zankoku_zen

I get honest mandarin with whiffs of fig... from the start to the finish. I have to love this one for it's simplicity. It's bright, sunny, juicy and comforting without being overwhelmingly sweet or floral or some strange deviation thanks to my wonky skin chemistry. I'm not sure I would ever buy a bottle of this (I'm too much of a floral/aquatic girl at heart) but it's very, very pretty. And the more I smell it, the more I'll keep the imp! ETA: Tried it again today and found that it was too "jam-like" for my tastes. Sniffing it also makes me very hungry. It's very pretty still. So torn about what to do...

In the imp: Creamy buttery sweetness On Skin: Cake! Heavy buttercream to it. Tasty. On Drydown: Most of the buttery-ness disappears and I get a drydown of spices. Rather, I smell more like spice cake. I can't pick out any of the notes... but it smells like baked goods on me. Verdict: Infinitely delectable and tasty. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge foodie person but I can see why people love this. I'd be afraid of wearing this because around me, people would sniff the air and ask "Where is the cake?"

In the imp: woodsy and patchouli On Skin: Patchouli has been confirmed. It's the only thing I can smell now. On Drydown: I get a bit of a woodsy smell to it, like pencil shavings. Other than that, it's a massive patchouli smell. Dirty hippie headshop smell. Verdict: This is not a golden scent on me. When I think of golden scents, I think of Et Lux Fuit... this, makes me think more of a smoldering flame, the embers left from a big fire. Patchouli smashes its way through to the finish line, beating all other components into submission. Skin chemistry wins again. Nuts. Off to swap.

In the imp: sweet, heady flowers On Skin: HUGE honeysuckle and jasmine scent. It reminds me to a floral hothouse. On Drydown: Again, the juggernaut of honeysuckle and jasmine. Verdict: This is a big, bright, floral hothouse of a perfume. If you love honeysuckle and jasmine, this is for you. I like both... but this is way too much for me. It's big, southern and heady.

Being a Peruvian, I had to try this scent even when I didn't think it would work out for me. It's a very tropical, lush, green scent. At the beginning, I get more of the green, foresty, fresh sort of smell. Somewhere in the middle it turns into a rainforest, damp, flowery, with a hint of rain and a bright citrus background, which reminds me of sunlight filtering through the green. Verdict: This is a very tropical, bright scent. It's very beautiful, but unfortunately on me there is something that gives it a "baby powder" smell, which I occasionally get whiffs of when I'm standing in the jungle.

In the imp: Roses and citrus like fruit. On Skin: Roses, very cloying. On Drydown: Smells like Cutex. Verdict: Skin chemistry defeats Persephone before the drydown stage. Urgh. I imagine this can smell lovely on someone else... but on me it's like nail polish remover.

Honestly, this smells pretty much in the imp, on my skin and on drydown all the way down. It's a very complex, sophisticated perfume. It's a very perfumey-BPAL (minus all that nasty alcohol smell). It's got a dark edge to it. I'm actually surprised that patchouli does not dominate this blend. I don't get any separate notes, nor honey out of this. Simply a well-blended strong floral perfume. It's gorgeous but I don't particularly fancy this strong a floral. Sorry about this gals, I can't be more helpful on this one!

In the imp: Chocolate! On Skin: Chocolate and cream! On Drydown: The chocolate tones down quite a bit and some florals come underneath, with a creamy undertone. Quite pleasant. Verdict: This is more of a chocolate-floral blend than a foody-chocolate blend. It's quite pleasant as it's less sugary than Lump of Coal. ETA: This one is more straight up foodie, chocolate and cream (the cream goes plasticky on me, but that's okay). My skin eats this up, and then only the cream comes back. Full of sadness.

In the imp: Grapefruit and something else. On Skin: Grapefruit explosion! There is a softer white-like floral than in Baobhan Sith. More like linen-like floral. On Drydown: No more grapefruit. I smell a soft floral, and it's not something I've smelled before... possibly the combination of chamomile and delphinium. It is very soft and comforting. Verdict: This is a very strange and wondrous scent. It's invigorating and quite unlike any other floral that I've tried. I quite like it. I have to admit that the Cheshire Cat defies any pre-conceived notions that I had.

