VioletChaos

Because this is all that I've wanted out of life for months. In The Bottle: Oh. Holy. Cupcakes. Spiced, delicious cupcakes. Wet On Skin: have you ever had fresh, moist spice cake? Because THAT'S THIS. THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER. Dry Down: :pant, pant: Okay. I'm more rational now. This is just exquisite. This is a pumpkin scent for people that fear pumpkin scents. This is mostly a moist, delicious spice cake, with a little yummy bit of pumpkin peeking out of the background. It's glorious. In All: I anticipate this will be very popular.

Scorn the foolishness of others and love, for life is too brief, and death brings everlasting sleep: Ethiopian ambrette seed, summer honey, Alpine lavender, cognac, mate resinoid, peru balsam, and red musk. In the Bottle: The Astringent quality of the Alpine Lavender is the first thing I get upon sniffing the bottle, followed closely by both the mate resinoid and the Ethiopian ambrette seed, which both add a "green" and pungent smell. Wet On Skin: Ah, hello cognac, *there* you are! and red musk- so nice to see you! This is most certainly the red musk note from Smut, and here at this stage it's grounding the lavender and those 'green' notes nicely, as they all seem like they're operating on a higher frequency. So the red musk is acting very earthy in this context. It's a surprise, but I'm liking it. Dry Down: This is one of those scents that has completely morphed from the time it was in the bottle to settling into my skin. I'm getting the cognac and the balsam of Peru both making something dark and a little smoky-sweet, and then the red musk twisting in over that, with a touch of that mate resinoid coming in with a slight citrus finish, almost as an afterthought. This is a somewhat heady, rather complex scent, and I'm betting it's only going to get better with age. In All: Low to medium throw. I've been wanting a secondary scent that had the red musk note I adore so much in my beloved Smut, as smut can be a little overwhelming in some environments, like a day at work. Red Lace had a bit of it, but I always felt like I wanted more red musk than Red Lace could really live up to. But with Vivamus here, I really feel like I've got something that I'll want to wear again and again through the remaining dark winter months. Love!

[No additional description provided.] Note: I find the bathoils to serve me better when I wear them in my hair and on my skin as a moisturizer. This review reflects my applying this oil directly to my skin. While this was not the only sugar and apple combination to come out of this year's NY Comic Con scents, this may in fact be my favorite. The apple comes across more subtly, likely owing to the richer base for the bath oil than a perfume oil, but it's really, really working here. It almost reads as apple *blossom* but not floral in any way. The sugar is soft and sensual and almost adds a very slight lemon note to the mix. The result is something bordering on sexy if not downright baudy. This is the New York of my adolescence- sweet with a dirty edge. And the oil makes my skin ridiculously soft. I am desperately in love.

[No additional description provided.] In The Bottle: Cacao, earthy cinnamon, and dry coffee (the coffee husks of Pinched With Four Aces, if you're wondering!) Wet On Skin: A glorious melding of the above. This is proving to be a surprisingly "dry" and "adult" version of these notes- this is grownup stuff, not Easter kids' candy. Dry Down: The powdery aspect of the cacao mixed with the cinnamon is calling to mind the lovely cassia aspect of Monsterbait: Underbed and I love it just as much here as I did in that scent. This is only slightly sweet, very sophisticated and eminently wearable. I am seriously in love with this! In All: Another Chocolate selection from this year's Box that is absolutely hoard-worthy!

COMPARISON OF CELEBRATED BEAUTIES Vanilla cream, mimosa, and almond blossom. In The Bottle: Mostly almond. A tiny, tiny hint of cream. Tiny. Wet On Skin: More almond, a bit more cream. Almost as an afterthought, the mimosa. but it's literally as I move my hand away from my nose that I get a small whiff. Noting more. Dry Down: Oh THERE you are, mimosa! Wow, that certainly morphed. The mimosa has gone quite powdery on me, a thing that's happened between me and this note before. It *is* held in check by the appearance of the vanilla cream, giving it some density and toning down the floral so it's not quite so baby powder-y. At this point, the almond has disappeared from my skin entirely. In All: Low to medium throw- go easy, I could see this becoming too much if you slather. A sweet, soft springtime scent. I'm personally on the fence about how much I'll wear it, but the vanilla cream is really making me consider. I will wait to see how I feel once it's warmed up outside- this might be the perfect thing for an evening spring stroll.

