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I have a thing about maple leaves, and I love the Lab's autumn leaf note, so even though I was wary of the ho wood I was eager to try this one. In the vial: This smells like the first mown lawn of spring, complete with tiny snippets of bitter spring herbs. Or maybe it's clove or wood, but I definitely get a very juicy, pungent green scent off this. Wet: Definitely an almost chive-like sort of wood smell and a lot of sappy green. Half an hour: No more chive; now it's definitely got a clove-wood impression, but soft and manageable. I sense the "pickle" impression some have said ho wood gives, but it's not powerful, just a sweet-tart tingle. And there's still some green in this scent. It's really quite pleasant, reminding me a bit of Marquis de Carabas only not as dry. Three hours: Very pretty, very gentle; just a bit of wood and clove. This is the most beautiful clove note I've encountered in the whole catalogue. It's perfectly calibrated to my skin -- not sharp, or pungent, or unkind to my skin, just soft and warm and happy. This scent is not what I was expecting at all, but it sure is beautiful.

Of all the Lupers, this was one of the two that appealed to me most for its array of good notes. In the vial: Geranium, amber, patchouli, musk in that order. I hope it loves me because it smells great in the vial. Wet: Geranium, cedar, patchouli. So far, so good. Half an hour: Hello red musk! So the BPAL holy trinity of red musk, amber, and patchouli is back together. There's a bit of bitter geranium trying to ride herd on the stompiness but I'm not sure it will survive. So far it's still good. Two hours: This actually worked out better than I expected. Usually it takes fruit to tame red musk into cooperating on my skin. Instead, though, the holy trinity is working together nicely, with nothing trying to take over the scent. I didn't particularly get the cedar, but there's still detectable geranium in it to give this version of the holy trinity some individual personality. Even though it doesn't share a lot of notes with any particular one of them, this scent seems to be in the same family as Snake Charmer, Madame Moriarty, and similar heavy scents. Yet it's got its own identity. I like geranium, so I'm very tempted to get a bottle of this.

As a student of ancient history and literature, I was very eager to test this one based on its Sumerian inspiration. It's also got several notes that work well on me. In the vial: Almond, honey, and a touch of slightly foody sesame. This has the same type of honeyed almond impression as Queen of Sheba. It also smells somewhat like my beloved Seraglio, although it is sweeter and less rosey, without the citrus. Wet: Honeyed almond. Half an hour: Where did the almond go? My skin seems to have drunk it down. What's left behind is some honey, cedar, a bit of rose, and something I can't quite identify, a sort of round green note. I like this. Three hours: Very gentle honey, cedar, a touch of rose, something green that doesn't read as juniper. I never got any myrrh, nor lavender. But what I did get is very well blended, though, soft, fragrant without being obtrusive. It doesn't grab you and demand attention. I could see this as a daily use perfume and am considering getting a bottle of it.

Of all the Lupers, I had the most incentive to try this one. It's got several great notes in it (honey, balsam, the red musk, and lavender), and it's named for my favorite Catullus poem. In the vial: This surprised me a lot. It was predominantly a bright and very citrus-like lavender honey scent, with something warm and rich beneath. Wet: I had a momentary problem with whatever that citrusy note is; it's the one that sometimes turns crittery on me. But it was minor and went away quickly. Mostly I get a light and well-behaved citrusy lavender, moderate amounts of slightly floral honey, and a touch of something warm and musky. Half an hour: Wow, has this warmed up into a musk and honey scent. I guess the lavender settled down a lot, because this is no longer light and citrusy. It's warm and heady; the ambrette adds a sort of growly brown note, a sort of bass purring, to the scent. And the balsam is coming up, which is always nice. Cognac note is pretty much unnoticeable which is unusual; usually that amps on me. Two hours: On me the red musk hasn't done its usual in the face thing. I love red musk, including its tendency to dominate lesser notes, but this time it's being very well mannered. The honey is likewise not turning powdery, amping, going too sweet, or behaving like a closeted floral. The lavender isn't hurty, or strident; it's behaving more like a minor herbal note. Everything is blending together very happily. I quite like this and will probably grab a bottle of it.

