cuervosueno

Glowing vulva bath oil! Burning Vulva and returning, Womb Furie!

I wasn't sure I wanted this. Glowing Vulva was gorgeous, but Giant Vulva was just "meh" on me, and while this has some things I love, it also has some things like leather and oakmoss, that can go wrong. Plus, lately a lot of the more complex BPAL scents have just been "meh" on me, so I wasn't sure. But then I saw a swap opportunity for a partial bottle and decided to go for it, and I'm so glad I did! This is a big morpher on me, too. In the bottle and when wet it is a bit harsh, and has a "spice cabinet" scent--ie. dry but pungent spices, and a hint of sweetness. I supposed I'm getting pepper at this stage, and perhaps the red ginger, though I don't think "ginger" when I smell it. It smell almost medicinal at this stage, but once it's on my skin, the sweetness blooms immediately and I get a honey/beeswax note, and can tell there is vanilla in this. I also get just a hint of my beloved orange blossom. At this stage, it's pretty but nothing special, and since I was trying Heroine on the same day, I can attest to the similarities....though Heroine seemed prettier in the first half hour or so. But after awhile, this slowly turns, and it eventually becomes very beautiful, and very clearly a member of the "vulva" family. The orange blossom comes out and plays very well with the vanilla amber. After that, it settles into something truly gorgeous, that catapults this into a true favorite for me: it's final morph is to a creamy, golden resin scent, backed with sweetness from the beeswax and vanilla. It really smells to me like true frankincense (I know,it's not in here!) sweetened with a creamy vanilla--it has that golden, slightly citrusy note that true frankincense has (when the resin is burning anyway--I'm not talking so much about the EO), and it is backed with something creamy sweet and lovely. I love frankincense, but BPAL frank doesn't always work for me, and what I'm often hoping for is just this golden note I get in here. I don't know if it is the opoponax Beth uses mixed with the amber that does this, or something else, but it is truly gorgeous. The leather never makes an appearance, btw. And it LASTS! I can still smell it after I woke up and I put it on last night! It also is perfectly wonderful layered over Glowing Vulva bath oil! (which I use as a moisturizer). Big win for me.

Well, I had to try this, as everyone loves Spanked so, and I'd never even tried the original. so I was able to get a hold of a sniffy. Whoa! Hello there cardamom! This does have the heat of cinnamon candy, so I can see why people think it smells like cinnamon, but on me it is very clearly cardamom, just the strongest cardamom ever. It's like I stuck my nose in a jar of the cardamom pods. And that's pretty much how it stays. I do get a bit of patch, but that's it. Nothing boozy. No leather, which is odd, because usually I amp leather. Just cardamom I'm afraid spanked is not my thing, and it's one of those that I can tell aging will not make a difference for me. Oh well--once less bottle to lust over!

I seem to be the odd one out on this--which I noticed in the reviews too--but I don't think Mother Ginger is fresh ginger at all. I think it is the bakery variety ginger, like gingerbread poppet, et. al. I actually haven't found a BPAL that really does fresh ginger well to me. I do get it some in Kumiho, but even though I should have liked that (tea and ginger) it was oddly soapy/floral on me. Another one that has a touch of fresh ginger is Vixen, but it's pretty overpowered by orange blossom. I like it, but if you're not an orange blossom fan, you may not. Also The Great HeGoat has smoked ginger, and I think it smells more ginger root than bakery, but it is really quite subtle as the vetiver dominates that scent. (I love it, but again, it's not everyone's fave!) Anyway, this conversation has made me think I might need to try Origins Ginger, as I was just thinking how much I'd like to have a true, fresh ginger root scent....

I was so lucky to receive a bottle of this as a gift, and I am so happy to get it, because it is lovely, and is indeed the gorgeousness that is Glowing Vulva! I also don't use this in the bath. I put it on as a moisturizer after the bath--put it on wet skin, let myself dry a bit, then towel off. It is gorgeous for this--and the oil itself is perfect--not too heavy like the older massage oils, but just right. Sinks in quickly. It's been awhile since I sniffed the perfume, but I remember it being a little heavier on the teak too, but I could be wrong. On me, this is the most glorious amber and cream, and as with the perfume, neither dominates. It's not a cream or milky scent--it's just that the amber has a creamy quality to it, if that makes sense. And it's a lovely amber, not the one that goes kind of funky on me (like Jacob's Ladder). This has great staying power, but light throw. So I put it on 4 hours ago and can still smell it, but only if I press my arm up to my nose. I put some in my hair too, but I put too much accidently so while I smell good, my hair is flat as can be! Oh well! anyway, this is really gorgeous, and even using it as a moisturizer, as I do, means it will last a long time, as I probably use less than a capful for my whole body. If you like Glowing Vulva, or think you might, get this! It's wonderful!

