feline.by.design

I ordered and received a (very full, thank you) imp of Vechernyaya from the Lab. When I popped the top off the imp and took an initial whiff, I was struck by how perfumey this fragrance was. I really couldn't describe it any other way except "perfumey." I want to say it reminds me of my mother's favourite fragrance, Lancome Tresor, however the notes don't really jive with the notes in Vechernyaya. This is really a nice fragrance, but it almost seems uncharacteristic from what I've tried so far with BPAL in how "perfume" it smells. I hope that isn't taken the wrong way. As the first reviewer, Olympia301, notes, this really takes BPAL fragrances down a whole new avenue. Although I personally don't know if I want to walk down that avenue, I think it would be nice for others. Vechernyaya is a lovely fragrance that is light and very composed. This would be a wonderful oil for a mature, graceful woman. I think it resembles a commercial perfume I've smelled before, perhaps it might not be Tresor, however that isn't to say that Vechernyaya isn't made with the quality one would expect from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. I don't know if I will be buying a bottle of this for myself (although it's really nice), however I think I might get this as a gift for my mother either for her birthday or for the holidays, as I think it's something she might like. It might also be something nice for my boyfriend's mother as well. It's really interesting, and the oil doesn't morph much while on the skin, unlike many other oils in the catalogue. The scent isn't obtrusive, although a heavy hand could really make people nearby a bit displeased. It's an adult fragrance, yet, for me, oddly chaste. This is a scent for a mature woman, or for a young woman looking to give off a serious, professional air about herself. Vechernyaya is a definite recommendation for those occasions when you have to meet his/her parents, are applying for a job, have to put in time with jury duty, have a meeting with a client, going out to a posh restaurant, etc. I'm twenty-four, slagging away at a job where I can wear jeans, mostly working or in school, meeting with cats instead of clients. Vechernyaya might be a case of "it's lovely, but just not for me." -doreen

A sensory jumble, a true cacophony of odors: black pepper, benzoin, blood orange and olibanum. Kunstkammer is straight-up KOOL-AID when wet, I don't care what anyone else says. It smells like Kool-Aid still in the packet before it came sugar-free. We are talking the Kool-Aid the kid is allowed to make, with the glass just smelling of sugar and Kool-Aid powder. I was never the kid whose parents didn't put sugar in the Kool-Aid, so that's what I get from Kunstkammer, the first Carnavale Noir scent I've tried: Kool-Aid. Kool-Aid is very summer, though, I have got to admit, so I'm glad I got my bottle while I'm broiling in the August heat (and will probably continue to have my butt baked by the Florida sun until November). Normally, I don't really like sweet scents, but I mostly have issues when a fragrance is really syrupy or if it smells like it's got gardenia in it. Kunstkammer is like taking an orange and dipping it in sugar. It's fruity and sweet, and I'm ready to bite the skin of my wrist because it smells so good. Once Kunstkammer begins to dry down, the Kool-Aid effect begins to dilute and turn into a fresh, sweet scent that resembles fruit punch that's been spiked with a little "something" than a mere kid beverage. Also, during the drydown, there begins to be a scent that seems a bit waxy on my skin, like I'm smelling an orange-scented candle, but the period (around the five-minute mark) when this happens doesn't last very long, and the waxiness is probably something only I, with my nose trained on BPAL (ha!), can distinguish. I really like this. I'm fond of Akuma, which has blood orange in it, but Akuma is nothing like Kunstkammer. It will be hard to convince myself in the next few days not to order another bottle of this, because it's such a fun fragrance that I really don't want to think about not ever having a bottle of this again. This is something I'd love to wear every day when I'm feeling a little whimsical and cheeky. I can't really see anyone with a mature countenance wearing Kunstkammer, but older women who are young at heart would probably revel in the bottled-up giggle that is Kunstkammer. -doreen