In the imp: Green and herbal. Ergh? On Skin: Green and herbal still, with a hint of coconut. After about five minutes, I can smell some of the patchouli, because it smells "incensey" to me. After another few minutes, it smells like suntan lotion to me. On Drydown: I can finally smell the rose and get vanilla whiffs. However the combination of the other notes plus the patchouli remind me strongly of suntan lotion and the plasticky coconut smell that has. Verdict: Skin Chemistry knocks Desire out in five minutes cold. The loser: ME. The notes sounded fantastic but my skin has decided that Patchouli puts on big black stomping boots and trashes the rest of the notes. *sigh*

I wore Baobhan Sith. Because it's grapefruit love and it makes me feel great. It's feminine and citrusy without being in your face.

In the imp: lavender and slightly minty. On Skin: Lavender and mint! Glee! (I bet the minty smell comes from the pennyroyal). On Drydown: *POOF* Gone. Boooooooooo. Verdict: It was nice while it lasted. I will edit this later with what I get from the boy. But on me, my skin chemistry drinks it all in... and leaves me with nothing. Nothing. ETA: The boy smells like an "Andes Mint". Tasty. He isn't so into the bottle love... but he definitely enjoys the smell. Although now he's hungry for chocolate...

Finally! I've been wanting to try this one for a while. It is the lab's signature scent... In the imp: Almonds and cherries. On Skin: Again, almonds and cherries. The cherries make it very sweet. It kind of reminds me of Jergen's cherry almond body lotion. There is a hint of a powdery floral. On Drydown: I get a faint whiff of garlic. Where did the lovely cherry go??!?!? After about 30 mins, I get the almonds and cherries again. Yeah! There is a "glassy" sort of vibe to it, like in House of Mirrors... and I can definitely see myself preening in front of a mirror. Verdict: I like this scent. I'm not sure about the immediate drydown. Maybe it's just skin chemistry going wonky for a bit. Thankfully it doesn't last long. I'm not sure this is bottle-love. But it's still love. Oh yes. Mmm... cherries.

I have to admit to not being a fan of any of the notes present... but I still had to try it! In the imp: Smokey, a sweet cherry like whiff. On Skin: Anise, although it smells a bit like licorice, and a bitter leather smell. On Drydown: Still get a bitter leather smell... with a sweet cherry undertone. Verdict: Very masculine. But I know just from sniffing it that this isn't the kind of scent that the boy fancies. I'm not entirely sure which version this is. I'll be passing this along...

In the imp: It has the same buttery note as Jack! On Skin: Spicy cake! Oooh! Tasty! On Drydown: Still spicy cake with a hint of sweetness. There is a sweet anise sort of smell to it. I also get a slightly boozy note which keeps this from dipping straight into generic spice cake. Actually, the smell reminds me alot to a Peruvian dessert called "picarones" which are little fried doughnuts (although the dough is made with sweet potato, corn starch and anise... and I don't know what the other ingredients may be!) that are served with generous helpings of fruit syrup. (The syrup is generally made from fruit and fruit peels, water, sugar and just you boil it... and boil it... and boil it... until you have syrup!) Verdict: This is a highly nostalgic smell to me. It is eating sweets in the park with my cousin. It's barbeques and laughter with family. This has definitely some anise in it. It's lovely and the more I wear it, the more I think I'll keep it. I was ambivalent at first because it is so foody but it is so evocative that I just can't bear part with it. Thank you Lab for this! Although the effect was unintentional, it's made me think of home and the nostalgia and trips down memory lane are priceless.

In the imp: Spicy and sharp, with a smoky edge to it. On Skin: Spicy floral, which from the smell of it, is the black narcissus.... since it doesn't smell like orange blossoms! After about ten minutes, I get hints of vanilla. On Drydown: This is still spicy, although not quite as aggressive a scent as when I first put it on. I still get whiffs of the smokiness. Verdict: Right off the bat, this isn't for me. Too spicy and smoky for my taste. On the other hand, I think it might be very aptly named. There is something very sensual about this blend.

This one starts off with a strong lavender scent and then becomes very much like Oneiroi... except it's got a limey edge as opposed to a lemon scent. The lime is very cutting and sharp. No nightmares or dreams with this scent!

I love aquatics and this was one Voodoo scent I wanted to love. In the imp: Green aquatic On Skin: Very green, very sharp aquatic Drydown: Still very aquatic but I get a very aromatic floral out of it that makes me think "peony" or something along those lines. After a while, it smells very clean and soapy. Verdict: It actually reminds me to a soap that used to be made in Peru. I remember it because it was the kind that we used in the beach and I remember lathering up with it. I like aquatics but I can't take the soapy quality. Boo.

