Teamama

Review of a decant, from a decant circle. W&R has grown on me a lot, now I need a bottle. When I first got the decant, I was put off by a resin that I think might be camphor. As my decant has aged, that note has become less prominent. This definitely contains a warm musk (more like Coyote's than a red or black musk,) and some lavender, amber & other sweet resins I can't identify. It smells great on me, and in my silver locket. The scent it reminds me of, even though I don't know what notes (if any,) they have in common, is Tzadikim Nistarim. Both feature sweet resins, and a sense of comfort & goodness. I can imagine this being a comforting sleep scent. Subjective sidebar: My warm response to it reminds me a little bit of my totally visceral, conditioned response to my beloved Grandmother's signature fragrance, Emeraude. W&R doesn't smell like Emeraude, but something in it is triggering that pleasure/comfort feeling for me. Edited to add: the patchouli has become a lot stronger as this has aged. It's changed with time more than any other blend I have tried. It's still a good scent, but it's now definitely patchouli-forward.

Miss Lupescu, from a forum purchase. In the bottle, I smell mostly sweet almond & very faint patchouli. On me, the almond & patch quickly recede, and Miss L. becomes a spicy amber with faint musk. I'm not catching the ho wood, sandalwood, or cypress. She's very pleasant, and a lot lighter than I had expected. Medium wear length, very good in my silver scent locket.

Dark musk & red sandalwood 4 life! So, I love Titus Andronicus. I was a little worried about the neroli & bergamot, but as soon as I opened the imp, I knew. Insta-bottle. T.A. is sweet & woody/musky/resin-y, with just a little citrus-y kick. It's probably a unisex fragrance, but I'm not going to share it with Teapapa unless he says "Pretty please with sugar on top?" Absolutely cannot be improved.

I got Miss F. from a forum purchase, age unknown, and she is a sleeper hit for me. It's a simple scent, and has fairly low throw. It's gone into heavy rotation since I got it. When first applied, Miss F. smells like brown sugar on me. After dry-down, it's a delicate musk, very sweet, with the barest hint of anise cookies. I do not detect any tea. It's a subtle scent, and it's filling a fragrance niche I didn't know I had.

Mmm! On my skin, I get mostly dark musk, violet & delicate sandalwood. The iris is very faint, and the neroli isn't noticeable. A possible bottle.

The Smithfield Ghost is a very delicate musk blend. In the decant, it smelled so good I began to slather. I don't smell the neroli very much, but sweet musk, rosewood & frankincense, yes, definitely. In some blends (Between Your Heart and Mine, Dee,) rosewood takes over and turn to bitter varnish on my skin. Unfortunately for me, that's what happened with this blend. It will smell fantastic for the lucky ones who don't have my rosewood problem. I will wear my decant in my scent locket. It's really beautiful, and kind of comforting.

Forum purchase. This is delightful, seven years aged. Primarily, it's soft & musky. The honey is very faint. The musk seems to be a skin musk, I can't detect any smoke. There is a sweet hint of tonka, & subtle sandalwood. I can't find the daemonorops, or the black currant. It's not very lasting, but it's very, very good. 2022 update: I used up my original, & picked up a new bottle via the Lab's Etsy. Good stuff!

Sweet, rich resins & almond! I like this a lot more than I was expecting to. At first, sweet red patchouli & sweet Almond Milk are definitely the stars. The patch is the kinder, gentler sort; earthy, not armpitty. Orris root & Bourbon vanilla are present, but not out in front. I'm not knowledgeable enough to identify Caramelized labdanum or Peru balsam, but I'm sure they're contributing to the rich, resinous feeling in the blend. Over time, Jackie fades into a vanilla-patchouli blend. Very good, glad I got it (and glad I backed the book :-).) Edited to add: not very long-playing. I got about 4 hours of wear, and then she was almost undetectable, even in my scent locket! Hopefully age will increase her staying power.

Here's my 2 cents. The color of all the French Loves I've had (2 imps, my new bottle, and the aged bottle I bought off a forumite) is a bold pinky-red. My new bottle of French Love shipped on May 25, and has already changed a lot. I can still smell a bitter note that isn't noticeable in the aged imps I fell in love with, or the aged bottle I bought off the forum. My nose for vetiver isn't as good as some, so I can't swear whether the bitter note could be vetiver. I could tell that my new bottle was French Love, even though it wasn't as awesome as the aged stuff. Contact the Lab, I'm sure they will help solve your mystery.

Love it! I didn't think I would need Reapers, because I already heve Volcano in Springtime for sandalwood and vanilla. Wrong! Reapers is related to VinS, but the musk takes it in a different direction. Less sweet, more intimate. Not sexual/sexy, more like the intimacy of how the skin scent of your kid, or your partner makes you feel. Bottle required, may need a backup. Edited to add: The musk keeps getting better and better. I ordered a second bottle. Edited again to add: Reapers is getting STRONGER with age. A little dab'll do ya.

Wet, it reminds me a lot of Bilquis for some reason. At first, there is a tension between the sweet candy-like fruits, and the dry textile/wool note. I don't think cardamom pods are involved, but something in it reminds me of that sour/bitter/spicy combination. As Texare dries it resolved to a soft musk with fruit to brighten it. Nice.

Simple and sweet. The amber in this is warm and resin-y, I can practically smell the color. The lavender starts out bold on me, but softens a lot during dry down. At 2 hours, it's adorable. Win!

