steelxrose

Sunflower is a strange floral on my skin. Sweet, but with a darker, richer something in the background. (Black amber, I'm looking at you.) It's an interesting blend, to say the least.

In the imp, Cordelia is quite pleasant. Light, airy. On my skin, it changes to old B.O. Pass.

I haven't been around for a live CT yet. I think my wallet would weep more if Beth did another one, than with any of the other updates. steelxrose, CT addict

Hope, the Siamese Twin I'd been dreading this one mainly because I'm not a rose person. But curious enough because Faith ended up doing something completely funky and pleasant, but being no where near "violet". That said, Hope is the very same. The only rose I got was from the bottle. As soon as the oil touched my skin it morphed into a tangy, sweet almost candy-like scent. Even after complete drydown, it stayed on the same candyish side. 6 hours later and it's still the same. Not bottle worthy, but I'll definitely be keeping my decant!

Kataniya I admit I got this just for the artwork. Kataniya's artwork is my favorite of the Ladies of the Carnaval. As with Mechanical Phoenix, I get the impression of men's cologne upon first whiff. But, because it says there's flowers in there somewhere, I have to try this. Kataniya is much lighter on my skin than Mech Phoenix, which is a relief. It's still very ozone-y, but not overbearingly so. I'll have to give this one a second try before I make up my mind completely.

Maenad JOYGASM! Sweetness of berries fresh from the vine in the bottle. On my skin, SWEEET, SWEET, SWEET! I couldn't tell the different notes, and am pleased to find that strawberries are in this. There was quite a throw to this, and it lasted for a good four hours. A definite keeper. (Albeit I cannot slather, as that managed to give me a headache.)

CCCXVI (316) It has no number on it, but going by the previous review, I can only assume. It's a foody. Smells a bit like Sugar Skull, but I'm also convinced there's a fancy coffee scent in there somewhere. It's all I got from huffing my arm. Interesting, but I don't think it's me. Previously reviewed by gangstaknitta. XVIII (18) In the decant, it has this funky chemical smell to it, making me hesitate about putting it on. I get a definite woodsy feel from it after applying to my skin. I think there's a hint of smoke, or maybe a spice. Either way, it's not pleasant on me. But that's the joy of CT's! Last reviewed by fiddledragon.

I have the Krampus label above as well as this:

Old Moon has the snow that I wish came out in the Yule oils I've tried. And I adore Beth's snow blends. It's minty, it's green, and it's cold. Perfect! Now, to hoard it.

All I get from Xanthe is bubblegum. It did not change from bottle to my skin. I think this one will be saved for something special. Don't know what, yet, but I can't bear to give her up.

Because of so many notes that can go funky on me, I opted for a decant. I wish I got a bottle as Capricorn dominates my chart. Simply put, Capricorn smells like the forest while on a hike. I find it to be a calming and refreshing scent. Woody, but with enough sweetness behind it that I find it lovely.

I have no idea what neroli smells like. But this is the second scent I've found where I nearly squee'd because it's a fun scent. It's tangy, sweet, and smells like it should be fizzy - not completely different from The Hamptons fizziness. Akuma is sweet, but not overly so. I get mostly berries from it, with the occasional wafting of citrus. Upon complete drydown, it still smells heavily of berries. I think this calls for a bottle.

Event Horizon I'm afraid I can't even point fingers at the notes in this one. It was heavy and dark. That's about all I can say about it. I don't think many of these scents work well on my skin because it was just a funky smell coming from my wrist. I'm afraid I'll have to pass this one.

Baobhan Sith Wet on skin: Aaagh! The grapefruit! I love grapefruit - it's the reason why I bought so many other scents with it, but this one was too much for me. I had originally thought it was lemon until I read the notes list. Dry on skin: I"m glad something tamed Baobhan. At first try, I was ready to pass even though I love the story. The overpowering tangy grapefruit has given way to a sweet, subtle scent. I'll have to try this one again when I'm not radiating the cold.

Bewitched! I don't know how I managed to pass this one over so many times poking through the catalogue. Bewitched does not come off as any bit green, it's all lush, plump berries ripe for the picking...Juicy, sweet. YUM! I wish I could bathe in it. Great job!

