Akurarei

On me this one smells very much like regular Snake Oil layered with Sara Pezzini.
It definitely has leather and the Snake Oil as a base.
I thought it would be more complex than that, but I am perfectly OK with how it works on me.

Purple Spotted Swallowtail

 

In the Bottle:

Smells almost like fresh lemon rind to me.

it does have a slight 'furniture cleaner' note to it, but it's very faint.

 

On my Skin, Wet:

an explosion of lemon, then the clove & some faint resins.

this doesn't last terribly long before it does go a little more 'furniture cleaner' than I like.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

a strange combo of cloves, poppy, & lemon/lime

it's interesting, but not something I usually gravitate towards.

I picture this being more of a fall scent than a spring or summery fragrance.

 

Verdict:

different.

I hope the 'furniture cleaner' note goes away over time - it's putting a tarnish on an otherwise very unique scent.

not sure how to rank this one yet.

The Death-Horse

 

In the Imp:

dark & ominous - I smell mostly smoky, gritty resin

 

On my Skin, Wet:

An overwhelming blast of Lily of the Valley!

and that's about it.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Lily of the Valley, made of resins.

this is a strange blend in the dry stage.

I don't know how I feel about it in the dry stage...I certainly was not expecting such a presence from the florals.

 

Verdict:

it's OK, but I was just expecting something more resinous.

Obatala

 

In the Bottle:

Not much there - I can tell it's a delicate scent, but I don't pick up specific notes here.

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Awesome coconuts, a coolness that is probably the water, a touch of something sweet.

This is very soothing and calming in the wet stage for me. Just lovely!

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Still coconuts, but they have receeded a bit. I get a touch of the milk now, and it's blending with the shea butter. The shea butter is quite distinct on me in the dry phase.

This has morphed from a cool scent to a warm scent. It strongly reminds me of a rice dessert I used to have while visiting the grandfolks in Mexico.

 

Verdict:

This is a perfect summer scent!

it's light & refreshing then becomes soft and warm, welcoming, even.

just beautiful!

Death on a Pale Horse

 

In the Imp:

Not much there, it almost smells of nothing, but the little bit I do smell, I can't describe.

 

On My Skin, Wet:

Sandalwood & Lemon.

mostly a dry sandalwood, with hints of dried potpourri lemons... these are not juicy fresh lemons.

 

On My Skin, Dry:

..................

this smells exactly like a great aunt who passed away many years ago.

lovely lady, and all this scent does is make me miss her

 

Verdict:

scent -wise: it's ok. I prefer Yukki-Onna for lemon & sandalwood

Memory-wise: OMG incredible! I wish the memory evoked would have been a little happier...instead it just made me sad.

Xmvlzencab Soap

 

This soap was very smooth and silky, just as advertised.

I loved the sweet honeyed ginger scent, but was suprised on how faint the scent was - I think I expected a stronger ginger throw.

Lovely soap that felt great on the skin, just not potent in the scent department for me.

To piggy-back on this topic. I absolutely adore The Dormouse. However, the scent just doesn't last very long on my skin,I almost have to bathe in for it to have staying power. To really notice it you practically have to press your nose against the skin and since my life does not include a whole lot of people sniffing my skin I don't feel I can justify a whole bottle no matter how much a love the scent. I was wondering if there were any tricks to getting more staying power out of a perfume or if there were any similar scents to The Dormouse that had more stay.

 

I find that putting some BPAL on two fingertips (preferably index & thumb) then putting the BPAL in thin strands of my hair works best for both keeping the scent from reacting with my PH and allowing faint scents to stay stronger, longer.

A beautiful scent locket from the Post works great too

Black Pearl

 

In the Imp:

Evil Coconuts

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Slightly boozy/musky coconuts

I don't notice anything else in this stage. I don't know where the faint booziness is coming from, maybe the iris?

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Coconuts, a hint of sea water (I have no idea how Beth does it! but it's great!) and the musk makes a distinct appearance in this stage.

 

Verdict:

I will probably get a bottle in the next order or two.

I really like this for a summery blend that isn't all florals all the time - it's soft without being powdery or too sutble.

good work Labbies!

Enlightenment of the Courtesan Jigokudayu

 

In the Bottle:

sugary sweetness!

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Sugary Juicy Pears - plus something akin to Wisteria...I don't think Wisteria is a note in this!

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Sweet Pears & Soft florals; gentle whiffs of carnation

 

Verdict:

A soft, lovely spring scent.

It does make my nose itch just a little bit

 

ETA: This is a definite scent locket blend! I think my skin amps something that makes my nose itch, haha!

BIWA

 

In the Bottle:

Definitely gives an orange impression

 

On my Skin, Wet:

TANGERINE!

Very pungent & juicy tangerine!

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Tangerine, honey & the whiff of marigolds.

the tangerine has calmed down, but is nicely tempered by the honey & marigold.

 

Verdict:

This is a great citrus blend!

I'm glad that there is honey in this blend or the tangerine might have been too overpowering.

This smells like a spring garden where the gardener wanted only to have orange flowers and citrus trees - there is a honeybee hive nearby, and I can smell the sweetness of the honey they are making.

very evocative of spring!

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.

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 )

This is a honeyed lemon sugar tea on me - absolutely gorgeous & backup bottle worthy!

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.

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

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

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

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!

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!

It does smell like cookies!

I don't get any cranberry, but I do get the two chocolates & shortbread.

 

very festive & foody.

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!

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!

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.

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!