minnalavender

Death Adder is named thus because it smells so beautiful it kills you. I received 8 bottles in the order that contained Death Adder - and it was the first and only one I applied after opening the bottle. I wore Snake Oil today knowing that my package would be arriving in the afternoon; I wanted to see if I could detect it in DA, or see how it was different. I could, and they are. (The bottle art on the Snake Pit is amazing - so beautiful!) In the bottle I don't detect any vanilla or coconut - just the Indonesian oils and the vetiver and maybe the opoponox? It's an ingredient in Schwarzer Mond that I recognize here, too -dark, resinous, and strong. This is not a girlie scent! Snake Oil is so strong I can taste it in the back of my throat, and that same phenomenon occurred when I first applied Death Adder - it struck quick and hard, straight for my throat, almost closing it. Sweet vanilla and coconut are nowhere to be found! This is a brutal, aggressive, sexual scent. My skin amps sweet notes, and yet they're really faint, at first. As it dries down they come out a little more, a whisper beneath the assertive resinous notes. Some people found Smut smutty, but on my skin it's sweet and playful and I can wear it any time. I personally wouldn't wear Death Adder to a parent-teacher conference. It's definitely a "going out and getting yer *cough* on" kind of scent on me. As it dries, I can really smell the Indonesian oils and the vetiver blending together, with vetiver becoming the predominant note. The combination makes for a gender-neutral scent - I can totally imagine a man wearing this and me wanting to tear his clothes off and smelling incredible. From the coconut and vanilla notes listed, I was expecting a much sweeter, gentler scent - silly me! This is about as sweet as a pair of black leather pants. If you love Schwarzer Mond and Snake Oil I think you will LOVE Death Adder!

Wow - is Treat #2 ever a morpher! I traded a decant of my Trick#2 for it. In the bottle, all I can detect is orange, spices, and chocolate. Wet on my skin something kind of odd-smelling - the cardamom? - comes to the fore. This is not my favorite stage, but it's not a deal-breaker like some notes have been - it's just not real pleasing to my nose. However, waiting it out is totally worth it! Treat #2 has THE best drydown on my skin yet, orangey, spicy coconut buttercream. I'm a slatherer and I can only dab from this decant, so there's no throw. Yet every once in a while I think "What is that beautiful smell?" and remember it's the Treat. My husband looks at me sniffing at my wrist with a blissful look on my face and just shakes his head. I'm going to try to get my hands on more of this. I want to slather it.

The first time I found a bottle of Pink Moon for sale on LJ I was shoplifted. I'm superstitious, so even though pink is one of my favorite colors I wondered if that was an omen. Then I thought, I'm a 4th gen Californian and it's reminiscent of my favorite season here, with native flowers - screw it! I want to try it! I'm so glad I took a chance on another bottle. Oooh, it's sooo pretty. Wet in bottle: bubble gum and strawberry cough syrup. Those aren't unpleasant, but I'm a growed-up woman. At my age I feel it's kind of inappropriate to smell like a little girl's toy. I was apprehensive, but I know now that some fragrances that are strong in the bottle are changed by my skin, so I generously applied it. Mmmmmmmmm~!! The sweetness of the strawberries and flowers are nicely balanced by something rich and spicy - together, they're happy and feminine and sweet but not cloying or artificial. Pink Moon works wonderfully well with my skin chemistry. It stays close to the skin and it doesn't last a long time, but with a bottle, reapplication is no problem. It reminds me so much of the TAL oil Yemayá! It shares the same sweet floral fruitiness. The scent calms and grounds me while also lifting my spirits. I'm really glad I found another bottle! Whenever I need a pick-me-up or wear pink, I'll proudly wear it.

