cranberry

I like the idea of poisonous plants. I think that was an excellent and inspiried choice. Anything with musk or amber, even if they are traditionally masculine, seem too sexy. Well, maybe DeSade would work as that is just pure strong leather. Or Dragon's Hide seems pretty balls to the wall powerful and commanding to me. Just strong, but not sexy in the come hither kinda way.

 

And congratulations on the contract Miss Lynx - that's fantastic!

*sparkle* Black Opal. *sparkle* I wish there was a way to make this all glittery. It should be.

This is a beautiful scent. Soft, sweet warm vanilla. When I first put it on, I get an odd, almost rubber smell. That's the only way I can describe it. Kinda like the what I remember of the initial blast of 10 Corso Como. I wonder if that's oud/agarwood or something similar? It adds a hard edge to a very soft, rounded scent. Underneath is the warm soft vanilla and musk. Over time, the rubber loses hold and the sweetness comes out. I can smell tonka, vanilla and musk. It goes slightly powdery but it's ok.

Overall, this is just beautiful. I don't know how she does it.

Trick or Treat is so delicious! I ordered it because I was curious, but it has far exceeded my expectations!

 

In the bottle: Creamed corn & sweetness. A little bit of booze (crazy but that's what I get). I can see similarities to butterscotch pudding but I get more of the corn smell.

On the skin: Very similar to Sugar Skull. But with traces of corn and a spicy warmth. It's very sweet.

 

Drydown and Conclusion: This is a big winner for me! I think that I like it more than Sugar Skull. It dries with a butterscotch, cinnamon, spicy sweetness that is just yummy. The sweetness takes a backseat to the spices. The cinnamon really amps up on me. I think I'm going to need a second bottle.

Thanks to the generosity of Jasminepearls I got to try Moxie a little earlier than was expecting.

 

Wow! Moxie is certainly in-your-face tangerine! It fades pretty quick on me but I am left with wafts of a sweet, slightly sugared tangerine. It's certainly energizing, I only wish it stuck around a bit longer. But, overall, it's delicious!

Beth does the best vanilla blends. This one is no exception. I see now why it is so popular. This was a frimp from the lab in a recent order and I'm so glad I got the chance to try this.

 

On, it smells like sweet, vanilla'd maraschino cherries. Sweet, yummy, edible - makes me think of a banana split. Dragon's Milk is extremely long lasting on me. Similarities to Snake Oil come out - the vanilla of course. I've had some mixed luck with honey in the past but here it's behaving nicely. Component-wise, it seems as if this is mainly vanilla, a squirt of honey and a smidge of dragon's blood. Vanilla is the dominant scent with the dragon's blood adding a bit of fruity goodness.

 

Overall, it's just wonderful - a very comforting scent and I plan on getting a 10 ml in the near future.

yesterday I put All night long (also Voodoo blend) and although it didn't actualy burn, everywhere i applied it left red hot circles.

 

 

That made me wonder.....

 

*whispers* should it be applied somewhere else than on the skin

 

I am thinking along the lines of Viacreme?

 

And NO, i am not going to try, it's just a question!

 

<snipped out a couple of blushes for emoticon allowance>

 

this just made me laugh - thanks!

Oh - I hope you like it (geek that is). It reminds me a lot of Lovitar except there's no red musk. Instead, it's a bit more dry and wild. Speaking of Lovitar, that's another one I think would smell amazing on a man. I've never smelled it on a man but it seems very well suited.

Geek - hot leather, opoponax, cedar, pine needle, mosses, dry grass, patchouli and cinnamon bark

Lovitar - leather *sigh*, black amber, red musk and myrrh.

 

Leather =

How could Geek not be on this list? It smells very sexy on a man. Spicy, warm, leathery, yum!

 

House of Mirrors is also good. And of course Fenris Wolf.

 

And King of Clubs is damn sexy no matter who wears it.

 

(of course these are all LE's except for Fenris, but that's how it goes...)

Halloween oils

This is such an amazing scent!!! I fell in love with the description and I'm so glad that the oil and my expectations matched.

 

I get spice and a light musk. Kinda like the Shub Niggurath and Buck Moon mated and this is their love child. But the child definately takes after his father. The musk is predominant.

 

There's a bit of spiciness - sometimes I think ginger, then other times I think cinnamon. The musk is pretty light on me - it reminds me of the light musks in Buck Moon or Dorian. I don't really get booze or much smoke, but what smoke there is, it's a sweet smoke. I think the musk and smoke mix and give it this velvety, warm feeling. It's a very light scent and stays close, but I love it. Absolutely love it. I can't stop smelling myself. It becomes a second skin scent that is very sexy. Devil's Night indeed.

In the Bottle: Honey and milk

 

On the Skin: Honey, milk and mint. As it dries, the honey comes out on me, but I'm not much a fan for honey. The cream stays very true. It does remind me a lot of White Rabbit! It's a sweet, warm, soft scent, pretty but I'm not sure that it's me. The lunar oils add a bit of smoothness and bring to mind the color light, pale mint green.

