VioletChaos

I received #22 Frankincense as a frottle today (thanks, Lab!) so here's my take:

In the bottle, it's a luscious thick sweet resin. The aging of this Frank has done it a world of good.

Wet on my skin, I'm getting an undertone of something that's helping the frankincense stay on the sweeter side of things with none of the sharpness it can sometimes have.

Dry down is the same lingering confusion I've had this whole time, because I'm usually really, really good at picking out individual notes. but then again, considering this bottle must've sat in the Lab for the last, oh, NINE YEARS, stewing in its own juices, I'd say I should be permitted my unknowableness concerning the exact breakdown of notes, suffice it to say that it's damn gorgeous and I will treasure this bottle for as long as any drops remain inside its amber depths. Thanks Lab!!! 

There's coffee and tobacco fighting for the top spot immediately. The teak starts to come into play as soon as the oil warms up on my skin and makes it surprisingly masculine. Honestly? I kind of imagine this is what Don Draper would smell like: a damn sexy man's man. Dark, alluring and up to no good.

I would NOT want my uncle to smell like this but I would absolutely be okay with a special friend smelling like this  

In the bottle, it's a strange cacophony of cacao, lavender and white musk. 

Once it's warmed on my skin the cacao disappears and the lavender and musk seem to be a little more in alignment.

At dry down, this becomes a predominantly white musk scent with the lavender bringing up the rear. It's clean and light as white musks tend to be. I can see choosing this on very warm spring and summer days and evenings.

I get no raspberries from this. However, what I *am* getting is a light, delightful strawberry candy with a little sugary vanilla cream plopped right on top. It's a super happy scent and very daytime wearable.

In the bottle: Coconut, cream, a little bit of wood.

Wet on skin: the amber and coconut are doing something extraordinarily beautiful together, balancing each other so that this isn't a foodie scent but still retains both a sweet aspect and definitely recognizable coconut.

Dry down: oh my. oh my oh my oh my. I always wanted to lover Obtala but couldn't do it because water notes of all kinds *despise* me. This is like if you took the coconut from Obatala and mixed it with Glowing Vulva, but replaced the teakwood with this sultry sandalwood. Still with me? If all the words I just wrote make you want this immediately, GET IT IMMEDIATELY. You will NOT be disappointed!

I am *also* getting a yogurt note! I think perhaps there's something in the mix that's maybe a little sour? But it's wonderful. As it dries, that aspect dissipates quickly, but a sweet plummy donut is what remains, and I am completely content with such an outcome! After full dry down, a little bit of the chestnut comes through at last and it a nice finish.

COFFEE!!! Also, vanilla ice-cream. This is a wonderful, well-balanced treat. The coffee note, to my nose, even has a sub-layer of chicory, which is often in French coffee. It might be a mind-trick on my part, but it certainly *smells* that way to me, and I'm totally delighted by the outcome of this tasty little scent!

YUMMY! I get vanilla bean, strawberries and a dollop of cream in the bottle, and the bit of orange rind starts to peek in just as the oil warms on my skin. The confectioner's sugar is definitely in the mix but thankfully not amping the way Lab sugars sometimes do on my skin. By dry-down this is a glorious foodie experience of vanilla bean whipped cream with strawberries and a bit of orange. so like a strawberry infused Crêpe Suzette!

J'taime Crêpe Aux Fraises!

Yeah, this is all oudh, all the time. I *do* get a hint of the velvet musk, but as zankoku said, this is a major oudh fest to be sure. After dry down, there's a faint whisper of lavender, but this really is all about the oudh. The two other notes prevent this from becoming headshop city, but make no mistake, they are distant supporting players, like adding sugar to a thick tomato sauce. It's not suddenly candy- it's still very savory. Same thing here. It's alllllll about the oudh.

As a devotee os the much beloved and discontinued Safari -ESPECIALLY since I must travel so frequently!- I was simply delighted to see the release of another travel balm from the Lab! Based on the note lost, I knew it wasn't going to be anything like Safari, but I remain optimistic that this can become part of my further adventures out in the world. It's a very lemony scent in the bottle, very cheerful and inviting. Once on, the rosemary and eucalyptus are much more in the show, but in spite of all the invigorating notes, this oil is very comforting and soothing. Don't get me wrong- it's definitely uplifting, but in a "HOLY MOLY LET'S GET ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!" kind of way, but rather a "Hi! Did you need some tea to help wake you since you didn't sleep well on the flight?" kind of way. 

l will 100% be bringing both Travel Buddies AND Safari with me on my next trip abroad! ❤️ 

Montmartre is my favorite neighborhood in Paris. I love its dirty charm, its beautiful scoundrels, the back breaking hills and yes, that damn carousel. Even if this scent was nothing more than street sweat and filthy poop in a bottle, I'd have to have it in my collection.

