LadyLuckDoubt

In the Bottle Oh, YUM. This was one of the ones I was a bit iffy about buying, but I went for it anyway,and I don't regret it at all. It aroused the thought of "Please don't let this go to shit on my skin or I'll CRY." Dark musks and woods with a spike of pine and something thick and sweet without being sickly; probably a lovely unisex/masculine blend. Sexy as all hell. On Me Just like in the bottle, only I seem to amp the floral notes and the musk. There's an almost leathery note in there which I seem to kill, unfortunately-- but it still manages to smell gorgeous-- just a different kind of gorgeous to how it is in the bottle. It has reasonable throw, and lasts for some time. It's beautiful and intense, but not overly "nice," if that makes sense and it brings to mind Czernobog, which is a definite favourite of mine-- only it's a lot softer and there's no incense in it. I love it to bits, and am curious to see what ageing will do with it.

In the Bottle Dewy, lean, fresh-cut red roses. Yum! On Me Yep, pretty much stays the same here, too. I'm not detecting anything forceful or loud about Peacock-- she's actually quite subtle, but still lovely. This isn't a sweet sugary rose, but a clean, crisp type of beautiful rose-- I'm now wondering how RR smelt in comparison. I'm extremely fond of rose, and the idea of a pure rose scent (I'm sure there is something else there, but it goes all rose-- and a much more subtle rose than most BPAL rose blends) appeals to me greatly. So yeah, I'm loving this.

In the Bottle A perfect blend. Yes, there are roses, but they're met with subtle, light, ultra-sweetness so nothing dominates here. The perfume is sweet-- not entirely innocent, but a yummy, almost edible scent. I'm iffy on the cream note, and I was when I ordered this-- cream doesn't like me even though the initial scent and description entice me... On Me Short-lived, but oh-so-pretty. It stays pretty much the same on me, too-- which rocks, because normally I amp rose something mad-- but the subtly of the roses wins out here, and lets the honey and YES-- the cream-- work. And damn-- the cream stays nice. A touch of vanilla pops up about an hour into it-- then the whole thing fades to nothing over the next couple of hours. I love it. It's what I was hoping Love's Philosophy would be like. LP went revolting on me, but this... has stayed divine. It's feminine and sweet, but classy and memorable. And just awesome. My son loves it, too. Buy it, and reapply it, I'm saying.

In the Bottle A deep, boozy, masculine scent with slight tobacco smoke undertones. Yum. This is instasex. Seriously-- I just want to buy bottles of this and give them to people who have no idea about fragrance, because I suspect it's got that universal yum thing happening. Something about it-- the medicinal tang mentioned above, makes me think of Czernobog (which is one of my faves) but it's lighter and not as serious and intense as ol' 'Zernie. On Me It dries down quickly, and the booze note pretty much vanishes. Instead, I get a touch of vanilla tobacco and a warm red wood with some clove. It's delightful, and quite subtle-- not at all the beast I sniffed in the bottle. I'm so curious as to what body chemistry does with this. Since it morphed so insanely on me, I wanna know what the other variations are like. And... I regret not getting more than one bottle. Silly, silly me.

Smells Like Lavender, sage and amber? Using it Okay, backstory here: I'm depression-prone, though in the last few months, I've found myself slipping out of it, which has been nothing short of weird but totally effen awesome. So naturally, I started feeling pretty awful when I found it creeping back a few nights ago: depression with its unfamiliar cousin, anxiety. (I'm not really used to dealing with high-level anxiety-- sure, we all get stressed from time to time, but for me, the overwhelming one has always been depression...) So yeah: basically my life was feeling like one massive stress ball. Things at home were especially rocky. Things with my friends have been stressing me out, and with various different groups of friends. My kids have been stressing me out. Even work, usually a not-stressful place for me (in spite of my actual job, which apparently is a high-stress high-burnout job) was getting at me, and basically I've been a ragey, incoherent, and extremely depressed insomniac for the past few days. Anyway, I used Lionheart last night, before I went to work. Nothing too elaborate and planned, just what felt right at the time, and I didn't use it on me (I dressed candles), not to mention I suspected it wouldn't work anyway because I was distracted with household stress noise and Revege of the Sith blaring from the loungeroom television. What did I want to get out of it? I wanted the depression gone. I wanted to be able to face work and stick out the night and not come home a ragey, twitchy mess. I wanted a meeting with a friend of mine I'd scheduled this morning to go well. So basically, gone!depression, and some bravery to face whatever else lay ahead. But-- I shit ye not-- about five minutes after I'd finished my business, I felt a bit calmer, which was something, at least. More relaxed. I put on some Wolf's Heart as perfume before going into work, and I swear, I could feel myself calming down on the way there. Went into work, had an awesome shift with no drama. It was like everything crappy had lifted off me. I've been smiling and just... not removed. Got into the city, met up with my friend, things went really well. Came home, and I still feel great. I'm stunned, and just yay about the whole experience: I was a completely different person twenty-four hours ago. For something to work that well, and that quickly-- I'm still kind of amazed. Major thanks and love to the lab and to Beth-- seriously-- even if this never happens again, that was totally worth my $25. To everyone else: I recommend this stuff, in a huge way. Seriously, folks.

