Backlogged BPAL Reviews III
Oct. 11th, 2024 04:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
These were all purchased with store credit that was issued for shipping overages.
☀️ Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge 2024 (Cream accord, amber, teak, lotus blossom)
Preliminary notes: I've seen so many reviews comparing this to The Antikythera Mechanism, which I love. I've also discovered that I like lotus notes.
In bottle: This is remarkably similar to The Antikythera Mechanism. It's basically The Antikythera Mechanism plus creamy bubblegum. What a vibe.
On skin: The cream and lotus (bubblegum) take center stage on the skin, and it takes on a much softer, femme tone. It's such a soft, glittery pale pink scent. The teak note is stunning, and everything blends together so well. This is so elegant, romantic, and sensual, I love it.
Verdict: 5 pieces of soft pink glitter out of 5.
🐇 White Rabbit (Strong black tea, milk, white pepper, ginger, honey, vanilla, clean linen)
Preliminary notes: I had a sample of this and tried it *one* time before upsizing it. Such a great tea scent.
In bottle: The linen and something lemony are heavier in the bottle (which is the 2024 reformulated version) than in the imp I have. Interesting. The white pepper is also virtually missing. I think the imp I have was from a forumite, so it could be that it was aged and might be the pre-reformulation version. I'm not entirely sure.
On skin: It's really unfortunate that the white pepper note is missing here, because that was the standout note for me in the imp. As it is, it's a very nice milky, honeyed tea scent with a slight floral edge, but it definitely lacks the bite that's present in the imp. I'm hoping the white pepper note will come out with a bit of age. I will say that the milk note in this scent is almost photorealistic. Milk notes tend to smell more like marshmallow or sometimes have an almost fruity quality to them, but this one smells like real, fresh milk.
Verdict: 5 spicy teas out of 5 for the imp, 4 milky teas out of 5 for the reformulated bottle.
🧁 Rhubarb Custard Muffins (Tart rhubarb, oven-browned sugar crystals, golden cake, warm custard)
Preliminary notes: I've been wanting to try a rhubarb note so bad for a long time. I love rhubarb in pies and whatnot, so this seemed like a good idea. I love custard and cake notes too.
In bottle: Smelling this made my eyes roll back. It's everything it claims to be and more. The rhubarb note is phenomenal, the cake note is delicious, and the custard is peeking out a tiny bit as well. It smells like a warm dessert.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but a bit sweeter and deeper. I've smelled a few of BPAL's cake notes, and the one featured here is by far the best. The rhubarb and custard notes are also exquisite. This layers phenomenally with Pink Moon 2024. That combination smells like the most decadent, golden strawberry rhubarb cake. By far the most realistic gourmand I've tried from BPAL.
Verdict: 5 delicious rhubarb cakes out of 5.
☕ Café Mille et une Nuits (Shisha, thick coffee, cardamom pods, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, nutmeg)
Preliminary notes: I've been wanting to try this one for a while. The notes are very different, but the vibe reminds me of Alkemia's Club des Hashischins, which is an old favorite.
In bottle: Definitely the same kind of vibe as Club des Hashischins, but that's where the similarity stops. This is a spicy, slightly creamy coffee scent and isn't as heavy as I was expecting. It has some similarity to BPAL's The Jeweled Spider as well.
On skin: This is delicious. The coffee is so rich and thick that it almost reads as a deep chocolate, and the spices are exquisite. The shisha is definitely there as well. This scent smells like a place as opposed to a thing, so I think BPAL did well in what they were aiming for here. It smells like a very dimly-lit coffeehouse tucked into a back alley, where the scents of spiced coffee and rich tobacco waft out of the windows. This is going to be absolutely stunning in cooler weather.
Verdict: 5 mysterious coffeehouses out of 5.
🌙 Pink Moon 2024 (Sugar-swirled strawberry milk, frothed marshmallow cream)
Preliminary notes: You know what, sometimes you just have to buy the most whimsical-sounding scent that a company has. This sounds delightful and very girly, which normally isn't my thing, but I'll make an exception for strawberry milk and marshmallow. I've also noticed I've been craving lactonic scents over the last few months, so this fits the bill for that too.
In bottle: Again, eyes rolled back. There's something about the strawberry note that smells a bit like children's multivitamins, but it mostly just smells like a tart strawberry milkshake. As I'm writing this, the Strawberry Moon is tomorrow, so I plan on wearing this for that.
On skin: The strawberry is a little artificial here, but it's a very smooth, creamy strawberry milkshake scent, which is what I was looking for. I can't discern the marshmallow outright, but it definitely adds a silky sweetness to the scent. There's not much to say about this, as it's fairly simple, but I like it a lot. It smells nostalgic.
