LULU7

[cfrancesca]

Prototype, unreleased, no scent description.

 

This started out as damp, earthy moss with a delicious chocolate/cocoa note, which amps on me. I'm also getting some patchouli and in the background, something almost boozey to my nose. This smells like it could be a dark, evil, earthy chocolate box truffle. Strange combination, but it surprisingly works. It's a little green, foody and very earthy. The blends mellows out with time and settles into a chocolate and moss scent.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from Mellifluous.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

The idea of smelling like a "dark, evil, earthy chocolate box truffle" appeals to me for some reason. I love earthy scents and I like a fair number of the Lab's chocolate blends (these days, anyway), so I'm hoping this works on me.

 

First snif:

 

I can definitely see where cfrancesca is getting the earthy chocolate thing from. This is definitely chocolate (dark chocolate or deep cocoa powder, not milk chocolate to my nose) and something earthy and a little bit musty. There could be some moss here, too.

 

Wet on skin:

 

An interesting tart almost fruitiness pops up when this hits my skin. It reminds me of the tamarind note in Dark Chocolate, Fig and Tamarind. The earthiness is still there, but it's being overpowered by this newcomer.

 

Drydown:

 

The tamarind (if it is tamarind; it could just be a by-product of my skin chemistry) has disappeared and I'm left with something that wouldn't be out of place among the Sugared She-Goat/Box of Chocolates blends. It's dark chocolate and something very vaguely boozy (it reminds me slightly of the apricot brandy in Grand Guignol). I don't get any dirt or moss at this point. It's just a nice, grown-up chocolate blend.

 

The bottom line:

 

I like this. It goes through some interesting changes on my skin and settles into a scent that I'd definitely wear. It doesn't end up being quite what I expected, but I think that might be for the best since it's more wearable this way than it would be as a chocolate, dirt and moss scent.

[arrow]

Frimps from a recent order! I'm not used to not having a scent description to work with, but I will try to do it justice anyway.

 

In the imp: Chocolate? Dirt? Some sort of floral, something heady and full.

 

Wet: This is definitely chocolate. It smells like the shavings from an old bar of baking chocolate I just (re)discovered in my pantry. It's not bad, just... interesting. Huh. Foody but not in a way that makes me want to lick my arm.

 

Dry: Something incensey... maybe patchouli, as cfrancesca mentioned? It's also getting a little lighter, and the chocolate is letting up a bit. I think the floral-type note I got in the imp is showing up again, making it a little richer and a tad sweeter.

 

It's definitely not the sort of thing I would normally go for, but it's actually growing on me. I'm in a little bit of a cranky 'don't touch me' sort of mood today and this fits well. It's a nice, earthy, growly sort of blend.

 

I will likely keep one imp and trade/sell the other.

[Little Bird]

I can see this being a prototype for The Last Unicorn, because the two smell very similar. Thankfully, I like this prototype more. It still has the weirdness of creamy white chocolate (almost milky smelling here) mixed with slightly green, slightly soapy/clean notes. But where released The Last Unicorn goes sour and seriously off on my skin, this dries down to a nice, gentle mix of creamy sweetness and clean skin scent.

I'm not getting the earth or darkness that other reviews have mentioned at all.

Edited July 21, 2011 by Little Bird

[ami226]

Not what I was expecting at all!

 

On the skin: Green chocolates! It's like... gardening and chocolate combined! I'd say this is definitely more of a milk chocolate than anything else. Creamy chocolate and green plants!

[zankoku_zen]

Creamy dark chocolate, dirt and a floral note that makes me think of lilacs. This blend reminds me to the Sugared She Goat Chocolates collection.

 

I actually really enjoy how dark and chewy this chocolate is.

[Magycmyste]

In the bottle: Sweet chocolate mixed with a wooded, earthy scent. It's almost bitter, and I normally don't like those, but it mixes well with the chocolate. Makes it almost a green chocolate.

 

Wet on skin: About the same.

 

Dried down: The chocolate's still the same, but the woody, earthy scent has almost become floral. The chocolate still dominates, though. This is beautiful.

 

Throw: This definitely has some throw. No wrist-sniffing needed, here, though I'd gladly do it!

 

Verdict: ***** This scent makes me happy, and want to bounce around the house singing "I smell pretty! Oh so pretty!" And frankly, West Side Story is one of my LEAST favorite musicals ever, and that song annoys me. I love this scent THAT MUCB.

 

I may need to get myself a backup bottle of this one.