Penance

Origin: 5mL bought on LJ. Preconceived notions: This is only the second of the 13 blends that I've tried. The other was the original version, which I didn't care for. I've been waffling on trying this one because it sounds like it could be good or could go really, really wrong on me. I've learned fairly recently that BPAL's dark chocolate is amazing on me, so that gives me some hope, as do the raw vanilla (sounds awesome), black incense and resins (I'm an incense/resin fiend). The herbs should be fine and the prune should be okay, too, but the flowers have me a bit worried since I'm a floral hater. Truth be told, I'm having a hard time envisioning what this is going to smell like, but I'm excited to try it. The label art is awesome, too. Love the tentacles. First sniff: Unique! This is definitely not something you'd find in a department store or drugstore. This is the essence of BPAL to me. A strange combination of scents that somehow works. I couldn't tell you what's in this without the notes in front of me, other than to say that I smell chocolate quite strongly, along with a touch of vanilla (it's not a candy vanilla, though, it really does smell more like vanilla beans/pods) and...something else. The background is completely impossible for me to tease apart. I don't smell resins/incense, florals or herbs. I just smell a sort of dark, swirling scent that's impossible for me to classify. It smells kind of like what I imagine the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel might smell like...only without the gingerbread. Wet on skin: This reminds me a bit of Dia De Los Muertos, which I suppose isn't that surprising since they both have chocolate and a mish-mash of other notes that could smell similar. I like this more than DDLM on me, though. 13 is darker, stronger on the cocoa and much lighter on the florals, but the feel is similar. The chocolate note is what's making me compare them, I think. Both have a chocolate scent that's not just chocolate. There's something else backing it up that's vaguely fruity, just a little bit floral and slightly herbal. It's hard to describe but pretty in an offbeat way. I like it better in 13 than I do in DDLM, though. Dry down: The drydown on this 13 seems to depend on how heavily I apply it. If I apply with a very light hand, I get quite a bit of vanilla (a true vanilla that smells like the real deal, not a candy vanilla) and not a lot else. If I apply more heavily, I get mostly chocolate with that indefinable background from the bottle and wet stages. It's kind of fruity (but not in a juicy way), kind of herbal and a little bit dry, dusty and resinous. I don't think this is a scent you can really explain. You need to smell it to understand, because there's so much going on here and it's so discordant (and yet everything works together). The bottom line: This is one of those weird, complex scents that screams "BPAL!" to me. It's unique and strangely pretty. I really like it, but it's not something I'd wear every day. A huge improvement over the original 13 to my nose, although I know that the original was a big hit with some people. I have a feeling that if I were to try every version in the 13 series, this would be my favorite of the bunch, although I can't prove that since I've only tried two.

Not going out anywhere tonight, so I just picked something that sounded good. Twice. I'm wearing The Black Rider on my wrists and then Panther Moon on the top of my hands since I had to test it (smelled too good in the tester to not put some on). They actually smell quite nice together.

Origin: Tester from Dark Alice. Preconceived notions: Panther Moon sounds like it could be an instant perma-fave scent for me. Everything in here other than the anise is perfect and, from the reviews, it sounds like it could be absolutely amazing on me. I'm terrified that the anise is going to ruin it, but I'm so excited about trying this that it's ridiculous. I'm almost hoping I hate it because I can't seem to find a bottle for sale anywhere and I missed out on its release during my BPAL hiatus. I'm kicking myself for not having come back just a little earlier. First sniff: Gloriously dark and incensey. This smells like the inside of a mixed box of incense, heavy on the nag champa, mixed with deep, dark black musk. It's instant nostalgia (it reminds me of the best of my college years) and instant love. If it smells as good on me as it does in the tester, then Panther Moon may become my most coveted, "must acquire" scent. Wet on skin: I can't pick out many of the notes here. To me, Panther Moon just smells gloriously incensey. It really does smell like the inside of an incense chest. That heady mix of different resins that pushes all my buttons in the best possible way. The primary scent here is nag champa. And strong nag champa at that. I've heard that it's one of those love it or hate it incense scents and I happen to love it. I also get some black musk and maybe a little bit of myrrh, but mainly it's nag champa. Musky nag champa. And it's glorious. Dry down: This is some strong perfume! I love that! Very, very close to the tester/wet scent. The only difference is that I get a bit of spice (ginger and just the tiniest touch of anise) on the drydown. Panther Moon is still incense heaven, mixed with dark musk, but now with a touch of spice. The bottom line: This is so good I could cry. It's everything I've ever wanted in a headshop incense scent and more. I'm in stinky hippie incense heaven. I've been waiting for a scent like this. And I can't find a bottle to save my life. Which seems to be the way it goes with me.

