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HAIR LOOSENED AND SOILED IN MID ORGIES All shrines that were Vestal are flameless, But the flame has not fallen from this; Though obscure be the god, and though nameless The eyes and the hair that we kiss; Low fires that love sits by and forges Fresh heads for his arrows and thine; Hair loosened and soiled in mid orgies With kisses and wine. White honey, warm musk, and ambrette seed. :wub2: This is seriously amazing. Ah-may-zing! I put on way too much, because I couldn't tell how much was coming out at first. There's nothing wet or greasy about the gloss as you put it on. I've got pretty long hair and I put on about 6 squirts, which is WAY too much. I can't regret it, though, since I'm totally in love. I definitely smell the honey and it's a sweeter, lighter honey than I've gotten from other blends. And the ambrette adds a little bite to the blend. But the musk ties it all together and really makes it pop. The honey is the dominant note for me, but I definitely get the other two ingredients. And it lasts forever! I was distracted all day at work, because I smelled so good. It was still there when I went to sleep. Though a bit of caution for people who get powder from honey or amber blends... One of my co-workers said it smelled like baby powder. I don't get that at all, but... Other people may get that. Sorry!

STREUOBSTWIESE Bright red apples, apple blossom, apricot blossom, and meadow flowers scattered over a soft, thick blanket of grass. According the Wiki, Streuobstwiese is a German word that means a meadow with scattered fruit trees or fruit trees that are planted in a field. The soap is smooth and silky, and even room temperature and dry smells of lovely, juicy apples. It's a green soap, but the apple note is all sweet and bright and red. This isn't the strongest smelling BPTP soap I've tried, but it does lather nicely and releases a sweet apple smell, with an undertone of green florals. Not that the flower notes are green, but I think the grass note is kind of giving that impression. It stabilizes the blend and makes it a bit more interesting and less super sweet. Really, I don't get a lot of the flowers, and I can't pick out the grass individually at all. This soap smells like APPLE and a little background of scattered flowers. It's lovely, especially with the dry fall weather.

PORT AU PRINCE SOAP Dark, decadent and incomparably exotic: the rich scent of buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras. Oh, first to review? Ok. So, the texture of this soap threw me off. I know the description said "crushed almonds for exfoliation," but I guess I forgot? They're not like hard almond chunks, but there is a texture to the soap. There's definitely grit from the clove which adds a nice spice but makes the soap a little rough. And there are flakes or shavings of almond, which tend to stick a bit as the soap lathers... So rinse carefully! The scent is pretty much what it says on the label. Buttered rum, check! Sweet and creamy. Clove, yep, it's got a hint of spice. Bay, yes. The sassafras and almond are milder, but you can smell them. Overall very nice, but the scent doesn't seem to linger like some of the other BPTP soaps.

A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers. This is absolutely gorgeous! It's my first BPTP candle order and I couldn't be happier with it. The scent is amazing, so sweet and soft (but with a powerful throw!) and beautiful. I very much get the sugar plum, with a hint of floral. There's a bit of a cool feeling to the scent, but not in a minty kind of way. It just feels winter-y. I love having this lit downstairs with the Solstice decorations... It's a pretty slow burn; it's been lit for about 3 hours total now and the wax is only a little indented while cool. Might need to get a second before it's gone!

THE FROTH OF THE SERPENTS OF PLEASURE All thine the new wine of desire, The fruit of four lips as they clung Till the hair and the eyelids took fire, The foam of a serpentine tongue, The froth of the serpents of pleasure, More salt than the foam of the sea, Now felt as a flame, now at leisure As wine shed for me. Sweet red wine, oakmoss, ambergris accord, ylang ylang, and Spanish mandarin. This is so beautiful! It's smells like a really good sangria tastes. The wine is brightened by a citrus note, and it makes it really sweet. But this is still really rich and deep underneath the bright fruity notes. It's very well blended, because it never gets too fruit-punch smelling. I'm assuming that's due to the oakmoss and ambergris, but I can't really pick them out individually. Like all BPTP oils, this leaves my skin soft and sweet-smelling.

