I like it, but I've got more than enough Spooky on hand already, so Tokyo Stomp is a little redundant. It breaks my heart because I was so desperate to get ahold of this, but I think it's going to have to move on to crush another city with it's minty-chocolatey giant lizard feet. My town's reached its limit of mint-chocolate scents.

Origin: Tester from Scrappy. Preconceived notions: This sounds like perfection in a bottle. Red musk can be a very good thing. Vanilla? Love it if it's done right. Patchouli? Patchouli is my one true love. If I could only wear one note for the rest of my life, it would be patchouli. No question. First sniff: Red musk. Lots and lots of red musk. In fact, that's all I'm getting here. It may as well be a red musk single note. That's not a bad thing since I really like red musk, but I was expecting some sweetness and some earthiness, too. This is definitely different than the released version. The released version of Lust smells strongly of dragon's blood to me, with some spice and a touch of something floral in the background. It's a nice enough scent and I like it (in spite of the itty bitty bit of florals I detect in it), but I like this more. Wet on skin: No real change. Lots of red musk. Muskalicious. There could be some red patchouli in here, hiding under the musk, but it's hard to say. I'm not getting any sweetness from this, really, just a sort of softening of the muskiness and a rounding of the edges, but it does bear some resemblance to both Snake Oil (without the spice and with a little extra muskiness) and Mme. Moriarty (without the fruit). I'm not laying that squarely on the musk, either. I think they share some vanilla as a common component. Dry down: This one's no morpher. More of the same. Red musk with some hidden vanilla (I'm pretty positive about that). No patchouli that I can detect, but it could be hiding, too. I find red musk to be very strong on me. If it's in a blend, it tends to come to the forefront and make itself known. Usually I wear red musk scents where it's intended to be the main note, so that's not an issue. It's not an issue here, either. I'd just love to get some rich, smooth vanilla action going here and some nice earthy patchouli to back it up. That would be heaven in a bottle. The bottom line: I like this a lot, but I question whether it's different enough from the other red musk blends I own to justify tracking down a bottle. Maybe on someone else whose skin doesn't emphasize red musk so much? Hard to say if it's just me (and/or my skin chemistry) or if this is really just a very strongly red musk-centric scent. ETA: I ended up with a bottle after all. I really do like red musk quite a bit, and I'm not averse to having multiple similar scents in my collection, so I grabbed a bottle when it came up at a reasonable price and I definitely don't regret that decision. ETA again: I put on a tiny dab of this before bed last night and more than 12 hours later, I'm still smelling the lingering traces of it! Interestingly, I definitely smell vanilla at this point (so it's clearly in there and just doesn't come out on me during normal wear). It's actually the main note now. It's a smooth, musky vanilla, and sits very close to the skin. And it smells awesome.

Origin: Decant from ivyandpeony. Preconceived notions: This should be made of win for me. I love, love, love BPAL's plum note, I love incense and resins and spices. I really like the released Hellion but wanted more plum. How could this go wrong? First sniff: Oh, this is going wrong...no, no, no! How is this going wrong?! I mean, I like it alright. It's not bad. It's just not...what I wanted, I guess. There's definitely a lot of plum in here, but it's so fruity and sweet that it's bordering on fruit punch territory. I don't like the smell of fruit punch or sweet fruits in general. I like the smell of apple cider quite a bit, but that's as far as my fruity drink preferences reach. There are spices here, too. Mulling spices, maybe. It's like spiced fruit punch made with lots of overripe plums. Wet on skin: I've never had an issue with my skin causing fruit notes to amp and definitely never with plum (which I usually adore), but as soon as this hits my skin, the plums just come screaming to the surface even more. All I can smell at this stage is overripe plums and fruit punch. There's a touch of spice underneath it all, but it takes a backseat to the super sweet, syrupy fruit. Dry down: Okay, this is better. Now I'm getting spices with a layer of (still overripe, but not as overripe) plum. I don't get any of the gorgeous incense I get from the released version of Hellion, which is a shame. If I could take Hellion (the released version) and add more of the plum from something like King of Spades to it, it would be perfect. That's what I was hoping for with v2, but it looks like what I'm getting instead is lots of spice, a handful of pulpy fruit and no hint of incense. It's not a bad scent. It's really not, in spite of how that might sound. It's just not what I was dreaming of. I think that's a good thing, actually, since I managed to get a decant before someone answered my DISO with a bottle (so thank you for saving me, ivyandpeony!). I think I would have been infinitely more disappointed if that had happened. The bottom line: This isn't what I was imagining, sadly. It's not bad and I like it alright (in fact, I nearly bought a bottle anyway, because it was for sale and the price was reasonable and I told myself that I don't dislike v2, so it wouldn't be a stupid purchase...but thankfully someone saved me there, too, and grabbed it up before I could and I got a new scent instead), it's just not what I had in my head. I'm happy I tried this, though, and I'll probably be keeping my decant.

