LiberAmoris

I got a bottle of Quietude because I knew I would be taking a trip to visit a friend via plane and I am not a very good flier. I have a really difficult time relaxing on flights and I thought *anything* that could help me out was worth giving a try. Well, I don't know if it was the power of the oils or the power of suggestion, but I don't really care. Quietude is so calming and beautiful that I was able to flip through a magazine on the flight, instead of...flipping out. Like other reviewers, I get lots of lavender and a hint of what does smell like lemon balm. I'm sure there's other notes in here, but I can't suss them out. Whatever it is, it's lovely, and it works.

I love my bottle of Detox. I got it because I am in something of a detoxification period and I'm trying to focus on not over-extending myself. Detox is so fresh and mind-clearing! It's sweet and limey with some other notes that I can't identify, but which darken the lime up around the edges just slightly. I bring my bottle with me to work and when I feel the need for a little detox, I open it up and huff! It disappears pretty quickly from my skin, but most citrus oils do, and the effect while it lasts is very cleansing. I agree with Macha that this would be a great hangover blend. It's very rejuvenating.

Wanda is a dominatrix Lady Macbeth on me. It starts out with a flash of that super-berry wine note from Lady Macbeth but quickly evolves into a leather-rose-wine triad that is gorgeous. Ever seen a production of Macbeth in which that scene where Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband is staged with her using her ample female assets to muddle his simple little mind? That's Wanda.

The Raven is a deep violet like a wall of fog from which the other notes are barely visible. The drydown reminds me of how when a raven is in the light, it can be seen that their feathers are not pure black, but blue-black, red-black, green-black, yellow-black. There's a bit of fire in this as well, something restless that I can't quite put my finger on. Violet is sometimes oppressive on my skin, so I don't know how much I'll wear this. I wish it was a little bit darker, as it might cut some of the sweet violet note.

Grand Guignol is all apricot on me and no brandy, but there's a sense of having drunk brandy, because the apricot is so warm and delicious and fuzzy around the edges. I'm definitely keeping the imp for those days when I want apricot, pure and simple. Warmed on skin, it's most delicious.

Glasgow is all heather on me and no blackberries, not even a dry blackberry bush carried on the air. I'm so sad because I love blackberries! It smells like a very lovely and expensive soap---which I think is the result of the ozone mixing with the heather. All in all, I think I prefer Bewitched for my blackberry fix.

I'm testing out possible fall scents that I never got around to last year, and Jack was tops on my list. The Labbies must be mind readers, because I got an freebie imp of Jack in my last order. Thanks, Labbies! Wet, Jack is buttery, buttery, buttery, with a hint of peach. But once I get it on, the butter mellows and the pumpkin comes forward. I know this is going to sound weird, but it kind of smells like Captain Crunch cereal to me (not a bad thing!). I have a feeling that Jack might be a good blender with some of the other fall blends, like Samhain. I'm definitely keeping the imp, as it's so quintessentially autumnal without being heavy in any way.

I am in dear need of some amplification of positive personal power, so Van Van has been a god(s)send. I've taken to putting a few drops in a bath because it's so powerful that a few drops is really all I need, as it's so concentrated. To me, Van Van smells like citronella candles with just a touch of vetiver. The vetiver does not overpower here, as it does in other blends for me. It's very herbal, astringent, and fresh. As to its efficacy in terms of amplification of personal power, I have noticed that I feel stronger emotionally when I use it. I am coming off of two years of incessant working, and have just recently been able to turn my attention back to a manuscript I started several years ago. Amid doubt, trepidation, and fear that I may not be able to pick up where I left off, Van Van has definitely given me clarity and strength. I feel very 'awake' when I wear it, in every sense of the word. It also keeps mosquitoes away. We've been sleeping with the windows open lately, and I was getting bitten at night while sleeping. A couple of drops of Van Van in the windowsills and I am now bite-free.

Zorya is lovely. Jasmine can be overpowering on me, and it's definitely a top note here, but for some reason I love it in this blend, perhaps because it's blurred by the iris, cereus, and primrose. Whatever it is, it's totally dreamy. I imagine wearing this on a night drive through the woods, with lots of crystalline night air mixing in around it. Another super-femme blend for me to add to the arsenal.

