surf-tormented

This is the best BPAL rose based oil I have ever tried. Though the rose starts out strong, it fades into a lovely spicey yet floral scent. It's a mysterious trickster scent, much like Lucy Westerna herself once she is in vamp mode. It reminds me a lot of AIRS Hearts of Rose. I still have a bottle of that, but I can see Lucy's Kiss replacing that one since AIRS no longer makes Hearts of Rose.

This oil is very light on me and falls into the "ok" area of BPAL oils. It doesn't give me any clear notes and fades into a powdery sweet scent with no physical baring of its nature. Oh, what could have been. I tried this twice, under different conditions and it didn't work for me. I get a slight whiff of something fruity and incensey and then...poof...gone. This one is going into the trade pile, due to its lack of empathy with my skin chemistry.

I really like this. I cannot stop smelling my wrist EVERYTIME I put this on! There is something soft, icy, animalistic, floral AND herbal about this one but right now, I can't figure out the notes of it. It is very mysterious, like a quiet snowy morning, where there is no noise or movement. No footprints in the snow, no melting, just a bed of dazzling snow, for only your foot to break through. Ice Queen is a bit like that. I seem to be doing reviews full of abstractions. It smells like an icy forest with a bed of glimmering snow. At night, just before the dawn.

Mmm...in the vial it smells like something from my childhood. It's sweet plum, but sharp. The scent of sparkling grape juice? I am not sure but something is giving me a warm glow of memories. On the skin in reminds me of a sugar plum fairy laced winter wonderland. It's that good. Imagine being out in the snow with a cool breeze, but the wind brings a promise of the Christmas Festival down the way, with cider and warmed fruits. The perfume is icy yet full of joy. It also brings the image to mind of fruits frozen with the first frozen nights of autumn into winter. The stillness that grips the night, when people start to go out less because of the chill. All of this in a decanted imp. Wow. I am trading this one, but because I want others to enjoy it, not that I don't like it. I could use this imp up in a single night and may buy a bottle if it is available next year.

I had high hopes for this one, but Medea smells very flat on me. It smells a little sweet and a little like Catherdral in its incensey way, but doesn't give much effort than that. It is very light on my skin, almost non-existant. Pity. Well, it is off to the trade pile with you, my sweet! After about 15 minutes or so, the black currant came out stronger, so I could smell it and then it turned to powder quickly and was gone. Geez, how disappointing.

I really enjoy cedarwood based oils and this one is no exception. Lear smells very earthy, woody and regal. I can't really smell the sage or bay in this, but it does smell more full than regular cedarwood essential oil, which I have. Maybe it is that the cedar is white cedar and somehow fuller or richer than plain cedarwood. Regardless, I really like this. I wouldn't buy a bottle of it because I already have cedarwood oil and could easily blend sage and bay into it. I would recommend it to others without the supplies to make their own though.

When first applied, Nero has the cold metallic buzz of Ultraviolet. A minty medical sting. I know this is most likely the rosemary and pine, but it had the effect on me that Ultraviolet did, both a scent and a feeling from the oil. Then the strong chill of the scent fell away leaving a very strong bay scent. This is the most masculine scent I have smelled yet. It is almost too masculine for me. Nero is like a more spicy Villain to me, without any floral notes. That said, I both like it and not like it. I would most likely love it on a guy, but I don't feel like I would be reaching for this one for my personal scent. It's wild though.

Iambe is one of those mythological figures I love. I have a statue of her on my altar. I love the idea of her bawdy humor and her lifting her dress joking with Demeter, to make her laugh when she was in deep sorrow. Putting the oil on, it was thick and uniform, a bit like fresh tea and flowers. Comforting yet too much going on. The notes blended together into a mix that was hard to describe and difficult to enjoy. It just didn't smell like anything to me. But then babykitty came to my rescue and traded me some perfumer's alcohol for me to try and I put 4/5 of the bottle in there. As a perfume spray, it is fantastic! For some reason, a carrier like the alcohol brings out the full flower of the rose, patchouli and amber. The tea has gone into the background. It's now a good mix. I don't seem to get much patchouli as others do. I get more tea and amber with a little rose and heady twlight flowers. The spicy earth scent is to the bottom on me. I traded for this bottle to use in ritual to Iambe and I think it is a great tribute to sensual joy and blue humor. It is full of sensuality and sympathy. That being said, I probably wouldn't buy another bottle of this but the spray will last me a long time and I think I may get some perfumer's alcohol and try my own experiments.

Puck goes on my skin coyly, smelling of meadows and grape, almost like grape candies and forest breezes. It is a fitting tribute to the charatcer, both wild and gracious. It plays out like a symphony of scents, starting with fruit and oakmoss, running into the animalistic duo of civet and earth. From there, it lasts for a few hours mixing into a wonderful cocktail of sweet and savage. I wish this scent was still around. I would get a bottle of it. I am trading my imps in the hopes that others will love it as much as I do. I notice a lot of bad press for this one. It's such a good scent and a balanced bunch of notes, I wonder if I just got really well mixed imps or something like that! I didn't get a cat urine smell or sweat. Then again, Danse Macabre smelled like dead bodies on me so maybe it is all a matter of body chemistry.

Snake Oil is a great scent, but doesn't live up to all its hype. The vanilla in it is a bit too much for me. It smells like spicy goodness corrupted with vanilla sugar honey. I find Morocco smells a lot like it without the vanilla sugar, so that is more like me. I'll never know why people like vanilla so much. 'Tis a mystery. My imp has lasted me a long time though. This one is strong and lasts for hours. At the end, the vanilla goes and I am left with a nice spice scent. But I can find it elsewhere in other oils.

When I first put Torment on, I thought I was going to have a Darknes hairspray flashback (see my review of Darkness) but it didn't stay very hairspray-ish for long. The bay has come out to play and it is wonderful. It reminds me a little of Snake Oil without the sweet stuff and vanilla. Very dark Snake Oil or a lighter Saturnalia. I'd buy a bottle of it but it is discontinued.

This one has a unique scent both in the bottle and put on the wrist. Herbal with a sweet but not overly sweet undertone. The oil was also strong enough for me to smell tonight at the theatre without having to bring my wrist anywhere near my face. It basically smells like no oil or perfume I have ever sampled before. Might actually break into my Top Ten, which is a hard for an oil to do. Reminds me of being outside on a warm spring day. Magical.

This was recommended to me by another Bpal'er that knows I don't like rose oils. I thought I would give it a shot. It smells in the vial like typical rose oil. On, it has a scent just like roses that are starting to droop and dry out. With a little bit of spice and formaldehyde underneath. Those quickly faded into a regular rose scent, which is a pity, I was hoping it would get spicer and deeper. That being said, I don't really enjoy rose blends. I have a Hearts of Rose AIRS oil it has taken me years to make a dent in. If I wanted to wear a rose based oil, I would rather wear Lucy's Kiss or Les Fleurs Du Mal. I will keep this unless someone wants to trade me for something less rosy.

Who sprayed hairspray on my wrists when I wasn't looking? Is it supposed to smell like hairspray? My gods, it is overpowering too, like stepping into a cloud of mist generated by let's say, a big hair metal band from the 1980's. Takes me back. It was so strong with hairspray smell I had to hold my wrists away from me until it faded into a sort of boozy oblivion. I am still not sure about what I just experienced. I am glad fairywingmaker pointed out the hairspray scent too, for I thought I was going insane for a second. I'll try it again and see what I think. It was a bit too much for me to take so if it is hairspray on me again, I'll trade it for someone who likes it better than me or has body chemistry that changes it into a non-boozy scent.

Haunted. If it doesn't have citronella in it, I would be truly surprised.

Thanks to everyone. Ironically, I think I am going to go with Lampades after trying some other ones. I like the cherry in Red Queen and the strawberry in Bon Vivant, which totally goes against my type, which is more Djinn or Kostnice-y.

Kali is a mysterious beast on me. The first time I put a drop on, it smelled like nothing. I mean, a little tobacco/dark chocolate scent and then nothing. It faded within minutes. The second time I applied it, it was heavenly. A loud wonderful mix of roses, wine, tobacco and dark chocolate. It stayed for hours. Now for the 3rd time, it is back to smelling like nothing. Again. This was on my list of bottle buys too. I may have to reconsider. I have been searching for something different and I thought this was it. I am trying to branch out from spicy, woody oils that have a churchy appeal to them. I love them, but that is all I wear. Oh Kali, I knew ye well, or I thought I did. Off to a trade you go! So does this really smell like Beautiful?

When I first put this on, it was almost medicinal, but it quickly bloomed into a fragrant garden on my wrist. It reminds me of Les Fleurs Du Mal, but more slithery and deep. It's a nice seductive blend. Even more so if it is taken for a historical recipe. The idea of it is very interesting to me. This oil seems to be stronger than average, which is great. No grinding my nose against my flesh to get the full flower of the scent. The orange blossom and rose seem to overpower the rosemary, which was most likely the medicinal smell I got when first applied which faded. I am not huge fan of rose based florals, so I am trading this but keeping LFDM because I like the lilac in it. I wish I could get used to smelling like a girl. Shameful! But then again I am very attracted to Lucy's Kiss, go figure!

Villain, my poor Villain. I bought this for my bf for Xmas and then he tells me, "I don't wear perfume oils anymore." It broke my heart. Not knowing any other guys or gals who would want it, I think I made K's Xmas by mailing it today to a guy who will wear it and not just stare at it like it's the devil. It's a fab scent. When first applied, smells a lot like Victorian violet/lavender mints, if you have ever had those. The fancy ones in the round tins. The lime and minty note blended very well with the lavender and lilac, first smelling a lot like a men's cologne, but then turning into a violet scent. So lime + mint + lavender + lilac = violet? Weird. This lasted for about 3-4 hours until it faded down to a nice babypowdered flower smell, like one newly shower-scrubbed with a violet or lavender soap. I loved it, but due to the sadness and lack of excitement from the boy, I gave it up for Xmas. Sniff. I would think this would smell best on a man, but the right kind of girl could pull it off nicely!

I really enjoy this one. It seems completely different from anyone I have tried and it is so great smelling. I have never had an oil with mugwort in it, but as an herb, it tends to smell not so great. In this oil, I really like it. The juniper, cucumber and wood aloe seems to jump out at me when it is first applied. It is rich and alluring. The shortie I got as a trade I will use, I even shared/swapped part of it with a forum mate. This is meant to be shared, because it is fab. Please make more oils like this one!

Yummy. Reminds me of the GreenTeaTherapy Healing Garden spray I have for my pillows, except it has a citrus bite of lemon and a slight hint of musk. I am a green tea fan. I highly recommend this one. There is an almost grassy undertone to this and makes me think green, green, green like a forest with a lake within its trees and many waterflowers. I have a full bottle of it and wore it tonight to a Christmas party. I bought it scent unsmelled and I am happy I did. Would work very good at the worksplace as well as a night out. My only criticism of this, like many other BPAL oils, it doesn't last long and needs reapplying throughout the day.

I had two imps of Bon Vivant at one time. I traded one because I normally hate fruit based oils, especially with strawberry tones most companies get horribly wrong. Strawberry can sometimes turn into a sickening artificial candy type of smell fast. Or car air freshener. But not Bon Vivant. It has won me over. I think the champagne notes are what does it. I kept smelling my wrist. It didn't smell boozy or overly fruity, JUST GOOD. A tiny bit sweet, but more like fresh ripe strawberries, not Kool-Aid and a little bubbly mixed in with a mystery oil I have yet to guess that is spicy. Wow, I am impressed. Sad I traded the other imp of this. Perhaps I may get a bottle of this in the future.

In the bottle, this one smells like Jack, which gave me a huge headache. It has a very buttery scent. Eww. Upon putting it on, it has a lot of the qualities I liked in Jack, except the food smell isn't horrible. It is rather likable and not too strong. Sadly, it fades on me. This one reminds me a bit of All Saints', having a strong butter smell first on, and then getting a wonderful full scent, only to leave really quick. Though the food part of the scent isn't that strong, I don't think I am one for foody type scents. I would recommend it to people who like food scents yet think the powerful smell of an Yankee Pumpkin or Banana Bread candle is a little too much to wear. This is just right, a celebration of flowers, food and a little spice. No candle flashbacks here! I will be trading this for some imps I want more, but I would use all this imp if that wasn't the case. It would be a good "once in a blue moon" oil for me, something different than the darker floral and musky stuff I usually wear!

I sensed a cinnamon spice type oil that doesn't like my skin unless I put a tiny bit on. A lot of spices used to make a dish "hotter" can cause problems with the skin, so it could be pepper or cardamom as well. But I could smell something like that in Snake Oil, which to me smells a lot like Old Morocco, so I may get the latter because it is a little less burny to me.

Ok, maybe some of you will laugh at this, but it smells like a dead body when first applied. You got me, I haven't smelled a dead body. I do assume that this is what it would smell like and it wasn't pleasant. It was strong and harsh. Dead. Real dead. Decomposing. Rotten skin and dissolving gums. Then, as strongly as it came in on my wrist of death and decay, it vanished. Probably after 15 minutes max. My boyfriend said he could vaguely smell what amounted to Christmas spices and baby powder before it went. I think this might of been the hazelnut. I didn't smell anything though. This was a real disappointment since I loved the name and I am trading the imp I got. Maybe someone else's skin will love it more than mine did. Or maybe someone will love the smell of decay and hold it by their bosom with love.