CreamyJade

In the bottle: Apricot & sake, but not a juicy decadent apricot liqueur (like in March hare), more like a lightly boozy apricot. Wet on skin: Sake, wood, apricot. Dry on skin: Pretty much the same as wet: a light mix of apricot, sake & wood. Very elegant! Final thoughts: I bought this one mainly for the apricot (I'm so fond of their scent, though usually hate the extra fruity perfumes) & because it's a great break from my heavy musk/incense/resins mix. I really like it! I think I'll wear it a lot during spring & summer, as it's a lighter blend, but still complex and elegant.

In the decant: Almost like a citrus Snake Oil. Wet on skin: Snake Oil, with moss and something green. Dry on skin: MOSS, earthiness & a background of vanilla & Snake Oil. Final thoughts: A kind swapper graced me with a testable almost empty decant and I was glad to try it as I love to try the Snakes :3 I liked the earlier stages of the scent, but when the moss overrode the Snake Oil, it was a bit too much for me. I'm glad I tried it though!

In the imp: Resins, citrus, cologne. Wet on skin: Lemon peel, incense, slight touch of clove. Dry on skin: Frankincense, citrus, clove & a touch of leather Final thoughts: I had the chance to try this when a sweet forumite sent me a decant in our swap. Thank you! I think this is marvelous! It's resins with a bit of citrus, clove and leather. It's not too intense, or heavy & masculine, so it will be perfect for spring & summer. Now the hunt for a bottle begins... ETA: The scent makes me think of a less smoky Carnaval Diabolique (sans opium smoke) and of a less musky & masculine Crowley (sans red musk). To try if you like those two!

In the bottle: Red currant & musk. Wet on skin: Red currant, frankincense, quiet sage in the background. Dry on skin: It's resins & red fruits. Gorgeous! Final thoughts: Well this one's an exceptional blend also! I'm not a red fruits fiend, but the musk and resins play so nicely with this blend that I can only love it! I have yet to layer all the three scents together, which should be interesting!

In the bottle: Pear! Sweet juicy golden pear! Also, there's something reminiscent of Snow, Glass & Apples in the mix, the crispness of the scent. Wet on skin: More lovely pear, along with slight woods and something deep & green. Dry on skin: Oh man. This is lovely! It's pear, but balanced with wood, amber & something tangy that makes this blend a very beautiful blend. Final thoughts: Woah! I thought I'd be all over Motley, but it's Marotte that makes me crazy. I'm not fond of overly fruit scents, but I love pear notes (Lune Noire & Black Moon!) and this blend is just too pretty!

In the bottle: Almost like sour berries. Wet on skin: Tart blackberry, champaca, light myrrh. Dry on skin: The mushroom & rhubarb add an earthiness to the berries&musk that makes it really interesting. Final thoughts: This was the one that I was the most excited about, and while it doesn't disapoint, I don't feel a crazy "must hoard" feeling. I have yet to mix all the Le Mat scents together though, which should be a fun experiment!

In the bottle: This is dry woody cinnamon and red ginger. There's no sweetness at all. Wet on skin: The same dry woody cinnamon, with ginger. Dry on skin: The blend becomes gentler when dried, and I can now detect sweet vanilla undertones. It's nice, but definately not my favorite snake of the Pit. Final thoughts: It seemed like another promissing snake of the bunch, but alas, I'm a bit bummed about it. This blend makes me think about Devil's Night, without any sweetness or foodiness. I like it, but the cinnamon & ginger are so dry on me that I think I'll layer it with some Snake Oil. ETA: The scent really mellowed out after a while and some sweetness started to come out, but still not enough for me! I'll definately be layering this with extra Snake Oil.

In the bottle: Vetiver & black coconut, not foody coconut. Wet on skin: Vetiver, black coconut, and smoky vanilla underneath. Dry on skin: This blend turns into a drier smoky Snake Oil, with black coconut, on my skin. It's lovely and sensual. Final thoughts: I like this one! While it's not my favorite snake of the Pit (King Cobra is!), it really is a beautiful, sexy, intoxicating blend. I've pretty much loved all the snakes that I tried, and this one is definite love! Yay!

In the bottle: Oh hey cocoa! And cherries underneath. Wet on skin: Cocoa & cherries, vanilla. Dry on skin: Dry bittersweet cocoa, woods, musks, hint of sweet vanilla, no cherries at all. It's actually "perfumey" on my skin as the cocoa isn't turning foody at all, and is more of a dark bittersweet scent. Finally a 13 that's more "me"! Final thoughts: Yay for March 13 2009! I was hoping for another non-foody cocoa scent that I could wear (the other one is Boomslang). As June 2008's 13 and February 2009's 13 were busts for me (the caramel note in Feb.'s 13 made me gag!), this one is great for me. It won't be my trademark scent, but I'll definately use it.

