BPAL: Halloweenies Pt. 1
I'm waiting for more dexcants, but in the meantime...
The Frimps:
BIEN LOIN D’ICI (Ars Amatoria): (Company says: The Scarlet Woman, aglow with sensual indolence: red musk, benzoin, caramel accord, golden honey, and spiced Moroccan unguents.)
In bottle: Sexy in a resiny sort of way. Benzoin is strongest with red musk in support, sweetened by honey and caramel, with a spicy edge. Wet: The honey is stronger on there skin, though still third after benzoin and musk. It’s a subtle shift of balance more than a drastic change. It’s a good design for its concept, rather overwhelming on me, as red musk often is. Dry: Smells a lot like sandalwood, which isn’t a listed element, only a touch wetter than sandalwood.
BLACK CAT (Bewitching Brews, Conjure Bag):
In bottle: Mint dominant with some rose and a bit of resin. No way am I skin testing it, I’m queasy just from the sample sniff.
BLACK FOREST (Bewitching Brews, Conjure Bag): (Company says: Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress.)
In bottle: lots of juniper with pine and musk strong seconds. The cypress supports the juniper, The Ambergris supports the musk. It’s darkly sexy and a touch alarming. I’m not skin testing for juniper and musk.
DELOUSING POWDER 2007 (Unreleased, Special Thunder Moon Will Call-only scent):
In bottle: Powdery green tea, with lemon. I’m guessing amber and something else, maybe tonka, but I can’t swear to it. It does indeed smell a little like a flea powder for cats that was popular in the ‘70’s, to the point that I struggle with notes. (seriously, sniffing it I get strong associative memories of powdering our Siameses in a bad flea season, and I can’t objectively break it down, so anything I said above is speculative). It also smells like it ought to be itchy, though it isn’t. I find the scent association confusing enough that I don’t want to put it on my skin, though likely it is safe.
CATHEDRAL (Sin and Salvarion): (Company says: Venerable and solemn: the scent of incense smoke wafting through an ancient church. A true ecclesiastical blend of pure resins.)
In bottle: I’m thinking it’s palm dominant, though that could be an accidental accord of pale wood and incense. There might also be tonka with the same caveat. It may contain sandalwood, as I’d swear that’s the core of the incense, with likely frankincense. It does have a calm, meditative feel. Wet: The blonde wood is even stronger, the cedar and sandalwood differentiate out more. It smells less like palm, so I’m thinking that was my nose making an accord. The incense comes out more complex, though I’m not having much luck placing anything but the frankincense. Really, it’s wood dominant. Dry: Mostly sandalwood.
COPPER PHOENIX 2009 ( BPAL Anniversary: The Alchemical Phoenixes): (Company says: Rose-infused dark amber, with sweet orange, honey, cardamom, patchouli, apricot, pink pepper, and red sandalwood.)
In bottle: Rose dominant, with orange and apricot a strong second. The pepper gives the rose more edge than usual. The amber, honey, and sandalwood sweeten and smooth. The patchouli is understated and gives it a touch of grounding. No skin test due to rose.
MAD HATTER (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: A gentlemen's lavender-citron cologne unhinged by the feral pungence of black musk and a paroxysm of pennyroyal.)
In bottle: Pennyroyal dominant with strong citron and lavender support. The citrus-mint combination was practically an assault. To my very mild synesthesia, it was very like a slap. From my birmin’s reaction, he felt the same. I do think the lavender plays well with the pennyroyal, but I couldn’t bring myself to sniff long enough to form more complex responses. No skin test obviously.
MOUSE'S LONG AND SAD TALE (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.)
