abejita

It does start out with a strong lemon, but that fades very quickly on me. Opium comes out to the forefront and I'm instantly in love. Chrysanthemum Moon began my love affair with opium, now I have Carnaval Diabolique to entice me further. I'll have to second what another reviewer mentioned, this scent is a beautiful play of light and dark. The lemon (subdued, now) and other florals are bright and joyful, while the coconut, vanilla, opium, and musk give it a dark, velvety mystery. I didn't expect to like this one so much, but I'm hooked. This is definitely on my big bottle list.

1. Snake Oil - Beth wears this one every day. So it's a must. 2. Dorian - Classic. 3. Alice - The Mad Tea Party Theme is a lot of fun, and this is the perfect interpretation of the character. 4. Black Moon - Outstandingly creative interpretation on the theme. 5. Chrysanthemum Moon - Another one I'm picking for the theme, plus that opium note is to die for. 6. Beltane 06 - This is the most evocative floral to me, and this pack needs a good floral. 7. Shango - The fruitiest of the fruity, but dark, too. 8. Rose Red - Simple, but perfect. 9. Underpants - Have to have one of the silly blends in here to show off the lab's sense of humor. 10. Morocco - One of the favorite Wanderlust blends, shows off that rich musk and spice. 11. Embalming Fluid - Not a favorite of mine, but shows one end of the BPAL spectrum. 12. Cthulhu - Both for the theme and to get an aquatic in here.

I love pumpkin. I keep trying Jack, but find it not very wearable. The hypersweet butteriness can turn cloying. This is a much more wearable pumpkin scent. I think that the fig leaf and orange peel/mandarin add a nice brightness, while the spice and amber pull it back towards mystery. I think this can appeal to both foodie and non-foodie types. I like this one very much and will be using this as my wearable pumpkin scent and Jack will be a room scent. ETA: As of January '07, the Pumpkin Queen has gotten unbelievably better. I am in awe over how much this short aging period has brought more depth and complexity to the blend. The orange has scaled back, the fig has gotten richer. The amber is just beautiful, not even a trace of powder to it, and the ginger is deeper as well. I now get pure pumpkin, no buttery feel to it at all.

Argh. I was so sure I would love this. Skin musk, honey, plum blossom, spice, sandalwood are all notes I enjoy very much. However, something about it goes immediately powdery and soapy on me, and I'm not someone who usually has that issue. I think the lily may be what pushes it into that area. A couple of hours after drydown, I finally get some plum blossom. But the scent, on me, is generally a blast of dry, sweet-ish powder with a tang of too-clean soap. I've already made a swap and hope it is well-loved elsewhere.

I would have to decide to review this after slave1 did. I started typing this, went and read her review, and realized how silly it would look to say the same exact thing. My only slight disagreement with her is about whether or not this has a "perfumey" smell to it. For me, it does when wet, but on drydown that perfumey quality recedes into nothingness. This has been my favorite out of the Salon so far.

i was on nuvaring for awhile and noticed no change in how i perceived ylang-ylang.

The Lunacies have just gotten better and better lately for me. Hungry Ghost Moon had me swooning and swearing the Lunacies had reached their pinnacle, but Chrysanthemum Moon has shot up to the "Holy Grail" category for me. At first sniff, wet, I thought it was just way to "perfumey," as some reviewers have noticed. Then it dried down. Not only did it dry down, but it dried down to something amazingly lovely. On my skin, there is some heady, rich note I can't quite pinpoint. It's... buttery. But not at all in a foody sense. More in a liquid, golden, rich sense. The ginger is creamy. The musk is lovely. The spices and floral are in perfect balance. The opium is smooooth. This is the second scent I have violated my "no hoarding" rule for.

To me, this is a less sweet, more masculine Dorian. More refined. The Earl Grey is astringent and dry, the fougere prominent. I prefer Dorian on my skin, but I am saving this bottle for my man. I think it would be dead sexy on him.

