fairnymph

Pale yellow oil. Junipery GIN - very boozy & sharp, with other greenery. Cypress, galangal, ginger - this is a bit spicy-fresh, too. Intensely green, refreshing, and masculine. I also get the same leather note from Sacrifice. I put a little on my roommate, and the ginger really bloomed on his skin, becoming quite spicy. A sweetness which evaded me in the bottle emerged strongly, too, probably tonka and/or benzoin - a rich, deep sort of sweetness. The cypress and gin are really beautiful evergreen notes, not overwhelming, very woodsy and realistic, not the 'fake pine' I get often in BPAL. This is not really like any other BPAL blend I've smelled, but it vaguely reminds me of Hellhound on My Trail, without the smokiness of the tobacco and brimstone. Instead this has the leather and ginger for depth, and juniper-gin takes the places of bay rum. They're similarly structured, share some notes and both evoke the same sort of intensely manly but paradoxically still outdoorsy and lightly fresh feel. My roommate is insanely picky, but he really likes this, and I like it on him!

Sniffed: Colourless oil. Rose! Lovely fresh, girlish tea rose, with maybe some soft green and woody notes below? Wet: Darn. This goes sharp on me, the way that Rose Red does - it's plasticky/slick. It almost has a fruity nuance, too.There's also a spicy note that smells like clove. Actually this reminds me more of Red Rose, the Lupercalia scent. I think the clove is partly what's giving the woody note. Dry: I think there may be the fir note as well, and something almost foody - I think this has tonka too. It reminds me GREATLY of Red Rose - the clove note is definitely identical. But the rose note is slightly different here, more like Rose Red as said, slightly sharp and chemically. Summary: The clove doesn't amp and the fir, if it's here (I think it is but I'm not as sure about it as I am the clove), is much lighter, so this works better on me than Rose Red - but it's still far too rich with the tonka, and I really just hate clove. Very strong throw and longevity.

Sniffed: Extremely pale, nearly colourless yellow oil. Creamy vanilla licorice with a hint of woody-herbal and boozy wormwood on the finish. Wet: Sharper, more wormwoody, more herbal, and oddly floral-soapy - um, jasmine? Still that vanilla-licorice base that's foody and rich, but that sour jasmine note is not working for me. Also, a hint of spice - this is not licorice, it's anise, but I get something sharper, maybe a peppercorn of some sort. There's also a powdery note now, which makes me suspect another floral and/or amber. Dry: Wow, this goes almost instantly sort of dusty on me - definitiely a very powdery sort of amber. I get a strong sense of warmth. Then again, the amber is also quite creamy - I get a bit of a L'Estate feel. The jasmine and wormwood remain light, while the vanilla and anise are holding well. I'm still not sure what that slightly soapy note is - maybe a rose of some sort? Yeah, I think so. That peppery note has faded, so I think it's white pepper, or else just an aspect of the anise, or maybe there's some star anise in here, too? Summary: I do think that soapy nose is definitely a type of rose - it reminds me of dried roses, old bouquets. The jasmine is faint, not at all dominating - it reminds me a lot of the jasmine note in Peach Moon - it's there, and I can't *not* smell it so it sort of nags away in the background, but it's almost the last note to hit my nose. This is really about the warm, powdery amber, vanilla, and wormwood/anise - the wormwood has amped up a bit, gone a little drily woody in a slightly masculine way. Great throw & longevity.

