VetchVesper

2015 version This has a flour-y floral note in the bottle and on my wrist that I associate with other "cake" blends like Mari Lywd, Feeding the Dead, and Dumb Cake. It's backed by incense that I don't immediately identify. Possibly frankincense? - along with something else. I don't get any currant, but its a nice "non-foodie" foodie blend, if that makes sense. It seems like it doesn't last very long on me though.

This is the 2013 version. On me, this starts off as very floral. It gets dustier and more incensey as it wears, but remains floral overall. Cactus flower is a note I'm discovering I don't really care for, and that's what I get most prominently at first, made dusty by the frankincense. Later on, the rose becomes distinctive, and I catch hints of an understated tobacco adding a faint caramel undertone to the whole thing. Not my jam, but I'm glad I got to try it. Those that like the discontinued Santa Muerte or the Ars Morendi florals bouquets would probably enjoy this.

I've had this long enough for it to age, and it's really become a cool, comforting scent with just enough sweetness. The pepper is prominent and keeps the sugary, "snow" note in check. No mint. Just pepper. The oudh is light, woody, and unoffensive, with a similar feel to light patchouli. It just adds something grounding and earthy to the whole. I get the references to Pink Snow and Snow White, but those were to girly and sweet for me. This, I would wear on a cool day with a blue sky, whilst wearing blue jeans . Wish I had more.

Hmmmm... Different balance of notes than I was expecting, but interesting. I get a blast of sugary blueberry up front, reminiscent of the sufganiyot blend. The sugar dies down and the fragrance becomes muskier, and slightly earthy. I'm not getting a licorice note, which is unfortunate. It's one of the reasons Jaunty Blue Coat garnered my interest. Jasmine sambac becomes more prominent as this dries down, blending it's heady sweetness with the sugary berries, keeping things very sweet, but also complex. The amber and musk are minor players, just giving the perfume some grounding. I just got this yesterday, and it's a complex enough fragrance, it probably needs to sit a while to come into it's own, so I'll reserve judgement. I would say, if you like the lab's blueberry/berry note a lot, this is one worth checking out. If you don't like jasmine, you might want to pass. ETA: I ended up trading this one to my friend for Dragon Squad, which I frick'n love. Jaunty Blue Coat stayed very sweet on me, with the berries and the jasmine most prominent. On her it smells like blue raspberry fruit roll ups. She loves it as a happy, nostalgic, comfort scent, and it is very fun and fills the room when she puts it on. A happy trade for both of us!

This is really pleasant and calming. Cool mint and maybe a touch of eucalyptus with the lavender. Reminds me of a gentler Anesthesia. Herbal and soft, this would be a nice meditation or sleep blend.

This is so wispy, restrained and demure. It fits beautifully with the concept. Mostly I get sugary vanilla, and a soft whisper of powdery sandalwood and frankincense under it. It's very feminine without being girlish and "pale satin corsets" are not at all hard to imagine in relation to this scent. My one deterrent from full bottle lust is that it's such a light scent. I really have to have my nose right on it to detect this one, but if you're looking for a beautiful, feminine skin scent that is sure to encourage ear and neck nibbling, this one would do nicely.

Delicately sweet, green grass in the imp, but it's mostly powdery vanilla on my skin, and it doesn't seem to last very long. Still, it's a fun blend that I'm glad I got to try it. It makes me think of pollen and sunshine.

This smells brown, like sun cracked earth. It's a lot gentler than I expected, but I do smell that horseradish. Also that clove. The blend is sort of peppery and minty at the same time. Definitely an unusual melange, but not for me.

Lime lemony. Bright and fizzy. Maybe champagne? It seems sparkly and drinkable. Like a nice cocktail you'd have around the pool.

Very sweet, fruity fig on me. It's a little cloying for my tastes, but I like my fig a little greener. I"m not getting a lot of spice, or at least not the cinnamony melange I tend to think of when I think "spice." it's not a heavy smell, and there is something nice and springy/summery about it. It makes me think of eating fig preserves under the big green leaves a fig tree. Clean, bright, sugary fig.

Any chance it's Boomslang? That oil was very thick in the vial, and the powdery thing could be rice milk. Another option could be the The Other Hot Chocolate, which smells a lot like Bliss to me, but better and I get sort of a tiny bit of rose? I don't know if the grab bags can include stuff not on the GC list though. If it has to be GC, it could be Centzon Tototchtin, which is very chocolaty/foodie and dark colored. It smells like chocovine to me. Tezcatlipoca or the aforementioned Tlazolteotl are both very dark oils and have that chocolate note, but I don't find them foody and I think the chocolate leans more bitter than Bliss. They've got a lot of other stuff going on in them. Kali might also be an option, which has florals and chocolate. I remember it being sweet, but not super foodie. I can't remember the color of the oil though.

