thekittenkat

For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of Poe's writings. Having recently returned from the Poe Bicentennial celebrations in Baltimore, I was really looking forward to this perfume oil. (My bf is even more of a Poe fan than I am, and it was his idea that we make the trip. Needless to say I took my BPAL Poe oils with me, and wore them. He's getting his own bottle of Raven Moon and a tee to match, as this trip was one of the best ideas ever.) In the bottle: The benzoin and myrrh are the top notes, with the musk deep down. It smells almost sparkly, as though one could scent all the shiny trinkets the raven has stolen and hidden away in its nest, from soda can pop tops to some old diamond and silver earrings, from some tin foil to a gothic choker made of nickel and pot metal. Wet: The musk is really coming out to play, backed up by the patchouli. Also, there's a faint hint of sweetness from the smoky vanilla and the nutmeg. The Dry-down: The musk, the vanilla, and strangely enough the chili are the most prominent notes now. Another morphing scent on me. This will be a scent that will blend even better as it ages. A year from now it should be one of the most fascinating scents to come out of the Lab. I can't wait to try this on the bf; with his wonderful skin chemistry I'm hoping that it will be even better on him than it is on me. If there was such a thing as SN Smoky Vanilla, I would love to layer it with this. The label's artwork is just like the tee's. Not only does it remind me of Poe's poem, but it also reminds me of The Twa Corbies, an anonymous poem from the 1600s. One of my favorite English professors read this to us in its old Scots dialect and it was thrilling yet eerie. You can find the poem here: http://www.bartelby.net/101/380.html

The bottle art is very sweet and precious--one of Puddin's doodles of Pa-Pow and her name in 60's Batman TV show word balloons. In the bottle: Herbal, drying golden grass, and some faint florals. Wet: The sun-warmed puppy fur note reminds me of Ivanushka. The grass is not fresh green grass, but more like wild tall grass that has been drying all summer long in the California heat. Sunny and golden indeed. The Dry-Down: This is starting to turn sweet on me, I suspect from the wildflowers. A morpher on me, but I just view that as all the stages of a dog's life, from puppyhood to gangling teen to maturity. And even though it's not listed, I'm getting a faint vanilla note. This is a sweet and wonderful perfume oil, and I plan on ordering a couple more bottles for myself and as gifts.

This is just lovely and wonderful and as good as I was hoping it would be. One sniff of the opened bottle convinced me of that. It does smell like like honey (a light delicate clover honey, but not cloying or too sweet) and orange blossoms and perhaps even of the orange itself. Do note that I haven't used this as a bath oil, but just as a "body lotion", as I'm a shower kind of gal. So I put some on the back of my dry hand (skin there is very dry), and it soaked in slowly. In fact, this seems to be a smoother and silkier oil than the Pumpkin Pie Bath Oil. The scent is very citrus, tempted by a sweet light honey scent, and I think that the scent would be lovely any time of year. I may have to get another bottle of this.

I'm not much of a bath person, as I adore showers, so I haven't used this as a bath oil. I tend to use the Lab's bath oils as "lotions". Just sniffing this out of the bottle, is like sniffing the kitchen where someone is making up the ingredients for a pumpkin pie! The spices are the most obvious. On the back of my dry hands (I have dry skin there), the oil is absorbed well, though not as quickly as I might wish. It still smells of fresh pumpkin and the spices used in baking pumpkin pies. I think that I might be getting a little burn from the cinnamon, and that doesn't usually happen, so there must be a lot of cinnamon in this. All the scent notes mix together in a lovely fashion. I'm not tempted to lick my hand, even though I'm a foodie, but I do keep whuffing my hands. As always with the Lab's oils, a little goes a long way. Will I need another bottle? It's difficult to say at this point. And there's finally a buttery crust note--very yummy.

In the imp: There's a sweet mint and a sugary licorice. Wet: I'm really liking the mint in this! I'm not a fan of licorice, but this seems to be a licorice that has been liberally mixed with a lot of sugar. The dry-down: The cinnamon is finally coming out to play. I do wish that the minty note would stick around a lot longer, though. I think that if I wear this, I'll put it in my clocket, so as to keep the mint note going.

In the imp: The chestnut tree overwhelms everything else, not that I mind. Wet: My goodness but that's exquisite. Like roasted chestnuts. I could eat it. However, slowly, the chestnut is being calmed by the white musk. The dry-down: Not so very chestnut-sweet now, as I suspect the juniper berries have also taken the chestnut down a notch. I'm just not getting the other notes very much, unless there is something floral deep in the blend. There is no violet, flower, leaf or stem, thank goodness. If it could stay like it is when it's wet, it would be heavenly. As dry it's a good nutty scent. I might have to have more than one bottle of this. A lovely scent for the autumn.

In the imp: There's tonka, balsam, frankincense, and red musk. Wet: This is very strong on the red musk, with more than a hint of clove and patch, but there's also the sweetness of vanilla to round it out and up --spicy and a tad sweet, but not overly so on the latter. The dry-down: I'm not sure about the orchid or herbs, but all the other notes are blending into something just sexy, very grown-up, somewhat sensual. I shall put this on when I want to feel elegant. Much later: Something has happened, and it's not good. I think those herbs have made an appearance, or else this is getting overwhelmed by some weird combination in the blend. I'm not sure that I like this anymore. I think that if the herbs and the orchid had been left out, this would have lovely on me. Scent locket may be the only way to go.

In the imp: There's something sweet, and then there's the white roses. Wet: Now we have a grounding of the skin musk, but the lovely roses are still making a large presence known, and there's also some spice from the oriental note(s). The dry-down: I like white roses, and skin musk, but I might like this better w/o the oriental notes, but they do give a certain poignancy and indeed a certain languidness. Because I love the Lab's white rose scent, I've ordered a bottle, and will age it for the springtime, or for use in winter when I want a hint of spring.

The sticky sweet scent of candy corn! Even cornier for 2009! - cuz corny is how we roll at BPAL! In the imp: Like a light caramel scent. Wet: Very, very sweet! The dry-down: This isn't like candy corn to me at all. It is foodie, though. More like Karo syrup, which is basically just a sweet (glucose) corn syrup. Since corn syrup is used in most processed foods nowadays instead of cane sugar, this is familiar to me. It smells like those cookies in a bag that are supposed to have a toasted or just-baked smell about them--all due to using corn syrup as a sweetener. Those who like sweet foodie scents may like this.

In the imp: Sweet water lily and some peat and moss. Wet: The sharpness of the gardenia is overtaking this scent. The dry-down: That sharp stage passed away and it would seem that all the notes have combined into a faint sweet and slightly herbal scent. However, I'm not sure what poppy flowers smell like, so they weren't taken into consideration. I like this perfume oil--it's a pale sweetish floral/herbal scent that will be lovely for next spring.

In the imp: Ozone! I love it! Wet: Sweet, but not foody, so it's difficult to explain. There's a fresh water note and some cypress. The dry-down: Just a hint of frankincense from the olibanum. Mostly this is light, airy, wet, faint, fleeting like a storm, a little sweet from the olibanum. Just wonderful. More a wintry than an autumn blend, to my mind. Do note that I adore all the notes in this, and I usually have no trouble with aquatics or snow notes. Really, I have loved all these notes that I have encountered so far in the various winter blends from the Lab. To my mind, this is bottle-worthy, and I'll probably need a back-up. This story that inspired this is probably my fave of all the vampire stories that Beth used in this set. There's something just so spine-tingling and chilling and creepy about the whole setting. It could be very cinematographic.

In the imp: This is a sweet men's cologne. Wet: Just a slight hint of something fruity in the blend. I sort of like this--it reminds me of a sweeter version of Lines/Hills, a Yule 08 that I adore. The dry-down: A hint of leather and blood is slowly rising to the top. It's really morphed from what it was when it was wet, and that's very disappointing. I'm seeing it as unisex and will try on the bf.

In the imp: Florals and foodie scents all mixed together. A bit like my BPAL box, but not exactly. Wet: Tobacco and smoke and leaves--here's another morpher. And there's chocolate, now, as well. The dry-down: Every time I sniff my arm, another note comes out to play, and then mixes back into the blend. All the floral notes and the foodie notes have turned into an amazing sweet-but-not-too-sweet mix. I have some of the 07, I think, stashed away, so will have to do a comparison test later.

In the imp: Lots of wood and patchouli. Wet: Just the slightest hint of a fresh-water note, for the dampness on the leaves. And the spices are wafting off my arm now. The Dry-down: The longer this is on, the better it gets. The pumpkin and the apple have risen to the top and blended so lovely together. The way that this year's Samhain morphs on me is just crazy wonderful. All my favorite scents of autumn in a bottle.

In the imp: Spicy autumn fires, like leaves burning that someone has thrown on a dark, rich, deep incense. Wet: The musk just hit me over the head, so yes, one could call it "thuggish". A touch of sugar and some sort of booze. And a ton of burning autumn leaves. The dry-down: I was really looking forward to the return of Devil's Night. But it doesn't seem to be working on me. All the notes should have been made of win on me. Wish I knew exactly which musk this is, because I think it's the culprit, the note that is causing this to utterly fail on me. Plastic or rubber sheets is not my idea of a good smell. I'll use the decant in my scent locket.

This review is for the 2009 version. In the imp: Apples and those two related scents, caramel and butterscotch. Wet: Now the rum appears. And a hint of coconut, like in Snow White, only much moreso. Lots of butterscotch and caramel (fave foods of mine *grins*) and apples down in the blend. The dry-down: Sweet foodie heaven! Yeah, those apples are just smothered by the sweets. They are still there, just a bit faint. But at the same time, I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

In the imp: Cake, cherries, almond. Wet: Lots of almond, and some sweetness from the cherries. The dry-down: There's an odd note that might be the caramel, but just not sure. Have no idea where the cake went. This might be good in a scent locket, but there's something nasty, sad to say, starting to come from my wrist -- it's almost a plastic note. I'm beginning to realize that perhaps a cherry note doesn't work on me. I did have high hopes of this when I saw chocolate in the description of croquembouche at the Wiki, but alas, this is probably not for me, unless it goes in a scent locket. A little later on: That nasty note is gone, thank goodness. Just almond and some cherries.

