moonarcana

I have had my bottle for less than 24 hours, and this is a clear case of true love at first sniff. Earlier this morning, I couldn't stop huffing my wrist and I wasn't getting any work done, so I applied some to my bare shoulder so I can discreetly turn my head and sniff the wafting aroma and have both hands free to type. Bast is primarily hypnotic, resinous Myrrh and gorgeous, sensual AMBER, glittering throughout this perfume like sparkling jewels in the desert sand - and a dry breeze of Cacao, not rich and chocolatey, but primal and raw...rising from scattered pods crushed underfoot as thieves attempt to pillage the temple. It is all blended together to the point that I do not notice specific notes of the bourbon vanilla, cardamom, or honey - which is crazy because normally any of those notes are pushing their way front and center...not that I complain when they do, but for me they are not the stars of this scent. This is Bastet + Velvet + some kind of crazy sexy voodoo magic! And this is a new bottle...OMG when it ages, it is going to be freakingfantastic! Please excuse my lack of eloquence here, my nose is glued to my shoulder as I'm typing.

When I was first going through the Halloween update, I immediately clicked "add to cart" after reading the description for Honeyed Apple and before I continued reading the rest of the update. I don't have a vast array of apple scents, but the few that I do have, I adore. However, honey is a weakness - it's mellow sweetness is almost always favorably met by me. Honeyed Apple is so beautifully blended, it's nearly impossible to tell where the apple stops and the honey begins. The apple is fresh, crisp, and juicy, so I will assume it's a Honeycrisp apple. The honey is rich, complex, with a floral edge. Once the oil sinks into the skin, it transforms from two distinctive notes to one deliciously sweet and seductive aroma. After it dries down, if I put my nose near the spot on my arm where I applied and breathe in deeply - my mouth instinctively begins to water. (seriously!) Droolworthy, indeed!

I'm not a big fan of marshmallows, but I really dig pink flamingos and the scent of dandelion. I Plastic Pink Flamingo!!! It's sweet for sure, like Barbie pink sparkly sugar sprinkled soft white musk frosted vanilla cupcakes. At no point does the grassy dandelion note ever have a big solo, though it sings along in the background with great harmony. After several hours worth of wafting from my scent locket, I did get a lovely faint play-doh flashback. I just went with the flow and enjoyed the experience. Foodie scents can be very hit and miss with me but I'm happy to say that this one works very well!

This is one of my all time favorite BPAL perfumes ever - creamy, floral, musky, oriental YUM! It's hard to not feel beautiful when wearing this scent. Every May, the Black Locust trees here in Cincinnati, OH are heavily laden with the most fragrant blossoms you can imagine. My house is cradled on two sides by several of these trees and when the warming mid-Spring breezes start wafting, the air is magically filled with an intoxicating sweetness. My windows are open as much as possible so that I can take in every breath of it. For me, Tamamo-no-Mae captures the essence of this seasonal indulgence and presents the opportunity to enjoy it throughout the year. Beth definitely had 'Gaea's Touch' when she created this gorgeous blend! Here are the trees along one side of my house... I have an armload of blossoms piled on a tray scenting my living room right now...

Here's where I'm at with the Halloweenie/Sleepy Hollow decanting: all decants are labeled except for 2 scents...I'll have those done before I go to bed. Then I need to sort and pack everything (decants, frimps, goodies) before I'm ready to mail. For fun - here's pictures of my set up while I was labeling the decants. My computer has iTunes playing random picks and picture of my beau to keep my mind alert. As I decant, the unmarked vials go in plastic bags with the labels for each particular scent, then I take those one-by-one and tape the labels to the vials...and back into the baggie to wait for sorting time. Here's my packing supplies ready and waiting for action - the lower two shelves, laden with treat baggies, treats (hidden from your view presently), frimps, bubblewrap and envelopes. So I do have a method to my madness...I just thought you might like a peek at my process.

I would for sure love to be able to buy the following from the Lab in 10ml: Bastet The Caterpillar Velvet They all age great so I wouldn't worry about having more than I could use. And even though The Caterpillar is my fave GC, I totally slather Bastet - so it wouldn't take me all that long to go through a 10ml anyway. edit to add: oh, and I have 10mls of Alice, Urd, Hellion & La Fee Verte. I bought Alice right before they cut off purchases of 10mls. At the time, I didn't have any other 10ml BPAL bottles and thought it would be cool to have Alice be the one sticking her neck up out of my bottle box, just like when she ate the mushroom and shot up taller than the trees. I'm a geek.

wouldn't it be cool if the Lab took a poll and offered the 10 top wanted scents in 10ml - for like 10 days? Hmmmm...they could even do this on 10/10. :rolf: (hopefully they wouldn't wait until 10/10/10!)

