superpopkid

This lab frimp was my first oil from the conjure bag. First part of the review: scent. I probably wouldn't have tried it on my own, since many reviewers mentioned apple, one of my notes 'o doom. I applied it with some trepidation and was gratified to find that it wasn't apple-y on me at all. Actually, BB startled me by how much it smelled exactly like Plunder. Plunder is one of my favorite BPALs. Somehow I haven't reviewed it yet, but in two words: spice tea. Block Buster has that same rich, complex spice aroma and both Plunder and BB serve up cinnamon in a way that keeps it soft and sweet, away from sharp and cedar-y territory. I get why people get cider from this, even though I don't detect apple. I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison one day to get all the differences, but I can say that BB seems a leetle leetle bit less dry. Some reviwers mentioned lotus. I didn't get the overtly fruity or bubble gum quality I associate with lotus, but it may have been in there adding just a touch of juicyness to otherwise dry notes. Still, I'm not sure if I could tell them apart. Overall, the smell of BB is something I associate with cozy rainy days and books, not getting one revved up. Like Plunder, BB stayed pretty linear and had good throw. BB lasted about five hours and then vanished completely, unlike Plunder, which usually lingers a bit close to the skin. Second part: effect! I'm not ordinarily a user or practitioner of magic or rituals, but I respect those who do. I also have a healthy respect for the power of placebo. I've been in a slow-death rut of procrastination and anxiety over a certain area in my life. I chose to wear this oil on a day when I really needed to have my shit together and already felt determined to tackle it. I was able to push through and got an enormous amount of work done. I still felt anxious and made a few mistakes in my haste, but the tide most certainly turned. I feel in control again. It was awesome. I don't know what part of my success was due to my own attitude and what, if any, was due to Block Buster, but, needless to say, I'm very glad I wore it. If nothing else, it's a signal to myself that I'm in no mood to screw around.

Pineapple, mandarin orange, raspberry, passion fruit, and rum. Aww. I think this poor decant may have aged past its expiration date, or my sniffer is broken. I can barely smell this, even wet after heavy application, and what I can smell is wildberry Lifesaver. Like a lone Lifesaver at the very bottom of your bag, giving off faint wafts of fake berry while it gets slowly pulverized by your stuff. I think it may be the sweetness of the rum giving the raspberry a generic berry candy aspect. I couldn't detect the pineapple at all. After a few minutes, I gave up and put on something else.

This oil isn't screwing around. I can hear it screaming through my imp box, even though it hasn't leaked, and it says, I AM A CAN! A CAN OF SPARKLING FRUITY SODA. IN A CAN! I haven't tried many metallic-smelling oils, so this is a really interesting change of pace. Another unfamiliar quality is its effervescence, which brings to mind carbonation. On my skin, I get more tangy and sugary fruitiness. I can't distinguish any fruits in particular, although if I had to guess I'd say berries and citrus. Still, the metallic elements are strong during the wet phase, reminding me again of having my nose up to a freshly opened can of soda. Dry, the "carbonation" eases off, but the metallic fruitiness lingers. Color associations: fluorescent pink and yellow. It lasted 7+ hours and didn't change noticeably in the drydown. I love the previous reviewer's description of it as a "can of Mello-Yellow," except it smells kind of good to me: fresh, sharp and glittery. Too hyper for every day, but perfect for amusement park rides and summer vacation sugar highs.

So the mission is gender neutral, no florals, and kid appropriate...my instinct is to avoid musk and resins, which read as adult to me. I'm thinking of green and citrus-y smells instead. I second the suggestion of Jabberwocky - this is just about the happiest, brightest BPAL ever; perfect for a kid. I would also suggest Cathode (minty fresh,) Hemlock (deep green,) and Serpents with Glittering Eyes and Forked Tongues (fresh lime.) For something different: Goblin. You may not find patchouli to be kid appropriate, but in this blend it reminds me of a fuzzy brown sweater. Plus, great name. I think Dormouse made a great suggestion with aquatics. Cthulhu has already been suggested. Olukun and Y'ha-nthlei might work too, although both are a bit sweet. Finally, Hurricane and Lightning: they don't work on me, but kids might get a kick out of smelling like a rainstorm.