In the bottle: The clove and the black musk are the most obvious notes. Wet: Woot! Now that's what I call intense. Like a fire that someone has thrown cloves and musk and resiny amber on to, and the coals have burnt down to brimstone, but no ashes. The dry-down: Still not sure about those copper feathers, unless they are the metallic note that I'm now picking up. It was sweeter when wet, but now is reminding me of a milder version of St. John's Eve. This looks to be yet another unisex scent that might be even better on the bf. I like it, but not sure that I need more. If only the clove had stuck around longer. ETA: The longer it's on, the more I like it. So one bottle on order, to be split with my partial bottle (1 imp's worth from a decant circle) and then divided up between us. The idea to remember here is that if a unisex scent smells good on me, it's abfab on him. He's lucky to have fab skin chemistry!

In the bottle: Just heavenly. There's sugar and cream, and just a hint of cotton. Marshmallows! Wet: It's marshmallows in a cotton bag. The dry-down: If you like Marshmallow Poof or Plastic Pink Flamingo or Velvet Unicorn, this is right up your alley!

In the imp: Very herbal, but also the black sage and the anise are strong. Wet: Peppery and sweet. Sort of a darker ascent of Glasgow. The dry-down: More sweet in a fresh green sense than peppery. In other words, the rowan, thistle, snapdragon, heather and gorse are trumping the black sage and anise. I like it, but it makes me think of cold rain in the late summer/early fall during the night-time dripping off the dark leaves. No, no aquatic notes present, that's just my visual take on it. I think I'll try this on the bf, as it seems a bit unisex.

In the imp: Ozone with a hint of incense. Wet: A bit soapy. There's some sweetness, probably from the incense or more likely the wolf's fur, unless it's a skin musk. The ozone disappeared the moment this golden oil hit my skin. The dry-down: I really wanted to like the Countess, but so far she's not playing nice with me. Ah, well, typical for a vampire, eh what? Glad I got to try this, with its poetic description. Just too perfumey, or something. It gets a little sweeter in the drying, but there's a floral note that I don't like, possibly lily?

In the imp: Getting all the notes listed, but mostly the musk. Wet: Everything but the pumpkin! The black musk and the tobacco are really strong. The dry-down: This was one of those scents that again I was hesitant to try because of the black musk. Musk and I usually get along, but black must is often too strong for me. (I had a problem with Black Lace because of this issue; the Indian musk seemed more like black musk on my skin.) Slowly, the buttery-sweet note of the pumpkin is reasserting itself, thank goodness, along with the clove. There's just a faint touch of myrrh, and the tobacco has a papery note to my nose. I was in a tobacco drying barn once as a child, and it's a lovely smell, as I remember, and I have hoped that I would find that note again in any of Beth's oils with the tobacco note, but it just doesn't seem to be. Ultimately, this scent is dominated by the black musk. If you like Black Lace, but would have liked it to be a bit sweeter, then Pumpkin IV may be something that you would like.

In the imp: A sweet aquatic. Wet: Now I'm getting a linen note, and something that is sort of like dirt, but not exactly, so that must be the mold note. Something sharp is also present as a bottom note. No water notes. The dry-down: I didn't know what to expect with this. In RL, I have a problems with anything moldy, so was hesitant to try this. I did a little testing of it at the last moment at the DSWC, and it didn't seem anything like the notes listed. It's a morpher on me, to be sure. It still feels wet and now it feels cool from the water note. I like this okay, but not sure that I like it enough to spring for a bottle. There's the linen, the "dirt", and the aquatic notes, and whatever that sharp note is. This would probably be better as a summertime scent on me. Somewhat cool and somewhat faintly sweet. Not at all as expected.

The English were rather fond of this punch in the fall and winter seasons, too. It was not only drunk in the Georgian era (i.e. the 1700s), but also well in to the Regency period (the early 1800s). I've seen this referred to in many a Regency novel, and was always curious about it. If the real punch is as good as Beth's perfume that was inspired by it, then I really would love to try lambs-wool punch. In the bottle: Apples and spices. Wet: Oh, this is lovely. My nose doesn't want to leave my arm. There's the cooked apples, and the spices, and the sugar keeping things sweet, and just a hint of beer and milk. The milk reminds me a little of the milk note in Nonae Caprotina, which some people also compared to the milk note in Milk Moon. So if you like either of those scents, and any of the other apple scents, I think that you will love Lambs-Wool. The Dry-Down: By this point, all the notes have blended together, but with the apple most prominent. I might try layering this with SGA to amp up the apple, or with Gingerbread Poppet to amp up the ginger. And I need back-up bottles of LW, at least a couple.

In the bottle: Yum, lots of cake, and a hint of incense, and a whiff of beer. Wet: Even more cake. Very yummy. There's really not really a whole lot of beer or incense here, just enough to keep the cake from being rather sweet. The Dry-Down: Not sure that I want to eat this spicy cake, but I sure like sniffing it. Bottle-worthy, and may need a back-up. This stays pretty much the same throughout.