Laurel the Woodfairy

I remember way back in the day when I discovered BPAL, and I got a good giggle that "Bliss" was a chocolate scent...and then I never got around to trying it. Well, I finally have an imp and I'm pleased about it--'tis the season for hot chocolate, after all! I'm surprised the color is pale; I thought it might be chocolate colored. Wow, that's pure cocoa all right--like huffing a box of Hershey's baking chocolate! This is the perfect pure chocolate scent for layering, and also great alone for the addicts. I'll have to see if it helps control cravings or exacerbates them.

Took me a sec to figure out where this was in the catalog--I thought it was an archaic spelling of Lioness, and hence might belong with The Lion? It's a strange blend--a beautiful vanilla-honey-cake topnote, which I really like, floats over a rather murky sort of base; it must be the ambergris, which is a note that tends to be bad on me. Yeah, I just don't think this is the one for me.

I was surprised to find a frimp of Dissipation in my Yule order--perhaps Beth is considering reviving it? It's a very fresh, green scent--I adore Beth's ivy note, and it's quite clear here. The undernote is faintly astringent (the wormwood?) but not so much as to make it a bitter blend.

I received a Lab frimp labeled Scorpio, so I assume it's the newer of the two formulations? As I am not a Scorpio, I'd have to really love it to keep it--I take my Astrological oils very seriously. Hence, there will be a bottle of Pisces in my future when it comes out, but I haven't bothered with any others. I will say, though, that Scorpio is a really interesting, complex blend--very herbal and refreshing, yet somehow dark. The only note that really stands out clearly is the basil (hence the "herbal" feeling). It's a little astringent but bracing!

Athens smells like a cross between O and Wanda, two of my favorite sexy scents. Together, though, O's honey and Wanda's wine seem to fight instead of blend, so I guess there's a reason why I never layer those two!

A dear Forum friend sent me a decant with other Yule goodies. I'm so excited to try this one! Mmm, Black Orchid is clearly recognizable as a sister to Shadow Witch Orchid. It also reminds me of the narcissus note in Pride--dark, faintly astringent, and detached, if that makes any sense--it will never be a scent that blends into your skin, but it will perch elegantly on you and surround you with an aura of expensive haughtiness. A good Big Night Out sort of scent! I hope it's released "for real" at some point.

Xiu is one of the many perfumes that I tended to overlook b/c my brain went, "name I can't pronounce...move along...these aren't the imps you're looking for..." and then I read comments and reviews and realized I needed to try it. I wasn't disappointed! This is a gorgeous scent that immediately reminds me of Limited Editions--Dia de los Muertos (from its first run) springs to mind, and also Candy Butcher's drydown. It has a rich foody coca-bean base that isn't overly sweet; it seems to get it's sweetness from florals instead. Fresh citrus (orange, I think?) and incense lighten it up make it more "fresh". It smells like a limited edition--really complex, well-balanced, and expensive somehow. An entire jungle in a bottle. I think it's very cool that it's in the general catalog and easy to come by!

Ok, I don't normally use this blog, but I'm cross-posting this from LJ with some of the more personal stuff removed, b/c it's really cool but too long to go into it on the Forum. Short version: my sister and I just learned that we are cousins, a few generations removed, to the great Czech composer Antonín Dvorák (!). Detailed version for my fellow geeks: My mom's family is Czech--although it was still called Bohemia when they emigrated from Prague, and we have always joked about being Bohemians. My maternal grandmother was the first generation to be born here. They came over to Chicago and lived in the area known as Little Prague, as well as other parts of Illinois. My mom's cousin still lives in Chicago, and recently she went to the Bohemian Cemetary there and took pics of our ancestors' gravestones (some are really cool!) and sent them to us along with an extensive family tree she's been working on for some time--an unusual Xmas gift. Well, my Gram's grandmother, Marie Dvorák, was apparently one of several of the composer's cousins who settled in Illinois. He spent a bunch of time there, too; I think that may have been around when he wrote his New World Symphony. I think it's completely badass, and my sister (the fledgling opera singer) is beside herself with glee and planning to do his "Song to the Moon" for her senior concert this spring. I LOVE that piece--the Italian translation, "La Luna", was recorded by Sarah Brightman, whom I just simply worship. My sister wants to do it in the original Czech. I've also told her that if I should ever re-marry (someday...), I want her to sing it, as a tribute to our roots. Extra cool part: that aria is from his opera Rusalka, which is a version of The Little Mermaid. My Pisces heart rejoices. My boyfriend and I have talked about our future-theoretical-pagan-wedding being on a boat in the waters around Seattle, by moonlight. So for my sister to sing an aria that is a mermaid's song to the moon...that was written by an ancestor...I mean, holy SHIT, people. How freaking cool is that???