No grapefruit?? No wai! I would swear there was grapefruit in this beautiful scent. Bitter Moon is fighting hard for a top 3 spot in my Lunacy loves, it really is. It's incense and floral yet fruity, almost citrus, mysterious, distant but not cold. Dignified. It's just gorgeous! Bravo, Lab! All the listed notes like me except lotus, which smells like Double Bubble to me. Thankfully in Bitter Moon the note may be doing something, but not the chewing gum routine! Bitter Moon has a definite Asian feel to it, very fruity and incensy at the same time - it reminds me most of Peony Moon, my number 2 favorite Lunacy, even with the grapefruit note. It is much more somber and regal than happy grapefruity Hungry Ghost Moon, my number 1. The longer it wears, the more I love it, clinging to my skin like silk. Japanese samurai would burn incense beneath their helmets before battle so that if their heads were cut off, their hair would smell sweet. This would be a perfect blend to scent a female samurai's hair. I almost couldn't smell it in the bottle, and it takes a while for my skin to warm it to the point where there is any appreciable throw - it stays close. There's nothing bitter or sour to it on my skin, but then I amp anything sweet to the 1000th. It is soft and sweet and tart and spicy from first application to hours of wear. I will find another bottle, yes I will. As good as this is now, I'm guessing it's going to age into something magical, and I want plenty to enjoy.

Ohhhh. The first time I applied Black Opal to my wrists and sniffed, I got all verklempt. I think I may have found a GC substitute for my beloved Snow White '04. In the imp and wet, it's the same creamy, soft white vanilla and coconut, with a top note of one of the florals in Ode On Melancholy, I think. Is there amber? Something is powdery, too. When it's wet there is an intriguing hint of fresh potting soil there as well, tying it beautifully to the concept. This is the sweetest, softest sigh of a scent. There must be flowers but I can't identify them. Overall, it's just sweet, creamy, icy-soft goodness. It's a very white scent, which I normally can't do - pale white flowers give me migraines. Not Black Opal! I love this and so does my messed-up head. The throw is almost nonexistent, but that's fine: I love quiet scents. I can tell this is one I'll slather and reapply, too. This is a def. 5ml with my next lab order - probably two bottles. I want to age one to see if it grows as strong and lovely as SW. My mom once told me that it's bad luck for those not born in October to wear opals. I'm glad there's an opal I can safely wear now!

Ooooh, what a wonderful blend. I got SUCH a good feeling just holding the bottle, before I even opened it! The scent itself is very comforting to me - in the bottle I can smell the mint mixed with chocolate ( ), and on my skin what I think is tobacco. There also seems to be some patchouli leaf, and other herbs and spices I could never identify. On drydown the vetiver becomes prominent. Vetiver and I don't get along too well, except in this blend. It's soft and lovely. I'm glad it has a strong mint note. Mint is very analgesic and clears my sinuses. I've actually taken to dabbing a bit of Lick Me on my temples before bed, and when I get headachy. I like this mint more for that purpose. It's an herbal mint, sort of like how lavender is an herbal floral, if that makes any sense. I applied Helping Hand right before bed, concentrating upon the specific intent of it. When my husband kissed me goodnight, he told me I smelled good. This NEVER happens! Bonus points! I slept like the proverbial log. When I awoke, wonder of wonders! I had a great day with a friend who has been very difficult to get along with lately. I was also in a happy, loving mood all day - another first in quite a while! It was delightful. I'll be using this blend nightly, dabbed on my third eye and heart chakra. I'm so grateful the Lab makes oils like this! Thank you!

Oshún is amazing. I was originally attracted to Her because she is a Goddess associated with so many qualities I greatly admire and would like to bring into my life. When I read that "...Oshun is difficult to anger... she teaches people to resolve differences through kindness and compromise," I knew I had to have Her ASAP. My relationship with a dear friend has been very troubled the past month and I've been uncharacteristically hostile and amazed by my lack of compassion when dealing with her. She's recuperating from a near-fatal illness. The same stubborness and orneryness that helped her live makes her miserable to live with, these days. I applied this oil this morning before spending the day holiday shopping with her, an undertaking I was really dreading for its potential to drive me to homicide. I didn't focus intent as I applied it, as I was rushed and just trying to get ready to go on time. We ended up having a wonderful day together talking, laughing, and totally getting along! It was just like old times, before we took everything we said to each other the wrong way. What a blessing and a healing. As a fragrance, Oshún is faintly rosy with a strong honey note that, thankfully, doesn't go honeybun on me. It goes on strong but quickly fades very close to the skin. It's both feminine and exotic, a great bonus as I wasn't really purchasing Oshún as a perfume. As it's a very subtle rose and I love florals, I'll enjoy wearing it all year 'round. I can't wait to discover the other ways She assists and teaches me! Thank you, Labbies!

