Witch's Dagger

Bewitched Ordered September 22. Preconceived notions: This sounds like a lovely herbal, witchy blend. In the vial: Yes, this is very light, green, berry, and earthy. About what I expected. On me: This is definitely a very herbal berry scent, with the musk adding a little smoky depth to it. On me, dark musk usually softens a scent, and it does so here, very nicely. As I think someone else wrote this is a “soft, dark, berry” brew. In 10 minutes: This is a lighter, greener, earthier Haunted. It is also somewhat sweeter now than it was originally. In 1 hour 30 minutes: It’s gone. Overall: I could see using this on days when I feel like an herbal blend or when doing kitchen witchery.

Oneiroi Preconceived notions: Dream oil! (it was the only one when I first found BPAL) In the vial: strong, herbally enhanced lavender (as in, lavender with a lot of herbs) On me: This is a very sharp lavender. But I love lavender, and I like the fact that this is a pungent herbal lavender rather than the fake stuff normally sold as “lavender”. This smells like what I’d imagine fields of lavender plants to smell like (though I’ve never smelled them before): very, earthy and green. Over time, it softens, but it always remains very lavender and very herbal. Now, I’ll just have to see what my dreams are like! Overall: I’m going to keep it, though I’ll probably only use it for dreamwork.

The Living Flame Preconceived notions: Red? Okay - I figured dragon's blood for sure, and maybe amber for the "glowing skin". I also figured there'd be some spice for the "Flame" part of the name. In the bottle: Wow - smells a lot like Hunter Moon. On me: This is somehow a mix of Hunter Moon (the very soft spice and mysterious air), Queen of Spades (I'm guessing it has some of those resins that I don't recognize most of the time: oppoponax, etc., as well as perhaps some plum or fig), and La Petite Mort (definitely some amber here). Like the Queen of Spades, this is a very thick and sticky blend, so I'm betting there are a lot of resins in it. But it has this wonderful amber background and a bit of wine/dragon's blood (this particular smell is in Blood Rose and Centzon Totochtin). It does still have that bit of spice, too, but it's nothing overwhelming and could be overlooked. Overall: I love this and wish I had gotten myself a second bottle. Hopefully Dead Man's Hand, when it comes in a month or so (I ordered it March 13) will either be outstanding or swappable for this (i.e. hopefully not all the Living Flame swaps will be over) or I'll regret not getting a second bottle of this instead of that. Excellent! It definitely evokes the image of a "living flame", especially the one in the poem. Edit after reading other reviews: Strange, I didn't get any florals out of this at all. The strongest scent for me is a lovely, light red wine, with a bit of spice. And I do definitely get amber. But people found something floral in La Petite Mort and Queen of Spades, so maybe I just am not able to pick out those flowers.

Intrigue Ordered September 22, 2005 (yes, I’m that far behind on my reviews!) Preconceived notions: It sounded dark and mysterious, and the reviews seemed to indicate something very paradoxical. Thus, it intrigued me, the scent itself as well as the name. In the vial: A dark, smoky, chocolatey fig. On me: No more fig, it’s all very dry cocoa and sandalwood, very much like Velvet, only a lot lighter and more exotic. It’s also somehow both refreshing and deep, bitter and sweet. This is kind of a daytime variant of the darker Mystery. Not someone in black hiding in shadows inside a dark castle at midnight, but a mysterious woman having a drink on a veranda in the shade of some palm trees watching your every move. It’s also very distracting. I keep trying to work, and get lost in the scent. It’s a deep, dark olive green that’s a little greener than that. Something I’d imagine on a poster for a jungle. Not camouflage - darker and greener. In 20 minutes: Now the fig is coming out, still surrounded by the greener woods. There’s no chocolate left. In 35 minutes: About the same, though there’s something dry and spicy in the back. In 55 minutes: No real change. Overall: This is a very lovely and evocative scent. It also makes me think of lazy days and sensual indulgence (but again, in a very lazy way).

Black Forest This was a gift from Rheliwen. Thanks! Preconceived notions: Dark forest blend? Magnificent! In the vial: Very piney. On me: Pine. Wow. I smell like I’ve just gotten pine sap all over. This is wonderful! In 15 minutes: Still wonderful, fragrant, pungent pine sap, but it’s fading a little. In 30 minutes: Much sweeter now - I’m getting some amber or vanilla, as well as a dark, smoky musk, in with the pine, which is falling into the background. Very musky and resinous. In 45 minutes: It has definitely morphed into a predominantly spicy amber scent with a musky pine background. Lovely. In 1 hour: It smells just like Haunted at this stage, which means I might swap Haunted away, since I like this better at the earlier stages. Overall: This is excellent. Yet another oil to go on the possible long wait for 5 ml. catalog orders.

Fae This was a freebie from the lab. Thanks! Preconceived notions: I thought this would be a bright, ethereal scent. In the vial: This smells like what I would imagine of a peach wine. Slightly intoxicating and very peachy. On me: At first, I get a strong whiff of the bergamot, with the peach hovering in the background. Citrusy and anise-like, but with the sweetness of a fresh peach. In 25 minutes: Much peachier, but it still has the mysterious element of the bergamot. I do get the earthiness, as well. In 2 hours: Fading. Overall: This is a wonderfully delicious, mysterious, and sweet peach scent. I love it, and may eventually get a bottle.

Based on what Morrighana said (and what the website says), I'm guessing that this is precisely a concentration issue - some of them probably have some kind of diluting carrier oil (and I'd guess the ones with cinnamon, or other highly reactive oils, or costlier oils) rather than using synthetic fragrances. I know that a place that used to exist around here and which carried pure essential oils would dilute the costlier ones, rather than using synthetics - so you'd get 1/10 jasmine instead of 100% pure jasmine. The other 90% wasn't synthetic, it was a carrier oil. I'm guessing this is true of the mysterious 15% in some of Beth's blends. But this is just a guess .

Not wrong at all! It's *exactly* the sound as in "ouch"... or "how", or sow (female pig), etc. Not like "low" More detail for anmorata: Think of it as ah + oo only really fast. Though, if you practice too much, people might start thinking you're a dog *grins* Because in "Samhain", the concensus is that "mh" = "w". "w" = "oo" only faster, and the vowel before the "w" is "a". But it goes so fast that all you get is "sow".

Tarot: The Moon Note: This seems to be very different for everyone. Three people mentioned jasmine, but other than that, all the reviews have been different, and mine's not like anyone else's. This was a gift from HappyLoveJoy. Thanks! Preconceived notions: Something that evokes the subconsious, illusion, dreams, and intuition. In the vial: definitely an outdoorsy scent - lots of clear, fresh air, distant pines, and I think gardenia. On me: Yes, gardenia (this part is exactly like Sacred Whore of Babylon, otherwise, I'd have no idea), and lavender, and some kind of mysterious scent. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s making it warmer, a little spicier. Also, I think there are some other flowers in there, too, and maybe some greenery. Though, I think my initial “pine” scent might have actually been the lavender. Also, although I think this is the gardenia, there may also be some coconut in this. It has the same sort of “feel” as Midnight, but it’s completely different in smell. It smells more like Sacred Whore...with spices, lavender, and something else. It disappears fairly quickly, and doesn't morph much. Overall: I’ll probably get a bottle eventually. It’s nice, but my main purpose would be for the Tarot thing. I’m hoping to gradually accrue all of them. The Moon is near the end though. If it weren’t a Tarot oil, I’d be happy with the imp and probably not buy anymore. I think I'm not much of a fan of gardenia (it tends to smell just a little like the fake watermelon flavor used in candy, etc. on me - not exactly like it, but enough to bring up bad scent memories).

Czernobog Created in honor of the Slavic Black God of the Dead. A nighttime god of grief, evil, chaos and woe, he is paralleled by his twin brother Bylebog, god of light, joy, order, and good fortune. A combination of three musks, with splashes of dark myrrh, vetiver and mullein. This was not only a freebie from the lab, but one that caused me to have a spiritual experience. Thank you! I cannot give an adequate review of this one, so I'm not even going to try. Here, then, are my impressions, written quickly and without much analysis: The name suits it perfectly: While in many countries' folklore, going into a dark forest is a theme, it's even moreso in Slavic folklore. The dark, wild, and unpredictable forest is a major theme in just about everything. This is a black God - half animal, half man - totally black, in the middle of the darkest forest you can imagine, at night. In other words, I get foresty (dark green, not necessarily "woody") smells mixed with civet and other musks. And, for me, it is truly a sacred scent. Too sacred to wear on normal days, but I definitely want to get a bottle of it at some point.

Carnal I got this as a freebie from the lab, ironically along with Ravenous, so I can compare them right away. Preconceived notions: mandarin and fig? Okay. Perhaps too fruity. In the vial: Ooh, I think I like fig! In the vial, this smells nothing like Ravenous, because there’s a lot more fig than there was patchouli. So, Ravenous smelled pretty much “straight up orange”, whereas this is more of an orange-flavored fig. On me: No, now the orange is as strong as the fig, which I like less. I like the fig. Wait, no, now, I can barely smell it at all. In 5 minutes: It’s gotten a little stronger, but it’s still very faint. This is a very relaxing scent. The fig has returned to prominence, and the mandarin is giving it a bit of fresh juice. I’d like to be massaged with this, or wear it on one of those “comfy rainy days” that don’t ever seem to exist except in my imagination - you know - you don’t get up until noon, then you lounge around reading or being creative, the patter of rain is comforting, rather than annoying, lots of blankets, candles, etc. The color of this scent would be a very muted mauve. Season - mid spring (April) In 20 minutes: This is a very dark smoky fruity scent. And the basic image I have is still the one above - comfortable rainy day, all blues and greys... This one faded very fast, in less than an hour, I think (though I could be wrong - I stopped tracking it because I got caught up in the Saturn Return stuff in the Old Paths forum), but the basic scent didn’t change significantly. Overall: I’m going to keep it, and depending on how often I’m in the mood for it, I may end up with a bottle. Oh, and I didn’t find it to be anything like Ravenous at all.

Ravenous This was a freebie from the lab. Thanks! Preconceived notions: This was not on my wishlist. I have a vague memory that it was orangy, and more animalistic than carnal and that someone was surprised by that. I have no memory, nor any record, about what notes are in this. I’m going completely by nose. Please forgive me if I sound absurd. In the vial: Yep, orange. A very green orange, with the pith mixed in. There are other notes, too, but I cannot place them. On me: Yes, an animalistic orange. I’m guessing it must be civet, because none of the musks actually come out as animalistic on me - they either soften the scent (white, dark) or sharpen it (red). Civet does not do evil things on me. And in fact, “ravenous” is a good word for how I feel about this scent. The orange gives it almost a “blood” flavor, though it’s not as deep as a dragon’s blood would be. It’s sharper, fiercer, more hungry. That said, I still am not much one for orange scents. In 15 minutes: (after reading description): Oh, that’s patchouli? Wow - I never figured orange and patchouli would get a civet-like smell. I must have some weird chemistry. To me, it still smells like orange and civet. In 30 minutes: Okay, now it’s softer and spicier, but it’s still a civet orange. In 40 minutes: Wow - sudden and complete change. Now, I’m getting the patchouli - very sharp and green, with the orange still prominent. In 1 hour: It’s different again, but still only slightly. Now, the orange and patchouli are softened by something (some kind of musk, I’d guess, but possibly vanilla). It’s a much warmer, skin-like scent now. But still orange and green patchouli. Overall: I like the civet-patchouli, but not the orange. I’ll be swapping this one!

Salome Preconceived notions: sensual, exotic - I love all the notes, and the oakmoss should add a lovely earthiness to an otherwise lovely collection of sensual notes. In the vial: Very woody, with a large dose of almond thrown in. This is a bitter almond, not a sweet one, which isn’t what I was expecting in this particular blend. On me: (10:17): It’s very, very sharp smelling, but unlike in Spellbound, in this, it’s quite a lovely sharpness. Closer in, it’s very, very sweet, but again, in a sharp way - like pure sugar. I’m wanting something warm, some spice of some sort. I thought the sandalwood would do it, but both the jasmine and oakmoss are pointy scents. . . Ah, I spoke too soon - now, the sandalwood is coming out. At this point, it’s predominantly sandalwood and almond, with a hint of the jasmine. I’m not sure what happened to the oakmoss. Well, it’s still there, but it’s at the core somehow. This is turning into a very lush scent, just as I had predicted. I’m not too fond of the jasmine, though. In 15 minutes: This is rich and complex. It is not a golden scent as I had imagined, but a dark brown with swirls of dark green. On me, the sandalwood comes out most - I’ve found that my skin really likes this note, and luckily, so does my nose. The other notes - especially the almond and oakmoss surround the sandalwood in a way that it doesn’t seem quite like sandalwood. But it’s still more that than either of the other two. Finally, the jasmine is wafting - hovering, like a ghost, around the central, earthy brown-green core. In 30 minutes: It’s fading slowly, and the sandalwood is the last to go. It’s still complex with all the other notes that had been vining around it, though the jasmine has floated away somewhere else. In 50 minutes: This is a lush, vibrant sandalwood, with the exotic and creamy hint of almond. Overall: This is not at all what I was expecting, but I love it. It’s my favorite sandalwood blend so far. The almond keeps it from going bone dry, and the oakmoss gives it lush vitality.

