Penance

Straight out of the bottle, I get cologne. Expensive cologne, but cologne. Normally this is a Very Bad Thing in my book (I hate perfumey, too). But, I soldiered on and tried a bit on my skin. Wet, it's even more intensely cologne-like and I was disappointed that the fact that every note in here should work for me but just wasn't. Once it dries, though, it's rather lovely. It's still got a bit of that expensive cologne vibe to it, but I can start to pick things apart now. I get wood (not cedar or raw lumber, but expensive hardwood furniture - no varnish or the like, though). Dark wood. And vanilla with a backing of black tea. I'm not sure I'd have identified the tea as black tea if I hadn't seen it in the notes, in spite of being a black tea lover. It's here and it's not hidden, it just melds with the wood and vanilla husk, as if it were a part of each of those notes and not something on its own.

Initially, in the bottle, this was a fresh Snake Oil scent but with more musk than usual. There is indeed a kind of...funky note to the musk. It's not something unusual to a Snake Oil scent, but it is stronger than usual. On me, this one's a confusing morpher: fresh Snake Oil with extra funk --> fresh Snake Oil (not super funky anymore) and something sweet and pastry-like --> pure baby powder --> pure baby powder turns into about 1/3 powdered sugar --> funk is back, along with the Snake Oil, but it's covered in baby/powdered sugar. 😕 I think this needs some aging. It's a bit confusing right now.

This is beautiful. Does anyone else remember the mix-up with The Infernal Lover when there was a batch that was made and shipped without the red musk in it? So rather than "a creamy, sensual, honeyed red musk" it was more like heavy, creamy honey. So similar to Skin Musk, Cream, and Honey Dust, notes-wise. This is The Infernal Lover (mix up edition)'s younger, more naive sibling. The honey is softer and not as heavy and sticky smelling and the cream is a little more present here, while the skin musk is maybe there? There's a sort of softness that I can't identify. I won't be needing a backup because of the similarities, but this is very nice. If you're looking for something similar to the no red musk version of The Infernal Lover, you might give this a try. It's not identical, but similar.

Preconceived notions: I wasn't sure if I should buy this. I'm not sure why I bought this (other than supporting a good cause), but it was calling to me. Me. Hater of virtually all florals. I don't even know what carrot seed smells like, let alone whether I've even smelled wisteria or iris before. I probably have (in flower form), but definitely couldn't ID them in a million years. But still, it was calling me. That sandalwood smoke sounded fascinating and I'm generally on an okay-ish basis with lavender. Dry woods sounded nice, at least! I should also preface this with the note that I'm not even sure I should write this review because of how clueless it is exactly what I'm smelling. I can't do this justice to really explain what I'm smelling, but I'll do my best. First sniff: This is actually...interesting. I'm not sure what other word to describe it. It's not bad "interesting." It's a good "interesting," for sure, but I'm not sure that that means that I like it? It's complicated. I get a big gust of looming, lush florals. Definitely not white ones or any kind of rose, would be all I'd be able to tell you without having the notes in front of me. I'm guessing maybe it's the wisteria, but, like I said, I'm no floral expert. But then I also get a lavender in the background, but it's a roughed up lavender. Almost scorched smelling, but not in a bad way. My nose is confused. Wet on the skin: This is all heady, perfumey florals. Huge, looming florals. I think it's the wisteria, but maybe there's iris here in these overpowering flowers? I just don't know. There's other stuff there, too, I think. Somewhere. But I'm buried in flowers and I can't tell what it is. Dry down: Much more like the bottle scent, but more complicated still. The predominant scents at this point are a scorched sandalwood (it smells like the burnt top of the sandalwood incense cones I burned in college, minus the charred parts) and a dirty, rough lavender. I don't know what carrot seed smells like, but there's something almost like mustard seed pods here. It's kind of earthy, kind of vaguely plant-like. The verdict: This is actually nice. It reminds me, somehow, of a classic department store perfume but at the same time it doesn't at all. I think my brain is trying to struggle to understand what it's getting here. I like this, but I can't quite decide if it's something that's going to be staying in my collection.

