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Showing results for tags 'Yule 2018'.
Found 111 results
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[No additional description provided.] In The Bottle: Mostly gingerbread, with a little of that extra-lemony aspect that fresh ginger frequently has. Wet On Skin: The gingerbread is, like, REAL gingerbread. I'm getting the lemon, the cake, the spice, the sharpness. It's really different than my previous experiences of the gingerbread single note (like, say, in Gingerbread Snake Oil). I'm liking it- but I also hope that the coffee and vanilla come out to play soon! Dry Down: Astoundingly, I am getting ZERO coffee from this. Which is odd, because coffee notes usually sit well on my skin -they don't amp, but they are *very* present. The vanilla has finally made an appearance, but I'm not getting the smoked aspect, either- this is more like gingerbread with a little dollop of vanilla cream plooped right on top. It's delicious, and I'm betting will get better with age, but it's not the scent that I thought it was going to be. If you're hoping for a coffee-heavy scent, check out some of the other 2018 Yule offerings, cause you might be sad about that with this one.
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But on what could an impression be left? An impression of such a nature becomes a material thing and implies a material nexus, however subtle. So far as we know there are only two things there, the air and the ether. The air is a mobile thing and could not carry a permanent impression. But is the ether a mobile thing? It is pictured as a most delicate medium with vibrating currents flowing in it, but it seems to me that a most tenuous jelly with quivers and thrills would be a closer analogy. We could conceive the whole material universe embedded in and interpenetrated by this subtle material, which would not necessarily change its position since it is too fine for wind or any coarser material to influence it. I feel that I am rushing in where even Lodges fear to tread, but if it should prove to be as I suggest then we should have that permanent screen on which shadows are thrown. The block of ether upon the stairs is the same that it always was, and so conveys the impression from the past. the Edge of the Unknown, Arthur Conan Doyle Gentle, almost imperceptible, permeating all things: pale amber vibrating with ambergris and a thread of lavender. This is one of the purest, most beautiful lavenders I've ever smelled. It's up there with Hidden Purpose bath oil! It's the perfect balance between floral and herbal lavender, with just a hint of salty, spicy ambergris enhancing it. The ambergris gets more prominent as it dries down, with more of a 50/50 balance between that soft ocean scent and the lavender. It's amazingly, and yes, a little ethereal. I'm probably going to need more bottles.
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Crackling almond wood and the deep sweet smoke of burgundy pitch, Austrian amber resin, black copal, and frankincense. This is just beautiful. It starts off very green and pine-y (burgundy pitch = spruce) and then as it starts to dry down and melt into my skin, hints of smokiness come out and I start to get whiffs of woodsmoke and incense. Not sweet incense, pure and resin-y, with just a hint of smoke. You know how when you burn pure resin incense you smell the resin more than the smoke? This is absolutely that, and the little bit of smoke I get fades throughout the dry down. It’s a very clean, cool, resinous incense, and it makes me think of a tiny church in the middle of a pine forest in the dead of winter.
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The protoplasmic ooze results in man. It arrives at thoughts and emotions, it builds lofty ideals and great civilisations. The objector urges that this proof of progress is no proof of the permanence of any personality. No proof, but certainly no suggestion of disproof. Again, we find no trace of waste. Change and the revolution of one form of matter into another are evident to us, but no waste, no loss, is anywhere discoverable. The noblest product of the universe so far as we are certain of it is the rounded and accomplished personality of man. Why should nature everywhere display her absolute incapacity to cast away an atom of her lowest product, and yet be able to plunge into nothingness her very greatest? – the Occult Review, January 1905 A pretense of civility, the height of anthropocentric arrogance: a lime-washed gentleman’s fougere with a pinch of snuff, an insouciant whiff of gin, and the memory of an amorphous, sluggish, protoplasmic greenness. This is what Arthur Conan Doyle’s Tobias Gregson would smell like. A Victorian man, rough-edged but not uncivilized; not outstanding, but dogged; he gets the job done — no matter what. Lime and gin in the bottle. Goes on as a fresh lime cologne. A light tobacco note comes in — is that the snuff? Continues into a masculine cologne and finishes as a somewhat generic lime aftershave. A first cousin to John Watson (the scents, not the characters). This would probably be amazing on a gentleman, but I am a lady.
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Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, quia Salvator noster natus est in mundo. Hodie nobis de caelo pax vera descendit. Apologies, I looked for my bottle of Cathedral so I could compare the scent of Cathedral Incense atmo to it (thought that might be most useful to others), but am unable to find it so am working from memory here. But I do think that Cathedral Incense is strongly reminiscent of Cathedral, and that people who like it would like this! I'm getting similar resiny-herbal-sweet vibes, with what smells like frankincense and myrrh with maybe benzoin and styrax? There's a hint of what smells like candle or incense smoke as well, although I wouldn't call it heavy on that element. It's really beautiful and smells like Christmas mass. So glad I got a bottle!
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A tribute to Lajos Pap, a spiritualist medium whose specialty was apporting snakes, lizards, rats, and frogs – live and dead – during séance. A pattering of night-creatures: indigo musk and patchouli croaking with oakmoss and a skittering of gleaming black olibanum. In the Bottle: Inky and dry in the bottle. Very intriguing. The oakmoss is apparent On the Skin: That indigo musk is stunning - slinky and velvety dark. Quite resinous, initially but the musk adds a gorgeous elegance. I like the use of the word "skittering" in the description because this is slick, dark and dry reminiscent of an insect carapace. On the Drydown: I almost get a dark purple (indigo?) floral from this. It is truly magnificent and dark as night.
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[No additional description provided.] This has only been off the mail truck for about two hours, because I couldn't wait any longer. In the bottle it's pure, luscious gingerbread. When it's freshly applied, I smell like my favorite kind of gingersnap: thin and a little crispy, like a pepparkakor from Sweden. There's even a little bit of a lemony note, but that subsides as it dries. It ends up as a perfect gingerbread that I want to eat.
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[No additional description provided.] Snow, plum, and a whiff of pink roses. This one is a sweet snowy note with plum and pink roses peaking through. It is much much prettier than I expected. Gorgeous. Medium throw and wear length.
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Clove, honey, and helichrysum. Let this sit a full day from when it arrived. Expectations: Honey and clove seems like a scent that could be made for me. I think I've only tried one other blend with helichrysum/immortelle, but I liked it.** In the bottle: The Lab's honey with something deepening it. It's a little herbal and a little spicy, so the overall effect is less sweet than some of the other honey blends I've tried. On my skin: Wet, the clove comes to prominence first. As it initially dries, the honey is also detectable, keeping the clove from being harsh or biting. Once it starts to settle, the honey increases to become the dominant note though the clove doesn't diminish. But in this phase, it's clovey honey rather than being clove with honey. I can't detect the helichrysum as a distinct note, though it may be what's keeping the honey from being cloying. There is sweetness to this scent, but it's much mellower than some (many?) of the other honey blends I've tried. After another half an hour, I'm drawing the conclusion that this isn't much of a morpher, which is good for me. This a surprisingly comfortable scent. It's sweet and spicy but not flowery or foody. In a perfect world, there would be a touch more clove, but that may well come out with aging. This does have the characteristic strong throw that BPAL honey has on me. In fact, I'm a person with several honey blends and several clove blends, and I feel safe saying those notes are behaving in very characteristic ways on me. So if the description sounds like it will work for you, I definitely think it's worth a try. I'm very glad I ordered my bottle and am now contemplating a second. I don't need to hoard this for all eternity, but it is a blend I can see myself using with some regularity. ** Full disclosure: The other helichrysum/immortelle blend I've tried is Judith and Holofernes, which also has honey -- which may be a factor in why I can't really distinguish the note here. Edit: Not an hour after I posted (but about 2 hours after initial application), and this has become a "second skin" type scent on me. I mean, it has a lot of throw, so it's not a skin-close scent. But it is a scent that works very seamlessly with my skin chemistry. Update 12/25 -- I recently ordered a second bottle of Ninth Lash and another bottle of Bengal (the closest GC scent I can compare this to). Sniffing them both side by side, I think the helichrysum in Ninth Lash is adding a layer of subtle earthiness or herbalness. It's not sharp or pungent, but it deepens the BPAL honey note.
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Sevivon, sov, sov, sov Chanukah, hu chag tov Chanukah, hu chag tov Sevivon, sov, sov, sov! Chag simcha hu la-am Nes gadol haya sham Nes gadol haya sham Chag simcha hu la-am. A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber! Gelt is gorgeous. I'm not a foody fan, but I will be hoarding this. In the bottle: perfect cocoa powder, with a dash of hazelnut. This is not very sweet at all, it's exactly like sticking your nose into a fresh box of expensive cocoa powder that's got some hazelnut flavor. Application: The same, but it immediately starts warming up. The amber is poking it's head through the cocoa and giving it a homey warm feeling. This is the scent of curling up on a chilly night with a steaming mug of cocoa, prepared from scratch the stove-top way, with a healthy splash of frangelico. 15 minutes: Much the same as application. There's still beautiful, dry cocoa and the golden warmth of amber. It hasn't sweetened up or collapsed in on itself. Overall: This is a remarkable scent. It smells precisely as described by the lab, and I think can be appreciated by both foody and non-foody fans. I will be stocking up on this before it vanishes.
