fairnymph Report post Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) Sniffed: Colourless oil. Almost candied, vaguely foody, sweet-tart and bright citrus! Orange and lemon candies come to mind, but much brighter, quite a bit fresher. Something slightly creamy below, possibly a vanilla - reminds me of the creamy note in Absinthe v5. Wet: More lemony, but in a slightly Pledgey way, alas. Lemon verbena, though it's not taking over (yet). Virtually no trace of the orange in the bottle - oh why oh why does my skin eat (true) citrus? Now I get a licorice note, but it's different from the one in Absinthe v5 - lighter and smoother. I don't really get the wormwood here. This is lemon verbena, vanilla, and something licoricey. Dry: The lemon verbena isn't exactly amping, but unless I get close it's definitely dominating - the other notes have faded, perhaps, but if I sniff closely the extremely creamy vanilla-licorice base remains. It's not going powdery, either. This reminds greatly of Humbug's drydown, with a hefty lemon verbena note on top, of course. It doesn't go powdery like A v5 - no florals here, and while there is a similar warmth that could mean amber, it's a light and well-behaved type if it's there at all. Later: Surprisingly, the verbena fades so that after not even an hour, it ceases to dominate. The super-creamy (much creamier than Humbug!) vanilla-licorice base remains, and it truly reminds me of a less sugary/sweet/foody, verbena-tinged Humbug - with maybe a faint touch of booziness. The amazing creamy vanilla I now recognise as the vanilla from Antique Lace - oh yes, that's what I couldn't place! Summary: Humbug and Antique Lace's lovechild misted with verbena. It's surprisingly nice, though sadly I just don't like licorice in perfume - though I wish I did for the AL part. I expect this one to be quite popular! Lower throw and fades a bit, but longevity is decent after initial fading. Edited December 3, 2009 by fairnymph Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
angelicruin Report post Posted December 16, 2009 (edited) The very generous fairnymph gifted me with a testable amount of this lovely scent. Sniffing the imp, I smell anise. Wet on the skin, I'm getting the following notes: anise, creamy lemon, and tea. Dries down lemon & licorice. Lemon and licorice are favorite notes of mine, so I really must track down a bottle of this for myself. Edited December 16, 2009 by angelicruin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scrappy Report post Posted December 16, 2009 In the bottle - Lemon Starburst Candies + a hint of licorice. On the skin - Sugared lemons and licorice. Sounds like a strange combo, but the lemon and licorice notes work surprisingly well together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zankoku_zen Report post Posted December 23, 2009 Sugared lemons, licorice and vanilla. This one is a 'lighter' version than v5, the licorice isn't as heavy. The lemon is probably lemon verbena as on dry it becomes more herbal and less juicy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crebbsgirl Report post Posted January 26, 2010 Anise, vanilla and lemon verbena. I say verbena because my skin tends to turn it to playdoh and it seems to be happening here. Sweet, not as licorice heavy as the released version. It's very light and refreshing, aside from the unfortunate playdoh turn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myth Report post Posted June 17, 2010 Much sharper than the v5. This has a lemony-herbal smell to it. A similar latex smell to the other one seems to reside underneath. Becomes less sharp, less latex, and more vanilla as it dries. Verbena and vanilla at this point. At final dry-down v5 & v7 smell very similar, sort of chemical-latex vanilla. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bheansidhe Report post Posted July 12, 2010 (edited) Lemon verbena pow. This reads as a lemon starkist candy plus a faint hint of (I swear) barbeque buffalo wings. There might be a touch of anise in here, but only because I'm looking for it. Cloying lemon perfume note over dusty-woodsy base. It backs off and sulks at me from a distance after a while. Finally the lemon gets tired and lies down, and I can smell the vanilla and licorice behind it. Sad for me, because I love lemon (this may be lemongrass at this point), but the Lab's version never plays nice with my skin. Edited July 12, 2010 by bheansidhe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edenssixthday Report post Posted July 28, 2010 Absinthe v7 - I love the released version of Absinthe and I love this version, too. It's delicious lemon verbena and tons of anise poured over a yummy, sweet sugar cube. There's none of the mint that's in the released version, but otherwise it's got a very similar feel about it. It's delicious. Mmmm! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Little Bird Report post Posted March 11, 2011 I was looking forward to this because of the mentions of black licorice, but this smells like all lemon verbena on me (which is sour and unpleasant on my skin). The drydown is herbal, tart lemon with something going baby powdery. Not a fan of this one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LavenderCoffee Report post Posted April 16, 2022 Got a bottle of this in a swap and I love it! I haven't paid the released version of Absinthe much attention for whatever reason, I have an imp here somewhere I will have to revisit. Based on previous reviews, the herbal lemony aspect seems to have calmed a bit over the last decade So, even though it is still present, it smells very balanced against the licorice and sugar. The drydown is slightly vanillic and reminiscent of licorice candy (not the gummies/ropes). I like how this smells on my skin and how it smells on fabric. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cali Report post Posted March 2, 2023 Lemon tarty, soft green absinthe, and white stingy shards of anise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
