suki

Looking down, you see a scattering of breadcrumbs strewn on the packed soil and straw at your feet. A waft of candied apple and pancakes embraces you, as you follow the crumbs on the path. The scent intensifies: sugared nuts, crushed candies, hot gusts of chocolate, and you find yourself standing before a small booth constructed of cakes, pastries, sweet breads, and a cascade of candy tiles. Shards of clear sugar glint in the ambient firelight of the Midway, and an old woman emerges from the shadows within. She extends a gnarled hand to you and rasps, Oh, you dear, what has brought you here? You look like skin and bones; a strong gust of wind would spirit you into the air. Do come in, and visit with me. No harm shall happen to you. In The Bottle: Candy, chocolate and a distant but distinct booze note- maybe rum or possibly whiskey! Wet On Skin: I think it's the sugared nuts that have gained footing. It's still quite sweet, but it's getting less foodie now that it's warming up on my skin. Dry Down: Well, now. This is NOT the candy-sugar paradise that some foodies are hoping for. HOWEVER, this is really, really beautiful. It's become something of a dusty, very dry cocoa powder with a hint of rock candy. Imagine if Sugar Skull and Cacao Pod had a sophisticated baby- you'd have Nibble Nibble Gnaw. In All: Low throw, a sweetly, dry seductive confection.

How long will you vindicate evil and accept the face of the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Crystalline musk, red benzoin, and vanilla husk. In The Bottle: A powdery-soft note that I'm betting is the musk, and as I pull my nose away, I get a slight shard of the dry vanilla husk. Wet On Skin: The benzoin starts to peep out just a bit, bringing a nice resin base into the equation. I'm a bit concerned that the musk is going to stay like baby powder, but hoping it changes on dry-down Dry Down: Alas, the baby powder appears to be in full effect However, the resin of the benzoin and the very dry husk of vanilla offer enough incentive to hold onto it and re-try in a month or so when it's had a chance to settle down. As the very least, this scent has a warm, soft vibe that I can see being of great comfort to many. In any event, I'm happy to have gotten a bottle if, for no other reason, to support such an important cause during these extremely foreboding times.

In The Bottle: The apricot is sweet without being overly fruity. The vanilla bean and coconut milk give it a nice base that stops it from smelling like hard candy. Off to a great start! Wet On Skin: I'm getting an edge of the peach now in the mix, but the coconut milk and vanilla bean are still in the forefront, which is a relief, because sometimes I amp peach like nobody's business! Dry Down: The marshmallow finally comes out a bit to add to the party. Overall, this scent is low throw, mildly sweet and extremely wearable. I can see layering this with a number of other things because it's just so delicate and pretty. For those that are unsure about food scents, this could be a good one to help you dip your toe in the water for!

Dusky plum oudh casts a pall over frayed strands of green cognac and tobacco leaf. This tangle of threads is stained with a smear of patchouli and opoponax and intertwined with vanilla cream lace. In The Bottle: The plum is sweet and bright right out of the gate, followed by a hint of that green cognac. That's all I get at first. Wet On Skin: The oudh settles into itself, becoming a bit more rich, but not incense-y as I had expected. The vanilla cream lace is juuuuust beginning to peek out! Dry Down: Siiiiiiigh. This is everything that I hope any in the Lace series to be: filling me with a painful nostalgia that haunts my longings and releases all my beautiful ghosts. It's sweet and dusky and gorgeous, no one note standing out, all working in gorgeous symphony. Like stepping into a sitting room full of silver print photographs and dried flowers in cut crystal vases.

