jojocialist

Holy moly! In the bottle: Chocolate, pepper... the truffle amps the creaminess of the milk chocolate. I don't really smell rum, but I could see it being a thing once it gets on me. Wet: Chocolatey, spicy goodness -- but not the spice I normally associate with chocolate. No warm cinnamon/nutmeg/cloveness here. Very peppery, sweet but biting. Dry: The cardamom is the star of the show for sure! Behind it is a little bit of that truffle aftertaste, enveloped in a soft chocolate glow. I don't get rum at all. This totally worked for me. It did take me awhile (read: a year since I bought it) to really decide if it worked for me, but it absolutely does. I love gourmand scents and this is a different take on the sugary, creamy, sweet stuff I tend to favor. I can def see why some folks hate it, though - the cardamom/pepperiness factor is STRONG. I think if it weren't for the chocolate softening it on my skin, I wouldn't be able to un-see (or rather un-smell) those nasty holistic multivitamins my mom used to take as a kid. They stunk up the whole cabinet. Never understood how she could take those things.

One of my favorite things about the Lab is that they have this amazing knack for squeezing scenes, settings, characters, and feelings into their bottles, with and without the beautiful descriptive texts. To me, The Chapel is one of the best examples of a perfume oil that writes an instant story. Wet -- OOP, WOW. The metallic and smoky notes were so thick, they were almost repulsive. I instantly thought of congealing blood and old, dilapidated, rotting wood and metal. Based on the description, I was expecting to be hit more with the incense and the wine first, but WOW. Fortunately I bought this one because I wanted something that was brutally evocative if not particularly sexy, so I was really, really impressed by how harsh and intense the first wave was on me. Dry, it's a beautiful, spicy incense/cologne. Very warm, strong, slow. As someone who does a lot of spiritual work, this smells and feels almost exactly like some of the more heavy ritual spaces I've been in - that feeling that comes when everything's finished, but the air is still heavy and thick. I'm shook. 10/10 would probably never wear this in public unless I wanted to terrify strangers and small children BUT would absolutely wear any time I wanted to write a blasphemous horror short.

wet: flooooooooweeeers. this smells like a high end perfume, but a generic kind that costs a lot of money because of its brand. drydown: ooh it's a lot less pungent now, a softer floral bouquet. still quite heady. this makes me think of something a rich old lady would wear to cover up the smell of death and nyquil. i actually don't mind this as much as i thought i would -- in the bottle it's something i'd never take to, but on my skin, in small quantities, it's kinda pleasant.

wet: omg. this does to me what camphor does. i can't explain why, but i want to keep sniffing it and sniffing it until i get a headache, it is SO GOOD. it reminds me of men's cologne, like the generic kind, but it's got this fresh, saltwater wave to it. bay rum? inky and briny and addicting. holy god. honestly i can't even pick out any of the notes here, it's just one big glorious tidal wave of huffing-induced migraine. "crisp, sharp, manly" describes it very well. drydown: much softer. the cologne aspect is mostly gone - mostly - and now it's murky and briny and sinister and cold. it's like someone put old spice on a skeleton they found in a locked car that had been driven into a lake. verdict: 10/10 mountains walking or stumbling, god!

wet: grass, pine, a muddy brook. drydown: lilac, maybe myrrh. the grassy/green layer is gone. reminds me of flowers in a church. verdict: eh... it's nice, but i think it would be better as a diluted room fragrance than on me.

wet: oh sNAP. bay rum, magnolia, moss. peppery and booze-y with an undercurrent of strong aftershave. little bit lemony. drydown: bay rum and magnolia. intoxicating, complex without blowing up my sinuses, just the right amount of citrus to feel fresh. verdict: a few hours in and it's still as strong and heady as ever. i really like this. honestly, i'm typically kinda "meh" about trying New Orleans-y scents because i live here (i don't know why that's a thing with me, but it is). but this scent kinda turned my attitude around on that.

wet: amber amber amber. maybe ylang ylang, some kind of spicy/smoky note. heavy and sensual, a little goes a long way. drydown: there's a sweet note coming out here but i think it's only partially the honey. i'm getting a lot of orgeat. 3 hours: amber and amber and honey and amber. i think it's pretty straightforward, but what an amazing combination. there's an odd, not unpleasant, but odd floral note that reminds me of honeysuckle. verdict: sexy. i'm a sucker for amber so a 5ml is probs in my future.

in the bottle, chocolate chocolate chocolate. on the skin it picks up a slight peppery undertone and something persuasively soft, like cream. highly aggressive tootsie rolls. i don't think this scent will last very long on me but it's delightful. 5 hours in: this is hot chocolate and marshmallows, can't detect anything else but i'm 100% cool with that. i'm a big ol' tart for sweet gourmand scents. verdict: YES LORD

floral, spicy, bit of citrus. very complex scent. i smell something that reminds me of metal - like the metal of the rides - how interesting! i think that's the smoky opium note. i'm loving whatever flowers are in here. 3 hour mark has it dried to a lovely lemon-tinged bouquet that's surprisingly strong. edit: 26 hours later I CAN STILL SMELL IT. 26 hours later! it's a good thing i love this so much.

in the bottle, all butterscotch, maybe caramel, definitely coffee. on the skin, omg. a hot latte with whiskey underlined and highlighted by fragrant wood notes, ink, a little bit of tobacco. sweet and woodsy but not musky or heavy. this is the library. 3 hour mark finds the oakwood really standing out with hints of butterscotch. absolutely wonderful scent. verdict: this is sexy, nostalgic and amazing. definitely one of the most atmospheric scents i've ever tried!

wet: Brings to mind toffee, pumpkin spice, pumpkin pulp. This is a very nutmeg-and-cinnamon-y scent, it's just delicious and with a sweet edge to it that only comes out from beneath all of the spice. If this were a candy it would almost be savory. butter, spice and citrus. drydown: Smells a bit like those scented candles/wreathes in the seasonal aisle at Michael's. Smells A LOT like those scented candles in the seasonal aisle at Michael's. Fortunately all that association does is fill me with nostalgia, so that's a positive, but if that weren’t my jam I could see this being pretty grating after awhile.

Wet: Blast of coconut and something bubblegum-y that I think is the almond. The cherry and almond are super strong. Ths is such an interesting scent, it makes me want a cocktail with one of those little skewered fruit sticks in it. On me, it sweetens up pleasantly: sugar syrup, coconut and cherry are fairly dominant. It's not quite as boozy. In fact, i hardly smell any alcohol at all. The tropical scents have mostly dissipated, leaving behind a sweet, fruity combo that reminds me of hard candy. I really love this scent for the summer.