MCS4096

I sat out for this years Yule decant circles, and in the end decided to blind buy a couple bottles based on reviews. I picked this one due to the comparisons to Dorian.. the idea of ashy Dorian sounded awesome. I dont find this remotely like Dorian unfortunately.. there is a strong acrid note that must be something "herbal" but instead reads as vaguely citrus and vaguely caustic cleaning agent. I tend to stay away from foody blends, so it's been awhile since I had a 'cake' scent, but I recognize the same white cake note here as was in I Fell In Love With A Floating Brain. IOn my skin it quickly morphs into plastic.

 

I was hoping for Doarian sweetness and softness, with an edge of gritty ash. To me this is acrid herbs and cologne and plasticy white cake.. most unfortunate.

Hmm.. my nose is telling me there is ginger here. Maybe it's an aspect of the macadamia or amber? This winds up being the same slightly off buttery-cream I get from Boo (unfortunate), a hint of coconut, and that weird ginger. I'm reminded of some marshmallow blend that has crossed my path before-- Marshmallow Pumpkin or something with *toasted* marshmallow in it.. that "toasted" part always winds up smelling gingery to me.

 

The bad part is I'm very sensitive to gingery type smells and dont really care for them and this blend is just not really sitting right with me because of that.

I was immediately reminded of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe (Cacao, black musk, and tobacco absolute.) The ambergris and white musk here feel, at first, a little discordant in their brightness against the unsweet cacao and tobacco, but (on me at least) ambergris dries down to a musky your-skin-but-better scent that bridges the two aspects together-- a singing white musk preceding a chewy resinous base.

 

I imagine if I compared this side by side with BTBT there would be notable differences, but the association was so immediate in my mind I cant imagine I'll need to own both of these even though this is a lovely lovely blend!

This is awesome! It is mostly olibanum, of the sort you've smelled if you're familiar with the SN (very real smelling.. woody and sappy), with a little bit of perfumey saltiness and spice.. maybe like a drop of Blood Popsicle made it in here. It's actually a great compliment to the Whisky, Candlesmoke and Musk atmo-- they are great together, and I like this one almost as much as that one because they are similar in feel-- cozy incense soaked occult bookshop, but this one doesnt have as great of staying power. A couple sprays faded away to nothing within an hour (some may prefer that anyway).

Holy cow, how are people not raving about this?! I thought from the notes it had the potential to be pretty funky-stinky, but wanted to try a decant all the same and boy was I blown away! When first sprayed the notes are pretty discernible, and it smells good-- like a hunky dude in a bar, but then they blend together and it becomes this glorious incense and spice and warmth and golden glow... it's hard to describe, but if you like incense blends that smell like your favorite occult bookshop this is for you. Great lasting power too. Sprayed twice in my car and could smell it for 3 days. Probably my favorite atmo since Thriambus!

When I blind bought this I was dreaming it would smell like Gypsy (the moth LE from 2010). That is gorgeous creamy vanilla and cardamom.

 

Well.. Nope. This is straight tobacco. I get nothing else. Very sad. Will keep it a little while to see what happens, but I wish the description wasnt so misleading..

Placed an order on 1/29. Got an email confirmation from the lab immediately. Got an identical email confirmation 2/19. Hoping someone hit the "send receipt" button when they meant to hit the "send shipping notice" button

So, Celeste batch differences. I've had two bottles that are clear/see-through and three that are opaque and a deep amber color on the skin. I'm about to skin test these side by side, but from a bottle sniff, the clear version is more beautiful. They're very similar, but there's something a little strange about the darker one; maybe saffron? It's almost a little woodsy to me.

 

I pulled out my two bottles-- one I bought from the post and a back up I purchased recently off the board. They are both an amber color, but the backup is more clear, while my original bottle is more opaque. When I first sniffed them side by side I thought I could smell a slight difference.. but once I got them on my skin I dont think I can distinguish them. I think it smells a little funky in the bottle, to be honest, but blooms on the skin.. so maybe I'm amping a certain note that's cancelling out whatever might be different between them?

I first purchased this oil in 2009 when I was preparing for my doctoral thesis defense. I knew that the situation wasnt strictly what the oil was intended to address, but I felt drawn to it so I hoped it might help me. I'm a cat person and I liked the idea not only of a lion guarding me during a trying time, but of my heart being instilled with the noble courage of a lion.

 

On the big day I used a finger to apply a smudge of the oil over my heart, while in my head directing myself to be brave, be strong, and I would get through this.

 

Since then I've only used this oil a couple times, during my most trying moments (a job interview most recently) and I do think it has helped. Smelling it occasionally during the event brings my mantra back to mind, and smelling it afterwards on my clothes reminds me that I've survived and made it through the other side.

 

It doesnt have a wide throw, but it is strong enough that I do catch a whiff from a single chest smudge. It reminds me most of Hod.. a golden spicy floral.

Hmm... My bottle arrived yesterday, so hopefully this is a settling issue.. but I used it today and it's just plain musk (very similar to that in the Trading Post Dungeon spray) I dont get anything remotely Bastet like, even sniffing the bottle contents directly. Where is the sweet cherry-like almond/lotus for example?

 

I'll update if this changes.

I ordered this right when it came out, and I guess I just read the description too fast and missed the implication of the "frosted" part... 'vanilla sandalwood' sounded simple but perfect and amazing and I jumped right on it. I was so confused when I got my bottle and all I could smell was the Lab's snow note. I actually wondered if I got a mislabeled bottle. But I checked the description again and "aaaaah... right"

 

So this has aged since I got it (before Christmas) and still.. I only get snow. It's like snow SN. I get absolutely nothing else. I will continue to hold on to it, like several other folks here, to see if age brings anything else out. But I was rather disappointed in this I'm afraid.

Hmm... I was hoping this would remind me of the 'fog' note in Thriambus, which is one of my favorite lab scents ever, but unlike Absinthetics I do not find them remotely similar...

 

This is quite floral to my nose. It's ethereal and unusual to be sure, but I'm not getting that little bit of nose-stinging almost 'cold' vibe I get from the scent of artificial fog.. There have been a couple lab blends that this reminds me of because of a certain celery-like edge to the floral notes.. super weird I know, but I smell celery. Psychological Horror is one, Zarita is another (although I cant be sure of what note they may have in common)

 

I guess it's just not exactly how I imagined it, but I do still enjoy the concept and am interested to see what it does with time and if I enjoy wearing it.

I used to have a bottle of the 2009 variation, but I sold it. My preferences have morphed over time and it was, unfortunately, one of many bottles I regret letting go. I save an imp of everything that crosses my path, and retesting it lately had made me crave more. So, I was quite happy to see it come back this year and immediately ordered a bottle.

 

Wowza is it different. Others have already said, really... To me it's like bubble gum and teen-boy musk cologne. It's light, fleeting, super sweet, and not at all what I wanted. I get zero smoke, which was the main attraction of my previous bottle to me.

 

So... I'll let it age, and in the mean time I've sourced a bottle of 2009 off the forum.

From what I found via Google about nagarmotha, I was expecting something a little more leathery or herbal... My first thought upon sniffing it in the bottle is that it must have some vetiver in it. Once on it opens up a bit and you get more nuances-- the fuzziness of the musk, a soft woodiness that's less like cedar in smell than it is like the softness of cedar wood to the touch... but I still think there's vetiver here because I get that slightly sour smokey burned-vegetation scent. I dont personally find it overwhelming here because so much is going on, but it is unexpected.

 

I'd say this is like the brown fuzzy musk from Brown Jenkins-- it almost has a hint of coconut husk like that blend has, plus a little soft wood and a dash of well-behaved vetiver. I think this will probably age very nicely and become more mellow with time.

YESSSSS I have been wanting a good BPAL Egyptian musk for ages and here it is! It's like dewy skin with a hint of dry grasses and a touch of sweetness. Will test a few more time to be sure but this is probably going to be a bottle purchase.

First things first, this is not a dank/boggy/wet vegetation scent!

When first applied I get a fairly strong blast of high pitched white flowers (they're reminding me strongly of Zephyr.. I imagine it's the "water hyacinth" a note I'm not that familiar with). Peeking out from behind those flowers is a sharp green note-- kind of like stems, but also recognizable as containing some of the "lettuce" note from The Last Unicorn. It disappears almost immediately and that is the end of anything resembling actual greenery here.

As the blend dries down the floral aspect morphs, becoming softer and, honestly, dryer-sheet-like (Zephyr does that to me too). The other notes then emerge: the "moon rocks" (soft, powdery, very slightly sweet), the decidedly aquatic musk (thin and slippery; no deepness or furriness here), and the mosses (kind of a dry green scent). The musk and mosses combine to give a fairly masculine, aquatic-cologne vibe.

The throw I get is clean, soft, cologney white floral. I hope a little aging brings out the musk/powdery rocks more.

I know some people might be wondering how this compares to a couple other beloved "rock" blends-- Staged Moon Landing and Black Opal. Dont get your hopes up.. Those two are more alike than this is to either of those blends. All three have a powdery/soft base that might be vanilla in origin, but I personally think any comparison ends there. This blend has none of the sweetness those blend do.

I actually had this same experience with Lyonesse a few years ago. I wound up selling my bottle as I found it too difference from my imp-- in fact it smelled awful on me, while the blend from the imp was amazing. One of my first batch variation experiences. I dont think it was aging because I kept my bottle for quite awhile to see if it shaped up.

 

wanted to add to clarify: the exact same experience-- vanilla in the imp, heady florals in the bottle.

Oh this one is awesome!

Loads of yuzu, recognizable from Yellow Snowballs, and lime. They combine to make a sour, slightly bitter (absinthe are you helping there? I don't get much of this note otherwise..), juicy fruit scent that is almost green apple-like. I'm most excited about what I think is the "thyme flower", which really smells like thyme-- it's a slightly spicy green scent like crushed herbs-- stems, leaves, flowers all. The "creosote and tar" are not smoky or dank but biting and a little chemically.. they are faint though, and not at all central here.

When I smell this the mental image I get is of a bright green wave, rising higher and higher, then suddenly breaking and falling to the creosote and tar which are lurking far beneath the crest of the wave.

It smells decidedly GREEN, and a little corrosive... Perfect for the concept.

This sounds like it would be dank and musty, but it is definitely not! Upon application I get a lot of almost-grassy green tea and slightly floral violet leaf at the forefront, with a well blended base of powdery myrrh, subtle moss, and very understated patchouli. I'm not familiar enough with immortelle to distinguish it here, but there is a bit of almost flowery sweetness that I think must be it, as I can't really attribute it to another note. The "cement" is the Lab's cologney stone note; it starts faint but as this dries down it becomes more prominent.. about equal with the violet leaf and green tea. I'd call this one earthy-fresh. Bruised Violet Compound (Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root, and Spanish moss) springs to mind as a very similar scent... that combination of earthy sweetness, a little bit of earthy cologne, and a base of earthy greenery.

This is a very well balanced blend-- all the notes are pretty much equal players. Top notes are bright, astringent, sugared grapefruit and lime. I think they're pretty obviously grapefruit and lime, rather than the more common lemon, which is nice. The base is sweet and salty and a little spicy myrrh and ambergris. Upon application the overall effect is somewhat like furniture polish on beautiful wood (I mean this in a pleasant way, not like "lemon pledge").. it's golden and shining and deep and warm. As it dries down the citrus aspect stays pretty true, but the myrrh and ambergris do their skin chemistry thang-- on me they become a little powdery and a little musky. I really love this one for it's juxtaposition between bright and deep notes.. it's fairly simple while still presenting a less traditional contradictory/complementary vibe. I'm a big resin lover, and generally don't care much for citrus blends, but these citrus notes are interesting enough, and there is still enough of a resin base, that I think I will wear this one a lot this summer!

This is fascinating!

From a distance it's a floral aquatic.. I can't quite put my finger on what florals exactly because I dont wear many and so have poor identification skills. They're clean and bright and surprisingly juicy.. Maybe apple blossom? Perhaps a tiny hint of rose? A little nicotiana? I'm guessing..

But a little closer to your skin the more unusual notes emerge..

There is the Lab's salty "tears" note.. clear and yep, salty. I recognize it most recently from The Voice.

And my favorites, the oil and smoke, which are seamless enough here to be as one-- an absolutely true to life greasy oil.. thin, dirty yellow, slightly solvent-like; slippery between your fingers. When I sniff up close they are the most prominent notes, and somewhat obscure the florals, making it even harder to attempt to identify them. But in the throw the smoke and oil are only occasional players.. wafting in and out of the watery floral "flue gas" Eventually they even take on a bit of a resinous vibe from time to time.

I'm not generally a fan of aquatic blends; they are probably the most poorly represented genre in my collection, but this blend is interesting enough that I can see myself wearing it. If you dont count yourself an aquatic-floral lover, but you like smoky, murky, oily blends you might consider giving this one a try.

Hmm... Count me among those wondering why this doesnt smell like Smut All I get is cake and burnt sugar of doom-- one of the worst Lab notes for my chemistry unfortunately.. it's interesting to discover that caramel/burnt sugar also smells like dusty plastic death applied to my hair, as it does applied to my skin.

This one is brilliant! Musky and incensey, with a hint of green and spice. It has a really long lifetime when sprayed in the air (like, days). When I spray it on fabric the scent is quite a bit more sour-- I think the cypress comes out more than when it's sprayed in air.

I agree that it is close to Eldritch Dark! I dont really get much, if any, opium smoke.. it's just a lovely, well balanced blend of musky soft leather and sweet roses. Will definitely get a lot of use around here

Yes, rooty! Almost chemical, medicinal, dusty, spicy roots. Slightly nose-tickling! I also agree with kashmira on the campfire aspect-- there is definitely a sweet smokiness here. The brown leather is prominent, but blends so well with the other notes that it doesnt seem apart from them. No one note stands out.. even my friend clove that so often muscles through everything else. Not at all sweet, almost savory (even a little salty). Dry, warm, smooth.