VioletChaos

i loved this tremendously at first. all sweet cream cheese frosting. unfortunately, it turned on me after an hour or so had gone by and became unbearably cloying. overly sweet, though strangely less foody, with a wicked undertone of moss that turned to gross decay on my skin. sigh. well, they all can't be won, i guess...

it's funny, because i got this oil based on the description- it sounded like it would be a mid-range resin, because of the tonka and the white sandalwood, and maybe the ambergris accord. it's NOTHING like that! in the bottle, the scent was oddly non-existent. i don't know how else to put it, but basically that all the notes blended together in such a way that is was like smelling-what?-scented air? water from my pitcher? walking by a small garden? something ephemeral and close to be nothing at all. as soon as i put it on, that changed though. and it became... The Greatest Orange Creme Of All Time!!! it's like Brian magically lifted the Orange Custard Cream from Huesos de Santos and put it into it's own special bottle. i am not one for citrus scents too often, but this is the perfect combination of Vanilla Creme and Orange. it's like wearing a creamsicle! the throw is medium, and it sadly leaves my skin sooner than i would like, but it's just scrumptious. if i am able to get a backup before it vanishes, i most certainly will. either way, i will cherish this bottle forever. oh, and PS? it mixes *deliciously* with Cake Smash!

I, also, have never tried the actual released GC version of Fenris Wolf, but based on the description I pulled up for that version (Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood.), I can say that there are absolute similarities, but this is clearly a different blend too. in the bottle and wet, i get a heavy aroma of vetiver, with something sweet and almost maple-y as an afterthought, but it's a resin-maple, not a foodie-maple. the initial scent that comes for me upon dry down is amber- thick, sweet resinous amber. there is nothing subtle about this amber- this is the type i used to wear before i knew of BPAL- just sweet thick petrified tree sap. (i assume this is what seemed like maple syrup to me earlier ) after several minutes, Fenris changed again, and the amber morphed into a more subtle, but powerful champa scent, slightly powdery, but not so much that i wanted to stop huffin my arm or anything. about 10 minutes after *that*, the oil shifts again- the amber comes back, but now it's being kept in check by that beautiful, woody vetiver that i caught in the bottle. in all, for all it's morphing, the one constant with Fenris Wolf V2, is that for me it is being in a hot summer forest, a large campfire raging close enough to catch the sweet burning smells of the wood, but not so close that i can't smell the earthy woods around me. this is total, total love, and i am indebted to schackjj for-EVAH for hooking me up with this beautiful, complex and fabulous scent. :wub2:

i was guardedly hopeful about this blend. on the one hand, Strawberry Moon 09 exceeded all expectations of what a Berry BPAL could be. on the other, light, "summer-y" musks tend to not be my friend. HOWEVER! Berry Moon pulls it all together! from bottle until dry down, Berry Moon stays pretty consistent. that is to say, it's very much tart/sweet berries with a touch of honeyed musk. i don't really get the blueberries from this, for me it's more a mix of black- and raspberries, and with both, it's at the point where they're so ripe that they're almost spoiled. right before the total dry down happens, there's a few minutes where the scent warms into a berry mead. not the thick type of Mead Moon, but mead none the less. when it's finally dried and mellowed, it blossoms into a warm fruit musk that's all sweet and fruity without being foody or taking on skin-musk or heliotrope aspects (whew!) in all: perfect for the dog days of august that lie ahead, total keeper, total love.

i am SO completely in love with Snooty Rose! it was love at first sniff, to be sure. i'm not a big floral fan, and even the notes i *do* like (pretty much exclusively violet or rose) i'm very, very picky about. but Snooty Rose exceeds my expectations. i simply figured her to be the sort that i would take out for a spin once in a while, but she had much more in store for me. this is not the light rose of Katrina van Tassel, not the sugared rose of Hope, and not the direct rose of Rose Moon. instead, Snooty Rose is barely rose at all. it's the faded rose that sits in an attic, bundled and carefully dried from a long-forgotten romance. the petals are faded with age and streams of dusky sunlight that enter through slats in the old bare-planked walls. it's frail and dusty and victorian in the sense of wanting to wear this scent while having the kind of tea that requires little lace wrist gloves and holding delicate china cups with a pinky raised in the air. THAT'S Snooty Rose. i will be getting a full size bottle post-haste. :wub2:

i was most fearful of the fir in this bland. as a rule, BPAL spruce notes tend to amp on me like crazy, in really unappetizing ways (pine, juniper, i'm looking at you ) fortunately, there's no trace of it in here on me. whew! what i get instead is a rich, dark, sexy musk. not musky like Smut or any of the Enraged musks. this is more of a "dude" musk. that's not to say that i think this is only a scent for guys. but it's very heavy, and kind of overpowering. the finish, after full dry down is very, VERY similar to Death In Autumn. my DH happens to have about 3 bottles of DiA, so i'm very familiar with the scent, and if you are someone who is sad to have not gotten that scent when it was still available, here's your chance to get something close enough to be a sibling.

strangely, i get no rose from this, and further more, hardly any notes that actually appear in the list show up on my skin at all. instead i get what starts in the imp as a whiff of leather combined with burning leaves. once it's in contact with my skin, i get the floral. not rosey, per se, but the sort that would be on my granny's dressing table, mixed into her cold cream. eventually it dries down to an odd combination of cloves, "old lady" perfumed powder, and perhaps a touch of that oakmoss to finish it up. in all: a strange mix of scents. not for me, but i'm glad i tried it.

in the bottle: neat! i absolutely get desert rock. it's not as sweet as Tombstone, but at this point, it's a 2nd cousin it reminds me also of a dry-version of Moai, which i adore. wet on skin: more of the same, but there's a strange hint of aqua lurking under. aqua hates me and this isn't a problem so far, so i'm not terribly worried. dry down: sun-baked rocks, plump cacti, and that sweet breeze that blows through the desert right before dark. in all: i predict this will be the most coveted of the C15 scents.

in the bottle: ok. weird. i get the "wet cement" thing that's been mentioned, but there's something else in there too. something that reminds me of olde time gentlemen's cologne. wet on skin: this stuff has incredible throw, straight from the get-go, i just wanna say that now. the oil at this stage has become a dead ringer for clairol herbalessence shampoo, but the 1970's variety. people of a certain age will know what that means, but for the rest, it's a very herbal-y shampoo. dry down: yup. herbal shampoo. in all: do not be distressed by my review. aquatics and herbal-based scents frequently become soap on me. if this has not been a problem for you in the past, this will likely be the BPAL of your dreams.

in the bottle: i get a very light violet and a sweet mint, like spearmint. wet on skin: the violet is still the dominant note, though "dominant" might be the wrong word- this is the *lightest* violet i've encountered in ANY BPAL scent i've tried- and given my SN, you can assume that i've tried quite a few. dry down: violet without being soapy, minty without being overpowering. this is a lovely perfume in the true olde sense of the word. in all: a perfect summer scent for an enchanted, timeless evening out among the stars. i will cherish my bottle for always. :wub2:

marsmomma, that goddess, picked all the C:15 scents, and i am eternally grateful. so here's the first of the lot: in the bottle: absolutely a combination of Milk Moon and Nonae. personally, i hope that changes, as neither of those liked my skin too much. wet on skin: definitely sweeter than either of the aforementioned. it reminds me of babies, drinking either formula or breast milk- that sweet milkiness. hmmm. dry down: back to the love child of MM and Nonae. in all: if your skin is like mine, don't bother. but if you were into Nonae or Milk Moon, stock up while you can.

Pink Flamingo is everything I wanted Marshmallow Poof to be and wasn't. my problem with Poof was that it struck me as really one-dimensional, and ended with a faint wiff of just sugar a short time later. not so with Flamingo. it's absolutely sweet marshmallow, but it's more than that. i can see why some folks thing it's like Velvet Unicorn- it's got that same rock-candy kind of sweetness to it- but there's something more to it. the sap absolutely adds something special here, but this isn't a "green" scent. mostly, it reminds me of cotton candy scented play-doh, in the best possible meaning of that description this will require a big bottle, oh yes it will

fizzy? check. boozy? check. total headache nightmare on contact with my skin?....*sigh*....check.

went through a bit of a rough patch in my life, and just happened to grab my imp of DH. the name got me figuring that it might give me strength. i wasn't wrong. but it's a quiet strength, just getting me through the tasks at hand in a gentle way. the smell, on me, is pure champa. the DB and the musks come together in such a way that champa is all that can be found. i will absolutely be getting a bottle of this.

in the bottle: thick, dark brown sugar molasses. wet on skin: this is becoming all about the moss, i'm afraid. dry down: the patchouli pops out after a bit, and mixes with oakmoss and the red currant. i sadly get no vanilla cream from this. in all: a close-to-the-skin scent, more earthy and far less foody than i anticipated based on the listed notes. i like it, and think it might do well with some aging, but i don't think it'll be one i reach for all that often.

in the bottle: spicy mexican hot chocolate, Abuelita, to be exact wet on skin: same, but a bit stronger now as it warms on my skin. dry down: the scent becomes a bit more balanced now. i get none of the wine, but it's absolutely cocoa, corn paste and spices. total. love. in all: medium throw, rich and heady, this is a perfect oil for worshipping the summer gods. it's not a question of getting a back up bottle, it's a question of how many to get!

