stellans

Vixen had me at first sniff. I mean, what's not to love, right? There's patchouli, there's ginger, there's orange blossom. My only fear is that a new bottle won't smell as luscious as the imp, at least not right away. This is definitely one of BPAL's 'even better with age' blends.

In the imp: I'm in heaven! Patchouli is there, but tempered into behaving by the sweet note of orange blossom and the riotous note of ginger.

Wet on skin: Remained the same from imp to skin, and I'm practically swooning in appreciation of the notes in this blend.

Dry: If Mr. Stellans had been home, he would have been a very lucky man, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

Verdict: I am known to be a lover of most things containing patchouli, and Vixen is no exception. This imp will last me a while because it doesn't take much of this oil to smell delightful for several hours, but I still want a bottle. Or two.

I was a bit apprehensive about this Lunacy because I don't care for foody scents very much, and apple mostly smells far too sweet on me. But this Harvest '05...oh, it's just wonderful! The floral notes blend so gently with the apple, there's not a food sense to this oil at all...just a lovely, lovely scent which carried me off to a deep sleep with pleasant dreams.

In the imp: Sweet, fruity, mellow, some floral but not much.

Wet on skin: An ecstacy of flowery apple goodness which makes me close my eyes and sigh, it's that nice.

Dry: Still good, still mellow, not too sweet. This is a great scent to sleep by, and though I still like Snow Moon the best, this definitely going on my favorite lunacy list.

Verdict: I'd like to find another bottle so I won't run out too soon. And, I almost forgot: this is the 2005 formula...

oh, how I love BPAL's evergreen scents! They never turn to Pinesol on me, quite the contrary... they put me in mind of mountains, Christmas, and clean snowy nights.

In the imp: juniper, with a bottom of citrus. I don't smell lemon, though. I can't really identify the citrus off-hand, just its presence.

Wet on skin: Juniper still, but now with more of an aquatic presence. I still get citrus too, and if it's lemon, it's not unpleasant nor amping up on me as lemon usually does.

Dry: The juniper has faded, though not entirely, and now there's no citrus at all. The aquatic notes are uppermost, and still very nice to smell.

Verdict: There isn't a strong throw to this scent, but it has pretty good stay. I don't mind getting up close to smell this wonderful oil, not at all. I want a bottle of it, as this imp is not going to last me very long.

4/21/09 UPDATE:

Almost 2 years to the day since I first reviewed this blend, and I have to say the love is still strong. After writing that 2007 review, I did buy a bottle, and have enjoyed wearing it now and then ever since. In fact, this is one of the few blends I'm actually finishing a bottle of within a couple of years! This is a great warm weather scent, cool and refreshing to the senses, and yet not overpowering. I get no overly strong alchohol, nor citrus nor juniper: just a lovely blend. I will be buying another bottle. Oh yes, I will...

This is such a great blend! I am finding more and more that blends of the Mad Tea Party are wonderful, and perfect for me. Well, most of them anyway.

In the imp: sweet, but with a sharpness (the carnation?) and the earthiness of patchouli and vetivert. This bodes well for me and this scent working out.

Wet on skin: I sniff this, and it makes me think of lush gardens, indolence, and earthly delights.

Dry: On me, the patchouli amps up but not outrageously so. The floral notes keep it sweet and a little lighter than patchouli normally is, but the earthy notes are the dominant ones. How satisfying it is to smell this blend! I keep sniffing just for pleasure. In my scent locket, it smells just as wonderful as on my wrist. The throw is there, but not overpoweringly so, and it lasts quite a long time.

Verdict: Definitely a keeper. I'm glad a splurged on a bottle of this.

This was a nice scent to wear yesterday. I wanted something for a quiet family day, something for thinking. Something for just being.

In the imp: sweet and gentle, with a little edge.

Wet on skin: Still nice and gentle, soothing and deep.

Dry: A sort of woodsy vanilla, but the vanilla is so mild that I can wear it without feeling ill. Yay!

