dementia_divine

Just sniffing from the bottle, I already feel like I am going to love this.

In the bottle, I get a beautiful amber and some ambergris along with a pink feel that must be the peach musk. There is a bit of a kick to this that makes me wonder if there is pink pepper in this although none is listed.

On my skin, the amber stands out to me the most. I still feel like it is a lightly spiced (but not with cinnamon) variety (maybe Egyptian amber, or maybe it’s gilded with pink pepper or pink carnation? But I think Egyptian amber is more likely). I am also getting the ambergris and peach musk, the latter of which adds more of a pink feel to the scent as opposed to making it super sweet and peachy (which I am thrilled about). The vanilla cream note joins the others after a few minutes but cannot hold a candle to the amber. This is mostly a pink amber scent to me (perhaps in the same scent family as Vasilissa even though that has pink musk and different resins). After a full day of wear, the amber is all that remains.

I love amber and am glad that the peach musk isn’t really sweet or particularly peachy. I am definitely keeping my bottle and plan on pairing it with my White Peach and Incense HG! Thanks to my wonderful fairy for getting this for me!

In the bottle, the apricot and peach stand out to me the most, made candy-sweet by the vanilla marshmallow behind them. I am hoping this won’t be as sweet as Dragon Mlerm hair gloss, which was far too sweet for me.

On my skin, the apricot and peach take the center stage, with the peach having a brief stint as the dominant note before the apricot won out. The vanilla, marshmallow, and coconut milk add a creaminess to the scent and come out more over time. The fruit ends up calming down significantly on my wrists after a few hours, but it is still going strong in the crooks of my elbows. I agree that it is like apricot and peach over a creamy, floofy base, but I think the marshmallow in Apple Marshmallow HG is more prominent and distinctly marshmallow than the marshmallow in this one (at least, on my skin). It’s definitely not as sweet as Mlerm and is more of what I was hoping for from that scent.

I like this, but for some reason, I don’t love it. I think I will let it age, test it again some time in the future, and see how I feel about it then, because I am trying to be more particular about what I keep now that my collection has reached its current size. I do love the name and artwork, though, and I think the scent matches both of those things perfectly!

In the decant: Clean white musk, ozone, and frankincense with just a little bit of mint.

Wet: The white musk, ozone, and mint jump out at me first, and then the frankincense emerges. The mint is stronger on me than it was in the decant.

Dry: Cool white musk with a soft mint backed by a soft frankincense note. It smells light, fluffy, and snowy. After a few hours, the frankincense becomes the dominant note, backed by the ozone. It no longer smells snowy on me.

Verdict: I’m glad I got to try this one, but I wish the snowy vibe hadn’t gone away after a few hours!

In the imp: Mentholic snow and dirt with some opoponax far in the background.

Wet: The mentholic snow is king on me, followed by the opoponax, which I am getting a lot more of on my skin than I did in the imp. There is only a smattering of soil at first, but it seems to be getting stronger over time, along with the cola-like opoponax.

Dry: The mentholic snow note ends up calming down after a while. The opoponax and dirt are a lot stronger now. After several hours, what remains is a powdery myrrh, lots of sweet opoponax, and a bit of dirt.

Verdict: I enjoy the Lab’s snow scents, love their dirt note, and was curious how the opoponax would come into play. Sadly, this is not one of the snow notes I really enjoy, and eventually the myrrh note made this powdery on me, but I liked the phase in between when I smelled like someone poured some Coca Cola into some dirt. I probably won’t hang on to this, but it was nice to get to try it!

I tried this at Denver Comic Con in 2015, but I can’t remember what I thought of it, so I am excited to be able to test this one properly!

In the imp: The fig and sesame are the strongest notes, followed by the hazelnut, and then the spices and rice flour. I am not sure which cooking spices this entails at the moment, though!

Wet: The fig, sesame, and hazelnut are the most prominent notes, backed by the rice flour, which is stronger on me than it was in the imp. The spices in this are gentle.

Dry: The fig continues to reign, but now the rice flour note has sidled up to it. I can still smell the hazelnut, but I am not getting much sesame anymore.