The Mahogany Tree Christmas is here; Winds whistle shrill, Icy and chill, Little care we; Little we fear Weather without, Shelter'd about The Mahogany Tree. Once on the boughs Birds of rare plume Sang, in its bloom; Night birds are we; Here we carouse, Singing, like them, Perch'd round the stem Of the jolly old tree. Here let us sport, Boys, as we sit- Laughter and wit Flashing so free. Life is but short- When we are gone, Let them sing on, Round the old tree. Evenings we knew, Happy as this; Faces we miss, Pleasant to see. Kind hearts and true, Gentle and just, Peace to your dust! We sing round the tree. Care, like a dun, Lurks at the gate: Let the dog wait; Happy we 'll be! Drink every one; Pile up the coals, Fill the red bowls, Round the old tree. Drain we the cup.- Friend, art afraid? Spirits are laid In the Red Sea. Mantle it up; Empty it yet; Let us forget, Round the old tree. Sorrows, begone! Life and its ills, Duns and their bills, Bid we to flee. Come with the dawn, Blue-devil sprite, Leave us to-night, Round the old tree. - William Makepeace Thackeray Sorrows, begone! Sweet wine, sparkling laughter, warm companionship, and the song of night-birds under a canopy of rustling mahogany: robin-red currants, soft nightingale-brown tonka, glossy starling-black labdanum, hearth-warm amber, mahogany sap, winter woods, a splash of Muscat, and gentle Christmas snow. In The bottle: The Mahogany note from Glowing Vulva plus some distant red wine. Wet On Skin: Same, but with the mahogany note even stronger and the wine receding into almost an afterthought. Dry Down: A little touch of ozone has shown up- which I'm imagining to be the snow note this time out, but mostly this reads like a Mahogany Single Note. Sadly, I'm not getting any tonk a or amber at all and the wine note seems to have vanished entirely. In All: Low throw and a little seems to be going a long way on my skin. Since I really like the Mahogany note, I'm happy to have a bottle, though I wasn't kidding about this behaving like a single note on my skin- I'll let it age and revisit to see if anything pops out in a few months but for now, I shall treat it as a single note and use appropriately

These scents possess sensual, languid bases, including amber, benzoin, tonka, balsams, and dark, warm vanillas. This Series appears to have no numbers. I got two bottles of Oriental, so I'll just post separately for the two different bottles. This is the first. In the Bottle: I get a strong Balsam of Peru- a rich scent, almost vanilla-like, but more resin than food. Wet On Skin: This scent is warm and sweet, but there's a faint, sharp contrast underneath. It's not jarring, it's just adding something with a little bite. Dry Down: It's like amber (petrified tree sap, not whale vomit) and Balsam of Peru had a love child in a dense wood in the middle of summer. In A Word: Glorious!

A sweet brioche cake with a hint of almond, glazed with cream cheese frosting and gleaming with purple, green, and gold sugar. I GOT ONE OF THE LITTLE KING BABIES!!! Thanks, Lab! On to the scent! In The Bottle: Oh, my heart. This is like opening a bottle of New Orleans (the actual place, not the perfume ) It's a sweet, sweet sugary sweet confection and I *love* it. It's like beignets load with powdered sugar and roasting pralines and walking through the Quarter. *Swooooon* Wet On Skin: As it warms, it only gets better. The cream cheese frosting is coming into its own now, making me very much want to lick my own hand (don't do it! resist the urge!!!). Sugar notes can sometimes amp on me (Sugar Skull, I'm looking at you!) but this scent, despite three kinds of sugar, is staying well-behaved. Dry Down: As the scent settles in, it actually becomes more quiet and warm. The almond comes out a little and the brioche itself finally shows up, making the scent warm, sweet and foody, but less cake-y than originally anticipated. This is a joyous scent of celebration of the present moment with an eye toward a warm and satisfying spring. Just wonderful!

When you need to be reminded of the kindness in the world - of the small daily acts of heroism, selflessness, and compassion that surround and sustain us. Rose otto, rosehip oil, honey, beeswax absolute, honey myrtle, jasmine sambac, coconut oil, crushed rose petals and tiny red rosebuds. When I was looking at descriptions of the 45-specific scents, this was one of the ones I *knew* I needed to have. In dark times, it can be incredibly difficult to hold on to hope. Although TAL oils aren't about fragrance, I happen to be a person for whom sense of smell plays a factor in lots of aspects of my life, well beyond what perfume I decide to wear for the day. To that end, Honey Rose smells like roses, just passed their prime, wilting gently in a summer garden, surrounded by other signifiers of high summer, like errant greenery that sprouts, tenaciously, in sidewalk cracks, and maybe a touch of something more herbal, which I'm betting the honey myrtle in the mix. Whether because of this complex scent or -at least as likely- the intent meant to be invoked, wearing a bit of this on my skin conjures strong feelings of empathy but also a bittersweetness that comes from feeling gratitude when life has been especially hard. This oil is the delicious cake, home made and frosted with care, that someone brings you when a loved one has crossed over. The warm hug given by a sweet neighbor when they hear you lost your job. It's a reprieve that casts no illusions that "everything is going to be just fine so look on the bright side" but rather that in the midst of tremendous adversity, there is indeed a port in the storm. Which is intense, but a truthful solace we need.

[No additional description provided.] Oh. Good. G-ds. I cannot believe I almost didn't bother trying this scent, even whilst I was there at the booth. (I have a bit of a hair gloss problem and figured, you know, I didn't need a *ninth* bottle. But I was wrong.) Dead wrong. I was leery because apple can turn on me, and wind up smelling like air freshener my dad used in the 70s in his bachelor pad. But no worries, because the apple is light and minimal and what actually comes through is gorgeous sheet after sheet of marshmallow. It's glorious and fluffy and vanilla-y and I am going to make excuses to use this everyday, somewhere, on some part of my body. Walking around Con today, it was just the perfect thing.

Albert-Joseph Pénot Bourbon vanilla, sweet red patchouli, oudh, goat's milk accord, and white honey. In The Bottle: Creamy goat's milk and sweet patchouli. YUM! Wet On Skin: the Oudh just popped out and it's adding a nice grounding aspect. Dry Down: This now has the warm spice of Hod, but with the goat's milk adding a little milky texture into the mix. It's a bit odd, to be honest. But I find my self compelled to sniff repeatedly. In All: Low throw, close to the skin scent. I would wear this primarily during the day, as a scent to feel cozy with, like curing up with a good book and a mug of tea.

Honey oudh and bourbon vanilla. In The Bottle: Wow. It's the honey we all love from numerous Lab blends, but it's being tempered with something that's surprisingly green and fresh. I guess it's the oudh, but it's not like any oudh I've encountered before. Huh. Wet On Skin: The "green" grows in intensity while the honey recedes. The vanilla is still nowhere to be seen. Dry Down: This green, fresh oudh aspect is the dominant for sure. The honey has morphed into a lighter honey dust upon dry down and alas, the vanilla remains MIA. In All: I'll keep this around for a bit to see how it ages. I'm not certain yet if this is a keeper for me, but I think it's a lovely scent for spring and anyone into leafy, greenie scents should absolutely get some ASAP.

My Baby and a Baby Goat Look, I just wanted to make a scent for Lilith and this baby goat. Because it makes me happy and BECAUSE LOOK AT IT. LOOK AT THAT BABY GOAT. Fuzzy baby goat musk, goat’s milk accord, wild rice flower, and a little bit of farmer’s market honey. In The Bottle: Goat's milk for sure, sweetened with honey and rice flower. LOVE. Wet On Skin: the goat milk is still the dominant note. Huzzah! This is really delicious and creamy. Dry Down: I don't personally get any musk, but I'm not complaining, because the milk, honey and rice are just so wonderful together I can't even see how this scent could be improved upon. In All: I ADORE this scent. It's so beautiful, just brimming with love and sweetness. I predict this to be the sleeper hit of this year's Lillith scents.

