Inanna9

I got no leather from this at all

In fact all I got was that wonky-ginger thing that sometimes happens to me. The description read like my dream blend, but it turned out to be a disaster in skin chemistry: a little sweet hint of vanilla and honey, combined with a whole lotta ginger and spoiled red musk, all amping until it was practically foody. I could detect the skin musk in there somewhere trying to break through, but it didn't really have a chance until about an hour past total drydown. And then still no leather. boo.

It was really sweet and lovely in the end, but the ginger ruined all the fun. I've swapped this for #2, and I shall keep my fingers crossed.

This is so pretty, summery and fresh. I can almost hear the bees buzzing. I get mostly orange blossom, rose and a hint of apple, all infused with honey and amped just a bit with skin musk. The honey behaves itself well and doesn't take over like it does for me sometimes. Never get any resins, but that's okay. I love this exactly the way it is. I see myself wearing this a lot come Springtime.

Yep, this is all that sweet-sugary-fruity BPAL goodness rolled into one. I knew I would love this and I do. It makes me happier than even Fruit Moon, and lucky for me, this lasts and lasts. Gets just a wee bit creamy upon total drydown and reminds me a little of Strawberry Moon at that point.

Perfection

Wow, this works great. I'm getting more energy and determination from this than from, well...Energy and Determination

I was in the mood for a cheerful, pick-me-up sort of scent, and on a whim thought I'd go "magical" and try this one out. I only have a decant, so I kept it simple and just rubbed as little clockwise on my heart chakra. Less than 30 seconds later I got a rush of heat--not of the surface friction type, but of the "energy" type I've come to recognize. I love TALs

So here's the effect: I expected to feel a giddy bliss, but what I got was a rush of energy and well-being. It was a really awesome, grounded kind of joy; I tackled projects I'd been putting off for months and felt really centered and content. It was like this scrim of depression that I hadn't even realized I had was lifted, and my motivation to accomplish things that would make my life better was revealed. Maybe that's true joy--contentment and hope and energy. That's what I got. I think I'm rambling here...

I used it again yesterday, when I was feeling a bit crummy. I didn't get the rush of heat (sometimes it goes like that :shrug:) but I got the same result. For chrissakes, people--I went to the gym! I haven't been in months. Really interesting.

This has moved to the very top of my TAL order list. Highly recommended.

(on me this is a soapy orange with just a tiny hint of spice)

I'll second (or third or fourth...) 2, 5 and 7. It's the purest, fresh rose scent in the GC. It can go a little plastic depending on skin chemistry. Persephone has the same rose note, made juicier with pomegranate, so you may want to try that. I adore roses, but found London too heavy on the tea rose for me. It didn't stirke me as fresh, but that could be chalked up to that dang skin chemistry thing.

Oh, this is possibly the prettiest floral ever. OMG, I smell phlox! I didn't think it would be strong enough to detect, but there it is: exactly what I smelled walking down my street today. I can tell already I will need more bottles of this.

This is a white floral for sure; lily, lilac and phlox(!), but it's a gorgeously green, fresh floral--not at all cloying or too perfumey. There's a light, definitely green note in here--I don't where that comes from, except perhaps the musk? I love it, whatever it is. Sandalwood has been very elusive for me lately, but I think I'm picking up something light and dry. But wow--that fresh, green-stem note is blowing my mind.

This may just be the quirks of my own personal chemistry, but White Moon is a winner.

Somnus: I'm here to sing its praises.

I should have reviewed this a long time ago. Somnus is one of my first BPAL loves and I have bottles of it. I don't know what took me so long, but I just recently dumped one of my 5mls into a roller bottle; TAL's Nocturne works nice, Sleepy Moon is sometimes just the thing, I use one of my CT:III blends on occasion, but for me, nothing beats slathering on Somnus before bedtime. There's something about that strong, almost-sour lavender that makes me take a deep breath and just...relax. Like Moxie, it's aromatherapy, perfected.

Oh, Wanda - how could I have forsaken you?

This is one of an initial batch of imps I tried as a bpal n00b and swapped away, probably after a quick dab'n'sniff with a very scent-fatigued nose. Now, thanks to the generous labbies, she has come back to me and she is amazing.

First impression is a strong wine which quickly morphs to a juicy rose, very similar to Blood Rose (minus the dragon's blood). Then the leather emerges...guh.

What a perfect leather note! A soft and sensual, incredibly feminine leather note. Wow. I didn't know such a thing was possible. On drydown, there's still the juice of the wine and the bloom of the rose, and then add the hint of musk and leather underneath it all and I'm sold. Big bottle for me.

This one's hot

Wet, this is a fruity floral. Pretty soon it settles into a sweet, creamy gardenia. I'm getting compliments on this one, and I think it's partly because it has such a strong throw (I did slather this one, though).

The musk has emerged, and it's very well-behaved, serving to temper the florals a bit and give everything a nice depth. I can pick out the osmanthus, but I'm not getting any sandlewood. I am, however, getting the most interesting note--a creamy and faintly fruity note. I'm guessing this might be the beeswax and vanilla combined with the peach blossom? (might be some ylang ylang fooling me somewhere). Whatever it is, it's rich and lovely.

