ralenth

Wet: Creamy magnolia, and my nemesis, cinnamon.

 

Drydown: The cinnamon takes over completely and my throat is starting to itch.

 

Dry: Cinnamon SN.

 

Verdict: Sadness. I would love a smoky magnolia scent, sans cinna-monster.

Roses typically hate me, so imagine my surprise at this blend working for me.

It's soft, creamy beeswax with a splash of dew-kissed tuberose. Plovers Above the Waves is gentle, and feminine. I will definitely add it into rotation for my girlier moments.

How have I not tried this until now?

 

Wet: Sinuous smoke curling around a sultry vetiver core.

 

Drydown: Slick black leather, and more luscious vetiver.

 

Dry: Sexy leather with a vettiver undercurrent. Iago almost replicates mixing Haitian Vetiver Single Note with my beloved De Sade.

Dew kissed sakura adrift on a sea of soft ozone and cologne. As it dries, the sakura fade into the background Dry, it's a nonobtrusive cologne with tinges of a mechanical cherry blossom scent.

Wet: Sharp fingered musk, curling around soft tendrils of mint and wisps of elemi. It feels aggressive and cooly distant simultaneously.

 

Dry: Masculine cologne with tinges of aquatic. It lands somewhere between Volt (sans leather and mintiness) and Villain (sans lavender).

Warm, polished wood with resinous overtones. After about thirty minutes, it has faded to a background inviting woodsiness.

I am completely floored by this blend. Just... wow.

 

Wet: Hollow floral note with hints of aquatic.

Drydown: Suddenly, it's a luscious tropical floral explosion, as if the rain awoke the garden. The aquatic underrcurrent grounds it, and gives it depth. Ozone flares briefly.

 

Dry: Mostly dripping hothouse florals, with something intriguing underneath.

This is a leather lover's dream. At first, it's a rush of well worn leather on the skin. As it dries, the fougère surfaces. It is almost like a marriage of a less visceral incarnation of DeSade and Villain. After thirty minutes, it is a softly musky leather with a hint of genteel cologne. Love, love, love.

Bottle: Aged since release. Woods, and bright sweet apple blossoms.

 

Wet: Apple peels over a bed of crushed apple blossoms.

 

Drydown: Candied white floral.As it dries, there are slight hints of woodiness, but mostly it's an apple blossom melded with Rose Red on my skin.

 

Dry: Woodsy, and soft. It's understated, feminine, and romantic.

Hello, this one is a morpher!

 

Source: Bottle, aged since release (2.5 years).

 

Wet: Bright lime, with dashes of cleaning product.

 

Drydown: Violet candies, and soft, powdery florals.

 

Dry: Old ladies at the bar in twilight. Mmm, no.

Source: Bottle, aged 4 years.

In the bottle: Sharp, and green, with an almost bitingly vetiver undercurrent.

 

Wet: Malevolently astringent green. The vetiver-type woodsiness keeps drawing me back.

 

Drydown: The astringency is burning off, leaving me with a soft woodsy scent.

 

Dry: A mellower version of the Vetiver Single Note.

Slipping into Madness is warm, dark, and lovely. How appropriate. It slithers across my skin, whispering eldritch secrets.

Intially, the red patchouli dominated, but as the hours tick by, it melds seamlessly with the inky dark musk and traces of tobacco.

Why must I always fall in love with the impossible scents?

Source: Lab bottle aged since release (September 2008)

 

Ghûlheim is a swirling dark musk,with soft hints of clove and pepper. Aging has mellowed this bottle significantly from my initial sniffs. It seems dark, sexy and wearable. Initially, I couldn't get this far enough away, but now it's quite lovely.

This has aged quite nicely. It is predominately apple blossom drenched in soft aquatic notes, with hints of honeyed rose.

Soft, dark musk with spikes of catnip greenery. Aging has definitely mellowed Lil Menes for the better.

Rose doesn't do well on my skin, usually, and Miss Jessell is no exception. Sharp, dark roses - bitter and angry.

Bottle: Dark, wet, and fruity... not what I expected.

Wet: Cassia layered over a warm, murky aquatic.

 

Drydown: As it dries, Saturnian Phoenix mellows into a delicious, resiny floral.

Dry: Gorgeous. The cassia has mostly vanished, leaving me with a floral-softened myrrh blend.

Wet: Carnation, rolled in sexy clovy musk.

Drydown: As it dries, rose rears its sharp, green head. Drat.

 

Dry: Green soapy rose.

Wet: Herbal, and slightly floral.

 

Drydown: Lily of the valley peeps in over the crushed herbs.

 

Dry: Clytie is green and lovely, but the frankincense takes a while to come to the fore. It certainly is one of the more interesting florals that I have encountered recently.

 

Throw: Very close to the skin.

On my skin, I get lush nectarines, and roses. As it dries, I get more of the rose note (which is a death note for me), and some creamy honey silkiness. It's a lovely blend, even if it isn't for me.

Wet: Super sweet mint. Hello noisy flamboyant floppy hats!

Drydown: As it dries, a smoky deliciousness begins to surface. The mint and sugar hover in the foreground.

 

Dry: We're back to sweet, soft mint, though not as flamboyantly floppy hats as before.

 

Throw: Juke Joint hovers very close to the skin.

Let me start this review by begging the Lab to make this permanent. This is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Mrs. Palmer's is evocative of an old private library, paneled in dark wood. There are swirling currents of sophisticated vanilla. The patchouli is very slight at first to my nose, but as time progresses, it becomes more evident.

 

My SO took one whiff of the test area and demanding that we stockpile this for the apocalypse. We will be the best smelling zombie-free household on the block.

This smells faintly of strawberries coupled with a gentle lavender. I didn't expect to like this nearly as much as I do. It is lovely and evocative.

Source: Lab imp, new.

Wet: Warm, resiny, lush, slightly boozy.

 

Drydown: Slightly honeyed red wine. The resin seems to be fading as it dries.

 

Dry: Barely there, honey dust.

 

Throw: Minimal. Very close to skin.

 

Overall: It doesn't last more than an hour, at most. I enjoyed Athens, though.

Source: Original decant circle bottle from Lab, aged.

 

Bottle: White chocolate dominates my nose anytime I put it to this bottle. I catch hints of a plasticky fruitiness. I think my nose is out to be a foodie hater without even giving it a chance. Silly nose. Now, to skin test...

Wet: Lush, swelling apricot. Sweet and juicy... it is completely inducing lascivious thoughts. Mmm, apricots.

Drydown: The white chocolate comes into play gently, which surprises me. Usually this is all I can smell. A few soft raspberry whispers chime in. Lovely, delicate balance.

Overall: Soft, and prettily sweet. It no longer has the initial apricot va-va-voom that made my heart race, but it is still has a nice balance. I don't usually want to smell like candy, but if I did, I would reach for this.