edenssixthday

Imp of the Perverse - HA HA HA HA HA! Beth, you have got a kickass wackadoo sense of humor. That stank is just NASTY! In the vial, it smells like something died and rotted -- same when it's applied to my skin. However, about 15 minutes later, after it dries down and my skin warms it up, the dead-corpse scent mostly dissipates, and the scent of cognac comes to the forefront, reminding me ever so slightly (note emphasis on the word "slightly") of Formula 54. The roses also begin to show themselves very faintly. Unfortunately, that dead-body odor never fully disappears, and it ruins the the entirety of the scent. I know why this is called Imp of the Perverse. It's because Beth played a big, fat perverse trick on all of us: "Buy the whole Parcel and you'll get this special imp!" Now she's looking at me, pointing and laughing, screeching, "SUCKER!!!" Yes, this is a perverse imp. Most definitely so. Perverse scent. Perverse sense of humor. Love the humor. Love Beth. Hate the scent of the Imp of the Perverse. *edited to correct bad HTML

The Sleeper - When I first applied it, I thought the jasmine was going to completely overpower the rest of the notes. However, as it began to dry down, the jasmine softened up a bit, the oakmoss and musk became discernable and it became much, much prettier. I still can’t wear it because of the jasmine, but I think someone who can handle jasmine might really like this blend. Very pretty, nice light level of throw, and it lasts and lasts.

Dreamland - On my skin, it’s all tuberose and iris. I’m surprised the carnation doesn’t show up because my skin and carnation usually interact really well. I don’t like the scent in the vial as it smelled too heady and floral, but once it’s one my skin it becomes not so much a heady floral as a rich floral. It’s so rich that I don’t see being able to wear this scent indoors, but only when I’m going to be spending time outside and the fresh air can diffuse the scent a bit. It is pretty, however, and after about 2 hours, the richness softens and gains a sweet, ethereal quality. Just gorgeous. The staying power is moderate. I have two imps and will be passing one along, but hanging on to the other.

The Haunted Palace - Wow, it's gorgeous. The orange combined with rose is simply a brilliant and lovely blend, and is definitely the predominant notes on my skin with a strong undercurrent of something warm, rich and almost buttery -- I suppose that's probably the toasted vanilla and amber combo. In the background are hints of light florals flitting in and out among the more predominant scents. Just a lovely, lovely scent. I bought a full bottle and ended up tracking another one down so I wouldn't be devestated when I used up the first bottle.

Alone - This scent is dark, heavy, and masculine. When I first apply it, I'm thoroughly repelled by the scent, and am very glad that it sticks fairly close to my skin. As the blend dries, I try to detect individual notes in it, but my nose must be really out-of-whack because I was 100% certain that when I looked up the scent description, I was going to find vetiver, leather, and spices listed as the primary ingredients. When I looked up the scent description, I was astounded to see there is no leather or vetiver in this blend, although I'm guessing the spice that I was smelling is most likely cardamom (although I wouldn't have guessed that one from the scent on my skin). This scent is just too dark and murky and heavy for me. It's got really great staying power, but that's not going to do me any good since I don't find the scent appealing at all. Into the swap pile this one goes!

Lenore smelled really awful in the vial, and when I put it on, it was all vetiver and smoke. But unfortunately, this scent is not going to work on me. I don’t care for vetiver or smoke. I would have washed it off – but I tried and it won’t go away. It lasts and lasts and lasts. Even after many attempted washings, it’s still got some gung-ho throw. I’ll be passing this one along.

Spirits of the Dead - This is the first tea-blend I can actually say I like. This scent fades on me after about 15 minutes, but until that point, I get wafts of lovely black tea, and dry wisps of ethereal florals and woods. If this scent lasted on me longer than it does, I’d hunt down a whole lot more of it. It’s incredibly feminine, soft, wispy, and Victorian. I love it. I just wish it didn’t disappear on me.

The City in the Sea is an incredibly gorgeous aquatic. It’s very “perfumey”, but I just love it! Some reviewers have mentioned their distaste of the violet in the scent. I happen to love violet, but I find it very subtle in this scent, and the violet that I do smell is dark and kind of murky. This is a fabulous scent that I will definitely be hanging on to. My only issue with it is that it has very poor staying power and throw, even in a scent locket.

Annabel Lee is soft and pretty and incredibly subtle. It is a light floral mixed with something that is a bit more early -- perhaps the moss scent. It has no throw whatsoever and I can't smell it unless I'm actually sniffing my arm. The scent is pretty, but it's too subtle for me. It also disappears completely after 2.5 hours. I was really hoping I'd like this one, but I am afraid it's going to most likely end up in the swap pile.

