Aurelius

In the vial: bright, bubbly strawberry. Wet: Ha! I bet it's actually the plum, pear and pomegranate that I smell. Yum. Drying: Uh oh. Something vaguely sour. The description lists "grapevine" and this is, hands down, a grapevine-y scent. My grandmother had vines dripping with fat ripe purple grapes in her backyard veranda. This smells just like her grapevines towards the end of the season when they were ready to burst. It's a wonderfully evocative scent, but it's unfortunatly one that I don't particularly care for. If I close my eyes I can see a landscape covered in fruit, astonishingly fertile, ripe, and alive. Wonderful! Overall: Too fruity and ripe for me, but a lovely scent. Simply dead-on.

Huh. For some reason I could swear I smelled chocolate in my gimp from the Lab. At first this smelled thick. The juniper was present, but not overly loud. Drying it morphed into a thick floral. Nothing cloying or overly loud, just something dark and rich with a sweet edge. This behaved nicely on my "florals, goodie!" type of skin. Very nice.

At first all I can smell is cinnamon, although none is listed. This starts off as wonderfully spicy on my skin. It's dark and the first note I can make out is cypress. In the wet stage it's deep, dark, and completely drool-worthy. Then I start to smell florals, but luckily they're still dark and they aren't too loud on my skin. It changes again to a insence-y smell, still spicy, and a bit smokey. But upon total drydown it morphs into powder. *stamps foot* DAMN! This is amazing and utterly gorgeous, but my skin just isn't willing to let it be. Sigh. So wonderful. This is a great dark scent for anyone. I'm so sad it doesn't stay longer on my skin.

in the vial: dragon's blood resin and a woody note. wet: mmm...dragon's blood resin. This blend is dusty and foresty with bursts of dbr. Dbr tends to be strong on my skin, but it's surprisingly mellow. It seems to peek out occasionally. drying: Huh. The resin turns almost berryish. I've never had it do this before, but it's certainly a nice scent. dry: Odd. This has turned to bubblegum. Overall: Lovely scent, strange drydown due to my oddball skin chemistry. Nice, but it doesn't quite work on me.

in the vial: citrus and...anise. Uh oh. wet: yummy wet citrus and anise. I don't like anise. drying/dry: the anise likes to jump out and play with the citrus notes. I get a bit of mint, but not much. Overall: this scent is crisp and playful. It's not for me as I don't like the smell of anise, but I really liked the sort of boisterousness of the scent on my skin.

in the vial: honeysuckle? Some sort of sweet light floral. wet: It starts as a light floral scent and gets stronger over time. drying: almost tea-like. very nice. dry: light and almost powdery, in a good way. Every once in a while I get a whiff of something stronger, almost like an "edgy" note. This is very nice. It's not an overwhelming floral on my skin. It's sweet without being super sweet. Lovely!

In the bottle this smells like creamy buttery goodness, like sugar cookies almost. Mmm... On my skin it goes from waffle cones (yay!) to plastic (boo!). Sadly, this one won't work with my skin chemistry. It's already on its way to a happy new home.

This was a gimp from the Lab. Thanks, Lab! This smells the same to me from the vial to my skin to the drydown. It's green and sweet and comforting. Misty forests...mmm. God, this is simply one of the best oils I've tried from BPAL. It's also stronger than I expected. Great throw. A clear favorite.

I have two imps of Lolita. One older, one newer. The newer imp? WAY more pungent, almost, to my nose. Something simply does not agree with me. The older imp? Fruity, sweet, almost like candy. Odd. I kept thinking the sour one had turned, but it's new and it's from the lab. I think it may be the honeysuckle. Sometimes it simply doesn't agree with my nose or my skin. Very strange. I can see how this could work wonderfully on someone; candy with a bite sounds really naughty! On my skin I smell like candy gone wrong.

Most of my bottles have been filled to just under the "shoulder." Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. It varies bottle to bottle.

In the bottle: Floral, somewhat "thick" and "heavy." Wet/Drying/Dry (all the same on me): Ooh, this a sweet floral. I was expecting it to be heavy, as many florals smell on me (and how it smelled in the bottle). Instead, this was much lighter, greener. I wouldn't say it was "soft" on me, but then again, my skin chemistry amps up florals. Instead of conjuring up an old room filled with dried flowers, or a lush rose perfume, this smells of freshly cut flowers. It's one of the floral blends that has behaved the best on my skin. Very very nice.

