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juushikaAUTUMN CIDER (LE, Halloweenie 2011)
Fermented apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, lemon zest, butterscotch liquor, and orange slices.
In the vial: A light and airy apple cider.
On me: This is surprisingly light when it goes on, a faint fruitiness with a touch of boozy fermentation and some sweetness, mostly an impression of light cider but not the scent itself. Post-drydown it gets stronger—the apple becomes more distinct, and this is a mild, warm, golden, thin apple cider. I never get much of the spices, but there is a hint of butterscotch. I was curious about Autumn Cider's similarity to Fearful Pleasure, and on my skin it's Fearful Pleasure's lighter and slightly foodier cousin—where FP is backed up by dark woods, this has a glowing golden cast. Despite the absence of spices, it's accurate to the description: autumn cider, indeed. Throw is moderate, and wear length is long.
Verdict: Autumn Cider is just what it says on the tin, but it's a little too light and simple for me—I wish I got the spices. It and Fearful Pleasure are different scents, but there's a family resemblance and I prefer Fearful Pleasure's darkness, so I'll stick with that.
SONNET D'AUTOMNE (LE, Halloweenie 2011)
Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves.
In the vial: A thin scent of dead leaves.
On me: The musk/vanilla/cocoa/amber combination comes out when it hits the skin, followed by dead leaves. Once drydown is said and done, this is dead leaves on the skin, spicy dark organic and easily the strongest leaves I've had the chance to smell from BPAL, and a pale sweetish white cocoa in the throw, a lighter and more predictable scent which is almost but not quite foody. It has an impression of candied leaf litter—and who knew that could be so lovely? because it is. Unfortunately it develops a cloying note within a few hours off wear, which isn't quite enough to sour the scent but comes close.
Verdict: This is one to retest, to see if the cloying end note shows up each time. I'll be disappointed if it does, because Sonnet d'Autome is otherwise beautiful. It's the sort of unique scent I look for from BPAL: miles from a traditional perfume, evocative, unusual, but wearable.
DEVIL'S NIGHT (LE, Halloweenie 2011)
This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk.
In the vial: Spicy and almost fruity.
On me: That hint of fruit persists—although it could be the full body of the booze, it almost has an apple vibe. There's some spicy musk hiding beneath and a distinct sweetness floating above, but the scent is remarkably smooth; I get nothing of the fires or spice I was expecting. This is akin to what I imagined Smut would be (except that Smut is unremarkable on my skin): smooth, sweet, carmelized, dark, warm, with just a touch of musk. Scent color is a dark, limpid brown. Throw is moderate high; wear length song.
Verdict: I think I would like Devil's Night more if I hadn't expected something a little darker, smokier, and threatening; as it is it's almost too nice, warm and round and treading the line between sexy and playful. But if I look beyond my preconceptions, Devil's Night is pretty nice. The liquid boozy/fruity vibe isn't quite my style, but it's wearable and enticing. I'll hold onto my imp—and hope that with aging I may like it even more.
THE TA-TA (LE, Pickman Gallery: Seeking the Seekim I)
Boiled leather, carnation blossom, coffee absolute, and tobacco.
In the vial: I'm not sure—something clean, or like cleaning fluid, and almost citrus but not quite? And as I continue to sniff, tobacco. I don't even know.
On me: Tobacco as it hits the skin—and this is what I least want from the scent, but it's a gentler tobacco than I'm used to, more akin to vetiver than stale cigarettes. There may be leather in the background. And then the carnation comes out, and this is fantastic. The tobacco is welcome now, and while I don't get coffee or leather distinctly they help too; those dark notes provide background and shading to compliment the carnation, and make for the darkest, strongest, spiciest carnation that I've ever encountered. A spicy dark red scent, brick-toned but with a powdery-the-way-spices-are-powdery texture, a touch smoky, not masculine but leaning towards gender neutral without losing any sensuality. Throw is fairly low, but the scent begs fairly heavy application so it can wrap itself around the skin. Wear length is moderate to long.
Verdict: Without overselling The Ta-Ta, this is the carnation that I've always wanted, spicy and dark as dried red petals, shadowed and deep, well complimented by other notes without being forced to share the spotlight, and beautiful. It's my holy grail for one of my favorite notes, so I'm glad I tried it despite being dubious about both tobacco and leather, and I see a bottle in my future—yes indeed I do.
SEA OF GLASS (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Upon the Sea of Glass, glowing with the perfection of spiritual union and the radiance of true wisdom, rests the throne of God. A scent of inimitable purity, crystalline grace, and limitless light.
In the vial: Aquatic with a half floral, half salty edge.
On me: A smooth and stable scent of warm salty water with a floral edge that's almost tropical but not quite perfumey. It barely dries down, doesn't morph—the experience of wearing the scent is as much a match to the description as the scent itself. The fullness of the floral balances out the crystalline salt, and the result is smooth as a glass sea, a calm and practiced aquatic. Throw is moderate to low and wear length is moderate.
Verdict: Sea of Glass is an accomplishment, but hasn't won my heart. It well suits the description, but its fleshy floral fullness—despite evening out and opening up the scent—isn't to my personal taste; I'd prefer a saltier, sharper water. Objectively speaking, however, this is beautifully done.
