PirateMaggie

Short review: Hell's Belle has some serious competition. Longer review: In the vial, all I was able to smell was the black narcissus, a very sharp, dark, bitter smell. Immediately upon hitting my skin, though, the orange and vanilla come out and the narcissus stops shrieking its presence. On drydown, the narcissus becomes rich and dark and soft--velvety, even--rather than jagged and insistent. The vanilla and orange continue to mingle and become deliciously creamy while any potential Creamsicle icky-stickiness is darkened and tempered by the narcissus. I can see how people were getting "chocolate orange" results--I'm not actually smelling chocolate per se, but am getting wafts that remind me of fine, rich orange-vanilla confection with a slight caramel undertone. Weirdly, though, this isn't really a foody smell. The narcissus both grounds the scent it and gives it a certain headiness. I'm not sure how Beth manages it, but her vanillas don't become cloying. Throw is medium--it carries a bit from my body, but isn't invasive and would invite others to come closer. It lasts well, and none of the notes really fade. Hunger is a sexy, lush, decadent blend. It's slinkier and more languid than Hell's Belle--where La Belle immediately puts me in the mood for mischief and wicked flirtation, Hunger is a bit less taunting and a bit more elegant: it's a bias cut silk evening gown rather than torn fishnets and combat boots. Though I love both blends on their own, I'm going to try layering them. I have a big bottle of this on the way, which is a good thing because my imp is quickly running out. Edited to add that the Boy, who doesn't much care for perfume, loves Hunger. Whenever I wear it he tells me how good I smell and makes extra fuss over me.

Short review: Beth has truly outdone herself. This is exactly what I've been looking for in an everyday perfume. Golden light in scent form. Longer review: Tamora came as a frimp from the Lab. I was at first leery of it because I suffer the Curse of the Babypowder Amber, but it just smelled too good in the imp to pass up (plus, I have a policy of trying all the frimps with which the Lab is so generous. More often than not, I'm pleasantly surprised). Sandalwood agrees with my chemistry, and turns into something spicy yet clean-smelling. The peach smells lush and ripe and slightly tart and the heliotrope and vanilla sweeten the mix. The amber smells like it's supposed to without a hint of powder. The peach starts out strong and eventually fades to the background, leaving a delicious, warm, glowing sandalwood-amber-vanilla with a hint of the heliotrope and peach. It's sexy in a very subtle, classy, understated way (as opposed to my favourite maneater scent, Hell's Belle), but the sandalwood gives it an uplifting, spiritual quality as well. Throw is medium. I applied it at 7:30am, refreshed it around 2 (because I wanted more peach smell), and still get wafts of it. I've been getting compliments on my perfume all day. One woman on the subway told me she wished everyone on the train smelled like I do. Another told me that I should be careful about wearing that scent around men because I smelled edible. I'm ordering a big bottle. Tamora is exactly how I think my skin is supposed to smell--like me, but better.

Mmm. I like dragon's blood. I like vanilla. It turns out I really like them together. Wet, I smell the dragon's blood most strongly, which is sweetened by the vanilla. The milk smell seems to meld the two scents and adds a creamy softness to the blend, which might otherwise be a bit overpowering. Upon drydown, the vanilla really comes out to play while the dragon's blood gives it a spicy, slightly smoky undertone. The throw is pretty good, and staying power is excellent. It's ten hours since application, and I still smell of sultry, creamy vanilla goodness. This might be a bit much for everyday, but it's perfect for those days that call for a bit more power and for situations when you have to call on your inner dragon-lady, and would be great to wear while on a hot date or while singing torch songs.

In the bottle, I definitely smelled the lemon-vanilla tea with something naughty underneath. On my skin, though, I turned immediately into lemon furniture polish and musk. No tea. No vanilla. I just smelled like I'd been cleaning and forgot to wear deodorant. Blech. I'm at the halfway point in my cycle right now and my hormones are a little off-kilter. I'll try this again in a few days. My skin amps musk like crazy, though, so I don't have great hopes after the Pledge-and-armpit fiasco.

