Koukla

This is a review for purpose only, not fragrance. I will say that it is a light scent and would probably not be offensive, potential allergies notwithstanding. I used Handfasting in a couple candle rituals for the purpose of helping me find and maintain a healthy, happy, long term relationship. (Rather than its possible more obvious use as an offering for, or marker of, such a relationship already found and being formally cemented). Within two days of the first ritual I had found it in myself to swiftly delete off of Facebook and out of my contacts and telephone, a man who I had previously fallen for and was still mope-ily attached to, despite all the obvious reasons not to have ever been. When he emailed me later (and then later again) I had no problems or hesitation doing what was right for myself and ignoring it. It was like a switch had flipped in my head and I simply no longer wanted him or the unhappiness and confusion he had consistently brought me. A few weeks later I did a similar ritual again. Within days I was suddenly gripped by a visceral need to go see someone I had met the previous year (and had not thought of in months) who was quite a bit of everything I want and that would be good for me--but have never wanted in action, or been actually attracted to. He was someone I felt compelled to reject thoughts of at first even though I *was* attracted to him, unusually enough. There were practical obstacles at the time which I had focused on and used as my reasons to myself, but possibly not insurmountable obstacles--they were in fact just excuses. We still have great chemistry, and though those obstacles are still there they don't seem nearly as large. I don't know what will happen, of course. But I can say that Handfasting is turning out to be extremely good at helping me change my own self-defeating patterns and desires where finding a long-term mate to be actually *happy* with is concerned. It works.

The perfect soap to use before your next bondage ball, dungeon adventure or sojourn to your favorite pleasure dome. Smoky rum and black tobacco with a whisper of steamy leather with a splash of crystalline chardonnay, layered over a sensual, sweet, and deceptively magnetic base of tonka. Water, Saponified Organic Palm Kernal Oil, Coconut Oil, Soy Oil, Fair Trade Organic Shea Oil, Sodium Lactate, Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil, Alkanet Powder, and Perversion. I received a sample of this in my gift baggie at Will Call last week and, although I was determined to finish my bar of Misk U before I moved on to something else, I only managed to hold out for a week before breaking down and trying Perversion anyway. And OMG I'm so glad I did! This is wonderful! I knew from the moment I first sniffed it that I would be buying a couple/few bars, probably even dedicating an order to it since I don't think I can wait until the next Lunacy to get some, it smells so yummy. I get mostly a strongly scented blend of sweet chardonnay and tonka mixed with the natural soap smell, and not really any tobacco or leather. It's a pretty dark-lavender color that a quick Google reveals is probably courtesy of the alkanet root powder, and sprinkled liberally throughout it are little specks of something dark brown and rough. Coconut husk? Tonka beans? I don't know, but it gives a lovely tactile sensation along with the luscious lather. Niiiiiice. My pervy new soap is definitely living up to its name! After getting out of the shower and drying off, I notice that although there is no dry "tight" feeling on my skin whatsoever, there also isn't the slightly "coated" feeling that some of the other soaps have left, which has by necessity made them an only-occasional treat for me so far. I suspect that might be the shea oil in this compared to the macadamia oil in many of the others. I'm not sure if that slight difference might(?) make it not moisturizing enough for some of you with very parched skin, but for those of us with skin sensitivities that run towards the "anything too heavy will instantly make me break out in bacne" end of the spectrum, Perversion soap will likely be a very welcome balance between nicely moisturizing and clogged pores. Also, typically of all the soaps, there is no lingering scent to clash with your oil blend of choice afterwards. This has instantly shot to the top of my favorites list and I'll be using it daily as soon as my big order of it arrives - highly recommended!

Yep, Beth once recommended lemon juice to me at a WC. Works for me. Anyone else have a weird desire to know which one of her own scents Beth wanted off her skin in a hurry? LOL. Just a theory here, but if they're working on perfecting a scent, or just playing around with potential blends in the lab (imagine that! gah, what i wouldn't give to sit in on that party!), they probably occasionally need a good way to remove the different oils I mean, then they can test more, right? Yes, that was the context. It was a long whole ago, but iirc, we were talking about testing fragrances and getting the smellies off so you could go on to test more. I think my arms must have been covered with about 20 different scents by that point. I'd lamented not being able to cram any more spots in.

Yep, Beth once recommended lemon juice to me at a WC. Works for me.

