The Lion

[Magycmyste]

The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious.

 

In the imp: A reddish oil, saffron colored (the color of the threads, not the color they impart to foods, which is more like turmeric) A sweet, ambery scent. Well, I might not have guess amber - it reminds me of the sweetness of cornbread, though it doesn't smell corny.

Wet on skin: Still soft, sweet and ambery. This sweetness reminds me slightly of Play-doh, although again, not quite.

Dried down: Definitely ambery now. It's got that resiny tartness that comes from amber. And it is softly spiced, as the description says, thoguh I can't quite tell with what. Saffron's a possibility. I might actually think there's the faintest hint of red pepper, except I think that would irritate a lot of people's skins. Maybe clove or nutmeg or cardamom - it smells like a strong spice, used very lightly to me.

Throw: Sweet, soft amber. This actually has some good throw on me.

Verdict: **** This is very, very pretty, but I don't think it beats my must-haves for a bottle yet. I'll definitely keep my decant, though.

[razzlecupcake]

This is probably the weirdest scent for me right next to Dragon's Reverie (which is delicious on me except for hormone town, when it disappears and then smells slightly metallic). The Lion, when I get it Lab fresh, is like crack. I just can't get enough! It's spicy and clear and has a slight citrus zing that makes the other parts of the scent really stand out. Meanwhile, aged Lion smells like mega-gross cardamom-ish weird chocolate. I am actually repulsed by the scent. Like I said, weird.

 

So basically, new: 11/10, would purchase again in a heartbeat. Aged: -2/10, am considering pitching an entire 5ml in the circular file. <<

[Lunasariel]

In the bottle: Just how I like my ambers - warm and sweet. This one has an interesting, subtle hint of orange to make it stand out from the pack (pride?), though. The oil itself is an interesting dark-red color that might potentially stain skin or fabric, so beware where this one ends up!

 

Wet: Much more spicy than sweet, but still a feeling of warmth. A very sharp-nosed friend of mine has said that he gets a soapy edge off of me when I'm wearing it, and...I guess I could kinda see it? Not immediately, though - it took some determined sniffing to get to the soapiness. Interestingly The Lion invoked a VERY strong memory of my old neighbors' house. They once gave me a vial of perfume that (I think?) they made themselves, and it was fantastic - warm, sweet, summery, just a little floral, and all powerful. It made me feel like the queen of the universe every time I wore it. I've actually even got a little bit left, since I've been hoarding it obsessively as a sensory memory of an amazing time in my life. The Lion is a little spicier, soapier, and less sweet than QotU (not to mention, it doesn't have nearly QotU's sillage), but the basic feel is the same.

 

Dry: This turned out to be a pretty linear scent. As usual, some of the sharper edges rounded off over time, but stayed warm, sweet, and spicy all the way through.

[Soshoni]

Mine is from 2011.

 

This oil is gorgeous to look at - a lovely deep red.

 

While wet, it's sharp and hot - the spice is a bit strong.

 

Dry, it's mostly amber with some lingering warmth from the spice.

 

After it fades, I'm left with a bit of sweetness on the skin.

 

I don't remember liking this as much back when I first got it, but it's super lovely on my skin now.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Amber: golden and strong.

 

Initial Wet Application: Dry, like warmed sunshine, but with perfume in it. The amber is dominant, which I don’t care for. It’s similar to what I remember of Bast, but without the sharpness.

 

Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this began the drydown, it went soft and warm. Now I think I’m getting some delicious vanilla in this, yay!

 

My Reaction: This is better than I expected! I’d thought this would just be too-strong amber all the way, but when it dried, the soft and gentle fur came through which I loved. And the vanilla, mmm, so yummy! It’s a bit faint on my skin, but the vanilla and warmth make this a keeper anyway!

 

Rating: 4

[Veronica]

This is incredibly faint on me, but it's a lovely skin musk-y amber, very warm without going to red. A touch of spice, but more floral/herbal/green spices. Very pretty!

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Slight amberyness?

Wet: It's very light and I'm not sure how to describe it. It's a smell that makes me picture sunflowers, that's the best I can do.

Dry: I really love this, but it's so faint. It is spiced amber, but it's so delicate.

[DoktorDandy]

First impression before it hits the skin is a soapy head shop scent. As soon as it was on my skin it went sweet- spicy, honey sweet. Maybe sweet clove? Tingly, pleasant sort of autumn/winter scent. Eventually this effect was ruined by a weird, round, nutty sort of smell that I liked less.

 

It lasted a while, but became this distant purr- not as strong as I wanted, and not as complex on me. I ended up liking the darker, more complex spices in Dracul. I sent this one on to a new home!

