forspecial_plate

I was so excited to see what all the fuss was about! Shub really is good stuff. Starts out with a nice *poomf* of warm spicy ginger, kind of like baked goods but not quite as sweet. After a few minutes, the ginger backs off, and the spiciness comes forward. At this point it reminds me a lot of Port Au Prince's clove and spices, with a little of the sweetness of Aureus (amber or resin, but without the wood of Aureus). Actually at this point it kind of reminds me of Greed also. This lasts for an hour or two. Then the ginger comes back, only this time it's mixed with the resins and maybe I can smell the herbs too. Doesn't have a whole lot of throw on me, but it really is delicious. However....I'm not so obsessed that I'll go to great lengths to get a whole bottle. It will be nice to use the rest of the imp! (edited to add slightly more detailed descriptions...)

Here is another rare floral that works for me....Sheol is mostly floral at first, and I like it. Then a resin sweetness emerges and gets stronger....that would be the labdanum and/or copal. Interesting and pleasing combination. The florals and resins stay pretty balanced for a long time. Much later, something really powdery and violet-like came from this....although it might have possibly been another oil I tested earlier. I couldn't remember if I tested something else or not. But it might just be one of the florals finally dominating the rest of the notes. Anyway, this isn't bad but I think I know someone who might possibly like it more than I did, and probably get more wear out of it.

I like how this smells out of the imp, but as soon as it touches my skin it seems to just hide. It doesn't disappear completely but darn close. I can smell a fresh-ness that's a little bit citrus, a little leather, maybe some mint...it does smell sophisticated and posh to me. It seems to be very well blended and I have trouble picking out any individual notes, really. Later as it dries/warms, a little more sweetness comes out. Ahh, there's a little more throw...but not much! Manhattan is a very subtle scent on me, but nice. I think I can smell the amber, along with the same notes I picked up earlier. This seems to be in the same scent family as F5, so maybe I'm smelling the tea also. But really, F5 has much more throw, even though it too is subtle...so I don't see a need to seek out more Manhattan. If I did wear it again, it would be for the subtlety of it. edit: Later...this is strangely persistent, very present but so sublte as to be almost overlooked (oversniffed?). Sort of contradictory. I'm going to have to experiment with this some more.

There haven't been very many bpal scents that have struck me as mostly feminine, but this is one of them. It reminds me of a posh, elegant woman's perfume. I do like the sweetness of coconut and/or vanilla, whichever or both. I guess I'm not that much of an amber fan, though. Just not a scent for me!

Initially, Antonino wows me with a burst of citrus/verbena....so wonderful! But as with many bpal scents, the citrus doesn't hang around for very long...less than 30 minutes later, it's mostly gone. What's left is sweet, and I can make out the plum for sure, dancing around in there. I'm not sure I can tell the difference between the coconut and fig, or the lavender and musk. It's all swirled together to make something that stops just short of too sweet....very nice. Funny how much it changes from that first flash of verbena (I personally wish that stayed around longer). As time goes by the musk becomes more firm and grounding, I think. All around a really nice scent although almost too sweet for me to get much wear out of it. Plus I worry that the citrus/verbena note will degrade in the bottle before anything else, leaving me with just the sweetness. Oh and I would never have even guessed that there's vetiver in this. *shrugs* It just hides on me.

Um, since I'm getting an imp soon.... How do I pronounce Shub-Niggurath without uttering a racial slur? edit: found this on the net: SHUB-NIG-ger-ath

...excellent point! : )

This was sent to me as an extra, and I tried it without reading what was in it. Very strange blend that my skin doesn't play well with. Smelled like florals at first, and not in a good way...then something earthy, and sort of a weird indescribable almost plastic smell. Later on it dried to something cakey. I think the weirdness in the middle was the vanilla mixing with the apricot. The floral...well, I guess that's jasmine but it also is mixing with other notes to make a smell that's not very jasmine-like to me....smells closer to violet or something. And the cakey must be the vanilla finally playing nice. Bottom line: just doesn't work well on my skin. Kind of shifted around a lot and never settled into anything I can work with.

I really can't distinguish my resins, and this is no exception. All I can say for sure is that Cathedral reminds me very much of the Pit and the Pendulum (more PandP than Midnight Mass), with cedar when you sniff up close. But the throw is sweet resins, frankincense and myrrh I guess, and I do like it a lot. I had been thinking about seeking a bottle of Pit and the Pendulum, but if I can't find that, I know I have this to fall back on. And that's a good thing. I certainly wouldn't need both unless I wanted to try aging one....hmm, that's not such a bad idea actually! But as far as GC scents go, if I had to choose I would pick Aureus over Cathedral. The cedar in Cathedral is just a smidge too harsh and dry, whereas in Aureus the wood note is perfect. LOL maybe this post belongs more in the 'resins and incense scent' thread... Cathedral is a nice sweet resinous blend that, up close, has a sharp cedar note that keeps me from loving it more. I do like it and will probably wear it again but there are other bpals that I like more, that would take its place. There, how's that? : D

