Penance

Origin:

I got a shortie of this from the ever wonderful SilverAngel.

First sniff:

This smells almost exactly like a scented talc my mom used to wear when I was little! It's one of my more vivid memories of my early childhood: the way she smelled in the mornings when she put her talcum powder on. I definitely smell the rose here...it's a very powdery rose that smells very much like baby powder, but there's also somethin else here...the clove and myrrh, I think. It's hard to tell over the rose, but that's what it seems to be.

Wet on skin:

The powder is less prominent now and I can really smell the myrrh and clove now that it's receded somewhat. This still smells almost exactly like that childhood scent memory of my mother...it's so close it's almost uncanny! This smells sophisticated but approcheable to me, like a wealthy older woman who's known hardship and never lost touch with her roots, if that makes sense at all.

Dry down:

Noir has dried into a lovely scented talc kind of scent that's lovely even if it is miles away from my normal scent choices. I can definitely see this being a special occassion scent for me. This definitely isn't an everyday scent; at least not for me.

The bottom line:

Sophisticated but not snooty. This definitely isn't an everyday scent, but it's lovely all the same.

First sniff:

I'm in pure heaven today, everything I've tried has been utterly gorgeous and Crossroads is no exception! Crossroads bears a passing resemblance to Zombi right out of the bottle...it's the deep, loamy dirt and moss scent that I adored in Zombi but there's more to it. There's incense here and herbs as well and they make it more multi-dimensional than Zombi is and also less cloying. Why didn't I get a bottle of this? I'm such a fool.

Wet on skin:

Mmm, moss and dirt and herbs and incense...everything I love in a perfume! There's also some flowers here...they're beginning to come to the surface now, sweetening Crossroads and making it less aggressively dark smelling. This is still a dark scent, though...dirty and mossy and perfect for me. This is almost like a cross between Bayou and Zombi for me with some incense thrown in for good measure...it combines the best of both worlds and then some and I love it.

Dry down:

Crossroads has dried down into a soft loamy dirt, moss, incense and light hothouse florals scent. This is so utterly gorgeous; it's just what I love in a perfume. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind now, Beth is some sort of evil genius with the ability to work magic with simple oils. This scent has my name written all over it.

The bottom line:

Deep, wet loamy dirt, moss, incense and hothouse florals. Crossroads is (for me) the child of Bayou and Zombi with a bit of incense thrown in for good measure. I'm going to have to scrimp and save and come up with the cash to buy a bottle of this at the next update, too.

First sniff:

Oh, this is beautiful! It smells like dry grass and dusty dirt, which is exactly what I was hoping it would smell like! This perfectly captures what I imagine when I think of the word "coyote." This is the scent of dusty plains studded with tufts of dried grass, the kind that nips at your legs when you walk through and that smells like straw. This is so utterly gorgeous I can't even begin to describe how much I love it.

Wet on skin:

Mmm, dry grass and soft amber. It's slightly musky but dry and dusty and parched smelling. This is unbelieveable. This is exactly what I imagined when I first saw that there was going to be a scent called Coyote. So far, the amber is staying in the background and behaving itself quite well (amber often turns into sour milk on me) and the prominent notes are the dusty grass and musk. I love, love, love this scent so far. I'm already regretting not getting a bottle of it.

Dry down:

Soft musk and dusty grass. This is a coyote and its habitat all rolled into one and poured into a tiny vial. This scent is just more proof that Beth is some sort of magic worker...I have no idea how she can create something that's so perfectly dead on to the image she's trying to create. Unbelieveable. Absolutley unbelieveable. I'm going to have to break down and buy a bottle of this at the next update, there's no way I can live with just an imp. This is love.

The bottom line:

The dry plains of the Southwest mixed with a soft animal musk and dry grasses. This is absolutely perfect. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this at the next update.

First sniff:

Gorgeous! Wild grapes and patchouli with a hint of nag champa. This smells like the wild grapes me neighbor used to grow when I was little combined with the earthiness of patchouli and the sweet incense smoke of nag champa. I don't normally do fruit scents, but this is absolutely gorgeous.

Wet on skin:

The nag champa and patchouli are more prominent now, bubbling up from under the grapes and making it completing the mental picture I have of a grape vine. The muscadine gives the scent of the grapes and the patchouli the scent of the earth the vines are growing in. I was a bit worried that the muscadine would be too strong for me since I don't normally wear fruit scents, but this is gorgeous!