LEMURIAN SEAWEED Sea buckthorn berry, lime juice, and juniper. The powder is a light green color, with sand-sized granulation and slightly lumpy. Probably the lumps were due to being shipped cross-country, and they came out with a few shakes of the jar. The scent is very sweet in the jar, but the scent notes don't really show up very much until they're in hot water. I shook about a half-handful of the powder into my tub filled with hot water, and it fizzed on it's own producing small, carbonation-like bubbles. The water turned slightly green, and the scent became very noticeable. I mostly noticed the lime, which was very effervescent and refreshing, but there was definitely juniper as well. I've never smelled buckthorn, so maybe that was what made it so sweet smelling? Because it was definitely sweet. Anyway, the bubbles didn't last, but the scent did for quite a while. It was still strong when I was pruny and ready to get out. Unfortunately, unlike the bath oils, the scent didn't cling to my tub very long afterwards. Oh, well, the bath was pleasant and after I was less pruny my skin felt quite nice.

Pretty much the smell of ground espresso beans! And spices, with a hint of sweetness. It does make me wish I was more of a morning shower person, because showering at night with this is invigorating more than relaxing. The soap is very smooth, with a nice lather to it.

A deep, earthy blend of soothing, grounding, nurturing oils: Himalayan cedar, Sumatran patchouli, spikenard, and black fig. Ok, I bought ALL THE SOAPS, but obviously I had to choose which one to use first. (If I bathed several times a day, not even BPTP would keep me from being a prune.) So, this is the one I was most hesitant to buy because it sounded pretty overpowering. Ahem. Substratum really does smell like a combination of freshly turned dirt and walking through a forest in the rain. I know it has cedar and patch as the listed big notes, and it is very earthy, but it also reminds me of wet leaves and trees. Possibly because I'm in a shower? There are no aquatic notes listed. Either way, it's not overpowering when in use, just a hit of fragrance as you suds up. I don't get much of the fig, and I have no idea what spikenard should smell like other than "earthy." Overall a very pleasant and rejuvenating scent; it was like a spa treat. This one lingers on the skin a bit more than most of the BPTP soaps, but it's a lighter version of the suds experience. The soap itself is very smooth and provides nice lather.

Wow, wow, wow! Ok, so this is the Yule 2012 release. I've never smelled the older version; this is BTBT fresh from the lab. Wet, it's very dark cocoa and musk, with a sweet note (tobacco, probably). It's almost overwhelming... a little goes a long way! The notes are very distinct when it's first put on. After an hour or so the cocoa is the dominant note, but the musk and tobacco are blending in much more smoothly. It's gotten so much sweeter as it dries down. And after about two hours I can't distinguish the notes, it's just a sweet, dark and sexy blend of the original. Very distinctive and lovely! Definitely a "I'm gonna get lucky" kind of scent. In a classy way. This is seriously beautiful. I keep sniffing myself. :-)

Fresh pumpkin puree seasoned with brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, and clove baked into an anise seed crust. I actually get very little pumpkin out of this; it's mostly the spices listed. The pumpkin is the backdrop, and the ginger and nutmeg (and maybe anise?) are the prominent notes. The sugar keeps this a sweet blend, but I don't notice it as a note on its own. The Pumpkin Tart is more a spicy than a foodie blend. It's a very warm and comforting blend. :-) The soap itself has a gritty texture to it, so maybe don't use it with really sensitive skin. I think it's ground nutmeg? Or maybe the mixture of nutmeg, anise and ginger. Anyway, the grit does come off onto the skin as you suds up but it rinses off cleanly, so it's great for exfoliation. The soap still builds up a good lather and leaves a little lingering spiciness on the skin after you're out of the bath.

2012 version here! Definitely getting the vanilla. A LOT of vanilla. It seems kind of dusty? But there's also something kind of sinister and almost menthol to the blend which makes it somewhat sharp. Not really minty, just kind of a sinus-opening something-or-other behind the vanilla. Not a clue! I know that's contradictory with the dusty-vanilla comment before. Just go with it. I did really slather it, though, as a first time trial. Anyway, the pear is barely there at all on me. My roomie is more of a vanilla lover, and she's definitely more in favor of this blend. So, if you like vanilla you will probably appreciate Perilous Parlor more than I do. I hate to be all negative on it since I knew vanilla was involved, but I was really hoping for a more balanced pear/vanilla scent.

