merebrillante

For the first four hours, it's all boozy sweetness. I told my friend what the name of the perfume was, and she said, "I do want to bite you." But after four hours, it smells like Republic of Tea's acai berry green tea. That's not bad, it's just ... different.

In the bottle and wet, all I can smell is chocolate. Once dry, all I get is incense. Nice, but not a keeper.

Wet: Caramel. Caramel and butterscotch. And, ooh! Booze! Dry: I can smell the apple now, but unlike Pomona, this apple doesn't smell like room deodorizer on me, and I can still smell the hint of caramel in the background. I'm not a foody-scent person, but I rather like this.

Oh, how I lovelovelove this scent (2009). It evokes the musky florals of my long-lost love, Wilhemina Murray (from 2005's Order of the Dragon collection). This one is going to be my go-to scent for the next two years.

It's funny. What I smelled after about two hours was Snow White (2008) -- that same frosted, sugary smell, with maybe a touch more vanilla. Not bad, but I already have Snow White.

2009 - Way too much jasmine on my skin, even after two hours. This goes straight to the swap pile.

On me, it's sultry and sexy and very strong. I agree with the reviewer who said that this jasmine is subtler (or perhaps more well-blended) than the usual jasmines I see from BPAL. I'm getting rid of all my "lush floral" imps and relying on Black Moon for when I want to wow the room.

In the vial: Honey and flowers. Wet: White flowers and honey. Drydown: Powdery flowers, like violets mixed with sweet pea or apple blossoms. Dry: Oh, this is awfully pretty. The honey is rising back up to the surface now, not overwhelming the floral notes but rather enhancing them. Wow, looking at the description, I was off on everything except the white flowers. I never would've guessed there was patchouli in here. I swear, this is so redolent of honey to my nose (but I've got a cold, so I might not be the best judge right now). Whatever is in here, I love it. This was a frimp from the Lab, and I'm definitely keeping it. I might even spring for a bottle.

In the vial: Fresh, light flowers. Wet: The flowers fade, and ozone rises to the surface. Drydown: For a minute or two, this takes on that sharp-edged note that always makes me think of men's colognes. Dry: The sharpness fades, leaving one of the freshest, cleanest scents I've smelled in a long time. If an ice storm had a scent, this would be it. In a remarkable bit of synchronicity, I wrote about Szepasszony this morning. I was struggling to find a suitable story about why a particular forest was said to be haunted, and I thought of the Fair Lady's name. After I was through, the mail came, along with my latest order from the Lab. A frimp of Szepasszony, a scent that had been on my To Be Tried list for a long time, had been tucked in with the other goodies. I was so delighted, I ignored the three bottles I'd ordered and tried this one on. Even in the midst of my allergy attack, this fragrance is pleasant and soothing. She really is a Fair Lady. Thank you, Lab Folk!

Vial: Fruity and green. Wet: Greener, with a sharp tang, but not quite aquatic. Drydown: Oh, wow. Something dark and warm and sweet is struggling to the surface. Dry: Holy cow, this is complex. I can smell the honey, but it's tempered by all the herbs and spices. Oh, God, I am in love. I want I want I want, oh please oh please let me have it! I promise you my first-born son if you will let me have a bottle of this! Twenty-four hours later: This is it. My One True Scent .

In the vial: Herbs. Wet: Pretty, sweet herbs. Drydown: I think I smell lavender, lemon balm, maybe a hint of rosemary or marjoram. Dry: So soft and pretty and gentle. It's also got a bit of that New Age Bookstore funk. Ha, just looked at the description. I was totally off again, at least until I got to the New Age Bookstore point. That's the patchouli and incense. The herbal notes must've been coming from the vetiver, neroli, and mosses. Final verdict: After a couple of hours, I find I really like this. It's gentle, but in a totally non-Numb/violets kind of way, and very comforting. I probably won't spring for a bottle, but I'll certainly use up my frimp. Thanks, Lab-folks!

In the vial: Pretty lilies. Wet: Lily still, but with a swash of perhaps patchouli? Could be sandalwood. Drydown: Light and delicate, with a hint of bite underneath. Dry: This one goes on very light. While it's pretty, and I'll probably keep it, it's one I'll have to slather myself in. Almost no throw. Note: Frimp from the Lab.

In the vial: Lovely fresh flowers. Wet: Oh, my God, how beautiful. A bouquet of daffodils and hyacinths and irises. Springtime in a bottle. Drydown: Ooh, underneath the flowers, there's a bite of spice. Where did that come from? Is that cinnamon? It smells like Red-Hots. Dry: The flowers are reasserting themselves and blending with whatever spice that is underneath there. This is exquisite. I bought this oil because this is, numerologically, a Temperance year for me. How lovely, how perfect a scent to waft across one's nostrils after being dead for a year. I wish every year could be a Temperance year. On looking over all the reviews, I don't see that anyone else noticed cinnamon. After careful consideration, I've come to the tentative conclusion that what I was picking up on was the peppery note present in hyacinth. Don't even try and tell me there's not hyacinth in here, because it's been my favorite spring flower since I was a child, and the first flower I planted when I moved into my new home five years ago.

In the vial: Very complex. I can't detect one single note. Wet: Ditto. It reminds me vaguely of Blood Moon (after a significant drydown period), warm and spicy. Drydown: A slight aldehydic note is rising to the surface, one that grows stronger with the passing minutes. I'm wondering if this was one that was mislabeled, and it's really House of Mirrors. Dry: No, this is definitely Snake Charmer. I can smell the vanilla coming out now. But that memory of Blood Moon remains. I have to say, as much as I disliked Snake Oil, I wasn't expecting much of this scent, but it's a lot more sophisticated than Snake Oil, I think due to the amber, plum, labdanum and ambrette. Not a great deal of throw, though. Later: After five hours, it's almost gone, only the lingering powdery ginger smell to remind me of its presence. Nice, but I wouldn't spring for a bottle.

In the vial: Light greenery and herbs. Wet: More of the same, only lighter. Drydown: I thought I smelled lavender and oakmoss, but I see now that I was picking up at least the dry tea scent. I'll have to get out my perfume book to know what orris smells like. However, on the drydown it was lightly sweet and fragrant. (N.B.: I didn't know there was such a thing as a coffin tree.) Dry: This goes very soft and light on me, but the tea scent remains. Holiday Moon had tea, but it was much brighter than this perfume. Spirits of the Dead is sweet, soft and green. A very calming, centering scent. In reading over other reviews, I'm surprised, because I never got any citrus from this at all, and lemon is usually the first thing I smell if it's in a scent, as with Somnus and Namaste. Curiouser and curiouser.