Penance

Cathedral's like a crumbling stone cathedral, not very libraryish to me, but it does smell "old" in at least one way.

Origin: I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest. First sniff: I'm not sure exactly what I'm smelling here. It's familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. It's citrusy...kind of like orange slices with the pith still on them, but it's also somewhat sweet (is that vanilla, maybe?) and almost resiny smelling (maybe amber?). I haven't read anyone's reviews for this one, so I can't use anyone else's impressions as guidelines. Guess I'll have to puzzle this one out myself. Wet on skin: I swear there's amber in this because it immediately morphs into sour milk on my skin and there's only a few notes that do that on me (amber being one of them, and the only one I know of that smells similar to something in Van Van). The strange citrus note is still there, too, but it's drowned out by the evil sour milk smell. I don't think I'm going to be able to test the voodoo properties of this one because I just can't tolerate my skin's response to it. Dry down: Underneath the sour milk smell (which is lightening somewhat), I get a tiny hint of what amber normally smells like on other people and a lot of powder. I'm thinking there might be sweetgrass or something similar in this, too. I'm not sure exactly what's in Van Van for sure and certain, but my body chemistry is wreaking havoc with something in this. I would have loved to have really tested this one, but it's not to be, apparently. I've been striking out a lot with oils lately and Van Van was particularly disappointing to me because I really wanted to try it out. The bottom line: My skin apparently hates Van Van for some reason. I'm not sure if there's amber in this or not, but my skin is behaving as if there were. I'm going to be passing this one on to someone else in the spirit that it was given to me. Hopefully someone else can put it to good use.

Origin: I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest. First sniff: This isn't as floral as I expected somehow. It's not a bouquet of roses, is what I mean...or what I think I mean, anyhow. I smell a little bit of all of the notes in this, but somehow it doesn't smell like a floral floral to me if that makes any sense at all. It's almost a spicy/musky vaguely traditional floral scent. I'm guessing it must be the jasmine throwing me off. I like this a lot more than I thought I would based on the description alone. Wet on skin: Yep, that's definitely jasmine I'm smelling. I know what it reminds me of now: the jasmine tea my RA in college was always drinking and the way her room smelled. she was Indian and her room always smelled like a little slice of India to me. The rose is also fairly prominent here now, but it's not bothering me the way most rose scents do. It's not quite me, but it's not making my nose itch, which is good. Dry down: Mainly powdery rose now. I can't really tolerate powdery rose scents for some reason, so unfortunately, this one's not quite up my alley, but I'm glad I got to try it all the same. The bottom line: I'll be passing this one on in the spirit that it was given to me. Hopefully someone else can give it the love I can't.

Hmm, Shollin said Kweku Anansi reminded her of an old library. I don't know if that's any help at all, but it's the first thing that came to mind when I thought about where I'd read someone saying that. I'm still looking for you, though; if I come up with anything else I'll let you know.

Purely, I'd ask a mod if you were safe to post a new topic if you're worried about it. I know there've been plenty of threads around here about people seeking non-incense blends. The only one that immediately comes to mind has been merged with several others, but the first few pages are pretty relevant. Here ya go: Try this! I'm sure there're others, but they're slipping my mind right now. But like I said, the first few pages of that merged thread are relevant and it might be a good place to start.

I get the same thing, Sarada. I think it's just a matter of being so close to it constantly that we can't smell it...kind of like you don't really notice your clothes once you have them of for a while. I know there's a word for it, but I can't remember what it is...habituation? Yeah, habituation.

I'm sure you'll love Blood Countess, it's purple fruit at its finest.

Well, I've tried Queen of Spades, Medea and Blood Countess, but I don't think I'm the person to ask because on me, Medea, smelled like sparkling sour grape juice () and Blood Countess smelled like plums and was an almost exact duplicate of the Queen. So...Queen of Spades is the long-lost twin of Blood Countess and Medea is more like a distant cousin. At least in my opinion. The only similarities I found between Medea and Queen of Spades or Medea and Blood Countess is that they smelled like different kinds of purple fruit. Oh, and Cathode vs. Ice Queen? No dice for me. Cathode's entirely different, although it shares a vague minty connection to Frost Moon. Cathode is more like Ultraviolet without the violets than anything.

