Lori

Sniffing the Imp: Very foody! I smell the Hazelnut right off the bat! I used to buy Hazelnut flavored coffee for my husband and this smells a little like that. Wet on wrist: Coconut! Lots and lots of coconuts!! Dry down: Still coconut! What else was in this again? Dry: Musk has come through stronger than the coconut now. As I have said before, I don't wear musk well, and coconut is not really a scent I want to smell like either, so this one is off to swaps.

Sniffing the imp: Mmm...a very beautiful pine and cedar smell. It reminds me of walking in the forest up at a lake I used to go to in the Spring in Manitoba. Wet on wrist: PINE!! Very strong pine! Not quite a pine sol smell, but way too strong as a perfume. It does smell more like a cleaning fluid at this stage. Drying down: Still the same as when wet. A very strong cleaning fluid pine. Nice and crisp, but suits my floors more than my skin. Dry: Ok, the musk is coming through now. It has softened it a bit, but just a bit. I don't like wearing musk so for me this one is a no-go, as it is two scents I don't want to wear. I wish it would have stayed more like the initial scent as it would make a lovely room scent, but I have others I like better, even, for that, so off to swaps!

Sniffing the imp: Mmmmmm...Sandalwood! I have been surrounded by incense all day at work for 4 years, and I never get tired of Sandalwood. In fact, I wore a Sandalwood Mala around my neck, all day yesterday. Wet on wrist: Out jumps the floral! Wow, that is strong Lily of the Valley. It got my nose stuffed up when I stuck it in there. Dry-down: This is really fading fast on me. But even still, the floral is what is prominent. And still too strong for me, so off to swap it goes. edited to add: I see there is also Opium in this. I generally find Opium too strong for my nostrils and it does stuff me up, so maybe it is that bothering me more than the Lily of the Valley. Either way, it is not for me.

Anubis is a scent that is most definitely a gateway betwen the dark and the light. It is dark and smoky, and at the same time there is something light and sweet, there. The myrrh is dark resiny gorgeous and there seems to be a hint of bright, sun-filled orange that comes through. I love this one.

Sniffing the imp: Eww...I don't like it! It smells really nutty, but like nuts gone bad or something. There is also a cocoa smell, like in 13, which I didn't like and swapped away. I can faintly smell the apple, too, but the choco nuttiness is much more prominent. Wet on wrist: Well, to be honest, I wasn't even going to put it on my wrist because the smell was sort of making me gag, but you know, this is for science and all. *cough* And low and behold....APPLES!!!!! Zing! Yes, yes, wet on wrist the apples came out just like a big, fresh bag of MacIntosh's! Drier: Oh, cool...there is pefume in this!! Yes! Underneath the apples, there is something perfumey and sweet and the two sweetnesses together make this delicious! I want to bury my nose in my wrist for the night. Dry: WOW...all I can say is...if you don't like the initial scent in the imp, try these things on!! I can't believe how much I love this, and at first I thought it was blah at first sniff. This smells like a bowl of apples, surrounded with sweet apple blossoms!!

Sniffing imp: Hmmm...this smells orangey! None of the ingredients has that scent...strange how the combination of them seems to make this smell like it?! Wet on wrist: Ummmmmm...now there is that lovely Vanilla from Antique Lace that I so know and love. Oh, if this stays like this, everyone who is after Antique Lace can rejoice! Instead of buying it like crack on Ebay, they can just spend $12.50 on Chimera from the Lab! Drying: Uh oh...the Vanilla went away and now it is pure cinnamon. *sigh* Cinnamon is great in the cinnamon twists that I buy from Barb's Buns, but not on my skin. Dryer: Ok, the cinnamon settled down on me and now I have a nice spicy vanilla scent. It is similar to Snake Oil, but I think I like it better! That being said, I am not a Snake Oil fan, but I am going to let this dry more and decide if it is for me or the swap pile. Dry on hand: Well, how do you do, Chimera! You are now a soft, sweet Vanilla, with just a hint of Spice. Just as if Miss Antique Lace was tired of being polite and adhering to societal rules and got a little snappy! Kind of like me this past week!! Hey, Chimera...we all need to be like you once in awhile. I am keeping my Antique Lace for when I am being a "good girl" but I think I like you for my sassier days!

