Laurel the Woodfairy

Blood Lotus is an imp casualty--it was DOA, utterly smashed in the mail. However, I had no trouble slathering some on to try, and I find it's no great loss anyway. I adore Blood Rose, but Blood Lotus is way too sticky-sweet for me. I've only had a serious run-in with lotus quite recently (with the Chakras), and I don't really like it--it can be "eh--not too bad" with certain notes, but this smells like hippie bubblegum--incense over cloying Jailbait-esque sweetness.

Manipura, "where your fire dwells" (so saith my Yogini), is indeed fiery red in the vial. It smells aggressive, with the notes that I've found tend to signal "aggression" in BPAL shorthand--vetiver and pepper. It's a little scary on me initially, although the drydown is milder. A more masculine blend on me than some of the other Chakras. I'm not crazy about it, but this is a Chakra I need to work with more. It'll be ritual-use only.

My yoga teacher always says that the element of the heart is air, and that when we work from the heart we create more "breathing room" in our lives. Anahata does indeed have an airy feel to it--a light herbal with a touch of floral underneath. Reminds me a bit of the "soothing" Voodoo blends--High John, Water of Notre Dame. Lavender, definitely, and soft flowers that have the warm quality of Eos--possibly the same honeysuckle and jasmine. Nothing with jasmine will ever make me just thrilled, but this is a mild enough blend to wear for Chakra work without it bothering me.

Vishudda is golden in the vial. It's soft and beautiful on me. I get warm amber topnotes, and then sure enough it blooms into citrus and a touch of spice. Still very soft, but the citrus has a clean "throat-clearing" edge to it--I would say this smells like a deluxe BPAL-scented cough lozenge.

I'm enjoying my new bottle of Love in the Asylum, and it reminds me strongly of both Seance and Ouija--the sort of dusty "haunted" rose scents. Crazy!Love (as I affectionately call it) is more complex and has that great honey drydown, but there's still a strong similarity. Maybe add a dab of O underneath.

It's after yoga and I feel relaxed enough to try this now; I just wasn't meditative going in to class tonight for some reason. Ajna is indeed "airy" and light on me--a clear soft eucalyptus, which I didn't think was possible. There is a pale herbal quality here; mint mixed with something else (could be anise, but it's not distinct on me), for an overall pale-green feel. Ajna is not an obtrusive oil; it floats calmly and coolly around me. Very different energy from Sahasrara.

Hm, I hope this will work on its own, since I may not put on all 4 of the other blends every time...I like to envision the vortex as an energy that can swirl around all the Chakras and balance them. It's pale yellow-gold in the vial. Whew, this is strong and really unexpected! Lemongrass and...vanilla?? Reminds me of a couple of the voodoo blends that smelled like lemon pound cake on me--the Vortex has a *dense" quality to it that I can only compare to cakiness. It stays close to my skin but is very strong there. This is a truly strange combination of scents, but it's not at all bad. I won't wear it as perfume, but I'll dab some on for yoga when I want to set an intention of overall balance.

A lovely, mild incense blend. The roses didn't really pop on me--more of a general soft floral quality toning down the frankincense/myrrh. Fades quickly. Nice but not very "me".

On first sniff, Tiger Lily has a lovely honey topnote reminiscent of "O". This gives way to a soft floral that fades quickly. Pretty, but I'd rather just wear O--more staying power and general oomph

So cute! I would love to see a cute Underpants label that looked sort of like the sunblock ads with the dog pulling on the girl's swimsuit--you know, but instead it'd be a cute, frisky monster tugging at a pinup girl's panties. You're supposed to *like* this monster, acc to the description!

I must have been mad (as birds) not to get this one to start with... roses + Dylan Thomas = squeeeee! Beautiful, translucent rose topnotes, with something warmer at the heart--woody, spicy notes with a gentle touch of vanilla. Really beautiful and just different enough from my 5-million other rose blends to be special. I love it--winsome and romantic. ETA: in fact, I may need to track down a bottle; I've been wanting a rose-vanilla BPAL for ages, ever since I tried DSH Antique Rose (I think?), and this is perfectly it--plus much more complex than any non-BPAL could be.

Such a great name...Freak Show. I'm really curious about these notes. It's pale-orange in the vial. On me: hey now, that is *almost* wonderful. Cocoa and vanilla are divine together, especially with honey, but something is off...and I think it's the fig. Beth's fig has no love for me. The lemon shows up after a bit, and citrus goes well with the dessert notes. I think, though, that I'd rather just get more Velvet, which has the same dry-cocoa note and doesn't have that slight wonkiness to it. *sings off-key*: Super-freak, Super-freak, smells super freaky!

Having a sniff to see if I need to track down more (many thanks to my decanter!). Short answer: No. That's one perky orange right there! Orange and...bubblegum. The orange itself smells fresh, but there's something oddly "fake" in there with it that's like the "artificial fruit flavors" of gum (or Kool-Aid, yes). The drydown is better, more peppery, but I still think a sniffie is enough of it for me.

Trying a sniffie so I can see if I need to try for a bottle when CN makes its brief re-appearance, or I should just order more Snake Oil. I'm not mad for coconut, so if it is indeed Snake Oil + coconut I'll be fine with the classic sexy goodness of S.O. Same color in the vial--that rich mahogany. On me: mmm, it's like an BPAL-oil party orgy! The rich, sweet vanilla is like Dragon's Milk, there's some sexy Smut-like musk, and it is indeed reminiscent of Snake Oil overall, but maybe a little more feminine (S.O. is gender-neutral). This is really good stuff right here. I love how it's yummy but not traditionally foody, and more complex and sexy than the average candy scent but still quite sweet. My skin really amps the vanilla. The coconut is not really an issue--maybe just a touch of coconut cream. This is exactly my sort of scent. Well, dammit, guess I'll have to try for a bottle!

