filigree_shadow

I am quite fond of this oil and of the Hanged Man Tarot card. At first it's kind of a stingy berry scent, it's not round and juicy, it's more perfumey. Like maybe a little bit of floral. Over time it becomes a rich lush creamy and slightly floral scent on my skin. Unexpected, but welcome. I like it a lot.

In the imp Judgment is a dark red color, which usually means dragon's blood to me. And that is actually what it smells like in the imp, but that's not the scent I get from my skin. The first time I tried Judgment it smelled an awful lot like red musk, which I love, so I was thrilled. This time, I'm not getting so much red musk, kind of a sweet resiny scent. I can tell there's musk there, but I can't so easily identify it as red musk. I'll have to try it again later when I haven't coated myself in lotion first. However I will say that of all the Tarot oils, the Judgment oil is my favorite scent.

At first I thought it smelled like a sweet floral with frankincense. It's just a little bit powdery. It's even bright, kind of like citrus, for a bit. Powdery and sweet. I wish this was darker on me, I'd even like to smell some civet like other people do. I was really hoping for a deep dark scent. Not a sweet girlie powder with a very slight pine-like undertone to it. I wanted musky dark murk and I got sweet resiny incense. As usual the Devil wants to bring out what's really in me instead of what I want. Stupid Devil. But to be honest this oil is still one of my favorite Tarot oils.

Chaos Theory II: CDL In the bottle, it smells pretty and bright. On, it smells like Gingerbread Poppet with cinnamon and butter. It is so incredibly tasty and exactly the type of scent I enjoy. There's a very light floral/perfumey note that comes out when it's drying, but that just makes it more complex. It stays true for several hours and has great throw. This is my favorite of all this CTIIs I've tried, although they've all been keepers. I got this bottle a week ago and have worn it 4 times since then. Chaos Theory II: CCXX In the bottle, it smells like men's cologne. On, it smells herbal and slightly watery. It smells blue to me, which is odd because this is the first time a perfume oil has smelled blue. It's really quite lovely, and I think I'll wear it a lot this summer when it gets hot. It smells cool but not chilly. Last reviewed by cuervosueno. Chaos Theory II: CXL In the imp, it smells herbal and golden, and very slightly astringent. On, it smells like a bright citrus scent at first, until it dries down into a sweet orange blossom. Really, really beautiful. It smells simple and sweet. The only thing critical I have to say about this is that the throw is very minimal and it doesn't last long. Previously reviewed by UltraViolet. Chaos Theory II: CLVIII In the imp, it smells like sweet honey. On, it smells like a golden honeyed floral. I'm not good with floral notes because I don't usually wear florals, so I'm not sure what the flower is. I do know it's neither rose nor violet. There's a very light Irish Spring soap undercurrent to it, which always makes me wonder what herb causes that scent (I don't know which one it is). It's light -- crisp and creamy at the same time. Gets slightly watery when it's dry. More floral than I usually prefer, but this is one of the few florals I'd wear. Previously reviewed by malanna. Chaos Theory: CCCLXXIV In the imp, it smells like a sharp floral. On, it still smells like a sharp yellow floral. I had some bath salts that smelled like this, but I don't remember what floral scent they were supposed to be, so I can't identify this scent. Gardenia? I don't know. It's a little bit powdery, and I never did like those bath salts a whole lot. The imp I got wasn't labeled as CT2, but I think it is. Previously reviewed by yeahbutnobut. ETA: Thank you, Shollin, for adding the links to previous reviews!

At first, it smells like bubblegum. A sweet artificial fruit scent. I expected to get lots of water from Pisces, but... nope. That fruit note fades out pretty fast and then it smells floral. But like a flower that's going bad. It's a little sour. 'Fraid this one's not for me.

Yep, dirt. Wet, sweet dirt. I would not dare wear this as a perfume. I got a little bit of oil on my fingers when I opened the imp and now it's all I can smell. My skin amps the BPAL dirt note more than any other, and it's no exception here. This is really, incredibly strong on me. I feel like it's all around me, everywhere, and I swear it's only a really tiny bit just on my fingers. I sort of feel like I'm being buried alive. This is not a particularly pleasant feeling, so I'm going to go right now and wash my hands really good.

Aw, dammit. Just when I thought I wasn't going to have to hunt down any more hard-to-find and ridiculously expensive bottles... Milk Moon is gorgeous on my skin. It's a creamy vanilla scent with a very slight coconut or mint twinge to it (I can't really tell which one). And butter. It smells soooooo good.

Herbs, citrus, and something woodsy. It's a bright, powerful scent. As it dries down it loses most of the citrus, and what's left is an herby pine scent. Unfortunately it smells a bit sour on me, but to be honest these notes don't usually work on my skin so I'm not very surprised.

Powdery and sweet, which makes me think there's amber in this. There's also a slightly bitter floral note in it, which could be carnation. I think it smells golden, creamy and spicy.

Spicy, earthy, masculine. Quite fitting for Malkuth, I think. Not light and fleeting at all, it's solid and strong. Sweet, too. I don't usually like cinnamon very much, but I like this.

Eat Drink Man Woman definitely has my vote! I love that movie.

Tried this one through the GC circular swap. Smells mostly aquatic to me, but sweet too. The florals are modest and not overly strong. I like the cherry blossom a lot. This oil smells cute. I like it, and will get an imp of my own. Not sure about a bottle yet, though.

At first this smells mainly like lemon, but that fades into a strong floral. I can't really smell any sandalwood, which is too bad. I think there's some musk under there, but the florals are so strong I can't really tell much. I do think this is pretty, but it's not my style. Too floral for me.

I am trouting myself because of La Fee Verte. At least three imps of this have come through my swap box, and I only held onto one of them because the first time I tried it I didn't like it. But I've tried it again tonight... and damnit, I'm gonna need a bottle. I can't believe I swapped away those other two imps, like an idiotic carefree fool. I have no idea what I think this smells like, some sort of honey sweet spicy white musk combination... whatever it is, it works. And how.

My very first reaction to this was "pee-yoo." A pungent floral. But it's growing on me. I've tried it three times now, and every time I don't like it at first but I think it's quite pleasant when it's dry. It has a floral scent to it, but there's also a sweet fruity note in it. I'm not sure which one, but it doesn't really smell like berries or melons. And I wouldn't say it's citrus, either. It's an unusual scent, kind of bright for what I pictured as appropriate for Baba Yaga. It's not disgusting or ugly, and it doesn't smell rotten. It also doesn't make me think of giant chicken feet, which is what I was afraid of.

This is a sharp floral on me, something like gardenia, but that's not it. Yellow. It definitely has a perfumey quality to it. For some reason the scent reminds me of a very viscous shampoo that I used when I was a kid -- something like Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo. I know I've smelled this floral scent before, but I can't place it. It's making me feel nostalgic, which is why I think it's something from my childhood.

Spicy, woodsy, sweet pine. That's what it smells like to me. Masculine. I don't wear pine well, but my hubby does -- so this one goes to him!

I love Voodoo Queen! It smells like a sweet, resiny incense. Dark and brooding. It gets powdery after a while but retains that sweet scent. I looked at the other reviews that say it's like pickles, Smut, Gypsy Queen, florals... it smells nothing like any of that on me.

Lascivious, flirtatious, and vampy as hell. A true heartbreaker’s perfume. The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli. Vixen reminds me quite a lot of Dior's Poison, which was my signature scent throughout college -- but it's better. It smells exactly like the description says it does. I love patchouli, ginger, and orange blossom -- those three were some of the few notes that I already knew I liked before I found BPAL. So this was one of the first BPAL oils I ever tried. Vixen is a dark color in the imp, and it stains my skin when I put it on. After trying lots of BPAL oils, I now know that both of those things indicate that I'll love the scent of the oil. And I looooooooove Vixen. Vixen has been on my list of favorites since the beginning and I expect it always will be. Whenever I smell it I am transported back in time to the evening I first tried it, when I was in total awe that anything could ever smell that good. There's nothing quite like BPAL newbieness, and Vixen brings it back to me. ETA: Lab's description.

