Little Bird

Was it just the one person that thought it smelled of baby powder or all of your coworkers...? Maybe it was just the impression of the one girl. BPAL's amber notes almost always either smell like baby power or dust on me. Booo.

What exactly do you think sex smells like? Like, what sort of notes would embody sex for you? I am curious, lol. People always tell me that things smell like sex... and it's not what I think of at all. I duplicated with BPAL the way that my current boy smells (I'm weird, I know), but isn't the sexy smell different for everyone? O smells like chocolate covered cherries on me and Snake Oil smells just... oily, dirty, and bad on me. Neither one of them made me think about the smell of sex though. The mixture that I made to smell like my boy is really personal to me, and probably wouldn't make other people think about sex, but it makes me swoon. I'll stop rambling now.

It's been entertaining to read how different everyone's reviews for this are. I wish that Zero were fruity or foodie on me, but it's not working so well. First on... perfumey white florals... then it dried down to a light dusting of baby powder within 15 minutes. It had faded away entirely within a half hour. It's exactly the sort of scent that would give me a headache if it were stronger... as it is, it's so light that I barely noticed it. I'm already passing along my decant... I'll be interested to see what the actual notes in this are and if it changes any if it's ever released though.

I tracked down a decant of this one for a friend and tried it out on him, after much of his begging. He hoped that it would make him more popular with the ladies, which did not happen, but it still smelled pretty nice on him. It had an animalistic musky note to it, along with a green pine sort of fragrance, and a slight hint of woods. Maybe a bit of earthy patchouli? Very appropriate for a masculine forest blend. My male friend loved the smell and wants a full bottle, he said that it made him feel more confident and 'manly.'

First on, I think that this might have myrrh in it, as I'm getting that sweetly golden resin scent that I get from myrrh. There's also a smoky wooden note that might be sandalwood. After a few minutes, this is a spicy-herbal with smoky incense and a burnt orange peel sort of smell Orange blossom often smells like burnt orange on me, so I wonder if there's some of that in this blend. I'm not getting any lotus (which I actually like), but this has morphed into a smoky incense, herb, and burnt citrus scent on me. I probably wouldn't wear this one... it wreaks havoc with my skin chemistry.

Milk & Honey really reminds me of tea. My mother used to drink this hot tea with honey and lemon in it, and that's what this smells like on me. Slightly herbal, sweet honey, and a burst of lemon. I'm not so sure about effectiveness. My romantic life is not lacking, but my finances still are, lol.

Much thanks to my imp pimp for letting me try this one Hakkotsu is a rather simple fragrance on me, and I think that I favor the more complex blends. First on I can definitely smell the sandalwood. It's a dry, slightly powdery woods. After a few minutes, a citrussy bite comes out that I figure is from the bergamot. Lemony sandalwood on me. After about a half hour, the lily starts to come out and add a soapy twang to the whole thing. It's nice. It's like an incredibly clean/soft sandalwood blend. Hakkotsu isn't really one that I would wear a lot though, it almost smells too simple to me. Plus, I don't often wear citrussy-clean blends. Still... nice.

I've never tried Flowerbomb, so I can't be sure, but some scents with similar notes that you might want to try are: *Namaste (sandalwood, jasmine, rose, patchouli, cedarwood and lemongrass) *Wilde (patchouli, tonka, bergamot, moss, lavender, jasmine and thyme - though I never really get patchouli from this one, and it's one of my favorites) *Iambe (amber, patchouli, rose, gardenia, gladiola and white tea)

Scent-wise, Cleo May smells really unique and lovely. It actually has a watered down, sweet, fruity sort of smell on me. Perhaps the way that gatorade generally smells (uh, watered down), sort of blue raspberry-ish and icy water. It also has a honeyed quality to it. I don't get any florals. The fragrance is pretty long lasting, but subtle. As for effectiveness... I'm not even really sure why I bought this, because I'm not currently interested in prostitution (although if my BPAL addiction continues down this debt-ridden road, I might consider it) or one night stands. In any case, no one came on to me while I was wearing this one, except for my boy, and I think that was more of a usual thing than thanks to the perfume, lol.

