Brianne

In the bottle: Dark, dusty chocolate On me: I had to get this one because it sounded delicious, but my history with Beth's chocolate scents haven't been all that stellar. Bliss was "okay" to me - it was nice, and would do for a chocolate scent, but wasn't great on me. Vice was "okay" to me too - smelled a little artifical on my skin. So, I wasn't really sure what to think about this one and how it would turn out. When I first put it on, it smells quite a lot like Bliss. Kind of a dry chocolate and not very heavy. The only difference on my skin between this and Bliss is that it does seem creamier. It is a very light scent though, and doesn't have a lot of throw in my opinion. Final note: It's nice and I will keep it for my chocolate scent needs, but it does smell awfully similar to Bliss on my skin, which is kind of unfortunate. If Bliss was chunks of milk chocolate, The Candy Butcher is chocolate milk.

In the bottle: Oh my goodness, fresh mint!! *takes a big whiff* On me: Wow, that mint and tea are so apparent right off the bat. And they smell FRESH, as if you're standing right in the midst of fresh tea leaves and fresh garden mint. Fresh is definitely a key word here. The orange blossom and honey and sugar cane just offer a slight sweetness to this, but it's very faint so it doesn't make the tea and mint too heavy. The orange blossom also offers some faint floral note, but again - very faint! It's mostly mint and tea on my skin and I AM IN LOVE WITH IT. Final note: I love this one the most of the CD scents so far and I will definitely be buying at least ONE more bottle, if not more than that. And I am so not the kind of person who buys several bottles of an LE (aside from Buck Moon).

In the bottle: Minty? It smells like icy hot @_@ On me: In the bottle it smells oddly minty, but that disappears once it hits my skin. Then it's a very strong patchouli. And I mean STRONG patchouli. I did not smell like anything else for several minutes and during that stage I was worried that this was going to be a swapper. Oddly enough though, after 3-5 minutes it totally morphs into something else. THe patchouli is there but much more mild suddenly and there is a sweet and soft fruity note coming through. It's very pretty and feminine but exotic. In the long run, this smells like a cross between Snake Oil and Blood Kiss. The patchouli and fruit note together make me think very much of Blood Kiss and the vanilla and smooth musk make me think of Snake Oil. It does literally smell like a cross between those two, which is fine by me since I love both Final note: The first stage is a bit off putting in it's strength, but stick around and it turns lovely. If you liked Snake Oil or Blood Kiss, you will probably enjoy this one too

In bottle: The tuberose is the first thing that hits me with a slight tang, so that must be the lemon flower On me: It goes on all opium on me and makes me think of an incense stand our local Renn Fest (which I was just at today). After a while I can smell a hint of lemon, but it's unusually mild here, instead of being "zesty" or "bright" smelling. The coconut is there in the background, but it's so faint that I really have to *try* to smell it. The whole time I was wearing this one, I felt like I smelled like an incense booth - just that general smell of incense - like someone was burning lemon incense - it's smokey and sweet and generally incensey, but as if the incense were in a lemon scent (rather than there being the scent of true lemon). (NEXT DAY) - I decided to try this again the next day, I felt like maybe I wasn't getting the whole scent since I had been exposed to incense and candles and soaps all day long. As I thought would be the case, I am getting more notes in it now than I was yesterday. Once again, the lemon is there - but not very strong. So I wouldn't call this a lemon scent, even though you can smell it, if that makes sense. The coconut is more evident this time around as well, and pairs well with the musk which makes the whole scent smoother and slightly sweeter. Overall I would say this comes together very well. It's an incense scent, but because of the musk I don't feel like it's a generic incense scent either. It's very smooth and pretty. Final note: I like this one. I wasn't sure the first time I tried it, but when I wore it the second day I liked it a lot more. Plus, my fiance said he thought it "smelled really good" and since he doesn't say that very often, I think I'm going to have to keep this one

In the bottle: A sorty of boozey, floral incense On me: At first, Midnight on the Midway goes on soft and sugary with the whisper of a very familiar floral. I find this to be very different from Midway - Midway on me was funnel cakes and cotton candy. Midnight on the Midway is lightly sugared vanilla with a faint floral. In fact, it makes me think of Antique Lace. The longer I wear this, the more it makes me think of Antique Lace. And also Regan a little bid. Definitely a vanilla floral. So, if you like that sort of thing get this! The sugared aspect of this is very soft, it's not too sweet and it's not too floral. Final note: I like this, it's very pretty. However, I'm not sure how I feel about it in regards to keeping it. To me, it's very like Antique Lace. I will probably keep it because the floral in this actually smells really nice on me, and because it's Carnavale Diabolique

