torischroeder9

In the imp: Musky and incensey (which might be the opium). 

On my skin: 

Wet, I can smell a hint of the civet, but it's mostly just red Egyptian musk tinged with opium. As it dries, all of the notes develop more, so it has a fairly complex profile on my skin. Given some time to develop, both the civet and musk tamp down a lot, so they're really both providing a grounding base for the opium, keeping it from becoming overwhelmingly heady. 

In fact, I'm actually going to suggest (blasphemy though it may be) that Debauchery has a very similar vibe on me to some of LE perfumes that I own and/or have tried -- namely, Snake Charmer and Gypsy Queen. I would readily admit that I think both of those two have a certain level of complexity and refinement that Debauchery doesn't quite possess -- but, you know, it's a perfume called Debauchery.

In the imp: This actually smells extremely faint to me. I get the barest whiff of a floral that I believe might be the echo of rose, but I really don't smell much of anything at all. (I did receive the imp from a post-Lab seller. I trust that the imp is genuine, but I'm not sure about age.)

On my skin:

To start, based on the faintness I smelled in the imp, I slathered this sucker on. I can tell what I'm smelling is rose -- and it is stronger than in the imp -- but it's still very faint. As it dries, I get some light rose throw, and if I stick my nose way down in the crook of my elbow, I can detect some soft leather close to my skin. Given time to develop, the rose does grow a bit stronger -- but also at this stage, a bit soapy. 

Verdict? It's just not my rose. 

In the imp: Heady honey wine with just a whiff of incense smoke. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's all sweet, heady honey wine. As it dries, it becomes more wine than honey, and the whiff of incense smoke reemerges. The laurel as a grounding note also becomes detectable. After about half an hour of warming and developing on my skin, the laurel recedes a bit, and the incense smoke becomes more noticeable. I still get the honey wine as the main scent, but the incense smoke is now more than a whiff. 

The notes I get from the incense and the laurel are delightful. Ultimately, however, while there's nothing wrong with this wine note, I find that I simply do not want to smell this much like wine. 

In the imp: The phrase "steamy blossoms" is very apt, as there's sweet floral -- with an undercurrent of wood -- that does smell hot and humid. 

On my skin:

Wet, I actually get a shot of a mango-like scent. As it immediately starts to dry, the humid woods and florals also come back in. Given a bit of time to warm and develop on my skin, the fruit becomes the most prominent note with woods and humidity as a base and florals gracing the top of the scent. Over time, the fruit gains additional power in the scent, though the woods and florals remain readily detectable. 

The result is tropical and fruity and flowery and forested -- and just a little heady. I don't get amber as a distinct note, but it may well be what's helping give the fruit its significant throw on me. Given the amount of throw I do get, I'm worried Machu Picchu might be too intense a perfume for me to wear regularly. It might be an "outdoor only" kind of scent on me. 

In the imp: Lavender first, with an undercurrent of lotus. 

On my skin:

Wet, I would call this lavender surrounded by lotus. Lavender is the sharpest scent I get, but the lotus is still very much present. As it dries, the lotus fades, and the lavender becomes the most prominent note. I can believe there's spice here, but on me at this stage, it's serving to highlight the lavender's sharpness rather than becoming a main player itself. 

Edit: At some point well after application, this settles into a scent that is basically lavender over just a hint of body odor. (The lotus disappears.) But... I don't hate it? I don't think I'm going to be in the mood for this very often -- and I'm also not sure there are enough places I could wear this to justify keeping the imp -- but it's strangely interesting. 

In the imp: Sweet huckleberry, almost sugared -- like huckleberry syrup or candy. 

On my skin:

Wet, I get mostly huckleberry with a burst of currant cutting the super sweetness. The effect is that it's more reminiscent of fresh, juicy berries than a prepared food. As it dries and develops on my skin, the currant very gradually increases in prominence until it's just a hair less potent than the huckleberry note. I never do detect neroli. 

It's a fun berry scent, though I'm not actually sure it's a "me" scent. 

In the imp: Lime aftershave, tweed, and metal. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's metal and aftershave first. I can still detect the lime and the tweed. On the immediate drydown, the throw is lime aftershave while the skin scent is almost all metal. As Watson develops on my skin, he becomes more and more gunmetal. 

After an hour, it's still all revolver. It's a very clean metal, as in the scent description of "well-cared for service revolver." There's nothing, say, of actual gunpowder about the scent. And the linen and lime are evident if I really stick my nose in my arm, but for normal sniffing distance, they're very faint and subtle. 

In the imp: Myrrh, balsam, and herbs.

On my skin:

Wet, the myrrh is predominant though the herbs are still very noticeable. As it dries, the myrrh becomes even more dominant, controlling pretty much all of the scent's throw. The balsam is actually what's most detectable closest to my skin now. The embalming herbs haven't absented themselves entirely, but they're very much in the background, at least for the moment. Twenty minutes later, and the myrrh almost completely dominates with resinous sweetness. 

An hour after that, it's still all myrrh. 

I like myrrh, but I'm not sure I need a Myrrh SN perfume. 

In the imp: I don't get linen at all, but light, breezy florals. Plumeria and something that has the character of (but not the scent of) lilac or wisteria. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's the same plumeria note as in the vial. As it dries, it becomes even more strongly so. 

An hour later, and this is where the scent seems to stay on me. 

It's very pretty and delicate, but it doesn't seem crisp and doesn't evoke linen on me. 

Maybe it would smell different after a night of debauchery?

In the imp: Cherry blossom, orchid, metal, and ozone. 

On my skin: 

Wet, the cherry blossom and orchid are the most prominent. I also get a splash of the wet fruits. For the moment, at least, the metal and ozone notes disappear. As it dries down, the bamboo also becomes apparent, mixing with the florals. I think I also get a touch of the ozone at this point -- at least, there's a breathy, airy quality to the scent, so it's there in spirit. 

(Here's where I went and prepped meals for the work week and so did not keep track of incremental transformations -- sorry!)

The final version has metal, creamy orchid, bamboo, and cherry blossom and/or fruits. It's a light, delicate, close-to-skin scent on me. However, the metal and bamboo both show up enough that I wouldn't categorize this as necessarily stereotypically feminine. 

In the imp: Leaf lettuce, like the kind we used to plant in our flower beds when I was growing up. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's still all lettuce. On the immediate drydown, the lettuce note fades a bit, and the bois de rose comes forward. As it warms and develops on me skin, orris and angel's trumpet gradually gain prominence, though the rosewood remains detectable as a base. The end result is actually a very delicate floral dancing atop bois de rose. It's very pretty but ultimately not what I'm looking for in a perfume. 

Interestingly, I received two imps of this -- both from post-Lab sources on the same day. I thought it would be fun to review them together. 

Imp 1 is a medium yellow in color; its label looks to be the newer of the two, though I can't definitively attribute that to age and not storage/exposure conditions. Imp 2 is a dark gold, almost orange color. 

In the imp: Imp 1 smells prominently of pinot noir, with myrrh and sandalwood readily detectable. In Imp 2, the pinot noir is still the main player, but the attar of rose is much more present at the outset. They are both still recognizably the same perfume. 

On my skin:

Wet, Imp 1 is pinot noir and sandalwood, with patchouli also making itself noticeable. Imp 2's wet stage is attar of rose and patchouli; the pinot noir isn't predominant at all. (Testing in separate elbow crooks, so the scents should not cross over each other.)

On the initial drydown, Imp 1 becomes attar of rose and myrrh, with the pinot noir detectable but very much along the edges of the scent; it really is like the "ghost" of the scent. At the same stage, Imp 2 is almost entirely attar of rose on me (this is a fairly common occurrence for anything rose + me). 

At approximately thirty minutes after application, the scents from both imps are identical to my nose. The attar of rose is the dominant scent, softened by the mrryh and grounded by what I'm assuming is the sandalwood and the patchouli. I can't actually detect these last two scents, but I have a lot of other BPAL scents where one or both of them is working as a grounding scent, and the attar of rose is behaving as if one or both of them is present (I can smell the rose and only the rose, but it feels deeper, and it's not giving me a headache or going at all soapy). 

This is a seep, sophisticated, femme fatale rose on me. Rose scents aren't often my thing, but I may make an exception for this one. However, I do get lots of throw from this -- as I usually do from rose -- which may limit its appropriate wearing venues. 

In the imp: Pine first with eucalyptus taking a moment to make itself known. However, once it does, eucalyptus is the stronger note. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's eucalyptus with a slight undercurrent of pine, smelling, at this stage, more like Vicks Vaporub than anything. During the initial drydown, I can detect peeks of orange and pine, but Jabberwocky really remains all about the eucalyptus. After about a half an hour, the eucalyptus fades, and the pine takes its place as the most prominent scent; at this point, I cannot detect the orange. 