Origin: I got this as a freebie in a swap on MUA some time ago. Preconceived notions: I've been putting off reviewing Jailbait because, frankly, it makes me sick to smell it. I can't tolerate bubblegum scents for some reason, but it's been nagging me from my swap pile to review it, so review it I shall. ::Puts on a brave front:: First sniff: Bubblegum...nothing but bubblegum. It smells like a cross between Bazooka Joe, Bubblicious and that kind that comes in sticks and is sugar free...pink packaging, kind of sergeant stripes at the top, they make peppermint, too? Anyone know what I'm talking about? Anyway, it smells like bubblegum. Lots and lots of bubblegum, like I've got a hunk of it stuck in my hair that I can't get out. Wet on skin: I applied this as sparingly as possible because it wafts all the way across the room just out of the imp. This is bubblegum gone berzerk! It's so dead-on it's freaky, but, unfortunately, that's a bad thing for me. Bubblegum is not a good scent for me. I associate it with antibiotic liquid from when I was little and dental medium from when I had my braces and they took cast after cast of my mouth. There's also a bit of cherry Twizzler going on in the background, which just makes me even more sick to my stomach. I don't mind Twizzlers, but I don't want to smell like them, especially not in combination with the bubbglegum. Dry down: More Twizzlers than bubblegum now, but definitely tooth-rottingly sweet. It practically screams 10-year-old to me. I don't find any of the "womanly perfume," only the little girl smells of candy and innocence. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate those innocent smells because they bring back bad memories (including ones I haven't mentioned that I'd rather not get into). This isn't as bad as Bon Vivant was for me in terms of memories, but it's still pretty bad. On top of that, I don't like sweet scents. They tend to make me sick, so Jailbait and I are definitely not destined to love one another. It's a fantastic perfume in that Beth is dead-on in capturing childhood innocence ina bottle, but unfortunately it just doesn't work for me. The bottom line: Jailbait is just what it aims to be, but it's definitely not for me. Even a tiny dab of this made me sick, so this is being swapped as soon as possible.

Origin: I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest. First sniff: Very light smelling. This is on par with Pele for lightness, which is to say it's so light I can barely smell it. What I can smell of it is light lemon and apple, but only very faintly. I'm not sure if my allergies are making my nose dull or if this is really this light. Wet on skin: Still very light. I have to have my nose right against my wrist before I can smell it. Delirium is very fresh and cheerful smelling...I guess this is a joyful, manic kind of insanity, which is the best kind of all. The rose is starting to come out now, too, but only very subtly. Somehow this defies categorization in either the fruity or floral categories...it's more just...clean. Dry down: Rose and lemon are all I smell now that Delirium is dry and I can only smell those when I put my nose right up against my wrists. Unfortunately, I don't really care for rose or lemon and I normally wear heavier scents, so I don't think Delirium and I are going to be suited to one another. The bottom line: Delirium and I are just not meant for one another. I'll be passing this one on in the spirit that it was given to me. Hopefully someone else will enjoy it more than I can.

Origin: I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest. First sniff: Hmm, interesting...I definitely smell strawberry...and vanilla and maybe cherry and a hint of amber. This one's a bit hard to pin down. The strawberry is the first thing I notice sniffing this. Combined with the vanilla, it reminds me very strongly of strawberry ice cream. There's definitely a black cherry vibe behind the ice cream smell, though, and a hint of something golden smelling that has to be the amber. Somehow, this is more of what I expected Jailbait would smell like than Jailbait itself was, but it definitely lives up to its description. Wet on skin: Strawberry ice cream again! It's a soft, creamy strawberry scent that screams innocence to me for some reason. I can also smell the amber quite strongly now, too, pushing up behind the strawberry and vanilla and making it slightly more grown-up smelling. The cherry seems to have disappeared now that it's on my skin, but I don't really miss it. Hollywood Babylon is lovely as it is! Dry down: Still strawberry ice cream, but lighter and softer. I wasn't sure I'd like this one when I smelled it in the imp, but this is lovely. It' not my usual style by any means, but somehow it still works on me. I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, but I like it. The bottom line: Very innocent smleling but at the same time grown up. Definitely not my usual kind of scent, but lovely in its own way.

