splendidissima
-
Content Count
270 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by splendidissima
-
I really loved Meigetsu Ya (red mandarin + frost) and I was hoping this would be similar! It both is and isn't, I think? They All Came to Grief starts out MUCH heavier on the minty, icy, slush, and for quite a while I don't get any fruit at all, just that zingy nose-tingling mint. (Which I like, mind you, but that's just...all there is, for a while!) And then...slowly...after watching an episode of a tv show and making a drink, so, like at least an hour...there's some chilly fruit. If Meigetsu Ya was chilled sweetened orange juice slushie, this is...I'd say less sweet and more orange-red slushie, probably the effect of the red currant? It's definitely still more mint and more...sharp, I think, than Meigetsu Ya, but along the same lines. It ends up as a very bright energizing sort of scent - mint and orange-red fruits both being loud together, like you've got up and brushed your teeth and had a good breakfast, with orange juice and fruit, on a brisk chilly icy morning, and now you're ready to Accomplish Things.
-
Oh, this is nice - and more complex than I expected! I do absolutely agree with wanting to eat this, except that there is something sophisticated about it that reminds me not to do that! It's not as sweet as I expected - it is still on the sweeter side, but not overwhelmingly so. Very berry-forward, lots of red fruits. I think some tartness from the cranberries is tempering the sweetness. Wet on skin, it also does feel like growing cranberries somehow - like the cranberry bog? Maybe there's some sort of hidden aquatic note that, as previous reviewers have mentioned, might show up as a little touch of greenness/soapiness? I don't get soapiness, but I could see there being a little tiny tiny touch of green/wetness. The cream is definitely present - it's not a buttercream, but a warm creamy note, more like a....sweet milk? Not sugary, but naturally sweet. As it dries it's melding together into a swirl of red - definitely red - berries and cream, nicely blended together. If you like the Lab's cream note, and if the idea of red fruits and cream appeals to you, then you should probably grab this!
-
Oh, this is pretty! I'd kept considering and not ever quite trying older versions, so I can't compare. This year (thanks to a gift certificate from the Husband!) I ended up making a big order, and finally went for it! It goes on as mainly olive oil/blossom and beeswax at first, I think: that tart/fruity note of good olive oil plus a smoother warmer background note. Good initial throw! As it dries, the amber and suf and fruit emerge - they're all really well blended and nothing outright takes over. The sweet sufganiyot is giving a warm donut (but like the more bready donuts, if that makes sense? not sugary, just fresh warm lightly fried - not oily - dough) backdrop, but that's all. The fruits give it a dark rich note, a little sweet/earthy. But, again, it's really well blended - I wouldn't call it fruity, or foody, exactly. Everything swirls together into a warm golden glowing scent, not overly sweet, but lush and rich, and friendly as a kitchen and a welcome and lit candles, and really comforting somehow. I keep finding myself coming back to sniff my arm, wanting more!
-
Sweet purple candy! It's more sugar plum than lavender on me, but the lavender is also there, and it's also a sweet kind. It's all backed by the marshmallow, which I think is really just reading as...more sweetness, soft and fluffy and sugared. If you like combinations of sweet purple fruit, sweet lavender, and marshmallow, definitely grab this one!
-
Boozy old-fashioned fruit punch! Which I mean in a good way. I'd say it's not as immediately "holiday-ish" as Yuletide Revenge Tale or Pom Cider - it feels more year-round evening party to me, something with wine and brandy, sweet dates and figs, colors of dark brown and dark plum, textures of velvet and warm companionable firelight while everyone plays some sort of old-fashioned (but brandy-and-fire-and-fruit related!) drinking game like snapdragon! It *could* be a holiday party scent, but it doesn't have to be. It's not overly spiced or overly sweet, just warm and inviting - I could wear this to our local DickensFest, perhaps!
-
I love TKO, though I've never tried Snow White - I was never sure about the "florals" aspect. But I figured, none of the listed notes are Death Notes for me, and TKO is lovely, so, why not? TKSnow goes on with the familiar big swoop of sweet lavender marshmallow, and after a few minutes a warmer coconut-almond-vanilla layer emerges. Oddly, despite being 'Snow,' it's not really chilly - it has a 'white fluff' sort of feel, if that makes sense, with the coconut vanilla, but it's not reading as cold to me, as such! The coconut gets a little louder over time, and settles in alongside the lavender: coconut lavender herbs on a bed of vanilla marshmallow sweetness. This is really nice, soft and fluffy and calming. I do think I prefer straight TKO in a direct comparison - I just love that balance of notes! - but I'm glad to have this as well. I haven't tried Frostbitten TKO, but now I want to!
-
I was pretty sure I was going to like this - I love pretty much all the BPAL cider scents! - and I do! It's a gorgeous sweet apple cider with a big splash of juicy ripe pomegranate, with glowing warmth from the spices. Perfect for the holidays - making me want mulled wine and apples and candied citrus. Bright and luscious and festive!
