myoubi

Money delivers. I used this for a particular purpose -- funding for my partner's project fell through, and we needed replacement funding ASAP, which is not easy to find. This was a sizeable chunk of our annual income. I printed out his project statement, folded it up with some paper money inside, and anointed the corners with Money while concentrating on what we needed. (I also juiced it with some oil from a company BPAL frequently collaborates with) Then I left the paper out where the sun would shine on it. Three weeks later, my partner's original funding source reconsidered (!) and now has firmly committed to fully funding his project. I'm so relieved, and very grateful to have this oil from the Lab.

You know when you look back on something you've done, or a way you've behaved, and you just want to disappear and hope nobody ever thinks of you again? You know when you read articles about toxic people and you're like... "Wait, I think *I'm* the toxic person. The call has been coming from inside the house this whole time!" ...perhaps it's just me. Either I have overactive guilt/shame reflexes, or I just do crappy/embarrassing things more often than most people, or maybe both. Who can say! In 20 years I'll probably have enough perspective to tell the difference. But right now, I'm pretty sure I've done the wrong thing. Again. I'm still working on finding solutions to the behaviours in myself that I want to change. That's an ongoing process, and it feels sometimes like it's just a sequence of falling on my face again - and again - and again - and irritating, aggravating, or hurting any number of people in the process. I do look at myself now and see that I am miles ahead of where I was five years ago, which is good. But in the interim -- sometimes I just want people not to think about me, or talk about me, or feel any type of way about me at all. I don't like being the subject of gossip, and I don't like the idea that my behaviour could get someone else down. In those moments, I just want to draw a veil over myself, separating me from the rest of the world. Giving me a little peace and respite from other people's thoughts and feelings, and giving other people a little respite from the effects and consequences of my behaviour. That, I think, is a good place for Veils and Mists to come in. I'd never thought about it as a TAL I'd want to have in my life, but increasingly it feels useful or even necessary to me. I'm not sure how I'd judge its effectiveness because that would require proving a negative, and an impossible one at that -- "Prove other people HAVEN'T been privately gossiping about me or feeling bad about things I said or did!" Nevertheless, I'd like to be able to send that energy out into the world, with some serious oomph behind it courtesy of the Lab. I'll try and get my hands on a bottle and update this entry if/as events warrant.

METHOD: Anointed a small natural-white paraffin pillar candle with Radiance of Ra + Block Buster to banish circling negative thoughts. Worked very well. I found myself stuck in a rut of negativity, where I was feeling down on myself in general and convinced I'd done something wrong to alienate one person in particular. There was a lot of negative self-talk, which not only felt crappy, but also impeded my ability to get on with my life. I dressed a candle with Radiance of Ra and Block Buster. I envisioned bright rays of sunshine breaking through the fug of negativity, clearing out those heavy shadows in the mind, and busting through the blocks of insecurity and negative self-talk I'd stacked up in my own path. I thought about eliminating the "lies and deceptions" of low self-esteem, which were telling me that I'm not good enough and soon everyone would find out. As soon as I lit the candle, I felt better. I stood up straighter, and the circling negative thoughts just -- stopped. I wasn't distracted by self-criticism. I attacked a task I'd been avoiding and felt good about it. I cooked dinner and enjoyed it. I reread the email to the person I thought I'd alienated -- which I had been avoiding -- and concluded it was perfectly harmless and if he didn't like it, that wasn't on me. I realised I'd done the best I could, and I should continue to do the best I could, and that was that. I just felt better right away. It was amazing. I haven't experienced any vim and vigor yet, and I don't feel particularly energized, but that might be because I'm pretty sleep deprived right now. Will report back if that changes. Additionally: I'm thinking of starting to make my own hand-poured soy wax candles using TAL oils,

I wish, I wish, I wish I got what Little Bird and samanare got. I may retest this in a few weeks just to be sure, but sadly I think this one is not for me. In the bottle: Cherry cough syrup First moments on skin: Glace cherries. Strangely penetrating. And rum? 15 minutes in: Mostly glace cherries and some other dried fruit with just a bit of something cakey. Some note that has that alcohol/mint clearing-out-your-nostrils feeling. 1 hour in: yep, that's fruitcake all right. Very sugary, mostly dried fruit, less cake. With a lot of glace cherries and something very penetrating. Maybe that's the cologne. No red velvet, no buttercream, not that much cake. I really wanted to like this one. I love the name, I love the Lab's red velvet note, and I *love* the pitch for the organization this scent is sponsoring. However, this is a miss for me.

