Lani

On me this is smoky incense and dead leaves, with the different qualities weaving and fading in and out of each other. I love the Lab's leaf note, and I love smoky incense perfumes, so this is definitely a hit for me.

Like claudia6913 up top, I get a blast of juicy, tart pomegranate and currant, followed by sweet amber and honey. There's cypress and patchouli behind it all, and the myrhh comes out as it dries. This is a really lovely scent that invokes exactly what it says it does: the jewel-toned hues of autumn leaves, crisp and bright, with a hint of sweetness. One of my favorites of the 2015 Weenies so far.

This is such a fun scent. On me it opens smoky sweet vanilla, with a heart of green, herbal hemp and cannabis. The base is rich patchouli with more weed. There's definitely some stank in there, but to me nothing that would actually make someone think you were smokin the reefer (I live in Seattle, I smell the real thing A LOT these days, haha). A great scent that definitely lives up to its name!

For me this scent is a crisp, fresh, bright apple that slowly morphs into something darker and richer as it dries. The apple is bright and forward but slowly adds in the tea and tobacco, very slowly, until you realize the apple is gone and what you've got is tea and sticky tobacco. It's a really lovely scent, bright apples with some darker depths.

My experience of this perfume is very similar to that of Tal Shachar's. It opens wet with a luscious, sweet, juicy green lotus note. Gorgeous. As it dries, the orris and sandalwood come out, slightly drying the scent itself as well, but the sweet lotus remains very much present. The longer it dries, the muskier it all gets. I spilled my decant when I tried it, so I just slathered my arm in all the oil, heh. Guess I'm just going to have to buy a bottle.

This scent bears a lot of structural resemblance to September Midnight--another of the Lab's amber chypres. However, instead of the tart facet of pomegranate and powdery myrrh, this one has a delicious spicy accent and a more bitter, leathery, earthy base. Then, once it's dry, the cedar comes out--smoldering smoky cedar incense, like a woodfire in winter. This is a glorious perfume.

This scent reminds me a lot of The Tears of Lilith, unsurprising because both have honey, red musk, and rose. It's a heady, sweet, yummy floral with a touch of tartness from the pomegranate and the smooth, soft, slightly powderyness of myrrh. Really, really nice.

I busted out my year-old bottle of this today because it feels like fall here and I definitely associate this scent with fall. When I first bought it the pomegranate was really strong in the top notes, but in the aged bottle the pomegranate has mellowed into the orris, which is now much stronger than I remember. The fruity-floral combo is darkened by the myrrh, and while I can't sniff out the cypress on its own, I get the feeling that it's back there, giving the whole composition more depth. Still lovely, still glad I have it, and perfect for these cooler fall days!

I really want to try Jack, as well--hurrah for a GC autumn scent. But it's been out of stock for ages. I hope it comes back soon. (Along with The Lilac Wood, but that's a spring scent, not a fall one!)

So a friend of mine loves Bath and Body Works Black Currant Vanilla perfume, and it's discontinuing soon. The name is a bit misleading--you'd think it's a big sweet fruity gourmand, but it's also got lemon, rosemary, pumpkin, and a big heft of patchouli. My friend says the fruits and patchouli are most notable on her. Any suggestions for a BPAL dupe? I think Eat Me is probably sweeter/more gourmand than she wants. Maybe Red Queen? I've never sniffed that one--is it as fruity/woodsy as it sounds?

This has got to be one of the most simply pretty perfumes I've tried in ages. I get a softly floral, softly bitter almond scent with a cool, slushy backing. Sometimes I get a tiny whiff of the mint (I think it's wintergreen?) that's part of the snow note, which gives me a little shivery delight. I was hemming and hawing about picking this one up and in the end I just went for it. I couldn't be more pleased that I did! What a gorgeous perfume!

This scent is one of the very first BPALs I ever tried--it was in my first ever BPAL order! Initially, back then, I decided it didn't work on me and gave it away, but as time has passed and I've gotten to know perfumes better, I wanted to revisit Grandmother of Ghosts; particularly since it's on the list to be discontinued in March. I lucked out and got a frimp of it with my Yules this year, and boy, am I glad I did. Grandmother smells just like I remember her in the bottle, but my reaction when I put it on is wholly different. This is a subtle, pretty, well-blended scent. I have trouble picking out individual notes, but I get an overall sense of lightly peppery woods, with the barest touch of floral sweetness. The mandarin really doesn't come through on me at all (typical on my skin--citruses seem to fade quickly or be curiously absent on me), which is a shame but, oh well. Also, this is one of the only white musk blends I've tried where the white musk doesn't seem to give the whole thing an ozone-y quality, for which I'm glad in this case. (Don't get me wrong, normally I like what the ozone-y white musk does, but I don't think it would work well here.) Overall, the whole thing does have a ghostly, floaty sort of presence, which I thoroughly enjoy. I may well snag myself a bottle of this before it's gone.

So excited to finally be giving this a try! My bottle arrived yesterday, and this morning I sat down to begin testing. I mostly get evergreen and berries out of this, and they are both soft and subtle. There's a coolness to the entire perfume, but for me it's not a sharp, icy cold like some others have described. What I get is a softly sweet, softly piney, cool, ethereal scent, and it's truly gorgeous. After half an hour or so, I get a teensy hint of vanilla in the background too, which emphasizes the sweetness without being overpowering. Skadi is as lovely as I hoped it would be; I'm really sad I didn't order a second bottle!!

I saw on the BPAL tumblr that this had been listed as one of the favorite scents of 2013, so I immediately went to my decants and tested it. It really is a beautiful scent--rich, silky, sweet (but not cloying). I agree with everyone who says this will age gorgeously. Lovely, lovely scent!

This one was far sweeter than I expected, but it's a creamy sweet, and not overpowering. I can't really pick out any of the individual musks, but I don't mind. I just get a smooth, even, creamy sweet dragons' blood, and that's just fine with me!