I can't believe I've never reviewed this or Smut - they're my two absolute favorite BPAL blends! In honor of receiving another bottle of it this afternoon, I'll try to write something. But what can I say that hasn't already been said? Nothing, most likely. But just in case someone hasn't tried it, is considering the pawn of their eldest child for it, and has similar skin chemistry to mine, I'll put in my $.02 anyhow. Snake Charmer is a juicier, slightly darker Snake Oil, with the musk of Smut and the coconut of Blood Pearl. It's sexy as whoa, but in a softer, more sibilant way, just like the description promises. (I've edited this review to reflect how the scent has changed as it has aged, and because since writing it I've come to realize that my first imp of Snake Oil was a weird batch or something, and now love the real thing.) If you love red musk, you will love SC, even though it includes black musk. My nose apparently can't tell the difference between the two! It's spicy and sweet and delicious beyond belief! My skin amps the coconut, both wet and in the drydown, which only makes it more luscious I think! It's got the perfect throw - not too strong, not too close to the skin. And it lasts and lasts. Snake Charmer is a masterpiece.

Acquired in a trade. I'm really glad I did, too. In the bottle: what in the world is the foody note I'm getting from this?? There's nothing cake-like listed in the notes! Yet the first sniff from the bottle smells like butterscotch! Or peanut buttery booze. Or something. I can smell berries, but it really smells like Thai peanut sauce! lol Bizarre. I've read of other people having that reaction to a note in certain musk blends, but musk isn't an ingredient here. What in the world... On my skin, the mystery note thankfully vanishes and I can really pick out the pink pepper, patchouli and pine pitch (say it fast five times!) As it dries, the tobacco note emerges. Mmmmmm. Sweet! My skin amps florals and sweet notes like crazy, and with this combination of notes I'm glad it does! The vanilla isn't prominent, but it's there keeping the pine/pepper/patchouli from becoming too sharp and strong. The drydown is spicy, incesnsy pomegranate and patchouli. Yuh-huh-hummmm. I smell high-grade cannibis buds and smoke almost every day (it's medically prescribed and legal!) and I WISH it smelled this good. Trick #2 is very close to the skin, smoky like bonfires and pipe tobacco, not bongs, and although it's sweet, it's very gender-neutral. I'd love to sniff this on a man's collar! That sweet smokiness reminds me of Devil's Night, in a way. Very very nice! I quite like this one. It isn't something I'd wear in the spring or summer, but it's perfect for autumn and winter, and I'll be happy to decant some for my hubby to wear. I'm guessing it gets even better as it ages, too. Brava, Beth & Co.!

Quietude is a gorgeous pure lavender freshened with lime. It's pretty much the same in the bottle as on my skin - soft and gentle, a wisp of a scent. Every time I catch a whiff of it, I exhale, releasing tension. Lovely. I just absolutely adore all of the Lab's lavender aromatherapy blends! (I purchased this from supremegoddessofall. Just goes to show you - "one man's meat is another man's poison," or something like that.)

The Lab's red musk and fruit scents are so gorgeous. Hollywood Babylon is full of notes that are lovely on my skin, and it doesn't disappoint. In the vial, the musk, strawberry and cherry are most noticable - it's a strange combination of innocence and sex. On my skin, those three notes blend together and remain true to the concept behind the fragrance. On their own, I wouldn't wear the fruits, but combined with the red musk their sweetness is perfectly tempered with depth and spice. I don't smell much vanilla, but then, I can't really detect it in Snake Charmer as a separate note yet I know it's there adding richness to the overall scent. I believe the amber gives this another layer of powdery sweetness on the drydown. Yummmm. Like all the red musk blends, it has a lot of throw and lasts a long, long time! Even after the fruit is gone, the musky goodness remains. I received this as a sample vial in a private sale, and I'm really glad I did! This is going to be a 5ml bottle purchase for sure. I'll wear it a lot.

