theseagrows

ooh, liking this a lot at first! i get musk, honey, patchouli and the cashmere labdanum. it's warm, rich and a bit decadent. after a minute or two the patchouli really amps up, and this gets a bit earthier. the honey in this is goooorgeous, i might add. after about 20 minutes, it's a woody-baby powder scent. i get more cedar at this point, and maybe a hint of clove and mimosa. after another 20 minutes or so it's a warm, yellow musky scent. i really do like this one. perfect if you want a rich honey musk with other elements. eta: after the drydown this is even more gorgeous-i believe it's mostly the cashmere labdanum. i need a bottle of this!

hmm, not what i expected. at least at first. i get almond and coconut and something fizzy. wherever could that fizziness be coming from?! this is a very subtle scent, i can hardly smell it on me. *slathers more on* the amber and teakwood seem to be subtle background singers in this. after slathering, the almond seems stronger a bit longer but then i get the fizziness again, kind of like the lab's champagne note. i get almond and champagne and maybe a hint of coconut. after about 10 more minutes i get more teakwood, then it fades to a honeyed fizz and is nearly gone.

this smells very classic, as others have mentioned. starts with a bold but dusty rose. it smells just like a classic scent i've smelled before, but i can't place it. the spices are not distinguishable to me. after awhile the rose seems to become less dusty, slightly more fresh, and the spices are blending better at this point. i do like spicy rose scents and this one doesn't disappoint. i am liking the classic vibe. not sure it's a keeper, just because i have a lot of spicy rose and rose scents, but possibly.

at first i get a strong cardamom with ti leaf and rice milk. it's foody, but not in the typical way at all. the cardamom (i think) smells almost caramel-y. then the ginger comes through and the ti leaf gets stronger. it's a cool spicy scent, unlike other bpal's i've tried. i really love it after it's been on the skin for about 10 minutes, and the caramel-y thing dies down and the ti leaf becomes more prominent. it kind of smells like a mildly smoky green tea in a way. so lovely.

i think this is mostly beeswax with some earthiness from the patchouli. the honey is subtle, it's like a dirty beeswax on me. i like it, but it's not a love. i have other beeswax scents i prefer, perhaps it's because the patchouli is too strong for me...

ah yes i smell snake oil and sugar at first, with the honey peeking out seconds later. after a couple minutes it seems to bloom, but i am unsure what note i'm getting now-something kind of earthy, almost leathery. after about 15-20 minutes i get the vanilla cream, which really thickens the scent. i really like this! out of all the snake oil "flankers" that i've tried, this one smells the closest to the original to me. personally, i prefer them, as snake oil doesn't really work on me. i think perhaps this may be the closest thing to snake oil i can wear though, yay!

what a beautiful tea scent. from the outset i get white tea and vanilla orchid. later on i get the sandalwood, but don't seem to smell any honeycomb. i was kind of hoping for a honey-tea scent. this is very light and pretty though- a great spring or summer scent.

this scent definitely smells polished. it's like soft polished woods, with something almost mildly green and/or fruity that i cannot place. perhaps it's the "ivory"? it smells clean, kind of like freshly shampooed hair. the amber is in the background. this isn't what i expected. i somehow thought it'd be much more like a creamy wood scent. it's fresher than i thought.

i think i am getting orris butter and narcissus with a hint of vanilla. mostly white florals, but a hint of creamy sweetness from the vanilla to tone it down. it smells like springtime. after a few minutes i think i get hints of bergamot, but narcissus is definitely the front-runner here. after about 20 minutes, the narcissus has finally toned down a bit and the scent is more balanced, like a creamy white floral. i enjoy it much more at this point, but fear the narcissus is still just a bit too strong for me. i guess i was hoping that it would be more of a background note. ETA: i do like this after it's been on my skin one hour +, at this point it's a narcissus-vanilla and much creamier.

received this as a frimp. right off i get dirt and dryish melon....i think it's veviter and patchouli though. there is a slight sweetness, not sure what it is. the clove also comes out quickly- a slight spiciness. it's an earthy, dry, spicy scent, mostly vetiver and clove on me.

this starts with patchouli and maybe a hint of amber. soon after i get the distinct pencil shaving scent of frankincense, luckily not too much. then the champaca gets quite intense, and it's primarily a warm amber-champaca scent. in the end it's an amber with champaca and vanilla-very warm and cozy, like others have noted.

i am mostly getting the indigo musk at the beginning, with some patchouli. it smells very indigo and black, i think the description does it justice. after awhile it's mostly musk with a slight sweetness, and a hint of oakmoss way in the background. i don't seem to get any olibanum and the patchouli has largely faded. this is an interesting scent, but i'm not sure how i feel about it yet. i may have to re-try.

oh no, right off, something in this is not agreeing with my skin chemistry-it's kind of like an unclean bathroom with an air freshener trying to mask the scent but failing. i am guessing that's the gurjum balsam because it's the only note i'm not familiar with, though i'm not sure i've ever tried the lab's "blue amber". luckily that note fades pretty quickly and then i get some ylang ylang, orris, benzoin and maybe a bit of amber. after about 2 minutes i smell myrrh and the scent is also getting a bit soapy, which i think comes from the amber, balsam and myrrh. it then loses the soapiness, and gets powdery, in the way that myrrh does. this smells classic me, and it dries down to a really pretty powdery ylang ylang.

i've been wanting to try this for years, and finally tracked down a decant. i've tried very few single notes, but carnation has always been a favorite note, so this one has been at the top of my list to try. in the vial it smells like a real bundle of carnations and i am instantly transported back to my grandmother's yard, full of carnations, roses and gladiolas. i put it on my skin and it smells almost just like in the vial, but there is something else, slightly creamy and airy in the background. overall, a spicy carnation with a hint of creaminess. i am in love!

i received a frimp of this in a swap it's definitely a honeysuckle with hints of other florals and greenery. it smells like fresh flowers blooming in the rain or snow...i think this is a perfect rainy spring scent, actually. i get a bit of sweet pea to sweeten the scent, but this is primarily honeysuckle and a greenish floral note. nice for spring yet not something i would wear all that much, though it is pretty.

in the vial i smell lavender and a melange of notes that i can't pick out. on the skin i smell blood orange and lavender at first, then benzoin and apricot peek out quickly. after about 5 minutes on the skin, it's a lavender-benzoin with blood orange musk. the apricot is there but just as a background note. i'd say if you like musky orange blends, to try this. it's very warm and comforting.

i am not into fruity scents, but i love leather and the idea of this just spoke to me. at first, i get a non-realistic strawberry and lots of leather. i am really liking it so far. after a couple of minutes on, the strawberry dominates. nooo leather come back! though i am glad this isn't turning plasticky, as some fruit scents do. now it smells like strawberry candy with a bit of vanilla and leather. this scent keeps making me think of the movie, cry baby, something like the scent combination of wade and allison. anyway, strawberry seems to be dominating on me, though i can still smell some leather-this is eating those candies with the strawberry shaped wrapper while wearing a leather jacket. i'm so glad i tried this-i will wear this when i need a pick-me-up.

on initial application it smells like shampoo and dirt. i am guessing i'm getting mostly chrysanthemum-it's floral and a bit sweet. shortly after that dirt-type note disappears and i am left with chrysanthemum and a hint of incense. there is a hint of spiciness from the carnation, but it's subtle. this is primarily chrysanthemum incense on me.

this is heavy on the myrrh at first. i get iris and a bit of rose, and a tiny bit of frankincense. i think it's mostly myrrh and iris. this rose is slightly sour on me. i am a rose lover, but occasionally some of bpal's roses go sour/dead smelling. this one does, but luckily it's very subtle. i like this overall, except for the sourness. luckily, after about an hour on the skin there is no sourness and this is a myrrh-iris cloud. so pretty! it smells very classic to me, and the drydown just gets more and more gorgeous as the hours go by.

i am so excited to finally be trying this! i've been waiting for awhile. this starts as a beautiful true red rose-it smells just like the real petals. i also sense the stem and a tiny hint of sap. a few minutes later when the sap balances out the rose, the scent changes subtly. it's a little bit of a perfumey rose with a fruity sweetness in the background-a dewy, slightly fruity rose.

i smell a slightly sweet tobacco and benzoin at the beginning. there's something light and glowy in this-i think it may be the incense. whatever it is, i like it a lot. after being on my skin for about 10 minutes, i get the vanilla which adds a gorgeous sweetness. i will definitely keep my decant for when i'm craving a tobacco incense scent.

this smells like resins with hints of patchouli. after a minute or two i get some vetiver, and in the far off distance, a hint of rose. i do believe myrrh is the strongest note though, and it continues to be after several minutes. i don't seem to get any of the vanilla until it's been on my skin about 10 minutes-then i get just a hint. ultimately this is mostly myrrh with rose, with myrrh being the strongest note. a like but not a love.

how did i never review this? i still have some left! it's a very pretty dark berry shade-sort of a cross between dark red, pink and purple. it goes on smooth and dries quickly. looks impeccable, and it's a unique color, i don't seem to have any colors similar to it. i always do 2 coats, and that seems to be just the right amount. it's one of my favorite nail polishes out of my collection.

in the beginning i smell orris, rice paper and a hint of jasmine. after about 5 minutes, i get hints of benzoin, which is vanilla-like. i think the red chypre comes out later. this is a subtle scent, but very pretty in an understated sort of way. an understated jasmine is nice, especially since it can be so in your face at times. i think the orris/rice paper add a nice powdery balance to the jasmine. a satisfying melange of opposites.

oh boy, the cigarette smoke note is more literal than i imagined. it's pretty smoky, at least so far. it smells like this scotch i once drank at a scottish owned bar in san francisco. (one of my favorite bars in SF-edinburgh castle. go if you visit ) anyway, yeah, it smells super smoky and kind of like rubbery burning tire tread. or maybe my chemistry just amps this to 11. i smell the incense in the background, which is a headshop type incense, but the rubbery smoke still dominates and is quite strong. yeah, i think i'll need to scrub this one off soon... ETA: i did not scrub and 1-2 hours after first applied, it smells nice-it's a lingering incense with a hint of sweet leather, and i like this stage, just not sure i can stand that beginning part with my skin chemistry.