Laurel the Woodfairy

[mental sound of The Cardigans singing, "Love me, love me! Say that you love me!" ] I really have no idea what to expect with this one--jasmine tends to hate me, but cinnamon loves me, and of course I may get something that smells like neither. Let's just say, I mainly hope it *works*. Pretty reddish-pink color in the vial; similar to Tintagel. :sniff: Ooo! The color isn't the only thing that's like Tintagel--hel-lo, dragon's blood and spicy cinnamon! Mm, florals and vanilla somewhere underneath; there's so much happening here, and it's all so feminine and spicy and sexy. I keep sniffing myself; what's *not* to love with this one?

I am wearing this to the theatre tonight, and it strikes me as a perfect spring Event-with-a-capital-E fragrance. The sweet pea comes out soft and lovely, but the sage makes it more formal and not too cutesy--it's an unexpected, distinctive edge. The musk is faint, just enough for depth. I feel feminine and fae wearing Aeval, which of course is exactly what I am usually shooting for.

Dublin is very manly on me--the white rose is not making an appearance, although there's a touch of fresh greenery akin to what Rose Red did on me, so I'll bet that's where it's hiding. This is a sharp, spicy woodsy scent; I can definitely see it being the Official Scent of the male LotR cast. I wanted to try it on the boy, but he was already wearing King of Spades. He added some anyway--King of Dublin!--and let me just say I do *not* recommend that combination. However, by itself I think Dublin makes a *perfect* male counterpart to Hamadryad, my beloved spicy-woodsy-floral. I imagine we could wear those two as his n' hers scents for the Ren Faire or other outdoor events and feel like forest spirits.

Ok, kids, I'm almost scared to try this. I've posted elsewhere about my ghastly luck with finding a Lab fae-related scent that likes me (those tricksy fae!), and out of them all, this is the one whose concept grabbed me the hardest. I immediately dubbed myself my beloved's fairy-love-of-his-soul and ordered this. And I *do* love green florals, so...ok, here goes. :deep breath: Well. :cautious optimism: Unless something bad happens with the drydown...I...like...this. Yes. It's a very clean white/pale-green floral. A little hint of something sharper at the edges, but overall soft and fair and...well, fae. Hm. A good spring/summer scent, quite ethereal. It *is* a bit "perfumey"...it reminds me of the DSH imps I bought, which all smelled about the same to me b/c they share a perfumey base of some sort. But it has none of the notes that go bad on me, not even the dreaded aquatic that makes Ophelia turn sour at the end. Yet it does have a slight "mist" quality, a gentler sort of aquatic. It blends into my skin really nicely; this is not an oil I would use to create a mood or attitude, but it does smell like it could be my natural scent were I actually a real-live faery (as opposed to playing one on the Forum). Verdict: It doesn't have enough "umph" to be my sig scent, but it's completely wearable and very pretty. Maybe my luck is beginning to change...

Mmm. Hellcat is like the unholy spawn of Gluttony and Black Phoenix. Seriously. There's a boozy cherry note here that reminds me of Black Phoenix, but it dries down to Gluttony's hazelnut-buttercream-almond, but I actually like this better than either of those...none of the bitter coffee edge of Gluttony and none of the odd fizziness of the Phoenix. This is a solid gourmand scent that I may not wear very much of in warm weather but will definitely make much use of come fall (or the odd chilly night that happens here in the mountains). Purr, cat, purr.

The new imps arrived yesterday and Brian immediately reached for this one. I grabbed it first, though--I've taught Wilde's novel often enough to earn first dibs. Hmm...my skin is really amplifying the pale musk, which is odd; I thought it wouldn't appear 'til the drydown. Well, Dorian always was the perverse one. There's a fresh touch of lemon peeking out...huh, this is really soft on me; I need to slather some more on. The musks and lemon are beautifully blended, but there's only the tiniest bit of sugar and no tea or vanilla at all! I have got to have the weirdest skin chemistry--the ones that work for everyone don't work for me! Dorian was perfectly nice and courtly to me, but no more than polite. I want the mad-sex fragrance!!! I will see if he will get naughtier with my boy. Edited to add: Eventually Dorian settled down to a faint whiff of sweet iced tea before flouncing off entirely. Definitely a Wimpster, this one. Edited to also add: Yup, I was right. This is totally different on Brian, and MUCH better. On him, the vanilla sugar comes right out, and it's like a lovely summertime version of Tombstone (still not much tea, though). And--even weirder--it is *strong* on him; it faded right out on me but wafted all evening on him. What can I say? Dorian likes the boys.

