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in the vial, Plastic Rats does indeed smell a bit like plastic rats, which is to say, daunting. On my skin I can pick out the amber and pepper clearly alongside the black licorice. It's really kindof a nice scent once it settles in. Like it could have been marketed as Lord Licorice's cologne in a licensed Candyland line or something. not that it skews especially masc or evil, imo - it's delightfully mysterious and subtle, and ever so slightly murky.
- Yesterday
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Lovers of the Lab's ozone note (*raises hand*) rejoice! It dances merrily here in the bottle beside the star jasmine and violet incense and bruised plum, and makes the leap onto skin nicely. Much like a strike of lightning, this scent opens big and then quickly fades away within about 45 minutes, leaving mostly powdery resins behind. Not too floral, not too fruity, not too atmospheric, it comes in for a well balanced initial impression and sticks around pleasantly for about 5 more hours at a low, lightly sweet sillage. If your spirit guide is The Wizard from Stardew Valley, you've found his signature scent here.
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Yippeemaxxer joined the community
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Bought this shortly after my SO lotion arrived! As with that one, I just love the bottle and lotion formula -- very silky, not at all greasy. This is pretty true to the perfume oil scent -- very summery, warm, creamy incense goodness. One exception: there's initially a marked soapy note (reminds me of the SSS sunscreen from Avon) that isn't in the perfume oil, but it goes away quickly. Really like this a lot! There is some projection to it, too; I'm catching it waft off my hands as I type.
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Lightning Moon: White Musk and Golden Frankincense
SmellsPrettyGood2Me replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Slightly soapy with a little bit of musky stank in the bottle, not at all smokey or dark. The musk hits hard when applied to skin, and I'm fighting to catch whiffs of the frankincense as it dries down. Ironically, the further I keep my nose from my hand, the better it smells! I caught whiffs of this throughout the day and it was much more pleasant as time went on. Moderate sillage and good staying power as I could still detect it 8 hours after application. I love a good musk, and I enjoyed the Jasmine Rice and White Musk duet enough that this buy was a no-brainer. I think at the moment I prefer the former for a "your skin but better" daily grab as this duet isn't balanced quite right with my skin chemistry, leaning a bit too musk heavy. Will try again after letting it sit for a few months to see how it ages. -
I am reviewing the scent just arrived home, and it’s cold in London today. In the bottle the juicy blood orange is the most striking note, and it made my mouth watering as I am a citrus fan. On the skin, the apricot and then the vanilla bloom wonderfully giving the idea of a light sensation of joy. All three notes are between my favourite, so I don’t have to struggle to feel the intent effect on me. I can sense some gentle ginger and amber in the background, but they stay in the backseat for now. No dragon blood and frankincense at this point. I am grinning from happiness in this snowy day, it’s light, gentle and delightful. Will report later if I feel undertaking some, much needed, courage act today.
