lucycat

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Syrupy sweet strawberry. It’s like strawberry-flavored liquid medicine, rather than actual fruit. Wet: That same sweet strawberry. I get a little spiciness from the carnation, but can’t really pick out the other notes. I confess I’ve never smelled strawberry incense, which a lot of reviews compare this to, but there is an incense note to this that comes out as Maenad dries. I wonder if that could be the black poppy, which surprises me because I thought that note was what ruined Laudanum on my skin, and it’s fine here. The strawberry here is heavier and sweeter than the one in Bon Vivant. Maenad fades quickly and wears close to the skin. I like it even though it’s super sweet and has a young vibe, and I want to test it again in warm weather, which I think will suit it better than a frigid day in January.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Peppery incense Wet: Rose appears almost immediately. It’s strong, especially considering how little I applied. Dry: The frankincense returns to balance the rose. It’s a frankincense and rose duet. On the back of my hand, this fades faster than it does on my arm. On my hand, after less than two hours I get a soft, resinous spicy blend—there’s no rose, but it’s probably the amber part of the rose amber. I can’t pick out a particular note, but to be honest, I couldn’t identify many of the notes listed in this blend. It’s pretty, though.

In the imp: Strongly peppery. Wet: This doesn’t smell like church or incense at all. It’s sharp and resiny. It smells like the inside of a Culpeper the Herbalist shop—an English chain that I remember from my visits to the UK in the 90s, though I checked online, and it appears they’re no longer in business. Culpeper the Herbalist sold aromatherapy oils, potpourri, spices, bath and body products, and things like tea and jam, all containing herbs. I can’t pick out any specific note, but this is a great scent memory for me. Whatever church incense this is, it is much, much better than the incense used in the church when I was growing up. We didn’t go to Midnight Mass, but I remember it being used for Easter Vigil. It was cloyingly sweet, permeated everything, and made me cough. Maybe the church used a cheaper incense? Midnight Mass mellows and sweetens as it dries.

In the imp: PEPPERMINT. Wet: Wow, this is minty. It actually clears my sinuses when I sniff it. I get a little sweetness, as well. Dry: This is cool where I applied it on my arm. It sweetens as it dries, and on the back of my hand I get lovely sugared peppermint. This is very similar to Mother Shub’s Unmentionable Peppermint Creams. When I did a comparison test, Lick It Now won.

A commanding, dominant oil that increases sexual magnetism, creates an intense and irresistible air of attraction, and amplifies potency. This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Jasmine with something slightly off underneath, a faint rotting or plasticky note. Wet: Jasmine. As I was dressing, I noticed that my arms where I had applied the oil were bright red. Fresh cinnamon oil has done that in the past (it’s all right if it’s aged) so there must be cinnamon in here, though I can’t actually smell it. As the oil dries further my arms start to itch slightly. Dry: This is briefly a nice, sweet jasmine. As it dries, it gets stronger and stinkier. After a couple of hours, a faint cinnamon spiciness mixes with the floral. The cinnamon becomes more prominent the longer I wear this. It’s nothing like Snake Oil or vanilla, though, which I was hoping for after reading some of the above reviews. Unfortunately, I don’t love Love Me. Even without the redness and the itching, I just don’t care for jasmine on my skin.

In the imp: Citrus, mostly grapefruit. Very sharp, and more like rind than flesh. Wet: That same sharp citrus. I'm glad other people have mentioned getting pine from this, because I also get an evergreen impression here, even though it's not a listed note. Freshly cut Christmas trees often remind me of oranges, so that actually makes sense to my nose. Dry: On my hand it is softer and some of the vanilla cream appears. On my arm it stays sharp. I really wanted this one to work. Almost all the notes have worked for me in other blends, and while I haven’t tried BPAL’s yuzu note before, I have a yuzu hand lotion that I like and use. I was hoping for a cooling citrus-mint-vanilla scent I could wear in hot weather, but I don’t think this is it.

