Taniwha

Hm, I'm not getting the wintergreen so many others did. To this nose, Hamadryad is a lovely cup of Lapsang Souchong tea that got stirred with a twig. Warm, smoky and woody. It's really lovely, and as I wear it a little longer, I get the teensiest hint of cinnamon, but nothing overpowering. Wow, I reeeaaaallllly like this.

First time out, I didn't like it - it was too much cherry. I gave it another try a few days later, and now I love it. It's warm, creamy, spicy and sexy. I'm not sure where the cherries went, or maybe my nose decided they were ok. I've been trying lots of vanilla scents lately, and adore them all.

I love this - it's more interesting to me than O. I adore orange blossom, rose and sandalwood, and they all balance the honey so that it doesn't take over. It starts out with a stronger orange blossom scent that I wish would hang around longer, but the dry down is still lovely - honey, rosy warm wood.

I agree wtih Caltha - to me Dublin is a heavy pine scent, not particularly light or fresh. Baobhan Sith and Severin are both light and crisp. I find Maiden to be even more floral and sweet than those two - more like The Dormouse, I'd say. I haven't tried any of the others on your list - sorry.

Wet, this is pure, vivid jasmine, which is ok with me (I know it's not for many). It dries down into a blend that I'm less fond of - it turns a bit soapy, which is my first experience with that phenomenon. Too bad - it should be a lovely, pretty bouquet, I just turned it funky.

Wow, Torrilin, that's interesting to me for two reasons. The review is very enlightening (although I fear my nose would *never* make those distinctions), and I also just yesterday got some Althaea soap samples. I hadn't checked out her website yet - what timing! They smell lovely.

Thanks so much, everyone - I love the knowledgable input. I know for sure that I want to order Loralei and Vixen, and I already have Jezebel on the way. Some others are definitely food for thought. It's funny - I just got an imp of Dracul yesterday and sadly, there's no o.b. at all for me - it's all dark and black. I have Bess, and wish it was blossomy - for me it's naught but grape. I was shying away from Vice, Tweedledee and Katharina because I'm a bit fruity-phobic, but may give them a go - they sound nice as you all have described them. And I will keep an eye out for Neptune - good to see it's not that long gone.

Thank you, Caltha. Succubus is already on my wishlist - it sounds lovely. I may have to try The Lovers, although your review gives me pause, lol. I think of orange blossom as symbolic of love and weddings, so this makes sense. I maybe have only smelled poor quality orange blossom, and am missing out on subtle notes of citrus in it.

I think I want my next imp set to concentrate on orange blossom, a single note fragrance I love very much. I'm looking for some clarification, though, from those who know better. In many reviews, I see the words orange, citrus and creamsicle used to describe blends that contain orange blossom. To me, it's a floral note, not a citrus one. And I also thought neroli and orange blossom were interchangeable, but at least one of Beth's blends contains both. Ok, a specific question. Of the three blends that contain both orange blossom and patchouli (Masquerade, Ravenous and Vixen) which one is closest to a purer orange blossom? I'd like it less heavy on the patchouli, because although I'm learning to like it, it doesn't seem to like me. Thanks!

The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla. Maybe it's because I'm mama to a young child, but to me, honey doesn't scream "Take me" it whispers "Please fetch me that Winnie the Pooh book." I find O to be very pleasant and enjoyable, but I guess my expectations were too high from reading so many swoony reviews. To my nose, it's a warm, soothing, very sweet honey and vanilla blend. My husband, on the other hand, practically pounced on me the night I wore it to bed as an experiment. Patient man that he is with my newfound hobby, he wasn't even pissed when he found out he'd been a guinea pig.

The World Ash. Nine woods, nine leaves, and three herbs each for Ratatosk and Vidofnir, with three final herbs to placate Nidhogg. Phew - Mega Mentholatum! This will be a blessing during my next cold. Finally the menthol drops down, but I'm still getting too much of a cold feeling. I want it to be warm and enveloping, not off-putting. My idiot nose gets no woods from this. Sigh.

Wet on my skin - gardenia drenched in seaspray. Later, my beloved lily of the valley emerges to embrace the gardenia, and they live happily every after.

