thekittenkat

In the imp: All the notes, beautifully blended. Wet: Mostly the cacao nesting in a bed of musk, patch, and myrrh. The dry-down: As time goes on, the cacao is not so in-your-face, and melds into the other scents aforementioned. The ylang ylang, a fave of mine, might be present as a faint whiff now. No cinnamon at all, which is a relief. I do like this, indeedy.

In the imp: The oak leaf, the vetiver, and probably the mahogany. Bitter woods. Wet: Much as when sniffed, but the florals and the frank are coming out of the dark woods. The dry-down: And then the bitter woods catch the pretty flowers and the lovely frankincense and EAT them.

In the imp: Magnolia and white honey. Wet: Now the blonde tobacco appears, late to the party. The dry-down: The magnolia and honey return, bringing just a wee dram of the vanilla, and run the tobacco off. They didn't want such a strong scent to ruin their genteel party. Pretty and delicate, but I can't imagine reaching for it that often.

In the imp: A red rose sprinkled delicately w/ myrrh, amber, honey, and sandalwood. Wet: A rather nice red rose scent mixed w/ the lovely resins. The dry-down: The resins have turned the rose into powder, or maybe it's the other way round. Disappointed, but the dark roses can do just that.

In the imp: Hints of all the notes blending together. Wet: Mostly sandalwood, lightly sweetened by honey. The dry-down: The sandalwood is more spicy now, less sweet, but still mild and delicate. I suspect that the bergamot is to blame. Very much a skin scent. The lady doesn't want to wear her rich rose perfume when visiting her sister, the nun.

In the imp: Dark chocolate-covered cherries, but something animalistic is lurking nearby. Wet: Much as when sniffed. The dry-down: This is getting a bit perfumey on me now, alas, probably due to the poppy, wine, and musk. I don't mind vetiver or clove, but only in tiny traces. It's still good, but not as good as when I 1st applied it. Might be bottle-worthy, still.

In the imp: Bitter dried leaves, salty tears, a hint of rose. Wet: The leaf note is indeed dry, bitter, almost crunchy. The dry-down: Much as when I 1st applied it. No roses, just a trace of salty tears. Seems to more of an autumnal scent, somewhat masculine. I like it, but not enough for a bottle.

In the bottle: This is more like the Lab's black leather note, which smells like a vat of odd chemicals mixed together to cure hides. Wet: Much as on cold sniff. May be a hint of the spices. The dry-down: Not a morpher, not really. The chemical leather note calmed down, but only a little bit. There's a hint of the other notes, but just faintly.

In the decant: Stone, blood, and what must be the grey musk. Wet: Much as on cold sniff, but the three notes are starting to meld. Stone the most dominant note, though. The dry-down: Musky stone, but in a pale way (that's the combination of the stone and the grey musk). There's a faint hint of the sweetness of the blood, no metallic tang like iron. I like this, but it's very much a skin scent, even though I slathered, and it's not something that I would wear that much. I'll keep the decant, but something like this in a room spray could be rather awesome.

In the decant: Salt, pinch of dirt (dried), something plant-like but strangely sweet? Blood, then. Wet: Plant-like note now more herbal and bitter, less sweet, so less blood-like. This plant-like note is stomping all over the other notes. The dry-down: Herbal dirt in the end. With an old dried-out bone buried in it.

in the decant: Lemon mint ice. WTH? Wet: Cool lemon and cold mint. The dry-down: Faint scent of lemons, a hint of mint, a breath of coolness (not really much ozone). Disappointing. I had hoped for something in the same family as Moon of Ice or Countess Dolingen of Gratz, w/ lots of icy ozone. If you like Numb or Nuclear Winter, but found them too cold lemon minty, get this.

In the decant: Drying pine needles, a metallic tang from the blood, a whisper of fur. Wet: Perhaps the pine needles are coming back to life? Again the hint of fur. The dry-down: The slight lemon scent of ironwood emerges finally. In the end, this was slightly lemon-scented pine needles that have totally dried out. The fur must been unhappy with this conclusion and departed. The Big Bad reduced to not much that I would have liked.

