Extispex

In the imp all I could smell was honey. So strong and sweet it was almost sickening. It took several days before I was brave enough to try this on my skin. Today, I finally did. Whew! So much better than my first impressions. It has a very rich herbal quality. It reminds me of a home-made herbal cough syrup I used to get fresh-brewed from my local hippie store. It might have been cough syrup, but it smelled magnificent - thick and green and treacly (didn't taste too bad either). Other people have complained that Osun was too heavy, but it lightened up on me very quickly, leaving an herby sweetness wafting around me. I do love it when the scents surprise me, and this one did, very pleasantly.

I got this to wear for meditating, but really I think I'd find it too distracting. In the bottle its lovely, sort of earthy and incensy. I get some of the aforementioned patchouli, but other resins as well. Once it hits my skin. Dirt. Burnt, smoky dirt. Like an old barbeque pit. It lightens up slightly with wear but not enough to grow on me. I think not.

Well, I wanted an angry, wrathful scent. You know, for when I'm in those moods. This ain't it. However, Rage IS gorgeous. In the vial, it smells vaguely fruity, but almost in a medicinal way. When first applied to my skin, I get a burst of something sharp and spicy, perhaps its the black amber. Is that the rage? If it is, its like my temper, quick and easy to placate. After the initial sharp burst, this tones down to a well balanced beauty. I can detect the dragons blood but it's gently enhanced by the fruits and florals. With wear, the scent warms, almost smolders. But it never does quite reach the level of rage. Its almost lusty, but a seething, repressed kind of lust that is kept hidden. For those who might have avoided Rage because they feared it might be too wrathful, give it a try. Its very lovely. As for me, I'll keep looking for that angry scent.

I'm wary of coconute scents, but I feel a connection to Elegba so I had to try this. An evil enabler sent me a decant with a forum order. In the vial, very boozy. I'm developing an affinity for liquor scents and this smells so tempting I almost want to drink it. Wet on my skin, blam! coconut. Its almost too much but it tones down quickly. Upon drying, oh yum, sweet rum. Its beautiful but subtle. Not a reeking boozehound, but more like the flirtatious wink of a tavern-wench. Rum and sugar predominate, but supported gently by the tobacco and coconut notes. Not strong, but on me it has good throw and smells absolutely delicious. I could eat myself.

Forces a change of fortune, helps overcome poverty and want, and helps attract prosperity, prestige and earthly bounty. In the bottle, this smell like - and I almost hate to say it - those magic markers we used to sniff when we were kids to get a buzz. Once applied, it smells a lot like High John. Not the oil, but the root. Like fresh High John root sliced open. Once it dries down I get some sweetish fruity notes that linger for a long time with lots of throw. I don't particularly care for the scent, but I didn't buy it for the smell. As a money oil I've had some modest success with it, so thumbs up!

In the vial, sharp and tangy grapefruit. My skin is a citrus amplifier, but often with beautiful effect. And wet on my skin, I got mostly grapefruit, but a sweetish, slightly fizzy grapefruit. Its really quite dazzling and I wish this stage would last longer. On drydown, I get a stronger floral with a hint of tanginess to it. Its very pretty and fresh. I was hoping for something 'cooler', with a bit stronger mint, but I get no mint at all. Nonetheless, the scent is citrussy kind of refreshing, something I might splash in my cleavage on a summer's day. Maybe not quite bottle material for me, but I'm definitely keeping the imp.

This is gorgeous in the bottle, very soothing and and warm. I get woods and florals, balanced by the lemongrass. It almost glows. Wet on my skin, lemongrass. My skin always amps up citrussy scents, often with beautiful effect, but in this case, no. Just lemon pledge all the way. Upon drying, my skin just drank it up, and within an hour there was nothing left but the faintest whiff of lemon-grass. Oh well.

I got this as a frimp in my last order, and I'm SOOOOO glad, because its something I never would have ordered for myself in a million years. In the bottle, dandelions. Just, yum fresh dandelions. On my skin its incredible, almost indescribable. The dandelions get slowly drowned in beer and boozy notes, but they die sweetly, leaving a hint of their tears floating upon the surface of the bitter-sweet liquor aromas. Upon drying, I get just a whiff of tobacco and hemp, but mostly the scent stays nice and drunken on me. I absolutely love this. Its an amazing alchemy of intoxication and laughter. Joy and sadness. Flirtation and desperation. Last hopes lost beneath a river of alcohol. It makes me smile, yet there's a wistfulness about it that must be the dandelions - memories of lost youth, blown away on a breeze, a sigh heaved into the bottom of a glass. Hmmm.... I think there's a bottle of this in my future.

