ralenth

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?

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.

At first, Hellboy is a sweet, almost powdery aftershave. As it dries, a bit of smokiness comes out, but is still predominantly the sweet cologne. Then, out of nowhere comes this crazy litterbox smell. Whoa. I was expecting fluffy kittens, not this. Then the cologne takes back over and it's all baby powder and aftershave again. I wanted to love it, but clearly my skin does not agree.

ETA: After an hour, it chilled out to a nice, subtle masculine aroma. After six hours, it was still hanging out. It's nice and neutral if I can make it through the first hour.

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.

 

 

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.

Source: Dark Delicacies website

 

Bottle: Bright beam of sour citrus - mmm yuzu!

 

Wet: Straight up, freshly grated lime peel.

 

Drydown: A bit more fleshy citrus, bright and green, with a dash of zest. This smells exactly how I normally want citrus to smell on me (but it rarely does).

 

Dry: Bright and slightly sweet, mouth-puckering grapefruit with green undertones.

 

Overall: I think this one is going to be a favorite for hot summer days.

Source: Lab

 

Bottle: Warm, and resiny, like sensual liquid sunshine. It smells bright and warm, but a bit naughty too.

 

Wet: Cinnamony and softly herbal.

 

Drydown: A sexy romp at the apothecary? For some reason, I have the mental image of rolling around over herbs. Hee!

 

Dry: Woodsy and herbal, with a tinge of something softly smoky and myrrh. Occasionally, I catch a bit of sweetness too.

 

Overall: Sunbird is gorgeous. I don't even think I can communicate how stunned I am by it.

Source: Lab

 

In the Bottle: Pungent incense and herbs. It really hits me in the back of the throat, almost like I'm sucking down smoke.

 

Wet: Sharp green with a dash of charcoal.

 

Drydown: The "charcoal" diminishes, and LS becomes a warm spicy cocoon weaving itself around my initial sharp green impression, which also has mellowed.

 

Dry: A tinge of sweetness, but mostly resin and herby goodness. It's very different than most of the resins I have. Perhaps the addition of the herbs?

 

Overall: It's very intriguing. I keep sniffing it. I think I'm expecting Labores Solis to whisper dark secrets into my ear. Together we will dominate the world (or so it tells me).

Source: Lab

 

In the bottle: Slightly sour milk.

 

Wet: Sweetened, condensed milk.

 

Drydown: A bit of figgy goodness swirls in. The sweetness of the milk is still there, but less prominent.

 

Dry: Creamy and sweet, with a little fig. I didn't get any myrrh, which is strange as I normally amp that like whoa, but NC is still pretty nice.

 

Overall: Milk Moon smelled like sour Juicy Fruit on me, so I am pleasantly surprised that Nonae Caprotina works on my skin. It's probably not something I would wear all the time, but I think it seems like a nice summer scent.