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BPAL Madness!

jj_j

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Everything posted by jj_j

  1. jj_j

    Siberian Musk

    Let me start out by saying that any musk reviews I do are pretty likely to be different based on body chemistry. Musk scents just tend to do something funky on me, although I wish it were otherwise. That disclaimer aside ... Another great start with the Siberian Musk. Velvety, almost ambery and mildly green, in a sweet, subtle way. This is the "pepsi-cola/fizzy" note that's been mentioned a couple of times, I think, and it's absolutely stunning. Grabs your attention, and in a sexy, sensual way, not an in-heat sort of way. I wonder if this is the effervescent quality that I've found in some of the Tarot blends. It's similar in tone, although not in actual scent - those are so complex, sometimes I can just get a general impression, rather than an actual scent, though. This is the least "obvious" of the musks Beth uses (at least on me; don't forget the disclaimer at the top), and has the least of the slightly artificial note. While I really like this one, too, it's the most masculine, although not in a blatant way.
  2. jj_j

    Tears

    The distillate of grief and loss. A clean, cathartic fragrance. Full of contradictions, like crying because you're so mad you can't help it. Crisp, green, watery, and underlying camphor. Not a plant scent, though. I like this one - and it gets lots of interested comments. A stress relieving scent for me, à propos of the name ...
  3. jj_j

    Dandelion

    At first, just a bit artificial. Something you'd find in the cleanest, freshest most amazing laundry detergent out there, but a tad perfume-y. Within a couple of minutes, though, this settles in remarkable true. Bright yellow with green stems that break open to the pungent milky stuff. This is the green note I've been trying to identify in the Voodoo Blends, I think. Amazing, and something I'll order a 5 ml of to slather on myself this spring!
  4. jj_j

    Mercury

    Expanding the Intellect - Quick Wit - Mental Agility - Communication - Travel -Calculation - Analysis - Learning - Teaching - Gambling - Study - Creativity -Magickal Acumen - Good Conversation - Chance Happenings - Adaptability <span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Georgia'>I never imagined cinnamon and lavender could smell so good together! I think there's a hint of pine in here, too, but I can't be sure. Suprisingly balanced for such a surprising scent. My nose is confused by the red and purple together, because it's so unexpected but so very breathtaking! I feel vibrant compared to before I put this on, and that's pretty amazing, as I was celebrating the arrival of my package. Update - Sensitive skin? Be careful. I usually have no problems with sensitive skin aside from my face, and I turned pink and itched a little with this one. Heavy on the cinnamon content, so use caution or dilute if you think you might have problems.</span></span></span>
  5. jj_j

    Sweet Grass

    The green, flowing, aquatic herbal note in several of the Voodoo blends. One of my favorites, but easy to get carried away with. Just as robust in single note form as it is in the blends.
  6. jj_j

    Indonesian Red Patchouli

    This is such a nice version of patchouli. It's lighter and more elegant, without losing any of the patchouli strength. It's less earthy, perhaps, and more smooth, than most versions of patchouli, and it has a translucent quality that you don't expect from wood. Definitely has the glow and shine that comes with years of polishing.
  7. jj_j

    Yuki-Onna

    The Lady of the Snow, Winter Ghost, Snow Queen. A chilling, haunted blend of bergamot, lemon verbena, sandalwood and jasmine. When this first went on, all I got was Lemon Pledge. Mind you, I love lemon, and even Lemon Pledge pleases me to a degree, but Lemon Pledge is reserved for cleaning house. Within five minutes, though, the jasmine was peeking through, and Lemon Pledge with jasmine is a winner, believe it or not. Yuki-Onna wasn't finished, though, and the bergamot crept into the picture, really rounding it out to a bright, heady scent. I can imagine that the sandalwood with these really gives Yuki-Onna a surreal anchor and completes the picture. Unfortunately, the sandalwood never made it to the surface on me, so it seemed like the scent was lacking completion. I'll wear this as it is, but think it will have more to offer someone witha different chemistry.
  8. jj_j