OMFG do I love Halôa. I am not a foody scent lover, so the first sniff of this scent in the bottle made me a little wary - all I could smell was the offertory cake and a hint of wine. Don't get me wrong! The cake smell is delicious, warm and buttery; I just don't generally enjoy smelling like cake. But once it hits my skin - whoa. I can't detect a hint of the buttery yellow cake batter - it's gone completely to wine, incense, and spices. As I LOVE those notes, I am bowled over with the lovliness. It's still sweet, but not like sugar or cake - like juicy vine-ripened grapes and soft resins. I can't detect any floral notes and my nose isn't trained enough to detect olives. I can totally see this as a ceremonial fertility perfume. The drydown is teh sex0r on my skin. Lucky lucky me! It also speaks more of autumn and harvest to me than of Yule, but that too is entirely subjective. I would def. wear this more in the fall and winter than in spring, though. If you like Montressor or any of the grape/wine scents, you should love Halôa. It stays very close to my skin and fades pretty fast, so I am definitely going to get a second bottle to age before the Yule scents go bye-bye!

Purple Phoenix is a gorgeous floral with just a hint of purple grapes beneath it. It's sophisticated, regal, and classy. I am of an age where I'm about as confident and secure as I'm going to get. Sometimes I want a scent that's all woman, but isn't in-your-face sexual. Purple Phoenix suits me to a T. I could wear this on any occasion and it would be perfectly appropriate. In the bottle PP is surprisingly all candy fruit, plum blossom and violet, giving no hint to how it will smell on my skin. Once on, the myrrh and orris emerge, combining with the florals and giving them depth and resonance. My skin amps anything floral like WHOA, but in combination with the other notes, the wisteria and violet behave themselves. This is definitely an assertive floral scent, though. It has a medium throw, no slathering required, and I'm a slatherer with other florals. The drydown is just gorgeous. Each individual note emerges for a while, most notably the grapes, which I adore. It lasted a good ten hours on me, and at the end of that time I was still pressing my nose to my wrist for a hint of grape and violet. Purple Phoenix is like a scent rendition of Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman." "Now you understand Just why my head's not bowed. I don't shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing It ought to make you proud." It does.

I fell madly in love with last year's Lick It when I bought it at auction during the summer. It has incredible throw, lasts a good long time, and the vanilla undertone is so delicious when the beautiful peppermint fades. Alas - this year's sugary version doesn't work as well on me at all. I miss the vanilla, and once the peppermint fades, there's just nothing there any more. Within 30 minutes it has utterly disappeared from my skin. Could it be that the bottle I bought in July had aged for nine or ten months? If I thought that were the case I'd buy some to age... but I really miss that rich vanilla from last year's version. Gahhhhh~!! I was going to stock up while I could.

Yule is SO pretty - the perfect scent for the upcoming Holidays, but also a cheerful yet wintery scent (winter isn't one bit cheerful to me - - so this will be one I'll reach for). In the vial: lemony pine sap! It smells so much like the pinecones up in Tahoe. On my skin it becomes more citrus bright, less pine, and the florals are coming out too. It was very gender-neutral in the vial but my skin has amped everything feminine and soft in the notes while the pine and lemon stay present in the background. Drydown, the florals and citrus recede and the pine re-emerges as the dominant note, but the pine is softened by some incensey resins. Yum. If I wear this with Lick It (Again or '05) I will smell like Xmas personified! Unfortunately, I will have to slather - the scent is very close to the skin. I want to be able to smell it without pressing my nose to my wrist. Guess I'll have to splurge on a bottle.

