sheepzeit

The gloomy Hades enriches himself with our sighs and our tears. The Unseen. Eldest brother of Zeus, Husband of Persephone, Lord of the Underworld and Commander of the Demons of the Underworld, God of Wealth, whose epithets are Clymenus [Notorious], Eubuleus [Wise in Counsel], and Polydegmon [He who receives many / The Hospitable]. Though he is a dark, morbid and morose deity, fierce and relentless, and is stern, pitiless, and sometimes cruel, he is by no means an evil God. His justice is true, even-handed and absolute, and he is possessed of unbreakable loyalty, single-minded devotion to duty, and immense courage. A dark, palpably sacred chthonic blend: black narcissus and cypress, stephanotis, opoponax, labdanum, onycha and ambergris. I was a little nervous about ordering this because it has florals in it and I generally don't do florals, but since it had an earthy side as well I decided to go for it. I like it! Wet: Deep, subtle florals with something almost minty in the background. Reminds me of what a damp, hot swamp would smell like. Very earthy and organic On skin: The earthiness that I believe was the cypress appears to have gone and the florals really start coming out. But not quite a POP! IN YER FACE! as most florals seem to do on me. I can smell something that reminds me of jasmine in this, and who knows because I have no idea what narcissus or stephanotis smell like. I still smell something incensy, w hich is probably the opoponax, onycha and ambergris, which is just lovely. It seems to be the earth in which the flowers are growing. If flowers were make of smoke, they would smell like Hades. Unexpectedly nice!

I have to say that this reminds me a lot of Blood Kiss, with the softly spicy, musky sensual scent. It is a very warm, close-to-the-skin type scent as well as one that is... sweet in a vanilla-y kind of way (which I suppose are the grains). I like it but am not sure I will end up wearing this very much, though maybe when the weather starts getting colder!

Hangingfire is right on the money, and she says it better than I could. I love a good old plain gin martini and this smells amazingly like that. But I do also get a hint of lime in there to freshen it up, and it makes me think also of gin and tonics (another favorite of mine). I am a Bombay Sapphire girl, but this is so swank either way! I am fairly certain I couldn't pull off wearing this to the office, but on the weekends anything is game.

Like everyone else here I dont' regularly drink Cosmos but I was curious enough to order an imp of this. When I wear it it doesn't change much, but it is lighthearted and fruity with cranberry. However as time goes on it lightens a bit and smells more like a Sweet Tart than a Cosmo!

Initially, this scent is woodsy and masculine with a slightly peppery overtone to it. Not exactly pepper maybe, but definitely something sharp with a bite to it. As it dries, the ozone, wine, and leather come out very slightly and the mood changes from a dark brown to one of almost a blue-green with slate grey. This is such a dark, overcast, moody scent. So masculine but fresh, and I have to say that I have very rarely come across a scent that hit its own description so dead-on. I really do see the dusty soldiers and the ivy crawling up the cold stones, smell the wind and the clouds, feel the dry grass under my feet... Although this scent is a little masculine for me and I may not really wear it much, this imp is definitely worth keeping. Like Thunderbird and Black Annis, the images this conjures up are just too good to swap away.

This was a gift from the lab, and not one that made it to my original wishlist. However I think the Lab really scored one with me, as I think I love this one! I don't usually write reviews unless it's something that's really moved me, and this one has. I love woodsy, earthy scents and I thought this would be a little too musky and/or fruity but it's really like taking a walk through the woods right after a spring or summer rain. The lemon is only in the background like a ray of sunlight shattering into slivers in the moist, humid air. Wow, I love this. I need to get a big bottle of this for sure in my next order. Thank you, Lab!

I was a little hesitant in trying this because although I have been looking for a perfect spiced orange scent, it smells like cherry Twizzlers to me right out of the bottle! As it dries, though, everyone is right. It's sweet but not too sweet. Fruity but not too fruity. I don't normally do fruit because it turns cloying and fake on me (like candy or artificial candles) but not this. Hooray! After a thorough drydown I just have the softest orange scent maybe with a hint of berry. I think the pepper in this keeps the fruit from going over the edge, but it's so lovely and cozy and warm. I think I found my spiced orange scent, and I can't wait to snuggle in this scent when winter comes over a mug of hot orange spice tea.

