hypothermya

This one was one of the June update scents that immediately caught my eye, because I love cedarwood, but also because I was really interested in what olive leaf and raspberry leaf would smell like. First Impression Smells like wood. Bitter and dry wood. The cedar is pretty much aparent, but the other ingredients just lend themselves to the dry/woody quality of this blend. I'm not sure I like the smell of it. Wearing It Oh, wow, this sure sweetens up when I put it on! It isn't sugary sweet, like Fae or Jester or Lady Macbeth, but sweeter than it was in the vial. It went from a dry, bitter woody smell to the smell of raspberry tea served next to a stick of cedar. Delicious. There's the slightest hint of that olive leaf, which smells a great deal like olive oil rather than olives themselves. jj_j was right: it does remind me a lot of Italian food. It shouldn't surprise me, but this strikes me as very masculine (moreso in the bottle than on my skin, due to the raspberry leaf making an appearance). And in a moment of bizarreness, the vetiver isn't making its presence known at all. Sure, there's that slightly earthy/dark scent here, but normally my skin reacts really badly to this. Lasting Power Not much. About an hour after I applied this, my skin had sucked up the majority of it, and the next hour was spent squeezing out the last bit of staying power. I don't think this will be an every day scent for me, by any means -- it's just too dry, and stolid for me (and I suppose I'm not the "unceasing anger" variety either). I'll probably pass this one on to my boyfriend, though, and see how delicious it smells on him. However, this has definitely made me eager to see more blends with raspberry leaf in them.

So when this perfume first made its debut, I wanted it. Badly. But it had roses in it, and wine, and I've never had success with those two before, so I didn't order it. I read the rest of the reviews, wishing that I had though. But, lo and behold, I got this imp as an extra in my last order (They are *so* generous!), and so I tried it anyway. First Impression This smells a bit like candy, in the same way that Lady Macbeth smelled like candy. There's something about the red wine in the BPAL perfumes that always smells that way out of the vial. But underneath it, I can smell the roses, the violets, and -- Ah! -- the leather that I recognize from De Sade. In the vial it smells like...potential. There are a bunch of elements that I recognize, and I don't necessarily like the way they smell now... But I suspect I'll adore them on my skin. Or at least...I hope. Wearing It When I first apply it: Heaven. That's the way that red wine should smell! That's the way that I wanted Lady Macbeth to smell on me! Rich, rich, and beautiful, and the red wine mixes with the violets and roses to form this luscious scent! It dies down to make room for the smell of leather. I never pick up on the musk, but I suspect that anyone else could probably smell it a bit. After it's dried, the wine never smells quite as rich as it smelled at the beginning, but it's still lovely! For once, a rose scent that works on me!! It smells like carefully cleaned and polished leather, black of course, which has been worn and warmed by body heat. It smells like sweet, juicy roses (just how I had wanted Persephone to smell) and delicate violets. It smells...well...divine. Lasting Power This scent is *strong* when you apply a goodly amount -- perfect for a night of clubbing when you're going to be surrounded by the scent of everyone else. But when you apply with care, it's just strong enough. And it wafts around my body, instead of staying close. And it lasts a good long while, probably more than 4 hours on me (after several drinks and a night of dancing, I couldn't smell a damned thing, but prior to that it was luscious and lasting). I adore this scent. If this is the scent of the pagans, then let me be pagan. If this is the only rose scent that I'll ever be able to wear well, then I'll be happy. Wanda and Kali are my two "adult" scents that smell like sex and like hedonism on me. (Wanda being the darker of the two.) They smell corrupted (insofar as smelling like wine and tobacco, respectively), and give me the sensation of being sexual. While Katharina makes me feel fiesty and lovely, Whitechapel makes me feel bright and feminine, Kali and Wanda make me feel like a strong, sexual, full bodied woman. I'm definitely getting more of this stuff.

