51

[DiesMali]

Luminescent, glowing, and otherworldly: green mandarin, neroli, honeydew, white amber, guava, freesia, white and green musks hovering over desert scrub, smashed wood, and the dry, biting scent of night air over the Groom Lake salt flats.

 

In the imp: Sweet floral.

 

Wet on my skin: I'll admit, I was bracing for the possibility of orange cleaning wipes, as often happens on me with orange/grapefruit scents. However, that...didn't happen?

 

Dry: Huh. Colour me shocked! Maybe I can wear mandarin? I've been avoiding ordering things with it since it's too closely related to orange, but this is the second mandarin scent that's worked on me. This is a light, white/green floral with bits of juicy melon and just a hint of sweet mandarin. Freesia and honeydew melon take center stage, and I'm quite enjoying that combination. It's a nice, feminine, summery scent overall. A bit more feminine/white than I usually wear, but I can see myself reaching for this when I want a citrusy floral but need a break from my usual citrusy-floral-mood scents (Shoggoth and Whitechapel). Don't need more than the imp, but it'll be nice to have while it lasts.

[HighlyBell7]

In Imp: Bright yellow. Musk with lemon.

Wet: Musk with lemon and a light floral note. Honeysuckle?

Dry: Reminds me of outside, of clothes hanging out on the line in summer when I was younger. Lemon is more sassafras than lemon. It’s a leafy-green lemon. This would make a wonderful summer scent because bugs don’t like citrus and it just smells so light and clean.

Later: A hint of a deeper flower. Rose? I’m not exactly sure what a peony smells like, but this is kind of how I would imagine it. Maybe. Every now and again it remind me of floor cleaner, but then the musk draws me back in. I’ve smelled a perfume similar to this. Pleasures?

Even Later: Still a light floral, clean perfume smell. Eventually it relaxes into a light musk. I really like this.

[Laura S. Taylor]

I got an imp of this because of the comparisons to TM Alien... well I am disappointed. If Alien is one of your favorite perfumes I wouldn't buy a bottle of this unsniffed because of the "similarities."

 

The scent is ok, to me it smells like lime Sweet Tarts with some musk, and dispensers pretty quickly.

 

I will try again and really slather it on to see if it makes a difference.

[Kmye Chan]

In the imp: Ooooh goodness this smells nice. A floral that reminds me of delicious clean laundry (probably the freesia), a hint of citrus, and something green.

 

Wet: Much the same, very clean and absolutely gorgeous.

 

Dry: the musk and neroli peak out, and something vaguely salty that reminds me of the seaside in the background. Otherwise still that beautiful, fruity floral scent.

 

Throw: average. I can smell it on my decolletage, but it's not obxonious.

 

Lasting power: the throw dies down after a couple of hours, but I can still smell it on my wrist 8 hours later.

 

This was one of the only imps, with Titania, where I went all "OMG MUST HAVE BOTTLE" the instant I tested it. A huge hit for me, as it's also utterly gorgeous or my skin. I just wish the throw was a tiny bit stronger. I'll just slather it on!

 

PS: out of curiosity I went to the department store to test Thierry Mugler's Alien side by side, since the comparison came up in previous reviews. The two do smell very similar at first, however after about an hour Alien dries down to a sticky sweet scent on my skin and I like the clean feel of 51's drydown much better.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Kmye

[lady_pandora]

Ladies of a certain age, and by certain age I mean your late thirties, do you remember wearing Sunflowers and that initial burst of citrus that was surprisingly bitter? 52 starts out kind of like that. It's fresh and citrusy and fruity but not sweet. It doesn't stay smelling like Sunflowers, but that's what it reminded me of early on.

 

Gradually, I start to get some sandalwoody throw, perfumy with a touch of floral, and eventually it morphs away from the citrus entirely into the perfumy floral/sandalwood. There's something a little piercing to the nose here, too, that reminds me of "regular" perfumes.

 

In the early stages, I would have said this was a summer scent, but in the later stages I'd say it's season-neutral. It's intriguing and has a lot going on; I don't think I've plumbed all its depths yet. And it's definitely unique. Right now I don't feel like I'll necessarily need a whole bottle, but I will use this imp.

[roseus]

In the imp, very juicy bright mandarin citrus, almost sharp. Definitely getting the glowing quality.

 

On wet, it gets sweeter with the freesia coming out. I can also specifically pick out the honeydew now.

 

Dry it stays pretty much the same just less juicy. On me the musk and sandalwood are pretty faint.

 

This is a very interesting scent, beautiful in an atypical way. The concept is wonderful and the perfume matches it perfectly.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Sweet and citrusy, very bright and pretty. I'm not a citrus fan, but this is really nice.

