All Souls

[emshort]

... An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes.

2007 Version:

Hmm. Hm hm hm.

In the bottle, this smells luscious: cakey, but not madly oversweet. A lot of BPAL's food smells amp the sugar intolerably on me, or just give me a lust for baked goods that I cannot satisfy.

When it goes on, it's mostly incense, though, and a pretty dry incense at that. It's not an unpleasant smell; it's just not at all full-bodied, and there's something a little scratchy about it.

Throw is minimal, even at first application.

As it dries down, it mellows a bit into a rounder scent, but it also fades really fast, so that the dry-down stage I can really only smell if I have my nose to the skin.

Hm. I may need to pass this bottle on to someone who will love it more. Edited December 14, 2007 by Shollin

[Avery]

I got an imp of this, and while I don´t know that I will ever need more than its contents, I love it! A little goes a long way. The ingredients to my nose are, currant cake and incense. As this dries down this develops into the most realistic sort of altar or church style incense that I have ever smelled in a perfume. Literally like someone burning incense, but it is yummy! There´s a berry fruit undertone to the dry smokiness, and if you really sniff after drydown you can still smell the cake. A little goes a long way with this, so I think my imp will last. If I use it up and find myself missing it, I might get another imp or a partial bottle. It´s good stuff! Reminds me a little bit of Urd.

 

ETA March 2009: I can´t locate my imp of this, so decided to buy a partial bottle. Nothing in my collection is anything like this. I am finding that I love currants and incense, and they love me back. Besides, since Beth is getting ever more creative and exploratory in her holiday blends, who knows when (or if!) we will see this one again. Yay for the sale boards! In response to the reviews saying that this is faint: YMMV! It´s *very* strong on my skin. As I mentioned above, just a drop goes a *long* way for me, with waft like woah.

Edited March 10, 2009 by Avery

[Shollin]

First sniff: A little bit of incense, a little bit of berry, a little bit of sugar. It’s all very soft and faint.

 

Wearing: It’s so soft I almost can’t tell I’m wearing anything. There’s a wisp of incense smoke and a waft of sweetness, but it’s quite reserved.

[diamondstars]

I have a bottle of this and it's not one I wear that often. This isn't because I don't like it though, it's just very faint on me. It doesn't last more than a few minutes unfortunately. To me it smells of pure incense, nothing else. Just a shame it doesn't last so long for me though. Alas, I still can't bear to part with it!

[slave1]

ALL SOULS 07

 

In Bottle: Cake and berries

 

On Skin: the cake is the strongest note to me. There is a light berry note as well, very sweet. I get almost a cedar feel from this scent as well, that sweet and woody tone. The scent is very powdery and dry and within minutes the incense comes out quite strong. Like a cedar incense combined with the cake note. Foody incense. Dark, festive and a nice mood evoker for a fall night. It is very similar to last years version as well. The main difference I see is this one lasts a little longer on me. But throw is still pretty light.

[voodoocatwoman]

All Souls 2006

 

In the imp and wet: Corn meal. I smell tamales and tacos.

 

Dry: Thankfully, the Mexican restaurant evaporates. What is left is sweet incense with an underlayer of angel food cake.

 

If you can get past the initial corn meal... YUM.

Edited March 11, 2008 by voodoocatwoman

[inurbanus]

I have the 2007 version of this.

 

For the first 15 minutes, All Souls is terribly salty on me, but luckily that fades and a soft, powdery incense emerges. All Souls is sweeter than Cathedral, but not nearly as deep as Penitence. It's very light and fades quickly. I don't get any cake out of this one. Even though I love resins, I'm having a hard time justifying keeping this one around.

 

3/5

[suki]

this is the 2007 version.

 

 

in the vial: sweet, musty incense

 

wet on skin: ooohhh, a creamy note has just emerged- but it's like a spiced-?- cream. it reminds me of carrot cake, without being foodie, if that makes sense

 

dry down: sweet cakes, incense, a musk that is reminicient of Smut. it's really good

 

in all: well, i can make do with Smut, but if anyone wants to send me a bottle of this, i sure wouldn't object!

 

 

[Delirium1009]

2007 version.

 

This scent is one that I really love, but unfortunately I don't reach for too often. It is mainly incense to me, in the bottle and on my skin. It's not heavy, resinous, or too dark; the smokiness is light, slightly sweet, and wafts beautifully. Under the incense is a sweet cake note and a hint of currants. The cake note isn't overly foodie and it actually reminds me of the cake in Eat Me, though the one in All Souls isn't nearly as strong.

 

This is a very finicky scent though and sometimes the incense will come through and the cake and currants won't, but when everything comes out equally this is heaven. This is also wonderful with a touch of Eat Me to add a little bit more cake and currants.

Edited April 2, 2008 by Delirium1009

[suki]

thanks to the ever lovely karihan i now have a bottle of All Souls '06, so i get to do my first-ever compare and contrast review!

 

in the bottle: yes, the sweet mustiness is present in this one as well, but perhaps because of the aging time, there is something more refined about this one: it seems better blended from the start, but also, that cream aspect that i encountered later on with '07 is already present in the bottle. that's exciting!