Musks smell absolutely wonderful on my skin, and the thought of having an earthy/grapey/orange blossom scent sounded wonderful. I didn't realize until after I ordered it that it was supposed to be more masculine, but... First Impression Grapes, sweet like nerd candies. Which in a tenth of a second is overpowered by musk and civet. It smells like if you had a residual taste of grape nerds in your mouth, and then went out to a stable and inhaled the scent of the animals and the scent of the earth. It's not bad... But it's also not something that has me saying, "Yummy, I want more." It is something that makes me want to sniff it again, until I've grasped every little nuance. Wearing It When I put it on, the musk picks up. Of course...this is my skin we're talking about, and it sucks up musk like it was some sort of a drug. This smells like a black musk (which isn't nearly as good as red musk and white musk on my skin), but it also smells like a red musk underneath it. The civet is just underneath. As it dries, I can smell the orange blossom (such a lovely scent), but no grape. Or perhaps the grape is just so faint that I can't detect it... I can see why on some people this might turn out smelling like horse manure, what with the very animalistic musk and the very earthy (the smell of compost just before it's finally dirt) civet. On me, though, it smells lovely. A bit masculine, but lovely. Unfortunately, after about 10 minutes, I start getting the scent of baby powder. I'm not sure what does this, but about 4 or 5 of the BPAL oils that I've tried do this to me and I always hate it. (Persephone, Haunted, etc.) One thing: The oil -- which is such a deep amber that it looks red/brown in the vial -- is definitely too thick and dark for my skin. It leaves a yellow stain which almost reminds me of how my skin looks after a good coating of iodine. So on the whole, it turns out that I like this very much. The scent reminds me of being out in the forest, either hiking or horseback riding, and smelling like you've actually done something. It isn't a dirty scent, but an earthy/musky/blossom scent that is really unique. Except for the baby powder and the staining, I'd love it. I'll probably wear it again to see if it reacts differently in another week (who knows what's causing the baby powder scent -- it could just be a diet thing or a cycle thing). And I'll see if I can't apply it in smaller quantities in more obscure places (maybe behind the ears or near my clothing, to see if I can't fix the staining problem. And if that doesn't work, I'll toss it over to my boyfriend and see how it smells on him.

Voodoo reminds me a lot of Autumn... And as for the rest...well, I'm too distracted to think right now, but I'll get back to this post if I can remember.

For me, the ones that last the longest are: Voodoo, Persephone (and any rose blend really, but I suspect that that's just my skin chemistry), Scherezade, Dragon's Heart, Venom (this softens up, though, so it's a soft scent that lasts a while), Fae (once again, I think it's my skin chemistry...), and Aizen-Myoo

Just as an update, I broke down and e-mailed the Lab the other day about the status of my order. And Nella (who is the *sweetest* thing) actually got back to me today, even though she's not supposed to be tackling the e-mail pile for another two days! (I feel *so* spoiled) Anyhow, the news on my order (for anyone else waiting on June 17th orders and later) is that it has been delayed due to the bottle situation (yay for no lost packages!), and that it should be shipped out by the end of the week. So it might not show up in time for the actual Blue Moon, but... At least it's coming. And at least I know when to expect it now. Here's hoping that everyone who's waiting on their orders gets them speedily, and that the Lab doesn't have to break their fingers getting all the imps and bottles packaged up in a hurry.

I never got around to reviewing this one, but since it's out the door in a swap, I might as well. First Impression I recognize the violet smell right away, but then there's something a bit dirty/decaying behind it. Vetiver. The violet smells nice though, and hopefully it'll perk up a bit more when I put it on. Wearing It Wet and dry, the only thing that comes out is the vetiver. I remember why I don't like vetiver now: it was the one scent that made Hurricane smell so bad for me. I suspect that my skin chemistry doesn't agree with it in the least, because in the bottle it has an almost pleasant decaying scent, but on my skin it turns into something really foul. Ach. Pity. After trying this one, I mistook the bad smell for the violets. But when I re-examined it and tried it on again, it pretty much became clear that the violets had been violently smothered beneath the vetiver. I'll have to keep trying the violet scents, but this one definitely goes into the swap pool for someone with better skin chemistry.

I'll second Dana O'Shee...it has some similar elements to O in it, but isn't nearly as strong/heavy (and as far as BPAL perfumes go, I've found O to be pretty strong).

