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I love patchouli. I'm learning that I adore all things ambergris. Carnation and I are good friends. Only orange blossom is somewhat iffy at times... Imp: Woo! Patchouli! Dark, heavy, dirty-hippie patchouli, too, with its spicy woody earthy quality. I likes it, oh yes I do. It twines perfectly with the dusky carnation, bright orange blossom, and smoothness of ambergris. All the notes are beautifully blended together and seem very harmonious. This is a very rich smell. Wet: Orange blossom comes out first, a light, delicate powdery citrus almost like some kind of sweetmeat. Underneath it lies the patchouli, heady and strong, and the ambergris, subtle and rich and amazing. I know the carnation is adding a lot to this, but it's hard to pick out individually. This is gorgeous-- a little dusty, a little spicy, a little shiny, a lot beautiful. I think this is the most unadulterated black patchouli experience I've had from the Lab yet, and I'm loving it. Dry: This just gets better. The orange blossom has faded into the patchouli, now, and the ambergris has come even further out to play, leaving a warm, smooth, citrus-sugar, spicy-woody-earthy patchouli blend with a touch of sillage and a lot of awesome. This is so smooth, and delicious, and amazing... it reminds me a bit of one of my other favorite blends: Santa Eularia Des Riu. That one gave me the impression of a wise, dark-haired Mediterranean beauty, and so does this. Santa Eularia is what she wears by day, under the warm sun, and Masquerade is her perfume for night. So far, this has been the smash hit of my most recent order. I will definitely need a 5ml.

Imp: Fir! To the face! And a woody scent like birch that must be... beech, I guess? And that's all. Not very keen on it so far. Wet: Next on Widget's Skin: When Woods Attack. For the first minute, it's 120% wood... fir and beech and pine and wood, wood, wood. Then a bit of powdery floral and berry comes up and fights down the wood enough to be smelled... but just barely. Dry: Like Yggdrasil and Vinland, this one is already fading into hints of woody sweet powder. It's a nice outdoorsy sort of smell, it really is, but it's also not my thing. Swaps.

Acquired this in my quest for spicy goodness. Imp: Lemon curd or syrup, honey and spice, spice, spice. Cloves? And definitely grapes as well. Myrrh or frankincense or something resiny, as well, and possibly amber. Wet: This is a thick, very resinous oil, and it's sticky on my skin, which is unusual. It also smells almost metholated-- not minty, but bright and tingly like mint. There's definitely clove and cinnamon and lemon. At first it smells almost exactly like Ricola Cough Drops, actually, but then it starts to mellow and the citrus recedes, leaving a much tamer scent-- like soft lemon jellies and the dust of a marketplace and carpets in an incense shop. As much as that imagery appeals to me, I'm not really jiving with it, but I guess I'll let it sit for a while. And hoo boy, is it strong. Dry: Strong, sweet, dry, fruity incense, thick and resinous but not terribly unusual. I'm a waffler on this one. It's not one I'd wear every day, nor is it an instant love, but for some reason I think it would be good to wear while traveling, and I might hang on to it for that purpose. I think the throw on this one is the strongest I've ever smelled. I smell like incense, my room smells like incense, even the hall outside my room smells like incense! Verdict: *shrug*

In my very favorite series of books ever, there is a portion of one novel wherein one of my very favorite characters ever, enters the Seraglio of Suleiman the Magnificent at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and becomes a member of the harem in order to protect a child. (If anyone knows what I'm talking about, eighty billion jillion kafrillion million zillion points and also, please PM me immediately so we can nerd out.) So, of course, Seraglio could smell like cat pee and rotting meat and fast-food grease and spilled gasoline on me and I would still keep it. I would still love it. I would possibly even drink it in an attempt to be imbued with the essence of Philippa Somerville. Anyway. In the Imp: Oh Gahds. This smells amazing, too. Why does rose never work on me? Why can't this be awesome? Please? Just once. It's almonds and oranges and sandalwood and roses and rich and delicate and spicy and incredibly, incredibly delicious. It smells like a beautiful banquet set out under the playing fountains and palm trees, and the musks and scents of the gorgeous women around you. Wet: Almonds and oranges and sandalwood, first, and then a soapy rose, and then spice. They seem to alternate, which is better than the usual ROSE SOAP ALL THE TIME BITCHES that I usually get on my skin. Dry: Spicy rose soap, but I don't care. I'll put it on my clothing, or in my hair, or something. I love it anyway, because, because, because, um, seraglio. And also when my skin doesn't do horrible things to it, it actually does smell really really really really good. *sigh*

