Penance

Origin: I got an imp of this from the lovely pranashakti. First sniff: Spicy and hot and...metallic smelling, somehow, pranashakti's right. This reminds me of Uranus but nowhere near as cinnamony...it's more like a resiny cousin of Uranus. This smells damn good. I'm tempted to wear this for scent alone. Wet on skin: I put this on the back of my neck (getting married and don't want it mingling with the Blue Lilac that's my main scent), so it's hard to smell, but I'm getting whiffs of something akin to The Lion mixed with something fiery and slightly metallic but also slightly resiny. It's warm and comforting, but strong and powerful at the same time. Very hard to describe, but very pretty. In terms of why I'm using this scent today, let me put it this way...there's been a lot of tension going on between my fiance's family and my family culiminating in a huge knock-down, drag-out fight between me and his mother yesterday that ended in me having a nasty asthma attack and wondering if I should call off the wedding. On top of that, my parents and his mother are polar opposites. They just clash in so many ways and I need some protection. And on top of that my sister-in-law who I've never really gotten along with is here and I need some protection from her, too. I'm in desperate need of a fiery wall of protection right about now, so I've got high hopes for this one. Dry down: Pleasantly spicy. Warm and resinous, but also spicy and metallic. It makes me feel strong and invincible, like none of the people who have been getting on my nerves can hurt me and, I can say without a moment's hesitation that this works. No fights, no hurt feelings, no awkward silences or culture clashes. Nothing. Just love and happiness from everyone. The bottom line: I couldn't be happier with the effects of this one, it's an absolute lifesaver. I'm 100% positive that this one saved my wedding day for me and my new husband.

Preconceived notions: I'm not (generally speaking) a fruity kind of girl or a floral kind of girl, but I had to try this anyway because I do love pink pepper, ginger, white tea and lighter musks. And brains. I'm reasonably fond of pineapple and kiwi as fragrances, as well, so I may very well like this. First sniff: Ooh, nowhere near as in-your-face sweet and fruity as I'd feared. There's indeed fruit in here, but there's also ginger, pepper, tea and musk (and some sort of floral - jasmine, I think). I'd envisioned (and feared) some sort of fruit punch meets aromatherapy kind of scent, the kind that says "Hey, you're a brain in a jar, but it's not so bad. Sit back, relax, have a drink and listen to some new age synthesizer music," but this is definitely not that. More subdued and quite lovely. Wet on skin: For once all the fruit disappears once this hits my skin. Suddenly it's all florals and ginger with a hint of tea and musk. I'm not sure if I'd rather smell fruity or floral, since neither one really appeals to me, but I'm thinking that in this case, I'd prefer the fruit to the florals. This isn't bad at all, it's just not something I'd normally wear. Dry down: All the florals and fruit seem to have gone MIA and I'm left with a sort of peppery, ginger/tea/white musk scent with the tiniest hint of peony. This is much better than when it was wet and it's actually what I was hoping to get out of this. All the notes I don't like have disappeared and all the ones I do like are hanging around for once, so yay! Go Brains! The bottom line: I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. It's definitely a morpher on me, but I'm not sure if that's skin chemistry or just the nature of Braaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnnsss. Sorry, can't help myself.

You're very welcome!

A bright, bittersweet scent honoring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarajas, the Shingon's Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshipped by all those in the sex industry, musicians, and - oddly - landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea. Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: Truth be told, I have no clue what kaki or mikan smell like, so I'm not sure what to expect from this. It does have black tea, though, which is one of my favorite notes. First sniff: Clean, soapy, floral and a bit fruity/citrusy all at once. The cherry blossom is pretty prominent as is the yuzu. No black tea yet, but not bad even though it's not really me. Wet on skin: The same as in the imp. Normally there's at least a small change in scents once I put them on, but not Aizen-Myoo. While this is completely opposite of the scents I normally wear and enjoy, I like this. It's unexpected smelling, somehow...relaxing and clean and ever-so-slightly fruity. Dry down: Cherry blossoms. A lot of cherry blossoms. We had cherry trees in our backyard when I was growing up and I remember the smell of those little white flowers very well. Aizen-Myoo smells innocent to me, maybe because I'm associating it with my childhood. The bottom line: I actually like this even though I normally wouldn't go for something like this if I were picking out scents to try.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I've waffled over trying La Belle au Bois Dormant since it was released (love the name, not so fond of florals), so I'm really glad I finally get to try it. Even if I hate the smell, I love it for the name alone, although it would be wonderful if I ended up loving the scent, too. First sniff: Ooh, pretty! Definitely not my normal kind of scent, but beautiful nonetheless and so perfect for a scent named after Sleeping Beauty. I smell pear (a note I'm learning to love), plumeria and a jumble of other florals. It's not too floral for me, though, which is a huge surprise and a very good thing. Wet on skin: More floral now (which isn't a surprise since my skin chemistry amps up florals_ but it still has that lovely pear note that keeps this from venturing into "flower shop" territory. There's also something in there that smells quite a bit like white musk and that gives this more depth and character. Dry down: I swear, this smells like there's white musk in here...maybe it's the "evening dew" I'm smelling. Either way, I smell white musk, a bit of pear and some sort of heady flowers that still manage not to be offensively (to my nose, I mean) floral. I actually really like this quite a bit, surprisingly. The bottom line: I really like this. It reminds me of Juliet only more "me." I may get a bottle of this.