Preconceived notions: I don't dislike the smell of caramel, but it's not something I generally like smelling like. But when I saw the other two notes, especially the smoked chilis, I had to try it. I'm not sure what to expect here. I've had chili caramel before and it was delicious, so I guess I sort of know what to expect? First sniff: This is where it gets a bit odd. When I first got this, it was so, so strong on the caramel note right out of the bottle. Like smack you in the face, pure burnt-sugary caramel. Maybe a tiny hint of spice? Nothing else. But once I let it set for a good while and came back to it, caramel is still the predominant note, but I can smell some deep, creamy sweetness from the black vanilla and a tiny touch of spice. Wet on skin: I'm going to stick with the scent of this once it's sat for a while, because I'm not sure I remember it perfectly enough to give a straight out of the mail review, and this is probably more helpful anyway. Wet on my skin, the caramel remains the predominant note. It's not sticky and chewy, it's a sophisticated smelling burnt sugar caramel. I also get the vanilla in the background, but, being in a sweet scent, it gets a bit lost behind the caramel. The chilis are there, but add just a subtle smoky spice. Dry down: I really like this! I wish there was more of the chili note (because I think there should be more perfume with it, especially with sweet notes), though. I was kind of expecting more of it, but I'm not mad. The caramel and vanilla meld into a particularly creamy caramel with a sprinkling of burnt sugar. Interestingly, my mom had sort of a reverse experience smelling this on me. She could smell the spice well before the caramel, but that was from a distance. Up close, she said she got caramel and spice. The final verdict: Winner! This is a really nice, somewhat unconventional foody scent. It's like a high-end, gourmet caramel from a fancy chocolate shop. Very nice blend of all three ingredients, but a little light on the chili. I'm glad I didn't swap this one away right off the bat, when it was too caramel-intensive for me. A good reminder to let things set for a bit and retest.

Preconceived notions: Been trying to track this one down for a while. I love white chocolate and I've been digging every goat's milk scent I've tried from the Lab. Honey is so, so hit or miss on me. And marshmallow sounds great, but can be cloying. So I'm prepared for this to be sweet. I'm afraid of it being cloying. First sniff: So sweet. So, so sweet. Like, oh-my-god-I-miscalculated-when-buying-this sweet. Cloying sweet. White chocolate slaps me right in the face right out of the bottle. But there's more sweetness here. Layers of it. I'm a little intimidated at this point. Wet on skin: This is better. Still very sweet, but I can start to smell the goat's milk a little bit and things are somehow both coming together and becoming identifiably their own thing, if that makes sense. This is a lovely gourmand scent at this point, but still too sweet for me to wear, though it is nice. Dry down: There we go! It's so strange. If I just sniff, I get a sort of mix of all the different notes, so seamlessly together I can't pinpoint anything in particular other than the chocolate, though everything else is there. If I stop and smell and pay attention, I can pick out each note individually. The white chocolate is strong on the cocoa butter. The marshmallow is a soft, fluffy sweetness. The honey starts out a little sour (as it can be on me and some other people) but then turns smooth and golden. The goat's milk has a slightly sour tinge, too, being goat's milk, but it melds beautifully with the honey and evens out into this lovely creaminess that makes me think of the way a goat's milk caramel is sweet with a hint of tang. The final verdict: Winner! I liked all stages of this, but only the dry down is something that I'd wear. That's okay, though, because I really like where this ends up! 😀

Preconceived notions: I've had bad luck with the Lab's strawberry scents. Literally all of them I've tried with a noticeable strawberry scent have smelled like nothing but that bagged strawberry flavored gel that's used for making cheap pies. They make me a little queasy (and sad because I want to love them). But this says dried strawberries and I'm willing to give it a try, hoping it'll be different because I want to love this one. Red musk is one of my favorite notes and vanilla is something it's hard to go wrong with. First sniff: Red musk. Lots and lots of red musk. I'm getting a bit of strawberry candy here, too, which isn't boding well. Wet on skin: The strawberry candy almost immediately starts disappearing once it hits my skin (thank God) and is replaced with something very much like dried strawberries (not freeze-dried, dehydrated) with red musk. I'm not sure I'm getting the vanilla from behind the other notes. Dry down: This is lovely! In the end, it dries down to a very slightly powdery red musk and almost vanilla dust (if that's a thing) scent with a very faint breeze of dried strawberry that I probably wouldn't have picked up on if it wasn't right in the name. It's there, but it blends so seamlessly with the red musk that it's not quite it's own entity anymore. The final verdict: Finally, a BPAL strawberry scent that really, truly works for me! This is a very nice blend. You can't really go wrong if you like the notes in this because they blend beautifully.

