MisterShrapnel

This is totally has a polite men's fougere/cologne feel! Not particularly unusual, but the Lab sure knows how to do men's cologne classy. On occasion I can get brief and passing similarities with clean laundry and men's shaving cream (which is when I worry that people will assume I'm wearing Axe or something and frowwwn at me) but I can't deny that this extremely pleasant. I have a weird perfectly reasonable obsession with button-down shirts, suits, etc (I probably should wear skirts and dresses more often but I love more guy-ish clothing) and this plays all over that part of my brain. Comforting and gently musky lavender, and the citrus never feels sharp, the lilac never too floral. I'm curious to see what gloriousness comes out of this on man-chemistry, but most girls should be able to rock this too. It took a couple tries for me to reach a decision, but I believe a bottle is in order once the imp runs dry (oh why can't there be more that I absolutely hate...). Villain feels like an ideal clean-cut scent without being too sweet (Dorian) or grassy/nature-like, and it's a hell of a lot more subtle than my top top top favorite, Crowley. I find the name highly amusing as well, even if it something that only I will know about. You toss in a word / I'm your villain...

Ack, what the hell?! I don't like this at all. I believe it's the oakmoss, or perhaps the thyme that disagrees with me. It's mainly a weird and sickening planty/mossy, almost salty smell, with nothing else to hold it back. ...Though it does last forever and flail about my person like no one's business. I wanted dapper poetic foppery! I wanted Dorian Gray's snarky creator in a bottle. I wanted Wilde! D: Sigh. At least a whole bunch of other people love this.

I'm excited to try this, as I've been curious about it for ages. Creamy vanilla/coconut/something sprouting out of a very mild dirt. When dry it's a very unassuming but unusual scent, tinged with something warm and quietly alive; it's a bit musky. I don't particularly get "MUSHROOMS," but this is subtly earthy and yes, I can see that Death Cap would be easy to wear. After a while it actually takes on a tinge of spiciness that, oddly enough, reminds me of Snake Oil. D: Which I love. I'm a little bit of a wallflower (ehehehe) type person myself, and this feels like a "me" scent if there ever was one. I might need a full bottle of this!

Oh hey, this is AWESOME! What took me so long to try this?! Dark smoky tea (uaagh ) and spicy black pepper/clove. My bottle is still quite fresh so it may change a little, but I really like this! Makes me think of White Rabbit, only Clémence is milk-free and kinda badass. Can't be sure yet, but this may be one of my favorites from the Carnaval! Definitely my kind of scent. ETA hahahah that's three reviews in a row using the "yum" emoticon. Must be good stuff, eh?

Though the scent itself isn't all that important, this one smells like lavender with some kinds of cooking herbs. The first couple times I tried this out, Temple of Dreams mostly made it very difficult for me to get out of bed in the morning. I kept hitting the snooze button and it took a few minutes for the haze to lift after I finally stood up. That's probably an important part of it anyway, perhaps to ground you in your sleep and prevent you from being pulled away before the dream cycle starts. Thus far this hasn't been as calming for me as I thought it would (in terms of "falling asleep"), but I remembered my dreams from last night! I've missed that part of sleep very much, soo... I think this works best if you've got a healthy number of hours to sleep for the night, as otherwise it could add to the extreme grogginess of an already early morning.

This is for the 2008 version. Samhain is a very weird and yet highly addictive scent experience for me! The fresh bottle was extremely strong on the "menthol" or even the "bandage" smell and I thought everyone was crazy for liking such a thing, but now I think can see what everyone is talking about. Today it reminds me of apple cider, or baked apples with hints of spice, but that peculiar cooling note still lurks farther back--much like the promise of oncoming winter. Sometimes when I smell this I am re-located to that box of Band-Aids like before and I want to swap this far away from me, but then that golden and quintessentially autumnal "apple" note lures me back. I don't know if I'd ever need more than my first bottle, but I keep thinking that this is one to hold on to.

Eatingthesea says it perfectly! The initial dainty crust of sugar crystals on Hope dissolves after several minutes and leaves a soft and sweet rose (roses can go so sharp on me, I've discovered). I honestly don't wear Hope or Faith ever, but there's something about them that I know I'd miss if I swapped them. I enjoy sniffing a small dab of either twin (or one on each wrist) just for the experience! They both make me think of traditional lady-like Victorian... something. Or maybe I unconsciously think of my mom because she loves keeping roses and violets in the garden.

