angelicruin

Deadly nightshade honey. Sharp green floral right after application. It's intriguing to my nose as it dries, being bitter green one moment and then sometimes softer when a waft of golden honey mingles with the nightshade.

Powerful Sumatran patchouli and enigmatic Brazilian copaiba with pao d’arco, cacao absolute, bourbon vanilla, Ceylon cinnamon, and tobacco. This scent is strong patchouli on my skin while wet. As it dries, the patchouli note settles somewhat and I begin to smell the tobacco note more strongly. Fully dry, the patchouli and tobacco notes are well-balanced with wafts of vanilla and spice.

Rebel Queen of the Iceni, she led an uprising of the tribes against the Roman Empire. After Claudius’ conquest of the area, the Iceni voluntarily allied themselves to Rome, though Rome was not a gentle parent state. The Romans conquered much of Brittania, desecrated the sacred groves at Mona, and slaughtered the druids. When Boadicea’s husband, Prasutagus, died, his will was ignored and his massive financial debt to Rome was called in forcefully. Iceni was annexed as though it was a conquered territory, property and estates were seized, both tribal nobility and the common folk were enslaved. When Boadicea objected to the treatment of her lands and her people, she was flogged, and her children were grievously injured. Boadicea took her vengeance. Under the leadership of Boadicea, the Iceni and Trinovantes united with their neighbors and the surviving druids of Mona to instigate a rebellion. They cut a swath of furious destruction. Her warriors slaughtered Legionary forces, and destroyed Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium -- so scorching the earth beneath Londinium that the scar is still visible beneath modern London. Amber, fig, vanilla flower, oak, patchouli, vetiver, dragon’s blood resin, leather, and neroli. Inside bottle, very resinous vanilla fig patchouli. Wet on my skin, light woodsy, amber, vanilla fig. The patchouli note in this blend is amazing, very smooth. I'm not really getting any dragon's blood with this, other than there is a bit of sweetness that could also be attributed to the vanilla & fig notes. The amber is very tempered. I had worried that with the notes in this blend it might be too strong for me, but that is totally not the case here. It's a soft fragrance on my skin. And I do not detect any vetiver note on my skin. Vetiver and I usually do not get along, which was another reason I worried about this, but like Velvet Panther, the Vetiver note in this fragrance is friendly to my skin. ETA: I've finally figured out what this scent reminds me of. If you like The Haunted Palace or The House scents, I highly recommend giving this one a try. 6 hours later, Boadicea dries down to the most beautiful resinous creamy incense on my arm. I think this is my favorite warrior queen I've tested so far.

THE RAT SPEAKERS For a moment, Richard was blinded by the sudden light. He was standing in a huge, vaulted room, and underground hall, filled with firelight and smoke. Small fires burned around the room. Shadowy people stood by the flames, roasting small animals on spits. People scurried from fire to fire. It reminded him of hell---or rather, the way that he had thought of Hell as a schoolboy. The smoke irritated his lungs, and he coughed. A hundred eyes turned, then, and stared at him; a hundred eyes, unblinking and unfriendly. A snuffling, brown scent: earthy patchouli, sage, russet sandalwood, grimy leather, fig leaf, and lemongrass. I wrote down "ugh" on my review. This smelled horrible on me. It was gritty dirt and patchouli on my skin. Definitely had to pass on this one.

I. THE MAGICIAN They asked St. Germain's manservant if his master was truly a thousand years old, as it was rumored he had claimed. "How would I know?" the man replied. "I have only been in the master's employ for three hundred years." Burmese rosewood, olibanum, benzoin, turmeric, currant leaf, and oude. In the bottle, woodsy and vaguely sweet. Upon initial application to my skin, the rosewood note is very much there. The turmeric makes this quite spicy on my skin. I'm undecided on this scent, mostly because it is making my skin smell like Indian cuisine and, while it smells good, I'm not sure I want that scent as a perfume. I'll likely let it settle a while and then re-test.

