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Rheliwen

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Everything posted by Rheliwen

  1. Rheliwen

    Fruit Moon

    Fruit Moon is a more vibrant, juicy Mi-Go. It's missing the subtle bite Mi-Go has, but it has those crystal lunar notes in the background Mi-Go does not. This is very candy sweet, but it settles down to a musky fruit scent. Peach, mango, papaya, grapefruit, you name it, I can smell it. This is a wonderful fruity scent.
  2. Rheliwen

    Numb

    Numb smells like a sharper Yog-Sothoth. They are practically identical on my skin. Numb is a sharper, but more subdued purple to me though. As it dries, I get powdery white florals swimming in tangy ozone.
  3. Rheliwen

    I need more Cherry!

    Hollywood Babylon is the only cherry oil I can stand...I actually really like it too. I hate cherry with a passion, so that surprised me
  4. Rheliwen

    Recommmendations for Green Scents

    Wolfsbane to me, is similar to Hemlock...but without that citrusy sweetness Hemlock can often have. Ides of March is such a fresh green scent. It makes me happy just thinking about it. Because she likes mint and a little spice, I think she'd adore this scent. I'm sure you can find it in the swaps somewhere.
  5. Rheliwen

    Freak Show

    This ones starts off very similar to 13 from the bottle to the wet stage. I've never tried velvet, but I can possibly see a comparison in that I really smelled sandalwood and chocolate in the wet stage. Dry, this is a darker w/a woodsy undertone, tarter (the pomegranate), slightly more spicey/honey-ish Carnal. That fig really likes my skin. Take Intrigue, marry it with Carnal and Freak Show will be their love spawn.
  6. Rheliwen

    Snake Charmer

    This is light, ligher than expected. But is it similar to Snake Oil, in my opinion. I get vanilla (assuming this is the tonka and benzoin), a tiny bit of coconut (nothing that will keep coconut haters away) and something deep and slightly herbal. The musk is so beautiful!! I love these eastern musks! It definitely feels like resin lite to me. I hope I'm not the only one that sees Snake Charmer more like what was expected of it. Snake Oil is heavy and dense. Snake Charmer is the light, summery version. I was so afraid of getting this based on the reviews, but it has totally lived up to my expectations and then some. I want another bottle.
  7. Rheliwen

    Fire Eater

    In the vial this smells like a very potent floral. Wet: I am definitely getting jasmine from this. It's mingling with something hot and strong. This stage is a bit soapy...but spicey soap. Now, I'm not too keen on the soapy jasmine smells, but for some reason, Fire Eater is really working. Both this and Peitho are making me re-evaluate my dislike for jasmine. Dry: The soap is gone! Now it smells like red hots and a soft undercurrent of jasmine. It really smells fiery without having noticeable cinnamon in it. It's definitely a floral blend but with a nice kick. Believe it or not, it really reminds me of a fiery Alice. Alice is pink, Fire Eater is red...but they both smell similar to me. I suspect this must have carnation in it, but who really knows. Verdict: A surprise victory! Please don't let this go just because of the jasmine reviews. If you like spicey florals, try this one out. It really is a beautiful blend!
  8. Rheliwen

    Blood Pearl

    This one smells really weird out of the bottle. Incensey and floral. It's pretty strong when first applied. It smells like grape koolaid and dragon's blood resin. It has a bitter edge to it that is both appealling and slightly off. I was on the fence because of that. I really don't smell the coconut in this stage. Once this one dries, it really smoothes out. The blood musk is really beautiful. It's musky dragon's blood (but not at all like Dragon's Musk). I have no idea what orris smells like but Blood Pearl does have a heavy foral edge to it that is smooth and subtle...a backdrop, if you will. The coconut isn't terribly strong to my nose, but I think the creaminess is coming from it. The drydown is so beautiful. I wasn't sure about Blood Pearl at first, but now I want a big bottle. It still has that grape koolaid thing going on, but the presence of the coconut really keeps it from getting too tart.
  9. Rheliwen

    Elegba

    Oh yum! This is boozy sweet/sugary rum with a hint of coconut. Less sweet than grog though, which gave me tooth decay. The rum is VERY similar to Perversion's, but not quite as dark. If you wanted to like Perversion but found the leather and smokey notes ruined it for you, Elegba is for you! It's like Captain Morgan's meets Malibu Rum.
  10. Rheliwen

