naeelah

This is surprisingly nice. I say that only because I haven't liked many of the Rappaccini's Garden blends. This is a light, sweet, watery, scent that's part green, part floral. There's a hint of melon or cucumber -- when wet, I smell more melon, but dry, I smell more cucumber. It really reminds me of Cancer '07 (which has sweet pea and lettuce). I couldn't begin to say what's in it. It almost seems like there's a little white musk, but perhaps that's just the brightness of the green notes. As it dries, some of the sweetness evaporates and the bright, green quality gets a bit stronger. This has a light, traditional perfume quality to me. In a really good way. This is light, springy, fresh, and youthful. I definitely recommend trying this if you're a fan of this kind of scent. Try this if you like: Squirting Cucumber, Blue Moon, Cancer '07, Juliet, etc.

A little bit of this stuff goes a long way! (This is a good thing, seeing as I only have 1 imp. ) The overall effect, from a distance, is of rich floral incense. It doesn't morph a lot for me between the wet and dry phases. Under nose, it smells primarily of rose, musk, and incense smoke, with hints of carnation and bergamot. This is a rich, heady incense blend, and I love it to pieces. Definitely fitting of a gypsy queen. It has excellent throw, but the wear length is sometimes a bit short, for me. This is a bit like the Witch Queen, only without purple fruits, and with more rose. It also reminds me of one of my favorite GCs, Mara Hari, without the coffee.

This is such a cute and wonderful frimp idea! Thanks lab. I can't say much more than, this smells just like real fruitcake. Good fruitcake, because the lab doesn't deal in sub-par pastries. Wet, there's a lot of sugary, almondy, spicy pastry, with plenty of sweet fruits. Dry, the sugary, spicy quality recedes a bit, and it's more fruit than cake. I smell cherries, dates, raisins, and a boozy quality, with spicy pastry in the background. It's a great holiday scent and well worth trying if you're a fan of foody scents. Throw is on the strong side at first, but it gets a little lighter once it dries.

This is very nice! It smells a lot like the wet stage of Pruno, for me, only unlike Pruno, it doesn't turn into soap. Score! Wet, it smells EXACTLY like a cosmopolitan: bright, a little bit boozy, with orange, lime, and berries. It's delicious! It doesn't seem to morph at all, except that the bright, boozy quality fades. The throw is a little soft, but it lasts forever. I've had it on for almost 8 hours, and although it's much closer to the skin, it's still very noticeable.

Wet, this is all violets. I figured this would fade and bloom as it dried, so I've been waiting...and waiting...and still, almost all I can smell is violets. Violets and dry, smoky incense. As of yet, no clove, no tonka. After at least 30 minutes, I can just begin to smell the clove. It hides in the incense smoke. Maybe it's willful thinking, but I think I can begin to pick out the tonka -- a slightly tangy vanilla-like quality in the background. Nearly an hour later, it's definitely a little richer and not so dry. But I can't stand this glacial morphing pace. In the end, it's a dry, smoky violet. Throw is about average. Wear life seems pretty good.

Wet, I get a strong wave of salty aquatics. As this begins to dry, I smell something a little bit smooth, maybe the clay, and it gradually gets colder and colder. The frost has a minty edge. There seem to be tropical blooms buried beneath it all. At this stage, it kind of reminds me of The Phoenix, with mint. As it continues to dry, the mint pulls back a little and the tropical blooms get a little stronger. Now it's a little bit richer, less slushy. There's a light incense smoke hovering above it all. It gets warmer and warmer, the mint gets softer and softer, and the blooms feel very lush. I'm not really an aquatic fan, but I have to say, of all the aquatics I've smelled, this is one of the best. This is a little bit richer and more interesting. It's such a nice combination -- tropical blooms and salty winter slush. Definitely recommended for aquatic and tropical flower fans. ETA: After another hour or so, some of the lushness seems to go away, and I get a bit of a soapy, "Irish Springs" quality, like other reviewers mentioned. I think that's maybe some of the notes of frost and decay morphing. Throw is quite good at first, more average after a couple of hours. Wear life seems decent.

