puck_nc

Initial Thoughts: I like drinking peach bellinis. Totally worth blind buying. In the bottle: Lightly fruity with a fizziness that I think is the champagne note. On wet hair: The fruit coalesces into tart peach with the champagne. Not much throw to it. After blow-drying: No morph to speak of, but it remains very light champagne and peach. Verdict: A very gentle and pretty scent perfect for those who love a champagne note. I personally would have liked a bit more of a kick from the peach. However, for people who love what the glosses do for their hair but are afraid of strong scents because workplace/being around sensitive noses/etc., this would be a very good choice. I'll see what the next few tries feel like before I decide whether I need to keep the backup bottle.

Initial thoughts: I hope it's like the old Panacea blend that was good for headaches, Oof or Ugh or Grr - I forget which it was. In the bottle: As advertised, lots of peppermint and eucalyptus. If you've ever tried the Bath and Body Works Eucalyptus/Spearmint aromatherapy scent, this is that but much icier and fresher and better. On the skin: Wow, ALL the peppermint! The first inhale from my wrist made my nostrils tingle. It's certainly working as a distraction from the headache. Drydown: The peppermint blast has calmed down, letting the eucalyptus through. I'm also getting the first hints of lemon. Later: Lemony bright and soothing and I do think it helped bring the headache down a bit. I could see applying a bit to the temples, or to the wrists and lying down where one wrist is near my nose and just letting the scent drift around. Verdict: Glad I got it. Might be on the lookout for a backup bottle.

Fainting and gasping, I looked at that unhallowed Erebus of titan toadstools, leprous fire, and slimy water, and saw the cloaked throngs forming a semicircle around the blazing pillar. It was the Yule-rite, older than man and fated to survive him; the primal rite of the solstice and of spring's promise beyond the snows; the rite of fire and evergreen, light and music. And in the Stygian grotto I saw them do the rite, and adore the sick pillar of flame, and throw into the water handfuls gouged out of the viscous vegetation which glittered green in the chlorotic glare. I saw this, and I saw something amorphously squatted far away from the light, piping noisomely on a flute; and as the thing piped I thought I heard noxious muffled flutterings in the foetid darkness where I could not see. But what frightened me most was that flaming column; spouting volcanically from depths profound and inconceivable, casting no shadows as healthy flame should, and coating the nitrous stone above with a nasty, venomous verdigris. For in all that seething combustion no warmth lay, but only the clamminess of death and corruption. Lacquer the color of viscous vegetation glittering green in a chlorotic glare - with added shimmer! Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I don't have any greens in my polish collection. This seemed to be awfully pale in the picture on the website, but I tossed it in the basket anyway. In the bottle: A very pale shimmery green - a touch streaky in the bottle. One coat: Well, this is not what I expected. It's like Fascination or Dream Awake - liquid shimmery glitter - but in a midrange shade of green. Not too dark, not too light. If a Christmas tree were turned into pure glitter, this would be it. A practiced hand might get full coverage with one coat. Two coats: Definitely enough for full coverage. It's also smooth enough that you don't necessarily need a top coat. Verdict: This is probably the unexpected surprise hit of the order. Think I'm going to keep it.

Initial Thoughts: I love several of the Lick It series. Minty and sweet are right up my alley. In the Bottle: Gooey marshmallow with a trace of mint. Very sugar-heavy and mint-light. On Wet Hair: The mint develops somewhat, but it's less mint and more icy chilled sugar. After Blow-Drying: The mint fades again and I am mostly back to the beginning of lots of marshmallow with a little mint. Verdict: Not sure about this one. Like Snow White, it doesn't seem to have a lot of staying power, but I don't know that I need several bottles of scents that only give me nice smells when I'm drying my hair. I may try again and use more to see if I can keep the scent going.

Initial Thoughts: I never tried the hair gloss before because I tried the perfume oil back in 2005 and something in it turned into sour dishwater on my skin. But over the years I've discovered that some scents with dealbreaker notes for my skin actually work nicely in my hair. (I'm looking at you, rose.) So I figured I'd try this. In the Bottle: Sweet marshmallow and cool florals. On Wet Hair: The florals go nasty and sharp for a moment and make me worry, but it calms down by the time I finish massaging the spray into my hair and the floral notes remain. After Blow-Drying: The marshmallow comes out to play and softens up the floral notes. Verdict: I am quite relieved that the hair gloss experience is nothing like my perfume oil experience. But the scent is really quiet and by the end of the day is mostly gone. Which at least makes it a good candidate for work or somewhere if I want the benefits of the gloss making my hair smooth and shiny without a stronger scent that might offend someone else.