In the bottle: The "pink" aspect is interesting. It almost reads like strawberry champagne, if such a thing existed. That's not *quite* right, but there's a sweet, innocent feel to this scent. At this point I'd say it's almost the polar opposite of the Opium and Champagne, in feel as well as scent. Wet on skin: There's definitely something more playful in this champagne than the others I've tried. The "sparkling" aspect seems more present and there's a sweet hint that takes the edge off the usual sharpness of the champagne note. Dry down: I am now thinking the "pink" in this equation might be pink pepper or a sweet spicy floral like carnation. The mix is rather fitting, and I predict that out of the new crop of Champagne scents that this one will wind up being the most sought-after for it's sheer wear-ability. In all: light to medium throw, with a playful feel reminiscent of sneaking sips from grown-ups' glasses on New Year's Eve night, this is the one to wear to all upcoming holidays and events when wanting to encompass sophistication and joy without taking yourself too seriously. Lovely.

UNSPEAKABLY EVIL TEMPLE A profane blend of opoponax, galangal root, dried mosses, wormwood accord, sandarac, frankincense, myrrh, and black copal. Yeah, I could see how this would be the perfect thing to spray during a good RPG when all are in some dank dark hole. For atmosphere while gaming, this makes sense. But me, personally, I would not spray this just to add scent to a room randomly. It's dark and dank, with hints of both wet stone and sulphur. So, you know, great for ambience, but I *definitely* would not, say, spray my linens with this scent. I would totally bring a bottle of this to a LARP, though!

FAE FOREST Mist-shrouded woods: Siberian fir needles, white pine bark, aspen leaf, wild lily, bergamot, wood violet, thimbleberry, sun-star, golden bell, snowdrop, heartsease, and bloodroot. This was quite lovely. Though not my favorite of the 3 new RPG sprays, (I prefer resins over pines, personally) this light and fresh scent will find many homes to be happy in. I could see this being used not just during Game, but when a house needs a bit more Spring Time Air going through it. Something to spray when guests are coming in from out of town and I just bet it'll work fabulously after a big, stinky meal (like getting rid of fish odor, for instance!) In All- clean, fresh and bright, I think this scent definitely lives up to its' name.

Kanra up there said this was a moody, broody scent and I do NOT disagree. This is making me have ALL kinds of feels, in a deeply profound way. I'm getting a montage of my adolescence: running down icy nighttime streets with my friends following some major protest and going to punk shows in the grimy, fetid basements of squats on the lower east side and smelling all the oil bottles on the carousel in the Body Shop and walking around Alphabet City, my breath making little plumes in the frozen air as I pass garbage can fires and street vendors selling tiny dram bottles of patchouli, all whilst side-stepping dirty banks of old snow and knee-deep slush secretly waiting in deceptive gutters. It's been a really, really long time since a scent created such a deluge of sense memory for me, but there it is. The prominent notes for me are an ozone-heavy snow that's kept in check by the richness of the indigo musk followed closely behind by the blackened lilac (definitely the note causing some of the teen-angst reverie here). I'm so damn glad that I grabbed a bottle. I suspect I won't wear this one all that often given the intensity of feeling it provokes in me, but I will welcome having it unhand for when I want to deep-dive into the feelings of that exceptional time period (layering with a smear of thick, old punk rock patchouli purely optional )

Something about the hay, peach and musk together that, just whilst in the bottle, is reminding me in some strange way of Snow, Glass Apples. So much so that I went to look at my 13 year old review of SGA for some clues, but found very little. I am guessing that the musk in this blend is the same or similar to one that was in the mix for SGA. It starts to dissipate a bit as soon as it warms on the skin, though. I though for sure that the peach was going to be really prominent in this blend but it isn't at all. The hay and the musk seem to be the dominant notes here. This is a very light, sheer scent. It really does match up with the visuals of the painting, that kind of cool, remote crystalline vibe, all pale cool-tone colors. I personally tend to wear heavier, richer blends in the wintertime, but this is a must-have for this with a special love of sheer musks.

First review! Woo hoo! In The Bottle: Mostly the gingerbread. But, as with Gingerbread Vampire, don't let the name fool you. This is more like gingerbread *spices*- it's quite strong and actually doesn't come across as sweet at all. This is especially surprising with this mix, because there are so many sweetener notes in there with it. Maybe that will change once it warms up on my skin... On Skin: Welllll...slightly. But far less than I would've expected, especially since I tend to amp a lot of those sweet notes, especially sugar and honey. I get the honey a wee little bit, and the chestnut is in there too to help round it out. I get zero hazelnut, molasses or nutmeg. Layered with Ghost Milk: Two fairly soft scents, getting together, to create another soft scent With Vampire, the Milk eased up the rough edges, but with Wolfman, I don't really think it's necessarily adding anything to the proceedings. That said, if you like your scents really foodie, I suspect you will LOVE this combo as it rings all the right bells in a gourmand scent and although I only got a few go this year's Monsters, I suspect that Wolfman will wind up being the most popular choice for layering with the Ghost Milk

In The Bottle: YUM. I'm normally NOT a fan of anise (black licorice and I are mortal enemies ) but DANG, does this smell good in the bottle- it's a diabolical mix of anise, bittersweet chocolate and gingerbread spices. It smells entirely edible, like a non-sweet bread baked with the above ingredients. On Skin: It starts to mellow almost immediately. I'm a bit sad about it because it's so good in the bottle. That said, it seems to be toning down in equal parts, so that the main elements are all still present, just going a bit more subtle. The anise becomes *slightly* more prominent as a result, but I'm still enjoying it. Layered with the Ghost Milk: it's sweetens up the scent, but only a little, because I was VERY cautious about only using a mere touch of the Milk. I would wear this either way, but wearing it alone makes the scent a potential for a sexy evening, whereas with the Ghost Milk it softens it enough to make it completely wearable for daytime winter coziness. Either way, I like the warmth of this one and I bet it's going to get better with a bit of aging too.

In The Bottle: the sweet, cozy vanilla cashmere is the most prominent note I detect immediately, and I'm pleased as punch about it, because it was the thing I was most looking forward to with this scent. Right behind that, stopping it from entering cloying territory is the lovely goats milk note. This is the same goats milk that was in 2012's Mother Shubb's Spiced lait de chèvre, and I think I like it even more here. Let's see how this progresses, shall we? On The Skin: As it warms, the cashmere blooms further. This stuff has intense throw- a little goes a looooong way, so apply sparingly until you see what your skin will do with it. I'm getting no honey or white chocolate, but a bit of the marshmallow is coming through. Usually the sugary aspect of marshmallow amps so loudly on me that it becomes a bit acrid but the cashmere and milk are smoothing out the edges. Still, this mix is POTENT. Dry Down: I'm a growing fan of the "sweater" kinds of scents, and I'm happy to add this one to my collection. In all, this scent is all about comfort, like a smooshy blanket or your favorite old cardigan. As I already mentioned the throw is HIGH, so apply sparingly! Looking forward to seeing how this layers with the new Gingerbread scents!

Mare Nectaris The Sea of Nectar: sweet peach liquor with papaya-infused musk, golden musk, and green ti leaf. This is the first Lunacy I've gotten in AGES! but the notes sounded pretty great, so let's see if the gamble paid off! In the Bottle: Peach schnapps, papaya and musk- oh my! Wet On Skin: Man, that green ti leaf is AMPING on me! Behind that, the fruity aspects are playing around, but definitely overshadowed a bit. Dry Down: This is...odd. If I'm being totally honest, the first thing this reminds me of is a perfume I wore freshman year of high school. It was a "Designer Impostors" fragrance, of all things, and it had a sweet, musky thing going on just like this scent does. But the ti leaf has calmed down and adding some hi notes to this. Hmmm. In All: Medium throw, definitely musky above all else. The ti and the fruits just sort of weave in and out, never staying stable. I can't get a handle on whether it's right for me or not. But I'm willing to let it settle and re-test in a week or two. If nothing changes, off to swaps it goes!

ALMA VENUS Mother Venus Amber-infused blood orange with Italian neroli, ambergris, orange flower absolute, French beeswax, tuberose, Himalayan cedar, and honey. In The Bottle: The blood orange, sweetly tart, comes out first, proving itself to be everything I hoped for. Hot on the tail of that comes equal measures of neroli and beeswax. *Fingers crossed* This might be perfection. Wet On Skin: The beeswax is coming to the fore and now the orange has mellowed considerably. I don't detect the neroli at this stage, but tuberose has entered the picture and it mixing well with the wax. Dry Down: The neroli has returned, and, with the beeswax, is the dominant note. The tuberose is following close behind and the blood orange is there but is now way in the background. In All: A lovely food-and-floral scent without actually being either. This scent reminds me of descriptions of old Italian perfumes, like from the Renaissance period. Low throw this scent stays close and soft to the skin, almost the way a musk would. It's like an update of a traditional floral water recipe. I'm rather picky about floral, but this one is gentle enough that I could see wearing this on a hot summer night and it being just lovely. ETA: I detect NO cedar, which is usually a death note for me. So if you're worried, don't be!

