Lycanthrope

Rich and red in the vial. How does it smell from the imp? Sandalwood, for certain, as a base, under a sweet musky aroma, on skin it's kind of peppery-spicy, perhaps a brush of ginger giving it a little ferocity. This reminds me of some note that's also present in Sacred Whore of Babylon, a hypnotic blend of flowers. Maybe some black pepper? This is definitely a woman that brings to mind a villainess - peppery spice layered with a slinky floral. I like this. I don't know if I can wear it, but... hey, it's great.

Orange in the vial, moderate viscosity. Smells mildly orange / fruity? This is a little peppery on my skin, definitely warming up as it hits my skin, citrus and something biting (patchouli?) blended with perhaps white pepper, something fiery and warm. I do like this! I think there may be... lotus in this, too, because it's also sweet? It's very well blended, and quite warm and spicy. ETA: I think this is like Kunstkammer in a way - it dries down to sweet orange hard candy on me. Just like the ol' K.

In the imp, Ghagiel is... sweet, and reminds me of some of the lily blends in that I can tell that this is going to be floral, but I don't detect the -wham-pow-bam- notes that usually suggest rose or jasmine. So, here goes... on my skin, whoa does this amp up into a very powerful, strong floral. I can't tell what this is... all I know is that this is definitely not a blushing flower. Oh. I bet this is narcissus - because this is really knocking me out. Whoa. A bunch of strong white flowers duking it out with my wrist. This is not a shy blend at all. Heady and exotic.

In the vial, this is a blonde, very faintly tinted oil. It smells like roses and honeysuckle from the imp. Ya know, this smells a LOT like Dove's Heart. On my skin - POW - this is a sharp and powerful floral, except it's kind of malicious. Definitely mucho honeysuckle and lilies I'd say. I don't know though, because it is totally amping up on my skin into a ferocious chorus of shrill rosey flowers. Not for me!

Oh, I am so idle... and full of idleness. In the imp - reddish orange amber, slightly less viscous compared to A'arab Zaraq. In the vial, it smells like having a bit of olive leaf in it, perhaps akin to Alecto. There's also elements of Tzadikim Nistarim, in that there's something sweetly banana-esque which I believe is spikenard. Whoa! On skin, hi lemongrass. Lemon and olive leaf, and oh no... this isn't working on me. It's a very angry lemongrass. It dries down as all lemongrasses do on me - lemon herbal bleh.

Wahah! Rampant lust. Yeah... none of that in me. My first Qlipoth blend... it makes me a bit uncomfortable to use a blend that is so focused on, well, evil concepts, but here goes! This oil is an orange amber in the vial, of moderate viscosity. From the vial, I smell a warm, sweet resinous aroma with hints of cedar, possibly patchouli and some kind of warmer musk. This isn't sharp or biting at all, present, but not acrid. On my skin I get a hint of woodsiness that retreats behind a mildly powdery incense musk, and I can see how the past reviewers stated this isn't 'masculine.' At least, it's not as masculine as it started out seeming from the imp. There's perhaps some spikenard in this, or something similar to Tzadikim Nistarim, and it dries down sweet and very red on me. It's definitely a slightly twisted incense aroma. Not bad at all.

Yemaya brings to me memories of waking up in the wee hours at Duke to take advantage of the all you can eat breakfast, wandering into the Great Hall or East Campus Union... grabbing a plate of fresh cut cantaloupe and honeydews and chowing down while bleary eyed students get over their hangovers with a bowl of cereal and some rubbery eggs. HONEYDEW!!! On my skin, it smells like super sweet candy. Too much for me, I don't do fruits...

Monsters! To my closet! From the bottle it smells kind of cakey, again, with a definite streak of bubbly berries. Again, from the bottle, it smells a lot like Fortunato or some of the other red, deep and grape-y berry fragrances from BPAL. On skin - Wet, it's immediately fruity, almost candy-like, but this is a dusky black berry, not a bright, vibrant berry. Dusky! Boozy! As it dries, the berry scent lightens and is layered over a lightly cocoa-ish cake base. Oh! With more time it becomes more chocolat-y! Chocolate and berries! And cake! Wow.

Whee! I love the label. I can't wait to see what Underpants looks like. From the bottle, this smells like a slightly bready muffin, like the kind of cake that comes out of the box which you just add eggs and oil to. Kind of eerie, actually. This reminds me a bit of Beaver Moon. On my skin, the cassia pops out as a sort of spiky, spicy herbal note hovering over this cake batter. The spice gets stronger and stronger, and turns sort of peppery. Over time, it just... kind of stays a spicy coconut vanilla. But, it definitely retains that special under-note that says 'cake from a box! Angel food cake from a box!' It is nice, but I don't think I need to load up on this bait.