Origin: 5mL from spiresinthesnow. Preconceived notions: I've had my eye on this one for a while now and kept putting off trying it. Everything in here other than the leather should be a nearly guaranteed win (unless the amber turns to baby powder). Leather is an iffy note for me, though. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I love it and sometimes it makes me a little sick (which I assume is because I stopped buying leather for moral reasons years ago and the smell weirds me out at times). The Black Rider has the potential to be perfect for me, though, so I'm looking forward to trying it. First sniff: Tobacco, soft leather and a tiny touch of amber. It's not the usual amber note that I get from the Lab, though. It's definitely a darker scent, in terms of feeling, rather than actual smell. I like the darkness of this scent. It's not dark the same way vetiver and resins can be. Instead it's sort of gloomy and mysterious. Wet on skin: The leather puts in more of an appearance once it hits my skin. It's a soft leather, suede-like and old, not fresh, new and shiny. It's not like Dead Man's Hand, though. Worn-in, but not dried out and cracked. I still get plenty of tobacco and amber, too, and just a touch of resin. I love this. It's gender neutral, soft and lovely. Dry down: Sweeter and more blended. I still get all the notes, but everything swirls together to make a scent that's dark and mysterious but soft, like well-worn velvet. The tobacco and leather are the main players here, but the soft amber puts in a strong background appearance. The resin is very faint. I absolutely love this. The bottom line: I'm so glad I tried this one. It turned out to be an instant favorite and I see it getting a lot of wear. I think it would smell awesome on my husband, too, but he's not much of a scent-wearer and I'm keeping this one all for myself.

I don't find them similar at all. Grass smells like...well, grass. It's a very strong, green, fresh-cut grass scent with a bit of herbalness to me. Boy, I'm turning into the comparison naysayer here.

Origin: 5mL from MotherKat. Preconceived notions: There was a time not so long ago that any scent with coffee in it was an instant "no" for me. I wouldn't even try them (unless they came my was lagniappe and even then it was iffy). But lately I've been finding that coffee scents can work and work well on me and I'm much more open-minded about trying them as long as the other notes are ones that work for me. But I'm still a little nervous about Velvet Dogs Playing Poker. I think my hesitation is as much about the tonka as it is the coffee. Tonka's had the potential to go very wrong on me lately for reasons I don't understand, so I get a little gun-shy around it. But Velvet Dogs sounds good in spite of the potential for disaster and I'm looking forward to trying it in spite of my reservations. First sniff: Dusty wood, coffee and smoke. This is going to sound like an insult, but it's not, I swear. Velvet Dogs makes me think of the VFW hall my grandpa spent all his free time in when I was little. It always smelled like smoke, coffee and old wood with an overlay of dust. And as strange as it must sound, it's not a bad scent at all. This is a nostalgic scent for me in the bottle, although I'm sure that not everyone would find it appealing. Wet on skin: Harsh, smoky coffee (slightly scorched smelling, like it's been in the pot too long), dusty wood and smoke. It's very similar to the bottle scent, but just a little more rough around the edges. I genuinely like this, although I can definitely see my husband turning his nose up at it. That's par for the course with the scents I like, though, generally. We have very different tastes in scent. Dry down: Velvet Dogs smooths out quite nicely as it dries down. The scorched, stale coffee smell is gone, the smoke has sweetened considerably and I'm left with a nice, sweet pipe smoke (a combination of tonka and the sweet, smooth scent of burning pipe tobacco), coffee and wood scent. It's still slightly dusty, but nowhere near as much as when it's wet. I don't get the Irish part of the Irish coffee in this. I don't smell Bailey's and I don't smell whiskey (which rules out both types) and instead I just get regular coffee. It's a fairly masculine scent, but definitely not unwearable for a woman (obviously, since I'm wearing and enjoying it). The bottom line: I really like this! Another coffee scent winner. I think I may be a convert. In the hierarchy of my newly-discovered favorite BPAL coffee scents, Velvet Dogs Playing Poker ranks below The Arabian Dance and Misk U v3 and above Misk U. It's fairly different than any of them, though, thanks to the addition of the wood and pipe smoke. Definitely a keeper, although I'm fairly sure that it's not going to be a scent that everyone around me enjoys. That's business as usual with my preferred scents, though.

