Beary Strange

Spicy champagne! I thought this would read odd to me, because who combines pumpkin cheesecake and champagne? But it oddly works, really well in fact. It’s mostly bright, spicy, fizzy champagne on me. The spice of course coming from the cheesecake because the Lab’s cheesecake note always reads spicy on my skin. And just a smidge of creamy pumpkin, enough that I can sniff myself and go “yeah there’s pumpkin there”, but not so much that I wouldn’t wear this in, say, summer. Joyous is a great descriptor here, because it really does seem to lift the spirits. I absolutely love this and need a bottle for sure. Victory indeed.

I just finished off a box of turkish delights and can confirm, this does what it says on the tin. Neither note seems to be overpowering the other, they're just hanging out. And somehow this even manages to capture that powdery smell it has from the coating, without being overly sweet or obviously sugared. This is extremely pretty and comfy. And it has more throw than I would have expected, although it's more of a wafter than a strong, continuous scent situation. I do believe I'm going to need a bottle.

I've been letting this one settle for the past couple of months, because it was a very shrill beast when it first arrived. Now? Just lovely. It starts strongest on a sugared, earthy patchouli, and over time the cotton candy comes out, followed by the vanilla ice cream on full drydown. I'm always amazed when the Lab pulls off notes like that, because you see vanilla ice cream listed and you think, oh it'll be vanilla and creamy--nope, it actually smells like vanilla ice cream, which is so cool. And as far as the honeysuckle, I get an odd sort of floral as well that I'm thinking must be it, but having grown up around honeysuckle, it doesn't really smell like it to me--but then, a lot of things don't smell the same in perfume oil form. What it does do is attach itself to the patchouli, seeming to sort of amp up it's earthy qualities, which I think contrasts all the sugary, vanilla elements nicely. My only gripe is that after settling, it's much more quiet and becomes close to skin very quickly, and doesn't seem to last very long, requiring frequent reapplication. But it's so good that I don't mind much, it just means I'm really going to get through this one. I'd highly recommend giving it another sniff, it ages very well, especially if you like sugared patch.

This one is so much better than I was expecting. It starts off with a strong hit of fresh, red apple, and then the cubeb berries (pepper) and a citrus that smells very much like lemon verbena to me (although no citrus or verbena is listed). There's a suggestion of leaves, but these aren't dead leaves, or even the half dead ones from some blends; these leaves have turned red, but they're still on the tree and they're very quiet, adding atmosphere. The rose absolute has the chill I'm always hoping for from rose blends but rarely get. I should note though, I amp rose, which is probably why it's reading somewhat subtle to me, but non-existent for others. But I will have to agree regarding the rest of the notes: the patchouli, cacao, vanilla, and benzoin are nowhere to be found. Peppery lemon verbena rose with a light leafy, vaguely apple-y background is how it reads on me, which imo is very pretty, and I'm not remotely bothered by the missing notes. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for a full bottle because I don't see my decant lasting very long.

This one goes on very much about the pomegranate, but is immediately overtaken by the strong scent of laundry detergent, which here seems to be the combo of frankincense, champaca, and of course, the soap bubbles. Dry though, the other notes come forward, but with the cast of laundry notes blanketed over top, making them subtle and hard to pick out, except for the mandarin and pomegranate, which rise to the top while still remaining fairly subtle. The best description I can think of to really capture what this smells like is "Pomandarin Detergent". This is definitely one for the laundry lovers--if you loved Traditional Sheet Ghost and/or Fleece Skeleton Onesie, I definitely recommend giving this a try.

This is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, except: everything got scorched, not just the pumpkin. It's like the person trying to scorch the pumpkin was a little clumsy with the blowtorch and caught the leaves and marshmallows on fire as well. It makes me think of Suki at the Chilton Bake Sale-just catching everything on fire through sheer careless whimsey. Fresh on, it's much more dead leaves on fire, but as it dries the scorched pumpkin and marshmallow come forward more and more, eventually ending up very balanced imo. This has shot to the top of my dead leaves favorites, primarily for that "something on fire" scent it's got to it that I just love, but with a sweet marshmallow to keep things whimsical. And then of course the toasted pumpkin gives it cozy autumn vibes. I truly hope they're able to restock this so more people get to experience this one.

In the bottle this smells mostly of sandalwood and leather. But fresh on skin it’s 7-Up, as in the soda. I’ve seen people refer to fizzy sandalwoods from time to time, but hadn’t really noticed it in a sandalwood until this one. On dry down the fizzy 7-Up calms down, and the sandalwood and leather are joined by a soft amber. The leather smells like expensive leather seating and definitely evokes the inspiration. The rest of the notes are a well-blended backdrop, with the ambergris, cotton blossom, and frankincense, all very subtle, adding a layer of fresh aquatic vibes over the top of the amber, leather, and sandalwood. To me, it smells a bit more like a fancy furniture store, but I can so see how it would just as easily smell like first class. Definitely recommend if you like fizzy sandalwood, aquatics, and interesting leathers. Also I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m willing to bet this would smell amazing with a wood note.

I've tried this so many times since I first received it, and every time, I get a strong anise, which means that on me, this smells a bit like licorice, as anise do. I'm not complaining, it's a smell I enjoy, just know that if you're a spice amper, getting vaguely licorice pumpkin spice muffin is a possibility. After it's dried down, the muffin and pumpkin spice come into play and it does actually smell like a pumpkin spice muffin, but a fancy one where someone made the pumpkin spice mix from scratch and went a little overboard on the star anise- in the best way. It's also pretty cinnamon and ginger spicy too-but not in an overpowering way, again, it just smells like someone made the mix themselves. The chocolate is there, but it's really light; I think it's being suffocated under all the spice and muffin but that's fine, I can add my own if I really want. Overall, this is very pleasant, I definitely recommend it...and I absolutely want to eat this fancy muffin.

This smells just like the strawberry note in the Strawberry and Frogberry Moons, making me initially worried that I’d bought more of the same. But then the frozen aspect really takes the strawberry into different territory. Now I could be wrong, but I swear what makes this frozen is the same note or combination of notes that makes something “frostbitten.” I even compared it to my Frosbitten Dorian and I’m still convinced. This is straight up Frostbitten Strawberry to me and I love it. Also for those worried about this being too sweet-it is noticeably sweet, but imo not anywhere near enough to be off-putting unless you’re really sensitive.

This has been in my settling box for a couple of months, because when it first arrived, that "frenzied, high-pitched" descriptor was a little too spot on. It was very screechy, soapy sugared florals at that time. Now that it's had time to calm down, I think it actually might be something I could wear. It starts out strong, soapy sugared violets and roses, then the salt comes forward ( which is also a little strong at first) and they end up blending together, bringing each scent profile to a much more mellow place. This settles into a phase of salty purple and pink sugared flowers-pretty true to description now and quite pleasant. Over time the salt fades, leaving a soft, sugared purple floral in it's wake with only occasional wafts of saltiness.💜 I would definitely categorize this as a Spring/Summer scent though, so back in the box it goes for now.

In the bottle and freshly applied, this is straight up pistachio macarons.💓 This magical phase gives way to a strong, perfumey stage that isn't precisely soapy on me, but I can see it reading that way. The perfume calms down after a while to give way to what to me smells exactly as described. It smells like decadent homemade vanilla bean cream and pistachios, with a fairly strong perfume aspect to it. I can smell the macadamia nut if I really seek it out, but the macadamia is merging together with the pistachio at a distance, which I think is why to me this smells firmly pistachio and not cherry. It's a delicious scent with a moderate to strong throw that lasts for hours and hours on me, even through work. You better believe I grabbed a back-up. Also, I am now completely in love with the Lab's pistachio note. Heads up though, this is a scent stainer so dab and slather at your own risk.

This is a super spicy unlisted green cardamom, green fig, and a fairly light patchouli. I was hoping for something closer to Tweedledum, and in it's washed off state it's remarkably similar. But the spice bomb green cardamom turns into isn't for me- I really wish it had been listed, rather than the non-existent butternut squash note. Off to the settling box, to see if it can find some chill as some of my cinnamon bomb blends have. If you like and/or don't amp green cardamom though, and are a fan of the fig + patchouli combo, I'm sure you'd love this.

Well this is not what I expected at all, especially given the other reviews. I immediately put this imp into the Nope pile ages ago because of that laundry list of spices. But apparently I had nothing to worry about, because this is mostly skin musk backed by a bit of honey, at most lightly spiced on me. Maybe the aging calmed the spice? 🤔 I love skin musk and honey though, so no complaints here. That said, it's nice, but I don't need an upgrade. I already own All Joys Are Due to Thee and I prefer that as it's much more honey forward. But if you missed All Joys or want something similar that's heavier on the skin musk, you might want to try this.

I think people get the gist of this one by now. It's an amazing smoky beeswax, rain, and amber scent-or as doomsday_disco put it: aquatic beeswax. For my part, I never get the moss, but I have so many moss dominant perfumes as it is that this really isn't a big deal to me--and most others are getting the moss. Either way, it's just stunning. It's huffable in that same way that TSG is-completely different scent of course, but they share that same fluffy freshness that makes you just want to bury your nose in your wrists. I definitely regret getting just the one bottle. 💔

My experience while wet and on the drydown is pretty much what everyone else is reporting: strong fudgie brownie at the start, followed by a coffee dominant phase, and then the caramelized amber (which really does smell like that) and a very chill cardamom. It's spicy, but there's not even a hint of the spice bomb situation that green cardamom can turn into. After drydown, it's one of those magical scents that's created with foodie notes, and yet still smells very much like a perfume, in the best way. The dry scent for me is caramelized amber with a side of not too spicy green cardamom; I get occassional wafts of dark chocolate and to a lesser extent coffee, but it's mostly the amber and cardamom. It's got kind of a light-medium throw, but not so much that I can't smell it. It lasted pretty well for a few hours, but then it started to fade-which is pretty normal for perfume with these notes. Chocolate is the last note left standing. This feels like a fall scent to me, it's very cozy, so I see myself wearing it much more once the temps chill a bit.

When I first received this, this was all blackberry on me. An entire blackberry bush thrown in a woodchipper that was then soaked in blackberry wine. And I enjoyed that; it just wasn't an everyday wear kind of perfume and ended up getting passed up more often than not. But after a couple of weeks, it's become so much more complex. After settling, this is a blackberry musk with an absolutely divine patchouli. I also get the green tea and fig, maybe a smidge of bergamot's citrus edge; they seem to be adding to the freshness and fruitiness of the blackberry without taking over, just sort of complimenting. The amber is there as well, but in the background, propping up the blend as a whole. Once fully dry, the blackberry wine is more prominent, but it's still blackberry musk patchouli, albeit a slightly reined in patchouli. The throw is decent, medium wear time which fades to a whisper of blackberry.

Freshly applied it's a whole lot of buttercream and a smidge of chocolate. Once dry, shea butter that will not be convinced to go away. A lot of the Lab's chocolate notes go shea butter on me unfortunately. C'est la vie.

Wet there's an initial funk that for whatever reason my skin just does with the Lab's chocolate note and not much else. Once it settles down a bit, there's a lovely dark chocolate and whiskey that reminds me of those dark chocolate oranges at Christmastime. There's no orange, and yet...dark chocolate orange. Fully dry, this is a smooth dark chocolate and hazelnut cream; the whiskey has gone all mellow and is just sort of hanging in the background. This is first of the Luper chocolates that's worked for me, and is a definite bottle upgrade.

