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On me, Violet Ray is a soapy floral. It's sweet, with a bit of coldness from the mint. I also get ozone, which is probably contributing to the soapiness. Hmm. After a while, I also get more lilac, which I don't really like because lilac usually makes me sneeze. It's just strong and sharp in my nose. I was looking forward to this because I like violets, but ozone never plays well with me, so I guess I should have known.

Hmm, I don't really like this one. I like musks, but this is a very strong, dusty musk that doesn't suit me. There's a musty quality to it that reminds me of patchouli, maybe. Going to wash it off.

Seconding Ded Moroz, which gave me that Vicks Vaporub feeling at the back of my throat. I think it's the "snow" note that does that. Also, The Jersey Devil smelled like berry-scented cough drops to me, and I thoughr The Montauk Project had an herbal-medicinal quality as well. (I think it was the cypress.)

I immediately thought of The Illustrated Woman, which is one of my favorites. First of all, the Illustrated Woman is a redhead. She's also creative, but tough and not syrupy sweet. When I think of that scent, I always think of a seasoned barmaid who's seen it all - sort of an old soul, like you said. Maybe it'll be a good fit for you. The Jane Austen thing immediately made me think of Cordelia, which reminded a some people in the reviews thread of a Jane Austen character sipping tea in her garden with the lilacs. Also, Wilde for more literary inspiration. Saint-Germain, which a lot of people described as intelligent and sexy. (It didn't work for me, but I'm trying to put my bias aside!)

Iambe is definitely not what I was expecting. It goes on really sweet, fruity and almost sparkling, which I think is the white tea. The tea note was very subtle on me, just lending the blend a tea-like quality. The bulk of the scent reminded me of a syrupy peach, which I think was the amber and the gardenias coming together. I tend to amp sweet smells like amber, and this was no exception. I see some reviewers have commented that it smells like watermelon or Jolly Ranchers, and I can see that. I am not a foodie scent person at all, and I don't tend to like super sweet things, but this one was not bad. Definitely very sweet in a thick, fruity syrup way, but very pretty. The patchouli wasn't strong on me at all. I just feel like it added a bit of earthiness to the scent to combat the sweetness. Overall, this is a pretty scent. I can't see myself wearing this very often, since I'd have to be in the right mood to wear something so sweet, but I'm definitely going to keep my imp to test again later.

Wet: The lily was very strong when I first applied it, and I didn't get much else. It was kind of sharp and perfume-y, a bit soapy. Dry: This settles down so that the lily is not as sharp or soapy. It's still strong, but not as perfume-y. I get some sweet fruit underneath it, as well as a bit of spice from the ginger. I get the frankincense, but it's not too strong yet, thank god. It just kind of rounds it out a bit. It's been on my wrist for about 30 minutes now, and it's warmed up to something nice. I love florals, but BPAL's florals can be a bit hit or miss on me. I think this is working pretty well, though. Overall: Very strong lilies throughout, tempered by a subtle spicy-fruit scent from underneath. I am definitely keeping my imp to try again.

When I first applied this, I got strong, smoky incense. It was so strong that I dabbed a bit off of my arm with a napkin. When I went to sniff again, I got a lot of rose. I like rose, so this isn't bad, but I do get a bit of a laundry detergent vibe from it. As it dries, I get more of the wood and the tobacco, and the rose fades a bit. It is definitely a dark, smoky blend. I like this, but I prefer to wear incense as supporting notes, so this is a bit strong for me. But I think anyone that enjoys incense and tobacco should try this.

In the imp and wet: Dishwashing soap, straight up. Dry: As it dries, the strong soap smell fades a bit, but not much. This is a floral blend, although I can't really identify anything specific. After a while, I get two different scents - one is the heady, soapy floral, and the other is the cedar sage, which is sweet and herbal. It's gorgeous, and I wish I was getting that on its own, but the soapy floral is overpowering it. Overall: I mostly get soap at first. Dries down with a sweet, herbal cedar sage, but the soapy floral overpowers it the entire time. Not for me.

This smells to me very similar to Fairy Wine to me. I definitely get the honey and berries, and there's a sharp, tart sweetness to it that I got with Fairy Wine - definitely a honey/fruit wine scent. But it's softer than Fairy Wine, probably because of the vanilla. I amp vanilla and sweet scents, so after a while the vanilla gets stronger on me, but otherwise this didn't morph very much. I like this a lot, although it is definitely very sweet and I don't usually do sweet scents. This is a grown-up sweet fruit scent, though. I might try to hunt down an imp (I'm testing an empty), before I decide whether or not I need a full bottle. Overall, I think fruit and honey lovers will really like this one.

