spanishviolet

I love candy corn, but hardly ever eat it because I don't want to commit to a whole bag, so I was really looking forward to getting my nostalgia fix from this scent. It's not quite what I was expecting. It doesn't smell like light sugar & honey, like the Brach's brand of candy corn I like. Maybe more like one of the cheaper brands ... It's very mapley and kind of buttery. Not much like candy corn on me, but still pretty tasty.

On me this is sugar, musk & spices. My roommate said I smelled like yummy cookies. I get a hint of smoke and only the tiniest echo of booze once it dries down. It's a little lighter than I was expecting, and fades in a couple of hours, but what a delicious couple of hours! Definitely going to need some more before this goes away!

This was the first of the patch I tried on. I was a little wary of the description - I love both notes, but wasn't sure I'd like them together. But once I'd opened the bottles and done the first sniff test, I had to try this first. It is divine! First I smell the pomegranate, but it's warmer than usual. The pumpkin gives it a rich underpinning - the scents don't clash, they just round each other out. I can see why some people might associate it with a candle, but there's nothing fake or waxy about the smell on me - it's all fruity warm deliciousness. ... I think I need more!

Smells like a library full of medieval books & maps, with sunlight coming from high windows onto burnished tables in the center of the room. The rosewood & leather give it a subtle richness. I love the way this smells, but I don't think I'd reach for it often. It's got a very neutral vibe, neither masculine nor feminine, and on me this is definitely a skin scent. I'll have to try it again & really slather to see if Dee & I will work out together.

I was a bit worried by the wine part of the description, since wine generally smells sour on me, but I needn't have been. This is, as everyone else has said, perfect fall beauty. Apple cider with a bit of florals, a bit of foody spices ... yum. The wine is an undernote that just adds richness to everything else. Haven't smelled last year's so I can't compare, but this is my favorite Lunacy so far. Perfect for fall (i.e. temperatures in the upper 80's - gotta love Texas). Hopefully I'll still have some left when it gets cold enough to wear scarves, because I want to smell this lingering on my warm & furry clothes!

Warm spicy roses with maybe a hint of incense ... I love this scent. It's what I was hoping for from Harlot, which turned soapy on me. These are enticing roses that lure you closer, not the overpowering kind that give you headaches. Absolutely gorgeous, and a perfect match for the story it's based on. Staying power is about average on me. Very glad I ordered this one!

Mmm. A gentle happy glow. I love the scent of lavender, but have long since given up trying to wear it on my skin since it always turns sharp. I think this scent has finally made it possible! At first, it's a warm lavender, bringing up happy nostalgic associations. After it dries a bit, I can smell more of the rosewood (giving it a smooth, burnished feel) and the tonka (more warmth). The patchouli seems to be kind of mixing with the rosewood - a dry spiciness. I seem to be just listing the ingredients here, but all together they're amazing. Classic, ladylike, and warm. Very happy with this imp!

Vanilla on a winter's day ... This reminds me of a perfume I wore in high school, but less over-the-top, more sophisticated. I guess that comes from a white musk? I'll have to agree with all the earlier reviews - sticks close to the skin, embodies a cool mineral beauty. Very calming & elegant. Definitely a keeper!

I didn't order this initially because I thought it would be minty, but when I heard reports of violetness, I tracked down an imp. It is, as mentioned above, very powdery. I can smell a little violet, but not much. And it's not a fresh sweet kind, it's both sharper and a little dusty. On me, it doesn't smell cold, but rather warm & clean - ozoney. Overall, Numb isn't unpleasant, but it's not really me. Might try it again later before I add it to the swap pile ...

I love cinnamon and I love almond (Eclipse is one of my favorites), so I was really looking forward to this one. I never really got any almond from it though, not even in the imp. Just straight-forward candy cinnamon, as opposed to the spicier foody cinnamons I prefer - I smelled exactly like Big Red gum. Pfooey - back to the Eclipse for me.

