Penance

Vetch is the first thing that came to mind, but I could definitely be wrong. I keep thinking Ya-Ya Sisterhood, too.

Whoo! You are my twin, aren't you, Sarada? Seriously, that's exactly the way I deal with pronunciation. I have so much trouble with the Gaelic names that it's not even funny. The only one I can pronounce without feeling stupid is Baobhan Sith and that's only because it sounds stupid being pronounced the way it's spelled, so I had to learn the right way. I feel better about saying Sam-hayne, now. As long as I'm not the only one.

Thanks, hon. I needed that. I guess I'm just worried someone's going to suddenly go all academic on me and start correcting my pronunciations or something. And I know what you mean about those names sounding stupid. I've got the same problem. As for Vechernyaya and Utrennyaya...I'm probably completely wrong, but I've been pronouncing them: Vetch (like kvetch) - urn - yaya and You - tren - yaya Of course, I reference above statements about my incorrect pronunciation, so take that with a grain of salt.

I just noticed this, and now I'm embarrassed... Does anyone else avoid mentioning the name of certain scents just because you feel stupid trying to say them? Samhain for example. I know the correct pronunciation, but in my head it's "Sam-hayne" not the correct real pronunciation, so when someone asks me what it's called I get all embarrassed because I feel stupid using the correct pronunciation for some reason. The same also goes for Oisin (in my head, it's Oy-sin)...I think my brain hates Gaelic names even though my family is Scottish/Irish. So, yeah....I just call Samhain "my Haloween perfume" most of the time because I feel stupid saying it the right way. EDIT: Apparently my brain hates English, too...

Preconceived notions: Geek is the Carnaval Noir scent I was most anticipating. Everything in here is just screaming my name. I can easily see this being an instant obsession for me. First sniff: Sexy! I smell leather and pine and cedar and cinnamon and grass...and, hell, everything that's listed in the description. It's dark and masculine and dangerous smelling and sexy as hell. I tend to love masculine scents, so this is right up my alley. Geek reminds me of the deep woods...maybe of a sexy, rugged man in the deep woods. It's not sharply woodsy the way some pine scents are and it's not terribly subdued, either. It's dangerous and dark and feral smelling while still being wearable. Wet on skin: Oh, that's good...as soon as Geek hits my skin, the woodsy notes and cinnamon amp up. Where before it was more of a hot skin and deep woods kind of scent, now it's more like woods and cinnamon and...danger, somehow. This is definitely my kind of scent. Dry down: Cinnamony wood and pine needles with just a hint of leather and patchouli. Before, the cinnamon and woods and pine and grass were all present but jumbled and lying on top of one another but now all the notes have mixed into one sexy scent that I can't pick out the components of. Geek is slightly spicy, woodsy, dark, green and earthy all at the same time. The bottom line: Oh, yes, this is gorgeous. I knew I was going to love this and I was right. I'm going to have to get a few more bottles before the Carnaval pulls up its stakes, if it means selling my kidneys to do it.

Damn, now I want to see the new Carnivale label, too. I'm starting to want to collect the CN bottles regardless of whether I like the scent or not...just have them lined up on my dresser and stare at them.

I personally don't find Shub and GP to be as close as you might think they'd be, given the fact that they're both gingersnap/gingerbread type scents. There are definitely similarities, but Shub has a strong lemon type ginger smell to it that GP doesn't have at all for me.

I have trouble with reducers, too, for some reason. For me it's normally trial and error since each blend is different in terms of viscosity and strength. For example, Queen of Spades is extremely thin and dumps all over my arm if I try and use the "tip the bottle and get a drop" method, so if I use that bottle with the reducer on I generally press the reducer up to my wrist and very carefully tip it up, ready to snatch it back once the oil comes out, but with something like, say, Penitence that's heavier, I can tip the whole bottle upside down and not get more than a drop out of the reducer. So, anyway, rambling aside, what I'm trying to say is that there doesn't seem to be a foolproof method of using bottles with reducers and it really depends on the viscosity of the scent you're using and how much you want to wear. Not much help, I'm sure, but that's part of the reason I don't normally use reducers anymore.

