In the bottle: Mmm...smells like powdery, peppery cherries! I'm instantly reminded of Black Phoenix.
On wet: CHERRIES on STEROIDS! And then...*poof*...they're gone. All I'm smelling now is this gorgeous underbite of black peppery-ness.
Drydown: Still getting that amazing peppery scent (ginger? peppercorn?) with just a hint of sweetness playing underneath. It's an absolutely incredible smell.
Overall: ::swoons:: Mmmm...this blend is like spicy sex in a bottle. I'm thrilled to have something so deliciously unique, and *beyond* delighted by my very first "perfect for me" CT. Thanks to Beth for creating such an exciting fragrance, and for the agents of Chaos that sent it my way!
In the bottle: Slushy mint.
On wet: Gorgeous and grassy - like snow melting in a garden full of wild mint.
Drydown: The lovely slush-touched greenery is joined by a light, almost perfumey sweetness - a combination that makes for a fresh, incredibly unique, and downright elegant fragrance.
Overall: Even though I get a little sad when the grassy note fades to make room for that drydown-sweetness, this remains one of my favourite "cold" scents, and easily one of my favourite concept blends. 4.5/5
In the imp: Sweetness, a lick of butter, and a sharpness that reminds me of nailpolish remover.
On wet: Hmm...even though this doesn't share any notes with Dr. John Seward (that I'm aware of, anyway), with the not-so-pleasant, sweet, almost flowery-butter thing going on right now, I'm instantly reminded of that blend.
Drydown: Again, as with DJS, the drydown is a vast improvement. The sweetness has deepened and even darkened slightly (it's somewhat plum-esque to my nose), the butter has finally abated, and there's a vague spiciness underneath it all. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but not bad, either.
Overall: Even though I'm not a foody grrl, I was expecting more of a straight up cake scent - an *evil* cake scent, actually, with the addition of the incense. All I ended up getting, however, was a holiday candle-like incense (the fruit and spice combo can sometimes go that way on me) after the icky butter stage. I'm rather let-down that this didn't work on me - not only had I been wanting to try it for ages, I assumed it would become one of my new favourites. Sadly, my skin chemistry says otherwise. 2/5
In the bottle: Why am I smelling...butter?
On wet: I'm getting whiffs of buttered corn mixed with a high-pitched floral of some kind. So far this is not at all what I was expecting - it's actually kind of scary.
Drydown: Oh...oh yes...*this* is more like it - the good Doctor's finally decided to leave his popcorn-shilling ways behind him! The scent rising from my wrist is now deep and smooth and wonderful. The darkly sweet, almost fruity mix of tonka, sandalwood, and champaca flower dominates, followed by hints of smoke-laced ginger and the occasional whisper of a dry, almost woody peppery-ness. Delicious!
Overall: Even though I was put off by the buttery popcorn + bathroom-florals-from-hell stage, and wish this was a *tad* smokier, DJS is still an incredibly beautiful blend. The drydown alone rates an easy 4/5.
Originally reviewed: July 28 06
In the bottle: I smell something...sweet, woodsy, maybe a dark floral or two, with just a hint of dryer sheet.
On wet: Wow, what a jumble of notes - everything that was mentioned above, only much more intense. No dominant scent to go by, either. I have no idea what I'm smelling.
Drydown: I *still* can't tell what's in this blend. The possibilities that spring to mind are jasmine, myrrh, and/or ylang ylang, and maybe a touch of something resinous? It's a darkly golden, sweet, perfume-y, and somewhat dry kind of scent.
Overall: An elegant, expensive-smelling blend - not quite my taste, but lovely nonetheless.
In the imp: Sweet cherry cough syrup.
On wet: Mmm...cherry-almond-marzipan goodness. Uber sweet, but very yummy.
Drydown: The cherry is long gone. A musky, slinky-sweet, somewhat dusty/ powdery floral is what I'm getting now - that is, until the strawberry rears its massive fruity head. Wow, not only did it just appear outta nowhere, it's surprisingly strong, too. Hmm...unlike other Lab strawberry scents, this berry blend doesn't smell fake on me. It smells darker and richer than it should - almost plum-like - making me wonder if the cherry's really gone after all...