The only ones I've tried that have had really strong throw are Hearth, Formula 54 and Yggdrasil. I know two are LE's, but they've been the absolute strongest. Yggdrasil was fantastic, though, I could smell myself all day long, especially when I moved.

I wish I'd gotten incense out of Mystery. On me, it was lemon dishsoap!

I know they've been mentioned, but Cathedral and Penitence are Anne Bonny's triplet sisters, they're extremely similar. Penitence is the sweetest, Cathedral is the middle one and Anne Bonny is the driest. I love all three of them! Aureus is also nice, but it's not as dry as Cathedral, Penitence and Anne Bonny.

Origin: I got an imp of this from Madame Nyx. First sniff: Oh, wow, this is dark smelling. I mean dark as in lack of light...to me, this smells like a swamp - like bayou country. This is what I would have imagined Bayou would smell like. I actually really like this a lot; I love dark, heavy scents and Medea is definitely in that category. I can't really pick out any individual notes other than the cypress, but it is very swampy smelling to me. Wet on skin: Very dark. This reminds me of a cross between Hurricane and Danse Macabre at this point. I don't get any florals from Medea, just dark, swampy wood and vegetation, like leaves trampled in the mud after the rain. It's not a bad smell at all - far from it in fact - it's just unexpected and amazingly dark smelling. I know I keep saying that, but I'm really wowed by it. None of the other BPAL scents I've tried have even come close. Dry down: Whoa, where did that come from?! All of a sudden Medea made a complete 180 and started smelling exactly like Meyer's Sparkling Cold Duck, a drink I've loved ever since I was little. This is the exact smell of a freshly opened bottle...sharp and sour and so intense that you can taste the smell of it on the back of your tongue, like little sour grape bubbles. This is so perfect a duplicate of that smell that it's scary and it literally came out of nowhere! I liked this before, but now I love it. I love the smell of that wondeful drink almost as much as the taste and while I don't normally do fruity or foody scents, this has my name written all over it. The bottom line: A real shapeshifter! Medea went from smelling like the bayou to smelling like sparkling sour grape juice in a matter of maybe 10-15 minutes. I love this! My only complaint is that it's making me crave Cold Duck.

Preconceived: I ordered this mainly for the description and the name. It sounded so beautiful I couldn't pass it up even though it has amber in it and amber normally hates my skin. I'm really hoping the sandalwood and musk come out and the amber behaves itself because I really want to love this one. First sniff: I smell sandalwood, violet and amber. I can tell there's more to this scent, hiding in the background, but every time I try and pin it down it edges away from before, hiding itself behind the dominant notes. So far I like this! I don't normally care for violet, but the sandalwood and amber balance it out nicely and keep it from being too sweet or powdery. Wet on skin: I don't smell any violet at all anymore. Instead I get all the notes I love (or at least like) - sandalwood, amber, musk, wood notes and vetiver. I was worried about this one being too floral, but, so far, this is a beautifully neutral smelling scent, like light incense and wood with a hint of musk. For some reason this is very light on me, but I love it all the same. Dry down: Sandalwood, musk, light wood notes of some sort and the tiniest hint of violet. This is mainly dry and musky smelling, but there's an underlying floral sweetness that keeps this from being one-dimensional. There's also some amber here, but it's behaving itself and not turning into sour milk on me for once. I really like the way this turned out. I would have preferred more sandalwood and less musk and violet, but this is lovely anyway. The bottom line: Deceptively light, both in feeling and in scent, and surprising given the inspiration for this blend. I like this a lot, but I don't see myself needing more than just this one imp.

