Gateau

This is remarkably non-morphy on me. From the imp to wet on skin to dry it's just pure milk chocolate all the way. If it has any down moments, it's like the smell of cocoa butter, so still very close to pure chocolate. I am not usually one for sweet foodie scents, but I found this enveloping and comforting. It's something lovely to wear at bedtime or when cuddling my children. And the layering possibilities are endless! I made a pain au chocolat scent by combining with Bread and Butterfly. It has a surprising amount of throw and lasts a long time. Yummy.

In the imp -- fern, lavender, anise. Color impression is green with a touch of purple.

Wet -- It's very green plus lilac sweetness. The lavender and anise add something aromatic and bitter.

Dry -- This reminds me of some kind of fancy lotion from the 70s. Maybe I smelled it at someone's house. It's the fern, I think, giving me this impression. Not bad, it's sort of creamy, green, and herbal but I think I would like it better as a lotion or soap. The more the rose comes out the more it turns to soap/lotion on my skin.

This starts out sweet with a strong dose of the bitter powderiness I associate with carnation and white flowers. Eventually that fades, leaving a very pleasant floral sweetness combined with skin musk, but I'm not getting tuberose at any phase. I've tried many Lab blends containing tuberose, and I never can pick up that heady blossom that is usually very distinctive to me. I think for strong tuberose I need to stick with more commercial blends like Fracas.

In the imp -- vanilla and something aquatic or green, that indefinable "mineral" note that so many have mentioned.

Wet -- vanilla, musk, sharpness.

Dry -- something lotiony is pulling the vanilla in a direction that doesn't appeal to me. This sometimes happens to me with musks.

I love the vanilla softness this dries to, but there are enough elements pulling against it that I don't really care for that I'll add to the swap pile.

This is a new favorite for me. I very much love vanilla, and find it's often either underappreciated as a subtle and complex note (that "plain vanilla" connotation), or splashed around in a cheap and cloying way. This vanilla is dry and complex and sophisticated.

In the imp -- vanilla and a light somewhat sharp and herbal note.

Wet -- dry vanilla and that boozy or green sharpness, not at all foodie.

Drydown -- the dry vanilla stays dominant, but an almost woody note emerges (orris root?). The vanilla orchid is there but it's not a heady floral.

Dry -- as this wears, the sharpness and woodiness mellow and combine beautifully with the vanilla, giving a softness and warmth that never strays into overly sweet foodiness.

What I particularly love about this scent is that it tells a story as it wears. The initial phases are a little showier and throw-ier, as you imagine a courtesan might lay it on a bit thicker to get your attention. As you get closer to her, though, the scent calms down and becomes warm and intimate and comforting, but without ever fully enveloping you. It's sophisticated and complicated.

This is one worth collecting for me. I'm just sorry I missed it by a hair when it was introduced right before I got interested in BPAL.

The Dormouse smells very grassy to me, but it's tea and charming fuzzy creatures!

In the imp -- more floral and light than I'd imagined

Wet -- suddenly it's a little urine-like, or like when you leave cut flowers in water too long, uh oh. Doesn't bode well.

Drydown -- luckily the pee phase passes quickly. Now it's a very pretty sweet pear-floral with some underlying deeper notes, but nothing very dark (violet leaf, etc.). Can't really make out the patchouli, which is nice since I'm patchouli-sensitive.

Dry -- Now it gets a little spicier and a touch powdery, but it's very nicely balanced and well blended. I like this as a cooler summer day/evening/rainy day fragrance. Like many of the reviews say, it's pretty close to the skin and fades rather quickly.

This is my darkest oil yet in terms of color. It's a beautiful rich deep brown. On my skin it looks like iodine until it's absorbed.

Imp--sweet and fruity

Wet--love the sweet berries and amber. Not sure what kewda attar smells like. Awaiting the musk.

Drydown--the musk comes on more strongly now, but it's much more pleasant to me than how I tend to experience red musk, which does something both cloying and rotten on me. The berries are really keeping it in check. Maybe I can wear dark musk.

Dry--Hm, or maybe not. The berries sort of burn their way off, and now I'm left with mostly musk, the kind of musk that bugs me. There is something sort of grapey that wafts over once in a while, but mostly it's just the musk I can't wear. I might see what aging does to my decant.

Lab frimp. Thanks, Lab!

In the imp -- bergamot and aquatic wetness, not too much eucalyptus, which is a scent I associate with the shampoo they usually have at the nicer gyms and spas.

Wet -- a fresh, not lotiony, aquatic. Now it does remind me of a spa, but not as much eucalyptus.

Dry -- stays pleasant and fresh. However, I think I'd enjoy this more as a room scent, detergent, or soap than perfume.