Preconceived notions: I've never tried any of the Frostbitten scents because I associate "Frostbitten" with Numb, which I hated. But since I hear that Frostbitten here means Snow White, which I like, I had to try this. First sniff: TKO for sure! There's that familiar lavender vanilla wonderfulness. But I can smell a faint something in the background. Unidentifiable so far, but it's a bit creamy, but not in an actual "cream" way. Wet on skin: Mostly TKO, but the Snow White is coming out. It's faint, but it's adding a smoothness to the herbal-sweetness of the TKO. Dry down: This is just lovely. An almost perfect mix between TKO and Snow White. A soothing, calming scent. The Snow White adds a bit of marzipan-like creaminess with a faint hint of a sort of green, faint floral note, like lilies, complete with the stems. The final verdict: If TKO and Snow White had a baby, this would be it. It's beautiful and I'm sure it's going to age well.

Preconceived notions: I'm not a super big fan of foody scents, but I do love some and between the name, the label art (who doesn't love an adorable opposum?) and the description, I had to try it. I actually do like the smell of funnel cakes a fair bit, so hopefully this one works for me. 🤞 First sniff: I can see the french toast comparison. What I'm getting, though, is more like crème brûlée mixed with fried dough. Not what I was expecting, but not bad. Wet on skin: That burnt sugar note from the "crème brûlée" deepens into a sort of burnt sugar-caramel with a hint of spice. There's no dough or cake here at all at this point. It reminds me a bit of Mitzvah. Dry down: Much more balanced now. I'm getting fried dough (a familiar note from Midway) with a touch of spiced drizzled with a light coating of burnt sugar. It's got a buttery note to it as well, but that seems to be part of the funnel cake part of the scent. Final thoughts: I like this, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Where I expected traditional funnel cakes, I got a sort of funnel cake meets crème brûlée mashup, heavier on the funnel cake. The "balls-in-your-throat feeling" isn't really showing up for me, I don't think. Fusion pastry arts aren't exactly balls-in-your-throat.

Preconceived notions: I get overwhelmed by the smell of too much leather but I still love a good leather scent. I've tried basically all of the Lab's leather-heavy scents and they're all quite different, so I'm really excited to try a new one. There's probably going to be something here other than leather, though, or else it wouldn't be called Riding Crop. Some wood or something? We'll see! First sniff: Pure leather. It reminds me somewhat of De Sade or the leather note from Rivet.Goth. Black leather for sure. Very, very slightly chemically. Wet on skin: Mostly leather, but there's something almost chemical or harsh in the background. I can't figure out what it is, but it's not wood. It could be rubber or latex...or even shellac or some sort of rosin. Dry down: This is like a mish-mash of De Sade, Assassin, Rogue, Rivet.Goth (minus the motor oil and metal) and a black leather single note all rolled into one. There's something almost cologne-like about that non-leather note and I still can't place it. It's kind of like the rosin scent in Rogue or maybe the shellac in Rocking-Horse-Fly. It's hard to tell under the very heavy leather overtone. The final verdict: I can see the riding crop in this. It's not a cat o' nine tails. There's a lacquered handle sort of vibe along with the leather. I'm not 100% sure about that chemical undertone, so I'm going to have to try this a few more times on my skin. If I'm still not quite getting along with whatever that is, I'll just wear it in a scent locket, because I otherwise enjoy it.

Preconceived notions: I love tobacco scents. Love them. I have French Tobacco (which needs tested for reviewing), as well, but I was excited to see another option! I read the reviews, but I'm still not sure what to expect in terms of this being different than French Tobacco. First sniff: Oh! So pretty! It wafts out of the bottle beautifully. It's definitely tobacco (of course), but there's something almost spicy to it? It smells like a very pricey tobacconist's shop. I find this to be somewhat dry, not really "chewy," but that's me. Wet on skin: Beautiful. Strangely almost perfumey or floral, without being either one. I think it's just the sillage and throw coming together. This one wafts. There's no other word for it. Dry down: This almost doesn't read as a single note. I could be convinced that this was a blend, actually, because it's surprisingly complex. It's a dry, but not dusty, tobacco with an edge of spice and that same almost floral waft to it. The final verdict: This is beautiful. Definitely the most complex true single note I've tried. I'm just not sure how to describe quite what I'm getting here. I keep thinking "perfumey," but that's not right. And then I think "almost floral," but that's not quite right, either. It has the same "feel," somehow. I wish I could be more helpful, but I just can't find the words.

