All Souls

[reynardine]

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

 

2014 decant: wet, it goes on as described incense with cake. As it dries, the incense takes over. It amps on me for some reason and is very pretty. Some incense makes me sneeze but this one doesn't. I may end up getting a bottle of this!

[venusinfurs]

This smells like old lady perfume mixed with Eat Me on me. So disappointed! Wanted it to be smoky incense with some sweetness. I guess incense scents just don't work on me,sadly.

Edited November 5, 2014 by venusinfurs

[Jangzonrice]

2013 version: I thought I would love this version since I loved 2010, but it does get a bit of stale old roses scent to it after drying down. It does smell like old lady perfume with a bit of Cakey sweetness to it...disappointing. Hopefully, 2014 doesn't smell like this!

[suki]

2014 version.

 

In the bottle: Church incense and buttery sweet cake. Strange, perhaps, but I like it!

 

Wet On Skin: This is the incense note from 2006's Midnight Mass. It's holy, and strong with a slight powdery quality to it.

 

Dry Down: Okay, this is going to sound TOTALLY. WEIRD. But...this scent has turned to Love's Baby Soft on me.

I am so deeply confused by this, it makes positively NO sense at all, but, well- it is what it is.

 

I'm not terribly troubled by this because 1. There's a number of notes in here that can change dramatically with aging and 2. I actually have warm-and-fuzzy associations with Baby Soft, so if it stays this way on me forever, then I actually won't be that sad.

 

Totally flummoxed, perhaps. But not sad.

[kajacana]

I second the soft, sweet incense comments. I can't quite tell what it smells like -- it's reminiscent of Eat Me, but Eat Me went to cherry head shop on me, and this doesn't. It's very pretty, good throw but not too heavy. Definitely need a bottle.

[January Garnet]

Definitely a soft incense with a slight foodie edge to it, and a hint of green? Probably part of the incense, which smells more like an unlit stick than a burning one (hence the softness). I'm liking it

[zankoku_zen]

2014 version

 

Soft, rosy incense with a hint of smoke and currants. The incense is the type typically found in Latin American mass (ie - this smells very Catholic to me). Low throw, but decent wear length.

 

Soft, catholic, incense.

[Magycmyste]

2014 version:

 

In the imp: Cakes. With a hint of incense.

 

Wet on skin: More incensey than cakey here.

 

Dried down: Mostly incense at this point. There's still a tiny bit of cake in the background, but you have to search for it.

 

Throw: A bit of throw, mostly incense. Most throws aren't coming through to me as easily at the moment, since I'm kind of stuffed up.

 

Verdict: **** Nice, but I'm not really going crazy over it. I'll pass on a bottle this year.

[macabre_fae]

I really wanted to like this blend and was drawn to it because I love cake notes and incense, but unfortunately I get all frankincense and no cake. The frankincense note is very robust and strong, it's all I'm smelling.

 

I wanted some cake.

[Minh Scent]

Wow! Cakes when wet, but then the incense takes over.However,a continued memory of that cake sweetness remains even over time.

 

Sigh. Another one to love!

[Ishtar]

All Souls 2010.

 

The cake accord is predominant in the imp, although it's not particularly sweet - a lot less so than in Eat Me, for example. Surprisingly, I am getting a strong white floral note (reminiscent of lily of the valley) throughout the wet stage, powerful enough to drown the cake, and then it goes straight to... floral baby powder. Huh? As for the incense, it's AWOL.

 

I have a feeling All Souls is not working on me the way it's supposed to. However, as powdery scents go (and I happen to quite like them), it's actually lovely, so I think I'll be able to enjoy it just the way it is, even though it's not what I was expecting at all!

[d0gbones]

In the bottle: Sweetness. Can't put my finger on it.

Wet: Beery and cakey. It's different to the cake and beer notes in Mari Lwyd though.

Dry: It's the incense show now, which is a good thing. The cake and beer is there wayyy back somewhere and something vaguely rosey. Glad I managed to get a bottle!

[LizziesLuck]

2014

 

In the bottle: CAKE! Yay!

 

Wet: Peanut butter??? And herbs. So weird.

