LiberAmoris

Night Gaunt is like a chord of citrus, and if you like grapefruit, you will really enjoy this. It's mostly grapefruit on me, with a white floral behind it. It's really refreshing and eye-opening---almost clarifying in its stringent strength. Definitely a keeper. I think this would be great in the morning when I need to wake up or at work when I need to focus. It dries down to a soft blur of citrus and flower, very pretty and very wearable.

I love anything with coconut so I ordered an entire bottle of Shoggoth right from the get-go. And I'm not sorry. This is wonderful stuff. It smells like some amazing, exotic tropical drink I'd get on vacation and then never be able to recreate again because the ingredients were local and fresh and the feeling I had when I drank it of looking out over some fantastically bizarre and life-changing multicolored sunset was irreproducible. I smell the lime and lemongrass, yet this is not overwhelmingly citrus to me. I smell the iris, snopdrop, muguet, peony, osmanthus, and wisteria, yet this is not overwhelmingly floral. The coconut is detectable, yet it doesn't telegraph coconut or smell like a day at the beach. There's musk, but it's light and warm and lovely. It's just this wonderful, gracious balance between all of these elements and it's making me feel like I've been away somewhere slower and more sensory. Like coming back from vacation and having warmer blood in my veins and a feeling of receptivity. I'll really enjoy my bottle of this.

Kindly Moon is the kind of blend I just can't dislike because of the moonflower. It's subtle here, as this is well blended, but I can pick it out along the periphery and I just moonflower. It's so mysterious and strange to me, like Italo Calvino's moon. Aside from the moonflower, I can smell the gardenia, peach blossom, and osmanthus---but all the notes sort of swirl around and are fully integrated into each other. The lotus here is lovely, much more balanced than it normally is on my skin, and it almost fulfills a role like ozone in the blend, where it creates a kind of vaulted ceiling---vertical space---for the other notes to float upwards in. This is definitely a floral moon and a very nice one at that. It's very mellow and dusky, and I think it would make a wonderful sleep blend. I think I'll move it to my night stand so I can apply it before drifting off to sleep.

The Dark Side of Fire: cinnamon, bitter almond, and neroli. Heavily spiced, torrid, and possibly conflagrant. Wow, Inferno's really spicy! This goes on like a blaze. There's that almond/cherry note with the cinnamon---and it's strong. Wow. It actually kinda burns a bit! As it dries down it mellows out, but the spice is still too strong for me. It definitely lives up to its namesake, though!

TKO works like crazy for me---a couple of drops and I'm relaxed and ready to sleep. It does smell like lavender and marshmallows, and it's a wonderful combo that even my boyfriend likes. I still have a bunch of sleep oils by the bed and use those on nights when I'm having trouble falling asleep, but TKO is good not just at bedtime, but all during the day. I've dabbed this one on at work when I'm having a rough time, and I immediately feel more calm and self-possessed. I love it. I've only had the bottle for a couple of weeks and I've already made a dent in it. This is one that I enjoy and will use.

Why did I wait so long to try Baobhan Sith? This is really nice. I smell waxy white petals with just a hint of grapefruit and white tea. It's a very fragile-smelling blend. It doesn't last very long on me, but maybe next spring I'll put my imp's worth into my scent locket and enjoy it that way.

Phobos is definitely in the category of mind-clearing for me---this would be a great blend to wear when I need to get some work done, as it's so refreshing and eye-opening. Very rejuvenating. The white musk and lemon together are really nice, and the grapefruit adds even more zest. It's bright and happy, not exactly the embodiment of mortal fear, but fearsomely alert.

The Jersey Devil's like summertime in the woods! I love the pine and the cedar here, the blackberry and tomato leaf is wonderful, and the cranberry is wonderfully subdued. This is good stuff. Another tremendously evocative blend that really transports!

Lustrous, sanguine, soft and lavish: soft orris, blood musk, and coconut. I quite like Blood Pearl, which is a complete revelation, since Black Pearl was an absolute no-go on my skin. Blood Pearl is very similar, but it's drier somehow, with that muted musk that I love. It's like a red veil thrown over a lampshade. It's diffuse, mood-enhancing, wonderful stuff. And it has that pulsing glow that the other blood musk blends have. Definitely keeping the imp, and would consider buying more in the future.

Oooh, minty! Mad Hatter is not as feral as I thought it might be, I actually find it to be rather refined. There is that bottom layer of black musk, but the lavender/citron/pennyroyal keeps the blend in an almost herbal place, so that freshness offsets the musk quite nicely. Another imp for my boyfriend's box. I'll be holding onto this one until next summer (or the way the world climate has changed, perhaps next week) as the mintiness would be really refreshing in hot weather.

Fire of Love is strong on me. STRONG! I smell black amber, patchouli, musk, and maybe a smidge of civet? It reminds me of a more animalistic Haunted, and like Haunted, there's a slightly powdery side to it. I think I'll try a tiny bit of this on top of some Snake Oil or Smut some time to see if it enhances the already come-hither qualities of those blends.

