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juushikaI want a sweater and warm socks, but August is sitting on my lap so I guess I'll crosspost reviews and be cold for a little while longer :(
I haven't posted BPAL reviews in about a million years. Testing again has been an exciting and unpredictable adventure. It's not like being a newbie—my nose has improved—but I've grown rusty at conceptualizing notes; my tastes haven't changed, but I feel like BPAL quality maybe has. I don't know, maybe it's just that I've had a specific collection of hardcore favorites for so long, but very few new scents have really amazed me, and a lot of the LEs (I'm still working through my Halloweenies) have felt weaker in quality and literally weak in sillage/throw. But there's still some keepers and it's been giving me daily mini-projects, and I'm more than content with that.
Many of these were sent to me byradiantfracture!
HORSE CHESTNUT HONEY (GC, Rappaccini’s Apiary, Discontinued)
In vial: Woodsy, almost nutty, a light brown scent.
On me: Immediately sweeter, fuller, and very potent; a touch floral, very woody. It's not a cloying sweetness, but very rich. This develops into a round, deep, incredibly strong scent, almost opaque, dark solid yellow-brown. I applied this pretty lightly, but it's hugely strong. I washed off most of it, and beneath was a greener, more herbal, almost medicinal, woodsy smell.
Verdict: Does this feel like "honey of a poisonous plant"? yes. But do I like it? It's distinct to the nose, unique, but never particularly enjoyable; the honey/wood combination is overpowering and weirdly unpleasant—weirdly, in that it seems fine as a concept, but in practice I'll pass.
BLOOD KISS (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.
In imp: Deep dark red fruit.
On me: This has an immediate and welcome hit of vetiver as it goes on. As this settles in, the red fruit is hinted at in the throw, moderately bright, slightly sweet; the skin scent is more distinct and well-tamed by vetiver, a deep rich red, warm and smokey and spiced. I don't get either the fruity/floral/perfumey quality (like dragon's blood resin) or red sharp tartness (of berries) that I get from most of BPAL's red fruits and berries. The cloves and vetiver, with a hint of poppy, balance things beautifully.
Verdict: A solid 8/10. I liked this more on my first test just because it exceeded expectations; after spending a while with it, I'm not as blown away but I am pleasantly surprised. This is a cherry for people who don't like fruits, beautifully blended and complex without having a heady perfuminess, rich and warm and deep, cut through by a hint of brightness.
THE WITCH'S REPAST (GC, Märchen, Discontinued)
Kvass, honey-drizzled bread, roasted meat, and wine.
In bottle: Sweet, deep, dark, almost resinous.
On me: That sure is berries! Sweet tart red berries, which my skin amps, so they take over the whole scent. Underneath is a promising dark smokey sweetness that help keeps the berries in check such that they're not too tart or overpowering, but this is still one-note.
On clothes, since skin isn't a fair test with my chemistry: This starts out significantly more balanced, a boozy, resinous, yeasty sweetness with a hint of berry. It reminds me of Gunpowder (Halloweenie 2008 Carrot peelings, hay, chaff, molasses, maple oats, red apples, stable wood, and musk.), another not-quite foodie scent, mostly because the yeast/bread doesn't feel as strictly gourmand as does something like chocolate or vanilla. But The Witch's Repast is much sweeter than Gunpowder. As this wears, the wine predominates, boozy and red, warm, still fairly sweet.
Verdict: Not for me, in either application. I would prefer this if it were less sweet or, weirdly enough, if I got the roasted meat—it needs something darker to tone down the wine and honeyed bread, to make it more witchy.
SIN (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.
In vial: You know how a BPAL box can gain that de facto amalgamated BPAL scent? This smells like that.
On me: Cinnamon comes out on the skin to give this a distinctive spicy red warmth. But amber/sandalwood/patch is still the heart of this scent, and it's very much generic BPAL. It's pleasant but powdery, warm, dry, well-rounded, but entirely missing a top note; the cinnamon feels very samey rather than cutting through it. This clings close to the skin.
Verdict: A fairly unambitious, unremarkable scent, but the truth is that sometimes I root through my collection, unsure what to wear, wishing I could just wear that amalgamated box scent. And now I can!
PUMPKIN MUSK AND BLACK OUDH (LE, Halloweenie 2018)
A strangely romantic, disturbingly erotic perfume.
In vial: Light and slightly sweet pumpkin with brown undertones.
On me: This is beautiful when it goes on, a mild and gently sweet pumpkin that avoids being either waxy or powerdery. It gives way to the oudh, which I don't know that I've smelled before but do like: a resinous, complex scent, rounded and deep, a little piney, not too perfumey. The pumpkin adds a slight sweetness and not much else, and as this wears the oudh grows increasingly piney and less complex. Limited throw.
Verdict: I want to like this more than I actually do. There's a golden moment during drydown when the elements balance each other and are unusual and beautiful, but I don't love this on either fabric/hair or skin, and it doesn't have a lot of oomph. But I'll keep my decant, and I imagine it'll improve with age.
