minnalavender

Unhelpful & Fangirly Review O. M. F. G. If Snake Charmer & Smut had a baby, it would be Luna Negra. This is one of the sexiest & most beautiful scents the Lab has ever created IMO. I wish I could hoard this! I can't imagine how good it's going to smell in a year or so. If you love Smut, Snake Oil, Snake Charmer and can do berry notes, I hope you got a bottle of this. It's amazing.

Let me preface this by saying that the original HGM is one of my favorite scents of all time, so my review will be biased by that. I thought that this version would be a replica of it so I was really excited to try it! Boy, was I disappointed. This version smells nothing like the original, and worse, in the bottle the dominant notes seem to be graham crackers and pickle juice. I don't get any citrus at all! The original version is juicy and sweet, kind of the essence of summer and happiness in a bottle; this version is... not. Original lasts all day; new has almost disappeared in 10 min., which is kind of a relief. I really don't like it! I want to cry. I rarely buy anything unsniffed these days as money is very tight, and I really expected this to be similar, if not the same as the original, and Lunacies disappear fast. It was not designated as "resurrected," though, so it's my bad! I jumped the gun. It's probably just me - I don't get along with some of the really popular LEs, so it will probably work well on other people. I'll be happy if I can swap or sell this version to someone who loves it, and hunt down another bottle of the original version.

I didn't purchase this as a perfume - I love Beth's TAL scents and respect their power, and when I saw the description I knew that I needed this oil! I'm grateful that it's a lovely rosy herbal scent but quite honestly for me the scent is secondary to the intent behind it. We recently adopted a beautiful Boxer/Pit Bull mix puppy from a rescue and although she is the new love of my life, she is a LOT of work! One way I've been dealing with my fibro is by minimizing stress and trying to maintain a healthy balance between activity and rest, but a lot of times that devolved into moving as little as possible when I'm having a flare. Having a puppy is the best exercise EVER, but unfortunately I found myself constantly exhausted and worn down by the cleaning, training and walking she requires on a daily basis, not to mention the patience needed. This morning I knew she needed walking and I was not feeling it. It's cold and rainy and everything hurt. I applied some of the oil to my heart and on a crystal I've been wearing and set out with my shoulders back and head high! It was a great walk, the rain held off for the duration and I wasn't even sore when we got home. The confidence and happiness I felt during what is usually a activity I dread because of how sore it leaves me was amazing, magical. I felt like myself again, like I did before I developed this fucked-up disease. It's an hour later and I still feel calm, centered and capable of whatever the day throws at me. I'm so glad I was able to get a bottle of Benevolent Triple Conjunction. I'm going to use it on my crystals and on my conjure bags, and treasure having and using my little bottle of positive lightning.

I didn't try this while the Yules were live, and lived to regret that decision after reading the rave reviews here. Well... I have a feeling that The Arabian Dance is one of those scents that will soon find a new, more loving home. Wet, it smells like sharp leather and the Middle Eastern spices were all cloves on me. D: Clove is my Note'o Doom, and I amp it like 10 Marshall stacks at a metal show. Once the clove died down I could smell the pretty coffee note, but not for long! My skin apparently eats this oil, too. Within 3 hrs no trace of it is left on my skin. I envy the people for whom it works! I hope I can trade it for another Yule I like better. EDITED: I'm so glad that I kept a decant of this, because boy, what a difference some aging makes! This is the sexy spicy leather and tobacco scent that other people were raving about, and both the throw and the length of wear are stronger, too. I ended up buying another bottle on eBay. lol

I bought this unsniffed because after reading a few reviews here I was hoping the chocolate in this blend was the same as the chocolate note in Boomslang & Wulric, and it is! I knew the other notes would work; I like them and they smell great with my skin chemistry. The addition of the rich, dark chocolate note is amazing. It disappears first, but the other notes linger in sweet floral goodness all day long. A new favorite! I just have to remember to spin the bottle between my palms to mix the oils before I apply.

This scent encapsulates everything beautiful about spring, from the bright green new grass to the scent of the delicate, ephemeral flowers in the crisp, fresh breezes. I don't know how Beth does it, but her art is truly magical. I only wish I could have bought two bottles! I will wear the HELL out of this scent.

