edenssixthday

Cleansing - Purification - Imagination - Dream Work Emotional Growth & Healing - Mystery - Veiling - Deception – Impulse Capriciousness - Bewitchments - Glamor - Delight - Pleasure Luna - Oh, you wicked, wicked jasmine!!! Why must you hate me so much?! Wet in the vial, Luna smells fresh and sweet – just the perfect amount of sweetness for me. I put it on and I’m in Heaven. I can’t say I’ve ever thought about what the moon might smell like, but now that I’m thinking about it, this beautiful fresh, sweet, and dreamy scent is absolutely dead-on. Unfortunately, about three minutes after it comes in contact with my skin, the fresh sweetness completely fades and my body chemistry amps up the jasmine to the point that it’s all I can smell. The scent of the jasmine completely masks any other notes that may be in this blend. Once again, my heart breaks because of the way jasmine destroys what would otherwise be a fabulous scent on me.

Mars - I'm not surprised in the least that Mars is a red oil and that it smells of Dragon's Blood. What does surprise me is how common the scent is. It's definitely dragon's blood and it possibly has some extremely light spice notes in it, but there's nothing remotely interesting about it at all. It reminds me somewhat of Blood Moon, but is lighter and mellower. It's certainly not an unpleasant scent, but it doesn't seem unique to me in the least. The scent has incredible lasting power, although I find that after the first 45 minutes or so, it sticks very close to my skin and doesn't have much throw. It's nice, but I'm glad I didn't buy a whole bottle.

Venus - When first sniffed in the vial, Venus smells like sweet, soft roses. When initially applied, it smells like sweet, soft roses. It reminds me of a stronger version of Water of Notre Dame, but otherwise, pretty much the same. My first reaction was that as much as I love BPAL rose blends, this was so similar to many of the other rose blends that I was happy I only ordered a decant of Venus. After about 15 minutes, however, upon full dry-down, suddenly and unexpectedly a bright purple violet popped out at me. And then another. And another! I instantly recognized this was most certainly not just like any other BPAL rose scent, for it combined two of my favorite florals -- rose and violet. The thing I just love about it, though, is the violet is in the background and only peeks out occasionally, and it's always sudden, unexpected, and really fabulous. About six hours after application, the scent remains as strong on me as when initially applied, which is a first for me out of the hundreds of BPAL blends I've tried. However, the scent morphs and at this point, instead of getting wafts of rose with bits of violet, I get wafts of something warm and incensey, with the faintest hint of rose in the background. It was serene and simply gorgeous. At the nine hour point, the scent has faded a bit, but is still stronger than many BPAL blends are after the first half hour on my skin. While there are still a few BPAL scents I prefer over this one, this is quite possibly the most all-around incredible BPAL blend I've encountered. It's full-bodied, it has the perfect amount of throw, the staying power is the best of any BPAL I've tried, I'm intrigued by the way the scent morphs and changes, yet remains beautiful throughout. Venus is truly one of the most spectacular BPAL blends, and I have got some serious "Venus envy" (ha ha!) now because I didn't buy a full size bottle!

Sol - When sniffed wet in the vial, this smells ... strange. I can't place the scent or what it even smells like to me. All I know is that I'm certain it's going to be unpleasant, so I put off testing it for at least a month after I received it. Finally, I decided to go for it, and applied Sol to my skin. Almost instantly, I am completely enchanted with the scent. It smells strongly of white sandalwood to me (although I've since read the forum reviews and no one mentions white sandalwood, so now I'm not sure what it is I'm smelling)! I also smell a really strong lemon note, but it's not the sharp lemon-Pledge-like scent of pure lemon. Rather, it's a little brighter and cleaner like lemon grass, perhaps. This is a fabulous scent that is bright, clean, and clear and definitely captures the radiance of the Sun. The scent is really strong on my skin when I first apply it, but as it begins to dry down, the thr ow subsides to a less-overwhelming level, and it stays on my skin for a couple of hours before I can't detect it any more. The staying power isn't the greatest, but it's a good scent that is well worth reapplying.