In the vial: Sweet smell, faint almonds On me: I am so SO surprised that no one has yet compared this to Bastet! It is extremely similar in my opinion, and I really like it. I would guess frankincense was in this giving it that soft incense smell, and also an Egyptian musk and perhaps jasmine. I don't really get sandalwood, but it is soft and sweet and incensey so I can see where people get that. I do wish I knew what was in this! It's very pretty - a little on the sweet side. Like others have said, it makes me think of blends like Morocco, Antique Lace and Bastet because it's warm and sensual but soft and sweet as well. Just a tad bit foody but not too much so. Final note: Very nice blend. I like it quite a bit, but it does remind me a lot of Bastet so I think I'd probably just reach for Bastet in the long run.

In the bottle: Despite the fact that this has no apparent similar notes, in the bottle on when wet on skin, Et Lux Fuit smells like Harvest Moon 2005 - sort of an Autumnal, boozy floral On me: I had to buy this based on the concept alone - I needed some "Et Lux Fuit" apparent in my life and I liked the sound of it. When it was wet on my skin, I was reminded very much of Harvest Moon 2005 - it was floral but in a very Autumnal way and it smelled a bit boozey. It doesn't take long for it to start drying into something else though - still a touch of boozey-ness to it, but the floral toned down quite a bit. Now, a strong vanilla musk is showing through. It manages to not be too sweet, and still have some kind of crisp edge to it that makes me think of the Fall. The honey isn't overwhelming in this blend, and neither are the florals (though they are definitely present - I have a hard time picking out exactly which ones I'm smelling though). I would say the musk is the star in Et Lux Fuit. It's warm, sensual, and just a happy blend. Final note: Beautiful scent that I think works well - all the notes really mesh together and since getting it, I've already worn it 5 or 6 times (which is quite a lot for me given the size of my collection lol)

In the bottle: Grapefruit! On me: I wasn't sure what to expect from this scent, because it has so many notes in it! But I like how it ended up. At first it goes on a very fruity grapefruit and citrus (perhaps lime, or maybe lemon - I know neither are listed, but it definitely smells like one of those. Perhaps a combination of the aloe and ginger help to create that effect). It does have a sweet "candied" effect, which I imagine is both the musk and the vanilla. It's not so sweet that it puts me off - I find it more playful actually. The grapefruit still comes through loud and clear and overall it's just a lovely, sweet fruity scent. After just 15 - 20 minutes, it becomes far less fruity and is more a soft, playful musk with fruit undertones. It's very soft and pretty - and I can't help but be reminded of another recent scent - Et Lux Fuit. They both have a similar musk in the drydown stages and the results is a softly sweet musk with fruit undertones. Similar, but not exactly the same. I find HGM to be more fruity and an overall softer scent. Final note: Beautiful and soft, not too sweet and not too fruity.

Extracted directly from the twitching nether-regions of the wild Eastertime bunny rabbit: a snarling, slavering, buck-toothed, fluffy, floppy-eared, horny-as-hell Springtime beast. Soft cotton blossom, white musk, baby's breath, clover and pale powder notes. In the bottle: Sweet powder On me: This goes on just like a sweet powder - powdery notes with the white musk I'm assuming, since white musk always smells slightly sweet to me. There is something sharper and green in the background, and I'm guessing that's the clover. This is a very clean scent - not quite soapy though there is a touch of soapiness in the background, mostly powdery. Final note: A very simple scent, pretty much sweet powder straight up.

In the bottle: Dragon's Blood + tea On me: This goes on Dragon's Blood with a soft green, reedy backing. Very VERY Spring like. This is the embodiment of Spring in scent I think. It's fresh, airy, watery, and floral. Don't be afraid of the blood though! It dies down almost immediately and settles into the cherry blossom and the gorgeous tea note. The bamboo is definitely there and faintly green, but it's very gentle. This scent isn't TOO sweet, but it does have a sweetness to it that keeps it from becoming too soapy or overwhelming. This scent makes me think of innocence. It's so airy and pure, I can't help but think of youth and the color pink. Again, this is definitely a Spring scent! The Dragon's Blood is almost not there at all anymore after even just 10 minutes. The cherry blossom is slightly sweeter and the tea is beautiful and green. Final note: I didn't think I would like this when I first sniffed it. It smelled perhaps too floral and reedy to me. But once I put it on my skin, it turned into a beautiful Spring scent. Definite keeper. Actually, I might part with one imp just to make a linen spray, because this would be SO BEAUTIFUL on linens!

