splendidissima

Goes on as a big billow of coconut cream and white chocolate, which is lovely! As it dries a swirl of spices comes up - peppery carnation and clove! And then the spices pull back, and the whole thing settles into a soft sweet cream with, like...if it were a pie it would have a crust with some spices in it, cinnamon, pepper, things like that. Started with large throw, but has settled down, though I didn't put too much on because it's very loud initially! But when I move my arm I notice it wafting up - nice for today's gloomy weather!

A frottle from the Lab, with the 2013 label! In the bottle and wet, this is very nope for me - so much vetiver, dark and smoky! I do like lemon and lemongrass notes, though, so even though they're being drowned by dankness at present, I have tried it. Dry: better? More herbal, and there's a little hint of the lemon. Still, it's not really my thing - though it does encapsulate the feeling of "lichened earth" in the description, and a sense of something heavy and dark, looming.

This is very pretty, and I think it'll be a good sleep scent! It goes on very lavender-floral - which made me skeptical for a minute or two, because I'm not a huge floral person, though I do like sweet lavender-vanilla! But then the vanilla comes out, and it becomes a gently warm, very cozy and inviting lavender-vanilla-powder (it is a little powdery) scent. Low throw (so far), but it's a nice skin scent!

Sweet lemon cakes! This is really lovely - I'm so glad I got this one. Like many of the Lupers on me, it's very light - low throw, quick to fade - but it's exactly up my alley: sweet citrus sugar, like lemon bars or, yes, iced lemon cakes! I don't really get the florals, which I'm fine with. Like candied springtime, like treats at a tea party in a lemon grove, it's a delight. Awesome Husband comment: ...you smell like cake. 😄

Sweet creamy vanilla bean, like melted vanilla ice cream - the good kind, with vanilla bean flecks! Not really getting the benzoin at all, but I was mostly here for the vanilla-marshmallow, so that's fine. Very low throw, and fades quickly (caveat: it is the first day of That Time Of Month for me, so, maybe a skin chemistry thing?), but it's absolutely lovely while it lasts - sweet creamy vanilla! Would probably be great for layering, though on me it might be too short-lived for that. But maybe if I slather...or retest next week, perhaps!

I don't do florals much, but I am a medievalist and I love the idea of this series - and the kindness of it! So I might have to try all of them... First off, my skin just EATS this. This was the last one I put on of the three I tried tonight, and after about 20 minutes, I couldn't find it at all on my arm. Like, knowing exactly where I'd put it, and putting my nose right on my skin, I got...a barest thin whisper of cool flowers, or maybe that was wishful thinking because I knew it ought to be there! Having reapplied, so, freshly wet: chilly pale florals! I agree with wendy above about the snow note (which reads a little minty to me?), and that's the loudest aspect to start, and I agree that it feels like a Yule in some ways - or maybe the balance right on the edge of winter and spring, when flowers might be thinking about waking up, but the world's still crystalline and ice-white. I can't identify any specific flowers (might just be me, not an expert in florals!), but they combine into a general 'white pale flowers' to my nose, behind the snow. I don't really get amber - ETA; maybe just a little, warming it up, as it dries? *sniffs very closely* So basically I get "the Lab's snow note + some white chilly flowers" - which I like more than I was expecting to, but then I do like the snow note (I liked Marshmallow Snow, from a couple of Yules ago), so if you like those things, this might be your jam! (But, again: boom, my skin just drinks this up. In the course of my typing this review - it's almost gone. Still there, but barely. That might be the fastest I've had any scent disappear on me. And Marshmallow Snow *didn't* do that, so I don't know what's happening here!)

Sandalwood! And vanilla! This is a very loud scent on me - the loudest of all three I'm testing right now! It's very well balanced; I get...well, exactly what it says, in equal proportion: a lightly spicy sandalwood, and a warm vanilla. Simple, uncomplicated, very pretty. I used to have a big carved sandalwood fan that was a present from a world-traveler great-aunt, and I'm having a billow of scent memory: wafting that around and smelling the spiced breeze of it, softened by being carried around in luggage and wrapped up in cloths and then hung on my wall in California warmth. Awesome Husband thinks it's a little too sandalwood for his taste, but he's also picky about scents!

