ih8perfume

THIS. THIS is the 13 of my dreams! And I am rarely a fan of apple spice blends. The chocolate is quite prominent and as someone else mentioned, syrupy. The apple is much more a dried apple. Not juicy at all. The honeysuckle ups the sweetness and softens some of the harsh edges of the spices. And the spices.... Oh god... The spices. I had all but given up on spices. They never have quite worked on my skin. And sometimes, they just plain burn! But these are warm and yummy and not at all overpowering. The frankincense melds with the spices in the most delightful way. It -just- pulls the blend out of foodie territory, adds a bit of a balsamic high note, and keeps the blend from sliding into Yankee Candle territory. It's what Yankee Candle wants to be when it grows up! I find it hard to believe that this was a June blend. It screams AUTUMN to me because of the apple spice combo. I am so surprised at how much I love this one! And once again, the actual fragrance is so different from what I expected. I thought I might get something like Candy Butcher. Chocolatey, but light with a sweet floral finish. Instead, its dark, syrupy,chewy sticky lusciousness. Thank you, Usagi,for sending all these great new things to try! It made my day!

Thanks to the most awesome Usagi, I get to try this and and several other new scents. First, why isn't this getting more love? I fear that the non-foodies are put off by the list of edible ingredients while the foodies are disappointed at how UN-foody this blend is. From the very first whiff, the word that comes to mind when I smell this is PINK! It's Pink-tastic, Pink-a-riffic, happy, poppy, pink! I'm guessing that its mostly the pink pepper? I'm not familiar with Pimento Berry, so it could be that. This is actually a fairly balanced blend, aside from the pink pepper. The dark chocolate ips far in the background, grounding the blend with an earthy quality. The balsam provides that high-pitched, slightly sour resin. The champaca does not give off the Nag Champa vibe that I recall from past Champaca experiences. In this, it lends a creamy, exotic floral note that's heady without being cloying. Bergamot usually makes me think of Earl Grey tea at best and Fruit Loops at worst. I don't seek it out, but I don't find it offensive. In this blend, It plays very nicely, just adding a whiff of fruitiness. I don't actually smell the paprika, but there is an undertone of spiciness in the wet stage that could be the paprika making its appearance. This blend is NOTHING like I expected. It is quite light, fresh, and femme. I usually prefer my fragrances on the dark, woodsy, resinous side, but I could see wearing this on a gawdawful hot summer day and feeling refreshed and pretty. Would probably be nice for a wedding or innocent first date. Quite innocent and skewing young-ish. I need to add that I keep catching whiffs of something GORGEOUS as this dries. It's dry and resinous and calls to mind the way teak plays with the other ingredients of Boomslang. I've tried a few different scents today, so it could be something else. But if its this blend, then I may have to track down some more of this and some other balsam blends.

The is to the quite amazing Usagi, I got to try the lovely Gennivre. I'm an artist, so this blend appealed to me on that level. The notes in this one are almost pure win. I say "almost" because tea can be iffy on me. First sniff in the imp: Herm. I usually do NOT get a cleaning fluid vibe from lemony scents, but I did with this blend. Not an auspicious start. But, if I've learned anything about BPALs its that they MUST be skin tested. So I dabbed on a bit. Wow! It blooms into a beautiful sweet, minty, citrus tea! Gorgeous. But oh, no! Here comes the tea. It stomps all over the more delicate aromas and leaves me with a not nearly so lovely perfume-y (in a bad way) smell. I wish I could enjoy the tea scents because I'm a dedicated tea drinker, but this just doesn't work on me. Dang. Thought I would love this one from the description.

Thanks to the AMAZING Usagi, I've gotten to try this 13. Thirteens are a bit of an obsession for me, so to find this in a package Sniffing the imp and first blast on skin was a somewhat heavy chocolate. To me, it was the cocoa-infused vanilla from Velvet almost exactly. The mandarin and tangerine give it a zesty zing, but its surprisingly not all that orange-y. The currant lends a rich, deep fruitiness. Not really juicy... But sweet. There is a minty hyssop/ medicinal quality to this blend that I find intriguing and refreshing. There is a similar note in Sleeping Nymph and Satyrs, which I love! The heavy chocolate blast burns off pretty fast and becomes much more a white chocolate. Eventually, the chocolate retreats altogether and leaves a very rich, sweet, fruit with a medicinal high note. This kind of fruity scent isn't usually my cup of tea because they tend to amp like crazy and smell artificial on me, but this stays pretty well behaved. Eventually, the iris comes put to play and dusts its creamy, powdery sweetness over the whole lot. I probably wouldn't wear it all that often because these kinds of rich fruits don't really call my name, but if you like figs and raisins and other luscious sticky fruits, give this a try. However, this is absolutely NOT a foody blend. Either the iris or some of the herbs send this into perfume territory even though all the listed ingredients are quite edible.

