alicia_stardust

This is amazingly beautiful and hits the concept and spirit of Olokun perfectly. I get a deep and dark aquatic. It isn't murky, however. There is a clear, zesty tang of ocean salt, different currents of cold then warm water that pass by each other, and an almost melon-like accent. This is a beautiful ocean blend and one that I am so glad to have finally tried.

This is a resiny, earthy blend to me. Dark and hot. The labdanum and vetiver hold the darkest part of this. The sandalwood seems light and dry and adds an incense aspect. The fougere, sage, lemon peel, and lavender seem out of place at first but they quickly sink into the darker notes and act as an accent. I find this to be highly masculine to my nose even though I have a soft spot for dark, sepulchral incense blends. =)

This is lighter and brighter than any actual absinthe I have smelled/tasted, but even so it hits the mark. I get a soft, breathy mint and lemon as an accent while the anise and wormwood carry the strongest and most characteristic part of absinthe's fragrance. Since I do find this to be lighter and prettier than my experience with real absinthe, I'd say it makes for a good perfume.

For me, this is mostly orange blossom at first. As time passes, the orange blossom remains dominant yet the rose and rosemary add a lushness and green bite. Something about this is both beautiful and yet sinister. =)

When wet, this is a bright and juicy orange fragrance, but as it dries the bergamot and neroli come out and give it more of a sharp and biting aspect. It's perfectly fitting for the concept, and the touch of sweet clove adds just enough spice and darkness to this. Lovely!

This is a gorgeous, melancholy aquatic floral. It's very calm and quiet. I smell a white, sweet floral and possibly some rose and violet. Those sit in the background, though, and a lavender aquatic base is what seems the most prominent to me. This is definitely an emotionally soothing and calming blend.

This is bright and sweet and almost innocent. It has a playful exuberance and does indeed smell like candy bubblegum, with a hint of bright fruit and vanilla behind it. This is a fun scent to wear when it's time to clear the air and lighten up.

This is like a creamy fruit and floral smoothie. It almost reminds me of one of those orange creamsicles, only with guava and grapefruit and lemon instead. The lemongrass doesn't even come close to dominating the blend as it is sometimes wont to do, and the hibiscus and cherry blossom add a nice springy touch to this. This is one of my favorite Alice-related blends of all time, and it is also among my favorite grapefruit blends from BPAL. It is so light, energetic, refreshing, and playful. I think I need more than one of these because it makes me want to roll around in it. It has an average throw and wear-length on me, and it smells like the colors pink and orange to me. =)

MOON OF ICE This smells very different to me than most of the previous reviews. I do not smell even the barest hint of pine, and the eucalyptus sits in the background as a cool green base. What I do smell the most, both while wet and dry, is a cool smattering of winter flowers and lunar oils underneath some ice. It has a fizzy sort of quality to it, like slush with soda pop in it, or like a gently fermented fruit wine, or a touch of bubbly champagne. It reminds me very strongly of Fairy Wine in general, and just the top fizzy note of Pruno. I find it effervescent enough that it makes my nose tickle. This is pretty, even if unexpected. =)

I waited through all the other zodiac blends to get my Pisces, and I am not disappointed. While I can appreciate straight-up aquatics, I tend toward liking darker, deeper, muskier blends. Pisces is all that and more, and does retain a touch of a watery quality from the wisteria and Irish moss. Pisces has a musky herbal quality to it, and it is oh so calming and centering. I smell an overall herbal, musky quality with a subtle hint of grains. It is gentle and smooth. There is a flash of sarsaparilla and it dominates for a moment before receding into the herbal, musky base. When the oil dries, I get a lot of opium poppy but it is not as strong or as sharp as it has been in other blends such as Sleepy Moon. Instead, it sort of envelops the rest of the blend in a gentle floral blanket. In that floral blanket, I can also pick up the wisteria, which for some reason feels like a watery flower to me; something about its fragrance just gives me that impression. The Irish moss acts as a lovely earthen accent to this already gorgeous blend. I can't express how beautiful this is.

I love every Shunga blend, but this one is one of my four favorites. I smell a touch of the cream, but this doesn't smell foody to me. Rather, I get a glowing golden-red tone with something that is almost spicy. If I hadn't peeked at the listing for this I would have likened this to having a note similar to Shub. What I think it is, instead, is the way that the amber and teak combine. It is simply gorgeous, highly unique, and very sensual. The amber and teak dominate the blend, but I get just a touch of cream and only the teeniest accent of lotus. This is a definite keeper, and one worth hoarding.

