jewelbug

Imp: Spicy honey. The honey note is extremely strong and I can smell it even before I open the imp. Wonderful and syrupy. Its mostly honey, with just a hint of ginger and a few vaguely “woodsy” feeling things. Wet: Immediately, cinnamon comes to the front. Good cinnamon, not “red hots” cinnamon. I am getting a bit of clove, but not much. Don’t get me wrong, there are spices, but this is still very much a honey scent. Mmmmmm. Drying: The cinnamon bark is less “in your face” now, but definitely still the top note. It’s a woodsy cinnamon, which is the type I like. Its supported by sweet honey and something that feels like a source of “greenness”. This has the same feel to me as silk road, even though I know they’re not the same. From 30min-1hr, this goes through a musk stage: The musk grows stronger. It’s a sort of powdery musk, which makes me think of amber. The cinnamon and honey are supporting this powdery skin musk. I think I liked it better before, but this is still nice. After an hour, the powder settles out and Bengal settles into a subtly spicy sweet skin scent (say that 10 times fast). Its lovely. To be happy, I had to compare to silk rd: In the initial stage, silk road is much more GREEN/herbal and spice ( I feel now that this is a tea blend), while Bengal is a sweeter honey spiced smell—way more cinnamon. Dry, Silk Road has the same spice feel, but is considerably less sweet. Silk road feels OLDER. Not as in age of a person, but how antique lace manages to smell from a different era. That is the difference between Silk Road and Bengal. I love them both and can't decide…. Overall: Beautiful spiced honey smell. I'll be holding onto my imp of bengal until I can decide on a 5ml of it or silk road (or, my bank account forbid, both!). Bengal has good throw, and lasts 6-7 hrs. I really love this one!

The lab sent me this as a frimp with a recent order. I love when they send discons/unreleased's!!! Thank you! Imp: Sweet, clean, aquatic floral. The sweetness is presumably coming from the melon--but its not a bubblgummy melon, it’s just a really natural green type melon. I’m gonna qualify this whole review by saying that rose and I generally don't get along, and I'm not typically the "light floral" type, so take my comments with a grain of salt… Wet: First on is bitter cold violet, which I usually don't like. Luckily, it tempers and fades in a matter of seconds. I can smell a light rose (hoping it doesn’t amp), and that vegetably melon--more like a cucumber than a melon, actually. So far, this a sweet clean smell, not overly floral, and kinda aquatic. Drying: Rose is amping a bit. Uh-oh…. In 20 minutes, I can feel the aquatics and sweet melon trying to get out. Unfortunately, rose is stepping all over them and turning the blend a bit soapy. After 1-2 hours, the blend re-balances, and the rose is less overpowering, but still very much a key player. This is a light, sweet, green rose scent with just a bit of melony fruit. Something even strikes me as just a hint spicy, I'm guessing that’s the woods? Overall: This mellows into something quite lovely, but I just can't deal with the amping soapy rose for the first two hours. I can see many people loving this. Its gentle, its clean, its fresh, and it’s a different type of rose--melon and aquatics really make it a stunning and surprising combo. I'm quite glad I tried this unique blend, but I'm gonna gift it to a friend--I think she'll like it more than I!

Imp: Bright purple fruits and smoky sandalwood. Wet: When this hit my skin it deepens immediately. From the imp, i got the gummi bear impression mentioned above. But on my skin, its a rich spicy plum. The patchouli and musk are deep, but they are sweetened and elevated by the sweeter dark plum and some deep blooms. Drying: The deepness of this blend is reminicent of chocolate, though i know thats not a listed note. Its smokey, dark, sweet. The patchouli and plums grow stronger with time, but I've learned to embrace beth's patchoulis. The combo is lip-licking sexual goodness! The florals are slightly powdery, but slight--I'm not a huge floral fan, small amts of flowers are good, and these simply work to balance the blend. The late drydown is plum musk and a hint of dirty sexy patchouli. this has medium throw and reasonably good staying power (6ish hrs on my thirsty skin). Overall: This is a gorgeous insensey plum musk. I can see the comparisons to Red Phoenix, but Hellion is sweeter, fruitier, and I like it much better--the sweetness makes it more...inviting. Ididn't get nearly this much gorgeous plum outta red phoenix. This is SEXY. Sweetly tempting, lecherously earthy, and ssssmoldering.