Effects review: this stuff works. I found myself stuck in a rut of negativity, where I was feeling down on myself in general and convinced I'd done something wrong to alienate one person in particular. There was a lot of negative self-talk, which not only felt crappy, but also impeded my ability to get on with my life. I dressed a candle with Radiance of Ra and Block Buster. I envisioned bright rays of sunshine breaking through the fug of negativity, clearing out those heavy shadows in the mind, and busting through the blocks of insecurity and negative self-talk I'd stacked up in my own path. I thought about eliminating the "lies and deceptions" of low self-esteem, which were telling me that I'm not good enough and soon everyone would find out. As soon as I lit the candle, I felt better. I stood up straighter, and the circling negative thoughts just -- stopped. I wasn't distracted by self-criticism. I attacked a task I'd been avoiding and felt good about it. I cooked dinner and enjoyed it. I reread the email to the person I thought I'd alienated -- which I had been avoiding -- and concluded it was perfectly harmless and if he didn't like it, that wasn't on me. I realised I'd done the best I could, and I should continue to do the best I could, and that was that. I just felt better right away. It was amazing. I haven't experienced any vim and vigor yet, and I don't feel particularly energized, but that might be because I'm pretty sleep deprived right now. Will report back if that changes.

This one, unfortunately for me, smells more like the Lab's description and less like what earlier reviewers described. After the reviews, I was hoping for a chilly winter queen. It starts off promising -- a blast of snowy, piney, slightly minty chill, the Lab's familiar snow note that I love. I took a big sniff and thought aw yeah, that's the stuff! And then it went... sweet. And it got sweeter, and sweeter, until it was this almost icing-sugar-sweet vanilla ringed in snow. I was hoping for Skadi's more feminine cousin and instead got something like a frosty vanilla holiday drink. I don't know why my skin does this 😥I'll let this sit for a few months to see if it changes, but if it's still this sweet-vanilla on me, it may find a new home.

I'm not really a florals girl, but I bought this when it came out because of the name/associations -- the brides are one of my favourite moments in Dracula. I don't wear it often, but it's the only floral I still have in my collection. For the first few hours, it's a sweetish billowy white floral. Lotta lily, lotta osmanthus. To be honest, I like but don't love this phase, and kind of wait for it to pass. At 3+ hours, it turns into a lovely, light, slightly spicy amber-musk with a swirl of white flowers. Exactly like the women it describes -- I think of moonlight, flowing hair, and something almost predatory lurking underneath. It hugs close to the skin, but I can smell it when I move my arms. It's feminine and classically beautiful while retaining a bit of a come-hither vibe. Lovely.

Snake Oil with buttery pastry and a hint of powdered sugar. Exactly what it says on the tin. The Snake Oil is recognizable and well-blended -- it doesn't smell like two smells rolled into one bottle, but like a true SO variant that reframes the vanilla of the original scent in a new (gourmand) light. Lighter on the patchouli -- this isn't a dark-toned blend. It's like a sweeter/fluffier cover of a familiar song. ETA: Gets increasingly doughnutty as time goes on -- first few hours were pastry-sweetened SO, now 4 hours in we are at lightly-SO-scented pastry. If it's not foody enough for you at start, give it time; if it's too foody for you at start, give this one a miss. ETA 2: didn't think I'd like this one as much as I do, but I've reached for it nearly every day since I received it. At this rate I'll need multiple backup bottles. ETA 3: I have... 9 bottles.