This is such an unusual and interesting combination of notes! In the imp, I smell lime, myrrh, and almond. On my skin, it quickly blossoms into a deeper, richer, smokier combination. I can pick out all of the notes, but nothing seems to overwhelm the blend. The myrrh, clove and patchouli provide a rich base. The vetiver adds a slight sharpness without slicing straight to my sinuses. The pine lends a brighter quality that seems almost minty, but it's subtle. The vanilla adds slight sweetness and padding, balancing the sharper notes. Once dry, the lime seems gone, and the almond is in hiding. Unfortunately, I amp patchouli liek whoah. That's too bad, because at first, I kind of love this. As it is, for me, it's a very rich, very earthy scent with hints of vanilla, vetiver, resin smoke, and pine. It's still highly appropriate for the theme, but doesn't really do it for me.

In the imp, it smells festively of almond and cherries. As soon as it hits my skin, the almonds and cherries go FWOOSH! And it's replaced by a much lighter, much more floral scent. Then that quickly morphs into sandalwood -- my old nemesis! Sandalwood hates me - I amp it to the nth. Dry, 10 minutes later, we're holding at sandalwood and a light incense-y quality. So sad. I loved this for the first 10 seconds -- why does it have to turn into generic sandalwood incense?

I was hoping this might be a little heavier on the charcoal than the candy, but it turns out it's just as described: charcoal candy! If you can imagine such a thing, that's just how this smells. The first time I tried this, it seemed very maple-y when wet. Now, it seems less so. Wet, it's sweet, sticky sugars, with a drier undertone, from the charcoal. But dry, the dryness seems to just smell like the drier sugars in Sugar Skull, instead of like dust and charcoal. Mixed in with it all is a good dose of violet (which doesn't turn soapy on me - huzzah!) After wearing it several times all day, I can just catch a whiff of cypress in the background. After several hours, some of the sweetness fades, and it's a tiny bit more bitter and charcoal-like, which I like. So, in short, this is just like Sugar Skull, only it has violets instead of red fruits. (LB is a little bit more subdued and dusky, SS is a little brighter. Side by side, I can tell which is which, but for me, they really are damn near identical.) I like it a lot, but I already have two bottles of Sugar Skull. I really hope this comes back in the future, with even more charcoal action, to make it a little more unique. Try it if you like: Sugar Skull, Sybaris, Hope & Faith

Oh my goodness, this is gorgeous. It's light enough to be a perfect spring and summer scent, and perfect for the character of Aquarius, but substantial enough to appeal to me. In the bottle, the anise and pomegranate combine to form an off-putting cough syrup-like quality. It doesn't smell cough syrupy when wet on the skin, but the anise is a bit strong, right at first. It seems to come into full bloom within about 5 minutes. I feel like all of the notes here are in pretty even balance. I was afraid this would be POMEGRANATE...and some other stuff. I was also afraid it would go the opposite direction, and be really floral. But that isn't the case at all. If anything, the resins are strongest, on my skin. It's a beautiful, even blend of light florals, smoky resin, and sweet pomegranate. The anise lends a slight minty quality, and a very faint overtone of licorice. (But don't be afraid! I hate everything about licorice, but the anise here is very agreeable.) I can't call this anything other than a fruity floral resin blend. Like the other zodiac blends, it's a unique offering. I think this will appeal to a very wide range of people. If I had to give this a color, it would be pale, dusky purple and peach. The throw, at first, is about average, but it seems to evaporate quickly. After 2 hours, I really had to hunt to find it.

The first time I sniffed it, I thought, "It smells like soap." But my first encounter with the fragrance was via the BPTP soap, so I thought, my brain's just making that association. So I laid off the Snow White soap for a while, and tried out the perfume ('07 version). Still smelled like soap. Had some other people sniff it -- they also said soap. Ah well. I hear that Snow White ages wonderfully, so maybe that soapiness will go away, but I never expected this to be a "me" scent -- I just wanted to see what it was like. It definitely encapsulates the concept well. It's light, cool, and innocent, and sweet. It doesn't seem to morph much for me. It's light, breathy flowers, a touch of something cool -- it smells like cold air, only it's not at all like the lab's usual ozone note -- and a soft, powdery, faintly sweet quality. It's that last note that seems to make the overall effect very soapy on me. So for me it's great in the shower, not so great just on my skin. Much to my chagrin, but much to the bonus of everyone who loves it, this stuff lasts FOREVER. 4-5 hours and it had barely faded a bit. So wear life is most excellent. Throw is a little better than average, but it's a gentle scent.

