Minh Scent

If you love these notes, especially the beeswax, I highly recommend it. It is such a beautiful wax/vanilla/cedar. Quite strong with a generous throw. It reminds me of my very beloved (Not) so Penitent (Mini) Mag...at least it is in the same family. It is both comforting and beautiful. It may be my favorite BPAL wax so far and that is probably because this note is most prominent.

Bought a full bottle of this after reading the reviews (thank you everyone who writes and posts!) and it is the classic I hoped it would be. I like this so much more than Zorya P (probably because it is stronger on my skin). The lavender is so comforting, but I would not call this a lavender-centric perfume. I have been loving Beth's ambergris accord (which I believe is the same in Socrates). The dry-down has a distinctive vanilla to my nose, which is not listed, so perhaps it is the "white" in oud? I love indolic oud, but this is not it, so if you were hesitant because of that note- no worries! This goes perfectly with Hag Grey. The name is perfect...because I get a snow vibe...hmm...Snow White, did you hang this wreath up yourself?

I ignored this one at first because, yuck- cake. However, the reviews inspired me to order a bottle and I am so glad I did! This is stunning! I love it because it is mostly herbal lavender beautifully blended with vanilla and sugar. I don't get "cake" so much as a very creamy, perfect lavender. I have not been so taken by a Lilith Lavender (and I usually grab 'em when I can) since Serpentine.

This is a most beautiful blend that I think of as "traditional BPAL" because it is so rich, dark and intoxicating. I feel it would not have been out of place in the OLLA or Crimson Peak Collections. As others said, it is very well blended, although to my nose the vetiver is the star of the show and what a rich, velvety vetiver it is! This is definitely not a floral-centric perfume, so if you were anxious about the queen of the night or tuberose, they are more grace notes. I can at times pick out the cocoa and tobacco. If you like Beth's dark, rich sexy blends, don't pass this one up! ETA More to add after more wears and longer dry down. At some point in the dry down I SWEAR I smell hemp or marijuana. This stage is not very long, but has now happened on four wears, so I am smelling something that reminds me of this; perhaps late stage vetiver. The final stage is male -cologne like and I cannot for the life of me think of what notes are doing this. It is pretty enough, but a pale comparison to the first heady hour or so when I am snorting my wrist uncontrollably! I feel like I have two different perfumes in same bottle!

Generally, I am not an atmo fan, but I had a tester like this and like it so much that I just had to get a full bottle on ETSY. Funnily enough, I don't love this for the chocolate, as others have mentioned, but rather because it smells like what I imagine a sparrow to smell like. The orris and sandalwood are stunning.

Starts right off with pretty realistic osmanthus (olive flowers) and then the ambergris steps up beautifully. I get what people mean when they say this has a spa vibe, but to me it is more meditative. (Similar vibe as Meditation Buddies, but not same notes). There is a bit of sweetness from the fig, but it is very light to my nose. I love a powdery orris and this is not that, but the whole composition is so pretty, I can't complain. Final dry down is frank accented lightly with the other notes. This is a lovely, peaceful scent.

The notes in here are all ones I adore, especially the orris. The pach is very mild and is grounding for the chypre and amber. It is a classic fragrance which means 10 out 10 in my book. 2017 Closet Raid had the same kind of vibe, although definitely different notes. This is not as sharp and much more sophisticated, but has the same "perfume counter at Macy's" aura as CR.

I like mitti attar up straight, so was pleased this is the dominant note for a good while until it fades to sandal (my most favorite note). The tulsi was stronger than expected, but it is fresh and harmonizes with the mitti. These are three "Indian" notes to me and their combination works well. As Ellocentipede and Casablanca mentioned, it indeed is meditative and calming.

This is an understated, beautiful perfume. I get overwhelmed with the offerings, resulting in once-tested decants. Returning to this a few years later, I find a hidden treasure. As mentioned above, this is a thoughtful fragrance. Only three notes listed, but masterfully blended. On my skin, the frank and the rose take center stage with the lily note lilting in and out. It hovers on "delicate" but with enough depth to know there is a spirit of power awakening.

I am "one of those" people who adores beeswax and this might be the queen of all I have sniffed of BPAL's. It is much stronger and more pure goldeny beeswax than Lights of Men's Lives. Don't miss it if this note is your jam.

So what's not to love..Snow White and TKO...together! Beautiful!

I went after this for the oleander, because it is not a note I see often. Most oleander does not have a smell except for the baby pink ones that are multi-petaled. These have a lovely powdery scent. I get mostly orange blossom and very light, barely there frank. It is a pretty, whispery floral with a hint of that powdery quality.

I LOVE Antikytera Mechanism, so knew I was being risky with a flanker. Why mess with perfection? However, I thought spice would go well with the classic vanilla, tobacco and wood. It does and happily I get no pumpkin (ack! a vegtable in my perfume?!) others mentioned. The spice is not overpowering. This definitely needs to age, as it is not as smooth as the original.

I have tested this four days running, including two full days at work. It is a heavy morpher and judging from the comments above, very fickle to skin chemistry. Testing advised before commitment! For me Utter Sophistication starts out with unexpected popcorn and butter notes (giving me the same smile as the surprise nut note in Spider Witch), chased with light lavender and sexy Snake Oil. Dorian then appears and I am enjoying that, with a slightly salty, lavender twinge. So pretty! I think we are done...but to my surprise way late in the dry down, I get woody vanilla doused beeswax! Usually BPAL's waxes enter early and don't stay around as long as I would like. This is the opposite. I haven't been so head over heels about a Lilith since (Not) So Pentitent (Mini) Mag (still #1 in my books). Utter Sophistication gets the Minh Scent 2019 favorite perfume of the year (across companies) award!

Creamy, soft, not too sweet. The lavender is delicate, as is the tea. This is a cozy perfume and would be non-offensive for those low-scent tolerance situations.