I also don't get any vetiver at all from Jungle. And I really like vetiver. Jungle's a sort of non-descript fruity green scent to me.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I originally passed on this because the coffee and hazelnut scared me (and leather is hit or miss; sometimes I love it and sometimes it makes me a little queasy). I can't stand the smell of coffee, but I'm learning that BPAL's coffee scents can and sometimes do work for me, so I softened that stance after trying (and really) liking both Miskatonic University and Miskatonic University v3. I also hate nut scents, but as long as the hazelnut isn't overpowering, I think it'll be fine. First sniff: Whoa, coffee! Seriously, this is ground coffee plus a bit of leather. It's dark and almost smoky and surprisingly appealing to a coffee hater like me. I love the darkness of this in the bottle. Wet on skin: Identical to the bottle scent. Deep, dark coffee and a little bit of leather. It's a little bit smoky, a little bit leathery and a lot of coffee. It makes me think of well-worn leather chairs in someone's personal library, mixed with the smell of fresh-brewed coffee and unbrewed ground coffee bits. Dry down: Oh, this is good. This is really, really good. I can see why people are going crazy for The Arabian Dance now. I agree that this is the leather note from Spanked, but I don't find them very similar otherwise. The Arabian Dance (on me), is soft, smoky leather, dark, rich coffee and just a touch of spice and tobacco. It's a dark, serious blend. And I love it! The bottom line: I thought I might like this, given my changing attitude toward coffee, but I didn't think it was going to be a favorite. Well...it is. I had to order a few more bottles because this one's going to be one of those scents I wear year 'round.

Invasion of the Flesh-Eating Reindeer for Christmas Eve. Christmas day is going to be The Arabian Dance, which smells amazing in the bottle. Hopefully it smells just as awesome on me! We'll find out in the morning!

Origin: 5mL bought on LJ. Preconceived notions: This one intrigues me, but it has the potential to go wrong on me. Leather is a hit or miss note for me (since I stopped wearing leather years ago, the smell of it can sometimes make me a little queasy) and metal is generally not so great on me. But labdanum is generally good (although I couldn't explain what it smells like) and myrrh is always good. I'm more hopeful because of the reviews than I am because of the listed notes. I love patchouli and I like vetiver quite a bit, too, although I seem to be the only person I know who does, so I don't wear it as often as I'd like. It took me a while to track down Kroenen, but I had to get a bottle when the opportunity to get it cheap presented itself. First sniff: I smell vetiver very strongly here, but based on my experience with Priala, I'm thinking that it might just be the myrrh I'm smelling. There's apparently one kind of myrrh that smells very similar to vetiver to my nose. Kroenen is ashy, dark and slightly earthy right out of the bottle. It's right up my alley, but I can see my family being repelled by it at this point. Not that that would stop me from wearing it. It would just mean that I wouldn't wear it all the time or at family gatherings. Wet on skin: Strong vetiver/myrrh at first and then a metallic, almost chemical note creeps in. It's strange and oddly menacing smelling, although I can't pin down why it feels that way to me. Kroenen is truly weird at this point. It reminds me almost of Geek mixed with Bed of Nails with a dash of Tarot: Death thrown in for good measure. Dry down: Kroenen is a morpher. No doubt about it. As it dries, the leather slowly amps up until it's a dominant part of the scent. It's an unusual leather, too, almost oily or greasy smelling...motor oil or heavy black grease, but very faint. I also get that strange, almost chemical metal scent (I think it may be the metal combining with the leather that I'm smelling), but it's much fainter at this point. The myrrh (or vetiver) is still there, but it's hiding behind the leather, adding a strange smokiness. The bottom line: I like Kroenen a lot, but it's definitely a strange scent. It feels weirdly foreboding somehow, but in a good way. Very evocative, although not evocative of pleasant things (unless you're into weird, probably painful experiments and men in leather masks, which some people are). I love BPAL's offbeat, creepy scents and this definitely fits the bill. I don't think I'll be wearing Kroenen to any family gatherings, but it's earned a place in my collection for sure.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab (which is awesome since it was on my list of scents to try). Preconceived notions: This one scares me a little. I love patchouli with a passion and I like musk (never tried indigo musk, but it sounds intriguing), plum and benzoin. The rose geranium and jasmine scare me, though. I hate florals and jasmine has been known to give me migraines. I'm really hoping this leans more toward the musk and benzoin end and away from the florals. First sniff: What a weird scent. I definitely smell musk, but it's not like any musk I can remember smelling before. It's soft, slightly powdery and kind of fuzzy (or maybe feathery, which would be appropriate). It's unique and I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet. I swear I'm also smelling pennyroyal (or mint; it's minty, but not like a true mint), even though it's not listed in the notes. I'm not really getting much of anything other than pennyroyal-ish musk. Wet on skin: Powdery, dusty, kind of fluffy musk (it really does smell kind of dark blue to me, but I think that's the power of suggestion) and even stronger pennyroyal/mint. I have no clue where that's coming from. I'm not sure what rose geranium smells like (roses?), so I guess that could be it. I don't get any rose like other people seem to be getting, which is a really good thing. Dry down: This was just okay during the wet and bottle stages but I really like it on the drydown. It takes a while, but The Night-Raven turns into a medium-dark musk scent with just a touch of patchouli. It's still a bit powdery, but maybe powdery isn't the right word. Fluffy, maybe? It reminds me of dusty feathers, actually, but that might be the power of suggestion. The bottom line: The Night-Raven is a really unique scent. I don't think I've ever smelled anything quite like it and I definitely don't own anything similar to it. I think this one might be one of those scents where skin chemistry plays a big part in how it smells, because I'm not getting the same sort of scent that other people are getting. And I'm glad about that, because rose soap would be made of fail.

