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ipb

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Everything posted by ipb

  1. ipb

    Black Lily

    Breathtaking darkness, a vision of grace in shadow. Since it's on the raffle, I thought I'd tease y'all a bit with my thoughts on one or two of the prototypes Black Lily... if you love the scent of lily - not necessarily the scent of lily on you, but the scent of the flower - this is a great scent. I don't think I've tried a scent that was as true to the lily smell as this. Lily tends to get funky on me, but this one doesn't - it still smells like a lily. Sadly, though, I'm not really a huge fan of the smell of lilies, so the fact that it doesn't do that lily thang isn't necessarily a good thing for me. But, for those of you who DO adore the smell of lily and get disappointed when it gets funky on your skin, this may just be a lily that works for you!
  2. ipb

    Dee

    John Dee: master of science, alchemy and magic, Hermetic philosopher in the schools of Rosicrucian Christian Mysticism and Platonic-Pythagorean doctrine, and Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer, advisor, cryptologist and spy. With Edward Kelly, he created a field of study and work in Angelic Evocation, and isolated the Angelic language: Enochian. His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. first off, i've got to say that leather, rosewood, and tonka are three of my favorite notes, and many of the scents i adore have hints of incense or woods in them. so it should be no surprise that i absolutely ADORE this blend :bowdown: in the bottle, it's all about the leather and incense. once it hits my skin and starts to dry, it blooms. the rosewood and tonka whip the leather and incense back, and it's absolutely lovely. it's definitely one of my new favorites
  3. ipb

    Hunger

    Evokes sheer, unadulterated carnal lust. An undeniably warm and sensual scent. Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla. the first time i tried it, i could still smell the snake oil underneath it. made me wanna go have my way with myself. i didn't like it when it was wet, i just got this overpowering sweet smell from it, but once it was dried, it was sexxxxy.. i kept smelling myself because i lurved it so. made me wanna run up to visit the bf and seduce him when he got home from work that night... BUT i haven't really warn much of it since. i've been on a big hermit and queen mab kick lately.
  4. ipb

    Machu Picchu

    Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber. mmm, i could smell this out of the bottle. it's FABULOUS. the amber and the wetness helps to make this not be so overpoweringly sweet. it smells familiar, but i can't place it. somewhat similiar to the tropical fruits section at the supermarket, only not as rich and without the oomph.
  5. this is quite the dumb question but here's a little history for the non-busties (or the not-at-the-time-i-rambled-about-this-busties): snake oil loves me i love snake oil BUT a very little snake oil goes a loooooooong way on me and i'm talking literally one drop is on the borderline between enough/too much i thought about using a carrier oil to dilute it, but decided that's more effort than it's worth so anyways, i have a 10 ml bottle of it, coz i do love it. but, since i have to be careful to get not alot on me, i haven't figured out how to apply it. for awhile, i was taking the wand from my sample, but my sister has my sample these days so that's not even an option... ive been thinking about getting one of those bottles with droppers, but i'm not sure if i should (i'm moving in 2.5 months, and probably moving 3 months after that - the first out of my apartment here and into my parents' or summer employment, the second from my parents/summer employment to my new school, where i'll happily live for the next 2-6 years) - if they can't keep the top on that well, that'd majorly suck.
  6. ipb

