Aurelius

On the skin this is very sweet with a bright burst of green grass. It's very fresh, like I'm romping around in a field. And man, I love fig. After a while the grass smell fades and is replaced by tea. It last this way for hours, as a sweet tea, until it finally fades away altogether. I agree with others: it's both calming and invigorating.

This is one of the BPAL oils that seem to almost bounce on my skin. Notes peek out and play only to replaced by other ones. After everything seems to settle down a bit orange and chocolate remain. I smell like a chocolate covered orange candy. Very yummy for some, but not really to my liking. I'm guessing some people probably can't get enough of it. Fantastic, but not for me.

In the vial: fruit punch! Wet on skin: apricot! Fresh and almost fizzy. Drying: warmer, and "rounder" if that makes sense. Great throw. Dry: This smells just like the Strawberry Shortcake doll I had as a kid. My doll never smelled much like strawberries, for the record. It was vaguely fruity and vaguely plastic-y, but not in a bad way. Silly body chemistry! Too bad it didn't stay the same as when it was drying.

Helloooooo vetivert and cedarwood! Very dark, almost wet, and somewhat creepy. As it dries I smell a tiny bit of cinnamon which adds a nice spicy layer. Rich without being overly strong, dark and earthy.

I love all the notes in Nemesis but together they don't work particularly well on my skin. This switches from a woodsy scent to one of figs and dirt. In fact, it's an awful lot like Nephilim was on my skin. It's nice, but it's not one of my favorites. Off to swap with someone who has skin chemistry that will agree with this.

This is a light opium/incense-y scent on my skin. I expected it to be "thick" for some reason but it's both fresh and lazy. Languor is also making me giggle. My grandmother used to wear a scent similar to this and grandmas and opium dens aren't usually together in my mind! Lovely, but not for me.

Holy Mother of Foody Scents! Gah! This is buttery, nutty and creamy droolworthiness. I feel like I should be licking the imp it smells so edible. That said, I'm not a huge fan of dark chocolate as the bitter note it in bothers me, both in taste and smell. And true to form I can detect a tiny bitter note from my skin. It isn't unpleasant at all, but it's lurking in the shadows. Then again, if I ignore it, I smell like death by chocolate. It's so wrong yet so very, very right.

Mint, how I love you. Mint, how you hate me. In the vial this is fantastic. Green and minty, strong and fresh. Sadly, once it hits my skin the mint wages war in The Battle of Dill Pickle. Seriously, that's what mint often turns to on my skin: dill pickle. A fantastic scent, just one I can't wear since my skin chemistry is nutso.

At first I smell like a big blob of creamy frosting. I smell rich, sweet, and sugary. As this dries I pick up cinnamon. Then, for a brief period I am a giant red hot. Finally dry, I smell like a mix of the two: frosting with a hint of cinnamon. This smells devious, the frosting all sweet and innocent to lure people in, the cinnamon ready to jump out and attack 'em once they're close enough to do naughty, naughty things.

Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver. In the vial this smells like a heavy floral to me. Then again, most florals tend to smell like heavy florals to me as I have a predisposition against 'em. Florals tend to act out agressively on my skin. When I first applied this on my skin I could have sworn I smelled roses, although my mind is playing tricks on me as there aren't any roses in the ingredient list. On the drydown the florals calmed down to an almost dusty (in a very pleasant way) scent with just a hint of patchouli. This makes me feel sluggish and lazy, like I'm absolutely happy doing absolutely nothing.

OMG, this smells like Samhain 2004's sister! In the bottle it's smoky and a bit boozy. On my skin it's..well...kind of crazy. A little foody, a little smoky, a little flowery. And with a bit of an edge. Wonderful!

In the vial Jack smells buttery and almost hazelnutty. Very foody and very warm. Once it hits my skin it's buttery peach with hints of pumpkin. Dry it's pretty much the same: glowing, warm, and foody. This is honestly one of the best BPAL blends I've tried and I feel ashamed to say I won't be keeping it. Why? Although the peach is gorgeous (I smell like the most fantabulous pie), it's really not my thing. I was hoping for more pumpkin and the peach just enjoys my skin too much. This is downright drool-worthy!

Jebus, my skin chemistry refused to play nice with Akuma. From the instant it touched my skin I smelled of fruit punch. EVIL fruit punch. Something clearly didn't agree with me as it turned acrid and icky. Ah, man. Lovely notes but wonky skin chemistry. Off to swap with someone who can properly enjoy it!

In the vial: fruit punch and booze. Wet: bubblegum! Drying: clove! Yuuuuummmm... Dry: somewhat incense-y. I'm not a fan of fruity scents, but if you are I'll bet you'll love this. It's very rich and boisterous!

My skin chemistry just LOVES to toy with me. I smell anise in this. Is it listed? No. Is it in there? Doubtful. Nevertheless my nose keeps smelling it. Odd. In the vial it smells almost of unscented lotion. Just something a bit milky with a hint of florals. When it first touches my skin White Rabbit nearly yells anise. As it dries I no longer smell the "anise" but instead it smells milky and slightly spicy. Very nice! Not quite me, but I'm so glad I got to try it!

