CreamyJade

Amber #214 In the bottle: Sweet tobacco, ylang ylang, very strong amber, it has a caramelized scent (not burnt caramel, but maybe a brown sugar note). Wet on skin: The same, but stronger! Dry on skin: Strong powdered amber, tobacco, brown sugar, ylang ylang. It's no morpher, but what a throw! Final thoughts: I like to think that the Chaos bottles I order choose me, even though I've had some misses in the past (aquatics! strawberry bubble gum!). I've kept #214, though I haven't worn it much. The blend has the same mean streak as Interfector (which is why I won't need a bottle of that one), but sweetened by a brown sugar note similar as the one in Spicebush Swallowtail and by ylang ylang.

In the bottle: Vanilla beans, red musk, spices. It's indeed slightly medicinal when it's fresh, but never disagreeable (to me). Wet on skin: Warm vanilla, musk, spices, a bit of incense, all amped up on my skin. Dry on skin: A perfect warm spicy vanilla, with creamy red musk. Final thoughts: Ah, Snake Oil, I can't believe I've never reviewed you. I've bought a bottle of Snake Oil in my first Lab order (way back in 2008) and I think it's the scent that I bought the most frequently (there's one I buy yearly because, I'm sure this has been said many time over, Snake Oil only gets better divine with age). It's the perfect warm sexy vanilla for the vanilla lovers, it's the perfect spiced up blend for the spice fiends and it's the perfect head shop scent for the incense people. Snake Oil is potent and lasts forever on the skin (often until the morning after application) and it has a way of morphing on your skin to make it absolutely part of you. If there was only one General Catalog blend that I had to choose to wear forever, this would be the one (and it wouldn't even make me that sad). Try if you like: Mme Moriarty, Misfortune Teller tl;dr :

In the bottle: Blended black muck and tobacco, with a hint of cocoa Wet on skin: The blend is spicy on my skin. I get hints of cardamom that I can smell through the black musk & tobacco combo. Dry on skin: Musky cocoa and tobacco. Final thoughts: This is a pretty potent dark oil! The thick oil separates naturally, so it's better to gently roll and heat the bottle between your palms before applying. It may stain the skin, but it's a small price to pay for the drydown! A dry musky cocoa, slightly sweetened and stained with tobacco. It's not foody at all. I don't use it much often, but when I do, it makes me feel comforted, warm (and slightly evil). Try if you like: 13, Boomslang

In the bottle: Black cherries, hint of booze. Wet on skin: Cherry liqueur, the distinctive scent of Egyptian musk. Dry on skin: A lovely Egyptian musk with hints of vanilla and of cherry liqueur. Oh yum! Final thoughts: What a beautiful scent! A love at first sniff, Gothabilly and I are perfectly happy in musky cherry harmony. The musk really comes out on my skin and lets the cherry, vanilla and liqueur give it depth. I think this is the best cherry scent I've even tried. Even though it stays close to the skin, it's beautiful! I wish I could afford another bottle (or 10). Try if you like: Ghoulish (less cheries, more almond)

In the bottle: Tea and orange blossom. Wet on skin: Red tea, orange blossom, sandalwood, a bit of carnation. On my skin, the blend, when wet, goes through a very "perfumey" phase, which dissipates when drying. Dry on skin: Soft vanilla and orange blossom, spicy carnation in the back. Final thoughts: I'm happy with this one. It's a nice and smooth spicy tea and orange blossom blend, which is a nice change of pace from my usual resins/incense-centric collection. I don't know if I'll wear it often, probably more during the summer. Try if you like: Spawn of the She-Devil, Jezebel

Why isn't there more love for this one?! I was never that fond of room scents, but something in that one catched my eye enough for me to get a bottle. What's that you smell: A distinguished smoky, slightly woody blend, spiked up with cardamom and sweetened with tonka and vanilla. Oh wow. Finals thoughts: You don't need much of this one to make your home smell luxurious. I wish there was a perfume oil with that scent. It's amazing!

In the bottle: Amber, sweet cedar, slightly musky. Wet on skin: Cedar, amber, incense, vanilla, musk. Dry on skin: Spicy carnation (I seem to amp carnation), glorious golden amber, hint of cedar & sandalwood. Final thoughts: This is a really superb perfume: very feminine, sexy, oriental. It has a good throw and lasts a while. I'm very happy with this bottle, another Carnaval win! Try if you like: Morroco, Hod, Midnight Mass, Schwarzer Mond

In the bottle: Almond, sweet mandarin, Snake Oil. Wet on skin: Sweet mandarin, almond, Snake Oil. Dry on skin: Slightly almondy Snake Oil with a touch of resinous myrrh. Mmm. Final thoughts: I was afraid of the almond note in this, because it generally doesn't suit me well, and of the citrus being overwhelming, but I was pleasantly surprised with this blend: another Snake Pit win!! I'm very glad I finally tried it, I bought a bottle shortly after. Yes! Always more snakes...

In the bottle: Patchouli, sweet sandalwood, a touch of vetiver (but only ever so slightly). Wet on skin: Vetiver, patchouli, Snake Oil. Dry on skin: Smoky vanilla, musky Snake Oil, a bit of lavender. Oh yes. I get no almond from the blend. Final thoughts: Whoever said "Tombeur is my VILF" is right! While I thought I'd be all over VILF, which ended up being all leather (fortunately, the boyfriend recuperated my bottle), this is the true vampire blend for me. It's a musky Snake Oilish scent, plus a delicious smoky bonus. It's not masculine to me (my boyfriend said that it was too sweet for him to try), I find it leans towards the unisex - it's very sensual either way! Try if you like: Snake Oil, Death Adder, Asp Viper.

In the imp: Heavy, heady, strong and smoky, the opium and resins are predominant, though I do smell the black orchid. Wet on skin: Black orchid, heavy opium and incense. Dry on skin: The drydown ressembles somewhat Snake Charmer and Mme Moriarty on my skin (minus the plum in both, though I do smell a bit of red plum even though it's not listed in the notes - it must be my funky nose), it's a resinous and smoky blend, almost fruity on my skin. I don't get the orchid note at that stage. No soap, no powder either. It's gorgeous! I need more... Final thoughts: I somehow received an imp of this amazing scent a year or more ago and ever since the first sniff I've wanted a bottle (which I sill haven't gotten, though I always wonder why when I break out my imp - I blame the LEs). I love you, you underrated blend. You are marvelous and resinous and sexy and powerful and you age well and you have an amazingly good throw and I could smell myself all day. <3 Try if you like: Snake Charmer, Mme Moriarty, Minotaur, Oblivion

In the bottle: Extra sweet pumpkin spices (cinnamon or cassia, nutmeg, ginger, cloves). Wet on skin: My skin seems to amp the spices, so I get the sweet cinnamon hearts feel others have described. Dry on skin: Pumpkin spices mellowed by sweetness. Nom! Final thoughts: In the bottle, this blend makes me think a lot about a type of candy I've eaten while young, but I can't exactly recall what it is, though I can confirm that I don't smell typical marshmallow out of this. On my skin, it turns to sweet spices. I'll keep this scent to make me warm on winter days...

In the bottle: Gently spiced (think cinnamon, ginger, clove) honeyed glowing amber. Wet on skin: Gentle spices still, sweet amber. Dry on skin: Amber, not powdered (yay!), a little spice and a sweetness close to vanilla. Final thoughts: This glorious blend started out for me as a frimp, which was eventually upgraded as a bottle a year ago. I love the Lion! It's a comforting, warm and glowing scent that I tend to use both on cold winter days and during bright sunny summer days. It makes me think about Hod (the ressurected), for a reason... Try, if you like: Bengal, Schwarzer Mond

In the decant: Red fruits and smoky vetiver, opium. Wet on skin: Vetiver and opium with red fruits. Dry on skin: Smoky spicy carnations and fruity pomegranate. Final thoughts: Beautiful! This blend is smoky red fruits with spicy carnations on my skin. The vetiver and the opium are behaving well and blending with the fruits and flowers, so they are discernable, but integrated as part of the whole. The fruit is a bit more tangy than in the usual smoky or resinous blends I like (Snake Charmer or Mme Moriarty, for example, where the plum is juicy and sweet), but it's a nice change for me. I'll be keeping my decant, but I'm not sure if it will be upgraded to a bottle. I tend to prefer heavier resin-centric blends.

In the decant: Musky pomegranate and cocoa blend. Wet on skin: Slightly fruity red musk, a bit of tobacco, a bit of booze from the cognac. Dry on skin: Musky, very slightly herbal (it's really not that strong, so don't be afraid if you don't dig herbal blends), I get the distinctive smell of star anise and tobacco. Final thoughts: I tried to roll my decant as much as I could to incorporate the cocoa sediment at the bottom, but I don't get much cocoa from this skin test. Otherwise, it's a nice musky anised blend, but the star anise is kinda ruining it for me (even though the blend was boyfriend approved on me!). It's one of the notes I'm not too keen on and I was hoping it would not be too strong. Try if you like: Panther Moon ETA: Now that the blend has aged a bit (and that I rolled my decant and finally could get to the cocoa), I get smoother pomegranate and cocoa, along with star anise, tobacco and red musk. ETA more: A friend of mine spilled my decant not long after I made this review and I became obsessed with finding another one. I ended up buying a bottle at a very good price, and with some aging, the blend has definately lost the overwhelming star anise note that my skin amped. It's still there, but less present. The pomegranate and red musk are lush, the thyme adds a herbal touch, the cocoa and tobacco add a drier side to the blend - I'm quite happy with it.

In the decant: Booze and almonds, black cherry Wet on skin: Booze still, almond extract (almost), black cherries. I think I might be getting drunk just by sniffing my arm. Dry on skin: Sugared almond booze, black cherries, still, slight spice. I don't get any coconut or saffron per se, but I get more to this concoction than its amaretto and cherries top notes. Good throw! Final thoughts: I'm not a foody, but I like to try foodies because I love baking desserts! But this is perfume and it suits me well enough, I still find that I smell "delicious" instead of smelling "sexy" or "beautiful". I'll try to layer it with a scent with musk. Try if you like: 13 (March 2010, if I recall correctly), Gothabilly, the other silly Halloween scents

In the decant: Cedar, cloves, lavender and sweet dates. Wet on skin: Pomegranate, red and tangy, lavendar, the resins, the cedarwood. Dry on skin: Warm and comforting light resinous scent, with a wood base. I get no more lavender after it has dried. There's not much throw on my skin, but it lasts a while. Final thoughts: My boyfriend said that Pomegranate III "smells like Strawberry Shortcake doll", but he gets nothing of this pretty blend! This is a resinous and woodsy scent, that stays close to the skin. I'm not sure I want a bottle, I think my decant will be enough.

In the bottle: Leather, sandalwood and sweetness from the honey. Wet on skin: Leather again, some patchouli, there's an oriental perfume undertone (the dark florals, I assume), with woods (the cedar, the sandalwood). Dry on skin: Now that the leather has finally calmed down, I smell a woody blend, a hint of sweetness (red musk, honey) and dark florals similar to the ones in Scherezade. Final thoughts: I'm confused. All the notes are magnificent in this, but the whole makes me wonder if I like it. I don't know if it's my skin chemistry, or if the blend would benefit from aging (which is why I won't let her go just yet - I got the girl label), but I honestly imagined I'd love it right away, by just sniffing the bottle. But no, this VILF takes her sweet time to be nice and it's only at the dry stage that I can appreciate her. Try if you like: Dee, Western Diamondback, Romanti.Goth, Scherezade.

In the bottle: This is red musk. All red musk, all the time, though it's not overly strong in the bottle. Wet on skin: A creamy, sweet, slightly tangy, red musk. Dry on skin: It's mellow and creamy, the honey sweetens the blend very nicely. Very potent. I've received compliments all day! Final thoughts: Being the red musk fiend that I am, I needed this one. Bad. After getting my first bottle, I assure you I need a back-up or two of this beautiful scent, because I'm sure it'll age magnificently. It's nice to have a red musk scent that's not too "loud". This is more like Smut's daytime look (in high heels); very beautiful, very wearable, still dead sexy. I'm hoarding this one! Try if you like: Smut (the '06 particularly), Scherezade, Womb Furie, red musk blends

I received #170. In the bottle: A strong sweet smelling bourbon vanilla, with hints of citrus underneath. Wet on skin: I can smell the citrus a bit more clearly; it's creamy, mild and not overwhelming. It's not lemon, nor lime, nor grapefruit (certainly not orange), just very citrus, the way Meyer lemons smell like. Dry on skin: The drydown is a cotton candy vanilla, quite similar to the one in Antique Lace or Black Lace, along with small hints of citrus. It's definately not a morpher. Final thoughts: I'm quite happy with this Chaos bottle! It smells foody, without completely being foody, which suits me, plus it lasts & lasts. It reminds me of sophisticated lemon madeleines, without a bakery smell.

In the bottle: Sweet cardamom & tonka. Wet on skin: Cardamom & tonka still, a faint vanilla develops in the background as it dries. Dry on skin: Sweet light tonka & spices. Final thoughts: This is very faint, yet oddly present, on my skin. It sticks close to the skin and is nice, but I prefer scents with more throw. I don't know what aging will do to it, but hopefully it'll deepen. I find it similar to Andreiphontes in its final dry stage of light spices, but Gypsy's sweeter.

In the decant: The oil is very dark. Nag champa, deliciously intoxicating nag champa, & resins. Wet on skin: More resins, sweetness of the nag champa, black musk, spice (it must be the ginger). Dry on skin: I get resins, black musk & incense. This is a very sensual blend! Final thoughts: When I opened the decant I knew that I should have gotten a bottle of this. Argh! I was very afraid of star anise in this one, but it stays quietly in the background. This is a sweet dark blend of incense & delicious black musk. It has a good throw and a little lasts a long time. Now the hunt for a bottle begins... Try if you like: Temple Viper, Minotaur, Scorpio 2007 (though it is more herbal).

I also receved this with my eBay winnings! I can definately smell the fruit (red fruits) & light spice mentionned above, but I also smell anise & greener undertones without much flowers. It's nice, but not my cup of tea, though I'm curious to what the notes will reveal!

In the bottle: Opium, incense, heavy musk. Wet on skin: Opium & musk still, the blend is turning very smoky. A morpher that one. Dry on skin: Early after it has dried, the scent become very similar to an aged Black Lace's drydown, though without BL's delicious vanilla. It's been mentionned that tobacco's not in the notes, but I too smell tobacco during drydown. After a while, the scent intensifies and becomes smokier & richer on my skin. Woah. Final thoughts: This blend is potent darkness, heavy & alluring. So beautiful! I haven't really experienced the plum (though I amped the plum in Hellion), that is my only drawback for this scent, but I can only blame my skin chemistry. Otherwise, Romanti.Goth is a heavy, smoky incense & amber blend, with some sweetness. I'm very happy I acquired a bottle of this! Try if you like: Snake Charmer, Mme Moriarty, Black Lace.

LCXCVI In the bottle: Honey, musk (red, possibly), incense. It's in the same family as the sexy Smut and Womb Furie. Wee! Wet on skin: Honey, slightly fruity musk, incense. Dry on skin: Warm rich honey, with an almost chocolatey feel. NOM! Final thoughts: After going through a couple of Chaos V bottles, I think I found a match! I tested it against an aged imp of O that I have kept thinking at first that they were so similar, but this Chaos bottle is less sweet, less cloying than the actual O. I'm really happy that I finally found a chaotic blend for me!

In the bottle: Fresh Snake Oil & honey. Wet on skin: Spices right away, and then a sweet honey that complements it perfectly. Dry on skin: Spicy vanilla & honey. Yum! Final thoughts: While I find O to be overly cloying when freshly applied (to my limit of the wearable/bearable), Womb Furie combines the best of both Snake Oil & O, though without the lasting effect Snake Oil has on me (aged Snake Oil lasts the whole day on my skin). I've been trying out a lot of honey scents lately and I find Womb Furie's drydown to be completely delicious. What fun is this scent going to be when aged! Try if you like: Carnaval Diabolique's sweeter snakes of the Snake Pit, Snake Oil, O, honey, spicy vanilla.