evanescence

Plum blossom, tuberose, oakmoss, violet leaf, jasmine, ylang ylang, lemon peel, orange blossom, and lemon peel. In the bottle, this is a sweetly balanced fresh scent. The plum blossom and tuberose seem prominent at first whiff, but not overwhelmingly so, and there is a definite hint of fresh citrus that gives a lovely brightness to the blend. Each time I sniff from the bottle, I get a different impression - one time, lemony, another time fresh floral, another time a more rich floral. As it dries, the greenery of the oakmoss and violet leaf start to emerge and give it some depth... I'm finding it very hard to "label" this scent. It's not "floral", it's not "green", and it's not "citrus"... it's very balanced on me after about an hour of wear. I find it to be very pretty, and thankfully the jasmine is not overwhelming.

This is not the Monstrous Other; this is the fiend next door. Examples: Psycho, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, the Collector, and Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte It smells perfectly normal: a lovely, unassuming, traditional mid-20th century musk with something not quite right lying underneath. I would happily spend my life in therapy for more of this Psychological Horror and am absolutely thrilled to do a review on it! My first take on it out of the bottle was something reminiscent of Snow White perfume or Snowcake soap (not the shower gel, not the almondiness of Snowcake) .....I'm going to guess at benzoin being the note I'm picking up. On the skin, I get a light clean musk. Throw is on the lighter side. This is a very hauntingly pretty, ethereal scent.... the name might suggest something heavier, but instead this is that much scarier sense of something swirling around you, never quite glimpsed, never quite captured. Absolutely beautiful!

I'm probably going to have to edit this because I'm close to my cycle (TMI, sorry) and I'm not really trusting my nose or chemistry at this point. My review is based on a wee skin test and not a proper slathering. But I just couldn't resist jumping in, as I'm enjoying reading all the attempts to pin this thing down! I figured one more grasping attempt wouldn't hurt. Based on the notes, I was really expecting more WHOA on first sniff. Instead it's unexpectedly light which is fine with me, as I love scents like Mme Moriarty but they tend to eternally amp on me. At first I get what I call "that dirty hippie" scent, just what I get from Banshee Beat - it's not pleasant at the start and "dirty/dusty" is the best descriptive, but I can't determine if it's just the patchouli or also the frankincense that's doing it (I vote frankincense, it belongs in scent hell with vetiver as far as I'm concerned! ) But in a short period of time it morphs into a much softer, creamier scent, much like The Infernal Lover. A few hours later, it's very "close to the skin" and I like that - it's the difference between "damn you smell fucking GOOD" vs "what are you wearing?" No fruit, no raspberry for me. At least not this time... and I think that is going to be the charm of this oil for me, as it is a real morpher and I wouldn't be surprised to have a completely different take on it the next time I wear it. Could be that my Red Laces will just get the old Black Lace treatment - buy one more to wear, while the others get to go live in a box so I can pull them out in a year, and swoon over and over again.

a stunning scent, not much more that I can add to the other reviews!

I completely agree with the comparison to Midway. The butteryness of Midway isn't there, but replaced with a frothy cotton candy sugar that is quite nommy. Foodies should adore this one!

I agree, not a lot of lasting power on me either.... but what a pleasure it is to just press my wrist right up to my nose after a few hours. It's still there, just clinging to my skin and just so beautifully soft. I'm seeing others refer to a deep dirty floral and I agree with that as well. It reminds me just a bit of the feel I get from SJP's Lovely. Not being a huge fan of either gardenia or lily, I was dubious about BBM - but it's absolutely lovely.

I also get something golden and warm from it, kinda smoldering but not smoky. It's the "simmering hot day" vibe I get from other "sun" blends. I'm detecting something a bit herbal, like dandelion... it's very subtle but contributes to that sunwarmed impression. This is just so gorgeous, it's frustrating to not be able to really identify any particular note but I'll not complain.

I'm generally not for the heavier darker blends so to my nose it was a bit much in the bottle, but of course I had to give this a try! I was pleasantly surprised on the drydown, it quickly mellowed to a rich masculine blend of musk and patchouli. It's quite complex and a bit sinister. I have a friend who loves Hellhound and Minotaur, and I think she will really love this one!

not much you can add to this. Other than I like it more than I thought I would and it makes me think of spice/gingerbread cookies.

I finally finally finally won a bottle of Hellion.... imps that I received varied wildly, and now that I have my own 10 ml from The Lab, I don't want to wear it! LOL This is a beautiful warm plum on me, with something smokey and exotic developing out of the plum. Deep but light, if that makes sense. It seems to feed on skin warmth and it glows. I get a hint of vanilla or something sweet... champaca, probably. Utter and complete perfection!

fresh wildflowers and lavender! like walking through a field of both on a warm summer day. Floral but not sweetly floral at all.

too much lemon for me to wear... I like it, and it might do well in an oil burner, but not as perfume.

This is gorgeous. I'm kicking myself for not getting a bottle.... there's the slightest whiff of lemon, I think. The rose is light and there's green in the background. A very beautiful, pensive scent.

Glitter is a fun scent. Sweet and juicy fruit fun. I don't pick out a particular fruit, but the sweetness is just right and I love it!

a complete surprise in that I thought I'd love Rose Red and not Peacock Queen... and the opposite is true. RR is too green to the point of sharp green and it distracts me from the rose. It smells cold to me and eventually turns to soap. A disappointment with chemistry, but the thing about Beth is that she always has a rose for everybody... this is just not mine.

Pirate Moon is OK on me.... it goes boozy and I don't quite get the saltiness I was hoping for. But the muskiness of it is really nice and the tobacco/wood notes are not too overpowering. A bottle is enough, but I do like!

Red Phoenix is gorgeously warm and complex, with ambery musky smoky goodness morphing into soft luscious plum. I need another. I forgot how badly I need another! The cinnamon/spice is there, but it fades quickly and plays a supportive role as the benzoin and tobacco move up. A real keeper.

Just too much melon syrup! Smells sticky, fruity, sweet... all very good things but not in a perfume for me. LOL Fruit Moon and Fire Pig lovers should have a heyday with this one!

I can't describe this, but then I'm not too into ozones... The benzoin in it is what I'm responding to the most. There is an occasional whiff of green, fresh and cold. It fades fairly fast on me, though, so I'm constantly needing to reapply. Still, a very nice winter blend.

Pale lavender, sweet violet, balsam of Peru, and paperwhite narcissus. This is a pretty lavender floral scent but it's not a real standout... I'm afraid it could be easily overlooked amongst my other lavender offerings. Still, a very nice one to have and should be very appealing to those who like a less sharp lavender.

I'm a cherry-hater, but Bloody Mary works for me. It strongly reminds me of Eat Me and Beaver Moon 07, and there is enough of a cakeish note that I would think most Foodies would line up for this one!

Cheshire Moon is lovely. Spring/summer in a bottle.... in fact, this scent has spurred me into making a bath or massage oil with drops of CM. There is a similarity to Victoria Secret's discontinued Secret Crush... a light but soft citrus and I get a melon-y note in it as well. Really really pretty.

To Helen goes straight Lush's Silky Underwear powder on me. Very powdery, not unpleasant, but not what I thought it would be given the notes. Not a disappointment, really - more of a surprise?

This is bliss. It's soft but not faint, sweet but not gagworthy, green but still floral. Very multi-layered and my favorite of all the Shungas.

Loads of ylang ylang from this one... mixed with champagne. I love all of the individual notes - the tobacco flower, poppy, etc. I just don't love them together. A miss, but regretfully so.