Penance

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: I hate roses with a passion, but Rose Red surprised me by working beautifully on my skin, so I'll give The Peacock Queen the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she'll surprise me, too, but I'm not putting any money on it. First sniff: Oh, boy, that's definitely a full, blooming rose scent. The thing I liked about Rose Red was that it was a rosebud scent and slightly green, The Peacock Queen is a full, open rose, lush and floral and richly rosy. Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me. Wet on skin: More powdery now, but still very much an intense rose. This is the sort of scent my mom likes but that never works on me. I'm just not a fan of the smell of roses, unfortunately. They're certainly pretty to look at, but I just can't get into the scent of them for some reason. Dry down: The Peacock Queen smells as if Beth grabbed a rose at the peak of its bloom and managed to cram it into a tiny little 5mL bottle. It's uncannily realistic, extremely intense and all wrong for me. The bottom line: I didn't expect this to work and I was right. I'll be sticking to Rose Red if I want to wear a rose scent for a change.

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: I'm not a big peppermint fan, but Lick It certainly sounds fun, especially since it's a BPAL candy cane scent. BPAL scents are always steps above the rest of the fragrance world if you ask me. First sniff: Hoo-boy, that's a candy cane, alright! It's pepperminty, sugary and just a bit creamy. I think this would probably make a great room scent, but I'm not sure how well this is going to work as a perfume on me. Wet on skin: This reminds me of Yankee Candle's Jack Frost scent. A peppermint, sugar and vanilla scent, only this is heavier on the sharp peppermint than Jack Frost is. I think the peppermint in this is too much for me, since I only like peppermint when it's toned down with something like vanilla. Dry down: A bit creamier now, but still too sharp for my nose. I think I'll be sticking with Snowblind for my minty vanilla fixes. The bottom line: Too pepperminty to me. This would probably make a better room scent than perfume, but I don't think I'd want my house smelling of Lick It, either. It's just too much for me, personally.

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: This one's a mystery to me. The notes, in principle, sound absolutely gorgeous, but amber hates me. It smells like sour milk 99% of the time and makes me cry. Will Jacob's Ladder go all wrong or will it surprise me and live up to the beautiful imagery it creates in my mind? I don't know. Yet. First sniff: Pretty, but not what I was expecting for some reason. I was anticipating something warm and amber-colored, scent-wise, but I'm getting something almost citrusy that makes me think I've lost my mind. What on earth could be creating that lemony evil I'm smelling?! I have no idea what costus is, so I suppose that could be it...or I could just be misinterpreting something in here as being lemony, like I do with ginger sometimes. Wet on skin: That's more like I'd imagined Jacob's Ladder would be like. It's somewhere between powdery and golden amber and it's (so far, anyway) not turning into sour milk! I'm not sure that it's me, though, unfortunately. I like amber, but I don't think this is really for me. I'm starting to realize that there's something about amber that doesn't quite sit right with me for some reason. Dry down: This is actually growing on me! The powderiness is gone and it's a soft, golden, warm amber that's like wrapping myself in a fluffy blanket and sitting in front of a low fire. This is actually a very pleasant surprise, especially given my history with amber notes in BPAL scents. The bottom line: I actually really like this!

Soul sister of the Ace of Cups in the tarot, this is the Primordial energy of Water: the Heart, emotional release and receptivity, intuition, fertility, and the forces of love, beauty, pleasure and happiness. Purest white lotus, white rose, rain orchid, rose gardenia, freesia, and Bulgarian rose. Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: This is going to be so bad on me. I know it just by looking at the notes, but I had to try it. Just because. First sniff: Pure floral evil! This really is a flower garden in a bottle. The rose and orchid are the most intense of the notes, with the freesia coming in close behind and the lotus not making any appearance at all that I can find...unless it's not the bubblegum lotus I'm accustomed to. Wet on skin: Eww, roses! Get 'em off me, get 'em off me! This is so bad on me it's not even funny. I knew this was going to happen, but this is even worse than I'd imagined. I'm not saying that Beth didn't make a lovely perfume, I'm saying that I really, truly despise floral notes as a general rule and can't get them off of me fast enough, even if she does work her BPAL magic on them. Dry down: All I smell in here now is rose...unless that's a hint of bubblegum in the background that I'm smelling. I'm not sure if it is. I could be hallucinating and just imagining it as I still have nightmares about the way lotus smells. The bottom line: So, so bad on me. This lived up to my nightmares.

