LiberAmoris

Snake Charmer is so delicious and sexy, I absolutely want to drink it every time I open the bottle. To me, it definitely is reminscent of the Queen of Spades, but it's mostly an 'enhanced' Snake Oil with some unexpected ooomph. The plum and coconut really rachet up the sexpot factor. I see more bottles of Snake Charmer in my future. It definitely charmed me!

As you walk through the Freak Show, you can catch glimpses of Miss Serpentina, Violetta the Half Lady, Charles the Rubber Man, and the Two-Faced Janus… Mmmmmm, Freak Show! Chocolate, fig, honey, and pomegranate! This is delicious stuff, utterly enchanting. At first, it is an alarmingly raucous tumult of notes but then it dries down to an almost second skin scent on me. It’s wonderful and I’ll be picking up another bottle of this one.

At the center of a throng of onlookers was the Fire Eater, stripped to the waist and glistening with oils and sweat. From his huge chest, like a gigantic bellows, he breathed in and filled his lungs with air while his arm raised the torch high. All at once, his head went back and the torch was dipped into his open mouth while the flames seemed to lick high into the air from his lungs themselves. Then the torch was out, and as he removed it the crowd began to cheer and throw coins… Like ivyandpeony, this also reminds me a bit of The Living Flame. I’m getting a bit of dragon’s blood from this, a sliver of cinnamon, and a lot of white flowers although I have no idea which one(s). It’s one of the few BPAL blends that is faint on me when first applied and then amps up to be a tremendously bold perfume with a lot of throw. There’s something about it that reminds me of some of the perfumes from the 1940s that my great-grandmother used to collect. Very unusual and I think it might be a great blender!

Past the Tattooed Man, the World’s Shortest Couple, and the Alligator Boy, there is a placard for the Bearded Lady. The shill takes your coin and you step into the tent already crowded with people, pushing forward towards the dais upon which an impeccably dressed woman sits, placid and calm. Her petticoats and boots are fresh, as if she were carried here. Her bonnet is tied tight underneath the chin, behind a full untrimmed beard. Her eyes are vivid and bright, and a spot of high color is on her cheek… Bearded Lady is unbridled femininity, another well-blended floral in which no one note (on my skin, at least) takes over. If I had to order the prominence, slight as it might be, the honeysuckle would be first, followed by a layer of the star jasmine and vanilla, then the rose, lily and violet, with the amber as a base. It’s lovely.

The Carnaval’s favorite spot for lovers was the House of Mirrors. Here, you could disappear down a passageway in which every way you turned the mirrors threw back your own warbling image, as if from behind a sheet of running water, or doubled or tripled you, until you were unsure of whether you were coming or going, leaving or left. Standing in front of one mirror, the image of your person was thrown back into space ad infinitum, like at the end of the card trick where the master flicks his wrist and the same card repeats itself again and again in a fanned deck… House of Mirrors on my skin is an aquatic submerged in amber. The aquatic note is really similar on me to that of Tempest. It’s a citrusy ozone with a fresh tangy seaside note. The amber makes a really unusual counterpoint to the watery elements, and the overall effect on me is of a clean, salty, citrus-infused amber. This is not a dark or brooding blend, but one that truly mimics the bright flashes of a mirrored reflection.

At the edge of the Carnaval, where the last tents and lean-tos meet the beginning of the untrammeled grass, you will find the faded purple tent of the Gypsy Queen, unmarked save for a small hand-lettered sign dripping from a weathered metal chain. As you pull aside the spotted purple velvet and step inside, your vision goes blank for a moment, adjusting to the deep darkness. Inside, a hundred candles and votives with dancing, restless wicks fill the air with the scent of tallow and smoke. A fiddle and a goblet with a bit of burgundy left in it sit on a narrow sideboard. The velvet drape falls behind you, and the daylight let in from outside vanishes in an instant. It is a moment before you see the Gypsy Queen herself, sitting at a tapestry-covered table, her eyes fixed upon you under heavy, kohl-rimmed lids. She rises to take your coin, and as she moves, her skirts release the held odors of dark rose, amber, musk, and bergamot---like an incense in which each note succumbs to the sleepy power of the smoke. She inspects your coin, turns it over in the dim light. When she is certain that you have paid dearly for the truth, she pulls a orange handkerchief, weighted at each corner with copper fretwork, from the crystal ball on her table. Although you see nothing in the glass, her eyes alight… I love the smell of candles and Gypsy Queen is the scent of candles and incense mingled with an incredibly well-blended floral. To me, it smells like The Caterpillar meets Spellbound meets candle smoke. It’s incredibly seductive. I will definitely be buying another bottle before the Carnaval ends.

Nocnitsa on me is pine, oakmoss, and the glorious 'dirt' that the Lab is famous for. There is something minty or eucalyptus-y in here that makes it very refreshing, like cool forest air. This will be perfect for those days when I feel tired of floral or resin blends and want something cleansing and fresh.

Mmmmm, Tushnamatay is so relaxing. To me it smells like a mix of Morocco and Kathmandu: sandalwood, sweet incense and light curling smoke. It's like an old bookstore in the East Village where they have nag champa burning 'round the clock.

As has already been mentioned, Dance of Death is soooooo close to Tramp. This weekend I'm planning to shower up good with Tramp and then slather myself in Dance of Death for the ultimate in green patchouli goodness.

Goes on with an ozoney tang and grapefruit, lemon and white flowers---maybe osmanthus? Szepasszony is so clean and fresh that it's another scent for me to keep in my arsenal for those days when I need a lift of something that's not going to knock everyone else in the room out. This is perfect for wearing to work because it's so inoffensive and light.

Niflheim on me is an aquatic with white flowers and a hint of cedar at the bottom. Very misty, like its namesake. The notes are blurred a bit, like a heavy fog rolling through a forest. I definitely get the slight leather note that other reviewers have mentioned. It's like watching the roofs of houses in a town get swallowed up one by one with mist, from a distance. Ominous, yet familiar. I really like Niflheim, but I'll have to be in the right mood to wear this one.

Olive leaf, raspberry leaf, vetiver and cedarwood. Alecto is almost all cedar on me, with a tiny hint of raspberry around the edges. It does go through a brief stage on my skin (2 minutes, maybe) where it smells just like sweat. And then it goes straight into the cedar stage. I think the olive leaf and vetiver combo explain the problems with my skin chemistry. I think on the right person this would be incredible, but on my skin, the cedar just smothers all the other notes.

Wow, Greed really does smell like actual dollar bills, a wad of bills that have been through too many hands. I love patchouli so Greed is utterly wearable in my book, although I probably wouldn't need a bottle as I feel a bit like filthy lucre wearing it! I've had this imp for a while and wear it when I need to feel "money," like the cats from Swingers. I have the urge to surreptitiously dab Greed on my boyfriend and then tell him that he's so money, he doesn't even know it.

In Queen of Clubs I smell elements of lots of other blends I love: Persephone, Graveyard Dirt, and Zombi. Here, they all collide in a blend that is lush, red, and exquisite. The pomegranate here is so achingly beautiful! And the amber, the vanilla, the late roses! It's so balanced and sophisticated, polished like wood after centuries of contact with human touch. I'm so glad I bought two bottles because this will go into heavy rotation in the fall.

Shroud is pale woods on my skin with a sprinkle of the grassy herbs I love in The Lion. There is something final and closed about this blend that makes it aptly-named, yet it is so light a scent that it hovers with finality---a veil over something rather than a closed door. Shroud makes me a little bit sad when I wear it, it's very sobering.

Twilight smells a lot like Sophia to me, which is one of my faves and often is the oil I wear to sleep. I think the herbal quality of lavender really tempers the jasmine in a way that makes the jasmine much less overweening. The honeysuckle is a little much for me, though, so I think I'll stick to Sophia. Even so, this is a lovely capture of the concept of twilight.

Darkness reminds me of this poem by Jorie Graham called "In the Hotel (3:17 A.M.)" in which at the end she writes: Oh blackness, I am your servant. I take for mine your green, exactest, gift, in which you say yourself, in which you say only yourself--- Darkness is that same mix of blackness, like soot from years of candle-burning or a shuttered room (that I'm guessing is the myrrh and opium) and something green and sweet (that must be the narcissus). It's like a seed of life or a flicker of something vital in the center of decay. Out of the eater comes something to eat, out of the strong comes something sweet!