I know some people have tried "airing" their oils. Try this thread...I know there was a discussion about it not too long ago: Aging BPAL.

I imagine they're just from different batches and you just happened to get them near the same time. Some scents seem to be prone to smelling (and sometimes looking) very different depending on the batch they came from. Of course, I could be entirely wrong, but it seems to be the most logical explanation to me. I know Morocco is one of those ones that seems to vary quite a bit and Scherezade was entirely different the last time I got it (didn't smell the same, didn't even look the same), so it's definitely not unheard of.

Try this thread: BPAL and pregnancy. It might give you some of the information you're looking for.

First sniff: Lime. Fresh-squeezed lime and maybe lavender, too. I was worried the smell of this might not appeal to me the way Somnus doesn't, but I really like this! It reminds me of a margarita, strangely enough...like lime and salt almost, but with lavender added. Wet on skin: The lime is a lot less intense now and the lavender is really coming out in full force. It's not too sharp and definitely not disagreeable smelling even though I'm not a big lavender fan. Maybe it's the power of suggestion, but I put this on and it was like all my tense muscles relaxed at once. I don't care what the reason is, I'm just glad I feel calm for the first time in far too long. Dry down: This isn't tolerable scent-wise the way Somnus is for me, it's downright beautiful. I'd wear this for the scent alone, to tell the truth, but I get the added bonus of feeling wonderful to boot. The lime has made a reappearance and is overpowering the lavender again, which is fine by me. I really like this and I think I'm going to need more. The bottom line: A winner on all fronts: looks good (love the label), smells good (never would have thought lime and lavender would go together) and works well (I feel wonderful).

Origin: I got an imp of this from Diana. Preconceived notions: I highly doubt this will work for me. At all. I didn't order it for that very reason, but because I aim to try every BPAL LE there is, I'm giving Ides a go. First sniff: Confusing smelling. One sniff I get all fragrant herbs (a good thing), the next I get citrus and florals (a bad thing). This is definitely unusual and very complex smelling to my nose. I'm not familiar with a few notes in here, so I'm wondering if I'm smelling them, but I can't say because I don't know what to sniff for. Wet on skin: Rosemary really jumps out at me as soon as I put this on, which is a good thing, but all the notes I don't really care for are making themselves known, too. Almost immediately, the florals and lemon start overpowering the rosemary and taking over the scent, which is what I had a feeling might happen. Dry down: Not a bad scent, really. It's not aggressively floral or herbal now. It's more like expensive men's cologne, the type that makes me think of fireplaces and brandy snifters. I actually rather like this one once it has a chance to dry. I might try this on the boy next. The bottom line: A rather pleasant surprise, given time to dry. I doubt I'll need more than my imp, but not bad.

Preconceived notions: I fully expect to really not like this one. I ordered it completely on a whim (and out of LE paranoia) but flowers generally aren't my thing, so I have a feeling Beltane won't like me. First sniff: That's definitely flowers, all right. I'm terrible at identifying most florals, so I'm not even going to try. All I can say is that it's soft and slightly sweet (like honeysuckle), not heady and intense or powdery. As far as florals go, this is really very pretty. Wet on skin: Now this is veering into the territory that I'm not so fond of. This was more like Pele in the bottle (soft, unoffensive florals) but now it's like a garden in full riotous bloom. It's not a bad thing, just not me. I'm sure a floral lover would adore this, though. Dry down: Pretty much the same as when it was wet. Flowers, flowers and more flowers. I swear I can even smell the pollen this is so realistic, but it's just not me. At all. I'm just not a floral kind of girl, unfortunately, so I just can't give Beltane the love it deserves. The bottom line: For someone else, this would be beautiful, I'm sure, but for me? Not so much. Beltane's finding a new home.

