BPAL: Halloween 2010
Aug. 29th, 2010 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydionI have some more decants coming, but this is the bulk of it:
The Frimps:
ASWANG V1 2009 (Prototype, LE, Event exclusive):
In bottle: Strong and sweet. It’s got a mixed tropical fruit effect, as its dominant impression. I’m guessing tobacco, maybe gum of some kind. Maybe balsam. It’s got a high-end shampoo thing going on. Wet: Banana dominant. It’s still simultaneously tart and sweet, with a mixed fruit effect. I’m getting less balsam/tobacco, though there’s a touch there. It was androgynous in the bottle, but now it’s womanly on my skin. Dry: The Gumlike thing comes out again. The tropical fruits are more balanced again, which means a lot less banana. There’s more medicinal herb and somethings gone a touch powdery. It’s interesting, but I think it would be exhausting to wear.
EUPHROSYNE (Excolo, THE GRATIÆ): (Company says: Mirth: Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine.)
In bottle: Gardenia dominant with jasmine in second place. It’s a pleasing floral, rich and strong without being cloying. I know the terrible things my skin chemistry will do with this, but I’d really like it on someone else. No point in skin testing.
THE LIGHTS OF MEN'S LIVES (Marchen): (Company says: The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death's shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering.)
In bottle: sweet and heady. Foodie the way a lot of candle scents are foodie. I like it even though it smells a bit like pudding. Wet: My core scent is a bit overwhelming for it. The foodie edge goes more warm and waxy. Once the initial battle of the scents is over, it settles down to something halfway between the bottle and the initial skin scent. I like it, though it’d likely be better on someone less naturally musky. Dry: Powdery, warm, sweet, gentle. It is still pretty, though less intriguing.
ONE TO TIE, TWO TO WIN 2007 (LE, Lupercalia, Dogs Playing Poker): (Dewy grass, summer breezes, and dandelion clocks.).
In bottle: It is as described, really. A touch of ozone/floral over a strong grass base. The dandelions blend well with the grasses. Wet: The ozone floral is stronger now and it’s reminding me of lightening and tempest. The grass is softer and less differentiated, I also think less interesting. The dandelion is barely detectable. Dry: High end herbal shampoo with a grassy finish. I think the ozone’s gone floral, as often happens.
PX72 (LE, Prototype, Event Exclusive, Dark Delicacies Trunk Show):
In bottle: Chalky and green, like crushed vines and dandelion stems, maybe bell pepper. There is something dark and vicious underneath that I can’t place. I’m also guessing musk. There is a hint of brackishness as well. Wet: Very fierce. The slightly nasty thing hidden in the green pounces and it’s smoky and intense. This is strong and interesting with the complexity of the greens carrying over, but it’s rather too much for me. Lots of headache making throw. It’s very much a wild thing scent. I suspect it’d be brilliant on the right person, but I’m simply too sensitive. Dry: Maybe it was amber instead of musk, because the slightly powdery dry down makes me think more of amber. It’s sweeter and softer, though that vine note stays dominant. I’m unexpectedly loving this, it’s so much more gentle than I was expecting, balancing its fiercer and softer elements into something right in the sweet spot. It’s still unusual and interesting, instead of averaging into bland. Given my mild allergic reaction to it, I can’t wear it, but I would enjoy it on someone else.
RAKSHASA (Bewitching brews): (Company says: This haunting, exotic scent is named in honor of the shapeshifting demons from Hindu mythology. Sandalwood with rose and patchouli.)
In bottle: This is pleasantly like Iron Phoenix, only very rose. My skin does terrible things to rose, so it’s impossible for me to wear, but it’s a lovely incense blend with a strong rose edge.
SIN (Sin and Salvation): (Company says: Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.)
