Poenari

I received a decant of this from the lovely sunshinedaisybliss and it is just beautiful. I typically don't have much luck with lunacy blends, but there have been a few over the years that have worked for me. This reminds me of Hunter Moon 2007, which is one of my favorite lunacy blends. It has a similar musk, animalic feel without the wine note in Hunter Moon. Just a lovely scent, and I am grateful that I got to try this!

This has the same kind of brown sugar as in my beloved Sugar Skull, with spices added. Very wearable and work safe on me. Love it!

I love most wood notes. There used to be a fragrance oil line made by Aura Cacia based on the elements - I never tried any of the others, but I had the "Wood" one as a kind of signature scent for a long time. I think there's a little smidge left in the roller bottle; I should hunt it out and see what it smells like to me now, since I already feel that BPAL is training my nose to be more sophisticated, and I don't think the "Wood" oil was very complex. I couldn't name the notes now, but there was undoubtably sandalwood (I am a cheap date when it comes to sandalwood, almost any sandalwood will make me happy) and probably cedar, not sure what else. Anyhow that line has been discontinued by Aura Cacia, so I can't go back to the store and check the box.

 

I probably need to seek out more sandalwood notes from the extensive list of BPALs containing it. So far of the "woody" BPALs I've tried:

 

Antikythera Mechanism - (LOVE, there isn't a single note in it that I don't love)

 

Arkham - (my first big bottle: I still think it's great, but not quite as woodsy as I'd like - the wildflower notes seem to be crowding any wood notes.)

 

Black Forest - (I liked this a lot - pine, juniper, cypress - and the addition of the musk seemed to make it more personal or sensual or something)

 

Yggdrasil - (Unexpectedly disappointing. I didn't get any of the resinous type notes that I like; smelled to me like old, dried-out, faded wood of some not-very-aromatic variety.)

 

Rome - (I smell almost nothing but rose; although there's supposed to be cypress and juniper, both of which I love. I may be a rose "amper.")

 

 

On the list of GCs to try soon: Coyote, Alecto, Lear, Cathedral, Half Elf...

 

 

Having read the descriptions here, I think Sri Lanka is one I'd really like to try, sandalwood slut that I am. Damn you, discontinuation!

I'm not sure I even dare to go and read the Sandalwood recommendations topic.

Two words- Anne Bonny

Named in honor of the most notorious female pirate to ever set sail. Wicked, cruel, beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and dangerous: a true role model. A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense. A million thanks to Juliana Williamson-Page for inspiration!

OK, that was more than two words since I added the description, but you must try it!

I was gifted with an imp of this from sunshinedaisybliss in the Sweet Barking Cheese Giveaway Prize Packalooza ^TM and it is just beautiful! This smells of vanilla, musk, maybe some amber, and I can also detect carnation (thanks to my Spanish Red Carnation single note.) This is a gorgeous warm, spicy scent. I looked up the notes in the released version of Lamia and don't find any comparisons made to this, but this one is . Thanks again to Miss Daisybliss for introducing me to this scent!

My oldest bottle is a bottle of Dracul in the cobalt bottle from my first BPAL order in February 2006. I didn't love the scent as much as I had expected, so it's lasted me a lot longer than a typical bottle would. I still have about 1/2 bottle left, but as it has aged it has gotten more beautiful. I've never had a bottle go bad, and I still have a bunch of bottles from 2006-2007, all the way up to the present. However, I tend to buy incense, resins, musk, and patchouli blends so they all typicallly age well. My original bottles of F5 and Gemini haven't really morphed much either, although scents with a touch of mint or citrus tend to lose those notes first.

If you store your perfume oils carefully and watch how you apply so you are keeping the application and bottle surfaces clean, they can last for many years.

I don't buy imps and rarely buy decants of LE's, so mine are mostly frimps and they are building up like crazy. Once in a while I go through them and randomly slather one up in a couple of uses, or dump several into the bathwater. But that's for the "decadence" thread. Hmm, maybe I should dig around and resurrect that one.

Whataboutprom- Thanks so much for that information. I had no idea that some "unscented" lotions actually contained a scent-suppressing chemical. I have, however, noticed that some of my unscented lotions & face/neck creams seem to kill a scent quickly.