At last I get to smell the goodness too! I delayed ordering this because I was put off by earlier reviews reporting coconut, but that doesn't show up for me. Midway is pure funnel-cakey, cotton-candy, bit-of-salt yumminess. I love the undertone of vanilla, the beautiful label, and everything about this bottle - except maybe only having one of it ...

First impression: melons melons melons! Hmm. Once it's on: melon & a bit of pomegranate. Not quite as berryish as I was hoping for, but it seems to darken a little with time. It's always a very happy smell, but as it dries I can smell maybe the raspberries or currants. Overall, much lighter & more ... cantaloupey than I usually care to smell like, but good for carefree outings or relaxing days off. Maybe wearing this will help that sort of day happen more often!

Spicy and delicious! This combines the slightly-floral dragon's blood sweetness I loved in Dragon's Milk with the spiciness I crave, and leaves me smelling fantastic. It doesn't suggest anger to me so much as warmth & zestiness - I imagine it'll be extra welcome once the weather gets chillier. There'll definitely be a big bottle of Wrath in my next order!

Yum! Clovey, rosey, musky, amazing. The mixture of the rose, tobacco flower & musk lingers on me for hours, whereas most of my beloved bpal needs to be reapplied after two. This didn't seem decadent to me so much as full-bodied, womanly, intense (never overpowering, but always full of life). Just wearing it made the evening special - I waited to try my imp until a worthy occasion came along, & now I'm glad. I might not pay e-bay prices for a bottle, but I can definitely see why someone with a bit more expendable income than me would! This imp will be treasured for as long as possible ...

Supersweet peaches & vanilla! When I first applied it, it was almost too much, in the same way Hollywood Babylon was. I may need to apply this one with a lighter hand in the future ... After it dried down, I liked it a lot more. A warm & happy scent, with a vanilla that stayed good instead of turning into playdoh. The drydown was definitely worth wearing it again - maybe not every day (I'd rather eat peaches than smell like them), but often enough to keep the imp on hand.

I keep trying scents with coconut, even though it usually makes me queasy. With this scent, I finally know why! I picked up an imp from joseybird (thanks!) because the Star is one of the cards I feel most drawn to (especially this beautiful one from the Gaian Tarot). Freshly applied, I get a bright burst of LIME and coconut. I like lime, so this is good. After fifteen minutes or so, it settles into a bright white coconut & mint with some lingering lime influence. At last I am rewarded for my foolish persistence in coconut scents! This isn't foody at all, it's calming & beautiful. And it matches my mental image of the card exactly. Usually I'm not all that fond of citrus or mint, but I may have to get a big bottle of this sometime.

Though March marks the end of the desolation and chill of winter, it is not yet Spring, the time of rebirth, fertility and the Earth’s fecundity. March’s Full Moon is a Virgin’s Moon, pure, youthful, unsullied and innocent. This is the Moon of the Child, and the scent is as soft and gentle as a baby’s breath: milky blossoms and soft cream touch the last buds of winter, coupled with crystalline, bright traditional Lunar oils. I didn't get coconut from this, thankfully. It has the same milky quality as Milk Moon, but less so - where Milk Moon is honeyed, this is more buttery. Not that it's heavy - the flowers poke out after the first few minutes and keep things light. Overall, very pretty, but too similar to Milk Moon for me to track down any more of it. Glad I got to try the imp though!

Soft violets with a bit of honeysuckle & amber, eventually drying down to a light vanilla. I never smell any of the rose. It starts out slightly powdery, but only in a lusciously femme way, not an icky baby-powder way on me. The scent does fade fairly quickly, but I like to keep my bottle at work & sneakily reapply anyway, so I don't mind that too much. This is it - at last I have found the perfect violet! I usually prefer foody scents, but have a weakness for violets & honeysuckle, with the occasional rose, so I ordered this despite my fear of jasmine. I'm so glad I did! I almost wish I'd ordered an unprecedented third bottle, it make me so happy.