Preconceived notions: I've been wanting to try this one since the notes sound great and the label art is amazing. I can see this one being a winner, but maybe not something that will need to stay in my collection since it sounds a bit similar to several other BPAL scents I already have? Still really looking forward to trying this! First sniff: This has that "BPAL Smell" as I refer to it. It's the smell I associate with the early days of my addiction before I had any foody scents in my collection and it was all dark and mysterious. This is right in that vein. I'm smelling a mix of sweet patchouli, vetiver and cypress here. I'm hoping the vetiver doesn't get too aggressive on my skin, but this is pretty much what I expected. Wet on skin: Pretty much the same as in the bottle, though I get wafts of the blackcurrant. It doesn't smell fruity necessarily, more like a dark, purpley-black sweetness that blends beautifully with the patchouli. Dry down: Everything's getting a chance to shine, now! The patchouli is grounding this nicely, along with the vetiver, which isn't too intense. Over that is a layer of deep, rich wood (the cypress, which I love and reminds me of redwood, particularly here) and that soft, purple-black sweetness that's not identifiably "fruit," but adds the same sort of sweetness that the Lab's dark purple fruit notes tend to add to anything they're in. The final verdict: This is similar in a lot of ways to various scents in my collection, which should tell you that I like it! It's pretty much exactly what I pictured. BPAL in a bottle for me; the smell of my early BPAL collecting days. Gender neutral, leaning masculine, though it works well for this lady!

Preconceived notions: What's there not to like about the idea of this? I love Snake Oil and I've been loving the Lab's gingerbread note for a while now (all these new Gingerbread Cotillion scents use a lovely gingerbread that's not quite the same as Gingerbread Poppet; it's softer, more of a spice cake gingerbread than a heavily gingered, almost lemony one.) First sniff: All I smell here is gingerbread. Not too uncommon for the Gingerbread Cotillion scents. I was hoping for more Snake Oil, especially since this is old enough for the SO to have aged a bit. Hmmph. Wet on skin: Slightly sweeter than usual gingerbread. I would have just guessed a little extra vanilla or something, not Snake Oil. That's disappointing, since I was hoping to get a pretty equal amount of both. This is pretty much all gingerbread, all the time. Dry down: At first, this is more or less the same as when it's wet, but the longer it dries down, the stronger the Snake Oil becomes until it turns a 180 and ends up being almost all Snake Oil, all the time. There's some gingerbread spices in the background, which is lovely, but it's mostly Snake Oil. Final verdict: I was thinking about re-homing this one just because I didn't feel like I needed another similar sweetened gingerbread scent, but I'm thinking it's going to stay. It's not too dimensional or complicated, but it does smell good! It would be better with a more balanced approach between the gingerbread and Snake Oil, but I like it as is, too.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab Preconceived notions: I hate the smell of actual coconut and typically avoid coconut-scented things, but now and then a scent with coconut will call my name. This one did. I'm digging the Lab's smoked vanilla note they've been using lately. It's pretty great. And I do like fig. I've been reading the reviews, though, and I'm not sure that this is going to really be for me. First sniff: So much coconut! It's a very creamy coconut, very smooth, almost buttery. The smoked vanilla just adds a bit of sweetness, no appreciable smokiness. The fig is there, but that's just it. It's...there. It doesn't really have much of a presence. Wet on skin: Coconut, coconut and more coconut. It's a coconut meat scent on me. Very fresh, sort of creamy. A little bit sunscreen-y in a good way. I don't get any vanilla or fig, really. Just coconut. Dry down: The vanilla makes a comeback in the form of a sweetness in the background that melds with the creaminess of the coconut. The fig just adds a faint fruitiness that's hard to pin down. The whole thing reads kind of palleta-meets-lotion. It's not perfumey or gourmand (though it is foody, in the sense that all three notes are foods), but it kind of has vibes of both creamy coconut ice pop and a trendy-but-mass-friendly body lotion/shampoo/body wash. The final verdict: I can totally see the Bath and Body Works comparisons, though this is better than any BBW scent could ever dream of being. This is one of those "safe" scents that strays too close to mainstream perfume to really be something I really enjoy. I feel like this could be at home at any bath and body store. It's nice, but not special. Maybe aging will bring out more depth. I'm not sure if it's worth it to find out, though. It's a nice scent, just not one I necessarily need in an already over-full collection.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab (pretty well aged at this point) Preconceived notions: How could I not love this? There's literally nothing here not to love. I can't imagine this going wrong in any way. First sniff: Mmm, patchouli, sweetened by vanilla bean. This is a particularly nice patchouli note. Nice and deep, but not too overly "dirty" smelling. The vanilla bean gives it a smooth, creaminess. The hemp I can't smell (I had the same issue with Banshee Beat; in fact, this reminds me of BB in ways). No cannabis, either, and I know the smell of cannabis. That's a little disappointing because I wanted a weed and patchouli perfume! Wet on skin: Same as in the bottle. It actually smells a lot like Banshee Beat did on me, which isn't wonderful, but not bad, either. I like it, but it's not as amazing on me as I thought it would be, given the notes. Dry down: Sweet patchouli-vanilla with the same background note that I can't quite place from Banshee Beat. That has to be the hemp, though it doesn't smell like hemp to my nose. The bottom line: This is lovely, but I was really hoping for something much more "hippie-ish," especially given the notes, but I do like this. I'll be keeping my bottle, but I'm not sure I need a backup. If you like Banshee Beat / Revenant Rhythm and can't find them, maybe give this a shot. It's not the same, but they feel similar to me. Might be worth a try!

