cuervosueno

Ok, so I got this in a swap (thanks byrdie!) and see it must have been around for awhile because the imp is tarted. I opened it up to try it with my friend Marisa who I'm enabling, and we both said, oh, civet--we've already tried this! Except we hadn't. That was another civet scent. I'm not a civet-hater. I like it ok in allegory, and I love it in the special lord of the forest blend I have....but I'm also not a civet-lover. Oddly enough, when I still took birthcontrol pills, civet really worked on me...it turned sweet musky. Once I stopped...well, it doesn't like me quite as much, though its not bad. As for this, well Caterpillar with civet. I love caterpillar, so i don't mind the extra civet note, and I think I may even keep the imp, but I admit I don't love this. it does catch the name exactly however. this is a very heavy, incensey blend--very sexual. Totally debauched. Hints at things that are an acquired taste--things that would repel many, but draw some.... Interesting! But if civet doesn't work for you, this sure won't!

Civet. Most definately civet. Musk turns powdery on me and is much lighter and powdery. And that animalistic note is quite strong at first. But not as hard as it is in some civet scents--its cut or rounded with something else I can't identify. something slightly sweet/fruity to cut it. Aptly enough, it burned very slightly when I put it on, something that sometimes happens to me with strong cinnamon notes, though I don't smell any cinnamon in this. After a bit it lightens up, and while still civety, does take on a more fruity/watery note if that makes any sense. And a hint of powder....maybe there is musk in it after all? I have only worn it 1/2 hour so will likely edit this post to give a later update on it. But it should have civet--it is after the Devil, the card of sexuality and obsession....And I note my tarot book says the perfume correspondences for this card are civet, musk and nutmeg.... I like this, though I'll likely only wear it when I need to draw on this card's influence. Its a bit too strong to wear otherwise.

I'm working on this Tarot card...working through it I should say, so was delighted to get an imp in a swap. In the bottle it is sharp, green, and herbal. On me...whoa! Bitter almond! not the sweet almond of Queen of Sheba or Horn of Plenty, but sharp bitter almond. That top note faded quickly on me to a green, grassy herbal scent that quickly morphed into mint. Not sweet like spearment, and sharper than peppermint, so maybe those guessing pennyroyal are right. What lingers--so far--is that sharp herbal scent and mint. It is very clarifying a scent, as the card suggests. In one of my books on the Tarot, the card correspondences note that this card is asscoiated with almond which I can definately smell. Also camphor and aloes which could add the bitter note. Seems quite apt for the card, though not at all what I expected. edited to add that after awhile it is sharp green mint...not sweet, but mint with a touch of something else that is herbally and slightly bitter. Very nice! Very green and refreshing.

Well, Andrabell's review was so perfect...really who can add to that? Made me want to order it just from that! But I''ll throw in my two cents: It is absolutely lovely. Very like snake oil for me, but with the addition of lemons. The lemon scent tempers some of the sweetness of the vanilla, however, for those who aren't so taken with sweet vanilla scents (I love them myself, and oddly, before becoming a BPAL addict, I would have said I didn't particularly like sweet scents). Neither Snake Oil nor Dorian last that long on me. They're both sort of medium range scents--I need to reapply after a few hours, but they don't disappear immediately like some floral blends. I was torn--I really adore Dorian. But I just bought a 5 ml of Snake Oil, and for me they are very similiar, and I do like Dorian more as the lemon topnote fades. And the soft musks linger a bit more than in Snake Oil. so now I'm saying I won't buy a bottle....though my mind may change

I decided to try this based on the reviews, got an imp of it and fell in love, and then luckily quickly ordered a 5 ml. before it was phased out. I love this! I find the scent very comforting. It is very heavy on woody notes. Cedar? Probably, though I don't know if I'd know the difference between that and redwood or whatever. but there is also just this lovely fruity sweet note too that tempers the woody dryness. I'm not sure what it is. A slighly plummy note? But its sweeter than that.... I don't know. But this turns lovely on my skin, rich with wood yet sweetened with something like a sweet ripe berry. I'm glad I got it.

