hypothermya

So, um, I'm kinda on a White Musk binge. Which is to say that I've found every perfume that the lab has to offer with White Musk in it, and am trying to get a hold of every one of them. And so this is why I got Chypre. I was also curious about it, since it had so few reviews, and was interested in whether it was a truly "masculine" smelling oil or whether it could pass for feminine. In the Bottle Wow, lavender! And that violet scent right behind it (although it's so faint!). The only reason I recognize the violet is because I used to eat these little violet pastilles, and I recognize the faint, powdery fragrance. This is a very pungent, and, well, purple scent. Not a drop of sweetness, which is a nice reprieve from other scents that I've been trying out. I haven't quite gotten the scent of neroli, but this isn't surprising, since I doubt I could regonize it anyhow. Wearing It Wet, I get a green smell -- just like crushed lavender stems. It's interesting: Beth's lavender always reminds me more of the stems than of the flowers. As it dries, the lavender remains the top note, with the violet remaining a soft, almost powdery presence underneath. As usual, the white musk is taking its time emerging. Perhaps it's because I use Lavender Mint shampoo and Tea Tree Lavender dishsoap, but this scent really smells like soap to me. Not a bad soap smell, mind you, but a very herbal, pungent, clean soap. Reminds me of a high quality, home made bar of lavender soap with bits of flower stuck in the bar. It's only the violet underneath that occasionally reminds me of something more perfumy than soap. On my guinea pig -- er, I mean, boyfriend -- this smells even more soapy. This is a scent that fades really quickly on him (we've found that this is typically for him), and it leaves a very gentle lavender/violet blend, in which the violet is more prominent than on me...but still second to the lavender. He says that he probably won't wear it because it smells a bit too clean/soapy for him, and he isn't a big fan of lavender. On my the scent is light and not overpoweringly lavender only after half an hour of wearing it, but the first half hour is like I just emerged from an entire bush of lavender. The lighter scent lasts for about 4-5 hours. This is a really nice, gender neutral scent. It's about as masculine as Azazel, which would work really well on a man, but could definitely be worn by a woman. Clean, like Embalming Fluid, but not nearly as refreshing/cool. It's more of an herbal/pungent smell, with light musky florals underneath it all. I bet that this would be stellar as a Black Rayne/Black Phoenix soap...But I suspect that I'm a bit biased, due to the former scent association thing. Not my thing, but probably a must have for any lavender fans.

The review below the black text is for the first formulation of Jack. Recently I got ahold of an imp of the reformulated Jack, and I have to say it is lovely. Still doesn't capture the scent of pumpkins that I was imagining (you know -- like when you're carving into them?), but it smells like deliciously spiced, creamy, baking pumpkins. Layered with Three Witches, it smells just divine. Not my favorite scent from BPAL, but still a good one. I adore pumpkins. Halloween is my favorite time of year, and the amount of time that I spend around pumpkins during the holidays is almost distressing to everyone around me. Seriously, I spend hours carving pumpkins and pulling out their innards, until my nails are stained orange; even more time is spent in the kitchen making pumpkin pie, bread, custard, baked pumpkin seeds, soup, and anything else pumpkin based that I can get a recipe for. So basically, I had no doubt that I'd love this. In the Bottle I have to admit that this is one of the more foul smells that I've encountered. At very first sniff (I'm talking about the first half second of smelling it), it smells really good, like baking pumpkins, maybe right after you've added the dry ingredients (like baking powder and the spices) to a bowl with pumpkin puree. But then it turns into the scent of burnt butter and pumpkin, and the peach underneath it all seems to only contribute an overripe/sweet smell to it. The "aftersmell" is like charred pumpkin bread stuck to the walls of an oven. Wearing It This does change on my skin, but not enough. Wet, it retains the strong scent of burnt pumpkin; once it dries, the smell of charred butter and bread is more prominent. The peach also turns the smell sickly sweet (there's something about peach and my skin chemistry that just *won't* play nice), and is just noticeable enough to bother me. I'm honestly really upset that this doesn't work on my skin. I want to cry. And just to prove that it isn't my skin chemistry playing nasty tricks on me, I made my boyfriend try it on. I was hoping that maybe he could smell absolutely delicious. But it still smells like burnt pumpkin on him, though much less like bread and butter. The sub note of peach doesn't turn the scent too sweet either. But still...burnt pumpkin isn't what I want him to smell like. (And, go figure, he doesn't want to smell like that either!) I had read the reviews and noted the few negative ones, and figured that I was just too "hardcore" a pumpkin fanatic for *any* pumpkin smell to bother me. That'll teach me to not pay attention to the reviews here in the future. I'd wanted so badly for this to work, but...C'est la vie, I suppose. I wish I could smell a single note of pumpkin, and see if it was the pumpkin itself that was reacting badly on my skin and in the bottle, or if it could be blamed on the peach and the other ingredients. The pumpkin scents in Samhain weren't anything but delicious (although a definite subnote to the apple cider/fall leaf scent). But...unless a single scent of pumpkin suddenly shows up on the single note list, I guess I'll just have to wonder.

