shriekingviolet

Initial Impression:

Very sharp, spicy smell. Maybe with a hint of green. There's definitely some musk in here, but I'm not sure what else. I need to wear it to really get a feel. No sweet scents here, but I like it all the same.

After Wearing It:

You know I could have sworn I reviewed this scent before, but alas I did not. It took me a while to write a review even after I wore it so my memory of the scent isn't as good as it could have been so bear with me.

Wet this reminded me a lot of Old Athens. It has the same smoky wine flavor though it doesn't remind me so much of marinade this time. There must be a blend of honey, myrrh and red wine like there was in Athens. As time progresses, Old Cairo smells more smoky in an incense way rather than a "kitchen of a fine restaurant" kind of way. It's thick, resiny and sweet, richer and denser in texture than molasses. It definitely smells like incense made the old fashioned was with gummy resins and perfumed oil burned in lamps rather than the scent produced by a stick or cone. Decadent yet reverent and oh so mysterious.

Final Thoughts:

Great as a perfume, but even better as a room scent. Great for inspiring a spiritual, pious atmosphere for deep meditation.

Initial Impression:

Earthy floral, very deep yet grounded.

After Wearing It:

I bought an imp of Virgo for a friend of mine who wear generic scents that I don't care for too much, and since she's a fellow astrology fiend I thought she may appreciate this.

Awful as it may sound, I could just let this one pass through my hand without testing it first though, particularly since I loved the way it smelled in the vial. It was softly floral, but earthy and spicy too, creating such a sensual and intriguing scent. Once on my skin though, Virgo turned out to be pretty pale, subtle and bland. I really slathered this one on (because it had seemed so promising!) but the scent was really light on me, even if sniffed up close.

The scent itself made me think of wild flowers growing along a path through the woods, their scent mingling with the twigs, leaves and loose earth that are scattered on top of them. It also reminded me of the flower beds we had in the front yard of the house I was born in. My mother covered the dirt areas between the plants with wood chips to prevent weeds from growing. I don't remember the flowerbeds smelling like Virgo, but the perfume smells the way it looked.

As for the more technical details of the scent, I smelled a subtle combo of oakmoss and white musk more than anything else, with the narcissus filtering up from underneath them. I couldn't smell the apple at all and the patchouli didn't make much of an impression either. Pity!

Final Thoughts:

I really liked this in the bottle (particularly when I first smelled Karyn's!), but it didn't do a whole lot for me own. Which is probably for the best since I won't be tempted to keep this for myself!

A crisp, springtime floral note. Though I haven't spent enough time around lilac bushes to be incredibly familar with their scent, it does seem to fit. This lilac has a slight sweet smoothness to it that's appealing and keeps it from being too oppressive (as florals can sometimes be to me), powdery or sharp. Has pretty good staying power too, while it doesn't have much throw anymore, I can still smell Lilac on my wrists 10 hours later!

Nice scent, but not for me. Which is fine, because I ordered this for a friend who loves lilacs. Hopefully she'll like this rendition of it a lot because Beth kindly sent me a whole bottle of this rather than just an imp!

The update looks gorgeous love! Good work! Hopefully this rush of orders will go much more smoothly for you guys than it did when the Imbolc update happened in Feb. I'll light a candle for you guys and cross my fingers and toes too!

Hope your rest went well!

Just wanted to give everyone the heads up that I will not be around to watch the boards until May 30/31, so please direct any questions or concerns towards q-spice or one of the mods until I get back. If for whatever reason you reaaaally need to get ahold of me, I'll probably still check my email occasionally so send any messages to diana@impolite.org rather than PMing me.

Have fun everyone and be good!

O, Old Morocco, Blood Lotus, Snake Oil and Hellcat!

BTW Dee I just got your soaps in the mail today. Couldn't believe how quickly they arrived, you're the best! Will say more once I've actually used them.

"1. All April orders that contain O or Lady Macbeth should ship at the end of this week."

 

Thats me!!

That's me too. Guess it'll arrive when I'm visiting Sarah in DC.

You know .. I'd like to say I'd want this but then, there's just sooo many scents she already makes, and is constantly coming out with more ... I can't imagine having a scent of my own in addition to everything else.

 

Not to say I'd turn it down if offered to me .. I just think the money I'd put towards that would be better put to trying everything she already makes, right now. *smiles*

I've thought this too. I'd love to have one done, but I'd feel like I'd have to be completely faithful to a scent that's been made just for me. Like it'd be wasteful and cheating to look elsewhere once my sig scent was done. Still I'm very curious to know exactly how a scent made for me would turn out so it's still very tempting.

How exciting! Congrats on all the good news and can't wait for the update!

Sands of Morocco & Old Morocco go nicely, though since I only have Sands in a Shavette I haven't worn them on top of each other yet. Amber a la Vanille is nice with O too if you want to amp up the amber.

