Atrous

I have to agree with Mystery213; About Midnight is a morpher and does go through a brief plastic/rubber phase. I actually like the scent in the bottle. It comes off as vanilla and sandalwood to my nose. As soon as it hits my skin I smell Cedar and Frank. It becomes really sharp for a second and starts heading into plastic territory. But Sandalwood and Balsam appear to come in and save the day. The Sandalwood is indeed that vanillic, creamy type that is my absolute favorite. I love the scent of Balsam but it tends to disappear for me. In this blend it stands on it own making me very happy. In the end, all these notes are balanced and harmonious. I'm getting all the notes listed in just the right measure. Slightly sweet but not foody, woods, resins, and vanilla. Medium throw and unisex. I love it. This blend reminds me of Tombstone what with the cedar, balsam, and vanilla but w/o sassafras, root-beer quality. If you wanted to love Tombstone but couldn't because of the sassafras this might be a blend for you.

Ship of Hel is wintery forest with some aquatic thrown in. It's really beautiful.

Imaginer starts out with a blast of honey, beeswax, saffron, and coconut. Its a bit overwhelming. I mean its so sweet. I couldn't figure out where I was getting coconut from until I read that Massoia has a milky, coconut-like, woodsy aroma. On the drydown honey tones down somewhat allowing patchouli, amber, and an understated myrrh to make their appearance. I never do get any pepper. This ends up a honey and patchouli dominant scent with all the other notes adding layers and complexity. Its if you took Tricksy and added some additional notes to it. Imaginer is a who's who of some of my favorites: patch, amber, coconut, beeswax, honey, myrrh. So happy with this blend. I would describe it as sexy, complex, heady, sweet with a strong throw and longevity.

When I read the reviews saying that this scent was like sex in a forest or sex with an Ent (thanks for the visual) I was skeptical but intrigued. Well, you know, it is very evocative of just that. The first two thoughts I had on application were, 'Oh, this is Sexy' and 'Dark, overgrown woods'. Oakmoss does that dark, rich earth thing that I love so well. The Pine does start out sharp but calms down while still staying in the foreground. I'm not getting much Frankincense. It seems to be way in background and I get little teases of it from time to time. The Amber is almost as strong as the Pine note. I think its Amber that turns this scent from just another dark forest type scent and into the realm of sexy forest. It takes a rather dark scent and dapples it with light. I love this!

Like many previous reviewers I'm using the word 'ethereal' to describe this scent because its spot on. Ethereal florals and a bit of wet greenery on a bed of sandalwood. I don't detect any plum or benzoin. The Tuberose note is the same as in Playing Tag in a Garden Full of Gods. After about 30 minutes I can also pick up a pinch of violet and apple. Overall a lovely, delicate scent.

Besides the pear it's hard for me to pick out distinct notes. Slightly sweet, fruity, pulpy greenery, hints of flowers, and a bit of wetness (although I wouldn't go so far as to say aquatic). The notes are very well blended. A bright, cheerful, spring scent. I really love this one but I won't be springing for a bottle because it only lasts for about 30 minutes and vanishes.

In Templum Dei and Antikythera Mechanism had a child. It reminds me greatly of ITD but darker. It certainly has that lovely, deep resin, church vibe. The teakwood is very present and gets me thinking of AM. If you love both those scents you'll love this one.

Hazelnut is the dominant note in this blend, but without the dryness I associate with hazelnuts. Instead they're creamy which I guess is being caused by the vanilla. There's just a touch of honey sweetening the blend a bit. As it dried down the other notes come out making what could have easily been a gourmand scent into other territory. Ends up being a sweet, creamy, resiny blend with the addition of hazelnut. A very interesting scent that I'm enjoying a lot.

Basically, I'm getting all the notes listed equally. There's not much I can add that other reviewers haven't said about the notes themselves. Everything about this scent is sorta' pale and distant. Its as if the scent is originating in another room and you're smelling it as you go past the doorway. Very, very light scent. It's nice and it would be a great scent for times when you don't want a blend that's distracting. However, I can't see myself grabbing for this scent. Nice but not outstanding. On a final note, I noticed that beeswax tends to get better with age so I will tuck my decant away for later testing.

I was hesitant to try Mad Kate because rose geranium can go sharp floral. Luckily this is the softer, rosy version. On first application Kate is all currant and gardenia. As the scent dries down the other notes just kinda pop up around them. From the honeycomb I get a light sweetness and a dab of beeswax. I get whiffs of vanilla, then its gone, then its back again. The ever present currents stand out with their tart fruitiness. As I said the geranium stays on the softer side and just adds a bit of rose to the florals. The flower notes create a floral bouquet. They smell like an assortment of fresh cut flowers, including the stems. The arrangement is heady but bright with a hint of pulpy greenery underneath. I have mad love for Mad Kate!

Just realized that I forgot to review Ian. Starts out sweet with a big hit of rum. I'm getting the butterscotch thing others have mentioned. On the drydown leather comes out front. Not new leather. This leather's worn and been battered around. The rum and leather hit a nice stride where they are working well together. Patchouli grounds Ian and gives it a gritty, woodsy vibe. Like many of the OLLAs I'm really loving this. Medium throw and lasted all day.

Maybe Wanda? On me the florals aren't overt and ends up a wine and leather type scent. Or perhaps Marquis de Carabas? This scent has gotten mixed reviews but on my skin it hits just the right midpoint, leather wise. Not super strong but its still there.

