AmyO'Shields

Yes, I smell the black musk from Playful Wooden Mallets as soon as I put this on my skin... and then it's gone... the oakmoss strangled it. This wasn't much of a surprise because that is what oakmoss does on my skin...strangles everything. 5 min on my skin and it's all oakmoss and powder. Half an hour in I start to smell the sage (which is lovely), but I can't deal with the oakmoss. I knew better, but I HAD to give this one a try.

Lots of verbena, a bit of grapefruit - very refreshing/uplifting scent!

Oh wow! I haven't smelled Antique Lace...but I love Morocco! And I know this doesn't belong here, but Mr. Jacquel smells almost identical to Morocco on my skin.

If I could get past the wet stage of this one, I think I would be able to wear it... BPAL's honey and I do not get along as a general rule...and when this is wet it actually makes me a bit nauseas (sp?). After about 30 minutes this is beautiful! Sparkling honeydew and a bit of musk...reminds me a lot of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat without the herbs. The drydown is very nice - the honeydew settles into more of a skin scent, grounded by the musk and the honey isn't present to my nose (thank goodness). I will definitely use up my decant. 6/10

I just got a testable sniffie of this from the wonderful Meaganola (thank you!!!) I LOVE this! I thought it would be transparent like Loosening the Obi (which I wanted to love but could barely even detect...) but this actually has some strength and a bit of throw! I get the Lily, Rice Wine, orchid and a touch of Grapefruit but this doesn't go cloyingly sweet on me (lotus root sometimes does) and it is beautiful. I will have to avoid looking at the picture though...yikes! I am hopeful that the vanilla will deepen/become more present with aging...but even right now this is gorgeous. 9/10 ETA: this is a love child of Hungry Ghost Moon '06 and Loosening of the Obi.

What great ideas! I hope you don't mind if I borrow them? I cannot believe I hadn't thought of this! My symphony does themed seasons...thank you!

Oh how cool! Congrats on your success! This probably won't be helpful, but I have found that wearing Snake Oil makes everyone around me happy and the concert goes well (I'm a French Horn player in various ensembles including an Army band...) and I find that I play better (get lost in the sound more) when I wear Celeste, Mysterious Warning and Lust.

Anyone else think aged Goblin is remarkably similar to Banshee Beat? The coconut is barely there and I find them amazingly similar. (note to self - age bottle of Goblin!)

So...for the first 15 minutes or so Van Van smells just like Lemon Scented Sticky bat with extra cream and lemongrass added...which is AWESOME. Then...oh then...Vetiver. And there wasn't a gradual change either...it just went WHAM Vetiver. I don't know if I will use this, but I know I can't stand the smell of the dry down. I wish I got some Patch like others have, or Sweetgrass...but nope. Vetiver rarely works on my skin, and when it doesnt it actually makes me a bit sick to my stomach. This started off so promising...and I won't write it off until I test it a few more times for it's intended purpose. Vetiver =

I bought this soon after it was released and I love it. (White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin) Under the Harvest Moon is one of my favorite oils, and I think it's the combo of lavender and grey amber that makes it so swoon worthy. That grey amber is present here, and combined with the bergamot, vanilla and labdanum it is a dream. I smell some white musk but it isn't overpowering as white musk can be sometimes on my skin. I don't smell any caraway (which is fine with me) and the benzoin and wormwood ground this blend and give it an edge... I love this perfume oil and I hope never to run out. 9.5/10

The Ghost.

I have been testing some imps lately that I've been meaning to try and I have NO CLUE why it has taken me so long to give Umbra a try...it is fabulous. Vetiver is not my friend...and thankfully I get none of it here (it must be so well blended that my nose just can't detect it, thank goodness!) and hello Patchouli and Cedar! it isn't atlas cedar, but a beautiful big Western Red Cedar that is so hard to find in perfume oils! YUM. That coupled with Patchouli (one of my favorite notes) and this couldn't get much better...until I smelled just a teeny tiny bit of cinnamon peeking out...which made it perfect. 10/10 on this one...and as soon as I have some moolah I think I should get a bottle!

I'm so glad that I got a bottle of this. Coffee, chocolate and a hint of apple/candied something...delicious. I sprayed it in the kitchen the other morning and my mother said, "I could live with that forever!" I thought that was so sweet. Konditorei is amazing. 10/10

This is my favorite room spray. Actually, it's now one of my favorite smells, period. I'm able to smell the notes, but when I shut my brain down and just smell it - it smells like Cinnamon honey! Delicious, sexy and better than I imagined it would be. 10/10 Amazing.

