Laurel the Woodfairy

In the vial: ooo, peppermint! On me: The Morning Star is very clear and bright, appropriately. The mint stays fresh in the topnotes, and underneath it I'm getting some "green" woods and herbs. It's a little sharp for me, but then I'm not a morning person...I can see this being a good scent to help one wake up and get going, especially on a hot summer's morn when the mint is refreshing.

One of my goals in life is to sniff the entirety of Rappaccini's Garden. This seems to me a noble goal. Mandrake reminds me of Cathedral, but more...natural. Like the earth *around* the cathedral, maybe. None of the incense, just a smooth, herbal, dried-earth and wood scent. Cedar, I think, and also something almost like olive oil? Perhaps a hint of moss. Just really smooth, calm, and even healing in a natural apothecary sort of way.

Oh here it is--I was looking for this in Illyria. I have no idea what to expect, as no notes are listed, but A Midsummer Night's Dream is my favorite play and I wanted to try the famous flower! Love-In-Idleness...contains jasmine. Ugh. If you shot me with a bolt of this, believe me, you would get the opposite of love. *snarl* There's also a hint of something sweet enough to be gardenia, perhaps, or even lotus, but jasmine just spoils everything for me. If it works on you, though, this appears to be a light, sweet floral that probably would be nice with different chemistry.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Buried all of his libretti, Thought the matter over - then Went and dug them up again. ~Dorothy Parker I love Rossetti. I love rose. Can't miss out on trying this one! On me, Monna Vanna is an absolutely magnificent rose scent while wet--very strong, very pure. On drydown, the other notes come out, especially the vanilla and violet. I just tested Rose Moon, and there are similarities, definitely. However, Rose Moon was a bit subdued. Monna Vanna is most certainly not! The rose is so much stronger here that this is my favorite of the two, and thus the keeper. A romantic, rich, heady scent, perfect for a Pre-Raphaelite lady.

I'm a hardcore rose addict and always searching for more rose...today I tested Rose Moon in the morning and Monna Vanna in the afternoon. First things first. Rose Moon smells like Hope and Faith's mother--you know, our lovely Siamese twins. Well, we have both rose AND violet here, and I can smell both clearly; a touch of lilac helps tie the notes together. Lilac is a "mom" note to me, as my own Mom likes the more delicate florals. If you like to layer Hope and Faith but run out of one, or want the effect without having to use two oils, I highly recommend Rose Moon. I have no shortage of rose scents myself, so this one is going to Mom!

I haven't tried any of the Dragon scents in awhile--I love Dragon's Milk and tend to feel that it fulfills my draconic needs. However, I nabbed a little Dragon's Musk because I love dragon's blood resin as a note and can see how it might complement musk really well. It's a beautiful, rich dark red in the vial. Mmm, this is good! Very incensey and rich; the musk is not overwhelming and just serves to give the dragon's blood some extra depth. This reminds me of going to a Ren Faire in autumn...the wonderful scent of incense from the little shops, out in the fresh air. It's gender-neutral, yet...witchy, as least by association. I will definitely wear this in the fall.

Just nabbed a decant...on me, Sugar Moon is alcoholic maple syrup. I'm not really sure how the listed notes manage to produce that effect. Huh. But that's exactly what it is...a hint of currant and blackberry appear on the drydown, and the combination of those with the maple (which I guess is really sugar cane) makes me think of IHOP's selection of syrups...you know, they always have plain maple and then also several fruity ones (for the record, my favorite is the Butter Pecan). It's not bad or anything, but Sugar Skull is so much better on me for when I want a major sugar fix.

Maiden opens with a quick flash of white tea, but as soon as it begins to dry, it becomes a dead ringer for Lush's Potion: carnation with a hint a rose. If you're looking for Single Note Carnation, this is definitely the closest you'll get with the General Catalogue. I'm actually fresh out of Potion and have nothing to layer it with right now, but I could never forget that spicy, slightly "dusty" (not in a bad way, but I don't know what else to call it) scent.

