suki

In The Bottle: LOADS of honey and some milk to cut through the sweetness.

Wet On Skin: Although incense isn't directly named as a note, offerings can be made with them and this is beginning to smell very much like incense to me. Like honey-milk-blood incense to be exact. And I *really* hope it stays this way.

Dry Down: Yup. This is a gorgeous honey, milk, blood incense and I am totally smitten.


I suspect that this secret will eventually get out- better stock up now.

In The Bottle: Sweet, spicy saffron and warm, thick honey. Soooooo beautiful.

Wet On Skin: The amber is definitely in the mix, but the saffron is really dominating. I get no orange blossom at this stage.

Dry Down: Dead. Sexy. This is a sultry, spicy, close-to-the-skin kind of scent. I will wear this on all the hot summer nights that lie ahead for ever and ever.

<3

[No additional description provided.]

In The Bottle: Yes, very juicy-orange. But also there's an edge of perfume-y-ness to it that I was surprised to encounter.

Wet On Skin: There's a tiny edge of tart orange peel sneaking in, and I think it's the same aspect that seems "perfume-y" to me. It's so close that I honestly can't say if it's just reminding me of a high-end perfume or some fresh orange peel. Hmmm...

Dry Down: A lovely, sweet orange scent. Less juicy, more dry at this stage. I wouldn't necessarily read this as a "foodie" scent, however. The peel is much more prevalent in this than in King Mandarin SN, and it makes is come across more as a light citrus perfume as opposed to just ORANGE or even Orange JUICE.

 

In All: Citrus fans, get your hands on some. I personally anticipate giving this bottle some love all hot summer long

In the bottle there is definitely that heavy lavender that others mentioned, but I also get something that smells like violet flower, and it continues after I've applied it. It might be what some folks have mentioned as seeming like chamomile, but whereas chamomile has a green, reddy sweetness, violet flowers have a sweet-but-acrid thing going on that I'm getting from this. As with all TAL oils, I don't get them for scent, and usually wear just a few drops and then layer with a complimentary perfume. I'd probably layer this with a thick chocolate like Bliss or else a favorite lavender, like Happy Baby In A Long Dress.

 

As for intent, I'm an anxious person, which is why I was interested in trying this out. so far, it's just lovely. It gives me a similar feeling that I get from taking Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, like it's just a lovely and gentle way to take the edge off when things are feeling especially overwhelming.

 

I suspect I'll be getting lots of use out of this!

This is myrrh - incense - rose in terms of scent. I put just a DROP, literally, a tiny test from the lid of the bottle, and it has very intense throw and is *very* heady. The energy from this stuff is crazy powerful. I'm a bit tired from running about all day, and so putting a drop of this on now is giving me the same feeling that downing full strength coffee gives me when I'm exhausted- awake but a little too wired.

 

I've not tested it out in the field so to speak, but the energy boost alone insures I'll be testing thugs out in many different situations. I look forward to exploring its magickal depths!

2017 VERSION

I have some of the original incarnate that I pull out only for the most special of occasions since I wore this scent on my wedding day. So I was *extremely* excited to get two bottles of this limited re-release. While I won't dab the original on my arm, I know that scent well enough that I feel confident I can compare easily.

 

In The Bottle: As others have mentioned, it's like original Antique Lace with the yummy vanilla amped up by about 20 additional notches. I personally have NO problem with this

 

Wet On Skin: It's becoming more of a "Vanilla Sugar + Antique Lace" situation at this stage.

 

Dry Down: For now, it smells as a less-strong version of Antique Lace mixed with a heavy dollop of Vanilla Sugar. I believe that this will right itself in the long run, but that as with several Lab scents, it needs some time to rest and age to bring it to its full potential.

In the incredibly off chance that it doesn't prove to be identical to the original, I will still love this version for its own beauty and will wear it frequently.

In The Bottle: The sweet, juicy strawberry and tart, green dandelion of my beloved Strawberry Moon 2009.

 

Wet On Skin: Holding steady...

 

Dry Down: Okay, now that it's fully dried, there *is* a bit of a difference. Those early summer grasses are lessening the sweetness without playing up the dandelion sap, and yes, giving it a bit more of a "grassy" feel. Apart from that, this scent is very nearly a dead ringer for 2009. So, if you love that one, you'll want this as well, and if you missed out on the SM '09, here's a chance to get something close enough to adore

In The Bottle: Dusty, dried roses and just a *wee* bit of myrrh, which is about all I can tolerate. Let's hope it stays that way!

Wet On Skin: I'm getting some of the amber now, and it's pulling the rose out of "dried" and into "alive but fading". The myrrh has increased, but only slightly. There might be a touch of dustiness from sandalwood, but only as an afterthought. No lavender, alas, at this point.

Dry Down: A glorious blown out, fading cabbage rose with some myrrh to sweeten the pot. There's something very wistful about this scent, less "June" and more "Late August", when the heat and sun have left their scorched mark upon all the vegetation and the roses have wilted and the first harvest is about to come ripe. I'm not big on florals, but I suspect I'll very much like wearing this one toward Summer's end. <3

I opened the bottle and was immediately struck by the self-righteous INTENSITY of this oil. I'm not going to so much as dab this on my skin right now first because I have friends coming over later and I don't want to inadvertently affect them but also it's just really intense. I felt a rush of anger for all the jerks that have ever fucked with me and anyone I care about. I got this oil at this time because I've got some...unfortunate individuals I have to deal with in a work environment and I am absolutely going to make sure I have this with me when I have to next deal with them.

I almost feel sorry for this that are faced with the wrath of this oil.

Almost.

In The Bottle: Beautiful, bright, joyous citrus. ALL the citrus! I can't pull out one over another. It's just orange (in energetic color) and tart and lovely.

Wet On Skin: The various elements are beginning to separate out now. I'm getting some verbena, some straight lemon and some Sicilian tart blood orange. It's really lovely and makes me feel a little giddy!

Dry Down: Usually I amp lemon verbena like crazy, but here the other notes keep it in check. I can definitely pick it out, since it has a very particular sub-component that reminds me of lavender a little bit, but it's really just adding a softening aspect to the other citrus notes.

In terms of magickal workings, I am excited about this. I am an artist completing my MFA and I can tell, just putting a dab on my skin, that this is filling me with a giddy excitement for my own work and creativity. I blind-bought two bottles because the other creativity TAL oils I have, like Nine Muses and Ebon Night have both worked incredibly for my work and process and now, just with this little dab, I am feeling a rush to return to my projects!

In The Bottle: I get the Italian blood orange, twinges of the hyssop and the angelica straight away. It's heady and bright!

Wet On Skin: The hyssop and the galbanum both become stronger with angelica morphing into sort of a heliotrope vibe.

Dry Down: Softly citrus and amber with heliotrope.

This is indeed a very "sunny" oil. I'm less concerned about how well I like a smell when its primary purpose is magickal workings. I say this because there are standard BPAL that smell similarly and I'd trade those away because heliotrope isn't something I generally wear. HOWEVER, this blend is really very positive, I can feel its bright vibrancy and I will definitely be bringing this to anoint the soles of my feet when I go to my graduation ceremony in a few months. It's high-energy yellow for me, and it's relating strongly with my Ajna chakra. I am prone to melancholy in the winter months, and I will absolutely reach for this when the sun starts to fade more quickly from the sky in the darker part of the year.

In The Bottle: Very woodsy, like being in a deep, rich, mossy pine forest. I don't go for pine scents to wear casually, but this seems VERY appropriate for a magickal working prosperity blend.

Wet On Skin: The pine mellow, slightly, and the sweeter aspects of it start to emerge, helped along by the patchouli and carnation, no doubt.

Dry Down: Same. Still mostly pine-heavy, but with a chorus of the above-mentioned in the mix.

On the more woo-woo aspect, I definitely feel this resonating with my 1st and second chakras. Nice and rooty and earthy, this oil is one I will definitely anoint candles and dollar bills with for those aspects but I can see using this for more grounding-type stuff too. This is an oil to associate with the tarot's suit of Pentacles, in all its various guises.

In the Bottle: OH HAI SALT!!! This is SO salt-note-heavy that it's reading like salt water or brine. I hope that levels out because water notes are *terrible* on me, but the pure salt tends to ho okay. *fingers crossed*

Wet On Skin: *whew!* it seems to be calming out, with a definite nut note stepping forward. Right now it's like very salty nut brittle, since the Snake Oil is actually farther in the background than I anticipated.

Dry Down: Wow. This is pretty special, and sort of exactly what I was hoping for: all the sweet, spicy complexity of Snake Oil with salty nuts tossed in! This just came today, and we all know how Snake Oil improves with age. Therefore, I'm not going to leave it alone for at least a month but if it goes as well as it's already promising, a backup bottle to age for a year minimum might well be called for!

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!

First, the illustration is GREAT! Really love the kitchy comic book art style, very Johnson and Smith Catalogue- so perfect!!!

In The Bottle: Very candy-like raspberry. This isn't juicy, this is a sugary fruit for sure.

Wet On Skin: The patchouli is showing up a little and appears to be the "red" variety, expect no "dirty" hippy patch, that's not what's happening here.

Dry Down: Okay, dry down changes this a bit. The raspberry has lost some of it's sugar, and I think the emerging orange blossom is helping the cause. This is still a very bright, sweet fruity scent, which is what I was hoping for- something to herald in springtime, and the scent does not disappoint in that regard. It's definitely foodie, but not gourmand. This is a scent for daytime, and those of you with little ones, this is a fragrance you can absolutely share with them.

In The Bottle: The sweetness of the tuberose is astounding. I am not much of a floral fan, but the other notes hooked me and I was willing to check this out. So it's funny that it's the tuberose that steals the show on first sniff.

 

Wet On Skin: The juiciness of the white peach is present, but behaving VERY well, considering peach sometimes amps like crazy on me. That sweet fruity tuberose is still the main attraction, though. It's SO glorious.

 

Dry Down: I agree with the "sunset on a beach" analogy. This is it. it's soft and tropical and beautiful. It doesn't go powdery, or old-ladyish. It's just soft and beautiful and gorgeous.

 

Love and hand holding and reds and purples streaking the sky.

In The Bottle: The slightly spicy touch of saffron and nothing more.

 

Wet On Skin: This is very incense-y. I know there's no incense note listed, but I believe the oudh is acting as an incense in this regard. It's unexpected, but I like it.

 

Dry Down: I get no sandalwood from this. While I'm a tiny bit disappointed, I agree that this is a pretty great saffron. It's rich and red and spicy and is STILL maintaining that incense vibe and there's something in the dry down that's almost like a tiny of a campfire without being smoky. Campfires in the summer take on a sweet earthy density that they don't at other times of the year, and that's what I'm getting from this scent. It's a low to medium throw, but this isn't something to slather. When the weather gets much warmer, I suspect that this will be a "hot sultry night" kind of scent.

 

I can't wait to see how this ages.

In The Bottle: Yummy, rich goat's milk.

 

Wet On Skin: The goat's milk still dominates, though the coconut is peeking in *just* a touch.

 

Dry Down: Goat's milk, coconut and a little rice milk. Unfortunately, I get no honey carnation or sugar. Still, a scent that is nothing but rich cream is pretty great, and I think they'll be plenty of chances to wear it as the weather continues to get warmer. I also think it'll be great for layering with other things, be they foodie or floral, so I'm totally happy to have a bottle

In the Bottle: the strawberry is sharp, fresh and juicy. It reminds me of the Strawberry note from 2012's Strawberry Moon, without the tart green dribble of dandelion sap. The sugar is there, too, but it's definitely light and it's definitely a powder variety.

 

Wet On Skin: The sugar has gained in strength a little, but the strawberry is still the prize. I don't honestly get the Stekk comparison. I love Stekk, don't get me wrong, but I just don't find it here. At least not at this stage.

 

Dry Down: The powdered sugar and the mallow have joined to soften and smooth out the Strawberry. It's still sweet and delicious, though it's lost a little of its juice. but that's okay because it's gained a more well-rounded scent. I think this will be a heavy-rotation oil for Spring!

I think the sweet creamy vanilla in this blend is very similar to the vanilla note in Mrs Valentine- both scents have a very similar vibe to me. they're not identical, but enough alike that a person that missed out on Mrs Valentine should surely get some of this in a flash!

I adore both, and for similar reasons, as they are light and very lightly floral but in a way that's not at all obvious. There's a sweetness here, but the vanilla isn't at all food-like. It smells like nostalgia to me, like wandering through the trunks in an attic and finding treasure troves of moth-eaten Victorian clothes. I put it on more than 7 hours ago and it's still here- faintly, but persistently. It's really special and I'm glad to add it to my collection.

Full disclosure- I adored the apricot-orange mix in 4 Seasons: Winter so much that I blind-bought TWO bottles of this just based on that other scent. Now I get to see if this was a genius move or a terrible idea!

In The Bottle: Sweet apricot and tart blood orange, right off the bat.

Wet On Skin: The orange starts to mellow as it warms on my skin, bringing the apricot right to the front of the line. The dragon's blood cuts through in the background with a slight edge of acridity, an unusual but perfect touch, considering the sweetness of the two dominant fruit notes. The white honey might be back there, too, but only by a hair.

Dry Down: All of the above, but more finely tuned, less as separate entities, more an integrated phenomena. I get no vanilla or oudh, but they're not missed- this sweet, soft fruit scent is lovely as is, and I suspect that as we move further into spring, it will definitely become more and more of a go-to scent for me.

In All: Low throw and just lovely, glad I got my bottles all lined up!

In The Bottle: This is equal parts cherry candy and fluffy vanilla cream.

 

Wet On Skin: the cherry starts to calm down almost immediately, and now it's vanilla-scented fog. (Ozone and aqua-fear folks, worry not! The fog aspect isn't related to those notes in the least!)

 

Dry Down: This is...weird. It's vanilla and something sharp that I can't quite name, but that seems sort of men's cologne-y, and then there's that sweet fog note. It's truly bizarre. I keep huffing myself, caught between thinking I really like its quirks and thinking that I have to trade this bottle away immediately. For now, I think I'll keep it and see what happens

Now that Dorian is on an unexpected hiatus, I blind-bought a bottle of this as I've heard rumors as to it's similarities to Dorian. Liker it or not, this review for me is mostly as a comparison to my beloved Dorian, not as an expected twin, but certainly, hopefully, a close relation.

 

In The Bottle: I, too, get a decidedly "lemony" aspect to the black tea here, and the fougere is light, lighter than in Dorian, but still quite lovely.

 

Wet On Skin: This is a LOVELY black tea. The "earl grey" aspect is still coming across more as lemon than bergamot to me at this stage, but I've no complaints, because I adore lemon scents and lemony tea is no great tragedy, to be sure.

 

Dry Down: This is absolutely a cousin of Dorian, in that the sweet black tea and fougere are all accounted for. But this is absolutely its own scent. It's possible that there will be times when I'll happily wear this to conserve my bottle of Dorian, but there will also be times where I'd definitely choose this as it's own thing and there will be times where this scent cannot possibly take Dorian's place. I am delighted to have taken a chance on it and to have a bottle to call my own.

[No additional description provided.]

In The Bottle: Cacao, earthy cinnamon, and dry coffee (the coffee husks of Pinched With Four Aces, if you're wondering!)

Wet On Skin: A glorious melding of the above. This is proving to be a surprisingly "dry" and "adult" version of these notes- this is grownup stuff, not Easter kids' candy.

Dry Down: The powdery aspect of the cacao mixed with the cinnamon is calling to mind the lovely cassia aspect of Monsterbait: Underbed and I love it just as much here as I did in that scent. This is only slightly sweet, very sophisticated and eminently wearable. I am seriously in love with this!

 

In All: Another Chocolate selection from this year's Box that is absolutely hoard-worthy!

[No additional description provided.]

In the Bottle: YUMMMMMMM! Rich goat's milk and marshmallow and cocoa butter, oh my!

Wet On Skin: More of the same, and I couldn't be happier.

Dry Down: The cocoa butter warms up and comes forward a bit more but the goat's milk and marshmallow hold their own. the honey is a whisper and frankly, I'm glad, as honey does sometimes amp on my skin and drowns out other more subtle notes.

In All: This is incredible. Like, I-probably-need-a-backup-bottle kind of incredible. This is a foodie's paradise. I am seriously in LOVE.