The only dirt scent I've tried was Jazz Funeral, and I thought it was spectacular! Most amazing dirt smell to me. With some rooty plantlife thrown in for good measure--i didn't get much booze. It was lovely!

To me, La Fee Verte and Snow White shared a very similar feel/note. I can't for the life of me figure out why, but it makes me happy! Anyone else notice this, or am i nuts?

Imp: Very green, bright and almost citrusy. Wet: As soon as this hit my skin, i felt something familiar. It completely changed from what it was in the imp--no more citrus. It took me a few moments, but then it hit--Snow White! I don't know why or how, but these two scents are REALLY similar to me. Dry: Yes, I put snow white on the other wrist to compare. My skin chem makes them quite similar. La Fee is like a colder snow white. A hint greener, a bit edgier, with less warm creaminess, slightly more floral. The differences are there (but subtle), and the two scents share a common core/attitude. Overtime, La Fee sweetens up (though not in the vanilla way), and they start to differentiate a bit. La Fee gets a little powdery-er, more floral, kinda spicy. I"m typically not the floral type, but these florals are fresh, clean, herbal. L:ate drydown and I can finally feel the spices and vanilla musk with the herbal notes. Its very lovely. Overall: I like it. I will hold onto my imp so i can think on it. I cannot begin to explain why this would share a feeling with snow white, since I don't really know the snow white notes. Perhaps I'm just nuts, but I'm quite enjoying my insanity! Considering how much I came to like snow white, I'm a bit tempted by dear balthazaar. I will think on it....he IS awful cute:

This is for the 05 re-release. Imp: My initial thought is that this smells INCREDIBLY cheerful for something called "despair". Its a sweet bright chamomile, very herbal, with lavender and some bright woods. Wet: Um, where did that herbal go? ROSE. All rose. My skin does that, much to my displeasure. Dry: Rose with a touch of soap from start to finish. Shame, cuz I really liked this in the imp! Overall: Wicked skin chemistry strikes again. Amping those roses like mad, and turning them to soap. Glad I got to try it (and sniff it in the imp), but this will be going into the swap pile.

I was scared to try this cuz of the civet....but....I had no need to fear! Imp: Woodsy. Astringently woodsy. There is a hint of sweet licorice to this, but mostly it’s a fumy manly kinda smell right now. It does manage to smell dark and damp, though, which is really fun! Wet: immediately the anise comes to the forefront. Its like gummy black licorice chews. You know how good licorice candy can numb your tongue just a bit? This scent does that. I can practically taste it. And while I don't like the taste of licorice, I find the scent fascinating. Wet, this is pure licorice. Drying: The licorice decides to share the stage with the others. Once again, this strikes me as a masculine scent. The civet and vetiver are there (in a nice way), darkening the blend, making it feral and giving a hint of damp earthiness. Something is reminding me of dry torture king/voodoo--I guess is the combo of woodsiness and spice with a slight sweetness. This is so intriguing, cuz there is an alluring candy smell, but its got something sinister lurking. There is almost a hint of leather to this? Interesting. Overall: Since this is reminiscent (to me, at least) of the blends my hubby likes (tombstone/voodoo/torture king--all woodsy manly smells with some sweet spicy food going into em), I will definitely have to try this on him. The anise is a really different and intriguing sort of spicy. It's sweet, but numbing, and just so distinctive. The woods are fresh, but at the same time feral and evil. I really think this scent portrays the legend well. Warm, but numbingly so. Sweet/nice on the outside, but ominous at the core. Yes, my hubby will be trying this… I really think this is an excellent blend. Oh, really good throw. Not sure about staying power, since I had to go to bed. Hope I don't have sinister dreams….

I wear Dorian to almost all my weddings--i really think of it as cheerful, sexy and classy all at once. That said, i just tried the hamptons last night, and its quite an effervescent classy smelling scent. And well, it just sounds rich, doesn't it?