I wore Charisma today because I had to go in to the hospital and talk to a bunch of people about my treatment plans and a whole bunch of fun personal stuff. I was scared out of my wits and wanted to make a good impression so that people would actually listen to me... and I wanted something that would perhaps help me to talk to people, form coherent sentences, and just generally make a great impression on the people that I need to help me out. That said, I did feel a lot better today when I wore Charisma. I was unnaturally (for me anyhow) calm and didn't have a single moment where I stuttered or felt overwhelmed. I knew exactly what I wanted to say and ask, and I was able to speak without any hint of anxiety or trouble. Everyone that I encountered was warm and really went out of their way to help me and try to strike up conversations with me. It was as though complete strangers suddenly found me to be captivating and fascinating. I even like the way that Charisma smells, but I've found most of the TAL blends that I've tried to be rather pleasantly scented. Charisma actually makes me think of the way that glass smells, sort of cool and clean. It's clean, a bit powdery, and a bit smoky on me. And I definitely get a spicy/resinous hint of frankincense in here as well(and I lurve frankincense). Overall, I love this one.

Queen of the Nile has a really beautiful fragrance. It actually reminds me a lot of Florence. It has the same berries, spice, and smoky amber quality that I get out of Florence. This blend is just a bit darker and more seductive. It smells a little muskier than Florence did as well, perhaps a smoky dark musk. I did get quite a few compliments on the fragrance when I wore this, but I didn't really notice any strangers coming over to fawn over me or anything. And the person that I wanted to open up communication with did not notice it or me at all, but politely brushed me off as usual. My friends all just wanted to know what my new perfume was. I'll wear this a few more times and see if it helps with my communication issues (and I'll update if I notice anything)... it's not a chore to wear because it smells so damn good anyhow

This smells pleasantly clean in the way that a river smells, with water running over the rocks. Sort of clean and stony. Maybe a bit of white floral as well. I'm still not getting any sort of spice that others have mentioned. It's pleasantly sweet and herbal after a while on my skin (actually reminded me a bit of Kostnice over time).

Alice tends to be my sweet/flirty scent... it's not full out sex appeal, but feels more charming to me. It has an innocence to it that I really like.

You should definitely snag a bottle of Monster Bait: Closet while it is still available. It's the closest thing I've come to finding something that smells like Beaver Moon... only it's a lot better than Beaver Moon Actually, you should grab a bottle of Monster Bait: Underbed too, if you like the chocolate scents. You might also want to try Vice, it smells like chocolate covered gummi bears on me. Jailbait smells like bubblegum and lollipops. Velvet is silky sandalwood and cocoa. Hellcat is an interesting foodie blend along the same lines of Gluttony. Obatala is milky-coconut and sugared sweetness. Sudha Segara is a sweet milky scent. Alice is milk and honeyed cakes on me in the drydown. If you're interested in fruity-foodie blends, a lot of the newer releases are awesome. Oya is wonderful plum, Yemaya smells like fresh cantaloupe, and Ogun is a spicy melon blend. Shango smells like a mixture of tropical fruits and apple. Hollywood Babylon is vanilla-sugar drenched strawberries. Dragon's Milk is also a great foodie blend that is hard to describe. Very sweet and wonderful. I always get compliments on that one. Voodoo is sort of foodie on me as well, and it's my favorite scent. And, if you're interested in vanilla-tea scents, definitely try Dorian. It's foodie in a way, and also very delicious. /will end rambling now

Amor starts out overwhelmingly of that cherry/almond scent that I'm not fond of, then quickly dries down to to something like lovely cherry and orange lollipops on me. It fades rather quickly over an hour, and leaves behind a faint sweetness after that. I catch light hints of that candied scent for hours after application. I don't normally like orange scented anything, but I love the candied orange in Amor. It's a happy scent to me, and it make me smile a bit when I smell it. I'll probably purchase a few bottles of this one. It's something that I really want to slather on and enjoy.

I really love the way that Sexual Energy smells. It's like the spicy blend that I've always been searching for. Not too heavy on the cinnamon, and infused with lots of great spices. I think that I can pick out what smells like sugar, clove, and nutmeg. It's very pleasant and warm. As for the effectiveness... it didn't really give me any more sexual energy than I have normally. But I normally have a lot of extra energy the second that I'm placed in the same room with my boy (he is my mood enhancer, lol). The boy said that he liked the smell, but was thankful that it didn't make me more amorous, because that might be the death of him. I agree with Lycanthrope's comment that this is exactly what I had hoped Three Witches would smell like.

Temple of the Dark Maiden does smell very dark to me, but I cannot really pick out any one thing that it smells like. It's a bit smoky, a bit wooden, and a lot earthy. At first it reminded me a bit of anise, and then a lot of vetiver, but it doesn't smell like either of those exactly. It isn't what I would classify as a good smell or an awful one. Overall this one is dark and smoky and not something that I would ever really recommend wearing either.

