Uncommon Scents

BPAL Description - a vivacious blend of green tea, osmanthus, pomelo flower, white musk, and verbena.
Initial sniff from bottle - Lemon!
Wet on skin - Still very Lemon!
Dry on skin - The initial lemon scent fades down and a pleasant floral tea scent emerges. It morphed as it dried down with the mush coming through as a base for the florals.
Staying Power & Throw Decent staying power, but a modest throw. On damp days such as today was, it would best be worn in a scent locket as well as the skin.
Overall Opinion - It was very nice and light after the initial Lemon! shock. I'll enjoy the imps I have, but am not heartbroken at the limited availability of the scent.

Crib Girls, District GC.

Seven honeys under one unkempt roof, with fiery-tart cubeb and dusty cardamom.

Delicious. No morphing, pretty much the same throughout.

There's an initial hit of lemoniness that people claim is cubeb (Cubebs taste peppery to me but I've only had the berries) but it fades over time. The honey is thick and tongue tingling without being cloying. The Cardamom is also sweet but dry. It is nummy.

I smell like an Entemann's Crumb Cake. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

BROTOLOIGOS
Murderous
Tobacco, wenge, rose geranium, and myrrh.

wet: Spicy playdoh.
dry: almost a bit carnation-y but soft.
morphs back to spicy/resiny playdoh


Bit of throw but not alot. Still more than the rest of these have had.


ENKHESPALOS
Spear-Wielding
Elder wood, leather, blonde tobacco, and cognac.

Wet: Cologne-y. Bright and fresh. Something almost aquatic and tingly on the tongue.
Dry: For some odd reason this pulls up images of staying down the shore. I don't quite know why. The leather is going a shade towards the used band-aid smell but not too bad. Long lasting as well.

A bit of throw. Nice but not something I really care for.

KHRYSOPÊLÊX
Helmed in Gold

imp: spices
wet: very light bergamot with... what... oh caraway.
dry: tobacco-y light caraway. Oh huff there's that taste of saffron.

Interesting. Dry and spicy but sort of unremarkable. A bit on the masculine side. No throw and did not last at all on me. I had to huff.

ENYALIOS
Lord of War
Patchouli, frankincense, olibanum, thyme, cocoa absolute, Peru balsam, oakmoss, and juniper.

Camphor. Camphor and thyme with a bare undercurrent of powdered drinking chocolate. Interesting.

AATOS POLEMOIO
Insatiate of War
Cedar, black currant, and saffron.

Woodsy camphor and a bit of berry juiciness. It's sour juiciness tho, almost unpleasant. Very woodsy like Snowstorm 07 or Loup Garou w/o the mint.

I knew I'd be in trouble when I saw these. So I broke down and got an imp of each.
The tests so far

KHALKOKORUSTÊS
Armed With Bronze
Champaca, pear, cedar, black pepper, jasmine, and red sandalwood.

The surprise winner for me so far. A big bunch of jasmine, a cut pear and a tiny bite of pepper in a big bowl of water. I'm huffing my arm. Delicious. I may need bulk purchasing.

THOUROS
Furious
Rose otto, lychee, and cistus absolute.

Tasty. Again I can taste it more than smell it. Rich rose of the peacock queen sort with a bit of watery sweetness from the lychee. Almost like a fainter smell of lychee jellies. Sadly it fades instantly and has little throw.

THOOS
Swift
Tangerine, cypress, and white musk.

Mouth watering tangerine with a tiny undercurrent of the wood. Sadly it's gone almost as soon as I pop the cap back on.

RHINOTOROS
Skin-Piercing
Vetiver, patchouli, white pepper, and grapefruit.

No obvious grapefruit, sadly, but this is a wonderful bonfire scent. It smells like Pennsic on drum crawl night.

MIAIPHONOS
Blood-Stained
Clove, anise, mandarin, and cumin.

Yule Revel. Cloven fruit and Pizzelles. Holy crap delicious.

ANDREIPHONTÊS
Destroyer of Men
Tonka, benzoin, black sandalwood, and nutmeg.

This one is odd. Tonnes of throw. Weirdly it's like a more robust version of those Chinese sandalwood soaps. Nice but not what I expected.
edit: Now I know what it smells like... Oil of Olay. @.@

Peacock Queen 09 - Slobber. Near as I can tell, exactly the same as 07, meaning perfect.