Datura Smooch + Pieman soap + Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream =

This is a clear case of chacun à son goût. My skin recoils in fear of overly-deodorized dehydration at the mere mention of that brand of soap. It used to be the only soap my ex would use...I made him keep his extra bars in his underwear drawer because I didn't want the smell overtaking the linen closet. But if you like it, I hope you find a BPAL scent that captures the essence for you. As far as Thunder Moon - I can say with absolute certainty (and relief) that it does not go 'Irish Spring' on me...otherwise I would not have a bottle of it. I also have imps of Lightning and Ulalume and they don't remind me of that scent either. The others listed here so far, I've not tried.

Not a matching scent...but a good slathering of Villainess' Embargo Whipped! followed with a generous douse of BPAL's Morocco is fabulous! Morocco is one of those scents that I *want* to love more than I actually do, but the combination of the earthy resins of Embargo really ground the powdery headbuzz that I normally get from Morocco. I think their respective notes compliment one another extremely well.

This delightful green, fruity and floral scent frolics blithely, playing musical chairs with its identity - all the while remaining light and airy...bright and happy. Daydreams of Springtime in a bottle. April Fool took a leap of faith straight into my Top 10!

oooh - I would have been very upset if I didn't like a perfume called Debauchery, since sensual over-indulgence is my middle name. (OK, it's really Anne...but whatever!) Red musks can be hit or miss on me, but this one permeates the blend gloriously and is complimented very well by the decadent opium resin. I'm sure the civet probably adds a little *RAWRRR* to the mix, but after having the opportunity to try several civet-y scents at once I would say that its contribution to Debauchery is delegated to the background...those other two showy divas are definitely taking over the main stage. Though it's not a scent that I would necessarily over-indulge in wearing, I definitely like it and can only imagine that the hedonistic rich quality will intensify as the perfume ages. Another happy traveler in the Civet Evangelism Circle

... Black Annis' perfume is a mixture of damp cave lichen and oak leaf with a hint of vetiver, civet and anise. Sniffing from the imp and going on wet, Black Annis is a frightful hike through an ominously dark, damp and mossy woods. It is too overpowering for me in this stage. As it dries, the scent develops with more promise. The anise crystalizes, not with a sugary finish but like the rich black licorice that my grandpa used to keep in a jar on his desk - the kind that made me grimace with distaste when I was a kid, but that I actually prefer now that I've ripened over a few decades. Unfortunately, the combination of all the other stuff still keeps this scent from being anything I would ever enjoy wearing. But I'm grateful to the Civet Evangelism Circle for letting me discover this in a safe and supportive environment!

I'm rarely good at picking out specific notes unless they are totally obvious... The sage in Morella is apparently undeniable. It provides a nice green herbal blanket thrown over a much deeper earthy melange. While Morella is distinctly dark and forboding, there's an element which lifts her underside up off the soil, brushes off the decay and crawling bugs and blows a bit of fresh clean powder up her skirt to help air things out a bit. I would imagine that we have orris to thank for this intervention. Thanks to the Civet Evangalism Circle for giving me the opportunity to try this remarkable scent.

I adore floral scents! Just over two years ago, first BPAL that captured my heart was Flower Moon and I've since padded my favorites list with numurous other lush floral blends. It looks like I'm going to need to make room for another, because Jasmine Cottage is fabulous. Bright, beautiful floral notes mingling happily in the garden. There is herbal greenery supporting the bountiful blossoms but it is floral that captures the essence of a natural environment, rather than a suggesting the scent of a cut arrangement from a florist's shop. It's a delicate fragrance without being shy, for it blooms strongly upon the skin and lasts for several hours. I've been wearing it for about 9 hours now and though the throw has greatly diminished, I can still catch the lovely aroma when I put my nose closer to my arm. As far as picking out specific notes, Jasmine Cottage is really well blended - all the components play nicely together without trying to shove one another out of the spotlight. I can tell it has jasmine, but as sookster mentioned in her review it's not at all that high-pitched piercing arrow between your eyes kind of jasmine. I also get a good sense for the sweetness of the freesia and the dry herbal tone of the heather. Nothing is overpowering. Lovely, completely and utterly so. I'm very happy I sprung for a bottle of Jasmine Cottage!