PurringPulsar

I've sent about 4 paypal orders to BPAL and I didn't write my address because it usually gives your address with every order. But with Paypal, my address has 'London' on it twice (it's listed as both the county and the city) when usually my address should have London on it once. Does this matter or does that mean there'll be problems or delays when it is sent?

Sugar Cookie In the imp: sweet, spicy biscuit dough! This smells yummy! It's similar to Gingerbread Poppet but much sweeter and with more cinnamon. Wet on skin: yup, this is very similar to Gingerbread Poppet, but it think there's more cinnamon here. it's a delicious, sweet and spicy dough mix! Dry on skin: oh wow. I can smell more cinnamon now. There's some ginger here which gives this a fiery kick, cinnamon that adds a sweet-spicy warmth, and possibly some nutmeg-in fact, it reminds me of mulled wine, I swear there's even some orange. There's a delicious buttery, floury, sugary dough mixture smell with the spices. It smells so yummy and edible and makes me think of Christmas! After a while: the spices tone down a bit-they are still there but now the dough smell is more apparent-with the sugar, the butter, the flour, possibly some treacle. This is the entire baking of cookies scent-the smell of raw dough, baking dough, right up to the cookies being sprinkled with sugar. This is soooo sweet, there might be vanilla in this as well. I want to eat my wrist because this is just incredibly yummy. I have now got an urge to make some spicy biscuits. There's also a hint of orange pomander in this, adding to the whole Xmas vibe this scent has. Verdict: this scent makes me do a Homer Simpson impression...mmm, cookies...*drool* One of the yummiest, most gorgeous BPAL spice scents. I've been looking all over for the best Christmas-reminiscent spicy scent and this is it. There's biscuit dough, all the flour, sugar and butter. There are spices-cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and maybe some cloves. And there's even a bit of citrus, like orange peel. This is warm, lovely, decadent, indulgent, festive and makes me smile. Very similar to Gingerbread Poppet, but with a more varied array of spices and a hint of mulled wine. It's like the most delicious spiced biscuit smell without the calories. It's the perfect sugar and spice smell, and I wish I had a bottle!

The Hierophant In the imp: soft cinnamon and a soft floral scent which I've noticed in many tarot oils. Wet on skin: mm, this is a nice, comforting cinnamon and sweet floral scent. There's also a hint of orange, something like orange sherbet warmed by cinnamon. Dry on skin: the cinnamon is lovely in here, and there's still that sweet fruity or floral scent- I still don't know what it is, but it's lovely. This reminds me of a more down to earth version of the Sun. I think there's sandalwood in here as well. There may also be cloves here, it's sweet-spicy and warm. After a while: now the blend changes, the sweet floral gives way to a deeper, woodier scent. It's possibly a blend of cedar and sandalwood, with warm cinnamon, and maybe some incense, as there is a wonderful smokiness here, and it's slightly green as well. It feels calming, grounding and meditative, almost sacred. It has a similar vibe to the World, but not as deep and earthy. This one is more smoky and spicy. Verdict: at first, this is a soothing, sweet, lightly spiced fruity-floral scent, but then changes to a lovely warm smoky smell of wood and cinnamon with a waft of incense. This is a nice blend of wither sandalwood or cedar, maybe both, with cinnamon, and possibly sweet incense. This feels grounding, soothing and warming, almost meditative, mysterious and sacred with a regal air. I am impressed with these tarot oils, and this one is another one that I really like.

