mermaidsdream

I just sent an email regarding my Butterflies order placed 8/16. I know DragonCon coincided & everything gets crazy, and I'd asked to combine when I placed my order on 8/24, but both are still listed as "In Process", with no update one way or another. ETA: Or at least, I tried to from my phone (to the customerservice@blackphoenixalchemylab.com email address mentioned earlier in this thread), and it bounced back as "unknown" ... so I'll try again tonight from home. *shakes fist at the full-moon wackiness*

I had both a decant & a partial bottle of this, and decided to try the bottle (mostly because I'd forgotten about the decant). In the bottle, I'm not really sure what I'm getting out of it. I can't pick out any particular note. I think I was expecting something earthy, dark and almost loathing, and this was opposite. There's something a little sharp, but it's faint. Applied, wet: Again, not really sure what notes I'm getting from this. Something slightly sharp, but non-descript. Drydown: This is magic. On me, it turns creamy, sweet, almost a vanilla floral. It borders on powder, but it's much more cream, soothing, sweet, and comforting. I'd put it on earlier in the day to test it, and then ended up with a reapplication before going out for the evening, but it likely wouldn't have been necessary; it has some good staying power. I checked the decant I have, and noticed it seems like the components separate a little: it seems a little darker at the bottom than it does towards the top. I gave it a quick shake, and it mixed together just fine, so it looks like this may be another one of those scents that needs a good roll, flick of the wrist, and/or whatnot to mix properly. All in all, this is another one I'm going to purchase a full-bottle of next paycheck. .oO(editing to add: After reading the other reviews, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one surprised by how this scent turned out. It's absolute perfection).

This is my first review of a TAL oil, so please bear with me -- I'm still very new to using TAL oils at all, let alone for ritual work. If anyone's read my posts in the last several months, you've seen that my world has turned completely upside down in many aspects. I've had more than one person suggest I give TAL a try, and after perusing the website, I opted for 3 blends, White Light being one of them. After a major panic attack last night, I decided to give White Light a try tonight. I anointed my head & heart chakras, applied to my palms, anointed a white chime candle, and a quartz stone I found the other day (that I frequently pick up and play with), and then sat to do a little "homework". I'm not sure if it's the TAL or the candles I have burning, but I definitely feel much more calm, and more centered. Whether it will last remains to be seen, but I definitely think my stone will be coming to work with me tomorrow. The scent ... how do I describe the scent? It's almost like jasmine & rose, neither of which I can wear, but they're very pleasant in this, and neither has turned to baby powder on me, like the scents usually do. I know this isn't a perfume blend, but it's light & sweet enough, I could see myself wearing it as a spring evening blend.

I realized I never did a review for this, and I've been using it fairly regularly I think this may replace Mid-Orgies as a favourite; it was a last minute decision, and I'm so glad I went with a bottle. ... and then Persianmouse's review hit a chord with me. "A Fallen Woman who is happier for the fall." The honey ... this is the same honey note (or very similar) as in Hair Loosened & Soiled in Mid-Orgies, sweetened by the Camellia, dirtied by the French Tobacco. Yes, indeed -- this [is] the Fallen Woman who let let her hair down during the orgy, got a lil dirty, and is now fully satiated, basking in warm bodies, taking a lazy drag on her expensive cigarette.

I spent last week wandering around the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Having fantastic weather, many shop doors were wide open to the myriad of tourists: souviner shops, cafes, "hippie" shops, mystic shops,the open (flea) French Market Every so often, we would pass by an Asian man or woman sitting just outside the door to their store, asking passers-by if they wanted to come in for a massage. A breeze would blow down the streets, catching a myriad of scents, mixing them together, but the heady incense, comforting and warm, always prevailed. This is what I get from this bottle, both out of the bottle and applied: the warm, comfort, ecclectic and magical smell of New Orleans. I received my bottle the day I returned from my trip, opened it up and with one whiff was transported back. I gave it about a week to settle before testing it out, and am wearing it today. In the bottle, I still get the warm, comforting incense smell, a likely combination of the amber and champaca. On drydown, I'm still getting a slightly-powdery, dryer champaca with not much vanilla, and perhaps a hint of nutmeg. I'm glad I took the chance on this bottle, and really want to head back to New Orleans now

I decided to bite the bullet and give a couple of the RPG scents a go. The few race scents I have didn't really call to me, so I stayed human. I was a Chaotic Druid, and surprised by how well the 2 worked on me. Druid is definitely very earthy & watery, neither of which work on me, but layered with the spiciness of the Chaos, it just sang. To layer, I did my usual: Apply one scent to one wrist, apply other scent to other wrist, smoosh wrists together. Clearly, I need to play around with more RPG scents - but the combo of thse 2 scents was enough for me to add them to my "buy a bottle" list

This. This is the leather I have been looking for. I grew up with horses, and spent a good deal of time in tack shops, up until I was 7, my sister was born, and my life was turned upside down. I even had my own pony (a "pony" only because he was 2 hands shy of being a horse) until I was 6, and we had to put him down due to hoof cancer. My mom even has pictures of me on horseback (being held) when I was 6 months old. To say that leather is a scent I associate with comfort, outdoors, and happier times is an understatement. As I got older, I associated the scent of leather with other things, and it became somewhat of an aphrodesiac for me. I do love a man in a well-worn leather jacket; walking into a leather furniture store with me is almost dangerous; but that's starting to get a bit TMI ... I have not had the pleasure of the original Spanked, and more's the pity. I first got to sample this one courtesy of the recent LE/Discontinued IMP Circular Swap. I popped open the imp, took one whiff, and knew I had to test this immediately. Leather? Absolutely. Cardamom? Yup. Not-Dirty-Hippy-Patchouli? Mmmmhmmm. I didn't get any bourbon out of this, but I suspect it's mellowing out the other scents, making them behave (or perhaps misbehave) as alcohol is wont to do. And with my skin chemistry? This is practically sex in a bottle. Soft, warm, inviting, delicious. Oh, but what's this? What's that minor irritation on my wrist where I applied? I normally only get that with cinnamon. It's not burning, perhaps because I tested so very little at the time, and I dismiss it. It's just a little tiny itch. It wasn't until the next day, when I'd washed with PB Soapworks Avast! soap, and then had to re-wash my arms 10 minutes later due to trying to claw them apart that I checked the note list and realized the culprit: the cardamom. I can drink cinnamon cardamom tea - it's one of my favourite teas ever - but I can't apply either scent to my skin (some cinnamons work on me, like Chimera, who gives me no problem at all). I check the notes in other scents that have caused me problem and see that cardamom is a common note in a couple of them. But all is NOT lost, because that is why we have the joy that are scent lockets. A small piece of felt, soaked in my this delicious scent, and I'm smelling sweet, spicy leather all day long. I suspect I'll try it on my wrists again later, but for now, this works amazingly well for me. Seriously, all your Spanked are belong to meeeeeeeeeee! I'm not sure I've ever been this excited about a scent!

Of all the ladies of the Grindhouse, I think Marianne is the one for whom I had the highest hopes; she embodies every note I love: red musk, bergamot, mimosa, orchid, and that non-dirty-hippy patchouli. In fact, of all the Grindhouse ladies I've tested thus far, she's the one who seems to almost completely embody the Grindhouse itself - perhaps it's the red musk & mimosa combination (as it appears in both blends). And love her, I do, from the moment I open that tiny piece of Marianne - the red musk is foremost, with almost nothing else underneath. As I press her to my skin, I get a bit more of the orchid, with hints of the patchouli whirling about here and there. Her scent haunts my every move, intoxicating, rich, mysterious, sexy, sultry. Alas! Marianne! She has forsaken me! My skin has drank every last drop of her, and she has vanished after a few mere hours, without even a memory of her to keep me company. But Marianne refuses to be completely forgotten: a trace of her lingers in my clothes, and I wonder if that's where she truly belongs: nuzzled comfortably, half-alseep, betwixt the rumpled sheets of my bed.

In the bottle: I think that's the sandalwood I'm getting, with just a hint of fruit. Applied: HOLY MOTHER OF ... CAT PEE! Seriously, nothing but cat pee. I had to wash it off with rubbing alcohol after a few minutes because OMGCATPEE. I'm pretty sure this is more my skin chemistry than anything wrong with the bottle ... I know the Lab's mint note has been hit or miss with me, and sadly, this is a huge miss. After a while I get more fruity (because we all know the smell never truly goes away), but the overwhelming scent of cat pee at the start is enough to make me put this straight into the trades pile.

Not so GC, but Haute Macabre sounds exactly like what he's looking for - it's that deep, dark, cold leather.

Rose! Rose, rose and more rose, with a slight woody/resiny tinge. I'm not getting anything else. Roses everywhere, which makes me sad. I'm not even getting red musk out of this, and I usually amp red musk. No, it's all rose all the time.

Aha! I knew there had to be a thread somewhere! I tried a forum search for "Harry Potter" and didn't come up with anything (well, came up with stuff that didn't quite fit what I was looking for). Thank you all for the Rappaccini's Garden recommendations! I think that's exactly the direction I was looking for, since my swap partner mentioned Potions specifically.

I'm a brunette (dark brown), with red tones, and now showing a bit of silver-grey, and can pull off blonde hilights pretty well. I lean more towards red musk, snake oil, and the heavier scents (Mircalla, Mme. Moriarty, Sin, Vixen, Satyr). Florals & aquatics don't work on me *at all* and despite liking how Myrrh smells in the bottle, it appears that's one of the notes that goes straight to "diaper wipe" on me (I'm looking at you, Priala). Cinnamon also works well on me, when it doesn't cause blistering welts. I tend to be picky with Patchouli's and leathers (oh, but I do love the smell of leather), and tobacco. "White" is not a term I'd ever use for me, which is ironic since my name means "Fair one" or "White Lady"

(I originally posted this in the BPAL chatter forum, and realized I'd put it in the wrong spot about 5 min after I'd posted it. I apologize profusely for the double posting. I've already reported the other one for removal). So I'm doing a Harry Potter swap, and I would love to introduce someone new to BPAL. I'm racking my brain for scents I may have imps of that would fall under the Harry Potter theme. Possibly "Potions"? I have Wolfsbane, Troll ("... in the Dungeon; thought you should know"), aaaaand .... not sure what else cus I'm waaay too tired Thoughts? Ideas? I did find some oils on Etsy that are specifically HP themed, and I have some imps of those on the way, but again, want to see what I can dig up out of current BPAL offerings

Mermaid, is that proto Misfortune Teller v3 or is that and actually Mme Moriarty proto?! It says Misfortune Teller; I always thought they were the same thing (Since it's Mme. Moriarty: Misfortune Teller). Again, the Carnivale went dark before I joined, and they do smell the same ....

