darkitysnark

Dana O'Shee So many people on the boards love this one. I have just started dipping my toes into the nutty/creamy/foody blends and had to try this one based on her devoted following. Unfortunately I'm getting some very bizarre notes. I can't tell if it's due to my suddenly twitchy nose (I swear I'm allergic to work) or if this is just my funky skin chemistry and milky/honey blends (much like Sudha Segara) In the bottle: Almonds, and then a slight almost medicinal tang. I've gotten "Chinese Medicine" from several of Beth's resinous, incensy blends, but this medicine is different. It's more of a "Westernized Medicine" smell. Like hospital linens. Wet: Green almonds with a hint of soapiness. Dry down: Disinfectant. The almonds are still there but I am definitely getting a disinfectant odor. Hopefully this will mellow out to something quickly. Later: Even with copious slathering, this one is fading fast. It's been about three hours and I have to press my nose against my wrist to pick up the milky/honey/almond/disinfectant. I don't think I'm going to be morphing beyond the "yeuch" factor on this one. To add my own stupidity to injury, I've managed to swap with two lovely forumites for Dana O'Shee. (This is what happens when the spreadsheet doesn't get updated.) So, it's off to the swaps with both of them!

Grog Yargh! A swap from cookie (thanks again!) that I have been enjoying all afternoon. In the bottle: (warning: excessive use of exclamation points ahead, ye have been warned) Butterscotch! Wet: Boozy butterscotch! (The Buttered Nipple mentioned previously is right on the mark.) Drydown: So damn boozy butterscotchy! (and just a wee bit of coconut!) The Mr. says: Yikes! Later: This is a pretty strong scent on me, with tons of throw. The Mr. is not warming up to it at all (I don't think he likes me all that foody) but I like it. I think I'll wear it out to the new local goth club (Joli Rouge) once it opens. Grog gets points for finally, finally proving to my husband that not all BPAL smells the same (I must've been in a scent category rut... 'cause otherwise... WTF?)

Nefertiti A swap that I almost put back up in the swap pile because of my first reaction, but now.... now... In the bottle: Light and spicy. I don't see any nuts (almond or otherwise) listed in the notes, but I'm getting a definite nut vibe. That just sounded unbelievably crass and kinky right there. Wet: It must be the lily, but without reading the description again I'm getting nothing but jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. Dry down: Still jasmilicous. I've got a like/loathe thing going with jasmine, so I'm feeling a bit meh at this point. Later: Having applied my rose hand lotion, I've had to take a sniffing break (rose + jasmine = Nyx) but now. Wow. Spices and warmth and I keep imagining the kind of heat that comes up off my skin when I've been in the sun in the middle of a sultry summer. Sort of that clean-sweaty spicey gold-toned yum. Strangely, I'm only getting this on my left wrist. My right wrist is more of a green spice. There's a slight tang that doesn't seem to be on my left. Weird. This warrants at least one more try (sans rose hand lotion) just for this very nummy stage. It's the non-nutty, more floral equivalent to Queen of Sheba (which I adore). Edited to add a fanatic OMG! I have a total girl crush on this oil right now. I'm about six hours in and I smell delicious!

Paris A swap from phaedrine, and unfortunately I got the same result. This blend is bubbalicious! In the bottle: Lavender and something very sweet. It smells pink. Wet: Lavender infused bubblegum. Dry down: Let's just say I did the Mr. test and got a crinkled nose and a "eeeew!". So, I didn't make it to "later". I washed this poor lady right off of me and spent the rest of the evening enjoying my Darkswan pear soapy hands, and just a hint of the non-rage-inducing fallout of Djinn. Sigh. I sent her off as a gimp for another swap... hope she finds a good home.

Gardenia I got a 5 ml bottle of this right after the big discontinuation announcement, and I'm glad I did! This is actually for my mother-in-law, who has been on a quest for the last several years to find the perfect gardenia perfume oil. Naturally, as a total (softcore) afficionado, I had to try some myself before sending it off to her. In the bottle: This is exactly what the flowers my mother would bring in from her crazily prolific gardenia bushes smelled like. Sweet, buttery, fresh. A little cloying for my tastes, but I'm not much of a flower person. Wet: Wow! This is so dead on. The MIL is going to love this! Drydown and later: All of the above reviews are right on the money. This is a hot house gardenia that's been floating in a water dish all day, slowly crisping up and a little brown on the edges. All at once creamy, decadent, and a little wistful. My only fear is having to tell the MIL that this is a discontinued scent. She'll hoard it forever!