In the bottle: Full, fresh peony blooms! On me: I only got this blend because peony makes me think of my childhood. I didn't think of getting it when it first came out because I'm not much on florals. But when the summer rolled around, and the peony bushes were blooming in our backyard, I was reminded of how the scent of peony was ever present in the summers of my childhood. It made me feel light hearted and carefree. I suddenly knew I had to have a bottle! I was lucky and swapped for a bottle of it, and I'm not disappointed. I was worried it wouldn't be a peony scent in that it would have too many other notes in it and the peony would only be a small part of a complex blend (normally, I would not mind this, but I wanted pure and true peony). But I lucked out and this is definitely a peony scent. It's full, fresh, super pink peony blooms just as the weather is turning warm. This is so strongly peony that I smell like I'm standing in the middle of a peony bush, and I've only put on a single swipe of it on my hand! After a while I do get a bit of something green and reedy, but it just gently backs the peony. Final note: Super true peony scent, I feel like I've got a vase full of fresh peony right next to me!

Each bottle of Chaos Theory is truly unique, a fragrant fractal, and exercise in the joy of chance and uncertainty! Each is a one-of-a-kind, utterly random combination of scents, the composition of which is based on whim, mood and gut instinct. CDXXXVI In the bottle: Definitely a hazelnutty smell here with some sort of vaguely fruity note in the background I think. And perhaps vanilla, this is pretty foody! On me: Once this hits my skin that nutty smell really comes out - definitely a hazelnut smell. It's backed by something quite fruity though, and the longer it sits on my skin, the more that comes out into the scent. After a while, it's only vaguely nutty, but again - still hazelnut. The fruit is a gorgeous, rich fruit - I cannot say with certainty, but I think it's plum. It has that rich purple smell to it, and kind of reminds me of Bordello. This scent is simply gorgeous, and I consider myself lucky to receive such a lovely blend from CTIII. Final note: I would summarize this scent has plum and hazelnut - and I think it's a great scent for anytime, but it makes me think especially of Fall.

CDXXXVII In the bottle: Rose - right away I get the unmistakeable smell of roses. I'm a little worried because rose is a scent that mostly doesn't work on me. On me: Almost immediately, the rose eases up once it hits my skin, and it's partnered by a very familiar, softly sweet and powdery, green scent. I cannot figure out what this note is. It does remind me somewhat of Brisingamen, but both my mother and I thought the note was very familiar to us, yet neither of us can put our fingers on it! The effect is that it is clearly a rose scent, and yet it doesn't give me a headache and I don't find the rose to be overwhelming. It has a much softer feel with this and the note that makes me think of Brisingamen adds a lovely, feminine air to it. Final note: I like it for a rose blend, and I like that it didn't give me a headache. However, I just don't see myself reaching for this blend, I'm just not a floral person. My Mom seemed to like it though, so I may just give it to her ETA: September 9th 2006 - My Mom was wearing this blend today. When I walked in the room, I asked, "What are you wearing? It smells really familiar, I like it!" - she said she was wearing this Chaos Theory I gave her! The reason it smelled familiar though wasn't because I had tested it - because suddenly it smelled nothing like it did on me! It smells on her JUST LIKE Crabtree and Evelyns Nantucket Briar! I mean really it smells just like it. I was amazed. She said this is the first time she's worn it aside from testing it lightly and she wanted to know if she could get some more bottles of it. I told her no because it's a one of a kind. She didn't understand the idea of the Chaos Theory when I gave it to her, so she didn't realize that she couldn't get more. She was so sad! It really is a beautiful blend on her, I want to cry about how unfair that is, but on the other hand I'm so glad she loves it!

In the vial: One word could describe this: creamy On me: Fans of Black Opal and Hymn to Proserpine rejoice! I think you'll like this for the sweet resiny smell in this. It is very similar to those two oils, for which I'm very grateful because I love them. Mouse is, however, more - Spring like. It's creamier and that wisp of floral breeze makes this a little lighter. This vanilla is definitely resiny and a little smokey even, I'd say. But creamy too! It makes me think of sweet tea actually (which is appropriate!). The sandalwood in this is gorgeous too, probably making this my favorite "sandalwood blend" from Beth (so far lol!). The sweet pea is so faint that my description above comparing it to a breeze is very appropriate I think. People who don't like florals need not fear, this doesn't come off as a floral blend, though the sweet pea certainly enhances this! Final note: This blend is GORGEOUS! Again, I would definitely liken it to being similar in vibe to Black Opal and Hymn to Proserpine. I will be adding this to my "Must buy bottle!" list!

