Penance

If you end up liking Cathedral, I'd try Anne Bonny. I personally love it, it's a very confidence-inspiring scent. At least for me. Plus it smells great to boot.

I was going to say I just tried my imp of Xiutecuhtli for the first time and it does smell exactly like Angel. At least to me. I got out my Angel and compared them side by side and it was almost a dead on match, but then everyone experiences scents differently, so I guess it's not true for everyone.

I also don't think Snake Oil has amber in it. Amber turns to sour milk on me and I haven't had a problem with it at all. That being said, I have no idea what's causing it for you.

I had high hopes for this one...until I read the reviews and, unfortunately, they turned out to be right. First sniff: Oh, man, I was afraid of this. I smells like lemon Pledge mixed with stale cigarette butts. I don't normally have this bad of a reaction to scents, but this is just bad. I'm sorry, Beth, I wanted to like it, but I don't think it likes me back. Wet on skin: Lemon dishwashing soap and nothing else. It manages to be both lemony and soapy at the same time, two things I don't like. At all. Maybe it's just bad skin chemistry, but I feel like I've been doused in Joy or something. Dry down: No real change from when it was wet. It smells lemony and soapy and altogether not me. Maybe on someone else this would work beautifully, but on me it's just bad. The bottom line: I wanted to like this one. I really did. Unfortunately it wasn't the incense scent I was hoping for. Instead it's attack of the lemon dishwashing liquid. Off to swaps. Hopefully someone else can put it to some use.

Okay, I'm looking for some very strong cedar scents. So far, the ones I've tried that either have cedar in them for sure or smelled cedary have been... Capricorn (loved it) Magus (wished it was drier smelling, but nice) Tombstone (liked it) Umbra (loved it) Alecto (liked it) Damnation (my all time favorite) Lex Talionis (bordering between liking it and thinking it's just okay) Kathmandu (loved it) Lust (for some reason it smelled cedary on me and I loved it) Now, I can't wear scents with any of the following in them: amber (turns to sour milk on me), almonds (make me sick as a dog), civet (just plain old don't like it), carnation (makes me sick) and I just plain old don't care for florals or citrus (except grapefruit). So far, the Lab has the following (that I haven't tried) listed as having cedar in them and I need advice on them (and any others that I might not know about, like the Tarot oils which don't have descriptions): Allegory (has civet in it, so it's probably out) Eidolon (has bergamot in it and I don't do citrus) Namaste (has lemon verbena and I don't do citrus) Shadow (this would be perfect apart from the lemon, which has scared me off entirely) Cordelia (lemon again) Goneril (don't like florals) Lear (this one's a possibility) The only one that seems to be a real possibility is Lear. All the others either have something in them I'm allergic to or that I just plain old hate. If the citrus or florals aren't prominent, I could probably pull them off, but that's where the advice part comes in...I need to know if I'm going to be able to smell those notes as well as the cedar. I don't do lemon at all, so anything that I can even remotely smell lemon in is out. Other things I love are patchouli, sandalwood and other earthy/woodsy scents. If anyone has any suggestions apart from the ones I've listed or has comments on the ones that I haven't tried yet, especially Lear, in terms of cedar content and the other notes, I'd love to hear them. I'd especially be interested in finding out if there are any tarot or astrological oils that smell like cedar apart from Capricorn. Thanks, guys!

I wanted this because I'm head over heels in love with Yankee Candles' Witches Brew which is a combination of patchouli, cinnamon and cedarwood and while it's not a Yankee clone, or even a close cousin, it's absolutely gorgeous. First sniff: I smell patchouli and cedar and the barest hint of cinnamon, three of my absolute favorite scents. It doesn't smell like Witches Brew, but it's gorgeous all the same. Wet on skin: This reminds me of Typhon with cinnamon added even though there's a lot of differnence between their notes. The patchouli, cedar and vetiver are most prominent and the cinnamon is just barely there, creeping around in the background. Oh my God, why did I wait so long to try this?! Dry down: Patchouli is the strongest note now (I'm guessing it's black patchouli since I'm doing this without the scent description) with the cedar drying it out and making it less earthy and more like dry wood sprinkled with loamy soil. This is the kind of scent that I absolutely adore. The bottom line: Since I can't wear Sin anymore due to my skin chemistry's bad reaction to amber, I think I just found a new everyday scent. This is absolutely gorgeous and absolutely me.

