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To me this is a very very strange and beautiful scent. When I first opened the bottle I was a little put off because it smells *so* strong and sharp and camphorous it's almost medicinal. I want to throw out a comparison to eucalyptus oil here, but please take that with a grain of salt because I am still a fragrance newbie and quite frankly still cannot name most of the things I smell precisely. But something magical happened when I tried it on: the sharpness dissipates a bit and it is just so intensely *green*, evoking the scent of thick wet vegetation so strongly for me, like forest undergrowth and leaf litter mixed with fresh leaves and crushed, sweet grass just after rain. The blackberry starts coming out very distinctly too, and the combination is gorgeous, hard for me to describe, but sort of thick and syrupy and a little bit sharp, almost a resinous effect? There is a tiny, tiny whiff of something faintly floral that feels to me like it's acting as an undercurrent to the blackberry specifically, it's like the suggestion of flowers, the ghost of honeysuckle (so I suppose this is the scent of honeysuckle "grasp[ing] at[...] shadows" then!). Later in the day, I noticed I was losing some of the complexity and it was becoming a much more blackberry-forward scent with just a touch of green, and I thought perhaps that was just the fragrance fading, but later still I noticed more of the vegetal/green aspects returning. I can't wait to see how this one ages as it settles, and I am strongly considering a bottle. It's dark, gorgeous, and I would recommend it if you want to feel like you are creeping through a dark, lush, rainy, possibly bewitched forest at night.
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Oh no, it's got that "raisin" note in here that i've smelled before and unfortunately is just not my thing. The pumpkin is lovely and sweet, not nausiating once it dries down on my skin as pumpkin sometimes does (yay). Theres some cinnamon and vaguely perhaps a tiny bit of other spices (clove?) and this doughy-sticky cake note. Which, so unfortnately for me does not work. I did not put on much, but it's still got a decent throw. Think i just have to give up on baked-related foodies, but of that is your thing you will LOVE this!!
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The Seventh Veil was one of the stand out scents for me this year. How does a scent manage to evoke garnet and gold? Pure magic this one. Complex in that if I had to guess what notes it is comprised of, I could not do so with any real certainty. Definitely wear to bring out your inner Queen.
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One of my most coveted bpals and THE most beautiful rose scent I have found to date, Heavenly Spark is the most perfect incensed rose. The rose is red, dry and brittle but not powdery in the least. The oak wood is warm, round and realistic. Overall the scent leans slightly sweet but balanced. I love reaching for this at bed time because it instills a sense of tranquility, like a soft velvety blanket. I think it would also be brilliant for meditation.
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While wet, this is very much a bubbly green apple and mint. The mint calms down very quickly upon application, and while you can tell it's there if you focus on sniffing for notes it is really is just there for a cold vibe. Much like Pink Lovebat, there's one note that stays at the front for me, and that's the green apple. The currents, mint and sugar add depth to the blend, but it is very much an apple blend on me above all else. It takes the cream a little while to come through for me, but when it does it leaves just a very nice, sweet, creamy apple scent. This is absolutely the green version of Pink Lovebat and it's soft sweetness to me - light, subtle with a decent wear time , though not much throw. They're a perfect pair! (And the bottles look adorable next to each other.)
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chilled bergamot, Ceylon cinnamon, white clove bud, amber, and incense smoke. I picked this out due to its combination of bergamot, cinnamon, and amber, as I'm quite the fan of any two of those three in combination. I had no idea what to expect and that might have been a good thing. In the bottle, I pick out incense smoke and bergamot with an icy twist (hence 'chilled'). The bergamot is sharp and cold in my nose, while the smoke invokes fire, and the amber plays off them both. Unlike most scents, where the bottle and wet-on-skin experiences are identical, Melancholy Fire pulls a trick and presses clove to the forefront for a few minutes before the fiery cinnamon smoke and clean bergamot scent reasserts itself. For the rest of the time, the competing chill of bergamot on ice with core of smoky incense and a mystery third ingredient thapeovides a nice balance between the two.
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When I picked this out, I was hoping for a metallic cut into smoking clove and fragrant red cedar. Unfortunately, like the other dead leaves I've tried from this release, the metallic scent disappears within minutes to leave the other notes behind. In my case, my skin picked up the scorched and the cedar, giving a strong impression of a cedar forest on fire from the kindling of dead, dried leaves. For my partner, whose skin tends to absorb wood scents quickly, they ended up with a strong clove and little else. Neither of us found what we were looking for, so we shall pass.
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I have to agree with bheansidhe here. The main show is in the green tea, covering both the dead leaves and the white ginger-y notes pretty much effectively. You can get a hint of more, but it plays out as mostly green tea on the skin from touch down to last note.
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Literally all I get from this is 'black cherry and...'. In the first touch, it's black cherry and metallic grass (i.e. dead leaves), but it quickly smooths out to not a single blade of grass. In the meantime, something rather indeterminable pushes towards the foreground. I'm going to assume that is the tar incense and while it gives the black cherry a pretty layered smell it isn't enough for me to invest in a bottle. The overall scent feels unbalanced, weighed heavily towards the blackest of black cherry, and not at all what I was hoping for.
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First sniff: bitter citrus cut by a more tart one. My mouth tingles. Touch down: much the same, though a lovely subtle scent of something has started to rise up behind all the citrus-y grapefruit and bitter citron. Early dry: The subtle scent has revealed itself to be woodsy and direct, so presumably the damp white cedar note. I definitely get the dampness; the scent smells a little aquatic without the pondsy undertone that usually turns me off of aquatics. I also get a plastic scent so familiar from the clown and blow mold lines, but this is much milder than I usually think of the Lab's plastic note. Like the impression of plaster, instead of inflatables. Dried now: ... and damn! The citrus up and disappeared on me, a ghost that never was. My skin seems to absorb citrus like it's mugging it for its lunch money, so this probably won't be the experience for everyone. I was enjoying the blend, which was a little quirky (plaster, citron, and damp wood) but well integrated. Then, boom, half the scent disappeared ten minutes in and left me with a disappointing waterlogged cedar feel. This is going to have to be a pass for me, but I think it would be quite nice on someone who doesn't absorb citrus so well.
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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. - Yesterday
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Initially, this is heavy on the iris. Over time, the lavender peeks through, then the rose (which has a bruised rose petals smell to me rather than a rose in bloom). Then finally the vanilla comes through, which sweetens the scent a lot. The iris shares some of the spotlight but remains dominant throughout. The ambergris isn't readily identifiable to me until well into the dry down because the iris is so strong. Overall, this reminds me of a "classic" feminine perfume, floral and powdery, both sharp and sweet. It sits fairly close to the skin on me, but it's strong and a little goes a long way, and it lasts a long time. I enjoy it for what it is, but if you don't like iris or powdery florals, this will not be for you.
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In the bottle and freshly applied to my skin, I swear this smells just like a bowl of Cap'n Crunch Berries Cereal? 👀 This is not a bad thing. I wonder if it is the malted aspect of the milk with the berry notes giving me that Cap'n Crunch vibe? Then the cherry pops up, and it's glorious, but fleeting, leaving behind mostly a strawberry milk scent with like... a spoonful of Cap'n Crunch instead of a bowl of it. After a few hours of wear, the scent is pretty faint, but I think I smell some papaya behind the strawberry milk, because I briefly smelled something that reminded me of the Papaya, Passionfruit and Candyfloss b-side. I'll be keeping my decant (in the original bottle -- woot!), and I'll spend more time with it to see if I need more of it. I really enjoy the unexpected Cap'n Crunch... I just wish this lasted longer. But maybe once I wear this for my scent of the day and slather it all over, it will have much better staying power. I should also mention that Fairy Lobster Foam was a funky dairy disaster on me, but this one, fortunately, is not!
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Green Lovebat starts off with the green apple and peppermint in full force. After a while, the green apple loses its sugared aspect and becomes more tart, and the green currants emerge, making the scent even more tart. The peppermint is quick to calm down, and the milk emerges; it's definitely a dairy milk note, but it isn't super buttery (and it is a very accurate milk note). By the end of the day, this is a milky green apple and currant scent with just a hint of coolness left behind from the mint. Green Lovebird is my preferred Lovebird, but oddly enough, Pink Lovebat is actually my preferred Lovebat! If you're looking for a milky green apple, though, this one is for you!
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Sidewalk Apples starts off with a blast of tart (but not green!) apple and a whoosh of dead leaves on some pavement. I wouldn't let the fermented aspect of the scent scare you away, as I believe that is just highlighting the intense apple at first -- there's no whiff of decay! At one point, I couldn't help but wondering if there were some motor oil or something akin to the Lab's ink note on the pavement, as it veered into a more industrial phase, before settling into what I would describe as Dead Leaves and Cement Atmo plus apple. Dead leaves and I don't really get along, so this isn't a bottle for me, but if you and dead leaves get along and you're looking for a more atmospheric apple-y scent, give this one a try!
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The red apple is the star of the show on me throughout wear. I say sweet because there's no tartness, not because of the caramel or toffee -- because neither of those notes are distinct on me (there's a candied aspect, but I'm not getting any buttery caramel or toffee), and the same goes for the cinnamon and almond, shockingly. I do get the popcorn by the end of the day, where it manages to cozy up to the apple note, but by that point, the scent is pretty faint. This comparison will probably help maybe only a handful of people, but it reminds me of the jar of scoopable County Fair wax I have from Zeep Bath (which closed this year). That one also reads mostly a sweet red apple to me, although it is said to contain funnel cakes, handmade caramel apples, and kettle corn. I'd recommend this to someone who wants a pretty straightforward, non-spiced, sweet red apple scent.
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In the bottle this a very fluffy and pink, like a cloud of pink sugar. On the wrist there's a blast of something almost acetone like which thankfully dies out immediately as it dries, but the sugariness goes with it, and I'm left with a nice mellow, light red fruit scent. The strawberry is definitely the star of the show - the papaya and cherry don't come through to me as individual notes, but at the same time it's very obviously more than just strawberry. There's definitely that malted note others have picked up as well. It doesn't have a strong throw at all, but for such a subtle scent it does stick around for a good while. This is definitely going in the 'office-safe' pile - a good blend for when you want something light and fun to brighten the day, but need to keep it low-key.
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Seconding theseagrows, I get a lot of cypress with the bergamot. It adds a delicate coolness without being in-your-face mentholated; it's very reigned in. The breath of fresh cypress air mixes well with the bergamot. There are some soft nondescript florals floating behind the cypress, I can detect a light touch from the iris and lily. And... a dusting of salt? A cursory search attributes the saltiness to cistus?? I'd describe this as inoffensive because it's just very 'pale', more of a vibe than a scent cloud. I applied one swipe, and I have to sniff pretty close to my skin to smell it. A beam of pale ghostly light. Incandescent, indeed.
- Last week
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This is among the Pile of Leaves blends that I missed out on originally, but snagged a secondhand bottle of well after the fact. Copal is the most prominent note here, followed by the dead leaves. It's resinous, but in a bright, almost citrusy way, and it blends with the dead leaves in a way that gives the impression of dry, crunchy, sun-warmed leaves. Resinous but not overly cologney, and simultaneously a bit dry and bright. Glad I was able to track down a bottle of this.
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On my skin, this is a warm, biscuit-y gourmand -- this is mostly the shortbread and butter notes on me, with hints of malt in the background. This is a pleasant and warm gourmand for cooler weather, although I don't think I'm going to reach for it often enough to need more than my decant.
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So this happened, I knocked it over by accident, got most of it on myself and now I smell gorgeous and can't focus on anything else, and immediately ordered a replacement bottle. On me, this is sugar, tea, and some almost florar male-ish background scent, with some lemon. I love this, I love my life now, this is amazing, everyone need to try this. It makes me think about cookies, I think it's just the combination of scents, but in the future I will probably try out one of their actual cookie scent because of this. 😄 Not what I expected, in a good way!