Dry down:

The muscadine has faded to the point where it's only a whisper in the background. Urd is pure patchouli and nag champa on me now which makes me a very happy girl! This is just the sort of scent that I love. I'm definitely going to have to get a bottle of this one, no doubt about it.

The bottom line:

Urd is gorgeous. Earthy and slightly fruity on the dry down. It reminds me of a vinyard and it smells divine. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this.

First sniff:

 

Pure nostalgia in a bottle. This is the scent of summer days playing in the backyard with clean sheets drying on the clothesline. It's the scent of running through those sheets and inhaling their smell. I've always loved the smell of sun-dried clean cotton and Dirty is that smell trapped in a tiny little bottle.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Dirty is more proof that simple is sometimes best when it comes to perfume. This scent is pure simplicity: the smell of clean white sheets baking dry in the sun. It's the smell of detergent and fabric softener and sun warmed cotton.

 

Dry down:

 

I don't know how Beth does it, but this is dead on. I've smelled a lot of "clean cotton" scents and none of them compare to Dirty. This is pure perfection...it's beautiful and safe smelling. To me, this smells like home and everything I associate with it.

 

The bottom line:

 

Dirty is exactly what it's supposed to be: sun-dried clean cotton sheet. This is so beautiful. I love this. I'm glad I've got a 5mL coming!

First sniff:

 

This smells like Snow White to me, right out of the bottle for some reason. It's very creamy and soft and white smelling but with a hint of vanilla and honey. If I inhale shallowly, I can smell the linen (it's easy to pick out since I just spent 10 minutes sniffing Dirty) and a bit of ginger. So far, there's no tea to my nose, just creamy milk and honey and ginger...this reminds me more than anything of being put to bed at night when I was small: the smell of clean bedsheets and what I imagine warm milk with honey might smell like. It's a comforting scent, but strange because I expected a strong tea note in White Rabbit and don't detect any tea at all.

 

Wet on skin:

 

There's the tea! I knew it was hiding in there somewhere. I also smell lemon for some reason even though there's none listed in the description. I'm wondering if BPAL's ginger note is making my nose think "Lemon!" because the same thing happened with Kumiho. The lemon note (whatever it is) fades quickly on me, though, leaving behind a soft, creamy tea scent with a hint of spice. This is very light on me right at the moment, but it's gorgeous so far.

 

Dry down:

 

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! Milk, ginger, honey and vanilla with a soft black tea note in the background. For me, this is like Snow White meets Lipton's black tea and I love it! This is a very soft, innocent smelling scent, very creamy and subdued. I really love this one!

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm so glad I got a 5mL of this instead of the imp I was originally planning on getting. White Rabbit is gorgeous and so innocent and understated smelling. It smells like a little girl's tea party in the best possible way.

Origin:

 

I got an imp of this from Lucretia

 

First sniff:

 

This smells very similar to both Capricorn and Malediction to me...it doesn't smell grey really...it's more earthy...brown and dark green. I'm almost positive there's vetiver in this and possibly red patchouli even though the description says nothing of the sort. I like this, but it's not what I was expecting. I assumed Brimstone would be similar to Djinn, but the two couldn't be more different.

 

Wet on skin:

 

If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was Capricorn! I happen to absolutely love Capricorn, so that's a very good thing, just unexpected given the description for this scent. This still smells like red patchouli and vetiver with maybe a hint of cedar or redwood.

 

Dry down:

 

I actually found myself double-checking the label on this because Brimstone smells exactly like Capricorn on me. There's only the slightest hint of ashiness here; mainly Brimstone is very earthy smelling with a dark green tinge that normally means vetiver for me. So unexpected, but I love this!

 

The bottom line:

 

I love this! I do believe I've found a very good replacement for my beloved Capricorn.

Origin:

 

I was gifted with an imp of this by Red_Hot_Mama.

