Jupita

This one has been sitting in a drawer for over a year now... totally forgotten by me. Today, as I was cleaning out said cupboard to move to my bf, I suddenly found it, with a few others. I remember tossing it in said drawer, with the rest, because it had smelled "wrong". This has aged marvelously. It's woodsy in a way Cathedral was, but with less cedar and more of the frankincense (or something of the kind). People write about patchouli, but seeing as I usually amp it and smell like a dirty, grimmy pirate, I sort of doubt it's even there... either it's a blend that simulates patchouli on others, or it has mellowed down so much in said year, I can't catch a whiff of it. There is one thing though, that I must say - my nose itched really bad, when I first applied the perfume on my wrist. Almost the same way, it would itch, if you touched some ground black pepper, and then touched the insides of your nose with the same finger. Not itchy in a scratchy type of way, but more in a sneezing one. Once the first few minutes had passed, said itchiness went away. What I was left with, was a wonderful woodsy, dry scent - perfect for summer, when you want something that won't make you drowsy, but still avoid the classical - citrus/aquatic combo. It's a very pleasant surprise, and I sort of regret now, that it's only an imp.

so, I'm bringing this post back, because it's similar to what I'm looking for right now... So, back when it came out, I had a decant of Labores Solis (the sun's rays expressed through frankincense, amber, heliotrope, saffron, and chamomile, crossed with Luna's Artemisias, manifesting in darkness.), which I deeply loved. When my decant ended, I sort of forgot about it, but my recent purchase of an imp of Coyote, reminded me of that love. I want to know, what other scents smell like yellow grass fields, burned out by hot summer days.

My summer choice number 1 is June Gloom. It's soft, summery and calm. In the heat it becomes even rounder and more wonderful. Other scents I wear are: Fairy Wine, Morpho,Blue Moon 2007, Kumiho, Wild Dandelion, The School-House, Blood Countess...

Apparently I'm the only one, but to me, Defututa smells like Snake Oil. A milder, less bitter, Snake Oil. I like it, it's a sweet, grown up, feminine scent... I shall write a more full review later on...

I love the lab's dandelion note. I really like it in The School-House (one of the reasons I was frightened to use my imp, afraid it would go away too quickly), I enjoy it in Roadhouse (though the added sweetness of beer, spoils it for me), I like how it turns a bit melony on my skin in Fairy Wine... so I sort of knew what to expect. It didn't disappoint. I recognize it all too well. It's a nice dandelion scent, a bit greener, and less sweet that in Roadhouse or the School-House, wich I'm thankful for. This was my birthday present to myself, and I'm glad I ordered it. It's a beautiful SN, that I shall wear when I miss summer.

In the imp: cedar with a little something of wisteria. a bit icky to my taste. Wet: lilacs and lemon are coming forth. lilacs being the main theme here. this is... a bit poisonous to me. it's floral, no doubt to that... but it just doesn't feel right. it's not soapy, nor granny type. and it's going more and more lilacy on me by the second. agh... here comes the wisteria again. it's the note I was afraid of the most, and yup, it smells just as bad as the flowers smell to my nose. hopefully any other note will come back any time soon...( here comes the osmanthus. dry: it's a floral, quite white to my nose, despite it all. like sitting in a park, in the beginning of summer. it's soft, fresh, floral. the cedar isn't present to me, at all. the tea might give this a bit of crispness, but isn't very present either. the lemon note seems to have faded at the very beginning. it's all florals, and not much else.

This is a sweet but clean scent. It's not cloying or overly present, but reminds me a bit of generic candy fragrances, just faded away. Like a girl that has spritzed herself with Lolita Lempicka in the morning, and it out on a river bank at midnight. It's a good scent, for occasions where you want to know you're wearing a perfume, but need to make it as subtle as possible.

So far, even if it's starts earthy and foresty... this quickly becomes a sweet scent (probably the purple incense), which makes me see a very cartoonesque druid... maybe One Piece style. Almost purple candy. On a drier stage, the candy is a bit subdued. I say a bit, cause it's still there. I can smell a bit of herby something, but it's not really present. I'm a bit disappointed. It's just nothing I expected... sweet, candy-like...

Biblical witch, priestess of Astarte, and general troublemaker. A true role model for today’s upwardly mobile Modern Woman. A gloriously decadent blend of honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood. Soooo... it's been forever since my last order, and even more since my last review of a unknown scent. In the imp: Sweet orange candy Wet: It smells orangey, probably thanks to the orange blossom and roses, the honey gives this a very sweet but not candy-like vibe. Now the orange blossom is coming forth and becoming agressive, this doesn't smell orangey anymore, because it's straight forward orange blossom. But it's not a tart orange blossom like in Lolita. This is a softer, soapier orange blossom. The sort you get in quality single-note shampoos or shower gels. With the right summer dress, a sunny weather and a cheerful mood, this can go wonderfully well. It wobbles from soapy to sweet, without actually choosing a side. Wonder which side shall eventually win. Oh, here comes the rose. It's like a climbing rose, that has nestled in a huge orange tree in bloom. You can guess it's there, but it's scent isn't overly present. If I sniff from very close, I can smell the honey. If I smell from farther away, it's all rose and orange blossom, at this stage. Dry: It becomes a bit, bitter without stopping from being sweet. The soapiness has lost the battle to the sweetness, but this last one has been severely injured, making it pour a bitter, honeyed blood. Overall: I like it, even if it's strong and present. Orange blossom perfumes tend to do that on me. The honey note will probably make this one last forever on my skin... so not something to apply on a day, I don't feel confident I want it on me...