In the imp: Soft, slightly creamy rose. Wet: Light creamy vanilla with rose. The creaminess is similar to that in Snow White. The rose is like the rose in Alice. Dry: Almost entirely soft, pink rose. I get a little vanilla, but I wish I got more, which is always the case because vanilla is a note that I love, but don’t amp. This is another oil that dries down differently depending on where it’s applied. On my arm, it’s almost entirely soft, pink rose with just a little vanilla. On the back of my hand, it’s much more soft vanilla with rose, like a wedding cake decorated with real roses. I already have Alice for a creamy rose, and I prefer Snow White to Pink Snowballs. I will keep and use the decant, though.

This was a frimp from the Lab. I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate, and mint in all its forms: Thin Mints, Ghirardelli Dark and Mint Squares, Lake Champlain Chocolates Peppermint Crunch bars: you get the idea. So when I smelled this in the imp, my eyes practically rolled back in my head because it was such a delicious chocolate peppermint. Wet, it’s that same delicious chocolate peppermint for about a minute. And then… This oil behaves differently depending on where it’s applied. On the insides of my elbows, the oakmoss and cedar appear and very quickly take over. Not really surprising, since my skin amps wood notes, especially cedar, but still. Come back, chocolate peppermint! On the back of my hand, however, while the oakmoss and cedar are definitely present, the chocolate peppermint stays around and mingles with them. The mint-soaked vanilla also comes out and sweetens the blend, while the oakmoss and cedar prevent it from getting too sweet and foody. The whole blend is somehow nostalgic in a way I can’t describe. I’m probably thinking at least in part of peppermint and chocolates at Christmas, but this also makes me think that maybe someone in my childhood wore a perfume or cologne that contained oakmoss. In any case, I really like How Doth the Little Crocodile. Thank you, Lab!

In the imp: Pine and snow—really very sharp pine, and tingly mint. Wet: The berries appear. Dry: The pine softens but is still present, and the berries sweeten it. There’s a sparkling note I can’t identify: that tingling mint is part of it, but there’s more than that. It’s delicious without being exactly foody. On my hand this goes softly aquatic—the snow note, I’m guessing—but on my arm it stays pine with mint and berries. This is the perfect winter scent. I feel as if to do Skadi full justice I should be wearing one of those long Scandinavian-style brightly embroidered coats, or an elaborately patterned snowflake sweater with a tall fuzzy hat. In the final drydown, after many hours, this turns aquatic. It’s a pretty aquatic, but has a very different feel to the way it smells at first.

In the imp: Very green, like the stems of freshly cut flowers. Wet: Still that same green. I applied this without looking at the notes, and before I saw leaves, I interpreted this as flower greenery. Specifically, early spring flowers, like narcissus. I definitely got a “yellow” impression. It’s a little sharp. Like other reviewers, I detect a similarity to A World Where There Are Octobers: I got green leaves from that. Dry: After some time, I get a nice “cologney” scent from the amber and frankincense. I like this part, but I don’t like the earlier stages on my skin so much. I wanted to try Death’s Second Self primarily because of its inspiration, so my decant will be enough.

In the imp: Strong peppermint with a slight creaminess. Wet: Wow. Peppermint. Strong, barely sweet, sinus-clearing peppermint. It gets creamier as it dries. That creaminess isn’t marzipan or almond to my nose. This is almost a single-note peppermint. On my second test, just a few days later, this was almost entirely marzipan in the imp and wet. I like it, but I don’t think I’ll need more than the decant.

In the imp: Sweet and creamy. I get butterscotch, leather, and a little bit of woodsmoke. Wet: Again, sweet and creamy. When it dries, the paper emerges, and so do the “glimmerings of crystalline flowers.” Though I can’t pinpoint a specific floral scent, I get the impression of forced flowers—things like amaryllis and narcissus—on windowsills when the windows are covered with frost. As this warms on my skin, the butterscotch becomes more prominent. This is soft and wears close to the skin. Also, my cat seems to like it: she repeatedly sniffed the back of my hand where I’d applied the oil. She doesn’t usually notice my perfume.