Favorite color: blue or green, but I like them all. I prefer bright, clear colors to pastels and muddy colors, but even those are good sometimes. Favorite season: summer. Always. If you could live anywhere: Winter home in Colorado, Vacation Home in Outer Banks, SC. And a "regular" home somewhere like Athens, GA or Austin, TX or someplace in the south, but not so conservative Long trips coming up? Need something to occupy your time? Yes and yes. We are driving for like 15 hours or something to get to FL the 2nd week in July. An audio book we could all listen to would be great. Or anything we could do in the car. I should have access to use an iPhone over the car's stereo system for the trip. Jungle Jim's: I'd love to try new sauces, marinades, rubs, spice blends, etc. or whatever you think is good. 3 things you could use but wouldn't get for yourself: a maid! . But srsly, green cleaning products, a cool door knocker, home decor type stuff TP Etsy update: I updated my Etsy favorites before I saw this question. Watermelon Oreos? No thanks. 3 BPALS you'd like: GC: Tamora, Not-HTF LE: Kajuraho, HTF LE: Boomslang or Banshee Beat Knit or crochet needle size? II don't do either right now, but wouldn't be opposed to learning. Styles of artwork: my favorites are Norther European Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelite Handmade Spice Mixes/Rubs? Yes, please! Mexican Vanilla? Oh, Hell yeah. I got married in Mexico and I brought back and used several bottles. Silver rings/necklaces? Sure! Simple ones. Conjure Ouls? Don't have time to look at the moment. Any books just coming out? I don't keep track, but sure, if you know of something. Favorite quote for cross stitch: The cure for anything is saltwater Special symbols or totems? Nothing in particular. I like all kinds of animals. When you are having a rough day, what do you do to brighten it? To to Hobby Lobby for a new project. Regional sodas? I like super-spicy ginger ale, but thats about all. I would try something, though, if you know of something awesome.

