Desanera

In the Bottle: Oooh - sort of boozey cocoa. I went to look up the reviews, and reading *leather* I went to re-sniff my wrist. Drydown: Whoa - when did the sex come out? When did my arm become sex? Sexy book leather. I smell like a sexy porno library slut. This doesn't strike me as magazine, it's definitely book. Like an old leather-bound book of victorian erotic engravings or something. I love BPAL. Where else can you smell like a high class library slut? This is awesome. I may need another bottle. Or three.

This is cologne on me. Men's cologne. It's a really nice men's cologne, more clean without the murky undertone most colognes have, but no brass, no ozone, no wire, no gears. Just cologne. It's sort of the note behind the dry leaves in October. I just wish I knew what that note was so I could avoid this in further blends, unless I want to smell like a nice men's cologne. It's a good smell, and I will not mind wearing it at all. But when you expect a mechanical phoenix, all brass gears and oil, and get nice smelling boi instead, it's a slight letdown. Sigh.

In the bottle: Salty currant. On the skin - the first time: There's a sharp purple note, which I assume is the currant, which is ruining this for me. Meh. Off to swaps. (Thankfully I decided to wait) On the skin - this time: Thank gods for ageing of oils. I smell all sweet and incense - not frosting-sweet like Haloa, but a dusting of sugar with a little butter, and a very light spice. I can definitely smell it, but its not overpowering. So if you don't like this, hang on to it for a little. It could change on you. (I very much wish Beaver Moon had.)

I smell like a salty dog! OK - not technically a dog, but I smell very salty. There is a hint of something grounding in the background, that almost smells like men's cologne but thankfully stops just short of that - I assume it is the snake oil. No lime on me yet, but I have only worn it once, so it may morph. But I like it - it smells like the ocean - except without the fishy smell! This is one of the weirder scents (like my beloved brimstone), but I like it very much indeed. Edited to say thankfully this goes neither aquatic or ozone on me, because neither scent does me any good. It's just - salt and some interesting very slight background notes.

In the Bottle: Pink grapefruit and lime, and something that grounds it, maybe the zdravetz? and - the citrus here is bright, but not sharp. You can tell this is an electric sort of scent. Sort of smells like the graphic on the bottle, the very bright kitty. On skin: It's died down a lot - it's hard to tell. I get more of the tangerine, and lime sugar, a hint of peppermint and a base of oakmoss. I am not getting any chocolate, but this is a wildly morphing scent, and I may get it later. Or at a different time of the month. Overall, it's sweet, but not too foody, very citrus, but not sharp, and prone to being something entirely difference in a half hour. I love this and am very glad that 1-I bought a full bottle, and 2 - this is a GC scent.

This is Oh so subtle on me, I had to really slather it on to get any scent at all, and even now, I can barely smell anything. Except that when I move, a subtle crisp leafy scent wafts and I really like it. Sniffing deeply, I can sort that this might smell like men's cologne if it were stronger. As it is, I'm glad my body's eating most of the scent. This is early to mid October - because late October there are lots more fallen leaves, and the leaf scent is stronger. I am on a college campus, and walking in past the foliage, it smelled sort of like October. A lovely, and on me, very subtle scent. But I made my manager sniff me, and she said "Hmm. It smells like October" And it does.

Favorite Scent Ever. Except maybe Haloa. Reason? I posted it in my Live Journal: "I smell like a debauched Candyland men's parlor" What I meant was I smell like I have been debauched *in* a Candyland men's parlor. I have no idea why this is such a sexy scent. And its very strange, because it is tobacco on my wrists and rum in my cleavage, and vanilla all around. This is an awesome amazing scent, and I may have to buy more, and then beg for soap or lotion or something, cause I am liking the "morning after amazing sexy fun" smell a lot.

I really wanted to like this one. I love the smell of pine sap and really wanted to smell like it. What do I get? Old Spice. Or some drugstore men's cologne that my uncle that I don't like wears. Oh well, this goes to my Dad as part of his bday present. He likes wolves, so he will get a kick out of the bottle, at the very least. Very very sad. I think it is the sea spray that did it to me, I know aquatic scents are dicey on me, but I figured ocean would be safe, and none of them have done *this* to me. This is the FIRST BPAL scent that i picked that does not work on me. I'm usually very very careful and have easily 8 - 10 full bottles and no duds. Sigh. Had to happen sometime.

