Minh 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.

As someone who prefers aged Snake Oil, this is not catching my attention. I love the wet phase, when I get the lavender, but then it goes sharp on me and rose water is too light too seduce me as it usually does. Very little sweetness. However, this is going in the cellar and will deserve retesting, judging from previous SO flanker experience.

Hmm..there is a note in here that reminds me of a cross between Snow White and bpal's champagne note. That must be the musk. The mint is quite strong, so strong that my eyes tingle a bit. It takes a while for the florals, mainly lilac, to develop. It is a strange combination. I like it, but not as much as The Last Unicorn, which also has unusual note interplay. ETA I get chocolate in the final drydown, which is interesting, as it is usually a top note.

Lovely, slightly sweet patch and vetiver.

Very foody chocolate cake and jam. I smell something liquor as well.

On me, this is Pomegranate Tobacco, not Tobacco Pomegranate. Starts out very fruity and the pomegranate is evident through drydown.The tobacco does pick up after time, but it is not tobacco forward on me. It more reminds me of the use of tobacco in some of the Laces, rather than the heavy play in Antikytera Mechanism or Dead Leaves and Tobacco. The oud is woody- no poo to my nose- and gives the perfume a good background base. This looks like it might be an unreleased ETSY scent.

This is cuddly lavender snake on me. The oude gives it a dark, lush depth. I get a bit of oakmoss slinking in, but not the geranium or violet leaf. As a big fan of SO, I have quite a few of its variations. This is one of my favorites.