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Holiday 2025 Wishlists & Questions
spookygrrrly posted a blog entry in Spookygrrrly's Tabernacle O'Terror
Here are my wish list items/ideas & question/answers for 2025 holiday swaps: Book Wishlist: Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Agatha Christie Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason Movie Wishlist (DVD or Blueray) Gremlins A Christmas Horror Story Crimson Peak The Shining Misery The Thing (1982 Original Version) Q/A from Swap: 1) What are your favorite colors to wear, or for warm blankets, socks, etc ? Jewel tones, black/grey, purple/green, celestial colors. If it’s Xmas-y I do a woodsy green/red/cream or vintage pink/green/red 2) What sizes do you prefer for upper body and lower body clothing, feet, etc? Hats/mittens/gloves -medium. Socks I wear size 8.5 shoes. No knee highs as they never fit. 3) Are there types of fibers you have trouble with against your skin? Definitely no micro fibers. I also don’t like the acrylic socks. For socks cotton or wool are best. I do like the fuzzy slipper socks. Especially if they have the grips on the bottom since I have hardwood stairs. 4) Would you like a small handmade faux wreath made out of thrifted floral stems? If so what colors would you enjoy? No thank you. I don’t have a place to put one that my cat won’t try and eat it 5) Would you like a hand painted kitty ornament? If so, is there a particular kitty you would like it modeled after? Please attach a photo. Sure! I have a black cat with yellow eyes named Chloe 6) Also would you appreciate some organic cocoa butter? I use it for my dry winter skin. Yes, I love coco butter 7) Do you have any interest in any of the Yule products from Paintbox Soapworks? Wax melts or sugar scrub - Comfort and Joy, Sozzled, O! Tannenbaum, In Dulce Jubilio 😎 Do you have any interest in a mystery puzzle game that can be played solo or multi-player? Usually these involve murder and a variety of logic puzzles. This would be played through, but carefully so as to allow for replay by you and yours. No thank you 9) Also, shortbread in various flavors - yea or nea? I can do something gingerbready or peppermint or rose or lavender or orange or chocolate or plain or combinations thereof. I love shortbread. Gingerbread, orange, plain, chocolate orange, or peppermint are all good with me -
Blood Moon: Patchouli and Smoked Vanilla Lotion
SmellsPrettyGood2Me replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lotion
Agree, it doesn't actually smell like vanilla or patchouli, at all. There is only the slightest hint of what smells like sweet orange oil in very minute dilution, and nothing else. To say that I am bummed is an exponential understatement. The formulation is fine, it just doesn't really have any scent and definitely not these notes. -
In the bottle I got shifting scents: ink, something burgundy and resinous, and a mildewed gritty floor-patchouli that almost stopped me from trying this. (Sorcerous roots?) Luckily, it’s a lot milder on. It’s mostly something dark and matte my brain wants to see as a mild patchouli (but it probably involves vetiver). Ink I recognize from The Illustrated Woman comes out with a bit of scorched scent. Not smoky but hot metal and a hint of scorched skin. Only a faint hint. A bit of resin. This is largely a flat scent.
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Gray licorice, yep. The amber gives it a perfume edge that is almost salty. Sweet, spicy, salty. The black pepper plays well with other notes. I already have a couple licorice scents, but this is unique. The other notes enhance everything I like about licorice/fennel. I’m not really getting plastic rats, though this does remind me of how a squeezed plastic rat sounds. Just in smell form. Yeah.
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This one has smelled a little different each time I’ve worn it, but I’m sensing enough consistency that I am gonna wager a review. On my skin this is distinctly an amber blend, but kind of amber+. There is tea deepening and balancing what could be a too toffee sweet amber note, and to that is added a really effective use of the lab’s dead leaf note, here reading brown and crunchy instead of green as they often do (although they are recognizable BPAL DL). Around this amber, we have a variety of paler, more atmospheric notes. The sweater is a scratchy wool accord that I can’t sense most of the time, but to it clings a gardenia perfume (some may say drier sheets, but I welcome this wonderful flower, a similar gardenia can be found in GC Crossroads). In my first test, I also got a distinct mothball note, which made me laugh. Luckily, it has subsided. The cream is a subtle but real presence, and I think there is also some aldehydes here, furthering the “who’s wearing that perfume” vibe and also giving a sense of openness and airiness. The impression I get is of big, crunchy brown sycamore leaves against a bright but overcast sky. Perfect for November ! I have been jokingly calling this Odeur 32 in reference to Comme des Garçons’ Odeur line, because it’s kind of like a BPAL version of those airy harmonies of offbeat notes. This is doing some of what Dead Leaves and Tobacco did back in 2014, but better. It is not very similar to last year’s Dead Leaves, Bergamot, and Black tea or to the other tea and amber blend in my collection, A Cup of Tea in the Verandah. Glad to have this one, especially as it provides that craveable BPAL gardenia in a more wearable package than I’ve encountered before.
- Last week
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I love bread fragrances and wanted to try this for the brioche, but unfortunately all I'm getting is pumpkin spice and a whiff of waxy vanilla buttercream candle. It gives me a headache.