-
Ooh, this is so interesting! I usually like the BPAL ciders, ales, holiday fruit scents, and this falls squarely into that realm. It's not as sweet as Pom or Pumpkin Cider - this is definitely an ale with spices, versus a sweeter cider. Though, having said that, there's certainly candied orange peel floating on the top! I think the spices might include some nutmeg and ginger? I agree that it's a sort of dry (in the wine sense, versus sweet) hard cider scent: fizzy (there's definitely some fizz), fruity, warmly spiced ale with a little bit of candied citrus. It smells like an old-fashioned winter holiday beverage to me - very much like something you'd get served at a Victorian Yuletide party! It's very fun.
-
Mallow Flower, Honeysuckle, and Vanilla Bean
splendidissima replied to Silvertree's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Oh, gosh - this one is exactly what it says it is, so if that sounds good to you, grab it! I don't really even know how else to describe it - it is, yes, a sweet (not specifically sugary, just sweet), warmly vanilla, floral honeysuckle. Despite being an October release, it feels very springtime to me, or maybe the-end-of-winter-verging-on-spring - cozy vanilla sweetness and sweet flowers unfolding. Good throw and lasting nicely, so far! -
My bottle got here a couple days ago, so here goes! On first application, I get a lot of sandalwood, bergamot, and palo santo - no rice milk or cream in this opening! But my skin has tended to turn sandalwood up to eleven lately, so that might be a me thing. I was hoping it'd be a bit milkier/sweeter (gambling on the 'cream' aspect and the rice milk here) but it isn't, very. About 20 minutes in, there is a soft creamy note emerging, faintly - the other three notes are still the loudest, but they're being gentled and tamed by milk, like adding a splash of milk into strong tea. It's also quieted down a lot in terms of throw; it's definitely still there, but closer to my skin. It's interesting; I do like it but I don't know if I love it; I really was hoping for more of a balance with the creamy notes. Maybe we'll see how it ages, and also see how it works on my mom, who is also a BPAL person. 🙂
-
I almost didn't grab this one because rose doesn't always work for me, but I love sugar and spice, and the reviews were tempting, so I gave in! And I'm glad I did. It's a spicy-sweet, warm pink scent - not very heavily rose, really well blended, lots of warm buttery sugar cookies and carnation spice. The Lofthouse cookies mention up-thread is spot-on; it's that soft fluffy pale sugar cookie, definitely *not* the snickerdoodle vibe that the Lab's Sugar Cookie often has! Big initial throw, but now it's dwindled down a lot, though I also didn't put very much on, because it does go on big! Oddly, or maybe not oddly, I feel like it's a good winter holiday scent: cookies & carnations!
-
Ooh, I really love this! It's absolutely a Frostbitten Strawberry - icy, frozen, freezerbox strawberries! It might be the same 'freezer-cold' note from Cold Moon, which I also loved? It's a *little* sweet, but not overly sweet - a strawberry popsicle, but a really good, gourmet, organic kind, if that makes sense: nothing fake, only real fruit, frozen! I feel like this would be good in hot weather, when icy strawberries are just the thing, but also great for some sort of New Year's or winter party: chilled fancy drinks, fresh berries, sparkles.
-
I agree that there's something coming across as floral here! It's very...pink apples + light sugared floral, on me. I don't really get cassia or anything woodsy, which is fine - I was here for the apples and fruit! I would've liked the mango to be a little louder, I think - I like juicy fruit-basket scents! But this is very pretty, too. It's almost a springtime scent, if springtime apples are a thing: pink, pretty, floral, sparkly apples. Good throw, so far!
-
Fuzzy, herbal, and cuddly! It's definitely a kitty-cat. This isn't my usual wheelhouse, but I love the art and there weren't any notes I outright can't wear - and we've got a black kitty here at home, so I wanted to try it. It's definitely a soft furry sort of scent: black-brown fur, dried herbs, soft spices. It smells like a witch's...not quite kitchen, but store-room, perhaps, with dried ingredients and a small cat curled up on a chair to keep an eye on anyone coming in. It's a fun autumn scent, I think!
-
This has been one of my favorites since I got into BPAL! It's sweet, dark, ginger - heavy on the ginger - with warm cookies/pastries/something sweet and rich that's playing oh so nice with the spices. Not sharp at all, just dark, warm, gently spicy. I bought a new bottle this year, and I still absolutely love it. Also, we visited my grandparents this past weekend, and I was wearing my new bottle, and I hugged my grandma, and she said, "oh, you smell so good, were you baking?"
-
Like Doomsday_disco, I get that upfront boozy blast! I'm not sure what's doing that, but it's definitely a booze punch, like maybe a rum? I actually wondered at first if there was some mix-up and this was the Rum Cake! A couple hours later, it's much more bread-y and pumpkin-y - like a canned pumpkin, like, well, like a pumpkin bread! It's not really very sweet - it's closer to other Lab bread scents, if you've liked those. It's a calm baked-bread skin-close scent, very home-y. I'm not really getting any chocolate, unless that's somehow transforming into the initial booze wave. Overall, I like it, in a gentle autumn-kitchen sort of way, especially once it dries down.
-
Oh my word - so much fizzy champagne! To the point that I'm wondering who ate my pumpkin cheesecake! I like the Lab's champagne note, so I'm not mad about it, but honestly it's almost a single note of that on me, especially at first. After it dries there's a hint - it really is a *hint* - of a little creaminess at the back. I got it yesterday, so I'm going to leave it for a couple of days and see if the pumpkin stops being shy - I do also *really* love pumpkin, and I like sweet cream type scents, so I was hoping for a balance of notes here, so in that sense I'm a bit sad. But, again, I like the champagne, so that's okay too - not complaining! Maybe I'll try layering it with something more pumpkin or cream-forward...maybe Ghost Milk? Or my old partial bottle of Pumpkin Cheesecake?
-
In order of strength, I get: coffee, apple, and a dark sweetness - caramel/brown sugar, I think! With a kiss of cinnamon. It's not as sweet as might be expected from the notes, because the coffee is so up front and the sugar is dark brown. I can't pick out any oatmilk, which I was kind of looking forward to, unless maybe it's just smoothing things out in the background. But that's okay; this is still fun, and I don't have anything else quite like it in my collection! It really does smell like something I'd want to drink on a grey chilly morning, while wrapped up in a cozy blanket - or maybe even getting a jolt of caffeine for braving the weather to run errands!
-
Oooooh. This one's for chocolate lovers! Rich, dark, creamy chocolate - I agree that it's creamy, like the mousse or even the mirror glaze in the description, and not cake-y at all! And then there's a swirl of nuttiness - hazelnut & praline. The fancy Nutella description is a good one! It's a big decadent scent - I can see this getting a lot of wear in cold weather, or at cozy holiday parties. 🙂
-
This is very much spiced apples and pumpkin spice on me, and I'm not complaining! The husband took one sniff and said "that smells like fall," and I agree - like standing next to a cauldron of spiced apple cider while also holding a spiced pumpkin hot beverage in one hand. (I don't want to say PSL because I don't really get coffee at all - just warm pumpkin + more spice!) As it dries it alllllmost gets to be...too much spice? Hinting at Cinnamon Apple Spice Candle? But in the end it's not quite too much - there's some sweetness from the candy corn and some booze-sweet-darkness from the bourbon that keeps it multilayered and intriguing. Good for autumn nights!
-
I'd actually bought this one to give to my mom, but I think I might like it... It's a warm, tropical, lush floral - I agree that there's something not-quite-fruit in there, like walking around someplace tropical, where there're giant colorful blooms but also big floppy green leaves and also maybe some pineapple or coconut drifting on the air. It's staying pretty much exactly that - I don't really get ginger, unless that's just contributing to the 'warm' feel. It's wonderfully atmospheric - evoking scent and place memories of tropical vacations.
-
Hmm - this is very sandalwood on me, to the point that that's mostly what's dominating! After quite a while - like, an hour - there's some sweetness adding itself, and it is a very pale-pink sort of sweetness, if that makes sense? Like little pink marshmallows, but also with a lot of sandalwood? I'm starting to think sandalwood doesn't work well on me, so maybe it's a me thing! By which I mean... I *loved* Gingerbread Mummy, and so I thought, okay, this is fine, especially with sweet notes like the white chocolate and mallow flower! But then - Every Day Is Halloween (last year's) was very sandalwood heavy on me, and now this one is too! I don't dislike it as such - this is perfectly fine as a sweet sandalwood, especially as it dries down and a bit more of the sweetness emerges - but I'm not loving it as much as I hoped I would? I shall let my mom try it in two weeks when she visits, and see what she thinks!
-
Grapes! Such grapes! "Heady" is the right word - it's a big, swooping, purple, thick burst of grapes as it goes on! It's odd - it doesn't read 'wine' to me as much as 'grape juice + booze,' if that makes sense? Like someone put alcohol in the grape juice, rather than "wine" as such. Which is nice, especially if you like the Lab's grape note. At first, it's actually not as sweet as I was expecting, though now - about half an hour in - more blackberry is creeping out and adding a little fruity berry-sweetness. Perhaps a good scent for early autumn nights, all indigo and bronze and velvet folds.
-
Frottle from the Lab! ❤️ I would also agree about the lemongrass - it's lemon-herby, refreshing, clean and light. I feel like it'll be nice for hot weather!
-
Just got this today, and I couldn't wait, so this is an out-of-the-mailbox review! So far Ceres is just lovely - I don't get much peony, which is fine, I was mostly here for the mallow and cream and corn! It's beautifully blended; all the notes swirl together. It's a creamy, sweet, sugared corn pudding, on my arm: homey, autumnal, golden, warm, and rich. Honestly it's sort of like...a really, really good creamed corn casserole, but I mean that in a good way, I swear - I really love this! It's foody but in that sweet-corn way, not like cake or bread, so if you like the Lab's corn note plus creamy sweetness, you'll want to try this! Pretty good throw, so far, though it's only been about twenty minutes. 🙂