In the bottle: Woods and something very sweet, like candy. Wet: Wow, not expecting all that cypress! It's got a strong medicinal quality. I think it cleared my sinuses! It's also very sweet, and I'm not entirely sure what I'm picking up on here - floral, maybe? some kind of sweet herb? It smells a bit like bubblegum. Familiar somehow, but I can't quite place it. And duh, looking at the note list again, I see "black gum" listed. I guess that's the sweet smell I'm getting. Dry: After about an hour, the scent has died down, although I'm still getting a sweet-wood-medicinal smell. A bit of floral. It's not unpleasant, but it's also not something I really want to smell like. I tend to amp sweet scents, so this might not be as strong on someone else. Overall: Strong at first, with a medical wood and sickly sweet bubblegum scent. It dies down after a while, but it's a strange smell and it's not for me.

I think of all the Helicopters, this is the one I was most excited about since I like tobacco, wood, and "masculine" scents. We'll see how it goes! In the bottle: It's not very strong, but I get the men's cologne and polished wood. Wet: I'm still getting the cologne at the forefront, with a bit of wood and cigarette smoke. It's not unpleasant to me. The men's cologne smells like the expensive kind. Dry: As it dries, I get more of the tobacco smoke. I was kind of hoping to get more of the wood, but so far this is definitely a cologne scent, with a layer of smoke on top. About an hour later, I'm getting a bit of everything now - wood, cologne, cigarette smoke/ash, and some metal in the background. The ash is not as unpleasant as I expected it to be, but combined with the metal (which always reminds me of a hair salon, for some reason...the chemicals, I guess), I'm not feeling this. Overall: Cologne first, then the smoke and ash comes out, followed by the wood and something metallic. On the right person, I think this would be sexy, but I didn't love this one.

Ah, okay, thanks!

Does anyone have any suggestions for carrier oils? I would love to make an oil spray for after I get out of the shower, but I don't know which carrier oil would mix best. (I know this will vary by blend, but I thought maybe someone has had good experience with a particular oil.) Right now, most of the blends I use are fairly viscous and I don't have any sludge-y blends like Boomslang. I would also like to keep some oil, diluted with some carrier oil, in a roller ball applicator for travel and work. So any suggestions for carrier oils for that purpose would be nice as well (i.e. are any of them too thick? I think I've had this problem with oils before). Right now, I have access to jojoba oil, cherry kernel, and grapeseed. I've been thinking about ordering some sweet almond and avocado, but I suspect those might lend a bit of their own scents to the mix. Thoughts on any of this?

Ah, looking at the ingredients, I really wanted to like this! Unfortunately, on me it smelled like floral laundry detergent, or maybe a generic floral body mist. It was sharp and floral in a way that irritated my sinuses when I took a deep sniff. I got a bit of citrus in it as it dried down, maybe a whiff of peach, but I wasn't able to pick out any individual notes. On me, the scent was not very complex. As far as throw, it was pretty strong on me. I used two or three drops on the top of one arm, and I could smell it pretty strongly without putting my arm up to my nose. *sigh* Still in search of my perfect floral, I think.

Oh, I do that! I apply directly from the bottle/imp, slathering it on the tops of my forearms, lightly patting my wrists/forearms together and then lightly patting my forearms against my throat. I don't apply to my chest, but I might start doing that as well. I lament the imps I've wasted by applying them directly from the imps with the applicator. I thought of imps mostly as testers that I would just throw away or pass to a friend if I didn't like them. I wasn't thinking about skin oils or contaminating the oil. Also, I usually try oils when I get to work, and it's so awkward opening an imp, turning the cap over and setting it down (without spilling any oil or getting it all over your fingers), cutting a coffee stirrer into sections, dipping it in and applying the oil, then picking up the imp and closing it up again. It's so messy! *sigh* I will add that coffee stirrers, like Q-tips, are also like mini pipettes! I think they will work better with bottles than imps.