Pumpkin: Pumpkin scents do not work on my skin. Home scents would be OK, though. And I love pumpkin based foods. Canned goods: YES PLEASE!! ALL YOUR CANNED GOODS ARE BELONG TO ME!! Dr. Who: Dr. who? Sorry... Bad pun. I don't watch much TV. Lipbalm: yes. No weird flavors like beer or dill pickles, but otherwise I'm pretty open. My favorite brand is a local company, but really, I like them all. Lipgloss: sure! Looking for the perfect, sheer neutral red stain. Not so much the brownish or orange-ish or frosted/pale colors, but I'm all about lip gloss, tinted balms, and lip stains. Like a little obsessed, even. Other than BPALs: I love Sapphire and the vanilla-y ones from Nocturne Alchemy. Arcana's Morphine is big favorite. I also would love to try more from Violette Market and Haunt. I've never tried anything from Alkemia or however its spelled, but those sound pretty interesting, too. Im a fan of Blonde Suede and St. Valentine from DSH. As far as mainstream companies, I do like Poison, but otherwise I like TokyoMilk and I'd like to try maybe Tom Ford Oud and/or vanilla ones. And maybe Jo Malone, but its not like a burning desire or anything. I LOVE Blooddrop's Lyrical Horse and would love to try more of the Carousel Horses. Adagio teas: IDK. I pretty much drink Tazo Chai (preferably the Organic, but def. not the Decaf!) Coffee: I don't usually drink coffee and I don't think I'd like pumpkin coffee, but I do like New Orleans style chicory coffee and I'm fond of the occasional mocha. I've got a drip style coffee maker, but I haven't used it in years. Favorite Female of All Time: uh... Eve? According to the story, she had Paradise, but gave it up for knowledge. I like certain aspects of Marie Antoinette. I'd love to have my own Petite Trianon. Disney Princess: would have to be Merida, because I was really mouthy like that as a kid. Plus, we're kind of hair twins. Current Craft Projects: Jewelry design, natural indigo Shibori dyeing, making simple clothing, wire-wrapping gemstones and fossils, basic leather work, making stuff with feathers including barrettes, jewelry, and quill pens, drawing, painting. Craft supplies always welcome! Especially rough gems, feathers, leather and fur scraps, tiny bottles and tins, cool old jewelry I can canniblize, embroidery floss, vintage lace and fabric trims (or new, actually), natural fibers, dried herbs, beeswax, cocoa butter... If you can make stuff with it, I can probably use it! I have tons more ideas on my questionnaire. One rare BPAL: Banshee Beat Are you kinky? I could be persuaded... What have you got in mind? Hahahahaha. I'm married for 12 years with 2 kids... Is a sex dream kinky? Scented candles: I've had a few that I enjoyed, but can't remember the brand or scent or anything. I prefer mostly natural-ish subtle scents for home. I'm open to trying pretty much anything (except aquatics and leather), but things that are too strong or girly will be bitched about by my super-smeller husband. South Africa: I love handmade, regional specialties of all kinds from pretty much anywhere. I'm not familiar with what might come from South Africa, but I love beads and hand printed cloth, shells, whatever is special about where you live. Sock Dreams: I don't know. I only wear socks when I have to. But I like soft, tall ones. Pretty much any color but purple and preferably without pictures of actual things (like cats and stuff) on them. Patterns are OK and crazy colors are fine, too. Hair accessories: yes to hair accessories. Not into bows or cutesy stuff, but I use everything from barrettes to headbands to elastics to forks to old combs to spin pins. Any metals or natural looking materials like wood or tortoise shell. I got some awesome seashell bobbies that I LOVE and wouldn't mind having more. Colors would probably be OK, but not like kids' stuff. Favorite Shade of Blue: all of them. ok... Maybe not Wedgewood Blue (cool grey blue), but every other kind of blue, I love. Blue and green are my favorite colors. Think peacock colors. Kitchen Gadgets: not really. A good crockpot cookbook? But only if its one you know and love. Learn something new? I really enjoy interesting non-fiction. I'd love to learn a little more about natural dyes, particularly Shibori. I'd also like to learn more about edible gardening and advanced jewelry making. Metaphysical type stuff, too especially gems and tarot. Candy: I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but I do eat some candy occasionally. I like orange chocolates, Reese's Cups, super sour candies, really good butterscotch. Can't think of anything else at the moment. E-reader: I don't have a dedicated e-reader, but I have an iPad and iPhone and wouldn't mind having some books to read. Anything handmade that I wouldn't want: I really can't think of anything I wouldn't want. I do prefer natural fibers for knitted and crochet things that are worn close to the skin. Video Games: I have a Wii, but not that many games. I'd love to have some fun games for that and used ones would be perfectly fine with me! I also have a Big Fish Games account. I like to play adventure and puzzle games that use my brain rather than trigger finger. Personal Daily Ritual: I start every day with a HUGE glass of hot chai. I try to wash my face every night. It's usually just toner or facial wipes. Swipe of lip balm and slathering of BPAL before bed. Nail polish: if you find something really crazy cool, sure... I don't wear much polish and its usually just on my toes. I also think that the polishes get together and have little polish babies in there because I have more than I will ever use. BPALs tried and want more: Tamora, Temple Viper, Underpants, Boomslang, Jabberwocky, Elizabeth of Bohemia, Womb Furie, Samhain, How Doth the Little Crocodile, Oakmoss SN, White Sage SN, I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting. Do you write real letters: no, but I use tons of little notebooks and sketchbooks. Paintbox Soapworks: Beet it, High in the 70s, April Fool, Hearthside. I'm sure there are more that I'd love, but those are my favorites so far. I especially adore Beet it and Hearthside. Love the sorbettos and soaps. Gardening: Yes. I grow a veggie garden and I try to focus my gardening efforts on edibles and aromatics. I wouldn't mind having something that was just pretty or interesting, but things that need fussing over likely won't survive. Sample size things: YES! Just... Yes. I love to sample all the things! Fortune Cookie Soaps: never tried, but would be open. Solid soap: yes. My