Crowley is inspired after a demon character. Not a smokey or fiery scent. More like sexy in a sinister way demon.

That's one strong Gardenia! But it doesn't bother me the way some strong florals can. Beautiful, deep, sweet, rich Gardenia. As it dries down Frankincense and Orchid make their appearance to deepen the scent. Sophisticated, sweet, floral, bright, and feminine. Medium throw and wear length. I can't stop sniffing my wrist because its so amazing!

Honeyed, fruity green tea with a subtle floral rounding it out. Oddly, the floral reminds me of tea roses. A balanced, bright, and cheerful scent. This one is bottle worthy.

Black Cherry smells artificial. Cream smells like its gone sour. Rose smells like its wilting. Then 15 minutes go by and POOF! All gone. Oh Well.

A blast of chilly, night air in the forest on first application. Eucalyptus, pine, and juniper. Its cold and dark. As it dries down warm, furry elements come out underpinning the cooler elements beautifully. Not much more to say except that the description is spot on. Love it!

I get a hit of Papaya right off the bat. Yum. Riding close behind Peach Schnapps. Double Yum. Then Musk spreads its way across this blend during the dry down. It's all really balanced. Sweet but not too sweet and the liquor aspect doesn't make you smell like you drank your lunch. A warm, full-bodied fruity scent. I don't get any Ti Leaf but maybe it's there to support the rest of the notes and make sure they don't go super sweet? This is one great scent.

Ooh, pretty. As others have said it's very well blended. I end up with a nice melange of scents...citrus, mint, juniper, snow, smoke, musk...playing together. Its a chilly scent and it's unobtrusive. I can tell that I'll be able to layer this will a great many scents.

I love the wet phase. I get a strong blast of Juniper with a bit of Sage tagging along. Its very green at this point. Chypre shows up a bit later. I was excited because the Leather Chypre was tempering the green elements nicely and giving this blend a sophisticated but gritty edge. I wish it had stayed that way. Unfortunately, this dries down to a generic men's cologne that you could pick up at the drugstore. It's also too masculine even for me. I can see the potential for this scent to be other than cheap drugstore cologne so I will have to test it on my BF.

2015 Version: Some of the notes are lazy so this scent takes a while to develop. Black musk, sandalwood, frankincense, honey, clove - these notes should just POP on my skin but in Liaison they are lighter, subdued. At first, anyway. On first application I'm not getting much of anything but a wisp of muskiness. It stays this way for a bit and then the floral blossoms. Floral is strong and sharp and then fades to soap. Again, it stays that way for a while and it's at this point that I'm thinking this scent just doesn't work for me. Cut to about 20 minutes later and I can smell an old-timey, classic floral wafting up to my nose. Strong but not cloying. I huff my wrist and I also smell the sweetness of honey emerging along with musk buried underneath. There is a smokiness swirling around too. Over the next 10 minutes sandalwood peeks out then frankincense and lastly clove. I don't get any tea leaf. This scent is well blended. It's floral and musk with a bit of everything else playing at the edges: resin, smoke, sweetness, and spice. A nice, unobtrusive daytime scent.

This would have been more aptly named Rampaging Dragon. All the notes should work for me so why the headache? I don't shy from strong scents but the notes seem to be amping all at once into a cacophonous screech. I tested this last night and, this morning after a shower, I can still smell it. Maybe my skin chemistry is off but for now the Dragon has an overarching sourness to it and I smell a really pungent floral and tart berries. The honey's sweetness only adds to the dissonance. No cream detected to possibly put a leash on it. The leather note is the only one I'm enjoying. Its sort of sitting in the middle minding its own business. The leather is interesting. It does have a green vibe to it and smells slick. Sorry, that's the only word I could come up with to describe it. So, I wonder if age will temper this beast? Right now I'm a little scared of it.

Wet: starts out as NyQuil cherry cough syrup. I was surprised until I read that both Mimosa and Almond Blossom can have a Heliotrope-like scent. So, now it makes sense since Heliotrope sometimes smells cherry-ish to my nose. Dry: A sweet, powdery floral takes over. The cream keeps it from going into baby powder territory. I get hints of Almond and Cherry in the background complimenting the floral aspect nicely. Pretty. Scent smells innocent and girly. I'm gonna love wearing this on warmer days.

OMG, I think I need a backup! I love the Lab's Tuberous note and this blend does not disappoint! Starts out with a beautiful hit of citrus. Juicy blood orange and beeswax. Then Tuberous makes its way to the top and stays there while the citrus dies down to add just a hint of zing. Ambergris peeks out eventually but stays low key and supports the other notes. I'm getting an underlying wood scent but nothing I would call Cedar. Waxy, sweet Tuberose with the other notes adding depth and sophistication. Feminine with a medium throw. When I huff my wrist the word 'alluring' comes to mind. My favorite of this years Lupers.

Wet: Coconut is in the lead. Fresh coconut. Soon a creamy warmth spreads over the blend that smells a bit nutty and buttery. For about the first 20 minutes this has a bite to it that I don't find all that appealing. Dry: I guess I'm in the minority that I get amber in a big way. Creamy Amber infused with Coconut. The bite I previously mentioned is gone. I was worried for a while. Amber keeps this from going too sweet and too foody. Quite beautiful.