thelaurenator

I smell the full-bodied Rose from Peacock Queen and a lemon-y, citrus note. That's about... it. It's nice, but I like Peacock Queen better, and they're VERY similar. Smell identical upon drydown.

I love this from far away... it smells like delicious vanilla amber and most of all, honey. But up close there is that nagging, bizarre smell of fake vanilla that I get in Snake Oil, which is one of the reasons I hate that blend so much! I'm not sure the Lab's vanilla note likes me. Strangely, vanilla amber or vanilla musk are okay on me, but not just *vanilla*. I have a bottle of this and I'm not sad about that, because from this has great throw and from far away it smells divine. I just have to resist the urge to sniff my wrists because that's when I get a little weirded out by the fake vanilla smell.

Someone very generously frimped me Lyonesse, because it was recommended to me here as being similar to L'Estate. Unfortunately, something about this blend makes me very ill. All I can smell when it hits my skin is curdled amber and slimy aquatics. Oh well.

Okay, upon first sniff, the novelty of this scent won me over. But over several hours of actual WEAR, the scent literally made me sick. And I could not get it to come off of my skin, clothes, furniture... In fact, I can still smell it a day later after a full shower. Oh my god. Something about the butter and all the grossly rich sweet notes (cherry tart?) just made it smell sickly fake and nauseating. OMG. I really have no idea how the Lab could produce something like this and also sophisticated, unusual scents like Bess (which I just got a full bottle of and OMG. So beautiful!). This scent might seem fun at first, but after a while, it gets VERY OLD. I would not miss this scent EVER if it were discontinued. In fact, I kind of hope it is so my chances of running into someone wearing this nauseating scent are diminished.

wow, this smells a LOT like snow angel only with a lot of juniper and that smell of vanilla baked goods. So, basically smells like lemon sugar cookies and pine trees. It's odd, but actually very lovely. and the lasting power is great!

hm that's a good point. i had noticed Sunflower before because of the two similar notes, but reviews of it have been more "scorched earth and dead flowers" than L'Estate. But layering might a good bet. Maybe with Lyonesse or Tiger Lily? It's a little aquatic, but otherwise I thought Lyonesse (Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss) had a similar feel to L'Estate (Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle). Lyonesse is one of the Wanderlust blends. You could also try Inez (Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood) -- that's a Carnaval Diabolique and thus will be going away at some point in the not-too-distant future, but at least you still have time to stock up on it if it works for you. L'Estate : Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle. Sunflower (from the Salon) : Sunflower bouquet, black amber, creeping black moss, wilted greenery, and scorched, dry stems. They aren't entirely the same, but, L'Estate was the scent that had me hunting for sunflower scents. You could layer Sunflower with something containing whatever it is missing from what L'Estate shows on your skin. Layering it with Lyonesse or Inez might be very very close, depending on skin chemistry.

In bottle: rich, black espresso (bitter, very bitter) and deep mocha. Wet on skin: HOLY CANOLI! THIS SMELLS LIKE A VERY BOOZY BLACK RUSSIAN. Luckily, after a few seconds, the booze note dies down and I get a rich, bitter espresso with just the TINIEST hint of mocha. Thank god, because I don't like chocolate smells on my skin. Basically, I love this! It's really sexy and, well, it's coffee. how could you go wrong?

It's a little aquatic, but otherwise I thought Lyonesse (Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss) had a similar feel to L'Estate (Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle). Lyonesse is one of the Wanderlust blends. You could also try Inez (Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood) -- that's a Carnaval Diabolique and thus will be going away at some point in the not-too-distant future, but at least you still have time to stock up on it if it works for you. oh! good suggestions. I'll try those.