    Beaver Moon 2005

    Traditionally, Beaver Moon is named thus for a very obvious reason: during this time of year, beavers are hard at work building their dams and preparing for the onset of winter. Because it was too hard to resist, BPAL's Beaver Moon is sillier, sleazier, and full of camp. This scent is of cheesecake and cupcakes, more in line with it's cheekier connotations, and really hasn't a damn thing to do with Luna at all! mmmmm, red velvet cake, complete with the cream cheese frosting. yum. EAT ME! now i want some red velvet cake.
  7. My limbs are wasted with a flame, My feet are sore with traveling, For, calling on my Lady's name, My lips have now forgot to sing. O Linnet in the wild-rose brake Strain for my Love thy melody, O Lark sing louder for love's sake, My gentle Lady passeth by. She is too fair for any man To see or hold his heart's delight, Fairer than Queen or courtesan Or moonlit water in the night. Her hair is bound with myrtle leaves, (Green leaves upon her golden hair!) Green grasses through the yellow sheaves Of autumn corn are not more fair. Her little lips, more made to kiss Than to cry bitterly for pain, Are tremulous as brook-water is, Or roses after evening rain. Her neck is like white melilote Flushing for pleasure of the sun, The throbbing of the linnet's throat Is not so sweet to look upon. As a pomegranate, cut in twain, White-seeded, is her crimson mouth, Her cheeks are as the fading stain Where the peach reddens to the south. O twining hands! O delicate White body made for love and pain! O House of love! O desolate Pale flower beaten by the rain! Soft, lush myrtle and dry, sweet melilot with wild rose, pomegranate juice and peach blossom against a background of deep aquatic notes and a twirl of melancholy autumn breezes. in the bottle: sharp at first, but quickly softens to become soft and sweet & juicy and wet. it'd smell like late summer, except for the peach and pomegranate...
  8. ipb

    Dance of Death

    Carrying bouquet, and handkerchief, and gloves, Proud of her height as when she lived, she moves With all the careless and high-stepping grace, And the extravagant courtesan's thin face. Was slimmer waist e'er in a ball-room wooed? Her floating robe, in royal amplitude, Falls in deep folds around a dry foot, shod With a bright flower-like shoe that gems the sod. The swarms that hum about her collar-bones As the lascivious streams caress the stones, Conceal from every scornful jest that flies, Her gloomy beauty; and her fathomless eyes Are made of shade and void; with flowery sprays Her skull is wreathed artistically, and sways, Feeble and weak, on her frail vertebrae. O charm of nothing decked in folly! they Who laugh and name you a Caricature, They see not, they whom flesh and blood allure, The nameless grace of every bleached, bare bone, That is most dear to me, tall skeleton! Come you to trouble with your potent sneer The feast of Life! or are you driven here, To Pleasure's Sabbath, by dead lusts that stir And goad your moving corpse on with a spur? Or do you hope, when sing the violins, And the pale candle-flame lights up our sins, To drive some mocking nightmare far apart, And cool the flame hell lighted in your heart? Fathomless well of fault and foolishness! Eternal alembic of antique distress! Still o'er the curved, white trellis of your sides The sateless, wandering serpent curls and glides. And truth to tell, I fear lest you should find, Among us here, no lover to your mind; Which of these hearts beat for the smile you gave? The charms of horror please none but the brave. Your eyes' black gulf, where awful broodings stir, Brings giddiness; the prudent reveller Sees, while a horror grips him from beneath, The eternal smile of thirty-two white teeth. For he who has not folded in his arms A skeleton, nor fed on graveyard charms, Recks not of furbelow, or paint, or scent, When Horror comes the way that Beauty went. O irresistible, with fleshless face, Say to these dancers in their dazzled race: "Proud lovers with the paint above your bones, Ye shall taste death, musk scented skeletons! Withered Antinoüs, dandies with plump faces, Ye varnished cadavers, and grey Lovelaces, Ye go to lands unknown and void of breath, Drawn by the rumour of the Dance of Death. From Seine's cold quays to Ganges' burning stream, The mortal troupes dance onward in a dream; They do not see, within the opened sky, The Angel's sinister trumpet raised on high. In every clime and under every sun, Death laughs at ye, mad mortals, as ye run; And oft perfumes herself with myrrh, like ye And mingles with your madness, irony! A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh. mmm myrrh and patchouli. orris makes it super duper dry on my skin, and like shroud, has that "i am sucking the liquid from your tongue" effect, so i'm not really wanting to smell it, and the musk is doing its "hi desert living creature LET ME ENVELOPE YOU IN ME" that the red n black like to do, though not as badly as it does in more musk-prominent scents (glasya, loviatar). //eta: and as it dries, the orris stops being as dry, letting the patchouli and myrrh speak some more. i'm not sure how i feel about this scent because i don't really care for that interim stage, but the final is nice.
  9. ipb

