Penance

lol in our house it's *techno chittlin* for that very reason! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I love it! That's even better than Grandmother of Goats.

Preconceived notions: This sounded really good to me when I ordered it, but for some reason, dragon's blood and leather aren't working for me lately...I can't seem to feel right wearing either one of them, so I don't know what that will mean for Dragon's Hide. First sniff: Almost pure dragon's blood. There's a hint of leather there, too, but I think I only recognize it because I know it's there. I don't think dragon's blood likes me anymore because I just can't get into this. I feel really...neutral towards this although I used to love both dragon's blood and leather. Wet on skin: Much more leathery now. It's like the bastard child of Dragon's Blood and De Sade, which isn't a bad thing. I'm starting to get into this more now, so maybe there's hope yet. Dry down: Just as the description says: dragon's blood, leather and smoke. This is pretty damn sexy now that it's dry. It's balanced nicely between the three notes with none of them coming on too strong. The bottom line: Very nice and a big relief for me and my recent scent-related mood swings.

First sniff: Banana pudding?! That is weird. I know the description says banana leaf, but I was thinking green, not banana pudding. Very tropical but so far not for me. At all. Wet on skin: Banana daquiri now...this is sweet, sticky banana and a hint of green. I really don't want to smell like bananas, so I think this one's a no-go, unfortunately. Dry down: Banana puree, tropical blossoms (I'm terribly at identifying most florals) and some vague tropical-type greens. I feel like I ought to be wearing a bikini and drinking a banana daquiri. The bottom line: Way too strong on the banana note for me. Manila's going to be finding a new home.

Origin: I got an imp of this from tropicalstorm. Preconceived notions: This has been on my wishlist for pretty much the whole time I've had a wishlist but I never got around to trying it because of the rose, so I'm curious to see if I'll like it or not (my guess is I won't). First sniff: What the...? I smell oranges for some inexplicable reason. Oranges complete with the skin. Very weird. Wet on skin: I still smell oranges, but now it's oranges and sandalwood with a hint of rose. I have no clue where the orange smell is coming from, but it's weird. Dry down: Citrusy roses. I'd love to know what's in here that smells like oranges because it's almost dead-on accurate and it's really making me wonder. I don't particularly care for this because of the rose, but it's definitely interesting. The bottom line: The rose did me in, but Rakshasa is definitely interesting.

Origin: I got an imp of this from Alectonox. First sniff: This is extremely familiar. It's one of those scents where it would be instant recognition if someone told me what was in here...somewhat herbal, slightly peppery, maybe some vetiver (it certainly smells like it) and maybe something floral (I'm not certain about that one). Wet on skin: Damn, this is familiar. I'd say there's almost definitely vetiver in here, but not too much. It's slightly herbal and slightly earthy and medium-dark in scent. This is more an impression than a definite scent picture for me, but I like it. Dry down: I really like this. My only complaint is that something in here is going a bit powdery on me. I'm thinking there might be well-hidden rose in here, which would explain the sudden powder. The final impression is one of powdery vetiver with a dusting of earth. I like it. The bottom line: I can't say whether this really does anything (I don't even know that it's supposed to, come to think of it) but it certainly smells nice.

First sniff: Wow, this is complex! This really encapsulates the smell and feeling of a bazaar. I honestly can't tell what's in here, all I can say is that it's simultaneously floral, spicy, herbal and resin-like and that it fits perfectly with the inspiration behind this blend. Wet on skin: This seems familiar...it's almost like Empyreal Mist, Neo-Tokyo and one of the resin/spice blends somehow mated. It's initially a very clean green scent on me (which was totally unexpected), but even before it begins drying it takes on a floral edge and then becomes slightly spicy but still clean, like some sort of Middle Eastern launder detergent. That's not a bad thing at all, mind you. It's actually quite pretty; it's just the only way I can think of to describe it. Dry down: All I can smell now is laundry detergent, strangely enough. I'm positive it's my skin chemistry, so I may not be the best person to review this, but, honestly, I like it. I'm rather fond of the smell of clean laundry so even though I got "Eau de Clean Clothes" instead of the expected bazaar-type scent, it's not really a disappointment. The bottom line: I like this but on my skin it's not living up to its potential, so I'm going to give someone else the chance to bring out its best side. Off to swaps with it!

