Etaven

In the bottle: Sharp and fruity, with a touch of florals. I have a feeling we aren't going to get along, though it's pretty. On my skin: Extremely strong; the florals and the fruits are at war, and I'm trapped in the middle. As they settle down a bit, the wet note comes out. It does remind me of rain, though rain with a whole lot of flowers involved. Pretty, but not really my sort of scent. It's fading quickly, though, and ozone is coming out a bit more. Later: Faded really fast on me. Ah well.

In the bottle: Sharp, the lavendar comes out right away, and a bit piney, but with something else coming out. Lemon, maybe? It's both invigorating and calming. On my skin- Still a bit piney, though I think my nose is confusing that slightly with the lavendar, but also a little bit spicy. Something in there reminds me of licorice. A sweetness is coming out, but it's still sharp, and getting a bit smokey, as if incense is wafting through. Even with the sharp sort of edge, though, it remains calming. It sort of reminds me of a smokier hemlock. After it dries and tones down, it reminds me of what happens when I mix Hemlock and Velvet, mmmm! I like it muchly. Though, for me, it definitely seems to be more pine than lavendar, for whatever reason. As I was falling to sleep wearing this one, I did keep moving my wrists closer to my nose! This one's definitely a keeper!

In the bottle: Flowers, with a hint of something, an almost tart sort of scent, that reminds me a tiny bit of Nosferatu. There does seem to be a sort of softness over this one. On me: Morphs into what I consider the "typical" sort of perfume, the kind you find yourself spritzed with as you walk through department stores. It's definitely floral, and very refined. It's a very pretty, feminine sort of scent. Later: It's settled down. Rather flowery, and flowy, and it does indeed fit the innocent and pure description. I'll probably swap this one, as I'm not big into florals, but it is quite pretty.

Upon first sniff in the bottle, I'm reminded of men's cologne. Something more tasteful than Axe, but too masculine for me to find appealing for myself. Wet, on my skin- the flowers are out more, now, toning down the masculinity slightly, but not enough to really suit my fancy. I'm also not a big flower fan, though, so maybe that's why. A sharp scent is also coming out... it reminds me of something my mom might wear. And I sort of get the image of wet pavement in my head. If I sniff too closely, my head hurts a little... this one doesn't seem to agree with me too much; it's a bit too strong for my liking. As it's drying down, it's lost the "manly" edge, and is more female... but not girly. More that powerful, business woman sort of female. Feminine, but aggressive, and if you get too close, overpowering. After giving it a bit more time, the ozone is definitely out. It's still really strong, and still makes my nose twitch if I get too close. It's not bad, but it's not my sort of smell, so I'll be swapping it.

In the bottle- Flowery, but with something that just seems deeper... pine, I think. Definitely reminds me of hemlock. I'm not big on flowers, but the pine balances this out a bit. On my skin- the pine gets stronger, which is good, in my case. There's definitely something sweeter coming out, too... it actually reminds me of chocolate for a moment. It's got a bit of a spice to it, like a wild garden that refuses to be tamed. Considering I'm not into flowers, I'm actually really liking this one; there's something different about it that sets it apart from anything overly floral. The pine isn't as noticable, though it's lurking. It's settling into my skin a bit differently than most BPALs do (more incensey), which is also nice. Unexpectedly, this one's a keeper.

In the bottle: Very masculine, powerful and musky. Not really pleasant to me. I'll didn't get the rum, or the almond... I got a very predominantly musky smell. When it hits my skin its gets a bit nicer, though still too masculine for me. It's smokier, and if I get too close to my wrist, I end up coughing. And a few minutes later, it's all smoke, and no musk, which is nice. It's spicy, and though I can't really pick out a smell I'd identify as 'rum', it makes me think of pipes being smoked in big, wood-walled rooms. Later on, it reminds me of newly-turned dirt, and a while later, it takes on an incense-y sort of smell that I like, but that the majority of BPAL oils seem to do on me. I probably won't keep it, because it's too masculine for me, but on drydown it's pretty nice.

