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Swapped for, a looong time ago. Thanks, whoever-you-were. It's been so long since I've written a review, I'm afraid my nose won't remember how to do this anymore! In the Imp: Deep, deep earthy brown, wood and soil. Dry, and a little dusty. Actually, something in it reminds me of Fire of Love-- the oakmoss, maybe? I can pick up a tinge of black patchouli, but I'm not getting the glittery-ness of the copal or heliotrope yet. It's nice, though. Sort of.... lazy. Wet: Dry, dry, dry but sweeter now, brighter and more fiery. The copal is emerging now it's on my skin, and it's surprisingly smooth, but it's still topped by the earthy patchouli and the oakmoss. There's a very faint hint of heliotrope, too, I think... the whole thing is sort of like sunlight through a dusty windowpane, only in liquid form. It's not offensive in the slightest, but it's not great on me either. Oh! Oh! I know! This is the same patchouli that was in Luperci-- what was it called? Golden patchouli or something? Wow, yeah, now I think about it, this smells a lot like Luperci, only..... lighter? Not as deep or dark. Dry: Golden patchouli, rich and dry and salty, and almost tropical, incense-y copal, slightly sweet heliotrope, and earthy oakmoss. Not bad. Smokey. Smokey, dusty, dry, heavy, tarnished gold. It does conjure up images of wealth; but the kind belonging to old English gentlemen, not the go-get-'em sort of moneymaking I was expecting. Jury's still out on this one. It's pretty, in a unique sort of way, but I don't know how much I'd really wear it.

Frimp from the lovely maewitch. So much loff! I've heard so much about this one, and I love red musk and saffron-- I'm eager to try it. In the Imp: The oil is an incredibly dark, murky shade of brown, which is pretty cool, and it smells like.... what does it smell like? Incense. Incense smoke, captured in the threads of old tapestries. Record stores and bookshops and, yeah, hippie markets, but in a good way... I'm definitely catching the musk, some patchouli and saffron, and something slightly spicy and resiny and oh-so-familiar... galbanum? Frankincense? What *is* that? Anyway, I like it so far, even if it's not quite what I was expecting. Wet: Oh, damn, now that has some *throw*! Even before I put my nose to my wrist, I can detect a big old burst of patchouli and red musk and an unidentifiable, clear sweetness... I'd say it was something a bit like oakmoss if I didn't know better. Some floral, perhaps? Cereus? At any rate, this is strong and gorgeous, and far more complex than I thought at first sniff. Most of the dusty feel has died away, leaving something clarion but sensual behind. It's rich and exotic without being overwhelming.... very nice. Dry: Red musk, saffron, patchouli, some kind of resin and that mystery, almost aquatic note, that seems to top everything off. This is smooth and expensive-- warm-sweet smoke and kohl smudged around the eyes-- but also sharp, somehow, and intelligent. It reminds me of both Lust and Sin... As lovely as it is, however, it's not at OMG MUST HAVE MORE!!!!111eleventy for me, and I may end up swapping it to someone whose skin allows it to really blossom. I just can't see myself picking it over either of the other two.

In the Imp: Honey! Thin, golden honey, faint and sweet, not the rich sticky syrup of O, backed by cool white florals. Clean and fresh and sweet without being foody, and almost identical to some other BPAL I've smelled.... what was it..... hmm, maybe not. Anyway, it's pleasant enough, but I'm not about to drink the Imp or anything. Wet: Hello, soapy-sugary floral! After a minute or two the honey note emerges a bit more, toning down the soap, and making this much more tolerable... but it's really still not All That. I can see how it would be gorgeous on someone who didn't turn things into body products at the slightest provocation, but on me it just smells like posh scrubs. Dry: Yep. Honey, lilies. Exactly as advertised-- innocent, light, powdery floral. *So* not my thing, although it could be perfect on someone else. Swaaaps!

In the Imp: Ooooh. Mmmmmm. Oooooooooh. Wow. This is.... incredibly rich and complex and delicious and frigidly lush, the very picture of an ice queen. I can smell distant peach and florals, layered over cool golden resins that give this a very stately air. The jonquil is, I think, what's adding the biting, brittle edge to the flowers, and the vetiver gives it the same dangerous-water feel as Hurricane. It's a bit like Titania in its fruit-and-florals aspect, but oh-so-much less girly and more threatening. It's soft but present, powdery but sharp. I'm in love. I hope it stays so amazing on my skin. Wet: Womanly, expensive amber and very slightly spicy galbanum, with a tinge of unripe peach, looming vetiver and a bouquet of frozen flowers-- jonquil, stargazer lily, something that could be a very faint white rose, and maybe just a tiny touch of green jasmine. It's like Bearded Lady in its powdery-sweet-floral aspect, but less lemon-sugar and much more, "I am so much better than you." It doesn't come across as resiny, in particular, nor fruity, nor floral, just a carefully made-up, perfectly layered concotion of untouchable feminine power. I know when to talk... and I know when to touch... No one ever died from wanting too much.... Dry: Clean, sweet, fruity, resiny, powdery and floral with spice and vetiver lurking underneath, waiting to suck you in. Decorous on the surface, feral and totally calculated underneath, and utterly regal in conduct. Objective: seduce, dominate, and destroy. Perhaps it's because I just saw it for the first time, but I can't help thinking of the Bond music video, "The World is Not Enough" (If we can't have it all, then nobody will...), and Shirley Manson's flawless hair, dress, and ruthless gorgeousness. And that's never a bad thing. Verdict: Oh, am I keeping this one for special occasions. It does too many dangerous things to my mood to wear on a daily basis, but there are some places and affairs where this would be the perfect accomplice.