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: When reviews started to come out for this one I nearly cried because I'd passed it up when I got to the "animalistic" part of the description. Animalistic invariably means "cat pee" on me, but everyone is raving about this one and I'm kicking myself at this point. First sniff: Hmm, interesting...definitely not a strong, animalistic, "cat pee" type of musk...more of a soft, barely there skin musk with a hint of herbs in the far, far background. This smells like nighttime to me for some reason...like night and crisp air. I'm really kicking myself at this point. Wet on skin: A bit like Oisin in it's musk and herbs approach, but certainly not the same by any stretch of the imagination. Buck Moon is clean and almost sweet in its muskiness...it's like the Blue Moon of musk scents if that makes any sense at all. Why didn't I order this? Dry down: Oh, this is so beautiful! It's light, slightly green and a tiny bit sweet, but musky at the same time. It's simultaneously clean and natural and intensely beautiful. I'm going to have to get a bottle of this, one way or another. The bottom line: The reviews were right, this is amazing! I'm so, so upset with myself that I passed this one up when I had the chance.

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: I don't expect to like this since I'm not a floral fan, but I wanted to try it anyway just because it's an LE and I want to know what it's like. First sniff: This reminds me of department store perfume (I'm sorry) for some reason. Very perfumey and floral with a light touch of spice in the background. This is definitely not going to work for me. At all. Wet on skin: Very strong, intense, heady flowers. I have absolutely no clue what's in here since I'm terrible with floral notes, but all I can say is that it smells like being buried alive in flower petals of all shapes and colors. For someone else, I'm sure that could be a wonderful thing indeed, but for me it's...bad. I'm already getting a horrible headache just from smelling the little dab I put on my wrist to test this. Dry down: I smell something that might be honeysuckle in this, but it's the only thing I can even begin to pin down aside from saying that this is floral in the extreme. There really is something spicy in here, too, but I'm not sure if it's carnation or another spicy flower or not a flower at all. The bottom line: Definitely not for me. I'm getting a horrible headache from this and I need to wash it off in a hurry.

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: I love the name, but the notes aren't for me. I really, truly hate florals and Dreamland is chocked full of them. First sniff: A clean, white floral blend, not heady and headache-inducing the way jasmine can be. This reminds me of an expensive designer perfume for some reason. It's not bad as far as florals go, but it's not for me. Wet on skin: A soft, clean white smelling floral with a touch of muskiness. Something in here is going a bit sour on my skin (I can smell it changing already), but I have no idea what it is since I almost never wear floral scents. Dry down: The carnation is coming out a bit now, but this is still mainly a soft, white floral. Rather unassuming and quiet smelling. The bottom line: Not for me because it's an intensely floral blend, but pretty enough in its own way.

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: This is another scent I don't expect to work for me. I love rosemary and oakmoss, but florals almost never work for me and musk has a tendency to go horribly wrong on my skin, although there are definitely exceptions. First sniff: Hoo-ey, that's floral! I get a huge, huge whiff of flowers (the jasmine and lily, I think) with a background of rosemary (lovely!) when I open my imp. This is definitely going to be far too floral for me, I can tell that now. Wet on skin: The oakmoss and rosemary are stronger now and The Sleeper is less floral on me. The lily and jasmine are still very apparent, but they aren't as intense as they were in the imp. This is a sort of creamy, light floral with a seductiveness about it (the jasmine) mixed with herbs and a touch of woodsiness, but it's still not for me. Dry down: All jasmine now. Unfortunately, I don't like jasmine except in very rare circumstances. I'm not really disappointed that this didn't work for me, but it would have been nice if it had. The bottom line: Far too floral for my tastes. I'm just not a floral kind of girl.

