LiberAmoris

I keep trying Tamora in an effort to make myself enjoy it as much on my skin as I do in the imp, but it's just not working. The amber and sandalwood are lovely here, but the peach and heliotrope are just too sweet for my tastes. I think I'll try this one in my oil burner in order to savor the base notes more.

Tezcatlipoca has elements of two of my fave BPAL blends: Velvet and Sin. It's got the rich cocoa and what seems like sandalwood from Velvet, and the spiced patchouli from Sin. And then it's got the leather! Of course, it's more than the sum of its parts, and the unusual combination of notes is really good, especially on my boyfriend. On me, I get a lot of the woods on drydown when I'd rather keep some of the cocoa and patchouli. On him it remains balanced all the way through, and it is gorgeous!

Vechernyaya is my favorite of the three stars...the white musk(s) are just heavenly here, the patchouli is warm and sweet, and I'm not sure what the poppy is doing but whatever it is, I like it. Once I have this on for about an hour or so, I feel like I can smell black coconut in it as well, which only adds to its allure. I love it so much I've already ordered a bottle. It just makes me feel...starry. There is something radiant about the white musk and earthy about the patchouli, and together they're just a knockout combination. Beth, thank you!

Wow, rose + violet + mint. It's an unusual combination. Utrennyaya reminds me a little bit of Queen Gertrude. Plus mint and lots of rose. Violets get very strong and sweet very quickly on my skin, so I'm not sure I'll be keeping this one. The drydown was lovely but I'm not sure I can wait two hours until the violet settles down on my skin. There is something very starry about this though, very true to the morning star. The mint makes it a very dewy and 'fresh' star, like waking up early when it's still dark out and the air outside is cool and moist.

I've always received positive feedback (from other people's boyfriends, no less) with Sin, Blood Rose, and Dorian. My own boyfriend is less attuned to scent. He thinks everything smells like 'spicy cookies.' Even the florals.

Oberon is a sexy musky blend. I catch a bit of juniper and a bit of bergamot, but mostly I get the musk and some wood notes. The patchouli comes out more the longer I wear it, but I wish it was even more prominent. It is a little bit soapy, mostly because of the combo of the musk and bergamot, I think. It has a freshly-scrubbed masculine vibe to it, like aftershave in heaven. This would be drool-inducing on a guy. I think I will be passing my imp on to my boyfriend with a warning about not wearing it out in public.

Arkham Revisited is such a lovely floral---on me it's just like Pink Moon without the sugar sweetness. In AV I get all kinds of wood and moss bottom notes, and a bit of darkness like shade. This one disappears very quickly on my skin, so I've taken to dabbing a bit in my hair in order to make it stick around. So glad I got a last-minute bottle.

Hod on me is pure O + more amber + carnation + a little bit of ylang ylang. If this represents God's judgment, God's judgment is sexxxxy. It dries down to a very gentle honeyed second skin scent, that smells like I'm wearing a glow rather than perfume. Love it.

Amsterdam is so pretty, and another good 'gateway' BPAL blend. It's very uncomplicated, just tulips and green grass, a springtime blend all the way. I like my scents a little bit darker than this, so my one imp is all I'll need, but come springtime, I'll be putting it into rotation!

The description for The Hanging Gardens was so gorgeous, I absolutely could not resist it. I'd heard of the Hanging Gardens as one of the wonders of the world, but I had no idea that they were so incredibly engineered. Beth's take on this wonder is just an absolutely mouth-watering blend of fruits and gardenia. It's lush and decadent. I get a lot of plum and pear, and even peach, even though it's not listed. The gardenia really shows itself on the drydown, where it luminously cuts through the fruits to glow nearly phosphorescently. Another Wanderlust beauty!

Eden is another blend I bought a full bottle of unsniffed due to the incredible description. I love it, but I really have to be careful how much I put on, as it is tremendously strong, and I find it cloying to the point of nausea if I overdo it. Eden goes on green, like the fluid from the inside of dandelion stems, green and bitter and milky. The almond has that near-cherry scent that is also uppermost. But as it dries down, the coconut, fig and sandalwood blossom and are just gorgeous.

Silk Road is my favorite cinnamon blend. I bought a bottle unsniffed when it first came out, and it's become one of my essentials. On me, this is like a less-foody, dry Chimera. I get lots of intermingled spices and a hint of citrus. On drydown I feel like there's a bit of coconut, although that's probably just my nutty sense of smell playing tricks on me. It's lovely and my bottle is aging so well, it's just getting better and better. ETA: 10 years later, it's still great and the aging has only improved it. The cinnamon has mellowed and the spices are burnished. So pretty!

I love the first twenty minutes of Machu Picchu, but then it goes bananas. Literally. After twenty minutes it smells just like bananas, which is not one of my favorite notes. I'm so sad, as the outset is so fruity and tropical with a touch of ozone and is perfect for summertime.

Mmmm, sparkling grapefruit sourball! R'yleh is one of those imps I've had kicking around forever but never seem to get around to wearing. I'm not sure why because it's so refreshing and for whatever reason seems to really improve my focus and concentration when I wear it. In many ways, R'yleh reminds me of a darker, murkier Danube, which is also a favorite. This is the kind of aquatic that I absolutely adore. When I finish the imp, it's time for a bottle.

Florence was a gift from the Lab and I'm so glad, because I've been meaning to try it for a while based on the reviews. Berries, amber, and that green edge from iris bulbs....it is a little powdery, but here I think I like the powder scent as it somehow makes everything hazy and kind of sexy. I wish the berries stuck around on my skin, though. Berry notes just disappear on me. I'll be trying Florence again in the hopes that I can convince the berries to stay.

Cairo is all lemony honeyed golden resins on me, and is so much better than I thought it would be! It does start off candy sweet, but the drydown is almost second-skin on me, very earthy and sexy and natural. I'm going to try this in my oil burner as well. I'd love to smell this around me in the air!

I think there's an existing thread for this topic here. And I second ephemera. Although it does sound possible from your description that the imps were mislabeled, the best person to ask is the person you received them from.

I can't believe I never reviewed this! Count me in as one of those 'boomerang' Snake Oil reviewers. Meaning, I tried it, it reminded me of the perfume Emeraude which I used to douse myself in as a teen, I 'flung' it away from me...and it came back and hit me upside the head. After much time and many, many other scents in between, I have definitely arrived in a place where I not only enjoy Snake Oil, but feel like I need to have a bottle in my possession. The waft from Snake Oil is just divine, I get compliments on it every time I wear it out, it makes a terrific blender, and it is Classic BPAL that carries lots of nostalgia for that very first Lab box I ever got in the mail. And aged Snake Oil kicks all kinds of ass. My imp that's at least 14-15 months old is only getting better.

Every time I wear Aglaea, I wish there was more amber. I love amber and Aglaea's peach just drowns out every other note on my skin. I've been steadily working on my imp in the hopes that maybe I'll hit on a day where the ambers gloriously assert themselves, but so far it's all peach.

Prague is like early spring flowers under frost near a juniper grove. So pretty, and it's been perfect for warm days when I want a chilly floral at my wrists. This is one that I'm going to consider buying a bottle of in the winter to have by the spring. It bears a resemblance to both Flower Moon and Beltane but has a certain frostiness to it that I really enjoy.

Yum! Elegba is Perversion and Grog in a blender, served up beachside. It's a lot foodier than I thought it would be (although how dumb is that of me, because the description says rum and coconut!) and has a slight butter note that makes it even more drool-worthy. This is a definite contender for a big bottle. How great would this be in the winter time?! It smells just like a beach vacation. Delicious.

I wish I got more amber from Blood Amber, but on me it's mostly Dragon's Blood. I enjoy the DB here but I wish it was a little more complex. It's so faint that about an hour after application it's nearly gone. Blood Amber's like a blush on a cheek---a quick flush of warmth and then it quickly recedes.

I'll preface this review by stating that I've already purchased a 5ml of this based on how much I love the imp's worth I have. Peitho is a gorgeous blend of jasmine, vanilla, musk, and sandalwood. The lily does not overpower here and the clove gives it a little roughing up around the edges. It's a creamy, dreamy floral. I just Peitho!

Wow, Skuld was not at the top of my list because ylang ylang is my mortal enemy. But I got this one as a freebie and thought I would give it a proper try. And it's wonderful! The ylang ylang only lasts a minute or so on my skin and then it's all honey and musks. It's definitely in the same vein as O and La Petite Mort, and has the same raw, sexual edge to it. But Skuld is sweeter and is more about the honey than the 'honey', if you know what I mean. I will definitely be using up the imp and after my Honey Moon is gone, this might be my honey blend of choice.

Cider with honey and bay. Delphi just does not develop well on my skin. I think this could be a great autumn scent on the right person, as it is slightly reminiscent of bonfires, but on me it smells sort of like sweet potatoes.