This was not what I was expecting! I got the imp, then checked the forum and saw that it was pure root beer, so I put off trying it. I'm not a foodie person, and I did not want to smell like sickly sweet root beer all day. But today I was just in the mood for it, so I tried it, and I'm glad I did! Wet: Definitely root beer, but more herbal and complex. This is very light and not too sweet. I will have to slather, I think. (Just went back to reapply, slather-style. Ah, that's better.) It definitely has that effervescent quality of cream soda. Dry: As this dries, it gets sweeter, but not sweet like a mouthful of root beer. I mean, I love root beer, but it tastes very sweet and this doesn't smell as sweet as root beer tastes, if that makes sense. It's also funny because I press my nose close to smell my arm, and I don't get much of a scent until I pull away and it gets the back of my nose. Sort of like a dessert that tastes sweeter after you've swallowed it. Also, I get wafts from it without pressing my nose in close. This is very elusive! I love it. Along with the root beer, I'm also getting a bit of vanilla, woods, and general earthiness. Just enough extra stuff to keep it interesting. I might be getting a bit of the butter, but I think it does more to cut the sweetness a bit than to make me actually smell like butter. Overall: Definitely root beer, with the emphasis on the herbal, earthy, bubbly aspects rather than the sugar. I didn't expect to like this, but I really do. I will keep my imp and see how often I use it, but I might break down and get a bottle someday.

Wet: I get the SO, and something aquatic but not really aquatic. I'm thinking this is the moss, but I'm not good at identifying moss quite yet so I can't say for sure. I agree with the "fuzzy green-brown" mentioned above, because that's what this smells like. Vanilla, spice, and something green-brown and fuzzy. Dry: I'm not really getting that this is a "green" scent. It doesn't feel very fresh and herbal to me. That green-brown fuzzy scent is still there, and now I feel like I'm getting something sort of dry and earthy, like patchouli. I also agree with the person somewhere above that mentioned it smelling a bit like chocolate. This is reminding me more of Boomslang than any of the other Snake Pit scents I've tried. On me, Boomslang was all patchouli over a very thin slice of spice-vanilla-chocolate, and this is similar just with a little more vanilla. I don't actively dislike it, but it's not really doing much for me either. Overall: I get a lot of patchouli and green-brown earthiness from this, over a layer of vanilla and what could be chocolate. I don't think this is for me.

In the bottle: A western wear store! Without a doubt. Wet: Still western wear store leather, but as it dries I get something else - the moss? the balsam? Maybe both. It's a strangely sour herbal/wood note. Dry: The leather is as strong as ever, and I'm still getting that sour note from the moss/balsam/whatever. I'm thinking it is definitely the balsam, which is growing stronger on me. I like most wood notes, but this combination is not working for me. Overall: Western store leather! Then balsam that goes a bit sour on me with this blend. I love the smell of western stores, but I don't want to smell like one.

Wet: This smells...I don't know. I think I can identify frankincense now, and I'm pretty sure that's what this is. It overwhelms everything, and I'm not sure I really like it. It's just kind of strong and perfume-y. Dry: The frankincense dies down a bit and I get a bit of floral now, maybe. I am getting no cream, no leather (which I was looking forward to). I am not really familiar enough with all of these notes to know what I'm smelling, or to pick up on the nuances of the scent. To me, the frankincense is basically overwhelming everything. ...as soon as I type that, I bend down for another smell and the whole scent has faded a lot, including the frankincense. How did that even happen? I'm getting the cream now, about an hour in, but it's faint. *sigh* Overall: Frankincense! After about an hour, the whole scent fades. This isn't really for me.

Black leather, oppoponax, tobacco, and black amber. In the bottle: Oh., I think I'm going to like this. I get the amber and the leather, and there is a bit of floral in there somewhere? I don't know what the other notes are supposed to smell like, so perhaps that's what I'm getting. Wet: The leather comes out a bit more when I apply it. I love the black amber. I fell in love with it when I tried Doc Constantine. It's sweet and buttery, and it doesn't go to powder on me after a couple of hours. And like Doc Constantine, Black Rider is a leather/black amber blend, so I already love it. I think the amber is a perfect complement to the leather, sweetening it and rounding it out. Dry: As it dries, I get the leather more and more. It's a bit sharp, but not overwhelming yet. And after a little while, it dies down a bit. I don't love this as much as I love Doc Constantine (sorry, I can't stop comparing them), perhaps because Black Rider is more leather and no musk. I like this blend and will definitely keep my imp, but I probably won't wear it much since I already have a similar blend that I prefer. Overall: Leather and black amber. Thumbs up! ETA: This is actually quite different from Doc Constantine. At the beginning, it's amber and leather, with a bit of tobacco that makes me think "sour." But just barely, and it doesn't ruin anything. After a bit, the tobacco dies down and the amber-leather shines through. It's very clean and sweet and just gorgeous. I put it on the top of my hand right before I got in the car, and the air conditioner blowing right over my hand let me smell the scent while I was driving. Guh, I'm in love.

