xoe

wow. i quite like this. at first in the bottle and on me, it was strangely like some bubble bath i remember from childhood. like something from Avon... or Mr. Bubble. But that faded quickly. Then it smelled like a doll. maybe like i took my doll in the bath with me. then i walked outside and it just bloomed. that was last night. today i put it on and the bubblebathyness was completely gone. it is soft, feminine, lovely. i never tried dorian before... and didn't really like snake oil but do love Boomslang and Temple Viper so ... took a chance on this. and I'm really glad I did. New favorite.

Jasmine is not good on me. same with myrrh. Nyx has both. It isn't terrible like I expected. But it still isn't for me. Oh well.

Got my Schwarzer Monde on Saturday and put it on Immediately. Schwarzer Monde is definitely dark. My skin has a tendency to blow Myrrh up all out of proportion. And it does so in this one a bit, but the other notes are also very strong, so they kind of keep it in check. Schwarzer Monde is a dark velvety blend, rich and sweet. For me the patchouli doesn't really come out at all. It is all myrrh, amber, musk and oppoponax.

Snow Glass Apples seems to be reacting differently with me than with all the others. At first it very much reminds me of the Hesperides. I get the green apples, definitely... but no cold, no mint. There is something dark behind the apple. Like this is a green apple that just appeared in the vacuum of space. lol. Just an apple surrounded by blackness. It is lovely and sophisticated. I quite like it, and I'm not usually a fan of apples.

for me The Hamptons are far too sweetly fruity.

Ile de la tortue is all damp tropical orchid on me. Makes me feel like I'm in an old time zombie movie. Where they were on a tropical island or in southern florida ... the old black and white voodoo zombie genre. Yeah!

My loving spouse got this as a surprise for me. I told her to get me anything from the Carnaval Diabolique section, and when she told me she'd gotten this one I was sort of "meh". But man oh man was I wrong. It is very strange in the bottle. When first on my skin, the hemp paper is strongest, then it smells like crayons for a little while (maybe the combination of the paper and the other notes, I dunno.), then it gets very fennelly/anisey.. then it becomes a lovely slightly sweet, slightly incensey, slightly dirty herbal scent. I usually stay away from herbal scents because i think of them as being too clean and outdoorsy. this isn't that at all. This is a unique dirty herbal. I love it and it is light enough to wear to work!

Black coconut, black musk, lemon blossom, and ironwood bark. wet on the skin, Tiki King is a rush of dark coconut with a touch of lemon. As it dries it becomes more a lemony woody blend. Really delicious.

Tiki Queen is really very light and lovely. A flirtatious summer breeze. I expected it to be very rich and lush, maybe even a little too lush.. but it isn't at all. For a little while on my skin the tuberose threatens to overwhelm everything, ... it is just slightly too strong for a very brief while, then it settles down and blends in.

Tupapau did not work for me at all, sadly. Don't know why.. but it turned to a crazy bugspray type smell. Oh well.

As with all the TALs I have tried, Road Opener really works. I've been really stuck in my work and in my relationships. I was planning a trip to see the one person with whom I have a very important, but difficult long distance relationship and knew I was going to need some help. In comes Road Opener. It really really helped. I used Road Opener in combination with Lionheart. So that we could find new possibilities and ways of dealing with our issues and complications and so that I could have the courage to actually follow any paths that opened. We found our way to a new understanding and this is shaping up to be one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done. Ad Astra per Aspera. As for scent it is really rosey. reminds me of a less watery, more solid Water of Notre Dame.

On me, Opuhi is fantastic! Which is strange because BPAL Vanilla usually gives me problems. Maybe because it is Vanilla Orchid instead.. or maybe because it is balanced by the ginger, whatever it is this is beautiful! It is a blend for smooth confidence. This is so far the one Tiki blend that makes me wish that the decants had arrived in time to order a bottle. oh well, I'll use the imp and search the swaps!

