DeCuvieri

I was certain based on the components that this was going to be my end all, be all scent. Sadly I think "candle-y" is a fitting descriptor because after the pomegranate burns out in the drydown this blend is straight-up mulberry, very reminiscent of these overpriced pillar candles we sold at the Target store where I worked. More disappointing is how I never get any sort of mint, and there's not enough myrrh to curb the plasticky mulberry swallowing up my skin. I don't have much hope for age improving upon this one, so I'll be passing it along shortly.

Sniffing it out of the imp, BAM! Grapefruit. I hope this could be an alternative to the fast-fading Cheshire Cat for me. ...Alas, no. Almost immediately upon application we get a super strong, pink bathroom soap smell. Cheap, perfumed soap that lasts all day and does not morph in the least bit. This decant is going off to swaps.

Priala is very, very different. A part of me feels like I need to acquire a full bottle, but I can't think of many situations when I would actually wear this. I will say if the cinnamon is putting you off because you're afraid it's going to be foody, don't let it. This is the dry, burnt cinnamon that smells nothing like Christmas cookies. Think less Saw-Scaled Viper, more Sin. If it's the smoke that's got you worried, I can safely assure you that this scent is feminine. I feel like people who enjoy the Steamworks line but feel some scents were too manly or aperfume will really like Priala. That said... Priala is a gritty ash, crumbling bits of charred cinnamon with wisps of sweetened smoke still wafting off it. Normally myrrh ruins a scent for me, but it really works here and brings across the phoenix image perfectly. Priala is just sweet enough to wear comfortably (and I mean that as BARELY sweet at all), but for me it's a special occasion scent. I'll probably exhaust my partial this fall and not miss it come springtime because it's so dry and warm. I love this, it works on me, but Priala has a very distinctive and loud personality that keeps her from being a staple scent for me.

I really, really wanted to like Zombi because most BPAL florals go plasticky on me, and rose seems to be the only thing that works. Plus, ask any of my friends or look around in my personal space and it'll become obvious that I have a thing for zombies. Unfortunately I find this blend to be so harsh that I can't really see myself wearing it. There's almost a chemical quality that persists well into the dry down. The dirt and rose would be so lovely without the 'cleaner' trait ruining things. It's much the same problem I had with Embalming Fluid. I'll hang on to my imp and hope that I come around, but I can't say I'm overly fond of Zombi of right now.

This is harsh on application, but the drydown evens out into a whorl of soft florals dusted by musty sandalwood. It's very faint with no throw whatsoever, and it's not me at all.

This is just the perfect amount of sweet coconut for my skin (since I amp up sweetness), it's creamy and very smooth. Unfortunately it has virtually no throw even after first applied, and within a few hours my chemistry just swallows it up. It's nice, but I'll be passing this one on.

As a lover of red musk, pomegranate, and mango, I knew I had to have at least a bottle of this before testing. Wet: Fresh on the skin it's mango, hedged faintly by the sharp thyme. It reminds me of Shango without the overpowering apple-banana combo, so if the mango in that didn't work for you (Some feel it smells plasticky or fake) that would be a good indicator if Io is a good idea to try out Io or not. Dry: On the dry down the mango fades on me, leaving a sweet compliment to the blackberry and pomegranate. It's not sickly sweet or sugary like many berry blends tend to be on my skin, and I can detect the purple sage sort of wavering in the background. This is so lush and juicy, the perfect Spring/Summer scent. Throw/Longevity: Excellent. I do lose some of the throw after an hour when applied on the skin, but in my hair Io lasts pretty much all day. My only complaint about this one is I never really smell the red musk or cranberry (At least not what I recognize as the Lab's cranberry note as used in Lampades), but I'm willing to bet that this blend will mature beautifully in time and bring those out. Definite winner for me.

I think I picked this up from saralaughs by mistake because I had it confused with Hellfire. Never in this universe nor in any neighboring parallels would I have bought this based on the description as I hate foody blends, and that's precisely what Hellcat is. I amp up sweet notes to an unbearable degree, so within minutes rum is so maple syrup-y and almond so cakey that I can't stand to let it stay. It's almost the exact same problem I had with Perversion but worse, and I had to take the dish soap to it early on. Probably suitable for somebody who likes sweet or boozy oils, but if you don't then avoid Hellcat like a dark alley.

Have to second this. And I'm sure Moriarty smells great year-round, but I feel it's most fitting for summer and early fall especially. I've been in the habit of putting Shango and Io in my hair over the course of this blistering hot summer. Shango for those 100+ degree days, Io for everything else.

