Ah Xia

BITTER MOON Kokoro no oni ga mi wo semeru. The body is tortured only by the demon of the heart. Nepal poppy, lotus root, wild rose, and blue hibiscus with blackberry, tonka, sage, lavender, peony and vetiver. This is quite different from what I expected, although given the list of notes I couldn't wait to see what it would be like. On me it smells like a musky grapefruit, which is fortunate, since I love grapefruit blends, although I don't see it as a listed note. The sage and lavender give it a crisp undertone, but not too medicinal or herbally smelling. I don't detect any vetiver, just maybe a hint of darkness and depth. On me, it is not overall floral, with sweet hints of fruity blackberry, the lovely white grapefruit smell (which is probably the poppy talking). It's wonderfully blended, and I wished I had gotten two bottles. Very unique lunar offering! It is somber, sophisticated and lovely.

Be as thou wast wont to be; See as thou wast wont to see: Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower Hath such force and blessed power. This scent is very light and has a bit of a "green stem" undertone, and a bit of orris or violet. I am also getting a very strange note, almost like damp clay or rocks, or dew covered stones on a garden path. It's very remiscent of some of the Exhibit III Asian themed Salon scents, or like Orpheus without the sharp herbal overtones. It sticks fairly close to the skin and doesn't have much throw.

Kelly Pool, C.M. Coolidge.Worsted wool, teakwood, and bois du rose. Who could know what this one would smell like? I'm a knitter so I had to get the one that smells like worsted wool. I was a little afraid of the woody notes, though. I was shocked to try it on and find out on me it smells *exactly* like Numb. That must be the worsted wool part. I don't smell any wood notes at all, just maybe a bit of dryness under the aquatic "wool" note. If you are a fan of Numb, don't shy away! This blend is no where near as dry and woody as the description makes it sound. To be honest, I prefer the wooliness of Queen Alice, but this is definitely a unique blend. ETA: On the drydown, there is defintely a bit of polished table poking through. Clean, classic elegance, and one of the more "perfumey" blends that appeals to ozoney, sophisticated, unisex scent lovers. This ain't your grandma's wet mitten perfume and it ain't no dirty poolhall with a sticky floor either. This is a classy joint!

GARDEN OF DEATH Garden of Death, Hugo Simberg. A harvest of plants that symbolize death in myriad cultures: belladonna accord, iris petals, red poppy, acanthus, manioc, parsley, yam, urd bean, chrysanthemum, acacia, and cypress wood rooted in dark, rich loam. Beautiful, grassy green with almost a fruity-floral candy-like edge. Pomegranate is not a note, but it reminds me a bit of a greener Swank. It's very vibrant and *alive* and not herbal/dirty/harsh at all. I would probably wear this quite a bit in spring and summer.

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before, milk-white, now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it love-in-idleness. A very sweet, beautiful springy floral, like a lovely garden all in bloom. For some reason I think of bluebells when I smell it. I think I detect a bit of rose, a bit of lily, a bit of muguet, a bit of lilac, but it's very well blended and very very sweet. Rose sometimes doesn't work on me but this may be more of a tearose note. A definite keeper and one for the floral lovers out there. Similar scents: Asphodel, Melancholia, Black Lily ETA: On the drydown, this has really come into its own...it's almost creamy and has a really depth to it, with a very decent throw.

R. M, Renfield, age 59. Sanguine temperament, great physical strength, morbidly excitable, periods of gloom, ending in some fixed idea which I cannot make out. I presume that the sanguine temperament itself and the disturbing influence end in a mentally-accomplished finish, a possibly dangerous man, probably dangerous if unselfish. In selfish men caution is as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves. What I think of on this point is, when self is the fixed point the centripetal force is balanced with the centrifugal. When duty, a cause, etc., is the fixed point, the latter force is paramount, and only accident or a series of accidents can balance it. Unhinged: moss, cumin, patchouli, Balsam of Peru, and neroli. First review, here goes! In the bottle, it smells almost sour and mossy. The cumin is quite noticeable. It's very different from the other BPAL I've tried. Wet, it's very mossy and the patchouli starts to come out. It smells very masculine on me, like damp moss growing on the sides of a cellar, quite mysterious, especially with cumin as an unusual note. The sweetness of neroli starts to come out a bit and mingles with the other notes. It's definitely not a floral blend at all though. It does smell unhinged. Amazing! Patchouli lovers will like this, it's not mixed with much sweetness like a lot of other BPAL blends. I'll wait and see what the drydown is like -- not sure I want to keep this one, but it is so very different, and I'm glad for the experience. ETA: There's defnitely a dark undercurrent ( of madness? muhahaha!) to this blend, and now that it's drying it smells more "cologne"-y on me. It almost smells like some vetiver is in this, even though I know there isn't, making it smell a bit similar to Azathoth without the blast of nose wrinkling vetiver. Rich, mysterious, strange and secretive. As it dries completely, there is a lovely sort of slight sweetness to it, probably from the neroli. I can't stop sniffing my arm. Ultimately I'm not sure I would wear this but I'm sure it's perfect for someone out there...

