magdalene

in the bottle: faint, dried roses. I'm very fond of Ouija imagery (my bathroom is decorated in it), so I was very excited about this blend. wet on skin: This is a dusty wood-panelled room, long closed up, with scattered vases of forgotten roses. dry: The lilac makes an appearence, but it's very gentle. My skin amplifies rose to the nth degree, but I like that.

in the bottle: candied cherries. wet on skin: I've a jar of whiskey-spiked maraschino cherries in my cupboard, that I bought ages ago. They are thickly alcoholic, completely decadent and there's nothing more sensual then eating them straight from the jar with your fingers. dry: While I'm a big fan of eating boozy cherries, unfortunately I'm not so much into wearing the scent of them.

Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice. in the bottle: this is the first scent I've ever had that said it smelled like honeysuckle and *actually* smelled like it! wet on skin: honeysuckles and spice, with a slight hint of jasmine for an added sweetness. A few years ago, I travelled to New Orleans with some friends. And we went on a sojurn to the West Gate museum. It was the dead of August and the worst heat I've ever felt, but I passed by a blooming vine of honeysuckle and it instantly made me forget how uncomfortable I was. This is the scent of that very moment. Standing on a street corner, nicking flowers out of someone's garden and sucking the nectar out of them. dry: not much throw, but it dries down into a very happy blend of the honeysuckle and jasmine.

in the bottle: this is an extremely sharp and astringent scent. Someone else mentioned a 'needles in the nostrils' kind of feeling and that's exactly what happened to me. I don't know if it's the cypress, which I'm unsure what that precisely smells like, or what, but I immediately had to cap the bottle. I can still taste it in the back of my throat. :/

in the bottle: warm vanilla cake, straight from the oven and without frosting (the best way to eat it). wet on skin: I'm not getting peppermint from this, or coconut. I am wishing, however, that I had been as into BPAL as I am now when this was available. Creaminess and sweetness, all swirled together. It's making me crave angel food cake with tons of whipped cream. dry: still no peppermint or coconut, tons of sweet cake. Beautiful.

A gentle vision of purity, goodness and virtue: white tea, carnation and Damask Rose. in the bottle: roses and carnations, with sugared cups of tea. wet on skin: this is me, at 16. Trying ever-so-hard to be grown up and jaded. I was dating the boy that all of my friends had crushes on and I was in love, real love, for the first time in my life. Every time he looked at me and smiled, I was over the moon. On my 17th birthday, he gave me a bouquet of roses and carnations. I still have them somewhere, pressed between the pages of an Anne Sexton book of poetry. He broke my heart shortly afterward, in the worst way possible. dry: the carnations take to their bed, in favour of the roses taking center stage. This has a powerful throw and the floral isn't bothering me, like most florals do. Probably because it's roses and roses are one of the only florals I can tolerate. This is a gorgeous scent, I'm just not sure if it's something I'd wear. Between the memories it evokes and just the not-me of being floral. I haven't decided if it should be relagated to the swap box yet, though.

in the bottle: lemon cookies on a rainy afternoon. wet on skin: I'm not getting the Pledge thing everyone else talks about. This is sugared lemon, with a small hint of floral. dry: lots of throw, from me. And the lemon intensified as time went on, until it seemed almost candy-ish. Very sweet. Very tart. Very juicy.

A phenomenally powerful attractant. Sexual and commanding in the extreme. in the bottle: this is very herbal and green. I'm getting a strong ginger from it, but fresh ginger. wet on skin: An extremely clean scent, not quite the soap that I had been reading from everyone else, but like something that's just naturally clean. I don't know if that makes sense. This is a small undertone of some sort of floral, though, and it's giving me a bit of headache (as florals do). dry: I couldn't take the headache, so I washed it off. I might try this again later, in a much smaller dose.

in the bottle: I've been a little apprehensive about trying this one out. The good Baron is someone I'm very close to and I was a small bit afraid that I wouldn't like this scent. As it stands, my fears were unfounded. It seems to be coconut rum with Cherry Coke, something I quite like drinking. wet on skin: the clove comes out a bit more, as my skin amplifies clove notes and it warms up the rum and Coke scent I got straight from the bottle. dry: I'm not getting much of the almond that everyone else is talking about, nor do I feel this is a terribly masculine scent. It's an incrredibly interesting scent, however, because the dominant note seems to waver and change whenever I smell my wrist.

in the bottle: this is gorgeous. There's a waft of the grapefruit, with a slight spiciness underneath of it. wet on skin: Sunday mornings at my grandmother's house when I was very small. We'd eat grapefruit halves with sugar sprinkled on top and drink strong black tea. That's what this is. dry: I didn't get much of an apple blossom scent out of this, it was predominatly the citrus, tea and ginger. Such a shame that it's discontinued, because I'd buy it by the bucketload.

in the bottle: this is a sweet, cinnamony type of scent. But, it's not overpoweringly candy-ish, like what was it? Pain, I think. No, wait. Wrath (I just checked). Wrath smelled exactly like a Red Hot piece of candy. All Night Long is more of just a sweet-ish kind of cinnamon. Lovely. wet on skin: spicey and sweet, with none of the irritation that other people have mentioned. My skin, despite being very sensitive, doesn't seem to mind cinnamon oils. Thankfully, because they're some of my favourite scents to wear. dry: quite a bit of throw, but not a lot of staying power (ironically enough, given the name). Overall, the scent doesn't change much with my skin chemistry. It gives the sense of a sultry summer night and if I close my eyes, I get the impression of lying on a bed, completely spent and blissful.

in the bottle: strong roses and burning frankincense wet on skin: this is so smokey and beautiful. It's like mixing crushed dried roses with ritual incense. dry: a warm scent, enough to keep me going on the coldest and bleakest nights. It's a scent of hope, of prayer. Of comfort.

