allamanda

Quite a few of us have found our hormones affect how the oils smell on our skin. If an oil doesn't work on me I usually wait a few days and then try it again. It seems that (on me anyway) moods as well as the time of the month can affect how an oil behaves. In addition, in the beginning I also found I almost needed to learn to appreciate the oils. How to explain that they sort of grow on you?? Seriously, it is as though though initially they are a big shock to the system, I often change my opinion. For example, I had tried Intrigue several times, found it interesting but wasn't hooked. I tried it again and So, if I might suggest you give them another go. With my skin-chemistry Dublin and Paris are fantastic, Dana O' Shee is nice, Twilight doesn't work. You will win some, lose some What notes do you particularly like or dislike?

March Hare When first applied I get a sweet impression and then the cloves. The sweetness must have been the apricot, but the clove appeared so quickly I didn’t have time to identify it. This is really nice; the cloves are offsetting the sweetness of the apricots to good effect. This stays very consistent on me, slightly spicy; slightly sweet it really does smell gorgeous.

Glad it went well Femke I'll keep fingers and toes crossed for you.

Dragon’s Tears Bittersweet yet powerful: salty aquatic notes and bursting with dragon's blood. Dragon’s blood and grapefruit-like when wet. Once dry there is a slightly musky smell too. After quite some time I’m getting the faint lily note that others mentioned. Love the wet stage, not sure about the dry. My skin chemistry sometimes makes lily smell very sour, sadly that is what happened to Dragon’s Tears.

Ave Maria Gratia Plena When first applied this is very woody and sweet on me. My nose can sense the lemon peel, but at the moment it is swamped by the woods (I can’t separate Rosewood & Sandalwood in this blend at the moment). As this dries it tones down considerably. Now the lemon is apparent with the florals giving support. This winds up sweet and pretty on me; slightly powdery, nice but not compulsive

Although the notes aren't listed and none of the current reviews mention cucumber-like, to me Empyreal Mist has the feel of cucumber. It has an underlying greeness, my nose keeps saying green apple but again none of the reviews get that effect. A while back there was a flavoured Apple and Cucumber sparkling water available over here (UK, Sainsbury), it was delicious and Empyreal Mist reminds me of it. Maybe worth a try? Edited for typo.

I love Hamadryad too. Whilst it isn't the same, Hemlock made me feel the same way, if that makes any sense!! Anyway, they are both gorgeous. Dragon's Bone is also slightly woody and very special.

In my review preparation notes I have written that Tisiphone smells like a Lush shop; it isn't as dark as Red Musk though.

Sorry Krista, not only did I not welcome you to the forum I also totally missed the second part of your question. I agree with Alice and Chupa, Vixen, Voodoo and Sin are gorgeous, I would also suggest: Tisiphone - Oleander with black patchouli, ylang ylang, and neroli Lust - red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh. Nephilim - Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. If you like fruity scents add these to the list of possibles: Depraved - Earthy black patchouli swelling with apricot. Imp - white peach, amber, golden musk and patchouli.

I can't give you definitions, but I can tell you that oils containing Black Patchouli always smell great on me whilst those containing Red Patchouli smell awful!! This is down to my individual skin-chemistry and I am sure there was a thread discussing this a while back, some find Red to be best, some Black. If I find the thread I'll add it. ETA: OK, the thread is here: click and I'll ask for the posts to be merged.

Machu Picchu is gorgeous. I think Pikaki might fit the bill. You could use it with Pele to make it stronger, but it is beautiful by itself anyway.

Fae Very peachy when first applied but with a slight tang, I think caused by the bergamot. As this starts to dry I can smell the musk, it makes the peach smell very adult. Although warm and fruity there is a dryness to this, perhaps the oakmoss? Once dry I’m surprised at how light but full this scent is. The peach is no longer so readily identifiable, just a gently fruity, slightly musky sweet perfume. Very nice.

Dragon's Eye Dragon’s Blood resin and after a while joined by the lily of the valley and lilac. Nice After a while the lily of the valley and lilac become very strong, overpowering the dragon’s blood. Lily of the Valley sometimes becomes quite sour and strange on my skin. This was lovely in the early stages, but I then wound up with a smell of wet socks. I'm relieved it smelt good on the reviewers above, but sadly not for me.

Dragon’s Bone When first applied I smell dragon’s blood and wood, rich and sweet. Very nice. It is quite some time before I notice the orris, sweetly floral and blending beautifully with the other notes. Once this has been on for a while it is a gentle, understated scent; slightly sweet, slightly woody. Gorgeous, I like this a lot.

