TheOneTheyCallLuna

This particular lunar eclipse for which this perfume was created has very deep significance for me. I went into intensive care exactly one month after this lunar eclipse occurred. I have never been a big astrology buff, but I checked out my horoscope once I was discharged from the hospital, and it said that if I was born on January 29th that I would feel the effects of this eclipse exactly one month after it happened, and that the effects would include life-altering, earth shaking health issues being raised. Well, I was born on the 29th and that is exactly what happened. So I had to get this blend to commemorate that strange occurrence. It helps that the notes appeal to me as well... This blend is as dark and foreboding as they get...so it's really suitable and perfectly encapsulates the energy I would want out of a blend depicting this eclipse. I get a lot of smoke and incense and later on some bright flashes of fruit as well. I'm not sure what vetiver smells like, but I am assuming it to be the earthy type smell that comes on very strongly when this oil is first applied. I find that it mellows out quite quickly revealing the darkest fruit and incense blend I have ever smelled in my entire life. This is a keeper for me based just on smell alone...the fact that it accurately evokes my own feelings about the particular lunar eclipse that occurred around this time last year makes this blend that much more meaningful. Oh hey, did I mention that I found out that this blend existed on the exact one year anniversary of the actual eclipse? Yeah, I had to have a bottle of this without question!

Gardenia and rose freshly plucked from the ground. That's what I'm getting here, predominantly. As it dries down the amber warms up, and out comes a splash of tea. Flowery, fresh, girly, and very suitable for Spring!

I LOVE the new 13 label. I'm so glad I bought a bottle when I had the chance!

Man, it takes a LONG time for this blend to reach it's amazing stage. When I first put it on it was too cloying, and SLOWLY the sweetness started to burn off until twenty minutes later I was left with an amazing warm, woods with pepper and incense scent. That's usually my thing and while this is nice, it's not knocking my socks off, either.

This is the one scent I have been dying to try since I started sniffing around here a few years ago. This blend has had a lot of hype to live up to, but it manages not to disappoint. I'm getting a lot less snow here than I thought that I would. In fact, I'd have to say that I'm not getting any snow or slush notes at all. Just fresh pine and spicy berries...which makes me think that I now need to go try Hollyberry and Mistletoe to see how it matches up. This definitely reminds me of winter, though, and it smells gorgeous. I hope it gets resurrected someday!

OMG!!!! I knew I *had to* track down a bottle of this and buy it based on both love of the image and the scent notes listed. I expected this to be amazing, and it still managed to exceed my expectations and blow me away!! It is a fantastic representation of the Edo-era tentacle porn...It smells sexy and flushed with skin musk and honey, but also aquatic in a mysterious, deep sea sort of a way that conjures images of octopi and is radically different from the ocean spray aquatics of Thalassa and the masculine ocean doom and gloom vibe of Cthulu. I'm glad this one is no longer available, because I would break my budget and buy 8 bottles of it right now if I could!! Very unique and unlike any other BPALs around...this baby is in a category of its own! So so sexy!

Ooooohhh yummy! This is the bright, juicy apple note of Verdandi with a dark and wicked sultry core! It's bright and complex enough to not be a strictly autumnal scent (though the diabolical nature of the opium lurking in the background makes me think of Halloween) and I'm looking forward to rocking this blend into the springtime!

In the imp, Lavender with bubblegum lotus notes. On the skin, lavender with a soft breath of spices and an undercurrent of aquatic sweetness. The scent continues to become more and more pleasing on my skin as time goes on. The sweetness of the lotus keeps the lavender from becoming medicinal and the spices add depth. Very pretty and girly!

This is murky and chilly and dark...there's something in it, though, that's not quite agreeing with me. Something a bit dirty and peppery...I guess my skin chemistry is not a fan of "murky gloom". The top notes smell lovely, however, but alas not enough to save me from being dragged undertow by the other uncooperative notes.

Mmmmmm...extra chilling lemon-y green tea goodness with a translucent background of ephemeral florals! Refreshing, uplifting, and delightful. I see myself getting lots of wear out of this one once the weather warms up.

This is a lovely frimp from the lab. A pretty, wistful and unique floral. Fits the description perfectly and lives up to the poem. This one is a definite keeper for me...feels peaceful and romantic with a darker edge. Nice!

Oh yum! Minty and refreshing without being reminiscent of breath mints, bright apple, light pretty florals, and lime! A wonderful refreshing spring fragrance. The Mad Tea Party Strikes Again!

In the imp and on the skin: Sasparilla? Is that you? Yup. Still getting sasparilla, plus lemons and florals. What is going on here? I like it...a lot actually, but I was not expecting sasparilla with powdery florals and something tangy, too. I kind of think this is weird and wonderful and I might hang onto it for a bit and see if it grows on me some more. It has potential, definitely...

I love rose. I really can wear rose essential oil as perfume and be stoked about it...Though I'm not getting the full complexity of this blend, and am picking up mostly rose, it still feels too floral to me somehow which must be the calla lily and lilac. It's very pretty, but I'm not blown away...I wish the woods and myrrh were more prominent.

This is really perfume-y and has a lot going on. There are some really good elements, and also a few things that aren't jiving with my weird scent preferences. I love the lemon, and the red currant, and the sandalwood. But the florals are overbearing to me (a staunch anti-floral BPALer) and it just overall smells a bit too much like traditional perfume to my weirdo nose. It is lovely, but it's just not me. This blend is like when you find the most exquisite dress you have ever laid eyes on, and obsess over it in the shop window for weeks and maybe months, saving up money, until one day reality hits you and you say to yourself, "I will NEVER wear this!" On to a happier home, preciousss....

