edenssixthday

Horn of Plenty - Wow! In the bottle, Horn of Plenty didn't smell interesting to me at all. I was sure it was one I was going to have to swap away. Then I dabbed a little on my wrists, and the instant the imp-wand touched my wrist, the most beautiful scent enveloped me, and I looked around trying to figure out what it was and where it was coming from, and was quite surprised when I realized it was the tiny drop of oil I had just barely touched to my skin. It is a warm scent and sweet but not cloying. It's also smoky and has a swirl of toasted vanilla (?) running through it. I think I detect a tiny hint of tobacco, as well. It's a warm, rich, golden-creamy, smoky scent that's got the slightest touch of head shop incense. Based on this description, I wouldn't think I'd like it, but I do. I love it. I can't speak to any of the ritual/intent usage of this Voodoo Blend, but as a fragrance, it's simply divine. It has incredible staying power, amazing throw, and is quite possibly the strongest BPAL oil I've used. I don't know that I'd wear it enough to warrant a full bottle, but there's a chance I will. I have to finish up this imp and will then decide.

Follow Me Boy - Anyone who knows me knows that BPAL jasmine and I don't go well together at all. When I first sniffed the oil in the vial, I could immediately tell it was jasmine, but it didn't seem as offensive as most BPAL jasmines do, so I figured I'd try it and see how it worked on me. I put some on my skin, and again, was fully aware that what I was smelling was jasmine, but it wasn't overpowering and heady like almost all other BPAL jasmines are on me. In fact, it was sweet and pretty and reminded me of the scent of real jasmine in a really delightful way. This oil is very sexy and has got some phenomenal throw and next time I wear it, I'll put on significantly less oil. As it dries down, something slightly herbal and grassy stands out, and it gains a soft powdery aspect, but not in a bad way -- more in a soft, sexy, white floral way. Now, for the voodoo power of this stuff -- holy moly, I don't have a clue what affect it will have on my husband when he smells it, but man, is it ever having a crazy affect on me. I instantly felt myself feeling slightly euphoric, and the only reason I can think of was because of this oil. Nothing else had changed in recent hours. One of my first thoughts was, "Who WOULDN'T want to do me when I'm wearing this?!" I never thought I'd buy a full size bottle of any BPAL scent that has jasmine in it, but I'm putting this on my list of bottles to buy. This is just way too soft and sexy to pass up. I could easily see this being renamed "Come Hither." Daaaamn, this is GOOD! God, is it ever sexy. Damn.

High John the Conquerer instantly become one of my favorite BPAL scents. It smells exactly (I mean exact duplicate!) of my long-time and all-time favorite perfume oil ever, a scent called Love Potion #9 created by Wood, Willow & Whatknots. I can’t say how excited I am to find a BPAL that matches this all-time favorite scent of mine that I’ve been addicted to for 15 years now. Wow! It’s sweet, fruity, clean, and smooth, and while some people say it smells like grapes to them, I can’t identify a single note in it for the life of me. It doesn’t matter – I’m going to be wearing this a lot, whether I know what’s in it or not!

Chuparosa - I find it very hard to believe that this would actually work as a love blend on anyone. In the vial, wet on my skin, and after the initial dry-down, it smells nauseatingly like a wet dog that's been rolling in dirt and grass. I have not given it a full go -- after about 30 minutes, I've had enough and as soon as I'm done typing, I'm heading to the sink to wash this off. It's overwhelming and cloying and I keep finding I'm leaning my head back as far away from my wrists as possible.

Block Buster - When first applied, I thought I was smelling cinnamon and grape. Within a couple of minutes, it became evident that while the scent was fruity, it wasn’t grape – it was apple! Block Buster smells like baked cinnamon apples! I don’t normally care for bakery type scents, apple blends, or cinnamon blends, but this one is positively to die for. The throw is light, but the staying power seems pretty good, considering how apple and cinnamon usually disappear on me quickly. ETA: I just bought a full bottle directly from the Lab, and in the brand new, fresh bottle, it smells less like cinnamon apples and more like honey and heady white flowers (jasmine?) with a bit of cinnamon and maybe some fruit in the background. This bottle is totally different than the imp I've used off and on over the past couple years when I needed some block busting. As for the voodoo aspects of this blend, I think it really does help overcome obstacles. I've worn a tiny bit here and there over the years with intent and it helped me past whatever obstacle I saw potentially in my way. It has a way of making me feel more confident and reminds me that I have what it takes to do what I need to do and to succeed at it.