A venerable New England university, whose vast library holds many rare, diabolical and obscure arcane works, including one of the few surviving legitimate copies of the Necronomicon. Home to innumerable scholars of the esoteric and the occult, and the notorious Dr. Herbert West. The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls. In order to really wake your ass up for your Dreamland Physics course or a droning morning lecture in Medieval Metaphysics 101, our Miskatonic University soap has an extra shot of coffee butter! Water, Coffee, Saponified Organic Palm Kernal Oil, Coconut Oil, Soy Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Sodium Lactate, Coffee Butter, Jojoba Oil, Caster Oil, and Miskatonic University. Wow, am I the first to review the soaps? Or am I just putting it in the wrong section? Oh well. Appearance: Before you put this anywhere near water, CAREFULLY remove the wrapper. Why? Because how are you supposed to get into Misk U without your admission letter? Granted, it's got a few coffee rings around it, but that's only to be expected. If you take the label and ribbon off carefully, you have a complete intact letter, dated for Fall 2007. Inside the letter are instructions on how to use the soaps. The actual soap is mottled/swirled brown and white, with the familiar brimstone logo pressed into it. Wet: This smells like Mocha. Cream and coffee without the bitterness of the coffee grounds - good call there Macha, it would have wrecked this. Not frothy enough to be a latte, it's not milk, but real cream in the coffee. There is also a nut smell behind this (coconut oil I presume) and sort of hazelnutty as well. It doesn't scream NUT, but the background is there. Dry-down: Given this is soap and not oil, the smell is subtle. But it is there. Not really when I smell my self (and I have been) but when I turn or move suddenly I will get a whiff of myself. Most soaps smell like soap - and stuff attached. Or the smell covers up your scent. This replaces your scent. Like I am a being who would smell like Misk by nature. I put a little Haloa on top of this, since I figured incense and cake went well with metaphysical library and coffee, and it works. But this is awesome. Feel: I am moisturized!! I am clean and smooth without being oily, but definitely without the DRYNESS I usually get from soap. It feels GOOD on the body, I just kept sudsing myself for the texture of it. Even now - having gone out in the DRY NYC winter air and through the subway to work - I still smell good, I feel smooth. I feel good. I was having a crap morning before this and I feel immensely amused right now. (Note - I've never smelled Misk U in oil format, though I desperately want to now. But the soap is now in my scent locket, cause I didn't want to lose the smell. I took my mulberry paper, smeared it on the wet soap, folded it over and stuck it in my locket. Smells awesome.) Conclusion: This is awesome. I hope it lasts a long time, because not only do I want to smell like this, I want to feel like this. This winter has been SO DRY, and it's nice to feel moisturized and not greasy. Macha/Beth wonder chicks activate. Great stuff.

I have been using a crochet hook. One of the metal ones. It works well for scenting my hair, and the oil has yet to season the hook, so a quick wipe and I can go back and forth. (Today my left arm is Dragon Moon (because I'm wearing the tshirt) and my right is Haloa. I have NO idea why, it's just how it ended up...)

In the Bottle: BUTTERCREAM FROSTING!!! (I was in a friend's house, and opened the bottle My friend: Wow - I smell cake! Me: that's me, I just got Haloa. My Friend: I don't think so, we probably have some cookies around here or... - I hold the bottle up and she sniffs it. My Friend: Yep - that's you. On skin: This screamed FROSTING for a while, but now it's turned more resiny. I'm getting a very light Myrrh, still sugary, and I think some of the olive leaf. OK - the frankincense is starting to come out now. (It's always a late note on my skin I've noticed) Hopefully the wine will show up at some point. And I'd have to try this again, because the incense is way more subtle than the frosting. But overall, I like it. My inner kid likes smelling like frosting, and when that smell gets old, thankfully it turns into something intricate and nice and incensy. I'd like to experiment with layering this with other stuff, but in the meantime, I'm glad I have it. Will have to try it in a locket and see how it goes though.