TygherRayn

In the bottle: Earthy was my first impression. Cinnamon, perhaps. Something a little woody .. but it's not cedar, that's for sure. The cinnamon's tempered by something, making it not as strong as something like, say, mars or Wrath. Wet: Yes, cinnamon. After a minute or so it sweetens, like there's a floral scent in this as well. The World card is a depiction of the cyclical nature of things .. and this scent seems to mimic that. It morphs constantly, I can't pin down the notes except for the cinnamon, but I know there's more. Wearing: This scent makes me happy. It makes me feel connected and grounded. And that's rather what I expected of a scent pattered after this Tarot card. It's warm and soft, it's sweet and woody. It's 'Elemental', if that makes sense. It seems to have all the elements in it, and that's a lovely thing indeed.

I've never had a problem with sending through payPal .. the security issues are really so infrequent that it's really the best option for me. I receive money through PayPal too, when I sell off the hoarde of Harlequin novels I've collected, so that gives me spendable money for BPAL that I don't have to worry how much is in my bank account. I suppose for ordering sending a check is just about the same safety as PayPal .. after all .. an unscrupulous person could just as easily get your information off your check ... easier even than through payPal, honestly. I won't use CCNow .. the first order we did, and it was just a big old hassle.

I waffle between really wanting a scent that is completely and utterly -me-, and adoring the stuff Beth already does make so much that I don't think it's necessary. I suppose that .. in time .. I really would like a custom blend ... as I have complete faith in Beth's ability to make it work. But now, I know she's swamped for one thing, and for another .. I'm perfectly happy trying each and every one of the blends already available ... I'm not even a quarter of teh way yet ... so once the time comes that I've tried everything ... and more of the bills are paid off and i have more disposable income, we'll see.

In the bottle: Crisp. Not-quite-but-almost lemony. Like bright sunshine trickling through a canopy of leaves high above a clearing, where the Unicorn resides peacefully. I imagine walking into the clearing wearing a flowing white dress, holding out my hand in breathless hope that he won't shy away from me. This is green and buttercup yellow and soft white flower petals dancing in the air. It's sweet and floral and innocent .. and I can't pick a single note out, and don't want to try. It's just lovely, just as it is. Wet: It warms just a little .. the sun hitting my face as I approach the handsome beast. It's such a light, crisp floral .. but it's not too flowery, if that makes sense. There's also something somewhat fruity .. like orange .. but not the smell of a fresh squeezed orange. More like what I imagine orange blossoms smell like. This is delicate .. but speaks of power more than strength. Wearing: This fades a bit after wearing it .. and granted, it's on my right wrist, which tends to fade more (but I bet my mousepad smells good!). But that's okay. I've just now read magpie's review .. and I wholly agree. This is the scent of the stream where Jack takes Lily to see the unicorns. The magickal wonder in her eyes when the beautiful equines first appeared .. the breathless hesitation as she reached out towards them. This smell captures that moment . and I'm all goose-bumpy as I remember that.

I've been afraid to try the 'masculine' scents here, as they all seem .. well .. too masculine for me. But Beth sent this one on and so .. I -had- to try it! In the bottle: Definitely masculine to me... rather, this is how I would like a man to smell. I can't say for sure if it'd be -good- for a man .. but if it stays like this one smells in the bottle, it'd be a snuggleable scent. It's kind-of soapy .. but not in the 'ugh, what is that soapy smell' kind of way, but rather a 'ohh, what soap do you use it's divine' kind of way. Wet: Still that good soapy clean kinda smell .. not like Morella did on me, turning to Ivory clean. Just a 'clean, manly body' kind of smell. Nice, warm and cozy. Wearing: It's a softer scent. This remains slightly soapy on me, but again, it's not in a bad way on my skin. It really does still smell like an incredibly cuddlable man .. I suddenly get a 'teddybear' image from it, now that I think of it. it smell like Hunter, the teddybear I sleep with when salice's not around. That makes this a keeper. ADDED Aug. 11: In the process of going through the latest hoarde of scents, I realized I'd not reviewed many, this one included. In the bottle: Clean. It's a rather white scent on first sniff. Somewhat rosey .. and I'd forgotten there was rose in this one. It reminds me of the white stones in the game 'Go'. Wet: As I should have expected, my skin amplifies the rose in this one, making it a rather feminine smell on me .. and sadly, not one I think I can wear. Wearing: This remains rosey, and a little too floral for me. This saddens me .. as always, I hate when one of Beth's creations doesn't work well with my chemistry. And I can't imagine this being masculine .. though it probably is on some people. Just not me. Swap Pile, sadly.