This is one I wanted to love - the description sounded so compelling I had to have it. I absolutely adore this in the bottle, its rich, woodsy, heady - its gorgeous. The first time I tried it was on the back of my arm (my wrists were busy sporting a different scent). It went straight to floral powder. I was horrified! But I also suspected that some medication I'd taken was messing with my body chemistry, because all morning the scents I usually love were making me nauseous. I tried Roux-ge-roux on my niece and it was heavenly. I got very strong hickory and moss aromas with a delicate balance of floral and just a hint of cooling cypress. Like a merciful breeze that relieves the swampy heat, if only for a moment. Later, when my meds wore off some, I tried this on my wrists. Now thats more like it. On me, very green and foresty, warm, moist.... lush. The throw is slightly more floral than the aroma close to the skin, like a flower that lures you in with its scent, to entrap you in a heady mire once you get too close. And as the first reviewer pointed out, Roux-ge-roux does change with wear, at times moist and aquatic, at times earthy and foresty. I'll have to try it again once I'm feeling better and off medication completely, but I do believe that despite my initial experience, this one is going to be a winner.

I'm too thrilled to have gotten a bottle of this, and I'm so NOT disappointed in the scent. In the bottle, its just amazing. Very herby/minty and in your face. I bought it for my altar, primarily, but of course, I have to try it on my skin. When it hits my skin, it goes wild, very tricky indeed. At first its all cinnamon, but a complex cinnamon. Its very stimulating and has me bouncing off the walls with glee. On dry-down, thats when it get really weird, because on my left hand, its still primarily cinnamon, with just a little something else tickling my senses from the background - anise maybe? Its sharp and biting, but in a lovely way that makes me want to be bitten. But on my right hand, its all soft and warm and friendly. Lavender and herby, with maybe a resinous hint. It whispers "trust me, you know you can trust me", but how can I trust him when my left hand is threatening to bite me! Right hand - soothing and healing. Left hand - bitch-slap. I'm actually laughing out loud - its wonderful. This is too much, I love this. The perfect aroma for my Lord, His Divine Trickiness.

In the bottle, very amber. The same on my skin, very sweet but not cloying. A soft heady amber, golden and glittering. The other notes don't assert themselves individually, but blend in such a way that they gently mutate the amber into a sensual delight. On dry-down, this one goes a bit powdery on me, but I notice the powder only if I sniff close to my skin. The throw on this is still all golden and sweet. I can't say I'd wear this often enough to warrent a big bottle, but I'm keeping the imp for those special occasions.

I love woody notes, I love vetiver, I love sandalwood. The only thing I was worried about was the lemon. My skin likes to amp up citrus notes, which works well with some blends but I was afraid of the lemon overpowering this one. In the bottle, this was very incensy, almost all sandalwood. On my skin, truly lovely. It blends beautifully with none of the notes dominating. Its like a catching a vague breath of incense in a forest, wafting from some hidden shrine, distant chants caught on a breeze. This one goes very light very quickly, but its elusive nature seems very apt to me and once in a while I catch a whiff of it when I move. I like this one a lot.

A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine. Black Tower is in danger of becoming one of my favorites. In the imp, wow, all leather and ozone. Burnt leather, the forlorn scent of the saddle of a riderless horse, galloping through a storm. On my skin, wet, its more green, smoky. The fallen rider of the horse crawls over a grassy plain, toward some distant fortress that rises up like doom against a lightening-streaked sky. Dry, it warms up a bit, the wine asserts itself, the leather becomes more welcoming. An interior, drinking herbed wine before a fire, leatherbound book in hand while the storm rages outside; awaiting the sound of a footstep upon the stair, a sound that will dispel the lonely melancholy of this tempestuous night. Black Tower is truly unusual, and beautifully so. And I really really think I need a bottle of this one.

I'm a whore for cypress and juniper notes and I love myrrh, so I wanted to love this. But I'm still undecided. In the bottle, I get strong floral with just a hint of cypress bite. On my skin, something, somewhere, goes soapy. I'm suspecting the Lily as the culprit. Upon dry-down, goes very soft. Myrrh and floral with the cypress fading into the background. Its pretty, with a whiff of mystery and dolor - it suits its name. Hmmm... still deciding (sniff sniff). I like it, I think, but its not destined to be a love affair.

Mmm.... yummy. This was a frimp in my last order. Pungently musky in the bottle, but once it hits my skin, it goes all lemony and bright. On dry-down though, I get a sugary sweet vanilla scent with just a hint of musky darkness beneath. Its like a mask of innocence behind which vile and seductive intentions smoulder in a vice-laden mind. I'll repeat... yummy.

