ariansdreams

In the imp: Sacred oil indeed! The frankincense is very prevalent here. The rose is there, but almost as an afterthought. This intrigues me, because the early reviews seemed heavy on the rose. Hmm...have to see what this does on skin.

Wet on Skin: The rose is coming out, definitely. This is a huge, dewy, blowzy rose. The frankincense is just making this that much more delicious. I could also see this as being amazing in an oil burner.

Dry: This becomes comforting and toasty. I really like this oil. I'm not sure I'd use it enough to merit getting a 5mL, but I'm definitely keeping my imp.

In the imp: Perfect red apple. This smells exactly like the apples we use to make apple pie. Sweet and juicy. Even the apple's skin is in attendance.

Wet on Skin: Apple with a spicy undertone. Wow, this scent is going to be PERFECT when autumn comes around in a few months. This is a perfect alternative for me to Punkie Night. For some reason the apple in that made me nauseous. This doesn't at all.

Dry: Wow. This is perfect. It is appley without being in your face. One could almost believe that I smell this good naturally. I will be needing a big bottle of this, and I can see it going into permanent rotation with Pumpkin Queen come autumn!

Oh my goodness. I'm so glad I decided to add a bottle of this to my most recent order. I've been looking for a clean, yet sensual blend for a long time now. Everything I've tried has been too herbal, but this is perfect.

This is the perfect scent for summer. It is fresh without losing its sexier side, which I think is a result of the honey. This is absolutely beautiful, and I'm so grateful that I got to try it. But...now I only have one bottle!

In the imp: Feh. Dragon's blood and woodiness. Very masculine and sharp.

Wet on Skin: Cedary. The castle is made of wood, apparently.

Dry: I smell a vague dusting of dragon's blood. Otherwise, it is gone! Completely disappeared. Poo.

First sniff: Sweet, fruity, a bit woodsy as well.

Wet on Skin: Wow, this is pretty. I get amber, florals, and fruitiness. I can detect the sandalwood note as well. This is beautiful. I may have found another favorite; it all depends on the drydown at this point.

Dry: Crap. This kind of smells like coca-cola on me. TOO sweet. I wanted to love this, but I guess we were not meant to be.

This is probably one of the more "wearable" Sabbat oils that I've tried. Yule and Samhain definitely smell more ceremonial to me.

But oh my--Beltane is LOVELY. It is perfectly evocative of everything that is good about late spring: Flowers, food, love, berries, etc.

This is an absolutely beautiful mixed floral/fruity scent. Perfect.

As an addendum, this is the first scent that I put in my BPTP scent locket...it really is that good on me!

I actually said "Yow!" out loud when I opened this frimp. How cool of me.

In the imp: Wintergreen and something else. Reminds me of The Apothecary, but less herbal.

Wet on skin: Very similar to The Apothecary. This is a minty, fresh scent. I once had a similar-smelling Dial body wash. Not the most flattering comparison, but I did like it!

Dry on skin: This is like The Apothecary's younger cousin on me. Yes, it is minty, fresh, and invigorating, but it doesn't give me the same "WAKE UP" feeling that I get when I wear The Apothecary. I'd say that this is the scent for you if you found the Apothecary too strong.

Although this smells different in the imp, the drydown/general scent of this, on me, is exactly the same as The Mouse's Long and Sad Tale.

I guess my skin just amps the sweet pea. Oh well.

So yeah. I like sweet pea, but this wasn't a unique scent on me at all.

I was surprised to see this frimp in my latest lab order, as I write modern pastoral poetry. How appropriate!

First sniff: Fruit, honey, and something almost yogurt-like.

Wet on Skin: Again, fruit and honey. I'm definitely getting a citrus top note.

Dry on Skin: This really disappears on my skin. Which is saying a lot, since I tend to amp scents. I do smell the apricot, as well as a bit of gardenia. This is definitely a skin scent, and could easily be mistaken for a good-smelling soap.

I remember a peach oil from The Body Shop (I don't even know if they do those anymore, my allergies are too bad at this point to step inside those stores). This is very similar to that, but more refined.

I like this, but it isn't a "wow" scent for me. I might keep it and try it again at a later date, to see how it ages.

My mother and I have both been using this as perfume within the past few days. I told her about the bottle I received, and she immediately demanded that I let her sample it.

Needless to say, it worked wonderfully for both of us, except not exactly as I expected. I was expecting something that induced a more "lovey" sort of vibe, but no. This oil is very, very sexy.

I definitely reaped the benefits of this blend. A hundredfold. Hopefully that's not TMI.

I know it was definitely TMI for me when my mother confirmed the same result. Heh.

But yes. It works.

The smell of this is very odd. Very strong cherries. It reminds me of a super-concentrated version of Dana O'Shee. Sort of. I don't really like the way it smells, and I'd never wear it as a perfume.

