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smellsgood2014-07-19 04:15 pm
BPAL reviews
That said, the reviews themselves:
Masquerade: In bottle: incense and peppermints spice. On me: more of the same but lighter, VERY nice at first, fades quickly, to the point that I "wasn’t wearing anything" in a couple of hours, which is not usual for me.
Aureus: In bottle: incense-and-spice, kind of deeper than Masquerade, a richer scent and less complex, not at all what I think of as "golden" per the description. On me: VERY similar to Masquerade, but more so and with more staying power. Do want!
Black Tower: In bottle: there’s a very distinctive, almost syrupy sweet-and-sour scent--- on me, the sweet comes out almost instantly, with a lovely hint of "ice-and-spice"; I’m definitely getting the "good parts version" of the old stone ruins it references, like spicy woods and stone as it dries down. Very nice--- also amusing how it smells much more like the scent description on me than it does in the bottle.
Osun: in bottle: sweet! So is Morocco, but that’s more sugar-sweet and this is more honey-golden-sweet. It stays that way on me--- I keep sniffing at my wrist because AWESOME! There’s a hint of incense under it but that might be leftover Black Tower from earlier in the day; if so, it layers well. This is definitely on my short list to buy a full bottle unless I have an allergic reaction. (ETA: No sign of an allergic reaction after 18 hours! Hooray!) The scent from this "simplifies" down to the "golden" kind of scent, without the sweet, which gradually fades away--- again, I was still getting hints of it as much as 12 hours later, so this has some serious staying power. DEFINITELY getting a full bottle!
White Rabbit: After a few weeks in the vial, I tried it--- smelled that "awesome golden smell" I talk about loving, and it smelled that way on me as well--- "spiced honey", in this case, maybe? It faded within minutes but there was still a lingering hint of golden spiciness. The fade continued to the point where it’s like I haven’t put anything on at all within a very short time.
Defututa: immediately: has kind of the "bad parts" or lesser version of that glowing golden scent I get from e.g. Tzadikim Nistarim, like the sandalwood is wet and in the middle of damp foliage? As it’s aging it’s going to something not exactly cloying but not far from it. The sandalwood seems lost in some kind of wet-fruit-and-flowers--- I am getting a very strong association with damp overripe fruit here for some reason. Or maybe fruity body wash scents? Not what I want. Oddly, once I wiped the area with alcohol wipes, intending to try other scents, I got something much muskier/sandalwoody that I like better! It went a little more "syrupy" as time goes on.
Obsidian Widow: my first association with this scent was port wine, then I got something more... mechanical as well. It turns mildly sharp-sweet in a little while. As it’s aging the steampunky-mechanical note is coming out strongly. (I smell like an airship workshop, OMG! On the other hand, I can’t imagine wanting to smell like an airship workshop unless I ever actually try to cosplay as one of the Cids or something. Still, it’s not an unpleasant scent.) It keeps going more "warm metallic" over time--- really, it’s a Final Fantasy airship-workshop scent, basically. (I smell like Draklor Labs! Awesome!)
Himerus: there’s a hint of that "golden" scent I look for, though there is also an herbal scent that reminds me of oregano and thyme in there. Goes mildly sharp and astringent when applied--- there’s that astringency in there again, but more herbal-smelling where OW is mechanical-smelling. I started getting a whiff of "golden" as it dried. I am getting more of that awesome golden "fullness" and warm-golden scent as it’s aging, although I am a little worried that I’m actually layering it with Defututa--- will try them both again tomorrow and see. Second trial of Himerus was enough with the golden scent that I have bought a full bottle!
Plunder: burnt cinnamon cookies, OMG! Again, not something I want to smell like or have on my person although I might dump the imp on an oil burner. I’ve tried it on me and it stays with the burnt cookies but fades really fast to a faint scent of sharp-spicy with a hint of syrup; thence to something that’s kind of spice and musk and syrupy? But FADING FAST--- what it’s doing about an hour out is something I’d like, woody/spicy/musky, but it’s fading too fast to be worth a bottle.
White Rider: All leather, all the time. Acquires something somewhat more "clean"--- "sanitary leather?" Like leather if it were medical gloves? Not astringent and not floral but somewhere between them--- on me. Goes to "leather and wood" after that, definitely a "fresh" or "clean" scent on me, with wood, as it goes. (Synaesthesia: it’s like warm wood and linen in bright sun--- possibly because I have been reading Firefly fic lately, I imagine that Simon Tam would want to walk into a surgery on the Rim and have it smell like this: clean wood operating table and clean white scrubs and bandages and plenty of sunlight to work by, very low-tech but he can heal people without getting germs on them there!)
(NB: I tried both White Rider and Plunder after I got out of a hot bath, so my skin was warm, which may have accelerated the scent "metabolism" process--- which I actually think is a good idea for me, since scents tend to "cling" to my skin in terms of not allowing me to wash them off, and this way I can get a "life cycle" for different scents and get to try others in the same day!)
