LiberAmoris

Ouija's exciting for me because I feel like I'm finally able to find the teak note in a BPAL blend, and it's quite nice. I'm also a lilac lover, so the blue lilac in this is another winner. Sadly, something in the combo of notes here is feeling muddled on my skin---nice, but not a standout. It does smells like a Victorian parlor, though! This is something I think I'd rather smell in the air than on my person. It might also make a nice blend for a drawer sachet.

I know I tried Queen Mab a couple of years ago but didn't remember how it worked on me so I'm giving it another go. On, it smells a lot like baby powder, but I think it's just an olfactory trick. Maybe a combo of the orchid and osmanthus? It's creamy. The rose and jasmine are really muted on my skin. There's a note that's almost like anise or licorice here, too. As it dries it remains very powdery and floral. It smells like a very expensive triple-milled rose and orchid soap. The jasmine is really well blended here, but the overall effect is one that doesn't work on my skin. That's ok, I know someone who will love this one!

Aizen-Myoo is definitely sharp grapefruit at first, a true bracing grapefruit that's both surprising and refreshing. I'm not sure I could pick out persimmon (kaki) and satsuma (mikan) as notes, but it's certainly a citrus blend---without added sweetness. The cherry blossom and black tea come out much later for me, after the citrus oils have died down. As strong and almost bitter as the citrus notes here are, I really like this. It's very head-clearing and reviving without a drop of mint. I'll definitely be keeping my imp.

I tested this one out on my boyfriend, because, hey, it's Casanova, baby! First on, it's strong lavender and lemon with an almost antiseptic smell, like a cleaning product. But that quickly wanes and is replaced with a mellow leather-amber-tonka combo. The patchouli is very subtle here. The bergamot I can smell at certain points but not at others. It's really nice. Ten minutes after application Casanova is very sexy and warm. Even my boyfriend likes it, which is a miracle and a half.

Eris is a mix of super-duper melony melons, mimosa, and something musky or animalistic on my skin. The melon note is a bit problematic for me. I enjoy it in general, but it can be too sweet and fruity on my skin, and it's just not something I find I'm in the mood for all that often. The martial spices here go a long way in tempering the exuberant melon note, but the end result is still much sweeter than I'm comfortable with. I'll be passing this imp on for someone else to try.

Maenad goes on with a burst of orange blossom and then a tumble of other, seemingly discordant notes---the strawberry, carnation, black poppy, and hibiscus. It's like a messy chord some kid plays on a piano---their fingers have good form but they're not on the right notes. Then it starts to calm down and things begin to stratify a bit. It smells like this strawberry tobacco I had at a hookah bar once. Sweet, but smoky. There's something almost candied here, or like a liquor. It's quite nice. It reminds me a bit of a darker Bon Vivant. A really unusual and interesting blend. I'm really glad I got to try it.

Another BPAL that smells like books and paper! Clio has an ultra-sharp wet phase that smells like orange blossom to me (which always has a pungent green side to it that eventually burns away). Once that dries, it's ambery, woodsy, papery---with subtle orange and patchouli. It becomes a very light scent, like the weight of a piece of paper. I'll have to try this again to see if I can handle that sharpness at the beginning. I want to love all of the muses!

Polyhymnia is an oil I burn when I sit down to write sometimes. On my skin, the lemon balm is too strong, but in my oil burner it smells fantastic. It smells like lemon and herbs and is remarkably uplifting and refreshing.

Schwarzer Mond is so wonderful. First off, antique patchouli. Yum. Then opoponax. Double yum. But with all the other exotics in it, it's just one surprise after another. It's resiny, ambery, and rooty. It's dark but not without a shot of brightness in there somewhere, and a little bit of earthy sweetness. But what really wins me over is that there's something in here that smells to me like books. Like stacks of books in the basement of my college library, like their bindings and that wonderful smell that the pages get after a few decades. It's one of my favorite smells in the world. I'm so happy to have it bottled up in Schwarzer Mond!

