lucycat

In the imp this is light, creamy coconut similar to Snow White. Very pretty! On my skin, I primarily smell the two musks. The amber and sandalwood are there in the background, grounding the scent, but I can only pick them out by putting my nose right to my hand. Vasilissa is just a fantastically blended, creamy soft musk. It’s pretty, and yes, definitely pink. It’s sweet without being candylike or fruity. It’s feminine and girlish, though not childish. On me it’s a just-better-than-a-skin scent, and because it wears close to the skin, I think it would be appropriate to wear just about anywhere. I'm sorry I didn't try it sooner! Oh, and I can’t detect the jasmine anywhere in Vasilissa, so if you dislike or can’t wear jasmine, don’t let that prevent you from trying this if you like the other notes.

My imp of Zephyr is just over a year old. In the imp: Floral musk with a hint of citrus. Bright and sweet, but not overly so. Wet: the floral and the citrus flip-flop, so this is now primarily citrus musk with floral. Dry: the vanilla appears, and is stronger than the “drop of vanilla” listed in the notes would suggest. Zephyr becomes creamy citrus-vanilla musk. It’s reminiscent of Dorian, without the tea note. It also somehow reminds me of Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener: the combination of notes somehow smells very similar to sassafras on my skin, though that is not a note in Zephyr. This has a warmer feel than most white scents, and I think it’s perfect for springtime.

Kabuki was a frimp from the Lab, and is now a little over a year old. It begins as a sweet, rich cherry scent. Yes, it is more cherry candy than actual fresh cherries, but I like cherry-flavored things, so that's fine with me. When it dries, the anise appears, so Kabuki becomes cherry candy and licorice. Finally, the musk emerges, becoming more and more prominent with time. It's delicious. I love black licorice, and Kabuki makes me want to eat my arm. The red musk makes this more than a foodie candy perfume, though. It's sweet, but not cloying. Definitely sexy, and it lasts for hours. Thank you, Lab!

In the imp: Rose and amber. I can barely detect the myrrh. Wet and for at least the first hour, this is all rose, all the time. Fresh-cut and very bright-smelling. I had hoped for more of a rosy amber than a pure rose, but rose is what I smell. On the second test, about a week after the first, there was a very brief phase when this was wet that I got a woodsy and almost mushroomy note. It wasn’t foody, but smelled like just-picked mushrooms. The woodsiness I can see from the oudh, but I have no idea what combination of notes is giving me mushrooms. After about an hour, the resins come forward, though the rose is still very much present. The final drydown is sweet, creamy benzoin and amber, very close to the skin.

In the imp: Wow, that’s some minty mint. I can just discern the mandarin around the edges. Wet: the mandarin comes out more, but this is still primarily mint. As expected, this feels cool on my skin, a quality I’m sure I’ll appreciate more when it’s not 30 degrees Farenheit outside, as it was the first time I tested this. On my second test, about a week later, I get more green tea. This makes me envision a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice topped with a sprig of mint. Later: Mint and green tea. I don't get much musk from this, and wonder if it will come out as the decant ages.

In the imp: sweet powdery floral, with a hint of resin. Champaca flower is the one note I’m unfamiliar with in this blend; to the best of my knowledge, this is the first BPAL blend I’ve tried that contains it. It also dominates the blend. I was hoping for stronger vanilla and amber, as in Hesiod’s Phoenix, but here the amber turns powdery. I don’t get nutmeg, chamomile, or vanilla at all. This smells like very high-quality old-fashioned floral soap, like something I remember from my grandfather’s house when I was growing up. There’s a very slight spiciness in the final drydown, but not definite enough to identify as nutmeg.

In the imp this is black tea with a slightly astringent, almost tingly, edge, that I think must be the peru balsam. On my skin, this is an almost pure black tea note. The balsam remains, slightly deepening the blend, but it’s not strong. I get just a hint of the bergamot, no more. It’s still black tea, not Earl Grey tea. In fact, I could almost copy and paste VioletChaos’s review, since Furo is behaving on me almost exactly as she describes. I don’t smell patchouli in this at all. I love plain black tea, though, so Furo is pretty much perfect as it is. Most of the Lab’s tea blends I’ve tried have been green tea, which I like, though I wanted a good black tea blend because White Rabbit doesn’t last on me. I think Furo is it. I do love Dorian, but Furo is more straight-up black tea, not as sweet as Dorian. The bourbon vanilla appears after a few hours, and the final drydown is pure bourbon vanilla.

In the neighborhood where I lived for years, there’s a coffee shop almost next door to a Rite Aid drugstore. The first sniff of this oil in the imp smells like walking into that drugstore: sweetness from various kinds of candy (because the seasonal displays, which are mostly candy, are near the front of the store) mingled with coffee from the nearby coffee shop. This dries down to sweet incense just touched with coffee. On the back of my hand, the vanilla is very prominent and sweet, while in the crook of my arm, it’s sharper. This is a very warm and cozy blend. It’s bottle-worthy.