In the Imp: Harsh, unforgiving wood, freshly split, with a layering of damp oakmoss and the slight after-spice of frankincense. Rich browns and greens and swampy blue-golds. I don't know what oude smells like, but there's a smooth tone underneath everything else... perhaps that's it? No hazelnut at the moment. This is very complex: biting, sharp and aquatic all at once. Reminds me a bit of Omen. I can't stop sniffing. Wet: Something else quickly emerges as a top note-- something shimmery and gauzy but resonant. It mellows the deeper woods and mosses, and turns them into a gorgeous base rather than a bold vanguard. There's a little sweet-dusty hazelnut hovering around the edges, too, and a touch of salty incense from the frakincense. There's a bit of throw; not a lot, but some. Mmmmm..... I love this kind of scent. It reminds me of the Wood Between the Worlds in The Magician's Nephew. Dry: Woe! It's fading already... the moss and woods seem to have died away, leaving only golden oude, hazelnut and frankincense. This is really gorgeous, while it lasts, but it vanishes so quickly I'm not sure I need to keep it. I'll have to test again (and weigh it against Omen) before I make a final decision.) [edit] I'd like to add that this is a sublime oil to wear while reading The Fellowship of the Ring!

I bought a bottle of this because a.) I couldn't resist, and b.) I thought it would be nice if I could entice my father to share it with me-- he's not a scent man, but he's a huge Terry Pratchett fan, so.... *crosses fingers* I'll just tell him it's the smell of the Librarian after someone's called him a monkey, shall I? In the bottle: Spicy, musky, woody and dry! In fact, it reminds me a little of Fire of Love, only not as cedary or biting, and sans crypt-civet (although the musk adds a somewhat similar animal note.) It's surprisingly soft, though, not in feel but in volume (so much so that I dabbed a bit on the tip of my nose as I got closer to the cap to sniff.) A little fruity as well. I like it. It's pleasantly masculine, but not overpowering, and reminds me far more of Luperci than Smut. Wet: Mmmmm! Orange peel and something a bit floral, backed by a rich, glorious blend of musks and sweet, golden amber. This is faint, but damn, is it nice. It's a wonderful, heady second-skin smell... I'd claim that "Oh, it's just the way I smell naturally", if I thought I could get away with it! There's a rich golden tinge in the background: must be the ambergris. It's sweet, and musky-fruity, very well-blended and absolutely yum! I was really not expecting such a..... pretty isn't the right word, it's too male for that. Perhaps handsome? Anyway, I wasn't expecting it to be this nice. (Except for, and this is bizarre, I get a tinge of playdough in this. W. T. F?!?!?! It's not enough to ruin it, it's just..... frickin' weird.) Dry: A mellow, but engaging, swirl of sweet musks, perfect amber, smooth ambergris, a touch of wilderness, and the faintest hint of orange peel. Fantastic, and very unique, and astonishingly inoffensive. I think my dad will like this-- I know I do!

