stellans

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 love how colourful the labels are this time round-the deliciously garish shades of the garden ornaments and the fiery orange with black of Labores, and the vivid ancient designs of Feast of the Greatly Revered Ones and Season of Inundation are wonderful!

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 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!

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.

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.

mmm, mmm, good! That's what wearing Tombstone means to me...it makes me feel all warm, fuzzy, and hugged! I love the sassafras note, which mixes so well with the vanilla so that neither is overpowering, and keeps the cedar from taking over as well. This is such a nice, herbal, sweet, woody but somehow dry blend...it really is indicative of a desert town like Tombstone. I love that this blend is so gender-neutral, in my opinion. It smells equally wonderful on Mr. Stellans as it does on me. This is a GC blend which needs to stay around for a long, long time. 4 of 5 stars, easy.

Ahhhhh, lilac! And lily-of-the-valley! And nectarine! And green tea! This is such a wonderful blend, and it has so many lovely notes that it's really not that surprising that I do love it so much. I have no idea why I don't wear it every day...except that BPAL seems to have so very many blends I love that much. What to do, what to do...

Thanks to Miss_Twilight, I have a bottle of this glorious scent of my own, and it was pure happenstance...the one I'd asked for had sold out before my turn came, so she offered a choice of her 'extra' bottles to me, and Antimony seemed to jump out from the text. Thank goodness, otherwise I might have missed out on one of the most wonderful sandalwood blends I've ever smelled. No, really -- the most wonderful! I got no fish, no camphor...just wonderful, wonderful sandalwood. The sandalwood that was prized by royalty back in the day; the sandalwood which gently scents fans, boxes, buttons, beads - you name it. The sandalwood which incense only wishes it smelled like. That is in this bottle, in liquid gold.

ETA: This was substituted 6/7/09 because I didn't like the day's selection (Litha 09), and actually, this seems to a daytime version of Schwarzer Mond 06...lighter, a bit more incense-y, but with some patchouli rocking along!

I don't know why I haven't reviewed it before, but I'm doing it at last...even though many people have written better reviews before this and have really already said all that could be said. But I'm going to say a bit anyway.

After I was totally gutted by the mint (or at the least, mint-like) note in Blue Moon 2004, I was very nervous about this Blue Moon incarnation. I needn't have worried at all. No mint. Not a bit, not a trace, not a smidgen. NONE. Yay! Instead, a cooling blend with a delicate floral tinge but a definite (to me) cucumber edge makes the night magical. There were so many different floral notes listed I was a little afraid this blend would be overwhelmingly floral, but it isn't at all. It's delicious, and I mean that in a totally non-foody way. Delicious!

I’m not much for grain or nut scents, but this is one wonderful exception. There is definitely a feral element to this blend, and I love the raw power it evokes when I wear it. The musks, herbs, and lunar oils combine to make a really sensual, powerful perfume, one I do not wear lightly. I love the blood note, and do not get the cinnamon so many others have noticed...thank goodness, because both cinnamon and cassia tend to raise red welts on me so I avoid wearing it directly but instead use a scent locket alone -- which would not be good, since I wear Lunacies at night for sleeping purposes. I do love this dry, feral blend -- not only does it have the dragon's blood note I love, but it gets my own blood to racing. Rawr!

This blend proves why the listing of notes in a blend should not be a reason to never try that blend. I have a huge gag reflex caused by mint; it truly is my 'bane,' as the icon I sometimes use in my sig file (made by <b>moonarcana</b>) so decoratively says.

This blend, though listing mint as a note, is so nicely done, so well-balanced, that the mint does not emerge separately but helps make the 'snow' scent cold and realistic, along with the aconite and other elements. This is my daytime counterpart to my beloved nighttime Lunacy, Snow Moon. It's a bit lighter, and the snow scent is more pronounced than in the Lunacy, but that only adds to my love for this blend. The Snow Storm is #2 on my list of Top Ten BPAL LE favorites, and I have collected quite a few bottles to hoard. I want to be able to wear this whenever I want for a long, long time. It's just that good. 5 of 5 stars, with no hesitation.

O.M.G. This is such a perfect combination of incense, smoke, vanilla and sex! I love incense notes, so I was excited about this blend from the moment I heard about it. When my bottle arrived, I was in heaven. It was wonderful: smoky sex in a bottle, and I reveled in wearing it. Now, a bit more than a year later this blend is even better than when I first tried it. Age has deepened the incense, mellowed the vanilla, and altogether improved this blend -- and I wouldn't have believed it could improve. But it has, it has, and I love it even more.