Good to know it's not just me. The 2019 bottles I have are still clear, and still smell like butter. I was hoping that smell would age out but 3 years later, it hasn't, and they are basically unwearable. I have 3 of them

Don't give up on this one -- the drydown is worth it. First impressions: whoa, smoke and leather. A lot of smoke and leather. Almost acrid. I like leather, but this is too much. I gave it a minute, two, five... nothing mellowed. OK, I was done. I scrubbed it off. Then I brought my hand to my face about 20 minutes later and smelled the most lovely deep, smudgy leather-vanilla-tobacco. Smoke and Lace has staying power because it survived the attempted scrub, and I'm so glad it did. After 30-40 minutes the green cognac comes out to play. The notes are well-blended into a darkish smear of a scent that feels like, well, smoke. It's not sweet, but it has that vanilla richness to soften the edges. It's not like anything else in my collection and it's quite lovely, in the way that things are only lovely when they are uncommon. I wouldn't wear this every day the way I wouldn't wear an evening gown every day. It has that feel to it. I don't know whether my bottle of Smoke and Lace has a forever home with me. I might want a decant more than I want a bottle. On the other hand, I'm weirdly reluctant to let it go. I'll want to keep at least some in my collection, either way. If you are on the fence about laces (as I was), try this one. If you are a lace fan, try this because it's different from anything else I've smelled in the lace series.

I like patchouli... but not this much. Thick, dark, mulchy, vegetal patchouli. It is rich and it is strong. The odd time I get a whiff of burnt caramel. If what you want is a really true, barely-sweetened patchouli almost-single note, this is for you. As for me, I have found the limit of how much patchouli I want in a blend. Swaps!

Not reviewing the scent but for the use. Charisma is hit and miss on me. I find when it works it WORKS, but the difference is how long I take to really focus my intent. If I just slap it on and go about my business, it doesn't have any discernible effects. But when I take time to really sit, apart from everything else, and focus on how it makes me feel, Charisma can work wonders. I put a drop on each chakra point and the palms of my hands and imagine a glow of light coming out of each chakra point, one by one, until I feel haloed in warmth and light. I just sit there silently for a while, sometimes for a full couple of minutes, feeling apart from everything and living in that glow. I'm ready to go when I feel like I'm emanating warmth and brightness. When I take the time to do that, it's remarkable. It's not just the effects of taking a few minutes to meditate. I've had people who knew me for years do a double take, like they were actually seeing me for the first time. Conversations are more animated and it feels easy to connect with people, like everyone you meet wants to know you better. But it's best used judiciously -- I have a bit of a 'drop' the day after. It's not a bad feeling, just like being a bit underslept and needing quiet and a nap, but all day. Not an everyday blend, but a very effective one when you take the time to charge it with intent.

White honey-blackberry-clove. Well rounded, soft, sweet but not overly sugary. A morpher: starts off a strong vanilla with a berry ribbon, turns into ripe berries with clove underpinnings, and then settles for most of its run into a soft cloud of white honey with blackberries and a little clove. 8 hours later, it has dried down to a lightly musky vanilla-clove that sticks close to the skin. You have to really like clove to like Final Girl, and yet it's not overpowering -- just always present, a little differently, at every stage. Medium throw. I'm not sure why, but this one reminds me a little bit of Midway and a little bit of Monster Bait: Closet -- which happened to be the only two foodie blends in my collection. Now Final Girl makes three.

Thank you! I'll give it a try

Okay, I'll bite! A lot has come out since last I tested anything new. Any recommendations based on these: 1. Snake Oil 2. La Fee Verte 3. Monster Bait: Closet 4. Perversion 5. Brides of Dracula I *didn't* much like L'Heure Verte, and I was thinking of retesting Morocco.

