voodoobaby

In the bottle: Orange, cherry, a little almond, and some sort of flower. I think maybe there's jasmine, but definitely something else as well that I can't put my finger on. Wearing: This turns quite spicy. Not cinnamon spicy, but it smells hot and sizzly. It's very light. I still smell the orangeness, and yes, it does smell like there's a little dragon's blood here. But in contrast to the usual dragon's blood, this isn't overpowering and doesn't turn soapy on me. And...is that a little bit of wood I smell, or is my nose crazy? Normally this wouldn't be my cup of tea, but it's incredibly pleasant. Contrasting with the light quality is a very slight smoky undertone. Later: The drydown is definitely a deep amber with the citrus hanging on a bit. Sadly, it doesn't last long at all. Overall: As a voodoo blend, it actually seemed to reduce my libido than to increase it. It did give me a kind of creative and spontaneous feel throughout the day, but it's definitely not sexual. As a scent, however, it's oddly quite likeable. I will keep the imp.

In the bottle: Very perfumey. Smells a little green, very floral, and reasonably citrus. It smells like grapefruit. Wearing: Gah! Rose! Extremely rose, and not the nice little quiet rose--this is the overpowering rose note I remember from Pride. As it sits on the skin, it starts turning to soap. It's the kind of soap you get at a nice hotel with the paper wrappings, and when you sniff the paper it comes in it feels like little particles of the soap "powder" are going into your nose. Only it's a rose-scented hotel soap. Later: After a while the aquatics finally come out. It's gotten greener, but still very soapy. Overall: As a voodoo blend, I can't really tell a difference. I wore it to bed last night and did sleep very well (and today a conflict was resolved in my mind), but other than that, I haven't noticed any calming effects. It doesn't last too long on me, but then again, not many scents have been lately. I'm not really too fond of this scent. I'm sure it will make someone else very happy.

In the bottle: Oh. My. Goodness. This is sexy. Definitely white musk, bright and cool and sweet, with a touch of patchouli keeping it grounded. Thankfully, not much poppy, if any at all--me and poppy don't get along. This strikes me as pretty masculine straight out of the imp. Wearing: Yeah, there's the patchouli, just barely showing through the musk. After a bit it gets a little smokier and sweeter, which I think might be the poppy's doing. This does strike me as perfumey, but in a very good way. It smells expensive. Later: It's all musk now. Lovely, lovely musk. Overall: I am so glad to have gotten this as a freebie, because I wouldn't have ordered it otherwise due to the poppy. I am not disappointed--this is wonderful. It's a very unisex blend, and yes, very sexy. I have a couple of guys in mind who I wouldn't mind smelling this on. Edit: It's too late and I can't spell.

In the bottle: Aye. Smells clean, green, and generic. Not unpleasant, but I keep thinking Irish Springs soap. In the bottle it's reminiscent of Yggdrasil, only less evergreen. Wearing: Hmm. It deepens quite a bit. It's still clean, but not nearly as soapy. The more it sits on my skin, the better it gets. Soon after application the bamboo comes out, which I recognize from my addiction to Asian food, and it is dead on. I get a definite sense of clarity from this blend. Later: Cardamom! So THAT'S what makes chai smell so delicious! This is the scent of drinking a nice chai latte outside at night in the country. It smells like night air, only stronger and greener and spicier. Edit: Wearing this a second time, in its very last stages it gets very, very aquatic, but in a murky way, not in a clear, pristine way. Thankfully. Also, apparently the first time there was a stage where the Spanish moss made a huge appearance that lasted a couple of hours. A little powdery, but I can handle it since the rest of the time it smells wonderful. Overall: Not at all what I was expecting, but wonderful. Nocturnal? Yes, very. Foreboding? Not at all. This would be a great summer scent, and I can see me wearing it a lot before the season is over. Decent staying power, too. Overall, a definite winner.

In the bottle: Cocoa! I can definitely smell the leather and a little patchouli, but it's mostly a powdery cocoa scent. Wearing: Yup, still cocoa. The patchouli comes out quite a bit. It's an odd combination, and I'm not entirely sure that's meant in a good way. It just doesn't seem like the kind of notes that should be blended together. Later: I smell the incense now on top of the patchouli. Smells like frankincense, for sure. This smells like Velvet and Anne Bonny layered in this stage. I can also just barely detect an astringent sweetness that has to be the mystery florals. There could possibly be just a very small drop of lavender here, but thankfully it doesn't develop well. Darn it, where is the leather? I miss it. Overall: Eh. It seems a bit generic, nothing too special. I will try it once more to see if it does something different or if it grows on me, but if not, it will be swapped off.

