LiberAmoris

Oh, if only Endymion's pear note had lasted on me! I adored the first ten minutes of this on my skin, as the pear was so yummy. Then it went straight to rose-musk, which is not a horrible thing by any stretch, just not as lovely as when the pear was participating. There is something about the florals that reminds me a bit of grey moonlight but the pear added a glittering golden note that I miss.

Dove's Heart was a freebie from the Lab that I initially thought I did not need. I've been in a relationship for the past six years with the same guy---any heartbreak I have had is far in my past. But the Labbies always know best, don't they? Because in thinking about the purpose of this oil, I realized that loves from my past (and the heartbreak that came with them) were still very much a part of my life even though I didn't think about them on a daily basis. And then I thought about the family and friends that I have lost as well. Dove's Heart is mostly lavender on me with what smells like vanilla or tonka and perhaps light rose. It's very delicate and calming. It makes me sleepy and there is nothing better for heartbreak than sleep! It is a very gentle blend. It's the equivalent of someone stroking my hair and telling me to sleep, sleep, tomorrow it will not hurt as much.

Eidolon, sadly now discontinued, had that blown-out candle note to me. Perhaps you could track down an imp or a bottle through swaps, though. I would offer mine, but it was long since used up, as I also enjoy the candle smell. I second (or third?) Gypsy Queen, as a blend that is currently available. And this is probably just me, but I think The Caterpillar also has that smell (among many other notes), although not quite as strong as in Gypsy Queen.

I second Quietude. It's mostly lavender on me and is so gorgeously understated. I also want to add Sophia. I love this blend, it's just radiant. The Lab's description: The Gnostic goddess of Wisdom. A solemn, deeply profound draught of lavender, soft musks, star jasmine, black rose, delphinium, and gentle spice. I think it really showcases the power of lavender to bring a dusky scrim down in front of notes that might otherwise be overpowering on their own.

BPAL has many lovely jewel-toned blends. It's totally subjective, of course, but here would be some of my picks. I'm sure if I were to compile another list tomorrow it would be different! Rubies: Bordello, Lady Macbeth, Dragon's Blood Blue Sapphires: The Moon Emeralds: Mistletoe Amethyst: Hanging Gardens, Queen of Spades, Bathsheba, Urd

Santa Eularia Des Riu is very reminiscent of holidays to me, beaches and sunshine and cocktails and flowers tucked behind ears. It starts out as mostly lavender and orange blossom, with a milky green note that orange blossom always has when first applied to my skin. Ten minutes later it's predominantly jasmine and mellow lavender, with the citrus working to take the edge off the sweet florals. I enjoy jasmine in most blends, and this one reminded me a lot of both Sophia and Twilight, with an orange blossom twist. I think this would make a fairly nice sleeping blend because the lavender is so relaxing.

Like a honeymoon in Hawaii! Honey usually does pretty well by me, but this is just outstanding. The white flowers and ginger really draw out the honey note and give it a somewhat earthy feel. If you've ever had Really Raw Honey, you have a sense of what Honey Moon smells like. It's like a bee's wet dream.

Love, love, love Midway. Right out of the bottle and on my skin it smells exactly like...chalk. But 5 minutes later it is the most rapturously delicious blend ever. For some reason it just needs a few minutes to develop...not sure why, it's the first BPAL blend to do this on my skin. I've hooked at least three people on BPAL in the last month on the power of Midway alone. It's THE gateway blend! I have 2.5 bottles and I'm actually wondering if I might need one or two more...

Pine, patchouli, cinnamon, cedar, leather...how could Geek go wrong? This is a great blend: earthy, foresty, urbane, and adventurous. On me, the cedar comes out a little too prominently and kind of crushes the other notes, but on Mr. LiberAmoris it is gorgeous, and oh so effective.

Orange Pez and fruit punch! Kunstkammer is lighthearted, candy-sweet, sunshiney orange-sherberty goodness in a bottle! This is one that I will be pulling out mid-January to help get me through the long dark winter days.

Medicine Show is really calming and centering, and it's one of the biggest surprises from the CN series for me. It does smell very medicinal in the bottle, but once on my skin it just blooms. The tobacco comes forward and makes everything slightly smoky and hazy. Then the rosewood and ginger step up and sweeten the tobacco. The balsam only lasts about ten minutes on my skin before it burns off. In the end Medicine Show is a very comforting herbal, yet the tobacco gives it edge. I don't think I need more than one bottle of this, but I'll definitely enjoy what I've got. ETA: To second what quikslvr said above, people who enjoy the tobacco note in Perversion might want to give Medicine Show a go. On me it's an herbal Perversion (!), with no coconut, of course.

Love in the Asylum is all incensy rose on me (must be the mix of rose and tobacco leaf) with the tonka and carnation just underneath. I love rose blends, and Beth does such amazing things with them, but I think that some of the supporting notes are clashing with each other on my skin. Something about the blend reminds me of a mix of the Queen of Clubs and The Empress. I'm going to give this one a couple more tries. It's very pretty and I really want it to work!

I got a bottle of Quietude because I knew I would be taking a trip to visit a friend via plane and I am not a very good flier. I have a really difficult time relaxing on flights and I thought *anything* that could help me out was worth giving a try. Well, I don't know if it was the power of the oils or the power of suggestion, but I don't really care. Quietude is so calming and beautiful that I was able to flip through a magazine on the flight, instead of...flipping out. Like other reviewers, I get lots of lavender and a hint of what does smell like lemon balm. I'm sure there's other notes in here, but I can't suss them out. Whatever it is, it's lovely, and it works.

I love my bottle of Detox. I got it because I am in something of a detoxification period and I'm trying to focus on not over-extending myself. Detox is so fresh and mind-clearing! It's sweet and limey with some other notes that I can't identify, but which darken the lime up around the edges just slightly. I bring my bottle with me to work and when I feel the need for a little detox, I open it up and huff! It disappears pretty quickly from my skin, but most citrus oils do, and the effect while it lasts is very cleansing. I agree with Macha that this would be a great hangover blend. It's very rejuvenating.

Wanda is a dominatrix Lady Macbeth on me. It starts out with a flash of that super-berry wine note from Lady Macbeth but quickly evolves into a leather-rose-wine triad that is gorgeous. Ever seen a production of Macbeth in which that scene where Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband is staged with her using her ample female assets to muddle his simple little mind? That's Wanda.

The Raven is a deep violet like a wall of fog from which the other notes are barely visible. The drydown reminds me of how when a raven is in the light, it can be seen that their feathers are not pure black, but blue-black, red-black, green-black, yellow-black. There's a bit of fire in this as well, something restless that I can't quite put my finger on. Violet is sometimes oppressive on my skin, so I don't know how much I'll wear this. I wish it was a little bit darker, as it might cut some of the sweet violet note.

Grand Guignol is all apricot on me and no brandy, but there's a sense of having drunk brandy, because the apricot is so warm and delicious and fuzzy around the edges. I'm definitely keeping the imp for those days when I want apricot, pure and simple. Warmed on skin, it's most delicious.

Glasgow is all heather on me and no blackberries, not even a dry blackberry bush carried on the air. I'm so sad because I love blackberries! It smells like a very lovely and expensive soap---which I think is the result of the ozone mixing with the heather. All in all, I think I prefer Bewitched for my blackberry fix.

I'm testing out possible fall scents that I never got around to last year, and Jack was tops on my list. The Labbies must be mind readers, because I got an freebie imp of Jack in my last order. Thanks, Labbies! Wet, Jack is buttery, buttery, buttery, with a hint of peach. But once I get it on, the butter mellows and the pumpkin comes forward. I know this is going to sound weird, but it kind of smells like Captain Crunch cereal to me (not a bad thing!). I have a feeling that Jack might be a good blender with some of the other fall blends, like Samhain. I'm definitely keeping the imp, as it's so quintessentially autumnal without being heavy in any way.

I am in dear need of some amplification of positive personal power, so Van Van has been a god(s)send. I've taken to putting a few drops in a bath because it's so powerful that a few drops is really all I need, as it's so concentrated. To me, Van Van smells like citronella candles with just a touch of vetiver. The vetiver does not overpower here, as it does in other blends for me. It's very herbal, astringent, and fresh. As to its efficacy in terms of amplification of personal power, I have noticed that I feel stronger emotionally when I use it. I am coming off of two years of incessant working, and have just recently been able to turn my attention back to a manuscript I started several years ago. Amid doubt, trepidation, and fear that I may not be able to pick up where I left off, Van Van has definitely given me clarity and strength. I feel very 'awake' when I wear it, in every sense of the word. It also keeps mosquitoes away. We've been sleeping with the windows open lately, and I was getting bitten at night while sleeping. A couple of drops of Van Van in the windowsills and I am now bite-free.

Zorya is lovely. Jasmine can be overpowering on me, and it's definitely a top note here, but for some reason I love it in this blend, perhaps because it's blurred by the iris, cereus, and primrose. Whatever it is, it's totally dreamy. I imagine wearing this on a night drive through the woods, with lots of crystalline night air mixing in around it. Another super-femme blend for me to add to the arsenal.

Baron Samedi goes on like Voodoo meets Black Phoenix meets bay rum. It's all almonds, cloves, and sharp elbows. Then it dries down to an almost pure vetiver on me. I might try this on the boyfriend, as I have a hunch that his chemistry will do better things with the good Baron than mine does. In fact, I think this could be quite disarming on a man. But for me, time to go wash off the vetiver.

On me, Kitsune-Tsuki is a strong fruity floral that just ends up ultimately being too sweet with my chemistry. I can see why so many people love it though, as it is very clear and open, and the notes have a kind of clean 'design asthetic,' if such a thing can be said. They seem apportioned to each other with a definite open structure, like a perfectly-planned garden. The drydown on my skin was like a plumeria-plum combo, and some combination of the notes was creating an odor of banana, which I'm none too fond of. This one is going in the swap pile but I'm glad I got a chance to try it.

Himerus was really a surprise for me. It didn't leap out of the imp as something I immediately had to try on, so it's been sitting around for a bit in my to-be-tried pile. But on my skin, it really morphs quite a bit from the wet stage. The juniper backs off (although I looove juniper, it's so fresh!) and the red musk steps up. The florals turn rather creamy on me, and although this begins as a super-woodsy blend on me, it turns into something very second-skin and sexy, like if Hexxenacht and Nocnitsa got down and dirty. The drydown is so nummy. I'd have loved more lilac, but this is very, very nice.

Mmmm, Tenochtitlan smells like a southwest summer. Like a prickly pear cocktail. Or a fruity, aloe-y, herbal amber. I've been dabbing from my imp in the spirit of the dog days of summer, and it's very refreshing. If a sunset over an arid desert had a smell, it would be Tenochtitlan!