angelamaria

From what I know Cielamara is at camp, so likely she won't have time to head an ATC swap until the summer is over.

In decant: mostly fruits--citruses--and copal. The pink grapefruit is most prominent; the overall feel of this blend is fruity floral.

Wet on skin: sweet citrus, pink grapefruit, copal, and almost-creamy black amber. I wonder if black amber also goes oily on me (like some white ambers)--because I'm getting a grandmothery/oily feel from this as well.

Dry: yeah, something in black amber is giving me that same experience with some of the lab's white amber notes. Ignoring that overtone though, this is mostly citrus and creamy amber, pretty but definitely on the fruity side of the spectrum. That said, I do amp citruses so YMMV.

Verdict: altogether too fruity for me. Pass!

In decant: crisp absinthe, with a faint vanilla musk, white color impression. Slightly sweet, slightly floral. Not really my type at this point, it's very, well, absinthe.

Wet on skin: absinthe, vanilla musk, and is that angelica? Maybe some hyssop as well, but don't take my word for it--I don't exactly know what hyssop smells like yet. It's not as absinthe-y as it was in the decant, and it continues to die down the longer it stays on my skin...and...uh...OH GOD. It's kind of becoming REALLY PRETTY. NOOOO. DON'T DO THIS TO ME (or my wallet).

Dry: dry, this is almost all soft vanilla musk and gentle flowers, slightly sweet and slightly herbal. That sharp absinthe note for me has gone, leaving this a super ladylike, almost-ethereal lovely blend. I did THREE separate tests for this and they are all super lovely in this stage, soft and gentle and subtly alluring.

Verdict: RIP wallet.

In bottle: sweet incensey blend--sandalwood (as per others' reviews) sound about right. Woodsy, resinous, and masculine-leaning, with a pleasant creaminess.

Wet on skin: I was a bit surprised to find it was a little cool on my skin when applied, but then I don't get any mintiness on this so it's probably nothing. Creamy and resinous, and a muskiness starts to emerge on my skin. This blend is a bit on the "dark" side, but not dark enough that I couldn't conceivably wear it (since I prefer lighter blends). I don't know if I get coconut--coconut has never worked for me so far--but there IS a pleasant, "light" sweetness to this.

Dry: doesn't change from the wet phase for me, although as time goes on the sweetness does die down some more. This is a musky, creamy sandalwood, definitely masculine, super sensuous and sexy, with that creaminess that makes it almost lickable. Yum, I wouldn't mind smelling this on a guy Not at all.

Verdict: I'm torn! This isn't a blend I would wear, but I'm tempted to hold on to it because of the yumminess. Absolutely sensuous.

The ATC swap sounds fun I would be all for it!

In decant: jasmine, moss, orange, and benzoin. This is a predominantly orange/jasmine scent, a pretty light orange color impression.

Wet on skin: orange, hints of jasmine, moss, and benzoin. I do tend to amp citruses, so the orange is more prominent on my skin than the jasmine. It's a nice summery scent, youthful and vibrant but not too "out there".

Dry: orange, jasmine, with a creamy base of moss and benzoin. The moss and benzoin definitely developed as it dried, giving this scent more depth and "taming" it a little, though the lovely fruitiness with a dash of jasmine would still be a beautiful summer scent.

Verdict: if this was more vanilla-ey, it might be a go, but I can't really grasp much of the vanilla here, making this too fruity for my wearing. Very nice though!

In decant: ...what is this?? Sour, like something spoiling. UGH.

Wet on skin: ugh, that sour spoiling fruits note is still there. I hope this disappears soon! Past the sourness I can get a bit of lilac. I can't really smell anything else, it's making my stomach turn a bit.

Dry: thank goodness--that spoiling smell does go away when dry. What's left is lilac, white tea, and a dash of citrus. Amazingly, the lilac doesn't go to powder on my skin! This is a good lilac. Lovely and light.

Verdict: sadly, no matter how lovely that dry phase is, the wet phase is just horrible for me. Pass.

Before I get really started, there seems to be a batch variation between bottles issues at the start of the Lupers, and at the middle-to-latter end. I was on a short BPAL hiatus after the holidays, and thus only got to try Blossoms with a full bottle purchase around the middle of the Lupercalia season. I bought another bottle at the very tail end. Both bottles had dark red oil. The bottles that came out early during the Lupers had lighter, orange-colored oil. I was able to snag a decant of this early Blossoms after a while.