SATURNIAN PHOENIX ETHERIAL father, mighty Titan, hear, Great fire of Gods and men, whom all revere: Endu’d with various council, pure and strong, To whom perfection and decrease belong. Consum’d by thee all forms that hourly die, By thee restor’d, their former place supply; The world immense in everlasting chains, Strong and ineffable thy pow’r contains Father of vast eternity, divine, O mighty Saturn, various speech is thine: Blossom of earth and of the starry skies, Husband of Rhea, and Prometheus wife. Obstetric Nature, venerable root, From which the various forms of being shoot; No parts peculiar can thy pow’r enclose, Diffus’d thro’ all, from which the world arose, O, best of beings, of a subtle mind, Propitious hear to holy pray’rs inclin’d; The sacred rites benevolent attend, And grant a blameless life, a blessed end. A blessing of stability, manifestation, and wisdom-from-sorrow: cypress, myrrh, white lily, cassia, violet, pomegranate, tamarind, and opium poppy. I bought this bottle unsniffed, and it is full of notes that are good on me. I'm wary of the violets, though. In the bottle: Fruity yet dark. Delicious. Wet: Strong floral note that reads like lily, only very dark and evergreeny. There's something almost aquatic about it; it reminds me a lot of the initial phase of The Ragged Wood, where it was all florals under evergreens beside water. The effect is intense, verging on headachy for a minute or two, but with a pleasant heavy resinous fruity undertone. Two hours: Yes, it started heavy and intense, but it mellowed rapidly into a very round, dark (but not heavy or ponderous), slightly chewy scent with fruit and some slightly tannic note that's probably the violets. Someone who does well with violets might have better luck with this phase than me. Four and a half hours: Pretty nice, and getting even better as the myrrh and opium notes develop fully. Still noticing the fruity pomegranate note, though. This one really loves my skin. There was something about this scent I found very appealing despite the initial difficulties I had with the florals. Although it was dark, it seemed a positive kind of dark, and perhaps even a hopeful one.

I bought this unsniffed because everything in it except the leather is really good on my skin. In the bottle: delicious musk and honey with a touch of rose. Where's the leather? On my skin: The bath oil (in a homemade sugar scrub) perfumed the whole room immediately as soon as I put some on my skin in the shower. Although there's red musk in it, it's kept very neatly in check by the black musk and honey. This didn't quite go to the Snake Oil or Womb Furie place on me, nor to the Infernal Lover one; it's lighter, less sweet, and with a trace of floral. After I got out of the shower, weirdly, there was almost no scent left on my skin, and what there was smelled more like warm chamois leather than anything else. Yet it was as if my skin had thrown the scent into the air around me; my bedroom was rich with the combination of musks and soft sweetness. My pillow and towel picked up the scent and kept it overnight as well. A day later, my bathroom still smelled lightly of the beautiful combination of red and black musks. I don't think there's another scent in the catalogue that's such a perfect blend of red and black musks on my skin. But I was really surprised that I got so little rose or honey, and that the leather was so gentle. Yet I am enjoying my bottle of this very much.

In the vial: Deep, thick, dark, smoky, charcoal-y sweet vetiver. This oil is the blackest thing I've seen come out of the Lab yet; it looks like liquid tar. The scent reminds me of Voodoo, which I love, and Rumpelstilzchen, which amused me. Wet: Sweet for an instant, and then smoky. There is a midrange note I don't recognize, amping to add itself to the mix. This needs to sit. Half an hour: Still a little charcoaly, but mostly warm slightly sharp vetiver. One hour: Still very smoky, but otherwise light and warm. The smoky aspect never cleared off. I bought this hoping for the light, clear, grassy aspect of vetiver like in Spider, Yurei, the Conjure Bag series, and my beloved Common Jezebel. But I knew I would also be okay with the robust Voodoo type as well. This is very pleasant, but a little more than I bargained for; I think it would benefit from the addition of some more carrier oil. As it is it's a little strong for my skin.

