juniperus

The small-person smelly update: Miss Emma (9), who informs me that my collection being bigger than hers is "not fair!", has traded a bit, added, and I got Lurid back as it was just too weird to have my kid wearing something called 'lurid' so her smelly collection now has: Queen Mab (her apparent favorite) Langour Thanatos (which, she still informs me, smells like pickles. who knew?) Baneberry Hecate Amsterdam Thaleia Katharina Gaueko Asphodel Rose Cross Titania Water of Notre Dame and a small vial of Les Nereides - Opoponax Young Master Colin (3) was all over my smellies every time a package arrived, so he now has his own teeny stash, too: Roadhouse (wrested away from sister, I'll have to get her another one) Tombstone (which I absolutely love on him!) The Caterpillar Calliope and not to be outdone, he has also swiped one of my non-BPAL testers - Sonoma Buddahwood Encens. They may act like little savages, but they smell really, really good!

I met some elderly hedge-witch types at a retreat center who mized their own lavender oil/pennyroyal oil/citronella oil (or may be it was lemongrass. er) in a carrier, put it in water and shook and spritsed all day. They swore buy it for repelling both skeeters and the every so enjoyable central MO black flies and ticks. I was pregnant at the time, so I did not have the opportunity to test drive their concoction myself - but I'm a skeeter magnet, and nothing much does work on me, actually, save nasty DEET. If you aren't preggers nor trying to be such, maybe try Pain.

Bottle: musk and mullien, yum! Wet: same, with hints of the myrrh coming up behind. dark and deep and loverly. Dry: I can catch the darkness of the vetiver, but it's not taking over! YAY! this is really fabulous on me so far, but the mullien has faded a lot, bummer that. Later: dark- a deep dark, caverous dark, darker than a moonless night dark. only the second vetiver blend I can wear - but I am so glad I can wear this - it's evocative and sinister, and fabulous.

Bottle: in order: apple, vanilla, neroli, patchouli. seriously - the notes pinged up in order like that: bing, bing, bing, bing. Like the bells in a pinball machine, only for the nose. Wet: the teak is definitely present, the vanilla taking charge, and the neroli starting to do it's dreaded neroli thing. no musk or rose. buuummmer. Dry: I'm catching hint ofthe musk, now, but none of the rose, and everything si still behind a nearly-opaque wall of vanilla. damndamndamn. Later: vanilla agony. yes, it often is. *sigh*

Bottle: initially all I get are the florals, further sniffing leads me to detect the mandarin note, but none ofthe others. Wet: erg. slightly soapy. hoe it passes. I can catch the bergamot (maybe that's leading me to fear soap?), but the floral still presides with a firm hand. Dry: yep, soap. very pretty floral soap. so sad. no musk, no myrrh, no hope. Later: for me, sexual ecstasy is extremely clean and soapy-smelling. it's like 50's beach party clean. with ukuleles.

Bottle: green and smoke, but very mellow in comparison to the sharpness I was expecting. Wet: The incense is coming up behind, interesting combination of warmth and chill greenness. Dry: this is gorgeous! evocative of a forest, the imagery and even my sensation of the world around me when I sniff with my eyes closed is breathtaking. I found BPAL a year too late, I tell you. Later: I am so sad I missed this one - it coulda been my one and only!

Here: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=6290 Oh, and pennyroyal is a definite no-no. If you have questions about specific blends you can email the lab and they're friendly and awesome staff will aims to please.

Bottle: vanilla and dirt. And clay, specifically terra cotta. Wet: vanilla and..ginger? and buttery dirt. buttery dirt? Dry: there is something else dark here, but I can't quite put my finger on it. And a hint of woodiness. Mebbe sandalwood, but it's faint. Later: I'm catching a hint of floral, behind the gingerbread effect. Ah, but dirt goes fairly dreadful on me as a rule. I'm not sure why. it gets sharp, and sort of oily-dirt, and just crappy. not as bad as Spanish moss, but it's not pleasant on me no matter how many time I try.

Bottle: muscadine syrup with a hint of bottom notes, as yet still undefined, lurking. Wet: the patchouli is identifiable, now, and I can catch a hint of the cereus, but the breadth of the floral is, as of yet, unexposed Dry: the sticky fruit is taking a back seat to the sweet bloom. little of the nag champa as of yet, and the patchouli is still in the rear. I fear I may have found another high floral amp-happy note... Later: ok, I really, really wanted this to work, I have read so many wonderful reviews of the patchouli and nag champa..and it's almost all damn syrupy-sweet fruit and amped floral on me. with a hint of patchouli. I'll wait longer to see if maybe the upper notes will disappear...but I'm not holding out hope. sad.

Bottle: the ylang ylang and clove are most evident, a hint of the patchouli behind. Wet: more of the patchouli and the myrrh are tucked behind the ylang ylang, but promise more. Dry: the sweet ylang ylang is still in the lead and threatens to take over as it is usually wont to do. it amps on me like jasmine, and about as often, too (eg 90% of the time). Later: schadenfreude is irritatingly sweet, with the promise of darkness it simply doesn't deliver. somehow appropriate. hate ylang ylang - ruinous beast of a bloom...