    Eden

    In the bottle this is creamy red and bitter green. Wet: I'm getting fresh leaves and the almond milk. There's definitely an almond tinge to it, but it isn't almondy (I'm making great sense today!). It's making the blend a bit bitter and bakery-ish. Dry: As it dries the *toasted* coconut starts to come out. I'm actually surprised that the fig has been so shy. Oh wait there she is! It's staying a bit bitter, but has also gotten warm, rich and fruity. The sandalwood is definitely grounding everthing, not very noticeable, just warm and a little earthy. Eden is a bit different than I expected. The coconut isn't terribly prominent, it's more of an accent note. I notice the leaf and almond milk the most. It does smell lovely, but not quite the figgy blend I was expecting. My overall impression is that it's an alive, bright, vibrant scent. I'm glad I have a big bottle. I wanted to add that after about an hour on, it seriously reminds me of Arkham Revisted and The Living Flame.
  11. Rheliwen

    Sri Lanka

    In the bottle it smells similar to a lot of masculine oils, namely Fenris Wolf. Wet: Oh...wow! Cedar, patchouli, incense and something sweet. It sort of reminds me of Anne Bonny's twin brother. I just tried it on the beau, and it turns really sweet on him. Dry: It's starting to get sweeter now. The cedar in this is much moister than the other cedar blends I've tried (like Tombstone). The incense is really smooth and nice. It smells good enough to eat! I think you earth girls are going to love this!
  12. Rheliwen

    Peitho

    On first sniff, I expected this to be another white, cloying floral blend. Fortunately, when applied, unfolds a deep, sensous personality. Immediately on impact I smell the clove, sweet, sweet clove...mixed with the musk (which seems red to me). They are such a great combo! They are even balancing out the jasmine. Did you hear that!? The jasmine has been detained my friends! Rounding out the rich creaminess of the drydown is the wonderful vanilla. Vanilla does such great things for blends. It isn't terribly apparent so you vanilla haters might still like Peitho. It simply grounds the sharper, more wild notes in the blend. It starts to get a bit sharp as it dries, and I have feeling the jasmine might make a security breach. Let's hope Beth trained the other notes well though! That does seem to be the case, though you gotta give the jasmine props for trying. I'm going to have to give this one a go a couple more times before I decide on a big bottle or not. Right now it's teetering on the fence--one side the beautiful spicey side, the other, jasmine as supreme dictator. I will say though: if you like jasmine, but really find it much too overpowering in a blend, give Peitho a try.
  13. Rheliwen

    Thirteen (13)

    Yum yum yum! In the bottle: hot chocolate powder mix...less chocolate, more white chocolate though (if that makes any sense ) Wet: White chocolate mized with a hint of cocoa. I say this to mean that it doesn't quite smell like chocolate, but it does have a tiny quality of it somewhere. As it begins to dry I definitely smell the chocolate orange thing going on. Dry: This is the best part! It's sort of like a soapy orange/berry creamsicle. I mean soapy in a good way, fortunately. The tea does make it similar to Dorian...almost like his chocolate cousin. 13 is way more complex though. Underneath all this is an almost woody background. :swoon: I was a bit worried based on the early reviews...but this one is awesome! The drydown is so soothing and beautiful.
  14. Rheliwen

    Autumn Scents - recommend the ones you love

    I'll Add March Hare to the mix. The clove really pulls in the warm autumn feeling. And, like clover, I didn't get apple cider from Block Buster...but I can sort of see how they have similar feelings.
  15. Rheliwen

    Queen of Clubs

    In the bottle: Sweetened dirt. Initially on: Definitely a lot like Zombi, but much smoother (probably the vanilla). The dirt is prominent with a red, tart background. Drying: As it does, the dirt gets sifted into the rest of the notes. I definitely smell the pomegranate. Dry: Pomegranate, amber and vanilla picnicing on soil moist from last night's rain. It's so well blended and smooth. A great almost fall scent. You know, I think the dirt oils smells awesome, but aren't something I would wear. This one though, is so sensual, so familiar. It's one of the few blends that I feel is the long lost best friend of my skin. They feel so comfortable together. When I shoved the bottle under the boy's nose I told him it smelled like dirt...and now he can't get past that association. I don't care, I like it. Hours later: The pomegranate is starting to turn sour on me . It's doing the same thing The Living Flame did, which makes me suspsect that there is pomegranate in that as well. But I love the first couple of hours so I don't care.
  16. Rheliwen

    Chaos Theory II : The Butterfly Effect

    Chaos Theory CCII (202) I have no idea what mine smells like. All I know is it smells drastically different in the drydown than it does in the bottle. Bottle: Cocoa, a little cookie-ish, teeny tiny hint of spearmint. I died when I smelled this! Wet: Smells exactly like in the bottle. It's a bit creamy and a tiny bit foody without actually being foody. It sort of reminds me of a sharper intrigue (which, on me, was all woods and cocoa). Dry: Hmm, it's starting to get a little sharp. Now, it's sort of like a sour Al Azif. I think it's coming from a white-ish floral though...surrounded in brown sugar and something like subtle pepper. This one is weird, weird, weird! It's very subtle. I'd put it more into the resin category than anything else. No fruits or noticeable florals in here. Initial reaction: hell yeah! Secondary: hmm, I'm not so sure... trying it again: ok maybe later on: weird but nice It's different than most of the BPAL I've tried. I'm going to keep this one unless it decides to get all rotty on me. It does teeter on that thin line right when it starts to dry. ETA: I opened it up this morning to sniff it again (it smells so good in the bottle), and when I put it back I got suntan oil and a big whiff of toasted coconut. Whoopie!
  17. Rheliwen