In bottle: Sweet Pea dominant with the vanilla giving lovely support. The ambers are third and well blended with the stronger notes. The sandalwood is understated, but distinct. This is a delicate, beautifully designed scent. The elements are all a little more separate as they warm, though they still play well together. I’d say the ambers are now second, with sweet pea still strongest. My body chemistry doesn’t play well with the sweet pea, making it smell a bit strained. The sandalwood is stronger on my skin, moving into third as the vanilla becomes more background. This does not work on me, but should be fine on the right young woman. Dry: Dries down to mostly amber with some vanilla and a touch of sandalwood.
THE POOL OF TEARS (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: A sea of salty tears drowning out Alice's light floral perfume.)
In bottle: Mostly ocean with a touch of light floral. Wet: More nuanced on the skin. The ocean scent is more interesting and less uniform than the general run when combined with the florals which are also more individual when warm. Still not my thing, but I was going to dismiss this as a bit dull, and now I can’t. Dry: mostly Ocean scent.
Ordered:
PANDORA 2012 (LE, Coraline): (Company says: Just a hint of gorgon blood: bright nectarine, honey, sandalwood, green musk, sea buckthorn berry, and oakmoss.)
In bottle: Nectarine dominant, but with a strong sea buckthorn and oakmoss presence. I’d call sandalwood and green musk at third, with honey smoothing the whole thing out. It is very beach after storm. Wet: sea buckthorn berry dominant, with the nectarine brightening it’s affect. The oakmoss is still second and blends beautifully with the buckthorn, and green musk a close third. The other elements are soft, but noticeable. I normally amp citrus, but here it plays really well with everything else. Similarly, I often have trouble with ocean scents, but I can just manage it here. This is lovely and really well designed. I can’t shake that beach comber after a storm in early fall feeling when sniffing it. Dry: Mostly sea buckthorn berry with musk, oakmoss, and sandalwood.
LINDWORM 2012 (LE, DragonCon): (Company says: Smoky green leather smeared with crushed grasses and wild herbs.)
In bottle: It’s lovely and sweet, very, very Green. It’s very grass fire and leather. The herbal combination is wet and blends beautifully with the grass. The smoke blends beautifully with the leather. I can’t call anything dominant as even in the bottle, they take turns. It’s surprisingly complex and perfect for it’s concept. Wet: The smoke is slightly more synthetic on the skin. I’ll now consider it leater dominent, with smoke second. Historically, I do badly with the smoke notes as my nose parses them funny. Fingers crossed. I’ll call grass third, comparatively subtle and prone to sneaking up on my nose with the herbal support. As it warms, the edges blur a bit. Leather stays dominant, but the smoke, grass, and herbs, swirl together more. I’m wondering if there is a lot of musk in this leather accord as it’s very musky and feral. I can’t tell if I love it or hate it and it’s impossible to ignore in its reptile glory. Either way, it conjures the flash of green dragon scales and a lick of flame turning a field to smoke. Dry: Settles down eventually into a strong musky smoky leather. While wet, it’s just at the edge of what I can handle intensity wise, on the dry down, it’s a sexy, feral sort of leather that I think I will love the way I love my Mutant Hot-Rodders from Hell High. They seem to be cousins once the more volatile elements burn off, being a similar sort of leather and both edgy and dangerous as leathers go, with similar vaguely industrial affect.
MANGO-INFUSED PUMPKIN CHAI LATTE 2012 (LE, Halloweenies): (Company says: Pumpkin-spiced gunpowder tea with mango peel, red ginger, green cardamom, smoky clove buds, fennel, allspice, saffron, coconut sugar, and foamy milk.)
In bottle: Pumpkin Dominant, with the clove and ginger dominant spice blend second. I’d call mango third, giving a sweet fruity feel to it. The coconut sugar is in support of the mango. The tea is soft and ties it all together beautifully. Wet: More tea on my skin, and it becomes the strongest note as it warms. Mango and the spices are a strong second with pumpkin a weaker third, which is fine by me as my history with the pumpkin note is not good. The other notes are present, but soft. As it warms further, the ginger comes to dominate the spice blend. This one morphs a lot with relative values changing over time. At some point the mango and pumpkin start working together and the cocoanut comes out more. This has lots of throw. Dry: Softens and blurs as it wears down. Rather more allspice than when wet, though the ginger has staying power as well. The Pumpkin and tea linger along with some sugar.