In bottle: It smells like early 1970’s hippy house. Poatchouli dominant, with sandalwood second and cinnamon third. The amber smoothes it a little, but can’t really change the overall effect. Wet: Exactly as in the bottle only more so. Lots of patchouli, lots of throw. It is fairly sexy. Patchouli plus cinnamon plus natural skin musk is sexy, but I;m not a big patchouli fan and this is too much for me. Dry: patchouli, patchouli, patchouli.
Ordered:
13: August 2010 (LE): (Company says: A base of bitter dark chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including pimento berry, pink pepper, tolu balsam, bergamot, golden honey, tobacco absolute, champaca flower, and paprika.
In bottle: Dry dark chocolate dominant, underneath it is strangely sweet. It turns out the berries, honey, and bergamot create something that feels like cherry without smelling like cherry, if that makes sense. The chocolate picks up the spices and forms a team with them the sweeter elements form a second team. They eye each other, but create two distinct scent impressions. Wet: a touch astringent. It is berry dominant on the skin and the tobacco and honey speak up. The chocolate and spices are still present, but they more modify the sweeter parts, than stick to themselves as they do in the bottle. As it warms, it richens and complicates. I’m loving the bergamot in this, I really am. It’s nothing like I expected, but I’m okay with that. Dry: Dark chocolate and barries. Lots of berries. It’s nice, but not brilliant.
HALLOWEEN: NEW ORLEANS 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: The distinctive scent of the Mississippi at night mingling with sweet olive and Spanish moss.)
In bottle: The moss is sharp, rising over gentle olive and a thick dark vaguely ozoney aquatic. I can’t decide if I like it, but I’m fascinated never the less. Wet: Warmer and spicier. I know there is no citrus listed, but it feels the way lemon smells, only dirty. The citrus effect is strong enough to overwhelm most of the rest of it, though I can still pick out moss and olive. Dry: Dry moss and olive with wet, dark swirling aquatic. The aquatic is dominant, modified by the plants. It’s a bit unsettling.
HALLOWEEN: SAN FRANCISCO 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: Salt air wafting in from the bay. Rain falling on rain-soaked leaves.)
In bottle: Wet leaves and green wood, a gentle salty misty impression. Autumn in a bottle, bright sharp, sad. Seriously. Autumn distilled. Wet: wetter and saltier on the skin. The individual types of leaves stand out against the misty canvass clear and bright. It’s definitely an ocean aquatic. Those are definitely trees and crushed leaves. It’s a love song to Fall near the ocean, a beautiful realization of it’s guiding concept. Dry: Damn. Ocean scent with a touch of green twigs. I thought I’d found the perfect fall scent, but this is not it. It’s nice enough, but it’s nothing like the brilliance of its first application.
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: Dewy green leaves colored by Moroccan amber, ginseng, and rooibos.)
In bottle: This is a tangy, enticing, green leaf sort of scent. It should smell like high end shampoo, but it doesn’t. The ginseng it to feisty, the leaves are too fierce. The tea and amber are lovely in this, warm and friendly. It makes one thing of sitting on the porch watching rain fall through trees while sipping tea. It’s more than the sum of it’s parts. Wet: It smoothes out on the skin, but keeps the characteristic tang and the fierceness of the leaves. I can think of no other scent quite like it. It is unexpected and riveting. Dry: Softer, less complex. Leaf dominant, with a ginseng kick and some soft amber in the background. It’s nice, but less stunning than it was new.
POMEGRANATE III 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: Pomegranate, Tamil Nadu sandalwood, lavender, tamarind, hazelnut, Atlas cedarwood, sugar date, bitter clove, and Arabian myrrh.)
In bottle: This is sharp and dry and definitely Autumnal. The cederwood evokes wooden barrels. This is pleasantly bitter, yet sweet and spicy. Each element adds a special spin to the whole. The hazelnut is the least distinct, but all elements add to the special old time general store in autumn feel of this. I’m particularly impressed by the way the tamarind, lavender, and clove play with each other in this, but it’s all lovely and all unexpected. Wet: The myrrh is less friendly on my skin and the cedar sharper, but the strengthening of the pomegranate, date, and tamarind help it find a new balance with my natural skin chemistry. It’s still not as lovely as it was in the bottle, but it’s trying very hard. Dry: cloved pomegranate mostly, with hints of the others, enough to retain interest. It’s a bit desiccated, but it still works.