Origin: Imp from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I love patchouli, oakmoss and mushroom, but I'm not totally sure how I feel about fig. I'm thinking that it's one of those scents that I'm learning to love, but I've had some bad experiences with fig in the past, so I'm hoping that this isn't another fig-induced failure. First sniff: Definitely fig. It's a slightly earthy scent, but the main player is definitely fig. It's fruity but not fresh or juicy. It reminds me of dried figs and it actually smells really good. It's hard to tease out the oakmoss, patchouli and mushroom here since they're being overpowered by OMG FIG, but they're in there, lurking and adding a bit of depth. Wet on skin: This one's no morpher. I get the same deep and slightly earthy fig. It's a dark scent, very intense. Dry down: There's not really much to say that hasn't been said. This is exactly the same for me, from imp to drydown. And I really like it. I think I actually may be coming to love the Lab's fig note (as long as it's combined with other notes that I like). I'm not much of a fruity scent fan, but fig really works for me. I guess it's time to stop being afraid of scents that include it. The bottom line: I really like this one. I was worried I was going to hate the fruitiness of the fig, but it turns out that this one's a real winner. I just ordered a bottle and I see it getting plenty of wear.

Origin: 5mL bought on LJ. Preconceived notions: I've been waffling on this one ever since I came back to the Land of BPAL (which is a magical place with patchouli-scented kittens and marshmallow unicorns; a lot of fun for the whole family, as long as the whole family is open-minded). From the notes, this sounds like it could be one of those rare foody scents that I really love, although the berry cream has me worried (if it's raspberry or blackberry, I'll be happy, but something like strawberry would be bad). It's the reviews that have me the most concerned. I can't stand the smell of lemon, so if Left His Nurse is indeed heavy on the lemon, this is going to be an epic fail. First sniff: Chocolate cake (and milk chocolate frosting) with just a hint of cream and fruit. I couldn't tell you what kind of berry this is. It's just...berry. It smells nice, whatever it is. I don't think it's strawberry, but it's so faint that it's hard to tell. I don't smell any tea yet. I could be getting some musk, but mainly it's chocolate cake and frosting. Wet on skin: Lemon! Seriously, the second Left His Nurse touches my skin I get assaulted with a full-on onslaught of lemony evil. It's not lemon poundcake (which wouldn't be so bad; I can tolerate the smell of things like lemon poppyseed and orange cake). It's just lemon. Bright, tart lemon. And it's strong. I hate it when an unlisted note that I hate pops up and ruins an otherwise good scent. I can still smell some of the chocolate cake and frosting underneath, but it's being overwhelmed unless I sniff right up against my skin (getting a noseful of citrus in the process). If you're a citrus fan, I'm sure you'd think this was lovely. I, however, am not a citrus fan. Dry down: The lemon has mostly calmed down now, but I can still smell it, mixing with the chocolate cake, frosting and (finally) a small bit of black tea. The berry disappeared, never to be heard from again after its appearance in the bottle. The musk, however, is here. But I only really notice it because I know it's there. It's low key and sticks close to my skin, making this scent just a touch less foody and more grown-up. The bottom line: I actually like Left His Nurse quite a bit once the lemon backs down, although I'd really prefer if there wasn't any lemon at all. I may end up wearing this in a scent locket, since I don't smell the lemon until it hits my skin. But then I'll be sacrificing the musk, since I don't smell it in the bottle, either. I'll probably end up wearing this both ways. On the skin for the musk and in the locket if I'm not feeling tolerant of the citrus of doom. Edit: Typing fail.

Origin: 5mL from occurs. Preconceived notions: I love incense. Any kind of incense, but especially incense that makes me think of a church or a headshop. Cypress should be fine, too. The only thing that worries me here here is the blood. I'm not a fan of the scent of blood (or of the scent of metallics, for that matter, and blood has a coppery smell). Even if it were dragon's blood, it would be iffy, since I tend to think dragon's blood smells like a cross between flowers and cherry syrup. So I'm hoping for the best, but I'm prepared for Valentine of Rome to possibly go wrong on me. First sniff: Clove?! No...carnation. That's all I'm smelling here and it...is...strong. There's no clove or carnation listed in the notes on this, so either I'm misinterpreting something here or it's just one of those unlisted notes that come up in BPAL scents now and then. I see that voodoocatwoman also got clove, so I guess it's not just me, although I tend to think that this is carnation (and a very strong carnation at that), that I'm smelling. It reminds me of another BPAL scent, but I can't place it just yet. Wet on skin: Spicy carnation. Straight up. It reminds me a bit of Clemence and a bit of my experimental blend (which smells like pure spicy carnation to me and reminds me of Lush's Potion/Ruby Red Slippers). And it's not working for me at this point. Carnation is sometimes okay, but it tends to give me a headache. Dry down: I'm finally getting some dry incense here, but mostly I'm still getting super strong, spicy carnation. I don't get any cypress. I don't get any blood. I get spicy florals and a bit of incense. And a headache. The bottom line: I was hoping this would work, but expecting it to be wrong for me in some way, but not for it to go wrong like this. Maybe my nose is broken and there's no carnation (or clove) in this, but that's virtually all I can smell. I guess Valentine will be moving onto a new home since it's not working for me. And I'll continue my search for new resin/incense blends to add to my collection.

