sarada

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.

I love vetiver, but sometimes it takes a nasty turn on me and becomes very acrid. In Torment and Saturn, for example, it had that kind of overwhelming scorched scent that cancels out the usual wonderful deep dark smooth sweet wood that I get from other blends that include vetiver (I suspect Capricorn is the perfect vetiver blend for me....if indeed it contains it).

This reminds me of some of the discontinued scents, like Torment, which did bad things. I think that the florals are messing up my vetiver experience. Gardenia makes me sick to my stomach and gives me a headache so you'd think I'd know better than to try blends that contain it, huh? So does jasmine. If this didn't contain those, the vetiver might be able to smooth out and do it's damp sweet dark woody incense thing but it just kind of floats in a sea of heady florals and makes me feel queasy.

It's a shame that the supporting notes are such a nightmare on me because as this dries I can get some of the polished glossy dark brown vetiver scent that I love. Alas, it's not going to work for me! I don't know if vetiver and florals can ever play nice together. I don't get any cinnamon or leather from this...I don't like cinnamon so it's just as well, but leather usually works well with vetiver.

This scent did, however, make me think of Adam Ant and that's never a bad thing!

Antique Halloween postcards???

Squeeeee, I've practically devoted my life to the worship of those! I wish I liked the Samhain scents, but damn my reaction to foody scents! (Still, I have Samhain and Devil's Night on the way...)

Lust is one of my favorite scents (well, it would be in my Top 50) but I don't have a big bottle of it so I've never reviewed it. When I first smelled it I went berserk and wanted a bottle immediately but I never got around to ordering, so I hoarded imps...

This was one of the scents that made me realize that red musk is my best friend. It's a little too strong and sweet to wear too often, but WOW. This is a masterpiece of red musk. So gritty and sultry, almost berry-sweet but, well, musky. It's an earthy red sweetness, almost drinkable. I'd say it's similar to Lilith in some ways but without the wine element, just in the way that it absolutely personified DEEP DARK RED as a scent and makes you want to lick yourself.

And the color! So dark! The color of dried blood!

This scent really takes off on my skin, it's one of those incensy smells that I amplify to a ridiculous amount, and even after a shower it's still going strong. This generally stays around for 24 hours when I put it on.

I don't smell the individual notes other than red musk -- I think the patchouli gives it the gritty, earthy feeling though, and since patchouli and my skin like to get married and have babies together this is a very good thing. I hate ylang ylang BUT in blends with patchouli it doesn't smell like nail polish remover. Instead, it transforms into something sweet and aromatic and all-around good. Myrrh too, I'm not wild about much of the time but it loses itself in patchouli.

Eventually I will have a bottle of this. But for now my imps seem to keep me in good shape since I can't handle anything this strong and long-lasting on a regular basis. After all I also have Scherezade and Spellbound in bottles to keep me shrouded in red musk through the cold months!

I first tried this almost a year ago and liked it, but didn't hang onto it. It was mostly lavender on me and I figured I had enough lavender.

But after trying Old Scratch and adoring it I decided to give ol' Gaueko another try. It has a similar feel, with lavender winding its way through incense smoke. And I like this even more this time and will probably be hoarding imps, if not eventually getting a bottle.

The overall impression that I get is of being in a store that sells incense and soap. It's that overall "incense store" scent that I love so much...of the bar of handmade soap that you buy that has the scent of the shop clinging to it (as described in the review above mine as well!). The lavender comes off particularly soapy in this blend but in a nice way. Basically, it smells like nag champa soap.

This lasts for awhile and goes particularly well on my skin, which tends to take incense smells and simmer them nicely, so they last throughout the day and cling to my hair and clothing like real incense smoke does.

This is like the mellower cousin of Urd. They're both hippie store smells, but while Urd is the full-on attack of a heavy incense store, Gaueko is the soap aisle at Whole Foods, where I linger for a half-hour sniffing lavender and patchouli soap and shampoo. I really feel as though I've just taken a bath with a full range of wholesome hippie products.

It is different enough from Old Scratch to warrant bottles of each if you like the lavender/incense combo, I think!

Crossroads was mostly allergy-inducing jasmine on me. A green scent...I liked it at first but it gave me a headache and now in retrospect I don't think I like it at all because I don't care for jasmine.

To me, there's nothing that even comes close to Queen of Clubs (my favorite LE!), but if you take Persephone and layer it with Graveyard Dirt and something with amber in it, it might come close.

Oh no, now I want one just for the bottle! Thank you!

Are there any pics of the Beatrice label circulating now?...I'm very curious!

I first tried this about a year ago and really liked it...got a bottle, and never wore it once. As a result this really, really reminds me of this time last year. But that doesn't really help you to understand the scent, does it?

This has that marvellous, incredible bright green colour that I love so much in the lab's herbal blends. It also has the slightly bitter scent that the herbals have, like Belladonna. Basically, this is like a lemony Belladonna and has similar qualities for me in that I really like it but I don't know that it works as a personal fragrance. It's more something I'd want to use to anoint things or, as others have said, a room scent.

The pineyness is also very appealing to me but it is SO pine that it becomes almost lemon/line. To the point that when I present my wrist to others to sniff they just say it smells like lemon or lime candy. I'm aware of the other layers of fresh, slightly bitter herbs that are drying on a warm day...but they don't come through on my skin.

This manages to be sunny and warm while also reminding me of the piney smells of Christmas time. It's a wonderful scent, but on my skin it just kind of hangs there like a piece of wet lime hard candy. I like it but I don't know that I want to smell like it. I like to keep an imp around to sniff though.

I love the idea of these herbals so much that I wish they worked on me...if they came in clear poison bottles I might buy bottles just to look at them, all green and evil!

I first tried this ages ago but I have never really worn it for long...it smells rather like something I would have liked a long time ago, but not for the fragrance...rather more for the idea of having a bright green oil called Belladonna.

I love the idea of this oil and I can easily imagine myself as a teenager with a bottle, anointing myself and arranging candles and crystals on my dressertop altar. It makes me think of drying fresh herbs and smelling them in the sun. But not any specific herbs...more the general scent of fresh, green herbs recently picked and hanging from wooden rafters in our kitchen. There might be something like sage or rosemary in here -- herbs that are used in cooking but might feel equally at home in magic.

Then there comes a very powdery stage that could only be lilac...or perhaps violet. But probably lilac. A pale purple, very powdery flower. The combination is unsettling but I can still see myself as a teenager enjoying it, before I knew which kind of scents I liked to wear as a fragrance. I like the associations that it brings and I think it would be wonderful to wear if you were doing some kind of herbal or green magical works.

As a fragrance though it is very very bitter and not the kind of herbal scent that I would want to have around me. It's interesting to smell and I keep a small amount for those associations and images that it brings to mind but it's more of a "thinking" oil than a "wearing" oil if that makes any sense at all!