After falling in love with Katharina, Fae went to the top of my wishlist, thanks to the white musk and the peach. I also used to own a perfume called "Avalon Peach," and I was hoping that Fae might remind me a bit of that... In the Bottle Yeah, there's peach in there, but it's not as strong as I thought it would be. It smells as though it's equally paired with an herbal/green smell. There's also something else that I can't quite identify. This reminds me of how a peach smoothie might smell, after they've added spirulina, or vitamins, or whatever else they add to smoothies to make them more healthy. It's not so much medicinal, as a scent that I associate with health stores, like GNC or other vitamin filled places. I expected this to smell a light more light, but instead it smells very green and foresty. Wearing It When it first goes on, it turns sweet. Sickly sweet. But this is probably just my skin chemistry, which turns anything fruit into a sickly sweet smell. Katharina was an exception, for some reason, but Fae turns into an over ripe/sweet fruit smell, just like Kitsune-Tsuki, and many others. But underneath the sweetness, there's actually a hint of something spicy. Not a strong spice, like Old Morocco or Scherezade, but a soft gentle spice. Barely noticable. Also, there's a mossy smell underneath it, and it makes me think of a ripe peach, laying on a patch of moss that's been freshly ripped up, with black earth still clinging to it. After about half an hour, the sweetness finally subsides and I can actually sniff my wrists without wrinkling my nose at the smell. Unfortunately, by then the peach has faded significantly and all that's left is the mossy smell, with the white musk and heliotrope (I guess?) finally showing up. Smells like a bright, sexual patch of moss. Kind of a weird image, really. Works better if I imagine a fairy who smells like moss, but also a light musky sexual scent underneath. Anyhow, this lasts about 3 or 4 hours on me before I have to reapply it and suffer through the first half hour again. It really is a pleasant enough scent when it fades, but nothing dazzling enough to go through the first half hour for. If I'd discovered this before I discovered Katharina, I might wear it just for the scent after it's faded a bit, but I think that Katharina is by far the superior of the two (on my skin, at least). On the other hand, don't think that by smelling Katharina that you have gotten the spirit of Fae in the same sniff. Consider Katharina to be a bright, spirited perfume, with a hint of innocence and sexuality together; Fae is close, but is instead the earthy, fleshy cousin, who knows her sexuality, and is more seductive than spirited. Fae would make a good alternative for anyone who thought that Katharina was too bright, or not complex enough.

Well, I'd explain why I was interested in getting this scent, but I'm afraid that it might show exactly how "marketing" driven I am. I mean, a perfume named after Kali? It could smell like horse dung, and I'd still be tempted to buy it. Fortunately, this one comes from the Lab, and I completely trust them to make a stunning perfume, even if it doesn't work on me... So.... In the Bottle Oh, this is interesting! From the description, I was expecting something darker (maybe I was imagining a heavy red wine), but this is light! It smells mainly of honey, and light milk chocolate, with these creamy florals behind it. The tobacco comes through, but it's the very spicey/sweet tobacco that you'd smell coming from a pipe -- not the kind that you'd get from a cigarette. I want to say that I recognize the cassia from Old Morocco and the lotus from Muse, but the truth is that it's too well blended. All I can smell is a golden/spicey honey sweetness, with the most dizzying sort of...well...corruption underneath. I would never expect to see Kali in such a sweet disposition; but from this, I get this mental image of her preening before her worshipers, and it's oddly appropriate. Wearing It Mmmm.... This is yummy. I like. Very, very much. It's sweet and golden, much like Dana O'Shee, but more exotic and more sensual. It develops this scent of sex -- not like O, which has that sweaty, post coital scent to it, but more like a light muskiness, or smokiness, which doesn't smell like a typical musk. It brings a darker flavor to the scent, which makes it much more intriguing than the sweet honey mazipan of Dana O'Shee. The florals are still creamy and spicey, and there's something weirdly watery about it. I keep thinking of pools of water around an altar, and I'm not sure why. The even weirder part is that it's watery without setting off my allergies -- a definite plus! It's a very subtle scent on my skin, the sort that clings to my flesh and doesn't waft about. On the otherhand, it's fairly long lasting. It hides in waiting on my wrists for hours without fading much, and even after it's mostly faded, there's still a spicey honey scent left lingering. So.... I dislike wearing anything with honey. I dislike wearing anything sweet. Can't stand floral scents. Hate the scent of chocolate on my skin. But for some weird reason I can't get enough of the scent of Kali. Honestly -- when I first smelled it in the bottle I thought, "Oh no, this is going to be one of those..." But wearing it is intoxicating. Even my boyfriend, who hates the scent of sweets or chocolates on me, really likes it. Admittedly, I was expecting something dark and sinister, possibly even bloody when I thought of a scent that could embody Kali. But I have to admit that this works, and works well. This is one of my top 10 BPAL scents (actually, one of my top five), and I'm definitely getting a bigger bottle of this. Just can't get enough of it.

When I first discovered the Lab, this was one of the ones that I've been dying to try out. I've been in a production of MacBeth, and have adore the character inspiration for this scent. However, I put off ordering it for a little while, mainly because there were other scents that had higher priority. By the time I placed my order, I think I'd missed out on the earlier version, and gotten the drier version; which I think is a good thing, since I like my scents not so sweet. In the Bottle This smells sweet. Very sweet. It's got this candy like scent to it, and I don't catch even the faintest hint of wine. I can catch the tiniest hint of berries, but mainly it reminds me of candy. It does share a bit of similarity with Bewitched, if you think of a deeper burgundy coloration (instead of the deep earthy purple that is Bewitched)... It's got the same berry feel to it, but it's much riper and juicier. Wearing It When it goes onto my skin, it gets even more sweet, but turns into a grape smell. My boyfriend said that it reminded him of the grape sodas that they sell at the local supermarket. Even after it's dried down, and has had time to mellow out, it's still really sweet, and has a bit of a plastic smell. Actually, I think that the culprit here is the currant, which did the same thing in Jester. It's the same plastic/fruit smell that I got when I wore that one. I guess that my skin just doesn't like currant. Ah well... I guess this is another one of the berry scents that doesn't work out for me. In the vial it smells alright, but on my skin... Eh. I guess I'll be avoiding currant notes in the future. I think, though, that if anyone likes the way that Jester works on them, and is looking for a darker version of that, that this would be the one to try. Also, I suspect that if any Kitsune-Tsuki fans are looking for a less oriental version of that scent, that this wouldn't be too far off.

I wanted to give this a shot because of how lovely the fig note is in Dragon's Heart. Plus, after reading Vaniclion's review of the single note, I decided that anything with fig would be thrown onto my wishlist. The mandarin sounded appealing, also, because anything with orange is a bonus. In the Bottle This smells great! Think orange, but not the sort of sour, tangy, citrus of tangerine; nor the sticky slight citrus of a regular orange; instead think of the sweetest (but not candy sweet -- this is pure fructose sweet) section of orange that you can imagine, without a hint of sourness. Then imagine this earthy scent underneath it all, something that's perfectly layered with the sweetness of the orange. And that's what it smells like from the vial. My boyfriend says that he doesn't like it much, but then, he's not a fan of figs. For me, this smells delicious; fruity in a way that defies the candied sweetness of most fruit scents, and brings this down to the earthy level of sin. Wearing It Sadly, this doesn't work very well on me at all. When I apply it, it immediately starts to change into a waxy scent, and starts to smell like a candle (this is the second time a new scent has done this to me this week, and I'm beginning to suspect that it's due to some weird body chemistry thing...I'll have to try this out in another week or so). I can still smell the delectable scent of orange and fig underneath, but it's all ruined by that waxy smell. Not nearly as bad as some of the other scent changes that I've experienced (like the rotten fruit smells, or the powder scents), but still not what I want to smell like. Pity. I really was curious as to what this would smell like, and I have to admit I didn't anticipate it at all. The scent from the bottle is much better, and very different, from what I imagined it to be. I guess I was thinking that the orange would be lighter, more citrus, and that the fig would be more candy like. This is a very welcome difference from what I imagined, and I wish it had worked out better on my skin. But, I'm willing to give it another go. Here's hoping my skin chemistry works better next week.