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed on account of the number of scents I love that have myrrh in them. In the vial: Dark, sharpish, a little powdery. Smells just like the myrrh note in Frankincense & Myrrh bath oil. Wet: My skin takes to it immediately, warming and opening it up. It is still a bit on the sharpish side, although much warmer and spicier than before. One hour: Still a little sharp and powdery, but it's overcome the slightly crittery note that I normally associate with lemon verbena. Dry, a bit tart, but with a warm stratum beneath. Three and a half hours: Much less sharp and more mellow now. I might want to cut this with something so it's a little less strong, but it does in fact work well on me after a slow start. After nine or ten hours, it was still quite evident on my skin, soft and warm and sweetly spicy. I think if I added some more carrier oil to it my skin would get it to the happy place earlier.

Having recently fallen for Great Vampire Bat, I was on the lookout for more orchid scents, so I was excited to try this one although I was wary of the oakmoss. In the vial: Orchid and something green, with a spicy-resinous garnish. I like this a lot. Wet: This could work. It's definitely an orchid I can wear, a touch spicy. But there's warmth and greenery as well. The oakmoss will be the deciding factor; if it sours, that'll wreck this for me. But otherwise this is really, really nice: more complex than Great Vampire Bat but still very elegantly orchidy. One hour: This is a little more tart and woody than I would have liked, but it's very pretty. It definitely has the lunar herb kind of base to it, and I get the orchid. It is soft and mysterious. I like it. Two hours: There's something almost salty/aquatic about the greenness of this. Yet it is fairly dry, just a touch dampish with greenery. I still like it. Three hours: Slightly damp, herbal, aquatic, and orchid. I have still not officially decided whether to keep it, but it's my favorite of the Dragon*Con 2012 scents.

I wanted to try this dragon because of all the resins. In the vial: Red musk, resin, something very evergreeny, and a metallic note. Wet: The evergreen note is very strong. It's kind of like hemlock, that almost sugary evergreen scent. There's a lot of resin in this too, and that touch of metal, but I don't particularly get the red musk or leather right now. Hour and a half: Surprisingly gentle grassy scent. The metallic note puts it outside my zone, but there's also grass, evergreen, light leather, and a resin/musk base. Many hours later: By bedtime this had lost most of its individual character and was in full resin/musk mode. Many of the subtleties were gone, particularly that troubling metallic note. But I can get the resin/musk mode more easily from less rare items, so I think this needs to go to someone who appreciates it for its subtle, individual nuances.

I commissioned a decant of this because I love the autumn leaves note. In the vial: Beautiful! Sweet aquatic, autumnal note, very damp and Octoberish. Wet: This smells like the dead leaves/autumnal note I've loved in a couple other blends like The Wild Swans at Coole. There is evergreen in it too, but the autumnal note is foremost. Hour and a half: This has gone in an interesting direction. It still smells autumnal, but there's something a little bit brightly sweet about it, almost like a citrusy or floral note similar to a really floral honey. Many hours later: This one really did wind up kind of in a honey zone, but the journey there was very pleasant. Some of the other autumnal leaf scents have wound up more dry/tannic than sweet on me after a while, so this one actually works better on me than some. I'm happy it's GC and considering it for bottle status.

I bought this bottle unsniffed because galbanum is in some of my best loved scents. In the bottle: Not at all what I was expecting, and yet a very familiar note. Green, gummy, stemmy, but also woody. It took me a couple of minutes to place the aspect of it that smelled like food, and then I realized: it also smells like faraway asafoetida, being used maybe in the house next door. Wet: Less woody than in the bottle, and more green, but a great deal more aromatic too. There are some very high notes in this, very heady, almost menthol or camphoric. One hour: Much less high now, more of a slightly tart green resin with one pungent medium-high aspect. The impression of asafoetida has dulled down into a planty kind of scent, more like what I imagine the unrefined sap smells like than like the dried crystals one uses for cooking. Three and a half hours: There's almost an anise-y tinge to it now, a sort of woody spiciness. It's less green and sticky in impression, too, and the hint of asafoetida has long gone. I'm not sure what I'll do with this bottle. It'd be good for educational purposes, but I doubt I'll ever wear it, so I guess sell or swap it. Too bad; I was hoping for it to be that mysterious singing resinous note that loves me so much in The Blasphemare Reliquary. But at least now I understand galbanum a lot better.

