tinyvulture

A tribute to the earthy, succulent fig. I’m not getting any hazelnut. The fig it supported by the sesame and rice flower, which keep it from being too sweet. Yet they’re only faint in the background -- it’s almost a single note fig. And I’m not a huge fig lover or anything, but happy to have tried this.

Pow! Apples and rosemary! In your face! A bold holiday blend that lacks the unpleasant sourness the lab’s apple cider blends sadly take on for me. Instead, these roasted apples have a slightly cinnamony, concentrated apple scent that’s just lovely. The rosemary cuts the sweetness with its soft herbal presence. I’m not picking up any other other notes -- no leather, figs, rum...maybe a touch of cranberries because there is a tartness that doesn’t seem to come from the apples. Vibrant and cheerful, I will wear this all holiday season.

The chestnut and oak are really warm and cozy. There’s a very vague hint of clean, sharp juniper, but it’s muffled and smoothed out by the orris butter. The chestnut is sweet and caramelized and it seems like it’ll mostly be a gourmand blend, but then there are the other notes in the background that keep it from being 100% foodie.

Sharp clean notes of pine and birch linger in the background as earthy lichens and moss take center stage, warmed by raw amber. This is the scent of nature at its most rugged and untouched, with a slight sense of foreboding and hidden things, tricks of light against the trees.

Milk/cream sweetened by honey. Now, the honey note is not very strong. It’s just a subtle sweetness. I don't get the florals that others have spoken of. Brings to mind other lovely, creamy blends like Obatala (only, no coconut here!) or OG Chaste Moon. No “blood” (metallic) that I notice. Maybe a touch of dragon’s blood incense? Nice to have a bottle since I’ll wear this anytime.

This is tough to identify, maybe it’s the olive blossom? Or the sweat? Because it feels sweet but also briney and salty, and also creamy from the orris butter. (I don’t like dry orris but I do like orris butter, weird.) I’m not getting any cedar or sandalwood. I keep coming back for another sniff! I think it’s a keeper!

I love me some creamy florals, and this is a lovely bouquet of cherry blossom, plum blossom and gardenia (not getting any honeysuckle, sorry), smoothed out with cream. Sweet and cheerful, like a sunny spring day.

Exactly what it says, sweet orange juice and rind, drizzled with golden honey with a little bit of a burnt caramel twang.I probably don’t need a full bottle of this sugar overload but I dig it.

One of the loveliest apple blends I’ve tried. Apple, vanilla, and sweet benzoin are the prominent notes, with the amber and red musk in the background making everything warm and glowing. Super sweet without being explicitly foody, thanks to the strength of the benzoin resin. This might need to go on my bottle wishlist!

Ketkrokur - This does not strike me as a patchouli blend. I think the labdanum is stifling it. I get sweet, resinous labdanum and then the faintest presence of dragon’s blood and clove. Honestly I wouldn’t pick out the clove if I didn’t read the notes. I enjoy dragon’s blood and its powdery sweetness, and it blends nicely with the labdanum here. It’s not one for the bottle wishlist (where ARE you, patchouli?) but nice to have a decant.

At first sniff - STRONG honey and vanilla sugar. Like a caramelized, toffee scent. Barely ANY floral. A couple minutes later, that is still what I’m getting. Just a hint of floral in the background, can’t even really describe it better than that, it’s so faint. I love honey and vanilla so it’s fine with me, just saying this is definitely a foodie blend not a floral!

At first sniff - peach and apricot! Almost pure fruit. As it dries the warm sugared amber, light creamy rice milk, and gently spicy carnation are noticeable. So lovely, a bold fruitiness but also really feminine and lovely.

Simple and nice. Like a cinnamon mouthwash, clean and sharp. The cinnamon and clove seem equally balanced. I will pull this out at Christmas.

Green tea, aloe and lemon. There's a creamy note, also, like a lotion. I love these bright, clean notes. Reminds me of Shanghai. Feels like something I would put on after a shower on a hot sticky day, to continue feeling clean and refreshed.

Wow. Love this one. Lush rose and cognac -- a note I always adore -- what a pair! And then a touch of spicy carnation sends it over the top. Tremendous throw. Will get a bottle if it ever comes back around.

Interesting - at first I get aquatic and moss, and then the smoke is noticeable. Many different scents of nature! Unfortunately the aquatic gets too sweet and cloying on me, as it often does. Off to swaps for someone with different chemistry.

I had a sniffie of this and I got layer upon layer of sweet resins (myrrh, patchouli, opoponax) and also a bit of hairspray scent. Oh and skin musk, i.e. sex smell lol. (Think O.) No leather on me! Super hot -- I’ll have to keep my eye out if more than a sniffie’s worth is ever available.

Here is the lab’s sweet, slushy snow note, front and center. “Echos” of incense and frankincense indeed, since they are faint, supporting notes. Not really picking up “marble.” This is nice but overall not very strong and not a blend that really stands out.

Red musk blends often smack me in the face with red musk! Not so here -- the jasmine is the star, backed by tobacco and sweet carnation. I can never resist a jasmine blend so I’m quite pleased. I am really not getting any red musk at all which is wild. I was also nervous that the tobacco would be overpowering (it can make me sneeze) but it’s very tame here as well. Yay! So overall, I have a jasmine with a carnation accent, perfect for me since I love both of those florals! It doesn't really seem related to sea shanties but I'm ot on TikTok so I don't even care about that lol.

I wanted this so I could have a better idea of what these notes are like. The osmanthus is very in-your-face at first with a blast of sweet, spiciness, like a strong black tea? The agarwood (oud) has a greenness, a wateriness to it. Not poopy! Lol. After 30 seconds the osmanthus disappears completely. I’ll have to swap this one because I have no idea where that osmanthus went!

I wanted this so I’d know what narcissus smells like when it’s mostly on its own. It’s a creamy white floral. Not powdery on me at all, rather very creamy. I’m not really picking up the “snow” aspect. As a perfume, it doesn't really have enough of a personality. It would make a great lotion scent!

Extremely sour grapefruit, not sweet like I was expecting from the yuzu. Off to swaps, it’s probably a skin chemistry thing.

Soft pink roses, a bit soapy at first. Feels a bit nostalgic and haunted, like the perfume of a sad ghost bride. I wait a few minutes...same vibe. No peppercorn here. I think I’ll give it to my daughter who’s quite into haunted hotels and such at the moment.

If you want to meditate by fixating on an object of beauty then I would suggest this blend. ? The jasmine, rose, lotus and lavender together are a glorious jumble of floral notes. Easy to imagine oneself in a peaceful, fragrant garden oasis. So glad to have a bottle!

Lovely spring/summer scent. I love the rice milk, it adds just the right amount of creaminess and delicacy to the sweet, bright mango. A happy, cheering blend.