Verdict: If you’re a fan of fig, you’ll probably love this. Sometimes I get a waxy quality from the Lab’s fig note, but that was not the case with this one! I don’t think that I would likely end up reaching for this, but it was really nice to get to try this outside of a con setting! (Also, the label art is adorable!)

I tested this the day it arrived after letting it rest for eight hours, and then again, two days later. My experience ended up being the same on both days.

In the bottle, it makes me think of Cap'n Crunch Berries. There's something about the Lab's marshmallow combining with fruity sugars that makes me think of cereal, because I got the same thing from Cabbage White Caterpillar HG in the bottle and on the initial spray (although that one is more like Trix or the LÖÖPS).

On my skin, it was like Cap'n Crunch Berries with an undertone of the Fun Dip powder that mollison mentioned, but it became more like fruity sugar and less cereal-like as time went on. It was very blue on me. I thought it was blueberry sugar with hints of a brighter sugar backed by the creaminess of the marshmallow (which was just adding some creaminess in the background for the first several hours). I would not be surprised if there were a blue raspberry note, though! The marshmallow note wasn't distinctly MARSHMALLOW on me until after four hours. Then it’s undeniably marshmallow with some sweet sugar in the background. I love this phase of the scent!

I am undecided on this one. I don’t dislike the sugarfest that this is for the first three hours on me, but I am here for the marshmallow, and that doesn’t end up becoming a main player on my skin until after several hours of wear. I am going to let my bottle settle some more and retest it in a few weeks, as I really want to love this (because of the marshmallow and the name), but I just don’t think I’d reach for it as often as other marshmallow scents in my collection.

Note: Beth mentioned in the Lilith 2018 thread that this contains hints of jasmine, cade, and lemongrass.

In the bottle: When this first arrived, I could smell the lavender and lots of coconut cream. Later that night, it was very strong on the lavender, followed by the jasmine, and then the coconut. After two days of settling, it smells like lavender and coconut, but I can still smell the jasmine from the bottle.

Wet: The lavender reigns. I do get the hints of lemongrass and jasmine. Both of these notes have a reputation for being loud, but they haven’t managed to take over the scent. That said, they are definitely noticeable. After a little bit, the coconut begins to come out more, and the jasmine becomes stronger. I also get more of the lemongrass.

Dry: The lavender has calmed down, and the coconut cream is more prominent. It ends up being coconut cream floral scent. After a few hours, it’s all about the coconut cream and jasmine, and I don’t get any more lavender from it. It also stays close to the skin.

Verdict: I think that this is different enough from Daybreak to warrant having both if both scents intrigue you, because this has touches of those other notes and does not contain vanilla. If I had to choose between the two, I have to say Daybreak is more up my alley, as the lavender in that one plays a greater role on me, and I really love lavender and vanilla together. While Daybreak is a sweet lavender scent, True Love ends up being more like a tropical, creamy, coconut-y floral scent. I am not sure I will hold on to my bottle, as I was mostly here for the lavender, and that note was gone after a few hours on me. But it is a nice creamy, coconut-y floral if that is your thing!

(Also, I did not get any cade from this in the bottle or on my skin if you are concerned about that note, but of course, skin chemistry is everything!)

I have never tried the atmo.

In the bottle: I’m getting a deep amber.

Wet: The deep, smooth amber is the dominant note. I can also smell a touch of a sweet, musky floral, perhaps the costus from Like a Girl (not sure on this, though), and what I believe is a bourbon vanilla musk. There is also some oudh at play here as well, and perhaps some frankincense. This is in the same family as scents like Hesiod’s Phoenix and Implacable Beautiful Tyrant HG.

Dry: This is musky resin scent infused with a light floral note. It shares something in common with The Magician’s Wand, maybe oak as LizziesLuck mentioned, but this doesn’t have the glowing quality that that scent possesses. I also agree that it is similar to Edith Cushing, but not nearly as vanilla-ed (Edith has a buttery vanilla musk, and this scent does not).

Verdict: This is really lovely. I am glad that I was able to grab a bottle, and I look forward to pairing it with Implacable Beautiful Tyrant HG.

In the imp: This is fizzy and lemon-y, but not like the sugary lemon-lime soda of Geek.Goth. It’s like a glass of sparkling water with a slice of lemon dropped in it.

Wet: Tons of fizz and lots of lemon!

Dry: Lemon fizz! But the lemon does have a cleaning product vibe to it now, and and after a while, there’s something underneath that isn’t quite right… I’m getting some kind of waxy note, which I presume is a note not meshing well with my skin chemistry. It's waxy and yet I think I smell pencil eraser, and beneath that it is kind of making me think that this drink is housed in some kind of metal container. o.0

Verdict: I’m glad I got to try this since there were so many reviews comparing it to citrus soda. It’s not for me, but that’s okay, because I have Geek.Goth for my citrus soda scent needs!

In the decant: I’m hit with a blast of lavender, some lychee, and then the lily, followed by the magnolia and ylang ylang.

Wet: The sweet lychee and herbal lavender stand out to me the most, but I can smell the other floral notes behind them (the lily and magnolia are more noticeable than the ylang ylang on me). The lychee seems to be holding its own. I am surprised that one of the floral notes hasn’t taken over by now (although the magnolia does seem to be gaining strength with time).

Dry: The lychee is still going strong, and the magnolia is next in prominence. The lavender is much calmer now, and overall, this is a sweet, fruity floral.

After a while, the magnolia overtakes the lychee and this becomes more floral than fruity.

Verdict: This was my only decant I got from The Emperor update, and I got it mainly because of the lavender (and I was curious about the lychee). If you are hoping for lychee, I don’t think you will be disappointed, as long as you aren’t averse to fruity florals. I don’t think this is a scent I would likely reach for, but it was nice to get to try it.

In the decant: I smell salty seawater, a somewhat buttery note which was also found in Serving Gill (kelp maybe?), the fresh peony from The Dormouse, and some sand. I am not able to pick out the petroleum.

Wet: The sea salt, sand, and beach water notes are prominent, along with whatever the buttery note is that is also in Serving Gill. Then the peony note emerges, and it’s like the flower’s scent is being carried on the salty breeze. I don’t really get the petroleum at the moment, and I was curious about its presence in the scent, but there is something in this that makes me think of the asphalt and rain of Waiting -- perhaps it’s just the aquatic notes mingling with the sand.

Dry: The buttery note of mystery has calmed down somewhat, but it is still present, and it is now mostly a salty aquatic with some sand and peony on me. I do get a bit of a dryer sheet vibe from this, the same that I get from Waiting in the end, even though I enjoy that scent as a sleep scent.

Verdict: Aquatics and my skin chemistry don’t really get along, so I did not have high hopes for this and was mainly just curious about the peony and petroleum. This one did not turn to soap but is somewhat reminiscent of dryer sheets on me. It’s better than a lot of aquatics are on me, but still not something I would wear.

In the imp: The angel’s trumpet, white tea, and oakmoss stand out to me the most, with some resins (I think mostly dry sandalwood) lingering in the background.

Wet: I’m getting angel’s trumpet, white tea, dry, white sandalwood, and oakmoss, with a bit of sweetness from the violet and a touch of oudh darkening the scent.

Dry: This actually smells really sharp on me. It’s very high-pitched, almost like nail polish remover. I think one of the floral notes has decided it is at war with me. Behind that, there’s some oakmoss and dusty resins.

Verdict: It was nice to be able to try this, because I love trying scents inspired by poetry, but alas, The Harlot’s House does not jive with my skin chemistry.

In the imp: Honeysuckle and opium! I am not picking up on the vetiver in the imp.

Wet: There’s a blast of sweet honeysuckle, backed by some opium. I love the honeysuckle in this and hope that it remains a main player! As it sits on my skin, the opium gains strength.

Dry: It did not take long for the opium to assert itself. This ended up being a sweet, heady opium blend with some bright honeysuckle in the background. I am not getting any vetiver from this, oddly enough.

Verdict: This started out really promising with the strong honeysuckle, but alas, the opium just had to take over! I’m really glad I got to try it, but I think this one is too heady for me.

I do not have high hopes for this one with the presence of orris and violet, but I want to try all of the GCs with lavender in them.

In the imp: Soft and sweet. I can smell the lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender, and ylang ylang with some sandalwood in the background.

