caitilarkin

I was nervous about this one after reading previous reviews because almond is an angry, bitter Note of Death on my skin. In the imp: Cream and oatmeal with maybe a hint of almond (but maybe I'm just imagining the almond) Wet on skin: I'm getting more almond to go with the oatmeal and cream, but it's staying sweet--YAY! Dry on skin: This remained a lovely, comforting oatmeal with a touch of almond. It's pretty faint and doesn't last long (3-4 hours on me) but I love it while it's around. This will be one of my post-gym imps.

In the imp: Lots of rose, backed by straw/hay and a faint aquatic note Wet on skin: ROSE to the nth power...but it is a mellow, demure rose without any of the sourness that sometimes accompanies this flower on my skin. Dry on skin: The rose is nice, but there is nary a hint of any of the other notes. I loved it in the imp and will have to try it in a scent locket to see if the straw and amber will come out to play.

In the imp: Antique Lace HUH? Wet on skin: The same linen-y vanilla from Antique Lace, lightly spiced with carnation Dry on skin: Yup, Morocco is Antique Lace's urban cousin--a creamy vanilla with light spices. Lasts 3-4 hours on me and is very close to the skin. I expected a much spicier, heavier scent so multiple tests of this one really freaked me out until I read the previous reviews and realized that I was not, in fact, going crazy or the possessor of some weird olfactory blind spot. This is close enough to my beloved Antique Lace that I won't need a bottle, but I will have fun using up my imp.

In the bottle: Citrus with suprisingly light amber, spiced with black pepper Wet on skin: Peppery citrus, made sweeter by the amber and tobacco, but nary a hint of vetiver Dry on skin: The black pepper receeds into the background while the citrus/tobacco/amber meld into...fresh squeezed orange juice. Definitely lighter and less complex than I expected, but very lovely, especially since I adore the Lab's citrus notes. Perhaps it will deepen with age...in any case, I like this very well right now as a springtime scent.

This review is for a bottle from the Lab, aged for about four months. In the bottle: Plummy, musky patchouli Wet on skin: The fruit and musk are amping and the patchouli is receeding--this is incredibly strong but very, very delicious. Dry on skin: The fruit/musk becomes sweeter with time (I'm not really getting any vanilla from this blend) and the patchouli fades quite a bit, adding just a touch of dirty spice in the background. Loads of throw and long wearlength (8+ hours)--I've gotten oodles of compliments on this the few times I've worn it because it is TEH SEXAY. (Sadly, I wouldn't dare to wear this at my extremely conservative job.) This is a BPAL classic that everyone should at least sniff once.

In the bottle: I purchased this from the Lab four months ago, but decided to let it age a bit before reviewing. Originally, it smelled like sharp cocoa and fresh (i.e., very medicinal) Snake Oil, but it has now mellowed into rich, milky chocolate backed by teak with subdued Snake Oil in the distance. Wet on skin: Woody cocoa and vanilla (from the SO) backed by Snake Oil spices. Dry on skin: The cocoa, vanilla and teak are perfectly balanced, with the mysterious Snake Oil spices keeping the blend interesting. Sweet, complex and non-foody, this very cocoa-y blend lasts over 12 hours on me and never gets either bitter or too sweet.

From first sniff in the bottle until I wash it off 8-9 hours later, this is rich, creamy milk chocolate. The Lab's chocolate note has proven to be tempermental on my skin *glares at Bliss and Velvet* so maybe the buttercream is making it behave for me. There's no discernible morphing over time for me--it's just a buttery, chocolately love fest. Try it, wear it in public and prepare to be NOMMED by friends, co-workers, luvahs and random strangers.

In the bottle: Spicy, woody chocolate (not getting any cherry) Wet on skin: Hi, cherry! Thanks for coming out to play with the chocolate! Dry on skin: The cherry is bright and strong, but it's balanced by the chocolatey/herbal/spice/wood elements. Lasts over 12 hours on me and the cherry fades considerably after the first 2-3.

In the bottle: Honeyed, spicy wildflowers Wet on skin: Yum! These flowers are definitely swaying in the breeze somewhere, not in a greenhouse. The honey is present, but is not taking over the blend at this point. Dry on skin: The scent because more honeyed and syrupy as it dries, but it never gets cloying because of the green-ness of the wildflowers. Lasts for 5-6 hours on me (the honey lasts longer than the florals). It's a keeper!

In the bottle: Sugary citrus and white musk Wet on skin: The wood notes are appearing, but they are remaining light and don't overpower the tart but fragile citrus. The ginger is a distant spiciness, which is great because, while I love ginger, it tends to turn dirty on my skin in combination with any of the lab's citrus notes. Dry on skin: The citrus becomes sweeter and less tart, the musk fades and the light, blonde wood notes are more prominent. The citrusy lunacies work wonderfully well on me.

If you love the Lab's cream and vanilla notes, this one is definitely for you. My dry, sensitive, ghostly white skin is generally half dead at the end of winter and needs oils (with few preservatives, please) to perk it up. This deliciously creamy bath oil is extremely moisturizing but is still absorbed quickly. I've been using this as an after-shower moisturizer, so the scent is stronger than it would be if it were diffused in bathwater. But it's still light enough to be layered with other BPALs--so far I've tried it with Snake Oil, several of the Snake Pits from the Carnaval and a few of the Lupers from this year. Yum! Now I want to try the rest of the BPTP bath oils, too!

This is the first Ars Draconis scent I have tried so far--I've been afraid that dragon's blood notes will be way too sweet for me. In the imp: Light, sugary vanilla and cream Wet on skin: The vanilla cream vibe is deepening and becoming fruitier. I liked it pretty well in the imp but I like this stage even better. Dry on skin: Fruit (cherry-like, almost) bathed in cream and honey. I've gone from trepidation to like to LOVE with this one. It lasts well over 12 hours on me and hardly morphs at all. Now it's time to try the rest of the Ars Draconis scents to see if dragon's blood and I will always get along this well.

In the imp: Pink pepper--very strong--backed by faint amber. Wet on skin: Helloooooooo, pink pepper! Dry on skin: Yup, this is all pink pepper, all the time. This is the one BPAL pepper that always amps to high heaven on me and kills off any other notes. Sadly, it is inevitably too sweet and cloying on me.

In the bottle: Faint cherry blossom and moss--no vanilla musk! Pleasant, but very, very light. Wet on skin: A little stronger, with yummy cherry blossom and moss (I adore the lab's moss note). But the vanilla musk is acting much more like white musk in this blend. Dry on skin: Cherry blossom with a touch of greenery from the moss and some fizziness from the musk. This is the lightest of skin scents on me and will work well in hot weather or in no-scent environments.

In the imp: Grassy, woodsy musk--very pleasant and unlike any other scent I have in my collection. Wet on skin: Now I'm getting a furry scent that must be the doeskin. No amber yet... Dry on skin: Huh. This ended up as clean fur. Interesting, but too soapy for my taste.

In the imp: Vanilla sweetened by citrus and heady florals Wet on skin: Deliciously creamy narcissus, with some tartness from the orange blossom Dry on skin: This is one sexy floral...the narcissus is very bold, but the orange blossom is tart rather than sweet and the vanilla makes this a deeper, creamier blend. VERY large throw and long wearlength. This will have to be applied sparingly in warmer weather but it is a definite contender for the favorites list.

In the bottle: I can definitely see why previous reviewers have compared this to Snake Oil. It's got the same musky vanilla vibe, plus a faint citrus. Wet on skin: Yup, this is definitely a member of the Snake Oil family. It actually reminds me of Cottonmouth in intensity and level of spiciness. The orange blossom is registering as more fruity than blossomy to my nose at this point. Dry on skin: Lovely, springtime Snake Oil! This has all the spicy yumminess of SO without the medicinal quality that it often has on me. The citrus is absolutely beautiful. This has tons of throw (a very little goes a very long way) and lasts nearly all day on me. Khrysee is in my top ten. So glad I got a bottle unsniffed!

In the imp: Primarily cognac and leather; the berries are a faint sweetness. Wet on skin: The alcohol is amping a bit, along with the cream. The berries are still present but still faint. Dry on skin: This eventually turns into a delightfully boozy cream with just a touch of berry. If this blend had been more berries on me and less cream, I would have been forced to buy a bottle. But as it is, I will cherish my decant.

In the imp: Mums with faint cinnamon and incense--much nicer than I expected! (Mum Moon was a syrupy failure on me and I have been wary of mum notes ever since.) Wet on skin: The delicious mum and marigold are still at the forefront, supported by incense and sweet vanilla. Dry on skin: This did not morph on me at all, but remained a deep, spicy, non-traditional floral. It's on my List of Luper Love.

In the imp: Pink pepper and sugary rose Wet on skin: The pink pepper is amping and going sweet. Calm down, pepper, and let the other notes get a turn! Dry on skin: Nope, the pink pepper is doing its sweet cactus blossom dance on my skin and has scared the other notes away. Oh well...

In the imp: Amber florals...nice, but not what I was expecting. Wet on skin: Smokier than in the imp, but still much lighter and more floral than I had thought. Dry on skin: I'm not getting any cedar from this, or any incense. It's all floral and becomes lighter and sweeter with time. Huh. Like previous reviewers, I'm not sure what I think of this one because it's just so different from what I had anticipated.

The Lab's citrus notes are some of my favorites in the entire world of scent, and I adore their tea notes as well. The only thing that kept me from buying a bottle unsniffed was the tonka, which sometimes goes to medicinal baby powder on me. In the imp: Heady, tartly sweet, well-blended citrus Wet on skin: A gorgeous, musky tea appears to deepen the citrus, and now I can detect the seperate notes of mandarin, neroli (very green) and lime. The tonka just adds sweetness. Dry on skin: Yup, I should have ordered an unsniffed bottle. This is citrus/tea love, just as I had hoped.

In the imp: White pear and light florals Wet on skin: Oooh, this is deepening into a lovely pear orchard scent, thanks (probably) to the sandalwood. Dry on skin: The vanilla is more evident, blending with the sandalwood to ground the gorgeous pear and florals. I got compliments on this all day the first time I tested it--from strangers, my boss, my landlord...this will be another bottle purchase.

Mint and I are NOT FRIENDS, but I had to try this one because the other notes are full of win on me. In the imp: The dreaded mint is in the background--right now this is primarily lovely fruit and resins. Wet on skin: This is what I had hoped Hymn to Proserpine would be on my skin, minus the mint, which is lurking in the distance. Dry on skin: Aaaaand, the mint is doing its trademark medicinal thing, as usual. I just can't get past it to enjoy the rest of the notes.

Sake, apricot, and blonde wood. In the imp: Apricot wine Wet on skin: The apricot is, luckily, more fruity than blossomy on me. The wood note must be keeping the apricot grounded. Dry on skin: This has the same glittering quality that Fae has, except with apricot instead of peach. Lovely! I am trying to talk myself out of getting a bottle.