Keslynn

Blood: expressing passion, will, and a sensual aesthetic. Dragon's blood resin, helichrysum, burgundy wine grape, red musk, opoponax, red poppy, myrrh, carnation, tonka, almond, mimosa, jonquil, and neroli. In the bottle, Blood Phoenix smells like a sophisticated grape candy. It reminds me of that Christmas candy that comes without a wrapper. I don't think that candy has a grape flavor, but if it did, this would be it. On my skin, this blend is all round, juicy, deeply purple grapes. I can picture them on the vine with dew dripping off them. It's very similar to the grape note in Purple Phoenix. As it dries down, a little of the other scents come out to add depth. I can't pick out any single notes. I just get the sense of depth though grape is still very much the main player. I think the florals or neroli might be contributing to the slightly candied edge of the grape. And any almond-haters out there (like me), do not fear! I don't get any almond at all. Throw is strong and weartime is long. To my mind, it smells like someone took the plum out of Queen of Spades and substituted the grape from Purple Phoenix. I accidentally got some on the seatbelt in my car and I kept thinking it was QoS until I realized it had to be Blood Phoenix. Verdict: A scent that manages to be rich and sophisticated while still having a slight candy-ish edge. Grapey and delicious. I love it! If I didn't have a "no multiple bottles" rule, I think I'd have extra of this.

In the bottle, La Befana is all caramel and ooey gooey candy. On my skin, it's exactly the same. Mostly, I'm getting a caramel note though there's an almost cookie-like note as well. Very foody and sweet. Then after an hour or so, it changes completely. It was another one of those puzzling moments where you want to know what smells so good and don't realize it's you because your perfume has changed completely from the original scent. La Befana goes from caramel cookie to a gorgeous light floral. I'm pretty sure it's the violet that's the main contender. I never knew violet could smell this good! I tried the violet twin (Hope/Faith?) from CD and was unimpressed because of the lightness and blandness of the scent. This violet is wafting up to me in voluptuous scented waves. Perfumey in a gentle unobtrusive way. The sweetness of the violet is nicely complimented by the caramel, which has stepped into the background. I thought the foody part was the best, but this is just heavenly. Verdict: Foody deliciousness and the best violet I've ever smelled. La Befana can drop down my chimney anytime!

In the bottle, Angeronalia is creamy and slightly spicy with just a butterfly kiss of citrus at the top. On my skin, WOW floral! It's a gorgeous high floral (to my mind, "high floral" consists of flowers like orchid and gardenia, not lighter spring-type flowers). I think I'm mostly getting gardenia, but I don't know enough about olive blossom to rule it out. It's perfumey with a creamy edge to it. There's also a slightly musky undertone. I keep sniffing my wrists. This puts me in mind of a high society girl with long white gloves. She's somewhat unapproachable, but then, ah, the citrus notes. The society girl only seems haughty. She's really quite friendly and lots of fun once you get to know her. Verdict: Lots of floral with a fun citrus burst. A scent that manages to be sophisticated and warm at the same time. I like it!

In the bottle and wet on my skin, this is the LEMON VERBENA channel. I get nothing else for a while (1/2 hour or so). I happen to like lemon verbena so this doesn't bother me. A couple hours later, I find myself wondering what the hell smells so good. I sniff around, and it's me! Rozpustnica has transformed into a delicious dusky rose. The only way I could tell that this is the same scent is the hint of lemon licking the petals of the rose. It's a surprisingly good combination, reminiscent of a Victorian bouquet. Verdict: Lovely! Rose and lemon lovers will thoroughly enjoy this.

Upon first applying Helle's Belle, I was actually a little disappointed. The shade is about the same as my skin tone, but with a little more pink. It's also less opaque than other polishes so I could still see some of my nail underneath. Much more subtle than I expected. Then my nails caught the light and WOW! My opinion did a complete 180. When the light catches it, Helle's Belle gets this magnificent gold shimmer. It's wonderful over the pink base color. I find myself moving my hands around in light and shadow to catch that wonderful glittering gleam. The polish goes on smooth and dries quickly. Verdict: Helle's Belle is very true to the name. It starts out as a demure and unassuming pink, but the gold shimmer shows her sexy side. Conservative enough for a stuffy office yet also fun enough for evening wear.