In the bottle: Wow. My first impression is slightly cherry, slightly almond, very tobacco, and moderately leather. It's interesting and kind of biting to the nose, but still very pleasing. Wearing: Mmhmm, tobacco. And leather. And fig. The almond is there...kinda. It is not the artificial almond scent I remember from the first phases of Alice and Bastet. This is deep and, well, earthy. Leather, definitely. It smells like the real deal. Something in this is making it smell hot. Not like cookies-out-of-the-oven hot, or summertime-in-Texas hot... This is the feeling I get when I'm at a show with a bunch of sweaty, breathing people pressed in around you. It's the feeling of when a guy offers you his jacket in cold weather, and when you put it on you can still feel his body warmth on the material. Despite the previous analogy, it is a totally pleasant and non-gross impression I get from this. I love it, and for the record, I think it's the combination of leather and amber that gave the the idea of the jacket--it's kind of a faint skin smell. There's also some incensey smell about it, kind of smoky. Later: Something here kind of smells a bit cocoa-ish and powdery. Maybe the "earth notes"? I can definitely smell something green and slightly astringent, which I'm thinking is the sage. I'm not getting vetiver. Overall: Looove. It fades way too quickly, but still, love! When I actually wear this beyond testing, I think I'm actually going to have to slather, which is odd for me. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

In the bottle: Mmmmmm. This is the smell of a coffee shop! Miskatonic, where have you been all my life? Initially, it smells like a good latte with the Irish cream, but the deeper I sniff the more the booziness comes out. Again, mmm. Wearing: Still coffee, but it's gone a little waxy. I can smell the oak now, and...gee, what's that smell? It smells almost...burnt...GAH! Vanilla! It does this every time. Right now it's bearable, just a little scorched. Later: This is no longer the scent of a candlelit coffee shop. This is the smell of the candle--nay, this is the smell of the WICK in a cheap coffee scented candle. The burning wick, to be more specific. Argh. I had my hopes so high for this one, and the stupid vanilla had to ruin it for me. Overall: I LOVE the scent in the bottle. If, on my skin, it stayed like that, I could fill up a swimming pool with it and almost drown in it before pleasurably drinking it all, were it drinkable. However, it did not stay like that. I am so upset. I hate to give it up, but I think I'll have to.

(Note: I think the version I tried was a prototype, so take this with a grain of salt as far as the current catalog version goes.) In the vial: Ginger! So much ginger. Almost a single-note ginger. Wow. Wearing: Well, you know, I can't really describe this. It does have quite an amber smell, but it's also got a spicy, musky, kind of powdery thing going on. There is most definitely cinnamon in here along with the ginger, which does die down a bit once it dries. Once again, I find this very difficult to describe, and I can't really give a play-by-play of how it changes. It's nothing overly special, but I do like it, so I will keep the imp.

My boyfriend really loves Bordello. I think part of that is because it smells like gummi worms on me, and he loves them. Come to think of it, he seems to like candy-like scents period. I just wish he liked the smell of leather as much as I do. But I don't know if Bordello turns him on or not. He just tells me I smell really good every time I wear it. I've never really gotten a big physical response from him because of perfume.

In the vial: Almonds dipped in cream and baby powder. Very odd. The almond smell isn't as strong as in other blends I've tried (like Port-au-Prince and Bastet), but they are definitely there, nonetheless. Wearing: Ah, good, the almonds calm down a little. Wow, I can really smell the milk. And still a lot of baby powder, maybe more so than in the imp. The rose comes out a lot, too. This reminds me a lot of Maiden, only creamier and even more innocent. Later: It's smokier now, and I'm wondering why I'm surprised since vanilla always takes on either a smoky or downright scorched smell on my skin. Also, I think maybe it's the honey tricking my nose into thinking I'm smelling amber. Very nice. Overall: This wouldn't normally be my cup of tea. However, this blend possesses some sort of hypnotising charm. Maybe it's partly because, when I was little, I went through a phase where I thought I was Alice and wouldn't answer to my real name--which incidently was part of my motivation for getting this blend. Because the blend is so pleasant and comforting, and my past self, and the odd charm, I will keep the imp.

I seem to have swapped this away before I reviewed it, but here's what I remember. The Caterpillar was floral, though and through. On the drydown there was a touch of moss, but for the most part, the iris and jasmine practically screamed. I was looking for something earthier and more incensey, so as mentioned above, I ended up swapping it. Better luck next time, eh?

The funny thing is that I got neither dragon's blood nor musk out of Tintagel, which are two notes that love my skin (although my skin hates dragon's blood, ugh!). It was all spiced wine and wood on me. Of course, wine is another that really pops on me, so that might have something to do with it. Skin chemistry is a bizarre thing.

I sympathize! I too have a problem with musks blowing up on my skin--and yes, especially red musk. It's a good thing I really like it, because I'd be in trouble otherwise. Out of what I've tried, the ones that are light on the musk are Dorian, Bewitched, Black Pearl, Imp (definitely try that one), Lampades, Lilith, and Tintagel. All the rest of the musk blends are really heavy on that note, at least with my chemistry. And out of those, I didn't get any florals in them, either, even if there are some floral notes listed in the description. Good luck!