First sniff: Sweet and slightly earthy. The honey and fig are the most apparent notes, but the patchouli and clove are definitely there even if they don't immediately pop out at me. I'm not sure I'm going to like this since I'm not a big fan of sweets, but I'll give it a shot. Wet on skin: Much less cloying than in the imp. The fig and ylang-ylang are fairly apparent, but the patchouli is lending it a nice earthiness and is slowly gaining ground over the softer notes and making it more intense, although not enough to really make me like this yet. Dry down: Something in this is reacting badly with my skin chemistry, apparently, because now Hetairae smells like some sort of cleaning fluid. It's probably the ylang-ylang although I'm not positive. I've had problems before with blends with ylang-ylang in them, so I'm going to put my money on that one being the culprit. The bottom line: Interesting, but Hetairae just doesn't work on me.

So I hear that there're special labels on the Springtime in Arkham scents. Anyone who's gotten some at BB want to share by chance?

I second the Urd suggestion. I love nag champa and Urd is an instant favorite for me. As long as you like the smell of grapes you should love it (on me the grapes disappear as it dries, but there's a period where it's very much muscadine grapes and incense). Cairo, eh? I may have to look into that myself.

That's pretty weird. But weird in a good way, which is better than weird in a bad way. Now if only someone could answer the mystery of what's in Malkuth that's making me all hivey...I emailed the Lab and Kennedy's as mystified as I am about that and the sweet aquatics. I guess it's just one of those things I won't ever have an answer too, but damn am I ever curious. I just love knowing what I'm allergic to for no other reason than to know.

You're welcome! I never would have thought to look for it myself except I remembered reading it somewhere around here before.

Oh, also...I don't know if you saw this thread, but it discusses the Perversion/coconut question and it appears Beth says there is coconut in it (look toward the middle of the thread): Does Perversion have coconut in it? I knew I'd read about it somewhere... EDIT: Spelling.

Well, I don't smell coconut in it and it's not listed in the notes, but honestly I can't say...if you think there's a chance that it does and you can't get definite confirmation from the Lab, I'd say maybe it's best to avoid it. Of course, I know Beth's got a lot on her plate right now, but I PM'd her about Snow White and whether there was almond in it in spite of the lack of almondy evil in the description around the time when the last batch was shipping (a long time ago, I know) and she was really helpful, so you could try that. God, I hope I'm not going to swamp her by saying that...

I don't know that anyone can answer this, but I'm dying to know why this is... I'm allergic to BPAL's "sweet" aquatic scents...I don't know if anyone else has noticed that some of the aquatic scents BPAL makes are kind of sweetish...sort of like sugar water or watermelon and aquatics while the others are strong on ozone or have citrus, but whenever I wear the sweet ones I break out in hives like you would not believe. I'm curious as to what it is in them that's causing the reaction. It's strictly limited to the "sweet" aquatics as I call them. Thunderbird doesn't do it, Storm Moon doesn't do it, Water of Notre Dame doesn't do it, but something like Sea of Glass does. Bad. I'd love to find out what's in there that I'm allergic to so I can avoid it, but I can't figure it out for the life of me. ETA: Also, I'm seriously allergic to something in Malkuth. The instant it hits my skin it raises huge red welts and they hurt like you would not believe. I'm not allergic to cinnamon (which Malkuth smells like it has), so I don't know what's causing it...anyone have any ideas?

I'd say Wrath and Three Witches are pretty different. The dragon's blood is really pronounced in Wrath and Three Witches is extremely spicy. Personally I think The Heirophant is a decent replacement for Three Witches. They're not perfectly similar and it may be a skin chemistry thing, but they're close enough to get me through the interim.

Origin: The Pumpkin King circular swap. First sniff: Wow, I like this! Cinnamon and wood of some sort. I don't know that I'd wear this, but it's interesting and quite nice. Wet on skin: Some kind of dry wood with a light dusting of cinnamon over top of it. It's a sort of less intense, less spicy relative of Three Witches. I like this a lot. Dry down: Spicier than it was when it was wet, but otherwise the same. I'm surprised I didn't try this before...assuming I could have gotten ahold of some, that is. The bottom line: Vaguely reminiscent of potpurri, but I like it.