I feel like trying Sahasrara first of the Chakras...I may or may not work my way down from the crown, but I have yoga tonight and really want to tune in to this energy. Mmmm, incense and bright, sweet floral. I can see the "bubblegum" comparison but it's a little more subtle and complex than that on me. I love that this smells both serious and thoughtful (the incense) and bubbly-floating-happy (the fruity floral), since if I ever finally hit enlightenment I would guess that's how it feels. I dabbed a drop on my crown as well as my wrists so it can waft around me. This is a wonderful comforting, uplifting blend.

Favorite. Short Story. Ever. I would have bought a bottle no matter *what* notes were in Usher. Fifty years before there was Dorian, there was Roderick--gentleman, scholar, nutjob. I really wanted a scent for Madeline, too, but I guess incestuous twins would steal each other's perfume so she'd wear this too. In the bottle: clean, light, fresh, but no notes are especially apparent. On me: more than anything, Usher reminds me of White Rabbit--linen and all, even though linen isn't listed as a note. Lovely tea as well. Faintest citrusy mandarin. I can tell there is a breath of aquatic, but it's a lot fresher than I'd expect the Ushers' murky tarn to be. This is really lovely, elegant, and clean, and gender-neutral--yeah, I do think Madeline would wear it. In fact...perhaps she returned from the grave to wrestle Roderick's bottle away from him and take it to the tomb with her. This is now my official new interpretation of the story.

(I swore I wouldn't review my lovely Poe bottles until I had reviewed the pile of imps that accrued while the Forum was down. At last, the time has come!) In the bottle: mmm, cocoa and dragon's blood! What a great combo. On me: I can see the comparison to Smut--similarly "swarthy" musk base. However, Smut was too harsh on me, whereas the wonderful dragon's blood, spices, and cocoa are providing some warmth here. Every time I smell dragon's blood I'm reminded of the description of Tintagel--it really does provide a "magical tingle" to a scent! This is yummy and gender-neutral; I bet DH and I will both wear it for autumn, especially.

If the jasmine works on me, it will be the first time ever. But I'm a Southerner and I love NOLA, so here goes nothing: Yeah, that's jasmine. The other notes do blend well--lemon and honeysuckle are a fab combination, sweet but tart, like pink lemonade. This is actually quite beautiful and somehow wistful (must be the decay). The jasmine is actually behaving better than it ever has before...but it's still there, so I'm going to have to say "swap!"

... Honey and carnation, rich incense and rose accord, myrtle, red sandalwood, amber, jonquil and clove propel you through the revel, finally seating itself in the final, patchouli, tobacco and labdanum drenched darkness of the blood-tinged western chamber. Love the story. Love honey, carnation, rose, and amber. Big hopes for this one! The Masque glows red in the vial. On me, it actually smells incredibly similar to Gypsy Queen! Boy, was I not expecting that. But incense, florals, plus a sexy skin note (the honey and amber?)...yeah, it's the same scent family, if not identical. I think this is sweeter than the Gypsy, though--a full-on revelry of a scent. I really, really like it. I can't pick out the carnation as distinctly as in Masquerade (the name of course made me expect similarities), but there's a spiciness to the florals which probably indicates its presence. I will use up all of my decant.

Narcissus and I get along grandly with Pride, but in the absence of roses I don't know how it will react. On me: Opium and narcissus make a great combination--dark enough to live up to the name, but sexy in a smoldery way. A great scent for evening. Reminds me strongly of Opium by YSL--smoky, incensey oriental, slightly sweet. I don't know if I *need* this one, as it would fit the same mood as Haunted, and nothing tops Haunted for me. But I do like it.

The cherry scares me, but the flowers sound good, so I'm pleased to give the Queen a chance. Actually, this is fine on me--there's a mild cherry-almond note, but nothing too syrupy. The florals are difficult to distinguish from one another, but there's a soft lily sort of scent--definitely white flowers. The whole thing fades really fast, though, so although the Queen of Hearts was clean, mild, and pretty, she didn't have enough staying power for me. Off with her imp!

In the vial, the first thing I smell is the wine note from Wanda, which is a very fruity wine--almost more of a sparkling grape-juice (like our cheap-ass friends served at their wedding reception instead of champagne, thus pissing everyone off. I digress). Underneath it, though, is a blend quite similar to Spellbound--dark rose and ambery musk. I kind of like it, but both Wanda and Spellbound are more distinct on me, whereas Lilith is a murky blend that's neither one nor the other.

What a fantastic description! The orchid has a clean, white-flower quality to it; I love the comparison to witch baby shampoo! Shadow Witch is elegant but quite light on me, with a slight "fizzy" edge, which I associate with the moonflower in Luna and others.

Wow, this is one of the most unusual BPALs I have *ever* tried, and that's saying something! The honey is really strong and sweet in the topnotes, but there's a sharp herbal edge like Brian's spice cabinet. I'm amazed at how *strong* it is. I don't think I can wear it, but I love the fact that it does somehow smell foreign, like a scent you would discover traveling through an ancient land...

Just swapped for la Belle, as I noticed that her notes might be perfect for spring. Whew, she's a sweet one! Heady and sweet, not in an icky way (as there's no jasmine to yuck it up on my skin), but still a little much for me. The tuberose is prominent, as is the plumeria. The pear is in there, but I much prefer the *crisp* pear in Titania; this is a pear dripping in syrup. I agree that this would be adorable for a little girl--I wish I had had some as a child (I would have wanted Alice, Snow White, and this--basically all the ones that remind me of Disney! ). I think it's too sweet for grownup me, though.