This was a freebie, and I am very, very scared of it between the description and the reviews. :eyes the dark-blackish-brown imp anxiously: Actually...this is fine on me. Not scary or gross at all. The dark musk note that I love in Haunted is here, and I've been keeping an eye (nose?) out for other blends that have it. It's dark but a tad spicy, and not as strong as I would have thought. I do think it will be sexier on a guy (:looks around for guy; where is he?: ) It's not bad on me though. Apparently my uber-femme chemistry can tame anything. Edited to add: the myrrh came out more strongly on the boy, and we both quite like it on him, so it's off to his imp box now.

I really appreciate FullTilt explaining some of the notes in this! Oh...oh wow! This oil is what my mom calls a Come to Jesus moment. Well, a Come to Goddess moment for me, more likely. I can't believe how comforting this is. Sweet, but not in a cloying way, and with this soft herbalness peeking out, and all of it over a beautiful incense and a warm touch of olive-oil. I can't believe how exotic yet familiar it is, like a favorite food you hadn't discovered before. It feels Middle Eastern to me, like what I *hoped* Morocco would be. I want to eat this, or anoint things with it, or maybe put it in my hair--it seems like it could be an ancient homemade beauty formula of some sort. Yes, I think *ancient* is the best word for it, yet vital and alive. This is not the sort of thing I ever wear, but I may use it as a room scent to make the house a temple.

A freebie from the Lab...they keep sending me Tea Party scents; must think I need more madness in my life. Brian remarked that this smells "fuzzy." Well, but caterpillars are, now aren't they? This came out softer on me than I expected--I thought, with all those strong notes, that it would be overwhelming, but it's soft and lazy instead, gently wafting close to my skin. I can detect the spicy carnation I like in Masquerade, over a soft bed of patchouli/incense. No jasmine, which is great, since jasmine doesn't like me. The iris is a nice touch. This is a bit like a more feminine, soft version of Coiled Serpant; definitely an oil I could wear to yoga. I should hang on to this just because it is so perfect for the funny little hippie town where I live. I feel so at home!

I recommend Red Queen if you missed out on the Hearth LE--I put it on and had the same sense of comfort, of warm woods and rich red notes. The Queen is more feminine, of course, with a soft undercurrent of vanilla, but there is nothing medicinal about her for me; she's warm and rich, with little change from wet to drydown--much more pleasant and less mercurial than her namesake.

Ahhhhh. I took a nice hot Lush bath, layered on Somnus, and am drinking chamomile tea. Let's see if I stay awake long enough even to write this review. Somnus is indeed pure sharp English lavender out of the vial, but it has something softening that soon comes out--verbena, maybe? It reminds me a little of Arcana; Brian said it reminded him of Water of Notre Dame. I think it's just that all these have a soothing quality in common. This would be fantastic for a linens scent *if* you don't have to get up early and can keep hitting snooze...zzzzz.

A gift imp that came with my BPAL t-shirt--hmmm, I sense a fashion theme here. Perhaps I need a gorgeous gold necklace to wear with my shirt? If the Trading Post carries one, I'll consider it. Mmmm, this one melts right into my skin. It reminds me intensely of Haunted--that gorgeous dark amber note. Yet there's a sexy sweetness--Haunted is just a touch bitter on me, but Brisingamen has a mellow floral note (the apple blossom/carnation, well-blended into each other) to even things out. This is gorgeous. I've been pondering a bottle of Haunted, but I may need this instead. It's like a more feminine version of Haunted, and a great sexy-date scent for when you want to glow.

What about Scherezade? More spicy than foody, although the saffron makes it yummy to me; certainly complex (on me, anyway).

I am a little wary of jasmine, which is not awful on me but can be a little overpowering; however, I would have bought at least an imp of this no matter what, for I am an Ostara baby and I trust Beth to capture the Equinox in a vial. Yes, Eos is lovely. The jasmine is indeed strong on me (why does it love me so? It's unrequited), which probably means I won't buy a bottle. However, the delicate honeysuckle makes up for a lot...I used to buy the imitation-honeysuckle scented products at B&BW, and at Vic's Secret before they discontinued it, because I love honeysuckle that much. So having the real thing, even amidst jasmine, is a real treat (plus the shy buttercup peeks out on the drydown and helps as well). Eos is soft and sweet, very much a spring scent. I know what imp I'm using on my birthday!