 

First sniff:

 

This is the same sweet aquatic note I pick up in all of Beth's aquatic scents and while aquatics are generally hit or miss with me, I really like Sea of Glass so far. It reminds me of a placid pond in the same way Water of Notre Dame does, but this is more of a crystal clear scent than a pale green one the way Water of Notre Dame was. Crystalline is a good word to describe Sea of Glass...it almost sparkles.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Saltier than in the imp now that it's hit my skin. This reminds me quite a bit of Tears now...this is definitely a sea and not a pond the way it was in the imp. There's also something vaguely soapy about this, but in a good way. I feel pristine wearing this. It's the exact opposite of the dirtiness of the earthy scents I normally wear, but I love it!

 

Dry down:

 

A sweet, salty, simple aquatic on me. There's no frills here and Sea of Glass is beautiful in its simplicity. I'm getting a bit of redness where I applied the oil, but that's typical for me when it comes to aquatics and nothing I can't deal with.

 

The bottom line:

 

This is my second favorite BPAL aquatic scent yet, the first being Water of Notre Dame. I love Sea of Glass. It's simple, subdued and beautiful.

Origin:

 

Monet sent me a shortie of this as a consolation prize in her "Pay It Forward" contest.

 

My impressions:

 

I've pumped myself full of allergy medications just to try this one, so my nose is nice and clear for the first time in maybe a week.

 

Oh my, this is gorgeous! It's not too tart and not too sweet and smells exactly like a freshly halved pink grapefruit dusted with sugar. I've always loved the smell of grapefruit and this more than lives up to my high expectations. There's nothing artificial at all about this, although for some reason it reminds me of Sour Patch grapefruit slices.

 

Beautiful, just beautiful. I'll be requiring more of this one!

PENANCE ... sounds like we may be quite twinnish in our tastes ... DEFINITELY try Fire of Love ... I went back over my reviews and that was the one that just cedared me out of my mind!!!!!!!! But in a good way ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I've got an imp of Fire of Love at home that I haven't gotten around to trying yet, so I'll have to move it up the list. :D

 

And on the scent similarity topic:

 

Capricorn, Brimstone and Malediction are all very similar to my nose and they're all gorgeous.

Cathedral's like a crumbling stone cathedral, not very libraryish to me, but it does smell "old" in at least one way.

Origin:

 

I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest.

 

First sniff:

 

I'm not sure exactly what I'm smelling here. It's familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. It's citrusy...kind of like orange slices with the pith still on them, but it's also somewhat sweet (is that vanilla, maybe?) and almost resiny smelling (maybe amber?). I haven't read anyone's reviews for this one, so I can't use anyone else's impressions as guidelines. Guess I'll have to puzzle this one out myself.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I swear there's amber in this because it immediately morphs into sour milk on my skin and there's only a few notes that do that on me (amber being one of them, and the only one I know of that smells similar to something in Van Van). The strange citrus note is still there, too, but it's drowned out by the evil sour milk smell. I don't think I'm going to be able to test the voodoo properties of this one because I just can't tolerate my skin's response to it.

 

Dry down:

 

Underneath the sour milk smell (which is lightening somewhat), I get a tiny hint of what amber normally smells like on other people and a lot of powder. I'm thinking there might be sweetgrass or something similar in this, too. I'm not sure exactly what's in Van Van for sure and certain, but my body chemistry is wreaking havoc with something in this. I would have loved to have really tested this one, but it's not to be, apparently. I've been striking out a lot with oils lately and Van Van was particularly disappointing to me because I really wanted to try it out.

 

The bottom line:

 

My skin apparently hates Van Van for some reason. I'm not sure if there's amber in this or not, but my skin is behaving as if there were. I'm going to be passing this one on to someone else in the spirit that it was given to me. Hopefully someone else can put it to good use.

Origin:

 

I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest.

 

First sniff:

 

This isn't as floral as I expected somehow. It's not a bouquet of roses, is what I mean...or what I think I mean, anyhow. I smell a little bit of all of the notes in this, but somehow it doesn't smell like a floral floral to me if that makes any sense at all. It's almost a spicy/musky vaguely traditional floral scent. I'm guessing it must be the jasmine throwing me off. I like this a lot more than I thought I would based on the description alone.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Yep, that's definitely jasmine I'm smelling. I know what it reminds me of now: the jasmine tea my RA in college was always drinking and the way her room smelled. she was Indian and her room always smelled like a little slice of India to me. The rose is also fairly prominent here now, but it's not bothering me the way most rose scents do. It's not quite me, but it's not making my nose itch, which is good.