I regret not getting a bottle of Apple III when I got my decant last year. I hesitated, the opportunity slipped away, and now I'm left with a partial decant that has aged into something really nice. The tobacco & vanilla champaca are blended into a warm base for the apple. The apple is a little tarter than the apple in Samhain, but still sweet. Apple starts in front, but slowly fades to be about equal to the tobacco & vanilla champaca. The honey, lavender & patch are very subtle; I can't pick them out. Edited to add: I got a bottle! Yay forum! Edited again to add: I can't be 100% sure, but it may have gotten even better. The tobacco is so rich!

Rich, drowsy flowers. Lavender is on top, but there are sweeter, less aggressive flowers in this blend as well. I love it, and it reminds me of the feeling of being drowsy on a warm summer afternoon. I used up 2 imps, and then bought a bottle.

TKO & Somnus both smell great, but Baku is the "nightmarebane." It's got lavender, and some other sharp herbal smells going on. It's not dirty, but it smells more purposeful than pretty. I sure hope she gets relief soon! None of my peeps have night terrors, so I don't have any useful insights on bad nightmares. All my experiences with vivid, gorey dreams were due to pregnancy. Does your friend know what's making her dreams so intense and frightening? Is this a response she's had before to high stress? If it's something new, please encourage her to check in with to her health care team about it.

A very clean, subtly sweet, salty incense. It's like a summoning spell in the women's locker room. It's related to Morocco, but without the spice & musk. I kind of like it, but am a little put off by the "clean" part. Maybe a little aquatic?

In the imp, a complex floral and seawater scent, with a hint of green fir. Really nice! And on me, about 30 seconds to enjoy the blend, and then my skin turns Egle into Irish Spring deodorant soap. Aquatics, I love you, but you do not love me.

Revisited my decant after several months. I almost loved Chinoiserie then, but it was a little harsh on me. I'm now ready to name what's not working on my skin: the patchouli leaves are just too bold for me. The rose, myrrh, and wine are gorgeous (I can't identity indigo's scent,) and the patchouli leaves are of the gnarly persuasion. I think I may amp "gnarly," because many patchouli blends wirk well on me. Too bad for me, because I like how the rest of thenotes play together.

1) Hugs & prayers for you & your health care team & family for the best possible healing outcomes, compassion & insight. 2) Scent lockets or pendants can be really great. I got one made of some alloy that was disappointing, because it smelled metallic. 925 silver has been better. (You can cut up old felted wool sweaters to carry the perfume oil, they work really well.) 3) As a scent to sustain & de-stress, I love & recommend Wolf's Heart (BPAL GC.) It's comforting and subtle. Keep us posted!

2008 version, from a forum purchase. So spicy and rich! Agave & copal are subdued, and the rose plays a supporting part. The woods, tobacco & spices are the headliners, for sure. The cigar tobacco is not very sweet (less so than the tobacco in Ant. Mech. or St. Clare.) I can't identify particular woods, just a wood resin feeling. Overall, I like it, but probably won't wear it very frequently. Powerful!

St. Clare is a revelation to me. I'm totally smitten. The tobacco and rum are very strong when wet. As it dries, the woods, tonka and vanilla emerge, with a little incense, and it becomes a glowing golden sphere of pure Unicorn pleasure. 8/1/21 update: the rum note has mellowed quite a bit. The golden oudh & tobacco are the central notes, with wood, tonka, vanilla, & incense playing backup. One of my fave LE's.

Sugared fruity rainbow. The "Sugared" is a lot like the sugar in Hope & Faith. I don't get fizz, but I get the similarity to 7Up & FruitStripe gum. Light, fun, sweet.

Blind bottle, no regrets! I was hoping for a close relative to Love 2013 http://www.bpal.org/topic/80430-love/. Allegory of Chastity does not disappoint! On application, the throw is STRONG. The bergamot's bitterness is noticeable in all the creamy, floral, vanilla sweetness. Teapapa asked if there was vetiver in it (!) That phase dies down pretty rapidly. Once dry, I have an impression of rosiness, and of jasminniness (we need a word for this in English,) and tartness from hips and bergamot, but they're subordinate to the vanilla cream, like flavorings. The vanilla cream is impressionistic; a strong sweetness that reminds me of the smell of vanilla fondant. After about an hour, A of C has medium-low throw, and moderate wear length. The rose hip & bergamot are a little more noticeable at this point. I love it, and bought a backup bottle.

Warning: this review is not going to be helpful to anyone, due to the reviewer's clove-amping problem. Malice smells fantastic & complex in the imp. I like the way myrrh and patchouli wrestle with ylang-ylang. The clove is subtle, and warms the other notes. And, the moment Malice touched my skin, the ylang-ylang, patchouli and myrrh folded their tents and stole away, leaving me with nothing but clove and a hint of nail polish remover.

Taurus was a blind bottle must-have, containing the holy Trinity of rose, jasmine, and sandalwood. In the bottle: Bitter rose. Wet: Rose & jasmine are in front. The proportion of each is just right, for me, balanced so that neither one dominates. The sandalwood, pepper & patchouli add a spicy, slightly bitter layer to the blend. Dry: The sweet florals have stepped back, and the wood & spice are to the front. The sandalwood and rose are combining in that smooth, sexy way that I love. Starstruck Taurus is somewhat similar to Dawn: Priestess. My kind of fragrance, for sure! Very glad I got my bottle.