Beary Strange

This is a warm, comforting scent, perfect for the theme of the fundraiser, like a hug and someone assuring you everything is going to be ok. And it’s exactly what it says on the tin on me. The vanilla is warm and cozy, and the sandalwood is soft. 💕 This is so simple but also perfect as is, would not change a thing. I’ve been applying it before bed, even though I wouldn’t call it a sleepy scent, because it’s just so pleasant and as I said, comforting.

On application strong cream soda and sweet lotus. As it dries down the florals start coming forward, with neither the almond blossoms or rose standing out in particular, they’ve combined to this soft, lovely floral combo. The amber is chilling in the background, just sort of propping everything up. This is still very much about the lotus on me though and the lotus seems quite attached to the cream; I have yet to get one without the other. I would describe this as lotus cream soda accompanied by soft florals and one amber. It’s a very pleasant, very feminine scent that I’m glad to have it in my collection.

When first applied, I get this big *wooof* of cacao, which doesn't last long and disappears until fully dry. Dirt enters the picture next and it's a clean, fresh, dry now but was recently mud kind of dirt smell. It's followed by lovely earthy tobacco that almost but not quite smells like moss. That's where it stays until it's dry, and then the white amber starts peeking out. The dirt note starts to lean stone-like, and the cacao comes back, and it brought the vanilla with it, giving it a super dry white chocolate vibe, but also not remotely as sweet. There's a chalky smell present (I presume the white amber), which seems to be really tempering the cacao + vanilla scent. The end result is a lovely chalky white amber, dirt/stone, and tobacco, touched by vanilla and cacao. This is a very stony, earthy scent, but the white chocolate smell is adding this light sweetness in wafts that keeps it from going so far in that direction that it no longer smells like perfume. This has turned out to be my favorite of all the Lupers I've smelled up to this point, and I'm currently debating a back-up bottle and I think I need to see what Muddy Armadillo is all about.

Smells just like sunflowers to me, like when you take a stray petal and rub it between your fingers. All these individual ingredients and I don’t think I can pick apart the notes at this point because my brain had already decided on “sunflowers”. It’s bright, summery, and hopeful. I absolutely love it.

Fresh out of the mailbox because I couldn't help myself. This is divine, I smell divine.💕 It's exactly what it says on the label on me: strong, warm vanilla, sweetened and made Spring-y by the hay, with just a dash of nutmeg. And it's got a nice throw to go along with it (though it smells so good I still keep burying my nose in my arm.) It may well be the best thing I've ever smelled from the Lab, Dorian notwithstanding, and I need backups.

Wet, I can smell every note listed, with sweet patchy honey and the florals at the forefront. On dry down, the honey is dominant, accompanied by myrrh and a musk that smells very much like skin musk to me. The floral aspect others report, on me, has gone very muted and smells lightly of geranium. The patchouli seems to still be present, maybe, but very much in the background as well. Cognac and rose have left the party altogether, which is fine. On me this has a pretty strong throw that intensifies as it dries and has very good lasting power. I haven't tried yet, but I suspect this will hold up well to an 8 hour work day. I found this in my untested frimp stash while looking for new things to try while waiting on my Lupers, and I have to say, I absolutely love this. Definitely a GC deserving of a bottle.

I can't believe I never reviewed this, because I've loved it since day one and worn it quite a bit since. On me this is very vanilla, myrrh, and lavender forward, along with something sweet and floral, but different from other florals, that I'm assuming is the wisteria. I have to say, I'm new to wisteria, but if that is what this smell is, I'm in love. 💘I can pick out the skin musk, but it's mostly in the background, propping up the more front and center notes. Other reviewers hit the nail on the head by calling it "marshmallowy and fluffy" and "a pillowy dream." It's a lovely, comfy scent, cozy without being warm, and I'm constantly going back to sniff my wrists. My one minor gripe is that the throw is fairly light, and does require a fairly heavy-handed application, at least for me (I like a strong fragrance), but that just means I'm going to need back-ups.