Torture King sounded like a jumble of curious and fascinating things. It has a warm, summer afternoon dusty feel to it, languid and slow. With the sweetness of bourbon and the spiciness of clove and the earthiness of resins, I feel lazy and hot. This is not very unlike The Lion, which conjured a very similar image. I barely smell the lemon except for herhaps a tangy sweetness that adds an edge to the bourbon. I can envision all kinds of strange antique curios from a carnivale tent. I feel like I'm poking through Borgin and Burke's on a summer day!

Hrm. Wow, I liked the imagery of "Bed of Nails" when the CN line was released, but I was certainly not expected this one to be the aquatic! I thought House of Mirrors was going to be aquatic! This is very much 100% ozone and water to me. It doesn't change much on my skin and I am wishing I smelled some of the eucalyptus or citrus that some people have experienced, but not I. Although I am not terribly familiar with name-brand men's cologne I do see how this can be Eternity for Men. Unfortunately this is a little too masculine and aquatic for me.

I am COMPLETELY in love with this scent. I bought this for my husband because he's a geek and geeks are hot (even though I know this scent was named after the original term), but I think that I am way more in love with this than he is. I love woodsy and spicy scents, and this hits the mark dead on. Oh my god. Wet it smells like a less evergreen-y Nocnitsa or a non-sweaty Hexennacht, but once it hits my skin the spices really come out. It certainly smells woodsy, resiny, and with a hint of cinnamon - almost like entering a dusty, creepy beachside carnival tent with a dark stranger who is burning incense. This so so dark, rich, spicy, earthy, and smoky. It's everything I love all rolled into one. Thank you! (the label is fabulous, too!)

I have found Graveyard Dirt and King of Clubs to be the ultimate "Forest" scent for me. I enjoy Nocnitsa and Samhain as some of the other woodsy scents, but GD and KoC smells like walking in the woods with my eyes closed. Hexennacht is also woodsy but on me it's mostly sweat. The said, chemistry is a strange thing, so I've spent my months with BPAL hunting down every forest scent I could find and seeing how they work on me. My reactions have been so different from the norm sometimes, it makes me want to cry.

Chaos Theory XVI (16) I've decided to wear my Chaos Theory again today (my second try), and wow, it works on me. The clue? King of Clubs started getting a little more musky and a little less sexy over the last 24 hours. Something is up with my monthly cycle, although I haven't figured out yet what. Anyway. When I got my order on Friday, my CT was mostly florals. I couldn't tell what, but it was almost all flowers and on the drydown something that might have been a white musk. I'm awful at guessing scent notes. Today it's much more agreeable: Gardenia maybe, at first? Perhaps with a bit of honeysuckle. It's very clean and white. It might be lightened a bit with something aquatic -- it certainly smells like fresh rain in a lush green garden, or heavy summer dew. Hidden under the layers of white is something sort of fruity, but not sweet. It reminds me of the fruit in Queen of Clubs, so perhaps pomegranate or fig? Current? There is also a hint of smoke here, like fruit incense. Very much like a lighter, whiter version of Queen of Clubs. Overall this is very clean, fresh, and light. It is like a mix of Lady of Shallott and Queen of Clubs. I might actually end up wearing it regularly, if my monthly chemistry doesn't stray too far from what it's been lately.

Wow! I was very excited when I read about this one, and I ordered a bottle immediately. It sounded so very much up my alley (except for the leather) and when I received it today, my assumption was proved correct! Wet, it sent shivers down my spine. Earthy, mossy, and with a touch of... spiciness? So incredibly lovely. It was like stepping into the greenest forest in the world right after a rainstorm and inhaling deeply. A wisp of musk wafts through the whole thing, like someone had just walked down the path before I did. As it dries, the more subtle components start coming out. The dirt fades and the leather, sage, and almond come to the forefont. The musk really starts to take the spotlight now, and settles in. Although I can definitely imagine this being super sexy on my husband, I think that I still like it enough to wear myself. I might persuade him to try it, just so I can see how it morphs on his skin. Thank you so very much, Beth! This is possibly my new absolute favorite BPAL scent, ever. --- Edited to add: I swiped a drop on my husband and after 15 minutes I am FLOORED by how different this smells on him. On me the drydown is mostly musk and a bit of almond. On him I can definitely smell the sage and dirt. Although I like the effect it has on me, I wish I could have his skin, too. Wah!

