funkmoppet

I get none of the almond, and all of the jasmine. There IS musk and sandalwood under there, but the jasmine is so dominant that there's no way this blend is for me. At all.

Aha. Before BPAL, I'd always hated patchouli. Plenty of patchouli blends are now my favourites, however. But this is the "dirty hippy" variety of patchouli that I've never liked. Now I know it's black patchouli that I must avoid. The apricot is there, but the dirty-hippy smell is just not my kinda thing. Shame, I was hoping I'd love this. But I'm off to wash it off.

Witch-herbs, crushed golden flowers, and a man-made-dragon’s surly musk lightened by the scent of the blossoms and unearthly incense that clings to the Faerie Queen’s hair. Dragon’s blood musk, ambergris, sunflower, chrysanthemum, muguet, and rue, with gingered lily, moonflower, bluebell, peony, nightwort, and white rose. Oh, Allison, I didn't buy you when the lunacy went live because I read "Dragon's Blood" and feared you would just not work on my skin. I apologise! I love this. LOVE it. I adore me some herbal greens, and this is like sticking my head in a thick cluster of wonderful forest greenery. It seems to morph the second it hits my skin as the gorgeous creamy musks rise up through the herbal joy. And it just seems to keep wafting, morphing, going back to herbal, back to musk, dancing around in a curious spellbinding dance. Thank god my fetish for all things of Celtic theme got the better of me, or I wouldn't have caved in and nabbed an unloved bottle. Now I think I may need a backup. She'll sit with Selkie in the "awesome Scottish blends" corner of my hoard box. Edited to include Lab description.

This is a powdery sort of rose. Not a true rose like Whip. When wet, it's a lovely mix of the amber, musk and rose. I do love me some rose, but my skin will amp it. Blends with rose at the fore will be dominated by the note when it's on me, and while the red musk and amber do keep trying (and I do get the odd whiff of them underneath), they're pretty much pussywhipped by the amped rose. This is certainly a lovely blend, but I'm on the fence with it. My choice of rose blends depend on which rose it is, and I'm not as big a fan of the rose in this as I am of the real, wet variety in Whip. I may give this one another go when my sinuses have fully recovered from the flu, but right now it's in the "maybe" pile.

Wow. This a cocoa blend I can make good friends with! So strong on the chocolate from the decant to the skin, and then the quick rush of snake oil underneath. This doesn't morph much on me, except for that initial burst of SO. The rice milk is barely there - the teak just very softly underneath it all. But mostly it's a delectable cocoa-SO fusion. I'll be getting a bottle.

I think I just may adore this. I'm discovering that I'm a fan of these notes. Wet, this is delicious aloe, mint and lemon - and once on the skin the lime peeks out, as does the green tea. Scrumptious and fresh. On the dry-down, the green tea comes the fore, followed by the white musk. Its utterly divine. Still fresh, but with that wondrous warmth from the musk. So very glad I have a bottle.

This is sweet peach and patchouli. The patchouli in this one is the type that makes me think "dirty hippy", but with the warmth of the amber (playing nicely with my chemistry - go amber!) and the sweetness of the peach, it's not so overpowering. The peach is the overpowering note in this blend for me, which takes over when dry. The faintest breath of the patchouli is still under there struggling, but it's virtually all peach. I love peach as a fruit. But unfortunately, I have never liked the smell of peach as a flavouring, or a scent. It never smells (or tastes) real to me, and always has this effect on me. I had hoped that BPAL peach would be different, but sadly it isn't. So it has dried down to that smell I simply do not like. Sorry Imp - washing you off.

Frimps from a wonderful LJ seller. CTIII DXCII Sweet. Too sweet. Fruity sweet. There's rose in here, and *sniffs* yep, lotus. My nose isn't well-trained enough to pick out much beyond those two. This is a little powdery, and smell exactly like candy Musk Sticks*. The dry down relieves the sugary overload briefly as a woody note tries its best (and possibly carnation), but it's soon over-run again. Nope, not for me, at all. CTIII DXXX Moonflower, I think. One of the florals I love. Possibly a little gardenia, but it's faint. Possibly something mossy coming through on the dry down - this definitely has an earthy base, and is rather lovely! The floral sweetness is pulled back and something almost peppery is there. I like this one. It can stay. : ) Last reviewed by supremegoddessofall. *Anyone not familiar with Musk Sticks: They're a bright pink vaguely rose-water, perfumey flavoured lolly, kinda powdery and super-sweet. Actually ascribing them any accurate "flavour" would be futile. We simply know it as "musk" flavoured, and happily distinguish it from actual musk, which is something else entirely.

