maoric

I do not know why this wasn't on my radar, but thankfully I got it as a frimp because it has quickly jumped high on my favorites. In the vial: Resins and citrus. Freshly applied: Very Faintly citrusy, sweet resins. Drying: Galbanum! I think. I smell something that reminds me a lot of Aperotos Eros, which is probably the Galbanum since Benzoin is supposed to be sweet/vanilla. There's something faintly like ginger coming in, but for the most part it's a deeply spiced, slightly citrus-ish resin scent. Later: The citrus stays just on the edge of perception, and what's left is this amazing resin cocktail with a slight ginger vibe. I normally don't like ginger that much (if it's strong), but it's light enough in here that my brain wants to go between describing what I smell of it as ginger ale, or a ginger spice muffin when taking into account the mixing from the other notes (though this isn't exactly setting off a FOOD vibe in my brain). This is great. It's the second citrusy Steamworks scent I've tried, and I love both of them. Aelopile is much more strongly orange+spice to me, whereas No. 93 Engine is definitely showcasing resins/beeswax with the citrus hanging around in the background.

In the vial: Sweet, woodsy cologne. Freshly applied: Immediately goes from sweet woods to very warm, musky cologne. Drying: Aaaaaand it's gone. When it comes back it's still warm and musky, but there's something sweet and powdery in the background that I'm not really that much of a fan of :| Later: It just doesn't work on me The scent is pretty faint most of the time, and when it's not it's a musky, powdery, floral.

2011. In the vial: Autumn-themed potpourri. Freshly applied: Trees and very faint earthy patchouli with a sweet background. Lyssa mentions a leathery smell, which I can kind of see, my guess is it's coming from a cross between the patchouli and something else. Drying: Spices start coming out a bit, followed by the apple. At this stage I smell like an apple pie at the edge of a forest. Thankfully the patchouli is going for a more dark/spice on me than a leather/mud like it is for Lyssa Later: I actually like this. The apple pie vibe sticks around for some time, and while it is a tiny bit foody, the woods/fir/patchouli help ground it and make me think more of the memory of apple pies and not "where is that apple pie I want a slice RIGHT NOW". I can't help but think of some store that sells scented candles and potpourri as it goes into the autumn season. There is the hint of pie, but it's blended in a large amount of other fall smells. Much later all that really remains is a faint autumn spice smell, no real apple, fir, or patchouli I can distinguish.

In the vial: Vetiver, woods, and something faintly sweet in the background. Freshly applied: Smokey, slightly musky, and almost but not quite registering as a "cologne" smell. Drying: Vanishes slightly, then dried leaves similar to October come along, only with a smokey/sweet incense-ish background instead of October's not-quite-cedar. Later: Much sweeter than I would have thought overall, I guess my skin amps geranium? Thankfully it's not too sweet or floral. The overall impression is a very incensy, sweet, sweet smokey scent with hints of leaves. I actually think I prefer it to October, since I'm not the biggest fan of smelling like cedar (or close to it).

The notes seemed so different from anything else I've tried, so I had no clue how this would work for me (the lack of any reviews before my order was placed didn't help). I had hoped the bottlebrush/sage/aquatic/tobacco/resin/moss would make it passable as a guy scent on me, but.. well.... In the vial: I've never smelled anything like this, and have difficulty categorizing it. It's sweet, almost sickly so, with a not quite alcohol-ish scent, but also some deeper scents on the edge grounding it. Freshly applied: Sweet and aquatic, but still beyond the range of my ability to describe well enough at this point. Drying: Totally vanishes, then starts coming back with what I'm guessing are some of the dried fruits. As it dries some more, it starts going into a soapy territory on me, oh nooooooo. When it veers out of the soap land, it veers into a territory that's walking a very thin line between being a perfume and a cologne. It does have a watery, almost cologne vibe, and I can detect some earthy/warm notes that might make it masculine, but then there's a sweetness from the fruits and violet that are conspiring to take this to the feminine category. Later: Really not a scent for me, ultimately. This pendulums between soapy/fruity/floral and a too-sweet aquatic on my skin :c

In the vial: A dark, earthy, resin smell. Freshly applied: Sweet, smokey wood. Drying: Some of the pine and frankincense start coming more to the front giving it a sweeter edge, though it still has a nice smokey wood smell. Later: Definitely a sweeter resin that thankfully doesn't encroach the "soap" territory due to the inclusion of the woods and wood smoke. I haven't really gotten much of the sandalwood/nutmeg very strongly though, and I'm not sure what chamomile maroc is supposed to smell like. 2.5 hours into wearing it, frankincense is the star, with everything else just a vague hint that's keeping it from being soap/pure frankincense. This seems to reach a faint/subdued stage more quickly on me than Black Apple of Saturn/other resin scents I've tried, which is unfortunate. I do really like this scent, but don't think I'll need to rush for a backup bottle since it doesn't have as much *oomph* for me as some other scents do. ETA: This scent actually does last quite a long time (like most resin scents I've tried), albeit in the more subdued frankincense stage. Ultimately, I don't think this is for me, as it's a really nice mix on the outset but then almost becomes a softer almost single-note frankincense for me. It would probably be really good for people who like frankincense, though