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This one took me back to my teen years in the 80s, when smudgy black eyeliner was my makeup life. I didn't have a lighter, so it went on like a cold crayon back then, but it was worth it. Black Eyeliner has that same enchanting makeup accord as the lipstick scents, with that lovely citrus-y wax and subtle floral note. In this instance, it is combined with a woody note, possibly cedar, for the pencil, along with the chemical smoke of the lighter. The way Beth blends "chemical" smells to make them actually beautiful is amazing to me! Accompanying this blend of eyeliner smells is that black leather note and subtle metallic spark representing the studded bracelet. I agree with wilhelmscream, this could be a cousin scent to Adam with the similar layering of notes. This scent is a perfect concept execution, and all of the notes come together seamlessly to form a lovely shadowy perfume. If you enjoy the lab's makeup scents, don't sleep on this one!
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This goes on quite sweet on me, with a burst of almond blossom and nutty, sweetened heliotrope, with the narcissus distinct but waiting in the background. I was unsure about it at this stage - a little too almond, a little too sweet. But as it dries down the almond blossom recedes, and the narcissus comes through truly gorgeously as the center of the blend. The lab's narcissus note fascinates but has never fully worked for me - it has that paperwhite-like sickening edge (especially in perfumes like Langour in which is actually with paperwhites, bringing out that quality) which can't quite be described as indolic, but is somehow beautiful and queasy at once. I have several imps of narcissus-centric GCs which I've kept around because of that fascination, but never have quite found wearable, and I've wondered whether I would find a narcissus that I did actually want to wear. I think Interminable Grotesques may be it. There's a greenhouse quality to this narcissus, humid and sweetened, the perfume trapped within fogging glass. With the honey from the heliotrope, it reminds me of the stunning daffodil note in Flower Moon 2009, which is a gentler, more golden variation on bpal's narcissus, and one which has always felt closer to me to the true smell of the flower in nature (daffodil and narcissus, of course, being the same plant - their scent isn't noticeable most of the time, but is distinct if you actually try smelling a daffodil, or if you're fortunate enough to be in a place with overflowing beds of them in the springtime, amplifying their subtle fragrance). This is still much more indolic than the freshness of Flower Moon, which is definitely a field of wildflowers and not a bunch of blooms in a greenhouse, but there's a distinct resemblance. Over the course of wear, I also get what I could swear is a classic lily note rather than a lily of the valley - if I really look for it I can maybe find a sharpness that I could call lily of the valley, but I also get a very distinct stargazer lily which mingles beautifully with the narcissus. I don't think I can quite track the opium poppy yet, but it's perhaps part of the subtle sweetness in the background. This had quite long wear length, even just a day out of the mail. So: okay but not great when wet, really beautiful on drydown. I'll need to wear it a few more times to get a sense of whether I do want a bottle, and probably compare it with Flower Moon 2009 as well, but I think it might very well end up being a bottle purchase for me; it feels the 'wearable narcissus' gap which has been present in my flower completionist collection.
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Trying a 2020 Ajevie slink bought through a destash. I'm not a floral girlie but I love a good ylang ylang note, plus vanilla has my heart. And chypres are intriguing. And benzoin usually smells good on me. Still, it's always hard to tell what the combo will smell like. Most of the reviews are positive, and mine is no different. Wet: an almost SN ylang ylang, softened by the vanilla. Drying: I'm picking out the spicy carnation chypre, and it's a 'cinnamony floral' that's so rare for me to find, since carnation doesn't tend to pull spicy on me. The spice creeps out a little more, mingling with the ylang ylang, which is rich without being florid. Verdict: A lovely, elegent, spicy floral for people who don't like florals. It hovers 2-3 inches above my skin, so not much projection, that's normal for my skin chemistry. I have a chance to buy a FS in a destash and this is a much tougher decision than I expected. For sure, I'll enjoy my imp.
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