    Red Musk

    Let me start out by saying that any musk reviews I do are pretty likely to be different based on body chemistry. Musk scents just tend to do something funky on me, although I wish it were otherwise. That disclaimer aside ... Red Musk is almost fruity on me. It starts out that way, anyhow. It's sweet, and mildly animalistic, and it's very sexy. It's also the musk scent that stays closest to bearable on me, as well. It's not loud, I don't turn it into rancid cat pee, and it melds into a second skin better than any of the other musks on me. It has a faintly artificial and chemical note hiding at the very, very bottom. It's faint, and I can't tell you if it's my skin, or if it's the scent itself. Unless I sniff very closely, it's not obvious - but when I do, it's an instant headache for me. Because of the disclaimer in the first paragraph, take that with a grain of salt, please - because this is definitely something I'd like to wear by itself and on a pretty regular basis.
  9. jj_j

    Sol

    Authority - Creativity - Courage - Leadership - Abundance - Good Health & Healing - Illumination - Truth - Honesty - Wise Counsel - Prophecy - Pride - Revelation - Equilibrium - Mediation - Nobility - Generosity Crisp and almost arid in nature, Sol has a sharp, spicy scent that is resinous without being softly warm. Instead, it's a very fiery, almost scorched feel. There's pine in here, too - a much more complex scent than the the overall tone of the oil implies.
  10. jj_j

    Blue Lilac

    I did an actual comparison test, as the 80-year old lilac bush outside my door is just beginning to bloom. I cannot tell the difference. This is dead-on, and fabulous. I'll be ordering a bottle for my mother this evening, as she is a professed lilac junkie and always complains lilac scents don't smell like the real thing. Updated: I took the Imp out to my mother so she could try it, and it was actually pretty funny, because I'd just received the "True Lilac" from MMU that I'd ordered for her lilac passion. We dabbed that one on first, and she sniffed, sat back in her chair and sighed, telling me how good it was. I waited a couple of minutes, and told her I wanted her to try another scent, then dabbed Beth's lilac on her other wrist. My mother sniffed it, looked at me with wide eyes, and said, "This is the scent of lilacs!" Then she wrinkled her nose, looked down at the other wrist with contempt, and said, "That's just perfume."
  11. jj_j

    Apricot

    So sweet, so good, it's almost a tiny bit fuzzy, just like the skin on a real apricot. This isn't a fresh apricot, by the way. This is the scent of a dried, chewy apricot. I bought a package of these at the grocery store because a) we love them, and I wanted to be sure I was right. Dead ringer!
  12. jj_j

    Heliotrope

    This is the soft, not-really-powdery, but barely sweet note that's so elusive and beautiful in Tamora, and O, I think. It doesn't smell like the heliotrope that grew outside my best friend's back porch, but I could be remembering it wrong, as it's been several years. Regardless, I say ... Mmmm! Full bottle needed, ASAP.
  13. jj_j

    Pikaki

    This is the light, inoffensive, barely-soapy white floral that I've been sniffing in several of the latest blends. It's jasmine without being overpoweringly so, and sweeter to my nose. Very tropical. No headache-inducing properties, either. EDIT: It's Pikaki on the site, so I changed the topic title (from Pikake) so it's easily findable. --Shollin
  14. jj_j

    Puck

    Oakmoss, sweet sage, juniper berry, civet and a drop of grape. Forest all the way - sweet sage and oakmoss give this a green, deep-forest feel, and the juniper berries add crispness. The drop of grape sweetens the package, and the civet completes the earthy, animalistic, forest picture. Starts out as a sharp green with definite musky animal tones, and dries down to a more mellow but very solid blend that leads me to mental images of rabbits curled up in the hidey-hole that low-lying tree branches create next to their trunk. Civet and I don't seem to get along well, as it turns funky on me; otherwise, I'd wear this one often.
  15. jj_j

    Lemon Verbena

    Lemon verbena is a scent I associate with nearly every vacation my mother and I have ever taken together. She loves sand and sun, I love spas, so we combine and go to beach resorts with good spas. Every single Caribbean and West Indies spa I've been in has smelled like lemon verbena, so this very true single note pleases me greatly! Lemon pledge, but green and crisp, with an almost artificial sweetness. Oddly enough, those notes are absolutely what the scent should smell like - this is the real thing, and it fades down to a light, boisterous, and sweet lemon pie scent. Not the greatest staying power, but citrus scents don't retain their crisp, vibrant nature as long as others; considering that, I'm very pleased with the longevity of this one.
  16. jj_j

    Freesia

    This freesia scent may be the almost tropical, fruity note that some forumites have had a hard time identifying. It's definitely familiar without being common, and for me dries down to a very "pebbly pear in pineapple and other tropical fruit juices" sort of scent. Beautiful, and nothing like the Bath and Body Works version, which may be the only concept many of us have of freesia. My mother thinks it smells like floral fruit loops, just for a different take on this one.
  17. jj_j