I started collecting about 15 years ago, went on hiatus in 2009, and never really picked it back up (apart from the odd purchase direct from the Lab, mostly refills of Snake OIl). Here are the ones I'm keeping. It's heavy on limited editions because that's what always seems pressing to keep -- I always feel like if I want a GC, I can just order it from the Lab, but LEs I have to hoard. (And Snake Oil I have to cellar!) BOTTLES BPTP exclusive La Fee Verte (2005) -- 1 10mL bottle and 1 5mL decant -- "Sugared wormwood, hyssop and melissa with calamus, angelica and Dittany of Crete, blended with a Bohemian perfume of vanilla musk, honey absolute and Moroccan spices" BPTP exclusive Naughty or Nice: Snow Angel (2005) -- 1 bottle, 90% -- "Cherubic spun sugar with a hint of lemon, sparkling peach, and floral tea" (2008 resurrection) 1 decant, 50% BPTP exclusive Naughty or Nice: Fee (2005) -- 1 bottle, full -- "A buoyant, dulcet blend of vanilla, sunflower, carnation, honeydew, peach blossom, lychee, oakmoss and white tea" Carnaval Noir: Snake Charmer (2005 original release, paper label) -- 2 partial bottles, 30% and 10% (10% has lost its label); 1 decant, 60% -- "Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut" Snake Charmer (first resurrection, I think 2007?) -- 1 partial bottle, 10% Snake Charmer (second resurrection) -- 1 bottle, full Carnaval Noir: Midway (2005 original release, paper label) -- 1 partial bottle, 75%; 1 decant, 80% -- "A bombardment of edible carnival indulgences. Funnel cake, caramel apple, cotton candy, salt water taffy and sugar tart" Ingenue (2004) -- 1 10mL cobalt bottle, 30% -- "Wild clover and gentle melon interlaced with violet leaf, water lilies, smooth wooden notes, and blushing rose" Lunacy: Bitter Moon (2006) -- 1 bottle, full -- "Nepal poppy, lotus root, wild rose, and blue hibiscus with blackberry, tonka, sage, lavender, peony and vetiver" Lupercalia: Smut (paper label, I think pre-2006 first release) -- 1 partial bottle, 75%; 1 decant, 75% -- "Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes" Monster Bait: Closet (pre-2006) -- 1 bottle, full; 1 decant, 50% -- "Bourbon blackberry buttercream over red velvet cake." Monster Bait: Underpants (pre-2006) -- 1 bottle, 90% -- "Sexy sugar-smeared saffron sandalwood over lickable vanilla cream with a splash of butter rum" Perversion (pre-2006, paper label cobalt bottle) -- 1 partial bottle, 25% -- "Smoky rum and black tobacco with a whisper of steamy leather with a splash of crystalline chardonnay, layered over a sensual, sweet, and deceptively magnetic base of tonka" Single Note: Siberian Musk (2012) -- 1 partial bottle, 60% (pre-2006 original single note series) 1 decant, full Snake Oil -- (2015) 1 partial bottle, 30%, kicking myself for not stocking up! -- "A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla" OR "deep, rich earthy notes swirled with vegetal musks, sugared vanilla bean, and dark spices" (August 2006) 1 decant, 30% I made myself one decant from my first-ever bottle of Snake Oil. Holy &%*#. (pre-2019 direct from Lab) 1 imp, full (2019 reformulation) 4 bottles -- won't even touch these until they are 5 years old (2024). We will see how they stack up to the original. (2022 reformulation) 2 bottles -- can't touch these till 2029 Snow, Glass, Apples (2008) -- 1 bottle, 60% -- no note description Yule: Skadi (2004 original release, paper label cobalt bottle) -- 1 partial bottle, 25% -- "The Snow-Shoe Goddess, Giantess, the Norse embodiment of winter. Frost-rimed winter berries, crisp pine needle, and a slush of bright snowy notes Voodoo Queen (2006) -- 1 partial bottle, 60% -- no note description IMPS/DECANTS (not listed above) BPTP exclusive ???? - Snowblind (2004) -- 1 partial decant, 30% -- "The perfect vanilla mint" (2008 resurrection) 1 partial decant, 50% interestingly, these decants have aged totally differently. the 2004 edition is still light and delicate, while the 2008 resurrection is much heavier on the vanilla and has become dark and viscous BPTP exclusive Trick or Treat: Treat #1 (2007) -- 1 partial decant, 50% -- "A super-sweet, glittering mountain of crushed hard candy: watermelon, pink lime, lemon, strawberry and piles upon piles of crystalline sugar" Carnaval Noir: Freak Show -- 1 decant and 1 partial decant, 80% -- "fig, pomegranate and cocoa bean with lemon, bergamot, vanilla, mellow honey musk, calamus and tonka" Snow White (2004 original release) -- 1 partial decant, 10% -- "flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers" I should probably buy a full bottle of this from the Lab TAL AND VOODOO BLENDS, BOTTLES AND DECANTS Arabian Nights -- 1 bottle, full Bat's Blood -- 1 near-empty bottle, drops only -- very old squat cobalt bottle from 2004 Bend Over -- 1 partial bottle 30% Black Cat -- 1 bottle, full Blessings of Isis -- 1 bottle, full Block Buster -- 1 partial bottle, 75% Caliph's Beloved -- 1 bottle, 90% Charisma - 1 bottle and 1 partial bottle, 30%, the latter an old paper label bottle Clean the Air -- 1 bottle, full French Creole -- 1 bottle, 95% Hymn to Pan -- 1 bottle and 1 partial bottle, 20%, the latter an old cobalt bottle Magnet -- 1 bottle and 1 partial bottle, 10% Mantle of Venus -- 1 bottle, 85% Radiance of Ra -- 1 bottle, full White Light -- 1 bottle, full Aunt Caroline's Money Bag -- 1 partial decant, 60% Aunt Caroline's Money Draw -- 1 decant, 80% Determination -- 1 partial decant, 10% Fiery Wall of Protection -- 1 partial decant, 40% dates from 2008 Horn of Plenty -- 1 imp direct from lab, full Ouroboros -- 1 decant, full dates from 2008 Queen -- 1 partial imp direct from Lab, 60%

