stellans

After reading all the previous reviews, I was really excited to be frimped some of this blend (Hi, bookandbroom! ). However, on my skin, Aphrodite didn't live up to my burgeoning hope and expectation. I get only soft rose: no lush green, no other florals, and to add to the disappointment, the rose doesn't even last very long. It's a very pretty little rose, but I have so many other rose loves from BPAL I'm going to just chalk this one up to "Oh, well..." and let it go. *sigh* ETA: OK, as of a couple of weeks ago I changed my mind; I love this rose scent, and scrounged up a bottle!

This scent I wasn't really sure about, but was so very pleasantly surprised! This is a very light tea-scented floral blend, which for all its purported strength (Warrior Queen! Ooo-rah!) is very delicate when appplied. The throw is pretty decent, but the stay is only medium in length (maybe 2 hours, tops). I didn't get any jasmine nor leather as discernible notes, which is a testament to Beth's skill with blending just the right amount of a fragrance to help in the whole effect of the perfume blend rather than take over. I shall be interested in how this particular Queen ages. 2 of 5 stars.

Well, hell's bells. I loved the description of this Queen so much, and just knew she would be a great scent for me...right up until I actually put a bit on my arm. I've been amber'd! Where's the patchouli, the vetiver? Why is amber the only thing I smell, and why did it have to turn into rancid powder on the drydown? These are questions to which there are no answers.

Soft, fluid (though not watery), just the slightest hint of an edge: that's what struck me about Cancer when I applied it this morning. The wild lettuce and pear notes seem to be dominate on me, with the others playing mere supporting roles. My personal notes on this blend were that it seemed plastic-y on me, but in the intervening time since I wore it last, either the age of the blend or the changing of my skin chemistry redeems this scent completely. It's lovely, cool and refreshing; and on a 98° day on the delta, coolness is a blessing. The slight floral notes don't really do much in this blend except help give a bit of texture to the lettuce/pear salad. I really like this! 3 of 5 stars.

Velvet Tiger marks the last of the Velvet Painting-inspired oils I'm wearing this week, and it's a wowser of an ending! As soon as I open the bottle, the lovely, sexy dark vetiver jumps out and grabs me by the nose with a low rumble that should signify a purr, but as this is a tiger, who knows? Upon application, the vetiver warms up, settles down, and soon I can get a really nice blend of the other notes: the citrus tang of orange and tangerine doesn't overpower the little bit (thank goodness!) of amber I detect. The amber seems to be working nicely in concert with the teak and licorice notes, making a lovely spicy blend with a depth of sexuality from the vetiver (a favorite of mine). This is not the prowling of the panther, the sexy slinking call; this is the staking out of a claim. The Tiger says, "Mine!"

I'm glad you asked, because I think it's cool the way some labels are...different. Not the fancy art labels but some of the GCs. You just never know until you have one, or see a picture.

Like so many others said before, this is quite the morpher...but on me, it's not the success I'd hoped. I love most of last year's Atomic Tiki Lounge blends, and I thought this would be another love. But for some reason, the pineapple turned evil on my skin and though that went away fairly quickly, the faint florals (where the tropical POP?) which remained aren't enough to make me want to keep this around. Shame, too...this is the only velvet I bought in bottle-form unsniffed. Drat.

OK, this is amazing! I was decanting my newly-arrived Smoky Moon into the rollerball bottle I use for in-the-dark applications, and got a bit on my fingers...well. Let's just say I am so in love with this new Lunacy. I love incense, and sandalwood is one of my favorite incenses, so I had a feeling this would be a good blend for me. The orris, which is apparent mostly upon first application, still lingers during drydown but is tempered by the sweet floral notes of stephanotis, cyclamen, and nicotiana, which are also more apparent as the oil dries and mixes with my own skin. The musk, to me, lends an interesting base for all this to be built upon, and holds it own very well upon drydown with all the other notes. The sandalwood floats hazily throughout the notes: upper, middle, and lower, rather like the smoke from an incense burner tends to drift in and among everything one owns. The name is quite appropriate, though I imagine there were some who thought the name might imply a 'smoke' scent (I did, a little). I wouldn't change anything about it, and I have a feeling it will age very well -- very well, indeed. 4 of 5 stars.

