BPAL Reviews XL
Regular BPAL perfume reviews are below. We've got Pele, The Apothecary, Mata Hari, Black Forest, Ra, Khepera, Ahathoor, and Tum below the cut.
Pele, Lab description: "Whimsical, temperamental, radiant and ravishingly beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes, Fire, Lightning and Dance. She is the Mother of Eruptions and the personification of destructive power. Volcanic eruptions are said to be a side-effect of her jealous rages and her epic quarrels with her siblings are legendary. This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms."
This is floral, sweetly and fleshily floral, with a faint spicy undertone that only serves to accent the perfumey, flowery nature of this scent rather than offset it.
Tropical blooms are damp, and sit firmly in the forefront of this scent, with the sweet ginger note enfolded within it - really only there if you know to look for it.
Overall this is a warm floral blend with a faintly creamy, waxy overtone, like candles. It has some subtlety, but it's still a floral perfume, and not much is going to change the fact that florals are perhaps the least subtle of all perfumes.
This isn't overwhelming or yucky, in fact, as florals go it is quite polite, with only moderate throw. It gets extra points for behaving itself. I'm not a floral fan but I would willingly wear this.
The Apothecary, Lab description: "Tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig."
Hmm! Aquatic grassy notes are very green. Combine this with tea, and various dry herbs, and you get a very interesting scent.
It's very pretty on; aquatic and herbal, very green, with an overtone of just-cut grass. A fascinating scent. I was expecting this to be deeper, huskier, but it's a very light, bright scent.
As it dries, it becomes very much like a "green meadows" flavored shampoo I tried once. This isn't unpleasant, but it is unexpected. It's very green and grassy, and I'm getting no fig, no ginger from it at all.
Mata Hari, Lab description: "A renowned exotic dancer and courtesan, possessed of aristocratic elegance, matchless charm, an iron will and a streak of fearlessness. The actual events of her life have met with much speculation, and to this day it is unclear whether or not she was truly a German spy. Despite shaky evidence of her guilt, she was tried for espionage by a closed court-martial and was executed by a French firing squad in 1917. Her scent is striking and bold with a delicate yet dark undertone: five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean."
Mmmm! Roses and . . . is that . . . yes, it's coffee. Roses and coffee. What an odd combination!
This is rosy, but it's a very fleshy rose, not very floral at all but more organic. The vanilla and warm tonka and mahogany notes are lovely here, combining with the slight hint of jasmine and the subtle coffee aroma to create a scent that is light and sophisticated, yet fleshy and sexual all at the same time. Really, a flawlessly elegant scent, and very appropriate to the subject.
Now, a word for those of you who hate the smell of coffee: this is not a coffee blend. The coffee bean note here is subtle, rich, and once it settles it vanishes into the smell of the tonka, mahogany, and vanilla. After a minute or so I cannot smell the coffee at all. So give this a chance. Really, the coffee note is strongest in the bottle.
This treads the border between floral and powdery without ever spilling into old lady or baby territory. I like it really well. Worth invstigating if you're looking for a floral that's a little different, but still traditional in approach.
Black Forest, Lab description: "This is the captured scent of a cold, moonless night, lost deep within the darkest wood. Haunting and desolate, this scent evokes images of fairy tale tragedy and half-remembered nightmares. Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress."
A husky black musk combines with sticky evergreen notes to create a woodsy, feral blend that is as dark as it is rich.
Once the initial flush of greens calm down it becomes a really interesting mix of musk and subtle woods in which pine and cypress dominate. There's also that ambergris smell, one of the few smells I find it very hard to describe, but not really mistakeable for anything else.
In fact, on its drydown it's just wonderful, but it has that hard-blasting piney stink for the first few minutes that's so potent it's almost like cat pee, so I find myself frustrated by it.
It's definitely on the masculine end of the scale, and I'd recommend it for men who want to try something that's strongly woodsy, and yet still has some depth and character. Something that will wear well throughout the day. The musk in this is very dark and animal, gritty almost, so be aware of that when choosing whether or not to order.
Ra, Lab description: "Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night!"
Hmm! No notes listed, so my best guess is frankincense, sandalwood, and pepper.
On, there is definitely lavender here. And lots of spicy incense. There's a dusty note to this, almost like kaolin clay, and a resinous tang that is citric frankincense. It's pretty, but like the other Stations of the Sun scents, it doesn't really grab me as much as I'd hoped.
All of them have a kind of sepulchral, arcane quality to them, which I attribute to the incense.
