caitilarkin

In the bottle: Thick, herbal honey with faint florals Wet on skin: The thick honey is receeding just a tad, and I can pick out the yummy copal, honeysuckle and chamomile. There's also a grainy note--maybe it's the yarrow? (I've never smelled yarrow before.) Dry on skin: This is thicker and sweeter than Litha 06. On my skin, the main similarity between the two is the lovely honey note. This year's version also lasts longer on me--over 12 hours. I wore this yesterday (on Summer Solstice) and it was absolutely perfect.

I almost didn't buy this because the dreaded jasmine is the first note listed, but ultimately I couldn't resist the story and Lilith's sweet baby face. In the bottle: Lots of sweet jasmine and lime Wet on skin: I love candied tamarind (for those who have never tried it, it's a sweet/sour/tart fruit) and I swear I can smell it here, just a tad. There's also a bit of margarita in the background and the jasmine is still present. (And not amping or going soapy. YAY!) The primary smell now is the lime, though. Dry on skin: As the blend dries, the Dorian comes out and the margarita amps--a Dorian margarita! Later, the moss and other florals take a turn before the blend ends up as a sweetened Dorian. This is absolutely unique, evocative and slatherworthy.

Plumeria, pear and white champagne. In the imp: Tropical floral with a faint tinge of alcohol (the drinking variety, not the icky perfume kind) Wet on skin: Yup, this is definitely plumeria all the way. The champagne adds a tiny kick and the pear is nowhere to be found. This makes me sad because I love the Lab's pear note. Dry on skin: Once the plumeria calms down the blend is quite lovely. If you like plumeria, you'll love Thalia.

In the imp: Lovely spiced amber Wet on skin: The berries have arrived, and they're kind of grainy as well as sweet. Dry on skin: I never got any iris with this, but the spiced amber with a berry background is very nice. This also lasted pretty well (over five hours), so it will probably go into the regular rotation as I am an amber fiend.

In the imp: Salt water with a touch of cream (this description isn't appealing but the scent is quite comforting and yummy--previous reviewers have compared it to condensed milk and I agree with that) Wet on skin: Gah. The aquatic note is going soapy on me and clashing with the milk note. Dry on skin: Sadly, this didn't work on my skin at all due to the soapiness, but it's nice in my scent locket.

In the imp: Grass and fresh water Wet on skin: The florals have appeared but they're drowning Dry on skin: Apparently peony and/or tulip do not like me. And I need to accept that most of the Lab's aquatic notes don't like me either. This blend, so fresh and springlike in the imp, turned into acrid soap on my skin. Ah well.

In the imp: Gah. Lots of bitter cypress. Wet on skin: The cypress amped for a bit, then faded to provide backing for heady, sweet florals. Dry on skin: This morphed into a lovely blend of mostly orchid and currant, backed by poppy and labdanum. I never did get any myrrh and the cypress retreated after about an hour. I didn't expect to like this but I really did.

I'm not a floral gal, but I liked this one because the notes are not the usual rose/lily/jasmine perfume fare. As other reviewers mentioned, I think there's an uncredited light musk in the blend which appears at drydown and deepens the florals. Although it didn't last long on me (about two hours), it never went soapy or shrill as florals often do on my skin. Definitely will be keeping the imp.

I've never smelled crocuses or snowdrops, so this will be an olfactory education for me. In the imp: Light, white florals Wet on skin: I can definitely pick out the lily influence, and the other notes are registering as very green and fresh, as others have mentioned. Dry on skin: The florals become deeper and richer with time--it's almost like they're blooming. Lasted about 4 hours on me and never go in to soapy territory as so many floral notes do with me.

In the imp: Sweet blue florals and fresh water (as opposed to a salty aquatic note) Wet on skin: Gah. Something's going soapy. Dry on skin: I don't know if it's the aquatics or the florals, but this blend has turned--and remained--exceedingly soapy.

In the imp: Definitely picking up the rum and tobacco, backed by the sweetness of the tonka Wet on skin: The chardonnay is lightening the mood of the blend, but also making it really boozy. Dry on skin: After morphing wildly for about an hour, this blend settles down to sweet rum and chardonnay. I never get any leather, and the tobacco disappears fairly quickly. My skin just loves the boozy notes. This lasts for more than 8 hours on me, changing greatly in the first hour or so. It'll be a good one to reach for when I want a rum scent.

In the imp: Lovely woods and greenery with spiced wine in the background Wet on skin: The juniper is amping just a tad, but it's being held back from getting too sharp by the other wood and wine notes Dry on skin: Spiced wine sipped languidly in front of a roaring fire while a storm rages over the moors outside the window of your snug English inn... I love this one.

In the imp: Fruit backed by tea Wet on skin: I'm not getting a noticeable berry scent; it's mostly generic fruit. And the tea is AWOL... Dry on skin: Well, the good news is that the sage never appears (it's always terrible on my skin). Bad news: the berries are more like Fruit Roll Ups than real berry. Sad!