DEATH EMBRACES A YOUNG MAIDEN Death Embraces a Young Maiden, Nicholas Manuel Deutsch. Three dry white sandalwoods with gurjum balsam, guiac wood, ambergris accord, and tea rose. Intriguingly sweet and creamy sandalwood which is softened and rounded out by the rose without being an overtly floral blend. It reminds me of Dorian with a tiny rosy edge, sweet, refined and elegant.

It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!–Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. A dreary night of November: bone-white sandalwood, ink-black vetiver, Spanish moss, bitter clove, beeswax, and lotus root. This is really lovely--wet, it is almost all beeswax with the darkness from the vetiver and a sweetness from the lotus. If you are familiar with Arcana's Holy Terror, it is quite similar without being as incensey and harsh. It is well-balanced and perfectly evocative of a dreary autumn evening!

This would be an excellent masculine scent--strong earthy patchouli balanced with a sweet thread of fresh carrot juice, complex, sophisticated and unusual--completely unique.

Gorgeous strong fresh lilac, possibly the best lilac-floral in the BPAL catalogue with just the faintest undertone of clean (not too herbal/medicinal) lavender. It is like an expensive French soap without being "soapy".

Bright and beautiful rose (like Rose Red, but fruitier) balanced out by the herbal dryness of chamomile--something very summery and fruity and elegant about this blend. It reminds me a bit of the discontinued GC Despair, which had rosewood and chamomile in it.

CCNOW keeps timing out for me...it is just because so many are using it now? Every time I try to add something to my cart, it refuses to load

Wet, this definitely has a pimento-y sort of note and something that reminded me immediately of growing up on a farm. Not a hay-coumarin thing, but something a bit organic and visceral. As it dries down, it smells a bit dusty and the red musk is more apparent. The scent is not as heavy as the notes would suggest and becomes quite faint with my particular chemistry.

Vetiver, not harsh and scorched as it can sometimes be, but sweeter and very earthy yet still sinister. It's a strange melange of notes that definitely captures the unease one gets from viewing the painting. Very unisex but not too 'cologney'.

Initially there was strong evergreen, but it dries down to a sweet, incense-y blend like Midnight Mass. Sandalwood & frankincense are the most prominent on me, it is not as smokey and unpleasant as you might imagine from the note listing.

Bananas. With an edge of coconut sun-tan lotion. I must have weird chemistry.

I got this bottle by accident in an order, and sniffed it. It reminded me very much of Schwarzer Mond, but I like it better.

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What a pretty name! I'm so glad everything turned out OK, that must have been stressful. Congratulations!

Congrats! Eight weeks is about right to take a kitten away from Mum. I suppose you could feed your cat raw meat or something but I would be worried about parasites and cooked meat isn't as nutritious. I knew a woman who only fed her cat raw turkey and raw rabbit and he grew to be enormous and fit. I know there is a thread on the main board about tips on what to feed your pet (especially after the contaminated pet food of earlier this year) so I know that will have lots of advice.

I hear you. It's funny in the macro thread, but this board used to be free of the taint of illiterate 14-year-olds Internet-speak, and I admired that. God, I didn't even know what a "lolcat" was until a few days ago! Come back soon!

My Delousing Powder smelled like orange citrus creme powder...with a bit of amber. It was yummeh, like the center of a chocolate, sans chocolate. It's tangy and cheerful and very sweet! Just like louses!

To me, this fragrance it utterly bizarre. I'm a Cancer moon so I had to try it. First of all, when applied it has a very strange burnt caramel note on my skin...it might be the wild lettuce? It smells a bit like Scarecrow or Coyote or blends with a "grasses" sort of vibe. After a couple minutes it calms down and the barest whiff of chammomile and something very sweet come out. On me it is a very sticky floral...I'm happy I tried it but can think of no other BPAL this compares to.

Don't worry...lots of people will order Cancer and maybe not like it. It will be easy to find on the forums. I know myself, I spring for the bottle right away and then find I don't like it, so off to the swaps page it goes!

This is the most evocative of the Salons I bought on the update. It smells like a dream I had once, a vast endless plain of white snow and grey shadowy skies, near a frozen stream. In the middle of this landscape is a beautiful flowering tree unlike any found on earth, some exotic combination of lilac, cherry, wisteria and everything beautiful in spring, delicate blossoms covered with a wet dusting of drippy snow that makes black marks on the trunk of the tree and wet holes in the snow cover beneath, exposing tufts of long buried grass brilliantly, impossibly green. As you sit and wait under this tree, there's a palpable sense of anticipation...a flash in the sky, a sudden light in the distance, and everything will change...carried on the wet, somehow alive breath of wind.