Lady Ravenglass

Mmm... I agree with whoever said asamhain was so perfect - it really is autumny. Unfortunately, when my Samhain arrived, no only was it no longer autumn, but I thought it smelled terrible. It's aged now though, smells divine, and I can't wait to wear it come September! Not that I'm waiting or anything I'd better make sure I leave some in the bottle!

Hmmm... Snowcake. And not, as I said in my Dana O'Shee review simply the scent of Snowcake, but the whole thing. There's a soapy edge to it. I'm surprised and a little disappointed by my reaction to Snow White as it's one of the darlings of the forum, and I wanted to cherish my little impling in the proper manner. All I get is Snowcake, that slightly almondy, sweet vanilla hint plus soap. How strange I'll be patient a while though, and try her again in a month. Perhaps, as with a few scents now, my nose will change its mind.

When I first tried this, it was oddly vanilla - in fact, it smelled like Dragon's Milk on me. Today, it's smelling like Snowcake. Not as much as Snow White does - in fact, SW smells like Snowcake *soap* whereas this one smells like what Snowcake is scented with, if that makes sense. It is a lovely, light, almondy-vanilla scent, but the Snowcake-ness is getting to be too much for me. I think I'll finish the imp, but I can't see myself buying a bottle. It doesn't throw much on me unless I really pour it on. Like Sudha Segara it's very quiet indeed.

In the bottle it's quite light and oddly chemical, light sniffing paint. Drying on my skin, it's a pale, soft, green over flowers. Powedery and slightly sweet (apple, I think), it's making my nose twitch badly. The orchid is very nice. It's certainly lovely, reminiscent of a warm and calm Spring day, though it doesn't suit me very well. It's girlish and wistful, but the apples are doing something odd. I may well try it again come Spring, as in the right weather, this would probably be gorgeous.

The magnolia note in Helle's Belle and Black Dahlia is making them smell quite similar to my nose, but HB is sweeter and smoother.

Hmmm... This is a lot like Black Dahlia, due to the magnolia note, I suspect. Unfortunately, I've discovered that it's the magnolia that I don't like in Black Dahlia after all. This is a sweet, smokey heavy floral with a hint of incense that only comes out when close to the skin; on me the throw is magnolia through and through. It is quite strong as well, and doesn't seem to fade fast. It's a lovely blend, but the florals are a little overwhelming to my nose. It's dark, heavy, and adult. I'd put it in the same mood/style group as Noir and Black Dahlia - a kind of 40's Gothic.

If you can get hold of it, the sadly discontinued Noir has enough clove to be noticable. Also, it's amazing anyway, even for non-clove lovers. I'm into cloves, so I'm watching this thread carefully. I miss clove cigs though - GAF in their little black and gold jackets!

It's O, but wearable. It must be the vanilla, but this is just like O on me, except without the sweaty dirty note that made me stink like a goat in heat. It still smells of sex, but gentler and softer. I don't think I could ever wear this out of the house; it lingers on my skin like a wicked afternoon, drenched in velvet. Big bedroom bottle of this for me.

Mmm... Othello is my favourite scent on my foxboy. On him, the roses come out strongly, but he wears them well. I don't know how you can have a masculine rose, but Beth's done it. The spicey, woody, musk scent is quieter and hardly comes out at all. When I wear it, I smell like the sandalwood incense I was once given as a gift - no roses on me, just a soft, dry, slightly spiced scent (I think that must be the musk, as I don't see sandalwood listed as an ingredient). I don't much like it on my skin (scent memories to an old lover) but on my other half it's amazing, and I have bought him a big bottle. Now to dip him in it once a day... I recommend dousing Him in Othello and Her in Morocco - we smelt like a souk! Lovely

Mmmm. This is one of my loves. Wet, it has a sharp, almost gingery scent, which after much sniffing I've realised smells a lot like mint - real mint, when you rub the leaves and the smell drifts up. I suspect that's the sage, and what I'm smelling is the crushed 'green-ness'. I don't normally like herby green oils, but the sharpness is mellowed by vanilla'd blackberries - it dries down to a creamy, smooth sweetness with a hint of green in the background to keep it from slipping into Lady Macbeth/Jester/Bordello territory (I adore sweet scents, but they disagree with my stomach ). I've never tasted the Blackberry Sage tea this is being compared to, but I can definitely see where a fruit/herbal tea comparison might come from as I regularly drink Blackberry and Nettle tea and this certainly has a bit of a similar feel. This is a lovely scent! It's sweet without being nauseatingly candy-like; it's green without being sharp and pointy. There is enough vanilla to calm down the herbs and to carry the berries, but it never turns 'foody'. This is a forest walk in autumn, blackberry-picking in crisp air in the sun. I suspect this will be a 5ml purchase eventually, and I often wear it when I'm feeling a bit gypsy-esque and bangle-hung.

