Xiabelle

How does nobody mention Blood Countess? I adore it. Juicy, sexy, evil plums. Mmmm.

Empi Girl, you are not alone. Fresh on to me, it smelled like cheap, old perfume, the sort that has started to go bad with the alcohol drowning out everything. Very sharp and piercing... in fact it stabbed right in the middle of my head and would not stop. Instant headache. I had to wash it off. It settled a bit into more aquatic, but I just couldn't sit through it. All I smelled was sharp aquatic and seaweed, no mint or honey. So sad, by all rights I should have liked this.

This is fruity and sweet, with an odd sort of cherry note to me at first. But I like it. It's very pretty and fun. But when I put it on, it melds down quickly to just a sweet sugary scent.. I can smell it if I swipe my fingers in my cleavage (where it has that sweet-fruity scent to me still), but on my wrists? It vanishes. Poof. Gone! I need to sit on this for a few days to decide if I want to keep it. I love all the treats, so would have been happy with any of them, but this one is doing the vanishing act on me... And I don't like having to bathe myself in it. I don't know if it's actually being eaten, or I just have a scent blind spot.

Alas, I had such high hopes... Patchouli can be gorgeous on my skin. It depends on the patchouli, but sometimes it surprises me with how beautifully it sings. Not this one, though. In the imp it's woody patchouli with a hint of sweetness. I'm not so sure at this point, but things tend to morph a lot, so I forge onward. Fresh on, I get woody patchouli with the undernote of coconut and benzoin. Hooray, a coconut that works on me! But I expected this one to, because it's the right type of coconut. The benzoin sweetens it up. But it still has this dry, woody undertone that I'm not sure of. Dry... pencils. With dry flaked fresh coconut. Way too woody for me, way too cedary (which is bad), and just nothing that makes me particularly happy. Boo. I agree with a previous poster: pencil shavings and Lush's Coolaulin. Oh well, you can't win them all.

I wanted to love this. I did. After all, vanilla, grapefruit and jasmine? Jasmine often plays nice with me. Gardenia is hit or miss. In the bottle it was quite arresting. Hello citrus! And a bit of jasmine and vanilla. I wasn't sure, but I held out hope! Fresh on, I was assaulted by... dirty diapers. Vanilla-scented dirty diapers. It was truly a nightmare on my skin, and my skin LOVES vanilla. Amps it, and that makes me happy. But not here. It just did not smell good on me at all. After about two hours, it settled down to a lovely citrussy-vanilla, somewhat akin to dreamcicles. That I loved, but not enough to wait through two hours of smelling like diapers! I just recently sold it off in a swap. (I had the lab-labeled bottle, FWIW.)

Oh my. This is just beautiful. It's such a pale, translucent scent -- this is my favorite sort of aquatic, ethereal and dipped in florals. It does remind me, at first, a great deal of Black Moon, which is one of my top 10. In the bottle, it's clean and light. Very fresh. Once on my skin, wet, I can smell the orchid's sweetness tempered greatly by aloe and cucumber. It's very watery and clean, and quickly morphs through stages as it starts to dry down. The aloe and green tea, and a reminder of the bamboo (which I didn't like) from the asian moons comes out, too. About this point, I start worrying that I just can't handle this one. It has a... Holiday Moon or Spirits of the Dead vibe to me, and neither of those are favorites. But once it dries, oh, then it gets so much better. It stays clean and crisp and herbal for a bit, and almost vanishes. But after about 20 minutes, all of a sudden I get this gorgeous sweetness, like sugared flowers. It may be the juniper, because I know this note and have smelled this before, combining with the orchid? My skin loves orchid. Possibly more cucumber, too. I'm not too experienced with cucumber in blends. Whatever it is, it's just gorgeous and I think it's going to be in heavy rotation when I want something translucent. It doesn't last a really long time, so requires heavier slathering than usual. But I love it.

