Fishwomon

Wow, reading through these reviews it looks like Jack is one you either love or hate, depending on body chemistry. I had this one in my trade pile, but then came the end of September, and I was feeling like something autumnal. I gave Jack another try, mixing it with some cheap, lightly-scented body lotion from CVS (a U.S. drug store). In the imp, Jack smells way too sweet for my taste. Wet, I get that sharpness that many here have commented on; it seems like Jack will be way too powerful. But after about five minutes, and through the dry-down, Jack mellows into a warm, golden, honey-spiced scent, smelling somewhat foody, but not overwhelmingly so. I enjoy sniffing my wrists throughout the day. Jack lasts about 5-6 hours on my skin. If I keep enjoying this as much as I am, I'll get a big bottle.

I just can't decide about Arcana. I'm fascinated by it, and I keep returning to it, even though it's not an oil I automatically reach for in the morning to carry me through my day. Arcana is soft and haunting, as if it's wafting from the skirts of a woman moving around an apothecary, or as if it's herbs crushed underfoot on an old wood floor on a warm day. It has a dry, dusty quality, which must come from the frankincense. No one note predominates on me. Lovely, intriguing, subtle.

Penance sent me an imp's ear of Morgause along with some of her fab imp/ammo boxes, so it seems appropriate that my review appears alongside hers. I was nervous about trying Morgause because, uh, fruit? floral? I was worried. Yet I adore the character of Morgause in Mists of Avalon, and the description of the oil promised incense plus night-blooming flowers (which I've always imagined I'd have planted on my grave, being a creature of the night myself), so I thought maybe ... maybe.... And, yes! Ah, Morgause, how lovely. The scent is a woman sweeping her dark purple velvet cloak around her body and leaving the church, out into the cold night under the stars, back to her Goddess, the scent of incense lingering in her cloak, the scent of flowers blooming at night along her path. This is an scent for doing magic - night magic, dark moon magic. More prosaically, the floral and incense is perfectly balanced, and this really does smell the way expensive purple crushed velvet looks and feels. Not too sweet. Not juicy. Not too flowery. Just lovely.

I received this one in a swap, and I'm afraid I have to concur with the folks here who say it reminds them of air freshener or dryer sheets. It has a very blue scent, but a synthetic blue, not the blue of the ocean. As it dries, I also smell the citrus, which gives the scent a sharp cleanness. It would make a nice linens spray if you like that just-out-of-the dryer-smell. It might also work well on a clean-cut, well-scrubbed man. Alas, it's just not for me. ETA: I think this might be quite nice on a 13 year old friend of mine; it has a fresh, clean, soapy scent. I'll offer it to her.

I practice yoga and had high hopes for this scent. Alas, my skin chemistry isn't liking sweet florals. The scent is very strong in the imp and on my skin. The lemongrass was the strongest note when wet. As it dried, I got more of the floral, very little sandalwood, and no patchouli. It smells like expensive old lady perfume on me. I think the reviewer who compared it to Joy is right. My mom is visiting, and she likes it, so I'm giving it to her.

Black Pearl was a freebie from the Lab, and I was excited to try such a new scent. This is a sweet scent, and it took me a while to discern the different notes (insofar as my untrained nose can even do that). Out of the imp, Black Pearl was pure sweetness to me, in a pleasant way, but not particularly distinctive. After about five minutes on my skin, the notes began to emerge, particularly the coconut. At this point, it also smelled very department store, "fancy lady" to me (that's a technical term). During the drydown the scent mellowed and smelled less like a fancy lady. Instead, I could smell the rum and coconut and sense, rather than smell, the "beachiness" of the scent. Alas, it did not make me feel like a pirate. Although the scent grew on me, I knew that I could make someone else happy with it, so I swapped it away. By all reports, the recipient of the swap is loving it. I'm just not a sweet-oil girl. But I'm glad I got to try this oil.

