Lycanthrope

The Scales of Deprivation in the bottle smells lightly citrussy, a touch like lemon rind, but without such a sharp, zesty zing to it. I can detect something else, like a resin, but it's a gummier, sweeter resin more akin to the components of Jacob's Ladder instead of something brighter like frankincense. On my skin, this is quite subtly sweet, and what's strange is I can definitely tell that there is lemon in this, but it's not running away on my skin. What I do get is an overall creamy, slightly sandalwood-esque aroma that is layered over one of the most beautiful resins I've ever encountered. This blend doesn't pop out at you and grab you like some of Beth's other blends, yet I believe that is the strength of the Come and See series, perhaps apart from Great Sword, is that they are so harmoniously blended that they just integrate themselves with you as opposed to announcing their presence. The drydown is a very deep, resonant resin that maintains a slight hint of the citrus note, but is mostly warm, deep amber gold, quiet and lurking. Good stuff. I put it on to bed last night and got a big snuffle of it in my night shirt, and it was blissful.

I bought two of these, and I'm very glad that I did. I do like tea scents, my favorite pre-BPAL fragrance being BBW's White Tea and Ginger, and have always appreciated fresher, more ozonic blends. Holiday Moon is bright, zesty, and tea-like without being overly citrussy. I tried Spirits of the Dead and appreciate it for its much brighter, potent tea punch, whereas Holiday Moon has more of an herbal, astringent plant-like quality to it. It reminds me of the smell of my grandmother washing clothes in Tainan, Taiwan, during one visit many years back, and reminds me of hot springs, verdant mountains covered in bamboo, rocky paths and aged, wind-worn dry wood. On me, it starts of very much a TEA scent, with a hint of whatever makes Whippoorwill and Silk Road have that 'wet, mossy' quality that I adore. It pulls back fairly quickly into a subtle yet fresh tea scent, with a very soft yet present sandalwood-like base. It's quite good, and I think I can wear this in clinic no problem.

Let me begin by saying that this is one heckuva sad fragrance. I don't know how Beth does it, but how can she bottle emotions, to be released upon their striking your skin? Wet, however, I wasn't thinking wistful florals... it reminded me of something I couldn't quite put my hand on. Very sweet, definitely fruity and quite familiar. I kept reapplying to see if I could figure out what it was... and it turns out that wet, Ode on Melancholy smells just like those bizarre rainbow unicorn lollipops taste. No joke! It's that fruitiness that is all but yet no specific fruit, with a definite hard candy sugar edge. That dies down, however, and Ode takes a turn towards that familiar lavender sharpness, however reined back by a breath of lighter, airy flowers. I can pull the wisteria out of the blend on occasion, but I'm really searching for it. It's one of my favorite florals and glad to see I can get a feel for it in Ode! The rose, thankfully, doesn't amp on me and in the end I get a slightly dry, bittersweet lavender and wisteria fragrance that persists at the edge of my awareness, always gently reminding me of things gone by, or my mild apathy and sorrow over how life, like a fractured vase that hasn't quite fallen apart, is streaked with imperfection and marred beauty. Um. Yeah, that's the kind of mood Ode puts me in, which attests to its remarkable power. Although it is frankly beautiful, I don't think I'd be wearing it much, so I'll keep the imp and boggle at its emotive power from time to time, but no bottle for me.

I'll have to find an imp of Dublin to try on him in a few days... I don't want to risk an LE, because he's a very rational guy and still doesn't understand it when I'm like 'I love this scent, and it's only around for a little while!' He's like 'Why the heck is it limited? What's the appeal? Why don't you buy something that won't disappear forever in a few days?' Dublin, Magus... I think I'll have to find a few more lighter woodsy fragrances.

Hey guys. My friend is usually anti-fragrance in most respects (he just uses whatever is convenient, nearby) but he really does like Bath and Body Works' long-discontinued Forest Moss cologne for men. Now... I don't even know what this smells like, but he's getting close to the very bottom of his precious bottle and I'd hate to see him go back to the drugstore to pick up some generic man-ologne and KO some poor people. Has anyone smelled FM in the past? If so, do you know what BPAL men's blends are similar? Or just any suggestions for a good inobtrusive, non-quirky BPAL men's blend? Nothing too leathery or sexual, just woodsy, manly and light. Thanks much.

