lookingglass

This is like those bath "squares" that I remember my grandmother having and sometimes giving me for Christmas. Very cloying rose...the spice is very faint...like it has been hanging out in a stocking with spiced cookies...or like an old Valentine... Yeah, this is a little scary... I like Harlot better for a spicy rose.

In the bottle this reminds me of the Hello Kitty grape gum that I chewed as a child. Nausiating. Wet, there is a green crispness that I just like, but it quickly fades. This one is gaging me. Gotta wash it off...

Sensual, decadent, and enigmatic. Lavender, softly underscored by lotus and spice. Almost fruity sweet (lotus? I thought you were so delicate...), with the unmistakeable and overpowering lavander scent: BLAST!!!! The spice is tingling my nose. It dries out to an odd sweetness...I have no point of reference here. Me no likey.

ETA: I now love violets and have to revisit this scent!

An opiate torpor, soporific, trancelike, and sublimely languid. A poet’s morphine dream, a listless journey into a gentle dream and the precipice of intoxicated madness. Paperwhite and black narcissus, three lilies, black poppy and tuberose and a hint of hypnotic opium den haze. Initally is is smoky, dark, (opium? never smelled it in a BPAL blend before) and a bit like aldehyde...lily? Is that you?Awfully sharp, dearie...watch your tongue! I ordered this one for the tuberose, and she definitely makes an appearance on the drydown. Sweet and creamy. Mmmm... dry, this is a LOT like Hunger, one of my favorites. It must be the narcissus. A very complex, lusty floriental. I love the white flowers being shadowed over. VERY potent potion here...a little goes a long way...heady, lush, amazing throw and staying power.

Way fruity...watermelon? papya? Super sweet with a bit of muskiness. Hmmm. Drying down, I am pleased to meet mimosa in the garden. I love mimosas, but they are often bitter in blends. That inital blast of fruit is fading down to meet the mimosa and transforming the oil into an accord that is much more like the scent of a real mimosa blossom...those pink, Seusical puffy blooms that won my heart in the South. The bit of spice makes this very wearable for me...adds an exotic touch. I will save this for summer, but I do love her so.

A rich, bold blend of imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine. I think this is Alice's mother! If you love Alice, or liked it and wished it wasn't quite so girlie, you must try this. The tangerine is a nice topnote. A bit of a bite, but fun and fruity. It dries out quickly though and I smell the bergamont/rose combo that is so Alice. The lily and jasmine are a BIG floral kick...much larger than life. Dry, the dark musk and amber are very tame...much more so that I have known them to be in the past. Dark musk and I have had more than a few words, but in Moscow, we have parted as friends. A mature fragrance, not quite as mysterious or naughty as I'd like. I think it would be a great "intro-to-BPAL" fragrance for those who like florientals.

This is one of those instant loves for me. At first I thought this was going to be so like Snake Oil that I was going to have to give her up...very dark, rich, and vanilla-y. ...but NOO-ooo.The orange and narcissus make this scent unique. Drying down the orange is very ORANGE (don't be scared), but fades out into just a hit of citrus with a faint, sweet, powdery floral. I can almost not even call it floral it is so soft and creamy. Light and dark in the same bottle...how I imagine black narcissus to look. I love Beth's gourmonds that are not straight up foody. I don't know how she does it. They drive the men wild, ladies, they do. If you are afraid of gourmonds, try this one. Or don't...more for me!!!!!!!! (Slathers on some more....umphf...orgasmic). This is fabulous...a new addition to the top 10. It is one of those scents that is a part of me. It does not feel applied or perfumey...just wonderful...goddess like... I have become Aphrodite...if only for a moment. Excuse me while I add this to my big bottle list...

It is a sharp, but white floral...almost citrusy at first, becoming more creamy...the jasmine blooming realistically. Drying I do detect some light rose...and it's a little powdery...that would be the amber...slightly spicy...more mature. It's alive but deeeeep...a large, bloom, placed on a well stocked vanity, slowly fading... ETA: named my black Great Dane puppy Dahlia

Very green, sharp, and fresh. Definitely not something I can wear as perfume. It is almost like herbs you could garnish with..but then regret.

DH and I should have loved this...no reason why we shouldn't: amber, patchouli, TONKA, a kick of lavender. There is just something about the combination and our chemistry...that is the perfuming mystery. Scents react with eachother and on the wearer, and all your favorites together in one blend may not work... That is the way it went with Scratch. The lavendar was piercing, the amber soured on the drydown, and the patchouli was dirty. I hope that it will be magic on you...

