theshapeshifter

I'd been wanting to try De Sade for ages, since Dead Man's Hand is one of my all-time faves, and lots of other leathery BPAL's seem to work well for me. In the imp: Leather, but definitely a hard BLACK leather, unlike the warm natural leather of Dead Man's Hand. Initial application: Oh dear, this is a very harsh leather! But I have faith it'll settle down in a minute or two. Drydown: Alas, my faith was misplaced. I don't know why my skin hates De Sade when leather usually works so well... but oh gods, does my skin hate this. After about two minutes I started to get a chemically/industrial/rubber kind of smell, like the 'back shop' at my dad's office (he's an electrical contractor) where they store the giant reels of wire and conduit. After a few more minutes... it turned into road tar. And stayed road tar. Definitely off to swaps with this one.

2005 version In the bottle: There's a bracing blast of sharp greenness, a strong holly smell that I never got from my imp of the 2004 version. In fact, it was so strong it scared the cat away! Initial application: That sharpness is the first impression, lasting for a few minutes, but I can start to detect the scent I remembered from my imp. Drydown: Just like Yuletide'04 - on me it's a blend of holly and warm dry spices (cinnamon and clove, mostly) and something just slightly waxy. I assume the waxiness is the holly berries, but overall it gives the impression of a beautifully scented Christmas candle. As I think I said in my review of '04, I'm sure that some people might prefer this as a room scent, but I find it totally gorgeous for wearing, and very comforting.

Not sure what I can add that hasn't already been said, but WOW! Astonishingly accurate, and just gorgeous. A rush of eye-opening mint on initial application, then a bright, sugary, slightly-vanilla mint as it dries down. This is just gorgeous, and I'm so glad it arrived in time for Yule! I bet this will be lovely next summer, too, in hot sticky weather.

In the bottle: Heady perfume, the sort you don't really find these days, with an overlay of that 'hairspray' note others are picking up. At the initial sniff, there's something reminding me vaguely of The Living Flame, as though Stardust is the moonlight-white counterpart to The Living Flame's luminescent red. Initial application: Perfumey, and at first it's a little... "prettier" than I expected. Nice, but where's the decadence? I do get the bubbliness of the champagne, but at first it's all flowers and champagne, more like a posh afternoon wedding than a nightclub. Drydown: Here's where Stardust comes into its own, and really lives up to the concept. I'm having trouble picking out individual notes, because it's so well-blended, but it somehow gets darker without losing any of its brightness and flash. I get a hint of the "blown-out-candle" note that I love in Darkness, which I think must be the poppy, and there's a slight fruitiness that another review suggests might be the hyacinth. This is definitely a scent of getting dressed up, all over-the-top and glam, lots of skin showing, and then going out and letting yourself get messed up on the dance floor. It really does embody the concept beautifully. I was unsure when I ordered whether the notes would work on me - and they do! It's a departure from my usual, but perhaps that's why it works so well. I only wish it was a tiny bit stronger - I don't get a huge amount of throw with this on my skin. However, a few dabs on my hair has remedied that nicely. A total triumph - I can't wait to wear this on New Year's Eve!

In the imp: A fresh-cut Yule tree! Initial application: A BURST of evergreen, but with a bitter edge to it - just enough that I can see why it's in the 'poisonous plants' category. Not sure about the bitterness, but it's intriguing. And strong. Drydown: Here's the shocker... it was SO strong in the imp, and initially on the skin, but after about 15 minutes my skin ate it. All of it. Leaving nary a trace, even though I tested it pretty generously. Woe. So... a promising, interesting scent, but it'll go to swaps since it's just too fleeting on me.

In the bottle: CHEESECAKE. So accurate it's uncanny, from the cheesy 'tang' right down to the graham cracker crust. Wet on skin: Here's where I got nervous, because after about 5 minutes of lovely cheesecake on my skin, it seemed to fade right away... however... Drydown: After about 10-15 minutes, it made a bold resurgence, and in a way I haven't really experienced with too many other scents. If I put my nose to my wrist, I get 100% graham-cracker-crust, with just a little hint of spice for good measure. But the cheesecake bit seems to be all in the throw - I can't smell it next to my skin, but it's wafting around me. It's not the strongest scent ever - at about 3 hours in, it's fairly faint now, but still present. But I absolutely love it! Even though I have quite a few sweet, foody scents already, this one is quite different, and a definite winner.

I probably never would've tried this - being afraid of it being too boozy, since rum and I have had a thorny relationship over the years - but when em_h brought it to the Toronto meet'n'sniff, I gave it a go, and was intrigued. She was kind enough to gift me with the imp, so here goes... In the imp: Sweet, but not the straight-up rum I'd feared, more like a spiced rum cake. On skin: From application right through the drydown, it's a one-way ticket to Clove-town! Clove is definitely the predominant note I get, with the sweetness of the rum, something almondy, and something earthy (vetiver?) in the background. It's actually reminding me a bit of the imp of Yuletide '04 that I've been hoarding. I'm really loving this - I'm a great fan of spicy scents that have a bit of sweetness to them without necessarily being baked-good-foody, and this fits that description perfectly. Really nice for such a cold day.

I was glad I got to try this at the Toronto meet-n-sniff today, because I was too leery of civet to ever order it - but I've always been tempted by the name. In the imp: Heady, dark and sexy. Definitely animal, but none of the 'scary' smells that some people seem to get from civet. Cautiously dabbed just the tiniest, tiniest bit on wrist. Wet: Oh. OH. Very intriguing. I get the opium and musk, and as far as I can tell the civet is just making it all more raunchy and edgy, in a good way. Drydown: Yep, it's the opium that I love so much in Darkness, but much more frankly sexual due to the civet. This is STRONG - one tiny barely-touch-the-skin of the imp wand to the wrist was still detectable (just) a couple of hours later. I like this. A lot. Strong potential for love. Thanks to the generosity of em_h, the imp came home with me from the meet-n-sniff. In short: this smells like sex. Like wanting to grab the nearest willing specimen and... well, you get the idea. VERY aptly named.

Wow! I got The Unicorn as a generous freebie, and might have have paid attention to it otherwise. I haven't had it on long, so not sure how the drydown will go, but it's just lovely. I get an almost candylike sweetness from the herbs; I can see what someone else said about melon candy, but it's not overpowering at all. It's a very "fresh sweet air" kind of scent, a nice change from the heavily sweet/incensey/heady scents I usually favour.

In the bottle: Spicy and sugary... snickerdoodles? My first thought was "oh em gee, this is what I wanted Sugar Cookie to smell like!" Initial application: Yep, snickerdoodles. There's just a hint underneath of a cool, dry, fallen-leaves scent. Drydown: After two hours, the outdoorsy-ness and just a faint whiff of the musk have emerged. The cookie smell (and it's a DRY cookie smell, none of the butter of Gluttony) is still there, but more of a background now. It's like walking outdoors on a crisp day, and catching the aroma of baking from some nearby house. This is utterly fabulous. I had high hopes for Devil's Night, and it's even better than I'd dreamed!

Sexy witch here, and I'm leaning towards The Living Flame.

In the imp: Sweet, very dry incense. Initial application: At first it does something like a drier, flatter version of Cathedral on me, but then a familiar scent starts creeping in. Drydown: Oh dear, the familiar scent is the cleaning-products aisle at the grocery store. My skin chemistry obviously disagrees with this one. Alas, Cairo and I weren't meant for each other. Off to swaps!

I love Hamadryad, but Hesperides - though pretty - was an apple pastry on me. Dublin would probably be up your alley, and possibly Vinland. If you also like evergreen-forest scents, I highly recommend Nocnitsa.

I wore Bordello last week to see Dead Can Dance, and it was perfect.