This is a truly rich, red, bloody, sanguinous oil. In the bottle, it smells magical, but sort of threatening - I can detect the lighter floral lunar oils trying to sing out above the rest of the blend, but it's a tumultuous combination of deep resins, menacing spices and rolling anger. On skin, it starts off with an almost nutty tone, akin to Tezcatlipoca's opening note without the deep cocoa. I think this definitely contains red sandalwood, but also a potent punch (a musk?) of something heady and smooth. There's then a streak of cinnamon that crescendos... and then I'm getting hints of a less sweet, much more earthy Snake Oil! Underneath this all, the oil has definite depth, and a little smoke and dirt. Over time, unfortunately, the cinnamon grows and grows, so it kinda goes Hamadryadish, although I can definitely still detect the woodsy vanilla below. About twenty to thirty minutes later, the cinnamon has backed off a bit and I smell kind of like a gourmet cinnamon bun... that's hunting. Uh, yeah. With the frosting like war paint. Like all the lunacies, super-long-time after, I get a breath of the cool, damp, wet florals that I've grown to appreciate. It's quite a transformation. But yes, red. Crimson. Fiery. Burgundy, crushed velvet and deep blood silk draped over a chaise. There's some faint incense smoke in the background and you can feel the predatory air... uh... where am I?

The Chariot, The Magician, The High Priestess, and The Star... Here's my take on these oils. They're not so much 'perfume' as they are functional, but it's still an important part of enjoying the oils, I know The Chariot - it is anise on me, and a very sharp, herbal. It's quite potent - anise, horehound, sassafrass, astringent, almost bitter. I would advise against this if you are a woods/myrrh person, this is quite powerful. The Magician - it reminds me of Anubis's embalming herbs, and has an incense streak. Definitely a brush of anise, but not like Chariot's uber-anise punch. There also seems to be a mild touch of lavender, but it's not the feature. It's reminiscent of Magus's galangal, lemony-woodsy. There's definitely some clove. When I wear this, at least, I do get occasional whiffs of banana peel. The High Priestess - kind of almond-y, definitely is the closest to myrrh (although I think it's a warmer, drier sandalwood) that somehow morphs into a sweet mint. It's very pleasant quite evocative of 'enlightenment.' The Star - a favorite here, it seems. It is lemongrass, coconut, vanilla and sweet spices on me. Very tropical, it's a tasty drink at the beach. It's definitely -not- resinous to me, and dries down to a milky cream. If you like sweet, spicy resinous scents I recommend: Malkuth from the Sephiroth Line (sweet, vanilla spicy, rosewood) The Hierophant (ecclesiastic resins, a little almond) Justice (slightly musky, golden amber) Judgement (Red Sandalwood) Binah from Sephiroth (galbanum, benzoin-esque resins) ETA: The Hermit - pine/fir oils, over a lightly damp, rocky base. It's pretty green, not really resinous, but evocative of mountains to me at least.

Tomorrow I go dressed as Hades to class... Black Toga, crown of berries and skeletal-looking branches, a blue and gray rose pin on my toga, and a pomegranate in hand. I think I'll put on Thanatos, just because... well... it'd be fitting. Heh. Er... ETA... well, of course, HADES would be more appropriate to wear, but it's not a favorite... so, Thanatos it is!... although technically Hades was lord of the underworld and a separate god wa.... ok, ok... whatever

Impression: Spices, Patchouli, Amber, Incense Definitely a smoky, woodsy incense note with a big whiff of patchouli on top. Maybe a hint of mint? On my skin this is all sweet and pungent woods united by a subtle honey sweetness. As it dries further, it starts becoming more and more spicy – I can kind of feel the heat of the blend as a subtle ginger cinnamon creeps up (wow!) and now Malkuth crescendos into a spicy, smoky, magical incense made of enchanted woodbark and swirled through with freshly ground cinnamon and a whiff of ginger. This is akin to Hamadryad – spicy woods, without the floral. A very heated, potent oil, so spicy it kind of burns my skin! But amazing nonetheless. Dries down similar to Chimera, without so much floral. A pure spicy wood fragrance. A half hour later, there’s an underlying sweetness that grounds the spiciness wondrously.