Sniffing the imp…Oh! I smell deep, dark, damp earth…not golden light! I can smell woods (Cedar? Sandalwood?) and earthy Patchouli, and there is definitely the sweet smell of amber there…but not the light golden amber, the dark one. Hmmm… Wet on wrist…yes, this smells like earth and wood, both nice and wet. Like mud in a field and campfire logs after a rain. I am really enjoying it, it is a comforting smell. Oh! Now I know why!! This reminds me the Winnipeg Folk Festival, which I was a regular attendee of for over 20 years! Each July, 20,000 people dressed like hippies and wearing patchouli would descend upon Bird’s Hill Park, for 3 days and 4 nights of glorious music, freestyle dancing, pot smoking and peace, love and brotherhood. And every year, without fail, the skies would open up and a ginormous thundershower would wet us to the bone and we didn’t care. We just took off our Jesus sandals and danced barefoot in the mud! Aureus reminds me of that and I am happy for it

Oh..I have really,really HIGH hopes for this one! We sell "poison" rings at work, and when I explain to people what they are and what they were once used for, I often joke that I would choose Belladonna to carry around in mine, if I were to wear one. Plus, Stevie Nicks is my heroine and fashion icon, and I want to wear a scent that is named after one of her signature songs, as well as after the poison herb. So...I open the imp of lovely limey green liquid and take a first sniff...Hmmm! This smells neat! Sort of pine-like...oh, and there is that Vicks smell that others have mentioned! Cool!! If it doesn't get better than Vicks, I would gladly wear it each night to bed! The smell of Vicks gives me the feeling of being cared for. Wet on wrist...oh Wow! There is dirt/earth underneath this baby!! I so wanted to love Graveyard Dirt (but alas I did not), as I love the smell of fresh earth and used to eat dirt as a kid. Vicks and Dirt - This getting better and better! Wow, this is morphing into a walk in a pine forest...no...a Christmas tree sale lot! Cool!! I love that smell, too! Christmas is my fave time of year! There is a faint smell of berries...this reminds me of Skadi a bit somehow, at least at this moment. Dryer now...it has a bit of a sting to my nose when I press too closely. Mmmmm...it is a nice, soft Christmasy smell, like a big wreath of Pine and Holly Berries. Oh, I am in LURVE!!! I want MORE of this!! Who knew poison could smell so good?! No wonder it could be slipped to people without them caring. Heheh. I am definitely getting a poison ring, now that I finally have poison to put in it! And this Christmas, I am going to decorate the tree, while singing along with Stevie (rather than with the standard carols) and I will be wearing Belladonna!

Sniffing the imp of Dormouse, it smells like tea and flowers and I really like it! I picture English ladies drinking tea while chatting and doing needlework, in a Victorian drawing room. A big picture window opens on to the English gardens outside, and there is a big bouquet of peonies on a table near the window, a soft breeze lilting their scent across the room. Wet on my wrist…eww…what happened?? This has turned very aquatic and green and smells like men’s sport deodorant. I am not getting peony or tea at all. Just something watery green. Dry…well, it pretty much faded before I could smell it dry! Drat, I so wanted to love this one!! It was my English Grandmother, my Mother and I that I pictured in that drawing room. We are all “tea grannies”…none of us three ever had a cup of coffee. My Gran is gone now but her first words to me when I would visit were always “put on the kettle”! If I thought it would smell the way it does in the imp, worn in a scent locket, or put in an oil burner, I would gladly use it up and maybe buy a bottle, but right now it looks as if it is going to the swap pile. *sigh*

