joseybird

I would think that if BPALs were 100% EOs with no carriar oil, a) they would be far, FAR stronger and Beth would have put a nice obvious "Caution" on the faqs page, about applying EOs to bare skin undiluted, yada yada I was just in Barneys and the lady at the L'Artisan counter was saying how the scent of Mimosa in one of their perfumes is recreated through "bouquets" (instead of using a synthetic) so I guess it can be done! I doubted! Then again, it does seem like doing something akin to mixing together orange, blue, and pink to make...urm...beige? *knows nothing about blending bouquets, obviously *

The only "fresh" scent that I've tried and loved is Shanghai...but I have a bunch on the way so hopefully I won't have a "winner by default" for long

I don't know if this means anything, but any "rainforesty" scents anyone can recommend? like...green/aquatic with a *hint* of fruits?

I'd love suggestions for a green soil scent...like a forest floor after a rainfall =) It doesn't seem like Zombie or Graveyard Dirt fit the description (please correct me if I'm wrong!)...so...any others I can try? =)

Agressive bergamot and dry woods seeped in lily of the valley. This is a dark, agressive, and *creepy* scent--a description I would never have thought of had I just looked at the notes. This smells more like a ritual oil than a *perfume.* I can imagine a villain wearing this scent

Created in honor of the fiery, vicious Princess of Hell and bloodthirsty general who governs thirty-six legions of infernal warriors. Her lust for bloodshed and manslaughter is matched only by her love of the classical arts and sciences - definitely a woman that we respect. A seething, fiery blend of dragon's blood, deep myrrh, red and black musks, civet and thick red patchouli, glistening with drops of rose and ylang ylang. *sniffed from imp* Patchouli and Dragon's blood and ylang ylang!! The myrrh and musk are more understated...Strangely, I don't smell the civet At all. It's a bright yet dark, agressive, feminine scent...one would be wise to wear it with *care*!

Woods! and dark cherries! Not cherry cough syrup--real, deep crimson cherries =) I can smell the almonds too. I could almost smell hints of the "bug spray" scent that's been mentioned...but only in the distant perifery. I can see a dark, beautiful, exotic woman wearing this. That is, not me

*sniffed from imp and residue* I'm not a big heliotope fan, and jasmine only works occasionally for me (like in Phantasm). Rose I like, but only in *certain blends.* So naturally, this isn't a fave of mine. It's a very heavy floral, and you gotta really love jasmine, and heavy jasmine at that. Strangely though, it's rather "wispy" smelling around the edges--shouldn't be surprising I guess

She is the Muse of mimicry, and inspires both erotic and romantic poetry. She is crowned in roses, holding a lyre. Her scent inspires creative expressions of love and lust: a crush of roses with sweet pea, myrrh, ylang ylang, orris and stephanotis. Rose, sweet pea, myrrh, and ylang ylang; this is, needless to say, a very traditionally feminine blend, and pretty heady. It very much smells like adult woman purity. A gentle, calm control, uplifted mind, and a self-conscious grace. I'm not a floral girl, but I'd rec this for a florals fan.

*sniffed from imp and from bit of residue* SAGE STUFFING!! 'tis TRUE! It smells...foody...but savory-foody I can definately smell the anise and the fennel and cumin...It smells like a little hut in a very dry Indian summer with smells of spices wafting out the windows. This is an exotic scent, but nothing I'd call sexy. It's an interesting blend...one of those scents whose imp you're really attached to but would never buy a bottle of.

*sniffed from imp and bit of residue* Blackened ceder. scorched cedar. With dark, partially-rotting moss and a touch of fir. This is an incredibly compelling scent, one I can't even imagine being pulled off as a perfume, though I can easily imagine someone using it for ritual-work. This is a :blink: scent, in a good way! If it were still available, I could be convinced to get a 5 ml, but since it isn't...swappers!

*sniffed from imp* Heady, dry spices, especially nutmeg and hot cinnamon with an underlay of soft flowers. This is an exotic scent, a hot scent, an enticing scent. Even though I generally don't like Red Hots, this scent WORKS. It's really really nice =) If it were still in the general catalogue, I would buy a bottle-- --but, like Bat's Blood, if I kept this imp I'd become depressed about not being able to get my hands on a full bottle, so...swaps!

