edenssixthday

Story Time at Dark Delicacies - In the bottle, it smells like paper and wood, which isn't my type of thing, so I took forever to get around to actually testing it. I was really surprised when on my skin, I immediately smelled a delicious foody scent (butter cookies! yum!) and lots and lots of lemon rind and herbs....although the herbs remind me of those used in Eshe, which is actually kind of a strange juxtaposition of scent-memories. Anyway, as it dries down, the butter cookie scent goes away, and I never do smell the leather in it. The lemon note gets pulled into the overall herbal scent, and this becomes a very strongly sweet herbal scent with a woody base. It's a truly awesome scent, but I can't decide if it's something I want to wear as a personal fragrance or not. I think it might be a really good scent to wear if I'm going to be outdoors in the early morning shopping at the farmer's market. I only tested it so far at home. I'll have to give it a "real life" run to see how I like smelling it around me as I'm going through the course of the day.

I Fell in Love with a Floating Brain v1 - Mmmm.... it's like Orange Crush. Or maybe more like a carbonated creamsicle. I think maybe there's a hint of pink grapefruit in it, too? It's awesome. I wish it lasted longer, but it's still awesome.

Det. Patrick Gleason - This opens up as a limey cologne scent -- very fresh and crisp. As it begins to dry down on my skin, the leather really begins to come out, even though it's a soft leather scent, and there's the faintest hint of gunpowder. It's not remotely the type of scent I'd choose for myself, but it's really nice, definitely masculine, and would smell great on a guy.

Witchblade - I love me some dark, red musks and frankincense, and this scent is almost perfect...but not quite (on me, that is). It's definitely a dark, heavy, super-sexy red musk blended with tons of heavy metal \m/ The frankincense is pretty faint, but definitely lends a dark grittiness to the overall scent. I can't identify the amber in it at all. I think what's not-quite-right about this for me is not that anything's wrong with it, but for me, I would like something a little sweeter in it to make it perfect for the type of scent I would like to wear. Without that hint of sweetness I'd like, it's too masculine for my taste. I wonder what it would smell like on my husband? It is a really great red musk scent, but it's not one I'll wear myself.

<b>Pyschological Horror</b> - Let me just get this right out of the way: I HATE THIS. Okay, now that's over with, I'll tell you why. In the bottle, I smell one of my worst death notes ever -- caramel. Lots and lots of caramel and something powdery and musky. When applied to my skin, the caramel is still quite strong and the musk becomes obvious as the animalic musk from Buck Moon and Ivanushka. The musk is awesome, but that damned caramel note is just killing me. There's probably only a single drop of caramel in the whole bottle, but I'm highly sensitive to it, and my skin amps it like crazy. It's just awful. As the blend dries down on my skin, the caramel thankfully fades a bit. The big poof of powderiness also settles, revealing iris and/or orris root beneath it. I can actually see now why people would like this scent, as the powderiness of the iris/orris and the velvety musk work really beautifully together....but there's still that damned caramel that I have to deal with, and I just can't get past it. It smells absolutely raunchy on me. And so, this has to go in the same category as every single other blend out there with caramel in it (with only one exception), my "BPAL Stinkbug" category. <img src="http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/fear.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="fear.gif" /> Good thing so many others seem to love it. They can have it! ETA: So, after reading this review, parrot_suspect PM'd me and told me there's a non-caramel version of Psychological Horror out there, and then she was sweet enough to send me an empty bottle with residual oil in it for testing. Sure enough, she was dead-on accurate: there is not the remotest drop of identifiable caramel in this particular batch variation. It's so dramatically different as to be kind of bizarre, because I HATE the caramel version, and the non-caramel version is true, musky love. It smells like all the good things I mentioned above, and none of that nasty, evil, dastardly caramel.

Thisbe - I have been waiting for years for the Lab to put out a blend that uses mulberry, as it's one of my favorite scents. Pomona was the first and I couldn't smell the Mulberry in it, and this is the second, so I was definitely looking forward to receiving this bottle. When I first open it, all I smell is mulberry with a hint of sandalwood, and it's deliciously gorgeous. When I apply it to my skin, the mulberry instantly fades, and blends in with a cacophony of scent from all the other notes. It actually doesn't smell that great on me in its wet stage. As it dries down, the sandalwood, rose, and iris are the dominant notes and they blend beautifully together. There is still a very, very, very faint trace of mulberry, but not much. It's a really lovely scent. It's feminine, subtle, gentle, and note remotely intrusive. It's the type of fragrance I would feel comfortable wearing in an enclosed space like an airplane or an elevator, knowing it would likely not irritate those around me. Quite lovely, even if I do want more mulberry in it.