Origin: Sample from hellfire82 on LJ. Preconceived notions: I really don't expect to like this. I didn't order Strawberry Moon because while I love the smell of fresh strawberries, I don't want to smell like them and because of my hatred of Bon Vivant (the only other BPAL strawberry blend I've tried aside from Pink Moon) and because of the ylang-ylang and lotus. First sniff: The strawberry note in here is definitely better than the one in Bon Vivant - far less "strawberry lipgloss" vibe - but it still doesn't work for me. I smell strawberry, cream and the bubblegum note that means lotus. Definitely not for me so far. Wet on skin: More realistic now. The cream is stronger and so is the lotus. Honestly, this reminds me a bit too much of cheap strawberry bubblegum (must be the lotus and strawberry joining forces) for me to actually wear this. Dry down: Powdery strawberry bubblegum. I really can't wear lotus because I absolutely despise the smell of bubblegum. For someone else with more of a sweettooth, this would probably be far more wearable, for for it it's just not working. The bottom line: Not for me, but then I didn't expect it to be. This is going to be finding a new home.

Origin: Lagniappe from BPTP. First sniff: Warm and citrusy. The second I opened the imp to sniff this I got an instant mental image of warm sunlight so intensely that I could almost feel it. I don't normally like citrus scents (unless it's grapefruit), but something about this is speaking to me. I smell lemon and what could be orange and amber. This scent is positively golden. Wet on skin: So warm and comforting smelling. I don't think I've ever had a mental reaction this strong before - I definitely wasn't expecting this. Wearing this, I feel like I'm wrapped in sunshine, like there's nothing to worry about and that all I have to do is just lay back and let life take its course (something that is a huge comfor to me right now). The Sun, in its wet stage, smells like amber (thankfully it's not turning into sour milk) and lemon drops. This is miles away from my normal scent choices, but I'm really loving this! Dry down: This smells like bottled sunshine to me. Warm, golden amber and bright, soft, sunny lemon. I normally hate lemon and have a tumultuous relationship with amber, but this is working beautifully. I'm not sure I'd need an entire bottle, but this is so beautiful and so warm in a way that I link with physical and emotional comfort. The bottom line: I don't remember what The Sun represents off the top of my head, so I can't say whether this captures its namesake's meaning, but I can say that I'm very happily surprised by this one.

Origin: Lagniappe from BPTP. First sniff: I know this smell and I know that I know it, but (as is the case with so many of the Tarot blends), I can't quite get the name to actually ocme out enough to identify this. It reminds me of a kitchen. Some sort of herb, I believe, although I'm drawing a complete blank on what is is for some reason. I'd say this is pungent and green smelling but...not. Gah, I can't describe this! Wet on skin: So damn familiar...I know I smelled an EO very similar to this not too long ago, but I don't remember what it was. The most I can say is that this is extremely pungent and smells herbal in a way that's almost like a mix of Ricola coughdrops and horehound candy. I know that has to sound unappealing, but it's actually not. That's just the only way I can think of to describe this. Dry down: Most of the herbalness has gone and now this is more like a mix of horehound and some sort of sweet florals. This is very unusual and suprisingly pretty. The bottom line: I would love to know what's in this because it's as pretty as it is unusual.

Preconceived notions: I've been dying to try this since it was released. Based on the description, it sounds like it was made for me and I've got extremely high hopes for this. First sniff: This is incense, but not head shop incense. Exotic incense burning in some far flung Buddhist temple, not the type you pick up at your local Rocky Mudd's. It's almost green smelling somehow, like green tree branches - sappy but woody at the same time. The best way I can think of to describe this is that it's like a temple in some untouched corner of the rainforest - snapped sapling branches and exotic, hand-blended resins smoking in a brazier in some farflung Buddhist temple. Wet on skin: There's still something very reminiscent of the sappy, green smell you get when you break a small branch off a living tree. It's unexpected but strangely beautiful (and not at all what I expected). The incense note is pronounced, but it's not your average, run of the mill incense. This is nothing like Penitence or Cathedral or even Anne Bonny for me, it's more exotic: dryer and less sweet. Dry down: A little bit of this goes a long, long way. I dabbed a tiny bit of this on to test it and I can smell it without getting my nose anywhere near it. The green wood note is gone and I smell dry, exotic incense with an almost cinnamon-like note to it. This reminds me of Lorenzo Villoresi's Incensi for some reason, although this is much better quality (nothing beats BPAL!) and smells far more beautiful - something about the notes seems similar. The bottom line: Beautiful! Very unusual! I love this!