A very special forumite made me the precious gift of a tester of Noir a few years ago. Today, the last day before the Mayan Apocalypse, I'm letting myself do a full wearing of it. That made me realize I'd never reviewed it. In the vial: Sharp powdery jasmine. Wet: Straight-up dry jasmine for a few seconds, then warming generously. Lots of resin, rose, and I can get a bit of plum too. I tell you: the vial scared me, but this smells gorgeous! Half an hour: Where did it go? Woe alas! This has gone almost invisible on me! There's only a faint impression of dry resin. One hour: This smelt like nothing on me, so I hit it with a drop of jojoba oil. That brought the scent up much better. It's surprisingly subdued, but a beautiful blend of resin, rose, plum, and a tiny touch of jasmine. I'm also getting something sharpish that's almost like evergreen, possibly the clove. Two hours: Guh. This is the lover you can't forget, the cool collected remote one who drove you mad but always stayed apart, alone. I would dash myself to pieces on the rock that is this scent, just to get nearer to it. It is so well blended, the myrrh not bitter, the florals not jammering, the plum not dripping with juice. It is maddeningly sophisticated, dark but not scary, velvety but not soft. Three hours: It's an odd scent, getting stronger as the hours pass rather than weaker. It's still taunting me with its remoteness, but when I put my nose right up to my wrist it's ecstasy. Four hours: Still yum. There's a distinct impression of sandalwood about it, one that reminds me somewhat, and very pleasantly, of Black Widow. Five and a half hours: No doubt about it. Noir is the One Who Got Away.

In the vial: Deliciously patchouli with a nip of citrus. Wet: Patchouli-herb. It's a little bit sharp, but herbal patchouli can be really nice on me, so I'm hoping. One hour: The patchouli and citrus have blended and quieted. There's something warm and sweet in here, I'm not sure what, that makes me want to huff it continuously. It's sort of musky and honeyish, with a dry wood element as well. Five hours: The musky-honey-wood impression continues. It reminds me in the best of all possible ways of a ferret, and of that sweet-musky weaseljuice impression I got from Frumious Bandersnatch. I have really enjoyed this one and I will definitely wear it on appropriate occasions. If I could get it in a bottle, I'd buy one right away!

I bought this bottle unsniffed and have high hopes for it based on the notes. In the bottle: Warm, woody, spicy but also bright and slightly foody. Wet: Terebinth pine, or at least some evergreen that's light and sweet rather than dark and resinous. It's almost herbal in its light woodiness, but with a hint of sweetness I think must be the sarsaparilla. It reminds me of the best kind of Christmas greenery. One hour: The overtones of spice are starting to make this essentially evergreen scent into something more exotic. I don't get the brightness of tea that I was hoping for, but this is by no means a dark scent. It is strong, supple, and slightly rough evergreen wood. Three and a half hours: More savory than before, maybe a stronger proportion of spice. It is still woody, very pleasant. It's gone very warm and cuddly, too, like someone I want to snuggle up to and share the warmth. This is one I will enjoy wearing in cooler months or when I need a hug.

I bought this bottle unsniffed but expect to like it based on the notes. In the bottle: Rose, cherry, mint, tonka or something else vanilla-ish. Very cheerful and pretty. Wet: Strong sweet rose at first, then softening into cherry-almond fruitiness. There's something in it a little bitter and sticky-resinous, maybe the tomato leaf? No detectable vetiver and very little floral besides the rose. It started off with that questionable note I often get when lemon verbena is involved, like some kind of light musk gone wrong, but that went away pretty quickly. One hour: A cheerful rose-cherry-sandalwood on me, made more complex by a dry floral and just a touch of something like vanilla. More rose than fruit, and a lively sandalwood/spice base. Three and a half hours: This has become a soft rose scent with a touch of fruit and sandalwood. There is something so straightforward about its honest, perky, youthful appeal.

I bought this bottle unsniffed; I am wary of the anise but the other notes usually do well on me. In the bottle: Wonderful lemongrass-citrus vibe, with a metallic note shimmering in the background. Wet: Very citrusy, but with a gummy-resinous background. The lemon verbena is the one that sometimes gives me an off, white-musky impression, although it's very slight. Still, this might be good depending on how the anise goes. Two hours: The intense citrus has calmed down so much I can barely make it out; it smells softly of lemongrass, stemmy, a little woody, with some gummy-resinous overtones that smell to me like gum Arabic. The slight bitterness of gum Arabic make the scent read as slightly alchemical. I could huff this one all day. Four and a half hours: Still some lemongrass, but mostly it is a soft woody base with a touch of resin. The anise never manifested, which from my perspective was a good thing. I have liked this one a lot.

I bought this bottle unsniffed, in full knowledge that it contained several notes that might not do well on me. In the bottle: Galbanum, lettuce, and an aquatic floral. The galbanum smells just like my new bottle of Galbanum SN. Wet: More galbanum than anything else at first, with some florals (passionflower mostly) that are a bit in my difficult zone. Also an unexpected aquatic tinge. I was worried about the orris, but it didn't materialize. Two hours: Still gently aquatic, in an inexplicable sort of way. There are florals too, and I just fail at identifying them. This is not really great on me, but it's not off-putting either, and there are no headachy florals in it. Four and a half hours: This is a very gentle, pretty, lightly pointed floral blend now, with a slight warm aquatic overtone. I never detected identifiable jasmine or narcissus, and I'm not sure what pink lotus even smells like. But the scent does read as watery-white and quite evocative of a lunar phoenix.

I bought this unsniffed even though I had doubts about the tobacco, which is often a problem for my skin chemistry. In the bottle: Peppermint, thick fruit (fig), a touch of cumin and a lot of resins. Not particularly rooty, nor do I get any dragon's blood. Wet: Strong peppermint but completely contained by resins and the fig. What an interesting, penetrating, yet complex scent! One hour: I was worried about the tobacco absolute, but it's not behaving the way it usually does. For once a tobacco note hasn't killed the scent for me! I like that this scent doesn't smell like blood or dragon's blood the way so many of the Mars-influenced ones do. I like dragon's blood a lot [clutching her bottle of Mars celestials], but this is much more interesting. Instead of blood, I'm getting figs, pepper, roots, resin, peppermint, and the tobacco. I quite like this scent. It's perfectly balanced between a foody fig-peppermint zone (predominantly yet gently minty, contained and grounded by the soft fruity note) and a masculine tobacco-roots zone that reminds me of Hellhound on My Trail. Three and a half hours: The fig is beginning to outpace the other notes now. It is still very pleasant, but less masculine and more unisex figgy-fruity. I really like this scent, which for me is the surprise hit of the Tenth Anniversary group.

I got a free squirt of this in an order, but I already knew I was interested in it because of the rose geranium and frankincense. Oddly, I don't get resin at all from this. I get a lot of rose geranium and a sweetish woody sort of note I associate with daemonorops (thanks to Anactoria). There's also a heavy-sharp kind of note that seems out of step with the rest of it. That note reminds me very much of the Kinnabari prototype (which seemed related to the base note from Malkuth). It gives me the mental impression of a generous old building full of built-in wood and glass cabinets which has been given over to slightly questionable chemistry experiments. Later the cinnabar note softens leaving behind more of the sweeter notes and especially the rose geranium. It smells very much to me like Aquae, which is one of my favorite scents in the entire catalogue. It lingers attractively, too. I bought a bottle of this, and it's the spray I use in my bedroom. It's my favorite of all the room sprays.

This is a review of the scent only for this hair gloss. Normally I don't wear tropical scents; either they're too foody or the florals don't work out on me. But I was curious to try this one since Puddin' said it was his favorite. I also thought that since the floral wouldn't be on my skin, it might love me better. In the bottle: Not much of a scent at all; I had to open it up and sniff the liquid directly, whereat I got a sort of coconut-floral impression. On my hands it was very much a light toasted coconut with a whiff of tropical floral. On my hair it started off with a very foody toasted coconut-vanilla sort of impression, with a backup of floral. It reminded me of lightly browned macaroons with an almost caramel impression, soft but noticeable. There was moderate throw. It wasn't one of the vanillas I like, but it wasn't one of the ones I dislike either. So although the scent was bearable because it wasn't very heavy, it still wasn't really in my zone. After a few hours the coconut faded, then the vanilla, until it became a slightly tired foody gardenia. Oh, I thought, I'm not going to like this one at all. But then the floral softened, losing the impression of damp wilted flower and becoming quite a lovely dry, soft tropical floral. I've never been able to wear a note like this before, and I really enjoyed it. It lasted for days, longer than any of the others I've tested. I'm not sure how I'll use this one, but I don't think I'll give up my decant. I've got a real soft spot for that dry tiare note!