This is pretty similar to Dragon's Heart. But this is a more lush, intense and less incense-y version of Dragon's Heart. It also reminds me slightly of Paduan Killer Swarm, though that could be just me since they have zero ingredients in common. The honey is keeping this blend slightly sweet, so it's not super masculine. Pretty gender neutral, if that kind of thing worries you. :-) There is a bit of the wood note on me, but it's not overtaking the musk/honey/patch/floral-ish combo that makes up the primary notes I'm getting. I was worried about the throw at first, because I wasn't really getting much unless I put my nose to my wrist while it was wet, but the skin heat must have finally gotten it going, because it does amp up quite a bit! Or I got some on my nose while sniffing. :-) Overall: Delicious and sensual red musk, grounded by patch and wood notes, with a bit of floral and an overall hint of sweetness from the honey. Rawr.

Thanks, everyone! I think I'll see if he likes Snake Oil on it's own. :-) And if that's not good enough, I'll see if any of the combinations work.

Quick question: Is there anything like WILF in the GC? The beloved enjoys it greatly and is concerned (now that he has half a bottle left) that WILF might not be coming back. Obviously, the Snake Charmer comparisons aren't a great backup plan. Or Temple Viper. I'm thinking I should try to get him something entirely different, so he can't compare it to WILF (which does smell amazing and manly and sexay on him) and end up disappointed. But if there's something GC that's similar, I'd like to be able to reassure him that his wonderful smellies can be replaced. Help? (WILF - Warm fur coupled with red and black musk, vanilla bean, patchouli, champaca flower, juniper berry, chocolate peppermint, frangipani, browned sandalwood, ferntop ash resin, and massoia bark.)

Super sweet and sugary, with a hint of freshness and candied fruit. This is really pretty, in an over the top girly kind of way. Also, this is the first BPTP soap that I really notice the scent hanging around on my skin for quite a while afterwards... :-)

Jasmine is all I got. In the bath, that's about all I could smell. The orris and lotus roots ground it a little, and the honey does make it sweeter. But really, it's all about the jasmine. I'm not really a floral person, so this will go to the roomie. :-)

For some reason this was super menthol in the bath... When I sniffed it in the bottle, it was woodsy and juniper and a bit sweet, but in the tub it was a sinus opener. More sparing usage is probably in order. :-) I'm sure this will be great when I'm feeling sorry for myself with a stuffy head. As always with BPTP bath oils, it left my skin moisturized and silky.

This reminds me of being at a festival of some kind and walking past the little cart where they sell the roasted nuts. There's a nice spicy quality to the drydown from the clove. Very smooth, and a little sweet and YUM!

SNOW, GLASS, APPLES She said nothing. Her eyes were black as coal, black as her hair; her lips were redder than blood. She looked up at me and smiled. Her teeth seemed sharp, even then, in the lamplight. "What are you doing away from your room?" "I'm hungry," she said, like any child. It was winter, when fresh food is a dream of warmth and sunlight; but I had strings of whole apples, cored and dried, hanging from the beams of my chamber, and I pulled an apple down for her. "Here." Autumn is the time of drying, of preserving, a time of picking apples, of rendering the goose fat. Winter is the time of hunger, of snow, and of death; and it is the time of the midwinter feast, when we rub the goose-fat into the skin of a whole pig, stuffed with that autumn's apples, then we roast it or spit it, and we prepare to feast upon the crackling. She took the dried apple from me and began to chew it with her sharp yellow teeth. "Is it good?" She nodded. I had always been scared of the little princess, but at that moment I warmed to her and, with my fingers, gently, I stroked her cheek. She looked at me and smiled -- she smiled but rarely -- then she sank her teeth into the base of my thumb, the Mound of Venus, and she drew blood. I began to shriek, from pain and from surprise; but she looked at me and I fell silent. Black Phoenix Trading Post is thrilled to present a handcrafted soap inspired by Neil Gaiman's acclaimed short story, Snow, Glass, Apples. The soap was created by the fiercely talented master soaper Brooke Stant, and the label, designed by Kira Butler, includes one of Julie Dillon’s haunting illustrations from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's chapbook of the tale. The soaps are scented with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s 2008 Limited Edition scent, Snow, Glass Apples. In Neil's words, 'It smells like green apples and like sex and vampires, all at the same time. (Actually, it smells like sexy vampire apples.)' Snow, Glass, Apples will be available as long as supplies last. These gloriously luxuriant soaps were created with the finest skin-nurturing ingredients. They are made by hand, from scratch, by Villainess, and are generously scented with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume. Each bar is at least 3.5oz (without any water weight), and are cut 1" thick from a 3" square block of soap. The faces of the bars are smooth and bear unique, undulating, surrealistically beautiful swirls and marbles - rivulets of blood swirling though snow - and the sides are textured and raw, exhibiting the complex landscape of unsculpted handmade soap. As always, no animals were harmed during the creation of this soap, and all products were tested on friends and family. This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single set go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community. A million thanks and all our love to Neil, and to Charles Brownstein and his staff at the CBLDF! The SGA soap is white and red swirled together. The paper packaging has part of the Gaiman story printed on it. Very smooth texture. The scent is apples, of course, but with a menthol kind of undertone to give it a sharp, evil feeling. The apple is more of a green, crisp apple scent but not especially sour or sharp. It suds easily, though if the bar isn't totally wet it drags a bit on the skin even if you're drenched. I've been using it in the shower, and the smell is invigorating. It's taking off the summer sunscreen layer easily. Doesn't seem to dry out my skin, and leaves me feeling refreshed. Yay!

