spark

How could I be the first one to review this? Didn't anyone else order it? Yikes.

I am not usually a "dedicated" reviewer but when I tried this I had to sing its praises.

Wet: Promising! It's mostly orchid but there's something a little darker too. After a few minutes I think I smell some rose(wood) but it's almost a little fruity here. I don't pick up any sandalwood, but I will assume it isn't white sandalwood, which has a tendency to go very pungent on my skin. It's definitely sexy.

Drying: There's a touch of something that could be jasmine but probably isn't, because (like the sandalwood) it's not exploding on my skin. I only applied inside one elbow, and the throw is quite good. When I sniff up close, there is a bit of an odd undertone, which I think is the bergamot. I don't smell bergamot otherwise. I'm not picking up any musk either, although I tend to be fairly oblivious to red musk.

This one is definitely worthy of the "slather test" and I will update accordingly when I do. Yum!

After one sniff, my SO has decided that he likes King of Clubs. And is quite put out with me for only buying one bottle of it, after finding out it's an LE. So.... anything similar from the regular catelogue scents? He likes the "spicyness" (my nose hasn't detected which note in particular it is yet).

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I haven't reviewed it yet, but honestly... all I get from King of Clubs is spicy honey. On drydown it smells exactly like Bastet.

 

I'm not sure if "Cat Goddess" is quite as manly as King of Clubs, but there you go.

Spark has obviously smelled the Florentine iris single note (SO JEALOUS),

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It's yummy.

 

In my first post, I only mentioned the two iris scents I've tried in which I can actually smell the iris. Strangely (for me), Nefertiti does work on me: normally, white sandalwood turns to pure pungent dust. I agree with tempete that Black Pearl is wonderful -- I think it's a big favorite on the board overall -- but the coconut can be a big deciding factor in that.

 

I didn't smell iris at all in the half-dozen other iris scents I've tried:

 

The Raven was all violet on me, and some baby oil (!).

 

Vinland was odd and sharp; not sure why.

 

Yerevan: Fruity wine; dried to generic fruit.

 

Florence: Sort of medicinal. Dried to tart berries.

 

The Ghost: Pretty and floral, but nothing really stood out for me.

 

Ides of March: I LOVE this; rosemary and spice.

Of the iris scents I've tried, I would say NEFERTITI.

 

It's gorgeous and it's fairly close to the Florentine Iris single note.

 

Black Pearl is gorgeous too, but the coconut has a definite presense. Nefertiti is a little more "pure."

(goes off to read about Yerevan)

 

hrm. it doesn't sound like AR to me. but recently i was reading about Vinland, and i wonder if that might do the trick.

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I've tried both of those and don't think either one is anything like AR... which I love too, BTW.

 

Of course it also depends on what AR is to you. To me, it's a very pretty light floral, very "spring." Yerevan is fruity and Vinland is kind of odd and sharp. Vinland might be better for you, though -- it could have some random note that went weird on me.

I highly recommend Arkham Revisited for spring. Empyreal Mist is a good one too, depending on how hot it is; it'll be great for summer.

This is really beautiful.

 

I received an "advance" imp of this from the lovely Syringa so I could see if I want more before the order cutoff. OH YES.

 

Arkham Revisited IS the springtime in "Springtime in Arkham." It's actually a bit fruity to my nose when wet, and I can pick up the bergamot. It it dries to a very pretty light floral -- actually probably the first "light floral" from the Lab that I have really loved. It lasts fairly well for such a light scent, too.

 

And it got the thumbs up from a local Guy, who pretty much never comments on my perfume apart from "Mmmmm... rosy" (whether it has roses or not). He liked this one a lot.

 

I can't specifically ID any notes when it's dry, which (in this case) basically means that it's not overpoweringly violet.

 

I love this.

i am totally and completely in awe of the similarity

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And I'm just glad I haven't totally lost my mind.

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Wow. I love F54 and hated Lilith. Weird.

On me, Gingerbread Poppet is much spicier than Sugar Cookie.  This may be a function of my skin chemistry, but I only get the baked goods smell during the wet stages.  Once it dries down, it turns to cinnamon red-hots, which makes me very sad.  I thought SC was more "cookie" in that way.  YMMV, of course.

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Sadly -- in terms of being helpful! -- Sugar Cookie is much spicier than GP on me! Sugar Cookie reminds me strongly of Villianess's Gingersnapped soap, while GP is kind of "wussy."

 

Your best bet may be to get an imp and decide for yourself.

I believe someone mentioned Whip as a good alternative to Rose Red, actually... apparently the leather is not too prominent.

 

I tried London for the first time yesterday and loved it; very pure rose. It's not nearly as green as Rose Red though.

 

Silentium Amoris went gross on me (I think I don't like ylang-ylang) and the Empress kind of did the same thing.

As it's now January, I haven't smelled the wisteria at my front door in almost a year, but the single note doesn't really bring back the memory for me. I don't know if it's because of the concentration or what, but single-note Wisteria has a distinctive "pee" note on my skin.

It just seemed to me that people were slamming Marty for wanting to make sure she's not allergic to whatever's in them.

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Oh, I didn't think so, and I hope Marty didn't get that impression!

I also agree that it may be in your best interest to try some single notes.  You can try the Swaps Thread and see if anyone has any of the BPAL single notes up for swap.

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Of course even some of the single notes are bouquets. This is a tough situation.

Perhaps another option to cut down on the back-and-forth, once you've narrowed it down a bit, would be to place your order and include in the comments that

 

ALERT ALERT I'm allergic to... ALERT ALERT

 

The Lab would likely see that when filling your order, and know to omit/substitute selections that could be a problem. I would imagine rose will be the most likely problem, although there's at least one blend that's prominently cinnamon but not labelled as such (Hamadryad).

 

I don't envy you; it's hard enough sometimes to by things "scent unsmelled" without worrying if they'll actually *hurt* you.

Wow, I really DO have a strange nose.

 

I have honeysuckle on a small arbor in my yard and I LIVE for when it blooms (sadly not often). But my Honeysuckle imps is only OK, and it doesn't smell like the flowers to me.

 

The imp has a definite honey sweetness to it, which I actually do NOT smell in the flower. And it dries to that sweet "bathroom cleaner" smell that I've gotten from a few blends -- maybe this is a the culprit. It's not unpleasant, but not what I want to smell like.

Wildfire: Dragon's Bone

 

Several people have mentioned this. How I wish it were true for me! I LOVE Wildfire, and while I do have a supply laid in, it won't last forever. Sadly, white sandalwood turns into nothing but heavy dusty smoke on me. Strange, 'cause RED sandalwood is not a problem!

Ice Queen reminds me of Blue Moon, if you have that.

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I second this!

 

Havisham reminds me of Zombi, but I'm one of the weird people that doesn't get "dirt" from Zombi...

Maybe a Mod could edit this topic, or the "subhead," or even the first post, so new people aren't confused when they see it?

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thanks i will keep my eye open...sorry to drag up a moot thread

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No need to be sorry at all! That was really my point -- I don't want anyone to get confused seeing this thread, when the Single Notes don't appear on the Lab's site anymore.

 

And, as others pointed out, many people do have various single notes. You might want to post in the "Wanted" forum if there are certain ones you especially want.

This one is super strong... I could smell the open bottle several feet away, and it's COLD in my house!

 

Sadly, on both testers it turned to something resembling a slightly sickly molasses.

I, too, get eggnog in the bottle and play-doh on my skin. Weird. I know other people have had that happen with other blends, but that's the first time it's happened to me!

 

I got a 2nd opinion, too, and the first word was "play-doh!" So it's not a hallucination. Will try once more, but... weird!

To some extent I think Scarecrow nails the description. Or vice-versa.

 

On me, however, I'm getting a strange note that my brain is identifying as acetone. Hmmm. I also get some pine. Double hmmm! There does seem to be some smoke there, as well.

 

Chemistry notwithstanding, this isn't me, as I try to be at least a BIT feminine, and to me this is all "guy." I'll have to try it on one sometime!

Oh, this ALMOST worked for me, almost...

 

I am in agreement that this is reminiscent of Formula 54, which I love. Fortunately I have plenty of it, because Blood Kiss is not a replacement. It wants to be... it's clove-y and sexy and lovely.

 

Except for the vetiver.

 

Vetiver just does not work on me, and up until now I didn't really care... now I wish it did.

Blood Kiss reminds me of F54, IF you can deal with the vetiver.

I am really glad I have an imp of Florentine Iris coming, so I can try to figure out this scent...!

 

I do get coconut and something else. Nothing I really identify as hazelnut or musk; I don't particularly like either one, so this is fine.

 

Black Pearl is really lovely. It IS round, as others have scent; sweet without being !! SWEET !!; definitely sexy. It doesn't seem to change much as the day passes. Unlike others, I'm not getting the impression that it's particularly waft-y. But I can smell it hours later close on my skin, and I love it.

I think diabolique got into the absinthe again.

 

Tart, maybe Medea? On me it dries to be quite wine-y, but... <shrug>

 

I'll let you know how Queen of Diamonds goes, too.