The courage and nobility of a Lion are what I needed just now and the Lab came through. I just ordered this at the end of last week, hoping it would be here before Thursday. And here it is, and I needed it immediately. And it worked! I am dealing with a very difficult relationship issue, as well as a lot of internal self-realization type issues. Things that take immense courage and a positive outlook to get through. Today there was a particular crisis and Lionheart combined with Road Opener came through for me. I put a little of Lionheart on my throat chara and my heart and my solar plexus... and a little on my wrists just so I could experience the scent of it. As for the scent. It is warm and gentle a little sweet a little dirty.

I expected to LOVE Blue Fire. I love blueberries and thought maybe the Gin wouldn't amp up on me like most alcohol scents do. But I was wrong. At first it is blueberries and GIN then it became really like Pez or something on me. Overall too young and fruity and alcoholic for me. Oh well. worth a shot.

Marae is lovely, but short-lived on me. The gardenia is beautiful and not too heavy. I can smell the orchid a little bit, i think... maybe. and the incense is what is left as it fades. I really like it qutie a bit.

ON me, wet, The Clod and the Pebble is at frist cedar. But a deeper, sweeter cedar. I'd guess that's from the patchouli. As it dries, it becomes more complex and sweeter and the rose starts to shine through. I think I may be in love with this.

The lab's vanilla rarely ever works on me. I thought this might be an exception. In the imp [decant] it is rich vanilla, and at first on me it is cupcake. Then vanilla does the strange thing that it does on my skin. I can see where people get wintergreen too. Sort of a chalky like milk of magnesia smell or something. Not quite right for me.

At first, all citrus deliciousness. As is its way, the citrus fades rather quickly. The violet/ylang are the strongest part of this, after the fade of the citrus. This is blended beautifully. No need to fear the patchouli in this for you patchoulophobes. .. but it doesn't last very long. I'm going to try my decant a few more times before deciding if I need a bottle. Its really pretty and feminine, but fades so quickly.

I got my bottle of Yew Trees on Ebay. In the bottle it is a bit sharp evergreen adn kind of citrussy ... i guess that is the berries. Wet on my skin at first still kind of sharp, goes through a very brief pine sol stage. Dries beautifully. Woody. Creamy. Citrussy/berries. Evergreen. Enervating and comforting at the same time. (eta: ha ha. not ENERVATING. I meant INVIGORATING. Not sure where that came from.)

Bottle: very floral. I don't know the flowers in this one so can't say for sure what is what Wet: Herbal/Floral Dry: Gentle herbal floral. The opium poppy seems to dominate on me. Occasional bursts of sarsaparilla. I went for a walk last night wearing Pisces and all of a sudden for just a moment SARSAPARILLA. I liked it. All in all I'm really pleased with Pisces. But it is actually a gift for someone who has a birthday coming up. I just wanted to try it out. I hope she likes it as much as I do.

I swapped away my 2007 Sugar Skull for Pumpkin V. And I am glad that I did! I love this scent! At first it is a bit buttery, but that fades quickly. Then it is pumpkiny orangey gingery. Warm and sweet and light smelling with amazing throw! Great stuff.

Magnet is a very strong scent to my nose. It is not particularly nice. It smells like it works. And it does. I use it mainly to amp up Attuning or French Creole. Not that French Creole really needs amping up, but ... And it really does seem to work. I can feel it working with the Attuning definitely!

Anointing: the scent to me is mainly lavendar. I use it mainly at night when I want to feel the energies in the darkness. When I want to be attuned to the spirits. It works really well.

Wow. I can't believe I haven't reviewed Hymn to Pan yet. I got it because I knew that I had some situations coming up that were going to require bursts of creativity AND rockstar debauch. It worked a treat! My GOD did this stuff work. It tapped into parts of my consciousness that I didn't even know were there! As for the scent, to my nose it is much more fizzy and dark. VERY DARK BLACK. It is powerful.

Hello all. I'm getting ready to place my umpteenth order and just realized something strange. If I'm reading the site right, it looks like shipping is cheaper to Canada than to U.S. For example I am ordering 2 5mls and 2 sets of imps. According to the international shipping rules that counts as 4 items, so is $7 to Canada. But, according to the U.S. instructions it is $8.50 because it is between $40 and $100. Does that seem right? Am I reading something wrong? Why would it cost less to send internationally?