Ah, then I guess I'm not the only California out there to have not recieved her order. Okee. That makes me a lot less paranoid. Probably is the bottle shortage then. I guess the way that Brian phrased the post made me think that *all* of the California orders had been dealt with. As for your theory about the queue, I don't think that it's quite that methodical. I ordered *at* midnight when the Blue Moon became available (...ahem...no, i wasn't obsessively checking the BPAL site 12 hours prior to update...why do you ask?), and so I was probably within the first 10 orders for that day. (which was the other reason I was thinking something bad happened to my order -- because if they were doing it in order, then I should have been in the first set of boxes shipped.) I'm pretty much set on waiting patiently (now that I'm *not* moodswinging), and seeing if the order shows up before the lab reopens. And, if not we can stalk the local postal offices together or something.

Oh, I really agree. I think it's a good idea for them to get their stuff all cleaned up right before the onslaught of orders cued by the fall update. I actually think it would help them to close incoming orders until they are *all* caught up (not just one week). On the other hand, I do find myself wishing that they had time to keep up with costomer correspondence (I wanted to call it customer service, but I hate feeling like I need to be served, you know?). It's just that I didn't e-mail them before they closed because I felt like that would be complaining too early, and I really wanted to give them a break. But now that it's been six days since the Brian said that the California orders should be arriving, I'm concerned. If he hadn't said anything, I'd actually feel better, namely because I wouldn't have a date to compare expected arrival with. But his post did say that the California orders would be arriving first... Which makes me wonder if my order got *lost* rather than delayed. And by the time I'm able to correspond with them, it'll be six more days that my order has been (insert horrendous occurance here, such as..."crushed by brutish postal worker," "stolen by a five year old girl wandering through the mail boxes," "aquired by a transvestite turned sea pirate who decided that he couldn't get enough of the way Kali smelled on him," etc.) And really, that's six days that I'm going to be stressing over it. (and, no, that's not the lab's fault...I'd prefer to blame it on my clinic and health insurance who have screwed up my birth control, and have caused me a *solid* month of menstrual cycles and all the fun that goes with it, such as... Moodswinging!) So yeah...My boyfriend wants me to e-mail them now, and I'm thinking it'll be wiser to wait. But I *wish* that I didn't have to wait. Anyhow, I hope that the time off gives them the time they need to catch up. And...now it's time for me to stop ranting, and go take more painkillers... Thanks and sorry to anyone who's read this far into this particular post.

So I'm one of the Californians, and was supposed to have recieved my Blue Moon order on the 15 (according to the post that Brian made)... But I haven't seen hide nor hair of it, nor any sign of a click and ship. I was thinking that maybe they had combined my order with the next one I had made (July 3rd), and that might explain the wayward package. Especially if they decided to combine it, and then ran out of bottles (the two combined orders had 4 5mls: Blue Moon, Old Morocco, Red Moon, Scherezade). On the other hand, I had moved since I placed the first order, and so the addresses aren't the same... But the "Ship To" name is the same... So I'm curious now as to what sort of process is involved in combining orders? Those of you who have had combined orders in the past, how did you find out that they were combined? Was it a surprise, or did you get some sort of e-mail notification that let you expect a delay in shipping? I don't want to e-mail the lab since they're closed right now; I don't want to give them more work, and I *really* don't want to give them more work and then say "nevermind" if a package shows up in the meantime... But I'm really, really anxious about my order, especially with everyone else in CA (and outside of CA) getting their orders.

This is another one that I got through a sweet/generous/loving swap, and I'm really glad I got it. I've never actually read any De Sade (it's on my list), so what really attracted me to the scent was the description -- I adore the scent of my leather jacket, so... First Impression Okay, this stinks. Not horribly, but enough that I don't want to sniff it from the bottle. It's got this really pronounced chemical scent that reminds me of the leather shops in the local malls, where the scent of unworn leather mingles with all of the cheap perfume shops next door. Wearing It Much better! I am *so* glad that I took the time to put this on! Right away it fades into a soft, worn leathery scent. It smells just like a leather jacket that you've worn for so long that it half smells like you; so comfy that it could be your second home. Weird that De Sade is such a comforting scent.... I got to try this onto to boys today, also (yay me!), and I just have to say that this is the *best* scent ever! It smells delicious, and would work really well for layering also. I could just imagine throwing this on with Lear or Azazel for a really cologne-y sort of scent that had just that touch of derelict/bad boy to it... Mmmm.... Definitely keeping this one around. Lasting Power I only put on a little, but Dave (the second guy I convinced to slather himself up) put on a ton! My little touch of oil has lasted a while, but really faded out about an hour after I put it on. Dave's skin held onto it a bit longer, but it also faded pretty quickly. Once it's faded, though, the scent stays at the same level for a very long time. So it's a more gentle sort of leather scent.