Evening Star - I don’t understand. The Lab descriptions makes it sound so pretty, like it’s right up my alley. But I put it on, and it acquires a slimy aquatic scent. I think that when I’m not OTR I’ll try it again and see if it works better on me once my hormones balance out. There’s just no reason for this scent to smell so awful on me. Not one, as far as I can tell according to the Lab description. Such a huge disappointment. No, I’m not done with it. I am going to try it again in a few days.

Al-Araaf is another very soft and sweet scent that is slightly on the warm side, and I suppose that's from the honey note. Unfortunately, I don't care for honey scents, even if it's just the tiniest drop. The florals are pretty, but the honey sweetens them in a way that I find unappealing. This is another scent that I found very disappointing. I had hoped I would love it as much as so many others do, but it's just not going to work for me.

Medicine Show is dry and woody, with only the slightest bit of sweetness coming from the opium note. I think this might make a nice scent for a man, as it’s far too masculine for my taste. I’m not sure how long it lasts, because as with most BPAL scents with tobacco, it becomes noxious after the first few hours, making me very ill, and I have to wash it off.

Geek smells exactly like high-quality men's cologne to me. It's really striking and sexy, but something I'd prefer to smell on a man. It's a warm scent, full of evergreen notes and perhaps moss? or wood? It's so hard to tell. At about the 2.5 or 3 hour point, I also begin to detect the faintest touch of leather. It's really nice, but not something I’d ever wear myself. I'll be passing it on to my husband. Nice level of throw and great lasting power.

House of Mirrors This review is for the 2005 version. In the vial, this smells crisp and clean, with the tang of citrus fruit without being fruity. When applied to my skin, it initially reminds of a department store fragrance, as it comes off a touch “perfumey,” but that “perfumey” aspect fades almost immediately, and what is left on my skin is something that is clear, sharp, and crisp. I’m finding it hard to believe this doesn’t have grapefruit in it – it’s like it’s got the essence of grapefruit without being grapefruit. It’s very hard to explain, but when I read the scent description and I see that “clear crystal” and “glass notes” are the “ingredients,” I can believe it. If shattered glass and the sparkle of crystal goblets were to be captured in a bottle of scent, this really is what it would smell like. It’s a very soft scent, and on my skin, I don’t detect the amber at all, which is fairly strange, as amber usually warms right up to my skin. After about 20-30 minutes, the scent starts to become powdery, but not in an in-your-face kind of way (think Numb); rather, it’s very subtly powdery – a “barely there” powder that adds to the beauty of what is otherwise a clear, sharp scent. This is a gorgeous blend, although it’s very light and sticks really close to my skin. I doubt I’ll ever use a full bottle, but I will use enough that I’m going to hang on to my bottle.

Gypsy Queen is deep, red rose and incense. It's a beautiful blend. Despite being deep and dark, it's soft and subtle, and doesn't have hardly any throw. It starts to fade fast right around the 1 hour 45 minute point after application. Gypsy Queen is a pretty scent and I'm glad I have had an opportunity to try it. If a bottle of it were to fall in my lap, I'd use it and enjoy it, but I'm not crazy enough about to hunt high and low for more of it.

Fire Eater - This is the most horrific BPAL scent I've encountered so far. It didn't smell so bad when I smelled it wet in the bottle, but the moment it touched my skin, I smelled like a sleazy old man who doused himself with waaaaayyy too much cheap men's cologne. It also had the very distinct note of "bad breath" to it, too. The worst part was it didn't come off my skin no matter how hard I scrubbed. Sorry, I love BPAL, but this one I just can't handle.

Kunstkammer - the first time I wore Kunstkammer, I thought it smelled very foody, in a bakery sort of way. In fact, it reminded me of certain aspects of Red Lantern. Looking at the scent description, I have no idea why it worked that way on me. The next few times I tried it, I could still see where I thought “bakery!” when I put it on, but more than that, it was sweet and had a twist of vanilla-orange to it. It’s a strange scent on me and I have yet to decide if I like it or not. But I keep going back and trying it, so it’s highly intriguing and I definitely can’t say I dislike it. It doesn’t have much throw on me, but it does seem to have reasonable staying power.

Midway - I heard that Midway wears well with LUSH Snow Fairy, so after using Snow Fairy in my shower, I applied Midway for the first time. In between the bottle and my skin, I smelled the distinct scent of pink sugar cotton candy in the air, but within two seconds of applying it to my skin, it took on a horrible plastic smell. It reminded me of being a little girl, getting a new Barbie, and the smell that comes from the box as you pull Barbie out: pure plastic ickiness. As the oil dried, the plastic scent remained, and several hours later, all I smelled was a faint warm plastic scent on my wrists. Too bad this one had to turn on me, otherwise I think it could have been a really fun fragrance. I am still considering trying it in a scent locket eventually and seeing if I have better luck with it that way.