I received this as a frimp with my last order, and I'm glad I did! It's not something I would have sampled based upon the notes, and I would have missed out on a very lovely, pure scent. (Frimps freaking rule. In the vial: very fruity, and yes - pineapple is what my brain is associating with it, and a little hint of something cedary...? But once I apply it, the fruit is joined by the woody, spicy note - the galangal, maybe? Gha - I hate having an ignorant nose. The whole fragrance is clean, pure, and sweet on my skin. It has a lot of throw on me, which is good - there's nothing in it that could become overwhelming. It's fruity without being childish at ALL - no candy or doll perfume, nothing coy or silly. This is a very dignified fruit scent. Beth often mentions offertory cakes in her descriptions - this is an offertory fruit, ripe and perfect. I would use this to annoint a blessings candle to burn for Kuan Yin on my altar. I really, really like Tzadikim Nistarim. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys soft, sweet, fruity scents but is of an age or mindset where smelling like a lollipop is kind of ridiculous. lol I might have to invest in a bottle of this!

TKO is an unusual, lovely, and effective scent! Just smelling it in the bottle is soothing. Once it hits my skin the combination of lavender and vanilla buttercream deliciousness has put a smile on my face that hasn't faltered in an hour. I almost wish it wouldn't put me out because I'd wear this as a perfume in a heartbeat. Two of my favoritist notes evar, together? *sigh* The lavender is really strong when it's wet, but the drydown is toasted marshmallow lavender. So yummy!! My husband once bought me little shortbread cookies with lavender in them from a boutique winery in Healdsburgh - TKO smells a little like them, buttery vanilla shortbread lavender. (It probably tastes better than the cookies, but I won't try to find out.) This is going into permanent rotation of Blends I Can't Sleep Without. It will be interesting to see if it's as effective as a migraine pain & urgh reliever as most lavender blends are for me, but I won't wish for one of those anytime soon.

Yay~!!! A GC alternative to my beloved Montressor! I am such a gleefully hellbound soul, how could I not try this? In the vial: ripe grapes, wine, and honey. Mmmmmm. On my skin: this doesn't morph on me, but remains true to the imp. The wine and honey are so lovely! I can detect the faintest musk note and maybe a little spicy tonka, but it's really all about the grape on me. I love it. The note smells exactly like the Muscat grapes that grow in wild profusion over our arbor, when they ripen from fruit to sugar. A def. big bottle purchase!

Well, that was unexpected! I have had this decant for months, but the first time I opened it I was assailed by a combination of notes that made me wince, and never tried it. My bad! Since early this evening I've had to be strong and cope with some really toxic, scary relationship and family drama that left me feeling exhausted, emotionally shaken, and sore of heart. I've been going through my imp box separating the TALs and voodoo blends from the perfumes and thought it might be a good time to try Lustration - god/dess knows I needed mental, physical, and spiritual purification. Opened up the decant and promptly burst into tears. It was completely involuntary - I hadn't been anywhere NEAR tears until then! The somewhat unpleasant scent still assailed me, but since tears act as a release of emotional poison, I dabbed some on the winged heart tattoo on my inner forearm. Oh. Lustration is so lovely on my skin! I am iffy about lemons as a perfume, but on my skin it has become the most wonderful citrus scent. All I can smell are sweet, pure, creamy, comforting orange and lemon, soft as a cloud. The tears stopped and a smile replaced them. After a few minutes I felt like declaring "This heart is clean," a la the little medium in the movie Poltergeist. lol! I feel a LOT better now. I'm getting a big bottle and slathering it whenever I have days like this, and when I just want to feel clean again. Thank you, Beth and Labbies.

OMG this is awesome. I knew I'd love it from the listed notes and the comparisons to Budding Moon, which I fell madly in love with unsniffed, too. And I do love it! In the bottle: sweet, playful plum, juicy and bright. On my skin the plum blossoms, the musk says hola querida, and the daffodil blooms. Oh, the daffodil!! I love love love it! This is happiness in a bottle. The comparisons to Budding Moon are spot-on. My daughter, who has the same nose as me, said it reminded her of Hungry Ghost Moon, too - mainly for the way it makes us grin. Her eyes rolled up in her head in ecstasy when she sniffed it! lol Then she slathered it on. Not much morph on this - pretty from start to finish. It also has a big throw and lasts a long time, wonderful with a fruit-based scent. My daughter is thrilled that it's a GC scent as now Mom can get her a bottle, too! lol This will kick ass during the winter, reminding us of what the summer felt like.