This reminds me of the berry oatmeal I would eat as a kid. There were freeze dried berries, and you kinda poured em in the mix and heated it up. I'm guessing the fig is giving it that vibe. This is pleasant and homey, and I got some long forgotten twinges of nostalgia, but it's not really my kind of scent. It kinda made me think of Baba Yaga and The Marshwoman's Brewery, though this is softer and sweeter than the first, and lacks the green floral of the latter, but it's got that bready vibe. I didn't really get hazelnut, but it's probably part of that fresh baked feel I'm getting. A fun and unique foody, but not for me.

My friend bought this, so I got to test it out. It wasn't one that really interested me b/c juniper and citrus just didn't seem like my kind of blend, but it's really nice. It's more of a gentle, softly masculine chypre, with a very nice amber in the dry down. Maybe the aging has tamed the sharpness others have mentioned, since I'm sure these Etsy bottles have been waiting a while for loving homes. Anywho, it's got a subdued and melancholy vibe that does Lir justice. I'd say it's masculine leaning, but a woman could pull it off pretty easily. Seems like it could fit in with the four horsemen blends in the CG - That kind of vibe. I would love to smell this on a gentleman. ?

Sweet, sugary, rose candy. The current lends a little tartness. This is more in your face than Hope, or Razors in a Dollhouse. More jam and sugar than flower. It's a little too much for me, and I have similar scents I like better, so I'll be passing it along. I absolutely love the concept and label art though. ? ?

Really pretty. A snuggly incense blend with a hint of spice. I almost get a touch of cinnamon in this, but perhaps its the dryness from the sandalwood I'm detecting. This makes me think of Silk Road and Lace Phoenix from the anniversary scents. The champaca, incense, and sandalwood are the most prominent on me, but they are subdued, and I think the tea is lending the fragrance its spicy melange. Glad I grabbed a bottle.

Bright, sweet, apple blossom is what I get at the forefront of Agrat Bat Mahlaht when I first apply. After a few moments, the fragrance becomes duskier. The amber, caramel, and teak come forward giving it a softly resinous, dry, warm undertone. There's a pleasant sweetness, but it stops shy of foody, and the musk and amber make it golden and sensual. I can still tell there's some apple blossom and pick out individual notes in this if I really sniff, but everything is beautifully balanced into one gentle and seamless blend. If I had to sum this one up, it would be caramel-apple amber incense. Musky, dusky, and delicious. One caveat - it only lasts a few hours on my skin.

My initial impression is a deep woodiness from the patch and sharp lime. There's also something animalic and masculine to the scent, and I thought maybe it had oud in it before I read the notes. Jaawi settles down after a moment, and the lavender and bay start to come out, balancing the other notes, and this becomes a dark chypre sort of scent. It still has some of that feral sexiness it began with, but now it's on a leash. I could see this being very nice on the right man. It's a little much for me though. A few hours later, the blend has become mostly incensey Indonesian patch and sort of reminds me of Blacker Than the Raven Wings of Midnight. Still not my thing, but the fragrance is interesting enough that I enjoy getting a whiff now and then.

Wildflower honey, broom flower absolute, iris concrete, and gardenia. Just got this and decided to take it to the tub fresh from the mail. I have very dry skin, and I really love the feel of the lab's bath oils, so I'm a little more forgiving with the scent than I would be for a strait perfume. If this were a perfume, I probably wouldn't keep it, but as an oil, I'm pretty happy. Overall, this is a musky/musty floral on me. I'm getting very little gardenia, maybe just a bit of lushness in the opening, but this doesn't smell "white floral" to me. I don't get a lot of honey either. I am not super familiar with the lab's wildflower note, and I know nothing about broom flower, but I suspect that's what I'm getting the most. It's almost a warm, brown herbal smell. The iris is a bit dusty, and I can smell it blending with a softer gardenia in the background, but they aren't the prominent notes to me. This isn't overly sweet, and it's not a standard or grandiose floral. It does have sort of a vaguely musty, sweet skin smell that I haven't smelled in anything else. I'm almost getting a chamomile vibe. Anywho, I'm curious to see how this smells once it's had time to settle in, and I'm curious to see other's reviews. ETA: I read up on broom flower, and the fragrance is described as reminiscent of orange blossoms and grape. Now that the oil has has time to sit, I AM getting a less musty, more fruity smelling concoction that I am quite happy with. It actually reminds me a bit of a gentler, less sweet Fairy Wine. Quite lovely for spring.

Dry, crisp pear overlays a soft white musk, creating a sheer and misty fragrance that's sophisticated and feminine. Unfortunately, lily of the valley tends to go prim and soapy on me, and after a few minutes, it shoves the pear out of the way, taking center stage. Ah well, this shepherd's for other ladies.

