BPAL: Decadence

[gwydion]

The Frimps:
BOHUN UPAS (Rappaccini's Garden): (Company says: A deceptively tranquil scent: heady fruits, dry bark, and deep green leaves, enveloped by a dark and sinister murk.)

In bottle: Mostly rich, complex fruit. The barks and leaves are soft and deliciously grounding. The musk does add a darkly sexual tinge to the main orchard scent. Wet: The leaves and bark are much stronger on the skin. It’s still fruit dominant, but not as much. This rebalancing works well for me. The musk is a dark untertow, but my already naturally musky skin works well with this instead of making it too much. It’s a luscious and sexy fruit blend that smells more like ripe fruit on the bow and vine than in the bowl, if that makes sense. There is something a little wild about it. Dry: Muskier and darker. I’m calling it musk dominant now, with the fruit remaining fairly strong, with a hint of bark and leaves haunting. I liked it best wet, but this is still quite lovely and it has decent throw fairly late into the process.

KARMê (Κάρμη) 2011 (LE, Thanksgiving Food Drive Will Call): (Company says: Sun-warmed squashes, peppers, salad greens, snap peas, radishes, green onions, and silphium.)

In bottle: Wow! This does have a complex, late season vegetable garden scent. This is actually what I wanted that Pumpkin III with the gourds and thiongs to smell like. This is the late summer/early fall counter part to Planting moon, and I wish I had a whole bottle of this glory. It is faintly fruity for no reason I can pin down, though I suspect it’s an accidental accord involving the squash and one or more other elements. I am really impressed by them capturing delicate notes like salad greens and snap peas. It is warm and homey and delicious. Wet: Even better on the skin, which I didn’t think possible. The notes are even more distinct. It’s still squash dominant, and that faint and lovely accidental fruit accord is still haunting it. The mixed greens are second, and they really pop on the skin, taking the other kitchen garden elements for a dance each in turn. If you were worried about the green onions, don’t be. They function more as a delicate accent than a strong scent. Did I mention how lovely the squash note is? It’s so fresh and bright and sweetly delicate all at once. Dry: Less stunning on the dry down as the accords start breaking down, but still on the unusual end. The shards of the squash accord stay dominant, with peppers, onion, and silphium still discernible over the break down products of the other elements. I worry about how this will age, so best to use quickly.

LADON (Ars Draconis): (Company says: The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.)

In bottle: The apple notes and dragon’s blood combine into an apple accented fruity dragon’s blood dominant affect, with the musk and hyacinth almost entirely subsumed under the stronger notes. The effect is almost the feel of without quite smelling like grape. Wet: More distinct on the skin. They all switch sides, and the dragon’s blood and musk are now facing off against the apples and hyacinth. The feel is now as much floral as fruity, though the apple is still holding it’s own. It’s very much about dragon’s blood, so you have to like that to where this. The perfume as a whole is sexy and womanly. It’s a little weird on my skin, as is often the trouble with dragon’s blood, white musk, and florals just generally, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most folks. Dry: Musky dragon’s blood with a hint of hyacinth.

PRUNELLA (Marchen): (Company says: Ripe purple plums, wildflowers, and cream.).

In bottle: Very foody. The plums plus cream come off rather more baked goods than fresh fruit, but in a rich, delicious sort of way. The wildflowers are a good complement to the plum, working with, rather than shouting their presence. Wet: still plum dominent with the strong cream note turning it baked goods, but the florals are stronger and interesting in their own right, though still providing a good compliment to the fruit. Lovely and rich. Dry: Mostly wildflowers. Very pretty wild flowers, mind, but I was hoping more plum would survive.

SUCCUBUS (Ars Amatoria, discontinued): (Company says: Mimosa, orange blossom, neroli and bergamot with a drop of sweet clove.)

In bottle: Bergamot dominent spicey florals. I’m not convinced the neroli and the bergamot both were a good idea in the same blend when that blend is so delicate. They seem too strong for mimosa, orange blossom, and cloves. Wet: The bergamot softens on the skin, which really helps. (I like bergamot in fragrances generally, it was just this blend was a problem). It’s still a lot of neroli for the mimosa and orange blossoms, but the balance is not as off. I can barely smell the clove It’s really still not working for me. Dry: Mostly mimosa with a touch of neroli, bergamot, and orange blossom.


