VioletChaos

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!  

On 11/13/2020 at 11:40 AM, spookygrrrly said:

 

If you are OK with sharing (just a written description is fine, I can make pictures in my head ?) I'd love to hear more about this Winter Death Alter. Totally OK if you don't want to share for whatever reason too!

Sure! I do a combination of having it be an Ancestor Altar - so I include tings like this tiny owl that belonged to my mother when she was alive - and also a general Winter / Death / Crone altar, so I have stone and also ceramic skulls people have gifted me, plus things made of bone and fur, and dark and smoky quartz crystals. For incense I lean towards stuff like Kyphi (since some of my ancestry is North African) and also stuff like vervain and vetiver, which curry favor with Dark / Crone Goddesses like Hecate and Lilith. Sometimes at this time of year, if I find especially beautiful red or orange leaves that have fallen from trees I'll place those on the altar as well.

4 hours ago, spookygrrrly said:

 

I would love to join a winter crone swap. I just turned 46 and while I don't feel like I've truly hit "crone" status I do feel like I've been experiencing sort of a "crone-in-training" period. 

I would also love to do a crone swap. I already have my Winter Death Altar set up and my birthday is next month- it all seems to be falling into place ☺️

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.  

As torikitty mentioned, the vegetal aspect DOES somehow stick out more, and I'm not sure why. I get it *very* strongly in the bottle and slightly less strongly on my skin. 
Notoriously, I am one of those people for who, Snake Oil pretty much only works after its aged...well...an age. Typically a looooong age- 12 months or more. So  while I'm not pleased that I'm not getting either my beloved aged Snake Oil nor my new favorite Please Scream Inside Your Heart, I'm also not exactly surprised.

I bet by next summer I'll be smitten  

If you love all (or probably even just two of the three) notes in this scent, you really owe it to yourself to get some while you can. It's the sweet return of the early 80's version of the Lemon Meringue Doll to me, which is a beautiful, billowy sweetness on a cloud of marshmallow. Alas, I get none of the Lab's amazing orange blossom note, but I'm delighted with what's on display. For those that love a good lemon-foodie scent, this is sheer heaven from start to finish. ❤️❤️❤️ 

In The Bottle: A mix of the vetiver and inky musk, with a touch of the cacao to smooth things over.

Wet On Skin: The vetiver becomes a bit stronger now, definitely the lead note at this stage- something I hope continues because I *really* love vetiver. 

Dry Down: It's amazing. Part of what makes it amazing is that the combination of the opoponax, vetiver and musk combine to create something akin to leather. The reason that's amazing is 1. it's NOT leather, but something reminiscent and 2. I can't wear leather, because it always amps on my skin. This scent takes the best aspects of a leather note- its rich, earthy element- and mixes it with wisps of the cacao, queen of the night and tuberose, to create something that is deep, decadent and full of mystery.

I anticipate this aging gorgeously, but right now, in its current state, it's perfect for the beginning transition from summer into autumn. ❤️ 

Vetiver and orange blossom are both my number one jams right now, so it seemed like a total imperative to pick up a bottle of nothing that contained both, and I am simply *delighted* that I did.

I, too, had the sensation of some unnameable aspect of childhood memory wash over me for just an instant when I first opened the bottle. Once it starts to warm up on my skin, the various notes pull apart ever so slightly, and the neroli comes to the fore, though not in a rambunctious way, which was a bit surprising, because I wondered how on earth such a light top note was going to compete otherwise with all these heavy hitter base notes.

But neroli doesn't need to, because neroli just glides on gossamer wings, gently touching all who are close enough to notice. As the scent warms further and dries down, neroli continues to hold her own, but the other notes bring up the rear nicely. Those who fear patchouli's deep, dirty history or vetiver's smoke needn't worry about either- though very much present in the mix, these richer notes stay strongly in their supporting role, and none of the undernotes ever stray from their backing position.

I expect this to age very well and look forward to wearing it in the meantime.

I no longer have the 2008 variety but I was able to see my review of it to jog my memory. I knew that I had liked that one enough that when I saw there was a new iteration for 2020 I was very interested in getting to check it out, and I'm really glad I did. 

As with the original, there's something distinctly effervescent about Mead Moon- she is legitimately a *sparkling mead*, not just some honey slopped in a jar. The spices, both in the bottle and as the scent warms and blooms on the skin, are extremely well blended- apart from the rich honey base, I can't pull apart any of the notes in this perfume.

But what's important, what I remembered about the original, was that there was something distinctly High Summer about the fragrance- like playing in the hot sun and then lolling in a half-hidden barn, in big piles of sweet hay. The air is thick with the heat of the day, even in the dark of the interior, and the air is so dense and thick, yet there's something cozy and deeply nostalgic about it that it feels only welcoming. 

And so, I welcome Mead Moon back into my life, bringing a sweetness of the past into this chaotic present, to smooth the edges, if just a little bit. ❤️ 

In The Bottle: The very tart (and delicious!) grapefruit is way out front. The yuzu provides a touch of sweetness at the backend. No musk comes through at this stage.

Wet On Skin: Much the same, which is fine by me!

Dry Down:  Whereas in the bottle the grapefruit is more pith-heavy, once it warms and opens fully on my skin, it becomes a bit more juicy, and fruit-focused. I get traces of the musk, more as a way to simply give the grapefruit depth, but the musk, like the yuzu, really only provide supporting roles for the grapefruit, which remains the main star of this show. MUCH later in the wear, a bit more musk rises to the occasion, but the grapefruit remains a focal point, even then.

