BPAL
Ra
In the bottle: warm soft lemon, amber (or something resiny) and something woody. My guess is this is going to be lemon sherbert again. I really don't get on too well with the fruit.
On the wrist: a little lighter. Something now reminding me of the egyptian incense at lodge, but unfortunately I have no idea what it is. Might it be frankincense? Or something a little like cloves? Now much less lemony, and all the better for it. The woodiness is stronger too. Overall, it's very warm, as I suppose it should be.
Debauchery
A sinful, licentious scent: self-indulgent and luxurious. Mingled heady civet and red Egyptian musk, thickened with opium.
In the bottle: sweet, very BPAL, patchouli.
On the wrist: patchouli all the way. I hate patchouli.
Zephyr
A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.
In the bottle: smells like Body Shop White Musk with a touch of vanilla. So far so good.
On the wrist: the same. It's white, slightly musky, the sandalwood is there, the vanilla is there but subtle, and it is so far very light and very soft, like a spring breeze. Lovely. I smell no citrus yet, which I'm glad about, because when there's fruit in these things that's usually all I can smell.
Within ten minutes the musk and vanilla are coming through more strongly, as they tend to on me. That makes it a little heavier, sadly, and it gets heavier and sweeter over time. Still a keeper, though.
Whitechapel
A gentlemen's blend, possessed of dignity, charm and refinement, but in truth masking a corrupted, hideous, soulless core. White musk, lime, lilac and citron.
In the bottle: I like it, of course - I always seem to love BPAL's men's stuff. This one doesn't have the sharp, clean herbiness of Lucifer et al, but it's still lovely. Musky and lightly floral with a tiny bite of lime.
On the wrist: Pretty much what it says on the tin - musk, lime, lilac, citron. The notes blend really well; the musk adds a creaminess, the lime lifts it, the lilac stops it being totally edible. It's a bit like a non-edible version of a really good lime mousse. The lime's getting stronger as it warms, though, which is a bad sign.
10 minutes in: the musk's coming through strongly now, predictably. So the scent's getting heavier. But I still love it. I'm starting to see what she means by corrupted, though - it is developing an air of debauchery. Hurrah!
In the bottle: warm soft lemon, amber (or something resiny) and something woody. My guess is this is going to be lemon sherbert again. I really don't get on too well with the fruit.
On the wrist: a little lighter. Something now reminding me of the egyptian incense at lodge, but unfortunately I have no idea what it is. Might it be frankincense? Or something a little like cloves? Now much less lemony, and all the better for it. The woodiness is stronger too. Overall, it's very warm, as I suppose it should be.
Debauchery
A sinful, licentious scent: self-indulgent and luxurious. Mingled heady civet and red Egyptian musk, thickened with opium.
In the bottle: sweet, very BPAL, patchouli.
On the wrist: patchouli all the way. I hate patchouli.
Zephyr
A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.
In the bottle: smells like Body Shop White Musk with a touch of vanilla. So far so good.
On the wrist: the same. It's white, slightly musky, the sandalwood is there, the vanilla is there but subtle, and it is so far very light and very soft, like a spring breeze. Lovely. I smell no citrus yet, which I'm glad about, because when there's fruit in these things that's usually all I can smell.
Within ten minutes the musk and vanilla are coming through more strongly, as they tend to on me. That makes it a little heavier, sadly, and it gets heavier and sweeter over time. Still a keeper, though.
Whitechapel
A gentlemen's blend, possessed of dignity, charm and refinement, but in truth masking a corrupted, hideous, soulless core. White musk, lime, lilac and citron.
In the bottle: I like it, of course - I always seem to love BPAL's men's stuff. This one doesn't have the sharp, clean herbiness of Lucifer et al, but it's still lovely. Musky and lightly floral with a tiny bite of lime.
On the wrist: Pretty much what it says on the tin - musk, lime, lilac, citron. The notes blend really well; the musk adds a creaminess, the lime lifts it, the lilac stops it being totally edible. It's a bit like a non-edible version of a really good lime mousse. The lime's getting stronger as it warms, though, which is a bad sign.
10 minutes in: the musk's coming through strongly now, predictably. So the scent's getting heavier. But I still love it. I'm starting to see what she means by corrupted, though - it is developing an air of debauchery. Hurrah!