I think I'll join the lughnasadh love fest I've had a couple of imps of this for awhile, got them in a swap, and I can't say how much I hope this comes back so I have a chance to buy a bottle of it. Definite scent of cherries, but not the metalic cherries in a goblet scent of the Ace of Cups, rather the scent, perhaps, of cherry cider. I wouldn't be surprised if there is also apples in it. the spicy note others mention is there too, but light, so I wonder if its cloves, not cinnamon? I say this because my skin just amplifies cinnamon (which is fine I love it) and this doesn't, but has a softer spice on me...which for me has happened with what I think of as clove scents (like French Creole). I love this! I already used most of an imp because for awhile it was my favorite bedtime scent (before I moved onto Dia de los muertos and hearth). Please, please, bring us another scent like this. And a note...I compared it to Mabon, and found Mabon good, but not quite as delightful. Mabon was more appley for me, not quite as complex.

Uh oh....got a bit in a swap, and it so didn't work....glad I didn't go for a whole bottle. In the bottle....creamy, slightly coconut as others have noted. I like creamy smells, not so wild about coconut, but it was pleasant enough. Put it on me? Immediate play-dough! Why did this happen? It didn't smell like that in the imp! I was hoping for some of the almond notes...which I adore....but I didn't get that. Oh well!

I got this in a swap, because after reading the reviews, I hoped it would work better on me than the other lunar blends. Specifically, I was interested in the musks and/or the sharp green notes people described. Sadly, none of those notes showed up for me. What I got was the clean, watery floral notes that others fell in love with. In fact, in the bottle, I found this appealing, if not me. Its like blue flowers...if that makes any sense...clean and cool and yet very floral fragrant. It is like Ice Queen, but not as sharp, as others have noted. To me Ice Queen has a very frosty, slushy smell to it...with just a hint of pine....and while this is similiar, the slush has turned to spring puddles with flowers blooming...winter flowers...and no pine. I put it on, and it stayed fairly true, but it was gone in an hour, which was ok, because while I didn't dislike it, I also wasn't crazy about it. I also let a friend try it who wanted it strictly on the name. She said it reminded her slightly of Skadi, as others have noted, but on her, after an hour, it turned slightly rancid...as the civet blends do for her. I don't get a hint of civet or musk myself--which certainly doesn't mean it isn't there--but that's what she reported. Well, I'm glad I tried this, but its off to the swap pile for me....and it does begin to confirm, sadly, that the lunar blends aren't for me....

Interesting! I got this as a freebie, and my chemistry is making it do something very different. On me, this Djinn light. I like Djinn, so that's not a bad thing, but Scarecrow is just too light for me. I get no scorched scent at all...(in either of them, btw, so I guess whatever turns up scorched on others just doesn't work on me.) I get a sweet citrus note, and is golden, but soft golden. Sunwarmed hay maybe, but I don't get heat from this at all. Its really very light pale yellow--the citrus note sweeter than what I get in Djinn which smells gloriously lemony on me. Scarecrow is not masculine on me either--its just a light pale yellow scent. someone noted this has a sweet note, but it is not vanilla. Nor does it seem sugary, yet maybe not quite honey either. I thought mead was a good guess. Overall, pleasant, and I'll keep my imp, but if I want this sort of scent, I'd rather use Djinn.

Like others, I was expecting it to be a bit like Hellfire....I guess because it shares some of those notes. And as others noted, its not like Hellfire at all...but that's fine with me! I love it anyway! When I open the bottle this smells of sweet cherries, just a tiny bit like cherry pipe tobacco, more much much more sweet and foody. I don't get wood or smoke at all. What I get is an almond note, and something sugary sweet. I love it on. At first the cherries and the sweet almond smell dominate, but that fades quickly, and what I am left is a sweet, buttery scent...like caramel....that lasts and lasts. Of course it reminds of Dia de los Muertos, just because it is such sweet, strong, foody note. (and really I had no idea I liked foody scents until Igot these LE's!) Like Dia and Sugar Skull, its not one I wear out, but I love the comfort of it, and put it on at night. And it lasts all night. Waking up this morning it is still going strong, and I sleep a lot--as in 12 hours! Love it!

I was glad to get this as a swap (thanks fire-in-cairo!) because I'd long wanted to compare it to dia de los muertos. On me, dia is almost all brown sugar/maple syrup, so for awhile I'd thought I'd got sugar skull by accident. I hadn't. these two are very similiar on me, but this is much a purer brown sugar note on me. When I first opened the bottle I also smelled a nice light fruit/floral, but on the skin, it is almost pure brown sugar. That said, after about 1/2 hour, there was just a slight funk to it...meaning it turned a bit odd, almost like overripe fruit under the sugar. But that was, luckily, a very light note. I don't think I'd wear this out, but I wear dia at night...I find the scent comforting to sleep too, so I imagine I'll do the same with Sugar Skull.

