Indigo78

I dream in Snake Oil, literally. It's my bedtime scent, and I'm not even picky about the vintage. The Lab's honey can go either way for me, but I loved Honey Mone. That said, I had to try Womb Furie.

In the bottle, pretty straightforward. SO and Honey. I was nervous about the O comparisons, since that has a peculiar effect on my nose. More on that in a second.

Wet on the skin, out rushes the honey. Blossomy and wild like Lab honey always is, and fantastic! At first.

As this settles, the Snake Oil is crowded out by something bitter and sharp. It actually took me several skin tests to nail it, but it's red food coloring. It's the olfactory equivalent of spicy cupcakes with very red frosting. Damn.

I want this to work so badly that the bottle will stay with me. Aging can fix a lot of things, right? Then there's the name, heh. This has the ass-kickingest name EVER.

Someone has to ask:

XMVLZENCAB

Srsly, wtf.

I suspect this whole "grind the fragrance molecules" thing is bogus. You know.. like how you shouldn't jog too much, because it jumbles up all your insides. Or how if you swallow your chewing gum it will stay in your stomach for seven years.

 

What she said. I agree 100%.

 

And as someone with a chemistry background - it's also utter bullshit from a scientific standpoint. It's simply not possible. If you could crush molecules you'd be a bajillionaire because you'd be performing nuclear fission.

 

ETA: Okay, so not fission necessarily - the bullshitter doesn't say 'grind ATOMS' - but at the very least that statement implies you'd be doing some serious chemical breakdown far beyond what naturally occurs with volatile chemicals.

:rofl:

This got my funny bone.

eta: I'm a shameless smearer, rubber, grinder, and yes, even a smasher. And I smell fabulous, as I'm sure we all do.

This beginning of this is like my dream "everyday" scent. It's elegant and sweet, ethereal and bright, but with somber undertones that put the "Blue" in Blue Moon.

After a few minutes it turns a bit soapy, but that's temporary.

At the ten minute mark, the magical brightness has all but evaporated, but there's something far more interesting in its wake. Soft powder and moss... Sort of a lakeside vibe?

Wow. Finally, an aquatic (or borderline aquatic, if there is such a thing) that works on me. The orris is front and center, a scent that I associate with the cushions in new coffins, for some reason. (I haven't spent time in any lately, so make of that what you will.)

I digress. I really like this. It reminds me of standing in a lowland fog with the ghost of a very beautiful woman flitting about. I'm glad to have a bottle, and I can tell this will get a lot of compliments because it is attention-getting yet accessible.

Background: I've had this sitting in the box for awhile, and rarely reach for it because the 5ml is likely all I will ever be able to afford. When I picked up the bottle for a review application, all that I could remember of it was that it is a very "sexy" scent.

First Dab: Pleasure to remake your acquaintance, Ravenous I mean Ecstasy of Infatuation, I didn't remember you being anywhere near this sweet or syrupy when first applied. And why are you orangey to my nose? Through the sticky haze I can *sort of* detect aspects that want to emerge, but can't. The musk, verbena and any other nuances have been avalanched and dominated for now. It's just sticky, and loud and... obnoxious.

The 5 Minute Mark: The cloying sweetness was the first thing to go, thank goodness. Next, I get whisps of grape and a hints of ripe cherry, which are still fighting an uphill battle to be noticed: the citrus note. The multicolored fruit phase is short lived-- maybe a couple of minutes? As the fruit fades into the distance, the previously missing notes open up like shy night blooms. The white musk is dominant on my skin, hovering over a simpler base of green florals. Although I disliked the first stage, this transformation is making it well worth the wait.

Thirty Minutes Later: The floral aspect blends really well with the other elements, here. The citrus is starting to resemble grapefruit, but a bitter, citrus rind thing is starting to creep in. I agree with the comparisons of this blend to Baobhan Sith, as it performed a similar routine.

An Hour: Sum of it's parts, this is very pretty... But it's fading quickly. I wouldn't wear it to a serious meeting, because it reminds me of funhouse furniture polish when first applied. The later stages are pretty enough, but on me it becomes a melange of elderly women's perfumes. I think it might smell better to me in the spring, since the cold weather has my tastes a little skewed in favor of spicier blends.

This is a great scent for mixed company occasions, where you might not want to risk smelling like incense. Apart from the short lasting power and weird morphing, I like it. I'm glad to have a bottle, especially for the warmer months.

In the bottle this was strong peach with barest hint of honeyed florals. When first applied it blasts hyper-sweet peach for about a minute, with no tartness at all. A bit later it becomes much deeper and developed. I could swear there's dirt in there? Clay? ... but something that's musky and grungy in a bedroom hair sort of way.