Djinn A swap from phaedrine (and yes, my hands are lovely coconutty goodness today, thank you!). In the bottle: Not as harsh as I was expecting. It's a somewhat mild melange of incenses. Wet: Sharp incense note (frakincense? myrrh?) and smoke. Aggressively so. Dry Down: Sweet herbaceous soapiness with the bitter smoky incense in the background. Later: Seems like this blend elicits love/hate reactions. I'm reacting to this the same way I do to Brimstone which is to say that I am simultaneously drawn to and am repelled by this. I can't stop sniffing my wrists, but I also can't stop feeling anxious and angry and in utter turmoil. I have not had the traumatic experiences with fire that some of y'all have had, so I have no idea why this is making me so damn uneasy. I actually swapped for this imp to give it to a friend. I don't even know if he likes these kinds of scents, but the name and the connotation is right up his alley. So mostly I'm glad he's going away... but I almost want to try this again to see if I can recreate this mild anxiety attack. Edited because spelling is not a subjective thing.

Kostnice Could've sworn I've already reviewed this one... I mention it enough times in other reviews... ah well, here we go: This was a gimp from the Lab. I've gotten several rose blends from the Lab actually, and am convinced it's all part of some master plan to turn me into rose person. I'm wearing Kostnice again today because I remembered it as one of the rosey oils that I enjoyed the first time. It still is quite nice but... In the bottle: ROSE, and dark resinous notes Wet: ROSE, and pretty much nothing else. My skin seems to grab ahold of rose, amplify it, and toss it back ten fold no matter what. Drydown: Rosey rosity rose. There's also a sweet floral behind that, and just a bunch of other flowers. Where did all the incense go? Later: Still assertively rose, but I'm finally picking up on other nuances. There's a sweet, softer floral (the lily?) behind the slightly biting rose, and under all that a nice, dry, warm incense. While Kostnice seems to be a light blend on others, this one has stuck to me like molasses. It's mostly at up close sniffing strength now, but I catch wafts of rose every now and again. I really wanted to hang onto this one for the dry bones, dusty wistfulness.. but I think she's destined for swapping.

Severin A swap with regyt (thanks again!) that I slathered on this morning after applying Lush's Pied de Pepper clove foot creme, so my perception might be a bit skewed. In the bottle: Mild, sweet, light tea (Earl Grey) with a hint of lemon. Wet: The lemon and tea would be astringent if it weren't for a creamy spice note (which might be the Pied de Pepper). The lemon is on the verge of, but has not fallen into, the Pledge/cleaner/Grandma Sloop abyss that most lemons do on me. There's a gently insistent floral that is keeping him from falling. I'm not getting the leather per se, but there's the idea of something stronger holding this gentleman in check. Dry down: Being the scent-layering fool I am, I added melony Avon cuticle cream to the mix. Now I'm getting straight men's aftershave. The blend is coming off as nothing more than that straight forward bracing "Dad" smell. This reminds me of a time when I wore nothing but men's clothing to middle school and Bennetton Colors for Men and my mother pulled me aside and whispered urgently "You aren't turning into the gay, are you?" Later: Whew, aftershave is gone. And I think the leather is what saved him. He's tender and sweet, but not weak and syrupy. There's resolve in his submission. Conclusion: It's only been a couple hours, but I can tell this one is not going to last and waft and imbue my office with lemony tea whip goodness. This is a very private scent. One to be enjoyed alone or by only those with whom you are most intimate. I'm either going to coerce the Mr. into wearing this one evening, or shall keep it for myself when I go out in drag. Lovely.

Venice This was a swap with voodoobaby ( Thanks again!). In the bottle: Something about any blend with rose has me zeroing in on the rose. The combination of any kind of jasmine and any kind of rose just amplifies the rosiness for me. Wet: ROSE (jasmine? jasmine.)! Drydown: ROSE, sweet, unrelenting, unflinching ROSE (and jasmine)! Later: Hours later-probably three or four hours-other beautiful notes come out from hiding. This is really, really lovely. I can't even distinguish individual notes here, just a sense of old, gentle, wise, graceful movement. Conclusion: I'm on the fence with this one. The rose coupled with jasmine is so completely overwhelming, but that gentle phase is so compelling. Dangit.

Magdalene Another rosey gimp from the Lab (it's a conspiracy, I tells ya!) that I am growing to like, if not love. In the bottle: ROSE! Then, something green. Wet: ROSE! There's just something about my skin that grabs ahold of any rose note and tosses it right back out into the world. Drydown: The rose is still predominant, but there's also a dry herb feel as well. Later: It's only been about two hours, but in that time I've gotten a great green almond note that shouldn't be there and something reminiscent of Queen Mab (the orchid, perhaps?) that I like quite a bit. The waft makes me think of a rosey Queen of Sheba. The rose is still there... but after all those other rose gimps I think my resistance to this note is wearing down... because... wait for it... I like it now! Don't know if I'll ever love rose, but it is no longer something I strive to avoid. Dangit. I think I've tested almost thirty imps at this point, so my feel for the lasting power of oils is a bit better. I think this one will last a while on me. I'll update if it is otherwise. Since I only like rose now and don't love it (yet) I'll probably put this one up for swaps. I've already got Chiroptera and Kostnice that also evoke palatable roses for me and this one is just a touch too sweet for the impression I usually try to throw (that would be dark and snarky, of course.)

Madrid I love cloves, I love red wine, I love mimosa. So I should love this one extra much, right? In the bottle: Wow! This is pure sangria in oil form. My mouth is watering a bit. Wet: Madrid wins the prize for fastest transformation, the sangria went straight to a strong cinnamon on my wrists. Very unexpected, but not unpleasant. This is more of a baking cinnamon smell rather than a red hots cinnamon. Drydown: Still cinnamon, but also... playdoh? Later: Between my slightly light hand at applying, the panic of a clogged bathtub, and my suddenly stopped up nose, I haven't been able to keep track of Madrid that well over the course of the day. Right now, about five hours after initial application, I'm barely getting a floral playdoh note. I'll need to test this one again before putting it up for swaps... but I think that's where he'll end up.

Imp Getting senile in my old age... I have no recollection of how I came across this little fella. I think it was a gimp from the lab... hm. Yes. That's what it was! For some reason, most of the imps I've encountered previously were fairly light colored and similar in intensity (Tintagel, Wrath, Brimstone, and etc. notwithstanding). Imp and Kabuki came with my last order and boy howdy are these guys dark, imposing, and a little intimidating. On with the review! In the bottle: Candied fruit. Having read the description I knew to think "peaches" but it could have also been the pruniness of Masabakes, or the thick dark cherry syrup of Kabuki I was detecting. Wet: Heavy, dark, I'm thinking tender peach slices that have been caramelized in a liqueur until they take on the darker hue of the cooking liquid. This is an extremely strong scent. Swipe with caution and a light hand! Drydown: This is either a very well blended oil, or I'm completely just getting the one note here (I'm going to lean toward the former). This is pretty much the same dark candied warm fruit from the wet stage. Later: It's just been a couple hours, but I don't think this one will morph... nor do I think it's going to fade anytime soon. This is a very assertive, solid, full bodied blend. It's a little too sweet for my tastes (I seem to go for slighty bitter notes like myrrh) but can understand why it garners such strong reactions. Up for swaps he goes!

Capricorn It was inevitable. I had to order my sign, and after reading the reviews was even more interested to try it out. I ordered right before the discontinuation, so I'm glad I got the chance to try this! In the bottle: Sharp, strong, medicinal. This is coming across as a very assertive blend. Wet: Knowing how strong it has been on others, I just did one swipe between my wrists. My first impression is of Chinese medicinal herbs. Sometimes blends that evoke Chinese medicine are comforting to me, but this one is very bright, high, and sharp. More like the actuality of the tart, pungent little black beads I used to have to swallow rather than the memory of curling up on the couch on a sick day drinking my mother's hot and sour soup. Drydown: The medicinal edge subsides somewhat and cedar takes over. This isn't the mellow cedar of Tombstone but rather a pugnacious, in-your-face cedar. Though the Mr. has a cold even he can smell it on me halfway across the room. He reports "Pinesol" however, so I think his sense of smell is still a bit compromised. Later: It's been about four hours and this sucker doesn't show any signs of fading away. I could even smell it through my gloves while we were driving around. The cedar is still dominant, though I went through a very unpleasant mothball stage as well. Now the blend has settled into a fresh clear incense that is oddly as bright green as it is dark, dry and woody. Also for some reason I'm getting some sort of dark, ripe fruit... but it's not juicy. It's like a smoked plum or something. Conclusion: I'm putting this up for swaps. I like parts of the blend (some of the incense, some of the cedar, that weird smoked fruit smell) but taken as a whole this is just too overpowering for me.

Chiroptera A beautiful gimp from the ever generous clover on a recent swap, thank you! Somehow, the vast majority of gimps I've received (either via the lab or other serendipitous means) contain some sort of rose note (Nyx, Catherine, Kostnice, etc.). I am not a rose person. But. I'm being turned to the dark side by all these lovely blends! In the bottle: My first impression was actually of alcohol perfume. I'm chalking this weird shock to the extreme cold we've had around here and my continued recuperation from the Killer Kold. Perhaps my schnozz isn't yet up to snuff, so to speak. Continued huffing draws out a very clean (lemon?) herbal taste (sage and thyme?) in the back of my throat. Wet: Right after I applied, and I mean the little wand top isn't even back on the bottle yet, I get ROSE. My skin has a tendancy to seize and amplify anything rose like no matter what else is in the blend. "Hoo boy," I think, "old-lady-ville, here I come!" It doesn't help that I apply my rosewater scented handcream right after. Drydown: The rose is still the most prominent note, but I'm getting something more subdued and sweetyellow (honeysuckle?) as well. There's also a powdery dry herbal balancing out the initial burst. This has turned into a very clean, calm floral... which is not something I would have imagined possible on me until today. I'm really impressed. This and Kostnice are very compelling arguments for me to rethink my anti-rose ways. Later: It's been about 2.5 hours. I'm getting a little waft, but this is more of an intimate blend for me. One for myself, and maybe one other person who I'll let into my sphere.

Baba Yaga (**Note: another review copied over from my accidental posting to the bpal dot org forum.**) This was a gimp from the divine Laurel_the_Woodfairy that I snagged because of my love of folk and fairy tales. I don't think I even realized that it was an unreleased scent at the time... I was a bit flustered by Laurel's travelling matchbox of imps (she's hardcore, yo). Thanks, Laurel! Unfortunately, I succumbed to a nasty cold almost immediately after receiving this imp, so my impressions might be a bit skewed and are being pulled through my fuzzy memory. In the bottle: As per all the above reviews, this is a very sunny, cheery looking oil. I'm getting a heady non-berry fruitiness (apparently pineapple) that transported me not to a hut on a chicken leg, but white sand beaches. There's a hint of musky flowers in the background, like a strange native flower placed in a dried coconut shell next to my beach towel. Wet: The fruit rolls up and out and expands bright and high, with a lower musky middle ground. The power of suggestion has me imagining a crone in a flying mortar careening through an old wood forest, broom held rudder-like out the back. She's got leaves and wind in her hair, her eyes are bright, she's full of joy and mischief. Drydown: I don't remember much change at this phase, but I'll update when I get a chance to try this again (on my much improved, less snotty schnozz). Much, much later: Once again, hazy recollection has blurred my responses to the hours-later sniff test. But the next day my jacket collar and my scarf were redolent with that lovely combination of bright, tangy fruit and mellow, languid musk. I'll definitely try this at least one more time (if only to update this review) and I need to dig up my old storybooks again!

Kabuki (**Accidentally posted in bpal dot org forum, updated here. My apologies if this turns into a repeat if/when the forums merge.**) Another lovely gimp from the lab, thank you! I was not sure how cherries would react to me, so this was low on my list, but I'm glad I got to try it. Actually, one of my best food memories is of eating pounds of black cherries on the Fourth of July and spitting pits into the field as we watched the fireworks. In the bottle: Dark cherry syrup. Wet: Cherries! Not the bright red of marachinos (sp?) but more of the ooey gooey center of a high end confection enrobed in the darkest chocolate. I just keep thinking "darkity dark dark dark"... which is probably heavily influenced by the color of the oil in the imp. This is one of the darkest blends I've tried so far. I can even see it on my wrist when I first apply it. This is strangely satisfying. Drydown: The anise is turning this into Twizzlers on me, very candy-like, but there's still darkness (which I have since dubbed the musk) lurking, keeping it from being full-blown candy-shop. Later: It's been about four hours and this one is fading fast. I'm not getting any waft, but can still pick up the dark candied cherry when I sniff my wrists. Conclusion: I am really straddling the fence on this one. This will probably go up for swap, but I feel like I've given her short shrift due to my on-again, off-again head cold that has really interfered with my imp testing. I might give her one more go just because the dark luscious color is so compelling.