What I do is figure out which scents i own that share a common ingredient. For example, in my first order I got Kitsune-Tsuki, Katharina, and Endymion, which all shared the common element of white musk. So after sniffing at all of them (well, less of the Kitsune-Tsuki, which has a plum that particularly *hates* my skin chemistry), I figured out what the BPAL white musk smells like (and also figured out how much I love it). Now I can pick out the smell of it in Embalming Fluid, Whitechapel, etc. It's pretty much the same exercise with the other scents. Voodoo, Burial, and Samhain were the three that got me to figure out the smell of patchouli (oh, how yummy it is!). Dana O'Shee and Voodoo had me figuring out the scent of almond. Basically, if you compare enough scents with similar elements, your nose will begin to notice the similar elements. And then you'll know if you want to try out more of that element or less.

I initially was dying to get ahold of this scent. Then I realized that it was being described as "salty and wet" -- the two key words associated with other BPAL scents that I've had an allergic reaction to. But then I realized that everything else with patchouli in it has been wonderful on me, and I decided to try it anyhow. First Impression Oh, yeah. This is definitely salty. It has the same ocean tang that Hurricane had, but without the rotting drift wood note. This one is going to give me an allergic reaction for sure. The patchouli and sandalwood are burried underneath the salty/watery goodness, which I hope changes when I put it on. Wearing It This one definitely read my mind: when I first applied it, the saltiness took the back seat, and made room for the patchouli. And the patchouli is heavenly! In some of the other scents I've tried, the patchouli has been very earthy and rich, but this patchouli (red, if I remember correctly) smells lighter and more charged. The sandalwood also helps lighten up the scent, and works so well! It's as though it took all of the earthiness and woodiness, and put it out to sea! It still smells earthy, but not as grounded. I haven't really bothered checking the lasting power on this one, since my nose pretty much started twitching right away, and i had to wash this one off. But if there was ever a scent that really captured a female pirate, this would be it! One of my friends adores pirates, and so I'm pretty sure I'm going to give this to her as a gift. She'll love it, since she adores sandalwood.

Yep. This is all of the water based scents: Lightning, Tears (ironically enough had me in allergic tears), Hurricane, etc. Pity, because I *love* the way that Tears and Lightning smell.

This was one of the scents that I was attracted to by the name, but I think the juniper scared me off... I only recently tried to get ahold of it, because it seemed like my boyfriend would really like it. In the Bottle It mainly smells of thick wood. There's cedar (you can tell it's white cedar, because of how light it smells), and then there's the juniper in there. The orange is what brings the two "woody" smells together. It smells very herbal/woody, with a bit of citrus (not sharp or tangy, just plain ol' orange rind citrus). This smells so similar to Jabberwocky, by the way; the only difference is that instead of the traditional cleaning products smells (eucalyptus/pine), there's the cedar and juniper. The orange is almost the exact same strength. Wearing It I only put a little bit of this on, since I knew what it would do. Sure enough, the orange went sticky/sweet on my skin, and it wasn't really very good smelling at all. The cedar turns out to be the strongest of the scents on my skin, which is nice, but the sticky sweet orange is a major turn off. Fortunately, on my boyfriend the orange keeps it's scent without turning into a sticky dried juice sort of scent. On him, the cedar also is the strongest scent, followed by the orange and the juniper (which act like a musical chord, with orange being the high note and juniper being the low note/complement -- they both work together very well). I can't really distinguish the civet, but between all of the scents this turns into a very yummy masculine scent on him, with just a taste of dirt underneath to keep the very *white* cedar and the clean herbal/fruit scent from being too clean. Not only does it remind me of Jabberwocky, but in a way it reminds me of the cedar notes in Tombstone, but without the super sticky sweetness of the sassafras and vanilla (which turned way too sweet on him when we tried it out). This seems a bit more refined/gentlemanly than Tombstone did. I think this is definitely a keeper, and one of the first of the more traditionally masculine/cologne smelling scents we've found that works on him. I was dissapointed that Jabberwocky disappeared so quickly on him, but with this scent it seems to be staying longer than that... Which makes me happy to have found a replacement (although this is almost better than a replacement) for Jabberwocky.