The magnolias are floral, but not grandma-ish at all. They get extremely heady and the throw is incredible. The honey is about even with the magnolias, and on me this strongly smells of peach. It lasted six hours or so on me yesterday, but once it was gone, it was gone.

This blend utterly drips sex to my nose-brain, and I love it. Yeah, I am completely IN LOVE. Or at least hardcore infatuation. It evokes a woman who isn't afraid of who she is and where she has been. There's none of "old lady" or "kid's perfume" business, either... just mouthwatering gorgeousness. I'll have to see how she ages, and let that be the deciding factor on whether I get multiple bottle... Josie may be a "buy it when you need" it blend, for me.

I wanted Peach Moon to smell like this, I took a gamble and ordered a bottle unsniffed-- and I couldn't have asked for a more stunningly crafted scent.

Creature Feature (at Dark Delicacies right now) is quite soapy to me. In the cleanest, muskiest way possible... and best of all, it doesn't end up smelling like the detergent aisle.

I had my first Play-Doh experience earlier this month with Tamora [which is very vanilla on me]. It wasn't intense, but it was unmistakably, if subtly, present in the drydown.

 

There are two potential culprits/outliers. There is a chance that I had a bit of triclosan soap residue on my wrist at the time, since the Better Fraction was unable to find our regular non-antibacterial soap and refilled the pump before I could be informed.

 

My wrists hold onto amber/resin/incense notes long after the rest of the oil fades and gets showered away. [i will be investigating the Cetaphil trick, thanks, Indig0!] I had been wearing Lights of Men's Lives [also very vanilla on me] and The Chicken-Legged Hut the previous days, and remember still having a little of the 'burnt' note residue from one or both of them.

 

This thread is pretty amazing, just thought I would add my experience.

Re-reading the Cetaphil post, I realized that I did not clarify which Cetaphil to use. I use the normal to dry skin formula-- not the soapier one for oily skin. It makes a difference. The bottles look almost exactly the same, so make sure to read the label before you grab one.

From a decant of Rose Red 07.

Woah. Hi, rose. Freshly applied this is an electric rose. A supercharged mutant rose whipped up in the cavernous recesses of a mad scientist's secret laboratory

There is a sharpness right alongside the central rose note that I don't know, and I can't even guess what it is. But my gah... Wet, this has punch and is not what I would normally tie in with traditional rose scent. As it dries it continues to have this blasting blue-green scent-hue to it. Almost aquatic but also TART. It's weird.

I like it enough to hold onto my decant, but Rose Cross is still my all-time favorite rose from the Lab.

Off the top of my head, Blue Fire, Champagne & Cigars, Bon Vivant, and the Tiki's that have already been mentioned. Also, Pruno. Try typing "fizz" or "fizzy" into the Lab's search page.

Is there any bpal oils that resemble to old-fashioned perfume Lancome Magie Noir?

 

Here is the description:

 

Magie Noir, black magic in French, is a heady, and enveloping scent in the classic oriental tradition. Exotic top notes of hyacinth, cassia, bergamot, rasberry, and galbanum,a sensual heart of jasmine, ylang-ylang, Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley, narcissus, honey, tuberose, and orris, and rich basenotes including spices, sandalwood, ambergris, cedarwood, patchouli, oakmoss, musk, civet all combine to create real "black magic". Magie Noir - The Source of Enchantment!

I find some similarity to Magie Noir in Xiuhtecuhtli. It is a dark scent, rich with herbs on a base of sexy copal. Lab's note listing: "Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms."

I realize that the aesthetic isn't "French" at all, but I really do get a similar feel from it-- at least from what I remember. (I lived in Magie Noir for awhile during my early teens )

Sorry if this have been asked before. I've gathered that could it mostly be the Lab sends out imps that are somewhat 'blossomed' compare to the 5mls? I mean like, they would make imps and let it develop before sending it out and if you do decide to get that particular imp in 5mls, then they would make a new batch which most likely will not be 'matured' when it reaches you.

 

I've got a 5ml of Snake Oil unsniffed and I was dissappointed with it. Now it has turned a little bit more bearable in the last couple of months. Recently I've also got a bottle of Ravenous which is so different from the imp. It feels like it also lacks depth. I love Vanillas and I find the vanilla in new 5ml are 'so vanilla'...

 

So now I guess I have to stock 5mls in advance to let them mature before I could wear them.

I have a bottle of Ravenous and I concur. It's way more sweet and giddy than the imp I based the purchase on. I'm sure it is the age factor.

A morph-tastic journey!!!

