LiberAmoris

Then there's always The Great Sword of War! It's a spicy musky blend at first, but on me it dries down to a skin-scent of black tea and spices. Or if you like ozone, you could always dab on some Sea of Glass and just bliss out, foiling your opponents with a perfect state of serenity. ETA: Good luck with your moots!

The Great Sword of War is such a changeling on me. Out of the bottle and wet, it's a zingy orange muddled with yummy red musk. As it dries, the black tea note becomes stronger and more dominant and the overall effect is of a smoky orange pekoe tea. The cocoa, saffron, and tonka are all in the background for me, although from time to time I can smell a hint of chocolate. After about an hour, this is black tea and red musk with just a breath of flowers---maybe narcissus? Truthfully, I find this one pretty difficult to describe! There is something brash about this one in its onset that does seem warlike. After that initial assault though, it dries to something that I find more accessible and cozy.

When I first opened my bottle of Three Witches, I swear it smelled like BBQ sauce. On and dry, the weird BBQ odor dissapates and I'm left with cinnamon, clove and the white pepper which are really harmonious together. I also get a vanilla or tonka note that sweetens it up a bit. I'm not sure that I'll wear this one on its own, but it will be great for blending, which is what I bought it for.

My Nice bottle leaked in transit and the label was subsequently smudged to the point where I couldn't read the name of the oil, so I've been watching the Nice reviews to see if I could make a match...and I think what I have is Snow Angel...because it has a strong lemon note. This smells just like lemon drops, as Penance mentions above. It reminds me of that line from Over the Rainbow: Where troubles melt like lemon drops... It's sparkly and sweet as if it's been rolled in granulated sugar. And very bright and cheerful---wearing it is like wearing a spot of sunlight. If I really focus, I can smell the peach and tea notes, but they are subdued and seamless. This doesn't smell like any other tea blend I've tried from the Lab. Were this a catalog blend, I would buy a 10ml immediately. It's just so pretty. As it is, I'll cherish what's left of my bottle and enjoy every last drop!

Blood is a really straight-forward but intense blend. I can smell all of the listed notes, and in combination, they are very sweet and almost overwhelming when wet. But as Blood dries, it becomes a lovely incensy throb. The myrrh goes in an almost tobacco-y direction, so it smells a bit like cherry tobacco. I still don't know if I would ever invest in a whole bottle, but I like it, and it's sort of a BPAL coup, as I'm not really a huge fan of dragon's blood. Blood smells like what I was hoping to get from Blood Amber or Blood Kiss, but didn't. This would be a great going-out blend.

Snow Moon is very tree-ful, wow. And as others have said, it smells a lot like Skadi, with the addition of lunar oils. Of all the Skadi-ish blends released lately, this one seems the closest to me, as it has a hint of the same 'mulling spices' in Skadi. It's strange, there are a ton of florals in Snow Moon, but I can't really smell them, even on the drydown. The dominant elements for me are the woods and the spices. This is a good replacement for the lovely Skadi, which I'm almost out of. I'm happy to have a bottle to fill that niche. The label on the bottle is gorgeous. It makes me wish I'd ordered a Snow Moon t-shirt!

Pink Phoenix is almost too sweet for me to stomach in the bottle, but on, it really mellows. I get that lovely base from Pink Moon which I love, plus vanilla, strawberry, and pear, in that order. This is one of the first BPAL blends where I feel like I can really isolate and smell the vanilla note in the mix. It won't surpass Pink Moon as my fave *pink* blend, but I'm glad I have a bottle. Days like today, when it's gloomy and grey outside, are perfect days for a shot of something this sweet and cheerful.

The Bow & Crown of Conquest is so good. It's got elements of some of my favorites---Dorian, Morocco, and Old Scratch---plus leather. The leather here is almost a sugared leather, and the sage and carnation are so well blended. This is very smooth. I am so glad I went straight to the bottle with this blend. This is the kind of BPAL that I will wear, I will coerce my boyfriend to wear, and I will use to enable others. There is something rugged but tender about it, like a cowboy holding a kitten. I loooove this.

Yep, Red Phoenix bears a great resemblance to Blood Moon, in fact, to me it smells like a cross between Blood Moon and Snake Charmer. It's much warmer and sweeter than the Lunacy oil, though, and the plum gives it a fruity kick. I love the resiny fruity blends so this one is right up my alley. However, my skin absolutely eats up Red Phoenix and after an hour it's barely there. If I want to enjoy this one, I'll have to slather. Not a problem.

Mmmm, moonflower. I cannot get enough moonflower lately, it's becoming a little embarrassing. There's loads of jasmine in Pannychis, and under normal circumstances it would probably be too much for me. But the presence of moonflower really tames the jasmine, and although this is definitely a card-carrying floral, it doesn't press my too-many-flowers button. The drydown on Pannychis is a soft dreamy jasmine/moonflower mix. Very nice.

Nanshe is lavender, lemongrass, and ginger on me---a nice combo for sleep. I still think Temple of Dreams is my favorite Somnium, but this one is a close second. Both times I've tried it, I've had unusual dreams, and although I wasn't able to glean anything portentous from them, maybe that's because I'm being too literal.

Everyone else here has done a great job of describing #20 Love Oil's scent (and it's difficult to describe, like most of the Voodoo oils!) so I'll just speak to the efficacy. I wore this to a holiday party, layered with a little bit of Blood Rose. It was a work party, so things were relatively tame and people were watching their drinks and what they were saying. At one point, this (very attractive) guy I work with came up to me and told me I smelled amazing, and that he felt 'drawn to me.' Maybe it was just the Blood Rose (or the vodka tonics), but his bold phrasing suggested to me that the #20 Love Oil had a hand in it. Um, yeah, I'll be keeping my imp. Considering the fact that in high school I once accidentally 'crushed' a crush by falling backwards against him while I was crouching to open my locker that was situated directly under his---a girl like me needs all the help she can get. (Well, I think partial blame must be assigned to the pink jeans skirt I was wearing and the fashion in the early 90s.) Ahem. If you're looking for a little 'boost,' you might want to consider #2o layered with your fave sexpot blend.

Shanghai was a gift from a lovely forumite who saw it on my wish list...thank you! I'm always so curious about the tea blends because they have a tendency to be spectacularly awful or wonderful on me with very little middle ground. Shanghai has just the right proportions of the floral, herbal and tea notes to do right by my skin chemistry. I get a fresh and refreshing lemon tea taken outside with honeysuckle being carried on the breeze. It's so pretty. This is another blend that just seems right for warmer weather. I think it would also be a great choice in a more conservative workplace. I'm so happy to find another tea blend that stays true on my skin. This might be a bottle purchase eventually.

Boy hardy, there's some strong neroli in Akuma. For the first half hour, that was all I could smell, and then the orange and raspberry emerged. There's a powdery edge to the fruit notes, which reminds me of opening those packets of Kool Aid powder as a kid, only to tug too hard and have the powder flung up into the air. Overall, Akuma goes fruit punch on me with a big spike of neroli. On my skin it never really settles into a comfortable groove and there's something about this blend that I find unsettling. I'd really love to see more blends with raspberry though!

Wow, darkness and light. Anathema pairs dark, sensual opium with ebullient, heady honeysuckle and it's a really unusual combination. The vetiver is barely there for me, lending just a smidge of green to the honeysuckle which makes it seem all the more 'alive.' The honeysuckle is the dominant note on me all the way through to almost the very end, when I'm left with a skin scent of opium. If I loved honeysuckle, I'd be even more into this one. As it is, I'll keep the imp for the springtime. I just won't be wearing it to any picnics, as this seems like a blend that would draw the bees.

Djinn was a freebie from the Lab (thanks!) and one that I probably never would have tried on my own. The firey, ashy, smoldering blends never really suit me even though I appreciate the artistry that goes into them. From Djinn I get camphor, orange, and a mix of evergreen and white woods. As it dries, the ashy note develops, and on me it borders on almost leathery for some reason. Overall, this is a very rugged and outdoorsy blend. It smells like days when farmers burn leaves in the fall---or a controlled fire set by rangers to release seeds from conifers. Again, I appreciate the evocativeness of the blend but it's not something I would wear. This goes in my pile of imps to give away for enabling purposes...

The World is so inclusive that it's really difficult to describe. There's a lot going on in here and the tumult of notes is pretty complex. But I can definitely smell vetiver, sandalwood or agarwood, and cinnamon. In some ways it reminds me of Hamadryad, but with a vetiver kick. Even though I'm not fond of vetiver, here it is absolutely lovely, even though it is a dominant note on me. The cinnamon tempers and sweetens the vetiver a bit, and the woods support it. The World is absolutely earthy and grounding, as other reviewers have mentioned. There's something expansive about the combination of notes that truly conjures up the idea of the world in all its variety. I will never need a bottle of this, as I have to be in just the right mood to wear it, but I'm definitely keeping my imp.

Mnemosyne was a generous gift from a friend, and I could not be more thrilled, as I have pined for this blend ever since I read the description. Besides being the mother of the nine muses, Mnemosyne is the inventor of words and the goddess of memory and history, and I feel a connection to her as a poet. So much of poetry is based on the idea of witness and memory---I really wanted this blend to wear when I write. First on, Mnemosyne is a blast of menthol-y eucalyptus and spearmint. It absolutely is focusing as it is so commanding. As it dries down, I smell ginger and what smells like horehound candy. There’s a note that’s akin to cola in here as well, like the most divine root beer or ginger ale. In the end, it’s a herbal ginger, delicious but not foody in the least. I do find that it is extremely clarifying and enhances my connection to the past. It makes me feel like I could stride backwards into my memories and encounter them a second time without any fear. Like history could sing through me. Sing through me Muse, and through me tell the story. All of this is to say that I love this blend. I’m so happy to have it, and I will use it gratefully.

Yum, Lump of Coal is just how everyone above has described it, an absolutely delicious hot chocolate brownie. Like Bliss to the tenth power. I'm so glad I got this one because I recommended a 'Lump of Coal' blend on the Yule suggestion thread. This smells much better than coal! I can't wait to start layering with this one.

Arcana is lavender, lemon and vanilla (?!) on me and I really enjoy the combo. I tend to reach for resiny blends, but this is herbal and lovely in the same vein as Chiroptera. Very pretty and will be gorgeous in the spring.

The reviews for Debauchery are hilarious. I thought I'd reviewed this one, but apparently not. I do recall testing it a while back, but for the purposes of science I'm testing it again. Debauchery reminds me of the film Caligula. Enough said. I get loads of Egyptian Musk but the civet definitely adds a, shall we say, biological odor? On me the civet seems to vascillate between being a little too much/oh dear what is that smell and primitively sensual. This is definitely a blend with no holds barred, as the saying goes. I'm still not sure it's for me, but it's quite a spectacle.

Envy is my new go-to blend when I'm feeling icky. There's just something so very refreshing and comforting about the lime/lavender/mint combo. It's sort of like a minty Quietude. This would be awesome in the summertime, when it's too hot and sticky to move. This might make a nice summer sleep oil...

Two, Five & Seven is one of those oils I kept meaning to order but then forgot to, kept hoping to catch up to and didn't. It's been on my wishlist forever, and today in my order I got a frimp from the generous Lab! I love love love most of the BPAL rose blends even though before I found BPAL rose was one of my least favorite notes. But Beth has completely won me over and now I love them. Two, Five & Seven smells a little like the rose from Persephone in the imp, but on my skin it's much more layered. I can really smell the different types of roses and it truly is a bouquet bursting with different varietals. It dries down to a very soft-petaled rose, and I absolutely love it. If I had a BPAL blend for the kind of tenderness and vulnerability I was able to offer to my first love, this would be it. It's absolutely unguarded. There's definitely an Edenic quality to it. Right up there with Rose Red and Persephone for 'bright' rose blends, in my book.

Mmmm. Talvikuu is like the older brother of Cold Moon on me! I'm so excited because I love Cold Moon but sometimes the berries and florals that I pick up in that blend are a little too sweet and Talvikuu is a little more wintry and dark. I definitely get the slushy/ozone/aquatic mints and florals from Cold Moon and Ice Queen, along with some dark evergreen notes. It is reminiscent of Skadi, but 'lower' somehow. Skadi has some lighter green notes that bring it up an octave and make it brighter than this. I'm enjoying this blend a great deal and can't wait to try it on my boyfriend.

Antique Lace is definitely a BPAL classic. On me it's a sweeter vanilla-ed Black Opal or less spiced Morocco---loads of musk and that mineral note that keeps the sweetness from being over the top. It's a very simple blend, and so pretty that I can imagine it being perfect year-round in almost any kind of situation. Antique Lace would be just right whether I'm at work, out with friends, watching tv...or at a monster truck show (I've never been, but I can imagine it would still be perfect at such an event). It's like the little black dress of BPAL. When I sniffed it earlier this year at a Meet and Sniff, I wasn't so impressed. But then I got an imp from a friend and was hooked. I'm so happy to have my own bottle now. This is going in a roller bottle and living in my purse so that I can apply as needed.