Penance

RANGER Untamed wilderness: buckskin accord with Terebinth pine, Russian birch, black ironwood, elder bark, hay, armoise, juniper, patchouli, galangal root, Spanish moss, and cabreuva. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I really like the prototype version of Ranger, but it tends to go peppery on my skin unless I apply it on the back of my hands and even then it's started to be iffy. So I'm very excited about the released version. It sounds a lot like v5, so I'm hoping it'll be similar but without whatever it is that gives me the pepper note of doom that made me take the proto out of my favorites box. First sniff: Very, very woodsy. I get strong pine (like the pine in Wolf Moon 2011 or even Hexennacht or Nocnitsa). An intense, deep green pine note, not the high-pitched juniper-like one that I sometimes get in some of the Lab's pine scents. Think deep woods, not Christmas tree. I can tell there's more in here than just pine, but the impression I get is of standing in an unspoiled evergreen forest in the middle of summer. Wet on skin: Intense pine with a backing of rich wood (I couldn't tell you what kind, but there are non-evergreen trees here, scattered among the pines). I don't get any buckskin yet, which is a little disappointing because I really love soft leather notes, but I still love this. I'm a lover of all things woodsy, although pine can be an iffy note at times. Ranger is one of the pine scents that really work. Dry down: Mostly the same before. This one's not as much of a morpher as the prototype. Whatever kind of wood gives the prototype the pepperiness seems to be missing from this version, too, which makes me very happy. I finally get some of the buckskin once Ranger has time to settle completely. It's very subtle and adds just a touch of soft leather to the picture. There's also a faint sweetness to the scent that I can't identify. There was a similar note in the prototype that I took to be benzoin or maybe tonka, but it's not listed in the notes of the released version, so I'm not sure what it is. I suppose it could be the cabreuva, which apparently has "a delicate, sweet, woody-floral scent." I don't get any florals, though, just a soft sweetness. This is such an evocative scent and it really nails the concept. If I close my eyes, I can imagine myself in the deep forest, a faint breeze stirring the pine needles at my feet. The air is full of the smells of wood, earth and moss. There's not another human being for miles around and everything is quiet and peaceful. The only noises are the sounds of birds calling. The bottom line: I love this. If you're a lover of intensely woodsy scents, then you need Ranger. But if pine and heavy woods aren't your thing, you may want to look elsewhere.

The forks of the road: an in-between place, sacred and tangibly magickal in innumerable cultures and faiths. This scent is dark with mystery, taut with power. A chill twilit garden of blooms over dry earth and mosses, heavily laden with incense and offertory herbs. First sniff: I'm in pure heaven today, everything I've tried has been utterly gorgeous and Crossroads is no exception! Crossroads bears a passing resemblance to Zombi right out of the bottle...it's the deep, loamy dirt and moss scent that I adored in Zombi but there's more to it. There's incense here and herbs as well and they make it more multi-dimensional than Zombi is and also less cloying. Why didn't I get a bottle of this? I'm such a fool. Wet on skin: Mmm, moss and dirt and herbs and incense...everything I love in a perfume! There's also some flowers here...they're beginning to come to the surface now, sweetening Crossroads and making it less aggressively dark smelling. This is still a dark scent, though...dirty and mossy and perfect for me. This is almost like a cross between Bayou and Zombi for me with some incense thrown in for good measure...it combines the best of both worlds and then some and I love it. Dry down: Crossroads has dried down into a soft loamy dirt, moss, incense and light hothouse florals scent. This is so utterly gorgeous; it's just what I love in a perfume. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind now, Beth is some sort of evil genius with the ability to work magic with simple oils. This scent has my name written all over it. The bottom line: Deep, wet loamy dirt, moss, incense and hothouse florals. Crossroads is (for me) the child of Bayou and Zombi with a bit of incense thrown in for good measure. I'm going to have to scrimp and save and come up with the cash to buy a bottle of this at the next update, too.

ROGUE Soft, well-worn black leather, hemp, and rosin. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: Something about Rogue really grabbed my attention and I ordered two bottles right off the bat. I just have a feeling that this one's going to be one of the standouts of the RPG collection (for me). Leather is hit or miss, but well-worn leather notes tend to be hits. Hemp and rosin should be fine, although pine can also be hit or miss. First sniff: This smells almost exactly like I'd pictured. Soft, worn-in leather and gentle pine pitch (rosin is made from pine sap). It's in the same sort of family as Ranger, only with much stronger leather (of a different sort) and much less wood/pine. Wet on skin: The leather gets stronger while the rosin stays the same. It's a slightly woodsy leather scent. The hemp starts to come out a little at this point, giving it a subtle, hay-like sweetness. Dry down: The rosin intensifies as Rogue dries and I end up with a scent that's equal parts pine pitch, hemp and worn-in leather. It's a simple scent (again, like with Good, that may be because they were designed to be layered), but I like that about it. I don't always want a complicated scent. Sometimes simple is better and I think this is one of those cases. This is a winner. The leather's not chemically in the slightest and the rosin adds a nice, resinous pine scent without being overpowering or smelling like a Christmas tree. The hemp is bordering on being just a little too strong (it starts to overpower the other notes at points during the drydown), but I like it. The bottom line: If you're a leather fan and like woodsy scents, this will probably be a winner for you. I have a feeling that skin chemistry is going to play a part in how strong the rosin ends up being, but for me, it's a well-balanced scent that I can smell all the notes in. ETA: After having set for a couple of days, the hemp is much stronger and the rosin weaker in the bottle and when the oil is wet on my skin, but it's about the same once its dried completely.

