Poenari

For me, I haven't quit them per se--in fact, getting into BPAL has given me a greater appreciation for how "regular" perfume also evolves throughout a day--but I just have so much BPAL now that I forget to ever wear the other stuff! I often recommend to people who aren't used to wearing oils that it can be helpful to give up alcohol based perfumes for a while in the beginning, so that your nose gets used to the notes on your skin without the alcohol. Alcohol based perfumes are intended to be stable enough to smell pretty nearly the same on everyone, making them recognizable (and marketable) when you smell them on someone. If you give them up while testing out oils, your nose will learn to pick out the notes, and more importantly, differentiate how they smell on your skin while wet, drydown, and during hormonal changes. As for me, I stopped buying or asking for alcohol based perfumes after getting into BPAL. I still have some of my old favorites that I wear on occasion, or I pack them when going on trips so I don't have to worry about losing my Preciousss. But mostly I find that I just prefer to wear BPAL because then I don't smell like anyone else!

I love champa and wine scents, so I decided to take a chance on this one based on reviews, hoping I would just get a hint of rose petals. I was not disappointed! This is a beautiful incensed soft rose wine scent, that's pretty much all I can say. I love it and will wear it a lot this spring and summer. It goes great with Blood Rose, Zombi, and other softer rose scents.

This is the perfect companion to the bath oil and atmo spray. Sweet vanilla'd patchouli with a hint of hemp. Long-lasting in my hair, and even though my hair is short, I can get wafts of it. I applied it yesterday to freshly shampooed hair (a bit to damp hair to comb through and a bit more run through my curls after my hair was dry for extra shine and scent.). I could smell it on my pillowcase this morning! Definitely grabbing a backup bottle (even with my huge stash of hair glosses) because I need this in my life. Amber & Patchouli hair gloss has been my favorite of all the glosses, and this equals it. Instead of the semi-sweet amber with the patchouli, RR is sweeter due to the vanilla, and the patchouli is also sweeter and more wearable around those who don't like patchouli. It is also sweeter than my well-aged (5 years) Banshee Beat, but it's the same scent, just without the aging.

I am a major patchouli lover, and I have several bottles of Banshee Beat purchased from UO back in the day, so RR was an instabuy in every format. The only question is how many bottles of each to hoard? I use my bath oils as after shower moisturizers, so fresh from the mailbox I applied some RR to my hands like a lotion. It definitely smells like Banshee Beat! I couldn't wear any scent that day due to a dentist appointment, so I had to wash it off. But I pulled out my bottle of perfume for a bottle-sniff comparison. The main difference is the aging factor. My bottle of perfume is initially stronger on the patchouli and the vanilla stays in the background, whereas the bath oil initially comes off as a sweet vanilla scent with a hit of patchouli. But if I recall correctly, the perfume was sweeter initially as well, with the vanilla initially more prominent. Full on body test the next day, and this is just fabulous! It is a sweet vanilla'd patchouli scent, just a hint of the hemp to give it a dried greenery note, like those rope/straw bracelets made from hemp. This is definitely hoard-worthy, and I'm sure it will age fabulously, since patchouli usually does so. It's still sweeter than my bottle of BB perfume, but that makes it more wearable in situations where you might need to tone down the patchouli. But going for broke and applying perfume on top of the bath oil (and adding the hair gloss) makes this unfuckingbelievable. I seriously hope this becomes GC so I don't have to buy all my bottles at once and can spread out the finances as well as the aging process.

Interfector is a sweet, chewy tobacco scent with a hint of woods and resin. This reminds me of a pipe tobacco that my dad used to use. It smells like that smelled in the pouch, not during or after smoking it. It's very nice and although I like it, my decant will suffice.

In the decant, I initially don't detect anything! What on earth, is my nose blind to this? After applying to my wrist, the complete opposite happens. Lavender blasts off my wrist and into my nose! It's so strong that it gives off a medicinal fume that I can feel in my eyes. I'm not certain that I can ride this one out until drydown, but I force myself to wait. After 30 minutes, the fumes and medicinal smell has faded into that familiar herbal lavender that is good for a sleep-scent. The magnolia has arrived! Just a hint of floral gives this some sweetness, but it's still primarily lavender to me. I really don't detect any of the other notes in this. Misericordia is mostly miserable on me, and not my type of vampire.

Whew! White lily to the max! This is extremely sweet, a very white floral scent on my skin, with no frankincense (which I usually amp). If you love florals, definitely check this one out. It is very pretty and feminine. This one is not for me, however, as I prefer my vampires to be dark, sexy, and bloodthirsty.

