viciousviolet

From Love Potions A sinful, licentious scent: self-indulgent and luxurious. Mingled heady civet and red Egyptian musk, thickened with opium. A thick, sensual perfume. The visual I get from this scent is of a jaded, spoiled harem girl languishing amongst silks and cushsions on a fainting couch. There is a sharpness underneath the initial muskiness, and a definite sexuality to it. Perhaps it is the civet and musk? All in all, a very sexy mix. Almost too wicked for me!

From Bewitching Brews A vital, bold scent, throbbing with sensuality. Essence of dragon's blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove. The name really does fit the perfume. It is a husky, dark scent with a wet sweetness. The clove is what makes the scent bitter, I think. All in all, it's perfect in the sense that it really does look, smell and feel like you're dabbing a little blood behind each ear. However, it will certainly be too much for someone without an appropriately vampiric nature.

Sensual, decadent, and enigmatic. Lavender, softly underscored by lotus and spice. Normally, lavender isn't my thing, but somehow Old Paris really worked with my body chemistry. It is a very elegant, light scent. This is a brilliant scent for wearing on a romantic evening.

A mournful, poignant scent, thick with foreboding. Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk. I love Haunted. I adore both amber and darker musks, so this one really worked for me. The first whiff is deeper than the drydown, which is softer and more golden than the initial scent. All in all it is one of my preferred "evening" perfumes. My beau loves it on me, which makes it all the better!

From Love Potions A gentle vision of purity, goodness and virtue: white tea, carnation and Damask Rose. A gorgeous chorus of white flowers with just enough exotic tea leaf scent to add a little come-hither. I feel youthful, innocent and virtuous when I wear it without any little girl silliness. It is a sophisticated innocence, if there is such a thing.

From Bewitching Brews All the glory, warmth and majesty of the sun -- darkened. A delicious blend of bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon. I found Eclipse to be a very cheering scent. The initial scent is a bit too strong for me, but on the drydown it is warm, golden, sweet, and has a very lively, happy and strangely comforting quality to it. To be blunt, it is a great scent to wear when you have PMS. Eclipse has reversed quite a few of my bad moods! Edited to add, my sister is very sensitive to cinnamon, and this scent made her skin red and itchy. It did not have that effect on me.

From Love Potions Selune, the Moon Goddess, fell in love with a beautiful shepherd named Endymion. She appealed to Zeus, asking him to cast Endymion into everlasting slumber so that she could be with him for all eternity. Her wish was granted, and every night the Goddess visited her love as he slept. A sweet, wistful blend of d'Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk. Beautiful. Just plain beautiful. The scent is exquisite. A light floral and musk with pear, and the pear note is perfectly fresh and clean. A Sunday morning scent, IMO. One of my all-time favorites.

And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Come whiffing through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! An earthy yet buoyant scent: pine, eucalyptus and orange. Snicker Snack! I love Jabberwocky! It’s a fresh, spring/summer scent, unlike any I’ve experienced in the past. There’s a bright green earthiness in it, the pine I’m sure, that is sweetened by orange (but not too sugary!) and just enough eucalyptus to really make it shine without going too far with it and making it smell like arthritis rub! It’s gender neutral, very refreshing, and a great WAKE UP! scent!

Sensual, robust, and silken: voluptuous red rose bursting with lascivious red wine and sultry dragon's blood resin. A wine-rose combination, very rich and bloody and sexual! Not as wet as Persephone, nor as dark and dry as Black Rose. The drydown on me was gorgeous, soft while still being robust. One of my favorite rose blends.

And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. An ancient formula that inspires unrepentant decadence, lechery and debauch. This is a very interesting scent. A sweet floral over vanilla and cinnamon. Maybe rose geranium or gardenia? It started out heavy and sweet and dried down to a husky, sensual floral with a spicy kick. ETA: I know that many people will disagree with me, but this is like Dragon's Milk with a spicier kick and a shot of sweet gardenia. This is a "dark" scent, without smelling literally dark. How to explain? It's the scent of a pampered, decadent, deviant, truly evil Goddess-Empress lounging on a fainting couch, surrounded by slaves and worshippers.

I promised her my eternal love, and I actually thought that for a couple of hours. Rake, scoundrel, demon in a frock coat. Devilishly seductive, ultimately tragic; a villain undone and redeemed by love. Based on an 18th century gentlemen’s cologne: ambergris, white musk, white sandalwood, Spanish Moss, orange blossom, three mints, jasmine, rose geranium and a spike of rosemary. Valmont is just DAMN sexy. Aquatic, a little herbal and slightly floral without being the least bit femme. True to its namesake, this scent puts me in mind of rich, bored, wicked, sexually-charged 18th century French aristocrats. At the risk of waxing too poetic, it is the scent that a vicious lover would leave on your pillows after he has betrayed you. EDIT: Added Lab's description --Shollin

Dark, decadent and incomparably exotic: the rich scent of buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras. Very exotic, warm and sensual. The notes in the description are as follows: "the rich scent of buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras." Though the notes as listed struck me as something that would be a strong, harsh combination, the final scent is soft, very buttery, and truly exotic. The rum isn't boozy, but rather sweet and lickable and the bay, clove and sassafras add a welcome amount of spice. I enjoy this scent on me, but I perfectly adore it on my husband.

