LiberAmoris

The Tower starts off all dragon's blood and smoke on me, like the embers of a fire. After about 10 minutes, I smell vetiver and white flowers of some kind, slightly sweet. It dries down to a scent that is very similar to the drydown of Serpent's Kiss on me. Like Brimstone, this is one I'm grateful to have tried, for the experience.

Anubis is all honey and myrrh on me, just a beautiful mellow incensey blend with the barest shadow of florals like a memory. It's probably my favorite of the Egyptian-themed oils so far. It's like honeycomb with bedroom eyes. Although Anubis is very sexy, it's also very relaxing. It's sort of like the remnants of incense on a pillow. I'm definitely keeping my imp and thinking about a bottle. This strikes me as a good contender for the 'underrated/best kept secret' BPAL blend.

Wow, Catherine really reminds me of Bess. Must be the combo of orange blossom and rosemary, because otherwise they are very different. Catherine is a very straight-forward blend on me, and if I was a fan of orange blossom I think I would be jonesing for a bottle, because I love rose and rosemary. But the orange blossom just drowns out the other notes on me. All the same, I can see how this would be a gorgeous oil on someone with amenable skin chemistry. I might try this one in the bath, because I'm not quite ready to give up on it yet!

Lightning is absolutely true to description, a water-logged ozone. Although, it smells less like a bolt of lightning to me and more like rain. Water, in its many forms, has always been significant to me (to start with, I was born in Seattle!) so I love trying all of the Lab's water blends. I just am not so much about smelling like water, so I tend to use up the watery blends in 'ritual' or when I'm writing. This really brings back memories for me. If the Lab could only add a slight chlorine note, this would be my teenage years as a summer lifeguard encapsulated. There's a lemony/musky edge to this that is almost like sunlight in water. I used to spend hours watching the current scroll in water when things were slow; Lightning reminds me of dappled water and the peacefulness that accompanied it.

Bewitched was one of the first BPAL blends I tried, and at the time I wasn't too impressed with it, as it didn't have as much 'personality' as the other oils I had in my first order. I was lucky enough to get another imp of this from the Lab as a freebie recently, and in trying it again, I find I definitely have a new appreciation for it. For me, it's a very light Bordello with green tea and musk. Light sugared berries, a wisp of green tea, and that yummy dark musk that I've come to love. I still don't know if this is something I'll ever need a bottle of, but I've been using my imp and really enjoying it.

Lady Macbeth smells like blood and tangy wine to me. It's one of the most aptly named BPAL blends I've tried. It's one of my 'indoor' oils. I wear this one at home when I want to feel more powerful and overt, as it strikes me as a very aggressive blend. I'm also not sure that I want my coworkers to wonder why I smell like wine. On the drydown, this is a soft and powdery (in a good way) berry on me, with just a hiccup of wine. The transition always reminds of an argument that starts out strident and harsh and ends in a whisper.

Titania reminds me of the headresses that most productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream place on the head of Titania and her attendants---some kind of ethereal twining of fruits and tulle, with a delicate branch of something sylvan as an underpinning. Sort of a cross between faerydom and Carmen Miranda. This is one of my Illyria favorites. On my skin I get a fruity/floral mix of the grape, the pear, and the sweetpea, with the moonflower trailing behind. It truly is sparkling, and embodies late spring/summer for me.

Queen is a most unusual mix of pepper, honey, and lavender on my skin. Or at least, that's what I feel like I can smell. There's also a tiny bit of mint or something approximating it. I have worn this one to work a few times when I need to feel more powerful and assertive. On weekends, it layers nicely with O and I've used that combination when I wanted to radiate female power but with a bit of distance. There is definitely something sexual but untouchable about it.

Horn of Plenty is such a happy smell for me---it's just like cherry coke, with an effervescent almond blast and underlying rooty cola note. I used this blend in the past to focus on meeting some ambitious financial goals. I'll be using it again as I look for a new job in the next few months. I'm happy to have Horn of Plenty as I need all the help I can get!

Kathmandu is the 'driest' and 'smokiest' of the incense blends on me, and it's also the least sweet. The cedar is the strongest note on my skin, and the lotus is so soft that I can barely detect it. I'm also picking up on that cola note that others have mentioned. It smells exotic and is deeply calming. I think this would be a divine room scent. For people that love the scent of incense but don't like the smoke, this would be a great way to have it both ways.

I really enjoy March Hare as a room scent. On my skin it was just too strong for me and the apricot became a little overwhelming. But in an oil burner in my kitchen, it's heavenly. It smells like I've been slaving away all day baking apricot tarts, and it lasts and lasts!

Alice smells very clean, like an amalgam of baby powder and fresh carnations. To me, it smells like the perfume equivalent of a freshly washed pinafore. It's very aptly named. I can detect the same milk from Milk Moon, with just the tiniest bit of honey. The carnations offer a slightly spiced edge---I love Beth's carnation note---and the bergamot is barely detectable, at least to my nose. If I had a daughter, I would definitely buy her a bottle for her first perfume. On me, however, it just goes too powdery for comfort. If I sniff my skin where I applied it, I get a good balance of notes. But the throw is pure baby powder for some reason. I think I'll have to stick with Sudha Segara for my milk and honey blend.

Then there's always The Great Sword of War! It's a spicy musky blend at first, but on me it dries down to a skin-scent of black tea and spices. Or if you like ozone, you could always dab on some Sea of Glass and just bliss out, foiling your opponents with a perfect state of serenity. ETA: Good luck with your moots!

The Great Sword of War is such a changeling on me. Out of the bottle and wet, it's a zingy orange muddled with yummy red musk. As it dries, the black tea note becomes stronger and more dominant and the overall effect is of a smoky orange pekoe tea. The cocoa, saffron, and tonka are all in the background for me, although from time to time I can smell a hint of chocolate. After about an hour, this is black tea and red musk with just a breath of flowers---maybe narcissus? Truthfully, I find this one pretty difficult to describe! There is something brash about this one in its onset that does seem warlike. After that initial assault though, it dries to something that I find more accessible and cozy.

When I first opened my bottle of Three Witches, I swear it smelled like BBQ sauce. On and dry, the weird BBQ odor dissapates and I'm left with cinnamon, clove and the white pepper which are really harmonious together. I also get a vanilla or tonka note that sweetens it up a bit. I'm not sure that I'll wear this one on its own, but it will be great for blending, which is what I bought it for.

My Nice bottle leaked in transit and the label was subsequently smudged to the point where I couldn't read the name of the oil, so I've been watching the Nice reviews to see if I could make a match...and I think what I have is Snow Angel...because it has a strong lemon note. This smells just like lemon drops, as Penance mentions above. It reminds me of that line from Over the Rainbow: Where troubles melt like lemon drops... It's sparkly and sweet as if it's been rolled in granulated sugar. And very bright and cheerful---wearing it is like wearing a spot of sunlight. If I really focus, I can smell the peach and tea notes, but they are subdued and seamless. This doesn't smell like any other tea blend I've tried from the Lab. Were this a catalog blend, I would buy a 10ml immediately. It's just so pretty. As it is, I'll cherish what's left of my bottle and enjoy every last drop!

Blood is a really straight-forward but intense blend. I can smell all of the listed notes, and in combination, they are very sweet and almost overwhelming when wet. But as Blood dries, it becomes a lovely incensy throb. The myrrh goes in an almost tobacco-y direction, so it smells a bit like cherry tobacco. I still don't know if I would ever invest in a whole bottle, but I like it, and it's sort of a BPAL coup, as I'm not really a huge fan of dragon's blood. Blood smells like what I was hoping to get from Blood Amber or Blood Kiss, but didn't. This would be a great going-out blend.