ORC Field grey courgette musk, roughly cured leather, and vetiver. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I had to try this one for the sheer weirdness of it. I'm not a fan of the smell of zucchini (although I do like cucumber in perfumes sometimes), but curiosity got the better of me here. Plus, the rest of the notes sounded good. First sniff: Yeah, that's definitely zucchini. I'm not sure what field grey zucchini musk is supposed to smell like, but this just smells like zucchini to me. Fresh, vegetabley and green. Slightly watery and darker than cucumber. I don't get any leather or vetiver (which is unusual since vetiver has a tendency to jump out and wallop me right in the nose when it's present in a scent). Wet on skin: Zucchinis for everyone! I'm mostly getting a freakishly realistic zucchini note with the slightest touch of leather in the way background. Still no vetiver. Dry down: No change. I was hoping the leather (or even the vetiver) might come to the front once Orc dried, but no such luck. This would be a great summer scent if you're into smelling like fresh vegetables. That's not my sort of thing, though. The bottom line: Curiosity sated. Zucchini perfume is exactly what it is. An interesting experience, but not something that I need to keep around. My bottle's moved on to a new home.

NEUTRAL A flawless skin musk. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I'm really excited about this one, oddly enough. I have a skin musk scent from another company that's one of the (very few) non-BPAL scents that I wear even semi-regularly, so I'm looking forward to a BPAL scent along the same lines. First sniff: I can barely smell this. There's just the faintest hint of slightly powdery skin musk here, but mainly I get a noseful of nothing. Wet on skin: Still very faint, but I can smell it now. It's not as smooth as I'd expected. Instead it's on the powdery side and even a tiny bit sharp. More like freshly washed skin than (my idea of) skin musk. Dry down: That's better. Neutral stays extremely faint, but the almost sharp powderiness calms down, but it takes a few hours for it to reach that point on me. In the end, I'm left with a soft, gentle skin musk scent. It's very similar to the other brand's version that I love so much, but not as strong. The bottom line: This one is definitely best suited to layering. If it went straight from the bottle scent to the drydown, I'd probably wear this semi-regularly on its own because I love the simplicity and subtleness of it, but I think it's going to be used almost solely for layering with other scents and only when I've got time to let it work the kinks out, since the drydown takes a while to finish.

The Native American Creator / Trickster God of Chaos and Change. The warmth of doeskin, dry plains grasses and soft, dusty woods warmed by amber and a downy, gentle coat of deep musk. First sniff: Oh, this is beautiful! It smells like dry grass and dusty dirt, which is exactly what I was hoping it would smell like! This perfectly captures what I imagine when I think of the word "coyote." This is the scent of dusty plains studded with tufts of dried grass, the kind that nips at your legs when you walk through and that smells like straw. This is so utterly gorgeous I can't even begin to describe how much I love it. Wet on skin: Mmm, dry grass and soft amber. It's slightly musky but dry and dusty and parched smelling. This is unbelieveable. This is exactly what I imagined when I first saw that there was going to be a scent called Coyote. So far, the amber is staying in the background and behaving itself quite well (amber often turns into sour milk on me) and the prominent notes are the dusty grass and musk. I love, love, love this scent so far. I'm already regretting not getting a bottle of it. Dry down: Soft musk and dusty grass. This is a coyote and its habitat all rolled into one and poured into a tiny vial. This scent is just more proof that Beth is some sort of magic worker...I have no idea how she can create something that's so perfectly dead on to the image she's trying to create. Unbelieveable. Absolutley unbelieveable. I'm going to have to break down and buy a bottle of this at the next update, there's no way I can live with just an imp. This is love. The bottom line: The dry plains of the Southwest mixed with a soft animal musk and dry grasses. This is absolutely perfect. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this at the next update.

Muscadine, black and red patchouli, cereus and nag champa. First sniff: Gorgeous! Wild grapes and patchouli with a hint of nag champa. This smells like the wild grapes me neighbor used to grow when I was little combined with the earthiness of patchouli and the sweet incense smoke of nag champa. I don't normally do fruit scents, but this is absolutely gorgeous. Wet on skin: The nag champa and patchouli are more prominent now, bubbling up from under the grapes and making it completing the mental picture I have of a grape vine. The muscadine gives the scent of the grapes and the patchouli the scent of the earth the vines are growing in. I was a bit worried that the muscadine would be too strong for me since I don't normally wear fruit scents, but this is gorgeous! Dry down: The muscadine has faded to the point where it's only a whisper in the background. Urd is pure patchouli and nag champa on me now which makes me a very happy girl! This is just the sort of scent that I love. I'm definitely going to have to get a bottle of this one, no doubt about it. The bottom line: Urd is gorgeous. Earthy and slightly fruity on the dry down. It reminds me of a vinyard and it smells divine. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this.

