surlygurl

When this first came in the mail it was pear first, then overwhelming champaca. Now that it's recovered a bit, it's entirely different. Pear is there snuggling with champaca, and the dandelion lightens it and gives it a milky, sappy shadow. It's really well blended. Strangely, it smells familiar and I can't figure it out. The pear/champaca combo reminds me of khalkokorustes, but this has a more head-shoppy vibe at first, then turns slightly soapy. I'll have to do a side by side comparison later.

I bought an imp of this after rediscovering my old original imp, and was surprised that they smell similar - perhaps even the same. On my skin it vibes as a soft grey scent, foggy and cold. Earthy. It doesn't scream 'jacket' or anything else. It's the same leather that's in Violens. Excellent layering scent.

I remember having an imp long ago and not liking it, but taste change. When an imp of it arrived recently, I decided to take a chance. In the vial: not bad, kind of pretty. On my skin: not baa... NO. Just *no*. Smokeless burnt earthy things. And teenage boy body spray. Forever. I can't pick out individual notes or nuances; its just bad. Why can't it be beautiful like the very first whiff? Even a locket wouldn't save it now. :-(

I've heard of batch variations, but geez...The scent I get is mint, champagne/ginger ale, and the lab's snow note - in that order. Then they mingle and play. Very refreshing and pretty. If I could buy a bottle of this, I would.

The first couple times I tried this it was a creamy soft vanilla wood with a vague bit of fruit. This last time I tried this it was polished woody vanilla, but the "vague fruit" was now a very soft violet scent. It lasted and lasted, although the throw was subtle. *Very* pretty. I wonder what it'll be next time I try it....

This scent is familiar, somehow. Resiny, browns with greens and a bit of purple. Kind of cozy but also cool and distant, tho not terribly complex. It reminds me of the Stations of the Sun scents from way back. Olfactory flashback for sure!

In the bottle and freshly applied, I get straight up Orange Julius. Being thrust back to shopping malls of my teen years is disconcerting, so I'm glad when the black pepper comes out to play. The sour-sweet orange is still loud, but pepper tones it down and adds that musty vibe. As the sweet-sour mellows, rum/neroli blend in and tempers the whole thing. It fades quickly from this point on, but doesn't disappear. Every now and then I'll get a faint whiff of...something. Something lightly citrus, but prettier.

A red musk scent that works on my skin? Will wonders ever cease? I'm in agreement with the above posters: regal Indian incense. This one is a stunner. The throw is amazing - little wafts are an olfactory treat!

A golden woody scent with some resin. No dragons blood or deep spices that I can smell. It reminds me of Tushnamatay quite a bit. If it last longer, I just might get a bottle.

I was hoping this would be banshee beat meets haute macabre. Instead, I get a big mess of sour honey. Maaaaybe a tiny bit of those other things at the beginning - just enough to keep me from washing it off in the hopes that it'll warm up and turn beautiful. Blargh.

First, let me say how adorable the label is. Lilith sitting in mediation, serene as could be. This scent is lovely. At first it's all green and resinous, much like the SN Olibanum. Slowly the frankincense smell I know and love comes out accompanied by shy woods and rose. Whatever clary sage is in here is used as a middle note -something to connect the woods/resin with the rose. To me, this scent is Binah junior, the way Mlle Lilith is Mme Moriarty lite. After all its permutations, it becomes a barely there skin scent. The word that popped in to my head? *Tender*

In the decant, is white cedar all the time. On me? White cedar followed by something almost ethereal. I can't identify bay or amber. The oud must be what is bringing it to the verge of sour. It opens up as it dries, becoming slightly powdery but with a clarity about it. Dry, it goes to a peppery powder with a sour edge. Slightly woody and cool. Unisex and rather standoffish. I like this, but not enough to hunt down a bottle.

This one was a surprise! First I get red-purple candies, which isn't really my thing (candies.... I like red-purple scents just fine). Then what must be the thyme comes out. I was thinking menthol, but a bracing herbal it was. It reminded me of a a plum candy I got at a Japanese store - "ume" was the only english on the package, but it had some strong herb in there, too. This is that scent. As it dried, the scent became thick. Close up it was still that weird candy-herb combo, but the throw? Oh. My. God. I kept thinking "what smells so good? Someone in this movie theater smells really good!" Must be the woods pulling it all together. Very classy. Like a classy lady who's also really nice.

I generally like bpal's jasmine note as well as their lemon/ lemon peel note. But together? No no no no no. GC's with that combo have never worked on me. I picked up a tested pack of decants and figured all the other notes would break up the dastardly duo, but no dice. There was one part, just before it disappeared, when it smelled pleasant. This is why tester packs exist.

This is the one I was looking forward to the most because of the heady jungle florals. Licorice is also a fave, so I couldn't wait to try it. Fresh on, I get a mix of the 2 major components. Individual florals are non-existent. As it dries it is less of a mix and more floral with a powdery sweetness. Maybe I simply don't know what freesias or elemi smell like, but it is a high pitched smell with the licorice bark toning it all down. Until it doesn't. But that's ok, because it is a somewhat sharp but very pretty blend. Just not for me.