Hmm... Nocnitsa. In the bottle, the sharp pine smell was the first to come out at me, along with the "upturned earth" scent, which smelled like damp soil after a heavy rain. I wasn't sure I'd like it, although I thought it would smell excellent on a man. The pine smelled a little like eucalyptus, to give you an idea of how bright it was. I swabbed the little impie wand on my arm and let skin chemistry work its little magic. After about thirty second to a minute, the dark earth/bright pine smell blended into each other, swirled around a bit, and then became a surprisingly light green fragrance. It's borderline herbal, a little reminiscent of Jabberwocky but not as pronounced. To be honest, I nearly lost track of Nocnitsa on my skin. "Now I know I swiped it on this spot... sniff sniff" It became quite unexpectedly faint on my skin within minutes, mere minutes of application. It smells really fantastic, as I love green herbal foresty-like fragrances, but I have to shove my face into my arm to smell it. But wait! I could have just frazzled my nose into uselessness, as I called on another nose to rate the fragrance's potency, and he said that he could smell it, and it was "rather strong." Hmm.... I must have stressed my nose out, as after he made that comment, I could smell it without practically snorting my arm. Maybe it was the pine that kind of made my nose get stunned for a while, who knows? Although it begins as a cold night in some Polish forest, Nocnitsa warms up to resemble a more feminine Fenris Wolf. It's lovely, and I'll think about whether or not I'd like a bigger bottle. It just depends on how often I'll be reaching for my imp. -doreen

I received Titania as a freebie imp in a previous order, and I've been hesitant to try it. Yes, it has pear, and I love pear, but it has peach, and peach and I have quite a shaky past together outside of BPAL history. To be honest, this is the first fragrance that I know has peach in it that I've tried. Apricot didn't work too well on my with the March Hare, so I had low hopes for the fruit cousin. In the initial moments of the test period, Titania smelled like Bubblicious bubble gum. Quirky. After a couple of minutes, I gave it another sniff. The bubble gum fragrance from the beginning calmed down, but the fragrance still is very fruity and quite juicy. I can't distinguish the notes easily, so the overall fragrance is just "fruity." Normally, I'm kind of ambivalent with fruity scents; it depends on the fruit and the amount of sweetness the fragrance has. Titania is a pleasant sort of fruity that seems very natural. It's a sweet fragrance, but the sweetness isn't cloying or saccharine on my skin. It's precisely like fresh-cut ripe fruit. The peach note doesn't offend me as pretty much all other peach fragrances, in fact, it's rather nice. I can't really detect the pear note as much as I could in other pear fragrances (Endymion and Juliet). Here, it seems more like a supporting hand. The sweet pea is adding to the freshness of Titania. Other fragrances with sweet pea I've tried have worked really well for me, so I'm glad that Titania followed suit. The musk rose seems to be a base in the background for this scent, and as the drydown commences, we move away from the fresh-fruit smell to the smell of lightly fragrant flowers that still manage to pack a punch. There does seem to be an underlying amount of powderyness in about 15 minutes of wear, but it's very faint. Overall, Titania was nice. I don't know if I'll be picking up a big bottle of this for myself, but I'd really recommend getting this for a mother or mother-in-law. It would make a fantastic gift. As for me, I'll hold onto my imp and deliberate further. I really can't say anything negative about Titania, but I'm just not quite convinced that this will be a fragrance I would wear regularly enough to warrant a large bottle. -doreen

In the imp I received of Euphrosyne, the fragrance seemed very well-blended. I could catch whiffs of the jasmine, which is one of the floral notes that tend to work well with my skin. However, once I dabbed a bit of Euphrosyne on my wrist, the notes, including the mighty jasmine, are all beaten into submission by gardenia. Perhaps "beaten" is too gentle of a word, as all I can smell is the gardenia suffocating the rose, vanilla and jasmine. After five minutes, I do notice some sort of resistance against the Greedy Gardenia, but unfortunately, the resistance organised by the notes trying to rebel comes in the form of the powdery trait of the rose, which is still being suppressed by the gardenia, so I get this gardenia powder scent. It's like gardenia powdered sugar. That may appeal to some, but not me. This floral is way too sweet for me, and the vanilla adds to the sugaryness when it manages to poke out from under the gardenia. I really don't like gardenia. However, my skin chemistry combined with my nose ensures that all I smell is that damned flower. I don't mind gardenias as actual flowers, but the gardenia note is entirely too sweet for my tastes. Gardenia is the reason why I've fallen afoul of a number of Voodoo blends, and it's now the reason why Euphrosyne doesn't really work with me. Although I enjoy florals, most of the florals I like are the lighter, more buoyant flowers, or floral blends with a bit of green. With Euphrosyne, there isn't any real lightness about it, just the suffocating gardenia, which then undulates under the vanilla note during the beginning of the drydown. Vanilla is a note that could go either way with me, but in the context of Euphrosyne, it's a little too sweet. It just doesn't flatter me in the least. -doreen

