LizziesLuck

I have never had to pay fees (I get everything sent to my home address) even when I make a Lab order large enough to get free shipping. Now I'm worried, have I just been lucky? I have made numerous large order from the Trading Post as well, no fees there either. I did notice that the Trading Post is NOT using DHL now the way the Lab is.

I have to say I am loving the new DHL shipping for internationals as well! It's so fast, and I love that it tells me the date it's going to get here.

Wet: This is much more perfumey than I expected, and smells more like a "vanilla sugar" or even "pink sugar" type scent with hints of smoke than a creamy marshmallow. That's disappointing! It's not bad or anything, just not what I expected. It doesn't smell like toasted marshmallow to me. Dry: Cinnamon? Not sure where the spice is coming from, but it now smells less perfumey and more spicey, but still not what I expected. It's actually really really nice, but it's so different from the idea that I had in my head that it's throwing me off.

aha! I think my favourite strawberry note thusfar is the one in strawberry sufganiyot and the instructional manual. I gather the strawberry in strawberry moon 09 is more in its natural habitat maybe? like in a strawberry patch of its own? Would that be right in thinking this is the case? I actually don't really thing I liked bon vivant because of the fizziness! (though it could have been the fact it was crystalline and not as sugary nom nom as i'd personally favour). I love your suggestions though, so maybe it'll turn out a surprise for me too? Though i imagine the velvet series go for quite a price. Yes, that's exactly it - the strawberry in Strawberry Moon is really realistic to me, not a candy Strawberry note - but that just reminded me of one that has a really good strawberry candy note, if that's what you're wanting Sticky Eyeballs and Floppy Entrails Sticky white glops of marshmallow and clotted cream with ropes of sinewy strawberry licorice whips and oozing pink jelly. this was mostly strawberry candy on me, maybe that's more what you're looking for? I was lucky enough to swap for my bottle of Velvet Pink Kitty - it wasn't on my radar even, but a certain lovely lady knew I would like it, and she was right! I imagine if you did get some, it would not be hard to rehome if it didn't work out, but it may indeed be quite pricey.

I love the grass note - I actually purchased Grass Stain SN with the thought of layering it with Strawberry Moon and several others to bring out the grass a bit more - I find the grass note burns off on me after a while with Strawberry Moon 09 and I'm just left with strawberry. Ah, Velvet Pink Kitty! This was such a surprise love for me! It's like what I wanted Bon Vivant to be. It's fizzy! The dry gin cuts the sweetness of the strawberry and grenadine. I don't find it horribly boozey, but sweet and fizzy and awesome. But I love fizzy, the lab's champagne note is a favourite of mine.

Big sugary floral lover here! Have you tried Venus Verticordia? Fickle dandelion florets dancing through honey-drenched wildflowers. I think it's my favourite honeyed floral ever. Or how about Peach IX Rose musk, peach blossom, and vanilla cream - it isn't listed as sugary, but I find the rose musk to be very sweet. Hard to find, but I just tried L'Estate, and OMG gorgeous sweet-amber floral! Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle. I have struggled to find Strawberry scents I could wear, but what has worked for me is Strawberry Moon 2009 Wild strawberries, strawberry flower, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, and milky dandelion sap. and also Love, which mixes the sugary floral element in too! Marshmallows and rose sugar with whipped vanilla cream and a hint of strawberry. And if you can find it, my ultimate strawberry is Velvet Pink Kitty Pink rock candy, strawberry cream, and splashes of gin, vermouth, and grenadine.

Wet: Mmm. Sweet glowing amber and florals. The florals are continuing to amp though and it's getting a bit odd. There's something really clean about this though. Dry: This settles so well into a beautiful floral amber scent with the vanilla, musk and sandalwood wafting in and out, giving it depth. It's classic, lovely, elegant. Glad to have it! Do wish it was a bit stronger with more throw.