Chuparosa is spiced roses and honeysuckle on my skin, a lovely and warm combination of notes that make me feel peaceful. I think the description says it best: 'merciful love'. This is the smell of chivalric mercy---the wound made by the lover that only the lover can heal. It's someone assenting. Relenting. It's also another Voodoo blend that smells good enough to wear based on scent alone, but the added intentionality of the blend gives it more depth and meaning. I'll definitely hold on to my imp for when I want to reconnect with love's mercy.

Apple cider! Block Buster smells a lot like apple cider chock full of cinnamon and cloves. Yum, perfect for this time of year. I'll be using this blend to focus on being 'flexible, adaptable, and open to change' which is something I want to remain open to. Happily, Block Buster smells so wonderful that it will make working on these things delightful!

Oy, this smells good. Sandalwood is just so wonderful. And it pairs well with the dragon's blood for a long-lasting incensey waft. Dragon's Claw is going into the Apply Directly to Boyfriend pile.

Dragon's Reverie smells like dragon's blood and lilac on me. I don't smell any poppy or ylang ylang, and I'm ok with that. I can't smell any amber either, but there is something 'rich' about this blend, so maybe it's the amber casting that glow. This isn't something that I'd probably wear often, but I would love to smell this on someone else. Maybe I'll try to give one of my coworkers a good coating on Monday.

I've been a bit wary of Uruk because of the almond note, but the reviews here emboldened me. And I had the same experience as some of the reviewers above---the almond's present for a few minutes and then it dies down to the point that I can't even smell it anymore. And what's left is a well-blended incensey floral that does not smell muddled at all, even though the individual notes are woven into each other and all the threads tucked under. In the end, it's a sophisticated, worldly melange. So much more than the sum of its parts. Definitely going on my list for a bottle at some point.

Spring eternal! Queen of Hearts smells like early spring to me, and it really is a lily-centric blend. The drop of cherry is wonderful here---strong for a few moments while wet, but burns off quickly and then serves to darken up the edges of the florals, blunting some of their sweetness. When I was in junior high school I used to wear a lily of the valley perfume, so this reminds me of my youth. It's still a smell I love, so I'll definitely be keeping my imp for that reason alone.

Sri Lanka smells just like some sandalwood incense a friend brought me back when she visited her relatives in India. And then there's also a green note in here that's almost sap-like, and it gives the woods such a lift. I really want to try this one in my oil burner. This is what relaxation and a peaceful mind smell like to me.

London is something I've been meaning to try for so long because Beth's roses kick my ass. And this is bright, lush, heady roses--- the kind that are like little cups brimming over with scent. Backing that, there's something very subtle that smells a little like leather. It makes the rose feel darker. London's an uncomplicated blend, and there are days where that really appeals to me. It's like a beautiful rose single note with minute crosshatchings and shadings. I'll definitely keep my imp. This is like the shadow Rose Red casts.

I love the lavender and the spice in Paris. The combo reminds me of the way lavender comes across in Sophia, one of my all time faves. But the lotus here is just too strong on my skin, and pushes the overall scent into a waxy, sweet place that doesn't change, even a few hours into the drydown. I have so many lavender blends from the Lab that I already adore, so I'll pass Paris on to someone who enjoys le lotus.

Bananas! Manila goes on with a strong banana note and a mix of lush florals. The banana note soon fades and it's a cheerful tropical blend---fruity floral with a slight sweet undercurrent. Banana is probably my least favorite fruit note, but it doesn't bother me here, which is really saying something. I like this. I don't need more than my imp but I think this would be terrific in the bath.

Wow, eucalyptus! And pine! The combo smells so good, like a blue spruce. The orange is barely detectable beyond the trees. I think it's working behind the scenes to warm up the woods. This is a simple but nice blend. It's really mind clearing and I can imagine this would be great when I feel nauseous or have a headache, because it fills me with a sense of clean air and the outdoors. It's refreshing. I'll definitely hold on to the imp for panacea purposes.

Sheol is really a surprise. I had held off on this one originally because the notes didn't seem like a combo that would work on me, but this is just proof that I should try everything at least once. Because Sheol smells like a combo of The Lion and The Living Flame on my skin, and I am in love. This is a tough scent to try and encapsulate in a review, but to start, it's got lovely soft resins, warm and slightly spiced. Over that I smell the florals---no one note sticking out, and nothing that screams 'flower!'. It absolutely falls between any categories I could mentally call up. It ends up as a floral-resin-spice blend, defying any attempt I could make to classify it further. I really like this and will for sure use up the imp, and put it on the list for bottle consideration.

This should be called Cocaine. I smell the buttery note from Jack with ginger and pastry dough. It's like a happy union between Eat Me, Jack, Gingerbread Poppet, and Underpants. Yum! And I have to agree with tinyvulture---it does smell like a buttery graham cracker crust! Very foody, and if you're into that kind of thing, quite wonderful. This is something I may only need the imp of because I'm already up to my pulse points in BPAL, but I'll definitely enjoy it.

Kumari Kandam smells just like snow on stone to me, like a cold breeze off rocky cliffs. I smell the icy slush from Ice Queen, the mineral note from Black Opal, and a smidge of ozone. Once it begins to dry down, I get the incense and hothouse blooms. It's really unique and feels so cold and wintry that it actually gives me chills. This is an imp I intend to keep if only for the tremendous evocative power it has. It's quite impressive how well it captures the poles of ice and tropical blooms.