LavenderCoffee

In the bottle and on the wand, I can smell mostly cypress and opoponax. When applied to my skin, the narcissus starts to sing out, as it normally does for me, but I can also detect sweetness from labdanum and murky ambergris mingled with cypress. As it dries down, I get more of the opoponax coming through, but the other notes that were evident in the wet phase are still very present. This scent is big UNF for me. Gonna be sniffing myself all day 😅

In the bottle, I get spicy mandarin on a bed of red musk - spicy in the sense of wow, multiple spices are happening. If I only sniff the wand, I can detect a bit of cocoa. Wet on my skin, I still can't really pick anything out specifically besides mandarin, red musk, and spice cabinet. It's all about the spice blend, but I wouldn't call this foodie. As it dries, the mandarin becomes less juicy and prominent for me, but still provides a bright contrast to the darker, herbal note that carves out a spot for itself amid the spices - maybe the black tea and tobacco leaf? I love the intensity and sophistication of this blend. It kinda gives an "I choose violence" vibe. 😅

Received a decant as a bonus in a swap, late 2021 ✨ When I first tested this, I got a distinct and lasting rain scent on my skin, which almost never happens. Was not able to reproduce that today. In the bottle, the wet/rain/ozone is most prominent - I don't get salt or ocean from this. No evidence of celestial fire, unless that is intended to mean lightning. Wet on my skin, I smell the fields and rain - there are flowers in the fields, but not sure what kind. I would guess lilies? As this dries, there is a short semi-soapy phase, but then the rain/ozone vanishes and I get a very fresh, slightly sweet floral field with hay. This part is stunning. Hours later, only a suggestion of warmth remains - maybe amber? I imagine this will have aged fairly differently in a bottle vs. the imp I have.

In the bottle, the rose water is surprisingly potent and sharp, practically leaping out to greet me. Wet on my skin, rose water remains loudest as the classic perfume opens up. These two scents remain most prominent to me through the drydown, but the leather is quite sneaky and pokes its head out from time to time. I really like the hints of rose water and leather as a combo. Wonder what those would smell like together sans perfume. I don't get much of an impression of tobacco or smoke. Overall effect is that of a bold, femme perfume scent, with a touch of powder and decent throw.

Several years on! Received this in 2021. In the bottle, the "sea-kissed" patchouli stands out the most, but there is a distinct sweetness from the black rose/rosewood combo, and an odd suggestion of hazelnut. My association for aquatics isn't for this kind of scent, but there's definitely a bit of ocean in this bottle, so my brain is struggling with this one! I'm not getting any salt, though. Wet on my skin, I get more of the oudh and smoke, and the effect is gorgeous. The oceanic note seems to slip away. As this oil dries the smoke goes away as well, and I end up with a stunning dark rose perfume. The first time I tried this on, I put "goth rose" in my testing notes, and it still is that, but it's also a lot more than that. I don't often reach for rose or perfume-y smells, so I had this on my swap list, but it is so pretty!

Review for the 2013 version, received in 2021. I will start by saying I am not super into "cold" scents, and have been hesitant to try many. In the bottle, this really does kinda smell like Play-doh. It's not strong like fresh Play-doh, but now that I've smelled it I can't un-smell. I'm not getting anything reminiscent of snow or cold or flurries. No flowers really either. Wet on my skin it is similar, but there could be a coconut or a flower in here somewhere. Maybe balsam or almond? But if so, very faint. This almost disappears on me as it dries. Nose to wrist there is a suggestion of soft powder. This Snow White has gone back to sleep! I am going to assume my skin chemistry has done something odd with this one.

Received a frottle of this with an order at the end of 2021. In the bottle it smells like wet soil and green plants. Wet on my skin, there is a slightly spicy note, like a single tomato leaf, blended in with other wet green earthy smells. (Not nearly as prominent of a tomato leaf as in the 2020 ménage blend of Tomato Leaf, Black Pepper, and Hay Absolute.) Smells exactly like leaning your face close to the ground in the middle of a spring garden. As it dries, a gentle floral note emerges and blends with the overall garden smell - very soft and fresh. This scent stays close to the skin for me.

I got a 2007 version of Dia de los Muertos from the lab's etsy at the end of 2020. In the bottle it smells like sharp dried leaves (not quite like Dead Leaves ™️) and higher pitched florals. The oil is a dark amber color when applied, and all the sharpness goes away once it's on my skin. This is a heady, intense floral with a healthy dose of tobacco and a dash of chocolate. If I get in real close to the skin I can smell some incense smoke and candy, but mainly this has a rich, sticky sort of resinous quality beneath the bouquet. I don't usually go in for heavy florals, but somehow I find this both celebratory and comforting. It's incredible.