A catalytic, potent love oil used to spark (or rekindle) the flame of desire between lovers. Swapped for this.... I've only had one experience with civet before, back before I started reviewing: I sniffed a Voodoo blend that was supposed to contain it and it made me nauseous. But I now suspect said blend had geranium in it as well, which might have been the culprit, so I'm willing to give the dreaded c-word another go. In the Imp: Hey, this is the same colour as Snake Oil! I'm going to take that as a good omen, or something. *uncaps* Hmmm. Mostly I get spicy-sharp-dusty cedar and ginger.... there's a touch of something deeper and more feral, almost like a very very dark musk, in there, but it's certainly not unpleasant at first sniff. Hunh. Honestly, this is just sort of..... eh. *shrug* Ain't skeered, as my Southern neighbors would say. (Hee, Franz Ferdinand's "Do You Want To" just came on the playlist. Seems appropriate.) Wet: Cedar, ginger, maybe some patchouli, and... that must be the civet. Wow. Bizarre. It's sort of a low dark note, but with a high-pitched component, too. Like black musk and a breath of cold tomb air at the same time. It doesn't smell bad, particularly, but the combination of cedar and civet is making it sort of stale-smelling, and (weirdly) cold. It reminds me of Hexennacht. Is it supposed to conjure thoughts of having sex in a morgue? 'Cause that's totally what I'm getting.... I can see how this would be sexy on the right person, but on me, it smells just like the tombs and catacombs under various churches I've been lucky enough to visit. The cedar/patchouli adds a sort of smoke note, like the remnants of incense-scented dust, and the civet.... it's hard to explain. It doesn't smell like rotting flesh or even particularly unpleasant, but it does smell..... shut-in. Dark. Powerful. Yet, it is weirdly sexy, in a very bizarre, twisted kind of way. It seems to have an effect on my body, but not my mind. That's just weird. Dry: It just made me sneeze, and with that, the threatening air vanished. It's hard to be creeped out by something that makes you sneeze (particularly since I squeak when I sneeze... don't ask, okay?) Still, this is an odd one. I'm sort of ambivalent about it. I get the, like, virgin-temple-maiden-being-sent-into-the-dark-room-to-be-deflowered-by-priest air, but at the same time... I was expecting something warmer, more inviting and langorous, not something that both made me want to hump something and pay a visit to my local graveyard (although not, I'm pleased to say, at the same time.) It's sort of... I don't know, you read these stories about how people really get off on doing it in a hearse or whatever, and Fire of Love has a bit of that feel to it. Anyway, I'm glad that I seem to be able to wear civet, and I think, in another blend, it would fit right in, but Fire of Love.... I haven't the vaguest clue what to make of it. I might keep it around for a while, test it on the Boy, see if it gets anyone's engines revving, that sort of thing, but... eesh, I dunno. It's intruiging, and sexy, and a bit creepy, too, and I'm have no idea what to make of it. [eta] To add official description, and to say, yeah, this one..... she has an effect. If you don't mind really, really twisted fantasies.

Frimp from the Lab-- so pleased I'm able to try the mercurial Hesperides. In the Imp: Very crisp, tart apple. So crisp and tart, in fact, that it's almost a little astringent and unpleasant. Reminds me a bit of apple body products, and... is there birch in here? I'm getting a hint of that distinctive golden fizzy note. There's something green underneath, too, piercing but dry.... the bark, I'll assume. It's... okay, I guess. Not hideous but not great, either-- it feels almost as though there needs to be something to anchor it, like some dirt or moss. Maybe something a little heavier will pop out on my skin? *hopeful* Wet: Ugh. Sour apple candy..... or potpourri...... no, that's not quite right. This is APPLE on my skin, but it's so apple-ish that it completely oversteps the bounds of realistic apple fragrance and becomes almost nauseating. It's like unripe apple and melted sour apple candy and apple perfume all swirled together, backed by a touch of sassafras-like birch. Almost..... rancid, or fermented. The throw is a little nicer; more sugary cooked apples than sickly-sweet fruit. Dry: Still apple, birch, and a faint greenness. The overwhelming nature of this has died down a little, making it more bearable, but there's an unpleasant perfumey note I don't like, and the whole thing still has a faintly artificial vibe. I can see how it would be absolutely stunning on someone whose skin chem worked with this particular apple note (like a crisp day in early fall), but that person is definitely not me. I'll stick it in the Boy's pile, he might like it, or if he doesn't-- swaps.

Frimp from HoneyHoneyNY. So much . In the Imp: Bracing, floral-herbal lavender, sharp and heady, but a little tamed by other underlying flowers (particularly that distinct duo, jasmine and rose), and a sense of velvety musk. The same sort of spice I picked out in Queen is also present.... this sounds harmonious, but it's actually striking me as a little odd. It's not that it's a bad smell, it's just not quite as coherent as it sounds.... I'm not at all sure I like it. The Queen-spice is turning my stomach a bit (maybe there's geranium? Or lemongrass? They both nauseate me.) Still, I'll give it a go. *brave* Wet: Oh, that's not too bad. It's mostly lavender at first, before the rose makes a graceful, if powdery, appearance, supported by warm jasmine (jasmine is always a very thick, tactile smell to my nose, almost as though you could cut it with a knife.) The delphinium is, I'm sure, in there somewhere, but I'm not able to detect it specifically, and the spice has died down to a managable level. Musk is very obviously the base note, and really sort of a top and middle note too; it's very present, swirling and blending with the others quite nicely. And hoo boy, does this puppy have some musky-floral throw! I have to say, I certainly don't get impressions of soft or delicate from this: this is pretty, but sturdy. Dry: Clean but not too soapy rose, femme jasmine and other florals, and musk, accented with just a bare hint of lavender and spice. Hrrrm. Well. I wanted to love this, and, while I can definitely see a woman buried in books wearing this, she's not really my type of woman-buried-in-books. She's curvy, and wears delicate, embroidered slippers while she shelves in the light of a few torches.... this blend would be perfect if that idea appealed to me, but my image of a book-shelvin' girl is a little different, and Sophia and I... we're just not hip to each other's jives. Swaps.

