Brianne

In the vial: Herbally On me: I'm currently only reviewing the scent of Anthelion, not it's magical/ritual effect (as I have not used it as such just yet). Lavender is definitely prominent in this scent - it's what jumps out at me first and foremost and accounts for that herbally smell I got in the vial. But then a more spiced scent becomes apparent - it does smell like allspice to me as well - like clove and nutmeg and cinnamon. With the lavender, it's such a unique blend but with a rather soothing and yet uplifting effect. Someone else mentioned "Christmas incense" and I have to agree - those spices definitely make me think of the holidays, and that ALWAYS lifts my spirits! Final note: Even as a perfume I like Anthelion - I could see myself wearing this to lift my spirits. It makes me think of the holiday season!

In the vial: Suntan lotion??? On me: This is so wierd, I swear it smells like suntan lotion to me when it's wet on my skin. I LOVE THAT SMELL. I want it to stay that way, it's lovely. I get coconut for sure. And something earthy too but it's not in your face loamy dirt like with blends like Zombi. It's a sweet, subtle dirt. Holy crap I LOVE THIS. I didn't even have this on my "want to try" list because I thought for sure it wouldn't be for me. Pretty much all the Rap's Garden scents hate me, why would this be different? But this scent is awesome. Vanilla dirt is a great way to describe, but I like to think of it as dirty suntan lotion lol. Final note: Thank God the Lab frimped me this! I adore this scent, I must have more - it will make a beautiful summer scent!

In the bottle: Mmm sweet, clean fig On me: Right away, I can tell that this 13 is a bit different than the others and yet still maintains a base of cocoa. But this one has a more unisex feel to it than the others did. This is definitely unisex in that it isn't too flowery, too sweet, too woody. It's got a somewhat clean and herbal feel to it - that rice flower and chamomile combo give a wonderful "white" base and the clove isn't too spicey here (not that I mind it spicey) but instead just adds a sort of woodsy spiced depth. This one is hard to describe, you get a lot of notes and the general result is a nice, clean/slightly woody/barely sweet scent. Final note: I love all the 13 blends, I enjoy them. This is no exception but something about this one in particular makes me think I'd wear this one more often than the others. Especially in warm weather, where I think it could be refreshing.

In the vial: Smokey lavender On me: This is strangely kind of what I was expecting and yet... not. I get all the notes here that I knew I would probably get and yet it comes together in a way that is hard describe. And I am having a hard time deciding on whether or not I like it. I think it's a bit masculine in a way - it makes me think of other maculine scents like Wilde and Villain. That lavender is really interesting (and though it's very clear in this blend, I wouldn't say it's overwhelming) combined with these smokey incense smells. The effect is something clean and resinous at the same time. Final note: I'm still having a hard time deciding if I need to keep this imp or not. I actually LIKE this blend, I think it's very nice. But whether or not I would wear it is another thing, as I do tend to think of a guy when I smell this one.

To me, they smell similar but not the same. Which is probably due to the jasmine which tends to smell godawful on my skin. The difference for me is that Follow me Boy was all jasmine for me and Mata Hari was jasmine and rose!

I see people mentioning civet here and I don't know if it is in this or not, but if it is - I am clearly not one of the people who finds it terrible. There is nothing bad about this scent to me. I don't dislike it, though I don't really like it either. I feel fairly neutral on it. Vaguely woody, spicey and musky. A definite skin scent, as it stays very close to mine. Just no real strong feelings on this one way or the other unfortunately. May hold on to this imp to try another day perhaps.

In the vial: lemon! On me: Oh yeah, that's lemon. Very tart lemon too - and quite realistic, it doesn't smell fake or plasticy to me. Definitely getting the grapefruit though too which offers a sort of "pale pink" citrus feel to this. A slight sweetness. The white musk smooths it all out, as musk usually does on me. Final note: You know, I really like this but at the same time, it DOES make me think of lemon pledge. I don't think I could wear it for that reason, but will keep around my imp anyways. It's very bright and refreshing. I could see this as being a great scent to wear when you feel "icky"

In the vial: Patchouli On me: This one deep patchouli scent - it's dark. I do get a hint of the amber, it kind of adds this odd sweetness to the background but it's barely detectable, so no biggie. Of course, patchouli and sandalwood usually fight for dominance on my skin and it looks like patchouli is winning here. But I can smell the sandalwood too. Slight spice from the cinnamon but it's not very in-your-face. This makes me think of Anne Bonny. It's like Anne Bonny with a twist. Final note: I really love Anne Bonny, so this is something I enjoy too. However, it's so similar to Anne Bonny on my skin - and I already have a bottle of that - that I don't see any reason to get a bottle of this. I will keep the imp though. It's not that it smells exactly like AB, but it's similar enough to me.