    Bergamot

    Bergamot has such a clean, citrus, tea smell - I love this one. Yes, it's the scent that wafts out of your cup of Earl Grey tea, but Beth's is pure and light, without the heavy black tea note to hold it down. Lustrous, sparkling, and very lemony without actually smelling like a lemon, it's like almost all of Beth's single notes - the real thing!
  18. jj_j

    Tomato Leaf

    Pluck a green fuzzy leaf from the tomato plant on your patio this summer, rub it between your fingers, and smell what I'm reveling in at the moment. Perfect, and this from someone who spent all of their childhood tending a 1/2 acre garden, complete with tomato plants each year, and who stakes one in a pot for the patio each summer still.
  19. jj_j

    Pink Grapefruit

    My grandmother has a set of serrated spoons that she used to section up grapefruit for me as a kid, and over the years, the wooden handles have become imbued with the scent of tart pink grapefruit. That's exactly what this is - tart pink grapefruit, clear and true, with a heavy heaping of sugar on top to sweeten it up. I love that the single notes Beth uses are so true - they're fantastic in blends, and on their own.
  20. jj_j

    Pennyroyal

    Sharp, cleansing pennyroyal - this is the real thing! It's absolutely biting and clears my sinuses, head, and the room before eventually mellowing to a moderately minty and vaguely medicinal scent. I actually like this one, but it's for use in small doses, and you should avoid this like the plague if you're pregnant. It gives my mother headaches, and is sharp enough that some may not want to try this if they're sensitive to scents, too.
  21. jj_j

    Peppermint

    Since I love the smell of peppermint tea, which is really just peppermint leaves minced up and put into a bag, I couldn't be happier about this single note. So bright, so crisp, Beth's peppermint is just luminous - there's no sweetening or muddling caused by the heat of tea-making. This really is the scent of mint leaves rubbed between your fingers, and it's chilly and refreshing. Fabulous!
  22. jj_j

    Dissipation

    <span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Georgia'>From the Sin and Salvation collection: Strands of bacchanal ivy wind through sweet wormwood, pungent poppy, and a sliver of murky sassafras. I expected something much more ... stridently green .. than Dissipation turned out to be. I'm so glad to be disappointed, as this is another fantastic newcomer by Beth. Wistful and soft, the ivy in this is beautifully set off by the hint of wine and the fuzzy, dry poppy. I don't smell any sassafrass in this, but Beth did say it was a sliver. The wormwood really is "sweet", and it lends a poignant, refined wooden tone to the whole of the scent. This isn't the least bit harsh, and it's more the scent of a memory so strong you can smell it - or can you? - when you close your eyes and feel the early summer breeze on your face. </span></span></span>
  23. jj_j

    Cabaret

    <span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:black'><span style='font-family:Georgia'>From the Bewitching Brews collection: Decadent, flamboyant, and fiercely seductive! Passionate red musk mixed with jasmine and wisteria. This is another of Beth's "second-skin" fragrances, as the red musk and jasmine intertwine with each other to balance the earthy and sweet notes of the scent. Wisteria keeps this fairly light, and the combination of the three has an unexpected, definite sexiness about it. I don't get flamboyant, but fiercely seductive I can go with. Subtle, but alluring. Sweet, but not fruity or stickily so. The jasmine isn't overpowering, the musk isn't blatantly animalistic, and the wisteria isn't too pale or light. I immediately bought a bottle of this one.</span></span></span>
  24. jj_j

    Bruja

    Menacing, bewitching and darkly sexual. A blend of myrrh, amber and lilac. This one's an interesting mix; the lilac is kept from being cloying by the incense note and warmed up by the amber. I wouldn't put it in the same category as Messe de Minuit (which others have compared it to), because that one's so very dry and markedly incense, where this one's much more sweet and warm. The lilac is actually the off-putting note in this for me; it somehow turns this into a "little old lady" scent, if there is such a thing. Worth a try, though, particularly if the crisp, dry character of incense scents is a little too dry for you.
  25. jj_j

    D'Anjou Pear

    This single note is sooooo good! It's better than a regular pear, I have to tell you - it's sweet while still keeping it's tang, and it has none of the sticky sugar syrup of a canned pear. Not yellow and overripe, but pale yellow-green with just a hint of blush on the skin of this pear.
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