I don't know if it's me or maybe the imp I got was wonky, but Inferno was not strong on my skin at all. The almond lasted maybe fifteen minutes before it went powdery, and all I got from the dry down after a half hour was the fainting dusting of cinnamon that you could only smell if you buried your nose in my neck. I'm giving this one the side-eye and tossing it in the swaps since I already have a cinnamon blend that works.

Sandalwood completely thwarts Rakshasa for me. It smells strongly of patchouli-laced incense sticks, and even if I had been able to smell the rose it wouldn't have helped. It was strong and had great throw that probably would have lasted all day had I not washed it off, so for somebody who likes sandalwood this blend is probably worth a try. For me though it didn't work at all.

As with trumpette above, my love-affair with Lampades was initially very exciting, particularly since I don't do berry scents. But Lampades has enough spice and ginger to satiate even me, so I was thrilled to find a summertime scent that worked. I immediately put in for a 5ml. Sadly, the contents of my 5ml is nothing like that of the imp after the initial application. The dry down is reminiscent of cherry chapstick most days. I save it now for when it's fall and cooler out as that seems to alleviate the problem, but the throw is nowhere near as potent. Still, putting it in lotion or using it in an oil warmer produces very nice results, so this little set-back isn't enough for me to trade away my 5ml anytime soon.

I don't really care for myrrh all that much, but when I tested Bastet I knew I had to have a bottle. It's just amazing. First thing I notice is it's a much thinner oil than most of those I use. It actually runs in tiny amounts - almost the consistency of water - and a little goes a long way, so be forewarned. Wet on the skin there's a really sharp spiciness which I attribute to the saffron, sweetened by the soft and gorgeous lotus. I really enjoy this stage of the scent and wouldn't mind if it stopped right here, but what it morphs into is equally as nice. Dry the lotus switches places with the longer-lasting cardamom, and this is where the almond and amber take over. It's not either too foody or floral (I hate foody and floral). The saffron is still present even hours later, though you pretty much have to press your nose to it to get more than a hint of it. The almond adds a sweetness that isn't cloying at all, and after a few minutes this turns into a subtle, sexy scent that lasts nearly all day. In all I love this blend and it's netted me some great compliments.

I don't smell any cinnamon or pepper in this at all. Just a straight-up shot of dragon's blood. And as far as blends go, this one is pretty light for the whole "Wrath" concept. It's got pretty good staying power, but if you have any other oil with dragon's blood in it you just as well pass on this.

Pretty much what the last few reviews said: In the bottle there's a lot of red wine and chocolate, but the chocolate vanishes so fast on the skin that you'd never know it was there. Once it dries Kali is a generic honeyed floral perfume, a little soapy and a lot department-store label. I get no hints at all of the deity behind the blend, and it's pretty disappointing.

I bought Saw-Scaled Viper having never tried Snake Oil but told that it's similar to my beloved Vixen. Plus it has my favorite red ginger and cinnamon, so how could it go wrong? I bought a bottle unsniffed. I am so happy I did. In Bottle: It's a blast of red ginger, which is harsh and nose-scrunching as straight-up ginger tends to be. The cassia hedges it a bit, but it's pretty much muscled out by the former. The entire compound is like a roar of red spice rage. Wet: The previously undetected cinnamon bursts out onto the scene and the ginger morphs into the quieter scent that I've come to love. My guess is the notes of Snake Oil are what's tying these together, because I wouldn't think that they'd work in conjunction without something to help them mesh. Dry: This is dry and gritty spice. As invisible iris described perfectly, you can really sense the ground bark texture of the various components. However the vanilla is mellowing things out significantly, and the ginger loses much of its bitterness. The end result is really enjoyable. 5+ Hours Later: Clinging to me is a vanilla-cinnamon combo that is neither too "burnt" smelling nor foody. The last remnants of ginger give it just enough bite to keep me from projecting "Holiday cookie!" as I usually do with cinnamon. This is what I was hoping for from Inferno and Chimera: A heated cinnamon dry-down with attitude, but with the faintest feminine touch. I am in love.

If I hadn't fallen in love with the Nuetral-Ranger combo first Illustrated Woman would probably be my defining scent. Pine pitch and tobacco might put the curious off, but the skin musk makes this feminine enough for a woman to wear comfortably. It's the perfect "woodswoman" fragrance, neither too sweet and nor cologne-y. I am in love.

Naturally I would come by a decant of MME. Moriarty when the Carnaval line goes on hiatus. Normally I'm adverse to fruity blends or patchouli, but I love red musk. And this right here? It's probably the finest demonstration of red musk and pomegranate the Lab has to offer. MME. on my skin isn't as strong as I like my oils to be, but I was complimented on how lovely this one is, yet isn't obtrusive. There's just enough of each component to make it beautiful, but no single one dominates over the others. The plum isn't too sweet, the pomegranate not too tart, the vanilla not too thick. It comes out of the bottle pretty harsh, but the drydown phase is practically drool-worthy. I firmly believe that if anyone was to try a single CD blend, their best bet would be with MME. Moriarty. She may not work for everyone, but I'd still recommend her for anyone who's remotely curious.