Devil's Night (2006) is wonderful. It's sweet, musky, a little spicy, and very appropriate for a fall scent. At first the sugar/candy is there a little bit, then that fades and the musk announces itself. I didn't get fires in the distance, although to me it does smell like Samhain from far away, with just a hint of apple or cider. That's a good thing because I wanted so much to like Samhain but didn't. Devil's Night might be the fall scent I've been hoping for. It's kind of subtle on me, not a lot of throw so far. It reminds me a bit of Blood Moon without so much of the cinnamon/spicy note. ETA: 2 or 3 hours later the sugar peeks back out. Musk is the note that stands out, throughout. This is a marvelous scent! I haven't tried the older Devil's Night so I couldn't say how this compares. edit again: I've noticed that in the final dry-down stage, the booze comes out more strongly than I noticed before.

I put off trying this for a couple days, because of the way it smelled in the imp...very sweet, sugary berry or bubble gum. How strange, when I first put it on, it immediately changed into this deep, sultry, red fruity smell. Quite a surprise, then I thought to myself...was I really expecting bright and cheery? I mean, given the name and concept... So yeah, Xanthe has a rich, still sugary but deep and sultry, fruity scent with the barest hint of something smoky or spicy in it. Oddly though, I don't think I would call it warm. The throw is light to moderate, and fades a lot...but it's still there, in a subtle way, 3 hours after I applied. It reminds me just a little bit of Lurid, although I haven't tried that for a couple months, so my comparison might not be accurate. I'm really happy with the CD scents I've tried, and this is no exception. I also don't think I need a whole bottle. It's a really evocative scent but somehow doesn't fit my personality as much as some of my favorite bpal oils. Also for some reason I feel like layering this with Blood Moon. I think the wild spiciness of that mixed with the sultry sweetness of Xanthe might be a nice combination.

Midnight on the Midway smells mostly like sharp, high pitched (if I understand that term correctly, as it pertains to perfume) incense, maybe some flowers, and a very little bit of sugar or candy. At first it made me think of a cleaning product, then it *clicked* in my head that it smells like a certain brand of suntan lotion, I can't remember which. It dies down as it dries, and becomes something nice that I can live with and even enjoy. It's the incense aspect that I really like, although it's a challenging scent for me to enjoy. It's growing on me though, and I think I'll keep the imp, especially since elfmaiden made such nice labels for her decants! : ) Edit: I have to say this turned out to be more of a favorite than I expected. I'm not sure how it works on me but it does. I don't wear it often but I liked it enough to get a whole bottle and that's saying something. Very potent and a little goes a long way.

Mmmmm...warm sweet gooey sugary sweetness.....the throw is very sugary with just a hint of spice, like maybe cinnamon. Really up close, like if put my nose right up to my skin, there is some kind of plasticky note...but not enough to put me off the scent at all. I love it! The thing is, since Sugar Skull is available right now, I'll probably just go with that instead of seeking a bottle of Trick or Treat. They are different, but not so different that I need both. Both have a great sugary smell that I love, and one or the other is enough for me! And big thanks to Shollin for giving me the chance to try Trick or Treat.

Samhain 2005 The first two times I tried Samhain, all I smelled were the spices and apples...no woods or patchouli. I'm sorry to say it just reminded me of a craft store with artificial holiday scents. It's not unpleasant at all, just sweeter than I was expecting....and really didn't change much from applying to dry. Later I grew to like it much more. The more I wear it, the more I like it. I think I just had to get past my expectations of what I wanted it to be. It didn't change, it just grew on me. I still don't get much if any wood, patchouli, or fir needle. Samhain 2006 Not much different at all, that I can tell. '06 seems to have a little bit of sharpness to it, maybe herbal or woodsiness, that isn't in '05. This just makes me like it more! Still on the sweet side, and I've been doing some layering experiments to bring more smokiness or darkness to the blend...so far I haven't found anything better than just wearing it on its own. I did try it with Brimstone and it just became overpowered completely by the Brimstone.

In the bottle, before it touches my skin, Eat Me smells like cake frosting.....Yum!! Then I put it on and it quickly morphs into a lighter sweeter Snake Oil with a little sugar and even a pinch of cinnamon, maybe? That's what I'm getting. The first time I put it on I was thinking.....'OMG, am I the only one who thinks this smells like Snake Oil?!?' LOL well, I read the reviews and no, I'm not the only one! Anyway, I actually compared side by side with Snake Oil and I think I might actually like Eat Me a little bit more...very sweet and appealing, with the same sugar/vanilla. Personally I think there must be one more common note here, they smell so much alike to me...maybe the red currant? I could be wrong though. Jeez, now I have to decide which 5ml to buy, unless I just get both. Eat Me does have a little less throw and lasting power than Snake Oil (which is one of the champions in those categories, for me anyway...) Bottom line....a very enjoyable scent that I will wear again!

Lear is mostly cedar on me, unfortunately. Dusty cedar with very little else...maybe a little tiny bit of the sage but not enough to compete with the cedar. This will go on to someone who will like it more. Aureus made me think I loved cedar. Lear made me realize I just love Aureus.