Mother Shub's Pfferneusse -
bottle: ew butterscotch.
wet: less butterscotch and a bit more cookie.
dry: it smells like a butterscotch candle.

FAIL

BPAL update

I have a stack of weenies to describe. Just to say Suck It is DELICIOUS! >.<

BPAL just tweeted that Antique Lace is temp. unavailable (component problem)

There's a slew of new GC's coming YAY and the anniversaries and Yules are coming...

Overwhelmed!

Kumari Kandam - The hollow scent of a vast antediluvian civilization, now frozen and buried, smothered by a thick sheet of ice and trapped deep beneath the ocean. Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic notes.

Initial sniff from bottle - Gley. Wet, cool earth and brackish air.

Wet on skin - I'm thinking that some of the hothouse blossoms are of the citrus variety as a salty lime scent comes out.

Dry on skin - The sweetness of the incense comes out as it dries down, and it turns into a warm scent. Very tricky, and I am put in mind of a scuba diver who finds the city, and is standing there in the warmth of ancient air dripping salt water onto ageless sandstone.

Staying Power & Throw - good. The scent is strong enough to prevent over applying. It has a good staying power and doesn't require reapplication after a day's wearing.

Overall Opinion - I really enjoy this scent. It puts me in the mood to write for Stella Mari/A Map of Eden befor the storms. It's old without being cloying... it just hits all the right notes in me.


Collection: Wanderlust.

BPAL Description - Red roses, blood-flecked lilies, upturned earth, yew branches, and blood mingled with river sand.

Initial sniff from bottle - Wet green. [No, it doesn't make logical sense, but it's what I got.]

Wet on skin - Sandy, aquatic, with a light floral smell. Begins to unfold as it dries down.

Dry on skin - There is still the lily and fresh aquatic, but the rose and earthiness really begin to appear as it dries more. Overall, there is a pleasant, earthy dampness that is complimented by the lily and rose florals.

Staying Power & Throw - Good. This is the kind of scent that I think it would be easy to overdo, and then it would be quite overpowering, but used sparingly on the pulse points, it's lovely.

Overall Opinion - It's very nice. While it isn't enough to make me want to go and buy another bottle, it is a good scent for the damp that is March.

Cockaigne - The weather is always mild, the wine flows freely, sex is readily available, and all people enjoy eternal youth. The Land of Plenty, also called Luilekkerland – the Lazy, Luscious Land: milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine.

Initial sniff from bottle - Unpleasantly like pancakes. Anyone who has worked at IHOP will know what that means. Burnt vanilla.

Wet on skin - None of us were brave enough to try, but to my horror, some did get on my fingers unstoppering and stoppering the phial. Sadly, it was the same as above.

Dry on skin - Same as above.

Staying Power & Throw - too good.

Overall Opinion - No, thank you.

Queen Alice ~ Carnation, posies, and white amber with a hint of inky treacle, sandy cider, and wooly wine.

Initial sniff from bottle - smoky floral

Wet on skin - smoky notes predominate, which I suspect is the white amber, with faint floral notes appearing quite at random.

Dry on skin - the amber still predominates, but as it dries and soaks into my skin, the florals unfold and linger just under the amber.

Staying Power & Throw - very good.

Overall Opinion - This actually reminds me of a lighter version of Nanny Ashtoreth. It isn't unpleasant at all, but I would buy Nanny Ashtoreth over Queen Alice in future.

Blood - A vital, bold scent, throbbing with sensuality. Essence of dragon's blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove.

Initial sniff from bottle - An intriguing mix of cherry and clove. The cherry is the stronger scent so far.

Wet on skin - The cherry mellows quickly as the dragon's blood comes out. The clove is still a hint intermingling between the other scents.

Dry on skin - The clove comes out warmly now. The cherry is very mellow and not at all overwhelming. The myrrh peeks out now and again in the clove; on me it is not predominate, but that just adds to the appeal of the scent.

Staying Power & Throw - Good. In warmer weather [still to be tested] it might need to be scent locketed, as it does fade after four or so hours.

Overall Opinion - A warm and pleasant spicy, fruit-floral scent. It isn't overwhelming either spice or fruit wise, managing a delicate balance.

( Succubus )

( Marie )

( Zorya )

BPAL Description - A Roman funeral garden: cypress, thyme, oleander, crocus, gladiola, amaranth, and myrtle shrouded by herbs and flowers sacred to the Silent One.

