stellans

You're welcome!

I only bought the one moth, Io, and this isn't a very good picture (iPhone) but you can get the idea:

Here's a not-too-good shot via my iPhone: Image clipped to save space Thanks Stellans! So did you like the scent? I haven't decided if I'm going to get it yet. It's on my list to wear this week. I sniffed the bottle, and it seemed nice but we'll see...

Here's a not-too-good shot via my iPhone:

I am a major leather note nut, so this was the Pretty Indulgent scent I was looking forward to the most... but alas. It is more a blend for Mr. Stellans, who doesn't wear scents at all, than for me. And I say this very sorrowfully, trust me. There is something too aftershave-ish about Hochelaga that just does not work with my skin. I'm going to hang onto this bottle in the hopes that it ages or my chemistry changes, though.

oh dear. Where's the lilac in this? All my nose picks up is a sickly-sweet plastic-y lily. I am so disappointed because this was a much-looked-forward-to blend, and now it's all I can do to keep typing and not run wash it off tout suite. ETA: I think, after a process of elimination, that it's the lily note which is not working on my skin. I don't have good luck with lilies, unless there's another stronger note which keeps it in line.

I like this soft, gentle scent very much even if it doesn't last very long. I admit to being a little nervous about the anise/licorice scent problem because I don't care for that at all, BUT...in this blend, it's so slight as to be almost invisible but yet it's there, and it works so well with all the other notes. The iris was what I looked forward to most, and it's iris and that light airy musk I smell most. I don't really smell much apple blossom, tonka bean, or patchouli root, but it's all right because I like how the iris and musk with the oh-so-slight bit of anise works on my skin. This is a keeper, but it probably won't last too long if I have to keep reapplying it all the time. One of 5 stars.

Oh my. Oh my oh my oh my! Virginia is amazing in the bottle, but it is absolutely glorious on my skin! Up to this point, I thought Lola would be the only Courtesan to work with my skin chemistry, but I did have a smidgen of hope for Virginia, because many of the notes sounded good -- but there were a few which gave me quite a pause. (Yeah, tobacco, caramel, and tonka bean: I'm looking at you!) As several others have mentioned, the red musk in this blend reminds me of some other favorites, namely: Scherezade, Marianne, Mircalla, and The Grindhouse. However, there is enough difference in additional notes between those and Virginia that this is definitely a keeper. I am an incense lover, so the addition of frankincense and sandalwood to the red musk was a winner to my nose. It doesn't seem to last quite as long as Scherezade or Marianne, so the star rating isn't quite as high as it might have been: 3 of 5 stars.

Oh, yum. Pomegranate is one of my favorite notes, and so is iris. This blend takes both these lovely notes and stirs them up with a few florals and blackcurrant to create this lovely blend. When first applied, it's pomegranate which is at the forefront to my nose but the florals (with iris in the lead) quickly bloom, sweetened just a bit by the blackcurrant. Sadly, this isn't a very long-lasting scent and I have to really bury my nose in my wrist to catch it after only an hour, but I do like it enough to reapply - I just don't think my bottle will last very long due to multiple reapplications. Two of 5 stars.

Sigh. Once again, amber has ruined a potentially wonderful scent for me, though aided and abetted quite handily by the tobacco leaf. Icky plastic-y powder. That's what Ninon smells like on my skin.

Like so many reviewers before me, I had no idea what to expect from a blend containing the mentioned notes. But...I love Beth's Lunacies so I was intrigued enough to try a bottle. And I have to say, it's a definite keeper. I let this one rest for quite some time after shipping due to the heat, and I think that was probably the best thing I could have done for this blend. Last night, when I decanted a bit into my rollerball bottle (the way I apply Lunacies for bedtime), I was enchanted by the slightly sweet grape, the lush hay, and the oh-so-fleeting hint of smoke I caught. And at bedtime, when I actually applied it for the night, it was love. There was all the goodness glimpsed earlier, and even better, the cinnamon lent only a touch of scent and didn't make me break out in welts (the usual reaction)! Moon of Horses lasted a good long while on my skin, as I drifted off to sleep with it wafting softly around me, and there was still a vestige of it left this morning when I woke up. I don't think it influenced my dreams (as Singing Moon always does), but it definitely was a lovely scent to fall asleep to, and it now has a place in my nightly rotation. Three of 5 stars.

Although upon first sniff I had doubts, I went ahead and wore this blend today...at least, at first. Unfortunately for me, this is vanilla all the way. It wasn't this way in the decant, because there I sensed other notes --besides vanilla-- which kept the vanilla nicely in check. I'm hanging on to the bottle to see if it ages better, but for now I don't like it.

