Miggins

Eve could be the temptress for some, but not for my skin, sadly. It overwhelmingly took up the apple blossom note and warped it into 1970s apple soap (I was back standing in my grandparents’ bathroom with their Avon guest soaps). Sadly, Eve’s apple was just too tart for my nose.

In the bottle, I was convinced I wasn’t going to like Old Morocco. However, I have learned that you should never judge a bottle by its smell (or its description).

Old Morocco is a hot dry wind at sunset - beautiful reds and oranges shot through with gold. As it dries down, it becomes more festive and rich, although still warm and dry. It is spicy, rich and sweet (but never sickly), and has strength but is not overpowering. It is definitely one of my favourite blends and I am so glad I have a big bottle of it because I need to slather.

This is kind of BPAL-related... I just got an imp of Old Cairo which I adore, but I just wanted to know how you pronounce "kyphi"? I tend to say "kiffy" (the ph being an 'f' sound), but I don't know if it's right.

Yay to us!

glampyre, do you and I work in the same place?

I don't know if you have these, put I'll put a second in for Old Morocco and today I am wearing Old Cairo. I read that kyphi is supposed to be very relaxing, so I don't know if it's power of suggestion, but I am letting things just ride over me today, which hasn't happened in weeks.

Here's to much better times, hun and a weekend to look forward to...

My imp of Old Cairo was a gift from the lovely Pookstrell and I am so grateful - not knowing what kyphi was, I'd totally overlooked it.

Wet, I can smell red wine and a touch of myrrh (which actually smells wonderful on me for once). Into the drydown, I get a cool, herbaceous edge - cool on my nose like eucalyptus. Once settled, it is beautifully sweet, but not sugary - like a whole bowl of figs and honey and raisins. Good natural smelling sweetness. It's slightly buttery as well.

I've read that kyphi is very relaxing and calming. I will wear Old Cairo to work tomorrow to see if it helps. An absolute definite keeper. I adore the wanderlust range!

Swank does it for me everytime. I get really efficient and quick when I wear it - one Friday morning I did my whole morning's work in 40 minutes.

Thanks, guys. Probably best that I request reducers when I order big (or bigger) bottles. I'm a klutz too, t3andcrumpets.

I want someone to mix me up a cocktail of Bordello and I want it now!

Initially, Bordello is very berry with a slightly green herbaceous edge. As it warms down, I can smell almonds (*slaps forehead in stupidity* that'll be the Amaretto then). I'm left with a sweet but not cloying or overwhelming dark plum almondy yumminess.

And if you can't mix me a cocktail of it, I want someone to make it into a dessert for me because I'm about to eat my arm.

Oh, I do like Alice! She initially made me think of the slightly slimmer version of Seraglio - the roses and the honey, but not so much weight behind. About 30 minutes later, I was lying on the settee with the dog and I kept getting very powdery smells wafting up. Couldn't possibly be the dog so I had a quick whiff of Alice and wow! She'd dried to a powdery, spicy mix of gorgeousness, quite different from the wet.

Oh Hell's teeth! Lab Angels, forgive me for what I am about to say...

Sacred Whore of Babylon, on my skin, smelt just like slightly sweet wood varnish. Sadly not likely to inspire "unrepentant decadence, lechery and debauch" but more likely to inspire painting the garden fence.

Still love the name though!

Hope this isn't *too* much of a silly question, and it's only a tiny bit off topic... ish , but does the Lab automatically put reducer caps on bottles these days? Although I'm not ordering any bigger bottles for a while, I just wanted to know for future reference.

I'm seconding Ravenous and Bon Vivant - very sweet, candy-like scents.

I don't think you can call the Lab to place orders, but you can post them a money order or cheque - click here for details and scroll down to "How to Pay".

I'm thirding (if that's a word) Seraglio for a great winter/Christmas scent. The rose/nutmeg/orange/almond thing does it for me. Lovely.

PayPal Orders

It's here for you ivytoad. It's really easy (but I was a bit daunted first time). Take your time.

red_jezebel is from the UK and about at the moment - I'm sure if you PMed her, she'd help you out - she's most lovely.