PUNKIE NIGHT 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: To this day, that night of foolishness is still celebrated! This is a light-hearted scent: apple orchards, bright cranberries, and a touch of warm cider.)
In bottle: This smells like the orchards of my childhood, crisp ripe apples and cider, mostly. The pomegranate is understated, but adds a little zing. This is pretty much what it says it it, a bright, crisp, autumnal scent. Wet: More cidery on the skin, though the fresh apples are still there. It’s a lovely little apple blend, so sharp it makes my gums hurt a little in memory of skin caught in my teeth. Dry: It wears really well. The pomegranate comes out on the dry down and does lovely things with the apples. I’m really pleased with this.
THE UNSAVORY GRAVE-DIGGERS 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: An unearthed oakwood coffin, cemetery weeds, and a hint of booze.)
In bottle: Mmmmm….the dark liquor and old wood combination is strong, rich, and heady,. This is exactly what I hoped for. The sharpness of the weeds, gives this lovely blend teeth. I’m in love already and it hasn’t touched my skin. Wet: it’s not quite as lovely as in the bottle, but close. I can’t think of a blend with wood this wonderful, and the booze is softer here, but still adds a key sweetness to balance the plants. It’s wonderful, androgynous, and strangely sexy. I can’t stop sniffing it. I want to roll around in it. Dry: Mmmmm… I swear it’s even better. The plants come into their own, adding a real autumnal feel. I can almost swear I smell nitre too, though I think that’s a fungus, so it likely isn’t. The woods only get richer and more lovely and the booze smoothes everything out. Sheer brilliance!
Winners: Unsavory Grave Digger
Runners Up: 13 August 2010, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Pomegranate III, Punkie Night
I'm thinking Unsavory Grave Digger is going on my all time favorites list.
The Frimps:
ASWANG V1 2009 (Prototype, LE, Event exclusive):
In bottle: Strong and sweet. It’s got a mixed tropical fruit effect, as its dominant impression. I’m guessing tobacco, maybe gum of some kind. Maybe balsam. It’s got a high-end shampoo thing going on. Wet: Banana dominant. It’s still simultaneously tart and sweet, with a mixed fruit effect. I’m getting less balsam/tobacco, though there’s a touch there. It was androgynous in the bottle, but now it’s womanly on my skin. Dry: The Gumlike thing comes out again. The tropical fruits are more balanced again, which means a lot less banana. There’s more medicinal herb and somethings gone a touch powdery. It’s interesting, but I think it would be exhausting to wear.
EUPHROSYNE (Excolo, THE GRATIÆ): (Company says: Mirth: Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine.)
In bottle: Gardenia dominant with jasmine in second place. It’s a pleasing floral, rich and strong without being cloying. I know the terrible things my skin chemistry will do with this, but I’d really like it on someone else. No point in skin testing.
THE LIGHTS OF MEN'S LIVES (Marchen): (Company says: The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death's shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering.)
In bottle: sweet and heady. Foodie the way a lot of candle scents are foodie. I like it even though it smells a bit like pudding. Wet: My core scent is a bit overwhelming for it. The foodie edge goes more warm and waxy. Once the initial battle of the scents is over, it settles down to something halfway between the bottle and the initial skin scent. I like it, though it’d likely be better on someone less naturally musky. Dry: Powdery, warm, sweet, gentle. It is still pretty, though less intriguing.
ONE TO TIE, TWO TO WIN 2007 (LE, Lupercalia, Dogs Playing Poker): (Dewy grass, summer breezes, and dandelion clocks.).
