tinyvulture

what's better on a hot august day than a nice cold beer? maybe smelling like one? i can’t wait to wear this to work and have people ask me if i’ve been drinking on my lunch hour actually…the scent of fresh cut green grass and sunny dandelions balances out the beer smell nicely and i think this is an absolutely perfect representation of summertime.

the coconut is very mellow and delicate, while the florentine iris adds a dry, floral scent. when it dries, the richness of the hazelnut comes forth. at this point it becomes less floral -- now it's rich and creamy, and slightly salty or buttery. it reminds me of suntan lotion (really awesome suntan lotion). wish i had a big bottle to slather it on.

The clean, fresh scent of green grass, but with an intriguing resinous undertone from the frankincense. There’s also a slightly musky, definitely manly odor. And I love the smell of fresh basil, so I’m very happy I can smell the basil in this! I was very sleepy when I put this on, and it made me feel energized and refreshed. I guess this is a dude’s scent, but I think it smells pretty awesome on me

This smells like a bar. Not a dirty dive bar, but someplace with a more sophisticated reputation where everyone’s dressed to impress. You know when you go out smelling clean and sweet, and coming home smelling like booze and cigarettes? This is somewhere at the in-between stage. There’s definitely rum, and fruity white wine. Sweet, innocent vanilla contrasts with the naughty tobacco and leather. I don’t smell any coconut. I like this, it’s sexy.

this smells like a bunch of fresh white flowers mixed with wine or grapes. maybe some blackberries, too. it’s cool and misty, like the description says. i’m not sure what linden smells like but i’m going to seek out other scents that contain it, because this is so crisp and refreshing.

this is kind of similar to bastet. both are glowing, warm almond scents. but this lasts longer, and it’s not a cherry-almond, almond liquor scent. instead, it’s sort of buttery. it's kind of like chimera and port-au-prince too, but they are spicy, cinnamon-almond scents. this is more of a milky, creamy almond. the sweet myrrh and dark musk compliment it beautifully and become more dominant over time.

The scents of the blossoms of darkness, condensed into one perfume. Features a rose base, softened with lilac and wisteria. this is a very soft, whispery, delicate rose with a hint of lilac, just as the description reads. it's not something i'll wear very often; it's not really “me.” but i'll save it for days when i'm feeling especially wistful and romantic. it feels awfully victorian, like how an old parlor full of lace and dried flowers might smell.

weird. this immediately reminded me of when i spent a week in vancouver. see, the scent of my hotel room created a very strong scent memory. it was a combination of whatever lotions and soaps i was using at the time, and the cleaning products the maid used. and queen gertrude smells almost exactly the same. it is floral, yet slightly fruity. clean (almost soapy), not powdery. definitely violet. i’m not sure what wisteria and chrysanthemum smell like. i’m keeping it just for the memory it evokes of my vacation.

i’m getting a thick, dark patchouli scent from this. i think everytime i try a patchouli scent from the lab, i love it more and more. it just sits really nicely on my skin. there’s also the earthy, dank scent of the oakmoss, and a hint of resinous copal and sweet heliotrope. this is totally a rich guy’s cologne. it does remind me of the way money smells. i’ll keep this imp.

the cedar is kind of resiny and gives the scent a little backbone. the green tea and musk add a little spice. but mostly, this scent is very girly and floral. i can especially smell the lilacs. the lemon is extremely faint (in fact maybe i'm just imagining that I smell it at all.) too flowery for me -- off to swaps.

because of the woodsy cypress and earthy oakmoss, this makes me think of a decaying garden where the green leaves are dying and blending into the soil. or the part of a forest that never gets any sunlight, so the earth is always moist. it doesn't smell like dirt, though (like zombi or nosferatu). it smells like moss. what does oude smell like? i don’t know if i’m smelling it or not. over time, the frankincense takes over and now it’s like burning incense in the woods. it compliments the sharp cypress nicely. what a complex, carefully blended fragrance.

the chamomile and rose are such a lovely, soothing combination. it’s slightly astringent thanks to the cypress and juniper. as it dries, the rose really makes its presence known. this is a clean, herbal rose scent. there’s a coolness to it that does remind me of walking through the roman forum and pressing my hands against the cool stones, imagining their history. very nice.

the musk is nice, and patchouli is always welcome on my skin. but there’s an unpleasant alcohol note, reminiscent of commercial men’s cologne. my husband sniffed my wrist, made a face, and said, “you smell like stetson!” it’s just too strong and astringent; it kind of gives me a headache.

i had an instant aversion to this. i’m not vengeful, so maybe i wasn’t getting into the spirit of it it's just that i don’t much care for dragon’s blood, and its floral-ness mixed with the cinnamon and clove made for a weird combination that didn’t agree with my chemistry at all. the description is quite accurate. the cinnamon definitely adds heat. and although i can’t smell the black pepper, i can tell there is something else there giving additional heat. i have to go wash it off now, because it’s giving me a headache it's off to the swaps pile!

alas, another aquatic/ozone scent i can’t wear. lightning remains the only one that my skin will tolerate. i would enjoy this as a room scent, but it turns sweet and cloying on my skin. and my man can’t wear it either, because the white flowers make it so feminine. this is like a flower garden after a storm, when the rain has amplified the flowers’ scent – clean, wet, floral. I was hoping for something a bit more chilly and harsh.

I just said, “I hope the lab comes out with an autumn scent reminiscent of a cider mill” because, growing up in Michigan, visiting the cider mill was a fall tradition. Then I received this imp, and found out such a scent already exists. Crisp, juicy green apples, and oak wood. Makes me think of the wood presses that the apples go in to make the cider. As it dries, it becomes sweeter -- kind of like a caramel apple. So beautiful, I must have a bottle of this. It’s precisely the autumn-but-not-Halloween scent I’ve been looking for. I don’t know what else to say but thank you.

I wasn’t familiar with this locale. I found that it’s on the Spanish island of Ibiza. It smells like what I’d expect a Mediterranean beach might smell like, and I like it. I would not have thought there was any jasmine in this. I don’t smell it all, and that’s a good thing. I don’t smell the lavender, either. I get an extremely soapy, clean scent, with mild citrus and floral notes. It’s breezy and has a cooling effect on my senses when worn on a hot day like today.

after trying a couple other deadly sin scents (greed, wrath) i was beginning to think that they’re meant to be “too much of a good thing.” that is, maybe they all have some element in them that makes them too overpowering for me to tolerate very well. lust may have the same intention. but, luckily, i can never get too much rich, dark, sexy patchouli. the red musk is also lovely, and slightly fruity. reminds me of walking into a store in chinatown that sells about 1000 different kinds of incense. as you walk around and inhale, you get a mixture of all of them. very heady and intense. i love this on my husband. it lasts forever on him (i like it on me too, but unfortunately it fades quickly on my skin) and it makes me want to attack him. i guess that's the point

i’ve always found sweet pea kind of bland, so i think that’s why i’m not a fan of this one. however, the sage does add an interesting element. it’s very clean, herbal, a good scent for spending a sunny spring day in the garden.

i wasn’t sure what lotus smelled like, but apparently it’s very fruity and sweet. the strong strawberry/cherry scent may be cloying to some. this is not a delicate scent – it’s quite rich and strong. i wait for it to become more resiny and dark. but, sadly, the sandalwood is only noticeable for a minute, and my beloved myrrh and amber never make an appearance. too fruity for me, but i’m still going to try blood lotus and see if i like it better.

me and jasmine have never gotten along well. this is a woman’s perfume, extremely floral. it smells like what ladies wear to church on easter. the sweet honeysuckle and buttercup are quite nice in the background, but the jasmine just makes this impossible for me to enjoy. into the swap pile it goes.

at first it reminds me of a less-sweet sudha segara, or a delicate chai tea. it’s creamy, soft, and kind of smells like ginger. amber is always warm and lovely on my skin. but then, as it dries, an animalistic, sweaty aroma slowly comes forward. it’s interesting how the scent changes over time, but it’s not ferocious at all on me. in fact, it fades pretty quickly. i wish it were a bit stronger and long-lasting.

i thought this would be really citrus-y, but it’s not. the grapefruit is there, but its tartness is nicely balanced with the sweetness of plum and the floral scent of orris. the amber gives it a nice warmth. it didn’t make me sit up and go, “wow!” but it’s pleasant enough, a nice, girly summer scent.

a masculine scent, but not bad on me either. pine and cinnamon dominate, with a hint of patchouli. i don’t smell any cedar. as it dries, the leather comes out. spicy, warm, and sort of dark -- this will be a great cold weather scent. it makes me imagine spending christmas in a log cabin deep in the woods. my man has just come in from chopping wood and has pine needles in his hair, and smells all warm and musky from exertion. spices are simmering away and we curl up in a leather recliner in front of the fire. that's a pretty good mental image, so this is a keeper.

when i first put this on, it smells exactly like rice krispie treats! yum. as it tries, i can detect the taffy, cotton candy, and funnel cake (a rich, glazed donut sort of scent). there’s also something that really does bring to mind a dry summer night -- the way the atmosphere is, when it’s just cooling down and you finally feel a breeze taking the edge off the sweltering heat of the day. sometimes i’m wary of smelling like food, but this puts me in a cheery mood and i’ll happily wear it during these hot august days.