byrdie

Note ~ I’m trying this oil on day 1.5 of my period, and it’s going better than a previous try did when I first got it a few months ago. Bottle ~ like a pleasant meeting between Aureus and Tombstone. Smoky, sweet sarsaparilla, wood smoke and golden light. Heavenly. Wet ~ Very smoky initially, then a cotton candy sweetness comes through. Drying ~ The two smells are merging a bit into a muted sweet wood smoke scent again. It’s a smell reminiscent of an old-fashioned, polished-wood bar that’s seen years of sweet liqueurs and fine-quality pipe tobacco. Dry ~ Mmmm. This is Tombstone’s more delicate sister. It’s also slightly less bright than Aureus – more sexy. If Aureus is golden light, then Snake Oil is the sultry orange light that some sunrises and sunsets can cast. I’m getting a slightly incensy / amberish note from it that’s nearly visceral. Fade ~ Two hours later, it’s lighter, but still has that wonderful smoky sweetness. Final Thoughts ~ Again, mmmm. For people who’ve found either Tombstone or Aureus too strong, I’d definitely recommend the infamous Snake Oil. It’s very purdy, and I’m seriously considering investing in a big bottle.

Bottle ~ Pine. I think. Something sharp and green. Wet ~ aaauuugh! My nose! My nose! ack. Um, Brut, maybe? Some men's cologne or aftershave -- one of the ones my dad used to wear. woofah. I'm guessing there's a musk in here. Or perhaps the entire musk ox. Who knew? Drying ~ Still holding at Brut status. Drydown ~ Ah, we have now come to the much anticipated "fading Brut" stage. How dry I am, already ~ Et tu, Brute? This isn't changing, and it's certainly not getting any better. Afterthoughts ~ blargh. Either this is a bad cologne smell, a bad pipe tobacco smell, or my personal chemistry is off today. Whichever, I'm not going to bed smelling like this. I would have been happier with just the pine. bleah.

First sniff ~ Perfume-like, but sweet somehow. I tried sniffing again to place it, but only got my next impression. Wet ~ A shocking, sickly, pink scent. Oh, help. Drying ~ It's faded dramatically. It reminds me of ... baby lotion. My mom had a pink bottle of sweet-smelling baby lotion that she kept buying through the first half of my elementary school years. It's a perfectly okay scent, but somewhat distanced from where I am in life now. (I should hope.) Drydown ~ Okay, why am I picking up on a floral here? It doesn't smell like a floral, so there shouldn't be one. Kind of a somewhat sweet, but old and dusty potpourri smell trying to start up. Dry ~ Good grief, it's almost gone. I guess it used all of its fragrance-power when it lept off my wrist while wet. I can now see why it's been recommended for the enthusiasts of Lush's Snowcake and Creamed Coconut Almond Smoothie; it's got that sort of marzipan thing going on towards the end. Final thoughts ~ You know, this is what I imagine the highly anticipated Pink Moon smelling like. It would probably make Lush Creamy Candy/Rockstar line fans very happy with the initial blast. However, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get past that part for the promise of the post-drydown. whoo.

In bottle ~ Slightly fruity, perhaps a cherry scent. I'm not particularly fond of cherries. It's hard to tell what the scent is, and I may be swayed by the nearly flourescent red color of the oil. Wet ~ It makes my nose hairs stand on end. I can place the scents now, I think: heavy florals and resins. Drying ~ There's something medicinal going on here. It smells a bit like a first-aid kit or the scent that comes from opening a tin of bandages. As Laurell K. Hamilton worte abut the snake-like scent of vampires, it's rather "neck-ruffling." Dry-down ~ The scent is fading pretty fast. The alarming edge to it is gone, but it still smells wrong. It's an oddly practical, no-nonsense scent at this point. As if, at the beginning it went through and scared off the enemy, and now it's looking all the stuff they dropped on the way out of the cave. Dry ~ I haven't developed a rash or anything, but I've noticed that the skin on my face has been tighening and prickling since I first applied the oil. It reminds me of road trips when we drive through a skunk waft. Oddly, my nose hairs aren't trying to crawl up my sinuses, so it's not exactly the same sort of reaction. The scent itself is developing a sweet edge: the cherry-ish smell from my initial sniff from the bottle is coming back. I'm getting the image of lollipops at the doctor's office, right after they make that "bunny-ears" puncture for the TB tests. Summary ~ This is the closest I've come to scent-borne *heebie-jeebies* since I reviewed Torment. This is also the second time I've tried Dragon's Blood. This could be a good ritual scent for annointing items with a powerful intent, but re-introducing it to my body-chemistry would just freak me out again.

