edenssixthday

Kether - When first applied, all I smell is almond. It's not over-the-top sweet almond like Black Phoenix or Queen of Sheba. Instead, it's mellower, dryer, and not nearly as sweet. As the blend dries on my skin, the almond note fades into the background, and I begin to smell honey and light spices. There is also a hint of something far in the background that I would identify as oakmoss, but it's really hard to tell. It's a strange combination. This blend is somewhat pleasant after it dries; however, it's still not really my cup of tea when it comes to fragrance. It has pretty good staying power, but once the oil dries, there is virtually no throw, and I can only smell it very close-up.

Chakra - Vishuddha: The Throat - This is a really pretty, soft, lemon scent. It's not the bright, crisp lemon I usually get that smells like lemon drops or Pledge. Rather, it's soft around the edges, and melds gently with the lovely floral notes that surround the lemon. It's gently fresh and clean and very positive and uplifting without being shockingly so. It stays somewhat close to my skin, but has really good staying power.

Chakra - The Vortex - When I first apply this, all I smell is lemon. The bright, sweet, sugar-lemon of lemon drop candies. It's not unpleasant, but not a scent I want to wear on my body. After about an hour or so, the lemon scent mellows out and a green herbal scent becomes noticeable, and it becomes evident to me that this is a lemongrass blend. It's very light and herbal and sticks extremely close to my skin. It's a nice scent, but not one that really suits my tastes.

Chakra - Swadhistana: Sacral - After applying this, I'm left wretching and gasping for fresh air. Jasmine! Gardenia! And CHEMICALS! Wow. This is one heck of a pungent scent. I feel like I'm being smothered by a chemical or two that are desperately trying to become jasmine and gardenia, but aren't quite reaching their goal. It's overpowering and stringent, and even though I'm wearing only the tiniest bit on the back of my hand, as I walk outside, the breezy air whips up the scent and surrounds me in a bubble of synthetic gardenia/jasmine scent. It's putrid and one of the worst scents I've encountered. It actually reminds me a lot of Sacred Whore of Babylon, except I like SWOB. This has incredible throw and the lasting power is beyond ridiculous for such a horrifying scent. I can't scrub it off with soap and water, either. After about an hour and fifteen minutes, the fake chemical scent dissipates, but I'm still left with a sour, white flower smell that reminds me of the smell of the bottom of a vase after flowers have been left rotting in the stagnant vase water for a couple of weeks. This is definitely not one I'll be trying again. I hope others have had better luck with it.

Chakra - Sahasrara: The Crown - Upon first applying this blend, it's bubblegum sweet with an herbal quality and reminds me a lot of Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo. However, as the blend dries, the fruity bubblegum sweetness mellows out a bit, and the strong scent of incense (possibly frankincense?) becomes dominant, layering itself on top of the sweet scent, and it's absolutely gorgeous! After that, it doesn't change much at all over time. It has a lovely level of throw, where a tiny dab on my wrists leaves the scent wafting about me, but it's not overpowering or strong. I simply cannot get enough of this scent! I really love it.

Chakra - Muladhara: The Root - Holy moly is this a strong scent! From the get-go, it was obviously patchouli-based, but as time went by, other notes like vetiver, cedarwood, soil (and maybe some sandalwood and leaves) became evident in the blend. This scent evokes memories of camping in the woods. That first night of camping when you lay out the tarps and set up the tent, and find yourself dousing your legs, arms, and neck with mosquito spray at sunset, while the smoke from your neighbor's fire wafts in your direction. It's the smell of plastic tent that's been bundled up in storage since the end of last summer, the bark and needles of the evergreens surrounding you, crisp night air where you can't quite see your breath (yet), humus in the soil around you, the trace of bug spray on your jacket, and campfire in the air. As for how this works to evoke memories and to whisk me away to one of my favorite pasttimes, this is a phenomenal blend. As for how it works in chakra ritual, I simply can't say. As for how it works as a perfume, it's really gross. I love the smell of camping in the woods, but I don't want to wear this scent on my skin. I smell too much like dirty tent/tarp plastic. Unfortunately for me, it has kick-ass throw and incredibly long staying power.

Chakra - Manipura: The Solar Plexus - My first impression upon sniffing this blend wet on my skin is that there's most definitely Dragon's Blood in this blend and it seems to be a nice blend. The Dragon's Blood is distinctly present, and while it dominates over any other notes in this blend, it doesn't feel like it's a powerful note. It's gentle and humble. There is some spiciness in the scent, too, but there's only a modicum of it, and is basically just enough to keep the overall scent interesting. I also think I detect a hint of lilac, but that could just be the Dragon's Blood playing tricks on me. This blend does not change upon the drydown or afterward, it stays fairly close to my skin, and it is very pretty and long-lasting.

