BPAL Blathering....
I'm killing time right now until my mechanic calls to tell me what's wrong with my car. It started having what I think are electrical issues yesterday, so it's in the shop. Because of that, Nigel and I are at a coffee shop down the street waiting for them to get done. Nigel's working on thesis stuff, but me, I've got nothing to do other than screw around, so you get a lot of BPAL blathering.
I managed to make to the Will Call in Roswell/Alpharetta last weekend and I'm really glad I did. It was almost deserted by the time I got there around 7:15, so I got to test a whole passel of scents uninterrupted. This was really useful because I was able to check a few things of my wanted list (Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair? Vanishes completely on my skin. Ehecatl? The hibiscus is overwhelming and didn't blend well with the matcha. Bette Noir? Smells so much like Blood Countess, it was difficult to tell the difference.) and try a few things I wasn't suspecting (holy hell Carnaval Diabolique prototypes and Black Helecopter scents). What really stood out to me, however, were the Neverwhere scents.
I tried, in no particular order:
Door (Golden honey, nicotiana, blue chamomile, and cistus.) - Amazing sweet honey and herbals. I was wearing about a dozen different scents and when I got home Nigel immediately zoned in on the spot where I'd applied this one and said, "What is that?" Total win. I definitely want an imp of this, if not a big bottle.
Mr. Croup (Tonka bean, black musk, bourbon geranium, and crushed porcelain.) - Really pleasant with a warm base and slightly spicy/dusty top notes. The geranium was practically non-existent on me, but this is a very subtle, well-composed scent. Probably not something I'd wear very often (I tend to like sharper notes), but nice.
The Marquis de Carabas (A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue.) - The Marquis is easily my favorite character, so of course I had to try his scent. Initial impressions is that it smells like Port au Prince + Opium. Not really for me, but Nigel really liked it, so I'm going to see about getting him an imp.
The Floating Market (Opaiba balsam, petitgrain, citrus rind, sinicuichi accord, betel nut, wasabi root, coconut palm, and wattleseed layered atop innumerable strange herbs, spices, and woods.) - Another nice one that does a lot of morphing. It's definitely more green than sweet, but in a sort of dusky way. I'd like an imp of this for the same reason I like the Apothecary or Arkham.
Hunter (Leonine amber, tanned hides, clove, and clary sage.) - Lovely, lovely amber with warm musk and sweet sage. This one is really yummy and may be another big bottle candidate. When I was wearing it, it really reminded me of what my Portals character, Saoirse might smell like: a little sweet, a little earthy, a little dangerous.
The Velvets (Smooth inky musk, cathedral incense, ylang ylang, violet leaf, rose-infused amber, red sandalwood, and iris.) - Pretty, but very soft, so I'll need to try it again without a dozen other scents warring for attention. I do remember I wished there was more iris in it.
I didn't try Anesthesia or Mr. Vandemar because they were both overwhelming in the bottle. Anesthesia was OMGPEPPERMINT! Mr. Vandemar was very, very metallic. Generally I like metal notes, but when they're more subtle. It might be different on skin, but was strong enough in the bottle that I didn't want to chance it.
I also didn't try Lamia because of the vetiver note (which always smells vaguely like garbage to me) and, sure enough, when sniffed in the bottle, it was a lovely musky floral with a hint of fruit and just the barest whiff of garbage beneath. No thanks.
Other things I tried, that were not of the Neverwhere line:
Teatime in Roswell (Black Helecopter: Earl Grey, biscuits, Battenberg cake, and strangely-glowing cucumber sandwiches.) - Yummy! Weak tea (which is good, because BPAL tea notes are sometimes overwhelming on me), buttery pastries and just a hint of freshness. I really want an imp of this.
Tilt-A-Whirl (Carnaval Diabolique prototype) - I have no idea what's in this other than vanilla, but it was yummy, sweet spicy goodness which wasn't too heavy.
Fan Dancer (CD prototype) - This was sweet and sort of intriguing in a cool kind of way. Once again, no idea of notes, but it seemed to be a sort of sweet, cool aquatic with maybe a hint of floral.
Fire Dancer (CD Prototype) - Spicy! And definitely a bit of smoke. I couldn't really tell what was in this, but it's probably not for me. I tend to like cooler scents.
House of Mirrors (CD Prototype: admittedly I may be remembering the name incorrectly. It may have been some variant of 'funhouse' and I know there's a Carnival Noir scent of the same name, so they may be importing it or I may just be confused.) - Whatever the case, this smelled like glass and dust. Like, really, really like glass and dust. It was kind of startling how close it was.
The only other thing I tried was Snap-Dragon-Fly (Plum pudding, holly, and brandy-soaked raisin with frumenty, mince pie, and a hint of suet) completely on a whim and it was sweet, fruity, buttery, boozy goodness. I was surprised by how much liked it.
I sniffed, but didn't try the new honey scents. They were mostly pretty nice, but the two standouts were Daphne Infused Honey and Horse Chestnut Infused Honey. The Horse Chestnut was delicious, but did smell a lot like Sleipnir, minus the hay and carrot, so I don't think I'll need an imp of it. I'm still on the fence about the Daphne. It was really very pretty, but I didn't try it on so I may need an imp just to see what it smells like on me. Oh, and Paduan Killer Swarm (Tonka, black licorice, amber, golden sandalwood, ginger cream, bitter clove, stinging nettle, cinnamon bark, and coconut shell) was weirdly spicy, to the point that I didn't like it much in the bottle.