Snow White was one of the Yules I was most eager to try. Early in my BPAL experience, I read the thread about most-loved oils, and Snow White seemed to appear on many people’s lists. It did not disappoint. In the imp: Only here do I get the snow note, with a creamy sweetness. Wet: Creamy sweetness. There’s a very light hint of floral, but it’s almost all coconut. Dry: Sweet, creamy coconut. It’s light compared to the coconut in Obatala or Goblin. There’s also a hint of vanilla. It’s similar to the coconut in Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds, without the rose, but that hint of floral gives it a similar feel. I can see why Snow White is a favorite, and I can see myself wearing it often. I need a bottle.

All mystique and thrumming power: gurjum balsam, Sumatran dragon's blood resin, olibanum, galangal, oleo gum resin, and frankincense. This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: woodsy, peppery resin. Wet: Frankincense and resin. Dry: This smells almost exactly like the 2013 version of Midnight Mass, which I recently tested. It’s not quite as sharp when wet. Like Midnight Mass, it gets sweeter and softer as it dries. There’s an almost-fruity note that must be the dragon’s blood. If anyone is looking for a stand-in for Midnight Mass after the Yules go down, I think Mage could be it.

This was a frimp with my Yule decants from the lovely malibusunny. In the imp: Citrusy bergamot and chamomile, very fresh-smelling. Wet: The same. Dry: As this dries the rosewood emerges. It gets more floral as it dries; there’s a little bit of violet, but mostly the rosewood. I was afraid this was going to get too soapy, but it doesn’t. I recently tested Old Scratch and Libertine feels somewhat similar to me, though with bergamot instead of lavender. They both have rosewood, a note my skin amps. I could have sworn I detected tonka in this—there’s a slight creaminess as it dries—but it’s not listed in the notes. Libertine is very well-blended and lovely in the drydown. The throw is decent, and I keep getting whiffs of this herbal-citrus-woodsy-floral and thinking, “What is that? Oh, it’s me!” Because this has a fresh, herbal scent (yes, that sounds like a commercial for dryer sheets or something, but Libertine is so much better than that) it feels like a spring blend to me. I think it would work equally well on a man or a woman. After many hours, Libertine is primarily rosewood on me, but that’s due to my all-woods-all-the-time skin chemistry.

In the imp: All the gingerbread, none of the Snake. Wet: Strong, dry gingerbread spices. I specify dry because to my nose, Gingerbread Snake doesn’t smell like baked gingerbread at this stage. It smells like the dry spices used to make gingerbread, after someone has blended them with the flour, but before mixing in the wet ingredients to make batter. Dry: This sweetens as it dries, and after some hours, the Snake Oil appears. I’ve now had my imp a week, and when I tested this oil on first receiving it, I didn’t get any Snake Oil at all, even after hours of wear. So I’m guessing this will get more Snake Oily as it ages. This is delicious, and I need a bottle.

This was a frimp from the Lab. I have wanted to try Kyoto for a while, so thank you, Lab! In the imp: Cherry blossom with a faint undertone of anise. Wet: Cherry blossom and anise. The anise emerges more as this dries, till Kyoto finally dries down to an almost pure anise scent, which I love. It’s soft and sweet, and really feels like a lighter, gentler version of Kabuki (which also has star anise and cherry rather than cherry blossom.) This is light and pretty and will be perfect for springtime.

Echoing all those who say this is warm, sweet, and golden. Golden amber is always a good note on my skin, and it’s playing nicely as usual here. I also get the faint metallic note as the oil dries down, though it’s not overpowering or offputting. There’s a light sweetness from the heliotrope and what I’m guessing is the honey laurel. I don’t usually like floral notes, but I like this very much. The cedar is not nearly as strong as I expected, considering that I usually amp any and all woods. I also wish this were GC.

