Penance

My head sees "Baobhan Sith" and thinks, Bah-o-bahn  Sith.  Isn't he one of the Dark Lords from Star Wars?   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same here!

That's why I had to teach myself to pronounce it right. It just sounded ridiculous that way.

Origin:

Lagniappe from the Lab.

Preconceived notions:

There's no way I'm going to like this and I know that going into it. There's only one note in here (clove) that I like - the rest either don't appeal to me or downright hate me, but I'm willing to try it anyway.

First sniff:

Surprisingly, this strikes me as being a distant cousin of Dracul's. That has to be the orange blossom and clove coming through. It's floral, slightly cloying and very heavy on the orange blossom and neroli with just a hint of spice. While I love Dracul, this just doesn't do it for me.

Wet on skin:

Heavily perfumey, which means orange blossom. For some reason, I can't tolerate either orange blossom or neroli. They just make me cringe for some reason (except in Dracul, for reasons just as mysterious). This is just too cloyingly perfumey for me, just like I thought it was going to be.

Dry down:

All heavy, perfumey, cloying citrus florals without even a hint if spice. I knew Succubus wouldn't like me, so it's not a surprise, but I'm still a little disappointed the same way I am every time a BPAL scent hates me.

The bottom line:

Succubus and I weren't made for one another, that much is obvious. Hopefully someone else can love it.

Preconceived notions:

This sounds wonderful on paper, but I seem to remember it being referred to as strongly fruity, which doesn't bode well, unfortunately.

First sniff:

Well, that's definitely not what I was expecting. I was hoping for something spicy and resinous with a hint of fruit, but the blood orange is very prominent in this. I get the tiniest hint of pepper, but everything else is pure blood orange.

Wet on skin:

A little bit more peppery now, but still mainly blood orange. I love eating oranges, but when it comes to smelling like them, I'm not so interested. I'm just not a fruity kind of girl, so Kunstkammer's not doing it for me. It's warm and very rich and fruity and I'm sure someone with tastes that lean toward the fruity would love this, but it's not for me.

Dry down:

Peppery blood oranges. This scent is intense. The orange is rich and heady and sweet and the pepper gives it a nice depth, but, sadly, I'm just not the kind of girl who can really appreciate a scent like this.

The bottom line:

I'm sure someone inclined toward fruit scents and citrus would love this, so it's getting swapped.

Preconceived notions:

Snake Charmer sounds like the love child of Snake Oil and Queen of Spades (both of which I love). If it lives up to that, this is going to be an instant favorite.

First sniff:

Oh, God, this is the love child of Snake Oil and QoS! This is so utterly gorgeous I can't even begin to describe it. I smell plum and vanilla and coconut and spice and a gorgeous background of musk that gives it the most amazing depth. I thought Geek would be my favorite of the Carnaval Noir scents, but even it can't beat Snake Charmer.

Wet on skin:

As soon as this hits my skin, it turns into pure Snake Oil, with all the plum and coconut disappearing into thin air and leaving that musky, spicy vanilla scent that I love so much. I really wish the plum and coconut hadn't disappeared since I'm hopelessly in love with Queen of Spades and wanted something to replace it when I run out, but this is beautiful anyway.

Dry down:

The plum's making a slight comeback now, but it's still not nearly as strong as I'd like it to be. On the dry down, Snake Charmer is a soft musky vanilla scent with a hint of plum and coconut to it. I'm somewhat convinced that my hormones are throwing it out of whack and that if I try it again later the plum will come out in full force, but even if it doesn't, I really love this.

The bottom line:

If Snake Oil and Queen of Spades had a baby, Snake Charmer would be it. Sexy, sensual and hypnotic. I love it!

You and me both! My whole family is either Scottish or Irish with the exception of a small amount of Cherokee on my mom's side and a few pockets of random European nationalities on my dad's side, so I'm a bit embarrassed not to be able to pronounce all the pretty Gaelic names without sounding like an idiot.

At least for the Aztec ones I have an excuse.

Vetch is the first thing that came to mind, but I could definitely be wrong.

I keep thinking Ya-Ya Sisterhood, too.

Whoo! You are my twin, aren't you, Sarada?

Seriously, that's exactly the way I deal with pronunciation.

I have so much trouble with the Gaelic names that it's not even funny. The only one I can pronounce without feeling stupid is Baobhan Sith and that's only because it sounds stupid being pronounced the way it's spelled, so I had to learn the right way.

I feel better about saying Sam-hayne, now. As long as I'm not the only one.