Initial Thoughts: I like TKO a lot and use it regularly to help me sleep, so the above description seemed intriguing to me. I didn't catch at the time that it might mean a blend of TKO and Snow White. I tried Snow White all the way back in 2005 and it did not play well with my skin. So now I'm worried. In the Bottle: Very lavender with a sweet and cool floral. Doing side by side bottle sniffs with TKO actually makes TKO smell stale by comparison, and I like TKO a lot. Wet on Skin: The first impression is that stale dirty-dishwater effect that I got from Snow White. Thank goodness, that fades after a few minutes and I have a really quiet impression of sweet flowers in the snow. Drydown: Well, my fears of the acrid stink I got with Snow White don't seem to be happening, thank goodness. It's staying gentle without a lot of throw, getting less chilly. There's vanilla poking its nose in from somewhere. 20 minutes later: The lavender has finally come out and is melding with the vanilla and florals. The entire scent is still staying very low on the skin. Verdict: I am very relieved that it doesn't behave like Snow White did and thinking this could be a good alternative to TKO - my husband complains sometimes about how strong TKO is when I put it on my temples before going to bed. At the very least it's a pretty scent and right up my alley as a florals fan.

Initial Thoughts: I love jasmine and lavender. I love vanilla tea. Blue musk usually doesn't amp on me like darker musks do. I think peony works for me in some of the Shungas I've tried. In the Bottle: Very floral and somehow a touch aquatic. Wet on Skin: A very strong burst of jasmine and then lavender joins in with just a hint of tea. Drydown: Things warm up as the musk kicks in, softening the sharpness of the jasmine and lavender. I'm not getting much from the vanilla tea. 20 Minutes Later: Finally the vanilla tea shows up and adds a layer of sweetness to the whole thing. A gentle, jasmine-y floral musk. Verdict: It took a little while to get there, but I like the end result a lot.

Snow-laden pine boughs, sleet, white sandalwood, cedar, winter orchid, and honeysuckle. Text on Bottle: Caminar Sopra il giaccio, e à passo lento Per timor di cader gersene intenti; Gir forte Sdruzziolar, cader à terra Di nuove ir Sopra 'l giaccio e correr forte Sin ch' il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra; Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte Sirocco Borea, e tutti i Venti in guerra Quest' é 'l verno, mà tal, che gioia apporte. Translation via Wikipedia: We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously, for fear of tripping and falling. Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and, rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up. We feel the chill north winds course through the home despite the locked and bolted doors... this is winter, which nonetheless brings its own delights. Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I've used a few room/linen sprays before, but they were always focused on one note, like lavender. The notes in this sounded lovely. In the Bottle: My first impression is something chemical, like perhaps I'm smelling the base of the spray. But after a few sniffs, I get scent. It's quite chilly, the chilliest of the three L'Inverno products. I get a lot of sleet and snow notes and the woods, with the honeysuckle dipping a toe into the mix. Sprayed onto Cloth: Almost no morph, which makes sense, I suppose. A very snowy, wintry scent with a strong woodsy facet and a few tinges of floral. Verdict: I think I will enjoy using this.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: This was honestly more of an impulse buy since I was getting the rest of the Shunga HGs. I'm not fond of tangerine or blood orange, but I'm always hoping to find a HG with similar cool citrusy vibes like Lightning Storm, which was my favorite gloss for hot days for years. In the Bottle: Lots of tangerine/blood orange and white tea. On Wet Hair: The musk comes out and tamps down the tangerine and blood orange, which is fine with me. After Blowdrying: The orange blossom comes out and balances very nicely with the musk. It's not quite the levels of cool/chilly I was hoping for, but it's very nice. Verdict: Keeping the bottle. I will use this.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I like plum, I like honey, and nothing in the list is a deal-breaker. In the Bottle: I'm getting a LOT of honey, a bit of plum, and a definite zing of lemon. On Wet Hair: No real change yet. This is very much honey, to the level of The Sharing of the Cake Between the Lion and the Unicorn, but with lemon zest. After Blowdrying: Still strongly honey on me, but the lemon calms down and there's a trace of floral freshness. Verdict: I like it a lot and am glad I grabbed a bottle.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I like lilacs a lot and I love bourbon vanilla. Amber can amp on me if it's dark, so fingers crossed there. And then the reviews emphasized how it's so very lilac, so I bit. In the bottle: FRESH-CUT LILAC! ALL THE FRESH-CUT LILAC. Wet: Lilacs without the "green" of fresh-cut. Guessing the amber is toning it down or the vanilla is making it sweeter. Drydown: Lovely sweet sun-warm lilacs. The vanilla and amber aren't front and center but are enhancing the lilac very nicely. I'm not sure I can pick out any muguet since I'm not quite sure what it's like on its own, but it's not doing anything bad that I can tell. Verdict: Keeper. I definitely recommend this for any fans of lilac.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Vanilla and sandalwood are two great scents that go great together. I'm glad chatter about it came up in the Discord, otherwise I would have missed it. In the bottle: More sandalwood than anything else, but a very sweet undertone that is probably the vanilla. Wet: And now it's more vanilla than anything else. But it's staying very close to my skin, with almost no throw. Drydown: The sandalwood comes out more, and for me it's a really balanced presence. Woodsy but not too woodsy, sweet but not too sweet. Verdict: Potentially an excellent work scent, given the lack of throw. I like it a lot.

Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Wisteria is one of my favorite flowers, so when none of the other notes are deal-breakers, I'm gonna try it. White musk doesn't amp on me and I like lily and plum. In the bottle: Plum and florals. Very sweet and heady. Wet: Because it's my skin, the musk jumps out. But because it's white musk, it doesn't roll over the other notes. I get lily and maybe plum blossom at first, then the wisteria comes out to play. Lots of florals, grounded in the musk. Drydown: The sharpness in the lily calms down and everything melds together into a gentle floral, rounded out by the plum and musk on a very delicate level. Verdict: This is exactly my type of BPAL, so I'm very glad I grabbed a bottle.

Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: This was an impulse toss into the shopping cart. I usually go for bolder pinks if I wear pink. In the Bottle: Rose pink. The Easter Grass flake does include some green, but there's also yellow, pale blue, and a very bright pink. Coverage: This is a very translucent polish. I ended up trying four coats but still didn't get full opacity. So if that's a goal for you, keep this in mind. Verdict: It is very shimmery with the pale glitter sparkling everywhere. The hot pink glitter gives it a bit of extra spice. On a whim, I tried one coat over my test of Harlot and that was interesting, like gilding a ruby with gold dust. I'll keep playing with the bottle and see what happens.

Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: Le Léthé is my go-to red. I was curious to see if Harlot would please me as much. In the Bottle: A deep and sexy unapologetic red. Coverage: Two coats was enough for full coverage, giving it a full glossy red like a sports car just rolling off the assembly line. Verdict: I definitely prefer the shimmer in Le Léthé, but this is nice and I already have occasions in mind where I could wear it.

Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I have several greens in my collection already, but nothing like this. In the Bottle: Gold and copper glitter is simply raining down through the green. Two coats: This is close to the Luperci green, but absolutely bursting with metallics. So shiny! Verdict: Of all things, I'm thinking this will be a good fall color. The green backdrop with all the copper and gold shimmer of changing leaves. I'm glad I got it.

Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I debated a little about buying this one because bright yellow is not one of my typical color choices. But I decided to try it and give the Lab one less bottle to move to Philadelphia. In the Bottle: Light and bright yellow with a green tint and lots of shimmer. One coat: Well, it's definitely yellow. Two coats: Super shimmery and when the light hits right, that copper leaps out. Verdict: This is much prettier than I was expecting. We'll see how often I reach for it.

Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I love rainbow sparkly things and the only reason I didn't buy this before was the description of a top coat, rather than a full polish - I don't do a lot of effects with my nails. But when I was buying backup bottles of favorite polishes, I threw this one in for grins. In the Bottle: Silver full of shimmery glitter, on the pastel side of the spectrum. If I hold it side-by-side to my bottle of Nuclear Winter, the latter has the stronger, more traditional rainbow glitter. One coat: Soft, smooth, and sparkly. Two coats: I think this would be enough to wear as the base color. I tried a third coat and that got me to full opacity. Verdict: We'll see how fast I go through this bottle. I will definitely try layering it over other polishes to see what happens.

Origin: decant bought on the Forum Initial Thoughts: I like peach and plum and the corresponding blossoms. I like white amber. Rose tends to behave on my hair better than on my skin. Worth a try. In the Bottle: Light florals and something that is very sour. The cognac? On Wet Hair: The sour shifts to more tangy, less acrid, so that helps. After Blowdrying: Light and fresh and floral, with the musk or amber hanging around. Verdict: It's pretty and I think it's less heavy than any of my other current floral scents. Definitely keeping the decant and I have a couple of days to decide whether to order a bottle.

