dementia_divine

In the imp: Graaaaape. And patchouli. It smells more like grape juice than actual grapes to me. I can also smell the incense note. Wet: I do get a lot of grape, but the patchouli and nag champa notes are stronger on my skin than they were inside of the imp. Dry: The grape isn't as juicy anymore, but I'm still getting a fair amount of grape, earthy patchouli, and finally, the incense. Verdict: I'm not a fan of dark fruit scents and incense, so this isn't really my cup of tea.

In the imp: Ozone, a soapy aquatic note, and smoky vetiver. Vetiver and an aquatic. I must really hate myself. I am not looking forward to this. Wet: The smoky vetiver is even stronger on my skin than it was in the imp. Woe. The ozone is quite sharp, and the rain is just soap on me. I smell like a bar of soap that was left near a campfire that someone may have dropped a hot dog into... in addition to smelling like dryer sheets. Dry: Damn, this is strong. It's not giving me the impression that it did during the wet stage of the scent, but the smoky vetiver is even stronger now, making it a vetiver-heavy ozonic aquatic. Verdict: Never again.

In the imp: This one smells more like a fruity floral to me than an aquatic. I can't detect the aquatic notes in the imp at all. It's mostly pomegranate juice, peach blossom, and rose to my nose. That said, I'm not familiar with myrtle or melilot! Wet: Pomegranate and rose are the most prominent notes, followed by the peach blossom. I wasn't very fond of pomegranate and rose on my skin in Persephone, so I'm a little disappointed that these are the main notes on me in this one. Dry: Now I'm getting the aquatic note, which dominates the scent, though the combination of the aquatic with the rose note makes this somewhat soapy on my skin. Verdict: This one isn't for me.

In the imp: A fruity floral. I can smell the peach, musk rose, sweet pea, grape, and pear. Wet: I'm still getting all of the above notes. It's a sweet, juicy, fruity floral scent. The musk rose note seems to be coming out more after sitting on my skin for about a minute, but the fruit notes are still going strong. Dry: This smells almost melon-like to my nose. The sweet pea is the most prominent of the floral notes during this phase of the scent. Verdict: This smells really pretty. I don't think it's something I need more of, but I think it would be a lovely scent in the spring and rather refreshing on a hot summer day.

Bliss was one of the scents I tried pretty early in my discovery of BPAL, and for some reason, I never reviewed it! In the bottle: Brownies! Wet: It goes from warm brownies, fresh from the oven, to brownie batter. Browniiiies. Dry: It's creamy milk chocolate now, although there are still moments when I sniff it can only think BROWNIEEEEES, and other moments where I feel like I'm smelling cocoa powder before pouring it into some warm, creamy milk to make some hot chocolate. In any case, this scent is making me hungry. Verdict: I really enjoy Bliss! I always feel like I have too many chocolate scents that I don't reach for often enough, but I feel the need to keep some of this on hand anyway, because it's a very nice chocolate scent. I just wish it didn't make me feel like I need to eat ALL THE CHOCOLATE.

In the imp: Wooooood and sawdust. Wet: It's more pleasant on my skin than it was in the imp. I'm getting freshly chopped wood, sawdust, and some of the sap, and the sap note is what is making this better on my skin. Dry: Sharp, cologne-y wood. It loses its sharpness over time, and I think the sap has sweetened it up a bit. It's more pleasant than I thought it would be from the imp, but it's not something I can see myself reaching for. Verdict: This one is not my cup of tea.

In the bottle: The snow-dusted ti leaf and cherry blossom notes are the strongest. I can smell the ylang ylang, too, not far behind the others, and then there's the bit of cypress at the end when I inhale deeply. It's a snowy, floral forest! Wet: Same as in the bottle. Snow-dusted ti leaf and cherry blossom are the most prominent notes, followed by the ylang ylang, and finally, the cypress. The ylang ylang note increases in strength the longer this sits on my skin, but it never overtakes the ti leaf. Dry: The fresh, somewhat astringent snow-dusted ti leaf note continues to reign, and I am getting more ylang ylang now than I did during the wet phase of the scent. It's now stronger than the cherry blossom. It's mainly a snowy tea and floral scent on me. I'm not getting much cypress. The snowy ti leaf note softens with time, so that the florals end up taking over. Verdict: I kind of wish I had gotten more cypress from this and it would have been more snowy, floral forest than just snowy white tea and florals. I like it, but I don't love it. But since I adore the artwork, I want to give this another chance. I'll hold onto it and try it again in the winter.

