AmyO'Shields

So, I LOVED Pannychis. Loved it. I was so happy that it was in my order before the DC announcement was made.

 

I just received Kataskopia in the mail today and the drydown is very similar to Pannychis. So, if you're missing Pannychis, give Kataskopia a try before she comes down...it's a shame she's a LE, but at least she is here for now.

This is beautiful! Even though it is straight out of the mailbox, it is very well blended. Nothing screams...it's like a chorus.

 

Gosh my reviews suck.

 

Anyhow, I don't smell APPLE per se, but more of an apple blossom and apple peel vibe wafting getly over the GORGEOUS Mahogany.

 

Mahogany is such a wonderful smell...who would have thought Apple and Mahogany?!

 

I'm not normally a fan of Rosewood, but here it is playing nicely. I ALMOST think I smell a hint of Oak.

 

Very nicely done, and I am certain this will age beautifully.

 

4.5/5

Goblin squirt.

 

This was everything I hoped it would be: light and airy and perfect for spring. Cherry blossom with a hint of green tea underscored by sake. It makes me want to watch Memoirs of a Geisha over and over... the scent makes me think of the final scene. Perfect.

Thank goodness! I LOVE how Snow White (the perfume oil) smells on others, but I just can't pull it off. This bath oil, however, gives me the opportunity to sniff to my heart's content. Just a bit of the oil as a moisturizer is quite a nice pick me up, and in the bath it makes me feel like a princess. Great stuff! A general note about the Bath Oils: a little really does go a long way, and they are non greasy on the skin and perfect as a moisturizer.

My favorite of the bath oils. This is a perfect white/dark chocolate mix with a hint of cranberry and the lift of mint - I don't smell mint, but I can feel it, if that makes any sense. I love this stuff (used it the other night in the bath - a little goes a LONG way!). Tried a bit as a moisturizer yesterday and it was divine. My only complaint? I wish I had more money to buy two more bottles before it goes away!

My least favorite...just got a goblin spray and I have to say that this smells a bit like cat pee to me as well as another reviewer. I wanted to love it, but I was walking around the house yesterday and was wondering if my new kitty sprayed...nope - it was located where I sprayed Cathouse...aw shucks. (The others I have tried are awesome though!)

I'm not sure how much I like this one yet, but I JUST got it in the mail and am sure that it will be glorious after a few days/months.

 

Wet: faint peach blossom and gardenia (which I'm not a big fan of)...maybe a hint of the rose geranium

 

After about an hour the florals soften and I think the pink musk is smoothing things out - still very light, with a more prominent peach note.

 

I was hoping for lots of peach with red currant and pink musk, and I am hoping they will come forth with age.

 

All in all - very nice.

 

ETA: After about 3 hours this was pretty much gone, so I applied just a touch more and VAVOOM! There's the peach...holy moly!

Metal Rabbit is amazing! Wet it is a quite strong citrus/light florals (tangerine/plum blossom, peony) blend. After about an hour, the scent settles into a light citrus with Dragon's Blood and Cypress peeking out. Very nice. I wish I had some of the other CNY scents to compare this to, but I don't: completely unbiased review!

OK, you all talked me into it.

 

I'm a 38 year old mom with kids ranging in age from 13 year old twin boys to a 21 year old daughter in college. I'm very happily married to my true love, soul mate, best friend. I work as a food service manager for a catering company, overseeing 3 sorority houses at a university. I'm surrounded by frat boys and sorority girls all day long. I have a rottweiler named Mook and a cat named Gary Hazelbaker.

 

I love reading, mostly non-fiction but also Stephen King, Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series ) and Ayn Rand, and Chuck Palahniuk. The non-fiction I like includes the ...For Dummies series, politics and religion, etc. I read the Harry Potter books, but have vowed to never crack open any of the Twilight series. I'm the type of person who would rather discover something on her own than buy into any hype. Generally, if someone says "You'll love this book/song/artist/movie" it's a sure fire way to make me not interested.

 

I love to crochet and I taught myself to knit (with the help of some nice old ladies at my local yarn shop) because I was bored at work. I cross stitch as well, but that's about it when it comes to crafts. I do love online gaming, everything from the FB apps to an MMORPG (not WoW). I like nice quality things, I'd rather have one $100 pair of jeans that I love and will last me 5 years, then own 10 $10 pair. I love Coach bags and imported tea.

