Aldercy

Oh, I love Pa-Pow. It definitely evokes the idea of "happy dog!" but I wouldn't promise that it smells exactly like a dog and nothing else. It's a sunny field with a dog playing in it.

 

No guarantee it'll be to your taste, but if you're hunting for a dog scent, I'd certainly start by searching the sales forum for that one-- I'm sure I've seen decants and bottles floating around.

Actually, this is one of the (relatively few) scents that has no official description. Its review thread (hidden in the Event Exclusive section) has a lot of other people's interpretations, but the Lab's original announcement doesn't give anything other than the name.

 

Sorry!

Hell, I've been collecting BPAL for over 2 1/2 years and didn't know what a reducer cap was. There are no stupid questions.

Yep, single-note red musk (not the sometimes medicinal, stale kind I occasionally get, but something very similar to Snake Oil Bath Oil-- which I find to be just a little more red musky and less vanillic than the perfume oil). It's a dark, sweet, metallic, maroon scent.

 

It's quite strong on its own, but I imagine this could be good for layering. I think it would be really good for adding just a drop of sexiness to complimentary, but less powerful blends.

This was gorgeously bottle-worthy until the wisteria started to take over a little during the dry-down. It starts out all sticky, pale amber, ambergris and mild sweet myrhh (very nice combination, very sheer and lacy), and those notes do stick around, but when the wisteria comes out to play, it's a bit of a bully, at least on my skin. I'm surprised how easily it wins out over magnolia and rose-- florals that I usually amp a bit.

 

It's still a very lovely scent-- innocent but haunting, old-fashioned but sophisticated, very memorable-- I just wish that strong bite of slightly sweet-pea-like wisteria would die down to the background instead of the foreground. If, in the long-term drydown it eventually fades, I think I could still go for a 5ml.

I admit I've kind of forgotten the notes for this one, and I'm going to try to sniff and review without referring back to them first.... A Howl in the Darkness is kind of a dark, murky aquatic with woody, twisted spice and a slightly citrusy musk. It's a really temperate scent, with cool notes and warm notes very well-blended together into something very balmy and dusky. It's slightly sweet, very natural woodland kind of smell. If this scent is a werewolf scent, it's a gentle, fuzzy werewolf.

 

Now, looking at the notes: yep, that all sounds about right. I can definitely pick out sage. I quite like this one and will definitely hang on to the decant.

It's taken me a couple of hours to figure out what precisely this smells like, and the answer is: Nerds candy. The fuchsia strawberry kind. Sweet, pink, sour tart, effervescent and crispy at the same time. I'm seeing people compare this to Cap'n Crunchberries, but I haven't ever eaten it so I wouldn't know. It is a little like Zombie Apocalypse, but more lighthearted, more madcap, whereas ZA is a thick, sludgy, slightly sinister sweet strawberry to me. This is childlike, bouncy and really tasty-smelling. I will definitely hang on to the decant.

 

Golletes is the rainbow My Little Pony of this Halloween collection.

Nothing Gold Can Stay (saaad name, by the way) reminds me very much of A Blade of Grass from Halloween two years ago, even though grass isn't a listed note. That leaf scent is the same-- just on the cusp between sappy green and crispy yellow-- wet and dry at the same time. This scent is sweeter though, with a cold aquatic floral note on top. I'm not sure where that comes from-- it's not unpleasant, but I kind of wish it weren't there. I don't get anything tea-like.

 

It's a very spindly, delicate, pretty scent with at least a couple of layers to it. A little perfumey, but still unique with that realistic leaf note.

Ooh, thanks for all the photos, TwilightEyes. Love the vintage style for the regular Weenies and the stark black-and-white graphic novel look for the Gothic collection. I have to admit, I'm a tiny bit grossed out by the Pomegranates though.

This one is so weird to me. It's nothing like the description, as far as I can tell. I get a faint impression of pinkness and slightly powdery white woods. Maybe a touch of verbena. Warmly soapy.

 

If it weren't for the other reviews, I'd have thought I received a mislabeled imp!

I'm surprised this doesn't have lemon listed in it... the tea must be a lemony tea. I'm also getting clouds of orris. It's a very dry, severe, old-fashioned scent. Not to my personal taste, I'm afraid.

ALMOND FRENCH FRIES.