In the bottle, I get a bit of that metallic scent of blood, and something else, which I guess is the amber. On me, it sharpens, and I can't really discern any seperate scents... I'm not really sure what precisely I'm smelling. It's not very strong, though, and seems to be fading with every second, unfortunately, making it rather hard to pick out more than a light scent. It faded too quickly on me, so I may swap it... though after reading the other reviews, maybe I'll give it another try. Second time around: I put a bit more on... this is definitely one that I need to use more of if I want to actually be able to smell it. Wet, it was sharp, slightly metallic, but also spicy; I guess this was the amber I was smelling? It also smelled a tiny bit like cinnamon. After drying down a few hours later, I can still smell it (I guess I used the right amount this time) and I like it. It's taken on a sort of mellow, incense-y scent, with a base smell that I find is familiar with other BPAL scents that I like, but, as with the others, has certain unique distinctions. Most of the metallic scent is gone, with only a very faint lingering remainder. It's a bit of a warmer, older sort of scent now. Second time around, I like this much, much more, though I'm still a bit sad that, for whatever reason, it's so faint unless I use a lot. Ah, well. I think I shall be keeping my imp after all.

In the bottle, Eris smelled strongly fruity. It was a happy, festive sort of smell. On me, wet, it was still fruity, and reminded me of Jolly Ranchers candy. There was a bit of a smoky smell coming out as well. As it dried, it turned more perfumey and less "festive". For whatever reason, I got the image of a mature and sophisticated woman having tea with her friends under parasols in a garden. There's something about this one that reminds me of something I smelled in another oil... Blood Amber, it might have been. It's a sort of cherry-ish smell, and reminds me distinctly of something from my childhood... but I haven't been able to recall just what that scent was. Perhaps some sort of candy I used to get? It was nice as it fades, but I'm not sure I'll end up keeping it, as I'm not quite as fond as the fruity-sweet or floral scents.

Tried this one out while I was down at the beach on vacation. Wet, it was strong and sharp, with a sort of metallic hint to it, though it still remained a 'warm' scent. It does remind me of hot desert sand and tangy fruit, and brings up memories of my trip to Mexico a few years back. There's almost a slight alcoholic sort of edge to it, as well, though very faint, and there's also what seems to be a sort of peppery scent to it, as well. Rather complex, I'd say. After it mellows out and dries down, it's a smokey, spicy sort of scent. It stayed on my skin for quite a while. It wasn't quite the sort of scent I'd normally have gone for, but I rather like it, and I'll be keeping it.

In the bottle, I can smell herbs and a bit of smoke, a tiny hint of pine. It reminds me of Kathmandu for the first few seconds, but then that reminder sort of goes away. On me, wet, the smoke and incense come out, as well as the herbs. It's a sharp smell, and a bit tangy. It does indeed remind me of bonfires and dancing. The herbs give it an almost floral hint on me from a bit farther from my skin, but not overly so, and underneath comes the scent of smoke. It does evoke images in my head of revelry by moonlight, and trees and smoke. A little while later, and I smell like... the Yankee Candle factory in MA. Not necessarily bad, just unexpected. A while later, and it's sweet, incensey, and delicious. Sort of wish it was like this for more of the time it's spent on my skin, but overall, I do like it.

Mmm. This, along with Hemlock and Twilight, were the first 3 BPALs I've ever sniffed. So my first experience with Velvet was actually mixed with Hemlock. I can remember commenting to my half-asleep roommate that I smelled like a chocolate Christmas tree, which confused the hell out of her. In any case, I love Velvet. I smell the chocolatey goodness, and it's a comforting smell, though there's something else about it that I pick up too. It's smooth and sweet and intoxicating, a warm sort of smell. I didn't think I'd be too into the foody scents, but this one just smells so damn good that it's impossible not to like. While I love the chocolatey goodness of it, it doesn't make me crave actual chocolate... in fact, sniffing it seems to satisfy cravings

The day I recieved this order was the first really nice day we had, and I first sniffed Spooky while walking back from the mail building, which the sun shining and the air cool, but not freezing. And I think I must have gotten some on my nose, because every time I went outside after that, I smelled Spooky. My first impression was of coconut and rum, with that tiny hint of vanilla... it reminded me of the tropics, of beaches, of pirates. Yay pirates! And it was strong... I had it open for maybe a minute in my dorm room, and a few minutes after I closed it, all I could smell was Spooky. I thought I'd just gotten it on myself, but my roommate commented that it was all she could smell as well from across the room... and indeed, it scented our whole room. Yay! Today, a gray, rainy, cold day, I have decided to try Spooky out on myself. In the bottle, it's the same as my first impression, mostly coconut and rum. On me, it changes immediately, a new smell coming out... hmm. It's a sharper scent, one I can't really identify, and a wee bit metallic. Growing into very metallic. It's faintly fruity, faintly alcoholic... and the coconut is just about completely masked, though occasionally a wiff comes out. A while later, it's mellowed out and become much sweeter, though not as tropical as it seemed at first. The vanilla is much, much more apparent, and overall, it's a very warm smell. Not sure if I like it enough to wear it, but it's got some good memories associated with it, so it'll probably stick around for now. Though I wish some of the mint would come out for me...

