Poenari

2012 vintage: this is so heavy on the tar, that it smells like burning tires to me. I don't get any sweetness from this at all. I've even tried layering it with other scents to sweeten it up, but the tar always comes blasting through. Too bad. But I had a decant of the earlier version that aged into something sweeter, so I'll just return this back into the box and see what happens in another year.

I was able to get a bottle on the forum pretty quickly, and it just arrived today; this is incredibly close! For me, right now, it's just chocolate and lots of (non-cinnamon) spiciness, but i just slapped it on straight out of the shower. Delicious; thanks so much for the rec. Good! Also, be sure to roll that one around before you apply it, to make sure that the chocolate gets well-mixed with the spices. Often the notes will separate in the bottle.

I adore the Lab's dragon's blood, so the only question for me in this was how Dragon's Blood "sedum" compares to Dragon's Blood "resin". Upon bottle sniff, ahh, there it is, the dragon's blood that I am familiar with, quickly followed by the tea. On skin, and I only lightly tested this instead of my usual slather, after the dragon's blood dries there is an almost green note- as if it was green tea rather than black tea. Hmmm... I don't understand this, but that green note is quickly subdued by the black tea. About 1/2 hour after application, this has mellowed into a soft blend of dragon's blood and red musk. I have a zillion red musk blends from the lab, and yes, I feel like it's in there somewhere. This is a very lovely scent and I think it will only get better with age. edited because my laptop is stupid

Thirteen (13) from February 2009 with the black label is what you want. Some refer to it as a navy label, but I recall somewhere that the Lab referred to it as black, so I'm going with that. Plus both of my bottles look more black than navy. Back to the ingredients, it's very heavy on the ginger and the chocolate, along with the brown sugar. It's the darkest, spiciest, heaviest Thirteen I've tried, not that I've tried that many, but most of mine are lighter. It's fairly common to see it for sale on the forum, so shouldn't be too difficult to find. Here's the review thread: http://www.bpal.org/...-february-2009/

I'm reviewing this after wearing it for about 1/2 hour, after getting it straight from the mailbox. In the (warm from the mailbox) bottle, oh yes, this is dark purple incense and opium. On skin, I always amp opium poppy, and this is no exception. The incense and opium notes are fully present, and this just smells like a dark purple scent to me. The white musk worried me at first, because I usually don't care for white scents. No vetiver or cacao to be found at this point. I agree with Ondine's description of a Japanese incense. I'm glad I bought this, as it's nothing like any of my other scents.

OK, here we go. Sniffed from a warm bottle fresh out of the mailbox, oh yeah, this one will work. After letting it rest a while and barely applying a touch, I am still happy. Initially I can smell the leather, but then the cinnamon wafts in with the balsam. Reviewing about 1/2 hour after receiving and applying it, so as this mellows from the mailbox and ages a little, it will be even better. I took a leap of faith on this one, because leather is not typically a note that I like. About the only beloved scent that I have with leather is Count Dracula, from the 2006 Halloween release. That shares two notes with Hatta: leather and cinnamon. Hatta is much less complicated. But guess what... I love this! It's funny how each reviewer so far has been able to come up with a comparison scent for reference. Mine is Count Dracula. Hatta is a very distant cousin, as it lacks the clove and so many of the other ingredients. But if you love CD, or have never been able to find a bottle, then get thee to the Century Guild website while Hatta is still available. You won't regret it.

It's generally the same artwork as the picture by each bottle, if there is a picture by the bottle, example- the Lilith scents. So I also can't wait to see this year's labels. I think that the ones in the NEWC thread look like they are still prototype versions, or an unfinished version of what we might see. Dark Pumpkin Mead

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood. Frimp from the Lab: I have wanted to try this, and I was excited to see a frimp in my order. On skin, this is definitely a sweet, girly vanilla scent, with the amber and sandalwood tempering it. Unfortunately, the sweet pea really amps on me, takes over, and turns it into something that is way too floral for me. However, if that's your thing, you will love this. I also want to pass my imp along to my (adult) daughter, because I think this could finally be the scent that enables her. edited for spelling fail

Bolding mine. I always find it interesting how each of us comes to our decision-making about which scents to buy. I tend to order scents that are similar to those I know I love, so my LE box is filled with pumpkin-based scents. I will never have enough variations on Snake Oil, or anything that is heavy on the red musk either. Others like to spread their love around and try a little of this, a little of that. I am determined to wait for my decant order to arrive before I order bottles, so I can be sure about a couple of them. But I know I want a bottle of Hellgate of Ireland so I didn't order a decant of it. I just scored a backup bottle of last year's Witch Dance in a swap. I think I read a comment from someone that this year's Weenies *round 1* is lacking red musk scents. I hope that round 2 brings us something with red musk. Third Charm, Mircalla, Lucy Kissed- I'm longing to find something in that vein(pun intended ) in the 2013 batch.