In the bottle: maple syrup and popcorn Wet: salty, buttery, sweet, and lightly spicy. It reminds me of how a kitchen smells when all different sorts of baked goods have been made over the course of a couple days during Christmas and now it smells like all the things. Someone made sugar cookies with lots and lots of butter, and potentially brown sugar, and then they made some spiced cookies, followed by rolls, and someone may have been putting together popcorn garlands in there as well. And all the while your grandma has cinnamon potpourri wax melting in the next room-but this is very likely just my skin chemistry doing it's spice amp thing. Dry: pretty much the same, but the butteryness has gone into the background. It's primarily lightly spicy cinnamon potpourri and salty, sweet popcorn on me. I actually wore this to work a few times when I first received it, and without fail, people started remarking that they smelled maple syrup and/or pancakes, and I have to admit, it even began to smell like that to me after a while, so I gave up on wearing it. Now that I've let it settle for a couple months, it seems to have lost a lot of that maple syrup smell, except in the bottle. But it's definitely gone full-on Christmas scent, so it's no longer seasonally appropriate now that we're in Spring, and it's going in my fall/winter box to continue aging. Oddly, even though I normally hate cinnamon because of my skin chemistry, this one stays light enough that it never gets to the point that I feel bothered by it, which is a relief.👍

In the bottle: sweet incense sticks Wet: more incense that starts off kind of sharp and sweet and begins to shift spicy, along with some woodsiness and I'm pretty sure I smell candlewax. It doesn't really smell like sugar cookies at this stage though. Dry: a more nuanced powdery soft incense that's a bit sweet, a bit spicy, and there's that wood but now it's smelling a bit more resiny than it did in the wet stage. There's the barest hint of cookies in the background, but the kind that aren't particularly sweet. The sweetness seems entirely attached to the incense. As it dries down even more it develops a perfume-y quality that banishes any notion that this could be a foodie scent, despite the name. It also doesn't feel particularly holiday/winter season-y; I think one could definitely get away with wearing this on dark, gloomy days and at night throughout the year.

Wet: cedar and gingery galangal Dry: cedar and a plywood smell that reminds me of wandering around in the construction material section of Lowe's, which I have to say, is a scent I quite enjoy. There was also a bit of frankincense hanging around in the background, before this scent just sort of...fizzled out on me (which was a matter of minutes). I really like this, it's a comforting and nostalgic scent; it's something I'd wear around the house to feel at home and cozy. Unfortunately, because it fades so quickly on me, I don't think I need a full bottle, although the imp will very likely get used, perhaps on a lava bead. I wish it had more oomph and staying power on me-I'm envious of the people who mention getting hours of wear out of this.

Bottle: metallic ozone Wet: strong, green ozone with metal coming through as it dries Dry: on dry down it evolves into a distinctly masculine cologne-y deodorant smell that's a bit hard to pick apart. If I were to smell this in the wild, I'd assume it was one of those Old Spice deodorant sprays I was smelling. I'd say this is more aquatic ozone-y than metallic though, or maybe the metal is just going into the background on my skin. I received this in a group of frimps with my Haute Macabre order (which was so nice💕) and it's my very first foray into the Lab's metallic scents. While it smells nice, the fact that my brain reads it as an Old Spice deodorant smell is not ideal to me, and even without that association, this is distinctly not my style. But I appreciate that I got a chance to try it.

Chiming in with, yes, this is 100% liquid Fruity Pebbles essence. On initial application, there is a distinct waft of kumquat and orange blossoms, but it settles into fruity cereal so quickly that I have to really concentrate to pick out the individual notes. And in what is an interesting revelation for me, a person cursed with skin that takes spice notes and turns them into nightmares, the white pepper is not only not screaming in my face, it seems to be just quietly deepening the citrusy, fruity notes. I'm now left wondering if I've been avoiding white pepper, and maybe pink, for no reason. I'm in love with this scent, and I'm so so grateful to Haute Macabre for sending it as a frimp with my order. This perfume is pure happiness in a bottle; the kind of thing you put on when you've had a hard day and need a pick me up, or just want to start the day cheerfully. I've been putting off ordering GC for a while now, but I need a full bottle of this asap.

In the bottle: noticeable roses, but not harsh ones, along with myrrh and patchouli Wet: myrrh, lavender, and champaca are at the forefront at this stage. I also smell something sweet that could either be the benzoin or the sugared portion of the sugared violets. Not really getting much musk or violet itself right now. Dry: as this dries down, the roses start to really dominate the blend (without going harsh, which ❤️), but I am also getting violets, and I can still smell the myrrh. The black musk also showed up and it sits in the background, adding to the ambiance, along with the champaca and patchouli. The benzoin isn't really there for me on the initial dry down, but starts to show back up over time, adding a pleasant sweetness to the scent. This is really beautiful, and I would say a darkly feminine blend. I definitely get beautiful goth villainess from it. And I love how it's so rose forward, which I would usually hate, but the rest of the blend calms the roses down to a point that I can enjoy them, instead of feeling like I'm being suffocated by them.

