thekittenkat

In the bottle: Wow, boozey, peppery coconut! Wet: more of the same, only sweeter. There's a bit of an odd caramel note, probably coming from the angelica. Dry: getting a bit more delicate. It's like a Pina Coloda (msp.?) drink, only not as sweet as those can be. This could be a good summer or autumn scent. Too heavy for winter or spring.

In the bottle: pear, tea, and the lime sugar mixed with the green musk. Wet: a little sweeter than in the bottle. Dry: this is a nice light summery scent. The carnation is not obvious, but it seems to be giving a nice depth to the scent.

KHALKOKORUSTÊS Armed With Bronze Champaca, pear, cedar, black pepper, jasmine, and red sandalwood. I love pear, and I haven't tried many blends with it as a note, so I was anxious to try Khalkokorustes. Mostly what I got out of this was the pear, the cedar (lovely aroma), and the red sandalwood. There was a hint of pepper, and that was what was probably keeping this oil from being too (not the best word, but I can't think of anything better at the moment) sweet (not foodie sweet) and maybe the champaca as well, so that everything seem to be blended beautifully in the bottle, and stayed that way throughout. I did not detect jasmine, so those of you who amp jasmine might try testing this. For me, I think this will be bottle-worthy.

In the bottle: A light, delicate scoop of berries with a hint of mint. Wet: There is a cold note here; in fact it feels cool on my skin. The raspberries are there, and there's that slightly perfumy note that I get from Lady Una when I've been wearing it for a few hours, so I'm thinking that's the blackberries. And the mint note is still present but still faint. It's as though I had just come inside to the cool of the A/C, had washed off my fresh-picked berries, and had also cut some mint earlier, and it was just piled up on the counter, waiting to be used. There's also an open bowl of sugar near-by, and I'm about to take down the vanilla flavouring (real not imitation) in preparation for making the berries sweeter. The dry-down: And there might be a hint of baked pie crust, but it's buried deep in the mix, just waiting for those berries to make it into a pie. Still, lots of lovely dark berries, and that touch of mint. Basically, if you like blackberries, raspberries, and a bit of mint, you should like this. However, I think I'm going to have to slather, as it doesn't last very long.

In the bottle: Chocolate with some spices. Good lord, but this is yummy! Wet: The chocolate is turning into dry cocoa powder. I think there's some chilies in there, with those spices. The dry-down: I like this in the bottle better than on my skin, so I'm thinking I'll have to put it in a scent locket. This pretty much stays the same on me from start to finish. I like it, but there are other chocolate scents from the Lab that I like better.

In the bottle: Juniper, with some spices whirling deep down in the mix. Wet: Dang, but someone threw some smushed-up juniper berries mixed in with fresh green twigs at my nose! But almost immediately, the twigs and berries are freshened and sweetened by the nutmeg and clove. There's a hint of gin, as in ginger, but only faintly. Not sure about the wormwood note, but I suspect it's what's keeping this scent a tad edgy with a sharp spiciness as a bottom note that can't be laid at the doorstep of clove or nutmeg. The dry-down: As this dries down, it becomes sweeter, due to the nutmeg and clove, and also softer. This is very much a skin scent on me, and I'm also thinking that it might make a good winter-time scent. I'll have to compare this to Lines/Hills for later testing. I'm also reminded a bit of Cloister Graveyard. The juniper tree is a conifer which explains that piney woods scent note. It's more masculine to my taste, but I still like it.

CT Frankincense 90 is interesting. Something sweet, like sugar and frankincense and a hit of a berry in the bottle. Wet, that berry morphs into a citrus fruit, some kind of an orange, perhaps. Drying, it's losing the fresh fruit scent, and seems to be a powdery frankincense with some sweetness, and tempered by an amber note, perhaps. This is probably a candidate for the scent locket, as I really like the scent out of the bottle.

CT Vanilla 80 is rich sweet chocolate in the bottle. Wet on skin, it's chocolate and vanilla, with something lurking underneath, perhaps a white or skin musk. In the dry down, everything has blended together nicely. Comes off like a milk chocolate with a hint of musk. This is a keeper.

