cranberry

In the imp, this smells like almonds and oranges. On the skin, first applied, it smells like it does in the bottle - almonds and oranges. After it’s been on a while, I’m getting hints of pine and possibly tobacco (pipe tobacco that is). This is kind of a bizarre scent – a strange combination of notes. This smells foody and edible in a strange kinda way. When first applied, it reminded me of orange, almond candy, but now it’s more like some kinda almond candy. This reminds me a bit of Perversion but I like Perversion more, it suits me better. I do have to say that the longer I sniff this the more I like it. I didn’t care for it too much at first but this is really growing on me. The tobacco is strong on me now and I can’t stop sniffing my hand. This is a unique scent. I’m drawn to it. I don’t need a bottle but I’ll keep my imp.

Holy smokes! I don’t know what I can add to the reviews already here, but I will echo that this is all leather. Sweet leather. Strong leather. Leather, leather, leather. When I first smelled this in the bottle, it was sweetness with a leather base but once applied, damn, the leather amps up and overpowers the sweetness of the pear. I don’t get any vanilla, cedar or tobacco from this. With the leather I’m getting an oily smell, leading me to think of oiled leather, smooth and polished, not buckskin and suede. It’s like that mineral note in Black Opal. Very similar but instead of soft vanilla, it’s paired with strong, sturdy leather. There are similarities here too to Coyote, but Coyote to me is more amber, warmth and soft suede. Quincy is cold and hard despite the sweetness the pear brings. This is a really interesting scent. I like it and I’m glad that I got a bottle. I think there could be some really great layering possibilities here too in addition to just enjoying it on its own.

In the vial: this is a wonderfully smooth sandalwood, and so sweet. On the skin: I think this smells better w/a bit of age on it. Don't get me wrong, I liked it fresh, but after a few months I really like it. I think it helps the ingredients marry together. This is a beautiful sandalwood scent. The saffron makes it different from other sandalwoods. It's sweet and smells edible. Conclusion: this is a gorgeous scent - I enjoy it a lot but it's not my holy grail of scents. Saffron and I don't always get along; I'm glad that in this case it's a tempered by the sandalwood and other elements.

In the vial: spicy, ambery vanilla On the skin: damn, this smells good. spicy, ambery vanilla. Yum. This dries to a wonderful, slightly spicy vanilla. I know that there's patchouli in here but I don't smell it, it's all vanilla on me. But not vanilla as in a bland, "vanilla ice cream" type of way - no this is not an innocent, school girl vanilla. This is much more confident and sexy. Conclusion: I love this scent and most of the scents in the Snake Oil family. There's a reason why this is a classic. It smells great fresh or aged. It layers wonderfully and is a slightly dark, sexy as hell scent. Confident. It lasts forever and that's even better in my book.

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. I'm terribly behind on reviewing LEs, I've been focused on GCs when I do write the occasional review. So, Rose Red 2005. In the vial: This is the scent of fresh, dewy rose. Beautiful. On the skin: Roses, fresh, crisp roses, dewy with a long, green stem. This is an amazing rose scent and one of the few rose scents that I enjoy wearing. Dry, this is the quintessential rose scent. It doesn't get any better. Overall: Breathtaking and simply amazing.

In the imp: smells mainly of perfume or cologne, in the classic sense. also like clean, clear musk. On the skin, wet: this reminds me of an expensive cologne, musky, rich, sensual. Classic. Dry, this still smells like an expensive perfume, classic in style and structure. Overall, this is a beautiful, crystalline, classic scent in a light musk that I'll enjoy when want to feel like a lady.

Picked this up 6-30-06 Kakiphony 1 Ava Maria Gratia Plena** - reviewed Hymn to Prosperine** - reviewed Jazz Funeral** Jolly Roger** - reviewed Juke Joint - reviewed I've got most, if not all of these, so I should be able to get this out within a day or two. ETA 7-1-06: took this to the PO tonight, it was too late for the last mail pickup so it will travel with Monday's mail.

Ave Maria Gratia Plena - Love Potions Notes: rosewood, sicilian lemon peel, red mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage, lily, jasmine, orris In the imp: light smelling, herbal On the skin: this oil is still light smelling. It has a bit of a bite, a touch of bitterness. There are flowers here but they are subdued, light, almost translucent. Yes– this is a scent that is light, airy, translucent. There’s an underlying base of wood and a touch of clear musk. Nice. It smells like a crystalline, nighttime scent. With a clear sky. Flowers in the background.

In the imp: light smelling, herbal On the skin: this oil is still light smelling. It has a bit of a bite, a touch of bitterness. There are flowers here but they are subdued, light, almost translucent. Yes– this is a scent that is light, airy, translucent. There’s an underlying base of wood and a touch of clear musk. Nice. It smells like a crystalline, nighttime scent. With a clear sky. Flowers in the background.