I sat down at my computer to finish a story that I had started to write, but I was getting nowhere. That feeling of resistance was twisting up my gut, making me feel sluggish and unmotivated. I thought about using something like Hand of Hermes, but the problem was more "bleh, why am I even bothering to do this" more than a lack of creativity. Definitely time to try out Determination. I had worn it in a scent locket before and noticed some pleasant effects, but this time I actually applied some to both wrists. All I can say for the scent is wow, pungent! It's very earthy too. Vetiver is definitely the strongest presence and what a presence it is! I did apply a generous amount, but the throw is still incredible. I sniffed my wrists for a minute then plopped back down at my computer. The difference was subtle at first, or maybe I didn't notice it kicking in because I was actually working! The knot of resistance slowly melted. There were still some distractions (you know how it's always of paramount importance to organize your socks instead of studying for that exam?), but they were so much easier to resist. I could bat them away easily and keep on chugging. I did take breaks, but they were short and not stemming from that sluggishness. Bottom line, the story got finished in an hour or so with minimal disruptions. Once the story was done, I remained surprisingly efficient for the rest of the evening. Verdict: Determination smells pungent and earthy, which I'm not really fond of, but its effectiveness far outweighs any dislike of the scent. It works very well!

In the bottle, Libra is ROSE ROSE ROSE. It stays that way initially on my skin too. This is a high floral rose with that slightly sour edge. It reminds me somewhat of Marie or Wilhelmina Murray. As the scent dries, the rose is still in the forefront, but there's a lovely deep fruitiness coming out behind it. The fruits are well-blended so it's hard to pick out individual notes, but I'm pretty sure I can pick out the nummy plum. The carnation, however, remains non-detectable. This is wonderful. Verdict: A very floral rose with a background of red/purple fruits. Sophisticated and beautiful.

2007 Version All Souls and I have had a strange body chemistry journey. Loved it at ECWC and ordered a bottle. When I first tested the bottle from my order, I wanted to cry because it was weird and bitter and had none of the lovely cake from the WC trial. Then I tested again before dropping it in the swaps box and WOW! Back to love. Maybe it was the time of month? Or maybe I should have let it sit rather than testing right out of the hot mailbox? Okay... so review... In the bottle, All Souls has a lot of cake to it with the weird bitter frankincense(?) smell lurking in the background. On my skin, all I get initially is incense ass smell. This one incense note (frankincense maybe?) smells atrocious to me when wet - almost like a bitter celery - and sometimes dries down funny too. This was the weird smell that ruined the second trial of this perfume for me. As the perfume dries, the bitter celery note goes away and is replaced by this gorgeous soft incense. It reminds me a lot of Chintamani Dhupa without the fruitier notes. Alongside the incense is an equally soft cake scent. This is similar to the dry cake note in Eat Me rather than a moist buttery cake. It's amazing sidled up to that incense. I'm not really getting any currant at all. Verdict: Wet, I don't like it so much, but it dries to a gorgeously soft and haunting blend. The incense and cake go wonderfully together. Definitely glad I have a bottle.

The wrapper for this soap is so CUTE! It features a cauldron brimming with lots of fun things, like eyeballs and worms. Very Halloweenie and my favorite of this batch of LE soaps. The soap itself is green with some darker green spots. It smells very green and herbal. It's a clean scent without being soapy. I quite like it. The lather is less rich than other BPTP soaps (probably because of the green clay), but it's still very good. Also, the addition of the green clay makes the soap very nice on the skin - it leaves a smooth coating. Verdict: Another fabulous BPTP soap!

Sugar Skull's wrapper features white skulls and red hearts on a black background. It's adorable and perfect. Upon opening the wrapper, I find myself a little disappointed. The soap doesn't really smell like Sugar Skull. It smells like a creamy soap (like Dove but with that creaminess I didn't like in Dorian) with a hint of burnt sugar, and I'm reluctant to try it. But fear not! Upon wetting and using the soap, the Sugar Skull scent blossomed and that weird creaminess went bye bye. The scent is still a little less full-bodied than the perfume, but it leaves a perfect light Sugar Skull-licious scent on the skin. The soap is brown with darker brown scrubby vanilla specks. It's just the right amount of scrubbiness when I use it with my washcloth. Lather is thick and nice.

Destroying Angel is a dark dark brown, almost black. But because it is not black, I get the pleasant effect of a dark polish color that doesn't make me look super-pale. I don't think I've ever had this happen before. 99% of dark colors wash my skin tone out. The dark chocolate shade is both classy and edgy at the same time. Another nail polish first for me. The polish went on relatively smoothly. I say relatively because any snafus were mostly likely user error (I'm not so good at applying polish). Finish is nicely shiny. Verdict: Love it! My nails keep catching my eye. So far, no chipping, though I've only had it on overnight so far.

In the bottle, True Love is a burnt bitter patchouli smell with a little bit of peach on top. Weird. On my skin, TL starts out with that odd burnt smell (probably from sharp patchouli or the frankincense), and I'm not really getting much of the peach. As the scent dries, it loses the burnt smell (thank gods!) and the patchouli and peach take center stage in a lovely duet. The peach is rich but also sweet and sticky. The patchouli is deep and resonant. Together? Heaven! Verdict: TRUE LOVE! This scent is amazing and has rapidly become one of my favorites.

I wasn't even going to try this one because the gunpowder notes in Agnes Nutter and Mad Meg turned me way off. Somehow I ended up with some slathered on my arm at ECWC, and now I'm reviewing it with the bottle I brought home. In the bottle, it smells something like a mountain fresh laundry detergent with a little bit of pepperiness from the gunpowder. I'm wondering if this is the same scent I fell in love with... On my skin, Mary Read morphs a lot. It starts out with that same verging on soapy "mountain fresh" scent. Then it becomes this absolutely gorgeous salty sea air scent. It's amazingly accurate and makes me think of standing on the shore on a crisp day. This is my favorite phase of the scent. After the salty air phase, it verges on soapy again, but never quite goes there. At this stage, the scents are so well-blended that I can't really pick out notes that well, but I think I can smell some leather and that slight kick from the gunpowder. It's a little masculine but not enough to make me hand it over to my boyfriend. Mine! The last stage smells like carnation to me - creamy and slightly spicy. In fact, I was really surprised to not find carnation among the notes when I got home from Will Call. I just looked up sarsaparilla on wikipedia and found out that it's used to make root beers, and I can definitely see that. I think maybe this is where my nose is getting the carnation. Whatever it is, it's luscious. Verdict: Mary Read is quite a morpher. The salty sea phase is amazing as is the creamy yet spicy finish. Sometimes she verges on soapy but never actually goes over the edge. I would never have tried this scent based on the description, but I'm so glad I did. I can't stop smelling myself! This is a great unisex scent.

Those who have read my other Pumpkin Patch reviews know where this is going... Pumpkin 2 is initially all pumpkin with a graham cracker crust. The graham cracker smell fades away upon drydown, and the pumpkin is complimented nicely by the smoothness of tonka and tobacco. I can't really tell if the champa flower is coming into play because I don't know what that smells like. I know I'm not getting any carnation. It's a very round smooth scent. Reminds me somewhat of A Bold Bluff, probably because of the tonka, but with a tinge of pumpkin. Even though there's still pumpkin, it's not there as much as in the other Patch scents. Verdict: I like it. Smooth and sophisticated.

In the bottle and wet on my skin, Pumpkin 4 is pumpkin with a buttery graham cracker crust (this is the initial smell I get from the whole patch). As it dries, the graham cracker goes completely away. It's pumpkin with a dry and slightly sweet scent. I think it's mostly the sweetgrass coming out on my skin. I'm getting some sage as well. I'm not sure what cactus flower smells like but it's probably that or the sweetgrass adding the slightly floral kick. It's actually very nice until... it turns into BO. Damn, I wish I knew what note does that. Verdict: Smells awesome, dry and slightly sweet, until it turns to BO on my skin. I hope my bottle can find a happy home with someone else.

In the bottle and wet on my skin, Pumpkin 3 is the same as the other patch scents - pumpkin with that buttery graham cracker note. As the scent dries, the chocolate and caramel come out alongside the pumpkin and it loses the whole graham cracker crust note. This smells like a torte made from layers of chocolate cake, pureed pumpkin, and caramel icing. I almost feel like my fingers should be sticky. It's hard to resist licking them. The pomegranate is barely detectable but adds a fruity roundness to the whole sweet concoction. Verdict: So delicious it makes my mouth water. This may be my favorite of the Pumpkin Patch. Foody lovers will adore this.

In the bottle and wet on my skin, it's a tangy wine scent with that hint of vinegar from the description. When I first smelled it again, I wondered if this was the same scent I had loved from ECWC. As it dries, I am reassured that this is the same gorgeous scent. For the first hour or so, it's almost a patchouli single note, and I do love me some patchouli (at least I'm pretty sure that's what it is). Then a wine note comes in at the top of the patchouli. The wine is still tangy, definitely a red, but it's not vinegary like in the bottle. The patchouli and red wine are really playing well together. It's definitely evoking the earthy, wine scent of a cellar. And I love the combination! Verdict: Love it! A rich scent that's earthy without being dirty. If you hate patchouli, steer clear, but if you love earthy and winey, this is the Haunted House scent for you.

In the bottle, Pumpkin V is a buttery pumpkin with a hint of vanilla and lemon (almost smells like a lemon cake). On my skin, it goes through the buttery phase that the PPs seem to want to do on me and then settles into a lovely combination of delicious vanilla and pumpkin (minus the butteriness now). It's a mellow foody smell, but this is gourmand foody and not overly sweet. Then it morphs completely into a sultry spiced pumpkin. The red ginger (along with the pumpkin) is really the star of the show here, but I can still smell the vanilla in the background. It's smooth and spicy. I get enough of a hint of lemon to remind me a little of spiced cider. Edited to add: I was a little worried when the earlier reviews mentioned Pumpkin Queen because PQ turned to PlayDoh on me. PP 5 did not do the same thing (yay!). Verdict: The red ginger isn't there at first, but when it comes out, boy, does it! It's a surprisingly spicy scent, but I enjoy it. It's perfect for a crackling cool autumn evening.

In the bottle and initially on my skin, Pumpkin I is all pumpkin with a pie crust note. Buttery and flaky. As it dries, the fruity notes start to emerge and the pumpkin fades into the background. The buttery pie crust note is completely gone. Now it's all bright sparkly fruits, with the grape being the main note. It actually smells a lot like grape bubblegum but not as obnoxious. The pumpkin in the background is grounding it and adding a smoothness to the fruit. Then the grape tones it down some so the pear can come play too. It's become a little more sophisticated now though it's still sparkly. For some reason, this blend makes me picture a white sparkly cocktail gown with the slit up to there. Flirty and fun but also tasteful. Verdict: I love it! I really enjoy the white fruitiness.

Gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails. In the imp, a burnt gunpowder smell. On my skin, still a burnt gunpowdery smell. Very acrid. I'm not getting anything else. Verdict: If you love gunpowder, you'll love Agnes Nutter. Unfortunately, I just don't like gunpowder. Off to the swaps with thee, prophetess.

Bat came as part of my Exhibit III imp pack, and it wasn't one of the ones I was expecting to love. Amber usually doesn't work on me and having it first in the description scared me off a little. In the imp, Bat is a floral with a musky edge. On my skin, it blossoms into this wonderful floral. The orchid is predominant with the other plants dancing slightly herbal attendance. The musk adds a lovely dusky background, and the amber is behaving itself! No baby powder. Just a gorgeous dusky floral. It's a perfect scent picture of an animal whose greatest beauty is when it's swooping gracefully across a dusky sunset sky. Verdict: If you love orchid (and I do), this is a great blend for you. I think I might need a full bottle.

White Light has an almost citrusy floral smell, but when I'm wearing it, a spicy note becomes predominant. It's something in common with Aries 07 so I'm thinking it's ginger or pepper. Probably black pepper (said with limited confidence). When I first smelled it, I was thinking "This is a purification scent?" Don't be fooled! This stuff works. I did as the instructions said and anointed my chakras, palms and a personal object (in my case, my Strength pendant). After a few minutes of dubious waiting, I found my mental chatter quieting and this sense of calm settling around me. I was amazingly centered for the rest of the day. The scent is okay - not something I'd actively wear. But that's not what I got this for anyway! It definitely works. I would recommend it for anyone.

In the imp, mostly ozone with a titch of something herbal. Smells kind of like a lightning storm. On my skin, it's still mostly ozone at first. Unfortunately, ozone smells pretty manly on me and it doesn't usually work. But then it changes and the herbs are side by side with the ozone. This is actually kind of nice, and I'm surprised. This phase lasts only a short while until... oh noes! The dreaded BO! There's some note that I have not yet identified that makes scents turn to BO on my skin. *sigh* Verdict: Kind of nice until my skin chemistry turns it into BO. Off the to swaps.

In the imp, this is very much a cologne-ish kind of scent. It makes me think of the Avon perfumes around when I was younger. Maybe it's a musk? Initial application is all a light musk or maybe an oakmoss? I can definitely see where people are getting celery from this blend, though it's not really doing that on me. It's reminding me of Privilege. Then there's a sweet note coming out - a warm sugar, maybe even a caramel. Wow. With the musk, this is really nice. There's also some white floral, though mostly I'm getting sugar and musk. The sugar fades rather quickly leaving that musky/oakmoss with the tinge of floral. Verdict: I really love the sugary musky stage of this one. I just wish the sugar didn't fade so fast. I'm still undecided on this one.

I was not expecting to like this scent, as woodsy/stony isn't really my thing. But... it's really nice! In the bottle and initially on my skin, Shanghai Tunnel is a woodsy green smell with a hint of wet stone thrown in. I am surprised because it smelled like there might be an evergreen in there, and those usually amp and kill anything else in the blend. Whatever this evergreenish note is, it's behaving itself. As it dries, there's also a sweet note coming out beside the woodsy smells. The sweetness is very light and adds nice harmonics to the woods. Uh oh... I can smell the blend starting to tip a little toward BO (what the hell note does that on my skin? I wish I knew.) But wait! Relief! It doesn't venture into BO land and retains the sweet woodsy smell. In fact, the sweetness is starting to take over. It smells like a honey note to me. It's quite nice with the greenery. Verdict: A surprise love! Shanghai Tunnel is not normally a scent I would think of wearing, but it's fabulous. I love how BPAL keeps drawing me out of my floral/fruity comfort zone.