dementia_divine

In the imp: Lots of musk. I can pick out red musk and green musk. Wet: This smells like green Jello to me, with a grape-y musk and what I believe to be the rooibos. Dry: Red, green, and a grape-y dark musk with strong heliotrope, which I recognize from Tamora, and a bit of spice in the background from the wasabi. It still has a bit of a Jello-vibe to it, but it’s not as Jello-y as before. I think there are some other musks at play here, too. Verdict: I am going to hold on to this one for a while just because it is a RPG scent and I am curious about the layering combos, but I am not fond red musk or the grape-y dark musk, so I would never reach for this one on its own. This is too strong on the musk and sweet heliotrope for me.

In the decant: I’m getting lots of dark soil with some pine and lavender. Wet: There’s a blast of bracing pine, lavender, and then, the soil. The soil note becomes stronger after a few minutes. Dry: The dark soil ends up becoming the most prominent note, with a much calmer pine and lavender. After a while, the white frankincense note emerges and gains strength, so that it is a resin scent with a smattering of dirt, and after a few hours, I get a bit of the opoponax as well. Verdict: I like the Lab’s dirt scents, and I’m fond of pine and lavender, so I was curious about this scent. It’s not something I feel the need to obtain more of, but I do think it is a nice, winter-y dirt scent. I think I’ll hold on to the decant.

In the decant: I tend to amp the Lab’s red wine note, but I wanted to see if this reminded me of the Glühwein I’ve had in Germany and Austria. This is actually much sweeter. I think this is more like a lightly spiced punch, while the boy thinks this is more like gummy candies. Neither of us think it smells like actual Glühwein. Wet: I get the honeyed red wine note backed by some spices. After a minute, I’m able to smell the citrus. The spices are stronger on my skin than they were in the decant, but do not dominate the scent. As it begins to dry, the honey note becomes more prominent. Dry: The wine note is dominant for a while, with the honey and orange gaining more strength during this stage until it mostly becomes honeyed orange and wine with hardly any spice left. Verdict: This isn’t the scent of Glühwein to me, in the vial or on my skin. It was nice to be able to try it, but I won’t be holding on to the decant.

In the bottle: Sugary sweet peppermint and vanilla! The peppermint in this seems to be softer than the other Lick Its I’ve tried. Wet: This does smell like a licked candy cane! I’m getting a soft, sweet peppermint, powdered sugar, and some vanilla. The mint gets stronger as it sits on my skin, but it isn’t strong enough to leave a minty burn. Dry: Yep, no intense cooling of the arm from this peppermint! The vanilla comes out more over time, so that it ends up being a soft, sugary, vanilla mint. Verdict: I am so glad to have a bottle of this Lick It! I love that I get lots of sugar and vanilla from this one.

In the decant: This is strong on the resins, with the labdanum note being the most prominent. I only smell a hint of vanilla in the background. Wet: The resins reign, with the labdanum in the lead. This is actually sharp on me. Dry: This smells like polished furniture on me for a really long time. After a few hours, it calms down enough to let the powdery white myrrh take the stage. The bourbon vanilla note is very light, but I can tell it’s there if I sniff up close. Verdict: This one is too sharp on me. I was hoping the vanilla would play a bigger role with the resins, like in Hope and Fear Set Free. Alas! I won’t be holding onto this one, but I’m glad I got to try it since I am fond of the poem.

In the decant: I can smell all of the notes! This is definitely white, clean, and powdery. Wet: This is soft and fluffy with some floral sweetness. Then the white musk joins in, as well as the powder notes, giving it more of a clean vibe. As it sits on my skin, the sweetness from the baby’s breath becomes less prominent as the cotton blossom, white musk, and powdery notes become stronger. Dry: Soft, powdery, and lightly sweet. The cotton blossom and powdery notes are the most prominent now. The white musk has calmed down significantly, but it is still lending its clean vibe. Verdict: This is certainly evocative of a fluffy white bunny! Not something I could see myself reaching for, but it was really nice to get to try it.