MARIPOSITA 2012 (LE, Forum Only): (Company says: Her hair smells like soap and lavender, her skin smells like honey and sunshine, and everything is touched by the scent of the strawberries she's always eating.
In bottle: Strawberry dominant (Full disclosure, my nose frequently breaks down strawberry accords funny, so my review may not apply to your experience). The lavender is a strong second and occasionally breaks off bits of strawberry. The honey is heady and rich. There is a feel of sunshine about it. Wet: The lavender and strawberry break down and mix into a lovely cotton candy for me. The lavender is clearly dominant when I can parse it out of the accidental accord. I love this. Dry: Berry infused cotton candy.
SIBERIAN MUSK 2012 (LE, Single Notes): (Company says: Our vegetal musk blend that emulates the scent of Siberian musk deer gland secretions. The description doesn't sound sexy, but the scent sure is.)
In bottle: It smells like a medium weight musk, lusty and heady. Wet: Okay, the musk is much lighter on my skin than I expected from the bottle, delightfully feral, and nuanced. I am not sure I strictly need a musk single note, but I think it will be fun trying it with other things. Dry: Fades into a delicious soft musk.
SPANISH MOSS 2012 (LE, Single Notes): (Company says: An omnipresent feature of haunted antebellum mansions: drooping, moribund tendrils hanging solemnly from ancient oak and cypress branches.)
In bottle: Spanish Moss, extra lush and green. Wet: Sweeter and even more lush on the skin, sexy and vibrant. My skin has always loved Spanish moss in other blends, and it turns out that it’s brilliant on its own as well. Lots of throw. Dry: Ends up a drier, darker green, more like it smells in blends.
Winners: Mariposita
Runners Up: Lindworm, Mango-Infused Pumpkin Chai Latte, Spanish Moss
The Frimps:
BIEN LOIN D’ICI (Ars Amatoria): (Company says: The Scarlet Woman, aglow with sensual indolence: red musk, benzoin, caramel accord, golden honey, and spiced Moroccan unguents.)
In bottle: Sexy in a resiny sort of way. Benzoin is strongest with red musk in support, sweetened by honey and caramel, with a spicy edge. Wet: The honey is stronger on there skin, though still third after benzoin and musk. It’s a subtle shift of balance more than a drastic change. It’s a good design for its concept, rather overwhelming on me, as red musk often is. Dry: Smells a lot like sandalwood, which isn’t a listed element, only a touch wetter than sandalwood.
BLACK CAT (Bewitching Brews, Conjure Bag):
In bottle: Mint dominant with some rose and a bit of resin. No way am I skin testing it, I’m queasy just from the sample sniff.
BLACK FOREST (Bewitching Brews, Conjure Bag): (Company says: Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress.)
In bottle: lots of juniper with pine and musk strong seconds. The cypress supports the juniper, The Ambergris supports the musk. It’s darkly sexy and a touch alarming. I’m not skin testing for juniper and musk.
DELOUSING POWDER 2007 (Unreleased, Special Thunder Moon Will Call-only scent):
In bottle: Powdery green tea, with lemon. I’m guessing amber and something else, maybe tonka, but I can’t swear to it. It does indeed smell a little like a flea powder for cats that was popular in the ‘70’s, to the point that I struggle with notes. (seriously, sniffing it I get strong associative memories of powdering our Siameses in a bad flea season, and I can’t objectively break it down, so anything I said above is speculative). It also smells like it ought to be itchy, though it isn’t. I find the scent association confusing enough that I don’t want to put it on my skin, though likely it is safe.
CATHEDRAL (Sin and Salvarion): (Company says: Venerable and solemn: the scent of incense smoke wafting through an ancient church. A true ecclesiastical blend of pure resins.)
