rhinestone tempest

Love this scent oodles. It's quite similar to 21, a GC scent, but where 21 is a little woodier, Bagpipe Dog is sweeter and a little fizzier. The fizz isn't very strong, but it's still always fun. In contrast to some of the other reviewers, I think this one sticks around a little longer than 21. The two scents are honestly close enough that I think I'll be able to switch to 21 when my bottle runs out and not worry too much about it. I might keep an eye on the Etsy to see if they ever sell leftovers of this, but they're so similar that I wouldn't really be able to justify splurging on it any time soon.

Somewhat impulse-bought this simply because I love the Lab's basil note, and I was very happy with my decision! This reminds me a lot of Antony, the GC basil scent, but it's more complex and has a lot more spice in the mix. This has a ton of my favorite notes, so I'm glad they all play well together. Antony can be a little simple at times, and this avoids that.

Very piney and warm for me--the description is actually kind of funny, since rather than being scary or dark I consider this scent one of my favorite comfy ones. It's very inviting. It can be a little cloying if you apply too much, so it's important to be judicious with it, but at the right dose it's lovely juniper/pine with a strong base of musk to round it out and give it staying power. This is one of my go-to bottles for daily wear. To compare to other woodsy ones: I find it a lot stronger and more well-rounded than Loup Garou, which in my experience was too thin and weak; it doesn't have the earthy, grassy notes you'd find in something like Jersey Devil; it's not as harsh or masculine as Fenris Wolf, but I think it'd be fair to consider it about halfway between Fenris and 21.

I've tried this probably seven or eight times to figure out if I like this or not, and the answer is sort of....ehh?? It's ended up as "it's perfectly nice, but...", except I can't figure out what the "but" is asking for. I think I find it similar to a slightly weaker, sweeter Dee, and simply prefer the latter. This is certainly very interesting, I'm just not in love with it.

This is great, and I love the grittiness of stone behind the incense. It's definitely more of a "theme" scent than an everyday one, but I've found it layers very very well (I love it with Rose Cross) because it's got great bottom notes (ancient stone and dust) and high notes (wispy incense), but leaves the middle open for something to slot in neatly. I don't use enough to justify getting more than an infrequent imp, but it's lovely for special occasions where you want to smell extra solemn.

I ordered an imp of this because I realized I'd never actually tried it, and was mildly amused when the package came with both my paid imp and an additional frimp. But then I tried it...and I can see why they sent a backup. This is an absurdly lovely scent: filling but not foody, sweet but not cloying, warm and inviting. I'll certainly be getting a bottle once I run through both imps.

I love linen, so was hoping this would be bottle-worthy. Unfortunately, it's a little wet--like the sheets have only just been hung to dry and are still dripping. Good for a scorching day, but it actually makes me feel chilly if I use it other times of the year.

Very stormy, with the cloves and orange poking out to make it a little lighter. To be totally honest, the food notes make me feel a little like a pomander. But one served in a dark, wood-paneled library. I think it's too heavy for me to wear normally, but I'll put it on once a month or so when I want to feel dramatic. A nice imp to have on hand, but not a full bottle's worth of need for me.

My relationship with Villain is a little hot and cold. The first time I tried it, it was a frimp with my first-ever BPAL order. At the time, I thought it was too flowery and gave it away--but a few months ago, I ended up wanting to try the lab's fougères, so I ordered another imp. At first, I loved it! Before trying it, I was a little worried about the lavender, since some of the Lab's lavender oils can smell somewhat artificial. (I'm thinking most specifically of Watson, which was a promising scent that's unfortunately let down by the thinness of its lavender.) However, as far as I can tell this is either a different type of oil or simply one that's better complemented by everything else in the mix, and it's perfectly fine standing on its own. After trying it, I thought it was well balanced, masculine but not aggressively so, and with a fun floral twist. Unfortunately, there was something niggling at the back of my mind. It smelled just a little bit familiar, and I couldn't place why...until I realized it smelled a lot like a lavender soap I've kept in my bathroom for a long time. And now I can't unmake that association, so when I put this on all I smell is Bathroom. Not the scent's fault, but...that is the risk of lavender, since it's used in a lot of cleaning supplies. I'd agree that this is good if you're normally lavender-shy, since it's forward but not overpowering, but if your aversion is because you don't like it rather than because you can't find a good one, you're probably best sticking to some of the other florals available.

