tinyvulture

i knew i would love this one. on my skin it smells just like O – like sex and baby powder and honey – but with the added bonus of sexy, jasmine-like ylang ylang. gorgeous.

i like dragon’s blood ok, but I’ve yet to find a dragon’s blood scent that is really “me.” this one misses the mark even though it has amber, which i love. the amber adds a warm, powdery sweetness to the dragon’s blood which is nice. but it turns kind of soapy, after awhile. this one is off to swaps.

dragon’s blood, plus something dark and smoky and smoldering. i’m not picking up the patchouli. to me, it smells more like it’s got cedar or some kind of charred wood. the cinnamon adds spiciness and more heat. neat, but not “me.”

sweet, creamy and spicy. the nutmeg, allspice and vanilla stand out. in the imp, this smells exactly like eggnog, and the scent stays true on my skin. it’s not as rich or buttery as i expected, but that’s ok. my only complaint is that it’s not very strong. i have to apply a lot of it and get really close to be able to smell anything. as i’m just now getting around to trying an imp, maybe the scent faded over time.

thought it would be more of a pure, raw pumpkin scent but instead i get a spicy pumpkin pie/apple cider vibe (same as jack). very rich, juicy, and buttery. the dry, powdery cocoa balances out the pumpkin somewhat. the walnut and hazelnut are there, but not very strong. as it dries, the pumpkin is still the dominant note.

spicy baked goodness. the clove is especially noticeable. this is such a warm, sweet scent. perfect for the holidays. i also think it will be great as a room scent.

this smells strongly of almond extract when i first apply it. but when it dries, the almond fades. it’s a sweet, foody, sexy scent. honey and butterscotch and pancake syrup. it reminds me of a more foody O.

I’m just sort of “eh” on this. To me it smells like any store-bought men’s cologne. Slightly citrus-y, and mossy, with a kind of “sweaty man” undertone – is that the ambergris? Anyway, my husband absolutely adores it.

The individual note that I can pick out most easily is the rose. It’s soft and dry and pretty. There’s also the slightly bitter, dark green scent of moss, and the sweet, dusty myrrh, and a hint of incense. It doesn’t really smell woodsy to me. Interesting and complex.

I received a free imp of this, and now I want a bottle. Pure cedar. The smell of pencil shavings. Love it. The sage and bay leaf add a clean herbal touch. A strong, proud scent. I think many will find it quite masculine, but I (a woman) love to wear woodsy scents and I think it’s fine for either sex.

I smell that awesome orchid note that I recognize from Magdalene, and the sweet, lush plum of Bordello. Who knew they would make such a lovely combination? Beth did, I guess. I smell just a hint of the jasmine, too. I used to hate jasmine but I am growing to love it thanks to the lab. It blends so perfectly with the other notes here. A gorgeous, exotic scent. Fruity, floral, fresh, and sexy all at the same time.

a summery, aquatic floral scent. light and pretty. at first it has a slightly bitter edge (not in a bad way, i’m just not sure how else to describe it), perhaps from the neroli.

 

15 minutes later i can barely smell anything. fast-fading, this one.

at first this smells very strongly of pine and eucalyptus. normally, if there's even a hint of citrus, the citrus will dominate on my skin so that i can't even smell anything else, but the orange is very toned down here. it makes an appearance after about five minutes and mixes with the other notes really well. i like it! i think of it as a christmas scent.

at first this smells slightly of bananas, which worries me. but as it dries, that quickly fades and yes, it smells exactly like the catholic church incense i remember from my churchgoing days.

 

i'd say it's warmer than cathedral, more complex than penitence (i think it's got something besides frankincense and myrrh), and not quite as sweet/foody as aureus. i love all of the lab's incense blends and this one's a keeper for sure.

i wavered on ordering this because of the floral aspect, but i'm so glad i got a bottle. it is now my favorite of the yule blends. on me it's creamy, buttery, coconut and vanilla. it reminds me of snake charmer but without the spiciness. or spooky without the mint. no florals at all. and, it has great throw and lasts a long time.

I thought this would be like Aureus, but there’s none of that solemn church smell here. It’s very warm and golden. It’s also really sweet, from the tonka. And, it’s just a touch pine-y (from the benzoin?) which I love. And the amber! I love every BPAL amber scent I’ve tried and this is no exception. It’s resinous, powdery, heavenly. There’s not a lot of throw; this is one of those “quiet” scents that doesn’t jump out at you from across the room but is a treasure just the same.

At first all I can smell is the bold green notes from Dublin (as another poster mentioned). I wasn’t expecting it to smell so green and fresh! But as it dries I can smell a chilly, aquatic, ever-so-slightly minty, “winter air” note. It’s very masculine at this point. Later, it becomes sweeter and more resinous and takes on more depth. At this point, I think it’s a lovely unisex scent. Oh, and it lasts forever! I could still smell it on my husband the next day, after he showered.

the clean, cool metallic note that i've smelled in other blends such as neo-tokyo is combined here with a rich warm incense. i'm glad that, overall, the scent is quite warm. it smells equally delightful on a guy or girl. i do wish it was a little stronger -- i find i have to apply a lot of it.

I have trouble identifying specific floral notes, so this review is going to be kind of vague. Suffice to say this is a luxurious, sensual floral scent as opposed to other fresh, light florals I’ve tried -- and that appeals to me. The opium adds depth and a slight smokiness to it.

this is mostly rose but i think maybe it also has jasmine. it’s powdery and slightly soapy. very feminine and pretty, i like it.

I’ve had the worst luck with aquatic/ozone scents. On my skin they develop a sickly sweet Kool-Aid smell.

 

But not so with Sea of Glass!

 

It stays just as clean and refreshing as it smells in the bottle. Definitely evocative of a perfect day at the beach, immersing yourself in the cool salty blue water. I’ll wear this when I feel nostalgic for summer.

This is quite similar to Brimstone – I think it’s the vetiver. It’s smoky, gritty, earthy, and slightly herbal or bitter. It’s more complex than Brimstone, however. I can pick out dark patchouli, cedar and cinnamon notes which round out the scent nicely. Evokes being in a dense woods where the smell of the soil is strong, and the smoke and ashes from last night’s campfire linger in the air. After awhile, the vetiver kind of overpowers everything else. I’ll give this imp to my husband; vetiver smells really good on him.

Dried roses and wood. At first there’s a hint of juicy apple, but it quickly fades and the scent becomes extremely dry and dusty. It reminds me of an abandoned old haunted house, but the hazelnut adds warmth. I like it a lot.

pure patchouli, warm and dark and earthy. i love patchouli. this seems like it would smell good on anyone. so, it’s supposed to release stored energy? i’ll have to wear it to the gym and see if the scent intensifies any. it does seem to perk me up some when i’m just sitting around.

this really evokes being out in the woods on a chilly fall evening, breathing in the night air, forest scents, and crushed leaves underfoot. the fir and “damp woods” notes are dominant on my skin. i don’t smell any pumpkin, but the red apple is really noticeable. after awhile it starts to smell sweet and spicy, like apple cider, thanks to the clove and nutmeg. it perfectly captures this time of year.