Penance

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Wow, that's...different. The Devil smells (to me) like a combination of some sort of florals and civet or a heavy musk of some sort. I'm not sure if I like this or not, but it's definitely...interesting. Wet on skin: Musky, but not so civety (is that even a word?) as before. It's almost herbal now, but with a moderately strong background of animalistic musk. Dry down: I smell like cat pee now. That would be the civet/musk reacting to my skin chemistry. Unfortunately, I can't wear civet or strong musks without smelling like I've been sprayed by an over-amorous tomcat, so this isn't working for me. The bottom line: The Devil is too musky for me, but I'm not particularly surprised by that.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. Impressions: Uh-oh, I smell almonds. That effectively ends this experiment since I can't wear anything with almond in it. I'll give it a quick sniff, though, since a requirement of the Circle is reviewing the oils. All I really smell here is almonds, but there may be something else I'm not picking up on. If there's almond in a blend, it generally overwhelms everything else to the point where it's all I can smell. The bottom line: Definitely not for me. Almonds are my worst enemy, unfortunately.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: I like this! Judgement (why is it spelled wrong, anyway?) smells like musk of some sort (red, I think) and a background of what smells like patchouli. It reminds me of Malediction, somewhat. This could be too musky for me, but right now I really like this. It’s dark and intense, both of which appeal to me. Wet on skin: Musky (I’m almost positive it’s red musk) with a background of patchouli (it’s hard to tell with the musk being so prominent). This is muskier than what I’d normally wear, but I like it. This would probably smell great on a guy. Dry down: Mmm, is that incense I smell? I do believe it is! Dry, Judgement smells like red musk, patchouli and some sort of incense. I really like this, although I’m not sure I’d ever use a whole 10mL (I don’t normally wear strong musky scents). The bottom line: A rare winner in the Tarot collection. I may very well get a bottle of this.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Something about The Star really doesn’t appeal to my nose, which surprises me. I smell something citrusy, but almost like a citrus that’s gone...off and, in the background, mint and maybe vanilla and coconut. If it weren’t for the citrus, I’d most likely like this, but I just can’t get past the citrus. Wet on skin: The citrus is a little less intense now, so I like it better than in the imp, but it’s still not quite working for me. I like the minty vanilla/coconut part (it reminds me of Spooky), but the citrus is turning my stomach a little. Dry down: The citrus has really receded, but there’s still enough present to ruin The Star for me, unfortunately. I can see why someone else might like this but for me it’s just not working. The bottom line: I wanted to like The Star, but the citrus just isn’t working for me.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Floral and somewhat herbal. I’m terrible at identifying floral notes, so I can’t pin down what’s in here more definitely than that. It’s very slightly sharp and a tiny bit bitter, not heady or sweet at all. Wet on skin: No real change from in the imp: a slightly sharp, slightly bitter floral with a tiny bit of something herbal. I’m really not a floral fan, unfortunately, so Justice isn’t quite something I’d wear. Dry down: The sharpness has really increased as Justice dried. I’m not sure what kind of flowers are in here, but I really don’t care for them. The bottom line: Definitely not for me. Too sharp and floral for my tastes.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: The Hanged Man is yet another Tarot scent that I can’t quite pin down. It’s slightly sweet and maybe a little green. It reminds me vaguely of Demeter’s Sugar Cane, but only in passing. I’m not sure what’s in here, honestly. Wet on skin: Whatever’s in here, it’s pretty. On me, it takes on a scent somewhat similar to a sweeter version of Scarecrow. For the record, though, Pumpkin King turned into Scarecrow’s doppelganger, so my skin chemistry could be the reason for what I’m smelling here. Dry down: Still Scarecrow’s sweeter cousin. I’m fairly sure it’s probably a skin chemistry thing, but since I haven’t read the other reviews, I can’t say for sure. The bottom line: Too similar to Scarecrow on me. I’m curious about whether it’s my skin chemistry latching onto something or if that’s par for the course.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Wow, flowers in a big way. I’m terrible at identifying floral notes, so all I can say is that smelling Temperance is literally like walking into a florist’s shop and taking a deep breath. It’s bright, sunny and beautiful, even to a non-floral lover like me. If I had to wear a floral scent, it would be something like Temperance. Wet on skin: I know I recognize the flower I’m smelling here, but I can’t place it. It’s slightly sweet, a tiny bit heady, but not headache-inducing like a lot of florals. On me, it’s a bit too sweet and heady, unfortunately, but it’s nice enough. Dry down: Subdued, sweet florals, almost honeysuckle-like but not quite. Temperance is feminine and soft and not me at all, but quite pretty in its own way. The bottom line: Temperance isn’t me (I don’t really do florals or girly scents in general), but it’s still a scent I can see the appeal of.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: The Chariot smells like butterscotch to me for some reason. I’m thinking there’s something wrong with my nose today since I wasn’t expecting that. I haven’t read the other reviews for this, so I’m not sure if it’s just me. Wet on skin: There’s still slight butterscotch-type scent to The Chariot, but it’s not quite so bright as in the imp. Now it smells almost like vanilla and maybe some sort of floral on top of the butterscotch. Dry down: No more butterscotch now. At this stage, The Chariot smells almost like an herbal vanilla. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m getting a weird impression of this, although I could be wrong. The bottom line: Unusual and not in a bad way. I’m not sure I’d wear this, but it’s nice.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Ace of Swords falls into the same category as The Magician and The Wheel of Fortune for me: a sort of herbal/licorice/fennel-like scent that I can’t quite pin down. This is almost medicinal smelling, but with a licorice tinge. I keep thinking there’s a common note that I’m confusing with licorice or fennel, but I’m not sure. Wet on skin: I still smell fennel, although it could be something else, but now there’s a strong lavender note backing it up. At this stage, this reminds me strongly of Baku. Dry down: Lavender is almost all I smell now, although I can tell there’s something else in here, too. It’s a sort of calm herbal scent with a slight sweetness to it. The bottom line: This reminds me of the Dream Blends. I’m not too big on lavender, though, so it’s really not quite me.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Cherry is the first thing I smell. At first, it’s vaguely almond-like, but then it resolves itself into something akin to The Queen of Hearts, a sort of Luden’s wild cherry coughdrop scent. It’s not bad at all, I just don’t generally care for cherry as a scent. Wet on skin: It’s gone almondy again, which is definitely a bad thing. I doubt there really is almond in here (I don’t feel nauseous yet), but anything that reminds me of almonds is an immediate scent killer for me. Dry down: The almond note is gone again and I’m left with a sort of cherry floral that’s semi-reminiscent of The Queen of Hearts only more subdued. The bottom line: Not my kind of scent, but pretty enough in its own way.