Chaos Theory LXXVII (77) Origin: Mini sniffy from Joseybird. Preconceived notions: All I remember is pine and I really like pine, so I'm hoping to like this one. First sniff: Hmm...that's pine, but it's dangerously close to the cleaning fluid pine note in Jabberwocky that I absolutely despise (it's the olfactory equivalent of nails on a blackboard). It might improve on my skin, but right now things aren't looking good. Wet on skin: A little better. Slightly more like Nocnitsa than Jabberwocky now, but not enough for my to really like this at the moment. It's rare for me to dislike pine unless it smells like a fake Christmas tree, but both Jabberwocky and this one just grate on my sense of smell somehow. Dry down: A little better still, but not improved enough. I have no clue why I dislike this when Josey finds it so beautiful, but maybe it's a blessing in disguise. At least now I won't be beating myself up over passing on this one when I had a crack at the bottle. The bottom line: This is only the second BPAL pine scent that's been unappealing to me and I'd love to know why this and Jabberwocky are so different than BPAL's other pine scents. Oh well, I'm going to look at this as a blessing in disguise. Previously reviewed by Neko and Chirp.

Chaos Theory VIII Origin: Imp from ~AmusedMuse~ Preconceived notions: I honestly don't remember what this is supposed to smell like, so I really don't know what to expect. First sniff: Minty! There seem to be quite a few minty CT2's floating around out there, which is fine by me. This smells very similar to my spearmint CT2 in the imp...there might be something a little grassy in the background of VIII, too, though. Wet on skin: Soft and minty. Like fresh mint leaves, not peppermint oil or candy canes. There is something grassy here, too. It's very subtle, but it's definitely there. It's an unusual combination and I'm not quite sure if it's working for me. Dry down: Grass and mint and something vaguely herbal. This is really unusual. I'm not sure if it's pretty or just plain strange. It's one of those scents and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. The bottom line: I'm not sure if I like this enough to keep it or not. It's different - very different - but I'm not quite sure that translates to "pretty." Previously reviewed by Olympia301, ~AmusedMuse~ and Gin

Preconceived notions: I don't normally do fruit scents, but because of my complete adoration of March Hare and my love affair with liquor scents, I got a 5mL of this unsniffed and really hope to love it. First sniff: Mmm, this is dead on! It's not fruity like March Hare is fruity; it's boozy with a decidedly liqueur-like apricot note to it. It smells decadent and sophisticated in a comfortable sort of way, like sitting in a wingback chair in front of a roaring fire after a night at the theatre, if that makes sense. The apricot portion is definitely a part of the brandy and not just a fruit note superimposed over the booze, which was what I was slightly nervous about. So far, this is gorgeous! Wet on skin: As soon as Grand Guignol hits my skin, the brandy note amps up, drowning out most of the apricot and making this more boozy and less fruity. Where before it bore a slight resemblance to March Hare with the strong apricot note, it's now definitely a boozy scent with just a touch of fruit. This is very sophisticated smelling somehow. I would have to compare this in feeling to the original Hellfire...a sort of sophisticated, comfortable debauched scent. I don't know how to explain it except to say that while it's undeniably high-class smelling, there's something about it that suggests illicit behavior in darkened parlors. I'm not sure if it's me supplying the imagery or if the scent just conjures that up, but either way I have to admit that I like it. Dry down: Very boozy with just a slight hint of fruit. If I worried that this would be too strong on the fruit, I've definitely been proven wrong. The fruit doesn't jump out at you, it's more subtle, like a shadow in the background that gives the scent depth. This is beautiful. The bottom line: This is sophisticated smelling and not at all foody. It's a serious scent, somehow, and I'm sure it would smell gorgeous on a guy...might have to try it on my husband tonight.

Maybe there's cinnamon in it that isn't listed? That's the only thing I can think of. I'm allergic to almond so I've only really given Hecate a really superficial sniff (the most I could do without making myself sick) and it smelled a tiny bit cinnamon-ish. That's really the only thing I can think of unless you're allergic to myrrh or nut oils.

Preconceived notions: 13 is my lucky (and favorite) number and I was thrilled when this came out, but, based on the reviews, I'm worried. I really don't want to smell like chocolate (white chocolate is fine, but milk chocolate definitely isn't) and the comparisons to chocolate oranges have me worried. Big time. First sniff: Chocolate, ick! The people who've mentioned that this smells like milk chocolate rather than white chocolate are right, unfortunately. I also smell a tiny bit of something fruity in the background that could be either the currant or the orange since it's so hard to isolate. Unless this really changes on my skin, this is going to be a disaster on me. Wet on skin: Strong chocolate and currant in the background. I wanted to love this, but this is so not me that it's not even funny. I despise the smell of chocolate (with a couple of exceptions, most notably Dia De Los Muertos), so this is not working although I'm sure that someone more in love with the smell of chocolate would adore this. Dry down: Chocolate, currants and oranges. There's nothing artificial here and it smells downright juicy but it's really not appealing to me. I was so excited about this, but I just can't love it the way I wanted to. The bottom line: 13's a real heartbreaker for me. I wanted to love this so bad, but I can't even really like it. Chocolate just isn't my thing. At all.