I personally liked Honey Drop (in medium) as a good base for any vanilla BPAL blend as well.

Oh and I've had luck mixing BPAL scents with unscented Soy Good Whipped Body Spread.

Another vote for Lust. I'm really picky about my patchoulis (it's either a love or really, really hate for me) and the patchouli in Lust is strong but goooood. Yum.

I love Angel too. Even BPAL couldn't turn me off it. It's a lovely blend. I think O would be good with it, and I agree with Twisty, Velvet would also be divine. Or what about O and Gluttony?

Mixing oil and oil shouldn't be a problem. They might separate after a while, but you shouldn't have to shake before each use.

If an BPAL oil is too strong for you or irritating to your skin, you can mix the fragrance oil with a carrier oil before applying to your skin (either just by dabbing the way you would for perfume, or if you use more carrier oil, as a massage oil). You could mix up a whole bottle or just mix it as you use it bit by bit. Not sure what proportions to use for mixing since I never dilute mine, but you could experiment.

I second the Magician as opposed to the hermit. I haven't tried either, but most of the reviews I've read (both here and on Bust) for the Hermit said it was a bit of a dusty scent, and some have even called it musty (which is appropriate) so the Magician might be better for wear.

I'm not sure Lilith would be the best suggestion, though I don't know what else to suggest. Musks has a tendency to turn powdery with some body chemistries, so it's likely that anything with a heavy musk component (like Glasya) will go powdery on you as well. I read your review of Lust (which also has a heavy musk component) and it sounds like it had similar results, so I'm better Lilith would go the same. I'll think about some alternate suggestions, but in the meantime my advice is to avoid scents where musk is more than an accent note.

I think by the time the new FAQ would be put up, CCNow'll be dropped Tyger!

Initial Impression:

A dry, clean pale green scent. Sad yet oddly detached. Like someone in shock.

After Wearing It:

From start to finish the was a very soft, muted, dry, herby scent. It made me think of the endless fields of dead grass that you find in Oklahoma during the fall and winter: stiff, scratchy, and strawlike in both color and texture. A sight that depressed me endlessly my first winter home after two New Orleans winters home. It was just so lifeless and numbing. So blah. Shroud felt like this to me. It smelled dry, light and herby, green yet not. Drained, a pale shadow of what it used to be. The scent was really light on me, which reenforced this idea. It was so bland and light, it felt weightless and invisible too. It did nothing for me.

Final Thoughts:

I hate green scents, and the images produced by this scent depressed me so obviously Shroud's not a winner here. It's too light and just not my kind of scent.

I've heard some people like embalming fluid as a room scent.

Myself, though, I like the room to smell pretty much the same way I do, so I use spicy/incensy scents more than anything else.

Initial Impression:

Slightly musty and incensey. Austere in a way that makes you nervous about being judged, yet wanting to please. Dark and earthy scent.

After Wearing It:

While wet I got similar impressions to those given by everyone else; Saturn felt powerful, uncompromising and commanding. After it dried however, this scent made me absolutely quiver it was so damn sexy. While it still felt powerful and unyielding, it silently voiced this air of capability and strength. This scent smells like all the reasons a gal might be attracted to an older man bottled up. Saturn can protect and teach you more than you imagined, while turning you to mush at the same time. It has a glowing confidence that comes from years of experience and vast knowledge. Like one of those well-versed debaunaire college professors who has all of the girls in the front row creaming their jeans. It's just sexy in a way I can't describe.

Saturn also calls up images of some high priest or high ranking officer in a secretive, influential order. He has all the knowledge and might enlighten you a bit if you're worthy.

As for a more objective description, Saturn is a very warm & spicy wood-resin blend. I smell frankincense and some sort of red wood, with just a touch of pine and amber. It smells of finely polished dark wood panelling, of judges' chambers and large private libraries. Just divine.

Final Thoughts:

As turned on as I was by this, Saturn isn't something I can wear. It's gorgeous, but it's TOO masculine for me to wear myself. I'd *love* to find a sugar daddy to try this on (because Saturn's sex appeal is so much more older lover as opposed mate/boyfriend). I might get a bottle of it anyway, just for when I really want to feel hot & bothered. Plus I want to try it out as a room scent.

Initial Impression:

Crisp in a way that suggests stormy weather, yet rich in a very "arrogant bastard" sort of way. Musky and masculine too.

After Wearing It:

Jupiter is an overwhelmingly woody scent. First on, all I could smell was redwood. It reminded me of being in a lumberyard with its strong, dry woodsy-but-not-at-all green scent. It felt impressively tall, yet not intimidating. Arrogant but full of good humor. Very Jovian.