I bought Highwayman in hopes the cinnamon would come out. All I can say is that this one reminded me of a shoe store. Very... leathery. Manly. Urban cowboy? (Okay, maybe not.) I trust some of the strangeness was the vetiver. Overall, this one was not for me.

The Snow Storm, both in bottle and on my skin, is a woodsy scent with just a hint of mint. It's no where near as snowy as I thought it would be - I was hoping more like Snow Moon with a predominant "snowy" feel to it. Sadly, it's more dry foresty. I'll keep it around as a room-scent, but I don't think I'll be wearing this one as much as my other snowy blends.

Green Phoenix In the bottle, this one is the lush green that I envision for a springtime scent. And here I am trying it on a cold, snowy day. It smells...grassy... If I had to fathom a guess, that's the sage, with just a hint of mint. Wet on my skin, the grassy smell intensifies with no mint but with just a hint of sweetness. Dry is just...sweet, but subtle. The grassy smell is gone (thankfully, I really don't like it.) Overall - refreshing. I wish more mint and lime popped out, but still a nice light scent.

I believe I will go with The Hamptons or with a trial run of Green Phoenix.

Blood Phoenix In the bottle, I found this one to be...sweet and spicy. It's hard to define any one note in there, all I get was a mixture. Wet on my skin was a grapey-resiny mixture. Immediate dry down was met with grape. Grape. GRAPE! This gets better, and the reason I love this scent. About half an hour after application, I sniffed my wrist and found the musky, resiny dragon's blood, which comforted me. I'm not terribly fond of smelling like grape, thought I was safe. Later, I started cleaning, and worked up quite a sweat, when all of a sudden, I could smell grapes again. WTF? When my skin is cool to the touch, I smell of dragon's blood. When my skin is hot, I smell like grapes. Awesome creation!

Ah, White Phoenix... the BPALversary scent that I was sure would work on me. I don't know if it's because I've been huffing the snow scents lately, but something in White Phoenix struck me as very snowy when I went to put in on. Welcomed, of course, as I adore the snowy ones. Wet on skin and for the first hour of wearing it, all I could think of is "laundry detergent". Weird. It's sweet. It's clean. And not at all unpleasant, although I don't think I'd apply straight before going out somewhere. After the initial "clean" smell and overwhelmingly magnolia, it morphs into musky and sweet. This is what I love about BPAL - they can be so funky when going on, but after drying down, they can be glorious. White Phoenix is a definite winner.

Mechanical Phoenix - upon first application I got a great whiff of a cologne I'm sure I've smelled somewhere before and very ozone-y. After being on my skin for a few hours, I can smell some citrus, just a hint of sweetness, but it's still all cologne on me. I had hopes, but I'm going to have to pass. (Or save for a man. One can dream!) Mechanical Phoenix would smell heavenly on a man.

Snow White In the bottle, I couldn't smell it AT ALL. I had to ask for a second opinion about that - and they couldn't smell it either. Weird. On skin, all coconut. I get none of the snow or coolness that I'd expect from a snowy blend. Like Pottersville said, it's like summery drinks on my skin. Unfortunately, Snow White is not a winner for me.

Lick It One More Time In bottle: Very sharp...sinus clearing-sharp peppermint. None of the creaminess that I loved about the other Lick Its could be found in it. I was a bit wary, I have to admit, when I went to put this on my skin. Wet on Skin: Still quite sharp. It leaves a tingling on my skin, which I find lovely.. But, still, there's no sweetness. Dry on Skin: Not quite as sharp, but more bitter. Overall, this is my least favorite thus far. I think I'll either be using this in my diffuser or pairing with a sugary one. It's a bit too much peppermint - even for this peppermint fan.

I think I have an 07 decant.. In the imp, it's sweet and a bit spicy. Intriguing, for sure. On my skin....ugh.. Caramel prevails! For the next three hours I was smelling like food and feeling quite nauseated. Hours later, the caramel fades to spices. Pleasant now, but I don't think I can deal with the caramel. I'll have to pass on this.