Mountaingrrl00

I'm in for a weekend of intensive traveling. I don't have the obvious - Safari - on hand. What else might work? I do have a few imps that have lavender in them. I've heard that geranium and mint are good for travel. Any other components you'd recommend? Particular BPAL oils?

Intrigue and Manila have a similar humid-wood-and-fruit-thing going on. I prefer Intrigue as I'm more into fig than banana.

Umbra would be another good one, with patchouli and cinnamon.

When I sniffed this in the vial, I couldn't distinguish it from Titania - it was sort of a generic "iced fruits" scent. It really warmed up on my skin, though, and the pear scent is beautiful - ripe, autumnal, maybe even a little bit spiced. It doesn't have much throw. It just sticks around for a long time and allows me to keep sniffing my wrist and smiling.

The first couple of times I tried Hymn to Pan were pleasant enough, but nothing special happened. These times were for music performance situations. Then I used it to anoint my studio, and I really did have a wild burst of creativity. I stayed up late working on a writing project and it turned out very interesting and different from anything I've done before. As someone else has mentioned in a review, I too woke up feeling a bit as though I had a hangover. Still, I had coffee and breakfast, dabbed a bit of Hymn to Pan on my notebook, and went back to writing. I felt more willing to experiment and work by feel rather than rules. There's something fizzy about the aroma - I definitely get the "herbal cola" association, or possibly ginger brew. There's also a hint of flowers. When I apply it to my palms, the scent vanishes quickly. Perhaps that's why it didn't work for me previously. Also, my experience with it so far has been on the more introverted side, which I don't associate with "rock star debauch". Personal variations aside, this works wonderfully for me, and I expect to use it more in my work and play.

I am finding Road Opener very helpful so far. It gives me a cooling sensation that's very pleasant and inspiring, even tingly. It makes me want to get out and explore. As another example of an almost-too-literal interpretation of "Road Opener", when I've used the oil I have driven down different streets and always have found new and interesting places. On one of these trips I met a fellow musician who told me about a new music equipment store that had everything I've needed and hadn't been able to find locally or affordably. The alone opens a lot of paths for me. I can think of many other uses for this terrific oil. Oh, and as far as how it smells, for me it's strong, sinus-clearing mint. There might be some menthol and eucalyptus. I get pennyroyal, too - minty/bitter/metallic. It's strong enough to work just applied to my palms and smelled, although it does not have a great deal of staying power there. It seems to work particularly well when it's also applied to the back of my neck, where I can feel a skin-tingling push.

The red musk is *very* strong at first - in the vial, I smell nothing but. Once it hits my skin, though, the spices start wafting, and I'm in love. I don't get individual notes so much as a general sense of spice heightening the sexiness of the musk. It's spicy without being at all foody. It's very dark and rich and deep, with good staying power. It sweetens a bit, but keeps the saffron savoriness I adore. I'm a big fan of Oblivion, Smut, Sed Non Satiata and Morocco, and I see these as variations on a musky-spicy theme. Scherezade's on the less-sweet end of this spectrum, but without the woodiness of Oblivion. A new favorite.

This reminds me a lot of a scent I used to order from the Underground Scent Plant called Red Clay. Penny Dreadful is better, though. The earth note is softer than what's in Zombi, Graveyard Dirt, etc. I like those sharp dirt smells, but sometimes it's nice to have something a little subtler. The red-clay smell blends smoothly with the sweet ginger for a light, everyday scent that's quiet while being spicy and interestingly different.

To me, this doesn't have the sharpness of lemongrass - I'd guess lemon balm, actually. It's bright, but with a soft honey-floral sweetness that draws me in. I find it very refreshing, like cool, clean sheets. As it happens, it is all over my sheets because of a cracked imp cap. I'm going to have to get more of this. I slept pleasantly with this, and I could actually see wearing it during the day, too.

Well, darn. I sniffed this at a meet & sniff and was smitten by the lovely citrus topnote. I ordered an imp. Again, it was lovely in the vial. On my skin, though, it becomes boozy-sweet, with that same bubblegum note from Jailbait - which makes sense, conceptually, but I was hoping for something different. I may try this one again at another phase of my cycle, in case there's a possibility it can work with my skin chemistry. Otherwise, it looks like Lolita has a lot of fans I can swap her to.