Oh honey, I honestly wouldn't worry about it...say it the way you want to.  I know lots of people who say, 'Sam-hayne' and I don't think of them as being stupid, nor do I think most people do.

 

I think the only BPAL scents I really feel inhibited saying to people are the South/Central American ones like XIUHTECUHTLI.  It just sounds so incredibly stupid coming out of my mouth because I know I'm screwing up the pronounciation big-time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, hon. I needed that.

I guess I'm just worried someone's going to suddenly go all academic on me and start correcting my pronunciations or something.

And I know what you mean about those names sounding stupid. I've got the same problem.

As for Vechernyaya and Utrennyaya...I'm probably completely wrong, but I've been pronouncing them:

Vetch (like kvetch) - urn - yaya and You - tren - yaya

Of course, I reference above statements about my incorrect pronunciation, so take that with a grain of salt.

I just noticed this, and now I'm embarrassed...

Does anyone else avoid mentioning the name of certain scents just because you feel stupid trying to say them?

Samhain for example. I know the correct pronunciation, but in my head it's "Sam-hayne" not the correct real pronunciation, so when someone asks me what it's called I get all embarrassed because I feel stupid using the correct pronunciation for some reason. The same also goes for Oisin (in my head, it's Oy-sin)...I think my brain hates Gaelic names even though my family is Scottish/Irish.

So, yeah....I just call Samhain "my Haloween perfume" most of the time because I feel stupid saying it the right way.

EDIT: Apparently my brain hates English, too...

Preconceived notions:

Geek is the Carnaval Noir scent I was most anticipating. Everything in here is just screaming my name. I can easily see this being an instant obsession for me.

First sniff:

Sexy! I smell leather and pine and cedar and cinnamon and grass...and, hell, everything that's listed in the description. It's dark and masculine and dangerous smelling and sexy as hell. I tend to love masculine scents, so this is right up my alley.

Geek reminds me of the deep woods...maybe of a sexy, rugged man in the deep woods. It's not sharply woodsy the way some pine scents are and it's not terribly subdued, either. It's dangerous and dark and feral smelling while still being wearable.

Wet on skin:

Oh, that's good...as soon as Geek hits my skin, the woodsy notes and cinnamon amp up. Where before it was more of a hot skin and deep woods kind of scent, now it's more like woods and cinnamon and...danger, somehow. This is definitely my kind of scent.

Dry down:

Cinnamony wood and pine needles with just a hint of leather and patchouli. Before, the cinnamon and woods and pine and grass were all present but jumbled and lying on top of one another but now all the notes have mixed into one sexy scent that I can't pick out the components of. Geek is slightly spicy, woodsy, dark, green and earthy all at the same time.

The bottom line:

Oh, yes, this is gorgeous. I knew I was going to love this and I was right. I'm going to have to get a few more bottles before the Carnaval pulls up its stakes, if it means selling my kidneys to do it.

Damn, now I want to see the new Carnivale label, too.

I'm starting to want to collect the CN bottles regardless of whether I like the scent or not...just have them lined up on my dresser and stare at them.

I personally don't find Shub and GP to be as close as you might think they'd be, given the fact that they're both gingersnap/gingerbread type scents. There are definitely similarities, but Shub has a strong lemon type ginger smell to it that GP doesn't have at all for me.

I have trouble with reducers, too, for some reason. For me it's normally trial and error since each blend is different in terms of viscosity and strength.

For example, Queen of Spades is extremely thin and dumps all over my arm if I try and use the "tip the bottle and get a drop" method, so if I use that bottle with the reducer on I generally press the reducer up to my wrist and very carefully tip it up, ready to snatch it back once the oil comes out, but with something like, say, Penitence that's heavier, I can tip the whole bottle upside down and not get more than a drop out of the reducer.

So, anyway, rambling aside, what I'm trying to say is that there doesn't seem to be a foolproof method of using bottles with reducers and it really depends on the viscosity of the scent you're using and how much you want to wear. Not much help, I'm sure, but that's part of the reason I don't normally use reducers anymore.

Origin:

Sample from hellfire82 on LJ.

Preconceived notions:

I really don't expect to like this. I didn't order Strawberry Moon because while I love the smell of fresh strawberries, I don't want to smell like them and because of my hatred of Bon Vivant (the only other BPAL strawberry blend I've tried aside from Pink Moon) and because of the ylang-ylang and lotus.

