tacey

Fantastical, glowing, transitory, haunting... this is a beautiful rendition of a magical night. With so many notes, I had no idea what to expect, but it's truly a unique blend with nothing dominating. It does seem to vanish quickly from my skin, as others have noted. I love it anyway - the gradual changes will keep my attention all day.

Three Brides is a favorite of mine, but I've found it difficult to review. This is very well blended, so even when I can pick out a note, it doesn't do justice to say 'rose is present'. Yes, there is rose and mandarin at the front of this scent - but there's so much more! It's elegant and beautiful, gently skin-hugging but garnered the strongest compliment I've ever gotten on BPAL. It's delicate and feminine with a mysterious darkness underlying. It's creamy roses and sparkling citrus and swirling spices. I love it and am amazed by it and I don't care that the description of the parts is so much less than the full experience.

I can't believe I've never reviewed this one! This is one of my loves - it's perfect for cuddly weekends or putting on after work (when I change into soft clothes for the evening ). Very caramel, but quite sexy. The florals provide a depth to the sweetness and keep it from being in-your-face foody. It's super smooth, with the kind of patchouli that's just deep and dark, but not gritty at all. Fantastic - all the colors of the artwork, but none of the harshness the image might suggest. This is the FUN way to party with the devil...

First impression: sweet and perfumey. Does this have bourbon vanilla?!? [Ans: No, it does not. Perhaps the olive blossom? It also has chamomile, which is paired with vanilla in Sachs, so I might have that scent association going on.] I think the 'perfumey' part may be the apple blossom. Very nice, but I really can't pick out any notes. Sweet (not overtly floral, to my nose) and gently smoky. This is not a literal battlefield. It's not gentle or soft - the colors are quite hard-edged, but it's not harsh. I think the frankincense, beeswax, apple blossom, and olive blossoms are dominating, but I'm not deeply familiar with any of these notes. Very nice, a little dreamy - not in my usual style, but I think I'll enjoy it.

Bought this unsniffed and then I got nervous - but it worked out beautifully. The red currant seems to be the dominant note, but the others are clearly present as a background. The vanilla, the sage, and maybe the cedar (not piney cedar, but something soft and woodsy) mellow the sweetness of the fruits. The mandarin orange brightens the currant and makes the whole thing feel very fun.

I'm amazed. Not only does this sound like an impossibly futuristic tool, but I didn't even know the blog was here... /is bad bpal-er QS, truly, this is beyond everything. You are such an unbelievable blessing to this community.

I didn't recognize this one, so I was waiting for someone with personal knowledge to chime in here. But I didn't find "Bauble" anywhere on the Lab site, and the only review for it is from the 2009 Trading Post Inquisition: review. So you're exactly right, as far as I can tell.

I'll try this again later, but for now it's pure strawberry syrup - the heavy stuff you get at a restaurant buffet. I don't get any peach or creaminess, but I'm hoping that will change after it rests a bit... ETA: retried Jan-2011 - still strawberry syrup. Maybe a hint of something tangy at the back, but barely detectable to my nose. Boo.

A simple vanilla-mint blend. I don't notice any fir, although it might be adding some subtle depth, I suppose. I do get an occasional waft of 'cold' that's distinct from the mint - not sure how that works! This is not doing the plastic/playdough thing that Snow White and Snow-Flakes did for me (2009 for both), for anyone interested.

Woah. Anise like crazy - where is that coming from. Gotta wash this off... Very strong throw, at least in the wet stage. Lotsa red musk and black pepper - I didn't get any vanilla/tea/leather, but the anise didn't belong, so YM will almost certainly V. I have no insight regarding pie...except my husband thought 'cotton candy' from across the room.

It was a Limited Edition so it can no longer be ordered from the Lab. You may find someone offering it on the Sales or Swap pages. You can also post an ISO in the Wanted forum. HTH Thanks! That's what I was afraid of. Guess it's one for the wishlist - appreciate the response.

Is the Shojo Beat scent Midnight Kiss still available from the Lab? I have a bookmark to the page, but I can't actually find a link. Was this an LE? Can I still order it?

There's a close family resemblance between Pomegranate II (Yule 2010) and Croquet (Mad Tea Party GC). They're certainly not identical, but if you love one (or need just a small tweak) I'd suggest trying the other. Pomegranate II: Pomegranate, white musk, lemon verbena, grapefruit, pink lime. Croquet: Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk.

First, a mega-thank you to the generous azurephoenix for giving me a decant of this - you're a sweetheart! My first impression - in vial and wet - was pina colada. Sweetly alcoholic and real coconut. Unexpected and very nice! I was leaning toward a last-minute purchase. However. About 30 mins in now, and something plastic-y ugh is coming out. I destroyed Snow White, too, and they are apparently related scents, so perhaps it was predictable. At any rate, this is going bad places pretty quickly, due to whatever skin interaction... so I'm really happy to have gotten to try it, but it's just not going to work for me. FWIW, I never noted any florals or mint - some fizzy coolness, but my impression was Drink! more than anything else...

Possibly Quicksilver Phoenix (Anniversary 2009)? Notes: Cinnabar and silvery liquid droplets of mastic, white sandalwood, elemi, and lavender.

LOL! Best coincidence ever - I was just typing the Lab's email address, about to ask about a delayed order when a new email pops in -- my CNS! [happy bounces] For the record, this is my CNS from a 6/26 order that included Raptor Moon and some Carnies. Not sure if there was anything other than the Raptor backorder going on, though.

Sri Lanka is a gorgeous smokey patchouli on me...

