Lorna Brigid

Geranium, lavender, amber, myrrh, dark musk.... this had notes of win. This should have been lovely on meh! In the Imp: I smell the lavender, the amber, the black rose.... On my skin: Soothingly pretty.... huh? Wait-- what's that? It smells familiar, from my childhood... thinking of up north....woods.... mosquito bites.... This smells exactly like Calamine lotion!!!!!!

You can also do this by utilizing that pink star up in the top right corner next to the search box. It will take you to a search function area where you can put in the scent name, and what I personally do is limit it to "Title" of thread, click "Reviews" in the box, and it will take you to the review thread for that scent. Along the top it tells you what category the scent is in, as well. (This is what I use to update my personal Excel spreadsheet of scents. I have on the left the names, descriptions, categories and reviews of my current inventory, and on columns on the right are the ones I want to try, and their descriptions and categories. When I look it up, I usually cut and paste the description to my spreadhseet if it looks like something I'd like).

SMUT 2010: In the bottle: A bit grapey, but I didn't notice that at first until I read the previous reviews, then said "Oh, that's what that is!" On the Drydown: this is almost vanilla like, laced with sugar and musk. I've never tried straight Snake Oil of any type, and every Snake Oil blend I've tried has gone badly on my chemistry. But this Smut..... OMG! I can't stop smelling my arms! It is not heavy or boozey to me as one might expect; it's actually a bit light and girly, IMO. It's beautifully sweet but not cloying, warm and musky without being too much... It's beautifully sexy without being dirty, if that makes sense? I could bathe in this! To me it is actually light enough to wear to work (in an office). OMG I love this! Must find more.... Edited cuz I ken spell.

Penance, I worry about the coconut in that, I'm not a coconut fan. But maybe? The Apothecary sounds promising... Thank you!!!

I wore Spicebush Swallowtail today. To me it is more of a warm spicy holiday scent than a summertime butterfly scent. It was lovely smelling it at my aunt's house through dinner.

A sudden and shocking insight into the vast, ineffable, overwhelming power of Nature, stirred by a vision or experience of perfected beauty and perfected terror, that changes the soul irretrievably. An epiphany: Moroccan amber, wisteria, ambergris accord, white rose, magnolia, white mint, angelica, bergamot, and myrrh. I love, love, love, love this scent!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :love!: It is sooooo.... ahh, the wisteria and myrrh, and amber and mint and magnolia.... *sigh* I think Beth has an interesting way of making a scent (or titling a scent) perfectly. The myrrh creates just enough smokiness for "shadowy" and the wisteria-magnolia-mint combo give the sublime smell/feel. The amber and rose are the bridges that gap and hold it all together. This has fast tied with Hecate for my number one spot! ETA Description