There are not enough words in the English language to describe how gorgeous this atmo spray is. It's mostly vanilla orchid with a spritz of sweet, bubbly, pink champagne. There's a hint of heady magnolia swirling through the scent, but it's mostly that champagny vanilla orchid. It's lightly tropical, very fresh, and just soooo pretty. I have sprayed every linen in my bathroom and on my bed with it. I just can't get enough.

Gaudium - This bath oil is AWESOME! At first whiff, I smelled geranium -- lots and lots and lots of my favorite note ever, geranium. Once I put it in the tub with me it was still mostly geranium, but also bright and sweet and citrusy. It wasn't until I got out of the tub and the scent settled on my skin that the orange and grapefruit and lemon verbena really became present. In fact, at this point, it was mostly a pink grapefruit scent that is bolstered by orange, verbena and the amazing geranium. I can barely smell the lavender (which is good for me, since it's a note I don't care for in general). Overall, this is a strongly herbal-citrus scent that is very balancing and uplifting. I really love it and wish I'd gotten more than a 1oz decant!

Panther Moon - HOT DAYUM THIS IS GOOD!!! I can't ever wear dark or black musk, but holy smokes, it's AWESOME on me in this scent. On me, it's mostly black musk, lots and lots of yummy warm soothing ambergris, a little bite of ginger, and then a mix of everything else. It's musky and smoky and sexy and sooo amazing. Another reviewer mentioned Snake Charmer. It does kind of feel like someone got their Snake Charmer in my ambergris-laden black musk. Rowrrrr!!! SEXY!!!

The Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster - This is a strange scent on me. It actually reminds me a lot of Voodoo Queen, yet more woody and peppery. The scent starts out with the sharpness of black pepper, and it's very strong and biting. However, the sharpness of the pepper quickly fades and the overall scent becomes woody, smoky, and resinous. The honey is faintly identifiable and adds a subtle hint of sweetness to the blend that is highly complimentary to the various woods. It's a very unique scent -- very woody, darkly masculine, and debonair.

Echo - This scent turned out really different on me than I would have expected. On me, it's mostly a resinous amber scent with a nice backdrop of white sandalwood and a sweet ribbon of vanilla running through it. I don't smell the orchid or the tuberose, which is a disappointment because I love tuberose. This is a pretty scent and with that amber/vanilla thing going on, actually reminds me a lot of Boadicea bath oil and also has similarities to Inez in the CD line of perfume oils. It's pretty, but since I already have a gorgeous sandalwood-vanilla scent that I love, I've passed this one along already.

Yellow Jessamine Honey - This opens up with a balanced blast of jasmine and sweet honey. The jasmine simmers down pretty quickly, and turns into the most gorgeous floral whose heavy headiness is tempered by the sweetness of the honey, which is so smooth it's almost nectar-like. There's something slightly green and earthy far in the background, too. After it's been on my skin a while, I smell a soapiness when I sniff my skin up close, but the scent that wafts around me is light, fresh jasmine and sweet honey-like nectar. It is a beautiful, beautiful sweet floral.

Yorick - I don't like to wear dirt scents, but for a dirt scent, this one ain't too bad. It's definitely smells like dirt and mushrooms, but there's this weirdly awesome spicy sweetness that I can only imagine is cinnamon. It's so bizarre, yet it completely works. The floral is subtle, but also lends a hint of sweetness to the overall blend. I think it's the cinnamon + dirt that really makes this one really stand out to me. I don't tend to wear dirt scents, but I think this might be one I find myself drawn to on occasion because it's just really unique and pretty and it's a dirt scent that doesn't make me think of worms!

O v5 - I can't wear O at all. Something in it smells just horrible on my my skin - plastickey and synthetic. I was curious what other versions of O were like since my skin chemistry is changing and I can now wear honey (YAY!), but O still reeks on me. Well, this version of it smells great on me. It has a lot less amber, more honey, and more vanilla. It seems to possibly have an extra jolt of sugar in it, too. It's very, very sweet. I can't usually wear sweet, foody scents, but this one is rocking my socks. After a few minutes on my skin, it does gain a hint of that weird synthetic aspect the released version of O has, but it's not nearly as strong. It's also got a hint of powderiness (must be from the amber?) that I don't get from the released version. I like this version a lot and if I had more than a bit, I would wear it a lot, I think.

Libertarian - The most obvious note from beginning to end is frankincense. Behind that is possibly a bit of smoky myrrh, and definitely some clove, and peeking out between the cracks, something citrusy, maybe tangerine? I really love this scent. It's smokey and woody and spicy and has depth and complexity. Lovely!

Yew Berry Infused Honey - My experience with this seems very different from the other reviewers so far. It opens up as a sweet, woody-resin scent, reminiscent of what you might get if you blended honey, evergreen, and myrrh together. It's incredibly gorgeous in a slightly sweet, but mostly rich and smoky-wood kind of way. The honey is never fully identifiable -- I just know that's what's got to be sweetening up the overall scent. It stays pretty true on my skin for a couple of hours, but around the 3 hour point or so, I notice that up close, it smells exactly like BPAL's chocolate note on my skin. E.X.A.C.T.L.Y. It's weird. It's not bad, it's just odd and not what I expected.