My thanks, again, and a million times in the future, for that spreadsheet. I had used it before, years ago, to "Seed" my own massive, multi-tab BPAL excel sheet. I fired up the sheet today to update it with all of the new scents in the last year. Wasn't really looking forward to that. Happen to check the forum and BAM! someone recently posted an updated link to the original. Made things much easier for me. (And my own sheet is even cleaner now too!) Thank you thank you thank you for all that hard work! I can't take any of the credit for that spreadsheet - I just point it out to folks. No clue who originally made it, but I believe it is currently kept up to date by the lovely Izile. I am obsessed with my own (slightly modified) version of it.

Wet: Sour violets. Sometimes rosewood goes sour on me, and I amp violet like crazy, much to my annoyance. Dry: Still sour violet. Not for me!

I have difficulty with certain fruit nose - either my skin turns them to artificial/plastic yuckiness, or my nose just doesn't read them properly. Anyway, there is something in here that's not working for me. I suspect the banana. Apple is not great on me either. There isn't enough coconut or pepper in this to save it for me, it's a plastic fruit salad. Boo, skin chemistry! In theory, I should like this.

Beth's genius never ceases to amaze me! How on earth does she make things smell fizzy? Seriously, how is that a thing? I don't really drink martinis, but I love gin, so I know Beth nailed the juniper note completely, along with the fizzy tonic water. I just can't remember what vermouth smells like, but I have to assume it's this other note I am detecting in here. Honestly, I don't know that this is wearable for me, but it's just such an amazing piece of artistry that I will likely keep the imp to smell on occasion anyway.

I recently acquired v3, and it became an instant favourite - I decided I needed to have v2 as well. I am first going to try it all on it's own, but I imagine I will do a side-by-side comparison at some point. Wet: Stunning. Feminine and elegant. Creamy, sandalwood, vanilla, and I think amber - which gives it a lovely perfumey, classic quality that I love. It's also making it want to go a bit powdery on me, boo! Amber doesn't usually go powdery, but I seem to remember another scent where it combined with sandalwood and went wonky. Hopefully this recovers as it dries - it was amazing when first applied. Dry: My skin ate it, but not before it went a bit wonky. This is fresh out of the mail, so I will retest before coming to any conclusions. Thus far v3 is much better on me though. ETA: Tested again today. It's sour on me. Actually smells more like bois de rose than sandalwood, which would explain why it went sour. I do get the vanilla still, but no real distinct other notes. I am glad I tried this (really I had to after how much I loved v3) but it's not really for me and will likely be swapped ETA: Tried this a final time, because it is just so amazing in the bottle! But sadly no, my skin chemistry ruins it and turns it sour. The lovey vanilla not gets stomped on by whatever it is that's reacting badly with my skin. Boo!

Wet: Leather? Weird. But it smells chemically, the way the Lab's white (and some others) leather note does on me. Then the tobacco amps up, but it smells way more like tobacco flower (nicotiana) than it does straight tobacco. Hints of the sweetness are starting to come out as it warms, and it's getting much more pleasant, but still not what I was expecting at all. Dry: This turns fantastic once fully dry and warmed by my skin. It has an ineffable quality that I find hard to describe. Faint smoky/sweet tobacco, hints of sugared tea and incense. It's languid and a little bit sinister. The swirl of autumn leaves gives it a melancholy vibe as well. I really like it, but I do wish it was stronger and had more throw.

Interesting! Spicy, but in an earthy kind of way, not like cinnamon. Sweet. Ya, earthy describes this for sure, but it's also a bit foodie to me. A bit woody. Different. Glad I got to try it, but sadly the Lab's pumpkin note is just not for my skin, it goes off on me after a while.

This is strange on me - not what I expected. It's somewhat sour in a lemony kind of way. It smells sort of clean, in an aquatic kind of way. Interesting, but not for me!

It was the tobacco and apricot with amber and flowers that made me want to try this - I'm a bit iffy on the pineapple, and tangerine can be disastrous for me. Wet: Fruity, for sure, but sort of an indistinct fruitiness. A bit floral. A bit soapy, actually. Really interesting though, quite different. Wish the tobacco was present. Dry: Quite faint once dry, and just sort of vaguely fruity/floral. It is quite golden though! It gives that impression. Sort of the same vibe as Pandy on me, with white floral and apricot notes. Pandy is much stronger though and lasts longer on me.