Got this fresh from the mailbox this morning, but so far, it's a win. Most definitely a floral, but one I'm happy to have in my collection, even though pure florals aren't usually my thing. When first applied, I get something akin to the Ars Moreindi florals. A complex, and slightly nose tickling bouquet where the notes run together creating something more than the sum of their parts, but Flower Moon is brighter and more Springy than it's funereal counterparts - less stuffy and formal. There is a sugared aspect that also makes this seem youthful and sunny, and something warm and golden holding it all together and giving the fragrance a bit of non-floral depth. I'm not sure if it's the honey or something unnamed. Wisteria can go sharp and soapy on me, but here, it seems balanced by the other notes. The nose tickling bit of the fragrance thankfully departs after a few minutes leaving me with a sugary bouquet. Flower Moon has the same sort of feel to me as Qui Aime Bien Châtie Bien, though the scent is quite different. Unabashedly floral, feminine , and youthful without being immature. So far, it's lasted four hours on me and is still going.

Lemon grass. I know b/c unlike actual lemon, it goes weird and swampy on me. It's not terrible here, but I'm getting that undercurrent of swamp. I'm also getting some baby powder and something darker. Not for me.

Green bamboo reeds, polished labdanum, oakmoss, and white patchouli. Slightly sweet and incredibly fresh and green at first. I almost get a sense of lime and fresh cut grass - that sort of zesty freshness. Then the heavier notes start to come in, grounding the fragrance like a soft bed of moss. It's still very green, like the color the landscape gets after a heavy downpour. After the bamboo, the labdanum is most recognizable, adding its sweetness. The fragrance goes mossier as it dries down, but it stays light and springy. There's a touch of aquatic going on, and Bamboo Curtain begins to go a little soapy on me, but I'm still finding it pleasant. All soapiness is gone after 1/2 an hour. The white patch has made a demure entrance, and now the moss smells gently spiced. Gender neutral, subtle, and beautifully green. Hopefully this one gets some love, b/c it's very nice; think bamboo forest in a rain storm and you've got the gist. Lovely for rainy spring days and the summer.

Alas, russet musk does not play as well with me as red, crimson, or blood musk. Nor is the patchouli the earthy warm kind I so love. I was expecting a creamy, sugared patchouli with red musk, but I got a very acrid wood note with a weird layer of sweetness that's not mixing smoothly in the scent. I'm wondering if "russet musk" includes mahogany or cedar notes b/c that would explain the wood and the funkiness on my chemistry. Red musk usually sings on me. If you want red musk with wood notes though, this might be your jam. Or if you can't normally wear red musk maybe. ? Off to swaps!

Strange and ephemeral. I do smell the licorice at first, but it's thin and airy, mixing with a light musk that does remind me of, as someone stated earlier, soap bubbles. Not "soap" mind you, but specifically the bubbles. Looking at the notes, I realize its the elemi that is giving it that strange, aldehyde quality. It's delicate and a bit otherworldly. There are hints of something darker underneath, but I don't smell recognizable flowers. This smells like it should be chilled, if that makes ANY sense. The licorice goes away, and mostly, I'm left with a shadowy elemi scent. Interesting, but I"m regretting gambling on a bottle. C'est la vie. ? ETA - This has grown on me. I've finally learned to identify freesia, and I can smell it in the mix. This is very floral and soft, but it's got a shadowy depth that keeps it from going girlish or prim. I still can't identify the rose otto and jasmine sambac, but I think they must lend the blend some of that gentle mystique. I'm also getting a consistent thread of licorice throughout the wear; it's just not the foody/black licorice I'm used to. It's subdued. Very nice for spring.

Hooooooooooo! This is like Smokestack got drunk and burned the factory down! In your face booze. In your face vetiver. I kinda like it, but need to see how it settles in. It's like a guy who you kinda dig at the bar, but you wanna see how he is sober. Anywho -- first impressions. ? I'll report back in a few weeks after we've settled in. ETA: Reporting back faster than expected. This is masculine and very acrid on me at first. I was hoping that would settle out, but I doubt it will enough to work for me. The sharp alcohol of the bourbon mixes with a harsh vetiver and a whiff of weed that is sharper smelling than it was in Stoned Griffon and Black Light Reactive Poster. It's not STRONGER mind you. I actually think it's more balanced by the strong notes here, but it's harsher. Everything settles down and smooths out fairly quickly, and I get a well blended fragrance that's reminds me of black musk but isn't quite. It's' also kind of old fashioned smelling.... but again.... just a bit off center. The booze note has died down considerably. I think this might work great for a guy who wants something a little edgy that can still pass for normal, but it's not for me. The bottle art is great though. ❤️