I adore this scent, so much so that it would be a staple for me if it just had better throw. I bet the survivability would be much better in a scent locket, but then you lose a lot of the morphing power. And this one morphs into something gorgeous. Isles of Demons is hard to describe because there's a lot going on. I don't generally like florals or fruits but there's a bit of both in here, dampened by some kind of wet-wood note. The combination is very lush with some musky undertone, but I don't think it's nearly as dark as the description implies. Very clean, lively, and amazing. The only thing keeping me from buying five bottles outright is that it fades so quickly.

I firmly believe Serpent's Kiss is basically Bloodlust* Lite. It's made up of the same core components that either you fall in love with or hate (Dragon's blood and vetiver) with not much perceivable variation between the two. On my skin the morphing process for the two was practically identical: Wet they both are aggressive spice blends while dry down is straight dragon's flood. Because I love this combination Serpent's Kiss is a good scent on me, but I already have a bottle of Bloodlust so investing in this would be redundant. Serpent's Kiss isn't for fans of florals, but if you like a fiery spice then this is definitely worth a shot.

I think a lot of people are put off by either vetiver or patchouli, but I absolutely adore Bloodlust. I think the red musk balances the mixture out quite nicely. It's my perfect "We're doing it my way, or... I WILL TEAR THIS WHOLE THING APART WITH MY BARE HANDS! ROAR!" scent. My nearest and dearest have come to recognize this one and what mood I'm in when I wear it.

The imp I received was purchased from a fellow forumite, so I can’t account for it’s age. I have a suspicion this particular sample has been in circulation for a little while, and that may be why I’m not getting the all-powerful grapefruit note everyone else is. R’lyeh on me is way more herbal than it is tart-fruity. To my disappointment there’s something in this blend that doesn’t agree with my skin: The application site itches so much that I have to wash it off, and that’s the only ‘terrible’ quality of R’lyeh in my opinion. Otherwise it’s sort of a flat herbal without any distinguishable character.

In Bottle: Wow. I will be wafting Tombstone from the bottle in the future, not straight-up sniffing. This one can stun elephants in large doses. There’s solid mint, but it’s not as sharp because of the vanilla. Cedar is detectable too. Despite first concerns this actually doesn’t smell like spearmint gum or toothpaste though. Wet: Creamy mint at first, but it backs down. After about ten minutes I can tell the sassafras is coming to the front because I smell like vanilla and root beer. Oh lord, I am a walking root beer float. Dry: Smooth, spiced, and creamy. The mint and root beer is gone, leaving me with mostly vanilla and what I suppose is purely sassafras. It’s nice, but not something I would wear myself.

In Bottle: Strong opium note, and though I’m not fond of florals, I like what’s coming out of the imp. If it stays this way on my skin I’ll have found a keeper. Wet: Nothing is really standing out here. The narcissus is present, but muted. Despite the generous amount I applied there is virtually no throw. I think it would be too faint to notice anyway. Tragic really, because I liked this at first. Dry: The myrrh begins to peek out, but it doesn’t seem to add anything to the mix. Conclusion: The simplicity of this oil makes it disappointingly generic. Barring the tiniest hint of myrrh, Darkness really smells like a number of inexpensive perfumes you can find at a department store. It's not bad, but not for me. I'll be passing this one on.

Three white musks with poppy and patchouli. In Bottle: Ugh. Have to agree with some of the other reviewers on the first impression being that of some department store label, complete with ads and stands slathered with images of half-naked women. Wet: This is really conflicting. The scent is dark, but it's not heavy. It would smell like the fresh air of the evening, but the musky notes really muscle their way to the front row. Usually I love musks, but in this case it doesn't blend well into the mood Vechernyaya is going for. Dry: I had such high hopes because Vechernyaya was rec'd based on my personality and I knew I liked all the notes, but you can have too much of a good thing, and in this case it's musk. Sadly this oil sits too far on the masculine for me to wear on its own. ...So what is an enterprising person who refuses to give up on a potentially great scent to do? Well, if you're like me, you can layer Vechernyaya with Neutral from the RPG line. Contradictory to my above analysis, I decided to add another (albeit a more feminine) musk just to see what would happen. If you're having trouble with Vechernaya being too overpowering, Neutral can potentially reign it in. It's still not something I see myself wearing (I prefer dark and heavy, not dark and airy), but it might be a good solution to the issue if it crops up.