Whoa…the imp smells like coffee! For someone who has never drank a cup of coffee in her life, and can’t stand the smell, this is not a good start! Wet on my wrist…OH NOES….here comes the Jasmine!! Please, please bring back that coffee smell! Jasmine hurts my head!! Drying down a bit, the coffee comes through again…ok, this might not be so bad if they combine equally. Drier…OH NOES…the Jasmine again!! *must go wash wrist* Damn, and I so wanted to embody the persona of an exotic dancer and courtesan with aristocratic elegance, matchless charm, an iron will and a streak of fearlessness, too! *Sob* Oh well, the Lab will surely have a scent that will give me those charms without me having to smell like coffee grounds and jasmine, so off to swaps it goes!

Oh…what is that sweet smell? Is it the pear or the plumeria? I don’t know what plumeria smells like, but I think it is a tropical flower. Hmmm…I am smelling pear for sure! I have never in my life tried on so many fruits smells on my body, since being enabled into BPAL (this is all Jasmine Becket Griffith’s faul as she was my enabler!!) I never liked fruity shampoos or lotions or perfume. About the closest fruity perfume I had was one by Lancome, called Tresor..it smelled sort of peachy…that was before I had to quit wearing perfume because they all made me sneeze! Oops…back to Thalia! Sorry, this is what I am like in person…one thought leads to another and another. Hmmm…the overwhelming sweetness is calming down now, and I am starting to kind of like this. I almost smell coconut! This is definitely making me think of being on a tropical island, slathered in coconuty suntan lotion, and sipping some fruity drink, while the ocean waves softly splash against the shore. And that reminds me of this gorgeous skirt we have in the store! It is silk, and shirred, with sequins, and is tye died in colours that go from royal blue, to turquoise, to minty green to gold…that skirt always looks as if you should be wearing it on a tropical island while eating pineapple… Ok, I will stop now. I like Thalia. I like anything that reminds me of tropical islands, the ocean and fruity drinks.

This was a freebie from the Lab, and it is interesting to note that in the Lab’s description, “Wanda governs control”! I have been using the TAL blend “Fiery Command” for the last week, as a command to myself to be in control of my anxiety and not let the disorder I was diagnosed with, over 30 years ago, control me. It has been working splendidly and enhancing my abilities to control my thoughts, feeling and most of all, my reactions, which are just about the only things we can control, anyway. So, in trying Wanda out, I first got the overwhelming smell of red wine from sniffing the imp! Uh oh...I tend to lose all semblance of control when drinking wine!! Then, I tried it on and out came the violet, myrtle and roses, especially the violet! I love the smell of Violet and thought that even if it stayed this way, it would be a keeper…a subtler scent than my fave Violet BPAL, Nocturne. Drying down, I smell the faintest hint of leather and the wine starts coming out, again. I hadn’t liked the very leathery De Sade and so was hoping that this would not get overwhelmed by the leather, and it hasn’t. This is a beautiful blend! Just gorgeous! That, combined with the tale it was borne of, resonates with me strongly. I think I will use this imp to remind me to be in control, as I have done with Fiery Command, but this time, Wanda will put me in control of those thoughts, feelings and reactions in the bedroom!

Sniffing the imp…hmmm…I smell chocolate! Strange, as I look up the ingredients in Verdandi and apparently there is no chocolate in it. I wonder what herb makes it smell like that to me? I don’t think amber or apple would… Wet on wrist….Mmmmmmmmm…oh my goodness, this smell delicious! I want to chew my hand. This one should have been part of the Carnivale Noir series as Candy Apple! Oh, I hope, hope, hope this one dries down to this same scent because right now I want to smell like this as often as I can! :-) Oh...My...Goddess! Drying down, this is almost starting to smell like Blue Moon to me!!! Could it be that I didn't have to pay $85 on Ebay for the LE when I could have had Verdandi for $12? Drying down to candy sweet, red apples coated in sugar and the sugary scents are my favourites. Pink Moon smells like Pink Candy Floss to me, Blue Moon like Blue Candy Floss and Verdandi like Candy Apples! This one is going into my Top 10 Loves! Thanks Beth, you Olfactory Goddess!!