In the vial: Super thick dry apple, slightly earthy Freshly applied: Dry, slightly sweet apple, very quickly overtaken by deep, heady resins Drying: The apple returns! It's a warm, red apple, but definitely dried and not overly sweet. Though it's much more resinous than appley on me (not surprising with three resins versus the apple). It seems to creep sweeter as time goes on, but the resins are so deep, earthy, and strong that they keep it grounded and prevent it from joining the "it's nice, but too sweet" pile I have. Later: There was a very short hint at one point that the resins were going to go into a "soapy" territory like they did for me in Penitence, but thankfully they didn't. This is a sweet, dry, red apple kept at bay by some strong, earthy resins. It's really, really good. Three hours in it's still going strong. This is definitely on a backup bottle list.

Ahh, okay. None of the scents discontinued that time got moved into the "discontinued scents" area of the forum, it looks like. I was just confused due to that, Google still bringing up the Bewitching Brews page from the lab when searching for it, and none of the more recent reviews mentioned it being discontinued.

Somewhat similar to the first posts in this thread: What happened to The Hesperides? It's not on the lab's page for Bewitching Brews, but I don't see mention on the forums of it being discontinued. Was it accidentally removed?

In the vial: Light floral cologne. Freshly applied: Musky, warm, aquatic, dark floral cologne. I was worried the flowers would make it sweet, but this is anything but. One of the first reviews says not to mistake this as a feminine scent even though it has the flowers, and I'd have to say they're right. Drying: Vanishes at the start like a lot of scents do on me, and returns as a faint-but-there warm cologne. Later: Not a lot of throw, and the scent seems to come and go. It's close to the skin, but still smells like a warm cologne. After a few hours I can faintly pick up some sandalwood, but normally the notes blend so well in this that no single notes can be easily picked up. All in all this scent is really good. If it were stronger/had more throw it would probably be a bottle contender for me easily. It's very much a traditional cologne-esque smell, but unlike Herbert West (another traditional cologne scent that I've tried and liked), it's much smoother around the edges. Herbert West is crisp, fresh and loud, Vicomte is definitely quiet, warm, and smooth. I don't know if it's just the preconception everyone's descriptions gave me, but while smelling this I kept thinking about being with my girlfriend. Not that it reminds me of how she smells or anything, but I just kept thinking of some of our more amorous moments and wanting to be with her. At least that's a better mental image than I would normally think from something based on the Vicomte de Valmont

In the vial: I don't exactly now! Cold and very slightly sweet, as described. Freshly applied: Something very rich and almost but not quite floral, but still with a bit of a cold bite as I smell it. This is definitely different from anything I've smelled before. Drying: The not-exactly-a-floral-slightly-sweet smell is warming up, now being not exactly like a musk/cologne. My skin chemistry makes any blend smell warm . There's still that cold bite to it which is so interesting, especially since the base is fairly warm now. Like being frozen and toasty warm at the same time. Later: The warmth is there, but it's in the back seat to whatever is causing a chill in the back of my nose/throat when I'm smelling. I know mint can do this from brewing strong peppermint tea, but there's no mint I can smell in this. I've read that eucalyptus can do this, but I don't think I've ever smelled it by itself to know how it smells/if it's causing this. As time goes on, the warmth fades more and more, leaving the biting cold smell to do its thing, but eventually ~3 hours or so the scent seems to start to fade entirely. I'm not sure if this is just my nose being accustomed to it and it'll pick it up more later or if it's just fading. Definitely a different, interesting scent. I like it enough to keep the bottle I managed to get, but think I'll look for different scents when this year's Yules come around, or when I feel like buying older Yules

In the vial: Frankincense! Having never smelled it before, I bought some single-note incense of frankincense and myrrh to see what they smelled like. Freshly applied: Definitely smells like the frankincense and myrrh incense I've purchased, the myrrh is slowly creeping up on the frankincense. Drying: Fairly light right now, but for some reason it's reminding me a bit of the Lever 2000 white bar soap my parents used to buy when I lived with them. In fact, the more I keep smelling, the more I think I'm at their house taking a shower. Later: After two hours the soap finally vanishes and it smells like burning incense. At this stage it's actually very nice, but I don't think I'll be getting more to go through two hours of smelling like a bar of soap to reach this point.

In the vial: Musk, sandalwood, evergreens Freshly applied: Cedar D: but it soon morphs into juniper. Drying: Very foresty, dead leaves and a mix of evergreens with some warmth from the amber and musk mixing with the juniper berries to create a spicy fruity blend. This is actually very similar to another of my favorites: Hunter Moon 2007, except with more of a feel of being in the middle of a thick forest with a small bottle of wine and less of a huge wine-drinking party in a forest clearing. Leave it to my skin to warm up a cold scent Later: This isn't lasting as long as Hunter Moon, which is making me sad since I like it just a bit more than Hunter Moon. Then again, this was applied with wand caps and Hunter Moon was via using a coffee stirrer as a dropper, so I had on a LOT of Hunter Moon versus Wolf Moon. Waking up ~13 hours after applying all that's really left is a slight musk/amber that's still very nice. From what I remember from last night, the individual notes could still be smelled at the very least up to four hours after applying (at which time I passed out), though it was definitely starting to get a little faint at that point. I'm going to have to try this with more than normal and Hunter Moon with a normal application to see how they compare, but I definitely really enjoy this scent and am very glad I found a bottle of it

2011. In the vial: Woody, spicy cologne. There's something in here that reminds me of green bell pepper very faintly. Freshly applied: Holycrapleaves. Bit of a cologne smell still (not that that's a problem!) and amazing dry, fallen leaves. Drying: Aaaaand very faint. But... cedar? Ohh noooooo. I really hope this doesn't turn into a cedar monster on me D: After a few minutes the cedar-esque note calms down. I can see the pencil shavings comparison, though if pencil shaving smelled exactly like this I'd be sharpening pencils all the time. I actually do remember picking up dead leaves as a kid and them smelling like this as I crushed them in my fingers/slowly singed them with a magnifying glass for makeshift incense. Later: An hour after applying, the scent seems to become very light, though I can still smell it while typing on the computer. Very faint dried leaves. Two hours later it's still faint. Six hours later I can still smell it, though it's still pretty muted. This is a great smell, but very subdued. I'll keep the bottle and enjoy it now and then, but I don't think I need to run immediately for a backup bottle

I looked up the flower online and apparently in English it's known as Night-Blooming Jasmine, which I remember reading descriptions of other lab scents that had it. Some quick Googling turned up: The Night-Raven, Nyx, Hilma, and possibly Morgause. These have some other scents mixed in as well, but you won't smell like a buffet table at least

I was very surprised when my girlfriend was talking with me and suddenly exclaimed that someone was selling a bunch of limited edition bottles for cheap and would you like Hunter Moon I am getting you Hunter Moon okay?! So thanks very much to Rackham's Vanity for the sale and Lyssa for the keen eyes and thinking of me In the vial: Delicious grape and pear mulled wine. Freshly applied: Spicy musk, and an explosion of dry leaves and smoke o_O There's a bit of the fruit in the background, but these other scents were toootally not in the vial to me. Drying: Burnt dried leaves (ever burn a fallen leaf with a magnifying glass as a kid for the aroma? It reminds me of this) and a very thick wine. I swear, I just read the description, sniffed my arm again, and my nose was like YES, APPROACHING WINTER. It just made sense (how does she do that?). The smoke is mellowing slightly, becoming less like burnt leaves and more like a spicy incense with crisp red leaves and a very thick, fruity wine. I visited my friends who were still awake, and one commented after coming back inside the house from dealing with laundry that she could smell I was wearing something as soon as she walked in the door, and later that the smell stayed in the air for a bit after I left. Quite some throw and staying power, though I did apply more than I normally do when testing imps (coffee stirrers are not precise applicators, I hope to get some wand caps in an order soonish). Later: The scent mellows out after a few hours into a swirling mix, now and then smelling more of dry leaves and more of an incense-like smoke, now and then smelling like faint wine, all the while keeping a touch of a warm musk overtone. 13.5! hours later: Waking up the next morning after applying, the scent is still around me but a much more calm version of it. A musky, autumn scent. The leaves are there, but far away. The smoke from the bonfires has gone out, the bottles of wine are empty, but you can still smell the traces of their former contents. Very, VERY good. I'm going to have to keep an eye on the lunar blends that come out (what have all of you done to me?) and watch for another Hunter Moon or others in a similar vein.

