summer

Oh. My. God. This is SO YUMMEH. It smells like a rich, velvety, smooth cup of hot pumpkin spice mocha. The pumpkin note is very true -- very distinct, sweet, and almost light. The cocoa and hazelnut are grounding, and, surprisingly, they almost cut the sweetness of the pumpkin just enough to make the whole blend cozy and foody without being overwhelming or headachy. Yum.

I would reccomend Al Shairan and March Hare -- two very clovey scents with a hint of fruit. Also, if you can get it, Mantle of Venus (the TAL blend) is almost pure clove.

Wow, this is very nice. I did not expect to like it as much as I do. It's a very light, sweet perfumey scent, like the faint whiff that is left behind after a woman has left the room. It is indeed woody -- kind of a sweet, wet wood with a bit of tang from the pepper. Not something I normally would go for, but this just smells wonderful on me.

Wow, this is definitely unique, but yet still "user friendly" if you know what I mean. I smell the ozone, but it is a sweet, sexy ozone, if you can believe that such a thing is possible! The musk and sweet, earthy fruitiness really cling to the skin, but there is this kind of rough edge to it; almost a "tang." It's really difficult to describe, but, as I said, it's by no means "weird." The bottom line is that it smells good. It's definitely not an "OMFG I must have gallons" scent for me, but I would enjoy wearing this scent out and about in the city. It is a great pounding-the-urban-streets perfume.

Simply stunning. It reminds me of Harvest Moon 2004, in that it is a very grown-up, sophisticated, leather-boots-and-tweed-jackets, distinctly "autumn" perfume. However, it is completely lacking the buttery pumpkin note in last year's blend, which makes the scent crisper. The other notable difference is that this blend has some SPICE to it! Gorgeous, warming, comforting, autumnal spices. Absolutely divine. As with last year's blend, I can't really pick out individual notes, because they're all married so well that the overall effect is just gorgeous, gorgeous, and more gorgeous. This is the cover of the first fall issue of Vogue. This is crisp fall air and suptuous meals. This is everything I love about the changing of the seasons. I will treasure this bottle.

WOW, this is sweet! Sweet, sweet, orangy hard-candies, Kool-Aid mix, and juicy sugared oranges. It immediately shot to the top of my "favorite candy scents" list. It is SO very fun and candy-like that it's almost too . . . young for me to wear to work, but I'll tell you this -- I would have gone APE over this scent when I was 10 years old. That is not a slight to the blend at all -- it's just that I find it hard to pull of scents this OUTRAGEOUSLY fruity and sweet and candy-like and delicious these days! It gets more and more sugary as it dries, and unfortunately, after a couple of hours it was gone without a trace. But I've just reapplied, and I have to say, this is totally YUMMEH. I will have to figure out when and where and how to use this crazy, teenage-sugar-high oil -- but I will fit it in somewhere!

Safari feels like a muted, earthy lavender to me. Very soothing. As luck would have it, my bottle arrived just before my trip to Prague, so I had a nice long flight during which to test it. It's a nice soft, inoffensive, unisex scent that can be applied on an airplane without disturbing one's fellow passengers . . . but when I really appreciated it was when I was trying to get to sleep that first night when my body clock was still set to Eastern Standard Time. It really helped me relax and adjust. I just arrived home this afternoon, and I am about to pass out from the exhaustion of traveling and the whacko-ness of time-zone dislocation . . . so I plan to dab on some Safari again and get some deep, restful sleep. Lovely blend; glad to have some.

This is just beautiful. I never would have though to try it, so THANK YOU Lab for including it as a freebie! This is a complex melody of the freshest, most luxurious herbs. It is calming and relaxing and sophisticated and deep. It's a gorgeous "nature" fragrance with a beautiful, demure, dignified feel. Love it.

Unsurprisingly, this is a very wet, ripe, fruit scent. My mother in law, when she lived in South Africa, always used to keep a massive fruit bowl filled with oranges, mangoes, lychees, papayas, and whatever else was in season. Fruit Moon smells like that bowl. When I first apply it, I smell the citrus -- it's quite tart and almost astringent. To my delight, it becomes sweeter and more lush with wear. This is extremely yummy. It's not one that I will reach for terribly often, but when I'm in the mood for fruity, it doesn't get much better than this.

Mmmm. Sweet. Creamy. This is so divinely delicate, sweet, and creamy. It's so light . . . it's almost like a whisper. But there is something about it that's a wee bit dark. Just a vague shadow of, like, the depths of the ocean. I almost think it smells a little bit aquatic, but only around the edges where the scent starts to fade into nothingness . . . predominantly, this is light, floaty, sweet, and creamy. I really like it. Quite a comfort scent.