I recently ordered two bottles of Mircalla from the Lab's Etsy site since I adore it, and they arrived with different labels than my original 2009 release. The original has the red label with the woman dressed in red. The two Etsy bottles have an entirely different label. I tested them to be sure they were actually Mircalla, and they definitely are. I can't seem to resize properly, so if someone can fix the image if it's too large, please feel free. Here's a picture (sorry for my lousy phone camera skills). Original Lab purchase on left, 2013 Lab Etsy purchase on right. Edited to add: I completely forgot that there were dual labels for this series!

The first time I tried Jack, all I got was the buttered popcorn smell too. It was so buttery it made me ill. I stuck the imp away and forgot about it so much that I didn't even think to be cautious the first time I ordered Halloween pumpkin scents. I finally remembered to try Jack a couple of years later, and the butter had faded and it had aged into something I could actually wear. But of all the pumpkin scents I've tried since then, and I have many, only one has been a huge disappointment, and that was The Shattered Pumpkin, from tthe Sleepy Hollows in 2008. It was just a watery pumpkin guts scent and I was so glad I only ordered a decant. (Typically I go straight to bottle purchases for my Halloweenies.) That pumpkin note is the only thing that will keep me from eventually ordering Theme in Yellow, if it smells like raw pumpkin guts with a candle burning inside. I just don't care for that smell. The Pumpkin Lattes haven't worked for me, but that was because of the expresso, not the pumpkin. My all-time favorite pumpkin patch is 2009's Pumpkin IV- Pumpkin, black musk, tobacco, myrrh, and clove. That one is just perfect, but I really like every single note that is in it. I really get a lot of compliments when I wear it. This year, I really can't wait to try all of the Pumpkin Patch, except Alice. And I'm really keeping fingers crossed that adding moar pumpkin to Samhain is finally going to turn it into what I have always wished it was. I love it as a room spray but Samhain just turns medicinal on my skin. I really hope adding the pumpkin is going to take this over the top for me. But all of the other pumpkin scents I've tried have been the warm, spicy kind of pumpkin. I can't wait to read reviews of Theme in Yellow and so many others in this update!

I rarely buy Thirteens (13) because I prefer the scents with fewer notes, but this one was an insta-buy when it was released, because I was married on an August Friday the 13th and my anniversary has rarely landed on a Friday since then. The next August Friday the 13th won't occur until 2021 (OMG that will be my 45th wedding anniverary!) So Beth's description of the notes could have said "includes cat pee" and I would have bought it anyway. I apparently forgot to review it although I have worn it on my anniversary every year since I received it. This is a pink chocolate scent, and it's very pretty. This doesn't have an intense or strong throw on my skin, and the chocolate isn't overpowering, so it's perfect to wear even on a hot August day, when other chocolate scents might turn rancid smelling on my skin in the August heat. I use this sparingly because it has to last me a long time.

I didn't realize that I had never reviewed this, so in honor of today being the 13th, I am wearing and reviewing February 2009's Thirteen (13). I have only purchased three 13's, and this was one that I immediately ordered two bottles of based on the notes. It's strong, very spicy and gingery, and very autumnal to me. I usually reserve this one for wearing in autumn and winter. Very strong throw and a little goes a long way, but I love it enough that I managed to polish off my first bottle a while ago and am on my second, even as sparingly as I wear it. The blend of spices in this one does take prominence over the chocolate, but if you are looking for something that is very darkly spiced in a foody way, this is a beauty.

I rarely purchase Thirteens - I have only tried three. I had never tried any of Brian's creations and realized that I was missing out on something special. When I read that this 13 was created by Brian, and then read the notes, with dragons blood added to the cacao? I knew I needed a bottle of this right away. So here we are, over a year later and I'm finally reviewing it. I retested it this morning, and OMG it has aged so beautifully. There is a darkness but a sweetness to this blend. The cacao is prominent, but the dragons blood is definitely present and overall this has aged into smelling the way I wish Chocovine, that nasty chocolate/wine concoction, actually tasted. Love this one!

Bonfire Night is a previously released Halloweenie that is all smoke and burning leaves to my nose, although that is not at all like the description. It came back last year, so I don't know if it will return again so soon. But my all time favorite is Death of Autumn. It was also a Halloween scent, from back in 2007, but I see it show up on forum sales now and then. As it has aged, the smoke has deepened and it smells exactly like a pile of burning leaves to me.