Picked up an imp of this because the spices sounded so good. In the imp & freshly applied, all I got was Irish Spring. Where were the spices? Is this what people mean when they say soapy? My guy liked it though - he said it smelled clean & good. I wasn't fond of that stage, but after half an hour I realized there was a yummy, light-chai smell wafting around in the car with me. Pepper - mmm! It faded after an hour and a half. On second wearing, I can appreciate the early clean scent on the way to light spicy goodness, but I don't feel the need to track down a bottle. I'll just enjoy my imp.

Had to try an imp of this because the reviews sounded spicy & people recommended it to those who love cinnamon. In the imp: pale floral. Smells like Arkham Revisited - flowers on the breeze. On me: Now I smell flowers & a hint of wood. I wouldn't mind more wood, but this is mostly a very light floral. Disappointing. After a while I can pick up a hint of spice, but it's cinnamon bark - very dry & just barely there, not the spicier, warmer cinnamon I prefer. Pretty, but not amazingly wonderful for me. I'll keep the imp for days when I feel all ladylike - they come up every now & then. Won't be needing a big bottle though.

Thought I'd reviewed this already ... This and Cerberus were the perfumes that brought me back to bpal. I had ordered some last year, but hadn't been back to the site in a long time (thus missing out on many a wonderful LE). But when I randomly checked out the site & saw this, I had to have it! I love bats, & belonged to this particular organization for a couple of years, so decided to try it even though these particular florals sounded like they might not suit me. The perfume itself is a pleasant light floral, herby rather than full-bodied. I didn't pick up too much of the lavender or honeysuckle - on me this was mostly lemon balm. It also faded pretty quickly. So, pretty but not really me. Still, I donated to the charity, and it made a perfect gift for my sister, whose taste in perfume differs radically from mine, and who is still a member of the charity 'cause she likes bats even more than I do.

I don't normally care for coconut, but the rest of the description sounded so wonderful - all sorts of figgy, almondy-milky goodness - that I couldn't resist. Also, I've been trying to expand my boundaries lately & try things I normally wouldn't, and in the past I've caught myself enjoying the smell of toasted coconut, so it seemed worth a try. When my imp arrived, my impression from the vial was a sort of green, light & creamy sweetness. Wet, it smelled green & creamy for the first minute, and then gradually I began to feel queasy. The next 20 minutes were an endurance test - all coconut all the time, but just creamy enough so that I didn't run for the soap & water. After about 40 minutes, the drydown was a fairly yummy lightly honeyed fig. Almost worth the beginning ... So I've learned a valuable lesson. Toasted or not, coconut is a boundary that is not meant to be expanded. Why make my stomach feel woobly when there are so many other delicious scents to wear? Too bad I can't skip to the end smell.

This was the first imp I tried today out of my brand-new pack. From the deep red color, I was expecting something a little spicier - just my own associations. But the dragon's blood is only mildly spicy on me. I'm still learning what that smells like, the only other dragon's blood scent I've tried is Tintagel, which has a lot of other stuff in it. At first I was a little disappointed it was so mild (I love spicy scents). But then I kept sniffing, and it's quite yummy. It is a lot like Dana O'Shee with a little more spice, and thankfully it lasts longer on me. Not superlong, but about average for my bpal length of wear. Also, I love the thickness & color of the oil when you first put it on, it makes it seem extra special. I think this will be a great at-home scent. It's comforting and happy, but doesn't waft much for me. Maybe a big bottle sometime in the future.

For the first twenty minutes or so I had this on, I was being absolutely smothered in orchids. My boyfriend said I smelled really good, and I'm glad he thought so, but I could barely stand the smell of my wrists & had to keep them trapped against my body for a while. Then all of a sudden, I was left with a lovely floral vanilla, not as foody as I usually like, but quite beautiful and ladylike. If I could only get there without that initial blast of orchid ... I'm glad I got to try this imp, but it has been passed on to a friend now. Maybe she likes orchids more than I do.

On me, my only thought was, "So that's what vetiver smells like." Dark-grassy & sharp. Later, some bitter almond came through, and I love almond, so that's all right. Definitely not the winner that Queen of Clubs was for me. On my guy - Pure almondy, spicy, green foody-foresty goodness! I must keep this around at all times so he can apply liberally.