Phaedra

Natch- Charisma is one of the Twilight Alchemy Lab blends. It's up on a separate website here

Well I am a bellydancer and I've worn Scherezade, Snake Charmer and Athens when I perform. I also used a bit of the heart and throat chakra oils the last time I performed. I figured the heart one would open up my emotions and the throat one would help me to communicate those emotions to the audience (actually I don't really have trouble doing that at all but I thought it would give a little extra boost). I got pretty good compliments that night but I"m not sure how much of it was due to the oils.

***Note- I believe the imp I have is for the original formulation. I can't confirm this but I got it as a frimp in a swap and it's tarted.*** Wet this is sweet apples or peaches. When first on this is soft, earthy and sweet. It's hard for me to pick out the notes- maybe lotus? This isn't very strong (that could be due to the age of the imp though). I think there is berries or grapes in this with something herbal in the background. This one is okay but nothing special on me.

Wet this is sharp musk, bitter and a bit like the Jean Nate perfume my mom used to wear. When first on it smells just like Jean Nate still- bright, crisp, yellow, floral. It's hard for me to pick out notes. This doesn't really change much on me but does soften after a couple of hours. This is faint on me and not very long lasting.

Wet this is crisp and clean, lightly sweet with cucumber and moss. First on it's sweet and light with a hint of green citrus, very fresh. It quickly has almost no scent left- sort of how you smell right after taking a shower. After about a half hour it develops a powdery note. This would probably be good for both men and women. It's not really my style though.

Wet this is sweet and woody, a bit masculine. When first on it's leather mixed with citrus notes. After a couple of minutes a woody note comes through. So far this one is very masculine. After a couple of hours it softens quite a bit. This would be a great scent for men or anyone who likes leather notes. It's just too masculine for me.

Wet this is a mix of berries and violet. When first on it's a bit powdery mixed with sweet citrus-mmm grapefruit. This is an earthy, sweet blend. The powder fades after a couple of hours. It's not very long lasting on me but it is nice. I will probably use up the imp.

Wet this is powdery and sweet. When first on it smells like myrrh I think and something sweet- violet. After a couple of minutes there's a woody note- sandalwood? This stays mostly violet and is very faint. It only lasts a couple of hours on me. It's okay but not one I need to keep.

Wet this is honey and creamy florals. When first on there's something fruity- peach maybe and a hint of greeness. It also smells like white florals, possibly honeysuckle. A spicyness starts to develop- is this carnation? After about an hour the spices fade and a rose note develops. There's also something sweet in the background which must be the pomegranate. This is a very pretty, soft, feminine blend.

Wet this is faint sweet cherry. When first on this smells like dragon's blood mixed with violet- sweet, woody and powdery. There might be some vanilla here too. It reminds me of Florence. I really like this- it's warm, sensual and rich. I don't smell the coconut in here but I still love it anyway. I think there's a hint of berry in here too. I've worn the imp of this several times now and this may be a bottle purchase at some point

Wet this is spicy and sweet- smells like a chai latte! When first on I smell sharp pepper, cloves, cinnamon and maybe some ginger- just like chai tea spices. It doesn't change much on me. It mellows out as it dries down and becomes creamy too. Really lovely- nicely spicy and not too sweet.

Wet this is very sweet fruits and smells like springtime. When first on this is a bit dewy and I can also smell pears. This mainly stays the same on me- sweet pears mixed with berry notes. It's very long lasting and reminds me of Fae. I think this would be a good springtime scent. This is nice but is a bit too sweet for me.

This oil is a rich, deep red color. First on it's sharp and a bit like cherry. It is very warm in feeling and a bit soapy too. This doesn't change much on me. I've discovered that I usually like Dragon's Blood better when it's mixed with other notes rather than on it's own (such as Dragon's Milk which I love!)

Wet this is honey and sweet florals. It's also a bit "thick" smelling too. When first on it's very light compared to how it smells in the bottle- it's a soft honey blended with florals. After several minutes I can smell rose developing with a faint woodiness in the background. After a couple of hours it becomes powdery and ambery. Reminds me a bit of Honey Moon but without the ginger. This dries down very soft- lovely!

Wet this is musk mixed with sweetness and something very sharp and bitter- possibly the boozy note. When first on it smells like peanuts and root beer??? What the heck? Very strange! This stage lasts about 20 minutes- but for some reason I only got this weird reaction the first time I wore Smut. I haven't noticed it since then. Next lovely musk and sweet notes develop. I can see some similarities to Snake Oil/Charmer and Scherezade (all of which I love). I think there might be red and Arabian musks in here. This wafts around me a lot and I catch whiffs of it all day as I'm wearing it. Very deep and sexy!! Love it!

This was a freebie from the Lab in one of my recent orders. They must have known I'd been needing this one. This is a very soft rose and lavender blend. It's calming and comforting but also uplifting and protective at the same time. A loved one of mine recently passed away and wearing Dove's Heart has helped me feel like "everything is going to be okay". Whether it's the power of suggestion or the properties of the oil, it does work. I will keep this one around for the times when I need some comfort. Many heartfelt thanks to the Lab for this.

This is the first time I tried one of the Celestial blends and I am so happy I did! Wet this is roses with maybe a hint of citrus and also mint. When first on this is rose and soft mint, delicate and very feminine. It also has a mossy, wet note like dew- maybe this is moonflower? This develops into a full bodied rose- most definitely a pink rose. I also think there's a hint of violet in here too. This is a stunning herbal and rose blend on me! I really get a sense of feminine power from this one. I have been wearing this a lot lately in hopes to bring some more love energy around me. I do feel joyful and sensual when wearing this. I adore Venus and am so glad I got a second bottle. I will continue to see how the intentions of the blend manifest for me. Thanks for bringing this back to us Beth!

Wet this smells like something herbal, a bit mossy and sour too. When first on it's bitter and smells a bit like band-aids?? It's got a very odd plasticy smell. After a few minutes a hint of cinnamon or something sweet and spicy comes out. This develops into a heavy, damp floral- maybe gardenia or jasmine. It reminds me of Sacred Whore of Babylon. This one's not for me, it's too heavy and thick.

Wet this is something sweet- berries I think. When first on- mmm, sweet red berries! Raspberry or even red currant? The berry note fades a bit (but it's still in the background) and it's a blend of fluffy, powdery florals. After several minutes a fruity incense note develops- nice! This reminds me of Akuma but less sweet. This becomes a dark mixed berries incense on me. I really like this and will use the imp for sure. This could be a bottle contender at some point too.

I got this as a freebie from the Lab in one of my recent orders. Wet this is a mix of honey, musk and spices. When first on it smells like dry cinnamon with some warmth underneath. At this stage it reminds me of Harvest Moon 2005. The cinnamon fades a bit and it becomes a lovely spicy floral blend. This is really pretty! It lasts about 6 hours on me. I will use the imp of this one for sure.

Wet this is pine/evergreen mixed with a sweetness in the background. When first on it still smells like the pine/resin but not as strong as it does in the imp. It's very wintery! This is similar to Snow Bunny but without the citrus. This really smells like a forest- lovely! After about 30 minutes a rose note develops. This is a lovely blend of evergreen and floral notes. I really like this alot. I think this could work in both cold and warm weather. I will definitely use up the imp of this!

Wet this is very faint florals- I can barely smell it! When first on it smells like suntan oil and very faint florals. It could be coconut but whatever it is, it's tropical. This is weird that I'm having such a hard time smelling this. It gets a little stronger but is still a very faint scent on me. It smells like tropical flowers- maybe gardenia? This is okay but doesn't do much for me.

After being on my wishlist for over a year, I finally got an imp of this a couple of days ago (thanks RHM!). Wet this is strong musk and patchouli. When first on it's a sharp patchouli, almost metallic, with some warmth underneath. Very quickly I can smell the vanilla developing. This blossoms into a hypnotic blend of patchouli, vanilla and spices. These are exotic spices though, not cinnamon spice. This dries down to a creamy soft vanilla. This lasts very long on me- over 12 hours. Absolutely stunning!! I can see the comparisons to Snake Charmer (without the plum note). It also reminds me of Dragon's Milk in that they both have a very warm, sexy, red feel to them. This wears much warmer and creamier than it smells in the imp. I can see why this is a legend in the BPAL catalog!!! I am definitely ordering a bottle of this very soon and will experiment with aging it. Simply wonderful

Wet this is sweet green tea mixed with fresh aquatics. When first on this is freshly cut zingy citrus. Very clean and refreshing. It starts to smell a bit like- air freshener? After about 30 minutes it softens and becomes powdery and dusty. It doesn't change much after that. The main reason I got this was for the oude (which is one of my favorite notes) and I can't smell it at all in this blend. This isn't the oude I know and love which is very strong and woody. Holiday Moon smells how I expected it would- green, aquatic, sharp and citrusy. This isn't really my type of scent. I think it would be good for springtime though for people who like this category of scent. I do hope that Beth does more dark and exotic blends with oude in the future.

Wet this is sweet florals, jasmine I think. When first on this smells like bubblegum which is probably lotus. It's a bit powdery and misty. The powdery note becomes slightly spicy and I think it's carnation. This is a light, soft blend. I was hoping to get more of the plum note in it. This is okay but I don't need to keep it.