alicia_stardust

MULADHARA: THE ROOT The Thunderbolt of Indra, The Hand of BrahmaThe Four-Petaled Lotus. Security, stability, courage, manifestation, survival. Muladhara is the root of all matter, the basis of physical existence. Through this chakra, you draw down spiritual energy and cause it to take physical form. In this chakra, the three primary psychic channels materialize. Within Muladhara, sleeps the Coiled Snake, your spiritual potential, and here it remains, sleeping, until you arouse and it work to bring it back to Brahman. All of your samskaras take physical form in this chakra. In the bottle: Whoah. This one is very abrupt and strong. It clears your sinuses, that's for sure. I definitely detect patchouli in this, the down and dirty kind and that part of it reminds me of Tarot: Death. But there's also something medicinal in there, along with something menthol-like. Just applied: Initially it's pretty much the same as in the bottle. There's definitely patchouli in there, and it took me a few minutes but I know what the other medicinal part smells like to me: tea tree oil! I could be wrong but that's what it smells like to me. I expected this to be earthy (root) and very grounding. I also expected this to be a "red" blend. It's definitely red, but more of a red-brown, very deep. After 30 minutes: This is a very strong oil. I only dabbled a tiny bit on and it's still too strong for me. However, after an hour or more it sort of softens and spreads out, and it is no longer too strong. Rating: Personally this is a hard scent for me to wear because I am not a fan of strong patchouli blends. It definitely has qualities that peg Muladhara: The Root perfectly. For those doing chakra work, I rate this 5 out of 5. For scent alone, I give this 2 out of 5.

MANIPURA: THE SOLAR PLEXUS The Howl of Rudra, The City of JewelsThe Ten-Petaled Lotus. Dynamic energy, willpower, autonomy, self-esteem, self-expression, ambition, analytical thought, intellectual activity, astral force, the fire of the spirit, assertiveness, laughter, rage. Manipura controls the radiation and distribution of prana throughout the system, and contains a protective energy that helps shield the soul from negative activity that may occur in the other chakras. In the bottle: Oh this is a gorgeous scent. It's still slightly herbal like the other Chakra blends, and I'm still curious about the possibility of the Chakras having a common blend much like some of the Lunar oils do. Other than the slight herbal tone, I mostly detect "sunshine" and the color yellow, with a bit of spicyness. Just applied: This get's a slightly golden yellow fruit smell and it reminds me very much of Sol for a while. After 30 minutes: Whoah! There's a warm, gentle spice that comes forward at about the 30 minute mark, and it's amazing! The spice does not seem to be cinnamon because my skin did not go red at all, but it's definitely spicy. It's blends really well with the sunshine yellow aspect to this. Overall I get a yellow color but the spiciness brings in a bit more orange/red to it. It's an excellent blend for such an important chakra! Rating: For working purposes, I give this 5 out of 5 stars. For scent alone, I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars. I think this is my favoirite chakra blend so far. Beth has done an amazing job with all of this, and this one is a work of art!

ANAHATA: THE HEART The Love of Krishna, The Breath of Vayu, the Garden of the Kalpa TaruThe Twelve-Petaled Lotus. Compassion, unconditional love, psychic healing, empathy. Anahata expresses the ability to follow ones heart, outside the jurisdiction of karma. Decisions truly made in Anahata are unbound by corrupted emotions and unfulfilled base desires. This is where we hold the image of our divine self. This is the quiet and stillness of our true center. In the bottle: I definitely get lavender, and a bit of "airy" quality. There's a slight herbal something in the background, and I know there are more florals back there but I can't pinpoint any of them by name. Just applied: Here's where this gets interesting. The lavender stays present, but for a short while this one starts to smell a lot like Sylph: green rolling meadows, grasses blowing in the breeze, lavender, and a very arid/dry quality to it. But then it morphs again! After 30 minutes: Next I start to smell something very bright and sweet. Guess what it reminds me of now? Parlement of Foules, only for the rose + resin aspect. The lavender herbal blend is still definitely part of this, so don't think it's gone away completely. Rating: What a work of art these oils are. For working with chakras, I give this 5 out of 5 stars. For scent alone, I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

AJNA: THE THIRD EYE The Meeting of Shiva and ShaktiThe Two-Petaled Lotus: perception and command. The mind's eye, intuition, truth found in dreams, imagination, vision, and light. In the bottle: Herbs and anise. Just applied: There's definitely anise/licorice in this. It's not sharp and overpowering like one would expect, though. Instead it's very soft and deep, and it's even a bit sweet. I like it, and I'm surprised by that. There's a quality to this that's very air-like and breezy, and it complements the anise really, really well. After 30 minutes: The anise scent seems to spread out a bit, and soften, and it gets a little bit sweeter. You know what? I know there are other notes in this, but I can't really pinpoint more than herbals, florals, and this is definitely a deep indigo "colored" scent. When I first smelled the anise I was sad. But now I'm very pleased with it and it's probably in the top 3 if I were to rank each Chakra oil by how well I liked it. Rating: For chakra work I rate this 5 out of 5, for scent alone I rate this 4 out of 5.

This is very atmospheric. It has almost a magical, otherwordly feel to it. I get the sense of history, age, and vast halls. It's got a resinous bite to it, like dry frankincense, with maybe something of a soft wood and bitter herb ever so slightly hanging in the background. But on top of that, I get something that's very champaca-like to my nose. It's like the love-child of Midnight Mass and Temple Viper.

No scent description. Taphophobia is the fear of being buried alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead. This prototype is an amazing take on that, and it is not your ordinary dirt/earth blend. It has a constant undertone of dark, damp earth, but there is a fragrance that floats on top of that and reminds me of rich red woods and aged patchouli, with just a small drop of bloody medicinal booze. The first 30 minutes are my favorite, where I get something that can only be described as "warm red earth", because it's rich and red yet it's not red musk or dragon's blood, nor does it seem to be any typical wine or plum note. Something here is reminiscent of some of the Poe blends. I think that Tell-Tale Heart, Premature Burial, and Montresor had a threesome. Naughty, naughty.

To me, this smells like brownie batter with a swirl of gingerbread. It's the best foody scent I've ever tried, and that's saying something. AMAZING!

I was most hopeful about this one from the first Act of The Nutcracker, but it smelled so different than I imagined. I was picturing a cool vanilla snow with lots of dark evergreen. However, the evergreen is barely present and the juniper ends up smelling like a mint-menthol amidst the vanilla. It's a light, fluffy, fuzzy vanilla mint with menthol. It's nice and is highly recommended for those who love Snowblind, but neither of those works on me.

No scent description. In the bottle I get a very dry, atmospheric quality that reminds me of The Castle (from The Order of the Dragon) but without the dragon's blood. Over the years I have heard reference to people saying that they want a scent that smells like their BPAL box as a whole; that mingling of scents that comes off of dozens of bottles and combines to form one overall fragrance. Cesky Krumlov is the smell of my TAL box! Woods, slight incense, herbs, ozone, art, old buildings, dust, magic.

Gloss. The wet crimson red of arterial spray. Even though I tested out a handful (ha ha!) of the claw polishes at Bat's Day and also bought a few colors there, Mme. Moriarty claw polish is the first one I did a thorough test on. The bottle is gorgeous and the color of Mme. Moriarty is exactly as the description states: crimson red. On my screen, at least, the color swatch on the site appears to be a tiny bit brighter than it is in reality. To my eyes Mme. Moriarty is a true vibrant red that does not seem to slide off into the yellow-hued reds that I tend to dislike. This seems to be a true crimson which is a deep, rich red with a touch of blue-hue behind it. It's incredibly sexy and attention-grabbing, which is precisely one of the reasons I like reds so much. The polish itself is incredibly smooth and silky. It goes on in a thin, sleek coat and dries incredibly fast. I also think it might stink less than your average polish. Why? Because when Axiom walked into the room he did not do his usual melodramatic "this room stinks, open the window before I die" routine. He didn't notice that I had even been painting my nails. I put Mme. Moriarty to the ultimate test the other day. I had applied two coats of the polish plus a clear top coat to freshly-pedicured feet. And then later I stupidly grabbed my footless ballet tights on my way to the dance studio. Bare feet inside ballet shoes for a 2 hour class is just begging for chipped polish. I was dead certain I'd have to go home and re-do them, but I was so wrong! They are in perfect condition, just as they were when I first applied the polish. It's now a few days and another dance class later and they still look perfect!

This is a very fluttery scent to me, meaning that it has a soft and feathery quality that almost tickles my nose. It reminds me of grey-white fuzzy paper wings. On my skin the egyptian musk is dominant, and the vanilla is warm and smooth but not a sweet vanilla. I get cardamom in there, but it's not spicy to me, just warm and fuzzy. There is just enough sugar in there to give it a dusty sweetness, but it doesn't turn this into a sweet blend overall. Very lovely, and somewhat subdued and comforting. I think this is going to be a hit for many.

Gloss Bloodbath red: a ghoulish maroon. Blood Countess claw polish is unreleased so there is no official description yet. I purchased this at Bat's Day. I immediately fell in love with the color of Blood Countess and it was my favorite of all the claw polishes at Bat's Day. It is a very deep, dark red that reminds me of the darkest blood red wine; the kind that no light can filter through. In low light it appears almost black, and yet when the light hits it I can easily see the dark blood red hue. I do not have Lady Macbeth to be able to compare the colors, but I believe that Blood Countess has less of a brown hue to the red. I also believe it may be a touch darker than Lady Macbeth and has a cooler color tone. The quality of Blood Countess is on par with all of the other claw polishes. It goes on smooth and silky, layers well, wears well, is less stinky than your average polish, and is easy to remove. I find that when I use a base and top coat with Blood Countess it lasts quite long without chipping.

On me this is very creamy, almost cream-soda like; but it's not quite foody. It has a sweet, rich vanilla-tonka vibe with lots of coconut husk. While the coconut is definitely prominent, it doesn't take over the blend like most other coconut blends tend to do with my skin chemistry. I do get hints of the ginger in there, and I smell the black licorice on the drydown but not so much after that. As time passes, the blend gets more "dry" and I can smell the bite of clove over the sweet-tonka-coconut. Overall, this is very warm and enticing with just the right amounts of spice and coconut. This is probably my favorite of the new honey/bee line. Definite keeper.

This is at the top of my atmo spray favorites, up there with Thousand Pillar, Snow White, Samhain, and Erebos. I missed out on Thriambus at Bat's Day, so Puddin gets extra smooches for allowing people to order it from him. To me, Thriambus smells just like a fresh pack of Djarum cloves. That semi-sweet clove scent seems to be the most dominant part of the blend, followed by the red wine (smooth and sexy) and tobacco (just a hint). The accent notes seem to fill in the spaces between the clove, wine, and tobacco so that it becomes a very well-rounded, smooth, sexy, goth club scent. This blend has a strong gestalt to it, and it's truly a work of art. Off the top of my head, most of BPAL's clove scents that I can think of are more of a sharp, spicy dry clove. In Thriambus, it is sweeter and smoother, probably because of the notes that are paired with it. This blend brings back so many good memories of my crazy twenties, spent in dark and sexy goth clubs on weekends, smoking cloves, and making the most of my weekend nights to counterbalance the intensive college weekdays. And it's just so sexy.

This has a very magical feeling to it, dark and mysterious and yet not heavy or strong. It's not just the scent of resins, but also of tiny wisps of light incense on the air and a smattering of wood and rose petals. It is very well blended, and a must for anyone who likes resinous, incense, and/or occult shop blends. I should also add that this very unique, so even if you have a lot of resinous blends in your collection, you don't have this one.

I can't add anything profound that hasn't already been said here, but I will divulge my thoughts anyway. Pink Snowballs is a must-have for this year's Yule series. It is a no-brainer if you love any of the Lab's snow notes, and especially if you love Snow White. It is still a must-try for anyone that's iffy on rose notes. It's just that good, and that unique, and the rose takes a backseat to the vanilla softness and the powder snow. I get Snow White as a base for this, and Pink Snowballs stays on my skin just as long and with almost the same level of throw. Pink Snowballs comes across as creamy and soft, and it brings to mind a swath of fresh powdered snow with a soft pale pink tint to it. Vanilla softens the rose which is already light and pale and blushy pink to begin with, and both those things are accents to the Snow White-like base. Soft, rounded, delightful, playful.

Dreamland. It's a past LE, but was revisited for a DD Trunk Show a year or so ago and shouldn't be terribly hard to find if you put up a round of ISOs. I can't recall if tuberose is listed in the description for Dreamland, but to me, that's nearly all I get from the blend, and I LOVE it! Very soft, waxy, and classic tuberose. It smells exactly like Illuminations' Tuberose candle that they sold each spring.

Peach Moon is a surprise hit. It doesn't smell like the peach fruit, but it smells peach if that makes sense. It has a dominant white tea note, followed by the peach blossoms and white musk. I only get the barest hints of jasmine and ho wood. This one is a major keeper. It's very smooth and rounded and the pitch is neither too high nor too low. Stunningly elegant.

Seconding The Snow Storm. It's an amazing unisex pine forest and snow blend. Probably one of my favorites after the unobtainable Skadi.

Black Phoenix Trading Post has a bath oil in the Wanton Voluptuousness section the Limited Editions page that is specifically honey and orange blossom. I know many forumites who use the bath oils as an after-shower moisturizer.

When I compare Trick or Treat 2005 to Trick or Treat 2009, they are overall very similar. However, the former is more smooth and sweet, and the latter is more warm and has just a tiny hint of autumn spice in it. And yes, it's a little more "corny" as Beth said in her update. I really do love both, but I think the 2009 version would win out over the older version.

Fresh lime, lime popsicles, key lime pie, a twist of orange, and lots of salt! Love this!

This is definitely mint, but to me it's a soft and very gentle smattering of fuzzy mint leaves, where you have just rubbed your hands through the plant after having spent some time in the garden. It has an herbal, magical quality to it, perhaps with a hint of sandalwood and lavender in the very far background, and a warm smattering of dark earth and soil. This is very grounding, and ethereal, and the mint is so very gentle and leaf-like. Beautiful.

This is absolutely the most amazing resinous incense blend. It is deep and red and warm and if you love Al-Azif, then this one is three times better. It is that amazing. There's a vanilla-like golden undertone, and the Al-Azif sort of resin mix. Beautiful!

Vanilla-lemon buttercream, cake batter, and a thin wisp of sweet incense smoke in the background. This is a foody lover's dream.