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ALCHEMICAL LABORATORY And yet surely to alchemy this right is due, that it may be compared to the husbandman whereof Æsop makes the fable, that when he died he told his sons that he had left unto them gold buried under the ground in his vineyard: and they digged over the ground, gold they found none, but by reason of their stirring and digging the mould about the roots of their vines, they had a great vintage the year following: so assuredly the search and stir to make gold hath brought to light a great number of good and fruitful inventions and experiments, as well for the disclosing of nature as for the use of man's life. -- Sir Francis Bacon Frankincense, benzoin, opoponax, rose geranium, daemonorops, and cinnabar accord. (I didn't see a topic for this one yet--feel free to edit, mods!) This is very incensey, and sweet from the daemonorops and a bit spicy from the cinnabar. It's quite heavy-smelling in the air in here and might be a bit much in a small space--but will be lovely on a colder day as it's very warm in feel. Well done!

KONDITOREI Apple strudel, candied fruits, iced tarts, marzipan, Turkish coffee, and hot chocolate. DELICIOUS! Konditorei is heavy on the candied fruit note to my nose--I get a very cherry/sweet apple vibe from it, and also a lot of rich chocolate. Underneath is a warm coffee note that's just right--not too strong and bitter, but strong enough to be noticeable. This has great throw and staying power, too. I sprayed it twice in my kitchen and left the apartment for over an hour and could smell it as soon as I walked back in the door. This is a real winner and if you like sweet, foody scents, it's a MUST.

Since 1928, Mother Shub and her brood have been providing the snack shacks of the Miskatonic Valley with a bevy of otherworldly sweets and baked treats. This year, Mother Shub has created a promotional perfume oil that embodies the scent of her famous Peanut Brittle Caramel Popcorn. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Thank you for an eon of community support! I guess just typing NOM NOM NOM in giant font won't do for a first review, will it? This is *delicious*. It does indeed smell exactly like caramel corn, Cracker Jacks, Crunch and Munch, peanut brittle...the caramel-y, slightly salty, slightly nutty treat of your choice. It goes on caramel corn and stays caramel corn, with great throw and staying power. The only change I've noted in over 3 hours or so is that the buttery aspect amps a bit the longer you wear it. Otherwise this is a straightforward caramel with a hint of nuttiness and a wee pinch of salt. It is absolutely divine! I would recommend this if you like Sugar Skull, Gluttony, or Red Lantern. Or if you like caramel corn! Which I'm craving like MAD right now.

Laurel honey. This one is really green and planty on me, a little too much so. The wet stage is aggressively vegetal, with the honey only coming out after 30 minutes or so. It's much less sweet than some of the other honey blends because of this so this might work for those who find the Lab's honey to be too overpowering...but that plantiness is strong!

What else could possibly be more lickable at Yuletide? This is a candy cane perfume, minty, sweet and sugared. So does anyone else keep imagining Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter saying "I shall lick it--VIGOROUSLY!" when they think of this blend? OK, background--I've tried the past three iterations of Lick It, and I *love* the minty freshness of all of them. They feel so cooling and invigorating on the skin and really perk you up in the morning. The problem's always been that they are gone in 10 minutes, leaving NO trace behind. I always thought I should have a bottle for aromatherapeutic purposes but never got around to it, and this year, I didn't want Beaver Moon to travel alone, so I bit the bullet and bought this unsniffed. Wet, it's that same wonderful peppermint--I'm instantly wide awake! Love it. As it dries, the sugary, candy note comes out more and this really does smell like a candy cane. Never goes toothpaste on me. AND this year--I've had this one for over an hour now and I CAN STILL SMELL IT. A new record! I'm very pleased. This will be great for dark winter mornings (and hot summer afternoons, for that matter).

LUCY'S BOUDOIR Rose water and lavender with stargazer lily, white carnation, bois de rose, white iris, violet, and honey. I love every note in this but lily and carnation don't work on my skin, so YAY! Room spray! It's very heavy on the lily and carnation, too, funnily enough--slightly sweet from the honey but mostly this is flowers, flowers, flowers. Delicate and girly and beautiful!

L'ESSENCE DE L'ARDEUR Centifolia rose absolute, tea rose, bourbon vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, champaca resinoid, myrrh, nutmeg, pomegranate, and benzoin. In the bottle: dark chocolate, rich vanilla, rose, and nutmeg are what I smell. Once this hits my skin I pick up the benzoin and champaca and a zingy pomegranate! This is one of those oils where every note listed makes an appearance at some point...it's incredibly rich and heady, but not overwhelming at all. The drydown is primarily pomegranate and nutmeg and myrrh...really nice, although I wish that gorgeous chocolate note had lingered a little more. There's still a little rose floating on top of it all. This is *really* gorgeous and decadent--I'm glad I took a chance on this one.