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Dead Leaves, Dried Fig, and Hay Home & Linen Spray
a_bear replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Atmosphere
Based on a single spray on a piece of cotton fabric - This is mostly about the dead leaves. Freshly sprayed, I do get a bit of bell pepper, but as it dries that calms down, and I start to get a bit of earthy fig softening the edges. I can't pick out hay particularly. -
2025 edition smelling stank & dank. Fades to a sweetness. Compared to 2020 edition, they do not compare. Looking forward to this aging. So far it's loud, but lovely.
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Black vinyl and nag champa. The champa isn't going soapy on me like it does sometimes. The vinyl gives the scent an overall plastic smoothness. Not burnt plastic. Smells like a vintage shop. If memory serves there's a hint of Manic Panic in the air too. if you like Snooty Bat but don’t like the leather or clove this might be your thing.
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My first impression as I applied this on the skin was pumpkin spice tattoo ink! It comes on kinda dark and strong. I get the bourbon and the cranberry in the periphery but they're like accents in the mix. When the patch starts to come out as the oil dries, it really comes together nicely and the ink is way less intimidating. It's just a sweet lil fuzzy inky guy. Also remarkable that I don't think Beth saw the artwork before making the perfume and the colors match this scent really well!? Every time I see tarantulas I am reminded of the fact that I tried to keep a tarantula as a pet when I was a kid, in order to get over my fear of spiders. It didn't work - I could not sleep with it in my room and had to return it. But Tarantula Flash seems really nice once you give it a chance! I think I can live with this one.
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Hot Pink Hearse is pure candy. In fact, this smells like the flavor combo I always strived for at those Pucker Powder machines at amusement parks (Cedar Point anyone?). My go-to recipe for those giant Pixie Stix was lemonade, strawberry, grape and fruit punch (can't believe I remember that!) Now, the lasting power and throw on my skin is almost non-existent--about 15-20 minutes total before my skin eats her. However, I did get some on my sleeve and I'm still smelling it now at least 8 hours later. Received this as a decant and now I HAVE to get my hands on a full bottle. Love.
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First impression: A sharp green scent almost like the literal precursor to dead leaves. The Lab's Dead Leaves note reads as very sharp to me and this reads the same way, except very much still alive and kicking. Wet : Yeah. Why do I even bother to add this section? It takes 10 minutes for anything not to smell like in-bottle on me. Drydown: Okay. So, I grew up in CA and went up to Oregon to see relatives each August, where you could buy a plastic grocery bag and a pass for $5 with the promise of taking all the blackberries you can fit into that bag. This reminds me intensely of being surrounded by blackberry brambles, avoiding spoiled berries (that will stain your shoes), in the August heat. If not for a grassier, somewhat aquatic undertone to the scent it would be the perfect recreation. You could name this 'Blackberry patch a la Suburban Neighborhood (after mowing)' and not be more accurate. I like the scent and it definitely is as described, but I wish there'd been stronger blackberry or weaker grass.
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i received a frimp of this from a lovely decant circle. yep it's 100% black licorice from the get-go...there is a hint of toastiness to it, which i often get with foody scents. it smells more like fennel than anything, i think. the amber is quite subtle. after a few minutes i get a lightness from the pepper, which adds an interesting element to licorice. the licorice is still the strongest note though.