This is very romantic scent, and not just a one dimensional white floral. There are a lot of interesting layers to this. Very pretty.

This is some seriously strong stuff </alliteration>

Honestly though, the red musk jumped up my nose the moment I sniffed the vial, so I only put on the teeniest dab of this on the inside of my forearm. Four hours later, it's still wafting patchouli and red musk.

Initially it was a very sweet, heady combo of red musk and ylang ylang, and as it dried the myrrh and patchouli kicked in to give a darker depth. The ylang ylang goes away after about an hour, and like I said...I'll probably smell a little of patchouli all night. It's a nice sweet one though, not too dirty. Well, maybe a little dirty

A pretty good embodiment of lust, I'd say. And a lil' dab'll do ya.

One of the first blends I tried when I discovered BPAL was their famous Snake Oil. Sadly, it was horrible on me--way too strong and spicy and made me think of a man who drowns himself in aftershave until everyone within a ten foot radius feels queasy.

But I just got this frimp from the Lab and now I know what went wrong: I got my first imp of Snake Oil off of ebay, and it was probably a very aged one, dark-amber in color and extremely viscous. Some people covet the aged version, but it turns out fresh Snake Oil is my heavenly Holy Grail. Yea!!! I can wear Snake Oil! As long as it's fresh from the lab, it is the perfect blend of vanilla, patchouli and spice

So I finally understand what all the fuss is about. And I'm off to slather myself in this...

This is very bright and fresh on me. A little grassy, defintiely aquatic, and I can smell it trying to go all dusty and wonky as aquatics are apt to do once they meet me. But it holds together well and is really lovely. Exactly what I'll reach for when I'm in the mood for something unisex and outdoors-ish. I'm very happy I've got another aquatic I can wear.

2006 version

I'm in love. This is my first real foray into the autumn-type scents, so I'm afraid I can't compare this to the previous versions, but I will be needing more of this one. It's dark and sweet and softly sinister. Something in here is giving me the illusion of honey or tobacco...maybe? It's a sweet and smokey note, and whatever it is, it's very reminiscent of the same thing in DDLM '05 that makes me weak in the knees.

This is amazing. I can't believe what I've been missing with these Fall blends. I'm so converted.

Wow, what a happy scent. I'm going to slather this one. It's pretty straightforward and just like what everyone has said: bright, crisp apples with a fruity, spicy cider kick and a heckuva throw. Everyone could smell me from across the room.

What I especially love is how authentic this smells--not the least bit fake or plastic. A bushel of happy, juicy apples. Wheee!

Butter scares me. In fact, this time last year, I don't think I would've given any thought at all to ordering pumpkin blends, but my BPAL tastes are evolving. I could hardly wait to get my hands on these this time around.

The butter and pumpkin are strong upon application, but the butter turns nice and sweet as it settles in with the other components, and does a great job of anchoring down the scent without overpowering everything. It doesn't take long for the amber, orange peel and mandarin to come out and waft, along with a hint of fig--oh man, that's such a gorgeous note combo.

Pumpkin Queen is yummy without being cloyingly foody--it doesn't smell like a cheap pumpkin pie candle or anything. It's rich, sweet and spicy (without being too spicy), and the depth is amazing. I am so glad I took a chance on this. I'm really going to love it.

So beautiful. So, so beautiful.

I've been hoarding my bottle of Dreamland, but I think I can relax now, because this is very reminiscent of that blend, no doubt from the osmanthus and skin musk. The Brides are maybe a bit heavier with the white florals, though, because I get a strong lily note from this one. Not catching the amber just yet, but there's a lovely touch of sweet honey. Oh, swoon.

It's very feminine and very sexy. Skin musk rocks.

In the bottle this was dark but surprisingly insubstantial, like a sinister yet elusive phantom (yeah, I've been writing too much cheesy vampire fiction lately, I know). But it's the perfect embodiment of the Count, or at least how I see him.

I fully expected the combo of black musk, cinnamon and leather to club me over the head and have its way with me (and I was perfectly all right with that), but what I got is even better: this is dark and feral, but august and seductive. Let me say that again: s e d u c t i v e.

Picture an eminent gentlemen, wordly and intelligent, who underneath it all just seethes sex and yet you keep thinking maybe it's just your imagination. Did he just hold your hand perhaps a second longer than what might be proper? Is he really looking at you like that? Forget about it--this is a man you cannot resist; you're in way over your head. Oh, squee--this is soooo Dracula!

Ahem.

Okay, how it smells (on me) : a dignified black musk, a hint of leather, a tiny, fruity tang of neroli to soften it up, and a perfect, perfect subtle blend of spice--I get mostly clove and ginger, plus a dash of patchouli. This baby's gonna age like a mo-fo. My god, I may need another bottle or three.