Honeydew melons and grapes! Juicy, sweet, bountiful brightness! I'm going to be living in this blend this summer. I have a real attachment to the goddess Yemaya, and while I feel like this blend could be slightly improved by the addition of some overt aquatics, I'm not disappointed to say the least! This blend is heavenly and I'm so glad that I did the right thing and threw some into my last order with the lab! Stunning!

I can't decide if this is too traditionally "perfume-y" for me or not...One sniff methinks so, and the next sniff I think no. This is most definitely smoky, and dark...I get a black vanilla vibe here, but yeah, decidedly too traditional for me. I still might hang onto it for days when I'm wearing all black frilly things and heavy eyeliner and want to round out my outfit. This would be perfect for that...more perfect, I think, than even Black Lace.

Mmmmm...this smells quite perfume-y, and yet, I ain't mad at it! The red sandalwood is adding a beautiful and nearly indiscernible depth. The color of this blend is red and gold! Gilded. This is a pretty, classy fragrance for a fancy night out on the town. I get vanilla, some soft, slightly powdery florals, and an undercurrent of citrusy red sandalwood. Now that it's drying it's reminding me strongly of a gorgeous, smoky incense. I love this one!

This is a really weird, compelling smell...Ginger ale???...and beeswax candles??? Yup! Ginger ale and beeswax candles. It's more complex than that, though...I also get hints of all the other notes swirling around in there. Frankincense. Resins and incense. Spice. Sugar. Not unpleasant at all, but...strange and beautiful! This is so unique and gorgeous - my favorite so far of the Steamworks line! A real winner, and a big bottle purchase, for sure!

This starts off smelling unpleasantly astringent, and it takes a few minutes for the teak to make an appearance on my skin, but when it does - watch out! I can see how people find this to be kind of like Glowing Vulva minus the cream accord but plus a weird beeswaxy note (like the one that made me wrinkle my nose in Hand of Glory.) I'm not mad at it...I can feel myself falling hard for this blend, but it's just not love at first sniff. Antikythera Mech is gonna have to wine and dine me and work for it. Right now, the black vanilla and tobacco notes are already sweet talking me into a second date... ETA: This ended up being way too similar to Hand of Glory's beeswax for me. I tried to let my guy wear it, but it was too feminine, so I had to swap it away. In the end, I didn't really find this very similar to Glowing Vulva, which I love and much prefer personally. It doesn't add up because I love black vanilla, oak, tobacco, and teak, leading me to believe that there is some malicious ninja note secretly hijacking this blend from perfection. Ah well, at least I have GVaRB to console me.

First impressions: Hmmm, El Dia de Reyes mixed with Love's Philosophy. Actually, it's been on for a few minutes and that's still what I'm getting. The same dark, sophisticated, spicy chocolate from El Dia de Reyes, tempered with the cream cheese frosting note I am so in love with from Love's Philosophy's wet stage. As it dries, the caramel comes out a little bit more and.... ZOMG!! Sweet, smoky, chocolicious spiciness...This is dark and classy! Just how I likes my chocolate fragrances! Though the bottle art is spectacular, I think I could have survived on just a decant of this one... ETA: I take it back, my preciousssss, all of it! I NEED a big bottle of this! NEED, like air and water to survive! I was onto reviewing another blend, and kept getting wafts of the most delicious something-or-other ever in the whole universe, and guess who? Dark Chocolate with Pepper Smoked Caramel wafted up my nostrils screaming, "Don't you ever underestimate me! I'll show you what I'm made of and you'll regret taking me for granted! MARK MY WORDS!!!" So, yes, it's taken a few minutes to get to the orgasmically delicious stage here, but now it's all El Dia de Reyes, plus Love's Philosophy, plus the caramelized brown sugar note of Sugar Skull, with smoke, b*tches! On second thought, I might need ten bottles of this one!!

This starts out just weird, really, strange and indescribable, but morphs into....Yes! A sexay simmering sandalwood and blackberry scent! I wish the sandalwood were easier to pick out. The mint in this blend is REAL mint, straight outta the garden, like the kind of monster mint leaves I used to use to decorate schmancy desserts when I was a chef all those years ago. Overall this is a winner...Warm and juicy and sexy. I don't think it's overly sweet at all, and I'm sensitive to such things. I'm very intrigued by the blend....worth hanging onto! ETA: Had a little more time to bond with this one and I have to say that I just love it more and more. I'm so glad my man bought me an unsniffed bottle of this one!

Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom. Glances up from gnawing off arm... Oh, hi there! This is one delectable foody blend. I did not think that I would like this at all from the description, nor the reviews. But guess what? I do...I love it....I love it a lot! It smells just like Girl Scouts thin mints, in the best imaginable way! Unexpectedly wearable! Returns to nomming on arm.

Whoa, I like foody blends, but this is bordering on too sweet for me. It smells exactly like sugar cookies, though, no doubt about it! I am going to cry over the fact that I get NO spices out of this whatsoever, and that hope is what prompted me to want to try this blend so badly. All in all, a lovely (if fairly pedestrian) coconutty cookie blend.

Mmmmm...this is lovely. I'm quite sad that the decant I just received in the mail turns out to have a faulty cap and leaked out a fraction of the imp's contents already, because I can already tell this is love at first sniff. This is the smell of the earliest stages of spring - all slushy melting ice with the stems and bright petals of daffodil flowers poking their way through thawing snow as the sun shines down. Absolutely lovely and I will have to track down a bottle now. It's a bit more floral than what I usually wear, but the boy even loves it (he hates florals, too) and I have been looking for my holy grail spring scent. I won't have to keep looking anymore, because this is most definitely *it*!