skyturtles

In the imp: This smells FANCY! Wet on my skin: This smells FANCY! Drying down, okay now. Floral but not powdery. I'm not familiar with "aquatic" scents. I'm definitely picking up the lilac. This is quite feminine, but I think I'm a fan! Lilacs are my favorite. I'd love to see how this layers with something with a bit of spice or sweetness.

The first thing I notice is the rhubarb. It's bitter and ever so slightly sweet. Next, the chamomile. I really don't like chamomile, as it reminds me of stale dusty flower petals with a side of moth balls. The oak and fig leaf gives an earthiness to this scent, a foundation for the bittersweet and stale floral. This just isn't for me! (My imp is of unknown age.)

Here's a wintery scent! The plum and cassis are immediately evident. I'm getting something else, like apricot or something. I typically like fruity things, but there's the slightest chemical aspect here that reminds me of walking around the mall. Like a scented candle, as someone else put it. I'm not picking up the ginger so much. As it dries down, the jammy fruit calms down a bit and the spiced rum smoothly slinks in. I would love it if my apartment smelled like this. I'm going to keep this imp of unknown age but I'm not sure if I like it as a perfume quite yet. I'll try again when the cold settles in.

Ooo, this is nice! I can pick up the cinnamon/cassia, but it's not too overwhelming. The clove is not, as well. The tea leaf, peppercorn, allspice, nutmeg are all there... I'm genuinely impressed at how this all blends together so well, since there are a lot of power players in here. It's all tied together with a slight woodiness, which may just be the earthiness of these spices before they are ground and made into foody goodness. I don't think I need a big bottle, but I definitely enjoy it. I had to look up what a bumboat is. ☺️ (My imp is of unknown age.)

Due to others' comparisons of fresh imps vs. aged imps with White Rabbit, I believe I have an aged imp. Wet on my skin, the crisp linen and pepper are noticeable amidst some sweeter, creamy components. Black tea is a difficult scent to bring forward, I think. I would have liked a stronger scent, but this is very soft. As it dries, the milk note comes out more and it does give a bit of a milk tea vibe, like in a Taiwanese boba shop. Interesting, and I'll be keeping this imp for myself rather than passing it along, thank you!

Wet out of the decant I immediately get the jasmine, followed by the vanilla cream and rose sandalwood. It's so light that I'm reapplying in hopes of getting more throw and strength. With a second layer, I'm getting some patchouli as well. This is definitely a floral-incense, with the vanilla cream just giving it a hint of sweetness. Drying down... I'm getting a slight whiff of something stanky. Not Czernobog level, thankfully. I don't like this nearly as much dried down as I did when wet. What happened? EDIT: Had an allergic reaction about 5 minutes later. Whoops, that's new!

Whoops, how did I not review this yet? I purchased a bottle for a friend who, yes, has a small brown cat. (I do as well but she is not so nice usually as to deserve a warm cuddly blend.) Definitely a scent for when the weather gets colder. The cardamom is not overwhelming, less like Indian food and more like baking. Cedar gives it some dry warmth. There's unobtrusive musk to give you that "warm fur" aspect. The bourbon is there but I don't think I could catch the vanilla. As a whole, however, it's a lovely blend and my friend adores it, so it's a win.

I was not expecting to like this one as much as I do! I say that because leather is usually icky. Despite its ingredients, it's actually a light masculine scent, one that as a feminine person I would be comfortable wearing in my conservative workplace. The bay rum is not boozy; rather it lends a bit of spices. The saltiness is wonderful, and I wish it would last longer. Dried down, the leather is what takes center stage. There is a slight soapiness, but I think this keeps it smelling clean rather than a cleaner. Ocean salt, rum, leather... yup, this is a pirate in an imp. I'm reeeal tempted to put this on my want-a-bottle list. My imp is of unknown age.

At first I get... mint! Mint with a bit of sugar. Still wet on my skin, the bourbon is coming out. It's like the bottom of your whiskey glass when it gets all watered down from the ice. At first I was thinking this might be nice to wear to work, but now I'm thinking it smells too much like I just came from the bar! Dried down, the sugar comes back out. It's light and fun and I don't hate it. (Imp of unknown age)

The color in the imp is surprisingly light for a scent that boasts of danger and criminal activity. This absolutely smells like a pirate ship. The sandalwood is the base that I'm picking up, slight hints of leather, and a touch of the incensey frankincense and patchouli to give it some smoke. Not my cup of tea but I could see how pirate girls around the world would bask in it. It's quite masculine but when has that ever stopped us?

From the imp, I get flowery soap, near a grandma-zone. "Don't judge a scent out of the imp!" as they say. Or something like that. The violet takes center stage. We've gone from soap to candle. I'm trying for the life of me to find something other than violet here, and as it dries down, the neroli comes through, giving it some, but not a lot, complexity. As times goes on and it dries more, I think I'm catching whiffs of the sandalwood. Floral-forwards aren't really my jam. This is an unoffensive blend that I could see those of the Lolita aesthetic embracing.

I received a lab frimp of Lust recently. Maybe I have too many scents that are red musk-based, because Lust just isn't as exciting to me as all of this hype would lead me to believe. I do like the surprise bit of fruitiness, though I wish there were more of it. The patchouli is strong, and I find it kind of boring. All in all, it's just not my definition of "sexy," I suppose.

Wet immediately out of the imp, I got that sportiness that is probably the fir, mint, and whatever other stuff they put in masculine deodorant. On my skin those notes are still present, but the musk, clove, and orange blossom also appear and makes it all turn into a wonderful, slightly wintery, sexy scent. The evergreens and mint keep in clean in that cold inhale sort of way. The spices warm it up, and that slightest hint of floral keeps it complex while the black musk ties it all together. I'm a fan!

Ooo, there's a lot going on here! I like it. "It smells like I stuck a pine tree up my nose." says my partner. I, on the other hand, like the refreshing briskness. It's a sharp contrast to the muskier, darker blends I usually go for. I wasn't previously familiar with hyssop, and think it pairs nicely with the frankincense, which typically overpowers things with its resin smokiness (though I still do love it!). I'm not a fan of oakmoss so I'm glad it's not a power player here. Though there's not a strong boozy factor, this does remind me of a nice floral, gin-centric cocktail. There's some sweetness but mostly just green and clean. Someone else mentioned it being a cold & wintery scent, and I think I can get behind that notion as well. (My imp is of an unknown age.)

Ahhhh I don't know what happened, I think this imp has overaged because I smell some sort of poopiness. I'm aware that I have access to an adult vocabulary but that is seriously what comes to mind. I had high hopes because I like a good musk, especially red, but I had to go wash this off immediately. In the imp it smells lovely, and the color is stunning. But something icky happens immediately on my skin. Blech. Why poopy? ?

I have an imp of unknown age. Wet, it is syrupy sweet, which I don't necessarily mind. There is a bit of earthiness, warm and wet and woody, like the bottom level of a rainforest. We're nearly in a musk territory. I'm a fan! The figginess comes through without turning into a dessert. I don't think I'll need a bottle but I'll be holding on to this imp.

Wet on my skin I get some sort of musk hiding behind a wee bit of incense and something earthy, like worn leather. As it dries down, that worn, earthiness unfortunately turns to new car smell, which makes me nauseous. Since leather itself is not listed in the lab's notes list, I'm wondering if it's the oak moss, another scent that turns up on blends that do not work for me. I can't find the heliotrope, but then again, I don't know what I'm looking for. My imp is of unknown age and I'm not sure how that affects the blend. I see how other people can define it as "dusty," as in dusty leather-bound books that might have moss growing on them. Leans masculine and dry. This kind of smells like a dirty, sleazy, old white man who is trying to sell me something. No thank you.

Out of the fresh from the lab frimp, I get a sharpness, like evergreen or household cleaner. Not what I was expecting from the title. However, wet on the skin that sentiment fades quickly enough, giving way to berries of the antioxidant and holiday variety, reds and purples, intertwined lovingly with luscious aromatic greenery. A winter wreath. As it dries down, some soft spices and black tea emerge. It's reminding me of a Lush product I used some years ago - can't recall the name. Further dried down, the sage is a lovely addition that I wasn't expecting. All in all, I'm a fan of this for a cold weather scent. A Xmas Wxtch, if you will, brewing in the kitchen.

Purchased this bottle from the lab for a friend's birthday, and of course I have to test it. Out of the bottle, oh sweet booziness! Toffee and Bailey's or Kahlua. Wet on my skin, that alcohol note thankfully dies down a bit. The spices come out to play a little more. As it dries, the syrupiness resides as well, and the sweetness is a dusty, warm sort. This is not my cup of tea (I don't care much for either caramel or coffee things) but I hope it's right up my friend's alley! P.S. A little bit goes a long way!

I am most likely going to end up purchasing a bottle of this. It's probably my favorite GC blend to date. I've sat down to try and write a review about 5 times now, and failed, and now my imp is nearly halfway gone! I smell: vanilla, cherry, smoke, spices, honey, bourbon, musk... These are a few of my favorite things. I pick up different notes every time I sniff myself, something I enjoy. The throw and lasting power are both great.

Eeeep, nuuuupe, this is not for me. I tried out this fresh lab frimp before knowing what notes were in it. I immediately picked up on the leather, which is nearly always a nope. Looks like there is also vetiver, another eeehhhh. I tried passing this off to my partner, who is more masculine than I, but they also scrunched up their nose in distaste. It's getting stronger the longer it dries, and I think I may wash it off... Someone mentioned it has the "new car smell" which is definitely on point and definitely something that historically makes me nauseous ?

First of all, the oil in the imp (unknown age) is a beautiful red color, which made me think it would have red musk or the like as a note. Imagine my surprise when I opened and sniffed the imp! This is my first experience with violet, and I think I'm a fan. Roses and lavender do not do it for me, but violet? Perhaps... The vanilla gives just a hint of sweet smokiness, but does not overwhelm at all. In fact, if I hadn't read the notes list, I wouldn't have been able to pick it out. Gardenia gives it a smidge of powdery green. The longer it dries on my skin, the spicier it gets... I think I've found my first floral winner! My partner says I smell like baby powder but I promise, I don't.

Fresh from the lab frimp! Always appreciated. I get the pink grapefruit and peppermint right away, and can easily pick up the lavender and another floral note if I concentrate - I'm assuming that's the geranium/zdravetz. All of these notes are not things I would generally pick in a scent, but it's interesting how they all come together. My partner says I smell like "laundry" ? I'll be passing this along, as it's a wee bit too clean and green for me.

I LOVE this. I picked out an empty bottle of The Divine Scientist as a free sniffie, and was so intrigued that I knew I had to have more. My bottle just arrived yesterday and I am so glad that I treated myself with it. It does smell Divine, the scent of clean light and enlightenment. A moment of clarity in a church or temple or shrine, where the priest or priestess is wearing really expensive garb. The aldehyde keeps it all from smelling like a forest or a gin tonic. Elderflower is always lovely in the way that it does not overpower and instead enhances anything it's paired with. I would say that this is gender neutral. TLDR; this is one of my top favorites.

I've had a string of rose scents that just aren't doing it for me, and unfortunately it smells like Blood Rose is joining those lowly ranks. I had my hopes up because, hey, "Blood," one of my favorite things. Maybe it's BPAL's rose note, because this is new for me to unlike rose as much as I do lately. Sigh. All I get is soapiness and baby powder, with the faintest hint of wine in the background.