BPAL: Envy, Havana, Haunted, Incubus, Inferno, Laudanum

Big BPAL order, part 2!

Envy: Green herbs slithering through mint, lime and lavender.
In bottle: Definitely get a citric-mint smell, which feels slightly antiseptic. No sense of floral or sweet notes.
On skin, wet: It’s seeming a bit soapy, and still a bit minty. I’m starting to worry that this is Absinthe all over again.
On skin, drying: It’s losing its soapy qualities, and coming out into a sharp mixed herbal scent. I’m smelling mint and, I think, basil.
Later: The lavender comes to the fore, but it fades quickly, teetering on the edge of soapiness as it does so.
Verdict: I wanted to like this: it seemed like a lot of the interesting notes in Absinthe without the overwhelming soapiness of Absinthe. And for a while it was, but not nearly long enough.

Havana: Date palm, dried tobacco, snakeroot, and leather.
In bottle: Raw and spicy (peppery with perhaps a touch of anise), with a slightly woodsy edge. There’s a hint of musk, but it feels more like a vector for the ther notes than a scent in itself.
On skin, wet: Sharply leathery. There’s a vaguely bitter odor of tobacco, and something fruity down below it all.
On skin, drying: It unfortunately doesn’t have much intensity after drydown; it might need to be slathered on a bit thicker to last. What I can smeel is intriguing: a restrained fruitiness, perhaps a bit figlike, and tobacco smoke.
Later: It retains its (extremely muted) scent for some time, but it’s so faded already that any changes at this point would be imperceptible.
Verdict: I think this one has some pleasant tones and nothing giving them throw. The light smokiness appeals to me, but it’s a bit too light to really feel worthwhile.

Haunted: A mournful, poignant scent, thick with foreboding. Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk.
In bottle: Resiny in a deciduous kind of way and a bit spicy, with an undercurrent of musk.
On skin, wet: The resin scent opens up a lot. I think I can smell an undercurrent of juniper and violet. Together with the spice, I’m slightly reminded of Faustus.
On skin, drying: The musk becomes dominant, as so often seems to happen on drydown, and it sweetens with a peculiar lime edge which plays well with the musk.
Later: The spice sticks around, and acquires a certain smokiness. The musk dwindles to a point where it’s detectable but not strong, and stays there for hours.
Verdict: It’s well balanced. I like how it starts more than how it ends, but it stays nice throughout and even when it’s weakened near the end, still gives a certain alluring air.

Incubus: Spectral white musk and the heart-stopping chill of sheared mint, fanned by caramel-touched body heat, and the diabolical sensuality of black musk, nicotiana, and sage.
In bottle: Very slightly sweet, thick with mint and “green” vegetation scents, slight undercurrent of anise.
On skin, wet: Not much scent at all, surprisingly. A bit woodsy and still green, but not terribly strong.
On skin, drying: Tobacco over a musky undercurrent. The mint’s died down, but it’s still kind of under there.
Later: Very light musk and a significant tobacco odor persists. It’s not terribly intense but is a bit pervasive.
Verdict: I dunno about something with tobacco notes this strong. If it’d kept the mintiness to balance it longer, I might be more sold on it, but something too prominently tobacco is a bit too much like the scent of smoking too much.

Inferno: The Dark Side of Fire: cinnamon, bitter almond, and neroli. Heavily spiced, torrid, and possibly conflagrant.
In bottle: Acrid with cinnamon and pepper, with sweet clove, and an undercurrent of almond.
On skin, wet: The almond comes to the fore, and the pepper retreats, but the scent is still quite sharp.
On skin, drying: The sweetness and almond mingle into something which reminds me a bit of marzipan, but the spiciness keeps it from getting too bakerytastic, although it dips dangerously into atomic fireball territory.
Later: My wrists are itchy and red. The almond is gone and only the cinnamonny atomic-fireball scent remains. I’m washing it off to avoid further damage.
Verdict: Think I’ll stick to Bengal for my cinnamon, and Eclipse for my almond. Actual burning sensations are not cool.

Laudanum: The essence of the most debauched hunger encapsulated into a perfume. Desire beyond love, anguish beyond sanity. Nutmeg, sassafras, black poppy and myrrh.
In bottle: Chiefly nutmeg, with something that smells a bit like black pepper.
On skin, wet: Actually it seems slightly sharper on the skin, with more pepper and perhaps a hint of something woodsy and smoky.
On skin, drying: It sweetens up quickly (an often seems to happen), and the spices, particularly nutmeg, take on a sweet, wintry role, aided by the smoke.
Later: This holds up nicely for a while, but after a few hours the spices dwindle, and I’m left with a very light lingering sweetness and memory of smoke which has gone a bit stale.
Verdict: I’m not sure I much like what it resolves into after many hours, but the initial scents are great, and I figure this deserves another trial application or two.