I'd been curious about this one for a while, so when I ended up with an imp, I was pleased. In the imp, it's sweet bubblegummy fruit, with something sharp lurking behind it. Hm. Not so bad. I think I like it. On me, though... that's a whole other story. I'm so glad someone else got the licorice vibe I did! Although upon further reflecting, I think it's more like anise. I was reminded strongly of some candy, with the fruity herbal note behind it, but I couldn't place what. Red licorice is too sweet.. maybe it's sort of like good n plenty. Any fruit is a muddle mess, and the sandalwood is amping. Usually I love sandalwood on me, and as it dries it softens some, so it does remind me, a bit, of a fruity Morocco. But there's something sharp and alcoholic in there still, probably the pomegranate, which tends to turn to cough syrup on me. Off for the swap pile!

Count me as another who is disappointed in Milk Moon. I rather like my little imp of the original -- it's not an everyday wear thing, but it doesn't turn terribly sour on me. But this one, well.. In the bottle, I just cringed. It smelled very sour to me. Sort of like buttermilk or yogurt with an undercurrent of fruit. Fresh on, not much better. I'm not sure what it is, maybe the fig, but add me to the pina colada folks.. but I don't know that it's really got coconut, because coconut tends to make me nauseous. But it smells JUST like pina colada yogurt. It stays thisway for quite a while. After a good half-hour at least it dries down to something better and soft and sweet, but I just can't make it through the opening stages. It's too much like sour milk. My bottle already has a new home lined up...

This is my favorite 13 yet! I'm not a big foody girl, although I like chocolate and cocoa as an accent note to add depth. But most straight-up foody scents and I don't get along. But I'm so glad this works, because it has some of my favorite notes in it. In the bottle, it's spicy chocolate with an herbal edge. When I put it on, it just blossoms. The chcoolate mellows and the cardamon and clove comes out in spicy goodness. Yummy. The chamomile and catnip add a backdrop to it.. it really reminds me of chocolate chai. I keep getting a tea note, and I'm sure it's the herbs. Sandalwood is gorgeous on me, so it really mellows and smooths it out. The drydown fades on me, though... I kept getting beautiful wafts when I first out it on, but now I just smell soft spicy herbs when I sniff my wrists.. I have a feeling this will need many reapplications. But it's fantastic, and I'm sure the oil will meld even more beautifully after it has time to age a bit -- I find many oils are better for me after a few weeks.

I got a click-n-ship last night for an order I placed on April 13. So it looks to me like the turnaround time is around 3 weeks right now. Check the CnS thread under Bpal Chatter for an idea of where things are in the queue... From what I've gathered, the lab harvests orders weekly, I think -- so, you may have an order sit there for a while in pending status (from the authorization) or it may go through quickly. I just reverified this with my online banking. Two charges cleared for me on April 16: one order was made for Milk Moon on 4/3, the other was made for 13 on 4/13. I THINK this means that they're going to start work on that batch of orders. I could be making this up though, too. FWIW, of the orders I got charged for on April 16, I received the CnS for my April 3 order on April 27, and I received the CnS for the 4/13 order on 5/3. I made another order with the trading post (which will be on a different schedule) yesterday, and it's still in pending status. So, no real answers for you, but given the order was made during a non-peak time (like, not when there was a huge update) I suspect it may come pretty quickly once they get through the orders made around the time 13 was released. Turnaround time seems to be around 3 weeks right now, and I know I get my orders within 2 days of the CnS.

Blood Countess is one of my absolute favorites. What do you like about it? For me, I like the fruity, juicy plum with a hint of floral. You like some of my favorites, though... Although I hate O, but that's because my skin amps honey to sickening proportions. Another almost impossible to find: Snake Charmer. Mmmmm. GCs: Snake Oil is sexy as hell and lasts forever. Antique Lace: gorgeous vanilla Bathsheba Bordello (which I also dislike, but my skin turns any wine note into grape koolaid... I so wanted to like it.) LEs: Antonino is lovely

OMG! What the hell was I thinking when I first tried this one? I was convinced that I didn't like it -- too floral, too strong, just plain ick on me. This is absolutely gorgeous. Maybe aging it a couple of months helped, since I didn't touch it for a while. The orchid is there first and foremost, and it combines with the other florals to give a rich, heady floral. It reminds me of these gorgeous roses my mom had once at first, but then it settles down and is heady, glorious orchid (my favorite floral note) mixed with more flowers and an undercurrent of vanilla. I can see the fruitiness.. it's there, but not overpowering on me. As it dries down, I get rich orchid laid over a gorgeous base of vanilla. And it's a rich vanilla, darker and sultrier than the fresher vanillas I'm used to. My skin adores vanilla in all forms, so this is wonderful for me. There's a hint of musk, but it's efinitely skin musk. This is very warm and sexy and it's going to be making its way into my regular wear. I love the fruity, soft florals.

