Phaedra

Wet this is sugar and violet. It reminds me of the violet candies I had when I was little. When first on this smells the same- like violet candies. The sugar note is very prominent and somewhat overwhelming. It begins to soften after about a half hour. This dries down to a creamy, sweet violet. I really liked the idea of Faith but I think the sugar note is just too strong even though in Hope it's not. I ended up sending this to a better home.

Wet this is crisp, fresh raw cucumber. Cool and green with a hint of the bitter peel. When first on this is bitter cucumber peel and the sweetness of the cucumber itself. After several minutes the bitterness fades and this is pure cucumber- crisp, green, and cool. This stays pretty much a single note cucumber. The only downside is that it fades after only a couple of hours. I love this- it's the perfect cucumber to wear in hot weather. I guess I'll have to slather it though since it's so light. It would probably be great to layer with other light scents.

Wet this is a very sweet floral, a bit tropical and maybe some violet too. When first on it's much softer and not as sweet. Sort of a "dusty" floral. This doesn't change much on me. It's a fairly faint blend. It has a cool, almost woody note on the dry down. This is a nice floral but not a standout one for me.

Wet this is mossy, wet florals like a swampy version of Zombi. When first on this is a crisp citrus like men's aftershave, with a hint of coolness almost like menthol. It's completely different than the wet stage. After a few minutes the dirt note comes out. After about half an hour it becomes really soft and floral. This fades after only a couple of hours. This is an interesting blend but not one I need to keep.

Wet this is very earthy with hints of cedar and sweet florals. When first on it's pure cedar/wood but not as strong of a "pencil shavings" smell that cedar usually is on me. The oil is very thick pouring out of the imp- as thick as corn syrup. After a couple of minutes there's a hint of resin too- almost like sap from an evergreen tree. This is a very faint blend. After a couple of hours, the woodiness is gone and it's almost like rose or another sweet floral. This is very nice but a little too faint for me. Too bad it's not stronger.

Wet this is lemon, berries and violet. Fresh and elegant. When first on this is a mix of lemon, currants and violets. Very pretty and sophisticated. After a couple of minutes there's something fruity- raspberry or melon maybe? This has a similar feel to Black Moon- fruity, floral, watery, ethereal. Overall this is a soft, wispy blend. It's fairly long lasting too. I really like this one and will enjoy using my imp.

Wet this is sweet peaches and vanilla. When first on this is sweet and thick peaches with a hint of wood in the background. I think there's some honey too. After a few minutes the sweetness softens and the wood note develops more. After a couple of hours the amber warms up and mingles with the peach. This is really lovely. It dries down to a warm, lightly sweet, close to the skin scent. This is very pretty and perfect for spring. I'll enjoy using this imp.

I think La Flamme smells a lot like Smut with a little lemon added to it. I realize Smut is an L.E. but it's still out there if you really want it. Also Temple:Greek is similar to Athens (no surprise there). Temple:Greek is much sharper and more herbal to my nose but they both have a strong myrrh note in them- which I

I got an imp of this in a recent swap. Wet this is a sweet floral, mixed with citrus and a foody note like butter or cake. When first on there's a burst of fresh flowers and grapefruit along with the butteriness. There's a spicyness in the background. After a few hours, this becomes a soft, creamy floral with just a hint of spice. The grapefruit and buttery notes are gone. This has a sexy and sophisticated feeling to it. Nice but I probably won't wear it that much.

Wet this is musk, myrrh and resins. Deep, dark and sweet. A bit like Athens. When first on it's very much like Athens- strong myrrh and sweet herbs. This is bold and dark. This stays pretty true to the wet stage on me. It melds perfectly with my skin- as if it's coming out of my skin rather than sitting on top of it. This is gorgeous!! It's like a cross between Athens and Schwarzer Mond. This is a must try for anyone who loves myrrh, musks or resins!

Wet this is sweet fruit and slightly sour milk. When first on it smells pretty much the same. Oddly it's reminding me of pineapple upside down cake. After a couple minutes I can smell a bit of fig. After about an hour the sourness has faded. I only smell the honey very faintly on the drydown. This has so many of my favorite notes in it so I really thought it would work for me. Unfortunately the sour milk note is overpowering. Too bad

Wet this is sweet, dewy pink roses with some lilac or wisteria. When first on this is pale pink roses, wispy and powdery. Soft and sweet. There's a hint of something purple- lilac, wisteria or maybe hyacinth. This doesn't change much more on me. It dries down to a lovely soft honeyed rose. This is a light rose blend, utterly delicate and feminine. It's similar to Moon Rose but is even softer. This is a must try for any rose lover!

Wet this is Snake Oil and cocoa- yummy! When first on it smells the same, deep cocoa mixed with Snake Oil. This is warm, velvety and sensual like camel colored suede. This stays pretty much the same from beginning to end. It's very long lasting too. I love this one! Another instant classic.

Wet this is dewy flowers, chamomile maybe, with a hint of rose. This feels yellow. When first on it's rose and chamomile with a hint of sharpness- like pine. That must be the juniper. This stays mostly a soft rose and chamomile blend on me. Although this is a light scent it's very long lasting. I really like this one and will enjoy my imp.