Durian Fruit Infused Honey with Brandy - This is probably my favorite of the new honey blends. The fruit is completely different than anything I've ever smelled. It's sweet yet tangy and blends beautifully with both the honey and the shot of brandy thrown in. The brandy is absolutely the perfect touch to top of this scent. Once it dries down, it stays very close to my skin but it does last for a number of hours. Up close, there's a bit of a dusty, plastic type thing going on, but it's not bad enough to scare me off. Overall, this is a lovely fruity-honey fragrance.

Meliai - Perhaps it's the presence of the sugary sweet ash manna, but this is by far, the #1 best honey scent I've ever encountered. It smells like fresh, organically farmed honey. I don't smell any of the green herbals, pine, or white florals other reviewers are picking up on. On me, it's sweet honey and smokey ash, and absolutely nothing else. It's so gorgeous I bought a bottle.

L’Examen de Minuit – I was so excited about this – four of the five listed ingredients are among my favorite notes and the notion of them together had me really excited. And sure enough, on my skin, it’s almost lovely. Unfortunately, I don’t like the way the rose is blending (or not blending, as the case may be) with the frankincense and myrrh on my skin. The rose is just way too strong, and it seems like those three notes are in a real power struggle for top billing. I wish the plum were a bit heavier on me and the rose a lot more subtle. If that were the case, this scent would be to die for. Maybe I’ll try it again sometime when I’m at a better time in my monthly cycle and see if maybe hormones are just throwing the balance of notes out of whack.

The Forest Reverie - I tend to dislike forest scents, but this is definitely an exception. I barely smell the typical woods/leaves/forest floor notes and instead, I smell the sweetness of opium smoke (such an amazing fragrance!) and more than anything else, I smell the grape vine. It’s slightly woody, slightly green, and slightly fruity in a grapey/winey kind of way. I don’t smell the lily at all and the rose is subtle and adds a touch of elegance to this blend. I think this is an unexpected collection of notes and the effect is gorgeous.

Oleander Honey – I think this is my favorite of the new Rappaccini’s Apiary honey blends. It’s a gorgeous floral-honey scent. The oleander is gorgeous and strong. It’s very sweet, but has the slightest bit of an almost herbal-like bitterness that hovers just below the sweetness of the floral. It’s so pretty I can’t stop sniffing my wrist. I am so glad my skin chemistry changed over the years and that I can now wear and enjoy most honey scents because this is such a lovely scent that I’d be sad to have to pass on it.

Hemlock Honey – I didn’t expect to enjoy this scent since in the vial it smells strongly like the Rappaccini’s Garden scent Hemlock (which to me smells very green and medicinally-herbal and a lot like the Simple Green cleaning product); however, once it dries down on my skin, it really takes to my skin chemistry. I still smell the hemlock in this, but the honey is the strongest note and they blend together really well, and the sweetness of the honey smooths over any of the medicinal qualities Hemlock tends to have on my skin. I actually really like this one!

Snake Oil Bath Oil - The quality of the oil itself is silky, moisturizing, and luxurious. But the scent... well, that's in a league of its own. Snake Oil bath oil is a million kajillion times better than Snake Oil perfume oil. I didn't think it was possible to perfect Snake Oil even more, but apparently it was. Not only is it a wonderful bath oil, but I blended a little bit with my neutrogena after-bath oil, and the scent lasted all night long. I woke up a couple times in the night and not only smelled it on my skin, but on my pillow and sheets. and in the morning, the scent was still going strong on my skin, and it was better than Snake Oil has ever smelled on me. It had a smoky quality that the perfume oil doesn't give off on my skin. It's really wonderful. I don't think I need any other bath oils now.

Ehecatl - I agree with the previous reviewer who compared this to Embalming Fluid/Shanghai. It's definitely in the same category. I LOVE this scent. It's the first lime scent I've tried where the lime sticks around for more than half a second. The matcha is a nice touch -- green and grassy and smooth. And the hibiscus... such a pretty floral. The musk is very faint and pulls the other notes together beautifully. On my skin, this is a gentle, semi-sweet greenish fruity-floral. I love it. I was tempted to buy a bottle at the Bat's Day event, but I was so overwhelmed that I didn't buy any GCs. Now I wish I had...and I probably will. It would be absolutely perfect for summer wear.

Paramatman - I really thought I would like this one, but on my skin, the orange blossom screws up the loveliness of the sandalwood and champaca. The overall effect of the scent is a bitter and cloyingly powdery-sweet wood blend. It's just really odd on me. Orange blossom is one of those "iffy" notes on me, and this is one of the cases where it doesn't turn out so well. Oh well, I'll just try something else.