After an hour or so, another note appeared on Jupiter's horizon. I can't identify it specifically, but it smells like the way the air does right before a thunderstorm. Very slightly damp and charged with potential energy. I saw forests of massive leafless trees in the beginning of winter or early spring, while the beginnings of bad weather are just beginning to announce their prescence. The scent is woodsy, but not forestlike in that there are any green notes, just deep, deep red wood.

Final Thoughts:

While this is definitely approprate for Jupiter, it's not something I can wear. The scent is too dry and there's not enough in there to temper the wood to make it appealing on me. Would probably work better on a guy.

Welcome Nella! It's always nice to see lab workers posting here as it helps prevent confusion from spreading, as well as serving as a reminder that there are people helping Beth.

Hope the forum becomes a place for you to play as well as work! Welcome!

Well, I've just come to the stunning realisation that I've never actually had a good cup of chai... just the stuff from Starbucks, which I wasn't terribly impressed with.

I *hate* Starbucks chai. It's watery and too sweet! Barnes & Noble's isn't right either. From retail locations, the better cups of chai I've had have come from the cafe inside Border's bookstores (very milky and smells like Christmas. ) or in PJ's coffeehouses (a new orleans based chain. we don't have them here in OK and I think the only PJ's there is in Georgia is in Augusta).

Initial Impression:

I smell sage here, which would be appropriate since it's one of Mercury's herbs. Woody, green and slightly dusty with hints of spice burrowing underneath.

After Wearing It:

First on, something herby like sage is most apparent, but as it dries a hard cinnamon note appears, dragging a subtle wood note (something like cedar maybe?) and pine along with it. The affect is msculine, but not too much so. It feels invigorating, quickwitted and adventurous. Appropriately I wore it today when I went out with Inga to get lost in a small wooded park (gods love Oklahoma City for its ability to have woods to get lost in in the middle of the city!) because we were feeling adventurous and wanted to go on a nature walk.

Because I was busy for most of the day, I didn't get to pay TOO terribly much attention to each change of the fragrance, but overall, this scent managed to smell earthy without smelling of earth, spicy while still smelling smooth and a bit herby without smelling too musty on me or green. It's comforting and stimulating all at once. A smirk on a half-reclining god. Right now I smell something like nutmeg wafting off my wrist, blending finely with a smooth spicy wood base. Absolutely lovely.

I do have to concur with Jenny, Allamanda & Twisty and say that this bothered my skin a bit at first. My skin very rarely reacts to anything, but Mercury irritated the spots where I put this on my neck (it didn't have issues with the spots on my wrists, forearms and cleavage where I also applied it though). It really stung/tingled behind my earlobes and the hollow of my throat. The affect wasn't immediate and fortunately didn't last THAT long. I didn't wash it off even though the sting was pretty sharp (because I'm nuts), and it faded after about 20 minutes or so leaving no mark behind. So the reaction isn't enough to turn me off Mercury. I'll just avoid the neck area in the future.

Final Thoughts:

I really, really like Mercury. I've always been pretty in tune with Mercurial energy, and this scent really appeals to that part of me. I feel sharp and harmonious at the same time. I really want to experiment using this oil in different mediums and for different purposes so I'm definitely going to have to invest in a bigger bottle.

Initial Impression:

Reminds me of the dearly departed Hellfire. Very much like buttery toffee.

After Wearing It:

Yep. When this first goes on, it reminds me lots of Hellfire. It has that same rich, buttery caramel tone, so very sweet and warm, which was nice. Less of of the odd popcorn note to be found here than there was in Hellfire, so bonus points.

Slowly though, that buttery caramel high fades back and the chocolate and but notes emerge. It feels like a rich dessert rather than just an ultra sweet snack that was around during Gluttony's opening sequence. Something rich and multitextured like cake & custard. Then something like coffee is introduced making the scent smell as much like one of those trendy flavored coffee drinks as it does like sharing dessert and coffee with someone else.

The final stage is the longest and most muted. After about hour three the overwhelmingly dessert-like indulgence smooths out and softens down into a dark-chocolate and espresso scent. It makes me think of reclining in a dimly lit room snuggled down in an overstuffed armchair, basking in the afterglow of a really good meal. This is a dressed up version of that lethargy I get after a big holiday meal. It's that same lazy, self-satisfied haze, but rather than being sprawled out on my couch in an odd position, Gluttony reclines by the fire, sipping espresso, and not feeling the least bit guilty about the sweet binge it just left behind.

Final Thoughts:

Wonderfully sweet scent. I just wish the beginning phase lasted longer and blended more with the second and third stages of the fragrance. Gluttony also seems like it'd make a divine room fragrance. My mother is forever buying candles with similar (but inferior) scents, and had I tried this earlier, I would have ordered a bottle for her for mother's day. Ah well.