Rhowan

In the imp and wet on my skin, I can smell dark chocolate and florals. As this begins to dry down, the choclolate fades away and the Lotus really is ovewheming everything - all I am getting is Lotus It's funny because when I saw rose and honey, I figured this would be powdery and grandma -y. Nope - lotus! At complete dry down, I get really disappointed. The lotus fades and for just about 30 seconds I can smell a beautiful dark scent. Not overpowering lotus like I was getting but a musky dark spicy floral that promises to be absolutely one of my favorites and then.... it just disappears! It' just gone! Um... guess this isn't going on my favorites...

In the imp and wet on my skin I am getting overpowering floral - especially jasmine My skin really amps the jasmine so I am not too suprised. As this dries down I am still getting a ton of jasmine but other scents are starting to emerge - the black orchid and the rose. Complete dry down: This has turned into a very light floral on me. I believe it is from the sandalwood and the chinese musk. Usually, my skin amps sandalwood - that's a good thing because I love it!- but this time the sandalwood is just a supporting base. The jasmine has receded quite a bit, there is just a hint of orchid, osmanthus but no rose. I have a theory that the rose is helping with the base like the sandalwood and musk. Conclusion? I am amazed! Queen Mab breaks all of my rules. My skin hates rose and rose hates me - but not here! My skin amps sandalwood and jasmine - but not here! This is the first "floral" scent that I have actually enjoyed. Great throw but not overpowering and okay wear - this is going on my 5ml. list!

I have been looking so forward to try this one! In the imp I can smell lucious cherried and vanilla - maybe a hint of the clove and sweetnesss of honey (Yay! yet another honey note that agrees with me!) As Blood Kiss dries down, the vanilla, honey, and cherry that made this so innocent when first wet begins to fade. The musk, red wine, and clove emerge to make this a very dark, rich scent - very sensual! In the back ground is the vetiver giving it just a tad of woodsiness. I have to elaborate on the vetiver - if you have had problems with vetiver that has been kind of stinky or overpowering in the past (Like I have) the vetiver in blood kiss is nothing like that- it's what I think vetiver should always smell like - woody, but not overpoweringly so. This vetiver is just beautiful! At complete dry down, everything blends so well that there is not one note that you could really single out. Blood Kiss is a very dark red/brown scent to me - sweet red wine, an undercurrent of poppy? in a dark paneled room where a midnight kiss of the vampire is delivered! In conclusion, Blood kiss dries down to give you the image of it's name sake. For me it has an okay throw (about a 5 out of 10) and not a very good wear - it lasted for about an hour on me. Blood Kiss is lovely but with the okay throw and wear, it doesn't really deem a purchase of a 5ml....

I don't know why, really, that I ordered this? My skin usually over amps juniper and honey is usually turned into powder so I am totally confused what it was that made me order this BUT I am sooo happy that I did! In the bottle and just wet on my skin, this does smell like a "dirty patchouli" It's very woodsy and earthy. It's not so earthy that you get upturned earth though. This is what I thought Nochnista would smell like. As this dries down I am totally suprised! The hint of juniper doesn't amp, the honey doesn't turn into powder, and the dirty, heaviness of the patchouli lightens up. I start to get hints of a spiciness to it about 3 minutes in. The longer this is on the more sweet and green this gets. In conclusion, when completely dry, not one note overpowers the others and everything blends together magnificently. Great throw! Long wear (5hrs and counting!) Luperci is very clean smelling - not soapy but clean, sweet and very green! Even the color of the label fits the smell of Luperci! This is going to be my favorite oil for spring! Perfection.

I love anything vanilla and warm so I don't know how I have managed to avoid O all of this time! I guess it's because this whole time I have been a member of the forum and wearing BPAL, I have been thinking O had rose in it - and I try to avoid rose. Last week, I was updating my spreadsheet and came across the scent description of O and decided to read it - What the hec?! No roses?! Amber, Honey Vanilla? somebody SMACK ME! Needless to say, I put a 5ml. order, without smelling this. My good friend Venusflytrap, gifted me an imp of O so I could take it for a whirl while I waited..... Thank you VenusFT!!! In the bottle and wet on my skin, I am getting a soft, warm amber. This is gorgeous! A beautiful, golden scent - warm and glowing. When O dries down? *sigh* Wonderful and sensual and just a great big O. My skin warms it up and the vanilla starts to round out and sweeten the scent of warm amber. This is just incredible! No honey turning into powder on me either!It seems to me that my skin is actually warmer where I applied this, almost as if it is throwing off a hot, sensual, call for attention! Wow. Conclusion? Run, don't walk! and go out and buy a 10ml. Every woman needs to have O handy. I am so glad I ordered the bottle I did, I only wish it was a 10 instead of a 5.