Impression: Aquatic, light white florals... --> JASMINE Freaky, I sniffed each Sephiroth prior to reading its description, and I immediately thought of bubbling waters when smelling Yesod… reading later that it represents the ‘source of the living waters.’ It smells cool and refreshing, with a hint more jasmine and lotus, blended with a light ozone. On me, it goes right to jasmine, but since my skin amps that note, it may not be characteristic of the entire scent. Minutes later… yep, jasmine. Darn my skin. But I would describe Yesod as a potent white and wet floral with perhaps a hint of water and wind swirled through. Hours later, this is still jasmine on me. Your mileage may vary.

Impression: Sweet Tea, Vanilla and Musk - a fruitier Dorian. Ohkay… I don’t think I can do this scent justice. It reminds me from the bottle immediately of Dorian, however much less ‘sweet’ and blended with a touch of fruit musk, although not to an overbearing degree. There’s a mild, sweet spice to it, sort of an undercurrent of smooth spices, but mostly I get a beautiful, slightly astringent vanilla with a touch of edible spice. Most likely… clove! It’s frankly amazing. I love it.

Impression: Rose and Myrrh Immediately get a whiff and recognize a blend of dewy, sweet florals, led predominantly by rose. This means this blend probably won’t work on me… but I’m giving it a shot. Starts off with a faint, wet floral mixed with a blend of resins, predominantly myrrh. Over time, on me, the rose starts to grow louder and louder and I’m left with a pretty, but one-dimensional, rose. However, that’s my skin chemistry. If the rose hadn’t lifted up and overwhelmed the rest of this scent, it would have been a perfectly balanced, deep resin-rose. Not quite the same as Tiphareth, since it’s heavier on the florals and not quite as… ‘sacred’ incense feeling.

Impression: Citrus, Light Woods, Frankincense and Myrrh, Rose A very light, faintly astringent herbal wood aroma, starts off strong on the deciduous, dry woods and has a slightly pungent thyme/rosemary aroma. Oh, wow! Then there’s frankincense! It just creeps up on the blend and it’s amazing… and yes, there’s myrrh deepening out that blend and I recognize those sacred incense notes… This dries down to a slightly woodsy, but mostly pure sacred resin note, like what I dreamed Penitence would have been on my skin. Ohhhh, wondrous. Later – oh, there’s rose in this. But there’s just a smidgeon, or else I would have turned into a giant rose. Masterful.

Impressions: Leather! Yup, leather. But it’s the tasty leather inside Dee, not necessarily a dark, sexual leather, but more of a sweet, aged leather that’s in an old, comforting coat or on a well-worn book. It probably has a hint of dry woods as a base, although it’s not necessarily as woodsy or sharp as Dee. It’s a very beautiful, wearable-during-the-day leather scent. I’d buy more if I didn’t have a stash already and Dee on the way!

Impressions: Sandalwood, a little citrus, mint, leather, fruit. Immediately I get a burst of what I believe is galangal, a lightly herbal lemon scent that dissipates quickly. Then… leather… touched with a dusty, papery aroma. It’s like an old book. How very odd! There’s this dry element to this that brings to my mind ‘ancient,’ and ‘museum,’ and ‘old wisdom.’ There’s a note in this that isn’t quite floral, isn’t quite fruit… but I think of that light, fleshy and sweet aroma one gets after biting into a pear, that same crispness and lightness of the juice, particularly pears of the asian variety! This is definitely an oil to slather when getting ready for an anthropology exam!

Impressions: Sweet, gummy tree resins. Delicious dark resin city. Smells potent, swirling, mysterious and exotic all at once in my imp, on me it swirls and dances in a blend of amazingly beautiful sacred incense gum. As it settles on my skin, all of a sudden I get an interesting effect – from the resins emerge at first a unified floral note that blooms into… a spicy, rose-like aroma blended with sparkling resins. This, like no other BPAL I’ve experienced, is a dead-ringer for an ‘Aveda’ fragrance – spicy, floral, resinous, all at once. It’s rich, heady and quite potent, a rose swirling in a cloud of incense fumes and emitting a commanding aroma.

Impressions: Mint, Eucalyptus, Sandalwood. Oh my. Goes on and turns right into my usual daily toothpaste, minty and sweet with a brush of green plant. This reminds me a lot of Kathmandu. However, the bright, peppermint-y aroma segues into a much less evocative spearmint blended with a beautiful sandalwood, similar to the one found in Fenris Wolf (the same red sandalwood whiff here!) All in all, a very unique combination of notes, at once revitalizing and cold and also warm and a touch feral. A good balance.

