supreme_c0rt

Wet: very very green! It's more green than it is rose at this point. Like bright fresh grass, bitter sap, cold dew. It's bracing -- like the smell and sound of biting into a cold, unripe granny smith apple. Rose is right behind it, but it's a rosebud and not quite the full bloom. Dry: Fresh, dewy rose, but the scent of a rosebud that is still mostly closed. There's no hint of powder in this rose at all. As new a rose as you can find. Lifelike and vibrant, verdant. Fully dry: The sweetness really comes out now. It's like a dream of sour candy; a bit of sour apple, a bit of strawberry, a kiss of rose. This is so innocent and sweet and cheerful. It skews a bit young, but for a spring rose you can't beat it. I think this and Lucy's Kiss are my favorites of the lab's rose notes. 🌹

I was not expecting this much honeysuckle! It's a *lot* of honeysuckle. I'm quite ok with that, as honeysuckle is on my shortlist of favorite florals, but if you are not a fan you should steer clear. Combined with the opium this is a very heady, humid hothouse-variety floral. Indolic in the sense that jasmine is indolic (the hint of decay). Soapy, but a luxe soap. I get almost no vetiver from this at all, would not even guess it's in here. I don't typically like soap or heavy florals but I do like this one, probably since it's just the honeysuckle and not like 30 other florals. Right up close it's *almost* too much, but the waft is dreamy and lush, like late springtime with the heat of summer approaching. Really enjoyable. I will hold on to it for sure. Fans of Qandisa might want to try this. It's not the same at all -- this is a lighter, springtime version, Qandisa is thicker and richer with more va-va-voom -- but I feel like this is in that same opium family. Event Horizon is like this too. Big throw, lasts a while. Edit: Okay, hold the phone. This is settling into something truly exquisite. Where did that beautiful rich incense note come from? Is that the vetiver finally showing up? It's almost like myrrh. The waft is throwing all kinds of sultry surprises at me. It suddenly got very sexy in here, and I am now smitten. Pretty sneaky, sis.

The opening is super weird, as other reviewers have mentioned. A chemical metallic waft like glue, mixed with paper pulp, or dirty wet clay. Once on and beginning to dry, those weirder chemical elements burn off and fold into a raw incense scent. I have a box of Tibetan incense and it smells just like it. It's like a smoky, leathery Mysore sandalwood. "Toasted sandalwood" is maybe a euphemism for Mysore? Or the notes are combining into a Mysore dupe. Definitely give it a whirl if you are a incense fan or like that type of sandalwood. It's putting me a bit in mind of Aerodynamic Junk but without clove.

This smells like an earthy, musky coca-cola vanilla ice cream float. The pine and mint gives the vanilla a distinct chill, then patch mixing with the musk, chocolate, and resin to stand in for the fizzy cola. This vanilla is definitely a foodie one on me. As it dries, all the other notes seem to pop up here and there of their own free will. I get a tart smell like cranberries, then I'll get much more of the pine for several minutes. A coke float in the woods in the middle of a sweaty summer. It’s complex. Sometimes I got all the notes in a row in a single breath. Sometimes just the musk and vanilla. It lasts for hours, easily a full workday, though the throw is quite light. The final dry down is mostly sweet vanilla with a red musk afterglow (like a creamier Fenris Wolf). I like it, it’s very wearable and one of the very few foodie-leaning smells I can carry with my chemistry. Thank you to my special forumite for the sniffie, I will enjoy it.

The amber and sandalwood rose remind me of The Little Wooden Doll, while the carnation and vanilla give it a gentle, creamy peppery-ness. It's warm and soft, but the mosses are bringing a simultaneous coolness to the scent, very much like riding in a boat on a warm sunny day and picking up a crisp breeze on the water. The drydown is slightly powdery from the orris (mostly cream, not dust) and it's nearly identical to the drydown in The Little Wooden Doll. There's not a ton of myrrh in this. Pleasure Boat has the same understated elegance that is representative of the Shungas line, and it's charming and universal, perfect for spring. Fans of the Little Wooden Doll should try this. The carnation adds a spicy complexity and I really enjoy the cool breeziness that the mosses are adding.

