Laurel the Woodfairy

Some of you all know how much I love Beth's roses and how I'm always looking for more of them. I've got just about every "personality" a rose can have in my BPAL collection. But Rose Red was not for me--she went all green and odd, which was just so sad for me on Yule last year! But, another Yule, another rose LE, so here's to Peacock Queen! I love the label, by the way--the new Art Deco-style images are so cool. This one shows a lovely lady preening naked before her mirror, one of my favorite hobbies. Sniffing the bottle--oh boy, I'm excited! This is FANTASTIC! This is the rose connoisseur's (connoisseuse's?) scent. Completely pure; no other notes that I can detect. A ripe, rich single long-stemmed red rose. This could have been named for Dorothy Parker's poem--"One Perfect Rose". *standing ovation*

A freebie from the Lab! Everything with rose is worth at least a try. This one is really interesting. As luck would have it, my skin amps the sandalwood and patchouli, with just a touch of rosewood (which is not the same as rose)--it smells exactly liked a piece of carved wood furniture from an exotic country, shined to a polish, in an antique store. I know, "carved" isn't a smell, but that image appeared immediately in my head and will not be dismissed. I think "antique" came to mind because it seems a little...dusty? A little dim, if that makes any sense. The faint breath of rose makes me think of a long-faded sachet in a wardrobe from some beautiful long-dead woman's boudoir. So my overall image is that, in an old shop of imported antiques, I've found a big, heavy, elaborately carved armoir that once belonged to a glamorous courtesan. So...Wanton is much more evocative than I expected; usually I don't go off into short-story-land with my reviews but this one just begs for it! I don't know if I would wear it often, though, so it may be a swapper.

Daffodils! That would be my best guess. Asphodel is a green floral that has a very clean, fresh quality--like one of the first flowers to appear around the time of Ostara. It's really pretty, but I think Eos already fills my "pale spring floral" needs, so I may swap.

Very pleased to sample this one at last; thanks for letting me try yours, Eoywin! June Gloom is *almost* all lemon on me, but different from Beth's Lemon Single Note, which I've had. The SN had a faint breath of sugar, like a freshly squeezed lemonade. June Gloom is not sweet on me; it's a clean lemon--I can see how the epithet "rain-washed" could apply. A leafy lemon-tree in the spring rain right before you pick it to make lemonade. Very nice although not very complex on me--an understated, clean summer scent.

Although the one time I wore Bengal, you said it was...close. I need to wear that one again. [My husband really justs wants me to smell like an amplified version of me, which, when you think about it, is the highest compliment. ]

BUMP! Shelldoo, Miss Apple, and our other new brides--which BPAL did you wear and why? Inquiring minds like to know.

My sexy black kitten outfit calls for some Hellcat! Brian, my dashing pirate, will smell of Port au Prince or else Jolly Roger.

This oil seems to be different for everyone...but then, so is Love. Since I use the Goddess Tarot, I immediately think of the beautiful picture of Venus on my Lovers card. Ah, this *strongly* reminds me of La Belle Dame sans Merci in its topnotes--green herbal, fresh but with depth. There is some spice in the middle--maybe cinnamon, but I'm not sure. It's soft and fades fairly fast. There's something sharp and sneeze-inducing underneath. I don't think this is something I would wear often, but since I'll be using it for ritual it really doesn't matter. I like that it is gender-neutral, so my Love can wear it too (and he's a Gemini, which is the sign for the card anyway).

Olympia the enabler compared Black Opal to Pink Sugar-Crack, so of course I squeed myself getting hold of a decant (thank you, Pranashakti!) I would say...both yes and no. I can see where she's coming from; Black Opal does indeed have a powder-musk base, very delicate and reminiscent of the Crack. However, at least on me, there is very little sweetness--certainly not candy-fluff level of sweetness. I would have to layer with Midway for that, and that would be pointless, since Black Opal's delicacy would be ruined. Opal is much more sophisticated than the Crack, and therefore suits a very different mood--grownup instead of girly. I do like it, though--it's an unexpected scent that would be appropriate pretty much anywhere.