In the vial: Bitter grapefruit On me: I think I was hoping for something just slightly sweeter in this blend. However, the grapefruit here is more like yuzu than the western grapefruit I'm used to. It's a bitter peel smell, though still refreshing and cool, not the tart juicy grapefruit I was hoping for. The ginger stays remarkably muted here, it adds only the very slightest kick, and other than that is practically invisible on my skin. The white or the apple blossom either alone or combined make a slightly sweet, powdery note. It's kind of odd because it has a faintly candyish quality to it, but neither of those notes have ever behaved that way on my skin before. I like that it makes this a sweeter scent though. Because when this first went on, it was pretty much just like Aizen-myoo, but now it's a softer, slightly sweet Spring scent. After wearing this for some time, I am completely enamored with it. It's a beautiful scent and I think I understand why people were so disappointed when it had to be temporarily discontinued. It's only vaguely fruity, but definitely girly. It makes me think of the color pink. Final note: Wonderful and soft and girly, a delicious but refreshing scent

In the vial: Heady patchouli On me: I will say that a year ago, when I was new to BPAL - I had a healthy fear of patchouli. My experiences with it were pretty much limited to what I would call "hippy patchouli" and often times I associated the smell of dust with the smell of patchouli. So I avoided it. And then I tried "Depraved" and my fears were confirmed! DUST! DIRTY! blech! And so for a little while I avoided blends with patchouli. Even though Greed sounded lovely with its copal and oakmoss. But then I tried Anne Bonny and behold!! PATCHOULI works on me! Actually, in most of Beth's blend it works beautifully on me. So I was afraid no more. And fast forward to now when I feel confidant about trying Greed. I'm glad I didn't miss out on this for fear of patchouli, because even though the patchouli is certainly obvious in this blend, there is something so unique about it with the oakmoss. It gives it this green, almost spicey, mossy kick in the pants. At first it's just soothing and earthy, warm patchouli and then BAM! Outdoors! Moss! This is definitely *green*. I will agree with jj_j's review and say that I don't know that golden is the right word for this blend, but it is RICH. It's quite heavy and warm and makes me think of a heavy wool throw my grandparents would use that smelled of perfumes and colognes and tobacco and spices. And I'll also agree with Sarah and say that this is Unseelie's dark cousin. And then I'm going to say that I think this is even a bit masculine. Not that I woman couldn't wear it, but it does smell quite manly to me. Final note: Very nice and definitely interesting, but possibly too masculine for some

In the vial: Sweet and chocolatey On me: At first, this goes on straight up cocoa - very sweet but earthy in a way. It starts to settle down though rather quickly and that patchouli starts coming out. It makes for a beautiful compliment to the cocoa earthy and sweet and incensey. I do smell the leather as well, but I think that the "incense" smell must be myrhh because I'm getting sort of a myrhh smell to this. In fact, this smells to me like what Velvet was supposed to smell like (in my mind). Velvet turned into pencil shavings and chocolate, but Tezcatlipoca is a smooth, earthy cocoa with incense back notes. Final note: I really like this a lot. I can see myself wearing this one a lot - if you like Xiutehcuhtli, give this one a shot - they both have that sort of sweet incense vibe that I like so much.

In the vial: Heady florals with a kick of something woodsy On me: You know, I have wanted to try this one for a long time. Rum and tobacco? It sounds like it's right up my alley, but for some reason I just never got an imp. Luckily, the lab frimped me with it and I get to try it finally! I really really want to get what most people are getting out of this one - sexy and heady tobacco and rum. But immediately, this scent goes woodsy on me. It's very strange, but I'm getting a distinct wood smell. The rum is there for sure, I can smell it just a little bit in the background. And this is definitely heady and fragrant, but usually tobacco goes sweet and warm and spicey on me, and I'm not getting any of that! A while later though - there it is!! The tobacco! It's spicey sweetness is a welcome scent and it mingles well with that rum scent. If there are any florals here they are very subtle but it all works together well to make a very exotic scent. Not exactly a beachy scent to my nose, but if you were on a beach having a late night dinner in a slinky red dress - this would be the kind of scent you'd wear! Final note: It wasn't working on me at first, but I'm glad in the long run that this scent delivers. Very sultry!

