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Leopard403

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Everything posted by Leopard403

  1. Leopard403

    Hard Candy Bath Oil

    Reminiscent of Fruitbat Fruit Bath BO from back in the day, this is a bag of translucent hard candies, mostly of the orange and yellow variety but with a couple reds and greens for good measure.
  2. Leopard403

    Cinq

    Tea roses and shortbread. Cinq will be a sleeper hit, I think. It certainly surprised me. I was picturing delicate pink roses and dainty cakes, but this is actually quite bold. Another of Une Douzaine de Roses that made me moan aloud upon first sniff from the bottle. There nothing grandma-like about these roses, and the blooms (not just pink, by the way!) are grounded by a slight but lovely butteryness without being identifiably foody (if that makes sense to anyone else). No, this is not a gourmand blend at all. Instead the floral and not-quite-cakey notes blend into something just delightful, youthful and fun without being "too young," robust without being cloying. Another blind bottle win for me! eta: Actually, the more I wear this, the more I realize that the rose here has an awful lot in common with the rose in Peacock Queen. So there's that.
  3. Leopard403

    An Orchard in Spring

    The first whiff of this sent me to the internet in search of the apple blossom shampoo I used as a teen. (If there are any hints out there please PM me because I couldn’t find anything!) Wet on the skin, it’s still mostly that scent with a bit of a green grassy note behind it. Lavender often eats everything else on my skin, and one hour into a test wear and I don’t smell lavender *at all* nor do I get anything “crimson.” I can find a little lilac if I really search for it. Sadly, this seems to be fading rather quickly. It sits very close to the skin to begin with, with not a lot of sillage, and it definitely goes faint pretty rapidly. I’m going to try it in a locket to see if I can get more staying power, because I really do love the apple blossom scent.
  4. Leopard403

    Lemon Peel, Gardenia, and Carnation

    While this is not quite what I hoped it would be, I am in love with it! I’ve been on a mission for lemon-forward scents for some time and was excited when this was launched. Sniffing from the decant, I get a quick burst of a pithy (not juicy) lemon, and that lasts for a moment on the skin but then it’s gone. So that’s a bummer. However, the scent that lingers is really lovely. I’m a big fan of gardenia, so I’m aware of its tendency to screech that high-pitched floral and totally dominate a blend, but wow, it pairs with carnation in the most glorious way. Carnation tends to go spicy to me, almost clove-y if left uncontrolled, but it too is tempered by the other floral here. I’d almost call this “White Carnation.” It’s a little soapy, sure, but that’s not a bad thing here. Somehow it’s a clean floral with something ever-so-slightly aquatic, and not at all something where you’ll get the feedback that “you smell like flowers.” It’s quite a fantastically complicated smell given how straightforward it’s three notes can be! Moderate throw and long lasting, I think I’m going to grab a bottle.
  5. Leopard403

    La Vita Nuova

    LA VITA NUOVA Dante Alighieri In that book which is My memory... On the first page That is the chapter when I first met you Appear the words... Here begins a new life Apple blossom, white rose, lemon balm, and champagne grape. This is a bubbly, fruity scent with bite: Not too floral or citrussy, not too warm or too cold. A perfect springtime scent, very fresh and clean and unobtrusive.
  6. Leopard403

    Fairy Lobster Foam

    When sniffed from the decant, this is amazing. Real, actual maraschino cherry—not a whiff of cherry cough syrup to be found—and fresh bright fluffy marshmallow. The problem? Even with a good slather, this does not exist on my skin. It doesn’t fade, it’s like I never put it on in the first place.
  7. Leopard403

    Jólabókaflóð

    Jólabókaflóðið: A dribble of candle wax, distant hearth-smoke, a fleck of chocolate Yule log, and aged, yellowing paper bound by well-loved leather that has passed through many gentle hands. I am so moved by the story behind this scent. I have been a bibliophile my whole life, with a love of both reading and having books. I love the idea of the Christmas Book Flood, and I love that some of the proceeds from my purchase will be passed on to help others. Just lovely. The scent itself is incredible. Sniffing straight from the bottle I was worried it may be too chocolatey, but on my skin it literally smells like someone's Victorian-era home library. Other Lab book scents have turned bitter on me, but this is just perfect. I get a hint of candles burning above an old leather bound book, with, yes just a fleck of milk chocolate, as if the reader has just eaten a chocolate candy and set the wrappings beside his book. I am so pleased with my purchase! The book that accompanied the bottle was a tiny paperback of Rudyard Kipling short stories. Such a charming little thing!
  8. Leopard403

    Knave of Snowflakes

    I’m a bit crushed by this one. All I get is the minty version of Snow White. 😢
  9. Leopard403

    Easter Egging

    Sandalwood doesn’t play well on my skin or in my nostrils, but I was hoping PINK sandalwood would be a little different. But alas. I get the most gorgeous whiff of the other notes and then that damn sandalwood destroys everything in sight like Godzilla taking down Tokyo.
  10. Leopard403

    Final Girl

    Looks like I am having very different experience of Final Girl: On my skin it is aaaaaaaaaaaaaall clove, and slightly bitter at that.
  11. Leopard403

    Tahitian Landscape

    The coconut here is warm and slightly buttery, like in Obatala, and really helps keep those exotic florals in check. No screeching high white floral scents here, yet this is distinctly tropical, a nice blend of coconut and lush flowers with nary a suntan lotion smell to be found. Not an IN YOUR FACE tropical, either, so there is nothing about it that says “manufactured luau” like some candles I know; this baby knows how to be subtle. Also, it lasts FOREVER on my skin, which was a nice surprise! A sleeper hit that I hope more people try!
  12. Leopard403

    Young Pilgrim Girl

    I’m so shocked by this scent: It smells PURPLE. I didn’t review the notes before sniffing this and then skin-testing it, and for that time I basked in the purpleness, thinking “This is another great blackberry scent, the Lab is on a roll with that!” And then I looked at the notes. Quoi?? No blackberry? No berry at all? No grape or wine varietal that could mimic it? How it this possible? Is my decant mislabeled?? It must be the wildflower honey, I guess. No jasmine, no rose, nothing milky or creamy; nothing like laundry from the linen or earthiness from the silk, nothing vegetal from the abalone. Just PURPLE. AND I LOVE IT, but how weird is this experience?!?
  13. Leopard403

    Prospering In Golden Hope

    This is one of those scents that is so well-blended, I will suck at trying to describe it. I don’t know that I’ve ever tried “white peach” but I know it must be very different from other kinds of peach scents; all those others tend to be ZOMG PEEEEEEEEAAACHEEEEEEEESSSSS on me but this is so much more subtle. “Sparkling and effervescent” is absolutely apt. The frankincense and white amber are really mellow here as well; sometimes frankincense is too heavy on me and amber tends to screech, but not so in this case. It’s really a beautifully composed scent that doesn’t really smell “like” anything, and it smells expensive. I really love it.
  14. Leopard403

    Every Sweet Thing

    Lots of nutty, milky vanilla here. Identifiably foodie, slightly sweet. It sticks close to the skin and does not last very long on me.
  15. Leopard403

    From Whose Eyes As They Glance Flowed Love

    Sniffed straight from the decant I had a moment of HOLY $HIT LOVE’S BABY SOFT. Like, genuine flashback episode; I could feel the crimp in my hair. It was not as unpleasant as one might expect. Then on the skin this blossomed a little better, and it turned into a strong rosewater smell. Not old lady-like, though, and I think it’s probably that pale amber keeping it from creeping into Victoriana territory. The scent has heavy sillage at first as it dries down, but then sticks very close to the skin. It manages to be both a little girly and a bit sophisticated all at once. I like it.
  16. Leopard403

    Precious Beauty

    Yup, I can totally see this. I don’t find it to be an OMG FOODIE scent, but it’s delightfully warm and very comforting. I just wish it lasted longer on my skin.
  17. Leopard403

    White Fig, Coconut, and Cream

    This starts out as coconut husk and quickly morphs to suntan lotion. I don’t get the other notes at all.
  18. Leopard403

    Why and What Art Thou Dreaming Here

    This is what I wanted Blackberry Moon to be! ♥️ Sniffing from the decant, I was worried about the lavender: At that stage it is ALL herbal lavender, and very overwhelming. But when the oil hits my skin, the lavender is suddenly gone and I get ripe juicy blackberry. Truly, it’s almost like a single note on me. And it lasts forever. Not what I was expecting (because I do love magnolia and wish I got more of that), but I love this blackberry so much I won’t complain.
  19. Leopard403

    Cottage Garden

    This really is a wild cottage garden in springtime, with hints of green and spicy wildflowers. Not at all a heady floral, this is a sweet breeze of scent. There’s never a moment of “I smell X” because it is beautifully layered and blended. It’s really lovely, and I could see myself wearing this deep into autumn.
  20. Leopard403

    Soft May the Worms About Her Creep

    I’m really fascinated by this. It’s very much like two of my favorite Lush scent lines are smooshed together. It’s the old Alkmaar/Silky Underwear jasmine, paired with that rock candy-pink Rockstar scent, but elevated in sophistication. I would never have guessed that these would work so well together but damn this is gorgeous. I’m going to purchase a bottle.
  21. Leopard403

    Snake Milk

    The OG SO is always a little aggressive and intimidating on me. Fresh or well-aged, I just don’t feel comfortable trying to pull it off. Snake Milk, on the other hand, is my kind of snek. The changes come across as only slightly sweet, and I don’t get anything overtly milky; in fact this smells downright nutty to me. Snek Nuts. I’m going to buy more.
  22. Leopard403

    Blackberry Moon 2022

    On me, this comes dangerously close to grape Hubba Bubba, so it reminds me of good times in my childhood. As that foremost blackberry scent settles, the other notes add a nice complexity to the scent. I really enjoy it, but that gum-like association will likely keep me from buying a whole bottle.
  23. Leopard403

    Vase de Lilas a la Fenetre

    It certainly is that. 😆 And then, addition of muguet to ANYTHING always makes things smell like a candle to my mind, so this is OMG LILAC CANDLE YOWZA. The lilac does settle a bit, but it is still very much the prominent note here. This is absolutely that Cassat painting experienced via the olfactory system!
  24. THIS. IS. GLORIOUS. And also hard to explain, LOL. This is one of the Lab scents that is just so exquisitely blended, no one note really stands out. To me it doesn’t smell “like rose” or “like honey” even though I tend to amp those notes. It isn’t even all that identifiably floral; there’s a bit of gourmand going on that reminds me a lot of mallow (not at all gourmand like “foodie-smelling,” though. You see how hard this is??). I need to test this side by side with The Heirophant and the Empress, because in my mind it reminds me quite a lot of the things I love about that blend. I could seriously see this becoming one of my signature scents. It’s just that good. It smells wonderful, and there is something about it that evokes joy. And don’t we all need a little more of that!
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