Origin: Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana. Preconceived notions: I don't expect to like this. It's only got two notes in it that generally work on me. The rest are notes that never, ever work for me, but I want to try this one. Just because. First sniff: Floral oranges. This reminds me of expensive potpurri for some reason. The blood orange is very prominent, but the rose and gardenia also put in a strong appearance and the amber pokes its head in way in the background. I know this isn't going to work, but it's certainly interesting. Wet on skin: The red musk is stronger now and it's making this more of a musky orange scent than a floral orange scent. The flowers are still here and putting in a strong appearance, but it's not the same on me as it was in the imp. Dry down: Strong oranges and amber (but thankfully not sour milk amber) with a background of musk and flowers. This really is a nice scent, but it's just not for me. The bottom line: I can't pull off scents like this and they don't really appeal to me as scents on me, but this is a surprisingly lovely scent, all the same.

Preconceived notions: This one's intriguing sounding. I adore patchouli and beeswax (nice to see it in a BPAL scent!), balsam and oakmoss, but juniper often goes wrong on me for some reason, as do honey and musk. I'm not sure whether this is going to work or not, but it's fascinating sounding! First sniff: Mmm, earthy and woodsy! I smell the patchouli (love it!), the oakmoss, maybe some juniper and a tiny touch of beeswax. This is so intense and dark smelling. This smells perfect for me. I just hope it doesn't completely change on my skin the way some scents do. Wet on skin: Mmm, this is good! The patchouli is still the dominant note, but the oakmoss, musk and beeswax are right behind it. It's slightly sweet, intensely dirty and right up my alley at this point. Dry down: Hmm, this changed as it dried...it's musky and a little sweet, but not the beeswax sweet of the wet stage, the honey is coming out. This reminds me a bit of an occult store, but also of old beeswax candles, when they've lost most of their scent and are starting to crack. I'm not sure if this is going to work or not...I like it, but I'm not sure if it's working for me or not. The bottom line: I think this is going to be one of those ones I have a hard time making up my mind about. It's interesting and quite pretty on the dry down, but I'm not sure if it really works on me or not.

Preconceived notions: This could go either way on me. I love boozy scents, but musk often smells like cat pee on me if it's not the right type for my skin. First sniff: Ooh, that's musky...and sweet. This is an unusual scent. It's definitely swarthy smelling and yet it's somehow feminine in its sweetness. It's a down and dirty, yes smutty scent. I'm not sure if this is going to work on me or not, but it's certainly interesting. Wet on skin: This reminds me of Snake Oil for some reason. They're definitely not the same scent, but there's a certain family resemblance...musk and sweetness with maybe a touch of booze. I certainly wasn't expecting that! Dry down: I actually really like this! It's like Snake Oil's smuttier cousin. Heavy, dirty musk with a vanilla-like sweetness and a touch of what reminds me of whiskey. I wasn't expecting this to work this well, so I'm pleasantly surprised!

Preconceived notions: I want to love this one, but I've been hearing some things that worry me a bit: namely that it smells like cinnamon red hots. I like cinnamon but it doesn't always work on me, so I'm a bit nervous. First sniff: This definitely has a cinnamony kick to it. I can't imagine what it would be that's doing it...maybe the cassia? I've never smelled cassia on its own, so I wouldn't know. Overall, Red Phoenix is spicy, a bit fruity and sweet. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Bengal, which doesn't bode well. Wet on skin: Very similar to Bengal for some reason. I was hoping for more red musk, patchouli and plum, but this is all cinnamony spice with a bit of sweetness on me and it's just not working. Dry down: Unfortunately, I don't get any of the notes I was hoping for out of this (red musk, patchouli, benzoin, plum and tobacco). All I get are the notes that worried me, overlaid with a mysterious spiciness that reminds me of chai tea. The bottom line: This is a nice scent, there's no doubt about it, and I'm sure other people would love it, but it's just not working for me.

