sarada

I was optimistic about this blend, with the deep woods and forest herbs, but I wasn't sure if it would be a little too...feral? Well, the verdict is: OMG! This is quite a departure from most of the other lunar oils, because it is so strong and musky, but I am loving it. There's an enveloping, comforting warmth to this blend...it just comes to life on my skin. A spicy musk would be my first impression. The spiciness recalls Hamadryad a bit -- it's not the dry, earthy wood that I am used to...but unlike Hamadryad, which developed a kind of generic "potpourri" scent on my skin, this is like a dark, simmering spice. As it warms on my skin it just gets more and more beautiful. I had a friend sniff it on my wrist and they said that it reminded them of Christmas. It's a bit more of a wild Christmas to me though...one celebrated in the forest, bodies close together for warmth, woods and green boughs strewn on a fire that warms the air as you drink spiced wine. (there's no wine in this scent but it does recall that 'mulling spice' kind of smell...) In case anyone is wondering if the "blood" has anything to do with dragon's blood, my guess would be no. That has a very distinctive smell and there is no trace of it in this scent. So I'm not sure what the blood-dimmed lunar oils are in this blend, but the end result is absolutely delicious. Blood Moon may be for October but this will be a gorgeous scent throughout the cold months. Lunar oils do not generally work for me -- my skin tends to eat them up very quickly -- but this is quite a departure. I'd say this ties with Buck Moon as my favorite now. ETA: After wearing it all day I have to amend this to say that this my new favorite Lunacy blend! ETA again: I didn't wind up keeping Blood Moon because after awhile I thought it smelled a bit like cinnamon and soap. Still, I got another sniff of it the other day and I do miss it now. But I just can't get that "cinnamon soap" thought out of my head and it made it rather less appealing to me.

I think it's a rite of passage to write a review of Snake Oil and I've been slacking in my duties for some time, so here we are on Page 12, finally getting around to it! I had a bottle of Snake Oil, liked it well enough but never wore it, passed it on and then after having a wonderful experience with Snake Charmer decided to try it again. Happily, a freebie showed up just when I needed it the most. Now that I've become a devout fan of Snake Charmer I can see its resemblanace to the almighty Oil but I still think that I prefer Charmer's slightly lighter touch...and its touch of plum and, well, whatever it is in there that works so well on me. The vanilla is still a little too heavy in Snake Oil, though at first this reminds me a bit of Haunted, with vanilla. This changes over about an hour, and it strengthens a bit...whatever the amber-ish note is comes out warmer and spicier. It is definitely a blend that comes to life on the skin. Snake Oil really doesn't smell like anything else in the world (in my experience), so I have no frame of reference to put this in. I don't think it smells like incense, because to me incense is always something very gritty, earthy and woody...and this is much more of a sweet, ambery and lightly spiced scent. It's not exactly "foody" but my boyfriend said it smelled like vanilla cookies. He pretty much says that about everything though. It does last on me -- Snake Charmer did too, and I'd put it in my hair at night so I could smell it the next day. These are comforting nighttime scents for me, to curl up with when I go to bed. I imagine that some day I'll get a bottle of Snake Oil again to try to age it and see if I can get a deeper, more incensy note out of it but until then I have a fresh imp to play with.

Tombstone is yet another scent I didn't seek out, because of the vanilla. Seems as though I'm catching up with all the vanilla scents this week as they keep sneaking in as freebies! When I first opened this I got the usual "vanilla candle" aroma that always overwhelms me when vanilla is present, and it's what generally puts me off those scents. I have a hard time getting past that even though I know that it changes once I try it on. In a few minutes the cedar and balsam come out incredibly. This is one of the nicest cedars I've EVER encountered from the lab or anywhere else. Cedar is one of my favorite scents, but sometimes it becomes very woodchippy and sometimes it is very cologney ... not so with this one. This is WOOD. This is the inside of a log cabin in an forest of cedar and pine...well, with a vanilla candle burning somewhere. The vanilla is still distracting me but the cedar and balsam take center stage. I don't get any sassafras, which is probably a good thing...there's just that soft sweetness backing up the wonderful fresh-hewn wood. There are a few tendrils of pipe smoke drifting through a polished wood study in a cabin in the woods. This is a comforting, fatherly scent. I am surprised at how much I like it. I was afraid that the vanilla would make me feel sick. I wound up with two freebie imps of this. I was going to keep one and pass another the other...but I might keep both because I can see this being a good winter scent and I might suddenly lose my mind late one December night and decide I need a ton of this.

