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Chaos Theory II: LXV (60) In the bottle: I nearly cried because I thought I'd hate this one - the only thing I could smell was mint and I hate mint. This was my little birthday present to myself this year and I only bought one bottle, telling myself that "the perfect scent would find me or it wouldn't" so I was a little upset at the thought that this bottle might be headed to swapping or ebay right off the bat! Wet: A little harsh; I can really smell the mintiness - it makes my nose tingle. Something watery is mellowing the tingle, though, so I think there's hope for this yet! ::crosses fingers:: Drydown: Wow. Oh - just - wow. It turned into this beautiful watery-aquatic-ozone scent on the drydown. I must say its the perfect aquatic scent I've always been searching for - the scent that reminds me of lying under a shady umbrella at the beach after having just come out of the water; that mixture of the breeze coming off the water and the smell of the salt water drying on your skin ... ::dies from the love:: Dry (30 minutes later): There's a sweetness that comes out as I wear this; a light floral beneath the wateriness ... its driving me crazy not being able to discern what floral, but it blends so incredibly well with the rest of the scent that I can't be sure what it is. A whiff I got a moment ago strongly reminded me of white rose (a note very like the note I adore in Dublin) ... but then a minute later I was absolutely positive it wasn't rose and was, perhaps, lotus ... Either way, this scent is beautiful beyond my wildest imagination; so complex and continuely shifting on my skin. Dry (60 minutes later): The sweetness of the floral is completely intermingled with the scent now; its a sweet, clean, watery scent that defies my ability to explain. I repeat "Oh - just - wow." Verdict: Dublin is my "every day" scent and this LXV has a strong parallel to that blend; I think this is just perfect for wearing in warmer weather, on occassions where I fell Dublin is just a little too ...(sweet? heavy? floral?)... too much. I'm in love with this blend, despite my moment of panic when I opened the bottle - I'll have to use this one sparingly! ETA: About two hours after applying this scent, its faded considerably. Its such a pale, smooth scent ... If I could give it a color, it would be translucent but shimmering; perhaps a pale green or light blue ... or maybe both, ever shifting. I'm a big fan of Philosophy's "Amazing Grace" (one of the only two commrecial fragrances I'll wear) because its a "your skin but better" kind of smell; a faint hint of scent that really does adjust to suit its wearer. That's exactly what this Chaos blend makes me think of - when I've been wearing it for awhile, it becomes my skin, but better because of the faint oceanic scent that delicately wafts from my skin. Oh yes; I'm in love.

In the bottle: Very light but substantial at the same time. No note jumps out at me; its sweet and serene with a hint of spice. I already know I'm going to love this, even if I can't pick out individual notes in it! Wet: Wow - the spiciness picks up. Not sure what it is ... doesn't smell strongly enough (to me) to be clove but it could be cinnamon ... either way, its a lovely spice; not a kick-you-in-the-face spice like some scents ... still very mellow Dry: Oh - this is beautiful! I picture calm, golden light all around me. The creamy sweetness comes out and harmonizes with the spice perfectly. I get a tiny bit of a baby powder smell off of it but - for once - that's okay with me, because it smells just lovely that way! Verdict: Already ordered a 10ml. LOL I LOVE this scent; might be right up there as #2 on my favorites list . I tried this scent out three times before reviewing it - once a week to see if it would turn icky with my body chemistry at certain times of the month and - nope, its lovely no matter when I put it on. This scent is so calming, I think it's replacing Tushnamatay as my new yoga blend!

I seem to be a huge fan of the all BPAL's "blood" scents - I think they're all extremely sexy. I wouldn't say their dark florals, personally, but I do think they're heavier and more full bodied and that makes them wonderfully sensual. BLOOD LOTUS: Lush, velvet-red blooms born from the blood shed in the eternal battle between Set and Horus the Avenger. BLOOD ROSE: Sensual, robust, and silken: voluptuous red rose bursting with lascivious red wine and sultry dragon's blood resin. BLOOD COUNTESS: Ah, vanity. Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry.

In the bottle: First thought - hey, that smells like the drink I had the other night! LOL Really does smell like a fruit-y alcoholic beverage, although pomegrante wasn't the first fruit that sprung to mind. Wet: Hum - something almost medicinal about this one. Like a very astringent perfume - but that'd probably the "alochol" in the martini doing its job. Drying: Getting fruitier. Still not thinking "oh - that's pomegrante" ... but maybe my brain is expecting it to smell sweeter (since I love eating them) and therefor not making the connection. ::shrug:: Either way, there is a definite fruit smell - something a little sweet, a little tart and very yummy all around! Dry: Wow - this is beautiful, in a very fun way. It sure does smell like a cocktail but not in that "I just spilled a martini in my lap" way. Its a fantastic blend: crisp, invigorating and easy-going, the right balance of sweet and tart! Verdict: A sexy scent but not in the "take me now!" sort of way. Its playful, almost, and very ... casual? (Does that make sense to anyone but me? LOL) This is something I can see myself wearing for a night out on the town with the girls.

In the Bottle: Fresh and sharp; a very winter-y scent. Reminds me of LARPing during the winter - the smell of walking along a moonlit path late on a winter night. (Seems a lot of winter LE's remind me of LARPing, don't they? LOL) A very nice scent, something comforting about it, even in its coldness. Wet: Very pine-y, but (as others have said) not an artificial pine. This is the pine scent that comes from breaking a pine needle between your fingers; fresh and true. Reminds me of the smell that comes from burning a Yankee Candle "Christmas Wreath" candle for a few hours - that warm, sweet mellow smell of pine. Drying: Something very tart joins the pine. A sharp, bright citrus smell. So far I'm not smelling any of the berries in this and I would really like to. Its not a bad smell, actually, but I don't really like where this is going... Dry: Yup. That's what I was afraid of. That's the aroma of Pine-Sol. ::shudder:: Something lemon-y comes bursting through and the two scents mingle, drowning out anything else that might be in the blend. Instant headache. (Lemon-y smells and my sinuses do not mix.) Even after washing this one off, the faint Pine-sol tinge lingers. My skin really abhors citrus! Verdict: Damn. I really was expecting to like this one; but it looks like fate has other things in mind. Looks like this decanted imp will be added to the swap pile...

Yay for Dublin love! I've got so many imps and bottles of it on order, its almost sick. LOL I tried Dragon's Tears and didn't like it one bit. It was very floral on me in a aged sort of way; made me think immediately of "old lady." LOL

I'm currently in absolute LOVE with Dublin. The thing that sticks out about it the most, to me, is a misty-damp (almost watery) tone that lays over the light floral-ferny smell. Its crisp and clean without being sharp but manages to be a musky-sweet at the same time. (Am I confusing or what?) All in all, it smells wonderful on me and I'm fast becoming addicted to it. This is the first time I've come to like a "watery" scent on myself and I think I'd like to try more of them! (Its a nice daytime scent, leaving the heavier sweet-wine/spicy-amber scents I've always relied on until now for when I want to turn up the sex appeal and give the boyfriend a clear message! ) I was wondering if anyone could recommend some similar smells - either scents that are mainly aquatic notes or those with a good balance of light floral/aquatic notes.

As a perfumer myself, I agree with both sides of the fence. Yes, the buyer has the right to know if an ingredient in a blend could be dangerous to them due to an allergy - but, at the same time, no businesswoman/man in their right mind lists every single note contained in their formula ... especially not on the internet! If your allergies are THAT severe, you really might want to consider making your own perfume blends. Its the safest way and, really, can be quite fun. I was making my own for years for myself and friends/family before beginning to sell them - I could recommend some good books and suppliers to get you started if you're interested. As someone who has a small selection of items available for sale, I would recommend that someone with your problem email me with a list of the notes that are dangerous to them and I would then make a list of "do not try" selections based on that. But, considering the Lab has such a huge selection, that's probably next to impossible! So, what judas_kiss recommended sounds the most logical to me - list your allergries in an email, along with the scents you're interested in buying. I highly doubt that Beth will have any problems with telling you if those scents are safe for you to try!

My first review so ... um ... bare with me? In the bottle: WOW - that's cherry. No "cherry wood" - the first thing that springs to mind is the image of some sort of cherry kool-aid, overshadowed with a subtle smokiness. It was so overpowering when I first opened the bottle that I almost gagged and thought twice about giving it a try on my wrist! Wet: Yum - now its a very creamy cherry. Almost like cherry vanilla ice cream, but still with that hint of darkness that keeps it from being too syrupy. I think the darkness comes from the tobacco but its not heavy enough for me to place a finger on. As it dries: Oh my goddess, is that LOVELY! A distinct smokiness comes out, followed by a hint of spice. Not a spicy spice; a hint of mulled spice (like when I boil water with cinnamon sticks and cloves in it during the winter to make the kitchen smell yummy). The tobacco is there if I sniff real hard but it combines so well with the other notes that nothing really sticks out now. I don't smell any "leather armchair" in here but I can see fireplace images in my mind. This scent (for some reason) makes me think of my winter-time LARPing days - it calls to mind the feeling of crisp cold air numbing my nose and whispering against flushed cheeks; sitting on a log in front of a nice, warm crackling bonfire with a cup of orange-n-clove spiked black tea in my hands. Ahhhh ... Its still a bit sticky-sweet if I give in to the urge to sniff my wrist close up but its wafting off me in a lovely winter-time comfort smell. Completely dry (1/2 hour later): Close up its now very smoky instead of cherry-sweet and a little bitter. But the scent around me is fantastic and I'm enjoying it very much. I took a chance when I saw this up for grabs, thinking it would be a nice scent to burn in an oil burner - I really didn't expect to like it when I put it on my skin. But - wow! I DO like it and I think I'll be wearing this on cold snowy days, as it is a very nice cozy winter scent.