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This is the scent of a freshly assembled gingerbread house, with swirls of multicolored icing, spice drop lights, meringue snow, pinwheel mint accents, chocolate roof tiles, candy wafer pavers, and jelly candy stained glass. We used a French translation for ‘gingerbread house’ as the name to make it sound fancier. French adds +40% Fancy! A jumble of scents reminiscent of that box of mixed Christmas cookies your grandmother used to make. For all the candy/sugar treats mentioned, this is shockingly not that sweet. I get chocolate , a HINT of gingerbread... and if I keep inhaling I eventually detect the barest whisper of mint and what I think is anise. My skin is notorious for burning off sweet scents so I'll be interested to see how this works on others. The dry down is a mix between Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread Poppet with a touch of Gelt and an indistinct Fruit note that shows up way in the background.
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[No additional description provided.] Cedar, gunpowder, and baking spices. If you were looking for a smoky woodsy with clean cedar top notes and spicy notes underneath, look no further. Very masculine. Good throw and wear length.
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Blackened patchouli, sweet vetiver, labdanum, and honey. I forgot what the notes of this were when I grabbed it to wear this morning, but I've been in love with it all day and now I see why. It's like a slightly sharper cousin to this year's Zoe and the Goat weenie. When first applied it's a blast of smoky patchouli with a hint of vetiver peeking out. As it dries down, the vetiver becomes a bit stronger and the honey appears, as does a scent that I assume is the labdanum. These mix with the patchouli and create a really complex and lovely scent. I love it both freshly applied and hours later. I'm probably gonna need a backup bottle.
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The desire to inflict a mortal wound on the monster, Superstition, which, from a similar origin, a few centuries ago, inflicted on European society so vast an amount of misery, and by whose influence not hundreds, but thousands, of innocent persons died in tortures, on the rack and at the stake; the desire made me wish to make the experiment, if possible, of bringing a highly sensitive person, by night, to a churchyard. I thought it possible that they might see, over graves where mouldering bodies lay, something like that which Billing had seen. Eucalyptus blossom, lime rind, and white mint coalescing into a green-tinged amber glow. In the bottle this is soft and green. Sweet lime, zingy but not sour and puckering with the softest most gentle eucalyptus I have ever smelled. I normally think of eucalyptus as purely utilitarian for use in aromatherapy bath products, but I never find it pleasant or wearable (in regards to perfume). Beth has completely transformed the possibilities of this note for me. It dries down into a truly eerie green scent. Light mint (not a chilly mint) with the lime, eucalyptus, and amber all softly mingling. I cannot stress enough how gentle this blend is, despite the potential of the notes for being bright or bracing. Very soothing and relaxing, perfect for hectic winter celebrations.
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MIDNIGHT MASS I will wash my hands among the innocent; and will compass thy altar, O Lord: That I may hear the voice of thy praise: and tell of all thy wondrous works. I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of thy house; and the place where thy glory dwelleth. Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked: nor my life with bloody men: In whose hands are iniquities: their right hand is filled with gifts. But as for me, I have walked in my innocence: redeem me, and have mercy on me. My foot hath stood in the direct way: in the churches I will bless thee, O Lord. In Roman Catholic tradition, the Christmas season begins liturgically on Christmas Eve, though it is forbidden to celebrate the Christmas Mass before midnight. The most devout attend Midnight Mass, celebrating both the Eucharist and the drama of the Nativity. This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God. Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. at first: soft resins and incense. on: sharper than in the bottle, but still softer than i thought it would be. very lovely. exactly like church incense. half an hour later: this is still pretty much the same, maybe a tiny bit sweeter. 1.5 hours later: still the same. amazing! the sweetness is pretty much gone. 2.5 hours later: yeah, i don't know what else to say. overall: lovely stuff. this was the only yule LE i ordered and i'm glad i chose it.
