mandragora

In the imp, warm amber. Went sour though when it touched my skin. Odd reaction, Machu Picchu's amber never did that. Dry, it's sour and baby-powdery amber with a slight cologne-y feel to it. And now it's made me sneeze. Oh dear, it's off to the swaps with Jacob's Ladder.

Very cool and aquatic smelling. Picture slushy, melting snow as opposed to solid block of ice. A very dusky and mysterious floral blowing in the frosty winter air. And yes, it does turn soapy, but I like the way it does soapy. No sign of the warm amber though. Clean and delicate, a pretty winter scent.

Resurrected version 11/2006, straight from the lab. Wet, Yuki-Onna is all lemon verbana and bergamot. Very cold and sharp citrus. It mellows as it dries though, I guess you have to be a bit patient with her . Further drydown, I can smell jasmine and sandalwood. It's a very cool, yellow-green scent. Very, very pretty. To me, it's like a colder Gennivre.

I have found my signature scent! I just love how it's soft, sweet and utterly ethereal. It has hint of coolness and is a bluish-green kind of fruity/floral. As it wafts, it's like being engulfed in a clean, comforting and gentle embrace. I can't single out any of the notes as they are so well-blended together. I also adore that it is unobtrusive enough for daily office wear. I have 4 bottles but I need to find more . I wonder how many bottles I'd need for the rest of my life .

My sentiments exactly!

Wet, I smell apple cider and spices. There's also a hint of woods. Like standing in an apple orchard. Drydown, the spices take a step back to let sweet apples get center stage. This was how I had imagined The Hesperides to smell like. Fresh, tartly sweet apples. Punkie Night is just Yumm-O, and I wore it last night too. Eta: It also reminds me of Harvest Moon 06, only more apples and less complex.

Wet, I get sweet candied fruits. As it dries, a green-smelling floral (apple blossom?) tempers the sweetness while the white pepper adds depth. This is quite bright and happy-smelling for a scent called "weeping clown".

Sweet lemon candy, no wait, creamy lemon candy. Very brisk and invigorating. As it dries down, the florals emerges and the lemon hangs around to provide a lovely backdrop to them. Opium gives it a smokey quality.

Wet, Misk U is butterscotch-laced sweet irish coffee. Almost teeth-rotteningly sweet *gasp blasphemy!*. As it dries, the dusty tomes and a butter-y notes come out and mute the sweet-smelling coffee. There's also a dry, paper-y note there as well. I wonder where the 'oakwood halls' went though.

Hmm, very dark and smoky when wet. It reminds me indeed of campfires. A touch sweet and a touch boozy with liberal helpings of smoke and musk. Dry, DN is a comforting scent and I'm somewhat reminded of gingerbread cookies(?). Overall, a perfect autumn scent.

Upon initial application, I smell plum blossom and calla lily lightly sweetened by honey. A very pretty start. On drydown, the skin musk, amber and spices come out, morphing the pretty floral scent into something dark and sophisticated. The Brides of Dracula, beautiful, elegant, other-worldly women cloaked in lust, darkness and malevolence. All attributes captured perfectly in this scent. Very grown-up and very feminine. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

In the bottle, it's sweet, carameled apples. Reminiscent of Monsterbait: Closet (with the butterscotch) and a bit of Misk U (with the caramel). Only, Creepy is lighter, brighter and bit more sillier smelling. Further into the drydown, the coconut rum emerges, giving a punch of naughtyness to the extreme silliness of the scent. It would be a fun scent to wear on Hallow's Eve.

I don't know about mountain air and snow, but wet, Carpathian Mountains starts off with a strong blast of wintergreen. Almost like Bengay but a bit sweeter *is getting worried*. As it dries, I can detect pine and fir, that seems to be covered in snow. Further drydown, the wintergreen note mellows as the ice-cold green-smelling florals evolve. I can picture a majestic, snow-covered yet bleak mountain top with very sparse vegetation when wearing this scent. Great job, Beth!

2006 version. In the bottle and wet, it's very sharp and spicy, almost pungent. The spices are setting themselves in the front and center with the creamy pumpkin staying in the background. Dry, it becomes a bit woody and apple-y sweet. The spices though, are overwhelming almost every other note. It smells strongly like holiday candles, which is lovely but not something I would want to wear.

Musky tea scent with the barest hint of citrus. Dorian on steroids, like Aredhel said. It goes on sexy, crisp and masculine. Vanilla bean comes out on the drydown lending it sweetness, which rounds out the scent. Further drydown, the musk mellows while the vanilla bean comes to fore, making the scent a bit androgynous. It's gorgeous on me and I bet this would be sexy on my hubby. this. Definitely getting more bottles. Great job Beth!

CXCV (195) On the bottle: Boozy almond with a hint of cocoa. On me: The booze mellows leaving a bittersweet chocolate-y almond scent. Has hint of resin on the drydown. Bit too foody for my tastes.

From Lycanthrope's CTIII Decant Circle - Part 2 DXIII (513) Sharp alcohol smell that's slightly sour. On my skin, the sourness dissipates leaving a strong boozy and spicy smell that's both perfume-y and powdery. DXXXI (531) Astringent-smelling cherry cough syrup. Very sharp, very medicinal. A light floral note emerges on the drydown mellowing the sharp cherry syrupy smell. DLXV (565) Cough syrup sweet cherry menthol that's a bit boozy. The menthol boozy note dissipates on the drydown, the cherry-sweetness also fades. Hazelnut emerges and blends with the faint cherry note with a bit of floral powder at the back. Hmmm curious. DLXVIII (568) Pine, booze and something floral. Cool and sharp-smelling and a bit on the masculine side. All of the above scents last reviewed by kakiphony here. DLXXXIII (583) Aquatic fruity floral blend. I detect red apples. Can't pick out other notes as they all blend well with each other. A very cool and lovely scent. Another keeper. Last reviewed by kakiphony (in a different post).

This is my first autumn BPAL scent and I must say that I'm blown away by Harvest Moon 06. It's juicy red delicious apple with spice and berry hints surrounding it. I can smell the dusty wheat and wood (shagbark hickory). On the drydown, the dusty wheat and rice note comes to fore and now it's reminiscent of apple cider. I don't get the bamboo and green tea. But it doesn't matter, it's perfect as it is. This is like standing in a wheat field at dusk drinking apple cider. Perfect autumn scent .

CT III - Strange Attractors (from Lycanthrope's CT III circle) DLXII (562) Ooh, this reminds me a bit of Black Lily, with something cool (menthol?) and dark (musk?) slithering beneath. Must do a side-by-side comparison Previously reviewed by Juniperus Intrepidus DLVI (556) Smells like rum while still inside the barrel. There's something salty in the back, like celery only not as sharp on me. There's also hint of peachy sweetness on the drydown. Definitely unusual. Previously reviewed by Juniperus Intrepidus DXXIX (529) Starts out syrupy sweet with a bit of fruit. The sweetness mellows on my skin. Morphs into a fresh-smelling sweet fruity/floral with a hint of water (but not quite aquatic). Last reviewed by kakiphony. DXV (515) In the imp, buttery sugar sweetness. On my skin, is it fig? Peaches? With a bit of booziness beneath. And then a cool hint of menthol. Previously reviewed by Juniperus Intrepidus DLXXIX (579) This is rich-smelling sweet butter with a slightly salty tang underneath (that celery thing, not as sharp). And then poof, it's gone. Only a hint of saltiness is left (like dried tears on cheeks). Last reviewed by kakiphony.

Not having tried Milk Moon yet, I can't make any comparison. But in the imp, Obatala is indeed creamy milky coconut. On my skin, still creamy milky goodness. Later on, I start to smell shea butter giving it rich fullness. Yet hints of aquatic notes in the background tames the rich creamyness down, preventing it from becoming heavy-smelling. Very creamy comforting yet fresh scent. Another keeper. ps. Hubby doesn't like on me . Oh well.

In the imp, fresh and sweet smelling honeydew melon with traces of smoky cigars. On my skin, still melon-y but now there's spicy, alcohol and tobacco blending with it. Kinda like a slightly masculine version of Yemaya. Dry, the lightly sweet coolness of honeydew contrasting beautifully with the warmth of the chili, coupled with faint smokiness. Gah, yummy. A fantastically attractive blend. Ogun would be fabulous on both men and women. Another addition to the list of next-to-order bottles.

In the imp and on my skin, dark, sweet plums with a spicy kick. It mellows as it dries, with light florals and muskiness emerging around the plums. Later on, some light aquatic, airy notes thrown in the mix. A beautifully complex yet very comforting blend. I'll be needing a bottle.

* The Holy Grail of the Lunacy blends * Cool, clear-smelling whiff of fresh air. On my skin, perfect combination of cool crisp cucumber and lightly sweet melon. A lovely, unobtrusive florals starts seeping out between the coolness and sweetness. There's a green watery smell that comes and goes, like a fresh mountain spring. Maybe it's the wood aloes? Very cool and refreshing. Verdict: A perfectly refreshing scent for summer. I can't wait until Blue Moon gets re-released on 2007.

Definitely masculine in the imp. Wet, this is smokey, sweet and golden. Dry, there's a light muskiness, surrounding the apples, wine and dried leaves. This scent is perfect for autumn, I picture red, gold and brown crisp leaves on the ground of an apple orchard.

Chilly, minty aquatic best describes Frost Moon in the imp. Wet on me, it takes on a peppermint gum scent while still mostly frosty, guess that's the eucalyptus doing. It dries down, it lightly sweetens to a pale crystalline flower with the icy fingers of winter clinging to it. The lunar oil tang gives it an interesting twist. Frost Moon is Nuclear Winter's prettier sister. Verdict: Two thumbs up!