Bottle: Fruity (mandarin?) juicy tea. I don't know why this seems fruity to me, but it does... Wet: Instantly an overload of lemon tea. This lemon is super strong and verging on lemon-cleaner. I hope this fades and lets the other notes through. I have NO idea what smells like lemon, since that's not one of the notes. Drying: Lemon-ness does decrease, and this gets greener. The tea is still there. This is a sweet, green, citrus tea. Dry: the lemon has faded quite nicely. I'm left with a very green tea scent. There is a slight woodsiness to it (oude, I'm guessing), and a very sweet grassy smell with just a hint of tartness. The late drydown goes to a sweeter floral, but a clean green floral. Overall: As far as tea scents go, this is better than others I've tried (dormouse, phantasm, aizen-myoo, apothecary, severin, white rabbit), though I still have spirits of the dead to get to. This has great throw for a tea scent (usually my skin eats tea alive), but i've passed the infamous 1 hr mark, and its still going strong (this lasted 4+ hrs before bed--that's a record for a tea scent!)! Lovely blend--thank you lab!! ETA: Its been a bit more than 1.5 years, and this has aged nicely. Its still citrusy, but less overwhelming lemon to start with. I get citrus and hay-;ike tea. Its very bright and clean--fresh, but not at all soapy. There is a roundess and depth that I wasn't expecting from a bamboo/tea blend...must be oude, which has aged really well. Still lasts 4-5 hrs on me.

Bottle: All berry fruit punch. Sweet and light, and definitely a cherry red kinda color. Wet: Still fruit punchy, but it got darker and takes on ever so slightly an edge of green. It's slightly tart, as well. Drying: The florals start to come out, but they are very light, sweet flowers. Sad and sweet. They get a bit more astringent as time goes, and kinda feel like an evergreen plant's chlorophyll. This isn't piney at all, don't get me wrong. Just that quality of smell. Dry: This loses the fruit punch to me. It's still predominantly fruity, but it’s a deeper fruity now. Still sweet. Though this is primarily a fruity smell, the florals are apparent on the drydown (I didn't really get much floral wet). They are tart, green, slightly chlorophyllic and astringent florals. That sounds harsh, but they are actually quite gentle. This is a fruity scent with personality, and doesn't go "air freshener" berry on me like so many other fruits. Overall: This is surprising. I was worried by the overly fruit punch/lollipop smell at the beginning, but my concerns were unwarranted. This settled into a deep sweet plum underscored by a touch of green and floral. The floral is barely there after 6 hrs, but the fruit stays. Throw is pretty good. Lasts for 6-8 hrs, though it obviously fades. I'm not usually a fruity blend person, but I like the drydown of this and will hold onto it for at least a bit longer.

My comfort smells are bloodmoon, gingerbread poppet and snake charmer. Coincidentally, snake charmer is also my "take me now" scent. nothing cheers you up like a quick romp in the bedroom, right? If I need to be happy, though, dorian and pink phoenix/pink moon can cheer me right up!

Bottle: Straight up gingerbread batter. Brown sugar, honey, a bit of butter, spices, even a hint of flour. Amazing. Wet: This really stays pretty true to the bottle. Just ooey-gooey-wonderful gingerbread batter. Dry: This loses the doughy and buttery/battery qualities upon drying. Which is good. Jack and gluttony were nice foodies but too buttery for me. Its a gorgeous freshly baked gingerbread. The lab's description says it all. Overall: This is gingerbread like your grandma used to make. Not the diluted, spiceless, overly sweet gingerbread you find in modern supermarkets. This is gingerbread when it was SASSY--full of spice, and not for wussies! I adore this blend. I will covet my little bottle til next yule (when i hope it is re-released!). Oh, and great staying power. I am still huffing my wrists 11 hrs later!!!!

