summer

Let me be clear: this is not highlighter hot-pink. Nor is it as violet as it appears on the website (on my particular computer screen, anyway). What it is is an impossibly rich, densely pigmnented, shade of fuschia. Deeeeeep raspberry pink.

One coat will give you a clear, bright (but again, non-highlighter, non-Jem-and-the-Holograms) hot pink. Two coats will give you azaleas -- crushed up with a mortar and pestle to make a concentrated azalea paste. It's beautiful. It's bright without being garish. It's energetic without being teeny-boppish. It's sexy and fierce and fun.

And, like all of the other claw polishes, it's shiny, goes on smoothly, wears forever, and doesn't chip.

Brilliance.

P.S. Layered over Destroying Angel, you get the most hypnotic deep electric purple!

 

The above review is so evocative and spot-on that I actually want to go buy another bottle of Destroying Angel, even though I already have one. Damn.

 

I can't possibly describe this gorgeous polish better than already has been done in spades, but I will add my agreement that in terms of application and wear, this smooth glossy polish is the best I've ever used. And in terms of color, it is indeed rich and velvety -- like a fine, deep, smooth dark chocolate. The kind that is at least 70% cocoa. It is decidedly not black, but it's such a dark purplish-brown that casual observers complimented me on my "black nails." Still, it's just not-black enough to be sophisticated and vintage and autumn-y, rather than goth.

 

In short, I completely love it.

This is so, so lovely.

 

It smells like autumn. Just the first hint of it after a lush summer. Like the crisp air over a lake.

 

It's perfume. A little sweet, and very feminine, but in a grown-up, somber sense. This isn't girly, but it isn't haughty. It's just the quiet reflection as the seasons start to get darker, colder, and more harvest-centered. It reminds me of the perfume and leaves and herbs of Harvest Moon, but without the pumpkin/spice/fruit/food.

 

Beautiful. My favorite Lunacy in a long time.

I have been feeling kind of run-down (due to illness) and not that hot lately. So last night, before going out, I put a drop of Glamour on each chakra point as I was getting ready.

 

When my date picked me up, he commented repeatedly that I looked so pretty, that I am so beautiful, etc. When we got to the restaurant, my friend remarked that I looked pretty. Then our other friend arrived, and he said (can you guess?) "wow aren't you looking pretty!"

 

 

Well then. I think it is safe to say that Glamour is quite effective.

I smell musk, amber, and tea. It is like a warmer version of Dorian on me. Very warm and feline! I don't smell the citrus or the cinnamon on my skin . . . it's just warm, furry, ambery musk. Sensual and gorgeous, but I can't wear this sort of perfume very often, as it tends to be overpowering on me.

I have been anointing my third eye, palms, and the soles of my feet with Middle Pillar before my morning yoga practice. I have been going through an incredibly rattling time recently (which only can be described as a Saturn Return experience), and when I use Middle Pillar I feel, if only during my yoga session, strong and balanced. I am finding it very fast-acting and effective, and I look forward to its cumulative effects as I continue to use it.

This is a beautiful, beautiful perfume. It took me by surprise, as I did not expect to like it so much. It has a sweet citrus kick, but it is predominantly a smooth, cool, sophisticated floral that is just sweet enough and just lightly insensey enough to be perfect for me. A perfect workday perfume that keeps me sniffing my wrists all day!

FABULOUS deep, dark chocolate cake batter that has a rich, incensey feel to it. Maybe a slight hint of liquer. This scent reminds me of eating chocolate truffles at a Turkish coffee house. It dries into a glorious, smooth sweet-cream vanilla scent that lingers and lingers on me.

 

Glorious.

GORGEOUS. This is defnitely a sultry night-time floral. It reminds me of the Santa Monica pier -- a kind of moody and haunted and very "noir-ish" place. It smells like sweet incense and sweet, heady flowers. I don't get a lot of "sugar" from it, but there is definitely a wispy, lingering sweetness to it. I also smell an almost aquatic layer here.

 

Beautiful, grown-up perfume that is still mysterious and interesting.

I used Magnet the other day to draw to me a set of circumstances that I figured would be totally unlikely, if not impossible. Remarkably, the situation ended up unfolding as though I'd scripted it myself! I used the oil with the intent to attract this precise scenario. I am extremely pleased (and amazed) with how effective this oil turned out to be. I look forward to using it whenever I need to "draw" something.

Wow. This WORKS.