Not one single Pumpkin has ever worked well on me, so I was really excited about the Pomegranate Patch. I love every note in this one, and they all work well on me, so I could bathe in this scent! My daughter smelled me and asked me to buy her a bottle too! It's a bright, sweet, refreshing scent that's perfect for spring or summer. The throw is good upon application but my skin quickly eats this one. The good news is that I will NOT mind frequently reapplying it. Yum.

If you love red musk like I love red musk, you'll adore this scent. I too get pretty much red musk single note when first applied, but there is a hint of cream and sweet, powdery honey there that comes out in the drydown. I'm a slatherer and it has decent throw, and lasts a good eight plus hours on my skin. I really love the combination of notes in this scent. So glad I gambled on a bottle of it unsniffed!

I got #559! I have almost NO idea what the notes are in this scent, but once again my luck with the CTs has won out because whatever the components, this is really, really beautiful. I can detect some kind of light musk, a citrusy note, and a very light, non-foody vanilla, and that's about it. Whatever the notes actually are, they all blend into a sweet, innocent, gentle kind of scent that is both soft and comforting. It reminds me a little of Comforting Plush Companion and a little of Love's Baby Soft perfume from the 70's. It suits me to a T! I'm so lucky! I will treasure this scent.

I'm lucky in two ways: lucky I found a whole bottle of this for sale and lucky that it works so well on me! I purchased it unsniffed even after reading the mixed reviews so far, because as long as I apply sparingly I get along really well with all the notes. I've never had the dreaded PlayDoh or plastic reaction to the Lab's vanillas, and on me the listed floral notes stay very sweet and light, not amped or overpowering. Companion's a morpher on me! It goes on with a pastry/foodie/plum note a la Crumpet Rebellion that disappears within minutes, drying down into a soft, musky vanilla. Mid-drydown, the musk and sweet baby powdery floral notes are what linger longest on my skin. The sugarplum is still there, too, but it's only noticeable if I press my nose to my skin, which is a lovely thing to do when you're wearing this scent. Companion is sweet, soft and innocent, very close to the skin, with short wearlength which is good because I love every stage of it, from wet to the drydown, and won't mind reapplying. It really does remind me of a well-loved, soft and cozy plush toy. This scent will be good aromatherapy for me on days when I'm feeling anxious - I can just snuggle my nose against my wrist for a sec and feel better.

Thanks to the generosity of chatrient I was able to get a bottle of this all for my very own, and I'm reeeally glad! I knew I would love this given the notes, and I wasn't wrong. This is a delicate, soft, absolutely gorgeous scent and one I'll wear a lot during the coming summer. In the bottle: cherry Tootsie Pops. Nom. There is a hint of vanilla and musk but it's cherry lollies in the beginning, no liqueur scent yet. Wet on my skin: the vanilla and Egyptian musks come out, adding a rich, confectionery sweetness to the candy cherry, but it's still very light. The liqueur note emerges a little, but just a tiny bit and only for a short while. During the drydown the cherry becomes very faint and the vanilla and musk stay close to the skin, not a lot of throw, which I like. This is a very ladylike musk, if such a thing is possible! It reminds me of Love's Philosophy with just a hint of fruity sweetness. Mmm. This is the kind of scent where people tell you that you smell good, not that your perfume smells good. I don't amp any one of the notes and they all work beautifully with my skin chemistry so I am ecstatic I have a bottle of this. If you like cherry, vanilla and Egyptian musk you should try hard to get your hands on some! It's amazing.

Version CCLM This is the easiest review ever: cherry and Snake Oil. Seriously! That's all I can smell. The cherry is bright and sweet and red and juicy and the Snake Oil base is as delicious as it always is. The two blend beautifully with each other in the wet phase, and by drydown the cherry is just a whisper above the SO. LOVE IT. I'm so freakin' glad I gambled on a bottle and got such a lovely scent!

Unfortunately, I could only get one Ode to Aphrodite scent, and Khrysee was an easy choice for me. I must amp amber because it is nearly all I can smell on my skin, but what a gorgeous, delicate, close-to-skin amber! The vanilla softens and sweetens the blend, and I can't smell any neroli at all, really, which is a shame because I love it too. Total winner for me! I love it a lot and I'm so glad that my nose cleared up in time for me to sample it before it disappeared off the bpal site.

The first day I wore GVaRB, the bank teller told me "Wow - you smell really good today - really good!" Not "that's a nice perfume," but "you smell good." That's what this scent does- it smells like a beautiful extension of your own personal fragrance. It's musky, woodsy, and clean, with the most gorgeous vanilla note EVER. If it were a color, it would be soft and golden. I just wish I knew what to tell her when she asked me what it was called. She would have had a coronary. Seriously. Drop dead sexy. A hoarder if there ever was one.

This is such a beautiful scent, nostalgic, sweet, and delicate. Vanilla is wonderful with my skin chemistry, as are most of the other notes listed. I'm so glad I splurged on a 5 ml bottle. Can't stop sniffing my wrists! It's different than the other vanilla scents I love, like Antique Lace, Morocco, and Al-Azif: where they are round and rich, Black Lace is faint and almost delicate. I am going to have to get another bottle to age! Aged Antique Lace is the nectar of the Gods to my nose, and as this is a much more complex scent I can only imagine how good it will smell in a year. I can only buy bottles of the absolute WIN scents this Yule, and I'm going to buy two of this one. It's that good, and it'll just get better with aging.

A huge Thank You to Beth for bringing Snow White back!! If I could only get one scent from the Yule update it would be her. This year's version is as lovely as the previous ones, sweet almondy confectionary yum grounded by the most delicious spiciness. I am so glad that I can stock up without breaking the bank! The '04 version is my most treasured oil, matched only by Snake Charmer and Boomslang. If I only had those three oils, I'd still be one happy fangirl. Layered with LUSH Snowcake, I smell like an angel!

This is dumb. There is no way I can write a helpful review of this scent because every note in it works beautifully with my skin chemistry and is a personal favorite. I knew it would be amazing just from the listed notes! And it is. It's another in a number of Beth's fruity, delicious red musk and wine scents that I absolutely treasure and hoard. This is the "going out dressed up for a special occasion" member of the Amazing Red Musk family - even though it's sweet, it's complex and grownup on me. The only vaguely useful thing I can add is that I couldn't smell a smidge of the cocoa absolute on the drydown - but the way it's playing with the other notes makes up for its bashfulness. This is a multi-bottle hoarder for me for sure.

From a decant. If this is what Vampire Tears smell like, I want to find a really emo one. Mmmm - gingery, tart grapefruit - the tonka and green tea give this a slightly Asian lunacy feel. It's all candy sweet and bright, refreshing topnotes and a delicious cakey bottom note. I don't smell any of the White Flowers of Doom! All the notes are behaving their very best with my skin chemistry. I'm so happy! White flowers can turn any scent into an aggressive migraine trigger for me, but they just smell lovely in combination with the other notes, not overwhelming them at all. My only complaint is that I'll have to slather it to appreciate it for more than an hour - my skin devours this scent. Gotta hunt down a 5 ml when I'm flush again!

(decant from circle) What a gorgeous scent! I just love vanilla and neroli, and to my joy they are both predominant notes on my skin in this blend. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin, but I like it in combination with the other notes, esp. ginger. I love the way such different notes blend together so harmoniously. Despite the pumpkin, it's surprisingly delicate and non-foody on my skin. I can see myself wearing this all throughout the fall and winter, too. My only wish is that it didn't fade away so quickly. I was afraid to slather because I only have a decant, but this deserves to be slathered! If I can swing it, Pumpkin V will be a definite bottle purchase before the Pumpkins go away.

This is such a lovely scent that even though I found the package in my mailbox at 10:30 pm after a day at the Home Run Derby, I still tried it on and had to review right away! In the bottle: oh, my beloved Red musk! Atop it is the citrus, and below it the Dragon's Blood, all three blending beautifully together. On my skin the orange disappears and the musk, DB and amber take center stage. It's very light and understated, but there's still a decent amount of throw. And oh - the sweet red musk blends with the candy-sweet DB so nicely. This is sweet and somehow incensy, light yet mysterious, and gets prettier as it dries down. I really like it! If you are a fan of red musk and/or DB, you will LOVE Red Moon.

