VioletChaos

I am the kind of geek that needs to immediately look up words I don't know, such as "aquilaria aguillocha". I was instantly pleased to discover it belonged to the Aloeswood family, as I generally like the smell of aloes and was curious to see what it would do in combination with other loves, patchouli and honey. Let's have a sniff, shall we? In The Bottle: Definitely the same patchouli note in the companion hair gloss, Silkybat. Which I LOVE. I'm also getting a tiny hint of lemon in the background, almost like an afterthought (after smell?) but interestingly, they don't seem to clash. Wet On Skin: In Tiki King, the ironwood note smelled like a lemony sandalwood- sort of. This has a similar vibe. The patch is absolutely holding it's own and it's a lovely interplay between the two. At this point, there has still be no hide nor hare of the honey, by the way. This is all woods, roots and resins. Dry Down: The patchouli has shifted and become a little closer to it's pure roots-y, leafy state. Not to say that this id dirty-hippie patchouli- it's not. It's refined, but also definitely earthy. I could slather this! In All: Surprisingly low throw- my skin is eating the scent rather quickly: my joke about slathering may very well prove to be necessity. This scent is lovely for the transition from late Autumn into early Winter- I anticipate wearing this a lot between now and the end of the year. Given the richness of the two dominating notes, I also anticipate this to age quite well. By the time I re-visit *next* fall I imagine it to be something like liquid gold. Bottle worthy!

I am rather particular about what goes in my hair. It's long and I do a lot to take excellent care of it to make up for all the color processing I do to it. But when I saw that there was a *sugared* patchouli, I knew, I just KNEW that I needed a bottle. And Silkybat Hair Gloss does NOT disappoint. I've tried three "sugared" scents from the Lab prior to this: Faith, Hope and TKO. All are amazing and I love them all. This right here? This sugared , glorious patchouli? It fits RIGHT in. (side note- Beth, Puddin, please PLEASE make this a perfume at some future date? Please? Pretty pretty please? KTHNXBYE) Anyhoo, I just put two or three spritzes into my dry hair just to test it out. The scent is fanTAStic. Sweet without being cloying and the patchouli is not the dirty-hippie variety but a deep, sweet resinous type- smooth, classy and sexy all the way. My hair feels less frizzy and I am very much looking forward to doing a full and proper application. If it goes as well as I anticipate, this may be the second ever item I begin hoarding from the Trading Post (Cathouse atom spray being the other, natch.) Do not be afraid, this is a patchouli that is made of pure love for one and all.

In The Bottle: Black coconut (which isn't at all foodie), that sexy smoky patchouli, and a touch of the cardamom. Fantastic already! Wet On Skin: Wow. It's morphed a bit, and that copal and amber are adding this rich, resin-y aspect to the scent. It reminds me just slightly of valerian root, actually- that rich, heady, earthy thing that valerian does- it's doing THAT. Also, the amber is staying surprisingly well-behaved and (so far!) not becoming powdery on me. *Fingers crossed* Dry Down: Oh YEAH. This is sexy-sweet, deep, dark and resiny. This is a scent for wearing to the clubs when seduction is not just on the menu but the ONLY item on the menu. It sinks deeper and deeper into the skin and stays there, breeding magics for incubi and succubi In All: Low to medium throw, this scent definitely clings to the skin. Still, I'd advise to use a light touch during the first few applications- this is not something to slather. This is a scent to allow closeness. Too much and it'll become overpowering. Just enough and you draw them ever further into your web Layered with As Above: Well, As Above didn't do so well on me. I had to lightly wash some of it off. Even with it partially gone, the leather is STILL dominating. So Below tempers it some, and as I said in the other review, I'll hold on to As Above for a little while- when I retest, I'll be sure to try it again with So Below. For now, I certainly prefer So Below all by it's lonesome. It's wonderful all on it's own

In the bottle: Black Cherry, Almond and Leather. Wet On Skin: Same notes, but in a different order. Whereas in the bottle the cherry/almond note was most dominant, now that has taken a back seat to the leather note. so far, I get nothing else from this scent. Dry Down: Lather and floor cleaner that, after slightly washing my hand off, becomes leather and oak/jasmine. Husband smelled my skin and said it was "like being in a candy shop while wearing fresh leather". In All: Medium throw and quite a bit of staying power. I'll hold on to this bottle to see how it ages, but historically, I must say I don't have a great track record with leather-dominant blends. Still, we'll see what happens. If it doesn't change substantially in the next six months, though, it's off to the swaps!

I found Halloween in Vegas to be a near-ringer for Sprinklecake. It's another LE, but you might find a bottle on e-bay or here on the Sale forums

Although I ultimately decided that purchasing a bottle of Ü was a better thing for me, I'm really glad I got to test this whilst in the museum gift shop. I'd spent the first portion of my visit meandering through their glorious medicinal garden, and this scent does not disappoint in terms of being a wonderful keepsake of such an enchanting place! The lavender is a strong foundational note and certainly I would call that the primary scent here. but there's more- this *does* read as somewhat medicinal: it's not a cloying floral, it's complex and layered, but all the layers are of a very 'green' variety. If you want the feeling of culling herbs to make an important brew, then this is absolutely the scent for you. Personally, I *only* use lavender in medicinal capacities, and always straight up (my only, ONLY exception is TKO and even THAT I only put on when the insomnia is threatening to destroy me )...so a scent like this is unlikely to wind up in my collection. But as I said, I'm very grateful to have tried it.

I have to say I am genuinely perplexed by the reviews and descriptions for this scent because it seems like my take on Ü is somehow *comepletly* out of synch with EVERY one else! Fortunately for me, it's working in my favor because I don't think it would be for me if it smelled the way everyone else on here has described it. In the bottle and wet on the skin, I get a sweet dustiness, vaguely reminiscent of Tombstone. That same kind of desert-y sweetness. Not in any way sugary. Upon drydown, the scent switches gears ever so slightly and becomes a close relative of Silver Haired Bat. Now, I didn't see ambergris listed in the note description, but I swear that the dusty-sweet-desert thing that's holding this scent together. I can easily envision dusty books and rickety bones and, since I got this from the gift shop after spending a goodly chunk of time wandering the hallowed halls of said museum, I can say that this is indeed a perfect scent to attach to such a place of quiet spectacle and ghastly victorian oddities. I shall wear this whenever I'm feeling both academic and macabre.

How did I miss this when it first came around??? In the bottle, Turkish Village is all thick Turkish Coffee, all the time. As it begins to sit on my skin, the rose peeks in, as rosewater. the combination of the two *almost* seems like chocolate and a hint of floral. Which is weird, but also really pretty lovely- if unexpected. As it dries, the coffee starts to recede and the rose comes more to the forefront. It's VERY reminiscent of the rose in Victorian Rose Milk v1- it has that light creaminess to it, but with an afterthought of rich, Turkish coffee. I'm going to keep my bottle and see what happens next!

In the Bottle: This reminds me strongly of last year's Honey Pumpkin Stout Bath Oil. It's got the same dense quality and the honey is NOT like the honey of 'O'. It's much richer and more like a meal as opposed to a light sweetener for tea. Wet On Skin: The same. Dry Down: Same! In All: I actually ended up passing the bath oil onto someone else- I found that it was too over powering in a bath situation. However, I used to put it in my hair to scent it! So I'm actually quite happy that it's been reincarnated into this mead perfume, because this is *awesome*. It's got a low throw, but apply lightly- a little goes a long way! And, based on the quality and richness, I'm betting that this will only get better with age. Pumpkin Mead for the win!

In The Bottle: Fresh, newly picked pumpkin and some beeswax. Wet On Skin: Good LORD is this fine! The pumpkin is like no other pumpkin note I've encountered! There is a very fresh 'green' smell to this pumpkin. I'm imagining a pumpkin patch in the middle of summer, or the smell when you open the pumpkin up to carve it- it's just so natural, I can't stop marveling about it! And then there's this beautiful counter-balance, this beeswax candle note. It's warm and joyous but also light- there's no competition to the pumpkin and that suits the beeswax just fine: it knows it's place here. It grounds the pumpkin and adds depth. then it lets the squash shine! Dry Down: Staying true from the bottle to dry-down. I have noticed that although I adore many complex BPAL scents, oftentimes it's the ones that just have two or three notes that wind up blowing me away. Theme in Yellow is just such a scent. There is something beautiful and fragile and different about this scent. It won't be for everyone, but for those that understand this scent, they will hold onto it with both hands and never let go.

In The Bottle: Lemon cheesecake! (I hope it stays like this!!!) Wet On Skin: Okay, lemon ALMOND cheesecake! Wow. This is awesome! Dry Down: The buttercream, lemon and almond are all together in this beautiful and seriously yummy scent! This is spicy like holiday cookies and it's warm and creamy and just...holy moly, is this GOOD. In All: Low throw, and a seriously 'foodie' scent! I am totally in love with this! Honestly, this is what I wanted Hearth from 2005 to be and just failed miserably with my skin chemistry. I'm so effing glad I have a whole bottle of this. I shall wear it all autumn and winter long!

