surf-tormented

Having not read the description of this oil because I got it free in a contest, I was amazed at the coffee scent of this. I never thought of wearing coffee as a scent, but it is comforting to me. I did smell some other notes, but the coffee was overpowering all of them. Pity this doesn't last longer. It would be a great pick me up. The coffee is enough for my limbo list but I probably won't be buying a bottle of this because it disappears in about an hour. I also wish I could smell the other notes.

This is the real stuff. My Hyssop imp smells very good. I don't know how to review a single note, other to say it smells like the note and lasts more than average on the skin. I suppose I can also say, Hyssop can be used in the bath to heal cuts. I am also supposing this is Hyssop and none of its variants like Anise Hyssop or Water Hyssop. I got this in a trade and I already have some Hyssop oil so I am trading this imp, but I do enjoy a few drops in the bath now and then. Great scent and it gives my body a nice feeling of being healed.

When I put this on, I got a whole Eagles vibe, "sweet summer sweat." Of course that was about the Hotel California and not the Danube. That phrase lingered in my head. It wasn't a bad scent either, a bit salty, but watery with a slightly soapy tone, like someone wet from a rainstorm as their soap seems to be reactivating yet you can also smell sweat. Soon after, a very citrus type scent took hold, almost like a salty lemon scent. I liked it though it was fading fast. About 30 minutes later, this oil became very Irish Spring on me. Soapy but still aquatic. If fact, I washed my hands with Dial soap and I couldn't tell where the Dial started and the Danube ended. It is fresh, give it that. Something you could put on to trick people into thinking you had a nice shower in the morning. It's very clean smelling. Two hours later, it was faint. Danube started to smell a lot like AIRS Angel Dreams oil, which I am not sure if AIRS makes that scent anymore, so this one might be a good sub for Angel Dreams once my bottle runs out. That oil is lilac and light floral based, so I wonder if any of the oils used in both of these are the same. Rhododendron and bellflower? Perhaps. I thought Angel Dreams was only pink and white lilac, but maybe it is other flowers as well. I am trading this one since I have something close to it that is more floral and heck, if I want to smell like clean, wet soap I can use clean wet soap. Danube always brings up this little poem my mom used to sing to me to the tune of the Blue Danube Waltz: "The Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss the louse, he lives in a house with Mickey Mouse." Of course, no one else seems to have heard of this, but me. Maybe my mom was special. She also liked that Hotel California song.

Pros: Smells like the components of Absinthe on me, lemon, mint, anise. Cons: Fades really quick and I think I am allergic to anise. This one is great for any Absinthe fans out there because I can smell all the herbage in this one. The anise comes out really strong on me. But, I know some people break out when exposed to anise oil, much like cinnamon oil, so I would recommend getting an imp of this first to check that out. I once used anise in the bath to horrible results. It made my skin break out and then, since it was an oil, it stuck to my body and I couldn't wash it off! But enough about my bad memories! I wish this oil was as strong an hour later as it is when first applied. If so, this would be a keeper. To wear now and then when I am daring and willing to take the risk of a breakout. But I will probably trade it to people who are less sensitive to anise than I am.

Mother of Demons, Vengeful Fury, Darkest Seductress, Queen of the Djinn, Goddess of the Gate. Red wine, myrrh, black musk, and attar of rose. Ah, I love the mythology of Lilith. When I think of her, I think of something very dark and foreboding. This isn't it. I was hoping for something almost borderline masculine. Even in her handmaiden to Inanna form. Something feral and free. What I got was a very syrupy application. I was trying to figure out what it reminded me of and a kind reviewer here gave me the word--- syrup. That is probably why I don't like Jack or All Saint's Day either because once put on, they have a very strong buttery syrup scent, which doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I didn't even smell any wine or grape, just strong butter/sugar scent. Lilith calms down after a while, but I wanted a vile serpentine like oil that got stronger and overbearing, like Lilith herself. She is a demon who eats children, for God's sake! She needs something a little more out there than sweets and powder. The floral does kick in a little, taking out that rancid syrup smell in the beginning, but it is a little too late for me. A few hours later, it goes into honey drive like La Petit Mort did to me. Powdered honey. Not very dark at all. I imagine my version of Lilith would be nighttime air, civet, moss, shadows, blood, child's breath and night blooming flowers. Now, how to get that into a bottle?