My favorites are Lucy's Kiss and especially Wicked; love Othello and Parlement of Foules and Black Rose; Eve is nice, but not amazing on me, Moon Rose was pretty ok, Jezebel was ugh. I have Two, Five, and Seven and Marie coming from the lab (someday). Love Rose Red, but that's pretty difficult to find (as is Foules).

This isn't performing per se, but I am a potter and I have had great luck wearing Wolf's Heart and focus/productivity. For all visual artists out there...

Begins with a very astringent mintyness. Very medicinal. Odd. There is a floral hint underneath, mellows after a while but still remains clean and crisp...with a hint of plastic?

Sandalwood, lemon. Fresh. Has a ozone-y quality, getting me right in the sinuses. Whee. Started with an almost breath mint uber-freshness. Very interesting. Other reviews mention cinnamon, but I get none.

Bottle: Dragon's blood and red musk. Warm, a little sweet, very sensual. Wet: The cinnamon is coming through the musk and dragon's blood, spicy and decidedly red-smelling. Dry: I can catch the darker hints of patchouli underneath, and so far none of the vetiver-effect. this isn't angry, but it's certainly aggressive..and ooh sax-ay. Later: can I say I ahm soo excited! The vetiver is adding a bottom note, but it isn't amping or turning foul on me!

Bottle: lavender, lavender, lavender Wet: the rose and jasmine are stepping forward for a more multi-layered floral than I got at first sniff. Dry: the musks and spices are gently coming in at the rear. this is very soft, almost fleeing. amazingly enough the jasmine is not amping. Later: no - there we are - the last bits are, indeed, soft and gentle...and all sweet-sour jasmine. crap - I had so liked this til this point, too.

Bottle: I get the currant and mandarin right away, hints of the dragon's blood behind. Wet: more of the dragon's blood behind the currant, the citrus receding. Dry: none of the geranium, the currant still leading the pack. the sweet of the melati/jasmine is very present, but at least I'm not amping it today. erh. Later: the amber finally shows itself, and the currant is no longer in such a strong lead. the sweet has lost some of its urgency, but so has the dragon's blood, unfortuantely. it seems unbalanced now, I'm clearly not wearing it as well as it could be worn. alas.

Bottle: leather, followed by the dragon's blood. nothing of the smoke yet. Wet: the smoke is coming out, darkening the dragon's blood. Dry: I have to admit, the leather note scared me a little, as leather usually doesn't care much for me, but it's very tame so far - mostly dragon's blood and smoke...dusky and attracting. Later: I really like this - I have had hit-and-miss (mostly miss) luck with the Ars Draconis group so far, and I expected this to go wrong on me with that leather note - I'm pleased that it didn't!

A scent aflame with rage, swirling in the red haze of hatred: dragon's blood spiked with black pepper, clove, and cinnamon. Bottle: ok, this smells like what clove chewing gum and big red together must taste like. Wet: same. Dry: the cinnamon is mellower, no sign of the pepper, but the clove and dragon's blood resin together are really amazing. Later: faded fairly quickly, but warm, amazing not-food-y spicy, and, well, interesting. I was fascinated smelling this, the interplay....

Bottle: lily, other white florals. sweet. Wet: lily on top,may be some jasmine, I'm not sure. very light, transparent. Dry: stargazer amping. I can catch none of the other notes at this point. pisser. Later: all lily, all the time. and it's getting ... past-its-prime floral rotting-sweet. how very unfortunate.

Bottle: dirt. not damp dirt - dry dirt. Wet: ok, whatever those papery white notes are they are making me wheeze. Dry: *cough* *wheeze* *cough* Later: deadly?? - hell yes. asthma attack!

A shuddering white scent, of ghostly breath and stony silence: dry tea leaf, linden blossom, papyrus, orris and coffin wood. Bottle: dry wood and light floral Wet: I'm catching the leaf, as well, now, and my old friend, orris. Dry: oh, that linden blossom is lovely! the orris is present, but is still letting the other notes filter through...play nice... Later: nope. orris wins by a neck. *sigh*

Bottle: sweet florals. Wet: some of the sweet is more clearly sugary, but the floral is also very sweet - a little sinus-gripping. Dry: I can catch hints of the tobacco and chocolate, but one of the floral notes is giving me a headache. Later: no later - headache city. gah!

Bottle: damp oak with a fruity undertone. Wet: blackberry or currant, I think, under the oak. and a hint of vanilla. Dry: the damp oak and vanilla are both coming up, neck and neck, and the oak is changing in ways I would not have wanted... Later: oh. my. the vetiver affect. ew ew ew ew - what is wrong with my skin?!?

Bottle: frankincense, and a sharpness I can't attribute to either the rose or the resin.. Wet: I know this sharp edge, but can't recall the source. grrrhmmm. Dry: the sharpness has passed, and not I can catch the green freshness behind the rose, and the frankincense supporting it all from the bottom. it's wuuuunnnerful. Later: the rose is full, but not really feminine..the frankincense a base of depth and breadth. not a rose-y blend on me, but not 'churchy' either. fascinating.