 

Sidhechaos- Somewhere on this forum Poenari said she prefers to moisturize first with coconut oil. I tried it & it works really well. I buy giant 16oz tubs of organic extra virgin coconut oil. It's solid at room temperature but liquifies very quickly as it warms to body temperature. I transfer enough to fill a ketchup-type squirt bottle & keep it on the floor of the shower. The hot water warms it enough to squirt on my arms at the end of my shower & the coconut scent fades within 10 minutes. I don't find that the scent interferes with any of the perfumes I apply afterwards, but someone who hates the scent of coconuts might. I tried this with the unscented Neutrogena Rainbath oil first, but had much better results with the coconut oil. Haven't tried the jojoba oil yet, but I'd like to.

arsinoe9 is correct! Having initially tried mixing my BPAL into unscented lotions, I definitely prefer using the virgin coconut oil and then applying my perfume. The brand I buy doesn't even have a coconut scent to it, though I love the smell of coconut myself. It stays mostly solid and I keep the jar on the bathroom counter, but I keep a little scoop handy and scoop some into the palm of my hands, and it melts quickly enough to smooth over all my parts.

I am really addicted to the Trading Post's bath oils as after-shower moisturizers, but some of my perfumes don't have a complimentary bath oil, so that's when I use the coconut oil. Another added benefit- the coconut oil seems to have really kept my last two surgical incisions from scarring much. Both are barely visible. One is on the front of my neck from my spinal fusion a year ago, and the other is on the back of my right hand where I broke it and had to have a plate and screws put in. (I am BIONIC- they keep rebuilding me! ) Once the incisions were healed, I faithfully massaged in the coconut oil (stayed away from perfumes in those areas during the healing process) and not only does it keep my post-menopausal skin moisturized, it really has improved the appearance of my skin overall and really extends the life of my perfumes!

Snake Oil!!!! Hair gloss!!!! SNAKE OIL HAIR GLOSS!!!!

Gahhhh... another lovely lovely scented hair gloss! The ginger is just there enough to brighten the incense and the amber warms it. This smells so wonderful on my hair, and the scent lingers through the next day. Because the spray top on this bottle actually mists instead of spurts (three for three on my latest order so I hope the spray tops continue to be misters) I not only applied in my usual way, combing through/detangling my damp hair, but also finished it off with a light mist over the top of my head and a little more on my dry ends. The shine is fabulous, and the finish coat of scent...

Another win in the hair gloss column! This is a beautiful warm, musky honey. I haven't tried the GC honey hair gloss so I can't compare, but the honey in this is very prominent. It lingers forever in a really good way. Not only did I apply this in my usual way, combing/detangling my damp hair, but the spray nozzle actually mists rather than the usual spurt, so I was able to mist it over my finished hair and ends, which adds even more shine as well as a finish coat of scent. Beautiful, just beautiful. And this would be amazing as an Atmo spray- I would love to spray this scent on my sheets.

This was an extra included in my Sweet Barking Cheese prize from the ever-awesome sunshinedaisybliss. I love all of these notes, so it was a surprise that I'd never tried Serpent's Kiss before. This is a great scent! It's like a cross between Bloodlust and Tanin'iver, two of my favorite Dragon's Blood scents. Very spicy cinnamon at first, but it mellows out quickly and then the vetivert kicks in. The dragon's blood just stays steady all the way from start to finish. Long lasting on my skin, as are most scents with dragon's blood. This is a hit and going on my GC bottle list for sure!

Yes! What she said. Exactly.

sunshinedaisybliss was generous enough to hold a little contest, and I was one of the winners of a sample of this delightful spray (thank you again a million times over for your generosity!) The only thing I could possibly add to her description, which is spot on (and yes, it does climb up in your nostrils!) is that it dries down with a hint of the notes I get in my squirt of Thrive (probably the ginger) and a hint of Winter Wind's mint notes.

Goblin all the wayyyy!

This is as described, a fruity blackberry scent. It's sweet and pleasant, but not as memorable as most of my other bath oils. However, it layers very nicely with the imp of Glasgow I recently received as a frimp from the lab. My decant was enough- I'll use it, but I prefer my beloved Anthesteria for my fruity bath oil.