To be honest with you, I would have bought a bottle of Selkie if some of the listed notes had been beer farts and vomit. lol Selkies are very, very close to my heart. No way I was passing it up. Luckily for me it smells divine! I'm not familiar with any of the listed notes, but the aquatic note jumped out of the bottle right away. On my skin it submerges and something in it smells almost fruity to me, very ripe and juicy. It's a really cheerful scent to me - perverse skin chemistry, I guess. I can barely detect any honey, which is wonderful as it usually goes stridently bad on me; there's just the soft, powdery note of honey behaving itself. I was terrified of the honeysuckle, but it too is lovely in this blend! Not a smidge of the headache that comes when it amps up like a southern belle with a bullhorn, or something. This is a soft, juicy, delicious floral with a slightly fruity, aquatic undertone on my skin - light throw when applied sparingly. Very summery and bright. I love it! Thank you Beth.

First off, the bottle art for Cancer is absolutely gorgeous! And the fragrance is as lovely as the artwork. Cancer is a soft, gentle floral, as light as air on my skin. I'm terrible at identifying notes, but I think the wild lettuce is what gives the fragrance in the bottle a grassy, green feeling, and maybe the orris is what makes the drydown slightly spicy. I don't really smell fruit at all, but that's not surprising - my skin amps florals to the nth degree. I love sweet peas - they embody spring to me - and I can definitely detect them in the blend. For those of us who are wary of light/pale flower notes, don't worry! The throw is soft and understated. Nothing in Cancer makes my dumb head hurt. As it dries, the spicier notes linger deliciously close to the skin. This would be a perfect scent for daily wear as well as at work, or on dress-up occasions. It's the kind of blend that enhances the scent of your own skin instead of overwhelming it or announcing your arrival from across the room. It works with you, quietly. An almost introverted fragrance, if you will. Very, very beautiful.

I freely admit I have weird skin chemistry. Having said that, Crumpet Rebellion smells almost exactly like Sugar Skull on my skin. It's absolute brown sugar/fresh pipe tobacco/creme brulee deliciousness, but unlike The Knave of Hearts (which I thought it would smell nearly exactly like), there's no cake or berry or other fruit note discernible on my skin. CR is pure smoky caramel which I apparently amp like whoa. Whatever this note is, it's one of my very favorites, swoonably good. I can totally see why this blend is a must-have. And call me weird(er), but I would LOVE to smell this on a man. Gahhhhhhhhhhh. at the thought. I am sooooooooooooo glad I was able to snag a bottle. Sankyoo Puddin'.

Whenever I read the name "Lydia," I can't help but think of Groucho Marx warbling "Lydia the Tattooed Lady:" Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia, Lydia, the Tattooed Lady. She has eyes that folks adore so, And a torso even more so. Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclo-pidia, Oh Lydia the Queen of Tattoo. On her back is the Battle of Waterloo. Beside it the wreck of the Hesperus, too. And proudly above waves the Red, White, and Blue, You can learn a lot from Lydia. La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la To say that I am NOT a fan of white flowers is to grossly understate the case. They are usually instant migraine triggers. But Lydia, along with Ephemera and Ode on Melancholy, is an exception to that rule. She's intensely floral, candy sweet, and extremely feminine, but in a wistful, quiet way. This is a beautiful, understated, sophisticated floral. On my skin, medium to small throw, which is GREAT for me! I don't want the white flowers amping! If you love sweet, quiet florals you'll love Lydia. I do, and I'm a tattooed lady! lol Go figure.

Ooooh I LOVE this! I'm not a big evergreen/pine fan, but Shanghai Tunnel is the exception to the rule. It is so fresh and brisk, with great throw and lasting power. Sweet, slightly floral, very fresh and evergreen - on my skin it's like a walk in a springtime forest - but as in Black Opal, I can faintly detect that "stone" note. How does Beth do that?? I can see wearing this both in the summer to combat the insane dry heat here, and also in the winter near Yule when pine is seasonally appropriate. Very gender neutral - anyone could wear this and smell great! Like Western Diamondback, oh would I love to smell this on a man! Gorgeous, unique scent, and my surprise favorite of the Convergence scents!