Threemoons

Finally re-visiting this one; was digging through my old boxes and did a random pull this AM. Glad that I did. I am not familiar with the original De Sade, but when I first got this it went to total plastic on me, which is odd because the Lab's leather notes--all of them--are usually very good on me. Glad that I gave it some time to rest. So, now...in the bottle: STILL very bottle-tight; getting a slight whiff of leather, like the glove counter at a fancy department store. On, wet: At first, I am greeted with a bit of the New Car Stink that I dreaded, but that tones down/airs off quickly and it goes into a Biker Shop Leather Jacket kind of smell--brand new black leather, lots of it. Not polite doorman's gloves leather, but really raunchy overdyed black leather jacket and chaps combo. Drydown: Long drydown and it stays All Raunchy Black Leather All the Time. Medium throw and wear. Glad I got this; can use it now as a "needs more leather" booster scent for blending as well as wearing it on its own so that I don't have to dig into my precious stash of Riding Crop. Having said that, if you are prone to having certain leathers go all plastic on you, give this one a miss. It's the first Lab leather that I ever had even get CLOSE to doing that on me, and the end result leather scent IS pretty powerful. This verges on being a single note.

Was digging through my boxen and did a random pull this AM--got a blue-glass original 2004 partial bottle of this on eBay a zillion years ago. It is GORGEOUS now. In the bottle: Sweet, sweet sugar, a sort of mix of white and brown sugars fresh from the grocery store. On, wet: After all these years, this one is still bottle-tight and needs room to breathe! Bursts open and then goes into a gentler unfold of the candied fruits and something of a darker sugar/jaggery note (but NOT molasses). Drydown: After a few hours, this settles into a really really complex mosaic of the candied fruits, which pop out like glitter, and the sugar types, with a hint of some kind of spice and the tiniest touch of frosting-like creaminess. So glad I got this one and re-discovered it!

Yow, another first review! After some chatter on the FB BPAL fanpage, decided to try two strawberry-heavy Liliths back to back. Today it's Cruor. In the bottle: Initial blast of strawberries, but less sweet than Black Phoenix Academy for Wayward Ghouls. Immediately becomes more of a red fruit blend; the red currant is definitely there bringing a darker fruit note. On, wet: The red musk starts to open up immediately; this is a true red musk and not a "fruity red musk." However, it IS a "lighter" red musk, maybe it's the fruit speaking, but it's not a hit-you-over-the-head red musk and probably a really good choice if you over-amp it or are concerned about it being too strong; this is an office-friendly red musk. Drydown: After a few hours, the drydown is much more of a true red musk than Wayward Ghouls; slightly powdery with an almost incense-like note from the red fruit. I'm kind of reminded of the midrange incense that they used to sell at Ricky's NYC, which I loved. This is a red musk first and a red fruit scent second, but still has an overall approachable and non-cloying sweetness. So, at the end of the day, I would describe it as a femme, fruity and skin-friendly red musk.

Oooh, first to review, how exciting! I am a sucker for the Lab's strawberry note and was intrigued by the idea of Strawberry Musk. So, even though I do not need any more gourmands, I couldn't resist. In the bottle: Fresh juicy strawberries, all mooshed up! On, wet: Strawberry starts to open up even more, almost starting to be like strawberry jam but not THAT sweet. A tiny bit of dried sweet baker's coconut starts to peek its head out in the background. Drydown: After several hours, I'm left with an interestingly powdery sort of strawberry skin musk, with only a very faint echo of coconut. Where this scent starts and where it ends are two very different places, but it's definitely All About the Strawberries here. Lots of throw wet; medium wear length and low throw once dried; stays very close to the skin.