BPAL REVIEWS I'VE POSTED (click on oil name): X = Didn't Work For Me 1-5 *, with ***** being just below signature scent rating = signature scent no * = judgement reserved 11/27/11 #occupywallstreet**** 03/13/09 13 February 2009** 04/19/09 13 March 2009** 06/26/11 13 May 2011 04/25/09 413 US 15/Miller vs California*** 05/17/09 Abhisarika** 02/12/09 Agapé**** 05/09/07 Aglaea*** 01/26/10 Agony of Longing*** 04/12/09 Al-Araaf* 05/03/07 Alice* 03/28/07 All Saints 2006 03/09/07 Amsterdam*** 03/13/07 Anne Bonny*** 06/04/09 Antimony v9***** 03/07/07 Antique Lace X 11/15/09 Aperatos Eros*** 07/05/09 Aphrodite v7* 04/01/09 April Fool*** 03/22/09 Aries 2007** 03/11/07 Ave Maria Gratia Plena X 08/07/09 B340 X 07/07/09 Baba Yaga v7*** 03/18/07 Bakeneko X 05/18/09 Baobhan Sith**** 03/13/07 Bastet X 05/11/09 Bat of Good Death* 05/15/09 Bat of Health* 05/14/09 Bat of Longevity*** 05/13/09 Bat of Virtue* 05/12/09 Bat of Wealth***** 03/03/07 Bayou X 04/29/07 Bearded Lady** 07/23/09 Berry Moon*** 05/04/07 Bess**** 07/17/09 Binah* 03/09/07 Bitter Moon*** 03/05/07 Black Dahlia*** 04/08/10 Black Death* 06/02/09 Black Lace***** 03/13/07 Black Moon** 09/30/09 Black Orchid*** 03/12/07 Black Phoenix X 05/26/07 Black Rose* 05/01/09 The Black Swan*** 06/02/09 Blood Moon 2005**** 06/03/09 Blue Moon 2007** 01/19/07 Bluebeard* 06/21/09 Boadicea X 02/08/09 Bony Moon*** 11/07/09 Bow & Crown of Conquest 11/08/09 Brom Bones*** 04/23/07 Buck Moon** 03/01/07 Budding Moon** 11/12/09 C. Auguste Dupin**** 06/07/11 Cabaret.Goth X 01/19/07 Calliope** 06/20/09 Cancer 2007*** 02/19/10 Candles Moon*** 05/23/09 Carnaval Diabolique*** 08/29/09 Carnivale*** 03/19/07 Caterpillar*** 03/17/09 Catherine*** 07/14/09 Centzon Totochtin**** 07/08/09 Cesky Krumlov v1*** 07/25/08 Chaos Theory IV: CLXXI*** 08/01/08 Chaos Theory IV: CXLVI*** 08/28/08 Chaos Theory IV: DCCXXXIV*** 08/19/08 Chaos Theory IV: DCCXCIX**** 08/24/08 Chaos Theory IV: CMXLVII**** 04/24/09 Chaos Theory V.1: Dorian CCXI**** 03/22/09 Chaos Theory V.3: Penitence XXXIX*** 04/22/09 Chaos Theory V.4: Snake Oil LXXXVII**** 06/06/09 Chaste Moon**** 04/07/10 Chaste Moon 2010* 06/14/07 The Cheshire Cat*** 03/12/07 Chrysanthemum Moon X 03/06/09 Chypre***** 09/29/09 Circe X 02/26/07 Coiled Serpent, The*** 03/27/07 Cold Moon X 03/24/07 Come To Me 11/29/09 Conservatory Tableaux X 04/20/10 Croquet** 11/03/09 Crowley**** 09/30/11 Crypt King**** 04/28/07 Dark Delicacies* 05/20/09 Darkness* 11/30/09 Daylilies at the Bottom of the Stairs** 02/03/09 De Sade 09/27/09 Dead Man's Hand**** 05/06/09 Death and Life Completed 05/04/09 Death of the Grave Digger 06/11/11 Death.Rock X 11/21/09 Deep in Earth*** 03/30/07 Delirium** 03/02/07 Depraved**** 04/06/09 Destroying Angel* 11/06/11Devil's Night 2011 X 03/03/09 Doc Buzzard*** 12/05/09 Doc Constantine*** 09/04/07 Door 13 06/07/09 Dragon Moon 2006*** 08/07/07 Dreamland*** 02/28/10 Dublin* 05/21/09 E Pluribus Unum** 05/09/10 Egg Moon**** 08/06/07 The Emathides X 03/07/07 The Empress** 06/03/07 Eris** 08/11/07 Eshe, *** 05/20/07 Et Lux Fuit*** 05/22/09 Fairy Market 06/11/11 Fetish.Goth**** 04/03/09 Florence** 03/13/07 Flower Moon** 04/07/09 Flower Moon 2009 10/11/07 The Forbidding Foyer X 05/07/09 Fox Fires on New Year's Eve at the Garment Nettle Tree at Oji*** 06/30/11 Fuwa Bansaku in Ruined Temple with Black Monster on Umbrella**** 05/08/09 Garden Path with Chickens** 04/05/07 Gaueko**** 12/27/09 Geek** 05/24/09 Gemini 2007**** 06/11/09 German Expressionist Horror*** 02/28/07 Ghagiel 08/06/09 Ghosts of Arroyo Seco Bridge*** 06/10/09 Giallo X 06/08/09 Gibbous Moon**** 05/19/09 Gladdener of All Hearts* 05/24/10 Goassamer v3*** 05/09/09 Great He Goat**** 03/14/07 Greed*** 06/23/07 Gypsy Queen**** 09/01/11 Hagsgate**** 10/27/11 Halloween: Brooklyn**** 10/11/11 Halloween: Las Vegas X 10/26/11 Halloween: Los Angeles X 10/08/11 Halloween: Montreal X 10/25/11 Halloween: San Francisco**** 04/27/09 Haloes 05/27/09 Hanami** 06/19/07 Harlot*** 03/20/07 Harvest Moon 2005*** 06/10/09 Hay Moon X 05/02/09 Heavenly Love & Earthly Love** 07/09/09 Hermes Trimegistus v2** 03/28/07 Hetairae** 06/18/11 Hochelaga X 03/18/07 Holiday Moon**** 06/23/09 Hua Mulan** 03/13/07 Hunger Moon X 03/26/07 Hungry Ghost Moon** 09/13/09 Hunter Moon 2007**** 07/30/09 Hurricane**** 07/15/09 Hymn to Proserpine* 05/25/09 I Married a Vampire From Planet X X 09/30/09 Iago*** 05/05/07 The Ides of March 2007** 04/11/09 Ides of March 2009*** 07/03/11 Io** 06/12/09 J-Horror** 03/11/07 Jabberwocky*** 05/26/09 Jacob's Ladder 2008** 03/05/07 Jezebel** 08/28/07 Jezirat al Tennyn** (rev. 3/08) 11/24/09 Jonathan Harker** 12/01/09 Joyeux Noel X 06/08/09 June Gloom 2009*** 05/30/07 Kalahantarika** 05/17/07 Kanishta* 05/28/09 Kataniya, The Clockwork Woman** 03/10/07 Kindly Moon*** 03/07/09 King of Spades X 06/12/11 Kitty 05/29/09 L'Estate X 04/23/07 La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente 04/27/07 La Fee Verte*** 11/05/11 La Mort: Mon Ironie Depasse Toutes les Autres 11/26/09 La Mort Qui Danse** 04/28/09 La Vague*** 05/01/07 Ladon**** 05/28/07 Lady Luck Blues* 12/20/11 Leather Phoenix**** 04/15/09 Lenore (Demon In My View release)*** 05/31/09 Lilith and the Jarocho**** 06/21/07 Litha*** 06/07/09 Litha 2009 X 11/13/07 Long Night Moon**** 03/23/07 Lotus Moon 02/26/07 Loup Garou** 11/09/09 Loviatar*** 04/26/09 Lucifer**** 05/05/09 Lucretia** 04/09/11 Lucy's Kiss* 05/21/07 Luna** 03/22/07 Luperci '07*** 03/30/07 Lycaon** 08/08/11 Ma'at v17*** 05/30/09 Madeline*** 04/25/10 Malediction*** 01/30/10 Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love*** 03/12/09 Malkuth**** 04/04/09 Manila X 03/10/09 Mantis** 06/07/07 The March Hare X 06/05/09 Marcilla*** 03/28/09 Marianne**** 03/05/09 Marie*** 09/13/09 Mary Read*** 04/14/09 The Masque (Into the Maelstrom release)*** 03/17/07 Milk Moon 2005* 05/14/07 Milk Moon 2007* 04/20/09 Minotaur**** 01/04/10 The Moon x 06/14/11 Moon of Horses*** 04/16/09 Morella*** 03/19/09 Morgause 02/28/07 Moscow** 11/05/09 Murder of Crows**** 03/05/09 Mystery X 09/06/09 Nagarjuna X 03/04/09 Naiad *** 08/16/09 Nanny Ashtoreth 01/19/07 Nanshe X 03/18/09 Nefertiti*** 11/28/09 Nephilim*** 07/18/09 Nero*** 03/10/07 Netzach 06/14/11 