MLXXII Mine is close in number (somewhat, at least) to the one reviewed above. I was reading through the thread, getting ready to review my new bottle, and came across this one. It sounds like our bottles are sisters. Mine has some serious pomegranate, that same rich, tart note in Freak Show and Persephone. I think there may be a tiny bit of rose in the background, but it's not making this a rose scent at all, just giving it more body. I also have the impression of a light vanilla-y or white musk. It would be pretty cool to compare these two, because hers sounds so much like mine.

I agree with the reviewer above who said this isn't a whimsical scent, but a very adult one. Yes, it smells like chocolate, but it's a rich chocolate, very organic, with a sky high percentage of cocoa to it. The sour note people are talking about, to my perception, is just a hint of acidity that very good chocolate possesses. The creaminess, to my nose, isn't milky, but rather just another layer of richness. I think this scent could appeal to many people who don't want to smell like food all day. This is amazing. I am astounded at how a chocolate scent could be as nuanced as this one. I will most likely get another bottle or two before the Carnival goes away. The throw is fairly high and duration is long. Even with a modest application of the oil, you'll walk around in a dark chocolate cloud all day. Edit: Three years later and this is still a beautiful scent. I loved it when I first got it and I love it even more now. The cream has come forward more and the scent is even richer, deeper than before. I hope this becomes un-discontinued!

Oh, Bengal, whyever did I wait so long to try you? I got this as a gracious gift from Deana. In the imp it smelled like spicy honey. On my skin, though, it opened up into a lovely, familiar scent. When I was living in the Krishna temples, we often brewed chai to offer our Indian guests. There were two kinds of chai, though. One was very bland to me. It was the quick kind brewed with Lipton's (decaf) black tea and a handful of spices tossed in. The other, though, was made by our Bengali devotees. Much more lovingly brewed, it was a mixture of spices, sweetened with honey. And that is what Bengal smells of, to my nose. The skin musk is what makes it even deeper, more wearable. As others have cautioned, this contains cinnamon and can irritate sensitive skin. If I apply it after showering, I don't get a full on burn like I do with Eclipse, but I do get warmth and redness. I love this one and will be picking up a 5ml my next order.

This isn't something that I would have ordered on my own, as the scent's description didn't really stand out to me. I like myrrh and ylang ylang is something I'm fairly indifferent to. But I got it as a frimp from the lab, so of course I had to try it. Very nice. I had no idea the "flushed skin" scent could smell that good. I've read reviews describing it before, but it's really something you have to experience. It's primal and warm and just plain old pleasant. It's what dominates the scent for me. The ylang ylang gives it a high, sweet note, while the myrrh gives it some richness. I don't think I'll get a bottle, but I like my imp very much.

I had ordered a bottle of this, unsniffed, to use ritually (and because I liked the notes, I confess). All the sudden, I seemed to be getting frimps of Yemaya left and right, before the bottle came. I have since used them to merrily enable. Anyway, on first sniff, in the vial, I was a little worried. There was an intense, almost hairspray-like sharpness that sort of blasted through my sinuses. Happily, that sharpness completely dissipated when the oil touched my skin. The honeydew and watermelon bursts forth, then the grape. And, boy, do they smell WET. I get a great sense of bounty and abundance. This isn't my typical scent (I go mostly for darker, richer things), but I love it just the same. I'll be using it as I try to get my natural fertility and hormone balance under control, since the power it's attuned to seems appropriate for that.

This is rose, lavender, and jasmine. It's a pleasant scent to me, but nothing I would wear as a perfume. Okay, now that the scent part is out of the way... Effect: A gentle slide into deep, healthy, restful, untroubled sleep. Moments after I touched my forehead with it, I felt a not unpleasant heaviness there. I got another decant to send to someone close to me who has terrible insomnia problems. I would recommend it to anyone. This is the only sleep blend I have used and I'm not sure I need to try any others now. (But who am I fooling? It's bpal, of course I'll try more.)

That "sunshine in a bottle" thing people keep saying? Oh, hell yes. This is a rich, yet somehow light, smooth, golden scent. The notes that dominate on me are vanilla musk, daisy/sunflower, and the honeycomb. But the honeycomb isn't the typical bpal honey (which I love). You can actually smell the waxiness. It's really beautiful. The citrus takes the background and the amber helps smooth it out. I am in love. I will be getting a second bottle. I give this a 9/10. The only reason it falls short of a perfect ten is that its wear length on me is shorter than I like. My scent locket (not a bptp one) broke, but when I get a new one, I'll use it in that as well to help with the wear length.

I got this as a freebie from a lovely forumite and was excited to see it in the package. I so wanted to like it. I love coconut, hazelnut, and musk of any kind. However, I now know that I dislike Florentine iris intensely. When I inhale, I get a scent that just smells like perfumey perfume to me, with a naggingly delicious undertone of rich coconut-hazel. Take out the iris and I'd love it. Ah, well. I'm glad I got to try it. I will be looking forward to Storm Pearl, when it comes out.

The scent: Cinnamon, musk, possibly clove, and something a little sweet. Though I didn't break out my decant of La Flamme to sniff test, it definitely reminds me of that scent, minus the citrus. Very pleasant. As always with cinnamon, be careful. I have sensitive skin, but this didn't seem to leave anything more than a very faint redness that went away quickly-- and I did apply heavily. The effect: I chose to use this because Sexual Energy triggers a big allergic reaction, and Caliph's Beloved has that bit in its description about stimulating your own energy. After a very stressful week (hell, month) of twelve-hour days of training and classes, plus my chronic illness, my libido was shot to hell. Non-existent. I applied the oil to my wrists, neck, heart, and a tiny bit on my belly, then concentrated on things of an erotic nature. Right away, I felt a buildup of intense warmth concentrated in my diaphragm/solar plexus area, where no oil had been applied. It was a pleasant, interesting sensation, totally unexpected. I have never had the feeling of my energies being stirred up in quite that way. I woke my partner up and the rest of the evening was a stunning success. The verdict: Wonderful. When my decant is gone, I may very well purchase a full bottle. I felt glow-y for a long time after, too.

On first sniff: "Oh, I am so going to find another bottle of this." It's just that good. The white grapefruit is definitely in the forefront, followed by the sugary ginger. Other people have said that it's not nearly as foody as one would think from the notes listed, and I'd agree. The sandalwood, aloe, musk and herbs mellow that aspect. The vanilla is making it smoooooth. It's funny, I can get the rice wine note very clearly, and I didn't expect that. Other people have described the scent way better than I can, so I'll just leave it at that. This is one of my all-time favorites and, for me, hands down the best out of the lunacies I've tried. Another plus is that the scent really blooms well in the heat. I had it on when I went to the gym this morning, and when I left it smelled even better. 10/10.

CCIL This is so very hard. I never realize how bad I am at trying to pick out and identify notes until I get something that no one else has ever smelled. I even had a friend I've enabled give it a sniff and she was stumped. So here's my try anyway: In the bottle I was a little sad because it smelled like floral soap. I am not much of a floral person, with a few exceptions (Beltane 06, Phantom Queen). The bottle is amazingly, almost scarily full. You can tell that Beth didn't use that calibrated medical filler machine. The oil level is way up in the neck to the spiral glass part where the cap twists on. But I'm off track here. The scent. Okay, the scent. On my skin my first thought was my beloved Beltane 06. I went and sniffed the bottle and it may be a cousin, but not a sibling or twin. They do share at least one floral note. I'm just not sure what it is. Lilac? Lily of the valley? I sniffed Dragon's Eye to check on that, but I'm just not sure. There is a creamy, wet spring flower in this scent, though. I think there is some sweet amber and wood as well, most likely oak. The only thing I am sure about is that there has to be some white musk in this thing. There is no fruit, no spice. Final verdict: Not only am I keeping this, but I won't be imping any out. It is a rare floral blend that I like this much, but this is just pure loveliness. ETA: HELIOTROPE! That's it! I just sniffed it side by side with Lionheart and I get that same high note.