Eden is another one I wasn't interested in because I didn't like most of the notes -- coconut and almond are both (usually) no-nos for me, and anything with honey or milk in it is also suspect as far as my preferences go. But I do like sandalwood so let's see what happens! In the imp this is overwhelmingly sweet and coconutty but I do get a slight sense of that crisp, fresh greenery that others have mentioned. The unmistakable BPAL fig is also present -- a slightly fruity, slighty woody note that I like a lot. The coconut dies down within about 15 minutes and the fig is the strongest in the next stage. Otherwise it reminds me somewhat of Nemesis without quite as much greenery and wood...and with a lot more sweetness. It's more the sweetness of something like Perversion...a slightly smoky sweetness to me. I like the drydown, which is fig and wood shavings and a faint sweetness. I'm not so fond of it in the wet stage but I think I'll keep the imp in case I get a fig craving!

I always regret when I can't be more helpful in a review than to say "I can't wear this one, it gives me a headache" but if you are like me in that you have trouble with almond scents, then you might have the same problem with this one. At first I thought this must be a straight cherry scent but it's that almond again...I do get a headache almost immediately from it. Like most scents that start out that way though the cherry/almond smell is only present in the bottle and it dissipates almost immediately. The headache is still there though. The next phase is a powdery rose. Powder....no sandalwood or spices...basically just stays at the powdery rose stage. Sort of reminds me of a thick dusting or foundation powder you might find on an antique dresser. Some time later I do think that I find a hint of clove. Now I am thinking of an antique dresser with powder dusting the surface, a vase full of faded roses and a clove cigarette slowly burning in an ashtray. Not unpleasant but it's not something that particularly suits me. The good news is that the cherry/almond smell is only present in the bottle, so people with sensitivities to it might be able to make it through that stage and find it wearable in a later stage. For me though since I just get sort of a caked-on powder scent, it's not something that I can wear.

I kind of dreaded this one but knew when I was sniffing my imps (which were not labelled, but I am going by smell to identify them) that this must be the chocolate one. Let it be known, I love chocolate, but I only like to eat it...I don't care for the smell on its own. When it's not attached to a piece of cake I'm about to eat the smell just doesn't work for me. The buttery smell isn't as bad in this as I feared but it still turns my stomach. Nutty smells also make me queasy. Somehow I actually managed to test a drop of this, and while I am sure that someone who liked these kinds of smells would enjoy it, it gives me an instant splitting headache. Even after washing it off thoroughly I feel sick to my stomach and the memory of the smell makes my head hurt. In other words, if you have a problem with nut/chocolate/food scents this is another one to avoid. But hey, I thought I'd feel the same way about PP #1 and I loved that so everything is worth a try. It does make me think of going into a store at Halloween time that is full of Halloween-scented candles and potpourris and chocolate treats. But just as too much candy can make you sick to your stomach, a whiff of this blend is not good for me. Major headache and tummyache. I need to go sniff some trees!

I am assuming this is the pomegranate Pumpkin Patch because while my imps aren't numbered there is definitely a fruity aspect to this scent. Once I get over the usual nausea I feel at the pumpkin top note, the bright red berry scent comes bounding out onto the stage. This actually smells like a candle shop in New Hope, Pa. that I love. It has a waxy, fruity smell with a taste of burnt, billowing flame. The pumpkinny smell is gone almost immediately and it's just a bright red glowing pomegranate. I have been eating pomegranates almost every day this fall and it's a scent that I'm very familiar with! It smells like a pomegranate candle. It fades fairly quickly but the sickening smell that greets me when I first sniff it is gone fast as well, meaning I have a much better chance of enjoying this than I had though. I didn't think I'd be able to wear anything out of the Patch so I'm glad that a couple of these worked out OK!