Mother of Demons, Vengeful Fury, Darkest Seductress, Queen of the Djinn, Goddess of the Gate. Red wine, myrrh, black musk, and attar of rose. When it settles into my skin the scent is so dark and just plain wicked. It's the scent equivalent of the color blood red. I think every girl wants to feel a wee bit evil sometimes and when I do Lilith is what I wear for sure. It is sinister and seductive, the perfume of a succubus or evil enchantress.

A gentle, healing love blend, often used to help mend a broken heart. Brings peace of mind, soothes the sting of loss, and aids in finding closure. A soft, very melancholy scent yet utterly lovely. It is gently floral and the drydown has a distinctive lavender note to it. Very peaceful and wistful. It does put me in mind of lost loves and regrets. Wear it when you're watching a sad film, and I daresay you won't stop weeping for a fortnight! Later I found that the scent of this oil takes the edge of anger off of me. It's a bit hard to explain, but using the scent as an aromatherapy inhaler after an argument gets rid of that "red haze" for me. I feel calmer, more forgiving, and it gets my head cleared up enough to be rational again.

From Sin & Salvation The essence of pleasure heightened by pain: the raw scent of leather. Again, this perfume is perfectly aligned with its description on the BPAL site. It is the scent of leather, hot, passionate and very sexual. I insisted that my husband wear this on the night of our second honeymoon, if you get my point. 8)

The spirit of temptation, the essence of lost innocence. Apple blossom, rose, ylang ylang and golden honey. As Autumn24 mentioned on the Bust Lounge, BPAL has a way with roses. Normally, I am not a fan of the scent, as it puts me in mind of old ladies’ cold creams or the depressing scent of flowers at a wake, but the variety of rose scents that Black Phoenix has come up with has changed my mind about that flower. I never knew a rose could be as mysterious and dark as Black Rose, or as wet and succulent as Persephone’s rose, or as wicked and winey as Blood Rose, or as dry and lovely as Old London’s, and Eve is no exception. Eve is a crisp, light rose perfume with the tartness of apples and just a little bit of honey. I imagine this was the scent that Biblical Eve bore when she descended from the Tree of Knowledge. This is the perfect springtime floral.

From Sin & Salvation The pinnacle of power, poisoned by sin and indulgence - this is our homage to Classical Roman debauch. Rosemary, bay, pine and a touch of lemon. A stern blend. Certainly the scent of corrupt emperors. It is very masculine and clean, with some notes like bay and rosemary that I always associate with men’s colognes. Too, too male for me, but delightful on my husband.

From Diabolus A scent seething with the perverse splendor of complete and utter madness. High-pitched, yet dark... subdued and deep, but tingling with frenzy: juniper, nutmeg and black cypress shocked by verbena and lavender. This is a very disjointed scent, so appropriate for a perfume inspired by Lovecraft! The juniper seemed sharper to me than that scent usually does, and the lavender and verbena make it very edgy. In its way, it is very invigorating. It strikes me as a masculine blend, and isn't something I would normally wear, but my husband enjoys it a great deal. PLEASE NOTE: This is not the same as the Picnic in Arkham scent named Arkham (formerly Arkham Revisited), and if that's the one you're looking for, those reviews are here.

From Tarot Oils Of all the major arcana, I understand this card and the Chariot the least. I feel I don’t identify with them as well as I do the others or perhaps I haven’t experienced a period in my life that can be personified by them yet. I purchased the Hanged Man to help me overcome this, and I think it’s brought a little clarity to me. The scent is a little watery, like lotus or China rain, but it has something I can’t pinpoint in it too that makes it warmer and resinous. It’s the scent of deliberate loss and sacrifice, cleansing and cathartic. The tone is very melancholy bordering on sorrowful.

From Tarot Oils Light and true to its airy nature, with a sense of peace in a way, but still sinister, like the cards of sorrow and defeat. I can tell that there is lavender and neroli in it and maybe sandalwood. Sharp, thin, and wispy, but with a definite edge.

From Tarot Oils The tarot blends are so complex, they’re very difficult for me to describe. This one is appropriately fiery, but it’s not just the scent of spice. It’s the feeling of warmth from a flame, searing desert winds, and the glow of coals. The scent is dry and hot, with a spicy herbal note, and something green under it all, perhaps rosemary. Oddly, I don't detect any traditionally "fiery" notes in it, like cinnamon.

From Tarot Oils Something like mallow with a resin scent similar to frankincense. I can’t describe this one at all. It has a regal, distant quality to it, totally genderless. A commanding, regal perfume.

From Tarot Oils Black pine, patchouli, honeysuckle, oakmoss, almond and other soft earthen tones. Oh my, this is EARTH. Warm, comforting, nurturing, sometimes stolid EARTH. It doesn’t have the gritty dryness of Zombi, it’s more like soil used to cultivate crops or fertilize your garden, or the scent of a forest path. There is a slight floral sweetness too, like fresh summer flowers still in their garden bed. EDIT: Added Lab's new description. --Shollin

From Bewitching Brews A sinuous, vibrant scent, striking in its boldness and complexity. Juniper and white cedarwood entwined with orange and raw civet. A very difficult blend to describe. This is the scent I would imagine Byron and Shelley wore as they drifted through opium-laced reverie. It is an earthy scent, not of pine, but of dark herbs and mahogany wooden notes with a sweetness and an almost languid feel. An “artist's” scent, or the scent of a poet's inspiration.

From Tarot Oils I think I may need to go for more positive tarot archetypes in my next purchase! Aesthetically, I love this scent. It is dark, dark, DARK! Musky and animalistic in the extreme. I can see how the oil embodies entrapment in worldly desires. It certainly inspired a few darker desires in me when I sniffed it.