I bought this one more for the cause than for the scent, but I'm interested in book scents and I have been trying to find more leather scents I might enjoy. I'm more wary about the chocolate in this than anything else, because I feel like I have too many chocolate scents already, so I hope it doesn't end up being too chocolate-y on me! The book I received with my bottle is Burning Road by Ann Benson. In the bottle: Leather (it's the chemically smelling variety), dark chocolate, and a bit of smoke, paper, and candle wax. But mostly, leather and dark chocolate. Wet: Leather, which smells kind of off on me at first, unless that's the yellowing paper doing that. It smells sour on my skin. The dark chocolate note isn't nearly as strong as it was in the bottle. Dry: After several hours of wear, the candle wax note has emerged, softening the leather note a bit and adding some sweetness to the scent. The aged aspect of the book is still present, but since the note has diminished in strength, it's not as sour. It is reminiscent of an old library. I'm not sure it's worth enduring the wet phase of the scent to get to this point, though. Verdict: I think I'll retest this one before letting it go, but I've already let it age for half a year before trying it, so I don't have high hopes that this one will end up working out on me. ETA: I just tried it on my upper arm a week later, and it's actually nice and not sour at all, and I'm getting more beeswax in that area. Well, I guess I'll be holding onto this one, then!

In the bottle: I can smell all of the notes! The buttery, vanilla shortbread cookie, the marshmallow cream, the fudge, and then the confectioner's sugar. It's very rich. Wet: Marshmallow cream and powdered sugar. Although the scent smelled like it could be really overpowering in the bottle, it's not like that on my skin. The marshmallow cream note is incredible. I'm still getting a fair amount of powdered sugar, and the warm vanilla shortbread note is beginning to emerge. The fudge note is currently hiding in the background. Dry: A dusting of powdered sugar, a smattering of marshmallow cream, and lots of vanilla shortbread cookies. The fudge note is still confined to a background role. After several hours of wear, it's marshmallow-cream-vanilla-powdered-sugar GLORIOUSNESS. There's no cookie to be found. Verdict: This one is full of win! I'm so happy that I grabbed a bottle.

In the bottle: The apple blossom note is the strongest. I can smell some of the watery musk, crushed grass, and pine needle, but they're nowhere near as strong as the apple blossom note. Wet: The apple blossom still reigns, but I can smell more of the musk and the crushed grass now that the scent is on my skin. Dry: The watery aspect of the musk is very evocative of the water it is meant to represent now. The apple blossom note is still pretty strong, and I can still smell the crushed green grass. I think the mint may be adding to the impression of a cool stream, and the pine needles just add an extra bit of green to the scent, like you're catching the scent of the pine trees on a breeze as opposed to getting slapped in the face with a branch of pine needles. The musk note ends up becoming more prominent after several hours of wear. Verdict: I bought this primarily because of the label art and the apple blossom note, and I'm glad that I did. This scent perfectly captures the artwork that inspired it!

In the bottle: Peppery orange SweeTarts. Sometimes I get more actual orange when I inhale deeply from the bottle, but usually, I open up the bottle and get that original impression. I'm kind of wary about trying this. Wet: Ha! The oil looks like I put orange juice on my skin. I'm getting candy orange, bitter lemon, and there's a kick from the pepper when I inhale deeply and a fizziness that kind of burns my nose! I was hoping to get more orange marshmallow cream than anything, and I really liked the description of a different kind of creamsicle scent mentioned in some reviews, but alas, it's not like that on me. It's this really strong children's vitamin scent with a bit of spice and fizz. Dry: The children's vitamin or chewable aspirin association just won't go away. At least it's not super peppery on me? The marshmallow cream note just adds more of a powdery, candy sweetness to the orange rather than making the scent smell marshmallow-y or even creamy enough to be creamsicle-like on my skin. Verdict: Covfefe is not for me and will be going to a new home (and hopefully onto someone whose skin chemistry provides a better Covfefe scent experience).

