Rheliwen
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Everything posted by Rheliwen
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In the bottle: Light and a bit citrusy. Wet: Tart lemon and ozone. Almost like walking through a lemon orchard on a windy day. It's almost too biting in this stage. Dry: Mmmm! It's turned a bit powdery, but in this case is fantastic because it mellows the citrus out. Now I am detecting sweet greenery. I'm not getting the "over mountain trees" part. This seems more like "over rolling hills with sweet blooms." The ozone is fantastic in this one! It actually smells like sweet honeydew. Light, airy and juicy. Yum!
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In the bottle: Smells like chocolate sugar. Very rich and tasty. Wet: Maple syrup! I want to drizzle it over pancakes and eat it! It's very rich. Dry: The chocolate is coming out more and the rum is turning this into spiked maple syrup. Boozy chocolate with a bit of cropped walnut. It's like a gourmet chocolate liqueor truffle. The musk is turning it a bit spicey, with is turning it into a dark, slightly sweet, spicey scent. This gets better and better the longer I wear it. But this comes from a woman that doesn't like smelling like food. It would be an interesting scent for a man that likes to walk on the wild side. It's definitely dark enough for a guy, but isn't your typical men's fragrance. Any guy that wore this would get a lot of attention
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This one makes me hungry for some reason. I want lots and lots of candy Wet: This is bursting with mint and eucalyptus. It's very nose clearing. The violets are playing in the background now. It's very electric with all this sharp mintiness floating around. Dry: The eucalyptus has died down but the mint has stayed, which is great in my opinion. It ends up balancing with the violets much better. I don't really know what neroli smells like so I can't detect it. The combo of mint and violet creats a candy powder feeling. I am thinking of those pink candies that taste like pepto bismol (but instead of pink here we get purple ones). It almost smells like lavendar and is a bit like Ahathoor and Temple of Dreams. When I think of this scent I think of a busy city with neon lights, zooming cars and technology everywhere...the city of the future in all those sci-fi movies. I could see Angelina Jolie wearing this in her breakout movie, Hackers . It's very cyber-chick to me and makes me want to listen to Underworld. EDIT: Ok I take back the pepto bismol candy part. I thought that was the candy, but it's really those wafer chalk candies that you get in a roll about 6 inches long. The candy is about 1" in diameter and has this purple one that always reminded me of flowers as I ate it. I wish I knew the name of the candy, but it's an old classic. This smells exactly like the purple wafer candy.
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Floral Recs for those who usually don't like florals
Rheliwen replied to Neko's topic in Recommendations
I'd go Queen Mab! Pink is the first color I think of when I think of this blend Ophelia is more white/aquatic. Kali is a nice clean scent on me. But others have vastly different opinions about her. I thought Desdemona was too floral and cloying on me. -
Recs for those who can't do sweet perfumes?
Rheliwen replied to Fishwomon's topic in Recommendations
Dragon's Bone would be my recommendation in the draconis blends. But dragon's blood is also in Red Devil and Wrath. Both of which are more spicey, masculine scents. Why don't you set up an imp pack for him and let him sniff a bunch? Other recs: Villain Jolly Roger (tart, not fruity) Snake Oil is billed as masculine and that has a ton of vanilla goodness Dracul is all dark musk and orange blossom, so maybe a bit too heavy for your request. -
Maybe the yellow one is aged? Seeing as how I don't know how long you had either imp, I guessing
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Laudanum ended up being totally different than I expected. I'm almost wondering if my imp went bad (received in a swap so I don't know how old it is). In the bottle: Old, herby and medicinal. I also get a very dry pepper smell to this. Wet/Dry (same on me): I have no idea why this is happening but I get mesquite barbeque sauce. I don't really detect any nutmeg and I have no idea what sassafras smells like (and now I'm not sure I want to). The poppy and myrrh I can detect faintly. It has this weird smokiness to it (hence mesquite) that's both tantalizing and odd. It's bitter, dry and peppery to my nose. Unfortunately, I did not want to smell like a rib, so I had to wash this one off. Too bad, I was so looking forward to this one. I'm glad it works on others so I can live vicariously.
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I know with Snow White Beth said that there is a musk she uses in it that's only available this time of year. I think it has to do with a lot of things: 1) Marketing and getting people excited about BPAL 2) Doing something fun and different for us consumers 3) Trying to be festive 4) Making blends for religious/spritual reasons, so use in craft or whatever 5) Limited or seasonal ingredients Purgatori: sometimes we get a heads up from the "inside", but most of the time we don't know what the LEs will be until they go live on the site. That's why everyone goes crazy with anticipation. lorajc: Here's a good thread about sabbat oils (the LEs tend to center around that which is witchy): http://www.bpal.org/index.php?s...ndpost&p=115355
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Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?