 

Dry down:

 

Mainly powdery rose now. I can't really tolerate powdery rose scents for some reason, so unfortunately, this one's not quite up my alley, but I'm glad I got to try it all the same.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'll be passing this one on in the spirit that it was given to me. Hopefully someone else can give it the love I can't.

Hmm, Shollin said Kweku Anansi reminded her of an old library.

 

I don't know if that's any help at all, but it's the first thing that came to mind when I thought about where I'd read someone saying that.

 

I'm still looking for you, though; if I come up with anything else I'll let you know.

Purely, I'd ask a mod if you were safe to post a new topic if you're worried about it. I know there've been plenty of threads around here about people seeking non-incense blends.

 

The only one that immediately comes to mind has been merged with several others, but the first few pages are pretty relevant. Here ya go:

 

Try this!

 

I'm sure there're others, but they're slipping my mind right now. But like I said, the first few pages of that merged thread are relevant and it might be a good place to start.

I get the same thing, Sarada. I think it's just a matter of being so close to it constantly that we can't smell it...kind of like you don't really notice your clothes once you have them of for a while. I know there's a word for it, but I can't remember what it is...habituation? Yeah, habituation.

I'm sure you'll love Blood Countess, it's purple fruit at its finest.

Well, I've tried Queen of Spades, Medea and Blood Countess, but I don't think I'm the person to ask because on me, Medea, smelled like sparkling sour grape juice () and Blood Countess smelled like plums and was an almost exact duplicate of the Queen.

 

So...Queen of Spades is the long-lost twin of Blood Countess and Medea is more like a distant cousin. At least in my opinion. The only similarities I found between Medea and Queen of Spades or Medea and Blood Countess is that they smelled like different kinds of purple fruit.

 

Oh, and Cathode vs. Ice Queen? No dice for me. Cathode's entirely different, although it shares a vague minty connection to Frost Moon. Cathode is more like Ultraviolet without the violets than anything.

Origin:

 

I got this as a freebie in a swap on MUA some time ago.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I've been putting off reviewing Jailbait because, frankly, it makes me sick to smell it. I can't tolerate bubblegum scents for some reason, but it's been nagging me from my swap pile to review it, so review it I shall. ::Puts on a brave front::

 

First sniff:

 

Bubblegum...nothing but bubblegum. It smells like a cross between Bazooka Joe, Bubblicious and that kind that comes in sticks and is sugar free...pink packaging, kind of sergeant stripes at the top, they make peppermint, too? Anyone know what I'm talking about? Anyway, it smells like bubblegum. Lots and lots of bubblegum, like I've got a hunk of it stuck in my hair that I can't get out.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I applied this as sparingly as possible because it wafts all the way across the room just out of the imp. This is bubblegum gone berzerk! It's so dead-on it's freaky, but, unfortunately, that's a bad thing for me. Bubblegum is not a good scent for me. I associate it with antibiotic liquid from when I was little and dental medium from when I had my braces and they took cast after cast of my mouth. There's also a bit of cherry Twizzler going on in the background, which just makes me even more sick to my stomach. I don't mind Twizzlers, but I don't want to smell like them, especially not in combination with the bubbglegum.

 

Dry down:

 

More Twizzlers than bubblegum now, but definitely tooth-rottingly sweet. It practically screams 10-year-old to me. I don't find any of the "womanly perfume," only the little girl smells of candy and innocence. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate those innocent smells because they bring back bad memories (including ones I haven't mentioned that I'd rather not get into). This isn't as bad as Bon Vivant was for me in terms of memories, but it's still pretty bad. On top of that, I don't like sweet scents. They tend to make me sick, so Jailbait and I are definitely not destined to love one another. It's a fantastic perfume in that Beth is dead-on in capturing childhood innocence ina bottle, but unfortunately it just doesn't work for me.

 

The bottom line:

 

Jailbait is just what it aims to be, but it's definitely not for me. Even a tiny dab of this made me sick, so this is being swapped as soon as possible.

Origin:

 

I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest.

