Laurel the Woodfairy

Mmmm, Phobos is gorgeous, but *lord* is he strong! I had a massive sneezing fit from an enthusiastic sniff. This is for my boyfriend, who is also gorgeous and strong, but doesn't make me sneeze. And he's going to love it--as is anyone who likes really fresh citrus with just the barest hint of foody. Phobos reminds me of Follow Me Boy, which I compared to lemon pound cake. Here there is much less of the cake, but bright clear lemon/grapefruit opening and a luscious verbena/musk drydown. I'm really glad this was revived.

I chose Aureus for my boyfriend, aka "the golden god", as the description sounds so much like him--he has the most amazingly bright, warm aura about him. On me, Aureus smells very similar to Cathedral, but with amber. It's an incense/resin scent, and like Cathedral it veers a little into cedar territory while wet. However, the sharp woods settle and the drydown is nice and amberish--definitely a "warm" scent, a little like The Lion. I didn't have a reaction of "OMG it's totally him!" but I still think he'll like it.

Whoa, is this Teh Evil Grapefruit I smell? Deep Ones is much stronger than I expected, as aquatics tend to be fairly low-key on me. There is a lot going on here besides aquatic though--the strong, sweet grapefruit topnotes, and then some juniper and/or pine. Yet it's not woodsy; the aquatics do make it seem more like underwater greenery, algae and so on. There's also a "dryer sheet" (linen) note. This is so weird and alien that I don't know if I like it or not. It smells like Cthulhu's laundry detergent. Gotta keep those wings and tentacles shiny!

Quite sharp lavender when wet, but the Pool softens as it dries down...so to speak. (Can a pool dry down and still be a pool?) It settles into a clean floral-aquatic; reminds me of Amsterdam and also Dormouse, although I like Dormouse's peony better than Pool's lavender. The slight sweetness at the end is almost like violet-candy, but very faint--old-fashioned and pretty. This is nice but very soft; a good one for when you can't be wearing a "loud" scent.

Versailles is a lab frimp that I never would have selected, due to the jasmine. However, on me the prominent notes are rose and orange blossom (or so I thought--I guess it's various citrus notes). Very pretty. And then on the drydown the jasmine sticks its tongue out at me. Another perfectly good blend ruined. I wish there was a "jasmine optional" feature on about a gazillion Lab blends. Sigh.

WTF? Having had Sophia on my wishlist for awhile but forgotten the notes, I would have sworn it contained lotus--this horribly strong bubble-gum note exploded when I applied it. Underneath I could smell something like sandalwood, which eventually came into its own in the drydown. However, now I see that there is no lotus and no sandalwood here, so I guess it was the always-evil jasmine that took over, and the combination with other notes gave it this new twist. The other notes are all great, but that fracking jasmine can ruin anything for me. However, I'm happy to note that my Mom really likes it; jasmine plays nice on her. So now it lives in her imp box, and perhaps that's appropriate anyway--she just graduated; the Goddess of Wisdom is a fitting scent!

I'm pleased to have a decant to try this--I think of it as Ghost Phoenix, because in my mind Mad Bess' ship gets conflated with The Flying Dutchman. I think it's because Puddin' looked so awesomely Cap'n Jack in the wedding pics! Anyway, The Phoenix is very pretty on me. Wet, it reminds me a little of a warmer, non-wintry Szepasszony--clean aquatic with a faint hint of floral. Buried in there is just enough of a hint of salt and lime for my brain to go, "margarita!" The merest ghostly breath of Snake Oil appears on the drydown. This feels like a summer vacation scent to me; it's lovely but soft, low-key. I'd slather it on to lounge by the pool and have fruity drinks. In fact, I just caught a special on the Travel Channel about Disney cruises to the Caribbean where you can see the original Flying Dutchman movie prop out in the water...that's the image that comes to mind. Vacation! Beach! Ghosts! Put it all together and it spells "made of win"!

If you use TAL oils, something like Determination would be my pick. That way every time you smell it you also know that it's designed to help reach your goal! From the GC catalog, I'd pick Detox or High John for the same reasons.

Plunder = Bengal - honey. Although I usually like honey, it was just too much in Bengal, so I'm delighted with Plunder! It's the straightforward chai scent I've been looking for--tea and spices and nothin' else. It gets a little sweeter on the drydown, but overall it's spicy and not sweet, like a more complex Three Witches. Completely appropriate for male or female pirates. Also appropriate for holiday gift/booty giving, as it might appeal to a wide variety of new BPAL converts. Great stuff!