Origin: 1/2 5mL bought on Livejournal. Preconceived notions: I passed the Nutcracker by when making my Christmas order because of the fig. Fig is an iffy note for me (as are pretty much all fruit notes, if they're not outright dealbreakers), but I love all things resinous and incensey, so I caved when a half bottle came up for sale. I'm really hoping that the fig is either virtually unnoticeable in this or that it ends up blending so much with the incense notes that it doesn't smell like actual fruit. I do think that this one could be a real winner, if the fig behaves itself. First sniff: Mmm, incense! Church incense, to be exact. It's resinous, slightly dry and slightly sweet. It reminds a little bit of Cathedral, but without the cedar note that Cathedral has to it. It's also somewhat green smelling (the galbanum, I'm sure). Almost like very fresh sap or snapped green twigs. It's a beautiful scent. Deep and dark, but also somewhat fresh smelling. Incense lovers are going to like this one a lot, I think. Wet on skin: Lots of frankincense and a little galbanum. It's a very dry resin blend and not sweet at all on me. This stage reminds me less of Cathedral and more of Midnight Mass. It has a similar sap-like note to it, under the dry frankincense. I still don't get any fig at this point, which is fine by me. Dry down: This is really nice once it's dry. Still predominately incense, dry and ever-so-slightly peppery/spicy. I do get a bit of fig at this point...or at least what I think is the fig. It's very slightly sweet, but not really fruity. Instead I just get a dark, rich, sweetness that blends nicely with the frankincense and galbanum. This makes me think of the Tarot blends for some reason. It's not a Christmas-type scent to me, really. It's deep, dark and mysterious smelling with a nice smoothness from the fig. It still makes me think of churches, but also of dimly lit occult stores, velvet curtains and incene smoke. The bottom line: I'm really enjoying this one and I'll almost definitely buy another bottle or two. I'm glad I gave into my BPAL-related impulsiveness. For some reason the vast majority of the spur of the moment, "never appealed to me before now" scents I buy end up being winners. Evidently, my id knows more about my taste in scents than the conscious parts of my mind do.

Origin: 5mL from Scrappy. Preconceived notions: This one was an impulse buy. I'd never really paid any attention to it before I saw it listed for sale and I'm more than a little worried that it's going to hate me. Everything but the star jasmine in here should (in theory, at least) work well on me, although I'm not entirely sure how much I like pink musk, since I've only tried one scent (Mlle. Lilith) with it as a note and I'm not entirely sure what it smells like. Jasmine, though, I know the smell of. And I don't like it. It's one of those headache-inducing florals I'm so averse to wearing. So I'm hoping the other notes in this overpower the jasmine, because I think Vasilissa really could be beautiful, even on a grown-up tomboy like me. First sniff: The very first time I sniffed this, it was straight out of a cold package and all I got was skin musk. Light, delicate, slightly powdery. And pretty. The second time I sniffed it, I'd let Vasilissa set a while to warm up and I get a lot of pink musk. I definitely recognize it from Mlle. Lilith, although I was under the impression that the fruitiness I was smelling in Mlle. Lilith was the actual fruit notes. Apparently I was wrong. This is pink musk and it's decidedly fruity. It's red musks much younger and more innocent sister. Wet on skin: Fruity musk. Almost bubblegum fruity, which is definitely not my style. Not at all. But I'm going to guess that it'll settle down once it dries, because red musk scents do something similar on me. Dry down: Much different and definitely better. I get a lot of slightly powdery skin musk and the lightest touch of amber and sandalwood, with something very, very slightly floral in the background. I don't think I'd even have pegged it as floral if I didn't know there was jasmine in this, to be honest. Vasilissa is innocent smelling, but not girlish. Instead it smells like an innocent young woman. The bottom line: Vasilissa is pretty, but it's not really a "me" kind of scent and I'm not sure if I'll end up wearing it much because it just somehow skews too far towards the feminine to really be something I'd wear often. I think I'll keep my bottle around for a while and see how I feel about it later. I may end up keeping it and I may not. Hard to say at this point.

I agree that Rose Red is the perfect realistic rose scent. I hate rose perfumes, but Rose Red is about as close as I could ever come to wearing one. It smells like fresh, unopened roses to me, complete with the stem.

