Fleurdelys

Oooh.. Gaueko. Nag Champa and Lavender. It's perfect for wearing with my purple Doors shirt, and (also purple) Janis Joplin tee!

I took a big chance ordering this moon. Dragon's blood and I typically don't get along. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by this blend. The cherry blossom and tea leaf are the most prominent notes, with the dragon's blood adding just the right amount of sweetness. The bamboo adds a clean, fresh hint of green to the scent, and the sandalwood is barely noticable - just enough to keep the sweet floralness in check. Absolutely enchanting, and perfect for late spring.

::spanked:: ...Thank you, Sir! May I please have another? Oooh..I do like this. Wet, it's all cardamom, which I love. I was worried about the drydown, because I'm not a huge fan of patchouli. Luckily for me, my skin is picking up more on the leather note, so it becomes a spicy leather scent, with hints of patchouli and bourbon, instead of all patchouli, all the time. It's warm, spicy, and quite delectable. Everything blends together perfectly after drying, so that none of the notes are fighting for dominance. (Pun totally intended!) Another perfect Lab scent. Thank you, Maestro Beth! edited because spelling them funny foreign words is hard!

This is a spectacular scent. It's beautifully balanced between fruit and darker notes of spice and musk. Anyone who is a fan of cranberry/spice blends or candles will love this. That said, it's just a bit too foody for me - so I'll swap it off to someone who can give this scent all the love and affection it deserves.

I don't get much mint in this at all. It's more of an impression of coolness to the scent, rather than any specific type of mint. I mostly get mosses and a hint of ozone, which is alright by me. This is like Bayou, without the stagnant water and rotting flower effect. This is a scent I'd wear to the gym to stave off sweaty smelliness. It's a cool and light scent, but very long lasting. Kudos to the Lab. Another winner! edited because I'm a comma whore and my grammar leaves much to be desired

This was way too strong with the pine and eucalyptus for me to want to wear, but it's a divine room scent! I have some going in my burner right now. Just right for the holiday season. It also has made me amazingly alert and focused. I think I'll be getting a great deal accomplished this evening!

I also got a funky mint Hamadryad imp, in the order I received on 12/23. I looked around for other minty blends, and I think we may have gotten imps of Envy - based on the description of the scent, and the reviews people wrote. They pretty much described everything I was smelling on my skin when I tried this imp of Hamadryad. ::shrug:: I had intended to try Envy anyway. I just ended up getting around to it sooner than I expected!

Hee hee...I put this on..and the first thing that popped into my head was..I smell like a Fuzzy Navel! Heh. I do like this scent, because it's SO everything. So peachy, So boozy. It's not quite as much a "me" scent as Fae, but it's still fun to wear when I want to step outside the box a bit. I'll keep the imp and use it, happily - but for a big bottle of peach joy, it's Fae all the way!

Oh, this is a great violet scent. I tried Veil, Nocturne, and Wings of Azrael. Veil and nocturne were too sweet and soft. Wings smelled like...celery? ::shrug:: Then I tried The Raven. Perfect Violet Bliss. It's sweet violets at first, but then the sweetness wanes as it dries, and the musk comes out to ground the scent. Love, love, love this. This has replaced Morgause as my scent to wear on days that I'm wearing dark purple.

Ok..so at least I'm not alone. I opened the imp (which came in around the same time as the others with this problem) and I was like...OMGWTF....Spearmint? That's all I'm getting. On my skin it softens up a bit, but no spice, no foresty smell... I think I'll have to peruse the site to see what other blends contain mint and do a comparison. Maybe we got a mislabelled lot? ETA: I think we have fallen victim to the sin of Envy. If you read the description of Envy, and then some of the reviews - they match what we are seeing here. Heh. I'll have to swap for another imp of Hamadryad or order another - but no matter - little oddities like this are kind of neat sometimes.

Hmmm.. I like this very much. This is the first of the BPAL honey note mixes that works for me. I do get the grape scent initially, but only very briefly. My skin eats wine notes. Then it settles down into a mix of smoke, honey, and dry bay. I tend to favor green or musky scents, and this is a great mix of the two. It's balanced well with my chemistry, so I'm not finding the bay or the honey overwhelming. This works just the way it should, without smelling like food. This was a timely swap for me (Thanks Zenvodunista!) because I'm attending a formal wedding this weekend, and my dress is styled like a dark brown chiton. I imagine I'll be wearing Delphi, to go right along with it. And to think I was stressing over what perfume would be PERFECT with my dress. I should have known the BPAL gods would smile upon me and come through somehow!

I had this preconceived notion about Brisingamen from all the reviews I read - that she would be warm and spicy and sweet. I got spicy and sweet, but some component went really...cold on me. Like almost Halls Menthol cold. And it never really warmed up. I wanted a warm, embracing, enticing fragrance. Usually amber does that on me. Instead of warm and enticing, I got a scent that says "I'll play hard to get." Maybe I'll have better luck with Bastet.

This is not a bad scent at all. It's a cool, powdery (in a good way), floral. However, it smells almost exactly like this perfume I wore in High School to please my first boyfriend after he bought it for me. Windsong...::shudder:: Godawful stuff, and he ended up being a heel. Wearing this oil was an exercise in demonstrating how strongly scent and memories are associated. Too bad they weren't good memories, or I might have liked this scent much more!

OMFG! I'm completely enthralled by this scent...fascinated...ensorcelled....not enough adjectives in the dictionary. I've just spent the last thirty minutes with my nose attached to my arm, trying to figure out WHY I adore this scent the way I do. I mean, c'mon, there's patchouli in this... normally any and all patchouli turns to stinky feet on me, and my skin amps it like no tomorrow. Here, it's nonexistent. YAY! Even the ginger is Good Ginger, and not evil Siren Ginger. Oh god, it's so spicy and dark and smooth. I want to run off and lock myself in a room with my box of *ahem* toys... and not come out for as long as this scent lasts on me. And this is coming from a person who wears predominantly florals. I've tried a ton of scents from the Love Potions category, looking for something that makes me feel and smell sooo sexy. This is it. This is not a scent for wilting, graceful women. This is a scent for a woman who attacks her guy when he walks in the door, leaves scratches while ripping his clothes off, and says "I'm going to have you, all night, however I want...and you're going to enjoy every second of it!" The woodsy note in here is dry and brown, with little to no green. The spices aren't foody to me at all. Just a dry ginger smoothed and sweetened just a bit by the fig and tonka. I don't get tons of rose or cyclamen out of this. This is in no way a sweet scent. It is nudging the line of masculine on me, but it's like being with a guy, and having his cologne on you later - just blending into your skin. You get whiffs of it, and think (dirty thoughts) of him sporadically all day long. This doesn't morph too much, and has good staying power. I tried it on my guy first, and it was awful...smelled like a dead possum stuck in a log. Before I swapped it off, I tried it on a whim, and I am sooo glad I did. Definitely a big bottle! ETA: I wore this again today, now that whatever hormone spike was going on is over..., just to reevaluate the scent. I still like it very much. It's spicy and just treads the line of masculine. For women, I want to say it's austere and severe, almost, because of how dry it is, but in a strong, intelligent woman sort of way. Today I wore my hair all pulled back and a black turtleneck, and the scent fit - gave me more presence. Turning me from librarian girl into a Martha Graham clone ::fake European grand dame accent:: "NO NO NO... you vill not quit. Your feet.. they are not bleeding yet!" Wearing it will definitely tilt your chin up a notch or two, and woe to the person who would cross you wearing this scent. Very aptly named, I think. </edit>

My skin hates me! I put this on, and could smell all the wonderful fruit and floral and vanilla for ten minutes. Then patchouli and musk muscled their way in, tag teamed me, knocked me down and beat me up until I had no choice but to concede defeat to their unholy alliance, and wash it off. And twenty minutes after washing it off, I can still smell the evil duo!

This one seems really sensitive to skin chemistry, more so than some of the other oils. I got pepper and linen out of this, when I really wanted the honey and tea. Oh well, still have the Dormouse on order, in any case.

This scent is a combination of all the things my skin loves - musk, herbs, and flowers - and it shows. Aeval is a warm scent that is just strong enough to be noticed and appreciated. It almost reminds me of the scent of sweetgrass, with some flowers woven in. This is just a lovely, clean, warm floral/herbal mix that stays pretty true to the original swipe, with little morphing. I would compare it to Phantom Queen for the balance of floral to herbal/wood notes proportion. Neither tone comes out more strongly than the other. Aeval is certainly warmer than Phantom Queen, with the addition of the musk and tonka. mmmm..big bottle of this... if I can ever pry my wrist away from my nose long enough to order....

Along with Loviatar, she has become something of a Patron Goddess of all Dominatrixes, Wanda is the breathtakingly beautiful sable-wrapped marble queen of Sacher-Masoch's fantasies. Her scent is a deep red merlot with a faint hint of leather, sexual musk and body heat over crushed roses, violets and myrtle. This scent was a revelation! This was a part of my very first order, just because I was curious about how wine and leather would smell in a perfume. Prior to that order, I was mostly a floral/herbal/vanilla (pun completely intended) sort of girl. Well, my experience with Wanda definitely introduced me to the kinker side of scent. And I loved every freakin' second.... I'd also never tried scents that morphed before. This is a morpher, and a testament to the skills of our beloved lab alchemists. Wet: This went on very sweet and juicy with the wine. Almost all I could smell. And it wasn't really in a good way either. Luckily, this stage passes in five or ten minutes. After ten minutes, the leather asserted itself...and this became the scent of a Saturday night at a smoky bar, drinking wine, and being wrapped in a hot guy's leather jacket. Ooooh, this is sooo good. Then the roses come into play about half an hour into it. The scent becomes more feminine, but doesn't lose any of it's kick. The wine fades a bit, so it becomes mostly leather, roses, and smoke. Still a great scent. Very sexy and assertive, with a decent amount of throw. A bigger bottle is definitely required! Buy it for me now, Slave!

This is a lovely, lovely scent! It's a warm, smooth floral. It's definitely an evening out perfume. I can picture Billie Holiday smelling like this, when she's onstage in a slinky gown, and wearing a magnolia in her hair. The magnolia and jasmine are the most prominent notes here, with very little change on the drydown. The rose and orchid peek through just a bit, enough to ground the sweeter flowers. The amber gives this scent a warm backing. It also gives the scent good staying power. Overall, this is a really romantic floral scent, and is not at all sweet. The best way to describe an attitude with this scent is sultry and sophisticated.

Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. Whew! This is a complex and darkly sweet scent. I'm still learning what notes I like, and what I don't. There's something in this scent that I just don't like. I'm thinking that perhaps it's the vetiver or the dragon's blood, because I'm not as familiar with those scents. That being said, on me, this scent was almost reminiscient of an expensive tobacco blend. It's sweet, musky, and dark. Sorry I can't be more precise. Anyway, it's just not me. Swap!

What attracted me to Dublin initially was the pretty white rose. I haven't ever really tried a lot of "foresty" scents, but I figured the forest notes would stay in the background. I am soooo glad I was wrong. Wet, this scent is all sweet rose. Within ten minutes, you get damp green leafy deciduous scents peeking out. Ten minutes later, evergreens and moss show up (faintly though, just enough to give this scent some bite). After a time, it's mostly soft foggy forest with a breath of rose. It's like a forest snuck up behind you when you were distracted by a rose growing by the side of the road. My skin just LOVES those forest notes. I never would have known or thought to try this scent, if I hadn't been seduced by the rose offering. This is a beautiful, complex scent. It's perfect to wear to work, because each note is faint enough and balanced enough not to scream out to your coworkers, but at the same time has great lasting ability. I could still smell this on my blouse and skin after getting home from work. It's also a great attitude balancer, somewhere between "sweet" and "take no prisoners!" I would try this if you don't like heavy florals, but want a little something sweeter to break up an otherwise woodsy scent. I would also try this if you haven't tried/been nervous about trying a woodsy scent. It's a great gateway dru....er....scent. Already ordered a bigger bottle!

Yerevan confused my nose. I had to wear this twice, on two different days. I liked it, and then I didn't like it, and then I liked it again. I think it was really more a matter of I wanted to like it. Wet: This is cough syrup, straight out of the bottle Ten minutes later, I could start to separate the scents a bit. The apricot is too sweet and cloying at this stage, still. But I could detect just a bit of spice and musk waiting in the wings, and it gave me hope. Forty-Five minutes later, the delicious spices and musk were trying to push the apricot off the stage, and she just wasn't having it. There's this awful sickly sweet overlay over a gorgeous spice/musk scent. I so wanted the apricot to go away, but my skin takes anything sweet and amps it. After an hour and a half, that cough syrup note was still there, and I just couldn't take it any longer. I really wanted to like Yerevan, but Fae behaves so much better on my skin, for a similar sort of scent. Off to the swaps!

Yesterday, I received a set of imps from the very generous Diana. I was so excited to try them all, and Fae was actually at the bottom of my list to try. One by one, each of the scents disappointed me. None of them worked on me. Then I got to Fae. This scent made up for the rest of them. I want to BATHE in this scent! This is coming from a person who doesn't really like fruit/food scents. I was worried about the peach in this scent, worried that it would be too strong and sweet. When I first put it on, that's exactly what happened. It went on like cough syrup. Then, within ten minutes, the musk came out to play. It balanced the peach perfectly! I don't get much floral out of this. Mostly I get vanilla musk, with an underlying tone of peach. It's not foodie, like Peaches and Cream; it's more like standing outside on a hot summer day, smelling faintly of vanilla and the juicy peach you've just eaten. Love it! Must have a bigger bottle!

I really really really wanted to like this scent, and make it a staple. I love honeysuckle. Alas, it was not meant to be. In the bottle: Mmmm honeysuckle and lemon. Wet: Whoa, honeysuckle...if it had stayed like this, I'd have been very happy. Drydown: The honeysuckle faded, I got a bit of the lemon, and then bang..there's this cold undertone of ...licorice? I know it sounds weird, but maybe anise is one of the spices mentioned in the description. All I know is that anise and I are mortal enemies. This stage killed it for me. The anise fades a bit after an hour, but I can still smell it. Even the slightest whiff just makes me cringe. I was hoping for a round, warm, smooth frangrance like Black Dahlia, and instead, I get licorice. ::whimper:: Definitely more C'est la vie, instead of Lassiaz les bons temps roulez! Off to the swaps.

This scent went on and it was all sweet, sweet candy violets. As it dried, the scent became deeper. Those sweet violets were overlaid with a bit of dust. It's a very old-fashioned scent, perfect for a young girl in a white dress at her coming out party. She just happens to be carrying a nosegay of sweet fresh violets. I like this, but it may be too young and girly for me. I'll finish out the imp, and see if I have a driving need to obtain more Veil.