Origin: I was gifted with an imp of this by SuperVillainess. Preconceived notions: I've been putting off truly testing Kali because it sounds so intimidating with its long, long list of notes, but I think I'm ready to really sit down with it and really test it now. What I remember from my cursory test of it when I got it is that it smelled very similar to Dia De Los Muertos, so I'm hoping that it's the same now because I love Dia. First sniff: Oh, yes, it still smells similar to Dia De Los Muertos! The chocolate is darker and there's less of the moist pipe tobacco vibe, but the two are quite similar. I smell the foody notes first and foremost - the chocolate, red wine and honey - followed by tobacco and a hint of balsam and some sort of floral notes. Wet on skin: Dark, dark chocolate like in Centzon Totochtin, wine and honey. Kali is bizarrely light on me, almost disappearing as soon as I put it on, but it's lovely. As it sets, the tobacco (a note I adore) begins creeping out and mingling with the chocolate, making it richer and deeper. The florals are also starting to bloom in earnest now, lightening Kali at the same time that the tobacco is deepening it. Kali feels (and smells) like a fight to me at this stage, with the light notes fighting the dark notes and neither one gaining any serious ground because of the other. Very unusual. Dry down: Suddenly Kali is all flowers on me and, honestly, I don't like it anymore. Flowers aren't my thing (at all) and Kali has turned into an absolute riot of blooms with just a hint of the chocolate and wine I smelled when it was wet. I really wanted to love Kali, especially since I love Dia De Los Meurtos so much, but it's just not working on me. The bottom line: Kali was lovely until it dried and then it was pure, screaming loud florals without more than a hint of the darkness and richness I loved in the bottle. It appears my treacherous body chemistry has struck again.

Preconceived notions: Cathode has been lying around in my "to try" box for a few months now because I've had so many other scents to try and it just got lost in the landslide of imps and bottles, but I'm very interested in seeing what this smells like. The moss and mints sound lovely, but ambergris is hit or miss with me. I'm really not sure what to expect from Cathode except lots of mint. First sniff: Minty but warm. I recognize one of the mints in here (or maybe more than one) from Ultraviolet, but this isn't cold smelling like Ultraviolet was...this is more like hot mint tea than the icy cold mint of UV. I don't smell the mosses or the ambergris distinctly; instead they combine to create a feeling of warmth behind the mint. So far, I really like this! Wet on skin: The mint is still prominent, but now I smell the ambergris, too. It's warm and musky and (to my amazement) smells wonderful with the mint! I'm also beginning to smell the oakmoss here, too. Cathode is simultaneously mossy, warm, musky, minty and fresh and, so far, I love it! Dry down: Cathode has lightened quite a bit now that it's dried. The mint has receded into the background, but it's still recognizeable, lightening the ambergris and moss and making it more approchable. Without the mint, Cathode might be like the deep forest - the smell of musk and moss and darkness - but with the mint it suddenly brightens enough to show the path leading back to civilization. The bottom line: I really like Cathode a lot. The ambergris is behaving itself and I love moss and mint (in moderation), So Cathode is right up my alley.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. First sniff: Dragon's blood and lilac. Lilac is one of the few flowers I love the smell of and I adore dragon's blood, so this may work for me even though I generally avoid floral perfumes. Ths is vaguely spicy but with the unmistakeable sent of lilacs underneath it....it's an unmistakeable combination to be sure, but I'm not quite sure if I'm going to love this or hate it. Wet on skin: The dragon's blood is much more prominent now that Dragon's Eye is on my skin. The lilac is still there in the background, but it's much less prominent than it was in the bottle. I really prefer this to the way Dragon's Eye smelled in the imp. Even though I love lilac, I didn't really really care for strong lilac and strong dragon's blood together. One or the other would be fine, but not both. Dry down: The lily of the valley is coming out now and competing with the lilac for dominance, with the dragon's blood in the background. I really don't care for lily of the valley, unfortunately. For some reason, it's always smelled matronly to me and I don't really care for smelling like someone's grandmother. I have a feeling it's my body chemistry amping up the flowers in this blend, which makes me sad since I wanted to love it. The bottom line: Too floral for me although the wet stage is nice. I'm just not a floral kind of girl, unfortunately. Off to swaps with it!