Rheliwen replied to Absinthe's topic in Recommendations
Sarada I agree with your Hemlock opinion. Once it gets to the final dry stage, it turns more citrusy and drifts a bit from Mistletoe. It's not the same, but I still think it's close. -
Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?
Rheliwen replied to Absinthe's topic in Recommendations
Man am I full of suggestions lately! I've been going through all the imps I received from my million orders/swaps and have noticed a lot of similarities to the LEs this week. I tend to associate blends together so it helps me compare and write reviews. Anyways... So if you like Rose Red, I think you'll like Ophelia. It has that exact same green scent RR has. It is a Rose White though, so not an exact match. Because of that, it's a bit more aquatic, but I think the elements are all there to compare to RR. -
In the bottle: Soft white forals. Not as potent a floral as desdemona, more soft and understated. Wet: Mmm, floral, aquatics and fresh greenery. I definitely smell the lily and water blossom in this. The forals have a musky quality to them. Dry: The white rose is coming out to play, and I have decided just now that it's my favorite normal rose smell. I don't get any old grandma rose in this. Everything about this blend is bursting with life. Is this supposed to counter Ophelia's tragic death...lol? Verdict: The aquatic is much more subtle against all the florals and it evokes images of small little ponds or inlets. It's a very green floral blend, which rounds out all the floral scents nicely. And you know that fresh green scent in Rose Red that makes it to die for? I totally smell it in Ophelia. It's almost like this is Rose White, Rose Red's little sister.
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Recs for those who can't do sweet perfumes?
Rheliwen replied to Fishwomon's topic in Recommendations
I wanna eat my boy when he's wearing Dracul. (Black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom) The Orange blossom is prominent on his skin but all the other stuff make it a sexy as hell blend. And no it doesn't smell like cumin to me at all A lot of people like Morocco as a man's scent. I wear it myself, but I can definitely see it on a guy. Oh and Villian smells like a clean shaven man to me, so it's a good one too. -
Here's a thread where you can find your year card and has some explanation on the significance of it all: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?s...findpost&p=1132 Hope that helps I chose to order the hermit because of that thread alone
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Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?
Rheliwen replied to Absinthe's topic in Recommendations
I think Medea has the exact same juicy plum/berry scent Queen of Spades has. The wet stage for QoS is a bit medicinal and Medea is more earthy, but their dry down smells exactly the same on me. -
Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?
Rheliwen replied to Absinthe's topic in Recommendations
I'm definitely going to second the Mistletoe = Hemlock vote. I just tried Hemlock, and though it's a bit more herby and less biting pine, it's pretty damn close. -
Mmmm, I don't typically like lemony scents, but this is a sweet, floral lemon...lemon icing goodness! Chiroptera is a very sweet, summery blend. It almost smells like it has carnation in it, but I think it's the lavendar I'm smelling. And boy, the lavendar makes the lemon balm smell oh so good! As it dries, I can smell the green herbiness of the sage and thyme a bit more, but it by no means smells specifically of sage and thyme. It has still retained the lemon/lavendar smell that is so lovely, but has gone a tiny bit powdery on my skin. This is a bright, refreshing blend, that isn't too sweet for the non floral lovers! I really love the lemon in this one, it's not in-your-face tart. It's lemon icing over sweet blooms. It makes me want to eat lemon cake and play on a grassy field full of wildflowers.
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In the bottle: Almost tastless, smells kind of like sweet vegetable oil Wet: Wow, this is sweet and juicy! It smells like it has clove, maybe a bit of lavendar and gardenia? It's also a bit spearminty. Spicey and juicy all at the same time. It has that same odd feeling a lot of the voodoo blends have (sweet, tart spice thing going on) Dry: The BF and both agree that it's like spicey pepto-bismol. The mint quality is very refreshing and the clove spice is not overpowering, instead, it rounds out the blend. I'm getting a bit of dry leaves now (the type in Hunter Moon though not quite as dry and bitter), but it might be the clove scent morphing on me. It's taken me 3 tries to really get a sense of this blend. It's a keeper because the boy likes it . It's different and has a spicey, autumnal quality to it. Very different...I don't know if I could wear this everyday but it's still beautiful.
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Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?