Tombstone has elicited responses (good ones) from people halfway across the room. If you like somewhat manly vanilla, I think this one has good throw.

Danse Macabre This was a gimp with my next-to-the-last order. I started taking notes but somehow did not manage to finish up my review the first time. Somehow I lost the gimp, and even though I already had another imp on another pending order, I was bereft and felt a little guilty about trying it again (some sort of responsibility=access to the preciouss logic). So finally, before the end of 2004 I tried again: In the bottle Very sharp and incensy. Wet Still sharp, but warming quickly. I'm feeling absolutely neutral. Drydown The incense loses its sharp edge and rounds out to a very straightforward smell: the scent of an altar after incense has been burned. You can still smell the incense, though the impact is lessened as it dissipates. There is a dry burnt wood implication in the background. Extremely grounding. Later This oil has medium staying power on me. At the end of the day I could still pick it up if I sniffed directly off my wrist. I did not get the hazelnut this second time but (if I don't lose this one!) will try again after my cycle to see if that changes. Conclusion Nice, but not great. Even with the slight layering of incense and wood this felt like a pretty straightforward scent to me. I think one of the things I like best about Beth's work is that many of her blends are constantly in flux: one note tumbling over another to blend and morph and shift throughout the day. I'll use up this imp and probably move on to other incensey blends (Kathmandu, Nosferatu, Brimstone, Eidolon, Capricorn). I'm still having a little "bad mama" guilt about losing the gimp. Perhaps it'll be a little gift to myself again someday (kind of like those five dollar bills I manage to hide from myself sometimes). ETA: nine months later and this oil has turned into one I loooove. I wore this several months ago to a house party thrown by some of my goth friends and days later, when I picked up the scent on my jacket I could conjure all the wonderful moments of that evening. This oil is permanently linked to that group of friends. Now that I'm on the other side of the country, it's an ol factory key to that room of my memory palace.

Jabberwocky Got this as a swap with Velvet (thank you!) and have had my first heartbreak. I love this so much, but it just didn't last. In the bottle: The pine is very strong in the bottle, I can also pick up the orange faintly with the eucalyptus coming in third. From previous Pledgey experiences with lemon scents, I'm a little leary about citrusy things going to household cleaner on me... I'm worried the pine will turn to Pinesol. Wet: The orange takes over and absolutely blossoms. This scent is very light and gentle, so I slather. The eucalyptus and pine are also there, but a sweetness in the orange keeps everything from swinging toward medicine or cleaner. It's a very delicate, but very well struck balance. Drydown: As the oil warms and wafts, I fall absolutely in love. This smells so comforting. I'm home. All of the notes are so interwoven now that I can't pick them out. The Mr. is very "meh" about it (he loves French Creole, may she RIP) but I just can't stop smelling my wrists. Later: We went to see "The Nutcracker" and by the time we got out (maybe two hours later) Jabberwocky was gone. It was a beautiful scent, and having it waft while I was reminiscing about my days as a dancer had me in a very nostalgic mood. Normally when I think about "the old days" I get morose and morbid. Somehow seeing all those bright and eager ballerinas in their spangly tutus and smelling this perfectly balanced clean orange floating about had me smiling and practically sashaying along. Conclusion: I will definitely use up this imp, but the lack of staying power has me hesitant about getting a larger bottle. I will most likely use this as a personal pick me up for moments when I need to feel calm and comforted. Perhaps I'll rotate between Jabberwocky and Somnus for my bedtime scent. Along with being a geeky, spangled, sashaying theatre nerd back in the day, I also memorized this poem and recited it (in a Scottish accent) all the time... much to my embarrassment now that I'm a self-conscious adult. Oh, the folly and bravado of youth!

