Lycanthrope

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...

This is a remarkably fresh, bright marine. It reminds me of Jolly Roger without the leather and wood notes, a fresher, saltier scent... which may be a good alternative when JR is too pirate! for me.

Over time this goes really, really grassy on me. Like fresh cut grass.

Edited to add description - clover

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.

Halloo. Definitely a guy here, and decided to use Master in a small ritual tonight regarding an upcoming exam that I require some control (mastery)of, good fortune, and a whole lot of confidence about preparation.

I anointed a fluorite crystal and a white candle and burned the candle over my board review book, while holding the crystal between my palms.

Master is definitely quite animalistic straight out of the bottle, a quite potent kick of civet is apparent, backed by a cool, almost minty backdrop. I want to call it aquatic but it's not quite that, it's misty, while still being present. From the fluorite some got onto my palms, which is where I am evaluating the scent. It morphs away from the initial civet into an immensely arboreal fragrance redolent of pine boughs and grand red cedarwood chips, fir needles and pine sap, a cool forest in the morning light, just waking up to the new day and new potential... This, more than anything to me is a wolf striding through a Northwest forest, a touch of animalistic musk and potent drive as it bounds over fallen pine needles and paws crush dry bark and leaves...

... where was I? Oh man. This stuff is good. It has kick. And man do I feel like I can howl at the world.

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.

Hah hah... I guess I got this one for a specific purpose. My profession isn't prostitution, so it wasn't quite for increasing my 'clientele' so much as increasing my passionate one night stands. Yeah, right.

Anyways, Cleo is very sweet and candyish from the bottle, and I wore it in a scent locket, with a dab over my heart and one swipe over my sacral area. It's quite honeyed, mixed with a spicy rose and perhaps dark plum or deep sweet fruits. It is a sinful, sugared honey fruit, definitely provocative and quite 'promiscuous,' might I say?

It clung to my scent locket like no other, though, and I could still smell it even after removing the cotton ball and wiping it clear of wet oil with another cotton swab.

Did it work? No. Hrrrm. Perhaps it is just me

Wow, so I guess I'm at bat again? Got my TAL order, and though I'll spare people the details, I used a bit of sexual energy on my wrists and along my sacral chakra to see if it could help release some of the tension I've been having.

I don't know if it worked or not, because the opportunity didn't present itself, however, I can comment on the scent.

It's exactly what I wanted Three Witches to be. This smells almost pungently bad out of the bottle, but on the skin it immediately turns into a peppery, spicy, cinnamon and clove whirlwind, and it is slightly warming on the skin. When I got a few snootfuls after applying I almost swooned at how wonderfully spicy the blend is. Unlike the revamped Three Witches, it's not heavy on whatever oil makes the stuff 'smoked ham,' it's fiery spice from start to finish, and lasts a while on the skin.

Perhaps I'll try it again when there's somewhere for me to channel the energy I get from the oil.

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.

Nestled amongst my most recent order was a bottle of this, and I did a search through the existing blends and didn't find it, so I suppose I'm on the spot here. So, without further ado, Aegis, Twilight Alchemy Blend.

From the name, I would assume that this oil is involved heavily in protection, be it from external malevolent sources, or perhaps a strengthening of one's resolve in preparation for a trial, be it mental, physical, or spiritual. I'm not certain how to use the twilights, but I will test a dab or two of this on my wrist before going out again today to class.

From the bottle, Aegis smells slightly lavender-y, with a sweet, kind of musky, snappier floral, blended over something remniscent of Wolf's Heart, a sweet, neroli-esque base mixed with a touch of spiciness. It's a little peppery, a little gingery, but mostly very subdued.

On the back of my wrist, wet, it's (whomp!) lavender, with perhaps a brush of peppermint and citrus peel or lemongrass, quite herbal and sharp. Over time, it grows more lemony, with a faint woodsy base. I do feel somewhat more grounded wearing Aegis.

Longterm, it's very hard to pin down what is in Aegis, it's a slightly jasminoid, lavender blend layered very superbly with less bright citrus notes, and I swear there is a touch of that same tamarind note I get in Nephilim. It actually seems to get stronger as I wear it. I can see how this would be a very grounding scent. Oddly enough, I get hints of both 'air' and 'earth' with this on.

If I had to compare this to any general catalog scent I'd say it shares qualities with Oneiroi but has more of a herbal/lemon kick to it. Over a longer time to dry down, the florals disappear and I have a slightly spiced, lemon-rosewood aroma.

I'll have to try this out next time something particularly taxing threatens me. It does very vaguely irritate my skin, so this may go in my burner.

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.

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.