The listed notes appealed to me so much that I included this in my very first imp order from the Lab, and then was disappointed when it was accidentally omitted. The Lab's wonderful customer service made sure to get it to me with my next order.

My expectation was something that would smell like when you walk into the shoe department at Bergdorf Goodman -- flowers, perfume, expensive shoe leather, cool air, polished wood. It wasn't exactly that the first time I tried it, and I was a bit let down, but that was in the spring and now that I'm thinking about fall fragrances I decided to try again.

In the imp -- nicely blended: a little orchid, a little something nutty, a citrus tang.

Wet -- lemony with a soft woody base and a burst of orchid. It's a true lemon, not a lemon furniture polish I sometimes get when combined with wood.

Dry -- the leather comes out, and it's a new shiny leather, but it smells more expensive to me than the hard black leather note I don't like in Whip. The citrus remains prominent, though I can't pick out the grapefruit vs. the lemon peel. No mint. The orchid is there, but recedes at bit. The woods are there but not dominating (hallelujah because I often amp them) and I think the tea and amber are holding it all together nicely.

Fades after a couple of hours, but I don't mind reapplying. This has turned out to be a keeper and something I can see wearing often, including to work.

Bottle: orange, tonka, bergamot, something a little figgy, something a little flowery

Wet: bergamot sharpness and tonka

Drydown: like Beatrice33, I got a strong whiff of Chanel No. 5, plus tonka. Then it goes a little bitter.

Dry: softens up, and I really like the Chanel-like throw. But I get almost nothing of the fruits and flowers, and the sharpness never quite settles all the way down.

It's a very sophisticated and complex fragrance, but I think my particular body chemistry isn't allowing me to enjoy all of its elements fully. I will keep trying it on and use my decant, but I'm not sure a bottle is in the cards.

I get a strong feeling of rice pudding from Brood XIX.

This was a Lab frimp. I am apprehensive because (1) cherry notes often smell like cough syrup to me and (2) I amp the hell out of wood to the exclusion of all else.

Imp -- yep, cherry cough syrup with touch of wood.

Wet -- still smells like cherry medicine, with slightly more polished wood.

Dry -- it's incredibly reminiscent of a Manhattan cocktail (one of my favorites) with the deep wood smelling like the bourbon plus cherry and currant notes (I can't make out the currant on its own) as the sweet vermouth and maraschino cherry. Less happy whiffs smell like a cherry flavored cigar.

Much as I love Manhattans, I really don't want to smell like I spilled one all over myself. Fortunately, this faded fairly quickly. I sent the imp to a cocktail-loving friend.

This was a Lab frimp. Very nice, because I hadn't noticed this one in all my combing through the GC offerings.

Imp--strongly neroli with a little fruit

Wet--dominated by the neroli, with the blood orange pulling out just a touch of the orange-ness of the blossoms. It reminds me a lot of the French macaroons I made with orange-flower water.

Dry--once it's dry the raspberry comes out a bit more, and the neroli tones down, making it lightly flowery and fruity. It's very lovely, but very light and disappears quickly.

This is one that would need some judicious slathering, but I don't think it's quite appealing enough to me to want to do that. I think it would be very nice on a younger person, but for me I'd want it to have touch of something woodier, warmer, or darker just to give it some balance.

In a triumph of hope over experience, i ordered the 2011 version, even though the 2009 smelled like raspberry vinaigrette on me.

Bottle-- very dark color. Took a sniff, same vinegary note.

Wet -- that's better. It's a blend of berries (can't distinguish one from another) and the sweet cherry note. Rich and fruity-sweet.

Dry-- Damn, the musk comes out again and it's the same too-sharp vinegary note.

I liked it in the wet phase, but while the journey is a little different, it ends up in the same place. Not a good one for me.

So patchouli and I don't generally get along, especially the red. It turns into cinnamon-scented play doh on me and will not leave. But I got an imp of Depraved and fell for the fresh-turned earth note. Are there other patchouli blends with that particular note? I enjoyed the apricot and love both fruit and flowers, but it was super sweet on me. Would love to try that earthy patchouli in other combinations.

This was a half-decant gifted by a lovely forumite.

Imp--sugared fruit, a honeydew note.

Wet--I get that watermelon candy others mentioned. It's sweet and fruity and sparkling pink but there is a touch of depth and warmth from the amber musk, cacao and vanilla.

Dry--the mellow plum-apricot-vanilla notes hold firm, with all this lovely sugar sparkle.

This is my girlhood ballerina princess dreams in a bottle. It's also the smell I'd love my kids to think of as mommy when they cuddle up on my lap.

This was a frimp from the Lab, and I was nervous about trying it because patchouli is generally impossible for me to wear.