 

I must me losing my mind.

 

No. I'm not. It's this warm, greasy, starchy note (i.e. french fries) doused with watery almond... and now a heavy dusting of baby powder as well. Wow. Bizarre.

I can't help but think of this scent in terms of scents I've already tried. That doesn't happen that much, but Death of the Grave Digger is just so familiar, even though it has its own character. It reminds me of Ded Moroz, Old Moon and Baku rolled into one with a gritty layer of sweet myrrh over top.

The slush note is icy, with just a touch of translucent, herbal mint. It's backed up with slightly warmer (but shadowy) wood and resin notes-- evergreen and rich opoponax and myrrh. The evergreen is very tart and thin, with a faint halo of frozen, dark purple berries. The earth note is crisp and black, and extremely well blended with everything else, so I wouldn't really think of this as one of my "dirt" scents. And then there's this ethereal "blue," menthol-like quality floating around the edges of the scent that makes the more concrete notes come across as ghostly and far-away.

This is a super-complex blend with very distinct layers I can somehow pick apart. I really like the overall effect (not surprising, considering I have bottles of all the scents I mentioned above) and this will make for a very sophisticated winter perfume.

So: I opened my bottle of Pomegranate IV, cautiously sniffed, squee'd (thus frightening the cat out of the room), and immediately slathered myself.

I am really into this and don't think I will regret buying a 5ml unsniffed at all. After ordering, I began getting concerned about the cocoa (which almost never works on me) and then even more concerned when Will Call reviews were like "Woah chocolate!" but I am actually not getting a lot of chocolate from this. There is a hint of dry cocoa powder hovering around the base of the scent, but it's mostly a tart pomegranate/silky red musk blend with a bit of dark, brown, smoky spice and anise. It's ever-so-slightly foody, but not in an obvious way. It's one that would be difficult to place in a "family" or category.

Reminds me of a lighter, sweeter version of Mme. Moriarty (no patch, less musk, stronger pom)-- they could be cousins. Also reminds me a little of BBW "Midnight Pomegranate" but smoother and richer.

I am seriously so excited about this one. For me, it totally makes up for the lack of a Pumpkin Patch. It is in no way a "traditional" autumn scent full of mulling spices and such, but to me it resonates as autumnal on an emotional level. I am going to bathe in this this fall.

ETA: Oh, just noticed the thick layer of Boomslang-like cocoa sediment lurking at the bottom of the bottle. I did roll this bottle around before applying and there's some cloudiness, but I obviously didn't mix in all the heavy chocolately oil. Which is probably why I'm not getting the full force of cocoa. I'll try it again after a serious mixing, but considering I like it so much this way, I may end up deliberately avoiding integrating the chocolate too much....

Hm, VILF reminds me a lot of The Red Rider-- I'm convinced the leather note is the same, the balsam is there as a base, and I always did detect a hint of watered down red musk in RR.

 

I'm getting lots of worn, raw leather (not the slick plasticky kind), some sweetness (doesn't smell explicitly like honey though... more of a floral sweetness), some cedar and balsam, and rusty musk-- it's not a voluptuous deep red musk to me, more of a slightly metallic, astringent sort. This strikes me as more cowboy than vampire. I don't get any vanilla or spices (where are you, pink pepper?).

 

I wish I liked this enough to snag one of those drop dead gorgeous bottles, but I'm rather undecided. It's a nice scent, but I don't think I'll find myself longing to wear it.

So, I had kind of started ignoring the Ars Draconis line because dragon's blood resin based scents pretty much all end up smelling the same on me with only slight variations. However, Dragon's Musk is really proving me wrong. This is a very deep musky brown scent that reminds me a bit of Snake Oil (if red musk and vanilla musk are two of the five, that makes sense I guess) with just lacy borders of dark crimson, slightly smoky dragon's blood. It's very serious and sexy without the bouncy red sweetness that usually dominants lighter dragon's blood scents.

 

It's bold and strange, but doesn't get overpowering because it stays really close to the skin. Normally a little dragon's blood goes a long way and tends to draw an unusual amount of attention, but I actually put on pretty much Dragon's Musk on, and I'm only getting pleasantly subdued whiffs. Kind of like a second (hot, scaly) skin.

 

How does this smell like cheese and pool water to me? HOW.