It's amazing how different people's perceptions of scents are sometimes. I know for a fact that a lot of scents smell very different on me than they do everyone else, so it's probably a matter of skin chemistry that would determine whether Bayou was sweetly floral or not.

Just a minor point, but Bayou's just Bayou and always has been. I didn't find Bayou to be sweet, but it might be me. To me, it was aquatic notes and some hothouse florals, but skin chemistry is a many faceted thing.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this, I've been busy and forgot. Snake Oil on me is lovely. I don't think it's terribly sweet. On me it's vanilla beans and spice, sort of rich and heavy instead of that artificial vanilla sweetness you normally get in perfume. I think Snake Oil is probably one of those love it or hate it kind of scents, but I, personally, adore it. And I agree with you on Hellfire, it is lovely, isn't it? I love the smell of pipe tobacco.

This was another freebie from the Lab in my latest order. First sniff: Juniper, musk and the slightest hints of patchouli and bergamot. This one seems to be pretty promising so far, although I have a bad history with scents like this going all wonky on me as soon as I try them. Wet on skin: The bergamot is very strong, but there's also a hint of juniper here. It's both powdery and citrusy at the same time and the musk and patchouli seem to have disappeared. Dry down: No real change from when it was wet. I can smell both the juniper (which is turning into baby powder on me again) and bergamot strongly and not a whole lot else. This would probably make a nice, clean men's scent but it's definitely not for me since I don't like powdery scents or citrus. The bottom line: Too much like citrus scented baby powder on me. This is definitely not my kind of scent.

Got this as a freebie from the Lab in my latest order. First sniff: Amber and musk and a hint of rose. I was worried this would be overpoweringly rosy, but it's not at all. This is actually quite pretty and very warm smelling. Wet on skin: As soon as it hits my skin, the roses pick up and the amber is right behind them. Unfortunately, my skin has been turning anything with amber in it into sour milk (including my beloved Sin) and this is no exception. Within seconds it turns from gorgeous, warm, incensey floral goodness into sour milk, which makes me very sad because I love the smell of this one in the bottle. Dry down: I could call this "Rose scented sour milk" or "Another wonderful scent ruined by bad skin chemistry". I'm sad because this one was especially lovely in the bottle and on my skin...right up until the point where it turned into sour milk. The bottom line: Gorgeous, but I can't wear it since amber is apparently my skin's mortal enemy for some reason. Off to swaps with it; hopefully someone else can get some use out of it.

Another gift from the lovely Sigh! First sniff: "Purple fruits" is right! There's also a hint of powdery violets and the slightest whiff of incense here. This is like the Queen of Spades' baby sister, all light, breezy innocence compared to the Queen's dark, heavy, sensous elegance. This is beautiful and I don't even like florals! Wet on skin: Plums maybe? And violets. This is very feminine smelling, but in an understated way. It still reminds me of the Queen of Spades only lighter and more innocent smelling. I wish there were more incense to this blend, but it's gorgeous as is. Normally I shy away from scents with violet in them, but I had to try this for the purple fruits and incense and I'm thrilled; this is beautiful! Dry down: Slightly stronger than when it was wet, for some odd reason, but basically unchanged. I don't smell any incense in it, which is a shame, but it really is gorgeous the way it is. The bottom line: I don't generally like floral or fruit perfumes, but this is a winner all the same.

I got an imp of this as a gift from the lovely Sigh! First sniff: Butter Rum Lifesavers! God, that scent takes me back. I never would have imagined pirate rum would smell so spectacularly rich and buttery. This is absolutely gorgeous. Wet on skin: The candy sweetness is gone and now it smells like true buttered rum. Buttery and spicy and rich and good enough to drink. This is fantastic! I never would have thought it would be so rich smelling. I can tell right now this is going to be one of my absolute favorites. Dry down: Buttery spiced rum, like buttered rum made with Captain Morgan's. This scent is absolutely gorgeous. I've had my nose glued to my wrist the entire day, which is a huge compliment coming from me since smelling something for too long tends to give me a headache. This is a hundred times more gorgeous than I ever thought it would be. It's going on the big bottle wishlist immediately. The bottom line: Gorgeous, mouth-watering buttered rum. I don't particularly feel like wearing an eyepatch and shouting "Ahoy, maties!" while I'm wearing it, but such sacrificies can be made for something that smells so amazingly gorgeous. Grog for everyone!

