Laurel the Woodfairy

Ah, Priala...like the spirit of BPAL personified. Had to try this. On me, the bright cinnamon topnotes really do smell of *bark*--there's a woody edge here. Reminds me of the original Three Witches--spicy but smoky. The myrrh adds a sexy touch, but I would say I like this rather than love it; I have other scents in the same family that suit me better (Gypsy Queen especially).

Aquatics are hit or miss on me. Sometimes, as with City in the Sea, I adore them; other times they register as very masculine and sharp on my skin. But, as a double-Pisces, there was no way I was going to miss out on the mermaid scent!! In the vial, I get something delicate and green but it's hard to distinguish notes. On me, Thalassa goes straight to jasmine. Dammit. The base notes are soft and pretty, but the vile jasmine amps like all hell on me and drowns everything else under a sharp soapiness.

With so many notes, I don't quite know what to expect from Eshe. On me, though, the jasmine is more subdued than usual (thank goodness)--the other florals seem to keep it in check. Still, this is a sweet floral, with that slightly cloying, *sad* vibe that I got from Eternal. In fact, if you like Eternal, try this! It wasn't really to my taste, though, and neither is Eshe, although there's a touch of herbal that helps a little.

Somehow I didn't expect "androgynous" to translate into "foody"! Not that I expected Beth to produce a knockoff of CK One or something, but the blast of Caramel! Power! caught me off guard. Heavy, heavy sweet caramel with incredible lasting power, and a smoky patchouli/sandalwood/tobacco base creeping up from beneath. I actually think I would quite like this on a guy, although it doesn't really suit me.

Love the bottle--precious little whistle-pig with pink lettering! How I miss the groundhoglets that lived by my old apartment. I got this in their honor. In the bottle...yep, cinnamon rolls! With cassis? Must be the cardomom. On me, yummmm! Smells very much like Monsterbait: Closet layered over hot Cinnabons with buttercream frosting. Seriously, so many notes are distinct: vanilla, cinnamon, cardomom, and just a teeny hint off cocoa. Sweet musk on the drydown. I want to eat my arm. This is foodtastic! Here's to the 'hogs!

Thought I had already tested this, then realized that was Phantasm, whereas this is Phantom, as in "of the Opera is there inside my mind". Well, if it has rose, I'll give it a shot! Whew, this is a strong one! My skin amps the musk and the rose--very rich and sweet. It would be a good evening-wear scent, but I like Spellbound better.

With this many notes, I have no idea what to expect! In the bottle, Faiza smells...clean, slightly green, like expensive dryer sheets. On me, though, she becomes MUCH more interesting! I can smell the Mum Moom ginger (although I love Mum Moon more) with a smoky, musk + green background. An androgynous scent; I don't get any floral and can see this on a guy just fine. It is indeed a slithery sort of scent, though not as sexy on me as Snake Oil or Snake Charmer. I like it, but it's just a little astringently green for me to wear often.

This sounds like it could be a lovely spring scent, based on the notes. In the imp, I smell the yuzu clearly--it's a fresh, sweet citrus. On me, Aizen-Myoo blossoms in a really interesting way--like one of those tea-flowers that you drop in hot water and watch unfold! Warm, sweet yuzu unfolding over floral. But the only thing is...something about it is a little disturbing to me, after the first couple of minutes. It gets a little cloying, a little powdery, and just sort of weird. Sorry I can't pin it down any better than that! I don't really get tea, which is a note I love, so this one is off to swaps.

I was so surprised and delighted to find a 1/4 frimp with my new CD decants! At first I couldn't figure out where I'd seen reviews for this. It sounds like it probably was a one-shot thing, so this is a rare chance to try it. In the imp, I smell white musk (that "hairspray" note from Stardust--appropriate for a Glam Rock scent!) and something sweet. On me, heavy-duty Aquanet white musk with gardenia--a strong, sweet, and aggressive scent. This smells like Lady of Shallott all tarted up for the disco. Which is a much better alternative to death-by-mysterious curse, really. Now I have "Intergalactic Planetary" (Beastie Boys) stuck in my head.

The Tori cover is on iTunes and I just bought it! So happy you posted that there was such a thing!

I ache for you. It's horrible-horrible-HORRIBLE when the conversation goes from "here are some problems..." to "then I guess it's over", and you wonder if you could have in any way avoided that outcome. Be gentle to yourself. My one and only piece of advice, as someone going through this as well, is not to make any promises re: fixing it or not, while you're both in insane shock mode. You can't know yet WHAT you need to do, so try to ride out the initial rollercoaster of emotions before doing anything permanent in either direction. It'll get a little less awful every day.

I know, the lack of insane '80s pouf hair really helps it not seem dated. He is just too hot for words. The first time he kisses her...Dayum. Another that has held up well is I'll Be Watching You. So noir, with early, nummy Sting. The Tori cover is on You Tube--well, with a video someone else added, but you can ignore that and just hear the audio; just search the title and her name together. OMG, I need to find a way to capture the audio. *chills*

Gaaah! Love this song SO MUCH! Thank you! In fact, it there was ever one song that summed up what I want, that's it. Errrr, something special, something sacred, that is--not a gay '80s pop star. You know what I mean.