This is the one I had planned on being "the one". And this is why I get decants first. It smells really good in the decant - creamy and sweetish florals. On my skin, the sweetish overwhelms everything. Sweet cream? Sweet florals? There is an aquatic and slightly salty something-or-other floating through it, but ultimately it is all sweet all the time. It was so sweet I had to wash it off. I'll try it again in a couple weeks just to be sure, but I don't think it's gonna be "the one" .

Oh yum! This smells like green tea! And.... green tea! Aaaaannnndddd.... where's the tobacco? The oud? Oh look - green tea! There's another green tea blend from the lab that does the same thing. Guess what I'm going to avoid now? :-(

Luper decants came in the mail today, and this is the first one I tried! Fresh on, it's a very strong incense. An Indian/ Nepalese import store incense. A little bit of milky coffee. Don't know what else it smells like, but it's rather discordant. *But* - the scent sweetens and melds as it dries and I get something yellow smelling. Probably the champaka (which I love) but here it smells like.... banana. What little coffee there is disappears. I'm left with banana nag champa incense. Not bad! Although once it's dry even that fades and all I get is sweet. If I could freeze this scent at the early-mid drydown, I might get a bottle. Definitely keep the decant, tho.

This is an amazing lush floral! Tho I don't consider myself a floral lover, but when this came out I sniffed my Sampaguita candle and said "YES!!!!" It didn't hit me that this was a type of Jasmine or in that family. It's so different. (I'm learning about different jasmines, thanks to bpal :-).) This is lush and heady, yes. But there is a sweetness, almost candied feeling. On the drydown a sweet powder comes into play. This winds up being sugared jasmine body powder on me - soft, sexy, lush but ladylike. I just may be turning into a floral lover......

When this bottle was fresh, the oil was scary. I applied once and thought "eeeek! I hope this ages well!" And it has. Sniffing the bottle, it's still quite scary - sharp patchouli with almond. But the moment it hits my skin, the vanilla pops out and does a dance with almond. Very lovely. There is still dark patch, but it's no longer in charge . Leather is next to the party - warm and cozy. Oak comes in with it's dry powdery wood. It reminds me of Oak Moon with leather and patch. This oil has aged beautifully. Almondy vanilla with a dark side. Not sure if this will attain Banshee Beat or Glowing Vulva status, but it is very nice!

I took a chance of getting a 1/2 bottle from my decant mistress, and I was right! All the notes are fabulous on me, and together that are amazing! First off, I get PINE and something spicy. The pine recedes and the super sexy cola note from Voodoo (favorite GC ever!) and Schwartzer Mond comes out. Then..... CARNATIONS! All spicy and pink - the same carnation that's in Velvet Bandito. So good! As it dries, I *think* there's leather in there, but leather doesn't show up on my skin unless it's a major player. I don't understand all this "walk in the woods" talk, since the pine has long since gone. I may update this after a couple more wears (when I don't have the rest of the weenies on other nearby body parts). But, so far, this is awesome. If you like any of the above scents - get this. You owe it to yourself.

Pumpkin and I normally don't get along. Pumpkin 5 - 2006 worked, and that's it. Reviewers said this was buttery (aka Jack), but not on me. I don't even really get pumpkin. Instead I get a thick golden yellow scent spiced with cinnamon and possibly other pumpkin pie spices. Something warm (probably beeswax) contributes to the glow. It's kinda fun on my skin but would make an amazing room/ candle scent!

Oooh! I like this! It is a deep crisp blue smell, like a chilly night. Bluish purple, like crushed berries. Musky, sexy, close to the skin. There's something familiar, something..... Tobacco flower! AHA! A very soft clean bright scent made deep by the tobacco flower... and clove? Maybe? This is stunning. If you ever smelled Raven Moon, this is in the same family (but more upbeat and a little warmer). I wish it lasted longed and/or had better throw.

In the vial, this was soft girly flowers. I didn't much care for it. On my skin it started out soft girly flowers. As it dried, it became more rounded. The high notes smoothed out and something resembling a tropical flower came out. Something Hawaiian? Very clean and soft. I do like this, but not sure I can live with the girly smell when it's wet.

The scent of this oil is a simple lavender, maybe with some sweet/ tart thing. Lavender sweet tarts.... As for effectiveness, I really like how it works. I swiped it over my 3rd & 4th chakras before running out the door for Family Hell weekend. The full blast of scent calmed me right down & added a touch of happy. As the day wore on I'd get wafts of scent just when I needed it. The effect was immediate. You know when you listen to a jazz radio station, and the jazz dj has that 'cool jazz' voice? I felt like that voice whenever a waft of scent passed by. Beautiful. And the effects echoed through the next day. Sounds like I should get a bottle....