Based on scent alone, Temple: Celtic is gorgeous. It's sweet, fresh, and summery to me. It smells watery and green in the way that cucumber does, but it's definitely not an aquatic scent. It has a wonderful sweetness to it that reminds me of the way that raspberries and raspberry branches smell. I actually would wear and love this as a perfume. It's a bit watery, a bit green, a bit fruity, and a bit sweet. It reminds me of my grandmother's garden in Arkansas... she always grew cucumbers and there was a backdrop of raspberry bushes. Just beautiful. I'm a bit in love with this scent.

My first thought when using Temple: Norse was also that it reminds me strongly of The Hesperides, only I like it more than The Hesperides somehow. My bottle of The Hesperides smells like cinnamon apples and a sort of ashen, leafy quality. This is more like spicy (but not necessarily cinnamon-spice) boozy apples. They're sweet and crisp at the same time. After several minutes, Temple:Norse becomes very sweet apples. Almost as though a sweeter fruit or a sweeter floral note is lingering underneath the boozy apple scent. It reminds me a bit of super-sweet jasmine, but it's not overpowering or bad in any way. It's very lovely, just based on scent alone.

This is another scent that smells completely different now when compared to how it smelled in 2006. It used to smell of dry, black dirt with a papery, white mushroom and hint of white floral perfume. In 2012, my new bottle of this doesn't have any dirt smell to it at all and smells like soap and something like harsh woodsmoke and sharp white floral perfume. It's a scrubber... 2016 frimp: This smells like a hint of wet, black dirt and a ton of dirty ashtray smell with perfumey, soapy floral. Blech. 2019 frimp: Herbal, dill pickle-ish scent with a hint of earthy, pickled beets over an intensely soapy, white scent that's like laundry soap with some floral tones.

First on, Sheol is all sharp florals. There is also a hint of something sweet that reminds me of fruit in the background. It doesn't smell like any one fruit in particular, just has that vaguely nondescript fruity feel to it. After 15 minutes. Smoky florals and spicy notes. I can't pick out any one note in this, it's just a jumble of perfume. It reminds me a bit of the department store florals that I tend to stay far away from. Too sharp for me. After a half hour. A lot of the sharpness has faded and Sheol has sweetened up considerably. It smells a bit golden and incensey, and also has a smooth tonka note to it. Sheol isn't so bad in the drydown, but it's really not something that I could ever wear. It starts off with way too much sharp/smoky floral.

I don't get dirt or any green notes from Mandrake. It's nothing but dry, spicy cedar. This one clings really close, I can barely smell it unless I slather it on or have my nose right up against my skin. I like how subtle it is. Spicy, subtle cedar. After 5 hours it had completely faded, but it stayed the same throughout. I like this sort of cedar, it's very comforting and masculine to me. Mandrake is something that I wouldn't mind slathering on the boy.

Uh-oh. In the imp, this immediately gave me a painful trip back to the memory of how badly Stardust gave me a migraine and made me want to scrape off my wrists. Could it be that poppy is the migraine inducing floral that always smells like really cheap hairspray on me? Metallic, noxious, suffocating fumes. 15 minutes after first applying and cautiously sniffing at my wrists... this has calmed down a lot and taken on a sweeter, powdery edge. But it's still overpowering and making my head pound, and it still has this twisted chemical edge to it that makes me a little nauseous. Just like with Stardust, I have to wash this one off before I become ill.

I love Odin when I first apply it, it has a great greenish note to it that reminds me of really sweet limeade (I love anything that reminds me of limes) underneath some woody herbal notes. Sadly, within 15 minutes, this starts to smell like nothing but dusty amber on my skin. And, as amber-ish notes always do, it turns to nothing but baby powder within a few seconds. I keep re-applying this because I love the first 15 minutes. I so wish that it didn't go powdery on me

I was also intrigued by the olive green color of this one. It looks very cool in the imp. Anyhow, lol. This is very dark and strange on me. Not bad strange, but very different from anything that I've ever smelled before. It smells empty. Whenever I sniff my wrist or catch a faint whiff of it floating up to me, I'm struck with a spicy woods scent and then suddenly nothing. The dark musk lends it a clean, chilly, vacant sort of element. Oblivion is like cold emptiness drizzled in spicy woods and something smoky and resinous. It's dark and sexy and something that I would love on the boy. It strikes me as something that is too masculine for even me to wear, and I tend to wear a lot of men's colognes. Spicy woods and hints of dark musk and earthy patchouli, but overall it's surprisingly light and disappears after only a few hours on my skin. I think that this one captures the concept of Oblivion very well, it's so deep and empty at the same time. I like the concept a lot, but the boy is getting the imp. ETA: I lied. I gave this to the boy and then stole it back for myself. Oblivion is sexy as all hell.