In the imp: Melon, citrus (I am thinking grapefruit), and some mint. The melon makes me think of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat. Wet: Honeydew melon, yep, that’s grapefruit, and some refreshing (but light) mint. I’m somewhat reminded of Peach XII, but with melon instead of peach. Dry: Ohh, it’s the minty, ozonic snow note. So snow, honeydew melon, and citrus. No wonder it reminds me of Peach XII, but with a different fruit note! Verdict: Keeping.

I got a decant of this back in 2015 and never reviewed it. It’s time to remedy that, since it is the only Luper decant from that year that I have kept! In the decant: Sugared lemon backed by light resins. The sugared lemon note is amazing! Wet: I get the blue lotus absolute, sugared lemon, and then the resins. It may seem like a curious combo of notes, but they work really well together. The blue lotus lends an airy vibe to the scent, while the sugared lemon provides a candy quality to it. The frankincense stands out to me, but it isn’t a heavy frankincense, if that makes sense. Dry: The resins are playing a greater role now, but I can still smell the blue lotus and the sugared lemon. Verdict: This is so lovely. I wish I had gotten a bottle of this back in 2015. It’s a unique, light resin scent, and I love the sugared lemon in this. This scent would be wonderful to wear in the spring and summer months, and I will cherish the little that remains of my decant and pair it with Pa-Pow hair gloss.

I tried this back in 2015 but neglected to post my review here! In the decant: Red musk and dragon's blood like whoa. But the red musk is far more prominent. Wet: Exactly that and nothing else at first. Then, I end up getting a bit of the honey note. Dry: Red musk and dragon's blood still dominate. The honey and cream are present, but just a dribble, like it says in the scent description. The green leather has also emerged, but you have to sniff the scent really close to the skin in order to smell it. Verdict: I had to try this one because of the name, but the red musk is far too strong for me.

I neglected to post my review of this back in 2015. In the decant: Honeysuckle and a bright, effervescent note that must be the crushed diamond accord with the red amber and patchouli in the background. Wet: The honeysuckle and crushed diamond accord notes are still the most prominent to my nose. The gardenia note is present as well, but it isn't as strong as the two aforementioned notes. The red amber is lingering in the background, but I am not getting much patchouli on my skin (thankfully). Dry: The honeysuckle and crushed diamond accord continue to reign, but the gardenia is getting stronger, giving it a classic perfume feel. Dry after a few hours: The gardenia is more prominent once it has been dry for a while. The amber and patchouli are stronger after a few hours of wear. At this point, the honeysuckle is pretty much gone, and while the crushed diamond accord is still present, it isn't as strong as it was during the wet phase. Verdict: I enjoyed the prominence of the honeysuckle during the wet phase, but overall, the scent is too perfume-y for me.

I reviewed some Lupers in 2015 and neglected to post many of those reviews on the forum. So here's my belated review! In the decant: The black cherry note is the most prominent, and it smells very realistic to my nose. There is also a bit of sweetness in the background, but I'm not really getting the other notes! Wet: Black cherry is the dominant note, but I am also getting the rose water now and what I think may be the bourbon (but I'm not sure). Then, the cream accord emerges, and I am mainly getting black cherry, rose water, and cream. As it starts to dry down, the orris root makes its presence known, adding its baby powder-like scent to the mix. I hope it doesn't stomp all over everything. Dry: Waaaaahhhh! The orris root stomped all over the other notes, and now it is mostly a powdery scent with the cherry, cream, and rose water in the background. Verdict: Oh, orris, this would have been so good without you, but you and I do not get along.

Many of the Lupers that I reviewed in 2015 didn't end up getting posted on the forum. This was one of them. In the decant: Patchouli, frankincense, amber, carnation, and coconut. What an odd combo! Wet: Spicy carnation (which is a note that I amp), resins, patchouli, and lemongrass. The coconut is present as well, and it isn't long before the carnation, lemongrass, and coconut reign, with the other notes taking a background role. Curiouser and curiouser! Dry: Carnation and lemongrass continue to reign, but the coconut adds this plastic-y vibe to the scent that I'm not particularly fond of. Verdict: Oh, Startled Toad, I really wanted to like you, because you have the best label artwork from this year's Lupers. Alas, it seems we cannot be friends.