Received in a swap. In the Imp: Musky-floral, unsurprisingly, with something sharp and crisp and cool underneath-- almost like pear, but without the sweetness. I suspect it's the moonflower. The main notes I'm getting are opalescent musk, a thick jasmine, and pretty, clean white rose, which I just know is going to turn soapy on me. Wah. There's some moss, too, which is absolutely lovely-- a sort of soft water-green scent. This could swing either way. Wet: White musk, pale florals.... this smells a lot like Juliet and Endymion to me, only rounder and more complex. It still has a faint air of body-products around it... not that it really smells soapy, but it's the kind of blend you might find perfuming your soap. (I might add that Nuit is a good deal stronger than either Juliet or Endymion, and seems to have quite a bit more throw, too.) Dry: A very womanly, crystalline blend of flowers, softened and matured by musk and moss. There's a touch of smoky incense in here, too, that really adds some depth and mystery. A beautiful woman, and there's more to her than meets the eye, perhaps? I would, I think, adore this, if the rose weren't slowly turning powdery on me. As it is, the damn rose pushes it over the edge, and it goes from, "Gentle, enigmatic and pretty" to, "This would be great. Except I smell like I just got out of the shower." My chemistry ruins yet another blend.

The forum ate my first review of this, so here's Old Scratch (shriekingviolet is a goddess remix.) This starts out all herbal lavender on me, strong and pleasant, and mellows quickly to a delicious, warm scent: masculine, but not manly. Very well-mannered and genteel, but deceptive and many-layered. Note wise, the tonka was strongest for me, a golden warm sweetness, backed by cologney lavender, green oakmoss (it's in the fougere, isn't it?), and hat-tipping rosewood, on a base of smooth amber. This is a Southern man with old money, in a white fedora and a too-wide smile, with a twinkle and a wink in his eye. For those of you who are Neil Gaiman fans.... this is what Anansi would smell like, with his lemon-yellow gloves and his cheroots, when he's pretending to be a perfect gentleman. I like it.

I had a review of this all written out, and then the forum crash ate it, so here's Juliet, Redux, in severely shortened form (since I've already swapped it away.) Sweet pea is the dominant note, giving this whole blend a slightly lotion-y feel. The pear adds a lovely fruity touch, the musk is very sparkly, and the florals, while a little powdery, are quite nice. This is very femme, fresh, and springy, but it's just not my bag of bones.

I had a review of this all typed up, but the forum crash ate it, so I'll just say this instead: Endymion, on me, smelled like conditioner. The pear was overly sharp, the florals a touch artificial, and the rose distinctly soapy..... *sigh* It could have been so beautiful, but my skin definitely slaughtered this one. Already swapped away.

Frimp from a swap. In the Imp: .... bizarre! It's got the same rich, black loam-dirt smell I remember from Jazz Funeral, and a very similar sweetness, but it must be berry wine rather than sugary white florals. It's a bit like the lovechild of Penny Dreadful and Jazz Funeral, crossbred with Wanda. Sticky and soil-esque, but pleasant in an odd sort of way. (Whoa! Weird. I can taste the dirt, if I inhale with my mouth open.) Wet: Surprisingly damp, but still light, dirt, sprinkled with moss, and red berry wine, and a touch of something soapy (wtf?) Much like Penny Dreadful, this settles down into a second skin scent very quickly, but it's quite nice. More "rounded" than PD, less antique and femme smelling, but not as vibrant and rich with greenery as Jazz Funeral.... the booze note is very different as well. It's sort of a deep purpley blend, unusual but still appealing. Dry: It's faded still farther into a sweet wine smell with just a touch of green and black loam. This is lovely. Who'da thunk it? It seems I like Beth's soil blends after all. Zombi scared the Hell out of me, Penny Dreadful was a little creepy, but the dirt notes in Jazz Funeral and Nosferatu are comforting. Go figure. As nice as this is, it's just not standing out from Penny Dreadful and Jazz Funeral for me. Of the three, I think Jazz Funeral is my favourite-- in fact, I favour it so highly I'm not sure I need the other two. I'll hang on to Master Nosferatu for now, but I don't think his final resting place will be with me. (Oh jeebus, I just saw the comment someone made farther up thread, that this really does smell like a dead body. Thanks a lot. )

