Phaedra

This was a frimp from the Lab in a recent order. Wet this is sweet, soapy, maybe some cinnamon and a hint of citrus. It smells golden. When first on it's a bright floral and a bit mossy. Daffodils maybe and lilies too? Very springlike. This softens and develops a slight earth/dirt undertone. This is a very happy, joyful, yellow springtime scent. A great pick me up scent. Very nice but not really me so I'll pass this one along.

Brianne- I'm not totally sure about this but it seems like it was about this time last year when the Lab switched over to the glossy labels. I know my Smut from 2006 does not have a glossy label but my TKO from spring 2006 does. eta: I went and checked and my Underpants from 2006- which was released on April 1st last year- does have a glossy label. So it must have been sometime in Feb/March that the glossy labels first appeared.

I got an imp of this in a decant circle. I was really interested in trying it because I love oude as a single note. Wet this is soft amber, woody and a sharp hit of oude. When first on it's amber with a hint of sweetness; soft and feminine. This becomes a heady mix of sandalwood, warm amber, and sweet honey. It's softened quite a bit from the sharpness of the initial phase. It reminds me of Honey Moon but not as sweet. This is a lovely soft, romantic, feminine blend. I like this one a lot but don't need to buy a whole bottle, an imp will do for me.

A general reply here- I find that combining Somnus and TKO really works amazingly well. I also use them each separately. But using them together helps me fall asleep and stay asleep.

Wet this is a sweet floral with a bit of an edge to it. When first on it's plasticy- almost like bandaids???- with a hint of floral in the background. Very odd. Does opium smell like plastic? Luckily the plastic note fades quickly and now it's a powdery, spicy floral. This doesn't change much. This is a familiar smell. I think it's similar to a perfume my aunt wears. This turns out pretty nice after all and I will use up the imp.

Wet this is an earthy, sweet floral with a creaminess underneath. When first on it's light, sweet and a bit herbal along with a faint sharpness of the patchouli. After about half an hour, there's a faint dirt note in the background (like in Zombi) which I really like. This becomes a sweet, earthy floral blend. Very warm and sensual. It does really have a "darkly romantic" fell to it as stated in the description. This lasts and last for hours on me. I've been wearing this non-stop for the past several days (sometimes re-applying again at night). This is a new favorite! Anyone who's thinking about ordering this one should go ahead and get some. Thank you Beth for making this special blend available to all of us

Wet this is herbal with an underlying sharp bite. When first on there's a sharp woody note mixe with something mossy and a bit sweet. It feels very grey and metallic. After a few minutes it's an earthy/floral blend but without the "dirt" note. After about half an hour this softens and I think there's Dragon's Blood in it. It also has an incense quality to it too. This dries down to a woody Dragon's Blood blend. I think this will age really well so I'll keep it for a while.

Wet this is sweet fruit- maybe melons. When first on this is thick, wet florals and fruit/melons, a bit similar to Mi-Go (but not quite as foody). This must be the peach- for some reason, Beth's peach always smells like melons to me at first. I can also smell the dewy moonflower which I love. This develops into a watery, dewy, fruity and floral blend similar to Black Moon. This is very calming and feminine- beautiful!

Wet this is very sweet fruit and spices with grapes or berries. When first on it's a sweet floral, maybe honeysuckle, mixed with musk. This feels bright, warm and golden. This becomes a close to the skin honey musk blend. It's a cozy and comforting scent. Very nice and I'll use up the imp for sure.

This one was a frimp from the Lab. Wet this is lush gardenia, heavy and sweet. When first on it's gardenia and lily of the valley- fresh springtime flowers. After a couple of minutes soft jasmine develops and the musk comes out too. This is a very feminine and pretty white floral. It has a romantic feel to it. This is really pretty and I'll use up the imp for sure.

Wet this is lilacs, wisteria, and a hint of grapes. It's sweet dewy florals mixed with juicy fruit. When first on it's mistly florals, very light and almost ethereal. It deepens and strenghtens and the myrrh really devlops. It's become a powdery, fruity blend. Purple Phoenix has the same quiet strength and melancholy qualities that Arachane does. The both smell like a very deep purple. This has become a new favorite and I'm so glad I got this!

Harlot- yes this one is really nice. I don't usually like cinnamon but it balances nicely with the rose. Moon Rose- this one is very etheral and misty, like moonlight. Zombi- I'm wearing this today. I love it! I find the earthy notes really comforting and grounding. But if you don't like earth/dirt smells you should probably skip this one. Oddly enough, as much as I love rose, 2/5/7 didn't do it for me. Oh and Psyche is really nice to. That's another soft etheral one.

Wet this is a sweet, dewy floral blend, like spring time flowers. When first on it's a powdery and dewy floral, maybe lilac. After a couple of minutes it gets softer and rounder. This doesn't change too much on me. It's very feminine and soft. I was hoping the resins and musk would be stronger on me but they're not. Although this is nice, it's not amazing on me so I'll pass it on to a better home.

Wet this is orange or bergamont maybe mixed with a sweet almost foody note. Like honey and nuts. When first on it's light and fresh florals. After a couple of minutes it warms up and becomes a bit powdery. This doesn't really change much on me. I can't really smell the frakincense either This smells like a department store perfume on me. It's nice but I'm not sure if I'll keep it or not. It is very long lasting though.

Wet this is floral and light musk. When first on it's heady white florals, full bodied. After a couple of minutes it starts to soften. This reminds me of Khajurajo and Honey Moon. It's a well blended floral with hints of honey. It doesn't change much on me. This is nice but a little more refined or upscale than I was hoping for. I wanted it to be a bit earthier or "unhinged". Oh well. I ending up selling this one to a more deserving home.

Wet this is green herbs, mossy, mixed with woods- possibly cedar. When first on it's sweet florals and a perfumey incense. Very soft and light. After a couple minutes an earth/dirt note develops. This is an evocative blend of florals, herbs and earth notes. It's sort of like a fainter version of Zombi. Quite lovely.

Wet this is sweet myrrh and resins mixed with creamy sugar notes. When first on it's a lighter version of how it smells in the bottle- sweet myrrh and resins. This is very similar to Midnight Mass (which I LOVE) but with a sweeter foody note. When I wear this I catch lovely wafts of it all day long. It doesn't change much on me but that's fine because I love how it smells! It's a very comforting scent. Fans of Midnight Mass will love this one too.

Wet this is buttery pumpkin mixed with sweet spices. When first on it's a juicy fruit- oranges- with a rush of spices. It's very similar to Jack and PP #1 at this point and a bit too sweet for me. Luckily the sweetness begins to mellow after about ten minutes and the cardamom and fig leaf start to develop. Now is when this is gorgeous!! The amber and fig mix with the spices and pumpkin. This turns out to be a stunner on me! On the dry down it's all warm amber, like Bastet. Pumpkin Queen is a Grande Dame indeed and was well worth the wait!

Wet- ahhh...red musk which I love. It's very reminiscent of Scherezade and Snake Oil at this point. When first on it's a much softer red musk and warm vanilla. There's also a floral quality to it. This is another one of Beth's complex, exotic blends that she does so well. Resins, incense, musk, patchouli, mysterious and sensual. Fans of Scherezade and Snake Oil are sure to love this one. Wonderful!

This is one that has been on my wishlist for ages. It's one that I knew I would love but I kept putting it on the back burner. Well now I've finally tried it (and yes I do love it). Wet this is powdery and sweet musk, warm and round. When first on it's a heady floral mixed with the powdery musk. After a few minutes it's less sweet and a woody note develops- this must be the sandalwood. It becomes very soft with a creamy vanilla undertone. This one is gorgeous!! It's very sensual. I can see why this is a favorite for many people. I think this would work equally well on the right man too. A definite BPAL classic

Last night I noticed my bottle of TKO has an old style paper label. The bottle itself is amber. But since TKO is a new blend, maybe it means they ran out of the plastic coated label paper for a while and that's why your bottle had a paper label too? Does that make sense? Or maybe they have a whole bunch of labels already printed up and instead of throwing them away they decided to use them. Ink is expensive. Actually I went back and checked and I thought my new bottle of TKO had the old paper style label but it does indeed have the new plastic coated style label. It's just not as slick or slippery as some of the others I have. I'm sure now that it's a coated label because I spilled a drop or two on the label by accident and the ink didn't smudge or smear. So I stand corrected.

Last night I noticed my bottle of TKO has an old style paper label. The bottle itself is amber. But since TKO is a new blend, maybe it means they ran out of the plastic coated label paper for a while and that's why your bottle had a paper label too? Does that make sense?

