suki

Seconded. When nothing else works, TKO gets the job done for me.

In the bottle, this scent is mostly beeswax, honey and myrrh. Fortunately for me the myrrh all but vanishes once it's dried down on my skin- a rarity to be sure as my skin usually amps that note to next week. The dry down is lovely, reminding me of a rich, multi-faceted incense. The patchouli adds some beautiful grounding while the woody massoia bark mingles with trace amounts of honey and saffron to create something sweet and rich without being even slightly foody. There is something about this scent that reminds me somehow of Pinched With Four Aces, though I can't site put my finger on why- I just know that I have a desire to add tobacco and coffee to this scent and somehow, then it'll be *perfect*. This is, all on it's own, a beautiful, mysterious scent full of wanting and wandering the cold, grey moors. I anticipate wearing this some over the next month or two and then finding it aged and glorious next year at this time. Glad I have it!

In the bottle and wet on the skin I'm nearly overwhelmed by the ozone note. Which is odd- I have all the various 'snowball' incarnations, and this is first time I'm getting a heavy whiff of ozone in the mix. Luckily, it dissipates as it dries down. Shortly after dry-down, the cardamom comes out to play and for about 20 minutes becomes the dominant note. Alas, once the scent really settles into my skin, cardamom vanishes- as it's done with pretty much every blend I've tried it in. I'm to the point where i think I'll just have to wait for Beth to put out a Cardamom Single Note and just douse myself in that, full strength, and THEN add scents like this one, just so my skin doesn't eat it all! In the end, I get a light and lovely Sugar Plum scent with low throw that I will totally wear a lot right now. It especially strikes me as a scent to wear whilst out present shopping and running those kinds of fun errands. And so I shall!

In the Imp: Mostly a spicy pumpkin. Wet On Skin: The same pumpkin note from Jack, but nothing else. Dry Down: All Pumpkin, all the time. In All: perhaps it needs to age or rest a while, but I get not a trace of Bliss in this, which makes me a little sad. At the same time, it's a lovely pumpkin note, so I'll hang onto it.

This is what I would call an "Indian" Jasmine oil. In my personal experience, there are two types of Jasmine. One of them is light, sweet, floral for the sake of being floral. Breezy. This is the other kind. This jasmine is rich, heady. Many years ago, I went into a tiny shop in Little India and bought a vial of Jasmine oil. It smelled like this. The tea note is barely existent in here, it merely lends a little extra something to round out the note. But this is most definitely NOT a 'Jasmine Green Tea'. No. This is jasmine to be worn when meeting a lover under cover of darkness, tangling in sweaty sheets and parting before dawn. This jasmine is beautiful.

I've been waiting years to try this scent, so I'm really glad it made a comeback for this holiday season… In The Bottle: I'm getting straight-up champagne. Wet On Skin: More of the same, but with…what IS that?! Is it floral? Is it sweet? I honestly am not sure. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say maybe poppy. Maybe jonquil. Dry Down: The champagne is stepping back a little, which is a relief because sometimes I amp that note to the exclusion of all others. And behind all that bubbly is something sweet and musky and just a tiny bit powdery. Having been a wee lass in the 70's (but with a super cool older sister that wore spike silver heels and jeans that were so tight they could have been airbrushed on) I can say with certainty that this is a scent to wear when painting one's face whilst listening to 'Suffragette City', 'All The Young Dudes' or 'Ballroom Blitz'. In All: New Year's Eve in a bottle. Proceed as you wish.

It's astounding to me that I never procured a bottle before now! Let's see if this lives up to my expectations… In the Bottle: Chocolate. Also cocoa. And chocolate liqueur. Wet On Skin: There's a really nice powdery cocoa note that's emerging from all this, and it's mixing with a bit of cinnamon. It's reminding me of Abuelita, my favorite Mexican cocoa drink! Dry Down: Yeah, this is a keeper for sure! I *adore* Bliss, and this is like Bliss' spicy cousin. In All: Medium to high throw, sweet, warm and chocolaty. If you're a fan of Bliss, this is a great companion!

In The Bottle: Lemon cream cheese frosting. NOMNOMNOMNOM Wet On Skin: I get a sharp spike of caraway and then a slow fade into more of the frosting plus snicker doodles and ginger. Dry Down: A lovely mix of cream cheese citrus frosting, caraway and very light cake. In All: While it doesn't have the distinction of, say, Sugar Cookie or one of Mother Shub's treats, this is a fine little foodie scent for those with a fondness of such things (of which I proclaim guilt). Medium throw and a nice addition for any foodie's collection.

In The Bottle: Last year, I got my family the most gingery gingerbread cake that this world had ever known. It was a delicious basic gingerbread but with this very adult ginger BITE to it. Most my family didn't care for it but I ate, like, three slices of the cake. This scent, in the bottle, is like that extra-kick gingerbread cake plus Snake Oil. So, you know, off to an amazing start. Wet On Skin: The gingerbread is adding this incredible warmth to this whole affair. Which is a little weird to say, because it's not like Snake Oil doesn't have it's OWN warmth. And yet, that's one of the things I'm really noticing here. In All: It's one of those situations where you take two really wonderful things and then put them together and they become their OWN wonderful thing. I'm not going to say that these elements complete each other, because both Gingerbread and Snake Oil are complete unto themselves. but this, this is it's own wonderfulness. and I'll tell you something else: I am one of those people that only wears aged Snake Oil. Like, 12 month minimum aging is required for me. But THIS stuff, right here, this is great *now*. Which means people will be killing each other for some next year at this time. Need. Backup. Bottles.

Fossilized amber, juniper berry, wild musk, oudh, vetiver, white cedar, black currant, oakmoss, and leather. I want to preface this review by saying this has at least one death note for me and one or two other ones that can be kinda iffy, but I'm really intrigued by it all the same, so I'm going to be open-minded about this review and hope for the best. In the Bottle: Cedar, juniper, oakmoss and black currant. They all slip over each other, not actually mixing, but just taking turns at being the fore-front note. Wet On Skin: The cedar is still in the mix, though, to my relief, this variety is (so far) NOT becoming hamster cage on me- hurray! In fact, the white cedar and the amber are combining to make something very similar to the beautiful desert-sweetness of Tombstone. This is starting to really come together. Dry Down: This has turned into a slightly sweeter (because of a teeny, tiny bit of juniper coming through) version of Tombstone. Which is great, because I really appreciate the warmth of a good desert scent, and this will fill that space in my collection. In All: Low throw. A nice daytime scent that will bring a lovely warmth through the rest of the blustery winter months and then be welcome again come high summer.

In The Bottle: I cannot seem to pick out any one note from this symphony or rich, heady, sweetly resiny stuff. I CAN tell you that I get the same feeling from it as I do with Snake Charmer and Mme Moriarty. This belongs to that same family for sure. Wet On Skin: Usually I pay minimal attention to the texture of the oil but the thick, dark, sticky quality that others have mentioned is certainly a defining feature of this oil and I felt like it needs to be noted- especially since my experience is that thick oils like this tend to require a longer dry-down time...and a longer aging time, too. As for the scent, I'm getting something *very* reminiscent of nag champa incense- I'm betting it's the myrrh and benzoin acting in tandem. It's slightly powdery (like myrrh) and resin-sweet (like benzoin) and just incredibly heady. Dry Down: The champa aspect has died down somewhat, but not the intensity of this dark, potent potion. I stand by my original statement, this scent belonging in some way to the same class as Snake Charmer and Mme Moriarty. But this scent is no copy-cat. It's its' own animal, a stalking black mountain lion going after a lumbering bear. Not a scent of seduction, but of power. Woe be the fool that tussles with you when Callidora walks by your side. In All: Medium to High throw- like many sticky, viscous oils, a little goes a looooong way: test in tiny increments before you grasp the nature of this stuff, else you find yourself overwhelmed by it. As with most scents, I anticipate this one will be favored at specific times of year. With it's intensity, this is a scent for deep Winter, when the winds threaten to steal my breath and I must burrow down into my warmest coat. Only a scent like this can stand up to a blustery time of year like that. Until then, Callidora shall settle in for a long Autumnal nap