    Loup Garou

    The wild, untamed essence of lycanthropy. Primeval in its raw power and insatiable hunger: juniper, cypress and galangal with the barest touch of eucalyptus. it's like the middle of the forest. very tree-y (the pine, cypress, and eucalyptus). an untamed kind of earthy. that distinct smell of the forest, with the slight decay.
  10. ipb

    The Ghost

    Softly as brown-eyed Angels rove I will return to thy alcove, And glide upon the night to thee, Treading the shadows silently. And I will give to thee, my own, Kisses as icy as the moon, And the caresses of a snake Cold gliding in the thorny brake. And when returns the livid morn Thou shalt find all my place forlorn And chilly, till the falling night. Others would rule by tenderness Over thy life and youthfulness, But I would conquer thee by fright! A thin, sinuous, creeping chill, the scent of glee-filled undeath: white iris, osmanthus, Calla lily, tomb-crawling ivy and a coffin spray of gladiolus, lisianthus and delphinium. very fresh and green, but cool. reminds me more of a garden than anything else -- my grandmother used to grow iris and glads and delphinium. not something i'd normally wear, but i think i may use it as a springy room scent.
  11. ipb

    The Red Queen

    Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant. wet, it's cherries with something tart and woody that i've not smelled before - it's not the currant, so i'm guessing it's the woods. i'm not cherry's #1 fan, so i'm not sure if i care for it wet... i'll update later, when it's dry..
  12. ipb

    Wolfsbane

    Notorious for its properties for protection against werewolves and curing lycanthropy, this nefarious plant also has a fine history of use as a virulent poison. Clasically, Medea employed it in her many works of vengeance. This concoction of ours has none of the lethal qualities, but still personifies all of the herb's dark history beautifully. very, very woody, with a bite.
  13. ipb

    Death Cap

    A lethal poison bundled up in a dainty, innocent little package that was oft times found in ancient witches’ flying ointments and astral projection balms. A warm, soft, ruddy scent, earthy and mild. Since it's on the raffle, I thought I'd tease y'all a bit with my thoughts on one or two of the prototypes When I first opened the bottle, I was a little disappointed because all I could smell was a dusty earth scent - more like Zombi or Seance's dusty earth than Graveyard Dirt. But whoa mama, once it had a warm up (before it was even dry!), it was a whole nother scent. Instead of the dusty earth, it was this gorgeous incensey, spicy scent with just enough earthiness to keep it grounded, and it got better and better as the day went on. It's probably my favorite prototype, and I hope it goes up because I'm almost halfway through the bottle already EDIT: Moved from Unreleased to Rappaccini's Garden, added description. --Shollin
  14. ipb

    Prague

    For Jenny, with love. Crocus with snowdrop and three lilies. when it's wet, it's very FRUITY. drying, it gets the lily effect, but with a fruity smack. damn lilies and their hating of my skin, because i really liked the wet fruity stage.
  15. ipb

    Pumpkin King

    No scent description available. this gorgeous oil was an extra in my latest order. it's a dark amber in color, which initially surprised me for some reason. in the bottle, it took me the longest time to figure out what it smelled like, but while i was mulling some apple cider, it came to me: it smells like spiced mulled apple cider. apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, cloves, ginger. the apples are really in the background compared to the spices, which is probably why my mind immediately went to uranus as a scent comparison. wet, it goes through this stage that's similiar to mabon, when the apple and woodsy elements are settling in, and the spices go in the background. there's a green taste to it, but it's very faint, and a slight pumpkin. once, i sniffed something that may have been vetiver, but i'm not sure... dry, it's very similar to how it is wet, though instead of apples, it's pumpkin. there's also a woodiness that comes out as it ages (and this scent lasts a LONG time - my first time trying it, after countless handwashes, a shower, a bath, and 18 hours, it was still faintly there), when it's woods and spices. i adore this scent very, very much. it's warm and a celebration of autumn and spicy and just fabulous. thanks to the lab for giving me such a fabulous scent, and to Puddin for letting me know its name
  16. ipb