Three words: wintry PENCIL SHAVINGS. argh. I was really excited for this blend, but in imp, on skin, and after 30 minutes it stays exactly the same. Away with ye!

I don't find Albedo to be a foody scent at all.. and I don't even get the coconut many people have mentioned, which on me is a good thing In the Imp: oooh! wham in the nose with that citrus! It's more of a tangerine-y scent to me than lemon or lemongrass -- it's a very energetic citrus with a hint of sweetness. On Skin: still got lots of citrus, but it is mellowing out a bit. 20 minutes, and thereafter: holy mackerel. this is beautiful. it is this delightful warm, soft, and creamy scent with a hint of citrus overlay. By 'creamy' I don't mean 'like the lab's cream note' which doesn't work with my skin chemistry; I mean a sensation that feels like actual cream feels, smooth and rich without being oppressive or sweet. It's really delightful. I must find another decant. ::

This was frimped to me by a generous and lovely forum member. Thank you! I am both very happy and very sad about this scent. I'm happy because now I don't have to go on the hunt for more of it. I'm very sad because I don't get all the lovely smelly goodness that everyone else seems to In the imp: oooh! this smells promising! it smells exactly like the first word, 'glowing'. It's a warm ambery-wood scent with the fizzy sweet lotus layered overtop to give it some gumption. This is lovely! On skin: ...but wait. What's this? the instant I apply it, the amber and lotus vanish completely and it turns into this sweet-thick-cloying-cream plus TEAKTEAKTEAK combo. Cream rarely works on me, but I loved Miller vs. Cali so I hoped that had turned around... but this scent is literally sickening. I was eating breakfast (grapefruit, omnom) when I applied it and I really had to be careful how I ate so I didn't get a whiff of the stuff. Ten minutes: No change. okay. this has to be washed off. 20 minutes: the wretched scent won't - go - away. And it has serious throw, too. After washing my hands three times with two different kinds of soap, I finally pulled out a body scrub and spent a few minutes with my hands under the faucet in attempt to scrub it off. My hands smart now, as I'm pretty sure I removed a few layers of skin, but I can barely smell it anymore. I'll wash them again in a minute and hopefully it will finally leave without a trace. In short: Not for me. it will get passed on to someone who can love it more.

