alyelle

2022 lab freebie.

In the imp: It's so weird to say it, but... water. I'm so angry. 🤣

Wet: (I managed to spill this all over my hands) If I have to describe it as anything other than "water": a very pale musk, traces of moss, the gleaming silver of a polished flask.

Dry: Honestly? It's water. Amazing. Showstopping. Great for layering. I want a whole bottle. Very mild throw, and possibly short-lived, but it's so neutral that it's hard to tell whether it's faded or not.

Stars: ★★★½

2022 lab freebie.

In the imp: Shiny metal, leather, and frankincense.

Wet: Leather, frankincense, motor oil, star anise.

Dry: Crumpled aged vellum, motor oil, spicy frankincense. I slightly prefer The Antikythera Mechanism, but this one is very similar and also lovely. Wouldn't have ever bought it, but will definitely keep an imp in rotation. Medium throw with a good long lifespan.

Stars: ★★★★½

2022 lab freebie.

In the imp: Tangerine, saffron, and cedar.

Wet: Saffron and tangerine top notes, a vetiver base (unmistakable in this blend, though vetiver does trick me on occasion), cedar and a slightly powdery amber as it starts to settle onto my skin.

Dry: Very little morph, and it fades quickly - I've tried it a few times and have forgotten I'm even wearing it by the end of the day. Mild throw, with no discernible scent after 6 hours.

Stars: ★★★½

Lab freebie with a 2022 Activism order; my review for an older imp received in 2018 is here.

In the imp: Yuzu, in light touches; lavender and lily, with a backdrop of mint.

Wet: White musk, calla lily, and geranium. Warmth from the patchouli, spiciness from the vetiver.

Dry: Classic and spicy-sharp: this death is impeccably tailored in a soft dove grey, leather and linen accented with cashmere. The lime and yuzu make what might otherwise have been old a classy, time-honoured tradition. It's short lived, though not as short as when it ages, with a mild throw.

Stars: ★★★½

2022 lab freebie, which I likely wouldn't have ordered, so thank you lab elves!

In the imp: Golden patchouli, orange blossom, marigold and - yes - pineapple. This is the first time I've consciously smelled pineapple in a fragrance. I love it.

Wet: Patchouli, iron filings, something resinous and familiar like wintergreen (but not quite wintergreen). Sunshine, dusk, and old dark woods. If I had to sum up this scent in an image, it would be Voleth Meir's hut from The Witcher, which was based on Baba Yaga's hut anyway. 10/10, quality evocation.

Dry: Patchouli and dried herbs hanging from the rafters; the forest cottage of my dreams. I want to run away and live in it.

Stars: ★★★★½

2014 purchase; see here for my review of a younger imp purchased in 2021.

In the imp: Sage, moss, heather, and bacchanalic musk.

Wet: Beautifully mossy with overtones of moistened heather, dying sage leaves, and a woody ragwort stem.

Dry: The musk, which is incredibly strong in the initial stages (and a lot stronger in my aged imp than my newer one), soon takes a backseat to the moss, sage, and heather. The effect is lovely, like being deep in a sun-dappled forest glade. The throw is strong, you won't forget you're wearing this, and it lasts a good long while. Definitely better for the aging, I recommend it if you have the patience!

Stars: ★★★★★

Another sleeper from 2014 which has been quietly aging without my knowledge! This one was particularly interesting as I reviewed a newer purchase several months back (and about 3 posts up thread).

In the imp: The same light oak and fig combination, and a brush of chamomile.

Wet: Fig leaf, oak, and... incredibly lush rhubarb. Wow.

Dry: I love this - new, it was a beautiful scent, but aging brings it so much more depth. It's soft and quiet, comforting and pure - a mantle of justice to wrap yourself in. The throw is still fairly mild, but it lasts a lot longer once aged (10 hours or more), and wafts up every so often to reaffirm you in your very proper lawful choices.

Stars: ★★★★★

2014 decant circle.

In the imp: Sandalwood, patchouli, and smoke.

Wet: More smoke, patchouli, black tea, and a brush of vanilla.

Dry: The most beautiful smoky patchouli. Long-lived, medium throw.

Stars: ★★★★

A freebie in a decant circle, so I have no idea how old it is or what conditions it was originally kept under. I've held it in a dark, temperature controlled space to age since receiving it in late 2014.

In the imp: Lavender, chamomile, and currant.

Wet: A contrary, viscous scent! Chamomile sweetened by red currants and musky black tea, delphinium blossoms and a lavender-scented vanilla shortbread.

