galahad
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Posts posted by galahad
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In the Vial:
Opium and ozone. Definitely a deep purple vibe
On the Skin:
The ozone is pretty intense and sharp to start with but the incense note is gorgeous when it emerges soon after application.
On the Drydown:
As advertised, it's slightly sour opium, dark incense and ozone murmuring under the surface and rearing it's head every now and then. I quite like it but not enough for a bottle
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In the Vial:
Red musk, lavender, patchouli and a little lime
On the Skin:
The lavender is very evident but with rich red musk and patchouli reining it in a little. A touch of coconut adds a little creaminess and the lime is there but restrained, although it is smelling a little like a commercial cleaner on my skin.
On the Drydown:
This is primarily a lavender blend and IMO not the best lavender blend I have tried from the Lab. I like lavender but the other elements to this make it too murky.
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In the Vial:
Sweet pink bubblegum with a rusted metal edge
On the Skin:
As above but the metal (and it is rusty) takes centre stage. The combination of the metal note and the bubblegum is very intriguing.
On the Drydown:
I'm not sure how I feel about the drydown. It sells of fine soap and a LOT of rusty metal. On the fence.
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In the Vial:
Oudh and vanilla with a touch of rose
On the Skin:
Vanilla and oudh to start which jar against each other but the fight settles down pretty quickly to leave a vague woody incense softly backed by vanilla. I am loving the white incense note.
On the Drydown:
Very little lasting power. 10 minutes in and it's barely a whisper of sweet musk
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In the Vial:
Rosy mint and sugar
On the Skin:
Strong vanilla mint with a slight cakey undercurrent. Teh rose is subtly there. I think it's the frankincense that is giving the sense of cake under the sweetness.
On the Drydown:
The mint amps up and down but stays fairly present for quite a while. The undercurrent of frank, rose and red currant is a little unsettling but I actually quite like it
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In the Vial:
Honey, apple blossom and amber
On the Skin:
I get quite strong teak and creamy honey to start with, a little sharp but it quickly smooths out to an awesome honeyed cream and amber with some caramel depth. Much nicer than expected
On the Drydown:
The apple blossom emerges and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'd like to say it ruins the blend for me but I keep going back for another sniff. On the fence.
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In the Vial:
Musk, honey and cardamom. Rich and heady
On the Skin:
Instantly gorgeous and decadent. The myrrh plays really nicely with the red musk and the myrrh is strong! I can definitely pick the oudh and the cardamom adds a nice rich spiciness. This is hypnotically beautiful!
On the Drydown:
The opium doesn't go sour on me like it can at times. While I don't normally think of gender in relation to scent, this absolutely has a womanly sexiness. Mature and seductive. A surprise stand-out from the new CD release. Multiple bottles for me.
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In the Vial:
Myrrh and champaca
On the Skin:
Dry myrrh, amber, soft brown leather with a sweetness. The champaca emerges softly (it can stomp all over a blend for me). The overall feeling is of soft golden and spiced leather. Very gentle and lovely
On the Drydown:
This is a very dry blend, thanks to the myrrh and papyrus, I assume. Any honey adds to the golden hues but doesn't detract from the dryness. It's more a fragrant desert wind (what I wanted The Ifrit to be like). Very, very nice and bottle worthy
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In the Vial:
Apple, the Lab's snow note and a touch of pine
On the Skin:
Cold air (like Kumari Kandam), red apple (definitely red) and a sugary note. The apple, which started off so strong heads towards the back of the blend to allow the osmanthus to peek through. This smells so much like my beloved Kumari Kandam with more sweetness.
On the Drydown:
I really love the Lab's soft sweet snow note which is present in this blend. The pine is more prominent on the drydown but the apple has largely vanished. I was expecting to be "Meh" about this blend but I really love it. It seems to have good staying power on my skin but the snow notes normally do. -
In the Vial:
Black musk and lime
On the Skin:
Black musk held back by tobacco and with the lime adding a nice cut-through. The bay rum adds it's distictive robust note but doesn't take over. The orange blossom eventually adds a little sweetness
On the Drydown:
There is almost a gourmand cakiness to this which is unexpected. I'm not a fan of the lime which remains fairly consistent in the blend. It's quite nice but not really for me.
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In the Vial:
Patchouli with a touch of cardamom and leather
On the Skin:
Mostly patchouli to start but the cardamom comes though soon after application and the peru balsam softens the blend to round out the whole fairly quickly. This goes from intense and sharp to smooth and soft in the blink of an eye.
On the Drydown:
Soft, supple spiced leather with just the faintest touch of musky blackcurrant. Oudh is not a feature element in this blend but just provides a woody back note. Low throw in the end but really very nice. Will need a bottle of this. For those on the fence about leather blends, the leather note is not overly strong in this.
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In the Vial:
Slightly peppery and sour black tea in the vial
On the Skin:
Dusty carnation to start and then the carnation amps (which is nice - it is a richly spicy red carnation). The clove, patchouli and black pepper emerge to add a dry but rich resin backing. There is a slight citrus vibe as well. almost like bergamot but not.
On the Drydown:
Ends up a dry, slightly off carnation. Carnation has a tendency to go "sweaty" on my skin -
In the Vial:
Faint sandalwood and orris
On the Skin:
Takes a little while to warm on the skin and bloom. Faintly incensey (light and sharp rather than dark), pale patchouli and a whisper of vanilla. The champaca adds a meaty floral note but is very restrained, just staining the whole blend and then the sandalwood starts to emerge which is a little rough and thin but just held in check by the other notes.
On the Drydown:
This is low throw and ends up as a faint sweet cardboard on my skin courtesy of the sandalwood. Sadly not for me -
You come to a building that seems to have been hastily erected from splintered wood, stone, and plaster. Flickering light from within sparkles out through blood-tinged chunks of glass that have been wedged into the arch entrance. You push open the thick velvet curtain that covers the mouth of the building and look inside. The chapel is small and cramped, and the air is thick with heavy incense, bitter wine, sulphur, and the coppery scent of blood. A massive stained glass window is set against the back wall, glowing brightly.
In the center of the room, a groveling figure is crouched before a woman draped in purple-black clerical robes. The woman's eyes are filled with righteous hellfire, and she extends a hand in benediction to the man who has fallen prostrate at her feet. He murmurs, "Libera Te Ex Caelum", and she gestures for him to rise. As he gets to his knees he winces in pain and moans in a strange expression of ecstasy, and you see small horns growing from his skull.
Black incense, bitter wine, brimstone, bile, and blood.
In the Vial:
Intense sticky sweet wine, incense and the Lab blood note. Gives me chills just smelling it from the vial
On the Skin:
Insanely intense wine and acrid incense with vetiver. Luciously rich and evocative. Thankfully the wine is not grapey. The sweetness tones down over time (and it is initially very thickly sweet)
On the Drydown:
I stayed away from this during the last iteration of Carnival Diabolique and I am so sad that I did. This is gorgeous, multilayered and wearable. A new love for me -
In the Vial:
Sweet, dark musk. Smell like Crowley
On the Skin:
Gorgeous sweet black musk. This smells so much like Crowley or Mme. Moriarty to me. I love it. Not much in the way of coffee to start with but it is providing an interesting backdrop.
On the Drydown:
This is a no-brainer multiple bottle scent. Further into the drydown the coffee emerges and it is a sweet, mellow white coffee. LOVE
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In the Vial:
Slight amber and patchouli
On the Skin:
Gorgeous dry woods (patchouli and oudh) with a touch of clove in the background. The fig (the best fig so far from the Lab, IMHO) is truly golden and caramelised. A few minutes into the drydown this has a distinct musk and old tobacco smoke scent (which I really love) which may be the saffron inter-reacting with the other notes.
On the Drydown:
I wasn't expecting this one the be much of a winner but I really love it. It's a mature and complex scent, all smoky musk and woods with a subtle spice kick and a round non-cloying sweetness supporting the blend.
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In the Vial:
Sweet pear and patchouli
On the Skin:
Surprisingly dry and dusty moss and patchouli with a mineral edge. Interesting and not as fruity as expected. The labdanum rounds out the scent eventually and the pear is a very subtle sweetness in the background
On the Drydown:
The pear gets a chance to play a role as this dries down but never gets too much exposure, just sweetening the blend. The patchouli takes more of a lead as it develops on the skin. The overall effect is quite compelling and I like it. There is a subtle nod to the marine.
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TKO is my go to sleep blend but I got this for some moon ritual work, dream work and general sleep utility blend.
I wore this last night with intentions of a peaceful sleep with gentle dreams. I slept like a rock which is unusual for me.
The scent in the bottle for me was disturbing and murky. Not totally unpleasant.
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After reading the reviews about the intensity of the vetiver I approached this with caution but I do like vetiver in moderation
I wore this today for my PT workout but realised when I got there that I had shifted the booking!
The scent of this on me was surprising. It was a dark, bittersweet smoked chocolate drying down to a rosy vetiver. I really like it
Will need to try again when I have a real PT booking.
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In the Bottle:
Softly green and mossy with fresh rain
On the Skin:
Sappy greenery and soft flowers in the background with a hint of nectar. Warm amber and cinnamon creep in gradually, never overpowering. The floral note is really pretty and delicate.
On the Drydown:
As this dries down a touch of ozone creeps in along with a slight blood note. The resins add depth to an otherwise fresh and soft scent. Gorgeous and perfect for summer. I was expecting something heavier and I am pleasantly surprised
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In the Bottle:
Definitely cigarillo/cigar smoke, creamy sweetness and coffee
On the Skin:
Sweet, creamy coffee and rich, spicy cigarillo smoke to start with and soon after a vague fruitiness emerges. Then some ice cream with a berry sauce. Gradually the curry spices come out, very dry and toasted. Fascinating and actually quite nice.
On the Drydown:
The transitions on this one are fast and furious! Dries down to a creamy spiced coffee with the memory of cigar smoke. And there is still a vague fruitiness. The extreme drydown is dry curry spices. This is very wearable and really nice.
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In the bottle:
This was initially very vinegary straight out of the mail but it has settled down some. Still slight vinegar and labdanum
On the Skin:
Vinegar, soft musk and labdanum. The overall effect is somewhat aniseedy as well. I am really hoping after some aging this will smooth out and lose it's pickle note.
On the Drydown:
After 10 minutes or so, this becomes closer to what I was looking forward to - slightly smoky labdanum and warm musk. I see some hope for this in the future
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When I saw this come up and read the reviews I immediately ordered 2 bottles and I am so glad I did!
In the Bottle:
Softly balsamic, coolly airy (but not cold), faintly minty and sweet.
On the Skin:
A beautiful airy but balmy musk with a touch of green sappy growth and a soft waft of fir/pine. Surprisingly powerful but not overpowering. Almost a sweet tea aspect to this. Indescribably mysterious and sexy
On the Drydown:
A subtle scent but has very good staying power and surprisingly has good throw. I think this will be come my #1 scent. It is so amazing and ends up a slighty smoky musk with soft balsamic greenery and fur notes. It is warm and seductive
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In the Bottle:
Cedar and vanilla
On the Skin:
Not a lot different to any other cedar and vanilla blends I have tried to start with but the cardamom starts to emerge to make this really special. It's a fairly slow eveolution though.
On the Drydown:
This is a quiet snuggly scent. Definitely a vanilla warmed cedarwood but the cardamom is subtly blended to add an unusual round spiciness to this. Completely gorgeous and will age to perfection.
The Writing on the Slate
in Yules
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– Thos. W. Waterman, Binghamton, NY, July 14, 1873
The result of a physical law which is not yet understood, and the existence of which has hitherto scarcely been suspected: beeswax candles, chalk, and dust.
In the Bottle:
Rich beewax and a little bit of a dusty background
On the Skin:
The beautiful lab beeswax note, rich and sweet. The dry chalky note and dust emerges quite quickly to dry out the blend and tone down the sweetness of the beeswax. I am loving the chalkiness.
On the Drydown:
Stays fairly consistent through the drydown as a dusty beeswax but the beeswax amps up every now and then. I love it.