*sniffed from imp* The combination of animalistic scents and...citrus?? The notes simply...*clash* First off, I have to say--civet doesn't really bother me in the right blend. It seems extremely dirty and sexual-smelling to me, which can be very nice, especially when mixed with a light hand with musk. But citruses are generally clean, so...wierd... Certainly NOT a feminine scent... And yet...it *could* be interesting on a guy. Deimos certainly does make an intriguing sniff!

*sniffed from imp and from my fingers where a teeny bit rubbed off* Juicy and florally, and aquatic. There's also something tart and citrus in here--almost lemonade--y! A very very unusual combination of scents. Unique, but also confusing The tart note blends back into the aquatics after a little while, reminding me a bit of lemon rinds and sea air...very interesting.

*sniffed from imp* Wine-y lilacs, and something musky...very dark, mysterious, and haunting... A more fanciful description: Dragon's Blood's dark, beautiful and dead sexy mother. I can see Morgaus wearing this =) It's a very evocative scent. Beautiful. And it's a good thing I'm trading the imp or else I'd start pining away for a bottle

*sniffed from imp* Bestial this is indeed! I can smell the grape, orange blossom, musk, and the extra *oomph* that must be civet. This is one of the few scents I've tried that's made me go WOWOMG. Not because it's a scent I love or would wear. Not at all. But because it matches it's name *perfectly* and because it's a damn fine blend. It's a horny, sweaty, wine-drenched satyr in a bottle (or, in my case, imp)!

Scherezade was a bit *too much* on the saffron to my liking...reminded me more of the cooking gourmand than the baking. I like, but do not *love*... Hearth...I'm trying to...stay away from LEs...x_X;; its enough that I have to worry about running out of the three I love! If anyone has Centzon, Totochtin, Cerberus, and Dracul I'd love to try them The problem of buying imps for me is that I'd rather buy a few at a time, to save on shipping...so...does anyone have two or more of these? also Sudhe Segara (did I spell this right? )

I think the issue is that it seems like none of them can be all essential oils; putting the synthetics qustion aside, I've always heard said (in aromatherapy books, perfume-making books, on essential oil bottle labels) that EOs should not be applied directly to the skin--any EO. There is also the factor of strength--BPALs may seem strong, but none of the ones I've sniffed are anywhere near the intensity of the pure EOs I've sniffed. Now, this might just be a general liability thing. It might be that there are oils that *technically* are skin-safe, and that Beth is not diluting the ones that are. If there are blends that are 100% EOs (although I would *think* that most of the blends have at least *some* carrier oil), I would think those would be the ones without strong-smelling EOs, and whose EOs Beth knew to be perfectly (or at least, very genreally) benign. I don't think that BPALs aren't skin safe But I do tink that most of the blends probably fall closer to the 85% range than the 100% range. Dilution isn't *bad.* Dilution is a *necessary* process. Dilution oil is not necessarily filler, and the dilution oil that I think is in most BPALs to some degree or another is *certainly* not filler. It's there so we don't get reactions or end up smelling like pine or ceder or goodness knows what else for 3 days running =)

Ahhh I really really want to try The World now X)...and other Tarot oils x_X *sigh* gotta go for decants, I guess =/ I'm so glad I ordered two supposedly "gourmand" Sephiroth imps in my last order...

After falling in love with Samhain, I've found myself longing for more complex, nuanced, slightly "gourmand" scents. Dia de los Muertos sounds right up my alley; Mabon might be. Any others people could recommend? =0)

In the bottle this smelled DEAD ON. I had a bottle of egg nog on hand and sniffed both--yeap! This was EGG NOG! But on my skin it turned to creamy Play Doh =( I suspect it was the rum that went nasty on me.

Sweat and cherry cough syrup =( I think it's the amber going wonky on me...all sour-sweet and medicinal.

Ceder, ceder, ceder!! Why do I get ceder from this? =( Ceder dipped in dark chocolate...ugg...dry and powdery...I had such high hopes for this one, but no go. Pencil shavings is a perfect descriptor for this one, as has been noted many times.

I wanted to love this--I really did! the aquatic notes pop out immediately and are absolutely exquisite. However, the florals in this blend soon overwhelm the pretty aquatics and develop into a heady "perfumey" scent that becomes astringent and scrapes at my nose =( Why why why?? When first applied it perfectly captures the sad, drowned innocence of Ophelia...

*sigh* Toilet cleaner =( Pure toilet cleaner. I don't think the lemon is the main culprit, as I love the lemon notes in Phantasm and Shanghai. But the astrigency of this blend scrapes at my nose. I really can't describe it better than that...