alicia_stardust

PUMPKIN IV - This makes me long for the desert; sometimes I miss it so much that it aches. I miss the scent of the air, the sage, the energy of the land. Pumpkin IV captures that so perfectly that it's as if Beth read my heart and mind. Wet: I smell pumpkin! I don't get any of the other notes yet. Dry on Skin: The pumpkin sits strongly but it is not alone. There is a sharp, sweet green scent right off the bat, then in just a few short moments it calms down and an intoxicating floral takes over. And I mean intoxicating: it is sweet, heady, and slightly spicy. This just screams sweet desert floral, so I am sure it must be the cactus blossom. The sage and sweetgrass ebb and flow. They sort of work their way around the cactus blossom and pumpkin; sometimes they fight for center stage and other times they sit in the background to let the other two notes do their thing. They dance around each other beautifully. At times Pumpkin IV even captures the essence of desert air; the way it smells when desert blooms have opened and are scenting the night air. The throw smells a bit different than what I smell up close to my skin; I really like both aspects but I like the throw best. The pumpkin is a nice contrast to the otherwise desert floral, herb, and grass scent. I really can't describe how heady and intoxicating this is because it is like nothing else I've ever smelled. This is the beauty of the desert. The energy and feeling of it is so perfect for me. Breathtaking!

PUMPKIN III - This is pure autumn decadence! Wet: I smell smooth, dessert-like pumpkin and the red tart of pomegranate juice. Dry on Skin: This is like an autumn dessert! I can immediately smell the cream, then just as that softens up I smell white chocolate and pomegranate alongside the pumpkin. There's a short while that I can smell... cake. It's chocolatey pumpkin cake, slightly tart with pomegranate, slightly gooey with caramel, and finally there is a nice little bit of spice that melds with the pumpkin. I have no idea where that is coming from but I really like it. This is beautiful and delicious!! It is yet another pumpkin hit this year! (I am 3 for 3 so far.) =) Edit: I had to add that when the caramel comes out to play, it really reminds me of graham crackers. It makes a really interesting combo with the pumpkin, chocolate, and pomegranate. Love it!

PUMPKIN II - Warm and spicy and oh-so-divine. Wet: In the bottle I smell strong pumpkin with a hint of butter, and behind that there is a very characteristic tobacco smell. It hides beneath the pumpkin but I still found it. Dry on Skin: The pumpkin is no longer buttery. It is pure pumpkin and floral-spice. As it dries on my skin I no longer detect much of the tobacco, though after a while I do think it helps contribute to the spiciness of this blend. It is so very warm and spicy; not spicy hot like cinnamon, but spicy floral from the carnation. The champaca lends a bit of sweetness to this pumpkin spice, and although there is already an element of warmth to this scent, the tonka jumps in and pushes it further into that hypnotic vanilla realm. This is a gorgeous and spicy pumpkin blend!! It is very well-rounded and intoxicating. Comforting. I am so in love with it! The thing I really love the most about all of this year's Pumpkin Patch scents is how... refined they are. They are pure works of art. They are complex and subtle and they take you on a little autumn scent journey. They are also, for the first time ever, the type of pumpkin I can wear. Those who can't wear Jack, take heart! These are *gorgeous*. Try them!

Scent: There is an herbal quality to this, and possibly some Kyphi. I know there's more to this, but I am having trouble picking out notes. It's quite pretty, though it's very strong. Use: I use this on my altar as a blessing or offering oil. I also use it for dressing candles, depending on circumstances and intentions or needs.

Scent: This is cool and misty, like blue-green waters, grass, fog, and a touch of cucumber. It's very "green" to me. Use: This is a wonderful aid to meditation, especially since I spent some time doing a form of Celtic Shamanism. This oil was the perfect thing to wear whenever I knew I would be journeying to the Upper, Middle, or Underworld.

Scent: Light, sweet, innocent florals. Use: When I need to tap into the Maiden archetype I like to use Temple: Maiden. I also find that it is useful when I am working with certain deities or certain Pagan holidays that involve the aspect of maiden, youth, innocence. I have also used this in conjunction with the Kore/Persephone myth.

Scent: Patchouli, florals, warmth, darkness. Use: I am not in the crone stage of my life but I certainly do tap into that archetype when needed and during those times I like to use Temple: Crone. I also find that it is useful when I am working with certain deities or certain Pagan holidays/seasons that involve the crone aspect. It comes in handy for working with trimorphos/the Triple Goddess.

Scent: Florals, herbs, possibly a touch of mint. Use: I am not a mother but I certainly do tap into that archetype when needed and during those times I like to use Temple: Mother. I also find that it is useful when I am working with certain deities or certain Pagan holidays that involve fertility and ripeness, or any other Mother-related aspect.

Scent: This seems to have mostly patchouli in it, but also a touch of water, ozone, and warmth. Use: I was a member of a magick group that spent some time working with the elements and elementals. I used this TAL oil a lot after I got it because it applied so well to the rituals we were doing. I ended up using it as a sort of mental and spiritual preparation before the rituals by anointing my third eye with it. I found it to be very useful and I'm so glad I was able to get some of this.

Scent: A warm floral-spice that is golden and very reminiscent of the scent of White Light and High John the Conqueror. Use: This is an excellent aid to Golden Dawn study and ritual. This is going to be a very popular TAL oil for me!

Scent: This brings to mind great forests and woodlands, a touch of earth, berries found in the wild, and lots of juniper. Use: I haven't done a lot of direct Druid work, so in order to test this out I chose to anoint myself with it and use it in a guided meditation. One thing is certain: it really helped me connect to center and to ground myself for the meditation. I venture a guess that the earth and forest element was an aid in that.

Scent - Temple: Angelic is so pretty. I really cannot describe it other than to say that it has a gorgeous floral scent with a touch of rose. Use - I don't tend to work with angels a lot in my ritual work, so I spent a lot of time eyeing this oil warily without being sure of how to use it. Eventually it dawned on me that, duh, I could use it in a ritual with the archangels and their respective elements. Once I made that realization it was easy for me to use this oil in rituals. It really brings a strong yet peaceful presence.

THE LURID LIBRARY - It's my very own dark, sultry, and mysterious library! Wet: I smell the sweet bite of gummy incense resins and a soft, lilting sweetness. Dry on Skin: I can immediately smell the incense resins. They are very rich and dark. I'm going to take a little guess and say that this has opoponax in spades!! I also smell something that reminds me of champaca and maybe there's even some labdanum and frankincense in there. Beyond those resins, I get a sweet and very sultry and musky essence a la a very, very toned down Smut. The resins warm, then sweeten, then turn dry before fading off into a soft shadow of spent incense and old parchment tomes. I love, love, love The Lurid Library! If you like this, you NEED to try Temple Viper and Lycaon!

THE DEATH OF AUTUMN - Beautiful, atmospheric, and the khus behaves itself! Wet: It's sharp. I smell dark green grass and a touch of saffron and clove. Dry on Skin: The khus is very strong here, but at the same time I get a nice bite of sweet, warm saffron and clove. The chrysanthemum and amber remain present but in the background. As time passes, the khus really calms down and I get more and more of the dead leaves. These are the brightly colored fall leaves, the kind that crunch as you walk on them and that scrape across the pavement when the wind gusts. The scent is very distinctive and reminds me of jumping into a leaf pile. You have your face right up with the dead, dry leaves, the decay, and the earth. It's all there. This is a very evocative and atmospheric autumn blend. It is something I will enjoy wearing, but I also cannot wait to put this in an oil burner.

PUMPKIN I - A surprise hit! It is so gorgeous. Wet: In the bottle I smell that strong, characteristic pumpkin note. It's that buttery one that people are afraid of. Never fear! It goes away and it is breathtakingly gorgeous. I can tell that the pear is sitting behind there, cool and juicy. Dry on Skin: This scent is a HUGE morpher. It goes from that somewhat buttery pumpkin, to a dry pumpkin with juicy pear (no butter in sight whatsoever), then to a slightly spicy pear with pumpkin, then to a vineyard-inspired grape that is very wine-like and not so fruity. Last but not least a soft and sweet floral comes out to join the pear, wine, and pumpkin. At this stage the jasmine is very reminiscent of what I get from the MB: Bigger Critters oil. Pumpkin I is refreshing and feminine. It is a sweet and light, mellow fruit harvest with a base of pumpkin and a smattering of soft jasmine.

OCTOBER - Surprising, but still oh so good! Wet: In the bottle I smell a very sharp, green leaf scent. It reminds me of the way bitter greens taste in those over-the-top salads that you get at nice restaurants. The green scent is so strong I can almost taste it. Beyond that there is a touch of ozone. Dry on Skin: It keeps that strong green leaf scent, but now added to that are decay and dampness. I smell maple leaves, golden and crunchy. There is an ozone/wind smell that makes me think of the cold, sharp air that fills my lungs on a cold autumn day. There is an air of masculinity to this, but not overly so. It evokes the images of October from the perspective of nature and autumn, rather than the warmth of Halloween and desserts. I love it! This has a long wear length and medium throw. I think this captures the essence of October perfectly. While I do like it on my skin, I think I will like this far better as a room scent. I'm going to try it out! Edit: I put this in an oil burner and OMG it is divine as a room scent! There are no words to describe it!