Wet: Pine (which always smells almost minty to my nose) and sweet berries. it's not terrible! I don't usually like any scents with pine in them. Dry: This is the most pleasant blend I have smelled with pine in it. To be honest, it's still not something I want to wear, pine is just really not for me. But I can appreciate how lovely it is, still, and be sad that it was discontinued. I can imagine lots of folks would have really liked it.

Since you like Midway, have you tried Mouse Circus yet? In the same vein at least - A toodle oodle of pink cotton candy noses, vanilla spun sugar fur, scattered kernels of popcorn, and a touch of polished golden wood.

Maybe this BPAL Spreadsheet would be helpful? It has all the scents, and then if you want to find the review thread of a specific one I find the easiest fastest way is to use the advanced search form, type the scent name in, in quotations, ie "Red Moon", hit search in titles only, and then ask it to search only in the reviews forum. Hope that's somewhat helpful!

Wet: Soapy almost-but-not-quite-jasmine. It really is like jasmine, but just not quite. So soapy on me, holy. Dry: The soapiness dissipates, but it ends up smelling, um, kinda like feces? It's not good on me, let's just say that.

Wet: Strong honey, similar to the honey note in O on me. A 'hint' of cherry that reads more like almond (my nose has issues differentiating those two, for whatever reason) and something a little bit green or herbal, and almost sinister underneath. Dry: Nice, actually. Honey, hints of cherry, but also something herbal and green. Not cloying or too sweet. I do have other honey blends I like better, but this is nice too.

Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods. Bay Rum is iffy on me, but sometimes it's ok. The other notes are iffy too, actually, I am really not expecting this to work, but gotta try it! Wet: Sun-warmed wood and sweat! Very masculine, but that's to be expected. There's a faint aquatic note under everything. I am not actually getting much of the rum, mostly woods and salt. Very manly. Could totally see a pirate smelling like this, lol. Dry: Warm salty wood and sweaty skin. Not my thing! But really realistic. It smells like what I imagine being on a wooden pirate ship might smell like on a really hot day.

2013 Wet: Whoa. Fruit (apples?) and smoke, but not vetiver type smoke, more like candle smoke. Not getting incense, or honey, or sandalwood. It sort of smells like body odour now. Hmmm. Something in this isn't agreeing with me. Dry: Fruit (it smells like apple to me) and smoke and sweaty skin? I don't know. I do know this one isn't for me! Glad to have tried it though.

How did I not review this?? Delirium was on my "buy a bottle" list for 10 years (literally). I FINALLY got around to getting one last year, and I am so happy to finally have it! Rose and lemon, with hints of apple (that I can stand, I usually don't care for apple much). This has become my "Spring Rose" scent, and I adore it. So simple and pretty.

Have you thought of The Apothecary? Tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig I really struggle to describe Dragon's Blood - it's sweet and spicy and heady....I thought I hated it until I tried the Lab's DB note. I don't LOVE it, but it's not a deal breaker for me any more. It can sometimes read as floral though, for sure, but I like florals. I didn't find Prialla woody at all, but of course it'll be different on everyone's skin. The vetiver provided more of a smoky effect on me. Antikythera does hover on the edge of masculine for me - sort of unisex, but it's so good I don't care. If you're not afraid to hunt down LE's on the forum, and you're a Tobacco lover, try to get your paws on some French Tobacco Single Note - best sweet caramelized tobacco note EVER, IMHO. Elegba is pretty boozey. I can't do wine notes, but the Lab's rum note is amazing on my skin, it's almost like caramel. So good. Santa Domingo is a bit boozey, but more tobacco and sweet tropical blooms on me. If you're up for digging through LE's to find combos of notes you like, maybe you would like your very own Blank BPAL Spreadsheet of Doom, to keep updated, and make notes on, and generally obsess over (oh wait, maybe that's just me...) Happy Sniffing!