LiberAmoris

Mme. Moriarty is another instant Carnavale classic! I had the same experience as most people above---it has parallels to Snake Oil, Snake Charmer, and Smut. If you like those oils, Mme. Moriarty is a fairly safe bet! The thing I'm loving about this oil is that it has all the appeal of BPAL's sexpot classics but the throw isn't as strong. I've worn Snake Oil to work before and people down the hall can smell it. But Mme. Moriarty seems to allow me to smell the patchouli-laced goodness without knocking out my coworkers. I'm also a red musk lover, so that with the vanilla bean is heaven to me.

Mmmm, chocolate. Candy Butcher is very chocolate in the bottle, with a little bit of hazelnut, perhaps? But on my skin, the chocolate note slowly melts away and a buttercreamy note emerges. Bliss is just plain chocolate on me, Lump of Coal is chocolate brownie. But Candy Butcher is like leaning into a blender that's making short work out of cream, sugar, butter, and pure melted chocolate. It smells like chocolate cake batter!

In the bottle, Three Brides smells like some kind of divine, decorated orange. The citrus is not strong---it's perfectly balanced with the floral notes. On my skin, the carnation and tonka flare up for a few minutes and wow, they are so wonderful together. The king mandarin orange note is very subtle, as is the rose. The orchid, lily, and vanilla flower give it a little spice and edge, and the Egyptian amber and benzoin give it a delectable resinous base. The end result is an exotic, slightly spicy floral that is both very sexy and very classy. Because of the pairing of the rose and orange, I initially wondered if Three Brides might bear a resemblance to The Haunted Palace. But it doesn't. The orange/rose are much quieter here, and on my skin at least, Three Brides is all about the tonka, carnation, orchid, and Egyptian amber. The orange and rose notes support but don't overwhelm. Three Brides is very seductive and rich. Another Salon stunner!

Tanin'iver has the cassia I recognize from other blends, and it's just too cinnamon-y for me. I love all the other notes, but the cassia is just amped up by my skin until I can't smell anything else. It does smell hot and fiery like the breath of a dragon, though! Deep into the drydown, this goes musky-DB-sexpot on my skin, but it's a long time to wait for the cassia to die down like a fire. I think I'll be passing this one on for someone else to try!

Wow, I just love the white rose note. It's so lovely. Penthus is definitely a dolorous blend, beautiful but sad. The white rose and underlying notes remind me a bit of Parlement of Foules. It's a serious blend, one that would be good on a rainy afternoon when I sit down to read or watch a film.

Muse is so tuberosey! Tuberose is one of those notes that I'm not crazy about. For some reason, it always smells a little like bananas and band-aids to me. Beyond the tuberose, I can smell the bubblegummy lotus and then the jasmine and the barest breath of lime. The combination strikes me as something I'd like in the air, or perhaps on someone else. But on my skin, it's just too many notes that don't normally do well with my chemistry. If you like tuberose and lotus, though, Muse would be fantastic!

Mag Mell is a strange blend on me because it smells very fruity, but there's no fruit listed. I can smell the verbena and a smidge of the ginger, and a bit of sage, and then there's that phantom fruity note I can't place. There's also something vaguely tropical about Mag Mell that I enjoy. It smells like a day spent romping around on an island. And it does have a golden feel to it, as mentioned above. This would be a great late spring blend, as it feels like a celebration of the kinds of things that return at that time, like lush grass, sunshine, and warm rain. I'll definitely put away the imp for next spring, when I think this will really hit the spot.

Bat-Woman is definitely a nighttime blend on me, like drowsy closed flowers nodding under a slight breeze on a night when there's just a sliver of moon. The lavender here is really unusual. The way it's blended, it makes the oil smell dusky purple-grey. The honeysuckle is sweet but the lavender keeps it in balance. This is an oil that is very strong on me---the tiniest dab is more than enough. Too much and it's a little overpowering. But with the right amount, I find it beautiful and perfect for a summer night out. I think this would also be a great room scent, and I might try a few drops in my oil burner tonight.

Ogun is one of the more unusual BPAL oils I've tried. First on, it is indeed a blast of melon, very strong. But a minute later it starts to get all smoky and hazy as the tobacco and chili pepper come forward. The honey appears last on me and takes it in a skin-scent direction. It almost smells like beeswax, which with the tobacco definitely does give the impression of a candle burning. After a half hour, it's so different from the wet stage that I can barely believe it. It's almost like a melony Luperci. Or like waking up after a long night of Midori shots and chain smoking. This isn't something that I need more of, but I'll use the rest of the imp on my boyfriend, because I have a feeling this will smell quite good on him.

... His ofrenda is the soft shea he shares with Obatala, forest herbs, and sprucewood arrow shafts. Ochosi is like the sharp green tang inside a twisted bough on a flowering spring tree. It's really green and bright, even though the shea note tempers that slightly. There's a hint of something almost aquatic to it, and the woods are very soft. I was also reminded of Nosferatu---to my nose, it definitely shares a tangy note with that blend. The drydown is much better than the wet stage on me. It's more foresty and less green-fresh. It's not really my kind of blend, but I'll definitely keep the imp and give it another try sometime.

Honeyed lilies, dry lotus root and fae flowers. Al-Araaf is a one that I didn't pick up when the DIMV series went live, because lily and lotus are not always my favorite notes. But I'm really glad for the opportunity to try this, and am very surprised by how lovely the lotus is here. It is, as others have said, a honeyed lily with a slight vanilla edge and a warm, mellow lotus. As it dries down, it's almost a second skin scent on me, very relaxing and comfortable. Sadly, as it continues to dry, the honey goes a bit acidic on me, something that almost never happens---and it ends up smelling a bit murky. Even so, I think I'll try it again, just to make sure it's not some aberrant chemistry. I don't think this will unseat Honey Moon as my fave honey blend, but I can see why so many people have enjoyed it!

I had the same response as Shelldoo, as soon as I opened up Harvest Moon and took in a deep sniff, I thought: Mabon? And there definitely is a resemblance here, even on the drydown. At first it's very appley, but after just a few minutes on the skin I could smell the chrysanthemum and bamboo and green tea. It's like dusk in autumn, with warm sun falling on flowers, and a tray full of seasonal fruits on a wood table---only smoother than that would suggest. It smells like the colors of turning leaves. There's something slightly tart in it as well, like a leaf when you press your fingernail into it in order to smell that good leaf smell. This will be wonderful in the fall. It's too hot here still for me to wear it now, so I'll secret it away until the leaves start to turn.

Compelling, complex, and utterly enigmatic: a luxuriant, exotic blend of cherry, red musk, and star anise. Kabuki smells like cherry, black licorice, and red musk to me. It sounds like a strange mix, but I find it surprisingly appealing. It reminds me of, pardon the comparison, my favorite Scratch n' Sniff sticker when I was a kid. I think I might have to keep the imp for that reason alone.

Voodoo Queen is so warm and sexy, like all of the Convergence blends. And I had the same experience as Oly---VD kinda out-pervs Perversion! I definitely smell some of the same notes as in Perv, but here there's also a dry spicy note and a warm resin that makes the whole blend crackle with a different kind of energy. It's the same kind of energy I used to feel in the air on the really humid afternoons in NOLA when a thunderstorm was about to break. It's so reminiscent that it makes me a little weepy, in a good way.

Doc Buzzard smells like coca cola in the bottle---sexy, heavenly, rooty, dark coca cola. On my skin, I smell the resins and woods others have noted, and smooth, smooth patchouli. It dies down to a resiny, patchouli melange that just kind of hovers around me all day, like someone's traced around me with incense smoke.

The Vortex smells like lemon balm and green grass to me, and as such, is perfect for a vicious-circle-breaking blend because it's so energizing and bright. It smells like waking up in the morning to sun coming in through the window and realizing that the day is new and fresh and that it's a clean slate---a perfect opportunity to stop repeating unhealthy patterns. Lovely.

Ajna does smell like black licorice, like licorice and mint! And there's an undercurrent which reminds me of those old-fashioned horehound candy drops. It's very focusing and does draw the mind inward. It's also very strong, as even the tiniest dab on my skin gave me a ton of throw!

Vishuddha is my favorite chakra, both in terms of meaning and scent. It smells like lemon-lavender on me with some lovely floral in there as well. It's beautiful and gentle, and has a herbal creamy-dreamy quality that I adore. I'll definitely be picking up a bottle of this in order to work with this chakra. That it happens to smell divine is just a big bonus.

Muladhara represents physicality and survival so well. It is, as others have mentioned, really strong and earthy---gritty and smoky in a similar way to Brimstone. It commands attention as a physical, earthly smell and focuses the mind. I feel like I can smell pepper, cedar, and vetiver. Again, another stunning capture of a chakra.

Manipura is fierce! I smell Dragon's Blood, thick woods, pepper, and lotus. This definitely smells like 'fire of the spirit'! As it dries down, it becomes less assertive but never loses the fiery, peppery edge. It's a very active and outgoing blend, and would be great for work with this chakra, as it absolutely embodies it, in my opinion.

Like other reviewers, from Sahasrara, I get lotus, fruits, and frankincense. Like a premium original-flavor bubblegum. After a bit, the lotus begins to almost radiate with a kind of warm glow that seems very apt for this chakra. The scent becomes less candy-like and more expansive and complex. After an hour, it's a beautiful blend---very rich and golden.

Mmmm, Anahata. Lavender, rose, and resin and woods? Totally relaxing and nurturing. Almost a bit like Sophia or the sleep blends. Perfect for being at peace. This blend is so comforting and comfortable. It's absolutely a perfect match for the chakra.

Swadhisthana smells like The Moon (gardenia) with resins---and maybe amber and lotus? It's really pretty and sensual. Radiates a kind of openness. This is the kind of blend I'd hesitate to wear in NYC as I think it would make me very approachable, and here that's not always something to be desired. But at home, or someplace where I can let down my guard---this would be wonderful.

Yesod is an incensey floral on me, like a smoldering lily. There's something a touch herbal in here that grounds it and makes it seem penitential. It's a beautiful smell, and it would be fantastic as a room scent. Just smelling this makes me feel more solemn and hopeful, as it's very earthly and sobering somehow.

Binah is beautiful, even though ultimately, I’m not sure if it’s me---I smell myrrh and a floral. The floral doesn’t strike me as rose. It smells more like a white flower of some kind, a bulb flower. First applied, the notes don’t seem too distinguished on my skin, but within a half hour, they’d stratified themselves into something I couldn’t stop sniffing. It’s like if a lily unfurled from a grave, or a clutch of flowers in a windowsill witnessed an act of cruelty. Something that very powerfully merges opposing forces. Nicely done!