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I haven't tried all of my hair gloss decants from the Lupercalia update yet, but I can already tell that this one is my favorite. This smells like the same poppy from Sugar, Poppy Tar, and Red Currant, which I adore. The black honey adds some sweetness, but it plays a supporting role and doesn't declare dominion over all like Nocturne Alchemy's black honey note does. While I have trouble smelling some hair glosses in wet hair, I could smell this one in both wet and dry and did not have to apply a ton of it to smell it, but even though it is strong, it's not so strong that it engulfs you in the scent, and I didn't get hit with a cloud of it in the shower before washing it out, either. This is opium poppy perfection and I absolutely need a bottle.
- Today
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I swear there's an unlisted honey note in here, similar to the one in Bard. I'm normally not a huge fan of florals, and therefore don't go very hard on lupers. I got a decant of this mostly because of The Gay, but I actually ended up really liking this one. On me, at least, the amber, green notes, and myrrh (and what I'm perceiving as honey) very much hold their own with the florals. It's a nice mix of sweet and bitter, grounded and dreamy, masculine and feminine. Very fitting for Apollo, IMO. It's mostly linear on me. Low sillage, but fairly persistent. Definitely one of the more pleasant surprises I've had in awhile.
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Out of the bottle, it is aggresively green fougere, so green, it's bitter. My brain keeps telling that me that it's burned amber. It reminds me of Fragment 38, a scent that has a complicated history for me. The amber in that was so acrid smelling ot my nose, it blew through my covid induced anosmia several years ago. I still remember thinking that if Fragment 38 can't do it, nothing else will. Wearing it felt like a team of miniscule gnomes blowing up a tunnel through my fully congsted nose. And I still can't figure out if it's fig in the blend that's more aggressive. When it came to Secret Adventure, it left me confused. So, I spent a few days sniffing my arms like crazy. It must be the fig. As the wear time progresses, oakmoss adds muskiness and creaminess, and I could detectect olfactgory glimses of floral notes. It was like seeing a flash of color in a facent of a precius stone- a brilliany flash of floral, which is very bright and prominet, and then it's gone--only to suddely reappear again, just as you start getting used to the scent. I would say the scent is pretty musculine, and would be good for a really hot summer weather. And, inexplicably, I can't stop wearing it, even though my brain tells me that we don't like it.
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The wild strawberry note is the star of the show here. It is super realistic -- it definitely creates the visual of a bright red strawberry studded with lots of little seeds -- and it's also the same one found in this year's Strawberry Moon and its Wild Strawberries and Inky Musk duet. However, the strawberry note is so strong in this that I never get any of the other notes. If I were going to opt for a wild strawberry scent that's currently available, I'd go for Strawberry Moon 2026, because it is more complex.
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Sogblettur ended up being pretty funky on me during the first few hours of wear, and I attribute that to the amber musk. I think this must feature the fossilized amber note that my skin does not always do very well with. The funky amber, combined with the slightly salty, musky ambergris, just are creating a good combination on my skin. These notes are accompanied by the lemon zest, which adds a refreshing quality to the scent, but can't cover up the funk of the amber musk. I sadly did not get much cloudberry like in Gnome Fracas, which was the main reason I wanted to try this scent. This was a skin chemistry fail on me, but I think it would be nice and refreshing for someone who can pull off this particular amber musk.
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Malinka is mostly about the rose hip note on me, backed by the raspberry and currant. I'm not getting the honey or any creaminess from this as my skin really seemed to run away with the rose hip note. If you're waffling between this one and Suçon, I'd say get this one if you want more rose, and get Suçon if you want more raspberry.
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This starts off with a blast of raspberry and white musk. These notes remain main players on my skin, but the powdered sugar sweetens up the scent. The rose in this is pretty subtle on me and not in full force like the rose hip note in Malinka. After a while, the benzoin emerges and adds a resinous quality to the scent, so that it ends up being mostly raspberry and benzoin backed by a little white musk on my skin by the end of the day. Of the two raspberry scents in the Love Bite collection, this is the one I prefer. I'll keep my decant, but I do not need a bottle.
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I tried this three times, in case it was a fluke, but I had the same result all three times. This is only lightly fruity on me with something akin to an undertone of anise when it is freshly applied. I have no idea what could be doing that -- maybe it's in the rock sugar? I'm not sure. The strawberry nectar is not as strong as an actual strawberry note, and I'm surprised by how light the lychee is in this as well. After a while, the sandalwood emerges and it ends up being a fruit-tinged sandalwood scent. This was not a win for me, sadly.