GOOD Shimmering celestial musk with vanilla, white honey, acacia, and sugar cane. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This isn't my usual kind of scent. Not by a long shot. But something about it sounded so pretty that I had to order a bottle anyway. The only thing here that actually worries me is the acacia, because I'm not a floral fan. The other notes should be okay, although they're not the sort of thing I normally gravitate towards. First sniff: I can't really pick out the notes in the bottle. I just get a general impression of a pale, sweet, delicate scent. Very feminine and pretty. Wet on skin: Soft, gentle honey with a touch of vanilla and musk. I can definitely see this being what "good" would smell like. Dry down: Soft white honey. It's not the heavier honey note that is in so many of the Lab's scent. This is a very light, delicate, ethereal honey. The bottom line: Good is fairly one-dimensional on me once it dries (which isn't really a drawback since the RPG scents were meant to be layered), but it's pretty all the same. I like this. It's not the sort of thing I'd wear every day but it will get worn. I can see this being one of the more popular RPG scents.

MAGE All mystique and thrumming power: gurjum balsam, Sumatran dragon's blood resin, olibanum, galangal, oleo gum resin, and frankincense. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I'll admit right off the bat that I don't know what everything in here is supposed to smell like. But I know enough to know that most of these are resins or incensey notes, with a bit of greenness thrown in here and there. First sniff: Definitely an incense/resin blend, but this isn't church incense. It's not headshop incense, either. Instead, I'd say it smells like a pagan or occult store. It has that sort of darkness and mysteriousness to it. Wet on skin: Slightly sweet, resinous incense. Mage is a little bit smoky, but mainly, it smells like a mix of unusual, mysterious-smelling resins. It does put me in mind of what a mage might smell like. Dry down: A tiny bit of balsam is peeking out now, adding some pine to the resins. It's still mostly an incense blend, but the balsam gives it an appropriate touch of woodsiness. This mage doesn't spend all his time cooped up working on perfecting his magic. He goes out gathering herbs and practicing in the forest. The bottom line: I like this one a lot. I could take or leave the balsam, but the piney note it adds is subtle enough not to distract me from the beautiful resins.

ATLAS Mallow, oak bark, coffee bean, hinoki wood, and khus. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This one sounds really promising. Everything here has the potential to be awesome, especially now that I've learned to love coffee scents. First sniff: Soft and almost fluffy smelling somehow. It's a brown scent, but a soft, cuddly brown. You know how TKO smells fluffy and cuddly? That's what Atlas feels like, only instead of being innocently girlish, it's gender neutral. Wet on skin: Brown, coffee-dusted marshmallows with a very faint touch of khus. I get everything listed in the notes. There's a soft marshmallow-vibe from the mallow, a gentle woodiness from the hinoki and oak bark, a rich brown scent from the coffee and just the faintest touch of ashy green from the khus. Dry down: I love this. I really, really love this. It's snuggly and cuddly and warm and brown and... Atlas dries down to a scent that's similar to the smell in the bottle, only better. It's a soft, slightly spicy, slightly woody brown scent. It's hard to pick out individual notes at this point because everything just swirls together. The bottom line: This is the first of the 2011 Metamorphosis scents that I've tested, but I'm positive that it's going to be my favorite of the bunch. This is going to be a multi-bottle scent for sure.

CRANBERRY COOKIE BARK BATH OIL Shortbread, white and dark chocolate, dried cranberries, and a smattering of crushed candy cane. Shea oil, olive oil, apricot kernel oil, fractionated coconut oil, rosehip seed, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, isopropyl myristate, glycereth-7-cocoate (derived from coconut), oleth 3, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume blends. Origin: Bottle from the Trading Post. Preconceived notions: This sounds incredible, even for a very selective foody scent wearer like me. I love the smell of shortbread (I've kind of been hoping that BPAL would do a shortbread scent for quite a while) and white chocolate. I'm learning that the Lab's dark chocolate note smells really, really good on me lately, too. I love to eat dried cranberries and if the cranberry in this smells true to life, then that would be awesome. Candy cane is the only iffy thing here. I'm not a huge mint fan and I'm really no a fan of the Lab's candy cane scents (the Lick It series). But I think it could work well in combination with the other notes. First sniff: Right out of the bottle, this is all shortbread and chocolate to my nose. It's mainly buttery, crunchy, rich shortbread but with an overlay of rich chocolate (I smell dark more than white, but dark chocolate does tend to have a stronger note to my nose). This smells wonderful. It's foody but not cloying in the slightest. In fact, it's not that sweet. It's rich for sure, but not sugary, really. On the skin: I use the bath oils as moisturizers rather than in the bath (I'm a shower girl, plus it feels like a waste of delicious scented oil to me to mix it with water and let it go down the drain, so I can't comment on how this behaves or smells in the bath, sorry!). First of all, this feels nice on my skin. It's not sticky or greasy. It sinks in really well (and I don't have super dry skin) and it has a really nice, strong but close to the skin smell. The scent on me is almost identical to the bottle. Dark chocolate and buttery shortbread with just a touch of white chocolate. I don't really smell cranberry here, but I think it's just blending with the chocolate and shortbread and making it darker and deeper without standing out and screaming "Look at me, I'm fruit!" The candy cane really doesn't make an appearance at any point for me (which I'm fine with and even happy about). The bottom line: This smells so good. If this were a perfume oil, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I'll definitely get plenty of use of my bottle of bath oil, though, since it makes a nice, light moisturizer and smells incredibly good. I think I might need another bottle of this since I'm not sure how long it'll last with regular use (I'm new to the bath oils and only have one other, Tricksy) and I don't want to risk it not making a reappearance next Christmas.