Origin: 5mL bought on Livejournal. Preconceived notions: For reasons I don't quite understand, I'm a fan of milk and cream scents. And the idea of a goat's milk scent fascinates me, especially in combination with myrrh (which I love) and fig (which I'm neutral about). I think this could be really unique and really awesome. Or it could be an epic failure. It depends on just how goaty the goat's milk is, I think. First sniff: Mmm, I like this! It's most definitely not the standard BPAL milk or cream note. It's not sweet. It's very strong, slightly musky and a bit on the pungent side. It's also very realistic. Scents that remind me of farms are happy scents for me and Nonae Caprotina reminds me of a farm, only without the manure and other unpleasant smells. I don't get anything other than goat's milk, straight out of the bottle. No fig, no myrrh. Just milk. Wet on skin: Definitely a scent to apply with a light hand. I dabbed this on from the cap and that little dot was plenty strong. Wet on my skin, it's the same as the bottle. Rich, heavy goat's milk. It has a very unique smell to it that's a bit hard to describe if you've never smelled it before. The best I can do to describe it is to say that it's like milk with added butter that's starting to smell just a little bit sour, mixed with some musk. But in a good way. Dry down: I never do get anything but milk from this, which is just a little bit disappointing (I would have loved to have gotten some myrrh and even some fig from this), but in spite of that, I really like this and it works. It's one of the simplest BPAL scents I've come across but it's utterly unique. Definitely not something you're going to find from a mainstream perfume company. Wearing this scent makes me feel like a freshly-scrubbed, freckle-cheeked farm girl out milking the goats (again, without the manure smell that tends to go along with that). It's a comforting scent, although not in the traditional sense. The bottom line: I think Nonae Caprotina may be one of those love it or hate it scents, because I can definitely see where my love could be someone else's hate. It's an intense scent and an unusual one, but it really works for me. I don't think I'll need more than one bottle because a little goes a long way, but I'll definitely be getting plenty of use out of it.

Origin: 2 5mL's bought on Livejournal (totally impulsive unsniffed scent purchase the first time and then "What if I love it and don't see another reasonably priced bottle?!" the second time...before even trying the first one). Preconceived notions: I have to admit that this didn't really sound that appealing to me until I read the reviews and, even having read them, I'm still unsure about whether The Elephantine Colossus will be a win or fail for me. I really, really like red musk but while I love to drink rootbeer, I don't really want to smell like it. I have no clue what pipeweed is, even after looking it up on teh interwebz (all I got was Lord of the Ring references). The "whiff of sweets" could be promising if it smells like Midway, which some reviews seem to suggest that it does. First sniff: Red musk. That's about it. I find that fresh red musk tends to overwhelm most other things for me, at least if it's a major component. If I sniff hard, I do get sweetness here, but I couldn't tell you what the sweetness is. Honestly, it smells kind of like The Soldier in the bottle (at least at this young age; I think that with some aging they'll smell vastly different.) Wet on skin: Interesting. At first EC is all red musk (kind of fruity, sweet and sensual but almost childish in some ways), but then I get hit with red musk, buttered popcorn with a touch of salt and something sweet that could be rootbeer. If I didn't know this had rootbeer in it, I doubt I'd be able to pin it down, though. It's just a sort of indefinable sweetness with just a touch of something vaguely spicy. I could do without the buttered popcorn (I really don't want to smell like a movie theater), but other than that, this is nice. Dry down: Still predominately red musk, but backed with a Midway-type mishmosh of carnival treats. It doesn't smell like any one carnival food in particular. More like if you took a walk down the concession stand line and smelled a little bit of everything. Popcorn, funnel cakes, rootbeer (the really good kind they serve at rootbeer stands, not the cheap, mass-produced stuff), cotton candy, maybe even caramel or candy apples (although I don't smell the apple part, just the sugary sweetness). I have no idea if I'm smelling any pipeweed, since I have no clue what it smells like, but I don't get anything smoky, tobacco-ish or plant-like, so I'm guessing I'm not smelling it. Unless it doesn't smell like any of those things. The bottom line: I really like The Elephantine Colossus right now, but I think I'm going to really love it once it's aged and the red musk has had a chance to mature. If you like Snake Oil or Smut and Midway or CD023, then The Elephantine Colossus is almost definitely going to be a winner for you, too.