For a sapphire, or other blue stone .. Danube, if I recall .. was rather 'blue' to me. In fact, it's been the only really 'blue' scent I've worn. Oh wait .. Shattered. Yes .. Shattered is blue to me too. Cool, luscious blue. And Szepasszony too. Wow. Lot of recent blue scents! Citrines and other orangey stones .. I didn't find Aureus very golden .. but Tigerlily was. Queen of Sheba might also be golden, I've not worn it enough for that. Diamond .. Titiana. She's light and bright and airy. Tushnamatay reminds me of white linens.

I want a Beth-Clone. And if you figure it out, tell me and I'll have a Tania-clone made to come help you guys out at the lab ... my anal organizational skills need to be put to use somehow. And honestly .. with the size of our recent orders ... I can wait months for the rest of the stuff we have waiting! Okay, so maybe not .. cos I'm DYING to try June Gloom now, and Havisham .. and Blue Moon ... I've made sure I tell everyone I get hooked on your oils that they'll be waiting at least 3 weeks right now for their shipments ... just in case. Though .. Gods willing, that wait will get shorter in time.

I do have one question, Beth hun. What if .. as in one of my most recent orders ... a customer calculates something into their order .. pays for it, but forgets to note an item into the notes field (this could only happen in PayPal, I believe). Would an email .. within say 24 hours or whatever .. be sufficient to clear up that little snafu?

The accent should be on the second to last syllable: Mah-sah-BAH-kehs Multisyllabic Spanish words are always accented on the second-to-last syllable, unless an accented vowel (é, í, etc.) appears elsewhere in the word. Doh! He shoulda known that. Thanks!

I'm of the mind to combine the two, maybe? ky-pruh? Or maybe Ky-purr?

I'm not certain how much the formula might have change since the others reviewing this have gotten theirs, but I'm exceedingly happy to be able to try it before the blend is perfected. In the bottle: I do smell the cinnamon .. though it's not near as strong as Wrath, or Mars. It's softer, not scorching hot, but just a warm breeze on a summer day. It has a feel to it like how my hand smelled when I got to snuggle into a lion's mane at a zoo here. Mufasa was a gentle giant, and this scent seems to give that feel .. though it doesn't really smell like he did. Wet: This is just like snuggling the lion cubs I fed. It's warm, and fuzzy, and has sort of a hay/grass smell to it. Wearing: My skin likes amber, and after a while, this seems to pul out an amber scent. Again, I've no idea what the actual notes in this are, but I'm rather fond of this blend. This isn't a broad-chested, full-maned Mufasa .. this is Nala. This is a proud and playful lion cub like got to bottle feed at a local zoo. It's ambery, and golden .. but not blinding golden. More like sunflowers and goldenrod. I'm curious how the final version of this will turn out .. but I like it how it is now, and I'm thankful Beth let me try it now.

I was -so- very excited when I heard this scent was coming out .. anything 'tiger' instantly grabs my feline attention span. And so I'm happy to have finally gotten an imp of this one, and it was the first of my recent order that I wore. In the bottle: This is tiger lilies. Which are my favorite lilies, of course. I remember having them at the house I grew up in, and filling the house with them whenever I could. This is that smell. Wet: For a moment, this gets a lilac-y smell to it, Might be an association thing .. but I could swear I can smell lilacs and honeysuckle in this at first, before the blend settles down again. Not that that's a bad thing .. not at all! Wearing: Once again, this is the scent that I used to fill the house with. This is a proud and haughty lily unfurling her stripes, filling the room with a heady aroma. I simply adore this scent, and I'm infinitely enamored of it, and of Beth for creating it. ETA: It might be my poor overworked nose, but this seemed to die out on me to a very soft version of itself after about 5 hours. Pretty good lasting power, just the same. Definitely a keeper .. probably a 5ml of this in store for my growing collection.