Good luck and welcome to the forums!

Wet, Ravenous is very earthy yet totally fizzy and fruity. A friend and I came up with the description of Refreshers buried in the garden! Over time, Ravenous loses its fizz somewhat and settles to an earthy, fruity and very in-your-face blend, yet oddly familiar.

I have to have a bottle of Seraglio. I need to slather.

Wet, Seraglio is such a mouth-watering blend - my nose (and my mouth) get roses, oranges and nutmeg. The drydown is such a lovely warm spicy rose but with so much more. When I first wore Seraglio, I felt exotic - an Arabian princess lying in a silken bedchamber being fed sweetmeats. Today, is a completely different experience! I feel very festive - mulled wine, open fires, being inside on a cold winter’s day, all snuggled up (maybe because it’s a rainy autumn day). And although it isn’t foody, I keep getting wafts of cake mixture (must be the nutmeg).

To me, Seraglio is a hug in a bottle - I can’t wait to get more of it!

Swank, Old Paris, Harlot, Djinn and Aizen-Myoo all last well on me, but then I do slather these ones on more than others.

Aizen-Myoo. First perfume that Jedley has ever asked me to wear in 4 years of being together.

Brimstone, on my skin, is very reminiscent of Djinn, but less sweet and slightly more intense - still a lovely lemony/gingery smell (to be the complete opposite of all the other reviews!), but without the sugary "Coke" element. To my (very) untrained nose, I smell what I think is sassafras with a hint of myrrh and possibly amber. Although Brimstone is fairly intense, is doesn’t last as long but is still a very pleasant blend.

Ligeia was one of my “most wanted” blends and I am truly upset that my skin chemistry hates it. In the vial, it makes me to do the happy dance, I love it so much. It reminds me of something but I just can’t remember what - maybe a spray I used to wear at college. On my skin, I love it - for about 5 minutes. My skin takes Ligeia and turns it into a strong soapy mess. Very sad that I can’t wear this one.

Oh, Snake Oil, how I would love thee, if I could only have the chance. The first time I tried Snake Oil, I fell in love. Perfect, rounded vanilla but with an added spiciness. So comforting, so warm and such a marked effect on Jedley (heheheh….). Alas, the next day - eh. I got such a strong hit of myrrh (or possibly black patchouli), I had to check I’d put Snake Oil on. The next day, I tried again and got through the myrrh/patchouli moment, with the reward of something wonderful - possibly amber, but I got the mental image of a polished piece of amber stone. I tried again, and it was just very bleh - each part of my body took warped into a new more hideous smell. I smelt aquatic notes in the crook of my elbow! I refuse to swap Snake Oil; I shall just keep persevering until it loves me as much as I love it.

I had my doubts about Erato and I was right. Although my skin tolerates myrrh in some blends, it really didn’t in Erato. On first applying, my skin took every shred of myrrh and pushed it to the forefront. Myrrh does *not* smell that great on me. It dried down to let the rose come through, but it was still too overpowering myrrh-ey (if that’s a word ).

I thought I would love Bliss, but it kind of makes me feel a bit queasy! On smelling the vial (and as someone previously said, how weird that it is clear and not dark brown!), I got the strongest mental image of melted chocolate. I even licked my fingers because I was so convinced they would taste of chocolate. On me, my first impressions were of making Mars Bar cake - melted chocolate with melted butter being poured into it, then a whiff that smelt like the digestive biscuits had been added to the whole lot. I literally only put a wand-end dab of Bliss on my arm, and it lasted for hours. It was such an overwhelming experience, I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to it yet. Definitely not an early morning blend!

Kali is a complete oddball! The first time I wore it, I got a strong hit of chocolate and red wine. As it dried down, it went through each note in turn: floral (which was really overpowering), balsam (which smelt like cherry Tunes), then honey which was totally yummy. Kali finally dried down to a chocolatey/red wine/tobacco smell, but with a nice sunny feel to it - like sitting in a wine bar on a Saturday afternoon on an August day, sipping coffee and watching the world go by (I have a place in mind and Kali is the embodiment of it).