In The Bottle: Yup, that's Snake Oil and Pumpkin alright! Wet On Skin: Ah, the pumpkin is coming out a bit more now. I was hoping for that, as Snake Oil can sometimes easily overpower anything in it's path. Dry Down: Wow, I'm really surprised at how strong the pumpkin is in this! I feel like it's just sorta of hopping from foot to foot:" now it's pumpkin! Wait, but now it's Snake Oil! Aaaaaand now it's pumpkin again! But hold on-!" it's like this. Because Snake Oil is a scent that, for me, MUST be aged (at least 12 to 18 months. Seriously.), I have this feeling that when aged, this is going to change- for the better. I predict that the pumpkin and SO will mingle more, absorb each others' essence more, and become something really fine. Don't get me wrong- I'm happy to have this bottle now! but I know that in 12 months, this is going to be phenomenal.

Okay, so I'll start by saying that Morocco is total love for me- but it does this weird thing where it becomes Antique Lace the *second* it hits my skin. Now, since I *also* adore Antique Lace (and since it's not currently available) I really don't mind. But that also makes Moroccan Pumpkin Patch potentially a game changer for me, since the spice notes in it don't show up that way on my skin. Now with all that in mind, here we go... In The Bottle: I agree with whoever said this smelled similar to Pumpkin V of a year ago. It's got the spicy vanilla and pumpkin combo down pat. Lessee what happens on my skin... Wet On Skin: Huh. Pretty much the same as in the bottle. I wonder if the addition of pumpkin to this blend will somehow change how the other notes play in my chemistry. The plot thickens! Dry Down: Golly, how odd! Morocco has held it's ground and not turned into Antique Lace! The spice here reminds me vague of chai, so that this scent altogether is a sort of pumpkin chai scent, without the cardamom. It's now spicier than Pumpkin V and yet retains that buttery warmth of pumpkin. I think this will age quite well! In All: Low to medium throw but certainly not what I'd call a "skin scent". This will reach out subtly to those around you. It's unassuming enough to wear during the day but, I think especially after a little aging, that it's become a seducer in it's own right.

In the Bottle: Yup. That's the sharp, tangy almost-lemon/ almost-turpentine scent of a good, thick frankincense, alright! Wet On Skin: Yes, it's as sticky and thick as all have mentioned- my advice is TEST SPARINGLY. The scent is going in the pine/ turp direction at this stage. Dry Down: MUCH more mellow. A soft, slightly woody resin. I'm surprised, actually- frankincense tends to be pretty aggressive on my skin. In All: Low throw, this one stays close to the skin. I can see using this for layering purposes, for sure, to add grounding to a foodie scent, for instance, or depth to a sugary floral. I'd also wear this alone, especially when spending some quality alone time for meditation or revive purposes. I'm curious to see how it ages!

In The Bottle: I get a gentle vanilla, definitely some sweet red licorice and a hint of the rose champaca. As with most Lilith-inspired scents I've tried, this one also has a sweet, tender, childlike aspect to it. Wet On Skin: The rose champaca is coming a bit more to the fore. It's reading like a soft rose incense without being heavy-handed as both those notes can sometime be on me. Dry Down: The rose champaca is all and everything now. In All: Low to medium throw, this scent reminds me of going to witchie shops with my mom when I was really little. I was intrigued by all the mackical ephemera and always wanted something magickal of my own- but being a wee lass I always wanted something familiar, that I could recognize from my living world. A mystical rose incense would've been probably right at the top of my list. If this scent shifts as it ages, that will be fine, but if it stays a soft powdery rose, then that will be totally okay, too.

In The Bottle: Yes, the woodsy quality of the frankincense and the vanilla are both coming through just as others have mentioned. Wet On Skin: Same. This is reminding me of Banshee Beat. Like an alternate version of Banshee Beat, if the hemp had gotten mixed with some sandalwood. Dry Down: Same as before. In All: It's a rare thing when a BPAL scent stays true from first sniff through dry-down. This scent is a fine dry slightly sweet and resin-y scent. Definitely a daytime perfume, this is perfectly unassuming- good for work or class- as we move more deeply into autumn. Low throw and, given the notes, sure to improve with age. A lovely every-day kind of fragrance and a fine addition to an obsessive collector's collection. But unless your small collection contains a predominant amount of both of the above notes, you might want to test a decant before purchase ETA: It's now about 20 or 30 minutes later and I have to say this scent has morphed considerably. It's become far less woodsy and far more vanilla, but not a food-vanilla, more of a vanilla musk type. I'm more in love with it than I was a half hour ago, though I will still note that while this is bottle-worthy, I won't yet call it back-up bottle-worthy

Red currant, Moroccan musk, sage, and frankincense. in the bottle: lordy! this is ALL about the Moroccan musk- and it it DIVINE! wet on skin: same. *crosses fingers* dry down: this is pure musk on me. not the musk in Smut or Enraged Orangutan, this is the sweet-berry-amber sort of musk that one finds in, yes, arabic marketplaces. it's so very fine. in all: this is a lovely skin musk- it stays close, but also holds it's own. this is the sort of scent that will have me sniffing myself all day long- and encouraging others to do the same

A HUGE thanks to marsmomma for picking up this and some other goodies for me from the Trunk Show. a serious debt of gratitude! Onto the review! In the bottle: It has some of the creaminess of the standard GC Chimera, but there's also a spiciness that I strongly associate with Snake Oil. The two are a lovely combo right from the start, and I'm intrigued to see how this plays out! Wet On Skin: Now a desert sand note comes into play, much like the dominant one in Tombstone. Sweet, arid and like the hard-baked earth you get out in New Mexico or Arizona near the Canyon. It's weaving in and out with the spiced, sugared Snake Oil note and the cream. This is going GREAT. Dry Down: A cream-laden Snake Oil, being smelled whilst in the Painted Desert. With the drying also comes another note, that of pure sweetgrass, as one would find in the plains, weaving in and out of the others. In other words: gorgeous! In All: Light to medium throw, sweet, spiced, creamed sugar, without being at all foodie, it's clear this will only get better with age. I CAN'T believe this hasn't been reviewed before now- this is incredible. :wub:

Thank you to the Angel that is GypsyRoseRed for getting me a bottle of this precious elixir Now then, onto the review! In The Bottle: I'm getting leather and french tobacco in equal measure. Wet On Skin: The tobacco is sweetening up a bit, as it likes to do on my skin, and that leather note is warming up nicely. No complaints thus far! Dry Down: The tobacco has now taken a back seat and what's left is a strange and beautiful combination of ink and leather. This is indeed the smell of old books and dusty tomes, a genderless and holy-moly-why-is-this-so-sexy kind of scent. I want my boyfriend to wear this the next time we go out to an Industrial Club so I can attack him in a dark corner when he least expects it. (...And also smelling like books is great) In All: SO SO SO glad I have a bottle, I shall treasure it always!

I have been waiting YEARS to get my hands on a bottle of this Someone, many moons ago, let me scent this from their bottle at a Meet N Sniff. but I didn't get to try it on, so this is all new for me... In the Bottle: The sugar note that works so well with florals in Faith, Hope and TKO. I'm also getting the bluebell and a hint of the green, though at this point to me it smells less like grasses and more like dandelion Wet On Skin: The golden incense note is definitely coming out to play at this point- it's reminding me of shops in Southern California in the 90's that would sell chain wallets, band t-shirts and bag-your-own incense- the way all the various flavors of incense would combine to make this general spicy incense-y smell. Really nice. Dry Down: The sugared-floral combination is holding steady, with that incense note thrown in to round things out. The fresh/green note has all but vanished. In All: Low throw (lower than any of the other scents I've tried with the same sugar note in it) and a softness to the scent. I would wear this on a nighttime Summer stroll through Central Park or any time that I wanted a little romance, and a little magic. This is beautiful and a damn shame that it got discontinued.

In The Bottle: Yes, definitely more smoky and woodsy than the Red. I concure that this is the same Patch that was in #occupywallstreet. I love that scent, but frequently have found myself feeling disappointed when wearing it because what I *really* wanted was THIS. Just pure, unadulterated deep, black patchouli. Wet On Skin: That dirt-after-the-rains thing that bootownrat described? Oh YEAH. Like, in SPADES. Very rich, very earthy. Still smoky and just... Dry Down: Agreed: This isn't hippy/ trustafarian/ head shop patchouli. This is deep and primal and haunting. I might trade all my other bottles of patchouli EVER just to get some more of this- because clearly, ONE back up bottle will *not* be enough. In All: Years and years ago, I had a box of dried patchouli. It was a combination of leaves and roots twisted together into little bundles. The idea was that you could take a bundle and, say, put it in your sock drawer or a special trunk. Everything within the same area would gets it's beautiful, loam-y, dark-rich scent. That's what this is. Like distilling every summer and autumn rainstorm- the wind, the wet, the mineral-rich ground- and bottling it. I can't even imagine how this can improve with age. :wub:

In The Bottle: I, too am getting a cake-y vibe from this scent. It definitely reads as foodie to me, but not overwhelming. Wet On Skin: It's funny because I would also compare this scent to Huesos de Santo, but *not* the orange aspect. It's the sweet, mild cake of Huesos, with the ho wood playing in the background. Dry Down: In The final dry down, the scent has shift focus. It's no longer foodie, it's become a balanced scent of woodsy notes at the forefront and a mix of resins and herb-y essence bringing up the rear. In All: Low to medium throw, this scent, in small amounts, seems to be perfect for hot sultry days- for a scent so full of resins and wood notes, it's surprisingly light. I have a feeling that as it ages it'll become even better. For now, I anticipate wearing this for the remainder of our long, steamy summer.

In The Bottle: The best campfire you've ever smelled. Oh, sure, I can tell you that in the bottle there's a strong front-note of brown sugar, that the ginger is strong and deep and mixing with the cardamom to remind me of every delectable Indian Grocery I've ever been fortunate enough to enter. That the clove is whispering of a beautiful and spooky Hallowmas and that the bourbon vanilla is holding it all together. but really? This is a bright and sweet fire like the ones that I've smelled at Rainbow Gatherings and other hippie-nature activities. Wet On Skin: The cardamom is coming out front now and I couldn't be more delighted about it. Usually that's a note that just doesn't stick around on my skin, and it always makes me sad. But this is turning from campfire into delicious chai tea- I'm kinda hoping it'll stay this way... Dry Down: Yup. Chai tea. Strong, spicy, sweet, creamy chai tea. I've wished long and hard for a BPAL chai scent, and methinks I've at last gotten what I wanted! In All: Low to medium throw. Because of the notes, I'm betting that this will settle and smooth with a bit of aging, but it's certainly a very wearable concoction right now. My personal favorite of this year's crop o' Bats, Mopsfledermaus is that rare thing: a year-round perfume. Just lovely! :wub2:

In The Bottle: Opening this bottle was like stepping into a magick shop. The kind where there's amber bottles with dusty hand-written labels and you might not be sure that you can actually comprehend the words scribed. I immediately get beeswax, a lemony hint of the rosewood, a hearty helping of the labdanum and some black tea. The only one missing from the party seems to be the musk. Perhaps an appearance a bit later? Wet On Skin: This is HEADY. Strong and rich, already I can tell that the tiny drop I put on my wrist might be a wee too much. Yes, a little goes a VERY long way. That said, it also smells pretty delicious. I'm still getting the same 4 notes as before, but they're warming up on my skin now in a way that's really sensuous and sexy. Dry Down: ...Did I say sexy? What I meant was SEX-AY. I have to fan myself because this oil just made me into some kinda trollop, I swear. GoldenRubee is right, you have to wait a bit for the real dry-down change to happen, but it's so, so very worth it. The beeswax and the labdanum have teamed up and turned into a sweet erotic beast with two backs and woe be the fool who things they can take them on! I don't get any of the musk, and the tea is there, but really as more of an afterthought. Not that I mind, because this scent is one to be reckoned with! In All: Heavy throw, so tread lightly when applying. I can tell that with the rich nature of this scent that it's going to get better and better with age. I will likely wear it only a time or two over the next sweltering 4 months, but when the weather turns come Autumn, I anticipate wearing this on a very, very regular basis. Hoard now, I predict this one will be hard to come by later!

In The Bottle: YUM! There's the vanilla and an added sweet-creaminess of saffron. At this stage, I get nothing more. And to tell the truth, I kinda hope it stays this way, because this is heavenly. Wet On Skin: Much the same, with an ever-so-slight note of fruitiness in the mix. It doesn't read as peach, which seems a bit miraculous, as I usually amp peach to the end of the world. Dry Down: I get no amber, ylang ylang or freesia from this. By and large, this is vanilla and saffron with the barest breath of fruit. This is what I so desperately wanted MB: Underpants to be on me and just wasn't. I'm so delighted to have a wish come true! In All: Very low throw. Also, my skin seems to eat this stuff up like candy, because I had to reapply several times just to get enough scent on my skin to test! However, since it's my magical skin that has pulled out all the most delicious notes from this mix, I shall not scold it too badly. THRILLED to have a bottle- I shall treasure it always!