Anthelion has elements of Hod in it, I feel. Definitely a sugary musk, with a hint of sweet spiciness added to it. But where Hod has a fiery, bright carnation streak to it, Anthelion appears to, as noted above, contain cooler, airy florals along the lines of lavender. This isn't a harsh and medicinal lavender, either, it's a sweet budding, greenish powdery herb lavender. Quite nice in my scent locket, which I wear close to my heart where this oil can exert some of its power. This here is one stunningly beautiful oil both for practical use as well as its own fragrant nature.

Grrrl! Hi from Lycanthrope. Good to see yer blog on the forum. You'll have to let me know what your decorating scheme is... perhaps at a future Chicago meet and sniff I'll have a little... housewarming... present for ya. Heh heh.

A breezy, airy and sweet floral from the bottle. On my skin, definitely a hit of frankincense that then sweeps into something like a fruit rind, maybe orange or grapefruit, with an apparent base of lemongrass or lemon. On top of this there is a fruity floral sweetness that may or may not be lotus, or possibly a powdery lavender. Overall I’d call this a bright, sparkling citrus floral. I don’t know how effective this is, I wore it out once over my throat chakra but didn’t speak up more than usual, but I’m an introvert anyways.

Lemongrass, baby! I’m sure there’s other stuff mixed in with this Vortex, but I mostly get a pure lemongrass aroma. There’s definitely something else blended in with this oil, but nothing deep and grounding like woods or the like. Maybe mint? Or other citrus oils? It’s quite lemony, very herbal, and not unlike Nanshe. I can see how this represents something in motion, something blending and twisting, airy, and whirling.

Sharp, minty, bright. On my skin, I get a powerful streak of balsam fir or some other very gummy pine, followed by peppermint and an herbal anise/clove hit. There’s this aroma of dandelion milk, to me at least, ya know, that wet, leafy green of a freshly torn leaf. Over time, this goes more medicinal on me and heads towards licorice and black gumdrops. Or that aroma of a peony bud that hasn’t quite opened yet, but you can smell the promise of its dewy freshness. Wow. Also, my bottle came like uber-Chumley sealed tight! Heh heh. I hope it isn’t evaporating on its own or prone to it!

Sweet, glorious frankincense. Oh, how I love thee. This oil, upon striking my skin, retains that beautiful, soaring frankincense note but then releases a veritable symphony of notes, a combination of floral and possibly crisp fruits, but I can’t tell! It’s a remarkably elevated blend, in that it is quite airy, and not bound by any really heavy notes. Perfectly held in check by the mild frankincense, all these other notes still dance and move. Mmm. I like.

Sweet florals, possibly rose and ylang ylang, wafting up from this bottle that represents sensuality and opening yourself up to the possibility of pleasure. There’s a mild bubble-gumminess to this, could there be lotus as well? On skin, there’s a brief episode of orange peel that segues almost immediately into a mildly pineapple-esque, tropical floral aroma accentuated with a warm, sweet woodsy base. Nothing pungent here, this oil is smooth and sweet. Oh, and I think there is jasmine in this, because it’s definitely amping up something fierce on me. Not that it’s a bad thing. This is a pleasant, sensual fruity jasmine. How appropriate!

Whoo, is this one potent. It’s very earthy and deep straight from the bottle, with a powerful vetiver/woods/rooty depth to it. Heh, how apropos! It’s a tad sharp, and I am concerned with how strong this’ll be on my skin. On my wrist, it’s immediately wet vetiver, maybe some deep spices like cinnamon and cardamom, ginger and a noticeable ‘hammy’ odor which I suppose is guiaicwood? There may be some patchouli and basil in this as well, as I get a leafy, peppery aroma wafting above the main oil dab. As for efficacy, I do feel remarkably grounded and secure after this oil has some time to dwell on my skin. I’ve used it at the root chakra point and I do feel like this is a great scent to add some weight to my usual fiery, chaotic nature. Over long-term, Muladhara becomes spaghetti sauce on my skin. Weeeeeeird.

Very pungent in the bottle, must be another streak of vetiver or dark woods. I bet there’s black pepper in this, because it’s positively spicy in a beautiful, warm way. I love black pepper. So, this is a very pointed, angular scent (if that makes sense), which does immediately warm my skin where it’s anointed. Now I’m getting pepper and ginger, on a base of dry cassia and sandalwood. Manipura deals with the ability to express oneself in a crowd, in social situations, and perhaps this is the spicy kick I need to get myself chatting. I think if you like spicy fragrances you’ll love Manipura. Can’t… stop… sniffing… solar plexus… heh heh.