Soft, warm, vanilla cream, with a little hint of toastiness and spice - not cinnamon spice, but the warm kitchen-spice of cardamom. It's primarily the soft snuggly vanilla, though, if you're worried about cardamom - that isn't loud at all. On me, this is just...purely nice, honestly. Not dramatic, not flamboyant, but it's not meant to be: it's a big soft warm cozy hug, the kind that gives you buttery shortbread cookies and pats you on the shoulder and tells you it's all going to be okay. I think it would also be nice for layering, but I really do like it by itself; I feel like it'll be a good one to wear while teaching. Low throw on me, close to the skin, but it's sticking around well, so far!

Oh, gosh, am I first? I'm surprised! My overall impression, honestly, is: Gingerbread Witch and Gingerbread Invisible Man (Invisible Gingerbread Man?) had a baby! A sweet-sharp, apple-ginger fizzy champagne baby! This basically stays the same from bottle, to wet on my arm, to dry-down. It has that black apple note - a dark autumnal sort of apple, maybe with some dark spice that's contributing to the ginger impression, since I know ginger's not a listed note! The apple-sweetness (not SWEET sweet, but like biting into a very ripe apple) meets and gets swept up into the BPAL fizzy champagne note, which is light and bright and sparkling and a little sharp (not in a bad way - more like bubbles tickling your nose). It's not grape-y, for those worried about that! But some combo of all this really does read as ginger-y (not gingerbread-y, but actual ginger) to my nose. It's not too sweet, but the apple-sweet-tart helps balance out the champagne glittery edges, and it's really nice. Big initial throw, and seems to have good staying power! I think this might get a lot of summer/autumn use.

Bordello has been one of my BPAL loves for years...over a decade now?...so, after the reviews, I had to try one of the Sugar Plums! Snake Oil rarely works well on me, tragically, so I opted for Black Phoenix. On me, SPBP starts off utterly beautiful - it's that plum! that bright candy plum! sweet, juicy, purple! Plus an almond/cherry type note that's playing really nicely with it. Just gorgeous. And then...then...a couple hours in...soapiness! Loud soapiness! 😥 I think it's the rose note in Black Phoenix that's the culprit; rose does that on me, except in very very rare cases. I was hoping this would be an exception, because sometimes sugar/sweet notes help, but sadly, no luck. I'm still glad I've got it, because the opening is so, so lovely. I'll try it in my scent locket and hope that works!

It's a nice bright sunny floral! I don't do a lot of florals, but this was a good cause, and it didn't have any of my Death Notes, so I wanted to try. It really does smell golden - warm and bright and well-blended. I can't pick out many of the individual notes, but, again, I also don't do a lot of florals! It's very pretty, though. Like being outside in a springtime flower meadow. Very low throw so far, though - after about an hour - I can still smell it if I put my nose right next to my arm. eta: my mom (who loves BPAL scents and all the charity work the Lab does, but is still kind of a BPAL newbie - she's been trying all of mine!) loves this one. (She likes big happy florals and especially tropical notes, so far.) This was her fav of all the Ukraine scents - I actually gave her my bottle to take home and then ordered a new one for me!

Found a old imp of this - not sure what year, but definitely old! It's very nutty, very dark chocolate now - heavy on the nuts, and also heavy on the chocolate! It's actually not as sweet as I expected - maybe that's aging? maybe the hops are getting stronger, or cutting the sweetness? It's not as sweet as Bliss, which I also have on, but more complex, with a lot of hazelnut and praline.

Brownie batter, start to finish! Rich, thick, molten brownie batter. Good heavens. I do really like it, but right now it's a little overpowering, though that's also my own fault because I accidentally spilled some on my hand when opening the imp, so now it's everywhere every time I move my hand! It's making me want to bake something chocolate and decadent.

New imp from the Lab, 2022. Lightly sweet, light green, herbal tea! I was hoping for a bit more ginger (that usually works well on me) or fig, which can be interesting, but The Apothecary just settles in and stays a nice clean green scent. Like Llanval's experience, it fades super-fast on me - I actually reapplied within about 15 minutes so that I could write a review! I never get the fig at all, and only a tiny hint of ginger. It's pretty, if you like green herbal scents!

Frimp from the Lab, 2022! Wet, it seems more complex - rum? sea salt? spices? - but dry I'm mostly getting cinnamon spice; that part's just getting louder and louder. There's a trace of seaspray salt if I really think about it, but primarily it's a warm spice blend. Surprisingly cozy and nice for a pirate haven scent!

Thick, dark molasses, sugary and sticky, with a hint of some dark woods underneath! Low throw - though next to my skin it's strong - but then I also didn't put too much on, because I'm testing a few imps. I wouldn't've thought to order this one, but I'm glad I have an imp to play with!