Rheliwen replied to Absinthe's topic in Recommendations
Red Moon = Dragon's Tears They both have the florals and dragon's blood, but DT is a bit aquatic and RM isn't, but it's close to me anyway. Queen of Spades ~ Lampades, not an exact match. -
The legendary site of the Viking colony in Newfoundland founded circa 985. Crisp northern wind blowing over loganberry, wild roses, prairie crocus, iris versicolor Linné, mountain avens, yellow birch bark, mayflower and maple leaf. In the bottle: A very light, green scent. Initial application: The first image I got was men's shaving cream (nice expensive kind). It has this citrus/berry/ touch to it that I think was evoking that image. 5 mins: The shaving cream smell dies down a bit (but I don't think will ever go away). Now I smell the airy notes and sweet greens. I am assuming it's the leafy ingredients in this one. I smell just a touch of the loganberry (which I suspect is mingling with the green to get the shaving cream smell). Drydown: This is a very different scent. It's sweet without being berry/fruity/floral sweet in the sense you think of them. And it's green, but not piney; a dew green, ripe with life. The air note is very beautiful in this as well. It's like the standing on top of a hill in crist, cloudy weather as the wind whips your hair around wildly. It's turning a bit baby powder on my skin, but is still retaining most of the scent as it does. I don't get any incense notes in this, it's more pale musk to me (and it seems to get muskier the longer I wear it). It's bright and sharp, but not biting. I wasn't so sure about this one but I keep growing fonder and fonder of it the longer I wear it. It's a nice warm, scent for people who don't like sharp florals.
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I ran out of hand soap in my bathroom so I used my fragrance free neutrogena face cleanser and that worked like a charm!
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This is very very peppery. It has a tinge of juicy sweetness like plum or a deep berry smell, but it's very faint and the overall feeling of the blend is fairly dry. On the dry-down I get a hint of floral but it is hanging in the background behind the pepper. As a Scorpio I think it is fitting. I was expecting something a bit more incense spicey and less pepper spice, but it still smells beautiful.
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In the bottle this has a subtle earth/woodsy scent to it. It isn't sharp or biting, rather comforting actually. Wet: The woodsy note is the most prominent, with a bit of incense in the background. I immediately thought, "this is like snake oil and anne bonny's love child!" Dry: The white musk and pepper start to pop out, making the most wonderful blend with the woodsy notes. I can also detect some floraly notes in the background. It's kind of got that dual quality that Ulalume has, but more understated. It's starting to turn slightly head shoppy on me but I think the florals are tempering that for now. 30 mins: A lot of the wodsy notes have disappeared and left me with sweet orange musk. It reminds me of dryer sheets (in a good way). Verdict: beautiful fragrance that isn't too sweet, has just the right amount of spice, incense and musk. What a beautiful fragrance! I was on the fence during the wet stage, but it has totally won me over in the dry stage.
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In the bottle: Christmas trees galore! Wet: It smells similar to Mistletoe to me. I get the fresh pine scent along with juicy berries. I get visions of holiday wreaths. Dry: The snowy note comes out a bit and the pine dies down a bit but is still the focal point of this blend on my skin. There berries are still there, but are fading away This smells exactly as it was described by the lab, just a little less berry and more pine. I would love it more if those 2 would swap. This is still very pretty and is definitely a Christmas tree in a bottle!
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In the bottle: cold pine. Wet: frozen after dinner chocolate mints. There's a floral in there somewhere as well. It's very strong and the mintiness is trying to clear my sinuses. I actually had to take some off because it was so strong. Dry: I still get a powdered chocolate mint smell from this but it's definitely not as strong anymore. It smells semi masculine with all this musk and spruce floating about. Not nearly as delicate as I was expecting, but it definitely has a winter cold feeling. I don't get any of the fruit notes and very little flowers in this one. Musk and spruce / chocolate and mint.
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QoS smells much more like what I was hoping Hunter Moon would smell like on me, minus a bit of the wildfire. In the bottle it's a very sweet plum/blackberry mixture. It's not in-your-face, more sweet and understated. This is a good thing! Wet: It has a lot of warmth to it. I get the same warm fuzzies from Dia. It's a very plummy scent, deep and dark. There is a green, bitter medicinal bite that's lingering in the background when I take a big whiff. Drydown: After wearing this a couple of hours, the fuit dies down a bit, though it remains the first smell that reaches your nose when you breathe in deep. It's a bit more floraly now and has also turned a bit crayon wax (but that is happening to every single BPAL I own at the moment). Verdict: I'm not a huge fruit fan because it tends to get a bit strong and pungent for my nose. But QoS is a nice, deep, mellow plum scent that's no nice for these cold months. Yum!!