Pumpkin with apple cider and mulling spice. I am pretty much certain this is #1 I'm testing...my imps are not labelled but I know apples and spice when I smell them. I wasn't interested in trying this blend initially because I don't care for cider or apple or spices. But now I'm convinced. This is amazing! This is what I hoped Harvest Moon would have been like. Like I said, I normally wouldn't care less about a spicy cider scent but this is the most fresh, appealing scent of its kind I've ever encountered. The pumpkin smell that makes me sick is not present in this oil to my nose...at least not when I apply it. It's overcome with apple and spices immediately. It's pure, crisp, fresh apple...the freshest I've ever smelled. A freshly-cut golden apple. A spice cabinet, not a craft store. This is so good. Very very good. If a person who hates pumpkin smells, apple and cinnamony spice smells tells you this is OMFG unbelievable you know it has to be good. You've done it to me again BPAL. I love something I thought I'd hate. This is the one I wish I had a bottle of now. Also, I'm suddenly an apple fan! Maybe it's just the time of year, but I'm ready to go retry Hesperides and Verdandi now too.

I like most of Beth's musks...I like some roses...I like Middle Eastern and Indian spices... This smells like perfumey rose in the imp though, with a heady undercurrent of spices like those in Scherezade. Worth a try... At first I think I might like it, as the Scherezade-like spices come out (but without that marvellous red musk). Very quickly though things go bad and this is a very strong, cologney/perfumey blend on me that makes me feel sick to my stomach. I need to get the perfumey smell out of my nose. What a shame! You never know what's going to work and what isn't.

This is the Elemental blend I've been most excited about and the only one I'm likely to want a bottle of. I'm still not sure if I'll get one when they become available but now I know what to expect! My first impression is that this is an exact combination of Burial and Ace of Pentacles. It has the sharp green loamy quality of Burial -- smells like there is some eucalyptus in there but also some pine and other green earthy scents. I think that I might detect my much-loved vetiver lightly in the background but that could also just be a dark patchouli. It is a little more earthy and sweet than Burial though, which is almost too sharp and mossy. It reminds of the thick, sweet underlying notes in Ace of Pentacles but without the almond. Instead there's something vaguely cologney in this on the drydown, and something soapy. This would almost be perfect but that cologney/soapy note does kind of make my nose tickle. It makes it just a bit too medicinal and reminds me of aftershave -- I wonder if I'd do better just layering Burial and Ace of Pentacles. Still, I might get a bottle when they come around if I can afford it, because it might change with age. My favorite choice for the masculine sweet earthy/green/forest scent is still King of Clubs.

I went with Queen of Clubs after all because Samhain didn't seem to match with what I'm wearing.

my costume is an Alice in Wonderland-inspired Queen type dress but since I don't like the fragrance Queen of Hearts I'm going to have to say it's the Queen of Clubs, since that would go with it better. however on the day i'll probably wear Samhain which is also what i'm wearing today (the 2004 version). we'll see what i get in the mail that day though i might change my mind!

Wow, I see two of my favorite Halloween postcards on there (ones I can't afford originals of unfortunately!) Happily they're the two I ordered! And even though I might not like at least one of them I will have to hold on to the bottles ...

Another one that I didn't order because of the floral notes. I've had one too many headaches to risk any floral blends these days unless they have something else in them that sounds too good to pass up. But a kind swapper decanted me some and I'm glad I got a chance to try it! While it's definitely floral it's in the camp with Ingenue and Flower Moon as florals that are mostly notes that I find pleasant, and which don't become perfumey. As for what those specific notes are I don't think I can distinguish them except to say that violet might be in there somewhere, and that it does remind me a bit of what I remember from Ingenue...and has sweet undertones (daisies? wildflowers?) like those that were in Flower Moon. It has a bit of a powdery quality but not enough to make it actually smell like you're wearing dusting powder. Perhaps that's violet or maybe there is some lilac in there as well. This is too much of a floral for me to wear outside of testing it for fun and maybe saving for the spring -- there are a few weeks where I can wear a few florals successfully and this would definitely be the kind that goes well on my skin on those fragrant May walks in the woods that I like. If flowers like gardenia, jasmine and lily give you a massive headache and all just smell like commercial perfume to you, then this might be a better floral for you. I remember recently trying Bearded Lady and it mostly smelled like a Vogue magazine full of perfume samples to me. This smells like a misty bouquet of fresh flowers in the spring. Basically, I'd say try it out if you liked Flower Moon or other gentle floral blends like that. It's much more natural and gentle that the perfumey blends but still a bit too girlie and powdery for my tastes. I think I'd like to keep this for the spring though!

This is the '04 version. Reviews describing this as having vanilla and/or coconut in it put me off of ever trying Snow White until now. But since it's available again and I've had some good luck with a couple of very crisp, cool vanilla blends in the past (Black Opal, Dorian) it's probably worth a try. I still hate coconut but since the actual description of this scent characterizes it as more of a crisp and refreshing snowy floral I'm going to hope that the coconut thing doesn't happen with me. In the imp, this is a sparkling, crisp white scent with a thick, succulent body. I remember hearing there was a lily musk in this and I do get a very succulent sweet lily note in the background, completely unlike anything I've smelled in any other BPAL blend. It does have that slightly plasticky quality that I have seen people describe though. In wearing it that comes out stronger at first but then fades. It is not perfumey, which is a good thing -- most blends with too many floral notes in them are just an indistinguishable headachy mass for me. But this is pleasant and sweet and really sort of adheres to the skin in a warm and comforting way. It does smell a bit like a vanilla candle, which is something that doesn't entirely thrill me, but given my good track record with Black Opal and Dorian I think this is something I could wear. The more I sniff this the more I think that lily forms the sweet smell -- I definitely smell some sort of lily in here. The plasticky smell is the same one that I get from the fresh white lilies my mom always gets around Easter. Crisp, sweet and watery. I think that overall this is something that I could wear. I've moved this onto my wish list for my second Yule order. I can see wearing this in the winter to mirror the feeling that I get from the crisp white snow, and I could wear this in the spring as the Easter lilies bloom and maybe even into the summer as a cooling blend. I hope people don't smell me and think I've got my pockets stuff with vanilla candles, but I think over all it gives the impression of something that is clean and comforting. ETA: Okay I'm completely addicted to this now! I can't wait to get the bottle I ordered! It really defies description. It's nothing like I expected, nothing like anything else I've tried and resists categorization. You never know what you'll get though, since some people get floral, some get creamy, and some get plastic. Take a chance!

Here's the thing -- I really hate the pumpkin note, so I had no plans to buy the Pumpkin Patch. Nothing on earth makes me sicker than Jack, and I figured that nothing good could come of it. Pumpkins may be one of the most delightfully round and orange objects in the vegetable kingdom, and the subject of countless of my own little paintings, but the smell of it is positively nauseating to me. Ahh, but woods. And ivy. So here's the good news: that pumpkin smell is mainly only present in the bottle. As soon as I put it on my skin the icky buttery aroma that makes my head hurt and stomach spin dissipates and it becomes simply a warm backdrop for the other notes. I'm not 100% positive that this is going to work on me...for a second there I thought this smelled like "new car smell." But don't worry, I think that was my imagination. While it's not a woody smell on the order of something like Yggdrasil or Anne Bonny there's definitely a nice earthy component with a touch of greenery. It reminds me of some of the elements in Samhain, without actually smelling like it. There's no smoke or patchouli for example, but I am similarly surprised at liking this. It's a little too sweet but it doesn't smell like a candle, or dessert, so we're clear on my two biggest concerns about this. I'm not entirely sure that I'd wear this outside of right around Halloween time but I might keep wearing it during the winter. Edit: Nyah, I decided this wasn't for me. I like the drydown OK but it's always a little too sweet and the part that I like fades very quickly. I will stick with Samhain.

Baghdad and Bengal are very different to me, with Baghdad having a very strong floral feeling and Bengal being overwhelmingly spicy with that strange honey musk thing going on (a heady swirl of sweet musky warmth). Then again noses and skin can do strange things sometimes! Unless I missed something I don't think there would be anything wrong with ebaying the bottle as long as you said it had been tested (with an explanation of the scent difference) or whatnot. Most everything that people sell has been tested and is noted as such.

