jj_j

Tough call ...

 

Gluttony and Old Morocco, without question.

 

Come to Me, Tamora, and Unseelie would be next on my list, I think, with Old Venice wrapping up the pack.

From what I understand, it wasn't the carrier oil that didn't work...it was just that it somehow clogged up the roller applicators...  But it would be nice to see if any of these worked better than the others.

That's it exactly - I now take the tops off the roll-ons I kept and apply just like I would out of the original BPAL bottle.

 

The apricot kernel oil has been a fabulous carrier because it's scent-free and absorbs right into my skin ... but I've had no luck with ANY carrier oil in a roll-on bottle. BPAL by itself rolls on beautifully, but adding a carrier seems to make it too "heavy" for the roller to spread, for lack of a better scientific explanation.

 

Cloves stand out in this for me, but are blended with a subtle herbal scent that seems to have jasmine, as well. Pleasant, and unobtrusive, even with scents that I don't usually like.

 

So closely intertwined it's almost impossible to identify individual notes, but definitely uplifting.

 

NOTE: This review is for the BPAL Bewitching Brew. If you're looking for the Twilight Alchemy Lab oil of the same name, those reviews are here. --Shollin

I was afraid of this scent, and put off trying it for a long, long time - I don't do well with cloves, and couldn't imagine this to be light on them.

 

Luckily,with my body chemistry, the cloves are light. Heavy on the cinnamon, some pepper, and just a hint of cloves makes this absolutely yummy. Heavy on the cinnamon also means a little red patch where I applied ... not good. Will try with the apricot kernel oil as a carrier next time around - I want to be able to use up this Imp!

Definitely all over the place on this one ...

 

Heavy, harsh neroli - very bitter - and a soapy smell, initially.

 

Luckily, though, it dries down to orange zest with a creamy floral note that's not white at all, and I'm amazed to say that I like it, a LOT. My toddler distracted me with her eighteenth attempt to get out of bed as I was on my way to wash this one off, and when I sniffed again, I couldn't believe it was the same scent.

 

Definite full-bottle order. This is perfect for less casual wear, and is an attention-getter; my mother asked what it was, and guessed it was one of those $120 bottles she couldn't afford, even if I had managed to swap for it. I think I'll surprise her with a bottle, too.

Did I mention that I'm getting more fond of juniper all the time?

 

Juniper never gets sharp in Undertow, as the lotus note really keeps it smooth and part of the blend. This is aquatic and flowing, and although the mint fades away from the obvious things your nose senses pretty quickly, it helps keep this cool and refreshing.

 

Nice, and unique enough to be a standout, if not solely based on its other merits.

The initial flood of almond makes this seem innocuous enough, but the palm of my hand (it was the "toughest" skin I could think of) has a large red welt to go with the testing of this scent. I tried right next to that spot after adding some apricot kernel oil, and all seems to be well.

 

On, it's super-sweet, cinnamon, and orange Tang - and by that, I mean the breakfast drink. Must be the neroli, which in my experience with scents other than Beth's, was always sharp and bitter; hers seems to avoid that.

 

Spiced orange cider is all I can think of. It's nice, but it's not something I want to smell like. Would definitely use this in my house at Christmas, though.

The China Rain is definitely aquatic and reminiscent of a hard rain clearing the air. There must just be a drop of vetivert in this, because it's grounded, but only barely.

 

Unfortunately, Hurricane resembled an expensive and pleasant guest soap on my skin in a couple of minutes. Will have to pass, in spite of my liking of this initially.

It takes a while for the juniper to settle down in Burial, but it's very apropos for freshly-turned cemetery loam.

 

After a couple of minutes, the rose with green stems peeks through, and while this never has a distinctly earthen scent for me (compared to Zombi and the like), it's still an earthy scent. This could very definitely be the scent that the gravedigger gets when he turns over a couple of spadefuls after the graveside service, with the scent of flowers on the breeze.

My skin didn't produce an earthy scent out of Thanatopsis at all. Guess I'm odd in so many more ways than I had realized.

 

Juniper keeps this light and brisk, the pine seems to be the tiniest of drops, and the musk rounds Thanatopsis out to a scent that is both ethereal and sensual.

 

Another nice surprise, as the musk is reined in and the scent is neither too earthen or piercing.

 

I'm seriously contemplating a purchase, much to my surprise.

Smelled soooo sweet out of the bottle, I almost passed on this one. Good thing I'm sticking to my rule about trying them all, no matter what - because Voodoo turned into something really good for a while.

 

Lime, vanilla, and myrrh start this out, and that's a fantastic combination. The pine eventually peeks through, and the crisp, needly green is a nice addition. The almond wasn't a factor after this touched my skin.

 

Unfortunately for me, the clove becomes more and more obvious, and within five minutes I knew this would have to go - cloves give me instant headache. It's a shame, though, because the rest of this scent was a gem.

Hmmm ... my skin turns this to definite sandalwood, followed closely by lemon verbena and cedar.

 

It's good - this is the smell of old furniture just polished, or the smell of furniture polishing rags in a pail under the sink - and as the lemon verbena takes over, it really is like a good homemade lemon meringue pie sitting on the windowsill that overlooks a clump of cedar trees.

