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Showing results for tags 'Yule 2016'.
Found 114 results
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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!
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Winter cherries and a slush of merry snow. His Own Heart Laughed is an interesting scent. I was hoping it would smell like a cherry slushie, and I was both right and wrong. In the bottle: Smells like a mixture of Snow White and bright red cherries. If only it stayed this way! On dry skin as a moisturizer: There's a more medicinal hint to the blend, as often happens with cherry scents. In the bath: Surprisingly green! It's like the red cherries were attached to holly boughs! After the bath: It doesn't last very long on my skin at all. There's just a vague fruitiness left behind if I smell very closely.
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Claude Monet A tiny shadow on the snow: black currant, sandalwood, and violet leaf against a white winter backdrop. This is surprisingly foody on me - more so like the vanilla-snow note (Kind of like Waltz of the Snowflakes), mixed with a hint of berry. The currant is not strong, but the overall scent does read a bit as 'soft snow berry tart,' which is wonderful. I think the sandalwood is adding the kind of crusty note that makes me think of pie. The violet leaf is not strong. This is soft and close to the skin, but would be great for anyone who enjoyed the soft vanilla-snow type note Beth uses.
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Sweet snow and a wisp of peppermint. Really disappointed in this. I had no idea 'sweet snow' equaled pine trees... not what I was expecting at all .. so it's pine + peppermint. I'm a foodie... this isn't at all what I wanted. I'm sad... that was wasted cash. Darnit.
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Loaves of bread, piles upon piles of sweet Yule pastries, and a shower of cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. I already expected this to be my favorite thing ever, because I love the smell of bread and bakeries. Unwrapping it, I get the delicious spices that remind me of Exotic Bazaar. Can I die now? This is amazing. This isn't the weird straight-up bread scent of my dreams, but I expect this to be a hit for many. Can it always be winter, because I want my room and life to smell like this all the time. Ok. I didn't think the sweet Yule pastries would be so amazing. When I was hoping for bread out of this, I was hoping the pastries wouldn't be too prominent or sweet. BUT OH BOY. In the immediate spray, the sweet pastries combine with the spices to make something that just puts me in heaven. When it's dry, I mostly get the spices again that remind me of Exotic Bazaar (probably my 2nd favorite atmo behind Pumpkin Spice Flan...and now my 3nd favorite behind Baker Shops). The pastries aren't as strong, and there may be some buttery bread underneath. So good! I'm excited to see how this settles/ages.
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Soft, sugared shortbread and warm cocoa. After falling in love my first bath oil, I have high hopes for this. (Straight out of the mail) In the bottle, I smell what is listed. Such a warm scent. As it's drying on my skin, the prominent cocoa reminds me of El Dia de los Reyes. I wish I was getting more shortbread, but there is a light yummy cookie-ness under this. I would so love to take a bath in this when I get the chance. Super cozy!
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Marshmallow cream, sweet fudge, vanilla shortbread, and confectioners sugar. First, what an awesome label. Removing the bubble wrap, I could already smell this one. Faint soapy sweetness, like Boo. In the bottle: Cookie!! Wet: White chocolate brownies??! Dry: It's slightly plasticky on me now, as expected from being straight out of the mail and me being straight out of the shower. It still reminds me of Boo but more buttery, butterscotchy than Boo. I was really hoping the fudge wouldn't be an overpowering chocolate note so I'm glad it isn't, though I wouldn't mind it coming out more. I need to try this again, but since I'm impatient I dabbed some on my sweater for a test that wouldn't mix in with the body wash on my skin. It's similar to the sweeter facets of Mouse Circus. It is mostly marshmallow, but with more yummy, cakey things underneath. An easy to wear sweet scent that could layer with many things (like Stekkjarstaur)! I hope I can bring out more yumminess on my skin, because this is already a favorite.
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Dusted with cocoa and crushed nuts. Fresh from the mail today it started very salty like a Mother Shub scent but then the salt calmed way down and a yummy snickerdoodle dough type scent rose up and was so tasty! Loved the morphing on this scent.
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Francois Boucher A burst of apricot silk, blood orange musk, French lavender, and red benzoin chypre in a gilded sledge of amber. This is absolutely gorgeous, very soft and lingering on the skin. The first thing I smelled in the bottle was light apricot, almost like an orange cremecicle. After applying, the apricot and orange musk with the underlying red benzoin,mingle together and I can almost smell vanilla although it isn't listed as an ingredient. After twenty minutes or so, I can finally detect the French Lavender, it is soft and so beguiling and understated. The Amber is there, very refined, elegant and coming in at the end. This is my favorite of the Yules and definitely multiple bottle worthy!