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YULE CAT The Yule Cat is a gargantuan Icelandic feline that feasts on indolent people who shirk their community responsibilities. Don't be lazy! - idle hands make for a very unpleasant Yule! Malevolent musk, a drop of infernal civet, vetiver, club moss, birch, goosefoot, and rowan. Make sure when sniffing Yule Cat straight from the bottle that you do the wafting thing you learned in chemistry class. I didn't do that at first and it's so strong, it burned my nose hairs and made my eyes water. I don't know what civet or really any of the notes smell like, but directly from the bottle, it's very strong evergreen wood. It's sooooo strong, I was scared to skin test this. But I did anyway. On skin wet: pretty much same as the bottle, but not quite as strong. I'm definitely getting more of the graininess of the wood. It's very... hmmm.... hard to describe... organic feeling, I guess. Drying on skin: It's calming down some, which is great, 'cause really. Yule Cat is potent. I think I might be catching some musk now, but still mostly a freshly cut wood kind of smell. Seems to be fading pretty fast, which is pretty okay with me. lol Dried Yule Cat isn't completely offensive, but I might consider layering this with something that might lend it a bit of sweetness, but that just my personal preference. Overall: very interesting, pretty potent and definitely NOT what I would normally wear. But it's actually turning out to be evocative of something that's teasing the edges of my conscience; I'm finding it inspiring in a way. Not because it's pretty or yummy, but there is a creepy darkness to it that makes me think of Hollywood villains.
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‘To make frumente. Tak clene whete & braye yt wel in a morter tyl the holes gon of; seethe it til it breste in water. Nym it up & lat it cole. Tak good broth & swete mylk of kyn or of almand & tempere it therwith. Nym yelkes of eyren rawe & saffroun & cast therto; salt it: lat it naught boyle after the etren ben cast therinne. Messe it forth.’ In parts of rural England, the last sheaf of grain from autumn’s harvest were added to a sweet porridge that was eaten on Christmas morning to ensure good health and strength during the dark of the year. Cracked wheat cooked in cream and ale with currants, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Frumenty to me smells like cinnamon, nutmeg and popcorn. I think its the effect of the cracked wheat cooked which smells like a cooked grain, which means to me... popcorn. Spiced porridge if you like. Medium throw and wear length.
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A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers. I haven't tried this on my skin yet, but it smells delicious out of the bottle. It smells like a candy or sweet that I of course can't think of the name right now.
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Blueberry-filled sufganiyot, blooping blue with jelly. GUYS. Guys. Not to sound (too) dramatic, but I've been DYING for a blueberry sufganiyot scent. I am beyond excited to get my hands on this and try it out. Wet: Very rich blueberries! Like a rich blueberry jelly or jam. There's a slight hint of a pastry note, but the blueberry jelly is pretty strong. Dry: I'm trying to think of a word that's better than "delicious" but I'm coming up short. This is an incredible, rich, blueberry jelly donut scent. While the blueberry jelly scent is still stronger than the pastry note, it's much more prevalent when the scent dries down. I had stupidly high expectations for this scent, and I'm not disappointed at all. I may need a backup bottle, which is rare for me. I've just been JAMMED. (... at Jamm Orthodontics.)
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No minces were harmed in the making of this pie perfume. Figs, raisins, dried cherries, and suet accord (vegan-safe!) steeped in dark brown sugar, crystallized ginger, lemon and orange zest, nutmeg, allspice, and clove, embraced by an apple cider cornmeal crust. This smells strong of nutmeg, clove and allspice, with apples and raisins and hints of other fruit. In other words, this smells like mincemeat as you're making it. Delicious! For all of you apple pie lovers, give this a whirl.
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The Shining Ones: snow-spattered lavender, bourbon vanilla, white mint, and white amber. I am testing this before it has had a full day of rest, so I will update my review if my experience is different after it has had more time to settle. Schönperchten is a clean, cool scent. It's very lavender-forward at first, but it becomes more of a snowy scent over time. The white mint is present throughout wear, but this a light variety of mint that adds a coolness to the scent without being intense or having a burning effect on the skin. It becomes a clean, powdery scent on me (but not like baby powder), and I am not sure if that is due to the white amber, the snow, or a combination of those notes. The snow in this is not sweet, slushy, or pine-y, nor is it the really minty variety. I think there could be some white musk mixed with some ozone at play here... otherwise, the white amber is going powdery on me even though I haven't had that issue with it before. The bourbon vanilla just adds a light sweetness to the scent after a while and becomes slightly more noticeable after a few hours of wear, but it is not a main player on me. It ends up being powdery snow, white amber, and white mint with a very soft lavender note after three hours of wear. I really enjoy the lavender and white mint, and I think the scent goes well with Brian's photo. It conjures images of white furs and soft, powdery snow. I just wish the beautiful lavender note had remained as strong as it was initially! I am going to let this rest some more and see if the vanilla comes out more as it ages.
