RoseThornAndOak

The opening of this read as jasmine to me, which can happen with chamomile blends on occasion, more sweet than herbal. The drydown is like a dry berry wine, slightly aquatic and metallic. It's just okay.

Trying on an aged decant without looking at the notes, I get orange blossom and grape juice, very bright, joyful, and springlike, unexpected for a Christmas Carol blend. After looking at the notes and inspiration, it makes sense. I don't get much vanilla, sandalwood, or tea until the drydown, where the sandalwood dominates and smooths out the orange blossom. I prefer the opening to the drydown, but it's nice overall. Fades kinda fast.

Ooooo, this is similar to the patchoulis in Goblin and Die Peste Auf Der Treppe, the almost sweet, gooey type I can get down with. The leather is similar to the soft brown leather in blends like Rogue, the Mountebank, and John Locke. The clove, pepper, and tobacco brighten in a nice way without smelling foody or smoky. Heckedy heck yeah.

Mine's also from a sniffie. It's a clean, metallic, aquatic ozone. It does feel ghostly blue white. It's nice! Not problematic or sharp in anyway, as ozone can sometimes go, but I do like others in this vein more.

Ooo I really like this! I've been reading about Patrick Henry and his wife Sarah, so the opening bright greenery plus a sort of metallic note, instead of evoking jubilance, instilled a sort of sadness at first, making me think of "the next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?". It invoked imagery of sons and fathers dying in cold, damp, grassy fields with swords and bayonets clashing. Things get better, though. Henry was once paid for his lawyer duties with 10 gallons of peach brandy, and another time, 30 gallons of rum (could you imagine? ), so this makes me think of that when the fruit notes emerges under the greenery after a while, and the metallic note recedes, going much more cheerful. It's mostly a sweet, bright orange, yet with the cherry and lemon peel, it reads as more of a general fruit than anything specific, and just lightly boozy. The greenery reads more mossy and like a fougere than evergreen thanks to the oakmoss (which stays for the duration of the fragrance). I don't get anything fussy with the juniper berry, either, usually a problem note that goes wet sock on me, haha. No, here it is lending more of a brightness with the neroli perhaps, maybe a teeny bit of spice with the pink pepper. Some of the notes here were used in fragrances of the 18th century (neroli, citrus, oakmoss, etc), and the juniper berry reads more like an aromatic herb that would be added to fragrances at the time. So, it's kind of more, I dunno, fougere-like oakmoss plus some intrigue and depth than any of the other notes really jumping out (fougeres technically are a late 19th century thing, but oakmoss goes back much further in use). I don't get much white amber, which can often be sweet but sometimes indolic, so I don't have any issues with it here, just lending a touch of sweetness overall, but this is largely gender neutral. The final drydown is a clean and green moss, with barely a whisper of the fruits and no metallic note, and some subtle spices and aromatics, which I'm absolutely happy with. BPAL is absolutely eating these historically inspired blends, and I'm surprisingly liking this better than most of the Fire Down Below blends. Tldr: a classic, 18th-19th century, mossy fragrance starting with a short lived metallic bite, with a fruit brandy emerging in the mids, drying down to a clean mossy blend with some herbal, aromatic depth, brightness, and a touch of sweetness.

^^ I love this. Ghoul writes the best reviews and I don't know how to follow up on em. This eerily describes my Gram and her neighbor's bridge and tripoley games and their shenanigans. The trick to that coffee is just a teaspoon of sugar, not too much now, and chain smoking. ☕️ This reads somewhere between Poinsettia Gown and Katrina Van Tassel on me. The deep, luscious jasmine & rose of PG and the soft, demure rose in KVT are replaced with a bright, high pitched, white floral that smells like it would be hella sharp on it's own, the honey is lending a slightly powdered sweetened edge, yet isn't feral, then thankfully, the cream note smooths it out considerably and saves the day, and this sweetens and softens up beautifully (no goats milk tang or anything). After not much time the florals tame down as well. I'd say this skews slightly more towards PG than KVT, but truly it is it's own scent. Very nice, considering backup. Fans of the above, but also Tomie, Millarca, and Carved Wooden Bridal Shop may also want to give this a try! Also, is it just me, or does absolutely nothing on that card scream happy Christmas in any way? And why did I hear "dismembered" three times in a row today? 🤣 Haunted-ass cards.

Dang this has sexied up over time. At first I get harsh evergreens, no happy little trees, but mean massive trees. Later, the dark evergreens recede, and in a strange twist of fate, warm sandalwood and tonka emerge, and this smells more glamorous. The scarlet musk, expected to be a strong, growly, slightly indolic red musk is softer, sweeter. I don't get much florals or orris, but perhaps they're also softening the edges of the sandalwood melding with the tonka (it's not heavy on the tonka, either). Overall, the effect is a fresh, cold, soft sandalwood, with evergreens a ghostly presence in the distance. I picture a glamorous lady at a New Year's party stepping onto the porch for a breath of icy air, peering into a dark forest.

If you like Antique Lace, you may like Victoria Secret's Vanilla Lace. Although it's back, it's not nearly as strong as it used to be. Frosted Vanilla Fantasy alao shares some similarities, but has more amber.

Okay, I totally missread "The hope of springtime penetrating winter darkness." as "The hops of springtime penetrating winter darkeness." and thought 'MAN, that's weird. What do hops have to do with the winter bird theme?' and pictured beer hops in the snow, then bunny hops in the snow, then drunk bunny hops in the snow. So, I will now affectionately call this The Darkling Thrush, aka Drunk Bunny Hops In The Snow. And it fits! At first I get the green bite of winter air with evergreen (the type of evergreen that is ever so jammy), and cold soft snow, with a touch of soft, sweet florals. The soft orris and violet is reminiscent of Lucy Westenra a little bit. The warm amber sort of plays with the snow like it does in Es Lacht der Mai, but I find The Darkling Thrush to be much softer. It's more of the Skadi type snow note, to my nose, and not like Snow White or Pink Snowballs, which I generally enjoy more. However, I like how this smells cold and dark in a peaceful sort of way, like the silence when snow blankets the land, and the air is still, the same atmosphere Winter Night Figure on The Bridge brings, yet with more evergreen. Being that I've wanted this since the winter of 2006 (which is right around the time of my first Lab order!), I'm glad someone posted one for sale all these years later, and to have found a soft, cold, violet evergreen snow blend in it. 🌬❄️🌲🧝🏼‍♀️

2018 version: cinnamon plum forward, with soft, chilly florals in the background (not indolic or powdery). It is prettier on my hair and fabrics instead of on the skin, though it's still a keeper. A splendid Winter blend, and it would work well in Autumn and early Spring.

Oof yeah this is the stuff. This is more or less the same as the perfume oil, sweet cinnamon apple gooey yumminess! Caramel can go plasticky on me but here it works. Same with sugar notes, but brown sugar doesn't and goes more like the molassas note, which I'm appreciative of as many of the cookie/sugar blends just go a little plasticky, too. Here, it works. There is a pumpkin apple cinnamon candle vibe but honestly, candles have come a long way over the years, and many translate well on the skin or hair, so whatevs. It is like what your hair would smell like if you had an apple candle going. I think the perfume oil goes a bit more cookie, this goes a tad more apple. This is so yummy and sexy. I think a decant is enough given how often I reach for hair gloss, but like dear Eve I am tempted, annnnnd now have God Dethroned stuck in my head til further notice. Eve take a bite (fear not) Eve you're a god (the poison apple) Eve you're divine (you're a god) You won't fall from grace (the poison apple) Forbidden fruit (oh eve) it's so good for you (the poison apple) ❤

SmellsPrettyGood2Me and I are of like-mind on the whole hoping the dead leaf note won't slide into our DMs like it does, but yep, that's exactly what it done did. This is heavy dead leaves, and darkness and decay, with dark sinister spices and none more black leather. The drydown is mostly a dark vetiver. Does it fit the vibe? I mean, yeah. There are others that make me feel more like I am in Sleepy Hollow, though. Oddly, I'm really enjoying the dead leaves opening more than the woodsy drydown? Can some esplaing? Is anomaly? I think it would layer well with Sidewalk Apples though, for a cemetery in Sleepy Hollow vibe, at least in the decants, although I don't think the drydowns would flesh out that way. I think a decant is enough for me, but we'll see. Honestly I'm just pining for Katrina and the rest of the Sleepy Hollow line to come back and filling in the time til it does. If we all together think it will come back, will it come to pass? Like the Order of The Dragons, I summon thee to return! Lol.

I agree this is very Evening With The Spirits in atmosphere. I get a pale ghost of florals like if a spirit was trapped in a powder puff. A friend and I came up with a bunch of silly spoopy song names for this project that never came to be like Elegant in Darkness and Mournique, and this kinda reminds me of both. It's all funerals, and ghosts, and old houses. It's a little too powdery at first, but that drydown I can get down with. Floral and pretty and soft.

Okay, you know when pumpkin smells kind of fruity, almost like orange or mango but you can't really place what fruit it is other than pumpkin fruit? That's what I get here, plus sweet 'n buttery popcorn, and a dash of spice. Similar to Mouse Circus, a tad less sweet but more pumpkin spice type sweet. I like it! It's fun and playful. This is the Harvest Haunt's gf, like, Haunt's trying to be all dark and broody and stuff, and Pumpkin Popcorn is making funny faces in the photos and is more Devil-may-care in life, and he lowkey misses her charm when she's not around. It's very Carnival Diabolique in Autumn.

I didn't expect to like this one as much as I do! It's heavy on the dead leaves as first, with petrichorish sidewalk and some apple. However, this take a turn for the better, smelling more and more like a cemetery in autumn with apples on the ground. At first, it's very much like the scents October and November, but less cold, and also reminds me of the blend St Louis Cemetery. The sidewalk note really does bring to mind the old cemeteries we have here on the East Coast. Although there is a petrichor vibe, this is quite a dry blend overall. I think if you like many of the 'PAL's or other indie cemetery blends, you'll like this one. Layered with a dark rainy blend like leather + rain, you'd have an atmosphere like The Crow with blustering leaves, sorrow, and vengeance on the wind. I'm considering a bottle, yet this is much more of a room scent for me.