supreme_c0rt

Not sure how I feel about this one yet. Based on the notes alone this should sing on me (wood! leather! rosin! steel! yes!), except that one dreaded word.... "polished." Whenever I see that in front of anything I know to brace myself. It's just kind of makes everything go sour on me. And of course that's what it does here. It takes about an hour for rosin to come in and save the day, so, yes, on the late dry down I get the warm woody pleasantness I'm after. But it takes a while to get there so I'm not positive this one's a keeper.

On me, this is very dominant on the paper note -- the same one that's in Books, Black Coffee and Old Books, etc. So if you liked that note as much as I did, you should be good to go. The lavender is barely here at all. After the wet phase I get almost none of it, just a whisper. "Hoodie" is the same to my nose as the lace note that's in the Lace series (Lycan lace, etc); it's a vanilla/cotton scent. It's not very dominant here -- it just kind of gently swaddles everything else. This is a lovely, comforting take on the Books line, and I really like it. 📖

Holy frijoles, this Lilith release has been a series of total knockouts so far. This blend is really vying with Obatala for my favorite BPAL summer scent. It's all-caps TIKI. It's tropical, beachy, and warm, but also cooling and herbal and grassy at the same time -- somehow without being discordant at all. I was worried about the fruit going overly sweet -- it occasionally threatens to -- but the vegetal elements (palm, tea leaf, coriander, leaves) keep that in check so far. It smells like an all-expenses paid tropical vacation. It smells running through the cool surf of a remote island paradise with a freshly-made pina colada, wearing a wreath of tropical flowers and nothing else. It's instantly a mood-booster, hinting at a sunny sweet future at the other end of this cold dark tunnel. I needed this shot of olfactory joy. ❤️

In the bottle, there's a big hit of pine and metal; a sour mentholic sharpness. But then almost instantly everything snaps together into delightful harmony. It's now smooth resinous evergreen and warm, slightly metallic skin musk. I'm stunned at how serene this is given how every loud every single one of these listed notes tends to be on me. I think tobacco is the genius note that has tamed the wild beasts, and has itself been tamed from going too sweet or treacly. Seriously, this smells like a the skin of a lumberjack mechanic who just cleaned up after the day's work. The hints of metal, pine, and wood still cling to their skin but in a soft melange that really rewards getting close. If you missed out on Gaia's Blessing give this one a whirl. Fully dry it's putting me in mind of that knockout blend. Fans of the forest take note.

In the bottle: This is much fruitier than I was expecting. A blast of tart dried fruit and opium smoke. The leather is very subtle. I think it may be red leather, ala Dragon's Hide, but really toned down. Amber is mostly here for support. Dry: Indigo incense is the main player, "indigo" is still tracking as "fruit" on me though. Evocative to the berry incense that comes in the tall containers in corner bodegas with dark opium undertones. This is the dominant scent after drydown and stays there for the duration. This is a touch too fruity for my tastes, and I definitely wanted more leather than I'm getting. But the incense note is spot on.

I'm so impressed with how rich, warm, woody, and creamy this is. It's just gorgeous and glowing. It's in the neighborhood of Antikythera Mech but I find it to be more cozy and a bit more wearable. I don't get any snow, but I don't miss it. I've never had anything with oudh in it behave this brilliantly on me before. A+

Aged patchouli, cedar, frankincense, white sandalwood, a light copal, amber, a drop of myrrh I'm getting Palo Santo on the edge. It's spicy and dry and sandy like a hot desert wind or a dry sauna. Smoky like wood ash. A box of raw ceremonial incense. The longer it's on, the warmer and cozier and deeper it gets. Everything in this is working for me. This reminds me a lot of like ... an stronger, drier, thick incense version of The Coiled Serpent (which is already kinda incensey). I love it, truly. It's so warm and mysterious and sacred-smelling. And one of the few blends that never goes sweet at all.

I literally could not remember what I sent you with that package! Turns out I repeat myself a bit don't I ... ☺️ If you're looking to expand to other houses, Hexennacht's Witchboard and Waking the Witch are both great on the dry/dark vanilla. Ajevie carries samples (they also do BPAL decants for most major releases).

I've found vanilla + patchouli blends to be spot-on for cutting out sweetness. My favorite vanilla blends nearly all have patchouli in them. Also, look for "vanilla husk" "vanilla bean" or "black vanilla" and that usually translates to less-sweet. Vanilla + leather also work really well if you can't do patchouli. For general notes that are the idea of sweet but aren't actually sugar-sweet, I like musk (red particularly), oakmoss, and certain amber. GC Reccs: Crowley: depending on the day this can threaten to get sweet, but usually stays in line. A who's-who of favorite notes Goblin: coconut, not vanilla, but has a nice creamy earthiness that I associate with good vanilla and not too sweet. You really need to like patchouli though. Coiled Serpent: not sweet *at all* and my favorite GC. Again, you need to like patchouli/earthy scents to dig this one Ask the Nearest Hippie: the weed note can be scary but I really like how earthy this vanilla is! A great patch + vanilla example Non GC Reccs: Kabe Ni Mimi Ga Aru, Shoki Ni Me Ga Aru (from the last Luper update, this is my perfect vanilla so far) I think we may have similar tastes, so check out my favorites if you want more reccs.

