devilot

In the vial: Sheer deliciousness. Gorgeous, warm, mulled wine. A scent I detest in the real form (as in, I don't like smelling actual mulled wine) but somehow smells amazing in perfume form, hehe. Wet: LOVELY! At first, it's just mainly wine, not much of the spices-- and I prefer it like this! Drydown: Holy moly, here come the spices. Definitely smell the cinnamon, cardamom, honey. Not so sure I detect the cloves, though. Then it goes all sorts of wrong on me-- sour, sour, sour. Verdict: Such potential. I looove wine scents and so far, I'm not doing so well w/ the lab's wine notes: Delphi & Kali both went sour on me, but Lady MacBeth and Fairy Wine work. I had truly hoped Glühwein/ Gluhwein would work, too; alas, we weren't meant to be.

In the bottle: Can smell the dark fruitiness (grape, red currant, blackberry leaf). But something earthy too, NOT patchouli, but if patchouli were to have an earthy sibling who didn't stink as much. Maybe it's the blood accord? Or the oak? At any rate, there's a dark earthy note that does NOT instantly translate to my nose as "wood" and adds a gorgeous depth to the blend. Wet: Something turns a little tangy-- currant perhaps? And ah, a hint of floral which I assume is the ginger lily. But I'm a little sad that it's already lost the darkness it had while just sniffing the imp-n-a-bottle. Drydown: And now something greenish starts to appear-- the English ivy? Or Is it the blackberry leaf? Verdict: I'm wishing I got a smidgeon more clove and I never smelled any leather (I looove the leather notes in the lab's blends). And I never thought I'd say this-- but I almost wish there was the teensiest tiniest bit of patchouli as that tends to make blends feel darker and definitely last longer on my screwy skin chemistry. All in all, not a bad blend at all, but not one of my favoritest ever. Wouldn't mind another decant or two to put into my bottle, though. ETA: Whoa! Something's gone wrong. It's sour and dusty now. Ick.

Much much thanks to dpoulsen21 who frimped me w/ a testable sample of this! (And as such, is saving me mucho money!) In the vial: Delicious vanilla cream! Grapefruit! Lotsa lemon-candyfloss for sure, and some pink pepper. Wet: Whooooa. Way too much pink pepper (mebbe red ginger, too?). Ick! It smells like cheap craft store potpourri on me. No! Why?! Drydown: Some of the pepper eventually backs down a smidgeon, but it's just not right on me. Damn it all! It smells amazing in the vial. Just not on me. A hint of the pear. Verdict: Damn. It really has wonderful notes and smells drool-worthy in the vial. But it doesn't play nicely w/ my skin chemistry whatsoever. Sigh. Alas. I'll probably keep this generous sample to huff and maybe try in a scent-locket. But definitely no need to hunt down more of it. Such a shame.

In the vial: Whoa, vetiver vetiver vetiver. Wet: Tons of vetiver. Getting a hint of something that is somewhat lemony, but not nearly so fresh or tangy (more lemony on my right wrist than my left, oddly enough). Drydown: Still a very "earthy" smell ('cause of that vetiver). Smoother now, less in your face. Verdict: Not thrilled w/ the way this smells, honestly. But I'm wearing it because I need an extra dosage of courage. Got v little sleep, a migraine, and I've got to watch 2 little girls today for quite a few hours. *gulp* ETA: After wearing this all day, I have to conclude that this blend does NOT work for me. The two girls were not drawn to me and I really didn't feel more courageous, either. But hey, maybe had I not worn it today, I wouldn't have survived.

In the vial: Super strong candy. Nearly chemical scent. Like, bathroom cleaner. Wet: More of that almost lemony cleaning chemical scent. Drydown: On my silly skin (that tends to swallow up all scent), it just doesn't last long or have a good throw whatsoever. It eventually (after 15 minutes or so) just leaves the subtlest hint of something sweet. Hm, finally morphing a bit-- slightly powdery now. Verdict: It's actually not bad in a non-perfume sort of way, but it's certainly not bottle-worthy. Though, I do seem to feel a bit cheered now despite not liking the scent. (But that could just be because I'm still stoked cheshirecat that sweetheart frimped me this and some other amazing gooides! )

In the vial: Whoa nelly! Circus peanuts to the extreme! Super rummy booze, and some licorice. And something really sharp and chemical-like (mebbe that's the 'greasepaint?'). Ugh. Nose-burning strength. *eye twitch* Wet: RUM! Lotsa booze. Now shifting into something sort of spicy. Shifting into a different booze, even more potent (ah the 'corn whiskey' I bet). And sweet. Very sweet. Again w/ the nose-burning strength. *eye twitch* Drydown: After even ten minutes, this finally becomes something tolerable. Whew! Oooooh, a little bit of cigar smoke which is delish! Darn, that doesn't stand out enough or linger long enough. Verdict: Ugh, it's just, a bit much. I don't think I like it all that much, which is too bad as I just swapped for a bottle of it.