 

wet on skin: it has morphed into a spicy musk with cream. it reminds me of Smut in combination with Love's Philosophy (2 that i *love* to layer) but with a slight powder note in the mix. the powder is not bothering me, however. :whew:

 

dry down: the foodie aspect of '07 is not here- this is pure musk and incense. If Smut is all about going out and carousing the clubs and bars looking for a good time, All Souls 2006 is her High Priestess cousin who annoints herself for sacred sex on top of an altar in tribute to the Goddess.

 

love. i mean, LOVE. :D

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet, buttery-foody floral.

 

Wet: Pretty faint. The floral has gone soapy, the buttery scent is more pure butter. Not getting any incense or fruit.

 

Dry: Powdery, soapy, slightly sweet butter. Very very weak in both throw and lasting power. The buttery smell is almost completely gone within 15 minutes, leaving a clean, dry soap scent.

[lilacea]

Amber, rose and cake. Quite perfumey, the amber starts of deliciously warm, then it is overtaken by the rose, which turns quite soapy floral on my skin. The cakey note is smothered by the rose eventually, and then I get touches of something sandalwood like. There are some resins there, but buggered if I know what they are (there might be copal). Mostly this is a perfumey rose on my skin. It smells like granny's birthday party, all floral perfume and cake.

 

Edit to add there are touches of pomegranate coming out now.

Edited May 21, 2008 by lilacea

[grashopper8]

Wet, this is a strong cake-foody scent, but as soon as it dries down, the cake note evaporates and a resinous incense note remains, kind of like a dry, dusty myrrh.

 

Meh, I'm not really feelin' this one.

 

2.5 out of 5

[vegasblueblood]

I get lots and lots of incense from this blend. The incense is almost woody which I'm thinking is the myrrh and underneath the resin-y woodiness is the faint hint of the offeratory cakes. On me, this is not foody at all and I don't really get anything sugary. It is also quite strong and vaguely perfumy. A little bit goes a long way. It has a sense of that mustiness that one finds in the gorgeous old churches and cathedrals. Really interesting blend!

[angelicruin]

All Souls 2006

 

Bottle: Sugar cake

 

Wet: sugar and light incense

 

Dry: fruity notes with incense

 

Perfect for Fall!

[maromi]

maybe my skin is being weird today but nothing has any staying power on me right now. in the imp it smells like yummy cake and incense but on me it just smells like faint incense and i was hoping for more cake. blah, at least it's fading fast.

[kawaiiferreto]

My review is of the 2006 version.

 

Wet: Cakey! The incense is chilling in the background lending just a hint of smoke.

 

Dry: Unfortunately the cake totally disappears for the first few hours I have this on. It's pure smokey incense. It's nice, but not as complex or sweet as I would like it to be.

 

Long dry down (2-3 hours in): Incense and that berry cake smell from Eat Me. The scent I wanted this to be. If it were like that the whole time I might keep it, but alas.

[zankoku_zen]

This smells like cake batter! Slightly coconutty, buttery cake batter. Unfortunately, as it dries, it goes to plastic on me.

 

Ah well.

[rayvn1]

I might be having a wierd chemistry day, but I don't get alot from this oil. I get a little sweetness and some slight cakey-ness, but not much incense or really anything to pin down. I'll stick with All-Saints

 

Edit to add that this is '07

Edited February 21, 2009 by rayvn1

[Acedia]

My first LE!

 

In the imp: I smell caaa-aake! /singsong

 

On me: Everyone who likened this to Eat Me was spot-on. It's less sweet than Eat Me, though. It's also giving me a synesthetic impression of a block of dark brown with a thin horizontal yellow line in the middle. I think the dark brown is the incense/batter blend (they're so well-blended I can't sense a distinction), but the yellow line is something bright and sharp that I can't place.

 

Overall: it's such an interesting scent, one of the Lab's many creations that smells unlike any perfume I've ever sampled. It's actually so non-perfume-like, I don't know how I feel about wearing it. Maybe I'll turn it into a room spray.

[asciident]

Wet: All resin.

 

First on: Fruity resin! I guess the currant is taking over.

 

Dry: Now it's just cake.

[Andrea912]

I adore this; it reminds me of a panderia, the Mexican bakeries that my abuela and I used to frequent...dusty and spicy and cakey and...like cumin, somehow...

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Oh man, this is goood! I had no idea what I was missing with this one. It didn't really wow me at first, though it was great to start off...offertory cakes and incense, yeah, yeah. Pretty standard fare for BPAL, right? But something about this blend makes it really exceptional for me, and that becomes increasingly apparent as it dries and stands up to the test of time. The cake note is completely non-cloying and blends magnificently with the incense. The incense as well is really unique...more of a sweet haze of soft and welcoming red sandalwood than anything hippy shop-ish or nag champa-eque.

 

All I can say is: "Gimme!" I need more of this, definitely. I haven't been this in love with a BPAL in, oh...about five minutes! No, seriously, I love this more than anything I've tried in quite some time. Totally wearable, signature scent status kind of a blend for me!

 

:love!:

[Schmoozy]

 

2007 Version

 

Incense cake and sweet currants. While it is indeed foody, it is also spicy and dark. I get whiffs of sweet booze too. Not sure why.

 

[Aldercy]

Not actually sure which year this is.

 

Wow, I was absolutely positive I would love this, and it just is not so. All Souls smells strangely greasy on me, like animal fat smeared with berries and sickly sweet potpourri. Nothing remotely resembling incense comes through. Not sure what's going on with this skin chemistry catastrophe, but I think I'll test it again later just because I'm in such disbelief that it's really so weird...