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- Today
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In the bottle: Light and sparkly and powdery. I don't associate it with any kind of commercial perfume because it doesn't smell like alcohol. On my skin: Wet, I get a soft, powdery scent that I associate with frankincense. It's also effervescent on me, a quality I associate with orange blossom and white musk -- but I don't recognize orange blossom's distinct scent here, so my bet is on the white musk. As it dries, I get whiffs of light, sweet florals -- maybe honeysuckle and lilac or wisteria -- but enveloped in the fizz of the white musk. Ultimately, the white musk stays dominant, with some light florals at the center -- and I'm still getting something like a light resin to ground the scent. It's a very clean scent, not overly sweet on me. I'd also describe it as more unisex than conventionally feminine. Throw on me is on the lighter side of average, but wear length is average to good.
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I don't know if I'm getting any intercession from Cito. I am definitely getting honey, slightly floral honey with warm, mellow spices. And the red musk is being such a team player here! I can smell it now that I know it's there (tested without looking at notes), but it's definitely in the background. I would not have picked it out, nor the ginger specifically. I don't get the huge throw everyone else is mentioning, but I never do. Sigh. Rich warm honey, though. Very nice.
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Dusty coconut at first. I'm not really fond of the lab's coconut note because it smells pretty dusty on me. I was curious, though, so had to at least try it. After a few hours, the dustiness actually fades, and we're left with coconut, mallow, and a sweet whisp of lilac. I like it at this stage, but it takes too long to get there. I'm not a huge coconut fan, but like it on occasion when I need to have a bit of tropical in my life. I will keep the decant, it is quite pretty (but only after the dustiness fades!)
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On me, it's a mix of fruits that leans more citrus (orange citrus, I don't smell lemon on me). I can smell the tuberose and the white tea in the background, giving the scent a more floral edge to it. I do not get any of the bomb part of the scent, just orange, mix of other fruits, and some mild florals.
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Yuzu and pear dominate this scent for me. The yuzu especially, but as it wears on me, the pear comes out more and more. I get whiffs of the oakmoss in the back, but it's almost floral with the pear in this scent. Overall, a very fresh and bright pear and yuzu blend.
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Fresh turned dirt and root beer! Dirt starts off as the strongest note and I only get root beer once it wears for a bit. On me it ends up being an equal mix of both. It makes for this very unique scent that I would either describe as sweet, carbonated, turned earth or very rooty root beer.
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Silvery champagne with ambergris and something murky. I get champagne the most after I first apply. As it dries and wears the ambergris starts to come out more until it rivals the champagne notes. I cannot pick out the other notes, but I can tell something else is lurking in the scent and it adds to the ambergris, giving it almost a murky edge.
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Smells exactly like Rose Jam from Lush. Similarly it reminds me a lot of Hope, Un, and Pink Fuzzy Handcuffs. I smelled more red currant in the bottle, but that did not translate to my skin. Just classic sweet, jammy rose.
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I received some Smoke and Lace in a swap with a super generous forumite, and I might have put a little bit too much on this morning. Wet, it's strong. I don't usually get much throw from any scent, but I felt like I was walking in a cloud of smoky, leathery cologne for the first 45 minutes or so. Then it dialed back to low throw and eventually my usual skin scent, but I bet a lot of you would get terrific throw from this. It lasts really well, too. Scent-wise, smoke and leather are the dominant notes. The leather reminds me very much of Pleasures of the Imagination II, which is also described as white leather. With the opium smoke, it's also reminding me of Marquis de Carabas. I'm not getting much in the way of clove or, thankfully, fruit, and the vanilla is quiet but more and more discernible the longer it wears. This is pretty fantastic, but if you can't get your hands on any, Marquis de Carabas scratches a similar itch, and it's GC.
- Yesterday
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Baghdad shares a lot of notes with Moscow, a scent that I tested earlier today- amber musk citrus bergamot and rose. Baghdad wasn’t soapy, but it does have a similar old-fashioned feel. When I put it on, I felt like I was going through my grandma’s perfumes, or walking into a my great grandma’s bedroom a little sharp, a little musty. Not unpleasant, but not how I feel like smelling. I get The saffron rose and mandarin for sure, and I think the bergamot somehow pushes the scent into “old” territory for me.... hmmmm
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Freshly applied it smelled really citrusy and high pitched. But after 1 hour i smell a delicate soapy lily.