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived: Ooh, another zombie scent! I'm somewhat amused by how vastly different this one sounds than Zombi. I don't imagine zombies as smelling like fruit, but then I've never met any Chinese zombies, so I could be entirely wrong. First sniff: Wow...I'm not sure how to describe this one. I smell mango and musk mainly, but there's some orange and sandalwood here, too. It's orange and fruity but dry and musky at the same time. I initially didn't think I would like this, but it's growing on me. Wet on skin: Mango! Lots of mango...it's downright pulpy smelling and, while I don't like eating mango, I have to admit it smells damn good on me. The orange is also coming out now, too, and the sandalwood and musk are lurking in the background in true zombie fashion. I don't think I'd wear this every day, but I like it! Dry down: Mango, orange and sandalwood. I know it's weird, but I feel like a Hare Krishna in this! I think it's the orangeness of the smell combining with the sandalwood, but I feel like I ought to be handing out flowers in an airport and wearing a saffron robe. It's not a bad thing at all, it just hit me so strongly and made me laugh. I really do like Kuang Shi. A lot! The bottom line: Bright, sunny orange in feeling and scent. Kuang Shi is a fresh-cut mango and mandarin orange slices next to a burning stick of sandalwood incense. This is a real "cheer me up" kind of scent if I ever smelled one.

Devilish temptation, as sweet as sin: blood orange, neroli, and raspberry. Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. First sniff: Odd, this smells nothing like what I imagined it would. I expected something sweet and fruity, but Akuma is almost harsh smelling. It's unmistakeably the neroli that's doing it (neroli and my nose don't get along) but it still surprises me because I expected this to smell more like juicy orange and raspberry. I don't think Akuma is going to like me. Wet on skin: Neroli, neroli and more neroli! I only get the tiniest hint of raspberry and none of my beloved blood orange form this. It's mainly just...neroli. This is the same note that ruined Vixen for me; something about it just grates on my sense of smell. As much as I hate to say it, I can't seem to wear neroli scents without having to hold my breath. Something about it just really disagrees with my nose and it appears Akuma is going to be its latest victim. Dry down: Now that Akuma has dried, the blood orange is coming out nicely and fighting for dominance with the neroli. I also smell a bit of raspberry in the background now. This is definitely an improvement over the way Akuma smelled before, but I don't think it can save this scent for me. I just can't see myself wearing something that I have to wait for half an hour to smell good to me. Neroli is just one of those notes that I can't tolerate for some reason. The bottom line: Neroli is quickly becoming a no-no for me and Akuma is its latest victim. As much as I love blood orange, even it can't save Akuma from its neroli component. This is going up for swap. Afterthoughts: How odd...it appears I'm the only one who didn't get fruitiness out of Akuma. Maybe my nose is busted.

A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss. Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. First sniff: Wow, this is beautiful! I never would have picked this on my own since it's not the kind of scent I normally wear, but this smells beautiful in the vial. Ethereal is the right word for this...it's light and ephemeral smelling. I smell peach, musk, bergamot and a hint of oakmoss right now. This is a light, innocent smelling scent and, while it's vastly different than my normal perfume choices, it's gorgeous. Wet on skin: Peach is the most prominent note here. It's fresh and light and sunny smelling but with a tiny hint of tartness. I can only smell a hint of bergamot now and none of the oakmoss, but the musk is skirting around in the background behind the peach, peeking out now and then. This would make a wonderful summer scent! Dry down: Fae isn't juicy anymore; it's settled into a light musk with a hint of peach and heliotrope in the background. This is, unfortunately, much too light for me now that it's dry. I need something a little bolder and, while Fae is gorgeous, it's not for me. The bottom line: A scent fit for a fairy! Unfortunately, I'm not the fairy type...more of an eclectic mix of hippie, goth and pirate and I need something a little bolder. Fae is gorgeous; it's just not for me, personally.