How could I not review this? I've had it for a few days and have been wearing it intermittingly, and it is quite a nice little bottle of growly musk. As others have said, this isn't really as ferocious as one would think, but still has a good, sweet musky kick to it that lends it some bite. From the bottle, I get a strong, blended whiff of many musks. This is the same kind of musk I detect from blends like Loviatar and Iago, cool, slightly soapy, but with that animalistic twang that layers so well with leather and vetiver, respectively. There's a faint, cedary woodsiness behind the blend as well, and I don't get much citrus if any. Wet, on skin, it's an immediate rush of musk, and as a musk lover this is heavenly. It definitely sweetens and warms as it dries down, but also does lighten up some. Instead of several musks all vying for center stage, it culminates into a single thrum of darker musk. I'm getting a touch of the sweet woods drydown I did from Geek, balsam and cedar-like shavings. I still don't get any orange. Over extended time it definitely goes soapier on me, but musks tend to do that, and it's a pleasant, clean musk soap. Mmm. All in all, I think this is a good musk for me to wear when I can't quite pull of Iago or Loviatar (er... bondage balls and slap-me-in-the-face vetiver don't quite fit so well in... lecture...).

Anahata. I haven't worked with this with this as a chakra oil yet, as I haven't received all my other Chakra oils yet and it is suggested that one begins with the root and work upwards in opening. That said. In the vial it's a sweet, airy floral, as described above, I get a good amount of lavender mixed with what I think is rose or rosewood, perhaps a brush of lotus and peony. It reminds me of Budding Moon to some degree, as that on the skin it acts soft, gentle, subtle fragrance. It hovers between a smooth, delicate lavender and a blend of dewy rose and airy flowers. On my skin, it makes me feel calm, somewhat detached from the minutae of day to day. While wearing it, it keeps surprising me, what with unsuspecting whiffs of Anahata striking my nose. It's very nice. I'll add a tag after I get a chance to work with it.

Agreed with the poster above about Eris - it's like... watermelon and cantaloupe. Yum.

Lemon, Lime, twists of citrus peel resting on top of a very faintly sweet mint (to my nose at least) base. Maybe it's spearmint? But just a brush, not enough to make it scream 'here I am, mint!!!' It's very well balanced. Lasts very briefly on my skin, but oh, those moments are bright, clear, and effervescent.

Death smells like flowers. Or the pale horse does, but yeah. Of the four Come and See scents, Death is the most subtle, and sticks out the least to me. That said, it is a well-blended oil, and I enjoy it a lot. In the bottle, it smells very 'bark-y,' kind of like cedar or oak bark finely shredded up so that the dusty aroma hangs in the air - like paper or parchment. There's a hint of darker, duskier grassiness, which is a subtle drop of vetiver, with a faint, ghostly whisper of lavender hovering over the entire blend. On my skin, it keeps pulling back until it remains a slightly dark, mildly creamy lavender, with not much waft.

The Great Sword of War was a blend I had very high hopes for. Although it's not the end-all-be-all scent I was hoping it would be, it is still quite nice and I do enjoy it. In the bottle it is citrussy, lemony chocolate, with a mild sandalwood-like base. On my skin, it is supremely citrussy, like chewing on the rind from a clementine or lemon, with a detectable chocolate running underneath. Over time, there's a mild, mild muskiness that blends with the cocoa, perhaps the sweetness from the tonka mixed with the warm red musk aroma... At this point, though, I think the 'herbs of conflict' take over gradually, and I believe that there is some lemongrass in here or something, because I'm definitely pulling a sharp grassy herb out of the mix. Perhaps that, or palmarosa... regardless, it is less foody at this point and more chaotic, roiling, and chocolate! Over time this quiets down quite a bit and becomes a lightly herbal, cocoa musk with a twist of citrus. Quite nice.

Nobility and haughtiness befitting the Antichrist: sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather. The Bow and Crown of conquest immediately strikes me as very sweet in the bottle, with a slightly sugary topnote. I believe that is the white musk, as I get the same sort of 'feel' in blends like Dorian. On my skin, this is sweet, delicious white musk blended with Beth's leather note, which works on me amazing as usual. On me, it begins quite sharp with the joint notes of leather and musk, but this dries down to a musky leather that has a touch of a floral, woodsy base. This works pretty well on me, a guy, and I can see how this is unisex. However, this would be a good blend for the men in your life. The blend this reminds me a lot of is the Sephiroth blend Hod, although Hod has more vanilla musk and is a little more resinous than The Bow. The Bow strikes me as being less overt, yet still quite similar. If you like The Bow, you should try Hod, and vice versa.