 

 

Dry: Amazingly, out of all those notes, all I really get it a light, white floral (the freesia I guess) and some citrus. Maybe a hint of musk (or I'm imagining it because I expect it). It's nice, but not really swoon worthy. I'll keep the imp, but don't think I'll need a bottle.

Edited December 21, 2015 by LizziesLuck

[radiantfracture]

in the bottle: mandarin and neroli with tropical florals, and a stemlike greenness

 

Wet: The freesia, green and peppery; citrus; powdery musk

 

Drydown: Mm! Very floral and citrussy, but with a tasty salty undertone, and a little funky woody-desert.

 

Dry: Soapy citrus with a little melony fruitiness. Fresh and innocuous.

[Marion]

In the imp and freshly applied, it´s like a commercial perfume. I can´t pick out any note, but it´s floral and sweet and nice. I don´t remember liking it so much when I first got it, which is why I still have the (at least five years old) imp.

However, after a few minutes, it starts to smell faintly of halva. For the next five or six hours (on me that´s a good staying power) it´s mostly halva with a touch of flowers. It´s not bad, but it reminds me of the feeling of having sweets sticking to my teeth.

[joopjoop]

Wow, this smells REALLY REALLY GOOD!!

 

It starts off very bright and zingy - I can smell the neroli, honeydew and guava over a base of something very clean and fresh - the musks and the freesia I'm guessing. Later it develops this airy, slightly salty quality that is hard to describe but really grounds things and keeps it from getting too sweet. Lasts a while too (unlike some of the other citrusy/fruity blends I like).

 

This smells like a summer road trip and camping in the desert.

 

Well, my big bottle list is getting way too long, but I think 51 might have just moved right to the top.

[Convallaria]

The opening is freesia and guava, with a hint of green mandarin's skin - very elegant. The rest of the notes might be somewhere in there too - the scent is really well-blended. The combination is pretty much consistent all the way to the drydown. It reminds me of Mediterranean garden. A good contender for next year summer's full bottle purchase.

[Scarlet Woodland]

On me this is a very natural freesia with a hint of salty, fresh fruit in the backdrop. I can't really pick apart the background notes either but it's a beautiful, intoxicating summer floral.

[Beary Strange]

In the imp: it smells exactly like lime peels to me, heading bitter but not to a degree that's unpleasant

Wet: it still smells like lime peels, but now also like lemon and orange peels as well

Drying: I get citrus, along with their respective peels and there's a sweet floral coming through

Dry: I smell like a lemon drop. That is not a bad thing imo. I also get the sweet floral smells, but it's very lemon drop-y.

 

I actually tried this while not feeling well yesterday and it smelled grossly bitter on me, but I decided to give it another try fresh from trying it. This time, I get floral lemon drop. I really like it; fresh, sweet, citrusy, floral--it's a very lovely spring/summer scent. Definitely considering a bottle of this.

[KezzieZ]

This was a frimp I got and I was interested in the fact that I saw a comment comparing this scent to Thierry Mugler's Alien, which I also happen to have a sample of from earlier this year. I doubt that 51 is an intentional dupe or anything, but I decided to compare the two (put 51 on my right wrist and sprayed Alien on my left, so I can't tell you what Alien smells like in the bottle).

 

In Bottle: I definitely smell the fruit notes listed. I can smell something behind it, probably the musk, flowers, and wood, but the fruits are what jump out at me.

 

Wet on Skin: The fruit is lightening up. I think I'm especially catching some freesia, wood, and salt; maybe some desert scrub as well.

 

I do smell some differences between the Alien sample and the 51 sample. Alien is a sharper scent, and I think not just because of the alcohol it presumably has, and the throw seems stronger, but it may be that the spray application put more on my skin. 51 one is a greener scent to me and the salt is a bit grounding. Something in Alien is smelling a bit Vaseline-esque to me, though someone else gave a sniff and doesn't personally detect that. Maybe it's the burning wood note in that perfume? I find 51 more pleasant.

 

Approx. 1 Hour Later: I feel that the scent of this one is pretty darn consistent, compared to others I've tried out from BPAL. Maybe it's a bit lighter and muskier, but it still doesn't smell that much different to me.

 

Alien was lightening up as well by this point. It still smells sharper to me (still mildly Vaseline-ish in there) than 51, but I can detect a similarity between them now.

 

------

 

I still wouldn't say with complete confidence that 51 makes a great dupe of Alien because of the more pronounced differences at the beginning, but it could be worth a shot with an imp. Just don't dive in expecting a near perfect match.

 

This is a pretty good scent. I have others I think I would rather full bottle before this one, but it's a nice clean scent with fruit notes that aren't too overwhelming or candy-ish (though those notes do somewhat sink in the background) and an interesting woodsy saltiness. It's an intriguing perfume that smells like a pleasant desert.

[achildoftime]

After sniffing it in the imp, it does feel like it should be glowing. It smells pretty fluorescent.

 

At first I get lemons and green musk right off the bat. It cleared up my nose a little. After the initial bust, the other notes show up. It's mostly the fruits that have stepped up, though. I suspect it's because I tend to amp whatever sweetness there is to be had. I get the lemony citrus first and then the honeydew with something vaguely tropical which must me the guava. The green musk paired with the salt is providing a pretty solid base for all of this and keeps it from smelling like a fruit plate on me.

 

It does mellow out after a bit and leaves a crisp scent behind. It's a lively scent that I was really hoping to like, and I do!

[renfair]

I got a couple of frimps of this, which was great cause I don't think it's one that I would've sought out on my own.

First Sniff Impression: It smells like *something* but I can't figure out what. I smells "green," but not in a woodsy way, just like the actual color. Though I'm probably being influenced by the color of the oil.

Wet in Vial: It has a definite kind of floral fruitiness wet. I can't pick out anything in particular, but maybe the honeydew?

Drying Down on Skin: This is such a weird scent, in that it doesn't smell "BPAL" to me. It's almost something that would be in Victoria's Secret. It's probably the melon and mandarin mixed with the florals and musk. It's not a bad smell, but somehow more "commercial" than I was expecting. I actually like it, even though nothing about it makes me think of Area 51 (unless the aliens have some really nice perfume on).

Dry on Skin: This seemed to stay fairly consistent throughout wear. It was very fruity, floral, and bright, but not in a sicky sweet way. It was fresh enough that I'd love to wear it in summertime!

Conclusion: I'm glad I got this as a frimp because I really enjoyed it! Probably not enough to spring for a full bottle, but I'm definitely hanging on to the two imps I have. I really liked it!

[torikitty]

Wet: green, citrus, slightly floral

Drydown: freesia and amber poking their heads out over the citrus. The musk, honeydew, and guava are getting pounced on.

Dry: I agree, this is a well-blended scent, but it's not for me. It ends up smelling like fancy soap on me, though. I think I'm amping the freesia because it just smells clean, green, and floral.

[agirlnamedfury]

Very green... I so wanted to like an Area 51 scent but this one just isn't my style!

[ghostnaming]

Wet, it's overwhelmingly sweet and dry, almost like a handful of smarties candy. No hint of powder or florals. Very strong, almost headache-inducingly so. When dry, it smells like a sweet desert, all prickly pear and sand.

 

Over time it becomes a dry, sweet floral. 5 hours in it's almost completely gone, unless I stick my wrist directly under my nose.

 

On me this was a sweeter, more floral version of Tenochctitlan. I'll be reaching for it in the summer, but I don't need a bottle as florals are not my favorite thing.

[rachelos]

This is like a cool girl version of Happy by Clinique. I do get the glowing green feeling but can't pinpoint why, maybe it's just by association.

Edited October 20, 2017 by rachelos

[Soupy Twist]

Honeydew or something fresh in the bottle. Goes on as a green, planty note which slowly becomes a clean wood as it dries, but this develops into a generic freesia and I'm so done. Not my jam.

[h_yeti]

On me, 51 smells quite dry, clean, floral with a woody base. I remember fresh it was much fruitier and I could really pick up on the melon, but a year or so on and all I get is a hint of mandarin. It's much more 'traditional perfume' and less sweet then the scents I typically go for but I do like it, especially in summer when I don't want anything cloying or heavy. It definitely has a dry, desert vibe. If you like Alien I'd say you'll probably enjoy 51!

[ShleepySnorlax]

I'm not usually a fan of green/floral/aquatics, but I do like this.

 

When it first went on wet, it was like cologne - uh oh.

 

Then it dried, and became green musk and freesia. I don't get any amber (at least how I think of it - I go for golden ambers) or smashed wood. Maybe some guava?

 

Just a very green floral scent which I am enjoying. I'm pleasantly surprised with this frimp! It's a really nice spring time scent in my books.

[Juliamon]

In the imp: all citrus all the time. Reminds me of the lime-neroli combo of Lush's Calacas.

 

Wet/Dry: Citrus-forward aquatic with musks and a whole lotta freesia that comes off as a generic clean floral. Hint of wood in the background. The white amber is more of an aftertaste, I can't find it if I'm looking directly for it. It doesn't change at all on drydown for me.

 

I took a nap after applying and it was abducted from my skin while I slept. This is not a citrus that wants to stick around on me.

 

It leans a bit feminine. I like it but it's not a LOVE. If you're more open to florals you may like it more. I'm still glad to have tried it though!

[Cali]

Very pleasant, soft, clean outside-y scent. A witch in the woods having some sort of ritual at night, but nothing controversial, possibly just making medicine. I can't pick apart all the notes (my allergies are not helping) but this is definately feminine, with a woodsy undertone.