Follow My Nose

The Corn Spirit is hands-down the most Autumnal scent I got this year! My main impression is that glorious dry, golden-brown hay & grain note that BPAL gets perfect. There’s a hint of musty soil that just adds a chilly edge without smelling like a pile of dirt, and a sweet corn cob scent mixed in. After it dries, I can pick up the chamomile, like having a hot cup of tea after a breezy walk through the harvest fields.

If a scarecrow had a soul, this would be what it smelled like.

Vintage Ghost Blow Mold is indeed warm and glowing like it’s inspiration. Right off, I get a sweet milky vanilla (no plastic here) balanced with golden amber. There’s just a whisper of the classic fabric note, perhaps a nod to the ghost’s garment, and a bit o’ honey, like some spilled candy corn on the sidewalk next to the vintage decor.

This does remind me of trick-or-treating when I was a kid and enjoying candy from a plastic pumpkin while I wandered past all of the neighbors’ ghostly yard decorations. Very nostalgic and sweet!

Sleepy Bat is your perfect lavender scent for the Halloween season. It perfectly evokes the adorable photo on the label, combining restful lavender with soft wing leather and a melange of gentle, powdery golden notes. I can’t pick out the individual notes other than lavender and leather, but they meld together beautifully. 

This would be a lovely sleep blend but also a cozy peaceful scent for any day you are feeling stressed or anxious.

Dead Leaves, Shortbread & Crystallized Ginger was a gamble for me, since the dead leaves note often does not work on my skin. This starts out with the sharp, bitter green pepper note that usually disappoints me, but luckily the other notes come in to play during dry down and make those leaves behave. The sweet buttery shortbread balances beautifully and cancels out the bitterness, leaving that powdery crunchy scent I’m always looking for in the DL series. The ginger adds a nice bit of light spice but isn’t overpowering.

Altogether this is a delicious autumn scent reminiscent of eating cookies while kicking through crunchy drifts of colorful leaves.

Batty Lace has that classic BPAL lace note, delicate fabric with creamy vanilla tones and the faintest of florals; the leather and musk are soft but present, giving this a slightly sexier edge but remaining cozy. On my skin, it remains the same from application through dry down and has decent lasting power, especially for a lighter scent.

This is exactly what I was hoping for when I saw the name “Batty Lace” and I am so happy that I added this scent to my tiny collection of lace-based perfumes.

To start with, I get an unusual combo of a forest scent and tart fruit. This mellows into a balanced blend of the soft green oakmoss and the cranberry, with the brandy adding a bit of sweetness. The wooly yarn fills in the middle and smooths out the edges of everything else, making this a surprisingly seamless perfume.

Hand-Knitted Witch Gloves appealed to me on many levels, being a knitter of occultist persuasion myself, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the blend of notes. I’m glad I took a gamble on it, because it is just lovely and different from any other scent I have.

My favorite Weenie preview from Dragon Con (and the one I took home) was Witch Milk! It is really well-balanced between all of the widely varying notes, creating a soft, sweet, creamy scent that could almost be innocent except for the shadowy notes around the edges. Like you've gathered a bouquet of forest wildflowers (maybe an effect of the incense notes because there aren't any florals) and garden herbs and thrown a few poisonous toadstools in for good measure. I can pick out the milk and honey, as well as the fruity red currant, but they don't overshadow any of the rest of the scent.

It is really lovely and I can't stop wearing it!

On wet, this starts out as single note pine, but black musk starts peeking around the edges right away. Then the cool, minty slush note slides into join the others and the real complexity of this scent begins to come out. There's moss, herbs, green and woodsy notes ... this goat has been around the forest quite a bit and picked up lots of nice-smelling things in his shaggy coat. I'm not getting much of the wool note yet, but this bottle might need some time to settle, I just got the package yesterday.

Black Julbocken is a perfect mascot for the Lab's Yule collection, and this is exactly the chilly forest blend I was hoping to find in this update!

ETA: One of my cats has definite opinions about my perfume choices, and this seems to be his favorite of the Yules I got. He does tend to prefer musky and/or woodsy scents and this one is both. 😻

This is exactly as described, I think I can pick out all of the notes over the course of drydown. I don't always go for straight-up fruity scents, but I'm very happy I picked this one up! It's incredibly festive and perfect for winter wear, extending the holiday warmth into the dreary cold months after.

At first when wet, it gives off fruit punch vibes, which then start to morph into Christmas candle territory, but give it a chance to dry all the way and it becomes more complex and downright cheery. The apple cider smells warm and spiced, the pomegranate balances with some rich tartness, and the brightness of the orange peel is accentuated by the subtle peppercorn and hibiscus tang in the background. Makes me want to make mulled wine or cider in my crockpot to scent my apartment!

Oh my. So, these miniature cultists are definitely holding naked rituals in their carved wooden lair, 'cause this is a sexy scent!

I'm taking guesses at these notes, but I'm definitely getting some red or black musk or combination of the two. It reminds me of the musk in Eldritch Dark or Bright Red Dildo. The incense is a smooth blend, maybe some amber or a bit of dragonsblood included in there. I'm not sure my nose is accurate enough to pick out individual notes. Then there's the smoothly-sanded dark wood underneath everything else, with just a hint of smokiness and sweetness thrown in.

This one is going into rotation for date-night perfumes.

Oh my, this is lovely, and exactly what I imagined it would be!

I just got my new Yules in yesterday, so I'm trying to do quick reviews for the ones I got. Snow White Rabbit is immediately sweet and a bit creamy and the spice notes are light and tickle my nose just a tad. The Snow White snow comes out as it dries, blending in a soft and powdery coolness. The linen scent is subtle in the background but definitely adds a clean, fresh laundry feel to it to balance the gourmand notes.

This is so wearable and pretty, and I think it will work year-round. It isn't a heavy scent at all, but has good lasting power and decent throw.

This blind-bottle was risky, since I don't know if I've ever tried the Lab's lightning scents or had much experience with the ozone note, but I really wanted to try it for the story inspiration, and the gamble paid off!

On my skin, this one started out very light and subtle, then deepened as it dried. At first, just a light, bright flash that I can't really describe, maybe a slight citrusy feeling with a hint of freshly washed fabric in the background. Then, soft thunder rolls in as I pick up the sweet beeswax and the ink, which always reads as a subtle white floral to my nose. The dry warm paper note is lovely as always and rounds out a beautiful light scent. It truly evokes writing a horror story longhand during an evening storm, I absolutely love this one!

This starts off warm, sweet, and slightly powdery when wet, light and pleasant.

Then after applying, I start to get some spice and a nuttiness comes out, perhaps a combination of the almond and the vanilla. As this dries, it gets warmer and more complex -- spicy, gourmand, and smoky wood notes all blending together smoothly. It is a lovely golden-brown autumn scent, a must-have for fans of tonka bean!

Medium throw and good wear length.

The name and story of this scent drew me in immediately and the notes intrigued me. So glad I gambled on a blind-bottle!

At first application, the notes I pick up are pale amber, lavender, and white tea. It's a soft, slightly high-pitched scent, but still comes across as soothing in spite of the suggestion of angst. Some oakmoss appears in the background as it starts to dry and the blend becomes a bit more powdery. There was a moment on my skin where it threatened to go sharp and soapy, but that quickly passed. After it dries, the woody notes and ambergris come out and a lovely pale golden warmth appears under the ghostly melancholy. The oakmoss also becomes a more solid presence.

This is really lovely and different from anything else I already have. All of the notes are smoothly blended and even after the drydown and I must agree with Supertrooper Omni in the review above, this perfume gives off the impression of a sophisticated Victorian ghost. Who is SO emo.

I got a decant of this to try something different, but now I find myself kind of fascinated by it! It's so interesting and I have a hard time picking out notes. Some are unfamiliar, but they seem to work together very well.

I get the smoky woody notes and something nutty right away (could be the tonka and/or almond blossom combining?) As it dries, I get subtle floral from the almond blossom and the amber and vanilla make an appearance. I also get a soft earthy note around the edges that reminds me of mushrooms. The lacquer is the note I think is tricky, I've smelled it before and it didn't work on me in the past, but this time it's fairly light and well-balanced by all of the woody notes. I think it's one of the aspects making this a really unique scent, kind of brightening the warm earthy and woody notes into something new.

I'm still testing this, but leaning towards a bottle.

I was hoping for a cousin to Skadi and was not disappointed!

On my skin, this starts out with strong pine, the needles and the wood, but calms down as it dries. My favorite chilly snow note comes out to balance the pine and the whole scent is rounded out by the sake note, which I am less familiar with. There's some booze in there, but not too sweet, and maybe a faint hint of rice in the background? That could be the power of suggestion, I'm not sure my nose is good enough to actually pick the rice smell out of the sake. Once the pine calms down, The Snow-Woman stays true and the notes all balance each other well.

There's a lovely freshness to this that makes it different from Skadi but still in the same wheelhouse. Definite bottle buy for me!

This is a lovely dry vanilla with that wonderful hay note that I love (and that ages fabulously!). There is a bare hint of sweet lemony-ness, like NDc said above, and the nutmeg is fairly light, just giving a warm spice in the background. I think this one will definitely be a Menage a Trois favorite and will just get better with time!

I agree with Threemoons above, this scent makes me think of a glowing amber gem. It's such a warm, sweet, sexy scent, mostly the gorgeous amber and honey notes, but with something else that I can't quite place. It doesn't read as smoky or woody on my skin, but still makes me think of crackling flames, JUST the flames. This is definitely in the running for my favorite Yule this year!

This is a warm and cozy scent, starting out with the nutty notes (I love the lab's nutty notes!) at the forefront, along with a crisp, cold note on top that I can't quite place. This note fades gradually, almost melting into the mellower woolly note as if thawing by a warm fire. As it dries, a softly smoky note comes out that makes me think of roasting nuts by a cozy fireplace. This might be a combo of the cedar and caramelized vetiver? After drydown, it develops a creamy sweetness over all the other notes, melding everything together into a smooth, warm scent. It's unique in my collection and I am quite happy I blind-bottled this one!

Sniffed straight out of the bottle, I get kettle corn, yum!

Then it stays true on my skin from wet to dry stages: a great balance between the slightly spiced sugar cookie and the buttery popcorn. A great holiday gourmand scent, another blind-bottle win for me!

I love what wolf_truffles said above about the tapioca pearls, as this definitely reminds me of my favorite horchata bubble tea.

Whoa, I'm first? I'll try to do this justice. It is almost exactly how I imagined it when I blind-bottled it on Black Friday weekend!

In the bottle, this is all milk chocolate and a sharp, almost cologne-y black leather.

Wet, on skin, the leather immediately mellows to a beautiful richness and blends smoothly with the chocolate, just lovely.

After a few minutes, the other resin notes come out in the background and there is almost an "oud-iness" that pops up for a bit, but then fades away. Not sure where that comes from, might just be my nose being weird.

After drying, everything blends together beautifully to make a gorgeous leather scent with sweet gourmand and rich resin notes in the background. The chocolate is not very strong anymore, but my skin  tends to eat sweet notes, so may be more pronounced on someone else. And I would say the leather ends up a soft, broken-in leather, like your favorite black leather jacket.

So happy that I took a risk on a blapimpsottle and picked this up unsniffed! It's sexy and comfort-y at the same time.

Edited 4/1/2022: After only a few months, the milk chocolate note has come out more and this is even better with age!

I think I have finally found my autumnal signature scent! My favorite from the Weenies this year!

Wet, it's all smoky campfire wood and sweet apple, but as it dries, the cinnamon makes itself known. Once it's fully dried down, the other notes fill in the background with the resins and a soft rustle of papery dried leaves, some of which may have drifted into the campfire.

It's like drinking hot spiced apple cider around a big bonfire at the edge of the resplendent autumn woods.

I was expecting a heavy spring floral, and while it is floral forward, the lilac and cherry blossoms are lovely, Kabuki Actor and Their Lover was also a nice surprise.

To my nose, the white musk and incense smoke are light, but quite forward, making this more complex. The champaca is very soft, I'm having trouble picking it out. I wasn't sure what amber embers would smell like, but I think the slightly smoky, warm amber blends in with the incense smoke to create a lovely resiny layer, not overpowering.

This turned out to be a unique and complex shunga hair gloss that's perfect for spring, and would be a beautiful gateway floral for people who are a little afraid of heavy florals and prefer incense. So glad I got to try this and nose it out, it's beautiful!

Mm, this is gorgeous! The amber, cacao, and tonka bean are all at the forefront and blend  into a rich, resiny chocolate dessert. It's not too gourmandy, I love that the lab's cacao note is dry rather than overly sweet. And the tonka bean note is delightful.

This is warm with just a smidgen of spice around the edges, and inviting, even a little sexy.

This is a deliciously creamy coconut-vanilla scent. The sandalwood and orris are a soft, powdery backup for the main players.

It kind of reminds me of Mexican coconut candy, which I love.

Like VetchVesper said above, this is light enough to pair with a wide variety of scent combos.

Just delicious-smelling and perfect for summer coming up for those of us in the Northern hemisphere.