I tried this oil and it is unlike anything I have tried from BPAL. I smell some very earthy tones and warm notes. Hard to place. Even my boyfriend took notice of it and said that I smelled unique today. He hardly ever comments on the perfumes I wear, so I may put this in the "limbo" part of my favorites because he likes it on me. He is right that it is unique because I don't have anything in my perfume box that smells like this and I came to BPAL looking for change. Maybe the carnation and cassia make it different, since I have never had an oil with those elements in it. I almost smell a little cardamom type spice in this. Maybe clove and pepper also. My only complaint is that Morocco fades very quick on me. I applied it at 7:30pm tonight and had to reapply it at 12am to do this review because it was all gone. Even after a few hours it was down to a very down to the skin scent, mostly spice and a little musk and most of the other notes were flat. So this one goes on the Limbo list, with a decision to be made whether I trade it or keep the imp. I doubt I will buy a bottle of this, but if I did want something out of character, I might. It might be a nice at work scent. UPDATE 02/22/05: I got a bottle of this since the boy likes it on me and I have to say the imp I had smelled a bit like Snake Oil, but the bottle I got smells totally different-- smokey spices, carnation, woods...I like it a lot more. Let's hope its lasting time is better too or else I will be back!

1st time tried: Didn't smell of much of anything. Reminded me of a pack of incense, but not very strong. Quickly faded. Was very disappointed. 2nd try: The lavender is more out there this time and I can smell the sandalwood, what a nice combo. Again, it is fading on me really fast. But I like the scent a lot. I feel lot of the library vibe another reviewer wrote. Old books and mystery. Ok, an old fashioned library with a fireplace and no computers in it. It reminds me of a note I have not yet placed. Reminds me of an oil I used to own or some other memory I am repressing. It reminded first of Kostnice, but now smells a bit like Djinn, only with a little bit more notage. Perhaps it is the Nag Champa? It is fading fast on me again, it isn't staying for an hour on me, dammit! I will have to try this a 3rd time and that will be the try that makes it a trade or a keeper. It could go either way right now.

I'll keep those in mind! Thanks to you both!

I would like a fruity oil BUT not very sweet. I thought Lampades would be my thing, but the cranberry goes grape sucker on me. I would like a fruit based perfume oil that is spicy and not sweet. Does such a beast exist? Maybe a sour or tart fruit base? Can anyone help me? Oh yes, I forgot to add, nothing creamy or food like. I don't like anything that smells like baked goods or dessert, except for maybe a chocolate undertone. Also, excuse me if this has been posted before. I have searched and searched and cannot find a topic like this one.

I have tried it about 4 times and each time it either smells like nothing, baby powder or very light and warm sweat scent. I give up! I really wanted to like this one because of the name. I am going to trade the imp because it isn't doing anything for me. Update: The last time I tried it before I traded it, it lasted a long time, started out like baby powder, then sweat and now, 12 hours later it smells like warm honey. I don't mind the last scent. It's good. Not bottleworthy but nice.

I received a free small sample of this in a trade. I was very happy to try it. It almost had a fish like smell as I first put in on. No, I am not kidding. Then as it dried, it became more flowery. It seems very light on me, maybe something I would buy to wear to work, you know, a scent that no one has a problem with. I smell a little bit of jasmine here, couple with a few spices and lemon. AIRS has an oil called Jasmine Italian, I don't think they make it anymore, but it is a lot like this but stronger. I will probably stick with my half bottle of that for the time being. Venice has a lot more depth of note than Jasmine Italian does, but I can't hardly smell it and the point of me buying oils is to be able to smell them. Pity. I love this little sample though. I love it when people add free imps on my wishlist for me to try. Yum.

Talk about freaky, but this one smells like baby powder or Love's Baby Soft on my wrists and Citronella candle on my bosom. It isn't exactly bad, but it isn't really good either. I am going to try this one again and see if it gives me a freaky result tomorrow. Follow up: The next time I used this, it really smelled like a waxy citronella candle on me. It's not a smell I adore. Mmmmm...haunted by the mosquito candle...I did sense a little bit of amber under this, but I would much rather wear my amber oil alone without the extra citronella kick. Another one that is really light on me. I don't like the ones I have to bury my face into just to sniff a bit of it. Ok, now it is a Play-doh scent. Yipes! What a strange beast!

Wow, another great perfume oil! Brimstone has a scent of spicy, smoky woods and cinnamon on my skin. It feels warm and sexy. When I first put it on, it was really smokey, like BBQ smokey, but then that faded into a very interesting blend of ash, burning woods, cinnamon type spice and warm, if warm can be a note. It is like taking a slow ride into the best parts of Hell. It gave me a nice Dante's Inferno sort of feeling. The only two things I can compare it to is Goth Rosary's Mayhem and BPAL's Djinn, though Djinn seems a bit more musky. I will put this on my favorites list. It doesn't have the lasting power I crave, but it is strong and gives a few hours of strong scent. Then it is all gone. ADDED Jan. 27: It's like Djinn without the cool musky demonic undertones. It smells like burning fire, like the coals from Hell. If I wasn't completely into Djinn, I would be completely into this. It fades faster than Djinn and doesn't have as many notes. But it is powerful stuff. I would like to experience more oils like this and less of the foody creamy frou-frou kind I sample so often. If you like food scents and stuff like that, I highly recommend not getting this. If you love new things and want a blend of fire and alchemy that is truly strong and smoky, truly its namesake, get this RIGHT NOW!

I like this one. I don't know if I would buy a bottle of it because it fades quickly on me, but it smells like fields of bailed hay to me. I was born in the country and the scent brings back memories of corn fields, dried grass and earth. A perfect late summer feeling, yet I didn't get the hot wind note that was supposed to be there. I am sure I will use most of this imp up quickly. It reminds me a lot of Goth Rosary's Graveyard and I love earthy/grassy perfume oils. I would highly recommend Scarecrow. I wish it stayed longer on my skin or was a bit stronger. If it was, I would buy a 10ml bottle of it and use it to lull me to sleep. It's relaxing to me. Very wonderful oil that reminds me of home and country. It takes me back to my youth.

I was wondering why when I put certain words into the BPAL scent search engine, they give me 500 or more results. When I put it the whole name, like Queen of Spades, sometimes, I will get 570 results, even when I use it in quotes. It always says "Queen or of or Spades" when I am just searching for the name. I have even tried this with a word like Caterpillar, which gave me 400 and some odd results. It is impossible to find what you are looking for, even if you know the name of it. Sometimes I can get lucky and do a search here and then find the group it is in. Having 500 results for a word is crazy. Is it because I am using a Mac and/or Safari? I know my browser can mess things up, but usually not this badly.

This one smelled strongly of lemon when I first put it on and now, 15 minutes later, smells only of frankincense. It isn't very strong and doesn't have the depth of notes I like. 30 minutes later, some herbs come up, but the frankincense isn't letting them have a chance and they are fading away. An hour later, Arcana has left he building. Can't find of trace of it on me. Disappointing. Might as well put straight Frankincense oil on! I would most likely keep the imp of this I have, but I wouldn't buy a bottle of it. It has a nice scent if I am pushing my nose to my skin. I can't smell it otherwise. I wish the lavender and other herbs came out more on me.

I like this one. Very heavy floral. Exotics, couple with something deeply smokey and a little sweet, not not too sweet. A little spice too. The scent is very gardeniaesque to me, heady but not overpowering. Sultry. It lasts too! About five hours and still strong. Nice! Yes, strangely enough, it smells like something from my grandma's perfume bottles I would spray myself down with as a child. But I think Grandma would be turning in her grave at the title of this one! I don't know if this is something I would buy 5ml of, but I will keep the imp. Once my bottle of Gardenia oil gets low, this might be a buyer.

This one smelled greasy-buttery in the vial. Flashback of my bad run in with Jack that gave me headaches. I put it on and the fragrance was very faint, like floral incense. I suppose this one would be nice worn at work or some place where you don't really want to be noticed and fade into the wall. Much like Nephilim, it didn't strike any kind of impression, bad or good, with me. It just was there and faded fast. This one is for the trade pile. Another disappointment. I had high hopes for something that smelled more like Kostnice and less like light incense.

I really like this one! I don't know if it is going to be icon-worthy, but it is borderline! It was very cedar smelling when first put on, but it had a nice undernote of...maybe...crypt? It smelled like cedar or some other wood on the floor of a dirty concrete tomb. Just my thing! Then, it mellows into a very warm, inviting fragrance. It feels comforting. Full of green scents and funeral flowers. Wow. My only gripe is that it is very light. I had to put a lot on to smell it and used up a good part of my imp. I have a feeling this one is going to grow on me!

I have gotten headaches from Jack, which means there is something in Jack my body doesn't like. The same with Goth Rosary's Tea and Sympathy. The two scents do have some things in common. Both are both foody scents. Both may contain vanilla, some kind of sugar scent (real or not) and a buttery tone (unknown.) I wonder which note gives me problems. It would be really nice to know, since I could avoid all oils/products with said note. Right now, I just avoid the foody, sugary, buttery or overly vanillay oils. I tend to not like any oil that smells like candy, cake or Kool-Aid . It is of note that AIRS French Vanilla oil doesn't give me headaches. So if I could break it down to who uses real vanilla and who doesn't, that could help. Plus, I know I can handle Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works. Maybe it isn't sugar or vanilla then...oh, it is so hard to tell...maybe it is the butter note? If anyone here knows the breakdown of Jack, let me know. But, to respond to the whole cinnamon note statement, yes cinnamon does burn the skin if there is a lot of it. Abramelin oil, for example, is supposed to leave a red mark, but I make it, so it doesn't. (PM me if you want to know what Abramelin Oil is.) Anise can give people bad reactions too. I used some in the bath once and it burned my skin and I couldn't wash the oil off. Not a good time.

Oh blimey, limey! Not limey, like English, limely like LIMES! LIMES, LIMES and MORE LIMES! This one is all lime on me! I tried it twice and all I can smell is a limey smell that reminds me of powdered lime Kool-Aid . It is a bit overpowering. I think my boyfriend would like this one because it is high on the limes. Then again, I don't think he likes oils. I was expected a more full bodied show. Not candy. Back to the sampling board. Another huge disappointment, since this was one I was very interested in. I was thinking a more Jack the Ripper scent should have grapes in it instead of lime, didn't he lure ladies of the night into his carriage with grapes, or was that just in the movies? Hard to tell nowadays! I will keep the imp since it is about to 50% anyways or if I want a lime buzz. But I wouldn't buy a bottle of this, too sweet, too lime.

JACK (New Formulation) This one, despite warm promises of fall nights and pumpkin spice, tended to smell rank on me as first. Rank to the point my bf noticed the scent also and he normally doesn't comment unless I smell like a French whorehouse or like a Glade candle, which was this case. I smelled like that artificial candle smell, like badly made pumpkin candles. I kept it on though since Danse Macabre smelled like a dead body to me when it was first on. Anything can change with added body chemistry. After a while, Jack gave me a headache. I have only gotten headaches from two scents, this one and Goth Rosary's Tea and Sympathy...they are both strong, sweet scents. The almost burnt banana bread notes at the top of this make me think this would be better as a room spray or a candle, not an perfume oil, but I am not really a fan of the baked goods smell, unless of course, I am actually making baked goods. I don't want to smell like a greasy oven. A few hours later, Jack did calm down. Now it smells just like pumpkin pie and isn't as strong at all. Which is worth keeping the imp, but I wouldn't mind trading it for something I would get more use out of. I am probably going to trade this to someone who can appreciate it more. Overall, I would be better off buying DSH's Halloween or Goth Rosary's Samhain spray and forgo the headaches letting the Jack dry and become less strong. I was surprised how strong this one was. I mean, if you love strong mixes of spices and sweets with baked/burnt pumpkin thrown in, you will love this one. I wasn't really impressed with it, though I really wanted to be. I normally love Autumn type scents. Jack was spooky and scary on me though. Gave me a fright and then went for dessert. A little too late for me though.

I am not sure about the proper pronunciation of Ulalume. Anyone help me or guide me to a link? I would guess "oo-la-loo-may" or" oo-la-lume", but maybe I am WAY off.

It smells like cherry cough drops from my youth and doesn't seem to calm down. I am going to try it again and see if it does something different. Then again, I got it for its purpose, not the scent. Note: 12/30/04 I mixed Horn of Plenty with Iambe and put both oils in some perfumer's alcohol. It smells very good. The cherry mixes well with the tea and amber. It's nice. I am trading the imp though. But I wanted to be able to spray my room with the intent of the oil.

I didn't know what to expect from this oil since I didn't look up its description beforehand. I usually don't on imps people give me so I can see how my experience matches up with the real ingredients in the oil. When I first put this on, it was right after a bath, when I used my scrubbing bath gloves and whoa! A tingle on some of my sensitive areas like my cleavage and the sharp sting of mint or maybe eucalyptus on top of blissful violet. I didn't know if this intense mint/eucalyptus combo would ever calm down, but I did like it because the violet and other notes were keeping it from being too much. I have to say those who like delicate scents should run away from this one...this is a strong powerful fragrance, not for the weak of heart. It is like a Victorian perfume on acid. Then, after the mint/eucalyptus faded, I got the most wonderful violet with dark floral undertones. I have some regular violet perfume, so this was definately more than violet. And it matched perfectly. Now I know this is the neroli. This oil lasted a long time and has earned a spot on my favorite list of three. It is long lasting, great smelling and something I might consider buying as a subsititute for my violet oil once it is done.