Odd experience, this one. I wanted a rich, deep profound rose, which the notes certainly foretell, but on me it was dirty and disturbing. It was really my first visceral reaction to a new oil - I recoiled from it, not because it smelled so bad, but because it felt wrong, scary, almost. Mine is not to question why, mine is to set it aside for a later try.

Wet, this is all patchouli and something spicy - carnation, perhaps. In a few minutes, though, the patchouli falls away and the gorgeous rose blooms, floating on the faintest hint of the sandalwood. This is a glorious rose, just what I want from a rose scent, and what I hoped Black Rose would be, but wasn't. This is so ladylike, yet a wee bit menacing underneath. LOVE IT!

I laughed so hard when I first put this on. Although my brain knew exactly what I was sniffing, all I could smell was warm Nutter Butters. I had to actually close my eyes, and concentrate on sandalwood, which I know so well, to tell myself that's what it was underneath. After a few minutes, the cookie went away, and I was left with the most luxurious, deep sandalwood, with just the faintes touch of the cocoa and vanilla. This is an exquisite scent - very long lasting and deep. It made me feel very calm and still.

I think I need to live with this one for awhile, while my palate becomes better educated. All I get from this is amber - I am an amber amper, as it were. I can detect nothing else, and amber just isn't quite me. I tried it on my husband (with the caveat not to wear it to work since his co-workers could not resist him, lol) with better results, but again, could only smell the amber. It feels like a more masculine scent to me. But, I've seen others say they needed to live with BPAL scents before some notes become good to them, so I will hang on to this, because I want to love it, and feel like I should.

This is a sparkling, bright blend of tea and grapefruit when first applied - a beautiful pick-me-up. It softens into mostly tea and faint floral on me soon thereafter, and since I have 5 ml of Maiden on the way I don't know that I'll get a big bottle of this too, but I am going to thoroughly enjoy the imp while it lasts. Another lovely, lovely tea blend.

This is a very unique fragrance. It starts out very strong of tea and the linen, then settles down into strong pepper. No, I think, I don't want to smell of pepper. Then it morphs again into comforting milky sweetness, like Bengal without the spice. I love the concept of it - will need to try it a few more times to see if it really woks well with my skin. It's an insanely clever and funny mix, though.

I feel like my nose is flaking out on me here - all I get is gardenia. I think I need some schooling. I have several amber scents on order - I'm hoping more subleties will become apparent as I try more notes. I'm surprised that I don't smell the patchouli - it's almost as if it's subliminal, adding some depth to the flowers, anchoring them, but I can't *actually* smell it. It's lovely, even if I'm not getting the full scope of the blend.

It feels funny to be enjoying this scent on a hot July evening, but I am enthralled with it. It's all creamy, milky, spicy warmth and comfort. I don't ususally enjoy spicy/oriental fragrances, but this one is truly lovely -softer, somehow, less biting and harsh. It will be an excellent fall staple.

Wet, this was pure tea and lemongrass to me - very vivid and sharp. As it dried, the florals wafted up, blending perfectly with the tea. Before BPAL, my signature scent was L'Occitane's Green Tea Eau de Cologne - this will replace that. The rose adds such a depth and sense of nostalgia, it's just heartbreakingly sweet and lovely. A perfect summer fragrance, and I'll be getting a big bottle of this with my next order.

This has been the oddest olfactory experience ever. Wet on my skin, both my husband and I were sniffing away. He said - "Ugh, sickeningly sweet." I said - "No way - it's nothing but green! Like cattails around a scummy pond." I gave it a few more minutes - aha, gardenia (one of the few florals I can actually pick out). Then, it became gardenia and leeks. I love gardenia, but there is a very unsettling undertone - if it's not leeks, it's something else green and savory from the kitchen, something I can't quite put my finger (nose?) on. This is so strange I'm going to chalk it up to my cycle and try it again in a week. LEEKS?????

I've been curious about trying Dragon's Claw, but noticed there are no reviews of it. Does anyone have a clue why that is? Is it fairly new? I would think a sandalwood fragrance would be fairly popular.

I don't know you pywacket, but I'm so sorry to hear that. 'Tis a very sad thing.

Wet, a crisp floral, very elegant. I'm not noticing sandalwood - perhaps I don't recognize red sandalwood? After I wear it for awhile it becomes solely opium. Nice, but not me - too spicy. I'm sad that the lily of the valley is missing - I wanted it to linger.