In the decant: I can smell the rosemary water, lavender, blackberry, and bergamot. Wet: The rosemary water, lavender, and blackberry are the first notes to jump out at me, and then the bergamot quickly joins them. I am generally not fond of berry scents, but I have been trying more of them lately, and the herbal notes are keeping the blackberry in check. This actually smells really refreshing. Dry: I’m getting blackberry, bergamot, white musk, and rosemary water mostly. The lavender is still present, but much lighter than before. Verdict: This is a nice, fruity, herbal scent that would be lovely in the spring and summer months. The blackberry is a little stronger than I’d like it to be on me, and I wish the lavender had stayed around longer, so I won’t be needing a bottle of this one. But I am really glad I was able to try it!

In the decant: This is very herbal, with the lavender and clary sage being the most prominent notes in the vial. I am not sure what yarrow smells like even though I’ve tried a few scents with the note. Wet: I’m hit with a blast of clary sage and herbal lavender. Beneath these notes, there’s a warmth to the scent from the tobacco and a bit of the dragon’s blood. The scent does have an airy quality to it at the moment and is very relaxing. Dry: The clary sage and lavender are still going strong, but the tobacco and myrrh are darkening the scent. After a while, I get the patchouli, which adds some earthiness to the scent. I was afraid of the lotus root, as that is often too bubblegum-y sweet on me, but it just adds a light sweetness in the background without turning into bubblegum. After a while, the patchouli, clary sage, and tobacco become the main players. Verdict: I originally was going to get a decant of this one because it had lavender listed as a note, but decided not to…. and then zee_zee’s review made me regret that decision! I am really glad that I was able to swap for a decant, since I wasn’t sure how the notes in this would play together. I really like this (especially the early phase of the scent) and think it would be a nice sleep scent, so I will definitely be keeping the decant and using it for that purpose. I am debating a bottle, but if it doesn’t make it into my next order, it’s only because other Magician and Activism scents were calling to me more.

In the decant: Whoa, there’s lots of blackberry jam piled onto these scones. Wet: Okay, I do get more of the scone note on my skin than I did in the decant. The blackberry jam is still the dominant note, but now it’s easier to smell the scones underneath it. The scones themselves smell like they have flour on the bottom from being baked on a flour-dusted cookie sheet. I believe these scones are sugar-crusted, too! Dry: The blackberry jam continues to be the main player, but I can still smell the scones. A few hours later, I also getting some creaminess… is there clotted cream on these scones? If so, I wish there were more. I think there may also be some rose in this, but maybe my skin is just doing something odd with the blackberry jam note by this point, which isn’t jam-like anymore. Verdict: If you are a fan of The Knave of Hearts, you’ll probably enjoy this, although it has a different fruit note and features floury scones instead of buttery tarts. I am really glad that I got to try this one, as I adore scones, and it is one of the WKAP scents that I have been wanting to try! I will be keeping my decant, and I think I’ll pair it with Eat Me hair gloss, but I don’t need to hunt down a bottle of this.

In the decant: I have been dying to try this one for a while, so I am super excited about this one! In the vial, it has a similar vibe to Give Me Thy Breath, My Sister, but creamier, thanks to the marshmallow. I get the pink marshmallow, the sap, and then some dandelion. Wet: The creamy marshmallow is the dominant note, followed by the sap, and then the dandelion, but I get more dandelion on my skin than I did in the decant. I am a fan of all of these notes, so I am loving this so far! Dry: The creamy marshmallow note is still the star of the show. After it has been dry for a while, there’s not much dandelion left, but I can still smell some of the sap, although it was stronger during the wet phase. A few hours later, it is all about the marshmallow. Verdict: I knew this would be wonderful, and I was not disappointed! I am not going to hunt down a bottle, as there are so many new scents coming out that I try to avoid hunting down old ones, but if I ever see a bottle of this pop up for sale outside of an eBay setting, I’d probably leap for it.