favorites are Quinquereme of Nineveh by Lush, High in the 70s and Beet It from PBSW and Mystere Sea Salt by Naples Soap Co. There was also a charcoal one I got that I adored, but I can't remember where it came from. I LOVE sea salt soap and charcoal soap, but I'm open to trying pretty much anything. Again, leather and aquatic scents don't work very well for me. Cocoa Pink: I've seen, but not tried their stuff. I don't take baths (although my kids do), but I wouldn't mind trying their other things as long as they fall within my scent likes and dislikes. Lush: the charcoal based face cleansers look kind of interesting and some of the curly hair stuff. I'm sure that there's tons more I would try. Quinquereme of Nineveh soap is one of my all-time favorite bath products ever, but I've only ever gotten a sample. I've never even seen it for sale. 100 people in a room... What makes me different: I'm going to answer this with as much honesty as I can muster. The obvious differences are that I have very long, curly hair. I also rarely wear make-up, although I like to wear it. I'm really small. Only about 5 feet 1 inch tall and 115 lbs. I look and act much younger than my age. The not so obvious differences. Trying to think of how to say this without sounding like an a-hole... My IQ is too high to measure by most of the quick, basic IQ tests. I don't know my actual IQ score, but its 99th percentile. It would definitely put me in the minority in a random sample of Americans, but in good company here. Most of the time, I try to hide it a little because it tends to piss people off. I also have ADHD and a math learning disability that makes even simple math somewhat difficult for me. I have two children with special needs. I have an incredibly incredibly sick, completely un-PC, absolutely ruthless sense of humor that I rarely share because most people wouldn't understand that I don't necessarily share the same viewpoint as my sense of humor. Do I want questions answered here or in a blog? I've enjoyed reading responses here, but I know it would be handy to have the answers all in one place, especially if you had dietary restrictions or allergies or just things that you don't want or can't have. Shiro Cosmetics: these are awesome! I really don't wear makeup very often, but For eyes, i like rich jewel tones, non-pastel pinks, and those kind of nude-but-better colors. For lips, I like bright-ish, sheer colors in traditional lip colors. Not so into browns, fantasy colors, or pale/frosted colors. I like to experiment, so don't worry about buying something "wrong". Anything you boycott: Hobby Lobby. Otherwise, I try to be somewhat conscientious with my purchases, but I'm not that picky. However, I'm not that big on animal parts that involve killing the animal expressly for me. I don't mind using animal parts that are from meat production, ethically culled, found, or vintage.. Favorite FB pages: I'm Jodi Manis on Facebook. You are welcome to friend me. Do you read literature / etc. blogs: no, I just don't have much time. If I had some suggestions, I might. Do you like picnics: there's no such thing as an intimate, 2-person picnic in my life, but yes, we do enjoy the occasional picnic. Haus of Gloi: it actually all sounds good! I really love lemony scents and there are lots of them. I'd prefer the bath products to the oils, but wouldn't say no to any of it. Just no leather or aquatics. VM: the dirty cotton candy, patchouli vanilla cotton candy, sugared incense cotton candy, heliotrope penny candy, Powdered sweet smoke penny candy, sugared patch penny candy, tahitian vanilla penny candy, vanilla mint penny candy, Butter Cow and Milkmaid all sound good, and I'd love a lemony, creamy, vanilla-y coconut-y something or a chocolatey vanilla-y, rosy, resiny something, or a tomato leaf-y, cucumber-y, minty, rose water-y something. I could go on... Anything you collect from places you visit! Seashells, driftwood, feathers, rocks, crystals, minerals... Stuff like that. Occasionally a t-shirt. Empire Edibles? Looks delicious. The Empress of India fudge looks good. And the hot chocolate sticks. Especially the spicy ones. 3 books you want to read: The Magician King by Lev Grossman. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris Is there a literary character you identify with? Not really a literary character, but Hollis Gillespie has always kind of resonated with me. Tabletop Games? My kids are just now getting old enough to play games. Most of the games we have are taken apart and played with and pieces lost. What is your sense of humor? Dry, dumb, sick. I don't necessarily think absurdity is funny and Monty Python style humor doesn't really do "it" for me. Anything from X country? I would LOVE to have anything that is special about wherever you are from. Spice mixes, canned goods, folk art, particular crafts, sweets, whatever you like that is special to where you live. Most recent BPAL update? They all look interesting! But I can't do leather or aquatics. So there are a couple that won't work at all. I'd really like to try to bath oils, though, from BPTP update. Gift cards? Vouchers? Sure. iTunes gift card would be appreciated. Joann, michaels, and starbucks would all be used. Maximum size for a painting? Maybe 7 feet by 7 feet? We have quite a bit of blank wall space. Favorite object owned? Probably my china cabinet. It is beautiful. It's fairly old, I think. And it has the most amazing curved glass pieces in the front. I use it for my cabinet of curiosities since I don't have china! Although I do have very modern cut crystal wine glasses in there. Is there someone on forums who knows you really well? Not really. Lookingglass and a few others have met me in real life, but only a couple of times. Do you like wax melts or tarts? Not really. I don't have a burner or anything. Hot Chocolate? Yes, please! I'm not so into flavored varieties, unless it were completely natural. Especially no mint, please. Bad experience with peppermint schnapps and hot chocolate, yeah... No thanks. Spoon fudge? IDK, never had it! Why not! Moona Lisa? Yes please! Enable me. I got a bare whiff of something chocolate-y from her that was heavenly. Any BPALs that you thought you'd love because of the imagery that didn't work? Perversion! It was like waking up in the back of a hot car with a hangover from girly drinks. And Ventriloquist's Dummy. The notes sounded like Win, I loved the concept. But it was gawdawful on me. Like I almost retched. Smells good on my mom, though. Starbucks? Sure.

Patchouli: check Honey: check Vanilla amber: double check plus So why in the name of all that is holy and sacred does this smell like pine-sol on me? I even love evergreens of all kinds, but this smells like the kind of industrial cleaner that nursing homes use to mop the floor. When I sniff the actual bottle, I get some whiffs of very hippie-ish patchouli, maybe lightly sweetened. When I put it on my skin... Floor cleaner. I have no illusions that I will ever own a bottle of Banshee Beat, so I had really high hopes for this. GERALD!!! WHERE IN THE HELL ARE YOU WITH YOUR MAGIC UNICORN DUST? I have layered this with a single note vanilla with ~some~ success, so I'm going to put his away for a little while and see what happens. But I am seriously wondering if I've gotten an off bottle, since the reviews (aside from Ella LaRose) are SO vastly different from what I smell. Ok, I am going to toddle off to the corner to cry for a little while.

I could simply stop the review right there, but I will add my two scents (haha!) to the mix. First off, this is STRONG (!!!!!). I'm a slatherer usually, but just a dab is enough Eisheth for me. The initial blast is boozy peach. Wet, juicy, just on the verge of being over ripe, and very sticky sweet. But almost immediately, the ambergris and patchouli ramp up to add warmth and depth and temper the sweetness. As it dries, I get the barest hint of a dry dusty cocoa. It mostly just seems to add a bit more warmth and depth, but does also give it a bit of creaminess (?). I do NOT smell chocolate or cocoa outright. Just a bare dusting. The neroli doesn't seem to show up at all, unless it just adds a bit of floral realism to the overall sweetness. The honey does not overwhelm or turn into funky plastic or bad body odor as it can sometimes do on my skin. I get the impression of a very pale clover or orange blossom, or early wildflower honey, more of a light, warm floral sweetness than a rich, waxy HONEY. The patchouli works very well in this. It's just barely there, and really just adds a bit of woody earthiness to the juicy slurp of peach. The ambergris is also just a teensy whiff. It seems to kind of anchor the blend and add its characteristic balsamic salty warmth. I love me some whale vomit, so I wouldn't mind more, but that's just me. It does become more prominent on the drydown as fixatives are wont to do. The Patch also sticks around well enough to outlast the initial juicy blast. Overall- I really like this and over time, it may grow into twoo wub. Fruit based blends don't usually agree with me, but I am finding that I do OK with apricot and peach. Maybe it's because I was born in Atlanta, GA and grew up being called a Georgia Peach! I think I might like it even more if the ambergris and patchouli were more prominent and may do some layering. I can also completely smell the Poison reference. It was my scent of choice in high school, and while I'm not at all nostalgic for those times, I do still enjoy Poison, but find it much much too strong these days. This is lighter, sunnier, juicier, and just plain happier than Poison ever dreamed of being. ETA: at the very late drydown stage, much of the slurpy peach burns off and the cocoa and other bottom notes really move to the foreground. It DOES start to smell like chocolate (yay! Happy dance). The peach doesn't ever take a backseat. It always remains a "peach" fragrance, but the darker notes, especially the cocoa and patchouli, get their moment to shine. The ambergris just holds it all together and keeps it from being too foody, giving it more of a "traditional perfume" feel without the (IMHO) harsh perfume stank.

This was a frimp from the lab in the infinite wisdom. I never would have chosen this on my own because of the stargazer lily. I sometimes find the scent of the actual flowers overwhelming, so the thought of a clingy oil is kinda I find it very interesting that other reviewers get aquatics from this scent, because I get none of that. I cannot do aquatics, even Beth's, so for me that's a good thing. This scent for me is moss and amber. The moss gives it a masculine quality to me, which I'm usually not crazy about, but I like it in this blend. I can detect a hint of vanilla, but it mostly just softens it up a little and blends with the amber to make it feel warm and fuzzy. I'd love for Hubs to wear this, so I could snuggle up with it! I'm not familiar with Elemi, but maybe it adds to the resinous quality of he amber. The stargazer lily is way way way back in the background. I think it just sweetens things up and keeps the moss from being as musty and dirt-ish as usual. It's more like someone walked through the room with a bouquet of lilies, rather than the bouquet sitting under your nose. The other thing about this blend is that it is STRONG. I used just a tiny tiny dab and it was enough. If I slathered this, it would be WAY to much and would probably give me a headache. I will def keep the imp. It will be one I reach for when I want to feel powerful and a little intimidating. It makes me think of kings and queens who actually ruled their kingdoms. The kind who were fair, but firm. The iron fist in the velvet glove.

I ordered an imp of this on a whim, since I like amber and amber tends to like me, too. This is actually NOTHING like I imagined. I was thinking of amber, warm florals, and maybe a touch of apple. What I got is more of a cool, high pitched floral. It has a bit of an effervescent quality, like the tickle in your nose from Ginger Ale or Orange Soda. Bubbly, a little sharp, refreshing, and just a bit tart. But it doesn't actually smell like it has ginger or citrus in it, just the hint of burn. The amber is not at all prominent on me, which is surprising. It generally dominates most any blend I wear, which is fine with me. Here, it kind of holds the bottom of the scent together, adds a gentle roundness and a hint of spice, and adds some weight to keep the whole blend from floating off into the ether. It seems to me that the apple blossom shows up at the tail end of the scent. It seems to add to the cool refreshing quality with a touch of juiciness. This is NOT the type of scent that I normally wear, but that's why I bought it. I used just a dab and I think it would be too much for slathering. But OMG I could see making a really light body splash or watery mist with this to use in the dog days of summer when I'm feeling all sweaty and gritty. It would make me feel all fresh and sparkly like a pretty pretty princess.