Persephone In the imp: pomegranate and rose. It's tart, juicy, sweet, and floral all in one. Wet on skin: this is a sharp, tangy, crisp mix of fruit and flower. The rose and pomegranate mingle together into one, it's like a rosy pomegranate, or a really fruity rose. It's lovely! Dry on skin: the rose goes to the forefront of the scent, it's a warm, dry rose, it reminds me of the Turkish rosewater that my mum uses for ironing! (yup, she adds rosewater to the iron to fragrance the clothes-much nicer than Vaporesse!) But that's no bad thing-it's lovely, and the pomegranate has the effect of simply enhancing the juicy, fruity, tart aspects of the rose. After a while: the rose and pomegranate are having a fight! And what a pleasant scented fight it is…first the rose takes over, then the pomegranate, then the rose, and so on…they swap places with each other all the time! Eventually, rose wins, and the drydown is a soft, gorgeous, powdery rose. Verdict: this is a rose fit for a goddess. Yup, it's another wonderful BPAL rose scent that I love. This is a youthful, fresh, full-bodied rose with a tart, sharp edge. The pomegranate adds it's own juicy tangy touch to the rose, the two notes complement each other nicely. It's a simple combination which works. I'm not sure if I'll get a bottle since I prefer Harlot, Kurukulla and Rose Cross, but this is wonderful all the same!

Muse In the imp: a lovely, light white floral with a teeny bit of lime. Wet on skin: oh wow, here come the lotus and lime! The jasmine's also there, with a slightly soapy, lily of the valley like smell, which could be tuberose. Dry on skin: lovely light white flowers once more. It has a soapy or powdery aspect, but it isn't unpleasant. The lime gives it a nice citrus tang, but doesn't last. After a while: the lotus comes out and changes it once more, and merges with the jasmine. Although it still retains a certain powdery-ness, this now also smells like fresh, dewy blooms of exotic flowers. It is very clean and fresh, like freshly washed sheets hung out to dry. Verdict: this is a really nice, light, floral scent that makes me think of spring. It's gentle, sweet and very clean, slightly soapy but not in an unpleasant way. The white flowers add a soft powdery aspect to the smell, whilst the lime adds some citrussy zing, and the lotus is lovely. It smells clean and white, fresh and breezy, like freshly washed cotton sheets, and has a delicate sense of purity and innocence about it. Lovely.

My bottle of Bastet has a stronger cardamom note than my imp of it. Which is all good, because I love cardamom!

Harlot In the imp: cinnamon and rose! I have a feeling I'm going to like this one! Wet on skin: oh, the rose here is lovely-so juicy and so floral, so richly scented, the cinnamon just enhances that and adds some kick. Dry on skin: oh wow. There's something almost nostalgic about this rose perfume, without smelling old fashioned. This is a crisp yet sweet and almost fruity blend of roses with a little bit of cinnamon that just enhances it without taking over the blend and adds a sense of dry, fiery, sweet spice. Beautiful. After a while: the rose in this has an almost fruity, lemony fragrance-reminds me of one of the 2 5 7 rose notes. It's really lovely. The cinnamon is still there, in the background, boosting the rose with it's hot spiciness, but as usual, the rose takes centre stage-not that I mind! It does fade a bit, and leaves a nice soft scent on my arm which actually reminds me of a Lush product, can't remember which one, but it's so lovely. Verdict: another wonderful BPAL rose blend, and another marriage of two favourite notes of mine. The cinnamon in this blend enhances and spices up the roses in the most amazing way. I can really smell different roses in this blend, and they all smell gorgeous. The scent is simple, but so wonderful. Cinnamon and roses are a match made in heaven, and Harlot proves this point in the best way. The scent is feminine yet fiery, hot and spicy, sexy and exotic. I neeeed a bottle!

Jezebel In the imp: roses and honey, with a tart, orangey tang-the orange blossom? Wet on skin: ooh, this is nice! Honeyed rose with a hint of orange blossom, which adds a slight tangy aspect to the scent. the honey note here is also slightly tart, but pleasant, and it blends nicely with the rose, so the two scents become one. I think the sandalwood's there as well. Dry on skin: the honey note gets stronger, with the florals in the background. this is a lovely sweet scent with a nice, almost fruity edge to the floral scent. After a while: the honey note gets sweeter and I think I can smell sandalwood now-it's much more prominent and lends it's smooth, woody qualities to the floral notes. The rose and orange blossom are still there but the honey still remains at the forefront of the scent, with the other scents at the back, creating a lovely drydown. Then after about 30 mins, there's a scent reminiscent of vanilla, but that could be the honey and sandalwood. It's much sweeter now, but still lovely, quite soft but also sensual. Verdict: this is gorgeous! A lovely sweet honeyed flower scent-sort of like O with flowers. The honey is nice and strong without being over-sweet, mixing nicely with the rose, and the orange blossom adds an interesting twist, and sandalwood smoothes out the whole scent. As with most honey scents, it's sweet and sticky, yet not sickly or cloying, it's very feminine, sensual, quite sexy! I love this one a lot.

Lucky #20 In the imp: hmm. A mix of light soapy florals and something woody? Possibly gardenia in there-it reminds me of the dry stage of Hanging Gardens, but without the fruit. Wet on skin: yup, this has that rough, scrubby wood note from HG, along with the gardenia. It's not very pleasant…it's quite hot and gritty, a bit spicy. Dry on skin: the floral note returns again. It's a nice, if somewhat soapy, smell, but it's less soapy than it was when wet. There may be some jasmine here as well. That rough, hot note is still there though, I'm not so keen on it, but I think I'm getting used to it, and it's fading, leaving a nice gardenia/jasmine scent in it's wake. After a while: soapy white florals-jasmine, gardenia and maybe honeysuckle or lily, with a slight woody/herbal bite. It's quite nice now. There's something about this that reminds me of Beltane. As time passes, the flowers become quite powdery. After many hours, I get a smell that is faint and yet is slightly...animalistic? it's not musk though, but it has a quality that seems a bit animalistic, or maybe my skin is being weird? Or could it be that infamous note...civet???????? I've not smelt it before but it fits people's descriptions of what it smells like. It's not very strong though, so it's bearable. Verdict: this is not something I'd really wear as perfume, but I could wear it for magical purposes to bring luck. The smell was a bit off putting at first, with a rough, harsh smell that was quite grating and dissonant, and some florals, but then the florals become stronger and the smell gets much nicer-a soft scent of white flowers, much more pleasant and wearable-before turning slightly animalic on my skin after about 5 hours. Hopefully this oil will bring some good luck my way!

Bewitched In the imp: berries and greenery, there's sage and tea there. Wet on skin: the berry note here is sweet and dark, quite tart, and juicy. There's also a strong green note due to the tea and sage. I can also make out the musk. Dry on skin: this is a dark green scent with accents of berry and an undertone of musk. There's something reminiscent of Cheshire Cat, no doubt the musk and berries. The green sage/tea note is quite nice, but the overall scent evokes a sense of mystery and darkness. Like the depths of a forest thick with brambles, with the smoky, earthy smell of the forest floor and a deep muskiness. After a while: berry and sage rise to prominence a bit more, with a musky backdrop. The berry scent is giving me a craving for blackberries…there's a nice foresty, slightly autumnal vibe to this. Verdict: this is really nice. It's a mysterious, dark blend with juicy blackberry, green sage and tea, and a deep musk note. It's quite pleasant and surprisingly nice-I was worried the dark musk would smell a bit too animalistic but it smells quite nice in here, whilst still retaining it's smoky, sensual quality. I also like the berry note here, because it is tart and juicy, not too sweet. Whilst not an outright favourite, this is an interesting and magical scent, and I think this would smell even better during autumn.

The World In the imp: wow, this smell is earthy. Really earthy. It probably has patchouli and vetiver in it, maybe some cinnamon. It reminds me of various Lush products, including Blue Skies, Middle Earth, Skinny Dip, Wiccy Magic Muscles and even Tramp. Wet on skin: this is a lovely, deep, grounded, earthy scent with a hint of green and a nice warmth. The green note is more apparent and there's even a little bit of floral or sweetness coming through. Dry on skin: there's a gorgeous sweet note here that I recognise, but I can't name right now. It could be vanilla? Or even incense? Sandalwood maybe? Perhaps it is pine? It's annoying when I can't recognise the note, but this scent is amazing. There's everything here-spice, green, earth, flowers, sweetness, it's a lovely mix. The deep earthy note has toned down a lot though and the scent is softer. After a while: I have a feeling that note is either pine or cedar, mingled with a soft floral almost like either violet or lavender, and some spices, and possibly sandalwood. There's something almost 'Skinny Dip' about this scent now! After about 20 minutes, the wood note is strong. It's sandalwood, that's for sure. I think there's also cedar and cinnamon too, deepening and warming the scent. After an hour or two, there's a lovely scent of vetiver left. There may also be some dark patchouli there as well. Verdict: if any scent could sum up the earth, both in the planetary and elemental sense, this one does. It's incredibly earthy and grounded, and yet has loads of other notes-there's a lovely deep warmth, and a nice sweetness and a hint of woody and green notes. It morphs a lot on the skin, when a scent like resins, woods and spices comes through, and it gets softer and mellows out nicely. it smells very soothing and balancing. Another wonderful tarot oil!