I am excited to have a decant of this--March is my birthday, so I'll be saving some of it to wear when the Chaste Moon rolls around again! In the imp--I can see the "buttery" quality, but it's very light; more of a clotted cream than butter to me! On me--I haven't tried Milk Moon, so I can't compare with that, but this is beautiful! It has some of the sparkly silveriness of Luna--must be the lunar oils. The faint floral edge is similar to Luna as well--probaby jasmine, but luckily it is very faint. And there is something soft and creamy over that. You know what this reminds me of? A winter wedding scent. Maybe it's just that I've been squeeing over Shelldoo's wedding pics and have weddings on the brain, but the combination of warm/creamy and cool/silvery evokes a cream satin gown with sheer floating tulle. Really lovely!

I've been meaning to try this for ages (in fact, I thought I had and had to check the reviews to make sure)--I absolutely worship Oscar Wilde. On the other hand, this is the only Lab description that has made me roll my eyes. I don't see how moss translates into cynicism or lavender into wit, etc., as cool as that would be. The most I'm hoping for is a scent that Oscar would wear, that either DH or I can wear too. In the imp: light citrus with...something else going on, but not clear on what. On me: Yes, I can see the comparisons to cK One! It smells like a sophisticated department-store men's cologne. That's not at all a bad thing--I wouldn't have realized it was BPAL if I smelled it on a guy, though. It would be good for guys who are used to traditional dude scents and are wary of oils. On DH: He didn't like it, hard-core BPAL convert that he is. Too "traditional guy" of a scent. Off to swap!

A delicate and slightly dry spice scent, pleasant rather than OMG-WOW! like Bengal. Cinnamon is most prominent, with other spices and incense intermingled. I think I caught a whiff of tea, as well. I'm almost out of Hamadryad and think I'll use up this imp while I wait for more to arrive. It'll also be good for yoga--spicy and warm but not strong or overpowering.

I am excited about trying this one! I'm not generally all that fond of aquatics or ozones, but I do so love clean, pale florals...and c'mon, I have to have the "Winter Witch" in time for winter! Oo, this is so pretty! Hard to describe--it feels silvery like The Unicorn, but I don't think it's linden. Some other pale, delicate flower. There is indeed a faint edge of citrus and whatever the "clean" notes are. A lovely light scent--I'll probably use it on frosty days when I'm not wearing Snow White.

Before even trying it, I consider this scent a tour de force whether or not I can wear it--I mean, who but Beth would even *think* of this blend? And the idea of 400 rabbits coming over to party just makes me smile. In the imp: dry, dark chocolate--i.e. the kind I truly love! On me: The chocolate is a gorgeous topnote with hints of rum, and the wine (yes, the Wanda wine note) is peeking out underneath for a touch of sweetness. I don't get anything icky or creepy here at all--it's a rich gourmand scent for those of us who like foody but *not* overly sweet. This is a luscious rum-filled chocolate bonbon from The Chocolate Fetish (our local choc shop). This is the scent of a wine and chocolate-tasting party, a sophisticated, sexy night-on-the-town scent. And I'll bet DH will love it too--either to wear or just to smell on me. I love it!

MuppetK has confirmed my suspicion that "star jasmine" is not likely to like me any more than jasmine does, but the Lab was kind enough to send this frimp, so I'll give it the ol' college try. In the imp: almond and musk. Very pretty! But then I do love almonds. On me: The oakmoss is a sharp, interesting touch. Initially I don't really get jamine--the other notes are prominent and I really like the sandalwood and ...before I could even finish typing, the jasmine emerged. The End. Off to swap!

Rose + peony = swoon. Two of my all-time favorite notes right there, and besides, as a witch, how could I not order this one? And it is indeed lovely--an unexpected variation on rose--the peony is a faint, lovely whisper, and there is also a dry, warm, woody note underneath, plus a touch of herbal sharpness. Very hard to pin down, but I think that covers it--the branches, leaves, *and* blooms of a lovely but wicked little plant!