Black Moon smells just like pale cool golden light to me, like moonlight in the darkness, and the kind of blue that moonlight makes when it's faint. It's incredibly evocative. I can smell some of the individual notes---like the pear, motia attar, and blue lotus. But that's only if I really concentrate on them. Wearing this is really just like wearing dusky, dimmed moonlight.

Madrid is great for people who love the red wine note in all its heady brightness. It's featured here in the same kind of way that it is in Lady Macbeth---red wine with no apologies, no interruptions! On my skin at least, the clove and mimosa toil in obscurity, trailing behind. The red wine note is not one that works well on me, so I don't think I'll be keeping this. But I love how cheerful and berried and bright it is, and will pass the imp on to a friend so I can smell it on someone with amenable skin chemistry.

Chrysanthemum Moon is just perfect for this time of year. I definitely get the musk and mums, and a tinge of opium. But this is primarily a musk and honey (?) based blend on me with an autumnal floral mix. It does remind me a bit of HM 05, and also Silk Road, for some reason. I'm enjoying this on it's own, but also think it makes a terrific blender. It gives everything a musky autumn floral edge that I just love.

Les Bijoux is just so pretty. On me, it's a second-skin apple and honey with just the barest breath of rose. The peach, orange blossom, frankincense and myrrh are supporting players. The apple burns off after a bit and I'm left with a honey-rose. It's golden and just all-around lovely. This is another blend that would be great for work I think, and I'll be taking my imp with me tomorrow.

This was maybe my most-anticipated blend out of my last order, and although it smells nothing like I thought it might, it's still one of my faves from this last batch. The description reads like a who's who of notes I can't say no to. Lilac in particular is such a favorite of mine because it's just so gloriously heady, and Beth's lilac note is absolutely divine. Happily, lilac dominates Pontarlier on me, along with the green fern, lavender, and sugar. The absinthe, rose, and blackcurrant round out the blend but stay out of the way. I get loads and loads of sugared lilacs and greenery with every sniff. It's just wonderful. So pretty. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this one often.

I have to say, I love the aloe in F5. That kind of makes the blend work for me, even though I'm not so much of a fresh scent type of girl. But I like the aloe and the seaspray. This is just the feeling of being clean. The mint here is only when wet on me, once it dries, it's green tea, aloe, and seaspray. The verbena and lime peel are also in the background. I will definitely keep my bottle for update nights and I might use some to create a spray for my bedroom. This is refreshing, but it's also relaxing.

Jezirat Al Tennyn is such an intriguing idea for a blend! And it does smell elemental. I can smell something smoky, like the smoke that's used in Hexennacht and Devil's Night. Then I smell something fiery, like maybe a bit of dragon's blood or a spice? There's also the mineral note that I recognize from Black Opal. Lastly there's something a smidge ozoney, but it's very slight. It's very difficult to describe, but the overall feeling is of the 'primordial paradise' in the description. I really enjoy it, but it's not something I'll want to wear every day, so my little imp will more than suffice.

Tavern of Hell has an amazing note list, and I was more than curious to smell how those notes would work in conjunction. What's strange is that I'm smelling notes that aren't even in here, like lemon. How on earth could I get lemon from this? But that's what I smell. As it dries down, I can smell the ambergris and lavender fougere, along with something that smells like caramel. There's a smoky side to this that reminds me of Carnavale Diabolique. An hour later, this is a hazy floral with that same bright note that somehow my nose reads as lemon. It must be a combo of the gardenia and the orange blossom. And the caramelly base is still going strong. This is one that will require additional testing. I like the complexity but there's something too sweet at the top, on this wearing, at least.

Eeek! This is violets and vetiver, alright. Wow. It's some powerful strong stuff. If you like violets and vetiver, this is for you. I am not a vetiver fan, so this is not for me. However, I'm really glad to have tried this because it shows me how restrained the vetiver actually is in most BPAL blends.