Wanton Origin: I got this in a swap with Rheliwen because I love Harlot and wanted to try layering it with Wanton so I could call myself a Wanton Harlot. Preconceived notions: I hope it smells good with Harlot. I was a little worried about patchouli and rose together, though, as I tried that once and it was bad. Luckily, Beth is not me. In the vial: I can definitely smell a deep herbal note that I recognize now as red patchouli. It’s not like the “patchouli” that one normally smells - much greener than that. I’m not, at this point getting any of the other notes. 8:03 On me: Ooh, now the rose is coming out - it’s a green rose. And yes, I’m getting the earthiness of the woods as well. The rose is mostly in the background, which is a surprise for me. Often it takes over, though not *always*, like it does on some people. Oh, now I see - the rose is wafting, while the earthier notes are staying close to the skin. Very interesting. It’s like wearing Cathedral in a room full of roses. And someone mentioned a “rose of skin” - yes, I’m getting a kind of warm skin scent, too, in the wrist part of the smell. In 5 minutes: Now, there’s something like the tart almost-citrus part of cedar running around - must be the palmarosa. It’s definitely a wood, but it’s vaguely citrus-like. That’s the main note on my skin now - wafting is still all rose. In 2 minutes after that: Okay, now the woody-citrus note is the wafting note AND the wrist note. Wow, is this one a morpher or what! In 15 minutes: Okay, now it smells exactly like rosewood. Only better . In 30 minutes: Now it’s back to rose and the citrus-wood note. And something green and herbal. In 1 hour: It smells like a lovely incensy rose. And the rose is the same rose as the one in Harlot. Somehow, it wouldn’t surprise me if Beth predicted a Wanton Harlot... Overall: This is definitely a keeper, and possibly a candidate for a big bottle. I love the way it morphs, since most of Beth’s oils don’t on me for some reason, and all of the different stages are wonderful and unique. Plus it’ll work wonderfully with Harlot *winks* (I’ll post in the layering thread once I’ve tried it!)

Hunter Moon I ordered this because I liked the animalistic moon idea. in the vial: dead leaves, sweet florals, mulled wine, and smoke (from a campfire) On me: This is a pretty stable scent. It doesn’t change much at all. It is, for me, the quintessential autumn scent - more so than Mabon and Samhain. It’s absolutely lovely. For awhile, it was all I was wearing. I’m particularly amazed at the way the dead leaves and smoke came out. It also lasts a very long time. I put it on this morning, and I could still smell it strongly as I was coming home this evening. And most of Beth’s oils tend to evaporate within an hour or two on me. Oh, and something about it definitely seems to conjure up chill autumn fresh air. Overall: I’m ecstatic to have it. Now, I just hope I don’t run out.

Forbidden Fruit Preconceived Notions: Ooh. I like the sound of this! In the vial: Apples, at first, then ylang ylang On me: At first, the original, “in the vial” scent strengthens to an almost overpowering sensual overload of fruit, honey, sweetness and heady bliss, then it gradually recedes, with the ylang ylang coming on strong. This is slightly sweeter than I normally like, but it is luscious and divine nonetheless. “Forbidden Fruit” is an apt name. Over time: More fruits come out along with a soft smoky (musk?) ylang ylang. Otherwise, not much change, though it does get softer and sweeter as time wears on. Overall: Very intoxicating. It’s a keeper.

Wanda Preconceived notions: Sounds sophistocated and sexy. Also, I hope it works better than Loviatar, and that I actually smell some leather. In the vial: Wine - just wine. On me: Smoky wine, and yes, a very, very, very faint hint of leather, that I can maybe smell if I try real hard. Over time: It becomes smokier, tarter, and more bitter. Like a dry red, perfumy wine - this must be the flowers, though I can’t pick any of them out - it’s quite bitter. Like a wine I’d be afraid to drink. Overall: I like the wine, but it’s not what I’d call a pleasant scent. Then again, I don’t suppose it should be. I’ll have to give this one another try. Note: This is the first scent I wasn’t able to wash off with dishsoap. (when I’m testing, I wash them all off after an hour, because I’ve found that all the morphing happens in the first hour, at least for me, or at least that if it doesn’t morph into something I like within the first hour, I probably won’t keep it - I don’t want to go the whole first hour not liking what I smell like). Edited to add: Okay - now I smell the rose, and it is a winey rose. Nothing like Blood Rose, though. This is much, much brighter. And it is, for me anyway, less sensual/sexual than Blood Rose - probably because the leather doesn't ever come out.

Nyarlathotep I can’t remember if this was a freebie from the lab, or if I ordered it *blush* Preconceived notions: Finally! Something that sounds both “dark” and “stormy”. In the vial: Very green, with a jolting, electric aquatic streak. On me: This is very citrusy and herbal - crushed, pungent herbs marinating in orange juice. In 15 minutes: Still pungent herbs in orange juice, but it’s not as strong now. Also, there seems to be something soft and sweet that I recognize from other scents as being dark musk. It’s rather similar to Haunted in this way. In 30 minutes: All of the notes are still there, but they’ve deepened, and the musk has come out more. The citrus does add something sharp that seems reminiscent of lightning - the pith of the peel - sharp and biting. The other part of the citrus, the lush orange, does keep this from being a dark scent in my eyes. I’d put it somewhere in the muted area, certainly not bright, but neither light nor dark. And perhaps I’m biased by the scent itself, but this is red-orange in color. Not the color I associate with storms. In 1 hour: No change from what I said 30 minutes ago. Overall: This is very nice. I probably won’t get a big bottle of it, because in general, I’m not fond of citrus scents. This is, however, probably my favorite citrus scent, and I like it more than Haunted. I’ll be keeping my imp. Edited because I've been spelling acquisition too much, and thus spelled aquatic as "acquatic" Gah!

Hell’s Belle Origin: This was a gift from the lab. Thanks! Preconceived notions: It sounded indulgent and fiery, but perhaps too fruity. In the vial: This is a very soft and sensual scent that reminds me very strongly of Sand & Sable. Very promising! On me: Watermelon. And not real watermelon, but the watermelon “flavor” you get in candy, gum, etc. Too bad I don’t like that scent at all. It’s beginning (in the first minute) to gather some spice, which might save it, but I fear this is going to be fake watermelon on me. It can’t seem to make up its mind between Sand & Sable and fake watermelon, but there’s more of the watermelon than the Sand & Sable. In over an hour: It’s changed to a soft spicy scent, which I like. Overall: Though I liked the end “soft spicy” phase, most of the time it was the fake watermelon. I have better options for “soft spicy” scents, so this one will be swapped.

Black Annis Black Annis and I disliked each other at sniff one, but within 5 minutes, we were in love. There’s nothing like it, though it is reminiscent of the not-yet-maybe-never available Obeah. I should note, however, that vetiver and civet are two notes that I like a great deal, and anise has either been a "NO, EVIL!" or a "YES, MORE!" note for me. Here it started out as "NO, EVIL!" and turned into "YES, MORE!" Origin: This was a gift from the lab! Thanks! Preconceived notions: It sounds like a wonderful, dark, animalistic forest scent. In the vial: Wow, it’s a lot sweeter than I thought it would be, and there’s an anise or sassafras note in it, as well as what I think are some white flowers. This is not at all what I was expecting, and I’m not sure I’ll like it. I hope the woods, herbs and civet come out a little more (yes, I like civet in some things). On me: (8:10) Ick. It still smells like sassafras root beer. Oh, there *is* anise in this. Hmm... I want less sweet anise (it’s very much like black jellybeans, not so much like the spice used in cooking). The civet is there, but the anise is pulling out its less desirable notes, and the same is true of the vetiver. Sometimes, vetiver has a nice leafy, dark green scent, sometimes it’s more metallic. Here, it’s all very sharp metal. Interesting, but so far not for me. In 5 minutes: The scent hasn’t changed, but it’s growing on me anyway. This is the blackest cave with a black bear inside. Very dark. Very powerful. Not pleasant, by any means, but worthy of respect. In that manner, it reminds me a lot of Obeah, which I like more... Still, this is much more mysterious than even Obeah, and certainly darker in a more feral way. I could see this having to do with spider webs set up to catch the unwary. Very knowledgeable, very cunning. And the anise *is* giving in a little more to the civet, growing spicier and less sweet. That helps a lot. In 10 minutes: This is a very powerful scent. I can’t seem to focus on anything but how it smells. It continues to grow on me. In fact, at this point, I’d say I love it, and that I would rank it up as one of my favorites. I’ll have to compare it more directly with Obeah - they are very, very smilar. I think I will like Obeah more, if only because it doesn’t have that sharp sweetness. Still, the advantage to this one is that it’s available. I would use this for rituals of Darkness (which tend to be my specialty, at least at this point in time). In 45 minutes: This is much softer and spicier, yet still quite dark and mysterious. It seems to be settling into my skin. Overall: This seems to be a blend of Mystery and Obeah. Despite the fact that neither of them seemed too popular (Mystery was called “lemony” and “licorice”. Obeah was said to be too masculine, too animalistic, too dark.) they are two of my absolute favorites. When Mystery was discontinued, I ordered 2 5 mls (or rather, bought one from the lab, and one from a forumite). I’m still waiting for Obeah to arrive. The anise in Black Annis makes it even darker than Obeah, in my opinion, but it still has the power and animalism of it. This scent is extremely complex, and definitely worth having. It’s going on my big bottle list. If nothing else, it can be a stand in for either Mystery or Obeah, since neither of them are available right now. Beth, thank you so much for including this one in my order!

Black Phoenix Got this in a swap from kithrobyn. Thanks! Preconceived notions: Vanilla, almond, and spices! Three of my favorite notes - this has got to be good. In the vial: This is a very bluish-black scent, very round and pointy. I think the almond is the sharp part - it reminds me slightly of Voodoo, with the vanilla and spices adding roundness. Still, it seems like a very cool, wintery scent. A woman wrapped in black furs outside in the snow, with a fire nearby. On me: This is very similar to Voodoo, but the vanilla definitely gives it a more sensual, languid feeling, making it not quite so dark. From what I’ve heard of Snake Oil, (haven’t tried it yet), I’d guess Black Phoenix to be sort of like Snake Oil + Voodoo. On me, the scent is much warmer and more fiery than in the vial. It’s very burnt - like the flecks of burnt wood. In time (just a few minutes), I can say it’s definitely not like Voodoo anymore. Plus, it’s actually darker, rather than lighter as I thought earlier. Very mysterious and tricky, this one. In 20 minutes: This has softened considerably, and has developed completely differently than I was expecting. In an hour: Same scent, mostly gone. Overall: I love this, but I wish it lasted longer. I’ll keep the imp, and maybe get a bottle.

Sin Preconceived notions: The only note in this I’m a little iffy on is the cinnamon, but I loved it with the dragon’s blood in Wrath. Since I also love patchouli and amber, I expect I’ll like this even more than Wrath. In the vial: Wow. I definitely get a very green patchouli and cinnamon, which makes it more of a reddish brown scent. On me: Yes, the patchouli is a welcome intercessor between the cinnamon and the metallic dragon’s blood, and now the amber is coming in to sweeten and deepen the scent. In 10 minutes: Yes, the amber has definitely sweetened this. Yet, it’s still got the thrust of the the other three notes. All four notes are blended extremely well at this stage. I do wish it had slightly less cinnamon, though. In nearly 2 hours: This still smells a lot the same. Overall: This is very nice. I wouldn’t consider it sensual, but it’s dark, smoky, and has a nice bite.

Lust Preconceived notions: Lustful *wink* In the vial: dragon’s blood. In fact, I’d say a very cherry dragon’s blood, since dragon’s blood doesn’t normally smell “cherry” to me, but this does. Still, it’s resinous, smoky, and yes, very red. On me: Oh yeah, dragon’s blood. The good kind. The resin smoke rising in my apartment. I just burnt some the other day, and this smells just like it. It’s softening in the first few minutes, to a warm, pulsing cherry. Oh dear, it’s starting to smell like cough syrup. This is the first time this has happened to me. After about 20 minutes: It’s softer, still mostly cherry, still with a hint of medicinal alcohol. It’s a pity. I would have liked the wonderful, sharp, smoky dragon’s blood. I’m thinking this is another ambush of my favorite smells by the dreaded red musk (for some reason, red musk tends to bring out all the parts that I dislike about notes I really like). It’s also fading rather quickly, so I don’t think it’s going to get better. In about 35 minutes: I was wrong. Now there’s a hint of cinnamon coming into the mix. It’s reminiscent of really sweet, yet mulled, cherry wine. It’s still too sweet for me, and it evokes more of a child than lust for me. In 55 minutes: Aha, here’s lust, finally. A nice, spicy dragon’s blood/cinnamon tempered and warmed by musk. No more overly sweet cough syrup. I don’t know if I can wait this long to get to the good stuff, especially since it is very faint. Overall: I’m not sure. I think I’ll have to try it again. I’m guessing it will either be swapped or stay around, but that I won’t be getting a big bottle of it. After all, I have a lot of wonderful lusty smells that don’t go through the cherry cough syrup phase.

Laudanum Note: I did not check the notes before writing the review. Some of my "perceived" notes could be completely wrong. I got this as a gift in a swap with Rheliwen. Thanks! Preconceived notions: I thought this would make a good poisonous scent. In the vial: Oh, what is this note? There’s something very sharp and pungent. I love it. On me: The same scent - ah, yes, it’s similar to anise, but it’s a very blue anise, like black liquorice, as opposed to the anise in Mystery, which is a brown, savory anise. And there’s some warmth, perhaps allspice? I don’t like it, which makes me think it’s allspice (which I’ve discovered is the culprit in many “spiced” scents I don’t like), or perhaps clove, interacting badly with the anise smell. Vanilla, too, I think, again, a very sharp vanilla - this is the vanilla extract alone, not tempered by anything but alcohol. Altogether it’s not nearly as green as I expected, and I’d call it more a purplish-brown scent. In 15 minutes: It’s definitely what I’d call a burnt, dry, spicy smell. Not really what I’d call poisonous, and I like Wrath better for spice. This is very unique. In 30 minutes: It’s beginning to fade a bit, but the general scent is pretty stable. In nearly an hour: It’s softer, more insidious, but still about the same. Overall: I don’t think this is really me. I have Mystery, which I love for unique and complex anise, and I prefer the anise in Mystery. Plus, the other spice/spice combination irritates me. Edited to add: Ah, sassafras/rootbeer. Yeah, I don't like that. I don't like drinking it either.

Wrath This was a freebie from the lab. Thanks! Preconceived notions: I love dragon’s blood, and I’ve never tried it with spices, finding it to already be quite spicy. This should be fantastic. In the vial: Yes, oh God, yes! The dragon’s blood has a kind of metallic quality in this blend, which reminds me of vetiver in other blends. I never can keep the two of them apart when one of them goes metallic like this. But since I like vetiver, oh, this smells powerful and yes, very angry. On me: This is spice heaven. The different spices all come out, including the spice from the dragon’s blood, and yes, the cinnamon is starting to burn a little. Whoops - forgot about that. People in earlier reviews have said that it’s a dark and turbulent fire. Yes, this fire is black, yet still hot - a coal that is lit, but still black, and very hot. Similarly, someone else called it a lingering, calculated anger, and the same coal experience applies. I guess I’m too used to burning dragon’s blood on charcoal tablets. . . Plus, that metallic part is giving it a cold hearted quality. This is Lucius Malfoy when Harry has just given Dobby the sock. Also, it would make an excellent blend (both concerning the actual ingredients and concerning the smell) for workings having to do with fire. In 30 minutes: Softer, but no real change. In 1 hour: Still no change, still very slowly fading. Overall: This is a wonderful, hot, spice scent. I’m not always in the mood for that sort of thing, so while I might get more imps, I’ll probably not get a bigger bottle. Still, this is one I’d always like to have an imp of around. Oh - add a little wood (Yggdrasil? Cathedral?) and you’d get what I hoped Wildfire would be like.