First, huge thanks to dear Stellans who sent me an imp of this. It's been my most coveted oil for years now, and I frankly didn't think I'd ever get to try it. But now I have an imp of it! Second, this is a temple blend, not a perfume, and while I'm going to review it based on scent, that's not why I wanted it. I am a Vodouisant and have a special connection to the ghede, so this is something that I wanted mostly for my ritual use. It came at a good time, too, as I'm investigating new fields of study for holistic health and healing, and the ghede are interesting in that they are both dead and healers. Baron Samedi, who keeps the ghede in line, is both death and healing. The scent is interesting in the imp, and like others, I get a blast of ozone but also something cool and slightly spicy under there that reminds me of bay rum. I wouldn't be surprised if there were bay rum in this. Also there is something slightly herbal and floral too--it's not really lavender I smell, but it reminds me of a lavender fougere....By which I mean an herbal, masculine floral. The initial throw is a bit bracing and energetic, which seems suitable for them--anyone who has been at a fete knows that the energy changes when the ghede come in, and this blast of ozone makes me think of a shift in energy that is typical of them. The ghede, esp. the Baron, tend to be dandies: they like top hats and funeral clothes (black and purple) and sunglasses...This scent has just a hint of the Victorian dandy which is very suitable for them. It didn't really go soapy on me as far as I noticed, but granted, I only had a bit on my wrist--most of it was on my hands as I did ritual work last night. This morning, I can still smell a slightly spicy floral on my wrist. I've left my imp to on the ghede altar as an offering to them, and will use it when I do work that relates to them in particular. I'm pretty sure they're pleased!

Yeah, this is "meh" on me too. I was hoping for sharp, fresh ginger and cream, and I got something sort of vaguely like Mother Ginger, which is vaguely foody, but neither like real gingerbread nor like fresh ginger. It smells vaguely musty in the bottle and kind of sharp but brown on me. Not as awful as I've made it sound, but not good either.

Huh. I'm surprised this wasn't more popular, though I have to admit I didn't ever try to get it myself, though it has a number of things I like (all those spices). But now I have an imp, and I like it. I guess three years later, the clove has died down some, as it is certainly not what I thought of when I smelled this. On me, this is a powdery, somewhat masculine blend, also somewhat herbal and astringent. I definately get the cypress and the balsam, and I was somewhat surprised there wasn't lavender in it--it has that kind of herbal astringency. I don't get the jasmine at all. There's something slightly musty in it after it's been on awhile, but that fades. And this LASTS! Still going strong, but softer, and more powdery, 12 hours later. I like it but don't know that i need to find a bottle of it.

I didn't get a bottle of this--I'm not a huge fan of iris and champaca never really works for me, even though I always want to like it. But I was gifted with a decant of it, and it is surprisingly nice....it has a sort of dryness that I associate more with orris than with iris. It's a dry, grey sort of scent that is elegant and sophisticated. The tea isn't nearly as strong as I like in the blend (which for me is true of almost all BPAL tea scents) but is in there, as a hint of tea, like the steam rising from the cup. I don't get much patchouli. The labdanum shows up fairly early on. I've never been able to identify what BPAL's ambergris is like, so I can't say much about that. Ladeedah described it well: it has the feel of sitting in a chair drinking tea, and is definately a grey scent. Surprisingly appealing!

I don't know if this the original pulse points, or if this is the DD version, but no matter. Pulse Points is something I'd long wanted to try, just because I like to try the rare things, and this one was rare when I joined in 04, as it was discontinued then. Granted, there's nothing in it I particularly like. I don't DISLIKE civet, but I can't say I'm a huge fan either, but I don't like poppy and pretty much detest narcissus. Still, had to try it, and thanks to the wonderful Stellans for making that possible! So here's the thing: in the imp, I kind of like it. It's not a "me" scent, as it is very floral, but it's a nice, sweet narcissus, not the stinky feet narcissus. It smells pretty much like a floral perfume, traditional and feminine. After I put it on, the civet asserts itself a bit: not the raw animalistic note I sometimes get in civet--it is more like a musk here. And the scent doesn't change much from the imp to the skin, even after a few (ok 20) minutes....it's still a somewhat intoxicating white floral, with a hint of hairspray that makes it not for me. It reminds just a bit of Formula 54, only in the sexiness of it, and the slight hairspray aspect, like the seductive beauty whose been out all night and smells of hairspray and second hand smoke, and a bit of alcohol seeping out of her pores. That's not what this smells like (much more like what F54 smells like!) but it is the impression I get, though this might be the sister who didn't go out, but stayed in for some naughty fun with a beloved. Overall, it's not me, but I'm glad to get to try it, and also to get to try a narcissus that works! (I don't even like the smell of the flower, so I'm really a narcissus-phobe!)