I am a fan of dragon's blood resin, lily of the valley, and lilac. I'm not familiar with galbanum, but I've read that it's a bitter resin that's in the same family as asafetida (whoa!). I have a funny relationship with florals. I tend to like either scents I consider "special" florals, which to me are atypical blends (to me) like Beltane '06 or Phantom Queen, or I like scents that showcase a single strong flower with spice, resin, vanilla, or musk. When you start mixing up a bunch of florals, they turn into a nose-blasting, unpleasant jumble to me. I was a little dubious about the lilac and lily of the valley mix, because of this. I received an imp as a freebie and gave it a try. Verrrrrry nice. There is kind of a four elements feel to this for me. The dragon's blood is warming fire, the galbanum is a teensy bit earthy (I think it's the galbanum anyway), the lily of the valley is airy, and the lilac seems dewy/watery to me. I am picturing a huge dragon's eye, feral, but somehow limpid. Every component seems very well-balanced. I like this scent very much. 8/10.

I ordered this at the same time as Litha, so the two are linked in my head. Lotus Moon is a really interesting counterpoint to the Midsummer blend. While Litha is bright greenish gold and has a sense of rising to it, Lotus Moon is dark, amber gold, and feels very steady to me. It's sweet, I get a little of the bubblegummy character of the lotus, but that's something I like. I was afraid of the pine resin, but it's not prominent, more like just another note amongst the other resins. The rose, I think, will please both rose-lovers and people who aren't fond of roses. It's there, but not the defining note. Someone mentioned that they thought this would age really well, and I have to agree, so long as the pine behaves itself.

Revisited after my nose has become more discriminating: This just isn't a honey scent for me. It's sweet, golden, and has a whole slew of notes I love. However, it just doesn't mesh for me. Something about the way they come together doesn't appeal to me. Also, I get a lack of what I recognize as rich, sweet honey. Not for me, I have Mead Moon instead.

Eek! This starts out as a sharp, biting citrus times twenty! That kumquat is straight off the tree behind my bathroom window and might even be a shade shy of fully ripened. I am not a pepper fan, but the white pepper seems to support the kumquat bite instead of blaring on its own. The white tea is very soft, supporting the crispness of the citrus. The orange blossom kicks up once it has dried, making the kumquat not quite as cheeky. It's like Tweedle was pissed, and is pouting at the end after a good shriek. I like my imp of this, but no bottle necessary. It's just not the kind of scent that I'd wear a lot. 7/10.

Rich and immensely comforting. The parallel it makes my mind want to draw is pineapple upside-down cake, with a cherry on top. It has the same rich, wet butteriness, with a pleasant burnt-sugar note where it stuck to the edge of the pan. I do get an odd, slightly savory note that other people have mentioned, but I find myself liking it. This scent is very, very thick and heavy. The verdict? I bought a 5ml off the swaps, unsniffed, and I don't regret it one bit. As Houston is super hot and humid right now, I'm not getting a lot of daytime use out of it. I like to put it on around bedtime, as it's comforting. I think that when the weather finally turns, I'll wear it even more. 8/10.

This is such a strange one on me. I love it in the vial. I can pick out all the notes, and the combination is delicious. Just sweet enough, just floral enough, just creamy enough. But on my skin, something goes a tiny bit off. Suddenly, it's too sweet and there is a strange jarring combination to the notes. I generally have uncomplicated skin chemistry, but this doesn't work. I think I would like it very much on another person, and all the people who have mentioned that it would be great on a little girl are absolutely right. I ended up adding my imp to a bottle of dilute, unscented Dr. Bronners and it's absolutely perfect as a bath product for me, just not as straight up perfume. I'd love it if the lab released Alice lotion or something like that.