Greensleeves

Retesting Fir Needle, Ivy Leaves, Moss, and Patchouli In the bottle: Fresh green pine. Wet: Super fresh pine, powdery green herbs. Dry: The pine has died down a bit as a mossy, grassy green comes forward. After a few minutes: A rich, tangy, incensey note is coming out from behind the green, that must be the patchouli. There is a bit of soapiness now, but to me it's pleasant and not excessive. The patchouli keeps moving further forward as time passes, but the pine keeps standing up for itself. After first hour: There is a real musky richness that must be the patchouli asserting itself even more. The pine and green notes seem to have retreated to the background, but they haven't gone away, just kind of snuggled in and got cozy with the patchouli. This smells deliciously expensive, and the incense-like note I always enjoy is coming out again. After two and a half hours: Hello hippy headshop in the woods! After 5 hours: Faint incensey, musky green. Slather test: A cloud of hippy forest-scented bliss. Final verdict: Definitely a keeper - even better than the first test.

In the bottle: Bright, sweet pine, like a brand new Christmas tree brought in from the cold. Wet: Really fresh, almost minty fresh, and still very heavy on the pine. Then a hint of something darker begins to thread itself through. Dry: Tingly pine and a hint of something bitter and medicinal. Also, there is a touch of something citrusy. After a few minutes: Christmas tree and soap, mostly. It's very clean, but there is a distant, leathery something that I can't quite identify. After first hour: Incensey, soapy, clean, mossy, ferny, herby. Very nice. It smells like an expensive cologne, the kind that has quality ingredients and actually is worth the money you fork out for it. The patchouli keeps getting stronger and more incensey and soapy. Definitely a sweet, oddly clean patchouli. Sorry filthy fans! After two and a half hours: I think this might be the yummy, soapy scent I have been dreaming of. Clean, rich, incensey, spicy, green and deep. I wouldn't have guessed that patchouli and all this greenness would work this well together. Interestingly, I just stumbled across the fact that the Lab had a duet of patchouli and Canadian balsam, so maybe their harmony isn't so surprising after all. After 5 hours: Soft, mossy, sweet, incensey green. Slather test: Clouds of sweet, sagey, herbal green, with a faint incensey tang. Final verdict: This is niiiiiiice. I think I'm keeping it. 💚

In the bottle: Deep, fresh, tangy herbal Wet: Fresh, ferny, grassy, green and sweet. Also a hint of something fruity, even though I know there are no fruits in the blend. Dry: Something sharp and tangy. It seems to have lost some of its sweetness. After a few minutes: Some of the sweetness came back. It's very ambery, and I'm getting some sort of faint, foody vegetable as well, although I can't be more precise than that. After first hour: Tangy, earthy, slightly sweet green. Very deep and intense. Some people would classify this as a masculine blend. After two and a half hours: The blend has softened, the tanginess is softer, and a little more sweet and fruity. Some people may find this a bit soapy, which is something I like, but I know a lot of people don't. I'm quite enjoying this stage, and I'm tempted to reapply even though the time isn't up yet. After 5 hours: Almost nothing. Slather test: Super fresh, herby, and tingly. Final verdict: Definitely leaning towards keeping this one.

In the bottle: Green tea, and a kind of fakey commercial perfume freshness. It's a bit like fruit, and a bit strong for my tastes. Wet: Tea, herbs, and a fresh kind of aquatic greenness. A hint of something like modelling clay.I think it might be the lichen. There's also a sort of papery note. I think it is the washi. Dry: Starting to get a sort of papery incense aroma, which is probably the patchouli, it often registers as incense to my nose. Also, I think I'm getting a bit of the bergamot now, which might be the fruitiness I detected earlier. After a few minutes: Dry, tangy, papery herbal with a hint of something like playdoh, but in an oddly good way. The incense-y qualities that I usually find in patchouli are coming to the fore. They're actually sweetening up the dryness of the herbs. After first hour: I wasn't too keen on the previous stages, I found them a little cloying, but now the patchouli has given it a lovely powdery, incense-y sweetness. For those who like a filthy patchouli, I don't think this is it. It's very soft and clean, but your mileage may vary based on your own skin chemistry. I have no idea where the mint is. I would have preferred it to be a little more prominent. After two and a half hours: Soft, papery, incense-y herbal green tea.Very soothing and comforting. I wasn't expecting this to happen after the way it started off. After 5 hours: Soft patchouli and green herbs. Slather test: Bright, fresh, incensey, minty and clean. I definitely like this more than I did at the beginning. Final verdict: I sort of enjoyed this, but I need to ponder whether or not to keep it.

In the bottle: Rich carnation with a decidedly green overtone, just as promised. Also slightly sweet and fruity, but not in a foody gourmand sort of way. Wet: Grassy, soft green floral, sweet and fresh. I'm getting a faint hint of something like mint or eucalyptus. This is like the promise of spring. As it dries the grass comes out more. It's like walking through a field of grass, herbs, and wildflowers. Dry: It's become a little less sweet, but in a nice way. It's a little more tangy, with just a hint of something like eucalyptus, but very distant, soft and powdery. After a few minutes: Very faint powdery green. Sort of sagey, smooth and soft, still with a faint fruitiness. After first hour: The carnation has come back with a hint of peppery green herbal sweetness.It is not a bold, in your face scent, more subtle and gentle. It's quite smooth and soothing. I would probably love wearing this to bed. After two and a half hours: A hint of soft herbal carnation, very powdery, smooth and sweet with distant echoes of non-foody fruitiness. Without reapplication it is very mild mannered, understated and close to the skin. After 5 hours: Just a soft hint of carnation. Slather test: Whoa, heavy grass, and an almost intoxicating fruity herbalness that might be a bit too heavy in large amounts. If I keep this, I don't think I will need to apply quite this much. I wasn't expecting it to be this powerful Final verdict: I enjoyed everything but the slather so I'm on the fence about this one. I'm going to rest it, and then retest later.