I totally forgot that I had an imp of this. Now that I've tried it I definitely know that it will become a favorite. Honeysuckle is one of my favorite florals and this is pretty much single-note honeysuckle on me. YAY!

In the imp: Light white florals Wet on skin: The same florals, which are thankfully not amping into soap as some floral notes do Dry on skin: This lovely wisp of a scent only lasts about 3 hours on me, but will be good for muggy days when I want something flowery rather than clean.

In the imp: Apple blossom and light amber Wet on skin: The amber notes are melding with the apple blossom and a tiny hint of carnation to produce a warm, resinous floral. Dry on skin: After an hour or so, this is warm, rich amber with a hint of sweetness from the apple blossom and a touch of spicy carnation. I love BPAL's amber, and this is the most amber-y blend I've tried yet so it will be in heavy rotation.

In the imp: Rich honey and high, light florals (hello, ylang ylang!) Wet on skin: The honey holds its own, the fig comes out to play, and the clove, patchouli and ylang ylang are present just enough to tantalize. Dry on skin: The combination of honey, ylang ylang and fig would be enough to make a very sensual blend, but the subtle earthiness of the patchouli and the teasing bite of the clove put Hetairae squarely into WILD MONKEY SEX territory on my skin. I wore this to a party recently and my date, um, commented favorably on it and visibly reacted to it. Too bad we were in a public place...with his parents. I love this one for obvious reasons, but hereafter it will be worn only in certain situations to elicit a specific reaction.

In the imp: YOWZA strong dragon's blood Wet on skin: Still primarily dragon's blood, which I like quite well, but I was hoping for some sandalwood as well. Dry on skin: Joy! The sandalwood has shown up--actually, I can detect several different sandalwood notes--and they're blending beautifully with the dragon's blood. I love this once it's dry--the blend of spicy sandalwoods and syrupy dragon's blood is lovely on my skin. And this baby is tenacious; it lasted all day on me and I could still smell it faintly the next morning. This is a win, especially in cooler weather.

In the imp: Strong, sweet dragon's blood Wet on skin: I amp dragon's blood to the highest level of amping, and florals are also strong on me, so this blend is fiercely sweet and sticky. Dry on skin: Well, as much as I love dragon's blood, it needs to be coupled on my skin with notes that will tame it. Florals just encourage it to sweet debauchery. This is far too cloying for me. Oh well...

In the imp: Sweet violet, but no incense or clove to be found Wet on skin: Ahhhhh, there's the clove and it's lovely--just spicy enough but not overpowering. The tonka is coming out more, and blending nicely with the violet. Dry on skin: I can't stop huffing my wrists...the tonka marries the violet and clove perfectly, making this a lovely and unique blend. The incense never appears, but that's okay with me. Sybaris lasted over 10 hours on my first test and it's going strong again today. I love this and will be ordering a bottle.

In the imp: Lusty sandalwood and patchouli--this is my first experience with the red versions of these notes and I really like their sandy warmth. Wet on skin: Noooooooo...I had hope that the sandalwood and patchouli would form an alliance to take down the frankincense, but they are no match for it at this point. Dry on skin: This would be lovely if not for the frankincense, which amps into sharp bitterness on me. Sad! I'm going to let my imp age, because the sandalwood/patchouli combo would be absolutely lovely if the frankincense would just chill out a bit.

A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. In the imp: YOWZA! Strong florals and faint green tea Wet on skin: The tea is a bit stronger and still very green. Dry on skin: Finally, the tea and florals are balanced. This smells quite a bit like Dirty on my skin--very light, green and vaguely citrusy. Maybe the tea has lemon in it. In any case, it's nice enough on me but I won't need a bottle.

In the imp: Black tea with cream and a tiny bit of spice that must be coming from the white pepper, because it sure doesn't smell like ginger Wet on skin: The linen note, which is lovely on me in Wensleydale and Antique Lace, is doing weird things here...it's drowning out the tea and starting to smell kind of like biscotti. Dry on skin: No tea, ginger, or cream; after about half an hour, this blend smells like dry toast on my skin. A very strange experience...

In the imp: Green tea and spicy wasabi, and also a little whiff of sage, my sworn enemy Wet on skin: The sage is amping, but it's not going bitter as it usually does on my skin. The frankincense has also come out but isn't going sharp and powdery like it often does. So far, the only that is misbehaving is the cedar, which is threatening to morph into its hamster cage variation. Dry on skin: Given about 45 minutes, the cedar and the sage miraculously calm down and this blend is beautiful--green, creamy from the teas, spicy from the wasabi and deliciously herbal. It doesn't last very long on me (about three hours) or I would be very tempted to get a bottle. But I will definitely make use of my decant.

In the imp: Oh mama, it's carnation and honey, two of my favorite notes. Wet on skin: The rose and bergamot are coming out to play just a tad, but neither of them are amping. The milk is a bit player, keeping the other notes muted and innocent. Dry on skin: Like many blends with honey, this gets stronger on me with time. The carnation lasts very well, tempered ever so slightly by the milk and the florals. The blend lasted over 12 hours on my first test. Ever so lovely! I need a bottle, now.