Water of Notre Dame is a pretty rose floral with possibly some lily in it and it definitely has a strong aqua scent. On my skin, it smells exactly like it does in the vial. It’s fresh, clean, floral and very soothing. The scent creates a soft veil of fragrance around me that's very feminine and calming. It fades fairly quickly and need to be reapplied several times throughout the course of the day.

Wolf's Heart - When first applied, I distinctly smell dragon's blood resin combined with something herbal. At this point, the blend has fairly good throw -- at least six inches. However, as soon as it dries down, the dragon's blood scent disappears, and what is left is a warm and herbal scent that is typical of the Voodoo blends. It is a very comforting scent, and I'm very drawn to it. After it dries down, the throw subsides significantly and I can hardly smell it unless I'm focusing on the scent. After about 65-70 minutes, the scent is almost entirely gone with the exception if the faintest trace of herbs. I was really blown away when I read the description of it saying that it helps ease the fear of death, and while I'm not afraid of death myself, I'm currently very afraid of my mother's death. During the first hour or so that I wore this blend, fears of mom's death that have been plagueing me for a couple weeks now dissipated and receded into the background and I was able to approach my tasks with clarity and concentration and wasn't distracted by the worry or fear that has been my life for so many days on end now. I would say that this blend does exactly what it's supposed it, and for me, it's such a blessing to have discovered this blend at this point in time.

Xiuhtecuhtli smells to me almost exactly like my beloved Thierry Mugler Angel. Wow. I'm going to add this scent to unscented lotion to use prior to applying Angel. The scent is phenomanl. On me, the copal and orange are the strongest notes, giving it the woodiness and sweetness that I love about Angel. The plumeria and incense swirl beneath the predominant notes to give this a floral and slightly smoky scent. It doesn't have much throw and doesn't last very long, but it's an absolutely gorgeous and beautifully blended fragrance. I've tried hundreds of BPALs, and this would definitely make it into my Top 10 based on scent alone. It's sooo pretty. I definitely want a bottle of this stuff! And it's so much cheaper than Angel that I think as soon as I run out of my Angel, I'll replace it with Xiuhtecuhtli. I never thought I'd find anything to replace my beloved Angel, but I think I have. Two thumbs up for Xiuhtecuhtli. [Later note: last night, I wore Angel on one arm and Xiuhtecuhtli on the other, and while they are strikingly similar, I definitely prefer the Xiuhtecuhtli over the Angel. Who'd of thunk it?!]

Yemaya - I love it! It is green honeydew melon on me - fresh, clean, bright, and refreshing. I don’t smell any of the aquatic notes that many other users have noted, but a couple hours after applying it, it gains an undertone of something thick and resinous – as with my experience with White Light, it’s hard to describe. Fortunately, with Yemaya, it doesn’t turn me off, and not long afterward, the scent fades away. It’s gorgeous and while I don’t think I’ll track down more due to the fact that I don't foresee needing it for magical or ritual use.

Yggdrasil - Very earthy. It smells like turned up humus deep in a forest. It’s woody and earthy, damp, and dank, and there’s a sweetness to it like the scent of wet, decaying leaves. This scent is definitely not for me, but I can see how people who like earthy, foresty scents would like this one. The throw is pretty low, even when first applied. The staying power is above average.

Zorya is incredibly heady and strong on me, as well as very perfume-like. It’s almost overpowering until it begins to dry down. Iris and I don’t usually mix well, neither do I mix well with jasmine, and the fact that this blend has both in it is pretty frightening to me initially. However, as it dries down, it takes on a soft floral quality and the headiness recedes. The jasmine and iris are still the dominant notes, however, which means that this is just never going to be my favorite scent, or one I’d probably ever consider wearing over the other blends that are much, much closer to my heart. Fabulous throw, and moderately good staying power.