First sniff:

The strawberry note in here is definitely better than the one in Bon Vivant - far less "strawberry lipgloss" vibe - but it still doesn't work for me. I smell strawberry, cream and the bubblegum note that means lotus. Definitely not for me so far.

Wet on skin:

More realistic now. The cream is stronger and so is the lotus. Honestly, this reminds me a bit too much of cheap strawberry bubblegum (must be the lotus and strawberry joining forces) for me to actually wear this.

Dry down:

Powdery strawberry bubblegum.

I really can't wear lotus because I absolutely despise the smell of bubblegum. For someone else with more of a sweettooth, this would probably be far more wearable, for for it it's just not working.

The bottom line:

Not for me, but then I didn't expect it to be. This is going to be finding a new home.

Origin:

Lagniappe from BPTP.

First sniff:

Warm and citrusy. The second I opened the imp to sniff this I got an instant mental image of warm sunlight so intensely that I could almost feel it. I don't normally like citrus scents (unless it's grapefruit), but something about this is speaking to me. I smell lemon and what could be orange and amber. This scent is positively golden.

Wet on skin:

So warm and comforting smelling. I don't think I've ever had a mental reaction this strong before - I definitely wasn't expecting this. Wearing this, I feel like I'm wrapped in sunshine, like there's nothing to worry about and that all I have to do is just lay back and let life take its course (something that is a huge comfor to me right now). The Sun, in its wet stage, smells like amber (thankfully it's not turning into sour milk) and lemon drops. This is miles away from my normal scent choices, but I'm really loving this!

Dry down:

This smells like bottled sunshine to me. Warm, golden amber and bright, soft, sunny lemon. I normally hate lemon and have a tumultuous relationship with amber, but this is working beautifully. I'm not sure I'd need an entire bottle, but this is so beautiful and so warm in a way that I link with physical and emotional comfort.

The bottom line:

I don't remember what The Sun represents off the top of my head, so I can't say whether this captures its namesake's meaning, but I can say that I'm very happily surprised by this one.

Origin:

Lagniappe from BPTP.

First sniff:

I know this smell and I know that I know it, but (as is the case with so many of the Tarot blends), I can't quite get the name to actually ocme out enough to identify this.

It reminds me of a kitchen. Some sort of herb, I believe, although I'm drawing a complete blank on what is is for some reason. I'd say this is pungent and green smelling but...not. Gah, I can't describe this!

Wet on skin:

So damn familiar...I know I smelled an EO very similar to this not too long ago, but I don't remember what it was. The most I can say is that this is extremely pungent and smells herbal in a way that's almost like a mix of Ricola coughdrops and horehound candy. I know that has to sound unappealing, but it's actually not. That's just the only way I can think of to describe this.

Dry down:

Most of the herbalness has gone and now this is more like a mix of horehound and some sort of sweet florals. This is very unusual and suprisingly pretty.

The bottom line:

I would love to know what's in this because it's as pretty as it is unusual.

Preconceived notions:

I've been dying to try this since it was released. Based on the description, it sounds like it was made for me and I've got extremely high hopes for this.

First sniff:

This is incense, but not head shop incense. Exotic incense burning in some far flung Buddhist temple, not the type you pick up at your local Rocky Mudd's. It's almost green smelling somehow, like green tree branches - sappy but woody at the same time. The best way I can think of to describe this is that it's like a temple in some untouched corner of the rainforest - snapped sapling branches and exotic, hand-blended resins smoking in a brazier in some farflung Buddhist temple.

Wet on skin:

There's still something very reminiscent of the sappy, green smell you get when you break a small branch off a living tree. It's unexpected but strangely beautiful (and not at all what I expected). The incense note is pronounced, but it's not your average, run of the mill incense. This is nothing like Penitence or Cathedral or even Anne Bonny for me, it's more exotic: dryer and less sweet.

Dry down:

A little bit of this goes a long, long way. I dabbed a tiny bit of this on to test it and I can smell it without getting my nose anywhere near it. The green wood note is gone and I smell dry, exotic incense with an almost cinnamon-like note to it. This reminds me of Lorenzo Villoresi's Incensi for some reason, although this is much better quality (nothing beats BPAL!) and smells far more beautiful - something about the notes seems similar.

The bottom line:

Beautiful! Very unusual! I love this!

Chaos Theory LXXVII (77)

Origin:

Mini sniffy from Joseybird.

Preconceived notions:

All I remember is pine and I really like pine, so I'm hoping to like this one.

First sniff:

Hmm...that's pine, but it's dangerously close to the cleaning fluid pine note in Jabberwocky that I absolutely despise (it's the olfactory equivalent of nails on a blackboard). It might improve on my skin, but right now things aren't looking good.

Wet on skin:

A little better. Slightly more like Nocnitsa than Jabberwocky now, but not enough for my to really like this at the moment. It's rare for me to dislike pine unless it smells like a fake Christmas tree, but both Jabberwocky and this one just grate on my sense of smell somehow.

Dry down:

A little better still, but not improved enough. I have no clue why I dislike this when Josey finds it so beautiful, but maybe it's a blessing in disguise. At least now I won't be beating myself up over passing on this one when I had a crack at the bottle.

The bottom line:

This is only the second BPAL pine scent that's been unappealing to me and I'd love to know why this and Jabberwocky are so different than BPAL's other pine scents. Oh well, I'm going to look at this as a blessing in disguise.

Previously reviewed by Neko and Chirp.

Chaos Theory VIII

Origin:

Imp from ~AmusedMuse~

Preconceived notions:

I honestly don't remember what this is supposed to smell like, so I really don't know what to expect.

First sniff:

Minty! There seem to be quite a few minty CT2's floating around out there, which is fine by me. This smells very similar to my spearmint CT2 in the imp...there might be something a little grassy in the background of VIII, too, though.

Wet on skin:

Soft and minty. Like fresh mint leaves, not peppermint oil or candy canes. There is something grassy here, too. It's very subtle, but it's definitely there. It's an unusual combination and I'm not quite sure if it's working for me.

Dry down:

Grass and mint and something vaguely herbal. This is really unusual. I'm not sure if it's pretty or just plain strange. It's one of those scents and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it.

The bottom line:

I'm not sure if I like this enough to keep it or not. It's different - very different - but I'm not quite sure that translates to "pretty."

Previously reviewed by Olympia301, ~AmusedMuse~ and Gin

Preconceived notions:

I don't normally do fruit scents, but because of my complete adoration of March Hare and my love affair with liquor scents, I got a 5mL of this unsniffed and really hope to love it.

First sniff:

Mmm, this is dead on! It's not fruity like March Hare is fruity; it's boozy with a decidedly liqueur-like apricot note to it. It smells decadent and sophisticated in a comfortable sort of way, like sitting in a wingback chair in front of a roaring fire after a night at the theatre, if that makes sense.

The apricot portion is definitely a part of the brandy and not just a fruit note superimposed over the booze, which was what I was slightly nervous about. So far, this is gorgeous!

Wet on skin:

As soon as Grand Guignol hits my skin, the brandy note amps up, drowning out most of the apricot and making this more boozy and less fruity. Where before it bore a slight resemblance to March Hare with the strong apricot note, it's now definitely a boozy scent with just a touch of fruit. This is very sophisticated smelling somehow. I would have to compare this in feeling to the original Hellfire...a sort of sophisticated, comfortable debauched scent. I don't know how to explain it except to say that while it's undeniably high-class smelling, there's something about it that suggests illicit behavior in darkened parlors. I'm not sure if it's me supplying the imagery or if the scent just conjures that up, but either way I have to admit that I like it.

Dry down:

Very boozy with just a slight hint of fruit. If I worried that this would be too strong on the fruit, I've definitely been proven wrong. The fruit doesn't jump out at you, it's more subtle, like a shadow in the background that gives the scent depth. This is beautiful.

The bottom line:

This is sophisticated smelling and not at all foody. It's a serious scent, somehow, and I'm sure it would smell gorgeous on a guy...might have to try it on my husband tonight.

I tried Hecate for the first time today, and it caused a burning sensation and redness in the crooks of my arms right after I first applied it.  Oddly, though, it was fine on my wrists, neck, and even my cleavage.  The burning went away quite quickly, but it was no fun while it lasted.  Kind of odd, since I don't see anyone else mentioning Hecate as a scent they reacted too.  I wonder what component caused that.  I've never had a problem with any other BPAL oil, though I haven't tried that many.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe there's cinnamon in it that isn't listed? That's the only thing I can think of. I'm allergic to almond so I've only really given Hecate a really superficial sniff (the most I could do without making myself sick) and it smelled a tiny bit cinnamon-ish.

That's really the only thing I can think of unless you're allergic to myrrh or nut oils.

Preconceived notions:

13 is my lucky (and favorite) number and I was thrilled when this came out, but, based on the reviews, I'm worried. I really don't want to smell like chocolate (white chocolate is fine, but milk chocolate definitely isn't) and the comparisons to chocolate oranges have me worried. Big time.

