KesHiro

I can't compare Dionysia, Blood Countess, or Lady Macbeth, as I've never tried them, but I own both Bordello and Countess Willie. On me, Bordello is quite sweet: once it dries, I get currants, plum, and amaretto. Countess Willie is very similar but the red musk and ginger really temper the sweetness. I still get plums and amaretto, but it's much more sophisticated. A lot of people have called Countess Willie the older, grown-up sister of Bordello and I'm inclined to agree. Sorry I couldn't help with the other scents!

I just saw an announcement by the lab saying that Gypsy Moth and Yewberry Honey are on backorder. Did either of you have those is your order? That might explain the lack of CnS. Here's hoping they come off backorder soon!

Hmmm. I don't use Paypal, so I can't help there, but I noticed a CnS today for 5/30, so they might still be processing orders from that time. Was it a large order? Maybe one of the scents is backordered? If you still haven't received a CnS by 6/30, you've passed the 14-21 processing period and it should be okay to send an email then. I hope you get your CnS soon! It's so nerve wrecking when you're waiting for one and everyone else is getting theirs.

My first BPTP Claw Polish! Hell’s Belle is one of the most versatile colors I’ve encountered – classy, sophisticated, and elegant. Subtle enough to be safe in most work situations, it also packs a nice little kick with its golden sheen and is far from being “simply another pink.” In dim to normal lighting, this polish has a seashell pink color with lots of gold shimmer. In bright, direct lighting to sunlight, it is a bit more lavender in coloring and the gold seems more sheen-like. I love how this polish changes depending on the way you hold your hands or feet, the lighting, etc. Application wise, I would say that it takes two to three coats; the first was a bit streaky but the second remedied this initial appearance. I’m happy with two coats but you may prefer three. I should note that I only tested this and so cannot yet comment on wear (dry time, tip wear, chipping, etc). Once I’ve had the chance to do a full run on this polish, I’ll come back and edit my review with this information. For now: gorgeous color, suitable for almost all situations, and perfect for spring and summer! Edit, 6/14 for technical stuff: I wore this for four days -- base coat, two color coats, no top coat. Despite typing up a storm on two of the days, Top Chef style kitchen shenanigans on one, and World Cup nuttery on three, I had no tip wear or chips. Amazing! I also got lots of compliments on the color. The one negative for Hell's Belle is the dry time; it took about an hour. I usually do my nails when I have the time, so this doesn't bother me but it might annoy the more on-the-go polish wearers. Other than that, this polish is perfect!

Goblin squirt sample. Holy schmoly, I'd like to buy an entire tank of this stuff, okay thanks bye. Also, please make a perfume oil out of this scent; I'll buy a gallon of that too, thank you! This is absolutely gorgeous! The initial squirt is lots of sake and cherry blossoms; it's quite boozy. Within two minutes, the green tea note emerges, lending a crisp quality to the scent, while the cherry blossoms sweeten a bit and lend a vaguely juicy quality to this spray. This is crisp, clean, fresh, and mildly fruity (without actually being fruity!). It's subtle, light, makes the room smell wonderful, and lasts a long time. Perfect for spring and summer. I will be upgrading this to a bottle.

Goblin squirt sample. I should preface this review by saying that I've never smelled TKO and so cannot make a comparison to that scent. Having said that . . . holy schmoly this is a tranquilizer in spray form. It's very calming and soothing. Initially, I smell the melon and florals but within five minutes a pretty vanilla emerges. It has an almost light musky quality to it, but this is most likely due to the other notes in the blend. I get a wee touch of lavender too. This is perfect for when you need some down time, want to meditate, or go to sleep and is suitable for use during all four seasons. Edit: Forgot to add that this lasts a long time.

Goblin squirt sample. At first, this was a little bit heavy and a bit too potpourri-ish for my tastes but within a minute of squirting the scent shifted to a more incense, resinous blend. This smells quite posh and high end without being generic. I agree with the previous reviewers: this smells old but in the very best way. Think fancy wood paneled libraries in a well maintained, splendid Victorian manor. This lasts a long time and would be good for fall or winter.

