stellans

I really love this blend, but it's kind of on and off with my skin chemistry. I'm happy that today is an 'on' day, because this is a perfect blend to wear on a spring day. The citrus effect (lime and grapefruit) in this blend is very light, just enough to keep the sweeter notes from being cloying. I don't really get a lot of rose or patchouli while wet, but the nectarine is evident, and luscious. As the oil dries, there's maybe a touch of patchouli, perhaps a whisper of rose, but so fleeting as to be hardly recognizable. Still, this is a very nice light blend, and in my opinion, bottle-worthy. The throw is mild, but the scent hangs on for a good 3-4 hours. 2 of 5 stars

If there's cinnamon in this blend, it's the barest whisp of scent and no fire on my skin...thank goodness. What is immediately apparent upon application is the amazingly attractive combination of heliotrope and frankincense. The somewhat somber frankincense is wonderfully lightened and sweetened by the lovely heliotrope. This blend makes me think of rich purple with gold trimmings, and I love wearing it. It is the perfect scent for the day named for the Sun. My only concern with this blend is its lightness; there is very little throw and it doesn't last very long on my skin. I give this scent 3 of 5 stars.

First off, I must confess that Chaste Moon 2005 is the only (so far!) BPAL with a cream or milk note which I can bear to sniff without inducing nausea. I love the earlier release so much, and was so happy to see its re-release, especially since the notes were exactly the same! Woe. It is nowhere near the same; instead of the delicately smooth creamy florals, there are only florals. Pretty florals, admittedly, but still only florals. This Lunacy reminds me very much of White Moon, which was also a very pleasant, pretty blend, but... Sigh. This is a nice white blend, and maybe it will age into a smooth creaminess. I am hoping -- no, counting on it, because I've stockpiled several bottles of it.

I'm not sure what I expected of this blend but after reading the listed notes, my experience was very unexpected. This reminds me very much of stepping into a local landmark called "The Old Country Store" at the Casey Jones Memorial. Old wood, fresh citrus, and lots of merchandise both old and new are what come to mind upon sniffing this. Basically, this is much lighter and sweeter than I would have thought. I get no patchouli whatsoever, and must admit this is a grave disappointment. It's not that I don't like this blend (it's very pleasant), but it is definitely not what I was expecting nor wanting.

Dentist's office. That's what this smells like to me. ETA: WOW. What a difference a year makes! This scent is now a smooth, wooden leathery mix that practically sings on my skin. I cannot tell you how happy I am not to have swapped this one away! It is a dryer blend than I normally like, but there's something intoxicating about that very dryness. The leather is also a much different scent than I normally love, but still...leather! I am also thrilled at how the olive oil lends a touch of sweet smoothness to this blend. 3 of 5 stars, easily.

Unfortunately, because I do love me some rose scent, my nose picks up no rose at all, but the damp tree smell is spot-on. Vaguely evergreen, vaguely grass, vaguely rain. Just a vague scent. LOL. It's like wandering around a misty faeryland, in a fogged mind-state, so that you feel like what you see just might not be real. I wonder if this is how it felt to be taken 'under the hill?' In any event, the throw is very light, though it does seem to hang on for a while; I applied it first thing this morning (around 6:30 am) and I can still get whiffs of it when I move my arm around. It is a light, lovely scent that is probably more appropriate for a warm day rather than the 39 degrees we have outside just now. But I do like it, and it's nice wearing this today. I feel fortunate to have the half-bottle but I won't be angsting over finding more. What I have will last me for quite a while, and that's wonderful. I give this discontinued GC blend 1 of a possible 5 stars.

First off, how cute is the idea behind this blend? And the bottle art? Total love! OK, to the scent: chocolate at first, both in the bottle and on my arm -- and this is the scent which dominates in my scent locket as well -- but once the oil has a chance to warm on my skin, I get first the incense note mentioned by others in this review thread, and then the salt water scent. As the oil dries down, the chocolate totally disappears from my skin as if eaten (mmmm, chocolate!), as does the incense burn away, leaving only the watery rather herbal scent behind. I like this blend very much, mainly because of the so very interesting way it morphs. It reminds me of how the 13 blends morph away from their initial cocoa or white chocolate scent to the accompanying notes. I find this an interesting companion bottle to the Tentacled 13 of November 2009, in fact. This is definitely an asexual blend, good for either gender who likes these notes. I give this oil 3 of 5 stars, because while the initial throw is nice and strong, it dies away to almost nothing within an hour of application. The scent locket remains strong for hours, but only the chocolate note comes through.