In the bottle: Dishwashing liquid. Wet: Still a bit dishwashing liquid, with some earthiness behind it. It's kind of sweet, which I was not expecting, I think because I'm used to woodsier juniper notes and I didn't realize the juniper berry was going to be such a sweet berry smell. Mea culpa. Dry: Gah, still smells like soap! And it's a bit powdery now. A few minutes later, it's a bit woodsier, and the powdery dish soap has died down a bit but it's still there. This isn't working on me. After about 30 minutes, I am suddenly getting a lot of patchouli. I love patchouli in small doses, but this is a bit much for me. Better than dishwashing soap, though! Overall: I mostly got woodsy dishwashing soap. The dry down was better than the first 30 minutes, but I don't think this oil is for me.

I...wish I was getting what most people seem to be getting from this. In the bottle: Powdery, spicy floral. This is a very old-fashioned perfume, I think. Wet: Powdery, spicy floral. Dry: Overwhelming spicy floral powder. It is like a canister of floral talcum powder burst all over my arms, and I did not even apply that much. I had my hands in my lap and I could still smell it. I kept pulling down the sleeves of my cardigan so that the people in my carpool wouldn't smell it. I tried scrubbing it off when I got to work, and it is not going away. Also, my cardigan smells like it has been worn by a woman who wears too much perfume, then locked away in an attic somewhere for a long time. Overall: Spicy floral powder. Did I mention powder? Very strong throw. Not for me.

Wet: Musk. Gorgeous, clean, sweet musk. Oh god, I want to surgically attach my nose to my forearm. <3 Dry: Still a lot of musk, and it's beautiful. So deep and well-rounded. I also get the sweetness from the amber. As it dries, the leather comes out, and it's strong but clean and not scary at all. I get some woods too, but it's so well blended that it's hard to pick out individual notes. Overall: I just really need to own several dozen bottles of this. I think this is very much a unisex scent. It's sweet musk, leather, and woods. Nnngh, I want to bathe in this. Love it. ETA: The dry down is a gorgeous, buttery sweet resin with a bit of leather underneath. It did not go powdery on me at all. I've had it on for 7 hours now and it's still wafting up around me. Seriously, several dozen bottles in my next order.

Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk. In the bottle: Spicy dark chocolate, slightly musty. Wet: Same, only mustier. Smells more like patchouli than chocolate, actually! Also, it is incredibly dark and thick. It looks like I just swabbed my pale arm with iodine. I need a vial of clear, odorless carrier oil to mix over some of these darker blends! Dry: I'm still getting patchouli, mostly. Some wood and dark chocolate, some spices way in the background. This is gritty, not sweet. I am not getting any of the vanilla or rice milk. Except oh, there's a whiff. I'm only getting a tiny bit of the vanilla. Twenty minutes in and I'm really not feeling this. :/ I love patchouli as an accent note, but on me this is nothing but patchouli with a hint of chocolate, wood, and vanilla. Vanilla tends to amp on me, and even as I type this I am getting more of it, but it's really not enough to balance the mustiness of the other elements. An hour later and it isn't changing at all. Overall: Musty patchouli over a very thin layer of dark chocolate, wood, spices and vanilla. The patchouli completely drowns out the rest for me, so this doesn't work for me, but I can see where it would be a really decadent scent on others.

In the bottle: Sweet musk. Wet: Musk and woods, slightly sharp from the pine. It's still sweet, though. I really like it so far. Dry: Still musk, woods, smokey sweetness. Vanilla amps on me a lot, so I'm really hoping this doesn't dry down to a single sickly sweet vanilla note, because this is really pretty so far. And oh, this is so nice when it dries down. About 30 minutes in, the pine isn't sharp anymore, just cool and perfectly blended with the musky sweetness. And the sweetness is there, but it's not making me nauseous the way some of the sweeter blends do. I think the bit of patchouli helps dirty it up a bit. Please stay this way! ...and it does. It's so pretty and so complex, and it never goes sickly sweet on me. I love it. Overall: Musk, woods, and dirty smokey sweetness, all under a cool layer of pine. A unisex blend, I think. I'm definitely buying a couple bottles of this!