(I received a decant of NM in a circle of unreleased blends.) This vial has been getting a real workout during November while I do NaNoWriMo! I put a drop on each palm, then rub them together while focusing upon my novel and my characters; I concentrate upon the ability I have to bring them to life through my imagination and my fingers. I use my hands to draw down inspiration from the nine muses, and pray to them for stamina and focus, and I push away doubt and clutter in my mind and in my surroundings - they're just distractions. Then I write. And write. And write! lol I have been using it in conjunction with the bpal muse blends Erato and Calliope and I'm over 15K words just seven days in. Woot! Go me. Scent-wise, it's lemony but with a kick of eucalyptus and maybe a little lavender? To be honest, I don't wear it as a perfume, but rather use it as a tool, so I can't speak much about throw and so forth. IT WORKS. I love it. This and Oshún will be my next big bottle purchases. [/font] Merged with existing review topic. --Shollin

I first received Joy as part of a decant circle of unreleased TAL blends, and wound up purchasing a bottle of it. It's that wonderful. I am madly in love with orange and grapefruit notes; for me, they're instant cheer in a bottle, and having struggled with clinical depression all my life I worship anything that makes me happy. Joy reminds me of the bpal voodoo blend Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo, as both are based on an orange note. But while ACJM is candy-bright and fruity, Joy is deep, spicy, and ceremonial. It's like my favorite orange spice tea, something to savor in sips when I'm feeling blank or grey. I could easily wear it as a perfume, but I actually prefer to put it in a scent locket to sniff or to put a few drops in an unscented wax tart to diffuse throughout the room. When I smell it, I concentrate on whatever meaning joy has for me at that moment: a loved one's laughter, wild bird song, beauty, ocean waves, acceptance. The scent helps me focus on that and draw it into my being for a little while, and also helps me to spread that feeling to those around me. I love wearing it out in crowds (which I normally avoid at all costs) and sharing smiles with strangers when it reminds me of its presence. What a beautiful oil, and intent. People who give joy are truly blessed. I give my sincere thanks to them for this lovely ritual blend.

I was given this as a free sample in a off-site swap with the beautiful midnight_aeval. I'm so glad I was! Damn - this is as good a nighttime blend as Somnus, all beautiful jasmine blended with roses. It strongly reminds me of the TAL: Nocturne as well. I only wear scents that soothe me like this at night or when I'm ill - they're ceremonial, in a way. This is a definite 5 ml purchase, as with my migraines and sleep issues any scent that calms and soothes me is a necessity. So incredibly lovely. I want to write the Labbies fan letters full of gushing praise when I find something so precious. </geek>

Wow - 13 is one complex scent. In the bottle: spicy, floral cocoa, but not foody at all. This is chocolate as it's used in mole rojo, as a savory ingredient rather than a sweet one. It's very faint and somehow delicate. On my skin: what a morpher!! The cocoa note has taken a backseat to the sandalwood, which is strong and woody, and a peppery floral combination. I don't smell any vanilla, orange, or lavender at ALL - not even a smidge of them. Within 15 min. this is strong, peppery florals and tea on me. 13 isn't my lucky number. I think this will go off to a better home, where it will be loved.

*sniff* Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I've run out of superlatives for the Wonderfulness that is the Halloweenie Scents. Devil's Night is teh S3xX0r. It's simulataneously smoky, seductive, sweet, and spicy. It's like the best spicy cider EVAR being heated outdoors on a cold, crisp night over a applewood campfire. It's light yet strong. I ... my brain's fried. lol I love this, I'm getting two bottles, and my husband can kiss my delicious smelling ass if he thinks I spend too much on this stuff. HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND.