Cathedral

A true ecclesiatical blend of pure resins.

I'm a huge fan of resins, so I hoped to at least like this one, and I do. It does start out pretty woody- cedar, but the resins sweeten it up enough in dry down to make me like it. It is the woodiest resin scent I've tried yet. But, if you like cedar and resins, a sure hit.

4/5

Laudanum

Nutmeg, sassafras, black poppy and myrrh.

Hmm, burning rootbeer. I've never considered what that would smell like before, but I think it would be like this. Not a bottle, but cool enough to keep the imp.

3/5

Oblivion

Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron.

Very mellow and well blended. Smooth and dark is how I'd describe it, which fits the concept. The patchouli seems more subdued to me than usual. It's hard to pick out specific notes. It has great staying power and just smells bettter and better the longer it's on.

4.5/5

The Great Sword of War

Mandarin, tonka, saffron, black tea, cocoa, tobacco leaf, sanguine red musk and five classical herbs of conflict.

This starts out promising. In the imp, it's mandarin and cocoa with the rest of the notes floating intriguingly in the background.

If only it stayed that way on my skin. Once it dries down, it got a bit of mandarin with saffron and red musk. The make strange partners and turn rather powdery. :(

2/5

Seraphim

calla lily, wisteria, white sandalwood, Damascus rose and frankincense.

This one reminds me of Hymn, but lighter on the incense and heavier on the white florals. I prefer the heavy feeling of Hymn, with the strong rose, frankincense and myrrh, but if you're looking for something a bit lighter, this could be for you.

2.5/5

Hymn

perfect rose absolute and Palestinian Lily of the Valley with olibanum, labdanum, frankincense and myrrh

This was a frimp that I never would have ordered. I don't like rose, hate lily of the valley, and am iffy about frankincense. But- I really like this! It starts out very rosey, but dries down into a floral incense that's very pretty and unique. I can't make out the lily of the valley at all, and the frankincense and myrrh blend together lightly. It'll be great for fall and winter. It has average wear length and throw for me.

I don't even know anymore. Next thing you know, I'll be wanting to wear peonies and up will be down.

4.5/5

Dorian

A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea

I don't get any tea scent out of this. Just sugary vanilla musk. Actually, whenever I wear this, I imagine a vanilla-musk daiquiri with a sugared rim. I like it, but it's a little sweet to be one of my absolute favorites.

4/5

Sin

amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon

All I can get out of this is a bit of amber and tons of sandalwood. Sandalwood, it turns out, is not my favorite note. It's just too overpowering here. I was hoping for a lot more patchouli and cinnamon. As it is, this just smells like slightly sweetened sandalwood to me. My mom, on the other hand, loves it. The more sandalwood, the better, for her. At least it gets a good home.

1.5/5

Magdalene

A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid

I got this as a frimp from the lab. Thanks!

I was surprised that this worked at all on me, for any amount of time. I don't like roses at all. When it's wet, I had to hold my arms as far away from my nose as possible and not move them so I wouldn't get any throw. Evil killer roses!

After it dries down, it much more tolerable. It eventually becomes a soft, powdery floral, which is a relief. I think the orchid and labdanum must really tone it down. It's not a scent I'll ever reach for, but for people who like roses and/or soft florals, this is very lovely.

2/5

Faustus

frankincense and cinnamon, darkened by violet

This one threatened to give me a headache. I know cinnamon's not the problem. I'm not sure whether frankincense or violet is to blame, since I end up avoiding those notes now. Really, I suspect neither one is to my tastes. The cinnamon, alas, gets swallowed up by the frankincense. After that happens, I think the violets come out and sweeten it up. Overall, it's a rather sweet and very dense scent. It doesn't smell bad, just a bit odd to me. I can see it as a room scent, maybe, if it wasn't headache inducing.

1.5/5

Dirty

A fresh, crisp white linen scent: perfectly clean, perfectly breezy

This one just isn't my type of scent. Too much of a white floral- plumeria, according to more knowledgeable reviewers. I got this in my first order, before I knew which kinds of scents I preferred. This is a light and clean scent- I just like darker, muskier scents.

2/5

De Sade

the raw scent of leather

Well, it's pretty much as advertised. It's really strong and sharp at first, to the point that it smells like there's freshly shaved cedar in it. After about half an hour, I start to think that maybe it's soft enough to layer with something. After an hour, I almost think I could wear it by itself, but not quite.

I really like BPAL's leather note, too. My top five scents all have some leather in them. I could always keep it and use it for layering- what isn't better with a bit leather?

2/5

The Bow & Crown of Conquest

sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather.


I really love this one, but I have a hard time separating the notes. Wet, I smell the leather and vanilla, which is nice. As it dries, the cedar and lavender get stronger. It all develops into a nice woodsy-vanilla smell. It is sort of masculine, but that never stops me.

Has average throw, lasts a little longer than average on me (6-7 hours).

If you like this one, try Dee.

5/5

Lust

red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh.

In the imp, I'm a little scared of it. Mostly, I smell the ylang ylang.

Once it hits my skin, though, the myrrh becomes prominent, which is great. I love myrrh!

As it dries, the red musk comes out more, which is even better. I can't specifically pick out the patchouli, but I never can. My skin seems to absorb it. The ylang ylang sweetens it up a bit, but it not even close to cloying or overly floral.

Overall, it's red musk blended with a sweet myrrh, and it lasts all day. This is definitely one of my favorites. Balanced, feminine and unique.

4.5/5

Sin and Salvation- Wishes

Cathedral
Envy
Hellfire
Penitence
Roadhouse
Rose Cross
Tzadikim Nistarim