Aurelius

Oh wow. This is gorgeous. This is like Embalming Fluid but with a bite, thanks to the ginger. I LOVE this, but it doesn't last long on my skin. This is one of my favorites.

I used to be an altar girl. Djinn reminds when I would prepare and light the incense for special masses. The smoke would curl up around the hot metal container as I walked throughout the church, spreading the smoke, blessing the congregation. For some reason I find this scent very conforting and calming, pretty much the opposite of "unspeakable contempt for man."

Bluebeard is another example of how crazy body chemistry can be. I've read the reviews and I kept thinking "masculine? Really?" On me Bluebeard was nothing but flowers. Flowers in a hot closed room. *sigh* My body just doesn't work well with violet and lavender.

Aha! That's the note I kept wondering about: almond! Dana O'Shee smelled almost like black licorice in the vial. I think my nose and brain really need to have a meeting. They seem to come to such ridiculous conclusions. Dana O'Shee is very soft and sweet on my skin. I really want to love it, but I can't. I really dislike almond scents and it keeps making my stomach unhappy. Boo. This really is a gorgeous scent, it just isn't for me.

This was a gimp from the lab. Ooooh, pretty. This is exactly like the description: champagne and strawberries. This is very nice. It doesn't have much throw or staying power on me, but it's a lovely scent! I found myself sniffing my wrists a lot!

This was a gimp from the lab. On my skin I do not smell musk or tea, sadly, but I do smell berries. I've tried several blends with berries and they tend to freak out and scream bloody murder on my skin. Bewitched does not. On me it's a very pleasant mix of berry and sage, and I smell just a hint of flowers. This is very pretty.

Mmm...this is surprisingly calm, soft and sweet on me. I *do* feel like I have much more strength to get through the day when I wear this. It's somewhat powdery (I think that's the dragon's blood resin) but not in a horribly fluffy kind of way. This mellows me out when I need it.

Damn, this is gorgeous. To me, this smells a bit like Sugar Skull mixed with Embalming Fluid. That may sound a bit odd, but it's divine. It's sugary goodness with a tang of citrus. This blend seems to perfectly mix naughty and nice. It smells vaguely like Snake Oil, but it's not as loud. I adore this. I think this is now in my top five.

In the bottle: Oh, pretty. I have NO idea what I'm smelling, but it's sooooo nice. Wet/Drying: Sweet. This smells sweet. Not fruity, not sugary, just somehow sweet in a very yummy and light way. Then it somehow rounds and it's not quite spicy, but there's something mixing with it. Dry: Lovely! The aquatic note comes out and I smell flowers, but they are very, very light (which makes me happy as my body usually amps 'em up to death). Good god, this is beautiful. Light, sweet and flowery. Subtle. This is a flowery scent I can actually wear. I can't wait to get home and try it again. ETA: I tried this again, and put a bit more on than before since it faded so quickly last time. Whoo boy, not a particularly good idea. The flowers amped up a bit too much. I tried it again this morning, going back to the initial just-a-tiny-bit application method, and, once again, it was light and beautiful. If you're like me and flowers just won't leave you alone, go light!

oh holy hell, this smells good. I had to apply some after reading the name alone (just got it as a "gimp") and mmm mmm mmm. It IS masculine, and I'm not sure if I'd wear this myself, but good god, find me a man to slather this on. Whoo boy, it smells good. Sadly, I cannot explain HOW it smells, just that it does smell like a men's cologne, and in the very best of ways.

What the? This smells like figs and dirt on me. And dry, it's very very dry. I get a tiny hint of rosemary and cypress (sort of earthy smelling) and then it finally fades to just plain fig. I think I like this (I love fig) but I'm not sure. I'll try it again and see if my skin eats the other notes again. This also didn't last long, which surprised me. Huh.

This was an extra imp from the lab, and I was thrilled they included it. I love the notes and the description and I was SURE it'd smell incredible. and it does, in the bottle. As usual, my skin chemistry just does not want to play nicely with some oils. I don't know what note set my body off, but Loviatar morphed into cheap motel soap. Ew. Nothing sexy about it on me, sadly. I will try you again, you wicked scent. And please, for the love of god, whip my body into submission and make it like you!

I got this in a swap with Laurel the Woodfairy. I just read her review and it made me giggle. She brought up Remus Lupin and I must admit, this scent reminds me of him too. This is very pine-y and woodsy on me. I smell vaguely like a forest, which I like. But I must be careful not to put too much on; this sucker is STRONG and has a bite. Oh god, that was a horrible pun. My apologies.

Cherries, cherries, and more cherries. Did I mention cherries? This does not work on my skin. The cherries pretty much take over once Hearth touches my skin. I had my Dad try it out and his comment was "I don't think guys are supposed to smell like Cherries Jubilee." Heh. We must have similar body chemistry. I LOVE the description of Hearth, and I'm sure it smells divine on someone who's body chemistry doesn't tend to amp up berries within an inch of their life. I do not smell any leather or pipe smoke or anything vaguely hearth-like. Stupid body! Off to swap!

Damn. Damn damn damn. I was really hoping for a light floral. Something snowy sounded so wonderful, especially since I never have a white Christmas. In the bottle this is gorgoues, just gorgeous. But man alive, I seem to take a Carribean vacation with Snow White once it touches my skin. I smell *JUST* like Parrot Bay coconut rum. Ick. I smell boozy and "tropical" in the worst way. Stupid body chemistry. This one is off to swap for someone it'll smell wonderful on. Luckily I'm sure many people will want to snatch it up. stupid body chemistry.

My imp is a freebie from the lab. Mmmm...piney. Like Christmastime. But there's also a woodsy, earthy note along with it. At first the pine jumps out on my skin. But on the drydown there's a slightly sweet smell. It's almost "wrong," like flowers dying and drying; it's a vaguely cloyingly sweet smell. This, to me, seems to embody the Devil's herb. I love it!

yes, yes, what everyone else has said. Just because you like the smell of something doesn't mean that the scent will react nicely with your skin chemistry. My skin chemistry and eucalyptus do not play well together. Pity, since I love the smell. But on me that smell becomes BABY POWDER. And how. Ick. And, yup, your chemistry will change during the month so what may smell stinky one week can smell breathtakingly lovely the next. Also, I'd suggest trying stuff you think you'll hate. Perhaps I should elaborate. The lab sent me a freebie imp of Imp. I sniffed it and nearly threw it across the room it was so sticky-sweet. But I tested it (loooooong after I'd tried everything else) and found that it mellowed nicely on my skin. It's now a favorite blend.

I got my bottle on Saturday, but I've been sick, and I couldn't smell anything. Yesterday I gave in and put some on, but be warned, my review could be waaaaaaaaay off since my nose still isn't working at full capacity. in the bottle: Nyquil? Granted, everything smells like Nyquil to me, but I'm smelling something grape-y. wet: yup, I smell berries, kinda like Blue Moon. But the berries calm down and I smell flowers. Flowers usually don't work well on me, but these flowers are heavy without being strong. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but these feel thick, and "dark" without being overpowering. Mmmm... drying/dry: I smell musk or patchouli. Something earthy and grounding. Maybe a little wine too (maybe those are the grapes I smell). And pine? Something in here is kinda piney. My oh my, I LOVE this scent. It's my favorite lunacy blend. I hope that once my cold goes away and my nose can actually smell what's around that I'll love this blend just as much!

Huh. I cannot smell any cinnamon in this, but man oh man, do I smell dragon's blood and patchouli. Mmm... I'm not quite sure what it says about me that I find this scent very comforting. On me this smells VERY similar to Dragon's Heart, but heavier and with a stronger throw. Mmm mmm mmm. And yes, like others, I so want to bite something. This blend makes me feel confident (I guess that's why I consider it calming) and possibly somewhat brash.

Hello! This may be a very stupid question, but I'm sure you'll all be nice. Some BPAL scents list almond as one of their notes. Is the almond note similar to almond extract (such as when you're baking)? I cannot stand the smell of almond extract, so I'm very hesitant to buy any of the BPAL oils with almond listed. But so many of the other notes sound so wonderful... Thanks for the help!

mmmmmmmm... oh, I'm sorry, I'm supposed to be reviewing Sugar Skull! well, um, "mmmmmmmmm" about sums it up. This smells like maple syrup to me. It smells absolutely wonderful. I smell edible. for those of you wanting something a bit spicier, may I suggest adding a drop of Three Witches? I haven't tried the two together yet, but I'm sure it would be gorgeous! mmmmmm...Sugar Skull. Sugar Skull:Liquid Crack.

Samhain 2004 I went to Black Broom this weekend. I haven't smelled last year's Samhain, so I can't compare the two versions. I can, however, say that Samhain 2004 smells gorgeous. In the bottle I smell acrid flowers and a buttery scent. As soon as it hits my skin the butter remains and the flowers jump out. They threaten to be a bit overwhelming but then I smell another scent. It's metallic, like it's about to rain. It isn't unpleasant, and it isn't overwhelming; I like that smell. Then the apples come out to play. Lots and lots of crisp, ripe apples, sweet and tangy. Actually, it smells like apple cider. The metallic smell goes away, the flowers calm down, and the apple and butter remain, along with something kind of honeyed. It smells almost musk-y and sensual. Samhain has staying power. It's potent and it remains that way on my skin. I LOVE it. It really seems to fit the season!

Harvest Moon and My Body Chemistry had a war. My Body Chemistry won, which means Harvest Moon hates me! In the bottle: Almond and something else. My nose is clearly not enjoying whatever "something else" is. Wet: I smell like almond. Almond-y and butter-y. Foody, in a good way. Mmmm...this smells autumn-y and nice. Drying: Oh my god, it's Attack of the 50 Foot Bouquet! Seriously, it's like I'm being bludgeoned by a gang of flowers. Wow. This has gone from light and foody to damn strong and flowery. Dry: All I can smell is flowers. Lots of flowers. They've calmed down now, but they've set up camp and chased out all the other notes. Boo. Well, I'm afraid this will be up for swap. I'm sure it will smell divine on someone who's body chemistry doesn't just cling to flower notes.

Wow, it's so interesting how Red Moon is so different on all of us! Red Moon smells somewhat like Blue Moon on my skin. There's a berry-ness I smell, though I'm not sure why. The berry scent fades and a warmer one emerges, along with a floral scent. It's very light on me, even if I put on a lot. I LOVE it! Like Blue Moon, it took "us" a while to get acquainted, but now we're very close. It's a gorgeous mix of scents, less chaotic than Blue Moon, but just as gorgeous and winning!

Perversion smells like Snake Oil's slutty sister. They both have a warm, rounded sweetness, but Perversion is a little boozy and a little smoky. And dammit, I love them both. And who knows what this says about me, but I find Perversion really comforting. ETA: Jebus, I love this scent. It's one of my favorites and I'm sure I'll end up buying a big bottle.