Chakra - Anahata: The Heart - This is a very pretty blend. It's subtle and fresh with a light touch of rose and a very, very light herbal quality. My first impression is that breathing in this scent is like breathing in clean, mountain air, and there are no particularly distinguishable notes. As it dries and settles into my skin, a light rose note is discernible and something even lighter and softer underneath it, like the faintest wisp of lavender -- the prettiest BPAL lavendar I've experienced. It is a very pretty blend, but a bit too subtle for my particular taste. How lovely that it's intended for heart Chakra work.

Chakra - Ajna: The Third Eye - Holy euco-anise-lyptus-mint!!! Wow, when I first apply this, I'm smacked in the face by an incredibly stringent and medicinal scent, and wonder if I may have accidentally applied Campho-phenique to my skin. Then, almost instantly, the bright, crisp scent of anise/licorice blends with the eucalyptus/camphor/mint scent, making it even brighter, stronger, and more overwhelming. Just the tiniest bit of this on my arm, and the entire room I was in swirled with the overwhelming aroma of medicine. I can see how this one could work for some sort of ritual/practice work, but not for perfume, that's for certain. I had to wash it off so I wasn't completely overwhelming to myself and to others around me.

Panacea Elixir II: Succor – When I was a teenager in New Orleans, I went to an all-girls high school where we prayed every morning and every afternoon to “Our Lady of Prompt Succor” (hasten to help…) Whenever I hear the word “succor” I am instantly reminded of morning and afternoon prayers and the strange old but lived-in scent of the school building and the musty scent of ancient nuns. I must have somehow subconsciously thought that this Panacea blend would smell like my alma matter because as soon as I applied it, I was surprised that the scent reminded me of anything but what I think “succor” would smell like. It smells like the inside of a cabin in the woods that has a fire burning in the fireplace. It’s predominantly smoke and fresh-cut wood, and the scent doesn’t appeal to me in the least. It’s not a scent I would ever wear for pure fragrance purposes and well, I find “relaxation, calm, and finding center” from a few other BPAL blends. Not to mention that within 30 minutes the scent has almost disappeared from my skin. So into the swap pile this goes.

Panacea Elixir I: Seduction - I find it very hard to believe that this scent seduces anyone! While it’s not an entirely disagreeable scent, it’s hardly sexy or pretty or attractive, either. Other reviewers note ylang ylang in it, but I got none of the bright, citrus scent that I usually get from ylang ylang. Rather, it was a soft, subtle, and slightly bitter floral scent – something along the lines of what I generally encounter with iris. I can’t help but wonder if it went wonky on me due to a hormonal issue or something. It stuck very close to my skin, with maybe 4” of throw at the very most and faded within the hour. I can’t remember if I passed it along, but if I didn’t, I suppose I might just have to give it another shot.

Panacea: Quietude is a gorgeous blend. It's a lovely, fragrant lavendar with a twist of lime, and as it dries down, I can smell the tiniest hint of eucalyptus as I breath it in. Very refreshing, clarifying, and relaxing. It's what I had hoped Somnus would be. Unfortunately, the scent doesn't last very long, but it still does it's job at relaxing me to the point of falling asleep peacefully and soundly. I am currently working my way through a 10 ml bottle of Somnus as my pre-bedtime oil, but once it's gone, I'll be replacing it with a big bottle of Quietude.

Panacea Elixir V: Moxie - This one is worth every dime. Moxie is "ZING!!!" in a bottle. Full of wake-me-up and pick-me-up qualities, this is one bottle I want to take a sniff of every morning the moment I get out of bed. It'll wake me right up, clear my head instantly, and give me all the verve I need to get going. It's an energy elixir, most definitely. It's incredibly strong with super-duper throw and you only need just the tiniest touch or you're going to knock over everyone who comes within 10 feet of you. This is in-your-face tangerine (peel and all) mixed with an incredibly wearable ginger (which I don't usually like, but works very very well with the tangerine). It's more of a bitter citrus than juicy and sweet -- this is no "creamsicle orange" scent. There seem to also be some spices floating around underneath the predominant notes, but I can't tell what they are -- white pepper and clove, perhaps? This is the best citrus blend I have ever encountered (and that's saying a lot because citrus blends tend to be among my favorites and I've tried a lot!). I'm buying a bottle of this when I place my next order with the Lab...which is very soon!

Somnus - Lavendar and lemongrass and an abundance of green herbs. Perfect for calming one's mind and relaxing one's body before a night of restful sleep. I have found that since I've been using Somnus, I fall asleep much more quickly and sleep more heavily than I do without it. However, the formula only seems to smell good during "that time of the month." The other 3.5 weeks of the month, the lavendar smells very "gamey" on me and has actually caused me to gag a couple of times. Nevertheless, it does a good job of helping me sleep, so I bought a bottle of it -- and guess what, the Lab was out of 5 ml bottles, so I got a 10 ml bottle of Somnus! I don't know if I'll buy it again because of that "gamey" aspect, and also because I've since discovered the Panacea blend Quietude which has a lovely lavendar that doesn't disturb my olfactory senses in the least and seems to have a similar calming and relaxing effect. When I'm done with this ginormous bottle of Somnus, I'll probably give it up and purchase Quietude instead.

Baku - For weeks on end now, I have had a multitude of disturbing dreams at night. Not nightmares per se, but incredibly stressful, frustrating, disturbing, and highly intense dreams that stay with me long after I awake in the morning. I’ve had an untested imp of Baku laying around for a while, so I decided to give it a shot and see if it would help, even though it’s specifically for nightmares. Well, the first night I tried it, I slept like a baby and had nothing but pleasant dreams. So I tried it again with the same result. The next night, I opted to go without Baku, and my distressing dreams returned. On the fourth night, I test Baku again for the third time, and had nothing but lovely dreams and I felt fully rested and peaceful when I woke up. Same again on nights five and six. I would say Baku does its job and does it phenomenally well! The scent is a bit odd – it smells strongly of lavender when initially applied, but as it dries down and the strong lavender fades a bit, a couple of other notes appear. One is exceptionally faint and barely discernible, but I believe it is anise. The other is stronger, but even harder to identify. It makes the inside of my nose cold when I inhale and helps lightly clear my head, and I think that scent is most likely bay leaf. This is an incredibly useful scent and I will be buying a bottle of it.

Nanshe smells to me exactly like Bath & Body Works’ lavender mimosa scent. In fact, one evening, I put the B&BW lotion on one arm and the Nanshe on the other, and could not distinguish between the two. They layered together perfectly. On my skin, what other users have thought was a sharp bit of lemongrass in the scent is excessively sharp to my nose – almost peppery. The lavender is soft and subtle. The scent is a very odd one. It makes me think of some kind of spice you would use for a steak marinade. I don’t think it helped at all with psychic dream powers, as every time I wore it, my dreams were pretty much the same as when I didn’t use it, and I remembered about as much. I still have an imp of this sitting by my bed, but the peppery aspect of it makes me hesitate to wear it at night. I’ll just stick with my Somnus, I think.

Oneiroi - Somnus is my sleep-oil of choice, but I picked up an imp of Oneiroi and decided to try it out in the hopes that it would help give me good dreams. Well, it doesn’t claim to invoke good dreams, just dreams. And wow, the first night I used it, I had really intense, vivid dreams, and they were incredibly bizarre, verging on the disturbing. The second time I used it, the dreams were less intense and less disturbing, but still very vivid. I’m wearing it again tonight and will see how it works tonight. As for being a sleep-aid, I actually prefer the scent much more than Somnus. The lavender is deep and sweet. I was instantly aware that this blend had jasmine in it, but my skin didn’t amp it up as it usually does. The jasmine remained soft and almost had the sweetness of wisteria or lilac. It was very surprising to find a blend with jasmine that smells so good on me. There is something slightly acrid in the blend, and I’m guessing that it may be the mugwort, but it doesn’t make it an unpleasant scent. It just adds depth to what could otherwise possibly be overly-floral-sweet. I like the scent and I find it much more soothing than Somnus, but if I don’t start having good dreams when wearing it, I’ll go back to using Somnus every night instead.

Temple of Dreams - I used Temple of Dreams last night for the first time. It's supposed to help It had a really nice lavender scent with a hint of spice (nutmeg?) However, I had one of the most terrible dreams I've ever had in my life last night. It was just awful and full of anguish, and well, needless to say that as nice as Temple of Dreams smells, and as much as it may be used by some to deal with nightmares, I won't be using it again if last night's dream is any remote example of the kind of dreams it invokes.

White Light - When I first tried on White Light, I thought it may have been the most beautiful fragrance I had ever experienced. It has a distinct white floral scent as well as something light and citrusy – very fresh, clean, cheerful, and uplifting. However, after about 4 hours, the scent began to turn on me. It picked up a thick odor, something that wasn’t quite right about it and is difficult to describe. It lost it’s refreshing quality and got a thick, dark quality – almost like milk that has burned on the bottom of a pot on the stove. The thickness became incredibly nauseating and not long after it turned, I had to wash off the scent. It was such an unpleasant experience that I sold my imp of White Light and have never had the desire to touch it since. Edit: I have since picked up more White Light because I needed it for its intended use. I still have a bit of a negative physical reaction to the scent, but otherwise, I do notice it has helped me feel incredibly stronger, more at peace, and generally better about the things going on in life. Things have been very rough lately and White Light works so well that I keep a bit of it in a little bottle in a tin box in my purse at all times so that I have it on hand exactly when I need it. It really does work (even if it smells a little funky on me).

Temple: Celtic is an absolutely gorgeous blend. It’s the scent of blue-green waters lapping against the craggy rocks beneath the ancient ruins of a great stone castle. It’s the scent of clean air, slightly herbal and fresh with a touch of cucumber. This scent is one of the most calming BPAL blends I’ve encountered. I’ve used it to help me sleep and I’ve used it to relax me at night before bed, but it’s not a typical nighttime scent. This scent is full of daylight, and I’ve found it works better when used during during a hectic, stressful day to help calm me down and bring me back to earth. I can’t recommend this blend enough.

Temple: Egyptian is a really nice scent. I don’t know how it is intended to be used or for what purpose, so I can only review the scent. It’s a light scent, yet very warm and golden. I would guess there is some sort of light amber in this blend and something that reminds me a lot of The Lion. It is slightly sweet, but not sugar-sweet, more like the sweet smell of fresh grass and maybe there’s even a hint of date palm in this blend? This is not a scent of the Egyptian desert as much as it is a scent of the stretch along the Nile River. Sweet, fresh, fertile, and warm. I love it. I could easily wear this as a fragrance. I just really wish I knew what it was intended for as TAL blend.

Temple: Greek is a gorgeous scent. I don’t know how it is intended to be used or for what purpose, so I can only review the scent. It’s full of evergreen notes, which is something I don’t usually like at all in a fragrance. It’s also slightly juicy and reminds me a lot of Yuletide. This is a gorgeous scent with a moderate level of throw and phenomenal lasting power.

Nocturne - When I try a sleep blend, I usually wait to review it until I’ve used it multiple times. However, my experience after the first use of Nocturne was so stunning that I had to review it right away! I have had difficulty sleeping for pretty much my entire life. I have a hard time falling asleep and then a hard time staying asleep. The last month or so has been even more difficult. Well, last night, I put Nocturne on as per the instructions (“anoint the soles of your feet, your temples, Third eye, pulse points, and your heart prior to retiring”). I fell asleep immediately, and I slept like a rock. I slept soundly through the night, and when I woke up in the morning, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated like I have not felt in quite some time. I don’t remember any of my dreams, which is unusual for me. I was just dead asleep. This stuff is phenomenal! As for the scent, when I sniff it in the vial, it’s definitely a lavender blend. The moment I apply it to my skin, the lavender moves into the background, and roses burst forth. Not the fresh, red roses of Rose Red, but the softer, sweeter roses of Water of Notre Dame and The Empress. Behind that is something else and I can’t tell if it’s smoke, incense, or herbs. The blend has such incredible staying power that 8 hours later, when I awoke, I could still smell it on my skin as strongly as I had the night before when I applied it. I’m going to be using this a lot for sleep. Excellent sleep blend. Two thumbs up! Edit: I have managed to track down even more of NocturneWith the stress I've been under lately, I don't tend to fall asleep easily, but Nocturne has been my saving grace. I fall asleep quickly when I wear it and I sleep so hard and so soundly that I feel fully refreshed in the morning. I'm REALLY hoping this one will be released soon so that I don't have to keep eeking it out but can use it as liberally as I could ever want.

Arabian Nights - Ooh, this is a gorgeous scent! It’s a deep, resinous amber and myrrh scent, and has a little bit of spice in it, too, although I can’t figure out what type. About an hour after applying it, I start to detect the slightest trace of rose. The entire scent overall is incredibly sultry, but not entirely sexy, if that makes any sense. The throw on this is incredible. If I have the tiniest dab on my arm, I can smell it wafting all around me as I walk. I have had multiple compliments on how great I smell. I don’t need to attract new lovers into my life, but I would say this has done a nice job of not necessarily meeting new people, but I seem to have good conversations with people I know, but don’t know well, thus paving the way for friendship. I’m so glad I have this!

This scent is very dark and makes me think there’s vetiver in it for sure, and either patchouli or sandalwood (I get them confused sometimes and in this one, it’s hard to tell!) There may also be a touch of black pepper, but I’m not sure about that, either. No matter what, it’s a heavy, masculine scent, and probably not one that most people would want to wear for fragrance’s sake. I have only worn it with intent on a couple of occasions and while a multitude of good things have happened over the last several weeks, none happened while I was using this blend, so it’s hard to say if it has had an effect on my recent good fortune, or it’s been coincidental.