Dragon's blood always ends up smelling like clean soap on me. Not anything bad, but not something I tend to want to smell like all the time. This blend is very much Dragon's Blood, but with a nice thick layer of leather underneath. A tendril of smoke drifts through it before it fully dries. On complete drydown, though, it reminds me of bandages. Or the smell of a clean doctor's office. I'm not sure leather scents work on me because so far I've had no luck, but at least this is a very clean scent, if not necessarily a romantic image of a powerful, beautiful dragon.

I was expecting something similar to Chaste Moon, but this is so different! I hadn't read any reviews before trying it and was very surprised at the mint. This does definitely have a similarity to Spooky, which is nice in a foody way. I don't do gourmand scents but it's still a good thing to keep around when the mood hits. I find it interesting that there is a slightly soured undertone, but instead of thinking of sour milk, it reminds me of yogurt. Perhaps a very delish, cool, creamy vanilla yogurt topped with a sprig of mint. Mmm!

I have spoken to one or two people who store their BPAL in the fridge, and I admit that occasionally I do, too, especially before I moved and it was hot as hell in the house. I never noticed any degradation of the oils when they were cold, and they warmed up very quickly and smelled just fine. However if someone does advise against it I'd be interested to hear the effects of cold on them.

I had expected a scent that reminded me of the color yellow, but this is just too accurate! The Lion is a languid, hot, feral scent. I see that many people thought of fruit when they smelled this, and I can understand as it is very sweet -- thought not in a really foody way. I am very impressed, as I would have imagined lions napping on a hot, dry plain in Africa had I not even known what the name of this scent was! Instead of a cute playful cub, I am reminded of the Bradbury story The Veldt crossed with a dusty antique store with lion heads and other taxidermic prizes un glass displays. Very spooky to me! Bradbury's stories was one of the most visual short stories I've ever read, and this scent is so dead-on when conjuring the image of the hot grassy plains and the glaring yellow sun. I just know that somewhere out there are huge lions, stalking me....

I am sad that I have only just acquired an imp of this almost a year since it was offered, but... better late than never? I really really like King of Spades. At first it was a bit too sweet and fruity for my tastes, as the plum and blackberry are very strong top notes, but they fade after it dries a bit, which is nice for me. They're still there, but just wispy ghosts of themselves. Then the musk and woods come out, warmed just enough by the coconut and vanilla. I don't really do vanilla and coconut, but this adds such a nice soft level of snuggly warmth to this -- perfect! After a few hours, this is still there, albeit faintly. A soft breath of vanilla woods. Oh so perfect! I am disappointed that to this day I have not had the chance to track down the Queen. My interest was piqued again since so many people made comparisons to this one, but I'll just have to keep hunting.

WOW. This is a sweet, punch-me-in-the-face shot of coffee at first. Delicious, even though I am not a coffee drinker. The sweetness and strongness fades a little after it dries, which is good. I like scents that stick around (as this is proving to be), but not if they empower the room the whole time. The sweetness disappears a little more as times goes on, and then a dusty, nutty smell comes through. I assume that this is the old books and polished oak that is in the description, and it smells very much like standing in line at the Barnes & Noble on a bright Saturday morning. Very very accurate to the description, which is amazing. The only problem is that my stomach seems to be a bit of a purist. Food scents and non-food scents mixed together are making it... a little disgruntled. Off to swaps we go.

Whippoorwill was one of the few scents that have made me jump and go "Ooo!" when it was announced. I was a very happy girl when it arrived in the mail today (on a freakishly cold day for late May, thank god, because the bottle was nice and cold when I opened the box). I love cardamom, and have not really tried/seen a lot of scents that had it in there. Out of the bottle, it's a lovely fresh scent, very very slightly spicey and slightly... soapy? Not in a bad way, not really. On my skin the notes separate a little better. It still stays soapy but I can very faintly detect the cedar, the pepper, and the cardamom. I think the earthiness in the middle is the moss, although perhaps it is the juniper mixing with everything else so that seems different than other juniper I've tried. I have no idea what bamboo smells like, unfortunately, so I can't tell if I smell it or not. As it dries it goes to a powdery direction, which is hugely disappointing on me. Cardamom, come back! I love you! Won't you love me long time? At the end, it smells like someone else's soap, mixed with baby powder. I'm going to be relentless with this one, and try it every day of the month until it works on me. I refuse to give in to chemical disagreement.