It's cold, earthy, and solitary - not depressing, I don't think. Not anticipatory or green, either, though. For the cold, quiet, stillness - that could work! You might consider Cloister Graveyard in the Snow for a related concept.

It's not a musk (as listed, anyway), but your description sounds like a lot of people's experience with O: [Review] The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla. Other than that, you seem to have hit everything I'm thinking of...

Do you ever wake up and KNOW what kind of scent you need for the day, and then discover that YOU DON'T OWN ONE LIKE THAT? I'm off kilter today, because I don't own a gorgeous summery flower garden. I'm not talking about a simple floral blend with two or three notes - I need the whole thing, drenched in heat and sunshine and every color and shape of flower that exists. I have Jasmine Cottage and Garden Patch with Chickens (well, imps of each), but they're both way to the 'greenery' side - ivy and grass and what I keep reading as weeds... But the imagery and descriptions of these are exactly what I mean. I've never sniffed E Pluribus Unum, but that's got the idea, too - just an enourmous bouquet of everything. Can you tell I'm in the mood for over the top? Specific notes: I have trouble with rose and lily of the valley (from queen of hearts), and jasmine has been known to behave beautifully or completely overwhelm. And I just don't care for things described as 'white florals' or 'gentle florals' - the unicorn doesn't reach me at all. So, what should I try out in my next order or post an ISO for?

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I've added The East to my wishlist to check out sometime - I've been intrigued by it off and on, so your rec is really encouraging. Hanging Gardens really is a beautiful scent - to me, it's an evening garden, but it's still wonderful and very much in line with what I wanted. It's on order, and my imp has been resurrected! And now I have a great goal to go through some more GCs in search of - always a welcome excuse!

Ooooh, nice image! I see why Black Tower doesn't work! Hmmmm... it's certainly not cold, but what about THE WILD MEN OF JEZIRAT AL TENNYN Fiery, primal, and precociously diabolical: red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower. Or maybe one of these? I'm looking for something that suggests that cold jungle, with a hint of loneliness (for the sole watcher) THE ISLES OF DEMONS Twin islands near Newfoundland, now lost, that were believed to be gateways to Hell. The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands. ÎLE DE LA TORTUE Damp air trapped in limestone caverns, heady greenery, hothouse orchids, nicotiana blossoms, bois de chandel, elemi, palm wine, garambullo, pega-pega, flame of the forest, and a swirl of Haitian vetiver. NIFLHEIM The House of Mists, a land of icy fog, shadowy darkness and soul-chilling cold. Dark, damp blossoms winding through an impenetrable, murky gloom.

Wow - what a fascinating holiday! And quite a challenge to embody with a single BPAL. I'm sure you'll get all sorts of interesting suggestions. For the eyes of the god, you might consider, from Excolo: THE ZORYA Also called the Auroras. The Slavic Triple Goddesses of the Dawn, Sky and Light, who govern the paths of the day. The guard the constellation Ursa Minor from the chained Hound of Doomsday; should they ever fail in their duty, and the chain breaks, the universe will end. UTRENNYAYA, The Morning Star Osmanthus, Damascus rose, violet, delphinium, white mint, palmarosa and white sandalwood. VECHERNYAYA, The Evening Star Three white musks with poppy and patchouli. ZORYA, The Midnight Star Spices of the Orient mingle with crystalline musk, midnight flowers and cereus, jasmine, primrose and vesper iris. For 'the blue stars that house the dead', I thought of SILENCE (The Salon) White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach. The image of the lookout, the cold night, and the hope for a successful harvest are tough. Maybe THE BLACK TOWER (Bewitching Brews) A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine. What do you think? Anything resonate from those?

Monarch is one of those blends that act like two completely different scents on my skin vs in my locket. And it's morphing rapidly both places, so I may need to edit this in the future, when I'm more familiar with the whole range. On skin: Weirdly, a very dense/opaque scent. Kinda like a very firm pillow. The dominant note is pumpkin, but not at all the same pumpkin as was in the 2009 Pumpkin Patch (my only experience with pumpkin notes) - I suspect the mango is driving it in a different direction, but I really can't pick out any mango specifically. Wet, this is a very familiar, candy-like scent - sweet and buttery. As it dries, however, the ginger really starts coming out - this is a gooood stage. If the first stage was a plump firm pillow, the ginger adds a fantastic playful fringe to the edges. It's fading pretty fast, and practically no throw. Really pretty, however. Locket: THERE'S the mandarin! For the first hour (while the skin was moving from pumpkin dominance toward red ginger), the locket scent was gorgeously orange over soft pumpkin. Bright and colorful - almost soaring. It put me more in mind of birds than butterflies, actually. And further along the locket timeline the mandarin is slowly falling behind the pumpkin in prominence. Much more evenly balanced than it was on my skin, though. I like it very much, now - slightly sweet and smooth (buttery, I guess?) with a subtle zing. ETA: Late the same afternoon. The locket scent is much more on the pumpkin side, and it's actually now something I would consider strongly foodie. I'm not liking it as well as I did earlier, but if you're hoping for sweet pumpkin with subtle orange, this could be your thing!

Thank you both for all the good suggestions and links! I had seen several of the threads, but my quick skim seemed to say that most of the questions covered were not quite what I'm looking for. I'll go through them in better detail, though, definitely. I have imps of a few of those mentioned, so I'll pull them out and see if they fill my need... And the ones I don't have I'll check into -- might add to a wishlist! I'm surprised I'm having trouble with this -- there are sooooo many florals, I just didn't realize how specific most of them are.