MOURNING CLOAK Opoponax, kumaru, cocoa butter, Mysore sandalwood, verbena, almond milk, guiac wood, beeswax, and myrrh. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. My bottle says "Mourning Shroud" rather than "Mourning Cloak." Preconceived notions: I wanted this one for the name, but the notes sound wonderful. Except for the almond milk and possibly the verbena (if it smells lemony). Almond scents make me horrendously nauseous if I can smell the almond in them, but I can wear them if the almond is "hidden" and I'm not a fan of lemon (or citrus in general). I'm not quite sure what to expect here since the mix of notes is pretty complex, but I'm thinking a resinous scent with a touch of cocoa butter. First sniff: Wow, I wasn't expecting that. The first thing I smell here is the verbena. Really, really strong verbena. It's lemony and sharp. There are other things going on underneath the verbena, but it's hard to really pick them out. I get an impression of dark woodsiness. Wet on skin: Still mainly verbena (which I'm not enjoying), but there are also some nice dark woods here, too. No resins yet, unfortunately, but I'm hoping they'll rally on the drydown. Dry down: Early in the drydown: Verbena, woods and the resins have come out now. I don't get any cocoa butter, which is a little disappointing. I was anticipating something darker than this, although the notes really do fit with the butterfly's coloration. Later in the drydown: The verbena mostly disappears (hallelujah) and I'm left with just a touch of it, plus Schwarzer Mond-style resins and a touch of cocoa butter. It's dark and pretty, but it's not as nice as Atlas. The bottom line: I really wish the verbena wasn't in here or wasn't so strong, but it does mostly disappear on the later drydown. It's just a matter of whether I can wait it out since I despise lemon. This is going to be one of those scents that I like in the end, but don't wear very often because I can't stand the wet/early drydown stage. I'm hoping that aging will help tone down the lemoniness, but I'll keep my bottle no matter what (although I wish it was labeled Mourning Cloak instead of Mourning Shroud; both are great names, but I prefer Cloak).

A faded snapshot of patchouli-stained peasant blouses, soft suede boots, and smoke. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: There were a handful of ParaNorman scents I wanted to try when they were released, but had to narrow it down to one for budget reasons. Hippie Ghost sounded right up my alley. I love patchouli, suede and smoke. The only thing concerning me here is the "peasant blouse" part. Linen (I assume it's probably a linen-type note) and I don't always get along so well. It can be too harsh to my nose, so I'm hoping it's a soft, background note and not a main one. First sniff: Lighter than I expected, but I guess I should have anticipated that from a "ghost" scent! I'm getting everything here. Soft, worn linen (not harsh at all and not super clean, either...sort of a musty linen, but not in a bad way), patchouli (not the super dirty kind, but definitely patchouli all the same), a bit of suede and a tiny touch of smoke. It's a nostgalic sort of scent. More antique store than headshop. Wet on skin: My skin loves linen (even when I don't) and it's staying true to form here, amping up the peasant blouse note immediately and making this all about the fabric as soon as it hits my skin. Usually, that tones down quickly, though, so I'm not too worried. I'm still getting hints of the other notes, but this is screamingly linen-like right now. Drydown: Mmm, better. The linen really dies down (and pretty quickly, too) and I'm left with a really evocative scent. It's soft, ethereal and smoky with an earthiness from the patchouli and a little bit of soft suede. It still makes me think antique store (although I suppose it should be a vintage clothing store, it has that antique store smell to me) and not headshop, but I'm really liking it. The smoke is just a tiny bit harsh at times, but it comes and goes and I really can't complain. The bottom line: Ideally, I would have loved something more headshop-ish and more intense (although I should have expected what I got since it is a "ghost" scent), but I really like Hippie Ghost anyway. It's subtle and should go over well with people who don't normally love patchouli scents.