Well, this smells like fig. Why my skin likes to make fig scream louder than every other note in a blend, I'll never know. *sigh* This really does smell divine in the bottle -- I get a lot of the sweetness from the cocoa, vanilla, and tonka. It smells round and earthy, kind of like The Hanging Gardens, but richer and more chocolatey. However, as soon as I apply it to my skin, I get fig, fig, and more fig. Unfortunately, fig smells very plasticy on me. I've used the phrase "Strawberry Shortcake doll heads" to describe it more than once. This is not so much the case with Freak Show, because it's rounder and warmer than, say, the Fig single note; however, unfortunately the fig is so dominant on my skin that I just can't wear it. Too bad!

This Full Moon marks the time of the year when the new antlers of buck deer emerge from their foreheads, coated in soft velvet. This is a time of masculine vigor, thunder, balmy nights, glorious sunlight and hot winds. Buck Moon is an animalistic, deep scent: an amplification of one's natural musk coupled with forest herbs, a hint of clear, warm evening air and a crystalline spark of lunar oil. Wow, this is absolutely stunning. I am so fortunate that I got a chance to try this (thank you -- you know who you are!). It really is like the cool fresh air in the very early hours of a summer day. A little bit of a hint of something lemony and cool, sweet grasses, and leaves, with a little bit of clean-skin sweetness as well. It's very sweet, gentle, and fresh. This is not something I thought I would like, but it's truly one of the prettiest fragrances I've smelled. I will treasure this (and keep my eye out for some more!).

One of my friends from high school and his brother started a fabulous, trippy bluegrass band called Snake Oil Medicine Show. How BPAL is that! So naturally, I had to try Medicine Show for that reason alone, even though the notes didn't particularly appeal to me. So unsurprisingly, this really isn't a great blend on me. As others have said, it's very dark and medicinal. It smells like a jungle clinic filled with all kinds of bitter herbs and anticeptics. Very interesting, but not something I want to smell like. However, I can see this being fresh and lovely on the right man. Edited to add: This gets sweeter and more woody as it dries. Perhaps all is not lost . . .

I am very confused by Fire Eater. My first impression of it was negative -- streight out of the bottle, it smelled, as has been said, like fuel. In that sense it really does smell like fire. Like a chemical fire. On my skin, it smells like hot fire and metal. But then at times, it smells sort of like a Crabtree & Evelyn store -- like very perfumey, floral, "nice" soaps that you're never supposed to use. And then at other times it's almost soft and genteel -- still very mucha floral, but sort of light and clean. I'm not sure what I think of it. I don't think I like it, but I'm not sure. The light jasmine aspect of it is very disarming. This scent goes from agressive to innocent in the blink of an eye. I am stunned by Beth's ability to capture concepts in scent like this. Because Fire Eater really is all the danger and soot and fuel and metal of a carnival side-show, without being a raging fire.

Peitho is beautiful. A soft, sweet, powdery jasmine that reminds me both of Lush's Silky Underwear and, in a way, Antique Lace. It's very feminine and relaxing. I find myself reaching for it as a sleep oil.

Oh YUM. In the bottle, this is positively divine. Buttery funnel cake dusted with powdered sugar and sweet candied apples. *head explodes with delight* When I first applied it to my skin, there was an unmistakeable plastic-y note. However, it quickly dissappeared as the oil dried and settled into my skin. Now it's all warm, fresh funnel cake, sugary icing, candied apples, and salt. Positively divine. The best thing about it is that it's not overbearingly sweet. Some unabashedly sweet, foody scents (like Gluttony) can be hard to wear because they're SO heavy they're practically sugar-coma inducing. Midway, for all it's glorious foodiness, still manages to be light and carefree. A wonderful, fun, unique scent. I am debating ordering a third bottle.

OMG, YUM. I didn't expect to like this one, because I figured it would be too sweet. But I got it as a frimp, and quickly realized -- there is NO SUCH THING as too sweet! Teeheeheeheehee! Jailbait has me feeling as giddy as a little kid hyped up on Halloween candy. This is not bakery sweet. It's pure, refined sugar. It's Double Bubble bubble gum -- the pink stuff coated in powdery sugar that you get at Halloween. It even has that distinctly pink-bubblegum "tang" to it. Delicious! This makes me want to smack my lips. This is what "Pink Sugar" should smell like. It's in the same vein as Lush's Creamy Candy. It's pink, it's girly, it's sassy, and it's sweet. What's not to love?

...Our Grand Guignol perfume is a shot of sweet apricot brandy; just enough to settle your nerves after a ghoulish, gory brush with the macabre. Mmm, sweet, candied apricots. I don't get the booze so much, although this definitely isn't a "fresh" fruity scent -- it's the scent of apricots that have been stewing in something delicious. It's incredibbly mouth-watering. It reminds me of Jack, in the sense that it's the sort of scent that is most often found in candles, but without the pumpkin. A great, fun, yummy, playful autumn scent.

