skyturtles

The copper tang of blood musk, swept by a cloud of dying bees and red poppies of madness, drizzled over a freshly-microwaved marshmallow treat. I got a free decant of this, dated April 2019. What a treat! Wet on my skin there is just a little sweetness, not cloying or syrupy at all. The musk is honestly the dominating note. However, there's a gourmand note here that I can't quite put my finger on... it's... Toasty! I think what's surprising to me is that this is much more salty than it is sweet. What does salty smell like, you wonder? Well, here you go. I like this a lot I think, it's very interesting and I keep on wanting to sniff myself!

I purchased a lab bottle of this for my partner, who loves Bowie. Wet on my skin: Ooo, this is nice. I do get a bit of the vanilla, and I'm not even sure what else. Some of the musk, I'm sure. As it dries down, the leather and oudh become more apparent to me. I'm usually not a fan of these notes, but I'm glad my partner likes this blend. They feel it's very sexy. I've just done a bit of reading about what a fougere is, and I do agree that Jareth belongs in that class of colognes. "Woody, sharp, and slightly sweet." I don't have too much experience with tonka but I do think it's contributing to this aura. Now if only all leathery blends could be this nice on me...

I have an imp of unknown age. This is quite a simple scent in theory, but very pleasant and well-blended. I think I like violets? As long as they don't turn soapy. I like that the rose is just an afterthought here. This makes me feel fancy in an tea and crumpets sort of way, lace doilies and all. I don't think I'd wear it regularly but I am excited to try out more scents that feature violets.

I have an imp of this that I won in a giveaway. I can only assume it's an original and not the Resurrected variety. Wet on my skin - wow, I'm instantly transported to some bazaar selling wooden crafts, intricate fabrics, and incense. The sandalwood, saffron, and nutmeg seem to be the power players here for me. There is a hint of stinkiness that I can't quite put my finger on, of the wood/earth variety. As it dries down, the rose and some powderiness becomes apparent. There's a hint of citrus, too. This is a lovely scent, and it's kinda of a bummer that it's been discontinued. Such fun to try out and test it!

I have an imp of unknown age. Wet on my wrist, this is quite perfumey. I can definitely pick up the florals (jasmine, lilies, roses, etc.) and there is a bit of sweetness for sure. It's quite complex I think, but it is coming off as a bit soapy unfortunately. This isn't quite what I was expecting from the name of "Kubla Khan," I guess. I will pass this one on to someone who will enjoy it more!

First sniff, this smells kind of like the prep soap that we use in the embalming room. That's not a great thing. I have an imp of unknown age. I do get black cherry and chocolate, and I suppose that extra little sumthin sumthin is the orange blossom. The icky scent luckily fades away as it dries down. This is interesting, but I don't think that I need to keep it. It is kind of making me crave something sweet though...

I have an aged imp from 2014. As others have noted, it's not as boozy as it is when fresh. There's only the slightest hint of cocktail, and that might just be my imagination. I'm not a big fan of florals, but the magnolia and miscellaneous other funeral flowers are blended so nicely with the other notes. I'm also not a big fan of mosses in general, as they make me nauseous, but it's surprisingly not bothering me here. This would be a nice, everyday, spring scent! It's a garden party that got rained on, it's melancholy and sweet at the same time. I can't stop sniffing myself; everytime I do, I get something a little different. Two funeral directors I work with like it on me as well (though we don't live anywhere near NOLA, just sayin'). I'm hesitant to purchase a bottle however, since this imp is so old... I guess I could consider putting one away for some years, but I'd rather just keep an eye out to see if anybody's selling.

This feels very Midwest grandma on me. It's fairly green, surprisingly. I am going to pass on this imp of unknown age to someone who appreciates roses more, because I don't really. If there was more musk, it might've been a different story.

Oh gosh, no thank you. There is something quite peppery present here. There are quite a few notes here that I typically shy away from. As it dries, it gets surprisingly quite perfumey, maybe because of the pine cutting through the mosses mosses and moldy lavender. The honey, which I couldn't detect at first, also comes out to play in a golden, non-syrupy way. I got this tester/decant for free and while I appreciate trying something I would never purchase for myself, I can't help but feel like it's been wasted on me!

Mmm, this is yummy! There is some sort of citrus at play here, and the wood is very apparent as well. The rum is soft and unoffensive for an alcohol. Trying to pick out the prostitute's perfume, I suppose there's some sort of floral in here? Oh no, as it dries, I am getting this bubblegum note that others have also noted. I wonder if it's partly the clove's fault. My nose is starting to burn after repeatedly sniffing myself. I like this, but I don't LOVE it. I think I'm going to try it on my partner's skin and see what we think from there. Thank you labbies for the frimp!

Mmmm I kinda smell like a pumpkin patch! There's some pulpiness there, some breadiness from the nutmeg, and then the peach as well. This started off such a winner, but as it dries down, the peach becomes more prominent and I just don't like it. It's the nauseous stomach acid fake peach smell that we use in the states. If you could remove this from the scent, I would love it!

I took a sniff out of my lab frimp and it's not looking promising, folks. Wet on my skin it is very masculine and cologne-like. There is definitely a woody element, and unfortunately moss as well, which I'm not a fan of. There is a hint of sage, which is an interesting touch. I do like many musk scents, so it's probably its presence that has got me on the fence here about Robin Goodfellow. I guess wood and moss centered blends are just not my thing, usually.

