zeldaZ4

I do the wand thing, on the strands closest to my ears. My hair is long, so when it swings around I can smell it. Yum, yum. If applying straight from an imp to my wrist, I will often touch my fingers to the imp and run those through my hair. I don't think the essential oils can be damaging to my hair, but I am afraid some might be to my scalp. So I keep the oils away from there.

I don't use styling products, and I only do it with oils I plan to keep, so I don't worry too much about contamination.

The scent in the hair is very long-lasting! Mmmm mmmmm!

Awwwwww I know how that feels! It's not necessarily the cold that brings me down, but the gray skies. Hugs!

I think you are on the right track combating SAD with aromatherapy. I will suggest a few that work for me. They aren't necessarily SUNNY, but they remind me of summer.

Titania - this one reminded me of a mid-morning picnic with fruits and tea on a table bathed in watery sunlight.

Hell's Bell - the South in Deep Summer.

Alcie - a Georgia fruit stand by the side of the road in the blazing sun. This one is one of the "happiest" I own.

Pandy - from the same Pandora collection. Another fruity, bright scent. This one has more honey, whereas Alcie is greener on me.

Kumiho - reminds me of White Tea and Ginger from Bath & Body Works. Always a mood-lifter for me because it reminds me of a cold glass of my mother's sweet, lemony iced tea.

And oddly enough - the new Blue Snowballs is saying "summer" to me! It must be the blueberries.

I am sure you will get lots of "sun" suggestions. So many it will make you do this:

I'm first? Wow!

I took the plunge and ordered Lick It Softly unsniffed due to a previous habit I had of mixing B&BW's Twisted Peppermint with their Vanilla Bean Noel. It was a Holiday Thing of mine, for which I'd receive many compliments and "Oooh you smell like CANDY" comments!

I was hoping Lick It Softly would have the same effect.

Well, no compliments yet. Unless I count those from myself. But this is exactly what I had hoped it would be. Starts off very bracing and minty and cold when wet. As it dries, a warm, sugary, almost musky vanilla emerges. The effect is really wonderful and festive, and has made me decide to take Lick It Softly with me in December when my mother and I cruise the Rhine through Germany. There are not many times when I'd like to smell like peppermint candy, but I think this will be one of them.

So happy I risked a bottle!

The Gorobble for me today.

Gorobble!

The Death of Autumn is my scent, and my mood, today. Growing up in Georgia, Thanksgiving was about when the leaves turned. But I am in Ohio now, where most of the leaves are already on the ground.

Fruity bubblegum! Raspberry? Grape? That's what I smelled when I first dabbed this on my wrist.

About an hour later, the fruity sweetness is still there, but it now has a lovely layer of soft florals and cream over it. I don't see a cream note listed - could this be the yeast from the wine?

Delicate, wispy and ethereal. LOVE!!!

Just got this one today, along with a bottle of Autumn Lace. I am getting mostly clove, softly wrapped in sweet vanilla. Clove is one of my favorite flavors, and this is just lovely. I never thought of it as a mournful scent, but the color I get is dark purple, so yeah, it IS evocative of sadness and melancholy.

What a great chart! I don't know if it is redundant or not, being pretty new myself. But the formatting on this make it so easy to use.

Got my Frimp fresh from the Lab, so this one doesn't have much age on it yet. It started out as a blast of amber, which quieted down as the old-fashioned florals emerged. I got the overwhelming impression of my Grandmother's dark brown bottle of Youth Dew. Which I actually loved on her, because it smelled elegant and expensive.

Hours later, it had faded to the soft creaminess of Bastet. Since Bastet is so much better from the start, and I already have a bottle, I don't need this. But I will put the imp aside to age. We'll see what happens!

Got this as a frimp from the Lab with my Weenie order. Super excited to try it, because it was one I've often heard praised. So BIG THANKS Lab!

My first wet whiff reminded me of cinnamon. So then I read the notes. Ah, carnation, that makes sense. On my skin, it all blends together nicely, the carnation, a slight touch of vanilla, and the lovely cedar (one of my favorite notes.) I don't really detect leather, but I am catching a masculine, herbal vibe. Must be the sage and lavender. They aren't strong, just enough to give the blend a touch of spice.

So as the minutes wear on, the scent starts to smell familiar. I'm getting a sense of melancholy, then suddenly it hits me - the Avon cologne my father wore in the early 70's. I can't remember the name... was it Deep Woods? My parents were divorced when I was twelve, he died nine years later so it's been a very long time since I've smelled this.

I like a lot of the masculine scents. Most of them end up being more unisex on my skin. But this one definitely says "man." And more specifically, "Daddy." I'll keep the imp around for the nostalgia factor.

For a GC woodsmoke scent, try an imp of Smokestack. Cathedral is also lovely for incense and cedar, and also GC. I like to wear them both together. The combination reminds me of my old fave for Autumn/Winter, Donna Karan's Black Cashmere. All warm and snuggly smoke, incense, and dry wood.

The most gorgeous colored oil. I considered buying a bottle for that beautiful fuschia alone. It was a lovely citrusy floral on my wrist when wet, but it never went anywhere. Dry, it reminded me of one of those Avon little-girl colognes from my childhood. Nondescript floral that never offends then fades to nothing.

Perhaps this oil will benefit from a tad bit of aging in the imp. Like a new Vampire Bride, she hasn't been undead long enough to develop much character.

My fave of the 2012 Weenies so far! At first it was overwhelming burnt wood on my wrist, like the blast that slaps you in the face when the wind suddenly changes course at a bonfire. Very evocative and wonderful scent, but not something I dream of adorning myself with. But then...

A smooth dark sweetness emerged, like a bottle of rich brown ale poured over the charred embers. Reminds me of a bottle of pure vetiver oil I once had. This one requires further evaluation!

TEN DAYS LATER: We have a Weenie Winner! LOL! I ordered a bottle. This oil has been my scent obsession for the last week. I've nearly used up the imp, carrying it around and slathering it on. This is the perfect story of an Autumn Bonfire. Charred wood and flames fanned by the wind. It's an intense and evocative scent that fades into the sweet warmth of someone's shoulder as you cuddle closer while the leaves swirl and dance.

Maybe I should have ordered two...

Didn't really smell much in the imp. Vaguely sweet and lemony, but not what I expected. When I put it on WOWZA! Reallllllllly tart lemon candy! Mouth-puckeringly tart. That lemony candy smell lasted about an hour, then the whole thing turned to maple syrup. Bleccch! LOVE maple syrup, but I don't want to smell like I dragged my sleeve through a plate of pancakes. I guess that's the burnt sugar note that everyone's getting, but I just got pancakes. Kinda Misk-U pancakes. And those pancakes lasted all day. Great if this scent works for you, but not so great for me, ha ha!

I'm 0 for 2 on my 2012 Weenies, ha ha! On to imp number three!

In the imp, the most luscious, rich, buttery scent ever. I nearly swooned, then slathered away. This is gonna be sooo good, right???

Hmmmmm.... still smells foody, but more like a Duncan Hines Lemon Cake Mix. Straight from the box, the powdery mix itself, before anything else is added. I happen to like that scent, and have been known to eat the powder (!!!), so yeah, this will work.

Hey? What happened? Why did my Lemon Cake Mix turn into baby powder? I guess it's the "cotton" scent. My skin apparently amps it, big time. It got stronger as the night wore on. Less baby powder, more Bath and Body Works Clean Cotton on steroids.

Since I don't particulary care to smell like laundry, I will pass on a bottle. Too bad it didn't stay true to the imp. I would have bought it by the gallon!

Got this in a freebie with my Lab etsy order. Love! To me it's the smell of dank decay. I am transported to a cloudy afternoon deep in the woods while the smell of mossy earth and damp oak leaves wraps around me. I smell vetiver I think, like someone has placed his cologne soaked jacket around my shoulders to ward off the chill.

Really nice and autumnal.

Ooooh forgot about Titania! LOVE it! Very girlie and pretty.

Pandy says the note is apricot, but on me it comes off more peach.

Sphaeromachia Gaumeri from the Metamorphosis collection this past August. HIghly recommend! It's bright and sweet, but on me it's grounded with a lovely warmth. I've also heard praise for Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat from the Neil Gaimans, but have never tried it.

Sphaeromachia Notes:

Iris, iced lemon peel, anise seed, red current, coriander, cilantro, and white musk.

ETA, I should also mention Pandy from the new Pandora collection. Not lemon, but very fruity and floral. Also grounded with a lovely warmth. On drydown, it reminds me a little of Lancome's Tresor, if you are familiar with that one. I have an imp but definitely want a bottle. The notes are:

Fresh white musk, honeycomb, sweet apricot, elemi, orange blossom, and mischievous pink pepper

I've been feeling very fatigued lately, and having a lot of difficulty concentrating.

 

Does anyone have GC (not TAL) suggestions that make them feel more alert and focused?

Lemon always lifts me up. I am new to BPAL, but I got a decant of Sphaeromachia Gaumeri and I was in lemon heaven. I've heard it compared on this forum to Lemon Scented Sticky Bat. It was energizing, yet warm and comforting at the same time.

Good luck to you!

REALLY HIGH HOPES!!! Wet - Wood & men's cologne. Not as much throw as I'd hoped.

Waiting… As it dries, the golden teak is starting to emerge. Still very light. Lovely, but light. Don't like it as much as Dee or Cathedral yet…

Getting lighter, and lighter. Meh. I am beginning to think the Lab's vanilla disappears on me. I don't smell it in the Fabled Snake Oil, and I don't smell it in this. Wish I did! Cuz I LOVES me some vanilla. This is going in the aging box with the Snake Oil to see what happens...

An hour and a half later - there's the vanilla! And it is fabu! Rather like Guerlain's Spiriteuse Double Vanilla, which I MELT for. Slightly smokey with only a touch of wood. Yep, aging box! This could be REALLY good!

ETA: Slathered on some more, before tucking it away in the Age Box. The Vanilla Finale was so wonderful I thought, why not?

Now that I know that the vanilla smells like, I can actually detect it wet. I guess that's what this Education of the Nose is all about! The vanilla is not strong, but it is hiding in there.

These BPALS are a continuously unraveling mystery...

Warm and woodsy. Aged wood, unlike the fresh sharp Cedar tang in Cathedral. Soft and comforting, like my grandfather bringing firewood in from the pile, then snuggling next to him in his old leather chair and reading from his floor-to-ceiling library. Dee wraps itself around me like a hug from my Grandfather in his cashmere sweater. Mmmmmmmm......

Got this imp straight from the lab. It is going in my potential-bottle-box for a little age.

First testing of the partial bottle I got from Ralenth. I was intrigued because of the Yeats connection. I was lucky enough to take the trip of a lifetime to Ireland in 2008. This oil takes me back there, to his grave at Drumcliffe churchyard in County Sligo, where the church doors have gleaming brass handles in the shape of swans, and his simple black headstone stands in stark contrast to the ornately carved 9th century Celtic high cross commanding the ancient ground. The flat topped mount of Ben Bulben looms overhead, impossibly green and surreal in its shape.

His last poem:

Under bare Ben Bulben's head

In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.

An ancestor was rector there

Long years ago, a church stands near,

By the road an ancient cross.

No marble, no conventional phrase;

On limestone quarried near the spot

By his command these words are cut:

Cast a cold eye

On life, on death.

Horseman, pass by!

—Under Ben Bulben, W.B. Yeats

This oil smells of Ireland, the cool wetness of the River Shannon where I took a picture of a Swan swimming in the wake of our little boat. Of the bee-loud glade of the lake isle of Innisfree. And although I didn't expect it to, it smells much like the perfume Innisfree I bought in Dublin. The same sharp green notes that remind me of shamrocks and heather and moss-drenched stones in the wood near Kylemore Abbey.

A treasure!

ETA: am wearing this in anticipation of St Patrick's Day tomorrow, and it still smells of Green Magic. Perfect!

In the bottle, all I could smell were raisins soaked in cherry cough syrup. Uh oh, why did I buy this? The dreaded cherry!

But then, on my skin...

What a lovely surprise! Black cherry must be better on my skin than cherry. This is warm and fruity. Wine soaked Autumn fruit, warmed in a glazed stoneware mug. Sitting on the front porch on a golden afternoon, drinking the richly spiced mixture while glowing leaves swirl on the wind. A few minutes later, I'm joined by my best friend, a mug of October ale in his hand. The wind blows through the trees in my neighbor's yard, bringing the slightest hint of balsam and pine.

This is really complex and evocative on me. Many beautiful things going on - as befits a Harvest. So glad I got a bottle!

OnSkin: Mmmm… wet, it smells like my Pomeranian fresh from the groomers, which is a GOOD thing! All warm fluffy fur, clean sweetness, and Happy Doggie Kisses. It's green & fruity & sweet & warm. It's well-blended. Individual sandalwood & musk notes don't stick out. Instead, there is a soft, sweet warmth as if I buried my nose in Lucy's fur and inhaled the scent of her clean skin. I can't pick out the individual fruits, but there is a juicy green scent, like when Lucy bursts out of the groomer's front door and rolls with delight in the dewy grass. This is beautiful, and I think it might be love! Waiting for drydown...

An hour later, this oil has stayed true to itself. It is sweet, soft, steady and warm. A comforting scent. Lucy has curled up next to me, sleeping peacefully.

Decided to try this right away to see if the Jasmine would behave herself, since my disastrous trial of Ceanothus Silkmoth (yuck!) is so fresh in my mind.

Phew! There she is! Strong & sickly sweet. But I will brave this out and see if something else shows up. Almost immediately a hint of leather appears, like the guest room closet in my mother's house where she keeps her out of season clothes, suitcases, shoes, & belts. But why is there Jasmine in there??? Go away, Jasmine!

An hour later, Jasmine has stopped screaming at me, but I'm afraid Iole just isn't going to work for me. In another hour, the whole thing is very faded. What's left still doesn't mesh with my chemistry.

I'll sit it aside to age. Perhaps if Jasmine calms down, I can detect the other notes. But right now, I agree with the other reviewers above. This does not say "studious" to me.