Has no Hanna - Voodoo Oils Notes: no notes listed In the imp: flowers – jasmine and gardenia. Strong, strong flowers! On the skin, this smells of strong, vibrant flowers. Aggressive. Jasmine, gardenia. Is that a touch of ylang ylang? This oil makes my eyes water a bit it’s so strong. There could be a touch of pepper in here and maybe some ginger. This is a hot, dry scent. This is indeed a happy scent. I can’t say if this brings me luck, but I’ll keep the imp and hang on to any that come my way.

Brings a rush of good luck, lifts the spirit, and helps alleviate depression. In the imp: flowers – jasmine and gardenia. Strong, strong flowers! On the skin, this smells of strong, vibrant flowers. Aggressive. Jasmine, gardenia. Is that a touch of ylang ylang? This oil makes my eyes water a bit it’s so strong. There could be a touch of pepper in here and maybe some ginger. This is a hot, dry scent. This is indeed a happy scent. I can’t say if this brings me luck, but I’ll keep the imp and hang on to any that come my way.

Dublin - Wanderlust Notes: misty forests, alder leaf, white rose In the imp, this smells of forest (evergreen) with a touch of flowers. On the skin, this smells of pine, maybe a touch of mint, with flowers and wee bit of musk. This is very sweet and pretty. There’s similarities to the cool, wintery, forest Yule scents of last year as well as to Snow Moon. It smells like there could be a touch of spice in here. After it’s been on a while, it gets this soft scent (it all melds together) and for some reason I almost think of it as cottony. Velvety. I’ve got bottles of Snow Moon, Talvikuu, and Snow Bunny so I don’t need any more scents of this genre, but I like this one quite a lot. I’m glad that it’s GC because I may have to pick up a bottle at some point.

In the imp, this smells of forest (evergreen) with a touch of flowers. On the skin, this smells of pine, maybe a touch of mint, with flowers and wee bit of musk. This is very sweet and pretty. There’s similarities to the cool, wintery, forest Yule scents of last year as well as to Snow Moon. It smells like there could be a touch of spice in here. After it’s been on a while, it gets this soft scent (it all melds together) and for some reason I almost think of it as cottony. Velvety. I’ve got bottles of Snow Moon, Talvikuu, and Snow Bunny so I don’t need any more scents of this genre, but I like this one quite a lot. I’m glad that it’s GC because I may have to pick up a bottle at some point.

Absinthe - Bewitching Brews Notes: wormwood, mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, lemon I’ve always been curious about absinthe ever since reading about it, but Pernod is the closest I’ve come. I’m familiar with wormwood as it grows here in the woods, and it’s used as a medicinal, but I’ve never smelled it in anything. So, on to the review. In the imp, this smells herbal, bitter and a touch lemony. On the skin, it’s still herbal and bitter, with a fresh lemony tang. It’s fresh, lemony, clean. As it wears, the bitterness wanes and it’s slightly sweet and lemony. After about 15-20 minutes, I smell anise with only a touch of lemon. The licorice smell is really strong now – it reminds me of going to Indian restaurants and the digestives at the end of the meal. Overall, this was an interesting scent to test and I’ve enjoyed it as it goes through all the stages. I think I enjoyed the earlier stages more than the latter. There are similarities to White Light – the anise overpowers it at the end and the lemon at the beginning. So yeah, maybe the hyssop.

I’ve always been curious about absinthe ever since reading about it, but Pernod is the closest I’ve come. I’m familiar with wormwood as it grows here in the woods, and it’s used as a medicinal, but I’ve never smelled it in anything. So, on to the review. In the imp, this smells herbal, bitter and a touch lemony. On the skin, it’s still herbal and bitter, with a fresh lemony tang. It’s fresh, lemony, clean. As it wears, the bitterness wanes and it’s slightly sweet and lemony. After about 15-20 minutes, I smell anise with only a touch of lemon. The licorice smell is really strong now – it reminds me of going to Indian restaurants and the digestives at the end of the meal. Overall, this was an interesting scent to test and I’ve enjoyed it as it goes through all the stages. I think I enjoyed the earlier stages more than the latter. There are similarities to White Light – the anise overpowers it at the end and the lemon at the beginning. So yeah, maybe the hyssop.

king of clubs is another good dirt scent. it's not the starring note but like the queen of clubs, has a strong dirt/earth/loam element. it's a LE but there may be some floating around out there. and the brief sniff I gave Jezirat Al Tennyn also reminded me strongly of dirt. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't say what it does once it hits the skin. bpal has some great dirt scents.

