Poenari

Testing some random imps this week, and today I grabbed Snooty Rose. I have a love/hate relationship with the Lab's rose scents. Some are straight up soap on me, but when I find one that works, it works wonderfully. Snooty Rose is in the latter category. I got a blast of pure red rose upon application, and could immediately tell that this was going to be a winner. The rose is deep red, no greenery, lush and velvet. The sandalwood is perfect and grounds the rose, blending together into a thing of deep beauty. I think the oud is blended in so well that it adds to the depth without standing out. I can smell a hint of plum too, but no bergamot. This scent is a big winner and I'm glad that I finally tried an imp! I know I have several more of them stashed away, and will be getting them out in the spring.

In my 13 years as a Bpalista, I had never tried Black Phoenix! I added an imp to my last order to remedy that. It has that uniquely BPAL smell; is sweet and a little sticky, starts out with a blast of cherry cola that dries down quickly on my wrist, leaving an undertone of incense. Very nice and I don't know why it's not recommended more often!

Pumpkin Spice Snake Oil - I have the 2017, and in the bottle this is going to be the same. Beautiful Snake Oil predominates the pumpkin spice, as it does in the 2017. I will be putting this in my backups to live deliciously. I mean age deliciously.

Dead Leaves and Chai- sweet dead leaves, slightly damp in the pile, and no tea. I can tell that the chai has softened the leaves note though. Keeper because I love the dead leaves scents. This one doesn't seem like the cologne version of the leaves note, either.

Red Hot Snake Oil - as expected. Cinnamon red hots over Snake Oil. And then on drydown, a hint of chili powder. Hope that part fades, as I don't care for those chili spices. But now I really understand the "red hot" part! 😂

Very much the pumpkin spice notes I love, over a golden amber. I love to use this one as a body spray. Lasts forever on my skin. Happy with my decant, but I don't need a full bottle because I have a lot of beloved pumpkin spice perfumes from the Lab.

Pumpkin Spice Silkybat - WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! The Silkybat is fully present over the pumpkin spice, making it another wonderful Silkybat variant. Just enough spice not to overwhelm. This will be my Thanksgiving scent.

Pumpkin Spice Dragon's Milk - this one leaked under the tape and into the box, so I got a good whiff of it. The Dragon's Milk is very muted. I sprayed it on my arm to be sure, and yeah, it's not what I expected. Reminds me more of Playful Cat atmo than Dragon's Milk or Pumpkin Spice! Will have to revisit after a few weeks.

Scherezade In the Pumpkin Patch - pumpkin spices first with the red musk Scherezade notes underneath. Need to let it sit and mingle for a few weeks.

I blind bottled my first ever Chaos Theory scents last year because I figured I can't go wrong with Pumpkin Spice or Samhain, and then apparently forgot to post my reviews. Bottle #102 - this is now almost a year old, so the review is for the aged scent. It's been kept in a dark box in my bedroom, which is always quite cool in temp. The pumpkin spice is front and center in the bottle. On my skin, it is very quickly followed by.... OMG this is the cream soda scent in my bottle of Kinda Sorta Snake Oil w/Cream Soda! The cream soda rises up and tempers the pumpkin spice notes very thoroughly. After 30 minutes the overall intensity has dried down and softened to a sweet creamy pumpkin spice. This is a huge win in my book.

Oh my, this is lovely! I knew that the notes in this were all winners, but the sum total is perfect on my skin. This is a beautiful blend of musk and resins, and the lavender is just slightly there, sweetening it all. On my bottle list!

Ok, this one is right in my wheelhouse! Lovely champaca and incense. The patchouli is very discreet and not showing herself. This is a rather glamorous scent. Great throw and wear length.

Upon opening the decant and pulling out the wand for a swipe, whoosh! All single note leather. Uh-oh, this won't work on me. Quickly after application, the clove shoves its way forward. The mezcal note is on the middle of the fight between the other two notes. I usually amp clove over everything, but this one stays true to its distinct notes on me. I can't wait to try this one on my husband.

Soapy lavender! I actually buy a lavender scented laundry detergent, and this is very similar. Not soapy in a bad way, but in a fresh clean way. The herbs keep it from turning too soapy, while the lavender has good throw. This is not a sleepy-time scent, but is something very nice that could be worn practically anywhere.

I blind bottle bought this one, because amber and peach musk just had to be a win on my skin. Oh, this is just gorgeous! A beautiful scent, very high end smelling, a delicious skin scent.

This is so gorgeous! It's all dark plum, dark sweetness, and dangerous seduction. Smells expensive, luxurious, and a little bit deadly. The cherry doesn't stand out, nor do the oud or incense. The overall effect is delightful and I can't stop sniffing my wrists. I really love this decant and now I need a bottle.

Sweet, fresh, light slightly musky floral. Does not go sharp on my skin as white scents usually do. I think it's the amber preventing that. Stays close to the skin. Nice, not my preferred kind of scent, but not one I would refuse to wear ever again.

I haven't been to Notre Dame, but I have visited many other ancient cathedrals in Europe, and always love the mingled scent of stone, incense, smoke, and candles. When Notre Dame burned, I ordered this because I will never see it as it was, even though it will be rebuilt. Lavender wafts strongly from my wrist at first, and it is Lilith's lavender but wispy as smoke. The lavender then fades as the incense rises. This is a beautiful scent, slightly smoky, and captures the feeling of being inside such an ancient cathedral. I will treasure this scent. I'm so happy for Lilith that she got to experience Notre Dame in person.

I was gifted a bottle of this a few weeks ago from a lovely forumite/friend and finally got around to trying it. Holy wow, is this gorgeous! I tested a small spot on my inner arm, found it to be a winner, and promptly took my shower and slathered! At first this smells like the old original Skin Musk Oil on me... bear with me, because that is a good thing. I wore the hell out of that scent in the 70s and it always garnered compliments. This is not that scent, not at all, but it starts out on me with that vibe. A kind of musky vanilla. After about 20 minutes, the patchouli starts to waft, mixed into the gorgeous vanilla. I agree that this is like a Banshee Beat/Revenant Rhythm in reverse. The patch is softer and not dominant, but the vanilla has a sweet smokiness to it and it all works beautifully together. I'm really happy to have this and will be able to wear it in more situations than I can wear Banshee Beat.

This is as beautiful as the atmo. I find it to be mostly lilac on my skin, which is a great thing. I adore lilacs and have some of my happiest childhood memories of spring when the lilacs bloomed. We filled my 2nd grade classroom with lilacs and lily of the valley during the month of May, and being May Queen was the best part of the month. Lucille's Room takes me back to that feeling. Gorgeous!

I received a bottle of this as an a extra in a swap, and was so intrigued. In the bottle it smells like a gorgeous dark cocoa. Definitely not milk chocolate. Once applied to my skin, it blooms into a smoky hearth with the chocolate and leather making it a dry smoke. I love this and am going to wear it a lot in the winter! It's the perfect curl up with a book on a cold snowy day scent.

I received a bottle of this in a swap where I was gifted a ton of extras. I've wanted to try it so badly, and I'm not disappointed! As a member of the stinky hippie club this scent takes me back to the headshops of my college years in the 70s. The weed note is strong at first, drifting out of the back of the store, but then the nag champa pushes it's way to the front of the shop. The patch is there to meld them together into the perfect head shop scent. This is exactly what I had hoped for, and I will wear it with care. I get it that not everyone appreciates this kind of scent, but I sure do!

I was gifted a partial bottle of this, and was so happy to try it! I amp amaretto, so I applied nervously. I got a blast of it on my skin, but it faded quickly as the chocolate and plum bloomed. This is a gorgeous scent. While I agree with comparisons to a chocolate Bordello, it is also a kissing cousin to Midnight Kiss on my skin. Love this!

As sweet as death, as deep as the grave: pomegranate, raspberry, gardenia, plum, and rose with patchouli, black pepper, rose musk, and a hint of blood accord. I forgot to review this! Crypt Queen is one of my top 5 scents, and I couldn't believe my eyes when this popped up as an option on the Post's Etsy. I snatched it up. The scent is perfectly matched to my Crypt Queen perfume, so it works perfectly in the hair gloss medium. Fabulous and I am so grateful to have this!

I was gifted a partial bottle of this today, and it was the first time I had smelled it. Sniffing blind from the bottle with no clue of the notes except for the name, it immediately reminded me of standing in a redwood forest, with mingled scents of the various trees. The earth note is a dry but deep earth scent, not the same dirt note I get in Zombi and Graveyard Dirt. I put some on my wrists after I got home, and I really get all the woods. Pine and cedar dominant with a kind of spicey bite, but what a gorgeous dark woodsy scent. After about 30 minutes, it sweetens and softens as if the muguet and amber are toning down the cedar. This is a very gorgeous scent!