Taniwha

Damn, I smell good! I put this on my wrist, then went outside to do yard work. Even under my glove this was wafting out very strong, and oh-so-wonderful. At first, I got the vanilla and sassafrass. While I like the latter, it's not a foody scent I really want to wear. After awhile, it faded in to the background, and I'm left with a warm, rich, vanilla cedar that is knocking my socks off. My inclination is to say it's too "rugged" for me, and I can't wait to smell it on my husband, who liked it on me. I think I'm going to buck convention, however, because damn, I smell good!

This scent is so unique, and I am in awe. How did Beth get the EXACT smell of dirt in a bottle?? I've been pulling old tomato plants, and other fall gardening duties the last two day, so fresh dirt smell is close at hand. This is so close, with a dusty, faded sweet rose wafting through. I can't wear it on my body, I find it too disturbing, but kudos for such an amazing feat!

A paean to all the Wicked Queens, Evil Stepmothers, and other misunderstood villainesses throughout history and lore. Lends an aura of majesty, refinement, strength, and a deep, brooding malice. A sophisticated, womanly scent: rich myrrh and jasmine draped in the subtlest rose. Wet: Oh, that is so bizarre - all I get is wet ash pit. I love rose, and I don't really care for jasmine or myrrh, but where is any of that?? Drydown: Ah, that's better! This is actually, despite my fear of resins, a nice, dusty rose without even a hint of jasmine. What a difference a few minutes makes!

I don't think my eyes can roll any further back up into my head. I've only been wearing this amazing scent for about an hour, but I had to rush to sing its praises. I don't know Snake Charmer, so I'm missing that analogy, but this does remind me very much of Snake Oil, but even better. It's less sweet, maybe a little smokier and drier. The vanilla's not so in-your-face like it is in SO. I don't really get a fruity note, but when I offered my arm and neck to my husband he said "I like it better than Snake Oil - it's plummy." (I hate that he can detect BPAL notes better than I can. ). This is far and away my new favorite scent, and I feel so outrageously happy that I found an LE that loves me, and I have plenty of time to hoard it! I can only image how scrumptious this is going to smell in a year, given how good it is now.

I am resigned. Resins do not resonate with me. You know how you tell someone, when you're breaking up - "It's not you, it's me!"? In the case of Brian's amazing creation, it realy, truly is me. I feel like I should be purring over it, but instead it smells utterly foreign and distateful to me, beyond being even able to describe why. I've failed this blend, am not worthy of it - I'm the kid playing dress up and trying to sit at the grownups table. I wish I could be more explicit in what it is that I smell, but I can't even do that, so puzzling is this brew. I will let it sit awhile - my palate has shown itself to be educable in other BPAL cases.

I've come to love red patchouli and I adore orange blossom, so how did Ravenous turn so horrid on me? It makes me really sad - I should be liking this, and my husband thought it smelled lovely and spicy, but to me I smell like I broke a bottle of my grandmother's 25 year old perfume over me. I can't really explain any better than that, because I can't make this smell like anything tangible I can identify except stong ickiness. Of course, it also has a wicked stong throw, more so than most anything I can remember. I feel like I've failed this blend, because it really should be wonderful.

I couldn't NOT order this, but I was a little nervous about the lime - citrus isn't my favorite note. It spends some time just like a tall glass of limeade, but it mellows for me as the seaspray rises. It then becomes something I like very much, but think I will like even better on my husband. It's softer and rounder, not so sharp anymore. That may be a disapointment for people who like that refreshing citrus burst, I don't know. But for me, it's a good transformation.

This is blooming into such a wonderful scent. I haven't worn it all that long, but want to comment on it right away. It starts out very strongly of mint tea, as everyone's said. It then morphs for me into a gentle, lovely orange blossom, with just a hint of sweetness. The mint is almost gone, and I never got any lemongrass (which is ok by me). I'm wondering if there's a pale musk supporting it that's not listed - there's a depth I can't identify under the o.b. Maybe it's just the honey, but it isn't the honey I recognize from O or Jezebel. This is so very pretty. It makes me feel contemplative.

