GypsyRoseRed

Moxie or TKO, depending on whether I need cheering up or to just relax.

The Wild Men turned out to be my biggest surprise from the latest Act of CD. This would be irresistable on the right guy, and while it smells wonderful to me I think it's a little too sultry and sexy for everyday use. It's so spicy and distinctive. Definitely a special occasion scent.

Moxie is really lovely. Bright, cheery citrus notes (mostly orange to my nose) but without any sourness or acidity. It doesn't last very long on my skin, and became overpowering in my oil burner (maybe I used too much?), but it's still a fabulous 'get happy' scent.

On me, Orpheus quickly turns into straight-up lavender, without any of the other notes even showing up. Boo hooo. Too sharp and heavy for me, I'm afraid.

I'm definitely not a lover of aquatics, but Thalassa is an impressive piece of work. Seriously. It smells very oceanic, but without the overload of ozone and that slightly bitter tang that usually come with those kinds of blends (City In The Sea, etc). Slightly sweet and very refreshing!

So weird. This sounded lovely, but smelled very white floral on the drydown. I ended up washing it off.

Bubblegum like whoa! This is pinky, juicy, gooey bubblegum without the plasticky undertones I usually get from bubblegum scented stuff. Not my bag, but maybe it'd be fun for roleplaying.

I didn't buy a bar of Bliss soap right off the bat, because honestly, I prefer chocolate as a note in a scent as opposed to just smelling like chocolate. Reviews of this soap smelling more cocoa and less straight up chocolate convinced me that I needed to give it a try.. Picked up a bar at will call this evening, and used a piece of it in the shower. LOVE IT. The quality of the soap itself and the packaging is truly exceptional - I really do feel like the $7.50 price tag is well worth it. The soap feels luxurious and moisturizing, and the scent is absolutely perfect, I think. I absolutely didn't want to smell like a bar of Dairy Milk though I could have bought other chocolate scented gels or soaps if that's what I'd been after. Instead, this is a beautiful soft, warm cocoa fragrance that I found really comforting and made for a lovely shower - just like a cup of creamy hot cocoa, without the calories!

Black Phoenix’s Dark Delicacies blend is the embodiment of sinister sensuality. It is a heady and darkly romantic blend of devil’s trumpet accord, black orchid, tonka, coconut meat, fruit gums, osmanthus, smoky resin, myrtle, and Indonesian patchouli. I'm sorry to say that this blend was a huge let-down for me. I had the exact same experience as ChupaChup with the planty smell.. no hints of resiny sweetness, and then suddenly Dark Delicacies got completely hijacked by something cheap and ozone-y. Could that be the orchid? I was hoping for a dark, sinister resin blend with a light touch of floral, but all I got was a green/aquatic/cheap floral air freshener smell.

I am definitely not a big lover of patchouli. It only really works for me when it's one just note in a well blended scent, and Mr Jacquel is probably my biggest success story so far. At first, all I could smell in the bottle was a little amber and something slightly spicy.. very smooth, but mild. On my skin, it blooms into something golden and exotic, deliciously spicy amber, but very definitely dark and I think it's the patchouli that enriches the scent this way. It's the perfect embodiment of Gaiman's character and everything that goes along with him.. THIS Mr Jacquel is most definitely a force to be reckoned with. I love it. This could easily become one of my favorites. Especially if I tinker with layering it over vanilla or amber body lotion. Gorgeous.

See, the only thing foody about Mr Nancy to me is the juicy, sugared, soft lime, which *really* morphs on my skin. Once it's dried, it becomes a very distinctive sweet and fine smoke - almost like good pipe tobacco - and limeade. It combines to make a scent that's almost incensey and fruity at the same time.. I'm sure I'm not describing it very well, but once it's settled down on my skin it's really lovely. I've got to get a bottle of it. Need it. Want it.

Hmm. I have to agree with the previous reviews. There's a faint whiff of something reminiscent of Sugar Skull in Zarita, but it's overtaken by shades of Alice.. Since I'm not a fan of Alice, I wasn't surprised that this didn't work for me either. It's a pretty, slightly creamy orange blossom scent, but as per usual, it turned soapy on my skin. Oh, well.

Whatever this is, I LOVE it. I dabbed a few drops on my wrists to try it out, then did all of my housework and errands... and eventually, I noticed that something smelled gorgeous. Kind of fruity and creamy, with a dab of magnolia. This has amazing throw, and smells good to boot. Now, where can I get me some?