At first, pepper. But that was for about three seconds. Then a very bright and juicy fruit scent came up quick and shared the spotlight with pepper and tea. I thought it was an odd scent, and a little jarring. I sniffed it again 15 minutes later and that weird discordant pepper note was gone -- it's mostly just bright fruit. This is an interesting scent, but I don't imagine I'd ever reach for this imp instead of other ones that I truly love.

While the scent is strong, it's quite herby and green. Reminds me of Irish Spring soap and dryer sheets. It smells bright, clean, and fresh. It ends up (after an hour or two) smelling like a faint green floral. So when it's strong it's herby, and when it's faint it's floral. Interesting.

Cross-posting to Reviews forum and my LJ journal. I got the second package from kakiphony, which incldues Leanan Sidhe, Neo-Tokyo, Obatala, Tweedledee, and Vixen. Here are my reviews. Leanan Sidhe - Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew. While the scent is strong, it's quite herby and green. Reminds me of Irish Spring soap and dryer sheets. It smells bright, clean, and fresh. It ends up (after an hour or two) smelling like a faint green floral. So when it's strong it's herby, and when it's faint it's floral. Interesting. Neo-Tokyo - Urban metallics and an ozone-tinged breath of electric light mingled with reedy bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, delicate orchid and a splash of playful, wet fruits. Smells mostly aquatic to me, but sweet too. The florals are modest and not overly strong. This oil smells cute. I like it, and might get an imp of my own. Probably not a bottle though. Obatala - Obatala’s ofrenda is soft, white and pure: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water. It's funny, I remember reviewing this when I first got the imp -- I thought the coconut had a suntan lotion smell and I didn't like it. This time I thought it would be different because it started out as a creamy, dark coconut. But after about 30 minutes, that suntan lotion scent I remembered was back. So... this one's still a "no" for me. Tweedledee - Ridiculous! Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. At first, pepper. But that was for about three seconds. Then a very bright and juicy fruit scent came up quick and shared the spotlight with pepper and tea. I thought it was an odd scent, and a little jarring. I sniffed it again 15 minutes later and that weird discordant pepper note was gone -- it's mostly just bright fruit. This is an interesting scent, but I don't imagine I'd ever reach for this imp instead of other ones that I truly love. Vixen - Lascivious, flirtatious, and vampy as hell. A true heartbreaker’s perfume. The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli. Vixen reminds me quite a lot of Dior's Poison, which was my signature scent throughout college -- but it's better. It smells exactly like the description says it does. It's been on my list of favorites since the beginning and I expect it always will be. Vixen was one of the first BPAL oils I tried, and now whenever I smell it I am transported back in time to that evening, when I was in total awe that anything could ever smell that good. There's nothing quite like BPAL newbieness, and Vixen brings it back to me.

At first I can mainly smell the dirt, but it has a very sweet floral overtone. It turns into a sweet floral with a really lush, rich background. It smells humid to me and reminds me of a hothouse. This might be the only GC blend with a dirt note that I would wear. (I specified GC because I sometimes wear Queen of Clubs.) It has good throw for only a couple of hours, but it remains faint several hours later.

The smells salty and grassy to me at first. It's pretty green. Then as it's drying it's more like an aquatic/grass combination. I like the scent, but as a perfume it fits my hubby better than me. Good throw, too.

The first scent I can pick out in this is mint. Then it turns into a sweet boozey scent with the barest bit of mint... blends like this are what makes BPAL the paragon of perfume excellence that it is. I have never smelled anything like this. It's like springtime, but it's a fun spring day -- like one of the days when you have a few drinks with good friends and you all end up skinny-dipping in the lake. The scent that I can tell is bourbon reminds me of my grandmother, which is kind of weird. Makes me wonder if Grandma was in the habit of taking a nip from a hip flask when I wasn't looking. Wears close to the skin; not a lot of throw. ETA: And this is why you should always test frimps from the Lab... I got one of Juke Joint recently, and I remembered that it wasn't for me. I tested it again today, and wow! I think it smells wonderful! My tastes have changed in 15 years since I first tried it.