I managed to make to the Will Call in Roswell/Alpharetta last weekend and I'm really glad I did. It was almost deserted by the time I got there around 7:15, so I got to test a whole passel of scents uninterrupted. This was really useful because I was able to check a few things of my wanted list (Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair? Vanishes completely on my skin. Ehecatl? The hibiscus is overwhelming and didn't blend well with the matcha. Bette Noir? Smells so much like Blood Countess, it was difficult to tell the difference.) and try a few things I wasn't suspecting (holy hell Carnaval Diabolique prototypes and Black Helecopter scents). What really stood out to me, however, were the Neverwhere scents.
I tried, in no particular order:
Door (Golden honey, nicotiana, blue chamomile, and cistus.) - Amazing sweet honey and herbals. I was wearing about a dozen different scents and when I got home Nigel immediately zoned in on the spot where I'd applied this one and said, "What is that?" Total win. I definitely want an imp of this, if not a big bottle.
Mr. Croup (Tonka bean, black musk, bourbon geranium, and crushed porcelain.) - Really pleasant with a warm base and slightly spicy/dusty top notes. The geranium was practically non-existent on me, but this is a very subtle, well-composed scent. Probably not something I'd wear very often (I tend to like sharper notes), but nice.
The Marquis de Carabas (A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue.) - The Marquis is easily my favorite character, so of course I had to try his scent. Initial impressions is that it smells like Port au Prince + Opium. Not really for me, but Nigel really liked it, so I'm going to see about getting him an imp.
The Floating Market (Opaiba balsam, petitgrain, citrus rind, sinicuichi accord, betel nut, wasabi root, coconut palm, and wattleseed layered atop innumerable strange herbs, spices, and woods.) - Another nice one that does a lot of morphing. It's definitely more green than sweet, but in a sort of dusky way. I'd like an imp of this for the same reason I like the Apothecary or Arkham.
Hunter (Leonine amber, tanned hides, clove, and clary sage.) - Lovely, lovely amber with warm musk and sweet sage. This one is really yummy and may be another big bottle candidate. When I was wearing it, it really reminded me of what my Portals character, Saoirse might smell like: a little sweet, a little earthy, a little dangerous.
The Velvets (Smooth inky musk, cathedral incense, ylang ylang, violet leaf, rose-infused amber, red sandalwood, and iris.) - Pretty, but very soft, so I'll need to try it again without a dozen other scents warring for attention. I do remember I wished there was more iris in it.
I didn't try Anesthesia or Mr. Vandemar because they were both overwhelming in the bottle. Anesthesia was OMGPEPPERMINT! Mr. Vandemar was very, very metallic. Generally I like metal notes, but when they're more subtle. It might be different on skin, but was strong enough in the bottle that I didn't want to chance it.
I also didn't try Lamia because of the vetiver note (which always smells vaguely like garbage to me) and, sure enough, when sniffed in the bottle, it was a lovely musky floral with a hint of fruit and just the barest whiff of garbage beneath. No thanks.
Other things I tried, that were not of the Neverwhere line:
Teatime in Roswell (Black Helecopter: Earl Grey, biscuits, Battenberg cake, and strangely-glowing cucumber sandwiches.) - Yummy! Weak tea (which is good, because BPAL tea notes are sometimes overwhelming on me), buttery pastries and just a hint of freshness. I really want an imp of this.
Tilt-A-Whirl (Carnaval Diabolique prototype) - I have no idea what's in this other than vanilla, but it was yummy, sweet spicy goodness which wasn't too heavy.
Fan Dancer (CD prototype) - This was sweet and sort of intriguing in a cool kind of way. Once again, no idea of notes, but it seemed to be a sort of sweet, cool aquatic with maybe a hint of floral.
Fire Dancer (CD Prototype) - Spicy! And definitely a bit of smoke. I couldn't really tell what was in this, but it's probably not for me. I tend to like cooler scents.
House of Mirrors (CD Prototype: admittedly I may be remembering the name incorrectly. It may have been some variant of 'funhouse' and I know there's a Carnival Noir scent of the same name, so they may be importing it or I may just be confused.) - Whatever the case, this smelled like glass and dust. Like, really, really like glass and dust. It was kind of startling how close it was.
The only other thing I tried was Snap-Dragon-Fly (Plum pudding, holly, and brandy-soaked raisin with frumenty, mince pie, and a hint of suet) completely on a whim and it was sweet, fruity, buttery, boozy goodness. I was surprised by how much liked it.
I sniffed, but didn't try the new honey scents. They were mostly pretty nice, but the two standouts were Daphne Infused Honey and Horse Chestnut Infused Honey. The Horse Chestnut was delicious, but did smell a lot like Sleipnir, minus the hay and carrot, so I don't think I'll need an imp of it. I'm still on the fence about the Daphne. It was really very pretty, but I didn't try it on so I may need an imp just to see what it smells like on me. Oh, and Paduan Killer Swarm (Tonka, black licorice, amber, golden sandalwood, ginger cream, bitter clove, stinging nettle, cinnamon bark, and coconut shell) was weirdly spicy, to the point that I didn't like it much in the bottle.