For me this was super-playful when wet. Also sort of cottony. I know cotton blossom isn't listed in the notes, but I kept getting a very sweet, clean sheets feel from this. Everything sits on a base of creamy coconut yumminess, and I think the scent is spot-on for it's namesake as she is right now.

After 20 minutes or so this starts to morph like no other scent I've tried from the Lab so far. It went from sweet, creamy and clean to TART. Like, way tart. I kept thinking of Monster Bait BM because the candy is there, but it's all puckery, too. To me this represents the Lilith-yet-to-come. Sassy, sweet, and surprising.

The third stage is when the musk finally becomes dominant on me, and it really bears quite a resemblance to Mme. Moriarty. It's spicier, though, and less... carniverous? Also, I could swear that I was catching whiffs of Snake Oil the next morning.

I wish I had another bottle. This one's good, I'll use it up in no time.

Okay- I have got to start re-sniffing every imp that I own.

I have had this one for ages... and have even swapped other imps of it away unsniffed because I thought it was another blend that I already know and dislike.

But Grand Guignol? YUM.

Wet on the skin this is blast of tart and fruity apricot, mixed with a splash of salty ocean water. I only get the barest suggestion of booze, which I normally amp.

Later in the dry down it starts to remind me of the St. Ives Apricot body wash- the exfoliating one. I used to love that stuff, but I haven't used it for ages.

I don't know if I need a bottle of this, but I'll definitely hold onto my imp this time! It really is very pretty and unique. It seems to be wearing close to my skin. I'd guess that the throw is a short arms-length, and since it is already softening considerably after 20 minutes on my skin, it has a shorter wearlength. Slathering might make a difference, and I wouldn't mind slathering this. Not at all.

I loved the in-bottle scent of this when I first received it. But during it's first test-run it decided to do something really nasty on my skin, under what were just about the worst possible circumstances.

Wet on the skin it was milky, exceedingly so. Very sweet, but decidedly thick.

It got milkier and milkier, until I swore it was cream cheese. Warm, ripe cream cheese. I was in public during this test run, and couldn't stop wondering if others had the same impression. Argh. It was gross.

The offending odor was very similar to the one in Beaver'versary- a thick curdled, scent that is just... it doesn't work for my nose. Heavy, cheesy, and much too much muchness.

I have to retest it another time, because based on the other glowing reviews of this, it must be a chemistry issue.

Somehow I've missed reviewing this one, even though I think the imp has been in my box since the "early days" (a whole year ago! ) I know that I've enjoyed the scent every time that I have chanced across the imp, but I always seem to forget to order a bottle -- probably because it's GC.

In the bottle this smells very clean to me. It isn't the same patchouli as what's in Urd, Imp, or any of the Lab's other fruit/patchouli blends. On second thought, it may be the same patch... Maybe the orange tempers it a bit? I don't know. The imp I have is at least one year old, and I think that it has aged very well. It is more mellow than I remember, and the oranges seem to have become creamier and less tart/sharp.

The overall effect is not hippie-ish at all to me. In fact, it reminds me of a Hermes perfume (at least I think it was Hermes) that I had a sample of, but never could smell or find again.

The orange and patchouli blend on my skin like they were made for each other. This is what I expected from Imp (a sad story of pure and utter fail).

It tilts toward being a dark scent, but is also sensual and glittering from the oranges. I can see this being a very good year-round fallback scent, as it can dress up or down easily. I'll definitely add a bottle to my next order.

I might be a bit idiotic, (or even a lot, depending who you ask)-- but this is what I do with my definite keeper bottles: I put the edge of the bottle at my skin (not the actual rim, mind you, just the outer edge), and then I carefully drizzle a narrow-ish stream of oil along my inner forearm, from wrist to elbow crook. I then drag said forarm against the other, and use them both to spread the oil along my chest and the sides of my neck (and maybe behind the knees if I'm wearing a dress or skirt).

 

This method only works well with BPAL, in my experience. Other brands dribble everywhere-- which is a sad, sad thing indeed.

 

My husband does it this way and he makes me nervous everytime...but the method works well for him! If I were to attempt such a thing I'd likely end up dropping the bottle in my lap or something

Oh, there has been at least one very tragic mishap. I was in a major hurry for some reason, and a healthy splash of oil ended up on the linoleum. Not a dribble, not just "some"-- a goddam splash. I actually heard it hit the floor.

It was a slow motion moment. And I still don't know WTF or HTF--- it was like I had some kind of an involuntary spasm-- only I didn't. I was just in what they call "a big hurry to f#@k up."

And did I learn a lesson? Yeah. Don't rush the perfume ritual.

Normally I'm not rushing when I apply BPAL, though... partly because I usually wear oils in the evening. I also try to stay away from them when I'm anything other than calm... there's just too much at stake!! You know how they say not to drive angry? That's how I am about my oils.

I might be a bit idiotic, (or even a lot, depending who you ask)-- but this is what I do with my definite keeper bottles: I put the edge of the bottle at my skin (not the actual rim, mind you, just the outer edge), and then I carefully drizzle a narrow-ish stream of oil along my inner forearm, from wrist to elbow crook. I then drag said forarm against the other, and use them both to spread the oil along my chest and the sides of my neck (and maybe behind the knees if I'm wearing a dress or skirt).

This method only works well with BPAL, in my experience. Other brands dribble everywhere-- which is a sad, sad thing indeed.

Bon Vivant smells a lot like Yves Saint Laurent's Yvresse (formerly Champagne, before the whole no-naming-perfume-after-our-city thing). It's a little less dry, with fresh strawberries beneath the champagne note. But to me, the overall feel is very similar.

Yum... in the imp and wet on my skin, this is a scent that is very calming and ripe at the same time. Like green and pink on the same palette. Dangerous and exciting, but really soft - it is also a young scent to me. I don't know what blood musk smells like... but within 10 minutes the coconut totally vanishes beneath something like pineapple and miscellaneous flowers. I think it's a little soapy, too - or at least it's reminding me of something soapy.

Short wear length & even shorter throw.

Wet: Cedar. Gerbils of my youth. There's a dusty note in there as well, I think sandalwood... but mostly just getting heavy-duty cedar chips right now.

Drydown is myrrh. Churchy. The cedar to myrrh thing is kind of awkward on my skin, but it's very pretty.

The cedar's all but gone after 20 minutes. Somehow it makes me think of rural Arizona rest stops... very dry. This is a weird and baffling blend on my skin, but it doesn't smell bad. Just different than my typical fare.

edit: This dries down to a lightweight version of its former self. Gentle throw & about a 2 hour (noticeable) wear length, on me.

When wet this strikes me as, well, a foody floral. I get a distinct butter note and a sweetness that I definitely recognize. Even though I *try* not to read other reviews before posting, I accidentally glanced at the words 'Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal' - and, yeah. This has a very similar feel. As it dries it gets more powdery-sweet, and the butter disappears very quickly (which is good, I didn't enjoy that phase very much). The sweetness becomes peach-like and soft, while the amber keeps it grounded and pretty. Not the type of scent that I typically spring for, but I'm glad to have an imp. The throw is probably about an arm's length, not sure of the staying power yet... but I suspect it will be on the shortish side.

Okay - unless I'm missing the post, I somehow haven't reviewed this one yet. I'm a little surprised and a lot sad about that, because this was one of my early loves. I remember how it struck me as very sweet back then, but I have a totally different perception of it now. (To be fair, I'm testing a lab fresh imp. Maybe my older bottle smells different- will update if I smell a big difference when I compare the two.)

Wet it is rosy & sharp, reminds me of Cleopatra Testing Poisons in the later stages. Ten minutes later- the roses have gone stemmy & apple has stayed pretty but distant. The notes are well blended and this is hard for me to untangle, note-wise. To sum it up, though, this amounts to a bitter seduction on my skin. I can see it as 'Desire' in a contained way. The prim roses make it wayyy too tied up in conventions to be seductive. It's more like the object of a seducer's desire, if that makes sense.

edited- fixed typos

First on my skin, this is sweet and bold, with the spiciness giving me a slightly overstated HELLO. That is only for the first 10 minutes or so... and after that the magic starts. It's cocoa and maize competing for the top slot, but giving up and getting cozy at the end of it all. I really love the maize note in this. It is spot on and sweet, like the smell of just-plucked,sweet corn before the sun rises. The only sad thing is that it fades very, very quickly. After two hours I'm left with a whisper of (what I think is) the agave, but that's it.

It definitely does justice to it's inspirational concept, and even though its fleeting, I really like it a lot.. Bottle(s), please.

My bottle is the '07 version: First on this doughy. Really doughy, and it makes me think of gingerbread batter before it goes in the oven. There's so much bread in the gingerbread at this point that I find myself wondering if actual gingerbread has yeast in it or not, because that aspect of it is very strong when this is fresh.

As it dries down, the ginger, cinnamon, and other spices really explode on my skin (they always kinda do). It's almost like chai, except that the bread note keeps it from being anything remotely tea-ish. The bread part is gone by the 30 minute mark though, and it turns to pure spicy goodness. It's very sweet and warm, I could imagine wearing this often in the winter. It's the kind of comfort smell that I know will get a lot of compliments later in the year.

I'm glad I have a bottle to experiment with... this will layer well with my vanilla-scented body butters, methinks.