Kweku Anansi - My very first impression is that there is a LOT of vetiver in this blend. It's incredibly dark, thick, heavy, and husky. It is smoky in a way that reminds me of Brimstone (without the sulphur) and also has a touch of woods in it that may possibly be cedar. After it's been on my skin for about 30 minutes, I start to detect just the slightest hint of sweetness behind the thick, black vetiver, and I wonder if a drop of dark berry has been included in this blend. Despite being thick, heavy, and black, this isn't a sinister scent in the least. I think I might try layering it with a berry blend like Glasgow to deepen and darken it. I don't think I could pull off wearing this blend on its own, as it's just way too heavy and masculine for me. But it is beautiful in it's own peculiar way. The staying power is about 4 hours and throw is light to moderate.

Obeah - In the vial, this smells dark and murky (the way patchouli does when it doesn’t agree with me) and I’m positive it’s going to stink on me. When it actually touches my skin, it still has that dark and murky patch scent, although it’s not as strong as I expected. Upon dry down, the patch entirely disappears, and is replaced by the strong, heady, floral scent of jasmine. Jasmine and herbs, actually. It has a very distinct herbal scent along the lines of most of the Voodoo blends. I imagine someone who likes jasmine may like to wear this as a perfume, but the strong scent of herbs makes me wonder if it isn’t intended to be used with intent and not as a perfume. Either way, the jasmine entirely ruins it for me, as I really have no interest in having anything remotely jasmine in my life.

Peace - When wet on my skin, all I smell is strong, overpowering lavendar. It's so strong that it's unpleasant, and I'm concerned I will have to wash it off. However, as soon as the oil dries, another floral note begins to dominate, and I realize it's violets! Purple violets over a soft bed of purple lavendar. There may also be a drop of rose in this blend, but I couldn't identify that note for certain. This certainly has a peaceful quality to it, as it's very soft, calming, and relaxing. I really love this one. The throw is minimal and the lasting power is moderate. I am thinking this could make a lovely scent for my oil burner, to give my entire home a sense of peace and serenity.

Once upon a time, I knew who this experimental blend originated from, but now, I can't remember. It was passed on to me with the name "Cinnamon Snake Oil". This is one of Beth's experimental blends, and I was fortunate to get just enough to lightly test a few times. When I first apply it, it's entirely cinnamon -- the bright, red, fiery cinnamon of a red hot candy. I can smell nothing else in the blend, and I'm surrounded by wafts of sweet, hot cinnamon. Once the blend dries down, the familiar warm and creamy scent of Snake Oil becomes detectable behind the cinnamon, and upon full dry-down, the cinnamon and the usual scent of Snake Oil blend in perfect balance and harmony, and I can't stop sniffing my skin. It's a gorgeous scent, and has me thinking that I might have to buy an extra bottle of Snake Oil and put a few pieces of cinnamon stick in it and see if I can't possibly achieve a similar effect. I'm so glad I got to try this experimental blend!

Baba Yaga - I’ve heard that Baba Yaga smells tropical and fruity and like pineapples, in particular. I get no tropical pineapple scents, and nothing remotely fruity. On my skin, it smells like a floral soap of the variety of strongly-scented hand-soaps that your Aunt Betty puts in her powder room during family holiday gatherings. I can’t identify the individual floral notes due to the strong scent of soap, but my guess is perhaps Gardenia or Magnolia – something white, strong, and heady. It’s incredibly powerful and the tiniest dab on my wrist fills in the entire room with a scent that makes me frown and makes my nose and eyes sting like I got soap in them. This is definitely not for me and I won’t be buying it if it’s ever released.