Again, no long review for this one because I just slapped it on and then went about my day. But impressions: This scent is strange on me. First the oil is light -- I expected it to be dark and viscous like Boomslang [which I should probably get more of...] It doesn't smell like dark chocolate on me. It smells like *chocolate* but it doesn't have that thick dark feeling. After I've worn it for a few hours, it's dried down to... sweet cream. Just sweet cream. Sweet, heavy, slightly plastic-vanilla-y cream. But here's the weird thing. I thought I really didn't like the drydown but I can't stop huffing my wrists. What is with this scent?!? I really am not sure what I am going to do with this one. Either way, it's definitely addictive.

Bitter Moon! It is my standard "fizzy" blend, although YMMV -- it makes me think of fizzy carbonated water. It's not very sweet, just fizzy and a little prickly. Also Snow Angel, but you have to really be okay with sweet for that one.

All I get is smoke and brimstone overlaid with bay rum. someone else will love this much more than I do.

eeeh, I really liked the old labels the new ones are fine, I'm just not excited about them -- and when it comes time to replace my GC bottles I"m definitely going to seek out old-label bottles before I order them from the lab.

I did not expect to like this so much! In fact, I didn't expect to like it at all. But everyone was fussing over it, so I figured what the hell... hundreds of BPALers can't be wrong. It's warm and autumnal and boozy and comforting -- I get red wine (which NEVER works on me!) and cardamom and clove and a teensy bit of vanilla. It's got good throw -- I only put a little on, and it kept wafting up to my nose, but it's not one of those really assertive scents where everyone around you is thinking "HOOOkay, that sure is some nice perfume that came up and smacked me in the nose!" I won't do a detailed scent review, partially because I forgot to take notes -- all I remember is being wrapped up in this lovely spicy deep warm scent that you could snuggle into like a big red blanket. I don't need more, but I will treasure my decant.

TAKEAWAY: Lovers of Snake Charmer should give this a shot but bear in mind that it's a much more floral blend. Lovers of Faiza should try this because it reminds me of what I /wanted/ Faiza to smell like. People who like Black Lace might give this a try, because even though they are totally different scents there is this weird association. I'm keeping my bottle. In the Bottle: this reminds me of Snake Charmer, but with citrus, and a little bit lighter. There is something slightly bitter about it too, but not in an unpleasant way. On Skin: Oil is quite dark in colour -- and in scent. It rapidly morphs from Snake-Charmer-Citrus to something deeper and much less sweet -- guess that is the opoponax coming out to play. I can feel the jasmine in there if I huff, but it isn't ZOMGJASMINE at all... and there is a dark sweetness that, I assume, is the red plum. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a 'sweet' blend on me -- it just has a slight something that cuts through the darker, thick and citrus-jasmine-resins thing going on. 20 Minutes: All of the notes have prettymuch melded together into some sort of strange brew... it is bitter, and a little musky, and very dark without being heavy the way Snake Charmer/Mme Moriarty/Crypt Queen are. Notes are discernible only if I huff my wrists and that's a maybe; from about a foot away, I get a little bit of the tobacco note and more of the red plum comes out, so the throw is actually lovely even though the scent itself is peculiar. 1 Hour: It's mellowed out into a dark, resinous floral blend that nonetheless doesn't have the *heaviness* of Snake Charmer et al. It's dark and mysterious -- doesn't have the Shocking! factor I associate with giallo but that's probably a good thing. It's alternately slightly bitter-jasminey and (the throw) sweetened with black plum. I like it, it's a morpher, I'm keeping it -- but it's definitely not for everyone. ETA: OH MY GOD. Like does not nearly encompass how I feel about this scent after wearing it for a few days. It is this lovely sultry scent, not too sweet and not too heavy, that is nonetheless dark and murky and mysterious. KEEPING IT FOREVER. ((clutches bottle protectively))