VioletChaos
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In The Bottle, milk, mallow and white tea are all quite prominent, but in this surprisingly unobtrusive way, which really fits the mood of the painting it's based on right out of the gate. Wet On Skin: The iris and ambergris start to come out, but the whole things stays...hauntingly low-key. Which is a weird way to put it, but when I re-look at the artwork, it feels like an appropriate description for that, too, so I'm keeping it. Dry Down: It all evens out in the end. What I mean by that, is, following a period of morphing, where various notes came to the front then slipped behind again, once it sorted itself out, I can say that all notes are here and accounted for- something of a rarity, as usually something just disappears on me, or I amp something but lose something else. This one, I can pick out all the elements, and they all play nicely together. The scorched milk is a *little* bit out in front, but not massively. The iris and possibly the white tea pull it back and ground it, stop it from being a variation of Milk Moon (circa a billion years ago ) In All: a lovely skin scent with low throw that I will wear for cozy summer days when a thunderstorm sweeps through and I sit near an open window reading a book. ❤️
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I get the amber and honey in the bottle, with an afterthought of vanilla cream. Wet On Skin: As it starts to warm on the skin, the lemon moves to the front, and the honey creeps behind, with the amber bringing up the rear. Dry Down: This is great. I love citrus scents of all kinds, but finding a good lemon scent is something to treasure. I, too, tried White Honey Lemon Peel and Salt and agree that it was far more bracing. This is also less tart/intense than the lemon notes in my beloved Happy Baby In A Long Dress or in Spiritboard: YES, but I like it. Once it's fully settled in, it reflects the painting its based on brilliantly with a well-integrated skin musk, honey dust and mild, but persistent, lemon. I anticipate wearing this quite a bit in the coming summer months!
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In The Bottle: Honey dust and musk, alllllll daaaaaaay Wet On Skin: The amber starts to peek through, the honey takes a step back and the musk becomes more...syrupy? Like...there's no mention of maple syrup in the notes, and yet... Dry Down: I can see what other folks have mentioned about this being one of those "your skin, but better" kinds of scents. It's clearly a presence on me, and it's lovely, but it's also incredibly unobtrusive and strangely defying of description. Like, I know all those notes I picked out are in here still, but I don't think I could pick any out now, which is a testament to the incredibly well-blended nature of the fragrance. In All: Very low throw, as befits a "skin scent". I can see wearing this on a first date to amplify my own natural scent, and I can also see wearing this just for me, because there's something incredibly comfy and familiar here, like being entirely at ease in one's own skin. ❤️
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When I procure TAL, it is strictly for effect, so in that sense (scents?) it doesn't actually matter what it smells like, because that's not why I got it. That said? I LOVE HOW THIS SMELLS. It reminds me, nostalgically, of the early days of BPAL, at least one of my precious old scents (probably one of the Tarots?) has some of these notes in it. It is a bit of a morpheme, and the strong wintergreen vibes begin to wear off in the first few minutes, leaving behind a softer mix of licorice root (NOT black licorice, the actual root!) and the blood orange. I'm not feeling the endurance effect at present, but I only dabbed on the smallest drop for testing. With all the activity ahead for me over the next month, I will 100% be leaving this out and by my side for all extra activities!
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I went back and forth on getting a bottle of this because I ADORE all these notes...except the kush. Weed-forward scents tend to amplify on me to the point where I might get questionable looks from strangers on the train! However, the other notes were far too compelling to resist, so.... In The Bottle: Juicy blackberry and piecrust yummmmmmm! Wet On Skin: Same, but the piecrust is getting a bit more complex, and it's becoming more obvious that it's rye flour and not the standard, more ordinary pastry flour. Dry Down: The kush butter has in fact revealed itself, but it's not the disaster I feared with my skin chemistry! I recall Tom saying something about it adding a "green" note, I think, and that's an accurate assessment here- this is like sitting near a dense stand of trees in high summer, below a window, where a blackberry pie with a buttery crust has been set down to cool. It is all of those bits at once. In All: medium-low throw but with staying power. If you like pie crust scents, blackberry scents or gourmand scents more generally, definitely don't let that one note intimidate you- this is an absolute delight!
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In The Bottle: Very, very light strawberry cream -more reminiscent of a strawberry confection than of fresh fruit- plus hints of lotus and vanilla sugar. Wet On Skin: As the scent warms the duo of lotus and strawberry deepens, with the fruit losing a bit of its sugary aspect and the gentle waft of pink sandalwood making its first appearance. Dry Down: The sheer vanilla and mallow are reminding me of OLLA: Ava, so if that's a favorite scent for you, check this out for sure. The strawberry has faded into the lotus, so that they create a compelling unit but are not distinguishable as their former individual selves. Lychee finally shows up, lending a nice tang and keeping the scent from being too much of a single range. The sandalwood is there, but incredibly faint, almost an afterthought. In All: A lovely, very delicate scent that I anticipate getting alot of wear out of as we head toward a long warm summer. Throw is medium-low. I'm somewhat disappointed the sandalwood didn't come out more on me, but I plan to layer this scent with a little of my supply of sandalwood essential oil, as I have a feeling that will work as a fine alternative, at least until this perfume ages, and then the sandalwood might come back all on its own for me! ❤️❤️❤️
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In The Bottle: Strong lilac, light cream, maaaaaybe a slight edge of the musk. It's a bit overwhelming, not the floral I expected from, say, The Lilac Wood. Wet On Skin: The lilac grows softer and more powdery (not baby powder, no worries) and the elemi starts to make an appearance, helping to stave off the initial jolt of cloying floral. No violet yet, alas. Hopefully it shows up in drydown... Dry Down: Wow. It takes a while to get here, but it's definitely worth the wait. The lilac continues to fold itself into that "cream" aspect, the musk softens it further and the elemi brings a bit of spice, reminding me of a pink phlox note, and pulling it all together. In All: A spicy, sexy confection of medium-to-high throw, so apply sparingly until you see how it reacts with your chemistry. I was definitely worried when I sniffed it in the bottle, but I'm delighted with the final outcome! 🌸🌸 🌸
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In The Bottle: I don't pick out any particular notes, but there's a verrrry strong sensation of walking around outside on a wet, chilly autumn day. I have NO objections to this synesthesiac experience! Wet On Skin: The scent starts to reveal its components a bit, and I'm able to get glimpses of the plum cognac and a slight rind of that vetiver, though not the usual smokiness. Dry Down: This shows...promise. But with the density of the notes involved, I'm not surprised it's just not there yet. I suspect strongly that when I retest in a month or two I will be in love. For now, it's a nice "like", and will be a delight in autumn. Editing To Add: Okay, so it's a number of hours later and while much of the above remains true, I am also now *quite* excited about this scent in the present. It took an unusually long time to really bloom, but the payoff is SO worth it. The Turkish Rose and I think the Labdanum notes are combining to be beautifully reminiscent of OLLA Eve, which is one of my favorite all-time scents. So if that's true for you as well, run -don't walk- to snag some of this beautiful scent!
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In The Bottle: A strangely acrid note I can't identify, followed by the lychee bringing up the rear. 🤷♀️ Wet On Skin: A slightly mellowed version of the above. I know opium tar is the other listed note, but I've tried plenty of opium scents and none were ever acrid on me, so I'm very hesitant to state that's the cause just yet. Dry Down: This is...not what I'd hoped given the success of these notes for me in other blends. I've had a similar "wet cardboard" situation happen before, unfortunately, but never with either of these elements. I so wish this had turned out differently. Alas, it's off to the swap pile for me.
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In The Bottle: Sweet, plummy, floral. Wet On Skin: Plum (fruit and flower) plus a verrrry delicate, sweet, light honey. Dry Down: A sweet, delicate floral with a hint of spice in the background. I don't know that this is *my* particular jam, but it's very well-blended and very pretty for those that are into springtime florals for sure.