Thank goodness someone gifted an imp of this my way because it's going to be ages before I get my order with an imp of Dee in it! I was very anxious to try this because of the promise of incense, parchment and soft woods. In the imp, this is a bit cologney but reminds me of Old Scratch. I feel like I must be smelling lavender but perhaps it's rosewood. It's a slightly dusty, warm scent that reminds me both of incense and cologne. When I apply it the cologney scent fades instantly. I wonder if that was leather? Leather smells different to me in every blend that I try. This does absolutely marvellous things on my skin. What is it that is so lovely?? I wish I could tell which note is blossoming on me in this way. It is both sweet and smoky, floral in a lavender kind of way (I love lavender), with a dry undertone that must be the soft woods. Of course, anything with wood and incense in it is marvellous on my skin, which warm it and make it last and last. This is so different on my skin than in the imp. It really reminds me of Old Scratch, which I love so much I ordered a bottle (and which is hovering around the edges of my Top Ten these days) but without the very strong and obvious lavender/patchouli notes. It's almost like a different version of the same theme, this time using rosewood and different incense/woods in the background to amp up that gentle, soft, mysterious floral. One of the most amazing things is how it imparts the feeling and scent of dusty books and paper. If this is the "dust" note then maybe I'll try the Rat King too. I can't identify tonka on its own but I love any blend that includes it, as a general rule. Tonka just does good things to a scent. I'm not sure what -- makes them stronger, warmer, gentler...it's just a good thing to have around. This doesn't strike me as particularly masculine except in the imp, where it definitely smells like a dark cologney fragrance. But then it evolves into a less mischievous, more studious Old Scratch. I'm so glad I have another imp in my future -- they should hold me for awhile but I will eventually want more. This has a little bit of everything in it and will have a place of honor in my imp box!

I passed on a bottle when this came out because I didn't know how the sugar and mulling spices would play on me -- I absolutely hate smelling like baked goods and I didn't want to take a chance. But thanks to a kind decanter I am able to try this and I really quite like it! The order that the notes are listed is pretty much how they appear on me. At first sniff it was very faint and perfumey, with the florals taking center stage. I wasn't too crazy about that stage because perfumey florals don't do much for me. I also like oils with a lot of throw and strength to them and I could barely smell this at all. I dabbed a little more on my wrist and let it sit for awhile and then it really started to develop. The crisp, cool fruits are exactly the way that I like them: they don't smell like pie, they smell fresh. The mulling spices are not heavy and boozy, but remind me of going into a little country craft store hung with herbs and spices with candles burning. Not the artificial "potpourri" smell, but a very genuine, natural one. Not the scent of something cooking, but the scent of rows and jars of spices and herbs that have been drying and warming in the early autumn sun. It's a little bit winey, but not boozy. It's a little bit sweet but not sugary. It does remind me of Mabon but without that powdery apple blossom scent that positively does not agree with me at all. Yes, this is the only scent with both apples and spice in it that I think has ever worked for me. And since I don't think I'd wear it except on the most perfect and crisp autumn days, my imp should be enough for me for this year. A great one to wear when you are pumpkin shopping!

Another one I can't believe I haven't reviewed after all this time... Dragon's Bone was my favorite of the Ars Draconis scents for awhile even though I don't think I've ever worn it except to test. But it's definitely my kind of scent. The dry dusty woods make me think of incense dust, and this is a really beautiful, pale dry sandalwood. Orris always helps scents to last a long time without changing. I barely smell the dragon's blood in this which is probably a good thing because I only like it when I'm in the right mood. I never think I want to wear dragon's blood until I put it on, and then it seems like a really good idea. But it's a strange resin, since it doesn't smell resinous at all...shifting somewhere between cherry and lilac depending on the notes it's blended with. I think of this more as a straight sandalwood/orris blend, with all of the soft, pale wood dust that those make me think of. I can see that orris must be the scent that I like in Blood Pearl when I smell this...very familiar, very comforting. I don't know if I would use it enough to get a bottle since I never wear it, yet I like it whenever I sniff it. After the strangely addictive Dragon's Milk (which my bf seems to like a lot, and is a comforting scent for me at night) this would be a favorite and it gives me hope that the sandalwood/orris Pumpkin Patch scent will also work well on me. Just woody/incensy enough to appeal to my hippie nature without being overpowering...it's very subtle and I don't even know if anyone would be able to smell it on me without getting a little too close for comfort.