 

I agree that it does smell similar to Love Me, only perhaps a bit sultrier. I'll say it draws others to me -- suffice to say that the first night I wore this out, I ended up kissing every single person in the large group that I was out with. People also kept remarking to me, througout the night, in various ways, that I am "hot," "fun," and "a rock star."

 

Yowza! This one packs a major punch for me and is probably the most effective mojo-increasing oil I've ever used.

I have been using copious amounts of Meditation to dress candles in the room where I do my yoga, and to anoint my third eye and temples. I feel, in a nutshell, that this oil truly helps me penetrate that outer layer of the mind that is usually buzzing with activity and tap into a place that is still and quiet. Also, somewhat unexpectedly, on all three occassions that I have used this in conjunction with my yoga practice, I have felt that the physical aspect of it was easier. I didn't get tired as quickly, and I generally felt a lot more physical strength. I attribute this to the fact that my mind was still. That is, I wasn't distracted or preoccupied by feeling tired or bored, and I wasn't thinking ahead to what was next. I was just being and doing -- and nothing makes time fly faster!

 

This oil is a great tool to help me focus on penetrating, letting go and just being. I am very greatful to have it.

 

ETA: I don't have a strong impression of the smell, but generally, it is earthy, and reminds me of a milder version of The Coiled Serpent. If I had to, I would guess that it contains patchouli or vetivert (although those are two of the notes that Tesseljoan didn't detect -- go figure!).

Ooooohhhhhh.

 

This is SO unexpectedly good on me. It is rich and creamy. Rich, creamy, and slightly sweet, with that kind of green wood note that I also smell in Eden. It smells softly earthy and plant-like, but the over-arching scent is natural, clean, sweet, and creamy.

 

I need a bottle of this.

Energy absolutely wakes me up and gives me the energy to get going. I apply it to the soles of my feet, and I visualize the energy gathering in the earth, and running up through my feet all the way up to my head. Wonderful for those times when I am over-worked and absolutely spent; I can use this oil to squeeze out a few more early mornings and late nights when I really have to.

 

Lovely super-zingy orange smell as well.

Berenice is lovely. A cool, elegant perfume, like I imagine a young, stylish French woman would wear. It is sophisticated without being flashy or stodgy. That's why I think of France, where sophistication is often evidenced by the most simple, natural, subtle things of impeccible quality. That's what Berenice smells like.

 

I smell a clean white musk laced with a slightly dewy, aquatic perfume. It is smooth and demure, slightly sweet, and innocent in a classic, classy way.

 

Very subtle, and I can see wearing this at work when I want to be "appropriate," but also wearing it, say, at the beach, when I want to wear something relaxed, fresh, and pretty.

Obatala is very subtle scent. Very white, very cool, very soft. Softly aquatic coconut meat. How perfect for Obatala! While this is a bit too subtle and plain for me to wear as perfume, I love mixing it into plain shea oil to use as a body lotion. The scent quietly wafts around me all day, reminding me of Obatala's energy.

I anointed my chakra points with Charisma last night before attending my high-school reunion. Although I had been kind of dreading it, it was a really nice evening. People seemed sincerely happy to see me, and I actually had a few people literally following me around all evening. I got several unexpected hugs and random squeezes from old friends throughout the night. Most of all, I felt really comfortable in my own skin. Instead of feeling like I needed to impress people, I felt completely at ease just being myself and being open to other people.

 

What an unexpected (but beautiful) result! I kind of expected Charisma to bring out the cocky, life-of-the-party side of me, but instead it brought out the calm, centered, genuine, happy, warm open side of me, and that allowed me to connect with people in a much more fulfilling way.

 

Olokun truly smells like the deep, masculine counterpart to Yemaya to me. Whereas Yemaya is the surface of the water, Olokun is the darker depths. However, it is not a still or desolate scent. It's still energetic and in motion! I smell a vague tinge of Yemaya's watery melons, I smell a vague tinge of grasses and herbs, and surrounding all this is deep, clear water. A beautiful, masculine aquatic that is not cold, like many other aquatics. I think of the heavy depths of the warm Carribbean sea.

Oya is definitely a complex, well-blended fragrance. It reminds me a lot of Venom in that way -- it seems to share the same round, woody-fruity base. I smell plum in here, and I suppose that fig is what is making it smell "round" to me. Apart from that, there is wind, incense, and a distinctly "perfumey" floral note that ties it all together. Beautiful!

Mmmmm! A masculine, aggressive tropical fruit. Most fruity fragrances are girly, candy-like scents, but not Shango. Shango is bold, tart, ripe fruit. It almost smells a bit dry and slightly musky, but it is predominantly fruit with a spicy edge. It smells hot -- like jungles, like friction, and like ENERGY.