CHANGING THE SHADOWS “Am I that man who lay upon the bed?” he cried, upon his knees. The finger pointed from the grave to him, and back again. “No, Spirit! Oh no, no!” The finger still was there. “Spirit!” he cried, tight clutching at its robe, “hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope!” For the first time the hand appeared to shake. “Good Spirit,” he pursued, as down upon the ground he fell before it: “Your nature intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life!” The kind hand trembled. “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!” In his agony, he caught the spectral hand. It sought to free itself, but he was strong in his entreaty, and detained it. The Spirit, stronger yet, repulsed him. Holding up his hands in a last prayer to have his fate reversed, he saw an alteration in the Phantom’s hood and dress. It shrunk, collapsed, and dwindled down into a bedpost. The dawning of hope and the blossoming of charity: vanilla, orange blossom, white sandalwood, mate, red tea, and carnation. The orange blossom is STRONG right after application. Within a minute or two though, I pick up the vanilla and red tea notes which really blend together with the orange blossom. The carnation note emerges the more it dries on my skin, but is still not very strong against the other notes mentioned.

A COLD, CLEAR WINTER DAY “Good Heaven!” said Scrooge, clasping his hands together, as he looked about him. “I was bred in this place. I was a boy here!” The Spirit gazed upon him mildly. Its gentle touch, though it had been light and instantaneous, appeared still present to the old man’s sense of feeling. He was conscious of a thousand odours floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares long, long, forgotten! “Your lip is trembling,” said the Ghost. “And what is that upon your cheek?” Scrooge muttered, with an unusual catching in his voice, that it was a pimple; and begged the Ghost to lead him where he would. “You recollect the way?” inquired the Spirit. “Remember it!” cried Scrooge with fervour; “I could walk it blindfold.” “Strange to have forgotten it for so many years!” observed the Ghost. “Let us go on.” They walked along the road, Scrooge recognising every gate, and post, and tree; until a little market-town appeared in the distance, with its bridge, its church, and winding river. Some shaggy ponies now were seen trotting towards them with boys upon their backs, who called to other boys in country gigs and carts, driven by farmers. All these boys were in great spirits, and shouted to each other, until the broad fields were so full of merry music, that the crisp air laughed to hear it! Winter tuberoses bending gently in a crisp, cold breeze. The usual minty snow note mingled with tuberose with a creamy vanilla quality in the background. Just lovely.

A melding of science fiction and horror in which extraterrestrial life forms come to Earth in order to… * Colonize the planet * Harvest humans for foodstuffs * Enslave humanity * Destroy the planet * Use probes to perform uncomfortable sexual experiments … among other nefarious objectives. Examples: War of the Worlds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Plan 9 From Outer Space, the Day the Earth Stood Still Slick, spiced space fruits and residual tentacle goo. This blend smells citrus-based. Grapefruit seems to be the strongest note on my skin, but I am also getting lemon & lime as well...along with something resembling corn syrup. It seems to be a light fragrance on my skin (not a ton of throw). Not sure how long this will last, but I really like it. If you like citrus blends, I recommend it.

THE FLOATING MARKET It was loud, and brash, and insane, and it was, in many ways, quite wonderful. People argued, haggled, shouted, sang. They hawked and touted their wares, and loudly declaimed the superiority of their merchandise. Music was playing---a dozen different kinds of music, being played a dozen different ways on a score of different instruments, most of them improvised, improved, improbable. Richard could smell food. All kinds of food---the smells of curries and spices seemed to predominate, with, beneath them, the smells of grilling meats and mushrooms. Stalls had been set up all throughout the shop, next to or even on, counters that, during the day, had sold perfume, or watches, or amber, or silk scarves. A cacophony of curious scents: copaiba balsam, petitgrain, citrus rind, sinicuichi accord, betel nut, wasabi root, coconut palm, and wattleseed layered atop innumerable strange herbs, spices, and woods. I skin tested this at C2 and found it to be mostly citrus herb on my skin.

I dwell in a lonely house I know That vanished many a summer ago, And left no trace but the cellar walls, And a cellar in which the daylight falls, And the purple-stemmed wild raspberries grow. O’er ruined fences the grape-vines shield The woods come back to the mowing field; The orchard tree has grown one copse Of new wood and old where the woodpecker chops; The footpath down to the well is healed. I dwell with a strangely aching heart In that vanished abode there far apart On that disused and forgotten road That has no dust-bath now for the toad. Night comes; the black bats tumble and dart; The whippoorwill is coming to shout And hush and cluck and flutter about: I hear him begin far enough away Full many a time to say his say Before he arrives to say it out. It is under the small, dim, summer star. I know not who these mute folk are Who share the unlit place with me— Those stones out under the low-limbed tree Doubtless bear names that the mosses mar. They are tireless folk, but slow and sad, Though two, close-keeping, are lass and lad,– With none among them that ever sings, And yet, in view of how many things, As sweet companions as might be had. Purple-stemmed raspberries, twining grape vines, Spanish moss, and dusty pale woods. This one was heavy moss & wood notes on my skin. Sadly, I got no raspberry or grape out of this one.

Once the world's greatest, most beloved superhero, he has now become its greatest villain--a capricious and vengeful god who haunts the skies and toys daily with six billion lives. Soapy cleanliness sullied by blood and ashes. Skin tested at C2. I got bitter blood & soap out of this scent. Not one of my favorites.

A sweet and over-the-top girly teenybopper perfume mixed with a little tanning lotion and a healthy dollop of pink (very, very pink) bubblegum. This starts out as a blast of PINK bubblegum, but it quickly morphs into more tanning lotion than anything else on my skin. I like it, though I had hoped the bubblegum would last longer. Hours later, it smells faintly of vanilla, but a lot of BPAL does this on my skin after several hours.

Brains? Brains. Examples: Night of the Living Dead (and all things Romero-plus-Dead), 28 Days Later, Undead, Planet Terror Swirls of red jelly and sugary white ooze. Definitely the foody blend of the second round of Movie Blockbuster scents this summer. Wet on the skin, it's strawberry jam. The more it dries, the more it smells like a powdered jelly-filled donut. I'll definitely consider a second bottle of this stuff.

I can't believe I'm the first to review this. Puddin was kind enough to include a goblin squirt of this with my most recent eBay order, so I wanted to post my impressions of this prototype. I'm terrible at picking out individual notes without lab descriptions, so please bear with me. Based on the name, I was predisposed to thinking that this would smell a bit moldy aquatic and, well, for lack of a better word "swampy", but that is not the case. Initially, this is a fresh green scent. I'm getting lemon-lime citrus and herbs from it. As I sniff it more, I'd also be inclined to believe that there may be a "dust" or "dirt" note in it as well. The dust/dirt note comes out a few minutes after spraying, not initially---or at least I didn't pick up on it initially. This spray is reminding me a just little of what Toad Hall smelled like on my arm.

FRUITBAT FRUITBATH Plump plums, ripe pomegranate, sweet mango, kumquat, yuzu, melon blossom, and Boquila berries. Applied on my skin, not in bath: Fruity! Melon is strongest on me, but I tend to amp the Lab's melon note, so not a surprise for me. I would swear there are strawberries in this one too if I didn't see the note listing. It's sweet...it's fruity...it's exactly what I thought it would be.

