Wolf's Heart

This is a bright red oil along the lines of any of the Ars Draconis oils, Love Me or Fiery Wall of Protection. Once applied, the first thing I smell is dragon’s blood. This reminds me a lot of Love Me, which I adore, and Fiery Wall of Protection, which I like very much (and find to be quite effective). The properties of this oil call for it to grant courage and strengthen fortitude, which is definitely related to the properties of Fiery Wall of Protection. At this point, I need some fortitude in business so this is a good oil for me to test. I could probably use some Road Opener too or Block Buster but that’s a different discussion.

After this has been on a bit, it remains a pretty straight dragon’s blood scent. It’s a bit floral – I can’t tell if it’s actually an addition of jasmine or just the jasmine-like qualities of dragon’s blood. There’s something a bit spicy in the background, again similar to Fiery Wall.

Overall impression – it doesn’t last too long, so frequent reapplication would be necessary, but I like the scent and like it’s intentions, so that wouldn’t be a problem. I’m very glad that I got to try this – thanks GC swap!

Mata Hari

At first sniff I smell jasmine underlain with notes that I can’t identify. It’s warm, rich, and sensual smelling. It reminds me a lot of some of the Lupercalia blends. Nothing in particular – no spot on equivalent, but something about the attitude and tone of this scent that brings out the association for me.

There’s something vaguely edible about this scent. I remember when I first tried it I noticed coffee right away but this time I can’t smell it in the least. Maybe it's age? Maybe it's my nose? Regardless it smells different now than how I remember it smelling. I remember thinking this was an odd scent and one I wasn’t too taken with. Now, I’m really enjoying it and glad that I hung onto my imp. (Thanks GC swap for getting me to pull it out again!)

Black Tower - Bewitching Brews

Notes: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine.

Gahhh. This is a beautiful scent. That’s all I can think.

OK, I confess, I’m having a hard time reviewing this scent. I got an imp of this when it was first released and fell in love. I’ve come back to it a couple times and just thought, “Wow, I really like this, I must get a bottle.” Well, here goes.

My first impression is that this scent is fresh, sexy, slightly floral, and a bit resinous. It has a wonderful mix of a number of scent categories and is quite complex. When first applied, it’s glorious and green, with the ivy making itself known. After it’s been on a bit, the ivy recedes and the leather comes out. I love leather. While many have said that it’s predominantly masculine, I would have to disagree. I think that unisex fits it just right. Jolly Roger to my mind was uber-masculine and would not be so good on a woman. This I think would smell amazing on a guy, but I also think that women can pull it off no problem. It’s a warm, leathery, almost suede-type scent but there’s still a hint of green.

After it’s been on for a few hours, I’m left with a warm, amber-y smell. Beautiful. I love this scent!

Phantom Queen - Diabolus

Notes: black orchid, apple blossom, meadowsweet, rue, irish moss, hawthorn, red clover

Ah yes, back to sweet floral scents. (I’ve been inspired to try my imp by the GC Swap and had a run of non-floral scents I was trying).

This is just that, a gentle, sweet floral. Pretty, soft, fluffy smelling. I also has a short-lived vaguely aquatic note which I’m attributing to the moss. It doesn't last long and is just at the beginning. This would make an awesome linen spay; I would love for my sheets to smell like this.

It smells fresh and like a summer meadow full of wildflowers. It smells better to me when I have my nose plastered to my wrist, from afar it reminds me other sweet, florals and I don’t get what’s special about this scent. But close I do. I don’t know that I can define it but this rises above the other scents of this genre for me. Maybe I'm just agreeable at the moment but I'm liking this one too, despite thinking I'd never go for a scent like this (I've had a good run of scents lately).

Baghdad - Wanderlust (reviewed 8-5-05)

Notes: Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood

Baghdad is the first BPAL oil I've tried that's gone generic soapy, powdery floral on me.

In the imp it smells pretty good - warm, spicy, saffron but I still get a touch of powdery floral. Is that the amber doing that? I've always had a good relationship with amber so it must be the combination of ingredients and my perception that's doing it.

On the whole, it's pretty unremarkable on me and makes me think of doilies, big overdone floral prints on a cream colored background, and dry dusty skin. Not my kind of thing. Oh well.

Aureus - Bewitching Brews (reviewed 6-5-05)

Notes: none listed

This is beautiful! Tried it for the first time this morning - so far I've been wearing it for about 3 hrs and it's going strong. As the day goes on I may come back and add a bit more to this.

In the bottle, I smelled pure cedar and patchouli. Not much else. A very dry woody scent.

On the skin:

Stayed pretty true to the initial sniff - very woody, dry, mainly cedar and patchouli. I do catch a whiff of salt - while I don't in Annie Bonnie - interesting. As it wears on and blends, I catch a bit of smoke - it does remind me of Diptyque's Essence of John Galliano Room Spray! Which I love and have 2 bottles of at home!