I was sent a sniffie of this by the wonderful sirensea. Thanks so much! This is amazing. I'm taken back to my clubbing days. We would have killed for something this good. I huff my wrist and can't stop. It's orgasmic, and I never thought that I would say that about any perfume. I can detect many of the notes: the musk, the plum, the resins, and the incense; not sure how exactly the tar and amber should smell, but I'm sure that they are adding to the lovely richness of this blend. Can't wait for my bottle to arrive so I can add to this review.

In the decant: All the florals are present, but the wisteria is the top note, and that herb tincture is obvious. Wet: The rose and the violet leaf are becoming more apparent, and the lovely frankincense is peeking out. The dry-down: As the oil dries, the amber shows up. Between it and the rose, this could go a little powdery on me. At the moment, it's a very old-fashioned scent, or at least what I would consider old-fashioned. So it would seem that the name of this scent is rather appropriate. This stays true to the idea of a floral perfume that is kept from being too flowery with the amber and the frankincense. I like it, but I have a number of rose perfume oils already. A partial bottle would be nice.

In the LE bottle: A very pleasant combination of all the notes. It's difficult to pick out just one. Wet: Very much as in the bottle. The rum and the liquor are the base notes, with all the fruits mashed up in a yummy concoction. The pink lime, the ginger, and the brandy are keeping this from being too heady, too sweet, too fruity. Very well-blended. The dry-down: If this was a drink, instead of a perfume oil, I would like it. I can see myself sitting by a pool on a tropical island somewhere warm, a nice mix of clouds and sun overhead, and having a pleasant day with no worries as I sip on my drink. Oh, look, there's a pop of ginger. Yum!

No notes listed or given. In the imp: Very bright in tone, some ozone, maybe something like sage, mint, lemongrass. Wet: Very like as in the imp. Strong throw! Perhaps a faint touch of sap or a citrus note. The dry-down: This doesn't really morph. I like it, and will share with the bf. Lies on the masculine side of unisex. It could perk one up on a rainy summer day. Could have been one of the Metal Phoenixes.

This is my fave of the Black Helicopters series and the only one I was tempted to order a bottle unsniffed/untested. It is as good as I had hoped. If you like the Lab's various tea scents, you should like Teatime in Roswell. In the decant/bottle: Sweet tea and cakes. Wet: The Earl Grey (has bergamot orange) tea has a lot of sugar in it. I suspect that comes from the biscuits (what the British call cookies) and the cake (Battenberg cake has apricot jam for filling and marzipan for frosting, which comes from almonds). Only faint hints of the bergamot, but it is there. The dry-down: As this dries, the delicate hint of bread and mint arrives from the cucumber sandwiches. Also, the Earl Grey tea comes on a bit more strongly, but seems like Lady Gray instead, which is fine, as I prefer her to her husband, the Earl. Really, this is a proper tea party, and I shall have to indulge myself in seconds. Please pass the milk and lemon.

In the decant: Slight sweet mums with a squeezing of lemon juice, maybe. Wet: Very much as in the decant. This has some throw, mostly the sugar. As it starts to dry, I'm getting more of the lemongrass. Lemongrass can be a deal-breaker for me, and it may be happening here. The dry-down: The zdravetz, which is basically a 'mum, is amping along with the lemongrass. There's still some sweetness, but this is not a sugared lemon. I'd be very happy if it was. Or a lemon drop/lemon sherbet candy. The musk and amber are the base notes, grounding everything together. I'm really not sure that I will need a bottle of this. On the bf, the lemongrass amped like crazy. I hope that Beth revisits this concept in the future, and uses lemon instead of lemongrass, and leaves out the florals. It doesn't have to be too sweet, either.

In the bottle: The white rose is the top note, with the honey and the cream as bottom notes. Wet: The white rose is still dominant, but the honey and cream, which are medling together nicely, are coming up from below to make this a sweet, lovely blend of scents. I love huffing my wrist at this point, and can visualise a dessert made of honeyed cream, with a rosewater flavouring. For all the foodiness of the cream and honey, this is a mild and delicate scent, one that I can see wearing out when you still want a yummy scent, but don't want to be too over-powering. The dry-down: I put this on late last night as a bedtime scent, wanting something very comforting, and that's exactly what Miss Katrina is. Not too foodie, not too floral. The white rose might have a trace of powder, but not very much. There needs to be more scents where the white rose note is used, since it seems that I don't amp it like crazy, as can happen with the red rose note. There's still lovely whiffs of the honey and cream and the rose if I sniff my wrist, so it's very much a skin scent by now. If you like White Rose, I think that you will like this, although it's less floral and more foodie.

