VioletChaos

I no longer have the 2008 variety but I was able to see my review of it to jog my memory. I knew that I had liked that one enough that when I saw there was a new iteration for 2020 I was very interested in getting to check it out, and I'm really glad I did. 

As with the original, there's something distinctly effervescent about Mead Moon- she is legitimately a *sparkling mead*, not just some honey slopped in a jar. The spices, both in the bottle and as the scent warms and blooms on the skin, are extremely well blended- apart from the rich honey base, I can't pull apart any of the notes in this perfume.

But what's important, what I remembered about the original, was that there was something distinctly High Summer about the fragrance- like playing in the hot sun and then lolling in a half-hidden barn, in big piles of sweet hay. The air is thick with the heat of the day, even in the dark of the interior, and the air is so dense and thick, yet there's something cozy and deeply nostalgic about it that it feels only welcoming. 

And so, I welcome Mead Moon back into my life, bringing a sweetness of the past into this chaotic present, to smooth the edges, if just a little bit. ❤️ 

In The Bottle: The very tart (and delicious!) grapefruit is way out front. The yuzu provides a touch of sweetness at the backend. No musk comes through at this stage.

Wet On Skin: Much the same, which is fine by me!

Dry Down:  Whereas in the bottle the grapefruit is more pith-heavy, once it warms and opens fully on my skin, it becomes a bit more juicy, and fruit-focused. I get traces of the musk, more as a way to simply give the grapefruit depth, but the musk, like the yuzu, really only provide supporting roles for the grapefruit, which remains the main star of this show. MUCH later in the wear, a bit more musk rises to the occasion, but the grapefruit remains a focal point, even then.

In All: I adore the Lab's citrus-heavy scents, whether they are confections like Kingdom Of Sweets, or fresh, tart masterpieces, like my dearly beloved Happy Baby In A Dress; which is why I picked up a full bottle of this untested and untried. Low throw and lovely on its own for upcoming hot days and nights, I see great potential for layering with this oil, either with sugar-heavy scents like the most recent 13 or Sugar Skull, or else to bring a bright tone to richer, denser woody scents like Tiki King! or even Tombstone.

13 hours ago, Deceitfuldescender said:

I am thinking soon might be a good time for a spring cleaning swap.

Ooooohhhhh! Can you say more about that? What'd you have in mind???

A pure, clean antiseptic lavender in the bottle and wet on skin. As it dries down, it warms and sweetens a bit, likely because of the musk. It's not like the sugared lavender of TKO, it's not foodie-sweet like that. It's more like the lavender in my beloved Safari- I get the real sense that this is a scent less about just smelling nice, but that I will mostly be wearing this to bed, to help bring on delicious sleep.

In literally every other blend I've ever tried it in, myrrh overpowers everything else and turns to wet, fetid cardboard on my skin, no matter how lovely the other notes are. So when I saw myrrh was on the menu for this scent, I put it out of my mind. But then I visited my dear friend ReallyZeb and we had us a little meet-and-sniff (like we do) and she allowed me the great pleasure of sniffing (and yes, testing) this scent. 

It. Is. Beautiful. 

When the chance came round again for me to grab a bottle, I did with great haste, because I literally had not stopped thinking about it since I'd sniffed Zeb's bottle lo those many months ago. Normally I can pick out individual notes, but this scent is that rare thing, so well-blended that it simply is its own substance, not an amalgam of its components, only and forever itself.

I know it would be more hopeful to say "oh yes the _____ note is very strong and it mixes well with _____" but this is just not one of those times. 

This is something else entirely- get some and you will see. ❤️ 

I just got the brand-new Capricorn locket in the post yesterday. For those that had the original run of the BPAL Brimstone locket, the dimensions and weight of the new zodiac lockets are basically identical. I really love sterling silver and am not much for gold-tone metal, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the gold accents on the Cappy locket, but it's really quite beautiful. There's a kind of lustrous, buttery quality to the sheen on the surface and it's catches the light so well! I wore it all day today, just as a beautiful pendant- I didn't use any oils inside yet, but honestly, the fact that the pendant is also a scent locket was secondary to just having a beautiful piece from a company I adore. This is my third locket from the Lab, but might just be my favorite now ❤️ 

In The Bottle, I get a light wiff of the coffee beans. 