Origin: The Pumpkin King circular swap. Preconceived notions: I've been looking forward to trying this blend for a while now, both because people said it was cinnamony and because of the purpose (I could really use a windfall right about now), so I'm excited to get to try this. First sniff: Cinnamon and something I can't quite place...orange, maybe? It smells a little like orange, but I can't really tell with the cinnamon in the foreground. Either way, this reminds me both of Christmas and Constant Comment tea (although it's normally cloves that remind me of Constant Comment). Wet on skin: I'm fairly certain that is orange I'm smelling here. It's very nice and warm smelling. Comforting. It's less spicy than it was in the imp, but I still like it. The question is whether or not it works. Dry down: Cinnamon and orange. It smells vaguely like potpurri, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I haven't gotten any beneficial effects from this, but who knows...it could just be that it needs more time to work. Either way, I still like it. The bottom line: Can't say for sure whether it works, but I can say it smells good.

Origin: The Pumpkin King circular swap! Thanks, QS! First sniff: Mmm, this is what I wanted from Jack. Whereas Jack makes me a little queasy for some reason and smells a little funny (and not like pumpkin, really), Pumpkin King smells like...pumpkin and lacks all of Jack's stomach-turning properties. This is soft, mellow pumpkin with a hint of spice. I really like this. Beautifully autumnal. Wet on skin: Now that is bizarre...when I put it on, Pumpkin King morphs into...Scarecrow! That is too bizarre for words. There's no pumpkin, no spice, just slightly scorched smelling straw/corn stalks. This is dead-on identical to Scarecrow on me at this point, which makes me wonder if they share a common ingredient that's getting thrown out of whack by my skin chemistry since Scarecrow is turning nasty on my skin lately in the same way that Pumpkin King is. Dry down: The pumpkin's slowly making a minor comeback after masquerading as Scarecrow, but the scorched straw smell is still there in the background. In a way, it's a good thing this went crazy on me...at least this way I won't be lusting after it anymore. The bottom line: Lovely in the imp but a disaster on my skin. I'd say this was a blessing in disguise.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab! Preconceived notions: I've been curious about this one, but never got around to ordering it because there weren't any notes listed and I'm quickly learning that I've got several scent allergies, but since the Lab chose to gift me with this I fully intend to try it out. First sniff: How odd...I don't know what flower this is, but it's familiar. When I hold it far away from my nose, it smells like honeysuckle (something I'm noticing more and more in BPAL - the way they smell different depending on how far away you are) but up close it's...sort of astringent, smoky and fruity but definitely floral. This one's lost on me since floral notes aren't my forte. Wet on skin: I know I've smelled this before, but I can't remember what flower it is. It's one that I've only smelled in BPAL scents and never in nature, I know that much, but I can't remember what it is and it's somewhat annoying. It's definitely a unique floral and definitely not me. Dry down: Smoky, slightly astringent flowers. I keep thinking of Black Dahlia when I smell this although I don't think they're really similar...something about this just reminds me of Black Dahlia because I remember it being referred to as smoky and floral. ...Okay, there's rose in here, too, for sure. It's suddenly just popped up out of nowhere and its really making itself known. Unfortunately, I don't like roses, so this is even more definitely not for me now. The bottom line: Totally not me by any stretch of the imagination. This would be better for someone with a penchant for florals, especially rose.

Origin: I got an imp of this from Sarada. Preconceived notions: I didn't order this because it sounded completely wrong for me, but I've heard it compared to butter mints which sounds damn good, so I'm definitely curious. First sniff: Wow, that is butter mints! There's something vaguely floral here, too, but mainly it's delicious butter mints. This is actually making me hungry. Wet on skin: Butter mints and heavy cream. I really didn't expect to like this, but this is actually gorgeous! I can see myself needing a bottle or two of this, pronto. Dry down: The butter mints are gone and now Chaste Moon is all soft cream with a hint of light mint. I really like this. This one was a definite pleasant surprise. The bottom line: This is the first Lunacy blend that's agreed with me (and I mean really areed) since Blue Moon and, just like Blue Moon, it was one I never would have picked on my own. I really like this!