Another shocker from the Funereal Oils! Looking at the notes for Danse Macabre, I thought: Um, probably not going to work on me. Frankincense and I don't usually love each other, with the exception of Ra. But I wanted to try it. The frankincense was so strong when first applied that it made my eyes water. 10 minutes later, it has dried down to the most gorgeous blend of woods. I can smell the oakmoss at the bottom of it all, lending that perfect earthy quality. Danse reminds me of the smell of woods and rich, moist, dark earth. It's a warm fire going in a fireplace and the window open to let in the mist and fog that has settled in the trees and is carrying the scent of the ground with it. This one's going right into the boy's pile of imps for wearing when we go out...or when we stay in.

A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh. After reading the reviews here, I had to start coaching myself not to hope that Dance of Death would smell like Tramp because I didn't want to be disappointed. But as soon as I uncorked the imp, I let out a squeak of happiness! It does smell like Tramp! There's a little bit of a wait, on my skin at least, for the orris to settle down, which always smells like dill on me (?!) but after that, it's all good, baby! I love patchouli, and this is like a carmelized patchouli with the myrrh sweetening things up a bit. The black musk makes it oh so dark and brooding. Definitely going on the bottle list. Love it.

Shollin's review of Rome is so lovely---I will not even try to describe it as well as she did. I find that I'm really enjoying the herbal blends recently, not sure why, but wearing Rome felt like being outside...which is always a good thing when I'm stuck inside. The juniper jumps out at me when I open the imp, smelling so strong it verges on eucalyptus. Once that calms down, it's like an herbal Dublin on my skin. The chamomile wavers in and out---sometimes I catch a hint of it, and at other times it seems to meld with the rose so truly that I cannot find it. Together, the chamomile and the rose produce a scent that is almost like apples on my skin, which adds another layer and a freshness. Lovely!

Glitter for me was, as others have noted, candylicious! I got sweet tarts, bubble gum, and those powdery dual-colored lollies from it, as well as the scent of toys I had when I was a kid---like the Strawberry Shortcake dolls. This is definitely not something I'd reach for every day, and the lotus keeps it from being something that I'd wear out (lotus gets weird on my skin) but it's so evocative of childhood that I've got to keep it around for days when I need a little regressing.

A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon. Embalming Fluid is one of the freshest, cleanest BPAL blends I've tried. This is instant "cooling" perfume for me, and perfect for the summer months. To my nose, it smells a lot like Dorian without the vanilla cream notes. I'm going to be using this one next week when the temps are in the upper 80s and I feel like a sweat factory!

Dragon's Heart is one of the 'reddest' blends I've tried from the Lab yet. And this and Dragon's Musk are my fave Ars Draconis blends so far. I wish I got more fig and currant from this, but I can detect them just underneath the dragon's blood and they really make this delicious. For some reason, every time I wear Dragon's Blood out at night, I get a ton of compliments on how great I smell from guys. This imp is a keeper for the nights when I feel like getting a little extra attention.

The Ghost is the ultimate white floral. I'm not even normally a fan of white florals, but this is truly gorgeous. I get a lot of osmanthus and lily from this, osmanthus being fairly close to freesia, I believe. Very haunting and name-appropriate. This is the Woman in White, the tracery of light left around a person's memory when they are gone, and the transient beauty of cut flowers at the height of their power when they begin to turn. This isn't one that I would have selected for myself, but the Lab threw it in as a freebie (thank you!) and as usual, they know best.

Dood, Vice is so totally old-school BPAL, and I am so excited that I got it as a freebie in my last order because I have never tried it! Wow, the first blast of wet Vice is that green top note from orange blosson mixed with cocoa. Once that dries down a bit, it's a chocolate cherry, like the kind you're lucky to stumble across in a box of assorted chocolates, with the cherry lolling about in a bit of syrup. Ultimately, Vice becomes the yummiest cherry on my skin. What fun!