Myrrha

As the reviewer said above, "happiness in a bottle". It dries down to something a little bit vanilla/honey/amber with a golden "light" lifting it from the orange and neroli. On me there is a touch of bitterness, probably from the safron, that really makes this stupendous.

Thanks, Labbies, for the frimp! This is a beautiful perfume but I'm not sure it is one I would wear often. Wet, lots of amber and red musk with a little vanilla and strawberry. Dry, more of the cherry and strawberry come out. It is a softer red musk blend, warm, sexy, not too overbearing. I am not sure I will be keeping this as amber and red musk are not notes I wear.

Blood orange, wood amber, and white tea. I put three squirts of this in my hair and it still smells strongly several hours later. next time I will use a little less. I LOVE this scent! The wood amber is lovely, no woody smell or pencil shavings. It somehow smells clear and not at all fuzzy or powdery if that makes sense. Blood orange blends with the amber, if you hate the creamsickle effect that orange plus vanilla can have you probably will not like this one, at least not in your hair. To me, the amber smells deeper and more complicated than vanilla and it adds up to something absolutely amazing. I can't really smell the tea but there is a brightness to the scent that could be from white tea. This is glorious and I could wear it anywhere. It smells very familiar, like a scent I've smelled before but I can't remember what. It is a bit similar to Tocca Stella (but richer, more complex and longer lasting) and in the same family as Chantecaille Frangipane although it has been a long time since I smelled that and I could be mis-remembering. On my wrist the amber comes out more. It smells less casual, sexier. I need at least another bottle of this, possibly two. I will not be spraying all the things because that would mean less to spray on me! Edited to add: I could still smell it on my hair the next morning. I love this but am thinking I might try some Ithe hair glosses before I decide which one to get backups of.

Labdanum has always seemed like a darker scent to me but in this oil it is light and soft. I think the elemi is here to lighten things up because I can't really separate it out. I am not a fan of cypress but the "white cypress In this is soft and really beautiful. I can only detect it if I look for it, otherwise it blends into the scent. Emotionally L'hyver seems relaxing and a bit somber - not like an Ars Morendi oil but just in a grounding kind of way. Overall, a very wearable soft musky laudanum scent. It does not have a lot of throw. I am very happy with this and will wear it often this winter and into the spring.

The myrrh is stronger than the amber on me. I think it will read as "musky" to someone who doesn't know perfume notes. It has a little bit of a "head shop" vibe but in a less-obvious way than a patchouli scent might. The cinnamon is very mild, if I wear this I will layer it with Bengal which I find a little innocent and sweet on its own. Maidens in Repose wears close to the skin but it is tenacious. I wore it to bed and could still smell a bit of myrrh and amber in the morning which is very rare for my perfume-devouring skin. I love how this goes with my Body Shop Argan Oil products, will keep using my decant and consider tracking down a bottle.

This is beautiful. there is some delicate greenery, like ferns. I guess that is the "white fougere" part of the scent. Aquatic scents can go a bit cologne-like and masculine but this one absolutely does not. There is a deeper, smooth not-quite woody note which I guess is the bamboo. This is really stunning, clean but not boringly so.

This is fabulous! At first it is really strong. Just a tiny drop seemed like almost too much. Once dry it resolves itself into a lovely clear dragon's blood with the lilac undertone that DB can sometimes have. This smells similar to straight-up dragon's blood but on my skin, better. The honey is behaving. I can smell it here but it is just mingling with the DBR, sweetening it a little. I was worried that this would be too sweet but it isn't. It does not seem to me to be a creamy scent. On my skin it smells amazing when I sniff my wrist directly as well as wafting in the air. The honey is stronger after an hour or so. It is a cool, pale honey note.

This is utterly fantastic. At first, I could just smell a wafty, airy pomegranate. This is one of those very dispersive fragrances that scents the room when you open the bottle. Certain ambers seem to do that. I didn't get the dramatic morphing that others have described. The forest-amber of the chypre background gradually became more apparent but it blends with the pomegranate and isn't ever really a separate or noticeable thing. After three hours it was still noticeable but faded. I have Fruit of Paradise and wondered if I needed two scents that are so strongly pomegranate. This one is silkier and much more airy. I like it better.

At first there is a slightly sharp even slightly sour, berry note alongside the tea. After about ten minutes it all becomes more blended. Still tea with a slight berry note but nothing too sour or bitter. It doesn't just smell like realistic tea/berry, there is a definite perfume aspect to it. After about 20 minutes it becomes *amazing*. I am so glad I left this on and gave it a good chance. It sweetens up a bit but never becomes foody or overly sweet, just smoother. It becomes a light, elegant, feminine tea perfume scent with a hint of berry. Lovely but I decided it is too perfume-y for me to need more.

Frimp from the Trading Post, thank you! I love this! Was not expecting to enjoy it so much. At first it is all destroying white flowers but then the mushroom-y loam notes come out. It is so interesting and botanical. I love how the floral aspect goes with the dirt notes and something slightly sweet as well. It smells like a perfume the fairies themselves would come up with. It makes me feel close to the plant kingdom. It also makes me feel a sense of rising above mundane concerns. My mind feels sharper. This is not an easy-going snuggly scent. I have two imps of this so not sure I need a bottle right away.

This is an utterly brilliant scent! The first thing I smell is fear and then a kind of implacable ruthlessness. Not evil or even mean-spirited but the scent of someone who simply must win. Because it is kill or be killed. The fear is still there alongside the ruthless determination. After about ten minutes the musk sweetens and blends with the leather. That uneasy "fear" scent recedes and I can understand why some people find this scent appealing to wear. now it smells like a fighter who is still in the business of fighting but doing something else at the moment. I will keep the imp as I like how it stimulates my imagination.

From the moment I apply this it is very powdery. Underneath the powder I can smell that the lemon, red currant and rose make a nice blend together so I don't think any of those are the problem. When I sniff my wrist directly it is pretty awful: powdery and "broken" smelling. Time to admit that violet really does not work on me (although Street Festival has violet leaf and that works.) this has two violets plus orris root. Doomy powder.

Ooooh, honey and musk! Sweet warm spiciness from cinnamon. It is the slinky quality of the skin musk and honey combination that makes this scent so lovely but there is a fair amount of cinnamon and, I think, ginger as well. As it dries the spices become less prominent in the wafting scent but still prominent when I sniff my wrist directly. I wonder if it might be stating either "Christmas"'or "Old Spice" to people smelling me. It makes me feel confident but it really isn't one I would wear regularly. Edit 10/16: Re-tested and am finding it less Christmas-spicy. The skin musk is gorgeous but it still seems like a fairly light, sweet, scent when it dries down. It isn't heavy and seductive. I am definitely putting a bottle of this in my next order.

The red musk is screechy and a little soapy at first but once it settles down: Hmmm..lovely chocolaty musk! Plum usually goes all grape-juice on me but not here. I am surprised how much I like the chocolate note. The plum, amaretto, chocolate are all blended together with a warm edge from ginger. As others have said this would be a great date night scent. EDIT: i had originally written that I didn't think this could be wearable for me other than a date night or sexytimes, but it really isn't that loud once it dries completely. It feels warm and possibly sexy but also fun and playful because of the sweet notes, and somehow comfortable, safe. I need to look for some more chocolate BPAL!

After 20 minutes (once the honey calms down) it smells like a wonderful warm vanilla-jasmine. The olive blossom and champaca seem to be there to blend with the jasmine and make it a more wearable, rounded, slightly smokey floral scent. The honey lends a golden sweetness. The cinnamon and sandalwood make a warm base for the floral scent. This is a gorgeous jasmine perfume. I think I prefer the soft, calming lunar haze of Mare Vaporum for my jasmine fix. Dufututa is sexier and more overtly gorgeous. Try it if you love jasmine and also if you love honey scents. Just wait a half hour to give it a chance to settle down.

Frimp from a kind decanter- thanks! So interesting how all these apple scents smell different from one another. This one is a chilly sliced apple that has been in the fridge, not warm and rich like Verdandi. It is indeed sweet with that watermelon edge of Jolly Rancher candies. The floral notes make it lovely though. After 20 minutes some of the candy sweetness has gone away and it becomes a very nice apples plus flowers scent. I can smell the birch clearly, it isn't the scent of birch wood but the scent of Birch Beer soda. Do they still make Birch Beer? This scent is making me want some and reminding me of childhood trips to Vermont and New Hampshire. After 40 minutes the apple has faded a bit and the apple blossom and Birch Beer become more prominent. It is still sweet but not candy-sweet anymore. As much as I like this I probably wouldn't wear it out and about enough to need a bottle. It is probably better suited to someone too young to remember Birch Beer. I will enjoy the imp though.

If you leave it on for ten minutes before trying to sort out the notes it becomes clearer that plum is the dominant fruit note with the others supporting and grapefruit adding a tartness. There is something slightly bitter here as well which interplays with the sweetness. It doesn't smell simply fruity. After 1/2 hour the fruits back off a bit and there is a musky note that comes out. It becomes less innocent. It may be the opium as well giving it a much more sophisticated vibe. The violet is more prominent now, a slinky soft violet. This is really a soft plum-violet scent it just takes a while to get there. I really really like this. Sadly, if I put on too much it gives me a headache.

I avoided the lab's jasmine for years but now it seems to be working on me! Tested Euphrosyne last night and it was lovely. Mata Hari is even better. OTOH this imp is five years old and it could be that the aging helps. Dry, the florals are smooth and deep, not as warm as Euphrosyne. I get more jasmine than rose. The fig and tonka do a great job of keeping the floral notes restrained. There is a subtle sweetness and creaminess, perhaps from the tonka. I don't smell coffee as a recognizable scent but it does seem to be in that slightly foody base that makes this work so well on my skin. Edit: Not sure if I will order another imp of this or a bottle. It is a bit strong and perfume-y to wear to work and possibly not my most favorite jasmine scent. Looking forward to trying more jasmine in this year's Lupercalia scents.