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Dr. E. S. Packard, of Corunna, Me., in the Eastern Star, states that Mr. David Prescott, of South Sangerville, over ninety years of age, “wandered away into the woods, and not returning, a crowd of over a hundred men hunted for him nearly two days; the mill pond near his house was drained. Search was made in every direction but to no success. “A gentleman of that place decided to call in the aid of Mrs. Stevens; she told him somebody was lost, and not being able to visit the place she drew a map or chart of the locality, giving directions, by which, on his return he was immediately found alive, but died the next day. The day following I was at South Sangerville, and stopping at this gentleman’s house, examined the map, which was perfect in every respect. The house and shed were correctly drawn, the mill and pond near the house were marked, the field and woods, two fences over which Mr. Prescott must climb, even to the swinging of the road by the house was definitely given. “The spot where she said he was, was shown by a large black mark, and he was found exactly in that place. When we consider that Mrs. Stevens never saw this place in her normal condition, it is to me a wonderful test of spirit power.” Absolute and perfect clarity: rockrose, white amber, Corsican immortelle, Siamese benzoin, white sandalwood, and life everlasting. Sniffed, I get clouds of sweet sandalwood incense and white cotton -- not "clean laundry," but something white and cottony and opaque. I think this particular iteration of white amber is doing the powdery thing. It's not floral-forward, though the flowers advance as the blend wears down. Mostly, it's reading as benzoin/sandalwood dusting powder. There's a non-foody but vanilla-like sweetness (probably the benzoin, which contains vanillin). Also, somehow, the blend smells white. The vanilla-resin-powderyness makes me place it in the XYZ Lace family of Lab blends (e.g. Antique Lace, Black Lace, Red Lace). So this is... Psychic Lace.
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The dawn of the Eddic and Skaldic poetry heralded Iceland’s long and rich history of literary culture. Since World War II, there has been a tradition in Iceland called Jólabókaflóðið, or the Christmas Book Flood. It begins with the release of Bokatidindi, a catalog of the season’s new publications. Gifts of books are exchanged on the 24th of December, and Christmas Day is spent reading with your loved ones. This year, we’d like to add a few droplets to the flood. For every purchase of Svarta Fönix Bókaflóð, you receive the Svarta Fönix Bókaflóð perfume, a carefully selected used book purchased from Los Angeles booksellers, and a portion of the proceeds from each bottle will be donated to Project Night Night, an organization that provides security blankets, age-appropriate books, and plush toys to homeless youth. A warm cup of chai, the purr of a bookstore cat, and a roaring fireplace nestled in a library, with books of every size, shape, age, and genre resting on the polished mahogany shelves. In The Bottle: The sweet, smoky scent of the roaring fireplace and the rich smell of the mahogany. A nice start! Wet On Skin: I'm not getting the chai *exactly* but a general warm, resiny spice is what the scent has shifted to. It's very cozy and rich, perfect for a cold, cold winter. I hope it holds! Dry Down: Staying true from application onward, this scent is warm, smoky-sweet and cozy- everything it promises to be, and I'm sure will only get better with age! PS for those interested, the book I received was Positive by David Wellington, which apparently is about zombies, pirates and death cults, among other things. Thanks, Puddin'!
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A smoldering bundle of pine needles, bark, and resin with myrrh, frankincense, and burgundy pitch. Pine Smoke hair gloss is like a Christmas tree + church incense for my hair. I was hoping it might have the same vibe as my beloved Frankincense and Pine Pitch atmo, and yes, it does. The ‘smoke’ element is not too strong, more of a suggestion than outright smoke. I’m glad for that, as I’m not sure I’d want my hair to smell overly smoky. Delightful!
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And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second reindeer say, Come and see. And there went out another snowman that was red: and power was given to him to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. Blood-soaked snow, ice-rimmed steel, red tobacco, crushed strawberries, and red licorice. The oil is very red. It's mainly a strawberry tobacco musk with a whiff of snow and sugar (which I am assuming is the red licorice). It's actually much more approachable than I thought. I am mainly amping up the strawberry and the tobacco. It's a sweet, red, blend on me. Good throw and wear length.