I like BPAL's Absinthe and have an imp, but what really interested me in this scent is that I am *insane* for La Fee Verte--it's one of my top 10 BPALs of all time, actually. So I know that absinthe can blend amazingly with other notes, especially sweet ones. L'Heure Verte is different from the fairy of the hour...the strong anise of the absinthe stands out, as does the sugar. I'm getting only the faintest breath of the flowers; it mainly smells like absinthe poured over sugar cubes. I'm debating whether to keep it or give it to my sister, which would take some major selflessness on my part, but as much as she loves Moulin Rouge, I know she'd want this one. Hmmm.

I recently acquired a decant of Bat-Woman and am reviewing it now because I plan to wear it to see The Dark Knight tomorrow. Yes, I am geeky. However, I love moonflower and the other notes sound good as well, so it's not *only* the name. Oo, this is *very* well-blended--I get a beautiful, soft, lush scent with a slight freshness to it--the notes I detect are lemony verbena and a well-rounded bouquet of florals, none of which really predominates over the others. It's very pretty and light--not a "loud" scent at all.

I'll be wearing Bat-Woman from The Salon, personally!

Mmm, I am so pleased to have some of this! Tonight before going out to dinner with friends, I bathed with a Blue Moon bath bomb from Fantasy Bath (a fruity/woody/floral bomb) then layered BPAL Blue Moon, and it was absolutely perfect as a "going out on a summer night" scent. My skin amped the lovely florals, especially the moonflower which is a favorite note of mine. Overall, on me Blue Moon is a light, airy floral that isn't too sweet and not the least bit cloying, just very fresh like a garden on a warm night. Delightful, delicate, and feminine.

Ok, I tested Mead Moon at Meet n' Sniff and I need to review while it's still on my wrist! It's almost pure honey at first, but with a slight touch of herby floral; my comment was that it's like O cleaned up for a date (instead of being her usual slutty self ). The drydown reminds me of Beltane--a complex bouquet of flowering herbs with the honey calmed down and in the background. I really like it but do not feel that I desperately need a bottle...when I want honey, I want O, in all her slutty glory.

I didn't have the description handy when I tested Torture Queen, but I came pretty close--I smelled green and/or white tea mainly, plus light musk and a faint breath of white floral. I also thought there was something clean and bright but not aquatic. I never would have guessed "chrome" and I still can't imagine how Beth creates that effect! Anyway, I think this is completely lovely and fresh, perfect for summer. I love that wonderful white tea note and the way everything else seems to complement it. I recommend Torture Queen for those who love Embalming Fluid and Gennivre and are ready for Beth's latest take on the delicacy of tea notes! I will definitely be using up my decant and looking around for more.

Delight. Hands-down. I mean, come on, how perfect is this: "Delight: In ancient India it was believed that a specific combination of flower petals, when strewn across a couple's bed, would amplify desire and sexual pleasure. This blend is a blend of the same floral essences, refined into a gloriously sinful perfume blend. Frangipani, with rose, tuberose, and jasmine." Made for this event!

Follow-up post: well, my sister, darling indecisive girl that she is, never could decide which scent she wanted in advance, so I took a ton of BPAL to the wedding for her and the rest of the party to choose from, then sent a ton of imps along on her honeymoon. We were leaning towards Midsummer Night's Dream scents for a mid-June wedding. She wore Hermia for the rehearsal, which was very her. I wore Titania for the wedding, and the other attendants chose their scents. Then she suddenly decided to layer Queen and Spellbound for the wedding, and it could not have been more dramatic, powerful, and sexy, which is just what she was going for!

Opuhi is Sudha Segara's crazy black-sheep cousin, the one who shows up drunk on fruity frou-frou drinks (the kind that come served in Buddha-shaped holders with paper umbrellas)--on first application, I got Hawaiian fruit punch (??), but luckily it settled into a beautiful warm ginger-vanilla on drydown. I like it; it's definitely a summery scent for playful moods.

