[hackess]

Cardinal air: the essence of balance.
Rose, black cherry, carnation, fig, honey, plum, and black currant.

First? Yike. :P

Bottle: Mildly sweet, a little like cherry soda syrup. The more I sniff it, the more effervescent it becomes, but I'm certain that's psychosomatic.

Upon application, I'm immediately bowled over with honeyed ROSE...and that's all there is. I was hoping for just a little bit of spicy carnation, a little more red fruit (shocking, coming from me). The rose is creamy, just slightly sweet. It's pretty, and I'm going to leave it on for the afternoon to see if it goes through the transformation from rose garden to fruit basket, but it's not a love at first sniff kind of scent for me.

(I do consistently amp rose, so YMMV.)

[Cheri]

I also amp rose way too much and when wet Libra smells very similar to Alice on me. It's a prettier, creamier Alice, and I am getting a bit of cherry in the wet stage. I'm a Libra and I think this is one scent that's going to be more loved as I wear it.

As it's drying the notes are blending together, and exactly like a Libra needs, balancing. This could be love. I'm happy to have found a rose blend that works.

It has a lot of throw and is also getting creamier as it's drying. I'll update in a few hours if there are any changes, but definitely descriptive of a Libra. :P

[fountaingrl]

I am a Libra, I was SOOOO excited! Finally, my lunacy. And I am ok if not hooray about rose, and I am "meh" about fruit, so I steeled myself. I figured: try.

Was already for rose-and-strawberry-jam mess.

NOPE.

All I got? Was old, musty, in the soapbox too long COAST deodorant soap. Dang chemistry! Amped the fruit in every other blend to intolerable degree, goes sweet crazy rose when there's any rose at all, and in this one NOTHING but soap???? WHY??? :P

I can't stand it, I am going to try it again tomorrow and pray something is different.

[porcelina]

so- this is totally delicious. on me it's all juicy black cherry, rose and sweet honey. after a little while the rose really pops- i amp rose like crazy but before that it's this delicious sticky fruit i want to sink my teeth into. (i managed to resist the urge to bite my arm.) later some of the spicy carnation comes out. mm.

[dawndie]

In bottle: black cherry juice

On skin: dark fruity cherry cough syrup, boozy and slightly medicinal, which I happen to enjoy :P

Half-hour later: stronger, slightly powdery rose emerges, with the dark fruity base

In conclusion: I read all the notes and knew I had to have a bottle of this blend. Dark fruit and the BPAL Rose are on my all-time favorite notes list, and this lives up to its potential. Another favorite!

[cranberry]

Wow, I feel like hackess and I have the same skin, or the same nose or both! So, my review is going to be pretty similar to hers.

In the bottle this smells like sweet, soft cherries. Yum!

On the skin, rose comes out big-time. Honeyed rose. As it wears, I may be able to pick out the slightest trace of carnation and dark fruits, but if they are there, it’s just a whisper. It’s still pretty much all rose. I was hoping for a bit more of the dark fruit and carnation. This scent has a pretty short wearlife on me, after an hour I can barely smell it.

I was really hoping this Libra would work on me, it is my sun sign. Maybe I’d have better luck with a scent locket or in a burner.

[abejita]

In the bottle: Sweet honey, flowers, fruit. Indistinct.

Wet on skin: Rich rose, honey, and a jumble of dark, ripe fruits. Plum and figgy goodness seem to be at the forefront.

Dry: I am happy to say that this is exactly what I thought it would be. When I read the notes, I just knew what this would be like, and that's what I got. So, yeah, it's very true to the description. I can detect a wee bit of everything listed, but, as another reviewer commented, it's very balanced and blends together nicely, like a Libra should. Rose is often hit or miss with me, and in this case it is working well with the fruits and honey. The feel of the blend is dark, deep red-purple. It's not a blend I'd categorize as sexy, it's more elegant and classy, somehow.

The whole zodiac series has been all over the place for me, but this is one I'll hold on to.

[Anna D.]

Oooh, this looks promising!

I was most afraid of the cherry, because Bloody Mary was just yuck on me, and usually cherry goes to cough syrup. In the bottle, I can smell the cherry, but it seems more like real cherries, which is pretty much okay. And I get other stuff, perhaps honey and fig?