In the bottle: "In your face" red fruits, the same plum that's in Snake Charmer & Mme Moriarty: a sexy juicy red plum. Wet on skin: Boozy plums, sweetness. Dry on skin: Wine, plum, champaca. I don't get a lot of sandalwood, but it might develop later on.. Final thoughts: Of all the ladies (and lad) of the Lupercalia this year, she was the one I chose, mainly for the red fruits & champaca. Something in this blend reminded me of Montresor, but I much prefer Makhanitis to the former. Very beautiful feminine blend, I enjoy wearing it!

This is for the 2006 version. In the bottle: Sugar, red musk, boozy vanilla. Wet on skin: The same, sweet boozy red musk. Dry on skin: Sexy, sweet, dangerous boozy vanilla musks. Final thoughts: Oh, I love you. You're my number one, you're my holy grail, you sophisticated Smut. Richer darker than the more recent versions, Smut 2006 is dangerous on me. It sticks to my body like a second skin! I got my first bottle in 2008, so the blend had time to age, and it ages well! The red musk is dark, still fruity but not tart. The vanilla & booze melt together. While not a complex perfume, it's still my favorite and the one someone will have to pry from my cold dead hands. This is for the 2007 & 2008 versions, as I find them quite similar. In the bottle: Sugared vanilla. Wet on skin: Sugared vanilla & fresh red musk. Dry on skin: Alcohol-tinged sugared vanilla, with fresh red musk. Final thoughts: I'm still wondering why I didn't review this blend before, I love Smut. This is my ultimate perfume. I first glanced upon the description and the words "MUST HAVE NOW" appeared in my head, with flashing neons. It didn't disapoint when I received it and it started my obsession with hoarding the scent. It's great for layering, adding a sugared boozy vanilla feel, or alone as a sexy seductive scent. It's been tried & approved!

In the imp: Salt, patchouli, woods. Wet on skin: Patchouli, musk, woods. Dry on skin: I get the rose now, and it really mellows the blend out. It doesn't make it feminine at all, it's not harsh, but it smells like a cologne. A sophisticated gentleman's cologne! Final thoughts: I had always been curious about the blend so I bought a decant, but after smelling my imp again this morning, I had the urge to get a bottle. Now that I'm wearing it, I like it, but I'd prefer it layered with something else, either with pear or sugar, to make it more feminine. I'll keep my decant and pass the bottle over to my boyfriend.

This is the 2006 version. In the bottle: Resins, amber, smoky spices. Wet on skin: Resins, incense, earthy patchouli, the blend is very complex and I can't pick out all individual notes.. There's something that makes me think of a lighter Minotaur, possibly of Scorpio 2007 in it, but without anything herbal in the mix. Dry on skin: All resins, all incense, amber, sweetness and earthiness on me. It sticks to my skin and makes my head swoon. Final thoughts: I've had a bottle for a while, I can't believe that I hadn't reviewed it yet! This is an amazing blend, so well-crafted. Every time I open the bottle I think that it was made just for me. It's dark, sensual, dangerous. It's amazing & sophisticated on a woman, but I'd be curious to smell the man who'd wear it. I doubt I'd ever let him go!

In the bottle: Toasted almond milk! Possibly: toasted almonds & almond milk. Wet on skin: Sweet almond milk, nutty pine, smokiness. Dry on skin: Sweetness, patchouli, tobacco, light pine. Final thoughts: I'm so pleased with this! The milk & cream notes usually smell sour to me, but this is delicious! The blend is creamy without being overwhelmingly strong or too masculine. It's on my list of bottles to get before the Carnival leaves.

In the bottle: Sugared jasmin. Wet on skin: I get the same sugar note that's in Temple Viper, it must be nag champa. Dry on skin: Sugared flowers, nag champa, incense. Final thoughts: I can't believe I've never reviewed this blend! I really enjoy it, despite being quite volatile on my skin and needing to be slathered all over. It definately bears a ressemblance to Temple Viper, with the nag champa & overall sweetness. Very nice! I already have a back-up bottle that's aging.

This is for the 2005 version. In the bottle: Gingersnaps, sweetness, light smoky musk. Wet on skin: RAAWW GINGER! Sweetness, without being a heavy "foody" scent. Dry on skin: Ginger, smoke, boozy sweetness. Final thoughts: I really wanted to try this one. I usually don't like foodies (though this one hardly qualifies), but the components seemed so delicious that I thought I couldn't resist. The "gingersnaps" aspect of the blend went away after a while, but I'm not sure I'll be willing to wait for that moment, as so many BPAL blends I enjoy smell great right when I apply them. I got a similar feel with Wezwanie/Hold, though both Wezwanie & Devil's Night would be great for layering. ETA: I was so wrong! Now that I've waited a while, the scent of this blend isn't foody at all, it's sweet smoke and dry ginger! Yay! I'll definately keep my bottle!