[Musamea]

Testing a super-aged imp (at least 5 years)

In imp: Amber and generic perfume box, with a faint hint of sourness underneath

Wet: spicy amber – this is pretty masculine and sharp to the nose

Drydown: the spice starts to sweeten up a little bit, reminds me faintly of the wet stage of Mama-ji (though I'm also wearing that today, so maybe it's melding?)

Dry: A very soft, warm, dry cinnamon and amber, more cuddly than ferocious, very close to the skin – in a way it reminds me of the Lab's other cinnamon and spice scents (various aspects of Morocco, Mama-ji, Chimera) tempered with amber so that the scent stays on the more masculine or gender neutral side. The Lion is just so comforting – like burying your face into a furry pelt; after skin testing on the back of my hand, I just really wanted to slather my wrists with this and have the scent around me all day

Verdict: Perhaps too close to some other spice blends for me to get a big bottle, but I'll definitely use this imp for when I want my spice on the warmer and comforting vs. sweeter and sexier side

[LizziesLuck]

Somehow I ended up getting two imps of this in different swaps at the same time. One is a very dark brownish red. The other is a clear golden amber. I have to assume that the darker one is aged, but I could be wrong.

 

I tested on each arm just for fun.

 

They both smell pretty much identical to me. The darker one is maybe a tad stronger and richer at first.

 

They have both faded quickly, but surprisingly the light coloured, less strong one has lasted a bit longer. But I think there's more throw from the darker one.

 

The scent is lovely, a beautiful spiced amber. Rich and luxurious. Not sure if I will need more than an imp though. I have lots of other spicy scents that I think I like better.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Sharp, chemically amber.

 

Wet on my skin: This is somewhat unpleasant on me when it's wet, despite my skin usually liking amber. It's sharp and chemical.

 

Dry: Thankfully, this calms down once it dries. It's a rich, spicy amber with what smells like some cinnamon and maybe nutmeg. It isn't terribly complex and doesn't morph once it's completely dried, but it is pretty. I won't need more than this imp, probably, as I have other amber scents I prefer to this one and which don't have that initial 10-15 minutes of weird, unpleasant sharpness.

[Casablanca]

Bottle: Warm, dark golden amber, with some vanilla in it, and cinnamon, and a background of other spices I can't pull out. The oil itself is an unusual burnt red-orange color.

Wet: The same. I also get cardamom and maybe a little clove and/or saffron, but the spices are soft and backgrounded.

Dry: This has gone faint, only present up close. It's stable and doesn't change much.

This is a fairly straightforward amber, but I very much like -- for me --how it leans more to dry and spicy than sweet. The remaining spicy savannah dryness reminds me of the Barrens in WoW, a memory that makes me all mushy sentimental and stuff. I only wish it had more throw. I feel like I want to slather it on to make up for lack of throw. If only that worked. Rawr.

 

ETA: This is lovely combined with O for some honey.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Casablanca

[badseed1980]

I got this as part of the Amber Imp Pack. From the time I put it on about 2.5 hours ago until now, I've noticed very little change in the scent. I'm surprised when I see people calling it "soft and gentle." On me, it is "HELLO, AMBER AND SPICE HERE. LOTS AND LOTS OF AMBER AND SPICE. DO YOU LIKE AMBER AND SPICE? BECAUSE WE HAVE LOTS." Actually, now that I sniff again, the spice--a very powerful cinnamon to my nose--has been outpaced by the amber. The amber here is very hot and sweet and potent. I think this scent could work very well for a confident, sensual person of any gender. I like it well enough, but I feel like it doesn't have the kind of nuance and subtlety I want in an everyday perfume.

[Foodie]

The Lion is the first amber scent I've tried and if this is amber, I LOVE AMBER. The Lion is a cozy but spicy scent. The notes I can pick out are a very yummy vanilla and a little cinnamon, not overpowering at all. It does bring to mind a warm, golden, lazy sun. My bottle list is getting pretty darn long, but The Lion is definitely going on it.

 

Edited to add: It has been 7 hours since I applied a very small amount to my wrists. Still going strong! And this smell is addicting to me... after a whole day I will say again The Lion is just lovely.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Foodie

[Scarlet Woodland]

Would love to give a complex, helpful review here but all my brain will say is "sexy cola bottles!". It really is those little gummy, cola bottle sweets (candies?), with a little bit of sexy thrown in. Presumably this means amber, cinnamon and possibly vanilla plus some secret ingredients.

 

Very tempted by a bottle of this but will be good and see how often I reach for the imp.

