boomtownrat

I once wore a BPAL with violet in it and after a few minutes I started developing a migraine. Now I have an advance warning system in my brain; just opening a vial or bottle of a scent containing violet is like a spike to the head, but at least that pain doesn't linger as long as I get the violet scent away from me. I don't know if violet leaf or Parma violet will do the same but I'm afraid to find out.

Here is one of the scents that creates a vivid mental image when I wear it, almost like a scent-play in my mind.

 

Plum is the leading lady. Black currant and Amaretto are supporting actors. Burgundy wine is an extra lingering in the background of the scene. This labored theatrical metaphor is brought to you by my scent impression of a deep burgundy plush velvet curtain. Bordello is kind of dramatic sometimes, like a prima donna hogging the limelight, but sometimes she's a little shy.

 

Before I got a bottle of Smut 2013, Bordello was what I wore when I craved Smut. (I had smelled an older version of Smut on a friend and started jonesing for it hard.) Now that I have both, I'm going to try layering because I get a similar tone from them, as if Bordello and Smut were two plays written by the same author. Maybe they're even scenes from the same play and Bordello leads into Smut. I haven't figured that part out yet.

 

This is one of the most successful frimps I've ever gotten from the Lab. Its red-violet nature feels natural for me. Striking the perfect balance of sweetness and sultry booze, Bordello isn't so loud that it's inappropriate for my work in a creative field. If I worked in banking, for example, I might apply it more sparingly. As it is, I often like to slather it.

 

Bordello has pretty good throw and lasts for a few hours before I want to apply more. Now that it's springtime I expect I'll be wearing it a lot more often, as it's perfect for the time of year when the world starts to awaken.

At the Mad Monster Party horror convention, I wore Goblin on Friday and Third Charm yesterday. I think today I might wear another one of my Weenies for the last day of the con, but I haven't decided on one yet. I'm leaning towards something pumpkiny, although Bloody Banister would make a lot of sense.

In the imp I smell cherry and lilies. On my skin this is nothing but straight up spike-through-the-head white floral. There's nary a cherry to be whiffed. Lily is a beautiful flower, but I don't want to smell like one, especially since my head hurts. I guess now I can say with reasonable certainty that I should avoid calla lily, lily of the valley, and probably stephanotis. Before it could even dry fully, I had to wash it off with baking soda followed by soap, just to be sure.

Recently I got a frimp of Psyche in an eBay auction. With some trepidation, I tested it on one wrist last night. Bulgar rose is far too heady for me in a couple of scents that I've tried, most notably Baghdad, and it was no different with Psyche. Florals can trigger migraines or nausea in me, so the notes did give me pause, but lavender and most kinds of musk are good, so I thought just a small dab would be enough to tell me if I could wear it.

 

Lavender is a note I like, so I was happy when it came out singing after I applied Psyche. Then came a chord composed of a few vaguely resinous and floral notes in a different key. Bulgar rose showed up like a diva and hogged the stage, belting louder than the other notes could sing and making me just want to silence the discord. I could tell that some of the individual notes would be pleasing, but not all of them together, at least for me.

 

Based on past experience, I feel it's the rose and frankincense that didn't work for me. I still haven't tried much Chinese musk but I think it might be the one musk I don't get on with very well.

 

I washed this off when I realized it was just pitched too high and in the wrong key for my body chemistry.

I'm now leaning toward Banshee Beat for today. I only have a decant that I rarely wear, but it's a special occasion, after all.

I'm torn between Dorian and Aeval for St. Patrick's Day. Dorian might win out simply because I like it more, but I haven't tried Aeval more than once. Hmm.

It might just be due to the fact that the Red Bird of Bitchiness has flown in for a visit this week, but I experience this as a cedar single note. That's actually not bad, because I do like that smell, but it's just not what I expected at all. The other surprise, given the notes, is that it has low throw. It's decently long-lasting and already has a longer life on my skin than it did two days ago when I got it. I think if I give it some time - if only to get past the whacked-out hormones - this will be a more complex scent on me.