So since my first entry, the Boomslang problem got solved thanks to a lovely forumite. It is soooo beautiful, I can see why so many people love it! Sadly, it goes to yuck on my skin in a minute flat. I am fortunate that with this last discontinuances announcement, my only love of that list is Phantom Queen. She was my first imp a year ago when I first sniffed a BPAL! Currently I am looking forward to trying Wulric, and Phantom Calliope. And Cathedral, one of these days, soon. I am seeking at the moment the perfect cherry scent, the perfect lavender, and a beautiful incense scent. I also want to try Suck It and Oneiroi. I have already discovered I LOVE the Shadowy & the Sublime, and will be purchasing a bottle or two this coming Friday before the Weenies go down. I'm also terribly looking forward to our Yule decants coming! Can't wait to get my hands on Snow White and Gelt and The Clock Strikes Midnight...Madame Moriarty has become my "I'm feelin sexy and frisky" scent....just wish I had a man beast to be sexy and frisky with! Sigh. I've also secured a bottle of Peach Moon, and can't wait til next summer, because it will be a beautiful summer scent. One thing I have figured out about BPAL is that the obsession over the different scents is a great cure for depression; before I joined this forum, I had a few imps from my purchase last year, and really did not have much going on in my mind except the usual work, parenthood and college and day to day things. New BPALs and adoration of my loved scents is a little thought consuming happy thing that distracts me from the normal hum drum and keeps the depression at bay. Also, I really love being on here and seeing that the same women on this forum that talk scents, make up and clothing (girly stuff) also play WOW, read comic books, and have things like Olivia Dunham or Veronica Mars in their sigs or avatars, and it makes me feel right at home. My office at work has decreed that as of January 1st they are going 7 days a week and will now be working Sundays. This was a bitter pill to swallow, as well as the fact that my sub department has to work til 7 pm two nights a week. This means that with those 2 nights, and my school classes two nights, I will have a total of 4 nights hardly being with my daughter. I was devastated! She's only 6, and her father has not seen her in over 2 years. She needs me. But, I am looking forward to the paychecks next year, because I dumped my health insurance plan with them. They wanted about $25 more a week for shittier coverage. I said "No way." I found better coverage through a plan through my college, that costs less, will not garner me a whole bunch of bills in the mail due to the deductible, no visit copays, and it will still cover my rheumatoid arthritis. By June I can get my daughter on Medicaid and it will cover her psychotherapy, too. I still have to discuss it with my worker, but I think it will work out great. But the news from work has also lit the fire under my ass and reinforced my dedication to school. Yes it will be rough for several months, but my goal is to graduate May 2012. Between spring 2011 and winter 2012 I will need to complete 32 credit hours for my first degree. (I'm not sure if my Pell grants will cover a 2nd one, but I will have to see). I love my work, I've been there for 6 1/2 years, but I can taste the end in sight eventually. It is going to hell in a handbasket! Much like the rest of the world, it feels like. I am trying to be positive, really I am. From where I sit, though, it appears people's values have gone down the drain. All I can do is worry about my own values and behavior, and take pride in my child and my home and my goals.

I got this as a frimp from a sweet forumite. I would never have picked it out for myself... I've been uncertain about woody scents on me, as well as fig. But I love this! I was nicely surprised. It's like a dry, spicy floral.... I've never smelled Scherezade, but this is what I would imagine something called that to smell like. (even though by the notes it says they are different). It feels very Mediterranean or middle eastern to me. It's edgy without being masculine. I really like it!

I got this as a frimp from the lab. I want to like it. I will give it more time. But really what I am getting is CHERRY MENTHOL COUGH DROPS.

Hi all! So I just searched through a whole bunch of pages, as well as did a search for "velvets" and cannot find anything. I have fallen in love with "The Velvets." However, it goes soft on me and then disappears in 20 min or less. I love the cool, incensey floralness of it! Is there anything else available right now that is just like it? Thank yooooos!

I was looking so forward to this one.... It's very pretty in the imp. Unfortunately, on me it is pure baby wipes. Not just powder, but total in your face baby wipes or baby lotion.

Where's the smoky lavender?!? I was so disappointed. All I get is pipe tobacco and head shop smell.

I'm glad I found this thread! I was about to make a "Those of us who cannot wear Snake Oil blends Unite!" thread. Although I have to admit, I've not tried original Snake Oil. BUT, I just got to try Boomslang thank to a lovely forumite. I wanted to see what all the fuss is about before dropping the $ on a bottle from the lab. Thank goodness I did. I LOOOOOOVE it in the imp and the first minute it is on: it's like spicy incensey chocolate. I can see why so many love it. However, after 1 minute it goes powdery and diaper smelling on me. I know I cannot wear BPAL orange blossom. I've learned that lesson with Love Me, Jezebel and Vixen. They broke my heart. I don't have the amber problems, because there are plenty of blends with amber I wear successfully. I'm truly beginning to wonder if BPAL's vanilla hates me. Does anyone else who cannot wear Snake Oil and Snake Oil blends know which note is the culprit? (I suspect we may have similar chemistries compared to those lucky people who wear them with joy). Have you found similar scents you CAN wear instead? On a side note, my favorite non BPAL of all time is Angel, which I have yet to find a BPAL equivalent of. But the chocolatey scents always make me think it might be close.