The dark musk and vetiver in this blend are magnificent, and combined with the other notes make a perfume oil that is a must-have for those who love Smut, Schwarzer Mond, and other resin-heavy sexy blends. I feel like stretching and going on the prowl... rawr! When sniffed from the bottle, the vanilla seems uppermost; this worried me a bit, because vanilla is often far too sweet on me. However, when applied, it is evident from the beginning that vanilla is only a part of this blend, and it is kept under control very nicely by the musk and vetiver. The other notes (star anise, agarwood, styrax, gaiacwood, violet leaf, King Mandarin) are so skillfully blended that I don't get a sense of them separately at all: it's the Vetiver Show, co-starring Dark Musk! Luckily for me, I love vetiver in most blends, and Velvet Panther is no exception -- the deep sexy goodness of this blend just keeps going... and going... and going...

I know! Such lovely summer colors!

Luckily for me, the honey isn't as strong as the resinous notes because I have several of these squirts to enjoy... thank you, Trading Post (and Puddin') for this wonderful atmosphere scent!

I find this blend reminiscent to the Lab's GC blend 'Swank.' Maybe the Kitty is a bit sweeter, but there is definitely a similarity, to my nose at least, in the sweet fruit + alchohol scent. On the dry down, a creamy note seems to surface in Pink Kitty that isn't present in Swank, though, and it's not a note I particularly care for. I think this is a nice-enough blend once in a while, but it's not one I'm going out hunting for, unlike Velvet Bandito. 1 star out of 5.

I loved the 'bare' description of this blend, and when I tried the decant it smelled wonderfully on me. The bottle has not disappointed either: lovely light musk which doesn't make me sneeze or turn into something awful plus very faint sweet florals and a hint of citrus. All in all this blend is a wonderful light scent which would work for all seasons, IMO, but perfect for hot, sticky summer days. The throw is very light and the stay is barely a couple of hours, but it's worth the re-application because this blend smells that good through all the stages.

Like almost everyone else who reviewed this blend, the clove upon first application is a major surprise, given the Lab's description. But the clove and spices mellow down quickly on my skin and allow some of the wood/dust to peek out, and I can't stop sniffing my Clocket! This is by far my favorite of the Velvets, and I can't believe how I almost let it get away. The cedar doesn't turn to pencil shavings, the tobacco doesn't nauseate, and the dust doesn't cause sneezing. Instead, this is a very evocative blend in that I find it really reminds me of my misspent youth and clove cigarettes, slightly dangerous young men, and hot Texas summers with the grandparents. ¡Ay caramba!

The first time I tried this blend, the mint note jumped out at me and I was positive it wasn't going to work. I even put the decant in my swap box. But a friend convinced me to give it another shot, and I did this morning: what a difference! I think it was my nose which might have been off that first time, but today...today was awesome! Instead of the mint which makes me sick, there was only refreshing eucalyptus, blending nicely with sandalwood, lilies, etc. to make a scent which is perfect in the sticky heat of the Mississippi Delta. As it dries down, the floral notes seem to be more in front, while the eucalyptus goes away and the sandalwood takes a back seat, but a fresh green note is there as well. I never did get any blood orange or mint, and I'm not altogether sure I would recognize shincha (is that the green note?), but I think I would know licorice and I don't smell that either. What I do smell is cool, refreshing florals with a slight incense-y base, and I love it. I wonder why my first sniff was so off? Oh well, I love it now!

From the first sniff of the decant, I knew this would be a bottle-worthy keeper. This blend has all the elements of a guaranteed favorite: patchouli, dark musk, black pepper; with the addition of pine needle and myrrh...well, what can I say? I love this blend so much! It is by far my favorite of the B-Movie Summer Blockbuster blends, so I'm very, very grateful a fellow forumite decided to sell her bottle. Yum! On first application, the patchouli shouts a big hello, but the myrrh and musk catch up quickly. The khus, pine needle, and pepper are more subtle in their greetings, so much so that all the notes mix smoothly on my skin for a perfect blend which reminds me a bit of the original 2006 Schwarzer Mond. 5 of 5 stars!

When I first received this blend, I found it to be a light and pleasant summer-night smell which was quite enjoyable. It was very well-named, evoking a freshly mown hayfield when sniffed, a lovely perfect summer smell to help send one to sleep. Last night? Not so much. I don't know why, but last night Hay Moon turned to cologne on my skin and caused an explosive series of sneezes, wheezing, and coughing. It's as if I developed allergies all of a sudden...and I've never been allergic to anything before. It's a mystery...

oh, those are so lovely, and I can hardly wait till my sets get here!

I found this blend to be odd but appealing when first sniffed. Today, however, the red musk and tobacco notes are conspiring against me. The dreaded plastic note is rearing its ugly head, and a headache is looming. I am going to have to wash this off. Maybe I’ll hang on to it for another go on another day, but today it’s a no-go. Argh.

From the first sniff, I knew this was going to be a long-time favorite of mine. The cool, cool green of cucumber, combined with the Irish moss and the floral notes (love that hyacinth, love it so much!) which add a welcome bit of sweetness all together make a wonderful nighttime scent, so I was happy to add this LE to my nightly rotation of Lunacies. There is something so soothing about this scent that it's no wonder that cucumber slices are used in spas in everything from water to eye masks. 4 of 5 stars.

I love the innate dragon-ness of this blend which is achieved without a huge infusion of dragon's blood, which I love but have all the Ars Draconis line already. The dragon's blood seems to only accent, rather than dominate, the other notes of bamboo, sandalwood, tea leaf, and cherry blossom. Upon first application, I get a rush of citrus (?) but that gives way to the crispness of bamboo and tea leaf, the sweetness of cherry blossom, and the incense goodness of sandalwood, which stays with me until morning. This blend has amazing stay, and decent throw, so it's perfect for my nightly use. I've managed to amass a pretty good horde of this to hoard. 4 of 5 stars!

I was afraid of this blend because of the cream. I don't do cream well, as it tends to turn into sour milk on my skin, but every so often there is an exception, and Chaste Moon is one. I love this blend so much, I already dread the day when the last precious drops fall onto my wrist. The delicate creaminess, the perfect inobtrusive vanilla, the lovely florals...this is a great go-to-sleep scent, which is what I use the Lunacy line for (sleep, I mean). It has decent throw without being overpowering, and lasts a goodly time. And my lone bottle is looking so lonely, I wish I could find a companion!

Spicy sweet smoke is wonderful! After applying this for the first time, I was reminded so very strongly of the last circle I attended, gathering around a small fire in a friend's backyard. The frankincense, the myrrh...such lovely deep incense, and I'm a h-u-u-u-u-ge incense fan. The bay rum is the spice I get, and the white rose is the sweetness. All combine to make the most perfect bonfire scent ever, and I'm so happy I went ahead and ordered a bottle of this even before trying a decant. <img src="http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/aroused.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="aroused.gif" />

This new release is everything the older one wasn't to me: lovely, fresh, floral, watery -- and no cologne-ozone-lemon overload! woo-hoo! There's even just the slightest, barely-discernible note of dirt underneath all the fresh, misty-damp florals, and this blend just gets better and better as the day wears on. I think I'm going to splurge on a back-up bottle of this one. 4 of 5 stars!

I wish I got the smoke and/or incense and/or greeny herbal stuff from this blend, but all I get is honey. Lots and lots of honey. Super sweet honey. And it goes on. And on. And on. AND on. I ordered a bottle of this before I even got the decant to try, so I may end up hanging on to the bottle for a year or so to see what happens with it, but right now it's not me at all. I don't do strong honey notes very well, they're just too sweet and sometimes induce a headache. Unfortunately, Litha 2009 is one of those blends.