Note: I'm reviewing this as a moisturizer and not as a product used in the bath. In the bottle, it smells more like apple cider to me than the Apple Cider single note does, but with the addition of lemon. On my skin, it's definitely apple pie filling. I have sensitive skin, but the spices in this are mild and do not burn at all. The cinnamon in this is a sweet, soft cinnamon. After it has been dry for a while, I get a bit of crust, but for the most part, the filling reigns. Of all of the apple scents I've tried this year, this one is my favorite. I think that this is the best spiced apple scent since Lambs-Wool. I'm going to need APPLE PIE ALL THE THINGS, and a back-up bottle of the bath oil will be necessary.

In the bottle: The apple wine is the most prominent note. I get the distinct 'lace scent' with the tobacco, cognac, and vanilla, with the resins and smoke in the background. Wet: The smoke, tobacco, and resins are stronger on me than they were in the bottle. I am getting a lot of the apple wine, but not as much as I did in the bottle. After a few minutes, the apple wine has gotten stronger and overtaken the other notes, both on my wrists and in the crooks of my elbows. It is very sweet and almost candy-like, but boozy. I typically adore apple scents, but this apple wine note may be too candy-sweet for me. Dry: It takes a while for the apple wine to calm down, but when it does, it's a lovely scent. The vanilla really shines through on my wrists after a couple of hours, and it's definitely recognizable as one of the Lab's lace scents during this phase. I am getting more of the vanilla on my wrists, and more of the apple wine and smoke in the crooks of my elbows. Verdict: The dry phase of the scent on my wrists warrants keeping this bottle, although there is a point during the wet phase where the apple wine veers into too sweet territory for me. I am curious to see how this one ages!

In the bottle: Creamy mint frosting and chocolate cupcake. It smells delicious! Wet: I'm getting much more mint than cupcake. It's a lovely, sugary mint that's currently more mint than frosting on my skin. I'm not really getting any of the cake note. Dry: During the wet phase, it was all sugary mint, which developed into a creamier frosting after some time. Hours later, I can smell the chocolate cake note on my skin, but by this point, the scent stays really close to the skin. The mint is still present, but it is very faint now. Verdict: I am glad that I grabbed a bottle of this. I was hoping that it would be more sugary mint than chocolate cake on me, and it is! I just wish that it stuck around longer.

Thank you, Labbies, for putting this one on Etsy! I adore dandelion scents. I have always associated dandelions with hope and perseverance, and so they tend to be 'happy' scents for me (I have the Lab's Wild Dandelion SN, and Venus Verticordia is one of my favorite scents). I'm so glad that I was able to get my hands on a bottle and support this wonderful cause! In the bottle: A blast of dandelions, followed by the juniper and white musk. Wet: This is very green. I'm getting more white musk and juniper on my skin than I did in the bottle, but the dandelion note reigns. After a few minutes, the ambrette seed begins to emerge as well as the asphalt note, creating the warm asphalt impression, and the blackcurrant bud can be smelled faintly in the background, adding some sweetness to the scent. Dry: Although the juniper was a bit sharp and the scent was very green when first applied, it has softened a lot since then. The dandelion note dominates, and I'm reminded of dandelions on a warm summer day. The blackcurrant bud has become stronger than before and has sweetened up the scent significantly. It's so beautiful. Verdict: Smelling this makes me really happy. I'm ecstatic that I was able to obtain a bottle of this and may try to obtain a back-up bottle on Etsy while it's still available.

Note: I have never tried the original. In the bottle: Warm, sugary vanilla musk, the same found in Stekkjarstaur! INSTANT LOVE. Wet: Warm vanilla musk, and I'm not sure if it's the vanilla or something combining with that note, but I'm reminded of Pediophobia. I think it may be the dry linen note. I'm not getting anything that's noticeably floral at this time. Dry: Ah, now I'm getting the dry flowers! The vanilla musk still dominates. For some reason, I'm getting a breath of something reminiscent of Morocco – perhaps it's the warm musk, or maybe it's just my nose. Hours later, it's exactly like Stekkjarstaur minus the marshmallow root. Verdict: LOVE. I'm so glad that I was able to try this one and lucky enough to have gotten two bottles! I am sure it will become even more stunning with age.