Origin: Imp from brandileigh. Preconceived notions: I waffled over this one right up until the moment the SIA oils were removed from the site because while I love white pepper and like mint quite a bit and have an unexpected (for me, I mean) fondness for Blue Moon (which sounds similar), I was worried about the cucumber and the comparisons to Frost Moon, so I'm curious and not quite sure what to expect. First sniff: Soft, watery mint. Somehow I'm sure that the wateriness comes from the cucumber even though I can't actually smell it. The mints remind me of Ultraviolet - cold and almost glowing smelling somehow. So far this is nice, although I was hoping for a stronger pepper component. Wet on skin: Whoa, that's stronger now! The mint really amps up once it hits my skin and the cucumber comes out in full force without any warning. There's a tiny bit of pepper here, too, but still not as much as I was hoping for. This is very pretty, though, cold and glowing smelling and refreshing somehow. This would make a great summer or winter scent. Dry down: Cucumber and pepper. The mint seems to have gone MIA, but the pepper is coming through much more strongly now that it's gone. I actually really like this in spite of my dislike of cucumber (as a general rule, sometimes I like it) and now I'm regretting not getting a bottle. I had a feeling this was going to happen, but hindsight is 20/20. The bottom line: Chilly and glowing at first and then summery but cool on the drydown. Beautiful and very unusual! I only wish I'd gotten a bottle when I had the chance.

Origin: 5mL from LunaSea. First sniff: Well, whaddya know..."the scent of air and darkness" smells like laundry detergent! Horrifying isn't really the word that comes to mind when I smell this. Clean? Absolutely. Comforting? Possibly. Refreshing? Sure. But horrifying? Not unless you find the idea of doing a load of laundry particularly terrifying. I'm not bad-mouthing this, by the way. I actually love the smell of laundry detergent (and the way Yog-Sothoth smells), I just find it amusing how this scent is so wholesome and comforting to me when the description is so intimidating. Wet on skin: Ooh, no more laundry detergent! Now this is a little more intimidating smelling. It's actually earthy on me strangely enough. I smell vetiver very clearly in this...for some reason I'm reminded of Capricorn, but lighter and more airy. This is really interesting: vetiver and something slightly soapy and laundry detergentish in the background. I'd say the best way to describe this would be as dark and earthy with an airy, clean background. Very unusual! Dry down: The "air" and "earth" smells are more blended now. Where before they were clearly distinct, now they seem almost like the same note...a sort of strange soapy air and dirt hybrid that really does smell rather like a forest at night. I really wasn't expecting this from the way Yog-Sothoth smelled in the bottle, but I'm as impressed as I am surprised. This is undoubtedly a strange combination of notes and one that's hard to describe accurately, but at the same time it's beautiful in a way that would be hard to understand without actually smelling it. The bottom line: Very unusual! The notes are a strange combination but they work. This manages to be both clean and dirty at the same time and I really like it!

I'm allergic to pollen (my eyes tear up, my nose gets stuffy, I sneeze like crazy, all that good stuff) and I love Roadhouse. Never had a problem with it. I'd imagine you'd be okay, but I'd say try a tiny dab first and see if that sets off your allergies before really giving it a serious try.

Chaos Theory CCLXXIV (274) Origin: 5mL courtesy of Lysithea. Preconceived notions: Lysithea described this as being a peppery resin/incense blend, which sounds wonderful, so I've got high hopes. First sniff: Mmm, pepper! Smells like black pepper to me. There's also something sort of sharp in the background...it's definitely resiny, too, though. I'm not sure what it is, but it's beautiful! Wet on skin: Almost all pepper now, but I love pepper so that's fine by me. I get a tiny, tiny bit of something like frankincense in the background, but the main note here is strong, musty black pepper. It's similar to Kweku Anansi, but without the grass and nutmeg. Very unusual. Dry down: Musty, peppery incense. I can't place what resin note this is...the pepper keeps getting in the way when I try to pin this down. Right now, I would say that frankincense is the most likely culprit here...maybe a touch of myrrh, but I'm not sure about that. This is really nice! The bottom line: Yummy! Spicy and musty and warm and resiny and just wonderful. This reminds me of a less sweet version of Villainess' Pyromania smooch. I'm glad I swapped for this!

