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- Today
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This scent is very green and leans a teeny bit masculine--I mostly get the green amber and white musk, which brings to mind a cool rainy spring day. Didn't get any oolong tea, grass, mandarin, or flowers, though, and I do wish it might have lasted longer (it's pretty much gone on me after about half a day), but it was nice while it lasted.
- Yesterday
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I'll admit, I purchased this from the Lab's Etsy because of the artwork. And though moss is usually a turn-off for me, lilac is one of my favorite florals. I've had enough experience with BPAL's blood note to know I'm picky, but this one is "dried" so... what the hell, let's try it out! What an interesting blend of opposites. It is clean like rainfall and damp soil, and dirty in the sense that the best soil is worm poop. You step into a forgotten mausoleum, now filled with antiques. Things so old and ancient that they do not possess harmful bacteria anymore, since organic matter is but a memory. But instead of being dusty and dry, the air itself is filled with life and mystery. The differences in a bottle sniff, wet on your skin, and the dry down are all subtle. I keep on going back for more. I thought at first that I would pass this along, but I think I'll hold on to it for awhile and see if I'm drawn to it more. If you've ever wanted to smell like a cave river, this is your blend.
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It's November 2019. A year before Biden is elected and you hear Harry Styles singling "watermelon sugar hiiiiiiiigh". It will become the song of the summer. You smell like watermelon sugar and it seems like things might just be ok. They aren't. Yet, one day, 6 years later, you get a whiff of watermelon sugar and are hit with a wave of sad longing for the endless days of the watermelon summers of the pandemic. Somehow the dread was less and more then.
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Malinka is quite soft on me, and even after a good slather she stays close to the skin. It is very much a creamy rose scent on me and I love that, but I will need to sort through my other scents and do some death matching to see how/whether it is different enough to warrant a bottle upgrade.
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I finally got my samples, and I was most looking forward to this scent. Unfortunately, it immediately went soapy on me, and it stayed there. No musk, no floral, no salt, no pepper. Just soap. As it dried, it went to powdery soap. I wish I knew why! Pretty gutted, normally musks of all sorts from the lab work well on me. But I don't want to smell like a bubble bath and baby powder, so sadly, this isn't it for me.
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This is really lovely, no doubt about it. Dreamy is definitely the vibe. Velvet carnation petals floating in creamy vanilla and orris. The peony adds an extra oomph of fresh florals, a muted pastel bouquet of pinks and cream. A very gentle soft leather and dry cedar at the base. Honestly, ghoulnextdoor's description of smelling perfume on your scarf is perfect, it has that quality of smelling something on a jacket you haven't worn in a while and trying to figure out what it was. Maybe two things that ended up layering beautifully. On my skin the florals stand out, but on my sleeves the base notes are prominent and the two halves make a really lovely whole. Middling throw, I can smell it on myself just fine but not sure if others could. Soft but not too quiet. If you like Solstice's Winter Dove but didn't love the heavier gourmandish cream and nutmeg aspects, I think this would be a winner for you.
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I got this as a frottle directly from the Lab. As a dirt-note enthusiast, I am delighted to have this chance to try this scent that somehow escaped my attention when it was originally released! In the bottle, I get the earth note front and center. But there's a sweetness bringing up the rear that reminds me of some element of Laura (without the chemical-weird aspect). Wet on my skin, the scent starts to unfurl and hints of that grass enter the arena. This is not straight up cut grass like Unexpected Golf Hazard, this is grass in August, uncut, wafting gently on the breeze. Dry down- The weeds are now present, and I think I can detect a bit of the beloved dandelion note from Strawberry Moon 2009 in here, adding a little sweetness to the mix, and I really love it. In all-A low throw earthy fragrance. It's interesting that it was originally released as part of Yule because the scent smells like spring and summer to me. I'm glad the goblins sent this to me now because I'm going to keep this in my summer rotation for sure! ❤️
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I am IN LOVE with this. It is wonderfully uncomplicated. You get honey, you get champaca. You get Honey Champaca. It’s my favorite lab honey note, too; sometimes honey notes can start off almost sour and quite pungent to the point of a good nose wrinkle, or they can lean overly sweet so that a whiff makes my mouth water a little to protect my teeth from incoming sugar. But this is the perfect balance. Then that champaca is just chewy and ambiguous perfection: Is it floral? Is it spicy? Is it woody incense? Nope, it is nothing and everything, a class unto itself. In short: Y’all, this is damn good. (I’m also making a full disclosure that this review is based on using the HG on my body, alongside an unscented body lotion. This way, I have more control over how much of the scent I use—more lotion vs more HG per palm-full as I apply—and if I really want to slather it on I don’t have to worry about what my short, fine hair is going to do with too much product.)
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I agree, this one is definitely marshmallow-forward! Dare I say, it went on* a little like Boo though while Boo feels somehow like “poofy marshmallow” this scent is grounded by the honey. It’s interesting, though, that it isn’t really identifiable as honey per se. It’s a really nice scent that can be worn alone or with various other blends without clashing or interfering. No complaints here. (*Since cutting my hair short again, I’ve started using HGs on my body most of the time. I typically squirt a simple, unscented lotion in my palm, then add a spritz of the HG and slather. It’s divine.)
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This is a sour, funky honey blend. I think it has a bit of a russet patchouli happening. It went too far into funky town for me.
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I took a chance on this one, knowing the oud might kill it. If not for the oud, I would need multiple bottles. It's creamy nutty praline goodness up front, but unfortunately the dry down brings out the oud so it's a no from me, but probably a yes for lots of people
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Agreed with @wilhelmscream. The longer I have this bottle, the more the blueberry comes out. It's a beautiful, unique cardamom scent so if that is your thing, rejoice!