Initial sniff from bottle - Very green and crisp with subtle florals.  The cypress seems to dominate and it surprises me that laurel isn't listed as an oil, but it is probably the myrtle reminding me of laurel.

Wet on skin - The fresh green crispness is still there, but the florals are coming out more as my skin warms the oil.  There is a bit of a medicinal smell, but that is probably the thyme and other herbs. Waiting to see if it mellows.

Dry on skin - The cypress and myrtle are the predominate notes, and this would be annoying save that they are consistently fresh and green, and compliment the separate upwaftings of the floral notes. 

Staying Power & Throw -  Good for staying power, but the throw is a bit more personal.  It's not overwhelmingly strong or bold, but a stick close to the skin scent.  For this one, I like that [see below]. 

Overall Opinion - I really do like it, it is unusual and the scents work on the priestess mind in me.  That said, for me, this is not for daily, casual wear by any means; although as a sacred blend, this is perfect.  I can easily see me saving this for the threshold days and other mystical workings throughout the year.

BPAL Description - Snow-covered pines, witches herbs, bestial musk, flax, and ethereal flowers that represent both birth and death.

Initial sniff from bottle - Warm, fresh cedar and juniper.

Wet on skin - Still cedar and juniper, but it mellows quickly into a warm undertone that the other notes build upon.  Musky, but not overpowering, compliments the cedar nicely.

Dry on skin - The cedar and juniper are pleasant undertones.  The musk comes and goes along with hints of the floral.  The floral notes emerge more if my skin is warmer, as does the green herbal smell.  It's a good herbal scent, not medicinal at all, and adds to the overall clean, earthy smell. 

Staying Power & Throw -  Good on both counts.  This is a nice subtle scent that slowly wafts outward and doesn't overwhelm the wearer, although it is one of the scents that gets stronger with elevated body temperature. 

Overall Opinion - Very nice.  While not what I'd think of as a Yule scent, it is definitely a winter scent and I can't wait to see what it smells like on in January and February when the weather is absolutely beastly. 

BPAL Description - The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

Initial sniff from bottle - They do not lie. It really is like stuffing your head into a bouquet of roses.

Wet on skin - Crisp, cold roses.

Dry on skin - Roses. Crisp and cooler, eventually warming up to just a warm rose smell.

Staying Power & Throw - Excellent and Excellent. This is definitely one where a little bit goes a long way, and it sticks around so wonderfully.

Overall Opinion - OMG! I need to order more.

Sorry to be so brief, but this one just lives up to each of the nine words used to describe it. It's beautiful and captures the essence of roses on a chilly [winter or spring] morning.

WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT 2008-
Embrace your villainy: balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress.

In the bottle: light incensy blend

Wet: lovely spice. I totally get the myrrh, clove, nutmeg and dark musk. It has a similar feel to the Catterpillar.

Dry: A flash of the orange comes up. It's not juicy at all, but more rind/dried in feel.

This is gorgeous. I love the Catterpillar and this is the lighter, non headshop version of it. It sits close to the skin but holds on a long time. Very Yulie and wonderful.

Fearful Pleasure

Dried orange peels floating in simmering cider, roasted apples, smoldering firewood, chimney smoke, sassafras beer, warm hawthorn wood, and oakmoss.

In imp: smoky cooked apples. Red apples not sharp green ones.

Wet: apply cider and smoke. Depending on the day, heavy smoke.

Dry: less smoke more apple. I can almost taste the slightly spicy cider.  I can taste the orange peel only as a subtle compliment, not as an individual note.

Lasts moderately well and has a medium throw.

( Blood Moon 2008 )

( Blood Rose )

( Magus )

13 Pink Label just arrived.

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including vanilla bean, white ginger, orchid, golden peach, massoia bark, clove, honey, and starfruit.

in bottle: spiciness and orchid.

wet: peach, starfruit, ginger, orchid and a waxy taste that might be the white chocolate

dry: the clove comes up a bit more and the peach fades. It's more ginger, clove and a bit of honey. Only a touch though.

I don't get any chocolate at all from this but my roommate says he smells chocolate clearly and he has a stuffed nose :(

Its quite pleasent and spicy tho, so I'll keep it.

Looks like BPAL chocolate is another one I can chalk off.