In bottle ~ ack! sweet lemon! help! Wet ~ Lemon merangue, perhaps? More of a candy scent than lemon, though. It reminds me of the sweet shop we visited when last in Victoria, B.C. Drying ~ There's something musky or perfumy trying to happen here. It has a very round scent -- circular, as if the notes are somehow looping back on themselves. Dryer ~ The lemon is fading, but its leaving a sweet caramel or toffee scent behind. It's almost a flavor, it's so visceral. Dry down ~ I just placed the scent: Lush's "Honey I Washed the Kids / Ma Bar / Soft Coeur" line. Holy cow. I wish I liked smelling like an accident at Willy Wonka's, because this would be a perfect oil. I tend towards a love of sweet scents, but this one just isn't my thing. Dry ~ There's still a caramel/toffee component, but it's lighter now. It's almost as if the candy is starting to go stale, or has been smeared on a baby-doll. I might be detecting a resin note coming out. Summary ~ The innocence of The Star is pretty clear here - a jumble of sugary-sweetness and toys. It's almost a bit much, and makes me think of gorging myself full of candy as a child and running it off with my favorite toy ever! It lightens to something less alarming (a sugar crash, perhaps), but still -- this scent almost makes me tired. woofah.

My boyfriend really likes Debauchery, which I found interesting considering that it didn't do much for me. I suspect it could have also been a quantity issue: I'd put some on a few nights ago to sample it, and it'd clung to the nightie I wore. A few days later, the scent had really bound itself ot the frabric, and my boyfriend was all over me. Wish I liked it more.

The first oil that came to my mind was Namasté.

Tombstone and Aureus - both Bewitching Brews -- seem to come from the same sweet woodsmoke family. Tombstone's sassafrass scent is a thicker sweetness, though, so I find myself using it more sparingly. This is an excellent thread, by the way. I've added a new column to my BPAL spreadsheet.

Wet ~ Smokey and sweet, which seem to be merging into its own subtle form of spice. I wish I'd had pen and ink ready before I'd put this oil on, because I think its morphed significantly within a single minute. Drying ~ Definitely a woodsmoke component here - somewhat resiny. As I love woodsmoke, I'm quite happy. Still has a sweet finish, though. Dry ~ A sweet resin. I also like sweet scents. Bliss! Final impression ~ If Barbie dolls could come alive and be sexy, they'd smell like this. The resin and the sweetness have blended almost perfectly, but there's just enough of that plastic scent to make me think, "baby dolls." Verdict: I like it! I'm tempted to hunt down a copy of "Barbie Girl" and see if my hunch is right.

From my second BPAL order. Wet ~ Sweet and smokey at the same time. I love the smell of woodsmoke, and Tombstone seems to carry it quite well. Drying ~ A little less smoke, a little more sweet -- they've blended quite well. I don't know exactly what sasparilla is, but I like it blended as it is. Dry ~ Interesting. I've heard of sweet grass, but I don't know if I've ever smelled it. Everything has blended perfectly to the point that this oil smells like the smoke from a burned piece of sweet wood. Afterthoughts ~ I may have put too much on. In the car, I needed to roll down the windows until it faded a bit. Too much sweetness makes me woozy, but then I have a cold right now anyway. Hours later, it has faint traces of smokey sweetness. Final thoughts ~ In proper doses, this will become one of my favorite oils.

A freebie from Elizabeth. *happy dance* Wet ~ Unlike others, I picked up on a harsh -- almost artificial -- strawberry/cherry scent. It was cut slightly by something more earthy, but bits of me were smelling pretty harsh at first. Drying ~ The berry scents yield a little bit to a more resiny / incensy scent, but not by much. This is still pretty darn powerful, and I'm not sure if I'm happy about it. Dry ~ There's far more resin now then there is berry. It's rather nice, in a way. It reminds me of a oil-scenting shop in Seattle called "The Body Scent." Afterthoughts ~ I wished I liked this more. I think that if the berry has smelled more natural to me, I may have been happier. Or it could be that cherry flavors and scents never did much for me, and that I prefer pure strawberry. Final thoughts ~ At least at the beginning, this seemed like a good idea after showering with some Lush Angel's Delight soap. Both scents are pretty darned happy initially. However, I found that the perfume suited my mood as the day wore on. By the afternoon, I was mainly getting the incensey feeling from it, with hints of berry candy. I know that some folks have been asking for oils that go with the "Weetzie Bat / Dangerous Angels" books. I think that this would be a good one to sniff to see if Weetzie hereself comes to mind.

Okay, weird. Today, long past the date when I should have received a piece of priority mail coming from two states away, I get this notice in email: This notification is being sent to you at the request of the shipper. A package with the following Priority Mail label number #### #### #### #### #### is scheduled to be shipped to you on 04/14/2004. Um, what? According to CCNow, it was scheduled to be shipped on 04/01/2004. I checked the USPS tracking site and, sure enough, they don't have any other information. Why was a CCNow charge posted to my credit card on April 2nd if the package wasn't even sent out until 12 days later?

Interestingly, this hasn't been my experience. No wonder people have been so furious. This is what I got off the CCNow site: 20 Mar 2004 - Received 01 Apr 2004 - Order Shipped I assumed this meant that BPAL received my order on 3/20 and listed it as shipped on 4/1. Although I didn't receive a shipping notification, I checked the order confirmation link a couple of times each week and didn't notice that it had changed until the 1st.

*whew* I only just now read this thread, wondering where my order is. I got in just under the wire - 3/20 - and CCNow told the that my order was shipped on 4/1. It was charged, however, on 4/2. I've ordered twice now and have never received a shipping confirmation, so I've just been guestimating how long it should take priority mail to travel between California and Washington. According to USPS: Now you can have delivery of documents and packages made in an average of 2 to 3 days. - http://www.usps.com/shipping/prioritymail.htm This is weird. If Priority Mail only takes about 3 days, and I'm only a state away from California, why has it been over a week with no sign of my stuff? It sounds like the shipper is dropping the ball, though it'd be nice to get one of those new-fangled confirmations that seems to be all the rage these days. It's not as if I didn't get an email confirmation of my order. I really can't tell if it's safe to email Elizabeth, yet. I know that there have been email problems, and that she's probably swamped. But still, it'd be nice to know what's happening. According to the FAQ: Credit card payments show up on your statement as 'CCNow'. Our credit card processing service, CCNow, is a member of the Better Business Bureau, and has a proven record of reliabilty, intergrity, and honesty. Both CCNow, and the gentle folks here at the Lab are dedicated to protecting your personal information and guarding against fraud. - http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/faq.html#order From the Shipping section: Can I track my shipment? Yes. Upon shipment, we will email you with your delivery confirmation code. It can be tracked at the US Postal Service web site. If you have any questions regarding your order, please email Elizabeth. - http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/faq.html#shipping From the same section: Do you sell internationally? Yes, but we have very specific requirements for international purchases. International orders cannot be processed through this web site. You must contact us via email prior to ordering, and all payments MUST be remitted using PayPal. All prices are in US dollars, and thus: all payments must be made using US dollars. I apologize for any inconvenience. I expect that Elizabeth will update this section if the situation changes.

Hrm. The sexiest scents I've tried thus far include: Tempest - tropical naughtiness! Debauchery - my boyfriend really likes it Zombi - there's something about an earthy rose scent that just does it for me Here's hoping that you end up with an ideal scent!

Name: Renée URL: http://www.wyrdbyrd.org/ Photo: my ISP is whacked -- image forthcoming Sin of choice: Wrath Virtue you embody: Fortitude Astrological Info: Libra sun, 11th House; Cancer moon, 8th House; Scropio ascendant, 1st House; Leo pars fortuna, 9th House. Bucket pattern chart, heavy in the Southern Hemisphere and 4th Quarter. How you found out about BPAL: From a thread on the North American Lush forum. Any comments you'd like to add about the Lab or life in general: "Anything you do will be insignificant, but it is most important that you do it." -- Mahatma Gandhi

I think that these two, at least, were commented on here in a discussion of spooky/creepy/ghosty scents: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=574 Hope this helps!

Torment. eep. It does a lot of interesting things as its drying, and even goes so far as to feel rather comforting at times. However, the end result felt like something ancient and grumpy had sunk down into my skin and was preparing to take possession of the rest of me. Zombi was downright chipper in comparison.

On the good side, I can see guests running around to different tables and negotiating with folks they probably wouldn't have had reason to speak to otherwise, swapping scents and starting conversations. On the bad side, considering how much trouble some people having opening Imps Ears without sloshing the oil all over everthing, I'm thinking that wherever the reception is had better have good ventilation. oofah.

My last remaining Imp's Ear, a sample that Elizabeth threw in. wet ~ My immediate thought was "perfume." This is what commercial, mass produced perfumes might smell like if they didn't have that weird, chemically after-tang. drying ~ I cannot pick out just one scent. This is complex. Resin? Spice? Eye of newt? What the heck is in this? dry ~ I think I understand the name now. It reminds me of cinnamon massage oil after it's been worked into the skin well. It's a decadent scent, languid. later ~ There's something fruity trying to happen here. Maybe that's why the phrase, "Peel me a grape" was going through my mind. It's getting a little powdery on me, but that's not a bad thing. It's almost comforting, like being held in the afterglow. final thoughts ~ Dries into a somewhat spiced powder, much like Undertow. verdict ~ Comparatively, the dry finish is pretty boring on me. It's a nice scent when it's fresh, though, but I'd be concerned about going through a lot of it for the effect.

wet ~ This oil smells like a tropical area after a rain. It reminds me of when my mother took me to Paradise Island in the Bahamas right before I started college. drying ~ I'm getting less of a floral note, now, and am thinking more of big, wet, waxy leaves. There's a slight undercurrent of damp earth, too. dry ~ This smells naughty. You know all those ads that have couples on tropical beaches frolicking in the waves, holding hands and giving each other knowing looks? That kind of "let's go off into the foliage" naughty. later ~ Floral and earthy. Sophisticated. This is an oil with bedroom eyes. afterthoughts ~ This puppy is strong. I have Undertow on my neck, behind my ears and on my other wrist, and all I can smell is Tempest. final thoughts ~ Rampant tropical naughtiness! I like it!

I had a downright weird reaction to this one. I sniffed it, then immediately started dabbing it behind my ears and on my neck rather than just putting it on on my wrist as a tester. Either I'm out of practice with my review ritual or I'm really loving this one. wet ~ Somewhat spicy, somewhat fresh. A little fruity. This reminds me of the tour my Girl Scout troupe took of the Brach's candy factory. drying ~ Smells the way a gingerbread house looks. This oil may work well with Lush's Back for Breakfast and Slammer shower gels -- the Jolly Ranchers, I call them. dry ~ The Spice comes out a bit more as the powdery phase begins. I'm getting a very subtle cinnamon candy vibe now. I have no idea why this oil is called Undertow, though, unless my initial "dab it all over" reaction is any indication. later ~ Is there such a thing as cinnamon cake? I think this is what it should smell like. The powdery dry down is giving me the impression of a bakery. With a little more time, there's just a hint of spiced powder left. afterthoughts ~ Used in sufficient quantity, this would be a lovely follow-up to Lush's Chai shower gel, though things would probably smell pretty darned confused initially. woo. I like it, though -- it's cute without being cloying.

One of the original Imps Ears in my first order. wet ~ Earthy, perhaps with some sort of alcohol scent in it. Strong and complex. Whatever's going on in this vial is trying to come out and leap on me all at once. drying ~ Lush's Amazonian! Holy heck, no wonder I was baffled. I hope this oil stays this way, as I adore that massage bar. dry ~ Scratch that: this is so not Amazonian. Now it seems to be drying into an old-lady perfume experience. crud. verdict ~ My nose is confused. I really want to like it, but I think there's too much going on in there for me to be really fair.

One of the first set of Imps Ears I ordered, I suspect that I was very curious about what pennyroyal smelled like. wet ~ Herbal and somewhat minty. It reminds me of cough drops. drying ~ It lightens and reminds me a bit of Lush's Black Magic, but not nearly as strong. It makes me wonder if there's geranium oil in here. dry ~ Wow. The scent is almost gone. It mellows into a minty, Demon in the Dark type of scent, but you have to get close to catch it. verdict ~ I like this one enough to try it again the next time I use Lush's Demon. Whee!

This is one of the samples that came free with my first order of Imps Ears. wet ~ My first thought was Snowcake, another familiar name for Lush fans. I'm not clear on exactly what either this scent or the soap are supposed to be made of -- almond? marzipan? drying ~ It really reminds me of a bakery: sweet, but not cloying; fairly subtle. There's a slightly bite to it if I really try to snort it while it's on my wrist, but otherwise it's very gentle. If I don't mess with it, it won't mess with me. dry ~ It's still sweet, and still reminding me of the Snowcake/almond/marzipan spectrum. However, I don't really have the bakery association anymore -- that goes away with the dry down. verdict ~ I like it! I can get my Snowcake fix all year 'round this way.