Oh, also, I don't know if this helps or not, but to me and many others Ulalume smells like a forest in the rain. It is a little floral due to the lilies, but the aquatic note itself does not strike me as floral (i.e. Tempest). Worth a try, even if it's not exactly what you're looking for.

I haven't found one yet. Tempest is close, but on me it was very floral. I haven't tried Lightning, though--you might have some luck with that.

In the vial: Fruity and green. It's a lot thicker than I expected. Wearing: Still much fruit and a little greenery, not as much as in the imp. There's a definite citrus note here, but not orangey or lemony--grapefruit, maybe? I can also detect a kind of melon-like scent, and maybe even a bit of banana. There's also a faint hint of florals in the background, but it is very faint. Later: The fruit is gone now, and I'm left with the faint floral smell and amber. Beautiful amber! It smells so nice here, warm and almost spicy. The throw is a little bit soapy, but I can totally get past that. Overall: Very, very nice! Will be good for the summer, I think. I like it a lot and will keep the imp.

Brimstone didn't smell at all like a campfire, or any fire for that matter, to me. Djinn is closer, but is more like a clean, metallic incense smell than anything--kind of like lemon verbena incense in a metal burner. However, if you can get your hands on Hunter Moon or Hexennacht (or to a lesser degree, Samhain), you might have results with that. I too have been searching for a perfect bonfire scent, but sadly haven't found one yet.

In the vial: Green tea! A hint of floral and some deeper, less astringent tea lingers in the background. Wearing: The green tea is still there, but the peony gets stronger. I don't usually like florals, but this is nice...probably because there's only one kind of floral here and it's backed by the tea. Nice, simple, and refreshing, in a kind of lazy way. Later: Wow. Smells just like a glass of iced black tea, with sugar. I can even smell the ice. Very nice, indeed! Overall: Doesn't last very long and isn't as strong as I'd like (as go most tea scents on me), but otherwise I really like it. Keeping the imp.

On the subject of dream amber blends, I fully intend to make myself a blend featuring amber, cinnamon, and musk. Um...inspired by the same person who inspired this thread because he smells so freakin' good.

Ooh, I like the solid amber idea! Do you know where I could purchase a chunk of amber?

Coyote is very musky on me. However, like you guessed, BPAL's musk is 100 times better than commercial musk. It smells smooth and deep rather that biting and scary. Coyote's musk smells like red musk to me, which always struck me as a spicy, kind of fizzy vanilla scent. If you're still wary about it, though, Scarecrow seems like a good choice. I personally have never tried it, but others have said it smells like slightly scorched grass and straw. Also, Shroud always struck me as pretty field-ish, though it has florals in it as well. The florals turned me off at first, but after trying it they were really subdued.

In the vial: Grape popsicles! With something deeper underneath. Wearing: Patchouli and grape popsicles! Woo! Quite a nice combination, actually. There's a faint hint of nag champa and something less faint and very woody. Maybe it's BPAL's patchouli, considering I got a kind of woody scent from Nemesis that wasn't cypress. This is so far very, very nice and very delicious. This hasn't been on my skin for very long, so if it starts taking a drastically different route, I will come back and add to the review.

In the vial: Cypress, and something herbal. And something a wee bit sweet. Wearing: Bye bye, cypress! Now I'm smelling a nice patchouli note (which oddly smells more like wood right now) tempered by the rose and something fruity, which must be the fig. Yay, I can wear fig! I love the contrast between the patchouli and sweet notes. I'm also getting a faint whiff of something coconutty. Maybe it's my mind tricking me into thinking the tonka smells like coconut, as in Perversion? Later: Well, it's taken on that air freshener/dryer sheet quality that some blends turn into after a few hours of wear, but I don't care. I love it for the first few hours. Overall: Gorgeous! Kind of perfumey, but lovely. I think I'm actually starting to like rose scents. Woo!

I second (or third, or fourth, whatever) Perversion. Feminine, but definitely not girly, and sexy as all heck. Also, it sounds odd, but Czernobog wasn't too masculine on me. It was dark and aggressive and quite sexy, but had a certain sweetness to it on my skin. You might also try Anathema? Very sexy, though to my nose it was a bit masculine. However, it's still floral, so I guess that thought adds a bit of a feminine vibe.

In the bottle: Aquatic, with the oak right behind it, reminding me of the Hesperides. The lilies here smell almost fruity, very sweet. Wearing: Now the lilies are actually floral, and quite lovely, at that. I can still smell the oak, but I can also smell the cypress now. It doesn't smell strongly of evergreen, just very green indeed. Maybe that's the leaves I smell? Very natural--as others have said, definitely a "rain in a forest" scent. I still want to compare it to the Hesperides, only less fruity and more masculine. Later: Almost all aquatic now, with just a faint hint of lily. This has a tart, almost candy-like quality, much like Circe. Good lord, this is gorgeous. The best term I can find for it is captivating. Overall: Love! I love it. Keeping the imp, definitely.