evilbee

Without looking at the notes, I smell bpal's pumpkin note. It becomes buttery, sweet brown sugar and cream on me. A little too sweetly foody for me. I was hoping for something more boozy and earthy. It's very strong though. Hubby doesn't usually notice my scents and he thought it smelled like cinnamon.

Not knowing the notes, this smelled like a pleasant, quality commercial perfume. Looking at the notes, I can sense the warmth of the metals with a bit of incense, but no sign of anise (thank goodness). I like it and will wear it again, but won't bother with a bottle.

Without knowing the notes I smelled baked apple, thick and sweet and a little spiced. This is yummy! Doesn't last long though.

I really love this. Really really. It's lime and green and sweet, with a hint of cream musk. There's a touch of something that bites, and I'm guessing that's the tea. I'm so in love with this... but why oh why does it have to be so close to the skin??? I have to bury myself in my wrist to even detect it. I may try a bottle so I can slather, or mix with my body oil to layer. This scent is so me.

I got this on a whim because it might possibly interest a friend of mine. However, I tried it on my skin and immediately became glued to my wrist. My friends thought I was insane. This glorious scent I can only describe as sweet cream poured in the cleanest ocean wafted into my nostrils as I sniffed ever so gently. And it only blossomed from there into something musky, maybe a bit woodsy, sweet, creamy and a little salty. I tested it on my husband's finicky and insensitive nose and he actually loved it.

As it develops over the hours, it becomes almost exactly late-Queen Mab on me, only not so in-your-face I AM A SEX GODDESS.

I NEVER expected this smell from the description, or even from the other reviews...

In to my top ten it goes!

I'm really surprised no one mentioned this before. Mama-ji. To me it's exactly Antique Lace but... um... without the vanilla. I know that sounds strange, but it was exactly the same nose-tickling spices and feel. Maybe try layering it?

I'm surprised... I don't think I saw anyone recommend Morocco. It was my first thought... cinnamon bun and musk!

I've been really digging the long-lasting spice of Bezoar lately. It's so smooth, woody, spicey, sexy.

Without looking at the components, I wore this all day and each time I sniffed it I thought "It's a divine combination between The Shivering Boy and Hymn to Proserpine". I detect grapes (wine grapes or concord even), amber, pine and golden musk, a touch of honey and then some smoky vanilla. Now that I read what's in it... isn't that funny? No grapes at all, and that's what I totally smell.

I really love this and it goes through a million different stages. Sometimes it's all sweetened musk. Other times it's grapes and pine. And then it's all fruited amber. My least favourite stage is when it's entirely smoky vanilla, but only because it's so plain in comparison to the other stages.

I really love this. I even got a nice comment this morning from my boss. Hubby says "it's alright", but he doesn't really like musky scents. Oh well.

I thought this would be hokey on me. But seriously, I'm digging it! The butter CO2 is a brilliant bit o business adding to the crrrrreeeeeaminess of this. The vanilla is not of the cloying, my throat's coated in ice-cream ilk. It's more like a sweetener, a stickines on your lips and swishing in your mouth. Of course there's the rootbeer, which is just fun and not tacky or ridiculous. It makes me feel a bit giddy. And if I remember that it's similar to wintergreen, I whiff that and get a little confused why wintergreen is buddied up with vanilla and butter... so then I just stop whiffing. A little bit later, I notice a heavenly, bubbly, creamy scent wafting off my skin and remember it's "rootbeer" again. I wonder if I detect the oak... I can almost picture it being a part of the scent in a way... standing there looking menacingly at the others like "Don't you go all WEIRD on her now, you hear?".

What the heck is onycha? Hmmm, a part of a snail shell. Well that explains it.

This is probably the silliest review ever. I have been Stimulatingly Sassafras STRENGTHENED!!!

I'm so sad about Nostrum Remedium!!! I had really high expectations of a honey sweetened black tea swirled with nose tickling tingle. What I've got on my arm right now is black licorice. When I do catch a whiff of the tea, it's a raw, un-aged, un-fermented kind of tea leaves, not steeped or rounded out in any way. The honey was there at first, trying to maintain order but I think it gave in to the licorice. Well I'm sad.

It's probably the red musk you're reacting to. I was excited about Scherezade until I discovered red musk is an enemy of mine.

I echo all recommendations and would also like to suggest Morocco (if you like sweet things), Shub-Niggurath (like evil gingersnaps), and Baron Samedi (really great clove in there), the Lion (warm, spiced amber). I haven't tried it and I don't know why, but there's also March Hare which is apricot and clove.

Plunder is probably the driest and most spicy, and Bengal smells more of chai (but it doesn't last long on me).

Oh I just noticed about the florals! Harlot is cinnamon and rose, although it was much more cinnamon than rose on me. Mama-ji is a great recommendation for spice and light floral.

I got no strawberries out of Bon Vivant. It was this strange, high-pitched floral on me. I was tremendously disappointed in this as I've been looking for something exactly like that.

I'll agree that Maenad has some really juicy strawberries in there, as long as you don't mind incense. The orange blossom almost ruins it for me, but doesn't last long for a change.

Also Regan, which is sweet vanilla orchid. Agreeing with the Hope and Faith recs.

My first thought was "Titania"! And now I can't think of anything else because it's so perfect.

I can't believe how often I reach for this one. It's quickly entered into my regular cycle along with Dorian, Titania, Antique Lace, Hope, and Emathides. And it's different each time... well, almost. It seems to have a split personality on me. The pear is always there, pretty and juicy and never cooked (I'm not a fan of cooked pears unless they're poached in wine). The vanilla is dead-on to the Antique Lace vanilla to me, only less creamy and more nose-tickling with even more of that spice-non-spice (does that make sense?). And there's always been something else that added to the nose-tickling, but I couldn't quite put a finger on it... until I read Tartchef's review. YES! It's burning leaves. Not in the vetiver sense to me at all, which is all tarry sticky death on me. But more the crisp air, crackling and so dry leaves going up in puffs of smoke. This is incredibly autumn, more so than anything with pumpkin or the usual burning leaves.I feel so sad for anyone that this doesn't work on. That's okay... I'll love it doubly just to make up for it!!!I can't believe how often I reach for this one. It's quickly entered into my regular cycle along with Dorian, Titania, Antique Lace, Hope, and Emathides. And it's different each time... well, almost. It seems to have a split personality on me. The pear is always there, pretty and juicy and never cooked (I'm not a fan of cooked pears unless they're poached in wine). The vanilla is dead-on to the Antique Lace vanilla to me, only less creamy and more nose-tickling with even more of that spice-non-spice (does that make sense?). And there's always been something else that added to the nose-tickling, but I couldn't quite put a finger on it... until I read Tartchef's review. YES! It's burning leaves. Not in the vetiver sense to me at all, which is all tarry sticky death on me. But more the crisp air, crackling and so dry leaves going up in puffs of smoke. This is incredibly autumn, more so than anything with pumpkin or the usual burning leaves.I feel so sad for anyone that this doesn't work on. That's okay... I'll love it doubly just to make up for it!!!

Well, if you're wanting to avoid sweet and he amps it, then he might have trouble with Dorian. To me it's like lemon & vanilla cake batter with lots of white, creamy musk. Tombstone is a good, masculine vanilla suggestion. I also found Sea of Glass to have a lot of vanilla, and aquatics. Mr. Ibis is another that might work as it has vanilla but also a crisp quality to it that could be very masculine.

I almost didn't order this because of the cedar (I'm noticing this is a common thread here) but I'm ecstatic I ordered it anyhow because I'm in deep deep love.

This starts with brisk lavender and hint of cedar, but not at all pencil shavings. It deepens very quickly into syrupy black orchid, chewy black amber and an all encompassing, luminous musk (not white, not black, not at ALL red - more like a shimmering, chilled gold or skin musk). I can smell a hint of dark, juicy fruit, the black currant which briefly did the cat pee thing on me the first time I tried this (almost breaking my heart!) but hasn't done it since then. I also detect what others are mentioning - the caramel. It gradually dies down into purely orchid, amber and blue musk with just an earthy breath of something I assume is the olive blossom. It lasts a good 3-4 hours with better throw than usual - I've had a few great comments already.

I hope one bottle is enough for me.

Aquatic vanilla! I just tried one of those. Sea of Glass, definitely, at least to my nose. It's well loved at least so not a bad thing to try. I also just tried Phobos which is a nice strong lemon/grapefruit.

I crave a strong golden musk, slightly sweet scent, like Tushnamatay or the end of Coyote, only MUCH stronger. Hymn to Proserpine comes close, but is a little too sweetly amber...

Oh, and a peach scent I'll actually love. Sigh.

Thanks, guys! Basically I have been trying to get hold of everything that turned up with "chocolate" or "cocoa" in the Lab site's search results. Exception: have not tried to get Kali since it sounds very floral.

 

For me, the "foody" aspects of a scent are a huge part of the appeal, but I am also open to any "non-foody" chocolates (and vanillas, for that matter).

 

Currently I am wearing my first testing of Centzon Totochtin (another cocoa scent), and... it smelled like strong chocolate liqueur in the bottle... stayed that way for a few seconds on my skin... then became incense-y hard liquor with no chocolate. After an hour or so it is a fascinating incense (minus any chocolate or booze) scent on my skin.

 

So... a scent locket might help the chocolate note last? I guess you bypass the skin chemistry that way, and basically just get the dried version of the scent. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

I have read about Lump of Coal... a bottle sold just this week on Ebay for $81 plus shipping. >_< Still, we can dream... maybe an imp of LOC will show up in my life one day.

 

It looks like Bliss and Boomslang are next when I can get them, as well as Velvet and Intrigue, and any version of 13 that I can find, and... should I try Kali? I generally avoid floral notes unless they are very subtle and well-balanced with other notes. Maybe it is also one worth trying?

 

Thanks again for any suggestions!

Kali to me is cocoa rose and wine, very rich and creamy and not overly floral at all. It's one my top ten.

Enjoy your chocolate journey - it's my favourite note as well.

I vote for The Candy Butcher! It's dark chocolate (as opposed to Bliss's milk chocolate, and Boomslang's disappearing chocolate) that lasts, and with some musky, sweet floral undercurrent.

What an interesting scent!!! The vanilla is smooth and velvety in it's creaminess, with just a hint of smoky sweet swirled through, which must be the opium. A little later the sandalwood blooms through, but not the usual fuzzy sandalwood that I get but like an ultra-glossed and oiled wood. This is a VERY close skin scent which only smells like a HINT of toasted vanilla six inches from my wrist... and I SLATHERED this on.

Poop, and I love it so close to my skin. I guess it will just be a personal scent that will make people wonder why that strange girl has her nose buried in her wrist so much...

I've been looking forward to trying Sea of Glass since forever, but always chickened out on ordering it until recently in a forum purchase. However, I'm disappointed. I've discovered that in fact I do not like aquatics on my skin. Maybe I'm salty enough already?

This is salty with bitter citrus (like lemon peel) and some softness of vanilla. There is also something green about it, like snapped stems. I understand why others love it, but it's salty bitter with clashing creamy sweetness on my skin.

Off to swaps with you!

This is pretty funny. On my spreadsheet the preconceived impression I got from reviews was: "Strong melon with the bite of pepper and musty tobacco. Odd.". As I tested this one, that's EXACTLY what I perceived. So my review is also "Strong melon with the bite of pepper and musty tobacco. Odd.".

I'll stick with Yemaya for my melon, thank you.

Have I really not reviewed this yet?? I must have been busy wearing this too much...

I really expected to prefer Abhisarika (musk, cream, orchid and rose??? that's a big no brainer), but no, Vasakasajja has stolen my heart. This has deep, lush tropical fruit like something I've read about but never even seen or tasted; rich, sweet, brown, real vanilla like vanilla beans warmed by the sun; and laced all the way through is a purple, grape-y orchid steaming in the jungle. I wear this whenever I want to feel deadly feminine, along with a low cut shirt. That way Vasakasajja can waft up to me all day.