 

I'm half Thai, but was not raised around any of my Thai family. In fact, I did not know any of them including my mother until November of 2009. In the spring of '09, my sister's and I were contacted by a brother we did not know we had (my dad's son) which set off the chain of events that led to us finding our mother after 30+ years. One of the best times of my life, besides my wedding, was the meeting/reuinion of my entire Thai family after all that time for Thanksgiving. The authentic Thai food was fantastic...the turkey and mashed potatoes not so much.

 

I LOVE to cook, bake and eat. I will eat just about anything you put in front of me. I'm unafraid to try new things. I love rich, deep flavors. Red wines, milk and dark chocolates, dark beers, steaks. I love all Asian foods, Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern...pretty much every ethnic group. I'm pretty much a daydreamer, and but have gone from very optimistic in my youth to slightly cynical as I age. I love to debate politics and religion, I pride myself on being fair and objective, and never fighting dirty with personal insults and low blows. I've always been a take charge person, at work and in my family (being the oldest sibling). I don't wear makeup aside from lip gloss. I have very long dark hair, bang and glasses. I'm dark complected, being half Thai. I'd say my skin is about the color of a latte. I like Volkswagens, and my dream car is an Audi. I love camping. I prefer darker clothing, wide legged pants and 3/4 sleeve tops. I have a full back piece tattoo (part of which is in my profile pic) which is renditions of my entire family based on Brain Froud's fairies books. I'm also working on a 3/4 sleeve, which will represent me and my siblings.

 

I listen to hip hop, a lot of DIY punk and old emo, and Frank Sinatra and showtunes. I have a very very dry sense of humor, I don't laugh at what other people do, and when I do laugh, usually I'm the only one.

 

I would be a vampire, not a werewolf.

 

ETA: I'm a Capricorn and born in the Year of the Rat. I'm obsessed with goats. Can't wait to own a nanny and kid so I can make cheese and fudge! I'm very interested in homesteading, I love the farmer's market and organic gardening and rescuing houeplants from box stores to get healthy and gift!

 

Help me out with some recommendations for my first Lab order!

 

I don't know if it would appeal to you, but the first oil I thought of was Fox Fires on New Years Eve at the Garment Nettle Tree...Salon.

 

The second that came to mind was Calaveras.

OK. I am wearing Candles Moon today for Imbolc. I can't really figure this one out...I have worn this three times in the last few months and have to say that it is a comforting scent, but I only think I smell milk, candles and something kind of sweet (which I'm hoping is the Blackberry?). It's very nice, and a warm scent. I'm glad I have a bottle, and it will definitely be worn each year on February 2nd.

I'm trying to remember my thoughts from last August about this one...

 

I was visiting my family in NY, and received a partial bottle of this as a frimp - very generous! I put some on the next day, early in the morning, and my sister said that I smelled like baby powder. I smelled my wrist and said nope - I smell brownish furry musk and coconut milk. She said that it wasn't a "bad" baby powder, and then admitted that she could see how I smelled coconut... aren't our noses fabulous?! Anyhow, I like this scent more as a feeling or a mood... definitely not one I'd reach for to wear though. Very interesting, warm, nuzzly blend! 3/5

Ivy and grass, straight up. I love it! Green Party mellows on me after the first 10 minutes, and stays true to the ivy and grass for about 3 hours. This is quite yummy, and I wish there was more of it!

The Phoenix in Spring?

I don't know why, but I get Lemongrass and pine out of this! Then dry, it smells like pine and lemon (not pine sol-y though) and I get a hint of musk and juniper berry... I bought this almost exclusively for the name (big Type O fan) and am sad it doesn't like me.

Hollywood Babylon = for me. So, there is a company called Spirit Veil that shut down for a while...and I collected almost all of her sprays because they were so good. This was back in 2005-6. When the company came back, most of the older scents were gone, including one of my favorites called Celestia. I can't find my scent notes on that blend, but I got my sample of HB in the mail yesterday, put it on, and OMG it's almost identical to Celestia!!! I can't tell you how excited I am...

This is a delicious, mysterious blend of fruity incense on my skin that sparkles. Not a dark fruity incense like All Souls, but a bright happy fruity incense. I don't get any fake vibe from it.

Multiple bottle worthy, and now my tiny bottle of Celestia spray will last a bit longer. 5/5

When will I learn?! In most cases Clove just doesn't play nice on my skin... but I seem to have to try each one just to make sure...