I got an imp of this as a gift from the amazingly generous Sigh. First sniff: Dark, heavy patchouli. I'm almost positive that ChupaChup was right and this is black patchouli. I don't smell anything else in here right now, but for someone like me who loves patchouli with an unholy passion, this is pure heaven. Wet on skin: Dear God, I've died and gone to patchouli heaven. This is lovely, earthy, dark patchouli and nothing else (at least on me, although I'm sure there must be something else in there or it wouldn't be a blend, now would it?). This is like Maledictions earthier cousin and I love it! Dry down: Still pure patchouli goodness. It also lasted through a shower and I didn't even apply very much to begin with. It's been on for well over 8 hours now and it's still going strong on me. The bottom line: This is going on my big bottle wishlist immediately. I adore patchouli and this is absolutely perfect for me! It also makes me want to take up yoga for some odd reason.

This was one of the many generous freebies in my last order from the Lab. First sniff: This is complicated smelling! Bergamot is the most prominent note for me, followed by violet. I can't smell any of the other notes distinctly, but I get the impression that they're there. Wet on skin: Bergamot and violet with a hint of sandalwood. It's a mix of citrus and powdery florals and dry sandalwood incense on me. This is definitely an unusual mixture, and sadly it has two things I can't normally wear in it: powdery florals and citrus. Dry down: No real change from when it was first applied. The violet gets a little stronger and the sandalwood a little weaker, but other than that, it's a very linear scent for me. The bottom line: This one's definitely not for me. Citrus and violet generally aren't my thing, but the sandalwood note was nice.

This was one of the many freebies in my last order from the Lab. First sniff: Very clean smelling, like a meadow full of fresh cut grass. I can smell the barest hint of berries if I inhale very deeply which is fine because berries don't generally work on me. Wet on skin: Oh, there's the berries...they were hiding. They're picking up quite a bit now that it's on my skin, drowning out the fresh-cut grass smell. They remind me of pokeberries for some reason. I have no idea what sort of berries are supposed to be in here, but that's the first thing that comes to mind. It's not an overpoweringly sweet berry scent, more of a juicy, fruity berry scent. Dry down: The berries have receded a little, but they're still the dominant note for me. This scent reminds me of spring in a meadow; very fresh and happy smelling. The bottom line: It's beautiful, but not for me. I prefer a heavier, darker scent to a lighter, fruity one.

Okay, I can now safely recommend Old London as (in my humble, rose-hating opinion) the perfect rose scent. I got an imp of it free in my last order and gave it to my mom who adores roses and she's head over heels for it.

Got this in a swap from Clover. First sniff: Cedar, something vaguely peppery and a hint of grapefruit. This pepper and citrus temper the dryness of the cedar and lessen its impact, making it softer and less harsh smelling while leaving its general character intact. So far, I love this even if the cedar is less prominent than I'd hoped. Wet on skin: The patchouli comes out a little and mingles with the cedar and grapefruit and the pepper seems to disappear quite quickly. It's not a fruity or citrusy scent in spite of the grapefruit, which is fine by me, but I wish the cedar was more...well, cedary. I love a good strong cedar note and I wish this was stronger on the cedar and patchouli. Dry down: Light cedar and the slightest hint of patchouli. This scent's lasted about 5 hours on me, which isn't too bad. Cedar, for some reason, tends to fade quite quickly on me, so I'm not complaining. The bottom line: Lovely, but I wish it had a stronger impact in the cedar and patchouli areas. I still like it a lot, though, it's just not going to be my new signature scent is all.

I was really looking forward to this one since I love thunderstorms so much, but sadly it doesn't appear to work for me. First sniff: Ozoney but with a hint of lemon that's already turning me off. I love pure ozone scents, not ones with citrus in them and, sadly, Lightning appears to be in the citrus/ozone cateogry. Wet on skin: More lemony than ozoney and with a hint of soapiness. It reminds me more of Pledge than a thunderstorm. I don't know why, but almost all of BPAL's aquatic scents seem to turn into some sort of cleaning products on me. Dry down: It smells like cleaning fluid now. I'm pretty sure it's my body chemistry and not the oil, but it's still a disappointment. I was so hoping for a good electrical ozone kind of scent, but I got lemon Pledge instead. The bottom line: Off to swaps it goes. I'm not giving up my search for the perfect thunderstorm scent just yet, though.