When I first smelled this I immediately wanted a full bottle. It immediately became one of my favorites in the wood/resin category, very clear and strong with frankincense and soft woods at the top but not nearly as heavy as, say, Anne Bonny or Penitence (other faves of mine). I gathered four or five imps...gave all but one away since I wasn't using them often enough...but I still love it every time I sniff it. The only problem with Magus is that it has almost no throw on me and doesn't stick around on my skin for very long. It is the most clear and golden of these woody resin scents, which I'll attribute to the galangal and high john essence though I have no idea what those smell like. A very clear, pale resinous wood. This is a majestic scent and I still think I'd do well to have a bottle some day but since I already have so many resin/wood scents that are much stronger I will stick with them for now. I like my oils to float around me in a halo of incense for hours, and this fades almost immediately on me. Probably a chemistry thing. It does make me think of dust, parchment paper and candle wax as I think several other reviewers have mentioned. Writing on parchment by candlelight with some incense burning nearby, without being overly smoky.

I had been wanting to try this since it came out but never quite got around to it -- I like apricot a lot in Depraved and March Hare and while I don't like "boozy" it works if it's more like wine on me. Well Grand Guignol turns out to be pale, light apricot -- pretty much straight apricot on me. I like that and it makes me want to use some of that apricot facial scrub stuff. As a perfume though it doesn't do a whole lot on my skin without the patchouli that I love in Depraved or the clove I like in March Hare. So it's nice and I think I'll keep the imp but I don't think there would be a whole lot of occasions on which I'd wear it. If you have always wanted the apricot single note though this should come close to it!

Florals are not generally something I care to wear so I didn't pay much attention to this blend, but my curiosity got the better of me since a few rare florals work on me if there are some other elements in it, like amber. Any kind of lily and jasmine, however, usually spells doom (usually). Immediately I'm struck by how strong this one is...definitely a cloyingly sweet floral that makes me feel a little queasy. Not sure what it is that disagrees with me but I'm going to guess it's the lily and jasmine. It reminds me of the flood of heavy perfume that hits you when you open a big glossy Vogue magazine. The kind that made me think as a child that all perfume was a big headache. There's a little underlying warm sweetness (honeysuckle, vanilla) that I like and a strange phase for a moment where I can pluck out the individual notes. The amber becomes very warm and resiny for a moment but then it's swallowed again by the flowers. I like springtime and smelling flowers as they start to appear in the woods, but I absolutely hate them in perfumes unless they are very crisp and white (The Ghost, Juliet, Ophelia were all tolerable to wear outside in the woods in nice weather). This is, to me, a very cloying ladies' magazine insert perfume and I can't wear it. But that's OK because I love about five of the CN scents so I have plenty to enjoy!

I've been in love with the name of this blend since I first heard it and the idea of burning brightly-colored candles in conjunction with it really lifts my spirits even though the only candles I have are already so heavily scented (Yankee Candles) that I wouldn't want to dress them with oil. So I tested this for its scent and the feelings that it brought about in me. It's a tough week for me, and I desperately need something to lift the mood a little. The sparkly orange candylike scent of this blend really did make me smile. It smells almost exactly like Kunstkammer to me, which was really too candyline and powdery orange for me to wear but this is a bit stronger and brighter. I don't use oils for ritual purposes, but they have such a strong effect on my mood and mindset that you could say that they do work magic in their own way. I might some day buy a bottle of this and try it out with candles. I would absolutely love to put little bright yellow and orange candles through the house and sit there with the cats and feel peaceful and happy. For now this helped to brighten my day a little and while I'm going to pass it along for another to try I would definitely consider a bottle if I was going to start collecting TAL oils for actual usage. As it is, I don't have much occasion to use them more than once but I enjoy making the acquaintance of each one I meet!

I'm just reviewing this as a scent...but I am interested in experiencing these oils to see what kind of thoughts and feelings they inspire. I can definitely see this being an attractive blend. It reminds me of something I tried awhile ago but can't remember which. Maybe it was Wanton? At any rate, I am pretty sure that myrrh is figuring prominently, maybe some rose...but myrrh seems to be there. It also almost reminds me a little of Masabakes without the berry notes. It's very very thick, a bit of a spicy incense (in the way that myrrh is spicy), a little musky...a little too musky. But as far as magnetism I can see this having a lot of throw and attracting people to come in for a better sniff. Powdery, incensy spicy musk is what I'd say...but I think there could be something floral like rose underneath. I don't anticipate wanting any new people in my life any time soon, but as for a personal confidence boost this is a very strong blend that I can imagine sniffing before I go out into the world to help me face the day and feel like people are going to interact pleasantly with me.