ralenth

In theory, the Dodo sounds pretty tasty (except maybe for the evil lemon peel of doom). Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Upon skin testing, I was quoted as saying: "No wonder the dodo is extinct! It smells just wrong!" The red musk gets all twisted up in the fruits on my skin and warps into an unsettling, uncoordinated bag of crazy. A very persistent crazy.

Source: Lab Bottle: Crisp, fizzy juniper. Dry, cool and sophisticated. Wet: Effervescent, clean boozy with juniper notes. Drydown: It goes a bit Christmas-y on my skin, which saddens me. The bubbliness fades really quickly and the booziness begins to increase. Dry: Gin and Seventh Generation Emerald Cypress & Fir toilet cleaner. The longer it stays on my skin, the further down the scary path it goes. Woe! Overall: Beautiful in the bottle, but sadly my skin didn't play nicely.

Source: Tested surlygurl's aged bottle at the MNS. I remember sniffing a much younger bottle of this at one point, and not being too excited. Surlygurl said that back when it was new, it reminded her of walking past an Indian restaurant (which is sort of what I remember). A few years later, Sol Invictus is delightful. It's all golden light and swirls of frankincense. It melds so beautifully on my skin and I can't pick out the notes. It's golden and smokey and fantastic. I'll either need to track down an older bottle or hide the '09 version until it reaches this point. Yum.

Source: Puddin's eBay enabling Wet: Sharp, bitter floral. Drydown: The same edgy floral note I can't quite pin down and soft musk radiating outward. I also detect a bit of a powder note as lilies and I don't play too nicely. Dry: Bitter, cool, and unsettling. Overall: Unnervingly reminds me of Psychological Horror. I don't know what the association is, but something in this makes me incredibly uncomfortable. This is going off to the swaps.

I rarely buy bottles unsniffed, but I was pretty sure this sleek devil would sweep me off my feet. Bottle: Sweet, dark and deliciously masculine. Wet: Darkly sweet amber, wrapped in oiled leather. Drydown: As TBR dries, his smokiness comes forth (kind of like the way it did with Liz, but with amber instead of vanilla). He's got a very rugged muskiness about him. Dry: I can see the comparison to Brom Bones, but The Black Rider is far more sophisticated. Dry, the leather is a little more understated, but still present under the broody ambery musk. Overall: Fantastic addition to my leather collection.

Bottle: Biting green swirled over honey. Wet: Tart absinthe with a tinge of sugar. Drydown: As it dries, LFV reminds me of smoky green tendrils, curling around the creamy sweetness of an exposed throat. Beguiling, green, and sexy, LFV tantalizes with the the promise of delicious abandon. Dry: After thirty minutes, I get a bit of a morph into bright green and jasmine, but it quickly slips back into the musky verdant teasing scent of the drydown phase. Overall: I'm certainly not going to let this go one go anywhere. Definite keeper.

If you're concerned, you can always e-mail the Lab with your order and reference said e-mail in your paypal payment (example: See e-mail titled "ralenth's Monstrous Yule order part Q"). BPAL customer service is awesome.

Bottle: Woodsy cologne, then spicy resins. Raven Moon seems to be shifting around in the bottle... with each whiff, I'm catching a different dimension. Wet: Smoky and woodsy, dipped in delicious resins. Drydown: Soft, tendrils of smoke brush against my skin. The brazen raven of the wet stage appears to have winged away. Dry: Soft, smoky musk that hugs really close to the skin. Overall: Dry, it smells a lot like I expected Black Butterfly Moon to smell (at least conceptually). It's gorgeous and I think it would make a great layering scent. It's a little more subtle than my usual fare, so I'm not sure how much play it will get solo.

Imp: Green and gardenia and a bit antiseptic. Something sinister seems to lurk in the background. Wet: Green floral, definitely tobacco flower here. Drydown: Come back, tobacco flower! A little powdery, but soft, blended green scent. Dry: Gardenia and a soft shade of green. Throw is medium. Overall: I hate when I feel vague in reviews, but this one was difficult to pin down. I was hoping for more of the dark woodsiness, but it is a well balanced green floral.

At first, TLSJ was all black jellybeans (mmm, anise). As it dried, it rounded out with some cinnamon. I'm not a foody, but I can safely say that I could hoard this. The throw is minimal, but it seems to have a good deal of staying power. Why are these LE Frimps always my favorites?

... This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus. DDLM 2009 Bottle: I really smell the cereus in this blend. It makes me think of home. Wet: Super floral! Mmm, cereus, I love you. Drydown: A little cidery, but still mostly floral. Dry: More subdues than the initial cereus onslaught. It's sweet, and a little smoky, very well balanced. Overall:The 2009 version of DDLM smells really different to me. I remember previous versions as being foodier. It seems more likely that I will wear 09 before reaching for another vintage.

Wet: Leather, with a pinch of lavender. Drydown: It's a bit like mixing Dorian and De Sade, though a bit more cologne and less tea. Dry: Smoky leather, mmm, but the cologne is a bit more dominant. Theres almost an aquatic tang to the cologne. Overall: No surprise that I really love this one. It's like Dorian took a dip in Fit of Artistic Enthusiasm and then put on his leather coat for an evening out. Definite win.

At first, it's an airy minty floral, which quickly morphs into minty bitey roses. As it dries down, it almost exclusively becomes a creamy mint, almost like Tokyo Stomp on my skin, but a little heavier on the mint. This one is not for me.

Source: Bottle from Lab Wet: Warm spicy pumpkin and rich roasted coffee beans. Drydown: Another case of disappearing pumpkin! I'm left with the feisty spices, warm and rich, but a bit too harvest potpourri. Dry: Spice, but a teensy bit of butteryiness that might be some pumpkin trying to fight its way out. Overall: I wanted a coffee scent very badly, but this did not live up to my expectations. It's a lovely spice scent if you are looking for one, though.

Source: Lab bottle Wet: Straight up pumpkin, though not buttery. Dydown: The pumpkin does go somewhere, and I'm left with this spicy clove mixed with myrrh and a tinge of sweetness. Dry: There's a teensy bit of pumpkin peeking out of the spice pile. It's very nice and wearable, with minimal throw. Overall: Nice, but I would like to see more pumpkin. Will retest later in the month for a final verdict.

Source: Lab imp In the imp: Sharp, green with magnolia. Oh, how I love magnolia! Wet: Very aquatic, with little tendrils of greenery wrapping themselves around my ankles? Drydown: Green aquatic. Reminds me of Danube, but more humid and lush. Dry: Beautiful, heady aquatic. Very green, but not overly floral. Overall: This may have just knocked Danube out of my go to aquatic spot. I love it!

Not sure if anyone has asked this, but is there something close to Sacrifice?

At first, Baneberry is tart blackberries with sharp vines coiling around them. Tantalizing. As it dries, the blackberry becomes more prominent, lush, juicy and beguiling. I want to reach into the greenery and pluck them out and smear them all over my face. The throw on this one is pretty impressive. The green notes become darker, more menacing, so rethink my blackberry eating binge, and revel in its herbal-berry glory instead. Dry, Baneberry is a little musky, but still predominantly dark, sharp green and blackberry. I could see myself wearing this again.

A disconcerting scent, heavy and oppressive, through which no light, no matter, and no spirit can escape. Black opium, labdanum, opoponax, black orchid, and benzoin. Source: Lab imp In the imp: Dark and smoky. Wet: Spicy, smoky and a wee bit floral. Drydown: Something astringent is lurking in the background. Warm, spicy and sweet, but that oddness is growing. Dry: Opium and floral like whoa. Chill out flowers, mama wants some more of that dark stuff. Overall: Interesting, but more floral than I was expecting on my skin. I will have to retest before delivering a final verdict.

Wet: Sharp, and citrusy. Drydown: Gentle puffs of baby powder mellow out my skin's reaction to lemon. Dry: Still soft and powdery, but wrapped in a light musk with teensy peeps from the citrus gallery. Overall: Minimal throw for me. Very soft and summery. It puts me in mind of cotton sheets drying in the early morning summer sun. It's pleasant, but I don't know that I would reach for it.

Warm, smoking wood with swirls of incense and tinges of sweetness. I'm glad I let this rest before testing it as my initial sniff when it landed reminded me of Liquid Smoke!

I get baby powder with a bit of smokiness. I didn't expect to like this, but I do. It must be my affinity for brimstone (or the cute devil child on the label, you know, whichever). As it dries, the brimstone becomes more prominent, though it never quite takes over...

At first, GH is a soft, incensy floral. Mysterious and compelling, I can't help but keep my nose to the skin on the drydown. And, then, the dreaded rose rears it's ugly thorny head (roses always smell sharp and green on me). It's mostly kept in check by the incense and clove (which showed up once it was dry), so it may be I have found a rose I can live with. Yay!

I've tested this one twice now. The first time, I got so uneasy that I didn't end up reviewing it. The second time, I was a little braver (a dabbed even less - a little goes a long way). At first PH is softly floral musk. I feel drawn to it, as it is very understated. As it dries, it gets a little more animalistic to my nose, with tinges of that soft floral. I also start to get the dreaded baby powder note. Dry, it's mostly baby powder and something sinister which makes me skittish. I love this one, but it creeps me out!

In the bottle, it's an amazingly intriguing red jam scent. As it dries, it's jam and powdered sugar (I can totally see raspberry donuts here). But, once it has dried, it is crazy plastic and strawberries. I wanted to love this (ZOMBIES!!!), but, alas, it's not for me.