Chaos Theory CCCXXIX (329) Origin: 5mL borrowed from Subbes for ID purposes. First sniff: There's definitely something strangely spicy in here. I recognize it, I know I do, but the name is escaping me. Not dragon's blood, not cinnamon...it bears a passing resemblance to black pepper, but not quite...actually, that might be it: black pepper mixed with something else that's confusing my nose. It strikes me as being somewhere between herbal and spice and it's naggingly familiar. Wet on skin: This smells almost identical to another BPAL scent and I can't place which one it is...I've tried so many that I can't call up the name in my mind. Floral...a floral I really don't care for. It's...neroli! I absolutely despise neroli - it gives me splitting headaches (that should have been a tip off right away) and I really don't like the smell of it, either. I believe the scent I was thinking of is either Catherine, Succubus or Naiad, although I don't have any of those to compare it to anymore. Dry down: The neroli is still prominent on me (florals love me, even if I don't love them back) but there's more to this...carnation, maybe? I smell a spicy floral behind the neroli, which might explain Subbes' impression of it being like dragon's blood - it's spicy and slightly red smelling while definitely not being dragon's blood. Strangely all of a sudden and completely out of left field I smell black tea (what I mean is that there no warning, it was just there all of a sudden, overpowering the neroli and brining a vague fruitiness - plum maybe? - with it). :icon_eek: The bottom line: Wow, this one is a morpher. It starts out peppery, veers into floral country and then throws in another dash of spice and a surprise splash of fruity black tea in the end. Very complex; definitely a challenge. Not me, but fun to try and pin down! Previously reviewed by Subbes.

Chaos Theory XVIII (18) Origin: 5mL courtesy of Sarada who got it from Mobilejessie. First sniff: Sharp and herbal, but with an undertone that smells like rum. I'm almost positive that there's got to be rum in this because it's a pretty distinct scent and I've not come across anything that really mimicks it. The herbal note seems to be the same odd one that I've gotten from several CT2's that I've tried - I swear, it's haunting me. Wet on skin: Mmm, rum! Sarada was right, there's a definite boozy note here that's pretty prominent. I don't smell any vetiver in here. All I get is rum, maybe some wood and a hint of vanilla (not positive about that one) and a light, light touch of that herbal note I smelled in the bottle. Dry down: The rum note isn't as prominent now. It's settled down into a sort of rum/vanilla/unidentified wood scent that's really very pretty. The vanilla type note (not sure that it is vanilla and not, say, tonka bean or something similar) smells a tiny bit plasticky, but only when my nose is right up against it and not too much even then. The bottom line: Nice! I'd love to know why that damn herbal note is following me, but aside from that this is lovely! Previously reviewed by Sarada and Mobilejessie.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I distinctly dislike two out of three of the listed notes in Nyx, so I don't see this working, but I'll give it a shot. First sniff: Jasmine. Heady, strong jasmine. The myrrh is the next thing I smell and it blends extremely well with the myrrh to the point where they're almost indistinguishable. Giving it a second sniff, I smell the rose, too. It's true rose, not the powdery variety that's among my least favorite notes, but it's still note me. Wet on skin: On me, Nyx is all rose and jasmine, the two notes that I really don't care for in this, but that's no surprise since my skin amps up florals to an insane degree. The rose is also crossing over into powder territory now, too, which makes matters worse for a floral averse gal like me. Dry down: Slightly overripe (I know, a rose isn't fruit, but still) rose and nothing more. Nyx, on me, smells like a rose that's passed its prime and is starting to get limp and squishy along the edges of its petals. There's a hint of powder here, too, but that's the rose coming out, too. My skin loves to amp up powdery florals, wihch is a shame because I hate that particular scent family. The bottom line: Another scent I knew wouldn't work from the get-go. Off to a new home with it.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I really don't expect this to work for me. I really don't care for rose and orange blossom rarely works although I love rosemary. First sniff: Very heavy on the orange blossom (the scent literally makes me cringe half the time and I have no clue why) with undertones of rosemary. This is definitely not going to work for me, I can tell that right now. Wet on skin: No change, still in-your-face orange blossom (which I can't stand) and a heavy dose of rosemary (which I love, but don't care for in this blend). I don't smell any rose, but that's a good thing for me. Catherine's definitely a strong feminine scent. Forceful and womanly and unfortunately not me. At all. Dry down: All I can smell is orange blossom now and it's giving me a headache. I'd thought that only neroli (I recall someone saying there was a difference between the two) gave me migraines, but it looks like I'm either wrong or that this is neroli under the name of orange blossom. The bottom line: I knew this wouldn't work, so it's not a huge surprise that Catherine's not for me, but I'm still disappointed any time a BPAL scent hates me.