Acquired in a swap. I'm very excited about Miss Tamora, since I adore peaches, and this is the first blend with a peach note I've sampled from the Lab. In the Imp: Fizzy peach candy! Yum. I get a strong candy-ish heliotrope, a nice vanilla bean somewhat similar to the toasted kind in The Haunted Palace, a peachy that really is like a floral version of peach fruit (it's lighter, like the junior of the two-- a girlish peach, rather than a womanly one), and sweet amber. No sandalwood, yet, but I hope it comes out to play, too: so far, this is nice but very childish. Wet: That must be golden sandalwood! It's a gorgeous, warmly sophisticated sort of scent, not as dry and gritty as the white stuff and not as debauched as the red kind. The amber seems to be steadying it, creating a gorgeous sugary sort of smell swirled through with vanilla bean (there really is a noticeable difference between vanilla and vanilla bean), lightly sparkling peach and the almost cloyingly sweet heliotrope. The v. beans are behaving themselves perfectly on me... but it sorts of feels like there's something missing from this. It's all innocent smiles, and that's somehow not sitting quite right with me. (Gee, I wonder why? ) *hums* She gave you everything she had, but she was young and dumb; she'd just turned twenty-one.... Dry: This dries down to a golden-sweet second-skin scent, every note perfectly balanced. It's perfectly mannered, subtle, and immature-- there's no darkness or anger to Tamora at all (which I suppose is fairly appropriate.) It almost reminds me of the saccharine perfumes you can buy for your nieces in little girls' cosmetic sets, but about a million times nicer. This would be utterly irresistable on the right person, but that person is definitely not me. I may end up giving this to one of my friends. I think I would have liked this more if there had been a better "grounding" to it, or more peach, but when you get right down to it....... I'm just too punk at heart to wear this.

Frimp from a swap with originalwacky. In the Imp: A warm, slightly biting pale green/white smell that reminds me, of all things, of the smell of unripe tomatoes. I can smell milk, ginger, honey, and something almost sour, in a very pleasant way. I'm not quite sure what to make of this. Wet: That greeness, amplified, but also smoothed out by something tea-ish, with translucent milk notes and a touch of sweetness. Pretty! The ginger is detectable, but it's not the spicy, biting root-ginger of Siren, it's a gentle warm ginger, more like the ground spice than the whole plant. This smells a lot like Embalming Fluid and Shanghai with the brighter lemon notes removed. Dry: It's mellowed still farther, and that first tomatoey impression is gone, leaving only hints of creamy sweet ginger tea with milk (not that it smells like milk, but more just a general milky air), and honey. It's light and clean and calming. While I think I prefer Embalming Fluid and Shanghai for personal use, this would be fantastic on my sheets, in soaps and as a sachet in my underwear drawer, as it's both yummy and extremely neutral. I might add it to the 5mL list just for that, in fact.

Frimp from the Lab. My mum has an Imp of this and it smells lovely on her, but roses and I don't usually get along, and, while I do like vetiver, our friendship can be kind of tumultous at times. Chrysanthemum I've never tried, but cactus flowers are nice. Oh, and I'm OTR at the moment. So this is pretty much an unknown right here. In the Imp: Dry... smoky.... cocoa? Yep! Smells like vetiver-laced hot chocolate with cactus flowers floating in the cup. Mmm! This is surprisingly nice, not all what I was expecting. It's got sort of a Southern California-style deserty feel about it. Dry and earthy and planty and a little salty, all at once. No roses yet, thank heavens. Wet: Rose! It's trying to go soapy, but it's being kept in check by the vetiver and the cocoa. The cactus flower is sort of drifting around on top, transparent and lovely... there's something a touch sour in here, too, but not in an unpleasant way. If anything, it makes it more interesting. I like it! Except... uh-oh.... that soap seems to be getting stronger, pushing the yummy cocoa back. Come on, vetiver! (Hmm, never thought I'd be cheering for vetiver.) Dry: The cool tinge from the vetiver is giving this an almost alcoholic tinge, topped by the sweet, watery catcus flowers, and just a bare hint of dry, bitter cocoa. The rose is a soft base, for once behaving itself, but not terribly noticeable. This is a very unusual, quite pretty green floral that reminds of long stretches of sand and endless blue sky. I'll probably keep this, and wear it quite a bit in the summer.