 

Dry: There's for sure a bit of cake in there, but mostly sweet incense. It's lovely. Not foodie at all. I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this this fall.

[agirlnamedfury]

2015 version:

 

This is actually very sharply floral on me, which is not at all what I expected. Something about it is also strangely soapy on me. Unfortunately I'm not getting any of the dry leaves, smoke, or foody notes. Weird skin chemistry?

[Argentwolf]

2015 version:

 

Initially there is a buttery sort of cake note, with incense already in the back, at the fringes. As time goes on, the incense comes to the fore. it is a sweet sort of incense, much sharper than the 2007 version of this which I have -- though I'm not sure if it will get the dark, smoky essence that I like about that older blend so much as it ages. After a while, like the older blend, it is pretty much just incense, with no more cake. It has a strong throw and lasts for quite a while. All in all it was nice to get a peek at that cake note that I had only heard of but never smelled in this blend, though in the end it always returns back to incense. I like my older bottle better, but it may be worth it to get a bottle of this year's and let it age.

[brineydeep]

2015 version

 

On my skin, this is the most beautiful incense blend with a hint of cake.

 

The cake here is bready with a hint of sweet and not the cloyingly sweet cake note found in other BPAL blends. I don't like foody scents and All Souls has just the right touch of sweet to make it appealing but not at all foody.

 

This one is a surprising winner for me. The incense is just divine and the scent wears well throughout the day without being overwhelming.

[Scarlet Woodland]

2006 Version: Oh no. I so wanted this to be cake and incense. Just cake or incense would be wonderful but alas it's not to be.

 

In the bottle: this smells just like a traditional love formula I made way back when. This is pretty darn odd as I seem to remember the ingredients were rose petals, lavender oil, jasmine oil and orris powder, infused into sweet almond oil. I detect a hint of something light and cinnamony too but a bit worried at this point.

 

Wet: This still smells exactly like that love oil at first then rapidly morphs into baby lotion with a hint of baby wipes. I seem to smell like a freshly changed nappy.

 

Drying: Still a light, eau de baby stuff with light, dry florals.

 

Dry: I can get a hint of cakey incense right underneath but it's mostly dry florals with baby lotion.

 

Gutted... this sounded so perfect but it's all gone wonky. Was only just delivered so I'll hide this in a cupboard for a week just in case something miraculous happens. Sad ferret

Edited August 5, 2016 by Scarlet Woodland

[Bassmastadroog]

Beautiful almost nag champa like incense in the bottle. On the skin, it immediately becomes buttery cake and incense! Straightforward and I love it.

[Katillac]

2007 that I forgot I had (yay! finding random perfumes is better than finding random $20 bills!)
I remember my first sniff/test of this was VERY old lady. Very floral, very...just...old. Not like ofrenda "old", but that it smelt like my grandmother's wake type of "old". There was a bit of cake/sweet in the background (which is odd, because i normally amp sweet/vanilla/cake/anythingthatwontletmedeclinecarbs). I buried it in an old suitcase because i didnt want to resell.

However, after finding it, and testing it again, it's magic.
Not sure if i changed, or if it aged well, or what; it's beautiful.

Now it's this sweet (yet heavy. Almost like wild honey, but not as cloying) front, with moderate floral middle, and goes slightly smokey/cakey towards the end.
It really grew into something special.
She's worth keeping around. I'm glad i forgot about her and decided to test her later.

[lizabelle]

2007 version

 

I'm starting to get the feeling that Weenies are my thing, even more than Yules and Lupers. I like the others, of course, but I've now tried so many Weenies that are just magic. This is one. It's mostly buttery cakes and currants, similar to the cake note in Mari Lwyd, but there's a soft smoky note like the one in Devil's Night threading through it. It's definitely evocative of a fall festival, and I love it.

[gloame]

2015 version:

 

Sweet and tangy. As it dries, it softens into something lemony and sweet with spices underneath. Not getting a cake note, but there is something buttery. It's pretty and autumny. Foody/oriental.

 

Where I'd wear this: All Souls Day celebration, Santa Ana, California

[roseus]

2017

 

Beautiful soft white cake and incense, with a little bit of red currant. Stays pretty true the whole wear. Lovely!