This was surprisingly gentle on me given the powerhouse notes. The red amber/DBR does the typical warm, spicy thing that it does in other "red" blends like Satyr and Schzerade. Not a ton of neroli here which was a surprise since I amp that note heavily. And then the oudh. It did the same thing it always does on me -- straight to pooudh. After about 15 min or so the whole thing collapsed into a slightly sweet coffee scent, with gentle pooudh on the waft. Strange but true. It's not a winner on me but I can say this was not as offensive as oudh normally is on me, and the coffee thing is kinda neat. If you can wear oudh well, this would be a great one to try.

Robber Woman is most prominent on the leather and steel right out of the gate. There's no gunpowder listed in the notes, but I'm getting gunpowder anyway. This is in the same vein as Fighter, but softer and with that mysterious gunpowder note (like in Black Hats). It settles in nicely, close to the skin. The dust is not the sneezy, thick type. The leather is not the harsh type. The dust and rags do a good job of softening the edges of what would otherwise be a harsh beginning. This is very rugged, like an old-west gunslinger. If you can wear these notes, it should wear beautifully. On me, it settles in so well that it's a skin scent for me -- I smell like I've been working on cars outside all day. I like that.

Unicorn Junk is super foodie and thick right out the gate. It's dominantly coconut, butter, and milk. The butter note reminds me a lot of Utter Sophistication (udder sophistication? >_<). The lilac and cedar are barely there. It takes a while for that thick dairy cloud to subside, and the lilac does come forward then, but never louder than a whisper. Fully dry, I think VetchVesper has it; The Sea Foams Milk + Obatala. Foodier than both though. So much milk. 🐄

Gosh, I like this a lot. This is minty, herbal, and just a little creamy. I think mate may be a new favorite note for me. It's less perfumey/spa-like than green tea; it's more like what actual green tea smells like. I don't get as much of a foodie butter-mint as others have mentioned, this is leaning more towards the cool herbal-green side for me. It's refreshing and lovely. Rosewood amps to high heaven on me but it's really in check here. Green sandalwood is a new one for me, and it's going a little bit powdery like sandalwood can do. Not in a bad way. Like many green scents this has almost no throw on me, but it's still lovely.

I was really expecting this to be very dark and wood-forward with a gentle citrus lift, like Azathoth. This is not that. The sandalwood and lemon are the forerunners, and together they are pack a soapy punch. The dry burnt woods in the background are a nice touch but this is still mostly a soap scent. Clean, woodsy, but astringent and lemony. Yes kinda like Irish Spring, but not as straightforward as that. It's more like Irish Spring combined with a dapper woodsy cologne. Massive throw. Soapy scents aren't really my thing so I will pass on this, but I still glad I got to try it.

Having tried several of the lab's tea blends, I like Gossips the most. This is a green tea lover's green tea. Like high-quality mate grounded in an earthy, smooth cedar/patch, topped off by a breath of minty lime. It's giving me real Shunga vibes. The only issue? It's soooo faint on me (even when slathered) and it's breaking my heart. I really dig what's happening here, I just wish there was a volume button so I could turn it way up.

I have a shortlist of GCs that I adore and this is at the very top. I don't know precisely what's in it, but whatever it is it's made for me. On me, I pick up cedar, sandalwood, frankincense, and mellow aged patchouli, in that order. There's likely other things in there balancing everything out (there might be a type of amber or another resin?), but that's the lineup I can identify. It's like the smell of a cedar chest that only ever held incense. Nothing screeches, nothing shouts. Everything is in perfect balance and creates a reassuring, kind aura of peaceful groundedness. I just adore it. If you love anything earthy, if you like incense at all, you must try this. I would bathe in it if I could. It also blends nicely with sweeter notes (vanilla is a hit) if you're in that type of mood. Not even remotely sweet on its own, though, which I am pleased about (a lot of BPAL blends veer sweet on me).

