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Showing results for tags 'The Yule Lads'.
Found 13 results
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Favorite pastime: skulking under dining tables, waiting to abscond with unsupervised food bowls. Don’t blame the dog! Dregs of cinnamon and cocoa. In The Bottle: Oh, YES. Right off the bat, this is Mexican Hot Chocolate. Wet On Skin: The hits just keep on coming. There are two basic types Lab chocolate notes- the yummy cocoa-y ones, and the ones that turn to weird, waxy plastic on my skin. The ones that work on me are found in scents like Bliss, Boomslang and Gelt. The ones that don't work are the ones found in the Box O Chocolates and most '13' scents. This scent, fortunately, has the former. And it's *glorious*. Dry Down: This is a nice, "grownup" cocoa scent. Less foodie and, believe it or not, I would call this scent kinda sexy. The chocolate becomes this dusty, understated warm note and the cinnamon gives just a tiny amount of spice- this is NOT an overpowering spice scent, so those fearful, give it a try. In All: Not just bottle worthy, possibly hoard worthy. I predict this will be quite popular.
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Favorite pastime: harassing sheep. Nobody’s perfect. Wooly sugared marshmallow root. 1. Find a bag of marshmallows. 2. Smash your face into them. 3. Suffocate and die happy. Seriously, this is delightful. It has a slightly perfumey edge that adds a bit of complexity but otherwise it is pure vanillay-marshmallowy goodness. eta: I've been wearing this all afternoon and the perfumey quality faded away by the end of the first hour. It's been the most beautiful vanilla marshmallow scent since.
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Favorite pastime: slamming doors. What a drama queen! Booming carnation, iced mint, white fir, and itchy patchouli loudly disrupting a dreamy bed of lavender. Yikes, first? Okay. Let's see. I made myself wait until Christmas before opening my blind-order bottles! In the bottle, I get spicy, spicy carnation. Whee. It definitely "booms," but it's got some freshness behind it to keep it from getting too dense—the fir, maybe, or some green carnation stems. Wet, I detect a spike of mint. It's almost like that lovely snow note that shows up in so many other yules—that'd be the fir and mint, I suppose—but it's quickly overpowered by the carnation. It’s quite unusual, and I’m excited. Drying, it rapidly becomes...ecclesiastical incense? Some blend of the carnation with the patchouli creates a heavy, dead-ringer for the kind of incense used in my Catholic church. I’m picturing fewer slamming doors, now, and more images of low, golden light and flickering candles and the gentle, reverent murmur of heads bowed in prayer. Dang, this was just last night, at Christmas vigil. I can't smell any mint or fir now. It does have fantastic throw—I'd daubed a bit on my arm to test it, and I still keep catching whiffs of it. I even pulled down my sleeves in attempts to muffle it a bit, but nope, still booming away, even through the fabric. My sister just asked me why I “smell like church.” Awww . I wanted to smell like a fierce little Icelandic holiday gnome! Verdict: It’s a beautiful blend, don't get me wrong, but I don't think this one's for me. I'll give it another shot, though, before I relegate my bottle to the sales pile. Church incense is lovely, but I just couldn’t wear it as a perfume. Now, soggy fireplace cinders, on the other hand…
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Favorite pastime: stealing candles from children. Such a scamp! Beeswax, strawberries, and bits of hard candy. Oooh, scary, I'm first! ...and I'm having to edit this review, because much as this scent is still very, very sticky-sweet, for some reason I found myself reaching for it again today, and I think it's growing on me! Previously I said: "Anything with beeswax in is an automatic buy for me, and strawberries too - hell yes! Sadly though, the 'hard candy' is the killer here for me. The strawberry note is very similar to Strawberry Moon '12 - which I love - that same sweet/tart effervescent pink, fresh zingy strawberry, but whereas in 'Moon it's got the grasses and sap to balance out the sweetness and keep it really fresh and mouthwatering, in this the additional sugar-hit of the candy, plus the richness of the beeswax, tilt it wayyy over the sweetness edge, and it's just toooo strongly candied and cloying for me I think a lot of people will like this though - it's definitely very fun, very childlike (kinda reminds me of a toy in the 80s that was strawberry scented...I forget what toy it was, but it smells a lot like that!), and it's got great throw and long wear time, but for me it's sadly a nope :ghost:" ...but now, today, I'm quite liking it! Beeswax does always seem to need ageing, and today it's just a little more deeper and golden smelling with that beeswax note, less honey-sticky-candified. It's such a happy smell! Nose, you are incredibly indecisive, but I guess I'll be keeping this guy for a while, and see whether he continues to grow on me!
