Mountaingrrl00

The red musk is *very* strong at first - in the vial, I smell nothing but. Once it hits my skin, though, the spices start wafting, and I'm in love. I don't get individual notes so much as a general sense of spice heightening the sexiness of the musk. It's spicy without being at all foody. It's very dark and rich and deep, with good staying power. It sweetens a bit, but keeps the saffron savoriness I adore. I'm a big fan of Oblivion, Smut, Sed Non Satiata and Morocco, and I see these as variations on a musky-spicy theme. Scherezade's on the less-sweet end of this spectrum, but without the woodiness of Oblivion. A new favorite.

This reminds me a lot of a scent I used to order from the Underground Scent Plant called Red Clay. Penny Dreadful is better, though. The earth note is softer than what's in Zombi, Graveyard Dirt, etc. I like those sharp dirt smells, but sometimes it's nice to have something a little subtler. The red-clay smell blends smoothly with the sweet ginger for a light, everyday scent that's quiet while being spicy and interestingly different.

To me, this doesn't have the sharpness of lemongrass - I'd guess lemon balm, actually. It's bright, but with a soft honey-floral sweetness that draws me in. I find it very refreshing, like cool, clean sheets. As it happens, it is all over my sheets because of a cracked imp cap. I'm going to have to get more of this. I slept pleasantly with this, and I could actually see wearing it during the day, too.

Well, darn. I sniffed this at a meet & sniff and was smitten by the lovely citrus topnote. I ordered an imp. Again, it was lovely in the vial. On my skin, though, it becomes boozy-sweet, with that same bubblegum note from Jailbait - which makes sense, conceptually, but I was hoping for something different. I may try this one again at another phase of my cycle, in case there's a possibility it can work with my skin chemistry. Otherwise, it looks like Lolita has a lot of fans I can swap her to.

I love the resin-wood-musky smell. If I hadn't purchased Charisma with specific intentions, I'd be tempted to wear this as an all-around perfume. I applied this to my chakras this evening before going to an open mike where I'd be performing - and mingling when I wasn't onstage. I also decanted an imp to bring with me and reapplied to my throat chakra just before going on. The energy I felt from the ritual was relaxed while being more interested in the actions I was doing and the people in my midst. I felt confident enough to debut two songs I hadn't put on my set list. Not only did I get compliments all night on my music, I got into a bunch of enjoyable conversations, and got offers of help in advancing my career and a couple social invitations. It was a fun, successful night, for sure. ETA: I got a second bottle of this recently and this bottle smells sweeter, more honeyed. It's still very effective. This has become my favorite oil to wear when I perform.

It smells mostly of jasmine to me, then lavender. I don't really get the other notes, which might come out after I've fallen asleep. I did sleep well, and long, with Oneiroi - more so than with the other Somnium blends I've tried so far.

This came as a freebie in my latest order. At first I thought I smelled the same cherry note that's in Hollywood Babylon. There's a similar amber at first, too - very juicy! Come to think of it, Hollywood Babylon's rather a trickster of a scent, so the similarity is fitting. On my skin, that bright sweetness mellows, and I get more of the dry grass and a soft musk. What I like best is the way Coyote smells when it's been dry awhile. It really does smell like clean fur and the outdoors, and a nuzzly musk. It stays close to my skin, but I think it would be very inviting to someone who was close enough to smell it.

I was in bed with a menstrual headache when my mail came with three different orders and swap packages. Of all the oils that arrived (including three somniums) this was the only one that appealed to my nose at that moment. At first it just smelled like strong, herbal lavender. Then it became more floral and airy. As I lay resting, I got a smell that reminded me of Hand of Hermes (lavender and cinnamon?) It was gorgeous in all its phases, and soothing as well. I've reapplied before bedtime and will edit this if I have anything interesting to report from dreamland.

I got an imp of this in Brumbjorn's decant circle. When it arrived in the mail, well-wrapped in bubble wrap and a separate plastic bagging, I could smell it through the package! It smelled like straight-up cloves - very strong and bracing. Almost as soon as I applied some oil to my palms and inhaled, I was motivated to do a number of tasks I'd been putting off. I even (gulp) put down a deposit on a car - a very big deal for me. Yeah, this stuff works.

Sri Lanka is green-incense hippie. Umbra is patchouli-cinnamon hippie. Malediction is deep, intense hippie (strong patchouli and vetiver.)

I get an ivy scent from House of Night, along with some evergreens and flowers.

I received an imp of this from Kiena - thanks so much! I thought it was lovely in the vial, almost pure peony, like rose, but lighter and gentler. I wore it today in the humid heat and it showed surprising strength. The peony remains without amping, and a nice herbal scent comes out, along with what could be sandalwood. I found it refreshing, very easy to wear without being too generically so.

Based on the catalog description, I would not have thought I'd like House of Night, but got a sniff at a meetup and it really grabbed me! (Thanks, jejunery!) It's got a nice foresty top note, green and woody, very natural, refreshing. Then I get a bit of sharp floral - lavender, maybe? - which doesn't last long. There's just a hint of powder, but fortunately that doesn't last. Then a light honey sweetness joins the green notes, and sticks around for hours. I don't find it heavy. It works nicely for summer. House of Night does not have a lot of throw, but it has good staying power. You can apply it in the morning and sniff your wrists from time to time during the day, without having anyone ask what you're wearing.

My favorite scent for a flirty vibe is Aizen-Myoo - Japanese citrus with cherry blossom and black tea. It's inviting without being overtly sexy, light and bright without being childish. Others I like are Snow Bunny (LE), Hollywood Babylon (a little on the sweet side - depends if you like that kind of thing), and Vixen (a little sexier than the others on this list, but not musky.)

A few more you might like to try: Shango: tropical fruit smoothie Sudha Segara: gingered ambrosia 13: (LE) mandarin-chocolate-minty Bengal: chai or spice cookie Jailbait: bubblegum and lollipops

I received this as a frimp with a recent order. This is a very rich-smelling oil. It smells like it should be thick, like molasses. There's a bit of sharpness initially from the vetiver, but when it dries down it becomes sweeter. I didn't realize I liked myrrh so much - it's definitely the note I'm sniffing my wrist for. I like it an awful lot, although more sloth is probably the last thing I need in my life! Decadent stuff.

This is Top Ten material for me. Dark dark musk, warm resin, savory saffron and just a hint of sharpness from the patchouli. It reminds me a bit of another of my favorites, Morocco, but darker and more substantial. Beautiful, strong and sexy.

Destroying Angel really does smell like mushrooms and earth on me. Graveyard Dirt is dead-on, too. Zombi and The Premature Burial also smell very lifelike, but in a different way - cultivated flowers as opposed to wild ones.

Anne Bonny! It's wood and sea breezes.

I would love to find some lighthearted, clever, unexpected fragrances. Unusual notes or combinations of notes and complex development would be nice. Have any BPAL oils made you feel amused? (Not the description or backstory, but the way it smells.)

Oddly enough, I'm really liking Snow Bunny and Rose Red for early Spring. They both have a freshness about them.

For that kind of luck, I'd go with Horn of Plenty.

Sed Non Satiata and Smut for rich red-browns. Jacob's Ladder for warm gold. Greed for cool gold.

Greed has that wonderful copal smell in common with Xiuhtecuhtli, though Greed is darker and mossier.

Titania is like ultra-fruity candy (and seems like a good choice for someone with Faerie in her screen name!) Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo is like candy-sugar essence.