First sniff: Uh-oh, I think I detect amber in this one. That doesn't bode well for poor Ahathoor (anyone else notice the name discrepancy between the site and the labels?) since amber hates my skin and turns into spoiled milk on me. I also smell something that smells almost exactly like sassafrass, although I can't imagine why that would be in this blend. I think there may be some frankincense in this, too, but I could be wrong. Wet on skin: I swear I still smell sassafrass! I smell like flat rootbeer! That's really bizarre. If there's no sassafrass in here, I'd love to know what's causing the rootbeer note. Strangely enough, but of the Stations I've tried (Tum and Ahathoor) have smelled like pop on me...I'm wondering if one of the others will smell like cherry cola right about now. I'm almost positive there's frankincense in here, too, or something that smells very similar. If there's amber in here, it's behaving itself for once, though. To me, Ahathoor smells sweet and rootbeerish with a hint of something resiny that I'd swear was frankincense in the background. Dry down: There's still a faint sassafrass vibe here in the background, but I'm getting mainly something sweet and resiny. Regardless of what's actually in here, I smell sassafrass and frankincense and possibly amber of some sort. Normally I'd love this kind of scent, but, for some reason this is disagreeing with me and giving me a bit of a stomach-ache. The bottom line: Interesting, but I don't think Ahathoor likes me very much.

Origin: I got an imp of this from Lucretia. Preconceived: I'm learning that I absolutely adore leather scents lately, so De Sade is really one that's had my attention as of late (plus I love the name), so I'm really hoping it works for me or, even better, for me and the boy. First sniff: Mmm, this is the leather note I loved in Hellfire. I really like this smell; there's something both sexual and sexy about it in a way that really pushes my buttons. I have a tendency to associate leather and sex, so De Sade is a very sexy scent for me. I have a feeling this would smell amazing on a guy, too. Wet on skin: I have no idea how anyone could trap the scent of sweaty leather in a perfume, but De Sade is the proof that it can be done. Initially, De Sade goes on very strong and almost chemical-smelling, but it mellows immediately into a delicious well-worn leather scent that's as reassuring as it is sexy for me. I associate the smell of leather with bondage and bondage is, for me, about the reassurance that comes with knowing that you can't fight and don't need to make any decisions and, for someone like me, that's a wonderful feeling indeed. De Sade evokes all those feelings in me and I feel...content wearing this as well as finding it incredibly sexy. Dry down: De Sade is probably the first perfume I've ever worn, BPAL or otherwise, that becomes a natural part of the way I smell rather than a veneer over top of it. I love this. It's sexy, bold and unflinching but at the same time comforting, natural and, on me, anyway, submissive smelling. I have a feeling this is one that adapts to the wearer and has a chameleon-like ability to be all things on all people. The bottom line: The perfect leather scent. Sexy but comforting, bold but chameleon-like. I'm in love.

Origin: I actually ordered this one from the Lab right before the single notes were discontinued because I love a good earthy/woodsy/tree-smelling kind of scent. My impressions: Oh my...this is so perfect for me! I went to college at The University of California Santa Cruz, which is smack dab in the middle of a redwood forest and this is what I smelled every day walking to class. This makes me horribly homesick and so happy I could cry at the same time. JJ's right, this is the scent of a fallen redwood tree that's slowing becoming a part of the earth. I know this scent wouldn't be right for everyone, but for me this is the scent of what I'll always consider my true home. I'm treasuring this little bottle for as long as I can make it last.