I love Oak Moon. I wear it to bed a lot because it is soothing to me. My favorite trees are Oak and Western Red Cedar, and I feel like this oil encompasses the vibe of an Oak tree, all aspects: it's strength, flexibility, smells, feels etc. Sorry to go all Woo Woo, but that's how I feel about this oil. It just makes me want to apply, find an Oak tree and hug it, preferrably in late Autumn at dusk or just at sunrise. Beth: thank you for yet another amazing oil to love and cherish. 10/10

I LOVE this. There is an initial blast of what my nose interprets as Cinnamon, but it is lovely and unfortunately doesn't stick around long. Then it becomes a Red Musk/Patchouli fest and I cannot stop sniffing my wrists...I'm a big fan of Red Musk AND Patchouli seperately and together. This feels like Hygeia a bit and Lust a bit, but isn't the same as either...wow I love this stuff. I feel very centered when I smell this on my skin and that's a welcome change. 9.5/10 only because it doesn't really stick around as long as I'd like.

Does anyone remember BOPO peel off nail polish? I used to LOVE the smell of that stuff... As soon as I applied this oil from the decant vial, I was instantly transported to being about 5 years old and painting my nails and almost instantly peeling it off. I knew I would love this oil because I am a huge fan of the smell of Hay, and after smelling it on my skin I really do love it. It is unique, and the drydown is a gorgeous hay, osmanthus, Egyptian Musk fest...9/10

Ah Prurience! This was a frimp in my last Lab order (thank you Lab!) and I decided to try it out today because the oil is a bright red...like Dragon's Blood red. I had no clue what the notes were the first time I applied this morning...and I really liked it. I guessed there was Carnation, Red Musk, maybe Saffron and a bit of Patchouli in it...after 20 minutes it reminded me of a cross between Snake Oil and Morocco! Lovely! Then, I came here and saw the notes...I was happy I guessed somewhat close, but I was very surprised about the Vetiver...I hate Vetiver (except in The Balcony where it is absolutely lovely) and I really like the juice in this imp. I'm hoping that there isn't a huge batch variation or something. I'm not ready to buy a bottle at this point, but I know I would love one in the future. The second time I applied (after I looked at the notes) I got the Vetiver, but it disappeared within 10 minutes. The longer I have this on, the creamier it gets. I really like this one... 8/10

This is beautiful...and dark/haunting. Lavender, Oakmoss and just a hint of Lime. Very lovely.

A forumite frimped me a tester of this exquisite stuff in my decant circle package. This is addictive...reminds me quite a bit of Crypt King (which is wonderful) and I wish I could do a proper review, but I just can't. It's gorgeous, and I am over the moon that I got to try it.

Two words: Sweet Sleet! No really, this is delicious! Quite minty and sweet...I love it.

I got my decant of this the other day and let it sit for a bit... This is all dark deep "purple/black" rose...but I don't smell any oude and I was hoping to smell it. I'm glad to have a decant of this, but it isn't what I was hoping for. Oh well!

This may be one of the most interesting/beautiful scents I have ever smelled. On wet, this is the nicest Vetiver scent I have ever smelled. Not the dank, dark vetiver but the feathery green vetiver. Something about the "kudzu" and gingergrass notes translates as vetiver to me...and oddly enough, I really like it. Dry, the ginger becomes more pronounced, but not the kind of ginger I'm used to - it's a ginger powder instead of fresh ginger, but it seems to verge on the ginger from a good ginger ale without the sweet or the carbonation! I don't get anything creamy from this. I also don't smell any honey. Up close this threatens to give me a headache, but the waft is divine. Definitely a keeper...very unique. The three Lupers I have tested so far are all very unique...I can't compare them to anything: Gathering Wild Mushrooms, Playful Wooden Mallets and Entangled. After about 2 hours this really smells like gingergrass. I think I have to give this a 9/10. If you love Ginger and are wavering on this one, please don't...and I would strongly recommend that you let it sit on your skin for at least an hour. Edited because "strongy" is not a word.

I have been putting Smut off since 2007... 2012 This is gorgeous! Smutty, dark musk with Cherry (?) in the beginning and more grape-y musk on dry down? This one confuses my nose, but I love it...and it lasts and throws with the best of them. I finally have some Smut!

This was instant love for me right out of the mailbox...I knew I would love a Black Musk/Cinnamon perfume oil, but holy moly. I agree with Klepz in that the cinnamon is soft and the black musk doesn't go powdery. There is a lift here (and lemony may be what my nose couldn't decipher), but this is the nicest, deepest, huffing the actual cinnamon bark instead of the grated stuff cinnamon. After about 2 hours, this is still going very strong (which is most excellent) and the waft smells regal...almost antique, yet feral - untameable. I don't know if that makes any sense, but there it is. When I sniff my wrist up close, this smells like the wood that was used in a sauna at a dance camp in Pine Lake, NY that I used to go to when I was younger...and those were fond memories for me, so this perfume is 10/10 in every way. This is the first Luper I've smelled this year, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that it will be my favorite. How much magic can you create with TWO notes???