Shannihilation

In the bottle this is white grapefruit followed by the ginger candy and then the vanilla. In the background I can pick up the aloe and the white sandalwood. I really expected this to be more of a "foody" scent but instead it's very fresh and crisp and clean. But on my skin? It's absolutely dreamy! It's soft but with a nice throw, and I've had it on for an hour now and it hasn't faded at all. I'd swear this has honey it somewhere but maybe it's just the smoky vanilla. It's all sweetness and creamy with just barely an edge of spice. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful this is. It's the sent of daydreams and wishes, which I guess goes along with purging earthly concerns from the soul. I wish I'd gotten two bottles because I can see this being one that I reach for often.

My bottle is labeled CCCXXX which made me chuckle. Count on me to get an XXX bottle!! In the bottle: Now, I'm not fabulous yet at identifying specific scents but I'm sure that I got my wish and I definitely smell TEA!! YAY!! And there's something sweet behind it as well. Maybe sugar cane and some lemon. Because this smells exactly like a glass of freshly brewed iced (sweet) tea. OMG I love it. I have two more bottles coming with my Harvest Moon and I think I may actually order more before they go away. On my skin: OMG beautiful tea. The tea is definitely the strongest note. And I'm still getting the background of something sweet. Lemon? Lime? Grapefruit? Definitely a citrus. But I can't quite decide which. But definitely one of those three. OMG this is gorgeous. And it makes sad that it's one of a kind because it's so fabulous. Once this is gone, I can't get more! Needless to say this will be very sparingly used. I can't stop sniffing my wrists. I love this so much!!

The Masque is tied with The Premature Burial as my favorite of the Maelstrom scents. Although to be honest, I love them all. This is a very "incensey" blend on me. It's rich and smooth and very sexy. I don't really get many of the floral notes at all. On me this is all honey and spice which I'm assuming is the sandalwood, amber, and clove. And the patchouli makes a nice background. It's there but manages to blend with the other notes without overwhelming them.

The description of this really says it all. You know how you get the roses from the cooler at the florist and you bury your face in them and just breathe in? This is that scent. Cool, moist, lush, deep red roses. It's beautiful. Very feminine and soft. But it has a very "femme fatale" feel to as well. Delicate and soft and just a little vulnerable but strong and willful at the same time.

To me, this scent doesn't really match the description. There is a definite soil note, but to me this more of a murky scent. Wet and loamy. It reminds me of being in a New Orleans swamp on a hot, still day. The green water, the damp soil, the Cypress trees... It's slightly unpleasant when I first put it on, it's very sharp and heavy. But within a minute or two it smoothes out and turns so pretty. It's very light with just a hint of floral underneath the water and the soil...

There aren't any scent notes listed for this at all. The reviews in the forum all lean towards it being a very floral scent. But I don't get that at all. In the bottle it seems very smoky and spicy. Sort of like Brimstone maybe. I wasn't sure I liked it much at all. I was a little anxious when I put it on, because cinnamon or cassia tend to not like my skin and they turn me all red and itchy. This didn't do that at all. And on me, it's very soft but spicy too. Smokey and sweet. But I don't really get a "floral" scent from it. Maybe dragon's blood and cinnamon with some tobacco? I like it alot but it's fading pretty quickly. That's kind of disappointing. I'd like it to last longer and have a bit more throw. I'm not sure if I'll keep this one or not...

In the bottle this smells a little like Fruit Loops. It's very sweet and yes, fruity. But like the cereal not fresh fruit. And when I first put it on, it was the same way. Then it changed. It turned very smokey and spicy. Now, it's been on for almost two hours and it's very light but with a nice throw that intrigues rather than overpowers. I's not a "hey look at me" scent at all. It's turned very clean and "clear" on me. I get occasional wafts of the mandarin and the clove. The leather and the frankincense are always there but very mellow. It reminds me of something... a smell that I'm more familiar with and one that immediately makes me think of comfort and of being content. A smell that I enjoyed... but I can't place exactly what it is. That is going to drive me bonkers. Trying to place what it makes me think of... I really, really like this though. Alot.

In the bottle this is very sweet and crisp. It's very pretty. I've had it on now for about a half an hour and it's very sweet, and very floral with just a light undertone of the fir. It has really good throw and would probably be an easy scent to overdo. It doesn't take much for this one to make itself known. It's very pretty though. I love the way the florals blend with the tree notes and I like that the fir doesn't come out as smelling like an air freshener.

In the bottle this is very sweet and floral. It's pretty. Very light and "airy". On me? Pretty much the same. Very light and airy. A sweet floral. It has almost no throw though so it's definitely more of a skin scent. It's almost but not quite powdery on me. I like it, but I'm not sure that I love it.

In the bottle and when I first put this on, it's a very light floral. The longer description says it's a scent of nightmares (?) but I don't get that at all. It's very soft and sort of "dreamy". But the longer I have it on, the more it amps on me. I can't really pick out any specific notes because they blend so nicely, but my skin is really amping it up. I actually had to go wash some off because it was giving me a headache! Note to self: apply this very sparingly!

Oh.... this is fabulous. Definitely a very sexy, subtle, "get close to me" kind of scent. It's very grown up and mature without seeming "old" and very sexy without being over the top. It has a very light throw. Just enough to be a little mysterious and to catch someone's attention. This really is lovely.

I knew that I would be getting a bottle of Lotus Moon today (gotta love tracking info!) So, when I got out of the shower I didn't put any BPAL on. An that was good because when I came downstairs, my Lotus Moon was in my mailbox along with two frimps (Ode On Melancholy which I love just sniffing, and Rome which I'm not so sure about). This was an Ebay purchase by the way since I missed Lotus Moon when the Lab had it up. And OMG I am so glad that I got this. It's sweet but not cloying at all. The amber and opium ground the Lotus so that it doesn't smell like a big hunk of Bazooka bubble gum. I was worried about the pine, but so far, I can't smell it at all. The rose either for that matter. This scent is gorgeous. It's a very "golden" scent. In the forums everyone said what a great summer blend it was, but to me it seems more of a warm fall or winter scent. Or a nighttime one. I do love it though. It's beautiful.

received this as a frimp with an Ebay purchase and I was intrigued as soon as I sniffed the imp. And now that I'm wearing it? I'm still intrigued. This is such a pretty blend. It's very light and airy, and it is somewhat "sad". The term "tear-streaked" is perfect. I mainly smell the lavender and the white sandalwood with brief wafts of the rose coming out to say hello. This is a perfect spring scent. Very light and floral and clean... It's wistful. That's it exactly. It's a very wistful scent.

I was getting impatient for my lab order and I wanted my Dragon right now so I caved and got a botle on Ebay. It came today. I was worried about the cherry note when I ordered from the Lab and I was worried about it today too when I smelled it in the bottle. I don't do cherry. Anything. Scents, food, or otherwise. I was afraid that the cherry blossom would smell just "cherry" and not floral. And in the bottle, much cherry. I was feeling disappointed before I ever tried it. But I put it on anyway after I worked out and showered. One word... WOW!!! This is beautiful!! The cherry blossom is very delicate and sweet and it's kept from being too sweet by the bamboo. The tea leaf gives it a crisp and clean tone so that it's not cloying or heavy and the sandalwood just pulls it all together. This really is amazing. I'm glad I'll have two bottles of it!

Oh good! It's not just me! I put it on and immediately smelled like a stale litterbox. Or the house of a crazy cat lady. Musty and overflowing litter boxes. Yuckyz! I adored both Underbed and Underpants. And I was so excited about Closet. It smells so yummy in the bottle. A very heavy cake with oozy cream frosting piled on... Heavenly. And what did I do? Slathered it on. Neck, cleavage, wrists... and immediately reeked of cat pee. Not just cat pee... but the house of a crazy old cat lady. You know, musty and dark and overflowing litterboxes in all the corners. I do not smell pretty at all. And I can't seem to wash it off either!!