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed, 'cause I had to. In the bottle: A dark, rich scent, round and sweet and almost chocolatey to my nose: musk and spice and vanilla and something herbal. It's not... bad, but it's not off-putting either. I think it's the leather that's doing it-- Beth's leather never, ever registers as leather to my nose, but rather a sweet, weirdly-slick sort of smell. Wet: Yep. Vanilla-ed herbs and resins lying underneath a massive cloud of bizarre wrongness from t the leather. It's almost impossible to describe what that "leather" note smells like on me-- plasticy, but sugary, with hints of something burnt and a big old dose of fakery. Whoever said pink erasers was getting close. Oh, Gods, Crowley, don't do this to me, baby. You're one of my favorite characters ever. Dry: I didn't get there. From what I remember, the faux-leather backs off a little bit and allows other things to emerge, but I just couldn't take it a second time. Oh, baby, you broke my heart. And thusly did Widget become just that little bit more jaded about the world. Swaps.

Commanding? Dominant? Sounds great! In the Imp: Musk. Musky musky musk musk, with red patchouli and something sweet and floral. It's heavy and smoky and thick. Wet: Hello cinnamon, but not so much as to be overwhelming. And it's black musk in here for sure-- that slightly disturbing, dark, almost-civet-but-not-quite richness. Definitely some patchouli, maybe a hint of vetiver, floral or spice, but mostly black musk with a capital... BLACK MUSK. It's not bad, but it's not exactly pretty either. Dry: Softened, but the same. Black musk, a touch of something floral, a little patchouli, a little spice, and maybe a hint of something sweet. Tonka? This isn't my favorite, simply because black musk isn't my favorite, but it's not at all offensive, either. I'll probably hang on to it in order to test its supposed effects, but I won't wear it for scent all that often.

It's called Slobbering Pine, guys. SLOBBERING PINE. How cool is that? I mean, I know it's a real tree and all, but I just can't-- I mean-- SLOBBERING PINE, y'know? Slobber is one of my favorite words, too! Slobber slobber slobber. In the Imp: Pine. And slobber. And by slobber I mean ozone and something citrussy. The oil is a faintly yellow-green color, which is cool. (Slobber!) Wet: Warm something-- musk?-- and citrus and pine, pine, pine. Pretty and perky and fresh and also, did I mention, SLOBBERING PINE. Dry: Ambergris. Maybe? Or a rich musk, combined with a fruity/floral overtone, and only the barest hints of pine left. It reminds me a lot of Snow Moon in the last stages, but not as strong and nowhere near as edible. I like the opening salvoes of this more than I like the drydown-- I miss the "pine in the face!" attack-- but I'll probably hang on to it just for the name, which is, by the way, SLOBBERING PINE.

I got this last night. And it's tax-free weekend, and I work retail, so I thought this would be a good time to test it. In the Imp: Strong, pretty rose, and something a bit minty, and something else that smells so very familiar it's annoying me not to be able to place it. It's kind of sharp, almost sour-smelling, and it could be geranium, which would be bad. We'll see. Wet: Herbal florals, but like they've gone off. I'm getting a distinctly sour note from this. The whole thing is very faint, though, so it's not too bad. Dry: I'll admit I didn't give this one a terribly long time to dry, but I don't think it's going to change much. The traces left on my skin (it seems to fade quickly) are soapy florals, still with that sour edge. I gotta say, this isn't my favorite. I'll probably wait and try it one more time before I swap, but I think it's starting to give me a headache.

Not gonna work on me. But hey, it was a gift! Imp: JASMINE Wet: JASMINE. Dry: SPICY JASMINE SOAP. Thanks for the chance to try it, Labbies, but.... swaps.

I almost bought this about three times when it came out, so when the lovely Miss Christy just up and GAVE me a roller bottle, I squeed my pants. Bottle: Fabulous red musk, cassia, patchouli, and something almost minty-fresh... benzoin? There are hints of mandarin and plum, and the rich brown smell of tobacco. Mmmm. Delicious. Wet: Drier and more spicy, as the musk recedes and the cassia, patchouli, benzoin and tobacco come out. It's not harsh, though, unlike The Great Sword of War, and the mandarin and plum and tonka provide a sweet background. Gaah. I love this. Dry: This turns just a touch powdery on me, but in a really nice way-- it's the slick fruit powder I get sometimes from mandarin, but it works here, in combination with amazing spices and the tonka and tobacco. It's gorgeous, and rich, and spicy, and absolutely my kind of smell. Great throw, and long wearing. So glad I've got a bottle. Verdict:

I can't believe I haven't written a review for this yet, considering how much I wear it. Imp: Ginger cookie dough, with lemon and maybe some amber and a lot of spice. I want to tip the whole thing into my cleavage or possibly my mouth. Wet: Baking ginger cookies, warmer and drier. The ginger isn't wimpy and fake, it's real, whacked-up-ginger-root-mashed-into-the-cookie-dough ginger, a little sharp and very warm and deliciously, deliciously spicy. Ginger has an almost greenish living smell sometimes, and this has a hint of that too. Mmmmmm. Dry: The throw on this is a little drier, more resinous, so you simply smell startling good until someone comes up to give you a hug and then, "OH MY GOD, YOU SMELL SO AMAZING, WHAT IS THAT?" happens. I'm so glad this stays beautiful on me, since foody scents almost never work, but this... this right here is delicious gingersnaps and unnamed incense and AWESOME. And it lasts all day, too. Now to find some cookies, dammit.

What I wanted this to be: herbs and dark musk with a hint of round sweetness from the berries. What my skin decided it was: such a dead ringer for a Sun-Ripened Raspberry lotion I had and shamelessly abused when I was little that I couldn't really wear it without picturing that bottle, which I had for probably a year or more. Pretty, but not at all what I wanted. Maybe I'll give Bewitched another try someday.

In the Imp: So they really need to make clove cigarettes with peach flavoring, because I would totally smoke them continuously. Cloves and cinnamon and peach and orange and everything I love, love, love. Wet: Peaches and oranges, and backings of spicy patchouli and everything else previously mentioned. Oh Gods. I want to eat my arm SO HARDCORE. For the enemy of God, it sure does smell a lot like baking in autumn. For some reason I have this sneaking suspicion that men would follow me around like puppies if I wore this. What is it that they say about guys and food? The most attractive smell is cinnamon rolls or some such? Dry: I smell like a sexy cooking goddess. Or maybe a cooking sex goddess. I don't know and I don't care. Al-Shairan reminds me of Imp, rather a lot: it's not a scent that has a lot to say for itself-- not complex and story-like and deep and unexpected-- but who gives two tenths of a flying [censored] when I smell like PEACH PIE AND HAPPY THINGS? I ask you.

I wanted something cool and clean to wear to bed. In the Imp: Mmm, juniper and pine and bitter cypress. Sharp and green and gorgeous. I love forest-smells, I wish they lasted longer on me. Wet: Smooth rich ambergris with greenery overtop of it. Almost citrussy at moments. The musk makes it cool and deep... it feels like being sheltered and surrounded by boughs. Just what I need right now, too. *sighs, stretches* Dry: The same, but fading. This isn't an unsung masterpiece, or anything, unless greenery is really REALLY your thing, but it's exactly what I wanted right now, and there's a place for that too. I'm going to hang on to this.

Lagniappe from the Lab. In the Imp: BWAGH JUNIPER TO THE FACE. With the faintest trace of rosewood and orchid. I like juniper, though, so it's welcome. Wet: Oh where has all my juniper gone? It disappeared the second it touched my skin, and now all I can smell is red musk and a twist of floral. If I get up against my arm, I can barely smell it, but several inches back there's a nice orchid-tinged throw. Odd. Dry: Well, would you look at that. Himerus has settled and blended into a musky, sultry floral, with beautiful hints of lilac, sweet orchid and sandalwood. I might actually wear this! That's crazy! Also, I have the feeling this would be even better on my boy. Verdict: It's a shock to me as much as it is to any of you.... I think this might be a keeper. If it's not great on the boy I might swap it for something I really really want to try, but I'll definitely wear it first.

I love poetry, and I love the desert. So I should love Ozymandias, right? In the Imp: Powdery-clean, almost like the scent they put in diapers to make them smell pretty (until the baby does its thing, of course.) Not my favorite, but not retchingly awful either. Wet: ... does this have heather in it? I'm getting lemon, which is nice, and something else that reminds me a lot, lot, lot of Glasgow... in the cleanser-scent department..... VIOLET! THAT'S IT! HA! I knew I'd smelled that before. Normally I like violet, but in here it's not really working for me. Oh, well, at least it hasn't gone the way of Ultraviolet (baby carrots). Dry: Well, whad'ya know. It has indeed morphed into a very traditional, perfume-y scent that reminds me a lot of what I smell on people at work. It's soft and pleasant and very, very violety, with a touch of lemon and maybe a little musk. Vintage was totally dead on. I like smelling rich and sophisticated, but perhaps not this kind of rich and sophisticated. I'm not sure what to think, in fact! It's really not my thing, but at the same time, it's strangely compelling. Verdict: probably swaps. Probably.

