artisjok

I’m getting the tea and cookies vibe from Government Officials, though it is a much more profoundly sensual ritual than a typical tea and cookies. Spiced and warm and clothing dropping to the floor in elegant comfort.
Black tea is primary, tangled up in tonka-clove goodness.  The currant doesn’t jump out at me, though I can sense it. Like looking at currant-studded cookies, and smelling their chewy yumminess before actually biting. Same with vetiver. Very low-key for Vetiver! 
A delish interpretation of a black tea scent~

Three Rounds is primarily gardenia on me, brightened by the lemon flower (and probably frankincense) and musk-touched. 
I wish the frankincense was a lot stronger, and maybe getting some of that hellfire would be interesting, but it’s a enough pretty floral. Gardenia-lovers should give it a try.
I’m also missing the infernal & diabolical parts, but maybe it’s got a sly way on enticing one to the dark side...

Red Amber oudh

then

oudh red amber

into 

Oudh (red amber?)

This is a lovely woodsy oudh, a tiny bit musty or something slightly funk (not poo), and I think it’s the amber that keeps it in line.

On me, the amber is rich and strong to begin, then it melds toe-to-toe with oudh, and finally oudh remains with an assumption of amber. 

It’s kind of perfumey, warm, and sensual.
I’m so enjoying it! If I didn’t already have a really great oudh SN, I’d hunt a bottle down. 

Love this color! I was going to grab a bottle of the Laura polish for my light purple fix, but when I saw Baku for sale on the forum I jumped. 
The dark blue specks are great, and it’s not overly sparkly. 
Prettiful!!

Dark powdery and scorched, Men Will Fall just doesn’t resonate with me for the most part of its life span (a long one). After a good amount of time, the scorched smell gives way to resinous sweetness. I like this stage better, though I don’t think it’s a scent for me overall.
Loved the scent list in theory! Wish the lavender was stronger and not blackened, and less powdery. 

Glad to finally try it! 

Die Jungfrau is fig-forward, with a lavender/chamomile backdrop and an herbal mossy green carpet. The lemon balm wafts around the fig in celebration. The fig exudes a sugary smile of contentment, glad to be in the garden spotlight. 
 

This is a cheerful scent to me and seems very appropriate for the hot summer days. 

Yeah, this is a good one. Warm cozy fur lounging in citrusy amber beams of light that shine through surrounding green herbs. Not herby in a kitchen way, at all, more like an beloved forest glen. Some fragrant tobacco being rolled in the comfort and ease of a bountiful existence. 
I’m transported to another time, where the light has a subtlety darker, yet more golden tone, and the sense of high magic and sensuality emanates from my being. I feel like its a powerful day. I’m either just coming from a ritual, or preparing myself for the night to come, and gathering up necessary herbs and flowers as I walk familiar paths. There are mountainous hills around me and life is both simple and thrumming with deep delicious meaning. 
 

This really paints a specific scene to me. It feels like it could work as a kind of TAL to elevate my consciousness in a more earthy connected and anciently-informed perspective. So witchy. 

Heavy leather and white sandalwood grinding against each other, with vetiver dancing wickedly around them.

It’s a sharper than I expected, maybe because I’m not getting much bourbon vanilla. 
Everything melts into a softer scent with time... I see the vanilla peeking out, though it stays subtly in the background. The vetiver tang becomes the most obvious note. 
I think the scent is too dry for my tastes. Sandalwood is often that way for me, so I’m not too surprised.... It’s a great cowboy-type scent, and I could see it being fabulously badass on someone else! 

Happy to have finally gotten the chance to try this leather. 
 

This has massive wear length on me!

I’m getting more of the experience Roogna describes from Doc Constantine than anyone else. It’s fruity/citrusy, a little powdery.... no leather/smoke/tree to be found 

The note list sounds like a dream, and my nose disagrees completely with the interpretation my skin gives. Bummer! 

Rendezvous started out very... off. I was surprised to get a harsh chemical smell when I slathered it on Weird! 
Thank goodness, it quickly shifted and I get the sugary musky hay that I was looking forward to enjoying. 
It’s delicate and wistful and comforting. 
Sadly, it fades to an extremely close skin scent very fast, but I’m still scraping my arm with my nose to get that last impression. It seems the creamy rick milk is holding on the longest. 
 

Gorgeous, yet almost too delicate. 
 

Editing to say, though soft, the drydown does linger far longer than I expected! 

Smug Yale is such a cheering scent!
A powdery, snuggly vanilla wrapped up with a humid fresh green grass. I love it in sunny days when I’m outside, or on day’s when I’m stuck inside longing to get out. 
Contrary to some above experiences, I get excellent throw and wear length, and that’s somewhat unusual for me.  
Smug Yale is smug because it smells simply divine and is a beacon of carefree joy for all who get a whiff on the breeze~

Challenge of the Ascetic is a breath of clear air in a calm fresh space.

On my skin, it’s a translucent pale green over the translucent gold of frankincense, like a multi-layered stained glass window.  It does go somewhat powdery for me pretty quickly, through retains its meditative tone. It’s unfortunate, because I can see the beauty and the calming effect, and I also don’t really like to wear powdery scents. Bummer... maybe aging will shift the effect. 
The label art is so sweet, and the notes sounded delightful, I was close to blind-bottling. Now that I got a tester, I’d only get a bottle if I find it discounted. A low partial bottle would be even better for me, so I can enjoy the picture and sniff the bottle.  
 

Definitely similar to the Monk RPG scent. 

I got Faces Cleaving in hopes of a yummy apple version of I Am Tired of Tears and Laughter. It is related, I just don’t know if it’s a scent I want to wear...

Fresh fresh apple, very strong when first applied, reminds me of shampoo, though a better version. The benzoin quickly comes forth to balance out the scent with resinous sweetness. I think the oudh is just giving a bit of an incense tone, as others have commented, and that’s just like I am Tired.
The apple is where I am hesitant about keeping the scent. It’s a very clean resinous scent, and I usually like warm/cooked apples more.... I’ll see how I enjoy it after another wear. I don’t have any other really fresh apple scents, so it might be something I crave occasionally. 

Fate’s Jester is a tart sweet juicy sugar bomb! I get loads of lemon and currant all coated in sweet buttercream. The patchouli is surprisingly absent on me.I’m sure it’s the note I was originally interested in... The joyful air of this Jester keeps me smiling, though, despite not getting that Silkybat patch mentioned above. 
The sweet sugary frosting note is what really makes the scent for me. Otherwise, the tartness would probably be overwhelming. 
Huge throw and wear length, which is somewhat of a novelty on my skin. 
Summertime perfection~
 

Kabe Ni is thick and foody vanilla on me, entwined with rich patchouli and sharp citrusy copal. I love the smell of burning copal, yet haven’t found a blend from the Lab that works for me... until now.
This combo of rich sweet and woodsy with the bitter resin is decadent and spiritual and punishing all at once.
The experience reminds me of when I used to be slightly obsessed with these San Pellegrino Chinotto sodas. At first I thought they tasted repulsive, so bitter! Then that bitterness, all sweetened up and sparkling, would just hit this flavor craving so perfectly. That’s the same with this.
A balance of repulsion and desire.

It’s addicting! 

Milk Moon 2020 is definitely a delicate cozy scent.
The fig is strong in the wet phase. As it starts to dry, the fig gets more aligned with a soft milk note and olive leaf. A bit of honey is drizzled over them, but it’s so delicate that it’s only serving to warm up the scent some. The date, I’m imagining, just deepens the sweetness a touch more. I was afraid the cedarwood would be MIA, yet I do get a sense of its support in the drydown.
The milk becomes the primary note. It feels like indulging in a bowl of milk, dotted with ripe fruit and sparkling in the sun. 
Overall, a very supportive creamy fruity scent cloud that will nuzzle you into bliss.

I think it’s perfect for Summer! 