The longer I wear this, the more incensey/spicy it becomes, but it is a very earthy scent, more like sun-baked dirt than like the sun itself. Perhaps that's my skin which likes dirty scents amping the earthy notes in this, and perhaps it was designed into the scent. I can't say. I do like the scent, but it's not something I would wear for fun.
Khephra, Lab description: "Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun.
"Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening"
Lavender, resin, and spices. This is glittering and rich in the bottle, slightly masculine, and very strange. It's got a powerfully herbal aspect that is at once outdoorsy and sepulchral.
On it's an unusual blend, lavender and . . . patchouli? Frankincense? Cinnamon?
You know, I wasn't sure about this at first sniff, but I have to say I really like it. I can't pin the notes down. The lavender isn't overwhelming it but it is making it very hard for me to identify the other notes. I want to say amber and patchouli, but I can't be sure.
Midnight sun? Sure. This is regal but dark. Dark shot through with just a glimmer of light.
I like this. It's certainly a singular scent, very unusual. And it works on me despite quite clearly containing lavender, which is a no-no on my skin nine out of ten times.
Ahathoor, Lab description: "Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.
"Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning!"
I just think of the scents with no notes listed as workouts for my nose.
Unfortunately, I can't make heads or tails of this one.
Spicy florals over a base that is at once citric and resinous. Frankincense and carnation? I can't say. It's at once woody, herbal, and crystalline, not unlike Khephera in approach, but where Khephera was very dark, this is bright and shining. It's opposite, say, and yet rendered in the same style.
I can't say I am in love with it; something about it stings my nose, and it has a definite citric twang to it that I find dubious. It shares the amber/patchouli base that was in Khephera. The drydown is very nice, a sort of incense/herbal scent, but the opening is too citric for me.
Tum, Lab description: "Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun.
"Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day!"
Honey and lavender, very strongly. The combination is, surprisingly, very much like chocolate.
This is herbal but sweet, and the overall character of it is of a fading, glittering gold, the last of the light melting on sun-warmed stone.
This is a sweet, somnolent scent reminiscent of a bittersweet lullaby. A surprisingly gentle perfume, given how violently my skin typically reacts to lavender.
It's nicely nuanced and deep, a shady scent. Fairly typical of the Stations of the Sun scents as a whole.
In other BPAL news, I'm having a fit because I have discovered I love Nahemoth, which has been discontinued; I am now seeking another bottle of it. Needless to say, if any of you has a bottle that you are willing to part with, please let me know.
Tiny scent icons are courtesy of Penance's BPAL Icons.
Pele, Lab description: "Whimsical, temperamental, radiant and ravishingly beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes, Fire, Lightning and Dance. She is the Mother of Eruptions and the personification of destructive power. Volcanic eruptions are said to be a side-effect of her jealous rages and her epic quarrels with her siblings are legendary. This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms."
This is floral, sweetly and fleshily floral, with a faint spicy undertone that only serves to accent the perfumey, flowery nature of this scent rather than offset it.
Tropical blooms are damp, and sit firmly in the forefront of this scent, with the sweet ginger note enfolded within it - really only there if you know to look for it.
Overall this is a warm floral blend with a faintly creamy, waxy overtone, like candles. It has some subtlety, but it's still a floral perfume, and not much is going to change the fact that florals are perhaps the least subtle of all perfumes.
This isn't overwhelming or yucky, in fact, as florals go it is quite polite, with only moderate throw. It gets extra points for behaving itself. I'm not a floral fan but I would willingly wear this.
The Apothecary, Lab description: "Tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig."
Hmm! Aquatic grassy notes are very green. Combine this with tea, and various dry herbs, and you get a very interesting scent.
It's very pretty on; aquatic and herbal, very green, with an overtone of just-cut grass. A fascinating scent. I was expecting this to be deeper, huskier, but it's a very light, bright scent.
As it dries, it becomes very much like a "green meadows" flavored shampoo I tried once. This isn't unpleasant, but it is unexpected. It's very green and grassy, and I'm getting no fig, no ginger from it at all.
Mata Hari, Lab description: "A renowned exotic dancer and courtesan, possessed of aristocratic elegance, matchless charm, an iron will and a streak of fearlessness. The actual events of her life have met with much speculation, and to this day it is unclear whether or not she was truly a German spy. Despite shaky evidence of her guilt, she was tried for espionage by a closed court-martial and was executed by a French firing squad in 1917. Her scent is striking and bold with a delicate yet dark undertone: five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean."
Mmmm! Roses and . . . is that . . . yes, it's coffee. Roses and coffee. What an odd combination!