This is such a great and interesting thread- thanks Oly! Let's see- I'll have to start with the Trifecta, the Holy Trinity of BPAL (in my book anyway) Snow White, Rose Red and Samhain: 1. Snow White- this is so different from any other traditional/commercial perfume I've tried. It's hauntingly beautiful and if I was stranded on a desert island and could only bring one bottle, this would be it. 2. Rose Red- yes I am a rose lover. This to me is the perfect chilly red rose. Like Urraca said, this smells like a rose from the florist's fridge. 3. Samhain- the perfect autumn scent. A bit foody with some darkness to it. I think this is a great representation of how BPAL interprets seasonal holidays. And the rest: 4. Dorian- the quintissential gentleman's fragrance. Classic, elegant and a bit naughty. 5. Snake Oil- what more can I say? Dark, complex, utterly sensual and sexxxay! 6. Black Moon Rising- both as a set or separately. Black Moon is the ulitmate feminine energy, Schwazer Mond is the ulitimate male energy. This to me is an amazing example of the Lunar blends. 7. Miskatonic University- a cult classic. It really does have the note of old books! And who else would chose to honor the work of Lovecraft in liquid form? 8. Midnight Mass- this might be a more of a personal favorite of mine. I think it is a perfect example of the incense blends that Beth does so well. Every time I wear it, I am transported to a Greek Orthodox church mass. 9. A Voodoo blend- I'm not sure which one, maybe Joy Mojo or Horn of Plenty or All Night Long. Something to represent the blends with a purpose so to speak. 10. Enraged Orangutan Musk- although I've never even smelled this one. This shows the Lab's awesome sense of humor. 11. White Light- I know this is a TAL and maybe should be considered separately but it's another classic and loved by many for it's healing abilities. 12. Chaos Theory- I think this may be the most important one of all. What other perfumer would do something so risky and so creative and downright fun? This to me is what the Lab is all about.

Schwarzer Mond is brown- a deep liquid smoky brown. It's the color of tobacco leaves or root beer. Wet this is very sharp and strong patchouli with an almost metallic bite mixed with herbs. When first on this is sharp, herbal and like unsweetened root beer. After about thirty minutes this softens into a rich, warm amber/myrrh/pathchouli blend. This is very comforting and mysterious at the same time. Luckily this has turned out not to be too masculine on me (although it would smell wonderful on men too I think). This is wonderfully complex and a perfect counterpoint to Black Moon. Like the classic opposites yin and yang, Black Moon is the feminine energy and Schwarzer Mond is the masculine energy. I am so glad I got this pair. I am also going to try wearing both of these together. Amazing job Brian I'd love to see more of his blends in the future.

This is my first time trying the Chaos Theory experiment. I ordered three and this is the first one I wore: DLXXIII. Wet this is herbal, soapy, and fresh cut grass. When first on this is a faint herbal/floral blend with cardamom I think. It feels yellow and white. There are some floral notes but I don't know what they are- daisy? sunflower? daffodil? After a few minutes this becomes a full blown floral. This ends up becoming really soft and lovely. It mellows into a close to the skin honey scent. This is very lovely and unusual and I'm really glad I tried this! My second Chaos blend is DXVI. Wet this is sharp, a bit soapy, floral, lightly sweet and musky. When first on this is a very strange mix- something sweet and foody, almonds I think, mixed with a generic perfume smell. After a couple of minutes this smells like Jean Nate and then a sweeter note starts to develop. It warms up at this point and becomes heavy florals- gardenia maybe. On the drydown ti's a soft floral close to the skin scent. Overall this smells like regular department store perfume on me. It's not really my style at all so I passed this one on to a better home. It took me a while to properly review this but it's finally done. My third and final Chaos blend is DXCIII. Wet this is a buttery, spicy, nutty and floral mix sort of like pecan praline. When first on it's spicy and sweet with hazelnut maybe. I think there's some cinnamon too. Yes, definitely cinnamon. It starts to smell like Christma potpourri. After about an hour, the spicyness softens and now the buttery, nutty notes come out again. This is a warm foody blend. It's nice but too spicy for me and not really my style. Overall the Chaos Theory experiment was very hit and miss for me. I think it's a great and innovative idea but next time I might go for decants instead of full bottles.