Overall Impression: Milk Moon is nicely done but it's not me. I'm more a woods, leather and incense kinda gal. While this is soft and comforting, it's not something that I'd ever wear on a regular basis, or reach for much at all. So far it's sat in the dark for months. So that says something. For milk scents, I think that the spicy carnation of Alice makes the milk a lot more interesting. Ah well, I'm glad that I got to try it.

I can't wait to see what the Pumpkin Patch bottles and labels look like. I know they're in transit - I hope that someone posts a pic once they get theirs. I'm dying to see!

 

Oh - and the A Demon in My View labels are georgrous! Great job - to echo an earlier sentiment - they make me want to get them just for the bottles!

Well I definitely know that some ambers are not my friend. Haunted proves it. I wasn't quite sure before. Haunted was not what I was expecting. I think I expected something like the Lion with a blast of musk. Not what I got at all.

 

In the Imp, I was surprised by its smell, not too musky but a dry, not-sweet amber. It reminds me of some kinda food that I can't place right now.

On the Skin, that dry smell continues. As I wear it, I get the Play-Dough scent. Uggg. Not good. And that this weird almost foody scent continues. For the life of me I can't think of it - some sort of dessert it must be.

 

Final Thought, Haunted is not for me. There's plenty of other BPAL to love.

 

edited: Ah ha! I think it's marzipan. Some sort of almond concoction. That's the foody scent I get!

In the imp: slightly sweet & very spicy. The pepper, ginger, cinnamon and clove blend together very well so all I get is a "Wow - this is spicy!"

 

On the skin: Don't put Bengal on right after coming out of the shower (**ouch!**). I only put a dab on, and for that I'm glad. Spice was the predominant note, with cinnamon coming to the forefront. The cinnamon and ginger combo reminded me a bit of something pomanderish. That vanished pretty quickly and the spices begin to mellow. As it dries, the honey and musk comes out. It vanished pretty quick on me, but I think that's because I only put the smallest amount on. I imagine that it would last a lot longer had I been more liberal in application.

Overall: Very nice and I'm glad that I got to try it. It seems like this would be an excellent scent for winter. I'm not super crazy about the wet phase, but as it dries it turns into this beautiful spicy honeyed scent. A honey that likes me - amazing!.

Initially it is very strong eucalyptus. I also get lavender and fennel or maybe anise. Maybe a drop of jasmine. As time passes, the fennel/anise scent grows stronger and it gets sweeter. It smells almost edible, like licorice herby candy. As a scent, I like it better than Somnus. But I still think that Oneroi smells the best of the Somnium oils (and is amazing effective).

Initially I get sweet almonds and spice. It seems as if there’s a bit of honey mixed in with the spice and almonds. The sweet almond is initially a bit like cherries but then it mellows. Initially, it reminded me a bit of Snake Oil, maybe the spices, but then as it dried that similarity vanished. The spices are dark and a bit smoky. As it dries, it becomes less sweet and deepens into the spices and smoke. It’s exotic and sultry.

 

Honey has traditionally done bad things to me, but it behaves in this oil.

 

When I first smelled it, I was convinced that I needed a bottle. It also reminded me a lot of Luctor et Emergo’s People of the Labyrinths (now I'm not sure about that as it's been a long time since I smelled POTL). I don't know how much I’ll wear it, so a bottle may be overreaching, but I’ll keep my imp for those times when I feel like a gypsy.

This is such a perfect fall scent that I just had to review it. From Verdandi, I get - apples. Yes, apples, really.

 

All silliness aside, this is a beautiful scent. It reminds me of tart green apples. It is so perfect for crisp weather. Verdandi was a gift from the lab over the summer. Being on a huge amber kick, I tried it right away. It was nice, really nice in fact but I wasn't compelled to pull out the imp until the first frost was threatening. I don't really get amber or herbs. It's a sweet, tart apple but one that is wonderfully grounded, warm and round - that must be the amber. I'm thinking that the herbs must be adding a bit of that tartness in addition to the natural contribution from the apple.

 

The crisp cool air pushes Verdandi from being a really nice scent into one where I need to get a 5 ml, and I'm envisioning Verdandi lotion, Verdandi bath gel. It's a wonderfully fruity scent that's not really foody (foody in my mind equalling more gourmand scents - chocolate, butter, doughy, etc). I think that it's perfect for my mom, who loves fruity and herby scents. I hope that it will turn out to be a perfect fruity surprise for her and that she'll love it as much as I do.

This is a really interesting thread to read. Chemistry is so interesting. Perception too.

 

In the bottle, Queen smelled quite sharp. Herbal. Commonalities with one of the Sominum blends. I think one of them has anise so maybe thats it.

 

On the skin, what a different story. I get pepper plus anise. Lots and lots of anise. Queen is quite intense and just a little goes a long way. The anise adds a bit of sweetness to the spicy bite of the pepper.

