Soupy Twist

A sweet floral in the bottle, but it goes downhill from there. It smells like the stamen part of a lily: dusty and a little sour. There's some sickly sweet lemon candy going on, but the whole thing is a disappointment. (2014 decant)

Mint and lime in the bottle. Goes on as bruised and torn "catnip" mint leaves — those fuzzy round ones which grow wild. This develops a lavender or lavender-leaf note; it definitely smells like the actual plant and not "chemically created lavender." Alas, it dries as a boring floral. Definite points for creating something so realistic.

Sea spray and Bay Rum in the bottle. Goes on as Bay Rum with salt water. There's a leather note which somehow manages not to turn horrific on me, and then some sweetness? But the overall effect is ugh. True to the description, just not for me.

Get the one bottle you can't live without, the one you've been dreaming of, and then a few imps of "man, I've been meaning to try that."

A perfect rendition of a spicy beeswax candle. I'm not getting the "too sweet" honey note which sometimes makes me gag. I like it the more it stays.

Hazelnut coffee from beginning to end. Nice, but not enough for a bottle. I have several coffee-plus scents more complex than this. However, it suits my mood perfectly today, so I'm glad I'm wearing it.

Rum and some tobacco in the bottle and on first application, but eventually it just becomes this burnt smoke note. No tonka. Disappointing. It must be the Lab's leather note; my skin just hates it.

This is such a realistic lemon ice pop that I keep thinking my wrists are sticky and I should wash them. Utterly delicious. Like every other lemon BPAL, my skin devours it whole, so it's a locket scent, but this might be worth a bottle.

This is... dustier? drier? Much less sharp than Lick It Again (the only other version I've tried). It doesn't burn my wrists, and quite shockingly, it's gone in an hour or two. Looks like I'll have to try this year's version for comparison, but against Lick It Again, this was a real letdown.

Hmm, this starts really well but totally blows the dismount. Sweet apple...ish in the bottle — apple notes, but not truly apple juice. Goes on as oh YEAH pepper cedar juniper WOW that'll clear your sinuses! Then there's a wonderful lemon note which lingers and combines with apple — a sweet Granny Smith, not a pure tart juice; it's a beautiful variant on that note. As it dries, the cedar comes out more strongly and the lovely lemon and apple fade, until it's just a cedar. Considering how much I liked the foodie notes in the open, it's a disappointment.

Pumpkin and coffee-smoky-vanilla and cream and mmmmmmmm BOTTLE NAOW

Someday I will give up hope that the Lab's almond note will work with my skin, but today is not that day. (Which just guarantees more heartbreak. ) Cherry almond in the bottle. It goes on as suede with cherry almond, but the almond note vanishes almost instantly, leaving behind suede, which quickly turns harsh and chemical. After 10 minutes or so some vanilla creeps in, which slowly morphs into amber, and dries as powder. Very sad.

On me this is almost a duplicate of the fabulous Twenty-One. Fizz and gin. Positively delicious, but I already have a bottle of Twenty-One. I get no flowers or fruit, which is a little sad, because "plumeria and pear" sounded really interesting.

This might have sludge, but I shook the imp up pretty well before testing it. This offers neither delight nor consternation; it's boring. Mostly sweet musk with a touch of dry cocoa, which quickly dries to a generic powder. I really love bourbon vanilla and I was disappointed not to get any.

Neroli with some citrus (kumquat?) in the bottle. Goes on as neroli with white tea. This is very pretty! There's no pepper, but it dries into a wonderful lemon candy with a little tea underneath, similar to Possets' Vim or Arcana's Ambrosia. Another delightful scent with a silly name. Might need a bottle.

Pine-Sol and verbena. I guess this is the stuff the maintenance staff uses to clean the steamworks. Yuck.

A pretty floral in the bottle. Mostly peach nectar and flowers as it goes on and settles, with some pear in the mid notes. Dries as a juicy floral, kind of a lily of the valley (maybe that's the sweet pea?). This is just lovely, probably perfect for later in the spring.

Sweet juicy apricot with some orange in the bottle. There's the briefest flash of musk when it goes on, but it vanishes instantly, which is perfect for me. The middle note is that soft rounded apricot, and it dries into a pretty, sweet neroli without any of the weird chemical notes some neroli can develop (I'm looking at you, Arcana). Beautiful! I'll have to try this again in the spring; this might be a keeper.

A nice juicy cranberry in the bottle. Goes on with some musk, but that soon disappears, leaving just a gentle, rounded cranberry with no bitterness. I was ready to ditch this but the musk vanished very quickly. I like it!

BAAANAAAAANAAAAAAAS in the bottle. Goes on as quieter bananas, which develops a brûlée note. Then there's a smokey, maybe incense note? Something uncomfortable in the back of the throat. (I'm not an incense fan.) Fades quickly.

Maybe Loved to Death? http://www.lovedtodeath.com/products/loved-to-death-exclusive-black-phoenix-alchemy-lab-scent A scent of dark corners and forgotten mysteries, secrets unearthed in dark attics, and cobwebbed, timeworn artifacts: vanilla bean, blackened and smoked, with husky clove, cinnamon bark, and a touch of beeswax.

Like so many "pumpkin" things this time of year, there's no actual pumpkin discernible here. Caffelatte in the bottle. Goes on as a great coffee with smoky sweet vanilla notes, which dries into nutmeg. Ends as the cinnamon which didn't dissolve in your drink and clings to the side of the cup, tasting a little too bitter and dusty without the coffee and sugar to leaven it. Not bottle-worthy, but a nice scent. 2010 version.

ooh this is yummy. Pumpkin and bourbon vanilla in the bottle. It goes on as a creamy bourbon vanilla and later develops a coffee edge, drying to ginger. I'm not getting any pumpkin on my wrist, but that's okay. This is wonderful!

A pleasant but unremarkable floral marine. Generic; no leather or spices. I'm always disappointed when the description is so much more interesting than the scent.

gack. The nasty, sour edge of jasmine, like the weird stameny bit in the middle. If there was myrrh or rose I didn't get to it. Scrubber.