When I first tried the imp I found the copal and patch to be too dank, with a screechy, scratchy effect I just wasn't that into. But! Letting it mellow for a few weeks, it's a whole different thing now. Just that little bit of extra aging made the vanilla come out much more. On me, this vanilla is a sheer, gentle, sophisticated type. Not custardy or buttery. The comparisons to BB are close, but I would say the vanilla is less foodie here, and the stronger patch and copal make this a more masculine take on BB. In fact I would say this is closer to Goblin than it is to BB. The big difference is that dank patch and resin (this is the second blend I've tried from this year's Lupers that smelled just like my box of raw Tibetan incense). The resinous incense note is what makes this sing for me. Fully dry, a delicate floral note comes out, the way that sandalwood can sometimes smell faintly floral. Pleasure Boat had something like this going on too. It's beautiful. I'm glad I gave it another chance. Fans of Goblin need this in their life. I hunted a bit for the translation and found this:

This one is really hard to tease out, it's so well blended. I get the red musk part of it, but it's like no other red musk I've met before. It's very toned down. Dark pink musk, maybe. I get that wonderful "tanning lotion" favor that I like in standard red musk, but it's so smooth here, like it's been distilled. The most prominent note on me is a citrus melange that makes the whole thing electric and bright. If this were a drink it'd be an ice-cold bubbly grapefruit spritzer with a twist of clementine rind, sitting on top of a dark pink musk syrup base. A big pinch of salt on top, garnished with a heady pink flower. Sweet but not too sweet. Refreshing and sophisticated. Smells expensive and lush but airy and floaty at the same time like a silk robe. It's not quite "me" because I tend to go darker and growlier than this, but I understand why folx like this so much. It's a stunner. Perfect summer scent, bright and pretty and complex. Sexy but not overtly so. I'm delighted I got to try it. edit: even after a few hours, this still smells like a cold grapefruit mimosa. I don't think I have ever had citrus last this long on me. It's quite nice.

Wow this is stunning. Two Sheep and Two Goats but with the perfect amount of sueded, shaggy leather to give this a sexy, rugged kick. It's cozy and nibbly and suits me to a tee. I would love to find a bottle of this someday. 😍

Well... Not quite what I expected from the notes. I also get no leather from this and I can smell leather by the ppm. I get some vague smoke at first and a touch of the fir. Both vanish quickly though, leaving a muddled base of black musk (which usually goes to powder on me) and citrus. The combination is like a sweet musky/powdery lemon Pledge (furniture polish). Huh. Glad I got to finally try this one, but it's not for me.

I amp cedar quite a lot so the first blast is a wonderful sharp cedar vanilla. It reminds me of the way Goblin marries that sharp gnarly woodiness with a creamy, almost gourmand background. The sassafras is a nice touch here, making the combination foodie notes really hold their own with the sharp cedar. I could swear there was a touch of leather in here. This is definitely the sauna/woodchip type cedar (a note I enjoy, but if you don't -- beware). The only note not playing as well here is the balsam. It floats in and out of prominence. When it's receded, Tombstone is nearly perfect, but when it edges back into play it has this kind of vinegary tang that I don't love as much. It isn't terribly prominent and I think it might age out anyway. Even with it, Tombstone has started to edge out as a GC heavy hitter for me. If you like Goblin, or are a capital-c Cedar lover, definitely give this a whirl.

Grassy tea, quite peppery (dandelion-like), with a bright bergamot and light floral note. Then on the tail there's star anise and just an almost imperceptible buttery note, like maybe the ghost of an anisette cookie. It's mostly a nice peppery tea. I like this! Less spa, more English garden. After it completely dries, a lot of the herbal notes disappear and we're left with a faint anise cookie note. Reminds me a lot of grandma's pizzelles. Doesn't last very long but it's nice.

This started off promising, bright green grasses and a cold icy hit of mint, but as it dries there emerges a sickly sweet smell that's clashing awful. I'm not sure what's turning on me here but it smells like rot... like sugary pond scum. A sugared spearmint gumdrop that came back up. It's making my stomach turn, sadly. The waft is okay but once I go in closer its a big nope.

This is a beautiful, grounding, verdant scent, profound and ancient and meditative. It's not just an herbal scent, though it is that upfront. It settles into a rich, fertile, dense and mysterious incense. The stages of the scent are almost like the life cycle of a tree, from a wet and fecund green sapling in black dirt (strong patch, bright conifer, and sage), to grassy and rich and growing, to deep-rooted and stoic. I absolutely adore how it smells when it's completely dry, like a rich, dark green, mossy ceremonial incense, with an exquisite dry sage blend that has completely changed my mind about how I feel about sage. It smells like old earth magic. I'm not sure it's appropriate to wear this, but I am enjoying it far too much to hold back from that use. I am looking forward to having this blessing in my life. 🍃

red leather yellow leather red leather yellow leather Ok now that's out of the system. I am on a mission to try every leather the lab makes. This is a tippy-top favorite in the leather collection and I'm struggling to wear anything else right now. For only 2 notes this blend is very complex and mysterious. For me this has the same leather vibe as Red Rider or Dragon's Hide but toned waaaay the heck down and given a skin-milk creaminess from the honey. There's a low key red musk/dragon's blood thing going on here, and it reads as the best version of both: a hot, salty-skin scent. Like an evening after a day at the beach. The honey isn't chewy at all, or overly sugary, just clear and rich. My favorite type of honey for sure. I'm impressed with the 2019/2020 honey note, it's been a winner everywhere I've found it so far. I agree this is in the Eldritch family, so if you liked that you'll like this too. I love this blend; full bottle, hair gloss, backups, yes gimme all of that.