Indigo78

I finagled a decant of this in a swap, after wanting to test it - badly - it for a good little while. A cool and soft feel domiantes Buck Moon. I'm catching a memory of Twisted Oak Tree, but much more subdued. The lemon that's listed is barely there unless I'm arm-huffing. It's a pale blue-green scent to my nose, and my skin turns the musk very sweet -but not cuddly or "furry" at all. It's a lot lighter than my typical choices, but very pretty. Delicate and flight-footed, like it's namesake. Fades quickly, zero throw. A skin scent, not for the benefit of others... which is the essence of what scent should be. (idealist much? ) Glad I finally got to try it

In the imp and on the skin this went cologne-ish and soapy in an Aquavelva sort of way. Not good, but to be fair, lately I've been turning many, many scents to soap at the initial app. Tart currants surface after twenty-odd minutes, blood red and fiesty as they push that damned soapiness out of the spotlight. This patchouli is very subtle on me, more so than with any patchouli in recent memory. Slight but detectable lilies are there, too. Overall, this wears like a ghost. With the cologn-y (read: just got ravaged) undertones, it feels like I spritzed myself with the perfume bottle sitting on another woman's nightstand. Sorta unnerving. While I'll keep the imp, I don't forsee a bottle. ETA: This is weirdly strong for how close it wears to the skin. I don't think it has mega throw, but it's definitely not faint.

I had extremely high hopes for Candy Phoenix, candy-scent addict that I am. Wet the sugar note is very, very pink. Yes! This is the sugar note I adore...not caramel, not brown sugar, not burnt sugar, just spun whisps of cotton candy. Everything is fab for the first minute or so. Then, something murky and, yes, B.O.'ish creeps in. I think it must be the pomgranate, and it smells a lot like a pomgranate body spray I once had. Eventually it does move past that stage: 30 or so minutes later I get neutral, powdered sugar-dusted fruit that has some serious staying power. If pomgranate behaves on your skin and you like sugared scents, this is your bottle.

Something cinnamon popped out first (like it always does on my skin), then gave way to a dry resin or combination if resins. I get a very slightly foody feel, curling trails of incense smoke, and a faint breath of something floral. Jeez... I'm doing a terrible job of dissecting this blend, but it really is extremely well put-together. It's a jigsaw of notes that live up perfectly to the description. I continue to amp cassia, or whatever it was that popped out initially, although it is coming through a screen of something like the "bone dust" note in some of the Lab's Ars Moriendi blends. Probably not a bottle, but I like the imp.

Lab frimp, and one I have wanted to try for ages. This imp isn't olive-colored, either - just that average goldish shade. In the imp it smells woodsy, warm, sort of androgynous. It doesn't scream "I'm meant for the uglier sex", but it is by no means girly. There's a spendy air about it, I'm guessing from the African woods. It isn't the "shopping smell", though, like what others call department store perfume - it's more like the inside of a bigshot's office. Said bigshot has good taste in furniture and cologne. This doesn't throw all over the place, but it is definitely present. Yum.

The Resurrected Version: Yeah, it's the yum - and it's also the only BPAL that has amped cocoa in an appropriate way on my skin. Based on the note description, it looks like it's actually coconut. On first application I get this note that I want to call wood ( ). It keeps that undertone for it's duration on my skin, and that's the only thing that keeps me from flailing in ecstacy while wearing this. It's a distracting note, probably because it isn't listed and I can't identify it. If that goes away with some aging, I'll be doomed (in the good way). All of the elements in this dance around the sweet center~ I love it alot! eta: a little goes a lonnnnnnnng way, here. Two itsy bitsy droplets from a toothpick went strong for around six hours on me.

This blend is pale yellow and viscous. When I first crack the imp I smell soft, sweet plumeria under a sharper note that might be the champagne. I love the name and concept of this blend, hope it loves me! First applied this turns almost instantly and intensely sweet - sweet, fresh pears in a heap of florals and splashed with the bubbly. Nom. Love this, but it disappears into the ether within an hour. Maybe in a scent locket?

In the imp and first applied, this is a melange of herbs - sharp and prickly. Lavender AMPS like the dickens about ten minutes in, but I never do catch any lilac or black currant. Shame, since berries and lilacs are dear favorites. The rose comes out shortly after the lavender, and together they destroy the possibility of a good relationship between us. Absinthe and sugar are absent as well. This one may be a retest, but more than likely it's a swap.

