When I?

[MCS4096]

When I?
Flue gas, smoke, oil, and tears.

This is fascinating!

From a distance it's a floral aquatic.. I can't quite put my finger on what florals exactly because I dont wear many and so have poor identification skills. They're clean and bright and surprisingly juicy.. Maybe apple blossom? Perhaps a tiny hint of rose? A little nicotiana? I'm guessing..

But a little closer to your skin the more unusual notes emerge..

There is the Lab's salty "tears" note.. clear and yep, salty. I recognize it most recently from The Voice.

And my favorites, the oil and smoke, which are seamless enough here to be as one-- an absolutely true to life greasy oil.. thin, dirty yellow, slightly solvent-like; slippery between your fingers. When I sniff up close they are the most prominent notes, and somewhat obscure the florals, making it even harder to attempt to identify them. But in the throw the smoke and oil are only occasional players.. wafting in and out of the watery floral "flue gas" Eventually they even take on a bit of a resinous vibe from time to time.

I'm not generally a fan of aquatic blends; they are probably the most poorly represented genre in my collection, but this blend is interesting enough that I can see myself wearing it. If you dont count yourself an aquatic-floral lover, but you like smoky, murky, oily blends you might consider giving this one a try.

[yewberry]

A new favorite! I'm not even sure why I purchased this one save curiosity about the ambiguous notes. A surprisingly grounded (yet still ethereal), resinous floral. Incense-y but soft. All the notes are muted and perfectly balanced. Champa? Iron? Red sandalwood? Vetiver? Very mysterious...

 

Moderate throw, and it really lasts. This one screams "wear me in your hair!"

[Monster]

The notes listed in this were so intriguing, I just had to try it. MCS4096s review is pretty much my experience, she described it perfectly.

 

When I first apply When I… to my skin I get a surprisingly fresh, salty and gently aquatic note. I haven't tried a lot of the Labs ozone/aquatic scents so I can't really compare it to other perfumes. It's not a fabric softener scent (which is what I'm always afraid of when I try aquatics). This is soft and round with a bit of salt.

 

As it dries a gorgeous, grey and almost rubbery note appears. It's mildly ashy, incensey and surprisingly not vetiver. I'm usually pretty good at deciphering notes but I'm having trouble with this one. Underneath the veil of grey soot, the salty tear note is still present. It gives me the impression of a smoke-filled blue sky with clouds that are ripe with rain.

 

I'm a huge fan of vetiver and was hoping for some in When I… but I'm pleasantly surprised. I was also expecting that an imp was all I needed, however, this wears so beautifully on my skin I'm going to need a bottle. If you're into ashy, resinous scents or want to try something different, I urge you to give this one a whirl!

 

[zankoku_zen]

When I is an interesting concept, and more of a scent experience than an actual perfume. To me, it was a chemically aquatic but it's really the combination of salty tears and motor oil, that put me in mind to the Phoenix Steamworks line.

 

In other words, this is what tragic tears in steampunk smell like.

[milo]

Fresh aquatic at first. After a bit, something rather unpleasant comes out. Looking at the description, it does indeed smell like oil. Actually gas and oil together. Rather unpleasant, but evocative nonetheless.

[rivetted]

I would describe this as a very clean & refined aquatic! 

A hint of cucumber water, clean metal. 

I don't get very much smoke or murkiness from this one unless I really look for it, though it does have a complex background. The top notes remain very clean.

Definitely unisex, easy as a daily wear scent.

 

I think this reminds me a bit of Juniper Hairstreak, except less fruity, and just more of a refreshing and clean aquatic. (from what i recall, that one has cucumber & smoky brown musk, so i feel like they are related!)