In the decant: Sprucewood, myrrh, and ambergris, with ice over all. Wet: The oak appears amidst the other notes, and the sprucewood and ambergris back away. The dry-down: The woods are now dried out, as in late autumn, when have been no rains for a while. I could also say that this scent not unlike the scent of the inside of a cedar chest. I like it best from the cold sniff.

In the decant: Moonflower, night air, hints of salt and spices. Wet: Much as on cold sniff, but the oudh and myrrh are coming into play. The dry-down: Not really a morpher; it mostly stays the same throughout. The moonflower scents the night air that is gently touched with some resins and salt.

In the bottle: Ripen apples, w/ a cider feeling, and then hints of dirt, drying leaves, and moss. Wet: All the notes are fresher and greener on my wrist. The dry-down: Still green and fresh, but slowly turning from late summer into early autumn apples. Not a sweet cider, but a dry one. I may pair this w/ any of the Lab's apple blends for extra appleness. Or may try the scent locket, as I adore the cold sniff scent--it's a perfect autumn scent.

In the decant: Getting some ylang, ylang, hint of patch, and a dusty note that is probably the amber. Wet: Much as on cold sniff. The dry-down: As other reviewers have said throughout the review forum, this is why I get decants when I can. This is mostly dusty amber. I wanted the spicy-sweet blend promised by the patch, cacao, honey, and oudh. Disappointing. Note: this was tested as a body lotion.

Note: I'm using this as a body lotion. In the decant: Cacao & vanilla, w/ hints of coconut and shea butter. Wet: Mostly cacao, w/ hints of the vanilla, coconut, and shea. The dry-down: In the end, this is just a powdery cacao, slightly sweetened by the vanilla. Very nice!

In the decant: Musk, tonka, myrrh. Sprayed on an unscented tissue: And now the ambrette seed joins the other three to make a scent that I really like, sweet and mildly spicy, and again another atmos spray that will be perfect for late summer/early autumn.

Note: I use the bath oil as an after-the-shower lotion. In the decant: Lots of apricot. Wet: Now the white tea and the orange blossom overtake the apricot. The dry-down: Finally, the three notes blend together in a pleasant early summer scent. Quite the morpher!

In the decant: Ozone through cypress trees. Sprayed on to an unscented tissue: Ah, there's the sandalwood mixed with the musky grass. Only a faint memory of a night breeze amongst the cypress trees at night in a cemetery, which is what I was hoping for. Nice, though.

Note: I use the bath oil as an after shower moisturizer. In the decant: Black tea leaf with some vanilla orchid. Wet: Much as in cold sniff. The dry-down: A very faint blending of the black tea leaf with the vanilla orchid. No foodie vanilla present. Nice, but I don't need any more at present. Was really hoping for this to be my OTL.

In the decant: A red wine tempered by beeswax and the pom. Sprayed on an unscented tissue: Very winey, but the lily petals are a little too forward for my tastes. W/o the lily, this would have been an awesome scent. As it is, it's pretty good, but the lily tickles my nose, and not in a good way, alas.

In the decant: Patch with some spices and a hint of the orange blossom. Sprayed on an unscented tissue: This is sensual and sexy! Patch lovers, rejoice! This not a gritty dark patch, but a nice fresh patch that is tempered by all the other notes--the ones that stand out are the sandalwood, the labdanum, and the balsam. But no worries, this is still more spicy than sweet. And I'll save this for the autumn--it has that feel to it.

In the imp: Laurel, certainly, the mead, and a touch of bay and incense and smoke. Wet: The bay is stronger, but not too much so. The dry-down: This is nice, all the notes blending together, but sadly, something is tickling the back of my throat and making me sneeze--suspect it may be the bay or the incense or both together. Washing off in a minute.

In the imp: Vetiver SN! Wet: Much as on cold sniff. The dry-down: This does calm down somewhat over time. There's a hint of nutmeg and cream, but just a hint.