LUCKILY! -- it is actually a rather lovely scent that nicely encapsulates all the feels that I have for my beloved neighborhood in my beloved second home. Fruity tobacco with a little kick of spice at dry down, this is a great bottled story of the exact kind of are Montmartre is in all its sleazy, sacred, endearing glory. ❤️ 

In The Bottle: Labdanum and oudh.

Wet On Skin: The oudh is strong with this one. It's really so far out front that as it warms on my skin, I can get nothing else from it. Help us Snake Oil, you're our only hope!

Dry Down: no vetiver, no patch that I can detect. The oudh is still definitely at the front, but traces of Snake Oil are, in fact, coming through, as is the sweetness of the labdanum. I'm going to let this settle for at least a month before retest, I am one of the masses for whom,e fresh Snake Oil does not generally cooperate. I choose to hold out hope, and if not, I've got some very fine aged SO that I can layer with this bad boy to get the party started  

[No additional description provided.]

In The Bottle: That's a whoooooole lotta labdanum!

Wet On Skin: This is reading like a sweet labdanum single note. If it stays this way, I won't object- I wouldn't mind being in possession of such a thing. I can always layer it with "O" if this continues!  

Dry Down: The honey comes out a teeeeeny bit. But really, this is the Labdanum Show, with your host, Sweet Labdanum.  This note, being the rich little minx that it is, ages quite well, and my long term experience of the Lab's various honey notes is the same. I wouldn't be surprised if the honey doesn't really shine in this until, like, six months from now. But even if it just lurks in the background, I'm satisfied with having a really good labdanum "single note" ☺️

In The Bottle: DAY-um! Almond, an edge of resin-y labdanum and vanilla bourbon. I am allllllll about this!

Wet On Skin: The amber resin is starting to come to the front as the oil warms on my skin. it's a great addition to the party. The almond is starting to hang back a little. I hope it doesn't disappear completely, it's a really good note in here.

Dry Down: The amber resin is acting slightly weird, shifting between being itself and becoming a wee bit pine-ish. The labdanum keeps it from becoming more than a hint though, and that's good, I don't do pine notes generally. I suspect the pine might *also* be the tobacco poking in at the end, and the two devilish notes combine to keep the amber and vanilla from reading as gourmand. The almond, alas, has left the building. My hope is that with age it'll return for a longer stint, but I can also layer it with Fortune Cookie to add a dollop of almond if need be. 

I predict this is going to be sought-after later on.

In The Bottle: The beautiful strangeness that is immortelle is front and center at first sniff. I can't really pick up on anything else because of the strength of that one note.

Wet On Skin: As soon as the oil begins to warm on my skin, the honeyed cream comes right to the surface. It's surprisingly different from the honey notes in "O" or the beeswax note in The Mystery of the Giant Testicle. This honey has a bit of grit, which keeps it from being sugary or too smooth.

Dry Down: Wow, this is really pretty. The immortelle keeps this from being too foodie and the honeyed cream prevents this from being a floral. The two parts (the only 2 I get, that can obviously change with aging but this is where it's at for me right now) balance each other really well, making it not just a gorgeous early-springtime scent but making it accessible for folks that normally don't care for gourmand scents AND folks who normally steer clear of florals.  Just lovely!

In The Bottle: Lemon, cream and a touch of lotus. 

Wet On Skin: A bit of the white tea is coming round now, making this smell like a tea party with lemon cake!  

Dry Down: Tea leans a bit toward the lemony side of things anyway on me, and this scent therefore has both a "high" and "low" lemon note in that the low is more of a foodie, lemon curd variety and the high is that clean, bright lemony tea. It's a lovely combination. The amber cream seems to be way more cream than amber, which is not a bad thing, though I'm curious to see how it'll age. The lotus can be a bit iffy on me, and I was worried it would turn soapy but so far it's behaving itself, if juuuuust barely  

In all, I think this will be a fine scent as we move out of late winter and into spring. It's a very bright and sunny daytime scent and if you're a gourmand fan, you should definitely give this a try.

In The Bottle: Sweet, creamy beeswax (YUM) and a hint of the roasted nuts. NOMNOMNOM.

Wet On Skin: The beeswax is definitely in the lead here, with the nuts adding a bit of salt. I'm not getting the greenery of bamboo or ti leaf, and I don't detect anysandawood at this stage, either.

Dry Down: One of those scents that really stays true from bottle to dry down, this oil has a low throw, stays close to the skin (as many Shungas tend to do in my experience) and is quietly delectable. Beeswax from the lab tends to age extraordinarily well, and I'm excited to see where this goes, because it's already eminently wearable straight out of the mailbox!?