Verdict: 4 strawberry milkshakes out of 5.
😈 The Demonaic (Black poppy absolute, dried rose petals, opoponax, black labdanum, kyphi smoke, honeyed oud)
Preliminary notes: I've surprisingly not been able to find any reviews of this scent whatsoever, but it sounds right up my alley. I don't actually know that I have a reference for what black poppy smells like.
In bottle: Oh wow, this is dark. I mean, I was expecting it to be, but it smells like an abyss. It's fairly dry and very resinous, and I cannot pick out a single individual note in there.
On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. There's something with a bit of a bite in there. I can make out the opoponax, but everything else is seamlessly blended. It smells meditative, like dark temple incense burning in a little metal censer. I was initially apprehensive of the oud, since oud can either be really good or really bad, but I can't detect it at all here. The rose eventually peeks out from underneath the glorious opoponax bomb, but it smells dried as opposed to fresh. I adore this.
Verdict: 5 curls of incense in a dark temple out of 5.
🔮 SDPU2 (prototype) (No notes given)
Preliminary notes: None. I received these last two as frottles in a relatively sizeable combined order a while ago.
In bottle: Something sharp and herbal.
On skin: Definitely lavender, maybe a bit of plum or some other dark fruit. Maybe a touch of lotus as well, but mostly lavender. It borders on powdery, which isn't my thing at all. It reminds me of how baby dolls used to smell in the 90s, so if that's your jam, looking for this in swaps might be worthwhile.
As it dries, it takes on a distinct Fruit Gushers scent, so I think there are more fruit notes at play here than just plum. Maybe a tiny bit of lime. I'm.. not really a fan.
Verdict: 2 Fruit Gushers out of 5.
🍋 PX68 (prototype) (No notes given)
Preliminary notes: None. I received these last two as frottles in a relatively sizeable combined order a while ago.
In bottle: Almost strictly orange peel, but a really nice orange peel.
On skin: I don't know what I'm smelling, but it's citric. A very weak citronella or maybe lemongrass, with a clean laundry backdrop. It takes a bit, but it finally reveals itself as orange, like it smells in the bottle. It reminds me of what I remember Eau/Elixir des Merveilles smelling like a little bit, so I wouldn't be shocked if there was also sandalwood, tonka, or amber in this as well. I quite like it. It's very light but still warm, which will be nice for warmer months.
Verdict: 4 nostalgic elixirs out of 5.
☀️ Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge 2024 (Cream accord, amber, teak, lotus blossom)
Preliminary notes: I've seen so many reviews comparing this to The Antikythera Mechanism, which I love. I've also discovered that I like lotus notes.
In bottle: This is remarkably similar to The Antikythera Mechanism. It's basically The Antikythera Mechanism plus creamy bubblegum. What a vibe.
On skin: The cream and lotus (bubblegum) take center stage on the skin, and it takes on a much softer, femme tone. It's such a soft, glittery pale pink scent. The teak note is stunning, and everything blends together so well. This is so elegant, romantic, and sensual, I love it.
Verdict: 5 pieces of soft pink glitter out of 5.
🐇 White Rabbit (Strong black tea, milk, white pepper, ginger, honey, vanilla, clean linen)
Preliminary notes: I had a sample of this and tried it *one* time before upsizing it. Such a great tea scent.
In bottle: The linen and something lemony are heavier in the bottle (which is the 2024 reformulated version) than in the imp I have. Interesting. The white pepper is also virtually missing. I think the imp I have was from a forumite, so it could be that it was aged and might be the pre-reformulation version. I'm not entirely sure.
On skin: It's really unfortunate that the white pepper note is missing here, because that was the standout note for me in the imp. As it is, it's a very nice milky, honeyed tea scent with a slight floral edge, but it definitely lacks the bite that's present in the imp. I'm hoping the white pepper note will come out with a bit of age. I will say that the milk note in this scent is almost photorealistic. Milk notes tend to smell more like marshmallow or sometimes have an almost fruity quality to them, but this one smells like real, fresh milk.
Verdict: 5 spicy teas out of 5 for the imp, 4 milky teas out of 5 for the reformulated bottle.
🧁 Rhubarb Custard Muffins (Tart rhubarb, oven-browned sugar crystals, golden cake, warm custard)
Preliminary notes: I've been wanting to try a rhubarb note so bad for a long time. I love rhubarb in pies and whatnot, so this seemed like a good idea. I love custard and cake notes too.