Wet, a wave of magnolia washes over me. As it dries, the other florals, especially the orchid, come screaming through. This early phase is aaalll florals, with just a hint of smokiness. It softens very quickly, minute by minute, as it dries. The balance of the florals shifts a bit, but I can't recall which was more prominent when. The jasmine doesn't take over, and the rose never seemed to take prominence. The florals are strong, but succulent. After an hour or two, though, they're very, very soft. Now, it's a light, dry, smoky amber, with hints of florals. Early throw is strong, but it drops quickly. Life is below average.

The scent reminds me a little of dragon's tears. It definitely has dragon's blood, but it's light. It seems to be taking a back seat to jasmine. I have no idea what else is in it, because all I really get are the dragon's blood and jasmine. It's pretty nice, if you like jasmine, but nothing that wows me. The longer it dries, the more it seems there's a very light wood note in the background. It seems to have huge throw, but it's a gentle scent, so it doesn't knock you down. Can't say it's making me want to reach for the riding crop.

I don't think I tried this when it was fresh, and now it's about 6 months old. Wet, I get a strong wave of oak moss. As it dries, the snake oil becomes stronger, but it remains balanced by cool, dry mosses. I'm not usually a huge moss fan, but they're an excellent contrast to the rich, sweetness of Snake Oil. They aren't musty at all here, just light and cool. On the whole, I don't think it's anywhere near as dry as Western Diamondback. From a distance it smells just like Snake Oil, only the mosses take some of the sugary edge off. I'd definitely recommend this one as a cooler or more unisex version of Snake Oil. The throw is really good, and I don't know yet about wear life.

I don't think I ever tried this when it was young. Now it's about 6 months old. Wet, the florals are very strong and a bit sharp. They calm down right away, as they dry. Actually, they seem to just keep fading, away until there's nothing. For the first 30 minutes, this is pretty light florals and Snake Oil, in about even balance. After about 30 minutes, I smell mostly Snake Oil, with faint florals in the background. The florals aren't gone, but they're definitely soft now. The overall throw seems lighter than Snake Oil, and the wear life is definitely shorter than average. I looked for it to wash it off after a few hours (making room to test more), and I couldn't find it, whereas the other snakes I tested were still very noticeable. This is very pretty if you like floral scents. I'm not sure how to describe the floral quality, but it seems similar to some tropical blends. A wonderful springtime snake oil!

I've reached the conclusion that I just don't care for red ginger. I'm not huge on cassia either, and cinnamon I like only in small doses... so this blend was not destined to be a hit, for me. The first time I tried it, when it was fresh, it kind of choked me. Now it's aged (about 6 months), and it's much, much smoother and gentler. The sharpness of the cassia and cinnamon is gone. The first thing I smell is the red ginger, but the cinnamon seems to be getting stronger as it dries. And the longer it's on my skin, the more I get a slight warming sensation... The Snake Oil is definitely there, but it's only a backdrop. The throw is definitely decent. I won't know about wear life, because I want to go wash this off. If you love cinnamon and snake oil, then don't miss this, because it's sure to be a winning combination. The ginger and snake oil keep the cinnamon from being so candy-like. Don't try this if you have a history of skin sensitivity with cinnamon. I don't have a history of sensitivity, and this is bothering me slightly.

Just my brief impressions: This is much sweeter and more floral than I expected. Wet, it's rich and fragrant, with something light and sweet. It's a little fruity, but it seems more like a rich floral. As it dries, it goes through a brief spiky phase that's heavy on the frankincense and olive. But another 10-15 minutes later, it seems to return to the same scent as the wet phase. Weird. So, overall, smooth, slightly fuzzy resins with a light floral and fruit quality. This is a really nice scent, and well worth trying if you like resins. It's something a little out of the usual, for resin blends. It's not smoky at all. This strikes me as being a little bit more feminine than some resin blends, which tend to be pretty unisex. The throw is pretty light.

