A nocturnal bounty of fae dew-kissed petals and pale fruits: white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon.
Reviewed 07/05/2008
In the imp: Pear and sweet pea, fairly strong. More floral that fruity.
Wet: Grape juice, a hint of peach and floral. The floral notes take a back seat to the fruits.
Drydown: Refreshing, clean, girlish and innocent. This is very well-blended, no one note takes over although I can definitely smell sweet pea, which happens to be my birthflower. This is a very different pear than the Haunted House '07 scents; those turned into play-doh on my skin, while this stays sparkling and fresh. I see this becoming a favorite summer scent. Medium wear length and it clings close to the skin with little throw, so the sweetness doesn't become overpowering on hot, sticky days.
Golden mead, fermented with gruit, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger root, sweet-briar, rosemary, and lemon.
Reviewed 07/04/2008
In the bottle: Honey, lemon, and a hint of ginger.
On my skin: This quickly becomes vaguely-honey-scented baby powder. WAHHH. It has good throw and lasts for EVER, so I think I'll let it age for a few months and test it again.
Hay absolute, tall grasses, dry honey, mallow, cardamom, amber, and wheat.
Reviewed 07/04/2008
In the bottle: This screams 'perfume'. I almost didn't want to try it.
On my skin: My grandfather. I can't even sniff for notes because this smells EXACTLY like my grandfather, the unique combination of his aftershave, soap, hair stuff, cologne, and tanned skin. When I smell this I see his face, it is *dead on*. My partner thinks this smells amazingly yummy and would love me to wear it all the time. It's lovely, but I don't think it's something I can wear because it makes me all teary.
Papaya, blueberry, lemongrass, and gin.
Reviewed 05/02/2008
In the bottle: Sugary sweet fruit, lots of gin.
Wet: A hint of sharpness from the gin, but mostly this is syrupy, over-sweet blueberries.
Drydown: I'm all about the sweet foody scents, but this was overkill while it was wet. Thankfully it calmed down as it dried, becoming lighter and less cloying. It's like a blue raspberry slushy, with a dash of gin, some fizzy club soda, and a twist of lemon. This scent is very summery and so much fun, and I got more compliments wearing it today than any other I've tried. It's got great throw, and it lasted all day long without needing to be reapplied.
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.
Glowing liquid passes through the fogged retorts of ancient alembics, sparks fly from behind a massive workbench, and a cloud of thick incense smoke hangs low, all casting strange and surreal flashes of light and shadow on tall bolted-steel walls. The chug and hum of gargantuan machines echo through the chamber.
Burnished gold and oiled bronze notes with Abramelin incense and sage.
Reviewed 04/21/2008
I can't remember exactly what I wrote last night, since it got lost in the forum burp. But I do remember that this smelled exactly like a perfume I had as a child called Topaz. It came in a bottle shaped like a lamb, and I'm not sure who made it. I probably won't ever wear this, but I'll sniff it every once in a while to go back to that innocent time in my life.
Since 1928, Mother Shub and her brood have been providing the snack shacks of the Miskatonic Valley with a bevy of otherworldly sweets and baked treats. This year, Mother Shub has created a promotional perfume oil that embodies the scent of her famous Peanut Brittle Caramel Popcorn. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Thank you for an eon of community support!
Reviewed 4/22/2008
In the bottle: Hot, dripping-with-butter popcorn.
Wet: Buttery popcorn, and a hint of sweetness coming out.
Drydown: The popcorn settles down and sweet caramel comes forward. I'm not getting anything peanut-y at all. The caramel note is amazingly real, and combined with the lingering butter it reminds me of fresh, homemade caramels being pressed into a buttered pan.
Fairly low throw, but decent wear length; I couldn't wait to get home and slathered some on right there in the post office after I picked up the package. That was about three hours ago, and it hasn't faded much at all despite the fact that my skin drinks oils for breakfast. I can't wait to try this in my scent locket tomorrow!
Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk.
Reviewed 03/26/2008
I didn't sniff the imp of this, because I was nervous after reading the notes and didn't want to pre-judge it. I didn't read the reviews either. The teak note makes me nervous, wood goes to sawdust on me normally, and I've never smelled Snake Oil so I can't compare it with that.
Wet: No sawdust yet, thank goodness. It's mostly dark cocoa, with a hint of something like caramel. It's not sweet or foody though. It's complex, I can smell some other, spicy notes floating around but I can't identify them.
Drydown: This stained my skin where I put it on for a test patch. After about half an hour a sandalwood-like note came up and became very prominent, to the exclusion of pretty much everything else. It's very strong, and I'm not really fond of it. At the same time, a pounding headache came on. I'm not sure if they're related, but I had to go wash it off anyway. I'll have to test it again to see if the headache returns, but right now I'm not fond of this one.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A lunatic's blend of lunar herbs and blossoms, with lemongrass, guava, pink grapefruit, banyan fruit, hibiscus, and cherry blossom.
Reviewed 03/08/2008
In the bottle: Creamy fruits.
Wet: Heavy on the guava and the grapefruit. It's very crisp and clear.
Drydown: The longer this sits on my skin the more the floral notes come out. The florals come forward and ground the fruit, while the fruits keep this from becoming too floral. It's a relatively non-foody fruit scent, IMO. It 'feels' very cool and it's appropriate for the coming spring season. I like this a lot.
May marks the apex of the year's fertility, expresses the reawakening of the sexuality of the Earth and her inhabitants, and May's full moon celebrates both the fecundity of the creatures and flora of this world and the vibrancy, rejuvenation and life-affirming energy of Spring. Milk Moon is Flower Moon's warmer, gentler cousin; it is a scent that emulates the closeness of child and mother. In it, cream and warm honey soften our traditional blend of lunar oils.
Reviewed 03/08/2008
In the bottle: It smells like a certain milk candy I used to eat when I was young.
Wet: Milk, but it's barely there. It reminds me a bit of Chaste Moon. I put on quite a bit, just this short of slathering, and I still have to put my wrist all the way to my nose to smell anything.
Drydown: It gets a bit minty, and then suddenly it turns into sour milk and cat pee. Oh skin chemistry, you have failed me once again. *sigh*
A super-sweet, glittering mountain of crushed hard candy: watermelon, pink lime, lemon, strawberry and piles upon piles of crystalline sugar.
Reviewed 03/08/2008
This is absolute silliness in a bottle, and I adore it. A mountain of hard candy is the perfect description for this. I don't get much watermelon, but there's tons of lemon and lime with a dash of strawberry thrown in, with a few pounds of sugar piled on top. It smells like rock candy. I think what I love most about this scent is that it's impossible to sniff it without smiling, you just can't be sad if you're wearing it.
A new year's blessing! Peony, China's national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, lychee for strong family relationships and peace in the home, orange for happiness, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, coconut for longevity, and candied melon for good health, with a splash of blazing red of dragon's blood... to help you scare away the rampaging Nian.
Reviewed 03/08/2008
In the imp: This smells sharp, but not citrus sharp. It makes my nose twitch.
Wet: Why hello there melon! Wow, that's strong. I can't make out any of the other notes through the melon.
Drydown: None of the citrus notes came out for me, sadly. The melon calmed down a lot and blended with the other notes to create a beautiful fruity-floral scent with a hint of something sharp cutting through all sweetness. I'm glad I didn't amp the dragon's blood in this, because it doesn't do well on me. The throw is low, but it lasts a really long time even on my skin, which drinks up oils like a Hummer guzzles down gas. I'm not sure how often I will wear this, but I definitely want a bottle of this before it goes down.
Unreleased scent, no description
Reviewed 03/08/2008
I really wanted this to work on me because I love the concept. I don't know what my skin chemistry is doing, but it turned into cinnamon-spiced celery! What the heck?
All the glory, warmth and majesty of the sun -- darkened. A delicious blend of bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon.
Reviewed: 03/08/2008
In the imp: Almond, and it's strong.
Wet: Almond, a bit of sweetness from the vanilla. I'm not getting any cinnamon, and so far no skin reaction from it either.
Drydown: The cinnamon never came forward, and this wound up turning into slightly almondy baby powder. Not unpleasant, but not what I was looking for or expecting. I think it would make a nice room scent, and it might work in a scent locket, but this isn't something I'll be reaching for to wear.
A crisp, pale, almost translucent rose dusted by moonflower and midnight dew.
Reviewed 03/07/2008
IIn the imp: This reminds me of an Avon perfume my great-grandmother drenched herself in. It's making me really hesitant to try this, but here goes...
Wet: Subtle floral, something fresh and green. Not nearly as strong as I thought it would be, thankfully.
Drydown: Very pretty and feminine. I scanned some of the previous reviews and saw a lot of people describing this as a pink rose, but in my mind it's pure white, a rosebud just beginning to unfurl. It was on the verge of soapy for a while, but it never quite went over. It smells very fresh and clean, very cool, and it's not overpowering at all. In fact, it's very very light and fades away quickly.
Sugar-Slathered Candied Apple -- With a dollop of caramel!
Reviewed 03/05/2008
I can't believe I haven't posted a review of this scent yet because it's one of my favorites!
In the imp: Fresh, juicy apples.
Wet: Caramel and apples. This smells like freshly dipped caramel apples, the way you can smell the still-warm caramel and the apple as you take that first bite.
Drydown: I'm so happy this doesn't morph on me. I absolutely love it. It smells exactly the same from beginning to end. On my skin it fades pretty quickly, but in my scent locket it lasts and lasts and has a good amount of throw. I only regret not being able to afford a bottle of this at Halloween, because now I'm jealously hoarding my one little imp of it.