Origin: Imp from jj_j and a 5mL picked up from BB by WickedGoddess. Scent impressions: Mmm, this smells beautiful...it's warm and comforting in the same way that The Sun is without being citrusy. It's sort of a warm floral, but not an obvious floral. It took me several minutes to even figure out that I was smelling something flowery. My initial impression is just one of warmth, like lying on my back in a field of long grass at the end of summer, when the grass is turning crisp and brown, but the weather is still warm and inviting. I would wear this just for the scent. Effectiveness: Lionheart ranks up there with Helping Hand and Fiery Wall of Protection in terms of effectiveness. I wore this to work (often a stressful situation and one that requires me to be strong and, for lack of a better word, domineering, and the effect was obvious. Several things that normally would have had me reeling on the edge of a panic attack didn't even phase me and not only did I make it through the entire day without the slightest hint of stress or anxiety, but I really felt like a leader for the first time in my life. This is perfect for me when I'm feeling in need of a little bit of help. I'm not a naturally dominant person and I need all the help I can get to stand strong sometimes and Lionheart does just that. The verdict: A definite winner. Lionheart is going to be a lifesaver, I can tell that right now.

Origin: Imp from theshapeshifter. Preconceived notions: I didn't order this when it came out because of the "soft perfume" mentioned in the description, although the "rich red grave loam" sounds wonderful. Looking forward to trying this. First sniff: Mmm, rich, loamy dirt. Like Graveyard Dirt but with more of a red clay feeling to it. I think I smell a bit of perfume in the far background, but it could be the power of suggestion. Wet on skin: Now I really smell the perfume. It's slightly sweet, almost chocolatey, but it blends surprisingly well with the loam note. I'm surprised by how much I like this at this stage, given that anything "perfumey" generally makes me cringe and/or gives me a horrific headache. Dry down: This smells so good! It's similar to Graveyard Dirt, only more clay-like with an overlay of, well, soft perfume, like gauze laid over a freshly dug grave. It's beautiful in a strange, unexpected way, with the perfume keeping the loam from becoming too overwhelming and the loam keeping the perfume from being too, well, perfumey. The bottom line: Beautiful! I'm going to seriously consider getting a bottle of this. It's definitely right up my alley.