 

ETA: I will be grabbing a bottle of this as I know it will be wonderful in the colder months. May have to try making it into an alcohol spritz though as it literally has NO throw on me. My nose has to be about 2 inches from my skin to smell it after the first few mins unless I'm absurdly hot.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Scarlet Woodland

[me & lola]

About ten years ago, The Lion kicked off my love affair with amber. It must have come to me as a frimp because I remember thinking that I didn't particularly want to smell like a lion -- I imagined something masculine and animalistic. I should have focused on the regal part, though, because this one is just gorgeous, glowing gold. It has a hint of spice to deepen it, but I have no idea what that is. While it doesn't have a lot of throw, it is a strong scent if you're close by. It doesn't morph much and it lingers for hours and hours.

[bulletslc]

THIS is the amber I've been looking for! Spicy, golden, glorious. Amber is one of my favorite notes. I can't believe it's taken me this long to find The Lion. Definitely going to be a big bottle in the future.

[Bassmastadroog]

I don't know what's wrong with me at all. I'm chalking it up to me. I thought I had pretty fair skin chemistry, because mostly everything acts on my skin as it reads in the descriptions, even if I'm not a fan of it, but this one shocked me. It's a scent I should be able to glide ride into based off of descriptions perfectly.

 

Soft cinnamon in the bottle. I was worried about how strong it'd be, as I'm not a fan of cinnamo. I mean, it's fine, it's just not my favorite scent.

 

The transition to Amber is a funky one. A weird sour note lies in between. I think maybe my skin doesn't like this particular Amber. It's a serious shame I can't cooperate, because I really liked the idea of this, and all of the other review experiences are incredible.

 

It does dry down to a dry grassy scent, but it also smells sour.

 

On me, The Lion is just cinnamon and sock cheese funk

 

This is disheartening.

[lizabelle]

Fascinating--I'm having some kind of scent memory, smelling this, but I can't place it. It's a very deep amber, dry and powdery. There is definitely something grassy about this, in a pleasant and slightly sweet way. I'm finding myself wishing it had a bit more throw, or maybe a bit more spice. This seems to be a lot of people's favorite amber blend, but I'm not sure it works with my chemistry as much as I'd like.

[roseus]

This is a bright, sweet amber with a touch of spice on me. Simple, but delightful!

[Nikki Scarlet]

This was a frimp included in my second order. I ended up trying this twice: in the first attempt, I was ready to send it to the swap pile because I just . . . couldn't smell it. Below is the record of me giving it a second chance about a week later.

In the imp and on me, wet:
Much like with O, I can barely smell this. When I can pick anything up, it's kind of nice? This is a very timid lion!

On me, dry:
Kitty's getting a little braver now, and I actually do quite like it. This is a nice, fresh scent, like a breeze blowing through a lion's mane. It IS a golden scent, but I'm picking up kind of green notes, too. I don't know exactly what this is reminding me of, (some kind of cleaning product? Not necessarily a bad thing!) but I like it. Not quite the scent I was expecting from the name, but pleasing.

Verdict:
The second go round has saved The Lion from the swap pile. I plan to keep the imp and will probably take it out on occasion. It's not likely to be a scent I'd wear out of the house, but more something to enjoy quietly while relaxing in a sunbeam by the window.

[agirlnamedfury]

Slightly cinnamon-y cough syrup. That sounds scary, but it mellows out after 20 minutes or so and becomes quite pleasant.

[ianastar]

Wet and on the skin this is very strong and sweet. Reminding me a little of Eat Me

 

On the dry down the amber comes out to play. Its very strong, warm and sweet.

 

This has a great throw and wear. I smelled this all night long and even a little bit on the skin the next day.

 

This is how I think amber scents should smell. This did not disappoint and I'm in love!

[achildoftime]

For me, this one is like cinnamon mead. It's very spicy and has a sweet honey wine base to me. I actually get surprisingly little amber from this at all. It does command attention as cinnamon often does. I'm really not a fan of cinnamon, so I'll have to pass on this one.

[boomtownrat]

The Lion had been on my must-try-eventually list for years, but somehow I had never bought it. I'm so glad that the Lab frimped it to me, because this is an instant love.

 

In the '90s I wore amber essential oil often, so I associate it with black eyeliner and deep burgundy lipstick, World Serpent Distribution and Projekt Records, striped tights and ripped fishnets, alt.gothic and Take a Bite. Amber is my twenties in a bottle. The Lion brings all of that back to me, because I get pure amber oil with just a trace of cinnamon and a memory of saffron. There might be a ghost of clove in there, or that might be my brain telling me so because cloves were, of course a huge part of '90s goth.

 

When I place another Lab order, I'm going to need a bottle of The Lion. It continues my streak of successes with the Mad Tea Party.