I didn't order this last year, but then the reviews intrigued me. My best friend's birthday coincides with Dia, so unless I love this too much to part with, it's a gift for her. I am highly amused by this year's label--a skeleton in a suit, smoking a cigar! In the bottle, I smell...apples and florals and chocolate? On me, the dominant note is a sweet floral that *really* smells like jasmine, my enemy (though perhaps it's a different flower behaving badly). There's something else going on underneath--something fruity? Smells like the apple cider note from the new Harvest Moon. Well, I know it's more complex than that, but my skin is having a heydey with this one floral note and everything else is lost. I *really* hope it will bloom properly for my friend!

A generous frimp from the Lab. I am slightly hampered in reviewing it because the name unfortunately reminds me of "syphilis." Hm, it's a very soft oil--violets always have that powdery, candied quality to me; I've never met a violet I just loved. The spices add a nice touch, but I'm not getting tonka or clove. Verdict: harmless but not very special on me.

I am so excited about this one! Lots of etailers do some version of Chai, but Beth is always the virtuoso. Pretty tiger-orange color in the imp. Whew, and this tiger has some BITE! The honey comes out very strongly on me, along with the cinnamon--and somehow it does smell like the *bark*; it has a raw quality that is not about tidy spice-racks (maybe because of the pepper?). The musk is under there somewhere. This is sweeter than I expected, but really farking sexy. It's like a spicy-hot version of "O"--a perfect sexy scent for autumn.

I ordered an imp for my sister's 20th birthday, so that she can see if she likes it--if so, I'll get a bottle for her 21st. But I get to sniff it first, of course. Completely clear in the imp, as good alcohol should be... Oo, lovely sparkling citrus top notes--a martini with a twist of lemon or lime or both. Then the juniper comes on strong and has a touch of pine; it reminds me of Tanqueray, although I will pretend this is a martini with my very favorite gin: Beefeater's "Wet". It's a "liquid" (aquatic) scent, definitely, and the notes are light and sparkly--I can see the "tonic" idea, or it could also be seltzer water. This is delightful, a wonderful fun party scent, very Jazz Age. Now I want to go to the martini bar downtown. And it's certainly gender-neutral; my sister's boyfriend turns 21 before she does, so maybe I should get *him* a bottle, too, plus some for me... "Bartender, I want another round of imps over here!"

A frimp from the Labbies; will have to wait 'til this evening to see if the Voodoo properties work on DH. Lovely bright pink color! Hmm, I can see the resemblance to Dragon's Milk, but softer and muskier. Slightly candied in a powdery way--like Sweet Tarts. Oddly alluring, but I like Dragon's Milk better, so unless the Voodoo really works amazingly well I'll likely swap it.

Had to try this--my mom's nickname for me is Laurelei, as a pun on Loralei; besides, Sirens! How can a Pisces-mermaid resist? Loralei is very soft on me, predominantly ylang with a faint orange-blossom touch that must be the neroli. Slightly aquatic undertones. Pretty but so wispy and watery that I don't really see myself wearing it much. Oh well, I'm glad I tried it; now off to swap with someone who'll wear it more.

Yay, Harvest Moon has arrived in time to wear throughout autumn. Now, I loved last year's Harvest Moon and I'm down to a few drops, so I'm a little sorry that it isn't the same this year. However, I understand that Beth wants the Lunacies to keep changing--after all, the Moon is never the same twice Herself. Funny logo this time--a little pumpkin that appears to be running away on 4 legs! In the bottle: well, now, I do detect some notes that are the same as my 2004 bottle, especially the ivy. Much more apple-ish this year, though. On me: Oh this is lovely! I am glad I have a bottle! Cinnamon and apples, with undercurrents of the lovely green ivy and a bouquet of fall flowers. This makes me want to take a hay ride and have apple cider and mulled wine. Just beautiful. I will alternate between this and Samhain a lot this season.

Haunted is my sad-but-in-a-romantic-way scent. What about Tears?

The two are totally different in feel, except for a sense of underlying muskiness, but both are in my Top 10. They *do* share a sense of being essentially two, well-balanced distinct notes instead of a bouquet; honey/amber and amber/musk. They are like Amber Goes on a Date and Amber Goes to a Goth Club.