Yesod - Woo, that's jasmine in there, alright! Oddly enough, I can't usually wear jasmine, especially not when it's the dominant note, but in this blend, the jasmine smells really pretty on me -- so pretty that I've almost entirely used up my decant of this blend! There is something else floral behind the jasmine that I can't quite identify. It's not gardenia or honeysuckle, as gardenia smells rotten on me and honeysuckle tends to amp up the jasmine effect as opposed to tempering it and making it wearable. So I'm not sure what else is in this blend, but it's a soft, light floral that really balances nicely with the jasmine. The scent is very strong initially, but fades within 30 minutes to a point where I have to press my nose to my skin to detect it. After an hour, I can't smell it at all. Maybe that's why I used up my decant so fast -- reapplication after reapplication in order to mai ntain the scent all day. I probably won't get more after I use up my decant, but I'm glad to find another rare BPAL jasmine that I like.

Helping Hand - Lately, every time I reach into my tub-o-TALs to find the one I want, Helping Hand always gets pulled out first. After the first dozen or so times this happened, I realized that maybe it's a sign that it's time to give it a try. Well, anyone who knows what's been going on in my life lately knows that I desperately need some "peace of mind". I put a dab on my crown chakra and my third eye and my heart chakra. (I also dabbed a tiny bit on the back of my hands for the sole purpose of making sure I can tell what it smells like.) First, the scent review: it opens up very strong and minty with something warm and golden beneath it, like possibly amber. Within the first couple of minutes, the mint completely disappears, and what is left is a warm, golden, and creamy scent of amber with a thin ribbon of creamy vanilla running through it. It reminds me in some ways of TAL Lionheart and the discontinued Vo odoo blend Crucible of Courage (not the TAL), but it's definitely not a replica of either. I also smell something slightly spicy in the background, but it's so faint that I can't discern the note. I soon realize it's not spice, but vetiver in the background, and as it dries on my skin, the vetiver becomes the dominant note, but it doesn't smell icky like vetiver usually does on me. It's gorgeous. I know it's not supposed to be worn for perfume purposes, but damn if I'm not going to be tempted! The vetiver over the creamy, warm, golden scent of amber is just way too beautiful. Now, for a utility review: this TAL does its job. I feel so incredibly calm today and during a phone call this morning that could have been extremely overwhelming and stressful, it went smoothly, and my reactions to (yet more) bad news was level-headed and optimistic. I am finding that I just feel really good today despite the crap I'm having to deal with on so many levels. I highly recommend Helping Hand. It works and I'll be reaching for it again in the near future, I'm sure.

Glamour is a beautiful blend! It smells very strongly of gardenia in the vial, but gardenia blended with something almost that tempers it and keeps it from becoming too heady and overbearing – resinous amber, perhaps? It’s definitely a warm scent like amber is on me. When I apply this blend, I instantly feel a greater sense of confidence. The first time I wore it, I didn’t do anything different than usual. I wore an outfit I’d worn the previous week. My makeup was my typical workday makeup. My hair was still a bit damp and in fact (thoroughly unglamorous of me) my legs needed to be shaved. But I was wearing TAL Glamour. Within the first 10 minutes of arriving at work, the guy in the office across from mine walked into my office and said, "Wow, you're looking good today! What is up? Did you do something different?" About 20 minutes later, I was in his office for another meeting with one of my female coworkers, and the male coworker interrupted the meeting to remark once again that something must be going on because I look really "glamorous" (his words!) today. I didn't tell him I was wearing Glamour. I just smiled and thought that's a pretty damn good indicator that this stuff works if I can be told I look glamorous when I have damp hair and unshaven legs! I also wore it to a party a week or so later and was showered with compliments all evening about how nice I looked. I’d definitely say Glamour works! And it smells lovely, too, which is a really nice bonus.

Flame of Desire - This goes on as a deep, heavy musk and it smells sooo gorgeous. As it warms up on my skin, it gets heavier and has a stronger level of throw, and pretty soon, I'm surrounded by the scent of deep, juice red musk and the warm, sweet, and raw scent of civet. I'm positively loving this blend! After drydown, I also detect something in it that's very familiar and I'm going to hazard a guess that there's some sort of black poppy or opium in this blend. It's incredibly sexy. This is a scent of hours upon hours of slow, sweaty sex on a hot and sultry summer night. Whew! I'd better go take a shower before I get myself all worked up over this blend! This is quite possibly the sexiest BPAL or TAL I've encountered. Daaaaaamn!!!

Energy - I had to laugh when I read one of the reviews of Energy that said it’s “like Moxie on steroids” because my exact response to Energy is that it’s “like Moxie-lite” – as far as the scent goes, that is. It’s smells like diluted Moxie and isn’t nearly as “in your face” as Moxie, but it’s still a beautiful, bright, clean, crisp, and sparkling citrus scent. It’s full of different citrus scents –tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, and lime. It doesn’t last on my skin for very long as my skin eats up the citrus scents, but wow does it ever work and the effects keep lasting long after the scent has faded. I totally prefer this to Moxie, which is just way too strong and bitter for my liking. The first time I wore Energy, it was on a day when I had to get up early for work after a night of not being able to fall asleep. To say I was dragging that day, would be to put it lightly. I was miserable. So I grabbed the Energy, dabbed a little on my third eye and my throat chakra, and almost instantly, I felt not only uplifted and awake, but I was excited to start my day and see what the day would bring.

Dixie Love Perfume - Wow, this is pure jasmine from the first whiff in the vial to when I apply it on my skin. The scent is so incredibly strong and overpowering that a tiny drop will more than suffice. Jasmine and I don’t get along well, but something about this one made me decide to not wash it off right away and see what happened. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes, I noticed the heaviness of the jasmine subsiding and something else floral (honeysuckle?) came forward and blended with the jasmine to create a scent that was quite enticing. It was not something I would have ever guessed I’d enjoy because the jasmine was still quite strong. However, the longer I wore it, the mellower it became until I started to really enjoy the scent wafting around me. It didn’t draw any romance or passion my way, but that was probably due to the fact that the one time so far I decided to give it a test run was also a night that my husband was puking his guts up from food poisoning. I’ll have to give it a trial run again some other time.

Concentration - Today was the busiest day I’ve had in the past 3 months at work, but I couldn’t seem to bring myself to focus. It’s a Friday and I’ve had a long week and my boss was gone, and I just wanted to goof off. After lunch time, I realized that if I didn’t buckle down and get my work done, and done fast and accurately, I was going to hve to stay late…on a Friday! No way! Well, I happened to have a bag of decants in my purse, and Concentration was among them, so I pulled it out, rubbed some on my palms, applied some to my crown chakra and my third eye. I put my hands in front of my face and I breathed deeply several times, inhaling the scent (and clearing out my sinuses in the process – wow, is that some strong stuff!). For the first 15 minutes after I applied it, I kept finding myself getting distracted and doing stuff other than the work in front of me, but around the 15 minute point, I noticed that I was really starting to focus and I also got this weird energy boost and just started hammering away at the tasks in front of me, pounding them out one by one. I am amazed at how fast I was able to do to my work and how accurately, and how I never once got confused or frustrated like I usually do the four times a year I do this particular project. I slammed my work out so fast that I got out of the office before quitting time. No long hours for me today! I’d say Concentration works! As for the scent, I’d say it’s predominantly lemongrass or lemon verbena (I can’t tell the two apart usually) and eucalyptus with perhaps a touch of mint, as well. It’s a keeper, of course!

Brass Balls - Wow, this is a really strong black pepper scent. There may be some other spices in there as well, but the pepper scent definitely overwhelms almost everything else. I was attending my husband’s 20th high school anniversary with him. I don’t normally like parties full of even my closest friends (I prefer smaller groups), much less a potentially awkward social event where I would not know one single soul. Well, I dabbed some Brass Balls on my crown chakra, third eye, and throat chakra. I wore another BPAL for fragrance purposes (Shub, which goes quite nicely with Brass Balls, actually). We went downstairs to the room where the party was taking place, and I had a wonderful time all night. I never once felt awkward or insecure. I easily chatted with my husband’s former high school classmates as well as their significant others. My husband told me afterward that I was charming and everyone seemed to really enjoy meeting me. All in all, it was a total success, and I honestly doubt I would have had even a fraction of the fun I had if I hadn’t have used this TAL for this specific situation. Great stuff!