Ok, so no clue what the components are, but it's spicy and a little earthy and citrus-y and sweet to my nose. Cinnamon spicy? Resinous? Anyway, it's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. And maybe it's just the season and the name, but it feels a little thrilling and spooky, too.

Peach moon starts off insanely juicy and sweet peach on me (almost boozy), but drys down to a softer floral peach tea scent. It's very pretty and feminine. Great for a spring/summer day. I wouldn't have said it had a great throw, as I can't smell it myself unless I put my nose near my wrist, but other people have commented on it. (Good comments, always. :-) ) So it must have some throw after all, and my nose is just de-sensitized to it after an hour or so. Also, I have the urge to start singing "I Feel Pretty." This may or may not be connected to the perfume.

So, the bath salts are VERY wet and while mine didn't leak in shipping, once I opened them the first ziplock wouldn't close properly so the oil has now leaked into the second bag. Anyway, the salts are varying-sized granules, pink (not sure if this is from the oil or the type of salt or both) and quite aromatic. I can smell them through the two ziplocks and the black velvet bag they come in. For me, the pomegranate, plum and carnation were the primary scents, though I could smell the rose and blackcurrant as well. (Not sure how pimento smells, so I can't say if it was noticable. But the patch' was subtle for anyone who doesn't care for that scent and I didn't notice the clove particularly.) In the water, the smaller granules dissolved quickly, but a few of the larger ones were still there even after a 25 minute soak. Some oil floated on the surface of the water, and the notes were much more juicy and full-bodied than in the bag. It didn't leave as much residue on my skin as the regular bath oils, and the salination felt really good on muscles sore from hiking. There was a bit of a sweet smell lingering on my skin after dry-off, but I couldn't seperate out any notes. My skin felt soft and smooth after the soak. I think the salts are a good option for when you want less of the oil or if you feel a little achy, but I'm still stuck on the oils for a really luxurious bath. :-)

I just got around to opening this last weekend. So, it's terribly past the point of doing anyone any good, as the soap is already down from the Trading Post. But still. I get a bright, crisp apple smell, with crackling dry leaves and damp earth underneath. I'm actually really loving it for spring! It reminds me a bit of the smell that you get once the snow has all melted out and you have wet, barren earth waiting for seeding. Layered over with a tart apple, which keeps it from being too dark and dirty for me to feel clean using it. I'll be sad when it's gone, but then I still have the Treat soap left, so it's something to look forward to.

Ok, I think my little sampler from the Trading Post must be completely different than what is being discussed here. Because all I can really say is, "Ugh!" I squirted it onto my reading chair, and it was very bitter to my nose. Almost astringent. I have to admit at that point, I recoiled. Inhaling it was making my nostrils feel like burning. I went back about half an hour later and it had faded, but it never sweetened or became more than a bitter herbal/musk-y smell.

I'm glad countessmouse said it first. It smells like buttery popcorn. And candy. :-) Like being in a movie theater. I thought my nose might be broken, so I've tested it three or four times and it's the same each time. Not a bad smell but I have to admit, it's not something I can see myself wearing frequently. It's foody. The popcorn smell goes away, but it leaves a candy-and-spice scent behind that is very faint.