zankoku_zen

Oudh, rose and a touch of tobacco. This smells like rose perfume. Actually it kind of reminds me of Rose Moon or Mantle of Venus.

For me, this starts off as a salty aquatic with notes of honeyed food, and then dries down to a salty sage with frankincense and nutmeg. This is one of the more interesting BPAL blends that the Lab has put out in a while. You get that salty oceanic/aquatic vibe on wet, and then it dries to a warm, beachy sort of herbal frankincense. I'd actually say this smells like a summer day at the beach, honestly.

 

Not in the typical coconut-suntan lotion way. But more of like a beach that isn't populated by humans. Just cool ocean water, marshes and a bit of warmth from the earth/sand.

Frankincense, woods, and a touch of saffron. This was softer and more wearable than I anticipated. Resinous frankincense, woody background and enough saffron to keep it lively, like a thread of red running through it. Medium throw and low wear length.

Okay, this has the same rooty dark patchouli that Banshee Beat does, and the honey is in it and brings a nice sweetness. I know I've smelled this before and it's going to drive me nuts...

 

AHA! This reminds me to Badgers. I mainly got honeyed patchouli from Badgers and this smells almost exactly like Badgers to me.

 

So for those of you that have a hankering for Owl Moon and are finding it hard to locate, I'd try to snag some Badgers.

#97

This is one is a very bourbon vanilla with a hint of pink sugar. There's a creme brulee aspect to this one as well. Foodie lovers would love this.

 

#323

This one is a more vanilla/less musky version of Lemon Sugar Sticky Bat to me. I get a ton of citrus (maybe more lemon balm than straight up lemon), and dusty vanilla to it.

Pine, sour berries, and a hint of dirt. This smells fresh and green, and very outside. Medium throw and wear length.

Frankincense, amber, chamomile and saffron. This ends like an herbal-amber frankincense on me. A touch sour, but the herbal bitterness counterbalances some of the sweet amber in there. Gloriously gender neutral. Soft throw, medium wear length.

Jojo was softer and cuddlier than I expected. Brown musk, touch of lavender, touch of juniper. The lavender adds this cuddly aspect to the brown musk. And there's a bit of sage that makes it a little more gender neutral. Soft throw, good wear length.

I have come to realize that I love the antiqued amber note that the Lab uses.

*squints* Banshee Beat, is that you?

 

So the smoked vanilla is very present, which reminds me to the vanilla in Banshee Beat (because leather is also such a fierce and powerful note, the same that patchouli is and it plays the same role here as the patch in Banshee Beat to me). Whiffs of copal and a small drop of tobacco. The leather, however, is the same gorgeous feminine leather note that you find in Kunoichi.

 

To me this is a bastard baby of Banshee Beat and Kunoichi, with more smoke and rolling about in tobacco, and none of the floral or hemp notes. Unisex. Great throw and wear length. Honestly, the standout SDCC blend for me.

Smooth gleaming amber and leather, with a hint of oudh. Sadly, no blackcurrants which is what I was hoping for. But this is definitely a feminine black leather. I think the amber smooths the leather out and makes it much more wearable. Medium throw, great wear length.

 

Sadly, not my cup of tea.

OK, so I can see how this would scare people away between the vetiver and the smoked cumin. Let's just say that it starts off like a powerful brimstone smell. It dries pretty quickly to a smoky wood and whiskey/rum blend. Very masculine. Actually, sort of a slightly less piratey version of Jack Sparrow (oh, there's rum in there, and wood, and something not quite clean, but mascarading as a somewhat more respectable gent at the moment.)

This is a scent for manly ruffians. Must like wood and whiskey, and the occasional smoke. Medium throw and wear length.

From the soap itself: "Made with tallow, ash, elm, and hawthorne, just as Auri used, this soap is sure to strike you as most perfect. Additional ingredients include beeswax, nutmeg, and selas flower."

This is definitely a musky blend. We get the selas flowers, the beeswax, and something almost musky-woody. It has a ton of throw and scents up the entire bathroom.

Unfortunately, neither mr. zee_zee or myself cared for the scent of it after a few days. There was something almost slightly unnerving, and its a bit powdery when you first inhale, so it ends up almost smelling like a chemical component used to clean the bathroom.

We'll use up the rest of the soap, but not sure I'd buy more.

Pip starts off with satiny iris flower, and puffs of mallow. But it dries down to a smoked sugar and amber blend. The iris flower is slightly powdery on wet, but then it smooths out as it dries. The sugar starts to come out and the amber is very present.

I was expecting to enjoy this as much as I have. Medium throw and medium wear length.

The atmosphere spray is boozier in my opinion than the hairgloss. I get the gin, vermouth, grenadine and a touch of pink sugariness. It's definitely more of a cleaner smell, with maybe a hint of strawberry sugar, but I get mostly pink gin. I think I honestly prefer it as a hair gloss. Average throw and wear length.

Cocoa powder, cinnamon and brown sugar. This smells like the hot cocoa my uncle (who has since passed away) used to make around the Christmas holidays - chocolate (bitter, with a touch of powderiness), spicy (because of the cinnamon, which I would venture to say smells like cassia cinnamon), and just a touch of sugar. It's a very nostalgic smell to me actually, and it smells like holidays in Latin America. Average throw and wear length on my hair.

Grenadine, strawberry candy and a hint of gin. This one smells like sweet pink candy with a splash of gin. Very fresh and summery. Great throw and wear length.

 

 

Summery buttery rum coconut. This one smells like coconut sun tan lotion. If that's what you're into, give it a whirl. I got a bit of mintiness when I first applied it.

"A super cool proto for the Pandora series called Vesuvian Lava Cakes which smells like a chocolate bundt cake with warm hot fudge poured over it" is how it was described to me.

 

Wait, chocolate lava cake? An unreleased prototype that appeals to my masochistic collectionist type? Who am I to resist?

 

I am happy to announce that is is indeed a very chocolate blend - I get chocolate cake and chocolate fudge. It stays pretty close to the skin and keeps being creamy and fudgy.

 

This reminds me alot to Lump of Coal, but perhaps of a darker chocolate variety. And more fudgey. Hell, it even evokes greatly the ever elusive and coveted Dark Chocolate. It has that decadent edge that Lump of Coal was missing.

 

God, I am craving chocolate now.

Burnt sugar, tinge of raspberries, buttery cookie. It's pretty foodie, not not the type I really enjoy. I get a ton of buttery shortbread from this, and something that smells almost almond like. And yes, with a dollop of raspberry jam.

Banana, cocoa, and a touch of smoky tobacco. Much more wearable than I anticipated. Good throw and wear length.

 

Sadly, I actually don't like the banana smell. Which makes me sad because the rest of the scent is super awesome.

Cold lavender and icy aquatics. This one actually smells like a men's fougere to me, and I'm gonna go slap this on mr. zee_zee and see how it works. Low throw and wear length.

Violets, jasmine, and white sandalwood. Cucumber adds a coolness to the violet-jasmine combo. But it's really violets-jasmines on a bed of citrusy sandalwood. Medium throw, medium wear length.

Guatemalan Coffee does smell like guatemalan espresso drip. It's got smokiness but also a light citrus, and underneath is a smooth palate of sweetness. This is a good coffee blend.

 

I don't really find it wearable as itself, but it really is an amazing single note.

This one shares similarities with the Unreleased Scent #18, in that it is an oriental blend. I get a whiff of powderiness (although not necessarily iris related), a touch of magnolia and something else. I think I probably have to compare both the Firefly prototypes side to side.

 

My impression this time around that this had alot of throw, definitely an oriental floral and I could see this as being a strong woman that isn't afraid of being a woman.