sarada

I braved my way through the initial buttery smell which is my nemesis to try this out because the drydown sounded promising...and yeah, I kinda dig this! The mintiness is like what I get from Spooky, but without the coconut underneath that I'm not as fond of. Yes, butter mint, but not the kind of butter that makes me need to go to the hospital (Jack makes me rather ill, for example). Not getting any florals from this but that's probably a good thing considering that I've wound up being some sort of allergic to most of the florals I've tried lately. There's sort of a vanilla-y sweetness here too. I don't like vanilla but I like it in Dorian...and if that is what the sweetness in this is from, it ain't so bad! I feel like I've just repeated what everyone else because I'm not feeling very poetic today. But if ~I~ can wear something that has a buttery note in it, that's saying something!!

Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists and nighttime dew...I was definitely hoping for something like Dublin with this one! I ordered a 5 ml right away because I have had good luck with misty herbal scents and, again, I was hoping for something like Dublin. The concept behind this scent is so magical, and the fragrance is very light and ethereal -- ahh...ahh...ahh-choo!! Oh no!!! I never thought I was allergic to anything but I've recently been discovering that I am. And I am very allergic to something in this. Instant major headache and sneezes. I am already having an allergy day today, but I know that this won't work for me. The fragrance is very perfumey, it smells like a BPAL-ized commercial perfume, i.e. still very natural and beautiful, but very strong on the sharp aromatic florals and herbs. As it dries down I do get the sense of a meadow of flowers in a dusty twilight, through a haze. Oh if I could wear stuff like this I would love it! But the shades of Dublin I was hoping for are definitely not present. Beautiful and brilliant, but very much for the perfumey light floral fans!

When I first read the description of this scent, I thought it sounded like my worst nightmare. It contains all of the ingredients that I normally avoid, but it has a really cute name! The only thing that I do normally like in the mix is mint, though, so when the fresh reviews started to come in I became curious...as long as I didn't smell buttered rum or coconut too strong, this had potential... So having secured a bottle I'm pleased to say that mint is the dominating note in this for me and as such, I declare it a success! I don't think I'll be able to use all of it, but I'm sure I'll be able to share it here and there. It comes across as a dark mint on me, sort of like Cathode, which I liked. I do smell some coconut in there but it doesn't bother me the way coconut usually does. I get no rum whatsoever...thank goodness. I have a horrible relationship with that note. As it fades it becomes a little more coconutty. Still not overpowering. I think the fresh dark mint smell is probably wafting around me. The only problem is that if this gets on my clothing (cuffs of sleeves, for instance) it lingers as a sort of tanning oil smell on the cloth (not that I would know anything about tanning, being a redhead!). Best to keep it away from clothing. So, happily, Spooky was not as much of my antithesis as I feared. I can see it as a good Halloween to Christmas time smell, so I will try to keep some around for that time of year. This is one of the only 'foody' smells I have been able to get close enough to, to try. Yay mint!! ETA: I did wind up passing on Spooky because of the lingering suntan lotion scent that permeated my clothing after wearing it, that I just couldn't seem to shake. As we move into the summer that's a scent that starts to make me a little queasy -- Spooky is probably best a cold weather scent when the chilly mint chocolate will be the tastiest!

Mmmmm... I've recently discovered that Dragon's Blood is my friend. I was a little confused because I do sense its resinous qualities but I always felt like it was kind of floral. Someone at some point mentioned that dragon's blood is a little like lilacs, and that's it! But Dragon's Heart adds in some luscious red and black musk and a dab of juicy dark red fruitiness that really energize the Dragon's Blood and give it a lot of throw and staying power. It doesn't have the overpowering red musk scent in some of my other favorites containing that note (like Lust) but it does deepen the Dragon's Blood and give it a bit more throw. It doesn't get a real berry fruitiness going on me, but the currant does sweeten it a bit. I love all the ars draconis blends I've tried though I wasn't really sure that I liked Dragon's Blood in general until I wore it around a bit. That particular note gets amplified on me and tends to drown out all others so anything containing is winds up pretty similar, but it's a classic scent and I don't think I'll get tired of it.

In every blend I've tried that contains apple blossom, it turns overwhelmingly into powder and generally makes the blend not work for me -- now I know the scent for sure, and while it is very true to nature I know that apple blossom does not agree with me. Dusty pollen and the slightly bitter sweetness of apples -- the powdery smell turns it to sort of a bathroom spray scent, which happens with most florals for me, even (sometimes) my beloved lilac. It was nice to get to try it and find out what it smells like on its own.

Yep, this is the floral in Desdemona alright! I wrote a review of this in the booklet we are sending around with the single note swap but I forgot to transcribe it before I sent it on, so I will go from memory -- this was very sweet and gentle but did not go powdery, which is quite an accomplishment for a floral in my book. It's too sweet for me but it's good to know that I can recognize it now. Hypothermya hit it on the nose in describing it as having kind of a pollen scent as well as being soft, marine and sweet. Those aren't things that work on me in a scent but it's a very refreshing, bright spring scent.

Ooh, this smells almost like Anne Bonny! How did that happen? It is a very smooth, almost frankincensy smell, oddly enough, though I know frangipani is the flower plumeria. I can’t get enough of this. Fortunately I can indulge in Anne Bonny after this wears off to keep that wonderful scent going. This is a very strong, rich, woody floral – the floral quality does come out as it dries down but it has a very polished, radiant, wooden glow. I see above that someone else mentioned it smelled like Penitence at one stage, and since Penitence and Anne Bonny almost smell the same to me, I am relieved to see that I'm not the only one who gets this weird frankincensey vibe from this!

I love blends that have a hint of lime in them (Envy, Venom, etc) and was curious what it was like on its own. In Envy it is a sparkling cold citrus, and in Venom it adds a bit of “bite” … on its own, it undeniably smells like a bright green Lifesaver candy or a melted green lime popsicle. Becomes less candylike as it dries down and vanishes very quickly. This is lovely combined with other scents…if I had a whole bottle of this I would splash it on, on a hot day or after a shower most likely!

This is the honey smell that I recognize in Skuld and would swear it's in Anubis as well...I haven't tried O yet so I can't speak for that. A very dark honey, rather surprisingly dark, and I am not generally fond of honey (too sticky) but I don't mind this. I wouldn't wear it but I am glad to know what the note is, that I recognize in other blends.

Wow, it turns out that fig is the note that overwhelmingly strikes me in Mata Hari. This is the exact scent that dominates for me in that blend and reminds me somewhat of toasted rice, slightly sweetened. It comes out in Cerberus as well but with a lighter, slightly citrusy twist. I didn't think that I would like fig, I figured it would smell too much like some sort of baked good, but this came out as a rather nice slightly toasty sweet scent. I won't be afraid of blends that have fig in them now!

I could actually smell this before I even opened the package it came in…very, very strong. My first impressions were Bubbalicious or Hubba Bubba – i.e. a very strong, fruity bubblegum scent. But it also kind of smells like nail polish or nail polish remover. Too strong for me to test, because my bf could smell it from the next room and was so put off by it that I didn’t want to mess with his allergies. I would think that if used in a blend this would need to be used very sparingly.

Rose is one of the few florals that I actively enjoy, especially in blends like Spellbound (which is oh so incensy and red musky on me), Rose Red (love that fresh florist smell), Zombi (roses ground into the earth) and many others – this very simple, pure rose single note is almost like the drydown of Rose Red, to me. It doesn’t smell quite as fresh, cold and natural though, it’s a bit more perfumey and actually gives me a bit of a headache. If I had any of this to play around with I’d try layering it with other single notes to see what I came up with, but as it turns out I think I like rose in more complex blends, more than I like it on its own.

Received as a gift from Phaedrine! The fifth Tarot oil that I have tried...I had no idea what it would smell like as the forums were down and I didn't remember what the reviews said, so I approached this with no (consciously) preconceived notions. At first I thought it was a sort of sweetened, slightly fruity white floral...something white like lilies, or maybe a bit of honeysuckle. But it wasn't a cloyingly strong floral, it's much...rounder, I would have to say. Then I realized that it was probably jasmine that came across as that familiar white floral. I see from other reviews now that I'm not the only one who gets some sort of honeysuckle or other white floral out of it before the jasmine becomes apparent. As it dries it occurs to me that it smells a LOT like Crossroads. The main difference it that I don't get the peculiar sort of headache that I got from that. I attributed it to jasmine, but The Moon hasn't given me a headache so far and I'm pretty sure this is jasmine as well. Maybe it's a different kind, as suggested above...night-blooming jasmine maybe? Or maybe it's gardenia? I don't think that I smell gardenia, but I don't spend a lot of time with florals so I could be mistaken. But since I loved Crossroads and couldn't wear it due to the headaches, this should be an excellent substitute!

Another St. Patrick's Day review! Dublin is one of my top ten favorites in the regular catalog and I don't think that will ever change, even though it is at the other end of the spectrum from many of my other favorites. This scent (which I agree is echoed in Skadi) is one of the most unique fragrances that the lab has created, to me. It smells like nothing elseI have ever encountered. It is perfectly round, soft and sparkling -- palest shimmering green, the reflection of spring trees and shamrocks in a perfectly clear river. I wish I could bathe in this. I initially tried this because of the Skadi comparisons and they are very accurate, for me, but Dublin even has a little more staying power. If Skadi is forest greenery frozen in ice, in Dublin the ice has just melted and the world is fresh and green. I don't smell any rose, or any specific woods but I can imagine this being the scent of a faerie forest in Ireland. This will be one to stockpile I think, I don't want to think of a world in which I cannot smell this fragrance from time to time.

Woody and resinous are two of my favorite things, but there is something in Saturn that doesn't agree with my chemistry -- I almost expected to hear my skin hiss when I tested it! Anything with pepper and almost anything with cinnamon in it, causes me to react similarly -- I feel a sort of burning sensation. Otherwise, in the vial I am inclined to think there might be vetivert in this...not the creamy vetiver of Capricorn, but more like the dark, unyielding one that shows up in a couple of blends that don't agree with me. I am wondering if there is a dark myrrh scent in here as well, as it has that similarly murky, shadow quality that myrrh often suggests to me. As much as I love woody and resinous scents, this is a washer-offer for me...I've had that experience with a lot of the discontinued scents so perhaps there is a common ingredient that they used to use. A sort of lingering dark powdery scent clings, even after I've washed it off. I would like this as an incense and it would be a great ceremonial incense for a man, but it's not going to work on my skin unfortunately. But for a man, on a Saturday, under a new moon, I could imagine this doing marvelous things! ETA: Sniffed again as part of the Celestials swap circle, now that I've read the other reviews I am guessing that the quality that made me need to wash this off might be the civet that everyone is talking about. This is a formidable mixture indeed!

Burial sounds like a good bet -- or Omen! Omen smells a lot like Burial to me and it even dries down a little better (but fades faster). Nosferatu smells like wine and dirt -- I love it but I agree that it doesn't come across green at all, to me.

I've been thinking about this one for awhile but haven't been able to come up with a good description other than to agree with the rosy assessment. I like roses, but so far I have only really clicked with a couple of rose scents where it doesn't turn into bathroom spray or powder on me. I would agree that this makes me think of rosewood, rather than rose petals -- it is very soft and comforting, like sinking into your mother's bosom as a child. I wonder if there's a milk component in this as well, softening it and adding a bit of a creamy texture? That would make sense I guess, given the maternal nature of the card. I seem to think of yellow and pink roses, mainly, when I smell this. Ultimately though the powder smell predominates, which is what happens in a lot of rose scents that I like in theory (like Ouija) but which just don't work on me. I think this matches the card perfectly -- it's never been a card that I connected with though, "my" card has always been The Tower! But this is very comforting, soft and feminine and I feel like people are going to come up and hug me and nestle into my cleavage if I wear it.

Wow! I have always liked rose, but the challenge is in finding rose scents that don't smell powdery or artificial on me. I've been pretty content with Zombi and Spellbound as my favorites that have a strong rose notebut have always wanted to try this, and now I finally can, with an imp from ivyandpeony. In the imp this is very, very surprising, as I don't smell rose right away! I smell something very wet and mossy, but not exactly the dirt smell in Zombi, it's more like the smell of a block of that green foam that florists stick flower stems in to arrange them. More like grass and rain than dirt, but there is a hint of earth in it as well. Once it goes on my skin though that dies down and the pure, perfect, icy rose comes through. This ain't your mama's rose! It lingers for a long time, just like having a fresh bouquet of roses at your side all day. BPAL could take over the world with this scent alone, I think. Here's hoping it comes back some day! At any price!

There's vetiver, and then there's vetivert. Vetiver, to me, is very creamy and smooth, almost chocolatey, and one of my favorite smells. It's my understanding that in BPAL nomencalture, vetivert is slightly different. I've noticed that in fragrances that spell it that way, there is a very strong, bitter, almost animalistic note that I am not as fond of as I am of the smooth and radiant vetiver. Torment is, wow, STRONG. Overwhelmingly so. It is very bitter and herbal, which I attribute to the bay. It makes me think of medicinal herbs...or of a cauldron brewing in a little hut. Sometimes scents that are thing strong dry down into the vetiver smell that I love (Malediction does that, for example), but this becomes more sharp and spiky and herbal and kind of wild and scary! Not detecting any gardenia in this, just very strong, herbal bay and very deep, bitter, strong vetivert. I'm trying to try all of the discontinued fragrances that I can that I missed out on though so I'm glad I got to sample it! I can't see myself wearing it out though, I had to wash it off and put on something with a lot of grapefruit in it to neutralize it.

I was very much hoping for that perfect scent to wear on a rainy day...I'm still undecided as to whether this is it. In the bottle it reminds me either of a men's shaving creme or aftershave...sparkling, clean, a little soapy. I think that it should have some sort of froth or lather. It makes me think of a storm is brewing over the ocean, as the waves churn froth on the shore. When I put it on I feel like I must smell like lightning is about to strike...this is for a rainy day in early spring when things are starting to look green but there's still a touch of chill in the air. I get a slight herbal bitterness on the drydown and I fear this will fade very quickly. I absorb aquatics like mad...very few fragrances stick to me unless I get them in my clothes or hair. I want to keep it around for the stormy spring season but I don't know if I'll use it enough to justify it. For all of the stormy associations that this has for me, it does have a more perfumey overtone than I usually like. Might keep it for awhile, might pass it on, haven't decided yet!

I tested this last night before bed...it's not one I would have chosen myself, but I always try to test out unexpected imps as long as they don't smell like butter! This is a good nighttime fragrance as it turns out, though definitely not my kind of smell...the flowers are very very sweet and white, somewhat reminiscent of Lily of the Valley because of that delicate, childlike sweetness. As it dries down slightly it smells almost exactly like a fresh bunch of flowers -- a dew-kissed bunch of Lilies of the Valley picked by a little girl in the springtime. It has a vivid, crisp early spring sweet freshness to it. Amazing how they capture that scent. It's not something that I like to wear though, I'd rather smell it in the garden...this was a nice experiment before bedtime but florals like this aren't my thing. I am mainly just getting lily and sweet pea from this, I don't sense any of that slightly spicy carnation smell from Alice, but perhaps it would develop more if I wore it during the day.

As has been said before, there's that unmistakeable maraschino cherry smell in the bottle -- but that is also the smell that greets you when you open a bottle of Greed, and in that case it is heliotrope....which I know from experience generally fades away upon application. So despite my aversion to the cherry-almond smell, let's see what happens! After all it's taken me a whole year to try the lab's signature scent! As suspected, the cherry smell goes away very quickly. I really wonder if it is heliotrope, as cherry usually sticks around on me and makes me feel kind of queasy, but this doesn't. Once that is gone, within about a half-hour the predominant smell is the powdery purple that I have come to associate with myrrh. Each and every time I try a blend with myrrh, it comes across as a kind of dusty smell, a powder spread over a viscous, sticky purple surface. It's not unpleasant but I don't think that myrrh (or whatever the note is, in this!) works for me except in a very few blends where it is not the dominant note. This has a drydown very similar to Malice for me, but not quite so dark. It is definitely a very sultry and sexy nighttime smell...but not quite what I associate with myself. I'm so glad I got to try it though! Haven't decided whether to keep or swap, though. Perhaps it's a nice "gothic formal" scent.

Noir is another fragrance that I didn't think about trying when I first started browsing the Lab, and by the time I remembered, it was gone! Now many months later I finally have an imp. The description made me think of Venom, since both have opoponax and jasmine...with some plum in Noir, and berries in Venom, among other things. Venom is one of the strongest scents I've ever tried and it gives me a slight headache (that's the jasmine talking) so I thought the same might happen with Noir. It is very very strong and heady, and somewhat reminiscent of men's cologne (or perhaps Old Spice?). Clove and myrrh stand out the strongest -- myrrh doesn't necessarily always agree with me; I like the dark and smoky aspect but it always really reminds me of sort of a cologne/aftershave smell that rarely develops well on me. I cannot smell any lily, rose or jasmine in this though I suspect that their presence just lends something to the overall alchemy of the scent rather than being intended to stand out on their own. It keeps it from being overwhelmingly dark and spicy. Still, I am enjoying this, though I can't imagine using more than a drop or two to surround me with an aura of gothic mystery for an entire night. This is definitely one of the most Gothic scents I have tried...it just makes me think of a dark, smoky club filled with people smoking cloves and fashionably sulking. I like it though I think it would ultimately give me a headache if I wore too much. A great scent for men, or for a woman going out at night who wants to have an aura of dignity and mystery.

I was always expecting Sudha Segara to be a very foody scent -- or a beveragey scent maybe would be the better word! I expected something like an Indian dessert, like rice with milk and honey. But ginger, as it so often does, makes the scent a very ethereal airy citrus. I know that ginger is not citrus, but it comes across like lemon in many blends (like White Rabbit). Very light and refreshing, like washing your hands in a fingerbowl in a restaurant with lemony water. Having tried a few scents with milk and honey ingredients (Alice, White Rabbit) I can't pick out either of those notes in here, but at least the ginger-smells-like-lemon mystery seems solved to me. This does smell like something you would want to splash on yourself on a warm day, which is not something I would want to do it this was more of the milk and honey scent that I was expecting. A nice surprise!

What a fascinating transformation! I have had Shadow marked as a possible interest since I first visited the site a year ago because I love sandalwood, cedar and patchouli more than just about anything...and I even like verbena quite a bit, but that lemony scent can get really overwhelming sometimes, and all scents that contain it tend to just be lemon on me. Well, Shadow is a very playful little fragrance and one I shall surely order a bottle of if the discontinued alert ever goes up for it...because after the verbena burns off it is an absolutely stunning cedar/sandalwood! My first impressions were just pure lemon, similar to many of the other blends that have it as a top note, like Embalming Fluid and Phantasm. The patchouli immediately begins to assert itself and there's a strange stage where it actually smells, like...ummm...weed, to be perfectly honest! I love the way that the patchouli sticks its little hippie head out and I wave hello to it. Then about a half-hour later I suddenly sniffed my wrist and it's pure, delicious woody cedar and sandalwood. How did that happen?? I'm not sure what the verbena might be contributing after it burns off, but this is definitely right in between the verbena scents that stay lemony, and the woody scents that I love so much. I have so many bottles I want right now this isn't an urgent want, but I have a feeling I'll be using it a lot in the summer so I can get my wood fix without having something too heavy and smoky. If they ever phase this one out though I will definitely stock up!