Scent: A bit of clove, a bit floral. Sort of a serious scent. Usage: Wow. I have a small budding company and was to go to my first industry trade show this week. The company is still small enough that finding suppliers even willing to work with the kind of minimum orders I am capable of has been a big issue, and I could well have found the show pretty frustrating. I wore French Creole with intent that day, though no ritual. After checking into my hotel I met one of the organizers for possibly the biggest trade show in the industry in the elevator, who was also attending this one -- he said I should come to his show in Paris, lol. After arriving at the convention center I met with quite a few reps, head formulators, and even company presidents from large suppliers who ordinarily wouldn't want to do such small orders, and most said they'd be happy to work with me. It was an extremely fruitful day, beyond what I even hoped. I'm still giddy. This. works. :love!:

SCENT - Hmmm. Am I the only one who gets carnations from this instead of cloves? Oh, well... INTENT - I love Mantle of Venus and use it often. My home has always stuck me as very Venusian, right from the beginning when a dove tried to take up residence on my balcony within days of my moving in. Even the numerology of the address points to femininity and success in love and money. I haven't used the oil in spellwork, but I anoint pink candles with Mantle of Venus and burn them as offerings of thanks to Venus for the home, and for protection and good luck, and every time I do there's an aura of not only feminine joy in the rooms, but also power. Since using it I'm finding success in business and my personal sense of feminine power has definitely risen, to the extent that my long-dormant interest in the opposite sex - and hey, just sex in general - has finally returned. It also really helps me during times of PMS, when my issues with sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem are always badly exacerbated. Just before bed I put drops of Mantle of Venus on my wrists, heart chakra, and crown chakra, along with drops of White Light on my palms, back of the neck, and third eye. The combination calms and comforts my anxiety and depression almost instantly, and I feel the Mantle of Venus helps specifically address the self-loathing and body issues centered around femininity that crop up as a result of the PMS, too. I get a feeling of calm womanly beauty from the two that lasts through a good night's sleep and into the next day. Yay, girl power!

Although this doesn't help because they're not common in imp form, as was said before, I second Mr. Ibis and I also think The Lurid Lbrary would be perfect. Two of my favorites!

SCENT - A very sweet light mint, maybe wintergreen. Lovely. USAGE - I adore this oil and have to force myself at this point not to abuse it. I wore it recently while house-hunting because I needed to find a nice, safe place to live in a hurry, and I was blessed with great luck. The first place I called about renting turned out to be fabulous, and I was the first person to see it. I was able to take over this woman's lease in an apartment building I never would have been able to afford at current market value, and with less than half the deposit I was being asked for at other places. Earlier in the day while I was driving to look at a different apartment to view (my appointment for the one I loved was later in the afternoon) I accidentally made a very illegal maneuver right in front of a cop and he completely ignored it, though I know he saw me. Whew! I get the sense that when I ask for Tyche's Kiss she's giving me only the good luck I need to follow my path, rather than simply random good luck. It also seems to instill in me a sense of faith in even having good luck at all, if that makes any sense. It's a very happy and confident feeling, and, well, have I mentioned I love Tyche's Kiss?

SCENT - A lovely creamy white floral, not heavy at all, with the slightest hint of something sharp and green in the background. Pennyroyal? Whatever it is, it makes this remind me vaguely of The Fool, even though they don't actually smell similar at all. *shrug* INTENT - So far, for me this has turned out to be more of a calming and comforting oil than a cleansing one. I used it during depression recently when I was away from my medication for a while (I had forgotten to reorder until it was a bit too late), and though it didn't purge me of my morose thoughts or negativity, it did make me feel as though they didn't matter so much. I was receiving a warm comforting hug, where I could rest my head on someone's shoulder, have them rub my back, and say, "There, there, it's not as bad as you think. It'll be ok in the end, you'll see." It really helped me through the gap. Though of course it isn't a substitute, for it to affect clinical depression even that much is very impressive to me, and I think it would be very effective during the occassional regular "funk". EDIT ~ Oh, my. I just wanted to peek back in and say I'm naturally nocturnal and have always had sleep issues but I got the best, most relaxing night's sleep I've ever had after burning a small white candle anointed with this in my bedroom. The sense of a beautful, relaxing glow permeating the room lasted until morning, and I woke up feeling happy and content. I even felt so warm I had to take off my pyjamas at one point, and this is in a room that I previously had felt I just couldn't get warm in, and had to pile blankets on the bed to be comfortable. I will be cleansing my bedroom with this very regularly from now on.

SCENT - First sniff gave me yummy spicy oranges, and then on my skin it went full-on spicyness - resins, frankincense, maybe even cloves (and if they're there, they're the only cloves I've ever enjoyed), and a really nice soft powderiness. INTENT - Heh. At first I smelled the spiciness and hint of cloves and thought "oh, this is just not going to work." And then within the next few minutes I realized one of those happily bad songs had started playing in my head and I was wearing a silly smile and humming along. Every time I huffed the spot I had applied it, a smile broke out on my face all over again. It made me feel really happy all evening. Overall it gave me a feeling of relaxed goofiness, like when I'm at a good party and slightly tipsy and giggly. A joyous and festive oil, indeed.