A scent for all rabble-rousing, nose-thumbing reprobates: black plum, champaca flower, dark musk, patchouli, narcissus and scorched sandalwood. Origin: 10mL from a lovely lady on LiveJournal whose name is escaping me for some reason. Preconceived notions: This sounds absolutely amazing. I adore plum, patchouli and sandalwood and the rest sounds like it could be gorgeous. I've got a torrid love affair going with black plum at the moment and I was absolutely heartbroken when I realized I couldn't afford to buy this from BPTP because I could only buy the statue and scent together ($50 is too much for my bank account to handle right now), so I almost literally peed with glee when said LJ user offered me her bottle. I'm desperately hoping this lives up to my expectations, even if hating it would be better for my bank account and my sanity (no desperate need to acquire more and all). First sniff: Mmm, Hellion reminds me of Queen of Spades mixed with Snake Charmer and a dab of Penitence with a tiny dose of little white flowers thrown in (very subtle flowers, otherwise this might be a very bad thing). This is everything I'd hoped for and more. This is perfect for me! Wet on skin: Whoa! That's a big change! Suddenly, I get a huge gust of scorched sandalwood (and I do mean scorched, that's absolutely the right description for it), powder and something almost astringently incense-like, which I'm imagining is the champaca flower. Why? No idea, but it feels right. There's no plum here, no musk, no patchouli...just a harsh, grating scent that's somehow destroyed smelling. I'm not sure how well this is going to work at this point. I often get weird scent stages, but this one's weird even by my standards. Dry down: Ahh, there we go. It's dying down now. Apparently my skin chemistry just knocked it for a loop. This smells like a sandalwood incense I used to burn when I was in my first year of college. Very dry and almost powdery with a nose-tickling side that makes me want to sneeze. There's a tiny touch of plum in the background - not an obvious touch, but one that I can smell all the same. This smells like incense in the most intense way...not incense smoke, incense. As in the little cones themselves, mixed with the slightest touch of dark purple fruit. This is good. Really, really good. It's not a sweet incense blend like Penitence and Cathedral, or a rounded one like Anne Bonny, it's harsh and dry and very intense. The bottom line: I had some doubts about this one once it hit my skin, but I love the drydown on this (and the way it smells in the bottle, so I can use it in a scent locket, too). I was hoping for more plum in this since I'm still mourning the loss of Queen of Spades (and King of Spades), but Hellion more than makes up for it in its intensity and uniqueness. This isn't just a recombination of BPAL scents, this has something different about it. Hellion has character.

NECRO-EDIT: My tastes in perfume have changed to include some foody scents and I can wear chocolate blends without feeling queasy now, so it's time for an updated review! Rather than delete the entire thing and start over (because the scent descriptions are still completely accurate; it's just my tastes that have changed), I'm just going to edit the parts that aren't applicable anymore. Origin: Sniffy from the lovely Savannah. Preconceived notions: I like to eat brownies, but generally speaking, chocolate scents make me a bit queasy. I do want to try this, though, because I love to try all the LE scents and because I know that Beth will have nailed the scent on this one, the same as she's done with so many other scents. (ETA: Chocolate scents don't make me queasy anymore! I can tolerate and even love quite a few of them now. I'm leaving this portion of the review alone, though, because it represents my true preconceived notions from before I ever sniffed Lump of Coal.) First sniff: Good Lord, brownies! And I do mean brownies. Thick, rich, gooey brownies. Wet on skin: Brownies in liquid form. The thick, gooey kind instead of the cakey, crumbly kind. Beth really did nail this scent right on the head, the same as she did with Snowblind. As I'm sure we all know, she's a very talented scentstress (that's like seamstress, only with scents...I can make it a word, I have the technology!). Dry down: Prepare yourself, this will come as a shock...brownies! Chewy, gooey, chocolate fudge brownies in liquid form. I'd swear my mom had a pan of them in the oven, this is so realistic. The bottom line: Astonishingly realistic. I've kept my precious little decant all these years because it's so fascinatingly true to life. I would open it up and sniff it every now and then, just because it's so realistic. It doesn't just smell like chocolate. It smells like brownies. Real, fresh-baked, gooey brownies, not the cheap, fake-smelling brownie scent that so many other similarly themed perfumes have. It's uncanny! Now that I can wear chocolate scents without feeling green around the gills, Lump of Coal is something I really enjoy wearing now and then. It's not an everyday scent (like most foody blends) because I don't want to smell like brownies most days. But in spite of that, it's actually one of my favorite BPAL foody blends now. It's a fun scent to wear when I'm in the mood for smelling like cheerful and foody.