Hollywood Babylon In the imp: sweet! This is really sweet, with strawberry and vanilla, but the musk and cherry are also there. Wet on skin: the strawberry fades a bit, and the musk and cherry come out to play. It's quite an unusual blend, musk and cherry, but they merge quite nicely to make a darker version of red musk. The vanilla adds a nice sweetness, I think I can also smell some heliotrope. But where's the amber? Dry on skin: The sweet strawberries return and add a lovely fruity sweetness to the musk-cherry backdrop, mingling with the vanilla, I think the amber's there, but all the sweet scents all become one. This is really yummy, this scent. Sweetness with a sexy dark side. Thank goodness the vanilla doesn't amp up to the max here. this really reminds me of another BPAL blend, can't remember which one though-probably Blood Lotus? After a while: the vanilla is lovely here, it's quite creamy. There's still that background of musk and cherry, possibly with amber, and there's some heliotrope adding sparkle to the blend, strawberry adds a nice sweet fruitiness. After about half an hour, this smells very very sweet, but it's still lovely. Now I want to lick myself, as it smells like a twisted version of vanilla ice cream-like a 'cherry ripple' ice cream...yum! Verdict: this is a really nice mixture of sweetness and darkness. The cherry adds a wicked bite, merging with the red musk and enhancing it, and the sweet notes of strawberry and vanilla flit through it. This blend is sugary and yummy, but with a musk undertone that prevents it from being too foody. This is delicious and decadent, brash and flashy, a wickedly sweet and addictive blend.

The Sun In the imp: a sweet, warm, lightly spiced, maybe fruity smell. Reminds me of the Stations of the Sun. Wet on skin: mmm, this is a warm, fuzzy smell that reminds me of sweeties! There's also a bit of liquorice, which is unusual. Dry on skin: this is really nice! It's a very sweet, laid back smell, it feels comforting and warming. It's hard to describe, but it reminds me of sherbet, and has a slight fruity-spicy thing going on. There might also be a slight hint of herbs or maybe some frankincense, but it's not very apparent. And maybe there could be peach or apricot here, possibly some citrus fruits. After a while: there's a sweet smell that is either amber or apricot, it's halfway between fruity and resinous. It reminds me of Ahatoor and Ra mixed together, but more muted and gentle. There could be heliotrope in this, as something about this scent is slightly Eclipse-ish, but warmer, lighter and more 'glowy'. The only problem is that it seems to fade quickly. This really does fade fast, after half an hour I need to really sniff my wrist to smell it, but leaves a lovely amber-heliotrope glow of scent close to the skin. And then, about an hour or so later, something amazing happens. The scent is still there, I thought it would fade completely, but it doesnt-and it leaves a lovely soft scent of amber/fruit/heliotrope and...musk. This smells just like sun warmed skin. Wow. This blend really lives up to it's name. Verdict: this is a lovely, comforting scent. This is not the fierce and harsh heat of the sun, this is the warmth of summer, the optimism that comes with a sunny day, and feels laid back, like a lazy sunny afternoon, this scent is full of light and it glows. When I wear this, I feel like a cat basking in the sunshine. It's hard to describe exactly what it smells like but it reminds me of fruit sherbet, it's very sweet with some spicy or resinous scents to make it more interesting. Eventually it fades and leaves a scent eerily reminiscent of sun warmed skin. This is a gorgeous blend of complex scents that merge to form a scent that encompasses the most positive aspects of the sun. I'm not sure if I'd like a whole bottle as this one fades a bit fast, but I'm keeping the imp because I really like this. I thought I'd also add that the weather today was very appropriate for this particular blend.