 

First sniff:

 

Very light smelling. This is on par with Pele for lightness, which is to say it's so light I can barely smell it. What I can smell of it is light lemon and apple, but only very faintly. I'm not sure if my allergies are making my nose dull or if this is really this light.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Still very light. I have to have my nose right against my wrist before I can smell it. Delirium is very fresh and cheerful smelling...I guess this is a joyful, manic kind of insanity, which is the best kind of all.

 

The rose is starting to come out now, too, but only very subtly. Somehow this defies categorization in either the fruity or floral categories...it's more just...clean.

 

Dry down:

 

Rose and lemon are all I smell now that Delirium is dry and I can only smell those when I put my nose right up against my wrists. Unfortunately, I don't really care for rose or lemon and I normally wear heavier scents, so I don't think Delirium and I are going to be suited to one another.

 

The bottom line:

 

Delirium and I are just not meant for one another. I'll be passing this one on in the spirit that it was given to me. Hopefully someone else will enjoy it more than I can.

Origin:

 

I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest.

 

First sniff:

 

Hmm, interesting...I definitely smell strawberry...and vanilla and maybe cherry and a hint of amber. This one's a bit hard to pin down. The strawberry is the first thing I notice sniffing this. Combined with the vanilla, it reminds me very strongly of strawberry ice cream. There's definitely a black cherry vibe behind the ice cream smell, though, and a hint of something golden smelling that has to be the amber. Somehow, this is more of what I expected Jailbait would smell like than Jailbait itself was, but it definitely lives up to its description.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Strawberry ice cream again! It's a soft, creamy strawberry scent that screams innocence to me for some reason. I can also smell the amber quite strongly now, too, pushing up behind the strawberry and vanilla and making it slightly more grown-up smelling. The cherry seems to have disappeared now that it's on my skin, but I don't really miss it. Hollywood Babylon is lovely as it is!

 

Dry down:

 

Still strawberry ice cream, but lighter and softer. I wasn't sure I'd like this one when I smelled it in the imp, but this is lovely. It' not my usual style by any means, but somehow it still works on me. I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, but I like it.

 

The bottom line:

 

Very innocent smleling but at the same time grown up. Definitely not my usual kind of scent, but lovely in its own way.

The only ones I've tried that have had really strong throw are Hearth, Formula 54 and Yggdrasil. I know two are LE's, but they've been the absolute strongest. Yggdrasil was fantastic, though, I could smell myself all day long, especially when I moved.

I wish I'd gotten incense out of Mystery. On me, it was lemon dishsoap!

I know they've been mentioned, but Cathedral and Penitence are Anne Bonny's triplet sisters, they're extremely similar. Penitence is the sweetest, Cathedral is the middle one and Anne Bonny is the driest.

 

I love all three of them!

 

Aureus is also nice, but it's not as dry as Cathedral, Penitence and Anne Bonny.

Origin:

 

I got an imp of this from Madame Nyx.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, wow, this is dark smelling. I mean dark as in lack of light...to me, this smells like a swamp - like bayou country. This is what I would have imagined Bayou would smell like. I actually really like this a lot; I love dark, heavy scents and Medea is definitely in that category. I can't really pick out any individual notes other than the cypress, but it is very swampy smelling to me.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Very dark. This reminds me of a cross between Hurricane and Danse Macabre at this point. I don't get any florals from Medea, just dark, swampy wood and vegetation, like leaves trampled in the mud after the rain. It's not a bad smell at all - far from it in fact - it's just unexpected and amazingly dark smelling. I know I keep saying that, but I'm really wowed by it. None of the other BPAL scents I've tried have even come close.

 

Dry down:

 

Whoa, where did that come from?! All of a sudden Medea made a complete 180 and started smelling exactly like Meyer's Sparkling Cold Duck, a drink I've loved ever since I was little. This is the exact smell of a freshly opened bottle...sharp and sour and so intense that you can taste the smell of it on the back of your tongue, like little sour grape bubbles. This is so perfect a duplicate of that smell that it's scary and it literally came out of nowhere! I liked this before, but now I love it. I love the smell of that wondeful drink almost as much as the taste and while I don't normally do fruity or foody scents, this has my name written all over it.

 

The bottom line:

 

A real shapeshifter! Medea went from smelling like the bayou to smelling like sparkling sour grape juice in a matter of maybe 10-15 minutes. I love this! My only complaint is that it's making me crave Cold Duck.