Thanks, shell! :D Squishy brains!

So anyone got a pic of the Brains label? I hear it's cute and brainerific! And I want to see the squishy brains, too. I can't wait for my CnS!

Preconceived notions: I have extremely high hopes or this one. It sounds absolutely perfect for me and if it doesn't work it's going to break my heart. First sniff: This is similar to Samhain only more piney and less...oppressive, maybe? Holding the bottle away from my nose, Hexennacht and Samhain are almost indistinguishable, which is fantastic since I'm mourning my poor lost Samhain bottles. This is gorgeous! Wet on skin: Lighter than in the bottle and much more smoky. This is a bonfire in the middle of a pitch black pine forest. It's clandestine but celebratory at the same time. This has all the smoke and fire I loved in Djinn, but it's more wearable and less...acrid, I suppose. It's not so much like the embers in a fireplace as it is the fire itself and the curling smoke. Dry down: A roaring bonfire made with pine needles and a hint of incense smoke. This is gorgeous, pure and simple. It's got enough pine and herbs to keep it from being overwhelmingly smoky and ashy, but not enough to take the focus away from that gorgeous bonfire smell, which is just perfect. I'm amazed by how realistic this is. Bravo, Beth! The bottom line: Everything I'd hoped for and more. This one's an instant favorite (and a lovely alternative to Samhain for days when I want a little autumn in my life).

Preconceived notions: If there wasn't any black musk in this, I'd say it sounded absolutely perfect, but black musk and I have a rocky relationship and it's not always pretty, so I'm a bit leery in spite of my love of patchouli and myrrh. First sniff: Smells earthy and powdery at the same time. The powdery bit is either the orris or the musk since the darker musks often end up smelling like baby powder to me. I'm a bit leery of this since powdery scents and I don't get along. At all. Wet on skin: Mmm, patchouli...I'm a patchouli nut (inner hippie, don't ya know?) so that's definitely a good thing. The musk is really popping up, too, though, and while it's not baby powder, it is smelling a bit too much like unwashed animal for me. I'm just not a fan of the darker musks is all. Dry down: Almost all musk on me now, which is unfortunate since I would have really preferred for the musk to take a back seat to the patchouli and myrrh. My skin chemistry amps up musk far more than I'd like, though, unfortunately. The bottom line: Dark, heavy musk and I don't get along terribly well, unfortunately, and my skin chemistry made Dance of Death into Dance of Musk. What a shame.

First sniff: Smells like...sweetgrass! I like this! It's soft and faintly herbal and very pretty. I'd be pretty surprised if there wasn't any sweetgrass in this because it's literally all I can smell in Strength. I'm rather hoping this one doesn't morph on me because this is beautiful as is. Wet on skin: Beautiful, clean sweetgrass. It's vaguely reminiscent of a non-scorched version of Scarecrow, which is nice because as much as I like Scarecrow, it's a little too scorched for me lately. This, though, is soft and understated and very, very natural smelling. It reminds me of corn fields and meadows and sunshine and running around barefoot all summer long. Dry down: I still smell nothing but sweetgrass, which is just fine by me. I've been having terrible luck with the Tarot Oils lately, so it's a relief to find one that actually works (apart from Death, that is) for a change. My only complaint is that there's a very faint powderiness in this is in the far background that's making me think there might be very well-disguised roses in here, but it's barely there and not enough to bother me. The bottom line: Clean, natural and homey smelling. For me, extremely comforting and lovely. I'm going to need a bottle of this, I think.

First sniff: The first thing I smell is musk - both types, red and black. It's warm and sensual and borders on being too much without quite crossing the line. Next comes a slight hint of dragon's blood (it's definitely not the dominant note in this one) and some dark fruits that could be the currant or the fig. I can't really tell right now. Wet on skin: The black musk is extremely strong now on me. It's that almost cat pee smell that borders between being improbably sensual and rather unpleasant in large quantities. I think this is a little too strong on the black musk front for me right at the moment because that's all I can smell. Dry down: Nothing but black musk, which I'm sure is a skin chemistry issue since I've had this happen before with other blends with black musk in them. I can only wear it in moderation and, unfortunately, Dragon's Heart crosses the line into "way too much" territory. The bottom line: Too intense in the black musk department for me, unfortunately. It'll be finding a new home. ETA: Extremely belated review update time! In the years since I first found BPAL, I've started to love musk blends, especially the red variety, so I decided to try Dragon's Heart again and bought a bottle. I have to say that I'm glad I did because I'm loving it now. No cat pee, and the black musk isn't too overpowering. Dragon's Heart is a delicious red musk and dragon's blood blend, with hints of fruit in the background. It's rich and resinous, but musky and sweet at the same time.