Wet: The lavender and lilac are the first notes that jump out at me. Then I get the gardenia, ylang ylang, and violet. I am testing a fresh imp of this I just got in my Lab order against one that is maybe a little more aged, and the sandalwood is a lot more prominent in the aged imp.

Dry: The orris and violet have united to create a floral powder party, but the lilac is the most prominent note. The fresh imp is soft, sweet, and powdery. The aged imp has the warmth of the sandalwood and is stronger on the lavender and gardenia.

After a few hours, the fresh imp is pretty much the same: soft, sweet, and powdery. The violet, orris, and lilac are the main players, but the lilac has calmed down significantly. The main players in the aged imp are the sandalwood, gardenia, and lavender. It’s a much brighter scent.

Verdict: Veil is more pleasant than I thought it would be despite the violet and orris. It’s still not something I’d likely reach for, but if you’re looking for a soft, sweet, purple floral scent, give this one a try.

In the bottle: Cool herbal lavender and an unexpected citrus note… bergamot, is that you?

Wet: Yes, there is definitely a citrus component to this… I’m not sure if it is in the ice note or the hops flower (but the internet says that can be citrus-y) , but it ends up being pretty strong on me, along with the lavender. There’s a cool, light mint note coming from the ice, and a bit of bitterness from what I’m guessing is the hops flower.

Dry: I am still getting that citrus vibe from this, but it is not as strong as it was before (at least, not on my wrists -- it’s still very present in the crook of my elbows). This is a soft, cool, herbal scent on my wrists. In the crooks of my elbows, it is very green and citrus-y.

Verdict: If you’re a fan of BPAL’s Anesthesia, then you'll probably like this one, too, although this isn’t nearly as minty. This is a refreshing scent that I think could be used during the day or as a sleep scent. I will happily use up my bottle, but I won’t be needing a back-up.

In the decant: The almond, fig, and rose stand out to me the most, but I can also smell the oudh and a bit of cardamom in the background.

Wet: The almond leaps out at me first, followed by the rose and fig. I get a little more cardamom on my skin than I did from the decant, and the oudh is stronger on me as well. The almond calms down pretty quickly, and it becomes a rose, fig, and oudh scent on me with some cardamom (it tingles my skin a bit but does not burn) and what remains of the almond.

Dry: This is mostly jammy rose, fig, and oudh on me, with the fig and oudh notes coming out some more over time. There is only a hint of cardamom in the background now.

Verdict: I’m glad the oudh in this did not misbehave or take over, but I wish the almond had stuck around longer!

I tried an aged imp of the original, which was just okay on me, but I decided to throw an imp of the resurrected version into my last Lab order so I could try it before they go away.

In the imp: This is much more citrus-y than the imp I had (but I know citrus notes don’t age well). I mainly get the Bulgarian rose, mandarin, and bergamot from the imp.

Wet: Bulgarian rose, amber, mandarin, bergamot, and a hint of spice. As it sits on my skin, the citrus notes remain main players, but the rose and the musk are gaining strength.

Dry: This is now a citrus-y, musky rose on me. I got a lot of musk and rose from the original as well, so maybe I just amp those notes. The resins and a tinge of spice reside in the background. After a few hours, the citrus calms down, the amber and sandalwood come out more, and I also get a bit more of the spices. It is now a musky rose and resin scent with a bit of citrus and spice.

Verdict: It was nice to be able to try this one. I like it more than the aged imp of the original I tried, but it is not something I need more of before it goes away.

I am destashing this bottle, so I suppose I should share my thoughts on the scent before I forget what it was like.

TKO is one of my favorite scents, and it is the scent of which I have gone through the most bottles (I think I’ve used 5 or 6 by now. It’s hard to keep track as the number keeps going up and I keep giving away empties to those curious about the scent). I like to think of it as cloud of sugared lavender marshmallow goodness (although I suspect there may be mallow root at play and not straight up marshmallow).

TKO v3 is a sugared lavender scent as well. It has the same sugared note found in TKO, but there’s less of it. It’s a different lavender, a stronger one, and there’s this sweetness present that I believe is due to another floral note (violet or something violet-like). The mallow or marshmallow or whatever gives TKO it’s fluffy, marshmallow-like cloud quality is not present in the prototype. It’s been a while since I’ve smelled Erebos, but I think this is more like that scent than the released version of TKO.