Baron Samedi goes on like Voodoo meets Black Phoenix meets bay rum. It's all almonds, cloves, and sharp elbows. Then it dries down to an almost pure vetiver on me. I might try this on the boyfriend, as I have a hunch that his chemistry will do better things with the good Baron than mine does. In fact, I think this could be quite disarming on a man. But for me, time to go wash off the vetiver.

On me, Kitsune-Tsuki is a strong fruity floral that just ends up ultimately being too sweet with my chemistry. I can see why so many people love it though, as it is very clear and open, and the notes have a kind of clean 'design asthetic,' if such a thing can be said. They seem apportioned to each other with a definite open structure, like a perfectly-planned garden. The drydown on my skin was like a plumeria-plum combo, and some combination of the notes was creating an odor of banana, which I'm none too fond of. This one is going in the swap pile but I'm glad I got a chance to try it.

Himerus was really a surprise for me. It didn't leap out of the imp as something I immediately had to try on, so it's been sitting around for a bit in my to-be-tried pile. But on my skin, it really morphs quite a bit from the wet stage. The juniper backs off (although I looove juniper, it's so fresh!) and the red musk steps up. The florals turn rather creamy on me, and although this begins as a super-woodsy blend on me, it turns into something very second-skin and sexy, like if Hexxenacht and Nocnitsa got down and dirty. The drydown is so nummy. I'd have loved more lilac, but this is very, very nice.

Mmmm, Tenochtitlan smells like a southwest summer. Like a prickly pear cocktail. Or a fruity, aloe-y, herbal amber. I've been dabbing from my imp in the spirit of the dog days of summer, and it's very refreshing. If a sunset over an arid desert had a smell, it would be Tenochtitlan!

Snake Charmer is so delicious and sexy, I absolutely want to drink it every time I open the bottle. To me, it definitely is reminscent of the Queen of Spades, but it's mostly an 'enhanced' Snake Oil with some unexpected ooomph. The plum and coconut really rachet up the sexpot factor. I see more bottles of Snake Charmer in my future. It definitely charmed me!

As you walk through the Freak Show, you can catch glimpses of Miss Serpentina, Violetta the Half Lady, Charles the Rubber Man, and the Two-Faced Janus… Mmmmmm, Freak Show! Chocolate, fig, honey, and pomegranate! This is delicious stuff, utterly enchanting. At first, it is an alarmingly raucous tumult of notes but then it dries down to an almost second skin scent on me. It’s wonderful and I’ll be picking up another bottle of this one.

At the center of a throng of onlookers was the Fire Eater, stripped to the waist and glistening with oils and sweat. From his huge chest, like a gigantic bellows, he breathed in and filled his lungs with air while his arm raised the torch high. All at once, his head went back and the torch was dipped into his open mouth while the flames seemed to lick high into the air from his lungs themselves. Then the torch was out, and as he removed it the crowd began to cheer and throw coins… Like ivyandpeony, this also reminds me a bit of The Living Flame. I’m getting a bit of dragon’s blood from this, a sliver of cinnamon, and a lot of white flowers although I have no idea which one(s). It’s one of the few BPAL blends that is faint on me when first applied and then amps up to be a tremendously bold perfume with a lot of throw. There’s something about it that reminds me of some of the perfumes from the 1940s that my great-grandmother used to collect. Very unusual and I think it might be a great blender!

Past the Tattooed Man, the World’s Shortest Couple, and the Alligator Boy, there is a placard for the Bearded Lady. The shill takes your coin and you step into the tent already crowded with people, pushing forward towards the dais upon which an impeccably dressed woman sits, placid and calm. Her petticoats and boots are fresh, as if she were carried here. Her bonnet is tied tight underneath the chin, behind a full untrimmed beard. Her eyes are vivid and bright, and a spot of high color is on her cheek… Bearded Lady is unbridled femininity, another well-blended floral in which no one note (on my skin, at least) takes over. If I had to order the prominence, slight as it might be, the honeysuckle would be first, followed by a layer of the star jasmine and vanilla, then the rose, lily and violet, with the amber as a base. It’s lovely.