*~* RED LANTERN *~* In the bottle: Caramel! Overpowering, almost headache inducing sweetness. urg. Wet: Caramel but not so overpowering as in the bottle. I am getting hints of spice and berries too.. Can't wait for the dry down! Drydown: oh beauty of beauties! When this is thoroughly dry, Red Lantern is so complex and Oh - so - lucious! This is warm, sweet, and sensual. The notes blend so well but if I concentrate and inhale deeply, I can pick out all of the notes: warm amber, a hint of fresh coconut (as opposed to sugary flaked coconut), a PERKY shot of currant, a quick whiff of tobacco and opium, and finally just the barest hint of a floral note. All notes are supported by a base of the wonerful caramel. Conclusion: I love Red Lantern. It is unusual and I am suprised at how "perfume-y" this smells. Like I said, this is a very warm and sensual blend of notes. The wear on this is pretty much nil on me as after 15 mins. I can't smell is at all - maybe other people will be able to smell it but I don't have anyone around to test that theory out. I think this bottle will go fast as I am afraid I will be reapplying quite frequently.

Oh! So beautiful Budding Moon! First applied, I got plum in a big in a way! I love plum and plum loves me - my skin really amps it - yum! In a few minutes, peony peeks it's head out to blend beautifully with the plum! After about 5 minutes I start getting a hint of ginger and what seems like sandalwood! I think to myself , what the hec?, this doesn't have sandalwood? Maybe it is the combinations lotus root and the white musk that give it that sandalwoody feeling. I put this on yesterday early evening and it is now 10:25 am the next morning. This smells just like it did after it finished morphing yesterday! Beautiful plum with a lovely white musk - wood background. I would have to say, this has the longest staying power of anything I have worn before! After about 29hrs, this still smells as good as when I first applied it and still has a pretty descent throw! It is a beautiful blend and I am so glad I got it!

When I opened my bottle of Smut and took my first wiff, I thought to myself, "is there fruit in here?" It smelled like some kind of red fruit syrup in a boozy blend... interesting. I have to pause here to say that I am so glad I read thru the other reviews of this so I don't feel embarassed by what the scent smells to me when first applied.... Wet, this is not the sweet smell of "just finished making love." Smut is pure unadulterated ... well, smut The scent I get evokes an image of a closed- in hot room the morning after an all nighter - open booze bottles, 1/2 smoked cigarettes, left over cherry flavored personal lubricant and the acrid smell of BO and left over bodily fluids... I felt like a walking sex hangover just wearing this and had a hard time not wanting to wash it off. After about 5 minutes, this started morphing, (thank God!) and the "fruity" smell faded along with the acrid BO/dried bodily fluids. In it's place, a sweet, sugary beautiful musk came out and it just kept getting richer, sweeter and better with every minute! The complete dry down of Smut is a light, red version of Snake Oil to me.This isn't overpowering in the slightest, but light, sweet and absolutely beautiful! I suggest to wear this at least a half hour or more before you make up your mind about this. It is gorgeous, and I am definitely all for making this a catalogue scent!

Black Opal is gorgeous in the vial. Creamy and very feminine. When I applied this, I had a very strange reaction that I have only had a couple of times - I couldn't smell anything really. Just my skin. I reapplied on top of the application - thinking that maybe I didn't get enough on but even after a couple of more applications I can't really smell anything. I get my skin, with maybe a hint of left over lotion or soap from yesterday. Complete dry down -Skin and a hint of powder. I am really bummed because I have heard so many people rave about this....

This was a frimp from my enabler friend Venusflytrap - thanks!! In the vial - Cinnamon and my mom's fresh baked bread - strange... Wet: The primary note I am getting is still cinnamon - and still getting homemade bread. In the background I am picking up a woody scent too. Dry Down: The promise of some type of wood was an empty promise - the woodsy note has faded.What I am left with is cinnamon, grain, and a bit of honey. Conclusion: This is a very different scent to me. I think I will have to wear it 3 or 4 more times to really get a feel for it. Good throw and lasts a good 4 or 5 hrs. on me.

In the vial and just wet on my skin, this smells exactly like a summer thunder and lightning storm! I am smelling summer flowers drenched by rain! Dry down, I am not getting an ocean with lightning but this is beautiful, none the less. Lightning is very wet - not overpowering ozone which suprises me. Ozone doesn't react well to me but this - perfection! Complete dry down - this is just beautiful! Wet, wet, wet, with a bit of blue floral and a drop of ozone. Conclusion - I need a 5 ml of this!

When I took my first smell of Aureus in the imp I was overjoyed to find it smelled strongly of cedar - my favorite note. Wet this really smelled like amped up cedar with a hint of amber and maybe a bit of patchouli. I was still loving this - yum! As this dried down, it morphed for a few minutes. The cedar, patchouli and amber were still present but in the background I got an almost medicinal note - almost as if there is a drop of pennyroyal. Complete dry down is not what I expected. I expected for this to stay true to the original wet smell of cedar and amber - it was close but I still get pennyroyal or some sort of note like that in the background. First smell of this is delish! but then the medicine kicks in and ruins it. Too Bad. ETA: I layered a bit of Bliss over this and it is beautiful that way. I am going to keep this!

Rose, rosey rose - for those of you who read my reviews, you well know that rose doesn't work for me... but after trying Blood Countess (crushed dry roses) today, it gave me hope. As with 99.999% of rose scents I have tried on, this smells like a really plastic, synthetic rose perfume that turns into powdery grandma in about 2 seconds. So, for those of you who know that rose works and value this for the help it gives go for it! I think for me this is going bye bye...

My friend Gigi sent this to me to try. I have been dying to try this but I guess I had subliminally blocked out the "dead roses" as rose notes hate me - and I do mean hate me.Also, my skn amps gardenia so usually it is the overpowering note - but! I have learned to never!say never to any of Beths creations because you just never know! So... In the vial and wet on my skin, I get mmmm! Fresh plum and berries! At first I am reminded a bit of Lady Macbeth but these berries are an almost reddish black compared to the bright red of the naughty Lady M. The longer this sits on my skin, the more well rounded it becomes. It's not just all about the berries any longer. The lilac is peeking it's head out and becoming a great counter part to the berries. No gardenia, just a hint of roses, and opium is nowhere to be seen. In conclusion, this is a wonderful scent! Blood Countess has taken my virginty in the rose catagory. In fact, Blood Countess has held a lot of firsts for me. First rose note I have been able to wear, first opium that hasn't gone awry, and fist gardenia that hasn't over-amped and taken over as primary note. This is a beautiful, feminine, somewhat springy note. I don't catch the "darkness" of it that is hinted at in it's description - this just made my 5ml list! edited for spelling

The very first wiff I got of this, it brought an image to my mind of standing in the dark on a chilly Halloween night, peering with a flashlight into my candybag. That is the definite first impression - the smell of chocolate from the bag and woodsmoke wafting on the cold night air. As this dries, this turn sinister - a picture of a lone trick-or- treat bag laying in a deserted street with blood splashed all over it- and I am talking REAL coppery, tangy blood. Centzon Totochtin is a very creepy ominous scent to me. I have tried to give this a "normal" review but all I get is nightmare images. This is not going to the swaps though (in fact, I need a 5ml!) - I am saving this one for October and especially Halloween!

OH! SWEET BLISS, I'VE FINALLY FOUND YOU.... This is just lucious! With just a drop to test drive this, it had my 2 cats and 1 dog all trying to lick the crap out of my wrist. Even they think it is as delicious as I do! EFS

In the vial and wet on my skin, mmm... I don't get green like everyone else. I am getting lemon and what smells to me is just a hint of vetiver. After the drydown it is a soapy clean lemon that is dirtied with vetiver. Has anyone else smelled veitver in this? maybe my sniffer is off today...

