cuervosueno

Yes, yes, yes! I agree--I wanted Numb to smell like this, instead of dryer sheets! I love this--it surprised me by being my favorite of the Yule blends other than Jacob's Ladder, and I didn't expect it--in fact, I almost didn't order it. In the bottle--sweet mint (spearmint?) and the slushy notes I get in Beth's winter blends like Skadi, Snow Bunny, etc. On the skin, its lovely creamy mint--not as buttery as Snowblind, but it does have a sweet candy scent which I love (and not too sweet either--I agree that it is less sweet, somehow, than Snow Bunny, but it does have some evergreen in it too). And I get the greenness other people mentioned too. What it reminds me of is mint crushed under snow. I like it!

I haven't tried this side by side with Skadi yet, but lordie, it sure reminds me of it when I sniff it, though Talvikuu was SO similiar to Skadi I decided I didn't need to keep it, having a bottle remaining, so I guess I find Talvikuu the Skadi ringer this year. this is a bit sweeter to my nose, and quite lovely. I keep sniffing it with Nuclear Winter, and I find them similiar too, though Snow Bunny has the pine note Nuclear Winter doesn't. I swear I smell a sweet mint in here, but maybe I'm crazy....Still, if I had to describe it, I'd say wintery buttery minty with pine. I do like it, but didn't feel I needed to keep it since I decided to keep Nuclear Winter and I still have Skadi. However, my best friend, who is very UN-girly, loves it, so she gets it! And Beth, sweetie, I just don't see how this perfume is girly--its all pine and slushy notes and sweet on me! Now Pink Phoenix--that's a whole nuther story.....

Ah Red Phoenix--as lovely as Pink Phoenix is not, on me anyway! I had high hopes for this, and while it won't become an all time favorite, I will keep the bottle and enjoy it. and the only reason its not a favorite is because its not as strong as I would like on me, and it fades fairly quickly--is down to the aforementioned "skin scent" in about 2 hours, and I'm a total scent slut--I want it strong, in-your-face, advertising, not subtle! In the bottle, I get mostly cassia (which my American nose can't tell from cinnamon either). I don't get pachouli, and in fact, the pachouli never really makes an appearence for me, or not a discenerable one anyway. Its pretty true when on my skin, though it becomes rounder, if that makes sense--less spice dominated. I can smell the plum which gives it a voluptuous note--the blend smells spicy, red, full and juicy. In fact, if I were going to name it, I'd name it Harlot or Bordello--not that it is anything like bordello (which didn't work for me) but because it makes me imagine a lush-bodied woman naked in a room with lots of gilding and red velvet. Now if it were only stronger, it would become a true fave! But I like it quite a bit nonethless.

Interesting, as always, how different people's skins amp up different notes. I decided to try this--despite my loathing of rose perfume--because I love me some carnation and tea, and I was hopeful the rose wouldn't be noticeable. Perhaps the reason I don't like rose is because my skin loves it so much it blasts it out there to the detriment of anything else in the blend? could be, because that's what happened here. In the imp, this is mostly white tea with a floral note I can't quite name. but literally, as soon as it hits my skin its all rose! I have to admit I don't dislike this, though. Its a true rose, like walking into the florist like someone else already said. soft, dewy rose, one of those old-fashioned ones that get very full and blowsy and have a divine scent. (I like rose fine in flowers, just not in perfume). So far, though, all I get is rose. There's a slight astringency in it which I suspect is the tea, but no, sigh, carnation at all. Oh well--I've newly discovered Hod, so that can do it for my carnation fix, and in the meantime, at least I have experience once rose scent I don't dislike.

The lovely Shelldoo enabled me with an imp of this after reading me rhapsodize about the scent of LUSH"s Ruby Red Slippers....that carnation rose goodness (and I don't even LIKE rose, but I love me some carnation!) I adore this, and as I suspected, need a bottle. For me it is soft, creamy carnation, and yes, I'd guess there is amber in it too, because it has that golden slightly powdery note I get from amber. The spiciness from the carnation is there for sure, but it is tempered by the creamy sweetness.....It reminds me of Alice, but not quite so milky. I don't get vanilla myself, and my skin usually amps up vanilla....No tea per se to my nose, but if it was in there I wouldn't actually be surprised--it could have a very milky honeyed tea in there. Its very soft, very lovely, and will be delightful with LUSH"s Almond Kisses lotion that I have (which smells, oddly, of carnations, not almonds). eta: after awhile it goes to O on me too....amber and honey. I love it, though I wish the carnation spiciness would stay. Still, someone wondered if they needed both Hod and O and like that person, I must say the answer for me is a resounding YES!

First, a disclaimer: I am sick. My nose is all wonky, so I may have to edit this review later, but..... y Mitzvah: Caramel! Wow! Knock me over with a caramel apple stick and dip me in....yep....caramel! I can't believe how strong it is. I've tested all my other bottles--I got a huge stash in the past two days--nearly 10 bottles--and I can barely smell any of them. but I opened up Mitzvah and was just bowled over by the scent. And then it stuck in my nose--you know how that happens and you can't smell anything else? So I haven't even put it on yet, and I'm overwhelmed by the scent of chewy, creamy, just slightly salty caramel. In fact, it feels like I have, um...caramel up my nose now. It's ok, but you know I have a fair amount of other buttery, caramel scents: midway, hearth, etc. and I've already decided I need to thin the herd, so to speak, so I think Mitzvah's stay with me will be limited.

As so many others have noted, this is a glorious scent. It is very similiar on as it is in the bottle. When I open the bottle I get a soft golden powdery scent--I worried it wouldn't be strong enough on. but it is--it just sticks close. Not a skin scent exactly--which I find a little too subtle for my tastes--but just a soft sophisticated cloud of golden light. I say sophisticated because that how it seems to me: a sexy grown up perfume for when I want to be dressed up. What I get mostly is golden amber, but the woody/spicey note of benzoin is also clear to me. I'm not so familiar with the rest that I can likely pick them out, but it does have a nice undertown of powder that I sometimes associate with musk. It could be the ambrette--I saw somewhere that some perfumers sometimes use ambrette to mimic musk. Or maybe not! In any case, this is glorious gold, and the label is so representative of the scent! So glad I got this one!

Very buttery. Very much like Midway in the bottle--that glorious golden buttery sweet scent I love in the bottle, but find I don't wear much. I put it on, and what adds a nice edge is that early on I get the sharp green scent of trees as well--that adds an edge to this that might make it superior to Midway in my mind. the pine notes don't last on me though--it reverts back to its buttery foody goodness. Its a bit more buttered rum in scent than anything in Midway, but the scents are similiar on me....perhaps when I'm home I'll try them together and edit this if anything changes. I'm thinking that I don't need both hearth 05 and Midway, so one will probably go, but I do enjoy this, and gourmand scent lovers will like it, I think.

Ah the mysterious Baron. Courtly, lovely, but ephemeral....a lovely apparition. In the imp--all almonds, which do wonderful things for me too. I love the almond scents. On, I soon get the spice/clove notes that are reminiscent of bay rum, but better. I don't get the rum per se, but that fresh spice that I associate with bay rum scents. Sad thing is, I put it on, loved it, decided to write this review about an hour later, and hey, where's he gotten to? Off to the crossroads I guess. So I like it, but it doesn't last on me at all. eta: several hours later I discover he hasn't fled....just morphed to the a lightly spiced powdery scent very close to the skin. the sweet powder makes me think of white musk, though I don't believe that's in here. Still, its very lovely. Perhaps the Baron is a keeper after all..

Installment #2 of the CT2 swap: CCLXVIII in the bottle: butter? sweet buttery candy with something slightly herbal. on the skin: is that herbal note mint? Maybe, but not a terribly sweet mint if so--peppermint? With something else--another herb that I should be able to place and can’t. But it is soft and lovely--think peppermint with a creamy soft floral. final thoughts: This is quite nice. the strong initial notes blend into something that is sweet and very slightly minty, with a nice creamy floral too. There may be honey in this or just a tiny touch of vanilla. In other words after it settles down, I don’t identify individual notes, but it it is soft and lovely. And vanilla--yes. Now it is settling into a sort of snake oil vibe, so it must be vanilla. (Last reviewed by elphaba.) LXXIX: in the bottle: Mmmm.....Wood. Sweet woody note. on the skin: Wood with a sweet floral I absolutely know but am having problems identifying. Neroli maybe? yes, I think so, and the neroli is overwhelming the wood at the moment. In fact, that’s now all I get. I think I better go sniff some neroli single note though, to see if I’m correct. final thoughts: Neroli for sure...I just compared them. That’s about all I get in the end....whatever the wood was...a light sandalwood perhaps? has vanished. At the end something a bit bitter starts coming out--could be myrrh. (Last reviewed by shelldoo.) CCXCIX: in the bottle: hmm...this one is hard. Sweet oily note. I should recognize that sweetness but can’t quite. The oil is gold, so its not dragon’s blood. On the skin: on, its clear that the sweetness is floral, but it is very very sweet, almost cloyingly so. I did check WickedGoddess’ review of this, and I agree with gardenia as a possible scent, though later she changed her opinion to apple blossom, and I can see that too. Whatever--it is LIKE gardenia--ie. very very sweet floral. I don’t get a lot of booziness from this yet, but there is something golden and full that adds complexity to this and tones down the excessive sweetness. final thoughts: On me, this one fades fairly quickly, and leaves only a bit of residual sweetness. I’d go with a fruit blossom note here instead of the gardenia, actually, because the note has that sweetness, but I tend to think of gardenia as having just a bit of muskiness in the sweetness which this is lacking. It ends as a sweet golden floral on me, and while its ok, I like CCLXVIII much more. (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) CCCXCV in the bottle: this is a very clear oil--just a hint of gold color. Sniff: ooooh! Fruit candy. on the skin: oooh! I kind of want to eat it! What is that note? Fruity but a watery candy fruit. Not quite watermelon. Mango? With an aquatic note? Reminds me of Yemaya a bit, though Yemaya’s fruit scent is more watery. It smells like the color or papaya. Oh, its gorgeous--now there is a strong tropical flower note coming out too! It is very strong--a very strong floral coupled with the undernote of fruit. final thoughts: Its not to my usual taste, but is quite lovely. I looked up quikslvr’s review and I agree that this is a very white scent, and while I’ve never smelled water lily, I see the comparison--because it is white with an aquatic note--almost soapy but not, and with that fruit underneath. Very sophisticated, and more like commercial perfume than many other BPAL scents, but not in a bad way. It fades very quickly on me. (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) CX in the bottle: rich gold color, and it opens with a slightly bitter floral note. Neroli again? Or does my nose just get stuck on notes once I smell them? on the skin: Not neroli. A very sweet white flower with what I think is a hint of incense in the background. Could be jasmine, though it is slightly different than the regular BPAL jasmine note. Its not a strong oil, and I’m not getting a lot else. this is totally at odds with the