This is a review of the original release. When the OLLA line went live, Eve was not initially on my radar. I could not envision how all of the notes would smell together and was mostly interested in Ava. But people kept raving about it in the long gone official BPAL group on Facebook, and when someone posted that there were only eight bottles left in stock, I decided that I should not let it pass me by, given the hype, and I ordered a bottle. I am so glad I did. I often feel like I am too analytical in reviews, and so there are some scents that I have stayed away from reviewing even though I love them so. Eve is one of them. To me, it’s one of those magical incense scents (the others that come to mind are Fairy Market and the original Midnight on the Midway). Trying to dissect this scent by the notes would not do it justice, and it is so well-blended that I would fail at doing so if I even made the attempt. The resins, saffron, and incense are a stunning combination on my skin. Even though rose is listed as a component, I didn’t really notice it until I compared it to the roseless sage version. So don’t let the rose scare you away from this beauty. I’d put this in the same family as scents like Morocco and Bast. When Eve returned, I grabbed a back-up bottle, because I have already gone through almost half of the original. I absolutely adore Eve, and I am glad that she was re-released so that more people can experience how wonderful she is (and of course, so I could have more of her in my life)!

I guess I never reviewed this? Well, here's my belated review! In the bottle: Whoa, that’s some lime! This has a lot more of a zing to it than the hair gloss. Wet: Yeah, the perfume oil is definitely stronger on the lime than the hair gloss. I love lime, so I am happy about the prominence of the lime in this. As the scent begins to dry, I get some of the creaminess and a little bit of graham cracker crust in the background. Dry: Now it’s all about the creamy note and the graham cracker crust with just a hint of lime on my wrists. But in the crooks of my elbows, I get a little more lime. Verdict: I love this and am so happy to have this in perfume oil and hair gloss form. Now I just have to keep an eye out for the bath oil and complete the set! Thanks to my wonderful Witch for the gift of being able to slather myself in Key Lime Pie!

Crumbling paper and ancient cracked leather with a touch of tobacco leaf and incense. In the decant: This does smell ancient. I get the dusty, crumbling paper, cracked leather, and some incense. Wet: I am getting white sandalwood, lots of dust, and the cracked leather, which is sharper than I expected for an old book. After a few minutes, I can smell the incense and tobacco as well. Dry: The scent is sweeter now. I’m still getting white sandalwood, dusty pages, and sharp leather, as well as the incense that the book has absorbed throughout the ages. Verdict: I’m always interested in book scents, so I was looking forward to trying this one, but this is one dry, very dusty, old book, and the leather is not a variety that is kind to me. I prefer ParaNorman’s The Book to The Buggre Alle This Bible and won’t be keeping my decant, but I am glad I got to try it.

In the decant: This is very smoky and BBQ-like. I bet it has the BBQ-y variety of vetiver. Wet: Yeah, this smells like barbecued meat jerky. After a bit, I get the metallic, rusty nails and what I think is the gunpowder, and the BBQ-like charred wood and woodsmoke calm down somewhat. Dry: It no longer smells like I barbecued meat, as the rusty nails and gunpowder are a lot more prominent now, but it is still very smoky (and somewhat sour on me, alas). Verdict: Agnes’ scent is not for me, as I do not enjoy smoky vetiver or metallic scents, but it was nice to be able to try it. *edit* I was wrong! I had the boyfriend sniff it and it is definitely like beef jerky at first as opposed to a barbecued meat. But I am a vegetarian and have no desire to smell like either of those things.

In the imp: Super sweet! I get the buttercream, vanilla, pralines, toffee, and a bit of hazelnut from the imp. Wet: Sticky sweet toffee and pralines, buttercream, vanilla… SO MUCH SUGAR. Dry: Super sickly sweet toffee, caramel, pralines, and buttercream. This is a golden scent. I am not getting the dark chocolate. Just sniffing my arm makes my head hurt from the scent of this sugar rush. Verdict: Well, this is certainly gluttony, all right! But it is far too sweet for me. I am glad that I got to try it just to have tried all of the seven deadly sins!