Preconceived notions: This sounded a bit like Skadi to me, so I was instantly interested, especially considering it's being a general catalogue scent. I'm a bit worried about the "sweet berries", but the rest sounds wonderful. First sniff: Oh, boy, that's definitely not like Skadi. It actually reminds me more of Loup Garou than anything for some reason...a very sharp, but deeper pine note that's almost juniper-like. I'm not sure if I'm going to like this because pines like this tend to go "cleaning fluid" on me. Wet on skin: Interesting...this strikes me as being a sort of combination of Loup Garou, Burial and Yuletide. It's strange in a way I'm not sure I like. This may be a bit too close to "cleaning fluid" for me, because it's starting to get sharper as soon as it touches my skin, the same way Burial started to after a while of wearing it (hence the reason I got rid of it). Dry down: Pretty much the same as when it was wet. This is an odd one for me...logistically it should be perfect for me - woodsy, piney, intense - but it's just...off somehow. I know I won't love all pine scents but I'm surprised by Yew-Trees' not feeling right to me. I'd almost lump it in the same category as Gnome which also went a bit odd on me. I don't think this is for me, which is pretty upsetting. The bottom line: I wanted to love this, but it's just not working for me. Something in here feels "off" for some reason.

Preconceived notions: Another one that I want to love for the imagery alone. I don't normally love mints (although there are certainly exceptions - Snowblind being one of them), but something about this was calling me and I had to try it. First sniff: Smells a bit like those after dinner mints...spearminty and pepperminty at the same time. Warmer than I'd expected, but not as warm as Snowblind. This certainly isn't sharp and stabbing the way some mint blends can be, but it's not a soothing, creamy mint, either. Wet on skin: Creamy but not as creamy as Snowblind. Sweet and pepperminty, but not sharp and stabbing. It is a bit candy-like, but at the same time it's almost like freshly picked peppermint sprigs. I smell something almost like fir or evergreen in here, too, which is odd since it's not mentioned in the description. Dry down; There's something almost aquatic here, too...a bit snowy, but a bit sweet. I get mint and evergreen and something akin to BPAL's sweet aquatic blends (the ones that normally make me break out in hives for some reason). No hives yet, but that could be because this isn't really a sweet aquatic and just smells like one (there is a hint of ozone here that suggests that it's not). This is completely not what I was expecting but quite beautiful! The bottom line: I was expecting pure mint, but Nuclear Winter is so much more. Mint, evergreen, ozone...this is a very unusual, barren cold scent. I love it!

Preconceived notions: I want to love this so desperately. The description just drew me in like a magnet and I adore the imagery. Birch and fir sound wonderful and the snow doesn't sound bad...this sounds a bit like Skadi, which could be very, very good. I really, really hope this works for me. First sniff: Ooh, pretty...it is a bit like Skadi and a bit like Mistletoe. Slushy snow and fir needles with a touch of wood. It's not as close to Skadi as I'd like, but it's very pretty! Wet on skin: Very similar to Mistletoe on me. A sort of slushy snow and true pine scent with just a hint of something that could be winter berries. There's nothing artificial about this at all...it's so...wintery. Dry down: Sharper than both Mistletoe and Skadi, almost like Yuletide in some respects...not red like Yuletide, but sharp like it. This one's a hard one to explain for some reason, but I really like this. This is winter in a bottle, pure and simple. The bottom line: I really like this! It combines aspects of two of my BPAL winter loves, Mistletoe and Skadi, with something unique to itself to create a lovely, slushy, crisp winter scent. I really like this!