Fermented apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, lemon zest, butterscotch liquor, and orange slices.
In the vial: A light and airy apple cider.
On me: This is surprisingly light when it goes on, a faint fruitiness with a touch of boozy fermentation and some sweetness, mostly an impression of light cider but not the scent itself. Post-drydown it gets stronger—the apple becomes more distinct, and this is a mild, warm, golden, thin apple cider. I never get much of the spices, but there is a hint of butterscotch. I was curious about Autumn Cider's similarity to Fearful Pleasure, and on my skin it's Fearful Pleasure's lighter and slightly foodier cousin—where FP is backed up by dark woods, this has a glowing golden cast. Despite the absence of spices, it's accurate to the description: autumn cider, indeed. Throw is moderate, and wear length is long.
Verdict: Autumn Cider is just what it says on the tin, but it's a little too light and simple for me—I wish I got the spices. It and Fearful Pleasure are different scents, but there's a family resemblance and I prefer Fearful Pleasure's darkness, so I'll stick with that.
SONNET D'AUTOMNE (LE, Halloweenie 2011)
Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves.
In the vial: A thin scent of dead leaves.
On me: The musk/vanilla/cocoa/amber combination comes out when it hits the skin, followed by dead leaves. Once drydown is said and done, this is dead leaves on the skin, spicy dark organic and easily the strongest leaves I've had the chance to smell from BPAL, and a pale sweetish white cocoa in the throw, a lighter and more predictable scent which is almost but not quite foody. It has an impression of candied leaf litter—and who knew that could be so lovely? because it is. Unfortunately it develops a cloying note within a few hours off wear, which isn't quite enough to sour the scent but comes close.
Verdict: This is one to retest, to see if the cloying end note shows up each time. I'll be disappointed if it does, because Sonnet d'Autome is otherwise beautiful. It's the sort of unique scent I look for from BPAL: miles from a traditional perfume, evocative, unusual, but wearable.
DEVIL'S NIGHT (LE, Halloweenie 2011)
This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk.
In the vial: Spicy and almost fruity.
On me: That hint of fruit persists—although it could be the full body of the booze, it almost has an apple vibe. There's some spicy musk hiding beneath and a distinct sweetness floating above, but the scent is remarkably smooth; I get nothing of the fires or spice I was expecting. This is akin to what I imagined Smut would be (except that Smut is unremarkable on my skin): smooth, sweet, carmelized, dark, warm, with just a touch of musk. Scent color is a dark, limpid brown. Throw is moderate high; wear length song.
Verdict: I think I would like Devil's Night more if I hadn't expected something a little darker, smokier, and threatening; as it is it's almost too nice, warm and round and treading the line between sexy and playful. But if I look beyond my preconceptions, Devil's Night is pretty nice. The liquid boozy/fruity vibe isn't quite my style, but it's wearable and enticing. I'll hold onto my imp—and hope that with aging I may like it even more.
THE TA-TA (LE, Pickman Gallery: Seeking the Seekim I)
Boiled leather, carnation blossom, coffee absolute, and tobacco.
In the vial: I'm not sure—something clean, or like cleaning fluid, and almost citrus but not quite? And as I continue to sniff, tobacco. I don't even know.
On me: Tobacco as it hits the skin—and this is what I least want from the scent, but it's a gentler tobacco than I'm used to, more akin to vetiver than stale cigarettes. There may be leather in the background. And then the carnation comes out, and this is fantastic. The tobacco is welcome now, and while I don't get coffee or leather distinctly they help too; those dark notes provide background and shading to compliment the carnation, and make for the darkest, strongest, spiciest carnation that I've ever encountered. A spicy dark red scent, brick-toned but with a powdery-the-way-spices-are-powdery texture, a touch smoky, not masculine but leaning towards gender neutral without losing any sensuality. Throw is fairly low, but the scent begs fairly heavy application so it can wrap itself around the skin. Wear length is moderate to long.
Verdict: Without overselling The Ta-Ta, this is the carnation that I've always wanted, spicy and dark as dried red petals, shadowed and deep, well complimented by other notes without being forced to share the spotlight, and beautiful. It's my holy grail for one of my favorite notes, so I'm glad I tried it despite being dubious about both tobacco and leather, and I see a bottle in my future—yes indeed I do.
SEA OF GLASS (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Upon the Sea of Glass, glowing with the perfection of spiritual union and the radiance of true wisdom, rests the throne of God. A scent of inimitable purity, crystalline grace, and limitless light.
In the vial: Aquatic with a half floral, half salty edge.
On me: A smooth and stable scent of warm salty water with a floral edge that's almost tropical but not quite perfumey. It barely dries down, doesn't morph—the experience of wearing the scent is as much a match to the description as the scent itself. The fullness of the floral balances out the crystalline salt, and the result is smooth as a glass sea, a calm and practiced aquatic. Throw is moderate to low and wear length is moderate.
Verdict: Sea of Glass is an accomplishment, but hasn't won my heart. It well suits the description, but its fleshy floral fullness—despite evening out and opening up the scent—isn't to my personal taste; I'd prefer a saltier, sharper water. Objectively speaking, however, this is beautifully done.