Origin: 5mL from paperrose. Preconceived notions: This is one of those blends that sounds custom made just for me. Every single note in this screams my name. I love incense. I love deep, dark woods like mahogany and ebony. And I love pipe smoke. On the other hand, I haven't had the best luck possible with the Dogs Playing Poker series for some reason. There seems to be something ever-so-slightly "off" in all the ones I've tried that keeps them from being phenomenal on me. I have extremely high hopes for Riding the Goat, though. Fingers crossed! First sniff: Okay, so I first opened this when it arrived in the mail and figured it needed to rest, because it didn't smell like I expected. Not at all, although it didn't smell bad. So I set it aside for a week or so to recover from its (no doubt traumatic) journey through the postal system. It helped, but not as much as I'd like. Instead of the rich, deep wood, incense and pipe smoke I expected, I get...powder. A lot of powder. It could be a particularly strong musk, because my nose interprets some musks that way, but there's no musk listed in the ingredients. But (as I've mentioned a million times) I don't give up on a scent just because it smells off in the bottle. Onto the skin it goes! Wet on skin: Slightly better, but I'm still getting predominately powder. A really strong powder. It's musky, too, but not animal musky...more like old lady's dusting powder musky. I don't smell any wood in here, no incense and no pipe smoke. And I'm so completely confused because apparently I'm the only one getting this sort of scent from Riding the Goat. Is my nose broken? Is my brain? Dry down: Again, a little better. I get the lightest touch of dark wood now, but still no incense and no pipe smoke. All I can think is that there's some sort of very strong musk in here that's not listed in the notes and that that's all I can smell. It's very powdery. This is seriously heartbreaking for me. I lusted after Riding the Goat to the point of madness and I love, love, love the artwork. But apparently we just weren't meant to be. The bottom line: I wanted to love this. Oh, how I wanted to love this. And I thought maybe it would turn out alright when it was new and I could almost convince myself that I liked it even though it wasn't what I was imagining. But it's not alright. My bottle found a new home with someone who can hopefully love it more than I did.

Origin: 5mL bought on LJ. Preconceived notions: This is one of those scents that's flown under my radar for...well, forever, practically. The artwork is awesome (and made me want it just for that) and all but one note (bitter clove) is absolutely perfect for me. Patchouli, musk and mahogany? Sign me up! But I'm afraid of the clove. To be more exact, I'm afraid of the fact that it says bitter clove. I love clove, but I hate anything bitter smelling. My only other experience with bitter clove (as far as I can remember), was with Dracul, which I liked except for the weird bitter undertone, which had to have been the clove. So I'm hopeful, but not too hopeful about The Smiling Spider. It could be a dream come true or it could be a dream crusher, and it all hinges on the clove and just how bitter it is. First sniff: Why did I wait so long to try this?! It smells wonderful! Not bitter at all at this point. I get clove (it's definitely different than the Lab's sweet clove note, which I'm very familiar with since I own a bottle of the single note) and it's definitely not sweet, but it's not really bitter, either. Dry might be a better term for it. It smells dry the way dry incense does. Kind of hard to describe. Although the clove is by far the strongest note out of the gate, I do smell some deep, dark musky, musty wood (the patchouli and mahogany combining). If I didn't have the notes, I think I would say that this is clove (not sweet clove, though) with something deep and musty in the background. It is fairly similar to clove cigarettes as others have noted, but not as dead on identical as Velvet Bandito is. The Smiling Spider lacks the sweetness and slight cinnamon scent I get from clove cigarettes. Wet on skin: True to the bottle scent for a few minutes and then it suddenly becomes noticeably bitter, but only if my nose is close to the oil. From further away, it still smells like it did in the bottle. This stage makes me nervous, but as long as it smells good at a normal smelling distance (my perfume doesn't generally get smelled from an inch away by anyone other than me, snuffling myself unashamedly). Dry down: Oh, so good! Once the wet stage passes, the bitterness goes with it and the mahogany, patchouli and musk finally make an appearance. At this point, it's still predominately spicy, but it's got a really nice, deep musky/woody mustiness to it. It's a dark, mysterious scent and it's delicious. This immediately jumped to the top of my "favorite Salon scents" list thanks to this gorgeous drydown. The bottom line: Love this! The wet stage is a little touch and go, but once it dries down, it's glorious. If you love dark and spicy, non-foody scents, then this is right up your alley. As a side note, it also smells pretty similar to the Goblin of Yuletide Yet to Come atmo spray from a couple years back, even though the only note they share is clove. They both come off as a spicy, musky dark wood scent to my nose and, while they're not identical, they're close relatives. And that makes me super happy since I love Yuletide Yet to Come and always wish I could wear it as perfume when I'm spritzing my bedroom with it.

So....I may be crazy, but The Goblin of Yuletide Yet to Come and The Smiling Spider are similar to my nose. I couldn't figure out what The Smiling Spider reminded me of until I spritzed my bed with Yet to Come while wearing it. They're not identical, but they're similar. That makes me happy. Very, very happy. Because I love Yet to Come and would love to wear it as a perfume. Now I can wear The Smiling Spider and be happy. Strangely enough, the only note they have in common is clove. I guess the patchouli and mahogany in The Smiling Spider are mimicking the incense notes in TGOYYTC, or the other way around, I guess. Mainly, I get rich, woody clove from both.