Frimp from the Labbies... with my Smut. Think they're trying to tell me something? I'm one of the few ylang-ylang seems to get along with all right, so I have high hopes for this. (Caveat lector: it's full-moon time for me, and that's surely going to be messing with my chemistry a little bit, so your mileage may vary rather a lot.) In the Imp: Wow, this is the most darkly-coloured oil I've run into yet: so red it's almost black... not purpley-red, but really, really incredibly intense blood red fading into inky brown-black. Seems appropriate, somehow. *uncaps vial* Mmmmm. Oooh. Oh, this is nice. The patchouli, myrrh and musk combine to create a scent that's a little reminiscent of red sandalwood (red sandalwood is, I believe, an aphrodisiacal oil... certainly is on me, anyway!), although if I pay more attention when I sniff I can deconstruct the individual elements: a smooth, woody patchouli (red, perhaps? It doesn't have the sharpness I associate with black), rich incensey myrrh, velvety red musk and the slightly sweet, lightening tones of ylang-ylang. This is quite similar to Sin, as well, only with an even darker base and a floral topnote. I love this sort of scent. Wet: Dry myrrh first, which always goes a little salty on me, like sea air and incense. Except in here, it smells almost.... dusty? Weird. I'll give it a second to mellow and see if that helps. I can see where people are getting a grape sort of impression from this: I think it's the mingling of the ylang-ylang and the patchouli creating a sweet-but-dark sort of fruity scent. Fortunately, it's not going to baby aspirin on me like Beth's intentionally grapey notes do. Hmm, this isn't as similar to Sin as I thought... it has the same patchouli, but the red musk provides a softer, closer bottom note, the ylang-ylang adds an almost transparent quality, and the myrrh is heavy and antique-smelling (and still just a touch briney), and reminds me of old books. Blended all together, it's a bit like some sort of exotic cinnamon, only better. It's got some throw, but less than I expected... just enough to draw someone in. Which is, I suppose, the point. *waggles eyebrows* Dry: The illicit lovechild of Urd and Sin. It has the same sort of topnote as Urd (only Urd's was cereus, if I remember correctly), and a vague grapey quality, like a very toned-down version of Urd's muscadine. All else is taken from Sin: a sexy, incensey base, intense and dry, but still almost edible in its appeal. Mmmmmmm...... Love this. I'm definitely keeping the Imp. I probably don't need big bottles of both this and Sin, so a face-off will be in order eventually, but for now, I'm happy to have both. Now, if you'll excuse me...

Frimp from the Lab. In the Imp: Whoa! A bracing blast of eucalyptus, cypress, juniper and something lemony (the galangal?) The overall effect is very reminiscient of a citrussy pine. It reminds me very much of climbing evergreen trees when I was little. Mmm, I like this a lot. Perfect for a cool clear day like today. Wet: A huge burst of cypress comes out first, completely dominating anything else. Slowly the other notes start to emerge: juniper, a bit of minty, sinus-opening eucalyptus, and that mysterious lemon. This is bright and fresh and crystalline and reminds me of green branches against a cold blue sky. It is indeed very similar to Burial, but this is more lively and less solemn to my nose. It's the illicit lovechild of Val Sans Retour and Burial... sweet and transparent and lively and 100% tree. Dry: Much like Vals Sans Retour, a number of sweet fruity notes emerge as it dries, until it's a lovely mix of evergreen boughs and what might be berries and crushed grass. This is really nice, a gorgeously lively woodsy scent, but I don't think I need Val Sans Retour and Burial and Loup Garou. I'll have to test them in succession and decide which will be let go.... but don't let that stop you from trying this. It's a lovely, surprisingly unintimidating (despite the opening salvoes), blend just perfect for the tail-end of winter.

Frimp from the Lab. In the Imp: Heady, musky floral, very traditionally perfumey and even a touch alcholic-smelling (although that very well might just be my imagination.) It's full and rounded and everything sort of melds together, but it's also precisely the kind of complex bouquet that I'm predisposed towards disliking. I can smell jasmine, rose, sandalwood, musk, and a sugary something that can only be orchid. There's also a very mysterious, hard to describe note lingering in the background.... it's full and flowery but also watery and emphatically unsweet. I wonder if that's the osmanthus. Wet: Rose, rose, rose! And jasmine, and, trailing behind a bit of orchid, hand-in-hand with some serious musk. There's a bit of sandalwood at the base of all that, dry and pleasantly gritty, and the osmanthus, if that's what I'm smelling, is barely detectable. There's still something just a bit vodka-ish that lingers around the edges. Complex but not very interesting, to my nose. Dry: Thin, floral, and reminds me of the flowers in Bearded Lady... only without that gorgeous lemon-sugar to anchor them. There's just not a lot to be said about Queen Mab on my skin. She's primarily rose, jasmine and orchid, with a touch of musk and sandalwood, but this kind of perfumey floral isn't my bag of bones. Swaps.

Frimp from the Lab. I love herbal smells. Here's hoping the neroli doesn't screw it all up. In the Imp: Neroli, maybe some orange, grapefruit, something a bit like basil, but not as sharp (moss?), vetiver, lemongrass or lemon, geranium, patchouli, grass, amber. No musk yet. Something in here is very familiar, and it's turning my stomach horribly: I think it's either the lemongrass or the geranium, as the essential oils of both make me feel sick. (Oddly enough, I think I remember that Beth mentioned the same thing happens to her.) It is a measure of my devotion to the Lab that I will test even those scents I know will make me nauseous. I shouldn't.... but I have to! Wet: Lemongrass. Yep. And geranium. My two nemesis notes. There's definitely some vetiver in here, too, and something very green I don't know... like cooking herbs with the sharpness removed. I also get sweet amber, something like cut grass stems, and a little musk. I'm sure the patchouli is in there but I can't pick it out... nor is the neroli going wonky on me, which I appreciate. It is a bit like a very complex, expensive soap. Still, that lemongrass/geranium is making my bile rise. It's not that they smell unpleasant, exactly, more that they just trigger gag reflex for some reason. Dry: This would be really nice if I didn't violently dislike two of the notes. It's too bad, because this has dried down to a very pretty citrus backed by golden amber, earthy patchouli, and fuzzy musk, with the more "herbal" scents swirling in and out occasionally and a throw of pretty, earthy, citrus-tinged vetiver. It's just a touch powdery, but in a good way, not an annoying baby-powder-esque one. It's surprisingly sweet, too, it almost reminds me of some sort of herbal-fruit gum. This will be great.... on someone else.