Ordered:
DARK CHOCOLATE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO, PINK PEPPERCORN, THYME, AND COMFREY 2012 (LE, Box of chocolates):

In bottle: Sweet dark chocolate dominant. Comfrey turns out to go beautifully with chocolate. The sun dried tomato gives a soft, unexpected tang to the chocolate. The pepper gives it a hint of edge. Thyme is extremely understated. Really, this seems to be about giving more support and complexity to the chocolate than showing off the other notes. Wet: The comfrey is stronger on the skin, almost coequal with the rich dark chocolate. It’s a lovely effect. The peppercorn and thyme separate out a little, but play well with the dominant scents. The thyme brings a little more of the tomato out as it emerges, making it a touch more savory on the skin than in the bottle. The result is quite lovely and unusual. I love the way the sweet and savory work together, and can only marvel at the cleverness of the brain who thought to combine these scents, not usually associated. Dry: The dark chocolate fades to a ghost haunting the comfrey. The thyme fades back to just present, and I can’t find the tomato at all. Comfrey turns out to make a nice enough scent by itself, but this is not as exciting as it was wet.

DARK CHOCOLATE WITH TULSI, TUMERIC, AND WHITE GINGER 2012 (LE, Box of chocolates):

In bottle: The dominant dark chocolate note works beautifully with the ginger and tumeric. Tumeric is a fairly gentle scent on it’s own, and here it works as a support and to aid blending just as the spice does in cooking. Tulsi is a strong counterpoint to the chocolate, giving a savory touch to a sweet blend. Wet: The basil scent of the tulsi really comes out on the skin, strong, fresh, green, delicious. It’s still chocolate dominant, but the tulsi is almost as strong as the ginger, assertive and unusual. I’m loving the way the sweet and savory blend and the creativity it took to even think of this combination blows me away. Dry: Mostly ginger and tulsi, with the chocolate and tumeric haunting it. I’d call the ginger dominent. It turns out ginger and tulsi is lovely. Who knew?

GATHERING WILD MUSHROOMS 2012 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements V): (Company says: Wild mushrooms, hay absolute, ginger root, hiba wood, and ginseng.).

In bottle: Soft, very herbal in a chalky sort of way. I’m guessing that thing that smells like green wood is the hiba wood as it’s unfamiliar but logical. Let’s call it hiba dominant, with ginseng and mushrooms blending with and supporting it. The ginger and hay are present and make a pleasant background, with the ginger giving it a little edge. The mushroom note contains either death Cap and/or devil’s claw. I’m forgetting which is which as it’s been a while. I’m not a fan of either, but it works okay in this blend where it isn’t dominant. Wet: A lot more mushrooms on the skin. It’s less chalky, as the mushrooms warm up. The ginger root comes out a little slower, but wow, is it doing gorgeous things with the mushrooms, hiba wood, ginseng, and hay. I’d call the ginger root strongest, but honestly, this is very balanced, with the ginger a bit stronger and the ginseng a bit weaker. The mushrooms are strong enoyugh here to make it not quite work for me, but it’s close. Dry: Not as unusual, but still lovely. Ginseng fades least, and ginger second least, with the rest mostly fading to background.

IN THE FOREST 2012 (LE, Bards of Ireland:): (Company says: A wild, passion-inflamed skin musk with black pine pitch, brown leather, black clove, copal, white sage, oakmoss, patchouli, and saffron.)

In bottle: Oooo! This is so up my ally. The rich dark leather softy presides over a masculine blend in which musk, pine, copal, and saffron form a strong second rank. I am fascinated by the way the copal and saffron make a lighter counterpoint for the darker leather/pine/ musk combination. Patchouli is providing an earthy sort of grounding. The clove, sage, oakmoss add edge and complexity. This is complex and beautifully balanced, and does suggest a bard moving quietly through the forest. Wet: Leather dominant still, with pitch a strong second. The copal and saffron start out third strongest, but rise to being strongly dominant, pushing the leather and pitch down to second. Talk about fast morphing. O.o the other elements are now serving as a lovely and complex background to show off the four strongest notes. It’s not what I expected at all, but fascinating in it’s own right. Ten minutes later, I’m wondering if this might be a touch too much copal and saffron for my taste, but it’s a small quibble. Dry: Heaven. Spicy, musky, leather with lovely hints of pine and incense. Sexy and glorious.

L'ESSENCE DE LA FOLIE 2012 (LE, BPTP, Lupercalia, Eros Inquisition): (Company says: Pink pepper, black pepper, clove, myrrh, dark chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorops draco.

In bottle: chocolate dominant with labdanum as strong support. The dragon’s blood gives a fruity resiny sort of feel to it. The peppers are strong and sharp. The myrrh is soft and well blended, functioning as a sort of glue to all the strong personalities that make up the blend. The clove is understated, but pretty. I am liking the way the chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorops are working together. Wet: Chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorop dominant. It’s dancing at the edge of something that would be too much, but staying on the side of lovely strong. I’m really loving the way the cloves and peppers give this teeth. The myrrh is still working it’s magic quietly in the background. Dry: Surprisingly pink. Daemonorops dominant with lots of labdanum and touches of myrrh and spice. It’s much lighter and more upbeat than I thought at first.

MILK CHOCOLATE WITH MACADAMIA NUT, COCONUT, BUTTON MUSHROOM, AND MARSHMALLOW 2012 (LE, Box of chocolates):

In bottle: Coconut dominant with strong chocolate and marshmallow support. The mushroom is a sharp, strong, slightly acrid, and savory counterpoint to the sweetness. The nuts are understated but pleasant. Wet: More chocolate on the skin. Chocolate dominant with strong coconut and marshmallow support, with the coconut stronger than the marshmallow. The mushroom stays strong and honestly a bit disturbing. The nuts are still soft, but a bit stronger on the skin and supporting the sweeter elements. I’m not sure I like this as the mushrooms are a bit finger nails on chalk board for me, though as the scent wears, they settle down and start playing with the other elements instead of fighting them. Dry: Mostly coconut, with some marshmallow and the mushroom threaded through. The milk chocolate haunts the scent. It really is pretty, but I’d have liked it better without mushroom.

YULE 2011 (LE, BPTP): (Company says: This oil includes fir needle essential oil, steam-distilled North African myrrh, Austrian pine needle essential oil, wild crafted steam-distilled bay leaves, Ceylon cinnamon, steam-distilled black spruce, bayberry, apple leaf, Roman chamomile, and C02 extract of hazel bark.)

In bottle: It’s got a dark of the year sort of feel to it. All those woods, sharp and deep, the chamomile and bay giving a sharper, more viscous feel to the warmer trees and plants. The bay berry adds a touch of fruit, the apple leaf is very understated and the touch of softness to what is otherwise a very masculine sort of scent. I don’t normally like chamomile in fragrances, but here, it’s working so beautifully with the rest of the blend that I have hopes. Wet: Evergreen dominant. The herbs stand out more on the skin than in the bottle. This has lots of throw. Very woody and still hinting of late December nights. Dry: Still evergreen dominant. The rest is a gentle background, nuanced and soft.

Bath Oil:
BOURBON VANILLA BATH OIL 2012 (LE, BPTP Lupercalia): (Company says: Shea oil, olive oil, apricot kernel oil, fractionated coconut oil, rosehip seed, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, isopropyl myristate, glycereth-7-cocoate (derived from coconut), oleth 3, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume.)

Yep, that’s bourbon vanilla. The rosehip and primrose oil are discernible to the nose, along with a touch of apricot. If I didn’t know better, I’d thing there was a touch of anise in the bourbon vanilla. This reminds me of the humbug inquisition oil from several years ago. Yum.

Atmosphere Spray:

EREBOS (BPTP, Atmospheric Linen & Room Spray): (Company says: Solace in darkness, the personification of shadow: lavender, black vanilla, white melon, night-blooming jasmine, rose, cedar, cyclamen, violet, and hyacinth.)

Strongly lavender dominant. Actually it’s mostly lavender. Vanilla a weak second. The cedar is gentle, but interesting with the other notes. The other flowers make a complex and gentle setting to show off the lavender. I don’t like rose much, but here it plays well with the other notes instead of overwhelming them. I’d call the hyacinth and what I’m guessing is cyclamen as the strongest of the background florals. The melon is very soft, but adds a juiciness and a touch of extra brightness to the blend. This is gorgeous and I’m glad I was talked into it.



Winners: Karmê (Κάρμη), In the Forest, Bourbon Vanilla Bath oil, Erebos spray
Runners Up: Yule, Dark chocolate Tulsi turmeric white ginger

Comments

[tibicina]

The Yule is actually Twilight Alchemy Lab. It's not BPAL, it's not BPTP. It's made by the same people, but it's their ceremonial/magical line. So if you're looking it up on the forums, say, you need to look under Twilight Alchemy Lab or TAL. There's a separate board for them.