A grounded, earthy scent, evocative of the soul’s finer qualities: patchouli, clove, neroli, night-blooming jasmine, sage, and iris. Decant from azurephoenix' circle. I'm finally getting to try out the rest of this line of scents besides my long-beloved Tombeur, one per day. In the decant, my initial reaction is good. This is a spicy incense blend. On skin, oh hello clove! And welcome to my wrist, patchouli! There is a slight sage note on the drydown, and hallelujah no jasmine! Actually, I get no florals from this at all. After 30 minutes, Vespillo has become a softer, gentler version of Clemence: all patchouli and clove. I really like it, but my decant will suffice because I love Clemence even more. Vespillo is much too kindly of a vampire for me. I guess it has to be, to assist with human acceptance. But if I'm going to wear patch and clove, I want it to be INYOURFACE the way Clemence wears on me .

Decant from azurephoenix' circle. I'm finally getting to try out the rest of this line of scents besides my long-beloved Tombeur. OK, this is not at all what I expected. I applied to my wrists before reading the notes and sniffed. Wet, dry, and after 30 minutes this is a generic rose cologne. Nothing like described, not unpleasant or soapy, but not special enough to invest in a bottle. Uh-oh, and now while typing it's starting to give me a headache.

Decant from azurephoenix' circle. I'm finally getting to try out the rest of this line of scents besides my long-beloved Tombeur. Cicuta is as many reviewers have described: dry, dusty rose with incense. I can see the similarities to Rose Cross, but that turned into soapy rose on my skin. Cicuta's rose is the type that I have only recently learned that I can wear. The scent stays close to the skin, and is lovely. This is almost a ghost of the Nosferatu vampire, hiding and ghostly white in the tombs. This scent bears a startling and happy similarity on my skin to the Trading Post's Rose Petals and Champa hair gloss, but without the wine note that is in the hair gloss. I look forward to wearing them together!

I could swear that I reviewed Tombeur years ago, but it's not here, so I will give it another go in simple terms. I ordered my first bottle of Tombeur when the Vampires line initially went live. The mention of Snake Oil coupled with other notes that I love made it a blind insta-buy. I love this scent and went through my first bottle very quickly, because I wanted to bathe in it. On my skin, Tombeur is my beloved Snake Oil mingled with an extra bit of vanilla'd sandalwood and lavender. I can wear vetiver, but I don't even detect it on my skin, so for those who fear vetiver, you shouldn't have to worry. This is just gorgeous! I have a couple of backup bottles aging in my stash, it's that good.

Grave beauty: Spanish moss, lilac, wisteria, myrrh, and olibanum. Decant from azurephoenix' circle. I'm finally getting to try out the rest of this line of scents besides my long-beloved Tombeur. I love Beth's "graveyard" scents, and they are usually the only florals I really like, so I have high hopes for Silenti. On initial application, I smell the olibanum, which doesn't surprise me since I amp frankincense. But it is not harsh or overpowering, and immediately after application the moss and florals come forward. Upon drydown, the myrrh is present. This is just lovely, a soft resinous floral with hints of spring as well as the grave, but without the dirt note. I can see a bottle of this added to my future purchases!

Another hair gloss in the WIN column! I have to echo those who say this is reminiscent of The Infernal Lover. In fact, I sprayed my decant on my wrist and then compared it to my bottle of perfume. The hair gloss has a bit more honey and slightly less red musk than IL, and the saffron gives it a somewhat dry, dusty note, while there is an overall incense vibe to this. Altogether, it's just gorgeous and will go beautifully with other red musk scents. If you missed out on the Red Shirt Diaries, you should be snatching this one ASAP!

I don't usually wear "white" scents, as they typically become sharp in my nose and go straight to my sinuses. In the decant, I can smell the musk and a lot of floral, and it's beautiful. Unfortunately, Ava's notes are too white and once applied, she slaps me in the forehead and flounces straight into my sinuses. Damn you, girl, couldn't you give me a break from your bratty immortal teenage nonsense? Edited to add: review is based on retest of my aged decant that was purchased at initial release of OLLAs.

In the decant, Café Mille is a gorgeous scent. While the coffee is the initial note that I smell, I can also detect the shisha. This is absolutely evocative of an exotic coffee shop! However, once on my skin, the coffee does what coffee notes have always done. It amps, stomps over all the other notes, and turns into the smell of the remnants of day old stale coffee burning on the warmer. So sad, as I had very high hopes that this one would be different on my skin. If it stayed like the decant, it would have been bottle-worthy for sure. I'm jealous of those who can wear this beautiful scent!

I usually shy away from anything with rose, as it always turns to soap on my skin and often makes me sneeze for the first half hour of wear. However, I've had so much luck with the rose used in other OLLAs (Eve, Our Hearts Condemn Us) that it has actually converted me into loving several other GC rose scents (Zombi, Blood Rose.) And then came Spooky Action at a Distance. It's nothing but ROSE SOAP IN MY NOSE! Sniffling and sneezing and SOAPY SNEEZY ROSE! I thought I had this problem solved. Too bad, but at least I know all rose doesn't do this now. Edited to add that my review is based on retesting my 1/2 decant that was purchased when the scents first went live. It has aged, but hasn't aged out the sneezing soap.

