BPAL: Miscellenia

[gwydion]

The Frimps:
NOCTURNE 2013 (LE, Single Note) : (Company says: An olfactory serenede. A somber, contemplative scent -- dreamy and subdued. Deepest violet touched with lilac and tuberose.)

In bottle only: Violet dominant with lilac support. The rose is well blended and understated. I’d suggest this for a woman in her late teens.

SALOON #10 (BPTP, Atmosphere Spray): (Company says: sweaty leather, chewing tobacco, and Red Eye.)

Review: Strong leather dominent, mingling with strong whiskey support. They blend beautifully and the tobacco twines through them, not as intense, but very present. It’s well designed for it’s concept, straightforwardly masculine.

Ordered:

AMBERGRIS ACCORD 2013 (LE, Single Note): (Company says: Our ambergris accord is lightly balsamic, slightly woody, almost tobacco-like marine musk, and possesses a distinct salty animalic note that borders on sweet.)

In bottle: actually, the company description is quite apt. It’s mostly balsam and marine musk. There a delicate wood and tobacco feel to it. It is sexy and oceany, basically, with a touch of wooden ship and sailor’s tobacco. Wet: On my skin the marine musk pulls ahead of the balsam in strength, though the balsam stays strong and balances out the weight of the blend. This much sea and balsam would be individually too much alone on my skin, but together it actually works. As it warms, the woodiness comes out. The result is complex and works on my skin in ways I didn’t expect. It has a lot of throw, so apply with caution. Dry: It gradually shifts into a musky amber. It’s quite lovely.

CASTITAS (BPTP, Virtues, Thermae): (Company says: Rice flower, vanilla, and cream.)

Review: Very creamy. The rice flower is a soft second and the vanilla a soft third, They blend together well, but are a bit delicate. If you like Boo, you will likely enjoy this.

THE CAT (Corline): (Company says: (Corline): (Company says: Sleek, black, dark, and clever: benzoin, honey, cedar, and dark musk.)

In bottle: Cedar dominant with the benzoin blending beautifully with it. The honey it a counterpoint. The musk is soft and blends well with benzoin and honey. Wet: Still cedar dominant, but the benzoin is nearly as strong with the honey now supporting the benzoin. It was woodier in the bottle, sweeter on the skin. As it wears, the honey over takes the benzoin. The musk is gentle, but pervasive. This has a fresh, bright feel to it. Dry: Mostly cedar with a bit of benzoin.

CORALINE JONES (Corline): (Company says: Dry grass, clean skin, and a little bit of mossy berry.)

In bottle: Surprisingly sharp with the moss giving an aftershave effect. It’s clearly moss dominant, with something best described as “clean” next. It is similar to the linen note in feel. More sniffing makes the berry pop out of the moss note where it was hiding. The grass is soft support for the clean note. Wet: The balance is similar on the skin, with moss strongest. The clean and the berry note are almost equal, with the skin musk being more noticeable. The grass really does go well with clean skin. Dry: The berry hgas good staying power, and the moss+berry parses as mossy berry on the dry down. The clean skin blends beautifully with the stronger notes as it fades.

GRAVE MOSS AND UPTURNED SOIL 2013 (BPTP, Illuminations): (Company says: The scent of an ancient, long-abandoned churchyard: weed-choked crumbling tombstones under the shadows of midnight and thick black soil disturbed by inhuman hands.)

Unburned: This really fits its concept. It’s got a strong dirt and moss feel to it, the weeds are a pleasantly sharp counterpoint to the darker tones of the dirt and stone. Call it earth dominant with moss in support and the weeds third, but clearly defined. Burned: The moss and weeds are both stronger with the heat. The dirt backs off a little as the stone strengthens. The result is it’s more green burning than it is just sitting around. I’d call it Moss strongest, then earth, then weeds and stone about equal.

HOT BUTTERED RUM 2011 (LE, Will-Call Toy Drive Gift, Unreleased, LE):

In bottle: Rum edging into the candy level of sweetness with a warm soft butter note rounding it out. Wet: It reminds me a little of circus peanuts. As it warms the rum and butter fill out more and it gets a spicy sort of edge to it. I would swear this is coconut rum, as there is a coconut scent to it. It’s lovely and festive. Dry: A little weird on the dry down. The butter accord breaks down quickly as some elements fade faster than others. The effect is not entirely ideal with the softening notes in the rum. It’s wearable, but not as stunning as it first seemed.

LUNAR ECLIPSE 2013 (Lunacy, LE): (Company says: White musk, mugwort, iris, white tea, and silvered yarrow with black amber, Indonesian patchouli, fir resin, and blackcurrant.)

In bottle: This is hard to categorize. It is delicate. Iris stands out most. The white tea is pervasive, forming a background with mugwort, musk, yarrow, and amber in support. I imagine this as a canvass with a background and a foreground. In the foreground, black currant is next strongest after the iris, followed by fir, and a hint of patchouli. This is interesting, but I don’t have much hope it will work on me. Wet: It’s still iris dominant. Blackcurrent is now second strongest, followed by fir and mugwort. The white tea is now softer, though still a pervasive background, with the yarrow about as strong. The rest is present, but soft. Contrary to expectations, this actually pops on my skin. It’s still pretty delicate, but the black current and fir being stronger fleshes out the Iris, while the mugwort, yarrow, and tea give it an herbal feel. It’s still a bit to floral for me, but close, oh so close. Dry: Fast fading to mugwort and patchouli.

MISS FORCIBLE (Corline): (Company says: A classic vintage musk.)

In bottle: I’d swear this contains anise and something along the lines of burnt sugar or molasses. It smells a lot like the anise cookies my great aunts used to make at Christmas. It does have a little musk to it, but I’d call this old fashioned foodie. It’s wonderful. I loved my great aunts and this does smell like Christmas eve at their house, but it’s so not like the description I’m wondering if there was some sort of mix up. Wet: The anise is even stronger on the skin and the butter cookie feel is also stronger. My family called them something different, but the Internet suggests the Italian version is called “Pizzelles.” Seriously, this smells like fresh baked pizzelles to me, with a took of musk. If this is really the right oil in the decant, I want a bottle very much. I do not see how this is ‘vintage musk’ but I’m willing to pretend. Dry: It still smells of Pizzelles, but it is more plausibly an “old fashioned musk after a while. I really like this.

PLANTING MOON 2013 (Lunacy, LE): (Company says: The scent of Planting Moon is that of summer squashes, pole beans, kohlrabi, tomato leaves, peppery arugula, upturned earth, and sun-warmed herbs.)

In bottle: Ooo! This is a n exciting variation on the early summer garden. The sharpness of tomato leaf is strongest with excellent support from the arrugula, pole beans, squash, and presumably kohlrabi. (I have no idea what kohlrabi smells like, and I’m weak on pole beans not having smelled them growing in a long time, but there’s plenty of body to the green growing things support here). The herbs give a piquant counterpoint. Something is a little sweeter here than expected in the undercurrent, but this is really all about the green. The earth here is understated, more suggesting gardening when combined with all that green, than standing on it’s own. This is the tomato leaf dominant scent I’ve been looking for for most of a decade. Wet: If anything, it’s richer amnd more complex on my skin. It’s still all about the tomato leaf, but the squash and arugula really separate out and pop. The beans and what I’m assuming is kohlrabi are also more distinct. All the greens still play well as do the herbs. The dirt stays background. I love smelling like my garden. I’m now wishing I’d bought more of these. Dry: It goes a little less natural smelling as it wears, but is still excellent. It ends up mostly tomato leaf and squash.


Winners: Saloon #10, Grave Moss and Upturned Soil, Planting Moon 2013
Runners UP: Ambergris, Miss Forcible