I absolutely adore Hellfire. I can't say enough about it. It's the most unusual scent I've ever worn, comforting, magical, mysterious. Today I put on my favorite big fuzzy soft black cashmere turtleneck sweater, then applied Hellfire to my wrists and neck. Now the neck of my sweater is scented with Hellfire and it's perfect. Hellfire smells like what that sweater should smell like: warm, black, intellectual. Oh, oh, oh. Reviewers have described the scent well: the smoke and tobacco, the leather and brandy or cognac. But I want to tell you about the image Hellfire evokes for me. A woman on the Left Bank of Paris in the 1920s, wearing a sleek dark bob and mannish trousers. She's smoking a cigarette and nursing a brandy as she reads over a manuscript she's been writing. She's in a room by herself. It's early evening, and the lamps are lit. Her desk is littered with papers, books, and fountain pens, and maybe there's also a manual typewriter. Her fingers are stained with ink. She has many lovers, men and women both, but she is a free spirit, devoted to her art. When she goes out in the evenings, she puts on red lipstick.

I expected to like Baobhan Sith; I like saying the name, once I learned to pronounce it, and I generally like white tea and ginger notes, as well as grapefruit. Out of the imp, this has a sharp, clear note of grapefruit. It reminds me of the scent "Amazing Grace" by Philosophy. As the scent mellows a bit, I'm brought to mind of a summer garden party with women in floral dresses and fancy hats, eating from a buffet laid with silver. This is a very feminine and lady-ish scent. Sadly, this scent, on my skin, smells too much like a department store fragrance for my tastes. However, I think my mom will really like it, and I have a friend who'll get some for her birthday.

Thanks, Pixie-elf! I PMed her. Alas I've never smelled Lush (impossible, I know), so I can't answer your question.

Madame, I find Fae to be fruit without being cloying or two sweet. Here is my recent review.

Oh, I may have to go begging for some Black Widow now. Love your sig line, btw, heartbeast.

Rock on! I have Namaste coming in a swap (and, as a yogini, I'm psyched). I'll have to try some more from your list redhead. I'm continually amazed about how many oils there are to try and how I keep hearing of new ones. I tried Queen Mab but found it too sweet and perfume-y on me. It's off to a happy home elsewhere.

I first heard about the Lady of Shalott from an Indigo Girls song back in college: "...when it comes to flesh and bones, you remind me of Shalott, only made of shadows, even though you're not." Er...and neither was she. She saw only the world's shadows, but she herself has flesh and blood, in love with Lancelot. OK, so it's not the best song. Then I found this painting of her. I'm fascinated by the idea of someone who is fated to view the world only in its reflections and shadows. The aquatic notes in this scent make me think of the Lady's mirror as well as the water she drowned in. At first sniff, Lady of Shalott smells floral, green, and watery at once. It smells very fresh and a bit sweet. It reminds my of a scent my mom wore for a while, Calyx by Prescriptives. But where Calyx was fresh greenness with the usual alcohol-department-store-scent, Lady of Shalott has a darkness and depth to it. Green watery depths. The gardenia stays prominent on my skin well into the dry down, but this isn't an "old lady perfume." After more than an hour, the floral recedes, and the spiciness of gardenia stays, met by the ginger and the grounding musk. The scent is light, which I like. After wearing it all day, I still smell pale deliciousness on my wrists, and I'm tempted to add some Snake Oil to spice things up a bit for evening. This is a lovely scent. Melancholy, as another reviewer said. But also dreamy and comforting. I can't wait to wear it on rainy spring days.

Fae was a freebie from the lab. I'm not sure how long it would have taken me to get around to ordering it, since I'm attracted to descriptions of the "darker" scents, but I'm glad I didn't have to wait! After sampling about 20 oils, Fae is one of five on my big bottle list. Fae is otherwordly; there is no other word for it. Yes, there is peach, but a peach slightly different from peaches in our world. Not so sweet or earthy. There is musk, but not quite our musk. The bergamot is veiled, and the heliotrope moves in and out. This scent shimmers. It smells pretty and feminine, but with an edge. This fairy wears a small blade at her ankle. Fae isn't a strong or assertive scent; it doesn't have throw. But is wears and fades gently during the day, my nose catching the scent here and there. I hope its scent is pleasing to the Otherkin; I may wear it when working certain kinds of magic, or try burning it in a candle. I think this scent captures the feeling and associations of fae perfectly. Brilliant.

Thanks for the recs!! There are so many oils; some of these I hadn't even heard of yet, like Fenris Wolf. Couscous, it sounds like you and I have very similar taste. Let's keep each other posted. Have you tried Embalming Fluid?

Good to know, Penance. Now I'll pay special attention to your suggestions and reviews. I think I also like woodsy and resiny scents, and I seem to favor gender-neutral oils. So far, Incantation, Hellfire, and Fae have won my heart, and I'm leaning more and more toward Snake Oil...is it too vanilla-y? I can't decide. How is Snake Oil for you, Penance?

This is my first BPAL review, and I'm nervous. Snake Oil, beloved of BPALers everywhere. I've been trying my imp of Snake Oil off and on since it arrived last week. I didn't fall in love immediately; on me, the scent is strong and sweet. The barest dab on one wrist is enough. The oil is a perfect blend of vanilla and exotic spices, but it doesn't smell foody. It smells golden and mysterious. It smells like warm, dark skin (but I am very pale). I have a small wooden chest that I use as an altar and to store my magical tools, and for some reason I want to anoint the altar with Snake Oil. Snake Oil smells magical to me. My lover said, kindly, "it's just not you." I think he's right...but I think I'll keep wearing it anyway. Complicated. I haven't decided whether to get a big bottle or not. Update: 10/27/05 I put my BPAL oils away between March and September; then I revisited Snake Oil. Perhaps it's an aging issue, but now I love, love, love Snake Oil. It is totally me. Even my lover likes it better now (er, same guy). I stand by my description above but want to add: It's delicious, it's wonderful, it's heaven, I'm getting a big bottle. If I could have only one BPAL oil, it would be Snake Oil or O.

Thanks for the recs, everyone. I'm taking note. So far I adore Hellfire, Incantation, and Fae. Total love. Body chemistry is everything, yes?

I tend not to like anything that smells like perfume. I do like The Body Shop's white musk and Origins Ginger line. Also, Aveda used to have a perfume oil called "Love" (maybe they still do?), and I loooooved that. I also like essential oils: lavender, vetiver, bergamot, sandalwood and rose geranium are my favorites. I'm really enjoying BPAL's Incantation, which I'm wearing right now.

I know that, in terms of folk remedies, what helps can vary quite a bit from person to person. This is what I do when I start to get a migraine; I get them several times a month. 1. Take an Imitrex and drink a full glass of water. 2. Make a cold compress and put two drops of lavender essential oil on it. 3. Wrap my head firmly in an ace bandage. 4. Lie down with the compress on my head, by myself in a quiet room, no smells other than the lavender. (My eyes are covered by the bandage and compress.) 5. Do some yoga breathing, or just breathe deeply and evenly, without straining. 6. Loosen the bandage after a while. 7. Sleep for a couple of hours. That usually does the trick. Migraines are hell.

Re: another thread: RR, you are totally charming and worthy!

I'd totally dig living with someone who dances therapeutically to Hasidic reggae ... er, unless she did so at 3 a.m. Surely you are charming and worthy!

I'm still waiting for my first order, so I have no experience to speak of. But I love this thread--you all are obsessed. And so am I. Anyway, has anyone tried using medicine droppers to apply the oils? You know, those thin glass vials with the squishy black rubber thing on top. It seems like you could use those to get just a drop or two. I use them with herbal tinctures. Just a thought.