Preconceived notions: I mainly ordered Shill for the pure novelty of it (who wouldn't want to try smelling like a bag of buttered popcorn?), but also because of the butter note. I was holding onto a shred of hope that the butter note in this might be somewhat similar to the butter note in the original version of Hellfire, but I don't see that happening. At all. Still worth a shot for the novely factor, though. First sniff: Whoa! I don't know how Beth did it, but this is the smell of a big, greasy bag of movie theater popcorn with extra butter and a liberal sprinkling of salt. This is dead on accurate, although I'm not sure I'd ever wear it since I'm not normally a foody scent kind of girl. Wet on skin: This is so realistic that if you blindfolded me, applied this to your wrists and held them under my nose, I'd be tempted to take a bite out of them. This is absolutely, 100% dead on accurate. The popcorn note becomes more pronounced on my skin, making this "bottled movie theater popcorn butter" and more "bottled movie theater popcorn with butter." I'm floored by how accurate this is. Beth is a genius! Dry down: Rich, salty buttered popcorn, pure and simple. Shill smells good enough to eat, even if I don't see myself actually wearing this. Utter genius! The bottom line: I'm torn between wanting to keep this out of sheer amazement and wanting to swap it so that it doesn't go to waste. Dilemmas, dilemmas...

Origin: I was gifted with an imp of this by the ever generous and wonderful jj_j. Scent impressions: Whoo-wee is that a strong floral. Intense and ever-so-slightly soapy with a heady edge that's causing an immediate nagging headache (I can't tolerate a lot of florals for some reason, but - same as with Has No Hanna - I'm willing to tolerate it if it means my luck is improved). I'm terrible with floral notes, but my guess is gardenia since it smells very similar to my mom's favorite gardenia lotion. I'm definitely not a floral fan, so this doesn't appeal to me scent-wise, but I'm not wearing it for the scent, so I guess it doesn't really matter, although it's always wonderful when something works and smells good. Effectiveness: Well, I've now officially had two oils with a purpose (as opposed to just plain perfume oils) backfire on me, for lack of a better word. In much the same way that Come To Me is apparently Get Away From Me on me, Lucky #20 would probably be more aptly named Unlucky #20 on me. I've had a run of bad luck starting from about 5 minutes after I applied Lucky #20 (to the back of my neck, so I wouldn't have to smell it - the same thing I do with Has No Hanna) and continuing through the entire day so far. I'm not going to get into the details because they piss me off and I'm in a bad enough mood, but suffice to say that I'm disappointed. I don't know why certain Voodoo/TAL oils hate me, but it's not simply a matter of not working...it's more like creating the exact opposite of the effect I was hoping for. The verdict: I'm going to give Lucky #20 one more try on another day before I give up on it. I'm hoping it's coincidence that I've had a horrid day and that even Lucky #20 couldn't counteract it, but I seriously doubt that's the case.

Preconceived notions: I've been lusting after Gnome since I first heard about it. I'm very much an earthy girl and even though I don't know exactly what's in here, I've got high hopes for this one. First sniff: Smells similar to Burial...like a combination of Burial and Loup Garou or possibly Thanatopsis. Earthy, but with a pungent briskness to it that strikes me as being juniper, but which could possibly be eucalyptus (it's hard to pin down). This isn't overwhelmingly dirty the way Graveyard Dirt is - it's lighter and more brisk smelling, although the earthiness is obvious. Where Graveyard Dirt is dirt, Gnome appears to be more like black patchouli. Wet on skin: Much "dirtier" now. Whereas Burial is heavy on the juniper on me, Gnome turns very earthy on my skin with a very slight sweet/powdery undertone that strikes me as being white musk for some reason. I get the impression of something along the lines of Graveyard Dirt mixed with Oisin now. Dry down: I'm still getting the impression of white musk for reasons unknown (I'm not sure it's in here, but I smell it all the same). Dry, Gnome is earthy and slightly sharp (like juniper or eucalyptus) with an undertone of powdery muskiness. This really is similar (on me) to a combination of Oisin and a moderate dose of Graveyard Dirt on the drydown. The bottom line: Complex and unusual. I'm not so sure about the powderiness, but while I prefer Graveyard Dirt for my "earth" cravings, I really like this. Not an everyday scent to be sure, but interesting and lovely in its own right.