Rich amber-orange coloured oil. VIOLETS! Soft, clean, and only faintly powdery. Slightly sweet. Delicate, girlish, Victorian. A faint of whisper of white (I think) rose in the distance. It reminds me of the Violet Ray's drydown (though not at all the earlier stages), minus the mint. I also get light touches of white sandalwood and a soft musk (maybe vanilla musk) from this. I am alas, not a fan of violets, but this seem to be one of the nicer ones I've come across. RE-REVIEW, with skin test: Softly sweet violets and a little orris with maybe some other florals and an herbal edge? A soft, slightly candied and powdery scent. Delicate, feminine. Sharper, sour, and much stronger and different on my skin. Some narcissus or mimosa - a sharp, plasticky floral, violet leaf as well as petal and root (orris), a slightly rotten floral note that I suspect is iris, and something spicy - some type of carnation note, I think, maybe the 'red' carnation note from Ysabel? Increasingly powdery, definitely the sort of orris I can't handle. But I think there is something else here giving powder - could be the evil wisteria. And I'm getting a weird sort of minty/mentholic note. Also, I think there is some cinnamon (possibly the source of sweetness) in here, and I'm pretty sure about the red carnation note. There's a bit of soapiness...hmm! I think there is dragon's blood in this! Yes, definitely, that's the weird sweetness and plastic, since DB is fake cherry & lilac cheap air freshener. Eeek. This has gone to dragon's blood scented nappies (diapers) with loads of orris-heavy floral powder, iris or possibly a jasmine, a sharply clove-ish spicy-plasticky red carnation note, and possibly a dash of cinnamon - this becomes more and more revolting and jumbled over time; all the notes clash in the worst way. It smelled fine in the bottle, but egads, it hates my skin! The throw is pretty strong, too - and it WON'T WASH OFF. :ack: NOTE: I mistakenly typed out the name of this scent. It's btmeN not btmeM as I originally thought. Apologies for any confusion - there is no BTMEM in existence, so any imps I've sent out with BTMEM are in fact this scent, BTMEN.

This is, obviously, a review of the prototype. I have no note information, so the following is simply my blind impression. Pale yellow oil. Fresh, bright, ozoney, a little metallic, and little cologney - definitely some sweet-tart citrus peel (grapefruit or bergamot?), delicate florals of some sort, and maybe some other fruit, something tropical/exotic and zesty? Lovely! More floral (though still fresh, light, and Spring-like - bulb flowers or blossoms) on my skin, and the ozone is even stronger, too - very zingy and fresh and white in feel. This reminds me a fair deal of Szessapony, but it's more interesting, less generic. This definitely has citrus peel and maybe some pith (it's slightly, pleasantly bitter) - I think it's white grapefruit, but it's much nicer than the note in Baobhan Sith which I find quite sharp - this is softer and sweeter. I think maybe there's a little mandarin in here, too. This is wonderfully clean and fresh, and the 'feel' reminds me a lot of Amsterdam, though this is more fruity and zesty. Daffodils and tulips wouldn't surprise me at all, and I definitely get some peony. Also maybe some cherry blossom? As it dries it starts to remind me very strongly of something else but I can't place it...oh, oh wait, no, really, could it be - *goes to check* - it's Neo-Tokyo! YES!!!!!!!!!!!! A shockingly similar blend of ozone, delicate feminine florals, and juicy, bright fruits with a superbly sexy yet subtle musky base. Now I think I am getting some mint - it's extremely light, which must be why I missed it before - and I'm nearly 100% positive it's white mint. It mingles beautifully here and makes the blend cool and even more bright and refreshing. As for some other scents that I love that this evokes - add the Dormouse to the list (peony, and maybe there is tea here, too?). Wow, I'm absolutely in love with this! This is reminding me a bit now of the Spell of Amorous Love, and earlier I suspected a tea note, so I think this has that blend's green tea note (it reminds me a bit of Matcha) which could also be one of the tea notes in the Dormouse, and the other fruit is definitely red currant, the same deliciously tart and juicy note from tSoAL. And...I'm pretty damn sure about the cherry blossom now, too, especially once I realised the N-T similarity. The cherry blossom has amped up quite a bit along with the peony, so this is Asiatic, Springy, pink blossom bliss! I get a very slightly soapy edge...but it's extremely slight, and mostly just adds to this blend's amazing feeling of CLEAN. This has so many refreshing notes, and I think I found yet another - ginger, the juicy bright sort, white Hawaiian I think - that would explain the Baobhin Sith association I got earlier! The smooth, slightly grassy green tea and zingy-fresh ginger notes really amp in the late drydown, making this scent much stronger and less ephemeral but no less beautiful - but the cherry blossom has amped up even more, as has loads of musk to round things out. This has turned quite musky indeed, in an almost creamy sort of way - earlier I thought it might be vanilla musk, and there could be some of that too, but there's definitely white musk, a rounded sort that isn't too sweet or sharp. I find cherry blossom has an almost musky tone, as well, that could be adding to the MUSK. The musk(s) and cherry blossom only dominate the peony, tea, and ginger by a little bit, and the daffodil has amped up to be on par with these. The sweet-tart, juicy red currant is still here, but faintly - it's faded the most of all the notes, while the grapefruit peel has held really well and is almost candied - there's a sweetness here that I don't get with the typical BPAL white grapefruit note. Cherry blossom dominates in the end - but not in an overbearing way - it's well balanced by the other beautiful notes, which it doesn't overwhelm, and yet it's definitely still intently cherry blossom focused. It's the ultimate cherry blossom scent - it actually reminds me a lot of the CB perfume that Bath&Body Works released several years ago for their Spring LE line, but of course this is MUCH lovelier and more complex. Totally stunning and absolutely my sort of scent, this has instantly become a top-10 favourite. Fortunately my skin amps it to have great throw after a few hours, and it lasts ages. Another one I will hoard, and that I would sell my soul, my 9 remaining fingers, all my useful orifices, future unborn children, etc for more than the precious small quantity I have now.