This makes me think Slippery Poppy Tincture, it seems to have this same honey-red fruit combo going on, to my nose. In the Bottle : Gosh, this is heavy and sweet. It's like slap in your face sweet. I really, really don't like this. Wet : Honeydew? Grapes and honeydew, slathered in honey? Honey over fruit, filled with more honey? OMG, this is soooo sweet and heavy on the honey. Dry: Good. The honey has calmed down, it smells still sweet, but now I can actually catch wiffs of something, aside from fruity honey. As said before, it has the same honey - red fruit combo I seemed to catch in SPT, but in a less agressive and anisy sense. Where SPT was a miss, this is actually a hit. I must say when I tried it the first time, straight from the lab, this gave me one of the worst headaches, now, after a year of aging, dry, this is yumminess and delight. It's a soft dandelion and honey scent, with the red currant adding a nice rounding effect. The dandelion in this is actually what turned the miss of STP, into a total hit. I love it. I knew I loved the dandelion note, after trying School House, and seeing it here, is nice. Overall : Past the agressive wet stage, this is one of the nicest summer scents, I've tried so far, among the GC. It's yummy, sunny and very uplifting.

This is very soft. I don't know what I expected of this, since the only other scent with leather I had smelled was Red Ridder. Boy, they are different! If Red Ridder smelled leather like "slap me in the face", then this is it's total opposite. I can hardly smell leather at all. I smell the wood though, soft and powdery. The petitgrain gives this a rounder picture, as if trying to balance out the woodiness. The woodiness must be the oud and the patchouli, because I can't pick up any cedar, nor any frankincense of my skin. I don't smell the leather, I find it to be musky, like I always find patchouli to be, but it's the softest, less agressive patchouli I have smelled so far. I can't say I love this scent, but I can't say I don't like it either. It's very interesting, though very soft. It has a nice staying power, I can still smell it on my wrist after 5 to 7 hours after (which in my case, is a very good staying power), but having applied it a few hours ago, right now, I can't smell it, unless I bring my wrist to my nose. The throw isn't strong at all. It's sort of like a second skin, and it's not feminine. If I had to paint the picture of this scent, I'd say it's a androgynous person with blond hair, a nice tan, dressed in old leather clothes that have been first worn by her great-grandfather, and don't smell of leather any more, clean but a bit hippie. Something like that. Definitely not the sensual woman I see on the label)

Maybe, Titania - white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon. ?

Well, if you like florals, and have it June Gloom is nice in hot weather. Another one I find comforting is Dia de los Muertos and The School House. They are all florals, that aren't overpowering in the heat. At least of me...

I've been watching the new show Hannibal... wonder what the characters of this show would smell like. I don't know why, but I'm torn between imagining Lecter smelling like something heavy, bloody and warm, and smelling like a cold, distant men's cologne, with just a hint of something evil underneath... Transeo maybe? Will must smell fuzzy and insane... like a mix of Ivanushka and Pain... Jack Crawford, I don't know, I have trouble with this character... Baron Samedi, maybe. Something a bit acrid, edgy... Freddie Lounds, she's very annoying but smart... a smart version of Loise Lane... maybe Blood Countess, because it's feminine, without being overly soft, it's pop and colorful, just like Freddie, and can be a bit on the annoying side, on the wet stages. Abigail Hobbes... I see her as a softer, more human version of Will. A smarter one, too, despite the mistakes she makes due to her age. White Rabbit. That's my guess. Alana Bloom, well, I find her to be motherly and a bit flat (sorry if someone is a fan), so I would go with something like Tomora. Dr.Bedelia du Maurier, well, this is the most feminine character of the whole show, and I would go with... Sudha Segara. Because I imagine her scent to be soft, feminine, and so close to the skin, you can smell it only if you are close enough. Hope to hear your opinion.

So, after 5 years of being into BPAL, I've finally managed to enable my mum. It might seem a small thing to some, but since my mother is the biggest and most important person in my life, it was very important to me. We are planning an order, and she seems curious about the Voodoo blends. Yes, I know, people say that TAL is better, as far as such things go, but I think that knowing my mother, starting with imps, is better, than ordering bottles, unsure if it will satisfy her or not. So, we have been having a few rough years, the money has been low, the amount of family drama has been at it's highest, we have both gone through some serious brake ups, we have moved from one country to another one, I have dropped my studies to start them in a totally different direction... Let's just say, things aren't perfect right now. I know she is quite depressed, even if she tries to look brave and good. I know I'm quite depressed, even if I try to behave as if everything is for the best. So back to the Voodoo oils. I was wondering what voodoo oils you would recommend for depression, how strong or soft they are scent-wise, how well they have worked for you, if you have tested them. We have (both of us) no trouble with communication, but we lack desire to do anything, to live and find a reason for it. Trouble seeing the positive side of life. So far, we are looking at the following blends - Block Buster, Horn of Plenty, Has no Hanna, Van Van, Black Cat and Queen. We are planning on ordering an imp-pack and seeing how it goes. I have some experience with voodoo blends so far, having tried High John the Conqueror and Wolf Heart. The problem is, I can't really say if they work. I know I sleep better when I wear Wolf Heart, and I know I usually apply High John (without even thinking about it) during class. But I can't really say if it's the blend working, or if it's placebo effect. Grateful in advance. Oh, and as for the reaction to scents, I had her sniff most of my stash, and she enjoyed the following scent-wise - A Wonderful Light, Santa Muerte, Kathmandu, Voodoo Lily (half-heartedly), and Bayou (also half-heartedly). She hated anything fruity (specially with apple, plum notes), everything with vetiver, strong patchouli scents and foody scents.