Short review: Beth has created Hope in A Bottle. More detailed review: Wet, there is a crisp, almost aquatic herbal smell underscored by pale, non-cloying florals. I'm reminded of morning glory and lily of the valley, though I have no idea of those are the actual notes used. After drydown, the florals become a bit stronger while the herbals remain noticeable and give this blend a refreshing characteristic. In no way do the herbals ever begin to smell medicinal, though the Unicorn does act as an antitote to cynicism and the blahs, both in legend and in BPAL. This perfume evokes misty, dewy mornings in the forest and lying in a patch of herbs and flowers in a sun-dappled glade beside a rocky stream, or dancing in the moonlight on Midsummer's Night. It's ethereal. I has no idea that a scent could actually shimmer, but the Unicorn does. If the Pre-Raphaelites or Brian Froud were perfumers, this is what they'd make. It's is very light and without a lot of throw, which works perfectly for the mood it evokes. This is going to be a 10ml bottle. I truly love this scent. edited to fix typos which slipped by in my blissed-out-by-Unicorn state

In the bottle, I smelled the lotus more than the lavender, along with something else that I can't quite place. It's cool and sweet (but not cloying). It reminds me of a Monet painting--light, soft, a bit dreamy. Maybe I'm just associating this lovely light lotus with his famous water lilies. Upon application, I felt that tingle on my skin, proving that there is indeed real lavender in it. And what lavender it is! Crisp and fresh, kept from being astringent by the sweeter lotus. The lavender and lotus are a brilliant combination: the lavender keeps the lotus from going sticky-sweet, and the lotus keeps the lavender from smelling medicinal. Combined, they make a light, airy smell that brings to mind walks along the Seine during spring and lily ponds with lavender growing alongside. Like its city namesake, Paris has a lot more going on beneath the surface than is initially evident. The city of Paris has wide boulevards and beautiful architecture, but it also has winding back alleys and mews, tiny gardens and parks hidden amidst the maze, and of course the catacombs. Paris the scent too has a great deal going on beneath the lotus and lavender. Upon the dry-down, the scent warms a bit the spices come out, though it still seems cool--but not in an ice-queen way; more like a refreshing breeze on a warm day. Occasionally, I get a whiff of something that smells like toasted hazelnut. On the next whiff, the florals, and on the next whiff, a bit of spice. Wearing this perfume is like taking a meandering walk on a nice day, not having any destination in mind. I wore this to a work party this evening, and people kept complimenting my perfume. It's fairly light, so the throw isn't huge, but it works. It has that "come closer" quality, but not in an overt way like my beloved Hell's Belle. Because the florals in this are so refreshing, this would be completely appropriate to wear to class or work, but the spice-and-hazelnut quality would also work well in the evening. This is definitely a big bottle scent. If the Impressionists made perfumes instead of paintings, this is what they's have smelled like. If Paris in the City of Light, this perfume is olfactory lucidity. It's almost too beautiful to be believed.

This is wonderful. Crisp holly and fir, the way they smell in midwinter after a frost. I had a massive headache and sick stomach from the fiasco I had with Rose Cross earlier in the day, so after a long shower and cup of peppermint tea, I searched my collection for a smell that would clear my head. This did it. It's refreshing and wonderful and smells absolutely clean and pure. I'd bought a bottle as a ritual scent--I work with the tree ogham and connect with holly in particular--and hadn't thought of actually wearing this, but I want to put it on cotton buds in my dresser drawers so that my clothes will smell like this. I can't recommend this scent highly enough. It's the bottled version of seeing the Aurora Borealis while standing in the middle of a coniferous forest.

I love rose. I love frankincense. Both usually work beautifully with my body chemistry. I've blended rose oil and frankincense oil in the past and loved the way I smelled. Of course I thought that this would work well on me. I was wrong. This oil turned to baby powder and bathroom cleanser and some heavy, burning plasticky smell. It was literally nauseating (I actually dry-heaved) and overpowering and even after scrubbing at my wrists with soap several times, I've been told I smell like a urinal cake. edited to add: this got even worse as the day wore on. Though I scrubbed my wrists multiple times with soap, rubbing alcohol, and betadine, I couldn't get the smell off, and as a result I spent the day with a pounding headache and the worst nausea I've had since the time I caught Norwalk virus. The rose smells like the worst of powdery, cloying, fake-smelling synthetics and I can't smell any frankincense at all. People around me kept wondering who was wearing the "awful old lady perfume." I was also told I smelled like a hospital. This is so bad that I can't even bear to keep the bottle in hopes of swapping. Into the trash it went. If I want to wear rose and frankincense, I'll stick with my tried and true Aveda oils. This blend smelled truly vile on me.