In the bottle, I can smell the musk and what I think might be the myrrh. And maybe a hint of leather as well. It's good, but not something that really grabs my attention right away. On me, it morphs a lot... the lusty musk scent makes itself known. It's definitely strong, definitely dominating. It's hard for me to pick out the other scents, but it swirls together in a heady way, making itself quite known. After a few more minutes, it's musky leather, and quite intoxicatingly sexy. It's screaming 'seduction' and 'bondage' at me, mmm. I think I'll be keeping this one

Recieved as a freebie in my Storm Moon order. In the bottle, it smells like incense, with a wee hint of sweetness. On me, wet, it takes on a decidedly smoky one, and I can definitely pick out the sandlewood. It changes right away, to something more fruity and a tiny bit flowery. The sandlewood stays noticable, but underneath the other smells. It's strange, and I think it reminds me of something else, but I can't quite tell for sure or recall what... After drying and sitting for a while, it smells a lot less smokey and sandlewood-y, and quite sweet, but not overbearingly so. Not sure if I'll keep it, but it's an interesting smell, most definitely.

In the bottle, it smells kind of smoky and wood-y, with a touch of underlying floral-ish spices. Not sure whether or not I really like it, but it could work. On me, wet, the spices come out in full force in the first few seconds, followed by a sweetness that eventually overpowers the spicyness. The faint hint of incense is there as well, though the scent already seems to be a lot weaker than a few moments ago... but maybe that's just my nose. It's pleasant. After a few more seconds, there's a piney sort of scent that reminds me a bit of Hemlock, and a kind of mintyness. It's definitely a complete change from how it smells in the bottle, and I think I like it. It gets faint fairly fast on me, and hours after, I can still smell it a bit, but only very close to my wrist. It's a spicy sort of incense smell, at this point.

In the bottle, it's hard for me to pick out individual scents. I can get a bit of the muskyness and a bit of smoke. On me, still wet, it's strong, with herbs and spices coming out pretty strongly. The musk starts coming out in particular, and seems to change the scent into something else entirely... the kind of scent that reminds me of a feral creature, inhaling deeply, mouth half-open... there's a definite edge to it, and an exotic aspect that pulls me in. After a few minutes, it's taken on an incense-like note, which I really like. I have a feeling I'll be keeping this one. Seems to fade faster than I'd like, but there's an intoxicating lingering scent of incense, mmm. I think this may be the first to go on my 5ml wishlist...

... this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus. Out of the bottle, I can smell a hint of the smoke, and a lot of the flowers. The more "wood"ish smells aren't really coming out, but it's an interesting sort of smell. It definitely puts an image in my head of a gathering of nervously excited gentlemen and ladies, about to attempt to contact spirits. On me, like most floral-type-scents I've tried, the flowers go to war. And get slightly acidic smelling, only to be covered over by smoke. The farther I sniff from my wrist, the more I get the smoke, while the flowers stay close to my skin. And if I get to close, it hurts my head. It also seems to be getting a bit powdery. After a bit of drying, it got a bit more smokey, and the flowers seemed to have died and dried out. There was a bit more of a hint of wood, though, overall, the scent was not as easy to pick up.

When I first smelled it, I remember it smelling quite a bit different than what it smells like now. Now, I'm smelling herbs, it seems, and very loud florals. I have a feeling this isn't going to work on me. First on me, it sharpens, almost unbearably so, and nearly makes my eyes water. Hardcore flowers, but I wish I could smell the honeysuckle. I can pick out the lavender a bit, and I guess the jasmine is what's going to war with it. Oo, and very, very faint bit of honeysuckle is starting to float off, very occasionally. In fact, as I let this sit for a few minutes, it gets to be that from a distance, I can only smell little wafts of honeysuckle, but up close, it's all lavender and jasmine. After a while, the honeysuckle has vanished and I can just smell a mixture of the lavender and jasmine, though it's hard to pick out one or the other. It's kind of nice, but I'm not very partial to florals, and will probably swap this one.

