VioletChaos

I was gifted a partial (obviously well-aged) imp of this and I'm finally getting round to giving it a proper test. Part of what took so long for me to try it out is that, unlike I think everyone else on this thread the initial hit I got was leather. Not super strong leather, like leather that is old and very broken in. But leather nonetheless. Leather notes of all kinds typically amp on me, so I put the decant away following that initial sniff ages ago. But today I wanted something from the Lab was both old (in terms of original release date) and new (to me) so this fit the bill. True to its name, once applied, Tetramorph shifted away from the leather I detected almost immediately. It remained in the background, giving some heft to the sweet, incense-y vanilla that stepped up to fill the void. I was walking around running errands and huffing my arm, trying to figure out what else was in the mix, but every time I'd almost catch it, the scent would shift, then shift again. It was warm and slightly spiced and deep, but not so heavy that it felt inappropriate for this summer day. Now it's hours later and that beeswax so many folks mentioned has indeed become the dominant note, though I definitely didn't catch any of that earlier- the scent really had to mellow out for it to show up on my skin. It's staying close and is soft in a way that reminds me vaguely of Hod, where it's both rich and subtle simultaneously. In all, a classic, old-school Lab scent that is complex and lovely. It's got low throw and I could see wearing this in about two months when we start to roll into the first chilly sweater-wearing days of autumn. 🍁🍁🍁

It's always funny to be testing scents from very long ago because so much history has accumulated since then! For instance, when I first opened this bottle of King of Clubs, the earth, fig and greenery notes have combined to remind me of Laura (American G-ds line), which of course came way later. After application, it doesn't take long for this King to shift and change and bloom in all kinds of interesting ways. The earth note stays present, which I really really appreciate. The dark musk, oakmoss and amber form a stellar trio that are distinct enough that I can pick them out of a lineup, but really work together to form a cohesive whole. I can detect leather in the mix but luckily the note is doing deep background and not amping, which it likes to do on me with annoying frequency. It may well be due to the years upon years of aging, but whatever the cause, I'm definitely not mad about it. This is essentially where the scent settles itself. Even after all these years I am sometimes surprised (and pleased!) with what aging can do for a scent. Given the notes, there's an excellent chance I would not have gone for this scent when it was first released like twenty years ago. But those decades of aging have made this scent a real treasure. I'm so glad I finally get to add him to my OG Tarot collection. Long live the King!

I got Tiki King! when It was first released but for some reason I cannot fathom, the Queen didn't come up on my radar until this year. I am delighted to have the opportunity to snag a bottle of this now, after so long! Of course I've no idea what this scent was like fresh but certainly, I can echo much of what others in this thread have mentioned: this scent is a gorgeous, heady, indolic floral/tropical mix. It's all sweet, beautiful warm-weather florals for me and I am absolutely delighted with it! I'm quite picky about florals, they frequently don't play nice with my chemistry but Tiki Queen is an absolute dream for me, lush, fragrant and surprisingly close to the skin given the notes involved. This scent is sensual and just SO beautiful. I am absolutely smitten!

I've waited ages for this and it was worth the long process to secure my own! In in the bottle and for about an hour after application, I most get that nice rich loamy soil note that I am so desperately in love with, in scents like Penny Dreadful amongst others. Even in the bottle, though, the earth note is not alone, and throughout this first period I get the dips and dives of myrrh and currant and incense. Nothing stays steady here except the earth note. Later on, there's some shifts, with the soil retreating to the background (not gone, but definitely well-faded. Myrrh and amber vie for top spot with the fruit notes coming in behind. I can see the parallels some have made to Crypt Queen- both scents share a vibe of ancient-tomb-wisdom. As with all the OG Tarot scents, there's an overall feel of this being more about the sum than the individual parts. Since I collect the Tarots, this one would be permanent in my collection no matter what. That said, I do rather like the crone-complexity of this scent and am delighted to finally welcome Her home.

I also sometimes have issues with milk notes going wonky, but figured since it was condensed milk there wouldn't be cause for concern and my gamble paid off! In the bottle and after initial application, the condensed milk is of the "sweetened" variety, which was as I hoped. It's more forward of the two notes during these stages, with that lovely Lab pumpkin spice note coming up from the rear. Once it's achieved full drydown, the note prominence reverses, with pumpkin spice out front and the milk note settling more into the background. In all, I found this to be a lovely "Summerween" version of the classic pumpkin spice scent- it's softer, more mellow, and stays closer to the skin. I anticipate wearing this over the next three or four hot months primarily to layer a little extra spice into my favorite warm-weather blends and probably starting in August to help me ramp up to all the autumnal delights that will soon be following. 🧡

Two great tastes that taste great together: the banana-candy quality of a chewy circus peanut is dead-on and I concur with all prior statements that the "snowy" note is all Snow White, all the time. I like both, so I don't dislike anything about this as a duet, but it's not a standout for me in either genre. I'll hold on to my imp for the time being, but there are other versions of each note that do more work in other iterations. I might try layering it with the accompanying 13 but that 13 dries down to coming decidedly not chocolatey or sugary, so I'm not sure if the addition of this scent will be a check in the plus or minus column. Stay tuned!

