stellans

A wonderful forumite sent me a sniffie as a frimp in an auction I won from her, with just enough in it to test this blend -- thanks, Mystery213!

OK, I've been wanting this blend for-practically-ever, because the notes just sounded so wonderful: peach! sugar! But...I obviously suffered from self-induced illiteracy as well as delusional amnesia, because when I tested Snow Angel, all I got was lemon. And not just 'lemon,' but LEMON. Yes, it deserved all caps, because it was ugly to me! Lemon smacked me upside the head and was just plain ugly to me!

I am so sad. Je suis desolée.

Final Verdict: 0 out of 5 stars.

Many, many thanks to GypsyRoseRed for including me in her sniffing circle so I got the chance to try this scent. This is a very nice floral, with definite plummy undertones, and it goes on quite nicely. However, on the dry down, something else (ozone? some kind of weird aquatic?) comes out to play and thus begins another BPAL-headache, which not even the luscious, creamy rose notes can save me from. The strange note affects me so badly that I had to wash this off, and thus no more to review.

Oh well...the upside to this is that at least I won't have to get into bidding wars for more of this, LOL!

10/07/08: I've changed my mind! The ozone isn't as bad, now that the oil has aged a bit. I was gifted with a frimp decant of this, and based on the results, hunted down a bottle for myself on eBay. In fact, it was one sold by the Lab.

5/10/09: Half a year or so later, and this blend is one of my favorites now. The ozone strikes a teeny bit of a flash at first, but then settles down and the rose is what's left -- a watery, drowned rose which pulls at the heart and could induce tears if one wasn't concentrating on how good it smells!

I've tended to use someone else's icon when reviewing a blend I don't plan to own, but I couldn't seem to find one for Door 13, so I made one. I was lucky enough to take part in GypsyRoseRed's Bats' Day sniffing circle so I could see for myself what I was missing, and thus know if I wanted to mount an all-out search for these rares, or not.

Not.

This blend is not a friend of my body chemistry, having both too much ozone and too much lemon for my taste and both of which amp up on me uncomfortably. In fact, within 10 minutes of applying a small amount of this oil for testing purposes, I had to wash it off as it gave me a headache. I've found that most blends with a stated ozone note will do that to me, and strangely enough, so do strong lightning storms. Lemon amps up to where it's strongly reminiscent of Lemon Pledge, which is not unpleasant but not what one would wish to smell like.

So, this is one rare I will happily allow others to own. Yay!

UPDATE: When first sniffed (decant circle), I didn’t like this one, as noted in my initial review. But I had a chance to snag a bottle from the Lab via its eBay auctions at a great price, and couldn’t resist. Now I like it. Who knew?

Someone sent me a sniffie of this, thank goodness, before I ordered an imp to try it. I say 'thank goodness' because when I picked up the vial to take off the cap for a sniff, I was hit with a wave of peppermint, and just about lost my cookies. Ugh.

And I like the Wild Men! I was so disappointed in this blend.

REVISIT: 3/28/08 Wow. For some reason now this blend rocks on me -- no mint! Maybe ‘cause I love Singing Moon so much, and this seems to be a GC equivalent. Whatever the reason my nose/body chemistry has changed, I’m hanging on to this imp, and strongly considering a bottle!

While at the initial application a bit of menthol is evident, it's not strong and quickly gives way to a damp, stone, salty smell. Not quite the herbal, green smell also present in Singing Moon, but very close. I keep sniffing my wrist, because I just can't believe the difference in this imp and the first one referenced in my account above. I wonder why? Was there a heavier hand on the menthol bottle when the first imp was blended than on this one? If so, I hope the second, more moderate hand will be that which fills the bottle I plan to buy!

Damp stone, while not a normal note one might wish for in a perfume really attracts my nose, and this blend is perfect in that regard. After drying down for about 30 minutes, there is a very faint scent of rock roses, but the stone! Oh, the lovely, lovely damp and salty stone island smell! If there was an emotican for grabby hands, I'd put it right here -->

I bought this, in a group of other LE bottles, from a very generous seller on eBay way back in April. For some reason, this was put away and not thought of again. In fact, I totally forgot I had it until I was looking for another "E" scent...and there Eshe was! I decided to wear it Saturday, and absolutely love it. The florals are nicely tempered, and the jasmine is kept in check quite well by whatever gives the blend its 'dryness.'

When I first put it on, the florals are lush and lovely -- but I have other white floral favorites, so what sets this scent apart? The dry note! It's hard for me to put into words exactly, but it's almost like what your skin would smell like after a shower, and after you've toweled off. It's not dry in the sense of a desert, but rather in the sense of a flower garden after the sun has evaporated the night's dew away.

The sandalwood doesn't really make an appearance right at first, but then as my skin warms the oil, there it is! The florals then take a backseat to the myrrh and sandalwood, and everything is incense-y, and darkly brooding... and then another shift, and the beautiful flower notes wake up again, but this time don't totally take over, but mix delightfully with the incense.

This blend could reduce one to tears, as there seems to be a sadness brought back to joy after death. Rather than sinister (as the description would lead one to believe), this blend is joyous. At least to me.

I got a decant of this as a frimp, and as soon I sniffed it, I hunted down a bottle...I was in love!

Clear white florals, with a slight undernote of something else -- maybe it's the musk? I'm not sure, as musk isn't always kind to my skin chemistry, but this blend is exquisite, especially the iris and phlox. No one note is amping, nothing causing a headache, and the throw is just right: lasts 3+ hours until needing a refresh. I'm not usually a fan of tuberose either (too sweet, under some circumstances), but it is wonderful in conjunction with the other notes.

*sigh* Another LE love...

When I read the notes for this, I was overjoyed because they sounded like a perfect blend for me. I mean, taken separately, each of these notes is something I love: black amber, black orchid, black currant, olive blossom, wood violet, lavender, blue musk, rose attar, and cedar.

BUT...unfortunately, together they just don't work on my skin. In the bottle, the scent is lovely, cool, and I can hardly wait to wear it. Mere seconds after application, a strong nutty smell appears, which eventually dries to a powdery play-dough. I had to wash it off, it was giving me a headache. This just breaks my heart, because I love the story behind the Emathides, and the notes read so wonderfully. *sigh*

Wow, I'm the first??? Oh, the pressure!

This is the most herbal-smelling Lunacy ever, IMO. I've managed to acquire at least sniffies of all the Lunacies (even those with mint notes ), and Singing Moon is all herbs, grasses, and a tinge of salty smoke -- no florals to my nose at all. However, that's not a bad thing, even as much as I admire florals, because September is not a time for many good-smelling flowers.

This Lunacy makes me feel very introspective, very meditative, and tonight I'm planning to wear it instead of my chosen Pink Moon, because I think this will make me dream of loved ones gone before -- it just has that sort of scent to it. I would almost expect this of an October Moon, rather than September, because it puts me in mind of Halloween, but the early meaning of the day, rather than the current one. This is a scent for ancestors' visiting, for honoring the loved dead.

I like it. A lot.

UPDATE:
I wore Singing Moon last night, and did indeed dream of my ancestors; of my dearly loved grandmother, to be precise, and while I'm not going into details here, it was a most informative and necessary dream. Beth has truly wrought a miracle with this Lunacy, and for me, it is one to always have around. I must begin scouting out additional bottles...

oh yes...the actual scent. My earlier test was only from the cap, and I honestly did not pick up much of an earthy scent. But last night, when applied in my normal night routine of wrists, temples and breast-bone, there was a nice earth-encrusted rock scent at first, but that faded into deep herbs and salty air, followed at long last by spicey and very faint floral. Lovely!

Imp/Bottle: cherry, but with an underlying floral which interests my nose. I am a friend of floral, so this doesn't scare me off. However, if the cherry amps up as it did in the first imp I tried, I'm giving up.

First Applied: So far, so good. The cherry is behaving itself, and is lending a very interesting overlay to the florals, which are getting their strength as my skin warms the blend. I am really liking this, and could swear I smell a tinge of rose petals.

Dry Down: This is absolutely lovely! For a blend which has no stated rose notes, this blend is as wonderful on my skin as my favorite rose blends are. Maybe it's the cherry, which doesn't always like me, but this is a delicious, light, lovely floral which suits a summer's evening. I don't get a sense of the heavy-handed Queen of Hearts from Alice at all! I also tried this in my scent locket, and love it there just as much. I think the first imp I tried, which had leaked, and been leaked upon as well prior to my receiving it, was spoiled by the leakage because the 2nd imp and the bottle I'm using now were wonderful. I am going to use this a lot. And I still swear there's rose in this blend, I do!

Final Verdict: 5 out of 5 stars. I'm declaring this another signature scent! Wow.

UPDATE 3/24/09: This doesn't seem to have aged very well; my bottle has turned more cherry than anything, and that's just too sweet for me. How sad! I've downgraded my verdict to only 1 star, pending further investigation...

Speaking of Leo 07 - I am MADLY in love with that scent, as well as Red Moon 07. Please, for the sanity of a BPAL newbie, can anyone tell me if there are any GC equivelents for these scents???

 

Why, oh why, am I going totally nuts for LE scents when there are so many GC scents

I haven't figured out any GC equivalents for either Leo or Red Moon 07, but think about which notes you like best in them and search the BPAL index for other blends containing those notes. I have found many GC loves almost by accident...usually from lab- or swap-frimps!

Imp/Bottle: smoky fires, incense, and an underlying musky sweetness; this bodes well for my body chemistry.

First Applied: very intense incense smell, which I immediately love. Woe, woe, woe is me falling in love with an extremely hard to come by blend! This blend is so very well done that it's hard to sort out separate notes, which is fine with me as long as they stay blended. This is a really lovely scent, and the throw is good as well. I don't have to bury my nose in my wrist, but it doesn't overpower me either. Like I said: lovely scent!

Dry Down: Keeps the incense, and doesn't separate into notes that I can easily pick out, which for this particular blend is a very good thing. The throw is good, and it lasts a good long while...plus Mr. Stellans liked it. If only I could find more!

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Imp/Bottle: Oh, lovely! I smell honey (a wee bit fermented -- the mead!) and florals, bright shiny florals, perfect for MidSummer Day!

First Applied: Hmm. What was not apparent in the bottle, has really come out when applied: the verbena is screaming all over my wrist! Lemon, as mentioned in previous reviews, really amps up on me to usually unbearable leves. However, this isn't 'true' lemon, but lemon verbena, and it's not quite as bad. Yet. I'll give it more time, since it isn't causing a pounding headache. Yet.

Dry Down: Whew! The lemon died down to a dull roar, and let the honey/florals back out to play. This is definitely a summer blend, full of sunny promise and languid slow warm hot days. Since the verbena was kind enough to back off, I'm keeping this bottle and wearing it again during the summer, but because I have to wait for drying to really enjoy this blend, I won't give more than 3 stars. Darn that lemon! I also wish the honeysuckle were more prominent, as that is a well-beloved scent which evokes very fond summer memories. Again, darn that lemon!

Final Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars.

Imp/Bottle: Roses! Sweet, pretty roses, not the seductive dark red scent I was expectingeither: more of a pink-y kind of tea rose scent, at least at first sniff. The cinnamon isn't present at this first sniff either. I really want to like this, but if rose is all it is, I have other already-beloved rose blends. We'll see...

First Applied: Upon application, Harlot immediately blends with my skin chemistry and deepens appreciably...now this is very nice! What was merely 'pink' in the bottle is now more rounded, more come-hither...and is that a hint of cinnamon? I think it is!

Dry Down: This scent stayed lovely, lush and beckoning for quite a long time, with excellent throw. The cinnamon didn't burn, which is a problem for my skin, but instead gave the rose notes a bit of fire, which was needed to set this blend apart from Beth's other excellent rose blends. I also wore Harlot in my Carnival Diabolique scent locket today, and was surprised to discover that the cinnamon note which didn't immediately register on my skin was quite belligerent in the locket! It came close outshining the rose notes, even -- thank goodness it isn't that way on my skin, or it would leave me red and burning. I like this scent a lot, and will reach for it often in the time to come, I think.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Imp/Bottle: A sort of melony-wet is what I get from the bottle -- lovely and beguiling. I'm so happy I bought this already.

First Applied: This makes me think of summers spent by Lake Weddington in northern Arkansas, when my uncle was the caretaker. We were at the lake, in the lake, or on the lake every moment of the day for one glorious summer, and I've never forgotten it. This scent has the aquatic notes, but to my nose there's no salt! I love the grassy, floral, watery slightly melonish combination of this...

Dry Down: The drydown of Selkie is just as lovely as it is in the bottle. The florals are light and wistful, the aquatic note is more green than salt, there is the delightfully refreshing melon scent, and the honey (which doesn't show up until drydown) just makes the blend more beautiful. The throw isn't very strong, which is the only reason this blend doesn't rate a full 5 stars. The scent does last for a while, which is another point in its favor. If only I didn't have to bury my nose in my wrist to smell it after the initial application...

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Imp/Bottle: Ozone. Ozone so strong it almost brings tears to my eyes. Since Storm Moon didn't work on me, I hesitated about ordering this Lunacy, but the other notes listed made me want to see if there was a blend with ozone that I could wear. It's not looking good so far...

First Applied: The ozone note is the only thing I smell, and even though I just barely dabbed on a teeny bit from the lid with a toothpick, this is one strong note! However, Mr. Stellans immediately said, "What is that one? It smells great!" Hmmm. Have I found something with which to lure him to the dark (BPAL) side???

Dry Down: Wow, it does morph into something lovely! I'm liking it, but not enough to add to my nightly Lunacy rotation, mainly because it just takes too long to move through the ozone stage. I think I'll decant a little for Mr. Stellans to try out, though.

Final Verdict: 2 out of 5 stars.

Imp/Bottle: whew! sharp grapefruit, with not much else coming through. But I like grapefruit best of all citrus notes, so I don't mind this sharpness at all.

First Applied: Still the sharpness, but after it's been on just a few minutes, it morphs quite amazingly into a softer, mellower scent, with what must be the currant, lavender and chamomile showing up, but not strongly. Usually I can smell lavender in a blend right away, but not with this one. It sneaked up on me, whispered to my nose, "Hello!" and then went to the background while Grapefruit kept showing off out front. The currant lends a definite juiciness, but again, not strongly. The chamomile (which always smells of apples and hay to me) is a surprisingly strong second to the grapefruit, even above the lavender. I am really liking the complexity but fun of this blend.

Dry Down: Grapefruit still on top, but chamomile is the strong 2nd, with the juicy sweetness of the currant 3rd. Lavender is very dimly 4th, which is ok because this blend is just wonderful as it is, and I have plenty of other lavender loves. The throw surprised me by being so strong, and lasting for as long as it did, since the reviews seemed to mostly stress that it disappeared quickly -- but it didn't on me! I'm so very glad I bought this 10ml bottle, because I'm going to enjoy every drop of it to the maximum.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Imp/Bottle: floral, but not light or bright floral...much more of an incense smell, deep and mysterious.

First Applied: it's weird but I almost get a lavender smell from this blend. There were no notes named in the blend description, so I don't know for sure what I was smelling. Some others have mentioned jasmine, but I still don't have the skill of identifying notes, even those which I love, so easily.

Dry Down: This is such a lovely floral on my skin, full and incense-y. I think there's some rose in there, and I still swear there's lavender, but the overall effect is one of worship...of the Goddess. I love this blend and will wear it often.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

It takes a while on the dry-down but The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa (Salon) comes close to Tamamo-No-Mae.

Not on me. Lantern Ghost has enough mint to amp up nauseatingly on my skin, so I had to get rid of it fast. <sigh>

Imp/Bottle: This is even better than I'd hoped for! There's rose, yes -- lovely, warm, luscious-but-fresh rose. But keeping this a true Lunacy, there's so much more as well: the slight woodiness, some green, a little tart note, and the sweet smoothness of honey. The description claims lemon, but luckily for me it doesn't show up (lemon is usually my bane in BPAL blends).

First Applied: Oh, just as lovely on as in the bottle! I am more happy than ever I bought 2 bottles -- in fact, I think I should hunt down another bottle or 2, because I love most all Beth's Lunacies, this being no exception. The notes all blend together in a lovely light smoothness which speaks to me of warm summer nights of moonlight and love.

Dry Down: The rose lasts longer than the other notes, which is fine with me since I am a rose fanatic. This moon blend is something special, and I love how it works with my chemistry.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Imp/Bottle: cloves, but with a lovely apricot presence. Yum! I can hardly wait to wear this one.

First Applied: hmm. The clove seems to be very, very strong in this imp. I was wanting this for the apricot note, based on the reviews I'd seen. I may be in trouble.

Dry Down: The clove just keeps getting stronger and stronger! I like clove, very much, as a food spice. I could like it as a very supplemental note in a blend, I think. But as the main (and ONLY) note I smell? No way. This imp should have been labeled "Clove SN" because that's all there is. I am getting a headache from it, it's so strong.

Final Verdict: 0 out of 5 stars. This was such a personal disappointment, because I totally love apricot in BPAL blends. The clove just overwhelmed me. Evidently my body chemistry just takes clove and runs with it...Long. Distance. Running. Ooof.

Imp/Bottle: There is a definite fruit scent, but it goes back and forth between apple and melon, to my nose and then a floral note jumps out. Also, though the scent is at first sweet, my nose catches an underlying sourness, as though the fruit weren't quite ripe or the flower not quite fully opened. Truly, this is a scent of chaos!

First Applied: True to the first sniff, there are the competing fruit scents, the surprising floral note, and the roller-coaster of sweet-then-sour. I could swear I also catch a sense of dryness (as in the desert) but then there's an aquatic note! Eris is really laughing about this one, I swear.

Dry Down: Thankfully, this blend settles down upon drydown and is a thoroughly enjoyable floral with a fruity bottom. There are no longer any competing sweet/sour or wet/dry notes, thank goodness. What was fun when first applied might become jarring if it goes on for too long, and I'm so happy it didn't.

Final Verdict: 2 out of 5 stars.

Imp: First impression is of lavender, but not the go-to-sleep kind of lavender scent, at least not to me. This is a bit harsh, astringent, and not entirely nice -- though lovely to smell. Wasn't hyssop one of the bitter herbs Esau had to eat after he sold his birthright? That bitterness is definitely in this blend, but not unpleasantly so. It's quite a pleasing blend to my nose, and I look forward to the way it smells on me.

Wet: Now I get a slightly wooden note under the bitter green and the purple lavender notes. This is a refreshing, bracing lavender rather than a soothing, night-night blend (I think I said that already, but it bears repeating). There's also a softness underneath (the apology part of the story, I guess) which can only be the jonquil. I love the scent of jonquil, it's one of my favorite spring scents, and it fits into this blend in an almost achingly beautiful way.

Dry: The bitterness almost disappears completely upon drydown, leaving behind the slightly woody lavender and the slightly green jonquil to delight the nose. The throw was average, and the scent didn't last as long as I'd hoped. Lavender usually bears up very well on my skin, so maybe when the bitter green evaporated it took some of the staying power with it. I had to reapply more often during the day more than I'd like, but I sure enjoyed wearing this.

Verdict: This is a very nice blend, and one I enjoyed wearing today, and will wear it again soon, I imagine.

Imp: I ordered this because the description of it totally enthralled me. When I first sniffed the bottle cap, I knew I'd made a mistake: I only bought one bottle! I wish I'd bought at least one more, because I love this scent so much. The golden sweetness of the fruit just makes me close my eyes and sign in delight.

Wet: Still that golden fruit, but on my skin I can now pick up the musky notes, which to my nose give the fruit a depth and anchor. The ginger is a note which does not always work on me (the reason I opted for only one bottle) but in this blend, it does...it does!

Dry: I was beginning to think the creaminess others mentioned would pass me by, but upon drydown the creaminess emerged to complement the fruit/muskiness. This is the perfect thing to wear in the summer months, and will be a welcome reminder of summer's warmth during the cold of winter.

Verdict: Beautiful blend which makes the most of each ingredient. Beth has a winner with this one, and I will be on the lookout for a back-up bottle.

Imp: light, fresh roses -- but not the deep, rich, red roses of love. These are more white or maybe yellow roses, with more of a wistful or sad sense. Or it could just be my mind, knowing the blues are always sad.

Wet: Light rose, not much else at this point.

Dry: This is very pretty, light...but pretty. I like it and I'm glad I bought a bottle while it was live. That said, I have to also say this isn't my favorite of Beth's rose blends because of its very lightness. With a name referencing the blues, one might expect a blend to be heavy, sad, and full of painful memories. This blend isn't really so much painful as wistful. Which I guess could also represent the blues, especially the blues a woman might suffer. The throw is very light, and fades fairly quickly, requiring frequent renewing. My bottle won't last long at this rate.

Verdict: I'm keeping it, and I'll wear it, but there are so many other rose blends I like better.

Imp: Rose is present (D'oh! Look at the name!). The amber is also there, keeping the rose tamed down. I am a little surprised at what is to my nose the lightness of this blend, given the reviews which tout its heavy incense-like scent.

Wet: On my skin, the rose is still there, but it gradually dies down even more, allowing the amber and musk yet more presence. I would prefer there be more rose, actually.

Dry: The rose dominates upon dry-down, albeit a honeyed, somewhat powdery rose. It is a very pleasant scent, especially if one were to use it as a room scent.

Verdict: I am slowly but surely working my way through all Beth's blends with rose notes, and have discovered some great loves. This blend is not one. I like it, but there are so many more that I love. Since I already have this in a bottle (part of a bulk eBay auction), I'll use it as a room scent...or maybe try to resell it.