Oooh, this is interesting! Firstly, I should report that my bottle of 13 has been an unlucky little f*cker from the get-go. The package took forever to get to me, was re-directed to the Lab by the post office for reasons that no one can seem to figure out, and was re-sent to me. When it finally arrived, it was leaking, and the label slipped off as I tried to open it. When I stuck the label back on, I accidentally did so upside down. So you see, this is a wily little creation! Anyway, it smells wonderful. I smell the white tea the most strongly. I've never been a fan of white tea blends, but this one is so smooth, and the sweet white chocolate base really lets the sort of fresh, astringent tea smell come into its own. So yes . . . in the bottle, strong white tea. As soon as I put some on my fingers to apply, I could smell the chocolate. Not overbearingly rich or sweet, but distinctively creamy. Surprisingly, the white tea note remains strong, even as it weaves in and out of the creamy chocolate. It's so strange . . . this is a fresh scent! How completely odd. There's definitely a light, fresh, almost watery oranginess to it as well. All in all, a crisp, sweet, unusually lovely scent. I will enjoy wearing this very much. So long as it behaves from now on.

Eden is just lovely. It's a very dry, fresh coconut, which is unusual, as coconut 9 times out of 10 evokes "tropical." Not this. It starts off, surprisingly, almost green it's so fresh, and the coconut is definitely there. The most delightful part, however, is the dry-down. I applied this right before nodding off for a nap, and when I woke up, I was treated to the loveliest light, sweet fragrance of milky, toasted coconut with a slightly earthy base. Just gorgeous. I'm so glad I ordered a 5ml. P.S. I should add that I normally cannot wear fig. It becomes all plastic doll-heads on me. However, in Eden, it's just adds a bit of sweetness. Perfect.

When I first apply Peace, I smell lavender, which quickly dries into a soft, sweet, lightly-green, powdery fragrance with an ever so gentle bit of tang. This scent floats gently around me, and reminds me of babies. It's soft, natural, and comforting. A great bedtime blend. I'd love to see this come out as a regular scent so I can get a bottle.

Mmmm, beautiful. I don't get coconut, or mint, or vanilla from this, like many people seem to -- rather, I get true warm milk. Warm milk slightly sweetened. And it's the most comforting, nurturing blend I've had the pleasure to wear in a long time. It's simple. White, creamy, and milky, with just a hint of cool, silvery lunar floral. I find myself reaching for this over and over. Often to wear alone, but more and more to layer under whatever other scent I've chosen to give it a comforting, maternal warmth. I'm so grateful to have two bottles.

Quantum Spice, thank you so much for splitting. Beltane, yes, definitely! And I also forgot to include Ace of Hearts: Soul sister of the Ace of Cups in the tarot, this is the Primordial energy of Water: the Heart, emotional release and receptivity, intuition, fertility, and the forces of love, beauty, pleasure and happiness. I've always associate water with feminine energy -- fluidity, "flow," etc. The Ace captures that beautifully. Edited to add two more: Snake Charmer -- I, of course, haven't had the pleasure of sniffing this one yet, but I understand that snakes are a fertility symbol (which makes sense!). Luna -- I don't necessarily think of this one as a fertility oil, but I definitely use it to get in synch with the lunar cycle. When I went off the Pill, I wore Luna religiously, because I wanted to tap in to her rhythms.

I always reach for Lobban (*sob* that it's discontinued!) or Arcana when I'm sick. I like sort of light, lemony, "balmy" scents when I'm feeling ick. They soothe me. Quietude is also proving to be a wonderful "sick" scent for me. I discovered the hard way, however, that minty scents, or scents like Shattered, are NOT a good choice for me. When I'm feeling ill, they only give me a WORSE headache.

Bumping this old thread to talk not only about which oils may enhance fertility, but which oils celebrate fertility or are fertility/motherhood-themed. The ones that come to mind (and the ones that I use for embracing, celebrating, and focusing on my fertility) are: Eos -- The Rising Sun. She is Ostara, Easter, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and the dawn. She is a protector and friend to all children. Bastet -- Represented as both a domestic cat and a fierce lioness, she truly evidences traits of both. She is the Mother of All Cats, Goddess of Sensuality, Fertility, and a guardian and protector of women. Tarot: The Empress -- "giving birth nourishing life nurturing and caring for others cherishing the world expressing tenderness working with children" Milk Moon -- May marks the apex of the year’s fertility, expresses the reawakening of the sexuality of the Earth and her inhabitants, and May’s full moon celebrates both the fecundity of the creatures and flora of this world and the vibrancy, rejuvenation and life-affirming energy of Spring. Milk Moon is its warmer, gentler cousin; it is a scent that emulates the closeness of child and mother. Yemaya -- "Yemaya is a West African creation goddess, often depicted as a mermaid. She is associated with the moon, the ocean and female mysteries. Typically portrayed as a beautiful woman, Yemaya governs the household and intervenes in women's affairs. She is a merciful goddess, invoked by women for aid in childbirth, love and healing. She rules over the conception and birth of children and ensures their safety during childhood. As a creation goddess, Yemaya's womb spilled forth the fourteen Yoruba goddesses and gods, and the breaking of her uterine waters caused a great flood, which created the oceans. From her body the first human woman and man, who became the parents of all mortal beings on earth, were born." Any others?