Teamama

This is my standout blend for this year's Liliths. It's the very best cardamom ever, and it's also somehow related to Paper Phoenix. How that works, I don't know. I definitely need a bottle.

Delicate, nutty & sweet. The lavender disappeared on my skin fairly quickly. I don't need a bottle, but I'll use up the decant.

Divine peach marshmallow vanilla that my skin wrecks. It's so lovely in my locket, but alas, my skin throws the balance out of whack. I'll swap it to a better home. Update 6/24/2024: I never got around to swapping. I forgot that my skin had wrecked it in the past & wore it today. It's still better in my locket than on my skin, but it isn't out of whack like it was in 2021. I may end up keeping it .

So gooooood! Sweet, with complex aromatic interactions between the figs, almond, & orange peel. It seems spicy, even though no spices are listed. The spiciness dies down after about 2 hours on my skin, but lasts & lasts in a locket. Dry on my skin, it's closely related to Sugar Skull.

Aged decant. This blend highlights aspects of cinnamon & tobacco that I didn't know existed. The notes are super-subtle, so it's hard to describe. In the decant: When I open up my decant, it has a brief moment of banana accord, which is very surprising. Sugary, "bright," and clean is the best description I can come up with. In my locket (because it turns to dryer sheets and then vanishes on my skin): The memory of cinnamon and sugar, sprinkled across some extremely fresh white blossoms that don't have a strong scent. "Flowers." Glad I got to try it; not for me.

The BEST holo in the world, bar none. I just bought my 3rd bottle. This is the holo shimmer that goes with everything, & wears forever. I can't praise it highly enough.

Wet: Marzipan almond is the dominant note while wet, but it quickly dissipates. Something between the roses & fig produces a surprisingly lemony note. Dry: A dry, sweet rose & almond blend. The fig, oudh, & cardamom are very subtle. Like, "hold my nose up to my arm to convince myself I can detect them" subtle. I got a partial bottle when it was released, & it was just ok on me. I had hoped for this to be "my" perfect rose oudh, since Elizabeth of Bohemia doesn't love me. With age, I like it more, & might need a bottle.

Belatedly reviewing my decant. No change with ageing. I agree with Torikitty & Artisjok that the bell-pepper-esqe note in Dead Leaves is part of this blend. Unfortunately, my skin amps that note, so the balance of the blend is thrown off. It's a lot greener than I was expecting. I get hints of how it might be awesome on somebody else, but I can only enjoy this blend in a locket. Glad I got to try it, don't need a bottle.

I got a frimp of what must have been original Schmendrick from the Lab a couple of years back & liked it, but didn't take notes. This review is for a decant of 2021 Schmendrick. Wet: Soap. My son describes cologne-ish blends as smelling like "fancy soap." That's what I have here--high-end masculine soap. If I huff, I can smell tobacco & dried fruit. Dry: Still soap, darn it. Most of these individual notes are winners on me, but not in this blend. I suspect my skin's unpredictable response to green notes like sage + clary sage may be what's wrecking it. Glad I got to try it, & I'll hang on to the decant for a while to see if age (either mine or the decant's,) changes things for the better.

I was hoping for spicy sweet wood, but I'm not mad that I got powdery milk & honey & dry nuttiness. Sweet & foody & dry.

Oops, I too forgot to leave a review! Implacable Beautiful Tyrant is resin heaven. The oudh is the woody, delicate type, blending with the frankincense. Amber & white ginger provide sweetness. It's wonderful. A great GC staple that harmonizes with resinous blends.

Aged partial bottle, Forum purchase. Wet: Vanilla pepper rum. This is the first pepper-forward blend where I can smell the pepper on my skin! I also get a hint of honey, probably from the florals. Drydown: Honey-ish amber, clove, & pepper. As usual, clove has muscled its way forward on my clove-amping skin. This is nice, but not something I'll wear. Swap box!

Levitating Phallic God, Butterfly Dancer, & Peach Vulva were my 2021 standouts. I had a stern conversation with myself, & agreed that since I had just bought ImPEACHment & Wisdom, Justice, Moderation, I was not allowed to buy Peach Vulva. BPAL peach blends are the best (thanks Beth!) Ecstatic Dancing Penises is fantastic. Unfortunately, it's not a blend I can wear, & my menfolk gave it a pass (they're all about rum, tobacco & patchouli.) Levitating Phallic God starts out rough, & then smooths down into a deliciously subtle scent. Butterfly Dancer was a bottle purchase for me. Oud has a lot of variants, so I usually buy a decant instead of blind-bottling because some if the more indolic oudhs don't work on my skin. BPAL's notes"sweet oudh," "honey oudh," & "golden oudh" are fantastic for me. Turns out Butterfly Dancer's "red oudh" is also very good. The rose is on the subtle side on my skin.

