scourgeotheseas

Formula 54 I was so excited to finally get my hands on this! In the bottle: Cherry coke and booze. In fact, my first thought was "eggnog?" and I think it was the heady cognac component. On me/wet: Booze, baby powder, and this warm, sexy version of...cherry coke. That fades quite quickly and becomes a boozy, sexy, slightly floral, slightly smoky scent. Wow! Complex and morphable. Drydown: The amazing thing about this blend is the difference between it in the bottle and on the skin. The syrupy sweet bottle scent has been replaced but a richer, sexier yet still sweet scent. That being said, I'm reminded of baby powder when I sniff this on myself. Rather than being a dirty, come hither scent, this one comes off as rather regal on me. Expensive. Grand. I think. I think this is a beautiful mix, but my skin doesn't realize the full potential.

Danube - my first aquatic! In the bottle: The smell of being in a garden just after it rained. Strong, sweet florals and an aquatic note. On me: The florals pop out, sweet and the verge of soapy, but good nonetheless. But what is amazing to me is the aquatic note - I feel like I can smell fresh clean water running by. Wow! This one often draws me as I walk by the imp box.

Kweku Anansi In the bottle: Green and herbal, but in a cooking way. Pepper and hint of being outdoors. On me/wet: Piney and herbal. I didn't really expect to like this, but the woods, plus pepper, and either lemongrass or lemon verbena is a truly intriguing mixture. Drydown: The light lemon scent is fading, but the mix of fresh green woods and herbs is still strong. It's also sweeter than I expected. Unfortunately, it seems to be giving me a headache.

Harvest Moon - another swap with Jasminepearls! In the bottle: Buttery, like Jack, plus alcohol and a whiff of florals. Weird... On me/wet: First, a bit of Jelly Belly Buttered Popcorn, but that hides quickly. In fact, much of the buttery scent went away, replaced by a powdery floral scent. Drydown: Over time, this one softens to a nice floral, but I think my nose missed a lot of the complexity described by other people. I like it, but I'm not sure I love it.

Hunter Moon- got an imp in a swap with Jasminepearls. In the bottle: A hint of grape, a touch of wine, but mostly spices and florals. On me/wet: Mmmm...I like this immediately. I smell yellow flowers and mulled wine. As somebody else mentioned, it smells like a country craft store. And it reminds me of Tintagel, which I love. Drydown: It's gotten sweeter as it dried, but still retains the warm, spicy scent of fall. Unfortunately, I keep getting a whiff of pencil shavings from my arm, beneath the cinnamon and spicy florals. I do like this one a lot. It reminds me of Autumn.

Magdalene In the bottle: Very green. On me/wet: It immediately turns spicy, with a whiff of white florals bringing up the rear. No real rose kick, yet. Labdanum may be the cause of the spicy, resinous note that is overpowering all the other guys. Drydown: Ah, the rose is finally starting to appear. And I'm starting to sneeze - hopefully there's no relation. Mmmm...that's a rose worth waiting for! The other notes are blending extremely well into the background, and the rose is becoming quite the standout note! Wow, this one matured into a real winner. I like!

Blood Rose In the bottle: That cherry-ish scent I associate with Dragon's Blood. On me/wet: First Dragon's Blood, then rose starts to make itself quite known. This is a rich, heavy rose well balanced by the hint of wine I get every so often. Drydown: This one seems a little too bold for me. The longer I wear it, the more rose and wine appear. It's really, really strong. There seems to be an incensey note that doesn't appear in the description. I love rose, but this one is so very...heavy. Like I'm being beaten to death by a florist while in a church. I'm conflicted. We'll see about this one...

Bluebeard In the bottle: Whoa! Too strong! One me: Whoa! What is this? I never got a whiff of violet. Instead I was overwhelmed by "guy smell". I couldn't keep it on to see if it morphed into something more pleasant.

Nocturne - I bought this mainly for the tuberose...my mom's a fan. In the bottle: Mostly lilac. Very soft. On me/wet: Dreamy. How many people already said that? It is, though. It is a gorgeous, well blended, soft floral. Drydown: The violet is coming to the foreground - funny, I didn't think I'd be able to pick it out. A hint of sweetess I think may be tuberose is also in the mix. Whoa, this one gets sweeter and sweeter on me. And very strong, even though I applied sparingly. I'm no longer thinking of this as soporific, but rather bright and loud. Weird.

Midnight - I think this came from RHM's auction! In the bottle: Light florals. Kind of expensive soap. On me/wet: Still smells of expensive soap. I'm unfamiliar with most of these flowers, so nothing is really standing out for me. However, I'm catching the same unpleasant undertone that I got from Blood Lotus. Too bad, because I wanted to lovely moonlit florals that everybody else got! I think this one is going to swaps, so someone else can enjoy the southern summer florals. EDIT: Wow, all of a sudden this morphed into a gorgeous scent with a silky, powder-like feel. I feel like I should be wearing silk underwear now...

Blood Lotus In the bottle: Lotus, but a little sharper and less cloying than in other blends. Sultrier. On me/wet: Ok, it's official. Lotus and I don't play well together. It immediately becomes cloying and a bit nauseating. In fact, it smells a lot like floral Vaseline. I hope another note becomes evident. Drydown: This a warmer, sexier lotus than I've gotten in some other Lab scents. Less bubblegum, somehow spicier. But it still smells...greasy, for lack of a better word. Unsure about this one, but I don't think it's a keeper.

Intrigue - got this as a lab freebie! In the bottle: Smells like the inside of a furniture store. Or South Florida. Kind of light woods, maybe a faint hint of something sweet. But I can't pick out any of these individual notes. On me/wet: For a moment, it smelled like it did in the bottle, then sandalwood. The note that adores me...too much. Drydown: Still smells mostly of sandalwood. A sweet, faintly soapy, scent is the only other thing I can pick up. Like light coconut (maybe the palm?). I can't smell the cocoa at all. Or fig. Well, this is not a winner on me. Wish it were, because the description sounded exquisite.

Cheshire Cat - lab freebie! In the bottle: The tang of grapefruit, with a hint of dried cranberries. I even checked with the cranberries in the desk, and yup, that's what I smell. On me/wet: As soon as this hits my skin, it smells like body odor. The musk comes out very strongly, with just a teeny background note of sharp grapefruit. Drydown: The grapefruit is trying to make a comeback, but it just can't outcompete the dark musk on my skin. I can't smell any of the other notes except a faint whiff of floral when I'm far away from the "sweaty body" odor that is my left wrist. Yup, going to wash this one off now.

Black Pearl In the bottle: Suntan lotion. Overwhelming coconut. On me/wet: Overpowering coconut, which before long turns into overwhelming coconut with somewhat strong hazelnut. Obviously I put too much on! I love coconut, but am not real happy about smelling like suntan lotion with a hint of Frangelico. Drydown: Ah, here's where the magic happens. After I given up on this one, it began to morph into a really fantastic scent. The coconut and hazelnut were gradually balanced by the iris, and although I can't really smell the musk, I think it's the note that is rounding out the whole scent. It turns into a lush, beautiful floral with a hint of coconut. This one really redeemed itself for me! Next time I'll go lighter on the application. Maybe that'll hasten the floral stage...

La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente In the bottle: Mainly pomegranate and peach. I don't really know what melilot and mrytle smell like... On me/wet: First it's a sparkly fruit, but then a little rose comes out. There is also a floral bouquet that I can only describe as "really expensive French guest soap". I can also pick up an aquatic note similar to that of Danube. Drydown: The florals began to outpace the pomegranate and peach, but I still felt I smelled like really nice soap. I'm not sure about this one...

Yemaya I got this in a swap from pkwench! In the bottle: The juicy melon scent mentioned by the other reviews. Mmmm... On me: When I first apply, I get that great hit of melon followed by a whiff of...something bad. Like, visceral reaction bad. But it hides quickly and I'm treated to the lovely scent of melon. It's not very strong on me, but also doesn't really morph into the aquatic stage mentioned in some of the other reviews. When I'm least expecting it, that bad smell wafts up from my wrists, grabs me by the throat, and then disappears. I loved the melon, but there was something a little off in combination with my skin. I sent it off to befriend a new person, who will hopefully appreciate it more than I can!

Tamora - from a swap with bootso'rourk! In the bottle: Ugh! Do I want to even try this? It smells horrid. Well, here goes... On me/wet: How fast can I wash this off? There's something sharp and musty at the same time. Thankfully, Titania is on my other wrist and I can keep smelling that instead while this drys. Drydown: Ah, sandalwood. How my skin loves you! Luckily, my skin seems to like golden sandalwood than red sandalwood, so maybe the other notes will be allowed to play. A hint of vanilla, perhaps? It's turning a bit powdery, which might be the amber. Eventually: This one mellows so nicely. It turns into a lovely combination of vanilla, a hint of peach/fruit, a little sandalwood, and a touch of powder. Once it's been on for a while, it's a delicate but lush scent. Whoa, I'm glad I live through the first stage.

Titania - Got this in a swap from Epee, thanks! In the bottle: Smells a lot like Juicyfruit gum plus watermelon. Mmm.. It reminded me a little of Yemaya. On me/wet: Ah, the florals start to appear. They're bright flowers, not too overwhelming. I also smell the peach immediately, with maybe a hint of grape. It's very candyish on me. Drydown:The florals are very subtle for a long time on me. For the first several hours, it's mainly fruit with a hint of floral. This becomes more full-bodied the longer it stays on my skin, with more florals appearing. It also stayed strong all day without reapplying. It's a winner of an imp! Probably better suited for spring or summer, though.

Dorian OMG! I love this! In the bottle: sweet tea with a hint of lemon On me/wet: It starts out with a little blast of lemon, but fades quickly to a well blended cup of tea with lots and lots of sugar combined with a kick of vanilla. After a while, a hint of the musks appear but never really makes it out from under the sweet vanilla notes. For all that, though, it was an amazingly "dry" scent. Crisp. Really beautiful, and the vanilla/hint of musk stayed around all day. It reminded me of a men's version of Antique Lace, for some reason. Brava!

Three Witches - Oh, why did I wait so long to try you? In the bottle: Clove, yet not overpowering. Fresh and spicy, with a hint of cinnamon. I kept trying for a whiff of white pepper, but no dice. On me/wet: Clove, but a fresh, bright clove and hot cinnamon. Nowhere near the CLOVE in March Hare. Echoes of Gingerbread Poppet, but (dare I say it?) better. GP gets a little "old dusty cabinet" on me, where this stayed light and true. Pure magic! On the first try, the overfull imp splattered all over my face. On the second try, it just rolled down my fingers. With this accidentally liberal application, I begin to get Red Hots. Who cares? I love Red Hots.

Velvet In the bottle: Cocoa, good vanilla, and exotic spices. Wow! Now I know why people think about eating this one... On me: Begins as mostly cocoa. A different chocolate than Vice, which smells of bug spray initially to me. But oh, here comes sandalwood. I recently discovered my skin adores this, and wants to tell the world about it. Yep, I can't smell cocoa, or vanilla, or myrrh. Just sandalwood. Well, it might go for a spin in the oil burner. Or it's off to swaps, because I simply don't like to smell of sandalwood all day.

Euphrosyne In the bottle: Fresh orange peel? Where did you come from? On me/wet: On initial application it smells like lemon Pledge. How four florals combine on my skin to come up with citrus, I have no idea. Drydown: After more than 30 minutes, the lemon scent goes away and I can finally smell something else. And that something else is pretty! Mainly gardenia and vanilla - I can't pick up any tea rose at all. It's a delicate yet cheerful scent. There's very little throw to this one (well, I only applied a little dab too). Eventually: After another hour or two, the main scent is vanilla. Much like the vanilla in Antique Lace, in fact. It's a pretty scent, once the citrus phase wore off on me.

Wolf Moon - I hate to buy things without an imp first, but I'm so glad I got this one! In the bottle: I'm not great with notes, but here goes. I pick up a little of the aquatic note, and just a tiny whiff of pine, but mostly I get soft florals. Yum. On me: Mmmmm. Floral. It's a bit green upon initial application, but dries down to gorgeous light florals. It's certainly not an overpowering scent, but it lasted well. I think the aquatic feel I get mixes extremely well with the florals, creating a tiny bit of sweetness as well. It is beautiful!

Snake Oil - In the same order with O, as I figured I'd finally try some of the big crowd pleasers. In the bottle: Incensey, but not overwhelmingly so. I can't smell any vanilla at all. It also smells just like the tarted imps I got in my first orders this summer - did anyone else notice this? On me/wet: Smells exactly the same. It's a familiar incensey note, and reminds me of some of the Lab's other scents. After a while, the incense doesn't fade but seems to warm a bit. At no time does the vanilla note make an appearance on my skin. Drydown: Eventually it starts to smell a bit waxy, like Hunger did (I think). It's alright, but not me. It continues to get warmer and sweeter, and loses its waxiness. However, I just don't enjoy this particular incensey blend.

Dana O' Shee - Based on the reviews, I HAD to have this. In the bottle: Sweet almonds. Mmmm...marzipan. On me/wet: First I get the almond note, then it begins to turn milky. I'm always unsure of milk, but this stayed a light, sweet almond milk. Underneath that, though, is the Play-doh smell I now associate with honey. Just a little, but there. Drydown: This is very sweet, but light. It faded quite rapidly, and within a couple of hours I could barely smell it. Between the Play-doh note and the vanishing scent, this one doesn't have great impact on me. Another one banished to the swaps!