Catmint

This is incredibly faint on me, barely there even though I slathered it. What little I can smell is really nice -- warm spices and lots of smoke, but no vanilla. If this was about 10 times stronger I'd buy a big bottle and put it in an oil burner when I have the gas fireplace on in the living room, because it really has the most amazingly realistic smoke scent to it! ETA: Well, now that it's aged for a year or so, the sharp smoke is gone and I definitely get the vanilla! It's still pretty light and I need to SLATHER it in order to get much effect, but it's really beautiful. I will definitely buy a few bottles of this and tuck them away for a year or so.

Approximately how much of a difference does it make? I'm about to send through my first order, and I have close to $150 in bottles alone, so it would only cost an extra $2 shipping to put the bottles in one order and the imps in a second order ($13 vs $11). Will that make a difference of, say, a week or more? I'd happily pay an extra couple bucks to get my bottles faster.

Either my imp was mislabeled, or I have the world's suckiest skin chemistry. There was no peach or fruit or sweetness in this on me at all. It smelled exactly like the inside of my mother-in-law's old Victorian dresser drawers: dusty wood and musty, faintly-scented lining paper. Patchouli hates me.

After reading the first page of reviews for Habu, I was convinced my decant was mislabeled, but then I saw 2 people mention a cocoa note, so maybe I just got a really nice batch, or this (frimped) decant came from a well-aged bottle. IMP: sweet, warm and chocolately. No grass or bamboo or any greenery at all. WET: this smells like the love child of Candy Butcher and Snake Oil -- dark cocoa, warm spicy vanilla. Absolutely delicious! DRY: goes through a phase of smelling smoky and tobacco-ish, but then the smoke evaporates and leaves a warm spicy vanilla scent, like a vanilla version of Candy Butcher. It's much sweeter and mellower than plain Snake Oil, which I didn't get on with at all. I'm totally in love with this -- but I'm scared that if I order 5ml, I'll get a batch that's all sharp bamboo and it won't smell anything like this.

I ordered this in the hopes of getting the chocolate note everyone mentioned, since I love Candy Butcher and Vice. Alas, no chocolate at all for me -- but no roses, either (thank god). In the imp and on wet, it's a very fruity floral with a bit of spice under it. I definitely get cherry, and some light, sweet florals. For about 10 minutes, just after it dries, it smells absolutely divine -- like spicy cherry cobbler and orange blossoms. If it stayed like this, I would buy a gallon of it! But then the fruit disappears and it becomes a sweet, light floral with some resiny warmth to it. Not much throw or wear length, but still very nice while it lasts.

I think there must be something seriously screwed up about my skin chemistry. I wish I could just eat lots of papaya or take Vitamin E or something that would change my chemistry, because so many of these scents that smell divine on other people are just awful on me. IMP: very sweet floral. I don't get any orange or lemony tones, or anything bubblegummy. Just a thick heavy floral. WET: very very soapy floral. I don't know if it's the honeysuckle or the heliotrope or if there's something else under there that smells like soap on me, but I smell like a walking bar of soap DRY: Once the soapy smell dissipates (after an hour or so) there's not much else left. Just a very very faint trace of florals. Maybe I should buy a scent locket....

I almost bought a bottle of this unsniffed because I was so sure I would love it. Good thing I got an imp instead! IMP: cherry bubblegum WET: cherry cough syrup. DRY: the cherry note stays very medicinal, and the florals go powdery almost instantly. I smell like a sick child: cough syrup and baby powder. Off to swaps. ETA: I tried this on my 6 year old daughter, thinking it might be more bubble gummy on her, but it was instant cough syrup on her as well.

Not only would I have never ordered this based on the Lab's description, I probably wouldn't have ordered it if I had seen all the reviews saying it's a vanilla floral, since I'm not really a fan of vanilla scents or florals. I was ordering some imps from a forumite and saw this on their sale list and I thought, hmmm, pretty name, I'll throw that one in too. IMP: Definitely vanilla and flowers, but it's really soft and well-blended. It smells like a vanilla-scented flower, the same way that orange blossom smells like an orange-scented flower, rather than smelling like a mixture of vanilla extract and floral perfume. I have no idea what the flower of the vanilla vine smells like (it's actually a type of orchid), but I could believe it smells like this. WET: The linen starts to emerge, and works really well here. I'm not a fan of linen scents, either, yet somehow the vanilla and linen and faint floral all blend beautifully. It is very sweet, though. DRY: Wow. This smells like snuggling in bed on a Sunday morning, under clean linen sheets and a big down comforter, drinking vanilla chai with morning sunlight streaming through the window. Comfort in a bottle! I'm amazed at how much I like this, considering how much I dislike vanilla, floral, and linen scents! I've never bought a candle, a room scent, a body lotion, or a perfume with any of those notes, I always go for citrusy, green, or fruity/spicy blends, yet Antique Lace really works for me. I will definitely order a bottle of this and use it as a linen/room spray in the bedroom, and as a perfume for those lazy winter weekends when I pad around the house in yoga pants and a sweatshirt drinking chai. Yum! ETA: I think this would also be a great scent on a child, and I can totally see my 5-yr-old daughter wearing this.

I seem to be having far more luck with the Tea Party scents than any other category, and this is one of the best. IMP: grape bubblegum and, um, some other stuff WET: the fruit instantly goes poof, and it's a spicy floral. After looking at the lab notes, I can see it's carnation and that's pretty much all I'm getting: sweet cinnamony clovey flowers. DRY: Stays the same as when wet for an hour or so, then the recognizably floral aspect of the carnation disappears and leaves the spice behind. There's a slight fruitiness to it, but not any recognizable fruit, and I totally get the Yankee Candle generic-spiced-fruit associations, but this still smells really nice on me after the flowers leave. I sure wish the plum stuck around for more than 3 seconds, but this still dries down to a lovely warm sweet, spicy scent on me that I can definitely see myself slathering in autumn & winter. Will be including a bottle of this in the next order!

IMP: Sweet, fresh and fruity, like a cup of chamomile tea with sugar and lemon. Faint hint of lavender in the background. WET: Citrusy lavender. I wish I got the grapefruit everyone is talking about, because I love grapefruit, but all I get is a kind of generic citrus scent like they use in cleaning products. The freshness and sharpness of citrus rind, without the juice or flavor of the fruit. DRY: A musky lavender with a hint of citrus and an occasional whiff of berry. Not bad, but definitely not the screaming juicy grapefruit I was hoping for. Off to swaps.

IMP: very fresh and clean and green, reminds me a lot of Calyx WET: mmmmmm, tea and citrus with herbal undertones. Very nice! DRY: Whoa, where'd the tea go? I had tea with lemon for all of about 90 seconds, and now it's just a perfumey green floral. Dang, for a couple minutes there it was soooo perfect. Who knew peony could be such a thug?

IMP: fresh, fruity sweet pea WET: sweet pea and vanilla; very VERY sweet and somewhat powdery DRY: the freshness of the sweetpea disappears almost immediately, and it smells like a very sweet, vaguely floral vanilla. After about 15 minutes the sweet pea is gone altogether, and it's just an ambery, sandalwoody scent with a smidge of vanilla. Warm and sweet, but fairly faint and nothing special on me. This mouse's tale will end in the swap pile, methinks. ETA: The first time I tried this I was looking for sweet pea and was disappointed by how quickly it evaporated. But as I've tried more and more BPAL blends I've started to appreciate vanilla and amber a lot more. I usually avoid sandalwood because I amp it like crazy, but this one is very well behaved. I like this more and more; in fact I'm beginning to like it better than Antique Lace and I'm thinking of swapping my bottle of AL and getting this instead. It also smells gorgeous layered with Sudha Segara

I decided to try this on my husband, who is a serious licorice fiend. I've never smelled real absinthe, but I had a horrble experience with ouzo once, so I'm a little nervous about this one and am hoping it doesn't smell like licoricey booze. I do love wormwood and anise hyssop (AKA licorice mint, AKA agastache rupestris) and grow them both in my garden, so I'm hoping for an herby wormwood and hyssop scent! IMP: Hmmmmm, pretty licoricey, with a sharp shot of mint. WET: Much better! A nice soft herbal, anisey/hyssop scent, with less mint and more lemon. The lemon is quite sweet, like lemon drops. DRY: Dries to a lovely fresh herbal scent with anise and lemon perfectly balanced in the foreground. I'm surprised by how sweet and fresh it smells, not at all sharp or medicinal or even boozey. Really really lovely scent!!! My only complaint is that it doesn't last long at all. It was totally gone in under 2 hours. I would love to make this into an aftershave balm, though, I think it would be perfect for that. I can definitely see this being an everyday scent for my husband, and I would wear it too, maybe when I'm working in the garden. Definitely ordering a bottle of this!

IMP: Peach-flavored candy or bubblegum, very very sweet and juicy. WET: Like really juicy fresh peaches and apricots, amped up with extra peach candy flavor. Super yummy intense peachiness, with a growing hint of spice in the background. DRY: This is like some heavenly, idealized version of fruit cobbler -- it has the warm sweet spiciness of cinnamon and clove and brown sugar, yet the fruit still smells bright and fresh and uncooked. Even a couple of hours later, when it's mostly warm spices, there is still a hint of fresh fruit behind it. This is a really gorgeous, juicy, comforting scent, a bit like an autumnal version of Tweedledee. Definitely a big bottle for me!

IMP: luscious, juicy fruit and strong powdery florals WET: hmmm, the gardenia and rose are VERY strong and are stomping all over the fruit, which quickly disappears DRY: smells like hotel soap or too-strong potpourri. It's all gardenia and dried roses and it smells awful on me. Damn.

I love all things citrus, and I love green tea, so I hoped I would love Embalming Fluid. In the imp it smelled promising -- very fresh and green, although more aloey than citrusy to me. Unfortunately it instantly turned to soap on my skin. Or some musky, aloey men's shaving gel. Rats.

Since I have a son who's obsessed with all things marine, I actually thought "Squirting Cucumber" referred to the critter they call a "sea cucumber" or sea slug, and I expected this to be an underwater scent. DOH! Crisp, juicy, slightly sweet cucumber with a watery hint of aloe. I love the tone of it, the freshness and coolness of it, but it's a bit too literal for me. I don't actually want to smell like a cucumber, but I would love to find something to layer this with, so I could keep the wet, summery freshness of it without smelling like a salad. Hmmmmm.....

Dang, I really really wanted some of that orange creamsicle or chocolate orange that everyone else is getting, but I don't get any fruit or even fruit-blossom out of this. On me this is just Snake Oil and sinister, thuggish flowers.

BOTTLE: very fresh, green, & citrusy WET: Wow! Feels warm on my skin and it's much sweeter than I expected from the notes listed. I definitely get the verbena, sage, and citrus. Really yummy! DRY: The citrus fades quite a bit and the amber and sandalwood come forward. I start to get the "piney" scent people have mentioned, but it's not sharp at all, more like a Christmas-scented candle than pine sap. Actually, it reminds me very much of the pinon wood everyone burns here in New Mexico in the winter; it's pine but with a sweet, sagey tone to it. Hunger Moon smells like the night air in Santa Fe in December! Although this smelled very light, sweet and quite unisex when wet, as it dries it seems more and more masculine to me. My husband absolutely loves this scent, and he will definitely use up the bottle. I may even get another one, because I really love this -- very green and fresh, yet warm & spicy at the same time. Perfect!

IMP: Juicy Fruit gum (which I love!) WET: slightly flowery Juicy Fruit. DRY: Gets a bit more powdery, less fresh, but still quite nice. After half an hour or so it gets a bit warmer and spicier, I don't get any pepper but there is something faintly warm and sweetly spicy under there. I wish there was a lot more orange peel to sharpen it up, but I still like this a lot. Maybe I will try layering it with something sharp and citrusy. I bought a bottle unsniffed and I will definitely use it! ETA: I have been reaching for this more and more lately. This morning I was in a hurry and didn't roll the bottle, and it made a big difference to the scent. It was all juicy guava and sweet apple blossom, just gorgeous. Whatever makes it go powdery must settle to the bottom of the bottle.

I love intensely fruity scents, so the fruits in this seem very subtle compared to what I normally recognize as "fruity." In the imp and on wet, it's a light, pretty, green scent, very reminiscent of Calyx. As it dries it loses that green freshness fairly quickly and becomes a musky floral that has a bit of a generic "department store perfume" quality to it -- very pretty but not distinctive. I will probably use up the imp, but not get a bottle. Which is sad because I live in New Mexico and I sooo wanted to wear a perfume named after Area 51!

I had high hopes for this one, as I love mango, fig, and tea, and I have lots of B&BW and Body Shop products in those flavors. IMP: Fruity and a bit spicy WET: Fruity and spicy for a few minutes, after which it turned into bathroom cleaner. I resisted the urge to wash it off for about half an hour, but it remained bathroom cleaner. Damn.

IMP: Juicy sparkling orangey fruit -- YUM! WET: Sweet orange blossom with tangy kumquat and a bit of pepperiness underneath. The pepperiness is like the kind you taste in a slightly under-ripe mango, not like ground pepper. This is genius! DRY: The pepperiness fades a little and the tea comes forward. This is such a gorgeous, perfectly blended scent -- the tang of kumquat, the sweetness of orange blossom, the freshness of tea, and just enough spice on the bottom (almost cinnamony) to warm it up and keep it from being too simplistic or overly sweet. It doesn't last very long -- after an hour or so it's just a faint hint of warm spicy orangey tea (like a mug of Constant Comment with lots of sugar). But I will happily buy multiple bottles of this to make lotion, soap, and other goodies so I can slather myself in it! For anyone like me who has a cabinet full of bath & body products labeled Mandarin or Satsuma, this is your scent!

I bought this because the list of notes sounded so yummy and everyone said it smelled like mojitos. Lime, mint, and green tea are three of my favorite scents, so I was expecting this to smell really fresh and fruity. Alas, I didn't get any lime or mint or tea from it at all.... IMP: Cleaning product with a vague artificial citrus smell. WET: Very soapy, like an expensive laundry product you might get at Williams & Sonoma. DRY: After about an hour of smelling like I'm wearing a dryer sheet, it settles into a faint clean, ozoney smell. Smells better on my husband, actually -- a little sweeter and cleaner & more citrusy. He likes it a lot and says it reminds him a bit of Signoricci. Not much throw or staying power, it's mostly gone after about 3 hours. I bought a bottle of this unsniffed (sob), so I will let him use it up.

I got this as a frimp from Carmencita and I'm so glad I did, because I never would have thought to order it based on the notes. IMP: sharp, herbal men's cologne WET: sharp, herbal, woody, slightly floral on me, slightly sour on my husband. (He said it smelled like expensive cologne worn by a guy in a bar where someone had vomited on the carpet.) Luckily, I didn't detect any of the sour vomit smell, and he said it passed fairly quickly. DRY: On me, it's warm, herbal, woody, and slightly floral, mostly lavendar. Very nice. On him it's smoky, woody, and boozy -- no florals at all, just an underlying sweetness to the wood, like barrels that sherry has been aged in. After an hour or so it settles into a warm, sweet, woody scent, with a bit of lavender on me and a bit of smoke & whiskey on him. I'd probably wear this again, and it smells really gorgeous on my husband. In fact, when he went out to the barn, our thoroughbred mare was ALL over him -- she kept sniffing his neck and couldn't get enough, so it seems to attract females of all species! You're not crazy, there IS oakmoss in it -- "fougere" is usually a blend of lavender, coumarin, and oakmoss, and it's a very common base for men's scents. (The name means "fern" in French and it comes from a famous men's cologne called Fougere Royale by Houbigant.)