[Multiple] Reviews
Yay, I finally had some time to do more reviews... a few unreleased and Maelströms:
FORTUNATO: Maelström A deep, rich sherry encased in dusty darkness, touched by oak, and damp catacomb stone. The scent begins with a sense of drunken glee, of orange peel, bittersweet berry and rose hip, and moves inexorably towards the dread and terror expressed in black patchouli.
In Bottle: Fruit, berry
On Skin: The berry is the fist note I smell. It’s quite powdery though, not a juicy berry. The orangepeel provides a nice tart twist. I don’t smell the rose hip… The sherry is gorgeous, slightly boozy and decadent but not anything that will knock you over. The oak gives a nice deep woody undertone. The patchouli isn’t overwhelming either, thankfully. Just dark and resiny and it gives the scent that perfect spooky note. Overall I love this scent. It’s quite pretty and festive. The throw is medium as is the staying power.
THE PIT & THE PENDULUM: Maelström The depths of despair, a dark Ecclesiatical triumph: the incense of the Inquisition.
In Bottle: Incense
On Skin: This reminds me of Midnight Mass and Cathedral… pure incense. I’m not a fan of incense scents, they usually go very dark and smokey on me. This scent is very thick, you can almost see a stick of lit incense in front of you, the smoke curling up into your nostrils. I sense resin and myrrh, very dark, golden and warm. Not exactly what I imagine when I think of the Pit and the Pendulum, but quite interesting. A must for anyone who enjoys incense scents.
BLACK LILY: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Um… lily. :)
On Skin: I love lillies, they’re one of my favorite flowers. And Black Lily, well I knew it would be perfection. It is very strong and heady, wow. Feminine to an extreme, this screams “I am woman hear me roar!” I love how although it is a lily, it is dark, not the bright white I normally get from lily scents. It has a creamy vanilla note as well as a slightly tart note. Sweet and sour, I love it. I would LOVE a bottle of this, it really is that pretty. So elegant yet evil as well, quite a contrast. I think it would really intrigue people if they smell it on you. Not for a shy woman at all.
ZERO: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Floral
On Skin: A beautiful crystal clear floral. Quite perfumey, elegant and kind of department store-like. It has a medium throw and doesn’t seem to carry to far, but is quite amazing when you take a deep whiff of it on yourself. Another scent I’d love a bottle of, because it isn’t traditional BPAL at all. It’s more commercial, yes, but I think because of that it may layer with some of my “mainstream” scents like Jdore or Shalimar. It fades to a clean powdery white/yellow floral, quite beautiful. It fades very quickly sadly…
TOXIN: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Aquatic ozone
On Skin: Yum! I smell a sweet yet tart ozoney note. Also something slightly citrus… maybe grapefruit? Some kinf of fruit for sure… Also a sweet note, maybe a sweet floral like Sweet Pea or something in the vanilla family but very very faint. This scent is so fresh and clean, it’s very beautiful!!! It has a little of the laundry dryer sheet going for it, it would be nice for when you wanted something airy and light. I think this would be an amazing room scent, I’d use it for spring days for sure.
NIHIL: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Spicy floral
On Skin: I get a strong floral and an exotic asian spice from this one. A bit of a resin or musk as well that drapes it in a dark golden tint. Sort of Opium-ish or Poision-ish. Very sexy and perfect for a woman. Like Zero it reminds me a bit of commercial perfume… it’s not traditional BPAL at all. Strong throw and if I inhale too deeply it makes my eyes water. I’d love a bottle of this to make a spray with. As it develops, I get a slightly minty ozoney note that comes forward but the florals still remain the dominant notes. If this is released I will be buying a big bottle for sure.
BLACK ORCHID: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Soapy floral
On Skin: At first it is an obvious floral. There is a slight ozoney/soapy note. I also get a little of a dirt/earth note. This is quite nice, very purple in feel… dark and exotic. I get a similar feel to Zombi since Zombi also has a slight dirty aquatic note as well. Intersting… I do like the orchid note in this better than the rose in Zombie though. Florals always feel elegant to me, it’s just a mindset I guess… but I get the womanly elegant feel from this blend as well. It has a medium throw, and average staying power. I like it, but the dirt note gets to be a bit much after a while. I just don’t like smelling earthy or dirty, even if it’s a clean note of either.
THE PREMATURE BURIAL: Oppressive darkness, expressed through black orchid and patchouli, smothered by wet soil, a coffin’s teakwood, and the funereal gloom of cypress.