Oops! Sorry! ISO = In Search Of

Like the others have said, it kind of depends on what you find sexy. Judging from Lady Macbeth's description, I'm guessing (?) you're looking for something with similar notes to Guess or Cherry Blossom, but stronger, deeper, and darker overall. Is that close? Ish? If that's the case, probably you would really like Fox-Woman and Lantern Ghost, but not find them sexy. They're beautiful, but very light and delicate on me. (Ditto for Dragon Moon, btw. If you come across any [it was a limited edition] you might want to grab it.) In the General Catalog, Kyoto is a blend with cherry blossom in it that's a bit deeper than those because of the sandalwood. It does have anise in it, I'm not sure how you feel about that, though. And just for now, you might not want to instantly discount something just because it has amber as a note. Perfume oils usually react with your skin chemistry in different ways than alcohol-based perfumes do. Just because something has a particular note in it doesn't mean that note will or won't necessarily come out on your skin. Or, you might (probably, actually) find you like different things in perfume oils than you do in alcohol-based perfumes. We've all found that out to varying degrees - for me it was, "What? Jasmine and ylang ylang are too strong on me in BPAL? And what do you mean I suddenly like incense, patchouli, and wood notes?!" Definitely don't forget to experiment a little. That's part of the fun! Anyway, going from the description of the notes in Guess, it's possible you like berry notes even though you don't like fruit notes. As someone who loves black currant or blackberry blends, but really dislikes most fruity blends, I can attest they're definitely not the same. Off the top of my head for general catalog blends are Bewitched, Arachnina The Spider Girl (actually part of the Carnaval, so it's Limited, but currently available), Medea, and although I haven't tried it, The Knave of Hearts if "foody" is also a possibility. Some boys like foody scents y'know. It doesn't have any currant in it, but Hollywood Babylon has always struck me as debauched berry, you might like that. Limited Editions with currant in them you might think are sexy could be Red Lantern, Monsterbait: Closet (foody again) or - and these are really rare - Queen of Clubs or Crumpet Rebellion. You can't have those last two, though, because they're mine. ALL. MINE. If you're open to light incense or patchouli, you might like Luperci (Limited Edition), Silk Road, or Mr. Ibis (I get a very light incense from this along with the green-ness) even though they don't have any berry or floral overtones. I've had boys react very well to all three of those. Definitely put up an ISO post in the Wanted forum, and look around on the Sales forum for imps/sample sizes to try out, as well as ordering from the lab. You could probably even get hold of most of the LEs with a little looking. If you think he might be interested, you could also see if he'd like to help you pick out some stuff for him to sniff from behind your ear, or in your cleavage. *And I know it's not BPAL, but a blackberry perfume men have always had strooong reactions to for me is Trish McEvoy's #9 Blackberry Vanilla. But you didn't hear it from me.

Yet another vote for Draon's Milk. If I'm feeling overwhelmed or weepy, it envelops me in snuggles. Nothing works like it, for me. I carry an imp with me, and won't even travel without a bottle of Dragon's Milk at this point - it even takes up precious space in my carry-on liquids baggie.

In the decant I can definitely smell the dry leaves and sandalwood. Wet on my skin, the sandalwood is still strong on me but not overpowering, and for a few moments I can pick up the sweet osmanthus weaving in among the spiced woodiness and smoky leaves. As it dries down I can almost subliminally pick up just a touch of rose, in that it also lends a certain perfumed softness to the blend - and this is most definitely a blend, subtle and very well put together. By the time it finishes drying, I can recognize that all the components are still in the scent, but I can't pick them apart from each other any more. So, so elegant! If Samhain (and I do see the comparison, it occurred to me too! ) is happy, breathless, nighttime Halloween fun - running from house to house and smelling the smoke and woods in the air, drinking mulled cider - then I think Autumn is more like my traditional autumn holidays in Boston with friends - convivial nights spent having great food and cocktails with friends in warm, dark, candlelit spots while cold wind blows crackling-dry leaves off the trees outside in the dark. This is a really beautiful, sophisticated blend. If you like the autumn blends, you'll probably love this.

Last weekend I wore Luperci out for a friend's birthday celebration at a club, and ran into my ex's roommate. He asked my to dance and almost immediately started snuffling my neck and didn't stop the entire time. By the end of the dance he was having a hard time keeping his hands to himself, and had actually started trying to bite my neck just under where I applied it. It made me wonder what the conversation was like when he got home. Hehe. Victory!

I think your best bet would probably be Roadhouse - "Truck stop sleaze. Weedy dandelion and hops with a whiff of tobacco and hemp and a swirl of booziness." I also like One to Tie, Two to Win for that grassy scent ("Dewy grass, summer breezes, and dandelion clocks."), but it's more of a pure, slightly bitter dandelion scent - as well as being much harder to find since it's not a GC blend like Roadhouse is.