This was my very first BPAL oil, a 5ml of it gifted to me by a friend for my birthday (I'm assuming because I've gone by Magdalene online for quite some time now). One whiff and I was completely hooked. in the bottle: just picked roses, in full bloom. wet on skin: the roses warm up a bit, after coming in contact with my skin. And they soften up a bit, becoming a bit dry. Like dried roses, pressed in an old book. dry: this is probably one of the only florals I've ever really liked. Probably because it has a dark cast to it, it's not all sunshine and daisies. It's a sorrowful floral, funeral roses.

in the bottle: straight up hardcore sandalwood, with a tiny hint of lemon verbana keeping it from being too overpowering. wet on skin: criminey, that's a lot of sandalwood. Not that I mind, I'm a big fan of the stuff. But, wow! dry: the funny thing is, I never seem to notice patchouli when I'm wearing it. But then I show up somewhere and all of my friends are like, "wow, Magdalene smells like a freaking giant hippie!" and I wind up being confused because I'd forgotten that the blend I was wearing had patchouli in it. This is exactly what happened today. This stuff lasts and lasts forever. With some pretty powerful waft, as well. I think I might buy a big bottle in one of my upcoming orders.

in the bottle: oh, nutmeg. How much I love you. wet on skin: nutmeg and sassafras. This is like a glorious and alcoholic rootbeer, rimmed in sugar. dry: the myrrh and poppy have warmed up the spiciness, blending everything together into a heady perfume that makes me want to lounge around in silky things with my hair down and wild.

This is the world's most perfect tea rose. I am in love. Nothing else to say, oh wow!

Such a soft and dark blend. Very green. Not something I would associate with decay or grief, it almost seems like a spring scent. Of things growing and the promise of sunlight. Unfortunately, I'm not even a little fond of it.

in the bottle: very light and green, almost dandelion. wet on skin: I'm not really getting a tea kind of scent out of this, it's largely herbal and floral to me. Extremely bright and sharp, like the milky sap that oozes from a dandelion when you snap its head off. dry: didn't last for very long on me, but the summer weather tends to sap any scent from my skin. Still no tea, mostly green and herbal. A bit of lemon.

in the bottle: I have a tin of Mexican hot chocolate, whenever I brew it, it smells exactly like this. wet on skin: the red wine has sat up and taken notice of the fact that it's been laid across my skin. Chocolate and coffee and red wine, all of these things swirling around and blending together. It's enough to make one's head spin. dry: the chocolate and coffee notes seem to have settled down a bit and stepped aside to let the sweetness of rum come out for a spell. Very smokey, as well. I'm not entirely sure if I like this one or not. I wanted to, quite desperately, because the description of it enchanted me so much. Four hundred. Divine. Rabbits. Who couldn't possibly love that? I just don't know if I care for the cocoa note.

in the bottle: ripe, red cherries, cloves, and sweet wine. wet on skin: the musk has come out, to warm up the wine a bit and accentuate the clove. Underneath all of this, I can kind of catch the poppy and vanilla notes, but they're a bit hard to get a good sense of. No honey for me, or vetiver. dry: this wafts quite well and sticks around for a good, long time. Even in hot weather. Everything is so beautifully blended together, it's rather difficult to pick out any individual notes. Such a gorgeous, and warm, scent.

in the bottle: I can really smell the rose note when sniffing from the bottle, mixed in with an incense. wet on skin: wow, this is like the inside of a Catholic church, during High Mass. Roses at the foot of the Virgin Mary, candles burning in droves. Frankincense and myrrh. dry: the rose has faded a bit, to give way to a pure incense type of scent. Wonderful.

Wow, this is incredibly sweet. It must be the mimosa. And so very red wine-y. Almost sangria. It has an almost candy-like scent, that I kept catching whiffs of through out the day. No sight of any clove, however, much to my disappointment. It didn't change much from bottle to wet to dry on skin, so I haven't split the review up into those sections. Great staying power, I must also mention. I could smell it on me all day.

in the bottle: I wasn't quite sure how to describe what Voodoo smelled like in the bottle at first, but upon reading some of the other reviews, I've realized: cherry-lime cola, with a shot of vanilla. Heavenly. wet on skin: the pine has slithered forward, just a bit, and brought along his friend, almond. None of the other scents step back or get stronger, they're just blended beautifully together. dry: this lasts for so long, it's amazing. And the waft on it has good reach, without being overpowering. Everything stays where it is, no drifting away of any scents. Voodoo is one of my number one favourites, from the moment I first smelled it. It is absolute perfection.

in the bottle: lots of grapefruit, with a sly hint of lavender. wet on skin: the grapefruit hovers in the background, with the red currant deciding to make a power play. This is nice. The lavender doesn't browbeat everything else into submission, like it normally does when mixed with anything. dry: no more grapefruit, which isn't a bad thing as I don't really like very many citrusy scents. Mostly red currant and lavender. Quite nice, but is sadly discontinued and my imp is almost empty.

in the bottle: mmm, sugared bourbon. wet on skin: this is perfect for a hot summer day. Sunshine, parasols, and tall cold glasses of mint julep. The mint has made itself very well noticed, but it's not the sort of mint you'd expect. Most mint, to me, reminds me of winter. This mint isn't so chilly. It's a sultry, lazy mint that likes to gossip with the neighbours and read trashy bodice ripper novels. This is the kind of mint that steals your husband and your deviled egg carrier, all in the same afternoon. dry down: more bourbon, sugar, and mint. Three of my favourite things in the world, all condensed into a tiny little bottle. It dries off wonderfully, making me wish I had a porch swing to laze the early evening away on.