I originally wasn't tempted by this one from the note-list, but the rave reviews for this scent made me curious, and I like that the proceeds go to the ACLU, so I decided to purchase a bottle. In the bottle: I'm mostly getting the patchouli note, which reminds me of the variety from Revenant Rhythm. I can smell amber, crushed pink pepper, which sweetens up the scent, and a bit of tobacco. I would have expected this scent to be sharp, from the notes, but it isn't at all. Wet: This is so well-blended, that it's hard for me to single out the notes. Despite the inspiration for this scent, it isn't sharp at all. The patchouli note isn't screaming at me, and I no longer think it's the same from Banshee Beat/Revenant Rhythm, but I could be wrong. The note I'm getting the most of on my skin is the crushed pink pepper note, followed by what I think is amber as the slashes of gold. Dry: The pink pepper note still reigns, followed by the patchouli. I can smell more of the patchouli and tobacco in this phase of the scent, and the patchouli note keeps becoming more prominent over time. Verdict: I like this, but I'm not sure how often I would reach for it. It's a little too much like department store perfume for me, even though it's much nicer than that. I think I'll hold onto my bottle for now.

On me, this is Lilith's lavender with soft, golden amber. The lavender reigns during the dry phase and never disappears, but the amber note does become more prominent over time, and after several hours of wear, it's the dominant note (with the lavender still present, but much softer). I think it smells very comforting. I am glad that I grabbed a bottle of this. It will get a lot of use as a bedtime scent.

In the bottle: Very clean smelling. It's a very clean, aquatic, lavender scent. Wet: The lavender is more prominent on my skin than it is in the bottle. It's soft. I'm getting the lavender, white musk, and the aquatic note. Then it starts to smell slightly salty, and it starts to smell cleaner on my skin. It's almost soapy or like dryer sheet on me. Dry: It's calmed down again. The soap factor has gone away. The white oudh has added some warmth to it, and the lavender note has reemerged. Verdict: I am not an aquatic lover, but I was very curious about the raindrop and asphalt notes with the lavender. I don't like the phase in which it delves into soapy territory on me, but I enjoy the other phases of the scent, so I'll be holding onto my bottle and keeping it as a bedtime scent.

In the bottle: When this arrived, it mainly smelled of almond and leather straight out of the mailbox. It's settled for over a week now, and now it mainly smells like leather and syrupy cherry to me (more than almond, though I do get that cherry-almond association here). I may be some resins and spices in the background, but mostly, it's CHERRY LEATHER to my nose at the moment. It does not remind me of any of my imp bags or the smell I get when I open a plastic TARDIS full of them. Wet: Cherry leather is actually what I'm getting on my skin, too. Then it threatens to turn into a bar of soap. It's actually a rather light scent. Florals, resin, and then the Lab's wine note, perhaps? There's a fruity note that I'm getting that's more prominent in the throw of the scent than when I sniff my wrist. It's fruity, powdery leather up close. My skin is just like, what is this fuckery? Dry: Yeah, that's the Lab's wine note and musky leather with lots of powderiness. Despite the wine and leather I mentioned, it is not reminiscent of Perversion on me (I enjoy that scent, but this is verging on headache-inducing). Then it starts becoming incense-y, and I think I can smell some frankincense when I inhale deeply. Several hours later, it's like a sweet, powdery incense-y scent before it loses its sweetness and becomes a faint powdery scent with no notes that I can discern. Verdict: On a positive note, I didn't end up amping a bunch of notes that don't work on me, but on the other, I couldn't see myself reaching for this if I kept it in my collection, and it nearly veered into headache territory. I will hold onto it for some time to see what aging does to it, but there's a good chance that I'll end up putting this one up for swap in the future.