I love the resin-wood-musky smell. If I hadn't purchased Charisma with specific intentions, I'd be tempted to wear this as an all-around perfume. I applied this to my chakras this evening before going to an open mike where I'd be performing - and mingling when I wasn't onstage. I also decanted an imp to bring with me and reapplied to my throat chakra just before going on. The energy I felt from the ritual was relaxed while being more interested in the actions I was doing and the people in my midst. I felt confident enough to debut two songs I hadn't put on my set list. Not only did I get compliments all night on my music, I got into a bunch of enjoyable conversations, and got offers of help in advancing my career and a couple social invitations. It was a fun, successful night, for sure. ETA: I got a second bottle of this recently and this bottle smells sweeter, more honeyed. It's still very effective. This has become my favorite oil to wear when I perform.

It smells mostly of jasmine to me, then lavender. I don't really get the other notes, which might come out after I've fallen asleep. I did sleep well, and long, with Oneiroi - more so than with the other Somnium blends I've tried so far.

This came as a freebie in my latest order. At first I thought I smelled the same cherry note that's in Hollywood Babylon. There's a similar amber at first, too - very juicy! Come to think of it, Hollywood Babylon's rather a trickster of a scent, so the similarity is fitting. On my skin, that bright sweetness mellows, and I get more of the dry grass and a soft musk. What I like best is the way Coyote smells when it's been dry awhile. It really does smell like clean fur and the outdoors, and a nuzzly musk. It stays close to my skin, but I think it would be very inviting to someone who was close enough to smell it.

I was in bed with a menstrual headache when my mail came with three different orders and swap packages. Of all the oils that arrived (including three somniums) this was the only one that appealed to my nose at that moment. At first it just smelled like strong, herbal lavender. Then it became more floral and airy. As I lay resting, I got a smell that reminded me of Hand of Hermes (lavender and cinnamon?) It was gorgeous in all its phases, and soothing as well. I've reapplied before bedtime and will edit this if I have anything interesting to report from dreamland.

I got an imp of this in Brumbjorn's decant circle. When it arrived in the mail, well-wrapped in bubble wrap and a separate plastic bagging, I could smell it through the package! It smelled like straight-up cloves - very strong and bracing. Almost as soon as I applied some oil to my palms and inhaled, I was motivated to do a number of tasks I'd been putting off. I even (gulp) put down a deposit on a car - a very big deal for me. Yeah, this stuff works.

Sri Lanka is green-incense hippie. Umbra is patchouli-cinnamon hippie. Malediction is deep, intense hippie (strong patchouli and vetiver.)

I get an ivy scent from House of Night, along with some evergreens and flowers.

I received an imp of this from Kiena - thanks so much! I thought it was lovely in the vial, almost pure peony, like rose, but lighter and gentler. I wore it today in the humid heat and it showed surprising strength. The peony remains without amping, and a nice herbal scent comes out, along with what could be sandalwood. I found it refreshing, very easy to wear without being too generically so.

Based on the catalog description, I would not have thought I'd like House of Night, but got a sniff at a meetup and it really grabbed me! (Thanks, jejunery!) It's got a nice foresty top note, green and woody, very natural, refreshing. Then I get a bit of sharp floral - lavender, maybe? - which doesn't last long. There's just a hint of powder, but fortunately that doesn't last. Then a light honey sweetness joins the green notes, and sticks around for hours. I don't find it heavy. It works nicely for summer. House of Night does not have a lot of throw, but it has good staying power. You can apply it in the morning and sniff your wrists from time to time during the day, without having anyone ask what you're wearing.

My favorite scent for a flirty vibe is Aizen-Myoo - Japanese citrus with cherry blossom and black tea. It's inviting without being overtly sexy, light and bright without being childish. Others I like are Snow Bunny (LE), Hollywood Babylon (a little on the sweet side - depends if you like that kind of thing), and Vixen (a little sexier than the others on this list, but not musky.)

A few more you might like to try: Shango: tropical fruit smoothie Sudha Segara: gingered ambrosia 13: (LE) mandarin-chocolate-minty Bengal: chai or spice cookie Jailbait: bubblegum and lollipops

I received this as a frimp with a recent order. This is a very rich-smelling oil. It smells like it should be thick, like molasses. There's a bit of sharpness initially from the vetiver, but when it dries down it becomes sweeter. I didn't realize I liked myrrh so much - it's definitely the note I'm sniffing my wrist for. I like it an awful lot, although more sloth is probably the last thing I need in my life! Decadent stuff.

This is Top Ten material for me. Dark dark musk, warm resin, savory saffron and just a hint of sharpness from the patchouli. It reminds me a bit of another of my favorites, Morocco, but darker and more substantial. Beautiful, strong and sexy.

Destroying Angel really does smell like mushrooms and earth on me. Graveyard Dirt is dead-on, too. Zombi and The Premature Burial also smell very lifelike, but in a different way - cultivated flowers as opposed to wild ones.

Anne Bonny! It's wood and sea breezes.