- Last week
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Matcha & Pumpkin Rind.
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Spiced Rum & Dark Chocolate.
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Folk horror, but make it breakfast cereal: dehydrated pumpkin marshmallows and blackened cocoa corn puffs in sugared milk.
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Wet, the almond comes out to play first. It’s a sweet almond, like body oil, bright and cozy. I agree it’s almost like amaretto, and I don’t hate that. As it warms up, I get the gardenia and cherry - the cherry is tart, and the gardenia is bright. The cherry gets spicier (maybe the carnation starting to work its magic?) and it becomes this very sophisticated, perfumed experience. I am not a fan of tonka bean (that was a risk to this decant buy), and I’m grateful not to get anything like it in my experience so far. I agree that this is a mysterious, “going out” type of scent, but as it dries, the tea comes out and makes it lighter - I don’t know if you would want to wear this in warmer weather, but the florals from the gardenia and that white tea lift make it almost like a springtime scent, so maybe it’ll work in the coming months. I am having a nice time wearing it but it doesn’t feel like me.
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Gentle creamy blueberry, not super strong, but the juiciness stands out against the cardamom, which is heavier for cardamom than I remember cardamom being. The cream is heavy, so maybe that’s what’s working with it. I don’t get any kind of a chilled factor here, just warm and sleepy vibes. This sits really close to the skin. I wish the blueberry were stronger.
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2026 version: Getting zero tea or boba out of this one. The wet-on-skin phase gives me CREAM, and once it dries down you can sense the rose petals floating on top. Definitely a gourmand, but not for me, as I'd hoped for tea to cut through the richness (much like it does with White Rabbit).
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I agree with Galahad, the wet initial stage is very minty cool, which was a surprise. It shifts into carnation for me (a favorite), and I get a sense of the crystallized ginger, but it melds beautifully with the carnation so it’s hard to ID without knowing the scent notes. there’s a floral, shunga quality that has got to be the peony (I get a lot of Bpal peonies this time of year), and that keeps it light and gives it that springtime quality I love from the shungas. as it wears on my skin, the red amber and and scarlet silk come out, but I can’t say to what extent it is red and scarlet. I have purchased several red ambers over the years from Bpal, and I can ID that note, but the silk here is very gentle. disappointingly, I get no ube or persimmon right now, and also surprisingly, no lavender. This is still very fresh from the mail, so we’ll see how it ages. I’m glad I have a decant of this one!
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Lovely date and hyacinth blend, the sticky-sweetness of the dates and the sharpness of the hyacinth complementing each other very well. As it dries I get some sweet violet as well, and a woody, sun-dappled skin musk underneath very slightly reminiscent of Like the Very Gods, though the date and hyacinth remain the main notes. This evokes a hazy spring afternoon in the Greek countryside, Apollo and Hyacinthus under a tree together eating dates. I don't get much of the other notes, and would like them (especially the lilies!); I imagine the amber in particular might come out more with age. This is really lovely and balanced; I like it a lot though would personally prefer if the dates were a little quieter and the florals more intense.
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There’s a stereoplasm scent called taro milk tea. This bpal shares a very similar dna with its ube note - sweet, coconutty, a little deep and earthy. The red bean paste keeps it from getting too dessert-like, though it absolutely is still a gourmand scent. when comparing it to the stereoplasm scent, I can’t say I am getting any candyfloss; this is all starchy sweet on me. I like it a lot, but I wish there was more dimension somewhere in the dry down. wait, actually, the more I huff it, the more I get the same - sugar? I don’t know - in my old beloved, Velvet Unicorn. That had a combo of spun sugar, merengue, and cherry fluff, a relative to candyfloss, and with that link, I can kind of grasp it lying underneath the earthy ube and red bean. this scent fades faster than many sugared bpals I own, which is a shame.
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Okay, so the general waft of this is the red musk and white amber, musky plushness with a shimmery, silvery lining, but when I sniff my wrists I get a dirtied up, postcoital scent that has me verging on blushing. I’m thinking the musk + honey + saffron may be giving this effect. Uff! I was so excited about this scent, both for the notes and the theme, but I’m not sure it’s to my taste at the moment….😅 Holding onto it in hopes the myrrh & frankincense come forward more, and perhaps I’ll actually come to crave the more lusty perspective of the sacred joining. Will have to position myself near my Red King to see its effect on him, as well. ehehehee
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Star Trek, Star Wars, and the Stories We Need
eldritchhobbit posted a blog entry in Eldritchhobbit's Blog
It was a delight to talk Star Trek, Star Wars, and storytelling on The Lorehounds podcast! Star Trek, Star Wars, and the Stories We Need - A Conversation with Dr. Amy H. Sturgis View the full post. -
Record of Women’s Treasures of the Way of Elegance Day and Night
Lyahdan replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lupercalia
I'm finding that I love sweet+patchouli (all the honeyed ones in recent years are a hit). I don't usually like coffee bean. But here, the bitter blends with the peppery note and really gives the earthy sweetness some sexy bite. The cardamon is a hazy, cozy warmth once it dries down. Liking this one way more than I expected. -
2025. Pretty! Unfortunately. I knew that pumpkin and leather could be tricky, since leather can overwhelm me and pumpkin can feel too gourmand, but the reviews and description gave me hope -- I do tend to be into incense, patchouli, and cologne-y. I think this strikes a beautiful balance between 'semi-gourmand pumpkin' and 'leathery masc', like someone who loves collars and also baking, but personally I would prefer it skewing harder in one direction than the other.
