cranberry

Baghdad is the first BPAL oil I've tried that's gone generic soapy, powdery floral on me. In the imp it smells pretty good - warm, spicy, saffron but I still get a touch of powdery floral. Is that the amber doing that? I've always had a good relationship with amber so it must be the combination of ingredients and my perception that's doing it. On the whole, it's pretty unremarkable on me and makes me think of doilies, big overdone floral prints on a cream colored background, and dry dusty skin. Not my kind of thing. Oh well.

mmmmmm. dirt. ginger. incense. yummm. In the Imp: spicy dirt On the Skin - wet: dirt and ginger. Yummy. I haven't smelled Burial in a while or ever smelled graveyard dirt, but this is a true dirt smell, plus the ginger that's so wonderful in Shub Niggurath. Slightly foody (gingersnaps). On the Skin - dry: The dirt smell mellows out, as does the ginger, moving into the background to be a spicy, warm, mellow scent. Incense notes come out, as do MAYBE a touch of something floral way in the background. Overall: I love it! It has the dirt smell that love about the K/Q of Club scents, plus the wonderful spicy ginger. An instant favorite.

I've had good reactions to Sin. There's something very sexy about that scent - apparently I'm not the only one that thinks so! Will have to give Schezerade another try - funny story!

The first time I smelled Azathoth, I thought this is pure vetivert and I was actually a bit scared to put it on (despite the fact that I have about 4 bottles of pure vetivert EO). So I waited a while. A couple of weeks later, I put just the tiniest bit on my wrists to give it a whirl. And I thought this is pure vetivert, and only vetivert - nothing else. And strong. Just a drop is very potent and lasts a long time. After a while, I got bored with the vetivert smell and washed it off (after scrubbing a long time with lots of soap - it's a persistent bugger). So this evening, about 5 weeks after getting the bottle, I thought, I'll give it another try before deciding whether or not to keep it. And applied just the tiniest bit from the edge to one wrist and rubbed it on my other wrist. Well, I have to say I have a completely different perspective! Initial Impression: Vetivert, stong vetivert. Wafts of some kind of mens cologne on top of the vertivert. Tangerine, saffron? Hard to say. After a while: Wow - this is getting pretty good. The men's cologne doesn't last long - thankfully. It seems to deepen and get a bit smoky, becoming this amazing deep dark incense smell, of course, underlain with vetivert. It's very masculine but yummy! In conclusion: It's a keeper! I was expecting it go off to swaps or sales, but I really like it. It's good alone. I'm pretty sure it'll be good layered with other scents. I had a bit of Queen of Clubs on my sweater and those two combined....wonderful. I think it'll be great with floral, fruits, maybe other woods? Letting it age and blend was a wonderful thing!

In the Imp: not bad. smells pretty good - honey that's tempered a bit - must be the ginger and thyme. On the skin: pretty good. I was a bit hesitant to order this one, as I wasn't sure how honey and I get along. going along ok - smells like fresh honey, golden and clear and sticky. Over time the darker honeys come out. the drydown is quite similar to O, which I really didn't care for. I prefer the wet/fresh phase over they drydown. this lasts a LONG time. if you like honey, if you like O, I think you'll really dig Honey Moon. as for me, maybe as my nose evolves I'll appreciate it more. at this point, however, there's so many other amazing scents to enjoy that this falls well down on my list.

there's not much to add to the great reviews already posted, but I just wanted to add a couple of observations and thoughts. first, amazing ginger - this is definately one of the best SIA scents! strong, fresh ginger then changing to this amazing edible foody smell - gingersnaps! spicy, yummy, gingery goodness. second, it's stong. you just need a little bit. and it lasts a long time! which is fabulous because it's usually only the scents I don't care for that last a long time on me. so that was a fantasic surpise. third, it's spicy. because of this, in hot weather, if you put too much on, it gets pretty overwhelming. when it gets really hot or you put way too much on, in the extreme, it can move beyond overwhelming into just too much and it becomes physically uncomfortable - the spices and heat amplify each other and it feels like the scent around you is physically hot. I think this is interesting because I've been told that ginger tea is a good drink in hot weather to promote clear thinking, keep away the sluggish languorous feeling and what not. so, ginger on the inside - good in hot weather, ginger on the outside (in excess) - bad in hot weather. it'll be a great fall-winter scent. overall impression - definately a winner - thanks Beth!

This is based on memory, but I figured I'd chime in before I send Cthulhu on it's way to it's new home. Initial Impression: very aquatic and ozone-y. Fresh clean scent. Experience: Initially fresh and clean, then turning very soapy and a bit perfumey/floral. Not as sweet as Kingsport but there is a definate connection between the two scents. Kingsport works much better for me. Cthulhu was my first experience with an oil going soapy on me - I guess that I've been pretty lucky that way. Never got any overt or obvious seaweed . Plus I had a terrible dream when I put it on right before bed - not sure if I've gotten beyond that. Cthulhu will be very happy in it's new home.