Snake Charmer - This is a really nice scent. The first time I tried it was "that time of the month" and my body fully rejected it. It was simply rank on me. So I set it aside and tried it on two separate occasions when it wasn't "that time of the month" and my body chemistry actually took to it. I think Snake Charmer is the perfect name for it, as it brings to mind all sorts of images in my head of Morocco in it's earthy spicyness and exotic combination of scents. It's a dark and earthy scent that is smoothed out by the sweetness of the vanilla and fruitiness of black plum. It's not the type of oil I would wear a lot (I prefer lighter scents), but it's nice and something I wouldn't mind wearing on occasion. However, my sister absolutely adores it and went so crazy over the imp I gave her that I tracked down and bought her a full bottle for Christmas last year. When Beth re-released it in April, I picked up a bottle at Convergence. I haven't opened it. I'm letting it sit and age and I'm hoping by the end of the year it will be gorgeous beyond belief.

Freak Show – Is this a food scent or something else? I can’t figure it out! There seem to be a lot of complex notes in this. Cocoa is definitely one that stands out but there’s something sweet and maybe something slightly tangy in here, too. Is it lemon? I think so! There’s definitely tonka in here, too, grounding the scent and giving it an earthy appeal. This is a nice little fragrance and while it’s not something I’d wear very often, it’s one I want to keep around because the cacophony of scents is just so fun and surprising. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have much throw on me, but it lasts a good 3 hours, which is acceptable for me and my general experience with the staying power of BPAL oils.

Bearded Lady - I absolutely loved it the first time I tried it. The dominant note was vanilla, and it gave the overall blend a creamy, golden glow. The florals hid underneath the vanilla until dry-down, at which point they stepped even further into the background as the golden glow of the vanilla matured and becomes even warmer. There was something slightly resinous about this scent that I guessed was the amber. It had a really comfortable level of throw and lasted and lasted, something which is very rare for me with a vanilla oil. I was just so happy to say that as someone who can't wear jasmine 95% of the time, this was one of those rare blends with jasmine where I couldn't detect the jasmine for the life of me. I knew I would have to get myself a bottle of this somehow, so when Beth re-released Carnivale Noir, I picked up a bottle at Convergence. The bottle I got smelled very similar with the exception of the jasmine, which was much stronger in the 2006 Bearded Lady. I still have two imps of the 2005 Bearded Lady which I use and love, but I had to pass along the 2006 bottle due to the jasmine effect.

Bed of Nails - When I sniff it in the vial, it smells like cheap men’s cologne – similar to my experience with Fire Eater, although not as bad. When I put it on my skin, it continues to smell like cheap men’s cologne. However, as it starts to dry down, it mellows out a big and that “cologne” quality dissipates, leaving behind a scent that I would still classify as masculine, but not “cheap”. Although it’s a metal and wood scent, it reminds me a lot of some of Beth’s aquatic scents like Cthulhu and Sea of Glass. It’s subtle on my skin and I don’t smell it unless I sniff it up close. I’m glad I got to try it, but it’s not one I need to try again.

Cthulhu surprised me to no end. I generally don't care for aquatic scents, and this one just didn't sound very pretty to me. I mean, when was the last time "creeping" and "slithering" were used in the same sentence as "pretty"? But wonder of wonders, upon very first sniff the moment Cthulhu first touched my skin, I instantly fell in love. It's hard for me to describe the scent. It's definitely aquatic, but it's very different than the typical aquatic scent. It's an incredibly fragrant scent, and a tiny bit on a couple of pulse points, and I have a veil of lovely fragrance wafting around me for hours. It lasts longer on me than most BPALs, as well, at about 8 hours. While the throw decreases with the amount of time, at the 8 hour point, my skin still smells faintly warm, sweet and alluring. This scent actually reminds me less of an ocean scent and more of a crisp, clear, northern Minnesota lake in late-summer.

Whippoorwill first strikes me as very "perfumey" – blended well enough that none of the individual notes dominate and all combine to create a new and different fragrance. It starts off as a really pretty fragrance that's very different than what I would normally wear. Unfortunately, after the dry-down, the cedar and juniper take front and center stage and everything else virtually disappears, and well, tree scents and I don't really go that well together, so it's something of an unpleasant experience when these particular notes burst forth. Fortunately for me, this doesn't last very long on my skin, maybe an hour at most. I'm going to make sure it goes to someone who can appreciate it much more than I can.

Tulzscha - I don't usually like mint, and this is no exception. Tulzscha contains the exact same mint scent that Ultraviolet has, which makes my teeth hurt and which smells like cat pee. I also smell in it the same refreshing and almost-pretty mint that is used in Spooky. However, the cat-pee-hurting-teeth scent just isn't going to cut it and this scent is going into the swap pile.