Sharper in the imp. On my skin.... whoah! Holy honey!!! THIS is what I imagine a Glowing Vulva should smell like, this is so sweet musky feminine sex! Can't stop huffing. This is is honiest honey I've ever smelled, and the red musk is the perfect companion.

So this is my first blog here... anyone who may read, hello! I'm used to keeping a Livejournal, and a Myspace. I refuse to participate on Facebook, though. I suppose I'll keep this to be mainly about my BPAL experiences, with only slight nods to general stuff. So far, I've only been a member of this forum for a few weeks. I have to say I am really impressed! Everyone here seems so kind. It is amazing to me that all you have to do is post or PM, and people will kindly sell you something you are wanting. Except Boomslang; no one seems to want to imp that one, LOL! That's okay, I guess I will wait for my Pell grant refund next month and order a bottle. If it does not work for me, I am sure I can find someone who would give it a good home. I'm just so curious what all the fuss is about! But I am really amazed at the kindness here at this forum. The Lab should be proud to have such a wonderful group of people following. So of the about 30 scents I own at the moment, I'm in love with about 8. I have 10 more still coming in the mail from forumites, and an imp pack on order with the Lab, and about 30 more on the wishlist. What is still coming yet is: 3 weenies, 2 LEs, 4 GC's and 1 vampire scent. Right now my top favorite scents are VOODOO and HECATE. Soooo in love with those. Since I have been here, I've discovered that the orange blossom note does bad things on me. That has to be the problem, since it is in all the scents that are epic fails on me. The Big Bads have been Monarch, The Black Tower and Vixen/Love Me/Jezebel. (I lump those three together because they all do the same nasty thing on me). I'm terribly curious about Shub Niggurath, because I am wondering how much like Origins ginger it is? I guess I'll find out soon enough. I have to admit that I am not that keen on the collecting aspect as far as getting all these old, obscure LE's. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that being a single mom with limited funds, and getting into it so late, I would rather look to the future. There is just two of them I cannot get from the lab anymore, that I was so seduced by the descriptions of that I must try.But rather than worry about Pink Snowballs from 2006 or something, I am really looking forward to The Last Unicorn and the Midnight Carnival, for example. Let alone this year's Yules. So now the full moon has multiple meanings to me; 1. the Lunacy update from the lab, 2. Craziness at work, and 3. Meditations. One thing I am really liking about this place is that there is a high Pagan population. It is really reminding me of ways I used to be, of feelings I used to have. I am hoping that being here can influence me to be the person I want to be. I've gotten so cynical the last several years of my life. I would really like to get in touch with feelings about the old ways again. Gods knows this world needs more love in it. I really want to be a part of it, but find myself constantly trying to learn how. I can't help but feel the last several months that something has been really wrong with me. Probably depression trying to weasel it's way onto me. Coming here and coveting scents and looking forward to new ones gives me a fun distraction. I appreciate it. (Besides pondering "Where is Chloe Sullivan?""What is Sophie's real name?""Who is Gaby's real daughter?""Why does Christine think she's dead?""When will Lily get pregnant?" and of course, "How long til Peter figures out that's not his Olivia?"

My interpretation of Kali: Sitting in a mossy European garden eating chocolate and sipping burgundy. This is a very unique scent, and very pretty. I am loving it. It beautifully phases through tobacco flower, honey, wine, chocolate, hibiscus, lotus, and back through.

Voodoo was the very first (no, make that second or third) scent that I ever tried. Most of the notes listed are not anything I would normally go for: lime? Vetiver? Pine? Not really things I seek. BUT.... OMG is this fabulous!!!!!! It is sexy mysterious herbal woodsy incensey.... I cannot say enough. It is a complex blend, cannot pick things apart in the imp. It morphs and wafts back and forth between notes on my skin. All day. I've gotten more compliments with Voodoo on than any other scent I wear.

Oops... wrong thread. My issue belongs with the LE's, not the disco'ds....Sorry mods!!