I really don't know what to expect from this one, as the description doesn't say, but I love the name! Huh, it's a cherry-cordial scent while wet: cherry + cocoa + incense...reminds me of Midnight Kiss. On drydown...it actually reminds of of 13 (original formulation), cocoa but with some orange and something peppery? It's not really very strong on me; I like it but I doubt I'd wear it often.

I got this for my Mom, sight unsniffed, because it is her namesake blend--her first name is Sharon, and it was chosen because of this verse (her father was a minister). Even though the name of the blend is 'lily of the valley' instead of 'rose of Sharon', it just seems so fitting, and plus she does like clean florals.

On me, Lilium smells very soft and white and somehow old-fashioned. It's so well-blended that I can't pick out individual notes other than the namesake floral and a hint of apple in the drydown, but it reminds me of Mom's favorite Estee Lauder perfume, and I think she'll love it!

I'm very wary of the jasmine here, but I love the other notes so much that I'll give it a try--besides, I couldn't order Hermia without Helena; best friends should be together!

Mmm, I am happy to say that the white rose and water lily bloom on my skin and are just beautiful; those are two of my favorites notes--the only thing better would be to add some ivy. On the drydown, the jasmine tries to peek out, but is mercifully squashed by amber. This is a much softer, more romantic, less "feisty" scent than Hermia, and I like it for different reasons. It has something of the same wistfulness as Ophelia.

As a character, I think Helena probably has more fans, but I've always identified more with Hermia--she's the spunky one with good self-esteem. Plus, I would most definitely defy everyone and run away with my Love if that was the only way I could have him. I thought the notes sounded fascinating, but I also wanted this one for the concept.

Wow, this is really fantastic, and also a great interpretation of Hermia: the pepper note is strong and spicy--"feisty", if you will--and the florals are girly and pretty and fun. The passion flower reminds me of Beth's pomegranate note; this is a bit like Swank with the pepper note from Three Witches and a swirl of sweet floral to tie them together. I'm wearing this for Date Night with my boy tonight, as it's a scent that says, "I'm sweet and feminine, but I am nobody's spaniel!"

This is for my Love--no, I don't want to poison him! He just really loves crisp apple scents and I'm hoping this will layer well with his shower gel from B&BW. Mmm, I think he'll be delighted: really fresh, bright, *shiny* apple floats up immediately on application. That note stays true, but on drydown a soft incense/earthy note creeps in under it. He's always saying he likes earthy notes with citrus or apple and his favorite, ever, was a scrub called Spooky Apples from IoE that was apple over patchouli or similar. This should be ideal. It reminds me of an improved version of the Poison Apple candle that B&BW had last year--of course, Beth's version is better; a truer apple and a more sinister drydown!

Burial is one of the classic old-school scents that's been in the catalog for as long as I can remember, yet I've never tried it. I finally got some for my boyfriend, who likes what he describes as "earthy scents". Well, I figured, it doesn't get much more earthy than burial, right? It's much spicier than I expected--it smells like spicy patchouli and...dirt. But in a good way. I wouldn't wear it for myself, but he likes it and that was the goal. He's a Taurus and I do think earthiness suits him.

I sniffed Egg'd Mailbox, but I was testing a lot of other scents at the time, so I hesitate to comment on the drydown. What I can say, definitely, is that it opens with everything *good* about eggs--rich custard or nog with a touch of spice. Much, much more pleasant than I ever would have expected. I should have known it wouldn't really smell of raw eggs (or rotten, oh noes!). Nothing to fear from this Trick.

I enjoyed sniffing Pumpkin Smash--it's Jack without the butter and definitely not a dessert scent; it's for pumpkin purists with a little extra atmosphere thrown in (I couldn't have said, "oh that's asphalt!" or anything, but it does have a slightly outdoor-autumn-night quality). However, there's no beating Samhain for non-dessert pumpkin-related autumnal goodness, so a sniff was enough. Fun concept!

This is really lovely, although I'm not sure if it was the old or the new that I tested at M n' S. Same formula though, right? It reminds me of Szepasszony, which I can't spell at all but I love it anyway! That's an underrated GC scent right there--clean, fresh, lightly floral, and just so delicate. Spirits of the Dead feels like that, but with the addition of tea. A really nice, green sort of tea, a bit like Embalming Fluid but without citrus. Lovely and appropriate anywhere.

I like pear; there should be more pear scents! I tested the Parlor and it was very sweet, like candied pears really, or pears poached in syrup. Yum.

This is sex in the restricted section of the Hogwart's Library.

Well, I can't really add much to that! Library has the remarkable "old books" smell from Misk. U., but without the coffee and with the addition of musk. I found it a little odd...I guess, as a grad student, I associated the smell of library books with coffee-fueld all-nighters, so that seems a natural fit. I may or may not have done anything naughty in a library ( ), but that's not a smell I'm really seeking.

I didn't participate in the Inquisition this go 'round, but I was curious about this scent. I got to test it recently, and it reminds me of Storyville--a rich, resinous, 'red' scent. Passion seemed to have more...well, I thought it was patchouli, but that's not in the notes, so I guess it's the musk combined with the ambergris. Anyway, it's one of the 'heavy' scents--that is, strong base notes, rich/warm middle notes, but no light/floaty topnotes that my nose could discern. I like the whole family of scents*, as a general rule, but Storyville is the sexier of the two to my nose, and I have that one.

*I think of it as the Snake Oil family--all the musk/resin/sex ones. Of those, Snake Charmer and Storyville are my most beloved, while Smut was a bit too much for me.

I managed to snag an impling of Ingenue at last, thanks to the generosity of a dear Forum friend. I immediately shared with my ingenue sister, and my quest will continue for more, now that my appetite has been whetted! Melon and violet are a lovely combination--juicy but delicate. The rose and wood drydown is just beautiful; I am always and ever rose-crazy, and the added "freshness" of the green notes is delightful with the melon. I have never understood why this gorgeous blend disappeared from the GC so quickly; I put it on my wishlist when I first arrived in BPAL-land in '04 and then it was gone before I could order!

Bring it baaaaack!!!!

I nearly died of when I saw Madeline was one of the new scents--as excited as I was about the Maelstrom, I whined and bitched bitterly in my heart that her brother was there but she was missing...as elusive as her wraith-like presence in my favorite short story. Of course, in the story, Madeline returns with a vengeance, so I shouldn't be surprised she's finally here...and with my two favorite notes, rose and ivy, no less. I want to try all the new Poes, but Black Lace and Madeline were the two that could not wait and caused me to break out the credit card.

And she was worth the wait. On me, Lady Madeline Usher is swooningly gorgeous. She also seems to have rapaciously snatched notes from a few well-loved blends to take to her grave: she opens with that gorgeous Dublin white rose, the ivy adding an extra touch of fresh florist-shop cool greenery reminiscent of Rose Red. Then the earth notes creep softly forth, and combine with the rose for a fresher variation on Zombi. And there's just the faintest hint of tea...fresh, clean, green, earthy is she, but with my precious rose for added beauty. Hers is the scent of a grave overgrown with roses and ivy, yet the earth smells fresh--newly dug up by its fair occupant??

At long last her bottle sits beside Usher's in my BPAL box, and they are at peace. (However, I don't think they would layer terribly well, which is a shame--no incestuous scent-twin shenanigans for a Poe-tic finish.)

I heard from Beth.

 

She says the following notes may help offset SAD:

 

bergamot, geranium, grapefruit, jasmine, and lemon

 

She mentions Moxie and Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo. She also cautions even if an oil is recommended, don't use it if you don't like it because it won't be effective.

 

And she reminded me to take my vitamins. I feel loved!

This made me giggle. Beth is such a cutie. I do agree with White Light or, for a GC, Water of Notre Dame--it smells like soft, comforting sunshine to me, and it's a Voodoo oil for calm/peaceful feelings. I love it.

I couldn't believe it when I saw that my Black Lace bottle had already arrived!!! I rarely buy bottles unsniffed, but this was a must-have. What kind of lousy Victorianist would I be to miss out on this?

I opened it and went "oo! aah! oo" for several seconds before putting it on. The opening notes were a touch sharp (almost like violets, oddly enough, but I think that's the cotton) and my boy said it smelled more like 'traditional' perfume than most BPALs. However, that was just while wet--Black Lace immediately began to settle into the most *gorgeous* combination of vanilla-musk-cognac-tobacco all perfectly swirled together! This is the scent that pops into my mind when I hear the words "Bourbon vanilla"-- it sounds like vanilla with a boozy edge to it to tone down the sweet. It is *crazy* to me that Beth was able to capture the vintage-y quality of a classic perfume AND, at the same time, this delicately-foody aspect. It honestly smells *old* but in a completely great way--as though the notes have melded together perfectly over time.

Black Lace will hold a place of honor next to Havisham in my BPAL chest, for she is the foody sister of my girl Miss H. Two very fine Victorian ladies indeed.