prettybird

I was a little afraid this would smell like other chocolatey scents, but as soon as I opened the bottle, I knew it wasn't so. The cacao is tempered with spiciness, for quite a lovely combination. On the skin, it smells like... verbena? Quite the inexplicable morph, because there isn't any verbena in this at all. There's the same incensey spicy quality to it, but most of what I get is verbena. Perhaps I have an odd nose. So, it doesn't smell anything like I thought or anything like how it smells in the bottle, but verbena's one of my favorites, so I love it!

I adore this one. Verbena is one of my favorite scents, and this one is loaded with it. I really don't get musk at all from this one- just nice yummy sweet citrus. For such a light scent, it has a decent amount of throw. Particularly nice as a light summer scent.

This stuff is brilliant! In the imp, the wood is really strong. The vanilla starts to come out more as it dries down, but it's still really woody. The tobacco makes it kind of smoky, in a nice way. I like it quite a bit.

I really don't get much apricot from this at all. Mostly I get musk and orange, with just a little apricot to round it out. Overall, it's a pretty round scent. The apricot comes out a little on the dry down, but it's not the in-your-face apricot of Depraved or some such. Unfortunately, it seems to disappear pretty quickly on me. It still smells nice, nice enough to be worth wearing and reapplying. It might be good in a scent locket.

I'm very torn about this one. Wet, I can't stand it- all I get is red hots and plastic. On the dry down, it turns very soft and lovely; I think what I'm getting mostly is the dragon's blood, rather than the cinnamon, and I don't get the clove at all. I'm not sure the final result is worth the initial ugh factor; this one may go back on the swap pile.

I just love this! It smells just like cream soda on me- fizzy and vanilla and super sweet. I don't get much of the saffron at all, but I don't really mind, since it smells so pretty. It didn't change much on the dry down- I actually got more saffron in the imp than on skin. It's got a fair amount of throw, even with just a little on. Definitely a keeper!

In the bottle: Grass, grass, grass grass grass. Dry on skin: The grass note is still really strong for the first couple of minutes, but it dies off, leaving a nice, balanced, slightly fruity floral. And... that's it. I find it pretty underwhelming, to be honest. It's nice, but not great. I wouldn't mind getting quite close to a young lady who was wearing this, but it's not really what I want to smell like.

In the bottle: Black Necco wafers! Dry on skin: The first time I tried this, I was very disappointed, because I could hardly even smell it when I tried it on my arm. I tried it again on my pulse points, and wow, what a difference! Something about that magic half-degree, I guess. This is a very lovely scent- warm and pleasantly medicinal. It's got a bit of throw, but it's light enough not to be bothersome. Very nice for everyday wear, I'd imagine, and just forceful enough to be a good unisex scent.

In the bottle: Hello, and welcome to Hyssop Party '08! I'll be your host, prettybird... Dry on skin: Luckily, the hyssop dies down a good bit. This is really not what I was expecting at all- it's a whole lot better. I can't seem to pick out individual notes, other than the lemon balm and the hyssop. It's a gorgeous, golden scent. It's not quite me enough for me to get a whole bottle, but I'll certainly be using up my imp.

In the bottle: Mmm. Fruity, almost candylike. Dry on skin: Oh, oh yes. Yes, please. This is the very first scent from the lab with pomegranate in that does not smell like the dentist's office on me. This is absolutely heavenly. I wanna curl up in it and stay there forever. Between the myrtle and the peach, it smells like the South in the summertime, in the very best of ways. It's feminine, but definitely not in a soft kind of a way. It's right there. I need a big bottle of this. Maybe a gallon jug.

Let me begin by saying that this scent's description- and, indeed, Venus in Furs- squicks me just a little bit, as my mom's name is Wanda. Granted, this is irrelevant to the review, but it is slightly hilarious. In the bottle: It smells really familiar for some reason- wine-y and slightly acrid. Dry on skin: Oh my god, this smells exactly like “new car smell.” It's leathery and sweet with a little wine, but all I can think is that it smells like my godparent's Volvo- but in a really good way. Nothing like literary Wanda and very little like the scent description, but I greatly enjoy it.

In the bottle: Not what I was expecting at all- really fruity. And man is that pepper strong! Dry on skin: Wow, I'm really not sure what in the hell this smells like. I don't get any tea from it at all, nor any ginger, which is why I wanted it in the first place. There is just something not right about this. It smells like burnt plastic. This is only the second scent I've tried that I just had to go and wash off. I'm sure there's somebody that this smells like heaven on, but good god is it ever not me. I resisted getting this for a long time because I was afraid it would be just like Severin (which is my favorite and cannot be improved on). So, on the one hand I'm sad it didn't work out, but on the other, I have a bottle of Severin to drown my pain in.

MLV (1055) Ahahaha, it's grapefruit party time! It's very citrus and candy- almost definitely some fig in there as well. It mellows a little on the skin, but keeps that nice happy citrusy scent. Seriously, you can't be sad wearing this. It's just too cheerful. This is completely for the win.

In the bottle: ...do I seriously like a vetiver scent? What? This absolutely gorgeous- green and gingery and citrusy. On skin: Not a lot of change, really. I get a lot of the ginger and the bergamot, two of my very favorite notes that I'd never have considered putting together. It's quite a sexy scent, while still being clean and fresh. I might need a bottle of this.

In the bottle: More masculine than I was expecting. Mostly I get hyssop. On skin: Wow, the hyssop really calmed down a lot. The amber is very soft, which is nice. I don't get the patchouli much at all, which is a little disappointing, but the spices are quite nice. It's very peppery, in a somewhat dirty, dusty kind of a way, if that makes sense. It's almost got a foody smell to it. This one bears more testing, but I'm sure I'll get use out of it.

In the bottle: Mmm. Nicely spicy, with barely any florals at all (which is fine by me). On skin: WTF where did it go? It powdered out almost immediately, and all I'm left with is Dial soap. Ten minutes later: What a morph! The spices are back with a vengeance. I don't get much floral, still, but the cardamom is really coming out. It doesn't seem to have a lot of throw on me, but it's still quite nice.

In the bottle: Something in this smells really off. I think it's the musk, or maybe almond. On skin: I don't think Bilquis and I will be getting along, unfortunately. Whatever that weird scent is is really, distractingly strong. I can kind of get a whiff of the apple here and there, but it's blocked out by that disturbing smell. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

In the bottle: Oh so sweet. Very limey, but in a candy-like way. On skin: There's much more sugar cookie, which is nice. As with all tobacco scents, my skin has eaten it whole. It does have a nice hint of spiciness to it, which I think it the rum coming out, but I'd like it a bit boozier. A nice light scent on me, but I don't think I'll be getting a bottle. ...Oh man, I'm so gonna layer this with Miskatonic University. I'll smell like a coffee shop.

In the bottle: Eesh. Welcome to the vetiver party. It reminds me of a milder High John the Conqueror (but that may be my stuffy nose speaking). Ritual use: I rubbed a bit onto the palms of my hands and focused (very specifically, given the reviews I've read) on the tasks at hand. It took me a long while to realize that it was working, because it was such a calm feeling. It wasn't the same "DO IT NAO OMG OMG" feeling as Block Buster; it was more "You know what you've got to do, so do it and quit your whining." I can't really comment objectively about the scent, because I couldn't get over how much it smelled like a woman I used to know, who has long since passed on. It was kind of uncanny. Coming down from it was also totally different from Block Buster- Determination didn't leave me nervous and jittery like it did. Overall, I think I prefer Block Buster, but I'll definitely find uses for both of them.

In the imp: Medicinal, but not unpleasantly so. On skin: Well, that was quite the morph. If I said it smelled like an airport, would that make sense to anybody? ...No? Anyway, it is cool, a very calm scent that I have trouble finding out specific notes in. I don't know that I'd want to wear it as a winter scent, just because it is so cold, but it's very nice here in the dead of summer.

In the imp: WTF, it smells just like an Andes mint! On skin: This is very nice. Still very chocolatey and minty (or is that the myrrh?). I don't know what to say about it, really, because it's just not a very complicated scent. I like it a whole lot, though.

In the imp: ...Oh my. This is a refreshing change after smelling a whole ton of really heavy scents. It almost smells like white chocolate, for some reason. On skin: Mmm. It's a little soapy, but in a good way. The musk is a nice undertone, which is good, because musk rarely works on me. It is quite masculine, but not too much for me to wear it (and I like the masculine ones anyway). It's so clean and light, but complex at the same time. So, long story short, DO WANT.

In the imp: ...Have you ever eaten a honeysuckle? You can pull out the center of the flower and suck out the nectar, and it tastes exactly like this smells. On skin: Not a lot of change, really. I find myself quite liking it, because it smells like a flower, not like a floral. If that makes any sense. Which it probably doesn't. I find it a little perplexing, but I think I'll certainly get some use out of my decant.

I won a decant of this in a charity auction on the LJs. That way, I can pretend my BPAL addiction is for a good cause... In the bottle: Sweet, sweet, sweet. I usually love candy scents, but this is a little much. On skin: The sweet isn't as overwhelming on my skin, for which I'm grateful. I think the most accurate thing I can say is that it's... fizzy. Definitely more of the candyfloss and lily than anything else, but with a nice, solid, spicy backing. I probably won't be buying more of this, but I'll definitely be using my imp up.

I got this scent ages ago from a friend who didn't care for it. I can't imagine why I haven't reviewed it yet. I find it quite heady, in a lush, tropical kind of way. There's something in it- guava? that cuts through the heavy floral with a crisp fruity smell. In the end, though, it's just too floral heavy for me. I'm sure it would be very lovely on somebody else.