I haven't posted BPAL reviews in about a million years. Testing again has been an exciting and unpredictable adventure. It's not like being a newbie—my nose has improved—but I've grown rusty at conceptualizing notes; my tastes haven't changed, but I feel like BPAL quality maybe has. I don't know, maybe it's just that I've had a specific collection of hardcore favorites for so long, but very few new scents have really amazed me, and a lot of the LEs (I'm still working through my Halloweenies) have felt weaker in quality and literally weak in sillage/throw. But there's still some keepers and it's been giving me daily mini-projects, and I'm more than content with that.
Many of these were sent to me by
radiantfracture!HORSE CHESTNUT HONEY (GC, Rappaccini’s Apiary, Discontinued)
In vial: Woodsy, almost nutty, a light brown scent.
On me: Immediately sweeter, fuller, and very potent; a touch floral, very woody. It's not a cloying sweetness, but very rich. This develops into a round, deep, incredibly strong scent, almost opaque, dark solid yellow-brown. I applied this pretty lightly, but it's hugely strong. I washed off most of it, and beneath was a greener, more herbal, almost medicinal, woodsy smell.
Verdict: Does this feel like "honey of a poisonous plant"? yes. But do I like it? It's distinct to the nose, unique, but never particularly enjoyable; the honey/wood combination is overpowering and weirdly unpleasant—weirdly, in that it seems fine as a concept, but in practice I'll pass.
BLOOD KISS (GC, Bewitching Brews)
Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.
In imp: Deep dark red fruit.
On me: This has an immediate and welcome hit of vetiver as it goes on. As this settles in, the red fruit is hinted at in the throw, moderately bright, slightly sweet; the skin scent is more distinct and well-tamed by vetiver, a deep rich red, warm and smokey and spiced. I don't get either the fruity/floral/perfumey quality (like dragon's blood resin) or red sharp tartness (of berries) that I get from most of BPAL's red fruits and berries. The cloves and vetiver, with a hint of poppy, balance things beautifully.
Verdict: A solid 8/10. I liked this more on my first test just because it exceeded expectations; after spending a while with it, I'm not as blown away but I am pleasantly surprised. This is a cherry for people who don't like fruits, beautifully blended and complex without having a heady perfuminess, rich and warm and deep, cut through by a hint of brightness.
THE WITCH'S REPAST (GC, Märchen, Discontinued)
Kvass, honey-drizzled bread, roasted meat, and wine.
In bottle: Sweet, deep, dark, almost resinous.
On me: That sure is berries! Sweet tart red berries, which my skin amps, so they take over the whole scent. Underneath is a promising dark smokey sweetness that help keeps the berries in check such that they're not too tart or overpowering, but this is still one-note.
On clothes, since skin isn't a fair test with my chemistry: This starts out significantly more balanced, a boozy, resinous, yeasty sweetness with a hint of berry. It reminds me of Gunpowder (Halloweenie 2008 Carrot peelings, hay, chaff, molasses, maple oats, red apples, stable wood, and musk.), another not-quite foodie scent, mostly because the yeast/bread doesn't feel as strictly gourmand as does something like chocolate or vanilla. But The Witch's Repast is much sweeter than Gunpowder. As this wears, the wine predominates, boozy and red, warm, still fairly sweet.
Verdict: Not for me, in either application. I would prefer this if it were less sweet or, weirdly enough, if I got the roasted meat—it needs something darker to tone down the wine and honeyed bread, to make it more witchy.
SIN (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.
In vial: You know how a BPAL box can gain that de facto amalgamated BPAL scent? This smells like that.
On me: Cinnamon comes out on the skin to give this a distinctive spicy red warmth. But amber/sandalwood/patch is still the heart of this scent, and it's very much generic BPAL. It's pleasant but powdery, warm, dry, well-rounded, but entirely missing a top note; the cinnamon feels very samey rather than cutting through it. This clings close to the skin.
Verdict: A fairly unambitious, unremarkable scent, but the truth is that sometimes I root through my collection, unsure what to wear, wishing I could just wear that amalgamated box scent. And now I can!
PUMPKIN MUSK AND BLACK OUDH (LE, Halloweenie 2018)
A strangely romantic, disturbingly erotic perfume.
In vial: Light and slightly sweet pumpkin with brown undertones.
On me: This is beautiful when it goes on, a mild and gently sweet pumpkin that avoids being either waxy or powerdery. It gives way to the oudh, which I don't know that I've smelled before but do like: a resinous, complex scent, rounded and deep, a little piney, not too perfumey. The pumpkin adds a slight sweetness and not much else, and as this wears the oudh grows increasingly piney and less complex. Limited throw.
Verdict: I want to like this more than I actually do. There's a golden moment during drydown when the elements balance each other and are unusual and beautiful, but I don't love this on either fabric/hair or skin, and it doesn't have a lot of oomph. But I'll keep my decant, and I imagine it'll improve with age.