In The Bottle: There's something immediately incense-y about this scent. I'm guessing it's the oppoponax and maybe the oakmoss. It's certainly all I can think about at first sniff.

Wet On Skin: Much the same, but I think the oakmoss is pushing forward a bit more, which I see as a positive, because in the bottle I was worried it was going to be a bit more "head shop"-ish than I would like. The oakmoss pulls it away from that, takes it someplace a bit more spicy and sweet.

Dry Down: Welp, it's shifted back again. Incense 70s headshop affair. ? I'm not suuuuuper excited about it, bit there's enough promise that I'm absolutely willing to let it age and see what happens next month!  

 

In The Bottle: Vegetal musk, which is slightly acrid, and what I'm assuming is the blackwood, which is sort of a dark musky scent.

Wet On Skin: The labdanum is coming out a bit as the oil warms on my skin, and it's adding a sweetness to the mix that's making the scent more palatable, less sinister and unrelenting. 

Dry Down: The sweet oudh and labdamun come front and center, making this a sweet, rich deep affair. I'm not getting a ton of patchouli, which I'm *slightly* sad about, but the rest makes up for that slight loss. This is definitely one of those scents that's bound to get better with aging, but I've been craving some dark, moody scents lately, and this is a nice one!

In The Bottle: All leather, all the time. The leather is SO strong that I could actually catch hints of it *when I opened the shipping box*. That, my friends, is a whole lotta leather.

Wet On Skin: As it warms on my skin, the leather takes a step back, thankfully. i'm not that big a fan of any leather note, and I blind-bottled this because I was hoping that the other notes would outweigh the beast-skin. The plum and opium are most dominant, holding their own against the leather, but it's still quite prevalent.

Dry Down: Remember The Smiling Spider? It was a clove cigarette scent that all us goths simply HAD to have once upon a BPAL time. This is Smiling Spider's broody goth-metal cousin that listens primarily to Type O Negative, early Marylin Manson and Slipknot. The clove, incense plum and oudh are all present and accounted for, but none can push down that damn saucy leather that simple HAS to get its way. I put Smoke and Lace on one hand, Crinoline and Lace on the other, and when I bring them together, they indeed help each other out, the vanilla/musk of Crinoline taming the leather while the deep, broody notes of Smoke grounding Crinoline and give her some razorblades and eyeliner. 

I am going to let this age, as leather sometimes mellows after getting to rest a bit. I like Smoke and Lace enough as a layering component to lend some other sweeter perfumes a bit more depth, but I do hope all those broody notes will become a little more prominent with some additional time to marinate together.

In The Bottle: A very sheer, very light white musk with an equally sheer, very light vanilla. Nothing else yet!

Wet On Skin: The vanilla/musk combination reminds me ever-so-slightly of how that combo showed up in Pink Wig Spray which, to be sure, is one of my all-time favorites. It's not the *same* but it's definitely the same *family*, which is good enough for me!

Dry Down: No roses, no elemi and really, no coconut. On me, this is purely vanilla and light musk. It *also* reminds me a bit of OLLA Ava, and if you liked Ava or Pink Wig Spray, you should definitely check this out. Sweet, lovely and as the previous poster said, floofy - it's crinoline and lace in a bottle to be sure! ❤️ 

For this review, I'll be talking mainly about the scent and wear of this oil, but I will also make note of any particular feelings or occurrences that happen during the try-out.

In The Bottle: *very* well blended. I'm getting whiffs of the resiny frankincense, the dry greenery of the mugwort and vegetal musk and the sweetness of the old and helichrysum. But it's not like I get strands of the individual notes here, it's just all part of a writhing stew that becomes greater than the sum of its parts. And that's *just in the bottle*
 

Wet On Skin: As the oil warms on my skin, the vegetable musk seems to be gaining traction, coming to the forefront. I'm also noting something that reads ALMOST like geranium, which I suspect is the mugwort and damascus rose acting in collusion. The scent is very "green" in how its smells, which isn't a surprise, given the plant materials that make up the bulk of the blend.

Dry Down: The scent definitely morphs a bit by the time it completely dries down and the color profile shifts from green to green-gold- again, appropriate, given the purposes of the oil! As with many of my favorite TAL and Lab Magick blends, once completely dry and settled in, the scent becomes more subtle. It's something I appreciate because I want my magickal working to often be my business alone, and having a scent be little more on the DL means I can layer other things on top of it, instead of having to concern myself with a random "oh, I need such and such blend to galvanize my dealing with the world and now I'm going to smell like camphor all day and that's the trade-off".

Now that we're at the realized stage, the scent has become mild, dry and slightly sweet. It reminds me vaguely of the dessert and the mild plants that have adapted to growing in harsh places, like tumbleweeds. On an emotional level, I've noticed some feeling of bittersweet and melancholy rising to the top, which I think might be the the oil calling attention to those feelings that I've been carrying for weeks as this time of year marks the passing of a beloved family member. I think when I go visit his grave I shall anoint with this oil beforehand.

In All: Low to medium throw- definitely start small and add more after you see how it'll react with your skin. A lovely oil that brings emotional clarity that I can see easily mixing with others to highlight feelings in rites and workings. A solid addition to any witch's toolbox!



NOTE: My initial reviews of this new batch of St Expedite oils will be based on two things, scent / wear and also energetic impressions. I will either update with magickal workings and outcomes here, later or I will post my reflections and findings in one of the TAL-specific groups.

In The Bottle: So, first of all, the mica is both far brighter and "chunkier" than the other two oils from this release, which makes sense to me. There's something very reassuring and cheerful about the display, like the liquid is letting you know instantly that you can have confidence it's going to help you with your money issues. I'm getting amber and some pine resin immediately, with a bit of the citrus Clementine bringing up the rear. I generally do NOT like evergreens in my fragrances, period, but this is so well-blended that it doesn't give me a "floor cleaner" vibe most others do, but rather, being in a lush, wintery forest laden with goodies hidden in or glistening on the surface of, snow.

Wet On Skin: A tiny bit of the bright gold mica came out, leaving just a cute trace on my wrist and I am completely delighted by it! The amber comes out more strongly as the oil warms on my skin, which I welcome, since real, fossilized tree resin is one of my all-time favorites, both to wear and to keep on my altar. So all the amber boxes are getting checked right here!

Dry Down: Fully dry, this scent is almost entirely amber now, but with an edge of that myrtle cutting through the sweetness. If you wanted to punch up the earthy-abundance-energy hit, I'd probably toss a little bit of oakmoss into the mix, or a minuscule dab of patch, but this cheery abundance-draw blend is great all on its own for sure. Love! ❤️ 



NOTE: My initial reviews of this new batch of St Expedite oils will be based on two things, scent / wear and also energetic impressions. I will either update with magickal workings and outcomes here, later or I will post my reflections and findings in one of the TAL-specific groups.

In The Bottle: A root-y blast of ginger followed by a dribble of very delicate vanilla. (this, so far, does not appear to be the same rich, pound cake-y vanilla in St Expedite Fast Luck)

Wet On Skin: I'm still getting almost entirely ginger root. It's definitely a bit sweeter than my direct experience with pure, single finer root essential oil, and I assume that the patchouli and vanilla are responsible for the softening of edges here, though they're like backup singers here to strengthen only the voice of the lead- I would NOT say at this point that i can actually pull out either of those supporting notes; this is really a ginger scent, first and foremost.

Dry Down: The ginger has become sweeter still with drying. There's something that's incredibly cozy about this scent, but not in a soft sweater kind of way, but in the way that  one might see a family of hibernating furry animals in a winter forest, nesting in their soft earth, pine needles and leaves, noses buried in each other's fluffy tails.

This oil is a *comfort*. One that implies strength, a solid shoulder to cry on, a trusted ally that will fight FOR you while you take a much-needed rest. I could see utilizing this when my energies are flagging and I would also layer this with some of my own well--aged patchouli to bolster intentions of speedy delivery in regard to all monetary, bodily or otherwise earth-energy-centric matters. ❤️ 

NOTE: My initial reviews of this new batch of St Expedite oils will be based on two things, scent / wear and also energetic impressions. I will either update with magickal workings and outcomes here, later or I will post my reflections and findings in one of the TAL-specific groups.

In The Bottle: Sweet vanilla and a hint of a baker's cinnamon (meaning, light and sweet, as opposed to an acrid or sharp variety)

Wet On Skin: A continued delectable vanilla. It reminds me ever so slightly of the dense sweet vanilla in Love's Philosophy but the vanilla bean powder keeps this from becoming "just a foodie" vanilla. The cinnamon continues its supporting role, lending a depth that further keeps this from being a pedestrian vanilla. The combination is also reminding me of the Egg Nog scent of Yules past. But again, it's different somehow as well.

Dry Down: Although it doesn't show on the skin, the bottle is thick with shimmering mica and the look and experience of this oil lends the weight of its divine purposes. There's nothing showy about this oil or its scent in the "Las Vegas bling bling " style (meaning, it's not a false glimmering). Rather, there's something that feels wonder-ous, glory-ous, adorational, about it all. The scent stays relatively true from bottle to dry down, with a nice, medium throw- a little goes quite a ways so resist the urge to be heavy-handed, unless that's a specific and important part of intent in your workings. I find that the mere application and settling in of this oil on my skin is imbuing a sense of hope to me at a time when i desperately need some. 

I anticipate getting and giving alot of love in regard to the universe and St. Expedite in conjunction with this oil. ❤️