Frimp from the generous Labbies! I want to like this quite badly, but all the comparisons to bathroom cleaner have sort of got me skittish. Also, I have no idea at all what heather smells like. (Oh, yes, and caveat lector... my uterus is trying to wring itself out like a dishcloth at the moment, so YMMV.) In the Imp: ...... uh. Yeah. Cleaning product. Definitely. Is that the heather, that airy zingy bright note that reminds me of the way lamb's ear feels? I guess so. The blackberries are surprisingly pale, too, just a faint twinkle of fruit and not at all the full, ripe berries I was expecting. I'm not sure I like this. It is very.... cleanser-esque. But hey, who know what'll be like on, right? Wet: Something florally-soft-clean-sour. The two notes are extremely well-balanced, I'll say that, but the overall impression has a sort of powdery artificial Sweet Tart-like quality that really does remind me of that sink-scrubber stuff that comes in a round canister. It's also giving me the urge to sneeze. It's the heather, I think... perhaps the blackberries will come out more on the drydown? *hopeful* Dry: Glasgow must have some notably clean bathrooms or something, that's all I can figure. The blackberries are trying to come out to play, I can smell them poking their heads around the corner, but the heather is overpowering, and it's playing surprisingly rough for such a delicate, clean scent. What's more, this is already starting to fade on me, and as it does it's turning to soap. I'll hang on to this and test it again at a different time of the month, but I don't hold out a lot of hope. It sounds like my reaction isn't all that unusual... so this is probably off to swaps, and I'll have to check out Bewitched for my greenery-blackberry goodness. I have the most random luck with the Wanderlust blends!

Frimp from HoneyHoneyNY. The forums aren't working for me at the moment, so I'm doing this "blind". (Now that they're back up, I have to say, I love how we all get completely different things from this.) Should be interesting.... I seem to remember people got vague impressions of rose, honey, and pepper, but that's about it. I'm testing this oil for its scent properties only, today, as I don't have anyone I particularly want to intimidate with feminine sexual power at the moment. Mwuahahahah. In the Imp: *uncaps* *inhales* *swears involuntarily* *jams cap back on* Well. Ohhhhkaaaay. That was... interesting. I definitely got the pepper, and the honey, and a bunch of other stuff, but the overall scent is... overwhelmingly unpleasant, to my nose. It's wild with a ton of conflicting ingredients, and for a simple girl like myself, the overall impression is nauseating. I don't even want to test this... but it's BPAL, so I have to. *manful* Wet: Weirdly powdery, polluted honey, stinging black pepper, maybe some kind of floral, something green, and that cooking-spice smell that seems to be in all the Voodoo blends. It smells like baby wipes, in some weird way, and artificial honey. It's not quite as eye-watering as it was in the Imp, but it's not my idea of a good time, either. It's still a little stomach-churning, too... I might not make it to the drydown. Dry: I can see where the impressions of femininity come from. This does smell just a teeny bit like (.... er, this may be slight TMI)... well..... girl-parts. It's got the same kind of piquant sweetness-- but whereas I actually like natural woman-smell, I don't like this. At all. It's cloyingly sweet and overly pungent. I get dirty, thin, watery honey, baby-powdery floral, and nose-tickling black pepper, on a base of something that could be vetiver. Urk. Verdict: Get it off get it off get it off! The end result was a headache, an upset tummy, an unhappy nose, half a bar of soap sacrificed to a noble cause, and a vaguely disappointed me. The Queen will have to find a home with someone more open-minded (nostriled?) than me. *sniffs wrists* Oh my GAAAHD it's still there. Soap! *Soooaaaap!* [eta] I think I might have been conflicting with the intent of this oil rather than the smell itself. I tried it again, out of morbid curiousity, and it was an equally unpleasant experience this time... I felt almost angry at it, like it was another woman encroaching on my territory or something. I'm already fiercely protective and quite bossy, and I think Queen and I are just too similar to get along.

