artisjok

Got this scent to pair with my Tombstone HG. It's the perfect for pairing, but I also love it for a yummy take on the lab's cozy brown musk (Canis Major is also a fav). Starts out strong on the dry cedar, spiced up with cardamom. The sweet vanilla and musks start to come to the forefront as the oil dries down. The final product is mainly these two notes, with a tiny hint of cedar woodiness and a tinge of spice. Very fuzzy, cuddly kitty vibe! I do wish the cedar stayed a bit stronger for longer on my skin, but I put a drop on my shirt and that helps fulfill the wish.

I'm getting mostly custard and a powdery vanilla scent. In the wet stage, there's a good waft of cacao, but it flees with the dry down. I wish I was getting more rose & lemon blossom! Like Lucchesa says, pleasant, but not all I expected it to be. Will use up the decant for a comfy goody vanilla scent, though.

Right out of the bottle there's a strong whif of almond, this immediately retreats to a strong perfumery oudh. There is something golden about it, but I can't put my finger on what it reminds me of. The drydown brings more of the nuttiness back out, and the oudh smooths out a lot. Still quite perfumey, but pleasantly so. The longer I have this on, the more I like it! Almond peaks out more and mingles seamlessly with the oudh. Wear length & throw are quite good on my skin. Editing to say I'm getting the sesame sense now. It's yummy cozy.

This pretty lil one goes on all sandalwood, but quickly quickly that fades away. A cacao-dusted benzoin is left in the wake of the initial sandalwood blast. I do love benzoin, that's why I purchased this scent, but I was hoping it would be a continuous blend of the three notes through the entire wear time. Also, very low throw for me. I am going to age this bottle some, suspecting that the notes will grow in strength. Hopefully, sandalwood will feel more at home in time and stick around longer! Similar feel to the Initiatrix benzoin, one of my favorite scents! update: already the sandalwood is lasting longer! Yay! Now that the weather turned cold, the cacao is seperating. Had to roll and roll and roll the bottle to get it merged back with the rest of oils.

Yes, a huge hit of butterscotch, making my stomach ache and my mouth water, simultaneously. To my surprise and delight, this reminds me of a stickier, warmer Miskatonic U on my skin! The scholars are enjoying Irish coffee in the common area, but I've managed to smuggle some rich decadent cake into the stacks, munching down while I research. Oh no, I think I hear the librarian approaching! *huddles behind a paper to cover sticky hands and face* I think I want a bottle.... Especially if the sweetness tones down some after time, then I might feel less guilty.

I almost blind bottled this one, but now I'm glad I could refrain. I wanted this to be the lavender scent of my dreams, but the lavender was barely there for me! In the beginning wet stage, I get a super soft lav & cotton scent. As it dries, the lavender fades, being swiftly replaced by skin musk- the same as Neutral. Then it's just cotton-covered sweet musk until I fell asleep. If there had been lavender throughout the experience, I would've gotten a bottle. I'll just stick with the decant and see if anything changes, or even use it for layering. Could be fun.

Starts off a creamy spiced vanilla, but with an odd perfumery/hairspray-like effect to my nose. I can tell it's the anise/cardamom combo, and the more I consider it, the less it bothers me. Even so, this stage isn't my cup of tea. After a few hours, the spices mellow out and I do enjoy it. Lasts through the next day in the tamer yum version.

This scent is so rich. When Infirst apply, it's such a strong intense wave of sweet tobacco & smoky vetiver, it makes me nauseous. (Might just be too much applied....) On the drydown though, I'm smitten. The dark chocolate comes forth to join the party and, oh man, so smooth, dark, and sexy! The staying power and throw are big. I feel like I need to dim the lights to wear this beauty. Edit: I wore this today, and it’s allll about the vetiver! The chocolate and tobacco support and make it super dense rich lush, but the grassy yet smokiness of the vetiver reigns. I love it. My partner less so he says it’s very masculine, but that’s my jam! Chocolate isn’t a scent he enjoys, either. Also, I’ve been finding that I’m not much of a tobacco fan, but here I’m not bothered at all. Yahoo! This is making the rainy gloom of today cozy, indeed.

I love Death Cap! Wet, it's very earthy, dirt with a hint of perfumery sweetness. Then, on the drydown, it transforms into a beautiful light incense on me. Yum! I get the references to coconut, but it's got something resiny going on, as well, that I really appreciate. Longer lasting than I'd expect and lovely wafts to my nose throughout. Update: I now get a really lovely smoky note for the first hour of wear. Delicious. I wonder if it’s my skin chem that shifted (likely) or the aging.... I love this in the cooler months, yet works for all year. I tend to pick this for my travel scent.

Never thought I was interested in rose scents until I started trying the lab's sweet interpretations! Initiatrix is like benzoin was soaking in a rose oil bath and then I slathered it on my skin once it came out of the steamy rose room. With the humidity we're experiencing here, the scent wafted around me so beautifully. The sweet resiny creaminess of the benzoin is so beautiful with rose. I'm in love~ *gives in to the romantic=rose stereotype*

Gaeuko starts off a strong masculine lavender, but, as it dries, the scents softens dramatically, seemingly disappearing for the most part. Yet wait! I get wafts of gentle lavender incense clouds floating about my head. There's a slight scent on my skin, maybe a little lab & tobacco, but the wispy aura around me is great. A trickster scent- can't smell it when I try, fabulous in its own moments. Used as a sleepy time and a yoga perfume recently, and I enjoyed the effect for both purposes!

I ordered this Queen to test how some florals work on me. In the bottle it smells rich, heady golden flowers, and soap... Oh no. On my skin it smells exactly the same, but even stronger on the soap note. Sadness! The drydown does bring the amber out some, but the soapiness lingers on. I hope that aging can remedy this... I hope! Might just decide to trade for another of the Empress series.