Got this as a freebie from the Lab in my latest order. First sniff: Ozone. This smells like what I imagined Lightning would smell like...it smells more like lightning than Lightning does. There's a hint of something else aquatic under the ozone but I've never been able to pinpoint those particular notes. I love the smell of a good thunderstorm and, so far, this is right on the money. Wet on skin: Almost lemony smelling when it hits my skin, but it settles back down into a pure aquatic/ozone scent almost immediately. This is very fresh and clean smelling, definitely a good after-shower scent. Dry down: No change from it beign wet. It's clean and almost metallic smelling with the ozone popping out of it and making me feel like I've just walked outside after a storm. The unfortunate thing is that while I love the smell of a good thunderstorm in general, it doesn't seem to work on my skin for some reason. It's not that it turns into something unpleasant, it just doesn't work if that makes sense. The bottom line: As much as I love thunderstorms, I'm learning that aquatic scents generally don't work for me. I like the way they smell but end up gravitating back towards heavier resin and woodsy scents. Off to swap with it, I guess.

I'm in the same boat you're in. I, personally, prefer woodsy or resiny scents like: Anne Bonny Cathedral Damnation Loup Garou Black Forest Malediction But then that's because I love woodsy and resin scents, which aren't for everyone to be sure. I do have to disagree with the Laudanum suggestion. On me it's very sweet, it smells like root beer as a matter of fact.

I second the Somnus suggestion. I tend to talk and twitch (and I'm not talking little twitches, I'm talking full body, knock you out of bed twitches) in my sleep and Somnus knocks me out cold.

I'm another Angel lover who can't seem to break the habit. I'll have to try Snake Oil and Three Witches with it. I've never tried Noir at all because no one's wanted to swap me some, but I might have to try that, too, if I get my hot little hands on some. I would think Snake Oil would probably be a good choice or O or maybe even Le Petit Mort.

Ahh, patchouli...I'm one of those people who absolutely adores it, so Malediction and I are a match made in heaven. First sniff: Patchouli most strongly, but not the kind of patchouli I'm familiar with (I must be used to the black variety). I also smell something dark green smelling which must be the vetiver. It's almost musty smelling like when you turn over a rotten log and that's not a bad thing at all for me. I love patchouli, so this is a wonderful smell in my opinion, although I think I prefer black patchouli to red. Wet on skin: All I smell is patchouli now. It's a musty patchouli rather than the dirty patchouli I'm used to, but I like it. A lot. My dad swears I smell like cedar, but then he says everything I wear smells like cedar. Dry down: Malediction has settled down into a slightly more traditional patchouli scent and it's lighter than it was in the bottle, but this oil is strong. I barely swiped any on my wrists and my dad claims he can smell me from about 6 feet away. I love strong earthy scents, so for me that's wonderful, but for those who shy away from strong fragrances, I'd go very easy on this one or avoid it altogether. The bottom line: I love it, pure and simple. On me it smells like pure patchouli, which is perfectly fine because I love patchouli. I was a little worried this might be too musty, but once it settled down, it was pure patchouli perfection.

Got this as a generous freebie from the Lab in my most recent order. First sniff: I'll be the first to admit I have no idea what pomegranates smell like. My parents swear that when I was little I loved them, but I have absolutely no memory of that at all and I haven't eaten a pomegranate in as long as I can remember, so I can't say if this is accurate. What I can say is that this is sweet and fruity and pulpy and red smelling if that makes sense. I thought I'd hate this based on the description, but this actually quite nice. Wet on skin: Slightly boozy smelling, but the predominant impression I'm getting is one of gummy bears for some reason! Dry down: Yep, that's gummy bears, alright. I'd know that smell anywhere. I, of all people, know what gummies smell like a little better than would probably be considered normal since I used to play with them on a daily basis when I was little (I was a weird kid, don't ask). This is a nice, strong, pleasant scent, but I'm not sure that it's for me since I don't generally care for super fruity scents. The bottom line: I'll have to give this one another go before I decide if I want to keep it or swap it. I don't think fruit works on me, I prefer woodsy or resiny scents, personally.