Origin: Tester 5mL from kittenmorag. Thank you again for your generosity! Preconceived notions: I wanted this as much for the bottle (I love the label art on this one and on most of the Sleepy Hollow scents) as for the scent, to be honest. Most of the notes here sound fantastic (I love the smell of burning wood, smoke, wood and oakmoss and I usually like apple cider and apple scents in general). The only thing that has me worried is the sassafras beer, emphasis on the beer. I like sassafras as long as it's not too full-on rootbeer-like. As long as the dreaded beer note (can't stand the smell of beer) stays in the background or, even better, doesn't make an appearance at all, this could be love. First sniff: Mmmm, autumn in a bottle! I smell heavily spiced apple cider, maybe some stewed (or otherwise cooked) apples, a bit of orange (it smells a bit like a pomander to me, in a good way) and a touch of smoke in the bottle. This smells amazing! No hint of beer here and very little wood (burning or otherwise). This reminds me so much of working at the local apple festival every year when I was growing up. My favorite stations were the apple cider press (which was run by an old bike that was rigged to screw the press down when someone sat on it and pedaled, which was usually my job) and the apple butter station. This smells like a combination of the two in the most wonderful way. Wet on skin: No change at all from the bottle. This is all spicy apple cider, warm, cooked apples and just a touch of smoke and wood. This is what I imagined Samhain would smell like before I actually smelled it. This is autumn. Dry down: So good! As this dries, more of the wood and smoke come out, making this even more perfect for me. I still get a strong (and I do mean strong, a little swipe of Fearful Pleasure is plenty) spicy apple cider scent, but it's balanced by smooth, smoky wood and a touch of orange peel. This is everything I've always wanted in an autumn scent. It smells exactly like those October days at the apple festival, which were always, by some miracle, perfect. Nothing could go wrong those days. It was my own little slice of heaven every year, enjoying my favorite season, my favorite month and the sights and smells of autunm. The bottom line: This is nostalgia in a bottle as much as it's autumn in a bottle and I love it. I had to track down a full bottle of Fearful Pleasure after falling hard for my tester.

Origin: 5mL from Aevie. Preconceived notions: Old paper, leather, tobacco, incense. Basically, what the description says. First sniff: This smells so familiar. I swear, there's another BPAL scent in my collection that's very similar to this, but I just can't place it. It's definitely leathery, but it's that strange, musky, almost fruity leather note that some BPAL scents have. A bit like Hellfire's leather, only lighter and less aggressive. I also smell some tobacco here and something musty and dry, that has to be the paper. No incense that I can detect in the bottle, but it's probably being drowned out by the other notes. Wet on skin: This one morphs quickly once it hits my skin. Initially, it's all musky-fruity leather and then it starts to shift into something that's, again, maddeningly familiar. At first I thought it might be Umbra or Typhon it was reminding me of, but I sniffed the bottles to compare and neither one is right. It's not Hellfire, either, although they could be cousins in some ways. I still don't know what it is that this reminds me of, but I like it. The late wet stage on this is soft and comfortable, like a well-worn leather armchair, but it's not particularly leathery. Instead, it's just a soft, musky, slightly earthy (it almost smells like a very soft patchouli and vetiver blend with a hint of spice)...brown scent. It smells comfortable and lived in. I like it. Dry down: The soft musky-earthy stage lasts for about an hour or two on me and then this suddenly turns into the scent of old, dry paper. The kind that crackles to the touch and looks in danger of disintegrating if not handled carefully. It comes close to being downright powdery, but, thankfully, avoids that pitfall, settling on a scent that's somewhat like an old leather-bound book. One so old that the leather has lost most of it's smell and just smells...well, old. There could be some very dry incense here, too, but it's hard to tease it out from the smell of the paper. That stage lasts for another few hours and then I end up with a sort of hybrid of the other stages. A very faint "gentleman's library" kind of smell. Very light, lived-in leather, a touch of pipe tobacco, old paper and what could be just the barest breath of incense smoke. Maybe it's the library of a gentleman who likes to dabble in the occult. Or one who traveled the Orient and brought back incense to remind him of his travels. Whatever his history, he's not completely what he appears to be on the surface. There's something mysterious lurking behind that closed library door. The bottom line: I really like all the stages of this one, although I've been having a hard time deciding if I like this a lot or if I love it (the difference between the two would decide which of my BPAL boxes it lives in). After giving it a couple wears, I've decided that I love it. There are some stages where it gets dangerously close to being too powdery, but they don't last too long and everything else about The Buggre Alle This Bible is great. I'll most likely have to get another bottle or two at some point, although the price makes my wallet want to cry when I mention the word "backups" (I'm not used to paying so much for a non-LE scent, that's all.)