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Favorite pastime: hiding in the rafters, ogling your smoked sausage. Eyes up here, mister! Sweaty pear and honey with leather, coconut meat, tonka bean, and castoreum accord. I went out of my comfort zone to try this. I’ve heard some negativity concerning castoreum but hadn’t tried it myself. But, having good luck with animalic notes I decided to give this a go. This is a really odd scent. I love it but it is odd. I’m gonna do my best to describe it. Okay, first, this one’s a morpher. WET: Starts out as VERY sweet, juicy pear. Underneath this is something bitter and unpleasant. For me, leather sometimes starts out bitter but maybe it’s the castoreum? Anyway, soon the bitterness dissipates. DRYDOWN: Coconut and a touch of Tonka come out and help to tamp down the sweetness. Way down at the base the leather is making itself known. Again, since this is my first time trying castoreum I can only guess that this is what is combining with leather. The leather smells animalistic and skanky. Also, there’s the faintest wisp of smokiness rising up. This scent still stays pretty sweet all the way through and the pear stays prominent. I asked my Mom to take a whiff and describe it. She said sweet, fruity, dirty, leathery, musky. I really dig this. Glad I took the chance but it’s definitely not for everyone.
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Favorite pastime: indulging his yogurt fetish. Whatever floats your boat! Berries, skyr, and oats. In The Bottle: Very light, sweet berries and a tiny bit of oats. Wet On Skin: The berries start to bloom a bit more once it warms up on my skin. Dry Down: Berries with oat crust. No yogurt on my skin, alas! In All: Medium throw, and, unfortunately, this berry note is coming across as fairly artificial, like an air freshener that is berry-scented. I'm hoping it might settle further, as I *really* adore the Lab's Oats note, but only time will tell.
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Favorite pastime: collecting meat hooks, sharpening meat hooks, polishing meat hooks. Sleep with one eye open? Labdanum, patchouli, dragon’s blood resin, and clove. I got this one, because I *loved* all the notes - granted, clove tends to overpower on me. But I was hoping it wouldn't, since I like the other portions of the scent more than I do clove. The liquid is very, very dark....I knew it would be strong. But, sheesh! I wasn't expecting like this! A little dab will certainly do ya' here. In the bottle, the labdanum and patchouli reign. Wet on me, the patchouli and clove. Tons and tons of clove. I'm really afraid that clove will play out like it usually does on me.... Settled in, patchouli, dragon blood, and labdanum are working in perfect levels, and the clove is noticeable only when I bring my arm up close to sniff (even then, it's taking a back seat). Exactly what I was praying for! I'm really sad that these bottles are small. I think I've found my favorite out of the 40 or so bottles that I have. Luckily, the throw is so incredibly strong, that I only need a teeny bit.
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Favorite pastime: peeping in yer windows. What a creeper! Spiced rum leather, frankincense, black cedar, sweet tobacco, and honey-gold sandalwood. In the bottle: Thick, strong rum with tobacco. Wet on my skin: Spicy, boozy rum with tobacco and frankincense. Dry: This is a win on my skin! The primary notes on me are spiced rum, frankincense, and tobacco, in that order. Under those are cedar and sandalwood, and a hint of brown leather. It's on the sweet side of spicy and incensed, and a bit on the masculine side of things as well. The throw is medium, though the frankincense is detectable much further away than the rest of the notes. My skin tends to amp that note, however, and I'm fine with that since I love the Lab's frankincense note. After it has been on several hours, the leather starts to come out more, but it's a beautifully sweet and soft brown leather similar to that in Blood & Judgement So Well Commedled. This is definitely one for the tobacco/incense/rum lovers! In my mind, it's a bright, shimmery gold (almost golden-brown) in colour.
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Favorite pastime: eating the scrapings from unwashed pots. Waste not, want not? Salt licorice, birch tar, black pepper, and leather. Lovely label art, and despite this wee lad looking like a cute, mischievous imp, this comes across as a scent for grown ups. It’s like an adult version of Le Père Fouettard without the sweet temptation of fresh gaufrettes. Surely, it's because this is a lad who takes to dining on lichen and stained cookware. He smells like he just slipped in from the cold outdoors, his leather boots marred with salt lines, and his pockets filled with grimace-inducing black licorice. The birch tar and pepper add character, giving the blend a darkly woody fragrance, slightly smoky with a hint of polished metal. My wife took a deep inhalation when I tried it on direct from the post, and with confidence she claimed this could slip into the proverbial “Top 3” of the scents she prefers on me! I may have to invest in another bottle before the Yules slip away, as this one already seems backup worthy.
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Favorite pastime: licking spoons and ladles. Theres no accounting for taste. The scent of well-worn wooden utensils, lightly fondled, and a wisp of kitchen herbs. In the bottle: warm, wooden spoons. For real. The herb side of it is the sweet thyme-y basil-y type. Wet: Herbal-floral. I'm sure I can smell thyme, not sure what else is in there though. Dry: still mostly herbal but there is definitely something like a wooden spoon coming through. Amazing, really. I'm so glad I bought this! The label art is adorable and I can see me getting a lot of wear out of it.
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Favorite pastime: stealing crusty bits from used frying pans. It takes all kinds. Chunks of sweet carrots and dates mushed with nuts, topped with crumbles from a pie-like spelt and barley crust. Well, the forum won't let me post a new topic, so instead of making one to merge I'll just reply here! I can't believe no one has reviewed this yet, but here goes... In the bottle: Something vaguely sweet but not familiar enough to identify - my guess is this is the carrot note, because it reminds me of an unbearable sweet carrot soap I once made the mistake of buying. Behind that, there's a definite buttery "crust" peeking through. On skin: The sweetness disappears pretty quickly, sending the buttery crust note to the forefront. After some drydown, the sweetness comes back and balances with the crust. This definitely reminds me of something I've tried before...I think "Drink Me," perhaps?
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Favorite pastime: creeping around gullies until the opportunity to steal milk appears. You do you, buddy. Coconut cream, sheep’s milk accord, and a drop of Ceylon cinnamon. This was an insta-buy for me because I am a slut for anything coconut related. In the bottle, it is all sheeps' milk with the coconut and the cinnamon nicely balanced. Wet on my wrist, it becomes very decadent and I'm falling madly in love. The coconut starts to sing louder now and it's just so effing beautiful, I can't even. The spice from the cinnamon is subtle and absolutely necessary. The sheep's milk is there too - perfectly creamy. On the drydown, it stays true and the throw is amazing. I am so good right now, you have no idea. This blend makes me smile so much. An hour later, we're still giving off huge waves of spiced coconut-cream perfection. This really is one beautiful blend. It's stunning! Gosh, I could with a vat of this so I could swim around it. 10/10
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Favorite pastime: sniffing doorways. Everyone needs a hobby! Baked bread, apricot, mandarin amber, and CO2 of butter. In The Bottle: Mandarin orange and a little bit of apricot Pez. Wet On Skin: Okay. The "Pez" aspect is gone. It's just a bowl of mandarins and apricots now. Nice fresh ones Dry Down: Ah! *there's* the bread note! It's subtle, but there. I think I might be detecting a trickle- just a tiny trickle- of the butter, but it's very slight. I'm used to the abundance of it, such as in Mitzvah or Shill. In All: Medium throw- start with just a bit, it goes a longer way than one might expect. It's still primarily a fruit scent- foodies take note!- and then the bread note secondary. It's warm and also bright, a good scent for a frigid, sunny day, when a trip outside is to be avoided, but oh!- it looks so pretty out there, everything sparkling and radiant. A good winter scent!