Fallen: Has none of the "golden" awesomeness I would expect from a scent with amber in it, just kind of bitter-smelling, with a hint of astringence. (I knew when I bought it that I couldn’t wear it because I’m skin-allergic to amber, but I liked the description well enough that if I liked the scent in the bottle I’d stick it in my locket to enjoy that way. Sadly, I don’t.)
Morocco: In-bottle: GOLDEN SWEET SPICE, it’s like Christmas in a bottle, SO GLAD I BOUGHT THIS, MUST TEST AT ONCE. On (left wrist): EVEN BETTER. It’s like the Platonic ideal of what I want sweetness-and-spice to smell on me, not a food-scent, the concept of which I find gross, but there’s cinnamon-sugar-orange-musk going on in a good way within the first five minutes. It mellows out quickly. (Seriously, I contemplated buying a bottle of this without testing, and MY INSTINCTS WERE RIGHT, BRING IT ON.) (Seriously, on me, this is How To Not Eat Sugar, because I can sit here and sniff my wrist and get my sugar fix that way. DAMN.)
Al-shairan: On me: started out smelling like smoking meat, no really; in the first minutes the meat-scent faded but the smoky sharpness is still there. There’s a hint of a salt as it ripens along with the woodsmoke. It’s getting a hint of floral as it goes.
Belle Epoque: in vial: smelled like... nothing, like there was nothing there. On me: started off as nothing, is gradually ripening into a hint of spicy floral; getting a little more "woody" as it ages on me. It’s staying faint, but there’s a nice hint of spiciness and sweetness going on--- this is really light but what’s there is nice. The spicy sweetness gets more prevalent with time.
Carnal: In-bottle: The Platonic Ideal of Laundry Detergent. This is everything that fabric softener tries to smell like and doesn’t. On me: More of the same, softer/rounder, starts going sweet in about the time it took for me to type this and Morocco up. Definitely fruit--- apples, but, like, ESSENCE OF APPLE. In a good but possibly-too-strong way. Began to fade on me within 10min. It’s holding the fabric-softener-and-apples business but without whatever-it-is in fabric softener that makes me sneeze and means I can’t use the stuff. But, like, this scent is explaining to me why people like the scent of dryer sheets! Hooray! (Also, totally NOT a sexual scent on me, I am LOL 5EVAR at the name.) I... don’t really feel the need to smell like this, though I won’t mind it for the time it takes to wear off.
Laughter of Loki: Tried this once and loved it but fear I might have had an allergic reaction, so trying it again with that area of skin marked in pen so I can see for real. On me: Strong spice--- ginger, I think mostly, which is AWESOME. Something of a woodsy undertone. (I put this on over a spot where I had tried wiping off Seraphim, which didn’t smell strongly on me, but scents tend to linger like WHOA on me, even with rubbing down with alcohol and dishsoap.) A little while in, I’m getting the patchouli and the musk and the ginger, which are all amazing scents on me. It definitely moves toward the green-musk scent as it ages on me. I seem to recall that the first time I tried this it hung around and smelled amazing; this time it’s fading fast, and I wonder if that’s some combination of the lingering Seraphim and the leftover rubbing alcohol from trying to get the Seraphim off.) It’s gone sweet-spicy a few minutes later, and after that moving more toward "green musk"--- almost evergreen as a scent, with spicy-musk involved.
Frimps:
Tlazolteol: in the bottle, it’s dark spice--- definitely with the "unsweetened cocoa powder" though not just that. On me, it gets a hint of not-quite-sweetness, like "unsweetened mocha syrup" as a concept, and fades pretty fast, though it gets a really nice "golden spicy" thing going a couple of hours into it.
Djinn: Smoky in the vial, meat-cooker on me--- seriously, what IS it with the meat-cooker scents! I do not want to smell like a barbeque! After a little while it goes sweeter, though there’s still the smokiness to it, but at least I don’t smell like dinner! The smoke scent is lingering, not overly pleasant on me.
The Hamptons: in vial: fruit, fruit, fruit. On me: fruit punch! Between this and the Djinn on my left wrist I smelled like a picnic--- it would be a yummy picnic, mind you, but that is not what I want to smell like! The worst of the sugary-sweetness fades pretty quickly, but it’s still kinda heavy on the fruit. About an hour in, it’s got a hint of spice going on in it that makes it more pleasant.
Against Idleness and Mischief: In-vial: sweet-and something at the intersection of floral, herbal, and spicy? I like it! On me: More with the sweet, there’s an herbal backdrop that is steadily coming more to the forefront. Like it a lot! As it stays on me, I think I’m getting the chamomile-tea scent with honey, but on me I like it?