I saved my Lionheart for a shitty day, and when one happened I said to myself, "You can sit around screaming 'Fuuuuuck!' *or* put on some Lionheart." So I did the latter, and it's gorgeous! Spicy (cinnamon?) topnotes over some sort of warm amber/floral...I'm reminded of Glitter, and therefore heliotrope, except I've never ever liked that note before and I love this. Maybe it just plays really nice with the other notes. Lionheart brought a smile to my face and reminded me to breathe deep and know I have the strength to handle things. Lately my Tarot keeps turning up the Strength card--the young woman taming the lion--and this is like the olfactory version of that reassuring message.

I adore how this smells! I've saved it for the right moment; tonight a girl got on my last nerve and I had the sudden insight that the right moment had arrived. Lovely light floral and citrus topnotes over an earthy (patchouli, maybe?) base. I expected it to not necessarily smell good, but it's gorgeous. I feel calmer already, and have already addressed the issue, but I expect this will amplify my intention. I love it.

I am so grateful for my White Light imp and will buy a bottle as soon as I can afford it. Warm, gently sweet, herbal, with notes that remind me of High John, Water of Notre Dame, and, somehow, The Unicorn. Just...all things beautiful and soothing together. I need comfort so badly tonight, and this is like a hug from the Lab and the Universe at large.

I finally slathered on some Yule today, reasoning that it doesn't get more festive than this! It opened with strong, fresh evergreen notes, then became citrus--I was thinking orange, but it must be the verbena. Incense drydown. More of a ceremonial scent than one I would usually wear, but perfect for the occasion!

The enemy of God, also named Iblis, He Who Despaired of the Mercy of God. Al-Shairan is the leader of the Jinn, a tempter who whispers false suggestions to men enticing them into evil and perfidious acts, and is the sworn enemy of all of Adam’s children. His scent is fiery, bright and thick with sweet sinfulness: clove, peach and orange with cinnamon, patchouli and dark incense notes. It feels odd to me to be reviewing the enemy of god on Yule ( ), but the notes sound so...festive! Like a Victorian Christmas, with oranges in your stocking and spices in the air! On me, Al starts with cinnamon and clove--I can def. see the Bengal similarity--and dries quite pleasantly into something more earthy; more like cinnamon *bark*. I don't really get the orange and peach, which is a shame, as they sound so nice together. Ah well. I like it but don't madly love it.

I think the concept behind this one is incredibly cool, but the notes scare me a little--sounds very *dark*. On me, Nephilim is really sharp and acrid--to the point that I can't distinguish notes right away, because my nose is shrieking! Once it settles a little, it's the vetiver/patchouli combo that's making it too "dirty" (not naughty; that would be great!) for me. I also can tell now that it's the lavendar that's continuing to be unpleasantly sharp. There's some nice incense on the drydown, but it just comes on too strong for me!

I love blood orange, so I'm curious about this one. Alas, the raspberry produces an odd effect with it--sort of like a Sweet Tart. Definitely both sweet and sour, but nonetheless not as *complex* as most BPALs. It's not bad, but it's just not me. ETA: I see other people got Sweet Tarts as well. And here I thought I was so original!

Oh brave new world, that has such imps in it! If Caliban's "salty seas" are Jolly Roger-esque, then my husband will like this. Maybe bring out his inner wild man-beast? On me, it's all ferns with a touch of sweet palm, which I really like! So clean, fresh, green-smelling. I don't really get aquatic or wine, which is fine. This is the scent of Caliban after Miranda has civilized him a bit--still outdoorsy, but not at all feral or earthy. That's fine by me.

Alecto opens with a really nice raspberry topnote, but it seems to clash with the base--vetiver tends to be harsh on me. In theory, I like olive--it evokes Italy so beautifully. But I haven't yet found a blend where it really worked too well on me, and this one is just too "conflicted" on my skin.

Black Annis is a scent that, based on the notes, will not be one I like. I know this. However, I think it is so fantastically cool that Beth does crone blends, not just pretty-pretty-princess blends, that I like to go outside my comfort zone and test the more unusual ones, even if I don't keep them. Besides, something about eating children appeals to me. On me, this really doesn't smell bad. Licorice and vetiver, with a nice earthy base--herbal, strong, unusual, but not bad. More of a "masculine" scent to my nose, but if you're a blue-faced hag, why quibble about gender nuances? Highly evocative; I'm glad I tried it!

I wanted to try Oya as I have had good luck with plum scents at least some of the time--most notably the divine Queen of Spades. Oya starts with sweet, strong notes of cherry-almond and plum. There's something sharp and chemical underneath, which is really a shame--the topnotes are nice. Alas, Oya is more about war with my skin than love!

I've been so impressed with Beth's tea notes that I'll give this a shot, despite the dreaded jasmine. On first application, Phantasm smells much like dear Embalming Fluid--lovely clean lemon and green tea. As it dries, the jasmine peeks out. It doesn't mess up the blend too badly, but I'd rather just wear E.F. and not mess about with one of the notes that hates me!