In the bottle: rum and berries. Vaguely NyQuil-ish, in the sense that I smell berries, alcohol, and something vaguely antiseptic. Very strong, very bold. Wet/Drying/Dry: Wow. Once Cerberus touches my skin what I smell completely changes. The berries are still present (yay!), and they calm down a bit. The rum mostly vanishes. I can smell a hint of chocolate. It seems to almost thicken the blend, if that makes any sense. Every so often I can smell the bitter walnut jump out a bit. While I don't tend to like bitter notes, the walnut is amazing is this. It totally surprised me. My nose would also like me to point out that it smells clove, even though the note is not listed. There's something spicy in there. Overall: Such a fantastic scent, and something totally unexpected. Sadly, I'll need to swap it because the initial application makes my stomach mad at me (it doesn't like rum). Off to swap, but I'm thrilled I had the chance to try it. A decidedly odd and evocative blend. Incredible drydown.

Mint, how I love thee. Mint, my skin hates thee. In the bottle this smells fantastic. All notes are present. It's a lovely "cool" scent, with enough pepper to make it wrestle around a bit. However, once it touches my skin, it does bad things. Just...ew. Have you ever left your refrigerator settings a bit too high? And you end up with soggy or frozen veggies that are water-logged? Yup, that's what Tulzcha smells like on my skin: water-logged cucumber. No more mint. Once the drydown is complete I smell like a not-quite-cured pickle. Cleary, mint and my skin chemistry like to mess with me. Off to someone who can work with these notes. A great blend, just one that cannot work on me.

Wow. This really is bottled air. There's something unsettling about it. This scent doesn't morph on me. It just sort of hangs there. It's vaguely sweet, and almost wet. It also smells...familiar. I cannot put my finger on it, but it's like I know this scent. I also don't like the scent; it's not unpleasant, it just honestly scares me. Honestly, I couldn't tell you why. I'm not associating it with a memory, nor do I have a problem with BPAL blends that have morbid or usual names. I just...honestly, I just don't want it on my skin. And while that may sound like something negative, I honestly mean it in a very positive way. I swear, Beth has bottled "unsettled." Beth's put it perfectly. And that, my friends, is what freaks me out about this blend. It's utterly dead on.

To me, this smells like Samhain's little sister. A little louder, more flowery, and just a bit bouncier. In fact, sometimes she gets a little loud. And, on my skin, a bit annoying (floral notes have a tendency to just flip out once they touch my skin). This is a gorgeous scent, and a must-have for anyone who likes Samhain. That being said, it doesn't quite work on my skin, and I prefer the older sibling. The smokiness that others have spoken of did not show up on me. Weirdo body!

Grapefruit! This is citrus with a zing. It's strong. It certainly kicked me in the ass to get up and get going. And it was perfect. Was. Sadly this just goes all wrong on my skin. Some citrus simply won't behave on my skin. It starts to smell of rotting rind. Ew. Moxie turns to orange, rotting rind, and stale popcorn. Ha! Sadly, I had to wash this one off. This is a fantastic scent and I really recommend it! Well, assuming you don't have oddball skin chemistry akin to mine!

Hee. I feel horribly redundant with this review. As everyone has mentioned, this smells of coffee. Nothing fake or cloying. It smells as if I have coffee brewing on my skin. I don't seem to get any wooden notes or library-ish drydown. On me, this is nothing but pure, leaded, strong coffee. It lasts and lasts and...lasts even after I shower! Wonderful, wonderful scent. As I am actually not all that enamored with coffee, this will find a home with a coffee enthusiast. I have nothing but compliments for this fantastic blend! Truly a must have if coffee is your thing. You'll want to drink your bottle. Or lick your skin.

This stays the same from the vial to my skin, and while it's strong for about an hour, after that it's completely absorbed into my skin and I can no longer smell it. The scent? Citrus, but more of a heavy rind-y smell, and violet. It's a dark citrus, not a light scent at all to my nose. I have trouble falling asleep. I have trouble quieting my mind, but Nanshe seems to quickly lull me into a dreamy state. I fell asleep fairly quickly last night, but I woke up several times, remembering bits and pieces of odd dreams. Something about deep cuts on my leg, something about a frog and a spider, something else about rotten vegetables. I can't make much sense of it. I will, however, try this blend again. I keep a dream journal, and I'm betting this will help me fill the pages at a quick pace.