Does anyone know if there is a GC BPAL blend that smells sort of similar to L'Estate from the BPTP summer inquisition? i absolutely love that blend, but I only have one bottle... So, is there a GC cousin of L'Estate? *hopes*

this smells exactly like Chimera, minus the cinnamon an plus a LOT of black pepper. So, mostly dragon's blood, black pepper, and honeysuckle.

smells exactly like it sounds-- mostly vetiver & burnt sandalwood, with a lemon undertone. this would smell great on a man!

delicious sweet earthy orange smell.

lovely luscious plumeria scent. very "white" smelling.

This is gorgeous! the most lovely, outdoorsy fall scent-- spices, leaves, pine, woodsmoke... pretty.

this smells like pure, rich caramel and toffee to my nose. DELISH

this is beautiful... ambery white rose. Reminds me a lot of Katrina van Tassel, but not sweet. This is a pure, soft resinous floral.

This was a frimp from the lab. It surprised me, because I absolutely love it. It's VERY strong on me, amps very well, which I am crazy about! It's a beautiful orchid/white musk blend, kind of similar to Queen Mab only much better, more masterfully blended. The freshness of the herbal, green-smelling juniper and bergamot with the tiniest hint of sweet patchouli underneath really make this scent unique and beautiful. I think that the right kind of guy would be great wearing this, but I think it tends to skew more towards feminine. My friends absolutely love this scent on me and urged me to buy a bottle!

This is the most masterfully blended scent. This is just as smooth and creamy as L'Estate, one of my all-time favorites from Beth. At first it smells a little too-- sweet. Fake. Something. But almost instantly it transforms into the most glorious honey and rose smell. The softness of the white rose and the softness of the honey-cream meld perfectly into an ultra-feminine perfume, smooth, fresh scent. Someone told me when I wore this: "What is that perfume? It's the most delicious smell!" Upon drydown this turns into pure honey with just a tiny bit of white rose, but that is fine with me. I LOVE honey, and I just tend to amp it! This is a favorite!

My god, this is gorgeous in the bottle-- a fresh cut, living red rose. But on me? Turns sour, like rose-flavored sour patch kids or something. After an hour or so, it softens up and becomes a nice, realistic rose scent with a touch of powder.

I'm kind of disappointed by this scent. It is indeed lovely for foodies, but I find it way too chocolate-y for daily wear. I wish this had been more amber, much less cocoa.

this is nice, but it smells like some of kind of mass-produced perfume I already own. too generic.

This is a glorious combination of greenery and Rose Red, which I have to say I find a little cloying. I prefer this to Rose Red by far.

I'm a little disappointed with this. It has a really watery, tangy smell-- the tears. Kind of metallic and yucky. I was hoping for more "rose-infused amber" which IS present, but only after more than an hour of wear can I really smell the amber. Drydown is pretty, but this is too aquatic. I think I'll keep my imp, but no bottle for me.

Wet on skin: WHOA. This is strong. Smells like poisoned wine and chocolate-- probably the combination of sharp florals with low, earthy smells like chocolate. What the hell is up with that gross posion smell? can't figure out for the life of me why some florals do this to me. I've detected the same strange smell in Regan (I'm guessing it's the stephanotis, since orchid works for me just fine in most blends). Perhaps it's the tulip here? I'm not really sure. Drydown: All traces of wine and chocolate dissipate rather quickly, as does the "poison" smell, thank goodness. I tend to amp honey like CRAZY, so I'm left with a faintly floral (mostly rose), faint skin musk, and mostly honey. This is definitely a "skin" scent, doesn't amp very much after a short while. I love the drydown, it's just lovely... but the smell of Kali wet is almost disgusting. Hmm...

For Yerevan: this is the most beautiful perfume. I'm Armenian, so it has special significance for me. It's mostly floral on me, but the beautiful fruity smells shine through, too. The musk takes the backseat in this blend. I'm so sad this is gone! For Old Yerevan: What the...? It smells like rich, red cherries!! Then it fades into a loud plum & sweet pomegranate smell. Finally, upon dry down there is the white musk, LOTS of it, with apricot and plum. No florals or sweet roots to be found.