twistygirl

The smell is a sort of minty rose to me, but let's not talk about the smell, let's talk about HOW DAMN WELL THIS STUFF WORKS! On Sunday, I made the extremely impulsive decision to buy a ticket to see Muse in Seattle in December - it's one of the very few US dates they're playing this year, I missed them when they came to DC (the closest they played to where I live [Pittsburgh] because my cousin was killed two days earlier), nobody has any idea if and when they're doing a proper tour of the States, and I love Muse so much I decided that I didn't just want to go, I HAD to go. The problem is, I have no job, minimal unemployment, and the last thing I can afford right now is to fly cross-country for a show. But I went ahead and got the ticket anyhow, without having a place to stayin Seattle. I did have enough frequent flyer miles to cover my plane fare, but couldn't afford the 100 bucks that USAirways charges for the "priviledge" of using your frequent flyer miles. So today I mysteriously received a bottle of Door Opener in the mail. No joke. I know who sent it to me - somebody very dear to my heart who knows I've been having a rough time and knew it would help. I dabbed a bit on my Muse ticket, and in less than an hour, a friend from Seattle sent me a message saying that if I wanted to come out for the show, I was more than welcome to stay with her for the week. Fifteen minutes later, I went to book my plane ticket, and USAirways decided to waive the 100 dollar frequent flyer fee. I'm going to a job fair on Wednesday and you can be sure I'm dabbing myself liberally in Door Opener before entering the door.

This stuff is INCREDIBLE. I like to keep my windows open a crack, even in colder weather, but it's been so cold this winter that my windows have been sealed shut since November, which makes for a very stuffy, musty smelling house (especially since my cat, who died two weeks ago, was very sick and was having lots of accidents, poor baby)... but a few squirts of Snow White makes any room smell fresh, clean, and crisp. I hate commercial synthetic smelling room sprays, but this is pure heaven. Sometimes when the house smells relatively fresh I still spray it just because I love it so much.

Antique Lace reminds me very much of Uninhibited, the discontinued fragrance by Cher from the '90s. Snake Charmer reminds me a lot of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan.

Smut smells a lot like Opium on me after the dry down.

Oh, my dear sweet little gentle lovely mouse. How I love you so. I am normally a very heavy, amber-spicy kinda girl, and yet there are times during the summer months (and yes, we even get summer in Seattle sometimes) where something like Snake Oil can be a bit much. But THIS is the perfect lighter blend for those of us who can't give up our amber but need something a bit softer for when it's hot. It is creamy, it is very feminine without being flowery, it is divine. The scent doesn't change on me very much from wet to dry, and it stays close to my body. It's subtle but so beautiful. I need frequent re-applications but it's so, so worth it. Love this one. LOVE IT. Could be one of my all-time faves.

Snake Charmer and Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan are very similar. They share a lot of the same notes. Ambre Sultan is a little grittier and a little more masculine than Snake Charmer, but the similarities are very strong.

Another winner from the Trading Post suds. I can't wear the Miskatonic U oil as it is just not my cup of tea (or should I say coffee)... hell, I don't even DRINK coffee. But this is luscious. A lovely, creamy, somewhat nutty coffee blend that just smells fabulous. And, as with all the other TP suds I've tried, it's very creamy, good lather, and very moisturizing. And as others have said, the wrapping is pure genius. Definitely will continue to keep buying this one.

Where you from, you sexy thing? Yep, I'm talking to you, Mr. Jacquel. You're my new boyfriend, whether you like it or not. It's just incredibly sensual. Warm and smooth and spicy and it makes me want to violate my own wrist. Soft but not timid amber and patchouli and spices. Mr. J, what have you done to me? Moderate amount of throw, and similarly moderate amount of staying power. This literally made me lick my wrists when I put it on. IN PUBLIC. It is quite possibly the most hypnotizing, most mesmerizing BPAL ever. You may be a jackal, Mr. Jacquel, but I want to have your babies, even though that didn't work out too well in "The Omen."