In bottle: It is as described, really. A touch of ozone/floral over a strong grass base. The dandelions blend well with the grasses. Wet: The ozone floral is stronger now and it’s reminding me of lightening and tempest. The grass is softer and less differentiated, I also think less interesting. The dandelion is barely detectable. Dry: High end herbal shampoo with a grassy finish. I think the ozone’s gone floral, as often happens.
PX72 (LE, Prototype, Event Exclusive, Dark Delicacies Trunk Show):
In bottle: Chalky and green, like crushed vines and dandelion stems, maybe bell pepper. There is something dark and vicious underneath that I can’t place. I’m also guessing musk. There is a hint of brackishness as well. Wet: Very fierce. The slightly nasty thing hidden in the green pounces and it’s smoky and intense. This is strong and interesting with the complexity of the greens carrying over, but it’s rather too much for me. Lots of headache making throw. It’s very much a wild thing scent. I suspect it’d be brilliant on the right person, but I’m simply too sensitive. Dry: Maybe it was amber instead of musk, because the slightly powdery dry down makes me think more of amber. It’s sweeter and softer, though that vine note stays dominant. I’m unexpectedly loving this, it’s so much more gentle than I was expecting, balancing its fiercer and softer elements into something right in the sweet spot. It’s still unusual and interesting, instead of averaging into bland. Given my mild allergic reaction to it, I can’t wear it, but I would enjoy it on someone else.
RAKSHASA (Bewitching brews): (Company says: This haunting, exotic scent is named in honor of the shapeshifting demons from Hindu mythology. Sandalwood with rose and patchouli.)
In bottle: This is pleasantly like Iron Phoenix, only very rose. My skin does terrible things to rose, so it’s impossible for me to wear, but it’s a lovely incense blend with a strong rose edge.
SIN (Sin and Salvation): (Company says: Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.)
In bottle: It smells like early 1970’s hippy house. Poatchouli dominant, with sandalwood second and cinnamon third. The amber smoothes it a little, but can’t really change the overall effect. Wet: Exactly as in the bottle only more so. Lots of patchouli, lots of throw. It is fairly sexy. Patchouli plus cinnamon plus natural skin musk is sexy, but I;m not a big patchouli fan and this is too much for me. Dry: patchouli, patchouli, patchouli.
Ordered:
13: August 2010 (LE): (Company says: A base of bitter dark chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including pimento berry, pink pepper, tolu balsam, bergamot, golden honey, tobacco absolute, champaca flower, and paprika.
In bottle: Dry dark chocolate dominant, underneath it is strangely sweet. It turns out the berries, honey, and bergamot create something that feels like cherry without smelling like cherry, if that makes sense. The chocolate picks up the spices and forms a team with them the sweeter elements form a second team. They eye each other, but create two distinct scent impressions. Wet: a touch astringent. It is berry dominant on the skin and the tobacco and honey speak up. The chocolate and spices are still present, but they more modify the sweeter parts, than stick to themselves as they do in the bottle. As it warms, it richens and complicates. I’m loving the bergamot in this, I really am. It’s nothing like I expected, but I’m okay with that. Dry: Dark chocolate and barries. Lots of berries. It’s nice, but not brilliant.
HALLOWEEN: NEW ORLEANS 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: The distinctive scent of the Mississippi at night mingling with sweet olive and Spanish moss.)
In bottle: The moss is sharp, rising over gentle olive and a thick dark vaguely ozoney aquatic. I can’t decide if I like it, but I’m fascinated never the less. Wet: Warmer and spicier. I know there is no citrus listed, but it feels the way lemon smells, only dirty. The citrus effect is strong enough to overwhelm most of the rest of it, though I can still pick out moss and olive. Dry: Dry moss and olive with wet, dark swirling aquatic. The aquatic is dominant, modified by the plants. It’s a bit unsettling.
HALLOWEEN: SAN FRANCISCO 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: Salt air wafting in from the bay. Rain falling on rain-soaked leaves.)