I got to sniff Glitter a long time ago at a meet 'n' sniff (thanks to blood*rose*flowers), and I remember it smelling fruitier and more candy-like than my bottle. Maybe it's because it was aged? In any case, I need to put my 5ml aside and re-test it in a couple of months, because right now it smells like citrus dish soap on me.

Bat's Blood reminds me distinctly of Bruja, which would be the lilac note that other reviewers have mentioned. Somehow, the lilacs in Bruja turned to baby-powdery-vomit-inducing-sweetness on my skin, but Bat's Blood smells fabulous. It's sweet without being powdery or dusty, and has a spicy resin note that I adore. I'm going to need more, for sure. And it helps that I like a bit 'o vengeance, too.

A scent with civet that actually smells drop dead gorgeous? I never would have believed it if I hadn't tried it myself. Glasya is dark, strong and very sexy, with lots of myrrh, patchouli, musk and ylang ylang.. Funny, but I only get the faintest whiff of rose (thankfully). On the drydown, it remains very sultry, but lightens up and becomes sweet and lovely. Thank goodness this got ressurrected, or I never would have gotten to try it.

Typhon was everything I thought Schwarzer Mond would be, and wasn't. This is a very dark blend, with, and the patchouli, sandalwood and black musk blend together so well that the vetiver just makes it smell smokey instead of.. well, like Hell. While I wouldn't wear this blend often, there's definitely a time and place for it. I'm glad I got a chance to try it!

All aquatic and freezing ozone. To me, this blend is the olfactory equivalent of falling through a frozen pond.. in the dead of night. It's cold, and there's something almost ruthless about it. No sweetness or floral, or anything redeeming for me. The White Witch would LOVE this one.

Wow. I'm really surprised by all of the vetivert in the reviews here, because I get absolutely no vetivert from Samhainophobia! Reading the description, I didn't expect to like the blend much, but this is a definite winner on me. It starts out as a generic autumnal scent, but quickly morphs into rich dark earth with a touch of leaves and a creamy spice. It's very comforting and distinctive. This is definitely a blend I'll enjoy wearing after the holidays, on those early-dark evenings.

My 5ml is less creamy and ever so slightly soapy compared to the tester I tried at will call, but White Moon is still lovely. I get violets and white florals, with moderate wear length and moderate throw. Very delicate, pretty and feminine.

I am so, so happy that the Lab decided to release this as GC! Black Lily isn't really what you'd expect given the name - instead, this is a soft, rich and creamy lily without a hint of anything dark to it at all. For me, it's the ultimate lily blend, and one I'll be wearing a lot of.

This is strawberry at it's most wearable, IMHO, blended with white musk to create a soft and creamy, girly perfume with light throw and short wear length. Really lovely, although I do wish it stuck around a little longer.

To think, I almost didn't bother buying this since I wasn't a fan of the original 13! I'm very, very picky when it comes to foody scents, and I'm not a fan of anything overly chocolate-y or buttery so I was anticipating this being doomed to the swap pile. What a lovely surprise! THIS is what I expected and hoped Treat #2 to be, but that ended up smelling just plain *wrong* on me. 13 ends up being a fabulous blend of just the right amount of chocolate (not too much!), orange, and sandalwood with an undercurrent of light vanilla. Strangely enough, it's not overly sweet, either - this ends up smelling mysterious and a little bit sophisticated instead of the gourmand blend I'd expected. Now, why didn't I buy two bottles?

How come I didn't buy Midnight Mass last Yule? Hmm? I know I would have stocked up if it I'd sniffed it, because the 2006 offering sounds like it's very similar and it's wonderful. This is probably tied with Jacob's Ladder for my perfect holiday scent, because while I'm in love with amber, the smokey incense and oiled-antique-wood smell of Midnight Mass is very elegant, and classic with good throw and wear length. I'm sure I'll give in to temptation and snag a backup bottle of this before it goes away.

Yule was nothing like I expected it to be! When I see evergreen in a description, that pretty much assures that blend and I are not going to get along, but this is the exception to the rule - possibly because I can barely detect any evergreen in it at all, and nor does the rose come to the forefront. What I get out of this is a delicious sugared lemon layered over something that seems slightly resin. The overall result is somehow very *warm*, comforting, and appealing without being even the least bit dusty or lemon Pledge-y (which is what I usually get out of all lemon scents). I never thought I'd genuinely like and want to wear a scent that has evergreen, rose and lemon together, but it just goes to show that when it comes to BPAL, never say never.