I take it you don't have an account set up with paypal? That's the first thing you'll need to do. Here's the page explaining how it works - you need to decide which type of account you're going to establish, whether it's linked to a credit card or a bank account. paypal After you have an account set up, and are logged in, go to the Send Money page. In Recipient's Email, type paypal@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. (It will be stored there for future orders in a drop down menu). Type in your total, including shipping. Choose your currency (US Dollars only), and the category would be Goods. There is a section for notes - in this space type the imp sets you are planning to buy. For instance, it might look like this: ******************* $19.50 Imp pack 1 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 x $19.50 Imp pack 2 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 x Shipping: $7.00 Total: $46.00 *************** You can read about international shipping charges on the bpal FAQ page. I'ma little unclear about that, but there's a link to a thread where it's discussed here on the forum. I haven't had much coffee - I hope that all made sense! Good luck, and have fun choosing those first imps.

I recently got a new wooden blanket/linen chest. I filled it up today, then taped a cotton square soaked in Aeval to the inside of the lid. I just opened it up awhile ago, and it was such a nice choice (I was bewildered what to pick - it was kind of random). It seems like the way I want linen to smell. Hm, now that I'm typing this, I wonder why I didn't use Dirty...

I'm learning that with the exception. of rose, I don't like florals so much either - the gardenia and jasmine blends I've tried have been too much. I seem to always be recommending Maiden, but it's not overpoweringly flowery. It's tea with rose and carnation, so it's not too sweet. It's crisper, lighter. Similarly, The Dormouse is tea and peony, and not too sweet either. I'd also second the Belle Epoque. It's a pretty heavy floral at first, but then on me turns to almost complete opium. You might try Rakshasa as well. It's rose, but warmed by sandalwood and patchouli. Not a girly rose at all.

I toyed with Dorian once or twice before, but it didn't bowl me over. Wha????? I've been reapplying it all day, and I'm purring, I think. This is just so lovely. Musky, sweet, vanilla with a hint of the tea's sharpness. It's kind of like my review of Snake Oil. I'm not saying anything new - I just have to say it!!!! I'm waiting to order Theodosius at the next update, and if it doesn't quite rock my world like Dorian does, I'll be getting a big bottle of this.

Although this starts out as a crisp, fresh tea scent, unlike many of the others, which I tend to smell as mostly tea forever, it morphs eventually. It turns into warm, gingery, figgy goodness. Yum.

Wet on my skin, crisp, sharp tea and lemon verbena. It's not the fruit smell to me, but like you pinched some leaves off the plant, crushed them, and stuck them under my nose. I prefer it to the fruity lemon. As it dries down, a little jasmine creeps in, but not too much, as I have learned in these last few months that I do not care for it. It adds just a touch of sweetness. I get no orange blossom at all. Another pretty, fresh summer scent.

I'm married to an Antony, so had high hopes for this. Sadly, I'm coming to the realization that I'm not a resin fan. I've tried it twice, both on me and on its namesake, and just can't love it like I want to. The frankincense is too strong, it overpowers the herbs for me. I also get hints of anise, a scent I definitely dislike. On drydown it's a little tamer, and there's a softer, greener scent, but it's just not really perfect for him. That's ok - there are others that are.

My first lunar oil. I've had it on twice now, and still feel like it's evolving, like I'm still a kindergartener where it is concerned. I have lots to learn. It goes through several stages, and I smell something different every time - so very complex. I don't know what pomegranate smells like, but I imagine it's that and apple that I get in the bottle and when it's first on. Soon after drydown, I got a scent that's very reminiscent of something I already knew, and it took me awhile to realize it was a fragrance my husband wore when I was falling in love with him - New West, by Aramis. I had to look it up - the only notes they share are sage and tea, and some woods in the base. It has geranium - perhaps to my nose it and mum are similar? (My husband didn't get it, so it's probably just me). That similarity goes away eventually, which is good, because it was a little disconcerting. It ends up a milky, sweet yet snappish warm blend from which I have a hard time distinguishing individual notes. It's ok, though - I love it, it's comforting and evocative. It's not quite right for these hot August days, but soon it will be the perfect scent for my many fall activities - going to the apple orchard, hikes in the reddening woods, raking waaaay too many leaves in the back yard. I'm happy with my first foray into lunar oils. Yay!

What else is there to say about Snake Oil? Nothing new, of course, but I have to put my name down on the list of those who adore it. Favorite BPAL scent, hands down, and was from the moment I first sniffed it. It's warm it's sexy, it's spicy and inviting. It makes me feel absolutely wonderful - confident, calm and strong - and more than a little edible. Sadly, my husband wasn't crazy about it at first, but I keep slapping it on, and just yesterday he told me it was growing on him. Good thing, because I'm going to wear it whether he likes it or not, but I'd prefer that he find it appealing. One small quibble - I keep staining my light colored shirts with it. I'm not sure how I get all the speckles over them, but I really need to be neater about my application. So far, they've washed out, luckily.

Fresh from the bottle, I had the same reaction I did to Sacred Whore of Babylon - strong floral with a green, leek-like undertone. Very strange. After drydown the violets amp right up so I can smell nothing else. It's too bad - there are some lovely notes in the description that I'm just not getting at all. This pretty blend is wasted on me, I guess.

I've been collecting orange blossom blends, and I'm afraid this one doesn't do it for me. I get very little of the orange blossom or the vanilla that I love so much - it's just straight up narcissus. It's like I'm in a room full of paperwhites, newly opened, and the scent is too overpowering. It's too bad, and I can see that for many folks it works beautifully, just not for me.

Unleash the bawdy, unrestrained passion of the satyr! A ferociously masculine scent: sexual, vigorous, and truly wild. Have to admit I was a little nervous approaching Satyr. I have read all the reviews, and so had some trepidations but was very curious as well. I can say it does not smell like goat to me. It's cow. Cow sweat and dung and drool. With some cinnamon sprinkled on top. Seriously, it's so strongly evocative of the barn I worked at in high school I was taken back many years in an instant. That this scent appeals to many people amuses me greatly, and tells me that there is something for everyone. Our responses to scents are a complete magical mystery tour, with a myriad of chemistries, desires and interests. I think that is really cool. One man's meat is another man's poison, or, in this case, one woman's barn is another woman's boudoir. I will try it on my husband, but with fair warning. Awhile ago I showed him Honeycat's review, and her husband's amusing reaction. He's a good sport, and who knows, on him it might be bottled sex!

This may end up being my Holy Grail Orange Blossom blend. Straight from the imp it was divine, deep chocolate and a hint of thin, almost astringent orange blossom. So incongruous that it almost didn't work. The chocholate eventually takes a back seat to the o.b. though, and the cherry stays way in the background (FINE by me). For me, orange blossom can be too fleeting, delicate and thin, but the chocolate grounds it, gives it body. It is a delicious, wonderful scent. Yay!

This makes me feel very sexy, very warm. Makes me want to take up Middle Eastern Dance and turn off the AC. Ok, maybe not that last part... This is definitely the scent of a master yarn spinner, an entrancing and intoxicating beauty. I've never smelled saffron before - this is so lovely and spicy. I'll be sniffing myself all day.

I'm surprised I liked this, as I disliked Black Rose. It's an education to me to see how three identical notes can be blended so differently. Wet, it was overpoweringly strong - without having read the notes I thought it was patchouli. I am still learning to differentiate the darker, stronger scents. On drydown, it's a pretty, musky warm rose. I don't get a big amber feel, which is good. Another rose winner for me.

I'm going to write my review before reading those of others so as not to sway my thoughts. I can't comment on it's efficacy - haven't been wearing it long enough. But as far as how it smells - it's an eye opener! I get an initial burst of spice (and it burns a little - first time that's happened), then it settles into apple and cinnamon. It's a homy scent, like something simmering on the stovetop. Since I'm trying to break out of hausfrau heaven this seems at first a bit of a contradiction, but we'll see, won't we? Ok, next time I'll pick a tougher mystery blend to review blind.

I just tried Hamadryad, and it reminded me very much of Lapsang Souchong. I did a search to see if anyone else had made that observation, and found this thread. So - my two cents.