Mondo almond-o. I have a strong love for almond scents, and when I first put this on, it was amazingly powerful and nearly purely almond. Exceptional throw and staying power - as others have said, this may be the most potent BPAL ever. It does dry down to something more complex than pure almond, though, as the other notes come out. The almond still predominates, but the other notes blend in, although I honestly can't pick out any *one* of the oils besides the almond. Suggestion: Put this one on at least a half hour before you leave your house. Yep, it's that intense. But I like intense. And I love Bilquis.

Oh, my darling beloved Amber. If you were a man, I'd marry you. Scratch that - if you were a woman, I'd move to Canada and marry you, too. And this is - AMBER. Perfect, glorious, golden, rich, brocaded amber. I can't for the life of me figure out what spices are in the mix, but whatever they are, they blend gloriously. It's a surprisingly soft scent, and might need some reapplying to get me through an entire evening. The amount of throw is rather subtle, too, but not so subtle as to be weak. No, this is a proud Lion, one who knows its power and does not have to beat you over the head with it. Definitely one of my favorite BPALs, and that's saying something.

What an interesting scent this is! On me, it doesn't seem to be nearly as complex and shifting as it does on others who have reviewed it. From wet to dry, it remained a deep, luscious cherry/almond-with-a-hint-of-syrupy smell - kind of like Serge Lutens' Rahat Loukhoum, but not as candied. And it has not changed one bit on me from the time that I first applied it several hours ago. It is a very rich, very deep fragrance - languid indeed. Incredible staying power and a good amount of throw. I don't pick up any of the greenness that others have. If I had to describe it as a color, it would be a deep eggplant-purply color. It's rich, so rich, and yet not, as I said before, terribly complex or complicated. Just sexy and sensual and tasty and totally, totally divine.

This is one sexy mo-fo of a scent. I am a sucker for anything amber - so needless to say, five ambers made me squee when I read the description. Admittedly, the apple blossom and carnation had me worried at first, as I tend to shy away from anything overly floral, but the addition of these two notes really add to the complexity and deliciousness of the overall scent. I smell just a *hint* of floral, and those notes really make this more than just a purely amber smell. It has good lasting power and I find it to be rather strong, yet it doesn't have a tremendous amount of throw. Completely gorgeous.

This is such a lovely fragrance. It's a perfect combination of soft warmth and subtle spice. Gentle, but with a bit of a punch that says "don't take me for granted." Very creamy and warm from the milk and honey, and the ginger (at least to me) isn't easily identifiable as ginger - it's spiciness just nudges its way through perfectly. And incredibly comforting yet subtly sensual scent. It has good staying power, and it has a reasonable amount of throw. If you are in a situation as I often am (I work in healthcare) where wearing strong fragrance is not looked upon favorably, this could be a perfect remedy to that. I love it.

Sorry, LUSH, but I don't think you're going to be getting as much of my money on soaps anymore And I do love my LUSH soaps... Everything about this soap is fantastic. It's packaged beautifully, is very creamy and makes my skin feel SO soft after showering, and IMO it has just the perfect amount of scent in it. I am a hospice social worker, so I have to be careful about wearing scent to work, as it bothers some of my patients, but this is a fantastic solution to that problem. And the bar doesn't disintegrate within a week like so many of the LUSH soaps do. I like the fact that it is a milder version of Snake Oil, because it lends itself so well to layering other fragrances on top of it. Another fantastic product from the creative geniuses at the Lab and Trading Post! I've already ordered several additional bars, as this is one soap I wil ALWAYS want to have on hand. And I let a group of my non-BPAL friends who are LUSH fanatics smell it and they went wild. I love to enable.

I don't evaluate Panaceas the way I do the other oils, because they're meant to be curative, as opposed to being strictly a sensual fragrance experience... THIS STUFF WORKS. I have been treating my back homeopathically for years and I can tell that there is black pepper in this, which is absolutely far and away the BEST thing for sore muscles. And yes, I would definitely recommend dabbing a bit of it on your sore muscles before bed... the pepper loosens up the muscle tightness/spasm, which is why your muscles hurt. Try finding the "belly" of the sore muscle (the point where that muscle hurts the most) and dabbing it on there, then massaging it in with a circular motion. Works like a charm.