From the bottle until about 90 minutes post-application, this version of 13 reminds me very, very closely of the Lilith of long ago, Sprinkle Cake. There's the same melange of sweetness and cake-y-ness but also a nice, dry cocoa powder to balance it out. I wasn't mad about it. At around the 90-minute mark, a lot of the hallmarks of a typical 13 vanished, along with most of the sweet elements, and for the next several hours I had a lovely, low throw, low-key mix of benison, tobacco and smoky bits. It sounds like it could be quite dramatic, something at home amid the Weenies, but it's very soft, which keeps it from being overwrought. 13's tend to be hit or miss for me, but I really like how far afield this one turned out to be. I shall hold on to my bottle for sure.

Myrrh and I are not always friends. I want to state that right off the top in the interest of total transparency. I envy those that can wear her with total abandon and glide through the air smelling of holy places and deep mythologies. On me myrrh usually smells like wet cardboard That said, the rest of the notes in this blend were compelling enough that I threw caution to the wind because sometimes ya gotta. In the bottle and upon initial application I get a powdery myrrh and a sharp stab of the bergamot bringing up the rear. Odd bedfellows to be sure, but there was also a third component I couldn't quite grab in the deep background and I was hoping to find out more, later. That incense note shows up upon drydown and "velvety" is a really accurate description for it. It's soft and plush- I get the above observation of it being almost as if nag champa incense was "really, really classy". It goes even a step beyond that for me because although I adore nag champa incense, I'm not a fan of it in my perfumes. This scent is definitely "incensey" but doesn't cross over into anything hippy-ish or head shop-y. It's rich and darkly intriguing and yes, myrrh and I are getting along like gangbusters, thankyouverymuch

Echoing @OctoberGwen's sentiment, I, too, get TAL oils for their magickal properties first and foremost. And I agree with all statements above that illustrate this oil is also a lovely scent as a side bonus. I can pick out the allspice, lavender and orange and the combination puts me in mind of a very cherished and hoarded bottle of Florida Water I picked up in NOLA years ago on my honeymoon. I use it very sparingly but I'm always delighted when the occasion calls for it: Hearthglow, like that Florida Water, creates a sense of real well-being and comfort in a physical space and both lend themselves well to delicately fragrancing the atmosphere while working their magicks. I may add a bit of Hearthglow to a water spray and mist some rooms and our altars- I have a feeling it will work beautifully that way. ❤️

Possibly because I chose a very very warm day to test this fully, I was quite surprised that after an initial burst of those purple-y, "bruised" florals, I mostly just got...clove. It's a nice clove, don't get me wrong. But with such a stunning array of notes, I was definitely anticipating more. I will re-test this on a day that isn't hovering around 90 and hopefully have more interesting results! 🤷‍♀️

This is *exactly* what I was hoping for- a light, cool coconut paired with a delicate sweet lime. It's very similar to the combo of main notes in Tarot: The Star, which is one of my ride-or-die beloveds, and I'm super excited to have this hair gloss to pair with that when I want total saturation- or to at least wear on its own for the next four months of summer. Absolute win. ❤️

This proved to be way more spice-forward than I was expecting, but I'm not mad about it. Something about the blend of the vanilla, cocoa powder and biscuits puts me in mind of Sprinklecake from oh-so-long ago. It's a not-aggressive foodie confection. Only here, with that sharp cardamom, it's like Sprinklecake all grow'd up. Cardamom, which I typically love, also sometimes has a habit of getting unruly on me, so that it becomes way too dominant in the mix. Here, it behaves reasonably, to my pleasant surprise, so that all the elements have a chance to shine, even as they work seamlessly together. Glad I snagged this- it's been a minute since I've had a scent like this in my collection!

When I heard that this scent was all about the red musk, I was enthusiastically on board, because the Lab's red musk note is a favorite of mine (Smut, I'm looking at you!). Sadly for me, this scent is not that. The berries dominate the blend here, which begins its journey as something I can only describe as a "mystical fruit punch" (side note: Mystical Fruitpunch will be the name of my Grateful Dead cover band )- the berries are very much in the 'melange of fruit juices' genre, and a bit of that red honey plus a tiny splash of the musk, combine to make it more than just "this is a summery fruit drink". As it warms and blossoms, the fruit is magnified, the musk becomes even less of a presence and that candied rose jumps in creating something of a summer sangria. 🤷‍♀️ Others have mentioned summer vibes, and I am clearly in full agreement with that. Given the notes, it's not at all what I expected but if fruity, summer scent are your vibe, don't pass this one up.

"Balm" is a perfect descriptive word for Roselight. As with all TAL oils, I procured Roselight not for fragrance, but for intent. That said, the fragrance is *gorgeous*. A soft, soft natural rose and a lush overarching "greenery" behind it (I suspect a combo of the violet, lavender and sampaguita are mostly to blame). As for the intent, yes. It's ever present. From the second I sniff the oil to well after I've anointed my palms, that feeling of wellbeing and being cared for is all around me. It feels like being kissed on the forehead, wrapped up in a snuggly blanket. I am sure to get a lot of use out of this. ❤️

In the bottle and when initially applied, the Key Lime note is most evident. I'm not super into standard lime notes on their own, but I often like when they are paired with something else (One of my all-time favorite BPALs is Tarot: The Star, which is all lime and coconut on me.) Key lime is less abrasive and a more mellow citrus overall, and that really comes through here. Once it settled into my skin, the classic Beaver Moon cheesecake note popped out, as beloved as ever. The combination of the two delivered as promised in the description. Even hours later, a nice quiet version of the scent remains, and I'm really pleased to add this to my vast Beaver Moon collection! In all: low-medium throw and a nice twist on a popular standard. If you're a fan of the Beaver Moons of yesteryear, definitely grab this one to keep the party going. 💚