Beauty Pie The Scent Lab No. 3

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I was so pleased with the summery green La Botanista fragrances in Beauty Pie's The Scent Lab No. 2, I thought I'd try the No. 3 release as well. A good 90% of their prior perfume launches impressed me not. Granted, they are quite reasonably priced--between $34 and $39 for 50ml--but they seemed pretty one-dimensional to me. There are plenty of reviews to the contrary; however, my tender skin is a real snob. Inexpensive stuff seldom smells good on me. 

I must confess that I happily purchased a full bottle of La Botanista 001. And when their ambery-peach Element 79 was a successful blind buy, I thought the company was heading in the right direction by creating decent-quality fragrances that finally had some depth. Fortunately, I wasn't wrong. While I can't say I'm in love with either half of The Scent Lab No. 3, Flower Drench or Amber 01, I am happy to report that they are both complex and interesting fragrances, if not particularly ground-breaking.

Flower Drench

‎Ginger, Lime, Lemon, ‎Rose, White Flowers, Lily, Ylang Ylang, ‎Vanilla, Cedarwood, Amyris, Musk

On paper, Flower Drench is shampoo-like, creamy and clean, with a hint of lemon-lime soda over some quite un-subtle floral notes. On my skin, it's a bit different, less shampoo-y, more creamy, with a definite vanilla aspect. While the ginger note is largely absent on paper, it becomes fairly prominent as the scent dries down on my skin, and the lemon and lime make a late appearance as well. Unusual that, as the citrus notes are usually right up front and fade fast. The floral notes are quite loud, lots of shouty jasmine and banana ylang, thankfully muted somewhat by a bit of woody notes. The drydown is pleasantly musky.

The website refers to Flower Drench as "a cascade of dazzling white flowers and rose;"  I think both "drench" and "dazzling" are misused here. "Drench" implies wetness, a sudden shower, perhaps refreshment, but I find this scent quite heavy and sweet, definitely suitable for cooler weather. As for "dazzling," which implies bright light or impressive skill--I'd say this scent has more of a warm glow.

Amber 001

‎Bergamot, Cardamom, Basil, ‎Sage, Cinnamon, Cocoa, ‎Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Tonka

Out of the sprayer, on paper, this scent leans masculine. I think it's the addition of herbs like basil and sage in combination with the warm spices and foody notes. On skin, mine anyway, the opening has a very prominent alcohol note that turns into a medicinal saffron-adjacent thing. I don't get the herb-y notes at all, but the cinnamon is there, way in the background. That saffron-y smell, or whatever it is that's going on, is so distracting when sniffed up close. When I put my arm down at my side, however, I get whiffs of an almost caramelly amber that is quite pleasant. As Amber 001 dries down, it gets sweeter and creamier, with a pronounced tonka note. 

According to the website, Amber 001 "a buttery-soft and mellow scent for days (and nights) when you want something warm and enveloping." It's definitely warm and enveloping, though I wouldn't call it buttery. The medicinal quality is slightly spiky, and the drydown is a bit powdery. On my husband, there is no saffron-like note. Rather, it's almost immediately a sweet amber and definitely leaning towards the masculine. I think I'd like it better if it were more unisex. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.