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Vincent Van Gogh Cypress and black juniper, fir balsam, oakmoss, benzoin-laced snow, and the last remaining leaves of autumn. In the bottle, this is cold juniper, with something vague but sweet in the background drawing me in. On my skin, the balsam comes out, and the sweetness resolves itself as dead leaves, rather than the benzoin I had been expecting. After a while, the cypress rears its head, but this is primarily juniper and leaves for me, which is not remotely a complaint! This is a scent that starts off very sharp, but softens over time. Grant me poetic license: it's like leaving my house to a shock of cold air, then making camp in a thicket of fragrant trees. The coldness doesn't leave, but it's overwhelmed by what surrounds it.
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I’ve run away from a little old woman, A little old man, A barn full of threshers, A field full of mowers, A cow and a pig, And I can run away from you, I can! Oh dear! I’m quarter gone! Oh, I’m half gone! I’m three-quarters gone! I’m all gone! Both in the bottle and initially on my skin, this is spicy gingerbread with fruit...I think maybe pomegranate, but I'm not 100% sure. The sweet jam comes in next (raspberry maybe?) to make this an even-fruitier gingerbread. The drydown is just spicy gingerbread (similar to Gingerbread Poppet, but less clove) with a hint of sweetness from the jam. Yum!
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I’ve run away from a little old woman, A little old man, A barn full of threshers, A field full of mowers, And I can run away from you, I can! In The Bottle: A little bit of champa, some orange and the lighter red patchouli. Wet On Skin: This is like a sister to Ravenous, one of my all-time favorite GCs. It's basically becoming Ravenous with some light champa incense burning in the background. I get no gingerbread at this point. Dry Down: Okay, the gingerbread is peeking through juuuuuuuust a teeny, tiny bit. In All: A bright, citrus scent with depth, so that it can hold its own through the cold months, this isn't the sugary orange of Kingdom Of Sweets. This is the flirty Ravenous orange/patch combo with champa and itty bitty ginger tossed in for good measure. I like it! It's a great counter-balance to this year's Gingerbread, Vetiver and Black Clove. (I might try layering them and see what happens!)
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I’ve run away from a little old woman, A little old man, And I can run away from you, I can! In the Bottle: Very thick, very dark, black strap molasses. That's it. Really! Wet On Skin: Okay, now that's it's warming up, the notes are beginning to reveal themselves. The gingerbread is front and center but it's still got that dark, chewy molasses thing going on. I suspect it's the vetiver having it's say in the equation, lending some deep, deep darkness to the mix. I get no clove at this point. Dry Down: The vetiver and clove combine into the gingerbread maelstrom to create a richer, darker, spicier gingerbread than the usual Lab gingerbread note, and it's PHENOMENAL. It's still a bit foodie, but this is a very adult, kinda sexy gingerbread. I'd wear this out for an adult holiday gathering where people like get a little tipsy and handsy In All: I predict this will be very popular, especially as it ages.
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[No additional description given.] In The Bottle: There are occasions where I just. don't. know. how they do it. This is one of them, because in the bottle, this scent is a *faded* popcorn- NOT fresh, not buttered, like Shill. This is old popcorn that's been sitting around for a WHILE. AND, in the background, is the faintest hint of pine. Like needles. On a Christmas tree. Wet On Skin: There's a tiny bit of a sugar note that's coming through at this stage, but like burnt sugar (not caramel), so it could also be wood smoke, like from a fireplace, that happens to be next to a tree strung with popcorn garland. This is INSANE. Dry Down: This is weird and yummy and I have never liked a scent with Any hint of pine before but it's so faint and so real that it's not bothering me! In All: low throw, a vaguely sweet holiday scent reminiscent pop trees and popcorn balls and cozy holiday evenings. It's really just amazing for how well it captures what it is. Well done Beth and co.!
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With any luck, you won’t even remember the holiday season’s awkward family gatherings. In The Bottle: Rich brown sugar and butter. YUM! Wet On Skin: Yep, there's the whiskey! And it's REALLY whiskey. This isn't some cute "oh that's kinda boozy" note. This is straight up hard-drinkin' Jack. Dry Down: The whiskey mellows and the combination becomes, amazingly, like Snow White with vanilla extract added. In All: a lovely, soft skin scent- it's got very low throw, so you may have to slather- it seems to me like it's a good stand-alone daytime scent, but there's also potential to do some fun stuff with layering. so glad I got a bottle!
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Théodore Rousseau A wintry tangle of oak and forest mosses against a deepening amber backdrop. The amber in Forest in Winter is actually no mere backdrop; even in the bottle, it's the most potent note to me, and it's beautiful. Green, living moss is the next strongest note. I sniff this and my mind goes a-swirl with gold and green. This doesn't change on my skin from the bottle. It just opens out into a warm, deep amber-bathed mossy forest. This amber gives the woods an impression of glowing. (ETA: Actually, on re-applying this, I think I'm picking up champaca, too.) The blend is a little sweet, and quite smooth. As it dries, the oak comes out, smelling like a wise, old tree still in verdant health. There's a touch of cool frost so faint it's barely there, mostly adding a lighter tint to the greenery. The rest of the blend smells like mature and lazy summer. Perfect for me.