I purchased this bottle when it originally went live on the Dark Del website, so my review is based on my now well-aged bottle. I haven't worn this much at all, tried it a couple of times and put it away because it was ok, but not special. For some reason I decided to bring it out today, and woah... I think I'll be wearing it a lot. Horrid Mysteries is a very dark, blood-red almost to the point of black-scented perfume. The notes have all melded together, so I can't really pick out wine vs. pomegranate vs.moss, but it is not for the faint of heart. This scent has aged into it's name, in a good way. It is probably my darkest, most gothic-scented perfume, and that's saying a lot, as I love dark incense, resinous scents. Oh, and for some reason, it goes unbelievably well with my Implacable Beautiful Tyrant Hair gloss. All in all, I am glad that I didn't give up on this one.

Ok guys, we need to find an equivalent to House of Unquenchable Fire! Implacable Beautiful Tyrant Hair Gloss is very complimentary, but I want a perfume too (and a bath oil, candle, and anything else.) In the meantime, I am spraying HOUF all over my clothes (but worry about staining) I know I'm not alone in adoring these scents!

I adore all things Poe, so although I rarely order lunacies, this one was a must-buy. I didn't realize that I never reviewed it though, so this review is based on wearing my now-aged, original lab-purchased bottle today. Wet, definitely linen and a slight medicinal smell that must be the laudanum, or maybe that is the ink-stained tobacco. Either way, there is a musky scent, and I don't get any dragon's blood for the blood note. Overall this goes on lighter than I prefer and doesn't have a strong throw, but it sure has staying power because I can still smell it when I raise my arm to my nose 12 hours later. Overall this scent is perfectly evocative of Poe, and I really love it.

This was a lab frimp, and I tried it before reading the notes. It's a sweet green tea, with barely a hint of minty freshness, as if from a slight crush of a spearmint leaf. After reading the notes, I don't really detect the lemon, which is a good thing for me. This is a refreshing light scent with little to no throw, very soft. Would be nice on a hot summer day. It also reminds me a lot of my bottle of F5. This is a very nice scent, but not one I would end up wearing as I prefer my scents to be much darker and stronger.

I tested this lab frimp before reading the notes, because after all these years of wearing BPAL I am still learning to identify individual notes. This one was easy- honey! This is a soft honey, the same one that is present in Butterfly Nectar bath oil. In fact, this perfume is the perfect compliment to that bath oil! This stays soft and sweet on my skin, no medicinal or herbal notes come through. It's just a lovely summery scent. Against Idleness is another example of the power of frimps. It has never caught my interest before, but now I find that it is bottle-worthy for sure!

Frimp from the Lab. This is just a generic floral on me, and a soapy one at that. I guess I can pick out the lily, but this isn't special. This will be another one for my "decadent uses" pile, which means it goes into the bathwater. I think it will be perfect for that.

Frimp from the Lab: this is soap and water... slightly salty... ok, I'm standing under a saltwater shower soaping up. That's pretty much it. Not unpleasant, but not my type of scent.

I love the wine notes that Beth uses. This one is not as grapey as some, it's a dry red, with strong incense on the drydown. It's also not boozy- I could spray this in my car and not worry about being arrested for drinking if I was pulled over. This is a beautiful scent, and like each of the other OLOP Atmo sprays this year, I would love to wear this one as a perfume, so I spray it on my clothes and scarves to have it waft around me!

After my Sumatran Red Patchoulipaloozapurchasing I had to limit myself to buying two bottles of this, but they will have to suffice. I had no choice but to order East African Black Patchouli because I'm a patchouli ho, as you all know, and as it turns out, I'm thrilled that it ended up this way! This is definitely the patchouli that is in #occupy, no doubt about it. This patchouli is dark, woodsy, very earthy, and a great substitute for when I finally run out of #ows. I also think this is the patchouli that is used in Samhain and I also feel like this is the one in my beloved Tricksy (but OctoberGwen may disagree with me on this point .) To me, it isn't the same patch as in Banshee Beat, although perhaps that is because the vanilla sweetens BB up on me. This definitely lacks the sweetness of the Sumatran Red Patchouli on my skin. I am glad I got two bottles, but even more glad that I went bottle-crazy on Sumatran Red Patchouli, as that one is absolute perfection. This one is a great patchouli that will layer well with other scents, but is not as special to me. It's more like the typical patchouli essential oil that you can buy. I am happy with it because I love all patchoulis, but this one doesn't surpass Sumatran Red. edited to add something else I forgot: This oil is pale yellow, does not leave a stain.

I received a free goblin squirt of this in my most recent order, and sprayed it on my pillow that night. I can smell the frankincense, and there is a spiciness to this, but fortunately (for me) there is no real floral scent. It smelled great and made me snuggle into my pillow. The next morning, I could even smell it lingering on my hair. I've amassed an unexpectedly large collection of full-sized bottles of the atmo sprays, and this one is going to be added to the list for an upcoming order. Very nice!