Shitow_Haruka

I added it to the label art gallery today.

I just received my bottle of Green Phoenix from the Lab last week, and it's the closest to Tranquil Breezes that I've found. And if you remember Her Majesty's Rose from the same line and are missing her...you need to try Peacock Queen for that one.

first sniff: currant-y red wine wet: Still the same, then the thyme adds its herbal greeness. The berries are becoming stronger, too. dry: herbal berry goodness. If you've tried Rosalind, it's very closely related, only with thyme instead of grass, and it's a warm autumn day, instead of a misty one.

first sniff: lavender, sandalwood & nag champa wet: The nag champa is a bit of a bully when it's on my skin, but the lavender is doing its best to keep it subdued. dry: The sandalwood is allowed to come out, and the labdanum, blending with the stronger notes. There is a bit of smokiness as it dries, too. There is a cool sweetness to this that reminds me of the cooler humid nights after hot, humid days here in the Midwest...

first sniff: hazelnut, buttercream, rum. wet: The same, and the almond & hazelnut really come out. dry: The sweetness backs off after a while, and it's almost woody. This appears to be the first scent to have been eaten by my skin. It lasted no more than 90 minutes tops. Of course, it smells good enough I'd eat it, too.

first sniff: Smells like oak wood with something sweet & slightly scorched (dark caramel). wet: The same... dry: An incense note came out as it dried, & the dry wood strengthened, while the sweet note disappeared. Unfortunately for this blend, my skin's tendency to amp woody notes meant that the foody sweetness some have experienced was no where to be found on me...one for the locket, maybe.

first sniff: Spicy, peachy apricots. wet: Same as the sniff, only more so. DH - "It smells like Christmas!" dry: The clove comes out more and combines with the apricots. I see a bottle in my future.

first sniff: Choward's violets - strong! wet: This has amazing throw on me. (My other half - "I don't need to sniff it [proffered wrist], I can smell it from here [2 ft. away]!") dry: powdery violets, thanks to the vetiver turning powdery on my skin. This is very strong with amazing throw - probably best for sweaty outings! (I loved it, but my DH wasn't so enthusiastic - I've figured out he doesn't like vetiver. )

first sniff: Whew! Definitely a man's cologne. wet: Still cologne...the bergamot jumps out with its citrus note on my skin. dry: The tonka and lavender start to come out as the cologne dies down. This is very nice, but a bit too men's cologne for me to wear regularly. Off to pin down the DH and apply it to him.

first sniff: That's a strong floral! wet: I get mostly gardenia. There's a juicy rose under there somewhere. dry: The jasmine is taking over as it dries, although the vanilla comes out, too, and it's lovely. I can see this being great on a hot, humid summer night when other blends would dissipate too soon. I have other blends I like better for the heat, though...

first sniff: watery florals wet: The waterlily is strong on me, with the sweet pea sweetening things. Then the carnation comes out...it's a bit peppery at first, just what I want from carnations, but... dry: Unfortunately the carnation is turning into a floral dyer sheet on me. When that finally settled down, the sweet pea and waterlily played well together, but I don't think I'll be reaching for this again.

first sniff: Musk, patchouli, myrrh - hmm, the other note must be orris, then...I like it. wet: Wow! You would think that with such strong notes this would be an assault on the nose, but this is beautifully blended. dry: I can't begin to describe this with words. All the notes are there, but they make a combined scent that makes me feel . Another magical frimp from the Lab!

first sniff: There's something in here that reminds my of my non-acetone nail polish remover. But I do get the rose, and a bit of plumeria. wet: Rose, plumeria, a watery sweetness (the tuberose & dew?)...and nail polish remover. dry: Whatever reminds me of the nail polish remover is still there. Drat! I really wanted to like this one. It's a defective nose, I guess?

first sniff: Pear, lily, and musk. wet: Pear and lily of the valley come out strong. dry: The fruit (pear) and floral (muguet and rose from the bois du rose) notes are blended into one sweet, light note, enriched by the musk. Like others, I wish that this blend lasted longer. One to try in the locket...

first sniff: Wintergreen. wet: Still wintergreen, but there's more going on under here...there's a faint blended floral note that I can't identify, and I believe the "mossy lichen" is oakmoss. dry: It's still mostly wintergreen to my nose, with the oakmoss keeping it from being overpowering. I bought this more for the imagery than the scent description. It's not something I find myself reaching for a great deal, but I'm keeping it around since it may provide a nice alternative to the overpowering potpourris I find myself facing over the Winter holidays at relatives' homes.

first sniff: Musk under a sweet strawberry. wet: Strawberry and the tang of citrus with a bit of muskiness underneath it. dry: Musk goodness, even 10 hours later! I have to admit that I used to shy away from musks, but BPAL has made me a believer, and this is one of the blends that went a long way towards convincing me.

first sniff: GREEN with floral notes underneath. wet: GREEN. There is a sweet green - the clover - and a more bitter green - the rue. The floral notes are sweetening things, too. dry: Mmmm...fresh green clover (still with some floral around the edges). This isn't a grassy green, just a fresh green. I've finally found a green scent that I want to take a bath in.

You might take a look at Nocnitsa - I've always felt like she was in the same forest as Black Forest, just a different part of it, where people scuff up the fir needles so that you can catch whiffs of the earth underneath. It feels like a warmer day than Black Forest, too.

first sniff: Salty clean ocean! wet: An ocean-breeze scent - nothing murky or brackish, just freshness. drying: This has been taken over by the fabric-softener sheet syndrome. My darned skin makes carnation smell like a laundrymat. For the first time ever, off to scrub the evil away...I'm not giving up on it until I try it in my locket. I just wish it had stayed salty on my skin.

first sniff: Wet rose with a very faint note of dry leather underneath. wet: Lush rose that's kept from being too sweet by the leather, which is really starting to come out on my skin. dry: The bloom is off the rose...it loses it's lushness on my skin thanks to the leather, which really wants to take over (not that the rose lets it). I actually do like this blend - but as has been mentioned before in this thread, it's something I have to be in the mood for before I put it on. My mate finds it intoxicating on me, though, so I'm sure I'll probably end up ordering more when I use up the imp.

first sniff: Yummy apricot brandy. It makes me wish I could drink it. wet: It's still apricot brandy - a bit boozy, but I like it. dry: The booziness drops out and I'm left with warm apricots on my skin. This was a frimp and I'm glad I had a chance to try it. I have a feeling I'll be reaching for it when the weather cools off again.

first sniff: The dark musk is prominent, with green herbs underneath. wet: My skin amps the dark musk like crazy (as it does with most musks). This smells like the same dark musk as Haunted to me. dry: As it dries, the musk calms down enough on me to let the greenness of the sage come out. The heather adds a sweet floral underneath. I like this a lot. I think I'll eventually end up with a bottle. And I think this would smell great on a man! (Off to find my mate and pin him down )

first sniff: Musk and amber - like expensive incense. wet: Still the same two notes of musk and amber, blended together. dry: Beautiful! The scent stayed true on me throughout. I used to shy away from amber, but Puddin' frimped me this with my locket order and made me a BPAL-amber lover!

The imp I got from the lab back in January of Ulalume knocked my socks off. The "dried leaves" note came out as some remarkable earthy note that I adored. Unfortunately the 5 mL I got in April when up-sizing had a definite wintergreen note to it. I'm hoping this is an aging issue, and have tucked it away to revisit later, but I'm worried that they may never match up. edited because I can't type and spell at the same time.

first sniff: sassafras and a slightly bitter sharpness - the myrrh. wet: sassafras, and the spiciness of the nutmeg starts to come out. The myrrh and poppy are blending to make a smoky note underneath. dry: The same notes as before, but they have melded together beautifully. As I wear it longer it becomes faintly sweet on my skin. This is outside of the normal notes one thinks of for perfume, but I find myself reaching for it again and again. And if you ever wondered what would go good for sitting around a campfire, Laudanum works wonderfully! (Not that it smells like a campfire, more that the smokiness goes good with it )