forspecial_plate

Today I broke out my first bottle of Snake Oil, since it's officially a year old now. What I noticed most is an increased sweetness. Also it smelled different on one forearm than on the other, like I didn't roll the bottle enough or something. It reminded me a lot of frankincense, which I don't think I've ever noticed about Snake Oil. But basically.....it just smelled really good!

As far as I know, Libra is not in my chart, although I could be wrong. I was really just attracted to the notes listed here, although it had the potential to be much too sweet. Fortunately that isn't the case! I have discovered that I like rose sometimes, and that's mostly what I smell in this scent. The supporting notes add a nuance of sweetness, especially the cherry which does peek out in little flashes. But really, rose is the star of the show here. And that's a good thing! I've only tried this once, and I imagine that with repeated wearing the other notes will make themselves known. I will enjoy getting to know this scent.

Well, I've worn this enough now that I should be able to give my impressions. I'm getting mostly sweetness from this scent. I don't know what it is. I'm familiar with the smell of chamomile, or at least the dried herb. That doesn't seem to be quite what I'm smelling here. Whatever it is reminds me of cotton candy or some kind of sweet marshmallow root. It's more herbal than a really sugary scent, but there's definitely a lot of sweetness. Perhaps fig is doing its thing here, like it did in Lucifer (which is much sweeter on me than I expected). After a while the clove comes out, but not too strong. The mixture of sweet and spicy says 'autumn' to me. Overall, I do like this. I think of herbal meadows, not 'green' really, but more of an autumn golden scent. It's almost like a lighter, sunnier Samhain or Samhainophobia. It seems suited to rituals, or meditation. I took a chance because if this weren't my sign, I probably wouldn't have gone after it. I'm glad I did. Edit: I wanted to add that I can't pick out dandelion very much if at all in this scent....at least, not like I know it from One To Tie, Two To Win. This is totally different from that scent on me.

So far, out of the new Salon blends, I like this one most. It's interesting that some are comparing it to Voodoo Queen......it reminds me a little of Doc Buzzard. Well, more than a little, actually. It's somewhat sharp and woody, and a bit resinous. It's emphatic.....you definitely know it's there! I think I can smell all the notes except orris. For the first 10 minutes or so I really loved this. Then after that I thought it was a bit on the sharp side, and the clove was trying to take over but never quite did. I agree with all those who said this will age well, and this is my most likely bottle candidate of these.

I love this scent. I thought it would be juicy somehow (maybe because of the name?), the same way that Nocnitsa smells 'juicy' or fruity to me. Not so with S.P. This is a dry pine that comes across as sharp and slightly soapy, but in a good way. It's a comforting smell to me. It reminds me of the woods in some BPAL aquatic blends, minus most of the aquatic, but perhaps there's still a bit of salt air left in there, giving this a bracing, eye-opening quality.

This wears a bit harsh on me, but I guess that's the idea. It's a bitter, hateful scent after all! I was very attracted to the notes but I'm afraid the clove is just a bit strong. Clove does that to me sometimes (but not every time). Overall this reminds me a bit of Djinn, oddly enough. However, if Djinn is like fire, Troll is like fire that's been doused with rain. Oh and one thing I learned from the Smiling Spider....if the clove is too strong, wait a couple months and try again. I ended up liking that one a lot more after some aging. Hopefully that will happen with Troll, too.

I have found that rose is a note that I quite enjoy sometimes, it (usually) doesn't turn to soap on my skin as it does for other people. I couldn't wait to try this and Peacock Queen, I was really curious about how they were different. Here's what I found..... Basically, Peacock Queen is rose, and Rose Red is rose plus other stuff. I read some of the other reviews, but still this smells somewhat different than I was expecting. I smell rose plus some cool, frosty condensation, and also a bit of a green smell, but *not* like the 'crushed green stems' smell that I get from other bpal scents (Orpheus for example). No, this is closer to the green note that I smell in Snow White. As a matter of fact, for something called Rose Red, this smells more green than red to me. Bottom line......I like this! I think I like Peacock Queen just a little better. I may end up getting bottles of both.

This smells good, I wore it to Thanksgiving dinner. It is what it is.....smells like gingerbread. To my nose there is the slightest scorched element, like the cookies are slightly crisp on the bottom. I have very little complaints about this scent. However......I have to admit, Shub-Niggurath has spoiled me somewhat. Gingerbread Poppet is similar but less complex, and doesn't last as long or have as much throw. I bet if someone were heartbroken by Shub not working for them, they might do better with Gingerbread Poppet.

My first impression was 'lotus!', but that could be the sugared plums. It has a fruity sweetness that's almost like candy, kind of the way lotus smells to me. But it's the long dry-down that really impresses me about this scent. The fruit note deepens, and the 'candy' aspect fades. This scent might start out almost whimsical, but on the dry-down, it seems to mature and deepen. I know I talk a lot about 'masculine' and 'feminine' qualities of scents. I realize this is totally objective. Today I was thinking.....I really should stop worrying about whether something is feminine or masculine. If it smells good to me, why not just wear it?? Midwinter's Eve is almost a womanly scent in my opinion, but I like it. And if I like it, I should just wear it! Why make it so complicated when it's not? Same goes for Snow White, which I find a bit girly, but I really like it, too.