Mmmm, Phobos is gorgeous, but *lord* is he strong! I had a massive sneezing fit from an enthusiastic sniff. This is for my boyfriend, who is also gorgeous and strong, but doesn't make me sneeze. And he's going to love it--as is anyone who likes really fresh citrus with just the barest hint of foody. Phobos reminds me of Follow Me Boy, which I compared to lemon pound cake. Here there is much less of the cake, but bright clear lemon/grapefruit opening and a luscious verbena/musk drydown. I'm really glad this was revived.

I chose Aureus for my boyfriend, aka "the golden god", as the description sounds so much like him--he has the most amazingly bright, warm aura about him. On me, Aureus smells very similar to Cathedral, but with amber. It's an incense/resin scent, and like Cathedral it veers a little into cedar territory while wet. However, the sharp woods settle and the drydown is nice and amberish--definitely a "warm" scent, a little like The Lion. I didn't have a reaction of "OMG it's totally him!" but I still think he'll like it.

Whoa, is this Teh Evil Grapefruit I smell? Deep Ones is much stronger than I expected, as aquatics tend to be fairly low-key on me. There is a lot going on here besides aquatic though--the strong, sweet grapefruit topnotes, and then some juniper and/or pine. Yet it's not woodsy; the aquatics do make it seem more like underwater greenery, algae and so on. There's also a "dryer sheet" (linen) note. This is so weird and alien that I don't know if I like it or not. It smells like Cthulhu's laundry detergent. Gotta keep those wings and tentacles shiny!

Quite sharp lavender when wet, but the Pool softens as it dries down...so to speak. (Can a pool dry down and still be a pool?) It settles into a clean floral-aquatic; reminds me of Amsterdam and also Dormouse, although I like Dormouse's peony better than Pool's lavender. The slight sweetness at the end is almost like violet-candy, but very faint--old-fashioned and pretty. This is nice but very soft; a good one for when you can't be wearing a "loud" scent.

Versailles is a lab frimp that I never would have selected, due to the jasmine. However, on me the prominent notes are rose and orange blossom (or so I thought--I guess it's various citrus notes). Very pretty. And then on the drydown the jasmine sticks its tongue out at me. Another perfectly good blend ruined. I wish there was a "jasmine optional" feature on about a gazillion Lab blends. Sigh.

WTF? Having had Sophia on my wishlist for awhile but forgotten the notes, I would have sworn it contained lotus--this horribly strong bubble-gum note exploded when I applied it. Underneath I could smell something like sandalwood, which eventually came into its own in the drydown. However, now I see that there is no lotus and no sandalwood here, so I guess it was the always-evil jasmine that took over, and the combination with other notes gave it this new twist. The other notes are all great, but that fracking jasmine can ruin anything for me. However, I'm happy to note that my Mom really likes it; jasmine plays nice on her. So now it lives in her imp box, and perhaps that's appropriate anyway--she just graduated; the Goddess of Wisdom is a fitting scent!

I'm pleased to have a decant to try this--I think of it as Ghost Phoenix, because in my mind Mad Bess' ship gets conflated with The Flying Dutchman. I think it's because Puddin' looked so awesomely Cap'n Jack in the wedding pics! Anyway, The Phoenix is very pretty on me. Wet, it reminds me a little of a warmer, non-wintry Szepasszony--clean aquatic with a faint hint of floral. Buried in there is just enough of a hint of salt and lime for my brain to go, "margarita!" The merest ghostly breath of Snake Oil appears on the drydown. This feels like a summer vacation scent to me; it's lovely but soft, low-key. I'd slather it on to lounge by the pool and have fruity drinks. In fact, I just caught a special on the Travel Channel about Disney cruises to the Caribbean where you can see the original Flying Dutchman movie prop out in the water...that's the image that comes to mind. Vacation! Beach! Ghosts! Put it all together and it spells "made of win"!

If you use TAL oils, something like Determination would be my pick. That way every time you smell it you also know that it's designed to help reach your goal! From the GC catalog, I'd pick Detox or High John for the same reasons.

