Musamea

Oh joy, finally a BPAL jasmine I can wear! Jasmine and I have never been able to get along -- it's usually too sharp, too indolic (that "cat-pee" note) for me, but here the jasmine is beautifully smoothed and softened by the other notes. I was hoping mostly for honeysuckle, but it mainly appears to temper the jasmine, adding more a sense of lightness than fragrance to the scent. Heel, for me, is sharp in the decant, then immediately softens when it hits my skin. Wet, I get jasmine, a hint of honeysuckle, and the teeeeeniest whiff of soapy grass in the background. As it dries, the jasmine turns into a really warm, creamy white floral -- almost gardenia-like, very skin-close.

I've also had an issue with an imp cap (Spellbound) from an order that arrived in January shearing off on first use like you all described.

in the imp: mostly earthy, sexy patchouli with a teeny whiff of cinnamon and amber wet: a light dusting of sweet cinnamon over a base of earthy patchouli – I think this is the same patchouli as the one in Snake Oil? A dry sandalwood just baaaarely present underneath it all Dry: I'm not the biggest fan of patchouli usually, but when it's tempered with something else, like the vanilla in Snake Oil or the amber and cinnamon here on drydown, it can be a really lovely base note. Sin dries down incredibly like Snake Oil on me, except with warm amber and sandalwood and a tiny bit of heat from the cinnamon overlaying the patch instead of incense and vanilla– it's Snake Oil's less in-your-face, vanilla-less cousin. Perfect for when you want something sexy but skin-close.

in the decant: lilacs and wood, with the barest hint of roses and cool bergamot wet: lilac soap and baby powder dry: oh man, this oil really falls apart on me, even though none of the individual notes are usually an issue! The lilac water goes to soap and the roses turn powdery, combining to form eau de wet wipes on my skin. If I sniff deeply I can sense the resiny amber trying to break through and temper everything, but the wet wipes are winning. Too bad!

in the decant: sweet pink roses with hints of vanilla; feminine, wistful, and soft; I'm afraid this is going to turn to pure powder on me! Wet: a bouquet of fresh, innocent pink roses with a tiny bit of tangy sharpness from the rosewood Dry: Well, dry this turns into expensive French rose-lemon soap with the teeniest hint of salty skin musk. It's actually… not unpleasant? Think glowing post-bath skin. But the throw is also super super close to the skin (I don't know if the Lab purposefully dialed back throw on the CP scents or if it's a cold/dry weather thing, but so far my skin tends to gobble up rather than amp all the CPs I've tried, with the exception of Lucille Sharpe). I'll send my decant on to a friend who loves and amps roses and see if this works better on her.

In the imp: a really delicious sweet rum softly spiced with sandalwood Wet: a smoky, almost tobacco note moves forward (from other reviews, I'm wondering if this is from the clove other people mentioned?) and the sweetness I smelled in the imp dials way back, there's a bit of salty musk underlying everything – reads as fairly masculine and "American West" to my nose, fitting for the character Dry: weird – on one wrist I have sweat, dust, leather, and tobacco, and on the other I get dust and that lovely rum-sandalwood-spice that I initially smelled in the imp, all of it fading in and out of my skin; at total drydown it's basically dust and sweat. Overall: If this oil stayed to true to its in-the-imp smell I would totally get why everyone is swooning over it, because it smells absolutely splendid, but it just goes weird on my skin. I'll hang onto my decant and try skin-testing again at a different point in my cycle/after the oil has some time to settle. If it doesn't work then I'll see if it's any better on my husband or in my hair. This is definitely one I really want to work! Test 2: the oil doesn't go to that weird sweat and dust phase this time, but when it hits my skin the bay rum moves forward and overpowers any sweetness I get from the sandalwood. I still get whiffs of tobacco leather. Overall – intriguing but ultimately too masculine for me. (Though it does make me curious about Snow White, given the number of reviews that say Alan is Snow White's brother….)

in the bottle: oh my God, finally the osmanthus scent I've been looking for! Beautiful, delicate osmanthus blossoms float up to greet my nose, with the tiniest bit of green leaves, sharp lily, and gritty, resiny frankincense behind it; this smells exactly like the osmanthus bushes planted by the door of my childhood home – cool, delicate, light, and enticing wet: the lily of the valley blooms and takes over initially, coupled with a very light musk, turning this blend all bright white floral at first; then it starts reading as mostly sharp citrus up close, though the throw stays truer to the initial osmanthus scent in the bottle dry: alas, the musk takes over and turns into candy powder here The bit that got on my hair stayed true holy grail osmanthus, though, so I'll wandcap the bottle and use it in my hair.

in the bottle: incredibly smooth and well-blended; I get vanilla amber straight off, while sniffing deeply yields the sharp resin of myrrh and a bit of smoky frankincense, with the teeniest hint of leather to finish it off wet: warm leather and myrrh, with sandalwood and an Eastern hint from the resins and cinnamon; pretty gender neutral right now dry: leather, warm sandalwood, and Eastern resins, with the amber sweetening up a touch; stays pretty close to the skin. I don't think people who usually find cinnamon problematic will have an issue here, and while I've had issues in the past with leather getting screamingly sharp on me, that doesn't happen here. A really golden, cozy, slightly mysterious blend. Out of my usual wheelhouse of scents, but I'm really liking it, and am happy to have supported a good cause to boot!

in the imp: blue musk and sugared florals with a bit of ozone, not really getting any incense or smoke – I'm not entirely sure what I'm smelling because everything is so well-blended and it's so different from other scents I'm used to from the Lab, but this is delightful! Wet: Oh dear, this goes straight to soap the moment it hits my skin. Expensive, French soap, but soap nonetheless Dry: thankfully the soapiness fades back a bit here. Initially I get I get sugar and ozoney musk and maybe a teeeeeeny tiny bit of incense if I search for it. The sugar keeps warming up through drydown with drifts of floral and incense in the far background until it's almost pure caramelized sugar on my skin. The only problem is that an hour after application my skin has pretty much gobbled up the oil, and I never got much throw to begin with. This is… nice? But not mindblowing in the way I was expecting from all the hype.

in the imp: delicate white roses with a hint of rosewood and ambergris wet: soft white roses and delicate musk with a tiny bit of deep resin in the background, on my left wrist the rosewood adds an almost lemony tone, while on my right wrist the vanilla amber is the next note I can detect beneath the roses; this is really beautiful but super, super light dry: the amber and ambergris really start warming up here, adding a wonderful resiny richness to the roses, which have taken on an almost spicy note from the rosewood. The champagne musk adds a nice sweetness and never gets overpowering. Final drydown is mostly a rosy-vanilla amber on me. This scent is so gorgeous and perfectly balanced, and I'm definitely going to need a bottle!

in the imp: the same bright juicy apricot as March Hare, with hints of orange blossom to add a floral touch wet: all apricots, all the time dry: the apricot goes a bit powdery on me, probably because of the combination with white musk; if I sniff deeply I can get a bit of orange blossom dancing in the background, but mostly this is like apricot single note. A bit too simple for me, but perfect for anyone who loves apricot!

In the imp: pure headshoppy Nag champa Wet: smoky Nag champa Dry: yup, still all champaca all the time, and I'm guessing East Indian sandalwood is different from the Lab's usual sandalwood and is what is adding that incensy note. I was hoping for an orange blossom forward blend, but this is all headshop on me. A bit too hippie for my tastes, but if you're a fan of Nag champa, this is the scent for you!

in the imp: pure pumpkin cream and sweet vanilla, super foodie and rich wet: goes straight to smoked vanilla bean, which I think is the same vanilla note found in The Worst Pillow, with a bit of spicy honey in the background grounding the scent and keeping it from turning into pure cake – I'm not really getting a ton of pumpkin cream here dry: warm, spicy vanilla bean and caramel cream, the honey doesn't go overpoweringly cloying on me, as Lab honey is wont to do, and I don't get any of the popcorn butter that has plagued me with previous Lab blends with pumpkin (really I'm just not getting a ton of pumpkin in general here); I'll need to do a deathmatch with The Worst Pillow because The Witches is reading almost identically to my nose right now

in the imp: bright orange blossom and dewy roses wet: red roses bloom into a gorgeous bouquet, spiced up by orange blossom, I'm not getting much sandalwood – I suspect it's grounding everything and keeping the scent from getting too floral and cloying though; no honey, which is a surprise since I usually amp the Lab's honey like whoa dry: ah, now the honey really moves forward, though it's held in check by the roses; the sandalwood still tempers everything from the background and keeps the scent warm and skin-close; I lose a lot of the orange blossom on drydown, alas Final drydown on me is honeyed roses – a very nice, not overly heady floral; definitely considering a big bottle of this!

I was really hoping for a carnation Snake Oil scent and tested this several times. First test, upon receiving the decant: in the decant: the first straight up, "true," sticky, edible honey I've smelled from the Lab, with a touch of Dorian and something greenish behind it wet: the edible/raw/wild aspect of the honey note is gone and we've moved straight to cloying honey, with a touch of green moss, then the spice of the carnation starts to come forward. Totally reminds me of the initial too-strong honey explosion I got with Serving Tea after Coitus. I'm starting to realize that my skin loves to amp the Lab's honey, to the point where it overpowers everything else in a blend initial dry: still honey stomping over everything, with the faintest hint of vanilla and the spices from Snake Oil in the background, no Dorian or carnation at all final drydown: disappears into the skin a bit – now I'm getting the final almost-powdery warm vanilla that Snake Oil eventually turns into on me, swirled with honey and the tiniest tang of salt retested one day after settling – in the imp I smell more of the incense from Snake Oil, with honey in the background; wet it is a honey-tinged super-dried-down Snake Oil; I think I could probably layer Good with regular Snake Oil for the same effect? Full dry the cotton candy and honey come forward, with Snake Oil lingering in the background. MUCH nicer today and will probably get better with age – it's not screaming at me to buy a bottle, though One week later it is spicy honey spilled over dried down Snake Oil – I can't see myself reaching for this one very often

Chrysanthemum, marigold, golden sandalwood, vanilla, cinnamon, and amber incense. Etsy purchase from the Lab In the bottle: Undifferentiated florals and mostly something that very much reminds me of the Lab's honey note Wet: Initially, whatever I'm reading as the honey note really blooms and the scent is almost overwhelmingly cloying; after about 5 minutes, the honey fades back and the spiciness of both chrysanthemum and golden sandalwood moves forward, with a hint of amber incense floating in the background. This stage is much more pleasant and wearable for me – it's light, yet exotic, floral, and I love the chrysanthemum as a different take from the Lab's more usual carnation on a "spicy" flower. I tested on my wrists and in the crooks of my elbows – what's really interesting is that the above description is all from my wrists; my left elbow amps the incense waaaaay up – it's all smoked flowers and sandalwood loveliness, while my right elbow went straight to soapy marigolds. The throw from far away still yields a bit of honey musk. Initial dry: The scent seems to get darker and drier, with more and more of the incense coming forward and mixing with the dustiness of sandalwood and cinnamon; the chrysanthemum still peeks through, but rather than the crystalline, pulpy scent of a fresh flower, it's more like the after-image of a flower, more like dried petals of chrysanthemums and marigolds held in a wooden chest than anything else. Full dry: First, Flowering Chrysanthemums went just a biiiiit feral on me (may be a time of month thing); the scent also weirdly fades in and out of my skin. At full dry, I first get smoooookey amber incense that felt a bit too dark and murky for me to see myself using up the bottle, but then that faded out and now what's reemerged is warm vanilla sandalwood with a hint of incense and spice – a very sexy second skin scent

I ordered this sample because so many people in their reviews of Haloes (one of my BPAL Holy Grail scents) likened it to the Antikythera Mechanism In the imp: smoky tobacco and oak Wet: very softly masculine – strong woods and smoky tobacco Dry: on me, The Antikythera Mechanism dries down into the inside of an oak and teakwood cigar box, excellent staying power and moderate throw—overall, I can see the comparison to Haloes in the wood note, but Haloes overall is much sweeter and more feminine and golden to my nose. I never get the vanilla from the Antikythera Mechanism, which I think would have dialed down the masculinity a good bit. I'll either swap my imp or give it to my husband and see if it wears well on him.

in the decant: light tea, pulpy sugar cane, and citrus; delicate and sweet wet: the lemon tea from Dorian, minus all the vanilla and fougere, with swirls of honey (which my skin loves to amp); a bit headier than it was in the imp; as it dries, I get a bit more sugar and orange blossom, but it's still mostly honey's game, no mint at all dry: reminds me a bit of the drydown of Embalming Fluid, but heavier on the honey than the lemon, and not quite as sweet – if anything, there's something warm and the tiniest bit salty about this tea. Interesting, light, and definitely one for the tea and honey lovers!