Very grateful for a frimp of Harikata that came with a swap, as I doubt I'd have tried it otherwise. It's a curious combo of sweet and sour--I think "pollen" is a good descriptor, as it has a raw quality to it despite the nice honey/vanilla sweetness. It reminds me just a bit of Jessica McClintock perfume, which I used to wear in college, and which had a fresh honeysuckle quality. Harikata is funkier and sexier though. A good one for hot summer nights!

Oooo, I am so glad I hunted down a decant of this! Marae opens with the rich gardenia I know from Lady of Shallott (in fact, if you miss out on Marae, I recommend trying that one); however, Lady of Shallott has a cool touch of aquatic, whereas Marae keeps the sweet warmth going with that beautiful creamy vanilla orchid. This is what I would wear for an island paradise honeymoon scenario--romantic, rich, sexy, tropical. Divine!

I received a frimp of #20 Love Oil awhile back and decided to save it for a time when I feel saucy--well, my boyfriend had to go out of town for the weekend and his flight gets in in about an hour. I have *really* missed him the last two days and am planning to be in Major Seduction Mode ( ), so it seems like a good time to try this lil' imp out. Hm, wet, it smells herbal and refreshing for a second, then becomes a bit woody. Not really sweet at all on me. On second dab, suddenly there's almond and a hint of spice! That was a weird morph right there. The drydown is still more green and herby than anything else though. A tad sharp, although not terribly so. I think, honestly, that I'll dump something sexier on over it (Snake Charmer, I'm lookin' at you), but I'll keep the imp for ritual use. It's pleasant even if not overtly secksay, and of course it needn't smell any particular way to WORK.

*finishes off her Tiki Bar experience with a tropical G&T* Ok, we have a winner! Golden Wave looks down on the other drink scents and finds them silly and Spring Breaky in comparison with its smooth, classy blend of light fruit and subtle booze. This is the scent to wear to a martini bar in summer--elegant and well-blended; the slight juicy touch of passion fruit and guava are like really succulent garnishes.

*sits at the Lounge Bar pondering this exotic concoction* Blue Fire starts out sweet and fizzy--it has to be the combination of papaya and blueberry with gin, although I don't remember Twenty-One being this effervescent. Then the lemongrass peeks out, and I find it an odd addition; it doesn't cut the sweetness at all, it just exists near it, as though I had caught a whiff of the grass hut in which the Tiki Bar sits while enjoying my fruity drink. Not bad, but a bit odd.

*tipsy enough to be singing Tiki Bar karaoke by this point, she toys with the maraschino cherry garnish on her drink, then takes a sniff* Something that has really impressed me about the Lounge Bar scents is that each is different, and yet they all capture the playful, tropical feel. Riptide is mainly raspberry fizz on me--reminds me of Sweet Tarts or, weirdly enough, Emergen-C (you know, the fizzy fruit-flavored packets you add to water?). On the drydown, I can detect the passion fruit. I like it, but actually this one did not agree with my skin as well as the others in the set; there was a stage there, as it dried, that was kind of icky on me.

*perches at the Tiki bar; stares blearily at a nearby parrot* Ok, time for another round! Upa Upa is majorly strong--I don't even have to lift my wrist towards my nose to smell it; the wafting works just fine. I can clearly smell pineapple and coconut, and something sweet and boozy that actually reminds me of Misk U without the coffee, though I know it's actually rum. I like it, but I would love it more if the fruits were stronger and the booze less so. So far, I don't have a favorite Lounge scent, but I do like them all and feel that they are perfect expressions of the theme!

*sits at the Lounge bar looking uncertainly at the menu* *grabs a random drink scent* I got all of the Bar scent decants without trying to figure out which would likely appeal to me most; I just want some summery fruity Tiki goodness! Te Po actually makes me smile, though--it TRULY smells like a drink I would order! Sort of like an amaretto sour--lime and booze and sweetness. I can almost smell the little paper umbrella. It sounds odd to say it smells "witty" but it does--it captures the fun theme so perfectly.