Katinka

CCCXI (311) Starts out as a strong, sweet lemon scent, with a hint of floral and maybe soft herbs? After a few minutes, jasmine seems to take over, and I’m reminded somewhat of Eos. The drydown, however, is similar to more delicate Lolita – it’s a soft, sweet, slightly powdery floral. Really yummy, and I like it quite a bit. CCCXVIII (318) Er…men’s cologne? A woodsy sort of base, with a touch of some sort of spice? I tend to prefer what my friend calls “cleaning product scents”, so this is really not my thing. CCLXIII (263) This one also starts out with lemon, but it’s more of an herbal scent, like lemon balm or lemongrass. There’s also a sharp, pungent green note reminiscent of the discontinued Muse scents Melpomene and Calliope. I’m not terribly keen on it so far, but after 15-20 minutes, the green note almost completely recedes and a sweet resin base (amber?) comes forward. I’m left with a rather yummy lemony-amber drydown. I’m willing to wait out the initial stages for this!

This is just YUMMY -- a lush, fruity amber with a bit of an initial kick! I've got a bottle on the way.

I love Cheshire Cat myself, but I have to apply it pretty heavily. For whatever reason, the grapefruit sticks around much longer in blends like Manhattan and Shattered. You might give Aizen-Myoo a try, too.

Kumiho, where have you been all my life? This is the crisp, non-floral summer scent I've been long hoping to find. It's very reminiscent of The Dormouse (more so than Sudha Segara) to my nose, just a little more sophisticated. It only lasted about 4+ hours on my skin, but I won't mind dumping it on.

Tenochtitlan is sweet and green to me, but it's a bit more "desert" than "tropical". How about Machu Picchu?

I have rotten luck with LEs. Ostara was very pretty for the first hour -- sweet and springy, with yummy hints of orange pulp. And then it developed a sharp, nose-tickling, perfumy edge. Woe.

Now, leather and woods normally have me running for the hills, but this is some seriously GORGEOUS stuff... I get an initial blast of the grapefruit note that I love in Cheshire Cat, but whereas CC is soft and cozy underneath, Manhattan is sleek and self-assured. There are hints of woods and orchids -- notes that often amp on me -- but in this they blend together seamlessly to create an elegant base to the yummy grapefruit. I will definitely want more of this.

I really like this...on me, it's a soft, sweet lavendar that reminds me of my flowerbeds in summer. I detect a resemblance to Ode on Meloncholy, but Kalahantarika has more of an herbal edge. I agree that this would make a nice sleep scent.

Nummy nummy nummy... This is much like what Les Bijoux was like for me, before the rose in that blend raised her fearsome head. It's also similar to my favorite Verdandi, but with a slightly earthier edge. A lovely, sweet, appley blend.

I should just accept that anything with "incense" in the description will not like me. I love ginger, though, so I thought I'd give it a shot. For the first 30 minutes, Shub smelled exactly like I'd rubbed a wet Atomic Fireball over my wrists. Then, it morphed into a nice, but faint, gingerbread for another 30 minutes. Then it just went...I dunno, grungy? But while Shub and I weren't fated, I can see that it would smell fabulous on someone else. I'll just wear other ginger/cinnamon scents like Chimera or Pumpkin Queen instead.

It's so much fun to discover a great scent among the GC, just when you think you've exhausted your GC wishlist. This is what I wished Santa Eularia would have been like on me...here, I get soft orange, a gentle whiff of something herbal, and a soft lavendar. I'd resisted trying this before, based on reviews, but it's quite nice. This will be quite nice for early summer, I think.

If Black Lily is too soapy for you at first, give it a chance to dry down, because it soon becomes the equivalent of a silk blouse and a string of pearls in a bottle. Seriously, this is the smooth, "white-gold" scent I have been wanting for some time now. Elegant, refined, and confidant, without the obtrusiveness that some floral scents have. Just lovely.

Has anyone said Cobra Lily yet? It's not billed as an "orange" fragrance, but I get a sweet, sticky oranginess out of it. I just like it in spring, though. For cooler weather, I go with Thaleia (orange, apricot, and honey).

The Glorious Grand Dame of the Pumpkin Patch! Regal Egyptian Amber, red ginger, orange peel, mandarin, cardamom, fig leaf and warm pumpkin. The kind and generous ayelienne included some PQ in a swap, and it is absolutely glorious! It lasts for ages and ages on my skin, too. Oddly enough, I don't get a bit of orange (I love the oranginess of Thaleia, so I was *hoping* for citrus), but I find a yummy mix of amber and spices instead. Imagine a concoction of Jack, Chimera, and Sudga Segara... Fantastic!

I can't speak for the others, but to my nose, Szepasszony definitely doesn't have a "woodsy" component to it. I think it smells like eating lemon ices on a crisp morning in early spring

Oh, the pretty... I have mixed luck with dragon's blood -- it often does this musty Dr. Pepper thing on my skin -- but Ladon is absolutely lovely. It's all sweet, juicy apples and hyacinths on me. I'm in love.

Tiger Lily and Thaleia are my favorite honey scents -- O was a bit too "raw" for me. I don't get any honey at all from Sudha Segara (it's all yummy ginger on me), but Chimera has a bit of a honey vibe to it.

This one is a morpher! The first prominent note was the fresh, sunny lemon peel, followed by the summery florals. I did panic slightly at the hour point, when it seemed to become solely Vanilla Musk, but then the amber and some other bright component (heliotrope?) jumped into the fray and continued to make the scent wearable for me. Extremely well-blended, and extremely lovely.

Woooo-oooh! This stuff is STRONG. So strong, in fact, that the overwhelming butter-toffee-ness of it is making me a little queasy. Not for me, I fear.

Just to set your mind at ease, I'd recommend sending an email to answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Sara in Customer Service is awesome, and if you give her your order information, she'll probably be able to verify your imps for you.

Another vote for Persephone (rose and pomegranate), and I'll throw out Megaera (grapefruit and plum, I believe) as another possibility.

The ghostly White Women of the Scottish highlands. They seduce unwary travelers by night with their unearthly beauty and mesmerizing dancing. They engage their victims in a wild, hypnotic dance, and once they reach exhaustion, the demonesses exsanguinate their partners with their vampiric kiss. Talk about a quick courtship. Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom and ginger. A fresh, light, and airy scent that somehow evokes sugar-sprinkled grapefruit and...hairspray. I think I prefer Cheshire Cat, which seems a little more grounded.

Golden, sticky pollen, with a planty sweetness similar to Tenochtitlan. Quite nice, and it seems to have great throw, too. ETA: Well, drat...that "pollen" vibe seems to be a little too on the money. I think Sundew has the distinction of giving me my first ever BPAL-induced allergy attack. And we started off so well...

Beltane '06 is a combination of the best elements of The Unicorn and Calliope -- sweet herbs with a touch of refreshing citrus. It didn't last terribly long on me, but it is a very nice, clean scent.

Ooey gooey sticky buns! Absolutely yummy, and I've got a 5ml on order.