Thank you, Beth, for this one. You nailed it

Okay...I keep saying I don't need a man in my life right now, but it's settled: I need a man in my life right now, if only so I can slather him down in Schwarzer Mond.

This is some strong, resinous stuff. I get primarily amber (gorgeous amber note!) and patchouli, and it's a smokin' alpha-male patchouli too. I'm guessing the light powder and oriental sweeteness is from the opoponax, and spice from the myrrh, and I'm not picking out the musk per se, but that's because I think it informs the entire blend, hence the alpha-male vibe. This smells like incredibly expensive, regal men's cologne. I can only imagine how it will age. Wow.

Well done, Brian!

...and I just had to edit in order to report that on complete drydown this gets even more gorgeous and mellows into a rich, resinous wood. guh. guhguhguh.

I'm slathered in ritual oils today and smell quite funky, but as soon as these arrived I had to try them, and soon as I smelled them I had to review. So, I've got one in the crook of each elbow and I'll start with Beth's:

Whee...pear! Then a very delicate jasmine, which get a little stronger as it dries but still doesn't overpower (I don't usually have problems with jasmine though). I'm catching a hint of something wet and green and it reminds me of the lunar oils in some of the older Lunacy blends, but it might just be a combination of the lotus and musk. The musk is so subtle and pretty - in fact this whole blend is delicate but lush. It's very evocative of sitting on the dewy grass out under the evening sky, surrounded by a soft breeze of night blooming flowers. And pears. Lovely, lovely pears.

I knew getting three bottles of this would be a great idea. Beautiful, Beth!

I can't believe I've never reviewed this, as it's the one that took my BPAL virginity, not to mention one of my all time favorites. Heck, I can review this one from memory, I've worn it so many times. Roses and dirt are two of my favorite notes ever, and Zombi does them better than any other.

This is such beautiful creepiness, I can't even tell you. The dirt is dark, moist earth of the freshly-turned-grave variety, the kind that clogs your senses, sticks in your throat. Then the red roses emerge; decaying, oppressive, their corrupt perfume wafting a dark, mournful gloom. It's a simple but perfect little gothic vignette, and eerily authentic.

What I'm finding with my bottle is that as it ages, the roses gets stronger, almost to the point where they overpower the dirt. I may have to order new imps from the lab now and then to keep up that fresh grave experience.

An all-time BPAL classic, and a stellar example of Beth's genius.

w00t! Green grass!

Well, green grass and a whole lotta verbena. That's okay, it works very nicely. This is the spring green scent I've been craving since forever. I never get any ginger from this, and just a hint of amber emerges on the drydown, which is nice--gives it some depth.

I will be needing a bottle of this cute puppy.

Mint is a big fat tease, I swear.

This is such a lovely delicate fragrance, and the mint upon application is Hea-ven-ly. I'm not kidding. The initial hit of tea and lemon and mint with a teeny sweet touch of honey is so perfect, that were it to stay that way, I would wear nothing else. No kidding. It's beautiful.

But of course the mint skedaddles within five minutes. I will try slathering more next time, but it's still all right, because what this morphs into is also very pretty. The honey and orange blossom emerge on me and thankfully the tea sticks around to balance out the thick sweetness. Someone described this as Usher's pretty little sister or something like that, and I agree. I may need to get more, especially if it requires slathering.

And one day I will find the perfect mint blend. ::shakes fist at mint::

Dirthead that I am, I'm always on the hunt for the Holy Grail of soil scents (well, Graveyard Dirt LE is the actual HG of soil scents, so maybe I mean another HG of soil scents to replace it, since it may never return. But I digress...).

This held a lot of promise in the bottle, as a distinctly wet soil aroma wafted and I swooned. However, upon application, the dirt was quickly lost on me (typical - it's like crack, I swear), but what remained was really, really lovely and a very close twin to my bottle of Snow Moon. This is a little heavier on the myrrh while Snow Moon has a stronger berry note, but otherwise they are so close with their cold piney-slushy goodness.

The drydown however, is markedly different from Snow Moon, very earthy and sweet, and I'm really impressed with the complexity and nuance of this blend.

Ahh, that's what this reminds me of -- CK One (thanks, roesmoker ) without the alcohol smell, obviously.

Honestly, I didn't expect to like this because of the white musk, which is quickly becoming a nemesis of mine. But it isn't taking over (yet) and the verbena and green tea and lime are heavenly! Seriously, refreshing sums it perfectly. The only thing I'm not really catching is the mint, but I'll slather more next time and see if that helps. I went light in case the musk turned it to aftershave. This is nicely unisex though.

Fun scent!

Oh bummer. This didn't work on me at all. It has to be a body chemistry issue, because my experience of this is nothing like most of the reviews. There is some note going very wrong, or maybe a combination of them, because all I get is a generic, drugstore perfume smell, with just a touch of nearly rancid honey upon the drydown. A freaking tragedy. I'll give it another try here in a bit, just in case, but regardless, I'm glad I took a chance. I decided a while ago that I'm getting every Lunacy no matter what.