This is a great encapsulation of the concept! I haven't tried the entire sun cycle, but I'd like to see what the others are like. This is warm, rich resins with soft spices and herbs, pierced by a bright citrus note. It definitely conjures images of a single, bright spot on the horizon in the middle of dusty pinks, oranges, and blues. Wet, the citrus note is very bright. It's very lemony. As it dries, the citrus note evaporates and it smooths out into a soft, fuzzy resin blend, with a light lemon overtone. The throw is on the soft side of average, but the wear life is reasonably good.

I really can't describe this as anything other than enchanting. The first time I tried this, I had no memory of what the notes are, and the wet scent made me go, "OMG what is this?" It was something peculiar and unique, somehow totally new and comfortably familiar at the same time. Turns out, it's the honey musk! I usually find the lab's honey note a somewhat nauseating -- it's a little bit too thick, sickly sweet, and it tends to hate my chemistry -- but this is utterly MARVELOUS. I have no idea what the musk is. It's bright, but it doesn't smell like white musk. The honey and musk definitely do not smell like distinct entities -- they're blended together perfectly. I can't really pick anything else out. I can definitely tell that the other notes are there, they just blend really well. I never get a fruity feeling, specifically, from this. It only adds flavor to the vanilla honey. Once dry, after several hours, the musk fades a little and the vanilla is more prominent. (ETA: I was originally testing from an imp. My 5ml has a much more noticeable blackberry scent. Not a bad thing at all, I just wonder if maybe the honey and vanilla get stronger with age?) The throw is pretty good, and the wear life seems better than average. I LOVE this. Try it if you like O, Jezebel, Snake Oil, Dorian, Hone Mone, etc. They have some similarities, but there really is nothing else like this. Try it even if you don't like honey, but don't try it if you won't like a scent that's sweet, because this is very gourmand.

Like others say, this is sleek, lightly herbal, and smooth. Wet, it smells primarily of verbena, iris, and grey amber. It's an interesting and lovely combination. The amber adds slight syrupy-ness to balance the brightness of the verbena. As it dries, the verbena and amber smooth out. As another reviewer put it, it smells a bit like lemon sherbert. Herbal lemon sherbert. It's much nicer than that sounds. The overall blend gets softer and fuzzier as it dries. No single note overwhelms the balance. The throw is pretty light. This really is a great foil to the pumpkins, which are so rich and buttery. It's light and fresh but dusky and soft. The amber keeps it from feeling too bright and clean. I really love this as a concept, and I love to see the way Beth interprets black birds (this vs. the Emathides), but it's not the type of scent I'll wear much.

The first time I tried this is was too sugary and too musky. It definitely had a raw, young quality to it. I dug it back out today, after letting it hide in my imp bag for several months, and it seems much nicer. Wet, all of the notes seem to be apparent: a strong lavender musk with very sweet, lemony and milky tea. It's very nice, but definitely leans on the masculine side. However, the aged version feels more gender neutral to me than the young version did. After an hour or so, it's not so lemony or sugary. It's a cologne, now with softer lavender, and a smoother cup of Earl Grey tea. Generally more subdued in character. I'm not sure what musks are here. There is definitely some white musk, but the combined effect is much richer. Still not my cup of tea, but it's a great scent, and I think it's well worth all of the attention it receives. I would definitely like this on a guy. Try it if you like: Antique Lace, Snake Oil, Severin, Black Lace, Theodosius. The throw is pretty decent, but it does seem to get a lot softer once it dries. Wear life is about average. After 4-5 hours it was pretty much gone, and the lingering traces smelled nothing like the scent during its proper life.

