RoseThornAndOak

Tried a few times and let it age a bit. Reads like a slightly charred vanilla root beer, like a softer Sissy: The Ascendant. It's okay on me. Skin's acting weird again.

@she's a carnival gifted a sniffie with just enough for a skin test. Thank you so much! This is a sweet gourmand with toasty coconut and bready notes. Hazelnut is there if I hunt for it. The coconut goes waxy/plasticy on me, too. The lavender peeks out after about 15 minutes. The final drydown is a melange of sweet notes that blur together but are pleasant. Feels soft. On the right skin this would be a Girl Scout Samoa Cookie blend. I get the vintage coconut donut toy I used to play with as a kid in the early 90s. I'm so grateful to have a chance to try it before blind bottling and glad to have it for the nostalgia.

Okay coffee blends usually dud out and go weird and toasty on me, but out of all of the ones released this year this one is my favorite. The vanilla in the beginning really does remind me of vanilla powder coffee mix and it's absolutely great. Wish it stayed like that on the skin, but the coffee reasonably behaves. Probably another locket scent. May or may not get a bottle for the locket because that opening is just that freakin good.

I forgot honey was in this, and thankfully don't get much honey! I think the stick in this is sandalwood, too very pretty and adds a high end quality, keeping it from being fully gourmand and more wearable as an every day frag. It is sweet though, but doesn't go as cloying as I would've thought. There are some moments where it's just okay sort of caramelized sweet autumn blend, then I'll catch the throw and really enjoy it. I think if you like some of the gingerbread blends or the Ghost Milk give this a try, it is similar in vibe. There's blends I like more, but this is different enough to warrant a bottle in my opinion, and will likely only get better with age. Great blend!

I didn't like this at first but now that it's rested ohh man this is good. Woody yet smooth sandalwood, not the weird one that goes creamy sour on me thank goodness, and the almost fruity, ancient mineral type amber. Very similar to Grey Columns but far more throw and longevity. I would almost guess a really nice smooth, deep guiacwood was in this. Simple but not simplified, yes! That's a good way of putting it. Simple cuts to the chase yet elegant and refined. A safe blend for those trying indies for the first time. I freakin love this.

This apple was just middle of the road on me. Light and fresh green apple at first, then dudded out into a weird vaguely powdery but sweet blergh. I do kinda get a Jolly Rancher vibe too, how it smells still inside the wrapper, more muted and somewhat plasticine. Some better some worse, however this would be great in a locket. I really enjoy the initial blast.

This was nice and creamy in the vial, a bit of a smooth quality with the tobacco. Unfortunately the oud strikes again and swamps the other notes and goes acrid. If you don't get the acrid vibe from oud, this could be a really nice, deep tobacco/snow blend worth trying!

In the decant: straight bell pepper. On skin the cream immediately emerges, but it is dissonant and strange with the DL initially. After a while it starts to smell like a slightly creamier, outdoor dusty (like how patch can read dusty earth instead of dank earth) version of other DL blends like October or November. Those just don't work on me and this is no exception. I think I'll stick with oak for leaf vibes, but if you dig DL you absolutely should try this!

This one is odd on me at first. Almost like cinnamon, paint, and pumpkin were all smooshed together in a plastic ziploc bag. So weird. The sandalwood + pumpkin is almost fruitlike, like a heavily cinnamon spiced mulled wine, served hot, then they dump cinnamon powder on top after. Actually this is giving me flash backs to hot buttered rum at a rennie post-faire party. Super pungent and up your nose. ICHH. THEN. THOUGH... BRO...This turns into the classy. Like a demure, yet suss spicy chicky babe on a vintage Halloween postcard: What does she conjure in that cauldron? The good shit. It's not your usual, sweet pumpkin spice type blend. This is more like what her house smells like when she invites friends over for Halloween, a deep, properly aged red wine made warm and comforting with pumpkin pulp and mulling spices, like the aroma never really leaves the walls of her cozy, wooden house in the woods. I didn't read black pepper, but can smell it now that I've read a few of the reviews.. Might read potpourri on some people, but I like it? Atmospheric. This went from disaster to wearable pretty fast. It's not what I expected at all, but it's a great blend. It's a good wine type blend for those who can't do the wine note really (usually goes weird on me). It's not your usual BPAL and not like anything in my collection. Well done, Lab. I hope this sticks around for future Halloweens.

I don't really have much to add, other than this blend I think deserves more accolades. Just fresh, simple rose. Not aquatic, not powdery weird, just red rose. The imp is a bit older, so on first sniff it doesn't really wow, but really blossoms on the skin. So if you have old imps that smell a bit old, flat, cardboardy or whatever do a skin test. I almost passed this one up! Definitely going in my next order. The bottle, aged a couple years: gorgeous dewy rose with stems, with the green softening as it dries. Soft and sensual. I agree it is a bit like Rose Red. It has a good bit of green in the beginning, but there are definitely far more green blends out there that make this one seem tame.

Going in was totally noseblind: it literally smelled like (said in the best Nathan Explosion voice I can do) "notttttthiiiiiiiiiinnggggg". On the skin though, holy moly, this is gorgeous sweet, vanillic benzoin with the better parts of orris/violet that don't go play-doh. I repeat, NO PLAY-DOH! There's a soft powder vibe that cannot be escaped from orris, I reckon, and I could see where some would get baby powder from this, but the vanillic benzoin and ambrette keep it from going that way too much in my opinion. It's more sweet, soft, ghostly, and perfectly wearable. I feel like a cuddly ghost. The vetiver behaves, no manly peanuts, oak dust is there if I look for it, it's more of a soft woods background but neither dominate. It's purple hued and spooky. It reminds me of the way Lullaby feels, like a blurry, violet hued ghost in a King Diamond video. Actually yeah, the album cover for "Them", that is exactly the atmosphere for Autumn Song: The closest Lab blend would be Asses Plus Long Qu'un Siecle Platonique with ghost violets replacing rose. Another I almost skipped. Well done, Lab! Full bottle for sure.

There's definitely marshmallow, and a slight lemony vibe but not like a floor cleaner, more like if you squeezed a couple drops of lemon on your skin. It's not like how fresh squeezed lemon is, it's more like a tiny dab of lemon on the skin, like how it would actually smell and not how you would envision? Hard to describe. It doesn't quite vibe right on me like I would want, but it's pleasant enough. It really doesn't make sense, I'm so sorry. lulz

Holy smokes this is sharp. Totally zingy, yet not like ozone usually is, there's a mentholic quality to it. I'm wearing it at the same time as Paisley Sheet Ghost, and the two are really opening my sinuses up. On left inner elbow, hella throw. Ye Mighty Triton Bearer would be proud. There is something icy and piercing about this. I believe the lavender note is the same as PSG. I'll have to revisit Stormclouds, but something in this reminds me more of the zingy mint top notes in Green Tree Viper, maybe like a lavender hued version of that. Interesting. I like the clearing effect which I needed. Probably won't grab a bottle. Urban Undine seemed to work a bit better. Glad I went the decant route, almost blind bottled LL and skipped UU had I gone the bottle route, I actually found UU to be a bit more ozonic than this one. tldr sharp minty lavender ozone.

Oo I really like the incense in this one. Soft and cuddly, kind of like how your skin and clothes smell after burning some earthy green incense. Sigh totally vibing. Had a chance to retry, this is a note in this similar to Blacker Than The Raven Wings of Midnight that is turning this sharp and mentholic + green earth. It's far lighter with no patchouli, so there's that. If you enjoyed the high notes in Raven Wings I think you will enjoy this!

Alright. Paisley Sheet Ghost deserves it's own playlist, lol. Please add to it: Deep Purple "Sweet Child in Time" Uriah Heep "Look at Yourself" Black Sabbath "Sweet Leaf" Coven "Black Sabbath" The Devil's Blood "The Thousandfold Epicentre" Pantera "Goddamn Electric" Adrenalin O.D. "Rock & Roll Gas Station" Acid Witch "Metal Movie Marijuana Massacre Meltdown" Dude this one is piercing, dank, sinus opening in the beginning. Definitely reefer, like reefer and clean sheets with maybe a lavender aromatherapy/high enhancer blend in the background. Very evocative. Almost skipped this one, but was vibing to some Deep Purple and Uriah Heep around the time of the release, so I went for it. It totally makes me think of toking in that one stoner metal dude's basement spinning some vinyl and really trying to cover up the smell and probably failing, lol. I really like this, it's bringing back fond memories lol ("yall wanna listen to some...Bllleckk Sebbeth?". Never living that one down, lol). I might actually spring for a bottle, so far I like it way better than Blacklight Reactive Poster, even though initially sharper, it's prettier? This plays on the skin better due to the lack of patchouli. This is kinda a brilliant blend.

In the beginning I get a nice light fougere and citrus vibe too, unfortunately this veers slightly into acrid territory, like oud or oil notes do although my nose might be picking up things that aren't there. Could be the hay note reading that way. This was a nice clean citrus fougere in the beginning though, so I think fans of Theodosius or Dorian might like this and should definitely give it a try. Theodosius behaves well on my skin so I will stick with that, but don't skip this one if fougeres are your jam. Dagnabbit, it's going a bit play-doh too, like some fougeres do. Kinda thought that would happen. Seems like violet, orris, and some fougeres go that route, just depends on the blend I guess. That being said, this does share some slight similarities to Lucy Westenra, which is pretty much straight play-doh. For fans of Dorian, Theodosius, Dancing Among The Tombs, etc, etc, etc.

2020 version. I thought for sure I reviewed this, the heck. Although hard to whiddle down, after being a fan for 15 years on and off, this is at least top 25. DiesMali's review of Gingerbread, Patchouli, Leather and Dark Musk pretty much sold me on Gingerbread and Leather: "This is something a large, intimidating, but also very handsome Viking-looking Scandinavian death metal band member might wear to a winter holiday celebration with their significant other." Where GPLDM goes a bit herbal, G&L is lebkuchen-like gingerbread with soft black leather, tobacco, and clove keeping this from being straight gourmand and adds a dark, badass, sexy, yet still cuddly edge. I actually forgot tobacco and clove were in this, they're so well blended. So where GPLDM is very handsome Viking-looking Scandinavian death metal band member that showed up to the party with his SO, GL is the very handsome Celebrimbor-looking Austrian black metal band member who you really hope came alone. It puts me in the same headspace as Deep Midnight's Black Throne (black opium, oriental white florals, teakwood, tonka, tea, vanilla, patchouli, rose), another nice badass unisex blend. I'm mostly revisiting to see if I want to grab 2021's iteration as a backup and most likely will. This truly deserves to stick around for years to come.

I get wafer patchouli, too! Then some of the most gorgeous creamy vanilla fluff. I also got the red fruit jam vibe labugsy and others mentioned, same experience, gone like a flash. The patch is there but it's not like gnarly patch, its like a light buttery wafer, spice kinda vibe. The mallow and cream combo is reminiscent of Poinsettia, definitely agree, a bit less cloying than that can go sometimes (I just underapply that one to be safe, still love it). The toasty wafer vibe kinda reads cardboard cereal on my skin, but patch and sometimes cinnamon can do that, definitely not most people's experience. sidenote, absolutely love Madam Mew's note on bourbon vanilla. I never knew why it was called bourbon vanilla, but did note that the bourbon vanilla in one of BPAL's previous Yule blends (name escapes me) was very similar to the Madagascar vanilla used in Deep Midnight's perfumes. It's a little different here, leading me to believe BPAL's bourbon vanilla note may vary from time to time. Although this ain't me, this is gonna be hekkin popular in the BPALverse.

It's awesome watching Lilith's personal style coming along! Lilith knows how already knows how to work with colors, shapes, and styles that work together, way better than many who are 3x older! Just gonna have to resign to the fact that most ouds/agarwood/guiacwoods hate my skin and just won't work. It's not as heavy and intense acridity as others, but if this is a problem note for you too, I'd maybe pass. However if you find oud works on you but is usually too intense, this might be a safe bet that will work for you. In the vial I do get a lovely, sophisticated, complex, creamy lavender blend. I feel like this would be a real winner on the right skin. I agree with groovyrooby, there's a mysterious quality. Not much leather on me. Does have some similarities with Philopannix so if you like one you may like the other!

This is like a fruit punch mixed drink they'd serve at the goth club. Reminds me of the Halloween vibe I get from Hexennacht's Tiger Tale (vanilla ice cream, orange sherbet, and black licorice swirl). This is like a darker more cranberry version minus licorice. Oddly, these blends make me think Halloween more than many pumpkin blends. Makes me think of a candy pail with orange tootsy pops and other goodies. The Lab cranberry starts to take over a bit more as it goes along and goes a bit sour on me, as most fruits do. D-rats. I really think the younger crowd could wear this but also anyone who wants to smell like trick-or-treating or goth fruit punch.

2021 Version! Something told me not to skip this one. Thanks, Something. Wow this is pretty. I haven't tried earlier versions. Bright clean floral, mainstream adjacent kinda sorta, but still BPAL. Very similar experience to marared, there's a bit of a powder vibe, like herbal pollen + lightly scented detergent but not in a bad way at all, just fresh, clean, floral, and pretty. 100% doesn't cross the line into ermehgherg powder, thankfully. Although not the same floral, this is reminiscent of Xmas in New Orleans by Possets. Just light, simple, elegant, vampire floral. WAIT. CHAMOMILE! There is most def chamomile in this. I was wondering what that herbal bit was! It's not realistic marigold (kinda glad?). It's more chamomile + mystery flower. Fey vampire hybrid? No idea why it make me think of vampires. Do they drink chamomile potion to sleep during the day? Or maybe the wear this to remind them of sunny days? No idea, lol Bottle worthy for sure. This is pretty light though, so maybe apply on a pulse point with better throw, like inner elbow. Great on it's own and would also layer gorgeously with some base notes to give it more oomph. tldr: gorgeous fresh chamomile vampire floral w/ low throw yet bottle worthy

Just an opinion, but I think this should've been named something like Rites of Ostara, Meadow Dance, Witches in Spring or something because this is #TheePerfectSpringFragrance. In the vial, whoa neroli, like a bright orange blossom incense in a metaphysical shop on a Spring day. Ooo, man. After a little while, there's a green slightly woody element, maybe the balsam. For a few minutes the floral bits and the powder of the resins edge slightly into toilet cake territory. This goes away quickly, and after a short while the resins deepen a bit but this remains a light, buoyant blend overall. The ultimate effect on drydown is a gorgeous spring floral incense. I'm not even the hugest fan of neroli, sometimes it's just too sharp and bright. It really works with the champaca here. I reckon if you layered neroli with nag champa you'd get something similar to this. It reminds me of hitting the Faerie Festivals with friends. This photo of Candace Night kinda represents what I picture in my head: The only scent this really reminds me of is Doom and Bloom by Sugar and Spite (orange blossoms, earl grey tea, and lemon cake pops), which is also great, especially in soap or oil form. This is like a more incensey, witchy version of that, bright and cheerful. Dude don't judge me but listening to old school Dolly Parton right now I just feel so damn happy, lol. I just wanna sit on the porch with friends in a cabin in the woods and forget literally everything then dance derpy in a meadow after. Although this would have been a great Spring release, this is perfect for today, like that dark shit's far far away somewhere. Almost didn't go for a decant of this but glad I did. Short list for a bottle.

Sunrise with Sea Monsters, I remember that one! Sunrise is a mighty fine aquatic and Urban Undine is a bit similar, but replacing the floral and fruit notes with herbal lavender. Covid nose in healing version, will hold on to this to try later: so far Urban Undine in the vial has an an almost Yvaine-like but slightly earthier lavender with crisp ozone bits supporting. On the skin I'm getting crisp ozone with not much lavender. Drydown reminds me of Deep Midnight Perfumes Into The Aether (earthy greenery, aquatic florals, ozone) a bit. This is more like what I want out of petrichor notes, without the grit or acrid quality those can have on the skin sometimes. This has more of the sharp, clean air vibe. Perfectly unisex. I reckon or hope this will age well and bring out the lavender more. Because the opening reminds me of Yvaine a bit I may grab a bottle and let it age. Very nice and will have to deathmatch with Lavender Lightning. For fans of the above but also Lullaby, Lilith's Feel Better Flowers, Lightning, Alkemia Mist Becoming Rain, and Lavanila Vanilla + Air. Maybe Boober fans could vibe with this, too.

COVID nose review so take this with a pinch of grass but: DUDE this is like 2017 Lilith Dancing Among The Tombs (Osmanthus and jasmine, Spanish moss and dandelion, Snake Oil and Dorian.) Honestly, this may even be better. DATT can go a little metallic and wonky, maybe the moss or just how the SO and Dorian play out. However, even though my nose isn't completely up to snuff (bad pun, sorry), this is a nice outdoor, spring time, buoyant, fae-like blend. In the vial I get bright, grassy dandelions and greenery, almost so green it's slightly mentholic. Not like toothpaste, just in a bright, green, herbal kind of way. Not much dirt, not in any major way with any grit, at least, but maybe the cleaner aspects of the dirt note. Barely there really. On the skin the dandelion and green notes really sing. It does kind of remind me of skating or skateboarding outside on a sunny day and bits of grass and things get stuck in your wheels when you go off-...roading? off-skating? It's fresh, clean, and with a bit of a dusty element to it, like air out in the country when the wind picks up dust from the driveway. Although this doesn't supplant Alkemia's Summer Dandelion on me, this is gorgeous in it's own right. Very glad I took a chance on this last minute and considering a bottle. For fans of Dancing Among The Tombs, Alkemia First Dandelion or Summer Dandelion.

Oh wow does this take me for a ride! In the vial is a soft, almost sugary sweet pink rose musk/amber. It doesn't really read as jasmine to me, which can be a good thing. The sweetness kind of reminds me of pixie sticks as opposed to cloying sugar, so that's good. Somewhere in the middle of wear, the myrrh threatens to sully this up, but it mostly behaves, just kinda turning the scent "meh" for a bit. Closer up, the creamy sandalwood is apparent. I think those two notes are making this go just a little wonky and unsettling. Not my favorite stage at all. Interestingly, myrrh and sandalwood serve more as mid notes here as opposed to base notes, which are more musky, which brings me to: the final drydown is *gorgeous*, soft, musky, and very very princessy. It reminds me a lot of the rose + musk blends Deep Midnight Perfumes does so well, namely the scents Rosabelle and Deep Midnight. Those will be incredibly hard to beat for me as I adore those so much, however that dryown is so gorgeous in this I might still spring for a full and try to dab off the murky midnotes or just wait them out. They're not altogether unpleasant, just kinda 'wahh?' for a while. Also, the beautiful fiinal drydown stayed on throughout the night and was highly comforting. Not that I needed it in this god awful insane world or anything, lol. Tempting, tempting, temptress is Vasilissa.