First sniff:

Chocolate, ick!

The people who've mentioned that this smells like milk chocolate rather than white chocolate are right, unfortunately. I also smell a tiny bit of something fruity in the background that could be either the currant or the orange since it's so hard to isolate. Unless this really changes on my skin, this is going to be a disaster on me.

Wet on skin:

Strong chocolate and currant in the background. I wanted to love this, but this is so not me that it's not even funny. I despise the smell of chocolate (with a couple of exceptions, most notably Dia De Los Muertos), so this is not working although I'm sure that someone more in love with the smell of chocolate would adore this.

Dry down:

Chocolate, currants and oranges. There's nothing artificial here and it smells downright juicy but it's really not appealing to me. I was so excited about this, but I just can't love it the way I wanted to.

The bottom line:

13's a real heartbreaker for me. I wanted to love this so bad, but I can't even really like it. Chocolate just isn't my thing. At all.

Origin:

Imp from brandileigh.

Preconceived notions:

I waffled over this one right up until the moment the SIA oils were removed from the site because while I love white pepper and like mint quite a bit and have an unexpected (for me, I mean) fondness for Blue Moon (which sounds similar), I was worried about the cucumber and the comparisons to Frost Moon, so I'm curious and not quite sure what to expect.

First sniff:

Soft, watery mint. Somehow I'm sure that the wateriness comes from the cucumber even though I can't actually smell it. The mints remind me of Ultraviolet - cold and almost glowing smelling somehow. So far this is nice, although I was hoping for a stronger pepper component.

Wet on skin:

Whoa, that's stronger now! The mint really amps up once it hits my skin and the cucumber comes out in full force without any warning. There's a tiny bit of pepper here, too, but still not as much as I was hoping for. This is very pretty, though, cold and glowing smelling and refreshing somehow. This would make a great summer or winter scent.

Dry down:

Cucumber and pepper. The mint seems to have gone MIA, but the pepper is coming through much more strongly now that it's gone. I actually really like this in spite of my dislike of cucumber (as a general rule, sometimes I like it) and now I'm regretting not getting a bottle. I had a feeling this was going to happen, but hindsight is 20/20.

The bottom line:

Chilly and glowing at first and then summery but cool on the drydown. Beautiful and very unusual! I only wish I'd gotten a bottle when I had the chance.

Origin:

5mL from LunaSea.

First sniff:

Well, whaddya know..."the scent of air and darkness" smells like laundry detergent!

Horrifying isn't really the word that comes to mind when I smell this. Clean? Absolutely. Comforting? Possibly. Refreshing? Sure. But horrifying? Not unless you find the idea of doing a load of laundry particularly terrifying.

I'm not bad-mouthing this, by the way. I actually love the smell of laundry detergent (and the way Yog-Sothoth smells), I just find it amusing how this scent is so wholesome and comforting to me when the description is so intimidating.

Wet on skin:

Ooh, no more laundry detergent! Now this is a little more intimidating smelling. It's actually earthy on me strangely enough. I smell vetiver very clearly in this...for some reason I'm reminded of Capricorn, but lighter and more airy. This is really interesting: vetiver and something slightly soapy and laundry detergentish in the background. I'd say the best way to describe this would be as dark and earthy with an airy, clean background. Very unusual!

Dry down:

The "air" and "earth" smells are more blended now. Where before they were clearly distinct, now they seem almost like the same note...a sort of strange soapy air and dirt hybrid that really does smell rather like a forest at night. I really wasn't expecting this from the way Yog-Sothoth smelled in the bottle, but I'm as impressed as I am surprised. This is undoubtedly a strange combination of notes and one that's hard to describe accurately, but at the same time it's beautiful in a way that would be hard to understand without actually smelling it.

The bottom line:

Very unusual! The notes are a strange combination but they work. This manages to be both clean and dirty at the same time and I really like it!

I'm not too worried about a skin reaction, but would anyone know I'd have an allergic reaction (stuffy nose, watery eyes, swelling throat, etc.) from smelling this stuff? Would plant/pollen residue in the perfume oil cause an allergic reaction?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm allergic to pollen (my eyes tear up, my nose gets stuffy, I sneeze like crazy, all that good stuff) and I love Roadhouse. Never had a problem with it.

I'd imagine you'd be okay, but I'd say try a tiny dab first and see if that sets off your allergies before really giving it a serious try.