I vastly prefer the released version of the scent.

In the decant: Slushy snow and incense with some patchouli and what may be the wood of the manor.

Wet: I am getting slushy snow, patchouli, and wood with some sugared incense winding through the scent. I think this is Crimson Peak’s snow mixed with Frosty Silkybat’s patchouli, but I don’t have either of those scents anymore, so I cannot be sure.

Dry: It is a slushy snow, patchouli, and wood scent at first, but the patchouli (or is it patchouli-like oudh?), wood, and incense come out more over time and end up being the main players after a few hours of wear, with what remains of the snow in the background.

Verdict: I was looking forward to this because of the sugared incense note, because sometimes that descriptor can be absolutely magical (looking at you, Midnight on the Midway (original) and Fairy Market). Alas, there was not enough sugar in this for me, and the patchouli incense and wood were too strong on me in the end. I am glad that I did not leap for a bottle of this when it was live, but it was nice to get to try it.

Oh, Detestable Putrescence. How I used to adore thee! When I first tried you at Denver Comic Con back in 2015, you were an instant love.

Now, things have changed. I don’t know if it is you or me.

You used to be this wonderful vanilla ice cream on me. Now, when I put you on, I get a lot of almond (which I can’t help but associating with cherry), and you turn to vanilla plastic on me. I am not sure if it is a skin chemistry change or if you are the odd vanilla that does not become more amazing with age (even though you’ve been stored in a wooden box and kept away from heat and light). But you are not the delicious smelling melty vanilla ice cream that you once were on me.

So I have to let you go. Hopefully you can find a new home with someone who will get that wonderful vanilla ice cream from you without a plastic vibe.

I was lucky to have a wonderful fairy pick this up for me while I was studying in Germany, but it appears I never reviewed it once I returned.

In the bottle, the astringent, lemon-y white tea is the strongest note, followed by the freesia, and then the vanilla musk.

On my skin, I am still getting the notes in that order: white tea, freesia, and vanilla musk. But the vanilla musk is stronger on me than it was in the bottle, and it reminds me of the vanilla musk found in Edith Cushing as well (it’s a tad buttery and gourmand). As it sits on my skin, the vanilla musk ends up becoming more prominent. Once dry, this ends up being a freesia and tea-infused vanilla musk. The scent itself has decent, throw, too, and when I was walking in the hot desert wind earlier, I kept getting tons of the ethereal vanilla musk. Lovely! It just keeps getting better after several hours of wear.

I had two bottles of this, but I ended up giving one of them to my mom last year, because she had used up all of her bottles of Ava (her holy grail scent), and this belongs to that scent family. I will not be letting go of the bottle that I still have and am kicking myself for not reaching for this one more often.

I thought I had reviewed this, and after some searching, I found I had shared my thoughts in the Retail Exclusives thread, but I neglected to post my review here.

This was my original review: I wore Loved to Death for the first time yesterday, and it was mainly an amazing combo of blackened vanilla and clove on me (just like I wanted), with a bit of cinnamon that didn't burn my skin, and the beeswax coming out more during the dry phase. I'm so glad I bought a bottle.

Now I’m retesting it after it has aged for a few years.

There’s either anise or an anise-like aspect to the blackened vanilla, which I also got from this when it was fresh. It’s the same blackened vanilla note found in Black Vanilla and Cardamom Hair Gloss, which I swapped away because I never reached for it due to the prominence of the anise in my hair. Fortunately, this isn’t super strong on the anise, and it calms down over time. I also get a prominent honey note from this, although there isn’t one listed, that reminds me of Sweets to the Sweet. Maybe that’s from the beeswax. The spices are present, but they aren’t strong. I get more clove than cinnamon, and I still get more of the beeswax during the dry phase.

I like this, but I haven’t really reached for this once since I got it except to decant from it and to remind myself what it smells like. I actually wish the clove were stronger. I am going to continue holding on to this, because it is nice, but if I don’t reach for it at all once the weather cools down, I will force myself to let it go, because my perfume collection is getting out of control, and I prefer (Not so) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene to this one.