In the vial: Husky is the right word - it's acrid and husky On me: Woah, this is very much "burnt" and not like firewood - more like wet ashes. It's acrid and bitter and that smokey and gritty smell is very intense. I would say this is one scent that was captured extremely well. I think I was hoping for something a little more "fireplacey", but this isn't it. It is, however, very much what it says it is - burnt. There is some kind of wood note here, but it's something a little bitter, so it doesn't give a fireplace feel to it. An unsual blend, the woman who wears this is brave! Final note: Not a firewood smell, but kind of like if someone put out a campfire and you can smell bug spray at the same time. Smoldering, burnt, acrid and smokey with a touch of mystery woods.

In the vial: Woah for a second there I got a urine smell X_X But mostly just sort of a bitter incense smell On me: Ugh there it is again. Something is going very urine like on me. Underneath that though is a warm incense smell - which must be the opium because I always think of incense when I smell that. I'm not really getting anything too specific otherwise... not sure why but nothing in this blend really stands out to me too much. Just generally warm and incensey with an odd spice that seems to want to smell like urine on me. Final note: Note to self: Figure out what that spice is and AVOID IT.

In the vial: Dirt - not the fresh smell of dirt either, that sort of bitter dirt smell On me: Very dirty smelling. Fungi definitely comes to mind. No offense to those that like this, I just can't imagine why someone would want to smell like this. I enjoy a good dirt scent, but there is something off about this dirt - it has a pungent, bitter smell to it - like the note in Mandrake. I keep thinking of weeds when I smell this. Final note: Way too bitter and "earthy" for me!

In the vial: Smell that wine! On me: The wine is very apparent on me. In fact, I didn't know what was in this blend (it was a freebie in a swap) but as soon as I put it on, I thought "Wow that is just like a freshly opened bottle of wine". It doesn't take long for the rose to come out though - a little more subtle than usual (ie not quite headache inducing for me). The dragon's blood resin is very in the background on this, I was a little surprised at that. It just adds a sort of powdery floral note to this. Final note: Pretty blend - very feminine and what I would call "romantic" (red roses and wine of course!).

In the vial: Something vaguely fruity and sweet - the fruit smells a little like plum maybe? On me: I'm actually really surprised to see only one other person compare Hymn to Proserpine to Black Opal! To me, HtP is the cousin of Black Opal - it has that same gritty, resinous sweetness to it - a sort of edge to it I'd say. It's not as sweet as Black Opal, but it definitely has a similar vibe and at least one of the notes comes out the same on me in both. This was the shocker hit of my whole order this time around (out of a bottle of Dragon Moon, a bottle of Enraged Bunny Musk, and two imp packs full of new scents for me) - and I wasn't even expecting to like it! I figured I had a 50/50 chance because amber so often goes powdery sweet on me. But the amber in this one is more of a sticky, resinous, dark amber than the usual one I smell. The fruits are also dark - it's not what I'd call a fruity blend, and yet I do smell the fruit. I think I smell plum in here, because that sweet smell makes me think of Bordello. I really don't smell pomegranate, unless this pomegranate has taken on a much sweeter and plummy smell. In which case, it smells like plum anyways lol. It has a somewhat smokey quality to it as well, it's very alluring and womanly. This is a sophisticated fragrance. Final note: Such a complex, beautiful fragrance. If you like Black Opal, I'd recommend this one. Definitely a surprise winner in my last order!

In the vial: A rich rum type scent On me: This scent is a deep brown liquid with tints of gold. It's rich, warm, and sensual as well as a little drowsy. It's perfect for Red Lantern. This scent is very womanly and sexy - I find this to be very distinctly reminiscent of a vintage perfume - it has that sort of vibe to it. It has a very faint sweetness to it, that seems sort of nutty in nature, and the amber and opium are most prominent here. I am sad to say that I don't get any coconut from this, but it's a gorgeous and mature scent all the same. Final note: Sexy, sensual, and like liquid amber - lovely!

In the vial: A very aquatic rose On me: This is definitely what I'd call an aquatic scent - it has a very crisp (in a soft way really, it's not sharp) watery smell. The rose is in the background and is pretty subtle for rose. The peach is just barely there but adds a nice juicy sweetness to this scent. It is a very sophisticated scent in my opinion, this doesn't seem like something a young girl would wear or that someone kinda punky would wear - it seems very womanly and classy. Final note: Definitely aquatic with a touch of florals and a hint of peach