Well, I'm a sucker for anything with a Japanese name, not to mention tea... And someone (everyone on this forum is *so* sweet!) threw this in as an extra in a swap. (yay!) In the Bottle This smells delicious. It's citrusy, like a grapefruit, but different. But, boy, does it have tang! The tea provides a really nice grounding note, and I can smell that yummy earl-gray-in-the-morning smell that leads you by your nose -- well, it has to lead you by your nose, since most mornings I'm too groggy to steer any other way. But really, it's citrus/sweet/bitter, all bundled up into a very pleasing and definitely exotic smelling scent. I do have to say, though, that the scent is *strong* when you first open up the vial. Wearing It When this first goes on, it takes a full fifteen minutes to mellow out. And I mean that. I spent the first fifteen minutes without having to sniff my wrist one time (and normally I'm practically glued to my wrists after trying out a new BPAL scent). The citrus is delicious, and the other fruits are very foriegn smelling...something that seems familiar and sweet at first, and teases at your brain for the rest of the day. The tea is also very strong, like a fresh brewed cup. Also, I'm noticing that the cherry blossom is really perking up after a few minutes. A bit syrupy, skin chemistry be damned, but not as bad as I feared. Overall, very yummy. Lasting Power It lasts a good long while, but sadly the citrus dies very quickly (the same thing that happens for me with Cheshire Cat, and some other citrusy scents). The tea also fades pretty quickly as well, oddly enough mimicking the scent of a cup of cold tea. Imagine a day old rind of grapefruit and cold earl gray, and throw them into a Chinese open air food market (without the sea food, of course). It actually smells pleasant, but not overwhelmingly lovely like when I first applied the scent. So even though it lasts, it really does need frequent reapplication in my case... This is really yummy, and I don't think I've smelled anything quite like it in my life. There are other scents that can be compared with popular perfumes (I recall that two BPAL scents have been compared with Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea, and others have reminded wearers of various department store brands), but this is nothing like anything I've ever smelled in a department store or otherwise. It's really neat smelling. Not sure if it's one of my favorites, but definitely a fun one to wear.

I'd *love* to know more about these Wolfsband prototypes... I'm begging, on hands and knees even, for those lucky folks who got imps of this to post reviews ASAP!!!!

I don't spend much time with my Tarot decks, but I did want to give several of the Tarot oils a try. I especially wanted to try the world because of the earthy descriptions mentioned in the earlier reviews, and the sense of completeness and happiness associated with it. First Sniff This is earthy, but very complex. The is definitely cinamon in there, but there's a ton of other scents that I can't even begin to recognize. There's definitely eucalyptus, and maybe some pine underneath (and I mean way underneath)... It smells bitter, and earthy, and solid, and fresh, and fruity, and... Everything. Wearing It When it hits my skin, the sandalwood comes out in the open. The cinamon provides a close friend to the sandalwood, and the rest of the scents mingle into this weird, flowing, spicey, watery, earthy background noise. It reminds me a lot of the prototype of The Lion that I got to try, although I think that that's the cinamon talking. But I also think that I'm catching a whiff of that grassiness that was in The Lion. Overall, this reminds me incredibly of a tea I drink called "Good Earth," which has this strong cinamon flavor to it, but also some other stuff... It gives me that same warm feeling that drinking the tea gives me. Makes me feel comforted. Lasting Power This guy lasts for about 2 hours on me, if I remember correctly. Part of the issue is that it seems to blend so well with my natural body odor (no, not the sweaty nasty body odor, but the scent of me) that it almost seems like it belongs on me skin... all of it except for the cinamon, which is just a small kick of spice. But after about 2 hours, I can't smell it anymore and the cinamon has faded to the lightest bit of spice. I really like this scent. On the other hand, I treat it a lot like I treat Voodoo -- very carefully. These scents are just so complex that I like to wear them around the house when I'm not so emotionally guarded. When I can just relax and let the scent take me somewhere else. But I still like the scent, so I'll probably keep it around.