Scent: Clean, bright citrus and light, springy florals. My first thought was lilies. Use: I was only given a tiny partial decant of this so I have used it sparingly. When I do use it, I anoint my pulse points with it and dress a candle that I then burn in the center point of my home. If I had more, I'd probably use it in an oil burner to scent the whole home. It has such a calming, peaceful, and happy aura of scent. I like using this after a dark winter, whenever the energy of the home gets too chaotic or busy, or whenever someone here has been sick or down for a while.

Scent: This smells dark, sultry, exotic. There's something in there that reminds me of feminine incense resins, and possibly a soft, deep rose. Use: When I wore this I found that I was a lot more outgoing and confident, which translates into laughter and cheerful, flirty conversations. I didn't meet anyone (and I'm married anyway!) but I did have a great day.

Scent: This was really hard for me to sniff out, so I don't really have much information in terms of what notes I think are in this. I did detect a slightly sweet, herbal floral. There was a stage where this was a bit bitter, but then it calmed down and went herbal once again. It has a very warm and inviting aura to it. Use: I anointed my chakras and then ended up going out for the evening. I didn't notice anything over the top, but I did get a lot of attention from the man.

Scent: To me, this smells of citrus, red musk, and cinnamon. Maybe there's a touch of amber in there. Maybe. Use: When I got this there wasn't a description out that I could find, but I assumed that it had something to do with love or lust. I didn't realize it would be quite so bewitching or wearable as perfume, but I definitely got some attention that night and a compliment on the scent.

A MURDER OF CROWS - I wish I had more than an imp! Wet: This has a cool, sleek scent to it. I can't really pick out any individual notes because I can't get past the strong visual image of sleek, shiny crows in a pumpkin patch. Dry on Skin: The verbena amps up immediately and it sits as the strongest note for a good 5-10 minutes. After that, it starts to slowly calm down just enough for the other notes to show their face. The iris has a very dusky, downy quality to it that almost reminds me of violets. Something about the verbena and iris gives this an almost perfumey quality, but that impression is fleeting because suddenly I find myself noticing the resins. Incense indeed! The grey amber remains soft while the benzoin gives off its creamy vanilla-like aroma. That is among my favorite of all resins. This brings to mind cool, sleek, oily black feathers. The zing of the verbena sits as a nice contrast to the resins and iris. It's so gorgeous!

BONFIRE NIGHT - When I got my Halloween order, I could tell that one of the bottles I got was scenting the entire box but I had no idea which one it was until I opened up Bonfire Night. I was so happy when I found the culprit. It's really lovely. Wet: I smell a smoky sweet scent. It's almost foody. Dry on Skin: This smells like dark and smoky coffee. Better yet, it smells like a shot of alcohol was added to the coffee. It's very aromatic and heady; the throw is quite robust and I keep catching whiffs of myself as I move around and work. There's an almost syrupy quality to this, which definitely has to be the molasses (treacle). Despite my coffee impression, the concept is not lost. As time passes I get more and more of the woodsmoke. It becomes drier and as such, the sweetness fades off slowly. It's a very nice little scent journey. As the scent starts to dissipate, I am left with thoughts of chill autumn nights, a cacophony surrounding a glowing bonfire, and woodsmoke that is spread across the night by the wind.

Scent: This smells like a blend of orange and grapefruit, possibly tangerine; the two meld together to create a bright, uplifting sort of scent. It's like sunshine. There's a slight softness to it that is almost powdery, but not quite, and perhaps there's an herb in there?? Use: The name says it all. I anoint myself with it whenever I am feeling particularly despondent and down. If I had more than a decant, I would use this more liberally in dressing candles and whatnot. It's very uplifting and in this case, I think the scent is a big factor in the efficacy of the oil.

Scent: There is a sweet, tangy floral in there. It's juicy but not fruity. I also detect a hint of cinnamon and possibly clove. Use: I always dress a candle with this whenever I find that I am spending way too much money. For me, it's a stop-the-bleeding-budget sort of oil, which comes at things from a different perspective than some of the other fortune and prosperity blends.

Scent: It's beautiful. It has a resinous, spicy, magic/occult shop scent to it. Use: I was given a decant of this from a friend when I was very, very ill. I understand Babalu Aye to be the Orisha who governs epidemics and illnesses that are infectious. While my illness was neither of those two things, I was still very scarily sick. With my friend's help we performed a healing ritual complete with offerings to Babalu Aye. It didn't cure me, but it really unleashed something big because I found that was able to let go of fear and worry, which in turn kept me in a peaceful, pain-free state for a number of days and overall, I think I was much in a much better state from that ritual on.