I bought an imp of this from the lab as soon as it became available. There was so much raving about it that I just had to know! Imp: Soft, unassuming, non-foody vanilla. There is a really pale powdery/musky/whisper smell to this. I already put this up in the “two word reviews” thread as “vanilla whisper”. I think that’s really fitting for this. Wet : As before, soft powdery and dry floral, a hint tart, and a smooth light vanilla. I’m probably over-influenced by the name, but to me, this really does smell like perfume that has faded to a lasting memory. Like what you’d expect your great grandma’s wedding dress to smell like as you pull it lovingly from a box you’ve just discovered in the attic. You know, this is even a tad soapy, but in that wonderful way that so rarely happens to me. Drydown: Pretty constant to wet, except that it loses any tartness it has and mellows to a classy perfume from our ancestors' glory days. This smells like a really luxoriously high-end vanilla soap. Antique Lace is beautiful. Lasts all day (still an smell after 10 hrs), fading to a sweet but still detectable memory of a memory. Overall: I love this. I wish I'd discovered it before MY wedding day so that my wedding dress would smell like this when my great granddaughter finds it. I really want a bottle. But I have SO many vanillas (dorian, dragon's milk, snake charmer). But this is different. See how I'm justifying it to myself…hehe….

Ever since my lush snowcake arrived for christmas, I've been thinking "I need to compare this to Dana O'Shee and see if the rumors are true." Tonight I finally dug my "empty" of Dana O Shee out of my box and managed to eek one single drop from it (I received this as an empty, so I hadn't smelled it yet). Imp: Can't tell, cuz this label had something else spilled on it. Wet: Holy Crap. Sweet, creamy honeyed almond milk. I feel like there is the slightest sprinkling of orange peel to this. I love it. Dry: Mmmmm, the rumors AREN'T true. Dana is BETTER than snowcake!! Just the right amount more potent, sweet, almond, and cream. The orange was present for me only in the wet phase. Which is more than fine with me. I can smell the grains. Like smooth soaked oatmeal--you know, after its all slippery and sweet. Overall: Soothing, milky, creamy, sweet. This is an instant 10 mL. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. I will wait for the moon, though, cuz that's just logic, that is. I make bath products and lotions for myself, so this is definitley gonna go into some of my homemade concoctions! Mmmmmmm….. This lasted 4+ hrs (not sure about the +, cuz it was time for sleep…)

Imp/Wet: lemon, peaches and white musk. This is a shimmering scent. Dry: This is so bright and cheerful. It smells clean, but it has so much more character than other scents I would normally call "clean". It has a decidedly "tea" feel to it, along with the musk and peaches. That would be the bergamot, I guess. I think I get a bit of the oakmoss even, cuz this definitely makes me think forest. The same sort of forest as hesperides. With peach instead of apple. But Fae's forest is decidedly more...sparkly. Further into drydown, this takes on a creaminess. The peach note weakens, but you can still catch dribbles of sweet fruit. I don't know what heliotrope really smells like, but I'm going ot make a point of tryijng more heliotrope blends. This is lovely. Overall: This is dorian's cheerful flighty sister, and I love them both. Take dorian and replace the vanilla with peach, and you've got Fae. This scent glitters. Its absolutely gorgeous, and I'm getting a bottle for spring/summer.

I'm trying trying to blend a few bpals to approximate Lush's Jungle, and AliBabble suggested House of Night with Manila. I have Manila, but i'm trying to get a quick idea of how it'll work, and I don't have House of night in my collection. I have qutie a few others, though.... So......I was curious: Has anyone run across BPALS that are similar to House of Night for the green/planty feel? Thanks!

A midnight scent, evoking images of flickering golden firelight reflecting off the sheen of glistening skin and the jerking shadows of bodies suffused with spiritual ecstasy. A deep, powerful, resonant blend of myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond and clove. I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet! My hubby wears it all the time! This review is of voodoo on him, not me. Bottle: Fruity, fumy and woodsy. The fruity is the type of almond that wants to be cherry, along with some smooth citrus. The fumy is likely the vetiver, and woodsy is pretty obvious. Honestly, from the bottle/imp, I don't think I would like this much, but this ones a morpher, cuz it smells great dry (hehe, I'm giving away the ending, aren't I?) Wet: Cherry coke. Or, even more accurate: the new Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Yeah, that sounds weird, but that's exactly what I think it smells like wet. No worries, dry is better! Dry down: Smooth round and sultry(in a manly way). Non-foody vanilla with almond and just a hint of cherry. Its made non-foody and mascunlinized (is that even a word?) by the resins and woods--the patchouli, myrrh and pine are so well blended in there that you can't pick them out, but they take this blend to a whole new level. I never really get clove out of this, and the citrus is pretty much only when wet, but I don't miss them at all. The throw is perfect--enough for him to be able to seduce me from about two feet away. It's got staying power, which is a must with him, since he won't be bothered to reapply (lazy guy). Overall: The drydown comes as a total scrumptious surprise after the questionable (but short) start. Hubby loves this, and I love it on him. On him, it's manly and sexy. So much so, that I like this being HIS scent. So even though I bet I would like this on me, I am happy to let him be stingy with it. It was the first 5mL I ever got him, and it’s the scent he usually picks as his standard. edited to add lab's description