Dry: I wish I had notes about this pre-aging; it is lovely, and I'm curious to know how it wears when brand new! It settles to a lavender-musk laden black tea with mild throw. Short-lived but worth a purchase, and I absolutely will.

Stars: ★★★★½

2014 freebie, aged in temperature controlled conditions.

In the imp: Thick, cherry-like resin.

Wet: A musky, almost powdery cherrywood, resinous and generous with warm earthy-amber tones.

Dry: Sweet resin, with the memory of gloopy cherry. This lasts for ages, it was still going at the 10 hour mark, and has a decent throw. It's definitely a domineering and powerful scent - and I  don't not like it, but it's not something I'd wear every day. One of the few scents where I really would limit wearing it to ritual work only.

Stars: ★★★½

Yet another recent discovery from that batch I bought in 2014 and promptly forgot about. Will it ever end?!

In the imp: Deep rich loam, the sort you want to sink your toes into, wide moss-covered tree trunks, and softly-blowing reeds.

Wet: Soft woolens with mud-spattered hems, a belt tied with herb bundles, sturdy leather boots and gentle lemon soap.

Dry: Hardly any morph, and a short(ish) lifespan of 6 hours. Mild throw, but lovely when you catch it - I really did enjoy this scent.

Stars: ★★★★

Freebie from 2014 which has been aging.

In the imp: Dark (very dark!) myrrh, salt, clove, and tobacco.

Wet: A light application as the notes list both pepper and pimento - neither of which I'm confident about applying to my skin. After no immediate reaction, I added a second dab, which starts off as clove and myrrh with a touch of moss, and settles into an earthy scent.
 

Dry: Beautifully earthy moss with no pepper or spice to be seen. It's a shame this is now discontinued; it's well worth a test if you can get your hands on some.

Stars: ★★★★

Another imp from 2014 which I found carefully set aside to age, but which I somehow made no record (and have no memory) of purchasing. October 2014 was a wild time for me.

In the imp: An initial impression of pine-ish-ness. On deep sniff: moss, hawthorn, bark and amber.

Wet: Amber, sweet musk, berries and rustling leaves. A hint of honeycomb and cool forest streams.

Dry: Vaguely deodorising... like a really posh air freshener. The amber is sweet and dominant for most of the life of this. Wear time is around 6-8 hours with a medium throw.

Stars: ★★★½

An imp that's been apparently been hanging out in my aging cabinet since 2014. Highly possible that I bought it, though I have no memory of doing so - that happened with at least three other imps in the same year. If not, a fortunate lab gift; Pontarlier has been on my wishlist for years.

In the imp: Fern, rockrose, blackcurrant and absinthe. A very bitter scent that reminds me of some of the woods I ended up with during Chaos Theory VII.

Wet: Lilac, rose, and wet ferns, topped by the barest suggestion of blackcurrant.

Dry: This fades very quickly - lifespan is 4-6 hours tops with a mild throw at all times. It stays firmly in the mossy-fern olfactory range, with only a vague hint of lilac top notes to break it up.

Stars: ★★★

2022 lab freebie.

In the imp: Blackened camphor-laurel and a blast of smoke.

Wet: The crunchy dried leaves from October smothered in camphor and charcoal, mint (or eucalypt perhaps?), and sage.
 

Dry: Smoke, brimstone, ash, which vanishes without a trace.

4-6 hour lifespan with a bizarrely mild throw for a fragrance with so much darkness about it.

Stars: ★★★★

2022 lab freebie.

In the imp: Sweet pea, pear, and heliotrope - bubblegummy sweetness.

Wet: The pear is soapy, as always, backed by lily and musk.

Dry: Surprisingly for me, this smooths out nicely into a pear and lily blend. It's a tad old-fashioned and I probably wouldn't wear it as a regular scent, but I enjoyed the dry down (a first for me and pear!) and it would work well for certain cosplays or for when I'm deliberately dressing vintage.

Long-lived at 10hrs, with medium throw.

Stars: ★★★½

Apple scents are my ultimate weakness and I couldn't help myself with this, despite all my promises about not buying blind bottles anymore. 🙃

In the bottle: A very sweet apple, bright musk, and snow.

Wet: More bitter than sweet once on my skin, an older, winter-wood apple that reminds me of Firethorn Berry Tea in some ways. In the background, frosted farmland and spicy musk.

Dry: Soft applewood, musk, and just-thawed meadow flowers.

This lasts forever, a good 12 hours or more, with a medium to strong throw. And yes, I am extremely glad I bought it.

Stars: ★★★★★

In the imp: Surprisingly bitter! The sweetness is there, but lurking underneath something dark and sharp.