Hellcat In the imp: boozy almonds! Oh dear, I'm really concerned about this rum note… Wet on skin: poof, the almond evaporates, and, oh no…the rum's amping on my skin to the max…it's a sweet rum, but it's really boozy. Dry on skin: ack, still a sharp, piercing rum scent, but I can smell some nice roasted hazelnut here. and just a hint of sweet buttercream. But the rum is evil here, it takes over the blend to no end. After a while: the rum fades a little, letting the hazelnut come through, it's a lovely nutty scent, sweet and buttery with a hint of burnt sugar, but the rum is just too much. After about two hours I get...vetiver! Yup, that's right. Most of the Diabolus scents eventually turn to vetiver on me which is weird, becuase here there is no vetiver listed. Oh well, I don't mind, I like vetiver anyway-at least it smells less like booze! Verdict: I wanted to love this because I love the name. This scent really does have bite, but a bit too much for my nose. The rum is the culprit here. If there was no rum here, I would like this, with it's nutty sweetness, but the alcoholic note is so piercing and so strong, and so genuine it's scary. It does settle down after a while, but I don't really like the first stage enough to like this scent as a whole. Sorry Hellcat, you're a real bad drunk kitty, I'm afraid, off to swaps you go! I seem not to have any luck with these Diabolus scents…

Hetairae In the imp: sweet fig and patchouli. Quite nice. Wet on skin: the fig note turns quite tart, which isn't bad. I think I can also smell the ylang ylang. The honey sweetens it, and the patchouli deepens it. Dry on skin: this is quite nice! This is the most figgy smell I've tried-it's like an almost ripe fig and fig leaf smell-it's actually slightly green, or tart…This scent reminds me of when I was in Crete, and there were fig trees by the side of the road, bursting with ripe fruit, and I could simply pick the fruit off for eating, and they were so delicious. there's a hint of honey but it isn't too much, but it adds a gorgeous sweetness. I think I can just make out the clove, but it's not blatantly apparent, but the patchouli adds a nice earthy twist to this, and the ylang makes it a tad floral, but not overly so. After a while: the honey is mellowing out, becoming more prominent, and making this blend lovelier. Oh honey, how I love thee and your sticky sweet syrupy yumminess. Now it's honeyed fig with a bit of patchouli and the barest whisper of ylang-can't smell the clove much though. I've also come to the conclusion that the Lab uses many honey notes, because this one smells like real Greek honey, which is one of my favourite honeys. And then, after about 20-30 minutes, the patchouli makes another appearance, mingling nicely with the honeyed fig and adding mystery and depth. And the fig note strengthens once more. Verdict: this is an interesting, changeable blend which is predominantly like tart, fresh figs (and not just the fruit, but the leaves too) but with an interesting background of patchouli which add a sensual warmth, and honey that sweetens the blend. This changes a lot-first it's like tart figs, then the honey strengthens and makes the blend smell quite yummy. And then the patchouli comes out and adds it's earthy smell as a nice backdrop to the honey and figs. I'm not sure if I'll 'big bottle' this, but I quite like it for now. edit: I really wanted to love this, but after about an hour, it smells a bit weird on me. Not really repulsive and yucky, but a bit odd and a bit off, I smell it and think 'what the?' And then after about two hours, it becomes pure patchouli with a tiny bit of honey. I smell like a hippy! But that's not a bad thing!

I'm wondering if the lab has changed their recipe for Tum...now, my imp of it smells of honeyed grape juice/wine with spices. Not one that is loved by all, but I really love it. However, a lot of people seem to be picking up lavender in their Tum reviews, and also a lack of fruitiness... Morocco is another one that has dramatic scent differences. The first imp I got of it was very woody and a bit masculine, but now I have an imp with more of the spice/carnation and I love it.

