Thaleia

The only other blend I've tried with apricot is Katharina, which I absolutely adore, so, naturally, I have high hopes for Grand Guignol ... even though I know it's totally different. I associate 'guignol' with those silly, yet ever so slightly scary, French puppet shows that I had to watch videos of in high school French class - scary only because they're just so silly and weird, and not because they dealt with macabre topics like death and murder in the context of a puppet show. In the vial, this Grand Guignol is boozy, dried apricot. Not the peachy apricot of Katharina, but a boozy Katharina-the-alcoholic sort of smell. On me, it's a large bag of dried apricots, such as what my mom keeps in the kitchen cabinet for snack purposes or to put in breakfast cereal. No brandy, no alcohol, no boozy note at all. This is more apricot than peach, and gets very cloyingly sweet on me very quickly. There's something weird and waxy underneath the sweetness that I can't place or account for. It ends as sugared, dried apricots that have been sitting in the kitchen cabinet for a while. Not something I'd wear ... for apricots, I'll stick with Katharina. 5/10.

I read the description for Incantation and felt a bit wary about trying this, because it sounded so heavy and woody and masculine. I was in for a surprise, then, when I opened my frimp vial and smelled a light, airy, citrus-fresh blend with a touch of white flowers. Okay then! So I put it on, and waited for the sinister black, burnt woods to show up. Still lemony fresh, and stays that way for a while. The only thing the woods really do is add a bit of depth to the scent overall, but they don't make it masculine or heavy or overpowering. It's definitely different from the other clean, citrus scents I've come across, because of that woody depth. I'm going to keep this imp - I haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to pick up a 5ml, but I'm open to any and all imps that the Lab wants to send my way. 7.5/10.

If this is what ravens smell like, I shouldn't mind them flying around my apartment building all the time. This raven, in the vial, smells like clean violets combined with Johnson's Baby Shampoo. I haven't had much experience with violet scents (it extends as far as Marie, and that turned into straight-up tea rose), but I didn't expect it to turn into baby shampoo. It stays baby shampoo on me at first, and then becomes a deep royal purple, musky floral - violet and iris and musk. Love! I can definitely get past the baby shampoo thing, because I really like how this is turning out. I can detect a hint of white sandalwood in the background, but it's just enough to give the floral a bit of sharpness. Understated elegant, just a little bit haughty, with a bite if you go out of line. Need 5ml when this imp is gone, and it'll probably be gone soon. 8/10.

I love the description on the Lab's site. I love it almost as much as I love actual intrigue. In the imp, it's definitely woody and mysterious - not so much deceitful mysterious, but more stranded-on-an-island mysterious. I don't get the cocoa at all, or the fig. I smell palm and woods, and that's about it. The blend sweetens when it hits my skin. I think it's the fig. Still no chocolate, but the woods are fading. A cedarwood note stays, though, and the fragrance becomes a fresh green ... soon becoming a heap of pencil shavings, and it stays that way through the drydown. Still no chocolate. It's an elementary school classroom without the afternoon snack. I might have to pass this on to my best friend, who's my partner-in-crime. 3/10.

I love butterscotch. I always have. To this day, I'll raid my mom's candy jar at her office and pick out all the golden-yellow-wrapped butterscotch candies. I haven't even opened the vial yet (just did a little twist on the stopper) and I can smell butterscotch candy. Yum! On me, it's ... ah, heavenly butter rum! Definitely not the butterscotch in the vial; it's definitely more rummy and boozy than butterscotch candy. And it's not even plain rum, either. It's spiced coconut rum! I feel like I could be sitting on the beach with a drink in hand right now. It's foody, boozy, butter rum goodness. I think I'm going to need a 5ml of this. Savvy? 8.5/10.

Frimp from the Lab! In the vial, I get a very cold, minty scent, reminiscent of the oil of wintergreen that my mom used to put on me when I was younger and had a stomachache. I actually don't mind smelling like wintergreen. Because of that oil of wintergreen association from my childhood, it's actually very comforting, making me feel like everything's going to be okay. The wintergreen gives way to a cold, sharp white floral that blends with the cold mint for a sharp, pale green scent. I'm imagining a clear stream going through woods in the first few days of spring, with a few white flowers along the banks on either side. I don't know that I'd wear this every day, but I'll certainly keep the imp. This'll be nice when I'm feeling ill and want something light, comforting, and not overpowering ... or I don't have to be ill, necessarily. I like this enough to wear on 'healthy' days too. 7/10.