Finally, Shattered! I missed the boat the first time around with this one, and then it was discontinued. Now it's back in stock and I'm finally getting around to trying this one, more than two years later. I can't smell any champagne notes, but I do smell the grapefruit, lotus, and loads of mint. I get a slight shiver of an aquatic but it's very faint. It reminds me of one of the muses (can't recall which one) and Cold Moon, sans slushy notes. The lotus here is behaving quite nicely, and I love the grapefruit-mint combo (it's zingy!). This really feels like a winter blend, and I think I'll save my imp until then. This would also be very nice in shampoo, I think.

Port Royal is another semi-aquatic. There is a bit of ozoney seaspray in this, but it really is a rum and wood blend. Even the rum note here is not what I would consider to be obvious, and the wood is not heavy-handed. The 'prostitute's perfume' smells far away and faded somehow as well, and it contributes to the overall feel of the blend which is of a place that is awash with fresh air carrying a breath of the sea. For some reason, the notes here combine in a way that smells like bubblegum. I don't know how that's possible, but that's what my chemistry is doing to it. It's like a rum bubblegum. There's a certain kind of charm to that, but this might not be for me. I put some of this on my boyfriend and it smells great. The rum is almost like caramel on him, and the wood notes are very nice as well. So I think this imp will go into his BPAL box for days when he consents to let me dab some on him.

Caliban, I've waited such a long time to smell you! This has been a pending blend for a long time, and I've really looked forward to it. On, it's a crush of green. The palm and ferns are so green, it's like the smell of plants after a tempest has come through and bent them all, releasing that strong smell from the inside of leaves and branches. There is a salty aquatic note much like the one (most appropriately!) from Tempest, but it is subdued compared to that blend. Here, it's in the background. The island is the focus here. I really don't get much bittersweet wine out of Caliban. I feel like I can smell a little something around the edges---it smells like rice wine. Aquatics almost never work on me, so I was unsure as to how this would play out on my skin. But this is really more about lush greens than water. The tempest has already come through, the people have all left, Ariel has been freed, and Caliban is left alone on the island, surrounded by the aftereffects of the turmoil. I'm not sure I'll need a bottle of this, but I will keep and enjoy my imp.

I am enamored of the name Isles of Demons, so had to give this one a try. It's definitely like a lush island---tropical flowers, a tiny touch of coconut perhaps, dark musk, and something green. I'm with sarada, this would be a great blend to wear when I watch Lost! This is going to sound nutty, but the musk here kind of reminds me of the musk in Devil's Night. It's yummy. And I'm not getting a lot of volcanic gas either, although maybe I'm ok with that, since I think volcanic gas smells like sulphur. I'll definitely be keeping my imp for the next Lost season! I used to wear Eden, but I think this is much more appropriate.

Blood Lotus was a generous freebie from the Lab, and I was eager to try it because I'm always looking for lotus blends that will prove my aversion to lotus unfounded. On, it's berry-bright dragon's blood and perhaps the wine note that makes such a nice combo in Blood Rose? The lotus doesn't appear on me until the drydown. When it does, it's relatively mild and blends with the other notes. But it still isn't my favorite smell and is always a bit unsettling to me. Ultimately, this is not for me, but I'm glad I got an opportunity to try it!

Ladon is my new favorite Ars Draconis blend! I think it's the apple and apple blossom that really put this one over the top for me--I love apple blossom ever since falling hard for The Perfumed Garden, and so Ladon was an easy sell. The white musk and hyacinth really round it out and give it good staying power. The dragon's blood in Ladon suffuses it with such a warm red glow and the florals are calibrated to hold that resinous warmth in tension. This is the first blend that comes close to capturing the same feel as one of my all-time BPAL faves, The Living Flame. Love this, and am considering a bottle.

Wow, Xanthe really does smell like pink bubblegum! After a few minutes though, it calms down and the apple blossom really comes forward. The guava and orange start to separate a little bit too, so that it's more like fruit candies than bubblegum. It's almost like fruit-flavored cotton candy. I can barely smell the white pepper. People that loved Kunstkammer last year should definitely check Xanthe out. It's another happy, fruity, carefree blend.