In All: I adore the Lab's citrus-heavy scents, whether they are confections like Kingdom Of Sweets, or fresh, tart masterpieces, like my dearly beloved Happy Baby In A Dress; which is why I picked up a full bottle of this untested and untried. Low throw and lovely on its own for upcoming hot days and nights, I see great potential for layering with this oil, either with sugar-heavy scents like the most recent 13 or Sugar Skull, or else to bring a bright tone to richer, denser woody scents like Tiki King! or even Tombstone.

13 hours ago, Deceitfuldescender said:

I am thinking soon might be a good time for a spring cleaning swap.

Ooooohhhhh! Can you say more about that? What'd you have in mind???

A pure, clean antiseptic lavender in the bottle and wet on skin. As it dries down, it warms and sweetens a bit, likely because of the musk. It's not like the sugared lavender of TKO, it's not foodie-sweet like that. It's more like the lavender in my beloved Safari- I get the real sense that this is a scent less about just smelling nice, but that I will mostly be wearing this to bed, to help bring on delicious sleep.

In literally every other blend I've ever tried it in, myrrh overpowers everything else and turns to wet, fetid cardboard on my skin, no matter how lovely the other notes are. So when I saw myrrh was on the menu for this scent, I put it out of my mind. But then I visited my dear friend ReallyZeb and we had us a little meet-and-sniff (like we do) and she allowed me the great pleasure of sniffing (and yes, testing) this scent. 

It. Is. Beautiful. 

When the chance came round again for me to grab a bottle, I did with great haste, because I literally had not stopped thinking about it since I'd sniffed Zeb's bottle lo those many months ago. Normally I can pick out individual notes, but this scent is that rare thing, so well-blended that it simply is its own substance, not an amalgam of its components, only and forever itself.

I know it would be more hopeful to say "oh yes the _____ note is very strong and it mixes well with _____" but this is just not one of those times. 

This is something else entirely- get some and you will see. ❤️ 

I just got the brand-new Capricorn locket in the post yesterday. For those that had the original run of the BPAL Brimstone locket, the dimensions and weight of the new zodiac lockets are basically identical. I really love sterling silver and am not much for gold-tone metal, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the gold accents on the Cappy locket, but it's really quite beautiful. There's a kind of lustrous, buttery quality to the sheen on the surface and it's catches the light so well! I wore it all day today, just as a beautiful pendant- I didn't use any oils inside yet, but honestly, the fact that the pendant is also a scent locket was secondary to just having a beautiful piece from a company I adore. This is my third locket from the Lab, but might just be my favorite now ❤️ 

In The Bottle, I get a light wiff of the coffee beans. 

After application, the copal comes through. Unfortunately, it's not showing up on my skin as the smoky copal others are describing: I'm getting Lemon Pledge.   I've experienced fresh copal essential oil as being very lemony, so it's not a huge surprise, though definitely not the acid-acid experience I was hoping for. I have a bottle of well-aged copal EO, so I know the wonders that aging can do. There's also a promise of better days lying ahead because about an hour in, the scent shifted and became more vanilla-resin with a faint edge of coffee in the background. I'll hold on to it for a while longer and retest later. Hopefully, it'll age well and become more what I was hoping for...

In The Bottle: Buttercream! Yellow box cake!!! 

Wet On Skin: Cake. Cakecakecakecakecake. I literally want to gnaw on my own arm. THAT'S how good this smells.

Dry Down: Yup. Just straight up, warm, fresh-from-the-oven, CAKE. I'm not really even getting frosting. But you know what? I don't care! Because A straight-forward cake-perfume is filling a need in my life, and I will love the poop outta this scent for as long as the bottle lasts!

In All: Moist, delicious box cake in a medium-low throw. I will happily wear this alone but will also play around with some layering, because why not? CAAAAAAAKE. ❤️❤️❤️ 

In the Bottle: Mostly Dorian with a bit of a dapper lavender bringing up the rear.

Wet On Skin: The beeswax and oak suddenly become the strongest notes as the oil starts to warm up on my skin.

Dry Down: Wow. This IS a serious morpher. The Dorian has all but left the building. In its place is a spicy, sexy concoction of vanilla husk, a dusting of honeyed rosin and oak rounding it out. It's surprisingly light with very low throw considering the decadence of the scent notes. It's a good "skin scent" in that it stays so close to the skin- therefore good for daytime use but also good for sexy time use.

I'd for sure wear this on a date.  

In The Bottle: Cream and honey. Yum!

Wet On Skin: The honey is changing a bit to a kind of honey dust. The cream is still present but less intense. 

Dry Down: Honey cream. 

In All: Having been an *enormous* fan of the Trading Post's Pie Series, and finding the Pecan Pie perfume in particular to only get better with age, I had high hopes for this scent. It's a soft, sweet, honey-focused scent that's lovely- but it's NOT pecan pie on me, for which I am certainly disappointed. It's for sure good enough to hold on to, but I'm going to keep hoping that the pecan pie eventually finds its way into the mix.

In The Bottle: Goats milk front and center, with a tart edge that I'm betting is the tea note.

Wet On Skin: The tea becomes more prominent as it warms on my skin, and there's a bit more of a lemon under-note to it.

Dry Down: It's saying pretty much just goats milk and white tea. I'd really been hoping for the lavender and definitely that marshmallow, but alas, it was not in the stars for me... ?