other reviews, btw, but that’s what I’m getting. final thoughts: Ok, I was wrong about it not being strong. While up close I don’t get a lot, from a distance it has a lot of throw, and all its saying is jasmine, jasmine, jasmine! It smells just like the Red flower Indian Jasmine body lotion I just got, and also is nearly identical to the Caswell-Massey’s jasmine single note. Finally it takes on a bit of incense as jasmine sometimes does, and now I’m getting just a hint of the herbal/astringent notes other people noted. Jasmine is the only floral I reliably enjoy, and overall, I LOVE THIS! Doesn’t last long on me though. (Last reviewed by elphaba.) XXXVI in the bottle: This oil is almost clear. It has a sweet almost playdoh like note I remember from sugar cookie. on the skin: Its strong! I can smell it even though with my arm down. And forgive me, but its weird. No more playdoh, but I don’t know what it is. Something like an artificial fruit note? Like a candy flavor that has no relation to the fruit it’s named after? Banana maybe? No, now it reminds me of powder and that bubble-gum scented Novocain they use at the dentist. Wait! Pineapple! Olympia301 suggested that in her review and I agree. final thoughts: Luckily, the dental scent fades quickly, but overall it is an odd fruit with just a bit of a crystalline note. Some other reviewers have suggested white musk, and I could see that as being a note. It does go powdery, which musk often does for me. Overall it is like a pineapple cake or candy with a bit of white musk to add a powdery perfumy scent to it. Not bad, if not me. After a bit six hours, though, it is only a lovely baked vanilla note that is nice. (Last reviewed by elphaba.) CCLIII in the bottle: color: bright gold. Scent: floral. on the skin: Huh. Still floral, and not one I’m able to identify. Ok, I cheated and looked at previous reviews, and they say rose, and I suppose it could be, but it doesn’t scream “rose” to me....something else in the blend disguises it a bit. But overall, this does scream floral. final thoughts: Not me, though the rose does fade and it becomes green and herbal. (Last reviewed by diabolique.) CLVI in the bottle: green soap? on the skin: first just soap....is it lavender? Then it becomes creamy green, with a soapiness. When I read the Gin’s review, she noted a creamy mintiness, and while I don’t necessarily get the mint, there is a creaminess to it. final thoughts: Ok, I’m going to have to admit I lost track of this one...it faded fast, and I couldn’t distinguish it from the remnants of my earlier scent testing. (Last reviewed by elphaba.) CCCIV in the bottle: sharp green--rosemary? sage?--with something else, slightly spicy. on the skin: This is an herbal green. It’s not lavender...not mint...It’s very familiar though. I think it has amber in it. And a slightly citrusy note too. My god, I have no clue what this is! I’m not getting a sarsaparilla note though there is something slightly creamy about it. final thoughts: This one is hard. I feel like there is amber in it to give it a golden, slightly resiny, slightly powdery fixative edge. there is also a fruity note to it. And then something herbal...maybe rosemary or sage. But It blends together to become a full golden scent with a slight berry note to it. But no clue overall. (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) My overall thoughts on my Chaos Theory 2 sniffathon? I was delighted to try all these and try a figure out individual notes, which I’m obviously bad at, even with a cabinet full of single note essential oils to fall back on. So it was fun, and made me want to experiment again with my aromatherapy kit. But I only lusted after couple of these blends--most I was either indifferent to, or didn’t like at all, and so this reinforces my not so successful CT2 forays with the ones I bought/swapped for. If it comes up again this summer, I think I’ll skip it.

Cuervo's installment #1 of the CT2 swap: Thanks to Original Wacky for doing all the organizational work! And my apologies to readers...I’m having a hard time with the codes in the browser I’m using, so including links to earlier reviews just didn’t work for me. The first trio: All of these first three are the same color, a pale straw color that I think of as the standard BPAL color--but Iove it when the perfumes are a different color! LXXXIV In the bottle: light floral....white floral like honeysuckle possibly. On the skin: Yes, a floral note, and I don’t know what it is, but honeysuckle or some such seems like a good guess. I don’t think it is jasmine. After a moment it turns a bit creamier but still floral, could have a very light rose in there too, I suppose. Something green, but creamy green. Final thoughts: After a bit, the strongest floral topnotes disappear and I’m left with a nice green floral....sort of like being in a florist shop...no scratch that...like being in a greenhouse where something tropical is blooming maybe one room over. Reminds me of a catalog scent but I can’t think of which one. After a bit it turns a herbal. Nice enough for a floral mix. (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) CCCXXVII: In the Bottle: Wow! Very different than the one above, and I have absolutely no idea what it smells like. Its odd...I’d call the scent musky, but not like any musk I’ve smelled....but I’d still describe it as a musty musk odor. Somewhat animalistic. On the Skin: I’m bafffled. I’m going to have to go and look through reviews and see if I can find this one, because I have no idea. I don’t much like it, though. If I’d had to guess I’d say a flower that has a musky scent? Like Narcissus maybe? There’s also a wierdly familiar note that reminds me of something that had been cooked a couple of days ago but is still lingering the hallway....like a not delicious smelling curry. Sorry I’m so vague but this one is wierd. Final thoughts: Glad I didn’t get a bottle of this one! though when I went back and read Elphaba’s review, I can agree on the coconut, though its faint for me. That’s what gives it the odd curry scent. But it does end up having an interesting woody note.... (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) LXIV in the bottle: whew! that’ s sharp and cleans my nose out nicely after the wierd floral of the last one! Eucalyptus? Maybe not quite, but its sharper than pine. Very astringent, very green. On the skin: Oh, I like this! My skin sucked it up very quickly, but what I get is a sharp pine with perhaps another white floral. (or have those wierd white florals just got stuck in my nostrils?) No, definately a floral, and that sharp green is fading fast. Perhaps I don’t enjoy it so much. This is virtually disappearing as I type, though, and I note this imp has way less in it than the others, which makes me suspect I’m not the only one that finds it quick to flee. Final Thoughts: Very bright green note, which could be a spruce or pine, but also reminds me of the sharp green of alecto. It is more green than floral. Nice enough. Finally ends up on me like a cross between alecto and a creamy floral blend. (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) Trio Two: oooh! Two of these are bright green! How fun! Now I hope my nose will last...I’m sniffing coffee beans in between, but...... DXVI In the bottle: oh! Its a lovely blue green! Kind of the color of Scope mouthwash! And yikes! Minty freshness! Spearmint for sure. And with a touch of cream? Like a spearmint flavored buttermint! Yum! I want to eat it! on the skin: creamy sweet mint! How lovely! Hasn’t changed much from the bottle. final thoughts: Delicious! Doesn’t change much, but how lovely it is! Has a lot of throw too. If it was mine, I probably wouldn’t wear it much though, because it smells like candy! (Last reviewed by stiricide.) CCXCVIII In the bottle: Pale straw colored. Scent--fruit! Tropical fruit? Not banana, but something sort of banana-y, apple-y. On the skin: Oh! How lovely! No more fruit. Smells like fresh straw and flowers with something that is not fruit but has a fruitiness to it--maybe a slight booziness? Like a fruity white wine? Smells like a picnic in late summer in golden fields... Final Thoughts: It fades fast, and it does get more perfumey as I wear it. Still, its quite lovely! this is the first Chaos theory ever I’ve really liked. (Last reviewed by elphaba.) CVIII In the Bottle: Very pretty bright green in color! Very sharp pine. I almost want to say eucalyptus, but I think its just a sharp pine. very astringent with an almost peppery note in it. On the Skin: wow! could it be pine AND eucalyptus? Because its that green, that sharp. Yep, that’s what I’m getting. Mostly the lovely strong pine of say, Skadi, but under that is a very sharp note of menthol that seems like eucalyptus...kind of like vicks vaporrub, you know? But in a pine forest. And there’s an odd peppery/herbal note there too. Final Thoughts: Uh. At first I gave this a big no, but after a bit that sharpness fades and its pure piney goodness--reminiscent of my beloved Skadi. So yes, I like! (Last reviewed by elphaba.) Last trio for tonight--sniff those coffee beans--ok, here I go: CCXX in the bottle: Oh, I know what that is! Nope, lost it. Starts like a fruit, then floral, then soapy? Smells familiar, but.... on the skin: Slightly boozy? What IS this?. Ok, now its getting golden, resiny. Wacky suggested amber and it could be....but its also got something in it that gives it a slightly boozy/fruity note...It really reminds me of something..... It could be amber with a golden scented flower. There’s something woody in it too. Its driving me crazy because I know what this is, but can’t quite get it. I don’t know: I want to say honey and amber gilded lilies, but it doesn’t really smell like lilies...it just makes me think of that. I’d name it gilded lily if it were mine final thoughts: Ok, another I like. amber and musk maybe? And this one is stronger and doesn’t fade that fast. I’d have probably kept the bottle if this was mine.....Its gorgeous. I wish it was available as a catalogue blend! OMFG! It turns to samhain! I LOVE this one! (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) CCLXXIV in the bottle: woody and sharp in scent, golden in color. Wood and menthol (ie. eucalyptus? Or am I just getting stuck on the same notes?) on the skin: Sharp wood.....reminds me of one of the Tarot blends but my nose is starting to fail me...Oh, I’m useless. Sweet and slightly floral, reminds me very much of something but I can’t get it. Wait, rose maybe. Something golden with it. Amber? final thoughts: It may just be I’ve tried too many today, but its just a generic golden rose blend. Turns kind herbally green, though. (Last reviewed by Penance.) Last one to sniff; here I go! And the line of notes goes down real slow.....(sorry, I’ve been listening to classic rock) CCCLXXXII in the bottle: golden green fruit with a bit of something...fresh. on the skin: I think my nose is out of commission for the evening. I’m not getting much. A fresh slightly apple-ish scent? Also familiar, but I can’t place it. Imagine sun-warmed grass and sun-warmed laundry. final thoughts: Can’t really say any more than that, my sniffer being out of it for the evening. (Last reviewed by OriginalWacky.) Ok, tomorrow I’ll get to the rest in the package. This was fun, if challenging, and I can see I’m actually not at all good at picking out notes...and I thought I was! Also, interesting for me to note that out of all of these, I’d only buy one: CCXX which rocks!