I am the kind of geek that needs to immediately look up words I don't know, such as "aquilaria aguillocha". I was instantly pleased to discover it belonged to the Aloeswood family, as I generally like the smell of aloes and was curious to see what it would do in combination with other loves, patchouli and honey. Let's have a sniff, shall we? In The Bottle: Definitely the same patchouli note in the companion hair gloss, Silkybat. Which I LOVE. I'm also getting a tiny hint of lemon in the background, almost like an afterthought (after smell?) but interestingly, they don't seem to clash. Wet On Skin: In Tiki King, the ironwood note smelled like a lemony sandalwood- sort of. This has a similar vibe. The patch is absolutely holding it's own and it's a lovely interplay between the two. At this point, there has still be no hide nor hare of the honey, by the way. This is all woods, roots and resins. Dry Down: The patchouli has shifted and become a little closer to it's pure roots-y, leafy state. Not to say that this id dirty-hippie patchouli- it's not. It's refined, but also definitely earthy. I could slather this! In All: Surprisingly low throw- my skin is eating the scent rather quickly: my joke about slathering may very well prove to be necessity. This scent is lovely for the transition from late Autumn into early Winter- I anticipate wearing this a lot between now and the end of the year. Given the richness of the two dominating notes, I also anticipate this to age quite well. By the time I re-visit *next* fall I imagine it to be something like liquid gold. Bottle worthy!

I am rather particular about what goes in my hair. It's long and I do a lot to take excellent care of it to make up for all the color processing I do to it. But when I saw that there was a *sugared* patchouli, I knew, I just KNEW that I needed a bottle. And Silkybat Hair Gloss does NOT disappoint. I've tried three "sugared" scents from the Lab prior to this: Faith, Hope and TKO. All are amazing and I love them all. This right here? This sugared , glorious patchouli? It fits RIGHT in. (side note- Beth, Puddin, please PLEASE make this a perfume at some future date? Please? Pretty pretty please? KTHNXBYE) Anyhoo, I just put two or three spritzes into my dry hair just to test it out. The scent is fanTAStic. Sweet without being cloying and the patchouli is not the dirty-hippie variety but a deep, sweet resinous type- smooth, classy and sexy all the way. My hair feels less frizzy and I am very much looking forward to doing a full and proper application. If it goes as well as I anticipate, this may be the second ever item I begin hoarding from the Trading Post (Cathouse atom spray being the other, natch.) Do not be afraid, this is a patchouli that is made of pure love for one and all.

In The Bottle: Black coconut (which isn't at all foodie), that sexy smoky patchouli, and a touch of the cardamom. Fantastic already! Wet On Skin: Wow. It's morphed a bit, and that copal and amber are adding this rich, resin-y aspect to the scent. It reminds me just slightly of valerian root, actually- that rich, heady, earthy thing that valerian does- it's doing THAT. Also, the amber is staying surprisingly well-behaved and (so far!) not becoming powdery on me. *Fingers crossed* Dry Down: Oh YEAH. This is sexy-sweet, deep, dark and resiny. This is a scent for wearing to the clubs when seduction is not just on the menu but the ONLY item on the menu. It sinks deeper and deeper into the skin and stays there, breeding magics for incubi and succubi In All: Low to medium throw, this scent definitely clings to the skin. Still, I'd advise to use a light touch during the first few applications- this is not something to slather. This is a scent to allow closeness. Too much and it'll become overpowering. Just enough and you draw them ever further into your web Layered with As Above: Well, As Above didn't do so well on me. I had to lightly wash some of it off. Even with it partially gone, the leather is STILL dominating. So Below tempers it some, and as I said in the other review, I'll hold on to As Above for a little while- when I retest, I'll be sure to try it again with So Below. For now, I certainly prefer So Below all by it's lonesome. It's wonderful all on it's own

In the bottle: Black Cherry, Almond and Leather. Wet On Skin: Same notes, but in a different order. Whereas in the bottle the cherry/almond note was most dominant, now that has taken a back seat to the leather note. so far, I get nothing else from this scent. Dry Down: Lather and floor cleaner that, after slightly washing my hand off, becomes leather and oak/jasmine. Husband smelled my skin and said it was "like being in a candy shop while wearing fresh leather". In All: Medium throw and quite a bit of staying power. I'll hold on to this bottle to see how it ages, but historically, I must say I don't have a great track record with leather-dominant blends. Still, we'll see what happens. If it doesn't change substantially in the next six months, though, it's off to the swaps!

I found Halloween in Vegas to be a near-ringer for Sprinklecake. It's another LE, but you might find a bottle on e-bay or here on the Sale forums

Although I ultimately decided that purchasing a bottle of Ü was a better thing for me, I'm really glad I got to test this whilst in the museum gift shop. I'd spent the first portion of my visit meandering through their glorious medicinal garden, and this scent does not disappoint in terms of being a wonderful keepsake of such an enchanting place! The lavender is a strong foundational note and certainly I would call that the primary scent here. but there's more- this *does* read as somewhat medicinal: it's not a cloying floral, it's complex and layered, but all the layers are of a very 'green' variety. If you want the feeling of culling herbs to make an important brew, then this is absolutely the scent for you. Personally, I *only* use lavender in medicinal capacities, and always straight up (my only, ONLY exception is TKO and even THAT I only put on when the insomnia is threatening to destroy me )...so a scent like this is unlikely to wind up in my collection. But as I said, I'm very grateful to have tried it.

I have to say I am genuinely perplexed by the reviews and descriptions for this scent because it seems like my take on Ü is somehow *comepletly* out of synch with EVERY one else! Fortunately for me, it's working in my favor because I don't think it would be for me if it smelled the way everyone else on here has described it. In the bottle and wet on the skin, I get a sweet dustiness, vaguely reminiscent of Tombstone. That same kind of desert-y sweetness. Not in any way sugary. Upon drydown, the scent switches gears ever so slightly and becomes a close relative of Silver Haired Bat. Now, I didn't see ambergris listed in the note description, but I swear that the dusty-sweet-desert thing that's holding this scent together. I can easily envision dusty books and rickety bones and, since I got this from the gift shop after spending a goodly chunk of time wandering the hallowed halls of said museum, I can say that this is indeed a perfect scent to attach to such a place of quiet spectacle and ghastly victorian oddities. I shall wear this whenever I'm feeling both academic and macabre.

How did I miss this when it first came around??? In the bottle, Turkish Village is all thick Turkish Coffee, all the time. As it begins to sit on my skin, the rose peeks in, as rosewater. the combination of the two *almost* seems like chocolate and a hint of floral. Which is weird, but also really pretty lovely- if unexpected. As it dries, the coffee starts to recede and the rose comes more to the forefront. It's VERY reminiscent of the rose in Victorian Rose Milk v1- it has that light creaminess to it, but with an afterthought of rich, Turkish coffee. I'm going to keep my bottle and see what happens next!

In the Bottle: This reminds me strongly of last year's Honey Pumpkin Stout Bath Oil. It's got the same dense quality and the honey is NOT like the honey of 'O'. It's much richer and more like a meal as opposed to a light sweetener for tea. Wet On Skin: The same. Dry Down: Same! In All: I actually ended up passing the bath oil onto someone else- I found that it was too over powering in a bath situation. However, I used to put it in my hair to scent it! So I'm actually quite happy that it's been reincarnated into this mead perfume, because this is *awesome*. It's got a low throw, but apply lightly- a little goes a long way! And, based on the quality and richness, I'm betting that this will only get better with age. Pumpkin Mead for the win!

In The Bottle: Fresh, newly picked pumpkin and some beeswax. Wet On Skin: Good LORD is this fine! The pumpkin is like no other pumpkin note I've encountered! There is a very fresh 'green' smell to this pumpkin. I'm imagining a pumpkin patch in the middle of summer, or the smell when you open the pumpkin up to carve it- it's just so natural, I can't stop marveling about it! And then there's this beautiful counter-balance, this beeswax candle note. It's warm and joyous but also light- there's no competition to the pumpkin and that suits the beeswax just fine: it knows it's place here. It grounds the pumpkin and adds depth. then it lets the squash shine! Dry Down: Staying true from the bottle to dry-down. I have noticed that although I adore many complex BPAL scents, oftentimes it's the ones that just have two or three notes that wind up blowing me away. Theme in Yellow is just such a scent. There is something beautiful and fragile and different about this scent. It won't be for everyone, but for those that understand this scent, they will hold onto it with both hands and never let go.

In The Bottle: Lemon cheesecake! (I hope it stays like this!!!) Wet On Skin: Okay, lemon ALMOND cheesecake! Wow. This is awesome! Dry Down: The buttercream, lemon and almond are all together in this beautiful and seriously yummy scent! This is spicy like holiday cookies and it's warm and creamy and just...holy moly, is this GOOD. In All: Low throw, and a seriously 'foodie' scent! I am totally in love with this! Honestly, this is what I wanted Hearth from 2005 to be and just failed miserably with my skin chemistry. I'm so effing glad I have a whole bottle of this. I shall wear it all autumn and winter long!

In The Bottle: Yup, that's Snake Oil and Pumpkin alright! Wet On Skin: Ah, the pumpkin is coming out a bit more now. I was hoping for that, as Snake Oil can sometimes easily overpower anything in it's path. Dry Down: Wow, I'm really surprised at how strong the pumpkin is in this! I feel like it's just sorta of hopping from foot to foot:" now it's pumpkin! Wait, but now it's Snake Oil! Aaaaaand now it's pumpkin again! But hold on-!" it's like this. Because Snake Oil is a scent that, for me, MUST be aged (at least 12 to 18 months. Seriously.), I have this feeling that when aged, this is going to change- for the better. I predict that the pumpkin and SO will mingle more, absorb each others' essence more, and become something really fine. Don't get me wrong- I'm happy to have this bottle now! but I know that in 12 months, this is going to be phenomenal.

Okay, so I'll start by saying that Morocco is total love for me- but it does this weird thing where it becomes Antique Lace the *second* it hits my skin. Now, since I *also* adore Antique Lace (and since it's not currently available) I really don't mind. But that also makes Moroccan Pumpkin Patch potentially a game changer for me, since the spice notes in it don't show up that way on my skin. Now with all that in mind, here we go... In The Bottle: I agree with whoever said this smelled similar to Pumpkin V of a year ago. It's got the spicy vanilla and pumpkin combo down pat. Lessee what happens on my skin... Wet On Skin: Huh. Pretty much the same as in the bottle. I wonder if the addition of pumpkin to this blend will somehow change how the other notes play in my chemistry. The plot thickens! Dry Down: Golly, how odd! Morocco has held it's ground and not turned into Antique Lace! The spice here reminds me vague of chai, so that this scent altogether is a sort of pumpkin chai scent, without the cardamom. It's now spicier than Pumpkin V and yet retains that buttery warmth of pumpkin. I think this will age quite well! In All: Low to medium throw but certainly not what I'd call a "skin scent". This will reach out subtly to those around you. It's unassuming enough to wear during the day but, I think especially after a little aging, that it's become a seducer in it's own right.

In the Bottle: Yup. That's the sharp, tangy almost-lemon/ almost-turpentine scent of a good, thick frankincense, alright! Wet On Skin: Yes, it's as sticky and thick as all have mentioned- my advice is TEST SPARINGLY. The scent is going in the pine/ turp direction at this stage. Dry Down: MUCH more mellow. A soft, slightly woody resin. I'm surprised, actually- frankincense tends to be pretty aggressive on my skin. In All: Low throw, this one stays close to the skin. I can see using this for layering purposes, for sure, to add grounding to a foodie scent, for instance, or depth to a sugary floral. I'd also wear this alone, especially when spending some quality alone time for meditation or revive purposes. I'm curious to see how it ages!