Mmm, this is beautiful in its simplicity. It's a bright cheery citrus flavored floral scent, and the flowers blend together smoothly and marvelously. It dries down to a buttery golden warmth with a zing of sweet citrus....the citrus doesn't shout 'lemon' or 'orange' to me, it's just a nice tart accent. This was frimped from the lab, and I really wasn't expecting to like it much. What a surprise!

Mmmmm, I had a feeling I would like Obatala, and I'm glad I was right! It really is a beautiful, yummy scent, maybe the perfect coconut scent. I didn't like Spooky much so I was a little worried, but Obatala is very compatible with my skin. I'm really only smelling the coconut...I know the other notes are there, but for me they just enhance the coconut. I'm not sure I ever smelled the aquatic note/s. I put this on and then layered pure cocoa butter on top of it, and it lasted for hours. It's subtle but long lasting. I see this as much more of a warm or hot weather perfume, maybe not as appropriate for fall or winter, but that's just me.

First sniff from the bottle make me groan out loud and my eyes rolled back in my head...right away I knew that Schwarzer Mond was dark and sexy, something special. It had a very boozy feel to me out of the bottle.....complex. When I put it on the first thing I thought of was thick, black molasses with licorice or herbal notes slowly turning in the murk. I think it was just the scent as a whole making itself known assertively, I couldn't really pick out any individual notes. Then as it started to dry, the throw increased, and at this point I started to think maybe I didn't like this after all. It was SO dark and thick, and rich, that it was intimidating me and actually upset my stomach a little, although I was really hungry. The patchouli did come out for a while, and I also sensed that black licorice feel again. I would say this stage lasted about an hour, maybe less. Then the dark musk started broadcasting from me, reminding me a bit of Iago. This is where it more or less settled, with the sweet resins making themselves known but not overpowering the musk. It faded into a sweet, spicy resinous blend that my skin did suck up significantly....although as usual I might just have really dry skin today. After it faded in intensity I was reminded a few times of Voodoo. I wouldn't call this love at first sniff. 'Portentious' and 'regal', taken from previous reviews, really are good words for this. I know I want to wear it again, but it might be a blend for special occasions. Or special moods. A very challenging scent! edit: Second try, today, it's not overwhelming like it nearly was yesterday. Maybe yesterday I was over-sensitive because of empty stomach, or maybe I put too much on. Still liking it! final edit (sorry): I eventually decided that the final dry stage was too heavy with a bay rum type scent. My skin took it into cloying, cheap smelling men's cologne or after-shave territory. This may have improved with aging...but I decided to swap it away and give someone else a chance at it.

Schwarzer Mond

Last night I put on Ra from Stations of the Sun and for a while, it smelled a lot like the Pit and the Pendulum to me. Odd since the themes of the two are almost opposite... But I'm pretty sure they share a resin note or something.

I'm sorry you're having problems..I work in e.r. registration and I see that all the time. Makes me feel bad, seems like a rough problem to deal with. I don't have any suggestions besides maybe meditation or breath work. Best of luck to you though...

First impression: ...smells exactly like sassafrass bark. But I can tell there's a little bit more in the background. As it warms up the sassafrass backs off considerably, letting the other elements come forward. The root-beer feel from the sassafrass never disappears entirely, giving a foody feel to this. This is a good thing. Can't really pick out the nutmeg, but I think I'm getting the poppy and myrrh. It ends up smelling herbal, sweet, and smokey. Kind of an unusual combination but it works! I like it enough to hold onto the imp and use it again. edited to fix bizarre double post

This one is hard to pin down...mostly it reminds me of Dragon's Blood, although when I compared them side by side, they're pretty different. It is mostly sweet and floral but there is more going on here than meets the nose so to speak. I would say humid and tropical are good descriptive words here. For whatever reason, I don't get a 'green' feeling from this, more of a 'red' feeling. Maybe it's just because I'm associating it with Dragon's Blood. Oddly when I put my nose right up to my skin I can smell something almost like sulphur. And it does have a soapy aspect to me. It is a nice scent overall but I'm honestly not sure if I'll keep it. I will give it a couple more chances I think. edit: After an hour or two a lot of the sweetness has faded. I like it even more now, with some of the ozone creeping in. It seems to be getting earthier too. I will most likely keep the imp for a while but not seek a bottle.

Eek.....it's not often that a Bpal scent rubs me the wrong way...but when they do, they don't mess around! I think the linen note in White Rabbit might also be in Dirty. Both go just wrong on me. White Rabbit starts out smelling okay, but...I could smell the 'Dirty' linen right away. Long story short, White Rabbit turns into latex on me. More specifically....open a fresh condom (not the flavored kind...just a plain one ). That's the smell I'm getting. I can pick out the tea, ginger, and maybe honey. But it's all combining to make an unpleasant latex smell on me. Obviously I'm not meant to wear Beth's linen blends....this one will be swapped or given away!