Wow. So this is what all the fuss is about. I need more. At least two more bottles. And since it's said that it gets even better as it ages, I'm not worried about having it too long. This is amazing and I've only had iton for a few minutes. I was hoping that my Gypsy Queen would come today but this more than makes up for it. Campfire smoke, clear fall skies, and the smells of herbs used in an ancient ritual. The vanilla smells of skin rubbed with ancient oils and then warmed and glowing in the light of the fire... I can't even really describve it and that attempt doesn't come close to doing it justice. It's sweet and exotic and smoky and sexy.... And mysterious. It's a very sexy, grown up, "I am woman" scent.

I opted for this one today because it's supposed to storm off and on all day and I have errands to run. Which means possibly being out in the storms. Not cool. And how could someone not need a little boost to keep the blues from taking hold and some boost of positive energy? In the bottle this is very soft and floral. Very pretty. On me? Baby powder. Seriously. Overwhelming baby powder. I'm going to have to go use a damp cloth and wipe some off I think. It's way too strong. And I didn't put much on at all. Wow. It's a nice scent, but it is very strong. I do seem to be pretty cheerful this morning and I have alot more energy than I normally do on a rainy day. Those days make me very "blah" and sleepy and lazy. Today though I can't wait to get started and waiting for places to be open is frustrating me. I'm ready to go and start my day and get things done! I'll have to wait until it storms again today to see if I have more courage.

My first TAL order arrived yesterday. And right after, the boyfriend who is not my boyfriend asked me to come have dinner with him. So I decided that would be a good time to try Blinding Glory of Love. When I sniffed it in the bottle, it reminded me alot of Smut. Within after a few minutes of putting it on, it still smeleld like Smut only a bit lighter. It had a bit of a powdery tone to it, but not a bad powdery. If that makes any sense... I got to the boy's house and the first thing I said to him (as always) was "smell me!" He's so patient with my BPAL addiction. So he sniffed me and said "You smell like baby powder but without the baby part. I like that!" So then we went to dinner. Where he was far more affectionate than usual. Tucking my hair behind my ear or brushing it off of my shoulder, feeding me with his chopsticks... When we got back to his house he had some studying to do. I laid down on the couch to watch TV. I got cold though so I got up and put one of his long sleeved button up shirts on over my halter top. I laid back down and eventually I dozed off. I woke up to him tucking a blanket around me. Then he kissed my forehead, said "go back to sleep" and went back to his desk. Awwwww.... When I woke up he took a study break and came and sat with me. We flipped through TV channels and he was still being very sweet and staying close to me. This is a guy who is usually sort of affectionate but not overly so. And when I was leaving, he walked me to my car (usually he only walks me to the door) and he kissed me goodbye FOUR times. And at one point he had his face in my neck just breathing in and said "you smell so good!". And when I drove away, he was still standing on the sidewalk watching me. I think I'm impressed with Blinding Glory. We're having lunch today so I think I'll wear it again with maybe a bit of Sexual Energy added to it. *grins*

I've had this imp for awhile but hadn't tried it yet. The color kind of turned me off on it. It's an odd color. Like a tornado sky. Greenish yellow... But then while I was browsing reviews last night, I saw the description for this. And it sounded interesting so I put it on this morning. It's beautiful. It's so soft and light but at the same time it has a strength behind it. I'm afraid it might fade pretty quickly though. I love it though. I'll definitely be watching for a bottle. Eventually I'll have all of the 2005 Yule bottles at the rate I'm going! This really is pretty though. Feminine and sophisticated but just a little trampy at the same time. Perfect. EDIT: This actually has pretty nice staying power. It's faded some but still has a nice subtle throw. I REALLY want a bottle!!