Anyone have a picture of the Shanghai Tunnel bottle? I've got one coming and I'm curious since I've never seen it before. Tried searching the forum and elsewhere and no luck. I've become a bit of a bottle collector, so now I'm excited to see the bottles and smell what's inside them.

Origin: 5mL from Midnight Aeval. Preconceived notions: I've read the reviews, so I'm expecting spicy resins and some wood. It sounds great. First sniff: Dragon's blood! And some sort of spice. It could be cinnamon, or possibly allspice. Maybe some cedar, too. This is a warm, spicy, slightly sweet resin scent with a hint of dry wood in the background. So far, so good, although dragon's blood can be a troublesome note for me. Wet on skin: All dragon's blood and spice. It's everything a DB-based scent should be--resinous, sweet, slightly spicy--without going too far off the deep end and getting cloying or syrupy. I like this a lot, but it's not immediately making the favorites list. I prefer more a more incense-like feel to my resins, rather than sweetness, but that's not to say I don't like this. I do. It's just not the kind of resin that immediately jumps the line and lands in my favorites box. I'm picky about what ends up in there, so that's not an insult to Sunbird. When you have as many perfumes as I do, you need to be a bit brutal in making those demarcations. Dry down: Oh, now this...this is nice. I'm getting a lot of dry cedar now that this has dried. It's backed up with dry, resins and a hint of something sweet and spicy (the dragon's blood and possible cinnamon are still there, they've just stepped back a bit) and it's beautiful. This is definitely an appropriate scent for the Sunbird. It's warm and dry, a bit spicy. If it were a color, it would be shades of red and orange, like leaping flames, but without the heat. The bottom line: This may turn out to be a favorite after all. I'll probably spend some time wearing this one before I decide which box it belongs in (with the best of the best or with the rest of my LE's), but it's a real keeper. I think I'll be needing a backup bottle since this isn't a permanent scent.

Origin: 5mL bought on LiveJournal. Preconceived notions: I'm expecting something resinous and warm, like dry sand. Maybe with some spice and a bit of musk? First sniff: Citrus? What am I smelling that's citrusy? It's almost lemon-like, but a little orangey, too. I definitely smell resins here, underneath that odd citrus note, and they're lovely. I was expecting something drier and spicier. This citrus vibe is throwing me. Wet on skin: Even stronger lemonish smell than in the bottle. I'm not sure what the "offender" (I say that because I don't like citrus in perfumes) is here, but I wish it would step back so I could smell the lovely, warm resins and spices that are hiding underneath it. Dry down: The citrus fades somewhat as this dries, and I end up with something that has the same liquid resin/amber-colored water vibe I get from King Cobra and Heavenly Love & Earthly Love but with an overlay of almost-lemon. It could be ginger, I suppose, since I get a similar note from White Rabbit, but there's no ginger listed in Cat's notes, so I'm not sure that that's it. This isn't the dark, dry, desert-like scent I was anticipating. Instead it's a bright, golden-yellow scent. It reminds me of some of the Tarot blends, actually. The bottom line: I like the drydown on this and I'll be keeping my bottle, but I'd love this so much more if the mystery citrus note wasn't included.