I'd been wanting this one for a while, because I love the cause that it supports, and I enjoy forest scents (at least as room scents – there are only a few that I wear). In the bottle: Definitely smells like a forest. I can smell pine, cedar, and maybe juniper in here. The pine doesn't smell like cleaner at all. It smells like being in a forest of evergreens. Wet: A burst of pine, and possibly spruce, if I'm remembering BPTP's Schwarzwald atmosphere spray correctly. Perhaps there is some cypress present as well. Although I detected cedar in the bottle, I'm not getting any of that on my skin right now. It just smells very fresh and wonderful, and there's a bright sweetness to it as well, which may be the stony, snow-capped mountains from the description. At the moment, this is the best forest perfume oil that I've smelled from the Lab. It's stunning. Dry: It's still a nice, sweet, coniferous scent that's warmed a bit, with the woods coming out on my skin now (earlier I was mostly getting the needles). Much later, I'm getting what I think is a sweet, powdery snow, stone, and coniferous forest. Verdict: The unexpected sweetness in this scent makes me love it so much more than I thought I would. I'm in love. One bottle will not be enough.

In the bottle: Fresh out of the mailbox, it smelled like orange with the white parts of the orange around it. It still smells like that a few days later, only somewhat sweeter and juicier and less perfume-y. Wet: It smells like a freshly-peeled orange with a fair amount of the white parts from the peel. The peel part is rather strong. Dry: It still smells like a freshly-peeled orange, but the juicy quality has diminished. I can still smell the orange seven hours later in the crook of my elbow, so it has decent longevity on me (just not on my wrists – I can't smell the scent there at all anymore). Verdict: I like it, and I'll certainly use it as a summer scent, but I don't feel the need to grab more of it before it goes away.

In the bottle: The sweet notes are the most prominent on first sniff (the honey and cream are stronger than the cookies), but I can smell all of the notes, with a strong blast of Earl Grey when I inhale deeply. Wet: Buttery shortbread cookies, followed by the honey and cream, and then the Earl Grey. The Earl Grey note really does smell like Earl Grey. The bergamot is rather strong, and the black tea isn't turning to licorice on me (at the moment). Dry: I'm getting more of a soft honey and cream on my wrists, followed by the cookies, with the tea in the background. In the crooks of my elbows, the cookie and tea notes are much stronger, with the honey and cream playing a lesser role. Verdict: I was worried this would be too much buttery cookie on me when I returned to the US and smelled this last month. Fortunately, the cookie note ends up calming down on my wrists, making this a lovely honey and cream scent with cookies and Earl Grey in the background on me! And although the cookie and tea notes are strongest in the crooks of my elbow, I'm not having a problem with the buttery cookies at all... and the tea hasn't turned to licorice on me. I'm glad I ordered this one!

Sweet tonka, ambrette seed, golden musk, and smoky myrrh. I had to have a bottle of Playful Cat just because of the label art. I also wanted it because of the sweet tonka note. In the bottle, it smells incense-y. I mostly get the smoky myrrh note, and a hint of something that reminds me a bit of a note in Hair Loosened and Soiled in Mid Orgies -- it's either the ambrette seed (which I know that Orgies contains) or the musk note. When it is first sprayed, the myrrh note is quite prominent, and then it turns into a very powder-y scent. I had the boy walk into the livingroom to smell it, and he said it smelled like baby powder. (Note: He does not normally say this about scents.) I actually have to agree with him on that one. Once he said it, I couldn't stop smelling baby powder myself... well, a more expensive baby powder. Then, the myrrh note (and the note that reminds me of something in Hair Loosened and Soiled in Mid Orgies) returns. I will update this review if the scent ends up changing after settling for a few days, but at the moment, I am not loving Playful Cat.

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. – Oscar Wilde Pink roses, sugared pomegranate, apple blossom, white ginger, and velvet-white vanilla. The pink roses, sugared pomegranate, and vanilla notes are the most prominent notes in the jar. In use, I get all of those notes, as well as the apple blossom. I didn't really smell the white ginger when I used it. It's a rather scrubby scrub, as it is comprised of sugar and actual pomegranate seeds. The scent does linger after use, but it stays really close to the skin. it is mostly the vanilla, pink roses, and sugared pomegranate. I'm glad I bought it!