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[journal]

 

AGAPĒ
limited editions
forum 5 year anniversary 09

Happy fifth birthday to the bpal.org forum! To commemorate five years of camaraderie, love, and unbelievable kindness, we present a scent comprised of notes that encapsulate the essence of friendship: carnation, apple, sweet pea, vanilla cream, passion fruit, sugar cane, tonka, and guava.

Caramel in the bottle. I get the apple and fruit as soon as it hits my skin, a bit too tart for my liking and I'm not sure I can live with it at this point. But it smooths down pretty fast and vanilla comes out to smooth it even more. It's still sharp though, fruity and sharp with a touch of vanilla cream. All in all not too much of anything. Balance is very good in this one. Is it me though? We'll see. I usually go for the darker ones and this one is both bright and happy. But hey, I have changed my mind before. After drydown I suddenly remembered what it reminded me of. Fruit jelly with vanilla sauce. Spot on.
 

AGRAT-BAT-MAHLAHT
carnaval diabolique
the grindhouse

Amber, cream accord, white honey, apple blossom, skin musk, caramel, and teak.  

From the vial and wet on the skin I get rum, which is strange because there is no rum listed with her.

It's probably the caramel playing tricks on me but in the initial stages she does remind me slightly of ELEGBA even if she calms down very quickly and gives room for something I can't really describe. Is this the teak? She stays close to the skin and maybe she's a little woody but I think I get the skin musk, and the cream.

I'll let her do her magic on my skin for a little while and check on her later. I braved it and put her on both wrists and behind ears and even in the cleavage. I don't think she can go wrong on me.

Ooh i'm getting apple now, from the inside of my wrists, blending with caramel and something interesting happens. She's not a candy girl, oh no, she's very sophisticated. She reminds me a little of RED LANTERN, only she's cleaner and nicer.

Oh crap there her cream goes sour on my wrist. Let's hope she gets past that stage and that's all it is. ELEGBA did back in the day.

Aaand we're back. She recovered and it didn't take long.

No she is very very gorgeous. A bottle is already ordered. 

ANACTORIA
limited editions
lupercalia

The scent of the throes of violent passion: entangled limbs, teeth on
flesh, furiously grasping hands, the taste of blood and sweat. Golden
amber, white honey, red currant, daemonorops, kush, and Arabian musk.  

Oh man it's good!

Wet I don't really know how to describe it because I can't really pick any notes out but I do sense the blood and sweat. It's beautifully blended. On drydown I can sense the honey coming through the amber, and that herbal note has to be the kush, far back in the corner.

I can't seem to keep my nose away from my wrist, that's how good it is. It's amber and musk but not in any way I have noticed before, in other blends. It's sweet and smooth but still edgy. I love it.   

AND THERE WAS A GREAT CRY IN EGYPT
the salon

And There Was A Great Cry In Egypt, Arthur Hacker.
Dark myrrh, white sandalwood, amber, hyssop, frankincense, honey, cypress, red musk, cardamom and saffron. ($25.50)

First test: I've had to re-slather a few times during the afternoon since it's not really a stayer, and I can recognize the cedar whiff when it's wet now, although and also how the red musk comes out a little later. I'll probably be able to recognize more notes when i've worn it a few more days. It's a blend that keeps changing and it keeps things interesting all the way even if it dies an early death on my skin. I love it. I can just bring a roller bottle with me when I wear it so I can reapply when I need to. Oh wait, I do that all the time anyway...

Second/real test: This one is very very subtle on me, and the red musk is very hard to pick out.

Man, it's so well blended I can't pick out notes if you paid me. It's very shy and subtle and absolutely gorgeous.

The first note that comes to the foreground reminds me a little of turpentine and subsequently of the canvas and the painting of course. But it doesn't stay long and morphs into something woodsy, but only for a moment. It dries down to a pleasant but very subtle red musk with a hint of spice and honey. It stays very very close to the skin but it's there. It's infinitely gorgeous, and very sophisticated. To be worn when I want to be perfumed but not scream about it. Art in scent form.

AQUARIUS 2007
limited editions
Fixed air: the essence of idealism.

Wisteria, myrrh, anise, galbanum, bryony, and pomegranate. 

I was worried about the wisteria and I still am. I haven't tested it properly yet though. I put some on my wrist and then I had to run to the bus. But I put my nose to my wrist as often as I could and there is a fruity thing there more than a floral one so there is still hope. and there is also a dusty thing like something old. There is no way I can pick the notes apart here and that's a good thing. It's well blended.

A year later(it arrived in Jan 08): wet, I get the anise first with a touch of floral and I'm thinking hm, weird, why isn't this one of my faves since I'm an Aquarius? And I remember the wisteria and I'm wondering if I should put this up for sale because let's face it: I haven't worn it at all. I have only tested it twice and was always a little meh about it. And then it dries down. Oh man. Oh crap. Now I get it. I think I'm keeping this one all to myself. This is gorgeous now. Maybe it was the aging, maybe my chemistry has changed, I don't know. But I can wear this now. I'm already making a label for the roller bottle lol.
 

ASP VIPER
carnaval diabolique
snake pit

Snake Oil with red mandarin, myrrh, and almond.

Almond at first but it isn't very short-lived. It gives way for soft and snakey goodness, deep and golden, but not in a bad way. When I was on blood pressure medicine the myrrh went really bad but now that I'm off it, it smells gorgeous on me.
 

AUSTRALIAN COPPERHEAD
carnaval diabolique
snake pit

Snake Oil with acai berry, amber, cardamom, neroli, and smoked vanilla. 

It's more than a little sharp as it goes on so I think ageing will benefit this one. On drydown it mellows a little but it's still bright and berry-ish.