terrierhead

I'd read through this thread and stopped using BPAL the instant I knew I was pregnant. However, for three weeks until I tested, I slathered myself daily in Shub. (I was having symptoms that I thought were bad PMS and thought there was no way I could be pregnant! ) I'm at 14 weeks now with no known problems from using the oil, but I'm wondering what effects might have happened and what my doctor should be on the lookout for. I told my doctor about the oil and she said that she wasn't sure what the risk was from it. My husband e-mailed the lab but we haven't gotten a response. Since it's Shub, I'm not precisely sure what's in it. I also had some exposure to Water of Notre Dame, but not much. Any help from anyone out there would be sincerely appreciated.

To me, Othello qualifies as a foody scent. The roses, spices and some creamy note (maybe my nose's odd interpretation of musk?) mimic a favorite desert of mine - rice pudding with rosewater - from a local Middle Eastern cafe. Yum.

I got an entire bottle of Shub unsniffed - a Christmas present from my husband. I seem to have got a bottle with very little if any lemon. It's all warm gingers, spices (nutmeg? cinnamon?) and soft incense with some amber, perhaps. Throw is fairly decent, and it lasts an average length of time for me. I'm enjoying the delicious wicked gingersnap fragrance! My only issue is that the oil burns my neck slightly when applied. I don't have any problems with the oil on my wrists or hair, though. A keeper!

Give Death On A Pale Horse a go. It's got patchouli, but seems very clean.

I thought Yuki-Onna was a bit sharp and aggressively lemony, but pleasant. My darling husband, on the other hand, said it smelled like men's room disinfectant. ::sigh:: Off to swaps for my imp, I think.

I was dying to try Brides o' Dracula for the lily and spices. Regrettably, all I get from my sample is honey, musk and the lightest touch of floral. On skin, the floral note evaporates, and I'm left with honey musk. It reminds me strongly of a Coty musk scent from the 80's - I think it was called Skin Musk, and it came in a round, frosted bottle - with honey mixed in. Nice, but not what I was looking for. Darn skin chemistry!

I'm trying last year's HM for the first time today, after receiving it in a swap last winter. Because I'm odd about LE's - what if I fall in love and can never get more? I get spiced apples, cider and very little else. It's yummy and autumnal, but no worries that I'll go out of my mind trying to find more of it. I'm saving my imp to use up when cooler weather comes.

Ohhhh, yum! This stuff is good. It's lemony floral but not a grab-your-nose-and-run lemon. It's understated, warm and (thanks to the sandalwood) glowy. I never expected to love sage as much as I do, but none of the lab's sage blends has failed for me yet. Must get more!

I finally broke down and decanted some 13 out of my bottle last night and tried it this morning. I don't know why I hadn't tried it before - I guess just too many sniffies and imps competing for my attention. In the bottle, 13 is lush, creamy chocolate with orange and possibly hazelnut. I don't detect the floral notes or tea at all. Wet, the scent continues with its chocolate-y lusciousness. I was so, so thrilled with this until it dried down and turned to chocolate pencil shavings. :Sigh: I'm saving my decanted imp for trying again later, but have added the bottle to my swaps list.

In the Imp: Uh oh. Butter. I don't like to smell like butter. As a good BPALer, I feel that I have to give this a shot, though. Wet: Burst of butter with an underlying deeper, starchy note and a cherry and pineapple top note - I'd say more pineapple than cherry. Picture standing at a table with a fruit covered cake sitting next to a great big bowl of butter-covered mashed potatoes. Interesting. I think I'll swap it out. Dry: The mashed potatoes are gone, and it's all rich, buttery pineapple upside-down cake. For some reason, this buttery scent isn't just tolerable, it's gorgeous. This is terrific! 30 minutes later: I can't take my nose away from my wrist, and give in and slather more fragrance onto my wrists and neck. I need at least another imp, and maybe a bottle. ETA: I figured out what else this smells like besides pineapple upside-down cake. It's creme brulee! Oh my, this is heaven.

I got Chaos Theory number CCXXXIX (239, according to an online Roman numeral translator). In the bottle (which is very full!), it smells like a really good balsam shampoo. The oil itself is a brown red color and is rather thick. On, the fragrance is similar to Tombstone, but with some significant differences. I definitely get sassafras and vanilla - perhaps vanilla musk - but the wood note is sweeter and less dusty. I'm pretty sure it's sandalwood. The result is sweet but not cloying and, to my nose, masculine. There's something dry in there, too, but I can't figure out what it might be. I just opened my bottles of Tombstone and the CT and sniffed them side by side. Tombstone is much sweeter - it makes the CT smell darker and drier, in comparison. The strong rootbeeriness of Tombstone is absent in the CT; CT CCXXXIX is more subtle, not to imply a lack of staying power. I put on a tiny drop of the fragrance three hours ago, and it's still going strong. I tend to be a slatherer, but with this it's not necessary. I'm imping some of this out for my husband, as he's a huge fan of Tombstone, but might not wear it myself because it seems too manly for me. Here's proof that there are masculine blends in the Chaos Theories!

