mochi227

Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. White pepper really stands out on me in this blend, and it's smoothed out by the milk and tea. It's almost like a milky chai on me. I don't really get the linen, the ginger/vanilla/pepper/honey/tea just merge into a cuddly, snuggly warm blend on me. It's sweeter than your average chai, but White Rabbit definitely reminds me of a milky cup of chai. It also vaguely reminds me of those White Rabbit candies, which are a pure white, taffy-like thing (I think they are Chinese), sweet but definitely milky. The blend lasts long on me, wears close to the skin except in the first few hours, where it throws rather loudly. It's comfy, cozy, nice. This is a great casual blend for weekends, rainy days, naptime, cuddle time, and those days where you just want to keep to yourself: White Rabbit is a bit like a security blanket or friend on those lonely days.

From a decant circle during my love affair with smoke scents (which hasn't entirely ended as the note works well on me), Ghulheim on me isn't as dark and disjointed as the description promises. I get the cola scent as others have, and the pepper and the musk, but it smells more unified than disjointed to me. It's a slightly spicy, slightly sweet scent on me, like a Coke and Absolut Peppar cocktail. The Black Musk reminds me of some of the oils I used to buy from Muslim oil vendors on the streets of NYC. The whole thing reminds me a bit of high school, the cola smell, the sweetness, the stickyness, like a group of slightly deviant adolescents went out to the woods to get drunk on rum & coke, did some pyromaniac things like burn books, and smoked cloves and wore cheap musk oil while doing so. I guess that's a bit ghoulish. Will use up my decant and leave it at that. 3 out of 5.

All the depth, beauty, and darkness of All Hallows Eve. 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. sorry mods, I had already reviewed this scent and edited my post for update here

Sugar Cookie 2008 From Moryssa's Yule decant circle I am not a big fan of literal, foodie scents by MY GOSH is this ever an exception to my rule! In the vial, has that overpowering butter accord I associate with Jack (which makes me cringe) but I soldierd on. And am I glad I did! On the skin, Sugar Cookie 08 is beautiful. Yes, it smells exactly like a sugar cookie, rich and sweet and carmelized on the bottom, but it smells somehow even better than a sugar cookie. I detect something a tad floral, a white floral, like lemon blossom or honeysuckle maybe. Or maybe it's a redolent spice like cardamom or nutmeg. I'm not sure, but it's just ever so there to round out this scent and keep it from being too literal. Which is weird because it smells JUST like a cookie, yet it doesn't wear in quite such a literal way. Weird. But good! Wet, it's a bit room scent-y, but as it dries, it's like being wrapped in a warm blanket while sitting by a fire drinking hot cocoa and eating sugar cookies. A lovely, warm, comforting winter scent. Tempted to buy a bottle! 4 out of 5. ETA: more description of the scent

I wanted to love this. But this is probably the BPAL I like least since I started my BPAL addiction over a year ago. I was lured by the description (Pinot Noir? sandalwood? myrrh?!) and ordered an imp. It had been sitting in my BPAL bowl for a couple of months and this morning I dug it out and decided to give it a run. Upon opening the imp, I thought "hmmm, strong" but couldn't really pick out any note in particular. Then I applied it and was immediately grossed out. I smelled like PUKEY BATHROOM. I wish I were kidding but this is exactly what Obsidian Widow reminded me of. I finished getting dressed, left my apartment, and walked to the subway. The entire time, I'm thinking "WTH?! I smell like a bathroom that's been cleaned with industrial strength cleaner after a bunch of ditzy girls have been puking in there." I prayed it would settle down. By the time I got to work, one thing lead to another and I got busy and distracted and forgot about my plan to wash it off. But I'd keep getting these tendrils of scent wafting up to me that made my nose crinkle and brought back the memory of embracing the porcelin goddess after one too many. When I came to do my review and saw that the notes were Pinot Noir, Jasmine, and attar of Rose, I realized my pukey industrially-cleaned bathroom accord was not far off, at all. On me, this will just not do. As much as I wanted to love Obsidian Widow, she goes completely rank and fermented on me. It's such an accurate scent portrait for me that I actually felt myself getting nauseous. Luckily she settled down after about 2 hours and the fermented pukey note is more or less gone and only the florals and a berry note from the pinot remain. So sorry for the graphic imagery Lab, but this one just didn't work with my chemistry. Hopefully I'll swap it to someone who can use it. 0/5.

When I was frimped this and smelled it in the imp I thought "god, no!" and threw it back in my imp bowl. It kept staring at me though, so I decided to give it a shot. It is much better on than in the imp. Dare I say, I even like it? It's a very heady floral, thick and powdery, but there's something appealing about it. I can't pick out any individual notes, except maybe the stargazer lily (which I actually hate; way too potent and sneeze-inducing). The total effect is resinous and floral, like a very potent incense I used to burn that smelled of lotus and sandalwood. Sheol comes off far too heavy for me. Not heavy scent-wise, because I love heavy, resinous scents, but heavy vibe-wise. Living in New York, I think I have too many negative connotations to the black-clad, seemingly oppressed women of the Hasidic sects that populate certain parts of the city. In their black skirts and black knee socks and black sensible shoes, I imagine them smelling like Sheol when they go to their various religious and familial obligations. This is not anything I would ever want to be a part of or smell like, so while I can appreciate Sheol and even like its scent, the associations I draw to it are not positive. 3/5 for scent construction 0/5 for desireability Average to long throw when wet, average throw when dry, lasts about 4-5 hours on my oily skin.

An epithet of the Morrigan, crow-winged Celtic goddess of war, strife and fertility. Adoration of this Goddess is expressed both through the ecstasy of battle lust and the ecstasy of sexual regeneration. Black orchid, apple blossom, meadowsweet, and rue over Irish moss, hawthorn and red clover. Frimped in my last order. When I first put it on, I thought "white florals." Then Phantom Queen gets a little more herbal and grassy--must be the moss and clover. I don't get orchid at all. This apple blossom is a far more subtle apple blossom than the take-no-prisoners apple blossom in Agrat Bat Mahlat (Ladies of the Grindhouse). That apple blossom is the most macho apple blossom I've ever smelled! In Phantom Queen it's more subtle, but still sweet. I don't have much to say about this one. It's totally not for me. I'm not very interested in floral scents. Phantom Queen is pretty and feminine without being meek, but this scent doesn't speak to me at all. Strong throw in the first 2 hours, fades rather quickly, but sends tendrils of scent with heat and movement hours later. 1.5 out of 5. eta: lab description

No. 93 Engine is really really beautiful. The idea of it, as put forth in the Lab's description, is just amazing. How does Beth do it? I love the waxy quality of this blend. The beeswax, benzoin, peru balsam, and balm of gilead (which I'm not familiar with as a note, but i'm guessing its resinous and wax-like in consistency) are like little sticky molecules, holding all the other notes in place. The base of this scent is truly fantastic and gorgeous, warm, spicy, and wonderful for my body chemistry (which loves resinous and sticky scents). The lemon and sage give this blend a beautiful "lift" out of the waxy foundations. These high notes are the golden whizzy things in the machine that give this scent its melody, while the base is the slow, lugubrious rhythm. This reminds me a bit of a rock incense I used to buy called Three Kings. You had to burn it on charcoal discs and it was insanely smoky, resinous, and sweet. Unfortunately, No. 93 Engine doesn't last too long on me (maybe I need to apply more?) and after dry down the throw is minimal. A close wearing scent of introspective beauty, I will use up my imp before deciding if I need a bottle. I wish it had more throw and staying power on me, but beautiful nonetheless. 3.8 out of 5.

So far the best of the BPAL aquatics I've tried on my skin. Aquatics and I do not get along. I find them cloyingly sweet, but in Mary Read, the musk, leather, and sasparilla temper the ferocity of the ozoney beast known as..."the aquatic note." The sasparilla is really present when wet. I'm reminded of being a kid and stripping the bark off birch trees and sucking at it to get the herbally sweet goodness out of it. This is not root beer-like sasparilla. In Mary Read, this is like a fresh, green switch of a tree: fresh, bracing, and VERY herbally/green. The sasparilla is the high pitch of this blend, and it sings for quite some time before settling down. Dried down, this bonny lass has a definite drop in intensity. She's been sprayed with salt air, she likes to wear leather, she sets off some cannons just for kicks. She's the look-at-me trash-talker of the all-girl pirate ship, burning bright and fast. After her big theatrical presence on the deck, with her big pirate hair swinging this way and that, her perfect black pirate boots and her big piratey bazookas spilling out of her pirate shirt, she must go down to her cabin and have a shot of rum to settle herself down. Musk and leather blend beautifully with the sasparilla and rum in the dry down. The gunpowder is hard to pick out in the sharp scent pocket of the sasparilla. Maybe it's making the sasparilla even sharper? Mary Read's a little reckless, but it's to cover up a soft, sensual side (musk plays the supporting role here). She's one of those girls who acts tough to keep people away from her very sensitive, very private core. An excellent scent portrait, narrative in a frimp, but not sure about as a scent. This is probably good for the right lass, but it's not quite for me. I enjoy the scent, but she doesn't have enough stamina for me. I prefer my scents like I like my people: heavier and perhaps a tad lugubrious, but they can hang with you all night and don't need to be the center of attention to keep their spirits high. 3 out of 5 shiver-me-timbers.

Having heard many good things about The Lion, I ordered this in my last imp pack. I've also got a lot of Leo in my chart, so I thought it would be a fit. The amber is predominant and smells to me like a solid amber perfume I used to buy in a little cloisoinne box. It was a single-note, very spicy amber, much like the one found in The Lion. In this blend, I also detect cinnamon and a dry green scent that I would guess is hay. As a scent portrait, The Lion is exactly like the Lab's description: spicy amber--the color of a magestic lion who basks all day in the sun-- with the scent of dry plain grass redolent throughout his fur. However, I had higher expectations for The Lion. He doesn't wear very long, which is a shame. Average throw, but minimal wear for what starts out as a such a pungent scent. Like real lions, The Lion bounds about with exuberance and graceful power until it's time for a cat nap, after which he drifts off to a deep slumber, not to be heard from again until he re-awakens (or is re-applied). 2.5 out of 5. Really wanted to love it more, but I will use up my imp edited for grammar

Pretty, but not particularly distinctive on me. In the imp I get cherry pixiedust (the sugary candy that comes in straws...you know, pixie sticks) or cherry pop rocks...something very artificial and cherry. Wet, it's pretty much the same. As it dries down, there's something resin-y going on, but I still get an awful lot of sweet cherry flavor. There's a sweet resin here: maybe it's copal or frankincense? Doesn't morph much, wear is average, throw is minimal. This will go to the swaps pile. 2 out of 5.

Really can't discern much difference between Tempest and Lightning. If anything, Tempest is the heavier of the two. Both are completely dominated by the Lab's ozone note, which I do not think is the best for me. I like woody/spicy/resiny/musky and the ozone just doesn't jibe with my personality. I love the idea of these types of scents and think they are worth experiencing. But as a scent to be worn, not for me. I wore Tempest to bed last night and I think it kept me up. It was still on my wrists 7 hours later. There's a heaviness and roundness to Tempest that is missing from the more angular Lightning. I could not possibly know what notes cause these differences, however. Throw is pretty damn big, like a rumbling thunderstorm that shakes the whole town. Lasts a long time too. 2 out of 5. A fascinating idea, but not a fit for my chemistry. edited for spelling

This is really beautiful. The vanilla and ambers merge together (they aren't discernible as seperate notes) into a solid, sticky base that the sweetpea plays atop. I'm having trouble picking out the sandalwood, although it could very well be acting like a garden trellis the sweetpea climbs upon: there, but very much as a supporting player. The sweetpea is the highest note of this blend and sticks around for the duration of the performance. Not a morpher, Mouse's Long & Sad Tale smells much the same when you put it on as it does hours later. I applied mine nearly 4 hours ago and it's still going strong. Throw is low to moderate; movement and heat create more throw. There is something just a tad melachony about this blend. The sweetness of the sweetpea is held back ever so slightly by the earthy ambers. The vanilla here is not a sweet vanilla. It's more like vanilla bean, where there's a vegetal or botanical something that keeps it from being vanilla too literally. I really love this blend and will probably buy a bottle eventually. The blend lasts a long time and is great for casual wear, weekend wear, cheerful housework wear, sleepytime or cuddletime wear. It's the type of blend that makes me want to hug and hold near. Mouse's Long & Sad Tale is the scent equivalent of the Velveteen Rabbit: a bit sad, but completely loveable. 4.5 out of 5. Long wear, average to moderate throw.

This was a frimp in my last order. When I first applied, I got Lemon Pledge, all the way. Others have written green Fruit Loops and that's appropriate too. Elsewhere, it may have been on the "lusty scents" thread, someone wrote "Whitechapel smells like sex," so I had high expectations. Am I glad I waited for the dry down. On dry down, I think Whitechapel is a dead ringer for Serge Lutens' nasty, deliriously sexy, realistic human musk experiment that is the rare and expensive Muscs Kublai Khan. If anyone has experienced this fragrance, it is truly the scent of hot bodies, hair, a tinge of BO and genitalia. But it's done so expertly that it is not vulgar at all. It's just insanely, mouth-wateringly sexy and realistic. I love the musk. This musk is just beautiful, sexy, warm, and carnal, but it must be the lilac and lime that give it that sweet, sexy edge. But not too sweet! If you can endure the 15 minute dry down from Lemon Pledge and Lime Fruit Loops to get to this gorgeous, sexy finish (seems my skin chemistry amped the citrus notes into artificial territory; others don't seem to have that problem) it is sooooo worth the ride. Gorgeous and absolutely not too masculine for a woman to wear. This will go on my 5ml list. ETA: Wear length is regrettably short, maybe a few hours, at best. Throw at the wet stage is embarrasingly large; I swore I was perfuming my entire office. But once things die down, Whitechapel wears very close to the skin. I really wish it lasted longer! It might play better in warm or hot weather, so I will refrain from buying a bottle of this until I can test the remains of my imp in Spring.

A frimp in my last order. Immediately loved the name. In the imp: surprising color. I immediately thought Dragon's Blood when I saw the color. In the imp I smell flowers and incense. Wet: the pepper is really potent in the wet stage. there's something else that reminds me a bit of Three Kings resin incense I used to burn. Frankincense. Just a wee bit of chamomile. This is very well blended and interesting. Drying: I love the white pepper and chamomile combo. The black leather note isn't very present. I swear there is dragon's blood in here somewhere. The wood (listed as cypress) becomes more present. Dry: The incense is the most prominent note, and the leather and wood have combined to give the olfactory image of a church. The black leather comes out most in this stage: a thin, papery leather, like the kind used to bind bibles. There is a lingering sweetness to this blend. It is very well blended. The musk is very subtle. This is a calm, resinous blend, slightly sweet, and definitely in the "church" or "incense" category of blends. This scent also reminds me of a yoga studio I used to go to. Verdict: Throw is minimal, lasts several hours and wears as a skin scent. Throws more with body heat and movement. A reverential, calm, meditative blend. 3.5 out of 5. I may end up owning a bottle. More experimentation with my imp is due, but I like the resinous quality of this blend. It's something to wear at home alone, at night, on a Sunday, during meditation, on nature walks, or when you just want to be calm, internal, and quiet. ETA: I think the sweetness may be the blood musk.