brilliantcat

Imp: Dusty vanilla, softly floral sweet pea, and powdery amber. It's far softer and milder than I expected. It reminds me of the "Lace" scents rather than a lush, foody vanilla. I love vanilla in all its forms though! Wet: The sweet pea takes center stage on my skin. It melds beautifully with the soft, feminine vanilla. It gives me a sense of... wistfulness? Verging on melancholy. One of my favorite things about the Lab is their ability to make scents that don't just smell good, they truly evoke their inspiration. Dry: Powdery, dusty vanilla/amber/floral. Pretty, but not me.

I was lucky enough to have gotten the original bottle in the Inquisition gift bag. This is my autumn go-to. Deep, smooth, rich patchouli, not head-shoppy or hippie feet. The honey isn't present as a noticeable scent but it sweetens the patch. There's just a hint of woodsiness as well.

Another I can't believe I haven't reviewed. Thank you to the lovely fairy that nabbed this for me It's lovely, lovely creamy coconut with just a slight kick from the tea/ginger. It's a skin scent and I often apply it just before bed.

I adore how this smells in the bottle: bracing eucalyptus, a bit of mint and lime, and a nice hint of rosemary. Once applied (I use directly on skin as a moisturizer), it settles into a sugary minty lime that's really pleasant. It is a bit tingly on my skin but no redness or irritation occurs and I have VERY sensitive skin. Very low throw but I can still catch whiffs as I type and it's wonderfully brisk. This would be great to wake up with or in the hot months of the year.

I don't know how I forgot to review this! Apparently I'm one of the lucky ones that can wear this and have it remain true to the fantastic cake and frosting scent in the bottle. Rich and edible. I wish I had sprung for a full bottle rather than a decant.

Sylvia is the hands-down winner of the Hallowenches. I love each of the components and the bath oil is no exception. At first, it's a foody paradise, all sweet coffee, hazelnut, chocolate, and fig but over time the pine adds a gorgeous depth and richness. I got a decant but will certainly need a big bottle.

I've been on the hunt for something to replace my beloved but so very limited White Pumpkin extrait and when this popped up, I desperately hoped it would be magic. And it really is! I have very dry skin and I use the bath oils as moisturizer but I may have to take a bath in this. Creamy vanilla pumpkin that's got enough spice but isn't overwhelming. I would love to see this as a perfume oil.

This is not typically something I'd gravitate to as I'm not a florally girl and rose is usually a death note, but I love lilies and ice wine, so based on those two notes alone, I figured I'd give it a try. In the decant, I definitely get the white rose, but it's definitely not a juicy red rose. It smells dry and almost musty. On my skin, the calla lilies dominate. They're delicate and ethereal and I think the sandalwood and amber are adding depth. I do well with resins for the most part, though some amber can go powdery. This is not powdery. I might describe it as dusty but not in a bad way, it simply doesn't smell like fresh, living flowers. It's an old bouquet left to dry and the petals are slowing falling away and blowing off. I don't get any wine and over time I amp the roses, so this isn't for me, but it's very true to its inspiration and if you like white florals, you'd probably love this.

Fruity and deliciously punchy! The yuzu is front and center, followed by lime. I don't get the tea and mint really but I can definitely see using this during the summer for a refreshing wakeup call.

This is my first experience with hair gloss from the ĺab, and I am duly impressed. A couple of squirts in my hand and smoothed over my hair lasts for hours. I get a pine forest with vanilla mist curling on the ground, and the occasional hint of lavender and clove. I haven't yet tried it with Sylvia, but tonight is date night so I will try them together. Husbeast sniffed appreciatively at my hair last time I wore this.

Mostly pine in the decant, though I can barely smell the clove and vanilla. On me, it's sooo very different: clove foremost followed by musk, vanilla, and faintly pine. Wow! It smells like snuggly fur and love. It warms to clove, carnation, musk, and a smidge of leathery vanilla. I definitely need a bottle, as this perfectly evokes its inspiration. I love the hair gloss and I bet this will go perfectly with it. I need to go run after prey in a dark, mist-wreathed forest now.

Fruity! With a hint of yeasty bread and musk. I like this so far! On my skin, I get the bread-y, bakery smell first, then a punch of bright fruit. The tarty smell keeps it from being summery with all the fruit. This is yummy! As it warms, it develops a perfumey note, and I get a tiny bit of a herbal green note, it reminds me of hellebore, which would be fitting as this is supposed to be poisonous. What happened to the tarty-smelling fruit? No more of that lovely shortbread, just oddly perfumey fruit.

A myrrh-darkened amber chypre sweetened by newly-ripened black pomegranate. Murky, resinous pom. This is the perfect pomegranate to my nose. Juicy, sweet, but with a dark side. On me, it goes predictably powdery but it's the best powder I've ever smelled. The pom is distinctly sweeter, fruitier, and more girly than in the bottle. I'm hoping the amber and myrrh calm down, as amber usually smells amazing on me after a little warm-up time. Tis not to be though, the oakmoss chimes in with the resins and together it smells like musty powder. Not for me.

Minty, fresh, and clean at first sniff. I know mint doesn't usually last long on me though, my skin loves it as much as I do and drinks it up. I love how it smells freshly applied though, and maybe I'll be lucky and the mint will last. Sadly, the fruit never develops and it ends up going slightly aquatic and reminds me of men's commercial cologne. I love you mint, why do you do this to me?