In the decant: Syrupy sweet fermented pumpkin, brown leather, what I believe might be caramel-y tobacco, and perhaps the dust from Misk U. Wet: The sweet pumpkin and brown leather dominate, but the scent was actually sweeter in the decant than it is on my skin, because the brown leather is more prominent on me. After those notes, I get the tobacco leaf, which adds a little smokiness to the scent, and I’m somewhat reminded of the Trading Post’s Pumpkin Tobacco candle (although this is sweeter and has less tobacco). As it dries, I get a bit of the dust note, which does remind me of Misk U. Dry: The sweet pumpkin continues to reign, followed by the soft, brown leather, the tobacco leaf, and the dust. After a while, I get the dark woods in the background, and the coffee vibe some of the other reviewers have mentioned. It’s like the Trading Post’s Pumpkin Tobacco and Misk U had a baby. Verdict: I thought this one would be far too sweet for me, but it’s actually a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be! I don’t think I’d reach for this over other pumpkin scents in my collection, but it is nice, and I’m glad that I decided to give it a chance.

In the decant: Baby’s breath and dark, upturned soil. Wet: Soft baby’s breath and dark, moist grave soil. The baby’s breath is sweet and drifts over the upturned earth. Dry: The baby’s breath isn’t as sweet before. It is now rather powdery. Beneath it, I can smell the damp earth. There’s a bit of a sour tang to the scent now, so I think there are some herbs in the soil that are going sharp on me. I prefer the wet phase of the scent. Eventually, this ends up being a spiced and herb-filled soil. Verdict: I am really glad that I got to do a proper test of this one! I do not need a bottle of this, as there are other dirt scents that I appreciate more, but it was nice to be able to try it.

In the bottle: Pumpkin-spiced moss and dirt with some of Zombi’s rose behind all of the earthiness and pumpkin spice. This is heavier on the pumpkin spice than some of the other pumpkin spiced GCs I’ve tried (Snake Oil, Perversion, and Embalming Fluid so far). Wet: Lots of creamy, somewhat syrupy pumpkin spice with some moss and dirt in the background. This zombie likes to frequent Starbucks during the autumn months and cover itself in pumpkin spice. Dry: The pumpkin spice has calmed down somewhat, and now the moss is more prominent than before. It ends up being pumpkin spice, moss, a smattering of dirt, and just a hint of rose, with the pumpkin spice and the moss being the main players. Verdict: I am so happy to have a bottle of this! I will be pairing it with Pumpkin Spice Everything hair gloss or Black Clove, Tobacco Flower, and Grave Soil hair gloss during the autumn months.

I had the boy try this one on at Drag Con, and we both thought it smelled like root beer barrel candies on him. Since I also thought that about Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, which I was considering upgrading to a bottle since my imp is almost gone, I decided I should test them against each other to see which one was more up my alley. In the decant: I get the sassafras and smoke. Wet: Sassafras reminiscent of root beer barrel candies with a wisp of smoke. The sassafras in this one is much more potent than it is in Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, actually. That scent is much more vanilla-ed. Red musk often takes over scents for me, but I am not getting any of it here. After a few minutes, I get a little of the mandarin note. After a few more, the mandarin becomes more prominent, but still isn’t nearly as strong as the sassafras. Dry: The sassafras continues to reign, and the smoke is still present, but not super strong. The mandarin note remains a main player as well. I get some of the vanilla bean now, adding a sweetness to the scent. The red musk has now come out to play, but it hasn’t declared dominion over the other notes. There’s an herbal quality to the scent, which resides in the background. But then the red musk asserts itself, and I get a lot of red musk and mandarin now with a much fainter sassafras. Why ya gotta do this to me, red musk?! Much later, when the red musk believes it has had its say, I am able to detect the opoponax. Verdict: I thought I’d just compare the two scents with sassafras in them and decide which one to get a bottle of… but Sissy starts off like smoky root beer barrel candies and becomes a complex sassafras scent that morphs, while Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener is a simplistic sassafras and vanilla scent that’s more like a root beer float. I may end up having to get bottles of both, but since I liked the early phase of this far more than the dry one, I’ll hold on to my decant and see how much I reach for it first. (Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, on the other hand? I’m going to need a bottle of that one as soon as possible. I love the vanilla in it, and the sassafras in it lasts longer on me since there aren’t lots of other notes there to compete with it.) *edit* I decided against a bottle of this one. I thought I might get it anyway despite the red musk if the boy would wear it (he enjoys root beer scents and it smelled better on him than it did on me), but he just wasn't reaching for it, and I know I won't reach for it over Tombstone, Outlaw, or Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener.