marietta

I got Sed in a swap probably three months ago, but hadn't tried it until yesterday. Why, oh why, did I wait? This is a multiple bottle purchase type scent on me. What others have described as a nut scent clearly separates into a dusty myrrh basenote and a sweet floral topnote on me. This runs more traditional than most bpal, as it has a typical structure and (I think) contains mosses, which have a cologney scent -- but it's also very sensual, with all this tuberose, somewhat disquietenly so -- it doesn't smell like Bandit, but it feels like Bandit. And its a hecuvalot cheaper, so hear hear. I give this scent an A plus, a gold star, and (((hugs))). It's that good. I am also someone who tried O and La Petit Mort and struck out with the powder of death, but for whom this provides what I thought those would. I'm raving. But seriously, try this!

My lands, do I like a fruit scent? This is very nice, the amber is a definite basenote (not at all powdery), the jasminey flowers are muted, and the fruit smells yummy. If I was a fruity/flowery person, this would be perfect, but alas I am not. It's pretty, but not very distinctive in the end.

During the dry-down Chintamani-Dhupa is practically a gardenia soliflore.

Loverly. This starts out very green, almost like wet grass. In fact, I do believe the clean smell others have mentioned is a grass. This topnote does smell like the sort of thing that might become soapy, but it doesn't on my skin . . . it just stays gloriously green. When it fades a bit it is joined by something that reminded me very much of Marc Jacobs, which is a soliflore gardenia on me. Very creamy! Practically edible. When dry, this is a mildly spicy creamy incense. It's strikingly modern, and appropriate for a variety of situations, I think! Verdict: I thought about getting a bottle of this, but cautiously got a decant. No need for caution, as it turns out! This is definitely worthy of a bottle, and possibly more than one. I think this is a must for lovers of gardenia and of florals in general!

On me, King Cobra . . . is what I thought plain Snake Oil would be like, except for the orris top note. This smells like oris flower not orris root to me, as it is a distinctly floral note and does not take on the grounding near muskiness that orris root usually does . . . it is also quite sweet, although this may be amplified by the Snake Oil yumminess. The combination of the orris with the resins is just bE-yoo-teafulllllll. Like I said, I imagined Snake Oil to be more resinous, but with all the sweet vanilla goodness others kept mentioning, and this is exactly what this is. This is not dry on me. It is a sweet incense, and yes, I do see this as being a distinctly unisex fragrance, but only because I suspect it is complex enough to smell reeeeally different on different people, so no worries about smelling like your boyfriend. I find this wears pretty close to the skin, but I also have that experience with fresh Snake Oil, so I'm pretty sure the sillage will increase as the base note ages. I think someone said this seems like a good oil to layer, and I'd like to confirm that. I've worn it with Anne Bonny, Sed non Satiata and Penitence and all the combinations have been great! The King is grand. Long live the King!

When first applied, this is all sandalwood -- if I really, ummm, snort some, a bit of a soapy edge is revealed, but I honestly wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been impatient and read the reviews before I got mine. After about 10 minutes, the currant comes out, and like most currant this is reminiscent of some sort of citrus -- at least initially. It becomes a rounder berryish scent after a while, only to fade completely after about half an hour. Once the currant is gone, this is about the loveliest resin-honey blend you could imagine. There is the sort of warm dusty leaf note I normally get from patchouli, but I wouldn't swear that isn't the sandalwood mixing with one of the resins. Really nice, but I do wish it had more throw. I'll let it rest for a while and then try it again, to see if it's more obliging. The lasting power is quite good, though.

I doubt the lab is in the position to set up a complex online wishlist system like Amazon's quite yet . . . I think the PO Box is a good idea, although it would still reveal what city you live in. For the online registry, a suggestion: this year, I used Google Notebook for my birthday and christmas lists. I just set up a list, included URLs to the stuff I wanted, and made anyone who asked to see the list a "collaborator". People then just deleted the stuff they wanted to buy. Don't know if that makes any sense if you haven't used Google Notebook . . . it worked really well, though!

Hmmm. Okay, I should probably have myself checked out again. But I'm pretty convinced at least this episode was directly connected to the fragrance. I was feeling totally fine before I put it on . . . Juniperus, is it just Haunted, or do you ever have this problem with other fragrances? Do you have any guess what the allergen might be?

Nope, no asthma. I was even tested when I had pneumonia a few years ago.

On me, Jacob's Ladder '05 is very close to Shalimar. I agree that Haunted is similar, too, though the base is more cologney to my nose.

Here's my pickle -- I'm not allergic to anything but cats, and have never had any difficulty with commercial fragrances or BPAL until today, when I tested Haunted for the first time. Within a minute of application, my voice started to roughen and deepen, and continued to do so until it sounded like I had a bad case of bronchitis. In addition, my throat got itchy and I started coughing. It got a little better, so I went outside to go for a walk, but was so short of breath I had to come back home after about three blocks. Even now, after washing Haunted off three times, I get sneezy and my throat and voice get worse if I sniff my wrists. I'm obviously going to avoid Haunted from now on, but would like help identifying the note that caused me problems, so I can stay away from it both in BPAL and in general. I don't think it could be the amber, 'cause I wear so many amber fragrances of all shapes, sizes and derivations. So that leaves the black musk accord. Any ideas what's in that sucker? All I could smell was amber, citrus and something piney. Thank ye kindly! p.s. I just remembered one thing that has caused a similar reaction in the past -- Simple Green. It's a natural cleaning product.

Haunted made my throat itch, and changed my voice enough so someone who called me asked if I had bronchitis. When first on, I smelled citrus (I want to say bergamot, but I've been smelling it all over the place lately, so . . . ), amber and pine. It was a little harsh, but not really unpleasant. It eventually dried to amber plus, though if I sniff my wrist, I still get a little of the piney something that's effing up my voice. Objectively, I like the way this smells, but subjectively, I can't imagine I'll be able to wear this. Nice amber frag, though!

Review of '05 This is not something I would have picked out for myself, having had historically bad luck with BPAL amber (O gave me the worst headache I have ever had). However, I was on a quest to find vintagey oils, and someone on the recommendations forum suggested this, so I thought I'd give it a shot. And what a shot it was . . . First impression: It's Shalimar! The top note I smell initially is bergamot (or similar), and with that ambery-vanilla base . . . the comparison begs to be made. I definitely don't mean this as an insult, Shalimar is one of my all time favorite frags, and one I still turn to, from time to time. Drying: Hmmm, it's taken a veeeeery pleasant turn! This is warmer than Shalimar, and I dare say just as pleasant. It has a slight sense of spices, and a strong sense of golden warmth. I think someone earlier on this thread said it's like being in a golden hug, and I agree with them! It doesn't have crazy sillage or anything, but it's very enveloping. Final thoughts: I've been through a lot of BPAL, and I have to say, this is my first instant love. In fact, I think I'm going to go post a top ten list, just so I can put Jacob's Ladder at the top! This has the calming effect that BPAL that is just right for me has. Buy again?: Heeell, yah!

Zombi, Penny Dreadful or Burial might work for you. The dirt/grave loam note is pretty disturbing to me!

'Twas a bit wonky when I first got my bottle . . . but once it settled, Dia de los Muertos '06 revealed itself as the best. honey. ever. I do get florals and some of the other listed notes when I first put it on . . . but once it's dry, it's honey, grains and maybe a bit of the chocolate. I think the Lily may be hanging around and sweetening this up a bit, too! Really nice, and really me.