All Souls

An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes.

I like All Souls, a lot. But I think I need to make a rule: no Weenies that I've already tried or already own. This update is overwhelming and I need to narrow down a lot (this breakdown will help). Anyway, I have a bottle + a decant of All Souls, so I don't need more.

 

Dia de los Muertos

This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.

I don't think I've ever tried this, but now is not the time. Need to focus on the new stuff and I think this will be easy to find some if I ever feel the need.

 

Feeding the Dead

A barrel of beer, a pyramid of cakes, and three sticks of incense.

I tried this before, and I have a decant, but.....see All Souls. Pass for now.

 

Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookie

With cinnamon, nutmeg, browned butter, and cream cheese icing.

No foodie or cookie scents this time, not in the mood.

 

Le Revenant

A shroud of gardenia, narcissus, and sandalwood with ambrette seed, white cognac, muguet, davana, and white musk.

Now we're getting closer....but not quite. I will pass on this one. The list of notes just doesn't call out to me for some reason.

 

Magnificent Autumn

A scent that wanders through the Ages of Autumn, from the last green leaf to the first breath of winter.

Already have a bottle from last year, I like it, but don't need more now.

 

October

Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air.

Not this time - I still have my bottle from '07, and I do love it, but it's enough for me.

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake

No, I don't need this one at all, I have Pumpkin Cheesecake from the inquisition a few years back. That's all the pumpkin cheesecake I need!

 

Pumpkin Lager

A peculiar point of contention: you either love it or hate it, and however you feel, it’s passionate.

Lol - No! I am tired of reading about everyone's pumpkin beer! I don't drink these days and I don't feel any desire for this one.

 

Samhain

Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

I love Samhain, but see All Souls.....have to narrow these down.

 

Second Spring

An accolade: drifting leaves tinted in the bold reds of pomegranate and current, the golds of amber and honey, russet myrrh, a touch of cypress-green, and crisp patchouli-brown.

This sounds nice, I would probably like it. But it sounds very similar to Magnificent Autumn, which I already have. I'll watch reviews but will probably skip this one.

 

Sonnet d’Automne 2015

Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves.

No - still have my bottle from a couple years ago, and don't wear it very much. Not a favorite.

 

Sugar Skull 2015

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.

*sigh* I love Sugar Skull, even though I just said no foodie scents. But - I already have 1 bottle plus 3 or 4 decants, and I can't justify buying a bottle this year, although I would like to. I'll watch reviews, though. It's possible this might sneak into my cart anyway! (if people rave about this year's being special or different)

 

Sweet William’s Ghost

A scent of unendurable grief and longing: pale orris root and honeyed white lily chilled by wild carrot and cognac, pulled into a winding sheet of white jasmine, tobacco flower, tuberose, and patchouli.

Ok - this one sort of called out to me instantly. Which is crazy since it's so unlike what I thought I liked up until now. I mean, white lily? Honeyed white lily? I would have steered clear of this before this year. But I had an experience with doezens of lilies that sort of opened my eyes and my nostrils, and ever since then, I've had a complete turnaround about lily in perfumes. I said elsewhere that I wanted an elegant fall floral this year. Maybe this is it! So far, this is the first bottle I'm thinking of buying.

 

The Unquiet Grave

One kiss of clay-cold lips: frozen white roses, frankincense, white gardenia, white sandalwood, and vanilla orchid.

I don't really like white rose, and the rest of the description isn't calling to me. Sometimes that's all it comes down to, just a gut feeling.

 

The Vampire Bride

Icy skin touched by a perfume of violet leaf, white tea, olibanum, elemi, myrrh, wormwood, crypt dust, and saffron with a dribble of blood red musk.

Is this a repeat? I think I have a decant. Anyway - I usually don't like violet, and this isn't really calling to me. I may try my decant again. The artwork is beautiful.

 

The White Witch 2015

Love pain-ecstatic, cruel-sweet: gold-flecked honey amber pulsating with red musk, patchouli coeur, bourbon vanilla, inky vetiver, pomegranate rind, myrrh, blackened violet leaf, and blood red rose petals.

Just not feeling it, which is good since I need to narrow these down.

 

Dead Leaves and Tobacco

Ok, I want to try all the Dead Leaves, but I just can't. I can't believe this but I'm going to agree with the people who say, these might turn into men's cologne. At this point I am pretty much satisfied with more masculine scents, and I'm more interested in light, elegant, chic, willowy scents. Leaf scents can be a little prickly and I think that I actually have enough at this point. I even have the Pile of Fallen Leaves single note from last year. So - I'm going to pass on these for now.

[Dead Leaves, Black Pepper, and Sandalwood

Dead Leaves, Bourbon Vanilla, and Myrrh

Dead Leaves, Frankincense, and Copal

Dead Leaves, Honey, and Oudh

Dead Leaves, Red Musk, and Neroli]

 

 

Apple I

Apple with hay absolute, oats, honey, cream vanilla, and goat’s milk accord.

Thank goodness, I don't need ANY of the apple scents. Just not my thing. If I was going to try one, it would be Apple III, but I will pass on all these.

[Apple II

Green apple with pink pepper, Himalayan cedar, juniper berries, and lemon rind.

Apple III

Appalachian black apple with sweet tobacco and patchouli, orange blossom, vanilla champaca, lavender, and white honey.

Apple IV

Red apple with blackcurrant bud, black clove, and vanilla bourbon.

Apple V

Apple with white coconut, fig, and tiare.]

 

Apple Cider

Pretty sure I can skip the single notes. I got dead leaves last year, pretty hard to top that. Oh and the Pile of Leaves from last year? After 3 hours it smells exactly like Rive Gauche on me. I will skip these for now, because there are 2 sections of Salon scents I need to narrow down still (the Pickman Galleries)......

[bonfire

Candied Apple

Clown White

Disappointing Pencil

Graveyard Dirt Redux

Polyester Spiderweb

Pumpkin Spice Everything

Stage Blood]

 

A Phantasmagoria: Scene – Conjuring Up an Armed Skeleton

Wig powder, amber-perfumed leather gloves, and rose petals with a sliver of oak bark and cauldron smoke.

Ok, here we go. I will have to be ruthless with these. I have always loved the Lab's Salon scents, even the ones I don't end up wearing, I love smelling them. I think I can skip this one, sounds a little too powdery and the rose petals may turn soapy on me.

 

A Witch Riding on a Dragon

Blackened tonka, patchouli, dragon’s blood resin, and scorched oak.

Pass....too incense-y and scorched, which is not what I'm interested in these days.

 

A Young Woman Appealing to a Witch

Honey, cream and white rose petals buffeted by toadstools, creeping moss, bog cypress, and myrrh.

Hmmm....no to honey, cream, and white rose.

 

Départ Pour Le Sabbat (Aufbruch Zum Hexensabbat)

Bourbon vanilla, sweet red patchouli, oudh, goat’s milk accord, and white honey.

I love the art. I could see myself looking for a decant at some point.

 

Liebeszauber

Honey, rose petals, and carnations – a drop of blood – red clover, cubeb berries, and vanilla cream.

Well.....again, I love the art, but I'll say no to honey, rose, and carnation. I bet this smells pretty, though.

 

The Magic Circle

Vanilla-infused frankincense and clary sage with 7-year aged patchouli, jasmine sambac, honey myrtle, and oudh.

Ok - on my first quick read-through, I thought I'd pass on this. But, I just took a closer look at the art. Wow, that is beautiful. This just became a bottle candidate. Hope and Fear de-luxe? Sounds good to me.

 

The Sorceress

An evocation incense of frankincense, styrax, lavender buds, mastic, and white sandalwood mingled with moonflower, violet absolute, tuberose, and dark musk.

I'm about 50/50 on this one. It's a possibility, but probably won't make the cut in the end.

 

The Witch and the Mandrake

Mandrake root, apple blossom, dusty brown sandalwood, coconut milk, woodmusk, and soft leather.

I like leather sometimes, but this combination sounds a little odd to me, and I'm worried about that apple blossom. I don't know - I'd like to give it a sniff but probably pass for now.

 

The Witches

Pumpkin cream, honey, vanilla sugar, and smoked vanilla bean.

Again, the art is lovely, but I generally steer away from honey.

 

The Witches’ Rout (the Carcass)

White sandalwood, opoponax, shriveled black plum, and vetiver.

Interesting, but sounds a little bitter to me. The list of notes reminds me of something I've smelled before - maybe Lunar Eclipse? I don't know, pass for now.

 

The Witches’ Sabbath

Burgundy and champaca resin with immortelle, leather accord, wine-soaked red fruits, rose geranium petals, red patchouli, guttering candles, and smoke.

This sounds a lot like one of the older Salons, I'm blanking on which one. The one thing that worries me is burgundy, I haven't had much luck with wine notes in the past. Pass for now.

 

Witchcraft Scene

Black lily and black pepper with narcissus, white musk, and white sandalwood.

This sounds interesting. I know I don't like black pepper in perfume a whole lot. But the combination does spark my interest a little bit. I'll have to think about it.

 

Witches’ Kitchen

Belladonna accord, sprigs of rue, crushed hyssop, white sage, beeswax, mandrake leaf, bay rum, black honey, hemp, and myrrh.

I think I'll pass on this one. The list of notes sounds a little strange. It might work, but it's not high on my list.

 

A Holy Man Advises a Woman to Invoke Mary Against a Devil

White musk, tobacco flower, white tea, Tunisian neroli, and blonde leather.

This could be good. But - again, not high on my list. And the art isn't standing out to me that much either.

 

La Femme de Satan

Red musk and cacao with clove, caramelized tobacco, aged patchouli, red currant, black leather, and vanilla-infused amber.

Hmmm.....sounds very sensual and sexy. I may have to keep an eye on reviews. I could be seeking a partial bottle of this.

 

La Ronde du Sabbat

Oman frankincense, black clove, and tobacco tar.

Clove can be tricky for me, but I do like frankincense. I'll watch reviews. This might work if it's smooth and light. It could lean to the gritty or earthy side, though. Might have to find a decant.

 

Pan Twardowski and the Devil

Brown leather, bay leaf, tobacco leaf, lavender, and oudh.

Wow....that's one sexy list of notes. I'll watch reviews, but I am not hopeful about this working for me. Now that I think about it, leather scents are about 50/50 on me, and the last few that I tried haven't worked for me at all. Possible decant.

 

Portrain of an Unidentified Man as Mephistopheles

A debonair lavender fougere cloaked in smoky red musk, red mandarin, and oakmoss.

Now this sounds sexy. And I love the art. This is a bottle possibility. Very much.

 

Satan Starting from the Touch of Ithuriel’s Spear

Golden amber, carnation, blackcurrant, aged black patchouli, red musk, and vetiver.

I will pass on this. I am not crazy about carnation and otherwise, this sounds just very much like other scents I've already tried.

 

Satan Summoning His Legions

White leather and cypress-tinged white musk with cardamom, smouldering incense, Ceylon cinnamon and white sandalwood.

This sounds promising. I will watch reviews, possible decant. Despite the leather and incense, it could work, because I tend to love the lab's cinnamon notes. That could bring it all together into something great.