perclexed

Definitely can smell the myrhh, though as it dries the balsam emerges. I'm thinking the embalming herbs and the storax are providing this 'cloying' sense that's filling my head on the drydown. Once it was on for a while they melded and merged and provided a unique scent. It makes me feel peaceful, reverant, and still. I like it! ETA: While I agree with a previous poster that it does smell quite a bit like Nag Champa, I think the storax and the herbs are just too sickly sweet for me. Had to wash it off at 45 min as it was giving me a headache. :/

Wet it was very citrus and herbal. After an hour or so the frankincense came through and blended really well with the basil and sage. With the ambergris I think it's a bit sweet with the savory. A really fantastic blend. As many have commented above, I find it much more masculine than other BPAL scents, but on me it smells like the promise of Calvin Klein's CK. But much more mellow, less sharp, and decidedly more pleasant. Sadly, it also appears to be fading rapidly. I would have to buy a 5ml and probably apply it more than once during the day to maintain the scent.

GUH. OMG. Want. Want more. Want more now. It's like lying in a vast field of freshly strewn red, pink and white rose petals on a slightly damp lawn on a summer's morning/evening. It has that slightly 'green' smell to it that makes me swoon. Holy f**k I must buy more of this. This is the best of the Yule blends for me. Wow. This is why I buy BPAL - for absolute winners like Rose Red. *swoons*

Love. Love love love love love. I can't pick out any specific thing I like about this, but I adore it. It's like freshly shampooed (with inexpensive, drug store shampoo like Suave or something), blow dried hair after a day of being in the sun and running through a meadow during the summertime. And it just screams "love the one you're with" or something. Fantastic! Must have more. Pronto.

Sharp, dusty and hatefully nervous smelling. Too sharp for me to wear for long - it's like a masculine version of smelling salts. A sort of slap in the face at the beginning, it calms after about 15 and smells more like my junior high woodshop classroom - aged sawdust with eons of masculine musk. It faded rapidly, and I can't really feel bad about that.

I think the Lab does remarkable things with the rose scents, and this is no exception. I love roses. Peacock Queen has a little bit more of a plastic scent to it than Rose Red does, but that disappears once it's warmed up on my skin a bit. It isn't one that invites you to bury your nose in the bloom though; it's more of a 'smell me from over there and don't you dare get close enough to marr my perfection' kind of rose. This is one of the few that matches the Lab description of the scent once it's on my skin.

'05 version - Not really peaceful for me. Has a bit of that "Pine Sol" tinge to it. OK, but overwhelming. Likely would do as a candle and not on-skin scent. '04 version - definitely can smell berries in this more than in the '05 scent, though I'm wondering if that's mostly an aging issue. I definitely prefer the '04, and enjoyed wearing it in the spirit of the holiday season.

On me? Nothing but regular and watermelon Bubbalicious bubble gum. If I was going out for a roller skating party I might wear this, but there are way too many memories of long, hormone filled nights at the skating rink to wear this.

Definitely all about patchouli and the sandalwood. The cardamom combines with something else to make it rather spicy. It reminds me of going for a relaxing walk in the redwood forests of California, and enjoying the fact that I was by myself and at peace. I plunked my bum down on a damp log and just...sat for a while. That sense memory doesn't really jive with the description, but I really like this scent.

I like the roses in this, but once again I think the carnation did me wrong. It didn't turn quite the same way Maiden did, but it's enough to keep me from loving this scent. There is an undertone of something clean, and fresh, which I think is probably the balsam, and I really wish this worked on me. It's just enough 'off' and soapy that I'll likely trade it away. Bummer!

I didn't get anything like the scent description! This smells like, well, Dumbledore to me. Sugary Mr. Clean, or lemon sherberts. Oddly enough, once it dried down it was more subtle and complex, but still. Mostly just sugary lemons.

Very interesting in the bottle, mostly leather, clove and lemon on me as it dries down. This is one of those scents that would make me want to get a little bit closer to the person wearing it. Intriguing, complex, and it makes bits of me tingle, in all kinds of good ways. After a little bit more of the citrus came out, but the base of leather and clove melded well with it.

Like having figs with tea under an awning during a lazy, contented mid-spring afternoon, when you can smell the greening on the air, and are reveling in the still cool, but warming sun. I really like it - very light and soothing, yet refreshing.

I'm not much for the really foody scents, but this was like a milder, more fun and cheeky version of Milk Moon for me. Definitely cheesecake, with a bit of lemon and vanilla. Surprising throw for the teeny amount I put on, but not one that stayed on my skin very long. Tasty, playful, and it made me want to throw myself into holiday baking pronto.

2004 version, and I really like it. It's like a plate of pfeffernusse, a crock of mulled cider and possibly a basket of warm cranberry muffins nestled near an evergreen. Kind of a scent that makes me think of how good it would feel to come home to that after being out in the snow and the cold for a long walk. A little bit strong on me, and I barely put any on. Would definitely be fantastic in a candle if you don't have the evergreen, the cookies muffins or the mulled cider available.

As everyone else mentioned, VERY lavender. I was almost overwhelmed upon opening the decant I received from a friend. I think there are at least two additional notes, but I can't identify them. My nose wrinkles and I usually can't decide if it was really a good idea to put it on once it's on and wet, but it's definitely soothing on the drydown. It reminds me of sliding between fresh, crisp and cool sheets after swimming in the sun all day as a kid. I usually sleep like a rock when I apply this, and have to make sure I am able to get at least eight hours of sleep before waking, because I find it difficult to get my bum outta bed after using this oil the night before. It takes probably twice as long to get going again, as my body/consciousness doesn't seem to want to leave the sleep state. Overall, I would, and probably will purchase more from the lab. Good stuff!

I wasn't sure I liked this when I first put it on this morning before leaving for work. It was a random pick from the imps I got in my latest order. Some of the leather scents have not appealed to me once they're on my skin, but this one proved to be an exception. The leather softened considerably as the day went on, allowing the amber and musk to warm up. All in all this ended up blending notes very well after a couple of hours. It makes me think of a very active, very warm room, where you're only really comfortable if you're in somewhat brief clothing and, er, sweating a bit. I'll likely buy a 10ml for myself when I order again.

Love the ylang ylang, but with the myrrh this isn't one on me to make me stand up and cheer. I like it, and I would definitely use it in the right circumstances, but it's not enough of a winner on me to inspire me to obtain more than the imp I have.

OK, oddly enough I just reviewed Maiden and named the carnation as a source of many headachy ills. Perhaps the five ambers in this scent help the carnation blend with my skin better. Regardless, every time I smell this scent, it makes my head spin with possibilities. I always wear this on Friday, or Freya's day, and smile when it wafts to my nose. Though it goes a little powdery on me (perhaps it's the apple blossom that contributes to that?) as the day wears on, it's OK - it smells exactly like the amber resin I crush to use in my incenses. This is a scent of feminine power and potential to me. It's one of the small number of 10mls I've bought from the Lab, and I treasure it!

I think the carnation really didn't work with my skin. It turned really harsh, and monster headache inducing on me. That said, it's lovely in the bottle and it would be interesting to use as a candle dressing, especially around Imbolc. I liked Maiden. It really did not like me.

I'm having really good luck with the Excolo scents. Pele (along with Nuit) is destined to become a staple fragrance for me. I love Hawaiian white ginger, and the florals blend really well with it and my particular chemistry. I get just a faint hint of suntan lotion from this, but it's more like the scent of warm skin with just a tinge of the ocean on a bright breezy day. I love Pele.

I think I have a thing for the discontinued scents. Heh. I loved this. Definitely roseroserose, though the ylang ylang emerged about 15 min after I first applied it. It brought up a formerly bittersweet memory of having a guy I liked in college absent mindedly plucking a rose off the bush in is yard and handing it to me while we argued about politics. That memory used to cause me much angst - now it just makes me smile ruefully. I love this and may have to post to see if anyone has some they can spare. Really a lovely scent.

I'm still working on educating my nose for reviews. In the meantime, I post what I 'see' when I smell the scent. I used but a *drop* from the imp wand of this scent, and it almost knocked me over with its strength. It calls to mind a group of people with nefarious purposes, gathered around a huge fire in a barren land, calling up ebil things and engaging in a dark dance of malicious intent. It's like a hot, dry, dark wind sweeping across the landscape, obliterating everything in its path and glorying in the screams of those that disintegrate. I'm not sure if it's the black amber and cedarwood that just steamrolls over everything else, but I'll have a hard time cracking the imp open again.

My reviews are never sophisticated, just a summary of what I 'see' when I wear the scents. I feel transported to a lush desert garden or oasis, where I feel protected and enclosed in everything that is verdant and vibrant and good. It makes me want to dance under the stars, their brilliance undiluted by the presence of a new, dark moon, in thanks to Her. It's like I could live on this scent alone, and not long for sustenance of any kind. It's a scent that makes me think of safety, of celebration, of laughter and good natured wickedness, temptation, satisfaction. I just ordered a 10ml of this, and it will become a staple in my BPAL rotation.

My nose is rather uneducated, but here are my thoughts on this scent. It reminds me of that first, barely detectable shift from winter into spring. Crisp air, snow-dampened evergreen tress, but citrusy too. Like the smell of a clove-studded orange in a holiday stocking. It's cold but with a promise of warmth. It's a scent I would use during January or February here in the Pacific Northwest - the times when you appreciate the season of rest and contemplation, but are filled with hope, knowing that the sun will return and disperse the mists and grey that linger. I'd happily buy a 5ml of it if it makes it to the GC.