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Akurarei
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Posts posted by Akurarei
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In the Bottle:
Coconut & Anise - strange but pleasant combo.
On my Skin, Wet:
Suntan lotion coconut.... (ETA 4.14.2011 - suntan lotion phase is mostly gone, now it's the same as the 'in the bottle' phase)
then a strong anise emerges....and lingers between suntan lotion coconut & a strong anise.
On my Skin, Dry:
Soft, toasted coconut and a whiff of anise.
I get a very mild buttery note too, maybe the hazelnut?
Verdict:
I expected to love this one, but I don't.
It's unusual, and I do like the toasted coconut that I get, but the wet anise stage borders on being too much for a while.
I'll let this one sit for a few days and revisit....maybe I'll get a different result after the scent has 'settled' -
I, too, am a tea scent lover, and I'm wondering about how the Shunga Tea scent compares to some of the ones people have been mentioning. Kumiho is my all-time favorite tea scent, but I like The Chinese Dance and The Unsteady Governess as well. I like Embalming Fluid, too, but I like Kumiho's touch of sweetness even more. Also, the lab's green tea note sometimes goes too sharp on me in such scents as Shanghai. Anyone know how Tea fits in with all of these?
Shunga TEA smells like a cross between a green & black tea to me, but the part that I love is the sweet honey with a touch of lemon to it!
Tea lovers, you should not pass up Shunga's TEA.
(I am buying multiples
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Tea
in Lupercalia
This is a honeyed lemon sugar tea on me - absolutely gorgeous & backup bottle worthy!
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Bon Vivant
not sure if I've ever reviewed this one before - if this is a double, my apologies!
In the Frimp:
Sharp Fizziness with a sweet sugary undertone
On my Skin, Wet:
Sharp clear musk - no fizz, no sugar
On my Skin, Dry:
Clear musk with a touch of sweet red fruit. It does not smell like strawberries to me, just a sort of generic red candy.
Verdict:
While it's not a morpher, it's quite interesting as it dries down and settles on the skin.
it does have a festive feel to it but there's no occassion associated with it.
I like the fact that it's a mellow, little-throw musk with some sweetness.
if I smelled this at random, I would never think 'champagne' - maybe soda water with a drizzle of red fruity flavor.
not for me, but the frimp will get used up when I want a subtle musk.
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bump! i'm getting married on july 13! recommend me something for a bride to wear to her quirky vegas wedding? (i wish there was a vegas scent in the wanderlust series.) i thought about wearing 13 (it's my lucky number and the wedding is on the 13th!) but i don't know if i wanna smell like chocolate and it doesn't last very long on me. hm.
Congratulations!
I don't know what your tastes are, but I don't think wedding days can go wrong with a clean / woodsy scent. (seductive scents are for later that night
)I debated wearing Szepasszony, Tempest, The Dormouse, The Raven, Peony Moon, Titania, and Snow Moon for the ceremony & reception.
Ended up wearing Peony Moon & now everytime I wear it, the wedding day seems like it just happened
Hope that helps a little bit - and you could always just wear what feels right that day, too
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Stormclouds Over The Midway
I really thought I had reviewed this one already!
In the Bottle:
Purple smoke & an underlying clean note.
On my Skin, Wet:
The smoke amps and becomes more like incense, I get the slight plum note here.
Ozone makes a subtle appearance but fades quickly in this stage.
I get some woody lemon too.
On my Skin, Dry:
Plumy incense and lemon woods
Verdict:
not my usual fare, but this is really smooth & I love plum & wood notes...the lemon actuallly enhances the woods for me here.
very nice blend, and conveys the spooky image well too
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Red Lace
In the Bottle:
Deep, smoldering scent - I detect red musk & some little bits of vanilla
On my Skin, Wet:
RED MUSK, some sweet vanilla & a bright, cheerful patchouli
On my Skin, Dry:
Red musk, vanilla that has dried out & is no longer sweet. The patchouli has faded somewhat and turned a little dirty & moody. I can pick out a very small amount of the cotton note. it's adding a soft element to this scent.
Verdict:
a very nice Valentine scent indeed!
I think this will age wonderfully, but I am on the fence about getting a backup (the dirty patchouli is my one concern)
Perhaps letting it sit a few weeks will be helpful in making that decision
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Herr Drosselmeyer 2010
In the Bottle:
stale mint - yep.
on my Skin, Wet:
STALE MINT! AMPED!
this stage is pretty gross IMO, but there seem to be hints of something else under the icky mint.
which is a weird surprise, BTW.
On my Skin, Dry:
mint has fallen by the wayside.
I now get the leather & woods & pipe smoke.
not familiar enough with BPAL's linen note to ID it here.
Verdict:
I really dislike the wet phase - stale mint = gross
BUT the dry phase is interesting and encapsulates the toymaker very nicely.
I finally get leathers that play nice on my skin, so this is a nice, dark version of leather....if I can hold my breath past the stale mint part.
interesting morphology!
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LOL - this truly smells like gingerbread out of the oven!
smooth lather, gently scented skin after use.
very nice soap - I can see why people like the BPAL version of this scent so much!
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It does smell like cookies!
I don't get any cranberry, but I do get the two chocolates & shortbread.
very festive & foody.
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The Phoenix in Winter
In the Bottle:
snow & musk
something tart lingering underneath
On my Skin, Wet:
musky snow and tart dark red cherries
On my Skin, Dry:
ditto from wet phase
Verdict:
pretty! a little heavy on the surprise musk, but I love the snow & cherry combo!
Happy Anniversary BPAL!
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The Soldier
in Yules
The Soldier
In the Bottle:
lots of red musk and something sweet in the background
On my Skin, Wet:
Pie (some kind of buttery sweetness, no nuts or discernable fruit/veggie) a faint hint of leather & LOTS of red musk
On my Skin, Dry:
still lots of red musk, and honestly, I can't tell the difference between The Soldier & Mme. Moriarty from Carnaval Diabolique at all.
Verdict:
interesting wet phase, but dissappointed that the dry down is so similar to another BPAL out there.
ETA(3.29.2011)
OK, this is nothing like the previous review now.
I get the black pepper note, no pie crust, and a heck of a lot more leather now.
This is what I imagined Spanked would smell like!
this is now it's own blend and not a Mme. Moriarty dupe anymore! Yay!
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Woods in Winter
In the Bottle:
Cedar and some kind of lemon note.
also eminates 'cold' impression.
On my Skin, Wet:
yep - there's definitely some Cedar in this, according to my nose.
Still getting a lemon note, with a slight waxy quality to it somehow.
I'm liking the cold impression - like frozen pine needles or something green that has been encased in ice.
On my Skin, Dry:
lemon note dissipates somewhat - much less of that waxy quality too.
still cold, encased greenery with a nice balance of Cedar and Evergreen notes.
some snowy notes are trying to make an appearance, but they're definitely in the background. Probably won't overcome the trees though.
Verdict:
I love the Lab's imagery of this scent from the description.
I was taken by surprise by the lemon/waxy note. Luckily those notes aren't the dominant notes and don't last very long.
The encased greenery is beautiful, and does a great job of capturing the feeling of iced over trees.
Beautiful - and a more masculine version of Archangel Winter, IMO.
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VESPERS
Alma Redemptoris Mater,
quae pervia caeli porta manes,
et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore,
sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
Aromatic woods, frankincense, saffron, pine pitch, black amber, and balsam.
Doesn't smell like much of anything in the bottle with the protective cap removed.
upon spritzing, it smells like a combination of Catholic church a few hours after a ceremony involving incense and Scorpio 2007.
the duration of the spray is about 1 hour in the living room per 1 spritz.
I will try it in smaller rooms and see if the duration lasts longer.
ETA: I tried this in a bedroom, and the effect was definitely better! there emerged a cinnamon/ginger scent in the smaller room that I missed in the larger room. after about 2 hours, there was a slight maple note that gave it a sugary, festive quality to the whole room. This is the best room spray ever!
Verdict:
I love this!
it's very nostalgic of Catholic Christmas masses that I have attended in the past.
additionally, I *LOVE* Scorpio 2007, so this is a great blend!
I just wish the duration would be longer than 1 hour
I guess that just means I have to buy backup bottles! -
A Cold, Clear Winter Day
In the Bottle:
Cold - it smells just like 40F degree weather!
it doesn't so much have a scent as gives an impression.
On my Skin, Wet:
Cold, but with some minty undertones. It's reminiscent of Nuclear Winter without the herbs.
very simple blend right now.
On my Skin, Dry:
Cold but dissipating the same way it does once you are back inside a warm house.
so there's that cold feeling, but it starts to fall away as you stand inside.
I don't get any florals out of this blend.
the minty undertones also dissipate in the dry phase.
Verdict:
an atmospheric blend, gives a great impression of a very cold day!
the minty undertones are not overpowering, and imbue a clean tone to the scent.
I did not ever get florals from this blend, which I was kinda hoping for
but I really like how simple and impressionistic this blend is of a winter day.
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HECATE - Lab Frimp Review
In the Imp:
pungent & sharp - I can't say that I like it, but I'll do a skin test to be sure.
On my Skin, Wet:
more sharpness & bitter impression.
ALMOND IS THAT YOU?
*checks notes*
yep, almond
On my Skin, Dry:
the sharpness has dissipated but i'm starting to smell myrrh now.
myrrh has not been my friend lately, but seems to be taking away the almond sharpness and not going all weird either.