Nine Mysteries - This blend doesn't have the sharp tangy mint scent of Tulzscha or Ultraviolet. Rather, it's the sweet, candy-type mint that is contained in Lick It. However, it's still mint, which means that neither my skin nor my nose like it. I don't keep any blends that have the remotest trace of mint in them. However, underneath this top note of mint is the surprisingly deep and dark floral scent of violet! This is so similar to Ultraviolet, and yet completely different at the same time. I love violet, and it makes me rethink this blend a bit. In the end, I have decided that this is the best mint scent I have tried, but the fact remains that it's still mint, which means it will be leaving my hands soon. I just can't do it. The throw is light, and the lasting power is poor (only an hour or so), and it leaves my skin feeling tingly and cold where I applied it direc tly!

Black Lily - This scent was a big let-down. From the reviews I’ve read, it sounded like a scent I could fall in love with. Rather, it was pretty much a “meh” kind of scent on me – neither good nor bad. Just one that was unimpressive. It’s a nice floral that has only the tiniest hint of floral sweetness, and it’s very creamy, as if there may be the thinnest ribbon of vanilla running through it. It sticks very close to my skin, and I can barely detect the scent on my skin after an hour. All in all, the scent really isn’t anything to write home about. I’m glad I got to try it, but it’ll be going in my swap pile.

Black Orchid - I’m very sad to say that on my skin, it doesn’t smell like orchid at all. I think the only other BPAL orchid scent I’ve tried is Shadow Witch Orchid, which is a gorgeous orchid that reminds me of Hawaii, but Black Orchid just smells dark, dirty, thick and heavy-floral on me. We had orchids in our front-office bouquet at work this week, so I sniffed the orchids, and they were gorgeous, once again whisking me away to Hawaii. Then I sniffed the Black Orchid, and there was absolutely nothing in common with the beautiful fresh orchids I just smelled. Black Orchid is apparently a scent that just doesn’t work on me. I even tried layering it with Black Orchid body butter from The Coconut Hut, and it still didn’t work well on me at all. Hopefully I can swap it for another unreleased that will work better on me.

Zero - When I sniff the vial, Zero smells lightly floral and flat. When I first apply it, it smells flat and thin, like there's not much to it, with a tiny touch of tropical florals and something that reminds me somewhat of Thunderbird -- lemony, but not. As it begins to dry down, it gains much more body, and becomes a bright, tropical floral. And then...after about a half an hour, Zero turns entirely into plumeria! It's the most gorgeous, abundant, lovely, fresh Plumeria I've ever smelled -- aside from sniffing them straight off the Plumeria trees in Hawaii. WOW! This is gorgeous! And the best part is that 10 hours later, it still smells as strongly of plumeria as it did when I first began to notice the plumeria scent, and 12 hours later, I can still smell it, although it's definitely begun to fade at this point. This is simply stunning, and I'm eternally curious how such a full-bodied, gorgeous scent that lasts and lasts was christened "Zero" by Beth. Simply a lovely scent. I will get much use out of this, and I'm crossing my fingers that it will someday be released and if so, I'll be buying a 10 ml bottle.

Nihil - This reminds me almost exactly of Zero without the plumeria. Its scent is that of a gorgeous bouquet of white tropical florals, and is full to bursting with sunshine and fresh air . There is also something slightly crisp about this scent and at first I thought there was a tiny sliver of citrus in it, but now I'm really just not sure. Although the scent itself seems light on me at first, it has a lovely level of throw and a small swipe on my wrist will leave this scent wafting lightly about me off and on for about 4 hours, which is pretty good in my experience with BPAL staying power. It's a gorgeous scent and absolutely perfect for a warm, summer day. Love it!

Val Sans Retour is initially a light and lovely scent, full of citrus and sunshine. Very subtle and not heavy at all. Even when wet, it stays very close to the skin. After a few minutes, a pine scent starts to move to center stage, and then suddenly, it takes on the distinct odor of Pine Sol -- and not in a pleasant "oh my bathroom smells so clean!" kind of way -- more in a "*@#$*&(^@ someone just dunked my head in a bucket of bathroom cleaner!!!" kind of way. Fortunately for me, this is one of those scents that my skin absorbs in about 10 minutes, so I don't have to deal with it for long. Others may like it, but it's definitely not for me.

Snowblind - Ooooh! I normally despise mint scents, but this one – oh wow. It’s absolutely spectacular! This is the perfect blend of vanilla and mint, and it makes me think of McDonalds’ Shamrock shakes. The mint is strong and it’s very true, it smells just like the mint extract I buy at the supermarket when I do my holiday baking. Unfortunately, after about 45-60 minutes on my skin, I start to notice a strong play-doh smell, like I get with many sweet, foody scents. This isn’t going to work for me. I’m glad I didn’t splurge for a bottle, but I’m really sad it doesn’t work because it’s such a happy, festive scent. And wow does it smell good until it turns all play-doh on my skin.

Hellion - Wow! I honestly wouldn’t have thought that an oil blend with both patchouli and sandalwood could possibly ever work on me; yet somehow, it does. In fact, I love it! The black plum and dark musk are the dominant notes on my skin. The patchouli and sandalwood aren’t identifiable in the least, although they undoubtedly serve to give flavor to this blend. There’s something sharp and spicy in it when I initially apply it that distinctly reminds me of the spiciness of Blood (the BPAL scent, not the bodily fluid!), but that fades upon dry-down, and Hellion is a warm, musky scent with just the slightest hint of sweetness, which I’m sure is from the plum. It’s a complex scent, and ultra-sexy. I split a bottle with a friend, but we decided to order more, and I’m so glad I’ll have 10 ml of this! It’s going to be worn a lot. And I also have to add that it layers beautifully with Coyote.

Mitzvah - wet in the vial it smelled of buttery caramel, all foody, and really not something I’d be interested in. But of course, it’s BPAL, so I had to try it on. Wet on my skin, it is buttery caramel goodness – quite possibly the most amazing foody scent I have ever experienced in my life. My first reaction was to refrain from licking my arm, and my second reaction was that I could simply never wear this without having to hit a bakery every time I put it on. Then came the dry-down, and that’s when I realized that this, like all other foody scents, simply wasn’t going to work for me. After the point of dry-down, this scent gained an “after-scent” of burnt plastic. It just isn’t going to cut it for me either wet (when it gives me sweet cravings) or dry (when it smells like a spatula got too close to the stove burner).

Fée - When first applied, the honeydew and white tea are the notes that dominate the rest, and it’s almost too sweet, although it’s very pretty and genuine. However, upon drydown, the honeydew and tea completely disappear and the scent is almost entirely a very subtle vanilla with a twist of lychee sweetness. I really like it and would wear it more if only it weren’t so subtle and didn’t stick so close to the skin. My skin is left smelling very creamy and sweet, but I can’t smell it unless I press my nose against my wrist – there is no subtle wafting or anything.

Spanked - Oh my God, this is a sexy sexy sexy scent! When I first put it on, I thought the leather was going to just be way too strong, but once it dried down, the spice in it became evident, and the patchouli (which I often don’t like) blends so beautifully with the leather and cardamom. Just the tiniest dab on my wrist, and I can smell it all around me. This is not a scent for work, that’s for sure. It’s a nighttime scent, as it’s 100% sexy, seductive, and totally erotic. I started out wiht just a drop of this and have managed to get my hands on quite a bit more since and am hanging on to it very tightly! It's just a suberb blend and I can still smell it on my skin hours after I apply it.

Snow Angel - I have decided that my nose must be a little wonky because the very first thing I smell when first applying Snow Angel is pine, and from what I can see in the Lab description, there’s no pine in this scent. The pine scent is actually quite overwhelming when the oil is still wet. However, upon dry-down, the pine scent morphs into something that’s easily identifiable as sweet lemon-tea. This reminds me a lot of Philosphy’s “The Tea Party” fragrance set. At about the 30-45 minute point, something very lightly peach starts to peek through, but never becomes anything more than a subtle background note. This is a pretty scent, but it’s not really something I would wear as a fragrance. Snow Angel - Resurrected '08 version - I started to write a review of this, and then stopped to go look at my original version review just out of curiosity. Funny thing is, the review I just started to write, was almost exactly the same as my review of the original version. The only difference I would say this time is that the lemon definitely smells more like candy lemon-drops to me this time around than a sweet lemon-tea. The pine is just as strong, and the sugar is just as sweet. I smell no peach at all.

A variant on the absinthe theme. Sugared wormwood, hyssop and melissa with calamus, angelica and Dittany of Crete, blended with a Bohemian perfume of vanilla musk, honey absolute and Moroccan spices. La Fee Verte is a beautiful scent – but be careful to be sparing with it or the scent can be overwhelming. When just the right amount is applied, it’s light and clean, sweet, and soothing. As it dries, it gains a light musky scent, and the entire blend becomes creamy on my skin. It’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s definitely got some resemblance to Embalming Fluid, but lacks the mint and licorice scents that Absinthe has. I can’t say that I like either one more than the other – they’re both fabulous scents that I see myself wearing a lot in the spring and summer months. For those who wonder what the biggest difference is between the two, I’d say that where Absinthe is crisp, La Fee Verte is creamy. Unfortunately, after dry-down, it has very little throw, but the staying power seems good.

TAL: Temple of the Loas - This review is based entirely for the fragrance, although I’m well aware fragrance is not of as much importance in TAL usage as is the way it is used. First, I believe that with this blend, the fragrance would affect any intended ritual outcome. It is incredibly Caribbean in scent – full of salty ocean water, rum, bitter fruit juices (wine?), rose and another floral that I’m not quite sure but I think may be bougainvillea. I believe Temple of the Loas and the C12 blend Voodoo Queen share a very similar rum note as I detect almost the exact same note in each. Or perhaps it’s not rum but wine. It’s very difficult to say, although I definitely detect a fermented liquor note in each blend. Temple of the Loas is bitter and pungent despite it’s fruit and floral notes. I can see how the Loas would be attracted to the scent borne by this particular oil, as it seems to encompass the basic ofrenda of a Loa. I would never wear this as a perfume even if it wasn’t a TAL – it smells overly fermented and pungent on my skin, but I imagine someone doing a Loa ritual could get some good use out of this.

Lump of Coal - Wow, is this one heck of a chocolate scent! Just the tiniest bit and my whole body smells like chocolate. I don’t normally like foody scents, and I particularly dislike chocolate, and at first sniff, I thought this was going to be “another one of those chocolates”. But it’s not! Initially, I thought it had a somewhat artificial chocolate scent, but as it began to dry down, the chocolate became a real, dark chocolate and reminds me of warm, gooey, chocolate brownies. I think I’ve found a chocolate scent that I can wear all by itself and be really happy with. The lasting power is moderate. As for throw, take it easy and don’t apply too much. This one is not for slathering because it’s sooo chocolatey!

Bon Vivant - This is one of my all-time favorite BPAL scents. It's smells like fizzy sweet champagne and strawberry preserves. On some days, the scent wears off my skin quickly, but on other days, it lasts and lasts. I am almost finished with the imp I have, and am pretty certain I'll be buying a full size bottle of it soon [edited: two full bottles have since been purchased!] Another thing I like about it is that when I keep the imp in my purse, I get a whiff of the scent every time I open my purse. :-) It's a happy, light, and uplifting scent, and it's impossible to be in a bad mood while wearing it! (P.S. It also smells REALLY good blended with Rose Cross! Another favorite layering is Bon Vivant, Strawberry Moon and a tiny bit of Bliss. YUM!!!)