But damn, does it work. I wore this to my finals this semester (hey, a little luck can't hurt), and I ended up with a 4.0 GPA for the semester!

It works-- buy it, use it, ignore the smell.

I have to say, when I tried this when I first ordered it, it was very "meh." It went all smoky and boring on me, and was a bit disappointing. I got it out the other day, as I was considering putting my bottle up for sale (after the initial try, I never wore it again), opened the cap, and sniffed.

And whoa, amber. Whoa. And orange. Whoa. It has aged AMAZINGLY.

I put a bit on my skin, and it just got better. Golden warm, sunny, amber, and oranges. This is absolutely perfect. The amber came out to play, and my skin loved it! The amber is very similar to the very sacred, rich amber that is in The Lion.

I absolutely cannot stop sniffing myself. I feel very sexy and very sacred at the same time.

This scent is absolute gold, in so many ways!

So yeah. It ages like a dream! I can't wait to see if it gets even better...

This came as a frimp in my latest order from the lab. I've been experimenting with my relationship with roses lately, and after my disappointment with Two, Five, and Seven, I needed Moon Rose to bring me out of that! She is soft and innocent.

In the imp: Roses in water.

Wet on Skin: Wow, this is lovely. So, so skin soft. This reminds me of a lotion that my grandmother used to wear (in a good way, not a grandmotherly way). I love the way that this is immediately mixing with my skin's natural scent, and producing something soothing and sweet. No harsh drydown here!

Dry: This is really nice. Not a knockout, but nice. It reminds me of the way a Crabtree and Evelyn store smells. Not in a bad way. I smell so fresh and clean and rosey! I'd definitely wear this scent on a day when I just need to chill out, or to bed. It is incredibly calming and soothing. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes rose blends!

This is absolutely horrid on me. I ordered it because I love roses, and it was a severe disappointment.

Fresh in the imp, it reeks of nail polish remover. That note didn't go away the entire time I was wearing it.

To be honest, the scent nauseates me. I'm not sure what went wrong! I was so sad, because I love roses so much. I don't know what was different about this blend...I love other rose scents, like Hope, Alice, and Eve. Maybe it's the grass? Whatever it was, I definitely did not like it one bit!

This is so lovely. I said that in my review of Faith, too, but it is also true of Hope.

First Sniff: Mmm...roses. And sugar. The sugar in this reminds me of the sugar in MB: Underpants, which I adore and covet. So I think I'll like this.

Wet: The reason I love the scent of roses is because it manages to be so sweet and innocent yet incredibly sensual at the same time. I'm sure that's why most people like them. Well, the sugar really pushes this scent over the edge into the sensual side of things.

Dry:I feel like...feminine distilled. It seems redundant to discuss the notes of this scent (roses, sugar...what else is there to say?), but I must state: This is awesome. So is her sister, Faith. I will definitely be ordering more, so I never, ever run out of this twosome.

As a side note: I wore Hope last night when I was out with my guy...and he couldn't keep his hands off of me. Be careful with this one!

Oh. This is absolutely lovely. I am so very impressed by this scent, along with its sister, Hope.

First sniff: Light, clean, a little sweet. It smells a little antiseptic-esque in the bottle, which initially worried me.

Wet on Skin: Whoa, sugar! This is like...sugar with a top note of something that gives you a headache (the violet, I assume, since I don't think I've tried a violet blend before), but you don't care because it is so intoxicating. Normally notes like these (the headachey ones...jasmine, I am looking at you...) make me want to wash a scent off of my wrists, but this one is strangely okay...

Dry: I am in love with this scent. Totally, utterly in love. It is so simple and so beautiful. I smell like how I imagine the most beautiful woman in the world would smell. This is such a gorgeous scent...and it smells so organic...the different notes blend together like they were made for one another.

I totally expected to not like the violet...I made my order mainly because of Hope...I wanted the sugared roses. But I am so surprised...and now I have to order more, so I never run out!

The Carpathian Mountains

First Sniff: Sharp Wintergreen.

Wet on Skin: Evergreen mixed with wintergreen. Minty! Reminds me of Listerine. As it stays on my skin longer, I am getting a sweet floral undertone.

Dry: Foresty and fruity and minty. This is a really weird scent. I don’t dislike it, but as far as my “I am fresh!” scent goes, I definitely like The Apothecary much, much better. The drydown of this scent (i.e. wintergreen) is just a little too heady for my taste as well. While I didn’t smell bad, I smelled like I had doused myself in Listerine. Which is just…odd.

Brides of Dracula:

First Sniff: Honeyed Flowers.

Wet on Skin: I get the sweet, sweet honey note that is prevalent in O, with some flowers and musk too. This is a really lovely, playful, feminine scent.

Dry: This dried down to something a little too feminine and sweet on me. I agree with a previous poster who commented that it smells a little like expensive department-store perfume. I smell clean and girly, which is nice, but I like a little more sexiness to my scents. Will be swapping this.

