wickedgoddess

Preconceived Notions - When I first found BPAL I was going to order this scent, because I loved the description. But then Springtime in Arkham came and I sort of forgot about it. The lab sent me a gimp of this is my latest order and I went, "Oh yeah, I was wanting to try this." But with the exception of Jolly Roger, I haven't really enjoyed any aquatics. Being a water sign I think I should, but I seem to go for the firey scents instead. Wet - this is a dark aquatic alright. I get an aquatic note with a touch of murky darkness and a bit of sweetness. So much nicer than what I was expecting! Dry - This isn't stagnant water, but a bottomless pool of moving water. It's a bit incensey and yes, I think I might smell ambergris. And while I get a very light trace of citrus, it isn't identifiable as grapefruit to me. A dark, sexy aquatic, something only Beth could pull off. I don't think I need a big bottle of this, at least not yet, but I am definitely keeping the imp. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

Origin - believe it or not, this has been sitting around in my test pile since before it was discontinued. Wet - a delicious incensy smell with a wake-up call of grapefruit. Dry - as this dries I primarily get violet and cardamom. I love cardomom and loathe violet, so it's interesting to see them duking it out for supremacy. The grapefruit fades and eventually, all that is left is patchouli. Not darkly sensual patchouli though, this really is the dirty hippie smell that I have smelt once or twice before, but isn't what I normally associate with patchouli. An interesting, complex blend, but one that ultimately doesn't work for me. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

Note - I wrote this before Macha posted her review, so I didn't know the uses at the time of writing. Origin - part of the TAL circular swap Hmmm… catalyst means to cause a reaction or to precipiate an event. Something that causes something else to happen. Sounds like something to be careful with. Wet - pungent and a bit astringent. The only note I recognize is lemon. Dry - more of the same, just lighter. After awhile a bit of spice comes out; clove I think. I would want to know a bit more about how to use this oil before using it again, but I am intrigued by it. Note 2 - after seeing Macha's description, I am much more comfortable with this oil.

Origins - from the TAL circular swap Wet - at first, I wonder about this, because it smells like a sex potion. Very sexy, possibly civet, almost definitely musk. Dry- as it dries, it becomes woody. Wow, lots of throw on this baby. After an hour the civet/musk note is still very strong. There's wood underneath it, but it's hard to get a handle on it. Not cedar, maybe it's rosewood? I smell sandalwood too. After four hours, this is still going strong, wihich is amazing on my chemistry. I know this is for ritual use, as opposed to personal use, but this is a lovely smelling blend nonetheless. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4 (scent only).

Origin - bottle purchased at Black Broom Wet - there's this note I have noticed in some of the TAL blends, such as Helping Hand. I don't know what it is, but it smells voodooy. Wet, I primarily smell that. But almost immediately upon touching my skin, sweet clove comes out in abundance. Dry - Clove, clove and clove, with a bit of that voodoo scent. While wearing it I very loving and cuddly. The clove fades after about 2 hours, just leaving the other smell behind. Even if I didn't love cloves, I would want a bottle of this for it's intent. The fragrance is a huge bonus though. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3. (scent only)

Wet - oh I think this is going to be another winner. Sandalwood and incense! Dry - Oh this is a sandalwood lover's dream! Sandalwood with some cedar behind it, and oblibanum. I don't really get the patchouli and myrrh; they're very subtle. This lasts and lasts and is really quite nice. Going on my big bottle list for sure! On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 5.

Strawberry Moon is a blending of strawberries and cream with light, dry lotus and soft ylang ylang and a touch of green tea and sage to bring it closer to Earth. Wet - There's a new summer tea they have at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. It's Strawberry Cream Tea and it contains strawberries, cream and green tea. This smells exactly like that. Dry - I like this better than I thought I would. The strawberry isn't too sweet and the ylang ylang and sage blends with the strawberry nicely, giving it a bit of a herbal scent. I do get a bit of that plasticy note on extreme drydown, and it's still a bit too fruity for my tastes, but I don't have anything else with strawberry in it, so I will probably hang on to it. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

Origins - - part of the TAL Circular Swap Wet - pretty and familiar. I have smelled something like this before, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Dry - lavendar! The top note is lavendar, and this smells familiar because it smells like a Somnium blend. Exactly which one I am not sure, maybe Oneiroi? The lavendar seems to be a bit stronger and there is something else, presumably herbal in here. There is also something that isn't in the Somnium blends in here, but I can't quite get a handle on it, something that sweetens this up slightly without actually being sweet, if that makes any sense. There's also something in here that is disagreeable to me, violets perhaps? Violets, sigh, why does it always have to be violets. I hate violets. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

Hehehe...I smell Uranus. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Origins - part of the TAL Circular Swap Wet - candied cinnamon and something off. At first I think the other note is vetiver, but that's not quite it. If not for the other note, this would be pure red hots. Dry - the other note is gone now, and this is pure candied cinnamon. It actually burnt the tip of my nose when I went to sniff it, and I rarely have problems with cinnamon blends burning my skin. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

Origin - a gift imp from the amazing Allamanda Preconceived notions - I saw a post where Beth said something about people liking blends based on their moon signs as opposed to their sun signs. Well I have already tried Scorpio, my sun sign, but when I saw the notes in Libra, my moon sign, I had to try it as well. It's true that as much as I love the bold, spicy Scorpionic scents, I also love apple, rose, sandalwood, in short the notes in this blend. Wet - the only note I can pick out when wet is rose, but it's a lovely rose. Dry - As it dries the ylang ylang comes out to play. So far I am only getting the rose & ylang ylang, with a little bit of grounding sandalwood in the background. I would love to get some apple out of this, but no go so far. I see similiarities to both The Empress and Silentium Amoris, but both of them went powdery on me, and so does this. Just as I am about to give up on this, the powdery note goes away, and I get a lovely musk scent with the tiniest trace of apple! Eventually (2+ hours in) this becomes a lovely rose, apple and musk that lasts a long time. Oils rarely last this long on me, so what scent it left is very faint. I would love this more if it didn't have a powdery stage on me, and if the apple came out stronger (and sooner) on me, but it is quite nice. But not nice enough that I am heartbroken that I can't get a bottle of it. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

Wet - this is almost pure baby powder; so powdery I almost dismiss it. Dry - ah yes, and then the drydown. Geesh, I haven't tried the traditional winter scents, Ice Queen, Skadi, etc, because I don't really consider myself a winter person. Give me an autumn scent and I am in heaven, but winter...meh. Because of that, I really don't have anything to compare this to, and I don't have a clue as to what the notes are in here. But once it dries down, this is gorgeous. It's both cool and cooling, and there's no mint in sight. It's actually one of those can't-stop-sniffing-my-wrists scents. After an hour or two, this fades back down to a powder, but that's okay, when I get a big bottle of this I will just keep slathering it on. Definitely a keeper! On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

From Encyclopedia Mythica: A race of small, misshapen, dwarf-like creatures that dwell in the earth. The name 'gnome' was given to them by the medieval scholar Paracelcus, in an attempt to describe the most important of the earth spirits. Gnomes live under the earth, where they guard treasures. According to Paracelcus, they move as easily through the earth as humans walk upon the ground. They cannot stand the light of the sun, for even one ray would turn them to stone. Some sources claim they spend the hours during daylight as a toad. They are in some way related to goblins and dwarfs. Wet - Now this is more like it! Earth and pine. Gnome is my friend. Dry - as this dries it gets more loamy. There's something green in here, eucalyptus and pine and possibly moss too. This is a dark smell, as if you were in a forest and came to patch where light has never fallen. I like this the best of the Elementals, but I am not sure whether it's a keeper or not. I will need to test it again to see if it's a keeper. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

From Encyclopedia Mythica: In Teutonic folklore, undines are female water-spirits who like to associate with humans. They often join villagers in their dances and merry-making. An undine was created without a soul, but by marrying a mortal and bearing him a child she obtained a soul and with it all the pains and penalties of the human race. Preconceived Notions - as a water sign, I love the idea of an Undine oil, but in terms of scents, aquatics rarely work on me. I am very curious about this. Wet - as soon as this touches my skin it releases wafts of fragrance. Is that vetiver? There is some white floral that I intially though was jasmine, but no, it's not jasmine. And some bitter smell, possibly vetiver, overpowering it so that I really can't get a good whiff of it. Dry - That's vetiver alright. I think there's a light aquatic note and some light florals behind it, but it's hard to tell because the vetiver is so overpowering. It's not awful vetiver, like it is in some blends, but I am not loving it either. I'm now close to the half hour mark and the vetiver has lightened up considerably. It white floral (I want to say gardenia, but I don't think that's it) and aquatics and is very pretty. At the hour mark, it's a light, white floral blend. I think I am smelling gardenia's but whatever it is is very light, it's blended with something else that mellows it. This is a very pretty blend, once you get past the initial vetiver assault. Still, it's not quite me. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

Snake Charmer is the bastard love child of O and Snake Oil. Wet - golden, delicious amber. It smells beautiful, but it will never last on me. Dry - A rich, full-bodied amber and….is that vanilla I smell? Amber rarely works on me, but this smells absolutely gorgeous. Not even a trace of powder. There's a little bit of musk, or something that is in Snake Oil, in here too. There's a moderate amount of throw, and lasts quite a while. I actually bought this as a gift, but I think I am going to keep it for myself. Sure to become one of the legendary LE's. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4[/b EDIT: This is really Snake Charmer --Shollin

Wet - a somewhat medicinal combination of tobacco and balsam. Dry - oh yeah! Tobacco, balsam, ginger, rosewood, and yes I think I get the opium too. I don't even know how to describe this, but I like it. All the notes seem to swirl about together. As it dries the tobacco, balsam and rosewood merge together to create a slightly sweet, slightly smoky, slightly woody blend. And then..it's gone. I wish this lasted longer, and I wish there was more throw, but this was quite nice while it lasted. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

Wet - fruit and bubblegum. Lotus I presume. Dry - still some unidentifiable fruit, certainly not one of my favorites, and lotus. Mercifully it fades quickly. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

Wet - very strong jasmine and something medicinal, myrtle perhaps? Looking up myrtle I see it smells similar to camphor, so yes it is myrtle I am smelling. All I know is this is strong, I have a feeling this won't be fading on me anytime soon. Dry - it takes a while, but eventually I get this lovely jasmine/vanilla/spice combo that reminds me of my beloved The Moon. It's a little lighter in terms of throw, and a bit spicier, but the similiarilty is there. I already have a 10ml of The Moon on order, and I am not sure if I need this as well, although I might ;-) I wish there was a bit more throw to it once the myrtle dies down, but other than that, it's darn near perfect! On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

Wet - it smells like a chocolate orange! Yum! Dry - tea! I love tea notes! But then, this goes from a chocolate orange with tea, to a sort of indistinguishable waxy smell. Hmmm, I'm not too sure about this anymore. Yep, wax fruit. *sigh* I think I will give this another try in a week or so, but as of now, I am just not loving this. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

Wet - this smells warm. There something citrusy and what I presume is heliotrope. So far it's very light. Dry - As it dries the scent matures and puts out a bit of throw, but it's still on the light side. Orange, helioptrope and just the tiniest bit of cinnamon. The Moon is one of my all time favorite scents, and this is definitely it's compliment. If this was a bit bolder, I would be loving this too, but it's a bit too light for me. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

Wet - sweetness and patchouli combined. Nice! Dry - Primarily, I am getting patchouli and ylang ylang. A little fig has come out to join us, but it's very subtle. Hmmm…I expected to either love this or hate it, and this is pleasant, but not earth-shaking. I want to try this again, but at this point I am rather ambivalent about it. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

Preconceived Notions - Bastet is my goddess of choice and I am sad that Bastet the oil doesn't work as well with my chemistry as I would like. When I heard there was a TAL called Bastet's Laughter, I knew I had to try it. Origins - Purchased from Black Broom Wet - a golden, fruity scent, possibly apricot. Dry - while I am sure there are other notes in here, I can't quite get past the overwhelming apricotness of this. I am sure it would be lovely on others, but I can't stand apricot. Sadly, this isn't for me. I will probably imp out half of this, and keep the rest for ritual use. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2 (scent only).

Origin - imp, fresh from the lab Wet - a dry sandalwood. Dry - I get rose now. Yep, it’s all rose and sandalwood, with a touch of nutmeg. And now, as expected, the amber comes out and goes all powdery on me. Off to the swap pile with you, little imp. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

Origin - imp, fresh from the lab' Wet - surprisingly green! It smells like a garden, with a little fig drifting in the background. Dry - as this begins to dry, the other notes sneak out. I get a little honeyed almond milk, a little toasted coconut and a little sandalwood. This smells delicious, but the fig leaf is still extremely prominent. I only get the other notes by sniffing my wrist and really looking for them. If the fig leaf wasn't quite so strong, this would immediately be my number one scent, but it really is overpowering all of the deliciousness. I may get a big bottle of this at some point, but it's not the overwhelming need that I had for Elegba. On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

Each bottle of Chaos Theory is truly unique, a fragrant fractal, and exercise in the joy of chance and uncertainty! Each is a one-of-a-kind, utterly random combination of scents, the composition of which is based on whim, mood and gut instinct. Because I begged, Joseybird decanted me just a drop of her precious Chaos Theory II 100. Oh My God! In the vial, this is rich, creamy and buttery. There really wasn't enough to try on, it was just a drop, but I did my best. On my skin, this turned into a delicous creamy apple pie scent. This is one of the best BPAL's I have tried. I wish so much this was a scent I could buy. Absolutey delicious and exactly as Joseybird described.

Wet - buttery almond Dry - Asit it dries down, it gets a little powdery. Almonds and powder. Oh yeah, baby powder…and that was all she wrote. I am guessing that black musk is in here, because black musk hates me. And it sounded so yummy! On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.