I put off trying this for ever because the lab's jasmine usually doesn't work on me. This time it is not turning into a cat box, maybe my chemistry is changing? Strong lemon at first with the jasmine and gardenia underneath, once the lemon pulls back it does a good job of keeping the florals from being too sweet. The vanilla helps everything blend. I used to love Guerlain's "y'lang et vanille" and this has a similar tone although the florals are different. I do not smell any rose in this. It is a sweet vanilla-floral but not as insipid as that vanilla-orchid BPAL that was so popular..can't remember the name. This is richer, the lemon lasts and keeps it from being too simple.the waft is much nicer than sniffing my wrist directly. After 1/2 hour the jasmine and gardenia have really melded into one scent and neither is really distinguishable. Vanilla and lemon making a lovely base for the florals. Not sure I need a bottle though, it might be a bit too rich and heady for me. I will wear it a few times and decide. Want to try Follow Me Boy as well.

Why did I not know about this scent before? I had a couple of treasured imps of The Temptation and loved it. This is similar but a bit stronger and longer lasting. When first applied, strongly apricot. It is lovely but at first I thought it might be too simply apricot to be a favorite. Dried, after about 1/2 hour, the orange blossom comes out and it feels more balanced. The white musk must contain some vanilla as the base of the scent seems to have some soft, cool vanilla. After 2 hours it is fainter, becomes more of a skin scent (they never last long on my skin though). At this phase it is vanilla-y white musk tinged with apricot and orange blossom, just heavenly. It seems to become the actual scent of my skin as fruits like apricot and peach have a relationship to skin-scent. I imagine a scent like this could draw someone closer as it smells so wonderful yet is a soft scent that they would have seek out. It is winter time now but I will continue to wear this from time to time anyway and will be buying more. Edit: this would be amazing as hairgloss and bath oil.

This was a frimp from the lab. When I first tried it I had to laugh because it is dead-on for how televisions used to smell when they were huge boxy things and if you put your face right up against it you could see the little dots of light that made up the picture. Now that it has aged a bit I can smell something aquatic (must be the ambergris), plus mint. There is a wonderful Spanish moss note that makes me feel wistfulness in my heart. Spanish Moss did the same thing to me in Silenti. It is more gentle here though. Once it is dry the mint is gone and it is really just the soft Spanish moss with something very slightly lemony. Is there some elemi in this? It is lovely and soft. I really like this. It doesn't smell like men's cologne to me at all in this stage. It is pretty and haunting while not at all "perfume" smelling. Maybe this could replace Ether although it doesn't have the bite that Ether did. I am so glad to have tried this! edited because I used the word "soft" four times.

Are there any mint blends where mint remains part of the scent for some time? It seems like an ephemeral top note that goes away quickly. I loved Mad Hatter for five minutes before the black musk stomped all over the lovely mint. edited to add: I am not really looking for a candy mint, more of a mint-tea or refreshing spearmint/peppermint,

I love the cooling lavender and pennyroyal topnotes of this one. They burn off quickly on me and leave a black musk. I loved the black musk in Lilith but this one reads as more masculine. I think there might be some amber in here as well, or maybe the musk and amber accords have some ingredients in common. This does smell pretty dirty, maybe this is because it is "feral" black musk. It could be sexy on a man but it is not for me. All in all a great scent interpretation of the Mad Hatter.

I grabbed this at random to test and had no idea what was in it. My first reaction was that it smelled really good, kind of tart or even bitter apple with something dark in the background. now that I've looked at the notes I really like the "black amber" in this scent. It actually smells like the amber in Tenochtitlan but not so sweet. The herbs are dark and slinky at first. After about fifteen minutes the spices become more apparent. I do like cinnamon-y scents and this seems balanced. It is mostly apple-tinged amber now with spices. I will test this further but it seems like a fabulous scent for fall and I'm pretty sure I will want more of this. Edit: Once it dries it is really more of an amber scent than an apple scent. Amber fans should definitely try this.

This was in my swap box. I guess when it was fresh the lemon verbena or cassia were too much and made it not a keeper. Now, a few years later, these notes have mellowed and blended and the result is delicious. Wet, the cherry comes out first, it goes through a period where the lemon verbena, cherry and spices don't really "add up" and it just smells strange. Then it kinds of lights up and smells great although still a little eerie and strange. This does not smell like any traditional scent at all. it dries down to a spicy cherry scent. I'm so glad I never swapped this. It is pretty but a bit dramatic and attention-getting. I don't go to clubs or anything like that, will have to be careful where I wear this one.