Wet I get a very strong smokiness from the smoked patchouli and green cardamom. I'm fairly certain the spicy scent we're all picking up is the cardamom, because to me it smells spicy and warm, but not exactly cinnamon-y and according to Google green cardamom in particular does have those characteristics. Maybe oil infused with cardamom sugar really amps that aspect? Same kind of spicy warmth as cinnamon, but more exotic smelling, to me at least. Once dry, it's still mega spicy, but the patchouli and black musk with a smidge of red musk (thankfully not enough to be causing a migraine) make an appearance and bring it from exotic spicy drink territory back to perfume. I also smell some dry grassiness from the vetiver in the background and over time the vanilla makes itself known a little bit. I never pick up anything jasmine or remotely floral. I like it, but I'm not sure if I like it enough to wear regularly and warrant a full bottle; I do get sick of the cardamom after a while. It's definitely different as perfumes go though and if you like spiciness, maybe give this a whirl.

Lovely tea roses, peonies, and what I think must be the broom flower. The amber and sandalwood are surprisingly light in this. But then there's the fleur de lait. I'd say the comparisons to goat's milk and cream cheese danishes are spot on. It does calm down, but it's still there, turning my stomach. I love the pink rosey floral otherwise and tried really hard to deal with/wait out the cheese, but unfortunately I just can't do it. If you don't mind dairy/cheese smells and love tea roses though, I'd recommend this.

Crunchy honey that almost but not quite veers into candy territory dominates alongside a nice skin musk. Decent throw. And I'd have to agree with Casablanca, even though it's just honey and skin musk, there's a definite honey cake vibe going on here. I'll be upgrading to a bottle.

Slightly plasticky purpley berry (I truly don't get grape specifically). Very low throw. Honestly, having smelled Blackberry Moon first, this smells like a less complex version of that to me and I definitely prefer the recent moon. Glad I got to try it though.

Almost a single note lilac. But boy is it a lovely lilac. Its soft edged but strong, with occasional hints of stems and leaves that add a freshness to this without making it overly vegetal . And it’s got an enormous throw on me, which showcases the vanilla a little bit better. Up close sniffing it I don’t get anything but lilac, but I keep smelling vanilla around me and this was the only thing with vanilla in it I had on. Short-medium life span. This is truly lovely and I agree that lilac fans need to pick this up.

It's finally happened: the infamous eraser effect I see other people occasionally remark on with some notes (I feel like vanilla?) has shown up on my skin with this one. It wasn't even subtle erasers. It was like someone threw a bunch of those pink rectangular erasers into a wood chipper and then shoved the shavings up my nose. An unfortunate miss for something I was expecting to really love. On the plus side, looking at other reviews it doesn't seem like a common occurrence so it's probably still worth trying an imp for those who also love notes like these.

This is fresh out of the mail, because who among us does not immediately rip that package open and begin sniffing, only to come upon one you have to try right this second? For me, this is that one. Wet and in the bottle: Ooooh, the banana + vanilla marshmallow combo smells so much like banana Laffy Taffy! Be still my beating heart. I'll admit I kept huffing at it at this stage, since I love that smell and am expecting it to go away swiftly based on the other reviews. I can already see myself applying this over and over just to get at that banana goodness. On drydown, the banana does start to fade away as expected, and it becomes pretty much as described at this point. I will say though, I can still smell the banana, it's caught up in the marshmallow. It's very faint and the smell is closer to real banana but it is there. Mostly though, this is a soft vanilla marshmallow, a surprisingly calm frankincense, sugarcane, and spiced rum that someone managed to calm all the way down. The rum here is warm, but the spices are very gentle and aren't going all spice bomb on me-a huge win. So it just gives the whole thing a slightly boozy quality. This is sweet, but not overly so, and warm and dare I say, cuddly? It's also very light with a low throw with a normal application, which means, like the Violet Chaos pointed out: slather as thou wilt. You will not be bothering anyone. I also swear the more you slather, the more banana you get once dry. But YMMV, it could totally be that the banana is just taking longer to dissipate with so much on. Either way, I adore this, and back-ups are going in the cart. Edit. Hours later this is still around, but at this point it's more vanilla'd frankincense than anything else. Still a nice smell.