VioletChaos

In The Bottle: The vanilla marshmallow is front and center, but that banana is coming up as a close second. I happen to love the Lab's banana note(s) generally, so the inclusion here was a big reason why I grabbed a bottle- so far, so good! Wet On Skin: The sugar cane enters the fray, and it pulls the banana into taffy territory (see what I did there?). Fortunately, unlike some candy notes, these two elements together are at present NOT going plastic on me. I am keeping my fingers crossed! Dry Down: THERE'S the frankincense. I was starting to wonder if it would show up at all. Sometimes frank can become way too sharp and aggressive on me. That's not happening here, and I suspect that white frankincense is somehow a more gentle version. That's the good news. The sadder news is that the banana appears to have vanished entirely upon full drydown. 😭 In All: Low throw on this- slather to your heart's content. If you were a fan of scents like the long-gone Pink Plastic Flamingo, you will be delighted with this lightly sweet confection. I really was in this for the banana, so I'll let it age a time and re-test, but if the fruit doesn't come back for me, alas, I shall have to send 'er off to the swap pile...

Time’s Infliction of Eternity: A sanguine blend of Dragon’s Blood sedum and black tea. I must confess that I have a predisposition to adoring this scent. BPAL's Dragon's Blood is my favorite of all Dragon's Bloods and how can I NOT like mixing that with Black Tea?! It's all speculation, but here's hoping... In The Bottle: That sweet, bloody, almost-lilac of pure Dragon's Blood and something sweet under it. I'd read somewhere that Red Musk was a note in this blend, though it's not listed in the official description. However, the sweetness matches the red musk note of Smut, so maaaay-beeeee Wet On Skin: The slightly lemon-y black tea note of Dorian is making itself known rather strongly! Dragon's Blood, at this point, is still on board, but has taken a surprising back seat to the tea note. Curiouser and curiouser, indeed! Dry Down: Balance achieved- the black tea has settled a bit leaving room for the DB to come back a bit more to the fore- not as strongly as it had been in the bottle, but certainly an equal presence to the tea, which is now more moderate. And yes, there is, almost as afterthought, a sexy edge of that red musk peeking through. Whether a hidden note or my imagination, who can say- but I sure do like it! In All: Many of my favorite Black Phoenix scents bare the mark of Beth's complex hand at work- oh, how that woman can take a million notes and create a fine thing from them!- but every now and then, there comes along a scent that is stripped down and yet still complex on it's own merit. Time's Infliction is certainly one of those scents. Medium throw (go easy with first application- save the slather for *after* sufficient testing!) it's accessible enough for occasional daytime usage and yet heady enough for an intimate evening out when flirtation is on the menu. And with the resin playing a prominent part, you can bet this is sure to become ever more compelling with age. Lovely love.

In The Bottle: Soft, powdery rose. The scent reminds me a little of the unreleased proto of Victorian Rose Milk, actually. Wet On Skin: It's still that soft, powdery rose. I think the powder might be coming from the orris, as that tends to have a kind of powdery quality to it as well. Dry Down: As it settles into the skin, I'm getting hints of some of the other notes, notably sandalwood, always a nice companion to rose. Any bits of the other notes are really just whispers- this scent remains largely a rose scent, through and through. It resonates for sure as a faithful interpretation to the heart-affiliated quartz for which it is named. In All: Medium to heavy throw- definitely apply with a light touch, a little goes a long way! If you're a fan of natural rose scents (more like the flower, less like a perfume interpretation) then you will absolutely want to add this to your collection! 🌹

Chocolate and caramel with flecks of cacao bean and toasted tonka. Of the three I ordered, this was the one I was most anxious to get, in case I need a backup bottle! In The Bottle: Oh my YES- delicious cacao (similar to my beloved Cacao Pod! YAY!), a touch of the caramel and some of the tonka acting as a nice balance. Wet On Skin: There's a nice "Dryness" emerging, more like the straight cacao bean, less like refined chocolate. I like it, and hope it keeps going in that direction, because even as a chocolate, it seems to be heading less toward foodie and more toward a sweet dry scent, something that can maybe be layered with sandalwood, for instance. Dry Down: This is WONDERFUL. It's all dry cacao and toasted tonic bean, which here is reading as sort of a dry, rich vanilla bean. It's a "grownup" kind of food scent. Sweet without being sugary or cloying and extremely wearable. I've been favoring chocolate scents lately and this is a fantastic addition. Definitely going to need that backup bottle!