Wow, this is a very strong and long-lasting blend. In the vial I smell smoke. Once it hits my skin it smells almost like rain on the sidewalk. Then I smell dirt. And then more smoke. This is a fantastic blend, but not one that I would normally wear.

Pretty! In the vial I *think* I smell a light floral and possibly tea. On my skin it smells of sweet rose, light but not powdery. It stays the same drying. Floral notes often scream and yell on my skin and this one behaved beautifully!

Mmm...in the bottle I smell rich trees. Actually, this reminds me a bit of Christmastime, a bit pine-y. On my skin it starts off with a dirt tang to it, which fades as it dries. The longer I wear it the sweeter then scent becomes. Lovely!

Oh. My. God. I love this scent. To me, this is like Casanova but less abrasive and without the sexiness. Yet still sexy. (FTR I adore Casanova. Mmmm....) It's not dark or woody on me, almost clean and fresh, but vaguely sinister. Moody, almost. I...can't quite describe this, clearly. It's just incredible. I may have to buy a big ol' bottle of it because my gimp from the lab isn't enough.

In the vial: PEAR! Uh, I mean, LOTUS! Wet: My nose still swears it's pear, but it has to be the lotus. Whatever it is it smells ripe, sweet, and delicious. I don't smell any rose. Drying/Dry: Pear/Lotus with a slight dustiness that must come from the rose. Yum. This is very nice.

In the vial: Dirt! Wet: Myrrh and dirt. That bone-dry smell must be, like the lab said, the orris. It's drrrrrrrrry. Drying/Dry: Just a hint o' patchouli. Nothing too drastic or overwhelming. Damn, that's some strong orris. This one perfectly fits the lab description (they all do, but this one still fits the description after my crazy skin messes with it). Nice!

In the vial: Strong floral. Very, very strong. Maybe a hint of something citrusy, and something vaguely spicy. Wet: Lemon verbena? It's not in the description, but I think I smell it. There's something sweet yet tangy. Drying/Dry: Huh. This isn't as strong as I thought. It's very nice, but florals aren't my thing. Off to swap with someone who enjoys florals more than I do.

Chaos Theory XIV (14) Hee. My god, this is one strange scent. It could best be described as a BPAL Sampler in a Bottle. It's just all about the morphing. In the bottle this is butter. Warm rich butter. It's almost mouth-watering even though I'm unsure if I want to put it on or eat it. Just to be sure about what's lurking in my bottle I swirled it around. And...butter. Oh wait! I lied. There's the faintest hint of red berries. Barely. In a second back to buttered goodness. Once it hits my skin it changes and 14 is off to the races in a weird mad dash of changing scents. First off: the soapy ozone-y goodness of Storm Moon. Bold, bright and refreshing. Second: the night chill of Yog-Sothoth, minus the evil. Light, barely there, but present nonetheless. Third: nothing. Honest to god, it just vanished momentarily. I was really scared that it was gone for good. But like the previous stages it was quickly replaced by something else. Fourth: Sweet...floral? Wha? I wish I could tell you the floral notes if they are, in fact, floral notes. It's not thick or heavy like Attack of the Flowers. It's not dainty and girly either. It's greener and sweeter, like Dublin is on my skin, but much lighter. Fifth: Sugar! Bright, energetic girly sweetness. Very similar to Pink Moon. Sixth, and settling: Sweet florals. It alternates between sweetness and floral, and then balances for a bit. Then they dance around again. Then settle. Seventh, and settled, if you could call it that: Basically, it stays in its sixth form. But every once in a while I'll catch a whiff of previous stages, with stage one being the visitor who comes back most often. Damn, this is one odd bottle. It's very very nice but a little psychotic which I enjoy. I'll have to bring this to our sniff-a-thon so people can figure out just what in the hell Beth has put in here. Amazing! ETA: Nifty! My post AND my bottle are both 14! Yay!

I don't tend to like floral scents. They really aren't my cup of tea and when I do like the scent the notes tend to become amped up to an overpowering degree. This blend, however, knocks my socks off. It is, simply, divine. This really does seem like nighttime in a bottle. I smell rose, but it isn't thick, cloying, or dusty. It's light, dewey, and beautiful. This blend is honestly quite enchanting. After a few hours it fades to something almost powdery, but powdery in a good way (not like baby powder). ADDED Aug. 24: In the vial: I smell nighttime! (Hee! I hadn't peeked at the lab description yet. Although the "moon" in the title probably should have tipped me off.) I can't describe it, it just smells like night, whatever that is. Wet: Rose! Very faint, and almost wet. Dewey rose. Drying/Dry: Damn. This is enchanting. I wasn't expecting to be so overwhelmed by this scent. Roses aren't something I generally like, but this scent is beautiful.

Ahhhh.... This is lovely. Citrus and tea. Beautiful and calming. Perfect!