 

I love Patchouli, and this is a nice Patch... I love each and every tea scent, and this one is no exception

 

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices and Carnation is my favorite flower, although here she is VERY understated, less spicy and a bit powdery (to me).

 

Black Pepper isn't always a good friend.

 

And then...CLOVE. I'm so sad - I smelled clove initially, but I kept trying to love this perfume despite the clove...bordering on nausea (clove does this to me) for 3 hours.

 

So, I gave up. Clove - >1, Amy - 0

 

With clove: 2/5

Without Clove? I'm guessing 7/5... boo hoo for my rotten skin relationship with Clove.

Snake oil, sage and leather - nothing in your face about this blend... very nice, not too much throw... so glad I got to try this one! My only gripe is that I'm missing out on the Sandalwood and Tonka bean individually, but I'm sure they're contributing to the well-blended-ness of this perfume.

3.5/5

Why hello there Acai berry! Wow...this berry knows how to crash a party! I really can't complain because it smells fantastic - with a bit of snake oil peeking around the corner and some amber strolling in...

 

After 2 hours, I'm really enjoying the play between the smoked vanilla, amber, snake oil and Acai berry.

 

Cardamom hasn't shown up yet, (even though I would love to see her!) and I think I decided to uninvite neroli... this perfume is glorious, and I hope to snag another bottle before it leaves town. 4.5/5

Yes - this is a gorgeous blend, and I would also say if you enjoyed Antikythera Mechanism and Samhainophobia, I think you would enjoy this.

 

On my skin I smell mostly Ivy, Teak and Patchouli - with a bit of spicy Hyssop underneath. After about an hour, the coffee bean shows up and the tonka provides a nice bed... this is simply gorgeous. 4/5

Chrysanthemum, cinnamon, vanilla, amber, sandalwood? Wow - sign me up! I don't know how I missed this one, but I was lucky enough to find a bottle and it is pure love! This isn't strong on me, but a perfect blend of some of my favorite notes. It's interesting to smell the cinnamon amber and vanilla taking turns up front while the mum provides a nice backdrop. I love this. The final test? I just shoved my wrist under the boyfriend's nose and he looked up and said "That's GOOD!". YAY! yet another winner...

I love Strawberry Moon '09. This is in my top 10 and I snag a bottle whenever I get the chance. This is the oil that changed my mind about sweet, fruity perfumes... I was always the cinnamon, cedar, vanilla, sandalwood, patchouli girl... and now I'm still that girl, but I can enjoy wearing the girly stuff too! This is amazing: I can smell the grass, dandelion sap, and fresh delicious sugary strawberries. I think the vanilla helps tie everything together and ground the scent a bit - truly a masterpiece. I hope to still have some of this when I'm 60...

I have quite a few Amber perfumes...

I love Amber...

This is the most amazing Amber perfume oil I have smelled - I think Inez is another perfume that actually wears ME.

This is everything an Amber scent should be, and what few are: it's soft, but not powdery and is quite a skin scent on me. I'm surprised I don't smell the carnation in this (I usually amp the heck out of carnation), but I can detect the vanilla musk and sandalwood. This is a keeper...just ordered a few bottles just in case the Carnaval departs anytime soon... 5/5

I have been looking forward to trying this for quite some time, and finally got a decant today! YUM. This is what I wanted Samhain to smell like! They are very similar to my nose, but this is softer and less foody - it's truly evocative of Autumn. What a beautiful perfume oil. http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/wub2.gif

 

ETA: I finally found a bottle and am so glad. This is perfect for this time of year when I'm sick of the heat of Summer, am ready for Autumn and not ready for apples or pumpkins yet. Gorgeous.

Creamy cinnamon - OOOHHH this is lovely! It sticks around quite a while too - just about 5 hours, and for me that's a long time!

 

ETA: Egg Moon reminds me a bit of SL Rousse...wearing it this morning and had to edit. Egg Moon is so lovely - still a marvelous, creamy cinnamon.

I finally managed to find a bottle! I am so in love with the Asian themed oils right now... I think it's because it feels like Spring here in the Pac NW and I'm craving them! This is similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, but it's lighter and missing the Grapefruit note that I love HGM for. What a beautiful oil this is - I'm so happy I can finally wear it!