My little witch, my little lilt of laughter: this scent is for the sorceress you are and the sorceress you will grow to be. 7-year aged patchouli, red musk, and bourbon vanilla with sweet oudh, hazelnut, amber chypre, leather. In The Bottle: Leather, oudh and a touch of the hazelnut. This is heady, rich. Wet On Skin: The patchouli comes into the room, but not in the dominant way one might expect. In fact, so far, NONE of the powerful notes are dominating. It's really unusual! Dry Down: I cannot believe how well-blended this is already, without needing to sit and age. Normally leather can be a deal-breaker, but the other notes were all so compelling, I decided to take a chance. And I'm glad I did, because this is really quite beautiful. There's an ease between the heavier notes, like the patch and the leather, and they are balanced by the hazelnut and the musk and the vanilla. I can catch glimmers of all those elements, but they blend so seamlessly, that this is really it's own little dream. Beautiful, haunting, and perfect as we go into Autumn.

In The Bottle: This scent is reminding me of something sweet without being sugary, soft without being powdery. It seems so so familiar, but I cannot for the life of me place it. It's driving me a little bonkers, if I'm being totally honest- that's how familiar it is. 🤔🤨 Wet On Skin: As it warms on my skin, the pumpkin is separating itself out and becoming more distinct- not buttery like some pumpkin notes, and not pumpkin spice, either: this is just fresh, big round orange pumpkin, with a sweet, amber-ish, dusky base that I can only assume is the sandalwood starting to bring up the rear. Dry Down: huh. There is something vaguely boozy about this scent, though there's nothing in the description to indicate that should be a thing. I feel like after all these years, this thing, which sounds deceptively simple -sandalwood and pumpkin- is in fact surprisingly complex. It's unlike any version of either of those notes I've ever experienced, and it's very, very compelling. There's definitely some sexiness in the mix and history has proven that any scent from the Lab with sexy potential only grows said potential as time goes on. In All: Delighted to have a bottle, excited to see how she ages!

In The Bottle: Mostly leaves. There is a kind of "dead leaf" note that the Lab does, and if you are a fan of that note, it's here for you right out of the gate! Wet On Skin: More the the leaves, with the wool starting to make an appearance, making the leaves seem more expansive somehow. This is NOT the same as the sweater note or the cashmere note- this is honestly making me think of wool army blankets! By that I mean something that's dense, with felted aspects, that will keep you surprisingly warm... Dry Down: Upon dry down, the amber and the black tea finally start to emerge! I was a little worried that I might not see them, but here they are! The amber is really warming the scent up, making it sweeter, the sunlight that warms you on a blustery autumnal day. And at the end, there's the black tea, a light bit brighter, playing nicely with the leaves, adding a tiny afterthought of mildly sweet astringency. In All: Low to medium throw, a fine addition for those that are into the Dead Leaf series, like a special bonus leaf! Unfortunately for me, it's not really my cup of tea: I need mine a little warmer with lots more cream (pun intended!)

Pumpkin candyfloss with sugared lemon peel and a squeeze of lemon juice. In The Bottle: Sugared lemon and a touch of fresh pumpkin (no spice). Wet On Skin: The pumpkin wasn't very strong to begin with, and now it's already taking even more of a backseat to the lemon sugar. Dry Down: Oh, SO lovely. The lemon juice finally comes out as a distinct note against the sugar. It's the perfect sweet/tart combination and the pumpkin is merely adding a touch of freshness to the background. Frankly, I'm pleased that the pumpkin's role is so minute-I was really hoping this would largely be a sugared lemon scent, and I appear to have gotten my wish! In All: Low to medium throw, I honestly consider lemon notes more of a warm-weather thing, so I'm not sure how much love this bottle will get over the next 6 months. However, it will get ALL the love next spring and summer! <3

[No additional description provided.] In The Bottle: Mostly gingerbread, with a little of that extra-lemony aspect that fresh ginger frequently has. Wet On Skin: The gingerbread is, like, REAL gingerbread. I'm getting the lemon, the cake, the spice, the sharpness. It's really different than my previous experiences of the gingerbread single note (like, say, in Gingerbread Snake Oil). I'm liking it- but I also hope that the coffee and vanilla come out to play soon! Dry Down: Astoundingly, I am getting ZERO coffee from this. Which is odd, because coffee notes usually sit well on my skin -they don't amp, but they are *very* present. The vanilla has finally made an appearance, but I'm not getting the smoked aspect, either- this is more like gingerbread with a little dollop of vanilla cream plooped right on top. It's delicious, and I'm betting will get better with age, but it's not the scent that I thought it was going to be. If you're hoping for a coffee-heavy scent, check out some of the other 2018 Yule offerings, cause you might be sad about that with this one.