Sharp, heady and viciously carnivorous. This might be Xanthe the Weeping Clown and Tiger Lily's little one. In the imp I get sharp, sweet florals, hinting at lotus but no guarantees. Another forumite mentioned dragon's blood, and I think that might be right - fufilling the "carniverous" part of the description. Fortunately, there is no dragon's blood on my skin - the note hates me. I get almost straight lily when it's wet - the same ones in Tiger Lily, to my nose. Slightly spicy and very crisp, lush and green. As it wears I think I am smelling some bubblegummy lotus, which is why I think of Xanthe. Not much throw, average wearlength - was still catching whispers of it in the evening.

Fruit Moon: In the imp: Generic fruitiness. Wet: Generic fruitiness goes *POP*! All of the fruits in this Moon burst at once on the skin... Berries? Peaches? Apples? Wow. I'm not even sure which is first. There's a definite honeydew overtone, sweet and ripe, and just beneath that are some grapes. As it dries there's this note - papaya? I'm not sure about it in a scent, but the fruit itself is repulsive to me. The papaya assciation is making this hard to bear. I definitely get the "fruit in the moonlight" vibe, but it's like ripe fruit that was cut up, mixed together a couple of days ago, then drizzled with simple syrup and left to coagulate. This stage is wtf.. Toward the end there are hints of lemon rind and green things that clean up some of the mustiness that was wrecking this... and then.. Flowers? I didn't really expect any florals to come out this late, but weirdly, here one is. Really, really faint, but it's there. This ends up better than I thought it would at the papaya stage, but it just isn't the kind of fruit scent I go gah over. ETA: Skin chemistry once again proves fickle: My little boy turned Fruit Moon into gorgeous, sweet, fresh fruit and a whisper of night blooms.

For the 08 version: In the bottle this is vanilla, sweet and almost ripe-smelling. I dabbed some on each wrist and at the base of my neck before embarking on a long mission. Wet it is stRONG - virginal isn't really the first thing I think of. A would-be gentle vanilla is in serious competition with an almost musty fruit-tea smell. Like a really heady green tea with curdled cream. It smells a lot like Alice does on me in the initial stages, which is not good. After some drydown (2+ hours) it softens a little, becoming a lot more like the frimp of Snow White 07 which inspired me to get this bottle. I almost like it, but if my skin continues to amp that overripe whatever-it-is , it's getting swapped. To be continued... Edited 1/11: Scent-locket scent for me, as this creates serious weirdness with my chemistry... Now, to find a locket!

Advance apologies to any Bess's, but I thought this was unlikely to suit me based on the name alone. Surprises happen, though. In the imp it is herbal and sweet, and the combination smells like an odd new candy. I also need to express how much this smells like Pez to me. Mature Pez, maybe (from the rose and rosemary), but Pez nonetheless. The grape note reminds me of Urd, minus the aggressive Patchouli. The roses are perfectly disciplined for once, really just suggestions of themselves. The citrus and grape meld seamlessly, like in those old school cologne waters. Very 'Acqua di Somewhere', Bess pulls off classy and cute at the same time. And pretty, if not a tiny bit "strange". ETA: For some reason I think this would smell sexy like woah in the rain, and it will be on my skin often when Spring returns

My imp is peach-colored, almost reddish. I normally don't comment on the color, but this one's pretty striking. I got it from the Lab some time ago, so could that be an aging effect? Not sure. In the imp and on the skin: kiwi (or pear?) and flowers, and potent. The gardenia is prominent for the first ten minutes or so, then whatever tiny amount of patchouli is there waves hello. At this stage it gets a melon-y aspect to it, like ripe fruits nestled in wet soil. It somehow morphs back to sweet during the drydown, and the tea pops out. While the initial stages were almost too much, it turns straight up beautiful when dry. Icy sugared pear tea. Something in here whispers Titania, maybe the pear. But while Titania was almost commercial, this has a softer, more crafted scent to it. Glad it’s a GC, this will be really sexy in the spring.

Imp: Pine that starts out dark, then is joined by a sharp something I don't recognize. I like pine, but that sharp note is worrisome. On the skin this gets a lot more resinous, but it doesn't smell like Mass incense to me. There's only a suggestion of smoke, and it is very green on my skin. Either I am having major chemistry issues (very possible), or it needs some time. The incenses in this take forever to break out of that initial herbal stage, but here it finally comes. There's the frankincense, myrrh, and sandalwood that were mysteriously absent for the first fifteen minutes or so. We're getting holy now. After an hour it settles into a smoldering, golden resin - but that initial sharpness won't disappear. This went so weird on me that I'll probably retest when my skin chem isn't completely inverted.