Overall: I don't care for strawberry scents. Amber is not my friend. Red musk is hit or miss with my skin chemistry. Guess it just goes to show you how the right balance of notes can work miracles - I'm finding HB not only wearable, but deliciously sexy to boot! Not certain it'll rank big bottle-love (not yet, anyway), but I'll definitely be using my imp. A surprising, but well-deserved 3.5/5.
In the imp: Minty Mint and sweet violets...
On wet: Oooh...herbalicious! What a lovely blast of minty eucalyptus freshness! It's great, and slightly tempered with an underlying sweetness - not overpowering at all.
Drydown: Mmm...mint - it's almost vanillic, thanks to the violets. This has totally softened, sweetened, and deepened into such a pretty scent - and it's weird, but I'm almost getting a whiff of something...coconutty? Whatever it is, it smells *fantastic*! The eucalyptus is still lingering by way of a slightly dusty herbal edge - it's pleasant, almost tea-like - that I can pick up on if I really sniff around for it. I can't detect any neroli.
Overall: I really like violets, and I quite like mint, too - combined, however, I thought they'd smell quite...icky. This blend - which ends up incredibly soft and delicate - has *totally* surprised me! It started off as cool and bracing, then mellowed into this almost creamy sweetness that is just SO gorgeous - I can't stop sniffing myself. I'm reminded of a lighter, cleaner version of Snow-Flakes - Snow-Flakes falling on pale, pale violets. This is a wonderful scent, and one I'd consider upgrading to a bottle! 4.5/5
In the bottle: Sweet n' perfumey. Kinda reminds me of a really high-end shampoo.
On wet: Wow, forget shampoo - we're talking upscale perfume here. It's so intense I'm having a hard time picking out familiar notes. It's not foody or watery, amberish or incensey, roses or citrus or tea or ozone...
Drydown: After a few minutes, this totally calms down. It's still *very* perfumey and hard to dissect component-wise, but I'm REALLY enjoying it! It's kind of like a spicy, creamy floral with a shot of fruity sweetness added for good measure. I can only guess at what might be in it: carnation and/or spices, jasmine and/or ylang ylang, possibly bergamot... *is stumped*
Overall: This, my fourth and final bottle of CT, is just lovely. In fact, ALL of my CTs have been wonderful! It *is* a touch heavier than I usually like, but as an evening out/cold weather scent, I think it'll be perfect.
What a great experience CT has been! I hope the Lab continues this tradition, 'cause I'm already excited for the next round!
Originally reviewed: April 26 06
In the imp: Smells kinda like fruity paint.
On wet: A sweet splash of non-descript fruit that darkens into rich, syrupy, spiced plum-goodness after only a few seconds.
Drydown: Mmmm... Warm, spicy plums... Underscored by the barest hint of creamy carnations... Sooooo goooood....
Overall: This is a seriously delicious combination of notes - not really candle-esque to me, but I can understand how the scent of spiced fruit might smell like such to other noses. Likewise, to *this* grrl's nose, FB's warm, sweet darkness seems better suited to late summer/autumn/winter or as an evening fragrance, not so much for spring. No doubt this blend will be a bottle purchase, to be slathered with abandon come fall.
4.5 out of 5.
In the bottle: Cocoa, vanilla, lavender - yum!
On wet: Mmm...the same as above. The lavender is really singing, too - such an amazing melange of notes.
Drydown: A complex jumble of subdued deliciousness that is SO incredible. It's saved from the 'too foody' category thanks to the fresh zip of lavender and the rounder sweetness I'm attributing to the starfruit. As the day progresses, the scent smooths out like a river of warm, creamy goodness - less lavender, a more pronounced vanilla/sandalwood presence. And YES! This is definitely reminiscent of Underpants.
Overall: I was another who couldn't wear the previous 13, so this reformulation was such a welcome surprise! Not only do I LOVE this new interpretation, there wasn't a single aspect or stage of this scent that I didn't enjoy. A most certainly well-deserved 5/5.
This will likely smell amazing on the right guy, too. Not too sweet, not too feminine, that smidge of lavender that is so often found in cologne = 100% edible manflesh!