This spirit shall return to Him Who gave its heavenly spark; Yet think not, Sun, it shall be dim When thou thyself art dark! No! it shall live again, and shine In bliss unknown to beams of thine, By Him recall’d to breath, Who captive led Captivity, Who robb’d the grave of Victory,— And took the sting from Death! Lilith at Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey – one of my favorite places in the entirety of this earth. Piety and intrigue, succor and terror… stone walls and painted glass panels bearing witness to generations of poetry, pride, conquest, and despair: the echoes of the incense smoke of hundreds upon hundreds of years curling around roses and oak branches. In The Bottle: This is...wow. It's got a rose in there, but it's honestly not like any I think I've smelled before. It's dark and dusky and the oak is certainly grounding it, even in the bottle. It's beautiful and somber and makes me want to walk in cemeteries on cloudy days- AND THIS IS ALL IN THE BOTTLE. Wet On Skin: The oak makes its presence more known and the rose takes a little more of a back seat. I'm less familiar with oak notes in the Lab's cannon, but this one reminds me of autumnal days and, yes, crunching through leaves. Unusual for me, but no complaints Dry Down: The rose is in the distant background, and this has become an oak incense - it's crunchy leaves mixed with an incense base. It waxes and wanes, strangely- one moment it's quite strong and the next it fades back. And it's got something I can't quite place...something that reminds me of childhood, though the scent isn't 'childish' in the least. It's dusty and powdery and incense-y and fallen-leafy and slightly musty. I honestly can't decide how I feel about it just now, but it's intriguing enough that I'm going to let it age and check back in later to see what's happening.

In 2015, it was our overwhelming honor to interpret Legendary Pictures Crimson Peak through scent. The entire process was thrilling, from the first moment we saw concept sketches before production on the film even began, through the crafting of the scents, attending the screening, and finally seeing our Crimson Peak scents and jewelry go out into the world. It was an incredible project that I will never forget. After many long years of labor, the sideshow was back! Carnaval Diabolique returned to town with breathtaking artwork by Julie Dillon, and Black Phoenix made its first sojourn to 221B Baker Street. Inspired by the Supreme Courts Sick Burn Champion and his blistering command of the English language, we created a fragrance set the Collected Poetic Works of Antonin Scalia whose proceeds benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Trevor Project, and the National Center for Transgender Equality. In the same year, we created Palmyra, a charity scent benefiting the UNHCR. This year, we joined forces with our beloved friend, Audra, at Loved to Death in San Francisco. A cursed carnival camped in the foothills beneath a haunted estate: a curl of fortune tellers incense and spun sugar drifting past a crumbling manor. In the Bottle: A very, very faint, sweet, light, wispy scent. It's so light and wispy, that I cannot, at this stage, pick out any notes! All I can say is that it smells "clean" and faintly sweet, but not foody. Wet On Skin: There's a faint lemon aspect that has entered the picture, like a memory of lemon sugar, would be the best way to describe it. I also am getting a hint of a stone note, which I haven't encountered in a very long time! I assume this is the "crumbling manor" aspect that I'm picking up on. So far, this scent is very wistful- it's probably not a coincidence that this is for the Lace year, because there's already a nostalgic quality that puts this firmly in the camp of the Lab's "Lace" scents. Dry Down: Oh. My. Goddess. This is just...heartbreakingly beautiful. The curl of incense is now showing itself. I anticipated it was going to be a sort of heavy, church-y incense like many of the Lab's incense notes of the past. But this, this is something else. It's become like a light, powdered (NOT powder-y) blue lotus incense I had many years ago. It's sweet and soft and nostalgic and just GORGEOUS. In All: Hoard-worthy. I am going to need SEVERAL more bottles of this.

With vanilla bean scrapings. In The Bottle: The light, sweet buttery pumpkin note from the Lab we all know and adore. Wet On Skin: A little bit of spice comes out- a touch of ginger here, a dab of nutmeg there... Dry Down: Pumpkin, autumnal spice, and vanilla bean. I don't get a custard thing like some might expect from a Brûlée, but it's a really lovely autumnal gourmand scent just the same. It's a good daytime scent, and I could see layering it with something a little richer to either heighten the food aspect or a deeper one to make it a bit more of an evening scent. For pumpkin scent lovers, this is a pure win- don't miss out!

"...You run into Mithras yet? Red cap. Nice kid." "No, I don't think so." "Well . . . I've never seen Mithras around here. He was an army brat. Maybe he's back in the Middle East, taking it easy, but I expect he's probably gone by now. It happens. One day every soldier in the empire has to shower in the blood of your sacrificial bull. The next they don't even remember your birthday." Oblations of milk, oil, honey, and blood. In The Bottle: LOADS of honey and some milk to cut through the sweetness. Wet On Skin: Although incense isn't directly named as a note, offerings can be made with them and this is beginning to smell very much like incense to me. Like honey-milk-blood incense to be exact. And I *really* hope it stays this way. Dry Down: Yup. This is a gorgeous honey, milk, blood incense and I am totally smitten. I suspect that this secret will eventually get out- better stock up now.

With cinnamon, nutmeg, browned butter, and cream cheese icing. In The Bottle: yummy! Pumpkin spice and cookie! Nomnomnom Wet On Skin: I'm getting a "frosting" thing here, though I can't say for sure I believe it to be cream cheese. It's a little more like a sugar icing. But it works quite well. Dry Down: it reminds me of iced ginger snap cookies! In All: a cute, spicy foodie scent that can worn well into winter, this cheerful perfume is perfect for pumpkin picking right through to holiday morning gift giving. Adorable and yummy!

I was afraid of the champaca in this since I amp anything with even vague whispers of champa and co. to high heavens, but I finally took the plunge and I'm really glad I did. As the last post mentioned, the scent's name translates to "The Wheel of Misfortune". Coupled with the illustration os Mme Moriarty, as well as a list of the notes, I suspected that this is intended as something of a companion piece to Mme Moriarty's scent- and it is a PERFECT companion for her! The oudh is definitely a dominant note here- not a problem for me as I tend to love oudh. Here it's not the dread 'dirty body' variety that tends to freak alot of people out. It's rich and deep and mixes beautifully with all those other rich, deep, dark notes, to create something that reads as incense-y and sensuously sinister. Like many folks round these parts, I use HG both in my hair and also sometimes as a skin scent. In my hair, this is a fine stand-alone, surprisingly subtle and with low throw. But when it's on my skin, it definitely feels like it needs a companion- and Mme Moriarty (or her cousin Snake Charmer) will definitely fit the bill! I'm delighted to have made this purchase, and I suspect this will get even better with age!

In the bottle and wet on my skin, the hay comes across as a green, grassy (but not lawn-like) scent, with the honey acting as a grounding base. Once it warms on my skin, the amber comes out, rounding the scent out and giving it some depth. After about an hour, the honey remains strongest and sadly, the hay pretty much vanishes, making this mostly a honey SN with a vague background of something else. It's gorgeous, I just wish it lasted longer on me!

My Baby and a Baby Goat Look, I just wanted to make a scent for Lilith and this baby goat. Because it makes me happy and BECAUSE LOOK AT IT. LOOK AT THAT BABY GOAT. Fuzzy baby goat musk, goat’s milk accord, wild rice flower, and a little bit of farmer’s market honey. In The Bottle: Goat's milk for sure, sweetened with honey and rice flower. LOVE. Wet On Skin: the goat milk is still the dominant note. Huzzah! This is really delicious and creamy. Dry Down: I don't personally get any musk, but I'm not complaining, because the milk, honey and rice are just so wonderful together I can't even see how this scent could be improved upon. In All: I ADORE this scent. It's so beautiful, just brimming with love and sweetness. I predict this to be the sleeper hit of this year's Lillith scents.

Apple with hay absolute, oats, honey, cream vanilla, and goat's milk accord. In The Bottle: APPLES! Also some hay. Wet On Skin: Red, juicy apples. That's it! Dry Down: Ah ha! Hello, goat's milk! Hello, vanilla! In All: a must for apple fans, this apple-heavy perfume is sweet and juicy, with little hints of the milk and vanilla, making it into sort of a farm-like apple mash. I'm sad to not get past, as I love the oat note, but perhaps that will change with age.