First sniff: Very heavy on the musk (surprise!) with only a hint of dragon's blood. Dark, heavy musks rarely work on me, but I'm not giving up hope on this one just yet. Wet on skin: Black musk and lots of it. It's the same "almost cat pee" note I get in Dragon's Heart, which is my skin's reaction to a lot of the darker musks. I had a feeling this would happen, but this is the only Ars Draconis scent I've not tried yet, so I had to give it a shot anyway. Dry down: The musk is much more subdued now. No more cat pee, just strongly sensual smelling musk with a bit of dragon's blood. It's still not quite me, but it's much better than when it was wet. The bottom line: I'm not a huge fan of the heavier, darker musks, so this isn't quite my cup of tea, but I'm glad I gave it a shot anyway. ETA: Another super belated review update! In the 6+ years since I tried Dragon's Musk for the first time, I've completely changed my opinion about musky scents. I love them now. So with that in mind, I bought a bottle of Dragon's Musk "unsniffed" (it may as well have been, as far as I'm concerned, since it had been more than 6 years since I'd smelled it and I couldn't remember what it actually smelled like) and gave it another try. So new review time! Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I know that I didn't care for Dragon's Musk the first time around and that it was because the musk bordered on smelling like cat pee. Luckily, that's not an issue I have anymore, so my skin chemistry has apparently changed. That or my nose has decided to interpret musk differently. Honestly, either one is possible. So, since I love musk now and it doesn't turn into or register as cat pee anymore and I like dragon's blood, I'm expecting to like this one. First sniff: This smells very similar to the majority of the other Ars Draconis blends. I find that they're subtle variations on a theme in the bottle (the exceptions of the ones I've tried being Dragon's Milk, Dragon's Heart and Ladon) and Dragon's Musk is no exception. I mainly get dragon's blood, but there's definitely musk here. It's not pungent, sharp or animalistic in the slightest. It's just rich and...well...musky. So far, so good! Wet on skin: Not too different than the other Draconis scents, but it does seem muskier on me than in the bottle, so maybe I'll get lucky and this will turn out to be one of the ones that breaks from the pack. Dry down: Ooh, I really like this. Somewhere along the line, the musk amps up quite a bit until it's the main note (notes, technically, since there's more than one type of musk here) with a backing of sweet, resinous dragon's blood. I couldn't identify all the musks that are in this, but I'm going to definitely say black musk is one of them. There's also something that makes me think of Ivanushka. A sort of fuzzy, warm, furry musk, which is unexpected since dragon's aren't exactly known for their luxurious pelts. I don't get any red musk here, but I suppose it could be lurking somewhere. Other than that, all I can say is that this is musky and warm. I have no idea why, but this smells like a headshop to me. I've never been in a headshop that smelled so strongly of musk, but that's the immediate association I'm getting. I happen to love the smell of a good headshop, so that's a good thing for me. The bottom line: So glad I gave Dragon's Musk another shot. It's easily one of my favorites of the Ars Draconis scents now, and one of the few that really smell noticeably different than their brethren.

Preconceived notions: I'm not a floral fan, so I'm not sure I'll like this, but it appealed to me for some reason and I intend to try it regardless. First sniff: Interesting. Floral, sweet, swampy, resin-like and slightly musky all at the same time. I'm not sure this is going to work, but it's very unusual to say the least. Wet on skin: The resin notes really stand out once I put this on. It's incense, but with an overlay of swampy cypress trees and sweet flowers. This strikes me as being one of the most unique scents I've smelled in a long time, even in terms of BPAL, which is almost always unique to begin with. Dry down: This reminds me overwhelmingly of a church at Easter...a Catholic church to be exact. Sweet, heady Easter flowers and incense smoke with a background of wood. This is both very complex and beautiful and very unique. I don't normally do floral scents, but this seems to be an exception to that rule. Really lovely! The bottom line: Far different than what I'd expected, but beautiful!