Quincey Morris:

First sniff: Cowboy boots and…something else. This doesn’t smell like a leather jacket. It smells like cowboy boots. I should know…I live in TX.

Wet on Skin: Damn. This is hot. It smells like cowboy boots and clean man-sweat. This guy has just taken a shower, and is stacking hay in the barn. I am totally loving this smell, and wish I could smell it on a male.

Dry: This is the first BPAL leather scent I’ve tried, and I must say, I’ve fallen in love. I wish I had tried Quincey in time to order a 5mL. Quincey turns into a dusty sweet leather on me…I love it so much. It reminds me of cleaning my saddles. Saddle soap mixed with leather and horse sweat. Some of the best smells on earth.

R.M. Renfield

First Sniff: When I opened the cap of my decant and sniffed this, I literally said, “Wow,” out loud. Even before I put it on…perfect. Absolutely batshit insane and perfect. It smells like a crazy bug-eating dude.

Wet on skin: Sour green neroli. I am having a very strong reaction to this scent. It reminds me of being in a position where you are very tired, but you can’t sleep because you are sitting or lying in a very uncomfortable position. You almost fall asleep, but then you jerk awake because a muscle group cramps. I can’t find myself in this scent. I feel confused and distracted.

Dry: This really mellows out on my skin over time. I tend to make everything smell sweet and dusty, and Renfield is no exception. The end result is something warm and green-smelling. I get a whiff of bug-spray, but it isn't unpleasant. I don’t think I’ll keep my decant…the scent is a little too masculine for me, and the trip to drydown is a little frantic. I am very impressed, though. Beth suceeded in bottling Renfield...thank you.

Wilhemina Murray:

First Sniff: A resinous floral. Nice.

Wet On Skin: There is something sharp in all of the Order of the Dragon scents that I’ve noticed. I don’t know if there is a note that is actually there, or if it is just my imagination. Anyway, I smell it in this too. I really love the combination of resins and florals. Usually, floral scents are too strong for me, but this is really nice and balanced. I smell rose right away, along with myrrh. Those notes are really fighting it out right now on my skin.

Dry: I am in love with this scent. If I hold my nose up to my arm and breathe in, I get a glorious cacophony of aroma entering my nose. This is a great skin scent. It is complex, but calming. I wish I had gotten a bottle instead of a decant, but to be honest, I probably have too many bottles as it is!

The Bloody Sword:

First sniff: I taste vodka when I smell this. Odd. I’m assuming that this has dragon’s blood in it, from the color. It smells like a nice, light men’s cologne, but a little bit dirty.

Wet on skin: light musk. It immediately becomes more feminine and almost sweet on my skin. I also smell something a little bit spicy as well.

Drydown: This is the first BPAL I’ve ever smelled that actually smells like commercial perfume or cologne on my skin (i.e. a little alcoholic). Not a bad thing at all, but just something I noticed. I mostly get a soft dragon’s blood, pepper, and musk. I’d like to smell this on a man, but it smells very androgynous on me.

Though I appreciate this oil, and it doesn’t smell bad on me, it isn’t a sensual enough scent that I would wear it on a regular basis . Going in the swap pile!

I bought this decant from ebay. I've heard so much hype about it, and loved the reviews, so how could I not try it!?

First sniff (in the imp):Dana O'Shee, light. And a bit green. Oh. It's apples! Dana O'Shee with apples.

Wet: It is a really nice, innocent scent. The apple note is very, very crisp. This is not anything like any other apple scent I've tried before, it's very authentic. Nothing like the apple scent at Bath and Body Works. I think what I'm actually smelling is green apple *skin.* I have no idea how Beth did this...Wow. I actually feel like I'm smelling something akin to nummy honeyed oatmeal with green apples sliced into it.

Dry: This scent remains pretty constant on me. It doesn't shift or change much, but I will say that the apples make their presence known. I think that this would be a great scent for a warm day, as it does evoke a feeling of chilliness or coolness. It doesn't have a lot of throw, and it's very faint, but I like it. I will be searching a 5mL out, for sure!

First Sniff (in the imp): wet dirt. It smells like the air after a rain. Fungusy, and damp.

Wet: incense and wet dirt.

Dry: This is nice smelling, but it isn't very sexy. It smells wet and clean. I think I'll be swapping this.

First off, this oil is RED, which is pretty badass. I like interestingly-colored oils. Belladonna was a cool color of green, and this is red. Yay.

First sniff (in the imp) : A soft, powdery amber.

Wet: Well, it rubs in clear, so that's good. I don't have strange red stains on my arms. For some reason, I expected this oil to be more exotic smelling than it is. It isn't exotic...it's...intriguing. It smells like amber and evil flowers. Or something like that. I can't really pin it down that well.

Dry: This oil fades completely into my arm. If I press my nose right against my skin, I can smell a faintly spicy ambery note, but otherwise, it's gone.