Origin: 5mL bought on LiveJournal after I developed one of those random, spontaneous instant obsessions with a scent that never caught my eye before. Preconceived notions: I'm not normally a fan of fruity perfumes (March Hare is the exception to the rule and was the very first BPAL scent I developed a random obsession with, and BPAL's plum and blackberry scents often find a loophole, but that's about it). But I did really like the pear in Juliet (which was shocking). I do love vanilla if it's done right (i.e. not cloying or too foody), so there may be some hope for The Perilous Parlor yet, especially since I trust my instincts on these "spontaneous obsession" scents. They almost always end up working out beautifully for reasons I don't understand. First sniff: That's the pear note I like in Juliet! Yay! I was afraid it might be a different pear and that I wouldn't like it (especially since I really don't care for the smell of pear as a general rule), so this is a good start. I'm smelling a little bit of sweet, almost boozy vanilla in the background, but what I'm mainly getting is juicy pear with a hint of syrup to it. Wet on skin: For the first few seconds after The Perilous Parlor hits my skin, I get a strong, juicy pear note. It's not crisp, it's more like a combination of canned pears (with just a touch of light syrup) and fresh, soft, ripe fruit. Then the vanilla starts to really show itself and it quickly overtakes the pear to the point where it smells like vanilla ice cream with little swirls of fresh pear mixed in. There's also something that smells almost like brandy here. Maybe a touch of brandy syrup drizzled over the ice cream? It's not as sweet as I feared, in spite of the ice cream vibe. It's more creamy and cozy smelling than cloying. I like this! Dry down: A mix of soft, almost poached pears, with creamy, almost boozy vanilla and still a hint of something that smells like brandy. The whole impression is of poached pears over creamy, smooth ice cream with a light drizzle of brandy glaze overtop. And yet, strangely, it's not really foody...it's just sweet and cozy and comforting. The bottom line: I don't think you have to be a foody fan (I'm not normally, although there are several notable exceptions to that rule) to enjoy this one. This will be beautiful for wearing around the winter holidays. Another winner picked by my subconscious, which apparently has good taste. Go id, go!

Origin: 5mL from Lilyana. Preconceived notions: The notes in this sound good, but it didn't grab my attention all that much until I read the reviews and saw repeated mentions of it smelling like clove cigarettes. I've spent my entire BPAL fanhood obsessing over the idea of a BPAL scent that smelled like clove cigarettes and nothing else (I'm not a smoker and normally can't stand cigarette smoke, but cloves are a whole different thing, I love the smell of them and their smoke). I thought it was never going to happen. If these reviews are right I'm going to.... First sniff: Oh. My. God. Clove cigarettes. Wet on skin: Seriously, this smells exactly like a combination of burning and unlit clove cigarettes in the best possible way. I don't get any wood at all from this. No cedar, no tumbleweeds (and no dust, either). Just tobacco and clove. Delicious, spicy, warm tobacco and clove. Dry down: This is some strong stuff! I dabbed a little on the back of one hand from the rim just to test it and I can easily smell it while writing this review. I love that because it means I can use less and worry less about using it all up. The drydown on this is everything I could have asked for in a clove cigarettes scent and more, if that's even possible. It's even better than the wet stage. If you're not a fan of the smell of clove cigarettes, definitely steer clear...and you might want to anyway because, you know, more for me that way. This is all clove-tobacco goodness and it is delicious. The bottom line: I have this to say to everyone who wrote reviews mentioning the clove cigarettes scent of Velvet Bandito...