After application, the copal comes through. Unfortunately, it's not showing up on my skin as the smoky copal others are describing: I'm getting Lemon Pledge.   I've experienced fresh copal essential oil as being very lemony, so it's not a huge surprise, though definitely not the acid-acid experience I was hoping for. I have a bottle of well-aged copal EO, so I know the wonders that aging can do. There's also a promise of better days lying ahead because about an hour in, the scent shifted and became more vanilla-resin with a faint edge of coffee in the background. I'll hold on to it for a while longer and retest later. Hopefully, it'll age well and become more what I was hoping for...

In The Bottle: Buttercream! Yellow box cake!!! 

Wet On Skin: Cake. Cakecakecakecakecake. I literally want to gnaw on my own arm. THAT'S how good this smells.

Dry Down: Yup. Just straight up, warm, fresh-from-the-oven, CAKE. I'm not really even getting frosting. But you know what? I don't care! Because A straight-forward cake-perfume is filling a need in my life, and I will love the poop outta this scent for as long as the bottle lasts!

In All: Moist, delicious box cake in a medium-low throw. I will happily wear this alone but will also play around with some layering, because why not? CAAAAAAAKE. ❤️❤️❤️ 

In the Bottle: Mostly Dorian with a bit of a dapper lavender bringing up the rear.

Wet On Skin: The beeswax and oak suddenly become the strongest notes as the oil starts to warm up on my skin.

Dry Down: Wow. This IS a serious morpher. The Dorian has all but left the building. In its place is a spicy, sexy concoction of vanilla husk, a dusting of honeyed rosin and oak rounding it out. It's surprisingly light with very low throw considering the decadence of the scent notes. It's a good "skin scent" in that it stays so close to the skin- therefore good for daytime use but also good for sexy time use.

I'd for sure wear this on a date.  

In The Bottle: Cream and honey. Yum!

Wet On Skin: The honey is changing a bit to a kind of honey dust. The cream is still present but less intense. 

Dry Down: Honey cream. 

In All: Having been an *enormous* fan of the Trading Post's Pie Series, and finding the Pecan Pie perfume in particular to only get better with age, I had high hopes for this scent. It's a soft, sweet, honey-focused scent that's lovely- but it's NOT pecan pie on me, for which I am certainly disappointed. It's for sure good enough to hold on to, but I'm going to keep hoping that the pecan pie eventually finds its way into the mix.

In The Bottle: Goats milk front and center, with a tart edge that I'm betting is the tea note.

Wet On Skin: The tea becomes more prominent as it warms on my skin, and there's a bit more of a lemon under-note to it.

Dry Down: It's saying pretty much just goats milk and white tea. I'd really been hoping for the lavender and definitely that marshmallow, but alas, it was not in the stars for me... 😕 

I am a longtime fan of the Lab's popcorn note, going all the way back to Shill's debut appearance, so I knew that I would simply have to have a bottle of this on principle. It does not disappoint. As with Vampire nigh At The Movies, part of the charm is taking the simple, unadulterated buttery popcorn and combining it with something unexpected- in this case, Snake Oil- to great effect. 

The popcorn is definitely the dominant note here, which is what I was personally hoping for. But I like the dribble of non-food vanilla and musky spices skulking in the background that only Snake Oil can provide. It almost creates a caramel-corn effect, if there was such a thing as non-foodie caramel corn  ...which I guess this is effectively doing? 🤔 In any event, if you're a fan of popcorn scents, definitely get your hands on some of this, you can't go wrong.  

In The Bottle: Lots of fresh, buttery pumpkin and a hint of spice. 

Wet On Skin: The spice is coming out more and warming it all up. I like the effect, that warmth. It's a nice autumnal scent thus far.

Dry Down: Finally! The cozy sweater! I was honestly wondering if half the namesake simply wouldn't appear to me, but now I understand what all the hubbub is about! It's got this sexy-clingy-sweater vibe thing that defies explanation except as "One of those moments when Beth does a thing and we have to ask: how. did. she. DO. that???" It's warm, it's cozy, it's slightly spicy and it's dead sexy. I am SO glad I took a chance on this one! ❤️ 

In The Bottle: There are so many high-level competing notes that its actually really hard to pull apart the scent. However, if I was forced to discern, I'd say some tendrils of the scarlet musk are in the mix, a hint of sugar and a smirk of plum. (that's right, I said smirk and NO ONE CAN STOP ME.)

Wet On Skin: The tobacco roars to life the second this oil starts to warm on my skin, which is unfortunate for me, as tobacco quickly envelopes other notes when it dominates with my chemistry. Still, I'm hoping it'll mellow when dry.