Hope and Faith were two of the first bottles I ever purchased, which now strikes me as rather funny because of how downright pretty/girly they are, completely opposite of what my tastes turned out to be! Violets somehow bypass my skin's giant powder-and-soap-factory and remain gentle, and Faith is no exception. I've never actually seen/tasted sugared violets in person, but this is definitely the only way I can describe it. Not much else besides sugar and violet, violet, violet; I would have liked Nocturne just the same if the tuberose hadn't smacked me upside the head. This is well-loved with good reason, but I honestly cannot wear it. I want to try scenting sheets or pillows or something with it (and wriggle around in girly Victorian heaven), but the one day I wore it on my person I felt so very off (not my personality, unfortunately). I haven't reached for Faith very much, but somehow I just can't let her go.

I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to make this awesome spreadsheet! I abuse mine religiously, it's completely indispensable.

Spicy and strange, perhaps vaguely Dr. Pepper if I squint. Much drier than Snake Oil, though backed by delicious red musk. This is very incense/New Age bookstore fo' sho'. I keep thinking of strange art supply stores and alternative clothing shops, and suchlike. Apparently this is my first meeting with Nag Champa. How do you do. Most people tell me my perfume smells like incense (which sometimes gets annoying if it's not "supposed" to do that) but this is absolutely 100% exotic burning incense, perhaps the head-shop variety. I wholeheartedly want to love this, but I'm not so sure if this is for me. The associations with that art store are too strong to overcome. BUT, I think this deserves its popularity, as it would be great on the right people and it's very evocative. ETA: Woah now. It softened up very quickly after I finished writing my review-thing... sweetened up just a little bit, and it is indeed something like Morocco now. Still bookshop incense, but I like it better. O_o ETA2: CRAP! SORRY! It's just that.... I'm in love now. I don't care if I smell like a headshop, I think it's gorgeous. The truest incense blend I've yet come across, but I can't get enough. Exotic and strange, and now I want to go recline on a cushion somewhere in a haze of this stuff, just sniffing my arm. Scherezade has completely bewitched me. I'm hooked and I'm sorry I ever doubted her for even a second. This is a favorite of mine now.

I was raring to try this ever since reading Stardust, as the fairy market was my favorite part (in terms of mental imagery) in the whole book. I want to see a fairy market in real life so badly, but this comes as close as I can get. This is so pretty, I wish there was a better word for it. Until now I haven't found a whole lot of "green" scents that have worked for me (often turn to soap, unfortunately), but this one definitely broke the rule. I get a gentle breath of champaca (or something slightly reminiscent of Midnight on the Midway) in the bottle only (I rather wish it would stick around, it's great while it lasts); This might remind me more of Faeu Boulanger than Midnight on the Midway, but I can see the comparisons. Smells like dew droplets and swirls of mist gathering on cool green grass, and a delicate, nearly-fruity background of sweetness and almost-florals... this is so hard to describe! This truly twinkles (I believe that would be the crystalline chiming flowers... I am in heaven!) and feels ethereal enough that I worry it's going to evaporate and disappear in the sunlight. Accordingly the scent fades fairly quickly, but what time I had was pure bliss (and it seems to have a nice throw for a while). Very refreshing. I am definitely going to slather this come spring and summer, and I'll probably reach for it at other times in the year anyway for a sniff. One of my favorites ever so far (Hee, I'm getting girlier!), and I'm ecstatic that it's available all the time, as I'm going to be needing a lot.

Lady Una is fantastic. It's so warm and springlike (or maybe summer mornings on the grass), perfect for an enchanting fairy lady. I get un-crushed blackberries with a little sticky golden honey drizzled on them, and it's making my mouth water. It's not sickly-sweet at all (probably because it's blackberry leaf), more fresh and alive (and I think the tea leaf becomes more apparent after a while, making everything a little more dewy). Ever so slightly musky, and the way the smooth vanilla bean plays a background to the fruit reminds me of Tamora a little bit. I don't get a whole lot of the "fae spices," but I don't mind! They might come out some day, who knows. As a scent, this is both temptingly delicious and still melds well with the skin as a scent. I'm so glad this worked out. This might be a top ten, because I'm completely obsessed.

Green tea and mint! Reminds me of Green Tree Viper, albeit less creamy. The lemongrass is very gentle (I've only smelt it in one other blend, the TAL Concentration). Slightly sweet and even a bare hint musky, so I think of Dorian... though not quite. I was wary of the orange blossom, but it's more delicate here, and I quite like it. Refreshing and pretty, but my skin must be thirsty as I drink it up very soon... This is a great concept and I WANT IT TO WORK but it's so faint. :|

Ooh yess. A fresh scent that works with me! Sweet, juicy greenery and crushed mint leaves, truly cooling and misty as promised! Something about it reminds me of honeydew melons, and the gentle violets are soo pretty in here. Whereas Ultraviolet was more angles and sharp lines (and I liked that too), this is a swirling vapor. I don't get any shower gel; just dew droplets gathering on delicate, bright green leaves in the shade. And it has very nice throw. I'm going to love this in warmer weather.

Purple musk?! Eee. It's just strong enough here, not WOAH-MUSK as I sometimes like. Gently resinous and shadowy with dark red and deep purple fruits (yummm), but the moonflower and maybe the neroli give it a more floral/traditional perfume vibe, and I can handle it! Woo! Despite the gentle florals, though, the planty oakmoss and tobacco keep it from getting too girly. I can understand comments that this feels a little like cologne. It's has a slightly dry/powdery edge on me, perhaps from the sandalwood and the amber/copal. This part used to bother me, but today I like it. This feels complex and sophisticated, but also manages to be BPAL-strange. Awesomeness. I'd wear this with a dress in the evening. It actually took me a few tries to like this, but I've become quite attached as it was part of my first lunacy. I will forever associate the scent with BPAL.

Champaca? Is that you? This is almost sharp at first and was veering towards disappointment and bad floral aerosol, but more and more it begins to remind me of cotton candy, if it were to taste of tiny flowers that only open at night, and if you were eating this treat by the ghostly light of the full moon. or something. Which is to say, it's quite pretty and unusual, and a good introduction to the whole Carnaval. Sweet and light incense, and a floral that I can actually handle. I will need to investigate more thoroughly, but I'm glad I have it!

GAH I AM SO GLAD I WENT FOR THIS. *clutches wrist* Nth-ing comparisons to one of the really pink Lush products, the Creamy Candy bubble bar or the Rockstar soap, only now I don't have to carry any around in my pocket to smell it (not... that I do that). Bright, magenta pink. The closest BPAL in my limited experience that I can think of might be Bordello, only this feels MORE like bright red/pink hard candies yanked out of someone's mouth and less like a boozy transparent red drink. I remember seeing pear flavoring extracts in lots of "blue raspberry" candies when I ate them (I was a blue raspberry Jolly Rancher FREAK when I was younger) so even though I can't pick out pears, the note addition probably strengthens the candy likeness. Ohh, this is my favorite sugar/candy blend so far. 100% love, and I may even wear it as a scent rather than just smell it for appreciation. It's not dry or powdery or gritty or too sugary (ironically... Sugar Skull was just too much); just bright, sweet, and mouthwatering, the kind of thing that will stain your tongue an unseemly red. I've heard comparisons to Sticky Pillowcase, but I like this much, much better, mostly because I'm not much for the "clean cotton" note in SP and my skin agrees to play nicely with this (Sticky Pillowcase went a bit watery and off-color for me). Will drain the bottle dry for sure, and to think that I almost didn't get it because I was taking myself too seriously.

Peppery-spicy and kind of bright (almost effervescent) at first, I really like it so far. I think of lemons for some reason (perhaps the pepper), and cinnamon. Red and yellow flames! Like the other Phoenixes I've tried, this is pretty complex. The general feeling fits the element so well. It gets warmer and slightly musky, still spicy-herbal-weirdly-undescribable awesomeness. Almost reminds me of some of the spices in Shub-Niggurath. I was predicting that it would be smokier, but this feels more like the bright, flickering flame itself, dancing and casting a warm light.

This one caught my eye first of all this year's Phoenixes, the sheep in me (my Chinese zodiac sign) demanded it. Gorgeous dirt and sticky black cherries, yesyesyes. The soil doesn't stay prominent for very long... gives way to a general "earthiness": Dark, deep, calming, rather planty or woody with musks (LOVE) and teeny bit of the soil peeking out from below. I actually do get a breath of the jasmine, which is what I was worried about, but I never find it unpleasant/all that strong. Still trying to find the tobacco; I'm hoping it will come out soon, or on another day, as it's one of my favorite notes. I'm soo glad I have this! Combination of everything awesome, embodies the element and suits me well. I'm annoyed that I probably can't understand this well enough, being a n00b and all, so I'd probably have to study it longer. Very wearable for my tastes! I'm worried about it growing on me since I won't be able to get any more.