This starts out with coconut...not the suntan oil variety, but dried coconut meat with the husk still attached. Dry and not too sweet. I also get a light floral there, which is probably the orchid. Not much of anything else, but this is still appealing, and reminds me of one of the opal scents, though right now I'm not remembering which one (one has coconut, though, so it would be that one. Black opal?) I don't get vetiver at all. There is a faintly woody note that could be oude, and something faintly vanilla-esque which i guess is the vanilla amber. I like peach as a scent but don't it. Overall this is nice, pretty, a dry and sophisticated coconut scent. I'm not crazy about coconut scents though, and when I want one I usually go for Obatala, so this isn't a keeper.

Hmm....this looks awful floral. Why did I want it again? Those were my thoughts after reading the notes. Well, ok, let's try it anyway. Oh, what a surprise! In the imp this is really lovely: tart, though I'm not sure from what...maybe the violet leaf, which I imagine is different than violet? I can't really pick out the notes. It goes soapy rather quickly, though, which sometimes happens with me with iris scents. Soapy and dry and too floral. Too bad: I liked it at first. Next? But wait! About 1/2 hour later, I smelled it and it was gorgeous! A really lovely incense like scent that is sweet and pretty but not at all foody. Reminds me of something,b ut I'm not sure what. It doesn't smell like violet to me, but if someone said this was violet amber incense, I'd believe it. It reminds me just a tiny bit of violet candy + incense, but whatever, it is a lovely, sweet, incense scent that I can't stop sniffing. It's a keeper as an imp....maybe a bottle too?And it does suit the name: while I don't think so much of The Velvets per se, it does remind me of a scent that would cling to a piece of antique velvet when you pull it out of a cedar chest: sweet, elusive, haunting. I like Vega's review quite a bit, and I agree with it, and while I don't know if I really do need more, this is a fascinating scent, and is a morpher.

What an interesting scent! When I read the description, I had no idea why I wanted to try this, but it's quite intriguing, actually. The rose hip is what I get first: delightlfully tart in the way of rosehips with a bit of plum flower. I don't much like jonquils as a scent, and unfortunately they come in next (aren't they daffodils? I love the flower, but the scent is a kind of dry floral) It gets kind of wierd once that comes in, and I do get a hint of sandalwood, but overall the pleasant tartness goes and I'm left with an oddy dusty woody scent with a hint of floral sweetness. I agree that it smells very much live violet candy with floral. I wish the rosehip scent stayed....because how cool is that? rosehips, which are nothing at all like the flowers, but sadly, they do not, and incense doesn't come out too much, though there is a powdery edge here that reminds me of the ash of a floral incense. Not my thing. eta: looked up jonquils. They are related to daffodils, but also to the evil (to me) narcissus. Hmmm...no wonder I don't like it.

Got my bottle today, and it's had several hours to recover from travel. My initial impressions: .It reminds me of more Antique Lace than Black Lace, thought it starts with Black Lace's booziness. That's the first thing I get from the bottle, which is interesting, since there's not a booze note listed. On me, this softens right away, and stays closer to the skin. It is sweeter and more cotton-y to me that black lace, which is perhaps why it reminds me more of antique lace. I just smelled them both from the bottle/imp, and there is definitely a resemblance to Antique Lace to me--creamy vanilla. Not terribly fruity on me, though when I went outside after applying, I thought I smelled something fruity, and given that it is winter here, that was the perfume, not the air. It wasn't recognizably berry, but it was tart/sweet and unobtrusive, and it gives this a richness and, yes, redness that does remind me of the pom in Mme. Moriarity, though this scent is nothing like that on me at all (which is fine, as I don't need more of that). The dreaded red musk is so soft I don't get much of it at all, which is fine with me. I don't get frankincense as a note particularly, and the orris only adds a certain dryness. Patchouli is just another note blending in the rest. The only things that stick our are sweet cream and vanilla and the linen, maybe just a hint of blonde tobacco. I like it, and see it as falling between Antique Lace and Black Lace. Black Lace is an alltime fave, and I don't think this will hit those heady heights for me, and Antique Lace was not a keeper ('cept for my little partial imp for old time's sake) so this falls somewhere in between--something I will enjoy wearing, I think, but may not reach for all the time. Oh, and it IS quite light, with moderate throw, but it does seem to last. eta: I've had time to wear it more, and it's slowing creeping up in my estimation. I put some on yesterday afternoon, and noticed that before I went to bed (well after midnight) I still got a lovely sweet vanilla and creamy linen note. But what is more impressive is that I still have a tiny hint of it well over 15 hours later! It's bright and sweet: like a pot of sweet cream cradled in clean and crisp linen napkin. There is just a tiny hint of red--thing a swirl of raspberry jam. This is a lovely scent, and very long lasting, though never obtrusive. Black lace is in your face, like a woman wearing a sexy black lace dress. Red lace is like a red lace lingerie under a modest suit--you can't see it, but somehow sense that it is there. Its a close to the skin kind of sexy.