I don't think fixatives/preservatives are necessary. Most of us seem to buy, predominantly, Imps .. and I can't imagine the amount in an imp going bad in the time it takes to use it. Improper storage might cause the oils to break down prematurely .. but then we get to get a freshly blended replacement! If I understand it right the oils aren't 'pre blended' or anything. Beth & Co don't keep large quantities of any one oil on hand, and so spoilage shouldn't be much of a problem, as the oils we get are fairly fresh.

I don't know about the throat tickle, but I know if I sniff too much at once, my nose goes on strike for a while, so it could be some kind of reaction where your body is saying "Hey, waitaminute! Give us a break here!"

There's also the fact that, as soon as humanly possible apparently, Beth & co are planning on leaving CCNow. I always send an email to the lab in general with a copy of everything .. what I ordered, teh amount, the transaction ID ... I'm anal like that, and while I know it's one extra email, I make it clear even in the subject it's an order, so I don't feel quite as bad for swamping them with emails.

I'm still waiting on a reply from Brian about two 5ml bottles that went missing .. but if Beth was sick, I'm sure things got a bit backed up, and I'm patient.

Oops! There .. all fixed. Didn't know! I'll make a note for future pics to keep them that size hun! *hugs*

This one I really got as a way to addict .. erm .. I mean to introduce an LJ friend of mine, though I was intrigued by it as well. In the bottle: This is a sweet, yummy floral. I rather love when the gardenia are blooming at my mother-in-law's house, and this smells sort of like that .. but sweetened a touch. That must be the vanilla .. though it doesn't smell like vanilla. Wet: Still that sweet, crisp and almost cloying floral. I really don't get a lot of vanilla in this one .. though vanilla sometimes needs to warm up on my skin to pop. Wearing: Its stays very sweet on me, but I rather like it .. perhaps in spite of that sweetness. I'm not sure this is one I'd wear often though. It never really warms enough to bring out the vanilla much on me .. which I think I wish it would, as that would temper the gardenia floral note, which tends to be very powerful.

Here's a pic with some new imps, and some old. Don't mind the Cult of Ecstasy Trad book ... though .. it's fitting, isn't it?

OKay .. well ... I got -part- of an order .. I'm assuming this is what was shipped on the 10th. However .. it's missing two 5ml bottles .. sooo ..

Yay rain! Rain is lovely. I wish we'd get some. Maybe once my June Gloom gets here I can at least imagine rain. *grins* Hey Brian .. a question. I think I read somewhere that you guys ship two days a week. Is it always the same two days .. or does that change?

I'll post the moment mine arrives. I've been stalking the mailman. *giggles*

I've always been drawn to the strength card. It's the Lion, I swear it. And this one reminds me of that card, most definitely. In the bottle: Very strong and definitely green. In fact, when I first smelled this in the little imp, I didn't think I was going to like it .. but I tried it anyway. I can't discern any notes, but it makes me think of dandelions and the leaves left after the roses have all died. Wet: Still very strong and very green, but it's warming on my skin to something that reminds me of powder .. but it's not powdery, if that makes any sense. Wearing: Ooh, I really like this. It smells like amber, and like honey, and like many other warm, earthy smells that make me all snuggly and happy. It's not warm in the same way that .. say .. Old Morocco is warm, or Scorpio. This is a more earthy warmth, where they are more fiery. This warmth is like the lion in the traditional card .. strong and proud, but tamed by something softer. ETA: Boy howdy does this one have some staying power! I put it on before work .. so .. 9pm-ish? I'm still getting whiffs here and there, and it's just as lovely as ever!

It depends on how it smells I guess. IF it works with my chemistry, I'd probably wear in on occasion. But I purchased it .. as well as Lughnassadh, really for ritual/magickal use.

There is a list of scents that are 'traditionally masculine' on the BPAL site, in the FAQ. However, I've found that even some of the non-masculine scents are adored by my husband .. and by our best friend Brandon.