spark

Apple Blossom goes on me as sort of a generic white floral. But it's not a "pretty" one on me; it's kind of sharp. I suppose there is some greenness to it. But I can't pick out anything overly subtle or interesting. Not BAD, just a "meh."

Possibly London, although I think Ace is a little sweeter. Ace is pretty pure rose on me.

I can't give a real review of this as I only dabbed it on at Black Broom, along with about 9 other things, but it's definitely cinnamonny and pleasant. I didn't get the impression of anything resinous or heavy.

Another theory about the planet for Virgo (and I'll preface this by saying that the theory predates Star Trek ) is that Virgo's ruling planet is Vulcan. When Vulcan is discovered and comes more into our planetary consciousness, Virgo will lose some of the more hyper-picky perfectionism (which comes from a speedy, nervous planet like Mercury ruling a sign that naturally tends toward more depth and wisdom) and realize its full potential. Soooo, you think we're superior and smug NOW? Watch out! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bumping this with interest because that planet may have been found. I wonder if you can combine those theories... celestial 11 is the asteroid belt and 12 is the new planet? Interesting. Not sure what that says about Virgos... maybe that the asteroid belt needs to be given some credit? Or maybe the new planet is Virgo's. Then who gets the asteroid belt: Libra or Taurus? Who gets to keep Venus? I may have to get back into this a little. I was the ghostwriter for astrology.com nearly 10 years ago, and I have forgotten almost everything. Interestingly, for this thread, my chart is almost entirely air and water. Mentally I am drawn to the idea of fire. Most of my favorites are florals. Queen of Clubs is the first earth to work on me (I love Zombi but don't get "earth" from it; it's a green rose). Hmmm.

The Living Flame is to me the child of Othello and Wildfire. Wildfire's another LE; I found Living Flame to be a pale imitation. Othello doesn't have the dragon's blood but it has a similar feel, just done much better.

To address a few points from the last page or so... I definitely notice more overall sensitivity if I've just gotten out of the shower. Samhain, for example, is fine when I am thoroughly dry, but definitely ouchy if I put it on while my skin is still damp. And -- while not specifically BPAL-related -- when I work out, I notice that my face will sting if I've recently applied any irritating products. (Like, when I was using Retin-A, my skin felt fine most of the time but hurt like hell when I sweated.) I imagine that sweating, since it opens up your pores, could lead to irritation, even if your perfume isn't fresh. Finally, I have heard that inside your elbows is actually very thin skin -- it doesn't SEEM like a place that would be sensitive, but apparently it is. All that said, the only "random" oil I've had a reaction to, apparently for none of the above reasons, was Cordelia. I have no idea what could have caused that.

Wet, Blood Lotus is bubblegum (lotus) and musk. I don't actually pick up any dragon's blood; I think it's lost in the lotus. As it dries, it fades to sweet musk. I don't pick up any spiciness at all. For me, not a keeper.

I went uh-oh as soon as this hit my skin. Wet: It smells like real jasmine... which is disastrous on me. Night-blooming jasmine is botanically completely different from "real" jasmine, but looking through my notes on other night-blooming jasmine scents, I'm seeing a pattern I hadn't noticed before. I think it's the note that gets disagreeably heavy on me. Wearing: Doesn't seem to change much. There's a "pee-y" undertone that I associate with BPAL jasmine fighting it out with my chemistry. Sadly, I don't get any fruit, spices, or resin... just a heavy-duty and not particularly nice (on me) floral.

I haven't reviewed it yet, but honestly... all I get from King of Clubs is spicy honey. On drydown it smells exactly like Bastet. I'm not sure if "Cat Goddess" is quite as manly as King of Clubs, but there you go.

It's yummy. In my first post, I only mentioned the two iris scents I've tried in which I can actually smell the iris. Strangely (for me), Nefertiti does work on me: normally, white sandalwood turns to pure pungent dust. I agree with tempete that Black Pearl is wonderful -- I think it's a big favorite on the board overall -- but the coconut can be a big deciding factor in that. I didn't smell iris at all in the half-dozen other iris scents I've tried: The Raven was all violet on me, and some baby oil (!). Vinland was odd and sharp; not sure why. Yerevan: Fruity wine; dried to generic fruit. Florence: Sort of medicinal. Dried to tart berries. The Ghost: Pretty and floral, but nothing really stood out for me. Ides of March: I LOVE this; rosemary and spice.

Of the iris scents I've tried, I would say NEFERTITI. It's gorgeous and it's fairly close to the Florentine Iris single note. Black Pearl is gorgeous too, but the coconut has a definite presense. Nefertiti is a little more "pure."

I've tried both of those and don't think either one is anything like AR... which I love too, BTW. Of course it also depends on what AR is to you. To me, it's a very pretty light floral, very "spring." Yerevan is fruity and Vinland is kind of odd and sharp. Vinland might be better for you, though -- it could have some random note that went weird on me.

I highly recommend Arkham Revisited for spring. Empyreal Mist is a good one too, depending on how hot it is; it'll be great for summer.

This is really beautiful. I received an "advance" imp of this from the lovely Syringa so I could see if I want more before the order cutoff. OH YES. Arkham Revisited IS the springtime in "Springtime in Arkham." It's actually a bit fruity to my nose when wet, and I can pick up the bergamot. It it dries to a very pretty light floral -- actually probably the first "light floral" from the Lab that I have really loved. It lasts fairly well for such a light scent, too. And it got the thumbs up from a local Guy, who pretty much never comments on my perfume apart from "Mmmmm... rosy" (whether it has roses or not). He liked this one a lot. I can't specifically ID any notes when it's dry, which (in this case) basically means that it's not overpoweringly violet. I love this.

And I'm just glad I haven't totally lost my mind. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow. I love F54 and hated Lilith. Weird.

Sadly -- in terms of being helpful! -- Sugar Cookie is much spicier than GP on me! Sugar Cookie reminds me strongly of Villianess's Gingersnapped soap, while GP is kind of "wussy." Your best bet may be to get an imp and decide for yourself.

I believe someone mentioned Whip as a good alternative to Rose Red, actually... apparently the leather is not too prominent. I tried London for the first time yesterday and loved it; very pure rose. It's not nearly as green as Rose Red though. Silentium Amoris went gross on me (I think I don't like ylang-ylang) and the Empress kind of did the same thing.

As it's now January, I haven't smelled the wisteria at my front door in almost a year, but the single note doesn't really bring back the memory for me. I don't know if it's because of the concentration or what, but single-note Wisteria has a distinctive "pee" note on my skin.

Oh, I didn't think so, and I hope Marty didn't get that impression!

Of course even some of the single notes are bouquets. This is a tough situation.

Perhaps another option to cut down on the back-and-forth, once you've narrowed it down a bit, would be to place your order and include in the comments that ALERT ALERT I'm allergic to... ALERT ALERT The Lab would likely see that when filling your order, and know to omit/substitute selections that could be a problem. I would imagine rose will be the most likely problem, although there's at least one blend that's prominently cinnamon but not labelled as such (Hamadryad). I don't envy you; it's hard enough sometimes to by things "scent unsmelled" without worrying if they'll actually *hurt* you.

Wow, I really DO have a strange nose. I have honeysuckle on a small arbor in my yard and I LIVE for when it blooms (sadly not often). But my Honeysuckle imps is only OK, and it doesn't smell like the flowers to me. The imp has a definite honey sweetness to it, which I actually do NOT smell in the flower. And it dries to that sweet "bathroom cleaner" smell that I've gotten from a few blends -- maybe this is a the culprit. It's not unpleasant, but not what I want to smell like.

Several people have mentioned this. How I wish it were true for me! I LOVE Wildfire, and while I do have a supply laid in, it won't last forever. Sadly, white sandalwood turns into nothing but heavy dusty smoke on me. Strange, 'cause RED sandalwood is not a problem!

I second this! Havisham reminds me of Zombi, but I'm one of the weird people that doesn't get "dirt" from Zombi...

thanks i will keep my eye open...sorry to drag up a moot thread <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No need to be sorry at all! That was really my point -- I don't want anyone to get confused seeing this thread, when the Single Notes don't appear on the Lab's site anymore. And, as others pointed out, many people do have various single notes. You might want to post in the "Wanted" forum if there are certain ones you especially want.