Snow Moon is very tree-ful, wow. And as others have said, it smells a lot like Skadi, with the addition of lunar oils. Of all the Skadi-ish blends released lately, this one seems the closest to me, as it has a hint of the same 'mulling spices' in Skadi. It's strange, there are a ton of florals in Snow Moon, but I can't really smell them, even on the drydown. The dominant elements for me are the woods and the spices. This is a good replacement for the lovely Skadi, which I'm almost out of. I'm happy to have a bottle to fill that niche. The label on the bottle is gorgeous. It makes me wish I'd ordered a Snow Moon t-shirt!

Pink Phoenix is almost too sweet for me to stomach in the bottle, but on, it really mellows. I get that lovely base from Pink Moon which I love, plus vanilla, strawberry, and pear, in that order. This is one of the first BPAL blends where I feel like I can really isolate and smell the vanilla note in the mix. It won't surpass Pink Moon as my fave *pink* blend, but I'm glad I have a bottle. Days like today, when it's gloomy and grey outside, are perfect days for a shot of something this sweet and cheerful.

The Bow & Crown of Conquest is so good. It's got elements of some of my favorites---Dorian, Morocco, and Old Scratch---plus leather. The leather here is almost a sugared leather, and the sage and carnation are so well blended. This is very smooth. I am so glad I went straight to the bottle with this blend. This is the kind of BPAL that I will wear, I will coerce my boyfriend to wear, and I will use to enable others. There is something rugged but tender about it, like a cowboy holding a kitten. I loooove this.

Yep, Red Phoenix bears a great resemblance to Blood Moon, in fact, to me it smells like a cross between Blood Moon and Snake Charmer. It's much warmer and sweeter than the Lunacy oil, though, and the plum gives it a fruity kick. I love the resiny fruity blends so this one is right up my alley. However, my skin absolutely eats up Red Phoenix and after an hour it's barely there. If I want to enjoy this one, I'll have to slather. Not a problem.

Mmmm, moonflower. I cannot get enough moonflower lately, it's becoming a little embarrassing. There's loads of jasmine in Pannychis, and under normal circumstances it would probably be too much for me. But the presence of moonflower really tames the jasmine, and although this is definitely a card-carrying floral, it doesn't press my too-many-flowers button. The drydown on Pannychis is a soft dreamy jasmine/moonflower mix. Very nice.

Nanshe is lavender, lemongrass, and ginger on me---a nice combo for sleep. I still think Temple of Dreams is my favorite Somnium, but this one is a close second. Both times I've tried it, I've had unusual dreams, and although I wasn't able to glean anything portentous from them, maybe that's because I'm being too literal.

Everyone else here has done a great job of describing #20 Love Oil's scent (and it's difficult to describe, like most of the Voodoo oils!) so I'll just speak to the efficacy. I wore this to a holiday party, layered with a little bit of Blood Rose. It was a work party, so things were relatively tame and people were watching their drinks and what they were saying. At one point, this (very attractive) guy I work with came up to me and told me I smelled amazing, and that he felt 'drawn to me.' Maybe it was just the Blood Rose (or the vodka tonics), but his bold phrasing suggested to me that the #20 Love Oil had a hand in it. Um, yeah, I'll be keeping my imp. Considering the fact that in high school I once accidentally 'crushed' a crush by falling backwards against him while I was crouching to open my locker that was situated directly under his---a girl like me needs all the help she can get. (Well, I think partial blame must be assigned to the pink jeans skirt I was wearing and the fashion in the early 90s.) Ahem. If you're looking for a little 'boost,' you might want to consider #2o layered with your fave sexpot blend.

Shanghai was a gift from a lovely forumite who saw it on my wish list...thank you! I'm always so curious about the tea blends because they have a tendency to be spectacularly awful or wonderful on me with very little middle ground. Shanghai has just the right proportions of the floral, herbal and tea notes to do right by my skin chemistry. I get a fresh and refreshing lemon tea taken outside with honeysuckle being carried on the breeze. It's so pretty. This is another blend that just seems right for warmer weather. I think it would also be a great choice in a more conservative workplace. I'm so happy to find another tea blend that stays true on my skin. This might be a bottle purchase eventually.