This is a review of the scent only for this hair gloss. White tea and sage happen to be two of my notes of love, so I was very excited to try this one. In the bottle: Gorgeous bright cheerful white tea note with some herb. This smells magnificent! On my hands: The white tea spikes and I get dry sage. On my hair: Immediate dimming of the white tea note. The sage note is definitely dry, not smoky or desiccated but not at all juicy either. The longer this is on my hair, the less tea-like it grows. Very little throw. A very pleasant light dry sage note was noticeable the next day, but it definitely doesn't last as long as some of them do on me. It disappointed me that the white tea note didn't stick around better, because I find it so very cheerful and energizing. But this gloss would be fine for me to wear with several of my more herbal scents -- Velvet Cthulhu, Dragon Moon, No 93 Engine, Bat of Longevity, Mabon, Virginia.

This is a review of the scent only for this hair gloss. I love amber and patchouli, and this one had come highly recommended by friends who smelled it before me. In the bottle: Lots of dirty patchouli. On my hands: More amber than patchouli. It's not one of the clean clear ambers, though, not like white or red. It's not golden either, more like antiqued or smoky amber. The patchouli isn't the mentholated kind, nor the sweet rounded kind that loves me; instead it's the thick, pungent, dirty kind. This gives a gritty, defiant impression. On my hair: At first there's less amber and more patchouli. It has more throw than some of the blends, and while it still seems dark it isn't gritty any more, just pungent. But then as it matures in the air, it changes a lot. The amber note dominates, clearer than before and practically strobing off my hair. This one appears to gain throw as it matures, unlike any of the others I've tried so far. I am delighted that there is a "heavy" scented hair gloss to balance all the lovely lighter ones I've tried. I'd definitely wear this with some of my heavier, smokier blends, like Mircalla or Mme Moriarty or Schwarzer Mond. It might even be suited for some of the amber/musk/floral blends too.

This is a review of the scent only for this hair gloss. I love frankincense and have a lot of favorites with frankincense in them. I was very eager to test this scent. In the bottle: As advertised, smells like frankincense and clove. On my hands: The frankincense note is the one from the Frankincense & Myrrh bath oil (of which I have four bottles). It is heavy, thick, not light and clear like the note in, say Anne Bonny. The clove balances it well without tipping over into sharpness. On my hair: Immediately much better blended. The frankincense softens and lightens up immediately, turning to a lovely feathery impression with just enough clove to give it piquancy. It doesn't have a lot of throw. It lasts better than some of the other hair glosses but loses its quality after a few hours, turning into a simple, soft, dry, pleasant impression that lasted the rest of the day. Although it's more delicate than I'd hoped, I love this, and I would be likely to use it with a lot of my frankincense-based blends. It would certainly go perfectly with the Frankincense & Myrrh bath oil.

This is a review of the scent only for this hair gloss. I was excited to try this one because I've had good experiences with juniper and the white mint note. In the bottle: Soft round mint and tender juniper sprigs. It doesn't smell as strong in the bottle as some of the other hair glosses do. On my hands it has a gentle but very beautiful round white mint note. It's not very minty per se; it reminds me more of white amber. There is also a sort of sugary impression to it that suggests the way some lavender notes react with my skin. There's just a breath of juniper in the background. On my hair: Much more juniper, so there's a fairly even balance of juniper and mint with a sort of lavender overlay. It is soft, not aggressively green at all, but much less dry than the very herbal impression of White Tea and Sage. It has very little throw and doesn't last well. After a few hours it is very light overall, with the juniper the most noticeable of the notes except in areas where there is more buildup. I liked the way this one started off, but it didn't retain as much of its character as I'd hoped it would. There's more of it on my hands than there is in my hair, despite several handwashings since I applied it.