splendidissima

Mmm, this is pretty. Rose can be a little hit or miss on me, but it works when it's sweeter, and it definitely is here! The rose isn't even that strong, honestly - as people've said, a spritz of rose water, a drift of scent from the bushes near the pastry table. Primarily this is a nutty, sweet, honeyed baklava, with a hint of that sweet/sour/cream note of cheesecake and goat's milk, which I happen to really like! It's like that's been swirled around the honey-soaked hazelnut pastry layers. Really lovely for late spring/summer.

The GC Jersey Devil was a surprise hit for me, so I grabbed this from the Lab's Etsy! If you like the classic Jersey Devil, this is pretty similar - a lot of cranberry and blackberry, with the warmth of tomato leaf and some deep woods at the back. This Frostbitten version feels cooler, softer, and sweeter - it's not a screamingly loud snow note; it's just adding a sort of chilly sugar, like a dusting of powdery snow, or a fluffy snowdrift - it's a friendly snow. I think this version might have lower throw than the GC JD; I didn't find that bottle to compare, but that's my impression. Basically Jersey Devil but gently blanketed and smoothed by cool fluffy sweetness!

Crisp air, pine, and cranberries, in that order! There is something giddy and energizing about it - I'd agree with the comment above about it being invigorating! Like a winter morning when you're going to Get Up And Do Things, maybe involving picking out a tree, and walking through the billows of pine. And then the cranberries give it a little red berry tartness. I don't really get pumpkin pie or honey - I like those things, so I wish I did! It'd be nice if it had a touch more sweetness, I think. But maybe it's the age of this bottle. Either way, I'm not mad at it; I like this wintry pine + berries combo!

Not quite as sweet as I was expecting, but very bright and summery! I get a lot of orange blossom, neroli, and the resins from frankincense. Not as much vanilla as I was kind of hoping for, but it is definitely uplifting and bouncy and cheerful!

Mmm, this is pretty. I've been trying to reorganize my collection and in the process have pulled out some scents I've not worn in ages, and this was one! It's a soft, cozy, sweet milk with honey and fig and olive leaf, on me - I don't really get anything woodsy. I've been realizing how much I like olive notes - leaf, oil, etc - and it's definitely here, with that savory/fruity quality layered into more dark fruit with the fig and sweet light milk - by light I mean it's *not* the BPAL heavy cream note, or anything buttery; it's clearly a simple warm slightly sweet milk. I feel like this is a good spring/summer transition scent: sweet and pretty, a little foodie-adjacent but not exactly foodie, full of fruits and milk.

I've been wanting one of the Sandman scents for ages, and finally picked this one! I love this scene in the comics. ❤️ This is very fun, and a bit chaotic - exactly right! It goes on as a big heap of mixed fruit: mainly mango, but with, just...a whole bunch of other juicy ripe fruits right behind that, hard to pick out individual notes. It's sweet-ish but not overly sweet - it's ripe fruit, not, like, sugar-sweet! If it were a color it'd be a tropical sunset: orange, pink, yellow, red. As it dries, a little hint of something...greener?...comes out. If I didn't know the notes, I'm not sure I'd specifically think 'eucalyptus' or 'mint', but it's definitely something that gives it a little sharpness and a little...not exactly edge, but, like...you turned from the tropical fruit groves to encounter the clean straight lines of bamboo, as a sort of visual equivalent? It's a white ginger, I think, not a dark ginger like in Shub-Niggurath - lighter and more playful. If you tried Tahitian Landscape, it's a little like that in feel, but minus all the florals and plus much more mango/general fruit! I will say it went on big so I didn't put much on, but it seems to be fading fast, though, again, I didn't put very much on to start because it started out loud, so maybe I'll need to experiment with amounts!

Frottle from the Lab! And, yes, it's pretty much exactly what so many reviews say - juicy fresh red/yellow apple + a water note! It's so perfectly exactly its name - such sorcery! The water note isn't soapy at all - it really is like water, not any kind of cleaner, and not like an ozone-type. The apple is fairly light - it's not an in-your-face type of scent. Autumnal without being drenched in cinnamon and spice - instead it's very refreshing, and very nice!

I gave in and grabbed this because I'm teaching Frankenstein this semester in my Monsters class! It's fascinating; I don't have anything else like it! I'm not super-familiar with most of these notes, but I love the whole idea and atmosphere. First, I get...a cool white note, a little floral but very cool-floral, if that makes sense? White and pale and maybe a little misty? It's very pretty, though I'm a little surprised by the floral - maybe that's something about the ink? Florals aren't as much my thing (I like fruit, usually, or ginger spice, or sweet mint) but the coolness is making it interesting! As it warms, there's a very neat soft vanilla-adjacent scent - it really is very reminiscent of breathing in the scent of old books, warm and dry and papery! Which is a scent I like - I've happily sniffed some of my old-book collection on occasion! - so I'm really enjoying that. It's not very sweet, just...warm? Almost-but-not-exactly-sort-of like some of the Lab's hay-vanilla combos? And then that warms up the cool floral on top. I really do think of stormy nights and old books - this will be great in autumn, or to create a cool chilly feeling on a hot summer night!

Agreed with the previous poster - this is a big, red, berry wine! Great throw. I was nervous about the patch - it's not a note I seek out - but I really can't find it in here at all. Mostly this is the sweet red wine scent from...well, so many other BPAL red wine scents! Lots of berries, lots of fruit. Ruby port, not tawny. It's definitely a rich dessert sort of wine, something you sip slowly from a snifter, while lounging by a fire on a chilly evening. I've ended up really liking this one, especially because it's rainy here tonight and we have got a fire and we actually also have some port, so I might pour some of that, and grab a book, and pet the cat while sipping.

Definitely nutty! It's a swirl of nuts; I can't really pick out distinctions between them. There's a little bit of spice, but it's not really spicy: just enough for a warmth. I'm not sure I really get the honey, but the brown sugar is adding some toasted dark sweetness, and it's definitely that darker sugar, not light or white. Good for autumn or generally chilly weather, I think, when you want to feel cozy. It goes on strong, but it does fade quickly, which seems to be something I'm saying about a few recent bottles - not sure if it's me or just a succession of scents that happen to fade fast!

Pumpkin and apple cider! I agree that it's reminiscent of Fearful Pleasure, which I loved. Pumpkin mash, gently stewed into apples, spices, and cider - beautifully autumnal, nicely balanced.

Oh my word this is my fav of the Yules this year. I love a good gingerbread - sweet, spicy, ginger cookie, yes please! - and this is beautifully exactly that. It's very reminiscent of Shub, as others have observed - it's that deep dark ginger, molasses and ginger and rich spice. But here it's also got a buttery cookie layer underneath - more a fluffy cake-y kind of cookie, a fresh baked good that you want to eat right now but it's just out of the oven and still hot. Love love love. If there's a down-side, it doesn't last as long as Shub does on me - it's got a gorgeous initial throw, so I end up not putting too much on, but then it fades, and I have to reapply. Not that that's a hardship! But I might go through this quickly. Wondering if I need a second bottle while this is here, or if my beloved Shub is enough...

This one does some interesting things on me! I really wanted to love it - I love the Lick Its and I love berry scents and sugar, so this was an instant buy. And...I like it, but I don't know if I LOVE it. It goes through two very distinct stages on me, rather than melding or blending. It starts as a BIG boom of sweet mint with a little red muskiness underneath, which...is a little odd with the mint? It's fine, but if I really want a big sweet mint, I'd prefer a pure Lick It, without the underlying red note. But THEN, as it dries completely, the mint burns off entirely, to the point where I can't even find it (such a surprise, given how loud the mint is to start!) - now it's a pink sugary honey-strawberry scent, a little darkened by red wine. This stage is very pretty, and it does feel like a late spring/early summer night - strawberries, sundown, sparkling wine to sip. I like both stages, but it's very sequential: sweet mint with some red wine musk ---> honey strawberry wine. I'm happy to have a bottle, and I'll definitely use it, I just wish I could've experienced something closer to a *blending* of vanilla mint + berry wine, if that makes sense! It ends up as basically a sparkling strawberry honey wine...not single note, but like a strawberry honey wine trio, which, don't get me wrong, I would probably also buy on purpose. 🙂

Ooh, this is nice! I was hesitant about the tobacco but I love blueberry and pink pepper, and the reviews sounded so good - and this is really, really good! It is mostly blueberry - a jammy, cooked, sweet blueberry. Under that, there's a sharp sweet bright pepper note, very playful. The tobacco is there at the back, making it all warmer and a little smoky - not like bonfires, but like pipe tobacco, warm and glowing and rich. I don't think I've got anything else quite like it, and I like it!

I do love a sweet lemon scent! And that's exactly what this is: slightly tart, bright, sugared lemon! I agree with all the comments about it feeling like a homemade lemonade or lemon-honey drink. Very summery and fun.

A big buttery spice cake! I like this, but it's very strong - a little goes a long way! I don't really get rum or booze - just a warm pumpkin-spice cake with a TON of hot buttery sauce poured over. Great for cold weather!

Maple donuts, glazed donuts, chocolate donuts! Perfectly realistic, like I've just opened the box and inhaled. Such nostalgia - my dad always used to pick up donuts for us on Sundays! I love this. Great throw, too!

How have I never reviewed this? Nymphia was my wedding scent! 🙂 It's absolutely beautiful, like a light, airy, sugar-fruit-floral cloud. It's very well blended; no one note is too loud. It's a big swirl of pastel color, very green-gold in color: mango, sugar, cucumber, pale green leaves with little blossoming flowers. I love that it's sweet without being over-the-top - the cucumber adds a refreshing almost watery note, and the mango makes everything juicy and brighter, and the sugar floats over everything. It's a very soft, bright, hopeful sort of scent, like early sunrises. 🙂

On me, this is a nice, buttery, warm, vanilla shortbread - exactly as expected! A little bit of that dark rich caramelized brown sugar note as well. It's a skin-close scent but seems to be lasting a while, though I have to get close to smell it! Nice, uncomplicated, exactly what it says. I bet this will be great for cold weather, and also maybe for layering with some fruit/jam or spice or chocolate notes.

Exactly what everyone's said - a big bucketful of those childhood sweet-tart fruity candies, Sweet-Tarts and Smarties and Jolly Ranchers, maybe some Pixie Stix, some Nerds... It's delightful - very childhood nostalgic! I don't have anything else quite like it, and I'm glad I got it.

This is also one of my favs from this release! Bright, sweet, sugary lemon cookies. Just enough booze to make it extra-interesting and a little sharp (sweet-sharp) and not purely foody, though it's definitely that! Basically, if you love the sweet lemon BPAL scents, you'll want this! ❤️

Yep, sweet booze! A little lemony, but mostly sugar and brandy. Not complicated, very much what it says, so if you like those notes, you'll like this! Of some of the holiday boozy scents the Lab has done of late, I like this one better than Yuletide Revenge Tale, maybe not as much as Yuletide Bacchanal - Y.B. has those fruit notes with the date and fig, which adds, well, fruitiness! Y.R.T. is more dry - a spiced ale, versus the brandy and rum and sugar here.

Ah, right, this is one that my skin just drinks up! It goes on as a big burst of fruit - mostly pineapple, but with orange and the rest in there too - a huge swirl of sweet tropical fruit (with pineapple on top), and then it dries to a balance between that and a sweet rum, warm and boozy. I'd drink this, preferably on a beach somewhere! And THEN it's just gone. Within maybe ten minutes I can barely find a whisper of scent on my arm. I put on my other two Luau scents (Mahana and Pahoehoe) at the same time to compare, and those two are still sticking around, but Riptide's scent's gone on vacation without me.

I'd forgotten the notes in this, and deliberately didn't look before putting some on again, and my first impressions were "bananas + something dark red + rum!" And...well, that seems about right! It's a candied sort of banana - someone above mentioned bananas Foster, brown sugar, etc, and I agree! The grenadine is adding some pomegranate sweetness, and then there's the rum note. I don't actually get the coconut specifically, maybe because of the age of this bottle? The rum *is* there but not as up front as I remember; it's banana-pom first, and then, oh yeah, there's something else there. It's not as strong as I recall it being; it lingers, but it's a skin-close scent. Tropical and summery!

Grabbed this from the Lab's Etsy; got it yesterday! On me, Mahana is interestingly creamy - I think it's the cream de cacao - and almond-forward, primarily, with hints of pineapple bouncing around - I'm not sure I really get peach? There's a bit of a booze note, but of the three bottles I've got (this, Rangoon Riptide, Pahoehoe) I'd say this is the least boozy. Very fun and summery - I absolutely picture sipping a big creamy frozen cocktail, with a slice of pineapple in it, while lounging by a pool under the sun.