In the bottle: Just like Nutella, without the chocolate! It's hazelnut and sandalwood, with honey sweetness. Definately foody at first sniff, which is not to my tastes usually, but I'll see. Wet on skin: Hazelnut, sandalwood, something drier underneath tries to come out. Dry on skin: The hazelnut note calmed down and blended nicely with the sandalwood, the resins & the honey. Pretty!! Final thoughts: I really wanted to try this one, despite the fact that I don't enjoy wearing foodies. It's not a foodie, in my opinion; the loud & screaming hazelnut I got from sniffing the bottle at first, morphed into sandalwood and honey the moment I applied it. It's a very nice perfume, and I'm glad I have a bottle again (had sold mine and regretted it). Now to layer it with Infernal Lover for a Storyvillesque experience... Try if you like Devil's Night, O, Monsterbait: Underpants, Storyville

In the bottle: Oh, resins, I loves you. Wet on skin: Soft frankincense, resins, light woods, incense. Delicious! Dry on skin: The drydown has much more character on me than a straight sniff from the bottle. Frankincense, a bit of wood, incense smoke. There's nothing acrid, or too sharp. Final thoughts: I'm so happy I got hold of half a bottle of this! It's glorious! This contains all sorts of lovely resiny goodness. The blend is also full of smoky incense, but not too heady. *swoons* Perfect! It's a fairly gender neutral blend, so I'll definately try this on the boyfriend, if I'm feeling generous ^_~

In the bottle: PEAR!!, flowers. Wet on skin: Slightly fruity, orchids. I get a coolness from the blend. Dry on skin: Sweetness, dark florals. Final thoughts: I've previously enjoyed Black Moon's younger sister, Lune Noire from 2008, so I decided to try this one. This blend is so feminine & sensual. The pear is less apparent than in Lune Noire, so the blend is more mature. Again, beautiful!

In the bottle: I smell the same skin musk than in the Illustrated Woman...promising! Wet on skin: Sweet skin musk. Dry on skin: The drydown definately adds depth to the scent, it's much more "perfumey" than it was when wet. My bet's on the copal! It smells warm, golden & inviting. Final thoughts: To me, this is very similar to the Illustrated Woman, without the aggressive pine pitch that I get during the first few hours (!) of the drydown. Sexy, sultry, feminine, Giant Vulva is so delicious that I needed a back-up bottle. Yum!

In the bottle: Lavender & sweet herbs. Wet on skin: Sweet tea, lavender, it indeed smells like Dorian. Dry on skin: Mellow vanilla, sweet soft herbs, light musk. How lovely! Final thoughts: I had to track down a bottle of this after smelling it on a friend, because I wasn't convinced when it popped up on the site. Boy was I wrong, I love Lilith Victoria! It's much milder than any of the heavy resins/musk/incense/spices blends I usually wear, and I've enjoyed and welcomed the change. It definately makes me think more about Dorian than Snake Oil though. It's gorgeous & sophisticated; I'd feel confident wearing pretty much anywhere.

In the bottle: Patchouli, spice, earth, some incense creeping in the background. I definately see the ressemblance with Phantom Calliope too, without the cherries of course. Wet on skin: Dark oil. Very spicy patchouli! Dry on skin: Patchouli, dry sandalwood, a bit of cardamom. Nice! Final thoughts: Splendid, dark, complex! Really beautiful blend, I'm glad I have a bottle of this, it's not the type of scent that I'd hoard though.

In the bottle: Sweet resins, something fresh & herbal. Wet on skin: Sweeter mix on my skin, mostly heavy resins, sweet incense. Dry on skin: Pretty much the same as the wet stage, but with a sharpness that comes from the Dragon's blood, I think. I'll see how this one pans out during the day, but I'll get it'll be glorious. Final thoughts: Yes! Oui! More please! Definately in the same league as Minotaur and definately made for a Scorpio like me. This oil is truly magnificent! I wish I had been around BPAL when this first came out, I would've hoarded like crazy.

In the bottle: Woah, heavy resins! Wet on skin: Resins, dark heavy musk. Dry on skin: Dark resins, though the blend is much sweeter than in the bottle. Final thoughts: I was lucky enough to find a bottle, and boy am I glad! This is truly beautiful. There's a sweetness to the musks and resins, which I love. It's not an overly masculine or feminine scent, so I'll have to try this one on the boyfriend.

In the bottle: Musk, earth, this is definately a dark scent. Wet on skin: I smell the same wet dirt scent that is found in Fortunato, plus lots of musk, a bit of resins and dark florals. Dry on skin: Wet dirt, dark florals, musk, red fruits playing in the background. Final thoughts: I can't believe I'm the second reviewer, where's the love for the Earth Phoenix?! It is a truly beautiful scent, very complex, that definately qualifies for my top 5 of favorites!