supreme_c0rt

I got such a different reaction from this one. It's brighter than I was expecting, and it starts out super quiet and subdued. I wouldn't classify this opener as black oudh at all -- quite the opposite, this is a warm, white-floral variety. Less heady punch than I normally get from oudh, but still has a punch. Rich golden mrryh and sweet moss trail right behind it. The patchouli grounds it in a vague sense of creamy woodsiness. I would tack this as feminine and straightforward. It does warm up as it dries --- takes a while, but the volume does increase after about an hour into full-throated, throwy sweet golden patch. This feels like a cousin of Bastet, from the oudh & patchouli side of the family.

I don't know why but this smells like the Ocean City boardwalk. Warped wooden boards baking in the sun, radiating their heat. Dripping black spackling tar. Rusted metal struts. Sunblock and clean towels. As far as smoke goes, I find I vastly prefer the dry creosote smoke of gunpowder over, say, the meaty chewiness of the lab's woodsmoke note (Storyteller, Liz). It feels like a truer, darker smoke as opposed to a sweet barbeque. The black leather in this doesn't carreen into chemical territory, thankfully, and I think that's due to the aftershave and pomade. There's oakmoss in here, probably sandalwood. So it's the aftershave and pomade of the Old School, not the newer aquatic types. Another blessing. It's warm and comforting with just a hint of flinty coolness. Classy and old fashioned. Wood and Stone. Overall it's definitely masculine, like a 1940s steelworker. I love smelling like this. It bet confuses people.

Cherry almond macaroons with a star anise garnish. It's gentle, but still too sweet and foody for my tastes. This may suit for lovers of dessert scents.

Sneezy black pepper and thick rooty vetiver. Dusty dusty dirt. This is actually suffocating and closes up my sinuses, like faceplanting a pile of hot potting soil. The radish is in there, sharp and vegetal and bright. The "crystal" is buried in there somewhere too, and it's something I'm unfamiliar with - like a bright white creamy floral note. But the dirt is too much, just buries all of it.

Wow... This is sorta like if the power 80s opium perfumes were remade with natural oils and minus the cloud of carrier alcohol and the punch of oudh. The opium leads but doesn't scream. A warm slightly vanilic backbone of benzoin balances the heaviness. A dark purple floral dances on top. Dark, smoky incense, purple and very pretty. And I'm not terribly keen on florals either. I don't think I'd reach for this a lot, but for special occasions it would be really nice. Wear this swanning around the house in your best floral silk robe, gossiping on a princess phone.

I liked where this started -- a slightly gardenia-type clean earthy coconut -- but the orris root turned it into coconut baby powder deodorant. Throw is about medium. Longevity was quite short, less than an hour.

This one is really intriguing, because it morphs so much. Right off the bat it's earthy, musty, vaguely floral. Actually spooky, like a foggy graveyard. Much goth. Then it shifts hard into a dusty, dry (desert-dry) floral, like blasting hot sands. Peeking through that is a crystal clear floral note that I'm very unfamiliar with. Moonflower. Hello. It's pretty, bright white, soft. It does veer a little into Secret Deodorant territory sometimes, a floral powder. Then it's replaced by the desert sands again. Then deodorant. Then desert. With that little white flower poking through like a flashback. What a weird little bat this is. From a murky midnight graveyard to a bright searing desert. I don't have anything quite like this. I don't think I need a bottle but this is maybe weird enough to keep.

There's the mystery oudh again -- not listed, but there it is. Unfortunately, the barnyard kind. I guess that's the nagarmotha, as it's not quite as strong as actual oudh is. I sorta get the cedar and patchouli but they're being overshadowed by that indolic effect. The throw is very faint and longevity not great either, so I will have to give this one a pass. Just a phase.

Wet --- a punch of screechy sweet almond, marzipan. Chemical black leather trailing behind. I don't terribly love it at this stage. BDSM Marzipan. But I can tell it's going to downshift into something good. Dry -- Sure enough. The almond starts to calm down and the leather comes out to meet it. It still has a weird chemical bent to it. Black leather almost always does this on me. But it's being met by a creamy sweetness. Settled in at cruising altitude -- the chemical edge wears off and the notes start to melt together. It's sweeter than what I usually go for but this really came together nicely. There's a coolness to the scent. Vanilla almond milk ice cream, spiced with patchouli and finished with a hard slap of black leather. Sweet and soothing but dangerous. A black and white contrast. It takes some time to get there, but when it does it's worth the wait. Gorgeous. The mood is sophisticated, dark, and mysterious, like high-fashion power goth. Big throw and longevity on this one, noticeable even when resting quietly, not moving. Leather lovers should try this at least once. I'm going to put this in the neighborhood of Antikythera Mechanism (for the creamy, sweet, almost root beer float thing), Scholar's Tower (for its smoky-sweet-spicy masculine bookishness) and Spanked for the bitey leather. I'm impressed so far with the Haute Macabre collabs. They hit the tone they aim for, and this bat approves. 🦇

I could have sworn this had oudh in it. It had that immediate indolic black oudh stank; that barnyard, heady thickness. This was worrying, but once it dries down the effect fades out into a smoky, deep vanilla-like coconut patchouli. Dark, sexy, and beautiful. Win. EDIT: I was skeptical about it working, but I just tried layering with As Above. They really do go well together. In fact the things I dislike about each sort of fall away, and each one plays on the other's strengths. Vanilla and oakmoss lead, with just a touch of leather and jasmine following. Lovely! Now I suppose I'll have to wait for a re-release of the full size.

Somebody up-thread quipped "urinal cake" and that isn't totally off. Freshly applied, there's something medicinal and almost bandage-like going on. It's not great. As it dries out, the leather and jasmine mix into something that reads like floral rubber latex. Floral silly putty. The vanilla is noticeable, but the latex/rubber thing is what stands out. Kind of like a scented barbie doll that's right out of the box. It's an odd effect. I'm not really into it, but I can't stop huffing it anyway. The silly putty smell is kind of weirdly nostalgic. After about an hour or so the silly putty backs off and we're left with a complex, dark jasmine-vanilla that's actually really nice. I'll give this one a few more tests before I rule it out. EDIT: I tried layering it with So Below and most of the things I disliked about this one sort of fell away, and the good parts of each really shone. They really do work well together.

White eucalyptus, faint citrus, clean ozone. It's more delicate than I was expecting. Taking big breaths of it, it does have an oxygenated-air sensation similar to menthol. When it dries, there's a bit of skin musk. Maybe if I really stretch for it I can make out the metal and a brief flash of "brown" which might be the exhaust. I don't get much of the industrial notes I was desperately hoping for here (leather, metal, rust, diesel). Fully dry, it's mostly ozone and air -- that kind of light aquatic, mildly floral sort that reminds me of (pretty) laundry soap or dryer sheets. A little bit of musk. Meh. Liftoff, letdown. Mission aborted. If you like airy, clean-linen smells with just a bare hint of grit/musk, this might be your jam. I need this to be much grittier to consider it a keeper.

Nothing too unexpected here. It's the lab's frank note plus the airy, floral ozone from Becoming Thunder, et al. They combine into something commercial/generic like dryer sheets. Fresh linen maybe. The drydown is all frank.

Immediate Win. This one had the best name out of the Singularities, but the fact it's actually a knockout scent too? Hell yeah. I've never smelled cashmere before but it's reminding me a bit of a cozy, expensive sort-of-skin musk. The tobacco is the leaf kind, not the sticky shisha kind, which is a blessing; shisha turns sickly on me. It's perfectly balanced with the leather, which plays a gorgeous supporting role here. As it dries, the tangy brightness of the bay leaf comes out and dances with the smoky undercurrent of sandalwood and leather. It's reading as juicy dried cranberries. Imagine the dried fruits note from Voluminous Red Blanket and you've got it. This is exquisitely blended, no divas here. Not too much of a morpher, either. Right out of the gate it's an absolute stunner. It doesn't tack as any one season (I would wear this year-round), and I can already tell this is going to be a "my skin but better" blend. I would put this on the masculine side of center, but not overly so. It's inviting, sophisticated, and mysterious. If you enjoyed A Tattooed Woman Embraces the God of Thunder and Nimue the Blood Queen but wished they were a scooch more masculine, try this. Really looking forward to telling people what it's called when they ask me what I'm wearing.