Dark musk, linen, and red chypre. Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I immediately had to order a bottle of Male Nude even though I'm not entirely sure exactly what it's going to smell like. I'm finding that I really enjoy dark musk and I generally like the Lab's linen note. The questionable factor here is going to be the "red chypre," which I'm not quite sure about. Chypre-based scents can go wrong on me because of the floral and citrus, although I love moss and musks. First sniff: Very chypre..y? I know, that's not a word, but I'm making it one. I get a very cologne-type vibe from this that I associate with chypre-based scents. It reminds me a bit of Dracul in that it has the same sort of oddly musky, mossy, citrusy, powdery thing going on. Wet on skin: Basically the same as in the bottle. It's hard for me to describe exactly what Male Nude smells like, except to say that it's (all at the same time) mossy, powdery musky, dry and papery. It reminds me a little bit of The Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn and a bit of Dracul. Unfortunately, neither one really works all that well on me and both ended up finding new homes when I owned them. Dry down: Still smells like the lovechild of Wild Men and Dracul on me. I wouldn't call this chypre "red," personally, but that's probably because I have strong color/scent associations in my head that don't necessarily reflect the actual notes (which I'm unsure of in this case). To me, if Male Nude had a color, it would be a lichen-like grey-green with hints of brown. Totally unhelpful, I'm sure, but I feel like I need to say what color it smells like since I don't think it smells red. Basically, Male Nude smells like...well, a chypre blend. It's mossy and musky with an almost mint-like smell to it underneath (like Dracul does to my nose). The bottom line: This is just too cologne-like for me. I'm learning that chypre scents are misses more often than hits for me, but it doesn't stop me from trying them. This one's moving on to a new home with someone who loves it.

Origin: 5mL from OlfactoryMaven bought on LJ Preconceived notions: The idea of this scent intrigued me when it was announced, but I didn't want to deal with the hullabaloo of finding an angel to get me a bottle and wrote it off as something I didn't need under the circumstances. I kept thinking about it, though. I read the reviews later and saw how many people either disliked it or didn't find it wearable and should have been put off, but decided to take a gamble anyway, because that's how I roll with BPAL a lot of the time. First sniff: I definitely see where the reviews are coming from. This is acrid and a little industrial, but definitely inky and a little resinous. I can see why people find this off-putting, but I keep coming back for another sniff. Strange. Wet on skin: Not acrid, but still somewhat harsh. Very true ink scent with hints of what smells like cumin and frankincense. It sounds like a bizarre scent and it kind of is, but it's honestly not as strange in person as it is "on paper" (which conjures up images of a pen and ink illustrator eating curry in a church). Dry down: Ink for sure. Not ballpoint pen ink, either, and not copier toner. It's been so long since I've smelled real india ink that I can't quite remember exactly what it smells like, but this definitely isn't your "standard" everyday ink. The cumin has eased up noticeably, but it's still there and the resinous vibe has gotten slightly heavier with parchment (or some sort of heavy stock drawing paper, maybe, not printer/copier paper) in the background. The bottom line: Completely unique and strangely awesome in that "only the Lab could pull this off" sort of way. My mom hated this (although she did agree that it was very unique and that it smelled like some sort of art ink), but I actually really like it. It's definitely not a crowd-pleaser of a scent, but neither is Rivet.Goth and it's a winner for me, too. I wear perfume for me, not for anyone else, so I'll happily wear India Ink even though I may not be popular for doing it.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab (eBay) and a decant (the basis for my review) from...somewhere. Keep in mind that both were well-aged by the time I got them, so my review isn't of the fresh-from-the-Lab scent. Preconceived notions: I've had a decant of this one for quite a while and it took me a long time to get around to testing it. not entirely sure why. Maybe because leather (in perfume) and I have a complicated history (it's always had the tendency to be awesome or make me nauseous and that's even more the case since I went vegan a few years ago) or maybe because of the herbs and gravel mentioned in the description. I'm not a big fan of herb scents and gravel/rocks really don't work for me in Lab scents. There's something harsh about them to my nose and they tend to ruin otherwise awesome scents. I'm hoping to love this because the Lab's leather is a hit more often than it's a miss and I love pipe tobacco and resins. Hopefully the pros will outweigh the cons. First sniff: Somewhat sharp leather, like polished but beaten up shoes, complete with a little bit of shoe polish (which is undoubtedly the chemical note that so many of us get from some of the Lab's leather scents), with hints of herbs and tobacco. So far, so good, although I hope the sharpness dies down. Wet on skin: Softer leather mixed with pipe tobacco and resins. I'm not sure what resins are here. It smells a bit like copal. There's a sweetness to the scent, but it's not just coming from the resins, it's in the tobacco, too. I'm not getting any dust or gravel, which is fine because I'm not a fan of either. Dry down: The Traveller dries down into the most beautiful leather/resin/tobacco scent. Seriously, so good! It's masculine, but most definitely not unwearable for the ladies (in case that's not obvious since I'm wearing it and loving it). It makes me think more of Victorian smoking rooms than weary travelers with dusty shoes. It's soft, musky, leathery, resinous, sweet and a little smoky. Definitely a winner. I only wish that I'd not been on my BPAL hiatus when this came out so that I could have bought a couple of backup bottles (assuming I'd been brave enough to try it in spite of the gravel, dust and herbs and the possibility that it would have been too sharp for me when it was freshly made). I'm just glad I managed to find a bottle because my decant won't last long.

