Lycanthrope

Lemongrass, baby! I’m sure there’s other stuff mixed in with this Vortex, but I mostly get a pure lemongrass aroma. There’s definitely something else blended in with this oil, but nothing deep and grounding like woods or the like. Maybe mint? Or other citrus oils? It’s quite lemony, very herbal, and not unlike Nanshe. I can see how this represents something in motion, something blending and twisting, airy, and whirling.

Sharp, minty, bright. On my skin, I get a powerful streak of balsam fir or some other very gummy pine, followed by peppermint and an herbal anise/clove hit. There’s this aroma of dandelion milk, to me at least, ya know, that wet, leafy green of a freshly torn leaf. Over time, this goes more medicinal on me and heads towards licorice and black gumdrops. Or that aroma of a peony bud that hasn’t quite opened yet, but you can smell the promise of its dewy freshness. Wow. Also, my bottle came like uber-Chumley sealed tight! Heh heh. I hope it isn’t evaporating on its own or prone to it!

Sweet, glorious frankincense. Oh, how I love thee. This oil, upon striking my skin, retains that beautiful, soaring frankincense note but then releases a veritable symphony of notes, a combination of floral and possibly crisp fruits, but I can’t tell! It’s a remarkably elevated blend, in that it is quite airy, and not bound by any really heavy notes. Perfectly held in check by the mild frankincense, all these other notes still dance and move. Mmm. I like.

Sweet florals, possibly rose and ylang ylang, wafting up from this bottle that represents sensuality and opening yourself up to the possibility of pleasure. There’s a mild bubble-gumminess to this, could there be lotus as well? On skin, there’s a brief episode of orange peel that segues almost immediately into a mildly pineapple-esque, tropical floral aroma accentuated with a warm, sweet woodsy base. Nothing pungent here, this oil is smooth and sweet. Oh, and I think there is jasmine in this, because it’s definitely amping up something fierce on me. Not that it’s a bad thing. This is a pleasant, sensual fruity jasmine. How appropriate!

Whoo, is this one potent. It’s very earthy and deep straight from the bottle, with a powerful vetiver/woods/rooty depth to it. Heh, how apropos! It’s a tad sharp, and I am concerned with how strong this’ll be on my skin. On my wrist, it’s immediately wet vetiver, maybe some deep spices like cinnamon and cardamom, ginger and a noticeable ‘hammy’ odor which I suppose is guiaicwood? There may be some patchouli and basil in this as well, as I get a leafy, peppery aroma wafting above the main oil dab. As for efficacy, I do feel remarkably grounded and secure after this oil has some time to dwell on my skin. I’ve used it at the root chakra point and I do feel like this is a great scent to add some weight to my usual fiery, chaotic nature. Over long-term, Muladhara becomes spaghetti sauce on my skin. Weeeeeeird.

Very pungent in the bottle, must be another streak of vetiver or dark woods. I bet there’s black pepper in this, because it’s positively spicy in a beautiful, warm way. I love black pepper. So, this is a very pointed, angular scent (if that makes sense), which does immediately warm my skin where it’s anointed. Now I’m getting pepper and ginger, on a base of dry cassia and sandalwood. Manipura deals with the ability to express oneself in a crowd, in social situations, and perhaps this is the spicy kick I need to get myself chatting. I think if you like spicy fragrances you’ll love Manipura. Can’t… stop… sniffing… solar plexus… heh heh.

How could I not review this? I've had it for a few days and have been wearing it intermittingly, and it is quite a nice little bottle of growly musk. As others have said, this isn't really as ferocious as one would think, but still has a good, sweet musky kick to it that lends it some bite. From the bottle, I get a strong, blended whiff of many musks. This is the same kind of musk I detect from blends like Loviatar and Iago, cool, slightly soapy, but with that animalistic twang that layers so well with leather and vetiver, respectively. There's a faint, cedary woodsiness behind the blend as well, and I don't get much citrus if any. Wet, on skin, it's an immediate rush of musk, and as a musk lover this is heavenly. It definitely sweetens and warms as it dries down, but also does lighten up some. Instead of several musks all vying for center stage, it culminates into a single thrum of darker musk. I'm getting a touch of the sweet woods drydown I did from Geek, balsam and cedar-like shavings. I still don't get any orange. Over extended time it definitely goes soapier on me, but musks tend to do that, and it's a pleasant, clean musk soap. Mmm. All in all, I think this is a good musk for me to wear when I can't quite pull of Iago or Loviatar (er... bondage balls and slap-me-in-the-face vetiver don't quite fit so well in... lecture...).

Anahata. I haven't worked with this with this as a chakra oil yet, as I haven't received all my other Chakra oils yet and it is suggested that one begins with the root and work upwards in opening. That said. In the vial it's a sweet, airy floral, as described above, I get a good amount of lavender mixed with what I think is rose or rosewood, perhaps a brush of lotus and peony. It reminds me of Budding Moon to some degree, as that on the skin it acts soft, gentle, subtle fragrance. It hovers between a smooth, delicate lavender and a blend of dewy rose and airy flowers. On my skin, it makes me feel calm, somewhat detached from the minutae of day to day. While wearing it, it keeps surprising me, what with unsuspecting whiffs of Anahata striking my nose. It's very nice. I'll add a tag after I get a chance to work with it.

Agreed with the poster above about Eris - it's like... watermelon and cantaloupe. Yum.

Lemon, Lime, twists of citrus peel resting on top of a very faintly sweet mint (to my nose at least) base. Maybe it's spearmint? But just a brush, not enough to make it scream 'here I am, mint!!!' It's very well balanced. Lasts very briefly on my skin, but oh, those moments are bright, clear, and effervescent.

Death smells like flowers. Or the pale horse does, but yeah. Of the four Come and See scents, Death is the most subtle, and sticks out the least to me. That said, it is a well-blended oil, and I enjoy it a lot. In the bottle, it smells very 'bark-y,' kind of like cedar or oak bark finely shredded up so that the dusty aroma hangs in the air - like paper or parchment. There's a hint of darker, duskier grassiness, which is a subtle drop of vetiver, with a faint, ghostly whisper of lavender hovering over the entire blend. On my skin, it keeps pulling back until it remains a slightly dark, mildly creamy lavender, with not much waft.

The Great Sword of War was a blend I had very high hopes for. Although it's not the end-all-be-all scent I was hoping it would be, it is still quite nice and I do enjoy it. In the bottle it is citrussy, lemony chocolate, with a mild sandalwood-like base. On my skin, it is supremely citrussy, like chewing on the rind from a clementine or lemon, with a detectable chocolate running underneath. Over time, there's a mild, mild muskiness that blends with the cocoa, perhaps the sweetness from the tonka mixed with the warm red musk aroma... At this point, though, I think the 'herbs of conflict' take over gradually, and I believe that there is some lemongrass in here or something, because I'm definitely pulling a sharp grassy herb out of the mix. Perhaps that, or palmarosa... regardless, it is less foody at this point and more chaotic, roiling, and chocolate! Over time this quiets down quite a bit and becomes a lightly herbal, cocoa musk with a twist of citrus. Quite nice.

Nobility and haughtiness befitting the Antichrist: sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather. The Bow and Crown of conquest immediately strikes me as very sweet in the bottle, with a slightly sugary topnote. I believe that is the white musk, as I get the same sort of 'feel' in blends like Dorian. On my skin, this is sweet, delicious white musk blended with Beth's leather note, which works on me amazing as usual. On me, it begins quite sharp with the joint notes of leather and musk, but this dries down to a musky leather that has a touch of a floral, woodsy base. This works pretty well on me, a guy, and I can see how this is unisex. However, this would be a good blend for the men in your life. The blend this reminds me a lot of is the Sephiroth blend Hod, although Hod has more vanilla musk and is a little more resinous than The Bow. The Bow strikes me as being less overt, yet still quite similar. If you like The Bow, you should try Hod, and vice versa.

The Scales of Deprivation in the bottle smells lightly citrussy, a touch like lemon rind, but without such a sharp, zesty zing to it. I can detect something else, like a resin, but it's a gummier, sweeter resin more akin to the components of Jacob's Ladder instead of something brighter like frankincense. On my skin, this is quite subtly sweet, and what's strange is I can definitely tell that there is lemon in this, but it's not running away on my skin. What I do get is an overall creamy, slightly sandalwood-esque aroma that is layered over one of the most beautiful resins I've ever encountered. This blend doesn't pop out at you and grab you like some of Beth's other blends, yet I believe that is the strength of the Come and See series, perhaps apart from Great Sword, is that they are so harmoniously blended that they just integrate themselves with you as opposed to announcing their presence. The drydown is a very deep, resonant resin that maintains a slight hint of the citrus note, but is mostly warm, deep amber gold, quiet and lurking. Good stuff. I put it on to bed last night and got a big snuffle of it in my night shirt, and it was blissful.

I bought two of these, and I'm very glad that I did. I do like tea scents, my favorite pre-BPAL fragrance being BBW's White Tea and Ginger, and have always appreciated fresher, more ozonic blends. Holiday Moon is bright, zesty, and tea-like without being overly citrussy. I tried Spirits of the Dead and appreciate it for its much brighter, potent tea punch, whereas Holiday Moon has more of an herbal, astringent plant-like quality to it. It reminds me of the smell of my grandmother washing clothes in Tainan, Taiwan, during one visit many years back, and reminds me of hot springs, verdant mountains covered in bamboo, rocky paths and aged, wind-worn dry wood. On me, it starts of very much a TEA scent, with a hint of whatever makes Whippoorwill and Silk Road have that 'wet, mossy' quality that I adore. It pulls back fairly quickly into a subtle yet fresh tea scent, with a very soft yet present sandalwood-like base. It's quite good, and I think I can wear this in clinic no problem.

Let me begin by saying that this is one heckuva sad fragrance. I don't know how Beth does it, but how can she bottle emotions, to be released upon their striking your skin? Wet, however, I wasn't thinking wistful florals... it reminded me of something I couldn't quite put my hand on. Very sweet, definitely fruity and quite familiar. I kept reapplying to see if I could figure out what it was... and it turns out that wet, Ode on Melancholy smells just like those bizarre rainbow unicorn lollipops taste. No joke! It's that fruitiness that is all but yet no specific fruit, with a definite hard candy sugar edge. That dies down, however, and Ode takes a turn towards that familiar lavender sharpness, however reined back by a breath of lighter, airy flowers. I can pull the wisteria out of the blend on occasion, but I'm really searching for it. It's one of my favorite florals and glad to see I can get a feel for it in Ode! The rose, thankfully, doesn't amp on me and in the end I get a slightly dry, bittersweet lavender and wisteria fragrance that persists at the edge of my awareness, always gently reminding me of things gone by, or my mild apathy and sorrow over how life, like a fractured vase that hasn't quite fallen apart, is streaked with imperfection and marred beauty. Um. Yeah, that's the kind of mood Ode puts me in, which attests to its remarkable power. Although it is frankly beautiful, I don't think I'd be wearing it much, so I'll keep the imp and boggle at its emotive power from time to time, but no bottle for me.

I'll have to find an imp of Dublin to try on him in a few days... I don't want to risk an LE, because he's a very rational guy and still doesn't understand it when I'm like 'I love this scent, and it's only around for a little while!' He's like 'Why the heck is it limited? What's the appeal? Why don't you buy something that won't disappear forever in a few days?' Dublin, Magus... I think I'll have to find a few more lighter woodsy fragrances.

Hey guys. My friend is usually anti-fragrance in most respects (he just uses whatever is convenient, nearby) but he really does like Bath and Body Works' long-discontinued Forest Moss cologne for men. Now... I don't even know what this smells like, but he's getting close to the very bottom of his precious bottle and I'd hate to see him go back to the drugstore to pick up some generic man-ologne and KO some poor people. Has anyone smelled FM in the past? If so, do you know what BPAL men's blends are similar? Or just any suggestions for a good inobtrusive, non-quirky BPAL men's blend? Nothing too leathery or sexual, just woodsy, manly and light. Thanks much.

This is a truly rich, red, bloody, sanguinous oil. In the bottle, it smells magical, but sort of threatening - I can detect the lighter floral lunar oils trying to sing out above the rest of the blend, but it's a tumultuous combination of deep resins, menacing spices and rolling anger. On skin, it starts off with an almost nutty tone, akin to Tezcatlipoca's opening note without the deep cocoa. I think this definitely contains red sandalwood, but also a potent punch (a musk?) of something heady and smooth. There's then a streak of cinnamon that crescendos... and then I'm getting hints of a less sweet, much more earthy Snake Oil! Underneath this all, the oil has definite depth, and a little smoke and dirt. Over time, unfortunately, the cinnamon grows and grows, so it kinda goes Hamadryadish, although I can definitely still detect the woodsy vanilla below. About twenty to thirty minutes later, the cinnamon has backed off a bit and I smell kind of like a gourmet cinnamon bun... that's hunting. Uh, yeah. With the frosting like war paint. Like all the lunacies, super-long-time after, I get a breath of the cool, damp, wet florals that I've grown to appreciate. It's quite a transformation. But yes, red. Crimson. Fiery. Burgundy, crushed velvet and deep blood silk draped over a chaise. There's some faint incense smoke in the background and you can feel the predatory air... uh... where am I?

The Chariot, The Magician, The High Priestess, and The Star... Here's my take on these oils. They're not so much 'perfume' as they are functional, but it's still an important part of enjoying the oils, I know The Chariot - it is anise on me, and a very sharp, herbal. It's quite potent - anise, horehound, sassafrass, astringent, almost bitter. I would advise against this if you are a woods/myrrh person, this is quite powerful. The Magician - it reminds me of Anubis's embalming herbs, and has an incense streak. Definitely a brush of anise, but not like Chariot's uber-anise punch. There also seems to be a mild touch of lavender, but it's not the feature. It's reminiscent of Magus's galangal, lemony-woodsy. There's definitely some clove. When I wear this, at least, I do get occasional whiffs of banana peel. The High Priestess - kind of almond-y, definitely is the closest to myrrh (although I think it's a warmer, drier sandalwood) that somehow morphs into a sweet mint. It's very pleasant quite evocative of 'enlightenment.' The Star - a favorite here, it seems. It is lemongrass, coconut, vanilla and sweet spices on me. Very tropical, it's a tasty drink at the beach. It's definitely -not- resinous to me, and dries down to a milky cream. If you like sweet, spicy resinous scents I recommend: Malkuth from the Sephiroth Line (sweet, vanilla spicy, rosewood) The Hierophant (ecclesiastic resins, a little almond) Justice (slightly musky, golden amber) Judgement (Red Sandalwood) Binah from Sephiroth (galbanum, benzoin-esque resins) ETA: The Hermit - pine/fir oils, over a lightly damp, rocky base. It's pretty green, not really resinous, but evocative of mountains to me at least.

Tomorrow I go dressed as Hades to class... Black Toga, crown of berries and skeletal-looking branches, a blue and gray rose pin on my toga, and a pomegranate in hand. I think I'll put on Thanatos, just because... well... it'd be fitting. Heh. Er... ETA... well, of course, HADES would be more appropriate to wear, but it's not a favorite... so, Thanatos it is!... although technically Hades was lord of the underworld and a separate god wa.... ok, ok... whatever

Impression: Spices, Patchouli, Amber, Incense Definitely a smoky, woodsy incense note with a big whiff of patchouli on top. Maybe a hint of mint? On my skin this is all sweet and pungent woods united by a subtle honey sweetness. As it dries further, it starts becoming more and more spicy – I can kind of feel the heat of the blend as a subtle ginger cinnamon creeps up (wow!) and now Malkuth crescendos into a spicy, smoky, magical incense made of enchanted woodbark and swirled through with freshly ground cinnamon and a whiff of ginger. This is akin to Hamadryad – spicy woods, without the floral. A very heated, potent oil, so spicy it kind of burns my skin! But amazing nonetheless. Dries down similar to Chimera, without so much floral. A pure spicy wood fragrance. A half hour later, there’s an underlying sweetness that grounds the spiciness wondrously.

Impression: Aquatic, light white florals... --> JASMINE Freaky, I sniffed each Sephiroth prior to reading its description, and I immediately thought of bubbling waters when smelling Yesod… reading later that it represents the ‘source of the living waters.’ It smells cool and refreshing, with a hint more jasmine and lotus, blended with a light ozone. On me, it goes right to jasmine, but since my skin amps that note, it may not be characteristic of the entire scent. Minutes later… yep, jasmine. Darn my skin. But I would describe Yesod as a potent white and wet floral with perhaps a hint of water and wind swirled through. Hours later, this is still jasmine on me. Your mileage may vary.

Impression: Sweet Tea, Vanilla and Musk - a fruitier Dorian. Ohkay… I don’t think I can do this scent justice. It reminds me from the bottle immediately of Dorian, however much less ‘sweet’ and blended with a touch of fruit musk, although not to an overbearing degree. There’s a mild, sweet spice to it, sort of an undercurrent of smooth spices, but mostly I get a beautiful, slightly astringent vanilla with a touch of edible spice. Most likely… clove! It’s frankly amazing. I love it.

Impression: Rose and Myrrh Immediately get a whiff and recognize a blend of dewy, sweet florals, led predominantly by rose. This means this blend probably won’t work on me… but I’m giving it a shot. Starts off with a faint, wet floral mixed with a blend of resins, predominantly myrrh. Over time, on me, the rose starts to grow louder and louder and I’m left with a pretty, but one-dimensional, rose. However, that’s my skin chemistry. If the rose hadn’t lifted up and overwhelmed the rest of this scent, it would have been a perfectly balanced, deep resin-rose. Not quite the same as Tiphareth, since it’s heavier on the florals and not quite as… ‘sacred’ incense feeling.