Swapped with the lovely Christy. In the Imp: Will I be kicked out of the club if I say I don't get heat from this? To me it smells cool and grassy, with a slightly musky and sharply bitter undertone. I can't place any notes off the top of my head, except maybe vetiver and some kind of floral? Wet: Sweet and grassy, with a bit of a sticky undertone. It smells a lot like high summer, but I'm not getting any of the burned scent others are reporting. In fact, it's almost fruity.... cucumbers? And a tiny touch of powder. This is pretty! Dry: I know this is crazy talk, but Scarecrow reminds me a bit of Morrocco without the vanilla. It's got a very perfumey edge to it, in addition to the same sort of sophisticated powder, but with grass instead of florals, and a pleasant, ever so slightly bitter musk. This is quite nice but I'm not sure it's terribly me. I'll probably end up swapping it away.

Given to me by the lovely Christy. In the Imp: I love, love, LOVE the way this one smells in the Imp. It's almost impossible to describe-- it's not sweet, but sort of is, and deep, and cool, and a teensy bit minty. It's a bit like cool shade on a hot summer day. Ohhh, I loves it, my precious. If it doesn't work on me I'll cry. Wet: Warm and green and mossy and almost... neutral, a second-skin sort of smell rather than one that screams "PERFUME!" This is how I should smell naturally. It's detectable from several inches away, but you would never ever suspect that it was coming from a person. It's very organic, only not in a gross horse manure way. It's almost... sort of.... salty? Must be the oakmoss. Dry: The salt got stronger for a bit, and then started to fade, but not entirely. Maybe it's interacting with the last bits of Red Phoenix on my arm. Hmmm. Well. It's... not what I wanted it to be, but it's not bad, either. If it smelled like it did in the bottle on my skin, I'd be jumping for joy. As it is... hrm. I wonder if it would turn salty on my clothes? If not, it might be worth investigating as a laundry scent. *sigh* Why does my skin ruin everything?

Given to me by the fabulous Miss Christy.... I somehow missed when the Trading Post was doing this at all, so I'm surprised and pleased about getting to try one. Thank you! In the Imp: It was interesting smelling this at the BPAL orgy last night and not knowing what was in it. Now that I've read the description, I can pick things out-- the white musk reminds me of the base of Embalming Fluid, especially when mixed with the lemon verbena, but there's lots of pretty fruit on the top, making it sweeter and juicier. No champagne or florals yet, but maybe a little ginger in the very last stage of the sniff. Wet: Soft, fruity-powdery, with more floral and a very pretty spice underneath-- the ginger, I suppose. Grape is sometimes chancy on me, but this one seems to be behaving well... in fact, I can't even smell it. Dry: This dries down to a soft, vaguely fruity-floral, golden second skin scent. It's gorgeous, but very very light, which is a bit of a pity. I'll wear this, though, when I want to smell good but not overwhelming-- long car trips, perhaps, and visiting relatives, and work. Mmm. *puts face into wrist again*

I have absolutely no idea why this one has taken me so long to try, since it's been on my list since I started getting into BPAL two years ago. Foody blends are usually disasters on me, though, so we'll see how this goes. In the Imp: The oil is a nice color, at the very least! It's a pretty shade of gold, and, sniffing from the wand, it smells like.... it smells like.... oh God that's familiar, what does that smell like? This is painful. Give me a second...... AHA! I know! It smells like buttered popcorn Jelly Bellies, that's what it smells like! With a little bit of spice and a little bit of peach. Almost exactly. Wow, that's uncanny. Mmm. Delicious. Wet: Smells like peaches, and pumpkin, and delicious spicy things, and dust! Oh, that's so-- wait a minute. Dust? *sniffs again* Yeah, dust. And playdough. Like someone's making a pie from really yummy things, but the crust is sawdust and playdough. Hang on, this sounds familiar.... oh, son of a beach! This is going to go the way of Misk U on me, isn't it? It'll turn into bitter, gross playdough and the smell of underneath beds. Great. Dry: Nowhere near as bad as Misk U, but definitely the same feel of mouth-watering goodness oppressed and occluded by heavy dust and playdough. Le sigh. I'm starting to think I need to invest in a scent locket.