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In The Bottle: Incense. Not any specific incense, more of a general "headshop" vibe. Wet On Skin: The incense starts to reveal itself as being orris and jasmine-based. The jasmine for me is the yellow Indian jasmine variety as opposed to the fleshy tiny white flower variety, which might be what distinguishes it as "sambac", in case that's important to you. At this stage, it's alot of powdery, super-dry notes. It's not bad, but I'm unsure exactly what's up. Dry Down: Oh. Holy. Cats. This has morphed from a head-scratcher into something really ridiculously beautiful. It took a good 10-15 minutes to settle into itself but WHAT a payoff. The labdanum is leading the charge, but all the notes are combining to make this an incredibly well-blended, deep, gorgeously resinous scent. I grabbed a bottle specifically because I'm such a fan of violet-forward scents and although the violet is just a part of the chorus and not the stand-out I'd initially been hoping for, I'm in no way mad about it. In All: Solid medium throw. The notes combine in such a way that this is beautiful right now but I promise aging will turn this into an all-time great. ❤️
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In The Bottle: Straight-up Almond Joy! Wet On Skin: Much the same, with the yummy milk chocolate and toasted coconut both performing their duties. If anything has shifted, I'd say that the benzoin *might* be bringing a little of that toasty quality...but not much. Not at this point. Dry Down: The benzoin comes to the fore now and the chocolate has taken a major step back, alas In All: A perfectly lovely blend of coconut and benzoin, nary a drop of patchouli in sight, and the chocolate is pretty subtle. I like what it's become, though for me, I will likely layer this with a dollop of Bliss frequently when I wear it, because that Almond Joy situation is too good to pass up in the future!
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In The Bottle: Oh wow. This is *heady*. It's got my old beloved cassia note right off the top, the one I came to adore in Monsterbait: Underbed all those years ago. But the lipstick note I became vaguely acquainted with last year is definitely here immediately, too. And then there's...something else. I imagine it must be some combination of the cinnamon and an additional item, but for me, it's simply bringing up a host of long-forgotten associations from my own uproarious youth that involved heavy and sweet perfumes, heavy and sweet goth pancake makeup and also witchy rites around Halloween. 🤯I Wet On Skin: This intrigue persists, though there's a mellowing that is in process as it warms up on my skin. I will say if myrrh is in this mix, it's in the deep, blended background on me, which is a relief, as it's a note that -sadly- often goes totally haywire for me. But so far, it's very well behaved here Drydown: This has continued to mellow and shift, but for me it's not a full morphing experience, which I'm glad about, because those notes that originally presented are all ones that I welcome. In All: a low-medium throw, I would caution against slathering even if it remains at this level for you because there's a delicacy that feels necessary with this combination of notes: to force it to go beyond a low skin scent would be to run the risk of going from alluring to cloying, and a beautiful part of this scent's appeal is that there's a mystery inherent here- and why mess with that charm? Because there are so many rich notes here, I fully anticipate this aging beautifully. What a gorgeous find!
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In The Bottle, I mostly get fresh, crispy apple slices and not really anything else. Wet On Skin: Still mostly apple but with a nice addition of the labdanum starting to make things interesting. Dry Down: Still an apple-forward scent, though it's mellowed from being a fresh crunchy apple to a spicy apple compote, cooked long with yummy spices, and, most tantalizingly, that burnished rosewood bringing a gorgeous finish. In All: I'm usually not big on apple scents, but the other notes in this scent have lent themselves to become something more extraordinary. Based on this, I'm anticipating that some aging is going to make this scent go from "intriguing" to "stupefying" over the next six months or so- just in time to slather for autumn!
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In The Bottle, I mostly get the smoke-and-wax notes I found delightful in last Weenie's Guttering Candle. Wet On Skin: Upon contact, the lemon starts to emerge, which I'm relieved about, as it was this note that made me want to get this scent to begin with! Unlike the sharp-fresh lemon of Spirit Board: Yes and Happy Baby In A Long Dress or the candy-sweet lemon of Lemon Scented Sticky Bat, this is a heavy, blunted lemon that is befitting of its identification as a lemon *cream*, though I'd hesitate to say I detect much cream here, at least at this stage. Dry Down: If you lit some low-key nondescript incense, then extinguished it and then also blew out a lemon cream candle and walked out of the room only to re-enter a minute later, you would have this scent. This belongs to the pantheon of Beth's "How does she DO that?!?!" scents, where her artistry come shining through in not just interpreting a time or space or feeling but in somehow, impossibly, REPLICATING it. An absolute delight! 💛 🍋