Two Five and Seven In the imp: rose wine? That's what it reminds me of. Roses and wine. Wet on skin: omg rooooose! It's less like wine now and more like pure rose. This is a warm, juicy rose, slightly tart, and so genuine, it's exactly like the roses in my garden! Dry on skin: this is gorgeous! Sweet roses, fresh roses blooming in a summer garden. I can smell many roses here that remind me of the ones in the garden-the tart, crisp tea rose, the slightly lemony peach coloured rose, the richly scented red rose…I can smell the sunshine on the roses, it's a warm blend that encapsulates the pleasant summer days. There's even a hint of wine or honey or lemonade, it makes me think of picnics in a rose garden. I can't really smell the grass, but I can smell the summer warmth. After a while: the predominant scent is of a mature, sun warmed and quite fruity, almost wine like rose scent, but there are other rose scents flitting through here and there. It's like a blend of all of BPAL's rose blends, and then some! This, to me, reminds me of the wonderful rose garden in Regent's Park which I used to visit when I was younger. Now I have the urge to go there again! (and I did!) After an hour, something strange happened-a fruity smell, like sun warmed ripe fruits-probably strawberries, plums and bananas, came through for a while and I was scared it would smell like overripe fruit but then it changed back to good old rose and stayed rosy until the end. Verdict: another beautiful rose blend from BPAL. This one is absolutely perfect for summer and it brings back the most wonderful memories…as a child, I would visit the Regent's Park rose garden every June when the weather was nice, where roses of all kinds, all colours and all fragrances bloomed. This is the smell of Regent's Park rose garden. So many different roses touched by the warm sunshine-some are sweet scented, others are tart, some have a slight fruitiness, some have a dry scent-all those roses are here. It smells warm and freshly bloomed. It's so perfect for this time of year, for those pleasant June days. I want a 5ml!

The Empress In the imp: rooooose! Beautiful, sweet, full bodied rose. Wet on skin: oh rose, how I love thee. This reminds me of Rose Cross, actually-it's that same kind of rose…it's a full bodied, mature, sophisticated rose, also quite sweet. Dry on skin: oh yes, this still remains a warm, sweet, and gorgeous rose fragrance. It's a mature, grown up rose, soft and sweet and ever so womanly. It's also very gentle and quite subtle on me. After a while: yup, this remains rosy, but the rose warms up on my skin, the throw improves nicely and mellows out. This isn't a tart dry rose, this is a warm, rich and gentle rose scent. I'm sure there's another note there, not obvious, but something is enhancing the rose scent, I think it's frankincense, or some sort of incense, because this scent is so similar to Rose Cross. Or maybe it's sandalwood or violet? Verdict: this is another scent to add to my collection of rose BPALs, and I love it. The Empress is rose, pure and simple, and yet so beautiful in it's rosy simplicity. Beth concocts the most incredible rose fragrances, and this is yet another one of those…this rose is lovely, sweetened and sophisticated, mature and soft, ever so feminine. It reminds me of Rose Cross, only softer. I'm not sure about tarot symbolism, but this is truly a scent fit for an empress, a beautiful and regal rose scent that befits a Venus archetype (which is the planet of the Empress, I think?). another tarot oil to consider getting a nice big bottle of! The Empress has impressed me!

The Star In the imp: almonds, and also a sweet fruity smell that may be pineapple! Wet on skin: ohh, this is nice, creamy almonds and coconut milk with tropical fruit juice!!! Yum! Dry on skin: mmm, this is interesting. There's a slight pina colada smell here, but there's also some mint too! The almond has faded, so now this smells like a delicious summer cocktail. It's a bright, white, shining and sparkling blend of coconut milk, tropical fruit (either pineapple or mango or both), and cool peppermint. After a while: ooh, the pineapple note becomes more pronounced, the mint fades and the coconut still smells smooth and creamy. Yup, this is real pina colada, and it smells so genuine I want to lick myself. After a few hours, I'm left with a lovely creamy sugary scent reminiscent of Snow White's drydown, but with added fruit. Verdict: this is a youthful, sparkling, glamorous cocktail of delicious scents. It starts off with sweet almond which then fades to give way to a delightful scent of pina colada with crème de menthe. The coconut note in here is gorgeous, really summery smelling and creamy, and there's a delicious fruity scent which smells just like real tropical fruit juice, pineapple and possibly mango, and a twist of mint. I'm not sure what the tarot card of the Star means, but this blend shines and glows with a bright and clear sparkling white-gold scent. This is the perfect perfume to wear on those warm summer nights whilst watching the stars and sipping cocktails on holiday in some exotic location. I think a big bottle is in order.

Saint Germain In the imp: fresh cologne and lavender. Mmm, this is quite nice. Wet on skin: oh wow, this gets lovelier. The lavender's still strong, but the carnation comes out…I love carnation! There's also amber and possibly some moss. Dry on skin: this is really nice. It smells like French cologne, with a lovely lavender note, but the carnation makes it even nicer, the amber gives this blend a well rounded sweetness and there's a fresh, green and deep moss note. After a while: there's a note there that's almost citrussy, that's the cologne note, the lavender in this is soothing, but the amber and carnation enhances it and adds a nice edge to something that may otherwise end up smelling too overly 'perfumey'. However, it does reminds me of really sophisticated French men's perfume, but isn't too 'manly' to put me off wearing it. Verdict: this is a lovely blend, refined and sophisticated. It's a cologne scent with lavender, but it has that lovely sweet-spicy carnation, a sweet golden amber note and fresh moss that make this really interesting. This is a unisex blend, it feels 'gentlemanly', but not overly masculine thanks to the carnation and amber. And something about it smells quite 'French' possibly because of the lavender and fresh cologne. This is a gorgeous, grown up and mature scent, and I really like it a lot. Now I am really looking forward for more Great Alchemist blends to be released!

I thought I'd add another interesting observation. I have an imp of Mars *littlesquee* (smells of dragon's blood, cloves, cinnamon and another floral/sweet note I can't identify) and I find that the scent actually calms the Mars in me down, probably because I am an Aries with Mars as my ruling planet...and here's another thing. On me, that scent even takes on earthy qualities after a while-and my Mars is in Taurus...so in a bizarre way, the scent seems to be picking up on the Mars in my chart! But that could be coincidence. But then again, it shows how magical these blends are...

Ah, I see why...it's the smoke association. Never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. Anyway, I dunno. I'm interested in trying all the planetary scents but I only want to try Aries in the astrological scents, because it seems 'wrong' for me to try scents that are not connected with my sign, even though I have moon in Libra and Virgo rising and so on...maybe I could try those, but I'm not keen on trying scents that I have no planets in, such as Cancer, Leo, and Pisces... I also find it odd that I'm into florals and find they go well with me despite my glaring water deficit (apparently, according to that site, florals are linked to water) in my chart (not as bad as my mum's complete lack of earth-she has no planets in earth whatsoever, and yet for some bizarre reason, she's really into gardening and digging into the earth!!! Doesn't make sense...) I'm a big believer in astrology, but my choice in scent defies astrology.

The High Priestess This is my first tarot scent, so here goes… In the imp: almond, but also mint-a very piercing, cold mint. Wet on skin: bitter almonds and that minty scent…knowing me, the almonds will fade, but it's a very strange mix, almonds and cold, green mint. Dry on skin: the almonds fade and a green mint note takes centre stage. It's a cool mint, but there's also a herbal note there, like thyme and sage, or maybe rosemary or lavender. It's a green, leafy scent, quite pleasant, but with a cool note that brings to mind growing herbs covered with raindrops. After a while: after a while, a sweeter note starts to come through, I can also smell pine or fir or eucalyptus? It's a complex and intriguing scent. It's also dark and cool, like a mysterious winter forest filled with shadows, illuminated by shafts of moonlight, but with herbal and green notes reminiscent of ancient herbal remedies and magical brews. But I'm sure I can also smell something resinous-this could be pine, as it's not a dark or sweet resin note. But I'm sure there's a sweet, possibly floral note underneath it all-lotus perhaps? However, the mint note is still clear and cold-and it seems to have cleared that headache I had before…wow. Verdict: I'm totally dumb when it comes to tarot, but I've heard that the High Priestess card is linked to Isis (well, her image in the tarot deck looks just like Isis with her horned crown) which is what got me interested in trying this oil. As I know nothing else on tarot symbolism I won't be able to tell whether or not this fragrance complements the card, so I'll simply describe the fragrance. It's a very interesting, mysterious scent. At first it's bitter almonds and a cool, bright mint. But the almond then fades and the blend becomes a wonderful mix of mint and various green notes, ranging from pine to crushed leaves to herbs, a scent which is green and intriguing and with a cool, fresh aspect, and make this scent more appealing than the wet stage. I think there's thyme here, or sage, but there's also a green minty note there which adds a nice cooling freshness. Brings to mind many interesting images-makes me think of the cold, clear light of the moon shining on plants, trees and herbs. It feels approachable and somehow familiar, and yet veiled in mystery and full of ancient wisdom. A strangely beautiful scent. And it has an amazing effect-it cleared my headache!!!

Gingerbread Poppet In the imp: gingerbread. Yummy, delicious gingerbread, pain d'epice, spiced dough mix. Wet on skin: yum yum! Gingersnaps. Not as nose-piercingly intense and loud as Shub, this one's more sugary, buttery and doughy, but the ginger still adds a nice, fiery bite, it's a lovely warming smell. Dry on skin: still the same as wet, the ginger's nice and strong, but it's not as hot and screaming like Shub. The dough, sugar, and other spices can be made out, including my favourite spice, cinnamon. This smells edible, I wanna eat myself. After a while: now I can smell the treacle and the butter and the dry flour that make up the gingerbread dough, as well as the ginger (we're talking chunks of real stem ginger here, not feeble dried powdered ginger) and the other spices-this stuff is so authentic and so genuine smelling!!! It really reminds me of the smell of the spiced bread my mum buys from France, in fact, but with more ginger added. Verdict: this is delicious and gorgeous. A lot of people have tried this before Shub Niggurath, but as a BPAL newbie it's the other way round for me. This is the toned down, sweeter, more comforting version of Shub, a delicious, edible smelling gingerbread mix, very much like French pain d'epice (spiced bread) or like home made gingersnaps with huge chunks of ginger, and you can smell the sugary buttery dough, and the other lovely spices. A perfect blend for the winter, it's warming and yummy. If it's released again this Xmas, I'm buying a 5ml! Now I need to buy some gingersnaps because this stuff is making me crave them…

Frost Moon In the imp: cool, sweet and minty. Almost like chewing gum!!! Wet on skin: mmm, minty fresh! That sounded like a toothpaste advert! But this smells nicer than toothpaste. I think I can smell the eucalyptus there as well as the mint and lotus. There's also that cool, icy, watery note, like fresh snow. Dry on skin: cool, man! fresh mint and cool ice, that's what this smells like. It has that watery note that reminds me of Snow White, but with mint and with sweetness added by lotus. I love this, it even feels cool on my skin! After a while: the lotus is getting stronger, coming out nicely on my skin and mingling with the mint. I love thee, lotus. However, there's something in this blend that's coming through that smells slightly fruity, almost banana like, which is odd, but really nice! I have a feeling it's one of the unnamed 'lunar oils' since Chaste Moon had a similar banana-ish fragrance... Verdict: this is a lovely, cooling, fresh minty sweet scent. It has the ice/snow/frozen aquatic note from Snow White but with added mint and eucalyptus, and hints of lotus. It's icy, it's chilled, it's wintery and snowy, and the lotus makes it nice and sugary-sweet. This has become another of my favourite Lunacies. This would be very nice to wear during summer. Beautiful, I wish I had a bottle of it.