Origin: 2 x 5mL from the Lab. Thought I only ordered one (trying to be good in spite of my long-running history of immediately ordering at least 2 of any LE that sounds good), but apparently old habits are hard to break and I actually ordered two. Preconceived notions: I'm so glad the single notes have made a comeback! I've been waiting, hoping that something my alley would make an appearance. I've got bottles of Sweet Clove, Redwood, Red Mysore Sandalwood and Blue Lilac from the first go-round and love them. I only wish I'd gotten a few other scents before they disappeared, so I'm glad I've got another chance to try some more out. There was a time when I would have hated this. I can say that without even smelling it, sad as that is. I used to hate musk. And I do mean hate. Not as much as I hate almond or lotus or bubblegum or (most) flowers, but hate is still the right word. But I've learned to love musk and this sounds awesome even though I'm not sure what to expect. I'm a huge fan of red musk, so I'm hoping Siberian musk is similar, but it should be a hit regardless. There are very few types of musk that I don't care for, so this should be a safe choice. First sniff: Yum! Definitely on the more animalic side (which would have sent me running back when I was first getting into BPAL many moons ago), but still very wearable. It doesn't have that cat pee smell that puts me off civet, but it's still got a wildness to it. I'd say this is in the same family as red musk, although the two are different. This is like a less sweet, more "animal" version of red musk. I can tell a little is going to go a long way. Wet on skin: Pretty true to the bottle scent. No sudden "Hey, I'm cat pee!" vibe coming out of left field, which is a relief. My skin sometimes likes to do things like that. I only put on a tiny dab to test and I can easily smell it wafting up from my inner elbow! Dry down: Sexy, sweaty, dirty musky goodness. This is a down and dirty scent. It stays pretty stable from bottle to drydown, although it looses a bit of its pungency as it dries. That's not a bad thing, though. It's still a dirty musk, but it's not quite so aggressive as it is when its wet. There's something about this that puts me in mind of Snake Oil (minus the vanilla and spices I get from SO, particularly once its aged), so I'm with the people who suspect that this is one of the secret ingredients. The bottom line: I'm glad I accidentally got two bottles of this because I love it! I'm happy to wear a single note as perfume on its own, so Siberian Musk will be getting plenty of wear that way, but I can also see it layering beautifully. Snake Oil would be a natural partner for Siberian Musk, but I think there are going to be quite a few other scents in my (admittedly massive) collection that it would play nicely with.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I immediately put Uncle Matt on my "to try" list as soon as I read the ingredients. There was a time where I never would have tried this since I hated both chocolate and (most) fruit scents, but since my taste in scents has expanded, Uncle Matt was sounding pretty good. I've never smelled quince but I like fig and pear. Dark chocolate is my favorite type of chocolate as perfume and vanilla is usually a winner. I'm hopeful that this one's going to work, especially since I jumped right into a bottle instead of tracking down a decant. First sniff: Chocolatey in that rich, cocoa-ish dark chocolate way. I also get the vanilla, which adds a gentle sweetness and hints of the fig (rich, dark, bordering on cloying, but not in a bad way) and pear (sweet, light and subtle). I think maybe I smell the quince, but it could just be the pear. There's something almost like a cross between pear and apple lurking somewhere in there. Quince, is that you? Wet on skin: Uncle Matt smells the same on me as in the bottle for about 5 seconds and then starts to change rapidly. I'm guessing what I start smelling has to be the quince, because it's not any of the other notes. It has a sort of cough syrup smell to it (weirdly enough, it smells like prescription cough syrup, not the over the counter variety...I can't described the difference, but to me they're not the same creature), which I wasn't anticipating. I have a feeling it's my skin chemistry doing strange things to either the quince or some combination of the other notes. Dry down: Thankfully, the cough syrup phase doesn't last very long. Once it disappears, I'm left with a surprisingly soft chocolate and vanilla scent (comforting and sweet without being truly foody to my nose) with sweet, soft fruits in the background. Most of the fig disappears and it turns into a sort of golden apple/pear scent with only a tiny bit of the fig haging around in the far background. The bottom line: I like this one. It's not quite what I was anticipating (I was thinking it would be more like the box of chocolates scents; foody in an unexpected way), but it's nice all the same. I'm actually more apt to wear this than if it was a genuinely foody scent since I'm not a big gourmand fan (with some exceptions), so I can't complain about it going a different direction.