Honey + Tonka + Bergamot + Vanilla = . The others I am not sure about, like pomegranate and calamus. Cocoa and lemon are usually either saviors or deal breakers on me. We'll see how this goes. Acetone? There was a sharp, familiar note that I perhaps wrongly assciate with carnations and/or nail polish remover. Thankfully it drifted away within the first five minutes, and this now smells nothing like it did wet. Could have sworn I smelled the cocoa that others have mentioned when I opened the imp, but not on my skin. Nope. Not at all. On me this becomes cotton blossoms and cotton candy all spun together. Very simple in a shade of pale, pale pink that becomes sweeter the longer it wears. I expected something named Freak Show to be...erm...louder? It's okay. Nice surprise. Wish I'd been around when it was released.

-I amp the hell out of almond in a not-so-good way, and this seems like it might act like Bilquis did on me. Too overt, too salival, and wayyy too almondy. I smell cocoa, too, even though it's unlisted in the notes. -The florals and herbs jump out right away when this is still wet. I don't know hemlock, palm or belladonna as specific notes. But if they're responsible for this lush, blooming scent, it works for me. They seem to be keeping the almond in check. This has a tropical feel as well, though not in the tanning oil way. I like it right now. -After fifteen minutes or so an unexpected bitterness shows up, which might be the deal-breaker for me. It's like those pretty florals originally came to save the day, but have since changed their mind and are now trying to kill me. Appropriate to its namesake, but this Salon doesn't suit me personally. I'll keep the imp, but not a bottle.

Got a goblin squirt of this. After using it a handful of times I can report that this isn't a scent to be reviewed in the first hour after spraying, or after the first use, for that matter. At least for me, it's got a really complex development that has to be waited out. The initial scent is sarsaparilla-heavy, sweet, and frankly kind of nasty. Sticks to the back of my throat, and it reminds me of those pieces of real licorice root they sell in Europe. Like I said - a little repellent, but it's worth waiting out. During drydown a hay note appears that reminds me of all things chicken coop. While that sounds weird, it smells ga-ga-gorgeous paired with the tobacco and leather notes. Like glossy cathouse couches, its cowboy-smoky and just dangerously sexy. By the second hour, sweet sasparilla coalesces with everything else. The dusty hay swirls into the leather. I swoon. Love, love, love it. Please don't take this one away, Lab (or at least give fair warning so that I can hoard). Perfect. *edited because cut 'n pasting reviews from MS notepad is always a bad idea

I got this bottle nearly empty to test. That was months ago, so it's aged some. In the bottle it's leather and...leather. Faint and nondescript. On the skin it warms and turns 'fabricy', for lack of a better word. Freshly ironed cotton. There are also hints of sewing machine oil, and I'm playing at my mom's feetwhile she works on a noisy, old 70s Singer that's overheating. No berries or flowers to speak of (at least nothing I recognize as such) which is fine. Minimal throw and very much a "skin scent". I want a bottle like yesterday. *edited because I can't spell

First off, like many who have reviewed Mr. Bones, I've been searching far and wide for the perfect leather blend. Several have let me down in that to my nose, they were too either sickeningly medicinal (C. Auguste Dupin), overtly synthetic (DeSade), or distractedly muddled with "other" notes (Whip, Depraved, Shrunken Heads). Brom, could you be "the one"? The one I can layer with vanilla or honey one day, and wear alone the next? In the bottle: Seriously not-shy leather, lascivious and unblinking, cupped in an honest, believable whisper of skin musk. Yum. Wet on the skin this calls up DeSade, but less plastic. Please, please don't turn to pleather! That was my main issue with some of the other leathery blends...they pack a commercial leather punch that just doesn't do it for me. This, however, is the leather that's been tight against human skin on a regular basis. Sexy. I am a little disappointed in the musk. I expected it to be stronger for some reason. When I actually consider the character this represents it makes sense, I suppose. BB is strapping, shameless, and youthful. Not a grandfatherly or quintessential "I am man" blend at all, on my skin. Bonus, since my preferences scent-wise have a feminine (i.e. girly-girl) slant. As it dries down I continue to get wafts of pure leather- almost a single note - but the subtle musk doesn't quite allow for that. There's a certain dusty feel to the drydown, too. Like others have said, this is Western Diamondback minus the Snake Oil, in all of it's fresh-oiled saddle horn glory. I'm feeling lucky to have a bottle of this one. Best BPAL leather scent so far, and my new go to until something better comes along. *edited for sense-making purposes

In the imp this is blustering and harsh...not a peaceful snowfall at all. It borders on aquatic, and the "snow" comes out more as lakeside sleet near a craggy wood that is swampy in the warmer months. There's just this persistent dampness about it. On the skin it starts out piney and herbal, but a sweetness is creeping into the middleground and just lingering there. It's like the pine and herbal notes are supposed to introduce something deeper and warmer, but they never do! I definitely get florals...I guess perfumey Aunt Myrtle joined me in the sleet near the craggy forest. I like the idea, and I really love pine, but I think this will be an imp-only scent for me.

This is a spicy & really soapy Omega male who's striving to be worldly. Ugh. I get something like cassia in the background, but it's subtle enough that I have to smell my arm up close to get it. I really wish that I could report something other than that, but this blend doesn't do a lot on me. Just... Irish Spring and some kind of pastry. The throw is modest, wearlength is average. It is not a bad scent to my nose- but other than being decidedly masculine, it is pretty forgettable.

In the imp: ZOMG sugar! Sugared roses. HEAVILY sugared roses. Wet, more of the same for the first minute or so before it dries up and gets stemmier & greener. The DB pops out here, too, and it smells like...well, DB. The sugary note (lotus?) turns plasticy and commercial- like those weird gel air fresheners that dry up gradually. Sort of smells like a cousin of the Carnaval's Blood Garden after everything settles, which I guess is the wine. Meh. Not for me. Someone with different chemistry might have better luck. ETA: Update-- This has become one of my all-time favorite rose blends ever. I adore it.

In the bottle: A gumball. Wet: Fresh gumball after the first ten or so chomps. Then...it gets complcated. The leather crept in with all the stealth of a window-boyfriend. Really good, and it reminds me of car leather. It smells like getting a ride home from "insert-teen-bad-boy-villain-here". The metallic note is what does it I guess. The only time one is likely to smell rust and gum and leather in one place would be in the aforementioned scenario. Nostalgic Pretty fun scent, like no other BPAL I've smelled so far - but minimal throw. There is definitely more punch in the leather & metal than in the gum. Gotta try it on my SO before making a bottle decision!

Schwarzer Moon '08 The swooning reviews of previous versions sparked my interest in this one, but I was unable to get it during the limited release. Swaps are the shiznit. In the bottle: very beckoning. It's really the strongest bottle in my stash at the moment, and just uncapping the bottle blasts my nose with a cautionary punch of patchouli. Really "dangerous", come-hither and dark, much more so than on the skin. Applied it with abandon to both wrists, and noticed the cola-scent others have talked about almost immediately. I don't know if this is the pimento or what, but its very sparkling and sweet. The patchouli and myrrh are both shoved cleaarrr to the back of this blend for about twenty minutes, before balancing out and becoming sort of cedary. I get the old-parlour scent (i.e. powder) rather quickly, blended with a warm darkness & spice. SM is unapologetically (and loudly, at first) sensual, and darkly sweet...Glad to have a bottle. Aging will only make it better. Edit 2/24/09: My '08 bottle has had some time to age, and the masculine feel has faded into a night-hymn of scent. It has no seams now, with an almost fruity quality about it rather than Dr. Peppery. I remember it being much more aggressive, but that rough, stubbly edge is gone. It smells almost like my 05 version, like a down-stuffed pillow swathed in thick black silk. I'm hoping it will continue to deepen and soften so I can wear it more this fall.

As others have said, in the imp this is a half-half mixture ofRose blooms and Lotus. Not being entirely familiar with the vast number of roses and their scents, all I can say is that Rose is definitely there. The lotus is sweet and candy-like. I adore those kinds of scents, so hopefully this works out on my skin. On the skin it gets much more stemmy and green, losing much of the sweetness that I liked in the imp. The roses overpower, leaving little of the Lotus. Finally I get dusting powder. Even though I like roses in certain doses, this isn't as good on me as I hoped it would be.