Elemcee

Le Serpent Qui Danse starts off as being purely a floral, with emphasis on Gardenia. Eventually, though, it's more of a spicy vanilla. It's a pretty, girly, warm and cheerful scent, but it's still womanly; it's not a sugary little girl scent. It's a fifties style dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt, rather than a frilly pinafore.

Laudanum (or Laundanum, since my bottle seems to be sporting a rogue N;)) makes me think of being in a place that's alluringly warm and cosy, yet dangerous. The danger creeps up on you, though, maybe seductively, and that makes it difficult to escape. It is a lovely, warm, spicy, unisex scent.

Hamadryad, when wet, is rather medicinal. Unfortunately, it never changes on me, and eventually just fades away. It's not something I mind smelling, but it is something I mind smelling like. Oh well...

Queen Mab is darkly fruity and creamy. This appears to be the scent of a lovely young woman, at first, with long dark hair, but there's a streak of darkness. She's mischevious, but knowing. It's a gorgeous scent, definitely. It takes some slathering, though.

#20 Love Oil is odd. It's not unpleasant, it's not really anything at first. Then it's this sharp, green scent. I think it's one I might try layering. I might try it at a different time of the month.

Sea of Glass is Tempest when the sea has returned to calm. It's all cold aquatics and a sweet cleanness. This is an oil for when I feel tranquil, I think, rather than tense.

Glitter is sparkles and bubblegum (which I understand is heliotrope?). It's a very young scent and reminds me of when I was about nine or ten and went to a party wearing loads of sparkly and multicoloured plastic bracelets. At that time to me, that was the height of cool. Another thing that was cool was brightly coloured bubble-gum. It actually smells like something a younger teenager would wear. Having said that, it isn't tacky like those sorts of scents.

Kabuki is sweet, dark cherries. Not marashino cherries, but real cherries. Despite this sweetness, it's a very womanly scent. It also makes me think of red velvet, thick, plush red velvet, like curtains. A dark room with red velvet curtains.

O is lovely. She has two sisters: Smut and Sed Non Satiata. Smut is overt and possibly somewhat devious, SNS is quieter and a bit more romantic, whereas O is just pure sex. No trimmings or seductive trappings. Just flesh on flesh, and the warm afterglow. It's definitely a feminine scent, all musky honey sweetness. It's gorgeous.

Lust is warm, red and sensual. It's not straight-up sex on me, it's more like the seduction, as well. The inspiring of lust. It conjures the image of stockinged legs and stilletos, a corseted waist and red lipstick. It's pretty dark, and very musky.

Swank is sweet and fruity yet with a tang. It reminds me a lot of a body shop fruity scent. Except it's like a more sophisticated version, like a fruity cocktail, indeed. It's like a girl's night out, all that sort of grown-up giggliness in strappy heels.

Bed of Nails smells like a very clean man straight of the shower. It's not a bad thing. In fact, depending on the man, it could be lovely. It's a perfect evocation of the name: sharp, clean and steely, and it's generally true that, when sniffing the perfume samples in fashion magazines, I prefer the one labelled 'for men', rather than the usually chemically flowery, overly sweet scent that's assigned to my gender. Bed of Nails might still be a bit masculine for me, though.

Zephyr smells like a pleasant cloud of lemon and vanilla. It's lovely, calming and soft. It's like sitting in a fragant green field on a nice warm day. It's nice.

Envy certainly is green. A bright, clean green, like olbas oil, except not quite so sinus-clearing. I don't feel jealous, but I do feel quite restless and unrelaxed. Don't know if the oil is to blame for enhancing that, but it definitely isn't soothing. It's nice, though, a nice cool Spring-day sort of scent.

All Night Long is very sexy. However, it is differently sexy to the warm, soft (not-so) vanilla honey-sweetness of Sed Non Satiatia or Smut. This is hot, with pepper and cinnamon. I've not got anyone to try it on, but I'll say that it certainly made me wish I did. It smells nice, I think (I like both pepper and cinnamon), but it seems that it should just be for what it is meant for, because of the effect it has on me. Only quam: it didn't last long, so maybe I should be a little more liberal, and in a few more places, too, which means I should put in an order for a bigger bottle next time I place an order .

