Delirium1009

A disconcerting scent, heavy and oppressive, through which no light, no matter, and no spirit can escape. Black opium, labdanum, opoponax, black orchid, and benzoin. In bottle/imp: Strong, dark opium. Immediately on skin: The opium is very strong and there is a more resinous scent under it (the labdanum I'm guessing). I can smell the orchid, but it is lurking underneath the other darker and almost bitter notes. After a few minutes: This has turned sweeter on me (I usually amp sweet, so it might not happen on others). I can smell the black orchid and the benzoin just slightly. The black opium is strong, but this blend is no longer as bitter as when I just put it on. The smokiness is still there, but it's like smelling incense when standing next to a big bouquet of sweet orchids. Overall Impressions: Because of how this changed from an opium-dominated blend to something sweeter, it might not morph as much on others. The opium is very evident, so this may be good for those people who enjoy that scent, but it's playing well with the other notes. It's sweet on me without being floral or foody, and I quite like it. The scent changed to something almost effervescent, but still quite mysterious.

AEAEA- This is her island squared in cypress lines;With cedar ranks about her alley walks Set frequent, and the faces of the boles Are crimson, deep as sunset stains of cloud. The floor between them, rank and overgrown, Is tangled with luxuriant heads of bloom, All in a mat together, mixed with sedge. There are bells of some wide wine-deep flowers, Great apple fruits and tawny orange globes; And bunchy cactus tipped in fire-bright buds. Grey aloe spikes and heavy curling vines, And speckled poison berries intertwined. Her groves lead down upon the light free waves; Her foam-heads dance and ripple into sound. The laughter of many birds is in her elms Jays, owls, sea-crows, larks, lapwings, nightingales, As jumbled as the flowers beneath their notes. The isle-grove ends abruptly on the sea, A stranded star-fish neighbors by the sward, Where the snail toils beneath his painted walls. Small seaward gust irresolute breathe near; And sweeter waftings, sent from the middle brine, Stir the deep grasses at her perfect feet, Where Circe, shining down the gaudy flowers, Leans centre-light of all this paradise. One ankle gleams against the margin turf, Just beyond where the wave-teeth cease to bite. And the sea-pinks grow less rosy at her feet. But this enchantress, island-queen, herself Bears on her head a bright tire marvelous, And for a girdle one of many dyes Woven and traced with curious pattern-spells. Her face is not at first so beautiful, That one should say 'Fear her, she will slay men And draw them into deaths by her strange ways, And some soft snare hid under all of her.' We must consider well upon her face, And the silent beauty of it all Begins upon us, grows and greatens on, Like sweet increasing music, chord on chord, Till all our being falters overthrown; And she lures out our soul into her hands, As faint and helpless as a new-born babe, To have her will and way with all of it. O, she, this Circe mage, is strange and great, And deadlier than those terrible bright forms, That beam out on us with their grace. Her love eats deeper to the core of men, Scathing and killing, fierce and unappeased; Until not only the divine in us, But all the human also (which indeed Are one, tho' this less perfect) fade and change, And fall corrupted into alien forms. Till we resemble those strange-headed things, Herded away behind her island throne, Chimaeras, tiger-apes, and wolfish swine. A dark ocean breeze, electric with adrenaline, magic, and fear, clashing with the thick scent of poisoned berries and spiny aloe, against a backdrop of snowdrop, cedar, and cypress. In bottle/imp: Very sharp and floral. A little aquatic, but very strong. immediately on skin: I'm getting a bit of a strong perfume-y scent. It's very clean and almost soapy but in a very good way. The aloe is there (I think that's the clean scent) and is interacting nicely with the floral notes. This is definitely turning to a floral blend on me, but it's not heavy. I'm not very familiar with ozone notes, but there's definitely an electric-tinged-air type of feeling going on and the aquatic feeling to the blend has faded a little. Overall though this seems extremely well blended... no one note jumps out over another. After a few minutes: This blend has mellowed out to a lighter and almost creamy scent. It reminds me a bit of Zarita, only without carnation... it's a lovely feminine floral with just a touch of something (cedar?) livening up the base. I do have to say though that this is a wonderfully blended scent; I can no longer pick out any of the notes and what I'm getting is just a wonderfully crisp, clean, and very wearable floral. A little while later now I'm definitely getting a hint of wood notes. It's not smack-you-in-your-face cedar or cypress, but it's lurking gently in the background of the blend, turning a little less perfume-y. It still has a very nice feminine feel to it though. ETA a few hours later: This faded pretty quickly (about 4 hours) but is definitely a lovely scent and I think it's well worth reapplying. I also have to say that the label art is absolutely adorable (a cartoon pig on a tropical island a la Odyssey) and I will be treasuring the bottles of this that I bought.

In Xanadu did Kubla KhanA stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced: Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail: And 'mid these dancing rocks at once and ever It flung up momently the sacred river. Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the caverns measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean: And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war! The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves; Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves. It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! A damsel with a dulcimer In a vision once I saw: It was an Abyssinian maid, And on her dulcimer she played, Singing of Mount Abora. Could I revive within me Her symphony and song, To such a deep delight 'twould win me That with music loud and long I would build that dome in air, That sunny dome! those caves of ice! And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread, For he on honey-dew hath fed And drunk the milk of Paradise. Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine. In bottle/imp: Smoky, dry, complex, and just slightly sweet. I can't really pinpoint any notes straight from the imp. Immediately on skin: This scent is extremely complex. I can pick out the opium and the jasmine, but that's it. It's a strong smoky scent with touches of jasmine, leather, and a slight creaminess that I'm guessing is the dark vanilla. It smells very dry and I'm not getting any sweetness from it now that I have it on. After a few minutes: There are sweet notes coming out now… I can sense the vanilla and I think the sandalwood as well. The tobacco is there, quietly blending with the rest. It's weird… I can pick out hints of all these notes but the blend overall smells a little like plastic to me; I think it's mostly the opium blending with the black vanilla. There is definitely a golden, warm feeling about it I think might be the work of the sandalwood or hay. Overall Impressions: I tested this and Event Horizon together, and while they're both dominated by the opium notes, they're very different. This blend is very complex, smoky, and creamy all at the same time. The sandalwood adds a nice warmth I haven't gotten from many opium blends. There's a hint of flowers about it, but other than a slight bit of jasmine I can't pick any out in particular. It's nice for those who like opium but don't want to be smelling strongly the single note all day.

The Smoke-Veiled Moon of July brought a poem of Baudelaire’s to my mind: Ce soir, la lune rêve avec plus de paresse; Ainsi qu'une beauté, sur de nombreux coussins, Qui d'une main distraite et légère caresse Avant de s'endormir le contour de ses seins, Sur le dos satiné des molles avalanches, Mourante, elle se livre aux longues pâmoisons, Et promène ses yeux sur les visions blanches Qui montent dans l'azur comme des floraisons. Quand parfois sur ce globe, en sa langueur oisive, Elle laisse filer une larme furtive, Un poète pieux, ennemi du sommeil, Dans le creux de sa main prend cette larme pâle, Aux reflets irisés comme un fragment d'opale, Et la met dans son coeur loin des yeux du soleil. - - - Tonight the moon dreams with more indolence, Like a lovely woman on a bed of cushions Who fondles with a light and listless hand The contour of her breasts before falling asleep; On the satiny back of the billowing clouds, Languishing, she lets herself fall into long swoons And casts her eyes over the white phantoms That rise in the azure like blossoming flowers. When, in her lazy listlessness, She sometimes sheds a furtive tear upon this globe, A pious poet, enemy of sleep, In the hollow of his hand catches this pale tear, With the iridescent reflections of opal, And hides it in his heart afar from the sun's eyes. (English translation by William Aggeler, 1954) Soft sandalwood, nicotiana, and velvety orris drifting over lustrous pale musks, stephanotis, elemi, and cyclamen. In bottle/imp: A dry, cooler scent with the smell of fruity orris drifting about, and sharper floral notes following behind. Immediately on skin: Just applied, this smells very green like new spring flowers. There’s also a bit of soapiness and very dry, cool musks. I don’t get any of the orris now at all. After a little while: This really changes a lot after even a few minutes on my skin. The soapiness and green notes are gone, and what I now get from Smoky Moon is a lovely dry hazy type of scent. It doesn’t smell of actual smoke, but the sandalwood and musks plus some of the other notes give this a dry feel almost like incense ash, but not as perfumed or powdery. Then above the scent, floating delicately over the top of the dry, soft haziness is a bit of wafting orris, which smells like a slightly fruitier violet to me. If this scent could have a color, I think it would be a light grey smoke with bits of violet swirls for the brighter orris note. Overall Impressions: This scent is smoky in a dreamy and hazy way as opposed to in a fire or incense sort of way. It’s not a very in-your-face sort of scent, and instead clings to the skin and gently wafts as if teasing your nose. To me this is dry, soft, and smooth with a nice hint of bright fruity floral orris. The notes really blend together well and give this blend a great depth.

CHANUKKIYAH Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, Asher kid'shanu b'mitzvosav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'asah nisim la'avoseinu, bayamim ha'hem baz'man hazeh. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'hecheyanu, vekiyemanu vehigi'anu laz'man hazeh. Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig. Ha'Neiros halalu anachnu madlikin al hanisim ve'al hanifla'os, ve'al hat'shu'os ve'al hamilchamos, sh'asisa la'avoseinu bayamim hahem baz'man hazeh, al yedei kohaneicha hakedoshim. Vechol sh'monas yemei Chanukah, haneiros halalu kodesh hem. Ve'ein lanu reshus le'hishtamesh ba'hem, eh'la lir'osam bilvad, ke'dei le'hodos u'lehalel leshimcha hagadol al nisecha ve'al nifle'osecha ve'al yeshu'oshecha. Ma'oz tzur yeshu'asi Lecha na'eh leshabe'ach Tikone bais tefilasi Ve'sham todah nezabe'ach Le'es Tachin Mabe'ach Mitzar ham'nabe'ach Az egmor beshir mizmor Chanukas hamizbe'ach. In bottle/imp: Brown sugar and amber, with a sweet bakery/foody note thrown in. There’s a little spice as well. Immediately on skin: This is such a warm, yummy scent. I smell brown sugar and something buttery and foody, but not overly so. It might be the olive oil, but it’s subtle and blends well. The beeswax is in here, but it interacts nicely with the other notes. The amber is tame, and very warm. The fig is adding a nice, soft earthy fruit scent and almost a warm spiciness, but I can’t seem to smell the pomegranate at all. After a few minutes: Even though I seem to have listed all the individual notes above, I have to stress that this scent is very well blended. This has become a little sharper, with the pomegranate peeking in to add a sharp but light fruit note. The sufganiyot (donut, I believe) is definitely present in this blend; I can smell some sort of baked, warm cake and it’s certainly yummy. The beeswax adds something to the blend that tames the foodiness quite nicely. There’s almost a nutty feel to it which is probably from the olive oil blending with the beeswax. This blend has gotten extremely sweet though, with an almost maple syrup quality coming from the sugary notes. (added a couple hours after wearing) A while later, there's also a smokiness that smells just like a burning beeswax candle mixed in with the other notes. It's amazing! Overall Impressions: If you love warm, sweet blends, then this one is for you; it’s not just straight-up foody in my opinion, but the sweet notes come out very strongly. The beeswax is a nice addition, and it’s evident in the blend amongst the other notes. This scent is on the verge of becoming almost maple-syrupy on me, so if you tend to have a problem with that, you may find it happening here. Everything is beautifully blended, however, and creates a beautiful scent. Overall, it’s a nice warm, comforting, sweet scent that is just wonderful and perfect for the name Chanukkiyah!

Another of his sources of fearful pleasure was, to pass long winter evenings with the old Dutch wives, as they sat spinning by the fire, with a row of apples roasting and spluttering along the hearth, and listen to their marvellous tales of ghosts and goblins, and haunted fields, and haunted brooks, and haunted bridges, and haunted houses, and particularly of the headless horseman, or galloping Hessian of the Hollow, as they sometimes called him. He would delight them equally by his anecdotes of witchcraft, and of the direful omens and portentous sights and sounds in the air, which prevailed in the earlier times of Connecticut; and would frighten them woefully with speculations upon comets and shooting stars; and with the alarming fact that the world did absolutely turn round, and that they were half the time topsy-turvy! Dried orange peels floating in simmering cider, roasted apples, smoldering firewood, chimney smoke, sassafras beer, warm hawthorn wood, and oakmoss. In bottle: This smells of apple cider with some evergreen type trees in the background. Immediately on skin: This is the spiced cider scent I’ve been waiting for. It isn’t pure cider, but that’s what the heart of this scent is. Floating on top are cinnamon sticks and orange peels. In the background floats dry, warm woods and a hint of smoke. After a little while: This doesn’t change much as I wear it. I think it just becomes a bit more blended and the wood doesn’t stick out as much any more. This is a wonderfully warm, spicy apple cider scent with a lightly smoky, woody background. It mostly still smells of cider with orange peels and spices (primarily cinnamon). The wood adds a bit of dryness in the background, and I sense the oakmoss as well but that blends completely in with everything else. Overall Impressions: I have wished and hoped for a bpal cider scent, and this is it: warm, spiced cider with hints of oranges and cinnamon and the other autumn notes lingering secretly in the background. It’s a toasty, cooked apple that doesn’t turn to perfume on me like the other bpal apple notes seem to. It’s very well blended and perfect for autumn lovers like myself. A total winner!!

Vigilant day-glo guardians of lawn and patio, stalwart protectors of the home. Pink sugar-crusted marshmallow, dandelion, and sap. In bottle/imp: Fluffy marshmallows with a twinge of very faint stemmy stickiness. Immediately on skin: This smells like marshmallows mushed together with a wee bit of dandelion. It’s a poofy, fluffy marshmallow scent with a light fruitiness to it, and then there’s the kind of green, herbal flowery smell of the dandelion following behind. The sap note is kind of sticky and bitter. After even just a moment on my skin, the dandelion and sap notes have gotten a lot stronger and the marshmallow is just giving them a smoother, yummy overall feel. After a little while: The dandelion and sap seem to settle down a bit again, and this becomes a marshmallow scent with a hint of fruit and a little fresh dandelion. The bitterness from the sap and dandelion have faded by this point, and the scent is a sweeter one with a nice balance between the candy and greenery. Overall Impressions: This is a totally fun scent. It smells a lot like Marshmallow Poof on me, plus a bit of dandelion and some slightly bitter sap at first. It settles down nicely though into something really well balanced. It’s smooth and fluffy marshmallow and bits of summery dandelion. This blend is totally fun and quirky.

Terminal sugar rush. A little goblin's candy bag, upended. Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint. In bottle: This smells sweet, gooey, and cavity-inducing. Lots of sugary, chewy candy with a hint of powdery sugar and strawberry. Immediately on skin: The first thing that hits me when I smell this is that it reminds me a lot of La Befana. It has that thick, sugary, caramelized fruitiness I get from La Befana. There’s a bit of sweet sugary powderiness, and really rich fruity candy. Then it separates a bit and I get a clean cotton undertone under all the candy and a hint of strawberry. After a little while: As this settles, the thick caramelized feel fades. This becomes more of a smooth, sugary blend with hints of strawberry, fruity sweet powderiness, and poofy marshmallow over a light base of clean cotton. If it sounds sweet, it is… but not overly so. The strawberry and hint of cotton add a nice balance. Overall Impressions: This is a really complex, sweet, sugary blend with a nice balance to it. However, I love sweeter blends so this blend is definitely for me. It’s rich but not thick and caramelly or something like that. It’s more of a sugar blend with hints of fruitiness and a light amount of cotton in the background. I think that people who enjoy blends like Sugar Skull and La Befana will enjoy this, but it definitely holds it’s own.

As the years passed Prunella grew up into a very beautiful girl. Now her beauty and goodness, instead of softening the witch's heart, aroused her hatred and jealousy. One day she called Prunella to her, and said: 'Take this basket, go to the well, and bring it back to me filled with water. If you don't I will kill you.' The girl took the basket, went and let it down into the well again and again. But her work was lost labour. Each time, as she drew up the basket, the water streamed out of it. At last, in despair, she gave it up, and leaning against the well she began to cry bitterly, when suddenly she heard a voice at her side saying 'Prunella, why are you crying?' Turning round she beheld a handsome youth, who looked kindly at her, as if he were sorry for her trouble. 'Who are you,' she asked, 'and how do you know my name?' 'I am the son of the witch,' he replied, 'and my name is Bensiabel. I know that she is determined that you shall die, but I promise you that she shall not carry out her wicked plan. Will you give me a kiss, if I fill your basket?' 'No,' said Prunella, 'I will not give you a kiss, because you are the son of a witch.' 'Very well,' replied the youth sadly. 'Give me your basket and I will fill it for you.' And he dipped it into the well, and the water stayed in it. Then the girl returned to the house, carrying the basket filled with water. When the witch saw it, she became white with rage, and exclaimed 'Bensiabel must have helped you.' And Prunella looked down, and said nothing. Plum juice, lilac, leather, and a smattering of herbs. In bottle/imp: A powdery mix of lilac and leather with a hint of fruitiness. Immediately on skin: This is a cooler scent. I get a nicely balanced mix of lilac, leather, dry herbs, and fruit. It’s a drier blend, and very understated. The leather gives it a very smooth feel, but I get a slight soapiness from it. After a little while: The plum comes out in this more, but it’s still nicely restrained by the other notes. This is very much a smooth scent with an equal amount of leather and lilac, and then the fruit adding a slightly sweeter, juicy feel. It’s a very well-blended scent. Overall Impressions: This scent is very intriguing. It’s very well balanced and slightly complex, but smooth and unisex. It starts out a bit soapy, but after it dries it becomes this understated leather, lilac and plum scent that sticks very close to the skin. I think this is a little too unisex for me, but I can see both men and women enjoying it.

One day the old man was sitting in front of his cottage, as he was very fond of doing, when he saw flying towards him a little sparrow, followed by a big black raven. The poor little thing was very much frightened and cried out as it flew, and the great bird came behind it terribly fast, flapping its wings and craning its beak, for it was hungry and wanted some dinner. But as they drew near the old man, he jumped up, and beat back the raven, which mounted, with hoarse screams of disappointment, into the sky, and the little bird, freed from its enemy, nestled into the old man's hand, and he carried it into the house. He stroked its feathers, and told it not to be afraid, for it was quite safe; but as he still felt its heart beating, he put it into a cage, where it soon plucked up courage to twitter and hop about. The old man was fond of all creatures, and every morning he used to open the cage door, and the sparrow flew happily about until it caught sight of a cat or a rat or some other fierce beast, when it would instantly return to the cage, knowing that there no harm could come to it. Seeds, sedge, brown amber, and sandalwood. I wish my review could be more favorable, but here goes... In bottle/imp: Herbal, nutty and cool with a dry musk feel to it. Immediately on skin: This smells really powdery on me, but with some cooler herbal notes to it. The sandalwood is barely detectable, but it adds a touch of warm sweetness. The seed note is interesting… it’s like a mix between nutty and woody almost. After a little while: The sandalwood has gotten a little stronger in this and I can smell it along with the woody/nutty seed note. Overall though, this is very powdery (some ambers turn a little powdery on me, but this is total baby powder) with the sandalwood and seeds in the background. Overall Impressions: I had hight hopes for this scent… but they were dashed by the powder of doom. The seed note is interesting, and the sandalwood is nice, but they were very soft. Overall, this is a slightly warm, powdery scent, and has some interesting stuff going on… but it just doesn’t work on me.

White sandalwood, patchouli, white amber, orris, bourbon vanilla, champaca flower, and kush. In bottle/imp: Something dry but a little sharp, plus a hint of patchouli and a background of soft vanilla. Immediately on skin: This is the type of scent that I can feel in my nose more than I can smell. I see it wet on my skin but when I take a whiff all I smell is a light, sharp mix of sandalwood and patchouli with the violet-like orris wafting around a little. I feel something dry and a little sharp though. After a little while: The orris in this just blooms on my skin so nicely as this settles and dries. This becomes a soft, creamy violet/orris scent with a nice amount of warm white sandalwood. I can smell the white amber and bourbon vanilla lending a soft, warm creamy quality to this. It smells almost like a whipped violet confection. Far in the background is an earthiness, which really grounds this and makes it a little less poofy. Overall Impressions: This scent is feminine and lovely. It has a lot of things going on, but it’s complex enough that it’s very well balanced. The orris is the most identifiable, strongest note to me and to my nose always smells like a fainter violet scent. The orris blends with the amber and vanilla to create this solid, creamy violet fragrance that has a bit of sweetness, but not too much. The sandalwood is very evident, adding a perfume note to the violet/vanilla confection. The patchouli, which I was very worried about, barely comes out once this dries on me and adds a nice faint background note. There’s a lot going on here, but it comes together very beautifully. I think people who like violet scents and those who like sandalwood scents might enjoy this, but overall it’s just a nice complex girly fragrance.

Lune Noire: Beth's Creation The encroaching darkness: black orchid, jonquil, white pear, white amber, gardenia, olibanum, champaca, sweet clove, tonka, oakmoss, and blue musk. In bottle/imp: This smells sort of like cherry flowers. Breaking it down I get a very bright, almost juicy fruitiness melding seamlessly with florals and a light amount of oakmoss. Immediately on skin: When I put this on, I’m still getting almost a cherry-like feel to it. I’m pretty sure it’s the orchid, champaca, pear, and gardenia all melding together. This is juicy and dark, but not overly sweet or floral. And most of all, the cherry feel I get doesn’t smell at all like cough syrup. After a few minutes the notes are breaking up. I get a lot of orchid out of this, but it's tamed by a touch of pear and champaca. The gardenia adds a nice richness. There's almost a slight underlying musky woodiness... or at least something a little dry to balance all of these other juicy notes. After a little while: As time goes on, this gets a little drier-smelling overall. There’s a definite bit of cool musk now, which balances out the thickness of the orchid. This smells floral but thick, dark, and rich with a dry, musky overtone and an overall cool feel. It’s almost fruity, but not quite. Mostly, though, this is an orchid scent with champaca and gardenia adding a bit of wild floral-ness, and a touch of pear and oakmoss. I think the white amber and clove may be giving this the drier feel, but I’m not sure. Overall Impressions: This is a very lovely scent in that dark, rich manner that Beth does so well! Primarily, this is an orchid scent on me, but it’s more complex with hints of other florals, pear, and musk and dry amber notes. It's not too floral, too cool, or too anything, really. It's very nicely balanced.

Known as Pimoko, the sun-daughter, Jingu was an Empress of Japan who served as regent and de facto ruler between the time of the death of her husband and the ascension of her son, Emperor Ojin. Sure that knowledge of her husband’s death would bring discord to her realm, she managed to keep his passing a secret, and successfully put down numerous insurrections in his name. Although she was pregnant with the future emperor of Japan, she donned armor and rode into battle, leading the conquest of Silla. Sakura, white orchid, mandarin, bamboo, red sandalwood, plum blossom, and lilac. In bottle/imp: Very floral. Mostly, I smell the sakura and orchid, but there’s also a bit of cool lilac underneath. Immediately on skin: Ah, lovely cherry blossoms are what I get at first sniff. Then I notice the orange mixed with the cooler floral tone of the lilac, as well as some almost-powdery orchid. This is slightly fruity as well, but it’s probably actually the plum blossom note (which to me smells almost like plum, but not quite). This has an overall cool, dry, sweetly pink floral feel to it. This scent is very tricky though as I keep getting peeks of just about all the notes; I’ll get a little watery, fresh bamboo with one sniff, then the next I get the warmth of sandalwood under all the flowers. This is very pretty. After a little while: This gets even sweeter and a bit fruitier on me as I wear it. The bulk of this scent seems to be the floral notes; mainly, the sakura, plum blossom, and orchid with a finish of cool lilac. It’s sweet and pretty, but slightly perfumey. Wafting above the floweriness is a tangy fruitiness with the freshness of bamboo mixed in, and then the sandalwood just adds a very smooth dry feel to the overall scent. Overall Impressions: This reminds me so much of Hanami, only better. Whereas Hanami is pretty, sweet, almost fruity flowers, Jingu also has this complexity with bits of citrus and bright fruitiness, the cool green scent of bamboo, and smooth, sexy sandalwood. This is a great feminine scent, but not quite as girly as Hanami.

SPUN SUGAR SPECTRE A web of gleaming, glistening sugar strands! When I first opened the bottle I was a little nervous as I got a lot of booze (bourbon in particular) with some deep caramel notes and a bit of creamy cotton candy, since I was hoping for a lot more of the latter. Using it in the shower, I get very boozy cotton candy. The scent left on my skin, however, was a rich but very light cotton candy scent that I really love. It goes very well with my favorite cotton candy scents (Boo and Loli.Goth) and leaves my skin lightly fragrant and moisturized. Definitely a keeper!

The walls reverberate with a resounding boom as the mechanism is activated, and the boom settles into a hum with a deep, growling buzz. Purple-white and lightning-yellow streamers of electricity cavort over enameled copper wires and through gleaming glass globes; the room is set afire with corona spray, and bare fluorescent bulbs mounted on the walls blaze to life. Ozone, eucalyptus and mint with purple orchid, passionflower, white ginger, and purple lotus. In bottle/imp: Strong, sharp eucalyptus and mint. Immediately on skin: This is a nose-clearing type of blend. The eucalyptus and mint are the strongest notes, creating something sharp and biting. In the background I can smell a little of the lotus, which mixed with mint always smells like cough syrup to me. It’s similar here, but the lotus is very light. There’s a sweetness here though that trumps the lotus though… the passionflower perhaps? It adds a note to this that takes it from something you’d take to feel better to something you’d wear. Ah, and the ozone is coming out a little as well… It’s not blending in as much as drifting above the other notes. After a little while: The sharp eucalyptus and mint have softened considerably, and this has transformed into a crisp ozone and eucalyptus scent with a hint of mint and a background of subtle, sweet florals. The freshness of the ozone and eucalyptus are really nicely balanced now with the florals, and the lotus has really faded to the point that I can’t smell it any more. Overall Impressions: This scent is so much nicer than I was expecting. At first it’s sharp, but it transforms into this unisex ozone/eucalyptus/soft flowers scent that’s very pretty and quite smooth. The blending is gorgeous once this dried down on me, and while I can pick out the ozone, eucalyptus, mint, orchid, and passionflower, the only one that seems to stray from the rest a little is the ozone, which sort of floats above the rest. The floral notes in this are subtle, but really add a nice smooth soft feel to the other overly high notes of the blend. This has a little bit of a masculine feel from the ozone (that's just my own opinion of that note though), but the flowers in this definitely balance that out. Very pretty, and definitely worth trying!

Thank you for the opinions, and the congratulations I really have very little interest in most of my perfumes, but have worn Pumpkin Princess and Embalming Fluid in my clocket so far, and the latter is especially nice and refreshing. I guess I just fear I'll miss out on something, but I have more important things on my mind so it shouldn't matter too much. I got a bottle of SN Tonka, and picked up Autumn Lace, and will probably wait a while until I smell or skin test either.

I'm newly pregnant (6 weeks tomorrow) and was wondering what people here did as far as testing new scents during their pregnancy. I only intend to wear scents in my clocket, not on my skin, but I don't know if it would be worth it to get new stuff of it just smells good on a piece of fabric or paper. I guess I wouldn't be using a lot, so a decant might be enough. I'm hoping to get the Tonka SN just because its one of my favorite notes, but I probably won't be able to wear it for a long while.

The only bpal that has had a noticeable effect on my dreams was the first Singing Moon, and it wasn't a good one. I dont often have bad dreams, but both times I wore that blend to bed, I did. They were bad enough that I ended up selling my bottle, though I can't remember the specifics now.

In October, the crop harvest has past, and all hands turn to the Hunt: the third and final harvest before winter. Blood Moon shines over huntsmen as they ride over reaped grain in pursuit of their prey. In Christian mythology, Blood Moon may have a darker significance: "And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind." -- Revelation 6:12-13 The feral scent of the heat of the chase, deep woods, undulating musks, brushed by forest flora, swirled in the incense of the anointed cherub that covereth[/i], and touched by blood-dimmed lunar oils. In bottle: Lots of musk, dry woods, with a red, deep sweetness and a touch of herbal floral notes. Immediately on skin: This smells dark but still perfumey and slightly “clean.” I get a lot of musk in this, but it’s sweetened almost like Hunter Moon 07. There’s a deep red scent to it, and without any metallic notes (I thought blood might mean metallic). It’s warm, dark woods, incense and musks with some deep forest florals and a bit of a clean note far underneath. After a little while: This just seems to get stronger and more dry-smelling on my skin as I wear it. It’s a warm, musky clean scent with a lot of incense (not smoke, but more like incense sticks) and hints of dry wood and herbs. This is also getting more unisex as it sits on my skin; the hint of florals I got at first have faded, though a little sweetness still remains. This is rather dry-smelling as well. Overall impressions: This scent is deep and warm… it’s full of musk and incense with hints of dry woods and herbs. It’s a very dry, unisex scent and has an overall clean feel which is something I just wasn’t expecting. Blood Moon is blended well and has just a hint of sweetness that tempers all of the dry notes just a touch. If you’re a musk or incense fan, I definitely recommend trying this. It’s not as rich and sweet as Hunter Moon 07, but it’s similar to the feel of that blend.

I LOVE honeysuckle and have yet to find a bpal that smells like it. Joyful Moon and Encroaching Madness are two of my favorite scents, but I don't really get honeysuckle from them. I've had to go to other companies for my honeysuckle fix unfortunately.

This scent to me smells like a hybrid of Celeste, Antique Lace, and Candy Butcher. It's vanilla but on the perfumey side and just a touch musky, while being slightly sweet and smelling a little like a sort of whipped vanilla confection. While I never loved Antique Lace, Celeste, or Candy Butcher enough to keep bottles and put them in my regular rotation, I think I would buy a bottle of this if it were released. Of course, I might just be loving it because I know it's something I'll probably never get my hands on.

Mostly gingerbread with a little bit of orange. This is very foody, and not too strong on the spice. It also behaves on my skin while in the past I've had issues with Gingerbread Poppet and other bakery type blends turning almost salty and savory smelling on me. ETA: I've worn this a couple of times now and the more I do, the more it reminds me of apple pie as opposed to gingerbread cookies. There's a hint of fruitiness to it aside from the light amount of citrus that's quite nice.

A gorgeous and very feminine, subtle polish. But not boring... oh, no. You may not notice this at first, but once you do you won't stop staring! It's a gorgeous light color, right in the middle between baby pink and lavender. It has a beautiful golden flash and is almost duochrome but not quite. I thought at first it would be a frost color, but it behaves so much better than frosts usually do on me and there's no odd lines on my nails whatsoever. Maybe it would be more honest to call this more of a pearl finish, which is what it reminds me of. This color is very transparent, and at 2 coats there's visible nail line while 3 is just about perfect. Application was flawless and the dry time was average.

Halloween: Los Angeles from the Halloween update is a very nice smoke scent with an underlying sweet perfumey note to it. I usually don't like bpal's smoke note to much (my favorite smokey perfumes are from Cobalt Blends and CB I Hate Perfume), but Los Angeles is really nice on me. HALLOWEEN: LOS ANGELES The sky on fire: a strange incense of burning brush, junegrass, tumbleweeds, chaparral, and wild sage.

In bottle/imp: Beeswax, honey, and some clean, high ozoney scent. Immediately on skin: Beeswax with a bit of honey and a bit of feminine perfume. This is not very good on me, but I’m not surprised as I generally dislike beeswax and honey scents. After a little while: This fades into the scent of skin-warmed beeswax mixed with a little honey. Any extra notes have all but disappeared on my skin. Overall Impressions: Beeswax and honey lovers will probably adore this scent, but as those notes don’t generally work on my skin, this scent isn’t for me.