Deep reddish-brown/cola coloured oil. Red musk and spice (possibly carnation?), plumeria and a hint of coconut. Reminds me a lot of B.B3 and Shango, but this has less coconut than those and more spice. This also reminds me a lot of Snake Oil and the Snake Pit scents. More vanilla here, and those SO resins. Should be a popular one, but not my thing at all.

Fruity soap that I expect will go powdery, too, once on my skin.

Fresh, gender-neutral asiatic, a very light and inoffensive scent that will need skin testing to reveal any nuances.

Pale gold oil. Chocolate, carnation, and rose? Reminds of Kali, but spicier from the carnation. This one requires further testing, because I love Kali.

Sweet-tart bright food that develops a deep, rich and sexy creaminess over time on my skin. Definitely a vanilla note, and maybe something like white cognac and some actual cream. I'm having great difficulty pinning down the fruit note(s) in this - strawberry and rhubarb, maybe? So those two fruits with a sugared vanilla cream and touch of booze and a very rich musk, Indian or Egyptian - that sort of deep and sexy type that isn't black or red. It's almost like a strawberry-rhubarb version of Gothabilly. It definitely gets sweeter and foodier on me over time, almost becoming cakey.

Sniffed: Golden oil. Crisp, juicy, sweet-tart apple - a little like sour apple candy. This is straight up apple in the bottle - nothing else. Wet: SO strong! The strongest, crispest apple note from the lab ever. I get more of the green apple sort of sourness - but I get red apple sweetness, too. It's like sour green apple candy, granny smith apples, pink lady & honeycrisp apples altogether. I almost get a hint of...soap? underneath all the appley goodness, but otherwise this is just APPLES. Dry: The apples have baked themselves! Oh why oh why does apple do this on my skin? Fresh apple notes so often turn to baked apple or applesauce. It's sour apple candy (lightly) and baked apples now. A bit sweeter, less tart and crisp. I get little bit of a sweet note - honey? Yes, I think it's honey, though it's very light, like clover honey. Summary: The final drydown reminds me of a honeyed version of Sugar-Slathered Candy Apple. It's light candy apple (that sour apple note holds, amazingly) with a sort of honey-caramel note on top that amps as the apple fades. It also reminds me of baked apples that have caramelised sugar on them, or maybe caramelised honey - it's a foody drydown, but light - not too sweet or rich, and I really like it. This one I shall be keeping! Moderate throw, decent longevity. Very few apple notes hold me for more than an hour, so this is impressive. Definitely my favourite apple scent of all time.

Colourless oil. Soapy powder. Ivory soap, in fact, and bajillions of orrisy violets. Maybe a touch of white rose? Floral-powder-soap, and this is not even on my skin! INTENSE. I immensely prefer the released version. I had hopes this would be at least somewhat similar...but nope.

Sniffed: Lemon yellow oil. Fizzy ginger ale, sprite, and a bit of dishwashing detergent. Reminds me of a cross between ginger ale and Independent (or Independent's drydown on me). Very fizzy! The ginger note is light, though, and this is not a very sugary/foody scent. Wet: Instantly soapy on my skin. Dishwashing liquid, almost like the bubbles or foam - frothy. Still faint ginger and lemon-lime soda, and still fizzy - but all of that's overwhelmed by the soapiness. It's a nicer soapiness that most - I sort of like Dishwashing Liquid soapy - but it's not what I want in perfume. :\ Dry: The soap has faded, hallelujah! It's still soapy, but less dominatingly so - I can smell the other notes more than I could before, and the lemon-lime is HOLDING on my skin which citrus almost never does. The ginger has faded a teensy bit, and I have to search for it - this is more Sprite than Ginger Ale now. I love the scent in the bottle; I'll need to retest it more thoroughly.

