ND¢

Floral whoop? no, it's the incense (this is a significantly more incensey incense than Dried Cherry Incense and Spun Sugar) I have the feeling the sweet almond and incense are overwhelming this blend right now. I wouldn't weigh in one way or another until it's rested, as it's a bit of a cacaphony right now.

it's the And Though They Are With You GOAT sandalwood or something very like it going on smoothly and instantly blending with the vanilla bean and buttercream! MMMM, round and sweet and the ooo... so the fig froth! and the sandalwood! This is a sassy combo! The fig rides right in, HELLO, and it's a perfect choice with the sandalwood lending it that firm bottom note (heh 'firm bottom') if you like And Though They Are With You but would like its jazzy, richer, slightly flamboyant bro... Verdict: absolute keep this ROCKS.

Fresh from mail. Wet, toned down reminds me of Cherry Red, but quickly I see the understatedness that is dried cherry... okay yes this broadens to a less billowy CHERREH and then I see where the... if this is incense this is an extreeeeeemely high quality incense, not brash, just a little curling up of the scent at the end to indicate that you are smelling incense not dried cherries. It is well blended. It doesn't smell like F**K but could be a cousin. It's... light? Cute? Doesn't smell so much like cherries at all after a bit. Definitely unburned light sugary dried cherry incense, resting in a polished wooden cup as your hands trace the engravings on the display while you're thinking about how sweet and richly sexy the atmosphere will be in your home after you light it. Verdict: definite keep and suitable for immediate wear!

Fresh from the mail. Goes on kind of a jumble with the rose strong. This is definitely a silk rose... There's a 'I'm smelling a rose scent' VS 'actual rose' vibe... Beth is a genius... slight sharpness from the 'silk rose' but the sillage is already pretty and delicate. Initially a light bit of cotton candy... Okay, the 'jumble' I smelled was rose and peony tumbling. Now it's smooth, rose is dominant, cognac is very understated and not like a hard shot of cognac. A little jammy? Verdict: pretty and worth aging but must love roses for this blend. Not a 'cotton candy' scent.

Knew the tuberose was going to be the difficult sell on my skin. It billows out, sort of elaborately, and gives (along with the buttercream) a really funny and accurate feeling portrait of clown antics, all caked up and sugary and a little fake. Which I sort of knew. But you know, I really do like a good gardenia note, and this is perfectly blended to tone down into something more pleasantly smooth, kinda coasting along on a gardenia-sugary cream sandalwood. The tuberose is there, still being a little too brightly cute, but it's not dominating the drydown.

I get the hype. My only dead leaves scent is the original October and this does a good job of being a 'fresh' dead leaves scent, not cologney, opening up into mostly a Snake Oily amber and fire smoke. Touch of gentle lavender, ghost of Dorian maybe. Edited to add: This has aged beautifully. It quickly becomes something not dead leaves, not Snake Oil, not Dorian... entirely itself, and very beautiful! So glad I have it.

Hmm, I could see buying a backup. Light, sweet strawberry, richness, dough. Just so warm and fun. I would say this is going to be one you'll wish you collected!

Excited to try this after reading about it. Generally agree with previous reviewers... blueberry is gorgeous in the bottle and disappears or recedes quickly into the cardamom, which is slightly less HOOOONK than Amber & Cardamom and about on par with the well blended harmonious cardamom of Nightingale. The cream sits between the two, lightening the cardamom (which I agree feels sugared) and making me want more blueberry.

If you, like me, saw this and thought of the poofy mints and fruities of yore (Tokyo Stomp, Closet and so many others) I am happy to report that this is sweet and joyous and delightful. I swear to God the mint chilled my nose as I was taking my first huge whiff. Initially it is strong but mellows out. The initial minty blast melded seamlessly with the cotton candy, which synergizes with the blueberriness. I found the drydown sort of shifted between cotton candy and.. blueberry? wintergreen? Doll heads? a little when I sniffed close to the skin. A little sugary fuzzy grumbling along. A worthy add to any Yule collection IMHO.

Sugar Plum and Lavender: They want to not harmonize, but they're harmonizing somehow. This is a more jazzy lavender than the smooth TKO lavender, less medicinal kidney-punch than Aubin Grandpied Bunmanchi. I'm sort of liking this more than I expected, which is weird because I bought it. ? It's that the sugar plum is treating me better than I thought it would. I thought this might be an in spite of but it turns out to be a because of. Neat!

If you love patchouli and also want it to 'behave' rather than erupt, you should get this. The blend is incredibly smooth, and I credit that to the smoked caramel perfectly riding atop the patch with the cedar combining well. I would like more smoked caramel out of this but I must acknowledge it is absolutely doing the job.

You know, I got this because I am obsessed with the Lab's black amber note, knowing that multiple listed notes (specifically cedar, red musk and jasmine) do not work for me, just because I wanted to see. And I'm reviewing it because it's kind of an amazing scent. I, like the previous reviewer, find it substantially more alluring than I expected. A little mini jasmine blast on application that is somehow velvety and reminds me of a fresh rose petal? Weird? But not jasmine-indole-yuck, is my point... along with a slightly acrid sharp note that gutters along for a second and then smooths out to round out what I see is orange flower water and a little rich mahogany. The velvetiness is in full effect quickly. Not getting the typical cedar here, nor the grapey red musk death I feared. This would (amusingly) be a great companion scent for Countess Willie. And then from that initial almost-uncomfortable intro, it develops lush fullness and is... really sexy. Like... walking into a random brothel and then.... ?? I'm... not sure I can bring myself to swap it! I think this would have found traction as a full release!

It is a pale, somehow fragile, fuzzy sweet vanilla-tonka and the amber comes out in the drydown. Maybe a little hint of depth. I can see where some reviewers found it got too 'powdery' but I don't think it quite gets there and it's very unique. Almost... nostalgic? I'd say if I was blind guessing, I'd think some Lace relative.

Begins as maple and sugar-Glazed chocolate donut with chocolate frosting and dries down into something amply-atmospheric that I think makes great sense as a holiday room scent.

Definitely agree this is the beloved, buried and then exhumed Black Lace. I've got both and I tried both at once. Black Lace is lighter, sweeter, more traditionally 'feminine.' More cognac, linen and vanilla. Dark Lace comes on deeper and less sharp, but strong in the musk, incense and vaguely mildewed soil department. And largely, I think it stays there. Dark Lace is a whole mood!

I ordered this knowing that lotus proved not to be something I'd reach for by default (Triumphant Vulva taught me this) and hoping red lotus absolute would somehow not be lotus. Lol. The scent opens with a kind of billow of what I was guessing is this serpent scale accord and silk? I found it cool and evocative, creating a sense of open space in which the skin musk and red lotus (it is much more sedate than that in TV) can really expand. The sandalwood does come in relatively quickly. I'd bet this is the And Though They Are With You sandalwood, which is a GOAT sandalwood. If vanilla dust, thus far mainly as a skin-musk amping. If black amber, mainly as a lotus enhancer. Very elegant and mysterious.

Okay, this is incredible and I'm so glad I bought it. Also, I want to say something about the opening reminds me of grapefruit. It's sweet with a hint of developing into something verdant and reminiscent of old Jersey Devil... I guess it's wild plum and the tinge of green tobacco leaf... Definite wispy smoke creating a little depth and myrrh tar for sharpness.... Love this. And it's outside my normal run of smells. This is not a stinky oud , for those who might worry. It's sweet, but doesn't veer into funk. A lot brighter and fresher and lusher than I expected. Purple, black, hints of green.

In the bottle: me to the patchouli 'don't start nothin' won't be nothin' Wet: damn. This goes on particularly aggressive, high-toned patch with a thin layer of honeysuckle. Dries down a little bit calmer, but it might be too cool for this spoop.

If you were wanting a sweet, rounded, compelling gentle honeyish marshmallow cloud to gently waft around you, hinting obliquely in tendrils of currant and a touch of clove, you need look no further. It's a very hard scent to stop smelling! Win. Edited: I just realized what's so compelling about this scent to me. You know those dolls that had a sweet little smell, from when we were kids? So this is like what I'd imagine if that doll had been real and growing up and dealing with *waves hand* It's the Final Girl trope.... just perfectly realized! This is genius.

Back in the day, when I'd only been introduced to BPAL the past year, Black Lace came out and I bought a bottle because everyone was so excited and I knew I'd better. Time and events intervened and I traded or sold it, only to be able to reacquire a bottle these many years later. Very lucky. I don't think I appreciated it back then. This oil definitely progresses in stages on me. The sort of cotton and a sudden stained smoky sense at first, that opens up into a musk that blends more nicely with, and itself unfolds into, the tobacco as the vanilla warms up. Complex, sophisticated, beautiful and still sweet in the end, but definitely debauched.

At first I thought it was going to be a mistake. I keep going back to the honey note and it keeps... well, not working in all sorts of different ways. But I like it. I want it to work. I thought this was going to be Honey Moon 2005 turned up to fourteen. Make no mistake, this is a bold flower honey with a little bit of that chilly snow note coming out with time... the honey is wildly spicy floral, almost carnation honey, very authentic and achingly sweet. Wear this when you're ready to make a big impact.

If you like this, you might also like the smell of Brunette Wig Spray. The amber and sweet oudh is very reminiscent.

So what's weird is that this inspires a powerful nostalgia: I feel like I've smelled it, and damn if I can remember where. A long, long-ago scent. Weird! Strong out of the bottle--almost immediately I notice that it's not just cherry. There's the sugary sweetness along with, I want to say I associate this with a light very delicate pale fougere? Someone mentioned almost boozy and I wonder if it was this sort of subtle seediness that I'm smelling. I sometimes have this association with a thick slather of Slime Queen and I *always* ascribe it to the 'base' scent of Dorian. So, a wisp of that smell but enough to kick up so many associations. Then it sort of tones down a bit, more sugary cozy fun.... Loving this one and feel privileged indeed to have it.

As a rule, fruit BPALs and I have a fraught relationship. This is a challenging one for me because it's so beautiful.. I couldn't tell it was pear upon application, but it is dominant, light happy trills of rice milk and pear slowly calming and blending with the white musk into a still very sweet scent but a more harmonious chord without the touch of jangly pear at the front. I will not seek a bottle... yet....