sihaya09

Spooky is a scent that it took me a few wearings to fall in love with. It’s a bit of an anomaly for me, as scents featuring mints or chocolate generally send me straight to headache city. Still, this is remarkably soft and luscious, almost velvety. It reminds me of Helping Hand with peppermint-patty mint and coconut, and for that, I have very calm associations with it. This is a wintertime scent to me, because I think of mint hot chocolate and buttermint candies. This has become a favorite.

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) I have smelled two imps of this, and their scents did not match, as though they'd aged differently. One was overwhelmingly dark herbs and powder, like a 40's boudoir. The one I am currently smelling is much less powdery. I smell something velvet-soft but bittersweet, like myrrh or other incense. There are also notes that I'd associate with an expensive mens' cologne (this would smell fantastic on a man). This strikes me as a very atmospheric scent-- something you'd wear only on special occasions if you were planning to vamp it up in all black and your best poisoned lipstick. I like this quite a lot, and I'd purchase some if ever it became available again.

(Origin: Oblation caravan.) Honey, mango, and something juicy, lush, and red. This scent is so sweet and hopeful that smelling it brings a smile to my lips. I regret that I didn’t snatch this one up when I had the chance, because this really is a heart’s-ease kind of scent.

Ozone zing! This smells like charged air right before a storm-- a strong, potent aquatic. Skyler said he smelled some citrus flower in here, and after a little wear, there is a little pit of a perfumey citrus tone. Still, this is really an unforgettable scent. Wow.

(Origin: Oblation caravan.) Sweet white flowers... perhaps moonflower or phlox? This scent is distinctly nocturnal to me, like the fading lavender to sapphire of early evening. This reminds me quite a bit of Titania without the overlay of juice-dripping fae fruits. I like this, but perhaps not enough to wear very often.

Sweet, fresh and clean. Truly unisex. I smell soft green herbs and mosses over light white musk. This is a bright, optimistic scent to my nose, outdoorsy without being overpoweringly earthy. It smells like a forest clearing after a rain. This is an excellent rainy-day scent for snuggling in with a big sweater and a book. I like this one quite a lot.

(Origin: Oblation caravan.) Bittersweet chocolate and lush maraschino cherry. This one was a bit too foodie for me, and chocolate scents have never fared well on my skin. This was not a scent that I would wear.

Celestials: Venus::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Pink and green and white. This is a very feminine love blend. It is soft and gracious without being submissive or ostentatious. I smell a white floral coupled with mint. I have a hunch that it's wintergreen, as I'm fairly certain it's the same mint that was in Frost Moon. This reminds me of springtime, right after the frost melts and the palest flowers begin to emerge from the shivering soil. As Venus blends go, this is much lighter and airier than others I’ve smelled. I like it quite a bit for ritual purposes, even if I wouldn't wear it on my skin.

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) I know this. I just can't put my finger on it. (Wait! JUNIPER!) I haven't been reading other reviews, because I want to use my intuition in describing these blends, but I'm sure that the main component of this blend is familiar to me. This is a very blue-green scent, with swirls of purple throughout. I want to say that this is a mix of aquatics and berry-- a deep raspberry, maybe. I expected something much more green of a Jupiter blend, more akin to a money-draw blend. I do very little work with planetary correspondences, but I'm not sure this quite personifies the energy of Jupiter to me. It is, however, oddly comforting, in a way. I'd use this more to focus the energies of Water. This is a very... optimistic scent. I like it quite a bit.

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Citrus and sugar, like lemonade. This is a yellow-orange color, lacking the fiery bite that I'd expect of a Sol blend. However, it does feel appropriate because it reminds me of summer, and lazy days spent poolside. I don't know if I would use this in ritual to represent the Sun (I would want something more spicy and hot), but this is an interesting take on a solar blend. I bet it'd make a fabulous room scent.

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) I know very little about the Enochian language and Enochian magic, I'll say that right upfront. That said, my impressions are that this is a very ceremonial blend. I smell ritual herbs like frankincense and myrrh, with the sweetness of perhaps berry. If I knew more about the magical system in which it would be used, I'd add other commentary. As I do not, I'll simply say it is a pleasant scent that seems like it would be used for preparing a space for magic, rather than any specific purpose within a working.

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Ohh. Blue aquatic calm lovely. I went a little stream of consciousness, there. For those who have said that this is reminiscent of Blue Moon... yes. They do not smell precisely the same, but the vibe that they give off is very similar. Calming, purifying, clarifying. This would be wonderful for divination, and also for healing magic. I have some of this coming my way, and I am so grateful.

Seven African Powers::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) This one is hard to describe, because of all of the blends above, I'm the least familiar with this one's ritual uses. It makes me think of the colors green black. I smell pepper and darker herbs. Intuitively, I sense that this is a protection blend, and a potent one at that. Admittedly, I only have done little research on African shamanism, and I'd be interested in doing so because this blend intrigues me. It has a draw to it, and I want to be able to more fully understand it.

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Bananas and fruit punch. I smell a little bit of coconut, as well, and maybe a faint undertone of tobacco. I have only recently begun researching the Orishas, and so I know very little about Chango. However, if this blend is meant to represent him, I would assume that he is playful and joyful, because this blend would remind me not to take life too seriously. It certainly makes me want to research him to see if my perceptions of this blend carry over to the Orisha himself.

Melon. Sweet, juicy, midsummer melon. Very pink and feminine, with a strong saltwater note that is both unexpected yet completely in tune with what I experience as Yemaya's energies. This makes me think of love and friendship-- strong bonds between women and the sweetness of early love. I really enjoy this both as a scent and as a ritual blend. I would very much like to purchase a bottle if ever it were available.

A very green herbal with maybe some bergamot. I get the colors green and orange. More important than identifying components, this stuff works. I put some on, and immediately, I felt an aura of creativity surround me, calming me and centering me for work. I’ve also anointed candles with this and used it in my tart burner. This is absolutely amazing stuff, and I was lucky to get most of a bottle after I tried an imp that was graciously given to me by Macha on the forums. This is one that as a writer, I want to stockpile.

Temple: Greek::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Soft green herbs. Basil, bay leaf, laurel, perhaps cypress. This smells sacred to me-- purifying. It smells ancient, in a way, or timeless. Though I don't smell any of the traditional aquatic notes, I feel like I should smell saltwater or clean sweat. Strange. I'm glad that I've arranged to have some of this come my way.

 

In a second imp I received, I got olive leaf and ripe red grapes with a little bit of bit of sage and bay.

Sweet orange that barely covers the crush of florals in the oil. Soft and feminine, almost like more motherly version of Persephone. This kind of feels like getting a hug from a beloved aunt that you don't see very often. This has become very useful as I've committed myself to learning more about the Orishas.

Fiery Command::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Determination. The oil itself is a fiery red-orange, and rather than any particular notes, I felt a strong sense of grounding and focusing-- the gathering of energy for the fixed purpose of enduring a trial. Very potent, and I would acquire an imps' worth if I could. There may be vetiver in this.

Temple: Egyptian::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Lotus and incense. I've smelled two imps of this as well, and both smelled different. One was quite heavy with incense-- myrrh and the like, and gave me a very warm brown feeling. The one in the TAL swap gave me a watery-blue feeling, with the predominant feel of lotus. Interesting, but as I don't tend to do much work within the Egyptian pantheon, this is not one that I feel that I'd need.

Elementals: Sylph [air]::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Citrus. Lemongrass and bergamot, with something herbal in the background, like basil and lavender. The scent reminded me quite a bit of Dream Formula: Nanshe. Of the elementals I've sampled, this is the best. It gently helped me to focus and calm, and for that, I would use this if ever I acquired more.

Elementals: Gnome [earth]::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Pine, predominantly. I smell soil as well, and perhaps fir and fern. This smells like a Christmas forest without being specifically seasonal or craft-store fake. It's surprising that this blend did not vibrate as strongly with me as Sylph did, considering my primary element is Earth. However, for those who prefer the raw scent of the outdoors, this is an exquisite example of what Beth can do.

Aunt Caroline's Money Draw::

(Origin: TAL circular swap.) Acrid green herbs, exactly what I expect money magic blends to smell like. Vervain, maybe, and High John the Conqueror root. Probably some bergamot. I bet this will be very potent. On my list it goes.

Darkness, totally.

Mostly, even after I slathered Buck Moon on, I smelled my own skin, with a breezy, wonderful scent I'd associate with being outdoors on a late summer night. It's not a scent that you smell, per se, but an aroma that surrounds you, if that makes any sense at all.

 

There was a scary little bit where this went to pencil shavings on me, though. I was worried, but then it was again light, sweet musk. I don't know if I'd wear this alone, but perhaps layered with other scents, or perhaps in an oil burner.

 

I do know that I was more sensitive to smells while I wore it-- particularly my own pheremonal smells. I think I need to try this on the boyfriend and see if it makes a difference in that way. I didn't wear it around others, so I wouldn't be able to say if it got me any extra attention. This reminds me more of a TAL than a BPAL perfume oil.

 

I will probably keep a shortie of this, since I'm borderline on how often I'd reach for it, because it is so light. It's not at all what I suspected, and it is unique in its own way. Bravo, Beth.