In the imp: That cherryish-marzipan topnote I always seem to get from almond blends. Initial application: Yep, it's that marzipan hit I get from Eclipse, although I can detect a smokiness in the background. Drydown: Smoky resin, with the almond as the background note. There's the occasional powdery waft from the myrrh, but not too powdery so far. And it's very DRY, despite its richness. It's a perfect fall scent... I'm loving it on this cool, grey October day, but I think if I'd received it in May or something, I might not have liked it nearly so much. This is one of those scents that - although it's not a 'skin' type scent, really - seems less like a perfume and more like simply the natural scent emanating from the wearer.

Woohoo! It's here! In the bottle: Rich, spiced apple, with just a hint of wine. Wet on skin: Mulled cider initially, and after a few minutes the plum and pear come in, along with a hint of winey tang and dry florals. Dry on skin: It's more like a spiced wine now, with the fruits playing more of a background role. There's something reminiscent of tea - that must be the bergamot. My only regret? As others have said, I'm finding this dries down VERY faint on my skin; after about four hours, it's hard for me to detect it at all any more. However, a little dab in my hair is keeping the autumnal goodness going strong.

It's not earthy, but for a fresh, damp, misty, 'spring-in-a-bottle' scent, my vote goes to Leanan Sidhe.

Just received this as a surprise extra in a swap, and ohhhh... *swoons* This is thick and darkly spicy-sweet. I got a bright sweet hit of cherry on first application, but on drydown it's balanced out by the clove... those two notes do a sort of evil, sensual tango while the dragon's blood and myrrh give it a lovely earthy warmth in the background. And there's just a slight tang about it that makes it reminiscent of actual blood. Warm and wicked, perfect for fall. I was certain I'd like this, based on the notes, but I adore it. Damn, another to add to my "must get a 5ml" list!

Wow, it seems like everyone gets really different impressions of this oil! In the imp: Bayberry (or holly berry, I guess?) and spice, like a candle. On skin: HELLO NUTMEG. And cinnamon stick and clove. From wet through drydown, it's primarily mulling spices on me, with a hint of sharp waxy berry in the background, just like walking into a warm and welcoming house where everything's decorated for Yule. People have mentioned candles and potpourri, and I agree, this is reminiscent of both things, but I'm almost hesitant to say that for fear of giving the impression that it's a "room scent, not for wearing" kind of oil, which couldn't be further from the truth, at least on me. This smells gorgeous on my skin. I hope it comes back this year, because a lonely imp isn't going to be enough!

Wow, I'm glad I finally tried this! In the imp: Pure chocolate. On me: Simply perfect. It's the perfect chocolate brownie, with just a hint of the sugary, slightly buttery goodness of Midway. Brownie with icing! I wish I could give more detail to this review, but sometimes simple does NOT equal boring. Bliss is very aptly named.

Ouija definitely has that Victorian vibe going on. Sometimes it's all lilac on me, sometimes more rose.

Dragon's Eye is sun-warmed lilacs for me. Ouija seems to vary on me... it was 'all lilac all the time' the first couple of times I tried it, but then I put it on a few days ago (after not trying the imp for a few months), and just got rose.

I received a half-imp of the 2003 version in a swap recently. Alas, there's not too much I can say about it - it smells creamy and cold on first application, but it's very, very, VERY faint on me... and within half an hour it had vanished entirely.

Yay! I'd almost thought I wasn't meant to have Zombi, as a friend had promised ages ago to send along an imp, but it never arrived. However, it turned up today after over a month in the mail! In the imp: Earth, but a richer earth than Graveyard Dirt, and something sweet. Initial application: Yes!! This is the earth I was hoping for in Graveyard Dirt (which was a bit too dry for me). I'm tentatively delighted, but worried about what the rose may do, since it's usually a note I shy far away from. Drydown: Here comes the rose... but wait! It's a rose that SMELLS LIKE ROSES, not like rose perfume! (which is interesting, given that this is dried rose). It's strongly rose for a little while, then mellows into the perfect earth/rose blend; I'm not really conscious of the moss, but I suspect perhaps it's helping keep the rose under control. Wow... a huge hats-off to Beth for creating a rose scent that my skin likes!

I live in Canada as well, and I have never had to pay Customs fees on any of the eleven orders I've received from the Lab so far. It just takes a little longer for shipping than US orders.