Preconceived notions: I'm fascinated by the imagery in this one...I love incense and metallic blood sounds good to me (see Bed of Nails for more on my love of metallic smells) but I'm nervous about it being dragon's blood. I used to love dragon's blood but all of a sudden I developed an aversion to it that even I can't explain. I'm definitely curious, though. This could go either way. First sniff: Odd...it smells almost cologne-like but with an incense undertone. It's not metallic, really...it's more...astringent somehow. I'm not sure if I'm going to like this or not. Wet on skin: Wow, that's...weird. It's slightly metallic but not quite...right. There's something musky here, too, that's throwing my nose off. I have absolutely no idea what it could be, but it reminds me strongly of all the BPAL musk blends I've hated (Haunted is the first to come to mind). I don't get incense anymore, just sharp muskiness bordering on the ever-dreaded cat pee. Dry down: Eww, eww, eww! Musk, screaming, in-your-face, cat pee musk! My skin chemistry loves to latch onto anything even remotely musky and turn it into sometihng overpowering and downright unpleasant, which seems to be what's happening here. The bottom line: I wanted to love this, but it's just not happening. Something in here is distinctly musky and it's getting amped up in a bad way on me.

Preconceived notions: I want to love this. I love rats and the dust and wood sound wonderful, but the "feral" part worries me, as does the "sharp" undertone. I have a feeling this is going to be a love/hate scent for me. I'm either going to love it or I'm going to hate it. First sniff: Eww, sharp and sour and musky all at once. This reminds me a bit of cat pee for some reason. Wet on skin: The wood and dust are coming out more now. It's dusty but still...sharp, somehow. That has to be the musk. For some reason certain musks strike my nose as very sharp and offensive and I'm not sure why. I do like the dusty part of this, though, even if it's making me feel like I'm about to sneeze. Dry down: Interesting...very much a BPAL kind of scent. What I mean is it's unusual, certainly not like anything I've ever tried before scentwise and strangely alluring even in its oddness. This reminds me of something, but I'm not sure what...it's a bit dirty, but in a dusty way...could be the smell of our old basement (it's not as bad as it sounds, really...I like the smell of dust, even if I'm allergic to it). This is really strange...I'm not sure if this is me or not yet. The bottom line: This one's going to have to be tested a couple more times before I make up my mind. It's strangely appealing...it keeps urging me to sniff my wrists but at the same time there's something about it that puts me on edge. Odd, but in a good way.

Preconceived notions: I was one of the few people who loved last year's Hearth (at least once it got past the candied cherry stage), so I'm curious about this year's, but the chestnuts worry me. I love cedar and pine and brown sugar and honey could potentially be good (but they'll probably be bad), so I'm not sure how this is going to go. First sniff: The butter note reminds me of my favorite Chaos Theory (CLVI, I think it is...whichever is in my signature image) and of the original Hellfire, but only in passing. There's wood and smoke underneath it and a hint of nuttiness that worries me. I have a feeling this is going to be a near miss...I love most of this, but the nuttiness doesn't bode well. Wet on skin: Oh, wow, this is similar to my Chaos Theory. The pine ratchets up as soon as it hits my skin and this is far less foody. It's like buttered pine trees. As odd as that sounds, it's really not bad at all. Quite Christmasy and comforting. An odd combination to be sure, but quite nice. Dry down: How weird...I expected this to go wrong on me because of the chestnuts, but on me Hearth 2005 is a strong pine blend (similar to Mistletoe) with an overlay of sweet butter. Very interesting and definitely unusual. I actually like this quite a bit, surprisingly. The bottom line: This was way different than I'd expected it to be. I was afraid of the chestnuts, but all I get is brisk pine with an overlay of sugared butter.