 

After about 30-40 minutes, I get a sense of powder where the oil was on lightest. In the area with the most oil, it's still predominantly anise and spice. But I can tell that it's shifting. To powder. Where I put the oil it heaviest, it's almost as if it makes my skin tingle just a bit. When I give it a sniff, it makes my septum tingle just a bit too.

 

I just realized what one of the notes is - clove. So, a combination of pepper, clove and anise. It's also a bit smoky (despite the powder, which it most definitely has). It actually reminds me a bit of Torture King.

 

I'm pretty tired right now and it's late so I'm not in the best frame of mind to judge its effect. I will say that it is a powerful scent. And I can see how that would translate.

Velvet is just beautiful! This is from a slightly aged imp, fyi (ordered in March).

 

In the Imp: rich, good quality, expensive cocoa powder. woods.

 

On the Skin: the cocoa smell is quite intense at first. The cocoa blast fades and sandalwood emerges - sweet, creamy sandalwood. It's incencsy and delectable. It's quite strong on me, just a little goes a long way. It has good staying power on me. It reminds me of a more gourmand version of Tushnamatay - it's the same sandalwood, but instead of carnation it's cocoa. Plus it's stronger.

Overall: I like it a lot. Don't know if I'd reach for it enough to warrant a bottle, but I'd like to have an imp on hand. But I have a feeling that this could become addictive. And maybe help curb the odd chocolate craving ... hmmmm, maybe I do need a bottle...?

 

edited due to crappy spelling

King of Clubs has become one of my top 3 oils. I adore it! Damn this is so sexy!

 

In the bottle: earth, touch of almonds, something green/herbal in the background.

 

On the skin: King of Clubs to me smells like the forest floor. I think that's why I love it so much. Once on, I smell mostly mossy earth with a touch of almond. The almond blends pretty quick with the amber, leather and oakmoss. The King becomes slighly sweet, spicy and oh so sexy. As it dries the dark musk (is that black musk?) emerges.

Overall impression: This is my new holy grail. I simply cannot get enough! The King and Queen of Clubs are oh so well matched. What a wonderful gift to the forum members - thanks Beth!

Arkham Revisited was one of the first oils I'd encountered that made me think I can do florals. I'd been convinced that florals were my mortal enemy for a long long time.

 

In the bottle: AR smells bright pink, sweet, berry-like, floral and almost edible.

 

On the skin, wet: AR comes across as very stong. Still the color pink - a strong vibrant hot pink is what comes across to me, and a strong blast of berries/fruit. Flowers are underneath (but thankfully not jasmine or roses). A very pretty, happy, spring scent.

As it dries & dry: As it dries, I get more florals but the fruitiness remains. There's a hint of woods way below, providing a good base for the florals and fruit and toning down the sweetness so it's not too sweet.

Overall impression: I really like it and I'm glad that I have a bottle. I've read that as it ages it may get a bit more berry-ish. This bottle is a few months old but I don't really remember if it's changed any. But I certainly like it now. It's a very lush, strong scent and lasts for a long time. It's very well blended and a very positive, cheery scent. It certainly changed my mind on florals and for that I'll always treasure it!

Damn. Dorian is oh so sexy.

 

Dorian smells like lemon sugar on me. As it dries, the lemon fades a bit. The sweetness remains and the tea and musk comes out. The tea is very faint and the musks add a creamy velvety smoothness. Beautiful! I'm so glad that I have a 10 ml on the way!

In the Bottle: popcorn jellybellies

 

On the Skin: Shill smells like sweet, buttered popcorn jelly beans. These are among my favorite jelly beans. As it dries, the sweetness goes away and I'm left with butter and popcorn. A yummy smell and Beth captured it perfectly.

 

Shill didnt' stick around for long - it vanished pretty quick, under 2 hrs. Not sure what I'll do with the bottle as I don't see myself ever wanting to smell like popcorn and reaching for it. Maybe a room scent or laying with other scents?

Buck Moon is so beautiful. It is a very light scent that stays close.

 

In the bottle it's a bit cool and a bit citrusy, maybe grapefruit.

 

On the skin, it's very different. I'm not getting forest herbs. Instead, the citrus changes to a sweet mild slightly almond smell. And a warm clean musk.

 

On drydown, the almond become a bit more vanilla, a bit of spicy warmth all underlain with a clean glorious musk. This is very beautiful. I wish it were a bit stonger - the only way I can smell it is with my nose plastered to my wrist. As time goes on, it becomes an amazing skin scent - slightly sweet & spicy, musky.

 

I'd definately repurchase.

I adore Queen of Clubs. Just adore it! Words cannot express...

 

When I first apply it, I get juicy dark red fruit - pomegranite and berries (must be the currant). The fruit has just dropped and I get the rich scent of moist fertile earth. The earth remains for a long time, with incense, musk and sweetness coming in. It combines into this earthy, rich scent that I just love. It closes with the darkness, richness and sensuality of musk.

 

Overall, this is an amazing scent and I'm so thrilled to have some. Thanks Beth for this marvelous gift!!