This perfume is an interpretation of the Hanging Gardens by night, based on further accounts of its fruit and flora: date palm, ebony, fir, pomegranate, plum, two pears, quince, fig, and grapevine with plumeria, three gardenias and dry rose. Interesting that everyone used the word "summer" to describe this! When I first put it on, all I could see were the beautifully red and white displays in stores around Christmastime. To me, Hanging Gardens is the perfect Yule potpourri. I can see the artificial bouquets of holly, arrangements of pears and figs and grapes and apples encased in clear beads to mimic frost, all the shiny lovely aspects of the festivities. Christmas trees with plump, luscious fruit ornaments and sprinkled with crystalline frost, glittering with lights... mmmmm.. I smell the plum, fig, and a touch of gardenia. It's very hard to pick out the notes, but it's bursting with RED and PURPLE and a blend of flowers here and there. So very colorful to me. Not sure if this is a keeper yet, but I was quite struck by how vividly the imagery of Christmas came to me.

Huh. I sniffed my wrist a dozen extra times since reading the reviews... do I have a mislabeled imp here, even though it has the original label? It wouldn't be the first time, but... Anyway. Baba Yaga to me is NOT pineapple. I think I can see where people get that, but the sweetness that I smell is the sweet stickiness of pine sap. This is a very woodsy scent to me, with hints of resins and musks. I think this is so very evocative of a dark wood, when you're walking down the path and have crept up on a little clearing with her chicken-footed hut. I love this! I love all things woodsy, but I have not really found the "perfect" forest scent yet. This comes damn close! As it dries, it just gets to be a lighter version of itself, perhaps more of the muskiness coming through. It's still sweet, but less obviously evergreen. This reminds me of Nocnitsa, but with a different note to the sweetness -- perhaps more green than blue? I want to say Loup Garou without the juniper? Wow I am having a heck of a time placing the notes, but I love Baga Yaga!

Moxie confused me, as do most scents that don't have the ingredients listed right out. At first it's a sharp, tangy lime or range scent. Lovely, beautiful, and gives the nose a *WHACK* HI THERE!! zing. I love citrus scents and was very excited about this, because I tend to not be able to tolerate grapefruit. But as it dries (and it does so fairly quickly) it turns to.... rice? It smells just like when the rice cooker pops and you lift the lid before letting it sit. The vapors that creep out are moist, glutenous, and starchy. That's exactly the smell I'm getting now! Having read the other reviews, I can see how this can be ginger. Huh. Maybe that's it? I have not tried any other scents that had ginger in them, so anything's possible, but this is truly weird. Not sure if I am going to keep this, as the smell of cooking rice is a very comforting childhood scent for me, but I'm not sure I want to walk around smelling like it.

I was very excited about this when it was announced. Woodsy/deadleaves/smokey/warm. Totally a forest bonfire in a bottle. I did want to say originally that it is very much like Samhain without the foodiness, but it's a little more woodsy than that. I have trouble deciding if this is a summer scent or an autumn scent, and I think I am leaning a little more to the autumnness of it. I love it, though. This is what I had hoped Hunter Moon would have been on me, and it conjures the same image. The only thing I am overlooking is the "wet glimmering... skin" scent, but I don't miss it at all. This is a beautiful forest bonfire celebration - liquified - and a little goes a long way, too.

I am not a big fan of aquatic scents, but when I first read the description for this months ago I was intrigued. When I got this, it was very aquatic of course (ozone?) but for some reason I could not swap it away. It is very clean and fresh and reminds me of air fresheners that are ocean scented - not something I would wear at all. But I keep it around purely for the mood it puts me in. One of my favorite things about spring and summer are the thunderstorms, when the fresh new buds of April and May dot the trees. Their color is a pale, eye-popping green that you never see any other time of the year, and when this green is against the dark slate blue background of roiling clouds... wow I get tingles all over my skin. We had one such a thunderstorm this weekend, the first of the year, and I had to grab the Thunderbird.