After reading the reviews, i was kicking myself for not ordering this. I lucked into a bottle on the forum, and am SO happy that I did. Bottle: This has a gritty perfumey note similar to Gomorrah to my nose. (Gomorrah while in bottle, not while on skin). It is sweet and slighty spiced. There is also something that brings Devil’s night to mind. Maybe they share musk notes? Wet: OMG, Dry woodsy cinnamon sticks. This makes me think of Hamadryad (which I own and love), but it’s a rounder, sweeter version of Hamadryad. The cinnamon in this has a different quality. Less floral to it, perhaps. Cinnamon and red musk with a sweet ‘nilla to it. Drying: This loses the OMG cinnamon factor, and mellows into a spicy red musk rounded out by something sweeter/foodier. I think there probably is dragon’s blood in this, I feel like I’m getting a hint of a Dragon’s Milk note in this…Mostly, I get sweet cinnamon musk. Hmmmm…. Dry, 1-2 hrs later: This has morphed—its definitely one of beth’s scent journeys. The cinnamon is but a wispy memory, and I swear I’m getting a honey vanilla note reminiscent of O, on top of a sexy dark, but muted red(?) Musk. This is phenomenal. I wish there was a bit more cinnamon at this stage, but its too lovely to complain. Overall: This lasts for a very long time, well over 7-8 hrs. The throw is great, and the late stage smells like a better, darker, sexier O. It also reminds me of a spicier, slinkier snake charmer (prob cuz of the vanilla/tonka). That's it--Its like Hamadryad made sweet monkey love to Snake Charmer while Devil's Night and O watched. Kinky. And fantastic.

This was the most heart touching frimp I’ve received to date. Compliments of Original Wacky, a true goddess! Imp: Pure midway. How the HELL did beth do that? I can taste the fluffy pink cotton candy now (which is, incidentally, the strongest note in the imp). Its dusted with funnel cake sugar, has just a hint of something tart. My god. This is exquisite. Wet: Instantly goes kinda creamy on me. I still smell cotton candy and sugar, but its not as dusty. Its richer, even more delicious. This transports me to the carnival that the Lion’s club threw in our small town every year as I was growing up. I LOVE Beth. Drying: There is a hint of cocoa butter to this. Interesting. All the midway foods, even a far off deep fried snickers. Hehe. Dry: I keep getting wafts of the most glorious deliciousness! This has darkened on me, and I am getting more of the cooked sugar goodness of caramel, still with the phenomenal cotton candy smell. Wow. Still faintly there at 5 hrs, but have to get right up in there to smell. Overall: Wow. This is take my breath away accurate. Yum! I will treasure my imp. ETA: I thought this was long gone, but when I went to the gym 7 hrs later, I kept getting wafts of pink sweetness during my workout. Made working out MUCH more enjoyable.

Imp: Very clean and sweet. Like a very sweet white floral. Light and uplifting. Wet: Still a very sweet light white flower. Linden blossom, perhaps? Whatever it is, it’s the type of floral I can handle—not at all overbearing or baby powdery (yet). Some have said plumeria…I can see where they get that, it definitely has that sweet vibe, but this isn’t as overpowering as I’m used to plumeria being. Drying: This starts to take on a crisper floral edge—still sweet, but with a bit of bite. I was afraid this meant it was going powdery, but that turned out not to be the case. Dry: A sweet clean smell. Its very nice and neutral for those that don’t want to smell “perfumey”. A good close-up skin scent--This doesn’t have much throw on me. Overall: This was apparent 6 hrs later, even after going to the gym. It’s a lovely scent with good staying power, but little throw. It would be a great close-up skin scent, especially for someone who is looking for a very clean and neutral scent. Great for everyday. I’m glad I tried this, but I generally like more “gutsy” smells. I think I'll hold onto my imp for a while, but this probably isn't a bottle for me.