 

ETA: Yes, the next day I could smell patchouli under a certain soft sweetness. Then today it was a bit woody again, but hormones were still on the wrong end of the seesaw today. I do love that I can wear this at that time of the month without tragic results, but I like the sweeter, patchouli-heavier version more.

 

ETA 2: Feed Me is now several months old and the honey and patchouli are gorgeously blended together. This isn't as woody as it was at first. Maybe I should have bought more than one bottle, but I'm not sweating it. There are so many other good things to smell.

This was a generous frimp from the Lab.

 

At first I can hardly smell Sin, which was unexpected given the notes. As it dries, though, it blooms on my skin into the softest scent containing patchouli that I think I've ever worn. The cinnamon is the most prominent note and it blends beautifully with the others. Patchouli is really more of a subtle base note in Sin on me, but I like that it isn't very similar to any of the other patchouli scents I have. It does seem to be like a cousin to Snake Oil, or really closer to Saw-Scaled Viper due to the cinnamon. Because I love both of those scents, that's a good thing.

 

ETA: Two days later, I'm getting almost a cola overtone from Sin and I really love it. That might be due to hormones, but hopefully not. This has claimed a spot on my list of favourites for sure!

Goblin, in perfume form, is my swooning high school love for the edgy, wonderfully weird boy who probably grew up to write code and go to Burning Man. This transports me back 23 years, to exploring the local head shop and New Age store, to nights of Skinny Puppy and Bauhaus and candles and cyberpunk everything. I put Goblin on and I'm 17, feeling for the first time like I could live a life of excitement and endless intellectual curiosity. It's exhilarating and yet it makes me imagine the road I chose not to take - an intellectual exercise in itself, and one that I welcome.

 

This was a generous frimp from the Lab. The coconut and patchouli in Goblin are addictively fantastic together and the benzoin is the sweet, beautiful glue that binds them. It reminds me of Banshee Beat and will be the bottle I buy instead of hunting down an expensive bottle of BB. This is also similar to #occupywallstreet, but mellower and sweeter. Its bottled nostalgia is a comforting hug.

 

Even fresh from the mailbox while I'm hormonal, Goblin is gorgeous. I can only imagine how much better it could get. Lately I've been obsessed with the Lab's patchouli note. With scents like this available, that probably isn't going to change.

 

(Edited because I finally realized what this scent truly evokes for me and what makes it so magical.)

In the imp I smell all citrus, but before looking at the reviews I wasn't sure of the notes. Wet on my skin the orange blossom, well, blossoms. It's not long until the kumquat, white pepper, and the white tea emerge, in that order. Something about the combination makes me think of a white grape for one weird moment, but soon I can pick out all the notes again. The kumquat and orange blossom seem to amp the most on me. It doesn't have huge throw, but I think this is going to be a mood booster.

The Lab sent me this as a frimp sometime last year and I tried it only once before moving on to other new smellies. Then I misplaced the frimp for a while. Today I've been on a small cleaning kick and I found the ersatz imp case (read: Maxalt container) that contained Port-au-Prince and several beloved imps that I'd been missing. Now to review it, finally.

 

In the imp, this smells like a rum and Coke. Wet on my skin, there's a brief period when I get a whiff of Dr. Pepper, of all things. That might be the sassafras and clove. On the dry-down, there's a buttered rum feeling for a while and then it settles into a lovely, warm bay rum with the sassafras, clove, and almond in the background once it's fully dry. Now I can't stop huffing my arm. Even though it's a boozy scent, I still think I could get away with wearing it to work because the spice is more predominant, it doesn't have a powerful throw, and I work in an unconventional office in a creative field.

 

This would have been perfect on the cruise to Haiti and Jamaica that my husband and I took in January, and I would have taken it along if only I had found it in time. It reminds me just as much of Jamaica as it does Haiti. Whenever I want to evoke the feeling of that cruise, I'll put on some Port-au-Prince. I also think it would layer fantastically well with Snake Oil or Morocco and could even give an alcoholic boost to even Smut, which doesn't go very boozy on me. I'll wear it any time of year. Thanks for another brilliant blend, Beth!

Kabuki is cherry-dominant in the bottle.

 

When I first got it, I didn't have the patience to wait a couple of days and let it settle from shipping. That was a mistake because it was an unpleasantly licorice-dominant, stinging scent.

 

Today, a little over a week later, I'm giving Kabuki a longer skin test. As it dries, it's smoother and more blended than it was fresh out of the mailbox, but I still think it needs a bit more time to age and mellow. Unfortunately for me, I want to smell like cherry Twizzlers but the star anise is amping on me. It's odd that the star anise is a little too sharp to my nose, because Butterscotch Balls & Black Beetles is one of my best scents, I like anise as a flavour, and I'm one of those people who loves black licorice.

 

Red musk is a note that my skin amps in nearly all of the several scents I own that contain it, but in this blend it's a supporting player. Likewise, cherry stands out pretty well in Blood Kiss but not in Kabuki. Star anise wasn't quite as noticeable on me in BB&BB, but maybe that's because the patchouli whipped it into submission. Maybe with more age on the bottle, all the notes will become more integrated. Until then, I think I will try layering it with Dragon's Musk or Smut.

 

My colour impressions of this scent are red, black, and white in that order. You'd think the black would be top because of the dominant star anise, but no.

Yesterday I got my bottle of Smut 2013. It's probably too soon to know its potential, but I've been craving a bottle since a friend wore her older Smut - I'm going to guess probably 2007 or thereabouts - and I loved it so much that I knew I needed some, but I was too late for last year.

 

Even though it was still chilly from sitting in my mailbox all day, even though I knew it needed to settle, I put some on one wrist last night. I liked it, and I couldn't figure out what scent it resembled. I decided to give it a day-long test today and it finally hit me as I applied it that Smut 2013 reminds me of Dragon's Musk without the dragon's blood resin. (Now I know that Dragon's Musk isn't quite as "all DBR, all the time" as I've been thinking - it's just that my nose didn't identify the musk.) For now at least, this is nearly all musk with a vaguely salty undertone. It gives me a dry impression, not sweet. Maybe the booze is a salty rum.

 

This doesn't have a lot of throw at first, but as it dries it intensifies. I'd say it lasts a while because when I woke up this morning, I could still smell a little bit of sweetness from last night's dab. That makes me hopeful that it will sweeten a little bit as it settles and ages.

 

I'm thinking I might layer it with all kinds of things: Bordello, Snake Oil... I might even try it with Sic Erit and Third Charm. To me that's a good sign, because those are some of my favourites. Grog or Port Au Prince would probably make sense too, but only if I find that the boozy notes don't emerge with aging. For me, out of the combinations I've tried, this only layers well with Snake Oil and Bordello.

 

ETA, 2/26/13: I'm giving Smut 2013 another test today. After it's had a few days to settle from shipping, it's sweeter - more like what I wanted it to be. There seems to be a bit of my beloved red musk in there. Yay! I still think it will improve with some age on it.

 

ETA, 2/7/2014: Smut 2013 still has that salty smell, which I also get from Dragon's Musk. I almost never want to wear it, unfortunately, but I put some on the other day and it hasn't changed much from last year. There's a little more of my beloved red musk peeking out, which has sort of a grapelike quality on me, but not enough to counteract the salt. One day I might swap or sell this, but I'll let it age for a while longer.

In the imp I smell mostly cherries with an herbal backdrop. Wet on my skin it's a blast of earthy herbs. I want to say I can smell a tiny bit of cumin, as odd as that might sound. Soon there's the same dark rose that's in Black Phoenix, and I think I also smell carnation.

 

Huffing my wrist to identify notes gave me a runny nose, but when I quit shoving my arm into my face it stopped.

 

After 20 minutes the rose is the only note I can identify in the scent, but then a few minutes later that cumin smell briefly reappears. Within 30 minutes of application, it's a soft, dark rose with low throw.

 

This was lovely to test, but I think I'm going to offer it to a friend who loves rose scents more than I do. As for the intended effects of the scent, my husband would be far more likely to say that Snake Oil is a love oil.

A Sudden Invitation is very fresh and green smelling, thanks to the white mint. This is my first experience with that note and I find it delicate, not zingy. The agarwood and sandalwood are lovely grounding notes for the higher-pitched mint, and all I could really notice of the plum was a sweet undertone. Light, woody, and sweet all at once -- I consider it a brilliant blend.

 

There's something both ethereal and earthy about this scent, like a faerie that can fly but often chooses to walk and enjoy the feeling of the ground beneath her feet. It's unlike any other fragrance I've owned and I like its Asian feel. I think it will be a great scent for springtime.

 

ETA: Four months later, the agarwood has really started to come forward in this scent. It's still just as subtle and soft, but it smells less green.

The review that I originally wrote for Sic Erit didn't do justice to how it has aged, so I decided to change a lot. This is for the 2013 release, but I've got a review of the 2015 release later in the thread.

 

Edited on 2/1/2018: After five years of age, Sic Erit is still one of the most wearable BPALs for me. It was an instant favorite and it's always been in my top five. Though I might have flings with shiny, new scents, I always come back to Sic Erit.

 

When the oil is wet on my skin, there's a peppery and earthy quality like a live geranium in a pot. As it dries, Sic Erit mellows into a sweet, woody, ever-so-slightly-peppery patchouli that's a mellower cousin of Banshee Beat. I think of highly polished wood that's such a deep shade of red-brown, it's almost black. It's truly astounding how Beth managed to create something that, years later, really does make me think of arrow shafts.

 

It seems to become one with my skin and it lasts for hours. If it returns, I'm going to buy at least one bottle every time.

The hemp seems to leap out with a leafy green kick from the bottle and for the first few minutes after it's on my skin. As the oil begins to dry, I start to feel that A Mirror of Spring Pleasures on Kites could be a greener cousin to last year's Entangled, which is a favourite of mine. I don't really know where the similarity lies; maybe the honey? For the first five to ten minutes, the hemp makes me think of salad, but it's oddly not off-putting. That stage gives way to a creamier green scent as the honey, beeswax, honeysuckle, and just the faintest hint of amber emerge. Then the late arrival, black currant, slides in like a whisper after it's dry to mingle with the creamy notes.

I probably need to let this rest, as it only came in the mail today. So far I do like it and can see myself wearing it when I need something subtle.

ETA: I've worn it a few more times now and I really like it. Hemp is still the most prominent note on me, but it's already mellowed (I no longer think of salad while it's drying). The scent lasts all day and it's very much a springy fragrance that I think will appeal to people who like Entangled.

It's Christmastime in the bordello! If Bordello had a shy, more holiday-minded sibling, it would be Alice's Evidence.

 

Wet on my skin, this is a nostalgia trip into the Kirkland's that I used to love going to in a local mall that has long since closed. That's probably the prune/ginger combination talking. This would be a gorgeous room scent, but I don't really mind smelling like a Kirkland's myself when I need a comfort scent. Prune, cassis, and ginger stand out the most on me and I get a strong impression of cinnamon at first. There's a touch of quince in the background and barely any rum. Throw is low once it's had about an hour on my skin and it doesn't last more than about three hours even when I put some in my hair. If it lasted longer Alice's Evidence might become a bottle purchase, but I think the lab's generous frimp will be enough at least for now. My synesthetic tendencies see this as a glittery burgundy and deep gold.

 

Alice's Evidence would likely be perfect for anyone who's looking for something soft, especially in colder weather.

On Christmas Day I wore Mother Shub's Holiday Temples. It wasn't cold here, but I wanted something cozy anyway and nothing too bold. For New Year's Day I plan to wear Economic Recovery.

Sed Non Satiata projects a sophisticated and ancient yet somewhat edgy sex appeal. Goddesses of old would wear something like this. It's beautifully warm and somehow my brain is getting resinous woods out of it. Maybe the myrrh and red patchouli are combining in a way that makes me think of wood, or more likely it's because I had a migraine last night and that usually jacks up my sensory processing abilities for a day or two.

 

Anyway, all I have on is a single dab that I applied to one wrist and then spread around by rubbing my wrists together. Still it bowled me over and for about the first hour after I put it on, I thought I'd need to wash it off. I stuck it out and I'm glad I did. A little Sed Non Satiata goes a long way and for a long time. The tuberose combined with the resins might explain why this makes me think of Baghdad, another scent that I can only dab on in the tiniest amount.

 

Yesterday I had a migraine and this morning I was feeling the after-effects, so I probably should have held off on testing Sed Non Satiata for now. After I applied it, I started having some queasiness and twinges that made me worry about reviving the migraine beast. After that initial blast died down I was okay. Florals are sometimes a migraine trigger for me, but in small doses I love many of them.

 

I do intend to keep this imp, because somehow I avoided the danger zone and it really is a sensual masterpiece. Red patchouli, honey, and musks are all among my favourite notes. Cognac and myrrh work for me depending on what else is in the blend. In small doses, I like rose and geranium. Sed Non Satiata would be perfect as long as I never apply it anywhere close to my head, because that would be too much for me.

 

That one dab had a potent throw for about three hours. After that point it started to fade or maybe I was just getting used to it. The imp will last me a while at the rate at which I'll be forced to apply it.

 

All things considered, I could see myself wearing this a couple of times a week if I didn't have migraines to consider.

 

ETA: When I'm not in migraine postdrome, Sed Non Satiata isn't nearly as strong and it's like Womb Furie with a floral twist. I'm buying a bottle for sure.

Today I'm wearing Dragon's Musk to go see The Hobbit.

When I first tested Lil' Menes' Feline Entertainments, the bottle was fresh off the mail truck. I knew that it probably would need time, but I was just so curious about how it would smell that I couldn't wait. There was something sharp and almost meaty smelling on that first skin test, which I guess might have been civet - I'm unfamiliar with that note. Whatever that one note is, it became so strong on the dry-down that I almost couldn't stand it. Now that Lil' Menes' has been sitting in my BPAL box for about four or five days, it's much nicer on my skin and fortunately I don't smell that meaty note. I mention this in case there's anyone out there reading these reviews, wondering if there might be something wrong with their nose because they had a similar "meaty" experience with this scent.

 

Something in here reminds me of black musk, because I don't get any sweetness from this like I do from red musk. I could see there being white musk in it too, because there's something high-pitched in there. There's an herbal, woodsy quality blending well with the musk and I'm getting no hints of whatever that meaty smell was a few days ago. It's good, but it would be better if I were getting the slinky Snake Oil with citrus or sweet red musk experiences mentioned in the reviews before mine.

 

Three out of four cats in the house were interested in this scent when I put my wrist near them, enough so that my husband got out some real catnip for them.

 

Occasionally it will waft up from my wrists when I least expect it, like when I was changing shirts or when I was making breakfast. I'll keep my bottle, but I may try and decant some of it for a couple of my friends who are also owned by cats.

 

ETA (July 22, 2013): The scent still isn't sweet, but it's now so soft and comforting that I think it will be one of my regular sleep scents. I think I'll keep all of it, after all.

(2012 version)

 

It surprises me that I didn't review this already. Womb Furie is HONEY with just a little hint of Snake Oil on me. It's spiced honey, honey, honey with just a whisper of vanilla. This is the first honey scent I ever owned and it was a bit of a shock to me that any note could be more prominent on me than the Snake Oil blend, but it works wonderfully. During those four or so days every month when my womb does indeed feel furious, Womb Furie is a perfect scent partially because it amuses me, but mostly for the fact that hormones make this smell even better on me than it normally does. Why I kept putting off buying a full bottle of this I may never understand, but I still have a fair amount in the decant and with any luck it will come back for 2013. If it does, I'll buy at least one bottle.

This smells earthy and sweet at the same time, as the notes suggest. It's almost as if a head shop and an Asian market coexisted within the same space.

Usually patchouli and bergamot are both notes that dominate everything else on my skin, but in this case it all sings more or less in unison. For now I'm not familiar enough with all of the notes to know what's what, but it positively blooms from a mossy beginning into a warm, sweet, comforting scent as it dries. Patchouli - a soft one - Irish moss, and thyme are the notes I pick out most easily.

I think Economic Recovery would be a good scent to wear on New Year's Day... to bring on prosperity in the new year, of course.