A bombardment of edible carnival indulgences. Funnel cake, caramel apple, cotton candy, salt water taffy and sugar tart.
Reviewed 01/21/2008
In the bottle I get mostly sugar, a touch of something tangy, and a hint of coconut suntan lotion.
Wet: It's hovering on the edge of that plastic, playdoh scent Beaver Moon '05 gave me. NOOOOOO!
Dry: My skin eats every other note and leaves funnel cake, dusted generously with powdered sugar. NOMNOMNOM is the perfect description for this. I don't get any apple at all, which is a shame, because I love caramel apple and was hoping for some of that to come out. It doesn't have much throw, and fades out quickly, but it's worth the repeated slathering. I'm glad I nabbed two bottles of this while it was up, and I'm sure I'll be on the hunt for more.
A shot of pure, self-indulgent euphoria! A scent that is very, very wicked in its own way: the serotonin-slathered scent of pure milk chocolate.
Reviewed 09/14/2008
In the imp: Chocolate, and nothing but.
Wet: Melted chocolate. Yum.
Drydown: This is gobs of milk chocolate. Not the expensive dark chocolates of Candy Butcher or the sticky rich chocolate of Lump of Coal, but pure milk chocolate, like a handful of Hershey Kisses. There's not much throw, this is definitely one that you have to be close to sniff.
A lunatic's blend of lunar herbs and blossoms, with lemongrass, guava, pink grapefruit, banyan fruit, hibiscus, and cherry blossom.
Reviewed 03/08/2008
In the bottle: Creamy fruits.
Wet: Heavy on the guava and the grapefruit. It's very crisp and clear.
Drydown: The longer this sits on my skin the more the floral notes come out. The florals come forward and ground the fruit, while the fruits keep this from becoming too floral. It's a relatively non-foody fruit scent, IMO. It 'feels' very cool and it's appropriate for the coming spring season. I like this a lot.
Terminal sugar rush. A little goblin's candy bag, upended.
Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint.
Reviewed 09/02/2008
In the bottle: Barely there berry and sugar.
Wet: Thick, sugary syrup, strawberry, and glittering candy. This is strong.
Dry: This is like Strawberry Moon and Treat #1 with a drizzle of Karo syrup on top and just a hint of a linen note to keep it from being sickly sweet. Lots of throw on this one, to my surprise.
Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before, milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Reviewed 09/14/2008
In the imp: Creamy fresh, sweet floral.
Wet: Chemical flowers.
Drydown: This smells like flowery toilet bowl cleaner. Thankfully it faded very, very quickly. This definitely does NOT love my skin.
Reviewed 07/28/2008
CXLIII (143)
In the bottle: Fruity musk, a hint of something dry and dusty that makes my nose twitch.
Wet: Fruity and spicy. It's a tart fruit, but not pomegranate, maybe cranberry?
Dry: There's definitely a musk under the tart, juicy fruit. My nose is twitching if I sniff too deeply, the way it does with Shango, so I think there may be some chili. Medium throw.
Verdict: I love this! The spiciness gives it a fall feel, but it's not overpowering and could be worn year-round.
The pinnacle of wealth, luxury, self-indulgent pleasure, voluptuousness and sensuality. Bright violet with sweet clove, Mediterranean incense notes and tonka bean.
Reviewed 09/14/2008
In the imp: Violet! This smells a lot like Faith.
Wet: Violet, with a hint of clove underneath.
Drydown: The clove and incense take over and smash down any other note that tries to come out. If I were an incense and clove fan, this would be a favorite.
Blue and white musks, moonflower, rose, magnolia, lemon verbena, and lychee.
Reviewed: 07/06/2008
In the imp: Very sharp. I can definitely smell the lemon verbena and lychee.
Wet: I'm not just clean, I'm Zestfully clean! This smells just like Zest soap.
Drydown: I'm getting a bit of rose now, and a small amount of that citrus freshness that lychee gives, but it's overlaid with a strong soap scent. This is definitely not for me.
An irrelevant, disturbing, and surreal scent: red currant, green tea, red musk, Hawaiian ginger, benzoin, vanilla, coriander, squash blossom, and blueberry.
Reviewed 07/29/2008
In the bottle: Lots of lovely blueberry candy, something sharp and clean (the tea?), and a hint of flowers.
Wet: No! Go away soap, go away! *sob*
Drydown: This turns into a perfectly lovely blend, the soapiness fades away and leaves a crisp, clean blend that reminds me of freshly laundered linens with flower petals pressed between the sheets. But that sweet blueberry candy scent never comes back, and that's what I really wanted. Wahhh. I hate you, body chemistry.
Reviewed 07/28/2008
CLXVI (166)
In the bottle: Delicious fruit punch and a champagne note.
Wet: Yummy, red fruits and champagne, mixed together.
Dry: There's definitely cherry and strawberry in there, possibly grape. This *sparkles*. It's sweet and super-fruity. Medium throw, loooong wear length for a fruity scent.
Verdict: If I had a signature scent, THIS WOULD BE IT. Dearest Lab Staff, you are absolute geniuses and I love you dearly.
The only downside to my bliss is that this is the only one of my CT4 bottles that wasn't full past the neck. This one is barely to the shoulder, and therefore must be jealously hoarded and guarded. SOB!
Reviewed 07/29/2008
CCXXXIV (234)
In the imp: Spearmint, and nothing but.
Wet: I could have sworn I just swiped some perfume on...where did it go?
Dry: Oh, there it is. This got very faint for a few minutes then came back. This is pretty much a spearmint single note. It's got a much stronger throw than the normal lab mints, and it lasts a good, long time.
Verdict: I should have known from the number (I love sequential numbers like 234!) that this would be lovely. I think I'd like to layer this with MB: Tokyo Stomp or one of the Lick It line.
Gleaming eyes, screeching voices, glistening wings: black amber, black orchid, black currant, olive blossom, wood violet, lavender, blue musk, rose attar, and cedar.
Reviewed 08/26/2007
This was so odd on me.
Emathides started off smelling EXACTLY like Avon Skin So Soft, and it was so strong that I almost gave up on it right then and there. But after it dried it changed to dark, juicy berries with a hint of woodiness underneath. Not my normal scent inclination but very nice all the same, not overpowering but with a good throw. After a few hours it morphed to a very overwhelming baby powder-ish smell. Then that faded out and it became the berry-and-wood scent again, only much lighter. That final stage lasted for another few hours and then poof! It was gone.
It was very pretty and feminine and grown up, and I can see myself wearing this out for formal occasions.
And for once, a scent that I love didn't work better on my kiddo than me! Muahahaha. She tends to lean towards light, floral scents, and this was all musk on her. It was a very light musk, but she didn't like it at all and wound up washing it off after about an hour.
Monoi de Tahiti, vanilla, white coconut, tuberose, ylang ylang, white musk, red hibiscus, and neroli.
Reviewed: 07/08/2008
In the imp: Flowers and...pixy stix?
Wet: Still flowers and pixy stix. What a strange combination, but it works so far.
Drydown: The candy scent has completely faded out, and left a bouquet of tropical flowers behind. I don't get any coconut or vanilla, just pure, fresh florals. It's not my usual style, but it's pretty and I can see myself wearing it out often. Good throw and wearlength.
A fine confection for discriminating trick or treaters: a fig meat, coconut, and buttercream bonbon rolled in orange rind, mint leaf, cardamom, clove and ginger, dipped in milk chocolate.
Reviewed 07/21/2008
In the bottle: Orange, chocolate, a hint of ginger.
Wet: Lots of orange, with a strong coconut note and a bit of chocolate.
Dry: There's still quite a bit of orange on top. I'm not getting any mint or spices, and the ginger note that was hinted at in the bottle has disappeared. Most of this is wonderful, but the coconut is a bit too strong for my tastes and I probably won't wear it often. Medium to light throw and medium weartime, if I were inclined to wear this for a whole day it would likely be a slatherer.
Lovely, dangerous, slick, and bitterly cold: chilly white sleet-like notes with a hint of vetiver, a breath of smoky asphalt, and winter wind.
Reviewed 07/18/2008
In the imp: Something earthy I don't recognize, a breath of a spicy mint that reminds me of Nuclear Winter, and that distinctive 'cold' note.
Wet: I'm getting a cool, herbal scent with a swirl of mint.
Drydown: Spicy yet cold, herbal, minty. Low throw, but long lasting. This isn't what I expected, but I like it. I was expecting something a little more aloof, but it's very sexy.
Reviewed 07/28/2008
CLIII (153)
In the bottle: Holy pine and eucalyptus!
Wet: Eeek! Pine!
Dry: Pine, eucalyptus, some kind of dark berry, and that note from Crypt Queen that goes all to Vicks on me. After grabbing my CQ bottle and testing these side by side, they smell VERY similar to my nose. Pretty strong throw.
Verdict: I can't wear Crypt Queen, and this isn't working for me either. I think I'll try to swap this for a different CT4.
Golden mead, fermented with gruit, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger root, sweet-briar, rosemary, and lemon.
Reviewed 07/04/2008
In the bottle: Honey, lemon, and a hint of ginger.
On my skin: This quickly becomes vaguely-honey-scented baby powder. WAHHH. It has good throw and lasts for EVER, so I think I'll let it age for a few months and test it again.
Deep herbs and apple with black amber.
Reviewed: 07/13/2008
In the imp: Apples and spice, like fresh spiced cider.
Wet: Fresh, juicy apples and spice.
Drydown: This has a great throw. It lasts a good while, too, but the apple eventually fades out, leaving the spiciness to dominate. I never got anything herbal from it, just spicy apples with very little morph. I like this very much on my skin, and I think it would make a wonderful room scent. It seems to be a fall scent to me, so I'll tuck this away until the weather starts to cool down again.
A sweet reward for a worthy deed: caramelized sugar and sweet cream.
Reviewed 07/21/2008
In the bottle: Butter creamed together with sugar and vanilla. Cue Homer-ish drooling now.
Wet: Butter and vanilla, strongly. It's verging on that plastic, play-doh note of Beaver Moon '05, which makes me nervous.
Drydown: This dries down to creamy, soft, sugared vanilla. It's lingering close to my skin, but it has lasted for hours and hours. It came very close to that play-doh note for a while, but backed down and stayed lovely. A foody dream come true.
A new year's blessing! Peony, China's national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, lychee for strong family relationships and peace in the home, orange for happiness, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, coconut for longevity, and candied melon for good health, with a splash of blazing red of dragon's blood... to help you scare away the rampaging Nian.
Reviewed 03/08/2008
In the imp: This smells sharp, but not citrus sharp. It makes my nose twitch.
Wet: Why hello there melon! Wow, that's strong. I can't make out any of the other notes through the melon.
Drydown: None of the citrus notes came out for me, sadly. The melon calmed down a lot and blended with the other notes to create a beautiful fruity-floral scent with a hint of something sharp cutting through all sweetness. I'm glad I didn't amp the dragon's blood in this, because it doesn't do well on me. The throw is low, but it lasts a really long time even on my skin, which drinks up oils like a Hummer guzzles down gas. I'm not sure how often I will wear this, but I definitely want a bottle of this before it goes down.
A super-sweet, glittering mountain of crushed hard candy: watermelon, pink lime, lemon, strawberry and piles upon piles of crystalline sugar.
Reviewed 03/08/2008
This is absolute silliness in a bottle, and I adore it. A mountain of hard candy is the perfect description for this. I don't get much watermelon, but there's tons of lemon and lime with a dash of strawberry thrown in, with a few pounds of sugar piled on top. It smells like rock candy. I think what I love most about this scent is that it's impossible to sniff it without smiling, you just can't be sad if you're wearing it.
Pumpkin with white chocolate, caramel, pomegranate, and cream.
Reviewed: 07/08/2008
In the imp: Caramel, then an undertone of something bitter that I can't identify but makes me wrinkle my nose.
Wet: That bitter undertone I noticed in the imp rears its ugly head again, but smooths out pretty quickly as the caramel and cream take over.
Drydown: The caramel is gone, and that bitter note (which I'm assuming is the pomegranate, but it isn't like any of the other pomegranate notes I've tried from BPAL) hasn't come back. This has settled into a spiced cake with a hint of chocolate. I don't get actual pumpkin, but more like the spices you use for pumpkin pie. Not a huge throw. This would be wonderful in the fall, but it's a bit overwhelming for these hotter months.
The Babylonian Goddess of Dreams, who bestows the power of Oneiromancy onto her priests. This blend opens up psychic sensitivity during sleep and aids in the understanding and correct interpretation of portents and symbols.
Reviewed: 07/07/2008
In the imp: Sharp lavender, bright citrus. Very strong.
Wet: Crisp, bright lemon, with something spicy lingering underneath. It's still very strong.
Drydown: The lavender has been completely overpowered, and it's a spicy, bright lemon. This has one of the strongest throws I've ever found. Since I have to wear a CPAP mask that covers my face while I sleep I can't speak to any dream properties, but it's quite lovely anyway.
TP'd Trees! -- Cypress, oak, and pine covered in 2-ply!
Reviewed: 07/06/2008
In the imp: It's not the pine scent I expected. It smells like something labeled "mountain spring fresh" rather than anything piney or woody.
Wet: Wow, is this subtle. Not at all what I expected. It's aquatic and light, slightly powdery.
Drydown: Still very subtle. Not much throw, but it lasted a decently long time. There's a skin-musk-and-powder scent here that reminds me a lot of Enraged Bunny Musk. I've been putting off testing this one because wood notes are so awful on me, but I really, really like this. It's very light and fresh and cool, a perfect scent for the dog days of summer.
A sophisticated traditional gentleman’s cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli’s passion, tonka bean’s decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss’ cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme.
Reviewed: 07/13/2008
In the imp: A fresh, clean, men's cologne.
Wet: Sharp and clean. I can definitely smell the lavender.
Drydown: I keep looking around to see the good-smelling guy, but it's me. It's very fresh, no patchouli to speak of and the florals are light. I'd like to convince my SO to wear this because I think it would be amazing on a man, but he says it gives him a headache. I'm not particularly looking to smell like a guy, but I could probably layer it well with some of my other oils.