And pine with a hint of eucalyptus is where it stays on me. It reminds me of being deep in a forest; the touch of eucalyptus adds a bit of an ethereal vibe -- as if I know the forest is deep and dark and not quite natural. 

That said, it's not the kind of scent that I want as a perfume for me. 

My imp label says "Val San Retour," but since that looks similar to a couple of other reviews, I think I'm in the right place. 

In the imp: Lemon Pledge and Pine Sol had a baby, and it's in this wee vial. 

On my skin:

Wet, the evergreen is the most prominent. As it dries, the evergreen disappears almost entirely, and I'm left with sugared lemon. Given some time to develop, the evergreen makes somewhat of a resurgence, this time as a supporting player. So it's sugared lemon against a pine backdrop. Not so much for me. 

Low throw. 

In the imp: Herbal green and evergreen and berries. 

On my skin:

Wet, the evergreen scent dominates, with the fruit or berry note rising to meet it. On the initial drydown, the fruits disappear, and there's the evergreen note along with a dark, slightly powdery musk. As it warms and develops on my skin, I get a spiciness that's akin to the one I get from The Strangler Fig. It's understated and not foody, but it's also pretty intriguing. This also happens to be Bohun Upas's final form on me. 

This is a close to skin scent on me. 

I'm not sure when I'll find the occasion to wear such a scent on a regular basis, but it's interesting enough that I'm at least going to have to try it one more time. 

In the imp: Have you ever smelled ambrosia salad -- with canned fruit and whipped cream and mixed together? Have you ever had an ambrosia salad assault your nose? Because this is like that. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's ambrosia salad, then strawberry bubble gum (the kind with the powder on it that keeps it from sticking to the wrapper), then coconut, then strawberry bubble gum. Given time to develop, more fruit notes emerge, to the point that I can't distinguish them all. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me this contained strawberry, cherry, orange, pineapple, peach, and banana -- with extra sugar on top. 

Runts! The candy, including a banana flavor. That's what this morphs into on me, like smelling their combined artificial flavorings all at once. 

I can imagine why this would be the manifestation of a joy blend, but it's too sweet on me to be a workable perfume choice. 

Source: from direct from Lab

In the imp: Kumquat with a hint of white tea. 

On my skin:

Wet, kumquat is completely stealing the show. As it starts to dry, I get the barest hint of white pepper, just enough to detect an undercurrent of spicy underneath the kumquat's sweet. Once it develops, the white tea helps cut the kumquat's sweetness, giving a bit of an almost lemony note. 

Aaand... this is where it stays on me. Sweet and fruity and a little citrusy, it's definitely a fun interpretation of Tweeedledee. I think it would be pretty great as a soap or a shower gel, but as a perfume oil, the scent profile lacks depth on me. 

Straight from the mail, no time to settle -- but I'm reviewing anyway this afternoon, so I'm letting my Lupers cut in line. Will always amend and edit after the perfume has time to get used to its new home. 

Edit 3/2/19 -- Additions and/or revisions after the bottle has had a week to settle. Also, I promised y'all some Luper Goat reviews.

In the bottle: Red musk and some notes that are gently sweetening it. After some time to settle, I get some very identifiable orange blossom in the bottle as well. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's red musk and amber.

This time, the wet-on-skin scent almost has a true orange quality to it, rather than just orange blossom. I know it's not a listed note; I'm just saying what I smell. 

As it dries, I can detect the orange blossom gracing the top of the blend, adding a bit of lightness to the musk's grounding.

This time as it dries, it's the blood musk that actually starts to develop more on my skin, since that's what hasn't been as prominent. (The blood musk does still seem to function as red musk on my skin.) Whatever I detected as actually "orangey" is fading now, so I'm not sure I'll be able to pick out exactly what's going on there. Also, at this point, while the orange blossom is giving the scent a lot of throw, what I'm actually smelling in the throw is blood musk. 

Given additional time to develop, the orange blossom becomes more prominent -- but mostly in lending an airiness and waft to the blend, not so much for strength of scent -- and the cognac becomes barely detectable, adding a trace of sweet thickness to the blend. Red musk/blood musk (it's coming across as red musk on my skin, but could well be a distinct note) is still the most prominent note at this phase. 

Huh. Now it's almost the reverse of my initial test. Well, the blood musk is still the most prominent scent, but it and not the orange blossom is the one gaining prominence as I give it more time to develop on my skin. It's slightly sweet and resinous from the amber (and maybe the cognac?) and airy with orange blossom, but this is blood musk's time to shine. 

Once it settles completely, about an hour after application, the orange blossom does have the most waft to it while the musk continues to be at the forefront of the skin scent. And the musk and cognac keep even the wafted scent a little heavier than other orange-blossom blends I own (I'm thinking mostly of Khyrsee, which has both amber and orange blossom). 

About an hour after application, the cognac starts to make an identifiable appearance, lending a heavy, sweet potency to the blend. Several hours later, it fades to a red musk softly sweetened by amber and cognac. 

Right now, it's a very unusual blend in that it has two pretty distinct manifestations on me -- one featuring the blood musk, the other featuring the orange blossom. But both scent profiles are like reflections of one another, in that the background notes are always detectable and influencing the featured note. (Except carnation, which disappears for the moment. But that's a Known Thing with new carnation and my skin.) Also, both scent profiles are complex and gorgeous. 

Settling has allowed this Chordae Tendineae to be more consistently blood musk on me, though the notes of its background moods still change -- first orange blossom, then the amber and cognac. I still wish I got some distinct carnation, but right now, I think that might be overshadowed by the cognac note. Not sure if further aging will bring it out more, though it couldn't hurt. 

I feel comfortable characterizing this as a red musk blend for me, but with the amount of morphing this does on me, I definitely don't know that this is what's going to happen for others. 

If Chordae Tendineae were a Luper Goat, it would be a goat you always need to keep half an eye on because she's always investigating new ways to get into trouble. Digging under the fence. Nuzzling open the bolt on the gate. Nosing up to your plate to see if you've got anything interesting to eat there. Stealing underwear off the line. Always something new with this one!

Medium throw. 

Fresh from the mail, no time to settle -- but I was already getting ready to review other BPAL when this arrived. I couldn't wait; I let it cut in line. Will definitely update after it's had time to get used to its new home.

Edit 3/3/19 -- Text in blue is my review now that the scent has had time to settle. 

In the bottle: Mandarin and clove. It's beautiful spicy orange (the scent, not necessarily the color). Mostly mandarin in the bottle. The clove is detectable, but it's not as much as I remember there being a week ago.  

On my skin:

Wet, it's largely mandarin with a touch of clove. It almost has an orange candy -- the old-fashioned stick candies -- quality to it. (The oil color, by the way, is clear or nearly so.)

Yup. Still has that mandarin-dominant, orange spice candy thing going on. 

The initial drydown is much the same, though the clove has some impressive throw on it -- but since it's just a grace note on the blend for the moment, it's not overpowering. I don't get any detectable carnation as of yet -- though I can't tell if that's still yet to develop on my skin, if it's being overshadowed by the clove, if it's due to the freshness of the oil, or some combination of factors. 

I'd tell you that settled, the initial drydown is even more mandarin on me. The clove hasn't really started to assert itself yet. (And no, still no carnation.)

Given another twenty or so minutes to develop on my skin, and the carnation does make a subtle appearance. It's a supporting note, toning down the super brightness of the mandarin and adding a more delicate nuance of spiciness to the clove. I want to say it's starting to add some sophistication to the blend. (I say "starting to" because it's still very much a background player at this stage, but I can see that as its role as the blend unfolds.) 

Aaand this is where Twelve Tastes in the Classification of Passion leaves off on me, at least for the time being. Luper and Shunga and evocative title notwithstanding, this is a warm, cheerful, inviting blend on me. The mandarin is bright, the clove warm and happily spicy, and the carnation works to add some unity and balance to the blend. The scent itself would be at home in a variety of venues, including for work or everyday wear (at least as it manifests on me). 

At this point, a couple of hours after the initial application (which is mandarin and clove on me), the carnation comes out, and it is elegant and sexy as hell. It does take a while to get there on me, but the cheerful warmth of the mandarin and clove is also pretty great, so I can't complain.  

The throw is on the stronger side of average on me, and we'll see about the wear length -- Mandarin disappears on me notoriously quickly, but clove and carnation can hang around forever... 

If this perfume were a Luper Goat, it would be a social butterfly Luper Goat with excellent people manners. I can imagine it making the rounds in any given room, nuzzling up to people as a way to ask for treats and pets (which I suppose is a nicer way of saying food and attention). While Twelve Tastes (the Goat!) might push her head underneath someone's unsuspecting hand and while you of course want to be mindful of your fingers when proffering any treat, this is not a goat that's going to knock someone over or chomp any hands off. She has manners -- but also Charm and Game, as well as the confidence to rely upon them. 

In the imp: Mandarin with some higher notes (possibly florals and/or neroli) cutting the sweetness just a bit. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's pure mandarin. As it dries, I get a tickle of something that is not mandarin (and not orange, I think) around the edges of the scent. I'm inclined to think it's one or more of the roses, but at this stage, it's vague enough that I could well be wrong. Approximately thirty minutes after application, something emerges with a faintly soapy note, which might be one of the roses here. The soapy stage doesn't last long, however, and we're back to a predominantly sweet orange perfume that might be helped along by some of the floral notes. 

After about an hour, I can detect both the rose -- now becoming prominent -- and the myrrh -- as a base note -- distinctly, though the orange notes are also still present. 

Edit: The next morning, it's still detectable on my skin, now as a lovely three dimensional rose. The rose note is front and center, accented by the citrus, which makes it smell fresh, and grounded by the musk and myrrh. I'm not often a rose person, but this is particularly lovely -- and the orange phase the scent goes through to get there is lovely as well. 

Purchased as part of an imp lot on eBay. Appears to be an older standard-issue Lab imp with font, older logo, etc. 

In the imp: Smooth, smoky patchouli. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's patchouli that's mellowed out of all its gnarl and bite, along with a gentle undercurrent of smoke -- the smoke of a few candles in a large room, not overwhelming. As it dries, the smokiness either dissipates or is reabsorbed into the patchouli. If there is a way to describe patchouli as "silky smooth," this is it. There's also now a light sweetness around the edges of the scent that's currently too soft for me to distinguish but that could well be a floral. 

... and that's about all this does on me. I can't tell if the patchouli-dominance is patchouli dominating on me (common), me not being able to pick out the notes that are softening it, the aging process (this could be, like, 13-year-aged patchouli in a vial, no?), or some combination of the above. 

I probably won't keep this forever (if I wanted Patchouli SN, I could get straight patchouli oil), but I'm surprised at how nice this is, and I'm definitely curious enough to try it again. 

Throw on me is medium, which is common for me + patchouli. 

Edit: The next morning, this scent is still present on my skin. Now it's patchouli with a definite touch of a warm sweetness, like a honey or an amber. (Given that I didn't perceive it last night but do perceive it now, amber would be the more logical conclusion of the two choices -- though it could well be something else.) 

In the imp: Florals -- lily or lilac or hyacinth. 

On my skin:

Wet, a note like lily is predominant. Given some time to dry, and I think I smell something spicy grounding the lily. I could believe dragon's blood, ginger, or cinnamon. I don't think it's clove or pepper (black or pink) as those tend to be distinct on my skin. 

After some time, maybe thirty minutes or so, the skin scent seems to be more of the spice (ginger?) and maybe dragon's blood, though the throw still seems to be mostly lily. Oh, wait -- false alarm. At the forty-five minute mark, it's back to being predominantly lily near and far. 

And perhaps I've just spent one too many Easter mornings in a church crammed with lily smell, but this is not the scent that sparks carnal desire in me. 

In the imp: Something floral, something citrus, something green and herbal. 

On my skin:

Wet, it smells like bitter orange peel. Once dry, the bitter orange peel fades, and rose becomes the dominant note. I can't say that the orange peel is gone entirely, but rose is a pretty insistent note on me. As it develops, I get a bit of powdery resin, which on me could be frankincense or myrrh. The end effect is that of a powdery tea rose. 

In the imp: Dragon's blood with a woody undercurrent. 

On my skin:

Wet, the dragon's blood rises to the top of this blend. As it dries, the sandalwood becomes apparent close to the skin though the throw is all dragon's blood. 

After about half an hour on my skin, it really doesn't morph. 

It's sort of strange on me since it doesn't blend but rather seems two separate notes depending on where my nose is. 

This is probably headed for my swaps. 

In the imp: Almond, almond, SUPER ALMOND, and also cherry. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's still SUPER ALMOND with a cherry afterthought. Once dry, the super almond and cherry both fade, and I'm left with something vaguely incensey. Given more time to develop, the incense note increases though I can't completely identify the specifics of it. Frankincense, maybe? I also smell rose starting to peek through. 

The rose increases and the incense factor decreases until it's very like the rose-infused amber in The Little Wooden Doll (with maybe a little less rose, a little more powder). And once rose gets its thorns into a scent, that scent is now in its final form on me. 

The last time I tried Black Phoenix had to have been circa 2006, and I remember it being all almond and cherry on me. Though I'm still not sure I love rose incense, this is a definite improvement. Going to keep this around for at least one more try.