Snowballs of poppy-red musk, tangerine, blood orange, and mimosa blossom. In The Bottle: Wow! I get the strong-but-distinct citrus notes of both tangerine AND blood orange, plus the red musk (which, at this stage, is NOT like the red musk of Smut). There's also something unnameable in the background. It's floral, but...in passing. Like, when I'm sniffing it's not present- until I start to take the bottle away from under my nose. I assume it's the mimosa, being the only note left, but it's most unusual. Wet On Skin: The mimosa is WAY stronger at this point. In fact, it's all mimosa and poppy musk, no citrus at this stage. Dry Down: The mimosa has calmed down some and now the musk is on a more level playing field, so they're pretty neck-and-neck. In All: Medium throw and the combination has a powder-floral thing going on, with something sugary bringing up the rear. It reminds me a bit of the cherry blossom note in Hanami. I honestly don't know what I think of this. I am a huge fan of the Lab's citrus notes and I'm disappointed that my skin seems to have eaten them up in one fell swoop, as I feel they'd lend a roundness to this scent. Without it, it just seems to be all powdery on me I will let it settle and retest in a few days. I might even add a drop or two of King Mandarin SN to my arm next time to see what that does. But if it stays as is, then off to the swaps it goes!

I’ve run away from a little old woman, A little old man, And I can run away from you, I can! In the Bottle: Very thick, very dark, black strap molasses. That's it. Really! Wet On Skin: Okay, now that's it's warming up, the notes are beginning to reveal themselves. The gingerbread is front and center but it's still got that dark, chewy molasses thing going on. I suspect it's the vetiver having it's say in the equation, lending some deep, deep darkness to the mix. I get no clove at this point. Dry Down: The vetiver and clove combine into the gingerbread maelstrom to create a richer, darker, spicier gingerbread than the usual Lab gingerbread note, and it's PHENOMENAL. It's still a bit foodie, but this is a very adult, kinda sexy gingerbread. I'd wear this out for an adult holiday gathering where people like get a little tipsy and handsy In All: I predict this will be very popular, especially as it ages.

The dawn of the Eddic and Skaldic poetry heralded Iceland’s long and rich history of literary culture. Since World War II, there has been a tradition in Iceland called Jólabókaflóðið, or the Christmas Book Flood. It begins with the release of Bokatidindi, a catalog of the season’s new publications. Gifts of books are exchanged on the 24th of December, and Christmas Day is spent reading with your loved ones. This year, we’d like to add a few droplets to the flood. For every purchase of Svarta Fönix Bókaflóð, you receive the Svarta Fönix Bókaflóð perfume, a carefully selected used book purchased from Los Angeles booksellers, and a portion of the proceeds from each bottle will be donated to Project Night Night, an organization that provides security blankets, age-appropriate books, and plush toys to homeless youth. A warm cup of chai, the purr of a bookstore cat, and a roaring fireplace nestled in a library, with books of every size, shape, age, and genre resting on the polished mahogany shelves. In The Bottle: The sweet, smoky scent of the roaring fireplace and the rich smell of the mahogany. A nice start! Wet On Skin: I'm not getting the chai *exactly* but a general warm, resiny spice is what the scent has shifted to. It's very cozy and rich, perfect for a cold, cold winter. I hope it holds! Dry Down: Staying true from application onward, this scent is warm, smoky-sweet and cozy- everything it promises to be, and I'm sure will only get better with age! PS for those interested, the book I received was Positive by David Wellington, which apparently is about zombies, pirates and death cults, among other things. Thanks, Puddin'!

A spectral denial you must not disregard: Burmese heartwood teak, coffee beans, black patchouli, green cognac, and white musk. Thanks to TwilightEyes for making this possible! In The Bottle: Smoky black patchouli, a bit of dark wood (not the teak from Glowing Vulva- this is blackened, rich.) and a touch of cognac. Wet On Skin: The cognac sweetens up a bit- this is the same cognac note from Black Lace and it does a lot to smooth out the rough edges of the heady, dark scent. Dry Down: Wow. This is pretty special. It's like a combination of Black Lace, deep, dark patchouli and fresh-brewed coffee as smelled whilst walking through the French Quarter. It's not sinister, but it *is* serious. In All: Medium throw with a nice, rich undertone that makes this perfect for all genders. I have a feeling this is going to get even better with age!

