itsuki

Seething with passion, yet utterly cold-blooded. Dragon's blood, vetivert and spice. This is a freebie from the Lab , and a scent which I would never have chosen to try otherwise. In vial: The color is just so fascinating, I spent several minutes staring at it. It's a deep, dark red. Ooooh, pretty. On skin: Wow, spicy!! It's definitely a RED HOT scent, all-consuming like fire. I was reminded of those cinnamon Big Red chewing gums, and in a good way. It is perfect for when you need to add an extra zing to your day, it's better than coffee. Dragon's blood has never worked on me before, but this proved to be the exception. I cannot understand why an oil that contains all the things I fear (cinnamon, dragon's blood and vetiver are all big no-no's) works so well on me. This is ridiculous! *scratches head* I really really like this!

Thanks to wickedgoddess and the swap circle, I got a chance to try this. This is a very sophisticated scent. It seemed golden to me, rather than red. Imagine walking into a room of (nice-smelling!) rich people with very expensive tastes. It also reminds me of Chanel's powder, the softly scented one that comes in a sleek black/white box. This image comes to mind because my mom had a box like that. I don't think it's for me, but this would be an impressive scent to wear if you're attending a black-tie event, or something formal.

Thanks to wickedgoddess and the swap circle, I got to try this (a day after my own bottle of Honey Moon arrived, but it's the kindness that counts! ) Before this, I didn't even know what honey was supposed to smell like. ("Hmm... the stuff I put in my tea?") Initial impression: Going on my skin, I caught wafts of a white, powdery scent that reminded me of Snow White. Instant love. After dry-down: Alas, the Snow White smell-alike is gone, but left in its place is a faintly sweet nectar. It's somewhat like pressing your nose very close to smell a flower, and getting some of the pollen in your face. A very heady sort of sweetness. I'm going to try this again

Thanks to the lovely meepzorp on LJ, I was able to get a decant of Temple of Dreams. I have now converted to being a lavender lover. In vial: very pretty! On skin: lavender toned down with something that makes this a softer, milder blend than Oneiroi (which is the only other Somnium blend I've tried so far). So, how was ze sleep? The same thing happened as when I tried Oneiroi: First night, no problem, growing to love the smell of lavender. Second night ... nightmare like whoa!! The difference is that this time, I woke up from the nightmare for a millisecond, thought, "Calm down, you're dreaming," and went straight back to sleep. Melded easily into another dream as if there were no interruption. The subsequent dream was a somewhat peaceful one. Resolution, if you will. Combining my experiences with ToD and Oneiroi, that racks up my nightmare count to 2 within the span of a week or so. I'm not too disturbed by this, just very curious; I'm sure Freud would have a field day. I'm going to have to try the other Somnium blends! (And, if all else fails, there is always chloroform )

Thanks to the lovely meepzorp on LJ, I was able to get a decant of Oneiroi. First, my fear of lavender has been completely cured. (The word lavender used to be enough to make me lose sleep! Why oh why did I put off trying the Somnium blends for so long???) Beth, you've made me fall in love with lavender. In the vial: sharp lavender. On skin: lavender and herbs, but strangely comforting, because it smells quite potent and makes me think, "This might work!" Overnight: I think body temperature does wonderful things to Oneiroi. I wake up smelling this faint, almost creamy lavender scent still clinging to my skin. LOVE. Unbelievable. So, how was ze sleep? On the second night that I wore Oneiroi, I had a very strange nightmare and woke up sweating. I've read other reports of having very vivid/interesting dreams with Oneiroi, so here's my 0.02: I'm one of those people who almost never dream (or, as my psychology friends would correct me, I'm someone who never recalls dreaming. From my point of view, sleep = black out.) Even though I'd much rather prefer to have sweet and happy dreams, I can only blame my twisted mind for tossing nightmares at me (see my review for Temple of Dreams.) Perhaps my brain was saving me the trauma by not remembering them? In any case, Oneiroi is effective; something in it is definitely working to relax the mind and bring on sleep. I plan on using Oneiroi again! (Just need to have a chat with my twisted brain first )

I'm one of those people who ordered Flower Moon because I was getting Milk Moon anyway. Imagine my surprise when I find myself reaching for Flower Moon almost everyday! I tend to shy away from floral scents, but this one is simply gorgeous. I believe it shares a few similar notes as Beltane, as both are clean, spring scents. However, Flower Moon has a sweetness and a fullness to it that takes it one step up. This is the innocent scent of sweet, crushed flowers. As a kid, I used to smear a bit of cherry or plum on my lips and pretend it was lipstick -- replace the fruits with little pink flowers, and this is what Flower Moon reminds me of.

Upon application: Reminds me of a specific men's cologne that I can't remember the name of, but darker, with a hint of incense and something slightly tingly. Ginger, perhaps? 10~20 minutes: Reminds me of a masculine version of Danube. 2 hours later: I'm pleasantly surprised by how the scent has morphed. It has warmed up to my skin, the incense comes out to play a little more, and there's just a nice, mellow tang to it.

What a beautiful scent! In the bottle, it smells like flowers in spring and light candy. On my skin, it turns into a very delicate, very warm sweetness. It's like the scent is being spun around you. Every time I turn my head, I smell something yummy and wonder, "What is that?". Oh. It's me. This is definitely a happy scent that brings back fond memories.

Impression: Very strong. Reminds me of herbal medicine, the thick dark kind that works wonders (and which I've had to drink a few times as a kid.) Like others have said, it's a masculine scent. Interesting, medicinal, but not something I'd wear.

First impression: Very pleasant earl-grey tea, with a hint of bergamot. A clean, refreshing scent. Wakes me up! 1 hour later: I have to press my nose to my wrist to smell it. The smell fades quickly, and I crave for more. Overall: Beautiful scent, but I wish it lasted longer!

This is a beautiful scent, and a great choice when you need something to lighten your mood. I put it on this afternoon, and am feeling so content that I might just curl up on my couch and nap for a bit. On me, it smells like sunshine and open fields. There's a hint of sun-warmed wood in there, and maybe a bit of orange. It's a very golden smell!

I didn't expect to fall in love with Snow White, nor for it to work so well with my skin -- what a pleasant surprise! The scent seemed much lighter than most BPAL oils I've tried so far, but every now and then I catch a whiff of this beautiful, clean scent. It's hard to pick out the notes, but it smells like a perfect, coy blush on apple-tinged cheeks in the snow, if that makes any sense. I'm in love. (And I'm very likely to be broke because of this love.)