My review as of 6/14/14: (thanks to Mellifluous for saving this, since I lost it on Facebook) I applied before bedtime and it is still present on my inner arm this morning! The oil is a dark brown color. First applied, I get the motor oil, not harsh, but just a quick whiff. The motor oil note, whatever it is, doesnt burn my nose or smell like the burning tires blast I initially get from my 2005 Devils Night. Then, the rest of the time this is a beautiful musk scent on me. Now my skin loves all musk except white musk, and this is no exception. Black musk never gives me the lemony note that so many describe and this black musk is almost a blend of black, Siberian, with a hint of red musk sweetness thrown in for good measure. I think the myrrh is so well blended with the musk that it sweetens it on my skin. I get a very beautiful dark ride in a classic car, late on a hot night, with musky overtones from the heat of two lovers skin just beading into a swirl of dark sexiness. I LOVE IT! Edited 4/4/15 to update: I wore this the other day, and after nine months of aging, this is even better than when it was fresh! The motor oil is still lightly present at first, but if I didn't know to look for it, I probably wouldn't have known it was there. It's melded into the musk, which has deepened and sweetened, although I wouldn't call this a sweet scent. I always think of motor oil being black and viscous, although that's not what it actually looks like when I've added it to my car before. Aged SoD has that kind of feeling to it, dark, viscous, rich and chewy musk. Get it while you still can!

When did I turn into a rose lover?! I am blown away by this scent. I had a frimp of the perfume but used it up long ago, so I couldn't do a quick test to see if I should try this, so I ordered a decant of the bath oil The OLLA scents that have rose in them have all been big wins on my skin, and suddenly I am finding rose to be wearable and delightful. Maybe it's my desire for spring, or maybe my nose has finally caught up with Beth's fabulous way with roses. I only use my bath oils as after-shower moisturizers, because they are so luxurious in feel and scent, and Blood Rose does not disappoint. I love Beth's dragon's blood and wine notes, and they blend with the rose to make this a lush bouquet of deep red spicy roses on my skin. The wine is not overly strong, and this is just gorgeous. Ordered two bottles!

For some reason, I passed on ordering the previous release of this bath oil, and regretted it ever since, so I was excited to see it return. Having read previous reviews, which mostly confused me about whether this is meant for me or not, I decided to skip my usual blind bottle order and instead got a decant first. 2015 version: this is definitely a very lightly scented oil. I definitely detect a faint vanilla, non-foody. Since I only use my bath oils as an after-shower moisturizer, this one will be perfect to wear with my scents that have no true companion or complementary bath oil. It bridges the gap between my completely unscented coconut oil and my other bath oils. Bottle ordered!

Definitely a lavender scent, but the oudh and sandalwood make this a very woody herbal scent. I used it on my pillowcase and it is very long-lasting. Unfortunately, it doesn't "feel" or smell like a sleep-scent to me, so my decant will suffice. I will definitely use it as a room spray, though, and it would be work-safe for those who want something in that category.

The frankincense is the most dominant note, with very faint hints of clove. It's like a lighter version of the Frankincense and Clove hair gloss. Unfortunately, I don't get any blood note, which I always love. My decant is nice but I don't need a bottle, as I already have other frankincense-dominant room sprays in my collection.

I've always preferred Gingerbread Poppet perfume over Shub, because Shub has so more of a fresh ginger scent with a fairly strong lemon note that it is very sharp on me, whereas GP is more like warm gingerbread on my skin. But I couldn't pass up a decant of this to go with my GP and the other gingerbread scents I have, and I was really hoping that I wasn't wrong. Sprayed into my palms from the bottle, this smells exactly like Shub perfume, with that spicy ginger heat with a bit of lemon. But once I run it through my hair, this is not nearly as strong as I would have expected! The scent is there, but it doesn't overpower everything the way I was afraid it might. It is very wearable, because it quickly becomes a more subdued version of the perfume. For me, that's a good thing. The scent in my hair is like Shub Lite, and it will definitely go with and not overpower the foodier gingerbread scents I prefer. As for the gloss elements, they are as perfect as ever. Makes my hair super shiny, soft, and is a product I can't go without.

It is so interesting how many different impressions there are of this one! My initial reaction is that mine is heavy on the vanilla, but the tobacco and oudh combine with the vanilla to lend depth to it. I get very little cardamom and no cinnamon as separate, distinct notes, but there is definitely an exotic spicy note mixed in with the vanilla. This is a beautiful scent, and I would LOVE to have this in a bath oil. As it is, I'm also using this as a body spray because it makes a beautiful scent to layer with many of my perfumes.

I received a tester of this from a lovely forumite, and was really hoping that I wouldn't love it, but nope! As the previous reviewers have stated, this is a gorgeous sweet incense, with a definite nag Champa headshoppy vibe. I'm kicking myself that I didn't take a chance on this while the Yule were still up because I need a bottle of this in my life!

I have to echo the previous reviewers here. This is a well-blended scent, lovely and good for multiple seasons. In fact, I think I will save my decant for summer because of the citrus that is present. I don't usually care for citrus scents, but this is a nice addition to my collection.