Dry Down: The plum and benzoin combine to make this a very incense-y blend indeed. Not headshop-style, like backwoods Louisiana magick style. That's the influence of the tobacco (which *has* settled, thankfully) and the oudh as well.

In All: medium to high throw- a little goes a long way, so test carefully at first. This scent vacillates between high-end fancy perfume (same realm at B340) and deep incense. If either of those are your cup o tea, check this out. As for me, I'll hold onto it for a little bit longer to see how it ages, but otherwise, I think I'll send it off to someone who'll appreciate it more than I.

So, I am definitely amongst the group for whom Dragon's Milk will always in the top five of all time. I carry imps in my wallet, it's hands-down my go-to signature scent for comfort and adoration, regardless of time of year.

So to get a bottle of this hair gloss was a decision that took all of a millisecond to make. 

As with all of the Lab's hair glosses, this one performs just as we all love- adding shine, reducing frizz (a big plus for me and my mixed-ancestry hair!) and generally making my hair more lovely.

So the scent is really what's at stake here and again, it does not disappoint. As the name implies, expect a mix of pumpkin *spice* (not pumpkin) along with the beloved DM. The spice comes on strong at fist but simmers down within a few minutes, making a slightly more gritty and rough-and-tumble sexy older brother to the sweet innocence of pure Dragon's Milk.

For me, nothing compares to the original, so while I will cherish this one bottle for all its worth, I won't hoard backups like I've done with the DM HG- but don't let that put you off: it's definitely worth a bottle as we smooth our way from a meandering late summer to a mild autumn. ❤️ 

In the bottle, I'm getting a faint hint of the cotton candy. But as someone else in this thread said, on my skin, it's a sugary, slightly musky Dorian. And I'm ALL for it. Dorian is a favorite of mine, and this version is slightly lighter and perhaps a teensy bit more heavy on a (sugared) black tea note. Normally I amp sugar as a note, but the rest of the Dorian-centered notes seem to be enough to keep the sugar in its place.

So glad to add this to my collection (Thanks Twi, for another great swap!  )

In The Bottle: Rich, bittersweet dark chocolate and straight, uncompromising clove, in equal measure.

Wet On Skin: Same. It's like overtime my nose tries to pull one element over the other, the scent shifts again.  

Dry Down: Upn drying, the sharpness of each note smooths out a bit, becomes softer around the edges. Which is great, as both notes can be a bit jarring and acrid when they're at their most intense. This is like the other side of the coin of Wednesday's Child Is Full Of Woe: that one is clove and vanilla, which made the clove sweet and lightly playful. The strong cacao when paired with the same clove note, makes something a little more sultry. The scents are like day and night in terms of when I'd wear them. Both are lovely on their own, delivering exactly what I'd hoped for, and I suspect they will layer well with each other. I also suspect that layering this scent with a drop of dirty patchouli or smoky vetiver will provide some additional fun options, especially as we start to tread into that most sinister time of year, Autumn.

Total win! Glad I blind-bottled a backup! 

On 8/19/2019 at 7:01 PM, Coldfire said:

Hi!    Peeking in to confirm that YES!   We will be running the LucyBoo21 Memorial Halloweenie Switch Round!    Those you who want to play and are fairly new to the Forum can use the next couple of weeks to get post counts up!     Details will come soon!

 

 

4 hours ago, ReallyZeb said:

Hi former witchee! Coldie has said this autumn SW is definitely going ahead and will be a memorial round for Joni and will incorporate something in her name/spirit 💔

My heart. As if there was any last doubt, now that Joni will be honored, I'm *definitely* waiting for SW ❤️❤️❤️ 

So, I'm pretty excited about BOTH 13 Nights Halloween Swap and *also* a possible Weenie Switch Witch, but I might only have the resources for one or the other. So my question is: What is the likelihood that there's going to be a Hallowmas Switch Witch? It's my preference because of length and passion, but I definitely do NOT want to miss out on 13 Nights if it looks like there won't be a SW this year at this time.

Thoughts? Anyone who has inside knowledge???

In The Bottle: The labdanum is *intense* at first sniff. Since I have been in a major labdanum rabbit hole as of late, this is not, in any way, a problem for me. In fact, it's sort of what I was hoping for (though I adore all notes listed equally in this blend, so truth be told, this bottle was always going to be mine, one way or another.) I get traces of sharp, bittersweet cacao and smoky vetiver around the edges, but no vanilla at this stage.