    Rose Cross

    A profound symbol of an individual’s personal initiatic process, spiritual refinement and evolution, synthesis, grace found as a result of trial and suffering, and the alchemical process by which we transform the raw essence of our souls through light in extension. This is a holy oil, a representation of the triumph of spirit over matter: purest rose with sacred frankincense. first off, i've got to preface by saying that i'm a huge fan of beth's roses (even if i don't wear them regularly, they just smell so wonderful). and like so many others, i grew up in the catholic church, so frankincense is a scent i tend to enjoy as well. the combination? fabulous. it's actually exactly what i thought it'd be, though not as in your face. rather peaceful. i'm thinking this just may be a 5ml oil.
  17. ipb

    Santo Domingo

    An exotic, sultry blend of tobacco leaf, bay rum and heady Caribbean blossoms. mmmmm. lovely wet. reminds me of my vacation last jan, when we were driving in an open jeep through one of the islands' countrysides. as it dries, it becomes tobacco leaf and bay rum. i love beth's bay rum on TOH, and when he's here next, i'm going to slather it on him and sniff away, though with my luck it'll be all about the flowers on him
  18. ipb

    Kunstkammer

    A sensory jumble, a true cacophony of odors: black pepper, benzoin, blood orange and olibanum. to continue my one-line reviews: fruity, very fruity. it reminds me of one of my favorite breakfast sides: blood orange with strawberry, though i didn't peg the berry right away.
  19. A pain-tinged, pleasure-soaked blend of leather, oakmoss, orange blossom, amber, and rose with a breath of virginal French florals and a hint of austere monastic penitential incense. at first sniff, it's all about the leather and orange blossom. wait a bit, and the other flowers come out to play. it smells surprisingly masculine in the bottle. on my skin, wet, it's all orange and amber and leather. as it dries, the flowers blossom and push back the leather into the background, and then BAM the incense and leather get into a screaming match. after awhile, they eventually get bored and tone down and it's gorgeous - the orange blossom is barely a whisper, and leather and incense back down (though still definitely there). i think it'd be drop dead sexy on a guy.
  20. ipb

    Neptune

    Abstract Ideas - Dreams - Scandal - Glamour - Idealism - Hallucinations - Imagination - Mediumistic Power - Poetry - Receptivity - Spirituality - Visionaries - Weirdness - Seduction - Prophecy - Fantasy - Perception i think there's lotus in here, because i'm getting the bubblegum pink smell that usually accompanies lotus. it's sweet, slightly aquatic... but i'm not a huge fan of it.
  21. ipb

    Midway

    A bombardment of edible carnival indulgences. Funnel cake, caramel apple, cotton candy, salt water taffy and sugar tart. close your eyes it's august. you're at the state fair, in the middle of the midway. take a big wiff, and that's midway.
  22. ipb

    Juke Joint

    A bawdy, gleefully wicked and unruly scent: Kentucky Bourbon, sugar and a sprig of mint. hellooooo mint julep! there's really not more that i can say than that, because that's exactly what it smells like.
  23. ipb

    Moscow

    A rich, bold blend of imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine. the tangerine and bergamot are very present when it's wet. the florals less so, but they come out more when it dries, especially the jasmine. unfortunately, the lily peeps out and lily and i don't get along very well.
  24. ipb

    Siren

    Bewitching, tantalizing and dangerously seductive. A thrilling, exotic blend -- deceptively sweet, but spiked with malice. White ginger, jasmine, and a touch of vanilla and apricot. it kind reminds me of flowery pinesol on me and NOT in a pleasant way however, on my friend, it's a very pretty jasmine with a spike of baking (the ginger and vanilla). NOTE: This review thread is for the BPAL Love Potion named Siren. The Twilight Alchemy Lab blend of the same name is reviewed here. --Shollin
  25. ipb

    Three Witches

    Warm cinnamon, husky clove and white pepper. three witches smells like i've been cooking up something yummy. i can smell the cinnamon and clove with just a hint of the pepper. if there was a hint of apples or pumpkin, it'd smell like just baked pie!
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