Why did I want to try Phantom Queen? The moss, and the clover, for sure. But also because of the apple blossom, and probably because of the reference to the Morrigan in the description. I'm a sucker for those sorts of references. But also because there were a few reviews that mentioned it being an icy sort of scent. First Sniff Sweetly floral. The orchid knocks me off my feet. It adds just enough to make me not recognize the apple blossom right away (which, once recognized, is a lovely scent...the same one making this a sweet scent). I don't really smell any moss or clover under that strong floral though. Wearing It It cools down a lot when I put it on. The orchid becomes a sleek mystery ingredient, making it floral, but not being very recognizable. But the main body of the scent is this wispy, sweet apple blossom, and the heavy scent of red clover. It reminds me of grass without reminding me of lawn mowers. In the end, I picture a grassy/mossy nook of forest, with sweet, light flowers everywhere. A heavily green scent. And I'm relieved that even though I'm mildly allergic to orchids, these don't really give me a strong allergic reaction. Lasting Power It stays for a while, but unfortunately after an hour of wearing it the scent has become so muted on my skin that it's hard to identify anything besides a grassy floral scent. None of that heavy clover or beautiful apple blossom. Oh well. This doesn't seem so icy; it seems more ethereal than cold. There's a wispiness about the scent that's grounded by the clover and moss (and hawthorne, I'm guessing). I like it, but it's probably not an everyday scent for me. First, I'm not a fan of florals, and, secondly, the second phase of the scent doesn't really do it for me.

When I discovered how much I loved Katharina, I decided that I should give a try to anything with orange in it, just because I wasn't sure how much the "orange blossom" contributed to the end scent, or how orange smelling it was. Plus, I do like cloves and oranges; the smell of them together tends to remind me of Christmas. First Sniff Bitter. This smells mainly of cloves, and there is orange under there too -- it's the smell of orange zest, the bitter oils on the skin of the orange. Wearing It This does the same thing that most of the other fruit based perfumes do on me: it turns super candy sweet. The clove stays bitter/spicey. This actually reminds me a lot of old fashioned hard candy that you can get in a lot of "old town, historic" candy shops. This is like clove candies with the bitterest of orange peels. Lasting Power This one lasts for a while on me, something like 4 or 5 hours, which is towards the top end of BPAL scents. As it fades, it loses it's spice and mellows into something like a lightly spiced, lightly bitter, sticky orange juice. On the whole, I'm not too taken with this scent. It'll probably work wonders for someone who wants a really unique, powerful scent. On me, the fruit doesn't cooperate with my skin chemistry (there's a shock), and the spice is a bit strong for me.

The masochist in me demands that I try this, even though I know I'll be allergic to the grass and the water notes. This was one of the imps that Beth generously threw into my last order, and I admit that even though this imp didn't make my wishlist (due to the allergies of course), I was curious to smell it. In the Bottle The first, most obvious scent is the smell of pollen (and isn't that rare and lovely? Most floral scents don't capture the yellow, powdery scent of pollen). The grass and the water seem to be undertones to this. When I first smelled this, I remembered that the tulips were an ingredient, but I couldn't remember the rest of the ingredients. Yet, right away, I was able to identify the scent of peonies. So the floral aspect of this (so different from a rose or orchid) is quite strong, and the water and grass seem a natural frame to their vivid smell. Wearing It Well, I was right about the allergies -- my eyes are itching and my throat is tightening up and my nose is tingling -- but I'm glad I got to try this. On my skin, the scent of the grass is really strengthened. But this isn't the smell of fresh cut grass, like the smell of Rosalind which reminded me of a lawn that has just been mown; this smells more like young grass that's been lightly trampled, and the smell of the green can't help but rise up. The pollen and flowers are further off than the patch of trampled grass, but they're just the right strength to seem carried by with a breeze. You can smell that they're blooming (it must be springtime in Old Amsterdam), and that a river is nearby (because the watery scent is so dim on my skin). All in all, it's a light scent, very reminiscent of spring time. I can't really vouch for the lasting power of this, since I have to wash it off right away... This is a nice scent. I'm not a fan of florals, so this isn't a scent that I feel tragic about not being able to wear, but I do feel a bit of satisfaction smelling this. This is what I feel that Rosalind should have been able to do; it embodies the smell of fresh grass (not the heavy lawn mowed on a hot summer day), and the smell of flowers (not wild flowers, but sturdy thick lipped tulips) with the grace that Rosalind didn't quite manage. If there were berries in here, I fear that Rosalind would be out of a job! Either way, I like the smell of a floral other than roses, and I think that the tulips and peonies are fresh and unique enough to really carry this perfume through.

I've tried Tempest, Hurricane, Tears, and now Lightening. All this in my quest to pin down the perfect water scent. Sadly, I discovered half way through the search that 1) I'm allergic to them all, and 2) there are two many types of "water scents" to really have only one perfect one. That being said, I'm still delighted that I got to take a whiff of Lightening. In the Bottle This smells tangy and crisp. There's a saltyness to it, but not nearly as salty as Tears or as Hurricane. While tears reminded me of a clean rain storm, and Hurricane of a salty tempestuous storm, this is somewhere in the middle. It smells like just before a storm starts, and has the smell of something fresh and charged with energy. It also has hints of citrus, but not as obvious as Tempest did. In fact, this scent is a bit hard to describe because it smells so clean as to be almost scentless (you know that smell that isn't so much a pungent presence of molecules, but rather the absence of them? that's the way this smells). It's really lovely. Wearing It I didn't apply much, because I knew I'd have an allergic reaction pretty much right away. The smell was fresh, and wet, but not something that you could smell from very far away. Unfortunately, within a minute of drying on my skin, the smell morphed into something like a cleaning product or an air freshener. Damned skin chemistry. I'm a bit worried that maybe I'm becoming OCD and obsessing over cleaning products, because several of the scents I've tried recently have reminded me of various cleaning products (Jabberwocky, Chypre, etc.). I washed the scent off pretty quickly (to avoid the fit of sneezing that was coming on), so I can't vouch for its lasting power. If I weren't allergic to this, I'd say that this is the closest I've gotten to that clean, charged watery scent. Even though it doesn't work on my skin, I could imagine using this as a linen spray or as a room scent. While Tears was very solitary, and very meditative, Lightning evokes none of the emotional introspection that Tears brought forward -- only the excitement I feel everytime I can smell the air just before the first drops start falling from the sky. And it doesn't have the dark, murky feeling of Hurricane. When I first imagined what Tempest or Hurricane or Tears should smell like, I think I was imagining Lightning all along.

I've gotten the poem memorized, and it's the best of Dodgeson's poems by far. The movie by Monte Python is one of my favorites. So the perfume can't fall far behind. My only reservation about getting this is that I was just recently told that I am allergic to eucalyptus. So I waited until my second order, and bit my lip, and prayed that it would work. In the Bottle "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!" This is the sort of scent that goes straight up your nose and attacks. And not in a bad way either. But think of the bitter bite of pine, and the clarifying sting of eucalyptus, and the sour citrus of orange -- each of them potent in their own right -- bearing arms against you. It's quite something at first sniff. Which one comes out on top? It's hard to tell. They seem to take equal parts in creating this scent, and just as you think it's the pine that's in the lead, the eucalyptus or orange will assert itself. To some extent the scent reminds me of cleaning products (think of pine sol and orange scented cleaning spray, mixed with the smell of eucalyptus), but it's more fresh and authentic than any cleaning products I've smelled. In fact, I wish cleaning products smelled more like this. Wearing It My boyfriend tried this one first (mainly because I was busy bathing in White Chapel the first day that I got my order, and of the scents that he wanted to try, this was at the top of his list. Let me say that he smelled *delicious* in it. The pine was a grounding sort of smell, and the eucalyptus was the highlight. The orange was an accent on his skin, and smelled more like the peel of an orange (just as it's being torn from the fruit). It was wonderful! But...sadly...it didn't last longer than a half an hour on his skin. After that, it was gone. Not even a whisp of it left. When we tried it the next day, it was the same thing. I kept quoting to him: "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?" I probably shoudn't tease him about not being able to wear such a great scent. On me, the smell becomes...well...It's a bit hard to describe because it created such a strong emotional reaction that I have trouble focusing on the smell. The same year that I was born, my father planted a eucalyptus tree in the backyard -- it sat against the fence, just between an orange tree and a pine tree. And I spent most of my childhood playing next to that eucalyptus tree. So there are plenty of good memories...but there are also the times when my mother and father were fighting, or when my father was angry at me, when I'd hide in the pine tree. And just a few years ago, my father chopped that eucalyptus down, limb by limb... It felt like he was trying to kill me. Ugh. But in order to keep this from turning into a therapy session, let me just say that this scent evoked a *strong* surge of memories once it was on my flesh, and I'm surprised that I didn't remember that orange/pine/eucalyptus was a familiar combination of scents. On my skin, the orange turned very sweet (small surprise, knowing my skin chemistry), and smelled a great deal like the homemade orange juice that we'd make when I was younger. This is pure orange juice, no sweeteners, and was more watery than thick, and sweet and sticky. I also felt weirdly sticky because the scent of pine (the most overpowering scent on my skin) evoked memories of pine sap. And the eucalyptus was just underneath the orange and pine, bringing the two together. Much to my relief, I wasn't allergic to this scent at all. It lasted about 3 hours, before fading into oblivion. It was short lived, even for a BPAL oil. So...I'm not sure what to do with this one. I love it on my boyfriend, but it doesn't love him enough to stay for more than a half hour. And on me, it doesn't smell nearly as good as on him...plus, it evokes a whole slew of memories, some of which I'd rather not bother with. It's a good scent, although it's so strong and arresting that I'm not surprised that it's not more popular, especially since it's not a very typical feminine scent. On the other hand, it isn't too masculine to wear. And on a man, it does smell terrific, so...

I admit that my better logic circuits were telling me not to try this one. Firstly, the plum from Kitsune-Tsuki turned horribly sweet/rotten on me. Secondly, the wine in Lady MacBeth didn't do so well on me. Thirdly, the currant in Jester and Lady MacBeth seems to make me smell like candy scented plastic. So a scent with plum, wine, and currant had all the signs of a disaster in the making. But...I'm a sucker for Amaretto and racy descriptions. In the Bottle Oh! This smells good! Imagine grape lollipops (the kind they give you in clinics), sweet and dark red wine (the kind you'd use for sangria), and a kiss of boozy almond -- this is the closest I can get to describing this scent. Foremost is the candy sweetness (but not too sweet), and then is the bit of bitter sin. I'm horibly worried that my skin will corrupt this, but... Wearing It Wet, it turns buttery (not pure butter, but buttery almond) -- that's the amaretto showing itself, no doubt -- and quickly the plum and currant (still candy sweet) step up, backed by the wine. Oddly enough, this doesn't turn rotten on my skin; nor does it turn into plastic; nor into pure candy. It reminds me a lot of Dickens Faire (a Victorian Christmas Faire, similar to Rennaissance Faires), where the smell of sugar plums and cinnamon baked almonds collide in the air. Except that there's no cinnamon to spice this up. Just wine. And the wine adds the *perfect* amount of sophistication. My boyfriend says that it smells awfully sweet, but I actually like it that way. And it's not nearly as sweet as Lady MacBeth or Jester or Old Glasgow were on me. The almond and wine tone it down and keep it a touch bitter and dry. And it does last quite a while. Perfect if you're looking for a perfume to that'll last through a sweaty night dancing or...well...doing something else very active. I've been searching for a less musky alternative to Bewitched, and I think I've finally found it. It isn't nearly as candylike as Lady MacBeth or Jester, and it has more depth and corruption than Old Glasgow (which is a sweet, innocent smell on me). I'm not entirely sure that I'll be getting a 5ml of this (especially since I still need to get enough money to order White Chapel, and Embalming Fluid, and...etc.) But this is definitely an imp I'll be hanging on to.