Ninon X 03/21/07 Oborot* 10/10/11 October 2007, 2010, 2011***** 05/10/07 One to Tie, Two to Win*** 01/19/07 Oneiroi 04/11/09 Ouija 06/26/11 Paladin** 03/01/09 Pandora X 05/19/10 Panther Moon**** 03/12/07 Paris** 04/29/09 Parsifal*** 11/23/09 Peach Moon**** 04/30/09 Peacocks** 03/21/07 Peitho X 03/06/07 Penthus* 03/29/07 Peony Moon*** 05/15/07 Persephone**** 03/06/07 Phantasm 05/22/09 The Phoenix**** 01/30/11 The Phoenix in Autumn** 05/15/07 Pink Moon 2005 04/23/07 Pink Phoenix X 04/17/09 the Pit and the Pendulum**** 04/24/09 Planting Moon***** 05/10/07 Poisson d'Avril** 05/07/07 Pontarlier*** 05/01/11 PPH-08 X 03/29/09 Prague*** 04/18/09 Premature Burial*** 07/10/09 PX72 (Cobwebs Prototype)**** 03/24/07 Queen* 03/25/09 Queen Gertrude*** 03/23/09 Queen Mab X 07/27/07 Queen of Hearts*** 09/04/07 The Queen's Salon** 01/12/10 R.M. Renfield X 04/11/10 Ra*** 10/01/09 Rage*** 03/21/07 Rapture* 10/25/09 Raven Moon**** 01/22/11 Red Lace*** 11/10/09 The Red Rider***** 01/26/09 Red Rose** 04/07/09 The Rose** 06/03/07 Rose Moon ** 04/22/07 Rose Red***** 06/10/07 Sacred Whore of Babylon* 08/31/09 Sacrifice*** 11/22/09 Sagittarius 2007* 05/16/07 Saint-Germain X? 04/08/09 Santa Muerte 06/17/07 Selkie*** 11/08/11 Sentimental Initiation*** 03/08/09 Shadow*** 03/08/07 Shadow Witch Orchid*** 03/01/07 Silentium Amoris ** 03/07/07 Sin*** 08/04/07 Singing Moon ***** 03/12/09 The Sleeper X 03/11/07 Sleepy Moon* 06/18/09 Smoky Moon** 03/22/07 Snake Oil*** 09/05/07 Snow Angel X 03/06/07 Snow Moon***** 06/01/09 The Snow Storm***** 03/11/09 Spectre*** 06/09/09 St. John's Eve** 06/11/11 Steam.Goth X 03/21/07 Storm Moon X 05/10/07 Strawberry Moon* 05/30/09 Strawberry Moon 2009*** 01/03/10 Strength**** 03/25/08 Sugar Moon* 03/25/08 Sugar Moon* 05/03/09 Sunflower* 04/24/07 Suspiro* 03/29/07 Swank*** 03/31/09 Sybaris**** 06/04/09 Symmhakhia X 05/27/07 Tamamo-no-mae** 05/06/07 Tanin'iver**** 06/25/11 Tattered Lace*** 09/28/09 Tears X 07/11/09 Tetramorph* 04/11/11 Thunder and Blazes*** 06/17/07 Thunder Moon X=me/**=Mr. Stellans 04/05/09 Titus Andronicus* 05/16/09 Toad Hall*** 06/06/09 Tombstone**** 06/23/09 Tomoe Gozen** 11/13/11 The Triumph of Death*** 03/19/07 Tushnamatay* 03/15/07 Tweedledum** 03/20/07 TwentyOne** 03/20/09 Twisted Oak Tree***** 04/23/09 Two, Five & Seven 06/16/11 Une Folle Enterprise* 03/02/09 Unseelie X 05/02/07 Urd *** 06/11/11 Vamp.Goth X 06/14/09 Velvet Bandito*** 06/15/09 Velvet Nudie** 06/17/09 Velvet Panther*** 06/16/09 Velvet Pink Kitty* 06/19/09 Velvet Tiger*** 06/18/09 Velvet Tiki X 03/30/09 Venice*** 03/09/07 Venus** 05/23/07 Verdandi*** 06/14/11 Veronica** 11/16/09 Vice X 06/17/11 Ville-Marie X 06/15/11 Virginia*** 12/03/09 Vishpala** 03/21/07 Vixen*** 11/27/09 Western Diamondback**** 01/01/10 Whirling Wind Moon X 03/15/07 White Moon* 10/21/09 White Rider 01/26/09 White Rose 03/08/09 Windy Moon*** 07/23/09 Winter of Our Discontent**** 01/27/11 Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse*** 06/01/09 Wolf Moon 2004** 03/02/07 Wolf Moon 2007*** 05/11/07 Yemaya*** 05/25/07 Yerevan, Old Yerevan*** 11/04/11 The Zoom X