You know, I'm not! We've been together for almost 5 1/2 years and we've been engaged since October 2003 (a week before my 21st birthday), so I feel like we're already married and just making it official. I'm just stressed out with all the planning and all that. The only thing I'm worried about is that something is going to fall through at the last minute and things are going to implode or something.

Preconceived notions: I really, really doubt this will work on me. It sounds similar to Unseelie, which was a disaster on me, but I'll give it a shot. First sniff: Definitely not like Unseelie. I smell soft, sweet flowers (similar to honeysuckle) and vaguely soapy herbs. This is soft where Unseelie is sharp. It's very much a hazy kind of scent, like mist over a meadow. It's not my normal kind of scent, but so far it's not bad. Wet on skin: This reminds me of another scent...Juliet sans pear, maybe? I'm not sure. It's very soft and feminine but unoffensive to my gender neutral/masculine nose. It's clean smelling. Like spring in a meadow full of tiny flowers. Dry down: Mainly herbs now with a hint of sweetish flowers. I want to call this a more feminine Oisin, although it lacks the white musk note that Oisin has. This really isn't bad at all, though I prefer Oisin's slightly more gender neutral scent. The bottom line: I like this much more than I thought I would. It's feminine without being too feminie and very well-rounded.

Preconceived notions: I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what half the notes in this smell like (hyssop, coriander - sounds familiar, but I can't place it, epazote, I'm looking at you) and I don't like florals, but this sounded so exotic that it was hard to resist, although it was the prickly pear that did me in. First sniff: Smells like a mix between pineapple gummy bears and pear, which isn't as bad as it sounds. I also get a tiny little bit of amber and poppy, but mainly gummy bears and pear. Wet on skin: The pear really picks up once it hits my skin. All the gummy bear vibes disappear and I'm left with pear, a bit of sage and the barest hint of amber. The other notes might be here, too, but because I don't know what they smell like I can't say for sure. This is a complete 180 from my normal kind of scent, but I like it. Dry down: I can barely pick out any individual notes right now, but this smells perfect for the name. This is so pretty and so appropriate. The bottom line: Not an everyday scent for me, but a winner nonetheless.

Preconceived notions: I love rum and tobacco, but I'm worried about the bay rum in this since the Baron Samedi Incident. If there's no almond (or at least a very small amount) in this, I'll be fine, but if not I'm in trouble. First sniff: This reminds me of tropical smelling laundry detergent, truth be told. I'm getting a whole lot of tropical smelling flowers and a little bit of tobacco over a background of light soap. Right now it's too floral for my tastes, but hopefully it'll change once I put it on. Wet on skin: Less floral now, which is good and surprising since my skin tends to amp up florals. The tobacco is coming out nicely, but there's something powdery here, too...lime, maybe? Lime doesn't normally go powdery on me, but it's all I can think of. Dry down: Powdery tobacco and tropical flowers. Whatever it is in here that's going powdery is really killing this for me, which is a shame because I wanted to love this. The bottom line: Something in here's going powdery, even with only a tiny dab on. I wanted to love this, but it just isn't working for me.

I got lucky enough to get an imp of the old formulation of Hellfire from a fellow forumite, and I'm in love. Origin: Imp from provacateur. Thank you! Preconceived notions: This is my holy grail scent. The one I've been desperate to try since I found BPAL...I have such high hopes for this one even if everyone else says it smells like buttered popcorn. I love the smell of bourbon and everything else in this formulation sounds heavenly, so I'm very excited to get to try this! First sniff: Butter...not buttered popcorn, just butter. It's not bad, either. This is intense smelling...as in I can smell it without opening the imp intense. I knew this was the right formulation before I even unwrapped the bubble wrap on this one. Wet on skin: Oh, God, there we go...butter and bourbon and a touch of cream. I have no idea how Beth did it, but this is unbelieveable. So realistic and so good! I'm about to lick my wrists here in a minute. Dry down: I barely dabbed any on because I want to conserve this, but it's plenty intense as it is. Bourbon and cream with a soft butter note lingering in the background. This is decadent and delicious and so, sooooo good. I don't get any allspice, but that's fine because this is good as is. I love the smell of bourbon and it really comes through beautifully in this. The bottom line: I've lusted after this ever since I found BPAL and this does not disappoint. I need more...I'd bathe in this if I could. I'm almost afraid to wear it for fear of using up the half imp that I have.

Urd was super grapey on me until it had a chance to really reach its dry down.