Wet: vanilla marshmallow lavender reined in by that ambery sandalwood and bergamot, the rose, thankfully, is very light and fades into the background well Dry: pretty much the same, only it gets even lighter, maybe a bit more into sweetly powdered lavender & tea territory Very light throw and requires, on me at least, quite a heavy handeded application to really smell it, but it is lovely. Glad I picked up a bottle.

Wet on skin: sassafras and vanilla, which means...I smell like root beer! ❤️ Drydown: Still root beer, but less fizzy carbonated soda, more sweet vanilla-y perfume bordering on cologne. I definitely get the cedar and balsam as well, but the sassafras and vanilla dominates the blend. I absolutely adore this, this is going on my GC bottle list. Also, I wore this to work and could still clearly smell it later that afternoon, which is impressive for sure.

VOODOO: Wet on skin: I'm picking up a lot of things, most of what it says on the tin. The vetiver, pine, and almond are the most forward. It kind of reminds me of a cabin my grandparents had in the woods down South. So woodsy, but also kind of dank like a swamp, but in a good way. In particular I swear I smell the Spanish moss you so often see hanging from trees along the Gulf Coast, even though it isn't listed. Dry: it continues to smell like a blend of everything listed, maybe still a little vetiver and Spanish moss forward, very cologney Gulf Coast forest. I definitely get why this is called Voodoo. I like it, but don't think I need a full bottle as it's not something I see myself wearing out.

in the bottle: Rogue and sour chocolate that on initial sniffs I initially mistook for dirty diapers, but now that it's had time to settle I definitely get that it's sour chocolate. There's also this hint of liquor in the background. That syrupy, sweet alcohol base scent all liquors have in general. It almost reminds me of Vice. wet: amber, Rogue, a more normal chocolate but it's also more in the background now dry: strong amber and chocolate, although the chocolate's gone a bit dry, I still smell the rosin and hemp of Rogue, and leather which could be coming from Rogue or Black Rider, it's just more subtle behind the amber and chocolate Over time this calms down into a slightly powdery amber and Rogue. I'd also call this a Rogue blend. There's a bit of chocolate from Bliss, a lot of amber from Black Rider, but it's all built on top of a foundation of Rogue. I'd say this is one that smells closer to more traditional perfume, but with a chocolate edge you might not expect. 3/14 Update: after a month or so of sitting this is now much more black leather forward. Still ambery, still Rogue-y, but the black leather from Black Rider comes through now in a way that it didn't back in January for me. It's even more lovely now. 💕 I originally saw this as a Rogue blend, but now I'd say it's more of a Rogue-Black Rider blend, with a hint of chocolate. Which is basically what it says on the tin. Medium throw and a fairly long wear length.

in the bottle: very sandalwood forward but I feel like I can smell most of the other notes as well, except what I think must be the violet smells more like just bruised flower petals generally (edit: violets, it smells like violets and greenery) wet: the florals are coming forward in a big way, while the sandalwood and champaca is still present but fading fast dry: purple florals (edit: it's violet I'm picking up on here) and champaca (not sure what happened, but after sitting a bit, it's orris root that comes forward, not the champaca), the sandalwood has left the building, leaving nothing but the barest hint that it may have been there This is like fancy soap meets mature floral perfume. I don't think I'd necessarily wear it out, because it does lean a bit old lady perfume, I'd say it almost has a stuffy quality to it, but it's nice to wear while lounging around in soft PJs. This is the first time I've tried one of the lab's violets, and I have to say, this violet leans almost too astringent for me, but not so close that I dislike it. I do, however, want to try some violets that are more on the sugared side. Edit 3/3/22: I tried this again after letting it sit for a bit, and it's not giving me astringent old lady perfume vibes anymore at all, in fact it's smelling very different. Now it's a nice, light violet floral with some orris root to give it a powdery quality. I kind of get the lavender, but it's faint behind all that violet, and the champaca might be propping the orris root up, but it's definitely in the background. Still don't get any sandalwood on drydown, which is fine, this smells absolutely beautiful as is. Also, on Fifteen Minutes of Fume, they referred to this as smelling like grayed out purple. And they're entirely correct. It's wild, it's like BPAL bottled a color.

In the bottle: Christmas--I'm struggling to explain what I mean by that, I want to say it smells like Christmas trees, but it's not straight up fir smell, it's way more than just trees: it's the wreaths and the spices and mistletoe and the fire going in the background. Wet: said Christmas smell with men's cologne strongly coming through; there's also a slight chilled edge despite the warm Christmas smells that even feels cool on my skin (I'm guessing this is the Snow White aspect people mention) Dry: Hello! The fougere, cologne scent of Dorian is at the forefront, but it's very much warmer than Dorian usually smells on me. My skin doesn't seem to be amping any sweet elements. It's all warm cologne with that Christmas scent lingering in the background. If you enjoy smelling like men's cologne, as I very much do (it's my preferred scent profile) this is definitely a must-try...or must hoard in my case. It seems to have fairly good throw. Will update on lasting power.

In the bottle and wet, it's mostly stems, very green, almost astringent. But after it dries down, the rose comes out more but brings with it a bit of soapiness. It reminds me off those little rose-scented soaps you find in bathroom dishes at your grandmother's house. Boyfriend says it smells like rose bath pearls. That said, it's a very pleasant. Maybe not something I'd wear out, but definitely something I'd enjoy smelling around the house.

Absurd! Green mango, fig, patchouli and green tea. It smells sweet and fruity to me in the imp and wet. Dry, it smells like spicy Juicy Fruit...which is not a bad thing imo. Boyfriend compared it to the way Hot Topic smelled in the 90s--that patchouli incense waft combined with the fruity, bubblegum perfumes that were so popular back then. Update: I'm going back through all my old frimps that I remember liking but never pulled the trigger on. Revisited this one and wow, yep I definitely love this. Does what it says on the tin: fruity mango patchouli tea (aka spicy Juicy Fruit to my nose). Like others have said, it's a nice, gentle patchouli, so you probably don't need to worry about offending the patchouli haters in your life. It also has decentish throw, but is still light enough you could get away with wearing it to work. Definitely getting a full bottle on my next order because this is just straight up happiness in perfume oil form to me.

March 2022 Update: It needs to age! I've come back to this a couple times since purchasing it in late 2017 but would never do more than sniff it, chicken out of trying it again, and continue to age it. I finally decided to give it another chance, and I have to say: aging has made all the difference. The first thing I notice is the lack of the bitter smell that bothered me so much before. The second is an oddly minty quality I never picked up on before that cleared my sinuses instantly. As a chronic allergy sufferer, that's very interesting. Wet, very in your face lemon and orange; dry, it's a surprisingly cold lemony mint (which I guess is the lemon balm) accompanied by an orange that in turns smells like orange juice and orange oil to me. If I concentrate, I can get that it's actually orange blossom I'm smelling, but it's not where my mind goes to first, but after a while it does smell more orange blossomy than orange juice/oil. And I still don't get any clove, which is a bummer, but honestly, now that it's aged and smells great, I don't even mind and I think the lack of it is going to make this a very good summer scent. I'd also classify this as medium throw and wear length, with the caveat that it is very intense when first applied and definitely benefits from the dry down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2017 impression: In the bottle and wet, I get a strong orange and lemon oil smell. Pleasant, but also sort of akin to furniture polish. There's also a light undercurrent of something bitter. Dry, the orange and lemon scent is still there but the bitter smell really overpowers it--it reminds me of when you accidentally bite a bit of orange peel and flowers that have wilted and are starting to smell bad. I'm not getting any clove whatsoever. Based on the description, I was really hoping for a pomander scent, but the bitter, rotting flower petal smell really amps on me instead.

In the bottle, it's very sweet; and directly on, it smells woodsy and maybe a bit spicy. On the it's way to drying down, it smells very much like what happens when I mix Eat Me and Greed, only not as strong and the slightest bit plastic-y. And after it's dried down a bit it, it's all spicy vanilla with a hint of cherry-heavy fruits. It's definitely strikes me as similar to Eat Me + Greed, but more wearable in public. There's not a lot of throw, but it does seem to be lasting.

In the imp: BO and jasmine Wet: myrrh and jasmine, but there's still that edge of BO Dry: still myrrh and jasmine, but the BO smell has faded a bit; the jasmine is a bit more tangy than I'm used to in jasmine though, I can get the "cat pee" comparison other's have made; it's also gone powdery on me I love myrrh and jasmine, but this scent doesn't work for me. Even forgetting the odd BO smell it has when wet, the powdery scents strikes me as a bit old lady. Idk, I may give it another try but so far, it's a miss sadly. Quite a throw too--which in this case, not necessarily a good thing. I smell like I tried to cover the need for a shower with a ton of jasmine.