The Carnaval’s favorite spot for lovers was the House of Mirrors. Here, you could disappear down a passageway in which every way you turned the mirrors threw back your own warbling image, as if from behind a sheet of running water, or doubled or tripled you, until you were unsure of whether you were coming or going, leaving or left. Standing in front of one mirror, the image of your person was thrown back into space ad infinitum, like at the end of the card trick where the master flicks his wrist and the same card repeats itself again and again in a fanned deck… House of Mirrors on my skin is an aquatic submerged in amber. The aquatic note is really similar on me to that of Tempest. It’s a citrusy ozone with a fresh tangy seaside note. The amber makes a really unusual counterpoint to the watery elements, and the overall effect on me is of a clean, salty, citrus-infused amber. This is not a dark or brooding blend, but one that truly mimics the bright flashes of a mirrored reflection.

At the edge of the Carnaval, where the last tents and lean-tos meet the beginning of the untrammeled grass, you will find the faded purple tent of the Gypsy Queen, unmarked save for a small hand-lettered sign dripping from a weathered metal chain. As you pull aside the spotted purple velvet and step inside, your vision goes blank for a moment, adjusting to the deep darkness. Inside, a hundred candles and votives with dancing, restless wicks fill the air with the scent of tallow and smoke. A fiddle and a goblet with a bit of burgundy left in it sit on a narrow sideboard. The velvet drape falls behind you, and the daylight let in from outside vanishes in an instant. It is a moment before you see the Gypsy Queen herself, sitting at a tapestry-covered table, her eyes fixed upon you under heavy, kohl-rimmed lids. She rises to take your coin, and as she moves, her skirts release the held odors of dark rose, amber, musk, and bergamot---like an incense in which each note succumbs to the sleepy power of the smoke. She inspects your coin, turns it over in the dim light. When she is certain that you have paid dearly for the truth, she pulls a orange handkerchief, weighted at each corner with copper fretwork, from the crystal ball on her table. Although you see nothing in the glass, her eyes alight… I love the smell of candles and Gypsy Queen is the scent of candles and incense mingled with an incredibly well-blended floral. To me, it smells like The Caterpillar meets Spellbound meets candle smoke. It’s incredibly seductive. I will definitely be buying another bottle before the Carnaval ends.

Nocnitsa on me is pine, oakmoss, and the glorious 'dirt' that the Lab is famous for. There is something minty or eucalyptus-y in here that makes it very refreshing, like cool forest air. This will be perfect for those days when I feel tired of floral or resin blends and want something cleansing and fresh.

Mmmmm, Tushnamatay is so relaxing. To me it smells like a mix of Morocco and Kathmandu: sandalwood, sweet incense and light curling smoke. It's like an old bookstore in the East Village where they have nag champa burning 'round the clock.

As has already been mentioned, Dance of Death is soooooo close to Tramp. This weekend I'm planning to shower up good with Tramp and then slather myself in Dance of Death for the ultimate in green patchouli goodness.

Goes on with an ozoney tang and grapefruit, lemon and white flowers---maybe osmanthus? Szepasszony is so clean and fresh that it's another scent for me to keep in my arsenal for those days when I need a lift of something that's not going to knock everyone else in the room out. This is perfect for wearing to work because it's so inoffensive and light.

Niflheim on me is an aquatic with white flowers and a hint of cedar at the bottom. Very misty, like its namesake. The notes are blurred a bit, like a heavy fog rolling through a forest. I definitely get the slight leather note that other reviewers have mentioned. It's like watching the roofs of houses in a town get swallowed up one by one with mist, from a distance. Ominous, yet familiar. I really like Niflheim, but I'll have to be in the right mood to wear this one.

Olive leaf, raspberry leaf, vetiver and cedarwood. Alecto is almost all cedar on me, with a tiny hint of raspberry around the edges. It does go through a brief stage on my skin (2 minutes, maybe) where it smells just like sweat. And then it goes straight into the cedar stage. I think the olive leaf and vetiver combo explain the problems with my skin chemistry. I think on the right person this would be incredible, but on my skin, the cedar just smothers all the other notes.