In the imp: A bright, complex floral. There’s something almost astringent in here that must be the lemon. Wet: The same candylike sweetness I got from Versailles. And the jasmine appears at the same moment it did in Versailles. Dry: Rose and…is that violet? There’s so much in here, I have difficulty isolating notes. I think Amaranthus’ review is spot-on here, because while they don’t smell identical, Venice is very similar to Versailles to my nose. It behaves much the same way on my skin, and they share many of the same notes.

Receiving a frimp of Eat Me in my most recent order—thanks, Lab!—made me realize that I had never written a review of my original imp, which is almost exactly a year old. In the imp: Cake, with currants just detectible in the background. Wet: Vanilla cake. I’m always a little wary of cake and other baked-goods notes, which can go fake or stale-smelling on my skin, but I had to try this for the vanilla. As Eat Me dries, the currants become more prominent, and balance the cake note, which saves this for me. As in Knave of Hearts, the fruity but not-too-sweet currants give this some depth and prevent it from becoming too sweet. This smells better when I catch whiffs of it as it wafts around me rather than when I put my nose right to my arm. Also, on the back of my hand, though not on my arm, this dries down to sweet pure vanilla, rather than vanilla cake, mingled with currants. I love that and wish Eat Me smelled like that everywhere. Eat Me becomes delicious in the final drydown: deep, rich currants sweetened with vanilla.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: I don’t know whether it’s more accurate to call this a flowery peach, or a peachy floral. I’m not familiar with osmanthus, and that must be what I’m smelling, because I know all the other notes. Wet: Slightly green floral. Dry: As this warms on my skin, it becomes a juicy, natural-smelling peach, just slightly sweetened with vanilla. I’m really surprised that my skin isn’t amping the rosewood or sandalwood, or both, but I can’t even pick them out. A nice surprise: all the notes are ones I like, but I would not have thought to try this. Somehow I never look at Marchen. I think it will be even better after a little aging.

I don't know if anyone is looking for a replacement for the soon-to-be-discontinued Versailles, but just in case anyone is: I'm testing Venice today, after testing Versailles a few days ago, and they're quite similar. Not identical, but they have a number of notes in common--lemon/citrus, red rose, jasmine, and orris--and have a similar "feel." Perhaps the Lab was trying to tell me something, because Venice was a frimp in my most recent order, which included an imp of Versailles.

In the imp: Amber, musk, and a touch of rose. Wet: This is odd. This blends with my skin so well that I can barely distinguish it wet. I can smell my antiperspirant more strongly, and that’s unscented. Dry: The oakmoss appears, while the amber and musk are still present. The rose becomes more prominent, and then fades a bit. It’s difficult for me to pick out the individual notes, because this is very well-blended. It’s softly powdery (not a bad thing at all) and the amber and musk give it a very classic perfume feel. Final drydown: Sweet amber and oakmoss. Whoso List to Hunt is just slightly stronger than a skin scent for me, with that touch of rose mentioned in the Lab’s description. From it I get a strong impression of the colors of a forest: the brown of tree trunks, deep mossy green, hints of red roses. I wanted to try this because of its inspiration, so I think my imp will be enough.

In the imp: Citrus and fresh-cut roses, with a bitter edge. Wet: This gets much sweeter; it smells like a dessert containing orange juice and rosewater. Dry: Hello, jasmine. Later: Rose. Still later, the orris emerges. I had hoped that the citrus and amber, notes I like, would predominate in this blend. Instead, as has happened before in other blends, (see my review of Namaste) the rose and jasmine overpower the notes I like. To be fair, Versailles is a pretty blend, and I think it suits its inspiration; I just don’t like blends in which rose and jasmine predominate on my skin.

Wicked and vicious! A sharp, cruel blend of lavender and pennyroyal. This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Strong mint. At first that’s all I smell, but when I sniff a little longer, I get the lavender. I have never encountered pennyroyal before, but clearly it’s a type of mint. Wet: This smells almost exactly like the Badger sleep balm I use occasionally, which does contain lavender, though mint or pennyroyal is not a listed ingredient. It’s definitely not a pure lavender scent. Pain doesn’t change when dry, though the mint makes my skin tingle. Not painful at all. While this is perfectly pleasant, it smells more like an herbal remedy than a perfume to me. I will keep it around for just that reason, though: I can use it by applying it to my pillowcase or something similar when I’m trying to sleep.

My imp of this is now nine months old. I didn’t write a review of it then, but when it was new, La Petite Mort was almost indistinguishable from O on my skin. In the imp: Myrrh so tingly it makes me sneeze: the first time this has happened with a BPAL oil. Nevertheless, it’s not unpleasant. Wet: Ylang ylang. As it dries, the ylang ylang becomes stronger, though never overpowering. My primary scent association with ylang ylang is the Method tile spray I used a couple of years ago. While I liked that smell, I’m not usually drawn to floral perfumes on my skin. After about an hour, there’s a honey sweetness under the floral, which is reminiscent of O, though quite soft. In this stage, La Petite Mort is pretty, but not very “me.” Given some more time, though, the myrrh re-emerges, and in the final drydown I get a honeyed skin musk, once again very similar to O.