Another total morpher on me. Been wearing this for the past 2 days. In the bottle: Getting smooshed green grass, lavender, and a bit of mud. On, wet: The leather and dust start to come out, along with a hint of the motor oil--I LOVE that note. Also getting little hits of the Lab's Dead Leaves note, but it's not presenting as sharply to me as it does in other blends that have it. Drydown: The motor oil note lingers a LONG time, along with the dirt note and a hint of leather. This really does capture a sort of dirt-bike rally feel to it! The lavender keeps it from being a total Festival Garage Pit Stop Area scent. This is a really interesting androgynous scent all by itself but I bet it would also be a total hit layered with any incense-heavy blend. I also really REALLY want to layer this with Zombie Green HG for the grass/mud amp, and/or Nosferatu perfume for same.

Another total morpher on me. I am a sucker for all things Snake Oil, so slowly collecting the whole Snake Pit collection. In the bottle: The sweetness of Snake Oil with a burst of some kind of tropical fruit, almost like hints of Juicy Fruit gum. On, wet: I get an initial huge burst of apple, followed by a quick blast of florals, all against a faint background of Snake Oil. Drydown: At the end of the day, I am left with an actually very soft, powdery floral with a hint of apple peel and the teeniest bit of a warm skin note. Fades rather quickly on me, alas, and stays very close to the skin, which is unusual for me for any Snake Oil blend.

This is such a gorgeous morpher on me....goes from a rather masculine, bracing citrus to this soft, pretty floral thing over the course of a day. In the bottle: Heavy almost sharp--smells more like fresh neroli to me more than anything else, with only the faintest hint of orange blossom. On, wet: Aaah, there's the lemon peel; it's a nice bracing lemon peel like fresh Meyer lemon peel, with only a hint of sweetness. Slowly, the lemon starts to sweeten up a bit but not in a gourmand/candy/Lemonheads kind of way. Drydown: Over the course of the day it goes from an almost cologne-like masculine citrus to a very pretty, floral citrus that sort of floats on the skin...my Mom used to wear something very much like the final item back in the early 70's (no, NOT Jean Nate' ) and I can't remember what it is but somehow it is so familiar. Anyway it's pretty and fresh and clean as an all-day wear and I really like it a lot!

Ever wonder if peach can work as a masculine smell? Yes it can! In the bottle...peaches and some kind of almost salty down-note that is almost like clean sweat. On, wet: Smokey peaches! Think burning sage and...peaches. Final drydown: Tiny pops of the vetiver come through, but the oakmoss keeps this one a really almost-like-sweat masculine blend of woody sage with some peaches. Very different! Long wear length, OK throw.

Got this as a frottle with a huge order, finally daring to try it along with more of last year's Weenies. In the bottle: DEEP honey mead--there used to be a local brand in Upstate NY--along with toasted spices and a hint of pumpkin. On, wet: Spice note heats up very quickly, with a good hit of cinnamon in it. Almost burnt/dark honey notes come out as long as the rest of the other spice notes after a bit. Drydown: A really sweet cloud of pumpkin spice mead! Amazing wear length, medium throw, morphs a lot during drydown. Definitely one for the honey and pumpkin spice fans!

Wanted to go all autumnal today, and still trying out some of last year's Weenies, so reached for this. I am normally not into really dry florals/the Lab's deal leaf note so much, but this is amazing. In the bottle: Sharp dry leaves, with a hint of fresh cut green flower stems. On, wet: The dried floral notes start to diversify and bloom out, as well as some kind of really gentle white rose. Drydown: After several hours, the sharpness of the dried leaves is gone and I am left with a very fresh, light, bodega bouquet scent--I know carnation isn't listed but I am getting carnations and marigolds and chrysanthemums from the corner bodega that you would grab on the way out to someone's place for dinner. Much fresher and lighter than I thought it would be; very clean.

So, getting in the mood for fall by digging out some Weenies from last year. Can't believe I haven't tried this one yet! In the bottle: Add me to the list of people who say that this is Lemonhead candies, perfectly. On, wet: More lemon hard candies, lemon sugar on lemon sugar. Drydown: Still lemony with an almost dark caramel note in wisps in the deep background? It's Lemonheads with depth. Very unexpected but very nice as I love the Lab's lemon scent and I love the lemon candy aspect of this.