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This sounds like it's made of awesome. I love Snake Oil and I love frankincense. Orris and copal are generally good, too, although copal occasionally goes bad on me. This and Temple Viper were my most lusted after picks in the Snake Pit. First sniff: I don't really smell Snake Oil in here, which is surprising. What I get it a gentle, smooth resin blend. It reminds me in some ways of Heavenly Love & Earthly Love. It has a sort of...liquidness to it. It's hard to describe but both King Cobra and HL & EL give me a sort of synesthetic impression of amber colored water rather than dry resins or incense smoke. It's strange but surprisingly pretty in both cases. Wet on skin: Initially, King Cobra smells the same on my skin as in the bottle and then it suddenly develops a sort of almond-like scent to it (Temple Viper does the same thing, so I'm guessing it's some shared component causing it; I'm 99% sure there's no almond in either one, though, since it doesn't make me queasy) and a sweetness. That stage doesn't last long, which is good, because I really don't like that particular part. Dry down: Soft, smooth, silky resins. I'm still getting that amber-colored water impression. It smells liquid and smooth, slick but not slippery...kind of snake-like, I guess. The Snake Oil never really comes out in this one on me. Instead I get pure resins, which is perfectly fine by me because I'm a diehard resin/incense lover. If I had to compare this to BPAL's other resin scents, I'd say this is most similar to Heavenly Love & Earthly Love on me. It's much silkier and smoother than Penitence and less sweet (and more liquid) than Cathedral. It's nothing like the very deep, dark resin scents like Minotaur and Scattered Gloom. The bottom line: While there were some "uh-oh" moments during the dry-down, this is definitely a winner. I'm not going to be heartbroken when the Snake Pit leaves town with the Carnaval, because BPAL makes several absolutely gorgeous resin blends that I either own already or can get easily (and Heavenly Love & Earthly Love is similar enough to King Cobra that I can find solace there, provided it doesn't get discontinued), but I'm probably going to buy at least one more bottle of this. Probably two or three more because this is a beauty and there's no such thing as too many resin blends.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab (eBay auction). Preconceived notions: I've read the reviews, which is what prompted me to try this one. I adore resin/incense blends, especially the dark, heavy ones, and from what I gather, this is right up my alley. First sniff: Smells a lot like Scattered Gloom, which I really like. This is definitely a very deep, dark, dry resin blend with something menacing and musky in the background. This is a very strong, imposing scent in the bottle. Definitely not for the faint of heart. I can tell this is going to be a "little dab will do you" scent. No slathering necessary or recommended. Wet on skin: Almost identical to Scattered Gloom. Dark, deep, dry and imposing. This is an advanced resin-wearers' blend. You need to get your legs under you on the bunny slopes before tackling this behemoth. Minotaur isn't for beginners or wishy-washy resin-wearers. I can't pick out any of the individual notes here. All I get is an overall impression of darkness, dry, crumbling resins and desolation. And it's beautiful. Dry down: Very deep, strong, nose-prickling resins. This is a very dry scent, not at all sweet like Cathedral. It's even drier than Penitence. Again, the dry down is very similar to Scattered Gloom on me, although Scattered Gloom has a more velvety feel to it while Minotaur is rough and almost abrasive, like something hidden away in a dark corner for years and years, crumbling and dessicating. That doesn't sound good, but it is. If you like this sort of scent. And I do. The bottom line: Right up my alley, but definitely not for anyone other than a dedicated lover of deep resin/incense blends. A tiny little dab is plenty to get a good level of scent, so this one's going to last me quite a while.