    Yog-Sothoth

    Hmm, this one is potent out of the bottle. It immediately reminded me of the box of antique avon perfume bottles I have in a chest that I got when my grandma died. It's like perfumed ozone. You know that "old lady" discussion going on in BPAL Chatter and how some basically say they smell more like the classic, heavy perfumes of bygone days (total screen diva perfume)? Yog-Sothoth is like that kind of perfume wafting through the upper ozone. It also gives off a very strong color to me. Fuschia fading into royal purple. Overall, Yog-Sothoth feels vast and limitless. It's not nearly as creepy as Darkness is, to me, but it still gives off that creepiness that space does.
  18. Rheliwen

    Beltane 2005-06

    Every time I wear this I think of dandelions. You grab one from the grass and that smell from the broken section is wafting through the breeze. You tuck the flower over your ear and go prancing away like a giddy little girl in your soft, floral sundress. Beltane is not the normal floral you see from BPAL, or anywhere else. It's sharp and a little soapy. To me, it's fresh cut greenery and dandelions.
  19. Rheliwen

    Suggestions for scents based on the 4 elements

    I would think Storm Moon would be better as an air scent. As for fire, maybe the Living Flame or Red Devil?
  20. Rheliwen

    Shub-Niggurath

    Wow, this one is strong and potent! The ginger in this is in-your-face, fresh ginger to the max! It's about all I smell for the first 5 minutes. As it dries, some of the bakery notes start to pop. 10 minutes in, the spice is really starting to intensify! Wait a minute, it smells like Red Hots!! Seriously...Red Hots. About an hour later it has died back down to gingerbread men with Red Hot buttons...not gumdrop buttons, those are for those nice men over there! These gingermen are the rebels, the tough guys who like to rough other gingermen up for fun.
  21. Rheliwen

    Madrid

    Yowza! This smells exactly like mulled grape koolaid...seriously! I've already gotten several comments on it too. What I like about it is it falls into that pre-aututmn category. It's fruity, yet warm and spicey. The mimosa really brings this one to life. Yum!
  22. Rheliwen

    Al Azif

    When I swiped a small amount when I first got it, it was faint and sweet. It smelled like nag champa and creamy florals with an ivory soap undertone. This morning, I gave myself a proper dousing. Wow, right from the getgo this smells just like Sugar Skull. It's very rich, maple syrup...quite different than my initial experience with it. After about an hour, it starts to turn a little astringent. I get faint lingerings of clove, nag champa and sweet florals. The same kind of florals in Arkham. It seems like that soapy note is trying to come out, but is having a bit of a rough time this time around. It's really a hard blend to place. It feels familiar, yet not. And it's weird how drastic it is when applied lightly and heavily. I like the smell a bit better when applied lightly, but without the soap. Overall, I picked damn well! Every single Arkham blend has been a winner with me. Kudos to Beth and Co.!!!!!
  23. Rheliwen

    Miskatonic University

    So this one is a hit for both me and the boy...which was quite a surprise! I opened the bottle, took a whiff, marveled at Beth's ability to bottle anything and ran over to the boy to sniff. He got this kid in a candy store look and said, "Put some on me!" So I did. It's amazing how different it is on him compared to me, so I'll do reviews for both os us. On me it starts off very coffee-ish. In the bottle I get the irish, booziness of it, but it sort of disappeared on me. After a while, I started to get hazelnut latte. Both the boy and I agreed that it smelled nutty on me. On him, he gets none of the nuttiness but all of the creaminess and the dusty books really pop on him. He's a much more moist person than me, so this is interesting. I almost get that plasticy coconut smell from him...almost like Snow White (but I ain't sayin' a word because he'd decide not to like it if I did). I went and sniffed him and again and he was doing his happy dance! I'll have to see whether it will live in his stash or mine...it definitely smells better on him
  24. Rheliwen

    Where is this scent?

    She is one of the norns. I remember seeing reviews about it, but you are right, I can't get it to come up on site or on the forum when searching. She's in the Excolo section though: http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/excolo.html Nevermind! Sometimes I need to check for other pages before responding
  25. Brimstone is the scent of the ash and soot left over from a fire. All the best recommendations are unfortunately LEs.
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