First Impression: Cherry Musk. Begins a bright and bold, fruity scent with a definite, striking amber blended with sweet musk. Over time, morphs very much into a scent remniscent of LUSH’s potion (almonds, a hint of rose, carnations and honey), but then takes a distinct veer towards Aveda’s discontinued chakra line – a rose-based, resinous, sweet, spicy amber blend. The almond in this blend never overpowers, which is a good and happy thing. Simply unfrickin-believably beautiful. Makes me feel a bit sensual, but in a good-natured beautiful and just way, if that makes any sense. No lust, no debauchery, just the look shared between lovers.

Comes on strong, goes out dreamy, creamy, and all-so softly into a thrum of tasty, exotic musk mixed with faint florals. This skin musk that's listed as a scent brings to mind Coyote, of all blends, except that this blend starts off with a powerful chorus of white florals blended with a nutty, earthy scent, possibly sandalwood. Mid-drydown I'm catching a lightly grassy aroma and it goes through a phase where it resembles the sweetgrass-musk of Coyote and Scarecrow, then passes into a deliciously creamy musk that lingers, hints and touches of the tuberose and other sweet florals whispering in the background. Grounding, very much so.

Definitely green, sweet... possibly what I was hoping Aeval would be on me but isn't! It has the same fresh, plant-like, wet aroma that Aeval has at first without the blast of sage that soon follows and overwhelms. After the initial leafy cucumber passes, I get a whiff of light, airy floral that hovers... maybe a touch of jasmine-like white floral over this green, wet, youthful base. The drydown retains maybe a touch, a faint brush of herbal sage. Yes, it's very feminine and airy, so that means I won't be wearing it out... but hoarding and using at home.

Wham! Dark, bitter patchouli and possibly vetiver's sharp bitterness from the vial. I'm a little scared, but Death came out well on me, so perhaps this is going to be a good blend... On me, it whips through a warm, peppery phase with a strong ginger whiff, and then turns into... cardamom. Like, Whippoorwill cardamom. Which is great, but on the drydown, it's less spicy and woodsy than that oil. It's nice, and changes significantly from the initial application. Nice, so I'll keep the bottle and use it on days when I want to enjoy my solitude.

In the bottle, this comes across as a very soft, mildly minty oil. Oh, but just wait until it hits your skin! Immediately, it's that same, gentle, fresh mintiness, cool, cold, a bit foreign... it's an oceanic, quiet mint. As it dries down, there's a slight increase in the sharpness of the aroma, definitely 'bruised violets,' a delicious violet floral blending seamlessly with the quiet mints. It continues on and becomes a perfectly dark, motionless ocean scent. Oh, man... if there's anything like this in the GC... This is amazing, beautiful. Evocative and wondrous. Sunken city indeed. Kudos, Beth. ETA: After trying this a few days, I find it very faint. I prefer Kingsport, probably because I like the sharper, more prominent nature of that blend.

Smells a little herbal, medicinal in the vial, and then ... pumpkin! This is then followed by a crescendo of leaves and much softer, cooler woods than the fourth blend (the one with sandalwood and orris). This blend is sweet, yet earthy, mossy, yet creamy. Very pleasant. This is actually what a sprawling pumpkin patch would smell like to me... vines, leaves, a little dirt and pumpkin. Total opinion on the set - as much as I do like the blends, one set is enough for me. My favorite would have to be II, followed by IV, I, V, and IV, although I like them all.

Who else would have thought to put sandalwood and orris with pumpkin? On my skin, it's definitely a crisp and dry sandalwood from the start, and the earthy pumpkin just creeps up beneath and the entire blend becomes an uber-creamy, super calming scent. It's very, very warm. I actually don't detect the orris, it must be very subtly blended. It's quite tasty, edible, almost.

Wow. What a morpher! First whiff on skin - pumpkin, that slightly squashy note I get from all of the Patch, followed by a blast of cloves and peppery spices, then a crisp, extremely true burst of apples, freshly cored... and then they just... blend! It's just like spiced cider simmering on a stove. Yum.