Saw Scaled Viper (any year) and Boomslang (the older / more aged, the better!)

In the bottle, I get a soft, delicious scent of the burnt sugar. I wasn't sure what to expect, but at this stage, it smells most closely to cooked marshmallows over a camp fire. It's lightly sweet and really, really cozy! Wet on skin, the blackberry comes out in force, and the sugar takes a definite back seat to the proceedings. The berry is sweet, fresh and very juicy! I adore the Lab's blackberry note and if you liked Blackberries and Scones, chances are good you'll like this, too! Upon dry down, things come more into alignment, with both parts of the duet showing up for the duration. The sugar sinks in and softens further and the blackberry mellows considerably, making this a beautiful little gourmand scent. Glad I snagged one! ❤️

I surprised I didn't snatch this up when it originally appeared, given how many notes in this I adore! Luckily, I was just recently gifted a bottle and I'm so glad for it! The rice milk and clove are both the most dominant notes. I would've never thought they'd work together, because I'd assume that the clove would dominate. However, with Beth's mastery, they are in perfect balance, no doubt helped by the vanilla and amber combination, lending a bit of sweetness to shave off clove's rough edges. I'm not getting any of the frank, but I'm quite relieved, since frankincense often goes sideways on me. I agree this scent is both sexy and delicate, and will surely get use of this all summer long!

Oh. Oh my. I don't use or wear TAL oils generally just for the scent, so I'm perfectly okay when what it smells like doesn't totally appeal in the olfactory sense, because that's not the point. But sometimes there's overlap between form and function, and it's always just marvelous. I'm thinking of recent contributions like the new TAL Bounce and also old-time personal favorites like the Panacea oils, especially Safari and Succor. And now Pax 2021. The lotus and lavender and rose petals have combines to bring a kind of stillness to this gathering, a placidity, like standing at the edge of a serene and still body of water, no sounds but the occasional bird call and the quiet lapping of water at the shoreline. It's light, delicate and beautiful, but not fragile. Sometimes when we thing of "delicate" it can seem synonymous with "breakable" but if you think about tall, thin reeds that sway in a strong wind, or a weeping willow tree in its gracefulness, you'll start to get an idea of strength in delicacy. This oil is GROUNDING. In a way, frankly, that I wasn't sure that lavender could be (and I'm an old hand at using lavender for what ails me, especially in the anxiety department.) This is exactly what it sets out to be- a deep breath after a long terror. And I welcome it with open arms. ❤️

Giddy, grownup, joyful orange creamsicles. That's my immediate hot take on this scent. I've also been feeling that hope, that optimism of this time, and I definitely feel this oil encapsulates that feeling really well. I keep circling back to that first word, "giddy". It really just sent a jolt of giddiness through me! A lot of TAL scents tend to be a bit more subtle in how they take hold of me, but this is bubbling and effervescent, like laughter that simply can't be expressed. It's amazing.

I am a huge fan of "fossilized" amber aka petrified tree sap aka some folks like to argue it's not actually petrified. Regardless. It has a particular sweet, resin-y scent that I find blends incredibly well with sharper rooty and earthy scents (like vetiver or patchouli). I never would've thought to pair it with sugar cane, but my ears pricked up when I saw that this was the duo presented, and it's really pretty great. On me, the amber is definitely the bolder component, but I was kind of expecting that, because what I like the most about the sugar cane note as opposed to white sugar, is that it stays put- it doesn't amp and overpower everything around it, which is why I sadly can't wear sugar-heavy scents typically (Sugar Skull, I'm looking at you!). The cane has this subtle, almost lemony edge to it and here that edge cuts through the sweet aspect of the rich amber, making it a sultry scent that's still great for summer evenings. And with the magic that is black amber, I suspect this will only get better with age. ❤️

I've had nothing but great experiences in the past both with the Lab's Single Note Mango and also their blends with Rice Milk in them, so I blind-bought not one but TWO bottles of this, so sure was I, that I'd love it. And I REALLY REALLY DO!!! Sweet, delicate and lightly fruity, this combo does what many others do not do for me: it remains true to its components and at no point does it veer off into candy or plastic territory. If you have had good experiences with mango in particular, you know exactly what I'm talking about and will definitely want to add this to your collection. This is 100% coming on vacation with me next week, because I KNOW I'll have many opportunities to wear it! PURE. WIN.