In 2015, it was our overwhelming honor to interpret Legendary Pictures Crimson Peak through scent. The entire process was thrilling, from the first moment we saw concept sketches before production on the film even began, through the crafting of the scents, attending the screening, and finally seeing our Crimson Peak scents and jewelry go out into the world. It was an incredible project that I will never forget. After many long years of labor, the sideshow was back! Carnaval Diabolique returned to town with breathtaking artwork by Julie Dillon, and Black Phoenix made its first sojourn to 221B Baker Street. Inspired by the Supreme Courts Sick Burn Champion and his blistering command of the English language, we created a fragrance set the Collected Poetic Works of Antonin Scalia whose proceeds benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Trevor Project, and the National Center for Transgender Equality. In the same year, we created Palmyra, a charity scent benefiting the UNHCR. This year, we joined forces with our beloved friend, Audra, at Loved to Death in San Francisco. A cursed carnival camped in the foothills beneath a haunted estate: a curl of fortune tellers incense and spun sugar drifting past a crumbling manor. In the Bottle: A very, very faint, sweet, light, wispy scent. It's so light and wispy, that I cannot, at this stage, pick out any notes! All I can say is that it smells "clean" and faintly sweet, but not foody. Wet On Skin: There's a faint lemon aspect that has entered the picture, like a memory of lemon sugar, would be the best way to describe it. I also am getting a hint of a stone note, which I haven't encountered in a very long time! I assume this is the "crumbling manor" aspect that I'm picking up on. So far, this scent is very wistful- it's probably not a coincidence that this is for the Lace year, because there's already a nostalgic quality that puts this firmly in the camp of the Lab's "Lace" scents. Dry Down: Oh. My. Goddess. This is just...heartbreakingly beautiful. The curl of incense is now showing itself. I anticipated it was going to be a sort of heavy, church-y incense like many of the Lab's incense notes of the past. But this, this is something else. It's become like a light, powdered (NOT powder-y) blue lotus incense I had many years ago. It's sweet and soft and nostalgic and just GORGEOUS. In All: Hoard-worthy. I am going to need SEVERAL more bottles of this.

Chocolate and caramel with flecks of cacao bean and toasted tonka. Of the three I ordered, this was the one I was most anxious to get, in case I need a backup bottle! In The Bottle: Oh my YES- delicious cacao (similar to my beloved Cacao Pod! YAY!), a touch of the caramel and some of the tonka acting as a nice balance. Wet On Skin: There's a nice "Dryness" emerging, more like the straight cacao bean, less like refined chocolate. I like it, and hope it keeps going in that direction, because even as a chocolate, it seems to be heading less toward foodie and more toward a sweet dry scent, something that can maybe be layered with sandalwood, for instance. Dry Down: This is WONDERFUL. It's all dry cacao and toasted tonic bean, which here is reading as sort of a dry, rich vanilla bean. It's a "grownup" kind of food scent. Sweet without being sugary or cloying and extremely wearable. I've been favoring chocolate scents lately and this is a fantastic addition. Definitely going to need that backup bottle!

Dressed in her witchy best for brunch with the fam! Pumpkin pancakes and berries in cream. In The Bottle: The subtle dough of the pancakes mixed with a light, sweet berry. Yummmmm Wet On Skin: Same, maybe with a *tiny* dusting of powdered sugar? Or perhaps that's just the sweet aspect of the berries peeking in a little bit more! Dry Down: Same. Low throw, foodie- but in a very light, very subtle way. Pancake Breakfast was a scent that proved too heavy for me to wear repeatedly. But this, this is the pancake scent of my dreams. SO glad I got a bottle! <3

In The Bottle: the saffron note that I recall all-too-well from MB: Underpants is front and center Also, oddly, I get a blond tobacco from this, which is puzzling, since there is NO tobacco! I am going to assume it must be the golden musk. Odd! Wet On Skin: Ah- THERE'S the resin! The resin is just starting to come out. It's warm and reminds me strongly of violin rosin, which wa frankly the best part of being forced to play violin in junior high school Dry Down: Light throw on me, this is another fine Lace for the collection. I don't get amber in the petrified-tree-sap sense, but this scent is full of gorgeous resins and saffron to lend a little spice. I cannot WAIT to see how this ages!

In The Bottle: As other mentioned, a dark, bitter-sweet chocolate is front and center. But the vetiver is present too, taking this scent away from being strictly gourmand and making it earthy, root-y and smoky. Wet On Skin: The cacao and vetiver are now neck and neck. I was hoping that one wouldn't overpower the other. Hopefully, that stays consistent through to the end. Dry Down: The smoke of the vetiver has been largely tamed by the cacao and the bitterness of the cacao has been smoothed down by the vetiver. I knew that chances were excellent that this combination would work well for me, since I favor both of these notes. In combination, they are magical love. The only thing better is to see what happens after some aging!

In The Bottle: SweetTarts lemon and lime candies! Wet On Skin: The sugar settles down a bit, which I frankly hope continues, because as much as I like candy scents, I definitely get more mileage out of not-candy scents, usually because I amp sugar notes like crazy. Dry Down: Lovely, LOVELY lemon-lime summer scent. This isn't a Sprite or 7up soda scent, this is like if the lemon from Happy Baby In A Long Dress married the lime in the original release of Tarot: The Star. Which is *precisely* what I was hoping for. If you love citrus for hot summer days, see if you can snag some of this, it will NOT disappoint!

No additional description provided. Scent description for Bliss is here.] In The Bottle: Bliss and Snow White, in equal measure. Wet On Skin: Same. It's what I imagine it would be like to eat a fluffy snowball, if it was dusted with cocoa mix Dry Down: Yes, this is chocolatey Snow White! I was a little worried this would have a water or ozone note to it, since those go horribly wrong on my skin. But this is just a soft, sweet, snowy Bliss. It's a really nice, gentle daytime scent. Glad I got a bottle!

BANSHEE BEAT A tousled, sexy mix of patchouli, vanilla, and hemp. I just got my bottles (yes, bottles. I'm convinced I will love this enough to hoard, even before smelling it!) about 5 minutes ago from the freezing hands of the freezing UPS driver. I know I should wait to test this oil, but I just can't. Let's hope for the best, shall we? *Crosses Fingers* In the Bottle: a sweet, woodsy mix. the hemp is strong and reminds me of the sandalwood note in Tombstone, which i love. the sweet is all about the dark vanilla, but it's hanging back. the hemp is really the star at this stage. Wet on Skin: it's still a mix of the hemp and the vanilla, with the patchouli not really present. i'm surprised because the patchouli in Mme Moriarty and Ravenous are *very* prominent on my skin. but the hemp/vanilla mix is lovely, and if it stays this way, i won't be disappointed. Dry Down: *there's* the patchouli! it's NOT like the usual BPAL patchouli note, though. this is much, much closer to an actually patchouli root than the oil. it's lends a depth and a complexity to the hemp, supporting it, making it richer, more earthy. the dark vanilla is indeed dark, but also sweet in a rich resin way. these three notes work in perfect balance, with none overshadowing the others, all coming together in a really special way. In All: the S15Twenty site describes this scent as being "hippyish" and while it's not inaccurate, it's also not what most people are going to expect when they think of "hippy+hemp+patchouli". Yes, this is a scent that i would wear to a Rainbow Gathering. but it's also a scent i will wear to the beach, to a cafe, with my favorite silk skirt, in my hair, to a sexy dinner out with my sweetie. with a medium but not overpowering throw and all warm, sexy, earthy and cuddly, Banshee Beat is the kind of go-to scent BPALers of distinction come to cherish, whether or not it becomes the Next Covetable Thing. stock up- this is only going to get better with age! :wub:

Tobacco-threaded incense smoke, labdanum, red benzoin, and blackened vanilla. Proceeds from the sale of both of the Hymn to the Erinyes scents benefit RAINN, the United States largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, and provides programs to help survivors, prevent sexual violence, and ensure that offenders are brought to justice. In The Bottle: the tobacco dominates. It's the same tobacco note from Red Lantern, which I believe is the chewy "French" tobacco variety. Wet On Skin: As it starts to warm on my skin, I'm getting the labdanum, which is lovely and a primary motivator in picking up this scent. The incense element reads as sage smoke to me right now, but that might change with drying. Dry Down: Unfortunately, as sometimes happens with my skin chemistry, the tobacco seems to be all but obliterating any other notes. Tobacco can age well and mellow, so I'll hold onto this bottle for at least a little while, but I was really hoping that the vanilla and benzoin would have a presence in this. In All: really high throw- a tiny bit goes a loooong way, so definitely apply with caution until you know how it'll go on your skin. A must-have for those that adore tobacco notes.