Preconceived notions: QS informed me quite a while ago that Chesed has one of my favorite notes in it and I'm guessing it's cedar. I've been waiting to read the reviews because I want it to be a surprise, but I'm getting antsy about finding out, so I'm glad this finally arrived! First sniff: Yay, cedar! I had a feeling that was what it was going to be, so I'm glad I was right. It's not only cedar, though. Somehow it reminds me a little bit of Alecto. It's not raspberry leaf like in Alecto, but they seem to be in the same general vein. Whatever it is, I can't place it, but it softens the cedar and sweetens it, making it much less dry. Wet on skin: I still have no clue what else is in here. It might be fruit of some kind, but honestly I can't tell. It's semi-sweet, but not overly sweet. It actually reminds me a lot of Alecto, even though there's clearly no raspberry leaf in here. Whatever it is it's pretty, but I'm also feeeling a little bit sick to my stomach, so it may be something I'm allergic to. Dry down: Now Chesed smells almost like cedar and frankincense. That may very well be my nose pulling a fast one, but that's what it smells like. To me, anyway. It's a sort of sweet resin/something else (technical term) and cedar scent to my nose. I really like this, but it's making me a little queasy for no apparent reason. The bottom line: I really like this a lot but something in it doesn't like me. It's been a while since I had a reaction like this to anything other than almonds and occassionally carnation, so I have no clue what's causing it, but it looks like this is going to have to go.

First sniff: Another floral. I'm ridiculously inept at identifying all but a small number of flowers by smell, so for comparison I would say...think Eternal or something similar. They're in the same ballpark. Light florals...white smelling and slightly aquatic. Similar to honeysuckle and maybe white rose or lily. Wet on skin: Smells like honeysuckle to me now, although that may be wishful thinking...honeysuckle and rose, actually. Or maybe it's jasmine...it's a hard call. I love honeysuckle (it's one of only two florals notes I genuinely like and even love) but I hate rose and don't care for jasmine, so I'm torn on this one. Dry down: Back to smelling like honeysuckle again. I don't normally wear florals, but this isn't half bad, assuming the rose (if that is rose I'm smelling) doesn't decide to stage a comeback. The bottom line: Not my usual style, but nice all the same. Soft, white, creamy florals. Very feminine and understated.

First sniff: Resin...I can't say much more right now. It smells like there's either wood of some sort or red sandalwood in here, too, but it's hard to pin it down. Wet on skin: Almost astringent smelling. I know I recognize this, I just can't place it. It's one of those naggingly familiar scents that I know I recognize but can't put my finger on. It's astringent and slightly herbal, but also slightly woody. It's somewhat similar to pine, but not quite... Dry down: More like dry wood now. The astringent note seems to have disappeared and I'm left with a generic dry wood scent...like oak maybe. Definitely not cedar, pine or redwood. The bottom line: I'm not sure if I love this or hate it. It's one of those scents that I'm really ambivalent about. I think if I could place what I'm smelling I could decide, but until then I'm up in the air about this one.

First sniff: I smell roses...more like attar of rose, which has always smelled different to me. I don't like roses, so this doesn't bode well. Wet on skin: Yep, that's rose, alright. Have I mentioned that I don't like roses? Well, I don't. At all. I honestly can't smell anything in here apart from the evil roses of doom. Dry down: Roses, roses and more roses. That's all I'm getting here, but my skin amps up florals (and rose in particular) to an insane degree, so it may be my skin chemistry that's responsible for the overwhelmingness of the rose note in this. The bottom line: This would be great for a rose lover. Unfortunately, I am not said rose lover.

First sniff: Fruity, definitely fruity. I think it may be pomegranate I'm smelling, but for some reason I can't quite decide. I'm reasonably sure that's what I'm smelling, though. Wet on skin: Cinnamon and fruit? This actually reminds me of apple cider, which is great since I was just thinking that I'd love an apple cider scent. I don't think there's apple in this, but it does smell like apple cider anyway. Strange. Dry down: I still smell mulled cider and it's gorgeous! There's definitely cinnamon in this. It's leaving a nasty red welt on my arm where I tested it, so those who are allergic to cinnamon might want to steer clear (I don't normally have trouble with cinnamon, but this is really causing a reaction). I love this, allergies or no allergies. The bottom line: My new favorite Sephiroth, even if it does provoke a nasty allergic reaction. I'm actually surprised by how much I like this one.