RoseThornAndOak

Something told me not to skip this one, and I'm glad to Something. I get a very neutral woody scent. No evergreens, very much a fine, high quality sandalwood oak. It's perfect for layering  perfect on it's own. I feel like you could wear this anywhere, in any context.

Sexy pirate? Set the course for Port Royal. 

Haunted hause? Come with me, murderess!

Genteel person? Why I do declare this be mighty fine.

Viking? Set sail to plunder!

Poet? Start the duel already, wallpaper!

Wood Elf? And you have my bow.

Hippie? That's just like, you're opinion man. 

Cottagecore: I be the witch in the wood.

I do get the Antikythera light flanker vibe too. It reminds me of No Man is An Island a bit, too. Less dark and sweet, more dry. There's s tad of a cologne/perfume vibe, but it's mostly about those woods.

Later in the afternoon: goes a bit sharp now and then. Might have to use this in a locket but it's not all that bad.

I really like this. Sweet, spiced, pumpkin apple in the bottle. It's heavy on the cinnamon as it dries, no rash though, and the sweetness remains. I'm not getting the fruity or cloying white sugar note if you're worried or were hoping for that. The brown sugar seems to play better on me, sweet, kinda darker, and less strong. There's a tad of a buttery note from the pumpkin, but only ever so. It's not reading so much as a cider on me now, but more of a sludgy autumn dessert without the cake or bread notes. Maybe if the cider still has a ton of apple, pumpkin and spice bits floating around in the bowl, a cider you half drink, half eat. 

Actually now that I think of it, this shares a lot of similarities with Caramel Apple Cookie.

This turned out real good. I don't always gel with apple or pumpkin or even spice notes sometimes, but it works here. It reminds me of a Christmas party we had at a mid 19th century house that John Wilkes Booth stopped at, but this totally has Fall vibes too and can be worn throughout the season.

I got two Lupers: Jovial Tengu and this. Ever since trying Akima Botanicals Pepperose I've found how beautifully pepper and rose can roll together. 

 It's gorgeous. Dark chocolate with a slight peppery kick, and a nice reddish pink, nonpowdery rose, voluptuous and rich.

Dark chocolate: compared to the fudge note, it's darker, less sweet. Compared to cacao: smoother, sweeter, less dry. I suppose there's vanilla in this, but kind of like when you eat chocolate vanilla ice cream you think chocolate more than vanilla, the same goes here. This doesn't smell like ice cream, just used here for explanation. This isn't foodie in a sweet, bready, or savory way at all. As with most chocolate notes, this fades quite a bit throughout wear. 

It's classy and romantic! I got a smol spray of Dries von Noten's Raving Rose, which is pepper + rose, and this is up there with that in quality. This is quite softer and less aggressive on the pepper. I would say on the spice/grit scale, this is quite a few degrees lighter than your lightest of light white patchouli, which barely smells like patchouli to me to begin with.

If you like the idea of chocolate and rose together and want a note to add complexity, intrigue, and groundedness just a smidgen, yet want something different than patchouli, dirt, cinnamom, woods, or incense, this is your bae. The pepper is perfectly placed here. Also, this didn't burn my skin. 

Well done Lab, well done.

Ok. The Human Animals ended up being the sleeper hits for me of the Halloween offerings this year. This doesn't read Halloween to me at all, but there's an eerieness to it and yes this is fey, fae, fay. Otherworldly and difficult to describe, I feel like I've smelled something vaguely similar, a long long time ago, maybe in the Y2K days. It's a creepy fae fruity floral, like if you asked some faeries to try yo create a fruity floral for humans and it doesn't ever stop smelling fae, lol. This is so elf punk its awesome and it's going right next to Liz and others that put me in that headspace. I dont know it musky, citrusy, floral, creepy cool kid. 

It's nice, my decant has a gingerbread note that goes fruity, like red fruit. A little bit of cocoa, but if someone held this to my nose and said "Hey! Wiff this!" I'd say spicy mulled wine. Glad I tried it, glad I didn' spring for a bottle, but I'm enjoying it all the same.

Yep, that's Gingerbread and Leather, one of my favorite BPALs! This year is spicy sweet in the vial, and dries down more vegetal spicy with a bit of leather supporting. This year's seems a bit more savory, but YMMV and aging does G&L well. 

This reads mostly white floral, mostly lily, with some sweet bready spices underneath, almost fruity gingerbread. Good balance, soft, pleasant.

I retried this about a month later and a sharp green note is present and is discordant with the other notes.

Ton of breathy lilac, mostly upon opening then mellows. There are some vintage glamourous things underneath. A note that goes sharp on me if I sniff close. It's nice but there are other lilacs I love more. It does have a genteel lady's vibe.

This is nice. The evergreen is much more mellow than Vintage Snowman Blowmold. I dont really read orris, cypress, or ambergris, but it does have a soft around the edges feel but with pops of evergreen. I do get some moonflower, but agree with PumpkinGuts more moonflower would've been wellplaced. I'll keep the decant but don't need more.

Yeah I agree with HerbGirl and everyone here this is pretty fierce spruce. For me it basically stays that way only softening slightly. It's nice but more of an atmospheric for me but might layer well. Not much plastic really. 

Wow this is quite lovely.

Orange maple leaves (no green pepper) + golden moss reads outdoorsy but in a warm nest of orange/citrus, sweet amber musk. Not red musk, but as Lapis noted, a red-toned musk, like a red-orange, golden warmth and glow. Mmm.

Atmospheric, so this would make a good room blend, and works perfect on hair, or skin. Actually just bathe me in this because its sexy as hell. Gender neutral. Yeah, I agree, it smells far better than many high end pricy things.

You're an Elf in Rivendell watching an autumn sunset glow on the glimmering leaves and footpaths, and everything around you seems lit from within.

*Oof y'all. This is Goddamn electric cozied up with Gingerbread and Leather. You're now a Metal Elf in Rivendell, singing the Bard's Song while watching an autumn sunset glow on the glimmering leaves and footpaths, and everything around you seems even more lit from within, and spicy. Those leaves are spicy. Spicy metal leaves.

A frottle from the Lab! Woot! This has a paint smell to me, I'm not sure if this has turned or not. I can suss out some hot humid florals too, yes something planty/leafy. There's something glamourous underneath, but I think this has passed it's prime.

Edit*: ok not 30 minutes later this shifted into not paint at all but a gorgeous waxy tropical floral with planty bits. Right on. It's unseasonably warm and there's a full moon out so with this it's like a summer oasis in the middle of January. A bit like a nice candle (probably called Tropical Escehhhppe) burning.

Nice! 

I liked Upa Upa from the Atomic Luau Lounge with it's boozy rum pina colada vibe and hoped this would be similar since I destashed it and kept wondering why. 

In the bottle this is similar, less rum more pineapple coconut, with some indistinct spice adding some dimension but not super placeable as pumpkin spice, maybe a tad buttery, mmm. On my skin, drats this goes plasticky, sweet, dusty, and I also kinda agree on the vegetal vibe. There's coconut if I hunt for it.

PS Champagne worked nicely last I tried it, so I'm not sure if this has a different PS note, or this particular blend just does not coelesce right on my skin. The coconut might be the culprit. NAVA Pineapple Punch plays nicer, so I'll stick with that.

However if PS, coconut, and pineapple play nice on you I would scoop this up, it's wonderful in the bottle!

Sadly most candy blends go a bit powdery, sour, or plasticky, on my skin and same goes here, but mostly on the sour end as opposed to plastic or powder.

YMMV, I will say in the bottle it smells exactly like Lifesavers Hard Candy and amazing.

Popcorn. Maybe some murky, spooky ish in the background. A little vegetal. Smells like a carnival. Random.

This is nice! Starts out heavy on the jasmine, but at each stage after it got prettier and prettier with the musk. I didnt find it aquatic or like laundry, but it does have a night blooming floral + blue vibe. It's a nice, smooth jasmine musk to me, I reckon the vanilla helps smooth and deepen things out, but I honestly forgot that vanilla tea was a note.

Although there is no rose, the jasmine and night time vibe reminds me of this quote in the film Interview with the Vampire:

In the spring of 1988, I returned to New Orleans, and as soon as I smelled the air, I knew I was home. It was rich, almost sweet, like the scent of jasmine and roses around our old courtyard. I walked the streets, savoring that long lost perfume.

If you missed this one, it's very similar to a really good Night Queen or Queen of The Night blend you can find at Renn Faires, metaphysical shops, or online gothic shops, so although not the most novel, unusual, or hard to find fragrance, it is very lovely and definitely a keeper. Perfect for date night.

I figured this was either gonna go elegant or toilet. Well, I'm happy to report this is a nice, cool-toned soft floral. Everything is balanced: no sharpness or screechiness, maybe a bit more rose than peony. Fresh and pretty and haunted. I'd say the porcelain note rests somewhere between vanilla, the bone note, and white sandalwood, like if those were even smoother, cooler, softer, and more refined. It reminds me a bit of Young Woman Powdering Herself, that gorgeous spooky vintage floral vibe, but less powder, as well as a smidgen of a smidge of Black Opal, in how that scent was cool and smooth.

Glad I snagged a bottle of this and grateful for the good reviews! 

Ok I agree this is hella floral. Breathy, bloomy florals. It stays like this for quite some time, goes, sweet, then dries down soft, ambery, and cuddly. I dont like the first hour or two at all, just too breathy, but the final drydown has some similarities to Grey Columns that I love. 

I'm going to set it aside, too. I think it will age well.

This is from a sample bought directly from Haute Macabre about 10 months ago. The sample looks like your conventional BPAL imp. I believe this is my first time trying it and I'm pleasantly surprised! 

In the imp, I get a mostly herbal, kinda zesty blend. On the skin for quite some time I get dark red fruit musk, which I was not expecting at all. That might be the lotus at play, as it can have a fruit vibe. It then turns even more shadowed, musky, and dare I say mostly floral, but this isn't powdery.

There's that dark undercurrent of soft, sweet resins that is quite magical and intruiging (no frankinstomps here, yippie!). Yet at the same time, the resins seem to take this blend out of strictly magical purposes and out into society. Very wearable, and conventional, but not?

As odd as the notes sound, this would make a lovely, dark-toned every day wear or evening blend and is very versatile, although I will say, there is something shadowed and ritualistic about it. The visual I get is a sexy witchy lady who is refined, pairs black and grey knitted cloaks with pointy leather knee boots, and more than dabbles in the occult. Feeling cute, might Gnostic Mass later.

I will definitely use up my sample, if not go for a bottle in the future. I think it is worth the price, personally, as this is a deep, rich blend that projects and sticks around quite a bit.

Hard to compare to other Lab blends, but I think fans of Dracul and Event Horizon might enjoy this? Well done, Lab!

Yep, that's a tuberose. Almost a single note. Sweet amber is one of my favorites, so I hope it comes out more with age. This has a 1920s-1940s classic feel.

It's a beautiful, vintage, voluptuous, night time floral. Makes me think of film noirs, like maybe Laura would wear this.

I agree! Very balanced what you see on the tin. A sweet champagne with pumpkin spice! I dont get bready or vegetal pumpkin anything, just the spices, but it's not overtly spicy either. I agree, not loud or screechy (for either note) Just pleasant. Has a vintage quality. Festive and fun but not immature in any way. It will probably make you feel glamourous and in a good mood.

Well done Lab. I wasn't sure how this was going to work out but this coalesced well. 

Dude. Yall. lolololol

 I sniffed this fresh on my skin and was like,  'MAN, why did I sleep on this all these years?'

A few seconds later while scrolling Halloween movies on Netflix I saw Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. 

Thanks for that, Netflix.

This starts out fresh and tropical with the coconut and a haze of florals, powdery somewhat, but in a pretty and elegant way. There's something almost warm or animalic behind it, not in a stanky way, possibly the amber, myrrh, currant, oude, and vetiver playing together. It is definitely not the peanutty vetiver in many blends.

There's a bit of high end sparkle to it, I kinda see the sharpness mentioned above. Ok, almmost stanky/indolic. It's more about the warmth and softness. 

After a few minutes that champaca is really coming out to play with the coconut. I'm really digging this stage. A little powdery still but I still like it.

Later on that peach peaks out. Coconut, peach, incense, florals.

This is nice, yall, very very nice. If that sounds appealing don't sleep on it lol.

2nd time trying. First time was right out of the box and I was too enamored with Lady of Saintonge on the same day to give a respectable review.

Okay, other than the spicy cinnamon-like burn reaction on my skin from the red peppercorn I freakin love this! Today I'm trying it on my inner elbow, and as soon as it hit my skin, I knew it would burn like many cinnamon blends do, so if you are sensitive to this, I would wear this in a locket or over a dab of vaseline, or just not on sensitive areas like your damn elbow, lol. Upper shoulder the other day not much reaction.

The red peppercorn actually does smell like a halfway step between pepper and cinnamon but you're not gonna smell like you sleep in the spice cabinet. Overall this is basically spooky, spicy brimstone, with warm amber keeping this wearable and not strictly atmospheric, with a hint of soft, black leather. If you like Gingerbread and Leather, this is less sweet and bready, less leather, even more unisex, and the spice is stronger but more linear than the gingerbread spice, albeit similar. Oof. I don't know who's sexier, honestly.

I love it. I've been hoping we'd get more Sleepy Hollow blends and this delivered in spades. It's spooky, gritty, spicy, leathery, brimstony, and the smoke is gunpowdery. Warm yet dark. It's basically everything I could've wanted from this. I like the idea above about layering with something sweet. Share's some similarities with Mary Read in the gunpowder aspect.

It's just so 18th spooky bullshit.

This is gonna turn heads...wait...

Heads gon roll. 

You get a roll! You get a roll! Everybody gets a roll! Cinnamaroll! I'll stop my room's hot and I'm bored okay?

I'm testing multiple frags from this release today, and can't stop being drawn to her in the crux of my elbow. She reminds me of Black Silk Orchid, but dare I say even darker? She's scary and intense, but so dang alluring. The perfume + black silk is mesmerizing, modern, yet ancient, overlaid, shrouded and clouded in gloom. Gritty, dark, sharp, and cold. The blood lends a coldness like Liz (that almost metallic twang) that really sucks me in. The white sandalwood adds this sexy, spice/woods to it and lures you out into the forest. The fur is distant yet palpable, snuggly even. Warmth in the cold.

I know Mina Murray is popular and I love her. Yet, I've been wanting a Gwen Conliffe perfume for a while, and I could see Gwen wearing this, more from the newer Wolfman movie than the 1940s one. It has her enigmatic perfume, but the slight feralness of the wolfman lurking. So it's very Gwen + Lawrence. 

I'm freaking swooning y'all. I was not expecting this to be a favorite this year and to be quite honest, I was intimidated by the notes and almost didn't get it. Emotion overran my senses thankfully as I couldn't pass up a good werewolf blend, and it paid off. It's literally this scene in a bottle for me:

Side note, 12 days later: if you missed Black Baccara's Undead or love that one this is in the same wheelhouse. There's almost a grey musk vibe. This has softened quite a bit and I'm loving it so much.

Wow this *IS* nice, thank you Estamets and Doomsday! It's a very pretty non-candy, natural-ish apple. There's greenery here especially in the beginning, so it's like green + apple, but not green apple, then there's a softness from the foam and wildflowers, making this very wearable and elegant. I forgot there was honey in this. Also forgot there was mint. A lot of apple blends have been smelling artificial or.. - ok, its not proper to say it, but I'll say it - pissy apple juice. Honey can go pissy too and it's not right. There, I said it.

So if that happens to you, fear not! Thankfully I get none of that here, and this is downright pretty and gorgeous. Perfect for late summer and early fall. 

Oh side note, this reminds me of Glittering Apple of The Stars a bit. Less glittery, more soft.