Wet, and as it dries, it's such a pretty melange of things. Yes, there's cherry in it, but it's still behaving. I can smell spicy carnation balancing out the rich fruitiness of the cherry, black currant, and plum. Sometimes all those red fruits get too heavy and sweet for me, but the carnation and rose are lightening this up beautifully. I also get a little fig (it's blending nicely with the Carnal I have higher up on my arm!), and now the honey is coming out to add sweetness, but a light golden sweetness, not that syrupy dark fruit sweetness. As it continues to dry, I get more honey (yay! honey!).

Sadly, like hackess and cranberry, I find that it dries down into something a bit more rosy rather than fruity. It's a light powdery rose, not the really deep rich overwhelming rose. It is nicely honeyed, and I do get hints of fruit round the edges, with that little spiciness from the carnation, but there's definitely rose.

It's funny b/c I'd never have thought it from the notes, but this really does smell airy. How on earth does that work??

I do really like this, though. I'm trying to think what to compare it too, but I'm not coming up with anything. I do think it's very much of a piece of the other astrological oils this year (well, perhaps not Aries) - whatever their notes, I find that they dry down into something kind of light, and, well, celestial. (I guess that's fitting! :P)

If you're worried about the cherry, I think you might be good with this blend. If you're a rose hater, this might not work so well.

(It is funny testing this and Death of Autumn at the same time because it's like they're diametrical opposites!)

ETA: Now that this is really truly dry, I get a lovely layer of black currant and plum over the rose! Gorgeous!

This post has been edited by Anna D.: 15 September 2007 - 09:07 PM

[QueenFae]

This is mainly a rose blend on me as well. It's very sweet, refreshing, and feminine.

The rose note is definitely on top. It's a strong, pink, first date type rose note. There is the barest hint of carnation in there as well. There is a soft, honeyed undertone as well. I absolutely love the lab's honey note; it never disappoints me.

On the dry down, this pretty much becomes a straight up pink rose. This is very pretty, and I do like it.

This review is short and sweet, just like Libra! :P

[slave1]

LIBRA 2007

In Bottle: Rose and cherry

On Skin: The rose is very dominant and quite sour. The cherry and honey do try and sweeten it up, but the rose still remains the frontrunner. I hate to say it, but at first this scent has a bit on a Windex feel to it. A little chemical cleaner… I can smell the bitter carnation and combined with the rose this scent really isn’t working on me. The currant, fig and plum are actually very light and I almost can’t smell them, just a faded purple in the background. I was hoping with all the sweet notes in this one, it would work on me, but sadly the rose and carnation win out and I can’t wear it. It is quite soapy with an odd Windex feel to it. I have the original Libra and love it and will treasure that bottle but this one will go to the swaps. Fairly strong throw and long wearlength.

[Footnotegirl]

In the bottle:
I the roses are way deep behind the kids cough syrup scent, though neither of those are quite right sounding, as it was more complex and present.

Wet on the skin:
Oooh. Syrup from cherry italian ice (not cough syrup cherry, but tasty italian ice cherry, but not 'chill' at all. So, clearly very melted) poured over ripe ripe rose petals. And moist. Humidity moist, not water moist.

Dry down:
Oh, please, let this just be a phase and not the perfume going all soapy on me. All the scents are mingling together, so that I can't piece them out anymore.

An hour later:
Whew. Most of the soapy is gone. The scents have still sort of woven together into one scent. Flowery and sweet/sharp fruity. Pleasant, but not my favorite. However, the first scent to get an "Oooooh" from the husband, so possibly a keeper. I'll have to wear it a few more times to be sure.

[BellaKatrina]

In the bottle: ugh, cough syrup (warning - I've got a hideous cough and I've been taking lots of cough syrup - maybe that medicinal smell is me rather than the perfume, but I doubt it)

Wet on skin: I'm going to gag. Sickeningly sweet sweat - with extra rose and a splash of deodorant. Like someone who hasn't bathed and is trying to cover it up.

Dry on skin: Is this the same perfume from above? Wow. I get predominantly a blend of carnation, plum, and rose. A touch of honeyed cherry is lurking underneath the rose. Libra is gorgeous!

Overall: I :P this blend. I'm a Libra, and I was a bit reluctant due to the rose and honey - two notes I usually amp. Libra is a lovely blend - that's right, a blend - not a honey/rose duo like I was expecting. Very feminine and clean. Maybe I should have got more than one bottle. D'oh!

This post has been edited by BellaKatrina: 17 September 2007 - 10:54 PM

[Jilara]

I needed some balance in my life, right now, so Libra seemed just right!

Wet: Rose, rose, ROSE. Ooh, and a whiff of honey.

Drying down, it gets a nice sweet fruity background, but still a LOT of rose. Mmm, black cherry sorta like a black cherry scented soap I used to love, back in college. It starts almost fizzy, like Dr. Pepper, but dries down solid and gorgeous.

Dry: cherries and something that reminds me of the plum note in Mme. Moriarty, but I think it's a little morphed by the black currant. All with a solid backing of roses and that whiff of honey. I don't get any carnation, though. It might be hiding behind the fruit. This lasts and lasts. It's faint after 8 hours, when it goes mostly to cherry and honey, but it's still hanging in faintly. God's teeth, I LOVE this. :P I'm so glad I sprung for a full bottle!

[naeelah]

I put this on expecting rich, sweet fruits, and so was very confused when what I smelled was NOT overwhelmingly fruity.

I was very confused until I looked up the notes, and saw rose listed first. Ah, so that's what that was.

So, wet, this is ROOOOSE BUUUD on me, with a wee bit of cherry. It's a rich, red rose, like the one in Mata Hari. Beth's black cherry note tends to be a bit dry and tart on my skin, which is great, but is not thick and juicy. I can pick out a hint of the other notes (plum, fig, honey).

It remains much the same, with the rose overshadowing everything, for about an hour. Then, the rose fades away enough to let the other notes come out and play. Instead of having to look for them, they're right there in the open! Whew! The cherry is most prominent, but I have a hard time singling out the other notes. They all blend very well.

Throw is about average and wear life is about average.

So, while not entirely what I'd built up in my mind, this is a beautiful blend and I'm happy to have this addition to my rose collection. It will appeal to rose fans (especially fans of sweet blends) and definitely WON'T appeal to rose haters. If you're indifferent to rose and like sweet, fruity blends, give it a try.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Cherry over rose.

Wet: Cherry (the kind that verges on almond) over rose, but the rose is getting stronger. I'm relieved that this isn't the same cherry note that usually has me thinking "red lollipop."

Drying: During the early drydown, I get a tart fruitiness, almost citrusy, and a hint of cherries under a warm rose.

Dry: This is a rose scent that stays true on me...it hasn't gone soapy or powdery. Its a majority of rose supported by non-descript (to my nose) tart fruitiness. The tart fruits give way to sweeter ones later in the dry-down, and very late into drydown I do get a wee bit of honey and carnation along with the sweet fruits and rose. Mostly rose.

Overall: Alas, I was hoping for lots of honey and fig in this one, and while i did get some honey at the end, this just wasn't what I hoped. My skin turns this into a rose lovefest. Its pretty, but not me. If you like this, you might also like its fruitier counterpart, The Hanging Gardens.

[teacake]

I've been disappointed in most BPAL Roses, so often they are cloying and death-by-rose to me.

Libra changes all that! This is a delicate and delightful rose blend served on a saucer of crystallized red fruits. Whoever prepared the crystallized fruit swirled some honey through the tart ones which brings out their flavour. This rose is mouthwatering.. and so pretty if it was edible you'd be torn between admiring it and eating it. A lovely, lovely oil. :P

[tasty]

Libra made me want to cry. The description is right up my alley. Beautiful blooms, red fruits, and honey. But, on my skin and in the bottle the scent is just not for me. When I opened the bottle and took a good sniff, my head recoiled from the scent. This baby is STRONG.

I normally love rose and constantly defend it's proclaimed "old-ladyness" from its haters. But there's something about this rose that makes my nose hurt.

The fruit is sickeningly sweet. And I really like sweet scents!! It's almost like all of those red fruits have been mashed together and sugar was dumped on the top and mixed in. This is pre-sweetened Koo-Aid mixed with sugar sweet. Teeth beware.

And honey. Oh, honey. I think I have to give up on the fact that honey will ever work for me. Or, I should say, very rarely work for me. Which is sad because I love the thought of a good gooey-honey scent.

Ahh well. This one wasn't meant to be for me. It's a good lesson in understanding that even if all the notes scream "yes!!" the final product can sometimes whimper "no".

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle well... it's totally not what i was expecting. it's a fairly heavy floral-y scent with gobs of fruit, which trick my brain into thinking there's no floral going on at all. only there is. it's... well, it's very well named, because the hallmark of this scent is balance. and i think i really, really like it? but i'm not sure yet!
wet on skin it's fruit! it's floral! it's fruit! it's brilliant, is what it is.
dry on skin i can smell all the individual notes here. it's amazing. they even out so nicely that none of them are jarring, but i can feel my nose sliding between rose, cherry, carnation, etc. i need a gallon of this stuff.
two hours later the rose is a bit stronger than the other players, but they're all still here. good wear. thumbs way, way, way up.

[Sunshine the Werewolf]

The description sounds amazing: I love all the notes in this, I just hope they work together! I'm a Libra so this has to work on me, fortunately I am not disappointed at all :-D

The cherry, plum and current hit you first, then the rose comes into play. The red, fruity notes are bright and fizzy, the rose soft and pink. The is a lightness to it, there are no heavy notes just a lovely, sweet airy fragrance. That doesn't mean to say that it isn't strong mind, there is a lot of throw and two hours later I'm still getting wafts of it, as is my boyfriend who is sat about a meter way!

I love Libra. I think I was always going to really!

[Hayet]

Did I get the same scent? I've had really bad luck with all the zodiac scents so far, even leo. This one goes on and does a really foul metallic coppery thing on my skin. After FAR too long that dies down into a subdued but generic rose. I was really sad- none of those other notes listed came out on me! It sounded so fantatstic...durn my skin chemistry.

ETA: it helps if you don't slather this scent. After a really light application, I did smell sweet cherry/plum...but it didn't last long and I like Black Phoenix/Seraglio much better for the whole candied rose scent.

This post has been edited by Hayet: 22 September 2007 - 11:24 PM

[Astarte]

Libra did not like my chemistry one iota, which saddens me as I love all of the notes in Libra (apart from fig). On my skin the rose is amped up with the cherry beyond belief. The resulting scent turns somewhat medicinal on my skin.

Oh well some things are not meant to be.
:/

[euterpe414]

At first this is all cherry and rose- very juicy and volutpuous. The rose is very true and does not go sour, thank goodness!! After it has dried for a while, the currant and plum come out a bit and round out the blend. I can't really smell the fig or carnation at all, but that's alright b/c what I am smelling is truly beautiful. I wish I had gotten more than one bottle of this blend b/c I love rose and fruit together, especially when the rose behaves itself :P

[requieminblack]

First sniff out of the bottle this is cherry and plum candy. On my skin the cherry candy quicky fades away and it becomes all rose and warm honey. Because of the honey it is not that sharp and soapy single note rose would be and there for more tolerable to my rose-a-phobic nose. As it dries down I can smell a bit of the carnation coming out, but it is mixed with the rose note which is dominate. Conclusion? If you like Alice you will like this. I'm not a fan of rose so this is not for me, but it is a lovely blend.

[zankoku_zen]

Straight from the beginning, this was a rose blend. I had hopes in the imp that some of the other components would show up but it was pretty much rose with a touch of sweetness.

WAH! :P

Rose, why do you have to love me so? I also wanted the other notes to come play with me!

[couscous]

I don't like Rose notes. At all. I'm not sure why, but I suspect it has to do with the fact that my mother let me play with a bottle of Tea Rose perfume when I was a kid, and the house smelled like a Cloying Bouquet of Doom for what seemed like months afterward. Since then, it always seems too heady, too cloying, and much, much too old.

However, I'm a libra, and you can't really "do" Libra without rose. It's in the archetype. I expected it, so it doesn't bother me at all that Libra keeps that rose as the overpowering front-runner through the entire lengtth of wear. I figure I'll suck it up and wear it to honor my birth sign, even if I don't really like it. Other people who smell it on me seem to like rose quite a bit, so what the hell do I know, right? Still- if you absolutely cannot do rose- particularly this powdery (honeyed?) rose instead of something greener and sharper- then don't even consider tracking Libra down.

If you can stand rose, however, Libra has some nice little surprises tucked away for you, like a genuinely lush and not-at-all medicinal cherry opener, and that unmistakable hint of carnation towards the end, with more than a nod in Alice's general direction to close. Libra is a sweet floral, unabashedly feminine and pretty, and it moves into a linear direction of top-middle-drydown. If you want to track changes in a scent over time but have found it too difficult for your nose, Libra lays it all out for you. Very clear stages for the sign of equality and balance.

I'm a huge fan of carnation (that poor, underappreciated little fower!), so i would have liked more of that note up front. I am also slightly surprised that Beth didn't make more of an effort to keep Libra gender-neutral, seeing as how one of the most famous labbies is a libra male. Still, this is all beauty and luxury, and it feels very, very Venusian. :P Well done!