Wet On Skin: As the oil starts to warm, the labdanum opens further, releasing its delicious dark/sweet/resinous power. The cacao mellows a bit, but this is not the sweet, dusty confection of my darling Cacao Pod. This is deep black baker's chocolate at most- and it's really just in the far background. The vetiver had disappeared, and vanilla never came to the party at all.

Dry Down: the labdanum continues to dominate, with just an edge of the vetiver's smokiness to round it out. It's strong but with a medium-low throw. I can feel the fury of the message through this scent. I am instantly in love and suspect, given the notes, that this will only get better with age. ❤️ 

In The Bottle: The fig and rice flower are the first notes detectable. Light, sweet and not at all foodie, I recognize the fig from such classics as Eden. The rice reminds of a long-lost Shunga scent from years gone by, though I can't place which one, exactly. (Though old enough that it may have come out the same year as the original and unmatched Glowing Vulva).

Wet On Skin: As it warms, the cream starts to show itself, but it's sheer- I'm not getting the toasted aspect, nor am I getting the smokiness of the fig. This is a light, gentle skin scent thus far, and neither clove not patchouli are anywhere on the premises, unfortunately.  

Dry Down: Oh, HAI THERE, Clove! To be fair, even at full dry-down, the clove is merely a footnote, a little bit of an edge, a slight toe-hold for all the gossamer-sheer notes on which to gain traction. (it IS only listed as "a drop", after all...) In all, this is a gentle scent, much like the sweet-looking fur baby for which it is named. It stays close to the skin, and as a mid-summer release, I can see wearing this on the balmy nights that remain now in August and the first half of September, then perhaps switching to wearing it during sunny, slightly chilled afternoons throughout the fall. ❤️ 

STRAWBERRY MOON 2019

It's been a while since I got a shirt from the Lab but the graphic for this month's Strawberry Moon was too good to miss. I'm *really* glad I did! Since it's been literally years since my last Lab shirt, they have since changed the company they use for their women's baby-t style shirts, and the quality is GREAT. The shirts were well-made before, but I am one of those people for whom anything close to a standard tee is problematic: the fabric is usually too thick and therefore unbreathable for me, and the texture tends to require multiple washings to achieve anything *close* to comfy.

These news ones are SOOOOOOOOO soft!!! Like tissue-tee-level soft, but not transparent the ways tissues tees generally are. Also, they're incredible flattering in shape, especially as compared to ye standard boxy-shape of regular cotton-poly shirts. Lastly, they're longer, which is also a nice touch- some  of us aren't interested in shirts that inexplicably end right at where the pants (or skirts etc) begin.

And the graphic, of course, is GREAT, which was the whole reason I picked it out to begin with.

TOTAL win!!! ❤️❤️❤️ 

I've been smitten with Strawberry Moon since the 2009 halcyon days. 2012 was not my favorite, but the note list was compelling enough this time (benzoin, I'm looking at you!) that I blind-bottled not one but TWO. Fingers crossed my boldness has paid off.

Straight away, I find that, as with the 2009 batch, the sweet juiciness of the strawberry is offset by the tang of the dandelion sap. I love the juxtaposition, each element keeping the other one from becoming too overwhelming or veering the scent too far off-course in one direction or another. The benzoin is a stroke of genius, in my humble opinion. The honey in the 2012 mix made the scent a bit too sweet and cloying for my tastes, whereas omitting that note and replacing with the vanilla-resin-esque benzoin adds depth without making the scent sugary. Resins tend to get better with age, and while this is definitely good enough to wear immediately, I'm excited to see how this scent might continue to deepen with more time. 

On a side note, I've been testing several scents today and for this that scored both, I'd *highly* recommend layering this Strawberry Moon with the White Sandalwood and Clove duet- the clove and strawberry together create a sexy tomboy vibe that is *incredible* and not at all gourmand! ❤️ 

This is definitely a lighter, sweeter honey than some old favorites (such as O), but for this got, steamy summer, I find that I'm immediately pleased. As others mentioned, in the bottle it is this note that dominates. On the skin, the scent blooms, and the honey is still top dog, but had morphed from a liquid-y "orange blossom bear" honey to a gorgeous honey dust. The patch is almost nonexistent, but I have enough aged patchouli that I will happily layer some with this to get a different effect if desired. In the meantime, this is a lovely, rich summer scent, sexy enough for evening but holding its own enough that I'd wear it to the beach as well.