I doubt I ever would have chosen Urd on my own, but someone lovely picked this out just for me. The notes made me a little nervous. I'm rarely a fan of fruit. And Nag Champa and I do not have a good history, although I ADORE champaca flower. Then there's my love/loathe relationship with patchouli. But when I put this on, it turned into pure win. It was the nostalgic scent of a certain used record store from my high school and college days, but without the unwashed hippy/punk college angst smell. And then again, that doesn't do it justice. The grapes are tart and refreshingly juicy without being sour, the cereus (I assume) lends a breezy light floral nectar sweetness. These fresher scents mellow out the dirt/earth tones that can make patchouli a little too dark and sweaty... Too dirty hippy. The nag Champa kind of floats through the whole blend adding a bare hint of smoke and that unmistakeable exotic Champa spicy floral. Actual Nag Champa incense is completely overwhelming and headache inducing to my sensitive nose. But the Nag Champa in this blend was just the right exotic touch. It made me think more of India then Headshop. Once again, Beth has worked magic. Juicy, resinous, sexy and exotic. Love.

This is so VANILLA IN YO FACE that I am having trouble putting it on my skin. It is so strong and so rich it makes me think of drinking melted butter mixed with vanilla and maybe a drop of rum. I really love vanilla, so I am hoping that my nose is having a sensitive moment and that I will enjoy it more when I'm not so sick. ETA: To steal an idea from another review I read... This scent must really resent being bottled up. It comes out of the bottle and socks you in the nose. I found that it mellowed considerably when I finally got the balls to put it on my skin. The buttery-ness only sticks around for a couple of seconds before this settles into a dark, warm, sugary scent. It makes me think of a very old bottle of spiced rum where most of the alcohol has evaporated off and left a dark brown sludge of sugar crystals in the bottom of the bottle. Very sweet, very dark, a little spicy, a little boozy. Once on skin, I don't get much vanilla which I find weird and disappointing. I don't smell a great deal of booze on my skin, but strangely, I DO get a whiff of booze in the air in the room where I applied the oil. So maybe I am just not smelling it on myself? I was hoping for a more resinous vanilla scent like the vanilla in Snake Oil, but this is more Kill Devil than Snake Oil

My first impression is sweet pipe tobacco. It is a lovely, round, golden scent. Quite pretty and somewhat innocent. I like it quite a bit, but not sure if it is dirty enough for me. I'm guessing that Hubs will love it. ETA: I was going through my imp pile the other night, deciding what to keep and what to swap and ran across Tamora. I gave it a sniff and absentmindedly swiped a bit on my wrist, then continued on my sniff-orgy. As I was going through the rest of my imps, I kept getting whiffs of this and really liking it. So after I was done testing, I did the full slather and I have to say, I really ADORE this! This was a bit of a surprise since I usually am not a fan of florals OR fruits. If "O" is innocence defiled, then Tamora is innocence not yet defiled. But it's an innocence that knows and use its sexuality. It ~may~ skew a bit young to some because it is quite sweet, but I felt quite comfortable wearing it and I'm not young anymore. Where "O" can go a little dirty and sweaty (in the best possible way!),Tamora has the earthiness of the vanilla/amber combo, but the heliotrope and peach lend it a fresh, almost dew-kissed quality. So glad I decided to give this a second try. It is going on my short list for bottle purchases. Nice job, Beth!

I got the barest hint of dusty, flinty cocoa when I first applied, but it vanished almost instantly. It then went through a quick incense phase. But through all stages it is almost overwhelmingly floral. They are pretty tropical florals, if you like florals. But I don't usually get along we'll with these kinds of heady florals. It is interesting enough to try again. Picking up a couple of whiffs of incense now that its dry, but will have to try sometime when my nose isn't feeling so sensitive. The leather in this is actually well behaved and smells like leather, not "new car smell" which is what usually happens.

Holy fucking oak moss, Batman! This is about 90% oak moss and cedar, 10 % all the rest. Cue sad clown music. I do smell the chocolate & mint, but they are completely over shadowed by the very masculine oak moss. Maybe age will help?

As reported by the others, it is predominantly pine. I also got some refreshing chilly mint. It most definitely has something dark and sexy in there. It has a little bit of a sporty open air feel to it and makes me think of the old days of riding the fresh powder on a Colorado ski mountain while sipping from a thermos of hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps. Surprisingly, Hubs gave it the thumbs up, so I will have to do a more thorough test and see how it goes. I agree that this might be a sleeper hit. If pine turns to Pine-sol on you, it probably won't work. But if you like The sinus clearing freshness of Jabberwocky, you will probably like this, too.