Mmm...sweet vanilla when wet. In the vial, this smells deliciously edible, and like pure vanilla should smell (my SN Vanilla Bean has turned to straight Dragon's Milk!). Drying down, though, the vanilla fades and it's less sweet - there's something lightly flowery and linen-y, like laundry conditioner/softener. Hrm. My arms are smelling disturbingly like Lenor, and I'm not sure that slathering masses of this on myself was such a good idea now From a distance, ie, not with my nose pressed to my arm, the vanilla is still faintly hanging around. I think I like this, if only for the wet vanilla scent, but I'll need to try it in a scent locket and see if that stops the flowery smell! I wish it stayed more vanilla though, as after the sharp, pointy experience with SN Vanilla I'm still looking for a soft, sweet, cuddly vanilla scent. See what you've done Beth? You've successfully removed my hatred of vanilla, nurtured after so many years spent with teen girls spraying Impulse all over the dorm/changing rooms/PE cloakrooms!* Unfortunately, I think this might be one of my' allergy blends', since as I write, I'm sneezing like mad every two or three words *Boarding School Horrors: Vols 3-5b EDIT: Oh, pants - I tried putting this in my hair to see if the floral smell would stop developing. Now I have lenor-scented hair I guess the pure vanilla isn't something I'm going to get from this. Ah well!

Accidental x-post, but Mabon and Blood Countess could be sisters on my skin. In fact, just like sisters, because they shout and sulk and poke each other when I'm not looking if I put them anywhere near each other... Like someone else mentioned, it's also got something in common with Red Moon, which I've only just noticed. There's a rich, spicy note coming through.

Mabon and Blood Countess were quite similar on me, though BC dries down darker and sweeter. I think it's the berries. And BC is close enough to be a buyable version anyway And Grog, in the imp smelled a lot like Gluttony, but slightly less 'rich'. Still heady, heavy boozy butter though.

Oooohh... I like! For some reason, I think I expected this to be a dark, DBR scent - shows how much attention I pay to descriptions It's sort-of-light (I always think fruit scents are light for some reason) and very fruity, with that hint of what I always think is grapefruit, but isn't! I think it's the berries - it reminds me very closely of Mabon, which is a love I can't get enough of. That said, Mabon is now sulking at being usurped and a dab on my hand for comparison has turned rancid Yikes, these two don't like getting close. Now Mabon's gone nice and BC has gone bad! Nevermind. I shall keep them separated. Yes, blackberries in Mabon and plum here. Close enough to be deliciously familiar and different enough to keep. And I can't get a bottle of Mabon anyway. Drying, the fruit evens out and a darker note settles down. It's still fruity, but the bright, dewy berries have given way to a rich plum wine. It's gotten sweeter too. Mmm... this I love. I thought I didn't like light scents or florals, and once again BPAL has proved me wrong in the most wonderful way. Once the weather warms up and I start getting to the end of my Mabon, this will go in an order for a 5ml of juicy, berry womanly goodness. Wow. Gorgeous scent, though I do like the wet stage better than the drydown Mmm... *snuggles imp close* Edited for spelling

Mmmmm... New love This reminds me a lot of Morocco, perhaps it's the sweetness thing. Adorable! It's warm and sweet and honey-vanilla'd, and has Dragon's Blood to give a round, warm scent with just a tiny hint of sharp red fruit to stop things collapsing into a creamy vanilla orgy. Perfect. The honey in here is not a note I immediately picked up on, but it's there, drifting around underneath the vanilla. This is warm and cosy and dreamy. I'm in love. On me, this is Morocco with less almond (though still some), and as such is nearly enough to keep me going until my 5ml arrives in January! Nearly... I can't believe I sniffed this originally, said 'meh' and put it back in the box!! *dribble* 5ml for sure, though it'd be a little norty, since it is so much like Morocco on my skin. I just want to pour my imp all over myself! BPAL has changed my feelings for vanilla. That nasty vanilla body spray that everyone used to use at school (and I boarded, so I got it all day and night not just in PE!) kinda turned me off it, but BPAL's is a gloriously foody sweet smell that I'm loving, probably because it's blended so perfectly. ETA a note I missed.

Mabon is fruity in a citrus (grapefruit) kind of way, though it's apparently blackberry. It's sharp and fresh smelling on me, rather than heavy-sweet. It reminds me of Aizen-Myoo, which is also a sparkling light scent with a citrus, but not lemony edge. Cheshire Cat also went grapefruity on me, and though it was too tart, it had a similar feel. I agree with Miggins about Swank, which was like fresh sweet fruit, but real fruit, not flavours, with that juicy edge to it.

Black Cat and Has No Hanna are keeping me above water. Right now, my SO has vanished away for a while and there's no fixed date on his return, so I'm moping round an empty house, depressed and lonely. I know it's not quite the same, but I'm dependant and prone to depression, so it doesn't help. Bordello is cosy and loving though and is like a warm hug.