Wet this is sharp lavender mixed with very sweet pear or bubblegum. When first on it's kind of plasticy (bleck!) and sweet. This is not a good combo. After several minutes the plastic note fades and now it's all bubblegum/lotus. Unfortunately this is a read dud on me. I guess now I know that lotus isn't for me. Too bad this doesn't smell like Parisian desserts

Wet this is a sweet floral with an earth/dirt undertone. The floral note is similar to one in the Dark Delicacies blend- like almonds. When first on it's sweet almonds, somewhat "heavy" with a hint of sharpness in the background. This softens quite a bit after a half hour. Now it is a close to the skin honey scent. This is nice but not one I need to keep.

Wet this is very sweet and foody. Orange and cocoa maybe with a hint of spice. When first on this is a strange foody mix and there's something almost earthy in the background. It's hard to describe but is similar to Freak Show with less citrus. After several minutes I can really detect the cake smell. Now it's reminding me of Monster Bait: Closet. That must be the currants that give it a berry note. After a couple of hours, the vanilla really develops- yummy! This is a very close cousin to Monster Bait: Closet- delicious!

Wet this is frankincense and myrrh- incensey goodness! When first on it's the same- pure incense. This is very simliar to Midnight Mass and All Souls. This is what I had hoped Cathedral would be. I'm so glad there's a gc blend that smells like this!! Anyone who is a fan of Midnight Mass and All Souls should try this. This blend stays true from beginning to end. It's very long lasting and comforting. This is a must for any incense lover!

Wet this is sharp, clean, green, citrus and green tea. When first on it's soft lemon, and a mix of citrus and sweet notes. After a few minutes the lemon softens even more and it's a clean, green, powdery blend. This doesn't change much more on me and it's not very long lasting. This is a crisp, clean, green scent (gosh, how many times have I said that already?) but it's not really my style. The Lab's green tea note never seems to work on me.

I've yet to try Shub the oil (shocking I know!) because ginger doesn't usually work on me. After smelling how wonderful the soap is, I am ready to try the oil too:D On to the soap review. The wrapper seems to be printed on a vellum type of translucent paper. The outside has an Asian looking serpent or dragon on it. The inside has a nice little blurb about how the soap is made. The soap has a lovely cozy warm ginger smell reminiscent of the Gingersnapped scrub by Villainess but not as foody. The soap is a tan beige color with the brimstone symbol carved into the surface. In the shower it has a low sudsing lather (which is fine) and is made up of ....tiny bubbles.... It feels really nice on my skin. The scent blossoms in the shower- lovely and sexy! Afterwards my skin feels clean but not stripped. The scent lingers faintly on my skin. I think this has the perfect amount of scent in it- enough to enjoy while lathering but not too much to interfere with my BPAL of the day. I've used this soap a few times now and have found it is slightly drying but I think that's probably due to the cold weather. It's certainly not painfully drying like some other brand of soap can be. I'm not sure if someone with extremely dry skin would find it too drying for them to use though. I also used this as a shampoo bar one time and it worked pretty well. I got lovely wafts of Shubby goodness in my hair all day long. Overall I'd say this is a high quality, luxurious soap. Coture soap indeed and Macha- Lush ain't got nothing on you baby!!

Wet this is sweet pink roses and sugar. It has a dewy/watery quality to it too. When first on it smells pretty much the same but the sugar is a little stronger than the rose. This stays pretty true to the wet stage which is fine with me because I love it! This is a must try for any rose lover If you don't like rose, stay away from this one

Wet this is sweet berry, fruit and the Snake Oil spices. When first on it's warm, sweet berry mixed with something fresh and floral in the background. After a couple of minutes, the berry/fruit notes fade and the amber develops. After a couple of hours this has become a sweeter and slightly floral Snake Oil blend. On the drydown the vanilla really comes out. Overall this has a bright springtime happy feeling to it. This is beautiful and I am really curious to see how it will age. Well done indeed!

Wet this is Snake Oil and a general "perfume" note- almost like the alcohol note in commercial mass market perfumes. I can also smell a hint of the frankincense. When first on this is pure incense with a hint of sweetness in the background. It's similar to Midnight Mass at this stage. After about a half hour it's become more sweet, almost like caramel. I can't really pinpoint any specific notes. After a couple of hours this smells like a softer Smut mixed with light Snake Oil. Wonderful!

Wet this is dewy and wet florals. When first on it's a heady floral. This must be the orchid. After a couple minutes the musk comes out strong (which I like). After about half an hour the rose develops. After a couple of hours this is a soft slightly powdery rose blend. It's very light and delicate. This is a pretty and feminine blend. I'll enjoy wearing the imp especially as the weather gets warmer.

This was a frimp from the Lab in a recent order. Wet this is honey, cream and buttery too. It's cozy, warm, sweet and foody. When first on it's a creamy floral vanilla, thick and sweet. It develops a slight plastic undertone- not too bad though. It doesn't change much more on me. This is a pretty, feminine blend with a bit of an edge to it. It's nice but I think I'll stick with Antique Lace for my vanilla fix.