Whoa.... This doesn't smell much like the original Arkham BPAL oil that was discontinued last year. Nope. I have a bottle of the old Arkham, and with that oil, I get verbena herbal happiness. With the new Arkham, I was immediately struck by how very fruity it is. I don't consider myself much on fruity scents, but this fragrance is fruity without being overpowering or obsessively "fruit." If that made any sense. The florals seem to balance the fruitiness out, making the fragrance light and a touch bubbley. Whereas the Original Arkham is something that could easily be unisex, Arkham Revisited strikes me more as a feminine fragrance at first. After about five minutes once the fruit gets its ya-yas out, the notes seem to deepen in complexity and tone, making it more suitable for any gender. Some of the florals and the fruit tend to jump out a bit from time to time, however I think this would work for those gentlemen who either don't hold too much regard for "masculine/feminine" labels, or for those guys looking for something a bit more distinctive and unexpected. This reminds me a bit of R'lyeh, but since I haven't worn it in a while, I could be totally off. The scent is about as sweet as I remember R'lyeh being. The sweetness Arkham gives off is the natural fruit juice sweet (think Izze), which is a good kind of sweetness for me. I tend to shy away from overly sugary fragrances. All in all, I really like Arkham Revisited. I was just so surprised at how different it was from the Original Arkham, as that's what I was sort of expecting. I'm far from disappointed, however, and I'll be enjoying both of my bottles of the Arkham blends for different reasons. -doreen

Azathoth.... hmmm.... When I first took a whiff of the bottle and smelled how "manly" it was, I wasn't fazed, as some of my favourite fragrances are traditionally male. Upon first application, the cedarwood is the most pronounced note in the fragrance, giving off a sort of dark dirt smell that I recognise uneasily. Cedar and I don't always get along, as it can sometimes be too dark and dank for my tastes. After the oil takes a minute to mingle more with my body's chemistry, I can sense the vetiver lightening up the fragrance (whew). My wrist smells like broken branches and cut wood. It reminds me a bit of Hurricane, but on a far darker scale. Five minutes later, the saffron makes a subtle appearance. The cedarwood is still very present, but again, lightened so that it smells like wood and not the thick earth smell that permeated my wrist during the inital moment of contact. I think the black amber is also helping warm up the oil, however it isn't really noticable. It's very dark, although not as dark as in the beginning. However, this smells like the fragrance of a vampire who had just emerged from the rich earth of a forest. As I wear Azathoth longer, however, it seems to get better and better. After fifteen minutes, it's not so much dark as it is woodsy, even a touch nutty. It's like I'm smelling the inside of a fine coffin made of the most exquisite wood. The vetiver is more prominent, and it smells all kinds of sexy, in my opinion. I didn't put a lot on my wrist, in fact it's more like a "ghost of a drop" went on, but it has an amazing satiation ability. For people who like strong fragrances, this would have been a good pick. Azathoth is... interesting. This still strikes me as a rather masculine fragrance, although again I don't mean that in an off-putting way. I don't know if I would wear Azathoth enough to do it justice, as although I like to prance around smelling of male-sniff (yow!), it seems my boyfriend likes the more traditionally feminine fragrances on me for the most part, plus I'd rather not wear this at work, either. However, this would be a fantastic scent to wear for going out dancing in a dark, sweaty club, and I'll be sure to try out my theory at the next opportunity. Maybe Brent won't mind my application of Azathoth if I give him an imp of it for him to try as well. -doreen

I had swapped some Virgo for Rose Red so that I can try it out for my Rose Quest :::huzzah!:::. I've been sick lately, but today I felt good enough to try it out. In the bottle, Rose Red is clear, and smells so pure and rosey with a hint of green elements. It's wonderful, just like how I like my roses to smell. There was no hint of powderyness or "dryer sheet evil" in the bottle. On my skin at first, the oil maintains the same properties. It's so delicate, I think it might just disappear. It wasn't long, however, that Rose Red warmed up a bit. Like bringing a flower out of the florist's freezer to the room temperature, there's a bit more warmth and floral. The green note that was there in the bottle sort of goes into hiding. This is a very gentle and feminine scent on me so far that can be suited to pretty much any season. I'm smelling my skin again and note how Rose Red seems to be playing disappearing acts with me. It could be because I'm shoving my face into my skin a bit too much. It's funny, I'll get close and inhale, and I'll *start* to smell a delicate rose, then... it sneaks away. There still isn't much green, as there was originally, but I still think it smells pretty, although on my skin it seems to morph into a bit more "mature" fragrance. The rose seems to be a bit drier as it wear longer on my skin, but still very delicate and soft, but extremely hard to detect. It's like I don't smell rose, I smell the ghost of the rose. I'll be looking forward to the Yule LEs to see if Rose Red will, again, make an appearance. For those who are interested in green-rose scents and/or scents that don't go powdery, Rose Red would probably make a good gamble if it's ever up for grabs. Next time I wear it, though, I may be applying with a heavier hand. -doreen

A bottle of Mars about 6/10ths full was sent to me by the lovely LupaWolf. As I've been getting over my recent "mini-pneumonia," we'll see how Mars works for my skin and whether or not my nose is really in shape to do some reviewing. In the bottle, Mars smells like cinnamon and Coca-Cola. There's a sweetness lingering in the bottle. The cinnamon is dark and heady, not the supercinnamon I was getting from Mercury. On my skin, Mars smells... very interesting. There's a smell that's a little metallic, though not a high metallic like Mercury. This is more deep, like iron clashing against iron over upturned earth. The spice is there, although it's not so much as a sharp cinnamon as a more grounded ginger smell. There's also the smell of blood, though it doesn't conjure up images of dragon's blood for me. This is a very stern and determined type of scent, with not much of the brashness I was expecting. It surprises me how earthy this fragrance is, yet at the same time it's not an "earth scent." There's a hint of weariness in it as well. There is a smell of sweetness as well. As it sits longer on my skin, the cinnamon spice fragrance seems to grow stronger, while the earth notes take a step back. This really smells a lot like a sweet sort of blood. It's quite fascinating. Mars is quite a masculine scent, however it isn't overtly so. Anyone wanting a bit of confidence could wear this fragrance easily. I'm really glad to have gotten a chance to try it (and own it), as I find myself really liking this fragrance. Although I'm a Virgo, my numerology number is 9, which relates to Mars, so I really wanted to have this fragrance and test it out. Beth really did a fantastic job with the Celestials, and if they ever make a comeback, I'd love to get another bottle of Mars if I could afford to. -doreen

Reviving an old thread. I've got a bad case of the cold at the moment, and I find that whenever I'm sick, Jabberwocky is the best thing for it. I just dribbled a lot of the oil onto me, and I'm about to go for more. Good thing I have a 5 ml, although by the time I finish with this cold or flu or whatever, I may have to reorder. Hemlock, I've found, is also good for sinuses and sniffles. I have an imp, but I don't want to use it up. Perhaps I'll wear it tomorrow. Nanshe also seems like a good pick, since it's predominantly lemongrass on me. Anyone else have an oil they wear when sick? -doreen

Ah. From my review of Hollywood Babylon: I'm sure I could probably think up of some more if I put my brain cells at work on it, but Hollywood Babylon was the first to spontaneously attach itself to "Lips Like Sugar." I didn't even have to think about it, it's as if the two coexist to compliment each other perfectly. Oooh.... Now, sitting down to think-think-think.... "Golden Brown" by the Stranglers = Eos "Psycho Killer" by the Talking Heads = Whitechapel, maybe? "Picture of Dorian Grey" by the Television Personalities = Dorian (whew, took me awhile for that one) "Soixante Neuf Annee Erotique" by Serge Gainsbourge = Swank, which I haven't tried, but seems apt "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac = Baobhan Sith and/or Aeval "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake = Pink Moon (another toughie) "Letting Go" by Nitin Sawhney = Szepasszony "Don't Stop" by Brazilian Girls = Silk Road "Pendulum" by Broadcast = Lucy's Kiss "A Forest" by The Cure = Fenris Wolf "Autumn Sweater" by Yo La Tengo = Libertine Feel free to argue, add, adjust or agree. I'm sure it's different for everyone else. I can't help you on your song quest, though I'm tempted to recommend Dracul just for the hell of it. Good luck with your mission. -doreen

Sudha Segara is at the top of the list for moments I want to just snuggle into a blanket and just disappear. If I need something to cheer me up or lighten my mood, I'll go with Embalming Fluid, although Phantasm is very similar. I've tried Nanshe only once, but lemongrass is such a familiar, cheery and comforting scent that I wouldn't be surprised if I deplete my imp soon. I would normally recommend Dorian as well, but... the first time I wore Dorian I had to be taken to the hospital. No, not because of Dorian, but in any case, it's hard to shake it as a bad-luck scent for me. The next time I wore it, I had a really bad day: the water for tea wasn't hot at work, I was cranky with my boyfriend, etc. Maybe I somehow got some bizarre cursed imp or something. Wearing Dorian at work did make everyone who smelled me want cookies, though. That reminded me that I had a cookie in my bag, stashed away. So maybe it's not cursed after all. I'm still a bit leery, though. -doreen

Nothing says drama like a scent from Illyria. Perhaps Lady MacBeth might lend a bit of drama to you. If you're looking for something soft, yet pleasant, Juliet is one of my favourites. Silk Road, Morocco and Hollywood Babylon also might be suitable from the Wanderlust area. These are, or can be, a bit heavy, so a little can go a long way. If you want something on the lighter end of the spectrum, go with Shanghai. -doreen

This was a freebie imp from the Lab, which was very nice as I would like to eventually try all of the Somnium blends. Nanshe was a lovely scent of lemongrass on my skin. Since I was feeling sick, I really liked the smell of lemongrass coupled with a very faint hint of lavender. Lemongrass scents always remind me of a garden we had back in Okinawa that had a lemongrass plant. I used to break the leaves so I could smell the wonderful fragrance. Although I wore Nanshe before I went to bed, it's hard to say whether my dreams were in regards to the oil or due to my feverish sickness I was experiencing. I did have dreams... about being sick. Lame. I think I'll try to wear Nanshe again prior to night-night time when I'm not experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms. To me, Nanshe would make a great scent to wear during the day as well. I haven't found a lemongrass scent since the discontinued Azazel, which I'm kicking myself for not buying a bottle of before it went bye-bye, so it's nice to have an imp of something I can still order. Yay, lemongrass! -doreen

This was sent to me as a free imp by the Lab. Very awesome and appreciated, since this is a scent I wanted to try on my Rose Quest :::huzzah!::: and I'm a bit of a fan of pear. On the skin, I first smell the nice, icy chill of pear! Oh pear, I love you! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! The light florals creep in shyly. I do smell the rose, but it's mingling with other lightly sweet (but not overly so) florals that are unobtrusive, but at the same time notable. The sweetness is likely due to the contribution of the magnolia, but this isn't as strong or sweet as, say, Hell's Belle magnolia. Moments later, the pear note does fade too quickly (noooo!), leaving me with a fragrant bouquet of flowers. The Damascus rose is asserting itself more, and so the fragrance loses its sweetness and becomes more powdery/soapy. I can still smell the pear in the background, however. Oddly, whenever I smell my arm and am beginning to think that La Belle au Bois Dormant (hereafter La Belle) may not really work for me, the pear note erupts for a bit to change my mind. The components cause La Belle to morph around during my trial period. Every time I lean in towards my arm I get a different pale flower dominating. I'll smell the light powder of the rose, then I'll lean in a minute later and catch magnoila again, then later smell what might be either the tuberose or plumeria. I'm afraid I'm not sure what plumeria smells like, though. Altogether, this is a very cool, refined scent that seems well-suited to frosty winter days, pale spring mornings and/or summer nights under the moon and stars. I'm not sure if La Belle works for me really, since its changing scent persona makes it difficult for me to make a strong decision about it. Even in its powdery stages, however, La Belle manages to be unobtrusive to the point that the powder doesn't bother me, and the oil still manages to be quite posh, perhaps even a touch regal. Fans of Endymion, Juliet and Black Dahlia should really try this. I'm not saying it will work perfectly, but it may possibly be up your alley. It captures the same aura of feminity. As for me, I may keep the imp or I may swap it, since I think I like Endymion a bit better, but I'm glad to have the experience to try it. This is a case where I don't dislike the oil, just that I don't really see myself grabbing this scent as much or over others. Still, I find the scent comforting, and the drydown contains a wee bit of green in it, like a rose stem, so there may be some hope. The powder level for me is rather mild, yet still notable. I'll have to think it over, perhaps after a sleep. -doreen

I've hesitated to try this one. Although I was really looking forward to trying it, the smell in the bottle made me go "Eeeeeh??" and it's been sitting in my cabinet for the longest now. Finally time to bite the bullet. In the bottle, Miskatonic University smells nothing like a university. It smells like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory to me. When putting it on my skin, I don't get coffee nor the smell of old books, but rather toffee. Thick, buttery, rich toffee. I'm not much of a fan for gourmand scents, so this was a bit of a disappointment for me. I feel like I'm wearing Eau de Cracker Jack. As the scent plays with my skin chemistry, the strength of the coffee, buttery coffee, is sucked out into some unknown vortex. About three minutes into Misk U, I'm getting the smell of wood polish. It's a scent reminding me of earthen or wood notes coated with an odd smell of some form of artificial shellac. Perhaps that's the whisky smell, although I'm not sure. My wrists smell like tables. Like buttery toffee tables. There is the smell of Irish creme, so sweet and rich, but it seems like it's coming from another table in this weird scent-world, so the first thing that hits my nose is "wooden table, with a side of toffee." If you're looking for a 'fume with good throw, Miskatonic University probably has that on lock. The buttery toffee smell is hanging in the air even with my hands away from my face. It's like being in a candy store. A candy store with a creepy proprieter. Or not... sorry, my imagination is injecting things. Thirty minutes later: still buttery toffee tables with a splash of whisky. It's making me salivate, but I don't think this is really speaking to me scent-wise. I'm just not a foody sort of girl. I supposed I could always go to Severin for my "library atmosphere" needs. -doreen

I don't have my imp of Mata Hari anymore, but I think mine was a darker colour. I don't think it was clear. -doreen

The spirit of temptation, the essence of lost innocence. Apple blossom, rose, ylang ylang and golden honey. This was a kind and generous freebie from the Lab. Once I applied Eve to the skin, I was instantly drawn in to the wonderful world of Apple Blossom. Quite delicious. As the oil marinated on my skin, the rose, shy at first, began to assert its take-over. In some cases for me, this would be a sign of worry and woe, but the rose in Eve is a very fresh, pleasant rose, and I welcome its company. The honey note then allows its bit of sweetness to permeate everything, yet not taking over. I'm not one who has had a bad experience with honey, so this is all right with me. It sort of candies the roses and apples a wee bit, but not to the point of inducing cavities. I'm not one for super sweet or syrupy scents, and Eve isn't anywhere near that territory for me. It's like dusting roses with powdered sugar. The ylang-ylang isn't too noticable, perhaps it's working in the background or just adding that extra bit of wetness to this garden on my arms. Eve is evocative of a lush, verdant garden with roses and apple blossoms (natch) in the late morning or early afternoon. It's a very agreeable scent. After about five or ten minutes, however, the rose becomes unrestrained and, sniffing my wrist, I find it has choked the apple tree to death. Still, it's not a bad scent, and the rose has not yet gone to the realm of Powdery Rose of Death, although it does smell a little like well-made rose soap or rose-scented powder, yet it's not too powdery or soapy to me. Did that make sense? Maybe I've just become really forgiving of the powdery and soapy smells that rose can emit. Eve is a beautiful mix of a garden and orchid dusted with dew and powdered sugar for around five minutes. Afterwards, the rose does take over and becomes a lightly honeyed rose of leaning towards the soapy and powdery fame, yet not completely soapy nor powdery. Perhaps because it isn't that strong that I find myself still enjoying the Eve experience, or perhaps the clean fragrance and the rose's green element remains intact throughout the whole ride. I would've liked more time with the apple blossom, but the honey does manage to peek out every now and then with a sweet little "hello" before it hides in the rose bush again. In the end, Eve is a very fresh fragrance suitable for summer wear. I'll keep my imp, but I'm not sure if I'll buy a bigger bottle any time soon. It's actually rather tempting to buy a bigger bottle to use as a home fragrance, because its such a nice, clean scent. It's very feminine, and would be great to counteract the overwhelming "Boy-ness" I live with having my boyfriend and a male roommate. -doreen

The many stages! For putting up with your boss: Wolf's Heart For telling your boss you're quitting: High John the Conqueror or Moxie (which I haven't tried) For comforting yourself after work with ice cream or a favourite snack food: Sudha Segara For getting a good night's sleep before work: Oneiroi For job-hunting: Water of Notre Dame (which I haven't tried), Eos, Aeval or Tarot Oil: Strength Good luck with everything. -doreen

This is really strange. Venom was all happy and wonderful in the bottle and during the initial moments of skin contact. But then... it got strange. There's a really artificial sweetness lingering on my skin. The jasmine has gone askew, the wild berries are laughing in the background, the lime is making obscene gestures, I don't know what's going on. Then it hits me. My arm smells like an intensly fragranced douchebag. It's quite shocking, really, to find any BPAL oils resembling feminine hygiene products, especially one that sounds so good in the descriptions. I loved lime in Whitechapel, I loved berries in Lampades and Queen of Spades, I loved jasmine in damn near anything.... As Venom lingers on my skin, the sweetness is toned down, but the scent overall smells sort of icky on me. The berries are still playing their wicked game with the lime, expelling a sort of sourness my nose finds most distasteful. I'm totally getting the 80s vibe that Blood onmy hands gets with this one. I think there's a lingering note reminding me of hairspray in my Venom trial. Is it the notes? Is it me? In any case Venom is *not* me, so off to the Box of Banishment it goes. I'm still utterly flabberghasted at the oddness of it all. Very, very odd. -doreen

This was a freebie imp from the Lab. I'm always willing to try freebies, even if it's "Eau de Piss" or something. You never know when you'll be surprised. Blood Pearl, in the bottle and initially on my skin, smells a bit like Mr Bubble. It's like coconut and dragon's blood bubble bath. :::splashy splashy!::: I don't know if this oil has anything similar to Megaera (the old formulation, I think, because wasn't it revamped?), but that, too smelled like Mr Bubble. After a while, however, the Mr Bubble popped off, leaving me with an interestingly mature scent with a hint of sweetness. I don't really get much coconut, just the "blood musk." Oddly, there's a hind of something soapy in the background, so maybe Mr Bubble is sneaking around in a new form. About twenty minutes into what I'd like to call "The Blood Pearl Experience," the fragrance morphed into soapyness, then to muskyness with a slightly sweet twinkle in its eye. This smells now like really sexy guy sweat, with none of the salty onion connotations. It's Sweat of the Immaculate! Or perhaps a natural, skin-like scent, with a wee hint of incense lurking in the background. It gets stronger as the scent dries down, but Blood Pearl itself doesn't ring that strong to me (but then again I could be wearing my nose out by shoving my little elbow-pit into it every five minutes or so). My word, wait a minute... I think it's coconut incense! The coconut appears, and it is a grand thing, indeed! I may not wear this, however I may give this to my Squeeze to try. He liked the Black Pearl I plopped in his bag of imps, which was an earth-shattering revelation as he's not inclined towards fragrance oils or anything. I think Blood Pearl may also make a fantastic room scent. In any case, I'll hold onto the imp for now. It's very interesting, and the drydown is my favourite part. It's so weird how some scents go through this whole odyssey on my skin through a whole range of changes. -doreen edited because I can't spell, and it still looks weird.