This was a frimp with my last order. In the bottle, very BRIGHT. Fresh, herby, zesty - almost yummy. Wet on the skin its all lemon verbena, but seeing as I like verbena, I find it very pleasant. A refreshing kind of wake-up scent. Not physical pep, but a mental stimulation. And its cool on my skin - is that the mint maybe? I like it. On dry down, verbena still predominates, but herby notes begin to assert themselves, and something a little softer, maybe the lavender. There's a lot of clarity to Calliope, and I'm very happy to have received it. I feel like I want to wear it while writing or working - because of the clear fresh beauty of the aroma. I think I might need more of this one.

Pure cthonic splendour. In the bottle, it smells very 'perfumy', like the cologne counter at Macy's or something equally horrible. But the moment it hits my skin it mutates into a monster, burrowing up from the depths of the earth, churning the fresh dirt and tearing at the delicate flowers that grow in the soil. Incense burned for nether gods in some deep cavern, creeping plants and hungry mosses that thrive in dark places. I must must must have a big bottle of this one.

In the bottle, I get a strong dragon's blood scent contending with the aroma of something I can only describe as 'burning plastic'. I was almost afraid to put this on my skin. Wet on the skin, its almost all dragon's blood, with just a hint of cassia. This would be fine if it stayed that way, but upon dry-down the plasticky smell returns, lighter but definitely there, rendering the overall aroma perplexing and vaguely unpleasant. After about an hour, Tannin'iver really begins to speak to me; it goes all subtle and beautiful, the patchouli asserts itself to balance the dragon's blood. I get a hint of floral and spice but none of the notes dominate. Its lovely, but also very light on me, and threatens to dissipate quickly. I'd like this very much if it were stronger on me, and if I didn't have to go through the plasticky phase to get here.

In the bottle, its all mandarin and tangerine, sharp and sweet, almost cloying and over-ripe but also very inviting. Mmm... seductive almost. Like the temptation to over-indulge. Wet on the skin, mandarin and sweet citrus still predominate but other fruits rise up to assert themselves. I couldn't stop smelling myself - again, a very indulgent scent. Voluptuous but sparkling and energetic, the teasing laugh of a whore as she peels a ripe tangerine and offers you a moist bite, right before kissing the juice from your lips. Upon drying, the aroma becomes very balanced, still sweet, warm, yet vibrant. A picnic of fruit in a meadow of flowers on a bright and sunny day. This scent is a delight to wear, it brings a smile to my face. The notes mingle beautifully and with wear I can almost catch a resiny hint that must be the dragons blood, yet is very subtle and elusive. Fire Pig, to me, feels abundant. Luxurious without being langorous, joyful and overflowing with goodness. So so glad I ordered this.

This was a sample that arrived with my order. In the bottle, it smells like what I can only describe as play-dough. Wet on the skin, it smells like... uh... playdough. Upon dry-down, smells like a slightly soapy, slightly floral play-dough. After a few hours, it morphs into a light but soapy floral (with just a hint of play-dough). Not for me.

The Venusian splendor of ylang ylang and violet stirred by hyssop, frankincense, and grave loam. This arrived as a complimentary sample with a purchase. At first whiff, I was appalled and overwhelmed - way too flowery for me. Upon application its still very floral, but so much more complex. The violet note is elusive and tricky, tends to rise up and dominate one moment, only to disappear the next, then surprising me again moments later. It reminds me of one of the most enjoyable jobs I ever had, tending violets in a greenhouse. After drying, I Died for Beauty goes slightly powdery on me, but still very pleasant. Nothing to die for, but nice. However, on my niece, this scent is glorious, heady and intoxicating, the florals gently balanced by the frankincense. A little to mature for her, but I bequeathed her the imp anyway. She loves it.

This was the first scent I bought from BPAL. I was looking for something complex and mercurial, and found it on my first try. Its perfection! In the bottle, minty, herby and cold. It brings to mind great, mountainous heights overlooking a forest of evergreens. Wet on my skin, the cypress dominates, leading a wild dance with the vetiver and the rosemary. Still very green, but warmer than in the bottle. As it dries, still cypressy but grows warmer, spicier - I think thats the cardamom peeping through. As the hours pass it tends to morph on my skin (never in a bad way). The figgy note rises and the frankencense asserts itself until Nephilim finally settles into a deep earthiness with the patchouli note dominating, but sweetened by the fig and softened by the florals. It lasts a very very long time, and through the hours of wear Nephilim travels from the icy arid heights to the cthonic depths. If one could actually fall in love with a scent, I'd be sending out wedding invitations.