This is the review/notes I had based on the red-oil version:

In bottle: this is deep, strong honey with a boozy quality to it, with rich flowers. Slightly powdery to my nose, but with a "glowing" and sexy tone. It's similar in feel to Glowing Vulva, but this is sweeter (based on memory).

Wet on skin: this softens on my skin, but stays fairly similar to bottle scent. Sweet honey, with a touch of brightness, rich but not overpowering florals--it's actually rather light, but the feel/tone I get is definitely "rich" and "lush". Also, very quickly going to powder on my skin. Damn.

Dry: sigh. This has turned to powder, honey, vanilla, and flowers. It's sexy, though--and it's not listed as a note, but the oily powderiness I'm getting is very similar to how red musk reacts on my skin (as opposed to how ambers turn).

Verdict: not my scent. Interesting, but no.

As mentioned, recently I was able to try the orange-oil version (thank you, you know who you are!!). It is lighter, slightly sharper in feel than the red oil version, both in the decant and on my skin. The amber does turn slightly powdery, but not to the same extent as the red-oil version did, and not enough to turn me off completely. About two hours on, the powder has also mostly disappeared again, leaving behind a pleasantly "peppery" feel. In all other respects the scent is the same: sweet honeyed flowery vanilla enveloped in musky tones. Sexy, but light, almost subtle.

Obviously I can't know for sure what was in the later Blossoms batches, or what Beth meant it to be, but if it WAS red musk, it makes sense. Red-oil Blossoms is sexy, orange-oil a bit more on the naughty side than full-on sexy.

Verdict #2: The orange-oil Blossoms in Springtime is a keeper for me

In decant: mmm--teak and woods, almost yummy. This has a Tombstone vibe about it, but lighter, a bit more complex--it has this "light" almost citrusy note, and spicy. I don't know what spikenard smells like, that may be it; and does sugandh kokila smell like cinnamon? It seems to match.

Wet on skin: doesn't change from the decant scent. Lovely woodsy teak and woods, yummy creamy tonka. Definitely channeling the Tombstone vibe here, even though it's a different wood and this has a few other notes thrown in.

Dry: dried, and as it stays longer on my skin, the little foodiness present continues to lessen to become smoky, musky woods with a hint of creamy yummy tonka. I was reminded of Tree of Life for a bit, so I also took that out to sniff--this is deeper and smokier than that. Lovely, but definitely leaning towards masculine.

Verdict: ultimately too masculine for my wearing! Very lovely though, this was a near keeper.

In decant: I'm not really sure what I expected from this, but this is full-on dragon's blood resin for me, with some honey.

Wet on skin: that's dragon's blood resin, maybe a hint of gardenia and vanilla orchid mixed all in with the honey. I expected this to be a bit sweeter and a bit more floral, but I'm getting mostly dragon's blood resin here. It's like something I'd expect from the Ars Draconis line.

Dry: not a morpher--stays true to the wet stage, although it gets smokier and smokier the longer is stays on my skin. I think the turmeric is also coming out--this is like three hours on. Spicy, smoky DBR.

Verdict: I did wish this was a bit more floral! DBR hasn't been a win for me for a while though.

Added: do I amp DBR or something?! Almost everyone else says floral

In decant: floral, with a definite cucumber note and a hint of that juniper berry. It's more fruity than floral, although this is something that I might wear--it's not an overt floral. There's a tinge of ozone and mint as well, sweet and light.

Wet on skin: this doesn't change from the decant scent--cucumber, mint, and a hint of sweetness. The musk, if it's there, just a grounding element, not really front and center.

Dry: this has gone rather soapy on me, but stays true to scent--cucumber, a softer, almost-sweeter mint, slightly fading. The other notes are just in the background. Light sweet cucumber scent, rather pleasant if it wasn't for the soap!

Verdict: nope, not for me.

Yup, mostly everything that is not limited edition or co-branded are fine to go as imps. For co-branded ones, sometimes imp sets are available, i.e. for The Last Unicorn, The Salon, and I think Panacea as well? And they can't be broken up.