In bottle: I’m thinking it’s palm dominant, though that could be an accidental accord of pale wood and incense. There might also be tonka with the same caveat. It may contain sandalwood, as I’d swear that’s the core of the incense, with likely frankincense. It does have a calm, meditative feel. Wet: The blonde wood is even stronger, the cedar and sandalwood differentiate out more. It smells less like palm, so I’m thinking that was my nose making an accord. The incense comes out more complex, though I’m not having much luck placing anything but the frankincense. Really, it’s wood dominant. Dry: Mostly sandalwood.
COPPER PHOENIX 2009 ( BPAL Anniversary: The Alchemical Phoenixes): (Company says: Rose-infused dark amber, with sweet orange, honey, cardamom, patchouli, apricot, pink pepper, and red sandalwood.)
In bottle: Rose dominant, with orange and apricot a strong second. The pepper gives the rose more edge than usual. The amber, honey, and sandalwood sweeten and smooth. The patchouli is understated and gives it a touch of grounding. No skin test due to rose.
MAD HATTER (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: A gentlemen's lavender-citron cologne unhinged by the feral pungence of black musk and a paroxysm of pennyroyal.)
In bottle: Pennyroyal dominant with strong citron and lavender support. The citrus-mint combination was practically an assault. To my very mild synesthesia, it was very like a slap. From my birmin’s reaction, he felt the same. I do think the lavender plays well with the pennyroyal, but I couldn’t bring myself to sniff long enough to form more complex responses. No skin test obviously.
MOUSE'S LONG AND SAD TALE (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.)
In bottle: Sweet Pea dominant with the vanilla giving lovely support. The ambers are third and well blended with the stronger notes. The sandalwood is understated, but distinct. This is a delicate, beautifully designed scent. The elements are all a little more separate as they warm, though they still play well together. I’d say the ambers are now second, with sweet pea still strongest. My body chemistry doesn’t play well with the sweet pea, making it smell a bit strained. The sandalwood is stronger on my skin, moving into third as the vanilla becomes more background. This does not work on me, but should be fine on the right young woman. Dry: Dries down to mostly amber with some vanilla and a touch of sandalwood.
THE POOL OF TEARS (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: A sea of salty tears drowning out Alice's light floral perfume.)
In bottle: Mostly ocean with a touch of light floral. Wet: More nuanced on the skin. The ocean scent is more interesting and less uniform than the general run when combined with the florals which are also more individual when warm. Still not my thing, but I was going to dismiss this as a bit dull, and now I can’t. Dry: mostly Ocean scent.
Ordered:
PANDORA 2012 (LE, Coraline): (Company says: Just a hint of gorgon blood: bright nectarine, honey, sandalwood, green musk, sea buckthorn berry, and oakmoss.)
In bottle: Nectarine dominant, but with a strong sea buckthorn and oakmoss presence. I’d call sandalwood and green musk at third, with honey smoothing the whole thing out. It is very beach after storm. Wet: sea buckthorn berry dominant, with the nectarine brightening it’s affect. The oakmoss is still second and blends beautifully with the buckthorn, and green musk a close third. The other elements are soft, but noticeable. I normally amp citrus, but here it plays really well with everything else. Similarly, I often have trouble with ocean scents, but I can just manage it here. This is lovely and really well designed. I can’t shake that beach comber after a storm in early fall feeling when sniffing it. Dry: Mostly sea buckthorn berry with musk, oakmoss, and sandalwood.
LINDWORM 2012 (LE, DragonCon): (Company says: Smoky green leather smeared with crushed grasses and wild herbs.)