Light peachy-pink oil. Dirt, dragon's blood, and loads of white mint. Not like any other BPAL I've smelled, but a rather outdoorsy take on DB - and definitely recommended for fans of Ars Draconis. A simple blend of notes that work well together - or as well as DB can ever work, considering it's a note I personally can't stand.

Sniffed: Pale golden oil. Slightly sweet, rotten, and strong white florals. Which means iris, ugh. I also get a floral that's sharp and sweet, like mimosa, a jasmine note, and walloping dose of gardenia. This is a LOUD and evil floral blend of notes I detest. Wet: GARDENIA. Stomping over everything, piercing and amping like a crazy thing on my skin, with that base of other nasty flowers below. This is the type of gardenia that can induce migraines, so I'm off to sink. I guess at least the gardenia beat the jasmine and iris into submission? Of course, like all horrid blends, it refuses to come off my skin and has absolutely insane, inescapable throw. Eeeeeek.

Fruity - red cherry, I think? With maybe some soft cassia and/or sweet clove?

Deep golden oil. Dusty De Sade-style leather, cedar, a dry sandalwood note, musk and that dusty tumbleweeds note from Sacrifice. Reminds me a LOT of Sacrifice, actually, but with a more sour musk note and a sharper, stronger leather note. If this were a proto for Sacrifice or any sort of cowboy-ish scent, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. Masculine, for sure! This is another one I need to skin test to analyse further.

Golden oil. Heavy florals, herbs, soil, and maybe some Spanish moss? Reminds me of Jazz Funeral.

Pale yellow oil. WISTERIA! and orris with dry woods. Weirdly viscous oil, too - the pipette won't suck up more than a tiny bit at a time. Maybe a jasmine note in here, too? These are florals I simply cannot do, so no further testing for this one.

Pale gold oil. SOIL, wet soil and the new spring greenery. Reminds me greatly of Planting Moon, with more soil and minus the florals, but very similar greenery and nearly identical in vibe. I don't like soil so I can't do this personally, but this is more what I was hoping PM would be like. There's a fresh, cool, outdoorsy wetness to this. Very evocative.

Deep golden oil. Very similar to NVP1 but spicier, drier, and with an additional sharp/medicinal/mentholic note. Also some coriander - so it's a little brighter, slightly citrusy. Maybe some clove, too? Quite complex.

Colourless oil. Dark, French roast coffee beans (not brewed coffee, not the lab's coffee bean or coffee note, but actual BEANS ground up) and roast meat, possibly roast cow of some cut. Odd! I had the most trouble with this one - figuring it out - and my roommate doesn't get meat but gets chocolate, which I didn't get at all.

Colourless oil. Roast chicken with lots of gravy - exactly! My roommate swears it's leftover roast chicken & mayo sandwiches. I don't get the mayo, but I do get the creaminess which I read as gravy. Not bad, this is the first savoury BPAL that's ever made me hungry.