Plunder = Bengal - honey. Although I usually like honey, it was just too much in Bengal, so I'm delighted with Plunder! It's the straightforward chai scent I've been looking for--tea and spices and nothin' else. It gets a little sweeter on the drydown, but overall it's spicy and not sweet, like a more complex Three Witches. Completely appropriate for male or female pirates. Also appropriate for holiday gift/booty giving, as it might appeal to a wide variety of new BPAL converts. Great stuff!

I really don't know what to expect from this one, as the description doesn't say, but I love the name! Huh, it's a cherry-cordial scent while wet: cherry + cocoa + incense...reminds me of Midnight Kiss. On drydown...it actually reminds of of 13 (original formulation), cocoa but with some orange and something peppery? It's not really very strong on me; I like it but I doubt I'd wear it often.

I got this for my Mom, sight unsniffed, because it is her namesake blend--her first name is Sharon, and it was chosen because of this verse (her father was a minister). Even though the name of the blend is 'lily of the valley' instead of 'rose of Sharon', it just seems so fitting, and plus she does like clean florals. On me, Lilium smells very soft and white and somehow old-fashioned. It's so well-blended that I can't pick out individual notes other than the namesake floral and a hint of apple in the drydown, but it reminds me of Mom's favorite Estee Lauder perfume, and I think she'll love it!

I'm very wary of the jasmine here, but I love the other notes so much that I'll give it a try--besides, I couldn't order Hermia without Helena; best friends should be together! Mmm, I am happy to say that the white rose and water lily bloom on my skin and are just beautiful; those are two of my favorites notes--the only thing better would be to add some ivy. On the drydown, the jasmine tries to peek out, but is mercifully squashed by amber. This is a much softer, more romantic, less "feisty" scent than Hermia, and I like it for different reasons. It has something of the same wistfulness as Ophelia.

As a character, I think Helena probably has more fans, but I've always identified more with Hermia--she's the spunky one with good self-esteem. Plus, I would most definitely defy everyone and run away with my Love if that was the only way I could have him. I thought the notes sounded fascinating, but I also wanted this one for the concept. Wow, this is really fantastic, and also a great interpretation of Hermia: the pepper note is strong and spicy--"feisty", if you will--and the florals are girly and pretty and fun. The passion flower reminds me of Beth's pomegranate note; this is a bit like Swank with the pepper note from Three Witches and a swirl of sweet floral to tie them together. I'm wearing this for Date Night with my boy tonight, as it's a scent that says, "I'm sweet and feminine, but I am nobody's spaniel!"

This is for my Love--no, I don't want to poison him! He just really loves crisp apple scents and I'm hoping this will layer well with his shower gel from B&BW. Mmm, I think he'll be delighted: really fresh, bright, *shiny* apple floats up immediately on application. That note stays true, but on drydown a soft incense/earthy note creeps in under it. He's always saying he likes earthy notes with citrus or apple and his favorite, ever, was a scrub called Spooky Apples from IoE that was apple over patchouli or similar. This should be ideal. It reminds me of an improved version of the Poison Apple candle that B&BW had last year--of course, Beth's version is better; a truer apple and a more sinister drydown!

Burial is one of the classic old-school scents that's been in the catalog for as long as I can remember, yet I've never tried it. I finally got some for my boyfriend, who likes what he describes as "earthy scents". Well, I figured, it doesn't get much more earthy than burial, right? It's much spicier than I expected--it smells like spicy patchouli and...dirt. But in a good way. I wouldn't wear it for myself, but he likes it and that was the goal. He's a Taurus and I do think earthiness suits him.

I sniffed Egg'd Mailbox, but I was testing a lot of other scents at the time, so I hesitate to comment on the drydown. What I can say, definitely, is that it opens with everything *good* about eggs--rich custard or nog with a touch of spice. Much, much more pleasant than I ever would have expected. I should have known it wouldn't really smell of raw eggs (or rotten, oh noes!). Nothing to fear from this Trick.

I enjoyed sniffing Pumpkin Smash--it's Jack without the butter and definitely not a dessert scent; it's for pumpkin purists with a little extra atmosphere thrown in (I couldn't have said, "oh that's asphalt!" or anything, but it does have a slightly outdoor-autumn-night quality). However, there's no beating Samhain for non-dessert pumpkin-related autumnal goodness, so a sniff was enough. Fun concept!