In the imp: wine, fruit, flowers On the skin: roses. Strong roses. Maybe a touch of jasmine. This is a dark scent, bringing to mind blood red lipstick and dark nights. The rose is slightly powdery on me. There’s a slight bitter tinge to this scent, it might be the patchouli. Now, after it’s been on a while, I get what smells like neroli; that would account for the bitterness. There’s still the scent of roses, but resins too. It’s taking on an incensy tone and is quite lovely. I won’t be hunting this one down but I’m glad that I got to try it.

Thanks to the Discontinued Sniffing circle, I finally have the chance to compare Three Witches revisited to the original version. In the imp - cinnamon and clove (both) On the skin - Cinnamon and clove. A touch of pepper. This is a beautiful spicy scent. The original seems to have a slight floral note that the revisited version doesn’t have; this was completely unexpected. The revisited version is slightly harsher than the original but very similar. It does smell a bit like cinnamon candy, fireballs in particular. This is a wonderful spicy scent and I think it’s going to be fabulous for layering. I find the revisited version to be very similar to the original. (edited because I really can spell)

In the imp: red musk On the skin – my initial impression is musk and jasmine. I don’t know what wisteria smells like so I can’t comment on that. It’s a sweet, strong, floral scent. This is a beautiful, seductive scent. I'm so glad that I got to try this.

from the Discontinued Sniffing Circle. In the imp – sage, lemons On the skin – ok, I think it’s lemongrass that doesn’t work for me, or at least old lemongrass. This smells like lemongrass, sage, and a remnant of baking products (what I’m attributing to weird lemongrass interaction on my skin). There could be a touch of lavender here but it’s not strong or overpowering. Due to the strange flour smell, I don’t care for this scent but I was glad to try it.

I’m smelling this courtesy of the discontinued sniffing circle, so I know that this is an old imp as this circle has been going on for a while. In the imp – lemon verbena and lemongrasss On the skin – lemons, really I think a combination of lemon verbena and lemongrass. Tart and fresh smelling. Wonderful. This is starting to change strangely – it’s an element that I’ve smelled in Cheshire Cat or Satan and Death with Sin Intervening. It’s a bit doughy and like flour. Maybe it’s a skin chemistry thing right now. I don’t like how this has changed – I wonder if age has negatively affected this? After it’s been on a bit, the white musk comes out and blends nicely with the lemon-ish scents. This is really nice – fresh with a touch of warmth. ADDED 9/4/09: Wet: lemons or lemongrass. Dry: still smells of light citrus, but now there’s a weird note here that smells awful – maybe it’s the grapefruit combining with the lemongrass, but it reminds me of dough gone wrong.

I don't know if this should be here or in the aging thread under BPAL Chatter, maybe both.... I just finished off my 5 ml of Dragon's Milk tonight scenting lotion. I felt really secure in doing that because I just got my 10 ml order and Dragon's Milk was one of the big bottles I got. I tested my lotion and found it a little weak, so I confidently pulled out my new 10 ml and poured a little in. Instead of the deep red color I know so well and associate with the Ars Draconis line, it was kinda orange...when I apply most of the AD line, I can see red oil on my skin. This, you can't see. And it smells more like ylang ylang than the Dragon's Blood I know so well. Is ylang ylang in Dragon's Milk? I don't know if this a component thing, if the bottle I got a while back was already old, or what. I won't surprise me if the scent deepens, marries and becomes more vanilla w/age. I expect that w/vanilla scent. But the color has be off. Does dragon's blood change color? with age or with batch?

Origin - Discontinued Swap Circle In the Imp – rose. Not the fresh rose in Rose Red. It smells much older. On the Skin – rose with a touch of greenery (more like Rose Red than in the imp). This is a pretty rose scent. Now I’m picking up a bit of the ylang ylang. For some reason this reminds me a bit of candy, like candied rose petals. This is very pretty!

In the imp - yes, this does smell a bit like a bakery product. Trying to deconstruct aside from that, in the imp I get mainly honey and cognac with a touch of red wine. Oh, and that olive smell that I get in Succor. On the skin - on the skin, the olive smell is stronger. There’s something astringent or tart almost in here. There’s a bit of spice and the sweetness from the honey. As it wears it continues to move away from the olive smell and is sweet, spicy, and exotic smelling. It morphs in a wonderful way and this is definitely a scent to try on the skin - in the imp gives it no justice. After it’s been on a bit, it’s a honeyed spice scent with resins underneath. Beautiful. All of the Salon Scents have blown me away with their complexity and I’m finding I need to wear them a couple times to get them.

Origins - Discontinued Sniffing Circle (so this is from a really old imp). In the imp - mainly mint (maybe spearmint?) On the skin - mint with a touch of grapefruit. Maybe some flowers behind the mint. This is a cool, crisp scent. As it wears, it stays fairly linear, not really changing. Overall impression - crisp, cool scent that would be perfect for summer and anyone looking for a great mint scent should check this out. I like it more that I thought.