Ryan Hemphill

Up close, Rubber Chicken is bright, fun, juicy/creamy orange scent.

 

My favorite thing about it? It has a nice throw that is a different spin on the scent--it smell just like circus peanut candy

 

It's odd, but just perfect.

 

I very happy scent

I'll do my best on this one--but it's a bit tough since I am having a hard time identifying specific notes on this.

Media is a very bright, feminine scent. I expected more of a typical perfume scent on this, but instead it was more playful and fruity/floral.

 

Fairly light, and faded away completely in a couple of hours.
(but to be fair, lighter girly scents don't usually last long or amp well with my skin chemistry)

 

It was pretty while it lasted...but def more of a commercial scent. In fact, it REALLY reminds me of something I've smelled before (not BPAL) and it's driving me crazy that I can't place what it is, haha.

Gorg's Garden!

Wet, I get a bit of a sweet almond and leather scent.

 

Dry, it's a woody, smoky leather with smooth patchouli.

 

It's a somewhat masculine scent with nice throw (but not too strong). Kind of a darker, more manly Banshee Beat in a way.

 

I really like this one!

A while back I had a bottle of Love's Philosophy and while I thought it was nice, it was too faint and just not enough oomph for me. I ended up selling it after a few tests.

 

I decided to give Grooming Scene in a Brothel a try- hoping it would be the part of Love's Philosophy that I liked, with an added edge to it that would work better and last longer on me.

 

But, Grooming Scene is even weaker on me than Love's Philosophy. It disappeared so fast on my skin.

 

Ahh, skin chemistry. We can't win them all!

I so wanted this to be the amazing holy grail that it is for so many others. I do get a nice, sugary marshmallow scent, but it's quite faint on me and just not WOWing me.

 

I have a bottle of Marshmallow Poof that is much stronger on me, and I have some Antique Lace, Velvet Unicorn, and Edith Cushing for a variety of vanillas that DO work amazing on me.

 

This one will probably be off to swaps

On me this is a very sweet, strong dragon's blood resin. Not getting a lot of cream or honey- but I can see how everything ties in together. I get an inscensy vibe from it. There's a slight simlilarity to Midnight on the Midway on drydown. Reminds me of a local shop full of candles, inscense, powders, lotions, and other lovely things. Totally wearable and looks to be a keeper!

Don't give up on Round Dance with a quick sniff-- in the bottle it was a little off-putting. I know it's not a note listed, but it was reminscient of some of the jasmine-heavy florals that can go so bad on me.

On the skin in changed almost immediately--to me it first amped a sharp, spicy floral. It was a bit much as first, somewhat abrasive to my nose. That hit a peak as it warmed up- about 15-20 min or so?

 

But then, the magic happens It becomes a sweet, joyful floral. It's a very bright and happy outdoor scent. Reminds me of an old-timey casual outdoor party on some farm land w/ pretty girls and boys dancing, tables of homemade goodies, and a slight breeze winding all these scents around you.

 

Everything blends together so well- I can pick up individual things if I try, but they all meddle together creating a realistic and immersive experience for the nose--while still being a good scent as a perfume.

 

Great blind-bottle buy--no regrets!

 

As a note- I usually don't like florals. But this one works and doesn't scream "flowers!" at all to me.

This one scared me right out of the bottle- it was strong and a little off-putting. But, I gave it some time to settle in and I'm glad I did!

(I like to call this the Callidora effect--that's one of my all-time faves, but for the first 1/2 hour or so I STINK, lol! But again, sooooo worth it in the end.)

At first, the benzoin is so strong. Once this one has a chance to settle and dry down for a bit (like on hour or so?), it starts to become a gray, sharp, fuzzy scent. That's the image I get when I smell it--almost like static.

There's something very familiar about it, too--but I can't place what it is and it's driving my crazy. I know I've smelled something like this before

It's got great lasting power and a decent throw, too.

This hair gloss it just superb. It's leather-heavy, with amber highlights and a touch of vetiver in the background. Everything is blended so perfectly.

The leather is a med-brown raw piece of leather in my mind when I smell it. Soft, and not glossy. It's so distinct to me I could even tell you what it feels like.

The amber and oudh are just enough to take it from a raw, masculine feel to an expensive, luxurious unisex perfume scent.

The vetiver appears at the tail end with just a little zing to my nose.

I'm not sure what nagarmotha smells like, so I can't really pick it out.

I haven't been able to stop smelling my hair since I put it on, it's such an amazing scent and I'm glad I took a gamble on it!

I like to pair my hair gloss with my perfume oil scent-of-the-day and this is going to be just perfect for my leather-forward blends, but will also add a neutral pairing to my amber and woody scents.

 

Has the Lab ever made a scent that is books/leather + beeswax/candles? I can't really think of one, but if you know one, please let me know

Quintessence of dust!!

 

 

Second this! That's what I was going to say. Quintessence of Dust is perfect if you are looking for that type of scent.

I know it's not a GC, but the sweetest scent I own is Strawberry Sufaniyot. It's straight-up sugary jelly donut!

This was the first thing I tried when my CD order arrived.

At first when I applied Midnight on the Midway, I was a little worried because I was getting such a strong flower scent that edged on soapy. But even then, it was a dark, lovely floral (I'm not typically a floral girl--so I'm a little picky about that).

Thankfully, upon drydown it smoothed out and the sweet incense came into play. I have tried many incense scents in the past and haven't had too much luck. This one was my first winner! The incense stayed strong when it normally fades on me quickly.

The flowers, musk, and incense blend together so beautifully. I am excited that I took a risk on this. I think it is because most florals and incense dont work for me that when I do find a winner it really wows me.

It's been about 7 hours now and I am still getting the sugary smoky incense.

I could definitely see myself wearing this often. Totally perfect for an evening scent, especially an outdoor evening event.

It's a definite keeper!

Spellbound in the third of the new claw polishes that I've tried out. I am so loving the dark, rich colors! I always think that lighter polish and bright, warm tones look strange on me, so this array of pretty gothic dark colors is great.

This one went on easily, and I did 3 coats. I think I maybe should have stopped at two though because it go so dark on the 3rd coat that it lost a lot of the red/purple tone to it. With the third coat I ended up with a a berry that was almost brownish black. The "berry" tone is still there though. To be specific, I would call it a spot on "raisin" color.

On day two right now and no chips so far...so far, so good!

Temple of Dreams is finely shimmering deep blue (almost black-like really close to black...) on me. I actually think it looks darker than the picture posted above.

 

I did 3 coats and it covered great. The formula was a little watery, but it wasn't too hard to work with.

 

I was a litte disappointed because I had this great finish going, but after waiting 20 min after the last coat of color I added a top coat and it marred the surface

 

I would think it would be dry enough to top coat by then, but I guess not. I am a little worried that it might have the same "never dries" thing that I experienced with Helle's Belle, but we'll see.

 

UPDATE: Took a bubble bath at the end of 2 day of wear it when I got several nails were badly chipped. Did good until I soaked in the tub though!

 

My goodness, is this ever pretty!

 

In the decant, it was a green, dusty scent with a hint of vanilla. Soft and musty.

 

After wearing a little bit it goes a very green vanilla for a little while.

 

But give all the scents a little time to mingle and you get this amazing blend of balsam, raw vanilla, and that sweetly dutsy library/museum smell.

 

Seems to stay strong for a while. Not much throw, but definately isn't too quiet. So beautiful!

I got a bottle of this off Ebay recently. I adore the color- very subtle but glam. However, as mentioned in other reviews, it's almost impossible to get a nice finish. Hours and hours after application any slight tap to the nail left an indention in the finish. Sad

 

I did use a clear top coat, but maybe I'll try again with my gel top coat and see if that is any better.

 

I sure hope so, because I there are VERY few pinks and purples that I can wear with my skin tone, and this one actually worked for me!

I got a decant from bottle #78 from a decant circle. This is the first scent I've ever tried that I really think smells like an animal!

 

It's got a soft fuzzy brown musk- very hard to explain. When I sniff it, it is so reminiscent of a freshly washed dog, or even being near a horse. You smell the fur and that unexplainable "animal" smell.

 

It sounds weird, but it's not a bad smell at all.

 

I wouldn't put this on to feel pretty, but as an animal lover, this instantly gives a warm fuzzy feeling like being near a beloved pet or that happy comforting feeling of being near animals.

 

Such a cool scent. Glad I have a decant

Lemon Heads! I wear this one often to sleep. To me it is sugary sweet lemon candy, Lemon Heads to be precise.

 

I find it soothing and puts me in a clear, happy mood for sleep.

 

Not sure on the psychic properties, but that's how I feel about all the Somniums.

 

This one is nice in the diffuser by the bed, too!

This was the first Claw Polish I tried out of the 6 I ordered.

The polish went on well. I am a little spoiled because I am used to a certain brand and a wide, flat brush that works really well for me, so this was a little tougher than I am accustomed to. But, it was good for the regular setup

First coat it almost looked greenish and was very streaky. I did 3 coats and it looks great. Honestly, I could have gotten away with 2 coats, but I went one more just for fullest coverage. It dried fairly quickly between coats. I also added a quick topcoat afterwards.

The color is hard to describe, as it seems to depend on the lighting. It's a deep dark slate gray, but sometimes has a green edge to it and then in some lights it leans towards slate blue. Then again, in my office it looks almost black...so, it's a bit multi-faceted

I love dark nails- so I think it looks great.

It also has a very sparse amount on glitter in it. Mostly a fine glitter, but a few bigger pieces mixed it (not more than 1 visible per nail).

Very shiny, rich color once it's dried. So far, so good!

UPDATE: Color lasted nice, shiny, and chip-free for 4-5 day. And that's with me not being careful at all. That's great compared to other polishes I've used!



(See! Totally looks greenish to me in the pic!)

As Above is a soft, creamy almond scent on me. There's a slight floral edge to it, and I don't get much patch.

 

I enjoy it, but I think the decant will be enough for this one.

So gorgeous!

 

Got just a decant of this, but a big bottle of this is in my future. Just need to try out As Above first to see if this one's sister will be joining in on the order.

 

It is amber and patchouli and a whole lot of sexiness. This one really reminds me of a more masculine version of Prosperous Flowers of the Elegant 12 Seasons (which is another fave of mine). At first I wondered if it was too close to that one, but after wear for a while I realize that it def deserves a place in my collection.

This was an impulse buy off of the lab's Ebay a little while back. I've worn in it a couple of times since it's arrival.

 

This is what is says- all sweet carnations and wine grapes. I adore it. I do get a hint of a bubble gum type of sweetness from it. It's not a "pretty" floral- but a very colorful candy floral. Dries down to a sweet creamy floral, and I can still smell the grape in there.

 

I just love it. Something about this scent just makes me smile with each sniff--Childlike and full of happy memories

This was a blind Ebay buy.

 

The first 5 min or so I got a slight hint of the dreaded "cat pee" scent, but it was so slight I decided to wait and see what happened. Thankfully that faded quickly.

 

Then I was left with a nice bright and fruity scent with a bit of dirty patch so it doesn't get too sweet.

 

Lasted like that about 4-5 before fading to a very light powdery version of itself.

 

I don't have a lot of fruity things that I like, so this one is a keeper as there nothing else very close to it in my collection.

In the imp- BOOZE! Like, this really felt like I was smelling some hard sweet spirits.

 

On the skin: Spicy, boozy, with a hint of metal and leather in the background.

 

Letting it sit a while...it's a bit unexpected, but to me this smells so much like a strong Chirstmas candle. A cinnamon, clove warm spicyness and boozy cider with a slight sweet creaminess to it. I get lots of gluttony and not much slave-mastering

 

Not sure how often I will reach for this, but I am going to keep it around for now. It is quite different from anything else that I have, and I like having lots of options!