Mmm sweet maple-y honey with a smidge of pumpkin. A slight hint of booze that reminds me of the buttery rum note in my favorite BPAL booze blends. There's a slight, soft hint of spice but it's just a breath and not overwhelming as some of the pumpkin blends can be. It ends up warm, sweet, comforting, yummy. Definitely will keep and use my decant and possibly get a bottle.

I get a burnt sugar smell once the pumpkin and spice initial blast wears off, like caramel gone too far. I don't do well with caramel smells in general and this is even worse on me. The patchouli just adds in and makes this unwearable. Sadface.

I ADORE Hellcat so seeing comparisons to that has me excited. Plus it's all the foody things I love. In the imp it's PHWOAR ALMOND and it stays that way on my skin but with sweet gooey buttercream. Nomnomnom. I'm tempted to lick my arm. Wait... Oh. Oh no. Craft store, big time. WHERE IS MY MARZIPAN AND BUTTERCREAM?!

Super-foody pumpkin. It makes me think of pumpkin cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, which sound delicious On me, it's less foody, I get something with the spices, pumpkin, and vanilla that turns it from foody to gourmand. I think it's the sandalwood or possibly the carnation, as I get hints of both. The cinnamon/cassia is quite strong and is just this side of craft store. Oh boy, things headed south fast. I smell like the inside of a musty spice cabinet :x This is not for me.

At first sniff, it's all pumpkin and spice but more tempered than the other Pumpkin Patch blends. Then, slowly, sinuously, the fougere peeks out and skews this toward elegant gourmand vs. foody. So far, this is my favorite of the PP, and I've like all of them to some extent. This is warm and sweet and full of depth. I don't really get the tea, or vanilla, or pumpkin, it's melded into a cohesive whole, grounded by musk and the fougere. Definitely not foody on my skin and no craft-store spiciness. I think I need a bottle, this might be my go-to pumpkin scent. ETA: Ok, after longer wear, I NEED a bottle. Or two. This is unbelievably gorgeous.

Oh maaaan, this is good. Buttery, slightly foody, spicy vanilla cakey FANTASTIC. And that's even before it's touched my skin. Oh yeah, it's good. Not quite so pumpkin spicy as to bother me, but those spices are definitely plentiful. SO twists around the pumpkin and their spices play off each other in the best way. This is huff-able, definitely. I feel like it's veering a bit too much into spicy territory the longer it's on though. I'll most likely hang onto my decant but I don't need a bottle.

I adore the original Samhain, so I have high hopes for this, especially based on the other reviews. At first sniff, it's definitely my deep, dark Samhain but there's this golden glow to it. As others have said, it's glowing midday autumn vs. autumn in the dead of night. I don't really get much of the pumpkin or the spices I usually get with pumpkin blends and I like that. It's unique. I get the impression of warm sun filtering through the colorful leaves. This is the day to the night, the slightly unseasonable warmth of a sunny day instead of cool dark night with a bite of frost. I'm pretty much in love.

In the imp, I have a hard time identifying anything other than the pumpkin note but if I strain, I can find the milk smoothing it out and adding some creaminess. It's much the same on my skin, though I can also start to make out the carnation, again if I try hard. My skin likes to amp the hell out of the spices in most any pumpkin blend but so far it's not overwhelming the delicate play of the other notes. I have hope! I am rewarded with a deeper scent than it seems at first sniff. Though the pumpkin spice (which I find can go craft-store in an instant and ruin everything) is definitely present, it doesn't obliterate the florals. I think the milk note may be tempering it enough to allow the florals to bloom. It's really quite light and pretty, which is surprising for a pumpkin blend with all the spices. I doubt I need a bottle of this, but it's prettier than a first sniff might suggest.

Rich, sweet coffee verging on cocoa-ish in the imp and freshly applied. My foodie little heart loves this so much already! It doesn't take long for the oak to add a nice richness. This is polished wood, not forest wood or a growing tree. And then, out of nowhere, I get popcorn o.O Not sweet popcorn or jelly belly popcorn, but actual popcorn. Well. That was unexpected. I think the wood and dust/paper notes are combining to create this aberration. Oh good, it's gone. Back to polished wood, some dust, and a hint of spilled coffee with old tomes spread around. Whew. I was scared for a second there. I do, however, like the idea of this better than I like the actual scent. My idea of heaven is a ton of books, a squishy chair, and some coffee (or tea), with a cat on my lap. Nonetheless, I'll keep and use the imp.

In the imp, it's deliciously salty air with equally delicious buttery rum. The rum is stronger on my skin but that lovely salty aquatic is very much present. Over time, the salty aquatic takes over everything else. I don't get any leather, sarsparilla, or patchouli to my disappointment. It's still very much a pirate queen type of scent and I think I might layer it with grog to preserve some of that fantastic rummy undertone.

This is fabulous! The vetiver blends with the dragon's blood resin and spice to smell just like a serpent should: dry, unnerving, reptilian. I don't mean that the blend itself smells bad in any way, I just find it's very evocative of its inspiration. The oil itself is red, red, red and stains my wrist where I've applied. I really do get the image of scales in my head. I think the vetiver in particular is really working to create that impression of "snake". The cinnamon is tempered by the resin and vetiver so that it doesn't go Red Hots as it sometimes can on my skin. And then it all goes wrong. Screaming, screeching, nose-searing vetiver. Bleurghhh.