Blinding Glory of Love - This oil opens up with the scent of juicy red musk and a touch of mint and rose. As it dries down, the mint disappears quickly and the rose backs off to become almost indiscernible. Soon, I notice a strong grape scent coming out stronger and stronger, completely overpowering the mint until this smells entirely of red musk and grape. It’s a gorgeous scent, but even more importantly, it works! My husband isn't the cuddly/snuggly type at all. I came home from work with a little bit of this oil on me, and he couldn't stop snuggling with me. I felt so incredibly loved the way he's wrap his arms around me and draw me in and tell me he loved me, and then just hold me. It's exactly what I needed right now. Because he rarely does cuddly/snuggly things like that, I find it hard to believe it's a coincidence.

Lustration - The first note I detect is strong lemongrass. As it begins to dry, it becomes sweeter and more artifical smelling than I originally thought, and becomes the scent of lemon cough drops with the slightest hint of lavender in the background. Almost as quickly, it morphs into the scent of Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger tea, and the lavender scent disappears completely. This is most definitely a pick-me-up scent, but I'd never wear it for fragrance purposes. You know what I think it's perfect for? Someday, if I ever clean my home so that it sparkles (fat chance, ha ha), I could totally see myself using this in my oil burner to give my home a fresh, clean scent that matches how clean it actually looks.

Safari - This opens up with a blast of heavy purple lavender. It's heavy and thick like Somnus, but not as herbal. It almost immediately takes on a sweetness that I haven't encountered in lavender before, so I'm positive there's something else blended in with this...but what? As it dries, I detect the slightest hint of what might be chamomile, and that "sweet" facet of this blend begins to morph and take on a slightly herbal quality without losing its sweetness. This is a fascinating scent and I prefer it over any other lavender blend I've ever encountered. I can't say, however, that it works to ease my travel "pains." I've taken it with me on the last couple of trips I went on -- one by air and one by car. I don't have a fear or flying or driving, but I thought it might help me make the transition from frazzled worker bee into a rested and relaxed vacationer a little easie r, but I didn't notice it helped. I also thought it might calm me down and help me fall to sleep a little easier in strange beds in strange hotel rooms in strange locations, and especially with jet-lag on the air trip. Again, I noticed no difference than normal when I travel. However, if I'm wearing it at home, I find it works much like I would expect Quietude to work, so while it doesn't work its intended way on me, it still works (and smells pretty), so I'm keeping it. When I'm done with the lavender linen spray I'm currently using, I may just have to make a linen spray out of Safari.

Pink Grapefruit - This is so incredibly authentic and true-to-life that I can hardly believe it. My very first reaction is that it smells like slicing open a pink grapefruit for breakfast. I instantly recognize this note from my favorite grapefruit scent, Cheshire Cat. It’s sweet and tart and has the sharp, crisp “zing” of fresh grapefruit. It’s a really fabulous single note, but sadly, just like all grapefruit BPAL blends, it disappears from my skin within the first 30 minutes, and has virtually no throw even when first applied.

Cinnamon - Oooh, red, hot, sweet, spicy, cinnamon! This is simply amazing on it's own, but man does it burn my skin like a mofo. But it smells soooo good, like Hot Tamales. I want to lick my skin! You know what I'm going to do with my imp? I'm going to buy a bottle of new Snake Oil and I'm going to dump this imp of Cinnamon SN into it then set it aside for 6-12 months and mmmmm..... won't it be good then! Very yummy. It has a low level of throw, but I'm surprised at how long the single note lasts on my skin since it usually fades quickly in blends with cinnamon. Very interesting. I'm so glad I got to try this one!

Florentine Iris - Iris usually turns bitter and foul on my skin, so I avoided BPAL blends with iris in them for a long time. Once I did start trying them, I never did have a bad iris experience (to my recollection, that is). I know why now: the Florentine Iris that BPAL uses smells a lot more like violet. Actually, it’s more like calla lily crossed with violet. It’s a really pretty scent, but not one that has much “oomph” on its own, so I doubt I’d wear it solo. It also sticks very close to my skin and fades within the first hour. So it’s not the most impressive single note, but it’s a great way to affirm that BPAL iris doesn’t go all wonky on me as most iris notes have in the past.