Effluvia

in the vial: Dog shampoo!!! Aarrgg! on my skin: Dog shampoo, but some anise is rising out of it. I can't smell anything else. I am one unhappy bunny right now.

in the vial: Sweet dandelions. So sweet I want to eat them! on my sin: Being outdoors in the summer...no beer, weed or ciggies yet...I think I smell fresh green apples and dandelions. Weird...hold up, I smell the hemp. It doesn't smell like pot smoke, but hemp necklaces...oh wait, lol, it does smell kinda like weed now, dry weed, (ahem, not that I would KNOW of such things...:snicker:) but only around the edges. I smell the beer, now, too. Lager, freshly poured. And lastly, I think I smell the ciggies, but the raisin-y smell of unlit ciggies. Basically it smells like the fresh, yummy stages of all of these things before you actually partake in them, not the stale, nasty smell we usually associate in our minds. This is a really incredible scent. However, I don't really see the point in wearing this as a fragrance, unless it's part of an ingenius plan to fool your parents into thinking, yes, you HAVE smelled like this the entire evening, lol. This needs be be smelled to be believed. It's like some kind of deviant Willy Wonka experiment.

in the vial: Myrrh...warm, dark and feminine. I smell a clove-y spiciness, too, and I smell amber. Maybe vanilla? on my skin: That spicerack smell of a million different yummy spices like cloves, cinnamon, etc. (the sorceress' root cellar is a PERFECT description) and vanilla, but not in a Snake Oil way. This is bitter, slightly dusty and dark, in a very good way. I picture the oubliette in Labyrinth to smell like this. I really adore this!!

in the vial: Fruity and a tiny bit musty. Reminds me of Lady MacBeth only darker, more corrupt. on my skin: I smell the chocolate now, but despite the fact that this smells fruity and chocolately, it's not foody in the least. This smells very mature and ladylike...a special occasion perfume like Spellbound. I have a feeling this will grow on me, though, like Wanda. It reminds me of Wanda in that it smells ladylike and mature, but that there's a deep, dark, volatile sexuality locked deep in there somewhere, and it will open on my skin later, when it decides it wants to show itself. This is earth toned, but intense. Browns, golds and reds. Earthy sexuality. Very nice. A definite keeper.

I haven't tried Feu Follet, but from the description I'd probably recommend that...as far as red, vibrant, velvety ones, I'd definitely say Blood Lotus. I think that oil matches the cinematography quite well.

I'd suggest Wanton, Old Morocco or Queen Mab.

My mom ordered a 5ml of this unsniffed because she adores lavender. Unfortunately, she really hated this and gave it to me. She was expecting something more "generic lavender", I think. (shrug) anyway, here's my review: in the bottle: Lavender, but with creamy lotus behind it. This smells like lavender cake frosting. Very, very sweet. on my skin: There is a bitter, astringent quality to it (which is the thing my mom didn't like about it) that all of Beth's lavender blends have. This is mysterious, elegant and enigmatic, but I'm not really diggin' this one's vibe. I've never really been a fan of lavender, BPAL or not, so I'm not too hot on this, either. I adore lotus, but I'm just not a pale, pastel purple lavender person. The scent just doesn't go with my personality. :/ I'll be swapping this, I think.

I've never tried Séance, but I can vouch for Voodoo being AMAZING. I can't imagine anything else being like it, though...it's probably the most fascinating BPAL I've ever tried.

in the vial: A spicy, Christmas-y scent. There's a creamy sweetness in there, too. Spicy cider. This makes me very excited for Autumn/Winter!! on my skin: The juniper makes this even more Christmas-y smelling. This is the perfect holiday scent, in my opinion. I'm even more interested in getting hold of some Yuletide now!

in the vial: Creamy white flowers...but there's something sinister in there, something corrupt under all that innocence. on my skin: I'm not a big fan of white florals, nor am I a big fan of jasmine. It makes me sneeze...this is a bit too traditionaly feminine for me. I'm going to give this imp to my mom, I think she'll dig it much more than I will.

DRAGON'S MILK. Dragon's Milk is very, very, very sweet.

in the vial: Smoky, buttery, sweet. This reminds me of Tom Waits in a bar at 4 AM, only more feminine. This really makes me want to try Hellfire. on my skin: Mmmm. A second skin scent. Subtley, naturally smoky, buttery and sweet. Smooth. I smell tobacco, I smell coconut, I smell vanilla, I smell some kind of warm, dark liquor. This is a very relaxed, chill scent. It sets a definite mood. The only bad thing is it's making me want to go have a cigarette... lol I reeeaally dig this.

The scent of warm, glowing jack o’lanterns on a warm autumn night: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove. in the vial: VERY STRONG Yankee Candle Halloween smell. Ummm... on my skin: WOW! Pumpkin pie. Sweet, creamy, spicy pumpkin pie. ...And that's all I got. LOL. There doesn't seem to be a whole lotta depth to this one...it's just...pumpkin pie. It's delicious, but I won't wear it very much. Too foody. I'll use it as a room scent when Autumn rolls around.

in the vial: Memory trigger! But I don't know what it is...suntan lotion mixed with being in Italy. NO IDEA why. Incredibly light, though... on my skin: This is really weird. I can't smell anything! I put a lot on, I sniffed coffee beans beforehand, but, alas, I can't smell a THING! I was under the impression that this one would be really strong. I put a little more on, it smells vaguely spicey/fig/incense-like, and then goes away. WTF?? I is confooz-ed. This smells like a strong dragon's blood blend a few hours after you first put it on. My guess is that my hormones have something to do with this. There's a very good chance this will show itself in a week when my body chemistry changes. (shrug) DAMN YOU, HORMONES! :shakes fist at sky: ETA: I just tried it again a couple days later, and fortunately it HAS gotten a little stronger on my skin. I really like this a lot, but I think I like Blood and Bloodlust a little more.

in the vial: YAY! Slightly similar to my beloved, dearly departed Black Widow...it has that sticky maple syrup smell when wet that Glasya has, though...let's hope I love it as much as I love Glasya. on my skin: This is Black Widow's more mentally well-adjusted sister. She may still be a little messed up, but she's nowhere NEAR as messed up as her criminally insane sister. She's softer, but that doesn't mean in the least that she's soft. She's either best friends with Glasya or Glasya's an older sister, possibly from another marriage (Alright, I really MUST stop with these stupid backstories...lol). I smell red wine and roses, and that's fabulous...but the damn maple syrup-y smell won't go away! This is giving me a headache...it's too sweet. I feel the strong need to go take a shower and smell coffee beans now.

Uncontrollable passion and insatiable sexual desire: red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh. in the vial: Um, did Beth ship me Depraved and mislabel it by any chance? (sniffs Depraved) Nope, this is more maple syrup-y than Depraved...then where on Earth is the apricot/patchouli smell coming from?? on my skin: Fruity. No, spicy. No, like a cookie. Like a spicy, fruity cookie? (shrug) Either way, this certainly doesn't scream LUST to me. It's very nice, though. Well, hold on... The OIL is lustful. Not me. The oil is a seperate entity. It's there looking indignant that I'm not paying attention to it. It's very warm and sexual, but it's not making *me* feel more that way. The ylang ylang is actually giving me a headache, and it's on my wrist going, "I don't care if you have a headache, dammit, LET'S GO!!" and I'm not interested. It's too loud. It's getting stronger by the second. It's making me sleepy, and I'm sneezing. I'm gonna go wash it off, I think. I'll try this tomorrow and see if it effects me differently.

in the vial: Reminds me of a more mystical O. on my skin: I'm picturing baby dragons drinking this. This is indeed very fae...the dragon's blood adds so much depth. This scent has so much personality. It's incredibly sweet, though, sweeter than any other BPAL I've tried thus far...I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing. It's kinda giving me a headache... (aaaaaaw!) I'm going to try this again in a couple days, maybe it's just my weird hormones messing with my body chemistry... (shrug) This smells promising, though, I love vanilla and I love dragon's blood...I just wish it were a wee bit less sickeningly sweet. ETA: This grew on me. I'm still not sure I'll buy a 5ml, but I'll use up the imp for sure. This is a very visual scent...magenta baby dragons, almost Jim Henson Dark Crystal like, nursing from the mommy dragon. Very mystical and a little creepy. Just my cup of tea. ETA AGAIN: This is probably my favorite BPAL now. I ordered a 5ml and I can't ever picture being without it again!!!

in the vial: Amber! Amber and florals. I don't usually like florals, but this is gorgeous! It's creamy and edible... on my skin: This smells like Aveda's Shampure on steroids. This is really, really beautiful...it's a HARDCORE floral. It's a bad-ass floral. It's a floral that can fend for itself. It lasts for a long time, too. "Sweet and mellow" is a good way to put it. I think this is my favorite BPAL floral ever, probably because (er...) it's not really a floral. It's more amber than floral, and I'm certainly a girl who loves herself some amber. I think I get the dark sexuality, too. (whee!) Another fab everyday scent.

in the vial: Smokey, buttery almonds is right. The almonds are bitter, though, not like those sweet, cherry-like almonds in so many of the BPAL oils. on my skin: This is practically pure smoke. Smoke and the almonds, which get slightly sweeter on my skin. I smell the butteriness a little bit, too. Oh no, a droplet splattered and landed onto the space bar of my key board, and my thumb is sticky with it now. HOLY SHIT, MEMORY TRIGGER! Clove cigarettes. Mmmm, those yummy, tar-filled bronchitis sticks I dearly love so much. I want one SO BADLY right now... (cries) Well...I like this, but I'm not crazy over it. (one minute later) Huh. I just put The Sisters Of Mercy on and now this smells right on me. (shrug) Go figure. I'll keep this imp after all, I have a feeling it'll be fabulous in the winter when I break out the long black velvet coat and giant-ass Docs. (Andrew Eldritch is brainwashing *meeeeeee*...) Heeeey now hey now nooooow...SING THAT CORROSSION TO MEEEE...lol sorry.

In the vial: RED VETIVERT! Not good news. But... on my skin: This is very strange indeed...it's cinnamon and vetivert, which *SHOULDN'T* logically turn me on...but it does. OH, HOW IT DOES! It's like my brain says one thing and my hormones are going, "ALL SYSTEMS GO!! ATTACK! ATAAAAAAAAACCKK!!!". I feel an insatiable urge to start attacking random strangers like some kind of feral creature and sexin' 'em up MEDIEVAL STYLE!! RAAAWWRR, BITCH! (ahem.) I should really go wash this off before I start calling people up and doing regrettable things.

in the vial: (GASP!) Sooo impressed...I love the atmosphere of this one...I smell ceder and incense. Very dark and woody. on my skin: Ceder, and I definitely get the Vicks Vapo Rub note any_old_actress mentioned...and the spices...if I concentrate, I can pick up the lotus, which softens the fragrance a bit. This mostly smells like antique wood, though. This would be INCREDIBLE as a room scent, but I don't think it's very wearable on me. It may be wearable on me in the fall/winter, though, we'll have to see... ETA: Today, as I try this for the second time, the lotus is much more present. It adds a rich, creamy sweetness to the dark, mysterious woody notes and makes it much more wearable for me. This is an outstanding piece of art, as all of the BPALS are.

in the vial: Marzipan. Yum! wet, on my skin: Hey, wait! Where the hell did you go?? Hellooo!!?? Oh, there you are...wait, that's not Dana O' Shee, that's fucking PLAY DOUGH! There's PLAY DOUGH on my skin!!! WTF?? And then the Play Dough disappears, too! What the hell was that!?? I think I smell the faintest trace of honey after a few seconds, like there was a glob of honey on my wrist, but someone licked it off. (tee hee) Then I get the teeniest suggestion of milk...no grains. This smells like it would be divine to eat, but it barely exists on my skin at all. I'm hoping it's a hormonal thing and I'll adore it next week...(like what happened with Masquerade and I). I'd like to buy a bigger bottle of this so I can slather it on and see how it *REALLY* smells. ETA: Aye, body chemistry is strange indeed. This smells like pure honey on me today, like a single note, with something that smells like sugar cookie dough. It's a lot stronger (but definitely not too strong) than it was when I first tried it, and it doesn't smell a thing like play dough anymore. I will be buying a 5ml of this in the future because I genuinely love it.

in the vial: WOW! Holy shit... The very stuff I guzzled down a couple weeks ago... Only this stuff doesn't smell like licorice-y NyQuil (thank GOD!) It smells like Absinthe after you put the sugar and water in it. It's honeydew melon color only the tiniest bit brighter. This stuff smells FAR tastier than the real thing, IMO. wet, on my skin: Why the fuck do I smell dandelion?? Oh, wait, that's not dandelion, it's lemon and grass. And star anise. It's fresh but mildly boozy and slightly herbal. It also reminds me of green beach glass. I'm surprised how wearable this is. As it dries, the anise comes out more and more. Then it's just anise over lemon. Lemon flavored anise. There's something sexy about it, though, I don't quite know what. All I know is that the green fairy had hypnotized me and I am mesmerized by this scent. I want to wear this every day, but alas, cannot. I must give all of my imps equal wearing time, or they get angry. The last thing I want is a bunch of angry, neglected imps...

in the vial: OH MY GOD! lol I have no idea...it smells kind of like cinnamon apple cider only darker and *intoxicating*! Wooooowww...this is my first exposure to Beth's apple blends and I am HOOKED! This smells like Autumn to me...I absolutely adore this... wet, on my skin: Ooooooh...well, it's much lighter on my skin, which is probably a good thing...it's still Autumnal apples and spices, though, with heavenly rose underneath and some kind of dark, musky floral underneath everything, pulling it all together. I smell lemon...I smell vanilla...everything is blended so gorgeously. As it dries, it darkens. I can *FEEL* this oil's pain now! IT ANGSTS! IT AAANNGSTTS!! (angstful handstapleforehead smiley here) Wow. Bottled angst. Go Lab! This is outstanding...I will enjoy this imp immensely and may very well invest in a bigger bottle someday.

in the vial: a cough drop...a berry flavored herby one with a tinge of menthol. wet, on my skin: I'm picturing a magical forest inside my head. Not that it smells piney or anything, but it smells like something someone in tune with nature would wear. A good witch. It still smells like berries and herbs, but not in a candylike way at all. It's very subtle and beautiful, and there's something golden about it, around the edges. This is very feminine, and when I say that, I mean it's feminine energy, not "girly'. This perfume reminds me of Bjork for some reason... Maybe because I'm thinking of little wood nymphs running through the forest... This is DEFINITELY going to be a big bottle, every day scent for me. drying, on my skin: Smells like some kind of incredible tea. This is a long laster.