 

I love it! It is an energetic, powerful blend that makes me feel ready to get up & go.

Wow, this is gorgeous. Normally I hate dirt scents. No matter how nuanced, they just smell like pure, dark dirt on me, and they make me feel heavy and depressed, and, well . . . dirty. Death Cap, however, is warm and earthy and sweet and comforting and absolutely yummy -- I mean, I can't believe it, but I'm actually using the word "yummy" to describe a dirt scent! Unreal.

 

This really does smell like combination of vanilla marshmallows and soft earth. Maybe a little lavender in there? It's sharply "dirt-like" upon first sniff, but as it dries down it gets sweeter and sweeter and rounder and rounder.

 

I love it. I never would have anticipated it, but I think I'm going to get a bottle.

I will never forgive myself for not ordering a bottle of this when I had the chance.

 

Shub is glorious warm, golden, spicy, smooth ginger. Not foody. It is just phenomenally delicious and beautiful. It stirs the energy in my center and makes me feel warm and alive. I apply it after yoga for grounding, and I apply it throughout the day because it's just so yummy and happy-making.

 

One of my favorite blends ever!

Wow. Anthelion is warm and comforting and soothing and healing. That is the best way I can describe it. It feels like a hug, truly. Like a force that calms and heals and protects. It is absolutely beautiful.

 

So far I have used it in my scent locket to create sort of a healing, protective talisman. It makes me feel calm and almost childlike. I agree with the others who have said that the beautiful scent of this oil has to be part of its effectiveness, because inhaling the warm, sweet, airy scent (it truly smells like warm wind carrying the scent of sweet wheat and nectar) hits the "relax and smile" button in my brain with astonishing accuracy.

 

What a gift this oil is.

I used Clarity today, because I needed to sit down and really think through a project for work, and I found myself -- as per usual -- p*ssing the day away by doing a little of this and a little of that. So I applied a dab of Clarity to each palm, rubbed vigorously, inhaled, and sat down to work.

 

I worked a good, solid three hours straight. It wasn't that kind of mad "working with blinders on" focus that I get from Concentration, but in a way, it was better for the task that I was faced with. I truly did feel free from distraction. And distraction, generally, is my worst enemy. I found that I was able to sit and think through an issue -- and even beyond, to issues that I hadn't considered before -- without falling victim to my maddeningly short attention span. It didn't so much keep me focused as it simply allowed me to sit contentedly and do my work. And when I just took the time to SIT and DO IT, the insights came quite naturally. The time passed quickly, and I have a lot of good things to show for it.

 

This will be another great tool for me in my professional life. I look forward to using it in other contexts as well.

 

Scent -- kind of a jagged mint with a metallic, almost soapy, base, and a hint of lime.

Sweet Mother of Criminy. Concentration is exactly what an undisciplined, easily-distracted, lazy person like me needs. But I've found, after having used it several times, that I have to be really careful about what I turn my focus to after I use it. There have been times at work when I've really needed to focus and get some work done, so I applied some Concentration to my palms and breathed it in deeply as directed. Then I'd think I'd just check the forum (or my email, or whatever) again real quick before getting down to business. Then, four hours later, I'd find that I had been totally absorbed in the forum and had written numerous lengthy posts describing in detail my thoughts on various topics . . . and I hadn't even touched my work. Concentration focuses my mind all right -- on whatever my mind happens to be occupied with! Today, however, I managed to use it in an extremely productive way. I applied some to my palms before starting the mundane yet mammoth task of putting away all my clothes and organizing my closet. Just as always, I worked so intently and without interruption that I looked at the clock an hour later and it was as if no time had passed at all. I hate this particular chore probably more than any other, and yet I did it SO efficiently -- it was just as if everything fell into place and as soon a as I finished one thing I moved right on to the other. In fact, when I finished with my clothes I moved on to the other clutter in my room, and I kept going until I pretty much collapsed from exhaustion a few minutes ago. Even now, though, my mind still feels uncannily focused. It is as though a sense of calm determination has decended over my brain like a lead blanket.REMARKABLE. I really need to practice working with this in productive ways while at work, too. I think that this oil could be an incredible tool for me. I struggle with distraction and procrastination SO MUCH . . . and if this oil is the tool that finally enables me to get control over it, then I will be forever grateful!Oh, and it smells like sweet mint and lemongrass. It goes right up the nose and into the brain, that's for sure.