In the vial: Smell the wood, the pipe smoke, and the coffee. But I'm also smelling something that comes across sharp-- almost like patchouli (I think it's the wood note since patch isn't listed). I've never smelled tonka on its own, so am unsure whether or not I detect it. Wet: Such delicious pipe smoke + coffee. It literally makes my mouth water to smell this on my skin. Wet, the wood isn't nearly so noticeable (at least w/ my skin chemistry). Drydown: Nooooo! Pipe smoke, where are you going? Come back! The pipe smoke starts to drift away while the wood note moves forward. The sweet coffee is also starting to disappear. My favorite notes aren't staying put! Verdict: I wish the wood note weren't so noticeable because otherwise? I'd be scrounging up the cash to get two bottles of this. Hehe. (Especially since the wood note reads as patchouli to my nose sometimes.) As it stands, I'm definitely gonna want at least a partial bottle. Not an everyday scent for me, but something that I really really dig. I bet this would be so damned sexy on a man. Sigh.

In the Vial: Weird, it really does smell lemony! But w/ a touch of floral somehow. Wet: Lemon! (How bizarre, I wonder what smells like lemon to so many of us?) This is a lighter lemon, like the lemon you fished out of a glass of water at a restaurant-- faintly lemon, but undoubtedly lemon at the same time. Drydown: Hm, something that I can't quite describe-- since it's not "sweet" I'll assume it isn't the sugar cane and so must be the skin musk. If so, I quite like it, and wish it were more noticeable instead of this tiresome lemony scent. Still smells very "clean;" what w/ the lemon and slight powdery feel to it. Verdict: This is nice, but I don't see myself needing a bottle. If I stumble across a partial bottle, lovely. If not, no biggie, this decant will suffice.

- 2008 Version - In the vial: CARAMEL! Really syrupy sweet, but something reminiscent of vetiver. That's not one of the listed notes, so I'm not sure which note I'm smelling that comes across to me smoky like vetiver (no, I don't think it's the tobacco as tobacco usually smells different to my nose). Wet: Sweet-- no, it's gone. Darn. That caramel sweetness I really liked in the vial disappears on my skin leaving behind smoldering incense. This smells so eerily to me of Taiwan and the little Buddhist shrines that so many Chinese erect in their homes/ restaurants. Wow. Drydown: Still lots of that incensey smell. Ugh. I feel sick and woozy. I am NOT a fan. About 20 minutes later it's mellowed but it's still not my cup o' tea. Verdict: I'm so glad that I snagged a little sniffie of this instead of having bought/ swapped for a decant or bottle. This is incredibly evocative of Asian incense and all of that aspect of the culture, it's just, a bit too like it for my tastes.

In the vial, all I got was vetiver vetiver vetiver. Ugh. And seeing as it's a room spray and shouldn't be applied to the skin, I didn't bother testing it out (and I don't have an oil burner, either). Not too bummed especially since I'm not a big fan of vetiver and definitely not when it's so overwhelmingly dominant. Ick, pass!

In the bottle: Just smells like very sharp generic men's cologne to my nose. Pretty disappointing right off the bat when compared with the lovely notes listed. Wet: Ugh, still really sharp and cologney. I don't know what "khus" or "life everlasting," "cabreuva," or "ambrette" smell like so I don't know what all is lending the twang I do NOT like. Drydown: After ten minutes or so, it becomes more tolerable. Still can't detect tobacco or leather. I think I can smell a bit of the black currant (which is to say I smell the faintest hint of a dark fruit). Oh, I know what this really reminds me of-- Hugo Boss. *gag* Verdict: Loved the way the notes read; was really let-down by the bottle-sniff. Didn't like it wet, and thought the drydown was so-so until the scent reminded me of Hugo Boss and now I have horrible associations w/ junior high. OFF! Must get it off! Bottle is goin' up for swaps. *shudders*

In the vial: Pure, simple, delicious cocoa! Wet: Again w/ the yummy cocoa! Ooh, what's this? Something, peeking in, mm, that's the amber! Drydown: Oh no! It's gone all wrong. All. Wrong. Now it's like someone left a cup full of dry cocoa powder in a library. For a few decades. And that mug of cocoa powder? Is now mainly filled with dust. Oh no. Verdict: This was so promising but it turns into dust on my skin just like w/ Miskatonic U. So so sad. This decant is going up for swaps. Sigh.

Thank you Gunny! She very generously sent me some decants in celebration of her own birthday and this was one of them! In the vial: Very sharp and aquatic at the same time. The sharpness is the generic "cologne" scent other reviewers mention, too. Ugh. Not impressed so far. Wet: Still sharp, still very aquatic. I detect a hint of that white rose. Balsam! Yes, sharpish woody note must be balsam. Drydown: Rounding out slightly, not as nose-burningly sharp. Hm, is that the blackberry leaf? Green, yet hinting at fruit. Definitely still a very green and aquatic blend. And on my skin, this is turning almost dusty. Verdict: Throw isn't great on me (though few BPALs ever are on my stupid skin). And it doesn't seem to wanna last v long, either. Not a love by any means. It's interesting and I'm very glad I got to try it. Still debating whether or not to hang onto the decant. It probably deserves a more loving home, though.

Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for this one as I've found most of the lab's blends w/ lavender to be overwhelmingly lavender to my undiscerning nose. As such, I didn't get one for myself but from the bottle, definitely, I'm hit with LAVENDER lavender lavender. I can't speak for what it's like on my skin as I didn't skin test this one. Overall, I'm glad my gut instinct was right about this one as I really don't care for such a LE lavender blend.

This blend truly surprised me. I thought I'd think "meh" and so never considered getting a bottle of it for myself. In the bottle, I found it to not stand out as anything unique; the v familiar frankincense & myrrh combo, but again, nothing unique. Then I tried some on my skin? Oh my goodness! It definitely warms up and it's still got an herbal feel to it, but it's softened, it's not sharp at all. I'm guessing the orris root and coconut help soften the scent. I typically dislike cedar but somehow it really works in this blend. Verdict: I'm sad I didn't get a bottle, that said, I'd be glad if I could hunt down a decant or two.

Think on the bright side-- at least all the labels are the same (just different text). So if you manage to snag one empty, you won't feel too bad for missing out on the artwork on the other ones, right? (Sorry, a lucky lady of "eyes of the period between daylight and nightfall" has scored most of my empties already! Can't wait 'til she gets 'em and see 'em immortalized on her flickr page, teehee.)

Some pics of the Bat day blends (clickable thumbnails): . . . . . (And no, I swear, they're not all for me! )

In the bottle: Whooeee! This stuff is strong! Just smells, medicinal to my nose. Wet: Still a strong dosage of medicine. Ick. Probably some of the juniper adding sharp woodiness, sassafras for sure, and I dunno what mandrake smells like, but from what I read about it on wiki, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what I'm smelling. Drydown: Finally, it settles down to something tolerable. Wait... it's actually nice now. I'll claim that it's the notes that caught my attention that's causing the 'niceness' (juniper berry and fig), but in all seriousness, it's dried down to something powdery. Pretty nice, actually, if generic. Verdict: Pass! I got a bottle of it (thanks to my friend who lives in SoCal) but I'm passing this on to a more loving home. It's just way too medicinal for too long on me. And even the nice drydown result isn't nice enough for me to justify keeping the bottle.

This... this is love. True love. I disagree w/ the noses of reviewers that detected spices (despite cardamom being a listed note ) and those noses that felt this was more of a fall scent than a summery one. When I smell this oh-so-delicious (in a non-foodie way) spray? It instantly reminds me of those perfect summer mornings... when you can sense that the day will get hot, oh so hot, but at 7am? With that gentle crisp air coming in through the open window? There is no doubt in your soul that it is summer and that today will be a gorgeous day. That is what this L'Estate room spray calls to my mind. Every. Time. I smell it. :love!: Okay, onto the nitty gritty-- I definitely detect the ambers. Golden, rich, warm without being heavy, gorgeous ambers! Yes, I can detect the sandalwood, and probably the golden musk. I get the orange rind + ginger in a slightly sharp, crisp part of the blend and also that frankincense makes an appearance. It's a glorious scent! Clean without being soapy, warm without being heavy. And truly, golden. It is so evocative of golds and oranges and bronzes. And if a random tip: if you spritz it in your car (love love love) and start to not smell it, roll down your windows for a second, roll 'em back up, and I swear, it like, rejuvenates the scent (and your nose) and suddenly you can smell that amazing L'Estate again. (A lovely forum member here sold me x3, yes, three bottles of this amazing spray and I'm honestly tempted to hunt more down. This is to die for!!!) ETA: I heartily agree! Yes, the perfume oil is lovely and golden and also unique. But this spray is just... unbelievable. A really remarkable scent. I looooove it!!!