In the Bottle Violets, with a soft white floral twist and something a bit astringent. On Me Violets dominate, but there's something else almost dirty-fungal there-- no idea what it is, and I'm not picking up other florals, aside from a possible lily. A few hours later-- just violets. And, hey, I love violets, so this makes me happy. Thankfully the mint hasn't jumped out and dominated as it tends to on me-- this is sweet, feminine, soft violet all the way.

In the Bottle Warm, sweet and vaguely fruity, with blood orange and clove and cinamon and slight rose, I'm pretty sure. On Me It seems that I amp this like all hell, and it's utterly sexy. I can see why you'd use this as a perfume, too- it's intense and intoxicating. There's something rosey coming through, too, much more pronounced on me than in the bottle, but it's a soft, watery rose-- it's gorgeous and ethereal rather than old-lady. Then again, I amp rose like no one's business, so it might be that rather than that it's overtly rosey. Does it work? Hmmm... I think I was using it a bit too vaguely-- I wanted the dreams for me, and it's doubtful I'm going to find out if anyone's been having sex dreams about me. (I can live in hope, though!) I didn't get the dreams at all, though TMI ALERT-- I had some nice experiences while using it. I think if I'm a bit more organised, it might just work, though I'd be using it with both a ritual and as a perfume, and at the moment, I don't have huge opportunities to test it out. That said: I'm curious and am not at all unconvinced by the concept.

In the bottle It's sweet and vaguely fake, like artifically-flavoured lollies. There's some plum in there. I'm not detecting cocoa at all, getting more of a cute fruity smell with a touch of red wine. On Me It deepens, and musk and cocoa come racing out with a vengeance. YUM! As it dries, the cocoa tones down, and the fruit appears-- it's a yummy fruity musky blend with a touch of darkness. Intense, dark, and yet sweet and quirky, but it's a definite cocoa rather than smooth creamy chocolate-- there's a twinge of bitterness in there that you just don't get with, say, Wulric or Candy Butcher or Bliss. It's awesome. LOVE this stuff.

I agree with YeahButNot who said that Death on a Pale Horse is reminiscent of Shalimar. Shalimar was my favourite perfume, from when I was a little kid-- up until I got into BPAL, and yes, there is a similarity. I think Youth Dew and Poison fans will love Snake Oil, too. And Twilight reminds me of Joy (which happens to be my mother's favourite high-end perfume.)

Twilight. It's sexy feminine confidence, has good wearlength and throw, and it's just so damned classy.

I cannot believe I got a decant of this. Still. In the Imp There's fruitiness, almost, and a sweet piney scent happening. It smells "chilly" which is awesomely cool (both literally and metaphorically) and something citrus-- grapefruit I'm guessing at a pinch. Interestingly enough, it does have a hint of "aged" about it, but it hasn't aged badly at all-- it's intense and the grapefruit isn't as sweet as I'm guessing it might have once been. There is something floral in there, too-- it's a quiet, white floral of some sort. On Me Pretty much the same, though it smells cleaner, and the spruce comes out to play. PLUS, a sworn enemy of mine-- EUCALYPTUS!?!?! What are you doing here? Oh, complimenting this fucken AMAZING blend. You can stay. Actually, I'm starting to think that if any fragrance is going to sway me on eucalyptus, it's going to be Ice Queen. Damn, this is gorgeous. I know, I know, everyone wants it, she's the unattainable, chilly and beautiful Ice Queen. Yet she's managed to melt my heart.