Guiacwood has a very unusual fragrance. It is very sweet, fruity, and floral but with a little light sappy wood. Guaiacwood is woody like like petigrain is woody (i.e. um, not woody at all). First impression of Miss Jessel is a lightly incensed rose, but with something mysterious, sharp and warm like black pepper, lurking in the background. I will give it a more thorough skin test and report back , but it seemed a little strong at first.

I had a very similar reaction with some of the rose based oils like Catherine. My suggestion is to yes, sorry, wash it off. Unfortunately, if you continue to use an oil that irritates your skin, you can become sensitized to the point that most anything irritates that same skin. I couldn't wear Plunder at all. The cinnamon/black pepper set my ass on fire. Not that I used it on my ass. When my skin was all bumpy and itchy from the Rose, I took several days off from wearing any scented anything in that area. I waited at least a few months before I tried another rose scent. I had actually forgotten about the sensitivity issue. Surprisingly enough I didn't have the same reaction later. That said, I think that if cinnamon bothers you, it will probably always bother you. You ~can~ wear it on your clothing (just not underwear, haha), in your hair, or in a scent locket or other scentable body adornment that doesn't touch your actual skin. I'm currently wanting a wood or bone hair stick that I can saturate with oil and wear in my hair and I actually really enjoy scenting my scarves and winter coats. As my body heat warms the fibers, the scent kind of rises up around me. Sigh. Nice. If you must wear it on your skin, you might consider diluting it (maybe in a favorite unscented lotion or carrier oil) and/or putting it in places that don't get sweaty or have tender skin (back of hands, shoulders, kneecaps, feet). I've had lovely results with mixing oils with unscented lotion and slathering on arms, shoulders, and legs. I actually think it made the scent last much much longer, but with more subtle throw. Last bit of advice that i learned the hard way - showering and sweating opens your pores and allows the oils greater access to irritate if they are so inclined. Also, I'm not quite sure how to word this, so forgive if it rambles... When I get out of the shower, I dry off briskly with a rough towel to exfoliate. This exposes fresh, bright & shiny, virgin-type skin. Freshly exfoliates skin is much more likely to become irritated. So try not to put irritating oils on tender, freshly exfoliated skin. I ~so~ hope you find a way to wear it!!

I got this as a frimp from the lab and was absolutely blown away. I would never have chosen this because I wouldn't have thought that peach would work for me. But it is GORgeous. As others have said before me, it is a juicy, ripe white peach that does not overwhelm. Yellow peaches have a sour note that this does not have, and its a bit dirtier than this peach, thus the white peach. I had no idea that this had musk, but it explains the wallop this packs and it explains the lasting power. This stuff is STRONG and it lasts FOR-EV-ER. I barely dotted my pulse points and it was too much. I ended up mixing it into an unscented shower gel and after using it 1/2 an hour ago, I can still catch light whiffs. The peach is beautiful, but it is the back-up of amber/musk/patch that really makes this blend. They give the base a warm, golden woodsy feeling. I was certain this had cedar before I read the notes. The mixture ends up being quite sexy in a sensual earthy kind of way, but wearable outside bedroom / date night. I think it could be worn in an office as long as application was kept light, but maybe a little much for the parent teacher conference. It makes me think of watching an amazing autumn sunset on one of the last really warm evenings while I sit on my wooden porch swing and eat a lusciously ripe white peach. Contented sigh.

As most of the other reviews have mentioned, the coconut is the subtle star of this soft blend. One of the other reviews mention Japanese plums and I agree, a kind of sweet salty aspect. Some reviews have pointed to ambergris as the "salty" note, but it has never struck me as salty before. I can't help but think of suntan oil when I smell a coconut fragrance and I do get a bit of that association with this blend, but it certainly doesn't scream "SUNTAN OIL" at me. What I get is a lovely, soft, "brown" scent that is quite sweet and a bit sexy. It doesn't change at all from bottle to skin on me. And I get none of the chemical smell that others have mentioned. But I also get none of the champaca flower. Champaca is usually a BIG HONKING floral on me, and one of the few that I like, so I was a little disappointed that it didn't make more of a showing. I find that this is all base notes on me and that I , surprisingly, miss the top notes. Maybe if the champaca were stronger for me, I wouldn't feel that it needs something high and light. I didn't swoon with love/lust over this, but it is so pretty that I will likely keep my bottle and use it when I feel like wrapping myself in something soft and lovely like luscious blond suede or cashmere.

