Laurel the Woodfairy

I don't even *like* gardenias, but I had to buy this in honor of the lovely Lady whose image (by Waterhouse) looks mournfully down on me every day when I wake up. I have a Pre-Raph poster gallery in our bedroom, and I put the Lady next to La Belle Dame sans Merci, whom I see as her flip side--the woman to whose love men are enslaved and go to their doom, just as the poor Lady did for Lancelot. It's a yin/yang thing, I guess. *Anyway*, on to the oil... I am happy to say the sweet, sweet gardenias fade like sunshine on the summer hills, and cool shadowy aquatics and ginger remain. A gentle, sad scent, complex and wistful as she herself. ::softly sings the poem set to Loreena McKennitt's music::

A Lab freebie--I think Beth may have noticed my love of white florals. Hmmm....Muse is indeed "light and invigorating"; I wish the lime came out more prominently on me, since tuberose and jasmine are a touch too sweet for my taste when paired together. Muse seems like a daytime version of Midnight, very classy and feminine. But I seem to like my white florals "dry", if we can use wine terms for comparison. Muse is for those who like a sweet dessert wine bouquet, whereas I am more of a dry chardonnay girl. I can see the loveliness of this, but it's off to swap.

I snatched this up when I heard it was being discontinued, for both Beth and I are Pisceans and I like the idea of having a scent in common with our Alchemist. At first, Pisces was just what I hoped--the lovely aquatic floral notes from Ophelia. But then out crept what has got to be heliotrope, my nemesis--the one note that can spoil any oil for me. It never got quite strong enough to be as sickly sweet as other heliotrope blends, but it marred the nice water-flowers nonetheless. Guess it'll be a birthday gift to a fellow mermaid with different skin chemistry.

Calliope is not mine to keep--I got her for my sister, who is indeed Fair Voiced (vocal performance major). But I get to have a little sniff first, right? Right. Ooo! The lavendar, verbena, and thyme are very prominent--this reminds me of Arcana, which I always wear to yoga because it is so relaxing. Calliope is stronger though, with that bright orange and mint peeking through. There *is* something slightly medicinal here, but in a natural way--like a tisane you might drink to clear your vocal cords of a cold or allergy. I shall suggest to Alison that she dab it on before performing.

:Nods complete approval: Now we can find birthdays and random things with ease!

This is one of the imps I'm putting in Brian's Yule stocking, but I had to take just a little sniff. Don't tell him. I have designs on Oberon before even smelling him; I want to wear Titania for the Midsummer Night handfasting, so obviously this is the Groom scent right here. Ooo, pretty boy! Oberon smells like a Crabtree & Evelyn store--which I love; I walk in there and am completely calm and happy. I think it's the white musk doing that. But here comes a gentle whisper of juniper and bergamot...oh, this is gorgeous. This is Rupert Everett's totally sexy Oberon from the recent film version of MSND. I think most of the time this will be *too* fey for Brian [context: he likes hearty pirate BPALs!], but he can manage for one special evening. Mmm, the rest of the time I want Oberon to myself.

I had imps in empty film containers when I went to Chicago and back--they were in my purse; no one said anything. No leaks either!

Tintagel and Swank were both sweet on *me*, but maybe not on others (and I like sweet, so I love them both). I am wondering about Hesperides...it was cinnamon apples on me, tart Granny Smith apples. I swapped it b/c it wasn't sweet *enough* for my sweet tooth (nose? huh?), so maybe that is what you are looking for?

Damn you, Diabolique, why don't I smell like submissive sex like you promised? Blood Kiss slithered out of the imp as a thick cloud of honey-vanilla-cherry that made everyone in the room go "Whew, that's sweet!" Immediately the vetiver took over and this now smells much more masculine, in a sour-cherry sort of way. The notes have becme jumbled up and indistinct, so that I'm no longer sure if I like it or not. I think I might layer this with O to bring out more of the notes I love, the honey and vanilla. They seem to be drowning under vetiver at the moment...