Origin: Decant from dangerinred. Preconceived notions: I've tried the released version of MB: Underbed and thought it was nice enough but not amazing. Closet stole the show there. Underbed just doesn't wow me. But when I saw it mentioned that the proto version smells like coffee cake (or snickerdoodles), I had to have it. Even when I'd never get within 10 feet of a foody scent, I loved the smell of a very select few foody smells and coffee cake was one of them. God, I love the smell of it...it's making me hungry just thinking about it... Anyway, back to what I was saying. If Underbed v1 really does smell like coffee cake, it'll be a show stopper, I'm sure of it. Snickerdoodles are good, too, but I could take them or leave them when it comes to smelling like them. And I know, there's not a lot of difference between the two, but to me it makes all the difference in the world. Strange as that is. First sniff: Coffee cake! The kind with lots of cinnamon brown sugar crumbly topping on it. Which is the only kind of coffee cake I like. This smells soooo good. It's similar in some ways to Bedbug, but where Bedbug is more of a cookie scent, MB: Underbed is clearly a dense coffee cake/pastry scent to my nose. Plus, Bedbug has a bit of a citrusy zing to it from the ginger that's lacking here. I don't remember the released version of Underbed smelling anything like this, so it would seem that there were some significant changes between v1 and the release. I could be wrong, though, because the last time I tried it was around the time they came out and that was years ago. Wet on skin: I get a big blast of cinnamon and other baking spices as soon as this hits my skin and it starts smelling more like snickerdoodles. It's a very spicy scent when it's wet on my skin. In fact, it's almost all spice, with just a little (vanilla) cake or cookie in the background (it's hard to say, considering the fact that the spices are doing everything in their power to completely overwhelm it). I still like it at this point, but I'm hoping that the coffee cake scent comes back. Dry down: And...it's back! This smells like a combination of those little cinnamon crumb cakes that you get in vending machines combined with cinnamon struesel coffee cake. In fact, it makes me think that Aunt Jemima and Little Debbie somehow managed to get together and have a (delicious, delicious) baby in spite of their both being female (and inanimate and therefore unable to bear cinnamon-scented children, at least not without the miracles of modern science and/or a new, and probably pretty strange, ad campaign). It's just a little buttery, nice and spicy cinnamony sugary and cakey, all at the same time. And it smells awesome. The bottom line: I don't wear foody scents every day. Not even close. But when I do feel like wearing one, this is the kind of foody scent that I want to wear. Anything that makes me want to eat my own arm wins my foody stamp of approval. Now if this weren't so hard to track down, I'd be in self-cannibalism-inducing foody scent heaven. ETA: I don't get any cocoa at all from this, so I'm not sure if it's just my nose or a skin chemistry thing. Pure coffee cake, baby, no chocolate in sight!

Thanks for the input! I figured it's just a sensitivity since it's not more severe. Hopefully it doesn't progress into something worse with repeated exposures, but I doubt it will. I'm not sensitive to cassia, cardamom or pepper AFAIK since I have scents with all of them that don't bother me. It's very strange. And I tested on the back of my hand the first time around. I guess it's just going to be a mystery. Not that big of a deal since it's only a minor annoyance. I'm exactly the same way with my scent lockets! I could have made that post!

Origin: Testable empty from paperrose. Preconceived notions: I never really thought to try this one before paperrose so generously offered me her (not quite) empty. It sounds interesting and if it weren't for the "prostitute's perfume," I'd probably have sought this one out a while ago. I've got nothing against prostitute's, it's the perfume part that worries me. Anything described as perfumey or cologney is generally bad for me. But the rest of it sounds good. I love anything that makes me think of pirates. First sniff: Whoa, perfume! It's hard to describe exactly what Port Royal smells like in the bottle, other than "perfumey." I'm definitely getting the salt air and a bit of wood, too, but the main scent here is sharp, heady and floral smelling. I don't judge a BPAL scent based on its smell in the bottle, though. I've learned that you miss some really great scents that way (and get your heart broken by some that turn out not so hot on you, too, but that's not the point). Wet on skin: Port Royal goes through a stage lasting about...oh, ten seconds, where it smells amazingly similar to Anne Bonny (it smells very much like red sandalwood, which in turn smells a lot like cedar to me) and makes me happy before taking a turn towards salt air and perfume again. This one seems to change in waves, which is appropriate, I suppose. Dry down: This is actually pretty nice, although there's still a floral, perfumey undertone that's keeping me from really getting into this. I smell the wood, I smell some aquatics (the salty, oceanic variety), I smell a bit of spice and sweetness from the spiced rum (although the rum itself is pretty subtle) and then there's the perfume. It blends in very well with the rest of the scent, but I can tell it's there, especially since it's giving me a little bit of a headache (like a lot of florals and perfumey scents do). The bottom line: I can see why someone else who likes florals and/or perfumey scents would really like this, though. It's unique for sure and it's evocative. It's also not for me.