something queer going on

I bought some BPAL samples recently and the first batch of reviews is below. I tested everything on me and on paper, and if there were important differences, I've noted it.

In many cases these are scents I've tried before, about a dozen years ago when I was big into BPAL for a while. I wanted to see whether my changing body chemistry due to testosterone therapy has made a difference to how they smell on me. (Spoiler: sometimes the scent seems drastically different, but I don't know whether that's me, or a reformulation, or the fact that these are new samples and not the sometimes quite thoroughly aged ones I had before, or whether my tastes have just altered.)


Victome de Valmont, Whitechapel, Jolly Roger, Aelopile, Black Forest, Satyr, Absinthe, Chimera, Goblin, Tombstone, Anubis, Black Tower, Incantation, Sloth ( under the cut )

Here's what I bought at BPAL, as I'm sure you've all been following this adventure with bated breath:

No. 93 Engine
(Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage)

Golden Priapus
(vanilla and amber with juniper, rosewood and white pine)

Vicomte de Valmont
(Based on an 18th century gentlemen's cologne: ambergris, white musk, white sandalwood, Spanish Moss, orange blossom, three mints, jasmine, rose geranium and a spike of rosemary.)

Plunder
(tea leaf, cassia, cinnamon bark, clove, allspice, sandalwood, tobacco, peppercorn, and nutmeg.)

Envy
(Green herbs slithering through mint, lime and lavender)

Jolly Roger
Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods)


No. 93 Engine is the most experimental one and I had to have something steampunky; Golden Priapus I got largely for the name and the promise of incredible sexiness; with Valmont I wanted something old-fashioned; Plunder's to try something spicy; Envy I'm fairly sure I'll like because I like herbal scents; and Jolly Roger has an awesome name, makes me think of gay pirates, and sounds sort of classically masculine with a twist, like an improved version of Old Spice with added gay.