SlySionnach

I ordered this off the BPAL Etsy site because I saw some reviews mention that it smells like a cinnamon version of Mum Moon. I love cinnamon to bits, even if it doesn't love me most of the time, so I took a chance. So happy I did. On me, it really is like a Red Hots Mum Moon. After the initial blast of bright red cinnamon, it fades into this gorgeous warm, smokey scent.

Bottle: The Lab's snow/slush note is definitely prominent with a soft pine underneath. Wet: Pine, pine, pine. I'm in a christmas tree farm during the first winter snow, trying to find a tree for the year. Florals are very, very faint but I can detect what I think is the white rose and the mum underneath it. Could be the tulip instead of the rose. They're buried in needles. Drying: More flowers coming out. The pine is a sweet one on me, not a harsh one like it has been in other blends. I can also smell some spiciness when I take deep breaths, and assume it is the mum. Dry: This is gorgeous. I bought it from the sales forum a while ago, can't even tell you when, and hadn't properly tested until today. So silly of me. This really does bring me to a forest of winter evergreens but the first bits of spring peek out from the pine needles and snow. Verdict: So so so glad I bought this when I did. My brain must have knew something it wasn't telling me.

Decant: Light musk with a hint of Lily. Wet: Resiny, woodsy musk. Still bits of lily here and there, but it's behaving, to my surprise. Dry: In the end, this is a woodsy light musk. There's lily, but it's not the top note. The top note is definitely this perfect white musk with hints of frankincense and some floral. Very light and, for some reason, feels like "fall." Verdict: I got this decant during, I think, my first purchase ever on the forums. It's only taken me years to review it but the first time I sniffed it, I balked. But now? Why didn't I find a bottle? This is gorgeous!

Imp: Oh god, it's rotting. It's some rotten, salty mess. Wet: Still rotten salty mess. Like bad BO mixed with garbage. It may be the ambergris, but it usually plays well with my skin. Ugh. Dry: After the wet phase is over, the aquatic scents come out, but it is dark. Like dank water instead of something refreshing. And it still has so much salt. Definitely not grapefruit! Verdict: No, no, no, no.

Imp: Fruit! Luscious fruit! I would say peaches, definitely Wet: Instant powder, which is probably from the amber. . The vanilla starts to come out, at least, and I can get wafts of the peaches. Dry: In the end, it smells like a mix of honeyed peaches and vanilla cream. It's not candy or syrup - it is really surprising that honey is not a note. I'm lucky for that, though; this would smell like bad BO otherwise. Verdict: Keeper. Imps, for now, but I'll have to try it a few more times to see if a bottle is required.

Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses. Imp: Soapy clean. Afraid that this will go floral soap on me now. Wet: Very aquatic. I can smell the flowers and I think I can pick out the tulips and peony (the latter being one of my top notes). Not soapy yet! Dry: Not soapy at all. I'm in love. This is like fresh flowers floating on a river. The throw may not be great but I don't care. Verdict: Bottle. Hands down bottle required. It's on my "Next Order!" list.

Imp: Anise. And something...old smelling. Wet: Thank god for anise-amping skin! Really afraid of getting too much civet here. Smelled it once and it was a smell I could forgo from now on. Also getting vetiver and the oak. Drying: And there it is: the first whiff of something like cat pee. Civet did this to me the first time I tried it and I had to wash it off. This time, it's not nearly as strong so I may make it to the dry stage! The anise is still making itself known loudly. Dry: I don't know if it's because I put so very little on (very afraid of the civet!), but the cat pee has faded and left this anise-on-oak behind it. I can't tell if it's all oak or oak and lichen, but it smells like the woods. Verdict: Not a big bottle, for sure. In fact, this imp may last me a lifetime - as well as any descendants I have if they're blessed/cursed with my skin chemistry.

Bottle: Apple slices. Wet: The freshest apple I can ever imagine. Like I'd just bitten into it. Definitely a sweet, juicy apple. Drying: The apple is blending with the flowers, which aren't fully center stage but definitely getting there. I love the Lab's white and blue musk so it makes a perfect stage for the other notes. The vanilla isn't strong, but it is there, sort of like the curtains, if we keep up this theater metaphor. Dry: Definitely a winner. The apple and florals mix together in the most wonderful way. The vanilla has come out to play as well to make this magical, and gets stronger and stronger. Verdict: Oh, I am so glad I hunted this one down. This is absolutely amazing.