Beautiful and fresh! 
Morning Glories is like the first rays of pale sunlight glistening on the dew-dropped leaves. The florals aren’t sharp or overpowering, and the white amber is a perfect grounding resin, since it’s also lighter and brighter than most resins. 
I love the translucent green vibe. It’s perfect when I’ve had an exhausting day and want to restore to levity and magic again. 
 

I’m not a huge fan of coconut scents, yet I wanted to see what the smoked vanilla & fog combo brought to the table.

This is definitely a coconut-centric scent, and I probably should have waited til I had some food in my belly before testing, as I’m feeling a little queasy from it. Gradually, the vanilla slinks in to give the coconut more body, though no smoked note for me. I do think I smell a faint fig peeking in the background. 
Eventually, the vanilla seems to bully the coconut from the spotlight, though not from the stage. Fig never really gets the courage to stand next to these two divas. I can tell it’s still showing a little face around the curtain. 
 

The scent turns into something more appealing to me the longer I wear it. Never enough for it to be a favorite.
Coconut lovers should definitely leap for it, especially for that lush summer tropical vibe. Someone else may get more fig, too. 
 

Also, impressive wear length for my skin. 

Song of Hope is very skin-close on me, and I’m getting primarily ambergris and, I think, Peru balsam, with a tinge of spice. Where are you leather?! 
It’s pretty, but so fleeting that I’m not sure I should bother keeping the decant.... 

Might see what aging accomplishes. 

If you’ve tried any of the Lab’s scents that contain the “incense” note, this is reminiscent of them. I rarely find much difference in the note apart from what ever else it is paired with. 
This time, it is creamier thanks to the cocoa dust, and I like it more than most pairings.
The Darjeeling tea doesn’t jump out at me yet. The vial has only rested a day, so I’m hoping some more setting will make that apparent, especially to compare to the black tea in other scents I’ve tried. 
I may be back to update, if it emerges! 

I’m, surprisingly, getting a grassy version of Rogue. Or something like Boots without lavender. There’s a waxiness that is like rosin, and I don’t really get obvious tobacco. 
Very good wear length, though subtle. 
I’m gonna try it on my partner and see what the notes act like on him. A good summer scent~

Dorian is a magical scent, and I’ve always loved the iterations the Lab produces. I was sad to find the original was so quiet on me, my skin just ate it up, & I ended up swapping my bottle.

Frostbitten Dorian totally makes up for the miss of the original. 
I get the Snow White-esque snow note in the beginning, and by the drydown I’m left with an amped up Dorian, slightly chilled. This Dorian is here to snuggle the warmth of my skin, rather than the OG, who was always prancing away teasingly. 
Yay! 

To Hope is fresh fir needles entwined with sweet gentle flowers. The scent is very yellow, and reminds me of a heavily forested version of Raccoon Moon.
It does lean more and more soapy. Though, not one that turns me off as much as some aquatic soapy ones will do, probably the help of some flower.
 

I don’t think I’ll keep the decant, as I already have Raccoon Moon and other forest scents I enjoy more (not soapy). 
 

Veritas shows up as a frankincense and floral melange.
I’m not familiar with the scent of angelica or heliotrope, so I’m guessing they are the pretty feminine aspects of the floral. I had also forgotten about chamomile while wearing this, so I’m not sure how much it contributed. 
The scent blooms into a carnation party, very clove-y. As it dries all the florals tone down, frank re-asserts itself and outlasts them all. 

I swapped for an imp of this, because I’ve been craving carnation, and it’s my month of florals. I also love frankincense, so it seemed right down my alley. 
It’s a lovely scent, though I don’t know if it feels like me, something about the prettiness of the flowers. I’ll keep the imp and give it another wear, in another outfit and environment, and see how it feels then! 

I got a tester of this since it’s got fig listed, and cherry wood/red musk combo just sounded lovely. 
I only got red musk & fruit, definitely apricot (and it does have a funkiness to it in the beginning), not so much detecting fig. I sadly don’t smell the cherry wood, so it’s not really  attractive to me. Too fruity.

For those wanting to smell fruity, it’s an attractive and sensual scent to consider.