Mountaingrrl00

Chintamani-Dhupa does not smell good to me in the bottle. It has a similar piercing quality to Sol Invictus. I think they share a frankincense note, and some tropical floral topnote. I agree with what others have said about the clean/detergent smell; it's strong intially. On the skin, though, it's really nice! Very real-smelling woods, sandalwood and just a hint of the wood smells in Golden Priapus. It's outdoorsy-masculine, and I like that. There is a hint of honey, not as much as I expected, but with a soft sweetness that mellows out the deep woody smell. The clean floral thing is gone now. There is still a floral dimension on the drydown, but creamier, like a hint of tuberose or gardenia. I like the soft Indian incense phase. This is a skin scent now, subtle. This hasn't wowed me the way I was hoping it would, but it's nice, and I'll probably keep some of the bottle and imp some out on swaps.

I find it interesting that Determination shares a dominant note, vetiver, with the BPAL oil called Sloth! But this very strong vetiver also has something minty and herbal behind it initially. When I use it to dress candles, I get a subtle, fragrant spice, too - something in the coriander-cardamom family. There's a bit of lemony sharpness but also a light, comforting sweetness. I really like the smell of this. It's very strong, and a little goes a long way. I haven't put this to the big test yet - I bought a bottle in preparation for an intense writing project I'll be starting in a week and a half - but it has given me a boost with some little things. I'll report back in more detail and edit this review in March. Belated edit: Very effective in helping me with that intense writing project!

In the vial: Smut-like musks with a refreshing twist of orange. Wet: a perfumey note creeps in. I think that's the ambergris bouquet. Dry: Yum! Deep, rich musk, round amber, and something softly herbal. It's reminding me more of Luperci now - that same soft, leathery quality mixed with the down-and-dirty. Later: This lasts quite well, with moderate throw. I'd wear this on a date for sure.

This makes me want to go antiquing! I don't usually like orange blossom, which is definitely here, but something about the way it's blended here makes it appealing. Love the parchment smell, the patchouli-wood of old furniture, the lavender that reminds me of some lavender furniture polish I have, and the benzoin, which is a favorite note of mine anyway. It's funny - I usually associate lavender and orange blossom with sleep, but this scent wakes me up. I like it!

I recommend trying out some of the vetiver-heavy scents. Malediction would be my first recommendation. You might also want to try Tarot: Death. And I'd also suggest going to the Black Phoenix website and using the website there to search for "vetiver". Check out the list and see which of the combinations strike you as dark and sinister.

The Cracked Bell smelled metallic to me. Centzon Totochtin, too.

Moxie's a fun, energetic, confident scent. Reviewers have called the TAL oil Energy "Moxie on steroids". I haven't tried that one yet, but it sounds promising!

How about Nocturne - lilac, violet and tuberose, very feminine, soft traditional floral?

I've had good results with raspberry leaf and dandelion leaf infusions.

I took two semesters of Hindi, but those Sanskrit names are another thing altogether ....

I'd recommend Jacob's Ladder.

When I sniff this in the container, it's almost entirely cedar. But on, it blooms into this deliciously complex and unusual woodsy-resinous-spicy-herbal, just slightly juicy blend. It does smell "swollen with arcane power". I've worn it to bed before and had especially interesting dreams.

I notice some similarities to TAL Glamour, which kind of makes sense. Lemony something, heliotrope, rose, something else sweet and vanilla-like and golden. I put this on today and got money in the mail I'd forgotten I was owed (and which I could really use this time of year - hence the anointing!) and an old friend who never visits came by with a gift. Even the cats seemed more affectionate.

The first one that comes to mind is Umbra. The patchouli is strong, but it melds so beautifully with the cinnamon. Depraved might work - again with the melding, the patchouli and apricot complement each other very well.

Tarot: The Sun is my favorite sunny scent. If you want something less citrus, besides some of those already named, I find Al-Shairan to be a hot-sun cinnamony kind of scent.