in the imp: all murky vetiver and patchouli wet: earthy vetiver with the spiciness of the carnation moving forward to keep the blend from just being pure dirt dry: this scent is still vetiver's game, but it's deepening and spicing up nicely from the carnation and patchouli; up close to my wrist, the red musk is a tad bit feral, but the throw from about arm's length is the most interesting golden incense overall: this is a really different scent from what I usually wear – earthy and smoky, with no tempering sweetness – it's not necessarily a traditionally masculine scent, either, since it's not cologne-y at all, just very deep and grounding. Not a big bottle purchase for me, but I can see using the rest of this decant for meditation or when I want something calming.

In the bottle: a rich, almost buttery vanilla musk; somewhat cloying and a bit commercial Wet: super strong vanilla musk with a smidge of grey amber Dry: The sandalwood comes forward more and more as the scent dries, tempering the heady sweetness of the vanilla musk; about an hour into wear, this is the most delicious and perfect blend of vanilla musk and warm sandalwood that keeps enticing my nose back to my wrist. I'm really loving the eventual drydown of Edith, but I'm not sure I like the wet stages enough to hang onto my bottle, especially when there are so many other Lab scents that are more sandalwood forward. I'll hang onto her for now and see if aging smooths out the vanilla a bit.

In the bottle: straight, sharp lavender fougere Wet: the amber blooms almost immediately, countering the sharp cologney fougere and dialing it back to a softer, gentler scent Dry: A soft, snuggly, and increasingly sweet amber tea – I agree with the reviewer who noted above that Thomas Sharpe is like Dorian without the lemon and vanilla; throw is very, very light. Elegant and straightforward. If, like me, you sometimes find the Lab's fougere scents too cologney, sharp, or cluttered with other masculine notes, Thomas is definitely the guy for you!

Bottle from the Lab, received 11.16.15 In the bottle: rich plum musk and amber, cushioned by velvety red roses; very dark and elegant and jewel-like; slightly reminiscent of Dior's Poison, but less perfumey and vaguely more sinister Wet: the lily moves forward a bit to sharpen the scent, which is all smoky plum and amber on me right now – rose is here more as an image of purple-redness than a scent. Dry: an absolutely beautiful and warm blend of plum, amber, and musk, with the roses blooming more and more in drydown. Somehow stops short of being overly floral. This is a sophisticated, womanly scent, and I need a back up bottle stat! eta: extreme drydown is all beautiful plum-amber

frimp from Lab in the imp: sharp lavender and men's cologne, with a touch of sweetness wet: the lavender fades way back and leaves a clean and slightly soapy cologne, very masculine, very much like the fougere part of Dorian, minus the lemon and sugar of the latter dry: initial dry, something a little peppery moves to the forefront of the fougere (maybe the bergamot?) and if I huff deeply I get a bit of lavender and a whiff of something sweet and floral (maybe the jasmine's influence, though it doesn't smell like the Lab's usual jasmine, thank goodness) Overall: If Dorian gets a little too sweet or citrus-y for you and Bram Stoker is too overpowering, Wilde is your guy!

in the imp: exactly what it says on the tin, a blooming red rose with the scent of green stem still on it – reminds me a ton of Rose Red wet: deepens to something really reminiscent of Peacock Queen '05, but lighter and a bit more innocent – I remember Peacock Queen being almost overwhelmingly heady and having a bit of a plastic undernote; The Rose is a lemony rose splattered with morning dew dry: this scent stays very true, maybe sweetening up a little bit as it dries. I'm not getting any old-lady-powderiness, which is usually a problem for me with rose scents. I can see myself using The Rose a ton in early spring, and it would be a great choice for fans of Peacock Queen or those who want a pure rose scent!

frimp from the Lab in the decant: a beautiful and thick honey-gold color; smells like sweet juicy apricots with a bit of wine wet: the brandy aspect really moves forward with a swirl of alcohol, then dies back into a wet bubblegummy fruit dry: immediately turns into not very sweet apricot powder and the brandy eventually gets a sour vinegar-y tinge; clearly not one that plays well with my skin chemistry