Verdict:
not for me.
the sharpness eventually goes away, which I am thankful for, and the myrrh doesn't turn into whatever weird scent it has been doing for me lately.
after about 15 minutes I go get a buttery note, which is a surprise!
despite all the odds against this perfume, it actually evens out into a nice earthy scent, but it just isn't my style.
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In the Bottle:
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM ICING!
On my Skin, Wet:
very delectable vanilla buttercream icing - seriously good.
On my Skin, Dry:
still icing, but drier.
vanilla is definitely a prominent note, and it is still surprisingly sugary sweet.
I don't get any pine notes from this, which I am totally ok with since the vanilla buttercream icing is so out of this world awesome!
Verdict:
getting backups!
I am completely blow away by this one, I LOVE IT!
10 of 10 ranking!
eta - spelling fail! -
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White tea and violet leaf.
The Unsteady Governess
In the Bottle:
TEA!!! and something green.
in the bottle this smells quite similar to Holiday Moon
On my Skin, Wet:
a blast of white tea, then it smells just like Holiday Moon for about 30 seconds.
as it settles, there is a very potent green vegetation note. It smells like a very strong type of grass that used to be found in the stables when I was a kid.
alfalfa maybe?
after another minute or so the green-ness dissipates.
nothing about this seems to have any violet notes to it for me...not sure if that's a good thing or not at this point.
On my Skin, Dry:
A mixture of strong tea - which no longer seems white, but maybe a mixture of green & white.
definitely some green-ness still lingering but not as overwhelmingly strong.
still no violet tones emerging.
Verdict:
it's a great tea scent - the only other scent that comes close to the level of tea notes is Holiday Moon, but the overall vibe to The Unsteady Governess is more unsettling.
I'm a little dissappointed that the green note goes ballistic for a little while, but it's not really a detriment overall.
I'm on the fence about whether or not violet's absence bothers me or not.
The only scent that I really remember having a potent violet note was NUMB, and that one gave me a screeching, pounding headache instantly.
Overall, this scent is greater than the sum of it's parts.
it's a weird mixture of freshness, femininity, and menace.
despite the luke-warm breakdown above I do like this scent quite a bit.
it's the evil twin to Holiday Moon in some regards.
so it's nice to alternate between 'good' tea and 'bad' tea
Thanks Labbies!
8 of 10 Ranking! -
In the bottle:
fresh cut grass
On my Skin, Wet:
BANANAS!? WTF?
it bursts with bananas, mangos, & something coconut like
On my Skin, Dry:
still somewaht smoothie-like
but the amber is coming out more now, and the green 'grass' smell is also coming out but definitely is slowly turning into fresh leaves
Verdict:
very weird opening on my skin - the drydown is pretty but also fairly sutble.
4 of 10 Ranking! -
Punkie Night 2010
In the Bottle:
smells like a fresh leafy apple orchard!
on my Skin, Wet:
YANKEE CANDLES!!
no apples, no cranberries, just waxy overly artificial perfumed candles
On my Skin, Dry:
Ok, the candles scent has gone away now.
it's become kind of spicy somehow, but I am getting the cranberries and some apples at this point.
Verdict:
this might have been the blend I was wanting to try the most for 2010, but the candle phase turned me off somewhat.
I was planning on getting another bottle of this one, but I think I'll pass.
ETA: 7.29.2011
After almost a full year, this is now gorgeous & lost it's 'candle' note.
I get crisp apples, and a general autumn feel from this scent now.
It's very evocative of the season and I would definitely pick up a new bottle if released in 2011.
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Tricksy Bath Oil
Thank you all for mentioning how potent the patchouli is in this bath oil!
Just used a little bit and it's definitely POW! patchouli!
thankfully it's not a 'dirty' patchouli, but it's still pretty overpowering.
I decided to add the oil to the tub before adding any water.
I used a quarter sized amount and it was just right!
it will layer REALLY well with Gula or something chocolatety!
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Mabon 2010
I wasn't around for the original Mabon so I can't provide a comparison.
it's a lovely grape scent to me.
I don't think grape is listed as a note, but that's what I smell.
Like the best fresh squeezed sugared grape juice ever!
I thankfully don't smell the myrrh, which recently has decided to amp up on me.
evocative of fall and bounty.
beautiful, even if it doesn't smell like anything but enchanted grapes to me.
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The Wild Swans at Coole
this is a lovely soft aquatic.
I get the autumn leaves imagery when I apply, then the water note becomes prominant and lasts and lasts.
very serene.
beautiful blend Beth!
Gods of Intercourse
in Lupercalia
Posted · Report reply
In the Bottle:
Red Florals
On my Skin, Wet:
A brief burst of peach, then it dries to a recognizable magnolia note.
On my Skin, Dry:
The magnolia fades, then it just becomes a generic floral blend.
Verdict:
I was hoping for a predominently peach scent.
The florals are not overpowering, but not what I was looking for from this blend.