My top three choices for my wedding were: Antique Lace (which I wore, at husband's request, because he adores it on me), Snake Charmer and Regan (which is VERY bridal to my nose). Of course, none of those really fit what you're asking for. Three Brides leaps to mind as a possibility, though. I actually bought it with the intent of possibly wearing it. But others... Kuang Shi, Queen Mab or Baghdad? I love Morocco, but it's all sexy soft woods on me (I did consider wearing it too, though.)

Snake Oil with red mandarin, myrrh, and almond. When I first put this on, I didn't much like it. Holy cherry almond, batman! It's that almond-almond-almond scent that makes me dislike most almond scents. Then the myrrh started coming out, and myrrh is all hit or miss on me. The intial phases of this were bright, sweet almond that gradually dried to a very dusty blend. Bitter almond, myrrh and dust. Lots of dust. Maybe a hint of citrus, but... It's mostly stale marzipan and I'm terribly disappointed. However! Two hours later, this is OMG yum. I'm sorry I ever doubted you... This is fantastic lighter Snake Oil, sweetened with a hint of almond and citrus. Yummy. Not sure if I need a bottle yet, but it makes it as a contender.

I don't usually care for jasmine... This is a bright, sweet floral in the bottle, very clear and bright. It's lovely, but I'm not sure since usually I'm not a bright floral girl. On, it's all sweet jasmine and pear with... I'm not sure what else. Perhaps the orchid. Or the lily? It's really lovely, and I quite like it. It's feminine, but it doesn't smell like I bathed in flowers. Just sweet and bright and clear. It's starting to settle down, and the musk is coming out too... veyr beautifully blended and it's just gorgeous on my skin. I keep getting wafts up ...

MCCLII (1253) This is one of my second batch of Chaos Theories, and I just can't decide how I feel about it. This is definitely an autumn or winter scent to me. It reminds me of sweet pine or pine sap -- there's a definite herbal atringency, but there's a definite pine intensity to it too. It reminded me a bit of Talvikuu from memory, but when tested next to it, there was a definite stronger pine scent to it -- on me, Talvikuu is sweet evergreen, while this CT is more walking in a forest at dusk. It dries down sweeter It's a bit too much for me, so I think it's going to go on the swap pile. And, of course, keep in mind that my nose can be notoriously bad at picking notes out; it's just my impression.

Oh, so hard.... XLVIII (48) When I first sniffed this after getting it, my thought was 'Wow, yummy and warm with something lovely...' I was all congested then, though, so didn't try anything on since I could barely smell. It's a pale oil. So I wore it today. I'm terrible at note identification, so be warned, Wet: Sweet and lovely. Not sure what it is, but it's got a spicy kick to it, while still being warm... but it's not lush and heavy. It's light. Drydown: That's.... floral. It's definitely a floral. But a very spicy one. It's very clove-like, I think. My first thought was Lush Skinny Dip, violets and cloves. There's something powdery in here that I can't identify. But it's not quite right... Stock, maybe? This smells a LOT like a Stock flower does, all warm clovey floral. But it reminds me of Baghdad maybe, too. Maybe it's carnation I'm smelling. It's a beautiful elegant floral with a hint of powder. Amber maybe? A few hours later: Jasmine! Or stargazer lily. I swear, this reminds me of Bearded Lady, right down to the soft powder and high sweet floral and a hint, just a hint of vanilla. BL is one of my favorites. I don't smell the spice anymore. And now, almost faded: There's definitely vanilla or benzoin in here.... it's the same note that's in Snake Oil and Snake Charmer, too, because my wrists have the same chocolatey rich shadow of a scent I get in the final drydown from them. Of course, I could just be on crack with these associations, because sometimes things that remind me of other scents smell nothing like them. In summary: I like this one. It's a spicy floral that fades to a sweeter, lighter floral. And it's just the sort of floral I'm willing to wear.