Yum. Oh god, yum. If Sugar Cookie was affectionately known as the Devil's Bake Sale, then Shub-Niggurath is Satan's Gingersnap. For the first few hours I smell like spicy ginger goodness. This blend is, quite literally, hot. It burns my skin a bit (nothing too overpowering, but it is a surprise since the only other BPAL blend I've had an ow reation to was Wrath, and that only seemed fitting.) After the inital pinch, it seems to soak into my skin and warm me up. It also has the rather unsettling tendency to put me into a lull; I felt warm and cozy and, frankly, ready to be overpowered by whatever came my way. Almost like a "alright evil, take me." Heh. It's hard to explain. I don't feel wicked, I feel like something wicked is about to descend on me, and well, it can't be *that* bad, right? It's as if I've simply let down my defenses and the devil can take me however he likes. Odd. And yet, very nice. After a few hours the ginger starts to back away and I'm left with a resiny scent lingering on my skin. I'm sorry I can't compare it to Lovecraft's works, as I haven't read them, but I'm sure others will.

In the bottle: Wow. This is super sweet. I like sugary goodness, but I'm afraid this will be overpowering. Wet: Okay, I love this already. I had a Strawberry Shortcake doll when I was a kid. She was scented and I'd lean in to get a good whiff from her scalp. She didn't really smell like actual strawberry shortcake. She smelled almost of strawberry guavas, like the ones my grandmother had in her garden. Pink Moon smells JUST like my Strawberry Shortcake doll in the inital wet-on-skin stage. I feel like a little girl. I seriously have the urge to skip around my room. This is making me very happy. Drying: My doll has gone away, and now I smell a strawberry and sugar goodness, much like strawberry soda. It's almost fizzy. Actually, I smell like strawberry Pop Rocks! I feel like I have that crackling energy as well. Like a kid hopped up on sugar, ready to face the world or spend an entire day laughing and hanging out with friends. Dry: Floral, but a pink floral, still with a hint of strawberry. Pink Moon is fading, but it's still sweet and girlish. Perhaps a little more mature, but not too much. The florals aren't too strong and the sweetness is still there. Pink Moon morphs on my skin from stage to stage, all while staying somehow "pink." It's sweet, sugary, and it makes me feel wonderful. I feel alive, gorgeous, and peppy. I think this has taken its place in my top five oils. Damn.

Mmm...sweet pea. This is so lovely. Green and "floral" without being flowery. I love it. Sadly, as the day wears on it becomes plastic-y and waxy smelling. I've tried it several times and every time it morphs into nastiness. But don't fret; I've found a way to use it! It fills my oil burner and damn, it smells lovely!

In the vial: Cocoa! Yum! For some reason I am greatly amused that my cocoa-smelling vial is full of clear liquid. Wet: I smell like a rich chocolate cookie with some sort of fruit. I *think* I smell fig. Yup! Hi, fig! Drying/Dry: I am one big chocolate fig newton. It sounds tasty, but it turns on my skin into something really fake smelling. Overall: Boo. Too strong, too fake on my skin, which is a shame as it's a tasty and shameless scent.

In the vial: Ew! Argh! It's the same scent that smacks me in the face when I open my vial of Wanda. Bam! It must be the red wine/merlot. Wet: Ah. The wine must be calming down. I'm also beginning to smell some flowers. Drying: Baby powder. Pffft. Dry: Sweetness with a vengeance. Honey: This Time It's Personal. Seriously, the sweet notes are out for blood. Dry, later: What in god's name is going on? There's an overwhelming sweetness, and, I kid you not, corn chips! I'm guessing that Athens does not smell of Candied Fritos. But hey, I could be wrong. Stupid body chemistry.

In the vial: Piney! Yay! Wet: Mmm...still piney. And sweet too. It's similar to Nocnitsa when I first apply it. This reminds me of Christmas, actually. Spicy, orangey piney goodness. Drying/Dry: This is gorgeous, but somehow too masculine on me (which I can't quite explain, as I love pine). It also disappears on my skin in a manner of minutes, so it's not quite practical. Go slather this on a boy!

In the vial: Wine? Is that wine? There's a smack-me-in-the-face sweetness that oftens happens with blends that contain wine. Cherry maybe? (I like smelling them before looking at the notes to see if I'm smelling what I'm smelling) Wet: Weirdo skin chemistry! That's my beloved fig! And honey! Drying: The figs are super-sweet. Candied, almost. And then...dirt. Wha? Like Nephilim. Figs n' dirt. Dry: Okay, Hetairae is one weird scnet. Sniff: nothing. Sniff: SWEET! Sniff: nothing. Sniff: SWEET. Huh. And then...patchouli. Just a hint of it. Okay, this one doesn't play well with the body chemistry, which makes me want to throw things about the room, as I love fig. But other fig scents DO play nicely, so I should just learn to share. Off to swap!