Sniffing the imp, this is very herbal and green! However, as soon as it hits my skin it becomes very spicy smelling…like clove and cinnamon (or nutmeg?). There is also some lavender and maybe bergamot, as I am getting a bit of a lemony scent and bergamot does that to me. As it dries, there is also the powdery smell that comes from some roses. I don’t have a nose for picking out scents yet, so I am probably way off, here...lol. Others have mentioned the spiciness, but I am not smelling myrrh or frankincense, as they do. Some of us may not be so olfactory, but being visual, I can definitely see this as a setting sun, because of the colours invoked…the spicy oranges and golds, along with the pink and lavender. I am also extremely kinaesthetic and this feels nice and warm, like being enveloped in a blanket. Very nice, but I am not sure if it is for me, as I don’t carry off spicy scents on my skin well, and also don’t tend to burn them. But I am sure there are lots of people who would love to swap for this one. Thank you to the Lab for the free imp to try out! *hee...edited to add that this has dried down to cinnamon baby powder on me. Definitely a grown up powdered baby! I am still not sure if it is for me, but I can't stop sniffing it...heheh*

Mmmmmm….this smells like an elegant elderly lady, wearing expensive perfume, while smoking a pipe of tobacco…I know, strange…but, I love it!!! Maybe that is my projected image of me in the future (although I can't smoke cause of bad lungs, but...) It smells like Hearth, one of my top five fave BPAL scents of ALL TIME, mixed with my fave flowers, Rose and Ylang Ylang. Yum! Just yum is all I can iterate right now. *loves this one*

Oh noes! The bunny Gods got so drunk that they murdered a chocolate bar!!!

Mmmmmmmm…right off the bat, I smell the Vetiver in the imp! I’ve been wanting to slather that on my BF for awhile. Wet on wrists: ooooh…now the Myrrh is coming through..yum! Oh, I LOVE this on ME…if I get it on him, I think I will be all over him! *sniff, sniff, sniff* I CAN’T STOP sniffing my wrists! This smells So good! I would definitely wear this myself but I want to get the boy some. I will be all over him like a bunny! Actually, since he just got home after being away for 9 months, I am anyway, but this will make me crazy! It hasn’t even dried yet, and I smell SEX like there is no tomorrow! Bye, I am off to grab him. Haha…I came back to add that I read the description again, and God of Chaos accurately describes my boy! Drydown: It’s got too musky for me to wear but I still want to smell this on him before it goes to the swap pile.

At first, I was just going to review the scent and didn’t have much to say past that in the imp and wet on my skin, I smelled Magnolias and Jasmine, both very strong! This is a really strong floral, almost headache inducing, although when it dries, it is bearable. But again, it is “just” a floral, and although I always considered myself “just” a floral wearing girl (I am starting to change my mind about that after trying out and loving a lot of Beth’s foody and sugary scents!), I didn’t think this one was for me. However, after reading in some of the reviews that this scent was named for a grisly murder victim, whose killer had never been charged, I had to find out more about the “Black Dahlia”. I went to http://www.bethshort.com/index.htm and found that, although her nickname denotes more of a wicked, dark, strong woman, she, in fact, was quite innocent and dependent and a tragic, sad figure. I can now see where Beth was going with this scent (or at least this is my interpretation of where she was going). The Black Dahlia, also named Beth, was severed in two, her stark white, naked body shown to the world. In this blend, we have two white flowers, magnolias and jasmine present. The darkness of the crime is represented by the dark amber and the smoky rose. As John Gilmore, author of “Severed”, says, “that pale white body severed in two...Beauty and darkness and death. Three irresistible elements burning brightly like a dying star.” I think this scent captures that. Whether I like this scent or would want to wear it, does not matter any more. I honour it as a prayer to the victim, as I believe it was meant to be.