The Seventh Daughter, Daughter of the Oath. She was King David’s lover, and the mother of King Solomon. Her scent is breathtakingly lovely, exotic and powerfully sensual in its innocence: carnation, sensual plum, and Arabian musk. In the vial and on me, this is pretty much all carnation all the time. There's a little fruitiness, but it's very very faint. It evokes memories of high school formal dances.

I was going to suggest Coyote too. The Lion has a dry-grass note, too.

On me this is very cedary with some sharp greenery and a bit of sweetness. The raspberry leaf is not cloying or even particularly fruity - it's almost like a tea note. I like having another scent with olive in it, too - those can be hard to find, and this is a nice, round note, not briny. It's a good scent for feeling grounded and strong.

I can tell there's some beautiful pomegranate in this, but alas, the ozone note is just too strong. It's that same headache-threatening ozone that made Macchu Pichu break my heart. Kind of like Everclear mixed with gin. Ah well.

This was the Yule blend I was most excited about. I love amber, saffron, frankincense and citrus of all kinds, and it sounded like my dream blend. Sadly, I find the florals overwhelm all the yummy notes I was anticipating. On me, this is a sharp, dry, perfumey floral. It has a pretty strong throw, but not a lot of staying power. I've been imping out my bottle, hoping my decants find users who appreciate it more.

I don't reach for this often, but sometimes it's just the thing - sweet but not too sweet, the butterscotch note tempered by a bit of wood and softness. I don't get a lot of coffee - it's not a jolt-you-awake scent. I think the coffee just lends some depth to the scent, and a subliminal suggestion of a hot beverage. There's nothing bitter about it. I like it on a cold morning when I want to carry a little comforting cloud around with me.

Hm, I thought I'd reviewed this already ... Scentwise, I get the golden olive oil others have mentioned. It then dries down to a smoky sandalwood. I like the scent very much - it's quiet and doesn't smell like perfume, but rather like something that would be healing, without having a traditionally medicinal smell. Purposewise, this works. I don't wear it often, but it's my go-to oil when I've been thrown off-balance and need centering. It does just what the description says.

Something about Black Lily reminds me of Queen Mab. I think there may be a similar sandalwood smoothing out and grounding the floral. I'm guessing that's the source of the sweetness and creaminess others have mentioned. Whatever it is, it works to make this a very attractive scent. This is definitely lily - a little green, a little sweet, very springlike. Minimal throw, little staying power, at least on my winter skin, which seems to be eating all but the strongest scents. It's nice enough that I will hang on to the partial frimp I got in a swap, and see if this works betterwhen the weather gets warmer.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet! This is my favorite BPAL scent of all. It's earthy, woodsy and subtly sweet, with a soft animalic base. It just smells so alive and natural - but in a soft, wearable way. I don't get the super-sexiness some reviewers do, but it's definitely attractive. It's warm, complex and original. Luperci strikes me as a blend with higher-quality versions of many of BPAL's frequent ingredients. I like the honey better than that in any other blend; it's more of a round smell. The patchouli doesn't announce itself, but mixes with the oakmoss to create a dirt/outdoors aura. The balsam smells slightly sweet, woody, real. I'd wear this more frequently if it weren't an LE. It's such a beautiful, comfortable skin scent on me. Please make more of this!

I've worn this a few times now and it's been different each time. The first time the buttery note took a long time to dry down, and I wasn't all that keen on the scent. On subsequent wearings I've gotten more of the other ingredients. The best was when I put it on after a hot bath: warmed, the butter disappeared instantly and the scent instantly became a perfectly blended spiced amber with a bit of orange zest. I think the pumpkin does add nicely to the creaminess of the amber; it's not just some annoying buttery thing to be gotten past. The cardamom in this one is very true, and the ginger and orange are cheery. I'll be wearing this in situations where it can heat up properly to be an excellent feel-good scent.