THE FAINTING COUCH Lush velvet cushions and prim tea rose, a splash of rose water on a lace doily, strong black tea, a whiff of pomander, and an orris root sachet. i can't seem to actually find anything for this item, which i got as a free sample goblin squirt from the Trading Post in a recent order- not a review thread, and not even a listing on the Trading Post site itself! so, if a thread already exists, my apologies. i also hope that i *can* purchase some of this item, because it's beautiful. in the bottle it smells very strongly of sweet, cloying florals. that all changes once it becomes airborne. it turns into a fine mist of rose. beautiful, red, red rose. it reminds me very much of the original release of Peacock Queen, actually. that same wonderful deep, real red, red rose. it's SO nice, so real- this isn't a rose perfume, it's like having a bouquet of 2 dozen fresh roses sitting near by in a gorgeous vase. will this soon be released? is it listed someplace else? either way, i really hope i can get my hands on a larger size of this- soon! :wub2:

Apple cardamom cake. In The Bottle: sweet, juicy apple cider and light spice. Wet On Skin: Same. It reminds me of mulled hot cider, actually. Dry Down: Same. I'd been hoping for the cake aspect to show itself, but alas, nothing. That said, the mulled cider vibe is yummy and it's good enough that I'll hold onto it no matter what, and hopefully with some aging that cake note will come out some!

A year or two ago -whever the last round of Chaos Theories happened - my CT luck held out and I received a *wonderful* Chaos Theory from the Lab that smelled like the BEST spiced banana smoothie of all time. I lamented at how frequently I really want bananas scents to smell like that - like fresh-cut real banana instead of banana taffy - and how infrequently that actually happens. Until now. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE candy-like banana scents. So it wasn't risk-taking for me to pick up a bottle of this. BUT it's also a really, really pleasant surprise that I now get to have TWO banana scents from the Lab that have this similar real-banana scent in them! As it warms and then dries, the complexities of the perfume really shine, spices emerge and for those that are fond of the Lab's baked goods type of scents, you will want to run - not walk - to snag you summa this. In All: A cozy banana-bread-warm-foodie confection that will keep you cozy through the long winter months that lay ahead. ❤️❤️❤️

In The Bottle: A nice light mix of blueberries and white tea. Lovely! Wet On Skin: More of the same, but I'm getting some of the sugar note in the mix, which makes it a bit more complex. Dry Down: Same as above, but warmed up a bit with the emergence of the lemon peel, oddly enough. In All: The scents that Lilith herself designs have often been of a particular kid-slant: extra fruity, or candy-like confections that are quite tempting (Kwame Cotton, I'm looking at you!) but with all the limitations and benefits that implies. This is a MUCH more sophisticated scent and shows that Lilith is growing more and more into the amazing adulthood that awaits her. In All: Light, delicate but well-grounded scent. Medium throw- use less than you think you'll need given the scent profile. I usually reserve these kinds of notes for summer-only wear, but there's something deeper about this scent that makes me want to wear it on a bright, icy cold winter's morning full of sunshine and remnants of snow crystals floating through the air. ❤️

In the bottle: I'm mostly getting the chypre: it reminds me a LOT of Guerlain's Shalimar, a scent I was *obsessed* with for a time. Someone upthread mentioned "sexy grandmas" and I think I see where they're going with that- Shalimar can read also as "old fashioned" I think *because* chypre doesn't get much play in modern perfumery. (I personally need to be in the right mood for it myself, but when that itch needs to be scratched? Accept no substitutes!) Wet On Skin: Much the same. At this wet stage, the chypre for sure rules the roost. Dry Down: Yes, my friends, this is DEAD sexy. I mostly got this for the cashmere amber, and at dry down, the scent does NOT disappoint. I have become a recent fan or the Lab's cashmere interpretation, it combines a coziness with a sexiness that can't be beat, and it's great here. The balance of that and a sliver of the orris keep the scent from trodding too much into "powdery" territory. Unfortunately, I get no patchouli in the mix, which makes me a bit sad, but I have enough of the essential oil lying around that I can plump it up if need be. In all: Low throw, surprisingly, given the richness of the notes, though a little goes a long way. If you're looking for an elegant daytime scent or a more relaxed date night scent, check this out.

[No additional description provided.] In The Bottle: Rich, sweet, dark bruised-purple fruit. Juicy but also somehow slightly foreboding. Wet On Skin: As it warms up, it remains true to actual fruit, as opposed to a "Fruity Perfume". But it's also gaining depth, moving away from fresh fruit and more toward a rich jam or fruit preserves. Dry Down: It doesn't read as pomegranate per se, but my original assessment of it smelling like dark bruised purple fruit is what I stand by. I usually wind up moving on from fruit scents, because they usually come across as too bright or cheery / child-like. But this is NOT doing that. This is an imminently wearable, subdued and rather goth fruit scent. And I LIKE IT!