This is a gorgeous fruity-floral, but I find that there is more floral than fruit. The red currant is noticeable at first, but it fades shortly after and the plum flower and cherry blossom become the most prominent. They have a sweet but strong and very feminine quality to them. The green tea adds an accent to the blossoms but it remains in the background. This is very pretty and feminine, and a must try for anyone who loves spring-like florals.

I can smell a touch of nectarine and jasmine while this is wet, but after it dries it completely changes into a light and slightly sweet blend. The nectarine doesn't dominate, and the jasmine merely adds sweetness but doesn't cloy or become too floral. The tonka adds a smooth and creamy quality that almost makes me think of a shea or rice flower sort of fragrance, especially when it blends with the resins. This is one of those that's really difficult to describe because, to me, the notes all meld together to create an overall fragrance that almost defies words. It's sultry and sweet and I find it neither fruity, nor floral, nor resinous but rather, a melding of scent types to create its own category. There is an overall sweet honey dust sort of fragrance to it, and it also has a clean and fresh quality that makes me think of summertime scents. This is definitely worth hoarding.

This comes across as a highly Asian blend, gorgeous in its presentation. The green sandalwood is light and raw; the difference I find in green sandalwood is that it is not as dry or sharp as other types of sandalwood. It goes so well with the black tea and the rice wine. I find that the rice wine really dominates this blend, but it is not hard to pick out the way that the tea mingles with the tonka and the moss. This one has a strong throw and long wear-length.

HARIKATA Harikata is a gorgeous cousin to "O". It has a softer, more golden musk that remains very feminine and light amidst the honey and vanilla flower. I find that the osmanthus doesn't overwhelm here and the overall mood of the blend tends toward a sweet, golden, honey skin scent. The ginger is fresh and complimentary and I find that it adds a nice touch of zing. It is a light and sweet ginger. This is a must try!

This is a lovely, non-soapy aquatic blend. Something about it is tangy and fresh and green, and very watery. I find skin musk to be very light and sensual and it always has a sort of golden, breathy quality that sits close to my skin. When that combines with the earthy oakmoss, it turns into more of a musky, perfumey fragrance yet it is not cloying to me. It remains breathy and salty and the nectarine adds just the right amount of sweet nectar.

This is freaking amazing! I get a strong, pungent seaweed and a sweet ambergris. Something about the seaweed, while aquatic, comes across as a "dry" scent. It's very unique. The honey really adds a layer of sweetness and I can only barely detect the mint as a coolness but not as actual mint. It's very subtle. This just smells so good! It's a must for anyone who loves aquatics and/or honey.

This is such a gorgeous representation of the artwork for which it was named. This is so complex and earthy, yet fresh. I get a woody and earthy side to this which comes from the patchouli and amber, and then there's a bright and sweet citrus and fruit to counter it. On top of that, the violet lends a sort of dusky, soft layer to fill the gaps between the woodsy earth and the citrus. Something about this reminds me of fresh green grass and summertime. I particularly get that impression when the oil is still wet. Lovely!

ANACTORIA In the bottle this smells like golden musk and amber. When this dries I smell an intoxicating and sultry mix of golden amber and musk, but they are now tinged with an herbal, dry grassy quality which I think might be the kush. The honey is very present to my nose and it is, indeed, a white honey. (I have been obsessed with eating white honey for a number of months now so I recognized the difference easily.) White honey is lighter, almost sweeter, and usually thicker; it still retains its characteristic honey scent but there is no golden strong quality to it. I believe that the currant and daemonorops, while not easily picked out of this blend, are lending a touch of depth and shadow. Overall this is a very heady fragrance that I find to be gender neutral, highly sensual, and very gorgeous. The amber and musk warm this, the kush adds the intoxicating quality to this, and the honey adds just the right amount of natural sweetness. This one is unique and difficult to really categorize other than being sultry and sensual. It's another new favorite.

Say the word resin or incense and I'm there. With that said, there are so many expressions within that category and Valentine of Rome is yet another work of art. In the bottle I get a dark, almost fresh, almost sweet blend of resins with a touch of smoke. As the oil dries I get more of a dark and glowing blend. There is a hint of sweetness which is how my nose interprets the frankincense and myrrh combination. I detect something in there that's sort of a dark forest green; plant-like and fresh, but not overly so. The cypress plays into it well. I think the olive blossom sort of smooths this out. I don't have the vocabulary to explain the way that olive blossom smells to me, but I do love it. I find this to be gender neutral, and I mention that because I have heard a few concerns over whether or not this might smell masculine only. The blend is deep and aged, green, dark, fresh, glowing. It's not too dry of a blend, nor do I find it heavy or cloying. It is another favorite from this update, and it will definitely be a well-loved incense and resin blend in my collection.

LONGING Longing is a gorgeously deep, layered blend. It smells complex and dark in the bottle, with a top note of cinnamon. As the oil dries I can smell the rose geranium and cinnamon first. The cinnamon is smooth and soft. While it is spicy, it comes across more as a warmth than a fiery heat. I find that the frankincense both darkens and sweetens things while the golden musk and almost creamy bay rum sort of warm and "round out" the blend. Something about this has a glow to it and it brings to mind flickering candle light in a darkened room. It's lovely. It doesn't take long for this blend to darken a bit. The rose geranium and bois du rose are still noticeable, but the focus turns to more of the musk, resin, and cinnamon for a short while. There is an overall air of sensuality and roundness, and I think this blend is breathtaking. I get a strong throw, average wear, and the cinnamon does not burn. This is definitely a keeper.

La Vita Nuova gets a rave review from me. It is clean and simple in its presentation and is neither too floral nor too fruity. The apple blossom has just enough summertime in it, with a touch of tart, and the lemon balm is orgasmic. This is NOT your strong or cleaning fluid lemon. This is a light yellow, pale summer breeze that wafts over cut lemons and carries the softened fragrance to your nose. The white rose is very gentle and soft, not strong or soapy. The champagne grape adds just a touch of light, sweet juiciness but I do not get any effervescence or heaviness. While the white rose and champagne grape are noticeable, they really are supporting roles to the apple blossom and lemon balm. When I smell this I am transported and I almost expect to find myself surrounded by orchards, with warm afternoon sunlight hitting my skin, and a soft distant hum of bees as they pollinate the apple blossoms. Beautiful!

Barq's Creme Soda with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. =) That's what I smell during drydown, instead of whatever wintergreen phase others are finding. I smell no wintergreen at all, just a creme soda/root beer sort of smell that is enveloped in vanilla. After it dries it becomes a lovely, creamy, rich vanilla with an almost boozy quality to it. There is a hint of the exotic behind there; a warm saffron spice. This really is quite beautiful. It's a bit on the foody side for my tastes, but the richness of the vanilla after the drydown is definitely wooing me.

This is so gorgeous. It smells very "pink" to me. In the bottle I smell both grapefruit and jasmine, but as the oil dries it really smooths out into a buoyant citrus grapefruit and sensual jasmine. It isn't until after a while that I get more of a white musky quality, and the amber and rose give this a traditional touch. I really can't rave enough over the grapefruit and jasmine combination, though. They meld together so well and it just results in something incredibly soft, beautiful, and feminine.

Sapphics is divine. It's not just one of those blends that I like; rather it's the kind that makes me stop dead in my tracks almost instantly. In the bottle I smell warm, grey amber and a touch of something sharp. I didn't detect hairspray as other reviewers did but I can see how they got it from that sharpness. Just wait until you try this on your skin, though! As the oil dries I detect a warm, tantalizingly rich tonka with a sweet and strong oakmoss. The moss in this reminds me of Roux-Ga-Roux even though the rest of the blend does not match Sapphics. The tonka goes well with the tolu balsam which is a sweet resin that's kinda vanilla-cinnamon. The myrrh gives this a dark resinous quality that is almost musky and really complements the oakmoss. Lastly there is a teeny, tiny bit of floral sweetness behind this. Despite all the resins (tolu, amber, myrrh) this is not your typical resin blend, nor does it come across as incense. Instead it is a deeply sensual, inviting, and warm blend with just the right amount of light, dark, sweetness, richness, and moss to mingle with the resins. So far I think this is my favorite of the Love Poems.