In the imp: blood orange and neroli On Skin: The neroli is the most prominent, with a sharp note. Drydown: Raspberry jam! Verdict: It's an interesting scent but the drydown is way too sweet on me. Nuts, I really wanted to like this one.

In the imp: Very hard to describe. Sharp, slightly green herbal, a bit woody and something fruity sweet. On Skin: I get a very sharp herbal top note, which I think is from the lavender, and there is a polished wood smell underneath. I smell something kind of floral, which after reading the description would have to be the rose/rosewood but it's not a feminine smell but rather very robust and masculine. On Drydown: Still has a sharp green edge to it. Smoky almost. Very warm. After about an hour or so, the sharpness has receded and I can clearly smell the rose now. And it's not feminine. It's a very deep, green rose with something warm and spicy and woody in the background. Verdict: This is a very regal scent. Very masculine on me. It doesn't have a lot of throw... since it disappears after like an hour and a half. And yes, the King of Hearts does come to mind. A beautiful blend. Now, I'm gonna go swab the boy with it....

In the imp: Green, earthy and figgy On Skin: The fig is quite strong at the beginning but I smell something that can only be described as "dirt". After a few minutes, the dirt smells more like patchouli. On Drydown: The patchouli, with a hint of fig, last for a good hour or so. After that, the patchouli seems to recede a bit and I get strong whiffs of either vanilla or honey that lend a very creamy texture to the blend. Verdict: This is a wonderfully complex scent but it's not the kind of scent I normally wear or am attracted to. It's very earthy, a little too much for me. But it's pretty. Real pretty.

In the imp: Red musk and grapefruit. On skin: The grapefruit is pretty distinctive and the red musk is very, very present. On Drydown: I get more of the strawberry feel. The grapefruit is pretty much gone. It's like a sweeter version of Lust and a less-sweet version of Hollywood Babylon. Verdict: This doesn't have the "deviousness" of Hollywood Babylon... Nor the staying power. On the other hand, I enjoy the sweetness more than in Lust. It's a very pretty, very girly scent. I think that if you wanted Hollywood Babylon to like you, and it didn't... you should definitely give this a shot. And so far, my skin loves red musk.... but it didn't in Madame Moriarty (the one exception so far... *sniff sniff*

Much mad mad love to mariboquet for the opportunity to try this lovely scent out. In the bottle: Distinctly floral but I can't pick any of the notes out. On Skin: Floral with a peppery undertone which upon looking at the notes now it's quite possibly the sandalwood. ETA: Yup, it's definitely the sandalwood. On my second try I noticed this alot more. On Drydown: Still white florals. The peppery hint recedes. ETA: I do want to add that it's unlike any other floral I've tried. Something very subdued and pretty, without bringing to mind floral explosion. It's not aggressive, it's more like there, wafting close to the skin. I don't get alot of the fruits from this... more I think of the moonflower. It pretty much fades after about an hour and a half. Impressions: It is a very quiet scent, without being overtly melancholic. More like a pensive kind of quiet. It's not what I would call soothing or comforting, but rather thoughtful. ETA: Perhaps because it's a rainy day, I feel that this is an extremely evocative scent. Silence is not the uncomfortable silence... it's more of the stillness of silence. Or the sound of silence. I once, in a forest, did hear the sound of silence - there was no wind, no leaves rustling, no insects, no birds, only my very own soft breathing and it was a bit... disconcerting. It reminds me of that day. Verdict: It's a wonderful thing that Beth and the Lab has been able to encapsulate a painting in a smell. I really enjoy it from an aesthetic aspect... but I'm not sure that scent-wise I'm utterly in love with it. I'll probably have to try it again. ETA: Tried again. From an actual scent standpoint, this isn't something I would wear often. But I do want to stress that is a very lovely scent... just not for me (the sandalwood dominates a tad much at the beginning). On the other hand, I think this is a fabulous accomplishment by the lab. On the other hand, it has made me want all the other Salon scents SO much more.

Lemme know when you get them! And when did you order them?

Silk Road and Scarecrow. I know my bunkmate, Serrated_Angel, really liked Scarecrow!