Ho hum. I handed this over to my SO when they arrived and he splashed it on (trying unsuccessfully to look disinterested in the imps). He said, "It smells like I've been rolling around with goats!" and he has a point. It's smooth and dirty at the same time, and I'm not wild on sweaty scents (O! ). On the other hand, it is rather manly, in a wild, rugged animal way. (That'll be the civet then). It smells good on him, and I think it would be even better if he'd leave it on instead of getting rid of it before bed. I'll dab him up with it and see how it mellows with the hint of vanilla I'm getting in the air.

Wet: Hmm. Slightly burnt coffee. *waits* Ack! Singed feathers! Oh, wait, flowers, faintly. This reminds a tiny bit of Old Venice, that adult womanly floral scent that I ended up giving to my mother. Unfortunately, there's something else in there behind that flowers that smells like, well, bathrooms My nose won't let it alone, but I'm not really enamoured of this scent at this early point and would rather not splash any more on! I keep sniffing it, but I really do think this is again, too grown-up for me. There's something sophisticated in there and dark. Roses. I ordered this for the fig and vanilla, but it's the roses that are wafting around me. Dry: Roses. Nice roses, but the jasmine is what is making it feel too mature for me. I'll give it another go, wearing it properly, and perhaps get a feel for it in the office.

I agree with Shollin here - very medicinal. This arrived this morning in my Samhain order and is bright green!! There's a hint of mint and a lozenge-y smell to it that makes me think of the nastier kind of cough sweets, but slightly lime-flavoured. I have an urge to bite into it and see if it's filled with chocolate (Mmm...chocolate limes ) I can smell the citrus, but it doesn't jump out at me. I can't see myself wearing this, except possibly to counter a cold, and Sudha Segara's gorgeous winter ginger does that quite nicely!

Uh-oh. I get patchouli eventually. Unfortunately, what I get first is TCP - an antiseptic ointment smell. Oh my. Medical cabinet meets hippie shop. It does calm down, but I think that its first effects are going to be hard to live down, especially since, after assaulting my senses, it vanishes with barely a trace. Damn it - another for the growing swap pile. *sob*

Very warm, and kind of spicy, but not sharply so. It's soft and cosy. When this first arrived (Thanks Penance!) I dabbled it on immediately and then wondered where the funny smell was coming from. On first application it seemed to be another version of O, which might be due to the vanilla-sweet scent. It's dried down now to a creamy softness that smells positivly edible, though from my wrists I don't get much throw at all. Maybe I've sniffed it all off, but it's fading fast. It has a pudding-smell - definitely a foody scent! I think I'll be likely to finish the imp, but I don't know how much of a 'perfume' this one will prove to be. Like O and Le Petit Mort it is sweet and tasty, but it seems almost too unique and un-perfumey to wear; it's more of a second-skin scent. And ultra-sweet scents (Blood Rose, for example) have a tendency to make me go then a few minutes later (or right after I've ordered a big bottle ) to make me feel rather nauseous.At least it isn't doing anything unpredictable like turning into raw sex five minutes after leaving the house or something (looking at you here O...). It is making me want more dessert, though, preferably with custard. In fact, this smells like custard! Sweet, lightly rich and spiced with the barest hint of something from the store cupboard.

I can't belive I haven't reviewed this yet! It's certainly my new favourite oil. I got an imp as a freebie and am scouring the swaps section for spares! It's light and sweet, but not heavy-sweet, and the dragon's blood, which often goes terribly thick and cloying on me (Blood Rose and Blood tend to make me nauseous in that respect:( ) is tempered by the amber, making it smoky and a lot like Dragon's Bone/Tears to my nose - or at least, a bit similar in that they are both on the light, lovely side of DBR. Blood Amber is just perfect on my skin, and works wonderfully with my chemistry. It manages to be light and strong-scented at the same time! Throws well but doesn't last long enough sadly. Still, big bottles = slathering opportunities...

Mmm...red and warm. I can smell the sharp citrus at first, but on my skin it mellows down. The dragon's blood (which sometimes hates me) has a sweet edge but not too sweet here and is curling up on my pulse points like an old friend. I've had a long day at work, and came home to find this waiting from Allamanda It's mingling with my own skin scent and blending into something warm and cosy and 'perfumey'. By that, I think I mean that scent that sits just right on your skin and that has earned the term 'perfume'. Some scents, even BPAL, are just lovely scents. This on me, is Perfume. *sigh* I love my little imp of this. A favourite I think.

If my nose is working in time for Halloween partying round here (which will be Friday night, then Saturday night) I'll be wearing whatever I think compliments my outfit. Friday I'm looking at Death circa Season of Mists, though the hair is causing me troubles and I think perhaps Lucy's Kiss or Black Rose, something wistful and girly but dark. Samhain proper, well, I don't know. Whatever takes my mood for the day. I have people to remember, though I won't be attending rituals this year. I am planning a dinner though, so I expect I'll smell of olive oil as I plan on roasting loads of vegetables and oil carries! Zombi would be suitable, but I can't get past the earth smell Silly nose.