A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon. Embalming Fluid In the bottle: Initially sweet fruit and flowers. The second sniff elicits citrus and an aquatic note. On me aquatics tend to turn soapy, but the slight floral seems to keep that possibility in check, at least in this stage. Wet: The oil warms into an Earl Grey tea (edit: whoops, upon re-reading the description I see I'm on the wrong continent with my tea) citrus note. It's sharp and smooth at the same time. There's some other fruit lurking in the background... something red-orange and a little tart. Mostly this smells clean in a dirty sort of way. Like opening up a sumptuous hotel room to the crisp morning air after a night of debauchery. Drydown: It feels like this oil is at war with itself (or more like my sniffer is at war with my brain). The tea is still there, there's a cloying sweetness all around as well. I'm feeling a little repelled by this right now, but keep returning to check my wrists all the same. :sniff: "ew!" :sniff: "hm" :sniff: "mmmm" :sniff: "ew!" repeat ad infinitum 2 hours later: I think the musk is finally surfacing somewhat which relieves the unrelenting sunniness of the lemons. I'm still a bit wonky with the sweetness that has been rolling around the lemony freshness. I think this sugar-coated lemon-drop note is a bit over the top for me. Still, I can see why this is a favorite for light, clean, summery goodness. Perhaps the lemon, she is not for me. Conclusion: 3.5 hours in, I can still pick up the tea/lemon/sweet/slight musk notes, but it's not as vibrant as it was. This will probably fade within the next couple of hours. This is firmly in the "maybe, but no big bottles" pile for me. Still, it's the best lemon blend I've tried so far (see also: Calliope disaster) which is saying a lot. This was a freebie from the lab. As always I am astounded by their generosity, and grateful to have the opportunity to try blends that I might not have ventured out to try on my own. Thank you!

Nosferatu In the bottle: I don't know how the lab does it, but I smell wine in here! Dark, red, decadent. The next sniff pulls out crushed, decaying flowers. A funeral bouquet that is brown around the edges, stalks dried into shrivled twigs. Wet: This one seemed medium thick, so I stuck with one swipe on the wrists, one on the neck/collarbones. As this blend blossoms under my own body heat, I can pick up all sorts of conflicting notes: sweet overripe fruit, the bitter sting of incense resins, a faint soap/clean/aquatic note, and a smooth floral over all of it. I'm not too good with flowers (other than identifying obvious rose and jasmine notes) so I can't pin point which flower this is, but it's a calm, benevolent overseer to the rest of this rustling variation. This scent isn't what one would traditionally call "foody"; nevertheless, I am oddly compelled to nibble on my wrists. Drydown: Earlier today, the sky was a solid, winter grey. As I walked toward work, a few raindrops splashed around me. Now, just thirty minutes later, the sky is black and flashing. Rain is coming down hard on the morning traffic. This is kind of how Nosferatu is reacting to my skin. At first, innocuous if a bit melancholy. A few minutes later it's woken up, and it's thrashing and vibrant and alive. I'm not getting much waft now, about two hours in, but can still pick it up strongly if I wave my wrists around my face. The clamboring notes have settled into an uneasy peace. A dark fruity note (I'm guessing it's the wine, though it no longer screams "wine" as it did in the bottle) holds hands in the back seat with charred incense while this mature floral is driving, check back every once in a while in the rear view mirror to make sure no monkey business is going on. Conclusion: I'll update later with notes on lasting power. Currently I really like this one, but am concerned by the sudden drop off in hour two. Might just be ol factory fatigue. This has all the malevolent earthiness of Brimstone coupled with the adult floral otherworldliness of Queen Mab.

Masabakes In the bottle: This one morphed with successive sniffing. The initial sniff is very much like a harsh, alcoholic store version of French Creole. Then I got mingled indistinguishable sharp spices. At the very edge I picked up an anise/licorice note. Wet: Harsh, sharp spices. Almost a citrus-type tang, but without the usual orange/lemony/bergamot note... just the effect of biting into pith. Like many others, I kept wanting to pin down something that was clove, even though that is not listed as a component of this blend. The oil is rich looking, about medium thick. I tried to apply somewhat sparingly (one swipe shared between the wrists, one or two swipes along the neck and collar bones). Drydown: I'm not sure if it was the oil, or just getting into an office that had been closed over the weekend, but I couldn't stop coughing and sneezing. There was an irritated tickle in the back of my throat and I'm still sniffling now, about an hour later. I'm wafting like crazy. Every breath is almost assaulted by this oil. There is an underlying powdery sweetness to all this agressive spice, but it seems to amp up the aggression rather than subdue it. So far all these confusing phases place this imp firmly in the "maybe" pile. It's got all the elements I've discovered I like (darkness, spiciness, hint of fruit) but it hasn't yet settled down to something I can fully enjoy. Conclusion: I'm about two hours into the wearing right now. It's just as strong as ever. A bit calmer, and I am beginning to detect the fruity currant. This is very dark, brooding, and aggressive, but the powder note is starting to take over, which I don't think I like. Definitely maybe. ETA: 8 hours later, I was wafting myrrh and spices, but sniffing preserved plums directly off my skin. This is a "treat" my parents favored as I was growing up. I didn't like the preserved plums because they still had their stones (I was one of those boneless, seedless food favoring children). 14 hours later, I could still faintly pick this up when I sniffed directly from my wrist.