In bottle: It’s lovely and sweet, very, very Green. It’s very grass fire and leather. The herbal combination is wet and blends beautifully with the grass. The smoke blends beautifully with the leather. I can’t call anything dominant as even in the bottle, they take turns. It’s surprisingly complex and perfect for it’s concept. Wet: The smoke is slightly more synthetic on the skin. I’ll now consider it leater dominent, with smoke second. Historically, I do badly with the smoke notes as my nose parses them funny. Fingers crossed. I’ll call grass third, comparatively subtle and prone to sneaking up on my nose with the herbal support. As it warms, the edges blur a bit. Leather stays dominant, but the smoke, grass, and herbs, swirl together more. I’m wondering if there is a lot of musk in this leather accord as it’s very musky and feral. I can’t tell if I love it or hate it and it’s impossible to ignore in its reptile glory. Either way, it conjures the flash of green dragon scales and a lick of flame turning a field to smoke. Dry: Settles down eventually into a strong musky smoky leather. While wet, it’s just at the edge of what I can handle intensity wise, on the dry down, it’s a sexy, feral sort of leather that I think I will love the way I love my Mutant Hot-Rodders from Hell High. They seem to be cousins once the more volatile elements burn off, being a similar sort of leather and both edgy and dangerous as leathers go, with similar vaguely industrial affect.
MANGO-INFUSED PUMPKIN CHAI LATTE 2012 (LE, Halloweenies): (Company says: Pumpkin-spiced gunpowder tea with mango peel, red ginger, green cardamom, smoky clove buds, fennel, allspice, saffron, coconut sugar, and foamy milk.)
In bottle: Pumpkin Dominant, with the clove and ginger dominant spice blend second. I’d call mango third, giving a sweet fruity feel to it. The coconut sugar is in support of the mango. The tea is soft and ties it all together beautifully. Wet: More tea on my skin, and it becomes the strongest note as it warms. Mango and the spices are a strong second with pumpkin a weaker third, which is fine by me as my history with the pumpkin note is not good. The other notes are present, but soft. As it warms further, the ginger comes to dominate the spice blend. This one morphs a lot with relative values changing over time. At some point the mango and pumpkin start working together and the cocoanut comes out more. This has lots of throw. Dry: Softens and blurs as it wears down. Rather more allspice than when wet, though the ginger has staying power as well. The Pumpkin and tea linger along with some sugar.
MARIPOSITA 2012 (LE, Forum Only): (Company says: Her hair smells like soap and lavender, her skin smells like honey and sunshine, and everything is touched by the scent of the strawberries she's always eating.
In bottle: Strawberry dominant (Full disclosure, my nose frequently breaks down strawberry accords funny, so my review may not apply to your experience). The lavender is a strong second and occasionally breaks off bits of strawberry. The honey is heady and rich. There is a feel of sunshine about it. Wet: The lavender and strawberry break down and mix into a lovely cotton candy for me. The lavender is clearly dominant when I can parse it out of the accidental accord. I love this. Dry: Berry infused cotton candy.
SIBERIAN MUSK 2012 (LE, Single Notes): (Company says: Our vegetal musk blend that emulates the scent of Siberian musk deer gland secretions. The description doesn't sound sexy, but the scent sure is.)
In bottle: It smells like a medium weight musk, lusty and heady. Wet: Okay, the musk is much lighter on my skin than I expected from the bottle, delightfully feral, and nuanced. I am not sure I strictly need a musk single note, but I think it will be fun trying it with other things. Dry: Fades into a delicious soft musk.
SPANISH MOSS 2012 (LE, Single Notes): (Company says: An omnipresent feature of haunted antebellum mansions: drooping, moribund tendrils hanging solemnly from ancient oak and cypress branches.)
In bottle: Spanish Moss, extra lush and green. Wet: Sweeter and even more lush on the skin, sexy and vibrant. My skin has always loved Spanish moss in other blends, and it turns out that it’s brilliant on its own as well. Lots of throw. Dry: Ends up a drier, darker green, more like it smells in blends.
Winners: Mariposita
Runners Up: Lindworm, Mango-Infused Pumpkin Chai Latte, Spanish Moss