the day i got this in the post, of course i was compelled to try it instantly. however, it seemed too "fresh" somehow, and i decided i'd give it a little bit of time to blend itself together a bit. it's been about 8, 9 days, so i'm ready to do this for realz... in the bottle: goat's milk and fig in equal measure. not the usual cream, this has the 'sour' note of goat's milk. i'm intrigued. wet on skin: still with the mix of the two. i've yet to get any myrrh. dry down: remind me somehow of soap. like, high quality, thrice milled french soap, smelling of garden plants, but without actually being soapy. in all: light to medium throw, i get no myrrh, just a soft even mix of fig and goat's milk. i don't find that it smells like the most recent Milk Moon the way other folks have, but this is absolutely a summer scent- it would disappear in cold weather. i will love my bottle for all it's worth, but i don't think i'll be getting a backup or anything.

this is pretty fine stuff, i must say. there is the honey that showed up in my beloved Lupenar, for sure, and it's just as beautiful and rich here. but then this really well behaved frankincense note is adding a resin-filled balance that cuts through the sweetness of the honey. it's really a lovely mixture. in all: i predict this will be very sought after.

in the bottle: honey? check! currant? check! wet on skin: currant is dominating at this stage, in pretty much the same way the bath oil did on my skin while wet. dry down: while i'm getting little wafts of blackberry, this scent, like it's bath oil buddy, is still mostly red currant with a bit of honey tossed in. in all: i think this one might improve with a bit of aging (as with the bath oil) so i believe i'll have to leave this be for a month and try again later. for now, i think this would mix well with something that can bring the fruit into perspective, like Obatala, or even Bliss. but on it's own it's a little too pungent, even for my foodie-loving nose.

in the bottle: super tart, super yummy red currants! wet on skin: still mostly currant, but the honey is absolutely present. dry down: the fruit is definitely stronger than the honey. i don't personally find a balance here. in all: this was all on my skin and really, i use the bath oils mostly in my hair, so i feel i'll have to give this another try with that application in mind. but so far my verdict is that it's a bit too strong and overpowering for the applications i give it.

i, too, use the bath oils in an unusual way. i sometimes use them on my skin, but mostly i use them in my hair. for the purpose of this review, it'll be about the oil on my skin, but i may edit later after i try it out in my hair if the scent is much different. in the bottle: the orris is strong, with a bit of a powder-y undertone to it that's making me a touch nervous. wet on skin: the frankincense is balancing the orris at this point, taking away the powder, but leaving the woodsy aspect. dry down: a lovely mix of the two, but no sign of the other notes on my skin. in all: i can tell that this will be something i'll want to put in my hair after being at the beach all day, when my skin has been crusted in salt. a perfect reprieve for sure.

O. Mi. GODDESS. this, THIS is the strawberry scent i've been waiting for my whole life! every other strawberry from BPAL does one of two things on me: it either becomes all plastic so i smell like a Strawberry Shortcake doll, or it goes all candy-like on me, like i just rubbed Twizzlers all over my arms. but this, this does neither. it's amazing. this smells *exactly* like real, warm, late summer, TART strawberries, maybe the slightest, and i MEAN slightest, hint of green in the background. on my skin, it stays true, just beautiful, real ripe strawberry to the last. the throw is low, but the hint of it stays on my skin for a long while. why, oh WHY did i only buy ONE bottle of this?! still, i will treasure this bottle for all my days :wub:

this is fruit-flavored rock candy, pure and simple. it's crunchy, sparkling candy edge is matched only by it's fruitness. this is not like Sugar Skull, though. the sugar in that amps on me like crazy, where as in this it strangely stays in place. this is not an everyday sort of scent, but when the mood is just so, it's the only thing that will do.

for me, Velvet Panther started out as a full-blown nightmare. in the bottle i couldn't pick out any notes, but as soon as it touched my skin, it became the black licorice horror of NyQuil. but then, within a minute or two, a miraculous thing happened. the NyQuil vanished entirely and a gorgeous and sexy blend of dark vanilla and musk with a touch of rootiness all bloomed on my skin in a mad rush. it's amazing. i'm really, really glad that i have a bottle with this, because my feeling is that it's only going to get better with age.

ah, fibro fog. boy, that's something i'd be happy to see disappear from my life *forever* anyway, i have to echo what other folks have said about the magic of TKO. it's absolutely my first-line defense for helping me to sleep when the pain or anxiety becomes too unbearable. it's the only BPAL that doesn't live in a big box- i keep it on my night table for constant access. i also really like Antique Lace because it's scent isn't overpowering during those fabulous times when Fibro makes all my senses a wee too strong. it's really gentle and is a really comforting one, i've found. Bitch, i find, is good for lethargy, big time. Perfect for the days when getting out of bed is needed and yet seems like the most enormous effort imaginable. and last but not least, i strongly recommend High John The Conqueror for any time one has to leave the house and get needs met. i wear it on the days that i'm in so much pain i HAVE to use my cane and i am in no mood to have to yell at someone to give me a seat on the bus. everyone just makes room for me, automatically. hope this helps, and welcome aboard- lots of folks around here have chronic conditions and although not everyone has ours, there's generally lots of support and empathy, cause we all know how hard things can get.