olympia301

And a right shot of apricot brandy it is. There is a tap of wood in the mix, a bit of lavender I think. It is lovely and intoxicating, simple and straighforward. Dark apricot is the closest thing I can think of to describe this scent. As a bonus the name is real genius, as are so many of Beth's perfume names. If you like this one and you want to keep it going, because it does fade pretty fast, put it in a scent locket. I would use a lot on the pad because it's throw is limited as well. Alternately, Grand Guignol is a natural for trying out in the simmer pot or oil burner. A very good scent and I say it's a keeper.

Just exactly like hot buttered popcorn, yes! Captured perfectly in Shill. I really think that Shill is more than a mere novelty scent, it's exploring things that are the central core of our "nummyness". Shill doesn't stick around long on my skin and I haven't tried it out in a scent locket yet, but it certainly does fire off the happiness receptors in my brain. Wallow in it, remember there are 0 calories in Shill, and 100% of the olfactory pleasure.

Reminds me of Jailbait in the bottle, brash, unsophisticated, and raw. I was expecting Kandy. The drydown didn't produce anything beside a sweet old fashioned scent which would have been at home on your granny's dressing table. Maybe your granny was a real hell raiser in her youth, but the drydown is so sedate I have a hard time believing it is the same stuff which I sniffed wet. I was really hoping this would be Jailbait's sister, but it is nice. Just because I don't consider it a cutting edge fragrance doesn't mean it is without merit. It is just that the wet phase is so very different from the dry. I did like the pear smell, that is unique and it does all blend together seamlessly. So perhaps it will be a sleeper on me. If it is I will return and write it up.

I thought that Maenad was an old fashioned sort of a scent. I think they really would have worn something that smelled like this in Ancient Greece. It is pleasant, but I cannot pick out the carnation or orange blossom for the life of me. It settles down to a smooth pretty sort of 1950's face cream fragrance and stays there. This one may not win a prize for original essence but it is a real good old time scent which would really be good with costumes from the 1890's on back. I liked it but I guess I am just too modern to say I want to own it. One nice side effect of reviewing Maenad is that now I know how to spell maenad!

I find this to be a very full bodied scent. The first part was exceptionally green and with authority. Then sweeter notes started to pop out of the background. I am not familiar with fig so I can't say if that was one of them, but I was surprised that apple was not present at all. Eden without the cliche's, that's refreshing. As it started to drydown, things veered off into the "plastic" area and then pulled themselves back pretty quickly. The green was retreating now and notes of almost vanilla-like coconut came to the fore. Now, if I missed the apple, I got a coconut with which to tempt Eve. Not so nonchalant just biting into a coconut, you have to bring some premeditation to bear on a hard shell like that. If we were going to Fall, it should have taken some serious doing, a coconut is a perfect choice. Finally it dries down to a dark sweet trailing scent (perhaps this is the fig) which, as someone else remarked, is nothing if not relaxing. If you are someone who has been yearning for the Green smell, this one's prelude is breathtaking. The rest is, well, history.

Casanova is filled with my favorite notes, but I know from experience that they have to come together to my taste or else, it's off to the swap pile. Too bad for me that Casanova didn't suit. I thought the concept was grand but when it hit my skin, it did so with a thud. I did put Casanova up on the swap thread I have, and you will be happy to know that he was snapped up by another eager Forumite and I hope he found a happy home. The icon is an engraving of the real Casanova.

I loved the concept, the label, the little brain in a bag, the excitement of a really limited edition. The rose in this blend is outstanding, and I thoroughly admire the gumption it took to come out with something like Mi-Go Brain Cannisters. As a perfume, Mi-Go Brain Cannisters and I do not get along. As soon as it gets into my nose it goes dreadfully animalic, on my skin...it should never ever be on my skin. No. It did calm down on my wrist but angry jasmine never quite made her peace with me. It is a very good thing I didn't feel the frenzy and buy 34 bottles of this. On the other hand, I am very grateful that I got to try it--it was great fun.

This one has been recommended to me several times. So, I have an imp and was just about to say "this is a nice average scent, bla bla bla..." when I read what kmasden had to say above, then I had to stop and think: Remember the time that you said Eclipse was a nice average scent? Now look at you, sticking your nose in to bottle every night! Shame on you! You should ALWAYS give a scent a chance to seduce you before you banish it to the swap box. So, I am going to give this a much more serious assessment than I otherwise would. At first trial I do second the motion that there is some Alice-like quality to Santo Domingo, and there is some form of greenery in there somewhere (decidious I think). Also, I can smell a "carbohydrate" scent to this, too, like rice cooking...it gives a warm and anticipatory backwall to the cinnamon/carnation hopping around in the foreground. There is a bit of animal to the carbs as well, if that makes sense, but I am staying with it. I will try to remember to come back to this preliminary report on Santo Domingo. I really need to give this a fair try. Phase 2 Well, I am totally in love with Santo Domingo! I put it on my hands today and I am in heaven. What Karin said above is absolutely true! This is a glorious scent and it lasts like mad, too. Mmmmm. It's time to turn my imps into bottles. This one is highly recommended. Phase 3 I have come to the conclusion that this is a warm weather scent. It is unbeatable in the heat, but put it away in the winter. For some indescribable reason, it has to blossom in warm air to be truly effective. I will never be without a bottle of Santo Domingo but it is stored in the "summertime scents" box until spring.

This is one of the sweetest blends I have tried yet. If sweet is your thing, this is your perfume. I think of it as a friend with a high squeaky baby voice who talks like a 3 yr old, spends all of her time on clothes and make-up (and perfume) HOWEVER is the most genuine kindly person you know. No matter how sweet Moon Rose is, it is never cloying, phony or silly. In this blend I do smell roses, I could not identify moonflower or dew but I think I get some form of musk which might be what gives Moon rose her staying power. She is very sexy, and I hope she doesn't get you in trouble.

I have found that green tea turns to mildew on my skin. However, the idea of green tea in the summer in a scent is so appealing that I have asked quite a few of my friends if they would recommend an alternative to enjoy during the hot days. The Apothecary was mentioned several times, so I traded for an imp. This does indeed have green tea in it, but I think it is so small a proportion that it is not immediately turning to "old wine cave" on my skin. There is a pleasant herbal balance here, a refreshment for summer and a feeling of competence (!) which I get from this scent. It is real good for sitting around outdoors under a big market umbrella sipping your favorite iced drink and admiring the birds or fireflies as they flit by. I am going to enjoy the imp I traded for. Who knows if I will spring for a bottle or stick with Severin as my summer lemon-good smell.

Like Aglaea's younger sister, Yerevan is very very very peach and energetic. I can smell the apricot but to me it's Peach. Great summer scent which broadcasts its juiciness like mad when you first put it on. It's so very good, that backlash of slight bitter booze which tells me "I'm a peach, bite me". I also detect some sort of herb which holds the fruit and keep it in line. I suspect myrtle, the herb that loves to take care of the apricots and peaches. If you like Aglaea, you will love Yerevan which I would say is suitable for those who are: younger, more outdoorsy, more outgoing, and elated more than depressed. Yerevan dries down to a more subdued version of the above, but it is "prettier" than Aglaea when dry, but not as sophisticated because the herbs are not so dominant and it is not so woody. Also, it ends up with a slight "perfumy" component to it which Aglaea avoids. This is overall an enthralling scent which is blended perfectly. If I ever find myself in Yerevan, I hope I have the presence of mind to bring along the perfume of the same name.

Chaos Theory II: VIII (8) This is a perplexing blend. I cannot get my mental hands around this one. At first there is a mint-like start, which I think is in league with cinnamon. A non-perfumy grass-like scent is playing in the background. It's not definable taken together, but it doesn't get any more certain at any time in the future either. As it starts to dry, the mintiness diminishes and a sort of citrus component comes out. Don't ask me what it is, please. I might guess it's mandarin, but that one fools me a lot so that is my guess. Overall, this one is definitely not: floral, spicy, fruity,or resinous. You might call it green, but it isn't chlorophyll green. I might say it's a bit aquatic, but that's a real long shot for me. It isn't a sexy scent, it is a thinking scent. Though it is long lasting, it is never cloying and you won't be getting tired of it. It is: sophisticated, summery, flesh-like, long lasting, light, intellectual, indefinable, French, and (if it were a color) light yellow. In a word, I think this is Bottled Gemini. The icon is a "fractal" which is the pictorial representation of Chaos, a symbol for Chaos Theory, one fractal I found had a figure 8 embedded in it, so I used it for my icon here.

I just love this scent. Foody, creamy, honey, more cream and...I don't get the mint I do get lime. I would never have imagined in a million years that cream and lime would be so attractive together, but they certainly are. It lasts a very long time and is very strong. There is something about this blend that reminds me of cake frosting. This is my favorite of all the lunacy blends and I am very lucky I could get my hands on a bottle to sniff and love. It is simple, seductive, comforting and pretty. It's also a little crazy, but that's what lunar things are famous for!

The bottle is amazing, such a wonderful image of the Queen on cobalt blue glass. I was in wonder that I could possess her. But I have to try her, too. Wet in the bottle she smells like earth, and I can smell nothing else. On my skin wet, roses and vanilla, perhaps amber and other sweet things come out behind the earth scent, then it dries down to a grouping which included a plummy or grape scent weaving its way around the other lucious smells. But over it all is the scent of the Earth which always holds sway over this blend. If you loved Zombi or Graveyard Dirt or any of the fresh tilled soil scents, you will fall in love with the Queen of Clubs.

A perfect refinement of butter/rum scent without any hint of "off" undertones. Great slight whiff of coconut, bit of booze and a spice, as the description says. I want to compare it to Grog (the great butter/cream/rum/coconutty scent which I love love love). These two are related in some way and express a different aspect to the butter rum at which the Lab excels. So after a side-by-side test I found out that Grog is heavier/foodier/more like rice cooking/ boozier and Elegba is lighter/more floral/and has a component which smells like stone*. I think Elegba is more the summer version of Grog and if I wanted to have a whole butter/booze/cream wardrobe I would pick Elegba for my summer scent. *This is one sort of scent I discovered as a child which I cannot express any other way. "It smells like stone" means just that, there are some rocks which have a scent, and this is like that. The other one I discovered is "smells like fabric, like silk" which is the scent of wet chiffon. You have to experience these two classifications of scent and then you will see what I mean. So go out and smell some rocks, helps if they are wet with rain.

This one reminds me of the "4711" variety of 18th century scents, and that is a compliment. This one uses tea (white I think) and that's what makes it less forceful than a green tea scent like Embalming Fluid. This one is very very soft, does not intrude, and is floral in the extreme but not tooth-grittingly so. Very well mannered fragrance, it is great for summer and when you don't want to overwhelm people. I can well imagine the Empress Josephine wearing Empyreal Mist when she was by herself in her chambers. An enchanting use of tea, making it modern, combined with a refined use of flowers making it very old fashioned. The icon is the Empress Josephine.

This is a jovial scent if I ever smelled one. Full of the topnotes of coffee and heavy cream, foody without being cloying, strong and long lasting with an excellent vanilla drydown, what a great way to smell! There are similarities in Miskatonic University (MU) to such favorites as Grog but its drydown brings me to parts of Velvet (without any sandalwood) as does its overall smoothness and ability to comfort. I think I might detect a note of cocoa in the mix, and that note lasts though it is a flourish rather than the main theme. I don't get any hint of herbs here or a green note as tempte did, but chemistries and scent memories vary so widely among people. MU is outstanding in a scent locket, it stays strong throughout the day. On your skin it is heavenly, mixing with your human smell as easily as a leaf falling on the forest floor. I would say it is a fine contemplative scent, it goes with books and learning very well indeed. Though I love MU now (July) I think it is best kept for Fall and Winter because it is heavy and warm. I certainly hope that the vanilla note here comes back frequently in many other of Beth's scents (and perhaps it has for all I know). I would say Miskatonic University is a great achievement, and once again I have to applaud Beth for this great gift to us all, even if it is a limited offer. I only wish it was a catalog fragrance but its brief visit will make me treasure it all the more.

This perfume reminds me of the planet Saturn-cold, elegant in its sad undertones, somber, transforming, and tingling. It is almost impossible to pick out individual notes, as others have said. I could possibly detect some sort of evergreen, but I could not swear to it. It's an exceptionally subtle scent, just when you think you are beginning to understand what makes it up, it changes and you are back where you started. To describe it in one line: it is slightly menthol-like and slightly herbal but perfumy. Very calm almost like being in a thick fog in the Pacific Northwest. I would imagine that this one should be in a scent locket because it is fugitive after drydown, but again the scent is so subtle it might be hard to get it to broadcast it's smell in a locket. This is very beautiful, and if you like fragile perfumes which aren't abrasive but are very clean, this is a wonderful invention. This one is great in the summertime, one of the coolest and most refreshing I have ever used. The only drawback is its tendency to stay very close to your skin and to diminish quickly, but not totally disappear. Yog Sothoth is a great achievement and full of character. A gorgeous and inexplicable smell which flees; somehow it's a heartbreak but in many ways it's a tender triumph.

I just put The Hesperides in my scent locket and I have kept it smelling strong and beautiful all day yesterday and today. It really does well there.

I'd throw The Lion in there as well. With the sweet dried grasses soaking up the last of summer's warmth, that's a great just-before-Indian-Summer scent.

In order of the end of summer to Halloween: The Hesperides, Aglaea, Florence, Jack, Grog, Snake Oil and Hollywood Babylon (cherrier version of Snake Oil...very fruity and yummy but for crisp days not hot ones).

Here's another who had a surprise with Hamadryad. The imp was very similar (though not identical) to Aglaea, but the 5ml is quite different and (from the review descriptions) much more like Hamadryad. The imp was not floral but very apple and wood, the bottle was floral with some wood and, though delightful, fugitive. The imp was a variation on a woody theme, the bottle was its own sweet tune. Thanks for bringing this up, I am going to root around for a sample (or bottle) of The Hesperides. Special thanks to Brianna for solving The Mystery of the Hamadryad. Now I can (I hope) enjoy Hamadryad and The Hesperides!

I got this one as a thank-you imp from the lab. I like it and admire its many facets, but it is fugitive on my skin which absorbs it's smell in far less than an hour. That's a shame because it is a pretty scent with lily and mandarin, peony and pepper. Its initial impression is smoky, but the drydown gels around the orange note, but then as I am hoping for a floral burst it fades rapidly just like a ghost. Oh well, I hate to put this one in the swap pile, but I bet there is someone else out there who has skin the ghostly granny would like to flit around.

This one smells like Snake Oil's twin sister (fraternal twin). Slightly floral, smacked up with a bit of strawberry and cherry, much more major dark (really red) Musk kind of background noise, very loooong lasting, and really crazy beautiful. Wow! There is supposed to be vanilla in here, but I am picking up TONKA bean and saying that is the vanilla. The fruit that some folks have remarked on is there but I see it as being abit player, not a major star. Hollywood Babylon is more of a Fall and Winter scent. It is a bit heavy for spring and summer, if you are paying attention to that kind of thing. Very oriental, indoorsy, and not at all breezy or cooling. HB would be excellent sitting around a fire in winter, on a crisp and snappy day around Thanksgiving, or being quiet in January while the snow falls. This was a "thank you"imp from the lab, and they certainly got my vote when they sent me Hollywood Babylon. I am getting a 5ml of this one. It is one of the longest lasting blends ever to touch my skin and smells ab fab on me. Now, two months later...I got my 5ml and am I glad I did! Put it on (it's August) and felt Va Va Va Voom! Very fun, vulgar, sexy and all out in the open. I love Hollywood Babylon!

Very floral and beautiful in the extreme, Delirium is one of the most strangely named perfumes! It is a very obvious flower mix that could, I suppose, induce some reaction unexpected. Though florals are not me, I would recommend Delirium to anyone who like them. I think it feels like an out-of-control orgasm.