A glittering icicle of a woman, regal, proud and cold: shimmering white grapefruit, pale flowers and lemon bark with orchid, rose and a dash of mandarin. I got an imp of this from allamanda! First sniff: Something about this blend reminds me of Queen Mab...it must be the orchid. In the foreground, I smell grapefruit and mandarin orange the strongest although I wouldn't call this blend citrusy for some reason. I associate citrus with being cool and sharp and this is warm and soft, at least to my nose. I was worried about Queen of Diamonds being too citrusy, but it's not at all. I actually don't get the impression of cold from this; to me it's actually very warm and inviting smelling, like an orchard in summer. Wet on skin: I can't shake the feeling that this reminds me of another BPAL scent, but I can't put my finger on it apart from saying the orchid reminds me of Queen Mab, but there's something else there that's nagging at me. Every time I get close to figuring it out it slips away again. The grapefruit and the mandarin are still the most prominent with the orchid following on their heels. To me, this smells like a sophisticated garden party guest, carefully coiffed but dressed for springtime. Dry down: The grapefruit, mandarin and orchid have melded into one warm, slightly citrusy floral note now that the Queen is dry. The garden party guest has kicked off her high-heeled shoes and is letting her hair down, getting into the spirit of springtime. I don't get anything even remotely cold from this blend; to me the Queen is a warm spring sunrise, not a glittering icicle. The bottom line: Surprisingly warm and inviting smelling. The Queen isn't a haughty ice queen, she's a warm sunrise coloring a garden in the first throes of spring's bloom. I really love this one; I'm going to make my imp last as long as possible.

Origin: Tester from Scrappy. Preconceived notions: I love the idea of a ghost ship scent. And I love the teaser reviews that people have posted suggesting that Mary Celeste v4 is an "old wood" sort of scent. That's the kind of thing that perks my ears up. I'm really looking forward to this one. First sniff: Dry, old wood. It's not aquatic (not even a hint of sea spray to my nose, although it could be there) and it doesn't smell weatherbeaten. It just smells old, like sun-baked wood that's been sitting abandoned in the heat of the sun. Wet on skin: Same as in the imp. I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty linear scent. Dry down: I love this. It's still very similar to the scent in the tester (a very dry wood), but as it dries, it develops a very, very slight peppery note on my skin. That could be actual pepper or it could just be the wood. It's very faint and not really noticeable unless I put my nose right up close. I can't identify what kind of wood is in this, although it smells vaguely like redwood to me. I really don't think that's it, though. I did some searching to see if I could find out what kind of wood the Marie Celeste was made of and came up with oak, birch, beech, spruce and pine. All I can say for sure is that I'm definitely not smelling spruce or pine (it's not an evergreen/balsam type scent at all). I've read that white oak has a peppery smell, so that's a possibility. The bottom line: Mary Celeste v4 isn't an eerie scent, in spite of the name, but that's probably to be expected when it comes to a scent based on something that's not inherently scary (a ship) but gets its eeriness from the circumstances of the story that goes along with it (the ship being completely inexplicably abandoned and crewless in the middle of the ocean). This is a real winner for a wood lover like me. I'm particularly fond of dry wood scents and Mary Celeste definitely falls into that category. I'm actually glad that there's no aquatics or salt/sea spray here because it would have ruined the scent for me (I'm not a fan of salty aquatics or aquatics in general), although it might have made it a more appealing to people who want something more than dry wood in their perfume.

Origin: 5mL bought on Etsy. Preconceived notions: None whatsoever. I bought this one blind and haven't got a clue what to expect. The suspense! First sniff: Lavender. Strong lavender. Not as intensely herbal as some lavender notes can be, but lavender all the same. I can tell there are other things here, but I can't really get past the lavender to figure out what they are. Wet on skin: Lavender and fruit. Maybe some sort of citrus (grapefruit, maybe?) and berries (blackberry, possibly...it reminds me of Glasgow a little bit). It's pretty, but not really "me" at this point. Drydown: Non-descript. Sort of lavenderish, very softly fruity, maybe some very well-blended florals? It smells like expensive dusting powder on me at this point. I think my skin chemistry is playing havoc with this one. The bottom line: I so wanted this to work, but it evidently doesn't agree with my skin chemistry. This one has potential, but it just doesn't work all that well on me.

Unreleased prototype, no notes or description given. Origin: 5mL bought on Etsy. Preconceived notions: Since there aren't any other reviews, I'm not sure what to expect from this. I bought it completely blind, but realized after I did that there was a good chance it was going to be at least somewhat aquatic since the toe biter (how could you not love a scent named after a bug called a "toe biter"?) lives in water. Now, I don't normally do aquatics, so that's not a promising idea. The only aquatic I genuinely like is Water of Notre Dame, although I can tolerate some others. First sniff: Hard to pin down. It's definitely aquatic, but also green and slightly sweet with a touch of something herbal. It's a tiny bit cologney, maybe. Wet on skin: Not quite as aquatic as in the bottle. I'm almost completely at a loss here. I couldn't tell you what notes I'm getting, just a vague description of the scent families involved. It's still a clean, green aquatic, slightly sweet the way that Water of Notre Dame is, but there's something here that's ringing bells in my brain but that I can't place. It's almost like a spice of some sort. Dry down: I wouldn't call this aquatic at all anymore, although I'm not sure what to call it. It reminds me a little bit of cologne or aftershave of some sort (although it's not classically cologney). It's kind of green, kind of sweet, kind of spicy and kind of herbal, all rolled into one. It's definitely not a bad scent, but it's very unique to my nose. It's still reminding me of something (some sort of green plant, I think plus a bit of something almost fennel-like), but not another BPAL scent, of that I'm certain. It smells like it would be at home in the Conjure Bag or maybe the TAL line. The bottom line: Definitely not my favorite prototype ever, but it's not bad once it dries down all the way. I'm almost definitely going to be keeping my bottle in spite of my attempts to force myself not to keep anything that I rarely wear and only keep for the name or bottle art.

Origin: 5mL bought on LJ. Preconceived notions: I'm beyond excited about La Mano del Destino. I adore patchouli, love tobacco and like virtually every other note here. The only things I'm unsure about are the unknowns that I've never smelled before: copaiba and pao d'arco. I did a little bit of reading online and it looks like both of those should work for me, though, so I've got very high hopes for this one. First sniff: Dark, earthy patchouli and something that smells almost like redwood mixed with cedar, which must be the copaiba. There's a faint hint of chocolate here, too, but it's not foody. It just adds a little mode depth to the scent. So far, so good! Wet on skin: Pretty much the same as in the bottle, only now I get a tiny touch of cinnamon in addition to the patchouli, wood and cacao. It's a dark, gender neutral scent. Dry down: Love! Earthy patchouli, rich wood, tobacco (it smells like a cigar box with the combination of wood and tobacco) and hints of cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla. It's not foody in the slightest, but the chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla add some depth and complexity to the patchouli, wood and tobacco. The bottom line: I absolutely love this, although I can see patchouli-haters...well...hating this. It's definitely heavy on the patchouli (and on the copaiba). Luckily, that's very much my sort of thing, so I'm thrilled with this one and I'll definitely be getting backups before La Mano del Destino disappears. This is what I think of as an "old school BPAL" scent because it makes me think of the scents I tried when I was first getting into BPAL in 2004. It's got that "BPAL Smell™" to it, which I love.

Origin: Partial 5mL bought on LiveJournal. I originally had a bottle I received in the Inquisition but sold it years ago, so this is a retest of an aged bottle. Preconceived notions: I can't believe I haven't reviewed this, but evidently I haven't. In all honesty, I don't remember what Trick #2 smells like, just that I liked it back in 2006, but not enough to keep my bottle, even though it was the scent I wanted the most of the four possibilities. There are good notes and bad notes here, but for the most part, Trick #2 is right up my alley. I love patchouli and tobacco and I like vanilla, pink pepper (in moderation), oak and pine pitch. The berries and pomegranate could go either way. Pomegranate tends to smell like gummy bears on me, but I can wear Mme. Moriarty without a problem, so since Trick #2 has some similar notes, I'm hoping that it'll go the same way. First sniff: Dark, woody and slightly sweet. I'm getting the oak first and foremost, then tobacco and vanilla and a hint of dark red fruit. It's a dark, foreboding sort of scent. And that's just the sort of thing I like. Wet on skin: Trick #2 goes through a very short stage where it goes slightly funky on me, just like Mme. Moriarty does (although Mme. Moriarty stops doing that with a few years aging and Trick is more than a few years old at this point), but then it steers itself back on track and I get a very autumnal scent that makes me think of burning leaves, oak trees and the faint scent of the last of the year's fruits wafting on a breeze. Dry down: Honestly, this is what I want Samhain to smell like, as weird as that is, considering that they don't share many notes. Trick #2 is one of the Halloween-iest Halloween scents I've come across, which I wouldn't have expected from the notes. It's slightly sinister smelling, an weirdly atmospheric. It's like bobbing for pomegranates in a spooky forest mixed with dark, rich, non-foody vanilla. The bottom line: I really like Trick #2 and I'm glad I gave it another try. Now I'm wishing I hadn't gotten rid of my first bottle because I'm a slatherer and I hate having to ration scents I love.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This is one of those scents that got me more and more excited as I read my way through the notes. I was almost dreading a death note towards the end, but at the same time I was mentally screaming "Yes! Yes! YES!" All but one note in here is something that I either like or flat out love. The only thing I'm concerned about here is the hylichrysum. I don't generally do florals, but I've never tried sunflower and somehow I've got this idea in my head that it's going to be golden and lovely and somehow work for me. It's not going to ruin Hygeia for me. I know it. First sniff: Love in a bottle. This is like a softer, gentler version of aged Scherezade to my nose. It's got the sort of incensey red musk vibe that I get from Scherezade, but more rounded smelling somehow. I'm definitely getting the red musk, amber, sandalwood and incense and it seems like everything else is sort of swirling around in the background. Wet on skin: Lovely. Soft, musky and incensey. This is one of those "made for me" scents that the Lab does oh so well. I don't get any florals here, so they're apparently meshing seamlessly with the other notes instead of standing out on their own. Dry down: This is going in the favorites box. Yes, it's similar to Scherezade, but that's never stopped me before and it won't stop me now. Hygeia is a gorgeous, golden-amber-red scent that smells exotic and sensual, but down to earth. I love it. The bottom line: I'll be buying multiples of this one. No question. It's definitely in the same family as Scherezade, but less assertive and much smoother smeling. And the fact that the proceeds are going to a good cause is the icing on the cake.