Origin: 5mL won on eBay. Preconceived notions: I'm not a foody fan, generally, but there are exceptions. I'm not anti-foody scents. Just selective. I do love the smell of pancakes, though. It's one of my very few foody scent weaknesses. I was a little nervous about the boysenberry, since, if I'm going to wear a pancake scent I want pancakes and non-fruit syrup, but from the reviews it looks like it's non-existent for most people, so I'm hoping it'll be the same for me. Fingers crossed! First sniff: Smells kind of like Sugar Skull. That's unexpected. That's literally only the first sniff, though. After that, the carmelized sugar scent resolves itself into syrup. Lots of syrup. I don't really smell pancakes or butter. Just the syrup. It's not entirely maple and it's not entirely Mrs. Butterworth, either. It's a sort of hybrid of the two. Very sticky sweet, but somehow not terribly cloying. I don't get the huge waft of scent that I get from opening up Sugar Skull, either. This sticks closer to the bottle. Wet on skin: Now the pancakes come out to play! These are fluffy buttermilk pancakes, the homemade kind. And maple syrup. Definitely maple syrup now. There's no boysenberry at all just yet. It's all buttery, syrupy pancakes. And it smells delicious. Dry down: Oh, I love this, even though my mom hates it (she doesn't understand why I'd want to smell like pancakes). It really smells exactly like pancakes with butter and syrup. There's just the tiniest hint of berry in the background. So faint that I doubt I'd have noticed it if I wasn't told it was there. This is such a warm, homey, comforting scent. Not cloying and not too obnoxiously foody. It's definitely sweet and foody, but I don't feel like I smell like I'm edible. More like I've been standing at the stove making cooking up made to order pancakes all morning long, only without the sweatiness and fatigue. The bottom line: This is definitely one of the exceptions to my non-foody scents rule. It smells exactly like what I'd hoped for. Definitely a keeper. Don't be afraid of the goat butter. It's indistinguishable from BPAL's "regular" butter note to my nose and blends in seamlessly with all the other scents to make the perfect buttermilk pancake scent.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I'm definitely not a floral fan by any stretch of the imagination. I do enjoy lilac (on it's own only, never blended) on the very rare occasion (and I cherish my Blue Lilac single note), but that's about it. Florals give me headaches and clash horribly with my personality. In spite of being a stinky hippie at heart, I'm no flower child. Give me patchouli, incense, dirt and wood and I'm happy. That being said, I love the name of this scent, and I think orchids are gorgeous to look at, so I'm kind of hoping in some far off corner of my mind that this works...or maybe not, since it was just discontinued. First sniff: Definitely floral. I'm horrible at picking out floral notes, so I can't say what this smells like (I don't think of orchids as even having a scent, honestly), but it's heady and very billowy smelling. I know that makes no sense. I imagine this scent as a giant cloud of floral fog. This is a "white" floral to my nose. Very intense, but then floral notes do tend to jump out at my nose. Wet on skin: This reminds me of a cross between rose and honeysuckle, I think. It has the sweetness of honeysuckle with the headiness of rose, but it's grander and more enveloping than either is. This is definitely a floral lovers perfume. It has a strong throw and seems to waft up off my hand and right into my nose, which is unfortunate since I'm already developing a headache and it's barely been open for a minute or two. Dry down: This reminds me a lot of a combination of my mom's honeysuckle and gardenia perfumes now. It's still very much a billowy, heady, floral fog kind of scent with an underlying sweetness to it, like honeysuckle nectar. The kind that has a life of its own and wafts around you. It's mature and womanly, but not matronly at all. It's also definitely not me. At all. The bottom line: I'm sure that if I liked florals (and they liked me), that this could be a real winner. I can tell that it's a beautiful scent, but it's not a beautiful scent for me. I'd rather have the dirt that this flower was planted in and maybe some green grass to go along with it. I have to say I'm relieved that this didn't work for me. I don't need to lose any more scents I love.

Skin musk, sugar cane, honey, beeswax, vanilla flower, and copal. Origin: Decant from a generous LJ-er. Preconceived notions: Well, this one is one of the more promising of the line for me (none of them really grab me, thankfully...I just can't imagine having to tell someone that I'm wearing Giant Vulva or Beanman & Beanwoman Prepare to Attack The Vagina, because, knowing my luck, it'd be my mother-in-law asking and she'd be all kinds of shocked and offended). I love skin musk and sugar cane and beeswax are good, honey is fine in moderation, copal is hit or miss, but the vanilla flower is iffy at best (and hopefully nearly absent here). I don't really do florals. We'll see how this pans out. First sniff: Figures the first thing that jumps out at me is "flowers!!!" If there's any in a blend, I smell them strongly most of the time, probably because I don't want to smell them strongly. Same goes for almond, which, thankfully, is absent here. But, yes, in the imp I smell florals. I also smell creamy beeswax, honey and copal, but I get distracted by the florals of doom (AKA vanilla flower) lurking in here and it's hard to focus on them. I'm thinking the copal here might not play well with me, either, because it's doing that weird tickle in the throat thing that I get from it (and certain other notes) sometimes. Wet on skin: The main players here on my skin are copal and honey, but the vanilla flower is still definitely making an appearance, too. The sugar cane and skin musk are essentially MIA, or possibly drowned out by the other notes and the beeswax is likely hiding behind the much stronger copal and honey. This is a very sweet, golden scent with a headiness to it that's giving me a little stabby pain behind my eyes. I can see that other people would think this is a lovely scent, but it's just the type that doesn't agree with me on a purely olfactory level as well as on a "no head pain" level. Dry down: Very floral and perfumey with strong copal backing it up. I'm not sure why copal is so iffy for me. I love most resinous scents, but it just messes with my head (literally) and makes me a tiny bit nauseated a lot of the time. The drydown on this is ultra feminine, creamy and golden. It's not a bad scent by any means, it's just really not working for me. That happens a lot with super feminine scents. I tend to prefer gender neutral to masculine, although there are many exceptions to that rule. The bottom line: Not for me, but I'm glad I got to try my decant. I can see this being a real winner for lovers of ultra-feminine, heady scents. It's sweet and perfumey and lovely in it's way. It's just really not working for me, personally.