Much love to my amazing fairy!

In bottle: heady orchid and incense. It's a bit difficult to describe--there's a sweetness, and then an almost medicinal feel from it. That last part is very, uh, specific to me: it reminds me of medicine I once had as a kid...it's orange in color, and it was a tablet that my mother would crush in half for me. And of course once it's crushed in half, you actually taste it, which wasn't very pleasant.

Wet on skin: I can't seem to shake that medicine feel--I hope is disappears soon. Otherwise, we've got a jungle orchid--almost powdery--and incense, which doesn't really help with the powder. It's not sneezy or out of place; it actually feels rather pleasant. I think it helps tone down the orchid a bit.

Dry: thankfully, the medicine feel I'm getting continues to fade. I'm getting an almost citrusy feel from this, brightening the orchid and incense a little, sweetening up this blend. I have no idea what component is giving this that note I feel is citrusy though. It's something like the dark slightly-powdery citrus in Jingo Kogo v4. Later on my skin, I fluctuate between thinking it's a bit soapy and a bit too incensey--I will probably need to give this a few days to rest before deciding on its fate.

Verdict: this needs a retest after the oil has been given some time to rest from the rigors of shipping!

I love my wonderful fairy!

In bottle: ok, that was a rather sharp first whiff. Um. Sarsaparilla, and a hint of cocoa. The sarsaparilla is almost screaming. Whoa there.

Wet on skin: yep, sarsaparilla for sure. The others are there, just not as present: cocoa, patchouli, balsam. And yes, dark feral musks--quite feral, really. The patchouli is understated.

Dry: this is quite a morpher for me. Newly try, it's a soft, dark sarsaparilla scent, supported by the other notes: a darker, smokier Anti-Saloon League. ASL is like this new cowboy on the block, all shiny guns and spurs, with a devilish smile. Epomophorus Monstrosus is that sun-darkened cowboy dressed in black, the dust of the desert on his things, with a surly glare and smoky eyes. Does that make him less loverly? Nope. Aaaaanyway-- as this stays longer on my skin, the musks continue to develop in strength, giving this a definite musky sarsaparilla feel, much more toned down on the sarsaparilla and much more mahogany bark.

Verdict: a lovely masculine scent, perfect as a foil for ASL, but...well, yeah. Not for me.

My fairy is the best!

In bottle: meh. Patchouli and incense, so I'm tempted to just pass. But no, I will give it a whirl.

Wet on skin: patchouli, balsam, sage, and frankincense. That patchouli is far too strong for my liking.

Dry: the patchuoli has eased up somewhat, letting the other notes shine once dry. I'm getting the sage, which I've recently found is one of my top notes--and the sage makes this a lot~ better on me. The frankincense comes second, and the rest bring up the rear--maybe the sandalwood a bit more ahead than the rest. Definitely not as scary dry, with the behaved patchouli and the lovely sage. Gender-neutral, subtle.

Verdict: I thought this would be an easy one to write-off, but I'm not so sure now. I'm still not holding out for it though--that patch will just develop with age!

Much love to my fabulous fairy!

In bottle: fruity! There's ginger, and is "limu amani" lime? Because it has a definite citrusy feel. Looking it up, "limu omani" is dried lime, so that's near enough in my opinion. Also lots and lots of vanilla cream.

Wet on skin: mostly the same as the bottle scent--juicy citrusy ginger and lots of vanilla cream. It does tone down as it dries, not as "juice-y", with fig rounding this out a bit. I think I can sense the saffron, but it's definitely just a hint with the other herbs on me.

Dry: not as highly sweet or effervescent, but still definitely lime, vanilla cream, and ginger. This actually reminds me a lot of Geek.Goth--although Geek.Goth to my memory is a bit more effervescent than this one, and stays truer to its lime soda feel! This one is like a toned down, slightly-grown up Geek.Goth, with a bit of extra "adult" scents thrown in.

Verdict: very interesting, although I don't see myself keeping this for the long run.

Much love to my fairy!

In bottle: oooh, so lovely! White amber, cedar that reminds me strongly of Tombstone, benzoin, maybe a hint of the rest. It's almost foody, it has an almost chocolatey sweetness. Gender neutral, but slightly more on the masculine side.

