Different smells/colors, same perfume

[kakiphony]

I have a "bad" bottle of Organ Grinder. It wasn't purchased from the lab, so I can't send it back, but the person I swapped for it was swapping (straight from the lab for her) because she wasn't getting the expected notes on her skin. She thought it just didn't work on her, until it came to me (who owns 6 bottles of OG), and I could clearly tell that it is off. It's almost as if it's lacking most of the scent notes and is just carrier oils -- the smell is so minimal as to be non-existent.

[Reaver]

One of my bottles of King Of Hearts is missing its cherries. It's still yummy though.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

My bottle of Jazz Funeral is WAAAY lemony, whereas the imp I got wasn't, and was a lot more boozy.

 

I kinda hope the lemon ages out, because they're very different and lemon and I don't get along so well.

[dzurlady]

My bottle of Jazz Funeral is WAAAY lemony, whereas the imp I got wasn't, and was a lot more boozy.

 

I kinda hope the lemon ages out, because they're very different and lemon and I don't get along so well.

Citrus notes tend not to age well, so the lemon will most probably recede with age.

[strangemodegirl]

I have an imp of Chimera from one of my first lab orders last year. It is gorgeous. It smells strong and wonderful and is a deep amber color. I got a frimp of it today with a package from an ebay win. This one is also from the lab, but it is almost clear in color and has almost no scent to it at all.

What gives?

[penemuel]

Okay... can anyone tell me what the normal colour of Death On a Pale Horse is? I have two imps -- one is a rather pale yellow oil, and the other is much more orange. I'm too clogged with allergies right now to really tell how different they smell, but I think they do smell different, too. They both have Lab imp labels, so I'm supremely confused. Did it get reformulated at some point?

[oravannahka]

Okay... can anyone tell me what the normal colour of Death On a Pale Horse is? I have two imps -- one is a rather pale yellow oil, and the other is much more orange. I'm too clogged with allergies right now to really tell how different they smell, but I think they do smell different, too. They both have Lab imp labels, so I'm supremely confused. Did it get reformulated at some point?

 

Mine is definitely not pale yellow. It's pretty orange. I got it over a year ago (I believe it was the same color when I got it first though). When did you get each imp?

[penemuel]

Okay... can anyone tell me what the normal colour of Death On a Pale Horse is? I have two imps -- one is a rather pale yellow oil, and the other is much more orange. I'm too clogged with allergies right now to really tell how different they smell, but I think they do smell different, too. They both have Lab imp labels, so I'm supremely confused. Did it get reformulated at some point?

 

Mine is definitely not pale yellow. It's pretty orange. I got it over a year ago (I believe it was the same color when I got it first though). When did you get each imp?

 

The orange is a pretty orange! They both smell good, though

 

One was one I just bought from someone, and the other was a frimp I just got with a bottle I bought from someone, so I don't actually know when their first owners got them. Sorry!

[galleywest]

Okay, I just got a frimp of Defututa in my last order. I already have one but I like the scent so I was happy about this. Thing is, the new Defututa is a very dark, thick oil and the old one is a lightish caramel color. I can definitely smell the same elements in each...so is it just a standard variation or did is one of my imps not Defututa?

[strangemodegirl]

I have an imp of Chimera from one of my first lab orders last year. It is gorgeous. It smells strong and wonderful and is a deep amber color. I got a frimp of it today with a package from an ebay win. This one is also from the lab, but it is almost clear in color and has almost no scent to it at all.

What gives?

 

 

I am quoting myself and bumping this in hopes that someone can help me solve this! *begging* Please?

[tartchef]

I have an imp of Chimera from one of my first lab orders last year. It is gorgeous. It smells strong and wonderful and is a deep amber color. I got a frimp of it today with a package from an ebay win. This one is also from the lab, but it is almost clear in color and has almost no scent to it at all.

What gives?

 

 

I am quoting myself and bumping this in hopes that someone can help me solve this! *begging* Please?

I don't have any first-hand advice, but I couldn't just leave you flapping in the breeze... Have you skin-tested your new imp? Still no scent? My first instinct is that you got an imp from the top of the batch, so to speak - the batch settled out a bit, leaving the heavier spice & resin oils at the bottom of the reservoir. Or, brand new Chimera may be very mild, only deepening after it's had a chance to age for a while. My only experience with it was a 4th or 5th-hand frimp in a swap, and it was definitely a thick, strong oil at that point.

 

Anyone else want to chime in & debunk my half-baked theories?

[galleywest]

I have an imp of Chimera from one of my first lab orders last year. It is gorgeous. It smells strong and wonderful and is a deep amber color. I got a frimp of it today with a package from an ebay win. This one is also from the lab, but it is almost clear in color and has almost no scent to it at all.

What gives?

 

 

I am quoting myself and bumping this in hopes that someone can help me solve this! *begging* Please?

I don't have any first-hand advice, but I couldn't just leave you flapping in the breeze... Have you skin-tested your new imp? Still no scent? My first instinct is that you got an imp from the top of the batch, so to speak - the batch settled out a bit, leaving the heavier spice & resin oils at the bottom of the reservoir. Or, brand new Chimera may be very mild, only deepening after it's had a chance to age for a while. My only experience with it was a 4th or 5th-hand frimp in a swap, and it was definitely a thick, strong oil at that point.