In the imp -- I gingerly took a sniff and was delighted to smell enough juicy sweet apricot and little enough icky patchouli to want to skin test.

Wet -- more sweet luscious apricot nectar with just a dusting of earthy patchouli.

Drydown -- the patchouli is coming forward but so far just makes the apricot smell natural and earthy. The patchouli smells like freshly-turned earth.

Dry -- I do get the piney pencil shaving note that others have mentioned (no surprise, since I seem to amp this note wherever it presents) but still pleasantly earthy and fruity. It smells like I've been rolling around in the dirt (and maybe some wood chips) while getting drenched in apricot juice, a very sexy smell. If it's "depraved," it's depraved in the sense that sex is only dirty if you're doing it right; it doesn't smell corrupted to me in any way.

I don't see wearing this every day or slathering it on -- this is something to dot on intimate pulse points when I'm feeling sexy in a roll-in-the-dirt sort of way. Can't see needing more than the imp. And do need to find more with this particular patchouli note.

Another Lab frimp!

In the imp -- sweeter and more fragrant than I'd expected, sort of spicy tea.

Wet -- incensy, sort of like cologne.

Drydown -- reminds me of the cologne + fire smell of Fire Eater. Uh oh, that was a bad one for me.

Dry -- getting more of the fire smell now, hoping it gets smokier because this is too sharp and somehow ozoney for my taste. I know it's weird to talk about ozone with fire, but that's how I perceive it. It's a piney sort of note that bites my nose and hits me in the gut, gives me a sort of gurgle in the belly, not from hunger, but from emptiness.

Later -- it's very clearly smouldering cinders, not a pleasant wood fire or anything smoky.

This is not something I want to wear, but I'm glad I got to try it. Very evocative and quite an achievement.

This was a frimp from the Lab. Very nice, since it had been on my must try list.

In the imp -- pear, dewy magnolia, rose

Wet --uh oh, the magnolia and pear combine to give me the impression of a dirty diaper. Actually, it's a dead ringer for baby lotion, which puts me in mind of dirty diapers.

Dry down -- the rose comes out and I suspect we're going to end up soapy, like so many of these light rose blends do on me. I can't make out any individual pear note or tuberose for that matter This is what Endymion does on me, the rose outweighs the pear.

Dry -- The pear seems to be keeping any soapy tendencies in check. It's a light fruity rose. Very pretty.

It ends up so close to Endymion on me that I don't see the need to have both. I'll keep the imp, I expect, if I can weather that wet phase.

In the imp -- herby apple shampoo. Pretty.

Wet -- not much throw. This is primarily apple, mixed with some grassy herbs. The apple is more red than the green apple I tend to get in other apple blends, such as Delirium. It may not be quite as red and juicy as the apple in Shango.

Dry -- This is warm, herby apple, like a late summer orchard. The amber isn't it's own note, but warms it all up and adds sunshine. Could be nice on a country weekend in the fall.

Later -- This has gotten increasingly potpourri-like and less pleasant to wear. I think it would make a nice room scent, but it smells like a Yankee Candle now.

This was a frimp from the Lab. Was pleased to get it, as I had some notion that I like rummy, sugary scents.

In the imp -- sweet butter rum

Wet -- a blend of sugars and rum extract, rather than actual rum

Dry -- the sweetness takes on a caramelized, slightly smoky or burned edge, perhaps from the oak. It's still very sweet and rummy, and that smokiness makes it less cloying. However, I seem to be coming to the conclusion that none of these sugar-and-rum scents really appeal to me as perfumes. Will swap.

This was a frimp from the Lab. Thanks, Lab!

In the imp -- very green and soapy

Wet -- a green fresh scent, with Ivory soap

Dry -- starts to pick up a bitter edge, almost burnt smelling. Still soapy.

Not for me.

In the imp -- a hint of dried leaves and apple with a dominant cough medicine note. I suspect this is the toothpaste/wintergreen note that others noticed.

Wet -- oaky, with that medicine, slightly menthol, scent layered over apple.

Drydown -- menthol/medicine still dominating, with a hint of the smoky autumn scents. The apple smells sweet and sort of artificial. The throw gives me a very pleasant sense of woodsmoke, which is attractive, but then up close it's medicinal.

Dry -- The smoke/oak and medicine starts to dissipate, making it more strongly sweet apple, but though more pleasant, it loses its complexity. Not for me.

Imp -- yep, blackberry and heather. Slightly dusty, which is how I think of heather.

Wet -- not much throw. I get that dusty note with the soft heather and bit of fruit. Gentle.

Dry -- turning into soap on me. Nice classy rose soap. I can see the bar of it, it's round with embossed lettering and rose design on it. I'd wash with it, but I don't want to wear it. Swap.