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Rovylern

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Blog Entries posted by Rovylern

  1. Rovylern

    Undertow

    By Rovylern,

    The Dark Side of Water: clean and purifying, yet menacing -- lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. A scent dragged up from the depths to the Stygian shore
     
    Reviewed 08/02/2007
     
    I love the way that this starts off. It's a burst of mint when wet, and when it dries it settles into a light, bouncy mint that's grounded by a dash of gin-y juniper. I couldn't smell any florals at all, which is odd because lotus usually gets very sweet on me. Sadly, this was gone in about an hour and left me with a pounding headache. I felt like I'd been drinking gin instead of sniffing it. I may give this another try at a different time of the month, but right now it's just not working for me.
  2. Rovylern

    Cthulhu

    By Rovylern,

    If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings... It represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind. This thing, which seemed instinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence...A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters.
     
    Reviewed 08/02/2007
     
    Where are my aquatics? Where are my green notes? Why does my skin hate me?
     
    Soap. Strong, masculine-smelling soap. I smell like my grandpa. The good part is that this faded really quickly and is almost completely gone two hours after applying it, so at least I don't have to smell it all day. Maybe I'll try this one on the boy.
  3. Rovylern

    The Candy Butcher

    By Rovylern,

    An exquisite, enigmatic woman sidles up to you, bearing a tray of strange, dusty curios, chocolate creatures, serpentine taffy, and candied skulls. Her skin is dusky, her eyes are heavy-lidded and sensual, her hair is the fine, soft white of spun sugar, and her skin is softly scented with cocoa. She holds a shrunken head aloft, and beckons. Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.
     
    Reviewed 08/01/2007
     
    I have been wanting to try this since the moment I read the description. I wore this to work today, untested, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Thick, sweet, dark chocolate while wet, it settled into a lovely, more subtle chocolate swirled with vanilla cream upon drydown. The throw was perfect; I could smell it without lifting my wrist to my nose, but it didn't knock down everyone who came within three feet of me either. The only drawback to this oil is that it makes me crave really good, really expensive chocolates like woah; I think if I wore this every day I would gain a ton and a half of weight.
  4. Rovylern

    Forbidden Fruit

    By Rovylern,

    As light and innocent as your first time should have been. The fresh scent of lotus hidden behind lightly scented flowers, amber, and citrus.
     
    Reviewed: 08/01/2007
     
    Forbidden Fruit was Juicy Fruit gum with a bottom note of cat pee on me. On munchkin, it was gorgeous, sparkling citrusy-floral with just the right amount of sweetness. I'm sensing a trend here: scents that I really want to try wind up smelling awful on me and disgustingly good on my kid. *Definitely* time to sell her to the circus.
  5. Rovylern

    Dana O'Shee

    By Rovylern,

    In Irish folklore the Dana O'Shee are a fae, elven people that live in a realm of beauty, their nobility akin to our that own Age of Chivalry, eternally beautiful and eternally young. They surround themselves with the pleasures of the Arts, they live for the hunt, and to this day can be seen riding in procession through the Irish countryside at twilight, led by their King and Queen. However, the Dana O'Shee are not benevolent creatures, despite what their unearthly beauty may imply. They are vengeful and treacherous and possess a streak of mischievous malice, and many have whispered that their true home lies deep in the shadowed groves of the Realm of the Dead. Hearing even a single chord of their otherworldly music leaves one stunned and lost to the mortal realms for ever, finding themselves prey to the Dana O'Shee's hunt or enslaved in their Court as servants or playthings. Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains were made to placate these creatures, and it is that the basis of the scent created in their name.
     
    Reviewed 07/31/2007
     
    When I first put this on, there's a burst of dark, juicy, almost overripe cherry that fades almost immediately; if I don't raise my wrist to my nose immediately, I completely miss the phase. After the momentary cherry phase, it immediately settles into a warm, creamy milk and honey scent that is grounded with just a touch of oatmeal. It's not a terribly strong throw, but when I move my hands you can definitely smell it in the air and it seems to last for ages on my skin...I wore this for ten hours without a single re-application. This is the first scent that someone else has noticed on me (without me pointing it out), and I was complimented three different times while wearing it at work today. I would love this as a room scent, too, and I'm seriously thinking of going out and buying an oil burner just for that. It just has a very inviting, comforting, calming feel to it. It's official, Tokyo Stomp now has some stiff competition for the top spot in my growing arsenal.
  6. Rovylern

    Jabberwocky

    By Rovylern,

    And, as in uffish thought he stood,
    The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
    Come whiffing through the tulgey wood,
    And burbled as it came!
     
    An earthy yet buoyant scent: pine, eucalyptus and orange.
     
    Reviewed 07/28/2007
     
    I got this as a freebie and did not really expect to use it at all because of my first whiff. When I first opened it all I could smell was pure Pine-Sol, enough to make me recoil. I capped it and put it away feeling like my nostrils had been singed!
     
    I'm not exactly sure why I gave it a second chance, but I pulled it out, held my breath, and swabbed some on.
    On my skin the pine and eucalyptus faded extremely fast. It's changed from my OCD aunt's bathroom floor to a sunny orange grove with a few pines scattered around the borders, and stayed that way for the past three hours. There's not much throw to it, either, so it would be great for close settings when you don't want to overwhelm.
     
    This is definitely a wearable pick-me-up scent; I can see myself wearing this on days when I have to go into work early or I know I'll be staying late.
  7. Rovylern

    Port-Au-Prince

    By Rovylern,

    Dark, decadent and incomparably exotic: the rich scent of buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras.
     
    Reviewed 07/28/2007
     
    In the bottle and wet I loved this: spicy, strong notes of cloves and cinnamon with something buttery and creamy under it. Intoxicating, sexy, confident...and then it dried. *sigh* Dry, it turned into old-lady soap (or maybe old Avon perfume) with a hint of Big Red gum. It smelled like the inside of my great-grandmother's purse. The throw was strong enough that when it went old-lady on me I had to go scrub it off because it was giving me a headache. I tested this on my inner elbow, so maybe this will be different on my wrists or at another time of the month.
     
    I tried it on my mister, and wet it was all cherry syrup. As it dried the spiciness came out, but the cherries held their own. Does this have a peppery note in it? It gave me a pepper feel. The butter rum never manifested. The throw wasn't nearly as strong on him, I noticed. Even if this stays Avon-ish on me, it'll be good for the rare times I can convince the boy to wear scent.
  8. Rovylern

    First

    By Rovylern,

    OK, this is mainly going to be a list for me to keep track of scents I liked and disliked, without needing to search for my reviews in the main forum. I can do more squeeing and ranting, too. If you want to leave suggestions, please feel free!
  9. Rovylern

    Nuclear Winter

    By Rovylern,

    Annihilation. The ice, desolation and barrenness of nuclear devastation shot through by a beam of radioactive mints.
     
    Reviewed 03/21/2008
     
    In the imp: Minty, but a different mint than the other minty BPAL scents I like (Snowblind, Tokyo Stomp, etc.)
     
    Wet: This is a spicier mint than I'm used to, and it is amazing. I love this. YUM.
     
    Drydown: This kept the spicy mint scent, but a tiny bit of greenness has come out under it, like the first little sprouts of grass peeking up through the snow. I want buckets of this, gallons and gallons of it so I can bathe in it. It feels so cool and fresh. I wish it had a bit more throw, but that might be my oil-drinking skin.
  10. Rovylern
    Seaweed, honey, white mint, and ambergris.
     
    Reviewed 03/20/2008
     
    In the imp: This is an exact dupe for Zest soap! And it's strong, too.
     
    Wet: This is an eye opener. It still has that Zest soap smell, and if I sniff it too closely it makes my eyes water.
     
    Drydown: That strong soap smell never really leaves. I might wear this if I was dragging and had to wake myself up, but I can't picture myself reaching for this very often. I may try it on my SO to see if it smells better on him.
  11. Rovylern

    Harikata

    By Rovylern,

    Osmanthus, honey, golden musk, vanilla flower, and ginger.
     
    Reviewed 03/20/2008
     
    In the imp: I have no idea what I'm smelling, but it 'feels' golden. It doesn't smell particularly musky or floral or spicy or sweet.
     
    Wet: Now there's floral notes. Something is making my nose twitch if I sniff too closely, maybe the ginger?
     
    Drydown: I have such hit-or-miss luck with honey notes. Sometimes it's gorgeous, sometimes it turns into cat pee. Sadly, this is the latter kind. I really enjoyed this scent until about 45-60 minutes into the weartime, and then it turned bad. I probably won't be ordering a bottle of this before it comes down, but I'll hang onto my imp for use in my scent locket.
  12. Rovylern
    Medieval romance and courtly love. White rose and soft resins.
     
    Reviewed 03/20/2008
     
    In the imp: Flowers, but not roses specifically, and a hint of incense.
     
    Wet: Now it's rose, a light, tangy rose with fresh greenery. There's nothing that says resin or incense anymore.
     
    Drydown: This is my perfect rose scent. Not a touch of powder the way many roses go on my skin, light and fresh, simply gorgeous, never overpowering. It has a long wear time and a decent throw, which surprised me since it's such a light scent. I *love* this one, and I think it will become a mainstay of my spring scent wardrobe.
  13. Rovylern

    To Helen

    By Rovylern,

    Electric ozone, opaline notes, moonflower, white amber, beeswax, and three roses.
     
    Reviewed 03/20/2008
     
    In the imp: Is there something in there? I can't smell anything. How weird.
     
    Wet: Powder, but not baby powder. There's something swirling around underneath that is threatening to turn evil on my skin.
     
    Drydown: Powder, but a creamy powder. I'm not getting any floral notes at all. This is pretty, but it's not something I'll wear often at all. I wanted so badly to hoard this one because of the name, but I think I'll just stick with my imp.
  14. Rovylern

    Beaver Moon 2007

    By Rovylern,

    BEAVER MOON
    Traditionally, Beaver Moon is named thus for a very obvious reason: during this time of year, beavers are hard at work building their dams and preparing for the onset of winter. However, we at BPAL rarely let an opportunity for sleazy campiness pass us by! For your pleasure and amusement, we present this year's incarnation of Beaver Moon: wild cherry with vanilla cream accord, and a hint of strawberry.
     
    Reviewed 10/14/2007
     
    Oh yum. This is absolutely delectable.
     
    Wet I get a strong cherry note, almost exclusively. As it begins to dry there's a distinct cake-y smell, like vanilla cake batter before it's baked, that pushes the cherry into the background. Just as it's about to get overwhelming, the strawberry comes up and it all blends together amazingly.
    The throw is very very subtle, and as AEris mentioned is only really detectable for about half an hour unless I go nose-to-wrist and sniff for it. It does last for a long time, but even if I slather it on it stays very light. Usually I like a more distinct throw, so I'll be hunting for a locket or something to make this stand out a bit more.
     
    Even with the subtle throw, I am so in love with this oil! I'm glad I bought three bottles of this, it's definitely one I'm going to hoard.
  15. Rovylern

    The Dodo

    By Rovylern,

    Red musk, lemon peel, sugar cane, cassia, white sandalwood, mango, and agarwood.
     
    This was the All-Cassia-Channel on my skin. I like cassia, so that didn't bother me, but I wish I could have gotten some other notes from it. I didn't get to give it a fair trial, though, because I started to get burning, itching welts after only a few minutes. I tested it on the back of my hand, which is one of my least reactive zones, so this is definitely a no-go for me.
  16. Rovylern

    Caliban

    By Rovylern,

    The scent of the salty seas, bittersweet wine, palm and tropical ferns.
     
    In the imp: Something about this reminds me of one of those "After The Rain" air fresheners.
     
    Wet: Yep, definitely an air freshener. It's very green and fresh, but something about it comes off artificial and chemical to my nose.
     
    Drydown: Wait, where did it go? This was completely gone after only 35 minutes. I put more on, and it disappeared again. I applied it a third time, very heavily, and again it vanished. Apparently I am not meant to smell this for more than half an hour. How very odd.
  17. Rovylern

    Sugar Moon 2008

    By Rovylern,

    Sugar cane, blue musk, mahogany, black orchid, black currant, violet, blackberry leaf, teak, strawberry, and dusky rose.
     
    In the bottle: Sugar, tart strawberry and currant, something herbal.
     
    Wet: I get a boozy note mostly, and something under it that smells like...barbecue spices. It's not pleasant.
     
    Drydown: This stays very dark and boozy. Whatever is giving me the barbecue impression sticks around too, with a hint of maple syrup added in. This is not good for me. One bottle will stay in the box to age and retest eventually, but one is definitely going to the swaplist.
  18. Rovylern

    Moon of Ice 2008

    By Rovylern,

    The Moon of Ice shines its pale white light on snow-blanketed hills and barren fields. Icicles dangle from skeletal branches, and the desperate howl of starving men and beasts echo through the darkness.
    Frost-crusted winter flowers, white pine, eucalyptus, and traditional lunar oils.
     
    Reviewed 03/12/2008
     
    In the bottle: I can't pinpoint what I'm smelling, but it smells like something I used to use to mop my floors. Very cleaning-fluidish.
     
    Wet: This is so sharp and cold it almost hurts! I can definitely pinpoint the eucalyptus and something else herbal.
     
    Drydown: After a few minutes this settles into something that reminds me of Jabberwocky. It's citrus, almost creamy, with a hint of flowers lingering in the background and a tang of eucalyptus giving it all an edge. It's got a light throw, but it lasts a long time. 12 hours and multiple hand-washings after I put this on I could still get whiffs of it if I lifted my hand to my nose.
     
    I really didn't expect to like this, but I *really* do. I wish I'd gotten more than one bottle while it was up.
  19. Rovylern

    April Fool 2008

    By Rovylern,

    The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. - Mark Twain
     
    The Fool is many things, but rarely is he foolish. He is the inscrutable zero, he is innocence perfected, and he is the nothing from which all things are created. It is the Fool that reveals truth and brings wisdom to King Lear, and it is the Fool that finally finds the Holy Grail.
     
    Huckleberry, white rose, tangerine, nicotiana, lemon blossom, and Fool's Parsley.
     
    Reviewed 04/27/2008
     
    Wet: Wow, that's a sharp herbal. Yikes.
     
    Drydown: I'm getting the rose now, a hint of citrus, and a sweetness I'm guessing is the huckleberry. It's still grounded by a green herbal I'm assuming is the parsley, but it's lost that knife-sharp edge that I was getting before. This is definitely not what I was expecting, but it's very pretty and it lasts a really long time.
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