starwild

In the bottle and wet on my skin, I nearly died of sadness. It smelled like pure cumin for some reason. However. When it started to dry, it turned earthy and brown. After drying, I am getting gorgeous, very DARK amber with some unusual spices and musk. It even smells a little smoky. Extremely unusual scent, not like anything I've tried, and now maybe I need a second bottle after all, despite my initial impressions suggesting otherwise. It certainly encompasses the more masculine side of the Black Moon perfectly. However, to me the scent is more like an extremely deep shade of golden brown, with flickers of black running through it.

CMI (901) I just got mine, CMI, or 901, and I am sitting here huffing my wrists and going "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" See, I've never tried the Lab's foody scents, and this MAYBE has a non-sweet foody kind of darkness to it, but I can't tell if it's coffee, chocolate, caramel, or cream, because I've never smelled those notes from the Lab before. There are other notes in there too. And here's the funny thing...it has a note that is EXACTLY LIKE PINK PEPPER but none of the sweetness of it, just that sort of bitter spice that I get when I first put on Pepper or Hermia. It's a clear to very pale yellow oil. It's much more strong in the bottle. Unfortunately it turns into Dawn dish soap when I huff it too closely. But...wow, I wanted pink pepper, and I think there might actually be pink pepper in here, though it's undercut by something not nearly as sweet, something very dark brown. Maybe it's pine? It's not super-strong pine though. Er, maybe it's pine-vanilla-pink pepper with....a hint of melon? That's insane, there's no way. My nose has got to be interpreting something wrong here. And yet it DOES seem very, very *vaguely* reminiscent of Pepper, without all the golden and floral notes that make that one creamy, and balanced differently. This one is NOT creamy and if there's any floral, it's something very white and sharp and in the background. WAIT. I think that sort-of foody scent MIGHT be hazelnut! So...901 is something like hazelnut and pink pepper, possibly with a smidge of pine. It's bizarre. I'm tempted to trade this just to see if someone else will have better luck identifying it!

Wow, this isn't hateful at all to me. It's a warm, dark spicy scent, slightly mysterious and reminiscent of a troll's cave in a forest. In fact, this doesn't smell like the troll at all, more like the troll's plundered riches. Big blast of clove with a sniff of pine and a low-key mumble of vertiver. It's resiny and pretty soft, not harsh. In a way it reminds me of Port Royal. Really like this one, possible big bottle on the wishlist.

All you need to know about Penumbra is PURPLE. Seriously, purple. It's so, so purple. It's synesthesia in a bottle. It's not at all sharp, on me it's smooth as velvet and just as comforting. No one note stands out, it's simply a lovely blend of slightly sweet-slightly dry-slightly fruity. This is much lighter and not as bitterly sweet as Lunar Eclipse. The tobacco is very light and doesn't roar, it just whispers. The lavender, often a death note on me, it just a twinkle in the background. So very glad I got a bottle!

I'm trying this immediately after trying my decant of The Chapel--thought I needed something to clean my nasal passages after that one! Imp: Oh, wow, this smells a bit like my beloved Sea of Glass, but with fruity notes. Wet: O_O Dude, it's Sea of Glass with fruity notes! Hah! I love it! Drying: Now it deepens out with the amber. I really do like this, perhaps enough to get a bottle. I like the fruit and wood that backs up what seems like a salty-sweet aquatic.

Imp: MAN that's scary and dark. I'm almost scared to try this. Wet: Bitter, sour wine. A rush of brimstone. This smells like licking the floor of an alcoholic blacksmith's shop would taste. Dry: Kind of rotten and stinking and all evil. There's no way at all this is going to work on me. I kinda knew that when I ordered a decant, but thought I'd try anyway. But it might be a great scent for the right occasion, such as a costume party. Ugh, I have to wash this off. At least I'm safe from needing a bottle!

Hemp paper, frankincense, dried pomegranate juice, lavender, gum mastic, verbena, fennel, star anise, and Dittany of Crete. Imp: Spicy pomegranate, and lots of fennel. Wet: A huge whiff of fennel, grounded out by herbal notes and a splash of fruit. Dry: Spicy, fennel-crusted paper stained with pomegranate juice. It's slightly sweet in a very dry way. The fennel behaves on me, but the overall effect is very unique to anything I've tried in the BPAL catalogue. It's warm and dry, but not hot. It threatens to go sour and only long-term skin testing is going to reveal whether it does or not. I'm glad I tried it, but I don't know that I want to smell like this. If you want something "different," try it! Extremely unusual. A tiny bit like The Robotic Scarab.

Floral spicy musk with a flickering of vanilla. Gorgeous! People are comparing this to Mme. Moriarty but to me it's much more like Hell's Belle without the mandarin orange. It's a very strong-willed but extremely feminine scent. Provocative. Definite bottle purchase.

Wet: HOLY CRAP IT'S A LION GET IN THE CAR. Ok, smells almost exactly like The Lion on me, what with the amber and all. Very golden. Kind of like a sugar cookie. Dry: A lion that has been gorging on sugar cookies. Pretty, enjoy it, but not really my thing.

Whoa, tea! Spicy, spicy tea! And a black pepper note that works on me! Lots of clove, but some sweetness in there too. My perfect spiced tea scent, backed up with some slightly-smoky patchouli. Nice! I might need to add Clemence to the bottle list.

Whoo, that's some serious smoke! It almost overwhelms the vertiver, which is saying something. Super, super smoky and dark blend with something that does smell reminiscent of dried blood and almost a twinge of metal. Freaky. The metal and blood does sweeten it up so it's not unbearably thick. Surprisingly well-blended! Does what it says on the label. If you like smoke and vertiver, try it! As for me...eh, I'll keep the imp but I'm not sure if I'll wear it often.

Red musk, bergamot, black currant, mimosa, orchid, patchouli, and lotus root. My first impression of Marianne was "Wow, that's a dark colored oil." This is a good thing, as dark-colored oils usually smell great on me. Tested it, and hoo boy. Licentious is the best way to describe this scent. Dead sexy and dangerous, it's pure red. It goes way sweet on me, but is grounded out by the red musk, which as usual amps on me. But the other notes bash it back down. Overall, sweet, rich, in-your-face and very red...musky and I guess fruity? Not so much floral. I do get the comparisons to Mme. Moriarty, but this is like a stripped-down version of that. Super strong scent, don't slather this one. I bet it lasts forever, too. There is really no other way to say this...Marianne is a total slut. I MEAN IT IN A GOOD WAY. Bottle? Sheesh. I like it, but I think she's too much woman for me. I'll consider it though.

Thunder-charged ozone, plum-colored incense smoke, opium tar, and wormwood. Yuuuum, just got my decant of this. So glad I went ahead and ordered a bottle! This is the first I've tried of the Lab's ozone scents, and I really, really like it! This one is a very dark purple scent with scary bits of black sky peeking through. Extremely dark base of smoke and incense with a much lighter, soft ozone note from the rain that will come when the storm breaks. Opium, smoke and incense all work well on me, apparently ozone does too. Although I can see how people are getting dryer sheets, it's sort of like a scent version of an optical illusion--I can pick out the individual notes, but do understand the dryer sheet impression. Lovely! Probably don't need a backup bottle. ...probably. But man, it's good.

If this is what angels smell like, I will have to be a very good girl so I can go to heaven. Where I will then proceed to be a very bad girl and do extremely naughty things to the Heavenly Host. Guh. It's so perfectly Aziraphale! Wow, Beth, what a masterpiece! It's light and sunny and refreshing and quite masculine, but in a bemused and innocent sort of way. I can't quite decide whether I want to playfully ruffle this scent's hair or grab it by the collar and drag it into the nearest dark closet for Seven Minutes In Heaven. ...okay, fine, I CAN decide. Lovely, lovely scent of musky, soft paper and I get a tiny bit of vanilla, almost. I can completely see this as the intelligent, adorable, and not-so-smooth-talking angel who gave Adam and Eve his flaming sword and then lied to God about it.

I would never in a million years have tried this of my own accord, but got it as a frimp. Imp: Weird smoky scent with a tinge of creaminess. Wet: Creamy with a wet note I can't identify and a tiny touch of tobacco. Dry: More of the same, but stronger tobacco, and a big more sweetness from the milk. I don't get tea, much, maybe just a brush of it in the background. Overall, this is a "wet" kind of scent--not really the mildewed raincoat, but maybe the rain sleeting off of it. I like it, surprisingly! I usually shy away from the Lab's milky notes.

Pine-sol spilled over dirt. Sorry, Burial, it just wasn't meant to be. I need the rose sweetness from your cousin Zombi to make the Lab's dirt note work on me.

Whoa, that's some serious spice! With a hint of cigars underneath. This is yummy. If you like spice, try this! I don't get much honey and only the slightest impression of melon.

I was frimped this by the Lab, unfortunately their cherry note has never worked on me, but we'll give it a spin. Imp: Cherry cough syrup. Wet: Sweet cherry with a bit of musk. Dry: Cherry scented shampoo. I think I like this, doesn't do much on my skin but would be great as a hair scent. Thanks, Lab!

Imp: Woodsy vanilla, a bit reminiscent of Mme. Moriarty. Promising. Wet: Woodsy vanilla. Drying: Woodsy vanilla. Smidge of tobacco smoke. EDIT: Forget what I said! This is AMAZING. SO AMAZING. YUM. I bet it will age to perfection. BOTTLE NOW. It's just that first hour or so that it takes for it to settle down on my skin, and from there it's incredible.

I've been wanting to try this for the longest time! Imp: Whoo, metallic note with a swirl of coldness. Wet: This is a very cool scent, with the metallic note quite strong and the sage almost menthol-like. It'll clear your sinuses. Dry: I get that incense coming out quite strongly now, wafting through the metal and sage. This is a bit more biting and intense than Robotic Scarab, more like an entire factory than a single tiny mechanism. I get that pine-menthol note if I huff my wrist. This isn't enough to knock off Robotic Scarab as my favorite of the Steamworks collection, but it's lovely! Will definitely be wearing it, it's perfect for hot summertime.

Imp: Lemony beeswax Wet: Lemony beeswax with some kind of herbs underneath Dry: Still mostly lemony beeswax, which is sort of like faint honey, and some resinous herbs. Maybe a slight tinge of incense. I'm sure honey lovers would adore this. I find it...okay? Not my favorite from this line, but warm and very pretty. EDIT: ...I take it back. This is delicious and yummy. Especially layered with Antikythera Mechanism.

Wow, lab frimp! Wet: Very herby-medicinal with a strong smack of cedar. Dry: Leather and incense, with some spicy wood. Oh, hai, tonka. Coming out to play? Probably too masculine for me, but I want the man I marry to smell like this. :3 I'm going to age the imp and try again later, as I do love the notes. I think this smells like Rhett Butler.

This went very sweet on me, and strangely smells of grapes! But not fresh grape, more like powdered grape candy. I guess it's the opium? I can definitely smell the dust, but it's not at all a dry or harsh scent. It's very light and soft, but not fading-soft, just not packing a huge punch. I don't get much tobacco at all. Very nice, will probably use the imp but I'm safe from needing a bottle.

I think he'd be something metallic and leathery. One of the Steamworks line, maybe? Galvanic Goggles?

I think I may have finally found a red musk that does not like me. Well, actually I think this red musk likes me TOO much. It's almost like a red musk single note, it's so overpowering, and the combination of the spices underneath made this a little too skin-scentish for me. It's not bad and it's not gross body odor, but it does have that body odor kind of feel to it. I felt a little uncomfortable wearing it, fearing others might find it stinky. I'll probably try it again to see if it's a chemistry issue, but I think dear Scherezade and I are two different ladies and should operate in different circles. I bet this would be devastatingly good on the right woman, though.