I was really looking forward to trying this, with some trepidation, not being sure if it would smell good on me. Good news, it does! Right away I recognize the chrysanthemum from Mum Moon....a note that I really love. Other than that I just can't pick this scent apart. This scent reminds me of a sound. It reminds me of the clear, deep tone of a bell. I'm not sure why, but it does! Also, I know this sounds lame, but this reminds me of a really high quality candle....the kind you smell in the store, and really want to buy, but it's too expensive. It's very floral, but I can tell there's more going on than just flowers. I think I did smell the sage a little bit. After a while, something threatens to turn soapy but it doesn't get out of control. Overall.....this just works! Really nice scent. Edit: dangit, that lily does come out soapy on me after all. It's not horrible. Could be one of the scents with lily that I can actually wear.

I tried this today and like it right away. Did not need to age it, it didn't have to 'grow on me'. I just really liked it, right from the start! This totally reminds me of Laudanum, except without the sassafrass (which makes sense if you compare the notes). Event Horizon seems a bit more complex, and somewhat elegant due to the orchid. I've never had a bad experience w/opium or poppy notes. I don't get 'bitter' from opium at all, although I know some people describe it that way. To me it's a smokey, sultry, incense-y note. This strikes me as a night-time scent, for going out or for a more formal occasion. I don't think you'd want to wear this to the office. I may not need a whole bottle since I already have a bottle of Laudanum.....but I'm going to think about it.

Well now, how can I follow that?? Pressure..... I did not wet my panties however I do like this scent a lot! To me the notes don't seem to blend together. Instead they sort of swirl around me seperately. For a while the cocoa dominates, then later the coffee comes out stronger. The coffee here reminds me of Pinched W/Four Aces (I never did try Misk U). And the chocolate/cocoa works out better for me than some other cocoa scents I've tried. It's not a favorite note for me, but in this case it's actually working out nicely. Basically......it is what it is. If it sounds like something you'll like, you probably will! And if you think you'll love it, don't hold back.

Hmm, this smells floral to me.....I know, totally lame description. It reminds me of some other oils I've tried.....maybe Asphodel, possibly Sunflower?? Except this smells 'purple' to me. Also I am picking up a touch of musk underneath the floral notes. Overall, not a bad scent, but not something I would wear often.

Complete revision of my first review..... I like to wear November to work, because it has a nearly 'traditional' quality that fits in my work environment. But to me there is complexity, too. It brings to mind a brook or stream that isn't frozen, but there is snow all around. It's snowy and kind of aquatic, but also there are leaves and pine trees. There is something here that I can only describe as 'salty', perhaps there is a beach nearby. And there is also a sweetness underneath the dry leaves, kind of like the sweet grass in Stranger In Camp. It plays against the cold and dry notes. In fact, this is almost like the winter companion to Stranger In Camp, but with the dry leaves of October, and a good deal of watery, slushy snow. October makes me think of shades of brown, gold, and dark green. November is more like bold strokes of white, grey, and black, and maybe the darkest green.

I still have found no better way than using the little thing inside the cap. I've tried coffee-stirrers, but I always end up with too much oil. And upending the bottle on my skin gives me too much also. I do it every once in a while if I'm testing something and I really want to get the full experience. But really, two or three dabs from the cap are just the right amount. With imps, I swipe once, re-dip, and swipe again.

My decant is the new, 2007 Snow White. The instant I breathed this in, I thought 'Play-Doh!'. On my skin it's exactly like a greenish-white, pale, minty Play-Doh! But see......I'm one of those freaks that likes the smell of Play-Doh (I even have the Demeter Play-Doh scent, which isn't very good but that's a whole other topic......), so this isn't a bad thing. As it dries/warms up/starts to fade, I can smell other things. Soft, sweet, coconutty, cold.....somewhat fresh and a hint of floral......and the minty vanilla aspect reminds me a bit of Tokyo Stomp. This is a really pretty scent, I like it! However, as a guy, I really can't imagine wearing this anywhere out-and-about. It's somewhat girly. But for a comfort scent, I'll definitely keep my decant, because hey....it's Snow White! Oh and I agree that it's really long lasting, although the throw is medium I would say. Stays close to my skin but lasts and lasts. I wonder how it would be in an oil burner? *ponders* Edit: I wonder if there's a bit of a learning curve for Snow White. Well, for me there was! Not only does this no longer remind me of Play-Doh.....I like it more every time I wear it. And now, I feel like I'll be buying a bottle before they go bye-bye. This scent makes me think of milky white sap trickling from fresh cut flower stems, with a beautiful minty chill mixed in. It's really cold outside today, and I wore this, and just loved it. It goes perfectly with the chill in the air, but I imagine it's nice in hot weather too. Sorry for the long, rambling review but I just had to update this.

