LunaClaire

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including vanilla bean, white ginger, orchid, golden peach, massoia bark, clove, honey, and starfruit. Name: 13 - July 2007 Bottle: I'd been impatiently waiting for my scents to arrive (moon in Aries), & was ecstatic to see the BPAL label yesterday afternoon. Amazing first sniff - like Marshall Fields Frango Chocolates! Cocoa, ginger zing, and a fruity scent that I imagine was starfruit. Heady! Wet: Very similar. Frango chocolates - fruity cocoa - totally YUMMY!! Dry: A very well-blended fruity chocolate. No single note stands out on me, yet synthesize into a delicious whole. Furthermore: I was really looking forward to my first 13 blend. Firstly, I love the number 13, & consider it such a sacred number that it was concealed as an unlucky number. A friend was among the first to help measure the labyrinthe of Chartres Cathedral, and despite the controversy, maintains it indeed is based on a 13-pointed star, possibly indicating the level of Christ's inititation. Second, I Love Chocolate - the darker the better. I've forgotten how well chocolate scents have worked for me in the past; I think I may have to begin checking out all of the BPAL cocoa blends. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. ETA: Because I'm an idiot and can't spell "chocolate"; now I'm hungry for some - & some more 13!

Name: Eden Bottle: Sickly sweet almond/coconut that's giving me the suggestion of the herb valerian. Not a good thing. Wet: Still very over sweet almond and coconut. Dry: This blend is shocking because it turns 180 degrees into a gorgeous scent. From "there's no way..." to "this is paradise!" Almond, honey, fig and coconut along with florals blended beautifully. I had a friend try it too, and she had the same reaction sans the valerian comparison. Furthermore: Although it smells heavenly, I don't tend toward florals. But when I do, I'll reach for it - and hopefully remember to give it a good 10 or so minutes to morph.

Name: Wanda. Bottle: Burning rubber and salt. Wet: Same; the image of laying asphalt comes to mind too. Dry: Same; unfortunately with a pretty good throw...must wash off Now. Furthermore: Wow. The differences people get from scents - chemistry is everything! I get no florals, no wine; only naseous. And I've tried this one a few times with similar results. Disappointed because I really wanted to like this one, & wear it when feeling particularly sadistic - but I don't want to torture myself!!

Name: Tzadikim Nistarim Bottle: A heady fruit scent - not oranges, not peach but something in between. Wet: Same fruity scent, but olive seems to ground it a bit. Like others have said, not candy sweet. Definitely different. Dry: The fruit combines with some exotic spices. Becomes a little resinous, smokey. Very nice! Furthermore: I chose this because of the story, and wasn't expecting it to be so fruity. However, it deepens beautifully and I find myself wanting to catch a whiff regularly. Again, the story for me is especially moving, and I appreciate the choices made for the particular oils in this blend. As someone else mentioned earlier, I notice a centeredness in myself when I wear Tzadikim Nistarim. Well done!

Name: Thunder Moon Bottle: Ozone and wild flowers - cleaning fluid strength! Wet: Still a strong clean scent of ozone & wild flowers Dry: This turns really nice on me; the amber emerges, and a somewhat smokey scent smolders of ozone with the wildflowers. Furthermore: The feeling of the drydown - which is lasting - is the minutes after a lightening bolt has struck a rocky cliff of grasses & wildflowers. Love it - and the t-shirt rocks!

Name: Ultraviolet Imp: Initially, a strong nasel-clearing eucalyptus; Whew! Wet: The eucalyptus overpowers the rest of the scents on me almost to the point of cleaning solution intensity. Mint is there as well. Dry: The violets peek out, and for a bit Ultraviolet becomes a lovely icy blend of eucalyptus, mint and violets; But it is brief on me. Furthermore: Initially harsh, then fades beautifully, but alas, the beauty is over much too quickly.

Name: Jezebel Imp: A very sweet scent, I think I smell turberose. Wet: A voluptuous swirl of orange, floral and honey - a tropical floral scent. The rose smells more like turberose on me. Dry: Still tuberose, orange and honey, but nothing dominates.. Strange, I don't detect thre sandalwood, which usually works very well on me. Furthermore: I don't really do a lot of floral, but when I smell this on me, I think I should - it's really lovely. Jezebel is also long lasting on me.

Name: O Imp: Sweet honey with a tang. Perhaps a touch of honeysuckle? Wet: Tangy floral and honey. Sweet sweet – almost too much so on certain applications. Beautiful, lush. And changing quickly. Honey is coming through and the amber, not much vanilla. And a scent of sex added to the honey. Dry: Honey and sweet-smelling sex. Not what I would call sweaty but a tinge of saltiness. At times the drydown is more amber and really lovely. Furthermore: I was looking forward to this scent, as it's gotten such interesting reviews. Overall, an awesome scent on me. Borders on very sweet, but it deepens as the day goes on. And its long lasting.

Name: Snake Oil Imp: Sweet dark exotic scents. Yummy. Wet: This scent leaps off my skin multi dimensionally; I want to say I detect amber, or maybe oude in addition to the sweet exotic vanilla. I also detect a slight scent of decay or rot that doesn't work for me. Dry: Turns to baby powder on my skin, and that decay scent is there as well. Furthermore: Disappointed that it doesn't work on me as I was really looking forward to this one. However, I can see how it would work with others' chemistry judging from imp. ETA: As many have mentioned, some of the scents age very well. I put snake oil in that category. The decay & baby powder scents are gone and its pure beauty! I'm delighted, as I'm born in the year of the snake, and most definitely resonate with its symbology.

Name: Debauchery Bottle: Very sweet, heady and perhaps a bit medicinal. I smell the civet, and also something like clove, which may be the opium. Wet: A clove scent seems predominant, but with a twang . Definitely sweet, but with dimension The name works, as if there is something sweet and addictive about this scent. Ever so slightly medicinal. Dry: Dries down to a spicey cloud of powder. Still very sweet, with a twang; the opium/clove scent prevail. Still mediciney. Furthermore: Initially, I felt a headache coming on from the continuous sniffing of my wrist; but then something relaxed me; the opium I suppose. A hazy veil that dulled the pain a bit. A dissolution. Feeling ever so slightly buzzed. ETA 6/22/07 to add: I tried debauchery again late last night; the fumes were heavy and a bit noxious and I fell asleep to them; I was in this surreal dream where I was very high and could not ground myself. The dream culminated to my witnessing my car being run over by the huge wheels of a truck. In the dream, I was so high that I couldn't focus enough to scream, but I was trying to scream "Stop!". I woke up to hearing the sound "Stop!" in my head. Do I think Debauchery had anything to do with my dream? Absolutely. I'll pass on this one.

Name: Queen Bottle: Food scent, a sweet Indian or creole flavor. Peanutty and sweet. Wet: Toffee peanuts but spicey with incense -– in a good way. Dry: Mmm…yummy. The incensey toffee peanuts deepen – roasted toffee peanuts! Furthermore: This is a scent I really love on me; It's food and incense, certainly complex. Although it reminds me of toffee peanuts, it's actually more complex than that - spicier and incensey. Will get a bottle! ETA 6/22/07: Really loving this scent. The more I wear it the more I love it! And as far as transforming sexual energy into power; I did sense an intensity of focus when I needed it the other day within moments of smelling Queen. I also have noticed an overall boost of (dignified ) exuberance when I apply it. I love her & she loves me!!