Imp: Dirt. And not YAY dirt but dirty dirt. If that makes sense. Wet: Now it smells like I was playing in the dirt for a couple of hours and it has seeped into my skin. It's all I can smell, though it's getting "fresher." Drying: Ginger! I can smell you, faintly, mixed in the dirt. It's like I'm digging out a ginger root. Dry: Oh thank god. The dirt has faded and the yummy ginger has come up. And it smells like some sort of citrus - maybe lemon? I can definitely smell the "soft perfume." Verdict: Every time I opened this imp, I put it away as quickly as I could. But after it dries down, it is gorgeous. It may go into general rotation and I may need to replace this imp when it disappears. Proves that you really need to skin test every imp! (Minus allergies)

Imp: I can't even begin to describe this. Herbal, definitely. Clean linen, as well. Wet: Ack! Almond! Definitely not a keeper. Almond makes me feel bleh after awhile because it amps so heavily. Drying to Dry: Powder on top of almonds. And now powdered sugar. Bleh. Verdict: Not keeping not keeping not keeping

Imp: Minty melon. Sort of a honeydew-ish melon. Wet: A bit of lime (my skin adores it) mixing with the melon and mint. Bubbly as well. Drying: Fizzy fruit soda. Something lingers underneath, making it deeper and richer. I can't really decipher what it is. Dry: Just like it is while drying: Fizzy melon-lime soda. It's bubbly, making me smile, and has my favorite note (lime!) prominent. Verdict: What a fantastic summery scent! Definitely a keeper.

Imp: Something fruity and sweet and clove? Maybe dragon's blood and clove? Wet: Definitely getting a clove/cinnamon spice. And sandalwood. On top of that, definitely some lilac a la dragon's blood resin, I believe. Drying: The spiciness isn't overpowering, which is nice! It's starting to blend together in just a warm scent. Dry: Definitely a spicy, floral scent, though at this point, I can't tell what specific notes. It just is delicious. Verdict: I wasn't going to try this one because in my mind, I thought it would be too strong. But I am so glad I tried it. Keeper for sure!

Imp: This smells...clean. That's the only description I could think for it. Wet: A bouquet of white flowers. Reading that there was gardenia in it, I expected it to come out full force but it smells like white rose. Let's see how long that lasts. Drying: Oddly enough, it starts to become almost watery at this point. As if flowers lying in a fountain. It's really nice but I'm not sure where that's coming from. Dry: The gardenia behaved itself! It's still a white rose prominent blend. There is a touch of powder, not sure which note is causing that, but I think it gives it a bit more love. Who would have guessed? Verdict: Not sure if this is bottle worthy. May have to wear it a few more times.

I love lemons but this is lemon candy on me from imp to dry. While it is dry, it has a hint of depth beyond Lemonheads but really, my skin is amping lemon like no other right now. Verdict: One imp is more than enough.

Imp: Leather and rose. Wet: Still leather and rose, but to my surprise, neither is taking over the other. Every sniff I take I can detect them both in almost the same amount. Which is shocking for my chemistry. Drying/Dry: Combined because it is still just these two notes making amazing scent-music together. I'm in awe at how a "simple" scent can be just as amazing as ones with eight or more notes. It's also lasting QUITE a long time. Verdict:I was frimped this by someone (lab, forum, honestly I cannot remember. I haven't been keeping good notes lately) and was afraid to try it with the way my skin can be with leather. But I'm so glad I did! This is going on the GC bottle list immediately. It's my new BAMF scent

Imp: Juicy fruit with a bite. Wet: Apricot, almost as if a syrup of it. There's something I noted as "fizzy" behind it. Drying: This fades fast! The apricot is reminding me of this white peach jelly I get from a Japanese bakery in the city (of all things!). There's still definitely a boozy note there but not one I'd normally associate with brandy. Dry: Still there, though very close to the skin. I'm really liking this fruity boozy scent. Even if it's now a weird-ish peach-wannabe with some fizz. Verdict: This may be bottle worthy, especially for next summer (or the rest of this summer). And the name is fantastic!

Decant: Cherry blossoms and musk. Wet: Nothing. Seriously, I press my nose up against my arm and smell...vague cherry blossom skin. Drying: Hints of moss-y skin. Still so very faint that I can't smell it. Dry: Still nothing. Aww, man. From the subtle, barely there, nose-againts-skin sniffing, if this actually bloomed on me, it'd probably be gorgeous. Verdict: I'm not sure what's up with my skin and this scent (It loves cherry blossoms! I swear!) but it's...not there. I've read about it happening but never actually had it happen. So weird.

Imp: Sharp floral! Makes my nose cringe. Wet: Sharp florals. I couldn't tell you what it was except for WHITE! Drying: Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. There's a hint of headiness from the magnolia, but I can't specifically smell the magnolia. Dry: The rose doesn't come out until it is dry (to my surprise!) but it still is The Jasmine Show, with special guests of Rose and Magnolia. There's also the hint of powder, which I have to guess is from the amber. Verdict: I have a lot of florals, because I do like them, but there's nothing really special here thanks to the Jasmine. I will probably use up this imp, though, or gift it to a friend who's just starting out.

Decant: Something sharp and herbal with a background of aquatic. Wet: Oh wow, watermelon with a touch of some sort of watery/aquatic note. Drying: Sadly, something soapy pops its head up. I hope it's a momentary thing because I was liking that watermelon + more water going on. It smells sort of like a really good bubble bath now. Dry: The soapy-ness fades so the watermelon can come out to play. It's still there, the soap, but it's not prominent unless I sniff with my wrist against my nose. Verdict: Considering this one for a big bottle. Makes me feel summery despite all of the storms we're having!

Bottle: Faint floral-ish smell. I really can't smell much at all. Wet: A blast of powdery florals. Not strong unless my nose is against my skin. Drying: I smell greens mixed in with the apple blossom (which is where I think the apple part is coming from). There's also a very small hint of wine coming up. Dry: I really do love the fruity wines the lab does. It's there, but running beneath the florals.I wouldn't be able to pick out any aside from the apple blossom, it really is more pink than green for me. It's like a bouquet that someone accidentally spilled some wine onto. Verdict: I really regret having bought so many BPALs and not trying them when I got them. (Silly life). This would be a perfect spring scent and we're in the middle of summer! Oh well - I'll wear it for especially nice days!

Bottle: Juicy apples. Wet: Apple and something floral. Not sure which one it is, exactly. Drying: Apples, still juicy, still strong. The florals behind it are buried by the sweet, sweet, sweet. Dry: I can smell the violet and roses specifically which makes a really beautiful floral scent. The juicy apple is still there, but I think it is more apple blossom than apple. And this is making me want the apple blossom single note if it is this delicious. Verdict: Using this bottle ALL summer.

Bottle: Apple! And spices! Wet: Apples and something warm. I can't really tell what note it is, but there's just a warm feeling coming from this. Drying: Hello spices.. Apple is still there but under the spiciness of the carnation and ginger. I can't smell any of the hibiscus. Amber is giving it a sort of powdery feeling too. Dry: Spice, spice, spice. Carnations and apples is what I wanted, but I smell mostly tea. Also seems to be something resin-y, probably the frankincense. Verdict: It turns too resin-y on me to make this a summer scent. This is more of a late fall on me.

Bottle: It makes my nose wrinkle. I can't really smell anything in particular because of it. Wet: Ginger! Oh my, sharp ginger. Drying: And now lemongrass! At this point, it's almost too sour to deal with. Everytime I sniff it, it just makes my nose scrunch. Dry: Lemony tea with a bit of spice remaining from the ginger. Mostly, though, black tea. I smell no honey, but the grain is strong enough to start giving me a bit of a headache. And here I was worried about the honey doing that! Verdict: In small doses, this is wearable. But overall, it's just not my type of scent. (Also: it's gone within fifteen minutes. All I can smell if I put my nose to skin in the faintest whiff of a lemon-y scent having been there)

Pink roses, rice flower, peony, lilac, and white honey. Bottle: Roses! Lots of them! And another sharp floral that I have to guess is the lilac/peony mix. Wet: Roses and peony. It's such a lovely combination. Drying: I'm worrying about the honey because it usually goes rancid on me but if the scent wants to keep up all florals all the time, I'm good with that. And that seems to be the way it is heading. Dry: It's hard for my nose to pick out the flowers now, they're all blended really nicely together. To my surprise, the honey note in this is working really well. It has a tiny little bit of sweetness that's not going disgusting. Verdict: I am really liking this, as I like the majority of the Shungas. And they come out right before my birthday so you know what most of my presents are! This month, for some reason, I'm really being drawn to roses and this may satiate my rose-hunger!

Bottle: Bourbon and lemon. Like a really strong drink. With mint. Wet: Still alcoholic-ish and very lemony and very minty fresh. A very small bit of vanilla seems to even out the acidity. Drying: The mint and lemon start to behave themselves, letting the vanilla have some “me” time. The boozy quality fades completely. Dry: I’m surprised I don’t have more absinthe; I love and amp that one! I can smell it behind all the others, truly a “dribble.” It fades into this lemon-y vanilla scent with the background of mint and a bit of absinthe. I almost expected it to be more foody with the bourbon vanilla and lemon meringue, but it ended up really pleasant. Definitely a summer scent. Verdict: I love the partial bottle I have but I do not think I will look for more. I can’t see me using this all up!