Most definitely Jailbait. That SCREAMS pink.

Okay, here are the 3 Mme. Moriarty bottles I have ... one's a prototype, so I expected it to have a different label. The middle one looks like a faded version of the one on the left (date on the middle one is 7/2010) Untitled by mermaidsdream, on Flickr ETA: And all of them smell *DIVINE*

I have 2 bottles of Mme. Moriarty that have different labels - one looks like the Snake Pit labels, with the beige-ish background, and the other is darker. I'll try to get a decent picture of them when I get home tonight so you can see

Someone mentioned this in the Etsy thread, and after reading the descriptions here, I bit the bullet and bought a bottle. It arrived today. In the bottle: soft & resinous. I can pick out a little vanilla, but I'm not sure on the other notes. Applied: still resinous, with a little floral and something sweet underneath. Drydown: Spicy! I'm not quite sure what the spicy is in this, but I like it! There's some floral, creamy, powdery, vanilla. I love this. It's not the usual heavy, sultry red musk I usually go for; I think I may have to buy a second bottle. I just bought a second bottle. It took me all of 5 seconds to decide. ETA: There's something in this that reminds me a little of No. 93 Engine. Maybe it's just me, and I need to do a sniff test with Nightmarchers on one wrist and No. 93 Engine on the other (since there's no lavender listed for No. 93 Engine). It'll be interesting to compare the two.

Cacao? Check. Black Musk? Check. Tobacco Absolute? Check. All these notes should make this a no-brain winner on me. In the bottle: I get some cocoa and not much else. I dip a toothpick into the partial bottle, hit the bottom of the bottle, and swirl a little. Pulling it out, I discover the cocoa has sludged. I dip a second toothpick into the full bottle I have, and discover it's sludged in the full bottle as well. Not a surprise, as both bottles are a year old. I proceed to test the partial bottle after rolling it a bit to try and mix some of the cocoa back into the rest of the oil. Applied: within seconds I get something that's a cross between wet wood, anise, and cat pee. WTF? Skin chemistry, what the heck did you do? Seriously, this is bad enough that I'm not even waiting for a dry-down. I immediately wash my wrists. Several hours later: I'd washed most of it off, waited an hour or so, and went to bed. I woke up at some point in the middle of the night, and could catch faint whiffs of the cocoa, which was pleasant. But man, that applied stage? Forget it. I honestly don't know if it's a skin chemistry issue (which is more what I'm thinking) or if both bottles went bad. I don't get the woodsy/anise/cat pee combo out of either bottle - just delicious, sweet cocoa. Needless to say, I'm not keeping either.

In the bottle: Not quite sure what I'm getting. It's somewhat pleasant with a tangy undertone that reminds me of unwashed flesh. Applied: Aaah ... there we go. There's that "slush" that everyone keeps talking about. I still get the the undertone of "flesh" (I think it may be the currant), but the plum & cardamom keep that in check. Dry: There's this delightful, creamy almost vanilla scent. Unfortunately, this perfume sets off my nasal allergies like there's no tomorrow: headache, itchy, watery eyes, runny nose - the works. I love the drydown phase, but the allergy problems mean I may have to part with it.

In the imp: sharp. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I'm not even sure why I'm testing this right now, because it didn't call to me, didn't give me that instant “love-must wear this all the time” vibe from the sniff. Applied: Woodsy, almost … pine. Reminds me of being in a forest, surrounded by trees I love, wanting to sit down under a giant, branches spread in a leafy canopy. Also, vaguely … Christmas. A little spruce, perhaps? Drydown: Surprisingly, I like this. I'm not sure why, but it's comforting. I think a bottle (or a full imp, at the least) might be called for - which is good, given I haven't had a lot of luck with the phoenixes!

In the imp: slightly soapy, very clean. Wet, applied: Still clean & soapy, with a hint of floral. Dry: And the floral goes straight to baby powder on me.

In the imp: Soft, woodsy. Applied: creamy, soft and still woodsy. Drydown: woodsy, with a hint of rose (which is no where in this scent, apparently). Slightly soapy. It's okay, but not one that demands I keep it.

In the imp: I get musk & … roses? There's definitely something sharp & tangy in there. Applied: The sharpness of the tangy note quickly dissipates. Drydown: tangy, almost candy-like. It doesn't lose most of the tang until several hours later, when it becomes delicious red musk. Staying power is quite something – lasted after a shower the next day. Sadly, the tang is too much for me. Another one for the trade pile