Morrocco is just a beautiful scent. I am used to wearing very heavy scents so I thought this would be one of them - boy was I totally wrong! In the vial and first wet on my skin, I get a beautiful warm sandalwood, a bit of spice and a bit of musk. Drying down, this is just exotic! Carnation usually disagrees with me but not this time. This is warm, light and spicy - I was waiting for the cassia to hit but unfortunately I can't pick it out. In conclusion, to sum it all up? this smells like Snake Oil Light but just a bit more sweet. I was wondering what I was going to do in the summer when my beloved Snake Oil was going to be too heavy - now I know. LOVE THIS!

In the vial, Silk Road smells like fresh green herbals, a bit of citrus and I have to agree with whomever said saffron - maybe a hint of it. Wet on my skin, this goes on very,very light. I have to strain to smell it but what I can smell it's similar to in the vial. On the dry down, Silk Road turns into a more woody scent. Not an overpowering cedar or anything like that. Green woods, herbals, spices and I swear that I am catching just a bare wiff of mint - it's just barely barely barely there... In conclusion, I love this scent. It goes on way to light for me at the beginning but the longer I wear it, the stronger and more complex this gets. So-so throw, and minimum wear time for me but that isn't going to stop me from ordering a bottle!

Bright, intoxicating, hectic notes masking a twisted, corrupted core: sweet wild berry, spicy carnation and heliotrope layered over deep amber and musk. In the bottle: Sweet sugar and nail polish remover- wtf? Wet: this smells just like my skin except with a hint of nail polish remover. Dry down: I am starting to get some "spicy" florals but I c an't get the smell of paint thinner out Conclusion: After about 45mins. wearing this, I get a floral soapy smell. I would think that my nose is off but this is the 2nd time trying to wear this. I am really bummed

This infamous herb has a long, complex history: it has been used in spells of death and destruction, was a principal component in traditional witches' flying ointments, and was the poison used to put the philosopher Socrates to death. We have created a dark, profound herbal blend to personify and honor this wicked little plant. Hemlock starts out very over the top nose stinging Juniper! As it dries down it mellows only slightly, like a fresh cut juniper branch. On the dry down this really morphs. I still get the nose stinging, fresh cut juniper, but in the background I almost catch just a hint of red berries which I wish I could smell more of. The more this dries down, the less I can smell the berries. After drying down a fair amount of time this morphs yet again! The final smell? Sweet, sharp! juniper and B.O. WTF? This truly turns into serious body odor. *le sigh* I had such high hopes....

Fenris Wolf starts out with prominent wood notes - I love rosewood and sandalwood - yum! As this dries down it sweetens up a bit with the amber coming out to play. Long wear, good throw, nice mellow sweet wood. Definitely a 5ml. order!

Yet another rose note that doesn't work on me. In the bottle this smells like fresh roses but as soon as it hits my skin, it goes to a fakey rose smell. Now, usually, rose goes either to powder or sometimes playdough on my skin. This time was unusual. It went to soap! When I was a little girl, my mom had these rose shaped soaps in the bathroom and they were there in the "guest" soap dish for YEARS. That is what London reminds me of, 12 yr old rose soap - not good. I'll pass on this one...

In the bottle: Yum, sweet, sugary mint! Wet: WOW! Nose Piercing Mint - No sugar nummy sweetness... what the hec? Dry Down: This does mellow alot but as it mellows, it gets very boozy - I am getting a buzz just smelling it After that phase, it turns into a very sweet, clean scent on me and then it reminds me ob Malalueca (sp.) Shampoo - sweet, clean, minty fresh! Conclusion: this is okay but it gives me a headache after awhile. My skin overly amps booze and mint so if your skin doesn't - give this a try.

In the bottle: a very clean, sweet, floral Wet:Mostly floral with just a tad of orange but the Narcissus is still prominent Dry Down: Ahhh! This is very nice! The orange has emerged and it is a sweet, creamy orange. The floral is there but not enough for this to smell overly floral which is my pet peeve. Conclusion: This is a beautiful simple yet complex scent. The orange is so creamy, but the Narcissus gives it just a hint of floral so this doesn't end up smelling like an orange creamscicle! I would say I need a 5 ml!