LiberAmoris

Dear Lord, Lucretia is lovely. I only invested in two Salon bottles to begin with, and this one just seemed so incredible from the notes---vanilla musk, violet, black amber? Sold! In the bottle it smells complicated, well-blended. No one note has prominence, but it has a dusky incensey vibe that reminds me a smidge of Gypsy Queen. It has that same kind of feeling. Like exquisite incense. Like vampy violets. On, it's the kind of blend that has its eyes half lowered with long lashes. It's seductive. I pick up an exotic wood note, with that amazing vanilla musk and violet like I've never smelled violet before. Violet usually goes a bit strident on me, trumpeting its own horn and tramping about like the center of attention. But here it's incredibly mellow and multi-dimensional---something is interrupting it, staggering its arrival, so that it comes across as a bottom or middle note, rather than a top note. I'm really glad I snagged a bottle of this. I'm making a mental note. Whenever I see the words 'vanilla musk,' I should just buy a bottle outright. ETA 10 years later: This has aged into something magnificent and queenly. The iris, black amber, wood, violet, and vanilla musk have melded like some kind of heavenly celluloid over the years and now I can't pull them apart. It's like a purpley supernote, and I love it.

The Moon is an oil I've had for a long time but never reviewed because it's so hard to describe. I got it because the moon is really important to me---when I was 19 I used to meet a lover in secret on the full moon of every month at a waterfall in western Washington (I was once a romantic before becoming a hardened adult!). He was a really important person in my life and ever since then the moon has been an implicit form of measurement. Wearing it, I get gardenia and a cluster of soft whites and golds. There are moments where it actually smells like bananas and then it drifts back to gardenia underpinned with white nameless flowers I recognize but cannot give word to. An hour after putting it on, it blends with me so that I can't tell where it stops and the smell of me begins. Like I've been in a place with night-blooming flowers and they've rubbed off on me. It's nocturnal, there's a bit of sadness to it, and it feels like being pressed between the leaves in a book. Sometimes I layer this with a sleep oil, and it always meshes well.

Yep, Pain is everything other reviewers have mentioned: pungent, medicinal, astringent, and yes, a little painful. But I think I might keep my imp around because this might be exactly what I want if I have a headache or feel a bit nauseous. It's head-clearing stuff!

Wow, another bloomer. Dragon Moon smelled odd in the bottle to me, a mix of the tea and the bamboo. I couldn't smell any dragon's blood at all! Then I put some on and it was like ka-pow! The cherry blossom note emerged and it is the most beautiful smell---so pretty and delicate and sweet. The tea leaf, bamboo, and sandalwood are all in the background---on my skin the cherry blossom is the star. The dragon's blood is so well blended here it almost merges with the sandalwood. I wore this to the gym this afternoon and it was so nice to work out with the smell of cherry blossoms in the air around me!

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is vanilla heaven. Vanilla and sweetpea with sandalwood at the bottom to hold it all together---simple, straightforward, and perfect.

Glory be, this stuff is fantastic. Tweedledum, like Tweedledee, is just an amazing fruity-tea blend. I love the mango here, it's gorgeously green and tropical, and the fig is perfect---not overpowering in the least on me, although it tends to go that way in most blends. The green tea is refreshing and gives the blend a kind of 'openness'---and the patchouli is so soft it's like the barest suggestion of earthiness. This is like wearing a straight-up vacation.

Sniffing this in the imp, I literally said, "Whoa!" I can truly say I've never smelled anything like Tweedledee before. It's such an unusual combination of notes. The orange blossom and white tea are really lovely together, very complementary. The pepper tickles my nose a little bit. The kumquat is bold and orangey. Tweedledee is a whimsical citrus blend on me---bright and uplifting and energizing. It has an effusive personality. I think this would make a great mood-lifter. I might have to buy a bottle just for that purpose!

Gah, I'm just so happy about all the foody blends added to the GC in the last update! Eat Me, is, well, edible. It's another blend that really has to meld with my skin chemistry in order to really bloom, but a few minutes after application, it's spongy, fluffy white cake with just enough currant to keep it from being too sweet. It really is angelfood cake in a bottle!

I agree with Macha, Drink Me is definitely a relative of Beaver Moon and the Monster Baits. I get caramel toffee with a slight hazelnut vibe, light cherry, juicy pineapple, a buttery pastry-like note, and a creamy finish. Yum! The drydown on me is like Jack meets Miskatonic U meets Beaver Moon! Totally fun and unexpected.

King of Hearts is my new favorite lavender blend! In the bottle, I smell the astringent kick that lavender has---that herby sinus-clearing blast---and cherry, which has that almost almondy edge to it. It's a strange combination, but I know how different things are on the skin, so I take the plunge by applying liberally. The lavender and cherry are really strong on my skin as well, but about ten seconds later, the edge on both those notes starts dissipating and suddenly it's gorgeous. The rose is really light here---perfectly integrated to warm up the lavender without overwhelming. The white and red musk blur the overtly herbal quality of the lavender, making it deeper and sexier, more complex. Finally I can smell the rosewood, which is also very subtle here. On the drydown I'm left with a very complex and tempered lavender. All the edges are rounded off by the musk and it's gentle but not generic. Honestly, I had no idea that lavender could smell like this. Even my boyfriend, who finds the smell of lavender to be medicinal, likes this.

I splurged on a whole bottle of Hymn to Proserpine unsniffed, and I'm so glad I did! I love pomegranate, and this smells like warm amber and pomegranate, with maybe some darker berry notes and perhaps a little vanilla---or maybe the amber just has a vanilla-ed edge to it. The tartness of the pomegranate balances out the amber perfectly, and it ends up as an almost caramelized pomegranate on my skin. A wonderful interpretation of a great poem.

Ulalume starts out like a candy-sweet mix of conversation hearts and bubble gum but dries down to a lovely incensy oaken lily. I love the ultimate end, but the path to that end is a little too sweet for my taste. I'll pass my imp on to a friend with a sweet tooth.

Hot damn, how's a girl supposed to follow a bang-up review like Oly's above?!! You know what Bunny Musk smells a little like to me---and it might just be the psychotropic effects mentioned above---but it smells like one of my fave Lush bath bombs ever: Harvey! I'm not sure I can pick out the difference between cotton blossom, baby's breath or clover in a blend, but the overall effect is of soft springtime floral greenery. Yet this doesn't seem like a 'floral' to me at all---maybe that's due to the yummy white musk. And even though I was wary of the 'pale powder notes,' this did not go powdery on me. Go figure. Hours later, it's the smell of Cadbury mini eggs (the shells), spring-ish flowers, and Beth's crazy-good white musk. It's positively pastel on my skin, in the best way possible. So glad I hopped ahead and bought another bottle of this while it was still available.

Berenice does definitely smell 'pure,' as other reviewers have mentioned. It's perfect for the springtime due to that lovely lily note which really smells like fresh and budding flowers. And the aloe gives it such a green tone, green and almost aquatic. The white musk and the amber are perfect together, balancing each other out. The amber warms up the blend and gives it a bit of sweetness, while the musk gives it a slightly ethereal quality. And if you like the linen note in White Rabbit or Dirty, it's here as well, although it's not quite as prominent as in those blends. In a way, Berenice strikes me as being in the same 'family' as House of Mirrors. Maybe it's the combination of the amber with a slight aquatic (or what my nose reads as aquatic). Berenice is definitely a keeper. I'm going to decant some of my bottle for a friend who has yet to succumb to BPAL, as I think this is the kind of blend that will finally win her over.

Underpants is scrumptious and rich, yet one of the 'lightest' dessert-y blends I've tried since Midway. On, it's sandalwood and vanilla that dries down to a second skin scent of rum and vanilla, with just the barest hint of the gorgeous sandalwood underneath. It's a little like angel food cake saturated with some heavenly rum sauce. I could wear Underpants to work without feeling like I would elicit the kind of (positive but curious) comments I get when I wear foody blends with greater throw on me. When I wear Underpants, it will just be for myself(!). It's really quite wonderful and I'm so glad I got a bottle.

White Light is just beautiful. It works wonderfully and smells amazing to boot. I've had a lot of 'dark and morose thoughts' lately because of a lot of life changes, and White Light has become part of a weekly ritual to help me focus on overcoming some of my anxiety over those changes. I don't have much more to add, other than my gratitude to the Lab for making this amazing oil.

Amor does really smell like lollipops and Starburst, it's cherry/almond candyrific! I also smell orange and perhaps a bit of bay rum? It settles down on the skin pretty quickly though, and after an hour it's like a mellow but sweet combo of marzipan and red lifesavers. I bought this one cause hey, everyone can use a little more love in their life. I've worn it on a few different occasions, and have definitely noticed that it seems to draw people to me. One day at work I dotted a bit on and then went to grab some coffee. On the way out I rode down in the elevator with a guy who asked me what I was wearing. Then he wryly told me I smelled good enough to eat.

Ahathoor smells the way a hot stone massage feels. All warm and radiating, like being warmed from the outside in and the inside out. It smells like frankincense to me, along with other lovely resins. This is the kind of BPAL blend that feels ancient and mysterious, like an Egyptian rite.

Mmmm, Shango's like a tropical drink! I love the red apple note, it's so surprising but works perfectly. There does also seem to be some musk in play here, as it has that sexy throw that musk always gives off on my skin. As much as I enjoy Shango, I'm just not a fan of bananas (the fruit or the note) and I think this might just be a little too much for me in that regard. But what an unusual and cool blend this is!

Yemaya is watermelon-y goodness! It's such a fun and lighthearted blend. I can't imagine being in a bad mood while wearing this one, it just doesn't seem possible. I was also reminded of Titania. Yemaya seems like Titania's super-melon sister. The melon is so crazy realistic here that it's actually making my mouth water.

I'm with the reviewers above---if you like the fig note in Eden, Strangler Fig is for you! Here the fig note seems paired with a light floral that gives it more dimension, and it feels very fresh and pretty. This one was so strong on me that just the tiniest dab was needed to send the scent wafting about every which way. I think I might also experiment with adding some of my imp to unscented shampoo, because I would love to smell this in my hair all day long.

I also get loads of cedar from Mandrake, but it's the softest cedar I've come across, and isn't overpowering on my skin. Although I probably wouldn't wear Mandrake on its own, I think it would be great for layering. I also think this would be wonderful in an oil burner, as cedar is so relaxing and meditative.

I love the name of this blend, so I was already somewhat predisposed to enjoy it. On me it's a blend of subtle earth notes and a dry white floral (paperwhites?) that's quite elegant. This reminds me of a perfume my mother used to wear for years and years---something by Clinique. Destroying Angel is very refined, and I can see myself using up the imp on special occasions. And I might have to buy a bottle at some point because it brings up such lovely memories of my mom.

Wow, Death Cap really does smell like a mushroom, it's amazing. I get soft woods, something a smidge minty, vanilla, and the tiniest bit of black coconut...? The oil itself is really viscous and a beautiful pale gold. I can see why this has been raved over, it's very unusual and earthy without being overwhelming. I'm not sure it's quite 'me,' but I'll be keeping my imp to try a few more times before I pass it on.

Sundew is a warm and inviting floral on me, like french doors thrown open on a blazingly bright spring day filled with a tumult of wildflowers. It reminds me so much of the Ides of March, as clover already mentioned. I love Ides, and Sundew feels like its summertime refrain.