I'm not getting much of any one note here. It's very sweet and perfumey, maybe a bit of peach, lotus, and something like cherry blossom. I wish I got some myrrh, vanilla and red tea, but those seem to be the notes most absent for me. Unveiled is a watery fruity floral and, while pleasant, doesn't do a lot for me.

I tested this without reminding myself of the notes first, and I honestly didn't even realize it had rose in it for awhile. It gets stronger as it dries, but in the wet stage it (in conjunction with the sugar plums) created an almost raspberry-like note reminiscent of Berry Moon. The honey musk is, however, the dominant element in this one, and I really like it. It's quite saccharine, but still has a smooth depth to it. The vanilla is just a wisp of scent in the background for me.

 

Very sweet, and I'll need to be in the right mood to wear it, but I like this one.

*avoids looking at other reviews!* It's always hard enough for me to decide what I think of scents with unlisted notes without being influenced by other people's perceptions first...

 

Out of the imp, I get a "Christmassy" impression for a moment, like evergreen and mulling spices. But that disappears almost immediately on my skin. It's kind of cough syrupy for awhile (drippy, dopey red cherry...) but the woozy medicine note seems to kind of burn off after a few minutes, and I'm left with mostly wine. Normally I dislike wine notes because they turn to powdery grape candy on me, but Bocal de Sang does nothing of the sort, and I'm really surprised by how natural it smells. It's a thick, spicy burgundy wine with just a hint of that initial cherry... slightly alcoholic, and still slightly dopey (perhaps a drop of sweet opium or poppy). No actual blood as far as I can tell.

 

This is what I wish Suck It smelled like.

 

I like this, though luckily am not in love with it enough that I'm sad I can only have an imp. Wore it for a True Blood marathon with my friend.

I am really enchanted with this. It's heavy on the musky, honeyed wood (oak? I think it's oak), but there's this sheer glaze of berry that is just perfect. I'm really picky about berry notes and fruit in general, but this is not fake or candy-like at all. The florals are somehow both voluptuous and dry at the same time-- full-bodied and spicy, but almost sandy as well. I don't get any distinct leather.

 

I can see how this could turn masculine with all the woodiness, but it doesn't go that route with my skin chemistry. The polished oak is really golden and sweet. It comes together so nicely with those sandy flowers and berry glaze.

Yep, that is the Lab's signature dirt note with creamy, candied banana. It is bizarre, to say the least. I'm strangely attracted to the idea of earth with fruit notes (I love the dirt/black cherry of Earth Phoenix, for example), and I do like this in its early stages. Something about the warm blackness of the graveyard dirt and the dissonance of the soft banana note strikes me as interesting. BUT on the long term dry-down, this somehow turns into manly-strong-man-cologne on me, to the point where I wondered if it had morphed into The Convocation instead.

I this! It's exactly what I was hoping for-- that amazing rose/pink pepper combo of Pothon Meter with a different twist on it.

 

The pink pepper (which I really do find to be noticeably different from any other type) is very strong at first, but does mellow over the course of the scent's wear (most of the day-- it has staying power) until it's almost gone. The rose is so rich mixed with the pepper, ginger and berries that's it's barely recognizable as rose and comes across more as just a juicy spicy... reddish-pinkness. The pine resin and vanilla (which are well-blended together in a way which reminds me of Golden Priapus) provide a really solid base for the sweet-spicy florals (gardenia is discernible along with the rose, but none of the others are to me).

 

Feminine but unusual. I may get a bottle of this one.

White Rose is one of my all-time best rose scents (coming from someone who "doesn't like" rose), and now I find that Red Rose is coming along pretty close behind it. Haven't layered yet, but am very interested to do so.

This is a throbbing, deep, medieval sort of perfume, kind of gritty and spicy but with a little dollop of velvety, woodsy rose oil thrown in. It doesn't have a wide throw and stays shadowy and close to the skin. The clove doesn't actually smack me in the face... in fact, no one note does. It seems very well-blended. I'm really liking it.

This reaction is a year and a number of months late, but I got really excited when my bottles of Red Rose and White Rose arrived in the mail today and I saw that the roses were stylized War of the Roses type designs. In my head, I will now refer to these scents as Lancaster and York. (Or, even more obscurely, Lannister and Stark, for all you GRRM fans out there ).