After reading the description of this, I didn't care if it was a "masculine" scent -- I was going to get my hands on an imp of this! I adore lime, and, while all musks work well with my skin chemistry, white musk is one of the best scents that I can find for me. I didn't quite know how the citron and lilac would work, but I suspected that this would work well, regardless. When my order came in today, it was the first thing to be applied. In the Bottle This smells just like a fresh wedge of lime, with the rind and the citrus mixing perfectly. There's a bit of white-ish floral underneath, but for the most part the only thing I can smell is lime. Makes me want a margarita. The citron and the white musk aren't very apparent, but they add a bit of lemony warmth to the equation. Wearing It Oh, this is just what I've wanted! I think I've found my signature scent!!! When it first goes on, the lime sharpens and the citron and musk pick up, making it smell a bit like a citrus aftershave. But as it dries, it begins to smell like lilac more, and I end up with the scent of flowers from a lime tree. It smells like lime, and musk, perfectly balanced, with the smell of light, fresh floral underneath. It's beautifully feminine on me, and I swear that if my boyfriend tries to steal this imp from me that I'll have to come up with a murder alibi. The lime smells a bit more like the rind than the actual citrus, which is fine by me, but I figured I'd mention that. The only trouble with this is that it's such a light scent that I need to be close up to smell it. And it fades to a light sweetness so quickly that I just want to keep slathering it on me. Mmmmm. This is better, so much better, than any other perfume I've ever encountered. This is just like Embalming Fluid, but with lime instead of lemon, and without the bitterness of the tea. Instead, it's the cleanness of the scent, with a light floral undertone. It's lighter and fresher and yummier and... Delicious. The next 5ml I order will be this one for sure. I'm going to have a hard time testing any of the other scents I ordered, because I'll only want to wear this one! This is definitely an underrated scent, and I'm surprise it isn't more popular. edited to say: After I wrote this review, I realized that I hardly compared this scent to Muse at all. Possibly that's because it reminded me so much of Embalming Fluid that I hardly thought to compare it to another scent with lime and florals. Having tried both Muse and Whitechapel, I'd have to say that Whitechapel is everything that I had wanted Muse to be. The lime is more elegant, the florals less heavy, and in general more subtle and clean.

I know I shouldn't be so shocked about how wonderful and sweet the people on this forum are, but I am... I got this imp in a swap, not because I swapped for it, but because the person I swapped with threw it in just for fun. Ever since I discovered how yummy the apricot in Katharina is, I've been dying to give March Hare a try. In the Bottle The aprioct and cloves are about in equal parts, and they smell great. In Katharina, when I sniff it in the bottle the apricot is so sharp that it almost makes me feel queasy. This apricot smells sweeter, and more subdued. The cloves are distinct, and smell not like ground cloves but like whole cloves still in the spice jar. I used to smoke clove cigarettes because I loved the smell of the cloves, the smoke, and the vanilla taste on the filter. This smells similar, but better...It doesn't have the sweetness of the vanilla, and it doesn't have the heaviness of the smoke. This is a straight kick of spice. Wearing It This smells yummy. Drying off, the apricot is still strong, but once it dries down the clove takes over the scent. With Katharina, the white musk acts as the backdrop for the apricot, making a sweet, clean backing for the spirited apricot; in March Hare, the apricot is the sweet, clean backing for the clove. The clove isn't so much spirited, as, well, mad. It's like a weasel popping out of a box, in the middle of a middle class livingroom. My boyfriend commented that it smelled a lot like a candle, which I think is due to the heavy clove with the sweet background. I'm reminded of the candles the sell in Hallmark stores that smell nice, but don't have a particular scent. But really, this is better than that, because the apricot smells sweeter, and more *real* than a scented candle. This is a nice, strong scent. It's feminine, with a really spirited kick. It's note the sweet, clean scent that Katharina is, but it's perfect for a day when I'm not feeling quite so comformist as all of that. And it isn't so feminine that I couldn't see a guy wearing this. Actually, I think that it would smell quite yummy on a guy, since the clove is so strong. Mmm... Anyhow, this one is definitely a keeper. I'm not sure I'll be getting a bigger bottle (especially since there are so many other scents that I'll be getting a bigger bottle of), but I'll definitely be using up the imp, and maybe ordering a second imp.

I know I've said this on other posts, but my boyfriend really loves O and Old Morocco, so much so that I recently placed an order for a 5ml of Old Morocco for him. So far, it seems like he's interested in trying Wilde, and Jabberwocky (although he may have to fight me for that last one, and since we're the same size it'll be a good little brawl) But I think I can manage to share if it smells good enough on him. Otherwise, he's tried several of the gender neutral and non traditional scents, and he's like the way that Lear and Azazel smell in the bottle (Lear does a super sage routine on his skin, and Azazel reminds him too much of spaghetti for him to wear it). We've also tried Mad Hatter and Villain on him, but there's something about the more traditional male scents that don't work so well on him. Old Port-Au-Prince smelled nice on him, but was a bit too heavy on the spices for him to like. And I've got my own personal wishlist of imps that I want him to try, like DeSade, and Fenris Wolf. Anyhow, I hope that gives you an idea.

Well, I should know better than to try this, because I'm not a fan of jasmine, and most scents with "aquatic" or "wet" scents in them leave my allergies going nuts. But I adore New Orleans (the history, as well as the culture), and am mad about anything related to it. So a chance to smell like the older city (minus the vomit and disease, of course) was something that I couldn't pass up. And a very generous someone included this imp as an extra in a swap. In the Bottle That's jasmine alright. Very floral. But the honeysuckle really stands out, too, and leaves the florals smelling nice and sweet. The combination smells like a more swampy, tropical scent than anything else. Very fitting. The lemon doesn't stand out too much against the florals, but is still noticeable. But the surprise here comes from the spices, which are very prominent in the vial. I want to say cinamon, but maybe not -- maybe clove, instead. It's interesting...Even though it's very spicey, it's hard to pin point what sort of spice. Ah well. This look like it'll be fun to wear, even if it doesn't work out. Wearing It The jasmine and lemon jump out at me, eliminating any sweetness that the honeysuckle had added to the scent while it was in the bottle. As it dries down, it softens a bit and the honeysuckle comes out again. The spices are there, mixing with the lemon, and it reminds me a bit of lemon cough drops -- the kind with the herbal/spicey notes in them. The scent filled the room right away when I had opened up the imp ear, but now, while I'm wearing it, it's almost hard to smell. Even though the scent is strong, it's not overpowering like some of the other oils that the Lab makes (Voodoo, Dragon's Heart, etc.). Instead, I have to really smell my wrists to figure out what is going on. Dry, this smells very balanced, and very well mixed. The jasmine has taken backseat to the honeysuckle (thank god), and the lemon/spice is strong enough to be noticed. It's this pleasantly heady floral scent, with a bit of sweet summertime kick. There's something at the base of this that smells a great deal like the green part of plants, and reminds me of the hot house at the local carnivorous plant nursery that I go to a lot. Sweltering, almost. I'm not sure I'll keep this, since it's still too floral for my tastes. But part of me wants to hang onto it and see whether it grows on me. The spice and lemon go a long way towards making it a really yummy scent, and to some extent it reminds me of when I was younger -- when I used to have "tea" with the fairies, using flowers for cups. I'd always smell like a mixture of broken, crushed stems, and the actual nectar. This actually makes me want to check my fingers for the sticky residue, and it's really rather nice. At the very least I'll wear it a few more times before making up my mind.

I ended up ordering a 5ml of Blue Moon, a 5ml of Old Morocco, and imps of Kali, Djinn, Alecto, Kuang Shi, Bacchanalia, and Fae. I had a hard time limiting myself to just that, but the budget kinda helped. I really wanted to order some single notes, though. Maybe next month. I really would have like to have gotten June Gloom and Havisham, but I'm afraid I'll be allergic to the first, and both of them seem like floral dominated blends, which I don't do so well with. And I think I will end up wearing Blue Moon, depending on how it smells. I'm sure I'll also use it for ritual work. I'm not sure how I feel about the Juniper and the Bay notes, but the rest of it sounds yummy, and those first two aren't any of my "can't have" scents. So... Hopefully it'll be something I can wear, and if not, I'm sure I'll love it anyhow.

Yay!!!! Cucumber!!! Thank you so much!!!

You truly are a lab goddess! Not only 12 hours early for those of us who are obsessive, but two new scents!!! And a poetry inspired series!!! Squee!!! I'm all bouncy.

Ever since I found this forum and read about Samhain, it has been my holy grail of BPAL perfumes. There is no better time of the year than just around Halloween, when the leaves begin to drop, and the air turns crisp and cool. It's not just the weather though, because I also love being able to start drinking my cold weather drinks (apple cider), and being able to spend hours digging out pumpkin guts. So....a scent that captured all of this? Yay! And someone on the forum generously swapped me for a itsy-bitsy amount of it, just so I could try it out and see if it really was all that it was cracked up to be. In the Bottle It smells just like mulled cider, hot out of the pot. There's the smell of pumpkins next, but they aren't the sweet pumpkin pie sort of pumpkins -- they're the ones that have been carved out, wax dripping down their teeth like oddly albino blood, while the tea candles inside of them are about to sputter out. There's another scent in here that's acting like a base for all of this, and it's reminding me of Voodoo a bit... Oh, the patchouli! That's it. It smells really good, and evokes the campfire feel of voodoo, as though there were a camp fire next to all of these pumpkin/cider festivities. It's just murky enough to call to mind the smell of decomposing leaves, and the smell of the crisp autumn air is there too. Wearing It The patchouli and clove pick up suddenly, making it a very heavy spicey fragrance at first. The pumpkin starts to add in it's powerful scent, and it starts to feel very gritty and earthy, like carving pumpkins with no drop cloth -- instead it's outside where the thick, black dirt can mingle with the insides of the pumpkin. I wonder if that strong, bitter smell that's beginning to come out is the mullein? Or, no, that's allspice. I recognize that from making gingerbread. I think the bitter comes from the mix of the allspice, pumpkin, and patchouli. The apple cider is really taking a while to come out in all of this. But really, who cares? This scent is great! Oh, and the apple is coming back, about 10 minutes after application, bringing a really sweet smell with it. The sweetness in this scent really belongs to the apple. Any whiff of pumpkin smells raw, and if this is the raw pumpkin scent that everyone associates with Jack, I can't wait to get my hands on my imp of it. This really is the holy grail of all perfumes. I wish I could bathe in this, and make my house smell this way. I probably could, if I brought home enough patchouli, and pumpkin, and started making mulled cider on the stovetop each evening. But that's an autumn sort of activity -- this is the ability to bring back that feeling, without once having to reach for the mulling spices or pumpkin knives. I've been feeling irritable all week long thanks to the opressingly hot summer days, and this makes me feel warm and refreshed all at once, and gives me the feeling of wanting to curl up with some cider and stare out the window at the approaching rain clouds. (if only there were approaching rain clouds!) I think I'm going to cherish this sweet little bit of liquid as if there were none left on the planet, and if Beth ever brings this scent back, I'll be racing to be the first to buy at least a 10ml bottle, if not more. (And even for my favorite scents, I'm only buying 5mls right now.) And now, I'm going to spend the next...well...as long as possible deeply inhaling the odor around my wrists. ETA: Well, it looks like Beth has smiled down upon us and given us a chance to get more Samhain. And the *instant* I found this out, I bought some. So...there ya go. A couple of months have passed since I first tried/reviewed this, and I still love it tons.

I have to say that ever since I read jj_j's review, I've been dying to try this scent. And when I found out the The Lion was the Lion from Through the Looking Glass, I was twice as resolved to try it out. The sample I tried is a prototype, generously loaned to me by rosefaith. (Thanks so much!!!) "The Lion had joined them while this was going on: he looked very tired and sleepy, and his eyes were half shut. `What's this!' he said, blinking lazily at Alice, and speaking in a deep hollow tone that sounded like the tolling of a great bell." In the Bottle Cinamon, Cinamon, Cinamon! Behind that is something a bit deeper, like civet or vetivert (can't really tell the difference between the two, but it reminds me of the deepness of Voodoo, and some of the other scents with these two in them). There's a sort of lightness to it, that reminds me of dry, sweet grasses, or perhaps the feeling of burrying your face in a horse's mane. I'd say a cat, but this smells like a more coarse, sun-filled fur, and the closest I've been to smelling anything like it is a horse's mane on a hot summer day, with the smell of hay beneath it all. The cinamon just takes this smell and makes it sweeter, and more delectable. Wearing It The sweet, dry grasses scent picks up, and wisks me away to an African savannah -- or at least what I think that would smell like. The cinamon is still strong, and I like it. It lends a smell of earthy, spiceyness to this smell that is perfect for The Lion. Clove just wouldn't have done it at all, and niether would any of those other spices. Cinamon is the perfect compliment to this grassy, sun-infused scent. If there is a musk in here, it's a light one, possibly a white musk, but it doesn't smell overly animalistic on me. The civet or vetivert (whichever of them, if it even is one of those two) has grounded the scent on me, but doesn't dominate it at all. It's as though the strength behind the deepness just acts as a supporting scent, a stolid background for that grassy, cinamon feline. And let me say that this is Alice's Lion, the great beast that is half napping. It's the sort of scent that makes me want to stretch out on my bed, and spend the day with eyes half shut. As far as longevity is concerned, this scent really doesn't last very long at all. It's mostly faded by two hours of wearing it. I am not, by any means, a fan of cinnamon scents. But let me say that this is the scent that will change my mind on that subject. It's sun soaked, and warm, and the cinamon makes me feel like rubbing my face against my wrists, nuzzling up to the solid comfort of this scent. It's mostly benign, with just a hint of danger behind it all, the sort of scent that makes you want to forget how dangerous it could be. My only wistful thought is that I hope the final version will be a bit less heavy on the cinamon (since apparently my skin likes to highlight the smell). But otherwise, I can't wait until this finally debuts. I'll have to get myself a huge ol' bottle.

My boyfriend has tried out quite a few scents, but so far he's only found two that he wants to wear: O, and Old Morocco. Both of which are gender nuetral, and lots of women on the forum adore. And both smell great on him, not feminine in the least. And in my next order I ordered some imps that are supposedly gentleman's scents (chypre, jack, and whitechapel), and while I'm willing to let my boyfriend try them on, they're primarily intended for me. Othello, for example, is a masculing scent with roses in it. And I know that several women don't mind wearing it, and I'd love to smell this on a guy. And when I read the description for Queen of Sheba, I really wanted to try it out on my boyfriend, but I think I decided in the end that I didn't want him to have to say to someone, "I'm wearing Queen of Sheba." Especially since we're based in SF, where Queen of Sheba could be so easily misinterpretted. I guess it just depends on what you imagine to be masculine or feminine. I'm hoping to wear Jabberwocky regularly (when it arrives), but I know that several of my female friends wouldn't wear it because the description is so strong (and doesn't contain any traditionally feminine florals, or sweet smells). So when you're reading a description of a smell, you might be interested in checking out the reviews -- a lot of them actually mention if it's a masculine fragrance, and many of them (Tombstone, for example) have reviews that say "who cares if this is supposed to be for a guy? I love it!"

On the Shiny and New Page, Beth says, "More details will become available towards the end of next week." I'm hoping that this means scent descriptions for Blue Moon. But, yeah, I'm also counting the days.

When I added Jester to my wishlist, I was thinking to myself that I wanted to find a companion for my bottle of Bewitched -- something just as wonderful and berry smelling, but perhaps a bit more cool instead of musky. I didn't really know what the huckleberry would smell like, and I'd only ever smelled the red currant and the neroli in other mixes. In the Bottle My god! If Bewitched is deep purple, this is bright magenta! The only thing I smell is sweet and tart, like candy! It's isn't cool, so much as a bright, playful, bubbling smell. Aptly named. Wearing It On my skin, the sweetness (and oh was it sweet!) mellowed out a lot. The first couple of seconds it stayed true to the original scent, but as it dried it gained a bit more of a sophisticated sweet (this must be the neroli -- i recognize that smell from Venom), and also a bit more of a vital smell to it, as though the currant were adding some amount of substance to it. It basically turns from a vapid, adolescent giggling girl to a grown, sophisticated woman with sparkling eyes chuckling under her breath. Unfortunately in about 5-10 minutes, this smell gains that plastic scent to it, and (just like Mitzy) I'm reminded of the strawberry scented plastic that were on my My Little Ponies. It's not a strong plastic scent, and is pretty tolerable... infact, it's not unpleasant. But not the way that I envision myself smelling. The scent, however, lasts a good long while -- at least five hours that I can recall, if not longer. One of Beth's scents that has some real staying power. While I was really glad that I got to try this out, I think this is another one that'll go straight to the swap pile. It definitely has that berry feel, but none of the reserve that I'd associate with a "cool" scent. Even so, I'd consider keeping it around if it weren't for my perverse skin chemistry.

As far as good clean scents go, my first two recommendations are Embalming Fluid and Tears. Both of those are very clean smelling to me. Neither of them smell like traditional perfumes, and each of them has a distinct (and different) feel to them. If you liked Pain, you just might like Tempest, which also has some lavender in it, but still maintains a clean scent that is not like a traditional perfume. Another one you might really like is Viola, which has rose and spice (kinda like a combination of the florals in Old London and the spice of Snake Oil, and throw in some earthiness. Not a "clean" scent, but a really delightful one. Another one you might enjoy is Old Morocco, which has some of the spices that Snake Oil has, but doesn't have the vanilla in it. Instead it's got carnations and red sandalwood, and a bunch of stuff that makes it feel like a very dry, woody scent with good spice to it. The dryness makes it smell "clean" to me, but in a very warm sort of way. A really popular rose scent is Spellbound, which musk and amber in it, but I hear it's really, really good smelling. If you liked old London, you just might like this. Oh, and speaking of rose and clean scents, maybe give Delerium a shot. It's got the lemon, apple and rose, and I can't imagine it being at all heavy or perfumey. Infact, the lemon notes tend to make a perfume feel a bit more clean to me, so maybe this will be the case here. And Othello might be another one to try, since it's got three different roses and those same middle eastern spices that work so well in Snake Oil and Old Morocco (well, they might not be exactly the same, but... you get the idea). Also, Lucy's Kiss might be another one to try. I could keep going, but I think at this point I'll give someone else the chance to recommend a few, and myself a chance to go to bed. Hope that this helps.

This is going to sound a little funny, but I take my cue on pronoucing Scherezade from the Disney movie Aladin: "Share a zod ee" probably not the correct phonetic spelling (in fact, for certain not the correct phonetic spelling), but that's the way I pronounce her name. Dictionary.com suggests a different pronunciation, but it's based on the proper spelling of the name: "Scheherezade," rather than Beth's Scherezade. (I've noticed that she's misspelled several of her scents, such as Katharina and Titiania, which are spelled differently in the original Shakespearean plays.) Their pronunciation suggests (again with the not correct phonetic spelling) pronouncing it as: "She (with a light "e," like in "item") her (the "e" pronounced like "pet") e (once again, like in "item") zad (the "a" like "father")" As for the other names, I don't think I know how to (nor attempt to) pronounce them. Can't wait to see what others think.