Zenobia was Queen of the Palmyrene Empire. She assumed leadership of her nomadic tribe after her father’s death, eventually marrying King Septimius Odaenathus. Zenobia seemed a contradiction: chaste, dark-eyed, and lovely, but able to drink, fight, and make war like a man. She fought, on horseback, alongside her husband in many battles, and ruled the Empire with a fair and just hand after her husband’s passing. To her people, she was the Lady of Victory, conquering several Roman provinces, including Egypt, and expelling the prefect, Tenagino Probus, who was beheaded after he led an attempt to seize back control of the territory for Rome. Her conquests enabled her to control many vital trade routes, further earning her the ire of the Romans. Unfortunately, she eventually overextended her reach. She was betrayed, and then captured by Emperor Aurelian, displayed in chains in a triumphal procession through Rome, her Empire dissolved. Rather than capitulate to misfortune, she made a new life for herself, and became a Roman matron, philosopher, and socialite. Orris, amber, balsam, calamus, and frankincense. Inside the bottle, it's mostly orris and frankincense to my nose. I tend to use the bath oils directly on my skin, rather than in a bath. On my skin, the orris is definitely there, along with the calamus note that is sweetening the scent on my skin. Amber is very subdued...it's definitely there, but not as strong as amber usually is on my skin. Frankincense is very faint on me and I'm not really picking up the balsam note either. It's mostly this lovely sweet root scent on my skin. A very relaxing scent. I could definitely fall asleep wearing this.

Durian fruit infused honey with brandy. Well, I guess I'll be the first to formally review this scent. I'm not sure exactly what Durian fruit is supposed to taste or smell like on the inside, though I have heard it's rancid smelling on the outside shell. This scent is definitely NOT rancid. It's sweet fruit brandy with honey. This is actually quite lovely on my skin. I like the fact that it's not too boozy despite the brandy note. In fact, the notes are quite balanced on my skin with no particular one taking over.

Lacquered beech wood and old books. I love this scent. It's old books and sweet, smoky wood notes on my skin. Definitely the surprise hit for me from the WKAP scent collection. This one is going to age beautifully.

DET. PATRICK GLEASON A classic men’s cologne splashed over a leather trenchcoat and a hint of gunshot residue. Just skin tested at C2. My notes describe this blend as bitter, Leather, Metallic, & Gunpowder.

In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together. Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture, for she had not sold any matches and could not bring a farthing of money: from her father she would certainly get blows, and at home it was cold too, for above her she had only the roof, through which the wind whistled, even though the largest cracks were stopped up with straw and rags. Peppermint, spearmint, white musk, and elemi settling into a deepening darkness. Lots of mint and soft musk, which helps soften the scent a little. Lovely, but is similar to several other BPAL winter/snow scents that are mint-heavy.

Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León, was a proponent of education, establishing lasting institutions of higher learning, a patron of scholars and artists, and an enthusiastic sponsor of exploratory expeditions, including Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. She possessed a great military mind, and was integral in the retaking of Grenada, thus sealing the Reconquista. With her husband, Ferdinand, she ruled with equal authority and power, unifying Spain and laying the foundations of the Spanish Empire. Frankincense, benzoin, carnation, and balsam of Peru. Inside the bottle, spicy carnations. On my skin, initially carnations and spicy benzoin. Very resinous. Average throw on my skin. Frankincense really emerges the more the bath oil dries on my skin.

I'm getting a floral incense with a hint of licorice. Very lovely scent and quite wearable.

Very much all bubblegum at the start. But as it begins to dry, the rose comes out and mingles very nicely with the bubblegum. I find the rose helps balance the super sweet bubblegum note and find myself enjoying this much more than I thought I would.

EL NUEVO PURITANO The wicked wrath of moral panic: unmoving, rigid oak, dry leather, tonka, gunpowder tea, and pious olibanum with a core of perverse and furtive vanilla bean, bay leaf, clove bud, and lime. On my skin wet, this is a lightly spicy wood scent with traces of clove and lime. As it begins to dry, the leather note emerges and it eventually fully dries on my skin to a mild spicy wood and leather fragrance on me. Nice, but I'm not sure I would wear it enough to justify keeping the bottle.

I too thought of Kingdom of Sweets when I smelled this bath oil. Very pleasant and festive for this time of the year.