Not familiar with all the notes, but excited about this. Dark woods (hah) for me with something oozy/sweet.. fig? And then it becomes muskier and rounds out as the pleasantly herbal galangal and a bitter spice comes forward (clove?). Turns slightly smoky, maybe. The weird medicine/syrup phase that I got at the beginning passed quickly, and I love how deep and spicy it turned (while still maintaining a "dark" and non-foody sweetness). Warm and nice without being too in-your-face. I don't detect magnolia, which might be a lucky thing. Sexy medicine cabinet. I think I'd love wearing this!

There are wild coyote in the area where I live so I was excited about trying this. Wet, Coyote seems soft and musky. Sweet grasses, hay, and desert scrub... with a smidgen of soap? After a while it grows warmer and a little bit spicy/dirty (makes me think of the TAL Lionheart), with the amber becoming more apparent... still mostly musky with summer grass and wood, like sunshine on the dry southern California hills. This is comforting and kinda refreshing/nature-y in the way my skin doesn't completely spazz out over. I like this. ETA: I got a second imp recently and the oil inside is actually a smidge darker than the one in my first sample. It's also stronger! Not as "clean" as I thought, more musky and "furry" lurking beneath that grass. I definitely like it more now!

The Lab's frimps are totally stretching my range of preferences day by day, I swear. This is very strong and dark in color. Currently I don't like orange blossom (um. at all. ), but I keep sticking my nose next to my wrist because of the patchouli and the nice background spice from the ginger! This does indeed remind me a little of Snake Oil. Maybe it's like a conditioning thing, but I almost thought I smelled red musk. Initially I decided that I disliked this with a passion ('twas one of my first free samples that I received), but upon a second meeting we're much more polite to each other, especially when this is dry. I'm starting to appreciate orange blossom. I might develop a love for Vixen down the road, actually... If you wouldn't mind a little addition of floral to your Snake Oil (maybe so as to make it more feminine, or something?), then you'd probably love this. ETA: I. Am on an orange blossom quest these days. Yes I am. Glad I still have my imp of this, because it's @#$% delicious. Yes yes yes. Slightly spicy and very sensuous, with that gorgeous rich patchouli~ My bottle of Snake Oil is too fresh for me to pull off right now, so I'm starting to wear this quite often in the meantime-very vampy indeed. Love it.

Olive oil, beeswax, and smoke. This is beautiful. I think it's one of my favorite of the 2008 Yules. I mostly get the warm, honey-ish melting beeswax (that alone is enough to make me swoon, really, but it gets better), a gentle curl of smoke (just like when you blow out a candle!), and the glow of something that does indeed make me think of orange even though it's not listed in the description (is that olive oil?). Though in this context the orange makes me think of candlelight, and I can almost feel the warmth emanating from the tiny flame. Synesthetic liek woah. This lasts forever whenever I wear it and has great throw. Even though it seems stronger on my thirsty skin, it's never ever cloying. Very atmospheric and unusual, which I think embodies the Lab's style very well.

This is certainly heavy on the vetiver, so watch out! I was pretty much dead-set against the smell of vetiver before Determination and the first couple of times I tried to use this it made me feel very, very sick. And then all of a sudden I found I rather like vetiver. D: Maybe because it smells like success? As for the effectiveness this does indeed kick my ass into gear. On days when Concentration won't really do it (that's for days of general fatigue and brain fuzziness) I bust out this bad boy (oh god I can't believe I just said that) for actual motivation, and the feeling lasts a long time. I was still resisting in my mind (I hate this I hate this I hate this) but the part of me that grudgingly knows better (but you need to do it! come on!) finally gets to have its say. Helpful for homework and annoying projects. In my experience this isn't going to hit you with a sudden sense of purpose but if your diligence wanes (mine lasts about half an hour, normally 'specially for maths... ) it will likely help you take a steadying breath and ease yourself into the rhythm.

Mmm, pine-y smokey church resins, the kind I always associate with Christmas. This is SO evocative and when I tried this I could see the interior of chapels I've been to! I found it was quite similar to Midnight Mass (2008), minus the hint of beeswax. It's a bit stronger on the pine/cedar I believe. This works well for my skin, but I never wear it. More of an atmospheric thing for me, I guess.