Honestly, there isn't much to say about DeSade, so I'm forgoing my usual review method. This is one sharp leather. I mean, it's leather no doubt - but it's not the rawhide or the sexy leather of Western Diamondback. It's a brand new black leather jacket. It's very masculine, it's very strong and it's quite distinct.

In the vial: I get a soft, mild honey scent On me: This is a lot prettier than I thought it would be, honestly. I saw cream/milk and flowers and thought this one could not be for me. However, unlike many other cream/milk blends (Milk Moon for instance), this one doesn't smell funky and sour on my skin. It's smooth, mild, and barely sweet. It's either vanilla or honey, but it's so hard to tell because it is very soft and just sweetens this up a tad. The florals are also soft, and work well in this. I want to say gardenia, but I'm not 100% there - and normally gardenia is very LOUD on me, but this one is gentle. Final note: So pretty! Not at all what I was expecting honestly.

In the vial: kind of fruity, but in a subtle, low key way On me: It smells like bubblegum at first. Luckily, this phase passes and I immediately get a sharper, warmer red musk with a faint grapefruit note. I am really not certain I'm getting a strawberry note though - it's just sort of vaguely fruity but it doesn't smell distinctly strawberry to me. Like others have said, this is a skin scent. It sticks close to the skin, it's not very fruity or musky either way and yet smells like both. It's subtle and pleasant. The fruit note is playful and sweet but not candy-ish. The musks compliment this well. Final note: I like this, it is very nice - but a definite skin scent and without much throw. I will keep the imp but don't think I need a bottle!

I'm abandoning my usual review format for this one because there just isn't much to say. It's frankincense and myrrh. Coming off very woody on me rather than incensey, but if you like either of those notes, I don't see why you wouldn't like this!

In the vial: Hazelnut On me: I wish I knew why Beth's "cake" note always smells like hazelnut or just generally nutty on me. This is no different - I get a very strong nut smell - it's warm, sweet and nice but... you know, it's just about all I get and I don't really want to smell like hazelnut. I get a little honey also and a slightly funky milk note. The same funky milk note I get in Milk Moon. Beth's milk note just doesn't work on me either. Sadly, this is all I get. I'm keeping the imp to hope that maybe it will change later or something, but I think this is it - her cake and milk notes just aren't for me. Final note: Probably smells amazing on other people! But on me it's hazelnut and slightly funky milk.

In the vial: Lily On me: Lily is there first and foremost but it isn't soapy (yet anyways). This is kind of a warmer lily - not the white, delicate lily but an airer and yet warmer cousin. And..ummm. That's it. Like almost all the blends in Rappaccini's Garden, it's just very simple. The good thing is that this doesn't go soapy on me like all other lily blends. Final note: This seems like a great Spring blend

In the vial: White grape?? On me: When it goes on, it does smell more like white grape to me than any other fruit. But darker. So I'm not sure what black fruit this is, but it's really not as berryish as I would have thought. There is a crisp green quality to this as well, but it's really rather mild and the fruit note seems to be the real star here. This is a little sharp too, it's not a smooth, sweet fruity to me - it's sharper, greener smelling. Final note: Hard to describe this one, but it's definitely dark, sharp, and yet fruity with a slight green-ness.

In the bottle: Mmm what else? Vanilla mint! On me: Vanilla mint is possibly one of my favorite combinations ever and I like to wear vanilla mint scents year round. I had missed on Snowblind but I was not about to miss out on this one. And I'm so glad I didn't. This vanilla mint is perfect - it's not too sharp (for those who don't care for the sharpness of a mint scent like Lick It) and it's not too smooth (the sweetness is subtle and creamy). It's the perfect vanilla mint. I must go find more bottles now. Final note: What else can I say? I adore it! Want to use my banner for it? Feel free!

In the bottle: Oh noes! Wood! On me: I got this against my better judgement. Wood notes just don't work well on me, and I had a feeling that this would be the same, but I just didn't want to miss out on trying a Monster Bait. Sadly, I get nothing BUT wood with this. There is no caramel, no brown sugar, no hazelnut or butterscotch. It's nothing but wood. Final note: Wood notes just don't work for me, so if you don't have chemistry like mine that makes wood take over, don't take my review to heart. After wearing this for a while I get what I think is a faint sweetness, but it's so faint that I really don't know if it's my imagination or not. Mostly, this is just wood on me. Bye bye Dummy!