In the imp: The oleander is most prominent, kept from being too sharp by the honey. Wet: The honey immediately begins to soften and smooth the sharpness of the oleander, though it's a slow process. The dry-down: In the end, this is a nice floral-scented but faint honey, almost a skin scent.

In the imp: A bright green spring note with honey. Wet: The honey note is being swept aside by not only the green note, but also that faint baby powder scent that I get from amber occasionally. I know that amber isn't listed as a note, but that's the scent that I'm getting. This fact doesn't make me happy. The dry-down: I kept hoping for a nutty quality, the sort of faint nut-scent that one sometimes gets from mushrooms, especially when dried or lightly sauteed in a pat of butter, but that never appeared, much to my chagrin. Instead, I still get the green note, though a bit muted by the honey, and that baby powder scent of the amber. It's pretty enough, but probably not for me. Might try it in a scent locket.

Didn't care for this. Smoked tobacco and cologne-stained wood. Again the stale scent that lingers after smoking. It's very masculine, so I only sniffed and didn't skin test. ETA: Decided to skin test. Much like what's in the decant, only milder. Tested on the bf, and it's sweeter on him, but that's no surprise as his skin is less acidic than mine. Still not anything that we like enough to buy.

The oil was dark. And so is the scent: a dark greenish musk. Jury's still out on this one. I usually like musk scents, but I don't know what to make of this as of yet. Re-testing is called for. ETA: Retesting. It is yes still a dark green musk, but it seems to have a touch of sweetness now. I have a lot of musk scents, and I usually like most musks. I don't know if I need a bottle or just a partial. I think that I would wear this in the autumn on rainy days.

See those dried wheat, barley, and maize fields? That's what you get. I've walked through fields like this, and the notes are spot-on. Nice, but very, very dry in feeling. ETA: Quick re-testing. Maybe a little fresher, greener, and sweeter, now that the oil has a little time on it. I like this, but not sure when or if I would wear it.

Beautiful. If you are looking for an old-fashioned rose perfume, one that could have existed in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, this may be the scent for you. The damask rose is kept tamed by all the other notes. I tend to amp rose, and with this scent, I did not. Just lovely and bottle-worthy.

The muget, orris, and sandalwood were the dominant notes on me. For sure, no real stone rocks. Okay, but not really my thing. Muget and orris can be notes of doom on me, but they weren't this time.

Pretty much as advertised. Incense, tobacco that has been smoked, and that stale scent that lingers afterward. If there are any roses here, they are cut roses that dried out and lost any scent that they might have once had. The lack of the rose note surprised me, as I amp rose under usual circumstances. Not for me, as expected. ETA: Retesting, I find that this has a currant or raisin scent to it in the decant (a smiliar note was in the Autumn Moon from this year's Shungas). Hopeful, I decided to retest. No luck. Maybe that currant note is really the tobacco and rose blending together. Still not amping the rose, but once this had some time to settle down a bit, it's better than it was. But still, probably not on the list to buy. The wood is a Biblical term for the wood that the Ark of the Covenant was made from, according to the bf. Very interesting. And here's the really strange and interesting thing. I put the decant down, on the end table right next to the sofa, and now it's gone! As I said, laughing, to the bf, it would be this scent that would pull a disappearing act. ETA2: And it's fading fast, not at all what I would expect from this mix of notes. ETA3: On the bf, the incense is amping like crazy. And that tobacco was smoked.

This is like a late summer landscape that's been dried up by lack of rain and lots of sun. The pine is a dominant note, but not overtly. There's some dried grass scent, even though that's not listed, but it may be the way my nose is interpreting all the notes of the plants and trees combined together. I must say that this is not the nut and grass seed scent of The Little Sparrow, though. ETA: Retesting, it might be a little sweeter, and it's certainly sweeter on the bf, who has less acidic skin chemistry than me. I think it's more masculine, and haven't decided if I need a bottle or not. It's an interesting concept, and I do kind of like it, but I'm not sure that I would be wearing it anywhere.

This is metallic, but in a light, bright fashion. The mint and the sage are the dominant notes on me otherwise, with the florals as a faint base. Prettier than expected.