Hmmmm...based on this thread, I might need to try whip myself. I agree about Perversion--its lovely--but on me it fades SO fast... And tintagel is great, if you don't mind the berry notes...the dragon's blood makes it sweet. But my favorite leather scent is Lovitar, which I think of as leathery and sweet. and it lasts forever!

I think I also got this as a freebie...hard to remember now. It smells exactly like what it is: dragons' blood and amber. And on me, these scents don't morph...they smell on me just like they do in the bottle: very heavy sweetness, with a cinnamony edge from the DB (I think). I tend to like heavy resiny scents, and I do like this. Its just not my favorite. I like Dragon's Milk more.

Hmmm...I thought I'd reviewed this one, but I guess I just made up a review in mind then forgot I didn't actually write it As stated in other reviews, I love the Tarot oils, and I use them mostly as Tarot oils rather than as scents. The ace of cups is a card that I very much value in readings, and I felt as if I needed more of its energy in my life, so I got the bottle (and then a tattoo...more on that later). I really agree with renaissancerouge who described as cherry wine poured into a silver chalice. That is exactly how it smells to me....cherry, yes, which is almost cough medicine-y in the bottle but on is more like sweet cherry wine. And something that makes it silver and cold. I don't know what that is but I suspect it is an aquatic note. It does soften down to something floral/sweet...I'm not sure what....I usually dislike jasmine and I don't mind this, so could it be something else? really, I can't describe this in a concrete way at all, but it is very like the card. its not a scent I'd normally care for, but I consider it more for magical use than as a perfume...so.... but a note. I got this first, and really the scent and R's description of cold cherry wine in a silver goblet stuck with me so much I was convinced the rider-waite deck has a silver chalice (it doesn't, its gold). So convinced that when I went to get a tattoo of the ace of cups on my bicep, I told the tattoo artist to make the chalice silver instead of gold as he suggested. (of course I was wearing ace of cups while getting the tattoo). Well he was right....it should have been gold so as to stand out from the rest of his design, so I need to go get it re-inked. Funny, huh? Even my tattoo was influenced by BPAL!

First, a word about the Death trump in the Tarot as I interpret it: Transformation, renewal, rebirth (though that rebirth may not necessarily be pleasant or easy, as Rachael Pollack notes in her Tarot books). destruction for rebirth. Letting go of personal will. Mary Greer notes that death is also a metaphor for orgasm....and she sees it as possibly representing something that takes your breath away. Death is a part of life, and we experience many mini-deaths and rebirths in our lifetime, so for me this is an important card of regeneration, and I welcome the card's power and energy in my life. I bought this near the end of the year, knowing I wanted to wear it to help me transform my life in the New Year. I would have bought it even if smelled very odd, but to me.... well, death is divine! Strong woodnotes! Sandalwood but a dark one. Cedar maybe too? It is the scent of wet wood, and that makes so much sense to me, because when I think of the card and death metaphorically I think of death and renewal in nature....and so I think of being in the woods. This absolutely captures that. And yes, there is something sweet in there too. I wondered about the possibility of frankincense, but it could also be a dark musk which turns sweet and powdery on me, and this does turn that way after a few hours. It has remarkable staying power. And there is something that changes, something sweet, just like the flowers being reborn from the death of a tree or something....though it never really turns floral on me. I absolutely love this. I'm tempted just to wear it because I like it so much, but I do like to reserve the tarot oils for a specific purpose..... it also reminds me of jupiter a bit...all that wood....also a favorite of mine...though jupiter is more pure wood and stronger....