In Bottle: Dirt
On Skin: Interesting that I decided to review this scent right after Black Orchid. I can actually smell the same notes from Black Orchid as well as a slight woody note. And like Black Orchid, it also reminds me slightly of Zombi. The patchouli is light, nothing to extreme which is of course a good thing in my book. The dirt/soil is the most dominant note by far. Wow, I feel like I am buried… scary! Slightly creepy, the scent of the flowers from the funeral, the wood from the coffin, and just a general dark feeling. It has a very light throw which is interesting and medium staying power. Not really me, but a perfect scent to fit it’s description.
LIGEIA: Man doth not yield himself to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will. Jasmine, juniper berry and rose geranium.
In Bottle: Holy jasmine Batman!!!!!!
On Skin: Um yeah… jasmine is the dominant note. Super thick and sweet. It is actually quite overwhelming and I don’t think I could ever really wear this scent. The juniper is very light in the background, a slight minty piney note. The rose geranium adds a somewhat sour note that contrasts the sickly sweetness of the jasmine. It’s actually a bit artificial smelling and it is quite cloying… This scent has a super strong throw and average staying power. It’s not me at all so it’s off to the swaps.
USHER: This is Roderick Usher: a faded genteel light musk and fougere, heightened by hectic white mint, gleaming mandarin, ethereal tea leaf and gritty blackcurrant brushed by the scent of the tarn that surrounds the House, and the gloom and decay of the walls that hold him.
In Bottle: Citrus tea
On Skin: I smell the tea right away… but it’s not the same sweet tea as Dorian, White Rabbit or Severin, and not bright like green tea in Shanghai and Holiday Moon. It’s a little more bitter and very fresh and clean smelling. And the mint adds to the sharpness of it with a medicinal edge. The mandarin gives a citrus note and the blackcurrant helps sweeten it just slightly. The blackcurrant is powdery, not juicy at all. The musk provides a beautiful soft yet dark base. This is a much more elegant and formal tea, I love the mood it evokes. It does seem more masculine to me, but I don’t mind it on myself and I’m quite the girly girl when it comes to scents. It has medium throw and average staying power. A beautiful scent that I will keep the imp of.
FORTUNATO: Maelström A deep, rich sherry encased in dusty darkness, touched by oak, and damp catacomb stone. The scent begins with a sense of drunken glee, of orange peel, bittersweet berry and rose hip, and moves inexorably towards the dread and terror expressed in black patchouli.
In Bottle: Fruit, berry
On Skin: The berry is the fist note I smell. It’s quite powdery though, not a juicy berry. The orangepeel provides a nice tart twist. I don’t smell the rose hip… The sherry is gorgeous, slightly boozy and decadent but not anything that will knock you over. The oak gives a nice deep woody undertone. The patchouli isn’t overwhelming either, thankfully. Just dark and resiny and it gives the scent that perfect spooky note. Overall I love this scent. It’s quite pretty and festive. The throw is medium as is the staying power.
THE PIT & THE PENDULUM: Maelström The depths of despair, a dark Ecclesiatical triumph: the incense of the Inquisition.
In Bottle: Incense
On Skin: This reminds me of Midnight Mass and Cathedral… pure incense. I’m not a fan of incense scents, they usually go very dark and smokey on me. This scent is very thick, you can almost see a stick of lit incense in front of you, the smoke curling up into your nostrils. I sense resin and myrrh, very dark, golden and warm. Not exactly what I imagine when I think of the Pit and the Pendulum, but quite interesting. A must for anyone who enjoys incense scents.
BLACK LILY: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Um… lily. :)
On Skin: I love lillies, they’re one of my favorite flowers. And Black Lily, well I knew it would be perfection. It is very strong and heady, wow. Feminine to an extreme, this screams “I am woman hear me roar!” I love how although it is a lily, it is dark, not the bright white I normally get from lily scents. It has a creamy vanilla note as well as a slightly tart note. Sweet and sour, I love it. I would LOVE a bottle of this, it really is that pretty. So elegant yet evil as well, quite a contrast. I think it would really intrigue people if they smell it on you. Not for a shy woman at all.