Chaos II CCCIV (304) I've been wearing this Chaos on and off since I got it to try to ID notes. It's taken me a lot longer that I thought it would but I still end up with the same conclusion. (I'm crap at identifying notes other than maybe sandalwood so a review from someone else may be totally different, but here goes.) Vial: rootbeer/sarsparilla On: Oh yes, that's root beer all right. A spiced root beer, maybe with a bit of clove and nutmeg. Maybe a touch of ginger. After a few minutes, a bit of spicy floral, maybe carnation, peeks out but the sarsparilla remains prominent. After wearing it a while, it seems to deepen and what may be an underlying resin emerges from the spicy root beer (I have no idea which one). It ends with a slightly musky honeyed skin scent that kindof reminds the end product of Hexxennacht (sp?) but much better, as that musk was a bit strong for me. Overall conclusion: it smells pretty damn good and I like it a lot. I'm suprised because I never thought I'd go for something like this but it works. Kudos to the lab - brilliant again!

added chaos to my life a couple of days ago. I was hoping for a glorious woody or resiny or incensy blend. this is what I got. Chaos II XXV (25) In the vial: smells like ludens cherry cough drops. On the skin: - Initial - still smells a bit like cherry cough drops/syrup. changes pretty fast to more of a berry scented floral. something about this oil is warming but I don't think it's cinnamon or ginger or black pepper - I'm not sure what it is. - 20 minutes: resins start to come out. this is changing nicely! still warm feeling berryish floral. hints of jasmine. I think there's a bit of incense but definately no woods. it becomes richer and to me, more appealing. this stage is the best. - couple of hours: stays pretty true once it deepens, however after about 2 to 2.5 hrs it's pretty much all gone. Don't know what it is, but lately nothing is lasting on me. Overall: pretty nice. I was initially a bit hesitant to put it on my skin due to the cough syrup factor, but it changes pretty quickly in a good way. it's not my holy grail of oils but I like it. it's a pretty quiet scent and stays close, not a lot of throw. it a bit foody. brings to mind a dark red color. just like a cherry cough drop. I'm going to have to wear it a few more time to see if I'll keep it or not. will update with Chaos II CCCIV or if I can think of more to add to my description above - picking out notes is not my strong point.

Wow - this is beautiful. I love woods and resins so I knew that I would love Cathedral. In the bottle – cedar and pine predominate with other dry woods in the background. On the skin - It starts out on me as woods and cedar. As I wear it, it softens and the incense and resins come out but still remains a predominantly dry woody scent. Red sandalwood and patchouli seem to emerge. It’s very similar to Annie Bonnie and Aureus, both of which I adore. It’s a deep scent but surprisingly enough fades quickly on me – after ~ 2-3 hrs I have to reapply and start the process over again. That's ok with me! Man, my bottle list is getting way too long!

at first, this was a very herbal, airy, fresh scent - really very interesting and nice. it smells totally open and airy and wafty to me. then pretty quickly it changes. no sandalwood or cedar (too bad as I love them) but instead this very stong musk with maybe some wood mixed in that turns into this very odd moldy disgusting chocolate smell. not good at all. the opening is great but it ends very funky on me - it seems no matter what time of the month it is (I was thinking there might be a link there so I gave it another run). overall, I don't see it in my future for long. ETA 6-15-06 I thought that I'd try this scent again as it's been almost a year since my original review. Once on, it does remind me a lot of Buck Moon - wow, this is fabulous! As it wears, the similarity remains. After it's been on for an hr or so, the scent deepens and sweetens a bit. This is where my original impression of moldy chocolate comes from. I don't necessarily get that now but I can see how I did. It's a deeper musk that is slightly sweet but it's not a good musk on me. It does not smell good - so I'm thankful that I have Buck Moon, that Ochosi and one of my Devil's Night bottles remind me a lot of Buck Moon if I ever run out. I guess that my original impression still rings true.

I had the same reaction wtih Hexennacht. Started out amazing and then it turns all musk. I'm still trying to figure out which musks I react badly to so what works for me that has musk may not work for you. But, have you tried Coyote? It's a warm, ambery non-floral that lists musk in the ingredients but the musk seems to say pretty quiet on me. I would stay away from Yddgrissal (sp all wrong) - I got the same musk there that I did with Hexennacht. I was pretty surpised by that one!

I was so looking forward to trying Hexennacht and couldn't wait for my order to arrive. at first whiff, Wow! like nothing that I'd smelled before - fir and incense and maybe slight touch of cider - amazing! on the skin - I'm in love. this is so beautiful! the smoke really seemed to come out and melds with the evergreen and incense. this is my favorite stage and it's this sexy dark wild scent and I can see dancing and celebrations in the evergreen forest. drydown - oh no. the musk has made it's appearance and not a musk that always gets along with me either. seems to depend more on my cycle, but it can turn this really off, yucky, icky, moldy chocolate- far far from a sexy warm skin scent and not a pleasant scent at all. hmmm. not sure if I'll keep it. I really love the beginning and middle stages - but the ending can go terribly wrong on me. maybe layering the ending stage with Nocnitsa or relayering Hexennacht - I'll do some experiments and then decide. gotta say, I'm a bit envious of those that it remains the same from begining to end.

Thanks to the generosity of the Lab I got the opportunity to try Blood Lotus. From the idea (lotus) to first sniff I really wasn't sure I'd like this, I tend to steer away from florals. But once I put it on I was pleasantly suprised - I really like this! It's a dark sweet floral resiny scent - I love sandalwood, myrrh and amber so I should have known that this scent would suit me. It has great sillage - most of BPALs that I've tried have stayed close - but not Blood Lotus (a good thing). I never got any bubblegum scent - thank God! The floral doesn't last too long on me but instead melds to become this dark, sweet, resiny sexy scent wafting gently around me. Definately a keeper.

When I first got my SIA box and was going through and smelling everything, when I got to this bottle, I said to myself "what is this amazing smell?" and immediately rubbed it on my wrists, neck, collar and cleavage. I still don't know what that smell is but I do recognize it. Somewhere, in the back of my brain. Al Azif is a very sweet, sugary scent that really doesn't change a whole lot on me. I usually go into sugar shock with very sweet scents but I really like this one. I get hints of resin and incense. I dont' get cedar. Maybe sandalwood way way underneath. It brings to mind sticky resins and light sweet smoke even though it is a very smooth scent. Now why did I only get one bottle? **kicking myself**

Wow - this is just beautiful. I adore sandalwood. This is a very light creamy sandalwood - maybe with a touch of carnation to add a bit of spice and slight floral sweetness. It stays pretty true from initial application - the carnation comes out as it dries. This is a very light close scent on me and disappears pretty quickly. It reminded me to Diptyque's Tam Dao when I first smelled it - they both have that creamy quality to the sandalwood. Overall, I love it and it's risen to the top of my list of bottles to get.

mmmmmmm. I LOVE Coyote. At first I thought that it was pretty similar to the Lion - mainly lots of amber-y warmth. So I tested them - one on each arm. Compared to the Lion, Coyote is not so spicy and a little lighter. I still get loads of amber but also either a slight dirt note with dry grass. The dry grassy notes remind me a bit of Hamadryad, which is weird since Hamadryad is a lot more lush to me. The musk stays quiet on me - thank goodness as musks sometimes go funky on me. Not sure that I get any suede. Overall it is a warm smooth dry scent. It makes me imagine lazing in the sun in a area that hasn't had a lot of rain so things are pretty dry and crispy. Coyote stays pretty close - not a lot of sillage (have to experiment with slathering once I get a big bottle). It is beautiful scent that I need to get a 10 ml of. Right away!

I've tested Succor a few times and figured I'd chime in and post a review. So far I've only used this at night when I need to sleep. I've only tried one of the Sominum blends but Succor gives Somonus a run for it's money. Like many of the others, I get a strong whiff of green olives. Something ambery or incensy or resiny is underneath and nicely supports the sharp tangy olive smell. The olives are fairly longlasting to me - and remain the prominent note but blend pretty well with the amber/resins. I've not stayed awake long enough after applying to see how Succor changes over an extended period of time but overall very nice. I wouldn't use as a perfume - I don't want to go around smelling like sharp green olives! I do find it to be very calming and soothing. I imagine that when I'm going through a stressful time and I need to be calmed Succor would be perfect.

This is beautiful! Tried it for the first time this morning - so far I've been wearing it for about 3 hrs and it's going strong. As the day goes on I may come back and add a bit more to this. In the bottle, I smelled pure cedar and patchouli. Not much else. A very dry woody scent. On the skin: Stayed pretty true to the initial sniff - very woody, dry, mainly cedar and patchouli. I do catch a whiff of salt - while I don't in Annie Bonnie - interesting. As it wears on and blends, I catch a bit of smoke - it does remind me of Diptyque's Essence of John Galliano Room Spray! Which I love and have 2 bottles of at home! Overall impression - LOVE it. I'm going to have to get a big big bottle of this - I can see using it for me and as a room scent. Good staying power, not sure about sillage/throw, but overall very warm, dry, and brings to mind a dark golden color.

Warm, slighly spicy, beautiful amber - this image I get is warm and glowing. The Lion stays very close to me - a bit closer than I want (as I imagine I would feel with a real lion) but it's a very beautiful scent. I adore amber and I love this scent, but I wish it were a bit stronger. I definately don't get ferocious from it. Unfortunately, it's very fleeting and disappears quickly. It's a sleepy, lazy scent, slightly sweet and dry. I can believe there's a touch, just a touch of cardamon in here, along with loads of amber. If it stayed with me a bit longer and bit stonger, I'd definately go for a bigger bottle. Now I'm a bit torn but I love it just the same.

WOW! I am in love. Sin made me find BPal and was my very first BPal purchase (5ml) - totally unsniffed but I knew I would love it. Was I right. First smell: incense, a little headshoppy (my nose was unprepared I think). Wet: Amazing. Warm, very well blended, having a problem picking out specific notes. Rich dark sandalwood, very slight patchouli. Spicy. Drydown: Truly amazing. Warm, spicy, yummy - just wonderful! Sin has a very rich, warm deep sandalwood smell. I can't stop smelling my wrists and want to slather Sin all over. Sin has gotten me compliments on how good I smell! I like it better and better the more that I wear it. I definately have to get a big bottle of this.