Wet, this one is all about the fern and lavender. Wet, herbal, and fresh. Drying down, the lavender backs right off and it's all green, freshly cut stems in someone's spring garden. Not getting any of the sugar, or rose (remarkably, as I did get a whiff of it from the imp). I can see where it might have a touch of La Fee Verte to it, but only so very slightly. It seemed to pretty much be all fern on me, and then suddenly, in the throw - lilacs. Lovely! Up close, the ferns are still going strong, but the throw definitely has the lilacs now. Then it dries down and turns into Grandma's Ye Olde bath-cubes. It was an interesting journey, Pontarlier, and you almost had me at the ferns'n'lilacs - but no. Not to be.

This certainly reminds me of a rich commercial perfume - but from a perfume family I like (unlike 51), so this isn't a bad thing. Wet - this is potent. Big musks, big patchouli, and even bigger poppy. The poppy's a bit too much for me at this stage, and it's so strong it's almost giving me a bit of a headache (which is a good "use sparingly" warning for me). But the throw is marvelous. Gender neutral, for me, though I would seriously love this on a guy. The patchouli is yummy, and the poppy finally settles down until it's a sweet, earthy warm musk. It's lovely dry. This won't be a bottle for me, as it's just too strong and I simply wouldn't use it all. The imp is a keeper though. Nice!

Oh wow - LOVE this cranky bunneh! So so soft and warm! No much by way of morphing, except the fabulous clover is stronger when wet. The baby's breath adds a gentle not-too-sweet floral, and the musk is simply divine. It's softly, deliciously lemony, and as I'd hoped, that soft musk warms right up and just nuzzles on the dry-down. It's reminding me a lot of the way Buck Moon smells on me - and that is SUCH a good thing! It's definitely gentler and more powdery - and that's good powder, not the bad kind. ; ) Abso-freakin'-lutely love this!

The rose doesn't dominate this at all for me. Wet or dry. It's perfectly blended rose and ylang ylang. Pretty, simple, but without something else to make this more interesting for me it's not a keeper.

Frimp from a Lab auction. Wet? Yup. That's eucalyptus. Great for medicinal purposes, and I love eucalyptus boiled lollies, but like tea-tree oil, this isn't something I want to smell like. Everyone will think I have the flu. It vanishes quickly though. A brief wave of peppery woods, and then the whole lot fades away to a faint, barely there nondescript dusty wood. I'm afraid this one isn't doing it for me.

Frimped with a Lab ebay win. Wet: Bergamot makes a big entrance. It dominates, which is fine, because I like bergamot. However it then bows out to the background remarkably quickly, given it's its inital strength. Out comes the wonderful sandalwood - it's just gorgeous. The lily of the valley is soft, and plays only a supporting role. As it dries, it's mostly pale, sexy sandalwood. Yummy. Ah, this is lovely. I won't injure myself trying to hunt down a bottle, but I'll keep the imp when I'm in a sandalwood mood.

Frimp from a Lab auction. Dragon's blood. Usually an invitation for my skin to behave badly, but this blend can be added to the "Dragon's Blood I Can Wear" list. Just a shame I don't like the blend. Sweet Dragon's blood when wet - no mistake. It's loud and proud. Also loud and proud is the sweet floral that amps up through it. What florals? No idea. But I do know they're not the kind of florals I like, so their presence really kills this one for me. I suspect Jasmine - which would explain my nose-wrinkling reaction. I think for my Dragon's Blood needs, Blood Amber is enough. This one is just too sweetly floral for me.

Frimp from a Lab auction. Anise and nutmeg? And cardamon? I am standing in an Indian bulk foods store and I am perusing the spice aisle. I used to live near one, and we went there regularly to stock up on cheap legumes and spices and curry pastes. Don't necessarily want to smell like it personally, but this still smells great. And now I'm craving saag paneer and chapatis.

This is my first encounter with butter as a note, and I daresay it'll be my last. Wet, it's all chestnut. Sweet, caramel chestnuts with butter. And this goes on right through the drydown. It's way too foody for my tastes. To me, it smells like caramel chestnuts swimming in melted butter. It's way too oily, and not at all something I'd ever want to smell like. In fact, I wouldn't like it as a room scent either. I've managed to keep it on for the dry stage - and finally the woods are very weakly coming through, but it's too little too late, and that butter note just keeps on going. Off it comes. Off to swaps it goes. I expected to not like this one, but wanted to try one of the Hearth blends because I love the concept. But I definitely think the elusive '04 version is the one for me. The hunt continues.