ZERO: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Floral
On Skin: A beautiful crystal clear floral. Quite perfumey, elegant and kind of department store-like. It has a medium throw and doesn’t seem to carry to far, but is quite amazing when you take a deep whiff of it on yourself. Another scent I’d love a bottle of, because it isn’t traditional BPAL at all. It’s more commercial, yes, but I think because of that it may layer with some of my “mainstream” scents like Jdore or Shalimar. It fades to a clean powdery white/yellow floral, quite beautiful. It fades very quickly sadly…
TOXIN: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Aquatic ozone
On Skin: Yum! I smell a sweet yet tart ozoney note. Also something slightly citrus… maybe grapefruit? Some kinf of fruit for sure… Also a sweet note, maybe a sweet floral like Sweet Pea or something in the vanilla family but very very faint. This scent is so fresh and clean, it’s very beautiful!!! It has a little of the laundry dryer sheet going for it, it would be nice for when you wanted something airy and light. I think this would be an amazing room scent, I’d use it for spring days for sure.
NIHIL: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Spicy floral
On Skin: I get a strong floral and an exotic asian spice from this one. A bit of a resin or musk as well that drapes it in a dark golden tint. Sort of Opium-ish or Poision-ish. Very sexy and perfect for a woman. Like Zero it reminds me a bit of commercial perfume… it’s not traditional BPAL at all. Strong throw and if I inhale too deeply it makes my eyes water. I’d love a bottle of this to make a spray with. As it develops, I get a slightly minty ozoney note that comes forward but the florals still remain the dominant notes. If this is released I will be buying a big bottle for sure.
BLACK ORCHID: Unreleased No description
In Bottle: Soapy floral
On Skin: At first it is an obvious floral. There is a slight ozoney/soapy note. I also get a little of a dirt/earth note. This is quite nice, very purple in feel… dark and exotic. I get a similar feel to Zombi since Zombi also has a slight dirty aquatic note as well. Intersting… I do like the orchid note in this better than the rose in Zombie though. Florals always feel elegant to me, it’s just a mindset I guess… but I get the womanly elegant feel from this blend as well. It has a medium throw, and average staying power. I like it, but the dirt note gets to be a bit much after a while. I just don’t like smelling earthy or dirty, even if it’s a clean note of either.
THE PREMATURE BURIAL: Oppressive darkness, expressed through black orchid and patchouli, smothered by wet soil, a coffin’s teakwood, and the funereal gloom of cypress.
In Bottle: Dirt
On Skin: Interesting that I decided to review this scent right after Black Orchid. I can actually smell the same notes from Black Orchid as well as a slight woody note. And like Black Orchid, it also reminds me slightly of Zombi. The patchouli is light, nothing to extreme which is of course a good thing in my book. The dirt/soil is the most dominant note by far. Wow, I feel like I am buried… scary! Slightly creepy, the scent of the flowers from the funeral, the wood from the coffin, and just a general dark feeling. It has a very light throw which is interesting and medium staying power. Not really me, but a perfect scent to fit it’s description.
LIGEIA: Man doth not yield himself to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will. Jasmine, juniper berry and rose geranium.
In Bottle: Holy jasmine Batman!!!!!!
On Skin: Um yeah… jasmine is the dominant note. Super thick and sweet. It is actually quite overwhelming and I don’t think I could ever really wear this scent. The juniper is very light in the background, a slight minty piney note. The rose geranium adds a somewhat sour note that contrasts the sickly sweetness of the jasmine. It’s actually a bit artificial smelling and it is quite cloying… This scent has a super strong throw and average staying power. It’s not me at all so it’s off to the swaps.
USHER: This is Roderick Usher: a faded genteel light musk and fougere, heightened by hectic white mint, gleaming mandarin, ethereal tea leaf and gritty blackcurrant brushed by the scent of the tarn that surrounds the House, and the gloom and decay of the walls that hold him.
In Bottle: Citrus tea
On Skin: I smell the tea right away… but it’s not the same sweet tea as Dorian, White Rabbit or Severin, and not bright like green tea in Shanghai and Holiday Moon. It’s a little more bitter and very fresh and clean smelling. And the mint adds to the sharpness of it with a medicinal edge. The mandarin gives a citrus note and the blackcurrant helps sweeten it just slightly. The blackcurrant is powdery, not juicy at all. The musk provides a beautiful soft yet dark base. This is a much more elegant and formal tea, I love the mood it evokes. It does seem more masculine to me, but I don’t mind it on myself and I’m quite the girly girl when it comes to scents. It has medium throw and average staying power. A beautiful scent that I will keep the imp of.