Thanks to Dark Alice for sharing a tester with me too! You've enabled us! I like this. I love the lab's honey scents, so it's no surprise I like it. I like the really thick,heady honeys (say of Honey Moon or Litha) and these honeys are like that: really rich and strong. The fruits smell like cider to me rather than fresh fruit, and the pom mixed with apple gives this an almost cherry cider vibe, so with the slight whiff of hyssop that comes in occasionally, I do understand the cough drop comparison, though luckily it doesn't do that on me. This is so nice I might have to put it on my wishlist, though I suspect the chances of getting more are slim indeed. And I don't want to cause a panic, but this reminds me very slightly of the long gone (and missed) Lughnasdah....that rich cherry cider sort of thing. Of course it's been an awful long time since I've tried Lughnasdah, so, ymmv.

Interesting how the green, which is quite sharp and astringent, effects the honey, making this more of an evergreen type scent than a honey one. The honey is only really a slightly sweet note in here. I understand how some people felt it smelled like myhhr...it does a bit. It's kind of a spicy, green scent rather than a honey one. Kind of interesting actually, though not something I'm immediately in love with.

Heady and boozy in the bottle, I can see why people got an "O" vibe from it, though it doesn't smell like O on me. In the very beginning it has a slightly custardy slightly funky scent that while is not like the actual Durian, it does recall it enough to justify the name. this fades fast on me, though, and I'm left with a golden brandied honey scent. It dries down to something that is golden and girly, with a slightly floral vibe. Not heavy on the honey in the dried down phase. I like it ok, but its not remarkable and it fades pretty fast on me.

Sorry for the TRIPLE post here, but I did finally get my imported--all 17 pages worth! Way cool!

Yeah, I've now tried several times and each time the forum drops the connection. Sad! I wonder if this is problem for people who have a LOT of reviews? I'm so disappointed as I'd love to see all my old reviews! I'll keep trying but since Schmoozy was having the same problem, I'm not certain it will work for me on another day either.

Once I can get the import feature to work, this is going to be amazing. Right now it won't import my multitude of reviews for me yet (keeps saying the forum is busy, though I could get to this page), but when it will...well, wow!

This is the only one of the Yule scents I like and may keep my partial bottle leftover from my decant circle. It does smell Christmas-y. I get pine, something fruity which is probably the pears thought it doesn't necessarily smell like pears. Punch with oranges is in evidence too, and a bit of spice. Holly and bayberry? Check, but not in an overwhelming way. It mostly smells festive, and yes, kind of like a candle, but like that. I will probably try it in an oil burner too! It's nice.

In the bottle this has an aquatic note, but I don't get that when I put it on (which is fine, as I don't like aquatics). On me, this is very like Snowblind, except this one fades faster and goes plasticky in a way Snowblind does not. (I'm noticing most of the lab's vanillas are turning plasticky on me these days). It is kind of like a soft, muted vanilla mint. Like Waltz of the Snowflakes without the wood/pine note. But it doesn't last long, goes kind of plastic, and then it just fades to a soft sweetness that is almost slightly floral. Not a keeper.

Where is my citrus? Where is my tea? I smell the tea in the bottle, but on me? Violet. This quickly becomes a generic floral, very "perfumy." Utterly uninspiring on me.

I really, really wanted this to work. I'm so sad it doesn't! It is all gingery, but not baking gingery like ginger bread, but also not like ginger root. hard to describe. I guess kind of ginger-ale like does make sense, or more sense than the other types of gingery, anyway. It is a bit fizzy when it goes on, fizzy and sweet. Whoever said candied orange, that kind of makes sense to me. It smells like there is something like candied fruit in here too. And something powdery, which worried me, because it smelled a bit like the amber that ruined some other Yules for me. I don't get the spices at all, though the first time I applied it, it burned on me a bit, which cinnamon does sometimes. Still, I don't smell either spice, which is sad, cause I love nutmeg. The vanilla goes a bit plasticky on me. Luckily, that stops, but then it dries down to a generic sweet powdery scent. Overall, it's not bad, but it's also not good on me.

I like incense scents, and frankincense in particular, though I have problems with BPAL frankincense sometimes as it does not smell as true to the resin as some others. It tends to be drier and not have the almost citrus note of true frankincense. That said, I always have to try, and I thought this might be good with the fig to warm things up, even though galabanum is usually a dry note to me. This is of the dry variety, and the fig doesn't brighten it. It's more like incense dust than incense, and doesn't smell particularly like its notes on me. It just a hint of incense that fades fast on me. Dry dusty and woody describes it perfectly. I'm not crazy about it, but since many of the Yules I got were epic fail, this one is, at least, inoffensive.