Penance

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!

Penance, congrats - you a little jittery yet? I'm over 3.5 months away and I'm getting butterflies already (visions of tripping!). Hope it goes well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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.

I finally decided on Blue Lilac (getting married in three weeks).

I was thisclose to using White Rabbit, but since jj_j was kind enough to send some lilac lovin' my way, I'm going to be a girly girl for once.

My mom's wearing Blue Lilac too, so we'll match.

They do only come in 5mLs.  I guess Beth just thought Andra needed some extra Moxie these days or something.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, okay, as long as I haven't gone completely over the deep end.

Thanks for explaining.

Ooh, pretty Panacea label!

One question, Andra: Why is it 10mL? I thought the Panacea's only came in 5mL bottles.

Or am I wrong and that's a 5mL and just looks like a 10mL?

that must be it, cause a friend said lilith smelled like cat ass on her i was like    def not cat ass f54 is my all time favorite oil and lilith is so so close, it has a heavier hint of myrhh but other then that very much the same. and i am glad i am not the only one that noticed it

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lilith has some sort of dark musk in it, doesn't it? Black musk, maybe? (Too lazy to look). That would probably explain the cat ass thing.

For me, Lilith was like a weaker, less expensive smelling version of F54, but really damn close.

First sniff:

Damn, that's familiar! It seems to be some sort of wood, but I'm not sure that's right. I just know I recognize this but can't place it. Wood and dragon's blood.

Wet on skin:

I know I know this from somewhere. So many of the Tarot oils are extremely familiar to me, but I have such a hard time placing them and I don't know why. Whatever this is, I don't think it likes me because I'm getting a bit nauseous the way I did with Chesed. It's dry and woody, almost like redwood, but that's not quite right. There's also something sweetish here and that's what's bothering me...I'm wondering if it's the same thing that I didn't like in Chesed.

Dry down:

On me, The Tower ends up smelling like sweet rotting wood. It's not the wood part that bothers me (I love the Redwood single note, which basically smells like rotting wood), it's that sweet note, whatever it is. I'm not having very good luck with the Tarot Blends apart from Death.

The bottom line:

Another scent I was prepared to love but just couldn't. At least I still have Death.

First sniff:

This reminds me of men's cologne. I was expecting something more...archaic, I guess, rather than something that's a close cousin of Marshall Field's cologne department. It's not bad, just not what I was expecting. At all.

Wet on skin:

This appears to be one of those scents that temporarily disappear as soon as they hit my skin because I can't smell anything at first and then I get...men's cologne, Pledge furniture polish and something vaguely dusty smelling that would be nice if it were more prominent.

Dry down:

As it dries, The Hermit pulls another vanishing act. I can barely smell it after only a few minutes on my skin, which makes me sad because I'd heard such good things about this and had such high hopes for it.

The bottom line:

Another adventure in bad skin chemistry, it would appear. I'm pretty sad that The Hermit doesn't like me since I was prepared to love it.

First sniff:

Something about this makes me think of Water of Notre Dame plus flowers and herbs. It's not aquatic, really. It's just the same pale green sort of scent. This is definitely interesting.

Wet on skin:

The florals really come out once this is on my skin, which isn't a surprise since my skin chemistry amps up florals to an insane degree. It's not matronly florals or girly florals, either...it's dark florals, almost menacingly gloomy smelling if that makes sense.

Dry down:

Basically the same as when it was wet, but with a touch of soapiness. This is very pretty, surprisingly. I say surprisingly because I don't - as a rule - do floral scents.

The bottom line:

I don't quite think I'll wear this enough to justify keeping it, but it's definitely nice.

Origin:

Shortie from the lovely ivyandpeony.

First sniff:

Very unusual. Babalu Aye manages to smell like resin, wood, astringent herbs and some sort of cleaning fluid all rolled into one.

Wet on skin:

No more cleaning fluid, but I've sneezed three times in the time it took me to put this on and close the lid. It's probably allergies (generic allergies, I mean, not a scent allergy) that just happen to be choosing now to strike, but it's a little worrisome.

As for how it smells...I'm going to have a hard time describing this apart from saying this smells like a voodoo blend. It just has the right sort of character for it, which is fabulous. The best I can do to pin it down is: wood...maybe redwood or possibly oak, resin...dry resin without any sweetness, herbs and a touch of pine, possibly.

Dry down:

I really like this. Babalu Aye wins the prize for the voodoo blend that smells the most like it was meant to be a voodoo blend. It's mysterious and occult smelling somehow (and it makes me sneeze, which is apparently an added bonus ). Once it dries, all the astringent qualities disappear and it's sweetish resinous wood with a hint of mystery. A very enigmatic blend to say the least.

The bottom line:

I'm not sure what (if anything) this is supposed to do, but it smells positively Voodoo Queenish. Yes, I just made up a word and I don't care. This one's a keeper!

Origin:

Happy little nudist 5mL from harlequin!

Preconceived notions:

Before I knew what Helping Hand was for, I wanted it for what it smelled like, but then the description finally got listed and I had to have it, pure and simple, so I'm very eager to try this.

First sniff:

I don't know what I'm smelling, but I like it! There's definitely mint in here (the same sort of soft mint I get from Spooky and Juke Joint, so peppermint, I'd imagine) but there's more to it. I think boozy would be an accurate term to describe it with...it's actually somewhat similar to Juke Joint. It does smell a bit like bourbon but that's not quite it...close enough, though. I keep thinking I smell vanilla and maybe some sort of herbs, too, but it's hard to tell for sure.

Wet on skin:

The mint tones down quite a bit and I get something akin to bourbon with a hint of something herbal that tickles my nose. I still smell vanilla, but it may be an olfactory hallucination. I love the smell of bourbon (or in this case a close approximation) and I love mint and vanilla in small doses, so this smells damn good to me.

Dry down:

No real change from when it was wet. I love this. I really, really do. It also seems to come through on its purpose, too. Most of the voodoo blends generally seem to give me at least small results, but Helping Hand seems to be one of the handful of ones that really flat out do what they're supposed to do.

The bottom line:

No ambiguity here. This one works and smells fabulous doing it. I think I'm going to be needing more of this.

This time I'm drying the Limited Edition version of Graveyard Dirt, rather than the BB Exclusive version.

Preconceived notions:

I love the BB version of Graveyard Dirt and if Beth says the two are almost identical then that's good enough for me! I'm looking forward to trying this.

First sniff:

This smells lighter than the BB version. Not by much, but lighter...more like dusty dirt than wet loam (for those who are familiar with Demeter, think Dirt instead of Earthworm). This strikes me as more wearable than the BB version (as a perfume, I mean) if only because it smells less intensely loamy and more subdued with a gorgeous dusting of dry moss. This smells like the forest floor to me, which is just fine because I love that sort of smell.

Wet on skin:

Definitely lighter than the BB version. More mossy and dusty and less intensely wet and loamy. My mom took one sniff of me and said, "You smell like peat moss! I don't know how they did it, but you do!" which I take as a compliment.

Dry down:

As it dries, this version becomes almost sweet, which must be the moss changing as it dries. This is definitely much more wearable (I mean every day wearable, not ritual wearable) than the BB version, even for me. I actually like this version better, which is great since I've got enough to last me now.

The bottom line:

Gorgeous! Not for everyone, I'm sure, but I love it and I couldn't care less whether anyone else around me does.