 

Anyone else want to chime in & debunk my half-baked theories?

 

 

I agree with what you've written, or it's just plain ol' mis-labeled. Chimera is, to my memory, veeeeery strong and a dark orangey amber.

[strangemodegirl]

I have an imp of Chimera from one of my first lab orders last year. It is gorgeous. It smells strong and wonderful and is a deep amber color. I got a frimp of it today with a package from an ebay win. This one is also from the lab, but it is almost clear in color and has almost no scent to it at all.

What gives?

 

 

I am quoting myself and bumping this in hopes that someone can help me solve this! *begging* Please?

I don't have any first-hand advice, but I couldn't just leave you flapping in the breeze... Have you skin-tested your new imp? Still no scent? My first instinct is that you got an imp from the top of the batch, so to speak - the batch settled out a bit, leaving the heavier spice & resin oils at the bottom of the reservoir. Or, brand new Chimera may be very mild, only deepening after it's had a chance to age for a while. My only experience with it was a 4th or 5th-hand frimp in a swap, and it was definitely a thick, strong oil at that point.

 

Anyone else want to chime in & debunk my half-baked theories?

 

 

I agree with what you've written, or it's just plain ol' mis-labeled. Chimera is, to my memory, veeeeery strong and a dark orangey amber.

 

Yeah, the first imp I got of it is exactly like that, dark ambery color and very strong. This other one is totally clear and I just re-tested it and nothing. So strange.

[faeriedust]

I dont know where to post this question. I got an imp of bordello and mouse's sad and long tale directly from the lab and I think I may have gotten a dud. Both scents are incredibly light, I could barely smell anything. I've read how bordello has tons of throw but mine has no throw at all. Other weaker scents are actually stronger than this bordello.

Also I couldnt smell anything from mouse's sad and long tale. It is so faint! It's like nothing. Im very disappointed.

[cinderfallen]

Can you not smell anything directly from the imp or on your skin? If it's the former, ask someone else to try and smell them--it may be just your nose. If it's the latter, it may be just your skin chemistry eating up the scent.

 

If it's neither of those things, I'd email the lab and tell them what's up.

[ClareN]

Can anyone comment on smell/color differences with the LE Poe scent The Masque?

 

I have two decants of The Masque. One is a dark rust-orange color, the other is a much paler brownish orangey gold. I don't know which years they each were from, so I have no clue whether it's a difference between the two separate releases, an aging difference, a decanting problem with the oil separating badly, or just some other random batch difference.

 

Anyway, the dark orange imp smells amazing. It's a rich, perfumey amber-incense scent with noticeable orange and carnation notes, and this fresh smoke note as if someone is actually burning incense in the same room. It seems to morph interestingly every time I smell it.

 

The golden one smells...different. When freshly applied it's like the ambery incense is there, but it's behind a wall of green vines full of sap...that bitter green sap scent. The carnation and orange are fainter. As it dries down, it's much sweeter and more floral than the other one - might be some sweet floral like ylang ylang or honeysuckle. The drydown is sweet incensy dust with hints of floral and citrus.

 

If both imps were not labeled as The Masque I would never have picked them as the same scent. The lighter orange-gold one with the plant notes is quite nice but nothing I'd wear often. But I DO want more of the dark orange variety. This makes me sad, since it may not be worth all the hassle and risk to track down the right version. I'm curious whether anyone else has noticed different versions of The Masque?

Edited June 22, 2008 by ClareN

[catwoman30]

I have always loved Thanatos.I hadn't tried any in a while but recently acquired a 5ml in a swap.I'm not sure how old it is(it seems new) but when I opened it, it smelled a lot like Zombi as the earth note was so strong.....I don't remember Thanatos having a dirt note at all....anybody?

 

 

ETA-On reading reviews it seems others have gotten a Zombi-vibe from it-I guess what I tried before was light on the moss while this is SUPER-MOSS

Edited June 24, 2008 by catwoman30

[iiinterstate]

Okay, so about a month ago I bought a partial bottle of the Ifrit (maybe one imp was left, and I used it quickly). I looooooooved it, so I bought a full bottle with my next order.

 

In my new bottle, I can't smell a THING. And on my skin it isn't much better! Very very faint spice. My old bottle (what's left of it) smells as strong and lovely as ever. Is this an aging thing? Or is there such a thing as a bad batch? I've got both bottles in front of me and they smell like completely different oils.

[ChloeKEvil]

I am confused by my Inez. I was expecting myrrh and musky vanilla and gold, not weird... dryer sheet smell. Has anyone else run into this? Is this a mistake with my bottle or does it need to age?

[erraticprophet]

Okay, so about a month ago I bought a partial bottle of the Ifrit (maybe one imp was left, and I used it quickly). I looooooooved it, so I bought a full bottle with my next order.

 

In my new bottle, I can't smell a THING. And on my skin it isn't much better! Very very faint spice. My old bottle (what's left of it) smells as strong and lovely as ever. Is this an aging thing? Or is there such a thing as a bad batch? I've got both bottles in front of me and they smell like completely different oils.

 

It took a while for mine to smell like much of anything. I'd say at least 2 weeks. It was great after a month. But, yeah, when I first got it...nothing.

[Wwindy]

I personally don't think that batch differences are nearly as common as some people believe. I know that when you're using natural materials there's always the possibility that one batch is going to have a slightly different scent than another batch, but I've been buying BPAL for a long time and I can only think of two oils that I've truly noticed a significant difference in batches that could only be explained by a change in materials.

 

Really? Huh. I don't know if my nose is totally unreliable or if I've just had seriously bad luck, but I don't think I've ever received a bottle either from the Lab or second-hand that smelled exactly the same as my imp or decant of the same blend. I don't mind, because (usually) it's all good, but I've just sort of learned that I can't ever count on a bottle smelling like the imp did.

 

And yes, I'm talking Lab imps and Lab bottles, although same thing goes for decants and Lab bottles. For example, I loved my frimps of Morocco and Scherezade, and while I love the bottles I ordered too, they're noticeably different, even after a couple of months.

 

Likewise, my Lab bottles of Heavenly Love & Earthly Love and Mr. Jacquel are significantly different from the decants I got. Amusingly, I currently own two decants of HL&EL and have had two different Lab bottles in my possession, and all four have been different!

 

Then again, maybe I'm just crazy...

[noumenon]

And yes, I'm talking Lab imps and Lab bottles, although same thing goes for decants and Lab bottles. For example, I loved my frimps of Morocco and Scherezade, and while I love the bottles I ordered too, they're noticeably different, even after a couple of months.

 

 

You could have an exceptionally sensitive nose, of course - do you have this reaction to other scented products? Or foods that you buy all the time that taste different from batch to another?

 

I suspect that bottles are made to order, so tend to be exceptionally fresh, whereas imps are made with runoff from bottle orders, so they can sit at the Lab for a while before they are sent out. Since you never know how long an imp sat, it's impossible to match it up to a bottle of the same vintage - especially for a sensitive nose that's picking up such differences in the first place.

 

My nose is average at best, so while I can tell differences between my bottles of Red Lantern - which I picked up used from forum members - and the Lab version I got last year, I can't tell any difference between my four bottles of Banded Sea Snake, all of which came from the Lab at different times in the past two years. So I'm probably experiencing everything very different from you anyway...

[Lunaliquid]

I'm posting this hoping that someone in the know might be able to shed some light on something that popped up today.

 

Back in December of 2007 I ordered a couple of bottles from Dark Delicacies. One of them was The Pit & the Pendulum. As it turned out, I didn't really care for the blend, so when I had the opportunity to swap it away I leapt at the chance. However, the recipient just PM'ed me today that the bottle she received is nothing like she expected (i.e. totally different from the original version).

Was the formulation changed at some point? I had tested it twice, cleanly, and the bottle was stored in a cool and dark place in a smoke-free home. I went to the review site and couldn't find any mentioning of a difference in formulation.

 

Luckily my swap partner is being very nice about it, but I still feel really bad. Since I haven't smelled the original version (honestly, I didn't even know there was a previous version, so it didn't even come up in our conversation), I can't tell if the difference is due to a different formulation or if my bottle was mis-labeled.

 

TIA

 

~ Luna

[whisperingmachines]

My first 1/4 imp of Beaver Moon 05 smelled EXACTLY like fresh baked cake with gooey buttercream frosting. Then my next couple of imps and bottle smelled like graham crackers/sweet cookies with cheesecake.

 

It's weird, that one imp smelled closer to MB: Closet than the other BM decants and bottle I own. Maybe it's like weed, where nothing is as good as the first time Hehe. Strange thing is, it still manages to smell a bit differently than the other decants.

[Wwindy]

You could have an exceptionally sensitive nose, of course - do you have this reaction to other scented products? Or foods that you buy all the time that taste different from batch to another?

 

I suspect that bottles are made to order, so tend to be exceptionally fresh, whereas imps are made with runoff from bottle orders, so they can sit at the Lab for a while before they are sent out. Since you never know how long an imp sat, it's impossible to match it up to a bottle of the same vintage - especially for a sensitive nose that's picking up such differences in the first place.

 

I don't thinkso, but it's so hard to gage... oh. Actually, you may be right -- I ordered a dish I'd had before at Olive Garden recently and thought it seemed different, although I'm pretty sure Olive Garden does up all their stuff in giant pre-prepped batches that are all *supposed* to be the same... I'm nowhere near as good (bad?) as a friend of mine who can tell when his wife opens a scented product on another floor of their house, though!

 

I agree about the sitting around question. I'm still wondering about the "decanters not giving blends time to meld" thing, though -- I see so many eager folks who run to test their bottles as soon as they arrive, that you'd think there'd be just as many reviews from people working with fresh unblended bottles as from folks with fresh unmelded decants. It's hard to tell from anecdotal evidence.

 

(And just a quick question for Andra -- I'm wondering about the thread move, since it seems like what we're discussing is specifically not about skin chemistry but rather blend composition and perception. Is it going to be confusing for people to find the two issues mixed?)