This is the one I was most excited about. It's a who's-who of win notes (honey being the wildcard). It did not disappoint. Take Books, add dark honeyed wood, a touch more worn leather and wax, and a big heap of sea salt. That's Westerners. This is a chest of old maps tucked away in the cargo hold of a ship, dotted with the oils of raw beeswax candles. The scent of ocean air, the cozy simplicity of old paper, and a spreading warmth of sunlight and gentle sweetness. Westerners is unlike any aquatic I've had from the lab, as it's a warm honey-gold color and not soapy cold-blue, with a big hit of salt that is divine. If you're put off by red musk, no worries, it's barely there. Like a lot of Shungas the throw is very delicate on me and takes some slathering to get it to open up, but once it does it's absolutely gorgeous. It keeps on giving, each gentle waft revealing more of itself. It lasts, too. If you are a fan of Ancient Junk (this is very similar), Books, Wax Cylinders but not as aquatic, Storyteller but not smoky, Bright Red Dildo but less red --- try this one. And if you want to love aquatics but can't do the Blue Water type of aquatic, definitely try this one. [Aged 8 Months]: This has aged magnificently. The salt is not as shouty; still there, but where it really should have been all along. Red musk has matured into the scent a bit more. It's not prominent, but I can pick it out more than when it was new. The leather really sings in this now. There's familial resemblance to both Bright Red Dildo and Loviatar. Like those two joined their pirate captain sister and are out adventuring on the sea. 🛳️

Well this is interesting. It starts out mostly bay rum (not boozy, more like an old fashioned cologne), with a warm base sort of like sandalwood and a lot of spicy resin. Definitely a Dad cologne. Then poof, it changes into an old lady perfume, specifically the Avon perfumes that would come in the novelty bottles. Then back again. And back again. This totally bounces all over the gender spectrum, which I am digging, but the places it goes are all more old-fashioned than I was expecting. This isn't quite my cup of tea, but I'm glad to try it.

Oh this is really nice. Leather leads, but it's not a harsh leather at all. It's softened so beautifully with a gentle almost-beeswax, almost-barely-vanilla creaminess. It's a lot like how Wax Cylinders, Bright Red Dildo, etc balance the leather and beeswax notes so all the hard edges of the leather are gone and it's just a nice mellow skin scent, but sexy and distinguished at the same time. As it dries, the paper notes come out. It really is like old paper and new paper at the same time, with the binding glue and the glossy magazine covers shuffled with older yellowed pages. The ink note is very hard to describe (a gentle sharpness? Almost-chemical/metallic-but-not-quite?) but it's definitely there. Write on a page with a ballpoint and give it a whiff, and it's that. I really really like this. It's maximum cozy, evocative but still wearable. Almost no throw, but that seems appropriate. I wish it lasted longer, but still, this bibliophile is in loooove. Holding tight to this decant.

Wet: Sexy Tootsie Roll! That'll be the tobacco and coffee. There's a gritty edge to from the vetiver and mahogany. It's quite nice, even if foodier than I thought it would be at first. There's enough of an edge to it to be growly. Dry: The tobacco outlasts everything else; I am sure this is the french tobacco variety that's in Snaky Hair and others. It has that recognizable sweet fizzy cola smell. I normally stay away from that type, but here it's tempered enough by earthy woods and smoky vetiver. I like this. It's very dapper and put-together, a little sexy yet comfortable. Like Ron Swanson.

I really reeeeally don't like soil and I'm not a huge fan of roses, but I do like both of those notes in this! Oakmoss comes to the rescue and prevents the dirt from being too suffocating and the rose from being too powdery. As it dries fully down the rose and oakmoss become this beautiful, old-fashioned melancholy dark thing, and I'm reminded of the Black Rose perfume (Emily the Strange) that Hot Topic sold in the late 90's/ early 00's. I really liked that perfume and have been looking for something like that to make me love rose again. Thank you to the forumite who frimped me this one! I don't know if I ever would have picked this up otherwise, but I'm impressed with how well this wears on me. Mwah.

I seem to get more of the coffee note than others have here. Coffee notes usually disappoint since they tend to smell like coffee candy, as this one does. Sweet coffee candy mixed with black leather. It feels closer to black coffee because of the leather, but still has that artificial twang. This isn't a slight, as I'm not sure it's possible to really get an authentic coffee smell from not-coffee. At any rate, I don't feel like I'm sticking my face into a bag of beans (if only). The book note is quite lovely; a pulpy, musty paper with some binding glue (is that a ghost of vetiver?). The big surprise is how delicate it is on me, which is a first for black leather. This is the best version of the Lab's black leather I've encountered so far, after trying several blends where it outright strangles. It's just the right amount. I do like this quite a bit because it has a great lived-in, scholarly feel to it, and it does work beautifully with my chemistry. But it is delicate, and I find myself wanting a touch more throw. It's a really nice blend though, and a great find for leather lovers.

Intense honeyed wood and an oaky sharpness right out of the imp that reads a pitchy wood cologne or an expensive spray patchouli perfume. It is quite strong out of the gate, but mellows out nicely after about an hour. I adore oakmoss and it's a standout player here, with the patchouli and mahogany giving it an earthy roughness that is cradled by the smooth honey (this is my favorite expression of the lab's honey note; it's not chewy or thick but clear and refined). It's putting me in mind of a earthier, woodsier version of The Pillars. Mahogany is a fickle note on me; it often goes sharp and sour, but it works beautifully here. This is how I wish it smelled on me all the time. I would absolutely spring for a full bottle of this if it is released. It's glorious.

Ohhhh yes mama. Sexy gingerbread man on a Harley! This is an dark dream of woods, smoke, and spices. The gingerbread note isn't too sweet, but it is gourmand enough to communicate the Yule theme. The drydown takes some of the gingerbread edge off, and it is indeed exquisite. If you like your holiday smellies gritty, growly, smoky, and sexy, this is your huckleberry.

Wet Black Ice: A blast of cold white florals. Heavily aquatic and aggressive. It does smell commercial. Dry Black Ice: There's the vetiver and smoke. Kind of a cool dirty aquatic with an edge of berries, like the type described as "poison" in other blends. I'm not sure why there's florals and berries in here, but that's what I'm getting.

Oh yes, pooudh! But, miracle of miracles, it doesn't stick around much past the first few minutes. What's left once the stank wears off is a very heavy, dark, black, sophisticated coffee/vetiver/patch blend. Pooudh is still there lurking but not shouty and awful like it is in Snake's Shadow, et al. Unfortunately this kind of oudh is way too strong on me, and after the drydown my body chemistry hijacks the whole blend into old-fashioned cologne/aftershave. It's too overwhelming and perfumey for me to want to keep wearing, however promising the middle stage was.

This is a strange one. Wet, it's very sharp and medicinal (I get tea tree oil) with a hit of black leather and metal. As it dries the poison smell really opens up -- I read it as the same berry/poison note in Nimue the Blood Queen. But there's another smell underneath all of this that weirdly reads like exhaust; it's sort of brown and greasy. Fully dry, it's mostly dark dried berries but also a sort of mechanic smell like motor oil or engine grease mixed with tangy sweat. It's not something I'll reach for a lot (I'm not a fan of berries) but it is interesting.

On its own, this is mostly a dry vanilla, with a little bit of smoke, and I mean very little. Not a foody vanilla, more of the husk. Not a ton of cedar in the background; if you're a strong cedar lover like me you'll miss it. I found this one to be pleasant enough on its own -- kind of a warm, dry vanilla -- but wanted more oomph. Like maybe it's *too* well blended? Like when you blend two paint colors together until you completely lose the individual colors and it becomes a pleasant but nondescript mid-tone? It liked it much more once I started mixing it with other scents. I've got this on with Coiled Serpent (a strong cedar-forward blend) and it is heavenly, reminding me of a smokier, woodsier B.ans.hee B.e.at. I'll probably try this with other blends that I've long since abandoned because they were too dry or sharp (A B.oy and H.is Bro.ther Se.ated on a Go.at) and see how it fares there. But if you're kinda meh about this on its own, try blending and see where that takes you. Edit: I've got on The Small Brown Cat today and I'm noticing how similar they are. If you liked Cat but the cedar was too forward, Cedarwood and Smoked Vanilla will be right up your alley. For me, I prefer the stronger wood chip/rustic cabin smell of Cat. 😽

Devils reminds me of Eldritch Dark but black instead of red. It's smoky, sexy, creamy. All my favorite things. The honey does veer sweet and slightly floral, but the gritty leather and patchouli balance it beautifully. I'm not a honey lover at all and I like this one quite a bit.

There was a ton of difference between trying this fresh and letting it sit for a few weeks. Fresh on, it's a little zap of pine, with that vegetal, sharp, dead leaf note (same one from the Dead Leaves line) with a pulsing heart of dry patch and vetiver. Mostly dead leaves though. Not too forest-y, which I appreciate. After it dries, it's creamy wood, heavy on the oak (love!), with smoky patch and vetiver rounding it out. I would not call this sinister or menacing -- in fact this is smooth as black silk on me. I vastly prefer it over Samhain (that one turned into a sweet/boozy pumpkin spice candle bomb on me). This though --- a big yes! Dark, smoky, masculine, woodsy and mysterious. Perfect for fall.

Having now tried both, I'd agree with the reviewers who say this is in the Banshee Beat family, albeit quite distantly related. BB is way sweeter and heavier on the vanilla -- it smells thick and viscous and the vanilla is more foodie and honey-like, whereas Hippie is a more dry vanilla bean, with herbal, grassy, mossy patchouli tones. Not rough-dirty like the raw patchouli in Goblin, though Goblin is in this family too. If you tack gender to smells BB is very feminine on me where Hippie is more masculine/unisex. I love both for different reasons. The weed note isn't scary to me. I'd be mindful of where I wear it but I don't think it's a dangerous public scent, in fact I share the same thoughts as other reviewers that this wouldn't really tack "fresh kush" as much as simply "grassy." You wouldn't know unless you knew. As it wears down the weed/green smell downshifts for the vanilla, until we're left with a kind of lovely grassy dirty-vanilla. Definitely mossy, like fresh wood moss. In fact... this is actually the smell of cash. Fresh cash. A crisp bill, plus a husky vanilla. And it just gets better and better as it settles. This puts me in mind of the Body Shop's Hemp line, or perhaps in the mind of vintage books, or a soft flannel shirt. It's just beautiful, and I will be hoarding it. Top ten.

TRIX CEREAAAAL! LOTS of lemon verbena in this. The rose and neroli waft really nicely, up close it's all sharp citrus, orangey-lime, and it does remind me of Trix (a delightful natural version). As it dries, the neroli and rose come through more. It's bright and cheery. I don't think I'd wear this much but would like this as a room scent, to banish stale air and mustiness.

Mostly lavender. There's enough motor oil and metal to give this one just a bit of a hardworking edge, and enough resins to warm and soften it ... but still mostly a clean/soapy lavender. It reminds me a lot of English Lavender aftershave. Kind of gentlemanly, worn-in, clean. I don't get much sawdust from this one. Fans of lavender who are wanting something more rugged than floral would like this, I think.

Wow that's a lot of harsh black leather. The chapparal and sage follow, reading somehow dry and dank at the same time, with a whiff of gasoline that I think I'm mistaking for the gunpowder. The flowers add something kinda interesting and pretty, but the leather is far too aggressive and it kinda stomps all over everything else. A bit too much for me.

Whoah. This is Very Pretty. This is a blast of white light. I have never tried any of the TAL blends but this feels like it would be a TAL blend. Break down the doors of darkness. I'm not familiar with champaca but since I am on easy terms with frank and amber I can subtract those and get a read on the flower note. It reads as a crisp bright white flower, like daffodil or perhaps gardenia but not quite as heady. It's a stunningly bright, modern, very fresh floral, with the lemon providing just the right amount of bite. This is springtime in a bottle. I typically can't do florals -- like, at all -- but I can do this one since it reads as one clean flower and not a million confusing flowers. As a floral hater, color me impressed. Granted, it's a little pious for everyday wear, but I can easily see myself reaching for this on dreary winter days when I need sunlight, or when it's time for righteous justice. The throw will announce your intent.

Whew that's a lot of popcorn. The sweet butter smell reminds me a lot of the buttered popcorn jellybeans that I ate too much of as a kid and it almost turned my tummy. After a few minutes, the rest of the notes, almost as if on cue, show up one by one to pull the butter note back into something manageable. It doesn't seem like these smells would work together, but they really do. The popcorn/butter note keeps pushing and receding, which is meh (since I'm not a big fan of foody notes) but that vanilla/oak is drooly-gorgeous and is working some magic here on the foody note. And the delicate wisps of Dorian and lavender are lovely. This is kind of like a foody, buttery/salty Ancient Junk! It's gorgeous and I can see this being a huge hit.