In the Imp Lotsa red musk, a touch of dry vanilla, and a smokey something behind that. On Me I like this-- I love musks, and clove and vanilla are rockin, too. It isn't my ZOMGFAVOURITE blend ever, but it's pretty and sexy. It reminds me of something from Lush, though I can't think of what it is, and the mix is strange-- the musk is sweet, the vanilla isn't. After awhile, it just gets smokier-- it's a sexeh blend, all right-- and perfect for the concept. I'd wear this if I were in a hyperconfident "DAMN!I'm-going-to-seduce-people" mood. Or if I was just wanting to smell a little sexy and attractive. Sadly, the throw ain't that great, but it is a nice blend, and even a few hurs afterwards, I'm still getting a subtle musky-smoke reminder of it if I sniff my wrists.

Honey, ambergris, neroli, white peach, patchouli, and cocoa absolute. In the Bottle Soft, sweet peach with a dribble of honey. Smells almost... watery in a way, but crisp. On Me It morphs a little-- it gets a bit greener and more tart, like a not-quite-ripe apricot. The honey's still there, and there's blossom of some description lingering in the background: it's a twilight summer perfume in my view. It disappears on me fast, too. An hour later, I can't smell anything of it on me.

Unreleased, from the forum... In the Bottle Nothing special, really. Slightly warm florals, perhaps? Not in the Bottle This is one of those blends which didn't come with a description beyond the name, nor instructions, and given that a lot of the philosophy behind chaos magick is "see what works," I suspect this could be used VERY broadly. And it smells-- utterly divine. Seriously-- I'm not going to use it as perfume (even though I wonder if that would be okay if I had intent beyond smelling awesome) but if there was a perfume blend like this, I'd be slathering it all the time. For the record, it makes me think there's some amber and skin musk in it-- there's a playful sweetness and yet it's sexy and amazing. Effectiveness Hard to gauge, but I didn't do anything particularly full-on with it, so it requires more use. I did get some unexpected eventage afterwards, so... who knows?

In the Bottle Whoa: this is lavendar, of which I'm not usually a fan. BUT, I have an exception to the rule-- if it's for sleepytime stuffs, sure, bring it on. On Me Still lavendar, predominantly, but underlying that is a soft creaminess and a slight twist of citrus. It's perfect for sleep. Unlike other lavendar blends- like Yvaine-- this is a soft, gentle lav-- it's not hard and medicinal-- I think this is English, as opposed to French lavendar?-- not sure. It's not something I'd wear as a perfume, but I didn't buy it for that-- I bought it for sleep. This is how I assume TKO would smell, oddly enough (so now I want to compare them). By morning, it's gone, however, though there's a weirdly comforting waft of it left on my pillow. Ahhh.

In the Imp A less intense version of Drink Me: foody and cakey and warm and sweet-- butter and sugar and spices. On Me It's cute, but it fades out very quickly. I don't amp any of the notes very much-- it stays like it did in the imp and then sort of vanishes, though I'm glad the buttercream note didn't go rancid on me at all. Overall, it's pretty and fun, but it disappears too quickly and there are similar scents which give off the reaction I was hoping for from this which I'd probably reach for over Gluttony. That said, foodie-lovers? Try it-- it IS yummy. Reminds me of Jessica Simpson's edible Creamy... but with a dash of the chocolate-y Dreamy.

In the Imp Ooh, yum, dark woodiness with a smokey edge-- is this patchoulli behaving itself here? It's not hippy-patchoulli, it's high-end classy patchoulli. I love resins. I'm glad I got this... On Me Dark, resin-heavy and utterly stunning. Very much the unisex perfume, and it smells intense and yet clean. Not overly herbal, definitely no metallic notes, either, but also lacking that fiery edge a lot of the unisex blends contain. The only thing I can say about this which doesn't impress me is that on me, it's short-lived. It fades down to a ghost of a wood, and that's it-- and that happens within an hour or so. Still, that didn't stop me buying a bottle on eBay.