Okay, so got a notice that there is no hot water in my building today (revamping the boiler for the winter) so I needed something to layer on over yesterday's Silkybat. Reached for a random HG in my collection and pulled this. It's been a while and WOW this has aged gorgeously. Very gentle blend of pulpy pumpkin with just a hint of pumpkin pie spice--that's really the front of the gloss--with a faint shimmer of dry, warm patchouli in the background. This is first and foremost a Lab Pumpkin Thing; the patchchouli gives it enough backbone to stand up to layering or use on its own. I hope they bring this back as an oil or even another run as a HG.

Wow, I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet, as I have a bunch of backup bottles and use it for layering on the regular! There's a reason why this sells out in two nanoseconds every time it is up for restock. In the bottle: Very approachable patchouli with...something sweet? On, wet: Getting the tiniest hint of some kind of fondant -- that's how the sugar note is expressing itself on me. Also, the patchouli deepens a bit--not in an offensive way, but the bottom note of that real, non-fake patchouli root is definitely there. Drydown=stays very stable, and strong, with crazy good throw and wear length. I usually layer this with other things that need a sweet, patch punch but I sometimes forget how wonderful it is on its own.

WOW. SO glad I got this one. Wish I had gotten a backup. In the bottle: Expensive chocolate truffle coated with raw cocoa powder. Oddly enough in the bottle, I get a strong roasted unsweetened hazelnut scent also. On, wet: Am I the only person alive who still remembers those REALLY expensive/fancy chocolates that are bottle-shaped, filled with a liqueur that matches the fancy foil wraps? Well, I do. They were always a Very Special Treat at either Easter or Xmas for the grown-ups, and I got to pick one. Fast forward a million years later; I have a friend who used to do huge house parties every New Year's Eve and he would have boxes and boxes of them all over his huge apartment, and I tried every single one with childish wonderful abandon. This perfume, on wet, reminds me so much of the rare bottle chocolate filled with herby Chartreuse, or possibly Benedictine, or maybe a mouthful of both. Chocolate as a candy and not cocoa comes out, along with a nice blast of gorgeous mixed Medieval medicinal herbs. Drydown: Dry sweet mix of herbs, with a floating layer of powdered sugar mixed with raw cocoa, which comes back to the party after a break. So balanced and pretty; it lands exactly squarely between a gourmand and a sweet herbal blend. I SO wish I had gotten a backup.

Odd, but this is a little bit like how I thought Peach Brandy Snake Oil WOULD smell. Really a combo of peach cobbler, peaches in syrup, peach blossom, and peach pulp with sweet cream and vanilla ice cream on it...

I bought 3 bottles of this blind, knowing I would love it. So glad I did! In the bottle: Big blast of peach and peach blossom. On, wet: Warms up fast, and I am getting something almost like peach ice cream with a hint of peach brandy. Some kind of vanilla thing is going on also; borderline floral vs. gourmand vanilla. Drydown: After several hours, this dries down to a sort of gorgeous sheer peach vanilla musk; all of the elements blend so perfectly that it's really hard to pick out individual notes. If this perfume was a garment it would be a peach and rose-gold embroidered kimono full of gold and peach embroidery. Really liking this one.

Had originally posted a review for Cacao, Palo Santo, and Copal! Here's the post in the right place: Had originally posted in wrong topic -- yes, there's also a Cacao, Copal, and Palo Santo! Total long, slow morpher on me! In the bottle: Dry, deep cocoa powder. On, wet: Copal warms up on the skin, and is somewhat smoky on me--wore it around Mom and she had asked if I had lit incense in the house! Palo Santo is in the background more as a booster. Hours later, after running around and doing chores, Mom asked me if I put a different perfume on and said it smelled more like wood! It was definitely the Palo Santo coming to the front. So, on me, this goes through 3 distinct stages---Cocoa, then the Copal, and then the Palo Santo. VERY long wear/morph time and throw. A real treat and actually very calming.