O hai, Lookingglass! O hai, Herb Girl! Why in the world am I surprised to see you here? Whell, hell. Does this have cardamom??? This smells eerily similar to "Milk Chocolate, Coconut, Cardamom, Rum, and Ginger Truffle", which didn't work for me. Or maybe its the honey. Much as Honey sounds like pure unadulterated win to me, it is hit or miss on my skin. O = ....... Against Idleness & Mischief = My only hope is that I had the pink & green 13 (white chocolate, peach, massoia bark) leftovers on my skin from last night and the dregs are messing with my smeller. Because right now, it smells a little like sour milk, artificial fragrance note, and ancient essence of crotch sweat. <Trudges off to bathroom to wash, while a lone tear streaks down her face> ETA: My Moms tried this on today and it smelled much better on her. I could pick out the cocoa and patchouli, but none of the lovely incense notes I love so well. ETA2: I am compelled to add that I was so certain that this would work for me that I tried it again. Guess my sniffer was having an off day because, while not my favorite, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH nicer than my first experience. I've been wearing it for two days straight. I must say, it is VERY subtle on my skin. Maybe its the oak or hiba, but there is a ~not~ sweet note where I am expecting something sweet and it keeps throwing my nose off balance. Maybe that's not a bad thing. Could even be right in keeping with the spirit of Friday the 13th.

Homigod- lycanthrope, you made me snort. It was a rose-luscious snort. Aaaaanyway- my decant arrived today. I was a little meh on the lupers, but gave some a try. What a surprise! Liz of Bohemia is NOT the dark, resinous rose I was anticipating. The rose portion is light, almost lemony. It is very intensely rose, don't get me wrong. But it is more of the white/yellow/pink variety or a very innocent red. Not a deep burgandy/purple that looks like it could drip blood. The oude gives it a slightly incense smoke background. I keep imagining the incense smoke twining to the heavens in wispy little tendrils rather than fogging up a closed room. It doesn't seem possible that an intense rose with a sticky black resin could meld into a clean, light, uplifting, feminine fragrance, but they do. Now before I remembered that my skin is quite sensitive to BPAL rose, I slathered this all over my wrists and neck. The next 24 hours will tell if I break out in itchy bumps. ETA: NO RASH!?!?!!!! Awesome, but why do i get rashy with the other rose scents I have? If it stays nice through the dry-down, this is worth a full bottle purchase. I don't like to have lots of similar scents, so two or three versions of rose are what I am looking for. Considering how many beautiful rose themes Beth makes, it says a lot that I choose this to be among my purchases.

I would just like to add my love song to Velvet. In the vial: It is superrich cocoa. Like maybe melted bittersweet chocolate maybe? Only not so sweet. On the skin: Sexy dark chocolate, raspy sandalwood, and a bedrock of solid incense to hold it all together. There's a post somewhere on this forum where the poster made a batch of brownies flavored with Velvet. Um, yeah. Don't think I would take it that far because incense doesn't taste very good, but I do want Husband to wear it so I can nuzzle up next to him and bury my nose in his skin. Drydown: whoosh, WET cocoa settles into the background a bit and the sandalwoode grittiness comes forward, but it stays pretty true. I can't tell you anything about throw because I could take a bath in this stuff and not get enough. But my kids tell me that I smell like spicy chocolate. This is a 5/5 for me. Sheer perfection. I never thought I would find something that I loved as much as Boomslang, but I did and its GC. Please don't ever discontinue this because I want to smell like this even when I am an old lady.

I got a testable sniffie of this in a swap (Thanks Glitterlips). I was really suprised by this one!! It is a soft, cool, comforting scent. Like a delicious cool breeze on a hot day. Nothing sharp or shocking. Just smooth, watery coconut. I agree with another poster who said coconut usually calls to mind warmth (sun tan lotion & whatnot). But this is more like the cool refreshment of cracking open a real coconut on a steamy tropical day, and drinking refreshing sips of the water sloshing around inside.. Yeah. Thats it. Coconut water. Cool.

Well I am very glad to know that it might go away. I am having seasonal allergies and probably hormone shifts as well. Now that I think about it, my skin has been acting seriously touchy lately because of a medicine I take. And khazakant - that's just weird! You can wear rose from other companies, but not BPAL? Philly cheesesteak?? archionblu - that's a good idea. I hadn't thought of that. In truth, I had never heard of scent lockets before BPAL, so I kinda thought they invented it. Ha! I suppose one could wear any kind of locket as long as it can be opened to add scent. Brilliant! Halation - love the idea of scenting a scarf!! I have a favorite cotton scarf that I wore with Milk Chocolate, coconut, cardamom, rum ginger truffle. I could smell its spicy goodness all night, but it didn't overpower those around me. I did dot an old scrap of silk with some Alice last night and put it under my pillowcase. It was lovely, but not nearly strong enough.