Because I'm silly, I automatically assumed that 'Voodoo' was one of the Voodoo blends, so I just spent the last couple of minutes looking through that folder for this thread. I agree with what a lot of you have been saying about the Dr. Pepper/Cherry Coke smell in the imp vial. Which reminds me, I should probably try that new Black Cherry Vanilla Coke that I've been seeing all of those ads for. [/hijack] When I read that, I wasn't sure that I wanted to smell like my favourite drink, but I don't mind it, now that I've smelt it for myself. On me initially, it smells more like Cherry Coke than Dr. Pepper. The patchouli doesn't really come out much. It's there, and I can tell it's there, but it's not so overpowering that it'd give me the headache it usually does. I can see that it has potential to do so, which means I should apply this in moderation. On the drydown, the patchouli takes over, along with the clove. It's nice and spicy, which I suppose is alright for some, but I can already feel the headache coming on. It was okay for a while, and then the patchouli had to come out. Wah. 3/10.

The coconutty caramel buttery sweetness jumps out at me the second I open my frimp from the Lab (thank you, me hearties, yo ho). Not quite the smell of piracy, but definitely tropical and something I can definitely wear when I go on vacation to some tropical place. The tobacco leaves are fresh rather than smelling like someone's smoking nearby, and lend a greenness to what would otherwise have smelled like a super-sweet ice cream treat or cocktail. This is a cold daiquiri in a tropical garden, served up in a coconut shell, complete with umbrella. There's also a bit of vanilla I'm getting, which is very nice. Welcome to the Caribbean, love. 7/10.

Frimp from the Lab. Thanks, guys! Mistress of torture and goddess of dominatrixes? I hope you're not implying anything. Heady spice is the first thing I smell, and it's different from the other heady spices I've come across - a bit antiseptic, but I can get past that. I don't smell the leather at all, in the bottle or on my skin - I get more of the doctor's office antiseptic smell. Not Band-Aids, but ... bandages. And a medicine cabinet full of antiseptic solution and whatever else they keep in there. My mom's a doctor and I should be used to this smell by now, and I am, but I don't know that I'd want to go around smelling like antiseptic wound care ointment. Sweet antiseptic wound care ointment, but still. 3.5/10 ... this dominatrix ain't for me.

I received my imp of The Hanging Gardens from a swap with the lovely lorajc. The description sounds so wonderful! When I open the vial, though, it's not really what I expected after reading the description ... it's spicy, resiny, and just a bit fruity, like Cairo or Ravenous. But when it's on, wow, this is so complex and interesting. Ripe fruit and florals combine to give this blend a 'huge garden' feel, worthy of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I'm picking up pear and plumeria - and I'm surprised that the rose hasn't come out, because it usually does. It ends as a sweet, complex, fruity floral, from which I can't pick out anything specific. Unfortunately, it fades pretty quickly, but leaves a rich scent behind, barely there, but still there. Some wonders never cease. If I want to feel opulent, I'll wear this. 7/10. (N.B. As of this review, I'm doing my ratings out of 10. I'm sick of doing quarter-points, and I'm only confusing myself and probably you by carrying on with them.)

Even though this is listed as a 'gentleman's blend', the description's so deliciously evil that I can't help but try it out. In the vial, it's actually not very masculine, light and citrusy with a hint of white musk. On me, it becomes a citrusy/lilac combination, which is very vintage-elegant, not Pledge or lemon drops. I think my skin just likes florals in general, so once the lilac comes out, it stays on top. The lilac gives this blend an even more vintage-elegant feel, but the citrus stays around to say that this may be genteel, but appearances can be deceiving. This is a definite unexpected good one - a friend told me that her husband likes this one, but I think I'll keep this for myself, thanks. 4.

I really like the description, and the Lab was kind enough to send me an imp with one of my recent orders. In the vial, though, it smells kind of weird. I didn't expect this to smell like a huge box of California Raisins when I opened it. I don't know the minutiae of Ancient Greek sacred rituals, but I'm pretty sure they didn't include raisin sacrifices. On my skin, instead of bringing out something from the description (laurel would've been nice), the raisin smell intensifies, mingling with honey wine, which now makes me smell like ... raisin wine. My skin likes raisins, I guess, even though I don't. Why am I not getting any incense from this? Wah. I don't want to smell like raisins. 2.

I actually have no idea what Kyphi smells like, but it sounds very exotic. I used to want to be an Egyptologist, so it's only fitting that I get to try this out at some point. This was a frimp from the Lab, so yay. In the vial, I get a spicy, citrusy resin, vaguely reminiscent of Ravenous, but lighter. This isn't really what Cairo smells like, but if it did, I would definitely consider going back there to visit. Once on, it's very spicy-citrus, like cloves stuck in an orange (though this is more lemon than orange) around the holidays. This is Ravenous without the patchouli headache, so I might be able to wear this one. Wow, another surprise from the Lab that I wouldn't have thought to try on my own. I don't know that I'd get a big bottle, but I'm keeping the imp. 3.75.

Frimp from the Lab - thank you! What's great is that this isn't one I thought to put on my wish list from Illyria, but I did get a recommendation for it recently, so I'm glad I'm getting to try it now. In the vial, it's really fresh and green, and very similar to B&BW's White Tea and Ginger, which I also like very much. There's the tea and the ginger, but I don't smell fig or moss. It's an exact dupe for White Tea and Ginger. It gets a bit herbier and grassier when I put it on, but the tea and ginger notes are still prominent. It's now sweeter and less sharp than B&BW's, so I guess the fig is coming out to play. Dry it's a sweeter tea and ginger scent - very light and energising, a good pick-me-up scent. I love this. I'm going to have to pick up a big bottle of this very soon. I give this a 5.

I took a good, long sniff of The Peacock Queen from her bottle, and I don't smell anything. This happened to me on a couple of other scents, but I got my sense of smell back on the next ones, so it can't be that. I'm getting fake plastic rose from this, which is so disappointing, because I was most excited about getting this one. I even saved this one out of my 5mls to review for last. Once it's on, though, it goes from fake plastic rose to becoming utter love. This is the mature, haughty rose that I needed Pride to be in front of my extended family. This is a dusky, velvety, sensual dark red rose, elegant in the extreme. This is a rose that settles for nothing but the best. Accept no substitute, this is probably my favourite straight-up rose of all of the ones I've tried, and I love rose, so I've gone through a good few. Forget 'I think I'm in love', I KNOW I'm in love. Macha, darling, that is one sexy label. On a scale of 1 to 5, if I could give this queen a 5.1, I would.

I wasn't sure what to make of the fact that this scent was listed under men's recommendations on the BPAL website. I liked the notes, though, so why not? I also don't know what to make of the fact that in the bottle, it smells like The Haunted Palace. I just did a comparison test in the bottles, and The Haunted Palace smells quite similar, only more citrusy. Hey, at least I have something similar in case I run out of THP, because I didn't get a spare. Okay, never mind! When it's on, it's completely different. I smell absolutely no resemblance to THP whatsoever, but that's a good thing in a way. Sepulcher is a sad scent, empty and white, evocative of loss and death. The juniper comes out enough to lend sharpness to the floral, and the sweetgrass keeps the flowers from getting too overpowering. This is a cemetery, not a garden. More melancholy than Ode on Melancholy, Sepulcher is perfect for those days when you need a light, unobtrusive scent that's just there, or when you're feeling introspective, but NOT when you're already feeling depressed. I'm still remaining faithful to my Ode, but this is definitely good to have on hand: 4.

I was so glad when the Lab brought Antique Lace back - unfortunately, I put in my first order ever a day too early, so I had to wait until my next order before I could pick one up. Well worth the wait, though, and seeing all of the praise it's received and the excitement at its return, I'm quite happy to have the opportunity to try it now. In the bottle, Antique Lace is a soft rosy vanilla, and smells like something I used to wear in college. It reminds me of when I studied abroad in England - my dormitory room smelled like this, actually. It's nostalgic, as befits its name and description, even on a personal level for me. How lovely! On me, it's a creamy soft vanilla with a hint of linen, roses, dried flowers, and a very small touch of wood - like what the inside of an old chest of drawers would smell like. An old sachet sits on top of long-unworn clothes, and you have to wonder what the story was of the girl who wore these dresses, who's probably dead now. It's vintage elegant, which is very different from anything I've smelled by the Lab, and I love vintage anything, so this is definitely a keeper, and I'm glad I picked up my 5ml. I give this one a 5, because of the thoughts it evokes. I feel like I've been giving out a lot of 5's in the past few reviews, but they all deserve it.

Swank was recommended to me by a friend of mine, along with Twenty-One. In the bottle, I already like this one better, probably because as a matter of personal preference, I prefer Cosmopolitans to straight gin martinis. (Yeah, I realise The Hamptons is the Cosmo, but Swank smells enough like a Cosmo to me to pass as one.) I love the pomegranate berry-scent. Very fresh, very ... well, swank. I sniffed my arm when I put it on and had to say "Whoa!" It smells like one of the sugary lollipops in the clear wrappers that I used to have as a kid. The yellow one, that's lemon, or maybe the pink one, that's fairly neutral sugar-berry, but has got a citrus bite to it as well. When it mellows down, it leaves an elegant and yet really fun scent, perfect for parties, whether it's a party out with friends or a formal event. It's sweeter than a Cosmopolitan, but that's probably due to the pomegranate, which I love, and which my skin seems to like as well. (This means I can try Persephone now.) Great! I might wear this to my friend's bachelorette party tomorrow. A swanky 5, darlings.

I've never been to the Kentucky Derby, but I'm dying to go, wear my best hat, and sip mint juleps while watching horses race. I've never actually smelled a mint julep before, but I do know how to make one. This actually just smells like a gentleman's cologne in the bottle, something my dad would use. Okay, alright, I can sort of detect bourbon, but I mainly smell the men standing trackside in their seersucker suits. I don't get any mint on my skin, which is weird because my skin eats up mint and magnifies it. I just smell men's cologne and a hint of booze. Actually, you know, I smell like a hotel bathroom, like that cleaner they use for the mirror and sink. The towels sometimes even smell like it. As it dries down, the bourbon turns into something that resembles patchouli, which gives me a headache. It actually smells a lot like Ravenous did on me, and I used Ravenous as a room scent because I couldn't take wearing it. It's unfortunate, because I thought I'd have a bit of fun with this scent, but in the end it's not me. I give this one a 2.

As if I need another "btch, plz" scent, but I couldn't resist, with the name, and with the peach. I love Les Liaisons Dangereuses and all of its adaptations. In the bottle, it's peach, alright. Not the innocent, sparkling peach I got from Katharina - Madame la Marquise is a darker, sinister peach that's fuzzy and juicy, but the pit can and will choke you. Ooh, womanly and complex, once it's on. I don't smell the peach as much, but it's still there; the amber and a woody smell which I'm guessing is vetiver take over for a little bit. Above all of that depth floats a floral bouquet, which allows the Marquise to pretend to be the epitome of what a court lady should be, but really isn't. There's an edge to the dainty floral that reminds you that she's going to mess with you, and when she does, she'll destroy you. It's sinister, calculating, deliciously evil. It makes me want to grin sinisterly at all of you. The amber and vetiver lay low while the florals and peach come back at the end. Somewhere in there, I smell the jonquil - not the big, yellow daffodils, but the smaller white ones with the sharper fragrance. Definitely a kick-ass scent, for those days when I need to feel confident and calculating. I give her and her scheming a 5.

Holy candy cane, Batman. This smells like peppermint ice cream, my favourite around the Christmas holidays. Mint likes me, as I discovered from trying Mad Hatter yesterday, so I've got high hopes for this. I've had it on for two seconds and have already decided that Lick It should be called 'Lick Me' instead. I smell exactly like a candy cane, or peppermint drop, or some other mint-flavoured holiday treat. It's not even a cold, ice mint. It's ... mint with a hint of vanilla behind it. Yum. *chews on wrist* I might layer this with Gluttony for a chocolate mint scent. Mmm, that sounds delightful. Ever had those Hershey's chocolate mint candy canes? There you go. Because Beth is a genius and made this smell exactly as it should, 5. ETA, ten minutes later: My wrist is COLD. Pepperminty, ice-minty cold, like you're standing outside church on Christmas Day with snow falling all around you, and you're eating a candy cane cold. That is SO WEIRD. There's nothing I can do about it, either ... it's like, internally cold, and no amount of sitting on my hand will make it go away. Interesting.

Very excited for this one, as I need something relaxing for my final semester of graduate school, and this might very well do the trick. In the bottle, it's pretty much straight-up French lavender. I had a huge jar of French lavender buds in my room when I was very young, and I used to make sachets that I'd give to people out of it. I still have the jar. It still comforts me when I walk by it and decide to have a sniff whenever I'm at my parents' house. Ah, memories. Oh, lavender, how do I love thee. It's soon joined with citrus and grassy notes, and they all blend together to create a very comforting fragrance that makes me kind of want to go to bed. I feel like I'm in an apothecary's shop. It's also fairly strong; I can smell it from where my arm's resting on the table by my keyboard. Citrus retreats, leaving a grassy lavender ... and then we're back to my childhood jar of French lavender. I might try this tonight in lieu of Luna. Peaceful, comforting, elegant. Well worth what I paid for it. 4.5.

... Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry. The description of Elizabeth Báthory sounded so deliciously evil, and the description of her scent sounded so deliciously good, so I just had to pick up a bottle. Yummy plum and grapes in the bottle. Blood Countess is a banquet table adorned with flowers and overflowing with fruit, with an immaculately dressed lady sitting behind it, lounging and eating and watching the handsome young men walk by, checking them out. I think Countess Elizabeth and I are going to become good friends. The second it hits my skin, I get a sharp berry sweetness. God, that's good. And, predictably, the rose peeps out and says hello. Berries and roses, what more could I ask for? It pretty much stays that way through the drydown. I think I'm in love. Don't take this as an endorsement of what she did, but I love this. Must ... not ... chew ... on ... arm. 4.5!

Thanks, Lab! I received a frimp of AMGP and was so glad I did, because it's on my wishlist and have wanted to try it out for a while. In the vial, I smell a sharp, pale floral deepened by woodiness, which is probably the Mysore sandalwood and quite possibly the rosewood. The sandalwood goes away on my skin, though, initially; I've got a citrus floral, which probably comes from the lemon peel and mountain sage ... definitely citrus and herby. It doesn't take long for the citrus and sage to back off and let the flowers come out and play, but they still stay in the background to remind us that they're still there. Jasmine's the predominant note for me - my skin does that - and while I can't pick out any of the other floral notes, I know they're under there somewhere. It actually reminds me of Luna on the drydown, which is almost pure jasmine on me. Very angelic, indeed. I may have to pick up a bottle of this once my imp runs out. 4!

Received mine in a swap from the lovely lorajc. It's ... brown! In my limited experience, this is the first oil I've come across that's this dark, so I was surprised. I'm imagining now that it's going to smell like chocolate, even though I know it won't. In the vial, this smells very warm and sexy. It's a vanilla floral, but in a different way from Euphrosyne - that vanilla floral (which I only get once it's dry) is more of a lighthearted, mirthful one, while Hunger smells like that already and screams "Take me now!" The first thing I detect when I put it on is the sharpness of narcissus, similar to the one in Pride, but Pride's rose is heady enough to contend with the narcissus. Orange blossom and vanilla are no match for this black flower, but they do lend an underlying sweet warmth to the overall scent. It's a dark, seductive scent, and I might be prevailed upon to use it when the occasion calls for it ... but my previous experience dictates that the boys I hang out with prefer something fruity-sweet, like Bon Vivant or Pink Phoenix. Or maybe I just hang out with immature boys. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I thought I'd like this, because it's unique and I wanted to at least try it, but it's not me. It dries a powdery, Band-Aidy smell that also has a hint of doctor's office, as I got with Jolly Roger. Oh no. Hunger gets a 2.5.