LiberAmoris

Wow, Greed really does smell like actual dollar bills, a wad of bills that have been through too many hands. I love patchouli so Greed is utterly wearable in my book, although I probably wouldn't need a bottle as I feel a bit like filthy lucre wearing it! I've had this imp for a while and wear it when I need to feel "money," like the cats from Swingers. I have the urge to surreptitiously dab Greed on my boyfriend and then tell him that he's so money, he doesn't even know it.

In Queen of Clubs I smell elements of lots of other blends I love: Persephone, Graveyard Dirt, and Zombi. Here, they all collide in a blend that is lush, red, and exquisite. The pomegranate here is so achingly beautiful! And the amber, the vanilla, the late roses! It's so balanced and sophisticated, polished like wood after centuries of contact with human touch. I'm so glad I bought two bottles because this will go into heavy rotation in the fall.

Shroud is pale woods on my skin with a sprinkle of the grassy herbs I love in The Lion. There is something final and closed about this blend that makes it aptly-named, yet it is so light a scent that it hovers with finality---a veil over something rather than a closed door. Shroud makes me a little bit sad when I wear it, it's very sobering.

Twilight smells a lot like Sophia to me, which is one of my faves and often is the oil I wear to sleep. I think the herbal quality of lavender really tempers the jasmine in a way that makes the jasmine much less overweening. The honeysuckle is a little much for me, though, so I think I'll stick to Sophia. Even so, this is a lovely capture of the concept of twilight.

Darkness reminds me of this poem by Jorie Graham called "In the Hotel (3:17 A.M.)" in which at the end she writes: Oh blackness, I am your servant. I take for mine your green, exactest, gift, in which you say yourself, in which you say only yourself--- Darkness is that same mix of blackness, like soot from years of candle-burning or a shuttered room (that I'm guessing is the myrrh and opium) and something green and sweet (that must be the narcissus). It's like a seed of life or a flicker of something vital in the center of decay. Out of the eater comes something to eat, out of the strong comes something sweet!

Another shocker from the Funereal Oils! Looking at the notes for Danse Macabre, I thought: Um, probably not going to work on me. Frankincense and I don't usually love each other, with the exception of Ra. But I wanted to try it. The frankincense was so strong when first applied that it made my eyes water. 10 minutes later, it has dried down to the most gorgeous blend of woods. I can smell the oakmoss at the bottom of it all, lending that perfect earthy quality. Danse reminds me of the smell of woods and rich, moist, dark earth. It's a warm fire going in a fireplace and the window open to let in the mist and fog that has settled in the trees and is carrying the scent of the ground with it. This one's going right into the boy's pile of imps for wearing when we go out...or when we stay in.

A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh. After reading the reviews here, I had to start coaching myself not to hope that Dance of Death would smell like Tramp because I didn't want to be disappointed. But as soon as I uncorked the imp, I let out a squeak of happiness! It does smell like Tramp! There's a little bit of a wait, on my skin at least, for the orris to settle down, which always smells like dill on me (?!) but after that, it's all good, baby! I love patchouli, and this is like a carmelized patchouli with the myrrh sweetening things up a bit. The black musk makes it oh so dark and brooding. Definitely going on the bottle list. Love it.

Shollin's review of Rome is so lovely---I will not even try to describe it as well as she did. I find that I'm really enjoying the herbal blends recently, not sure why, but wearing Rome felt like being outside...which is always a good thing when I'm stuck inside. The juniper jumps out at me when I open the imp, smelling so strong it verges on eucalyptus. Once that calms down, it's like an herbal Dublin on my skin. The chamomile wavers in and out---sometimes I catch a hint of it, and at other times it seems to meld with the rose so truly that I cannot find it. Together, the chamomile and the rose produce a scent that is almost like apples on my skin, which adds another layer and a freshness. Lovely!

Glitter for me was, as others have noted, candylicious! I got sweet tarts, bubble gum, and those powdery dual-colored lollies from it, as well as the scent of toys I had when I was a kid---like the Strawberry Shortcake dolls. This is definitely not something I'd reach for every day, and the lotus keeps it from being something that I'd wear out (lotus gets weird on my skin) but it's so evocative of childhood that I've got to keep it around for days when I need a little regressing.

A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon. Embalming Fluid is one of the freshest, cleanest BPAL blends I've tried. This is instant "cooling" perfume for me, and perfect for the summer months. To my nose, it smells a lot like Dorian without the vanilla cream notes. I'm going to be using this one next week when the temps are in the upper 80s and I feel like a sweat factory!

Dragon's Heart is one of the 'reddest' blends I've tried from the Lab yet. And this and Dragon's Musk are my fave Ars Draconis blends so far. I wish I got more fig and currant from this, but I can detect them just underneath the dragon's blood and they really make this delicious. For some reason, every time I wear Dragon's Blood out at night, I get a ton of compliments on how great I smell from guys. This imp is a keeper for the nights when I feel like getting a little extra attention.

The Ghost is the ultimate white floral. I'm not even normally a fan of white florals, but this is truly gorgeous. I get a lot of osmanthus and lily from this, osmanthus being fairly close to freesia, I believe. Very haunting and name-appropriate. This is the Woman in White, the tracery of light left around a person's memory when they are gone, and the transient beauty of cut flowers at the height of their power when they begin to turn. This isn't one that I would have selected for myself, but the Lab threw it in as a freebie (thank you!) and as usual, they know best.

Dood, Vice is so totally old-school BPAL, and I am so excited that I got it as a freebie in my last order because I have never tried it! Wow, the first blast of wet Vice is that green top note from orange blosson mixed with cocoa. Once that dries down a bit, it's a chocolate cherry, like the kind you're lucky to stumble across in a box of assorted chocolates, with the cherry lolling about in a bit of syrup. Ultimately, Vice becomes the yummiest cherry on my skin. What fun!

Coyote is a wonderful second-skin scent on my me, with amber, tall dry grasses, and a touch of cedar. The musk gives it an animalistic edge that reminds me of the smell of my dog, which I absolutely adore and is one of the most comforting smells in the world to me. I'm not sure I'll need more than an imp of this, but I will definitely enjoy using every last drop of what I have.

Thanatopsis was a freebie from the Lab, thanks Labbies! Ok, I know this is a Funereal Oil blend, but it's just so...damn...relaxing and peaceful! Ah, life after death, perhaps. To me this smells like Sin with pine and juniper. It's incredibly 'down to earth' and grounding. This is one to put on after I get home from work when I need to 'tabula rasa' my mind. Very clearing!

Shub-Niggurath smells just like a drink my mom used to make for me when my throat was sore: hot water with ginger and lemon. Add a touch of cinnamon and clove and it's Shub-Niggurath! This is just beautiful, an herbal-citrus on me with a dark amber base that comes out after an hour of wear. I feel like there's maybe even a bit of patchouli in this, which makes it very sexy. I am so glad that I went on intuition and ordered two more bottles of this before Arkham disappeared. A definite top 10 scent for me!

Miskatonic University is my first taste of the Arkhams and boy, what a way to begin. Coffee, buttery toffee, and the smell of book spine glue, ink, and a little bit of water damage...it's heavenly. Libraries are my favorite places in the world, and as an undergraduate, I spent hours milling around in the stacks, sometimes looking for something in particular, other times just wandering, pulling things with interesting titles and reading several pages before moving on. I love the smell of books and sunlight on long wooden tables...and the flickering shapes of people on the other side of library shelving that has always seemed like such a great metaphor for the way in which we can only see partly, only see parts of people through the knowledge that we have... Miskatonic U captures that magic perfectly. I even get a hint of candle wax on the drydown that adds an element of reading by candlelight. Love it.

Mmmmm, Flower Moon. Reminds me of Beltane, lots of lovely flowers, a whole heap of them. It's like a summer meadow in a bottle. Beth's florals are so incredible. Flower Moon just makes me...happy!

Milk Moon smells to me like the stage in bread-making where I add warm milk and yeast to the flour. The lunar oils shimmer a bit at the edges of Milk Moon, casting a slightly floral glow around it. It's so soft and comforting, I love it.

Chaos Theory II - CCLXXXVI Wow. Lemon, lemon, lemon---not a dusty or removed lemon, but a lovely, bracing, juicy surge of lemon as if I were grating lemon rinds. Underneath, there's a lovely grass or hay note. An hour later, I can smell a touch of anise. It's like drinking a lemon drop at a garden party. Chaos Theory II - CCXCVI This is going to sound nutbar, but this really smells like a good merlot out of a winecask. I can smell the wine, dusty woods, and the very slightest touch of leather. On dry down I can no longer smell the leather but I can smell a white flower, I think it's gardenia, just a touch of it. Lovely. Chaos Theory II - XXI Freshly ground pepper, the fancy kind. And...oregano? On drydown there's a resiny undertone and the tiniest touch of spearamint or eucalyptus. It kind of reminds me of spicy basil. It's a dark, mysterious herbal.

The Ides of March is yet another blend where in a million years I never could have anticipated that I would love this as much as I do. For me the rosemary and bergamot are most apparent at first, with a rich undercurrent that I believe is the gray amber. The lemon note is there, but it's spiced by the cardamom enough so that it's submerged. There's just a touch of something eucalyptus-y that makes it very mind-clearing. It's just so fresh and lovely without being in any way overpowering. I really feel like I breathe more deeply and am more relaxed when I wear it. It's like walking through a misty herb garden where everything is very still. ETA: An hour later, it's like a handful of beautiful, green crushed herbs on a tea cake---creamy, herbal, with a little bit of sweetness, spice, and tang. If I had several bottles of this, it still wouldn't be enough.

Graveyard Dirt is great on its own as an earthy, grounded, dusky blend---or as one of the best blenders that I have come across. I've added a little GD to my favorite florals and have not yet been disappointed. It always adds another dimension that I really enjoy. I smell oakmoss, some kind of pale wood, and a touch of patchouli in Graveyard Dirt, although I don't have the best nose. I've been using it on days when I literally need to come down to earth and feel my feet on the ground. I love the way it helps me focus.

Like inkstone, I also immediately thought of Vinland when I first uncapped Beltane. I agree that it shares some notes but is a stronger floral. It’s very sunny and fresh, like a field of wildflowers and tall grass. Beltane is perfect for springtime, and I find it almost impossible to be in a bad mood when wearing this blend, which is a wonderful side-effect! It’s like pure sunshine.

A smoky, sexy Samhain. Hexennacht is the BPAL equivalent of sex in the woods: mussed hair and smudged eyeliner, fir needles stuck to the back of one’s coat, tree sap on the sleeve, grass and soot stains on the knees, and suffused skin that carries the remnants of bonfire smoke on it. It’s the smell of flushed skin in a forest. If my local Parks & Recreation Department started making skin flicks, I couldn’t be more surprised than I am by how much I love Hexennacht. Now I am off to plan a camping trip.

In the bottle, Pink Moon smelled incredibly sweet, like liquid pink tooth decay. But once on my skin, the sugars burned off a bit and gentle florals took their place---I could smell the dogwood, the tulips, and the phlox. For me, it ended up being less strawberry and more strawberry leaf, which I was really happy about, as I’ve always loved the smell of the entire strawberry plant, the whole shebang---petal, leaf, stem, and berry. The candied sugar quality of Pink Moon remained like a halo around the flowers for a couple of hours, and then it seemed like it almost vanished entirely from my skin, leaving a bit of lotus that for me always seems to be the aftermath of the Lunacy blends. Pink Moon doesn’t cling to my skin the way some of the other oils do, but I have two bottles, so I’m going to spend the remainder of this spring slathered up in the stuff.