sarada

This has always been a favorite card for me -- I love the symbolism of the card, the roses and lilies, the collection of the cup, sword, wand and pentacle on the table (going with the traditional image in my mind here), it's a very complex card and one that I have enjoyed painting in various forms over the years. I was expecting something that reflected those images, maybe with rose and lily and something wooden in it, but this is hard to put my finger on -- none of those are in it at all as far as I can tell. It comes across as rather medicinal at first, maybe herbal. Eucalyptus? Lavender? Something like anise creeps in for a moment. Lavender, anise and eucalyptus? But then there's a stage where there's a strong sense of some sort of honeyed flower ... honeysuckle maybe, or perhaps it's just a resin that comes across like that. Then it goes back into an almost herbal smell. I could spend ages sniffing this and trying to figure it out. I imagine a wooden shack where someone dries herbs, while outside medicinal plants and flowers are growing. This is something I'd like to spend some time with, but unfortunately since this is from the Tarot swap I am only going to swipe it once and try to go on that impression. I don't know if I could use an entire bottle since I really only use oils for fragrance, and I don't know that I'd want to wear this as one, but it's great for study and meditation. It also seems appropriate for this time of year, as it makes me think of the smell of a warm herb garden wafting through the air.

The Fool goes through three distinct stages on me, so distinct that I might as well be wearing three separate perfumes! In the bottle there's definitely that overwhelming mint that most everyone has commented on. That's what I get too -- and I will also go with pennyroyal as a likely suspect since it is a much deeper mint than the garden variety. It's absolutely delightful in the bottle -- it makes me smile. I can't help but smile, it's such a happy, alive scent! The mint quickly fades, as it always does, replaced by a powdery smell that I at first associated with lilac. I was pretty sure it was lilac for awhile but after reading the other reviews I wonder about apple blossom, which is total powder on me, but I usually don't like it. I like this though.....so perhaps lilac is possible. Whatever it is, the mintiness is all gone and it's all powdery for awhile. Finally, another scent starts to creep out as the powder fades. I think at first it might be fig, but I can't imagine that mint/pennyroyal or lilac/apple blossom would go together with fig very well. Perhaps currant? It's one of the dark fruits at any rate, and one that I like. It gets increasingly strong for awhile though I'm never entirely sure of what it is...am earthy fruity smell...and fades into something rather indistinct, an almost-succulent floral, maybe Lotus. Each stage did make me smile though. A very playful scent, though I can't imagine that these extremely different scents can co-exist so peacefully and come out the way they do in perfect sequence! Yet somehow, they do!

The Sun is pure, glistening heliotrope -- one of my favorite notes, and very similar to the drydown of Leo. It is a hard-to-describe scent, but unmistakeable once you've come across it a couple of times. Although it is a floral it doesn't smell like a flower -- it reminds me more than anything of a thin coating of sparkling golden dust. Slightly sweet, like powdered amber resin. There might be something else in this but I really can't sense anything except that amazing heliotrope smell, which is unlike anything else. I was afraid of this scent a little because I thought it would be citrusy (it lacks any kind of citrus tang as far as I can tell) or spicey (no spice either except its natural warmth) but it's coming through all heliotrope to me. I can see where it can come across as a variety of things, from an unsweet/nontropical coconut, to a glimmering honeysuckle powder, to amber. Those all suggest the sun to me as well! It dries down to what I would equate with a hazy summer day, the light diffused through a powdery veil of clouds. Since I'll probably never catch another glimpse of Leo, I will be getting some of The Sun if I can, for that shimmering golden halo that I love so much. It also reminds me of the golden glimmer around the edge of Greed without its darker layers and without that strong cherry smell in the beginning (also indicative of heliotrope, though not in this blend so much). This is glorious. I hope I can get a bottle before summer's over, but it might be nice to have The Sun to warm me in the autumn and winter as well.

This is absolutely drool-worthy...I haven't kept any of the Lunacy blends so far except for Pink Moon and I am so grateful to have a nice little sample of this now...this is a keeper. I wish I had been on the ball when Red Moon was released! I love amber in many blends (as long as there's no honey), I apparently ~love~ heliotrope because every blend that has it as an ingredient, I find myself wanting to lick it off my skin. It's just a very juicy, edible note on me and is one of the only florals that I actively adore. And dragon's blood -- another note that I love in every blend except those that also contain cinnamon. I can't pick out the orange peel but it must be doing something to lend that "lickable" sense to the oil. I would really love there to be an herbal tea that smelled like this! It reminds me mainly of Wildfire, but without that berry/juniper note that also made me wish there was a drinkable version of that blend. There aren't any catalogue scents that I've tried thus far that resemble Red Moon. I notice many people mention that there is a cherry or berry smell in this, and that would be the heliotrope, I think -- heliotrope comes across as having a very cherry-like smell, but without whatever it is in real cherry smells that makes me nauseous. It's a very, very RED scent though and actually what I would hope that Fire Eater might smell like. Red without being spicy, or hot, or overly floral. Dragon's blood fans should be pleased by this though the 'blood' isn't extremely strong, it's more of a backdrop for the other notes. It makes me think of a field of wildflowers and herbs illuminated by a setting sun on a dry, warm late August day when you realize that it's just beginning to turn the corner from summer to fall, and the sun casts red-tinged shadows on your skin. Also, I think this is a great scent for redheads!

Figgy figgy fig, I like fig. I didn't know that I liked it, but there you go -- I like every scent I've tried that contains fig. Which is also why I should order Freak Show, but that's another story. But I like currant even more. I don't get a lot of currant from this unfortunately, just fig. This is a gritty, earthy, fruity scent -- at first I catch a little of the fruit that I get from The Hanging Gardens but it's a sharper, spikier scent. This doesn't strike me as a scent of debauchery, though. It's more of a warm summer orchard -- rich soil and deep, dark figs. It deepens and becomes even more rich upon wearing, but it doesn't have a lot of throw. This is one that I can only smell when I make a conscious effort to sniff it -- most fruit scents do that to me. I like them but I have to either slather, or just sit there sniffing the bottle, to get the full effect. This is a must for fig fans -- the underlying note in Nemesis and Mata Hari that I find very compelling is present in force here. I don't know if I'd use a whole bottle but I like having some around to sniff from time to time I think!

This is the one and only single note that is in my permanent possession! And a lovely one it is! In the imp it is just like Penitence -- that incredibly warm, sweet, pure resin. Nothing like the smoky incense smell that I remember from church though -- and not quite like the globs of resins that I sometimes burn on charcoal. It is a much more smooth and sweet scent. Try Penitence if you want to have an idea of what this is like -- that is almost pure frankincense, judging from this imp! I will use this sparingly and treat myself when I want some pure liquid resin. I don't know if I would have bought a bottle when this is available, because I like the frank/myrrh combo in Penitence, Cathedral, etc so much that I don't know that I would need the single note...but it's wonderful to be able to pinpoint this marvellous scent.

This is absolutely glorious when I first sniff it -- unlike anything else, really, that I've come across. It's floral but a tender, green floral...I catch a glimpse of the powdery floral rose and violet that I recognize in some other blends, but this becomes stronger on the skin and doesn't have that sort of powder scent that I associate with most other violet and rose blends I've tried. I love wild clover but only get a slight hint of it, as that tender green scent. It is a very tentative scent...it steps onto the stage and then gets bolder in the limelight. I don't sense the wood or melon...this is a very slightly aquatic, softly green scent with just a touch of powdery rose and violet. I don't know if this is an older version or the more recent one that might be popping up in some orders, but I think it would be very popular if it came back. I don't know if I'd order a bottle, because this increases in power as I wear it and the rose keeps edging out the other scents, giving it a funeral parlour kind of feeling....but it's a very beautiful and brilliant blend. It is very soft and innocent to me, spring flowers and fresh air...I don't think I could pull off wearing it except as an after-bath spray or a lotion, but I would love it as one of those (I love rose/violet for those purposes).

Oh Capricorn, one of my first true loves! I happened upon it almost by accident and it remains one of my all-time favorites. Capricorn is the epitome of the soft, sweet earthen scents -- vetiver, sandalwood, cedar -- I'm sure they're all present...maybe some patchouli, I'm not sure. But mostly it's velvety smooth, soft vetiver softened by sandal or cedarwood, almost chocolatey. It's strong, it lasts, it blossoms on my skin and hair into the most vibrant, sun-through-the-branches bright forest floor and wooden scent. This is in my all-time top five and the scent I have always sought. I have hoarded 15 ml worth and hope that something like it comes back again some day when I need more. Malediction, Umbra, and several others come close but none match this velvety smooth polished wood. Maybe Sri Lanka will come close, we'll see. If you love wood, resin and vetiver scents, this is the one that got away.

I used to have a bottle of this but it came across as cedar chips of the pet store variety on me. It's a little bit "rounder" than a straight, dry wood scent, though, and there's a certain slighty citrusy twist to it. But it's mostly cedar shavings -- which I LOVE, but since it reminds me of a pet store I associate that with some less pleasant smells unfortunately. I did wear this on occasion though when I wanted the influence of Jupiter and it seemed to lend me a certain feeling of strength of purpose and justice. Whether or not that was the appropriate feeling to have I am not sure, but I used it when I wanted to feel "in control." I would have kept this scent but I have so many bottles that I'm only keeping the ones that I use regularly. This does sweeten up upon drying. I do like it...ultimately I decided that in looking for the perfect cedar scent though I'll keep trying regular perfumes rather than ones with more magickal connotations.

I wrote down a review of this while I was sniffing it and then promptly forgot to type it up here! In the vial: hmm...what is this? Lemony fresh rose? It's the kind that shoots straight up into your sinuses, an almost piercing, shrill yellow and pink floral. A little overpowering, like Havisham, but less cold. This dried down uber-pwdery, according to my notes, but I can't remember now. I do remember that I liked it enough that I wouldn't mind having some around to sniff when I need a little balance in my life but I didn't anticipate that I'd wear it. Now that I look at the other reviews and see the actual ingredients, my impressions make sense -- the rose is definitely the piercing, biting kind that I'm not as fond of, and I think the apple must have contributed to the powderiness on me. I think rose geranium will probably go on my "headache" list of fragrances though!

I had a hard time wrapping my head around this one...it's a slippery one, appropriately! Vaguely aquatic in the sweet and powdery, floral way that Neptune was. I'm going to venture a guess at it being another lotus scent...again, a watery sign, a watery flower. I do get a quick little stab of a headache which could just be something in the air today, but it makes for the difference in my reaction between Pisces and Neptune...this one comes across a little too sweet and perfumed for me. Succulent aquatic floral that is just a little too sweet...I'm not sure if it's going to become a powder-soft scent or a pineappley sort of fruit on me, but it fades very quickly. The fishies are there, they slip through your fingers and they are gone!

Why didn't I try this before? Resins are among my absolute favorite scents and when I started ordering bottles, Cathedral was among the first because I was hoping for lots of resins and incense (and I love it!). I didn't think that golden light, for some reason, would mean resin...thank goodness I got to try this one, I am ordering a bottle immediately But this is golden light...it is golden light pouring through church windows, as many others have suggested. My immediate thought was amber, but it would be a very dark and dusty amber. It's slightly sweet -- I should edit this after I sniff the single note Frankincense I'm expecting, to see if this is heavy on the frankincense. Among all of the resinous scents I have tried I would say that Magus is the lightest, followed by Cathedral...and then Aureus is about medium strength, with a dab of sweetness, while the heaviest are Anne Bonny (patchouli is more evident in that blend) and Penitence (heavy on frankincense I'm guessing). Strangely though this does stay strong even longer than the blends that go on "heavy." I can't actually tell which resins are in this -- I suspect there may be some that I don't recognize necessarily by smell. I can see where cedar and sandal and patchouli could all be playing a part, but dark, rich amber and frankincense come to mind first. It becomes more and more beautiful as it dries on my skin. This absolutely blew me away when I first sniffed it, and I can't thank the lab enough for sneaking this into my last order, as I wouldn't have thought to try it myself!

This is glorious, probably my favorite of the Planets among the Celestials, along with Jupiter. Very aquatic at first, but a fruity, floral aquatic. I am guessing that this is the lotus I keep hearing about! I've never been able isolate lotus before -- I know it doesn't work for me in the moon blends, but I think it must be almost on its own here. It doesn't strike me quite as bubblegum, I am thinking more in terms of a pleasant fruity note like pineapple or melon, but very much submerged under turquoise waters. I imagine succulent white lotus petals in blue-green water. It dries down slightly woody and stays strong for longer than I expected. While all of these capture the spirit of the planets beautifully, this is one of the only Celestials that I would occasionally wear for the scent alone, if I had it. On a rainy day in the spring like today, it's a perfect match for the quiet, green, distant and slightly mournful mood that the weather puts me in.

Another blend that proves that there are ways to make florals work on me! The combination of soft woods and an unusual blend of flowers makes for another that reminds me something of Dublin or Skadi, though this is a little less cold and green to me, and puts me more in the mind of pale blue, violet, pink and white flowers growing in field overshadowed by a forest. The mixture of wildflowers is really incredible because they do not become powdery nor do they have a heady pungent fragrance that makes my nose itch or my sinuses ache. Roses and jasmine can be overpowering in that way, but these delicate flowers just suggest a breeze carrying the distant scent of flowers through the woods. As it dries it becomes slightly sweeter, slightly warmer and slightly woodier. It makes me think of the flowers and herbs we used to grow in the backyard. We had bergamot and a variety of wildflowers that my mom loves, growing alongside evergreen trees. Although it does come across as floral on me it is a very beautiful one -- pale and retiring, ghostly. It's the breath of sweetness that rushes past you as you walk from the sun into the shade of a dark wood. As usual this dried differently depending on where I applied it. On the left hand it dried quickly and faded to a pale memory of flowers and a hint of wood. On the right hand it is almost like a hint of candied flowers. I can't explain that, but there you have it. It goes through many transitions but I enjoyed all of them! eta: I hadn't worn this for a few months and sold it, but then found myself wanting to sniff it again so I re-obtained a small amount to keep around for next spring. As it turns out this blend really ages quite nicely! Now it's a much more incensy floral though there's still a strong feeling of pinkish fruit. This blend strikes me as incredibly pink, but not in a sugar-sweet kind of way...more in a flower-fruit way. I am so glad that I have enough to last into next spring, because this is a perfect April/May scent and smelling it just takes me right back to the beautiful spring that I had this past year.

oh and if you ever get your hands on Formula 54 that is soooooo indecent. though Lilith is very similar! the clove makes F54 extra naughty. my other favorite naughty scent is Perversion. i always get in trouble when i wear that.

Wow. I can smell this through the bottle. This gingerbread man bites back...wow. Yum. This is incredible. I can see this being one of the most popular Arkham scents because I never thought I'd like something that smelled like cookies, but I adore this. This is the witch's Gingerbread House in the woods, enticing and frosted and beckoning at the end of the path...almost too good to be true. This is the scent that you follow through the dark trees, spellbound, entranced, and walk up the steps and into the cauldron. That strong gingerbread snap smell entwines with the more familiar lemony ginger smell from some other blends, but it is always there lurking in the background. I got this for the ritual herbs and dark resins, but it's the ginger that has me captivated. They must be there, deepening the mixture and swirling in the smoke...perhaps the witch in the gingerbread house is casting the ritual herbs into the cauldron and burning the resins to invoke the Black Goat of the Woods while she prepares me for supper. But I don't care, because I'm just munching away on the gingerbread walls, as happy as can be, while the dark shadows close around me. ETA: The GC version is virtually identical to my memory of the original. There is the fiery ginger that burns my tongue in crystallized candy form...the lemony fresh ginger smell you get when you are grating the root...and a deeper, spicier one that never quite crosses the line into a doughy/batter type scent, thank goodness for my non-foody-scent soul. I am still searching for the herbs and resins but perhaps they are revealing themselves in the way this adheres to my skin, with ample throw and a dark, rich undercurrent.

Take Penitence...lots of Penitence, and sweeten it up a bit with a touch of Aureus (which I just tried today for the first time and looooooove). That would remind me somewhat of Al Azif. This is truly an incense blend -- and is immediately leaping into the realm of favorites, with me. I can just imagine that every possible resin and incense scent is in here -- in the bottle it is syrupy and sweet, conjuring vetiver like images for me but I think that there is more of a suggestion of frankincense, myrrh, sweet myrrh, amber, maybe copal...just everything. And I wouldn't doubt perhaps a touch of nag champa. I love all of the incensy smells the lab offers and this is pretty much the epitome of all of those. It is sweet and dark and not too smoky, it's more like the resin crystals before you put them on the charcoal. Incredible. I can see people getting something syrupy from this and I just know that people are going to sniff me and say "Mmmm...pancakes" but that is the furthest thing from my mind when I sniff dark, sweet resins like this. I can't even tell if there are woods or patchouli in there...there's so much going on. It's strong as hell and develops beautifully on my skin, warming and revealing more and more dark, shiny layers. This is the part where I can see people saying it's headshoppy. Oh how I love this. Now watch me pad my Paypal account so I can get more!

What an incredibly refreshing scent... I feel as though this little bottle is a gateway into a dark spring wood when I open it. It's a touch perfumey at first but it settles into the skin with familiarity and warmth. The rich green woods come out to play, light twinkling between the dark green branches. This is incredible...so far I've been itching to buy a second bottle of every single scent I've tested... The woods gradually warm and begin to morph into a delicately spicy scent that recalls Silk Road more than anything else. I think that must be cardamom, perhaps spiked with black pepper, which I don't actually smell on its own here. It dries down very similar to a more green and woody Silk Road. What more could I ask for? It definitely bears some resemblance to Dublin as well, though a bit darker and stronger, with more pronounced woods. Yes, this is recalling both Silk Road and Dublin to mind in different ways....and those are both in my Top 15! From the initial breath of cool, refreshing forest air in the bottle to the journey through the dark and spicy wood this is an incredible blend. It will be difficult to resist getting a second bottle...I can already feel my Paypal finger getting itchy...

This is a very...spectral scent. Absolutely sparkling, fresh and clear, but it is nighttime air. Laundry hung out to dry in the sun all day cooling down in the crisp, cool evening. The lab surprised me with a sample of Dirty in the same order as this and I was able to compare them -- they do smell similar. Dirty has a bit of a teensy citrusy or fruity zing to it, to me, but this is just the scent of perfect clarity...a crystal sphere held up against a starry sky. To people not familiar with the lab's oils it might resemble a sort of linen or dryer sheet smell, but there's nothing artificial or chemical about it -- and nothing sneezy either, which is an important point for me. It also does not become powdery on me...none of the Arkham oils do, which is spectacular. There is a lingering bouquet in the air as well, as though pale moon-colored flowers are blooming somewhere in the darkness. Don't be afraid of the glittering irridescent darkness! This is a dark jewel hovering in the stratosphere -- if you like any of the "clean" scents this could very well be for you.

Brains...delicious squirmy brains.... Everything about this is incredible. The gorgeous bottle, the bonus squishy brain, and the scent -- oh, the scent! I do love a good fruit scent, and this has all of my favorite fruits in it. If I could make a fruit salad of my dreams it would contain mango, kiwi, pomegranate and pineapple in it -- they are simply my four very favorite fruits. White tea and ginger is also a wonderful combination as I have found in Kumiho. Jasmine is admittedly sometimes a problem for me, but it's not a problem in here. And peony -- they are my mother's favorite flower, and they very much remind me of her. This is a very comforting, delectable scent for the spring and summer and my brain is going to enjoy its cushioned ride across the cosmos, smelling this. Pink pepper -- I have no idea what it smells like, nor do I smell anything peppery, but I love those two words together, so that makes me happy too. This does come out fruity on me, but unlike many fruity smells it doesn't fade immediately. It actually gets stronger as I wear it, and though I thought I would have to reapply immediately it intensifies. It reminds me a lot of Hanging Gardens at times, for the rich variety of fruit, without there being any of a citrusy feeling. It doesn't have the dark underlying woodiness of Hanging Gardens though. The initial scent in the bottle and when applied is definitely a honeydew melon kind of smell though this becomes much more complex as the other layers of the brain reveal themselves. This is very much a keeper for me -- I wish I could have gotten two, but I will treasure this one bottle and weep when it is gone.

OMG, the brains label....I can't wait to see it in person! I'm entering the panic and denial phase of waiting for my order to arrive...also known as the "it was all a dream, I'm not REALLY going to be getting brains in the mail..." phase. But now it seems real!

This is the Panacea blend I was most eager to try, because who can't use a little quietude in their life? I am always anxious and have a hard time relaxing and not worrying all the time. I expected this to be lavender, but this is the most strong, pure, powerful lavender I have ever encountered. I find that to be an irresistible smell, and it immediately puts my mind at ease. I had some interesting experiences with the dream blends, but this is different. I used some of this when I took a bath, and actually managed to stop worrying for a little while. The lavender slowly transitions into a lemon verbena -- I think. It isn't the candy green lime that I have encountered in a couple other blends, though it could be a mellower lime. They intermingle perfectly and far from being a cold blend to me, it is incredibly warm and comforting. If I had more of this I might make bath salts with a little to increase my relaxing bath experience. That's my favorite way to relax and achieve a very tranquil, calm, cleansed state of mind. Again, these aromatherapy blends are incredible. I will use all of them and order full bottles of most of them. Quietude is my favorite, not only because I love lavender but because it is the thing that I am in the most need of...I will get a lot of use out of this!

I love Kumiho. This is one of my favorite after-bath, or bedtime scents -- it's too light for me to wear much during the day because it fades very quickly but it is a wonderful, refreshing splash of a very sunny and energizing scent. I might carry some with me in the summer when I need something invigorating and fresh -- if a tall glass of iced tea isn't available, this should keep me alive until I can find one. This is also my current favorite of the tea/citrus scents -- the white tea is very smooth and calming, the ginger is crisp and citrusy (ginger always comes across lemony to me, but without the sharp tang of lemon). I like a lot of the other tea and citrusy blends but this really stands out to me. There's no jasmine in it first of all, which is a big plus for me. It strikes me as more glowing, warm and golden than biting and green like some of the other scents in this family. Simple perfection...almost aromatherapy-like, it just brightens my day to smell it. Although it's not in my overall top 10 it would be in my top 5 "after bath" scents, which is a category unto itself!

This is a very, very familiar scent, very warm and comforting to me. Whenever I go into a shop that sells high quality herbs and incense and oils there's a vague smell in the air that I like, and I go from object to object trying to find out if there's one fragrance in particular that is emitting this incredible fragrance and I wind up leaving with an armload of things, none of which capture that scent that I want. Well this is that scent, for me, I think! Thanks to the forumite who gifted it my way! I recently tried the single note fig and sniffed some cypress at an aromatherapy oil display so both of those are fresh in my mind. This has that warm, inviting, familiar scent of fig just under the surface for me -- the one that makes me like Mata Hari despite the coffee bean (in fact, fig dominates in that blend for me), it is appetizing without being foody. The cypress prickles my nose, as if evergreen branches are brushing my cheek when I smell it. I wasn't sure about cypress, really, until I tried it on its own and recognized that incredible fairy tale woodland scent. I'm a patchouli nut but it's not coming out for me in this blend -- that's OK though, I think it serves to "ground" the scent and make it stronger and more earthy. I get no flowers whatsoever -- no rose, that's for sure. I didn't get any rose at all in Mata Hari either though, it was just figgyness. This does dry down to a cedary smell, that sort of cedar chip scent that I like in small doses, and when it fades it fades completely and fast. So I'd better get a bottle. Because this is incredibly comforting and familiar to me. It makes me think of those days when I'd take off from work or school to go to the witchy shops in New Hope, Pa. and emerge smelling like every possibly type of tree and incense. It's definitely one of the scents that I am connecting with on a personal level.

Whenever I have a whole bunch of imps that are cavorting amongst themselves they all exude a fragrance that sort of intermingles, as others have described. The first package I ever got, I couldn't tell any of them apart and thought they all smelled very perfumey -- it just happened that the scents that "click" best for me, were not in my first order. I still can't tell the difference between most florals -- anything light, or floral, smells the same to me and I write in my notes when I'm testing it (yes, I take notes, heh) "generic floral" for a lot of stuff before I actually take it out for a day and give it a serious test ride. Otherwise, definitely just take one out, take it for a ride, test it, buy it lunch, and see if it doesn't come around. These might just not be the right scents for you yet. Also, I love cheap new age store incense. I find it very comforting and familiar, I do wish that a generic "incense store" scent was sold in a bottle! (Urd is my default "headshop" fragrance, it's one of my favorites ever though it's way, way above and beyond anything I've ever smelled in a store!)