BPAL description: An elegant, full-bodied scent that ignites all the darkest passions. Bold red wine, mimosa, and a trickle of clove.

Sniffed: Light yellow oil. Sharp, bright, fruity-floral. Candy grape and fragrant mimosa over a base of sweet woody clove.

Wet: Much harsher, chemically, sweet, and brash. The grape is cloying, the mimosa overly ( Read more... )

BPAL description: A chill twilit garden of blooms over dry earth and mosses, heavily laden with incense and offertory herbs.

Sniffed: Peachy-orange oill. Strong, dusty floral. Dirt and incense, some sharp plant notes, traditional florals. Jasmine for sure.

Wet: Jasmine amping majorly, as well as something sweet, almost honeyed, and some creamy ( Read more... )

BPAL description: Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices.

Sniffed: Extremely pale yellow, nearly colourless oil. Light/fresh and almost aquatic, with clean sandalwood and slightly sweet but not bubblegummy lotus. A bit of dry cedar. Lots of saffron, and...root beer ( Read more... )

BPAL description: Date palm, ebony, fir, pomegranate, plum, two pears, quince, fig, and grapevine with plumeria, three gardenias and dry rose.

Sniffed: Pale orange oil. Tangy, sweet medley of fruit and flowers. Quince, pomegranate, pears (white and golden), plumeria, gardenia, and a little fig are all distinct. Very light and feminine.

Wet: Much ( Read more... )

BPAL description: Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.

In the bottle: Golden oil. Very sweet, almost buttery, foody vanilla. Some powdery amber and boozy musk, too.

Wet: Same. Verrrrry sweet and foody. Syrupy/cakey. I fear this is the vanilla that goes crazy on ( Read more... )

GLASGOW - The rich scent of wild blackberry breezing over gentle rosy heather

IN THE VIAL: Fresh green and mild, fruity blackberry - almost smells like a sweet jelly, rather than a really strong, fresh fruit. Little bit of exuberant pink florals, very girly and young.
ON SKIN: The green becomes very dominant. It’s a very fresh, piny, note, though ( Read more... )

EDEN - fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood.

IN THE IMP: Warm, smooth almond milk followed by the buttery coconut, which is a very odd counterpoint to the light tartness of the almond. The almond becomes a little high-pitched, which I hope won’t happen on skin.

ON SKIN: A golden combination of sweet almond milk ( Read more... )

Back to reviews! And wearing perfume at all, because the co-worker who has an severe and life-threatening reaction to airborne particulates has gone back into retirement. Intense shame over my unavoidable delinquency in a swap has kept me from posting for the longest time - as well as the fact that I haven't been able to wear perfume at work for ( Read more... )

THE HANGING GARDENS - This perfume is an interpretation of the Hanging Gardens by night, based on further accounts of its fruit and flora: date palm, ebony, fir, pomegranate, plum, two pears, quince, fig, and grapevine with plumeria, three gardenias and dry rose.

IN THE IMP: Rounded, fresh fruits and spicy-fresh florals, especially gardenia.
ON ( Read more... )

MAG MELL - The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain.

IN THE IMP: Clean, bold citrus - none listed, I know, but I'm definitely getting something grapefruity - a bit of soap, and clean, sweet florals. Bright, unisex.
ON SKIN: Creamy white ( Read more... )