cranberry

Neo-Tokyo - Wanderlust

Notes: metallics, ozone, bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, orchid and wet fruits.

On the skin, this reminds me a lot of the asian moons, Holiday Moon in particular. I smell mainly bamboo, and a bit of tea (despite it not being listed in the ingredients). After it's been on a couple minutes, I smell some mint and maybe a touch of lemon or citrus. It's cool, light, clear and refreshing. I'm not getting a lot of florals from this scent. I'm enjoying this more than I thought that I would. I'm getting a touch of ozone but it's not bad; too much ozone and I'm outta there but I'm still enjoying this, it adds to the crispness and coolness of the scent. After it's been on a while, the ozone element becomes stronger on me and at this point, it becomes a bit overwhelming and not a scent for me.

Vixen - Love Potions

Notes: orange blossom, ginger and patchouli

This is a strong scent reminiscent of Snake Oil. It certainly stains the skin like Snake Oil. Normally I don't care for orange blossom or neroli, but here, combined with the other ingredients, it's quite nice.

This is a dark, sexy as hell scent that I'm really enjoying. The longer I wear this the more that I like it. It reminds me quite a bit of Snake Oil but without that element that somehow makes Snake Oil sometimes go a bit like marzipan. On me, it's turning vanilla-ish, slightly spicy and just damn sexy. This is a come hither scent; it suits it's name perfectly.

This may be a 10 ml before they go off into the ether. If not a 10, the definitely a 5 ml purchase. Damn, this is a sexy, sexy scent!!!!

Rage - Diabolus

Notes: Black amber, dragon's blood, melati, rose geranium, mandarin and black currant.

In the imp and initially applied, I can smell mainly geranium. After it's been on for a few minutes, the dragon's blood comes out and I can smell the black amber powder underneath. Geranium always smelled a bit spicy to me, and this is no exception. I don't know what melati is or what it smells like so I can't say how it's adding to the scent, but I'm not picking up mandarin or black currant (which I really enjoy). There could be some jasmine in here, or it could be the natural jasmine-like qualities of the dragon's blood that I'm picking up.

This reminds me of some other BPAL dragon's blood blends, especially Fiery Wall of Protection and a voodoo oil with similar qualities as Fiery Wall.

It's a nice scent, but to my mind, not especially full of rage.

Dirty

Notes: clean linen

In the imp, this smells like sweet flowers. On the skin, it smells lightly floral and clean, a clear, crisp scent. It is slightly high pitched, meaning there is a very sweet strong top note. It smells a little ozoney and a little lemony. As it wears, the florals go away and the lemony, ozone smell becomes more prominant. It smells like its description. The longer it's been on, the more it smells like clean sheets dried in the sun on a breezy summer day. It's very well done and evocative.

Hesperides

Notes: oak bark, dewy leaves, mist, apple

This is a hard scent to describe in the imp. Once on, the apple comes out and dominates the scent. There’s a touch of wood in the background grounding the scent. It also smells like there could be a touch of mint or pennyroyal. This is a cheery scent that reminds me of fall-time and the leaves turning golden and red on the birch trees. I really like this scent and think it would also make a great lotion, body wash or room scent.

Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo

Notes: none listed

Wow, this is such a happy, cheery scent! It smells fruity, and slightly like bubblegum. The fruit smells like blood orange or cherry, or both. It’s quite sweet and smells sugared. OMG – I just realized what this smells like, Tigi Milk and Honey shampoo! There’s similarities here to Dana O’Shee – but sweeter (believe it or not!) with fruit. Nice!

Voodoo

Notes: myrrh, patchouli, vetivert, lime, vanilla, pine, almond, clove

In the imp and initially on the skin, this smells a bit like cherry coke. After it’s been on a while, it doesn’t smell exactly like cherry coke any more, but I’m at a loss at how to describe this. It’s a tad masculine, and I think it would smell really good on a guy.

I can’t get beyond the cherry coke imagery in my brain for this scent.

Szepasszony

Notes: air, rain, white flowers

This is a light, sweet, airy, floral scent w/lots of ozone. Once on, it becomes slightly aquatic, must be the ozone. It’s a fresh, clean scent that’s feminine and very pretty. It reminds me of some of the other great BPAL aquatics but with a floral edge. It’s nice, not my usual style, but I’ll keep the imp.

Grand Guignol

Notes: apricot brandy

In the imp, this smells sweet and fruity. A bit like peaches. Once on, I can smell the apricots. It smells a little musty behind the brightness of the fruit. As it wears, the apricots looses some of it’s fresh fruit smells and comes a bit candy-like. I don’t get any of the brandy in this scent. I usually like boozy scents but apricot usually kills it for me; it’s done it again. I’m glad that I got to try this but I won’t be looking for another imp.

Nuit

Notes: white musks, white rose and night-blooming jasmine with the soft moss of moonlit meadows, a waft of Egyptian incense, and a gentle breath of moonflower.