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1) What are your favorite colors to wear, or for warm blankets, socks, etc ? I skew to darker colors, earth tones, jewel tones, black and grey generally 2) What sizes do you prefer for upper body and lower body clothing, feet, etc? for tops, mens/unisex XL, or L if it's baggy, xxl for womens' cut shirts though I'm leaning toward more gender neutral these days. lower body XL, socks like standard women's size? I wear like a size 9 shoe but I have duck feet 3) Are there types of fibers you have trouble with against your skin? nothing in particular as long as it's soft. 4) Wishlist links for, BPAL, Amazon, Etsy, Whichever book tracker you may use (Goodreads/LibraryThing/StoryGraph) Etc.? will get to this soon 5) Would you like a small handmade faux wreath made out of thrifted floral stems? If so what colors would you enjoy? sure! fall colors or something winter-y, or vibrant colors. I'm not a very pastel-y person but otherwise anything goes 6) Would you like a hand painted kitty ornament? If so is there a particular kitty you would like it modeled after? Please attach a photo. sure! no particular cat, but I decorate my tree with animal and nature ornaments so a handpainted one woud be lovely 7) Also would you appreciate some organic cocoa butter? sure 😎Do you have any interest in any of the Yule products from Paintbox Soapworks? o tannenbaum, rensdyr, and stretched on your grave sound pretty. Sugar scrubs and soap are the most used around here 9) Do you have any interest in a mystery puzzle game that can be played solo or multi-player? Usually these involve murder and a variety of logic puzzles. This would be played through, but carefully so as to allow for replay by you and yours. that sounds fun, I like logic puzzle type stuff 10) Also, shortbread in various flavors - yea or nea? I can do something gingerbready or peppermint or rose or lavender or orange or chocolate or plain or combinations thereof. anything but peppermint or lavender sounds lovely
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2025 Version When first applied, I'm mainly smelling a very sweet custardy leche flan coated in caramelized syrup, and tropical white florals that smell like overripe bananas (similar to what I smelled in F-cking #3, but more caramelized!). Maybe the bibingka and turon also contribute to that floral banana leaf smell. The hyper-sweetness dies down quickly. There is a ton of gourmand notes in this, but if I'm being honest mostly all of them are not quite identifiable, like I never distinctively smell ube or champorado, and even the leche flan smell quickly melds with the other gourmand notes, contributing to a general feel of a filipino bakery filled with fried, cakey, and caramelized sweets, along with the smell of humid tropical flowers. I like it!
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2025 Version This is a very woody scent, I smell the copal, woods, and tobacco when first applied. As it dries down further, there is this watery green veil over those dry woody notes, which must be coming from the agave nectar and just a touch of stemmy rose, without being too floral. That veil of refreshing green grows thicker through wear time until it's like 40% cooling green and 60% warm, dry and spiced woodiness. It morphs a lot though, the two scent profiles dueling for dominance, or maybe dancing together, the strength of each's presence flitting in and out.
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2025 Version It's a very sharp and bitter/sour floral like if the pith of an orange peel was made into a flower. Is that what marigold smells like? That is the strongest note I smell, it is a bit overpowering for me. In the background is the smell of damp dead leaves which also add to the sharpness and bitterness. It pretty much stays this way on my skin, no bourbon vanilla comes to save the day. I don't think this is for me, because I like my florals on the creamier/sweeter/gentle side.
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It really does smell like a pretty pink sweater! I would say it seems more cashmere than wool to my nose, like maybe Ed Wood is wearing this.
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This is exactly what it promises! It's primarily a root beer - a kind of candy root beer, like those little barrel candies, which I think is because of the extra sweetness from the ice cream. I don't get a lot of pumpkin (and it's definitely not pumpkin spice!) - just a murmur of something warm and gourd-adjacent and creamy. Very fun, and I like it! The Husband: "you smell like...root beer candy? I like those candies!"
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2025 version! I also don't get much pumpkin - it's primarily a honeyed sweet cream, which I'm not mad at! There's just a little whisper of something smoky in the background, along with a little whisper of pumpkin - not really pumpkin spice, but creamier. The reviewer above who mentioned condensed milk or dulce de leche - I think that's pretty close. Cozy, warm, a little caramelized, thick. I honestly really love it and want to snuggle up in it at home! Having said that...for some reason the Husband really dislikes this one! I think maybe it's the honey or else just the thickness of it? Both times I've put it on with him sitting next to me, he's gone, "oh, I don't like that one!" without even seeing the label! But *I* really like it, so I'm going to slather it on myself when he's not home.
