Aurelius

Wow, this is an odd blend. Lovely, but a little wild. The Living Flame (like Blue Moon) morphs while on my skin. Not just on the drydown, it seems to always be in flux even after it has dried. Last night when I wore it it was RED flowers, spicy redness, juicy fruit punch, light floral, rich floral, and back again. It was strong and it had throw. Today it has disappeared from my skin. Just poof! Gone! In the little time it was present I could smell a rich thick bouquet. That's it. Strange little blend. But fantastic.

In the bottle: Oooh, lovely. Milk and butterscotch. Creamy and lovely. Makes me want to curl up. Wet: Milky and sweet, with a touch of flowers. Still very nice. Drying/Dry: What the hell? Pineapple?! No! This is very similar to Snow White. It has that weird "tropical" thing going on, which makes me ill. Boo! *kicks rock* I'll try this again and hope that the milky goodness stays longer. I can't handle the pineapple conga line it turns in to. Stupid body chemistry!

I got this as a gimp from the lab. I was excited since it was new, but I set it aside as the description was nice but not demanding my attention. Shortly after that Beth announced it would be discontinued and people starting posting, lamenting over the loss of such a fabulous vanilla scent. Huh? Vanilla? I did not know that. Yesterday I finally tried out my imp, putting some on before dashing off to work. It lasted all day long with the same level of intensity. This is the longest lasting BPAL, and it has one of the best throws. I'm sad already. 1st stage: Vanilla! And honey! This is sweet. Not sugar shack sweet, or cloying sweet, just a round, full fresh sweetness. Warm, almost. It's comforting. 2nd stage: Tea! Lots of it. The sweetness is still there, but it's in the background. 3rd stage: Soft light flowers. Nothing too brash, but it mingles with the tea and the sweetness for a fresh calming scent. Mmm... Dry: No more flowers. Now the tea is in the background and the vanilla/honey has taken center stage again. And in this stage it lasts and lasts. Final Verdict: This is like the love child of O and Dorian. Actually, that wouldn't work if you know the descriptions of those two. Well, this is the um, byproduct of their uh...fun together. Antique Lace is like O without the in-your-face sensuality, and Dorian without the tanginess. God, this is fantastic. I'm surprised by how much I like it.

gimp from the lab I never would have ordered this for myself. Floral notes scare the bejesus out of me, as they tend to scream on my skin. Rose is not one of the culprits. Yay! From the name, I expected this to be a bit louder, somewhat brash. Instead, it's just this gorgeous rose blend, both soft and sultry. On first application I couldn't smell any cinnamon. But I put more on in the crook on my arm and there it was! Mmm...I never thought I liked roses. I was wrong. I put this on just before going to bed. And may I add that this blend does indeed give you naughty dreams. Thanks Lab!

In the bottle: Boozy Thin Mints! Girl Scout Cookies Gone Wild! Wet: Mint. Bright, sharp mint. And the mint? It gets a little loud. The mint amps up and up and up until it seems to peak (drowning out everything else). And then there's this mildly unpleasant fake plastic-y and tinny smell. It's just...odd. The whole drying process/odd smell lasts about an hour. Dry: Mmm...chocolate mint. Yum. It smells both warm and bright, if that makes any sense whatsoever. As I sat watching tv I kept smelling coconut. Mmm...coconut. So I'd lean in to sniff my wrist and...chocolate mint. *Just* chocolate mint. Huh. Then another breath of coconut. Sniff the wrist again and...just chocolate mint. I think the coconut took a road trip on my body. Overall: I'll be trying this again. That weird plastic smell is really off-putting, but the final outcome is wonderful. Hopefully the drydown will be a bit better next time.

When I first applied Wanda I loved it! Yum! Juicy bright merlot with an undercurrent of leather. It was really rich and naughty. Sadly, on the drydown Wanda morphed. It became a bit powdery and then dissolved into cheap motel soap. Stupid skin chemistry. It really was lovely in the beginning.

Djinn! Though it smells like crackling flames to some people, it smells JUST like incense on me. And not just any incense, Catholic church incense, the stuff I used as an altar girl. I think it would be a perfect scent for the season. It fits well.

This was a gimp from the lab. Wet: Wow! Apples! Crisp, tangy apples. Very tart. Drying/Dry: The once crunchy lovely apples are now jolly rancher candies, sickly sweet. Then they fade and turn plastic-y. Boo. I sent this off in a swap. I hope it works better on her skin than mine!

in the bottle: light and clean. innocent, almost. wet: aquatic! Aquatic notes sometimes go sour on my skin, but this one did not. For a split second I could have sworn I smelled geranium, but it went away. drying: the aquatic notes are in the background, and some floral notes have come out. Light dainty floral notes. Yay! They aren't screaming on me! Dry: I smell a berriness (like Blue Moon) and a slight musky scent that ground this scent. The flowers are still there, but they've mixed with the berries. Overall: I think I'm smelling notes that aren't there (like the berries), but regardless of what I think I smell, it's wonderful. ADDED April 14: This smells earthy and flowery to me. There's a distinct dirt note I smell. It isn't gloomy or particularly dark. It also isn't particularly me either. Very nice, but not one of my favorite lunacy blends.

mmm...fig. I have a big bottle of Carnal. It's nothing but figgy goodness on me. Intrigue smells cocoa-ish and flowery on me. I don't smell much fig. Dragon's Heart was all dragon's blood resin. Yummy, but no fig. Intrigue smells like dirt and fig. If you love fig, you really need to get a fig candle from Illume. I them!

I thought I loved Snake Oil. Then I tried (Old) Morocco. Yum! This is spicy and warm yet subtle. It feels like a warm blanket around me. I just want to curl up! Wonderful!

In the bottle: koolaid! This smells like overly sugary fruit punch. Ick. Wet: A little less koolaid, a little more actual fruit punch. Dry: Ooooh, a nice fruity blend. Soft even. Overall: Once it's dry it's lovely. Sadly, once it dries it disappears quickly.

I got this in a swap with clover. Thank you! Hi mint! Nice to see you today! It's nice and bright without being overwhelming. Then I smelled flowers. The mint disappeared and a soft floral came out. And then...fade to baby powder. This scent certainly was mysterious. It's very nice, but I wish it would last longer before turning into a powdery scent. I'm anxious to try this again to see if it morphs in a different way.

Mmm...spicy goodness. Wrath certainly lives up to its name! Unfortunately, a bit too much for me; ow, it burns! No, really! Wrath turned my skin bright red and it was very sore. While I love it, I think it would be better suited to someone else.

I got this in a swap (thanks velvet!) This is flowery without being overpowering. I smell just a hint of patchouli. It's very pretty and very feminine. The notes blend very well!

I think I'm finally honing in on the notes that run amok when they hit my skin. Violet and vetiver, you have been warned. This blend is very flowery on me. It isn't as loud as other oils have been (in one review I said that I felt like I was being attacked by a bouquet), but it is flowery, and only flowery. Sadly, it'll go up for swap. Flowers just don't get along with my skin chemistry.

This is very light, a bit of tea with a little lemon. I really wish the leather would show up on my skin. This is very subtle. I'm not sure if this is what degredation would smell like to me, but if it is, I love it.

I think I might actually sell my soul for this. I also think I might cry when I finally run out of Skadi. This is winter in a bottle. I adore this scent. It's piney, berryish, and cold, and it somehow encapsulates the season perfectly. This is my favorite BPAL scent.

June gloom, the feeling, not the oil, is one of my favorite things. I *love* the rain, and I love a good rain in summer. My body, however, does not like June Gloom, the oil blend. I smell like rotting lemons.

Yum! This smells just like gingerbread. It even smells warm! This is a lovely scent, sugary with just a pinch of spice. It makes me hungry.

In the bottle: cocoa and flowers Wet: This is a blend that constantly seems to be moving. I smell chocolate, then flowers, then something smoky, then back to chocolate. Dry: All notes have vanished except for a very strong flowery scent. It's nearly overpowering. Overall: This is much better in the bottle than on my skin. This smells like ashy potpourri on me. It's much too brash. I love the idea, but it just doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

Berries? Good. White musk? Good. Patchouli? Good. Orchid and bergamot? I blame you! You must be the two who killed this scent. *sniff* This smelled wonderful in the vial but once it touched my skin it turned into cheap motel soap. A masculine motel soap, mind you, but soap nonetheless. Off to swap.

I wasn't sure how much I'd like this one. Some blends with lemon tend to turn lemon rind-y on me, and I feel like a piece of rotting citrus. Luckily this is not one of those blends. This is clean, lemony goodness. It's soothing yet strong. I feel refreshed and ready for whatever may come my way when I wear this. One of my favorites.

In the bottle: a lovely mix of flowers Wet: hmmm...I can't tell the difference between the flowers. It's just a big bouquet. Drying/Dry: FLOWERS. They've gotten stronger over time. This scent has a massive throw with only a tiny application. Overall: Too flowery on me. This seems to be the case with all flowery blends. Off to swap!

This smells like mint and rubbing alcohol on my skin. It's bright and somehow cold. I really like this; it does remind me of pain. I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, but I'm very happy that the lab included this in my order!