In the bottle, I can just mostly smell the lime. There's a hint at what else is beneath it, and it's pleasant, but I'm not so sure it'll work well on me at all. Well. On me, this is, perhaps, the first floral-type-scent that I like. It's a bit strong, and the lime vanishes almost immediately, and can only occasionally be picked up underneath the rest. Not sure if it would be something I'd want to wear often, as florals still aren't my thing, but it isn't nearly as clashing as I thought it would be on me. After a bit, the lime once again comes out a bit, mixing with the flowers this time, instead of overpowering them or being overpowered by them. Later, when it's mostly faded, there's just a pleasant reminder of flowers, with a nice hint of lime. Yes, this is the first floral I'm considering keeping... as it surprisingly seems to work for me.

When I first smelled it, I wasn't as impressed... but at the moment, I'm smelling it, and... erm, feeling a bit lustful to begin with. This is definitely heightening it. It's a smoky, heady smell, bringing to mind all sorts of dodgy mental images that serve to, at the moment, just make me extremely frustrated over an issue of distance (*cough*) but, given better circumstances, will definitely bring about a hell of a lot of the scent's namesake As for the individual scents, I'm not so good at picking those out, but overall, I like this one. Faded a bit faster than I was hoping for, but as if faded, it was still making itself known.

Another scent that reminds me of my mom. Flowery, almost overly so on me... at least, right when I put it on, I'm not really getting the mosses and dry earth, or the incense. I'm definitely getting the garden of blooms, though; it's as if the flowers are at war as to who's going to smell the strongest. It's pretty, but I've never been into wearing florals. Unless this does something drastic as time wears on, I'll probably be swapping it. Wish more of the incense would come out... Later- mellowed out a bit, but still stayed pretty floral, though the herbs finally showed themselves a bit more strongly. Very pretty, but not my style

We've finally caved in to years of requests for vampiric scents. As soft as grave dust and as dry as a breath drawn within a long forgotten crypt, this is Nosferatu: desiccated herbs and gritty earth brought to life with a swell of robust and sanguineous red wines. Worn this twice... I'll be keeping it. The first time I wore it, the boards were down but I ended up feeling the need to write about it anyway... It changes a lot during the time when I wear it... at first it was sort of eerie, and I could smell the red wine. It does indeed strike me as a scent worth of Lestat. By now, a few hours after I put it on, it's really mellowed out, a lingering sort of sweetness, the aftermath of the bite of a vampire. The second time I wore it... Strong, wine like, almost tart... which reminds me a bit of blood. After a while, it seems a bit, hmm, dustier, for lack of a better word; reminds me of gravestones and abandoned mansions, with a hint of the undead lurking about. It's definitely a unique scent.

In the bottle, it was incense-y and slightly spicy. Once I put it on, the spice came out, a bit darker... reminded me slightly of smoke. There's a certain sweetness to it, and a bit of the metallic scent similar to blood. There's an ancient sort of strength in the smell. As it faded, it stayed fairly spicy, but mellowed down a lot... more of a slumbering dragon, but still with just as much power underneath the surface. Not so good at picking out individual notes, and while it wasn't precisely like the Dragon's Blood incense I used to have and love, I liked it quite a bit.

Got this one as a freebie. In the bottle, I definitely smell the plum... it's very fruity, but with a sort of incense-ish-ness (the opium, I guess!) over it. On me, the smell really reminds me of the candle section of the Pier 1 store near me... not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm not sure the flowery-fruityness suits me very well. It's a smell like spiced fruits, a bit reminiscent of my mom's mulled cider. Underneath, I faintly get a scent like cherry cough syrup. Not enough to really disturb me, but it's faintly there. As it fades, this gets harder to detect, and the general scent is mostly just that sort of fruity-flowery candle store smell.

A sinful, licentious scent: self-indulgent and luxurious. Mingled heady civet and red Egyptian musk, thickened with opium. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in the Old Lady opinion. The first thought that came to mind when I sniffed this was that it smelled like my grandmother's house. Underneath but sort of mixed in are flowers and such. Sweet, cloying flowers. I only get a bit of the incense scent under the other smells, and only if I try really hard to ignore grandma. A bit later on, it still smelled like my grandma, but it also reminded me of an old monostary I visited in Mexico. I guess what I'm getting from it is more musty than musky. It doesn't necessarily smell terrible, in the I'm-going-to-wash-it-off-right-now sort of way, but this is definitely not a scent for me.