Red plum, pineapple, and King mandarin with pink grapefruit, bergamot, cherry blossom, oakmoss, and crushed mint. Origin: Decant bought on the forums Initial Thoughts: I love most of these notes individually. I'm hoping for something light and cool and refreshing that can take the place of Lightning Storm, which was one of my favorite summer HGs ever. In the Bottle: Very woodsy. I'm getting all the oakmoss right now. On Wet Hair: Citrus! I'm getting a lot of orange and grapefruit and pineapple right now. After Blowdrying: Wow, this is remarkably well balanced! The fruit calms down, the oakmoss comes back, and the mint and bergamot add a gently green herbal edge to it. The above comparison to a perfect cocktail is spot-on. Verdict: I like this a lot and have to decide if I'm grabbing a bottle or two before Lupers come down or waiting in hopes of catching it on Etsy.

Watery cerulean musk winding through crushed grass, apple blossom, wild mint, and pine needles. Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: The musk is probably on the blue/green side enough that it won't amp the other notes to death. I love apple blossom and mint. I like pine and can tolerate grass. In the Bottle: VERY apple blossom! The pine and grass make it smell like being in an orchard in bloom. A beautiful blast of spring. Wet: Hello, musk. Please don't amp too much, musk. I really really like the apple orchard scent and want to keep some of it. Drydown: Thank you, musk. Deepening the scent and adding a hint of a stream through the orchard is nice. That's just right. I'm going to just assume the mint is hanging around, keeping things cool without shouting its presence. Verdict: This is a must-try if you love apple blossom. If you were hoping for a lot of mint, try a decant first.

Whimsical, temperamental, radiant and ravishingly beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes, Fire, Lightning and Dance. She is the Mother of Eruptions and the personification of destructive power. Volcanic eruptions are said to be a side-effect of her jealous rages and her epic quarrels with her siblings are legendary. This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms. Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: This is it, finally! A mostly floral scent won the Lunacy poll! In the Bottle: A crush of heady tropical florals. This is pure island magic without the coconut edge to make you think of suntan lotion. On the Skin: My usual application method is to rub some into my elbows and other dry places at the end of my shower. 20 minutes later I can still smell it on my hands - the ginger has emerged, but is very smooth and gentle, adding some weight to the floral notes. Lush and tropical without screaming "Beach!" Verdict: Love it! I'm very glad I snagged a bottle.

Champagne gold holographic that twists and turns from hues of copper to blue. Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: It sounded pretty on the website. In the Bottle: Rose gold with a full rainbow in its shimmer One Coat: One coat almost gives full coverage. I can see the white tips of my nails if I look hard, but in shiny light they're almost invisible. Satiny smooth finish. Two Coats: Full coverage and super shimmery sparkle. Verdict: I think this might be a multi-bottle polish. It is amazingly rainbow sparkly and yet pretty subtle. ETA: Finally got pictures working again...

Tuberose absolute, red carnation, white gardenia, jasmine sambac, Siamese benzoin, and sweet oudh. Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Tuberose - sometimes. Red carnation - absolutely! White gardenia - yes! jasmine sambac - usually. Siamese benzoin - well, it doesn't seem to amp like crazy compared to other resiny/incense things. Oudh - well, it's sweet. In the Bottle: White floral. Strong enough to be that almost astringent level. I think I'm getting lots of jasmine and some gardenia with a trace of benzoin or oudh in the background. Wet: GARDENIA! An explosion of sweet gardenia. Since I love gardenia, I have no issues at this point. Drydown: The jasmine comes back, but this time it's that airy white-floral jasmine rather than the sharp jasmine from the bottle. But I'm getting very little carnation and very little benzoin or oudh. This is staying a very gentle, light and white spring floral on me. Verdict: If you are a jasmine lover or gardenia lover, definitely try this. If you are hoping for more of the spicy/incense notes, it may depend on your skin chemistry.

While this scent is fresh, crisp, refreshing, and redolent of spring mornings, it also possesses an ancient timbre: this is the fragrance of the apple orchards of ancient Herculaneum. Origin: Straight from the Lab! Initial Thoughts: First, YAY for single notes! Second, I have found that I tend to enjoy the blossom scent more than the fruit (Peach Moon's peach blossom was divine, orange blossom tends to play nice for me, etc.), so getting an apple blossom accord was a no-brainer. In the Bottle: A beautiful green floral apple with a bit of wood in the background. Fresh and springlike. Wet: Nice! The apple blossom jumps out strongly, a little sweeter than in the bottle. It's skating to the edge of a candy scent, almost like a Jolly Rancher Sour Apple, but not quite. My husband claims that he smells something artificial about it--I don't get that. Drydown: The candy undertone fades back to the more pure floral apple blossom, with just enough leafy/woodsy background notes to give the impression of walking in an orchard. Verdict: Love it! I am so happy I have a bottle!