Was going through old crates and I forgot that I had this one! It has aged SO nicely. Pitch-perfect on the popcorn ball element, all dancing around with yummy Snake Oil.

LOVING this in HG form, finally got it after getting the perfume. This is the earthiest, dirtiest patchouli there is--total deep damp earthy patchouli. I love that it has that deep, dark base note that real patchouli root has (I had a hank of raw dried patchouli root years ago). It is such a great layering scent also.

Oh man...dangerously close to having ALL of the OLLA scents. Had a bottle of this that I had not tried yet. Sooooooooooooooo gorgeous. In the bottle: Gorgeous soft amber resins. On, wet: Resins sharpen up a bit but still a wonderful golden haze. Drydown: Still a radiant, wonderful, blast of light sweet golden resins. No other way to describe this. Need a backup.

Okay, was going through some of my boxen looking for past purchases that I had not tried yet. Decided to reach for this one. WOW now I see why I let it rest for a while. In the bottle: HOLY CRAP EDNA CLEAN THE CAT BOX ALREADY. STRONG pooey oudh. Now, on me, oudh usually wears only one of two ways: Catbox or sex goddess. I really had fears dabbing this one on because all I was getting out of the bottle was strong, strong oudh/narcissus flowers. On, wet: Yup, poudh. Also, peeking through: A bit of a dry woody note and definitely lilies. Drydown: Oddly enough the oudh retreats and stays very close to the skin; at the end of the day I am left with a sort of corrupted floral with tiny hits of vanilla sweetness and a sort of skin musk tainted with the slightest bit of decaying flowers and wisps of wood. Funny how this reads SO differently on people.

OK I know this is a weird pick for a sweltering NYC August day...but I was going through some of my older crates and I hadn't opened this one yet, and was in the mood! In the bottle: Frost notes and Krampus' dusty rags with a hint of red musk. On, wet: Frost note starts to pick up in a chilly, minty, floral swirl, and the red musk asserts itself. Overall combo ALMOST smells like tough-guy sweat on a dusty T-shirt that has stale Doublemint spearmint gum in the pocket. Drydown: After a while, everything settles down and I am left with an amazing red musk/dust/minty floral thing; for the minty floral think really old school Doublemint spearmint gum with a hint of white florals. Overall effect is still Krampus-feral, but with that minty whiff. Good throw and good wear length,

CAME HERE TO SAY THIS HECK YEAH First of all, let me say that I need a whole bottle of this, STAT. I want to slather this on with abandon. In the vial: A blast of nutty, caramelly oudh. On, wet: Aaah, here's the test, as oudh is usually either "total sex goddess" or "cat box" on me with no room in between. Luckily, it's the former here! Oddly sexy-sweet combo of...pecan pie and oudh, with the oudh really elevating the vanilla notes especially. Drydown: A really interesting gourmandy almost skin musk kind of thing! Says close to the skin, a tad powdery, with lingering notes of pie crust, roasted nuts, vanilla, and caramel oudh. YUM.

Let me add....lazy weekend, today I really wanted to make those resins wake up a bit more, so layered with my Pumpkin Spice Chaos Theory HG (bottle #7) from a few years ago. Super interesting and it really woke up the sandalwood and musk in this one!

This one is quite the morpher on me. I have a zillion ambers but the combo listed on this one was too good to pass up. In the bottle: Getting a bit of amber immediately followed by a blast of fresh greenery mixed with a brown almost furry musk, and a hint of sweet spices. On, wet: All of the separate elements are kind of dancing around near my skin; also getting a bit more of a cardamom/cinnamon note. Vetiver note dries down a bit from fresh green to powdery green. Long, complex drydown on this one; after several hours I'm left with a resiny, dry, spicy sort of thing that is still really complex that stays close to the skin. Very odd in that none of the normally "heavy" notes in this one (looking at you patch, sandalwood, and frankincense) are major players; this is really a mosaic.