Seraphim: In vial: definitely a "clean" or "pure" scent, fits the theme. On me: DISAPPEARS; there is maybe the faintest clean-and-wood scent, but not a whole lot of anything. This and Belle Epoque are to be worn on days when I want to know that I’m wearing BPAL but don’t want to twitch anyone’s nostrils, like a compromise position. About a half-hour in, there’s a bit more there- there, definitely some nice sandalwood but with a bit too much of that "cleaner" scent to it. The wood fades pretty quickly, though.
Anathema: the opium-type scent, sort of cloying-sweet and burning, is definitely strong. It goes to some kind of faint spice/incense on me at once and seemed to go to a lingering incense-smoke-and-musk thing at once. It’s stayed that way, but about the same 30-60 minutes in, my wrist started itching; doesn’t appear to be right where I tested it, but I’m a little cautious, so this one may be getting wiped off even if I can still smell it after. (Yep, this one appears to be an allergen on me.)
Aizen-myoo: I do not know what the predominant note in this is called, but it’s very very strong--- maybe the cherry blossom? It’s not something I want to smell like. This impression was confirmed when I put it on: it’s definitely a botanical smell, gardeny--- not cloyingly floral nor sweet, but... yeah, I’m going with the Cherry Blossom Show, for lack of a more knowledge-based description. It’s a kind of "objectively nice" scent, but not one I personally want to smell like, if that makes sense. About 30-60 mins in it started going sweet in a pleasantly candy-like way, though I could still smell the "garden" scent.
Cthulhu: It is a very friendly-smelling version of what Cthulhu should smell like, and that is the best I can describe it--- it’s like that icon of him/it with the caption of "Cuddle me" that I see periodically. It is also not something I want to smell like, and I am fairly sure I’m not going to wear it because even if it changes on me, I’m not sure I want to smell like, or want to explain to someone who smells me that I smell like a Lovecraftian Elder God, though I might try it if I know I’m going to be around people who will have a positive reaction to that. On me: same, initially! Very seaside, like a beach vacation, actually. A little later, I was getting a strong scent of rocks-and-water, and then something like seaweed? It moves toward the more generally aquatic--- like, I smell like I’ve been at the beach? But clearly artificial? Faded to something sort of subtly salt-and-sand over time--- again, not really strong, but like you’ve been at the beach, showered, and now you’re curled up inside watching the ocean from a window.
Absinthe: there is definitely a strong mint note on the "afterscent", which made me slightly queasy. I don’t like mint as a general "thing" except for candy canes, so it’s not a scent I’m likely to wear. On me--- the mint lightens up a little at the start, but I got a hint of peppermint "in my eye", if that makes sense, like when you rub your eyes by mistake after eating a candy cane, even though I hadn’t done so. It faded quickly and moved toward mouthwash, then faded toward mint. I ended up scrubbing it off because the mint-scent was making me queasy.
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Also, quick question on "community administration" stuff: should we-the-posters be tagging our posts, or is that a mod-only task? (I am happy either way, but noticed you'd tagged it and went, "Oh, damn, did I just make more work for her?")
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nah, it's ok! i haven;t posted about the tags yet (am totally behind on modly duties, sigh). feel free to tag on your own if you want, i think the tags are fairly descriptive, but don't feel like you have to!
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Dead kings, many things I can't define...I love Morocco so much. It's just sweet spicy joy.
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Who cares what games you choose/Little to win, but nothin' to lose....Yes, it's AMAZING! "Sweet spicy joy" is a perfect description; I don't usually like sweet scents (or food scents in general as perfumes--- I am not for noms!) but Morocco is just wonderful. And I was so thrilled when Osun turned out to be, like, the good parts version of everything I love about Morocco + everything I love about all the amber scents that make me break out.
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Turn on, tune in, turn your eyes aroundI wonder if you'd like Kubla Khan -- I find it shares many of the things I like about Morocco, but a little less sweet. (Imps of Morocco, Kubla Khan, Katharina, and now June 23 are all in the little tin in my purse. Katharina I don't think you'd like, as it's very juicy apricot.)
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Good sense, innocence, crippled mankind....Ooh, thanks for the rec! *goes to check scent description for Kubla Khan* That looks wonderful, except for the part where it mentions amber, which is one of my tried-and-true skin-allergens; however since it says "amber tobacco", it might be safe--- certainly worth an imp!
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I agree with you about White Rider. It's very white leather. It really works on me, but it is a very CLEAN Simon Tan-esque leather. That is a perfect description, really. I am glad you posted!
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Oh, man, I LOVE White Rider... although on a second trial I saw some signs that I'm skin-allergic to it, damn it. But I'm so glad that description fits for you as well--- as it dried down, I got a very clear mental image of some nice little outer-rim-world surgery with the sunlight streaming in the windows and the squeaky-clean-though-low-tech setup and Simon coming in and being like, "...okay, it's not exactly the MedAcad but I can work with this." (Oh, hey, I think I just flashficced a perfume oil, lol!)
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