This is the patchouli single note I've been longing for! It's got a hint of sweetness, yet very earthy, not stinky, but absofuckinglutely the perfect patchouli to wear alone or for added oomph to my other beloved patchouli blends. This to me is the same patchouli that is in so many of my favorite blends. There is no menthol, just dark patchouli wiht a sweet ness in a molasses-sweet kind of way. I want to drown in this... 55 gallon drums of it would not be enough. I bought four bottles and am considering more. This will be the patchouli to age along with me, and to last me for the rest of my life. I swoon, I die, and die happy surrounded by this patchouli.

I ordered a decant of this, which arrived too late to get a bottle, and I knew I should have just ordered this unsniffed. So I was very excited to get a bottle in a forum swap. I find this to be the similar patchouli as that in both #occupy and Banshee Beat, with the honey and amber to sweeten it. Why oh why didn't I just order multiples at the time it was available?

Also, for the patchouli lovers here, this is the perfect complement to my beloved Amber and Patchouli hair gloss, which I wear almost daily in my hair.

This is nice, a mildly fruity wine, but not nearly as good as my lovely Anthesteria. I'll stick to Anthesteria for my wine scented bath oil.

Oh man, this is baaaaddd on me, The jasmine dominates and smells like fresh mulch- the kind that has a manure smell. It just doesn't fade away. I gave it an hour on my skin and finally had to scrub it off. Good thing I only tried it on my arm, instead of my usual after-shower moisturizer slathering. Sorry but this decant will be more than enough... I might go ahead and actually give it a try in the bath as intended, but if it goes all jasmine in there too, then I'm passing my decant along. Too bad, because all the other notes should have been good.

SDDB's review (AWESOME) is once again perfect. Another home run, and another one that I would wear as a perfume (and might have once again "accidentally" sprayed on my arm )

Editing months later to add that I love to spray HOUF on my neckscarves, especially those that are knitted. The scent lasts and lasts, and I get the most amazing wafts of beautiful scent. I just adore this spray!

I agree with Herb Girl that this has a similarity to Oak Leaves and Kyphi, although they are not the same. Either way, this is a beautiful dark plum scent, grounded by the tobacco. I think I also said about Oak Leave and Kyphi, but I really do wish this was also a perfume! (I might have "accidentally" sprayed some on my wrist )

I was reading the previous review when I realized that I've never reviewed this myself, so here goes:

I rarely order lunacies, but when Hunter Moon 2007 was released the description just called out to me and I took a chance on a bottle. I loved it from the start, enough that bought a backup bottle in fact. As it's aged, I continue to love it, and it has stayed very true to when it was fresh.

What drew me to ordering it was the description of dry leaves and bonfire smoke, but i've never felt that this was an autumnal scent because I don't pick up either the leaves or the smoke. This has nothing in it like Bonfire Smoke or Death of Autumn, which are my autumn smoke and leaves scents. What I do get though,is a sweet musky wine scent that is excellent for late summer, when the days are still very hot, but you want to start wearing something that gives you that "early autumn" feeling. The wine has never been overly boozy, and I can wear it to work without fear, and it's very well-blended with the sweet musk and other notes. I think it's always been an overlooked scent and I really do love it.

I didn't really get the cedar, just fuzzy musky goodness. This smells like my tortie cat should, and will if I rub just a little on the back of her neck.

The Court of Honor is just too white for me. The topnote, and my initial thought was it has the same note as in Snow White that gives me a headache. I think it will mellow due to the sandalwood, but I decided to pass on a bottle.

The Great (Grand) Basin is a very atypical scent for me, but something about it made me buy it. Slightly aquatic- that is probably the spark of electricity, but a soft vanillic musk with the violet leaf coming through. Will be good on a hot summer evening when I don't want something heavy, but still something that is in my familiar range, since I love violets, vanilla, and musk. I may edit this after I give it a good wearing, if I get anything different.

Sweet golden resins, with a definite honey note on my skin. I wore this today and it's still going strong hours later, and has stayed true without morphing. I think it will be even better with a little age, but I think it will be a good resin scent to wear this summer- not heavy but still a "me" scent, since I love resins.

Warm vanillic tobacco, but not smokey or cigarette-ish, it's so well-blended that it just damn smells good. When I wore it out to dinner, my sister-in-law said I smelled really good. I'm already regretting that I didn't buy two bottles when I had the chance.