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Shante You Stay changed their profile photo
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Directly on, this reminds me of Leanan Sidhe, one of my first ever bottles from BPAL and a favorite scent to this day - but it has a sultry vibe to it and something reminding me of the color blue. Leanan Sidhe is "Irish herbs and flowers" and mist and dew, but a lot of reviewers pinpoint it as a lily scent, and I've always gotten a bit of a grass note among the general atmospheric vibe of it - Queen Mab's Lace has so many well-blended notes that it's difficult to pick any point, but it's a heady floral over a veil of vanilla lace (that grows more prominent with time), a general sense of twilight blue-tones and coolness. When I analyse the notes list I can pick out some of the specifics - I think poppy gives it some of its haze, honeysuckle its headiness, and especially as the scent wears I think I get lilac in particular; the grass I do notice, but I think the evergreen gives it its depth and forest-specific feel, and idk what indigo musk is but maybe that's why this does remind me of that blue color at that time of the evening - but it's mostly a scent that smells layered than a scent in which I can pick anything out. Over time, the vanilla lace note grows stronger and gains a golden tone from what I assume is the bee balm - it reminds me of a much gentler beeswax (a note that still amps on me, though not as much as honey) - while the scent gains more shadow-tones, and over much more time, the vanilla lace, with just a breath of florals, is the only note left. I love this scent. I think it perfectly evokes the scent description. It reminds me a whole lot of a Bella Kotak photograph, with that sense of being outside amongst the woods and grass with colored mist or smoke hanging in the way, wearing a huge gauzy dress and a halo of blossoms. This is already on my shortlist for favorite perfumes of 2019, and reminding me I should be quicker to take chances on lace scents!
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I haven't been to Notre Dame, but I have visited many other ancient cathedrals in Europe, and always love the mingled scent of stone, incense, smoke, and candles. When Notre Dame burned, I ordered this because I will never see it as it was, even though it will be rebuilt. Lavender wafts strongly from my wrist at first, and it is Lilith's lavender but wispy as smoke. The lavender then fades as the incense rises. This is a beautiful scent, slightly smoky, and captures the feeling of being inside such an ancient cathedral. I will treasure this scent. I'm so happy for Lilith that she got to experience Notre Dame in person.
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I got this in the same order as Overlooking the Garden and I was a little concerned they would turn out to be the same scent. They're close, but not the same. Iris tends to amp on me but not as badly as other powdery florals (violet, namely; orris, which is iris root but smells like violet to me), therefore this scent has a reasonably well-behaved iris, but though the other florals give this a springy vibe, I can't pick them out individually. So iris, a misty springtime floral impression, and golden amber predominate. Eventually, after hours of weartime, the iris softens enough that I think I get a bit of a tulip/daffodil impression same as I get out of Overlooking the Garden, over a veil of golden amber. But the whole scent is softer overall. This is very nice, though I do think I prefer Overlooking the Garden. I'd like this more if there was a white floral note alongside the iris to make it a little filmier. But it's not this perfume's fault iris amps on me.
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Shante You Stay joined the community
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Smokestack
theredkilt replied to hipslike___cinderella's topic in Phoenix Steamworks & Research Facility
This is an usual blend that makes BPAL stand out in the sea of perfume houses. It's hard for me to pin point specifically what i'm smelling, but i can say for a fact that i get vetiver, wood, some sort of musk, maybe opium and something that conjures or mimics engine oil or oily residues. This is a dark woody oily blend. -
I'm glad I finally got to try this! The rosewood is definitely apparent, with something powdery hanging out around the edges. I would guess the osmanthus. The sandalwood and peach are in the background, but I wouldn't be able to pick them out if I didn't know they were there. It's not quite as nuanced on me as some other people found it to be, and I'm ok with that. It's nice to finally have a somewhat straightforward rosewood scent.
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The notes of Moscow really intrigued me, and I was hoping for a bright nuanced floral. It’s definitely bright, primarily getting the tangerine and jasmine. It’s old-fashioned and soapy on my skin. I really hoped I would get spice from carnation, warmth from amber and musk and delight from all the notes combined.... merrr Could be the Rose and/or lily making it soapy. Oh well, I’m glad to have tried it. Another scent will have similar notes and fulfill my imagined experience!