Wet on skin: this is like a more complex Tombstone. The cedar is front and center, with lovely vanilla-like benzoin and amber giving it a yummy creaminess. I can see the "musky cotton candy" analogy as well, although on me, it's not as highly sweet as what I'd expect cotton candy to be.

Dry: it's grown fainter, but I can tell this will age beautifully as well as build more staying power on me. Vanilla-like benzoin, creamy cedar and amber. It's almost understated foody, which is just fine with me!

Verdict: very lovely~ definitely keeping this and seeing how it is a couple months down the line.

Hey there is a variation in Blossoms in Springtime . I have a couple of bottles of it and the first one I purchased has a colorless oil while the other ones are a pretty red. Did anyone else notice this?

Hey there is a variation in Blossoms in Springtime . I have a couple of bottles of it and the first one I purchased has a colorless oil while the other ones are a pretty red. Did anyone else notice this?

 

Yes! I bought a bottle right after they went up, then bought a back-up right before they came down, and there's a definite difference in color. I haven't tested them side-by-side, but if there's a difference in scent I didn't pick up on it when wearing them separately.

This was raised in the LJ comm as well, and made me really curious about the lighter oil one--some have said it's a somewhat orangey oil as opposed to red. Is there any marked difference between the two? Both bottles I bought had red oil (I bought a second one later, hoping just in case I get the other variation!), and to me it reacted rather the same as how red musk reacts on my skin. I passed it off as the amber when I skin tested my first bottle. The second bottle is the same.

I'm quite~ curious as I was super sure this was going to be a winner for me based on notes, but was quite disappointed at the result (i.e. powdery red musky sort of scent).

Let's see--I assume reds are best match or something?

Antique Lace and Tombstone -- yes, I loved Tombstone, but it's still a bit too much on the foody side for my wearing. Super yummy though.

Black Opal and the Lion -- hmm, I liked The Lion, but IIRC it was a bit "too much" for me, was pretty much a straight shrug off. Funny though how Tombstone seems to be the worst match

Liz and Eat Me and Shub-Nuggurath -- I've tried both and didn't like either. The latter was especially gingery, which I don't go for.

Lyonesse and Light of Men's Lives -- I have never tried Light of Men's Lives. Now maybe I should! "The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering."

In bottle: sweet, foody cake, caramel apples, vanilla, sweet syrup that makes me think my teeth will rot just smelling it! Yum.

Wet on skin: syrupy, thick sugar, and a hint of vanilla-ey cake. The throw is surprisingly light, or my skin is eating all this goodness up. What I can get is the same as the bottle scent. Yummy, full-on foody.

Dry: now where did that come from? It's turned plasticky on my skin, though there is no explicit cream note listed, but whatever the lab uses for its cream note, they have it here too. It did build in presence dry on my skin than wet, although it still feels curiously light on my skin in comparison to what I expected from the bottle. What IS there, is yummy creamy sweet sugary cake (well, ignoring the plastic).

Verdict: well, I don't wear foody scents, but I was really excited to try this nonetheless. Sadly, that cream/plastic note just makes sure that this won't be a keeper.

Need a little help finding a substitute for Ether, from the Steamworks (listed as "Translucent blooms, ethereal white resins, and davana.") It's a little sharp on me, like a green chemical of some sort...and I have no idea what it is in the blend that does this.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

You could try Pollution from Neil Gaiman's Good Omens (http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/goodomens.html): "A toxic chypre: radioactive green musk, davana, and oozing white amber." Pollution is sharper than Ether wet and in the bottle, but it smooths out, and they both have a slightly sour note on me dry after a while; I really liked them save for this sourness. (This is the sort of scent I like.)

I think Black Hellebore (The scent is a pale green herbal, darkly rooty, with a faint rose and peony-like overtone.) and The Zieba Tree (A dreamlike, listless scent, misty and hazed, with wisps of white sandalwood, eddying musks the colors of eventide, shimmering pale resins, davana, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and white peach.) should be mentioned, they don't have that sourness, and the latter also has davana. These two I consider keepers myself And they are both GC.

My other suggestions, would be another discon (The Unicorn, a misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs) or an LE (Enchanted Wood Florist, a burst of sweet, strange flowers, luminous Moon-tree sap, and ornamental grasses).