Dissipation When first applied there is a lovely, light, green, herby smell that I can’t identify. I’m not sure that I’ve ever smelt wormwood, maybe it’s that? Once this is dry I’m getting a slight smokiness, perhaps the combination of the sassafras and poppy? Either way it blends beautiful with the green herbiness. I keep feeling I can smell mint and my memory is linking this to Hemlock, as though they share a note I especially like. I reckon I’m a green, herby, smoky fan. I love this one.

Calliope Mint, orange and almond when first applied rapidly joined by lavender and then the almond and orange disappear!! Talk about a fleeting whiff. Once dry I can smell the thyme, gently blending with the mint and lavender (everything else is no longer detected by my nose). Lovely. A couple of hours later the thyme is still really strong, I’d need to be in the right mood to wear this one

Cabaret When first applied I get a brief whiff of the red musk before jasmine overwhelms my nose (normal reaction from jasmine on my skin). As this dries the red musk is back. Cabaret smells rich, almost as though there is wine in it. Just realised why, something made me think of winegums… This is lovely on the occasions when I can get my nose past the jasmine. As much as I love jasmine, my skin amplifies it to an unbearable point in many (not all!!) of the oils that contain it.

Mata Hari When first applied I get a brief hit of coffee; I love the smell of coffee. Almost immediately I can smell jasmine and then the coffee is no more. Jasmine often becomes overpowering with my skin-chemistry and sadly that is just what happened with Mata Hari. I never managed to smell any of the other notes and hours later I am still swamped with jasmine.

Vixen is good too. I think I've almost got him to the point where he will wear BPAL himself, no mean achievement let me tell you!!

Lust, Hunger, Psyche, Depraved, Dragon's Milk, Hemlock and Queen Mab. I am very careful about what I wear when I go out!

I'm in the UK. You need to work out your order, calculate the shipping click here, then PayPal your payment (incl shipping) to: paypal@blackphoenixalchemylab.com You list your order in full in the comments box, along with your forum name, email address if different to your PayPal email and submit. You will receive confirmation emails from PayPal and BPAL. ETA: You need to transmit the payment in US$. As the good ladies above pointed out, you can't order from the website.

Hemlock Green, herby, love at first sniff . Seriously, I ordered a larger bottle within 30 minutes of sniffing this! As it dries I’m getting a faint citrus note. Not like a pure lemon, more a green, leafy citrus a bit like lemon-balm but more herby and definitely green. Someone trampled the herb garden. There is something heavier grounding this, oakmoss perhaps? Many of my much-loved perfumes over the years have contained oakmoss so maybe that is why Hemlock seemed so ‘me’ and why I was hooked so quickly. I compared this to Chanel 19 and it has a similar feel. They don’t smell the same and Chanel 19 is quieter, but, on me, it is definitely in the same vein.

Obeah When first applied this is incredibly strong and makes me think of cleaning fluids; that often means pine. I persevere and after a few minutes patchouli, initially very harsh, mixing with and then overcoming what I take to be pine, then sweetening and mellowing into Kensington Market sometime in the early 70s. There’s an incense feel, but at the moment the patchouli is too strong to allow my nose to really identify anything else; it doesn’t smell scorched so I’m guessing frankincense rather than myrrh. An hour or so later and I can smell a floral note, possibly lily but again I’m not sure. After another hour the floral has morphed to strong jasmine. Jasmine magnifies so much on my skin the patchouli is now barely detectable. Either my skin and / or nose are really screwy today or this contains jasmine.

Chaos Theory XXXI When first applied I immediately think of Kitsune-Tsuki and Black Dahlia. I’m guessing plum, orchid, and maybe jasmine. As this dries I’m catching a whiff of mint and I believe musk, possibly also a touch of leather and tobacco!! Either my nose is even more weird than usual or there’s a heck of a lot of ingredients in this oil. After wearing this for quite a while it is rich, elegant and slightly decadent. There could be something alcoholic in the mix that makes me think decadent! It really is special, totally gorgeous.

Chaos Theory XX When first applied rum and almost caramel, but without the intense sweetness. This is making me think of ice cream, interestingly my husband also said, “ice cream” when he suffered the obligatory wrist under nose As it dries I can detect a woody note in there, I think cedarwood although I’m not positive. I’m not a rum lover and cedarwood often does strange things on my skin, but I am really enjoying this scent. It is quiet, interesting, on me not masculine, not too sweet and just generally lovely.