The forks of the road: an in-between place, sacred and tangibly magickal in innumerable cultures and faiths. This scent is dark with mystery, taut with power. A chill twilit garden of blooms over dry earth and mosses, heavily laden with incense and offertory herbs. First sniff: I smell the Graveyard Dirt lying underneath this quite prominently! I haven't tried Zombi yet, so GD is the first thing this compares to. Wet on wrists: Yep! It smells like the loamy G Dirt! But there is flowers too, which makes this easier on the nose for me. No incense yet coming through. Drydown: A soft floral, with just a hint of the dirt left. Just barely a hint, so that for the first time, I actually like the loamy dirt smell. I had so looked forward to GD, as I love the smell of earth and actually used to eat dirt as a kid, but the loamy earth wasn't familiar to me. This is more like my mother's garden, in our dry climate...different flowers of course (I grew up in Zone 3 Manitoba, not the old South) but still familiar and nice. After putting this on, I got out my cd of Crossroads, from the movie with Ralph Macchio, and am listening to Ry Cooder play some Mississippi Blues while I wear it. I loved that movie (what's not to love about a guitar contest in Hell?). I can imagine this is what the Mississippi smells like and I think maybe this imp will go to play with the Voodoo ones I just got from the Lab, for when I feel like doing that voodoo thang! Now, I am getting a reminder of another favourite movie, Angel Heart! Yep, I like this scent! :-)

Sniffing the imp, the only thing I smell is Patchouli! A nice Patch, but Patch, none the less. I try it on, and it is still Patchouli, wet on my wrists. I like the smell, but since I work in a metaphysical store, I can get Patch oil and incense whenever I want, so I pretty much decide I will swap this one. So, I come on here to read reviews, and write one of my own, and I read the Lab's description...this also has Sandalwood and Frankincense in it, I see! Well, I also can get lots of incense of those, but now I am thinking about the oils...last time I checked Sandlewood oil and Frankincense oil are two of the priciest oils around! The Organic Essential Oil company that we stock at the store, won't even produce/sell Sandalwood oil as it has been so stripped in nature, that it is becoming endangered. I sniff my wrist again, and now I smell the sandalwood coming through. I really do love that smell. I also love the idea of Pirates and ships. I fell in love with a floating home that I found on the internet tonight that is for sale in Victoria, BC. I think I will hang on to the imp for the time being, only because I wonder if, in the future, it will be impossible for Beth to use some of these oils in these blends...at least at these prices! I may even order a bottle to hoard in case I decide I can't live without it. I would use it in an infuser, even if I wouldn't wear it. *puts it in the imp box to contemplate further*

Wet: OMG, this is just the loveliest blend of flowers. First off, I smell lilies and what seems like white roses. This is what I think the Madonna would smell like. (Mother Mary, NOT the "performer") I can see Her, in Her long, blue robes, reaching out to me, with a sweet, loving smile. As it dries, the night blooming jasmine comes out. I am not the biggest fan of jasmine, as my nose can get stuffed up from it, especially if it is so strong. But still, this scent is lovely. It smells as if it belongs in a church, with the sun’s rays streaming through the stained glass windows, and there is a young girl, dressed in white, praying before a lit candle. Drydown, soft and floral, the blend is coming through nicely, but is very faint, now. Like the hush at the end of a prayer. Beautiful! The only thing I would disagree with in the description is that it definitely smells like a woman’s scent to me, and not a man’s.

In the vial, this smells like a very sharp citrus mixed with Graveyard dirt! I really didn't think it would be for me, and almost added it to the swap pile, but decided to test it out on my skin to see what happened. I put it on my left wrist and while still wet, the earthy scent died down a bit and all I can really smell is the bitter grapefruit smell. I am not sure if I actually like it or not…but I keep smelling my wrist to decide - I can’t. After about 10 minutes, something sweet starts coming through. That must be the apple blossoms! I have an apple blossom SN imp, and I LOVE it, so was hoping I would smell that in this one. Oh, this is magic how it has now changed from bitter to sweet! Beth truly IS an alchemist!! Now that it has dried, the sweetness combines with the tea and a bit of grapefruit in the background…just enough of both so that the sweetness becomes sexy. I can definitely see this as a Sex Potion, in the way the classic romance novel goes, where the two main characters start out fighting and then lusting after one another. This goes from the proverbial slap in the face to the ripping of the bodice pretty fast! I am going to try the imp a few more times, on my neck and wrists, to see how long it lasts, and if I love it, before I decide if I want a big bottle but right now I am quite enamored!