Mmmm, Hunger is warm, smokey and sexy in a subtle, yet confident way. It's an elegant figure in draped silk (or some other luxuriously fine material), rather than an ultra mini-skirt and fishnets. It's all knowing glances and vague outlines under that expensive gown. This is quite a foody scent, but with a sweetness. I'm having trouble picking out single notes, but there's definitely something orangey in there. A curiously spicy, sensuous orange, and not the bright, spangly scent I usually associate with citrus scents.

Fire Eater is warm, spicy and smooth. I do get the image of the fire. It's not a burning smell, or anything, but I imagine a small cozy fire, probably in a cottage. This scent goes with flames that flicker and warm up, not destroy. This is an interesting scent, however, despite the comfort. It's quite a glamourous perfume, also.

Seraphim is a lovely floral. It is light, warm and bright. First on, it smells a bit like soap, but then becomes a very angelic scent. I can definitely smell the lily in here, which is a lovely smell. This does make me think of a being with a bright halo round their head.

Tintagel is warm and spicy. I do get the medieval banquet, but it's an idylic banquet, obviously, there's no body odour from unwashed leather or rotten meat sprinkled liberally with salt to disguise the horrid taste. And this is a good thing, believe me. What I do imagine, however, is knights and ladies in a huge, well-lit room in a castle. There will be dancing and there will be an extravagant feast, and there are long, romantic dresses with stomachers and flowing skirts.

The Unicorn is sparkly, white and delicate. It would suit the virgin who can touch the unicorn, while wearing a long white shimmering dress (it's not a muddy evening, so she doesn't get it dirty). The unicorn himself would probably be a little more musky (not to mention more powerful, with all the rippling equine muscles he must have). In short, this is a beautiful scent, innocent and youthful and none too offensive, yet, somehow, elegant. This doesn't have the mischevious giggle that Fae has.

On me, red patchouli always starts off smelling like a cupboard of old coats. Not an unpleasant smell, but not one I would choose as a perfume. I wait, usually, because after a while the scents do change. Malediction is no exception. This perfume is now smoky, yet sharp (Do I detect a hint of something citrusy?). Seductive with a bite. It would most likely be worn by a willowy, graceful creature with catlike eyes. She's beautiful, but you definitely wish you'd never met her. I like it, although it's not something I'd wear regularly, I don't think.

Freak Show, to me, is like Smut, but without the rampant sex. That's not a bad thing as it makes this oil warm and comfortable. I think I can detect lemon and cocoa, but mostly it's a very well-blended foody-scent. As for the freaks, well, I suppose you could say that this isn't a conventional perfumes (but you could say that about many BPALs; that's why we love them, am I right?). It would probably be the choice of someone delightfully eccentric.

French Love is Dragon's Blood after it has been taken from the soil and cleaned, scrubbed and polished. It is now being worn by a scantily clad young woman of effortless beauty, with her hair carefully tousled and her make-up subtle but carefully done (her cheeks are artfully flushed). Her underwear is the most expensive silk and lace, and her dressing gown (which is hanging off one shoulder, seductively) is made of cashmere. It's sensual and sutble, rather than overtly sexy. This mademoiselle always waits for you to seduce her, although she always knows that you will.

I've not yet tried Snake Oil ( ), but I can certainly see the similarities between Smut and Sed Non Satiata. Smut is SNS, amplified, with extra stickiness and booziness. If I would keep SNS aside for certain occasions, then it's no surprise that I've got nearly a whole bottle of Smut a whole year after it was released as an LE. It is a very, very sexy scent, indeed. There is nothing about this scent that is demure or shy, but still it is sophisticated. If I wore this, I should be expecting there to be some sort of unbridled, passionate, animalistic sex at some point.

Djinn smells like smokey, metallic...cinnamon? First of all, it's very much on the smokey side. A rather unsettling smell, like you're smelling some scene of devastation by fire. Aesthetically, not unpleasant, but certainly rather masculine. As time progresses, however, the cinnamon shows itself more and more, giving the scent a more rounded, more comfortably warm layer. It's more feminine side, if you like. It's a lovely scent, in the end. The devastating aftermath, and then the sweet benevolent side of the Djinn.