aedes

I got this because I love narcissus and thought it would be a great, dark, sexy floral. What I got smelled foody somehow, but I didn't know what food. I let the boy have a sniff and he said "mm! Thai food!" He's right! Thai food! Ah! Well, okay, it smells like this specific dish I get with beef, ginger, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, all that good stuff. It smells meaty, but not like a slab of raw meat. Meaty like a mushroom is meaty. How very odd! Once it dries, I get more of a vanilla smell. But it's too foody for me to wear without getting the overwhelming desire to reach for a Singha and some jasmine rice.

I got a fine, herbal/spice soap for about 15 minutes. And then *poof!* I really wanted that smell in soap form, though! That could smell great!

I second Dorian. It seems to be a vanilla/musk/(black tea, for me at least) smell that almost everyone loves. I think it's a safe bet. I love Zephyr, myself, but I get more of a soft sandalwood/musk smell than a sweet smell. O, Antique Lace, and Snake Oil seem wildly popular, too, though I haven't tried them myself.

I wanted this for the myrrh, though I was a little afraid the currant would make it a juicy, berry, or fruity scent. I was pleasantly surprised all around. I pick up mostly a ginger smell, actually. Not the big chunks of candied ginger I got in Alice, but the whole, natural ginger root; woody and spicy spicy. The currant is there, but I don't smell like a berry ready to burst. It smells mostly deep red, lush, and sexy, it could even pass as a floral. The myrrh is doing its work in the background to keep this a dark, warm, moaning/sighing sort of scent. I like it a lot! I'm not sure I'll get a bottle, but I'm definitely digging the imp.

I got a complex and interesting masculine aquatic, here. Like really aftershave or cologne smelling stuff. Must have been the ozone. It brought to mind Tempest + Yog Sothoth. My guy's more of a woodsy-herbal smelling guy, though. But maybe I'll hang on to it for a little while.

This is such a fun scent. Even though I'm not big into the herbal, green scents, I knew this would be something special. And, yup, like everyone else, eucalyptus, pine, orange. Like Seraglio wandering through a forest, maybe! Funny thing happened, it started to smell a little like chlorine on me, but it wasn't bad. Smelled like clean laundry or maybe a pine hotel with a swimming pool somewhere in it. And then *poof* it was gone! Can't smell anything but my arm where it once was. I think this would be a great wake up scent (or even an interesting sleep scent, imagine the dreams you'd have!) because you could put it on when you woke up and by the time you're going to head out to work, it's gone and you can put on something else. Heh. I don't normally hold on to short-lived scents, but this is just so neat and bouncy. I'll think about it.

Whoo.. this is first time I've ever opened an imp and thought "oh yikes, do I HAVE to put this on my skin?" The wine smell was really foul on me. Like was said earlier, a very rotten berry smell. Like mildew and decay. I'm sure it's my chemistry, though, as others really seem to love it. But, oh man, not for me.

The price is a little prohibitive for me to fool around and try a few, and there are so many to chose from! Also I'm not sure if any of the swap circles are still running. The World and The Hermit sound very interesting to me intellectually. I think I jive with both, personally speaking (a friend of mine put my picture on the Hermit card of tarot deck he was making, labelling it "The Seeker." Aw!). But I'm not sure my nose will go for them. Seance, Darkness, Belle Epoque, Hades, Yog-Sothoth, Pele, and Athens are so far my regular top picks, with runner's-up being The Ghost, Grandmother of Ghosts, Hellfire, Anubis, and Dorian. I guess you could say I really like floral/wood or floral/myrrh combinations, though sometimes they can fade very quickly on me (I think when paired with "Middle Eastern Spices"). And I generally don't like things that smell too incensey or foody (Anubis and Dorian being my special exceptions, respectively). Also red wine, cajeput, patchouli, and amber don't work on me. What do you think, oh Wisened Veterns? Thank you!

Oooh! This is an interesting one! I *heart* myrrh, but wine smell is usually my nemesis. Initial scent on this was actually pink bubblegum for me. As it's drying, I get predominantly lilacs, of all things, or some other lush, sweet, heady flower. But as it finally dries out, mama mia, there's the myrrh! Hello, friend! Smells like a really nice floral incense. No sign of rotten, sickly wine yet! Wahoo! Darkness is one of my faves, and Athens definitely reminds me of it. Maybe it's Darkness's younger, more free-spirited and lusty sister. It's still a bit heady for daytime (that lilac is still belting it out) but mm MM!

I just had to add my hash mark for the "sexy as hell" pile. Very black leather jacket. My boyfriend who normally eye rolls my scent obsession really liked wearing this, saying he'd gladly wear it to work. Wearing it myself, well, I smell like a sexy, sexy man. I wouldn't dare wear it to work lest I spend the whole time locked in the bathroom with myself. *ahem* .... Actually, I don't think I'll let my guy wear this to work. I don't trust other women enough.

Ohhh shoot. I think the red wine scent hates me. In Wanda, it just smelled absolutely repulsive on me, and here in Black Tower, I get the same damp, rotten grape smell I got with Wanda peeking through. There are lots of lovely woods and spicey scents struggling to hide it, but man that red wine scent cuts through like a knife for me. Maybe this will be better on the boy. Oh I hope I hope!

Oooh! It's Dracul the Christmas Vampire! Heheh, no, actually, I'm really liking it. I get the orange, fir, and clove smells mostly, which is why I think of Christmas. But there's a nice, masculine smell underneath with the musk and tobacco, with myrrh keeping it all warm. Actually, scratch Christmas, this would be awesome for Halloween! An orange and black smell if I ever smelled it. I think I'll have to test this on the boy.

Oh so lush! The iris does dominate for me, though there's plenty in there to keep it complex. It actually smells quite juicy and fruity, like black currant. A bit like I expected Masabakes to smell. It also reminds me of Aeval. Very luxuriant and saucy. I think I have it over the same spot that Hellfire was on last night and didn't come completely off, so there's a sweet, slightly smokey quality to it, too. Mmm! I'll have to contemplate whether or not to get a bottle of this. But I'll say sweet floral / fruity lovers take note!

At first, I got the orange peel, but the spices creeped up steadily. It smelled a lot like a pomander to me, so it got me all geared up for the holidays. Now it's starting to get a little soapy, which concerns me, but the rose is also making her appearance. This is defintely a scent that comes in stages! Complex and intriguing. I'll wait a little longer and see if anything else peeks out.

I got a pretty dominant incense smell from Scherezade, like Nag Champa and something else, perhaps the musk or the saffron. It's a good incense smell, but I think Anubis had the same thing only with more complexity. That and Scherezade faded very quickly on me. But certainly worth the try!

This is quickly rising as one of my favorites. I get the full range of opium, mandarin, lily (I'm surprised that it was Lily of the Valley - it smelled like Narcissus to me) and sandalwood, but it doesn't smell heady. A little earthy, vibrant, clever, and a little feminine. I think it makes a great autumnal scent as well. I love my big bottle of it!

I really love this one. On the prowl for a bottle of it, but I think I'll hold off for spring. "High-pitched" really describes it well, for me. There are lots of bright, kicky scents going on in it. I picture the shrieking laughter of children running through the house. I can't pick out anything individually, but I would say it's a bright floral with a good woodsy base. It actually reminds me a lot of Morgan de Toi which was my favorite perfume until my skin got sensitive, only a little more... soprano.

I'm really, really digging this scent. Wet on the skin it smells like Darkness + Yog Sothoth, which just happen to be two of my favorite scents. It has the narcissus and myrrh base, but with an ozone smell and faint, crisp woods spread over all. If it dries down like Darkness, the myrrh will become warmer, creamier, and more dominant. We'll see. EE! I'm so happy! Edit: Yes, this really is a beautiful, beautiful scent. At first I thought it a bit on the masculine side, but I'm wearing it more and more! I picture a suit of black and gold brigantine armor with a dramatic black cape when I smell this. I think if Sauron (as seen in the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring) had a favorite BPAL, this might be it. It's not mustache-twisting evil, just austere, calculated, and powerful. Dark and baroque, and it smells so so good! Big bottle! Now! *pounds fist*

Thanks! Actually, darn you all! I had convinced myself that I wouldn't like Stardust, and so limited myself to HD, GP, and Talvikuu. But now... NOW I may have to try it!

Aeval, Aeval, Aeval. It took a while for us to understand one another. She's kind of like a headstrong roommate. We didn't like eachother at first but now I think we might be inseperable. I thought this scent was going to be a lot lighter than it was and I didn't smell anything herbal in it. It definitely reminded me of a black haired woman in the purple darkness. A nice smell, just a different person than me. Strangely, it smells sort of foody, but it's not any food I recognize! Smells nutty, maybe woody. Hard to say. It's a scent with some depth to it. I didn't care for it straight on my skin, it just wasn't me. But when I converted it to a spray perfume with perfumer's alcohol, it really came into its own. I think the diffusion of the scent over an area removed its stuffy tendencies. It's become a lot more wearable and I'm really enjoying it. Colorwise, I think it would be an unusual but very pretty combination of purples and browns.

If I'm feeling nasty, just dragging ass out of bed and feeling all churlish, Pele lifts me right up. Makes me want to dance barefoot around a bonfire or something. And I don't even like the whole tropical island scene! It's just a really lovely, smiling scent for me.

This was a very generous gift from the lab. Thank you! It's not a scent I would pick for myself based on the description, which is another reason I'm so grateful to have gotten it as a gift. Tropical? Floral? ho, ho, not me. But, of course, once I smelled it, I fell in love. I smell mostly hibiscus and plumeria, and it's utterly captivating. There's definitely an aquatic, "dew-kissed" feeling about it, very tropical rainforest. I don't think I smell ginger, though there is a light, light earthiness lurking in the background. The smell of the flowers is lush, sensual, voluptuous and womanly, but not heady. There's a certain benevolence and guilelessness to it as well. A playful, knowing smile all day long. It makes me want to make some leaf wreathes and dance barefoot. Perfect on a cold, rainy day like today when I'm recovering from a cold. Very transportive.

For rose and spooky, I have to recommend Seance. Those are probably the first two words I'd use to describe it. It's absolutely lovely, too, in my humble opinion.

Damn you cajepuuuuuuuut! *shakes fist in anger* This scent seemed SO right for me, based on the description and other reviews. But on me, it turned to strong, green dish soap, just like Wings of Azrael did. The common ingredient: cajeput. I have no idea what cajeput is or what it's supposed to smell like, but one thing I now know is that it is my nemesis. Luckily, I think it's only in these two scents. But I'll still recommend the scent to anyone who doesn't get that dish soap reaction.

Time for a bit of an update: Yes, Velvet was very, very yummy. Definitely a "curl up in cuddly clothes" smell. Anubis was good, but smelled a little bit too incense-y for me. Boy said it smelled very nice, though. Wings of Azrael is lovely, but only after smelling like strong, green dishsoap for an hour. Darkness is my favorite so far of the myrrhs, a bit of an evening scent as the florals are a tad heady, but the boy also just LOVES it. and, yep, my skin must just turn myrrh into this rich, smooth, golden smell. It's weird! But I feel lucky In other scents, what has also worked very well on me are Seance, Yog-Sothoth, and Dorian. I'm waiting on Bastet, too. And I just gotta find some Athens, Chimera, La Petit Mort, and maybe some others.