Pumpkin candyfloss with sugared lemon peel and a squeeze of lemon juice. In The Bottle: Sugared lemon and a touch of fresh pumpkin (no spice). Wet On Skin: The pumpkin wasn't very strong to begin with, and now it's already taking even more of a backseat to the lemon sugar. Dry Down: Oh, SO lovely. The lemon juice finally comes out as a distinct note against the sugar. It's the perfect sweet/tart combination and the pumpkin is merely adding a touch of freshness to the background. Frankly, I'm pleased that the pumpkin's role is so minute-I was really hoping this would largely be a sugared lemon scent, and I appear to have gotten my wish! In All: Low to medium throw, I honestly consider lemon notes more of a warm-weather thing, so I'm not sure how much love this bottle will get over the next 6 months. However, it will get ALL the love next spring and summer! <3

The Bay of Love: red sandalwood and velvet-thick vanilla with red pepper, oudh, Ethiopian myrrh, and champaca blossom. In The Bottle: The champaca blossom and myrrh combine and are doing this thing that somehow smells like a flower that emits baby powder. Odd. Very very odd. Wet On Skin: Wow. Many years ago I had this incense that smelled like blue lotus powder, if such a thing existed. This smells like that, and also, the red sandalwood is coming around now, all spicy and rich and smelling like another beloved scent of my youth, Bain de Soliel suntan gelee. Incredible. Dry Down: Wow, again. this scent is a bit of a morphed, and truth be told, I'm glad- myrrh tends to become pure talcum powder on my skin and makes me sad. But the myrrh has faded into the background and this scent has become rich, spicy and sexy, like a well-loved riding crop and the vanilla musk of a person's natural sweat. I think I'm in love.

This is the year that we first presented our Labyrinth and Fraggle Rock lines! Visiting Henson Studios was one of the greatest thrills of my life. How often do you get to meet a Skeksi in person? In 2012, we made our first pilgrimage to DragonCon. While so many incredible memories stand out, the one that is most vivid is us watching in horror as a full-to-capacity elevator (including a Transformer in full-transform) at the Marriott took over two hours to descend 30 floors. Its a fantastic convention, and we are thrilled to make it our Labor Day weekend home every year. A fraggle-shaggy bright scent with a sinister goblin shadow: red currant and King mandarin with a white musk fougere, sweet dried fruits, and smoky myrrh-infused oudh. In the Bottle: Bright and fruity! But there's also an unsettling undercurrent that I can't quite name, like...ammonia? Wet On Skin: Yay, the ammonia has left the building! At this stage, mostly I'm getting sweet, dried sugary fruits and the slightest age of the white musk fougere in the background, which prevents this from just being a silly-kids-games kind of scent. Dry Down: It's funny, I like having fruit notes in things, but I don't like when it's the *only* thing. I need my scents to have some kind of depth, something to hang on to, and this scent DOES that, but not ion any way I've encountered before. If one were to layer Kingdom of Sweets with Red from the Fraggle Rock series, and then tossed in a little of Jareth, minus the leather...you would get Aluminum Phoenix. This isn't one I was sure about, but I'm really, really happy I got a bottle now.

And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, But even so, honoured still more That he should seek my hospitality From out the dark door of the secret earth. Snake Oil with sugar, honeycomb, and thick vanilla cream. This was the scent I was hands-down most excited about, so I have very high hopes indeed! In The Bottle: I get the clean, crisp, almost-lemony scent of the Lab's sugar note right out of the gate. This is the same sugar that was in Sugar Moon from...2008, I think? It still stands out, because I like the almost-citrus aspect of the note, which is a delightful surprise. There's also a touch of the honeycomb bringing up the rear. Not a heavy honey like "O", this is lighter- certainly more "comb" than not. Wet On Skin: THERE'S the vanilla cream! Hello there! The Snake Oil is emerging as well, making this scent a true delight. Dry Down: I am *smitten*. I had frankly been hoping for something similar to my beloved Kwamie Cotton, and here it is! If you missed out on Kwamie or adore its sweet comfort, this is for you. An, knowing how well SO ages, I am certain this is going to go from "smitten" to "passionate love affair"- it's merely a matter of time. Hoard-worthy!!!