Oblivion becomes way too sweet on me. A sort of heavy and medicinal sweetness. Scents with Black/Dark Musk often go sweet on my skin too. Blends that did not do it: Lightning - very fresh, it's mostly citrus with a sharp ozone note to me and not sweet at all. Arcana - lemon verbena and incense. Highwayman - if you can get away with rose and jasmine. Catherine - rosmary and rose Bess - more rose, but lemony, not sweet Sloth - Myrrh Tum - smells like fruit tea to me Whow... The rest of the ~60 Blends I tried are sweet in one or the other way. Oblivion turns sweet on me too. It ends up smelling almost like Midway. There's something in there that smells like cotton candy to me! Sloth has a heavy, powdery sweetness on my skin. Myrrh does that for me sometimes, like in Penitence and Omen. It could be that what I'm calling "sweet" doesn't seem sweet to other people. Like we're smelling the same thing but describing it differently. A lot of people seem to think myrrh is bitter and I don't get that at all.

I got so many decants today yesterday! Add that to the Lab order I got this week, and a couple other forum swaps this week also......I have a whole big bunch of new sniffies to try. I'm so glad tomorrow is Saturday, even though it's my weekend to work. I'll have time tomorrow to relax and try out all my new stuff. Well, I doubt I'll get to everything but I'll try a bunch. I already tried A Countenance Forboding Evil, and didn't like it much. : ( I usually like patchouli but it disagreed with me in this blend, for some reason. Maybe the ylang-ylang contributed some weirdness, because honestly I couldn't smell that note, but there was something there that just wasn't sitting right for me. I will, of course, try it again......maybe in a few days, maybe sooner. I also tried Monsterbait: Underpants and honestly......I wondered all day if I got a mis-labelled decant. It smells exactly like Morocco to me. I did some searching and found that some other people smelled the similarity, but really....I thought it really was Morocco and not Underpants. I told moonarcana I think she'll help me figure it out, she has a decant of Underpants. I tried both Christmas Rose and Buena Noche, and I liked B.N. much better. It did remind me a little of Chrysanthemum Moon (which I was hoping for), and later some soapiness came out (from the lily, probably). Christmas Rose was sharper than I was expecting, and almost aquatic with the snow note. Not sure that one is going to work for me but I'll be trying it again. Out of all the Yule LE blends this year, I know I want a bottle of Jolasveinar. Beyond that I don't know yet, I've got a lot of testing to do. I probably don't need a whole bottle of Buena Noche, but I might want one. I can't wait to compare Rose Red and Peacock Queen.

Pumpkin with cactus blossom, sage, and sweetgrass. Grassy pumpkin. The pumpkin starts out kind of buttery, then the plant life comes through. Works pretty well on my skin, and I like it enough to wear the decant that I have! Probably not my favorite of the Pumpkin Patch (that's probably V), but this is not bad at all.

This is quite light on my skin. When I sniff up close, I can smell the most exquisite lit-incense scent ever. The throw of the scent is too light, though. It comes across as light powder, kind of fading into nothingness. It has a 'papery' feel that reminds me a lot of Lurid Library. That up-close scent is soooo promising, though.....I don't think I'm giving up on this one that easily. It really is like the ultimate incense scent when I sniff from about an inch or two away, really quite beautiful. Maybe some aging will help? (so yeah....basically I echo Hayet's review above me.... )

I wore this today and it kind of went into a scent blind spot or something. I could only smelled it if I sniffed right up close to my skin, and even then, I could hardly smell anything. What I did smell was slightly woody, slightly fruity, a little musk......not high-pitched at all, very mellow. It's a nice enough scent, but I can't decide if I should try it again in a few days/weeks, or just let it go. I mean really......with all the imps that I have, I might have to start being a little more ruthless in my testing. This scent reminded me a little bit of Kuang Shi, which makes sense since they share some notes. So I guess I'm picking up on the mandarin, even though it doesn't really smell of citrus to me.

Sugar Skull 2007 I got to try this thanks to the lovely evilmistressoftoast. Thanks so much! I wouldn't have thought of it myself, but those who say this is more of a 'white sugar' scent got it right. I've also worn the 2005 version and that seems a little more like 'brown sugar'. They are very similar, the new one has the same complexities and layers, and the spirit of the scent is the same. It's just kind of....updated, maybe? The difference, to me, is that the newer one seems a little more feminine. And from memory, the 2005 version has a hint of spiciness that the newer one doesn't have.

I feel lucky......Jolasveinar is perfectly balanced on my skin......just the right hints of floral and sweet/spicy pastry, behind the slushy/snowy fir.

I use mild dish detergent from the health food store, with a very light grapefruit scent. Then I use these: .....let that dry and if I'm testing something else, I'll rinse again because witch hazel does leave a little smell behind. Usually after those three steps I'm good to go. The pads are very convenient, if a little expensive (around $7).

If you run across a decant of Kingsport, it's worth a try even though it has an ozone element. Salty sea air with a sweetness that's almost fruity, very nice scent. Lysander has a slight salty element....I think someone besides me mentioned that in their review, so I don't think it's my imagination. : ) And that's GC, so it would be easier to find.