If you have to wear oodles of layers, you'll want people to be able to smell your goodness eminating from underneath all those layers, right? This equates to fragrances with lots of "throw." I'd probably go with Hamadryad, if you like the deep cinnamon scent. Yggdrasil, Blood Amber, Hollywood Babylon, Skuld and the previously mentioned Vinland are also good. Wolf's Heart is another one, if you'd like your perfume oil with a bit of Voodoo *oomph* and I'd also recommend Lampades, which is fruity (a la cranberries) but not foody. Silk Road was another previous recommendation I'd like to second. If Samhain comes around again, you may want to get your hands on that as well. Anne Bonny (don't fear the patchouli!), Scherezade, Chokmah and Fenris Wolf are also good, too. -doreen currently braving the harsh Floridian summer

Before we commence with this review, please keep in mind a few things that may affect my impression on Milk Moon: a) My track record with the Lunacy Blends has been pretty dismal. At the moment, Pink Moon is the only blend I've tried that I can wholeheartedly say I like, and Chaste Moon is okay. This is out of six Lunacy Oils, including Milk Moon. I am lactose intolerant. The idea of drinking real milk makes me gag. When I first put on Milk Moon, I was bowled over by how "oatey" or grainy in smelled. It was similar to Dana O'Shee, but less milk and almond, and more oats. In the bottle, the hint of mint (that worried me a bit, due to my experiences with Spooky that would later have a negative impact on the Tarot oil of The Star) was there, but on my skin, it disappeared. Eventually, the oat smell gave way to something more like milk, but not like the milk I'm used to in Dana O'Shee or Sudha Segara, the latter of which I love and adore. This.... smells like baby formula. :::ducks flying objects::: I think I'm having a similar experience as pranashakti, because it does smell like yoghurt as well. Soli seems to also have a similar issue with it. To me, it reminds me of babies. Baby milk, baby spit, baby bottles left out in the sun a bit. Seeing as how I don't have kids, nor have I had brothers or sisters to associate the scent with, there is no sentimental fondness for me and this fragrance. No. This is definitely not for me. -doreen

Out of the ones you had that I've tried, your picks of Bewitched, Silk Road, Morocco, Blood Amber and The Caterpillar are on target. Blood Amber, in my opinion, is actually a very versatile scent that can be worn at any time, so maybe it would be at the bottom of this list. The Caterpillar, Bewitched and Silk Road are ideal for the whole 'Indian summer' vibe. I know it's a discontinued oil, but Virgo absolutely encompasses the feel of late summer for me. People start to think about the upcoming harvest, the weather (in most places except hot-ass Florida) begins to become less steamy, the sun is having its last hurrah before the cooler months. Allow me to dig through my imp box for inspiration. :::dig, diggy dig::: Grandmother of Ghosts is the first suitable one I've dragged out of the box. This is ideal for early autumn, as it encompasses the memory of the past summer with the trepadation of the upcoming autumn. For something more floral, Harlot may work well during the waning summer days, as it's light yet has a bit of spicy bite to it. Scherezade is one you can wear in the early autumn and all the way throughout the season. It's one of my favourite scents in its spicy/incense/resin category. Another scent that can be worn really at any time, but the time of early fall may fit it well, is Anne Bonny. Skuld is a good pick if you want a bit of the summer sweetness to linger. If you want to reflect the back-to-school days, whether you're still in school or not, I'd try Severin, The Dormouse or The Apothecary. Another early autumn scent that you might like would be Dana O'Shee. If you don't mind going a bit masculine, Fenris Wolf seems well-suited to the month of September. Well, I hope that's enough to cause a dent in your wallet. Let us know what you decided to order. -doreen

I tried Salomé ages ago, and was tidying up around the apartment when I discovered the short note I wrote when I was testing the imp I had: Salomé - A dark scent. I smell patchouli [probably the red sandalwood] and almond or cherry [it was almond]. Reminds me of a mixed drink. Then I drew a sort of face, indicating that the results for Salomé and I were not favourable. Seeing as how I no longer have my imp, that's probably a safe bet. I'm not really a fan of almond oil, so if a blend has almond oil past the "threshold of tolerance," everything else is pretty much overwhelmed by the almighty almond. It would have been great for *me* had my skin amped up the jasmine-sandalwood connection, as I'm a fan of both. I love oakmoss, too. Again, Salomé just wasn't for me, but I'm sure it has its fans, and I hope whomever I gave it to is enjoying their imp. -doreen