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This opens with a strong herbal lavender- but quickly becomes almost cola like labdanum with only a hint of lavender. My skin eats this fast, but it is. A pleasant scent, and taught me what labdanum smells like. Undecided if to keep or not.
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Queen Mab's Lace evokes a field surrounded by forest at summer dusk. Cooling air pouring in from the already darkened woods in turn amplifying the smell of grasses and summertime wildflowers... and a sense of magic. Get your lanterns ready and wait for lightening bugs!
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Lisa McKenna changed their profile photo
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On my skin the fig meat blooms and goes in tandem with the sandalwood. The milky white musk rounds out the fig around the edges. No sign of the peach. Milky (a little powdery) fleshy sweet fig. Very breezy and yummy smelling.
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2019 version: Goes on very similar to O- lots of sweet, super sexy honey- but where O becomes somewhat baby-powdery on my skin, Womb Furie doesn't. The Snake Oil comes out more as it dries but never really smells like pure Snake Oil does for me. It kind of smells nutty, or like cookies but also gritty? Still Womb Furie is definitely all about the honey on my skin, anything else is just an afterthought! I used to not really like honey in scents but over my perfume journey I've come to appreciate it more and I'm super happy to finally find a honey-dominant scent that works on my skin.
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Michelle Turner Rangel changed their profile photo
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Queen Butterfly is golden orange blossom honey on me, warm with amber. The patch is almost nonexistent, and the wild plum is tarter and less purple than the cultivated variety's note. It reminds me somewhat of A Wonderful Light (Three radiant ambers with honey, linden blossom, bourbon vanilla, and orange zest). Like many of the Lab's honey blends, this has good staying power on me, and it stays pretty true to the initial impression.
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2018 version: Had to get Suck It because it reminds me of one my favourite scenes from I Capture the Castle, where Cassandra drinks cherry brandy at the village inn. Such a great book, and that scene is so idyllic so when I saw that there was a cherry brandy scented BPAL I didn't have to think twice! Also, I just love cherry Wet: Blast of sweet, awesome cherry, like a cherry Starburst- no almond here yay! Dry down: Cherry fades, becomes lighter and slightly more medicinal in tone. Now more reminiscent of a Twizzler. Low throw. Though I don't find Suck It has enough oomph for me to wear it much on its own, I do enjoy layering it with other perfumes to add some cherry sweetness. In particular, I find it layers well over Countess Willie and other red musk blends. And I love that cherry opening
- Last week
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Beth's contribution to Sphere + Sundry’s new Jupiter’s Bounty series is live! THE FULFILLER WHO WHISPERS WORDS OF WISDOM This is a perfume of sagacity and good counsel, and the prudence and judiciousness that leads to good judgement. It is a scent of stability, prosperity, and sovereignty – but more specifically, the creation, fortification, and nurturing of a kingdom that you build for yourself through self-respect and sound choices, the ability to govern your impulses wisely, and utilizing generosity, compassion and kindness as a means of protecting and expanding your dominion. This is a perfume dedicated to Jove. I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be gracious, all-seeing Son of Cronos, most excellent and great! Initial preparation began on March 7th in Jupiter’s day and hour, and the consecration occurred between 6:06-6:55am Pacific on March 26, 2019. Peru balsam essential oil (Myroxylon balsamum), steam-distilled terebinth essential oil (Pinus palustris), pulverized organic fig and chestnut, handcrafted vegetal musk, blue chamomile and Roman chamomile essential oils (Matricaria recutita and Anthemis nobilis), hyssop essential oil (Hyssopus officinalis), clary sage essential oil (Salvia sclarea), blue yarrow essential oil (Achillea millefolium), valerian essential oil (Valeriana sp.), wild-harvested pinon pine resin (Trementina), chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita), sarsaparilla root (Smilax regelii), wild-harvested cedar berries (Juniperus monosperma), organically grown orange peel from the TAL garden, juniper berries (Juniperus communis), bayberry root bark (Morella cerifera), crushed oak galls, organic rosehips (Rosa canina and Rosa rubiginosa), locally wild-harvested white sage leaf and white oak bark (many thanks to the genius loci of Los Angeles), and dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale). Each bottle contains a piece of lapis that has been washed in whiskey.
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Herbal-aquatic elmer's glue??? I mean that in the nicest way possible, but that's what I smell! I get mostly dew, with the herbs coming in second and the florals as an afterthought. Very pretty, elegant, and sleek.