I absolutely loved this in the imp and when wet: it smelled of apricot, a ripe, full, almost effervescent scent, like fizzy apricot juice. Sweet, but not cloyingly so, with a tart edge that must have been the orange blossom, and the musk lingering far in the background keeping it from smelling like I was wearing preserves. This smell reminded me of Beltaine and picnics on the grass in an orchard in late spring. Such a golden, happy, beautiful blend, this one. Oh, how I wanted it to work on me! On the dry-down, however, the musk clobbered the apricot and orange into submission. My skin really amps musk, and while I do like the white musk in this blend, I really preferred the more fruity wet smell. The fruit faded really fast and the fruit was what I liked best. I guess I'll have to try March Hare, which hopefully does not contain musk. I really liked this one before my skin chemistry got in the way; perhaps it would work in a scent locket, or put on cotton buds in my dresser drawers so that my clothing will pick up the scent.

My skin really amps musk, so I was concerned when the note that hit me first from the bottle was musk. "Uh-oh," I thought, "here goes nothing." It turns out I needn't have worried. As it dries, the musk quickly takes a back seat to the magnolia and oleander while the mandarin and spice become more noticeable. The longer I wear this, the more I like it. It becomes this dark, smooth, wicked scent with a slight tang to it. This is the scent of a woman who breaks hearts and makes mischief just because she can, who is dead sexy and independent and doesn't care what others think. I bought a big bottle of Hell's Belle and am very glad I did, though I can see myself causing a lot of trouble while wearing this.

This was a frimp from the Lab in the order I received today (the Lab was incredibly generous--in addition to the four big bottles I ordered, they sent me eight frimps). Because this is the one that spilled on my hand while opening the vial to take a whiff, this is getting reviewed first. In the imp, I really wasn't sure what to make of it. It smelled very strong and harsh and almost headache-inducing, like the perfume section at a department store. Very "perfumey." Not "me" at all. Wet--I'm not getting any of the rose or neroli; the jasmine and musk are both screaming and jumping up and down for attention. The jasmine is doing that unfortunate overpowering baby-powder thing and the musk is cloying. On the drydown--this is nice. The jasmine has faded into the background; it's stopped smelling powdery and started smelling like fresh jasmine in the humidity. When I lived in New Orleans, the yard of one building I lived in had jasmine growing; on drydown the jasmine in this scent reminds me of early evening in summer, sitting on the balcony and enjoying the warm moist breezes off the river. I'm still not getting any rose, but the bergamot, neroli and myrrh have come out to play and toned the musk down into something gentle and sensual and mellow. This blend was a horror when wet, but after about twenty minutes, it begins to smell soft and warm. This is an incredibly elegant, regal scent--not for everyday, but perfect for a dressy candle-lit dinner with a special someone or a formal party. It smells like my idea of a high-quality non-chemical "perfumey" perfume. (Which, come to think of it, it is!) I'm so glad I gave this a chance and didn't run screaming to wash it off. Thank you, Lab, for giving me a sample. edited on 02/13.06 to add: I take back what I said about this blend being a horror when wet. When I first reviewed this, I was not an everyday perfume-wearer and was a bit tweaked about smelling something other than myself on me. My skin chemistry must have been really off that day, or maybe this is one of those blends that needs to age in order for its full beauty to come out. Now, when I put Rapture on, I immediately smell a nice round blend of all the notes, which get warmer and rounder as it dries--like my skin but better. The jasmine and musk no longer want to pummel all those present, but mingle nicely with the rest of the blend application. It's a scent that inspires confidence without brashness, grace, and a relaxed sense of presence. This and Hell's Belle are the only two musk blends I've encountered that my skin doesn't turn into "ew, I forgot deodorant." This is quickly becoming a signature scent and I have a big bottle on the way.