Naamah_Darling

Yet again, I have to look things up. Armoise is mugwort, and allegedly has a green and herbaceous scent. It's a member of the Artemisia, or wormood, family. 'Awapuhi is a relative of ginger from Hawaii. The smell of this in the bottle is strange. Lavender dominates, with touches of cedar and some other juicy, herbal note I suspect is the mugwort. On a longer sniff, there is a subtle hint of spice. The smoke comes out once it is applied, and it is pretty fierce. This smells like a small fire to which herbs and sweet grasses have been added. This is strongly, strongly herbal, and very green. I like it at once. It has a rather bitter, wistful quality. Something about it smells like the campground we used to frequent, like walking through empty fields and crushing plant stems, smelling the wild grass. The throw is almost evergreen, almost reminiscent of juniper. How odd, that this should smell so exactly like part of my childhood. How very odd. Once it's settled, it's extremely herbal and dry, mostly lavender, but there's that mugwort, and some strange, almost floral spice note. The sandalwood isn't very strong at all. I like this; it goes too lavender on me for me to wear it, but I think I could use it as a room scent. It's gender-neutral enough that a man could wear it, soft enough for a woman, but it's not really sexy. It's a thin, tight-lipped scent, herbal and attenuated, that has nothing of warmth or sensuality in it at all. Agony of loss? This is more like bitter pain.

This is a wistful, sorrowful scent, tinged with the sweetness of longing. Rose and violet blend in the topnotes, sweetened by the freesia. Freesia is a very light floral, somewhere between "green" and "sweet" in tone, it's quite distinctive, and very delicate. Pear rounds this out with an earthy fruit note. The dominant note once it is applied is mingled rose and violet – a little of both, and yet somehow neither. The freesia is not as potent, but it's clearly apparent under the upper florals. The pear is still down in the bottom, helping to tame some of the out-of-control flowers. Queen Elizabeth root is just another name for orris, which is the source of most violet perfumes (no, violet perfume does not come from actual violets, which are too fragile for traditional extraction methods). It gradually wins the fight with the rose, and the freesia dies down, too, leaving this, ultimately, a violet scent with just a hint of pear. It's feminine, somewhat traditional, and a little too goody-goody for me to want to wear it. Floral fans will find a lot to love here.

This is fruity and citric, heavy on grapefruit, lemon, and a hint of wet ginger. The musk and grape come in second. Very pretty, but probably not a scent for me. Infatuation has a perky, upbeat attitude, almost bubbly you could say. It's relentlessly happy, belongs right up there with Fire Pig for "scents you wish you could slap for smiling all the damn time." On, it's nearly pure grapefruit; so pure I can feel the pulp between my teeth, taste the juice. Before I wrote this review, the last time I had grapefruit was at my grandmother's house in California, more than 15 years ago. The musk bellies up under it, and the weirdly herbal lemon of the verbena. I'm not getting any cherry, and very little of the florals. The ginger is in there, perky and bright. This is a light, cool, clean scent, one I could see using as a linen spritz or a summer scent where you don't want to smell too funky. I, personally, like scents with more depth and character; this one seems like a bimbo you might take out for a one-night-stand. But far be it from me to judge; if that's your thing, and you probably know if it is, check this one out. It's certainly quite attractive.

Well, that is certainly unusual! Take a rough patchouli and add a twist of orange peel, with a frothy haze of sweet, sweet florals in the middle. This is earthy and fruity, sweet and slow and sanguine. The carnation is the top floral; it has a unique fleshy, powdery note that I enjoy if it's wet and not actually touching my skin, but the fact that I can smell it doesn't bode well for what it will do once I put it on. Still, I'm a big girl. Oh, my. My. My. I had not expected this; the frankincense comes up, crystalline with citrus overtones, and it fills in the space between the patchouli and the mandarin. The florals are behind it, and all I smell of them is a sugared sweetness that seems to flow like sugar-water. This is melting, glorious, golden, a perfectly-arranged combination of its notes that somehow transcends them all. I do not enjoy carnation or mandarin scents, and patchouli is hit or miss at best, but this . . . the notes balance out one another's flaws, make this perfect. The florals are harmonious and tightly-gathered, just verging on overripe, but held in by the mandarin on one side and the frankincense on the other. In its middle phase, the patchouli is hardly noticeable at all. I expected this to be horrible. It's not. It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful. There's a persistent keening sweet note somewhere in the middle of this that is at once floral, sweet, and fruity, and I have no idea if it's the honeysuckle mingling with something else, or the peach blossom. I suspect it is the latter. Whatever it is, it's divine. At this stage, it lasts and lasts. The drydown is powdery, typical of carnation scents, but it's not offensive. It has a bit of patchouli in there, a little resin, which fix it quite nicely just before it goes powdery. This is an unexpected gem, a scent I would not have expected to like, but I do. I very much do.

Musk, clove, and incense swirl in the top of this scent, with a bit of the petitgrain coming through. This is a golden, sensual scent, an enfolding aura of musk and amber. It goes on with more teeth than you'd think: the clove and the crystalline incense notes are quite powerful. This is a heady scent, drunk almost. It dries to a spicy, sexy mix of ambers and musk, one that I very much adore, and I'll be eagerly hunting down a bottle for myself.

Named for the famous Storyville district of New Orleans, this scent smells like snickerdoodle cookies – all cinnamon and vanilla. Yum! There's a wash of perfume under it, and a dribble of patchouli, perhaps, very foody and earthy. A hint of cola that is possibly musk and possibly a trace of cocoa. I like it a lot. Time to try it on! On, it becomes smoky; blonde tobacco perhaps, and definitely patchouli or some dark, woody incense. It shares a cola/sassafras note with Doc Buzzard, and some spice with Voodoo Queen, making them all part of a delightful trio of bawdy, earthy, dirty scents. There's a hint of birdseedy roundness, a grain scent that I have smelled in Silk Road and The Lion; that might be saffron, I'm not sure. Or it's a very soft and feathery ginger. Whatever it is, I love it. Adore it. And this is the note that comes out and wears on me as it dries – this lovely, dry, warm, round, sweet, golden note. Beautiful! This is delicious, and much less foody than it at first came across.

Herbs, musk, mint, and a trace of sassafras front this in the bottle. It's subtle, soft, and deep, with just a trace of the shine of crystal incense and a bare hint of smoke. As soon as it hits skin, the smoke comes out, and the incense, a terrific, deep, low roar of it, overwhelming all the topnotes. This is earthy but somehow elegant. Dirty but not without its poise. It is, indeed, a fine companion to Voodoo Queen. The two seem made for each other, and fit together like pieces of a puzzle. This is a warm, close, personal scent, intimate, with not a lot of throw. As it ages, a subtle alcohol note comes out, woody almost. This one has a real grace and subtlety to it, and while it's reminiscent in its way of several other men's blends from BPAL that I have tried, it is totally unique in its quality of bourbon-smooth, silky, enveloping darkness.

I'm left playing the guessing game because there are no listed notes, but this is a beautiful blend, even in the bottle. It fronts with a strong draft of spicy incense, deep and rich. On, it opens out: a rich, dry incense, patchouli and sandalwood perhaps, with a stiff dose of clove. There is amber here, but it's very thick and dark amber. This is delicious, a little dirty, an earthy, grounded scent. There's a grassy element running through it, high up, that could just be the edge of the patchouli, or a touch of carnation. I definitely get a sweet note, perhaps a sugary musk like the one in Smut or Sed Non Satiata, and perhaps a simple light dose of honey. Others have called it very "perfumey" but I don't think it is; while it's brilliant in its dark way, this is entirely too low a scent to be called perfumey. It dries to a wonderful, sweetly spicy finish that borders on the powdery but never tips all the way over into icky territory. Very well-balanced. This is beautiful, really beautiful, and subtle. A kaleidoscope of dark, earthy notes that is at once incensey and musky without being murky in the slightest.

Red musk and patchouli top this, with a bit of cassia sprinkled on top. It's a fiery scent, but earthy, too; a very damp heat. Patchouli plus musk always smells like Coke to me, and this smells a bit like cherry Coke in the bottle. Once it goes on, look out! It's not cola-like at all. Here's the cassia, right on top, along with the plum. The tobacco is a sweet, almost feathery smokiness caught in the back. Smoldering coals, rather than an open flame, Red Phoenix is rich, warm, and sexy, and just a touch dirty. It dries to a spicy, dry finish, the flames at last catching, curling up in tendrils of spice-scented smoke. A wonderful scent, just wonderful.

This smells like . . . jellybeans. The good kind. All the notes are detectable even when it's wet for a deliciously balanced but overwhelmingly sweet and foody scent that is as lickable as it is friendly. I put it on and hello pear! Pear, honey, and sweet pea are all duking it out over the stunned remains of what used to be my dignity. I would say I smell like an underaged prostitute, but actually I smell like a young-looking prostitute whose specialty is pretending to be an underage virgin. This is Jailbait's smarter and more conniving cousin, and she has regular phone sex with Bordello. Her mom is O. Yeah, baby. I'm missing you like candy. Obviously, stay away if you don't want to smell like the berrylicious Jolly Rancher your friend's dirty little sister spat into your mouth before she went down on you. Me? I don't mind smelling like that.

Warm almond with a hint of candy and a brisk, citrus floral. Warm and liquid-smelling, delightful. On, it warms up and darkens. There is definitely sandalwood or an incense in this, though the main note is a grassy almond. There's a definite flush of rose as well, a very pink and wet rose that goes nicely with the almond. As it dries, the rose comes to the forefront along with whatever that incense note is, making it a truly unique scent. The fruitiness is gone, and what is left is a dry and curious scent that begs to be more closely investigated. The throw on this, though heady at first, rapidly settles down, and tame, it's quite pettable. On weardown, a citrus note comes out, but it's a very restrained one; bergamot perhaps. There is a return at last of the fruitiness that it had in the bottle. This is an unusual scent, and not at all typically perfume-y. There's a wisp of the dry and ancient about this – a sort of cracked wood, empty-room smell, but there's also something so warm and enveloping about it. A ratty old tapestry used as a blanket. It's sexy, a little smirking, but entirely too low-key to be considered aggressive. It reminds me a great deal of Snake Oil, minus the elements I did not like in that blend.

A zesty, clean blend with a dash of mint and some herbal florals. On, I definitely detect violets and roses. It's herbal, clean, and a bit soapy, and though this is a voodoo blend and not meant primarily for perfume use, I could see it being a perfume you'd wear by preference. I, personally, don't care for mint or florals, but this is a very cheerful, playful blend. Reminds me of that phase of cathood, around a year old, where they look grown up but you still catch them chasing their tails on the kitchen floor like kittens. If this is useful for casting hexes, it's the playful kind; I'm nevertheless reminded that what is playful to a cat is fatal to a mouse. Someone mentioned that this smells like catnip, and not mint. They may be right. This develops a sourness about five minutes in that is reminiscent of catnip. It finishes as a zesty, herbal scent with a hint of powdery rose. Not so special. Despite extreme temptation, I did not use it to throw hexes and I did not wind up licking my own butt. I just want you to know that.

This blend is a slightly metallic, clean-smelling blend featuring citrus, florals, and pepper. It's clear, herbal, and quite insistent. I like it in the bottle, but on my skin, it becomes aggressively soapy – I don't care for it. Others have detected patchouli or dragon's blood in this blend, but to me it smells nothing like either of those. Some have compared it to Blood Kiss or Snake Oil. I want to know what oil these people got. Red Devil is floral, herbal, and sharp, like herb/citrus soap, and because citrus tends to hide on my skin, it lacks the depth that goes into a really sexy scent for me. I suspect the culprit is violets, which always goes to shrieking soap on me. With something bottoming this, it would be all right, but as it is, it's all topnote. Like listening to a two-year-old screaming in your ear. Soapy, feminine, perfume-y, and on me, it's utterly banal. How sad!

Violets in the bottle, lily on my skin, and lavender on the drydown. None of these are scents I can wear, so it's most beautiful in the bottle, where it's a clear, herbal violet with a tinge of lavender and a trace of lily's brooding sweetness. This is very peaceful and soothing to smell, a relaxing scent that I wouldn't hesitate to turn to if I could, in fact, wear the ingredients. Alas, I can't, and this turns to the smell of floral castile soap; both dusty and soapy.

Roses, herbs, and sweet florals combine in a light and slightly greenish blend. Reading what people are saying about it, it's all over the map. Some think it's fruity, some think it's very dark. I think it's green, soft, subtle, and perfumey, a gentle floral that perhaps contains lilies. It's mannerly and not too aggressive with its throw, but it's not very distinctive, either, so investigating the occasional whiffs of scent doesn't seem very interesting. It reminds me in a vague way of Wolf's Heart. It's metallic like Red Devil is. It's also reminiscent of some of the purer floral blends. The light ones that I really don't care for. This has a strong green element to it, which I think is accounting for the "darkness" people are smelling; it's pungent, which could conceivably come across as deep. I'm not overly enamored of it, to tell you the truth. It's not very exceptional, and like the rest of the voodoo blends so far, it hasn't really struck me as a perfume.

Cinnamon and . . . sandalwood? Oh, this is pleasant. A nice, throaty cinnamon backed with either a red patchouli or a sandalwood, but mostly cinnamon. A creamy, nutty note comes out on application. It's delicious! Warm and playful, like ear-licking. Fun! Dilute this one with some carrier oil, please. It's very strong, and the cinnamon might burn your skin even if you are not allergic. It's quite endearing. Smells like kissing someone who's been eating red-hots, and getting that secondhand sweet cinnamon taste. Not too bad at all! As for whether it works, well, as soon as I stood in front of my husband's fan, he looked up and said "You look really, really hot." I was in old holey old underpants and a sports bra, covered with carpet lint from playing on the floor with the cat. "Hot." Uh-huh.

Herbal grape with aquatic herbs and light florals. On: honey, grape, and some light flower like lily or jasmine, in about that order of intensity. This is very sweet and slightly herbal, and 100% pleasant-smelling. I like it right away, despite the fact that I don't usually like the Lab's grape because it smells very candylike or candle-y. This smells like candy or candles, but not to excess. It's very cheerful. It's slightly soapy, with no sharp edges. Very appealing and mild, yet distinctive.

Patchouli and musk swirl in this deep, throaty blend. On, it becomes very aggresively animal, a hot and throbbing scent that smells almost filthy. Is that civet? Black musk? What is it? Whatever it is, it's very, very animalistic. I haven't smelled a scent this potently bestial since Satyr rocked my socks off. I really like this. I can't say whether anyone standing within ten feet of me will like it, but I like it. It smells sort of smoky, like a fire, indeed. Others speak of a spice note, but I get no spice at all. Just musk, patchouli, woodsmoke, and satyr pubes. And, you know, you may not believe me, but that is SEXY. Dragon's blood, with a hint of musk and a whiff of some light floral, gardenia probably. This is a very light scent both in the bottle and on the skin. It's warm but not overwhelming, pleasant but not forward. A happy scent, more than a sexy one. But, then, I've learned that what I consider "happy" most people consider "sexy" and what I consider "sexy" most people consider "restraining order, please!" It's quite pleasant, though, and as it wears I begin to suspect it has vanilla in it, and maybe violet. Some very light, powdery floral. The throw is really pretty, but up close it has a baby-powder smell I don't like. Probably gardenia. I don't know. I'm bad with florals because they all hate me.

Mint, almond, cherries or chocolate? What is that? I definitely get vanilla, and a lot of herbs. On application, this becomes a very sweet yet very herbal blend. It's hard to pick out notes. Vanilla, almonds, and some lively spice, all layered over a background of bitter herbs. The effect is interesting – like sugar syrup added to some foul concoction to make it go down easier. The throw is very pleasant. Clean and herbal, with a touch of a very dark, grainy, roasted vanilla, not the soft, white, whipped vanilla. I'm not married to it; it's strictly all right as scents go.

Thick and medicinal, swampy almost, with a hint of almond, bitter herbs, and . . . I don't know what that is. On, the herbs die back a bit and this is pretty strongly almondy, with all the cherry cough syrup goodness that implies. I'm not sure about the fact that most reviews are citing rose as an influence, but sure enough, after just a little while, a rose scent comes out that is more candylike than anything else. There's a strong green element to this, too, like crushed stems. I can't say this is a very enticing perfume. It smells very raw, very unfinished, and yet it has some strange, unvarnished appeal that transcends its non-perfuminess. It's nice.

Cherry and bubblegum scratch and sniff stickers. That is what this smells like. It's fruity and sweet in the bottle, and once it's applied it acquires a cake-like edge, or a smell like browning meringue or coconut macaroons. Very tasty; I suspect there is cassia in this, rather than cinnamon. A touch of coconut, a little strawberry. Actually, this smells quite a bit like homemade strawberry shortcake, complete with pound cake. Joy Mojo indeed. Hard not to like a scent that is so relentlessly happy.

Good lord, this is hardly even there in the bottle! What's up with that? This is soapy, and very faint. And it goes on the same: an herbal hand soap. Very faint. Almost nonexistent. When I say soap, I don't mean floral-smelling soap, I mean handmade herb soap. This is very nice, it's just so very, very understated and hardly present at all that it's hard to pick out single notes. Very pretty, but barely there!

Sweet floral, jasmine or lotus, in the bottle: powdery, warm, creamy. Very nice. Oh, oh, wow. This is instasex. I have absolutely no doubt that this would work as advertised: it's powerfully sexy and powerfully female. The undertone is rich and fleshy. Also, sweetly floral. There may be roses involved. There's also a sweetness, almost cake-like, about it. I really like this a lot, and that's saying something. Most florals leave me cold. I am not getting the lemon note others have noticed in this, which is probably a good thing.

This sounds like it will smell wonderful; I'm very excited to try it! Now, y'all are going to laugh at me, but this smells exactly like Coke syrup in the bottle. I'm not really surprised; lime, vanilla, and clove are likely in the formula for Coke, and myrrh and patchouli both sometimes have a very cola smell to me. But the resemblance is startling. It's a smooth, deep scent, like very dark brown velvet and rich green bottle glass. If I keep up on it, sniffing it, it's intensely patchouli and spice with a thick breath of almond. Shades of Cherry Coke, here. It's quite interesting. Let's try it on. The vetiver comes up immediately, giving this a much-needed edge. The patchouli and myrrh are the background of this scent, dark and thick and damp. There's a trace of pine playing with the vetiver, and the almond and vanilla and clove sort of move freely around between the high and low notes. One is prevalent one moment, another the next. It's a spicy, incense-y, smothering scent, very powerful and throaty, yet quite intriguing. It settles to an incensey/vanilla finish with a strong whiff of spices and just a twist of lime and pine. Very nice, though a bit murky and throaty for me; patchouli seems to disagree with my chemistry. This is definitely unisex; the vanilla and clove are very feminine, but the pine and vetiver give this a manly swagger. Worth trying on either gender.

I can't pin this one down . . . green and floral, but faintly spicy. Once applied, it becomes more clearly a clean, breezy sage and greenery scent, very light, with the sweetness of what I assume is the epazote. (From Wikipedia: "Epazote's fragrance is strong, but difficult to describe. It has been compared to citrus, petroleum, savory, mint, and putty.") It's a round, herbal scent with a strong sweetish mien. The spice is coriander, and grows stronger and stronger as the scent warms up. This is beautiful. At once juicy and spicy, airy and earthy, it's a truly elemental scent. It is also very difficult to describe accurately. The notes are unusual enough that this doesn't smell much like anything else. The amber here is a moderately strong golden amber, and it almost completely disappears between the strength of the herbs and the spice. It gives the scent its body, but isn't the dominant note. Beautiful. Rich and bright and beautiful.