Wow, this is surprisingly nice! It's a light, sweet, fruity scent in the bottle that's quite fresh, a tart edge - the pomegranate is definitely standing out. The lotus doesn't smell like bubblegum at all, although it's still a sweet, girly floral - it reminds me more of Davana here note-wise. On my skin, it's still a fresh fruity floral but with a bit more depth; still juicy, but backed up by something more. The rose is much more apparent, though this is not a bullying rose note by any means, but more subtle, almost resinous, like crystallized red rose. The lotus combined with the softly creamy red sandalwood provide a sense of golden glowing warmth that's lovely. But a few notes are niggling away in the background unpleasantly - a hint of perfumey powder from the amber, which is not a type that suits my skin, I can tell, and a sort of soapy, but still dark and sort of 'smudged', incensey frankincense, and then a murky haze of opium, though it's thankfully not as heavy on my skin as opium usually is. I can at least see through this haze; it's not smothering. Still, these latter 3 notes for me clash with the lighter, girlier, more luminescent fruit, florals and sandalwood, really dragging it down, or dirtying or defiling it. Which could be a vibe that works for some people, but not for me. The red sandalwood has amped up quite a bit, and is deliciously creamy, musky and both adds that warmth and a bit of an exotic, oriental feel (specifically, I imagine a female yogi emits this scent). Amber bridges the gap between the wood and incense notes; much less perfumey, despite having amped, it's now only faintly, pleasantly powdery, and very much warm, golden, and summery (it's one of the ambers in L'Estate, I'm sure of it). The opium and frankincense have merged so that they can't be easily picked out, and together lend a soft wisp of faded incense, again oriental - how a quiet temple smells between services, but with the lingering essence of worship still present in the air. Very soft, a sort of smoky golden colour that complements the golden lotus & warm-tone sandalwood perfectly. The pomegranate is the note that has faded the most, despite being initially strongest and a note that my skin generally holds very well; I can still pick it out, but it's a struggle because it's so much lighter and this scent is so impenetrable. It still adds some sweet-tart fruitiness which prevents this scent from being too dull or hazy, as well as deep reddish depth that reminds me, again, of late summer and its bounty of fruit. The rose and lotus seem to merge in a manner similar to the incense nose, and both have a crystalline, but not sharp or sparkling, more of muted glow that comes across as coral-colured. The rose has amped up a bit as rose does on me usually, but the lotus hasn't, surprisingly; it has held at a constant level over time, and tempers the rosiness of the rose otto as well as adding a lighter floral top-note rose's deeper heart-note. These florals really round out the scent and also give the blend a distinctly feminine, and again, somewhat exotic feel. This dries down QUITE differently - and I wasn't paying attention so an hour at least has passed and it smells totally different. It has really come together as scent; it's beautifully balanced and complex yet seamless. It doesn't have that initial fresh, bright fruity-floral quality thatI liked at first anymore, but is instead now very subdued, tranquil in feel. It reminds me very much of Dolce Stil Nuovo (a scent I just found out I love!), not so much in notes, although the final drydown is in the same general scent category, I would say - but very much in terms of the vibe of scent. Peaceful and soothing and all that I just said, just like DSN, but whereas DSN has a 'cool' bluish-lavender feel to it, like an early morning in Spring on a weekend, Lotus Mun has a 'warm' energy, more like sunset when things air is still warm but the hot late Summer day has begun to cool off, and is not longer sweltering but instead just pleasantly, lightly warm. Softly sweet & sunset-hued florals and subtle, sweet red fruit over a warm base of musky, creamy sandalwood and summery, golden amber with a distant, reverent hint of lingering incense of a calm, quiet temple in some exotic Eastern place, on an August evening at twilight. I don't do warm scents, but this is a STUNNINGLY evocative and masterfully blended scent that I very much enjoy smelling on myself right now. It's both soothing and energizing, and above all deeply comforting, like a hug from loving maternal figure. This have excellent throw, though it does fade a bit it sort of amps back up, and it has good longevity, too. Brava, Beth! This may be your best Lunacy so far this year.

#98 Rich sugary & buttery (definitely some tonka in here) vanilla frosting and some sort of juicy, refreshing fruit - maybe melon and cucumber? But underneath it is a strange dark earthy note, maybe a smoky wood or tobacco not - not necessarily unpleasant, but a bit at odds with the other notes. There's also a weird plastic/rubber tinge to this scent. This rapidly turns to the mustiness that most baked goods foody scents do on me, with a sort of nauseating clash between the cloying tonka and dark note, that smells like burnt wood that's been dipped in water, or maybe stale cigarettes a little - oh, it's really not good. I get a bit of sugared violet, very much like Faith, so it's like the melon and tonka and dark note have been layered over Faith, bc that creamy sweet vanilla-ness IS the strongest note. Not a lot of morphing after the first few minutes, other than that dark note fading dramatically It's rich buttery tonka and sugared violets over vanilla frosting with a lingering wisp stale cigarette smoke and dark wood. Much more pleasant than initially on my skin, with good throw and excellent longevity. It's too foody for me, but one of the better CT Vanillas I have tried by FAR.