I get positive reactions from the boy whenever I wear Antique Lace or Snake Oil. Plus, the men in my department have walked into my office and said 'What smells good? Is that YOU?' when I'm wearing them, too. O didn't work for me, but then I hated it, and he thought it smelled like baby powder.

Blood Countess is my latest GC bottle. It's gorgeous. Definitely recommend it!

For all that I generally despise lavendar and think it smells like weeds, this is a blend whose scent I actually don't mind. Whatever the other florals are in it, it gives it a sweetly herbal quality that I rather like. It's instantly relaxing, and while I wouldn't wear it as a perfume, to sleep -- swabed in the hollow of my throat and touched to my temples -- it does the trick. I do find that I sleep well and get up feeling quite well-rested as soon as the alarm goes off with this. Surprising, really -- I sleep deeply already but this seems to enhance it. I wore it last time the boy was over and he told me that I tossed and turned and whacked him a few times, which is very unusual for me. (Granted, I'd also combined it with Baku.) No idea what caused it. I did notice I'd torn the sheets up a bit, but I can't tell: am I sleeping restlessly but not noticing? Weird. I wake refreshed, though, so I'm happy.

I love peaches, so I decided that I needed to expand my collection. In the imp, this is glorious: bright clear peaches and something bubbly and sweet. I just love it. It reminds me a lot of Tamora. Fresh on, I swear this is a dead-ringer for Tamora. It must be the peach and heliotrope, because that's all I smell. But as it starts to dry down a bit, it changes. Whereas Tamora, for me, is peaches and cream in the sunshine, Fae is an ethereal peach orchard. There's still sunlight, but it's gossamer-bright light, rather than warm golden hues. Really, this seems like the same white musk in Antique Lace to me, because it has that same high, clear powdery sweetness to me In the final dry down, I smell white musk, sweetened and tempered by peaches and the heliotrope. I don't find the oakmoss at all (good thing.) It's very very pretty and I like it a lot, but it's actually too similar to both Antique Lace and Tamora for me to really feel I should keep it.

Another vote for Snake Oil. It's dead sexy on me. And Tombstone as well, which I like even more. It's sweet, sexy and warm -- not particularly spicy, but it's amazingly beautiful on me. My skin adores vanilla, and always amps it up gorgeously.

On me and my resin-loving skin, this is almost all resins. Seriously, this is one where I thought 'Wow, I smell like tree sap!' then went 'Duh! Resins, nitwit!' Overall they're definitely soft, sweet resins. Very natural smelling, given I felt I was out among seeping trees and fresh-cut plants. The rose is very faint and soft on me, almost to the point where I don't pick it up at all, but it's enough to keep it from being too much resin. I'm going to let this one age a bit to see what it does, because I'm not actually sure that it's me.

I'm not a huge floral girl, but I have found a couple I like. (I'm a resin and spice fan, myself.) Regan is lovely, IMO. Eos is amazing and smells so much like spring -- the buttercups are amazing. Even though it has sandalwood, give Zephyr a try. It smells like spring air to me. And it's not really a floral, but Tamora is spring and summer in a bottle to me.

SeaJewel, I've had to stop trying oils on the boy because they bite him. I swipe a tiny bit on the back of his wrist, and he gets an irritated rash on his skin that lasts a few days. Fortunately, he's not getting him too bad - I don't think it was itchy, but I basically just dragged an imp-wand across his skin once. And these weren't necessarily harsh oils, either. Bizarre! I think any reaction has the capability of becoming worse. For me, when they bite, they just turn my skin red then it goes away after an hour tops. And usually it's things like Bengal, with loads of cinnamon. (Chimera seemed fine; pity it turns to bready plastic on me.) If it itches, though, I scrub it off with Dawn soap. Have you tried diluting them with a carrier oil? I've become a huge fan of my jojoba oil.