In the vial: Green, clean, sweet aftershave. Freshly applied: Cologne and aftershave. This reminds me a bit of being a kid and being around my dad as he got ready in the mornings. Drying: Very much a clean aftershave/cologne. This would be a very safe scent to wear to any sort of work (if you work at a place that doesn't enjoy you smelling like some of the more unusual blends). Later: Slightly herbal smells coming through, but it's still giving the overall "clean guy" smell. Very nice overall, and much better than some of the random shaving-product smells I've smelled before. Really liking this one

In the vial: An interesting combination, somewhat like evergreens and a cedar-like smell. Freshly applied: Cedar, but not quite? I really hope this behaves >_> Drying: Cedar... but not quite. I'm racking my brain to try to find out what the "not quite" is on this. It's musty. The closest thing I can think of is bags of cedar mulch in garden center stores that have been out in the rain a few times -- cedar with some other sort of vegetative scent crushed and mixing underneath. The mulch may have been more spot on than I thought at first, there's something vaguely earthy in the background. Later: Fading cedar mulch. Not really for me.

In the vial: Dark, thick tree sap, like the imported rosin my dad uses on his bass bows. Freshly applied: Still the thick tree sap, but with a softer earthy smell. Drying: Seems to disappear slightly like so many scents do when starting to dry on me, but it keeps the same earthy, resiny sap smell. Later: THIS is the tree scent I had in mind when I first started looking through BPAL! Earthy sap with a dark fir in the background. Waking up in the morning after applying I can still smell it on my wrist, but since I have the bad habit of trying new scents super-late at night, there's no telling how the throw is. This is definitely going onto my favorites, though bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle bottle must get bottle yes bottle good yes. As a side note, I really need to remember to be careful with this one. It looks like iodine in the vial and apparently also on my skin. My wrists are slightly yellowed, and I can bet this will stain clothing if given the chance.

In the vial: Amber! Freshly applied: Aaaaaaaaaaambeeeeer! Drying: Very nice, slightly spiced amber. A very simple scent, but it's good Later: Spiced amber all the way. I really like it. It's similar-ish to Coyote (one of my favorites). Coyote has incredible throw on me, but nobody is around me at the moment for me to know how the throw is on this one. Definitely like it, and worth a bottle -- unless it turns out going back to the ones I've liked that I just wind up liking Coyote more

A glorious parasite! Once the seeds of the Strangler Fig find root in the bark of a tree, snakelike roots erupt and reach graspingly at the sky. The Strangler Fig then sprouts numerous epiphytic vines that strangles and surrounds its unwilling host, and finally snuffs the life from it. Rooty, woody, with deep green tones. In the vial: A faint chocolate-like smell. Freshly applied: A deep warm wood, not cedar, though cedar is one of the other notes that can make a scent similar to this. I wish I knew more about individual notes at this point. Drying: Some sort of "aquatic/cologne", but with a more complex spice and overall darker wood smell. Pretty nice. Later: Baby powder. This scent was on the way to become something interesting, but then slightly less than an hour after applying it it hit baby powder land on me and just stayed there.

In the vial: Cherry cordial! Freshly applied: Wood, with a slightly sweet varnish. Drying: Vanishes at the start, like so many other scents seem to do when drying, then an almost cedar-like scent appears with the sweet varnish close behind. Hopefully it doesn't get too cedar-shaving smelling on me like Tombstone did. Later: It didn't, all I can smell for a while is thick lacquer and then the scent goes the way of the dodo faster than any other I've tried so far (roughly two hours until I couldn't smell anything left). Going to ship this to my girlfriend eventually, maybe she'll have more luck with it.

In the vial: Lemon/orange polish over wood and metal. Freshly applied: OOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAANGE. I hope this mellows in a moment when it starts to dry! Drying: And right out the door went the orange, though he left behind a calling card to remind me he was there. There's something underneath that's very resin-like, probably the amber and maybe the labdanum? Later: The amber has greatly sweetened the remaining citrus scent, leading to a very nice spiced citrus smell that doesn't smell too foody or like a cleaning product. Nobody is around me to comment on the throw length, but I definitely really like this scent. Most likely a bottle contender for me

In the vial: Sweet, with a small wasabi kick. Freshly applied: Deep, earthy, wasabi. Drying: Mostly vanishes at the start, and then turns into a sweet and spicy earth with a sharp wood scent. Then the musks start coming out. Later: Sweet flowers over faint musky earth. It was getting pretty interesting, but now it seems like it's another "is this too floral on me?" scent. It doesn't help that as time continues to pass, sweet scents seem to go in and out so at times this scent is really nice, and at times I can't tell if it's just too floral. Will need to come back later on this for a final verdict.

In the vial: A flower of some sort, but very different, with a slight alcohol smell underneath. Freshly applied: A very warm flower scent with a bit of earthiness in the background Drying: At the start, an earthy wood scent with a slight powdery floral on top. Later: The floral has faded a bit but is still there. It's got the masculine warm and earthy tones but still delicate. Very different from what I would normally pick for myself. I wish my friends weren't asleep right now so I could have their opinion as well. It's nice, but my brain keeps wavering between whether or not it's too floral for me. Will have to revisit.