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(I am testing a bottle marked as a prototype which I obtained direct from the Lab via eBay.) There are several ways this scent could have gone sideways. I was expecting a 4-way fight between licorice, patchouli, orange blossom and sandalwood -- all notes that could easily fight for dominance. Instead, they all somehow harmonize once on my skin. In the bottle, the sandalwood and orange blossom were very forward and it did worry me that this was going to be a "perfume-y" scent. When applied to my skin, however, the "perfume" notes back down and let the patchouli (unsurprising, as I amp it) and licorice come forward to balance it out. I don't get the fruit notes until well into dry down but the citrus and what I'm interpreting as red fruits only lend a bright subtlety to the blend that could otherwise just stay very earthy. It's unexpectedly beautiful.
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if i'd have been asked to imagine what a scent called the witches might have smelt like, i would have thought of something quite different to this; i should have imagined something much darker with fires, cauldrons, and the rest in the way of macbeth's witches. but if these are witches, they are decidedly good witches, à la kiki's delivery service or the fairies in the disney sleeping beauty. the smell of their kitchen and happy times there; baking on a sunny day with the door open to the garden. the way it all plays out is similar to the way others have described: a lot of vanilla, which remains dominant throughout, with the pumpkin coming forward a bit more later. i don't get much honey, though a different kind of sweetness does emerge after a few hours. a good throw, but without being overwhelming because the overall blend is so gentle and soft. i shall have to snag a bottle while it's still available!
- Yesterday
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Doughy and sweet. And maybe a hint of coconut. Almost plastic. The rice flour is lighter than normal dough but smells raw. Or maybe that's the ube? But it smells uncooked. I don't like this.
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In the bottle, this smells oddly fruity and sweet. On the skin, there's still a fruity smell, but the birch bark definitely becomes the strongest with a hint of something dry, and almost smoky. Maybe the smoky note is coming from the "smoldering" beeswax? It does stay quite sweet, and I don't get anything I would describe as frozen or snow-dusted, but it does smell fresh and becomes less sweet over time. It is quite subtle on my skin, so I can see myself wearing this one fairly often in my day to day.
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This has kind of a weird opening on me, but it dries down into something much nicer. Going on wet, the disparate elements don't quite coalesce: I get a really clean scent that reminds me weirdly of apple-scented baby shampoo, then this odd, almost medicinal, sharper bite that I can't quite place. I wish I could be more specific, but it honestly reminds me the most specifically of the smell of multivitamins in a health food store (??), while some light incense is being burned somewhere in the background. The fig is very waxy, green, and sharp, like it's very far from ripening. An hour or two in, the skin musk moves from weird-clean-shampoo to a beautiful skin musk, the fig gets sappier, and it starts to bloom into something quite creamy, with a whiff of pomegranate and a touch of light spice. This stage is very, very nice. Lasts about 4-6 hours overall and stays pretty close to the skin. I'm interested in trying this again in a month or two to see if the opening gets any less weird on me.
- Last week
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at first it's all calla lily with a hint of honey, it smells green but a bit golden and something almost smells like apple/pear to me but it's pretty subtle. this one stays pretty linear for me. i mostly get calla lilies and honey, i don't notice much amber. there is a sort of pollen-y feel to this after it's been on the skin awhile as well. i love lily/white floral scents in general, but wasn't sure/couldn't remember what the calla lily note was like. anyway, it's hard to describe but i do like it, but i think i prefer a basic lily note. overall this smells like a golden floral to me. i don't need a full bottle, but it is pretty.
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this opens with lilac, lotus and amber cream. it's lilac on a bed of creaminess. i get a hint of something mildly foody from the purple yam but it doesn't stick out too much. however, i don't really know what that note smells like. the sandalwood and orris come out a bit later just sort of rounding out the scent and adding some lightness....it's a bit less creamy than at the beginning. then it goes back to being creamier. a really lovely lilac. i love creamy florals and i don't think i have a lilac one at this point. much later on it smells almost like a very subtle coconut. i may need a bottle of this!
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I got a sample of this in my last order. I've never tried it which is a shame. This is just floaty vanilla goodness. I have no idea where the slightly powdery clean smelling vanilla ends and the sweet pea begins. Does the sweet pea give the vanilla that slightly laundry detergent smell? But it's barely, like a good blanket that you breathe in after taking out of the dryer. I don't get much sandalwood, but it's a very white linens type scent to me so it is definitely white sandalwood. This is a comforting lovely scent that is perfect for spring. So sweet and cute.
