artisjok

Never thought I was interested in rose scents until I started trying the lab's sweet interpretations! Initiatrix is like benzoin was soaking in a rose oil bath and then I slathered it on my skin once it came out of the steamy rose room. With the humidity we're experiencing here, the scent wafted around me so beautifully. The sweet resiny creaminess of the benzoin is so beautiful with rose. I'm in love~ *gives in to the romantic=rose stereotype*

Gaeuko starts off a strong masculine lavender, but, as it dries, the scents softens dramatically, seemingly disappearing for the most part. Yet wait! I get wafts of gentle lavender incense clouds floating about my head. There's a slight scent on my skin, maybe a little lab & tobacco, but the wispy aura around me is great. A trickster scent- can't smell it when I try, fabulous in its own moments. Used as a sleepy time and a yoga perfume recently, and I enjoyed the effect for both purposes!

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. Hay absolute, patchouli, agarwood, and vetiver. Wet, Deut. 10:18 is a heavy woody, spiced patchouli, very masculine. I'm guessing the spice & woodiness are from the agarwood, and I can sense some smokiness from the vetiver. As the perfume dries, the hay comes in and coats everything in its sweet grassy warmth- yum! The patchouli remains, but takes more of a background role to the wood spice& hay on me. Throw is stronger than most scents I have, same with wear length. This is a cozy blend on me, but I'm salivating just thinking of trying it on my partner! Mmmmm...

I ordered this Queen to test how some florals work on me. In the bottle it smells rich, heady golden flowers, and soap... Oh no. On my skin it smells exactly the same, but even stronger on the soap note. Sadness! The drydown does bring the amber out some, but the soapiness lingers on. I hope that aging can remedy this... I hope! Might just decide to trade for another of the Empress series.