In the bottle: Fruitiness with a hint of lavender. Wet: Lavender and some sort of bitter, artificial, fruity medicine I can almost taste on my tongue. Dry: Lavender, overwhelmed by some other, cloying floral. Must be the lotus. After a few minutes: LOTUS, so much lotus. After first hour: Given some time it's rather nice, but I don't think I want to wait that long. After two and a half hours: A hint of fruity lotus. After 5 hours: Faint floral. Final verdict: This is alright, but I don't want to keep it.

In the bottle: Strong, greenish, dry wood. Wet: Soft, woody green incense. Dry: Fresh greenish, woody cedar-y incense. After a few minutes: Resinous, green, sage-y, sandalwood-y, cedar-y incense. Really fresh, but at the same time warm and deep. After first hour: Herbal, cedar and sandalwood with a hint of something floral coming in and being just slightly cloying. After two and a half hours: Soft cedar and floral, slightly powdery. After 5 hours: Faint floral. Final verdict: I liked where it went at the outset, and the drydown wasn't bad, but I think ultimately someone else would probably love it more.

In the bottle: Sweet, powdery lavender and tea. Wet: Lavender, oudh, tea. It reminds me of Snake Eyes Gleaming in Springtime's First Twilight, but not as funky. Dry: It still smells oudh-like. It must be the leather. I'm also getting a hint of Chanel #5. After a few minutes: Leather and floral muskiness, possibly some tea. It's a very sophisticated and pleasantly nuanced blend of aromas harmonizing very well together. After first hour: Soft, resinous, leathery floral, with a hint of vanilla. Still getting the Snake Eyes Gleaming vibe. After two and a half hours: Soft, powdery, honey-like floral. After 5 hours: A faint, soft hint of resinous floral. Final verdict: Very nice, I think this is a keeper.

In the bottle: Herbal lavender with a hint of tea. Wet: A bit of lavender and lilac, slightly similar to Villain, also a bit to Calliope. Dry: Herbal lavender and lilac. After a few minutes: Sweet lavender and herbs with a little hint of powdery soft lilac coming out to play. After first hour: Soft powdery lilac and herbs. After two and a half hours: A hint of lilac. After 5 hours: Faint herbal lilac. Final verdict: I'm already on the lookout for a backup bottle.

In the bottle: Incensy, woody floral, with a commercial cologne kind of edge. Wet: Woody lavender, and a sort of dish detergent tang. Dry: A floral woodiness. After a few minutes: The sandalwood is coming out a bit more, it's a nice soft wood that makes me feel like I'm in an antique furniture store filled with potpourri. After first hour: Soft floral woodiness. It's less dry now and more sweet, but there's still very little sign of the lavender. After two and a half hours: A faint hint of sandalwood. This is a very mild scent now. After 5 hours: Totally gone. Final verdict: Nice enough in the end, but not a keeper.

In the bottle: Fruity, apple, green and a bit woody. Reminds me of Yew Trees. Wet: Like a fresh green apple, accompanied by sweet green herbs. Dry: The apple has died down and the herbs have come to the fore. The apple is fresh but not foody like apple pie, instead it's much more vegetal and uncooked. After a few minutes: Fresh peppery herbs and mildly sweet apple. It definitely has similarities to Yew Trees. After first hour: Gentle powdery, sweet, and green. But not sugary, or confectionary sweet, more of a fresh herbal sweet. After two and a half hours: Sweet powdery green. Ah, it's the amber, I forgot about the amber. I love me some incensey resins. After 5 hours: Faint resin and green. Final verdict: This is so good, I need to stop falling in love with everything I test.

In the bottle: Floral and peppery green. Similar to Saint-Germain. Wet: Fresh, green, a bit of mint, a bit of thyme, a hint of eucalyptus. Dry: Fresh, tangy, resinous green with a hint of floral that is just right instead of excessive. After a few minutes: A little bit pine-y, still tangy, and I'm getting more of the still fairly well-behaved floral. Now it's starting to go fruity, which is interesting, kind of a hint of berry. After first hour: Fresh green with a hint of floral and possibly aloe and mint. Smells a bit like Phantasm or Cordelia. After two and a half hours: Soft powdery green with a hint of floral. After 5 hours: A faint wisp of green. Final verdict: I want a bottle of this, but I don't need any more bottles, really I don't.

In the bottle: Sharp, incensey and smoky. Wet: Tangy, dark yet fresh at the same time. A lot like a smoky single malt scotch. Dry: Totally smokey scotch, kind of a combination of Islay and Speyside single malts. After a few minutes: I still feel like I'm smelling Ardbeg, my favourite single malt whiskey. After first hour: I'm getting more of a Gaueko smoky vibe from it now, just a touch greener and fresher beneath the smoke, minus the lavender, of course. A touch of incense too. If I met someone wearing this I would throw myself at them. After two and a half hours: A note of sweetness has crept out through the smoke. After 5 hours: The smoke is mostly gone, leaving a sweet greenness and a hint of cured tobbacco. Final verdict: I don't need any more Bpal, but if I found a bottle I would probably snap it up.