Totally love this one--it's skyrocketed up to be my new all-time fave, especially in the summertime when it's too hot for sandalwood. It's fresh and clean without getting too soapy; the frankincense helps round it out very nicely, and it lasts a long time without changing its balance too much. Used up my imp as soon as I got it and moved right on to a full bottle. Totally lovely!

This did a complete 180 for me--when the imp first arrived the amber was completely out of control and the scent was so powdery as to be totally unwearable. Revisited after several months, though, and all of a sudden it's a lovely, warm lemon. I don't think I'll put it into heavy rotation--it's nice but can get to be too much after a while, so a gentle touch is best--but it's . certainly miles better than what i thought it was when I first got it, and I can think of a few situations where I'd want to smell like it!

I'd throw my hat in for Brangwy--it's a sort of very dry, almost sharp wood that doesn't really mellow out all that much in my experience. It's not got the underlying musks that Fenris and Black Forest have, but you can always layer if you want a hint of it! (I haven't tried this combination yet but I think it could go great with Thieves' Rosin, which is very very musky with some pine Edit: do NOT do this, it smells like a bonfire of reliquaries and lasts forever. bad idea.) Loup Garou is a very pleasant pine, but in my experience it's a little weak and fades easily, so you may have to slather. Seconding the minty notes in Yggrdasil, too; it's not a knock against it, just something to be aware of. I personally found Jersey Devil a touch on the sweet side, but it's more of an earthy sweetness (from the berries) so that may work better for the forest sensibility. And if you're willing to stretch the definition of "foresty," there are also a couple less-woodsy scents that still lean natural/earthy: Oblivion is heavier on the spices and patchouli but with a good sturdy wood underlying it. And it's a very cool green color in the imp! Alecto is not very woodsy, but it is leafy and herbal, with some of the same earthy-sweetness as Jersey Devil. If you really want to lean into the actual-plants smells, Squirting Cucumber is pure grass and leaves--no wood at all, but smells perfectly (and rather surprisingly so!) like a real plant.

It's certainly a nice woodsy scent, piney (or pine-adjacent, I suppose) but not in an overwhelming way. I've tried to wear this a few times and have been a little underwhelmed, but there's nothing to this that I dislike, per se. The problem I'm having is that this is so faint on me--even smelling it in the imp feels a little like I'm doing so from a distance. Wearing it reminds me of being in the gift shop of a national park: you're in the woods, kind of, but a step removed. (And it does come across just a touch musty to me.) I do read this scent as being pretty dry and warm, so it's nice and comforting, but I think there are other wood scents that accomplish that a little better. Perhaps my skin just swallows whatever notes are supposed to be the most prominent and leaves the rest of the scent without a firm foundation. Or I'm just not used to subtle notes!

The very first scent I ever decided to order--and I got extremely lucky! It's spicy, woody, and honestly kind of sexy, but not too much of any one thing, which is frankly itself quite important. The musk gives the wood notes a really nice depth, and as it dries on me it leaves a lingering sweet scent, which stops it from being overpowering. It also lasts quite a long time, which is very nice. I find it to be masculine and warm, without being imposing or overly sharp. I've spent most of my ensuing orders trying to find something I like for everyday use as much as this, but honestly I don't know that I've found one I like as much! I'm a big fan.

... His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. Was originally unsure how I felt about this--it's got some good dimensions, but it seemed like I couldn't decide whether or not it was something I actually enjoyed smelling like. Then I realized: It's basically a fancy Old Spice. Which isn't necessarily bad! I think I'll reserve it for when I need a particularly pointed cologne. But I don't think I'll ever need much more than an imp. I also just don't really get any parchment at all, nor rose; I think my skin amps the sandalwood too much and drowns them out. (Which, honestly, isn't all bad as I'm not a huge fan of smelling like paper...)