If you're curious how this compares to Obatala, as I was, know that it is similar. To me, it's the same coconut. Kamau is saltier and more restrained. The smell of warm skin after a beach trip. Tanning lotion, sun, salt. Obatala is much creamier and maybe a touch sweeter. Testing side by side, I can really smell the difference and how much creamier Obatala is. I think I prefer that kind of creaminess. Kamau, while lovely, is a bit simpler and a bit more commercial (I've had this scent in various commercially available lotions/oils). So I don't think I'll need an upgrade. This would be a great "my skin but better" smell. It rewards closeness.

Whoa, the first? This is a weird one for sure. Freshly applied, there's the bitter tang of the blood, like a handful of pennies, salty and sharp and metallic. At the same time, the heavy-handed sugar/honey note coats it in boozy, syrupy-sweet. Behind it there's a salty, granulated sugar base. Like Swedish black licorice candy. The combo of the bitter and the sweet fighting each other actually has a nauseous effect to it. That's the bile I guess, and the effect is pretty accurate. Definitely bile. It's weird that it's not terrible, despite being a little woozy and sure, pukey. A little. Cheers to the lab for nailing the idea. Once it dries down, the leather and lime peek out at the edges, but it's still prominently a peppery-sweet patchouli with a shot of spiced booze (maybe rum). There's a nice smoky black incense waving at the back, and something that is delightfully reminding me of a lit match. This one's a morpher. Each note stands and is accounted for. The leather was great here, not pushing or bullying too much, but still there, underneath the klaxon of other stuff going on. The lasting note is gorgeous. A lovely, smooth, smoky, spicy-sweet patchouli that leans into masculine. And it chills there, largely inoffensively, as if it wasn't just bile 20 minutes ago. I am really a huge fan of where this lands and stays. This kind of sweet spiced patchouli is absolutely stunning. This was a wild ride and I liked the trip, but I'm not sure I want to slog through the weird bile part for the ending. But hey, maybe that's the point -- it don't care what you want. NC! Edit: I just tried The Emperor's Beard and Ian, and the similarities between these three are striking. The tobacco, sweet patch, and that boozy note read the same to me as in NC. I'd say NC is sweeter and has a brief citrus kick. But these guys all sorta land in that same sweet patch/boozy neighborhood.

It's so weird how differently blends work on different people! I swapped for clockwork's sample and when I put it on, immediately it shot up to the top of my all time favorites. The leather and woody/mossy/herbal notes blend together beautifully and perfectly with just the right amount of clove to give it a little bite. It's spicy, leathery, and smoky in all the right ways. Mysterious, sexy, and very red (redheads, you will crush it). If any of the notes listed work on you (especially if you love leather) you should hunt down a bottle. It's perfect. I would put this in the same category as Emperor's Rams, and other types of red musk and dark incense dominant blends, but with clove. It's sorta like red-musk-plus; red musk recreated with other ingredients, and in the process amplifying the good spicy parts and toning down the sweetness. Basically exactly how I wished red musk actually behaved on me. It's a glorious blend. I wish this was a perfume but I fully intend to use the gloss as a body oil. And I'll be sad when the full bottle is gone.

This is a powerhouse smoky rose incense scent, and it's a morpher. Top, middle, and base notes all have something to say, and will pop out and recede over the course of the wear. Nothing I can say will be a better review than what's been said before, and yes this is a special blend if it works on you. I'd suggest not touching it and letting it age for a few months, then testing it without any other scent distractions so it can take you for the ride. It made a world of difference in my experience. I smell the comparisons to Morocco, so for fun I tried to recreate Eve with Morocco and Harlot. It's sort of like the Cliffs Notes version of classic literature. It gets at the general idea, and it'll help you pass the test. But it's not the whole story. Eve is much... more. Smokier, definitely. Incense for days. I will definitely hold onto this imp and break it out for special occasions. This is a very sacred scent and would work quite well in the cold winter months when things turn introspective and still. Fingers crossed Eve returns from the dead! She loved life so much.

2019 version : I also smell like barbeque. The smoke/leather in this is the same kind I got from First Lash. It's not a swirl, it's a cloud. It's the kind of sweet-meat, bacon-y scent that you get in your hair and clothes after a camping weekend. This is a bit sweeter though, probably from the vanilla. I get pretty much nothing else until about 6 hours later when it's mostly gone and the "perfume" notes peek out from behind the smoke. These aren't vanilla notes, though. It actually reminds me a lot of Victoria's Secret Strawberries and Champagne. Not quite the leather/vanilla/smoke I was hoping for.

This was much softer and a bit soapier than expected. I would call this a clean, woodsy aquatic. It's pretty traditionally masculine in the sense of a nice cologne or one of the more pleasant commercial deodorants, something between "sport" and "woods" with a touch of spice around the edges. The myrrh and labdanum sweeten and soften the edges of the leather. It's not harsh at all and there's nothing particularly weird or unpleasant about this, in fact I'd call it one of the more generic leather blends. It's nice, but I think I was expecting something harsher and grittier with more of an edge to it.

Damn. This is a gorgeous leather blend. I would not have guessed this is the Lab's black leather -- sometimes that can get harsh. Not here. It's like the leather is somewhere between black and red, and while it's the star of the show it doesn't scream -- it plays so well with the other notes. There's a fruity edge to this, almost like a faint tart cranberry (I suppose that's the cardamom, but more of a fresh bud than a seed), embraced by waves of smoke and skin musk and that rich leather. Perfectly blended. The oudh does none of the typical barnyard antics here, it's just a smooth smoky backbone. Not a lot of throw but I'm ok with that. On the drydown the smoky leather reminds me a lot of Dragon's Hide but without the cherry edge of the dragon's blood. I would put this as a relative of Dragon's Hide and my beloved Loviatar. There is also a Crowley vibe here. They could be cousins. On the prowl. Very sexy cousins. Hm. Confident, intelligent, edgy, smoky leather. All my favorite things. Very refined, beautiful, poweful. A must-have for leather fans (*raises hand*).

Loviatar is in my top 5 forever-favorites, and has been since I first got into BPAL over a decade ago. This is a perfect leather blend. Smoky, slick, sexy, powerful, composed and darkly radiant. It's a simple blend but each note is accounted for and perfectly balanced, and damn if it only gets better with age. One of the prized gems in my collection that changes my mood instantly into an armored warrior. Just. Gah. A great example of the Lab's singular niche, because I haven't encountered anything else like this one. *chef kiss*

Today was a good day, because I found Fighter. Maybe Fighter found me. I had a completely unrequited love affair with Rivet Goth earlier this year, one that ended in sadness because Rivet Goth was just too extra. The leather was wrong. Too strong, too sharp, too artificial. The other notes tried but couldn't hold their own in the fight against it. The leather screamed bloody murder on my skin and gave me headaches and wouldn't wash off. I sent it away with haste. But the bit that dried on my jacket, over the course of time, slowly unveiled a hidden wealth of beautiful industrial stank that taunted me. Underneath the screaming was a growling, gritty, rusty-bridge-goblin welder, and I loved it. The swapper ended up sending me an imp of it back, because they are all that's good and right in the world (you know who you are). But I still had a thorn in my butt over the puzzle it threw in my lap. For about a month I tried to find other motor oil/leather scents elsewhere to recreate it, but couldn't quite get it right. It became my white whale. Figured I'd never find it, and would just Frankenstein a suitable facsimile. But here I am sitting here with Fighter, and I'll be damned. It's Rivet Goth, but with everything just ... turned down a bit. The leather, while sharp and black, is worn-in with sweat, like a good saddle on a good horse.The rust in Rivet Goth is the metal note here, and it reads true. The "gritty" musk is also here -- a sweat-like musk, animalistic and raw and drop dead sexy. Riding all of it is the sharp acidic black Rivet leather, but more restrained. Screaming into a pillow. This same leather also shows up in Iago, and it blasts there too. The only notes missing are the tobacco and engine oil, but even without them this still reads like the months-old Rivet patch on the jacket. And it's GC, as icing on the rusty cake. After it's long dried, what's left is sweaty black leather. It teases headaches again but I don't care. It's manageable, a bridled horse that still bucks but at least I can finally get on the damn thing. I can't wait to play around with this! Moral: never give up, kids!

Simple and shining and warm. Fresh out of the bottle, the frank definitely leads the song, but once dry, the notes blend perfectly into a single chorus. Other reviewers mention fall, but this is a summer scent for me. I get an almost beachy, sun-warmed tanning oil vibe that I really like. Like, just back from the beach with a radiant glow, salt and sun and just the gentlest touch of vanilla to make the whole thing buttery and smooth. Completely gorgeous. My skin loves this and just melts right into it. It does fade rather quickly though. :\