In the imp: Pastry with a background of fruit (currants.) Wet: Currants and pastry As this dries, the currants emerge more and more. They’re a bright scent, almost astringent. The fruit and pastry notes are equally balanced. I’ve always liked the scent of currants, which feels more sophisticated to me than many fruity smells because it isn’t super-sweet. I just hope the pasty doesn’t get that dreaded fake “baked goods” smell the way it did in Cockaigne. I didn’t smell rose at all until I read the notes, but about 45 minutes to an hour after I applied, I can detect it. It balances the blackcurrant very well. As this dries down further, over hours, the roses emerge more and more.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Bright lavender. Wet: Lavender with tonka underneath. As it dries it veers very close to getting too sharp and soapy, and then just avoids that. This is one of the blends that smells different depending on where it’s applied. On the insides of my elbows, the rosewood comes out very strongly. On the back of my hand, the tonka and amber mix to form a lovely, sweet little cloud, just tinged with lavender. I tested Hesiod’s Phoenix recently, and the combination of tonka and amber in Old Scratch is reminiscent of the bourbon vanilla and amber in Hesiod’s Phoenix. I love it! The one note I never get is the patchouli. Interesting, considering the name and inspiration, I don’t find this diabolical at all. In fact, I’d say it’s positively heavenly. I do definitely get the “jaunty, dapper” feel of a traditional gentleman’s cologne, but, while I think this would smell wonderful on a man, it’s not masculine at all on my skin. It’s definitely unisex. Another lovely blend that I would not have thought to pick for myself. Thanks, Lab!

In the imp: Cake with a slight undertone of wine. Wet: The notes reverse themselves and become wine with cake. As this dries, the cake and the wine balance each other out. It’s not vanilla cake, but spicy cake, and that spiciness blends beautifully with the wine. I was ready to love this until, three to four hours after application, it started to turn to the generic “baked goods” smell of a bakery-scented candle. Which I don’t like. Sigh.

I should preface this by saying that I don’t drink coffee—I’m a tea person all the way--though I do enjoy the smell of it brewing. That alone made me hesitate to try Miskatonic University for awhile; it just seemed odd to wear a fragrance based on a beverage I don’t drink. In the imp: Sweet coffee with an undertone. I can’t decide whether it’s the whisky, the paper, or the oakwood, but there’s something there besides the coffee. Wet: Coffee with cream and sugar. There’s definitely a slight caramelized note. Interestingly, when I retested a bit of this on the back of my hand (I usually wear and test on the insides of my elbows) I got the oakwood much more prominently and quickly as the oil dried, and, after a little bit, the old books and paper. Mmm. Now I’m getting the library vibe. In my original test, on my arm, as the oil dried there was a phase that smelled like buttered popcorn. That eventually settled down into a sweet coffee drink with a little bit of wood. This is really, really sweet, and rather heavy. I would have said “not for me,” but I’m liking the way Miskatonic University smells on the back of my hand rather than my arm; it’s a more nuanced, balanced scent than just coffee coffee coffee.

In the imp: Winey grape. Wet: Fruity wine. As it dries, it gets powdery and creamy—that must be the vanilla--but it’s a good powder. Dry: Honey, cherry, and a little bit of musk. I’m surprised I’m not getting more clove, a note I usually amp. I can’t detect it at all. Nor do I get vetiver or poppy. This is very nice, and I think it will age well.

In the imp: Almond. Syrupy sweet. Wet: Cherry almond, like very nice Jergens lotion. Dry: I’m getting cherry or almond blossom. Despite there being no floral notes listed, this goes floral on my skin for a couple of hours. As time passes and the oil warms on my skin, the booze and honey notes emerge. I don’t ever detect the hazelnut. I would have loved for the wet cherry-almond phase to stick around. I will try this in an oil burner as others have mentioned above.

I am so happy I bought a bottle of this unsniffed. Amber blends usually work well on my skin, and I always love vanilla, but this surpasses my expectations. In the bottle: All I can think is "classic perfume." It must be the amber; I can't say which classic perfume this reminds me of, but it definitely has that vibe. Wet: Resinous. As it dries, sweetness emerges. This is a lovely blend. All day, I could not stop sniffing my arm, and I felt as if I were walking around in a warm little golden cloud. Hesiod's Phoenix is very well-blended; the notes balance each other perfectly. The amber and oudh keep the vanilla from getting too foody. The oudh emerges more and more after hours of wear, and lends a slight almost-smokiness to the blend. My skin amps wood notes, but this never becomes overpowering, and wears close to the skin. I think Hesiod's Phoenix is going to do what Tamora did for me: reveal its full gorgeousness only after two or three months of aging. I also think that it will be another blend, like Dorian and Morocco, that I can wear virtually anywhere, or when I can't decide what else to wear. Which means I'm going to need more bottles.