Hmmm.....I guess it is ok to add a new post about the 2005 version? Anyway, I got it. And I'm so sad that it is not like 2004, which is my all time favorite BPAL blend. But I'm still glad I decided to get a bottle. 2004 has the floral and chocolate and smoke, but what I got mostly from the beloved blend was a strong brown sugar overtone that tamed the florals. 2005 is missing that. It is a very floral blend--surprising how floral--and while it is clearly the notes I get in 2004, these notes are much stronger, and I miss the way that is tamed by the other notes, esp. that lovely brown sugar note. Its nice, don't get me wrong, but I can't be obsessed by it the way I was by 2004. That said, I made a discovery. If I layer it with sugar skull 2005, I can approximate the scent of 2004. Not entirely, because the florals in DDLM 05 are so strong they tend to overwhelm the Sugar Skull, but if I keep experimenting I may get the amounts right (and if I do, I just might make up a little bottle, because I only have about 1/4 of a bottle of 04 left!).

So sad Black Opal doesn't work on me at all. I ordered a bottle unsniffed because how could a vanilla musk scent go wrong on me--I love those scents! But I forgot not all musk works on me--I need the heavier, darker musks. And, alas, I get no vanilla. On me this is pure sweet powder with a hint of floral. It reminds me a bit of a perfume I loved when i was 20 something: Ombre Rose. But I don't like that scent much anymore--too powdery, too floral, and this smells just like it in the bottle and one me at first. The powder does die down a bit, but I'm still left with a soft floral (and none of my beloved vanilla!). I tried it on my new gentlemen friend and he said, hmmm....underwhelming. (He'd laugh if I knew I called him that, being he's more a of biker boy than a gentleman, but....) So off it goes!

I bought a 5 ml from the description alone and I suppose I should have just gone with an imp. Don't get me wrong, French Love is lovely--just not something I need so much of. Yes, definately Dragon's Blood, which is nice and has that spicey sweet scent I enjoy. There is also a floral in there I can't indentify, but it isn't a particularly strong floral. Maybe vanilla? Its a sweet spicey floral, but it doesn't stand out much when I put it on. and while it doesn't exactly fade quickly, it also lingers at such a low level I think its gone away when it hasn't. I can see that it could be quite seductive because its like a whisper--something you have to lean in to catch the scent of. but I prefer something stronger, so off it goes.

This was a frimp, and I had no idea what was in it when I tried it on. I kept thinking it was lovely and powdery, but turns out that was Hunger on my other hand, which is so strong it keeps wafting up, demanding to be noticed. As for Wicked--reminds just a tiny bit of Caterpiller in the bottle, which is no doubt the jasmine--smells like dark jasmine incense. Sometimes BPAL's myhhr doesn't work for me, but I don't smell the myhhr this time around. On, it isn't at all like The Caterpiller. the jasmine becomes less incensy. Its a dark floral on, not too bad at first. But then, sniff sniff. What is that? Oh, my nemesis, rose. Oh well. For me the jasmine dominates, but a hint of rose comes out which really does it in for me. No thanks!

Got this as a frimp, put it on, having no idea what was in it. But I like it quite a bit--its a creamy floral that goes nicely powdery on me, with a sweet note I should be able to identify but can't. then I looked at the description. Holy smokes! Black narcissus? I HATE narcissus! Or, guess I don't because I like this. I do love me some vanilla, so I suppose that explains the attraction, but I have to hang my head in shame for saying how much I hated narcissus..... this is a nice sweet sexy blend. I won't get a bottle, but I enjoy it. Reminds me a bit of vixen.

I'm working my way through the sin and salvation frimps I got with my samhain order. I know I have on hunger and wicked and rage, but my fingers smell like something familiar but unpleasant...what is it? Rose? Why? The I get it--I opened up Pride and closed it back up in horror. Yep, its on my hands. Rose. Sharp rose. And awful (for me) dirty-sock scent of narcissus. This is definately not me! Mostly rose tho, to my nose.

I now have CDLXVII which I got in a swap with another forumite, and forgive me, but I've forgotten who. I came here hoping to find a review, but didn't, so here is mine: This bottle was described to me as green creamy incense. I think that's a good start, though I don't get any incense notes from it myself. In the bottle (and on) it is immediately mint: but a sweet creamy mint. Spearmint. Its like spearmint ice cream or something. Very tasty. Reminds me some of chaste moon which had a buttermint scent to it to my nose (the candy, not anything with butter in it). And this scent is not buttery--rather its a cream. That's all I can really get from it. Its soft on, pleasing. But not, I'm afraid, a keeper for me. I think my experiment with chaos theory is over--I never have found one I really liked.

cinnamon in a creamy lunacy blend. What I mean is, almost all the lunar blends share a creamy slightly green scent that I interpret as the lunar herbs.... And I get this in here, too, with a mild dose of cinnamon. I love cinnamon, but this IS, as other say, a close to the skin scent, and I'm a big scent girl, so its a bit too mild and subtle for me. Nice, but not me. While I wouldn't be surprised if there was dragons' blood in here, I don't get it strongly--though come to think of it, maybe what I'm interpreting as mild cinnamon is DB? Usually I recognize BPAL cinnamon more strongly.....Well, be that as it may, this is simply not strong enough in scent for me. I WISH it had ambergris in it--one of my favorite notes--but I don't get that at all. Overall, nice, but too mild. eta: I went back over the lab description and was so sad that it didn't turn out like that on my skin. I wanted something that would be animalistic on me, I guess--even a dose of that odd civet, but certainly a heavy dose of musk would have worked for me. but it really didn't work that way on my skin.....its like it was creamy lunar oil-dimmed instead of blood-dimmed! Oh well, I know someone else will appreciate it. And the bottle design rocks!

Devil's Night is to autumn scents of 2005 what Dia de los Muertos was for me in 04--one of those rare BPAL scents I have to have more than one bottle of (I'm not a slatherer, so usually one bottle will last me just fine). From reading this thread, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones--it smells on me exactly like described. In the bottle I get those lovely burnt sugar notes of Dia 04, but it has a boozy richness in it, like creme brulee that has booze in it. There's also a faint smokiness that adds to the sweetness--you know how it is when you've had a woodfire in the house a few days past, and what is left is the smoky sweetness of ash? That kind of smoke. I grew up in Alaska where lots of people heat with wood, and I've always loved that sweet ash smell that hangs on people who live in a home heated with wood. That is in the Devil's Night. It stays pretty true to that on my skin, but after a bit, the musk comes out, which makes the scent a bit more complex and adds to the powdery sweetness. I imagine it is also a fixative, but I wish it worked better! Like others have noted, this scent just does not last. I had to reapply it three times in one day to keep up its sweet boozy goodness. Usually I just give up on the blends that won't stick around, but I love this one so much....well, I'm just glad to get another bottle of it. I'm worried that dia will disappoint me this year, so Devil's night stands in for it. Its gorgeous!

