Ahania

This is one of the most interesting scents I've gotten from BPAL. It smells so good, but at the same time I find it unsettling, like something's not quite right (with things in general, not the oil!). I can't quite decide whether or not I like it, but it's one I keep going back to smell again and again to think about.

A gentlemen's blend, possessed of dignity, charm and refinement, but in truth masking a corrupted, hideous, soulless core. White musk, lime, lilac and citron. Citron and I are not friends. If it wanted to go all citrusy on me I would have been perfectly happy to smell limey. But I didn't get lime, or musk, or lilac. I hoped that after dry-down that would mellow out, but it didn't.

I get violets with a hint of general spiciness - no particular cloveyness - but it faded quickly, and in about an hour it was all gone. It's awfully pretty though, so I may hang onto the imp and just remember to keep slathering all day.

I get a little bit of vanilla from this, but mostly just wood and sassafras. I don't mind cedar in principle, but on me is another thing entirely. I've had this on a couple hours and it's still got that sharp menthol scent going on. I'm glad I got to try this, as I've been curious, but it is off to the swap pile.

The description of Glitter sounded so perfect. I love pears, I love white wine. I didn't get either of those. I didn't even get the bubblegum that most reviewers mentioned. No, I got citronella. As in mosquito repellant. Gak. Why, Glitter, why?

Wow- this one is so good I feel like gnawing my wrists. I haven't been that crazy about the other blackberry scents I've gotten, partly because they didn't really smell like blackberries. Closet smells just like the fruit, plus nummy cake (I've never had red velvet, but now I have to try it) and luscious, creamy buttery-sweetness. After smelling this one I definitely have to hunt down the other two monster baits.

Looking at the notes, I've got no idea how my nose got what it did- it started out sort of buttery sweet, like Miskatonic University without the coffee, but a little boozier. After a few hours it faded into strawberries, and then it mellowed into caramel apples. After about four hours I can still smell it if I sniff my wrist, but that's it. I didn't like the strawberry smell, but the earlier and later phases were lovely.

I got some spiciness from the carnation, but strangely, not from the clove. I didn't smell the rose or amber, either. (I may have smelled the myrtle and jonquil but I don't know what I'm sniffing for with those!) The incense and sandalwood meld wonderfully and the honey sweetens it nicely, but when I put it on, it just isn't me. It smells great but it belongs with someone else.

I love raspberries, and I love blood oranges, so this one seemed like a no-brainer. When I put it on I got a nice burst of neroli, but as soon as it dried, it turned into an overly sweet, artificial fruit smell, so sweet it hurt my head and upset my stomach. Straight to the swaps pile to find someone to love it!

This turned ultra-cinnamon on me. My nose isn't great, but I have no trouble telling between cardamom (which I love) and cinnamon (which I don't), so this was odd. After it calmed down a little, it turned into cinnamon with lemon. Not a keeper for me.

I can't really smell anything but lemon, but it's definitely heavier than plain lemon - maybe the vetiver coming out? In any case, if I'm going to smell like I've been doing housework all day, I want a clean house out of it. Or cash.

I got this lovely frimp from Shadith. Well, that did it. I was able to keep my wishlist under control because I absolutely hate patchouli and so immediately rejected anything that contained it. And then I smelled this... It starts out with delicious almonds, and then mellows into creamy clove. I didn't get any lime or pine. The patchouli wasn't that dominant, but I'm sure I'd miss it if it weren't in there. This is on the big bottle list.

Wow, Phobos makes me smell like someone could use me to take care of their wood furniture. I tried to tough it out, hoping for that musk/vanilla that other reviews mentioned, but I couldn't wait, and had to go wash. I do have to give it some points for determination, as it took a whole lot of work to wash it off!

The musk in here is dark and rich, but also a little menacing. When I first put it on, it's fairly mild, but after about an hour it suddenly gets much stronger, which was a first for me. I've worn it three times, and I'm still not completely sure if I love it or hate it. I'll probably use up the imp trying to make up my mind.

Ozymandias is a complete heartbreaker. I am a huge Shelley fan, and this is one of my favorites by him. And yet, when I put it in, I just smell like soap. Not even nice, fancy soap, but the nasty soap that teenage boys use trying to drown out any potential B.O. I just wanted this one to be perfect and it couldn't be much worse.

This is such a cheerful scent! It's bright, fresh, and sunny. I tend to get doom-and-gloomy sometimes so I think this would be good for me to wear on those days to pep me up. I haven't had much luck with citrus scents but this one I can't tell it's there, though I bet I'd miss it if it weren't.

How similar is Sol Invictus to Et Lux Fuit? They sound close, and I definitely love Et Lux Fuit. I'm leaning towards getting a bottle of SI but I'd appreciate some comments. Thanks!

Mmm! This is sunny, spicy, powdery, and creamy, all at once. It's the first scent I've tried with citrus that didn't turn into Pledge (even the lime scents turn into Pledge on me). I got an imp, now I have to go hunt for a bottle someone doesn't want.

When I first put this on, I thought it smelled like a little girl's scent, very young and pure. As I wore it, it got a bit more depth and maturity, but still had that purity to it. What is holy wisdom if not the ability to look at the world and learn from it without being tainted by it? I'm no good at picking out notes, but I can tell that this scent fits its namesake perfectly.

As soon as I opened this, I got a faceful of buttered popcorn jelly beans! I put it on and resisted licking myself. The sweetness calmed down pretty soon and got slightly -I want to say smoky, but that's not it. Probably the wood coming out. It took about an hour before I noticed any coffee at all, and that was just a tiny bit. In any case I love love love it! I got an imp from Medici and it isn't going to last very long. The saddest part about me not smelling coffee is I had my boyfriend sniff it and he immediately says it's Kahlua. That wouldn't be sad except he thought that Wrath, Bastet, and Euterpe all smelled the same.

This made my nose burn. I seem to get that from everything that has a black flower in the description. I didn't get any other scent from it, and I didn't wait for drydown.

The chocolate didn't really come to the front in this for me, but the cherry and orange blossom blended perfectly, with the chocolate in the background keeping it from getting too sweet or flowery. This is one of the few scents where I've actually been able to pick out the notes, which is kind of exciting. They are balanced perfectly. When I smell it, it's like there's a nerve running straight from my nose to.. um, south. We may never again face the problem of the chappie being in the mood and me not.

When I first put this on, I thought it fit the name perfectly. It smells like heavy eyelids and sprawling on the sofa, ignoring things that need to be done, and it made me want to sleep. Then it made me sneeze, and I knew it didn't fit the name for me, because I can be lazy with the best (worst?) of them without any problems at all.

I got roses... lots and lots of roses. I put on one little dab and I think the whole house smells. It's kind of giving me a headache, and I can't get it off. I scrubbed and scrubbed, and two hours later I'm still leaving a trail. It definitely has staying power! I wish I could smell the dirt - I wish I could smell anything else. I don't dislike it, though, I just wish it were milder. I think I may mix it into some lotion to thin it down. Maybe with the rose scent diluted I'll be able to get the earthy smell that everyone else seems to love. I got it as a swap, so I may take Inanna9's advice and order a lab-fresh imp, too.

This was top on my list to try... I love blackberry sage tea, so how could I not love this? And I did. Yummy berry, sweet but a heady sweetness, not sickly, and a delicious little bit of herbiness. Sadly, I put it on before bed, and woke up to find my face all swollen up. Stupid allergies. It's got to go on my swap pile.