I love this! I have a number of Tarot oils now, and I use them as Tarot oils, meaning with intent, with a spiritual connotation rather than just as perfume. I'm just so impressed with how they fit the cards! Just like the Fool in Rider-Waite deck that graces the bottle, this is youthful exuberance, innocence, joy, stepping off into the unknown (and maybe over a cliff!). I wear it when I want the Fool's adventursome qualities in my life... Notes? Mint for sure, but I'd go with pennyroyal too. Its just not as minty as a spearmint or peppermint would suggest. Or catmint maybe? I love love love that odd fizziness...what does that come from? I can't imagine! there is also the slightly bitter herbal note others mentioned...and a fruit...yes...what is it? Not citrus to my nose. Apple? Its not as rich red as a berry, so maybe its apple.... Oh I really have no idea, but this is a wonderful scent to feel childlike and adventuresome with....to bring the energy of the Fool--that risk-taking wandering innocent--into your life. much later: I crushed some pennyroyal between my fingers at a nursery the other day, and yeah, it smelled just like the top notes in this scent.

I love the Tarot oils! I wear them with intent, when I need to draw the energy of the card into my life, and I wear the Sun often. I also get heliotrope and citrus and I'm not sure what else. I don't smell cinnamon, which really stands out on me...I can usually catch it in any fragrance its in. There is something sweet in here beyond the heliotrope...I'd like to say vanilla because it has a slightly vanilla edge, but I don't think it really is vanilla. Someone else guessed amber, and I'd second that...sometimes I read amber as vanilla-y....and amber would be appropriate, wouldn't it, given its warm golden qualities? I agree, this is warm not hot, and does resemble a softer version of eclipse, which of course I love as well. It does fade fast, but if you want to bring the warmth and comfort and success of the sun trump, (or perhaps sun for the god?) then I suggest you try this. I just love it and am so happy I got a big bottle. and a note: Pikeana, we must have similiar tastes/skin chemistry because I keep writing reviews after you and we catch the same notes and seem to like the same things!

ginger? well ok, but I'm not sure I got that. I did get some cinnamon, but not too strong, and I could believe there is pepper in it....something sweet too...but not dragon's blood as in Mars...or at least I don't think so....yeah, maybe frankincense. anyway, this is mars light on me. Not bad, but mars was better. And it faded super quick. I swapped it and mars both.

I got both this and Aries at the same time. They are similiar. When I put it on, what I smelled was cinnamon, very strong. Cloves too. And dragons blood. Nice! I could see that there might be pepper or ginger in there as well. It is a very fiery scent...strong, red and masculine as people noted (though I see it as gender neutral scent). Like Pikeana, it smells similiar to three witches on me, which I enjoy very much. This is quite nice, but it is similiar to some other scents, so I decided to swap it off to someone who may wear it more.

Wow. I say this in nearly every review it seems, but it really is fascinating to me how different these oils play out on different skin. and different noses. I opened the bottle and thought acckk! its narcissus! I hate narcissus....of to the swap pile this goes. found someone to swap with, then thought well, I ought to at least try it and see what the descrip says is in it.... Of course there is no narcissus in it at all. And one me, truthfully, it didn't smell like that, though I'm guessing patchouli and florals may have combined very oddly on me indeed. Like some others have noted, what I got was ROSE! Another note I'm not fond of. I though there might be jasmine in it, but there wasn't. somehow, the things I do like such as musk and the fruit smells and vanilla just didn't show up at all. It was just this wierd sort of dirty floral smell....no incense either. Luckily it faded very quickly on me. It certainly did not inspire desire in me, alas. And it was so strange to note that several other forumites compared it to snake oil, which is one of my all time favorites, because on me the two couldn't be further apart. Wierd huh? eta: tried it again--because I'd forgotten I'd tried it and rejected it-- and discovered that after it dries the musk comes out on me in that powdery sweet way musk does, and also a hint of pachouli. This is a nice stage, but I can't stand the earlier stage so....

I think you've all really pinned this one down, but it is so interesting, as always, the way this scent reacts to different skin chemistry. I ordered mostly on the basis of the name and notes of sandalwood, amber etc. I was hoping I wouldn't get the floral notes too strongly. by the time I tried it, I'd completely forgotten what was in. Sniff sniff. Hmmm....smells green, floral, but not that interesting to me. Instead of trying it, I went on to my other preciousses..... When I did try it, I was pleasantly surprised. In the bottle for me it smells floral, though I also got a strong hint of the amber sweetness, which I'm fond of. I put it on. Yikes! What happened to the sandalwood? Why was it all floral sweet on me? About two minutes later, sniff....hmmm....its already morphing....the floral (the violet I think which is one of a few floral notes I can tolerate) started to fade and I got a nicely green scent...and the sandalwood began to come through. A bit later, I noted the vetivert, which I'm fond of, and goes nice green with a bit of a bitter bite on me. But the bitterness was tempered with the sweetness of the amber.... Now, about 3 hours later, its faded down to just a hint of sweetness....barely there at all. Is it regal? Yes. I agree with Caitfish....patrican even. I really enjoyed the way it morphed. And it is a wonderfully complex scent. But not a favorite, so off it goes.