In bottle: yes, I specifically tested this with the released version this is a lot more present than the released version, a different sort of geranium--sharper, less sweet, less creamy. This is a more traditional floral scent.

Wet on skin: okay, I take that back--on, this feels more like jasmine than geranium. Very floral, a bit cloying, and creamy enough. Thankfully it does soften considerably on my skin, making it a little more approachable. This has an almost fruity presence to it that is almost the opposite of the released version (which is more of an amber/vanilla/musk scent to me). If there is any amber or vanilla here, it's very subdued.

Dry: well, during the wet phase, there might be a hint of kinship between this and the released version; but dry, this really is a very different blend, with none of the creamy, almost fuzzy amber/vanilla/musk, but more of a floral with a dash of something that smells almost citrusy. Those florals are rather yellow-feeling (probably why I'm thinking citrus), a hint on the juicy/fruity side.

Verdict: nope, this is even more of a miss than the released version! I'm sure others will enjoy it, but this one isn't for me.

In bottle: oh, this is quite nice. I'm getting vanilla and amber and musk, well blended together and providing a beautiful, rich backdrop for the light florals and a spicy geranium. The tone is quite "present" but not cloying.

Wet on skin: there is an almost citrusy note here, brightening up the whole blend. Well blended, it's a pleasant, "present" floral but curiously one I would still categorize as "light". Throw is low, but when I'm near, I can't stop sniffing this. Aside from the emergence of the citrus (which I tend to amp as a whole), this smells largely the same as in the bottle.

Dry: lovely amber/vanilla/musk (would that be musky amber vanilla? or vanilla-ey amber musk? or...), slightly sweet--almost honeyed--with a hint of flowers. The latter smooths out even more, and gives this a pleasant, light sweetness though the blend is predominantly an amber/vanilla/musk scent. Over an hour later, sadly the white musk has gone oily/grandmothery (as some white musks do), but aside from that it's a very lovely scent, which a touch of soft powder from the amber (but not overpowering), and the florals being a shade more assertive.

Verdict: well, my skin chemistry strikes again! This is a pass, though it is very lovely if you don't have my finicky skin.

In imp: yes on the tropical blooms, but this is quite far from being a bright cheery tropical scent: this is soft and gentle, almost ethereal. Very pretty.

Wet on skin: soft, creamy and gentle, the scent stays close to the skin in an almost sensual manner. It's amazing how these obviously tropical flower notes are so different in tone from what you'd expect from them. This is a PERFECT blend for lazy days on the beach with a slightly overcast sky. It's not "bright" or "cheery" or "vibrant" but it is very much a summer scent. Very, very lovely.

Dry: this doesn't morph on me until it hits about two hours onward. I'm not sure which note is bringing out this rather orris-y touch to this blend--orris on me turns into this sickly-sweet/oily/grandmother weirdness that this blend seems to have in abundance after that first two hours.

Verdict: honestly, I was so happy when I found how lovely this blend is, I've been feeling guilty that most GCs just doesn't stay keepers with me. But sadly, it's not meant to be--I was very sad when it turned into orris mess

Whee sweet florals are my love

For general catalog recs, my favorites are:

Black Hellebore (Rappaccini's Garden) (The scent is a pale green herbal, darkly rooty, with a faint rose and peony-like overtone.)

Lyonesse (Wanderlust) (Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.)

The Zieba Tree (Rappaccini's Garden) (A dreamlike, listless scent, misty and hazed, with wisps of white sandalwood, eddying musks the colors of eventide, shimmering pale resins, davana, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and white peach.)

They don't have honey, but they are sweet and lovely florals, light but they do have presence (I can't do heady florals either). You might also try these two cobranded scents:

Savage (Lady Death, 2011) (White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin.)

Victoria (Neil Gaiman: Stardust) (Graceful vanilla musk, tea rose, and stargazer lily. )

Although Victoria isn't sweet on me.

You should also take a look at the Rappaccini's Garden line http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/garden.html it has a lot of lovely florals, plus the whole Rappaccini's Apiary subsection, i.e.:

Oleander Honey

Yellow Jessamine Honey

Black Hellebore Honey

etc.

Good luck!