I am SO happy there was at least one Bats Day 2011 release which works on my skin! This is a nicely complex scent in which the leather doesn't take a back seat to the other notes, thank goodness, but works in such a sexy way with them to make this blend amazing. The skin musk is there, but not overtly, while the opoponax, patchouli, and dark myrrh make this leather blend a new favorite. I find it very different from any other leather blend I have (including Spanked '05 or Spanked Resurrected), but in a good way. A very good way.

Sadly, this is another Bats Day 2011 release which doesn't work for me. There are many of BPAL's unisex and/or masculine scents which I love, and I had high hopes for this one, but for some reason it turns to total high-pitched aftershave on me.

I love roses, the scent of the scent of them and usually I love any BPAL blend with a strong rose note. But not this one. For some reason, all I get in this really sour decaying sweetness, and it was just too unpleasant. This is not a blend for me, definitely. And this makes me sad, because it means only one of the Bats Day releases (Fetish.Goth) worked for me.

On me, the hairspray scent is very strong, and sick-making. It never morphs into anything else, and I don't smell anything other than hairspray. And cheap hairspray, at that. Not for me, sadly.

I really, really wanted to like this, because it just sounded so good. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. On my skin, it turns to a sickly sweet vanilla powdery kind of thing, almost reminiscent of vanilla pudding mix, which is I know the fault of the amber note. Amber is rarely kind to my skin, but I saw the other notes and had hopes, because sometimes the amber is dominated enough by other things that it plays nice. Oh well...

Have you given Iago a try? Or Black Rider? Those, to me, are both heavy-hitting leather blends.

I wore this for the first time since purchasing it on eBay (from one of the reviewers above, in fact), and I am sad to say there is no patchouli or orange at all to my nose. This is a very, very lightweight foody scent, and not at all for me. I love patchouli, and looked forward to this blend so very, very much that I'm heartbroken at what it turned out to be on my skin.

Upon first sniff and application, this is all dirt-dirt-DIRT! But as it dries, the dirt mixed with grass, and I would get a whiff of errant sweetness every so often (the lemon candy?) until putting my wrist closer to my nose. Then, again, all I could smell was grass and dirt, yet still when my arm moved the sweet slightly citrus-y note was in the air. It wasn't until about an hour after application that the most delicious leather note crept out, and even then the dirt remained a bit. This is a nicely complex scent, and waiting for the leather to come out is so worthwhile! 3 stars of 5 stars are awarded this LE blend. If the leather note had come out a bit sooner, the score would've been higher.

I too get the lovely leather dry-down from TDNBR, which is why I bought 2 bottles of it. It's a lovely change from my regular leather favorites.

I agree, it's very close and I wouldn't have thought to try it -- thanks!

First sniff in the bottle says this is definitely related to the first Sugar Moon, because there is the similar burned sugar note. However, this is much lighter than the original, and there's almost a nutty tang to it. Even on my skin, the burned sugar/nutty note is there. My experience is so far from what was reported above, I wonder if my nose is playing games with me. Of course, this Lunacy only arrived today so testing it right out of the box isn't fair. So, I'll give this a bit of rest time and then try it again. Here's hoping for the best!

Given the listed notes for this blend, this is a very LIGHT scent which doesn't stick around very long. However, I do like what I smell: the coffee bean is barely there, but the dry leaves (reminiscent of To Autumn, October, etc.) is lovely. Hardly any patchouli, which isn't how I'd hoped this would go, and the tonka is also very sparse. All in all, all these potentially heavy notes are somehow made less than their norm in this blend. I think I'd prefer their usual pronounced presence, actually. Except for the coffee bean. 2 of 5 stars.