In the Imp Strong on the teak, this reminds me of a slightly more feminine Antikythera Mechanism. It positively glistens and has a sweet warmth about it. I can see why everyone is in love. On Me OOOOOOHBOY, this is nice. The teak's still very strong, and the creaminess stays there-- it's almost a vanillin scent but the warmth and the woodiness adds something. It's pretty, but classy and beautiful at the same time. It fades down to a soft, dry wood with a touch of sweet vanilla. There's *something* there suggesting florals, but not overly so-- it's not a floral perfume on me at all. I'm worried like all shit that someone's going to compliment me on it and I'll have to tell them what it is! (I wore it into work; silly me.) Love it, regret not buying a bottle, and am now aware of why everyone else loves it.

Does anyone know of a perfume that smells like Chaos Magick? Seriously-- it smells utterly stunning. I'm not using mine as perfume, but... I wish I could get a perfume that smelt like that. For the lavender fans-- I haven't tried TKO or Anthelion, but I know Temple of Dreams has a nice sleepytime lav smell to it.

In the Imp A fresh, woodsey sort of smell-- the elm bark being dominant, but with a darkly musky undertone. On Me Dunno why, but this went straight to smokey vetiver on me. It's like a cleaner, less offensive version of Saturnalia on my skin. I suspect this'll work better on someone with different skin chemistry who likes woody, masculine scents. It's strong and has great throw initially, and then within an hour or so, it's completely disappeared on me. :/

Coyote is a soft suede-like leather on me. Loviatar-- damn, that's nice. A pure, sexy-arsed leather that just rocks. Dee has leathery elements, but also cologne and some other goodies. Still, it's awesome and deserves a mention. Wanda has leather-- but Wanda went weird on me. Nanny Ashtoreth: I got NO leather. I have no idea what happened... it just didn't work on me like that. Manhattan smelled like patent leather with air freshener on me. (Damn my crappy skin chemistry.) Doc Constantine's got a nice leathery base, too. I've got Whip, Perversion and The Black Tower and I need to try them: oddly enough, I'm vegetarian, not at all into the fetish scene, and I've never gone for the bad-boy types in leather jackets (no, for real-- I go for suits or tortured poet-types)... and yet... I love leather scents. Oh, and I failed to mention... Tombstone. Loads of leather in there, and... it's amazing. I was huffing my wrists when I wore that imp...

GLASGOW. Seriously, it's these gorgeous pink girly florals. Like others have said, 2, 5 and 7. Lotsa roses and a smidge of fresh-cut grass. Twilight is stunning-- it's jasmine and honeysuckle and it's floral and strong, but it's not girly-- it's confident!womanly. The Attrocious Attic is predominantly rosey, with soft florals in the background. I amp rose like no one's business, and this was very strong and rosey on me. Also, Peacock Queen for pretty, fresh roses. Srsly. Harlot is a soft rose blend, but very subtle on me. Erm... this one might be a little weird: but... Yvaine. Lavender (which is dominant initially, don't be put off) but which, when it calms down, goes to this lovely ethereal lily-and-lilac-ish blend. As others have said, Marcilla is very floral, too, bluebells on me, and she's lovely. On the Grindhouse ladies, Gwyneth is also floral-- roses again, but with some other quirks. Oh, and this was recc'ed to me from Cordia: Mouse's Long Sad Tale: adorable sweetpea ftw, there. Seriously, it's gorgeous. Regan went to chocolate on me. Totally not noticing the florals-- there's some orchid in there, but mostly chocolate.

I am SO on the hanging out for Freyja and Loki. And... Hel?!?! ZOMGWANT!!!!

Phobos went very sweet and lemony on me, IIRC. I think that's more about skin chemistry, though. The other one I've heard does that is... you're gonna hate me for this-- Delousing Powder.

In the Imp Piney, with a bitter dash of something else. Also-- I gotta add- a gorgeous green colour. On Me Piney for awhile, with a strong camphor note underneath. I'm not too sure about this: it doesn't so much as smell like perfume, but something more... medicinal. Like Chinese medicine stuff (and some of that stuff can smell not-particularly-pretty). About two hours later, it goes to straight out loud-n-proud vetiver. Now... I'm vetiver's number one fangirl, but this is so intense and it just dominates everything, that I'm getting a headache. I never thought I'd say that abut vetiver, but whew!-- it's bloody strong. I just don't think I have the skin chemistry and the taste to pull this one off.