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. First off--the bottle for this is really beautiful. This is the first atmosphere spray I've bought in a full-sized bottle and I'm impressed with the packaging; this is something you can have sitting on a shelf proudly. Nicely done! As for the spray--it smells just like Sugar Skull, of course. Maybe a tad spicier? I squirted it once and my whole bedroom's a candy fest now. Delicious! This will be so perfect for the entire fall season.

This comes closer to Black Lace than any of the other lace blends have since (that's a good thing!), and I agree that the dried-leaf note is much like the one from Falling Leaf Moon. This is very soft on my skin and not overpowering (as opposed to Black Lace which is practically visible in the air). Very nice and will probably be even better next fall with some age behind it.

I tested this at Dark Delicacies on a very rainy day in L.A back in November and fell in love with the tropical smell immediately--it's just so gorgeous and summery! Stronger on the tiare than the other notes, which adds to the warm-weather feeling. And it was incredibly long-lasting. I knew I had to get a bottle once it was available, and I finally did. I have very VERY fine hair that will not hold a style at all but this doesn't weigh my hair down. It makes it feel wonderfully soft and look very tame. This smells just as marvelous as the prototype and I know my hair will be wearing it a LOT this summer.

Delicious--this does smell just like a spice cake! It's very rich. I think I need some sweets after testing this...

Waxy fruit--very candle-like! A little spicy and deeper than just a straight-up fruitiness...nice but it's too far into candle territory for me to want this on my skin.

This is an intense clove--sharp and medicinal! After a while I start getting the oak note; it really leaps out. The frankincense and cognac and vanilla are sweet but they don't do quite enough to soften that strong, hard clove on my skin. I do like some clove blends but this one is a bit too much. It might be a little more mellow with some aging, though.

Very sweet strawberry/vanilla with a plastic edge that's making me think of a Strawberry Shortcake doll. I think strawberry is officially going onto my death note list.

The pear note that opens The Vine is fantastic--fresh, crisp, juicy...I die. This dries down into almost a straight sweetcream on my skin with the pear only very faint in the background. Come back, pear! Not much throw; this is a very close-to-the-skin blend. I'll retest this one just to make sure the pear can't last a little longer, because it's lovely...the drydown is nice but so faint and generically "creamy" that it really needs the pear note to give it character.

Passion fruit and pomegranate immediately leap out of this blend. Plum, grapefruit, currant--so many fruits! I get a tiny whiff of opium and benzoin beneath it all but this is mostly FRUIT FRUIT FRUIT...it's a bit candle-y and jumbled. 13 notes or so is a lot for one blend, I guess.

Leather is only good on me on rare occasions (hello, Bow and Crown of Conquest!) and the leather in this is the kind that smells like tires on my skin. This is quite sweet thanks to the honey and tobacco and has depth thanks to the myrrh but something is just off here and I'm blaming the leather. It's artificial and chemical and doesn't work.

Whew--this one is really NOT working on me; the coconut is there, but the ambergris and ambrette really take over this blend and the mix of sweet coconut plus salty ambergris is just...not right. Plastic and stale.

ROSEMARY! When fresh this is crazy herbal and overpowering...and the dominant note is rosemary. I get a Catherine vibe from this, most definitely. On the drydown I'm still primarily smelling herbs here...maybe a slight floral touch but that's about it for the violets. It has great staying power but the herbs are just too much for me.

I loved this while it was still wet--it's the most luscious, velvety red rose, deep and dark. However the oude really jumps out and goes crazy once it dries and the rose nearly vanishes. What's left is far too strong and overpowering for me.

A very sweet floral blend--almost candy-like! This reminds me of a lighter, airier Celeste. It's very light and doesn't seem to have much staying power, though, so it'll need a full day's test before I decide if it's bottle-worthy. Pretty and girly!

Opens with a blast of the typical BPAL snow note and then settles down into a vague floral--I can pick up a bit of tuberose but that's about it. Very faint with little throw.

Clean, cold, fresh pine. And strong! This is a more conventional scent for a BPTP spray, very much like a lot of cleaning products/laundry smells--but it's nicely done, and great for wintertime!

This is awesome--warm, spicy woods and smooth vanilla. I almost thought there had to be tobacco in here and I see it's a cigar *smoke* note--it doesn't seem smoky, really, just very warm and rich. This is going to be very nice for winter evenings!

The Lights of Men's Lives! It's like O with beeswax, and I find beeswax to be very cozy and warm.