sixthsentinel

This is my favorite scent of the Maelstrom series, hands down. It was also one I never would have bought if I hadn't gone ahead & tackled the entire set. Just goes to further my theory that you never can tell! I get the Dragon's blood & the cocoa mostly, and I think I can pull out the blood musk, maybe.....all the other stuff (pepper, allspice, & vetiver) does a nice job of pulling the whole sent together. I would've thought it would all add up to a raucous cacophony of scents, but oddly enough, it smells like waffle cone on my skin! Ice cream, anyone? Oh, also, this is really odd, but....it kind of puts me in the mind of Snake Charmer, though it really doesn't smell like it to me. I can't figure out the similarites, if any, but.....there seem to be some. Although I have to wonder if maybe it isn't all just in my head. It does, though, smell quite a bit like Dragon's Heart to me; that same deep, dark, rich type of Dragon's Blood scent, as opposed to straight-up DB, which goes floral on me in a really bad way.

First off, have to thank the generous forumite who sent my an imp of this to try. So, thank you! This reminds me quite a bit of Frost Moon, though I think between the two, The Fool is definitely the one I like better. Upon application, I get a minty, bubblegum/floral type of scent, with the same underlying hint of rot I get from Iambe. Not a flat-out "animal carcass" sniff, but more like the mere suggestion that something is "off", like fruit that is a little ways beyond it's peak ripeness. The difference is that this sniff fades quickly with The Fool. When it dries down, it is mostly mint, maybe backed up by a floral (I don't know why, but lotus has been coming to mind. I'm probably way off base, though). I have been feeling really good for the last two days since I've been wearing this, & I cannot help but wonder if maybe the oil itself has something to do with it. I like The Fool, & I think I am going to have to get a bottle.

Hmmm....can't decide if I really like this or it's just "meh" on me. One thing is for certain, though -- to my nose, this is a lighter version of Hunter Moon (which I adore beyond all measure). Upon first try, it just seemed like there was something creeping around in there that wasn't jiving so well with my skin, but it *is* better since I've let it sit for a few days. I briefly toyed with the idea of letting it go, but I just know that some more aging will make this even better, so for now, it's not going anywhere. Who knows what magnificent thing Hellion will turn into a few months down the road? I'm eager to find out.

That NP one is absolutely beautiful!

Smut indeed! If guilty-pleasure had a scent, it would be this! On me, the musks are indeed dark, reminding me, I think, of the musks in Spellbound. However, keeping them from being too dark & overwhelming is a sweetness, just enough to keep me sniffing my wrist. Reminds me of the things I revel in in secret, too embarrassed to share with even the one closest to me. The things that make you feel so dirty, yet you can't help but go back to, like instantaneously covering your eyes at a shockingly obscene moment in a movie, but unable to resist peeking through your fingers. So glad I didn't give in to my borderline fear of certain musks. The payoff is well worth it! edited for grammar. I swear I am losing IQ points by the hour.

This is, to me, an herbal lavender scent. I find myself reaching for it when I wish to be taken seriously and/or be seen as intelligent. One word that leapt to mind upon wearing it for the first time was 'refined'. It does smell rather masculine, but in an aloof & scholarly way rather than in a testosterone-driven, beer-chugging, scratching-his-balls-unashamedly-in-public way. I guess what I mean is, it doesn't just scream, "HEY, I'M WEARING MEN'S COLOGNE!" so I don't feel awkward wearing it--or like I just finished rolling around with a man all night and still reek of his cologne, giving away the fact that there was no time for a morning shower. I like it, I like the way it makes me feel introspective & like I actually finished college. When I am wearing Casanova, I feel like I can sit around without a thought in my head while appearing to anyone who happens by to be quite probably pondering the cosmos. It almost feels like wearing a disguise. Needless to say, an imp would never do, so I have a big bottle on the way. *stikes pose of Rodan's "The Thinker"*

The two words that come to mind with this scent are "warmth" and "spice." For some reason, this scent reminds me of my grandpa, or holidays with my family. I can't quite pinpoint why, but I think it has something to do with being warm & cozy & in the presence of loved ones. I just keep getting those images/feelings from this scent. It feels like being snuggled up & warm in flannel pjs & bunny slippers while a winter storm blows around outside. I just feel so safe & comfortable while wearing it. Oddly enough, I also feel LOVED, and maybe this is why I keep thinking of my grandpa. If this is the scent of the forboding of death, then I am comforted to know that it is what I had hoped death would be (ultimate rest, peaceful eternal slumber) than what I fear it will be (dark, cold, lonely, frightening).

After I bought this on e-bay, I kept kicking myself with the "what was I thinking?!" Especially after reading some reviews of it...I was instantly reminded of all the reasons why I'd never snatched a bottle of this up before---ozone? aquatic? HELLZ NO! So imagine my surprise when I tried this scent on my skin & loved it. To me, it is just clean & fresh, and it brought me a sense of peace. At a time when I *really* needed it. Honestly (beware oncoming vomit-inducing cheesiness), this scent makes me feel like my spirit has been washed clean by an autumn storm. I feel...balance...peace. This is beautiful. There really are no words for it. I love it in a soul-restoring way.

I got to try this scent courtesy of the lovely aidenraine, and it was one that I never would have thought to order when the DiMV scents went up. So I was pleasantly surprised to find the I absolutely loved it! It is a very sweet scent, & not one that I would have described as floral, myself, if only because oftentimes floral scents give me a raging headache. That aside, I still don't think "floral" when I get a whiff of the scent. Oddly enough (and I hope this doesn't turn anyone off, but) it kind of reminds me of the handsoap that seems to be present in so many public restrooms. I think it's that pink handsoap, if I remember correctly. Anyway, I really like that scent, & I am definitely going to be ordering a big bottle. The boyfriend thinks it smells like coconut...but he's weird like that. Edited to add: it is now over twenty-four hours later, & I can still smell this on my wrist, though it is pretty faint by now.

I just got some of those little amber vials with droppers & have been transferring some of my scents into those. I think I got the idea from reading someone else's post on this thread who said they liked this method too. I used to just put my finger over the mouth of the bottle, tilt it, then apply, repeat, but I really like the idea of keeping the oil pristine, & this way it is never really touched by human hands. Also, I've been having a blast making little labels for them. <---dork

This scent smells almost exactly like a spray I got at Hot Topic once called Fire Dance--I think it had an Amy Brown fairy on the box. There also used to be a Victoria's Secret scent that smelled close to it...I think it was Number 11--or was it Number 88? Regardless, by the time I got my imp of Hell's Belle, I was pretty burnt-out on the scent, which, like all of its above-mentioned twins tickled my nose & made my cat sneeze something fierce. It IS nice though, & I think that had I not exhausted my olfactory glands with the Hot Topic sniff, I would have liked Hell's Belle a whole lot more. It's a unique type of scent, but I think whatever is in it to give it that 'crackling flickering flame' type scent had just used up all its love with me.

This scent took me utterly by surprise. I never would have ordered it, it was a frimp. And out of my entire order, this was by far my favorite. It was also my first big bottle. Lemme preface this by saying Rose & I do not get along. It is a very rare day when we do. But both in the bottle & on my skin, I rarely get the faintest whiff of rose at all. What it isn't is floral; what it IS is dead sexy, to my nose. It is heady & intoxicating & somehow very GOTH to me, though I have no idea why. This is one I would never have the balls to wear to work; it seems as though it would be almost obscene. It's simply too sexy to grace the cinder-block walls of a factory, I guess. If this scent were a person, it would be that one brazen young woman in the office whose skirts are always just a smidge too short, her tops always cut just a wee bit too low. The women cut her disapproving glances over pursed lips & the men turn as she walks by, but she goes through each day seemingly oblivious to it all--or maybe she just doesn't care. I remember Spencers Gifts smelling like this when I was just a little thing, and when I mentioned it to the boyfriend, he agreed. I always did love that smell. Now I know where to find it. Too perfect.

Hunter Moon is, for me, Fall in a Bottle. It is that exact time of year when each time the wind picks up you can hear the dry rustling sound of leaves blowing down the sidewalks & streets. The days are getting cooler & the nights downright chilly, & you make a mental note to put the flannel sheets on your bed the next time you change them. Then there's that scent in the air, when you know for certain that summer has had it's last hurrah & given over to autumn completely. That FALL scent. That is Hunter Moon. I have three bottles of this that I managed to hoard, and oddly two of them smell the same while the third smells different...however, that is only while in the bottle and during the 'wet' stage. The drydowns of all three somehow smell the same. I am one of the lucky ones on whom the animal note is very prominent on. I say lucky, because to me it is sexy as hell & my boyfriend seems to agree, if you get my drift. I love Hunter Moon & I love the way I feel when I wear it. I LOVE it. Love.

Darkness was my first experience in freaky body chemistry & its effects on perfume. And a damn good example of why it may be best to try something more than once before either dismissing or ordering half a dozen bottles of a scent. The First Wear--- Every sniff of the wrist was an 'experience'. Hard for me to explain, but I'll give it a try. The scent was heady & sexy. To me it is also a heavy scent, not insomuch as it is overpowering, but kind of like humidity is heavy, if that makes any sense. If this scent is the darkness of night, it's not the night with the star-filled sky and a light breeze, but a heavy still night deep into summer with not so much as a cricket stirring. The kind of night that feels like it has a life of its own & is drawn back & waiting for something, almost like the night itself is holding its breath. The calm before the storm, I guess. But somehow, riding the coattails of each inhaled breath is the 'snuffed-out candle' scent I have seen others mention. I also saw somebody describe it as 'acrid' & I think that is the perfect description for it. As I am prone to headaches triggered by certain scents, it wasn't for me...but something about the beginning of each sniff, that heady sexiness, as I can only describe it, would not allow me to discount this scent just yet. Second Wear--- Complete & total hairspray, just like a few others said. This had to be my chemistry acting whacky or something, because it smelled nothing like it did the first time I tried it. As a matter of fact, it resulted in a bit of foot-in-mouth syndrome, as a smoking-sexy guy I was working with that night commented that something stuck. Immediately I was like, "does it smell like hairspray, by chance?" He said no, it didn't smell like anything in particular, just BAD. So it wasn't me, but then he wanted to know why I asked if it smelled like hairspray and, well, it was just awkward. If you DO happen to have the right chemistry though...this just might be a must-have in your arsenal of 'weapons-with-which-to-subdue-and-conquer-the-opposite-sex.' Use with caution

This one is so near & dear to my heart I am actually defensive of it, like a parent who does not want their child's innocence spoiled by some of the more unpleasant things in the world. I do not want to read reviews of it for fear of suggestion; if somehow something I read changed the way this smelled to me, I honestly think I would be pained by it, at least a little. What would happen if someone mentioned that it smelled like ____, or noticed notes that didn't agree with me, and then I began to notice them too? Or what if I wore this on a day when I felt less than perfect, or a day when something really bad happened, & Nosferatu was forever tainted in my 'scent memory'? Yes, it sounds ridiculous & like maybe I'm taking this whole perfume-thing a wee bit too seriously, but for me, perfume is a comfort-thing. I wear it to calm my nerves, or remind me of better days, or just to ground myself. Whatever emotional reaction I have to a scent/while wearing a scent can affect me profoundly. And so it is with Nosferatu. I do not for the love of all that is holy know why it smells exactly like the sweet tea my grandma used to make, but it does. And thus I am instantly transported to a time long ago, a time when it was a whole lot easier to smile. A time when I could visit my dad or either of my grandpas & not have to talk to a stone in their place. A time when it was okay to take the little things in life for granted, when a glass of sweet tea or a perfume was just that & nothing more. For me, Nosferatu is very nearly the equivalent of stepping into a time machine & reliving memories I thought I'd forgotten, as comforting as the unseen presence of a long-gone but much-loved relative. And so it has become almost sacred to me, almost magical, more potion than perfume, & all for only twelve bucks & change in a tiny cobalt blue bottle. Priceless, as the commercial says. Thanks to Beth & the labbies for reminding me, however unintentionally, that life was once more beauty than loss, more hope than despair.

On me, this scent is a warmer, richer version of blood. If blood is a rich red scent, for the sake of argument, Dragon's Heart is a deep burgungy, almost purplish scent. After wearing it twice, I decided I needed a big bottle & an imp or two extra to hoard in the meantime. This is going to be a scent I get a lot of use out of come the fall/winter months. It is all warmth to me. Very comforting. I love it.

Alright, after all this procrastination, I think I've finally gotten up the guts to do my first review. Rather intimidating, though, as I have nowhere near the knowledge of individual notes, nor the beautiful writing style of so many of the lovlies on this board....but I'll do my best. This was the first BPAL scent I tried, & thus far, I believe the most complex, in that it morphed several times during its wear. Upon opening the imp, it was a VERY strong green scent, & for the first 10-15 minutes after I put it on, it was indeed merciless with me, as I am one of those who sometimes gets headaches from floral blends. It quickly morphed from that into the Dial soap scent that I had seen someone else describe. Not altogether unpleasant, just...well, not what I was hoping for. Yet 2-3 hours later, the lady demonstrates her fickleness as she morphs again, into a soft sweet powdery floral. Oh, yeah, that's the stuff. Liked this stage quite a bit actually. Alas, she did not stop here, for about 6-8 hours into the wear, she changes back into Dial soap. Pooh. After giving this imp another whirl, I decided to pack her up & ship her off to my aunt's house (already enabling!), where I am certain she will be better loved. *sigh* Ah, well, dem's da breaks.