In the vial: Smells so much like a generic bottle of women's perfume I found on a playground as a v young child. Meh. Wet: Sharp. Again, like generic, super sharp perfume, almost cologne-like. Incense, yes!!! Loads of incense. I personally think that incensey blends come across as "cheap" smelling to my nose. Uh oh. Drydown: Starts to warm up a bit, round out and simmer down. Ah, here comes the musk to play. And a hint of vanilla now. Five minutes later, I get the booze. Yes, definitely boozy-- odd that I'm not going nuts over this since I tend to really like boozy scents. About ten minutes later, I finally get some more sweetness and it starts to become something I could like, something I could tolerate, but then? It just vanishes! All of it! My skin just refuses to hold onto scents (unless it's something I hate like patchouli). Verdict: Well, this whole experience was rather anti-climatic. I had thought that this might be my HG, though I guess, it's actually great that Black Lace isn't working for me-- given how hard it is to get some these days. Shrug. I don't even know if I'll hang onto this decant, honestly. Sigh. Yule 2009 Rerelease on DD's site: ZOMG! This is amazing! This is what I wanted Black Lace to be before, but wasn't for me. I still get a bit of the weird cologneyness, which I now attribute to the cognac (also detected it in Dreadful Lies). But in this super fresh batch, I just... I love this new Black Lace! I finally get the tobacco! Beautiful, delicious, deep, smoky, intense. I love this blend. I'm hoping someone else won't love theirs and will swap me their bottle!

So after combing over the lab's description and the review threads for the entire Somnium collection, I decided that Baku and Somnus seem like the most beneficial for my wants/ needs. I'm super sleep-deprived so I never have issues falling asleep, rather, I have issues staying asleep. Delphinine was sweet enough to toss in an empty bottle of Somnus when we did a swap and last night, I huffed the empty bottle before attempting to sleep. In the bottle: v strong herbal lavender. Sharp, potent. Unfortunately, my nose can't pick out anything else, and I can't skin test as there's no oil/ residue for me to skin test. But? I went to bed as usual, and woke up at 5:30am (my usual time). What?! I woke up at 5:30am?! I mean, I didn't wake up at 1am, 1:30am, 2am, 3am, 3:30am, 4am... I just... slept through the night?! I'm definitely gonna attempt huffing Somnus again tonight and if it seems to work again, it's gonna be in my next lab order for sure.

In the vial: Subtle hint of cocoa powder, but I definitely smell myrrh. Wet: MYRRH overload! Holy moly! Wet on my skin, all I can smell for the first few seconds well into a minute+ is the myrrh. Drydown: A smidgeon more of the cocoa wafts out, oooooh, a hint of sandalwood! Wait no, here comes the myrrh to chase all of that deliciousness away. Sigh. Verdict: I want to love it, but it just doesn't want to play nicely with my skin chemistry. Oddly enough, on my skin, the myrrh winds up smelling like the lab's vetiver in other blends. Had so much potential, just didn't quite work for me.

In the bottle: *sniff* Yup, some of that tangy, dark red currant, coriander, and ginger. Wet: Blueberry- yummy! And then... Whoa! Super fruity! I think this is a bit too fruity for my taste. Ick. Drydown: There's still something sharpish-- I'm not 100% sure if it's the coriander, ginger, or green tea that gives it this crispness, or heck, maybe it's all of 'em together, hehe. Eventually something smoothes it over just a tiny bit (probably the vanilla though it doesn't smell of actual vanilla if that makes sense). Wait a sec, ahhhh, that blueberry is making another appearance. Nice! Verdict: It's a very nice scent, and one I can imagine tons of people loving, it's just too fruity for my personal taste. It does smell nice on me, though. I would like this blend a lot more if the blueberry were more dominant and lasted longer as well; and some of the sharpness could be mellowed/ pushed back.

I'd sniffed someone else's bottle of Earth Ox and so knew that I probably wouldn't want a full bottle; so I wound up snagging a partial bottle, mainly for the art. Like so many others have noted-- it's all about the melon/ honey dew. That's all I can ever detect-- is in-your-face melon. And I'm not a big fan of such pure fruity scents.

In the vial: Honestly, nothing special. Slightly sweet, slightly floral. Wet: What is this remarkable scent? Yes, florals, but not scary florals. It's still v clean, but not too soapy or laundry. And throughout it all, vanilla. A gorgeous, lovely, subtle non-foodie vanilla. Drydown: What more can I say? It's just the most amazing gentle floral + vanilla. Evaaarrrr! Verdict: An amazing scent. I can't believe that this wonderful blend was once discontinued and I can't believe there aren't 50 pages of reviews. When I smell Antique Lace, I close my eyes and I "see" clean, white bed sheets and clothes hanging out to dry on a gloriously sunny day. Surrounding the laundry line are mounds of vanilla blossoms (so yes, you can smell the vanilla but the floral and vanilla are both so subtle and intertwining as to suggest blossoms still fresh, still on the plant). And the gentle perfume of the blossoms being brought forth by the warmth of the sun-- all while being smelled by pressing your nose against the freshly washed sheets. This is easily one of my top 3 favorite BPAL blends. Ever. I want my skin and hair to smell naturally like Antique Lace. I want to buy gallons of this so that my room, carpet, sheets, pillow, everything smells like Antique Lace. I am massively in love with this blend.