I wasn't originally going to order anything from the Lupercalia run, but damn if this and Luperci didn't suck me write in. Beth, why do you have to write such awesome copy? And then the reviews.... gaaah... yeah, so, I'm looking forward to this one. (There needs to be a "hopeful" smiley.) In the bottle: My mum got to this bottle first, and, after chuckling at the name (how cool is my mum, that she doesn't freak out about her teenage daughter wearing "Smut"?), she uncapped it, took a deep sniff, and pronounced... Her: "Bubblegum!" Me: "What? No! No! That's not right! Try again." Her: *inhales* "... yep. Mmm. Bubblegum. The kind I like." Me: "Is it sexxxy bubblegum?" Her: *gives me A Look* And, I have to admit, in the bottle, she's sort of right. I can smell whatever note Beth uses for sugar (yum), about a million different kinds of musk (Siberian, red, maybe black...? None of that pale clean stuff for Smut!), red and black patchouli, booze, a dry cocoa and... plum! I think that's what was giving the bubblegum note, there is indeed something very fruity in here. Maybe a bit of vanilla as well. It's not at all what I imagined, but I really do like it. The musks and cocoa are, in particular, to die for. It smells a lot like Snake Charmer with an added chocolatey note. Oh, I hope this is great on me. Wet: Whoa! Bitter! .... Ohhkay then. I'll give it a second to calm down here... oh, that's better. I think it was a burst of woody patchouli that threw me off for a second... It's still there a bit, but it's not so punch-you-in-the-nose after the first thirty seconds. Hmm, I have to say, I'm not getting a whole lot of "SEX" out of this yet. Patchouli, musks, a hint of boozy vanilla but, at the moment, just a hint.... The throw is much sweeter than the blend right up against my arm, and seems to have that same sort of fruity note as the bottle. No cocoa. Amazing radius, though-- I only dabbed on the tiniest bit, and bam! I'm walking around in a cloud of hazy goodness. Still, when I stick my nose right up against my wrist, there's something just a little "off". I think someone else mentioned that during the initial phase they got a sort of rubbery smell? It's a bit like that, yeah, but it seems to go away on most people once it's all the way dry, so I'll just leave it to sit for a few minutes here, and content myself with sniffing from a distance. Dry: I kept trying to play Web-boggle as I was waiting for this to finish morphing, but I was distracted by the smell wafting up from my wrists! It's a deliciously woozy vanilla, backed by sticky plums dusted with cocoa and rich musks. The patchouli is still a tiny bit offputting if I mash my face into my arm, but from a few inches away it smells like I just rolled around with a gorgeous man in a tub of trifle. Great throw, and I think this one's got stamina, too. I'm going to try putting this in the crooks of my elbows instead of my wrists, as I've noticed that often turns things sweeter and elimates any sharpness, but even if nothing changes... this one is just too yummy to let go. O will forever be the ultimate sex blend for me, but I can definitely see how this could be construed as smutty: it's sinful, indulgent, heady, and sticky-sweet. [several hours later] For some reason, I didn't post this right away, and it sat around in my browser, just waiting for me to finish it. Rather convenient, actually, since I was running back to the computer to say, after another half an hour, the woody part of the patchouli burned away completely, and the stuff on my wrist was the same as the throw. [eta] I forgot to add... the Communists are invading the summer house at the moment, so your mileage may definitely vary! I suspect it's my "that time of the month" chemistry that's giving this the surprising bitter note; I'll try it again when it's not the full moon and update accordingly.

Frimp from the generous Lab. I had just decided, not three days ago, that I was dying to try this. Psychic as always, Labbies! Also, this is my first Illyria blend. In the Imp: Hmm, doesn't really smell like anything to me. I can catch a tiny bit of clean cool rose I really try, but that's about it. Then again, I find musk hard to smell when it's not on me, and who knows what "a bevy of Middle Eastern and Indian spices" means? Oh, I really do hope this works on me! Wet: Roses! Clean without being overly soapy, a touchy spicy, and ever-so musky. I agree with whoever said this is how dryer sheets wish they could smell. Yum. For some reason I want to say there's just a touch of cardamom in here. This is springy and gorgeous, and does indeed conjure images of sunny mornings underneath a down comforter. There's something pleasantly lazy about it... Dry: From a distance of a few inches away, this is small, wild roses, but nose-to-arm, this is musky, a touch spicy, rosy, and expensive. Call me crazy, but I would absolutely swoon over a man who smelled like this. Hell, I love it on me! It's refreshing, crisp and light while still being exotic. The notes are fairly simple-- a gorgeous musk, a delicate sweet rose, and various low-key spices-- but the overall effect is lovelier than the sum of its parts. I want to experiment with a few more "clean" scents before I decide on a bottle, but this Imp has found a home with me... and I might even slather it on the Boy when he's looking the other way! Othello on one arm, Luperci on the other, and I'm craving man like there's no tomorrow. [edit] When I tested this last night, I forgot dear old Aunt Flo was due in the morning. I don't think my full-moon curse did anything wonky to dear Othello, but I'm going to try it again sometime, and will update if anything changes drastically.