I didn't rush right out to try this one, because I was afraid it would be too dry, or too masculine, or too leathery (BPAL's black leather note tends to disagree with me). But I liked the tea note in Famine so much that I became eager to try this. Wet, it smells EXACTLY like a nice cup of Earl Grey. A good Early Grey with lots of bergamot. Actually, it probably smells more like the leaves in the tin than a freshly brewed cuppa. I don't really pick out the black tea note so much -- it's there but, it's overpowered by the very lemony bergamot. In the background there's a hint of leather. It blends so well, I'd hardly notice it. I think that's contributing to the overall dryness of the scent, the quality that makes it more like unbrewed tea. Once dry, the tea note and the leather note both become a bit stronger (or, rather, I suppose the bergamot note has begun to burn off), but the overall quality is much the same --- dry, lemony tea. As you'd expect, the bergamot continues to evaporate, leaving primarily leather and tea. The throw is pretty light, and unfortunately, so is the wear life. It's almost gone in just 2-3 hours. Luckily, it's GC, and I don't mind touching up! I've tried lots and lots of fresh, crisp, lemony scents from BPAL, and not a single one grabbed my fancy. It's just not a type of scent that I wear. But this, I love. I figure my collection needs at least a couple of light scents, for when the occasion arrives, and this is a great candidate to fill that niche! Try this if you like: Famine, De Sade, Kumiho, Embalming Fluid, Baoban Sith

Wet, it smells like cherry soda. A really complex cherry soda, but still soda. It's very sweet with a slightly effervescent quality, from the red musk. It dries up almost immediately, so don't be afraid of the wet phase. This one is so well blended that I have an almost impossible time picking out any notes. Surprisingly, this one doesn't seem to morph a great deal on me. There's the usual minor shifting of balance, but I noticed no real changes. This is a dry and complex scent with a sweetness for balance. The effect is nice and rich. Normally dragon's blood and grape together would make for a very syrupy scent, but it's very well balanced. I'd say the main quality is resinous, with a hint of grape. The florals don't seem to stand out to my nose, and just add color to the overall blend. This is yet another blend that reminds me a lot of Midnight Kiss, minus the cocoa and patchouli of death. This has a traditional perfume house quality, in the best possible way. I think it's a boldly sophisticated and elegant type of scent. And it lasts forever! 4-5 hours after applying it, it had gotten a wee bit softer but was still hanging on very well. The throw is about average. As a fan of red blends, I'm really glad I picked this one up. Try this if you like Midnight Kiss, anything in the dragon's blood family, Prospero, etc.

This scent always makes me smile. The first time I sniffed it, I smelled a flash of red musk and leather, followed by wood, and a lingering whiff of dust. Everything as listed in the notes! It all happened in under a second, but it was distinctly in that order. This one is quite true to the description. While it's certainly one of the most masculine of the Yules, I feel like this one is distinctly unisex. I suppose because red musk is in so many primarily feminine sexy blends. Red musk isn't very cologne-like to my nose, so I feel this one is very wearable. (I don't care for overtly masculine or cologne-y scents.) Wet, it's all red musk and rich leather. It's probably the same kind of black leather as in de Sade and similar blends, but here, it actually works for me! A light, fragrant wood quality reveals itself very soon. I can't put my finger on a type of wood, but it seems to not be sandalwood -- thank Bob, because sandalwood does terrible things with my skin chemistry. The wood note actually reminds me a bit of bamboo. It's a light, clean note, and it blends well with the musk. And at the back of it all is a lingering dusty quality, much like in the Lurid Library. It smells great, but unfortunately, it just doesn't last on me. The throw is about average, I'd say, but the wear life is definitely on the short side. After about 2 hours, it's pretty soft, primarily dusty woods tinged with the musk. All in all a fantastic scent, if only it lasted longer. Definitely try this if you like red musk or leather scents, such as: de Sade, Sacred Whore of Babylon, Smut, Loviatar.

In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred. This is exactly what it promises to be: a straight, pure, rich, red rose petals. Unlike other rose blends, there is absolutely nothing else here. None of the greenery that's in Rose Red, none of the lemony quality that was in the Empress. If a pure red rose scent is what you want, then this is one of the best. As I said in my Rose Red review, I've tried tons of straight rose scents, and none of them have been quite right. Not rich enough, powdery, soapy or otherwise weird drydowns, etc. Not this. It's perfect, strong, and true. The rose here seems similar to the rose in Rose Red, so if you liked it, you should like this too. Compared to RR, PQ has a deeper, darker quality. The throw is about average. I don't know yet about wear life, but RR lasts a long time, so I expect this to do the same.