I'm about to go live on a boat until December, so my scentblog will be on hiatus until then. I'll miss the forums, and the internet in general, but I'll be working so hard and having so much fun that it probably won't get me down much. Besides, spending your days in the wind and your nights in a metal-hulled hold with a bunch of unwashed sailors has a way of (temporarily) dulling your sense of smell -- which is probably a good thing, in balance.

So here's one final catchall summary of the oils I've tried lately:

When I put it on, Wrath smells just like plumeria (a favorite flower to make leis with in Hawai`i). Then it gets kind of sweetly musky-spicy, in a badass kind of way. It has good throw and good staying power -- lasted all day and all night, and was still very recognizably present the next morning. If I were to guess the notes, I would have said plumeria and musk, but it only lists dragon's blood and spices (clove, cinnamon, pepper). If that's dragon's blood, I may have to reconsider my prohibition of it, because, yum.

I thought Vice was supposed to be really chocolate-y, but on me that note faded into the background behind orange blossom and cherry. It was mildly sweet and not overwhelmingly foody.

Melpomene smells like cheap perfumed soap, then fabric softener. No thank you.

Kurukulla is sweetly rosy at first, then becomes something richer (but still rosy). I get a mysterious incensey note off of it, like in a Tibetan gift shop or something. This one could become a fave. I really thought I didn't like rose-scented stuff before I tried BPAL. Now I know I just don't like cheap rose-scented stuff.

Osun smelled fairly stanky in the vial, but after it settled into my arm, it was pleasant and honey-sweet.

Aizen-Myoo smelled like extremely bitter citrus for quite a while, but then that cleared up and left behind a clean smell which was nice at first, but then became too strong and fabric-softener-y. I wouldn't wear it again.

I loved the idea of Depraved, but apricot turns out not to be a good note for me. At all. This helps to explain why Siren and I didn't get along, doesn't it?

I thought Port-au-Prince was all right, but I forgot to write down why.

Coyote remains a favorite. It's subtly elegant, and works for both formal and casual occasions.

I do like Yew Trees. It's very green and sappy at first, and then it gets sweeter and vaguely coconutty -- reminds me of a shampoo I used to really like.

Aglaea continues to be magical. I never expected this one to be a fave, so I'm delighted.

I liked Crow Moon less last time I tried it. It was really hot that day, so the snow melted and the flowers bloomed right away, and it's the snow-and-cedars part that I like. The flowers make me sneezy. Boo to that.

Veil somehow really does smell veiled. One smell behind another, but both are visible -- er, smellable. It's nice, though perhaps a little too floral for my taste.

Yggdrasil was so-so. I'm disappointed that most of the tree scents I've tried aren't all that great on me (Hamadryad wasn't so hot either), because I really do love trees. Maybe I just wasn't meant to smell like one.

All right, that's all I've got. I'll see you in December.