This is rosy, but it's a very fleshy rose, not very floral at all but more organic. The vanilla and warm tonka and mahogany notes are lovely here, combining with the slight hint of jasmine and the subtle coffee aroma to create a scent that is light and sophisticated, yet fleshy and sexual all at the same time. Really, a flawlessly elegant scent, and very appropriate to the subject.
Now, a word for those of you who hate the smell of coffee: this is not a coffee blend. The coffee bean note here is subtle, rich, and once it settles it vanishes into the smell of the tonka, mahogany, and vanilla. After a minute or so I cannot smell the coffee at all. So give this a chance. Really, the coffee note is strongest in the bottle.
This treads the border between floral and powdery without ever spilling into old lady or baby territory. I like it really well. Worth invstigating if you're looking for a floral that's a little different, but still traditional in approach.
Black Forest, Lab description: "This is the captured scent of a cold, moonless night, lost deep within the darkest wood. Haunting and desolate, this scent evokes images of fairy tale tragedy and half-remembered nightmares. Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress."
A husky black musk combines with sticky evergreen notes to create a woodsy, feral blend that is as dark as it is rich.
Once the initial flush of greens calm down it becomes a really interesting mix of musk and subtle woods in which pine and cypress dominate. There's also that ambergris smell, one of the few smells I find it very hard to describe, but not really mistakeable for anything else.
In fact, on its drydown it's just wonderful, but it has that hard-blasting piney stink for the first few minutes that's so potent it's almost like cat pee, so I find myself frustrated by it.
It's definitely on the masculine end of the scale, and I'd recommend it for men who want to try something that's strongly woodsy, and yet still has some depth and character. Something that will wear well throughout the day. The musk in this is very dark and animal, gritty almost, so be aware of that when choosing whether or not to order.
Ra, Lab description: "Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night!"
Hmm! No notes listed, so my best guess is frankincense, sandalwood, and pepper.
On, there is definitely lavender here. And lots of spicy incense. There's a dusty note to this, almost like kaolin clay, and a resinous tang that is citric frankincense. It's pretty, but like the other Stations of the Sun scents, it doesn't really grab me as much as I'd hoped.
All of them have a kind of sepulchral, arcane quality to them, which I attribute to the incense.
The longer I wear this, the more incensey/spicy it becomes, but it is a very earthy scent, more like sun-baked dirt than like the sun itself. Perhaps that's my skin which likes dirty scents amping the earthy notes in this, and perhaps it was designed into the scent. I can't say. I do like the scent, but it's not something I would wear for fun.
Khephra, Lab description: "Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun.
"Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening"
Lavender, resin, and spices. This is glittering and rich in the bottle, slightly masculine, and very strange. It's got a powerfully herbal aspect that is at once outdoorsy and sepulchral.
On it's an unusual blend, lavender and . . . patchouli? Frankincense? Cinnamon?
You know, I wasn't sure about this at first sniff, but I have to say I really like it. I can't pin the notes down. The lavender isn't overwhelming it but it is making it very hard for me to identify the other notes. I want to say amber and patchouli, but I can't be sure.
Midnight sun? Sure. This is regal but dark. Dark shot through with just a glimmer of light.
I like this. It's certainly a singular scent, very unusual. And it works on me despite quite clearly containing lavender, which is a no-no on my skin nine out of ten times.
Ahathoor, Lab description: "Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.
"Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning!"
I just think of the scents with no notes listed as workouts for my nose.
Unfortunately, I can't make heads or tails of this one.
Spicy florals over a base that is at once citric and resinous. Frankincense and carnation? I can't say. It's at once woody, herbal, and crystalline, not unlike Khephera in approach, but where Khephera was very dark, this is bright and shining. It's opposite, say, and yet rendered in the same style.
I can't say I am in love with it; something about it stings my nose, and it has a definite citric twang to it that I find dubious. It shares the amber/patchouli base that was in Khephera. The drydown is very nice, a sort of incense/herbal scent, but the opening is too citric for me.
Tum, Lab description: "Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun.
"Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day!"
Honey and lavender, very strongly. The combination is, surprisingly, very much like chocolate.
This is herbal but sweet, and the overall character of it is of a fading, glittering gold, the last of the light melting on sun-warmed stone.
This is a sweet, somnolent scent reminiscent of a bittersweet lullaby. A surprisingly gentle perfume, given how violently my skin typically reacts to lavender.
It's nicely nuanced and deep, a shady scent. Fairly typical of the Stations of the Sun scents as a whole.
In other BPAL news, I'm having a fit because I have discovered I love Nahemoth, which has been discontinued; I am now seeking another bottle of it. Needless to say, if any of you has a bottle that you are willing to part with, please let me know.
Tiny scent icons are courtesy of Penance's BPAL Icons.