I must have got this as a freebie, since I don't think I would have ordered something that was pachouli and apricot. Pachouli, maybe, apricot no. anyway, I sniffed it in the bottle, said nah...then decided to try it..... Very interesting. I tried it without looking at the descrip. and I never would have guessed what was in it. One me it was a nice woody/amber...I was guessing that sort of mixture, maybe with a bit of musk too. Then I looked it up--what a surprise! But after about 10 minutes the apricot began asserting itself against the pachouli--and it made me want to lick my hand. It is sexy and earthy, with yes, a bit of depravity.... A very nice scent..and after reading through these I might try imp and march hare. Still, this wasn't a keeper for me....it just didn't make me fall in love with it and at the moment I'm trying to stick to things I really love and will wear.

Electra, your review really made me laugh because my good friend has a very silly cross-dressing german shepherd that we call the pretty princess....and we dress him in a pretty princess t-shirt which he loves....hmmm....perhaps I should have tried the unicorn out on him! I got the Unicorn as a freebie....and I agree with what's been said. On me it smelled green and white....before I checked the notes, I imagined green tea, some aquatic note....it is a very soft floral but also green note....and its really perfect for the Unicorn... Just not for me, miss-I-hate-aquatic-and-floral-notes. so off it goes!

I got this on a whim. I was sure I would love Midwinter's Eve (I didn't) and then saw the descrip of this and got it on the basis of the musk, which turn lovely powdery on me, though I was worried about the floral notes and aquatic notes. I'm glad I got this....Love it! In the bottle I wasn't sure. It smelled fruity, like frozen fruit, rather than floral to me. And it did have just a hint of mint...but seemed kind of minty-toothpastey, if you know what I mean. but on? Just gorgeous! And yes, its a bit floral...that comes out on the skin on me. but like white flowers frozen....so the scent is subtle. And like others have noticed the musk isn't as warm as they can be...rather cool musk too. there is something green in there...must be the pine, but again, not biting, but the cold scent of snow on a pine tree. Best of all, it turns lovely sweet on me...vanilla?....and it lasts and lasts. But it morphs...the cool floral green dissipates quickly on me, but when I woke up one morning I could still catch a sniff of it on my wrists, and by that time it had turned pure sweet, similiar but lighter and whiter (if that makes sense) to my much loved Dia de los muertos. I picked up a bottle of Skadi at black broom as a gift, and did note the similiarities, but I didn't wear the Skadi--just sniffed it--so I can't compare how they wear on me...but I know I love this, so I'm guessing Skadi will be as lovely...in fact, I'd better beg my friend to let me try so of it! thanks beth, this is a truly lovely winter blend, and it really made my birthday, since I wasn't so taken with midwinter's eve. edited to add: well, I obviously loved it at first, but then I just never put it on again, and when I did, I wasn't so taken with it...it seemed a bit too floral/fruity and faded too fast--or at least the notes I like did. So I ended up swapping it. And I ended up liking skadi much more!

I so wanted to love this. My birthday is Dec. 21, so of course I thought this was the perfect scent for me, and miraculously, my bpal yule order arrived on my birthday on my way to a lovely spa day in santa fe...so I loaded up the package and hit the road. and it was the perfect day....snowy and lovely.....and I opened up the pack...sniffed.... Sigh. I knew it wouldn't work. I agree with Penance...for me it smelled like fruit punch even in the bottle. or jolly ranchers...can't remember who noted that, but I agree. Still, I gamely put it on. And? It smelled like overly sweet fruit on me. Berries, definitely. But I like some berryish blends....not this one. Just too sweet, too fruity, and faded fast. But I wasn't too disappointed....I also had Ice Queen which I'd bought on a whim and adore and hearth and cereberus too in 5 mls. and a lovely intoxicating of imp of centozon totochtin....so it was the best birthday I could ask for anyway! And I've passed the midwinter's eve on to a more appreciative wearer....