Origin: 5mL from the Lab Preconceived notions: I love tea and tea scents and incense is always one of the safest of safe bet note families on me, especially in BPAL scents. Cocoa dust? I remain neutral at the moment. I'm expecting this to be non-gourmand/foody since when I think cocoa dust, I think of the smell of a freshly opened canister of cocoa powder. Dusty, dry in a way that sucks the moisture out of the air, slightly bitter...definitely not foody. I'm curious to see how the three will play together. First sniff: I've been letting this one set for a while, since I figured, being a chocolate scent, that it would need some extra time to meld together. Opening up the bottle, I first get something in a vaguely similar plane to Black Temple Buelesque Group, but only in that both are chocolate scents that aren't foody, but instead are built on a backbone of something unexpected (incense and black tea here, as opposed to tobacco and black musk with BTBG). Interesting. Wet on skin: Wasn't there chocolate in here? There's no cocoa to be found within a millisecond of this hitting my skin. The dustiness stays, but the cocoa scent disappears, leaving very strong, assertive, dry incense. I'm wondering if aging will bring out the cocoa more. Drydown: The cocoa dust never does come back. Instead, I'm left with Darjeeling Tea and Incense. The incense is like if Rocky Mudd's found religion and held mass in their stores. The tea is only there as the very fainest of whispers, like someone boiled a pot of tea in the next room over and carried it past me very briefly. I guess, really, it reads as Incense at this point. Just incense. The verdict: I never thought I'd be a little disappointed in such an incense-heavy scent. I adore incense! I'm all about the incense! Any kind of incense. And it's good here. It is. It's just lacking the other two notes that I was expecting, especially the cocoa dust. In the bottle, it added an intriguing top layer. I was hoping that when I put it on, the tea and incense would come out a little more equally instead of this being all incense, all the time. Don't get me wrong. It smells nice. But I've got a ton of incense scents, most with more depth than this. I'll hold onto it to see what aging does, but this one might be a rare strike out among the duets and menages a trois.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab Preconceived notions: I'm not really sure why I'm trying this one other than it being so popular. And because of my surprising love of Midway, which I hear is somewhat similar. The notes give me pause, though. I can get on board with spun sugar and even meringue, but the Lab's strawberry and sweet cherry notes tend to do me dirty and smell fake and cloying. As for the rainbow candies, I'm not really a fan of most foody scents, especially candy ones, but I'll reserve judgment for now. First sniff: I can definitely see the Midway comparisons! This is definitely "pinker," somehow. I don't smell candies or strawberry or cherry or meringue...or anything in here. At least not specifically. This is so well blended that what I'm getting is something between a walk through a carnival's food trucks and Pink Sugar (the perfume). Wet on skin: This immediately becomes sweeter, if that's possible, as soon as it hits my skin. It's not cloying, but it's like walking through a cloud of multi-colored, multi-flavored cotton candy. Dry down: Sort of a cross between the bottle smell and wet on my skin. The fruit notes come out and play, but they just add depth to the spun sugar. It's basically a fruitier Midway, minus the funnel cake note Midway has. The verdict: I really like this! I won't be needing another bottle, since I've got Midway, too. But this is definitely a keeper! I love it when a scent that I'm not expecting to like turns out to be a winner and Velvet Unicorn is the newest addition to that list. ETA: The very, very late dry down on this one (I mean HOURS after application), I'm getting musky vanilla. Slightly powdery, but not in a baby powder or old lady sort of way. Hard to describe, but very pretty and, again, unexpected. This unicorn is full of secrets. 🦄