Preconceived notions: I've got high hopes for Medicine Show. I love tobacco scents and all but one note (rosewood) in here sounds absolutely wonderful, so hopefully it won't disappoint. First sniff: Mmm, tobacco! I also smell the opium, balsam and ginger. This is rich and dark and simultaneously seedy and decadent smelling. It definitely puts me in mind of snake oil salesmen and miracle cures. So far, this is fantastic! Wet on skin: Hmm, something in here is going strangely perfumey on my skin...it's either the rosewood or the opium, I'm not sure which. Medicine Show was gorgeous in the bottle, but on me it's turning into a powdery perfumey scent that really doesn't work on me. Damn skin chemistry! Dry down: That's a little better. The powdery perfume is mostly gone, but now I'm left with an odd musty scent that's not quite "right" in my mind. I'm sure my skin chemistry is wreaking havoc with something in here (probably the rosewood, since opium's never given me trouble before) and making this smell "off" on me. I was really hoping I was going to love this, but my skin seems to have different plans. The bottom line: Damn skin chemistry. I wanted to love Medicine Show, but it's just not loving me back. I may keep one bottle to use in a scent locket, but since I can't wear it on my skin without smelling icky, I'll probably get rid of my other bottle once it arrives.

Origin: Sample from Hellfire82 on LJ. Preconceived notions: I really don't see Honey Moon working for me, which is why I didn't order it. BPAL's honey notes generally don't like me and I really don't like jasmine or gardenia, although ginger and thyme are nice. First sniff: Honey, gardenia and ginger. The honey actually isn't very pronounced to my nose, strangely enough. This is far more floral than I'd imagined and, unfortunately, that's a bad thing. Wet on skin: Now the honey is coming out in full force. It's not cloying the way honey has the potential to be. It's actually very light and subdued. The jasmine and gardenia are still very pronounced, but that could be my skin amping them up the way it has a tendency to do. Dry down: Pure, screamingly loud gardenia and jasmine. My skin loves florals even if I don't and it has an irritating tendency to latch onto them and chase everything else out of the picture, which is what's happening here. The bottom line: This scent's definitely not for me, but I knew that going into this, so it's no surprise.

Preconceived notions: Torture King is a combination of notes I love and notes I hate, so this could go either way. If it weren't for the citrus notes, I'm sure I'd love it, but they could ruin this one for me. First sniff: Yuck, citrus! I smell lemon, lime and leather and it really doesn't appeal to me. I hate to say it, but this really makes me cringe. I don't get any of the notes I love, just horrible, evil citrus and a dose of leather. Wet on skin: The citrus note isn't so horribly overpowering once this is on me, which is good, but it's still not quite me. Now I smell the frankincense and ambergris and clove and the tiniest bit of bourbon (a note I love and would love to see more of) in addition to the citrus notes I got from the bottle. Dry down: All of the offending citrus seems to be gone, but Torture King isn't quite wowing me, somehow. I'm not sure why that is because everything I'm smelling is something I really like. I'm getting frankincense, clove, ambergris and a tiny bit of bourbon and it should be perfect for me, but it's just not grabbing me for some reason. The bottom line: I'm a little too neutral toward this to justify keeping it when I have so much perfume, but I'm going to give it another shot before I get rid of it just in case.

Preconceived notions: I was a weird kid (I grew up to be a weird adult, too, but that's not the point) and I used to love to lick metal, especially coins and keys and nails. I loved the metallic taste and the way it made my tongue tingle and the way it was like nothing else I'd ever tasted, so when Bed of Nails was released, I jumped at the chance to own a true metal scent because the smell of metal (and ozone) reminds me of the taste of all the metal trinkets I used to lick when I was little. I figure if anyone can bottle the smell of metal, Beth can. First sniff: Slightly sweet ozone, like the air during a thunderstorm. It's the first thing that comes to mind when I smell this because I associate the electric tang of ozone with the taste (and smell) of metal. This is extremely clean smelling - almost like a hybrid of dryer sheets, thunderstorm air and raw metal. I expected something sharper and more biting, but this is gorgeous anyway. Wet on skin: There's that harsh, sharp metal edge I was dreaming of. Bed of Nails smells just like an old watering can I used to play with when I was very small - like worn metal, sharp and biting and clean in a way that only metal can be. This is everything I'd hoped for in this scent. I can practically taste the metallic tang of Bed of Nails it's so realistic. Dry down: Sharp, intense metal with a very faint touch of worn wood. Bed of Nails is evocative and dangerous but compelling smelling; almost hypnotic in its draw towards danger. It's clean in a less-than-homey way that hints at cold steel and dangerous edges. But, at the same time, it's immensly comforting to me, reminding me, as it does, of my childhood and of the inexplicable pleasure of the metallic tang of a purloined nail held under my tongue or a penny sucked like a piece of hard candy. The bottom line: An unusual scent for an unusual girl. Bed of Nails is everything I'd hoped for and more. I'm going to need more of this.