Frimp in one of my orders. Without the notes, I'm at a bit of a loss but here it goes . . . In the imp, I smell something fruity and . . . minty? Maybe herbal would be a better description. It's quite pleasant. Wet, it's the same, although that "minty" note strengthens and is, indeed, a mellow green. During the drydown, it's still fruit and herbs, but I think I detect a bit of smoke in the background. Dry, the smokey note strengthens a bit, but does not overpower the other parts of the blend. This is quite interesting. I'm not sure I would wear this type of scent, but it'll be nice in my oil burner.

Frimp in one of my orders. This is one of the few non-morphers I've tried. From the imp to the dry phase, I get leaves, grass, and flowers. Maybe a touch of fruit too. It's quite pretty and reminiscent of going on a picnic on a spring/early summer day. This is nice, but it's not the type of scent I wear frequently. Plus, I already have Pa-Pow, which has the lovely puppy musk on top of the field of flowers. I won't be upgrading this scent but highly recommend it to the green/floral lovers out there.

Frimp in one of my orders. If you had asked me where this scent could have gone wrong, I would have pointed accusingly at the rose. I was premature in my judgement . . . I should have thrown dagger eyes at the jasmine. In the vial, I get burning plastic. Whoa, I think I've just pinpointed that note in Scared Whore of Babylon that went horribly, horribly wrong! Deciding to be a trooper, I went ahead and put this on. Wet, it's burning plastic bandages and it's the same during the drydown, only stronger. I had to cut the test short and wash this off. This sounds like an absolutely wonderful scent on the right skin chemistry. Unfortunately for me, the only friendly note in the blend is myrrh. This imp is going to be passed amongst my friends, to see if any love jasmine (and it loves them back).

Frimp in one of my orders. Huh. Color me disappointed. In the imp, I get chocolate covered ginger candy. Wet, a bit of orange begins to emerge. During the drydown, the faintest smidge of patchouli emerges too. I'm not the biggest patchouli fan out there, but this is just the right amount, rounding out the scent. I can see why this is so popular, it's wonderful! Dry, it's plastic. Straight up plastic. Arrrgh. I may do a locket test. In the mean time, this one is on a "no." Edit: Unintentional bad poetry going on here. (No more rhymes I mean it. Anyone want a peanut?)

Frimp in one of my orders. Well, this was a surprise. I was expecting something very heavy and, well, sinister. Instead, I got an afternoon tea party. In the imp, I smell sweet fruit resin and a bit of incense. Wet, this turns into straight up apricot jam. During the drydown, a bit of a creamy note appears, and once dry, I'm left with cream, apricot jam, and a bit of smokiness. Who would have thought that those Lovecraftian creatures would be nice enough to bring scones before driving humanity insane? Very interesting, kind of pretty, but not something I'd wear as a perfume. Makes an awesome room fragrance, though!

Aiiieeee, this sounds like my situation. In the two plus weeks I've owned the second bottle, the snow note has emerged more and the scent has taken on a cooler, more refreshing vibe . . . but the bergamot note still smells vaguely like artificial orange sweetener. The scent is *so* similar to my first bottle, though, which gives me hope that this is more of an age issue and not a batch variation. Here's hoping our bottles turn into the scent with which we fell in love. Edit: I cannot type today

I don't have anything useful to say... but now I'm really, really hoping the bottle I ordered matches my decant, which is most definitely not orange vanilla sweetener. Well, here's some good news! Maybe? I started to wonder if this was an aging issue and left the bottle uncapped in the hopes of speeding up the process. While not quite the same as my beloved first bottle, it's much less of the orange vanilla sweetener variety and getting closer to the cool, refreshing spa vibe. The citrus note isn't as sharp, weird, and orangey and the olive blossom (or whatever creates that creamy note) has taken on some depth. The snow note seems to be gaining some strength, too, as the scent is a lot cooler. It's nowhere near the perfection of my first bottle but it's closer and that gives me a lot of hope. I think another week or two of being uncapped might help. I've been doing the sniff test every few hours (can you tell I want this to quickly improve? ). I hope that your bottle is the same as your decant. Edit: some additional info

Do you like tropical scents? I just spent the weekend testing Hi'iaka and it is a lovely, bright, fun fruity floral: Sister to Pele, Patroness of Hula Dancers, she is a Lady of Hawa'ii, and is caretaker, mother, and beloved of the land itself. The heart of the forest beats along with Her dance, and the air is suffused with Her scent: mai'a, hibiscus, white ginger, akala, na'u, Hawaiian moon flower, yellow ilima, pink lokelani, jewel orchid, and fringed orchid Mai'a are bananas; on me, this note fades away after the drydown. And the akala plant is apparently part of the same family as most raspberries and strawberries. There's definitely a berry-like note floating around in that scent.

Sample ordered from the lab. After putting a sample of Pele in my shopping cart, it seemed wrong not to include her sister. I don't normally go for such floral laden blends but the notes seemed very promising and intriguing. Plus, after using my Google-fu skills, I learned that mai'a are bananas, and any time an oil educates me is a good thing. In the imp, I get bananas, flowers, and tropical greenery. You know the kind: those huge green leaves you see in the stereotypical tiki pictures. Wet, I get the banana plus a creamy gardenia. During the drydown, it's banana, gardenia, various berry-like blooms, and green tropical shrubs. Dry, the banana fades away and I'm left with all kinds of tropical flowers -- creamy, sweet, bright, and tangy -- with a background of greenery. It's like all the blooms a hula dancer might adorn him or herself in before a sacred performance. Man, this brings back a lot of memories. It's like being in Hawaii! This is very pretty and feminine, perfect for summer. If Pele is a sophisticated and dignified floral, this is definitely her fun loving younger sister. I'm glad the banana fades away, as I'm not overly fond of the note and it makes the scent a little too tutti fruity for my tastes, but once dry it's a tolerable sweet floral. The only reason I debate not doing the upgrade to bottle is that I'm not sure I'd wear this as often as Pele. Otherwise, it's lovely and fun.

Sample ordered from the lab. As the daughter of a born and raised Hawaiian, it would have been unforgivable of me not to try this scent. In the imp, I get soft white florals with a vague soapy note. Nooooo! Damn it all! Wet, I get the same but with a soft hint of ginger lending a bite. During the drydown, the soapy note morphs into muguet (huzzah!) and the fragrance becomes a mix of gingery white florals and lily. Dry, the blooms take over, leaving the scent white floral - lily dominant, with the faintest bite of ginger adding some character. This is soft, pretty, and feminine, with the ginger keeping it from turning too girly and frilly. It's sophisticated and perfect for summer and those hot humid days. Staying close to the skin, this is not an overwhelming floral that will cause headaches and aching noses (as so many do to me) but one that is subtle. If I jam my nose against my skin, this does smell like high soap heaven (that darn muguet misbehaving again) but the wafts around me are pure white floral ginger bliss. Kudos to the lab for depicting the gentler, softer side of Pele. Definitely going to upgrade to a bottle!

I got my backup bottle of Okayaki and it is a bit different from the one I bought in March. I'm now extremely happy that I was being stingy with that first bottle! The first one is a cool vanilla musk with touches of bergamot and cardamom -- very soothing, calming, spa-like, and refreshing. This second bottle, on the other hand, is orange vanilla sweetener with something bitter in the background. It reminds me of Villainess' Just Desserts. I thought I was having weird skin chemistry issues today, but I did a side by side test and while similar, the oils are different. Even my mom and bf noticed, and they usually don't "get" my scent obsessions. It's not unpleasant, and I do like this variation of the fragrance, but this isn't the scent I fell in love with. I'm hoping some aging will bring it closer to the original. Any other Okayaki hoarders experience the same thing? Or did I get a fluke bottle? Or maybe this is the norm and that first one was a fluke?

Frimp in one of my orders. This is very evocative of its name! I keep picturing dark waters whenever I sniff it. In the imp, I get sweet mint and lotus. It's quite nice -- very refreshing and cool. Wet, I get lotus and something green and grassy. This is probably the juniper. Things take a brief but extremely unpleasant turn as the green note shifts into an extremely bitter scent. It threatens to overtake the entire fragrance and I almost washed this off. Fortunately, it fades after ten minutes and once the oil is dry, I'm left with a cool, refreshing floral with a faint sweet grass note. This is quite pretty and unlike anything I've encountered before. It's quite springy and light, and though I'm uncertain of its true status as an aquatic, it smells clean and reminds me of water. It seems like an excellent dupe for a high end mainstream fragrance, though I could not tell you which one. It simply has that . . . feel . . . and I suspect this would make for a great enabling oil for those whose friends' noses lean more toward the traditional perfume bottle. I'm on the fence about an upgrade; I like it but prefer citrus scents when it comes to the fresh and clean category. Highly recommended if you favor scents on the lighter, aquatic side but also want to enjoy florals.

A scent as heavy as thunder from the Vatican, with notes that inspire every sin and excess. Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle. Frimp in one of my orders. I was hoping that vetivert would work with my skin chemistry. I hear so many horror stories . . . well, you can add my chapter to the tales of terror. In the imp, I get a strange acrid odor; it's like wet burning wood. There's also something sweet in the background, which could be the opium or honeysuckle. Wet, this is straight up wet ash. During the drydown, something sweet tries to fight its way out. I can't tell whether it's the honeysuckle, opium, or both, but I like this element. Sadly, that acrid scent takes over again. Once dry, this seems to ping-pong between burning wood and a mixture of sweet wood, eventually settling into the former. If you can pull off vetivert and like opium/honeysuckle, you will probably like this oil. It sounds like an interesting but it obviously doesn't work for me. Edit: adding lab description

Frimp in one of my orders. In the imp, this smells like honey with a touch of something fruity. Wet, this becomes musky fruity honey. It's pleasant enough, but it's bit cloying for my tastes. During the drydown, something incensey starts to emerge. The resin helps clobber back some of the sweetness, though not by much. Dry, I'm left with a very sweet honey resin. I'm starting to realize that I amp honey notes to the high heavens. It's okay when there's a tart note in the blend, as that helps grounds it, but in an oil like this, where everything seems to lean toward the sweet, I feel as though I've fallen into a vat of dark thick sticky honey. This is quite pretty, but it is not something that I would wear. It is very sweet, too much so for my tastes, and so this is going into my oil burner pile. I do, however, recommend this to anyone who prefers these kinds of blends, as it sounds great with the right skin chemistry.

I was initially going to pass on this scent because of the ambergris note. I had a very bad reaction to the faux civet note the lab uses (hello zoo cage) and figured the faux ambergris would be just as bad. And then two things happened. First, people started calling it a springer, skankier Snow White (I love Snow White) and then I had a dream that NOVA did a special on why Beanman and Beanwoman launched this aggressive campaign, complete with F. Murray Abraham providing the narration (yes, really). I know when the universe is trying to tell me something. In the bottle, I get a wonderful musky coconut milk with orange blossoms. Oh, this is so lovely! Wet, it's the same but with the addition of something creamy/sweet. Perhaps this is the ambergris? During the drydown, it's the same as when wet, perhaps with the addition of ylang ylang. I have to admit that ylang ylang smells citrusy to me, so I'm having trouble picking it apart from the orange blossoms. Dry, I'm left with a sweet, musky coconut milk and orange blossoms. This is, as others have said, spring and summer in a bottle. It smells like freshly cleaned, powdered skin (but not powdery!). It's quite suggestive without screaming sexuality; it's more subdued in its suggestiveness. My only problem is not scent related; I'm not sure what I'm going to say if someone compliments this and asks for its name. I'm thinking "Those Aggressive Beanpeople" might work but . . . um . . . yeah. Pretty scent, blush inducing name. Highly recommended if you like scents with coconut and citrus.

Disclaimer: I've never smelled Snake Oil and cannot relate how this compares to that scent. I must make a confession. I wanted something that would smell the way Southwestern music sounds. Yep, I'm a nut case like that. Since Coyote did not work for me, I figured I would give Western Diamondback a try. Well, this slippery little snake likes to throw me some loops, doesn't it? In the bottle, I get a spicy vanilla incense. Oh my, this is nice! Wet, it's spicy vanilla/tonka bean, incense smoke, and sage. During the drydown, weird things start happening. Sometimes I get the wet stage, with the addition of leather and sometimes I get a leather single note. It veers back and forth several times. Dry, it continues with this jumping pattern, shifting from leather with a sugary tonka to wafts of vanilla incense to flat out incense smoke. If I press my nose to my skin, I get nothing but leather and sage. I am intrigued, to say the least. I love that leather and sugary tonka bean element but I only like the other stages I'm getting. I do like this scent and since it seems to age well, I have a feeling I will eventually love it. In the meantime, this makes for a nice non-floral or citrus summer perfume. It's lighter than I would have thought, which is a good thing. And it does indeed partly live up to my musical/scent fantasies, so all in all, I'm happy with this purchase and would recommend it. Edit: 10/5/10 Right. So, I've finally had a chance to try Snake Oil and I prefer this. Also, now that the oil has had time to age it's a bit more settled. I usually get a creamy, sugary leather (yum) but every once and a while, it'll turn into straight up medicinal sage or incense or the leather single note. I think this one is very sensitive to my skin chemistry issues and a bit more aging should take care of it.

Frimp in one of my orders. I had a feeling this would work when I saw the notes. Citrus? I like citrus! Champagne? Yep! Aquatic blooms? Well, look at that -- one of the few florals that like my skin chemistry! Lotus? . . . Er, not sure, but it sounds pretty! In the imp, I smell champagne and grapefruit. It's so fresh and bubbly! Wet, I get champagne, grapefruit, and something floral. This might be the lotus, as it does not have an aquatic feeling. During the drydown, it's the same, but now those crystalline aquatic blooms emerge. Dry, this is a light citrus floral with an aquatic background. This is so pretty! It's fresh, clean, and lovely. It definitely conjures up images of crystals, clear water, beautiful glass, and dew drops. It does have a bit of a perfumey element to it, but it isn't strong enough to deter my liking this scent. I'm putting this on the possible bottle list. I have lots of citrus perfumes, but nothing quite like this and it seems like it would be very refreshing on hot summer days.

Frimp in one of my orders. I approached this scent with some trepidation. The florals and I . . . we do not have a good relationship. Unless it's gardenia/tiare, florals tend to amp into a single note or turn into high-end hotel soap on my skin. I kept my fingers crossed since violet sometimes plays well (like in Le Serpent Qui Danse). In the case of Violet Ray, it did not. In the imp, I get plastic and musk. Oh no. This is not a good sign. Wet, it's plastic, mint, and wood. If that plastic note would go away, it would actually be pleasant. Fortunately, the plastic note does go away . . . only to be replaced with floral soap. DANG IT! Dry, it's pretty floral soap in a lovely wooden dish. I've tested this several times in order to see if this was a fluke, but sadly this is one violet that does not want to go along with my skin chemistry. It's a shame, because this sounds like it would be so lovely and feminine, with the moss and sandalwood balancing it out. If you like pretty florals, I would recommend this.