It's right on the nose. In fact, I'm in California and it's 11:24 as I type, and since you posted at about 6am according to this forum, it looks to be absolutely correct.

Wow! This fucking rocks! This is going to increase my BPAL obsession 10 fold!

Burial, I believe, was part of my very first order with the Lab, as an alternative to Zombi. I was figuring that if Zombi was too floral, that I had something else to smell of freshly turned dirt. It's interesting that of all the imp ears that I've gotten, even through swaps, this one has taken me the longest to review. I think that it's probably because the scent seemed a bit too bitter right out of the vial. In the Bottle This has a bitter edge to it, which I think I can blame on the juniper. It's got this pungent smell to it that I just don't like, and while I can smell the flowers, and earthy scent underneath, I just can't get past the first strong note. Wearing It When I first apply it, the patchouli picks up a lot and takes the bitter edge off of the scent. Unfortunately, this really reminds me of new age shops that go too heavy on the incence and aromatherapy... it reminds me of some bitter scent that makes your eyes tingle, mingling with the thick, sweet, smokey incence. Still not so fond of the juniper. But as it dries out, it does get more earthy, more dirt like. It begins to remind me of digging in my old back yard. It reminds me of planting sage, and oregano, and other herbs; but this isn't the smell of those plants as their oils get on my skin -- this is the smell of handfuls of fresh, fertile earth, when you're packing it down with your hands and it's getting under your nails. The more it dries, the more the light floral scent picks up also; this is yet another oil that likes to turn to baby powder on my skin. So now....earthy, flowerly, bitter baby powder. The other thing that I'm noticing, the more I sniff at this, is that there seems to be some sort of eucalyptus (and maybe pine and mint) in here. The smell of the eucalyptus is making itself known, and it makes me feel good... reminds me of the tree that my sister and I used to play under when we were children. But that's all underneath the rest of the scent... This wasn't nearly as floral as Zombi, and if I were looking for a tuned down version of Zombi, this would be it. It reminds me a lot of a strong, old crone type image, someone who has wrinkled hands and spends lots of time in a garden. I showed this to one of my friends, and am planning on giving her the imp because she liked it so much. On her skin, the patchouli really picked up, and smelled great... My chemistry seems determined to bring out the scents that I'm not so fond of, though. Amusingly enough, it turns out that between Burial and Cheshire Cat, the two scents were enough to get her hooked, and she just recently placed an order. I love how earthy this scent is, but it's not for me; too much juniper, and too many skin chemistry issues. edited to say: my boyfriend actually really likes the way this smells on me. he can most readily identify the rose and eucalyptus. i'm hoping, though, that when i get my next order the sample of jabberwocky will provide the eucalyptus and the rose (which I'm not so fond of) will be nicely replaced by orange... we'll see.

I dunno... I'd stay away from anything with musks or resins in it, just because those seem to make a scent heavier... Have you tried Tears or Tempest? Both of those are really crisp, fresh scents, although not juicy. If you can get your hands on Snow White, that's a really great scent...perfect for what you want. Otherwise, how would you feel about a floral with some juicy notes in it? Perhaps Muse, Endymion, or Delirium? I've found that anything with white florals in it seems a lot less heavy to me than the normal florals... Anyhow, those are just some thoughts.

One of the first scents from the Lab that I ever tried was Bewitched, and I've fallen in love with it. However, Bewitched seems like a very autumn sort of scent, smelling like baked berries, and musk, and forests... So I was looking for a spring or summer scent to compliment it. So I've been trying scents such as Rosalind, Venom, etc. In the Bottle Wow, that grassy scent is potent! Smells just like a freshly mowed lawn (and since I loathe mowing my lawn in summer time, this isn't a good thing). I can smell the flowers (they're awfully sweet and soft smelling -- nothing at all like the heavy fragrant jasmine scents I've been trying lately). The berries don't seem to be making their presence known yet. Wearing It This is odd. I haven't yet tried a scent from the Lab that didn't change on application, but this may be the first. When I applied it, it didn't seem to change at all. As it dried, the flower scent gained a bit of a backbone and seemed to match the grassy smell for power. But still no berries, or if there are any, they are so light that I don't smell them. (it is allergy season, after all...) I'm not sure I like the grass in this at all. It reminds me very strongly of gardens and days in the park, of summer and lounging in the sun with glasses of iced tea; but I was hoping for more of a berry smell, instead of such a strong grass smell. I think that this is another one for the swap pile, especially since my nose is beginning to react to the grass. Damned allergies. Time to wash off the wrists.