Aww, now I wish I'd ordered LitA even though it's going to hate me. I need to start collecting BPAL bottles. Not the scents, just the bottles.

Same here! That's why I had to teach myself to pronounce it right. It just sounded ridiculous that way.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: There's no way I'm going to like this and I know that going into it. There's only one note in here (clove) that I like - the rest either don't appeal to me or downright hate me, but I'm willing to try it anyway. First sniff: Surprisingly, this strikes me as being a distant cousin of Dracul's. That has to be the orange blossom and clove coming through. It's floral, slightly cloying and very heavy on the orange blossom and neroli with just a hint of spice. While I love Dracul, this just doesn't do it for me. Wet on skin: Heavily perfumey, which means orange blossom. For some reason, I can't tolerate either orange blossom or neroli. They just make me cringe for some reason (except in Dracul, for reasons just as mysterious). This is just too cloyingly perfumey for me, just like I thought it was going to be. Dry down: All heavy, perfumey, cloying citrus florals without even a hint if spice. I knew Succubus wouldn't like me, so it's not a surprise, but I'm still a little disappointed the same way I am every time a BPAL scent hates me. The bottom line: Succubus and I weren't made for one another, that much is obvious. Hopefully someone else can love it.

Preconceived notions: This sounds wonderful on paper, but I seem to remember it being referred to as strongly fruity, which doesn't bode well, unfortunately. First sniff: Well, that's definitely not what I was expecting. I was hoping for something spicy and resinous with a hint of fruit, but the blood orange is very prominent in this. I get the tiniest hint of pepper, but everything else is pure blood orange. Wet on skin: A little bit more peppery now, but still mainly blood orange. I love eating oranges, but when it comes to smelling like them, I'm not so interested. I'm just not a fruity kind of girl, so Kunstkammer's not doing it for me. It's warm and very rich and fruity and I'm sure someone with tastes that lean toward the fruity would love this, but it's not for me. Dry down: Peppery blood oranges. This scent is intense. The orange is rich and heady and sweet and the pepper gives it a nice depth, but, sadly, I'm just not the kind of girl who can really appreciate a scent like this. The bottom line: I'm sure someone inclined toward fruit scents and citrus would love this, so it's getting swapped.

Preconceived notions: Snake Charmer sounds like the love child of Snake Oil and Queen of Spades (both of which I love). If it lives up to that, this is going to be an instant favorite. First sniff: Oh, God, this is the love child of Snake Oil and QoS! This is so utterly gorgeous I can't even begin to describe it. I smell plum and vanilla and coconut and spice and a gorgeous background of musk that gives it the most amazing depth. I thought Geek would be my favorite of the Carnaval Noir scents, but even it can't beat Snake Charmer. Wet on skin: As soon as this hits my skin, it turns into pure Snake Oil, with all the plum and coconut disappearing into thin air and leaving that musky, spicy vanilla scent that I love so much. I really wish the plum and coconut hadn't disappeared since I'm hopelessly in love with Queen of Spades and wanted something to replace it when I run out, but this is beautiful anyway. Dry down: The plum's making a slight comeback now, but it's still not nearly as strong as I'd like it to be. On the dry down, Snake Charmer is a soft musky vanilla scent with a hint of plum and coconut to it. I'm somewhat convinced that my hormones are throwing it out of whack and that if I try it again later the plum will come out in full force, but even if it doesn't, I really love this. The bottom line: If Snake Oil and Queen of Spades had a baby, Snake Charmer would be it. Sexy, sensual and hypnotic. I love it!

You and me both! My whole family is either Scottish or Irish with the exception of a small amount of Cherokee on my mom's side and a few pockets of random European nationalities on my dad's side, so I'm a bit embarrassed not to be able to pronounce all the pretty Gaelic names without sounding like an idiot. At least for the Aztec ones I have an excuse.