In bottle: Wet leaves and green wood, a gentle salty misty impression. Autumn in a bottle, bright sharp, sad. Seriously. Autumn distilled. Wet: wetter and saltier on the skin. The individual types of leaves stand out against the misty canvass clear and bright. It’s definitely an ocean aquatic. Those are definitely trees and crushed leaves. It’s a love song to Fall near the ocean, a beautiful realization of it’s guiding concept. Dry: Damn. Ocean scent with a touch of green twigs. I thought I’d found the perfect fall scent, but this is not it. It’s nice enough, but it’s nothing like the brilliance of its first application.
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: Dewy green leaves colored by Moroccan amber, ginseng, and rooibos.)
In bottle: This is a tangy, enticing, green leaf sort of scent. It should smell like high end shampoo, but it doesn’t. The ginseng it to feisty, the leaves are too fierce. The tea and amber are lovely in this, warm and friendly. It makes one thing of sitting on the porch watching rain fall through trees while sipping tea. It’s more than the sum of it’s parts. Wet: It smoothes out on the skin, but keeps the characteristic tang and the fierceness of the leaves. I can think of no other scent quite like it. It is unexpected and riveting. Dry: Softer, less complex. Leaf dominant, with a ginseng kick and some soft amber in the background. It’s nice, but less stunning than it was new.
POMEGRANATE III 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: Pomegranate, Tamil Nadu sandalwood, lavender, tamarind, hazelnut, Atlas cedarwood, sugar date, bitter clove, and Arabian myrrh.)
In bottle: This is sharp and dry and definitely Autumnal. The cederwood evokes wooden barrels. This is pleasantly bitter, yet sweet and spicy. Each element adds a special spin to the whole. The hazelnut is the least distinct, but all elements add to the special old time general store in autumn feel of this. I’m particularly impressed by the way the tamarind, lavender, and clove play with each other in this, but it’s all lovely and all unexpected. Wet: The myrrh is less friendly on my skin and the cedar sharper, but the strengthening of the pomegranate, date, and tamarind help it find a new balance with my natural skin chemistry. It’s still not as lovely as it was in the bottle, but it’s trying very hard. Dry: cloved pomegranate mostly, with hints of the others, enough to retain interest. It’s a bit desiccated, but it still works.
PUNKIE NIGHT 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: To this day, that night of foolishness is still celebrated! This is a light-hearted scent: apple orchards, bright cranberries, and a touch of warm cider.)
In bottle: This smells like the orchards of my childhood, crisp ripe apples and cider, mostly. The pomegranate is understated, but adds a little zing. This is pretty much what it says it it, a bright, crisp, autumnal scent. Wet: More cidery on the skin, though the fresh apples are still there. It’s a lovely little apple blend, so sharp it makes my gums hurt a little in memory of skin caught in my teeth. Dry: It wears really well. The pomegranate comes out on the dry down and does lovely things with the apples. I’m really pleased with this.
THE UNSAVORY GRAVE-DIGGERS 2010 (LE, Halloweenie): (Company says: An unearthed oakwood coffin, cemetery weeds, and a hint of booze.)
In bottle: Mmmmm….the dark liquor and old wood combination is strong, rich, and heady,. This is exactly what I hoped for. The sharpness of the weeds, gives this lovely blend teeth. I’m in love already and it hasn’t touched my skin. Wet: it’s not quite as lovely as in the bottle, but close. I can’t think of a blend with wood this wonderful, and the booze is softer here, but still adds a key sweetness to balance the plants. It’s wonderful, androgynous, and strangely sexy. I can’t stop sniffing it. I want to roll around in it. Dry: Mmmmm… I swear it’s even better. The plants come into their own, adding a real autumnal feel. I can almost swear I smell nitre too, though I think that’s a fungus, so it likely isn’t. The woods only get richer and more lovely and the booze smoothes everything out. Sheer brilliance!
Winners: Unsavory Grave Digger
Runners Up: 13 August 2010, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Pomegranate III, Punkie Night
I'm thinking Unsavory Grave Digger is going on my all time favorites list.