I went to the mail today, and found that I had received 3 imps, from a fellow BPAL'er: Whippoorwill, Al Azif and Miskatonic University, from the Arkham series. I have never done a review before, on any of the oils, but since these are being discontinued as of midnight tonight, I thought I would let you all know my thoughts on them, in case anyone was waffling on whether to buy them or not. Al Azif - In the bottle, it smells very floral! I don't remember what was in this blend, but I didn't order it and I usually want the florals. Mmmm...smells very nice on, too! Kind of like gardenia or jasmine...very pretty and sweet. If this doesn't change on drying down, it would make a beautiful summer scent. Drying down, still a lovely floral. It reminds me of being in an English garden...gorgeous! Whoa! I go to look up the Lab's description and Al Azif is described as A sinister, sinuous incense of summoning, a herald and paean to the Primordial Gods of Darkness, Chaos, Madness and Decay!!? No wonder I didn't order it! But...but it is so pretty! I am not getting sinister or decaying here at all. The floral smell could be from incense, but it is definitely a floral incense! I sell incense and I really think this is Gardenia or Jasmine. It's beautiful and I think I want a big bottle of this! Finally, I have a winner!! :-)

I went to the mail today, and found that I had received 3 imps, from a fellow BPAL'er: Whippoorwill, Al Azif and Miskatonic University, from the Arkham series. I have never done a review before, on any of the oils, but since these are being discontinued as of midnight tonight, I thought I would let you all know my thoughts on them, in case anyone was waffling on whether to buy them or not. Miskatonic University - Sniffing the imp, there is the overwhelming aroma of chocolate...like a very expensive chocolate liqueur. Smells yummy but I don't know if I want to wear it or eat it! Wet on skin...uh oh, there comes the coffee! I do not drink coffee and really don't like the smell of it. Plus, I used to buy my ex-husband Irish Cream coffee all the time (his favourite) and this is smelling just like it...it is not bringing up the best memories there. Drying now, still smells exactly like irish cream coffee! Beth sure captured that well! The coffee has gotten stronger and the chocolate softer, though and it is making me feel ill, now. I don't smell musty library halls or books at all, unfortunately. That was what I was hoping for. Oh well, I have saved myself another $15!

I went to the mail today, and found that I had received 3 imps, from a fellow BPAL'er: Whippoorwill, Al Azif and Miskatonic University, from the Arkham series. I have never done a review before, on any of the oils, but since these are being discontinued as of midnight tonight, I thought I would let you all know my thoughts on them, in case anyone was waffling on whether to buy them or not. Whippoorwill- On first sniff, from the imp, this smells fresh and clean to me...kind of like a Bounce sheet, before you throw it into the dryer. Wet, on my skin, there seems to be an ozone scent coming out. Ozone doesn't work on my skin, I have found out, from trying Storm Moon. At least this one is better than Storm Moon, which smells like bug spray on me, but what I am getting the most from it is men's cologne. As it dries, I keep sniffing and still keep getting men's cologne...may be nice on a man, but not on me. Another sniff and it makes me sneeze! It is drier now, and it still smells like being around the men's cologne display in a department store. I would save it for my man, but this is not the kind of scent I want to sniff on him...it is like those Mennen Speed Stick Sports deodorants! And I don't have good associations with Whippoorwills, either, as there used to be one at my place in the country, every summer that screeched incessantly all night. I think it was looking for a mate but it drove me crazy! I wish that whippoorwill would have been as easy to swap as this one will probably be!