twistygirl

My favorite rose smells thus far are:

 

Spellbound

Harlot

Black Rose

Silentium Amoris

Not surprisingly, this reminds me a lot of the Celestial's Luna. It's got the same jasmine scent, but not so much a sweet jasmine as a mysterious jasmine with an undercurrence of darkness. And it evokes a lot of the same feelings for me - intuition, midnight, dreams. It's an emotional scent. There's something mysterious about it. Very feminine, as is the Moon.

Ah, this is gorgeous. I love the way the coconut smells without being too sweetly candy-cocunutty. I can't make out what else is in here but there's something warm, and (on my skin) something almost just a *wee* bit fiery or woodsy (a resin?)

 

It feels very white-golden, very protective, very positive, very hopeful, very loving. This is an oil I will always want to have on hand. I am totally in love with the way this makes me feel.

As I work my way through the Tarot oils, I am learning about the deck at the same time, and, much like the Celestials (the planets I know about already), I can describe these scents better by the way they feel rather than how they smell. This does have a bit of floral, a bit of wood, a bit of resin, but the best way I can describe it is - balanced. This feels very balanced. It feels very rational, somewhat intellectual. I can see wanting to wear this fragrance when one needs to rely on their sense of rationality and fairness to make a decision, I think it would help encourage those energies. I feel incredibly balanced wearing it.

What the Magician card represents: Creative power, manifestation, turning an idea into reality (please feel free to elaborate in other reviews, I'm just learning the Tarot).

 

This is a very complex, light, floraly-fresh-aquatic scent. I'm having a terrible time making out what particular oils are in it. I can see in the Rider-Waite deck that the card has roses and lilies on it, so I don't know if either of those notes are in it. If there's any rose, it's VERY light. I may detect some lily.

 

It's easier for me to describe what this fragrance feels like. It feels very positive, like something you'd want to wear to help you through a writer's block or when you're in a brain-fog. And even though it's quite soft, it's also got a feeling of power behind it.

I'm just beginning to re-learn the Tarot symbolism, and The Fool (the fragrance) does strike me as very evocative of the Fool (the card). It is youthful, it is optimistic, it is the promise of new beginnings, it is fresh and innocent and very happy. I detect something minty, I detect something clean, there is nothing deep or murky about this fragrance at all. It makes me want to dance, it makes me want to smile. I also received this as an extra chosen by Beth and am also at a major crossroads at my life, she always knows exactly what to send!

Again, Elizabeth has captured planetary energy in a bottle. Saturn is one of my favorite planets, although most people are terrified of it, because it likes to smack you in the face and teach you lessons if you don't pay attention to it... but if you listen to it and embrace its lessons, it becomes your best friend, your source of strength. And that's what I'm feeling from this fragrance. It's a very SERIOUS scent... this isn't something you'd want to wear to put yourself in a playful mood. It is warm and rich and resiny and very, very grounding. I think this smells gorgeous, and as I smell it on myself, it really does evoke certain lessons that Saturn has taught me personally. This is something I will always want to have on hand.

This is much more woodsy than I expected Jupiter to be. But what could I have expected Jupiter to be? Jupiter is big, he's the Santa Claus planet that brings you goodies but also is too optimistic, and I haven't spent enough time around the redwood trees to know if that's what they evoke, but at least I know that they're BIG, so in that sense, the woodiness is very appropriate. I also do get a sense of optimism from smelling this scent. This will be something I use for healing work and meditation as it is too masculine for me to wear as a fragrance, but then again, Jupiter is a very masculine planet.

This definitely captures the fiery, forceful, masculine energy of Mars. It's red (not just in color, but it feels and smells red), it's got the fiery aspects from the cinnamon and the clove. Wearing this definitely brings out my Mars energy, it makes me feel powerful and wanting to get something done.

database updated and the search appends ('traditionally masculine' or 'gender neutral') after the description when appropriate  [search for gold to see for yourself!]

 

i'll toss in the search for only (masc, neutral, masc/neutral, any) as soon as i figure out how to phrase it.

Thank you thank you thank you! This is something I was going to ask about, if it were a possibility.

Oh, this is Venus, alright! Gorgeously feminine, artistic, romantic, elegant, graceful. This is almost the perfect fragrance. It is light, it is floraly in a most delicate way, and it is watery and clean. jj_j described this perfectly when she said it is pink and green. It is Aphrodite in all her feminine glory. I shall be ordering a large bottle of this one, for certain. I think this would be wonderful for chakra work, to open up the heart chakra.

Yes, this is Mercury, all right. The little trickster actually had me thinking it smelled silvery for a while, when rationally I knew I was smelling predominantly cinnamon, which smells nothing like silver! The cinnamon also gave me a nice little welt for a while - don't apply this immediately after showering! My natal Mercury is in Aquarius, which leads to a hyper-active, almost Attention-Deficit-Disorder type of mind, and this brought that reaction out in me. A bit anxiety-provoking in me, although for somebody without this natural tendency it could bolster one's mental energy. It would be interesting for one of our students here to see if this helped them while studying. Mercury energy is one I normally don't need to draw upon, as I've got an overabundance of it, but I'll keep it around, it will be great for those rare days when I NEED a mental boost.

Just like Sol remind me of the highest noontime sun in mid-July, this reminds me of a full moon on a summer night. It is languid, it is mysterious, it is very feminine, almost too much so for me. What I detect in this is ylang-ylang and jasmine. Lots of jasmine. The moon is feminine, and this does evoke lunar energies to me. I'm not sure how often I'll wear this, but I'll keep it for those times when I need to draw in some lunar energy. Again, this would be great for people who incorporate astrology into their ritual or healing work.