In the bottle, this is an amber floral with a bright overtone. There's definitely the impression of golden light. On me, the amber comes out, which is a little unfortunate because amber turns to baby powder on me. It's still very pleasant - a powdery bouquet of carnations with no lemon in sight. I was worried that the honeycomb and vanilla musk would overpower the scent and make it too sweet, but they stay nicely in the background. ETA: An hour later, all I detect is powdery amber. Uh oh. Darn skin chemistry! I'll try the scent again, but if I have the same results my bottle will be finding a new home.

Lovely, refreshing and businesslike. I enjoy the lemoniness of Phobos, and the grapefruit grounds it so it's not too sweet or sour. Something in this - the white musk? - really holds the scent to my skin for hours. This is definitely a keeper.

Oh, do I adore Shattered. I got imps of three of the resurrected grapefruits in my last order, and Shattered was first on my list to try. To tell you how good they are, Shattered is my second favorite but I'm utterly in love with it. It's a creamy mint with a citrus edge and a slite floral tinge on me. Perfect for the muggy, hot weather we've got right now. I'm trying to restrain myself from buying a big bottle right this instant, but it's not easy.

I just got an imp of Beltane in a "surprise" pack I'd ordered from a kindly forumite whose name I can't recall. I'm pretty sure this is the 2006 version because of its grassiness. I'm fond of it because, once on skin, it smells like a walk through an actual spring garden. I detect small white flowers (baby's breath?) and a soft dirt note along with the grasses, and the barest suggestion of earth. I've got an imp of the 2005 Beltane as well which I haven't touched because I was afraid I'd fall in love with it and not be able to get more. I'll have to try it now, though, so I can compare the two. I hope it's as lovely as this one.

I had to try Incantation after reading the BPAL HP thread; the scent was identified by a few people as the scent they'd pick for Severus Snape, everyone's favorite Potions Master. From the scent in the vial, I can see why. This is a deep scent with a lot going on in it - more than there seems to be at first. I definitely got a masculine impression from Incantation, and a favorable one at that. This would be *the* sex on a man. However, I couldn't help but try it on, myself. It smelled absolutely terrific. There's just one problem. It started to burn roughly 90 seconds after I applied it, and I ended up washing it off. Blast!

I haven't worn Spellbound very often because the dark color of the oil isn't compatible with the light colored tops that I usually wear. I get loads of complements from other women, which is a little curious to me - since I think it's like a cross between headshop incense and baby powder. Still, it's a fun blend for weekends.

The Lion is terrific. I wasn't expecting much from this imp, gifted to me by a generous forumite who I met at the Kansas City meet and swap event last month. Amber usually goes straight to baby powder on me. However, the Lion stays rich and spicy for hours. The scent has considerable throw when first applied, but the throw decreases with dry-down and becomes a close to the skin scent. I will be buying a bottle of this.

Wow, this was odd. I've had a decanted imp of Moxie, bought from a forumite, for about two months. I grabbed it yesterday and applied a bit to one hand. In the imp, it's gorgeous - slightly bitter citrus with warm ginger (I think). Dry, it turns to corn tortilla. I suppose it's nice, but not what I was after.

I think Sycorax got this one just right. This is an idealized Tokyo and is just fantastic. My only issue with the scent is that it doesn't last long on me. I've used a third of an imp today because I keep re-applying to keep that delicious scent clouding around me.

In the imp, this is strong cinnamon with a citrussy backdrop. Wet, it rushes forth as cinnamon gum with an international tinge - like a more sophisticated gum with a lot of stamps on its passport. Drying down, I get a glimpse of the rose every now and then before the whole thing turns into spicy baby powder. Off to swaps for this one, I think.

I really liked this in the imp, particularly the lilies and what I think is violet. ::is new:: Unfortunately, the second this touches my skin, it turns ultra soapy, to the point that my thought on smelling my wrist was "wow, that's the soapy scent that somethimes pops up in reviews." It's really too bad, since it's lovely in the bottle and I love the sentiment behind this scent. It's joining its friends in the swaps box.

I get a lot more clove out of this than apricot, which is ok. Unfortunately, the spot in my heart reserved for spicy fruit scents is already taken by Block Buster - plus, the latter fragrance has voodoo attached to it. March Hare is all right, but it's off to my swaps box for it as my imp collection is getting out of hand.

On me, Maiden's almost pure carnation with the roses and the tea playing back up. The overall impression is of a bunch of fresh carnations with a green note, oddly enough. It's gorgeous, and I will be buying more of it.

I've worn Kumiho to work the past few days and have used most of my imp up. Why? Because it's absolutely gorgeous, but has almost no staying power. The ginger and tea turn lemony on me but I don't mind. It's crisp, clean and perfect for work or (I imagine) for warm weather. In spite of its disappearing act, I may buy a larger bottle and just slather it on.