maribouquet

imp: honey & musk

wet: something almost bitter, plus honey

dry: bitter grape and funny honey

Nice, but not great on my skin...

imp: mulch and wood, a wisp of cinnamon

wet: *gags*

Sorry sin-lovers, but I just can't handle the black patchouli, and the amber is doing it's usual overwhelming funk on me...Ohhh, this is just so not me and my nose agrees.

Wait!

drydown: cinnamon and warm sandalwood...not bad! Oh, psych...There's the patchouli again.

I definitely have a love/hate thing going on with this one...I just don't know. Very confusing.

*edited to fix html

imp: cedar, vetiver and a hint of raspberry

wet: sweaty woodsman!

dry: masculine B.O.

The raspberry is dry, like raspberry tea. Whoa, this dries down to smell like carpenter's sweat. Not totally unpleasant, to be honest , but not what I want to smell like.

An interesting mix, though, and I'm enjoying picking out the notes: dry wood (cedar!), sweat (oh, hello vetiver!), mild sweetness (raspberry!)...olive leaf remains a mystery to me for now.

bottle: ozone

wet: strange, plasticy aquatic mint

dry: there is the barest hint of a soft floral that I can't place but really like.

Snow is literally my middle name. I love the poem that inspired this, and I so wanted to love the scent, but sadly it's not meant to be. Soft, light and wintry: check! But there is a persistent odor (I suspect the snow... ) that smells like minty plastic.

eta: long, subtle throw & long-lasting, too -- it's such a pity I don't like this one!

Imp & wet: sweet and acidic

Drydown: gone in sixty seconds...but that is okay with me. I liked the apple in this, but not the mimosa note, and overall it didn't suit me.

Mmm, cherry...and sadly this goes to total powder on my skin. Not meant to be, I guess!

The far drydown is less powdery and actually pretty nice, but it's not striking me enough to make me willing to wait through the powder hours.

I wanted to love this, because I adore the scent of peach. Sadly, there's a note in here that goes amber-like on me that makes me not like this one very much.

Rich floral with chocolately, woody undertones.

This is so yummy, but the wood note goes funky on me.

Fantastic blend, though - so original and delicious.

imp: dusty rose

wet: rose

drydown: WHOA. What happened? I like rose, and I am pretty sure I like frankincense, but the two do not serve each other well on my skin. Not at all - their middle tones amp each other to high heaven, leaving me with a slightly sour, very cloying (truthfully, sick-making) odor.

edited to fix format

Weep, weep, this does not work for me!

I get bananas, pencils and sunscreeny feet. Meh. Silly skin.

Also rather light on me, and fades quickly...

I can see how this would be a lovely, breezy tropical scent on others, though.

Got this as a decant from blood onmy hands - thanks lady!

imp: peppermint! YUM.

wet: Ohhh, peppermint!

drydown: minty goodness

Yes, just like a candy cane. Light and minty - reminds me of kissing someone right after they've brushed their teeth, which is a pleasant, cozy memory.

Note: I've completely overwhelmed my nose tonight with the delicious goodness of stronger CD scents on my other wrist, so it's hard for me to tell if the vanilla has emerged or if Lick It is still there at all? I think so - but faintly.

If I had any patience I'd wait to re-test before reviewing. And if I have any memory, I'll come back to this and let you all know how it goes on subsequent sniffs. If this turns out to be too short-lived on me to make a good personal scent, then I am sure I will love it as a room scent or linen spray. It's delectable and just right for this time of year.

ETA: Trying Lick It Again, well, again this morning. I'm happy to report that the sparkly peppermint tones down a bit on drydown and the vanilla does come out, making this a lovely, lightly sweet scent. Sadly the vanilla goes a bit plastic-y on me as vanilla is wont to do. Probably won't be getting a bottle, but I'll definitely use up my imp. I also think this would be a fantastic bath oil.

imp: citrus

wet: amber & oranges

drydown: Bleh, cloying dark amber. I blame my skin. The jasmine is behaving herself on me for once.

This eventually dries down into a very pretty, warm, golden scent. Regal and a bit playful. The amber is a bit much at times, but not bad - this is just not to my taste, I'm afraid.

imp: citrus

wet: musky citrus (perhaps from the red sandalwood? I don't know what orris smells like.)

drydown: Soft florals begin to appear as Venice dries. Pretty! Oh dear, ten minutes in and jasmine is doing it's sour thing on me. This one's a no go, I'm afraid.

I'd second the suggestion of Versailles - definitely citrusy, but the amber also gives it a sweet undertone that might appeal to your foody, rich side, while still allowing the citrus to come out and play and tickle your boy's nose.

That is such a bummer that he really dislikes the particular notes that you love so much. Boys and scents - sometimes they can be very frustrating togther. I have an old boyfriend who wanted me to wear a certain perfume. It was something I'd never heard of and can't recall now, but one an ex of his used to wear. I sort of nodded and smiled, but inside I was like, "Yeah, whatever! I'm really not interested in smelling like your old flame."

To bad BPAL doesn't make a 'Dutch Oven' scent. I'd get that for him in a heartbeat.

imp: incense & a lemony herbal scent

wet: rose geranium and dry, ashen incense

The lily and the rose geranium play back and forth, and combined with the frankincense (which smells so dry here, it really makes me think of bleached bones - and that's before I looked up Kostnice or looked closely at the Lab's description.)

Not green, but strongly lit, like an eyeful of sunlight, if that makes any sense? Almost a high, alkaline note that softens as it dries, strengthening the lily and allowing the rosewood to emerge as a backing.

I had a very strong emotional response to this scent. It literally brought me to tears. As with Penitence, to me Kostnice is evocative of grief, but an old grief from many generations. It makes me think of old gravestones that have been sanded down and bleached by time.

Very sad and very lovely at the same time.

imp: nutmeg and clove and I think the balsam?

wet: rosewood! mandarin! God, this is gorgeous.

As it dries I can smell the smoke - wafts around me, good throw on that note. And it's a nice, clean smoke, like the wisps from a young fire, combined with what I think might be myrrh? Sort of warm and incense-like?

10 min: I'm getting a bit of that 'bay leaf' note others have mentioned on one wrist. Not so great. But then it goes away.

20 min: Went to powder

I think this is so interesting and delicious for winter that I'm going to try it a few more times. In the meantime I'm using it in my burner and it smells wonderful - the nutmeg gives it a warm, dry spice. My room now smells invigorating & clear, rich with greens, reds and browns.

This is a scent I've been curious about for a while, so I'm very glad the lab sent it to me as a frimp with my last order.

I enjoy the pine very much, but unfortunately it's quickly taken over by the amber. My skin loves amber and amps it like crazy - it becomes quite overpowering, and I'm sad to say that amber is not a favorite of mine - to me it's cloying.

But ditto to everyone who mentioned this scent being a long-lasting one. It definitely sticks around, for better or for worse depending on your chemistry.

I'll give this one another try, but it's off to swaps or my brother, I think.

Oh, I'm swooning. This is indeed a very sexual, sensual scent: a flushed, warm, aroused rose.

This was a frimp that I probably wouldn't have tried on my own: I'm not a huge patchouli fan, so I'm pleased to report that it's quiet here, or transformed into a more sated, mellow version of itself. Sandalwood is also calmer than usual in this - both notes seem to be tempering the rose a bit, which I like very much.

Such an elegant, courtesan-worthy scent. Thank you, labbies. I am in love.

Straight Dragon's Blood goes sadly to camphor on me.

I do detect a hint of spicy, jasmine-like floral underneath, but it is eaten by eau de moth ball, and dries down to Playdoh chapati.

Cruel, cruel skin! But I haven't given up hope for the DB blends...

This smells like sunflowers. Very pretty and warming, not too sweet, and almost has a toasted grain undertone with a tiny hint of cinnamon spice.

Good for dreaming of a summer sunbeam on a cold, wintry day.

in the imp: Lavender and orange blossom

wet: Immediately something mildly boozey & sweet comes up - absinthe or whiskey maybe?

dry: God, I wish I had more experience picking out notes so that I could describe this properly...it's a sophisticated, complex, flawless blend. I would say it's floral, due to the light sweetness that lingers around my wrist, except that it's not floral - it's sharp and deep and tangy. It really reminds me of the palette of a vintage French poster.

Gorgeous, complex, elegantly sensual, vibrant, vigorous, just this side of the edge of vulgar - imagine a woman who's been dancing up a storm and has now sat down to quench her thirst, flushed and glowing, delighted and powerfully alive. Ooh, and red lipstick!

Okay, thus ends my pretentious review. I really like this, but sad to say it goes a bit sour on me after 20 min. *weeps* And, oh, rats it's giving me a headache. That's never happened to me before - I wonder who the culprit is.

(edited for spelling, d'oh!)

If you like Pele, you ought to try Finesse Moisturizing Conditioner. I think it smells v. similar - and the shampoo is nice, too.

Intriguing in the imp, but sadly turns to pure Bandaid on me.

Swapity-swap!

To me Silence is evocative of the quiet spells one finds in the midst of grief or depression - when you're all cried out and everything feels very still and calm and clear with a strange, mysterious sort of beauty.

Wet, this is coniferous, like a winter forest at night in the snow. I think I may be smelling the lotus root and white mint? Possibly green tea?

As it dries the sandalwood picks up and the peach comes out, plus I third note I do not recognize: something light and sweetish.

Overall, very soft and intriguing. Peach and sandalwood are my two favorite scents, which bolster me when I'm feeling rotten, and both of those come out beautifully in the drydown and blend with the other notes into something divine.

Paradise must smell like buttered popcorn...!

That's what Eden goes straight to on me, with a bit of coconut peeking out in the drydown.

Yummy, but not what I'd choose for a personal scent, I'm afraid.