Origin: Oneheart on the Lush NA forum. Preconceived notions: Mitzvah was the only Nice scent that appealed to me (I hate lemon and melon as scents), so I was upset to find Snow Angel in my package instead of the Mitzvah I was hoping for, but I managed to find a lovely swapper and now I have a bottle. I know people have been calling this super sweet and foody and likening it to Sugar Skull, so I'm expecting something sweet and syrupy rather than the sweet cream and toffee type scent I'd initially imagined. First sniff: Oh, wow...foo-dy and intense. This is similar to Sugar Skull but more toffee-like as opposed to syrup-like. I don't normally do foody scents (especially not super sweet ones), but this is surprisingly appealing to me, possibly because of my newly acquired love of Lush's Honey I Washed The Kids soap, which smells of toffee and honey. Wet on skin: Ooh...caramel, toffee and heavy cream. It's not cloying in the way I would have imagined this kind of scent being (more like Hellcat or Gluttony, I mean). It's somehow light-hearted and comforting...very homey and soothing although it's not my normal kind of scent. Dry down: Heavy cream with just a touch of toffee. This is what I'd imagined Mitzvah would smell like and it's wonderful! Sweet but not cloying, comforting and homey. This suits me so much better than Snow Angel even though I normally avoid sticky sweet scents like the plague. The bottom line: I love this. I only wish we could buy more of the Inquisition scents that we love so I wouldn't have to ration this.

If you like almonds, I think you'd most likely love Baron Samedi even if he doesn't. I, on the other hand, am allergic to almond essential oil and can't wear any perfume with it in it.

I've never smelled the Burt's Bees bay rum version, but just keep in mind that Baron Samedi is extremely strong on the almond note, which a lot of bay rum scents aren't. Which is a damn shame because I wanted to love the Baron and he was the single worst experience (aside from maybe Voodoo, which I also wanted to adore) of my BPAL experience.

Origin: I got an imp of this from a lovely LJer who answered my plea to be Spanked. Preconceived notions: I wanted this more than any of the scents in the Inquisition, even Snowblind that I'd given up hope on ever getting to try. It sounded absolutely perfect for me and I quite literally cried when I got two bottles of Snowblind with my Inquisitions instead of the hoped and prayed for Snowblind and Spanked. So now I get to try it and I'm all atwitter with excitement. First sniff: Hmm, spicy, a bit leather-like with just a touch of booze. This is sexy! It's a bit like Loviatar but mixed with cardamom and a hint of bourbon (one of my favorite notes in the whole world of wonderful scents). I don't smell any patchouli which is a bit disappointing since I love patchouli even more than I do bourbon, but this is still gorgeous. Wet on skin: Whoa, spices! The cardamom kicks into overdrive on my skin and I smell a bit like Villainess' Ginger Snapped smooch if it were mixed with their Antihero soap. Not a bad thing at all...spicy and warm with a hint of leather. This is sexy! Dry down: Oh, God...that's what I was waiting for. The cardamom suddenly takes a nosedive and out comes the bourbon and patchouli, mingling with the leather and putting all sorts of naughty thoughts in my head. This is debauched pure and simple. Is it hot in here? The bottom line: Whoo, baby, this is everything I'd hoped for! I wish I could buy 4 or 5 more bottles of it. This is going to be an instant favorite.

Preconceived notions: I don't know if Lenore will work for me, although I hope it does. I like vetiver and thyme and love white musk, smoke, patchouli and plum, but the lemon peel worries me. First sniff: Strong vetiver with a background of plum and patchouli. Very dark and somber smelling and extremely intense. This is a bold scent, no question about it. Wet on skin: As soon as Lenore hits my skin, the lemon comes rushing to the surface and I get a strong lemon scent with a bit of patchouli and thyme. Dry down: Lemon, patchouli and plum. If it weren't for the lemon, I would love this, but I just can't get past the lemon being so prominent in this one. The bottom line: I wanted to love Lenore, but apparently she has other plans.