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. I've had this one for quite a while and I'm just now reviewing it. Preconceived notions: I don't know what to expect here, other than probably blueberry, because what else would you use to make a scent that I'm thinking is pretty likely to smell "blue"? There were no reviews when I bought or tested this, so I went in blind, not knowing what to expect. This review is uninfluenced by those above, since they didn't exist when I originally wrote down my notes when I first tried this. First sniff: All I get is blueberry here. It's very similar, if not the same as, the blueberry note in Bones Trombone and/or Blueberry Sufganiyot (can never tell if there's more than one Lab blueberry note; to me all Lab blueberry smells the same). If there's something else here, which there must be, I can't smell it. Wet on skin: Fruity in a sugary, pie filling sort of way, but somehow doesn't feel like a foody scent. There's maybe a touch of violet here? Or it could be amber instead. They both go a bit powdery on my skin and it doesn't smell floral. Dry down: As Smurf Essence dries, I get a little bit of a musky scent coming out. Sort of a natural skin smell or a soft fur like in Ivanushka, something warm, soft and subtle. There's a faint powderiness, that I'm still undecided on. I'm leaning towards amber since I'm not reading this as floral, just sort of powdery. The final verdict: This was one of those bottles that I spend a lot on without knowing anything about, other than the name, and I'm glad I bought it, even though I won't ever need another bottle. Smurf Essence is a little bit one-dimensional since the blueberry is so strong, but it's still got character. The combo of blueberry and skin/fur(?) and amber/violets does fit in with what I might imagine the Smurf's village to smell like.

Origin: 5mL bought secondhand Preconceived notions: I love the smell of clove cigarettes and I've longed for one from the Lab since I first started buying in 2004. I'm beyond excited to try this! First sniff: Hoo, baby! That is one strong scent! It's not exactly the smell of actual clove cigarettes, but it's damn close. I really, really like this so far. Wet on skin: I only put on dab and this stuff is strong. Like crazy strong. My husband could smell it from across the room. Awesome! The scent from the bottle doesn't change at all when I put it on. Still a very nearly authentic kretek scent. So good! Dry down: This stuff was very strong for a couple of hours and then slowly faded away. But that was just one tiny dab. Super stable, too. No real change from bottle to skin to dry down. The final verdict: I have a couple other BPAL scents that (at least on me) have a nice clove cigarette smell (Velvet Bandito and Morven, the Strong Man), but Clove Cigarette is the closest of the three. I love all of them, but this one's the best of the bunch for an authentic smell (the other two aren't supposed to smell like clove cigarettes, anyway, so I guess that's not a surprise). I'm sad I only have one bottle. This one's worthy of a backup or two...or five. 😄

Origin: 5mL from the Lab Preconceived notions: Truthfully, I've yet to encounter a BPAL strawberry scent that doesn't make me think of that strawberry-flavored pie filling gel that comes (or came, now sure if it even exists anymore) in plastic bags that you squeeze out. Sort of a super sweet, artificial, cloying smell. So I'm not expecting to like this, but I really want to because I love the smell of fresh strawberries! In the bottle: Yeah, that's the infamous Lab strawberry. I don't get any green at all. Just artificial pie filling gel. Wet on skin: Once I put it on, it becomes more realistic, with a tiny hint of green leaves and stem. Dry down: Mostly cloying, artificial strawberry again with just a hint of green. The final verdict: Fruity and fun, but artificial in a candy/syrup sort of way. A bit childish. Definitely needs to be worn on skin for me.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab Preconceived notions: There's a small part of me that's wondering why I ordered this...what I'm hoping to accomplish here. I love the Lab's gingerbread scents (Gingerbread Sin is a particular favorite) and I like vanilla bean just fine. Honey is something I'm indifferent to for the most part, but I'm curious about the "honey dust" here. I've seen/tasted/smelled something with a similar name before, but I'm not sure if that's what I should be expecting here. Honestly, I guess I'm just sort of expecting to get extra sweet gingerbread, now that I'm really thinking about it. First sniff: When I got this fresh in the mail, it was like someone took Gingerbread Poppet and toned down the intense spiciness. That was it. No honey that I could smell and a slight sweetness from the vanilla bean if anything. After letting it set, the honey and vanilla bean do come out more, but the "toned-down Gingerbread Poppet" vibe I was getting continues. Wet on skin: Starting to get some honey here, but it's not like the "honey dust" I encountered in the past. It's like regular honey: syrup. But it's mostly gingerbread still. Dry down: The honey syrup turned into honey dust! Depending on how heavily I applied this (some areas got more than others), I got almost a good balance between all three notes (though the vanilla bean sort of camouflaged itself a little bit behind the other two notes, adding a little sweetness to each without really standing out as vanilla) or nothing but a very faint hint of honey dust. This one needs to be applied heavier than a lot of my other scents, but I wouldn't call it a truly light scent, either. It didn't hang around particularly great, but it didn't entirely disappear, either. The bottom line: I like this. I do. But I have to seriously contemplate whether my collection has a place for a(n essentially) "sweetened" gingerbread scent when I already have a plain gingerbread scent and a couple others that are more complex. I don't have any sweet single notes to layer over my others so for now it stays, I think. TIme will tell if it's a long-term relationship.

