Pyretta

Woohoo! Can't believe I'm first, as this scent is abso-freaking-lutely mind-blowing!!

Bottle: Bold, exquisite red wine hits me at first. I seriously love this note (it's very similar to the wine note in all of my all-time favorites, Blood Sangria), and it's exactly what I was hoping to get when I decided to blind-bottle. It's backed up by something fruity-floral, which I'm assuming is the peach and tobacco flower. I can lightly detect some caramel, too.

Wet: Now this is just pure, unadulterated romance. I really wish it came in time for Valentine's day, but something tells me that this will be my go-to scent for fancy, lovey-dovey dates with my man. The caramel note is very prominent, with a little vanilla that is giving it a box-of-chocolates feel - but this is an expensive, artisanal box, meant for pairing with strong, dark wine. The fruity-booze note fades to the background during this stage. I can detect a little coconut, though, which is a little worrying as it sometimes goes bugspray on me later on in the dry stage.

Dry: VERY happy to report that the dark, fruity wine that I was picking up straight from the bottle is back and better than ever!! I'm getting even more of the peach, too! The caramel fades to balance out the other notes, but still lends a delicious, warm quality to the scent. Thankfully I'm not getting the slightest bit of bugspray - just a gorgeous, toasty hint of coconut. I'm completely blown away. Everything in here is magical. This is a classy, romantic, sexy love potion that just lasts for hours on me.

Verdict: I NEED to order a backup bottle (or two, or three!) of this. Seriously. It's that good, and I can't wait to wear it for my boyfriend!! In truth, it's definitely more of a colder-month oil, and I can see myself swapping this out for Blood Sangria in the warmer months. All in all, though, I could sing The Initiation's praises all day long. I'm so, so, so happy I blind-bought this one - all my intuitions checked out, and then some!

Bought this in honor of David Bowie - it took forever for the Lab to restock but it finally came today and I'm so, so happy!!

 

Bottle: I can definitely see where all the Dorian comparisons are coming from! Jareth has a similar sweet fougere going on, except his is less lemony and more floral. I'm getting a citrus note, though - almost orange - which is strange because there is nothing of the sort listed.

 

Wet: This is so, so gorgeous - definitely more complex than Dorian but with all the foundations I love right there. The sugary vanilla is exactly the same and I'm loving it. Jareth smells sweet, sexy, and androgynous in his balance between a sharper fougere and the lilac/citrus note, which is stronger than it was in the bottle. I'm starting to get a hint of musk and leather in there too.

 

Dry: At this point I'm compulsively huffing my wrist every few minutes. It's that damn good. This is one scent that I'm really glad hasn't morphed on me much past the wet stage (if I inhale deeply the leather really comes out, it's delicious and very sexy!!). It's layering at its absolute finest: all at once, I get fresh men's cologne and that gorgeous lilac fougere on top, sweet vanilla throughout and that deliciously naughty, musky leather to ground it all.

 

Verdict: Sooo worth the wait! It's shocking - I really think I love this more than Dorian... or at least it perfectly fits the bill when I'm craving a little more complexity. A scent that seriously holds up to its inspiration, it absolutely oozes androgynous sex appeal. I can't wait to let my boyfriend try it out, but something tells me that I'll have to keep my eye on it!! A million thanks to the Lab

Bottle: I was so convinced that this would be my favorite of the Yules straight out of the imp. Gorgeous, mouthwatering spicy pear, with hints of coconut and vanilla. A perfect scent for cozy winter nights.

 

Wet: The spice deepens, and the pear turns sweet and juicy, backed up by supple leather. I'm definitely feeling the "sweatiness", but in an almost decadent, sultry way. Also getting fleshy coconut. It's definitely not a traditional foodie scent but I'm visualizing digging into a sort of rum-soaked caramelized baked pear and getting the juices all over my hands.

 

Dry: Damn. Damn damn damn. Sexy pear lasts for maybe five minutes, and then it does a 180 into sunscreen territory. Coconut completely drowns out the pear/spices/honey/leather, and it's that cloying perfumey kind now. That lasts for a few more minutes before it goes full-on bugspray

 

... and theeeeere's the headache. I scrubbed it off but can still smell it hours later. It got some of the coconut back but the spray don't go away.

 

Verdict: I think that's the most NOPE reaction I've had to one of the Lab's oils yet, and after such a promising start, too I'll still be keeping my decant just for huffing purposes, but I'm seriously heartbroken because I want to smell like the first five minutes of that rollercoaster ride all winter long. Thank God I didn't throw in a bottle with my latest order before doing a skin test. Maybe I'll get a scent locket or something because I love it so much ITI, just does something crazy with my chemistry.

 

Still, though.... dang

Got this as a frimp with a BPTP purchase on Etsy, but I ordered an imp from the website previously (still in transit to me).

Bottle: Nooo! Overwhelming patchouli. Patchouli everywhere, with a bit of ylang ylang. This is definitely rubbing me the wrong way so far

 

Wet: Cheap ylang ylang soap comes into the mix. Bleck.

 

Dry: The soapiness disappears with time, thank God, but now it's just heavy without being sexy. Just getting a lot of vaguely flowery patchouli.

 

Verdict: I really, really wanted to love this, but it just doesn't work for me. I guess I was hoping for a more subtle patchouli, and the ylang ylang turns really, really soapy when it's freshly applied. It's not nearly as offensive when it dries down, but I can't see myself wearing this out at all. No harm in keeping the frimp, just to see if it changes on me as it ages, but the extra is going straight to the swaps.

Got this as a frimp with a BPTP purchase on Etsy!

 

Bottle: Like standing in the middle of a thick, dark forest. Tons of fir, mixed with musk and orange. I can sense a minty undertone as well, adding to the sharpness of the fir. I can tell it will probably pull too masculine on me, though.

 

Wet: Transforms into a sweeter orange scent as the fir fades into the background. The mint undertone is getting stronger, and I sense the tobacco coming out. Still quite masculine, though not as blatant as I'd expected.

 

Dry: This is such an enigma of a perfume! Something in between tobacco and burning wood takes up the foreground, with all the other ingredients coming together in a dark, spicy blend. The sweet orange still lingers, and I can't smell the mint as much as "feel" it tingle as I inhale. The smoky tobacco/wood dominates over time.

 

Verdict: Deeply complex and layered, this is a scent that I was very intrigued by in the imp and became more so as it dried down on my skin. I'm very glad I got to experience it as it's not something that I would seek out on my own; it's definitely too smoky and masculine for me to wear out (though maybe that'll change in the late fall/winter), so I'm just keeping the imp. I'm very curious as to how it will smell on my man, though.