In the imp, this smells like pretty flowers. On, the flowers remain. It reminds me a bit of Gypsy Queen. I can smell rose, other flowers, and a soft incense. This is a really pretty floral scent. This is another one that I can see my mother really enjoying. This is a really pretty floral scent.

Tweedledee

Notes: Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom

On the skin, this smells just like fruit loops. There’s the hint of fruit with the underpinning of the crunch of the cereal.

After it's been on a while, the froot loops smell goes away and it smells more like candied orangish fruit (not an orange, not a mandarin but related, tart and juicy). There's other elements there too but I can't identify them, it's a well blended oil. It's reminiscent of Moxie and Kunkstakammer, so maybe blood orange is an element here. It's a refreshing scent, it would be great in a scrub or a tart. Not so sure about as a straight perfume but it's a cheery, happy scent that makes me go zing!

(Looking at the notes, I would have never guessed any of these!)

Zombi

Notes: Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.

In the imp, this smells like dirt with flowers far off in the background, maybe lilies. Once applied, the dirt smell remains, along with a floral element. I’m also smelling roses oh so slightly.

There’s also something in here that adds a bit of an almost cologne-ish note. Looking at the notes I think it’s probably the oakmoss. Not in a bad way but it adds interest. This is a really pretty scent. As it wears, the rose becomes stronger and the dominant scent. It’s fairly long lasting and I can still smell it quite some time after I put it on even though I only used the smallest amount

Bloodlust

Notes: dragon's blood, red musk, indonesian patchouli, vetiver, cinnamon

Ohh, I’ve been wanting to try this one for a long time! In the imp, I can smell the dragon’s blood, patchouli and cinnamon. Once on, the patchouli and cinnamon remain prominent while the dragon’s blood recedes and the red musk comes forward. This reminds me a lot of Sin, one of my favorites and the first 5 ml I ever ordered. This is absolutely divine!

This is an extremely strong oil and a little goes a long way. I put Sin on my other wrist to compare and they are extremely similar, there may be a touch more cinnamon in Bloodlust than in Sin, and there’s a slight herbal component that is missing in Sin, but other than that, they are just about identical.

As they wear, the differences (slight as they may be) come out. In Bloodlust, vetivert become more apparent and provides a base for the scent. Sin seems warmer and a bit softer. They are still quite similar and I love this oil!

Lolita

When I first apply this I get orange blossom, sweet and slightly bitter. After just a couple minutes the orange blossom recedes and lemons make their appearance, zesty and fresh. After about 10 minutes or so the heliotrope comes out, bringing to mind Ra which just screams heliotrope to me. This is a pretty light scent, and it’s fading pretty quick.

After about ½ hr, this sweetens considerably. At this point I can’t smell the orange blossom (yay, I don’t care for that scent), and the lemon is more like lemon smarties. There’s a sweet, yellow floral here. Overall, this fades pretty quick but it’s pretty while it lasts and it's perfect for the warmer months!

Juliet

Notes: sweet pea, stargazer lily, calla lily, heliotrope, honeysuckle, white musk, pear

In the vial, I think I am smelling mainly sweet pea and honeysuckle. This is not my usual type of scent so it’s interesting to test this one (and ones like it) to learn the different notes. Once on, those main smells predominate, the sweet pea and honeysuckle. This reminds me of a garden, my mom’s in fact when I was growing up. For years she grew sweet peas along the fence and they smelled so good, while our neighbor had honeysuckle growing along the side of her house. I remember eating the honeysuckle tips (yum!). So this oil brings back good childhood memories for me.

It’s a very sweet scent, very innocent and young. I’m not sure about the other notes but I may be able to detect the heliotrope warming things up.

I’m really liking this scent a lot and am glad that I got to try it (thanks GC swap!). It’s not one that I’d probably ever wear, it’s just that different from what I reach for, but if I come across an imp I’ll keep it and enjoy it.

Juke Joint

Notes: Kentucky bourbon, sugar, mint

In the imp, this smells like sweet booze or cologne that has gone “off”. Once on, it sweetens up and the mint becomes more apparent. Wet, it retains a bit of the off cologne smell, but that morphs pretty quick. I always thought that I liked the scent of booze, and I do, but this doesn’t smell particularly like booze to me. It’s a lot more subtle, perhaps it’s the mint that does it. It smells vaguely herbal. The mint, while there, isn’t particularly strong, it’s more like a hint of mint. But it’s just enough. I like this scent but I’m not particularly bowled over by it. But I do enjoy the smell of booze.

(BTW – I applied some Snake Charmer lotion as this scent was fading away and it adds a nice touch. I think I’d like this better w/a touch of vanilla.)

Zorya

Notes: Spices of the Orient mingle with crystalline musk, midnight flowers and cereus, jasmine, primrose and vesper iris.

In the imp, this smells clear, slightly spicy, a bit musky and not too floral. Really good. In the imp, I think this might me one of my OMG, I have to have this scent! Once on, the jasmine shows up immediately, drowning out the spice, musk, and clear coolness. Behind the jasmine, I can smell tuberose faintly. Wow, as this wears, there’s something in here that reminds me of MB: Underpants – I think there must some a bit of saffron in here.

I like this a lot but there sure is a lot of jasmine in here.

La Belle au Bois Dormant

Notes: plumeria, white pear, damascus rose, tuberose, magnolia, evening dew

On the skin, wet, this is all strong florals and very, very sweet smelling. Once it dries, it stays strongly sweet and floral. There’s a hint of juicy, lush fruit behind the flowers that smells like apricot or pear. Ahh, after looking at the notes, I see that it’s pear. I can’t pick out the different floral notes in this, but they don’t seem to be rose or jasmine or gardenia. Nor lilies. Overall, I find this to be an aggressive floral-fruity scent that is well done but not my style.

Envy

Notes: herbs, mint, lime, lavender

Initially I smell mint. Once on, the mint blends with herbs and lavender. There’s something there that makes this an even colder scent, I think it’s the citrus scent. After its been on for a bit, the other, non-mint elements are quite strong and it reminds me of fresh-cut grass and being outside. The longer it's on, the more it reminds me of weed-whacking.

Interesting scent; I think that Beth did a great job of interpreting Envy and beyond that, it's fresh, green and light. Glad I got to sniff it but it's not a bottleworthy scent for me.

Harlot

Notes: somalian rose, moroccan rose, bulgar rose, cinnamon

In the imp, this smells like dry and dusty florals, subdued, but with a touch of spice. It reminds me of elements of Medicine Show, either the opium or elmni. It also reminds me somewhat of an acaia oil that I’ve had forever.

Once on, I can smell the roses, but it’s not the moist, lush roses of Rose Red or Séance. They are the “old-fashioned” roses that have a bit of powder attached. There’s also cinnamon which adds a wonderful spice and complements the roses quite nicely. Pretty!

Shadow Witch Orchid

Notes: dusky orchid

I’m not too sure what orchid smells like, but if this is it, then I like it. Or rather, I think my mom will like it. Once applied, this is a heady, sweet, floral blend. It is sweet and lush, humid and moist to me. Maybe it is the power of suggestion, but I’m also getting a little bit of a grape smell and in general, this oil smells purple. The scent does seem as if it would easily be a component in commercial conventional perfumes – for some reason Amarige by Givenchy comes to mind. Because it has such a strong, “I am here and anyone who doesn’t like it be damned” quality about it, it reminds me of the perfumes from the 1980’s, all of which had that loud, brash, in-your face quality.

I really think my mom would like this one, so this could be a good gift order. I’m going to be keeping my eyes open for orchid blends from now on.

Pannychis

Notes: Night-blooming jasmine, moonflower, cardamom, sandalwood, black currant, ylang ylang, frankincense and lily

On the skin, wet, I first smell jasmine, ylang ylang and what is like a smooth base. For some reason this reminds me a bit of Sleepy Moon, which is one of my favorite lunars. This is much more floral and almost silky smelling. It’s very smooth. I’ve been coming across a lot of jasmine blends lately and for some reason they always make me think of the Lupercalia series. This is a strong scent, and slathers be warned. I was intrigued by this blend because of the cardamom, black currant and sandalwood in combination with the florals. On, I don’t really get cardamom or black current. It’s strongly floral yet there is just a hint of heat/spice in the background. After a couple hours it’s only faintly on my skin but what is there remains a sweet floral.

Maledication

Notes: red patchouli and vetivert

Oh, I’ve been wanting to try this one for a long time! I’m a huge red patchouli fan. In the imp, I smell mainly vetivert. Once applied, after the first few seconds, the patchouli emerges to join the vetivert. This is a rich, almost grassy type scent. It smells like it would make a great perfume base and I can think back to times in my life when this would be have been my holy grail. Or something like a holy grail in any case. Lately, I find I’m drawn to sweeter scents, or scents with a bit of a bite, and this seems rather simplistic and without depth (despite the fact it’s all fixative-type scents here).

This is a scent that lasts. I put a couple drops on at lunchtime and 7 hrs later my arm still smells strongly of this oil, at this point mainly patchouli with a hint of grassy vetivert. I’m glad that I got to try this but I won’t seek out a bottle as I’ve got straight patchouli and vetivert EOs, so I think I’ve got it covered.

Euphrosyne, The Gratiae: Mirth Options

Wow, this is very sweet florals on me, piercing in their intensity. Initially I get rose, vanilla with a topnote of jasmine. It stays fairly true and remains a strong floral. I’m not too much a floral kinda gal, so this oil doesn’t sing to me but I can see that for floral fans this would be a good one. It’s a cheery scent and reminds me of a bright sunny day.

Yggdrasil - original review (6-27-05)

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 strong 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.

Recent review - 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.