Sweet, salty, and very blueberry! I love berry scents, so I'm happy. It really does smell like the blueberry jam from the Blueberry Suf + a good sprinkle of sea salt - which smells much better than it sounds, I promise! Like eating sweet blueberry jam tarts (minus the pastry part) beside the ocean. Very fun, and I'd say also very summery, a holiday seaside treat.

Dessert mints! Those pillowy pastel fluffy dessert mints, the kind that come in pale pink and yellow and green! It's like sticking my nose into a bag of those! Which...honestly, I weirdly kind of love it? It's nostalgic - my great-aunt always had a bowl of those mints around - and a little old-fashioned, and sweet and softly minty with a light whisper of candied citrus. I do agree that it almost doesn't seem like a Yule - more like a chilly pastel springtime morning. But I also just want to keep sniffing my arm!

Oh, I never reviewed this! Must fix that. I have several other Sufs from various years; they're usually right up my sweet/berry-loving alley! This one is also squarely in that jammy fruit + baked good line, and also delicious! I think I'm getting primarily apricot, though the raspberry's in there too. I'm inclined to say the pastry isn't quite as strong as previous years? Or maybe that's just apricot being loud. The pastry is present, though, as a buttery donut-y backing note. As usual with the Sufs, I want to eat my arm! Or maybe just bake something... 😛

I also have an imp of unknown age! It goes on as loud wine and roses - I don't really get the other notes, but I think they're doing something to keep it from being too sweet, because it's not as sweet as I might've expected. Maybe a hint of sandalwood? After a few minutes, it's calming down and less loud, but still very much wine + roses - dark deep red roses, a little spicy, a little woodsy.

A lab imp! Not my usual, but no notes of death, so, let's try! And...I get soft warm leather, start to finish. There's definitely (how?) something that smells worn about it, something comfortable - broken in, basking in sun, cozy. Sort of lazily confident: not needing to try too hard, knowing their own competence. It's not necessarily something I'd wear myself, but if I smelled this on someone else, it'd be very very nice.

A frottle from the Lab, in 2022! Warm dry spices, in the bottle and on me. Cinnamon, ginger, clove, probably? Unless there's something else I'm not picking up. It's not really foody as much as it is just the spices hanging out and being warmed by the sun, possibly in the desert, where the air itself is gently heated. It's not sweet, at least not on me. It's not my usual, but I kind of like it! I feel like this would actually be a nice scent for late summer/early autumn - the end of burning golden days, the approaching shift in the air, the transition between lingering late heat and the desire for more heat against briskness. Possibly while baking something with cinnamon.

As part of my journey into liking lavender - after discovering that I really liked Mari Lwyd and White Chocolate Lavender Madeleines - I finally grabbed a bottle of this! And, gosh, it lives up to the hype! TKO goes on strong, a big punch of herbal-fruity lavender, but then immediately a sugared marshmallow steps up, and it all turns into a glorious fluffy lavender-creamy-mallow cloud. Awesome throw - every time I move my arm, a waft of scent billows up! It's nice for snuggling on the couch with the husband and the cat and watching Star Trek right now, and I think it'll be a good sleep blend too - very soothing and relaxing, just a soft big hug of a scent.

New imp from the Lab! (Received 2022) Mmm, this is nice: uncomplicated, warmly glowing vanilla beeswax. It's exactly what you'd expect, if you breathed in the scent of a lit hand-made wax candle, lightly scented with vanilla. No smoke, but warmth - the candle itself becoming slightly liquid and molten. Good throw, and lasting for a couple hours so far!

A frottle from the Lab! ❤️ Ooh, that's powerful! It goes on big and loud, a burst of scent. It's eucalyptus and mint, and yes, a little medicinal - sinus-clearing! A bit cough-drop-ish. That's not necessarily a bad thing; as someone above said, it's a very bracing, wake-up, clean and cold scent. It's also very literally chilly: my arm does feel colder! After about 20 minutes, it's quieting down somewhat: still present, but not shouting loudly anymore. It's a little more herbal now, more like crushed mint leaves are coming to the front, though the eucalyptus is still hanging around too. It definitely evokes the chilly brisk air around a thunderstorm! Especially outside in an herb garden full of leafy mints and things. I actually kind of like it, despite the slightly medicinal hint - I feel like this would be great on a hot humid day, especially. It might also be an interesting room scent, maybe in an oil warmer, as opposed to wearing it - cooling everything down in the heat of summer.