This was a frimp from the Lab, and an especially welcome one, because I had wanted to try Blood Amber. In the imp, it’s strongly floral dragon’s blood. Wet, it tones down a bit, but gets stronger as it dries. Several hours after application, I can smell a faint undertone of amber, but no more than that. This is almost all dragon’s blood on me. It’s disappointing: I recently tested Dragon’s Musk, which I liked much more than I expected to, and that raised my hopes for Blood Amber. Amber is almost always good on my skin, but in this blend the dragon’s blood overpowers it.

This was a frimp from the Lab. I am not drawn to florals, so much so that of the dozen frimps I received in my last order I put off testing the Ghost till last. All those flowers sounded overpowering. I shouldn’t have worried: it’s a light, slightly sweet white floral, very clean-smelling. It reminds me a little of Shanghai, which is one of my favorite blends for warm and hot weather. I won’t need more than an imp of this, but I can see myself wearing it in spring and summer.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Slightly minty Horn of Plenty. If I hadn’t known this contained mint, I would almost have said just Horn of Plenty. When I looked at the notes, I realized that the sweetness that I identified as Horn of Plenty must be lotus. Wet: Still Horn of Plenty/lotus, though the mint comes out more. Dry: First it’s a minty aquatic. Then, as it dries, the juniper appears, though Undertow remains primarily mint and lotus. The final drydown is a fruity candylike scent. I would not have identified this as lotus because I haven’t tested a blend with that note before, but the mint and juniper have disappeared. This is another scent I would never have picked for myself that’s quite enjoyable.

This was a frimp from the Lab. It’s also the first Ars Draconis blend I have tested, and, as far as I know, the first blend I’ve tested that contains dragon’s blood. I was a little scared of it, to be honest; I thought it would be overpowering. In the imp: Musk with a background of heavy, sweet flowers. Wet: Musk and flowers. Sexy dragons frolicking in a field of flowers? I was afraid this was going to be too floral, but the florals quickly died down and I was left with soft, powdery musk. It smells like Snake Oil without the spices, and is similarly long-lasting. A pleasant surprise!

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Citrus men’s cologne. Wet: Definitely Embalming Fluid, with a little bit of musk making it more masculine. Dry: I like almost all citrus scents, and Herbert West is fresh, lemony, and sweet. It’s masculine, but in a well-behaved way; it’s not in-your-face. It also smells like something my brother wears. He has an array of commercial men’s colognes, so I can’t say for certain which one this smells like, but wearing this, I smell like my brother, which is an odd feeling. Hours later, in the final drydown, this becomes Embalming Fluid with a very prominent rose note. At least now I don’t smell like my brother.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Clean, just-washed skin with a light hint of soap. Wet: The same. The soap is ever so slightly floral. Neutral doesn’t morph, though it becomes stronger as it warms on my skin. I finally realized what it reminds me of: my mom’s Finesse shampoo from the 80s and 90s. I haven’t layered any of the RPG scents yet, but I like Neutral on its own.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: A strong fresh green scent. Wet: The same. Dry: Herbal greenness. It’s very fresh-smelling, and I can’t really distinguish any of the listed notes. I have worn and enjoyed BPALs with mint, lime, and lavender, but I’m not really smelling any of those. The three notes, blended together, are producing something I don’t recognize. It makes me think of Easter somehow; I think it’s the scent memories of visiting the florist with the smells of cut flowers and greenery, wearing a corsage on my coat, and the church full of flowers. After a couple of hours I do feel a minty coolness on my arms where I applied the oil, but I still can’t smell the mint. I think Envy would work better for me as a soap scent, or as a cool, fresh shower gel rather than a perfume.

… This oil contains the innocence of the Garden, coupled with the Truth and Erudition found in the fruit of the Tree of Evil: fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood. This was a frimp from the Lab, and is now just over nine months old. In the imp. Primarily almond, with a little fig in the background. Very sweet. Wet: Almond. I like almond, but I hope it doesn’t turn to the dreaded “baked goods” smell. Dry: The fig emerges. It’s ripe and juicy. Eden smells like a delicious fig-and-almond dessert. Why have I worn this only once in nine months? Silly me. I never do smell coconut, and I can’t really distinguish the sandalwood, but I think it’s what grounds the blend. Eden would be fantastic as a candle or a room scent, as well. It does fade fairly quickly; by the end of the day, I can barely distinguish it on my skin.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: This smells like the inside of a florist shop: many different cut flowers in water. It’s green and cool. Wet: That same green cool floral smell. I can’t identify which flowers might be in here. Dry: This really changed. When it dried, House of Night became warm and slightly sweet and spicy. Other reviewers have mentioned carnations, and I think they’re part of what I smell. I think my skin is also amping any wood note that’s in here. When it dries down even further I get a very vanillic sweetness. It’s really pretty. House of Night is pretty, but if I could get to the drydown without going through the green floral stage, I would like it more. I don’t really do florals. I think it needs to go to someone who will really appreciate it.