Verdict: Like I said, a nice mild scent which is conducive to thought, good for a quiet and meditative day.

I wanted to like this scent so much. After the disappointment of Hunger Moon, I wanted any other Lunacies or Companions to mix well with my body chemistry, but this one smells badly on me, just like Hunger Moon.

I smell like a bottle of very cheap men's aftershave, all harsh notes. It's not the oil's fault, because it smells nice in the bottle. I don't know what notes are not working for me yet. Maybe the cardamom, maybe the tea. I just don't know. But it doesn't smell good on me at all, and I gave it another chance just in case it was a temporary problem. So, another bottle to my sell/trade basket. *sigh*

I've decided to sniff new oils prior to reading the reviews, because I want first impressions to be without prejudice as much as possible.

At first sniff, this oil smells very citrus; grapefruit, which surprised me in a scent named 'holiday.' However, I do like it very much, as the freshness of it clears the mind. This is a good smell for waking up after the presents have been opened, or the dinner consumed. But it's also good just to smell.

In the imp: fresh, green, and citrus-y. It smells like grapefruit to me, although I see others liken it to orange peel. It may very well be orange, but it smells a little too pungent for orange.

Wet on skin: Still citrus-y, but the greenness comes through more. Is that the bamboo or the tea? Whatever it is, it is very bracing. Not exactly a soothing scent to cause one to drift to sleep, which is what I like my Lunacy oils for, but rather a celebratory scent, one for parties and dancing in the cold moonlight (but not skyclad!).

Dry: The oude mellows this oil into a woody green scent with still the breath of citrus. It's more soothing now than bracing, and still delightful to smell. It doesn't have a lot of throw, but in a scent locket, it will be very nice. I will add some tomorrow morning as to the longevity of this scent. Since I use a roll-on (approx. 2 imps oil in a 1/8th bottle topped off with Neutrogena Unscented Body Oil, the scent tends to last me quite nicely through the night after the initial application.

Verdict: I'm glad I have 1.5 bottles, but I think I want more.

Edited for a "Morning After" report: the scent melted away by morning, leaving only a sweetness behind. It was very nice to wake up to, and I look forward to this Lunacy rotating back around.

I only had a little bitty bit left in a frimp to test, so I guess you could say I had a one night stand with Milk Moon.

It was with a little bit of nervousness I even sniffed the imp, because I read this whole review thread first. Normally I would sniff first then read, and I don't remember what my impetus was to read first, but I did. The reviews which mentioned mint really made me nervous because mint can make me sick to my stomach. The only reason I even gave this a chance was that Calliope also has a mint note and it is wonderful on me.

So...to my 'one night stand.'

In the imp: honey, with a creamy base. I smell no mint at all, which is wonderfully reassuring. I also smell no coconut which sometimes amps up far too sweet on me. Again, very reassuring. And I like the way this honey smells...rich, sweet but not cloying. I'm already wishing I had more than a teensy bit of this oil

Wet on skin: The creaminess really stands out upon first application, but then the honey comes in, very nicely. Still no mint, nor any coconut for which I am immensely grateful.

Dry: Oh, this is so lovely! So warming, so satisfying...this is like spending the night at my grandmother's when I was a little girl. The scent is honey, creamy honey, and I totally love it.

Verdict: I must haunt the forums and eBay until I score at least another imp, but preferably a bottle. This is just luscious.

I read a review further up this thread that really says exactly what I want to say about this great scent:

Tweedledum - When I first apply this, it’s predominantly mango and although it’s light, it smells so fresh and delectable. As the oil warms up on my skin, the scent of the green tea mixing with the mango becomes noticeable (and it makes me thirsty for mango iced tea!) It’s not long until the sweet and meaty scent of the fig comes bouncing out with the rest of the notes. I’m so surprised by what a fun and delightful fragrance this is. Patchouli sometimes works on me and sometimes doesn’t, and this is one instance where it really works well. Upon full drydown, the patchouli becomes noticeable and provides depth and richness to the fruit and tea notes, grounding them and keeping them down-to-earth. Overall, I’m really impressed by this interesting and unexpected combination of notes. The throw is well below average, as is the staying power, but it’s such a fun scent, that when I wear it, I won’t mind reapplying over and over to keep the scent about me all day long.

I wore this today, and felt refreshed every time I sniffed a whiff of it. Next time I wear it, I'll also wear a scent locket (not one of BPAL's yet, unfortunately) so I can smell it better and longer. I love Tweedledum, and now I look forward to scoring an imp of Tweedledee so I can try it too.

Tonight's Lunacy is the lovely floral, White Moon. In fact, this is the 'whitest' scent I believe I've tried from BPAL so far. And it is a lovely one, sweet and gentle but not cold; no snowy winter lunar oil, but the scent of an cool night in late summer -maybe early fall- before the the frost kills all blooms.

In the imp: oooo, lovely lilac! There's other white flowers too, lily especially, but the lilac jumps up first.

Wet on skin: Lily is coming on strong now, but lilac still holds pride-of-place. I do get some green now on my skin, and the wisteria is also coming forward. The sandalwood and other notes aren't quite as obvious to my still-untrained nose, but I'm sure they're there.

Dry: Some have mentioned a 'creamy' note; I don't get any sense of cream at all -- this blend is all floral, and is somewhat sharp -- sweet, but sharp. I do love the green note underlying all the florals!

Verdict: I'm very happy with this blend, and I'm glad it was so easily obtained since I wasn't aware of BPAL when it was released. I managed to score 2 bottles at reasonable prices - Yay!

I had a wonderful day smelling the wafts of Greed; I really love patchouli, especially when blended with a sweet note like the heliotrope, and with the deepening power of the copal and oakmoss. I'm so happy I was able to swap for a bottle of this! Is that greedy of me?

In the imp: definitely the earthy patchouli making its presence known with first sniff. There is a mellowness in the imp, like maybe some amber or vanilla slipped in, but neither is listed in the description. Maybe it's the copal? I don't know enough about scent notes other than a few main ones like rose, lavender, patchouli... but I'm learning, thanks to BPAL.

Wet on skin: the sweetness is more pronounced on my skin than in the imp, but I don't mind at all because it still plays 2nd fiddle to the patchouli, my love. The oakmoss and copal are there too,

Dry: wow, all the notes mix so well on the drydown. I'm not sure how this lovely scent represents Greed as a sin, unless it's because smelling it makes me greedy for more.

Verdict: Oh, it's a keeper. Oh yes.

In the imp: cool florals joined by what seems to my nose to be a lovely melon note, which must either be the cucumber or pear, or I guess it could be the way the whole blend reacts to my body chemistry.

Wet on skin: settles down to cool floral with a slight fruit note, but mostly floral, and still lovely. It makes me a little pensive, a bit meditative -- I'm remembering old relationships, and shoulda-coulda-woulda's.

Dry: a bit powdery on the drydown at first, but surprisingly the fruit/melon note is stronger now than when wet. I am so loving this, it's cool and calming, and will make me sleep, I think. I tried this on while still sitting up this time, rather than as I retire for the night. I wanted to see it through to drydown this time. And it was worth it!

Verdict: I love this, and do not regret buying a bottle sight-unsmelled, heh.

What a delight this imp was to my nose! Patchouli done right is one of my favorite scents, and Beth certainly did this blend right.

In the imp: deep and dark patchouli, with sandalwood! oh, how very interesting this is to the nose, though the frankincense is not much in evidence just yet. Just even smelling it makes me want to holler, "Tawanda!" and go out and do something to flout authority.

Wet on skin: Much the same as in the imp; in fact, I may lose this portion of my future reviews because not many scents are different in the imp and wet on the skin, at least to me. Again, the strong patchouli/sandalwood scent totally empowers me in such a wild and thoroughly feminine way. Rawrrrr!

Dry: I think the frankincense is not at the forefront of this blend, but it is definitely smoothing out the sometimes rough-and-ready scent of the patchouli. I must admit I am more used to the black version of patchouli than the red, but this is so divine I am obviously missing out on something great. The red sandalwood is also something I am not knowledgeable about as opposed to another kind? I really didn't realize there were more than one kind of sandalwood, which exposes my own ignorance. Be that as it may, this is such a delightful wild, feminine, and earthy blend.

Verdict: I want more than this stingy little imp.

icon by me

This was such a disappointment to me. I'm not sure which of the notes didn't work, and won't know without further testing and research, but it just didn't. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't right, you know? The worst thing is I bought a partial bottle because I just knew it would be great on me! Ack.

Bastet was my imp du jour... well, I should say my first, because after this review I'm picking another one. I need something strong today, and something that works. I'll just keep picking (and reviewing!) until I find something that will serve. Hopefully it won't take too long. (Yay! It's Anne Bonney, which seems to do just fine on me!)

Anyway, back to Bastet.

In the imp: Hmm. I get a small sense of amber, but there seems to be a strong nutty note I really wasn't expecting to be quite so strong, based on the lower position it held in the description. But even more surprising was the fruity note, cherry some here have noted, which I also detected.

Wet on skin: More cherry almond, I'm afraid. Is this the cardamom, the saffron? Or Egyptian musk? I don't know, but I don't care for this blend. It smells like Original Scent Jergen's lotion, only on steroids.

Dry: I suppose it's lucky for me that this dries down and disappears from my skin.

Verdict: To the Sell/Swap/Gift box. Darn it. I've got to try and restrain myself from buying bottles prior to sniffing the scent, because this is getting to be an expensive trial-and-error.

Rats. A Lunacy which just isn't kind to my Body Chemistry... and that just guts me, because I want to love all the Lunacies! After reading the reviews for this one, I was happy to snag a bottle unsniffed because I love, love, love Snow Moon and all the people who sniffed a likeness just thrilled me.

Argh (and that's not a good pirate sort of exclamation, but the disappointed, saddened sort). Lemon-scented Aftershave! And lots of it (lemon). Woe is me.

In the imp: Lemon, but not too bad. I also smell a bit of the clary sage, I think, but certainly no sandalwood, nor much of anything else. Uh oh.

Wet on skin: Eek! Lemon, lemon, lemon. Lemony McLemondrops.

Dry: I had to wash it off before it dried. I literally couldn't fall asleep until I got this off me and rubbed lavender-scented lotion all over myself. Ugh, lemon anything just amps up unbearably on me unless it is just the slightest whiff of a dribble. And in this Lunacy, there's too much.

Verdict: Into the Sell/Swap/Gift pile.

And I have to admit, this really makes me nervous for when Hungry Ghost Moon comes up, since so many said this was it's 'more mature brother,' or other words to that effect. I don't another Lunacy to dislike me so!

Oh, this is such a lovely Moon! Pure springtime in a bottle, and I could smell it forever. It makes me sad to realize I only have a partial bottle of this, because this has moved to the top 3 of my favorite Lunacies.

In the imp: lovely daffofils, lovely tulips, lovely flowers. I feel refreshed just sniffing this oil

Wet on skin: just as lovely and refreshing, but more intense. There is no overwhelming sweetness, which can happen sometimes with blends which are floral notes only.

Dry: The floral notes in this blend are absolutely amazing. Usually my favorite florals are those with at least some rose notes, if not rose-based. This spring bouquet is exquisite lovely, and it the perfect sleeping Lunacy for these coming spring months. I will use this as my Vernal Equinox scent!

Verdict: Pry this from my cold dead fingers -- if you can.

Paris came to my hand this morning from my imp box, so I had a lovely lavender scent for my Monday morning blues.

In the imp: lavender, but not the normal tangy, zappy lavender I like -- this was a really soft, sweet lavender, tempered into mellowness by the lotus, I guess. I didn't smell any spices at this point.

Wet on skin: Still that mellow lavender with the sweet lotus notes. Lotus are both notes which for me, so I had really looked forward to trying this scent. Still no spices though.

Dry: hmmm... just a bit of warmth on my skin indicates a bit of cinnamon (as others mentioned) but there wasn't enough to really even tingle, much less burn, thank goodness. I love the way this scent kept its integrity all the way from imp through drydown on me, and when I read the reviews which mentioned cinnamon, it explained the warmth.

Verdict: I slathered to prove to myself that the cinnamon wouldn't hurt, because I love this oil and didn't want to give it up. It didn't burn! Woo-hoo, Paris is a keeper! Now, of course, I need a bottle.

Last night's lunacy was a lovely experience. Chrysanthemum Moon came to me by way of an eBay purchase, and I'm so glad I bought without a prior sniff-test, as it was definitely a good buy.

In the imp: florals, with a smoky tinge. Funny, I'm really not smelling the ginger others have referenced, though maybe that's because I'm more used to smelling ginger in cooking rather than wearable art (perfume).

Wet on skin: Again, florals with more of an incense/smoke tinge to them. Lovely!

Dry: Since I use Lunacies at night, it's not often I'm awake for the drydown, but tonight I was. Still the floral/incense scent, but there's a smooth side to it dry, like a touch of amber was added. It makes the drydown very enjoyable, and it lasted for quite a while as well.

Verdict: A definite keeper, in my regular Lunacy nightly rotation.

UPDATE

Well, I had to trade this away. I guess my body chemistry was off that first night, because for 3 other occasions since that first time I couldn't keep this blend on, had to wash it off each time. It was the ginger, I think. It's happened with other ginger blends (not BPAL), and I'd hoped this was different. Oh well...

I wanted this to behave on my skin so badly! It smelled quite nice in the imp, and I had hopes... which were dashed, alas!

In the imp: luscious dark floral, with a slight tinge of green sweetness.

Wet on skin: still floral, but with a ever-increasing syrupy sweetness.

Dry: Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!

Verdict: The cinnamon (which I didn't smell) burned my skin, and the drydown almost made me sick to my stomach, it was so cherry-sweet-ick. What happened to the luscious dark florals/green tinge of sweetness??? I loved how the imp smelled, but my body chemistry ran amuck with this blend.

This imp went to my trade box.

After my first imp du jour went all lemon-y on me, I had to get another random selection for the rest of the day, and luckily for my nose, a scent as far from ti as possible came into my hand: the Jabberwock!

Let me state for the record I don't know why it is that I love all 'evergreen' scents so, but I do. I adore them. So you can just imagine how happy I was to open the imp with this gorgeous pine/eucalyptus smell wafting forth! And the slight sweet citrus smell of orange was so much better than the lemon of my first day's try.

In the imp: wonderful pine/eucalyptus with the sweetness of orange making a wonderful counterpoint. Others mentioned 'menthol' but I get no minty menthol smell whatsoever, thank goodness.

Wet on skin: a cool, mountain smell; it even makes my skin feel cooler where applied.

Dry: all the notes mellow into a really nice outdoorsy smell which just takes one away to the Great Forest in the mountains. There's not a 'snow' smell here, but one can still feel the crispness of the cold pine-scented air.

Verdict: Since I have 3 imps of this scent, I won't be buying a large bottle any time soon. But I do like this smell, especially after a few days of wearing florals. It's very refreshing.

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Ave Maria Gratia Plena began as my imp du jour, but unfortunately as is often the case with anything lemon (or lemon-related), that one note amps itself up unbearably on my skin. I ended up having to wash AMGP off and pick a new imp for the rest of the day.

In the imp: fresh and floral, only a hint of lemon. This boded well for me, but alas.

Wet on skin: uh-oh. The fresh floral is still there, but the lemon is coming through now like gangbusters. I don't know how long I can stand wearing this.

Dry: I couldn't let this stay on as long as I would normally in a test run. After the first 30 minutes I started getting a headache and had to wash it off.

