blackfelicula

In the Bottle: Right away I detect neroli and rose. This has some similarities to China musk. Wet: It is a soft blend of floral and citrus, rose is nudging into the forefront for me. Drying down: Now I smell a combination of rose, floral, citrus and powder. It is sweet, pretty, and feminine, but there’s a sharpness to it as well. There are other notes whispering in this blend, wafting up once in a while. Dry: I think the citrus-like smell is neroli. I’m not positive on that. It’s still in the forefront. The rose smell is taking a back seat to a pretty softness. It’s rather a pleasant scent. It isn’t going soapy on me yet, which is a good thing. I’m also glad that the rose isn’t rising up to overpower the other scents. I like it, though I don’t know if it’s going to be one of my favorites. ETA: This imp was purchased second hand thus is likely aged.

In the bottle: I smell birch and rose most strongly. It's very floral to my nose. Wet: The mix of birch and floral melds almost to a wintergreen-like scent. I think I've had chewing gum that tastes like this smells... The rose is very close to the surface, which threatens to ruin it for me. Rose oil and I don't get along so well. Drying down: This has sweetened up on me a bit. The rose and birch are still there, battling for supremacy. Dry I do get an impression of a sunny autumn day in rural New England. The birch is less prominent, but I think the other notes have tamed the roses somewhat. Overall, it is floral/herbal. The rose is still doing a number on my sinuses, despite the influence of the other notes. My husband isn't here at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if this blend would get him sneezing. It is a very unique scent, and certainly not a bad one overall. It's just not up my alley. ETA: After a couple hours, the rose quieted down some more, the birch faded completely, and the berry piped up. The result at that point was really quite charming. I still hold with the image of a sunny autumn day, a rich harvest just in, a hint of chill in the breeze. If only this scent emerged earlier! It's not so comfy sitting through a few hours of sinus tinglies, even for such a gorgeous, unique scent.

I got my imp of Iambe secondhand, so it's likely aged. In the bottle: I can smell the gardenia. I used to have gardenia candles, so that's a familiar note. Though, with a second whiff, I can smell the amber and the tea. A third and I get an undertone of a mild patchouli. Wet: This warms up right away. More of the amber and patchouli are coming out. The rose isn't noticeable at all, which for me is a good thing. I like roses, but not rose oil. Drying down: This scent is golden, in my opinion. I think this balances the florals nicely with the amber. It's sweet without being cloying, spicy without being incense-y, and floral without being overly perfume-y. Dry: My skin amps up the amber and patchouli, though the florals are still there. The florals are quieter now. It is a cheerful scent, and a pretty one. Definitely on the feminine side, but grounded by the patchouli. Ooo, getting sweeter now. Mmmmm. I like it.

I purchased Succubus secondhand, so this imp is likely aged. In the bottle: A scent like China musk hits me in force. This is a good thing. I have a China musk single-note from elsewhere that I wear often enough. It reminds me of childhood in the sweltering summers of Baltimore. My mom had a body splash in a scent called "mandarin orange" that she kept in the fridge. When it was too hot to sleep she'd rub my back with it to help. Comfort in a bottle, that stuff was. Now that I look back at the lab description, that must be the mimosa, orange blossom, and neroli. Wet: There's something that tickles this pervert's brain about reviewing a wet Succubus... Anyhow. For me the dominant note is definitely the China musk. There's something sweeter and something spicy underlying it, but I can't make them out. Drying down: This has a lot of throw. It has a sharp edge, pushing soapy but not quite falling into it. I think that might be the bergamot. Bergamot is so much more pungent in Earl Grey tea. Here it plays more of a supporting role. I think I can just catch the edge of some clove hiding under there too. Dry: This still reminds me vividly of China musk, but with a supporting complexity. On the other hand, I have a big bottle of a China musk here too. I probably won't seek out a bottle of this until that one is gone.

I got Verdandi in an imp lot, secondhand, so she should be on the aged side. In the bottle: I smell the apple strongly, though it reminds me more of candles scented of apple than of juicy ripe apples that I could munch on. Wet: Like a spiced apple candle. The amber grounds it somewhat. I think the amber is what turns it into spiced apple. Drying down: My skin is amping up the amber, making the fragrance hum a bit, but the resemblance to spiced apple candles is still there. It's likely the herbs are coming a bit more to the forefront as well. Now I'm getting a sweetness that sings out once in a while. Dry: Still spiced apple candle. Likely lovely as a room scent, but I think I'll pass.

In the bottle: This one smells floral to me, possibly herbal, but not medicinal. In some ways it reminds me of "Ilaun" from the Burren perfumery, but since they share some of the same notes, that's not surprising. I'm a little nervous to try this one, since florals and I don't always get along, but I'm feeling adventurous. Wet on the skin: This one is a very "quiet" scent. It's almost musky. I'm not sure what note does that, but it's an asset to the blend. There's a sweetness to it, too. It has a very feminine feel to it, yet it's not offensively "perfume-y." As it dries: I think this is a floral I can wear. Though it goes on subtle, it seems to throw further than I thought it would. I'm glad I tried it. This one will stay on for the day. My other new imps will have to wait. Edited to add: Dry: This is sweet, yet almost sandalwood-y. It's soft -- yes, oh yes -- yet enchanting, like rising mist. I'm really enjoying this! I should also add that I got my imp second-hand. It's likely aged a bit. If so, it does well in the aging.

I received Muse as a frimp in my first-ever Lab order. Reading the site description, I figured it would turn soapy on me like Nuit did. I was wrong. The lime in Muse makes the whole combination sing! It's a floral scent, but the lime does something wonderful to it. It's as if someone in the Lab saw my inclusion of Nuit with Ars Draconis scents and incense/resin scents and had a hunch Muse would be just the contrast I needed. It has great staying power and throw, and is "dressy" enough for me to wear out for a night on the town. Muse opened my mind to trying other scents with notes that I didn't know would work on me. It also has piqued my interest in other scents containing lime. I have a bottle of Muse on the way!

Golden luxury in a bottle! Wet, I get the same cherry/almond note that others describe. Once it dries down, it is like honeyed amber. Bastet can be subtle on me. If I want it to have more throw, I can amp it up beautifully by layering it with some Spiritual Sky brand Amber oil. One day while wearing Bastet, I noticed that it smelled exactly like the natural smell of a cat would if it were deified. If you have some Bastet around, I urge you to try it! Take a deep whiff of clean cat tummy, then imagine it taken to a higher level: purified and exalted. Then smell Bastet. I have a bottle of this one on the way!

I bought an imp of Nuit as a departure from my usual picks of incense-y or resiny scents. I am interested in the goddess Nuit, and thought she might be good to try. In the bottle, the scent is very floral. I'm not certain what it means to be a white floral, though others describe it that way. On me, it turns soapy. Summer made Nuit a little better, to the point where it was wearable, but it is not one of my favorites.

My nickname for Scherezade stuck with me: "Eau de Headshop". Seriously, this stuff reminds me of that delicious blend of incenses, resins, and perfumes that form the characteristic smell of every head shop I've been in. Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff. It works great on my skin, which seems to love incenses, resins, musks, and myrrh. I don't think I'd be comfortable wearing it in a professional environment, but for casual wear -- especially in a pagan/hippie/goth environment it is perfect. I'm debating over whether to get a bottle of this. I love the smell, but do I want to smell like a headshop when there are so many other BPAL oils to try?

This blend balances the sweetness of dragon's blood with the earthy sensuality of musk. I am quite a fan of musk in many varieties. I think it grounds the dragon's blood enough to make the blend sing. I'm seriously considering a bottle of this.

I'd wanted to love this one. I really did. However, it's a lot sweeter than I thought it would be. I'm used to dragon's blood resin incense, which is so earthy and spicy. Dragon's Blood oil turned out to be pungently sweet. On my skin it was rather perfume-y and prone to going soapy. Age and summer softened it and brought out some of the more resiny tones to it, but it really wasn't what I'd had in mind when I thought "dragon's blood." In the bottle, now that it's aged for a few months, it's got some more depth to it. I might get another imp sometime to try as a room scent or in ritual.

A scent pulsing with vitality, warmth and insurmountable strength: dragon's blood resin, red and black musks, a throb of fig and a sliver of black currant. I love the smell of this in the bottle, all resin and spice, profound, but aloft with dragon's blood. My first try, however, it went soapy on me within minutes. I put the imp away, saddened, only to bring it out again when most of my other imps were waning. Wow, did this age well! Likely a combination of aging and my summer body chemistry made this blend sing. Powerful and reverent, I enjoy the imp now. I don't think I need a bottle though.

I bought a bottle of Dragon Moon primarily because of the description, my birth year (year of the dragon), and my interest in Asian art and philosophy. After reading the reviews of others I was somewhat nervous, since florals don't always work well on me. In the bottle: Almost overwhelming, this scent is almost fruity cherry, sharp and green, straightforward herbal, and lightly floral in turns. In some ways this reminds me of walking through a Bed Bath and Beyond store. On my skin: I can see how some people experience Dragon Moon as soapy. It's very clean. A little goes a long way. As it dries, it's tempered, likely by both my skin chemistry and the drying. I'm a little headachy, but that is just as likely to be from too much World of Warcraft earlier as from too much sniffies. OK, I got tired of sniffing my wrists and dabbed the tiniest bit under my nose. I'm having a fabulous time just letting it waft in. I can catch sniffs of most of the notes. I'm not certain what the bamboo smells like, though, so I'm assuming it's the tarter bit of green. It softened much more on my wrists than it did beneath my nose. I think this is one scent where I'll have to experiment with the best place to apply it. I like it. It's different from my usual choices, but it has an addictive quality to it.