Miss Lynx

I've been wanting to try this one for a while, and finally got my chance. I got it and Kumiho in the same swap, and they make an appropriate pairing, as they're both very light, clean scents. But I think I like this the better of the two. Lemon is not high on my list of favourite notes, but here it's fairly gentle, and doesn't overpower the other notes the way it sometimes can. Maybe it's the musk that tones it down... There's a citrussy brightness here, but it's moderated by the softness of the musk, and the overall impression is not so much soapy-clean like Kumiho, but gently bright, and with just enough complexity to be quietly interesting. I think I like it - it's quite different from most of the scents I enjoy, but it's very pleasant, and would be good for situations in which the spicier and more incensey scents I usually like would be overkill. This would be something I'd pick for a setting where I just wanted a tiny trace of pleasant scent, detectable to no one but me. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to last any longer than Kumiho (about 15 minutes, for the record). I'd hoped the musk would give it some staying power, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Ah well. Maybe I'll have to experiment with putting it on a wider variety of places, or in my hair or something, because this is definitely likable enough to try to find a way to prolong it. Grade: B (B+ if I could somehow get it to last)

I like blackcurrant too, but I've found that a lot of the notes that are mixed with it in many of the blends don't work so well for me. I could smell the currant note in Lurid and really liked that part, but the ozone killed it for me. Likewise with whatever the floral in Masabakes is. But I am reasonably sure that blackcurrant (along with pomegranate) is one of the "dark fruits" in Hymn to Proserpine, and that one is absolutely lovely on me! Well worth trying for anyone who likes dark fruity blends. And I second the recommendations for Gomorrah, Montresor and Bewitched, though it does seem that with Bewitched different notes come out more on different people. Also Rage, which is much prettier than its name implies. ETA: And All Souls! The grand prize winner of the Halloweenie scents for me. Beautiful light incense, blackcurrant, and a touch of something that smells like white rose. Gorgeous.

On me, Dragon's Musk smelled like something a sleazy 70s lounge lizard would be slathered in -- heavy, stinky, cheap men's cologne, mixed with something like a rutting goat. So I'd say no. But the other night I ran into a BPAL friend who was wearing Smut, and at first sniff I thought it was Scherezade, only slightly less spicy. So you might want to check that one out.

I put off reviewing this one for a long time - close to a year, in fact, because it's Samhain 2005 that I just (re-)tried, after aging it since last fall. But I think it's now unedeniable: Samhain and I are not meant to be. It sounded so good to me last fall that I ordered a 5mL unsniffed. But when I tried, it somehow didn't smell like I'd expected... Hard to say why. All the listed notes seemed to be there, but somehow they just weren't coming together, at least on my skin. It seemed a bit harsh and discordant. Kettu felt likewise. But many people were singing the praises of aged Samhain 04, so we decided that rather than swapping the bottle right away, we'd put it away in a dark place to age until next fall. And just, now, though it's still technically summer, we were inspired by the new Halloween update to pull it out again and see how it had fared. At first sniff, it did indeed seem richer, and as though the notes had blended together more harmoniously. But on... *sigh* It still didn't really work on me. It was OK when I'd just catch faint whiffs of it, but if I put my nose anywhere near my wrists, it was overwhelming, and also smelled kind of oddly... off. Kettu backed away when I came into the kitchen and refused to be downwind of me, and even the cat ran away after sniffing my wrist. I think what I can put it down to is predominantly the pumpkin note -- I have found since originally ordering this, that any scent with pumpkin in it is unrelentingly awful on me, a strongly chemical smell like nasty fake food. Plus, woody notes are hit and miss on me, with some of them developing a particular kind of funky "off" smell on my skin (Hamadryad and the Hesperides, notably), which is definitely part of what I smell here too. So, no love. I tried, I really did, but off to the swaps with you, Samhain. Grade: C

This was gorgeous on first sniff -- the perfect rose blend. I actually do like the scent of rose, quite a bit; it's just that my skin usually amps it so much that rose scents end up being headache-inducing overkill on me. And it did start amping after a bit -- but not to too painful an extreme, though that could be because I put it on fairly lightly. The cinnamon is just a faint trace, but it compliments the rose notes nicely. And as it settles in after being on my skin for a while, the rose does fade down a bit, and the eventual drydown is nicely subtle. I still don't think it's something I could actually wear on any kind of a regular basis -- for better or worse, I think I'm just not much a floral person. But for anyone who is a fan of rose, this one absolutely deserves a place of honour on your wish list. And even I who can almost never wear rose am very tempted to keep it. Grade: B

Hmmm, on first sniff, not bad at all. It's very light and fresh, and simultaneously sweet and tart. Very much something I would think of as a springtime scent. And somewhat reminiscent of Maenad, which is also a spring scent in my mind. It's sort of equal parts floral, fruity and herbal, and smells very yellow-green. The touch of sharpness (probably from the verbena) gives it a bit of a wake-up feel, like something that would probably make a good "energizing" or "uplifting" aromatherapy blend. Definitely quite citrussy, and with a gentle warmth to it, and a honeyed sweetness. I can see why some people have described it as being candy-like, but it doesn't quite go there on my skin -- more like Lemon Zinger tea with honey in it. All in all, I think I like it, and it's scents like this that make me very glad that the Lab sends frimps, because I never would have thought to try it based on the description. It's probably not something I'd wear often, but I can see it being just the thing for springtime, or to lift my spirits on grey days. Grade: B

This one sounded so interesting - I really like contrasts in scents, deep earthy notes juxtaposed with sweet ones. Myrrh and musk are generally quite good on me, rose is dodgy but can sometimes be OK, and ylang ylang - well, ylang ylang is generally my nemesis and has killed many otherwise good scents for me. It's so high and sharp and seet, it's like the olifactory equivalent of nails on a blackboard. But still, I thought, if anything could tone it down, myrrh and dark musk should be able to. And it almost works. This scent does indeed have a lovely deep earthy base to it, with the florals layered overtop, in a way I want to love - but can't quite. Maybe if my skin amped florals a bit less, the balance would be perfect, but as it is, the floral notes (ylang ylang especially) are just too powerful, and lend it that headachey edge that usually keeps me from wearing florals. *sigh* Oh well. I think I may just have to resign myself to the fact that if there's ylang ylang listed in the description, no power in the 'verse can stop it from turning into screaming floral death on my skin. Grade: C+

For black pepper, you absolutely must track down some Tell-Tale Heart. I know it's a LE that's gone now, but there should be some floating around in the swaps or on eBay. It's got black pepper and allspice over a lovely musky/earthy base, with a touch of cocoa to smooth and sweeten it, and I love it. It's probably my second favourite LE ever, after Red Phoenix which is also spicy goodness (cassia, musk, plums and incensey notes), but very hard to find these days. Others: Chimera - gorgeous cinnamon incense with a honeyed overtone Vixen - ginger over orange blossom and patchouli, plus I'm pretty sure there's some musk in there even though it's not listed. Absolutely Scherezade - it's the quintessential spicy Middle Eastern scent. Sin is a dead sexy cinnamon/amber/patchouli mix, and I practically have to beat people of both genders off with sticks whenever I wear it. Frumious Bandersnatch doesn't list cinnamon as an ingredient, but it certainly smells like it to me. It's sort of like Red Phoenix Lite. The Lion is a lovely, warm spiced amber. Lampades, Tintagel and Blood Amber aren't as spicy as the others listed, but they do have some spice to them, and are all quite nice.

Wow -- this is super earthy! Very much in keeping with its namesake: dark and heavy and sombre. There's a bit of a church-incense feel about it -- I'm guessing a lot of myrrh. And it also has a woody undercurrent -- vetiver and maybe some sandalwood? In general, it seems to be approximately in the same ballpark scentwise as Cathedral, Midnight Mass, and the Pit & the Pendulum -- all of which I have imps of already. So I'm not sure I need to hang onto this, even though I like it. Grade: B+

Hmmm, it's nicer than I thought it would be. I tend to fear coconut and (especially) almond in scents, but they aren't too strong here. Overall, it's fairly nicely balanced, kind of a figgy/nutty/woody hybrid. I keep getting slight incensey notes mixed into it too, but I'm not sure how much of that may be the Fortunato I was already wearing before I dabbed some of this on so that I could try it before Kettu consigned it to our monster swap post. But putting my nose right down to it to keep away for the Fortunato'ed spots, it's a nice, natural-smelling, not-too-sweet scent. However, I think it may be a little too foody for me. Plus, the elements of it that I like are close to Strangler Fig, and I already have that, so I don't think I need to impede Eden's passage into the swaps. I'm glad I tried it, though. Grade: B

I actually got this quite a while ago, in a swap, and while I didn't get around to writing a review at the time, I remember that it struck me as too floral -- the lunar oils that turn up in many of the Lunacies tend to disproportionately be high, sweet florals, of the kind my skin loves to amp beyond all reason. Kettu, however, liked it just fine, so it went into her collection rather than mine. But recently I found myself thinking about it again, for some reason, and wanting to give it another try. So today I did. And I am finding that I like it much better this time around. I don't know if it's the extra aging, seasonal changes, variations in skin chemistry, or what, but it seems different now. It's more strongly reminiscent of Red Phoenix this time -- rich and spicy-sweet -- and that is a Very Good Thing, since Red Phoenix is my all-time favourite LE by a considerable margin. It's not identical -- a bit lighter, sweeter, less incensey and more woodsy, and with a slight floral edge, but still, the similarity is there. It's a bit like a cross between RP and Frumious Bandersnatch, with a touch of... something else, not sure what. Some kind of sweet, intoxicating, musky floral -- maybe Gypsy Queen? The only real down side is that it seems to fade fairly quickly -- something I don't recall it doing the first time around, when I did not like it, ironically enough. Anyway: I am finding myself quite enjoying it now. It will not stop me from snapping up a possibly excessive number of bottles of Red Phoenix should that one ever come back, but it's nice to have around as an alternative in the meantime. Grade: A-

It's so interesting reading the replies on this thread, because with a lot of them I find myself thinking "What? Those don't smell at all alike!"... but obviously on other people's skin, they do. Skin chemistry is so variable... I think I mentioned before that I find Desire to be somewhat reminiscent of both Gypsy Queen and the Masque, but now I've found another with a similar feeling: Magdalene. It has much the same floral-with-an-earthy-incensey-base kind of feel, and a really beautiful drydown. I would love it if there was GC equivalent to my all-time favourite LE, Red Phoenix, but I doubt there is. The closest I've found yet is Frumious Bandersnatch, and it's not that close -- RP is a lot muskier and more incensey. Maybe I need to try layering the Bandersnatch with something like Fenris Wolf... In the meantime, I think I'm just going to hope that this year's BPALiversary includes a Four Years - Four Birdies set, with RP making a comeback. I swear I'll buy at least three bottles this time. *sigh* I can dream...

At first sniff, this is very strongly cool, green and minty, and seems like it would be just the thing to cool you down on a hot summer's day -- a bit like The Mock Turtle's Lessons, but with a slightly bitter, astringent, herbal undercurrent that keeps it from being too much like peppermint candies. But as it settles in, the bitterness becomes a bit more pronounced and it becomes less pleasant. And then, inside of a half-hour or so, it fades away almost entirely. Oh well. Grade: C

A very delicate, soft, wispy floral -- a little reminiscent of Ouija, in a way, though with a sort of creamy note instead of the dry wood in that one, which makes it gentler and sort of tamer somehow. It's also a bit reminiscent of Antique Lace. The florals never get amped up to off-putting levels, even on my floral-amping skin -- it stays extremely soft and gentle until it fades away, which unfortunately happens in under an hour. It's a very pretty scent, but not really a "me" sort of scent. In the Lion & Unicorn pairing from the book, I'm very much more partial to the Lion, scent-wise. Grade: C+

Wow -- this is the most watery scent I think I've ever smelled. I've tried a number of BPAL's aquatics, though they usually don't seem to work terribly well on me, but this has to be the most aquatic of them all. Which is odd, given that it starts out describing it as being composed of airy notes! It's very light and cool, and while I can pick up on the floral notes as well, they don't seem to be as overpowering as florals usually are on me. I could definitely see associating this with rain, though not so much storms -- it's too gentle for that. There's also a bit of a cloying, commercial-perfume kind of note -- maybe something like the ozone that ruined Lurid for me? I don't really get the whole idea of "ozone notes" in perfume, anyway. Actual ozone is an oxygen variant (and nasty air pollutant) that doesn't smell like much of anything; it just makes it harder to breathe. I keep seeing it turn up in scents associated with storms, but it just smelles like cheap drugstore perfume, and I've never known a storm to smell like that. Oh well. I think I just need to put it on my "notes to avoid" list. Grade: C

This smells a lot more like a conventional perfume than most BPAL scents, but not necessariy in a bad way. It's reminiscent of a fairly nice, high-end, classy perfume, and is not overly sweet in the way that so many commercial perfumes are. I can definitely get dry and golden from this, and there's an incensey touch, though not as strong as in the more heavily incensey scents that I tend to enjoy. Overall, I'd say it's very well done -- classy and elegant, and the sort of scent you could see people paying $100 a bottle for in a department store -- but not really my kind of scent. I can definitely appreciate the artistry in it, though. Grade: B-

This has a strange mix of warm and cool notes -- orris always smells cold to me, but musk is very warm, and the coconut is just... odd. The combination of all three is not unpleasant, but a bit discordant and doesn't really seem to harmonize well. After it settles in for a while, the disparate notes do seem to eventually blend together, into a slightly sweet musk, which isn't bad, though it now seems to be fading quickly. Overall, OK but probably not for me. Grade: C+/B-

Bandersnatch musk, redolent of spicy carnations, wild plums and chrysanthemum. At last! I've been dying to try this one since it was first announced, and finally got my shipment. And it is indeed quite nice, though not quite the stunner I'd hoped. At first sniff, it's spicy fruity flowers. There's a definite cinnamon-ish kick to it, which may be the carnation, or maybe there really is cinnamon in there -- not sure. The floral element is definitely there, but not to an extent that I find bothersome. I'm not a floral person, and my skin often amps florals horribly, but that doesn't seem to be happening here. Then again, carnation usually behaves itself pretty well on me. Never tried chrysanthemum before, but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems. There's definitely a strong, sweet fruit note here as well, presumably the plum, which blends really nicely with the cinnamony note. I'm starting to think this is Red Phoenix's femmier sister. The spicy fruitiness is also a bit reminiscent of March Hare, but with more complexity. It's kind of like what I wanted March Hare to be. I'm also a bit reminded of Maenad, though I'm not entirely sure why -- I think the only note they have in common is carnation. Not much musk that I can notice, except maybe as a background presence helping the other notes blend together. Musks are often good for that. From what I can pick up of it, I'm guessing that "bandersnatch musk" is red musk -- it has that kind of feel, anyway. Interestingly, it seems to be drying down quite differently on my wrists than in the crooks of my arms -- that happens sometimes. On my wrists it's mainly spicy fruit; on my arm it's more floral, but not excessively so. You can still kind of tell it's the same scent, but different aspects of it come out more in different places. After a few hours, the faint trace that's left on my wrists is softly incensey. In the crooks of my arms, it's longer-lasting, with all its notes intact. Overall, it's sweet, spicy, fresh, uplifting and a little quirky -- I like it, even if I didn't swoon over it as much as I'd expected. It seems like it would be an especially good springtime or early summer scent. Grade: B+/A-

As with Persephone, this was a frimp that I didn't really have high hopes for, given my skin's tendency to amp most florals beyond all reason, but I had to try anyway. And it was actually kind of a pleasant surprise. Initially, it's fairly heavily floral, but the labdanum does tone it down a bit, giving it a warm earthy base, to the point where it *almost* works on me -- though mind you, I only put on the tiniest dab (I fear florals). The balance of dark and light in it is nice, and after settling in for an hour or so, the floral component fades down nicely so that it's more like a floral-tinged musky incense (labdanum is a resin that's used in some plant-based musk bouquets). If I didn't already have as large a collection as I do, I'd be inclined to keep it, but as it stands I probably wouldn't get around to wearing it. It's a little too close to being in the same ballpark as Gypsy Queen and the Masque, both of which I have 5 mLs of, but it's less complex. Still, could be a good option for someone else who usually can't wear florals. The labdanum really does bring it down to earth nicely. Grade: B

I knew I probably shouldn't even try, because my skin amps rose to a freakish extent, but I had to. The combination of pomegranate and rose sounded so nice, and because I actually do like the scent of rose when it's not amped up to nose-blating proportions, I kind of live in hope that someday a rose scent will work on me. So I tried just the teeniest dab, when this showed up as a frimp... The fact that it was a teeny dab is probably what's keeping it manageable, but the little trace I put on is not that bad. I definitely smell more rose than anything (surprise, suprise, on my skin), but the trace of pomegranate I can smell is just enough to make me think that this would be really nice on someone whose skin handled rose better. Or maybe in a scent locket or something, if I ever got around to getting one. And over time, the rose settles down a bit and blends more fully with the pomegranate -- very delicate and pretty. It's not really my usual sort of scent, at all, but I'm almost tempted to keep it anyway. Grade: B-

At first sniff I wasn't sure how Oya-like this seemed to me, but as it's settled into my skin, I can definitely see how it suits her. Initially there was strong cherry/almond sort of note, which I found jarring, but it faded quickly. The remaining scent is deep, dark, rich, spicy and just slightly sweet, and very evocative. Unlike Osun, this one stays fairly close to the skin. It doesn't advertise itself; you have to get up close and personal to encounter it. That also seems appropriate to Oya -- she's not a come-hither kind of goddess, she's one you have to work to get close to. The scent is absolutely beautiful on my skin, and far more of a "me" scent than Osun, but I don't think I could wear it as a perfume, because, as with that one, it's so evocative of the Orisha it's named for that I would be more inclined to reserve it for working with Her. Grade: as scent, A; as deity link, A+

My first thought on sniffing this was: "perfect!" It is perfectly Oshun (that's the spelling I'm more familiar with for Her name). It's a mix of honey and herbal notes, sweet and heady but not sweet in a conventional girly-perfume way. There's serious power in this. It's sexual, but again, not conventionally sexy. This smells like a powerful, sexy woman who you don't want to piss off, and that's highly appropriate for the Orisha it's named for. Interestingly, while the scent doesn't seem too strong when I sniff it up close, it has considerable throw and I keep catching whiffs of it while I'm working. It's vey distracting -- sweet and rich and almost intoxicating. Again, quite appropriate. This oil is so evocative of Oshun to me that I can't really see wearing it as a perfume, even though I quite like it. I think this one is going to be reserved for ritual use, or at least for times when I want to feel Her presence. Grade: as scent, B+; as deity link, A+

Oh my gods -- I can't even open this! Just sniffing it from the closed imp is almost headache-inducing. Lookin at the notes, it's no surprise -- rose is always dodgy on me, and only works in extreme moderation. Apple blossom and ylang ylang are beyond dodgy -- they're the exact sort of high sharp florals that my skin loves to amp into something resembling a neurological weapon. Icepick-to-the-head florals! I haven't come across a floral this aggressive since Pride, but at least this imp isn't leaking like that one was, so I don't have to wear gloves while putting it into the swap box. I suppose this might be a good scent for someone who can actually wear those high sharp florals, but for me they're the olfactory equivalent of nails on a blackboard. Grade: F

This is a very nice scent -- sweet and lush, with an earthy undercurrent, and a slightly watery feel at the same time. It has that sort of food/not-food mix that I like in so many other scents, and I keep thinking there's a touch of floral in it, though judging from the description thre isn't. It's got a bit of that same wet fruity-floral feeling as Yerevan, Lampades and Xiutehcuhtli, although the mango note also brings Kuang Shi to mind. There's also an element to it that makes me think of scented candles, though quite nice ones (I've gotten to be wary of using that comparison because some people use it as a put-down). I think it's that slight waxiness thast fig tends to have on me. And there's something green and almost grassy about it. Unfortunately, it seems to fade fairly quickly, but that's really its only major down side. Apart from that, I quite like it. And since Kettu is equally fond of Tweedledee, I look forward to us being able to wear them in tandem. Grade: B+

What an odd little scent -- at first sniff, it smells much more like something I would eat or drink than something I would wear. Very minty-citrus. But as it settles in, the other notes come out more, and it becomes more complex. Confusing and contrary is right! Now it smells very much like something I'd want to shower in -- clean and fresh and watery. With just a slight overtone of refreshing alcoholic beverage. As it settles in, it's quite nice, and the different notes blend together nicely to make something that isn't quite like any of them. It's not really my usual sort of scent, but I think I may keep it for when I want to feel cool and fresh in the heat of summer. Grade: B