In the bottle: Sweet, syrupy cherries On me: I was a little worried about this blend after trying Enraged Groundhog Musk and having the cherries go a little "fake" on me. It made me think perhaps it was the candyish combination, because cherry scents had worked on me before in non foody scents. I didn't need to worry, the cherries in this are bright, sweet, slightly tangy and absolutely deliciously sexy. Nothing fake smelling about these. There is another fruit in there also - I cannot place my finger on it. Whatever it is, it's tart and crisp and adds a slight edge to this otherwise sweet scent. The cream is really subtle on me, it just makes the cherry smooth and sweet. I did get powdered sugar when this was wet on my skin, but it disappeared very quickly. Final note: I didn't really think I was going to care much for this one, but bought it so I wouldn't miss trying any of the Monsterbaits. Now I feel like I need a second bottle, this is so beautiful and fun and sexy (I do always associate the smell of cherries with sex, gee I wonder why )

Funny you should mention that! I went through my imps a few days ago and retested Neo-Tokyo. I think it smells strikingly similar to Dragon Moon. Layer it with Embalming Fluid and it smells almost identical on me! I think so too! On me, Hungry Ghost Moon is on the grapefruit side and 51 is honeydew melon instead. But very similar otherwise! Also for those that love Snake Oil, I personally though Australian Copperhead smelled quite similar in the drydown. Not as deep, but definitely similar on my skin. Unfortunately, that is ALSO an LE, but thought I'd mention it lol

Anne Bonny!! Though Imp is possibly my favorite patchouli blend, it can offer a great alternative to a more "straight up" patchouli scent. I think it's an excellent idea too if she is new to BPAL to give her a GC to start with. I gave my Sis in law an LE that she fell in love with and she was SO disappointed to find out that she couldn't just visit the site and buy it anymore!

In the vial: oh yeah that's honey On me: I never bought Honey Moon because when it first came out, I was afraid of the honey. At that point, most honey had gone powdery and wrong on me. Well, since then, I've discovered that honey DOES work on me sometimes and I have at least a 50/50 chance of it being good on me. The problem now is that I since discovered that jasmine and I do not get along at all. lol, so different problem. It looks like I didn't need to be afraid on either account though! The honey smells beautiful on me and the jasmine is actually behaving! I usually get a "diaper" smell from jasmine, but this would be one of those super super super rare times when it doesn't. Which is nice. This smells very tropical to me - the honey is smooth and sweet, but it's backed by a gentle "bite" from the ginger and a soft floral. It's got a sort of herbal quality to it as well, which is a nice addition, because it keeps the honey from getting too sweet. Final note: Very nice, much nicer than I ever expected! Pretty, tropical and a little herbal.

I skimmed a bit, but had to stop at skimming since my eyes are tired. Just wondering if anyone knows about what month the GC blends started getting glossy labels? I was just going through my GC bottles and I realized that my bottle of Black Pearl has a glossy label and it just made me curious about when they started to do that (not that I hadn't noticed they were doing that, I just don't remember when it started at this point).

In the bottle: mmm almond oil! On me: I know some people aren't fond of almond but me? I LOVE it. I could roll in it. I also tend to review oils by comparing them to two other oils and in this case I would say Asp Viper is a combination of Snake Oil (obviously) and Black Phoenix. Two oils I really love. The myrrh is staying pretty in check in this, which is nice on me for a change. Somehow, it is all combining to make an amaretto smell. It's kind of foody but not too much so - very comforting, warm, smooth. I'm not getting mandarin at all, which I was really looking forward too. But I still like this - glad that the myrrh isn't amping and glad that this is as delicious as I thought it would be! Final note: Very nice - I will love my bottle lots, no doubt - though I don't think I need another one. On me, I could probably get close to the same smell by layering Snake Oil and Black Phoenix so after this bottle, I'll just have to invest in more Black Phoenix The banner I made for it (feel free to use!

In the bottle: Mmm yup that's sugar alright On me: Mmm sugary vanilla just like what's in Black Opal and Antique Lace. You can definitely smell the carnations with their floral spice and I do not know what phlox smells like, but I imagine it's the more airy floral underneath. It is definitely a pink scent, this is so appropriate for Pink Moon. It smells a lot like Black Opal on me at first - well, like the little sister of Black Opal. As it is on longer though, it becomes lighter and more like Antique Lace. It's sort of a happy cross between the two. It's sugary and sweet but not overwhelming and just a touch of Spring florals. Delicate and gorgeous! Final note: This is an easy blend to love. I don't think it's something I need multiple bottles of, but I will definitely wear this and enjoy it. Very pretty! Here's the banner I made for it, anyone is free to use it!

In the bottle: Smells like Kindly Moon in the bottle! On me: Once it's on my skin, my impression is pretty much the same. It's a lot like Kindly Moon at first. It's a strong perfumey and bright floral. It starts to settle down though and the strawberry comes out a bit with a sweet creamy note as well. The florals are still dominant but it's more like Spring florals - bright, sunshiney and golden smelling. There is a slight citrus note that is sharp and bright from the bergamot. The florals are not soft I would say, I would call them more sharp but they smell very "yellow" to me. I'm glad that there is a hint of sweetness here, because I think without it, I wouldn't like this as much. Final note: All in all, it's difficult to describe but it still distinctly reminds me of Kindly Moon. It's very bright and appropriate for the season - bright Spring florals, a hint of sweetness, a tiny splash of strawberry. Here is a banner I made for it if anyone wants to use it: