Quanta

This may sound utterly bizarre (it kind of does to me), but the two times I've worn BPAL oils to bed, I've had really vivid, really good dreams. I was hoping Oneiroi would have this effect if anything would, but it goes really horrible on my skin. Fortunately, some other oils seem to have done this instead. The first time was one of the first I got, Lyonesse, and the second time was last night with Snake Oil. I've been in an extra-good mood all day. So, has anyone else noticed this? What scents make you dream?

I don't know what it is, but I do not like this scent. It starts out okay, just a musky floral, but then it goes all skunky and "perfumey" and gross. Had to scrub it off.

Delicious as this scent is, it isn't really "exceedingly sexual" on me. But I guess I've never worn it on a night out...

Well here goes... I am an almost-20 year old woman, but sometimes I still feel like a girl. I'm short and muscular, but graceful. My personality and interests combine a lot of opposites, which makes it annoying when people try to describe me because I always feel like they focus on a small part of my personality. I guess I'm like a Vulcan: scientific, logical exterior with a bunch of neuroses hidden beneath the surface. On one hand, I am a physics major, very good at and interested in science and math. I'm very geeky and get very enthusiastic when talking about science, math, technology, but also other things I love like Shakespeare, dancing, comics/films/books I like, etc. I am often an analytical/logical thinker; one of my biggest faults is that I overthink things, particularly when I'm not sure of what to do, and I end up not acting on my desires and not trying new things because I'm afraid of the consequences. I like figuring out how things work. On the other hand, I love stories in all their forms. I write fiction and poetry and I draw (badly), sing (less badly), paint (okay) and dance (reasonably well). My dancing and choreography are inspired/informed by my love of narrative and how it works. I love tea and cooking and making jewelry/metalworking; these are forms of creation that I happen to be good at. I'm studying classical archaeology and mythology as well as physics. I enjoy solitude, particularly when I'm outside. I love hiking and being in the wild, in forests and mountain ranges and deserts. I feel very connected to the land, both in the desert/mountain West (where I'm from) and New England (where I currently live). I train for and race cross-country skiing. I love winter and snow and dislike humidity. I am unsure in my sexuality. Sometimes I think I'm asexual, because I'm too busy for a romantic relationship and don't feel like making time for one. I'm anxious about sex (being a virgin) and afraid of messing things up with someone I like. I am attracted to men and women, but afraid of rejection from both, and most of the time my crushes are brief and intense, and then I never see the person again, so they fade. I am a little shy by nature, although I enjoy dancing and acting onstage. I am somewhat tomboyish, but discovering more of a feminine side since I've come to college. I love books, of all genres, shapes, and sizes, but particularly sci-fi and fantasy. Favorites (at the moment): Colors: Greens, blues, purples, black, earth tones, and red Animals: Birds, especially kites and ravens Place: Nara, Japan Movies: Lord of the Rings Comic books: Sandman Authors: Neal Stephenson, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, J.R.R. Tolkien, Iain M. Banks Videogames: Bastion, Myst, Dragon Age: Origins TV: Avatar: The Last Airbender BPAL Top Ten (in rough order): Aziraphale Elf Lyonesse Cathedral Snake Oil Rogue Embalming Fluid L'Ecole des Filles Moonshine and Mist Nyarlathotep

I swear I saw this somewhere, but what about the Endless from the Sandman (by Neil Gaiman)? Morpheus and Oneiroi (the scent) don't go well together in my mind.

Ordered this because of the steamworks and the sage. In vial: A bit spicy-incense, a bit sharp. Wet on skin: Awesome sharp incensey oiled-metal goodness. Drydown: Oh sloblock, its going all weird and sour and powdery. Dry: Gross. I need to invest in a scent locket, because I like how this smells in the imp, but it's terrible on me. Might give this a second shot at a different time of month, but right now, it's going to the bottom of the BPAL box.

In vial: Balanced tea and lemon. Cool and sharp. Wet on skin: Yummy, foody lemon, like lemon bars, with just a bit of tea joining in. Drydown: Oh dear. This is a bit too much like Pledge right now. I'll give it a bit to settle. Dry: The lemon has mostly gone, leaving a very light tea scent. Once I get past the Pledge phase, it's quite pleasant. I wish a little more of the musk came through; it's very quiet on me. But a nice scent nonetheless. I can see why it's so popular.

Brooding, yet electric: the scent of buried secrets, roiling nightmares, the essence of the Crawling Chaos, the Father of Knives and Locusts, the Hunter in the Dark. This is the blackest of ritual incenses charged with flashes of ozone. Frimp, huzzah! In vial: Very incensey. Not a big fan. Wet on skin: A very dark, spicy incense. Dry: The sweet, more "traditional" incensey smell has been replaced by something dark, almost woody, and a bit spicy. Mmmm. Me likes. It's a bit one-note on me, but a very fitting scent for my favorite Outer God; intoxicatingly dark.

This is green and floral and bit powdery, a very springtime scent. It smells like walking by blossoming trees. I can't say I get much of a sexy vibe; it's very innocent. It's a nice "recovering from a horrible cold" scent, though.

Bottle: Oddly sharp, in an unidentifiable sort of way. Wet on skin: Sharp and dusty. Drydown: The sharpness (must be the woods) is being mellowed out by the musk in a very nice way. Dry: This is quite masculine on me so far, not that I mind. Although the musk is sweetening a bit on me, starting to get almost a vanilla note when combined with the woods. It makes me think of Aziraphale in his shop, carrying a stack of old books. I love it, but I might have to layer it with something a little more feminine if I want to wear it out. Or just see how it ages.

I always play elves (or eladrins or drow, but they're all elf-like) in D&D, so I was super-excited for this one. In imp: Lots of berry and pine. Wet on skin: Still lots of berry and pine. Dry: The sharpness of the pine and berry has toned down a lot to produce a sweet, slightly musky and woody and floral and holy cow I love this! It's a little sweet without being too fruity or childish, it's musky without being heavy, and woodsy without too much sharpness. The only downside is that it's very light on me. I also tried it with Rogue, and for a long time the Elf was totally drowned out by the muskiness in Rogue. But Elf is definitely a favorite! Edit: It's been 10 hours since writing and the scent is still there! Very little throw, but still.

In imp: Sour plum and floral notes. Very heavy and perfumey. Wet on skin: Sour and kind of powdery. I'm nervous. Dry: All of a suddent, the plum has taken a backseat to the florals and a bit of musk is creeping out. This I like much more. As others have said, once the plum dies down a bit, Kitsune-Tsuki becomes light, playful, and feminine. I'm having a hard time picturing when I would wear this...maybe if I wanted to remind all the guys I hang out with that I'm, you know, female. Side note: I'm not sure, but I might be allergic to something in this. There's no redness or swelling or anything like that on my wrists, but there was a kind of burning sensation for a few minutes after I applied it. Weird.

A tribute to New York’s 21 Club on West 52nd, formerly the speakeasy Jack & Charlie’s Puncheon Club. This is the scent of the perfect martini. Got this as a frimp with my (recent) first order. In imp: Wow. That smells exactly like a martini. Wet on skin: Juniper and sweetness. Still just like a martini. Dry: Amazingly unchanged. Still exactly like a martini... You know, I kind of like how martinis smell, but I can't really think of a situation in which I would want to smell like one. I think I'll pass this one on to a friend. Edit (months later): Actually, I really like how this smells layered with Rogue. I'm keeping the imp.

Got this as a frimp with my (recent) first order. In imp: Lightly woodsy. Wet on skin: Slightly sharp, almost musky woods, with some light florals in the background. Dry: Light, sweet florals rounded out by woods. It's all quite faint, but has lasted (at this point) several hours pretty well. "Ethereal and delicate" is right! But it's in a great way, like walking on a hill in the starlight (or moonlight, I guess) with flowers a few feet away, not shoved in your face. I don't think I'll order a bottle (limited funds and all that), but I may have to if it becomes my go-to scent. Definitely a keeper!

Got this hoping it would smell something like old books and wood, and because you can't get imps of Aziraphale. In imp: Sharp and woody and a bit sweet. Wet on skin: Sharp and woody. A bit like pine. Dry: Mostly pine, with a little bit of something sweet and incensey afterwards. 4 hours later: Most of the pine has evaporated, leaving light incense and maybe a hint of the book smell I was looking for. I like woodsy scents, so I'll definitely be hanging on to this one, but it looks like I might have to get a bottle of Aziraphale anyway...

My first RPG scent! In imp: sort of sharp and smooth at the same time. A bit piney. Wet on skin: lots of piney, sharp and a bit spicy. Not getting any leather. Drydown: something smoother is coming through...ah, there's the leather. Dry: Mostly rosin, I think with the leather in the background. Very nice. 1 hour later: It's gotten a bit sweeter. I don't know if it's my skin or if the Lyonesse I had on yesterday hasn't quite worn off yet, but it's almost like vanilla. Regardless, it's lovely.

Got this on a whim as part of my first 6 imps. In the imp: Wow, that is some strong, warm vanilla. Kind of off-putting. I had my roommate sniff it and she also had a negative reaction. Wet on skin: still lots of vanilla, with a bit of musk rising up to tone it down a bit. Drydown: Vanilla and...cologne? Dry: Delicious musky vanilla with a hint of the lily coming through. As others have said, the musk is very natural smelling, and it plays nicely with the vanilla. I'm not getting much of the aquatic notes on this one, but then my nose isn't 100% functional at the moment (stupid spring allergies). I can definitely see Lyonesse becoming a go-to scent. My roommate went from skeptical to "wow!" when she smelled this dry.

I got this because I liked the sound of many of the steamworks scents and this one seemed to work for a lot of people. In imp: Spicy and incense-y, kind of woody. Wet on skin: the spice is toned down a bit and a bit of sweetness is peeking through. Interesting. Dry: Sweet incense (in a good way…I’m not the biggest fan of incense but this is kind of nice) with a bit of sharpness and spice. Not bad, but I’m not sure it’s “me.” I’ll give it a few hours. 4 hours later: I can barely smell a hint of incense left on my skin. Not spicy anymore, just incense. Overall, I’m kind of lukewarm on this one. It’s nice, but I don’t think I’d wear it on a daily basis and it doesn’t remind me of steampunk or laboratories or anything like that.