Dirty apricots. I really did not think this could possibly smell so much like...dirty apricots. Depraved is a scent of innuendo--the way a dripping, overripe peach, all round and fuzzy, can sometimes make you A double entendre scent, all dirtiness and flowing juices (wink, nudge). Filthy-minded but nonetheless sweet, Depraved is a wild romp in an orchard, rolling on soft dark earth with the fruit trees looking down on you and chuckling amongst themselves. Not a seduction scent...more of a pleased-with-yourself-afterwards scent. This would make for a great bath oil after a session of debauchery.

A delicate, feminine scent--the wisteria and lilac are prominent, though I suspect the rose will appear on drydown, as is the way of Beth's lovely roses. It smells softly purple, with a faint touch of sharper green. I don't know that I will wear this very often, but I do know I will be wearing it when the film of A Series of Unfortunate Events comes out, in honor of Violet Baudelaire. Yes, I am a dork. Yes, I have read the real Baudelaire as well.

Black Phoenix is making me laugh--it seems to be playing with me, like Beth is grinning and waving from California. I got *everything* others have mentioned--in the vial, cherry Coke, right down to the "fizz". On me, a bright burst of cherry-almond like my favorite shampoo from Back to Basics. Then amaretto and incense. I love all stages of it, but find it hilarious that it keeps teasing me and changing. A mischievious blend, now light now dark, now girly now boyish, now fruity now musky. This could have been Imp if there was not already a blend of that name. Great stuff. Now I feel frolicksome!

I received a lovely decant from Fairywingmaker's bottle o' Velvet. Mmm. You know how you can buy Swiss Miss instant hot chocolate in different flavors? Well, one of my favorites is the vanilla-flavored one. Velvet smells like a super-deluxe version of that vanilla cocoa. Very sweet, but complex, and there is a dry/powdery feel to it--cocoa in the packet, not after you mix it up. Nice myrrh on the drydown.

Ah, the long-awaited Samhain...this one is so legendary in the Forum that I'm almost nervous about trying it. Adorable bottle with the little pumpkin image, btw. In the bottle: I smell apples and earthy richness. Like really good hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks in. On me: OMG, I can see why everyone was begging for this to come back. It DOES smell like autumn! Warm, complex, gorgeous. All the notes at once--buttery cooking smells and rich wood smells. Sophisticated and magickal. This scent embodies the Lab to me (although I haven't reviewed Black Phoenix itself yet). I am in love. And I will horde some for next Samhain as well. This will be a divine room scent, but I love it on me as well.

Ugh, worst feeling on earth! I would suggest Shattered for empathy, b/c Beth created it to reflect (I think) a time when she felt that way too. If Beth can go through it and smell great, isn't that inspiring??? I also recommend Queen from Voodoo Blends for that "I kick ass and no one can touch me" feeling.

Some of you know I've been insane to try this, and Fairywingmaker just sent me a decant. :rubs hands with glee: Here goes: Hot diggity damn! I, of all people, got the fruits--a bright flash of those candied-fruit slices you get at the holidays sometimes, usually oranges. And then pure brown sugar. I'm astounded that it smells *brown*, not just sugary. And there is cinnamon in there--this smells like the tin of sugar-mixed-with-cinnamon Brian put together for baking. Oh, I am making little "mm, mmmm!" noises It certainly is strong! I asked Brian to come smell me and he said, "I can smell you from here!" It's just like when you're baking cookies and the scent fills the whole house. I like this better than Gluttony or Vice or the other "dessert" scents. I'm getting images of the pure liquid sugar-glaze they pour on doughnuts at Krispy Kreme. In other words:

A lovely surprise imp from Minilux, who must know my penchant for roses. Rosewood smells the way I *wished* Seance would smell on me--Seance went weird and dusty, but Rosewood is Beth's gorgeous wistful rose with a soft resin topnote. I love it on me, but it would also be a fabulous room scent for when I want the house to smell like a fancy Victorian parlor. I really hate that it's discontinued now.

Thanks to the ever-gracious Minilux, I get to try this just in time for prime Harvest season. That is, even if the Moon itself has passed, Harvest is inextricably linked with Thanksgiving in my mind, so this is automatically my Thanksgiving Day room scent no matter *what* it smells like (I trust Beth ). In the bottle with the adorable Lunacy label: the ivy from Mabon with something ineffably foody. I am intrigued. Wet: nothing at all like on practically all other reviewers! No butter, no food. Clean, green ivy with woodsmoke underneath. Outdoors on a crisp autumn day. Not only do I *like* green scents, but my skin seems to want to turn everthing into them. Wait, it's starting to morph... Drydown: aquatic fall flowers, much like La Bella Donna della Mia Mente. Still on the autumn nature walk here, but stopping by a pond in the woods. Lovely, but I repeat, where is the food everyone is talking about? The apple, pumpkin, berries?? It faded without ever displaying any of those. I will try it as a room scent and do a separate review.

Empyreal Mist. Clean as a misty mountain morning!

Ave Maria Gratia Plena came as a surprise extra from the generous Absinthe. Hmmm. My nose is perplexed, yet pleased. My favorite white flowers are mixed with sandalwood and musk, which are notes I think of as masculine. But then, this one confuses me anyway, since I don't know what the title, "Hail Mary, Full of Grace," has to do with the Lab description's reference to Adonis, Aphrodite's (male) lover...maybe I missed something in Wilde's poem. I will give up and consider it the scent of an androgynous angel...a gentle, beautifully blended scent. The musk and sandalwood became more prominent on me than the white floral, with just a whiff of sage creeping in, so I don't know if I will wear it often. However, it's certainly lovely enough to keep and dab on for those rare, angelic moods.

Ok, that was insane. I just ordered with PayPal, and was going to use the credit card hooked up to my acct. Well, I had $5 left of "actual cash", so it used that and then put the *rest* on my credit card. It didn't give me any options on that, so I hope the Lab isn't totally confused and does realize I sent the whole amount...

Oh, purrrr! I've heard Old Morocco compared to Scherezade, but I like this so much better--I think it comes down to whether you prefer red musk or red sandalwood and if you like carnations. Sandalwood works better for me, and there's the dusky, spicy carnation note from Alice. It also depends on how strong you like your scents--I feel self-conscious wearing something as strong as Scherezade, because I don't want my perfume to invade others' personal space; I want you to lean close to me and breathe me in before you get to experience the precioussss. If you feel the same, Old Morocco will fit the bill--it's subtle and blends into the skin, a warm, spicy, creamy confection.

Scherezade makes a dramatic entrance, wafting a heady blend of powerful red musk and spices. I suddenly realize that I have no idea what saffron smells like--I was expecting the smell of the saffron rice Brian makes, but instead there's a floral note that others are referring to as saffron. Scherezade is very much stronger than what I usually like, but the saving grace is that she's not too sweet--she has the spicy exoticism I liked in Sacred Whore without that cloying hyper-sweetness. She gives me visions of a red silk tent filled with brocade pillows, incense floating down from a bronze burner overhead...the perfect place to weave stories. I bought this for my best friend (a Scorpio) and she is going to love it. It's unabashedly sexy and powerful, just like she is.

Wet, Vice is a dark-chocolate confection with an orange center--Godiva wishes it had something this luscious to offer. The drydown was disappointing on me--sweet baby-powder. But I loved the initial note too much to give up, so tonight for the Opera Gala I layered Vice with Black Rose. Oh, now we're talking! Dark chocolate and black roses with my floaty burgundy gown and black stiletto boots...I felt like the personification of a Gothic Valentine. Hours later, none of that icky powder at all, just a hint of dry cocoa with that gorgeous afternote Beth's roses have. I love this combination so much I want big bottles of both, but Vice didn't work as a single note after the first 15 mins, just FYI.

I ordered Namaste specifically to wear to yoga class, and it just happened to arrive right before my class today! It was strong, almost overwhelming lemongrass for the first half hour, then the sandalwood and incense notes came out for balance. It's a very strong blend--I managed my first ever head-stand today (thanks to the power of BPAL??) and had it wafting strongly from my wrists up to my confused upside-down head. Namaste is more masculine than I like to wear--it smells like a yogi rather than a yogini. But I want to burn it when I practice at home, because I think it would turn my apartment into a peaceful temple.