Monsterbait: Ventriloquist Dummy was also mostly wood on a lot of people, including me. The description doesn't specifically list which woods ("Savage apricot, depraved dry woods, and psychopathic patchouli covered by a disarmingly sweet mishmosh of caramel, brown sugar, hazelnut, and butterscotch") but many people got a cedar vibe from it, and I thought I got some Mahogany from the wood notes as well. You might like it.

MMMAAAAAAHHHOOOOGGGGAAANNNYYYYYYYY!!!! Have I mentioned I amp wood notes? I get nuthin from this but wood, beginning to end. Darn it.

I adore this scent!! It smells like old, old books - more precisely, it smells just like being in the old town library on rainy, chilly days when I was a very little bookworm, with my books open on the floor in front of me and the dry heat inside making the scent of people's skin come off them like steam as they walked in. My God, talk about an instantaneous sense memory. The only thing missing is the smell of the book glue they used to use. *sighing nostalgically* This is much more like what I'd been hoping Misk U would smell like, but didn't, at least on me. Although it doesn't smell at all like what I want to smell like, I will absolutely be hoarding this for room scent purposes. (No incense for me, BTW.)

Oooh, this one is lovely!! In the bottle I smell a bit of astringency that I'm sure is the lavender, and a sort of creaminess that I associate with vanilla, but maybe it's the calla lily. Wet, the lavender and rose are equal players, and I'm amazed at this point that the rose isn't killing everything else, since I amp rose like craaaaazy. But then again, I amp lavender too, so maybe they're forcing each other to behave. So far this is a blend with quite close throw too, which is unheard of for these two notes on me. Now as it dries down a bit more, the lavender is starting to assert itself a little over the rose, and I'm also getting a really nice sandalwood. I have a moment of worry as I also amp woodnotes, but I shouldn't have - even the sandalwood is playing nice. As it finishes drying completely, the sweet violet and lily notes briefly assert themselves, and then it all starts to blend seamlessly together into a sweet light floral lavender blend with the sandalwood supporting everything so very gently. This is wonderfully pretty, clean, and feminine at this stage, and I wish it would finish this way, but alas! Eventually it blends together a little too much for me and it seems like the perfume note comes out, which I just don't like as much. I usually amp several of the notes in this to unbearable and unattractive results, but to my surprise they all seemed to cancel out each others' bullying in this one! Overall, with the lavender and white sandalwood, it reminds me just a little of Oneiroi but it's much more gentle and pretty and complex. And in Oneiroi the lavender and sandalwood notes were very strong with huge throw, whereas in Atrocious Attic I have to snuffle my arm and think about what I'm smelling in order to pick out the notes. I think I'm going to try heating a few drops of this in an oil warmer while I'm doing something quiet, or about to fall asleep, and see if it calms me better than that bracing lavender in Oneiroi did. Maybe that way it won't ever get to the perfume stage either. If that works for me, then I'm definitely picking up an extra bottle or two!

I'd definitely keep some of your "comfort blend" handy, if you have one. Traveling can be a fabulously fun adventure, but it can also sometimes be a frustrating, and lonely, pain in the ass. I'm thinking of all the times I've spent trapped in an airport "until further notice", or completely pissed off at my traveling companions, or trying to relax enough to fall asleep in a strange bed, for example. A warm-hug-from-home scent might be just what you want at times. (Dragon's Milk does it for me every time, but the point is to chose your own, of course. )

Lightning and Tempest both give me that sense of being out with my 'scope on top of a mountain in crisp, clean air. Snow Moon does too, I second that one!

If you like apples, three of my favorites are Ladon, The Hesperides, and Coral Snake. They all smell great on me and I tend to both amp sweetness and dislike it, so you might try them.

Spider and The Mock Turtle's Lessons are my two favorite lime blends, the lime is one of the main notes in both of them. Other people get strong lime in Mr. Nancy, but on me the smokiness eclipses it after the first few seconds. And Whitechapel is supposed to be a lovely lime blend, but I haven't had a chance to try that one yet.

My Mom always liked to wear men's colognes, and I guess I must've picked it up from her somewhere along the way. Although I've never had any interest in traditional men's colognes, as soon as I discovered bpal I started to realize a lot of my favorites are the more "masculine" ones. His Station & Four Aces is in my top ten, for example. I do think it can go the other way, too, though. I just recommended Centzon Totochtin to someone who was looking for a scent to give to her favorite teacher/friend (traveller, sophisticated artist, journalist, will be teaching in Peru, he makes her think of coffee and newspapers). I'd never thought of it as at all masculine before it popped into my head for him. But now that it has, I can't stop thinking of how that scent of smoky coffee beans, bitter chocolate, and sweet wine would smell dead sexy on a man.