Verdict: Not a keeper. Too bad, because I liked the sound of it.

Yes. This is the sleep-inducing scent I've wanted since reaching the age of reason. I've looked for it in every essential oil, every eye mask, every sleep pillow... but until now, nothing was quite right. Many things were 'just ok,' and some worked pretty well, but until Sleepy Moon nothing was (as Goldilocks might say) just right.

In the imp: fresh, green herbal with a lovely overlay of lavender, but not overpoweringly so.

Wet on skin: the lavender comes up a bit stronger now, but still well-balanced by the other notes; I'm not very good at identifying separate notes except my own personal favorites, but there is a definite floral note as well as the herbal ones.

Dry: This is just so wonderfully soothing. The lavender never does take over as it sometimes does, but stays nicely in balance with the others. It was still faintly present on my wrist when I woke up this morning, and my husband said smelling my hair last night was better than any sleeping pill. I so love this oil! I have two bottles, and now I realize I never want to run out. I hope I can either find more, or that Beth reissues this one.

Verdict: Total love.

First, let me just say I am a total sucker for rose scents. Anything with a rose note, I am so going to get it. I didn't set out to get this Sephiroth because of the rose note, however. I was lucky enough to score a set of decants from eBay that didn't break my bank. I'm not into Kabbalah, so I was curious about these oils purely from a perfume standpoint rather than a metaphysical one. I'm trying them out as they luck into my hand from my "Imp du Jour" box, and today is Netzach's turn.

In the imp: Roses! Light and bright, but definitely roses. I detect maybe a touch of something a little woody, maybe the sandalwood? It's a very small touch, though.

Wet on skin: Still roses, but also still very light.

Dry: Only roses do I smell, and it's a very light smell. I would think someone who likes their rose scent in small doses would like this one, but it seems very faint to me. I even put on some lotion before reapplying to help hold the scent longer, but it disappeared far too quickly.

Verdict: For the first time, it took half an imp just to keep the lovely scent detectable for half a day. That's too much for me, so I will enjoy this while it lasts but most likely will not buy a bottle or even another decant. Beth makes enough other far longer-lasting rose blends to worry about this one.

I've worn this before last night, but didn't review it before (too shy, back then). Anyway, this is a favorite of mine, enough so that I've stashed 3 bottles so it will last!

In the imp: fresh sweet fruit, with some light floral notes. My first sniff made me afraid it would be too fruity, as I'm not a 'foody' scent lover, but my fears were laid to rest when I applied it.

Wet on skin: still fruity, but now the florals are more in evidence.

Dry: Lovely, lovely peach blossoms and white lilies, and very soft to the nose. It's fading already, though, so the throw is fairly weak. However, I use my lunacy oils for bedtime rather than daily perfume so as long as I can smell it myself, it's all good.

Verdict: Soft and sweet, very conducive to a good night's sleep. What more could one ask of a bedtime oil? I love this, and will cherish my hoard.

I really wish I'd kept better track of where I got which imps, because I would so send a major thank you to whoever made sure I tried this scent! I love this blend, because it just shouts "Spring! Vernal Equinox! Ostara!" There are indeed grasses in this, the first time you mow your yard after the last frost. The tulips are there, and in the south they bloom for quite a while. There are other floral notes here, that my nose is not qualified to pick out and name, but I truly love this imp.

In the imp: Definitely aquatic notes in the imp, and some florals.

Wet on skin: the aquatic notes aren't nearly as pronounced on my skin -- now I'm getting fresh grass and florals, lovely spring florals. Tulips, yes, and peony, but I'd swear there were other spring scents: maybe a little daffodil, hyacinth? The early florals, you understand.

Dry: All floral, all spring. Others have mentioned the lack of throw -- not with me. I catch this scent anytime I move my arms, or my head. It stayed with me a good 4 hours until I needed to reapply, which I think is excellent for a light floral such as this.

Verdict: I love it, and want a bottle.