Wet: Balsam, which is not always nice to me, takes forefront. It's followed closely by the jasmine, a little cocoa bean, and a steadily strengthening tuberose. 
 

Dry: Very different to the starting phase! The resins sweeten up, the florals ease off a bit, and the sugar floss takes on a slight vanilla-like quality, although not a foodie one. The first two hours are a bit of a slog where everything fights on my skin but from there it's smooth sailing. Not unlike 8th grade, now that I think about it... Medium throw, 8hr or so wear time.

Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Lavender, vanilla, and marshmallow.

Wet: The barest swipe of rose over a lavender-marshmallow and sandalwood sandwich. Sophisticated but also youthful, with a delicacy that's in no way fragile.

Dry: This one is very mild, and by the ned of the day, it settles off into a sheer vanilla sandalwood. It's extremely pretty but unfortunately short-lived on me, so I'm not regretting skipping a bottle and just getting the decant. Still very glad I had a chance to try it, the blend is right up my alley!

Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Lavender drenched in aquatics.

Wet: This is such an odd scent on me and not at all what I was expecting from the description, or from my sniff test of the decant. Usually I amp lavender, but here I get barely a hint of it - it's drowned by white florals, a splash of lime, and a wee hint of eucalyptus. (I didn't buy Virgo Side-Eye in my decant circle, but I get the same notes here as the review up thread which mentions that one!)

Dry: Citrus-layered lotus - a bubblegum lightning. Following the initial dry-down, all lavender disappears and never resurfaces, which is so upsetting - Lilith's lavender is probably my favourite of all the BPAL lavender notes. Average wear time with medium throw.

Stars: ★★★½

Another of the 2021 Liliths I immediately purchased a full bottle of, good grief.

In the imp: Rose and red currants.

Wet: More red currant than rose, though not for long; within a minute or two, the rose and patchouli dominate and the currants never truly make it out from under their weight again.

Dry: Half open red rosebuds, the patchouli from every new age store that ever existed, and juicy little current bops. Medium throw, wear time upwards of 8 hrs.

Stars: ★★★★½

Not purchasing an entire bottle after sniffing my decant was the greatest self-control I've displayed all year.

In the imp: Cardamom and vanilla-infused lavender.

Wet: The cardamom turns vaguely lemony, which is odd, but thankfully never unpleasant as it's tempered by the mildest lavender and a sheer, glimmering vanilla.

Dry: Vanilla-smothered cardamom fading to a sweet, indefinable background spice. I'm so glad I took a chance on this one; I was worried the cardamom might be too foody or overpowering. On the contrary, it is wonderful in this blend; warm and homely. It makes me want to stuff myself with kanelbullar and curl up in a patch of sunlight somewhere. Medium tending mild throw, and the only downside I could find is its relatively short lifespan (4-6 hours on me).

Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Fig, damp flagstones spread with moss, grape, and the slightest waft of lavender.

Wet: The scent of a just-rained-on-herb garden: moist soil, dewy vines, fog and puddles. Maybe a hint of coffee and steam if I really sniff for it, so faint it could almost be imagined.

Dry: This one takes a happy place in the same mental bucket I stuck The Serpentine and Good Morning London - there's something so lovely about the fog-laden Liliths. It's all stalks and stems, and slightly dry branches crackling under the remains of a morning shower. Medium throw, long lifespan.

Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Sugared violets, champaca, benzoin and a scattering of rose petals.

Wet: Sugar dusted roses over a smooth base of myrrh and patchouli, top notes of champaca

Dry: This has such a weirdly amnesiac quality to it - I've worn it about four times and can simply never recall to mind how it behaves the first few minutes of wear. Thank goodness for written testing notes! It settles down into a blend of rose, patchouli, violet, and all things good, and lasts for around 6 hours depending on the weather (it seems to fade more quickly in the heat). Medium throw, at least for the early stages of morph.

Stars: ★★★★

Can't remember the last time I was so overwhelmed with wanting a scent on first sniff. This one was amazing, and I purchased a bottle minutes after sniffing my decant.

In the imp: Leather, lavender-smothered engine grease, and dusty fields lined with ghost gums.

Wet: Honestly, I LOVE this. There's a sharp, almost citrus-like, note to the motor oil, tempered by oak and dust. I don't read it as masculine at all (far from it, actually, it's a very sexy non-binary scent to my nose) but I know my partner will love it as much as I do. I may require another bottle for him, to be honest.

Dry: Not too citrusy on the drydown, just enough to give an astringency. The lavender isn't obvious but does lend a softness to the earthy leather, and the final effect is of gentle sun shining down on hard-packed fields. Medium throw, long-lived, and utterly divine.

Stars: ★★★★★