Knowing how many people love this and were thrilled by its infamous return, I was excited to try this. In the Imp: Sweet lavender, grapefruit, and a waft of fruity currant. I can smell chamomile, too, a sort of soft yellowish note, that I couldn't place until I reminded myself what's in here. It smells like chamomile tea and a sunny kitchen. Very nice. Wet: Wet aquatic musk, lavender, grapefruit, chamomile, currant and something floral, in that order. I'm not usually a huge fan of dark musk, but here it smells amazing-- deep and cool, like the shade you get under really thick foliage. It makes the whole thing smoother and richer than most other fruit/flower blends. I like it. Dry: It's faded a little, but the musk is even more prominent, and has blended nicely with all the other elements into a cool, grapefruit-musk-chamomile-fruit-flower melange. It smells fabulous, but I'm not sure how often I'd actually wear it. I'll hang on to the Imp and see.

In the Imp: I'm not sure what I expected from this scent, but this isn't it. To me, Anubis smells like floral honey, and broken green stems, and just a touch of incense. It's very nice, but definitely not the impression I got from the name. Wet: Honey and nice, leafy green things-- I guess that's the herbs-- followed by a trail of incense. Quite light, and beautiful, and unusual. It smells both fresh and old and sweet and dry all at once. It's a lot like how I imagine my own natural scent to be, actually-- perfect for a young student. It's both calm and pleasant, and exudes a slight aura of tranquility. Throw isn't much, but it's enough. Dry: Pretty much the same, but I have a feeling this one is going to last a while. What a great everyday blend.

Frimp from the Lab in my latest order. I'm not a big fan of the Ars Moriendi blends, but I'll give it a go. In the Imp: LAVENDER. Beth's lavender seems to be a little bit sharper and greener than other lavender notes, but it's not off-putting. Under that, JASMINE. Then.... honeysuckle. Bit floral for me, but hey, what did I expect? Wet: Lavender and jasmine and just a touch of the juicy honeysuckle. This is simple and pretty and smells a bit like a floral soap scent without the soap. Kept from being too astringent and flowery by the sweetness of the honeysuckle. Dry: The same. My summation of Twilight? Eh. Verdict: Uh, no.

I've actually had this one for a while now, but never got 'round to testing and/or writing a review for it. I'm super-stressed from a crazy day at work, though, and am hoping this will help to reground and recenter me. Note for the reader: I got this in a swap and have had it for at least four months, so it's quite aged. In the Imp: I smell green vetiver, that quintessential kitchen-spice voodoo smell, something that reminds me a good deal of citronella candles, and something in the very back that might be either vanilla or tonka. The citronella smell might be a combination of lemon and mint-- it has a citrussy brightness but quite a nice nose tingle as well. At the moment, this smells slightly bug-spray-ish and very... strong. I don't dislike it, but I don't love it, either. Wet: Citronella, right down to the waxiness, with a powdery sweet note behind it. Is that what other people are pegging as lemongrass? It's less harsh than the other lemongrasses I've smelled-- this one doesn't make me sick, for a start. This is a very firm, earthy scent-- not, perhaps, something I would wear as a personal perfume, but not at all offensive, either. Let's see how it works. I'm going to go read for a while. Dry: The same, but softer. It's a little bit more vanilla-ish, but still with that strong citronella and vetiver overtone. This isn't necessarily something I'd want to wear to smell, although it's far from bad, but it did help me feel grounded, so it's nice to know I can use it for aromatherapy purposes and not worry about making myself smell funny!

I'm feeling kind of down, so I'm hoping some good Ask a Ninja and Bastet will cheer me up! In the Imp: Almond, almond almond! With a side-order of spice, and maybe a little amber and musk if I really sniff hard. It smells delicious, languid and delectable-- like eating pastries in the sun. Wet: Oh yum. The cherry calms down instantly, leaving a lingering sweetness, and musk and amber come out to play, followed by the smoky saffron. This is warm sun and a faint breeze-- it reminds me a bit of Buck Moon's summertime sister. It's soft, too, a touch powdery. I get a distinct impression of golden fur. The watery note of the lotus keeps everything from becoming too dry. Nice throw, too, but it feels like a second skin scent-- it's a very natural smell, lovely and animal. Whoever said sexy yet low-key was dead on. Dry: A smooth, spiced, sweet and golden melange of all the notes, balanced on a base of musk and amber. I'm surprised how comfortable I am with such a luxurious scent, but Bastet fits me like a second skin. I don't feel qualified to make a judgment about lasting time, since I just got out of the shower and my skin has a tendency to eat oils after I bathe, but I don't really care. This is absolutely beautiful, and I look forward to using up my Imp. I might even need a bottle. Bastet certainly lifted my spirits!