Beltane 06. Wet, this is sweet fruit. Sweet fruit with their sweet-floral friends. It's too sweet. I'm picky when it comes to fruit in blends, and this one really is over into the syrupy area for me. Drying down, that recedes and it almost seems to drift into a warmer sweet-grass blend with a bit of honey and musk underneath - but then this note just invades. I bugs me, and I finally realise it's bubble gum. If there's not lotus in here, there's something that turns awfully lotus-like on me. And lotus is on my hit-list. This lingers around, unfortunately. No herbs. Herbs would have rescued this on me, but the sweet-thing is just too dominant. I wanted to like this. I want to like all the Celtic calendar blends. But Beltane is a disappointment for me.

Snow, soil, opoponax and myrrh. Hmm. I'm not getting the snow/slush note on my skin in this one. It's very resinous evergreen. I'm expecting the myrrh to eventually fight with my skin and win, but for now it's behaving. Evergreen tends to amp on me, so perhaps it's keeping the myrrh under control. I can see where this is similar to Skadi, but on me, this is thick, heavy, resinous pine. No snow. I love pine, but for some reason, this blend isn't doing it for me. It's just that bit TOO thick. I like to get a sense of air in my pine blends, and here, it's like being underground. Which is very apt, but as a blend I'm not really keen on it. So alas, this isn't a GC Skadi-substitute for me. Edited to include Lab description.

*moan* *drags self across the floor to hump the decant* This...this is like Dorian...but BETTER. Dorian isn't sexy like Theodosius is. Theodosius is sexed up lemon tea, with subdued vanilla and oh-so warm come-hither musk. The dry down is SOOOOO GOOOOOD - he gets muskier. I want to bury myself in his chest and graze on his chest-hair. Oh-ho-ho I am getting a bottle of this with my next order - then shall begin the hoarding. I don't need Dorian now. Yes, I'm that fickle.

Magus, toymaker, and Godfather to Klara. An enigmatic man, seemingly somewhat sinister, but bearing a gentle air and a sincere love for children. This scent is dignified, refined, but dark, and hints towards esoteric mysteries and the secrets that tie mechanics to magick. Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen. 2005 version. Oh, can I say LOVE? Wet, this is leather and wood. Not the sharp leather of De Sade, this is soft, worn leather. The woods are dominated until the dry down. It's just so seamlessly blended and evokes a very kind, gentle, fatherly sort of man, in his workshop, tinkering away. Which is exactly what I'd hoped this would be! The linens are faint in the background, and after a while the woods get a little dusty - with everything anchored on the soft leather. I ADORE this. So comforting, so warm. Fantastic! Edited to include Lab description.

Lab frimp. Wet, this is smooth and sweet with something spicy underneath. The spiciness is promptly over-run by a honey note on my skin. There's no list to check if honey is a component, but whatever the honey note is, it's reminding me of O. And that's not a good thing for me. There's a little herbal tang in there, and the worrying honey-note subsides on the dry-down. An incense (and or musk?) note kicks in and at this point it's quite nice. Something floral lurks. Then powder. There's no way this is going to play nicely with me at all Off it comes.

Lab frimp. This starts fruity sweet when wet. On my skin, it's got enough of a bubble-gum edge that I had to double check the notes for any lotus. Nope. Something else is the culprit, and I have no idea what it is. Possibly the prickly pear, possibly the tulip, possibly both. Again, the amber is behaving, but I also think that the super-sweet fruity note is simply dominating it. But there is enough of the amber there for me to wish to hell the "sweet thing" would back off. Any other notes in here are simply drowned out on my skin. It's like a slighty less overt Tintagel on me, which means this is a wash-off-and-swap.

This is a morpher! From the frimp (thanks Lab!), it's a VERY sweet caramel blast from the vanilla and amber. This lingers on my skin for a while, gradually losing its foodie dominance as the earthier notes begin to push through. My skin tends to amp these, which I'm perfectly happy with. Drying down, it's gone from CARAMEL to a very evocative, warm aquatic. The sea moss is now dominating with the woods and well-behaved amber softly drifting underneath. I still get a hint of the vanilla every so often. I very much like what this blend becomes once the wet phase settles down (it has a similar unisex finish on me that I adore so much in Glasgow). I don't think it's a bottle purchase, but I will hang onto the imp and see.

Lab frimp. So very floral in the imp. Wet, sweet floral. The Lily dominates everything else once it's on my skin, and stays amped right up until dry-down, where the rose takes over. I like rose, but especially with lily, it's gone to a soapy, powdery variant that isn't doing it for me. This sort of rose sticks to my skin like glue, and even manages to kill the frankincense and myrrh (which should gang up and go to powder-of-doom on my skin - a distinctly different smell). I'm left with powdery, rose-scented bath products from yesteryear. Swaps.