I wanted something dark and eerie to match the mood of tonight's adventures in theatergoing. Aside from the name, it wasn't a promising beginning. This started off a rather cloying evergreen-tinged floral. I am not the greatest at distinguishing floral notes, so I can't be sure, but I thought it smelled jasmine-y. There's no jasmine mentioned in the poem, though, so I have no clue. The flowers hummed along for a while doing their overly-sweet floral thing and I'd mentally consigned this blend to swaps. About an hour in, I noticed the most lovely woodsmoke smell in the air. It was House of Night, turning gorgeous on my skin. The floral elements had blended in or disappeared. I wish I could describe this stage better, but I can say it's dark, autumnal, and very beautiful. It went very light after about five hours and was pretty much gone at five. Medium to light throw. This morphed into the perfect scent after all, but I do wish I could sneak in after the first act.

St. John's Eve! It's described as "a summer bonfire, with frankincense and myrrh, bay rum, and white rose." On me it's all sweet, soft, well-blended smoke. I don't know if a more perfect smoke scent for me could exist, but I'm not averse to testing that theory. I'm trying House of Night today and while it starts out very floral, it has a beautiful smoky finish. Those two are the only BPALs I've tried so far that were explicitly smoky. Another possibility is Hand of Glory . (Beeswax, dry leather, black pepper, saltpeter, nutmeg, Mysore sandalwood, and oak bark.) To me it has a cool aftermath-of-fire feeling, like a blown-out candle.

This is my first lunacy! I was apprehensive of boarding the pirate vessel - I got a "generic cologne" vibe from the decant bottle. Wet, that impression lingered, but just for the first few moments. After a minute, I got a lovely warm whoosh of red musk. There is a lot going on in this scent, which gave me trouble picking out notes. A half hour in, the red musk settled down and the woods and sweet spices came forward. To my glee, the cinnamon stayed true and soft instead of going sharp and cedar-y as it often does on my skin. That's when I was able to pick out a little leather and lime. I don't smell the ocean in this. If I hadn't known that this blend contained ambergris or saltwater notes, I would never have guessed that there was anything aquatic about it, but those notes may explain the fact that despite a lot of "dry" notes, it smells more...lush, for lack of a better word, then a blend like plunder, which is all "dry" notes. I like this a lot. It's butch in a warm, rich, spicy way, and lasts seven or eight hours with medium to strong throw. Color impressions: amber and golden brown. I find red musk too heavy for the summer, but a blend like this is perfect for keeping me toasty on a New England December day like today.

It burbled as it came! I never would have thought to try this if I had known it has eucalyptus in it, but opening up this imp released a piney-fresh cloud of cheer, and that was that. I might be alone in this, but I love the smell of Murphey's oil soap, and this is like wearable wood cleaner! Ok, it's much better than that, but as I wore this I did wonder if other people might think I'd been slow-dancing with a mop. Wet, it goes on a bright, clear pine lit up with sunshiny-orange citrus. This is a pine forest on a brilliant sunny day. Christmas in July. It's sharp the way fresh pine needles smell a bit sharp, but it didn't go harsh or bug-spray-ish as some green herbals do on my skin. It mellowed a bit as it dried down, and then stayed pretty much the same as it dried down. It wasn't super long lasting, but I got a solid work day out of it. Medium to light throw. The best thing about wearing this blend wasn't how much my nose appreciated it, aesthetically speaking. I've been looking for a good pine scent and this one is lovely, but Jabberwocky is not a complex scent brimming with depth and ageless beauty. What makes it special for me is how it acted as an immediate mood lifter. Smelling this made me feel like I do on the first really warm day in late March. Endorphins in a bottle.

Oh, I love this. It's soft, sweet bonfire smoke. I can't pick out the rum or rose, but they may be there adding to the richness and sweetness. It doesn't change much at all wet to dry, and has what I think is the perfect throw: not suffocatingly strong, but I don't have to huff my wrists to get a whiff. If this scent had a color, it would be autumn leaf gold. I like Demeter's Bonfire scent, but this outstrips it - much, much softer than I thought a fire scent could be. I could wear this all the time, which is good, because it's my first bottle!

None of these are exact note matches, but a few are close. Aelopile - (Glowing amber and citrus, labdanum, verbena, cedar, and oud.) No pine, but a complex resiny-woodsy-citrus. There something a little alpha-male about it, but it's beautiful, warm and glowy. Titus Andronicus (dark musk and black amber with frankincense, red sandalwood, neroli and bergamot) - This wasn't super-great on me personally but has some similar notes. Plunder (tea leaf, cassia, cinnamon bark, clove, allspice, sandalwood, tobacco, peppercorn, and nutmeg.) An absolutely gorgeous straight-up spice scent. ETA - great for layering! And the suggestion that's mostly just me plugging a favorite: Strangler Fig (Rooty, woody, with deep green tones.) - I find it woodsy, warm and sweet. Not a note match, but maybe a similar feeling to what you're looking for. Also, you might get some ideas from the Pirate Scent thread or the Woods thread. Good luck and have fun!

Event Horizon and No. 93 Engine are like the energizer bunnies of BPAL. So is Samhain (Unfortunately for me.)

Violet Ray goes on wet as cool sugary violets. As it dries, the herbal elements come out more, and at this stage, this blend could be Cathode's violet scented cousin. (I haven't tried Ultraviolet.) It must be the combination of mint and moss. Cathode and I get along just fine, except I keep trying to ignore this one note which amps slowly into a bitter bug spray. Violet Ray does the same thing, but the sweetness of the floral seems to counteract the bitterness. I never got overt musk or sandalwood, but they may have been blending in to make the violet seem deeper. I really liked how this smelled an hour in - sleek, femme, and a little dangerous, like a TV counterintelligence agent with a British accent. The moss or mint or whatever is the DEET-note culprit will prevent me from enjoying this forever, but overall, this is a great scent for those who want a cool summer floral. It had decent throw. The mint was the most persistent; I could still smell it on my wrist the next day.

Not sure if it's exactly what you had in mind, but Pontarlier smells like lilac guest soap to me.

The legendary birthplace of the Green Fairy. Swiss ferns, lilac, blackcurrant, Gallic rose and lavender with a dollop of sugar and absinthe. I was excited to try this, as I have been trying to find my perfect lilac. Wet, it went on cologne-y, in a funky-dirty way, but fortunately that burned off within minutes and Pontarlier became The World's Most Innocent Smelling Lilac Floral. I think I understand now what people mean when they say a fragrance goes "soapy." Or maybe this what is meant by powdery? It doesn't smell bad, at all, but like a fresh, lilac-scented guest soap. Something about it strikes me as very young, but young as imagined by Norman Rockwell. Pure and sweet in an almost over-the-top way. Note wise, I can tell there's more going on than just lilac, but lilac is all I can pick out in this soft, sweet, soapy floral. (I'm kind of amazed the roses didn't amp.) Nothing sharp or headachy. This had a good throw and it's still noticeable after 7+ hours. Overall, this scent is pleasant but feels a little misplaced on my skin. I think it would be great for someone who wants to smell sweet and freshly-scrubbed.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Event Horizon. It strikes me as a very deep purplish-black.

The name led me to expect something old-school glamorous, and I was not led astray! I'm not familiar with heliotrope as a note, but it registers as lovely soft floral mingling with the musk. I always find it hard to pick out amber if it's supporting a blend rather than showcased, but I definitely got the spicy-sweet musk and I think the amber filled it out and gave it a bit of glow. If champagne, vanilla, or strawberry were in there, my skin ate them, or they were blended in thoroughly enough that I couldn't pick them out. What struck me most about this blend was the strong ribbon of cherry running through it. It turned me off at first, because it reminded me of the dragon's blood in Blood Rose. I've only experienced DB as a sharp, sour cherry nightmare, but fortunately this was a kinder, gentler, mellow cherry. The cherry was strongest while wet and wore away after a couple of hours. The strongest notes in this as it dries down are the flowers and musk. Throw was fairly good. Overall, this was a warm, resonant floral. Color impression: like burgundy crushed velvet. I should mention that this was an imp purchased off the forum so I'm not sure of its age; a couple months old now at the least. I don't think I would want to wear it all the time, but it's the perfect thing for feeling both vampy and elegant.

I was in a hurry and decided to grab an imp from my to-test box without checking the description. Somehow on my way out the door I landed completely different scent planet than everyone else. When I open the imp and take a sniff, I get lemon. Bright, delicious lemon. There's nothing Pledge-y about it; this is in the lemonade spectrum of sweet, tart and sparkling. Fellow Mass. folks will know what I'm talking about when I say it's very much like Richie's lemon slush. Wet, I get the same lush, slightly chilly lemon. Unfortunately, the throw was very, very light, and in less than five minutes I have to press my nose up to my wrist to get any scent at all. To add to the weirdness, later in the day I kept thinking I had taken along my imp of Y'ha N'thlei, because I kept getting whiffs of similar salty ocean and ambergris deliciousness. The thing is, this smell was coming from my bag, specifically the purse which held the imp, not from my skin at all, and I still couldn't smell it directly when I opened it in the imp. It's like some kind of stealth aquatic aura. Still, when I got home and read the description, it got a "whah?" I like this blend a lot, note weirdness and all, but the vanishing-within-minutes thing is killing it for me. I might try it in my clothes (or a scent locket once I get around to picking one out) to see if I can get it to stick around.

On my skin, this blend seems to have only two notes, rose and apple of the uber sweet red delicious variety. Sounds nice, but unfortunately the two together read to my nose as sharp hair salon chemicals. I don't get any lemon, which is a pity, since I like lemon and I think it could have counteracted some of the rose's sharpness. I should mention that my skin and apple notes are invariably terrible together, and roses are hit-or-miss. In its favor, Delirium has good throw and it's still strong at the four hour mark.

I never think of myself as an aquatics person, but that might have to change. Y'ha-nthlei is one of the most delicious things I've ever smelled. From the moment I opened the imp, there was some extremely compelling, unfamiliar note, which must be the ambergris. Wet on my skin, the ambergris, if that's what it is, smells sweet, rich, clean and somehow edible in a really hard to describe way. Ok, I'm going to give it a shot. Baby bananas, (the bunches of mini bananas that you can find in Asian grocers,) sauteed with a little lemon and butter.* The smell is nothing like the candy-banana smell I get from Tzadikim Nistarim; this is a rich, buttery, mellow fruit. So that's the ambergris. (I think.) It's sweetened up and brightened by the bergamot and borne up on the foam of a huge ocean wave. Other posters described this as sun-warmed water, and that's perfect. I get images of coral swaying in sunlit turquoise waters. I got fairly good throw from this for about an hour and a half, and then it quickly went down to a skin scent. I got a few lovely whiffs here and there for the next four hours or so. To me it feels feminine, but not in a traditional way. It's fresh and clean without smelling like dryer sheets. Overall, this blend makes me understand how dogs feel when they catch a scent that they just have to follow- it's not just that it's pleasant. There's just something irresistible about it to my nose; I just want to keep wrist-huffing until I can taste it. I suspect that this may be a personal thing, since not everyone may have the violent crush on ambergris that I seem to have developed, and many people may find it just another soapy aquatic. Does it ruin an otherwise glowing review to say it reminds me slightly of a hand soap I used years ago? Because I wished at the time that I could smell like that soap all the time, and now I can! But better! *(OT: sauteed mini bananas are the best French toast topping ever.) ETA: I did not get any eucalyptus from this, or I just fooled my nose into not smelling it, since it's not a favorite note.

I've never smelled dragon's blood before, but I know I like rose, so I thought this would be a good intro to a new note. Wet, it seems like this dragon bleeds wild cherry flavored cough drops. It's a very sour artificial cherry scent. I'm not sure if this is the DB or the wine or both. I'm not getting rose. I haven't tried any perfume blends with wine in it - though I know what wine smells like INRL, it may be contributing to the cough drop effect, but I can't pick it out. This stage lasted quite a while, sweetening up very gradually over the next few hours. Now, I can make out the rose, but it blends in very smoothly. This stage reminds me a bit of the cherry blossoms in Kyoto, but sweeter and more strongly floral. This was an imp purchased from a forumite, so I'm not sure how long it may have aged. Throw was mild, despite my habit of slathering new scents. Color impression: dark fuschia. Overall, this is just not the scent for me.

One to try might be Tzadakim Nistarim: The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity, with a taste of the world's eternal pathos, and the joy of suffering with grace: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal. I got a couple hours of banana runts candy and then a really lovely citrus-y scent, but if you check out the reviews a lot of people seem to find it very special and uplifting. I'm still fairly new, so I don't have much to suggest beyond that. But I'm glad you asked. Finding a scent like what you're looking for is something I would like to do, too. I've been thinking about places/things/states that already evoke that kind of feeling in me and then try to find a blend with notes that match it. F'rinstance, I don't think I want to smell like aquatics most of the time, but the ocean is a spiritual place for me, so I've been pondering saltwater scents. I'm really curious about the responses you'll get to this question!

I so wanted to love this, because cooked apples smell so heavenly. I can smell all the notes that are supposed to be there, but nevertheless, on my skin it smelled like nothing so much as one of those plug-in deodorizers. After three failed 'weenies, I must admit that my chemistry and the lab apples are natural enemies. Sadness.

This is my first Carnival scent! In the decant bottle, I don't smell the beeswax, just a heady spiciness. Once on, the rich, sweet creaminess of the beeswax comes out, and some wonderful darker layer that has aspects of woods, leather, and nutmeg, but blended so ultra-smoothly that they're hard to pick out individually. After spending some time with No. 93 Engine, I knew I was in love with the lab's beeswax note. I want to marry it, settle down with it and have little beeswax babies. Hand of Glory has that same luscious beeswax, but despite the smoke notes, Hand of Glory smells oddly cool and clean to me where No. 93 is warm, close and (deliciously) sultry. I get a color impression of beeswax-yellow with purple-black waves running through it Hand of Glory strikes me as especially versatile. It seems androgynous and appropriate for any occasion or temperature. It didn't change much on me throughout the day, it lasted a good seven or eight hours, and had a medium throw. Not to mention, it's just delicious. I see myself wearing this a lot this fall.

In the imp, I get a sweet, fruity candy smell. If I concentrate, I can pick out the unripe mango, but it's faint. Wet, I get patchouli and Sweet Tarts candy. Dry, same thing, with an emphasis on the Sweet Tarts. Again, I can pick out a slightly mango-y note and a bit of tea but I feel like I may be imagining it under the tart sugar. I'm neutral on patchouli in general, and while I like Sweet tarts candy to eat, I was hoping for something more distinctively mango. It doesn't seem to change much, although I think the patchouli is stronger in the first couple hours. It seems to have a medium throw. I'm trying to decide if I like it enough to keep it around for the summer.

This is for the 2009 version. Wet, it was a blast of florals. I couldn't quite pick out the jasmine, and I don't know what cactus-flower smells like, but it reminded me a little bit of a spicy department store perfume, minus the headache. Dry, I got a cider-y smell, but still very floral. It seemed to morph a lot over the next few hours, with the cocoa and spices coming out (not like a chocolate bar, but like the powder.) I never really got the cake. There was some suggestion of smoke, but it's not prominent on my skin. i thought I got a whiff of something aloe-like in there at some point. I can never remember exactly what (unsmoked) tobacco smells like, so there may have been some in there) throw seems very good and it's lasted nicely past the eight hour mark. Overall, this is actually closer to what I was expecting from Samhain, but this is playing much more nicely with my skin. It's nice, but I'm not sure if I love it on me.