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[No additional description given.] Starts off with a blast of mint--peppermint, but not a sweet mint. Then a watery slush note. Not a sharp aquatic, not fully frozen snow, this is definitely slush. Underneath is a spicy wet dirt note, similar to Graveyard Dirt. The mint calms down after a few minutes, and more of the dirt comes out. I'm getting a slight almost lemony vibe along with the mineral scent of the dirt. It's nicer than it sounds, and I would wear this in any season.
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Wynter wakeneth al my care, Nou this leves waxeth bare; Ofte I sike ant mourne sare When hit cometh in my thoht Of this worldes joie, hou hit goth al to noht. Nou hit is, and nou hit nys, Al so hit ner nere, ywys; That moni mon seith, soth hit ys: Al goth bote Godes wille: Alle we shule deye, thah us like ylle. Al that gren me graueth grene, Nou hit faleweth albydene: Jesu, help that hit be sene Ant shild us from helle! For y not whider y shal, ne hou longe her duelle. Winter roses, white frankincense, and sweet violet. This smells like cedar on me; it reminds me of sharpening pencils in elementary school. I have no idea how I'm getting cedar from the notes listed, but there you have it. I can tell that there are some background notes at work, though it's hard to tell exactly what they are. Reading the description again, I can see how one of them could be violet, but it is definitely not prominent, and it doesn't smell like an independent note, if that makes sense. This scent is pleasant enough on me, but rose and violet are two of my favorite notes, so I'd been hoping to smell more of them.
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Fear of Dolls (But not ventriloquist dummies. Thats an entire phobia unto itself.) White porcelain cracked by white tobacco, threads of brittle cognac, and vanilla filigree. This is a very interesting blend. I suspect this will be something that I won't reach for much in the near future but will come to really enjoy it later after it has aged and after I have come to associate it with my life at this point. That doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement. I do like it, though. I had hoped for more sweetness from the tobacco and vanilla, but it is dry, elegant, perfumey, even. I detect something that smells like white tea; I wonder if that is the white porcelain note? The more I wear it, the more I like it. The throw is very good, and I when I get little whiffs of it, it's very pleasing. It does have a bit of the loud 80's bombshell perfumes feel to it.
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Utagawa Hiroshige Cascading frozen cherry blossoms, iced lily, and wisteria. This is lovely. It's a bit understated, but it has lasting power. To me, this smells mostly like woods in the winter- a slightly damp deciduous forest (no pine), with maybe some moss and lichens growing on the trees. It's complemented by the cherry blossom, which sweetens up the wood, and works beautifully with it. I wasn't so sure about this one when I opened the bottle, but on me it is lovely. This is a classy scent. I could wear it pretty much anywhere.
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Limbourg Brothers Crystalline blue musk arcing over a blanket of snow. The conceptual scent of a snowy winter night with still some lightness in the sky. Snowy, medium-blue musk. This snow has a slight graininess in its texture in my nose sometimes. It's a lightly minty-vanilla concept smell pervading a soothing blue musk. Lovely.
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Caspar David Friedrich Frankincense, myrrh, and rose resin drifting through a winter wood. This is simply gorgeous (as is the painting on which it is based). As expected, it's resins and snow and pine, with a hint of rose in the background. The myrrh adds sweetness; it almost smells like there is I some vanilla in here. There is a bit of baby powder scent in this as it dries, possibly the myrrh and rose? Nevertheless, I still find it lovely.
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Fear of Happiness Gibbering chitters of laughter, gleaming grinning mouths peeling open like a knife-slash: high-pitched lemon peel and pink pepper, white orris, and garish tangerine. OMG. This smells like candied lemon peel and lemonheads. It is lemon, lemon, lemon, and it is divine. This is no weak and retiring lemon. The pink pepper and tangerine seem to give the lemon some background strength and staying power. Seriously. Lemonheads.
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Ive run away from a little old woman, A little old man, A barn full of threshers, And I can run away from you, I can! I was tempted by several Gingerbreads, but this is the one I picked. And wow do I love it. In the bottle I got a sharp, acrid whiff of pepper and winced. But as soon as I actually put this one, that vanished and I got a very warm blend of sugar-crusted gingerbread. I've had gingerbread scents before that went dull and too earthy, and I've had "vanilla sugar" scents that were sickly sweet. Neither of those are a problem here. This is such a cozy winter scent that is never overwhelming while having good staying power. Don't miss this one.
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Ivan Shishkin Snow-draped fir, spruce, and pine. I love pine and snow scents, and this year there was a lot to choose from in that department. I went with this one and it was definitely the right choice. It's the perfect blend of a snowy softness and a fresh winter air/forest scent. Some tree scents are far too sharp for me, and sometimes the lab's snow scent doesn't work for me - this completely sidesteps both of those issues. Really glad I blind-bottled this one because it's just gorgeous.