Origins: 5mL bought second-hand, unknown age. Preconceived notions: I'm not a big fan of honey, but I do love me some patchouli. I'm hoping this is much heavier on the patchouli than the honey. Liking the idea of a really dirty, dark patchouli with a smear of honey sweetness more and more the more I think of it, at least in theory. We shall see! First sniff: Oh! That's nice! Definitely the deep, dark, dirty patchouli I love the most, but there's a rich, syrupy without being candy-like or cloying, lovely sweetness here. The honey really anchors it and gives it some extra warmth. Wet on skin: Pretty much the same as in the bottle, maybe a little more honey-leaning? My skin tends to really love to hold onto honey, so it could just be my skin chemistry already starting to work it's magic. Or Owl Moon is just heavier on the honey when on the skin in general. Dry down: Pretty much 50/50 very dark patchouli and very golden honey. I'm amazed there's no cloying undertone here. Honey is so sickly sweet to me so much of the time, but not here. It blends so beautifully with the patchouli that the two almost smell like one note, a sultry sweet lush darkness that's somehow snuggly and sexy at the same time. The scent hangs very close to my skin and has great staying power. It even made it through a shower, though Irish Spring doesn't quite compliment it. The bottom line: I'm glad I gave this one a shot. I'm sure it'll get even more lovely with age as the patchouli deepens and the honey melds further and further with it.

A faded snapshot of patchouli-stained peasant blouses, soft suede boots, and smoke. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: There were a handful of ParaNorman scents I wanted to try when they were released, but had to narrow it down to one for budget reasons. Hippie Ghost sounded right up my alley. I love patchouli, suede and smoke. The only thing concerning me here is the "peasant blouse" part. Linen (I assume it's probably a linen-type note) and I don't always get along so well. It can be too harsh to my nose, so I'm hoping it's a soft, background note and not a main one. First sniff: Lighter than I expected, but I guess I should have anticipated that from a "ghost" scent! I'm getting everything here. Soft, worn linen (not harsh at all and not super clean, either...sort of a musty linen, but not in a bad way), patchouli (not the super dirty kind, but definitely patchouli all the same), a bit of suede and a tiny touch of smoke. It's a nostgalic sort of scent. More antique store than headshop. Wet on skin: My skin loves linen (even when I don't) and it's staying true to form here, amping up the peasant blouse note immediately and making this all about the fabric as soon as it hits my skin. Usually, that tones down quickly, though, so I'm not too worried. I'm still getting hints of the other notes, but this is screamingly linen-like right now. Drydown: Mmm, better. The linen really dies down (and pretty quickly, too) and I'm left with a really evocative scent. It's soft, ethereal and smoky with an earthiness from the patchouli and a little bit of soft suede. It still makes me think antique store (although I suppose it should be a vintage clothing store, it has that antique store smell to me) and not headshop, but I'm really liking it. The smoke is just a tiny bit harsh at times, but it comes and goes and I really can't complain. The bottom line: Ideally, I would have loved something more headshop-ish and more intense (although I should have expected what I got since it is a "ghost" scent), but I really like Hippie Ghost anyway. It's subtle and should go over well with people who don't normally love patchouli scents.

CRANBERRY COOKIE BARK BATH OIL Shortbread, white and dark chocolate, dried cranberries, and a smattering of crushed candy cane. Shea oil, olive oil, apricot kernel oil, fractionated coconut oil, rosehip seed, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, isopropyl myristate, glycereth-7-cocoate (derived from coconut), oleth 3, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume blends. Origin: Bottle from the Trading Post. Preconceived notions: This sounds incredible, even for a very selective foody scent wearer like me. I love the smell of shortbread (I've kind of been hoping that BPAL would do a shortbread scent for quite a while) and white chocolate. I'm learning that the Lab's dark chocolate note smells really, really good on me lately, too. I love to eat dried cranberries and if the cranberry in this smells true to life, then that would be awesome. Candy cane is the only iffy thing here. I'm not a huge mint fan and I'm really no a fan of the Lab's candy cane scents (the Lick It series). But I think it could work well in combination with the other notes. First sniff: Right out of the bottle, this is all shortbread and chocolate to my nose. It's mainly buttery, crunchy, rich shortbread but with an overlay of rich chocolate (I smell dark more than white, but dark chocolate does tend to have a stronger note to my nose). This smells wonderful. It's foody but not cloying in the slightest. In fact, it's not that sweet. It's rich for sure, but not sugary, really. On the skin: I use the bath oils as moisturizers rather than in the bath (I'm a shower girl, plus it feels like a waste of delicious scented oil to me to mix it with water and let it go down the drain, so I can't comment on how this behaves or smells in the bath, sorry!). First of all, this feels nice on my skin. It's not sticky or greasy. It sinks in really well (and I don't have super dry skin) and it has a really nice, strong but close to the skin smell. The scent on me is almost identical to the bottle. Dark chocolate and buttery shortbread with just a touch of white chocolate. I don't really smell cranberry here, but I think it's just blending with the chocolate and shortbread and making it darker and deeper without standing out and screaming "Look at me, I'm fruit!" The candy cane really doesn't make an appearance at any point for me (which I'm fine with and even happy about). The bottom line: This smells so good. If this were a perfume oil, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I'll definitely get plenty of use of my bottle of bath oil, though, since it makes a nice, light moisturizer and smells incredibly good. I think I might need another bottle of this since I'm not sure how long it'll last with regular use (I'm new to the bath oils and only have one other, Tricksy) and I don't want to risk it not making a reappearance next Christmas.

MOURNING CLOAK Opoponax, kumaru, cocoa butter, Mysore sandalwood, verbena, almond milk, guiac wood, beeswax, and myrrh. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. My bottle says "Mourning Shroud" rather than "Mourning Cloak." Preconceived notions: I wanted this one for the name, but the notes sound wonderful. Except for the almond milk and possibly the verbena (if it smells lemony). Almond scents make me horrendously nauseous if I can smell the almond in them, but I can wear them if the almond is "hidden" and I'm not a fan of lemon (or citrus in general). I'm not quite sure what to expect here since the mix of notes is pretty complex, but I'm thinking a resinous scent with a touch of cocoa butter. First sniff: Wow, I wasn't expecting that. The first thing I smell here is the verbena. Really, really strong verbena. It's lemony and sharp. There are other things going on underneath the verbena, but it's hard to really pick them out. I get an impression of dark woodsiness. Wet on skin: Still mainly verbena (which I'm not enjoying), but there are also some nice dark woods here, too. No resins yet, unfortunately, but I'm hoping they'll rally on the drydown. Dry down: Early in the drydown: Verbena, woods and the resins have come out now. I don't get any cocoa butter, which is a little disappointing. I was anticipating something darker than this, although the notes really do fit with the butterfly's coloration. Later in the drydown: The verbena mostly disappears (hallelujah) and I'm left with just a touch of it, plus Schwarzer Mond-style resins and a touch of cocoa butter. It's dark and pretty, but it's not as nice as Atlas. The bottom line: I really wish the verbena wasn't in here or wasn't so strong, but it does mostly disappear on the later drydown. It's just a matter of whether I can wait it out since I despise lemon. This is going to be one of those scents that I like in the end, but don't wear very often because I can't stand the wet/early drydown stage. I'm hoping that aging will help tone down the lemoniness, but I'll keep my bottle no matter what (although I wish it was labeled Mourning Cloak instead of Mourning Shroud; both are great names, but I prefer Cloak).