Imp: Dark, musky. Um. I swear there is a hint of salami to this…. Him: Wet: Dark green vetiver at the beginning and the unmistakable bpal leather at the end. Drying: This is very smoky. Because of the smoky dark note, my hubby says it smells like smoked meats. I don't think he's too fond of this. Dry: Luckly the smoked meat note goes away. It goes to full on leather. This is the first of beth's leather blends that I've tried where the leather is DEFINITE. It knows its there, and its making damn sure you know its there, too. Its stays at this LEATHER stage on him for about 3 hrs, and then starts to mellow a bit and take on a slight sweet powdery smell. This later stage is actually really nice and lasts for at least 6 hrs total. Overall, him: he doesn’t like it on him. Too smokey, too leathery, and not him. While I like the scent in its late stage, I agree that this really doesn't reflect his personality. Me: Wet: Green vetiver and smokey leather. This has the smoked meat wet phase on my skin, too. But maybe hubby unfairly biased me. Drying: No more vetiver. This hits damp leather right on the head. But to me its still a very smokey leather. This is a dark and cruel scent. I don't really get the musk, just leather and smoke. I don't think I've had blends with dark musk before, though, so i may not recognize it. Dry: After about an hour, this takes on a powdery sweetness. Its still a definite dark and smoky leather, but it gets more..feminine…like a bad assed babe. This had the most amazing staying power--I could STILL smell it after 12 hours and STILL (faintly) after a shower. Wow. Overall, her: It’s a wonderful smell, and an awesome blend. I really liked that it went sweet and less masculine on me really quickly compared to how it went on hubby. That said, its still a bit dark and masculine for me. Its just so intriguing. Beth never ceases to amaze. I'm glad I tried this.

Imp: Pure banana runts. (You know, those little nana shaped hard candies). Wet: Much less banana now (though its still there). I kinda get a gingery-mango-y floral. Drying: Takes on a light woody note, retains the fruit, but it’s a drier fruit, rather than a sweet juicy one. There seems to be a hint of a tart citrusy/pineapple in here, too. Drydown: This is lovely. Its light and sweet and woody and fruity , and the woods actually DO smell damp. Everytime I sniff, I smell something different…pineapple? Banana? Flowers? Trees? Dripping leaves? Its dynamic and lovely. I also notice that from far away its a creamy but fruity white floral smell, and up close its much sharper, tarter, with more damp woods. Fascinating! Overall: The throw is good and dynamic, the staying power is moderate. I really would love to wear this one in the spring/summer, I think. I'll be keeping my imp and deciding whether I want a bottle or not. Mmmm, might smell nice incorporated into my bath products, too!

I just got Lush's solid conditioner, Jungle, for a christmas gift (thank you niter!!!). I'm in love with the scent! Has anyone run across a bpal that smells similar to this? I saw that someone has asked this before, but its been a while, and I thought we needed a round two.... Its fruity but also woodsy on my hair. I was thinking of something along the lines of hanging gardens, but maybe a little less fruity? I wonder if I could blend hanging gardens with something to get an even better approximation of Jungle... Any suggestions? (for blending with hanging gardens, or for other bpal blends that are similar to jungle?)

Bottle: Dark, sweet and nutty. Wet: Very buttery as soon as it hits my skin. Not bad buttery, though. Its buttery and also mega nutty. And darkly sweet-like carmelized sugar. Hubby says that this smells like the bottom gooey part of pecan pie. I'm inclined to agree. Dry: This stays true to the butter/nutty/sweetness. There is a tinge of non-foody to it, but I certainly wouldn't classify it as pine OR cedar. I think I'm actually getting a hint of the smoke, rather than the woods themselves. I'm kinda happy about this (as i feared pine sol), but kinda sad (since I love cedar). Regardless, the scents I AM getting are wonderful! Overall: A very warm, round, dark and cuddly scent. I quite like this. The smoke stops it from taking off to crazy buttery foodness (like gluttony and jack went on my skin). I would wear this from fall thru winter, since I think it actually captures both seasons quite well.