Szepasszony The Fair Lady, Winter Witch, White Maiden of the Storm. Szepasszony is a Hungarian demoness that appears as a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silver-white hair and a blinding white dress. She revels in storms, particularly when hail rains down on her. Water dripping down eaves into a puddle is an invitation for her to cause mischief: she uses the puddle as a magickal tool for casting her wicked spells. It is considered foolhardy to step into a circle of short grass ringed by taller grasses, as those mark the circles where the Fair Lady dances. A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Another Lab freebie (huzzah!). In the bottle: clean, pure, bright fragile flowers bruised by hailstones Wet: there's a citrus tang, but mostly the flowers swirl up. This oil seemed relatively light, so I double swiped. Drydown: More clean, high floral. Everything is so melded to me I can't make out single notes. Aquatic=clean=almost soapy on me, but this is holding it's ground just at the threshold of soapiness. It's been about two hours so far, I'll update at the end of the day on lasting power. Conclusion: I like this, but not enough to get more. I'm figuring out that I'm more of a "down low" note kinda gal, rather than these light, airy, "high" aquatic notes. Still, I will probably keep this imp for the rare day I need a light, non-aggressive buoyant scent... or when I haven't showered.

Loviatar I got this as a lab freebie (thank you!) and after reading the notes, was a big scardey cat and held off trying her out until yesterday. In the bottle: sort of Tintagelly, which makes sense as they share the leather note. I'm not picking up the other notes yet, though. Wet: LEATHER. Whoa. I vascillate between liking and disliking this smell. Today is a dislike day. The oil seems thicker than other blends I've tried. I tried to apply a little less then my standard amount (one swipe shared between the wrists, another swipe curliqued along the neck and collarbones), but I still seem to have been heavy handed with the application. Drydown: Still predominantly leather. She's assertive, bossy, and a little bit scary! Later: this scent lasted all day, but had an interesting split-personality at the end of the day. I was still strongly wafting the LEATHER note, but up close, my wrists were just warm, comforting amber and myrrh. Interesting effect. Conclusion: I've figured out that I am not a leather person. I'll still wear Tintagel on occasion because of the berry/herbal counterpoint to the leather (and my Arthur-o-philia), but this scent is too distracting and just not me for usual, or even special occasion use. This particular imp was gifted to a friend of mine for her birthday. She's whip-smart, assertive, and loves to make the men (and women) squirm. I think she'll love it.

Calliope In the bottle: This is hard to make out. It's light, fresh, somewhat floral, a little fruity. The back of my throat is saying "melony-lemon". Wet: Lemons. Lemon drops coated in Lemon Pledge. Drydown: Oh no. This smells exactly like Grandma Sloop's farmhouse. It's a combination of old lady and Lemon Pledge and that certain je ne c'est pas (Franglish, I know) of an old house slowly falling into ruin after 80 years of hard use. I can even conjure up the odd mint-green paint that coats every interior wall of that strange little farmhouse. While I have good memories of family gatherings in this place, the smell only conjures up bad ones: freezer-bitten leftover turkey, sleeping on cold sagging mattresses twenty years older than I, no heat in the upstairs rooms in December, crushing stunned wasps as they crawl out of the fireplace while unwrapping gifts. In fact... right now, this smell is evoking the memory of the depression glass bowl filled with twitching half-dead wasp carcasses while Nat King Cole singles "O Tenenbaum" and my niece tears into her next gift. Ugh. I'm going to try to ride this "Grandma Sloop" phase out and see if she'll morph into something less... evocative. Still, I don't think she's going to be with me for very long... Later: Whew. Now all I'm getting is a soft, lovely lemon with a honeyed almond background. Nothing herbal still. Conclusion: As pleasant as this is in the bottle and on me four hours later, I just can't get past the Grandma Sloop phase. This is going into the "gift or swap" pile. I'm sure there's someone out there that will give her a good home.