Somebody on LJ said (after talking on the phone to the museum shop) that they will be getting a new stock in soon! w00t! Evidently, they'd never experienced such a rush of interest in anything they sell, LOL! Welcome to BPAL fandom!

This is very much a rose scent; in fact, I get very little else from it, but it's a very soft and pleasant rose -- not a sharp, hungry sort of rose. Which surprises me a little, since the concept for this scent is based on hunger: a longing, a desire, an intense and agonizing hunger. OK, as the oil warms on my skin, I start to discern the other notes: violet peeps out first, followed by freesia and a teensy bit of pear. I'm not sure what the QE root would smell like, but perhaps that's the touch of woody earth I smell at the bottom. But even warmed, the main scent in this blend is rose...and I love it. Again, a very masterful blend from the lab makes it's place permanent in my collection.

What ever reason possessed me to buy this bottle has fled, shrieking into the night. When I applied the teeniest dot of it to my arm this morning, I immediately looked around for the Orkin man: this was pure bug spray on my arm. All I can think is I was obsessed with completing the Order of the Dragon set, because surely if I'd tried a decant of this I would have known it wasn't for me. And that one, teeny little dot of perfume? Would. Not. Come. Off. Srsly. p.s. I finally got rid of the smell by a heavy application of baking soda paste. Whew!

I get nothing except jasmine, both in the bottle and on my skin. Maybe a bit of gardenia peeking out under the sourness of jasmine, but no lavender and no evergreen -- pine or otherwise. Fortunately, the sourness of this jasmine blend seems to settle down and sweeten up before I feel forced to wash it off, but this will not be a favorite go-to blend, sadly. I love the Moon card, and what it stands for, and what it brings to my life, but I only tolerate the scent. And it doesn't work in my scent locket at all.

This card, and the Empress, are my cards of the whole Major Arcana. And luckily for me, the BPAL interpretations of each works on my skin as well. Today, I'm wearing (and reviewing!) Strength. The light golden color of the oil is pleasing to the eye, and foreshadows the loveliness of the scent within. Lilies! I get lilies on first sniff, and though there is definitely a hint of resin at the back of this, lilies hold center court from beginning to end. Which is fine with me, especially in this blend, because lilies are my friends. Strength has good throw, as it doesn't take a lot to give me delightful wafts as my hands go about their normal business of the morning. It also seems to last quite a long while, as I first applied my first dabs about 3 hours ago and the scent is still making my nose happy. 4 of 5 stars for this lovely Tarot Oil.

Well, color me totally heartbroken... although it isn't listed as a note, both fresh in the bottle and on my skin is a strong mint note. I dared not wear this at night, as I usually do, last night because just sniffing it out of the bottle made my stomach jump, and then the littlest bit on a toothpick to my wrist had me scrambling for the bathroom and the soap to scrub it off. It's not the sharp peppermint of the Lick It series, but it's there...it's there...mocking me.

A snarling, feral scent, ever-so-slightly deranged: hot leather, opoponax, cedar, pine needle, mosses, dry grass, patchouli and cinnamon bark. There is a sweetness to this blend I was not expecting at all; additionally, my nose finds none of the men's cologne smell referenced by some reviewers above. Instead, what I get from Geek is a very innocent, light leather with an equally light grass note. I get no pine, no cinnamon, and no patchouli. Hmmm. Mine is a previously-owned bottle, so I have no idea how old it is prior to my acquisition in August 2009, but I like this blend enough to include it in my Leather Loves box. I do wish I could get the pine and patchouli from this, however. Two of 5 stars for this particular leather blend.

Yep, my Nameless City Drive-In bottle looks just like The Snack Hut. (Thanks again, Cinderfallen, for picking this up for me.)

When first out of the bottle, the florals in this blend have the upperhand, but they don't stand in the way of the burgeoning leather and iron notes, not at all! This is a very lovely-beginning blend, then a powerful blend, and finally a deep, resin-y blend, a journey which fascinates me. I'm going to enjoy getting to know this bottle better...and my thanks to the lovely cinderfallen, who picked this up for me at the Dark Delicacies Trunk Show last weekend! You rock!

Right off the bat, a heavy citrus note hits me in the nose (and I think this is what might have influenced my take on a newly-purchased bottle of Dead Man's Hand from an eBay seller too), and I wonder if I've made a mistake in buying this bottle unsniffed. But the citrus (lemon, I think) fades to a dull roar and then a really nice leather note comes out and shushes the citrus into submission, a bright counterpoint to the smooth leather. I don't get much cedar (which can go to pencil shavings on me) and no wood. I like this leather blend, and will probably buy a backup bottle before the Carnaval folds its tents and leaves town. 3 of 5 stars. UPDATE: This blend has been elevated to one of my favorite leather blends status! Now I just hope I have enough backup bottles to last me once the Carnival goes dark for the last time.

On first sniff there was something evergreen and metallic, with maybe a little sweetness underneath, but as soon as I put it on: ack! Mint! It wasn't immediately discernible when sniffing the decant, but once on my skin... Into the swap pile with this one!

This is a very nice, fresh lily blend with very little oak in it -- at least, so it starts out. As it sits on my skin, the blossom part of the lilies gives way to the leaves ands stem: lots of green, both leaves and sap. Finally, when the dry-down finishes up, the wood appears in a soft and subtle way, though never overpowering to the lilies. All in all, a good blend to wear when the weather clears up, the sun is shining, and it's warm enough to stay out in your yard to enjoy the fresh air. 2 of 5 stars for this one.

*sigh* I wanted to like this one so much! I wanted soft, gentle book smells, smooth wood, and all the goodness described by others. But it wasn't to be... instead, I get mildew, bad mulch, and chemicals. Back to the Lurid Library for me...

For such a rough start, Nephilim sure has a lovely finish! When first applied, the medicinal scent nearly makes me want to wash it off but something is strangely attractive about such a non-pretty scent, and I bear with it. Possibly the hyssop is the cause of the unusual medicinal note, because I quite like frankincense normally. I was hoping for a bit more patchouli and vetivert, but the description of a 'drop' wasn't an understatement. On the drydown, a really pretty sweetness ameliorates the harshness a bit, and makes this blend very nice to wear. This must be the fig, and there is just a slight hint of the lavender promised, but I really don't smell cardamom or rosemary (a shame, that). I do like this blend very much, even if the patchouli and vetivert and the other spices aren't much in evidence, because the total blend is lovely at the finish. This is a bottle-worthy imp, I do believe! 3 of 5 stars.

In the bottle, I smell a rich creamy sweetness, some green, and a bit of leather, but once the oil settles in on my skin, the snake oil blossoms and adds an interesting base to the above. When the oil dries down, what is left is the most wonderfully smooth leather I believe I've ever smelled. It reminds me of the first leather purse planner I bought for my first 'real' job (at a bank): deep, rich, and extravagant. That purse organizer was a total splurge for me, and it's really nice having an olfactory memory of it. My bottle is not Lab-fresh -- I bought it not long after the Snake Pit arrived in town. This oil definitely pays to age a bit before wearing, as I thought I'd made a mistake when I first opened this bottle for a quick sniff and got a nose full of men's cologne. Now? I love it, and have another bottle aging as back up. It's one of my favorite leather blends, and I hope to get another bottle before the Carnaval leaves town. 4 of 5 stars.

Black pepper, white ginger, Calla lily, and lily of the valley. Most definitely a lily blend; that's the note which jumps right out at me as soon as I open the bottle. On me, the lily warms up, and the pepper pricks my nose just a bit, in a pleasant way. The lily of the valley seems uppermost, and this is a very nice spring-type perfume -- light and delicate, cool and fresh -- but maybe not what I wanted to wear on Thanksgiving Day. 2 of 5 stars.

I wore this Lunacy for the first time last night, after its arrival the previous Saturday. I'm thinking a 3-day rest period should allow for the blend to be as it was intended, right? This is a lovely, light and refreshing blend, with enough peach to make my nose happy and yet it is not an overly sweet and cloying peach by any means. I got absolutely no bad jasmine (yay!) and the barest hint of ho wood and chrysanthemum, but the musk and white tea are there holding up the peach blossom: a pale and gentle Lunacy which soothes the senses and lulls one to sleep, to dream of a Spring to come... Or maybe... the Babe!

Verbena is the one form of a lemon note I can bear, if it is moderate. Jonathan Harker's verbena does not start off as moderate but with a verbena vengeance! Mercifully, it calms down soon enough after application that a wash-off is not triggered, and soon the more calming notes of lavender, iris, and white tea can be discerned. The sandalwood is so subtle as to almost non-detectible, though, which is a shame since I love sandalwood. Taken altogether, this is a very pleasant scent, and very unisex in my opinion. The verbena gives a more masculine edge while the lavender and iris keep it gentle and feminine. 2 of 5 stars for this blend. p.s. The misspelling of his first name drove me nuts at first; then I finally just let it go and even spelled it on my icon the same way.