 

Yummy, and I'm still contemplating whether I'll purchase a bottle or not.

I can smell the violet, and the iris, both of which I enjoy. The other scents, though, never make it out, and I get a soft, iris-y violet that seems pale in comparison to Veil.

 

Too many other fantastic violet scents made by Beth for this one to be a re-order for me. Not bad, just not as vibrant and fantastic as the others.

This order has surprised me greatly, because I'm down to scents that have never been on my "to try" lists, but which I should have tested long ago. Rakshasa is one of those.

 

I'm normally very wary of sandalwood. I love it, but it seems to amplify itself when hitting my skin, so it can get out of control very quickly (Velvet is a good example). In Rakshasa, though, the sandalwood and patchouli mean an exotic, almost orange-spice note to go with the rich, sweet rose bloom that's the core of this scent.

 

Never overwhelming, woody, or floral, and going on my to-order list.

Oh, this is nice! Definite lotus, and definite gardenia - I have soft, sweet, flowing floral surrounding me - but I seem to have an imp that didn't include the mint. I don't mean it doesn't have much, I mean there's ZERO mint in this one.

 

Like it a lot this way, though, and now know that lotus is one of the notes I had a hard time identifying in some of the Tarot blends.

First on, Black Forest is distinctly juniper. Crisp, and almost piney in nature, it makes me think of crushed needles underfoot. Ambergris is so soft and mellowing in this - it's absolutely velvet smooth, like stroking the soft nose of a rabbit and not wanting to stop - and the cypress is a fallen tree alongside the path, adding a woody note that's bark-like.

 

Others have "smelled the animals" hiding in the brush, and since I have a distinct reaction to musk, I'm surprised that I never crossed paths with them.

 

I don't smell like a tree, or a forest, because the juniper fades and I'm left with a soft, natural, out-of-doors scent that's really lovely. Will be adding this one to the purchase list, as well.

This up-and-coming scent is still listed as a work in progress, so the Imp I received with my order may or may not be what it turns out to be when it's released.

At first, Scarecrow reminded me of cleaning my stove while it's still hot, but accidentally spraying some of the cleaning fluid too close to the burner. Absolutely a scorched, wet-turned-dry, and harsh smell when first applied to my skin.

After a moment, though, Scarecrow is a slightly disturbing, oddly comforting blend of desiccation and dried grass - I can easily picture the stubble of a harvested crop, dried husks blowing across a Dust Bowl era field, and ground so thirsty it can barely offer its scent up to the stuffy-guy standing watch over it.

Half an hour later, this is soft and light, but with a definite presence. It's golden, but not in the limpid sense of Aureus or dusty in the wooden sense of Seance. I'm used to Oklahoma's red clay and the black earth of Nebraska, but this is the faded, sun-dried, and cracked yellow earth landscape of Roland Deschain in Stephen King's Gunslinger series.

I started out thinking I wouldn't be wearing this regularly, but I can't stop sniffing my wrist. It's going on my to-order list, without question.

This up-and-coming scent is still listed as a work in progress, so the Imp I received with my order may or may not be what it turns out to be when it's released.

Absolutely stunning, Pele is the embodiment of Hawaiian florals. White blooms carried by the armful up a volcano slope, they're gently dusted with pale yellow pollen that leaves them with a pale golden sheen.

I'm guessing Hawaiian white ginger (pikake), a touch of hibiscus, and wisps of plumeria. Soft, creamy, and all woman. Lush and sensual, she's certainly not the kind of woman you'd scorn.

Can't wait to see what this turns out to be; even though I'm not a fan of white florals, this tropical gem is definitely on my to-order list!

[added official description ~qs]

I was surprised to try and like Kabuki, as I'm not a fan of anise or red musk. This was soft and compelling, though, and never ended up smelling like licorice on me.

 

Opens up with sweet, tangy cherry, and softens to a rich, almost-anise note similar to the one in Snake Oil. Lush, sexy, and soft, without being cloying or overly floral-feminine.

 

Definite purchase.

Same thing with Ingenue, I believe.

Thanks, Nella - I think a lot of us have been concerned about not being a bother while you guys are working so hard, but unsure of the best way to contact you for questions. The update is greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks for taking such good care of us!

Can't wait to "meet" you, Michelle -

 

Nella! It's great to meet you.

 

Maybe I should have been more specific.  Does Jolly Roger have a picture of a skull rather than a label that says Jolly Roger ...on the 5 ml bottle, not the imps ear?

Yep. Black label; white skull over crossed swords.

Smoky moldy trees weren't all that appealing, so I went REALLY easy when applying Damnation. This seemed to do the trick, as I wasn't overpowered or overwhelmed by the definite black and earthen tones that came from drop I applied.

 

I can believe that this scent is representative of a Black Mass. It's the exact opposite of anything light and clear and "good" - and is instead the heavy, enveloping, almost elegantly disquieting scent of "wrong."

 

Not something that I'll wear regularly, but perfect in what it was designed to be.