I am quite psyched up for this one. I am reviewing it while sipping Earl Grey with milk and envisioning ChupaChup's avatar for inspiration (:mental snuggle:) In the vial, I got 3 "L's": linen, lemon, and...licorice. I kid you not. But once on me, ohhhhh yum! A delicately sweet blend of sugar and warm milk, very soft. I love the linen note--I can see why you could compare it to Snow White; it has that same gentle "feel" to it. :slathers more on: Upon further application, the black tea and ginger peek out, but in a subtle way that doesn't distract from the creamy sweetness; it simply becomes more complex. I *must* buy this for my Mom, as we have tea every Friday at Chelsea's, a girly-frou-frou tea-room here in town. I hereby dub this my weekly afternoon tea oil, b/c I will feel like a Tea Party Princess wafting this when I pass the scones.

I *love* this! I bought it to wear when I defend my dissertation, but couldn't resist trying it out. The narcissus came on very strong, a slightly acrid herbal note. It smelt of paper-whites, which I think *are* a kind of narcissus, or at any rate the only version of the flower I have encountered in person. The rose--and of course I am a rose fiend--was more of a determined undernote, but it finally came out more fully after about an hour; now the notes are balanced. Pride is not as strong as I expected--I find myself wanting to touch it up already. But I love it and could see this being a bottle at some point; it's almost like a Voodoo blend, the way it perks up the self-esteem. A great one for when you need to be reminded of your own fabulosity.

I must have ordered this in a moment of water-sign clairvoyance (yay, Pisces!), since I had no way of knowing how badly I would need it when it arrived. Mmm...this is similar to Veil, a little sharper due to the faint hint of lemon/citrus that gilds the edges. I could *feel* my nose perk up while sniffing it. None of the ick-aquatics here; this feels like floating between sunshine and shade on a lagoon amongst willow trees in summer...it's the warm softness of being embraced and comforted by the Lady herself. I feel a little choked up by this one. I would call this the "All Else Failed" oil...when life is just a mess (hello, Saturn return...) it will reassure you and give you some hope and a

Aww, I am turning into a ball of mush over this one! A delicate, sweet rose with soft watery notes (but *not* the ick-aquatic that so disagrees with me); a clean, green drydown that reminds me a tad of Hamadryad, but less spicy. My only complaint is that it fades rather fast. This is the one I will wear for relationship work--not inciting-passion work, but restoring happy affection. I have a mental picture of a pair of hummingbirds fluttering companionably around the same flower. I am also reminded of one of the oddest comments I ever heard on my parents' Ham radio--a gruff-sounding trucker talking about the hummingbirds in his yard, saying, "Ah luv them thar little hummers." I mean, who can resist them, really?

Finally got to try this, thanks to Anais Satin! Out of the vial I got a burst of cherry which soon settled down. Wearing it, I got cherry-woodiness and tobacco and syrupy warmth/sweetness all at once. It's a very strong oil, very warm and perfect for cold weather. I imagine it as dark mahogany in color, if you could see the color (synesthesia, anyone?). I actually wanted it for Brian, since it's more his thing, and it *is* nice on him, but you know who it reminds me of? My dad-in-law. He's the only guy I know who smokes a pipe, and I would say this smells like a very nice, sweet version of his pipe, with the added bonus of cherries. I think this will make a cozy scent to put in the oil burner and pretend I have a fireplace--luckily you don't have to *have* a hearth to smell like one!

I *think* it is LEE-nan Shee, but I may be totally wrong. Hopefully someone else will confirm or deny that...

A surprise gimp from my swap with Anais! Lemon is a lovely pale yellow in the vial, and as it's sunny today I'm going to try it out. Oh, this is so pretty. The others are right--nothing at all like Pledge. Fresh lemon juice with a faint dusting of sugar in the topnote; this will be *fantastic* to layer with bakery scents to give them added tang--I can see doing lots of lemon-dessert type blends with it for summer wear. Or wear alone for the happy scent of lemonade.

Oh, and while I do say Bee-Pal with Brian (since he's on here too) to everyone else it is the Alchemy Lab. Or, for the total newb, "well, all my perfume comes from this one woman in California who is an alchemist..."

We do the Golden Cock thing too. And I gave my mom some Hamadryad and she calls it "the hammy nymph things."

Penitence!!! You could first put on Sin and then layer over it for extra symbolism points.

[sampled from the lovely Darkitysnark's collection in a cafe with old men staring at us from the next table; one finally asked what was in all the little vials we were snorting. I said "perfume" only b/c I spoke before I thought; totally wish I'd said "crack"! ] Imp smells like Depraved with peaches instead of apricots, which is a subtle but apparent distinction. *Much* darker-smelling than I expected--I think I focused on the "peach" and "playful" aspects, but I shown have known that between amber, musk, AND patchouli it would have some depth. A dark-gold imp, then, smirking and cavorting. More and more I realize I am not a fruity person, but if you are you will probably love this--it's a complex fruit with a "dark side" to it.