In bottle: Smelling this made my eyes roll back. It's everything it claims to be and more. The rhubarb note is phenomenal, the cake note is delicious, and the custard is peeking out a tiny bit as well. It smells like a warm dessert.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but a bit sweeter and deeper. I've smelled a few of BPAL's cake notes, and the one featured here is by far the best. The rhubarb and custard notes are also exquisite. This layers phenomenally with Pink Moon 2024. That combination smells like the most decadent, golden strawberry rhubarb cake. By far the most realistic gourmand I've tried from BPAL.
Verdict: 5 delicious rhubarb cakes out of 5.
☕ Café Mille et une Nuits (Shisha, thick coffee, cardamom pods, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, nutmeg)
Preliminary notes: I've been wanting to try this one for a while. The notes are very different, but the vibe reminds me of Alkemia's Club des Hashischins, which is an old favorite.
In bottle: Definitely the same kind of vibe as Club des Hashischins, but that's where the similarity stops. This is a spicy, slightly creamy coffee scent and isn't as heavy as I was expecting. It has some similarity to BPAL's The Jeweled Spider as well.
On skin: This is delicious. The coffee is so rich and thick that it almost reads as a deep chocolate, and the spices are exquisite. The shisha is definitely there as well. This scent smells like a place as opposed to a thing, so I think BPAL did well in what they were aiming for here. It smells like a very dimly-lit coffeehouse tucked into a back alley, where the scents of spiced coffee and rich tobacco waft out of the windows. This is going to be absolutely stunning in cooler weather.
Verdict: 5 mysterious coffeehouses out of 5.
🌙 Pink Moon 2024 (Sugar-swirled strawberry milk, frothed marshmallow cream)
Preliminary notes: You know what, sometimes you just have to buy the most whimsical-sounding scent that a company has. This sounds delightful and very girly, which normally isn't my thing, but I'll make an exception for strawberry milk and marshmallow. I've also noticed I've been craving lactonic scents over the last few months, so this fits the bill for that too.
In bottle: Again, eyes rolled back. There's something about the strawberry note that smells a bit like children's multivitamins, but it mostly just smells like a tart strawberry milkshake. As I'm writing this, the Strawberry Moon is tomorrow, so I plan on wearing this for that.
On skin: The strawberry is a little artificial here, but it's a very smooth, creamy strawberry milkshake scent, which is what I was looking for. I can't discern the marshmallow outright, but it definitely adds a silky sweetness to the scent. There's not much to say about this, as it's fairly simple, but I like it a lot. It smells nostalgic.
Verdict: 4 strawberry milkshakes out of 5.
😈 The Demonaic (Black poppy absolute, dried rose petals, opoponax, black labdanum, kyphi smoke, honeyed oud)
Preliminary notes: I've surprisingly not been able to find any reviews of this scent whatsoever, but it sounds right up my alley. I don't actually know that I have a reference for what black poppy smells like.
In bottle: Oh wow, this is dark. I mean, I was expecting it to be, but it smells like an abyss. It's fairly dry and very resinous, and I cannot pick out a single individual note in there.
On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. There's something with a bit of a bite in there. I can make out the opoponax, but everything else is seamlessly blended. It smells meditative, like dark temple incense burning in a little metal censer. I was initially apprehensive of the oud, since oud can either be really good or really bad, but I can't detect it at all here. The rose eventually peeks out from underneath the glorious opoponax bomb, but it smells dried as opposed to fresh. I adore this.
Verdict: 5 curls of incense in a dark temple out of 5.
🔮 SDPU2 (prototype) (No notes given)
Preliminary notes: None. I received these last two as frottles in a relatively sizeable combined order a while ago.
In bottle: Something sharp and herbal.
On skin: Definitely lavender, maybe a bit of plum or some other dark fruit. Maybe a touch of lotus as well, but mostly lavender. It borders on powdery, which isn't my thing at all. It reminds me of how baby dolls used to smell in the 90s, so if that's your jam, looking for this in swaps might be worthwhile.
As it dries, it takes on a distinct Fruit Gushers scent, so I think there are more fruit notes at play here than just plum. Maybe a tiny bit of lime. I'm.. not really a fan.
Verdict: 2 Fruit Gushers out of 5.
🍋 PX68 (prototype) (No notes given)
Preliminary notes: None. I received these last two as frottles in a relatively sizeable combined order a while ago.
In bottle: Almost strictly orange peel, but a really nice orange peel.
On skin: I don't know what I'm smelling, but it's citric. A very weak citronella or maybe lemongrass, with a clean laundry backdrop. It takes a bit, but it finally reveals itself as orange, like it smells in the bottle. It reminds me of what I remember Eau/Elixir des Merveilles smelling like a little bit, so I wouldn't be shocked if there was also sandalwood, tonka, or amber in this as well. I quite like it. It's very light but still warm, which will be nice for warmer months.
Verdict: 4 nostalgic elixirs out of 5.