This reminds me of the highest noontime sun in mid-July. It evokes that sort of scorching, blindingly-white-light solar power. I detect citrus, I detect herbals, I detect something woodsy, but I can't put my finger on any particular note. The sun is a masculine planet, and this is indeed a very masculine fragrance. Even after wearing it for a few hours, I still sense (not really feel, but sense) a warmth on the wrist I applied it to, a bright golden warmth. I'm not sure that I would wear this as it has that bitey masculine tang that I don't fancy on myself, but I will keep it for when I need to draw in some of the energy of the Sun. It would be great for people who incorporate astrology into their ritual or healing work.

Beth sent this to me as an extra in my last order, and as I don't have a man in my life to slather this on, I am trying it on myself. When I first applied it, I distinctly smelled something like licorice underneath, but I have no idea what it was. Now that it has dried, it has morphed into a very sensual scent - there is the herbal aroma common to all the Voodoo Blends, but this one also has some woodsy tones. It's complex, I can't pinpoint any particular note, and it is VERY masculine but for some reason I would consider wearing this myself whereas some of the other more "unisex" fragrances (like Oberon) I wouldn't. That's probably because this one doesn't have the "bite" that I find in a lot of masculine scents. This would be great to try as an imp for those of you who are looking for something yummy for a man, I could definitely see myself being a sucker for a guy who wore this.

This smells very fresh and clean to me. Not clean as in soapy-clean, but clean as in just-after-a-clear-spring-shower clean. The grassy notes are very predominant, they are not sharp grasses but soft, clean grasses. The floral notes are indeed a "faint breath" and add just a touch of sweetness, along with the berries, which I can ever-so-barely detect. This is an excellent spring or summer daytime fragrance, very innocent, very youthful, but there's also something very, very sophisticated about it. This reminds me of something that Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City would have worn out to lunch when she temporarily lived in Paris towards the end of the series. Somebody who carries a Birkin or a Kelly bag would probably love this because it's understated and reminds me of the epitome of "good taste."

I can't for the life of me figure out what's in this, but whatever it is, it is NICE. My guess is some sort of rose with a resin or resins, as it smells slightly floral but warm and smoky and mysterious. Dragon's blood turns a very metallic smell on me, so if there is dragon's blood in this, it must be a small amount, or else my body chemistry is reacting differently to dragon's blood than it did a few months ago (which would be a great thing). I was thinking perhaps some myrrh or a deep sandalwood. It's a very sexy, softly spicy, seductive scent. This should be added to the permanent collection of BPAL oils, I think a lot of people would like it.

Wet, all I could smell was lemon, lemon, lemon, which is odd because there doesn't seem to be any lemon in it. It was probably the bergamot, which I have difficulty wearing because citruses don't work well on me unless they're sweet citruses. As it has dried down, the other oils have come out and it has smoothed into something much softer and less tart than it was wet, but it's still a bit too citrusy and masculine for me. I would like this very much on a man, it is a gorgeous scent, just not the sort of warm/sweet scent I wear best.

Wet, this was a very strong, nothing-but-sage smell on me. It has since dried down to a softer, spicy green but on my skin I can barely detect anything floral. It is a wonderful scent and I will give it another try but I think it's a bit too masculine for me. I would LOVE to smell this on a man, though.

This is such a lovely, calming fragrance. Like ShriekingViolet said, it's got that familiar herbal-clean tone common to all the Voodoo Blends, but it definitely has a vanilla-y, powdery softness that makes it just fabulous. I haven't had it on long enough to find out if it will amplify my positive personal power, but I do feel surrounded by good energy since putting this on.

This is gorgeous. I absolutely love the smell of neroli, and the mix of that with the sandalwood and dark musk is just amazing. It's sexy, it's intoxicating, it's a floral for people who probably wouldn't normally wear florals. In fact, I don't know that I'd classify it as a floral despite the neroli, violet, and iris. There's such a deepness and richness to it. Elizabeth has done something magical with this blend.

Wet, I could smell mostly jasmine with a hint of juniperberry. Now that it has dried it is, on me, a very soft, feminine, almost purely jasmine scent. I like jasmine at times, it's not something I like to wear every day but I have been looking for a good oil to wear when I use Alkmaar and this will be it.

Wet, this smelled like nothing but sour wine on me, I hated it. As it has dried, though, it has morphed into a very lovely, spicy rose blend. This is definitely one of Elizabeth's Sexy Rose oils, I love the way the myrrh, sandalwood, and patchouli waft through the rose. I can't pick up much of the jasmine on me and the wine has completely disappeared, much to my relief (I love to drink wine but I can't get used to the smell of it on me - it turns sour on my skin immediately). This is one I will definitely wear again.

Personally, I'm glad you've decided to switch to UPS or FedEx. Their reliability and speed of delivery and tracking abilities make the few extra dollars for shipping well worth it. And they give you options for what type of shipping you want, so you get to determine how much extra you are willing to pay for faster shipping.

 

And as for raising the price of the oils - like others have said, your oils are (IMO) already so reasonably priced for the quality and the tiny bit you need to use that an increase of a few dollars will not impact my ordering at all.

 

And as for Paypal - I use them all the time for things and have never had any problems.

 

I see this as nothing but good news.

GOD, this is GORGEOUS. When wet, the cinnamon was a bit more prevalent than it was after drying down, but dry, I can still smell the yummy cinnamon along with those fabulous sandalwood and patchouli notes. They blend together so wonderfully, and I don't think of this as a hippie head-shop scent, but more a very, very sexy, enticing, seductive scent (I don't equate head shops with seduction ). I will be ordering a larger bottle of this, to be sure.