On my skin, Aelian's Phoenix is cocoa & resins & just a wee little bit of patchouli. I can smell the cedar in my scent locket, but not on my skin. At the end of the day, all that's left is a lingering hint of sweet amber.

My new favorite tea scent! In the bottle & the initial wet stage are, for lack of a better word, rough. That roughness only lasts for about a minute. Soon, black tea with a hint of lemon & licorice, dry grassy vetiver & wood spread out. It's a subtle, close-to-the-skin scent, with a dry feeling, like Kathmandu or Morocco. Despite that hairy spider-phallus on the label, this is a blend that feels gender-neutral. Love it! 2022 update: I really like this, and snagged a backup bottle. It pairs beautifully with Gloom Meeting HG. Second 2022 update: The roughness is gone. Smooooooth, sweet, dry, & subtle.

Insta-bottle! Rose & oud predominate, backed up with sandalwood & vetiver, sweetened by amber & benzoin. It's basically perfect (sigh...) Like my all-time fave, Entertaining the Heian Court Maiden, the oud in this blend is on the wood/resin end of the spectrum. Butterfly Dancer goes on sweet & rosy. As it dries, the woods & resins bloom. I love it from start to finish, & need to budget for a backup bottle.

I agree with @DiesMali: this is magnificent, & definitely related to my beloved St. Clare. If you love oud, rum & wood, do not miss Leave Her, Jonny!

I took a risk on this because of balsam & cardamom. Both are wonderfully present, so if you like those notes, this is one to try! Wet, the tomato leaf & balsam come on STRONG. After about 10 minutes, the wood & spice come out, & a fabulous balance is struck. The patchouli is subtle & woody. I 100% agree with @ReallyZeb that this is reminiscent of an "expensive woody traditionally men’s cologne," & that it smells "so damn good." Green Man heading out for a hot date, maybe? It's gorgeous. I won't need a bottle. I'm glad I got a decant. It's not something I'll wear, & Teapapa won't go for the green notes at the start.

This is my fave warm, non-armpitty Patchouli, sweetened up with almonds & amber. I don't get a lot of pumpkin. The almonds dominate at first, but after about 20 minutes it mellows into a sweet, smooth patchouli with the other notes as background.

Honey, amber, & resin-y herbs. It reminds me of balsam leaves. I'm at the end of my decant, regretting I didn't buy a bottle.

If you love Wulric the Wolfman, you'll love Armadillo. More rough-and-ready, with an outdoorsy vibe. The unlisted earthy notes include a bitter, grassy one that really makes this special. Cacao & wood for sure. I suspect this will be better on Teapapa than me, but I really like it. Possible bottle.

In the decant: Ti leads, with a bitter bite. Amber & chamomile, but no oud. Wet: I accidentally slathered a bit. Clear oil. On my skin, a chaotic swirl of amber & green & oud. The ti leaf backs off immediately. The blend is almost aquatic for a second. Dry: A subtle & smooth amber-herbal, like I had hoped. The oud is the resin-y, sweet kind, & it harmonizes beautifully with the vetiver. Low throw.

Rosemary is for remembrance: rosemary water with lavender, blackberry, Italian bergamot, and white musk. I'm reviewing my daughter's bottle, which she generously let me sample. She and I were instantly in love with this limited-edition. Snarky jab at the Supreme I love to hate, coupled with support of excellent organizations, AND BPAL? As they say, shut up and take my money! Mummeries is subtle. The Rosemary and blackberry are very well blended, with the sweet warmth of the blackberry surrounding the resinous rosemary. We have both of these plants in our vicinity, and this reminds me of warm, late-summer afternoons in the Northwest. The musk and lavender are in the background, and the bergamot must have rolled into the blackberry note on me, I couldn't find it. Not a lot of throw, this Scalia-inspired scent is safe for work.

Magnificent! Beeswax with just a hint of smoke. The vetiver is subtle, similar to the "sweet vetiver" note in Two Sheep & Two Goats Resting Together In A Field. I need a bottle.

Delightful! I might need a backup bottle before this comes down. I'm a Pacific Nortwesterner, & unfamiliar with yellow jasmine. Turns out Gelsemium sempervirens (thank you, Wikipedia,) is not related to jasmine at all (take note, jasmine-haters!) Its scent is supposed to be reminiscent of honeysuckle, which makes sense, as there's nothing indolic going on in this blend. In the bottle & freshly applied: sweet fresh peaches & dry cedar, with a hint of greenery & flowers. No honey. Drydown: Faint cedar, sweet peaches, a light, floaty floral, & sunshiney amber (sweetgum?) The honey stays hidden on my skin & in a locket.