I have a nearly full, clean looking imp of unknown age. Immediately I get hit with some sort of yellow lemon - lemon balm? Lemon verbena? Lemongrass? There is some sugar there but the metallic aspect is more prominent to me. Like a sexy mechanic who is addicted to lemon drops or something. There is the slightest bit of floral there, perhaps rosy, but not enough to turn me off of it. Maybe a slight vanilla note as well! All in all, this is a quite interesting blend. I think it would be a great spring/summer scent. I'd like to try layering this before deciding on whether or not to keep the imp or maybe go larger.

Yup, I get the opium right away. It's quite bitter and metallic. There's a hint of sweetness, perhaps coming from the grape vine, but it's sort of a sickly combination. The lilies and roses don't do much to soften it for me. I'd say it's quite a masculine scent; a woodsman who is bringing his fresh catch from the lake back to the cabin. It just isn't working for me though. This testing was a fresh from the lab frimp.

Fresh from the lab frimp! GRAPEFRUIT. There's a bit of crisp sugar in there as well. I can't really get much ginger, and the floral note is just a faint soapiness. Just GRAPEFRUIT. Not my cup of tea, but thank you labbies nonetheless!

Fresh from the lab frimp! Bathsheba is clean, sophisticated, simple, and... addicting? I usually don't like florals but I cannot stop sniffing myself. It's too nice to be a shampoo scent, yet there is just the slightest hint of soap. It's so hard to separate the three main notes, because they're blended together so well. I wouldn't mind all my clean sheets smelling like this. As it dries, I'm getting a bit more of the spiciness and musk. Or maybe it's the plum, showing its sweet card. Whatever's happening, I'm not sure I like it. It's sharp yet soft, strong and fresh. It's so very interesting to me but I don't think I can handle wearing it on my person. Thank you for the fun, labbies!

Fresh from the lab frimp! Wet: I don't like this. It reminds me of summer, sunscreen, sweat, and dried apricots. It's just not doing it for me. Almost makes me nauseous. I'm tempted to wash this off. It's somehow sour and soapy at the same time? Sorrrryyyy but thank you, labbies!

Fresh from the lab frimp! Wet on my skin, I'm immediately hit with the sweetness of the fig. The patchouli probably adds to that as well. I'm not really getting much mushroom or oakmoss. Mossy things are usually a huge turn-off for me, so I'm not really complaining. As it's drying down, I'm getting some earthiness... and yup, there it is, the leathery oakmoss that makes me nauseous. Not for me, but thank you labbies!

I purchased this bottle as a gift to my mother. The licorice reads more like anise to me in reality, perhaps a result of combining it with so many florals. Usually I'm not a fan of florals, but something about this just works really well. The jasmine isn't overpowering. This is my first experience with elemi, and from what I just gathered, it's similar to frankincense, and I LOVE frankincense, so maybe that's what's pulling everything together for me. In all honesty, I was sad to give this away... If I ever come across it again, I'm probably going to snag it!

(2006 version) I love this. It starts off as a dessert, but not too sweet. A dusty biscuit, old-fashioned yet a tried and true, comforting recipe. A pious grandmother makes sweets for the congregation after mass. It's dark, soft, and the fruitiness is not sharp... and as it dries down, the frankincense comes out to play. I love frankincense. Former Catholics everywhere, let's get nostalgic! This is a keeper for sure, and I'm glad I finally got a bottle.

This is such an interesting scent! There is a soft sweetness due to the coconut husk, almond milk, and bourbon vanilla. Like a delicate pastry at an elegant coffee shop deep in Tokyo. The roots, which I'm not very familiar with, add an earthiness that prevents the scent from being gourmand, and the white sandalwood is clean. Sandalwood usually turns me off but it is blended so well here. I'm glad I blind purchased this bottle; both my partner and I are fans! I also have The Divine Scientist from this series and I'm thinking I'd like to get my hands on more of them...

This is awesome! I think I was expecting something more herbal, but was pleasantly surprised with an ol' fashioned sassafras soda. My partner thinks they smell some sort of citrus in there, but I just get the fizziness. Uh oh, I'm kind of wanting a full bottle... To keep in my desk at work for when I need a pick me up!

I'm surprised that this doesn't have more reviews, to be honest. The cover art and the short story tempted me into purchasing a bottle from the lab. This scent is intense and not for everyday or everybody or every environment. I don't think I would like this as a room spray, or a soap, or anything else. I like to wear it when I ~go out~ to a bar or something, never to work. I get to smell enough bile and blood at work tbh, yet the incense and wine turn those otherwise potentially icky factors into something powerful. I think this is actually great for layering, especially with something a little sweet, or red musky. It goes well with Le Lethe, for example. Wear this and be feared for the nightmare goddess that you are.

Rose amber, frankincense, myrrh, champaca flower, Peru balsam, cistus, palisander, cananga, hyssop, and narcissus absolute. I get the frankincense and myrrh right away - I'm a big fan of frank, not so much of myrrh. The rosewood and rose amber bring a Indian-like vibe to this incense-y scent, as in, it reminds me of something that I've sniffed at the Indian grocer. The flowers come out to play over time while drying down. Honestly this is like a more complex version of Rose Cross, and less green. It's so close to being a winner for me, but just not quite there, probably due to myrrh or abundance of florals. Very interesting blend though! (Frimp from the lab - thanks labbies!)

Fresh from the lab frimp! The sandalwood is flowery; the honey is faint and not overpowering in its sweetness. I suppose this is a saffron-fronted scent. I don't hate it but I don't love it. Thanks labbies!