I thought this would be my favorite of the pumpkin patch--but its not. But it is very enjoyable! In the bottle the apples are quite distinctive, which i like. It reminds me of Pumpkin King mixed with Samhain. On, that loveliness continues: crisp apples, cider, pumpkin pie spices, but not quite the creaminess of pumpkin pie. And I have to disagree with Josey on this: I think Pumpkin Patch 1 is a fairly good substitute for Pumpkin King. To test this out (before I read these reviews, btw), I put pp1 on one wrist, PK on the other. At first, they were noticeably different: PP1 has the crispness of apples and lacks the creamy vanilla-esque notes I associate with PK. PK seemed more like pumpkin pie and sweets and less cidery. But after an hour or so, the difference between the two was barely noticeable. PK is a bit sweeter/spicier to my nose, but like I said, that difference fades. After two hours both still lingered, but I liked PP1 slightly better--there is some note that comes out in the final stages of PK which is not appealing to me--something very slightly plasticy. Funny, I never noticed it til I compared the two. So I'm delighted with PP1, both on its own merits, and as a stand in for Pumpkin King.

When I bought the pumpkin patch, I knew two would be problematic for me--this and the pomegranite one. I was right. In the bottle, this is one of the most distinctive of the blends--that cocoa comes to the forefront right away. Now I have enjoyed some of the chocolate scents--I love Bliss, and I like 13. Some with cocoa have been a little problematic, however, though it is hard for me to tell if that is the blend or something else. So I tried this on, even though i wasn't bowled over by it in the bottle. And it is spicey cocoa, with the richness of the pumpkin blend (which, to be honest, is not distinctively pumpkin to me, but more a pumpkin pie spice note--creamy sweet and spicey. I don't get buttery in these blends, which I'm glad of because I usually initially like BPAL buttery notes then quickly dislike them). For about three minutes its ok. but then something wierd happpens and a cocoa soap note creeps in that is just not good. I tried it several times to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and it wasn't. And I decided I didn't much like this blend (though I didn't wash it off, like I did with the pomegranite one). So its already off to someone else. Still, three out of five is pretty good in my mind--I still LOVE the pumpkin patch!

I had to quote our wonderfully talented Macha here, because I love that phrase "while committing poetry" and I hope it's ok, M., if I adopt it? I want to tell my grad poetry class tomorrow night: be careful when committing poetry! I'd forgotten exactly why I bought this, so I was so pleased to get smell it. In the bottle I get vetiver fairly strongly--which I love. Also pachouli. Very dark in the bottle. On, it becomes lighter, but also complex. It reminds me of a more complex, darker Caterpiller. The musk and lemon give it a bit more brighness. Something adds a velvety dark note that might be the plum. Overall, I love this. It lingers like Caterpiller, but is richer, darker. Very very lovely--my favorite incense scent so far.

I love this one. When I got my big box from my samhain order, I immediately opened all the bottles and sniffed then put on a pumpkin patch scent. But I kept smelling something really alluring that wasn't pumpkin--realized, finally, I'd gotten some of this on my fingers. How glorious it is! In the bottle--tea and citrus. And that's pretty much how it smells on, though there is no citrus in it, so I don't know where the citrus note is coming from, though perhaps it is the linden blossom, since I don't know what that smells like. (A side note: lots of times our noses interpret a different note than is actually there--which I understand and am fine with--my citrus, Imbrium's musk, etc. But doesn't it annoy you when people insist there is something in the blend which isn't listed? Well, maybe its just me! But I'm pretty sure there are not "secret" notes that Beth isn't listing when she does list notes in a blend). Anyway, I adore it. It reminds me of a refreshing, citrusy Dorian. Well, without vanilla. Ok, now that comparison sounds wierd, and now I'm not even sure Dorian does have vanilla and I don't feel like looking right now. It doesn't smell like embalming fluid to me, which is fine, because I didn't like that scent at all. Let me end this rambling review by saying if you like tea notes, get this. It's lovely. Probably my favorite tea blend.

I like pumpkin. I don't like pomegranite. I had a feeling I would hate this, and I do. Ok, maybe hate it too strong a word. There are a few--very few--BPAL scents I hate, and they usually involve the "dirt" scents. So I don't hate this, but I don't like it at all. I'm totally overwhelmed by pomegranite, even more so that in swank, which actually was ok for me and not too heavy on pomegranite. but that fruity, icky, slight artificial note that is for me pomegranite dominates. No pumpkin, which I find to be a very versatile note as it turns out (though that's not so surprising, the fruit? vegetable? is pretty flexible itself). Off it goes. Hopefully someone will want it. Lisa+pomegranite =