I expected this to be firey somehow...it is not at all. It is suprisingly sweet and clean smelling, like the heart of Xiuhtecuhti. I like Xiu better...more complex, green on top with a resin drydown.

The woods are taking over and are all pencil shavings once dry on DH. I wanted to love this for the red musk and amber, but they don't play center stage. It is just too much wood for our nose.

Sweet, smokey darkness with a bit of animalistic tang, that goes slightly sour...like it has been sitting in the grave...

I do not usually like citrus or light musks, but go figure...I love this! It is fresh and clean without being ozone-y, bitter, or sharp. The citrus fades quickly to reveal a few soft blooms (fressia? peony?), then to the most beautiful, sexy and sweet musk. The wood is a bit grounding. Amazing. I see myself wearing this all summer...

I'd like to know what all the mom's are wearing when they are spending time with the kids. I didn't wear perfume for a while after my children were born, as their little noses are sensitive and the "mommy" smell aids in bonding. But now that they are older, but I am still with them most of the time, I am looking for scents to wear around them. I think I am a pretty hip mom, and I like to feel dressed and smelling good. I have Dana O'Shee, Hecate and some others comming...Nurturing, but with an edge! What do the mom's out there wear? Do you choose scents to help your mood? Energized, nurturing, calming... Feel free to rant!

That was me (in the BPAL and kids thread...). It works wonders with my son, four years old, who was having night terrors. I told him that it was magical mommy dragon's milk, and that a mother dragon looks after her babies so fiercely that no monster or nightmare would DARE come near. We spray it all around his room, in his closet, sometimes on the sheets and under the bed. I used one imp in a 2 oz bottle with a few drops of perfumers alcohol (you could use 100 proof vodka or Everclear or leave it out completely, just shake it before you use it...)to allow the oil to disperse into the distilled water. (so nothing funky grows in there). Dragon's Blood is very magical (it can be used for just about anything to boost a spell~strength, courage, love, luck, protection), and vanilla is so comforting and soothing. Having a predictable and loving bedtime routine is also key. My son likes a warm bath, to 'write' in his journal (I do the writing, usually...it is nice to keep a record of his funny antics) a story (just one...too many can be overstimulating), and a song. Good luck to them...and you!

It has taken me a while to try this one because of the name...very creepy... I was hoping that the white musk would redeem the lemon and green tea (we don't usually get a long). No go...this is very sour and gets rancid on me, like rotting lemons in the sun. Still on the lookout for a "refreshing" scent I can wear...

Lots of lavender with maybe some other herbal notes...eucalyptus? Something a little creamy once dry... I am one of those freaky gals that lavender stimulates instead of relaxes. I cannot sleep with a sharp, herbal fragrance in my nose. Cannot do it.

Fresh, this is very woody, dirty patchouli, and sweet, chewy apricot...kind of disjointed and disturbing. Aged about 6 months, this smells like skin, but better. Strangers have asked what I was wearing. DH is surprised it's even patchouli! It's dark, sweet, incensey, sexy, depravity. BIG BOTTLE WIN!

My kids are really enjoying Honey Moon and Bliss these days. The littlest one,especially, just looks like he feels so SPECIAL to wear Mommie's perfume...soooo cute.

This is another one that I sniffed and put back. I thought I had my love of spice with Sin, and my love 'o honey with O. Bengal was initally sour on me (the honey?), so put her up for swaps. No takers. I have brought her out on this dreary, rainy day to sit and have a cup of tea with me. She is a delight, and is settling in. She is like Sin's daughter...spicy, but not as sexual, and not as much depth. That is not to say that she is shallow or uninteresting...not at all. She just develops as far as her flowery honey spreads, lays out all her spicy cookies, and shares them nicely. She'll be joining me tonight for dinner with the family...You really ought to meet her.

Sweet, light, fruity floral, with enough musk to make it seems as if my body could really just smell like this naturally. It is clean, refreshing, while not being soapy or aquatic. I'll keep it for Spring...

At first, I was like to the roses. You know, used to not like florals, then I liked CREAMY florals, then I discovered I like WHITE roses... So here I am with a bouquet of RED roses...and the cinnamon that I love. I am a bit uncomfortable, like trying on a negligee for the first time... Yes, this is divine. Definitely a mature scent...not for the timid or childlike. The roses are lush, in full bloom. Not at all cloying or "fake" smelling. They are delicate, fresh, in a large bouquet. The cinnamon is really a unique touch. It is not entirely separate from the roses, but as if there are also cinnamon sticks in the bouquet, tied together with ribbon...

The grapefruit and the dark musk are doing the kitty pee dance all over me, like Czernobog did...