I purchased the 2006 version of Sol Invictus from the lab's etsy at the end of 2020. Revisiting the scent as part of the Different BPAL Every Day Challenge for Jan 2022. Wet in the bottle, there is a bright burst of tangerine, but wet on my skin, this disappears and the orange/citron are loudest. As it dries, the citrus notes fade almost entirely away, and the remaining notes create a warm, golden effect. I'm not great at picking out florals, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting the orange blossom, saffron, and frankincense over the amber base. There's a faintly smoky sweetness and it's absolutely gorgeous. This scent stays close to the skin and doesn't have much staying power, but I like it for a comforting scent on a gloomy day, when I can bury my nose in my wrist and/or reapply as needed.

This is an incredible scent! On wet, the indolic oudh is most prominent, but the amount of oil I applied dried down in about 20 minutes. As it dries, the blackened champaca and myrrh bloom into a cloud of smoky, dusty incense, which has more throw than the oudh note, although the oudh remains pungent when smelling closer to the skin for a time. Once it dries completely, a faintly sweet, resinous wood remains in the soft, scented dust, but that description doesn't seem to do it justice. It smells strange, and comforting, and wonderful. Maybe a silly analogy, but the experience is not unlike what is often depicted in movies, when someone breaks a seal in a tomb. At first there is an ominous moment when you feel the weight of death and time - but then the ancient spirit released turns out to be a benevolent guide instead of a monster.

In the imp I got potent coffee liqueur, but on my skin it has practically vanished. The scent of fried dough seems to hover an inch or two in the air, lifting the cinnamon with it for a dizzying experience. Leaning in closer to the skin I can detect more cocoa and powdered sugar. Without the cinnamon this would be close to fried oreo territory! A delightful, smile inducing novelty. 🥰

This oil is unexpectedly gorgeous and comforting, given the ritual applications described. Wet in the bottle, the hyssop dominates, with a potent, medicinal smell, which likely delayed my testing of this. Wet on the skin, however, the tobacco moves to the foreground - but does not overpower. The hyssop becomes much softer and mingles with a light, fresh floral for a pleasing top note, and there is a subtle resinous sweetness as well, I assume from the balm of gilead. I can't pick out the hemlock, patchouli or vetiver specifically, but this phase is giving a lush, finely crafted perfume with a decent amount of throw. After a full drydown, the scent clings close to the skin. The tobacco note recedes, and a grassy and ever so slightly musty/vegetal scent emerges alongside the faded floral. The mysteries and passage of time, indeed! No bones or other bits apparent in the vial I received, but many thanks to the goat for their contribution ♥️🐐 ETA: I had a completely different experience of this blend yesterday, where it was absolutely creating an earthy, herbal patchouli aroma. It's not a funky patchouli, and in conjunction with the tobacco notes it has a great deal of throw. Very grounding and pleasantly matter-of-fact.

I am hit and miss with vanilla, but was inspired by the 15 mins review to take the leap. Ultimately not for me, but I thought I would share my notes: This is really lovely in the bottle. The cognac is present but not boozy, and there's a nice balance of sweetness and depth. Once applied, the cognac goes all the way to the back and vanilla remains at the forefront for me. It has a crackling, dry quality - an almost toasty vanilla, which is an impressive interpretation of the label image.

When I first tested this, the tulip was stronger than expected and I put it aside to revisit. Now as I come back to it, the wet scent still leads floral, but dries and settles into something truly evocative of a worn leather book cover on my skin - something well handled and smooth. The sweet beeswax stays in the background with a calmer floral standing in between the book and candle. Applied lightly it remains very close to the skin, but not sure it would have much throw anyway. Comforting and subtle.

I don't think I gave this much thought when I received it last year, but since the new black friday smells were announced and someone in the pumpkinville thread referenced it, I thought I would revisit. The impression of this oil when wet is very pumpkin spice, as noted, almost fall craft store. Dry on my skin, however, this reminds me of a sweeter, more cinnamon forward version of the great sword of war - maybe a small dagger to bring to the family dinner just in case!

This scent is blowing my mind and I love it so much. ♥️ In the bottle it is almost overpowering, I get motor oil with lavender dancing around in the fumes. On my skin, the notes all blend into an unexpectedly exquisite cologne-like smell, skewing towards bright/sharp, but settling into sexy leather jacket person territory. A little goes a long way, it has great staying power, and I can't wait to see how it ages!

Purchased in 2021, and have only had it for a month now, but it's all black musk for me, in the bottle and on my skin. Silver lining is that this is how I finally figured out black musk doesn't work for me (and also explains my trouble with Night from the Who Can Fight... collection). 😅

Silly me, was not expecting this one to be so very LOUD! Definitely lots of throw, apply sparingly. But ultimately what does not agree with me is the sweetness - this is giving a powdery fougere on my skin. Might have anticipated that since there was a lot of Dorian in the Fatherhood collection this year, or maybe I'm just catching a "cold" note the wrong way.