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Dildo, Boxes with Lubricants, and a Plum Blossom Twig Hair Gloss
Assimbya replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Hair
The grapefruit definitely dominates this one on me - it's a realistic pink grapefruit, with both the slight bitterness of the rind and the sweet brightness of the juice present for me. I get a little apricot in the background, and some soft florals; maybe more plum blossom than honeysuckle, but it's hard to quite distinguish under the loudness of the grapefruit. It feels very clean and cheerful, and goes in my head into the category of bpal scents which could almost be commercial perfumes, but with underlying complexity and realism which set them apart; I do think it would be very likable and palatable to many people, a good bpal gateway scent. The throw and longevity are lower than most of my other hair glosses, which might be just the inevitability of it being a citrus scent, or may improve with age. I like the scent of grapefruit a lot, and find this nostalgic (my first perfume as a child was that Crabtree & Evelyn grapefruit eau fraiche from the '90's - does anyone remember those?), but I do wish the other notes came out a little more; I don't tend to want to smell so purely of citrus these days. I'm going to keep my decant around to see both if a little more aging brings out the other notes and also how I feel wearing it in especially hot weather, when I imagine it could be quite refreshing, before I decide whether I want a bottle. -
In the bottle I get a low, golden incense. Lots of frankincense and soft cedar. Just a hazy halo of light floral. Wet the heliotrope takes center stage, I think it is what has a sweet, vanilla-ish quality? Sort of creamy, somewhat like a really light honey. I wondered if there was a touch of beeswax on wet. As it dries I get more of the neroli, adding a slight bitterness for contrast, and a bit of heady rose. The citrus element hangs around in the background, just a bit of brightness. I would agree the frankincense stays a main player, and it definitely leans more incense than a floral scent overall. Golden, meditative.
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Regrettably, I don't find this to be an accurate tomato leaf note.
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This is more immediately the softer, less dead leaf-y dry down of the fragrance oil I have from a few years ago. The scent itself seems stronger. Samhainophobia is a yearly comfort scent to me, so I practically screamed when I saw this available! If you are a fan of this hair gloss, also check out Red Rose Frankincense Tears from the Yules.
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This is *almost* identical to my Boo 2010, but I like it a bit more, as it’s softer and more subtle. Boo can sometimes get a bit cloying on the dry down. The frankincense here seems to make it a bit more wearable. So glad I tried this!
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Me, passing over this scent when perusing the update: this is going to have that cucumber-y paper note that is used in scents like Crumpled Wrapping Paper Single Note, and I don't know how that would play with the other notes. Me, getting a tester with my decant order and sniffing the vial: this has that cucumber-y paper note that is used in scents like Crumpled Wrapping Paper Single Note. Me, testing it on my skin: this has that cucumber-y paper note that is used in scents like Crumpled Wrapping Paper Single Note... but it works with the other notes: So yeah, it has that cucumber-y paper note at first, which I think was also in Carved Wooden Post Office and The Last Syllable, but somehow, it's not jarring when paired with the other notes. At first, it's mostly the paper and the peony, but over time, the paper note calms down, and the black amber increases in strength, so that it's mostly peony and black amber. I'm generally not someone who wears resins paired with floral notes, but I think that these two smell lovely together. And the black amber in this is the good stuff and nothing like the black amber in Terrible Moon: Cardamom and Black Amber duet. I feel fortunate to have been gifted a tester of this by my decanter! I am shocked that I managed to adequately envision the paper note, but not how these notes would meld together. I could not stop sniffing my wrist. I think I might end up needing more of this.
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This one is mostly about the strawberry note on me, with a little black cherry cream lurking behind it. I didn't really get the halo halo ingredients on my skin, as the strawberry was in full-force, but maybe slathering this down my arms would help bring out more complexity in this scent. I'll do that before it goes away, as I really like the black cherry cream in this and wish I were getting more of it.
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This starts off with a blast of the cherry liqueur accompanied by some spice (which fortunately isn't heavy here), but the strawberry is quick to join the party and quickly becomes the dominant note, so that this mostly smells like a spice-swirled strawberry scent with a bit of cherry and amber lurking in the background. I'm going to give this a slather test to see if that helps the cherry last longer on my skin. I do think this is nice, but I would definitely have preferred it without the strawberry, just because I seek out cherry scents, and I don't think we've seen the Lab use a black cherry liqueur note since Gothabilly?
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I decided to try this mostly because of the German name, since plum isn't usually a note that is in my wheelhouse, and I thought maybe plum jam might work better for me than the Lab's other plum notes? During the wet phase of the scent, and during the early dry phase, I was really enamored with this because the scent for some reason reminded me of Glühwein more than any actual Glühwein or spiced wine scent. It was seriously taking me back to the Christmas markets in Germany. But then, it ended up taking a turn for the worse, by no fault of the plum, for one of the spices reared its ugly head and stomped all over the Christmas market goodness I was enjoying. And that spice, fellow readers, was cumin. What did I do to deserve this fate?