In the imp: I'm intrigued... very pretty, but I cannot place the separate notes. Sweet and a little musky. On my skin (wet and drydown both): I smell kind of like a cinnamon vanilla nut latte! The amber and red musk are amped, and play together beautifully on me. The rose doesn't really smell rosy... it is like a mysterious floral that just dances around the edge of the scent but never gives itself away.... it feels like a warm invitation you follow, but never get there, but in a good way, if that makes any sense. I am spellbound by Spellbound!

I had been wanting to try Black Tower ever since I read it's description a year ago. I got a vial and got the opportunity, and I wore it today. What misfortune. Smelled interestingly beautiful in the imp; kind of a hint of lemon, I can smell the leather, the ozone, the metallic "Wine", etc. On wet: Within 2 minutes I went into a *getitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoff!* dance. On me, Black Tower smells like death warmed over, plain and simple. No sweetness, no sandalwood, nothing pretty. Just death. I would not choose to goto work smelling like road kill. Mental note: When work someday requires visits to the coroner, bring a pleasant sniffy to breathe into. I was nauseated all day, and tried hard to eradicate or mask the scent of BT.... it was a fail. My skin amps dead soldiers, apparently.

Gee, and I thought I was alone in dorkiness by making my own Excel worksheet with all my haves, wants, descriptions and reviews.... LOL Love this place.... ETA: I was only referring to myself as dorkiness... I've read this back just now and realized I should clarify this! So no offense to everyone else!!!!

OMG I loooooove Hecate! In the imp: more floral and green smelling than I expected it to be by the description. Kind of a sweet sting. Wet: the same as when in the imp. No pick up of almond yet, just a green and incensey smell. Maybe a slight berry tinge? Drydown: On me, Hecate blends into something that makes me think of when you come out of a wonderful hot shower with some herbal body wash, and settle in with a cup of hot mocha. The almond blends with the other ingredients on my skin as a cocoa and nice soap type of smell. The musk gives it a little smoke and sexiness. Apparently almond plays nice on me. One of my favorite non BPAL scents of all time is the original Angel. Hecate is her smoky, sexy older sister. I must have a big bottle! I want to bathe in Hecate!

ltrittipoe said it is like Love Me in the imp. I agree with that. Love Me does not love me. It does yucky things on my skin, it just doesn't work on me, and turns pungeant and diapery. When I first put Siren on, I thought "Oh no, this is gonna do the same thing... it has that air about it. It was like that for oh... within the first hour. But eventually..... oh, it morphed into something like how Voodoo is on me, instead! It became smoky, incensey like. Sweet flowery incense. Very beautiful, and just enough power to last and have the right amount of throw. Verdict: I love Siren.

I wanted, expected to love this soooo much. I was looking so forward to getting it and trying it. It was a warm day today, so I wore it. So beautiful in the imp! I could smell the mandarin and ginger, with the hint of the sugar cane and buttery pumpkin making it smell kind of like an orangey or apricot pastry. Alas, I finally understand what you all mean when you describe a "plasticky smell" for any given scent. After the drydown, this is quite weak and faint on me. It stays a long time, but just is so mellow. It turned into a plastic and powder smell quickly and stayed so all day. Baby powder and melted plastic with some sugar on it.

Ok, my first review here... and I never expected it to be on Mania! But here goes... This was a frimp from the lab almost a year ago. I never thought much of it, but never disliked it. I've recently revived my BPAL love, and so I wore it today. In the imp:warring musk and fruit. Can't pick out single notes, but it smells sweet and very pretty. On Wet:sharp berries, and the musk makes it almost boozy. on the Drydown:This wound up settling into a smell that made me think of vineyards all day! Not Vinyard, but vineyards! It seriously intoxicated me all day, making my mouth water for a sweet dark wine. It seriously smells more like grape wine on me than strawberry. I'm glad, too, because me and grapefruit don't get on well, and strawberry has always been kinda weak on me. Overall: This has a medium throw, but stays on me all day. It is beautiful and sweet without being cloying, despite how sharp it seems in the imp. I will definitely want a bottle of this. Not my number one fav, but one of the tops.