RoseThornAndOak
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Everything posted by RoseThornAndOak
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Ooof this is pretty pretty, but also kinda strange and unusual, at least at first. It takes me for quite a ride, so grab some tea and bear with me (tldr below). In the bottle and on application, this is briefly astringent and sharp, almost like if witch hazel had dried herbs steeped in it for a spell and I've spilled this magic concoction on Das MotoKoat, so it's time to go to the witch shop and get another bottle. I pat off the spillage from Das MotoKoat and can reasonably go in public now without too much side eye, smelling pretty darn good. I walk in to the witch shop and there are dried herbs, conjure oils, and incense sticks around, along with early Autumn floofy decorative things, and I leave smelling pretty great, somewhat like Eve (minus the bandaid), leather, and memories of witch shop. Yay an Eve type blend I can wear! 🤩 I'm not Eve and could never be Eve, but dang if this won't make you feel like her for a moment. Soft champaca, white pampas, and baby's breath giving this an incense & soft dried Autumn decorations vibe, atmospheric, but very wearable, no cinnamon broom or plastic decor, quite different, the dried flora variety. I dunno dude, those dried white floofy things you see in Michaels, Home Goods, and gift and metaphysical shops during the season. There's not much rose, maybe a ghost of a rose around like how it blends seamlessly in Eve. All this on sexy leather coat. A liiiiittle powdery, but I don't mind it here at all, its more in an elegant, classy way. It does have a 19th century vibe to it and matches the Renoir painting. Tldr: basically Eve, incense, leather coat, witches' herbs, Pretty conjure oil, and floofy white dried Autumn decorations, all with a 19th century flair? Well hell to the yes! I absolutely, freakin, God damn love this!
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… And the Fairies Ran Away With Their Clothes
RoseThornAndOak replied to Seajewel's topic in Limited Editions
Well, I didn't want to believe this smelled like diapers, and in the opening there is definitely more nuance: a little lemony, a little piney, mostly clean fabricy. But wearing this and Queen and The Page on my other elbow crux, after a while my boyfriend walked in and said I smelled like diapers (he's been saying that a lot recently after applying perfume). side by side, this is more diaper than Queen, so I suppose it is the culprit. Welp. -
Not much to add other than I also get predominantly orris and maybe amber smoothing out the other notes. It's soft and elegant. Not much pine, frank, moss, although there's some evergreen mostly on opening and drying down to a soft green edge among the off-white notes. It's not wowing me on it's own, but I'm glad the pine isn't stomping on everything and this isn't strictly atmospheric. It does fit the painting beautifully, though. This would layer beautifully with a deep vanilla, amber, marshmallow, dark woods, or chocolate blend to give those more of a soft woodland veil without aggressive oakmoss or pine. Maybe over Chocolate Chypre or Ice Age Baton.
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Okay I'm pretty sure this will be popular. Fans of Blood Rose especially will love this. Although very different, Dried Cherry Incense & Spun Sugar fans might like this too for the red fruit + incense vibes. The amontillado and dragon's blood are fruity, juicy, cherry red. If those notes go sour on you in Blood Rose, they most likely will here too (not in a locket, just on skin). The myrrh, incense, clove, and tabac gives it this vampy intrigue and depth. If I nuzzle in close, I reckon the myrrh shows up the most underneath the red haze but honestly everything is so seamlessly blended, even this fresh from the lab. It doesn't smell super tobaccoey, or smoky really, but there is that atmosphere, chewiness, and haze in the air. No bonfire smoke at all, but like incense, clove cigarettes, rose oil, pipe tobacco, black lipstick, and some good fruit liquors waz here, but people haven't started sweating in the club yet. Shoot this might sound weird, but Red Lantern fans might also want to pick this up. In how Red Lantern is hazy and fruity red in places, this palette is similar in color and atmosphere, just with different notes and no coconut, of course. It's pretty Gothy McGotherson, and the label is fantastic in person and one of my favorite labels this year. So happy I got this!
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Muguet, Tea Rose, and Ylang Ylang
RoseThornAndOak replied to Seajewel's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Totally agree, muguet is in the lead star here, so if you are a fan of this note you will likely love this one. The almost peppery tea rose does come out a bit, but ylang has it's own depth and intrigue. It reminds me a lot of Wisteria, Muguet, and Lily of The Valley and makes a great alternative to it. There is something here that adds a darker depth as it wears, it is hard to describe, like how gardenia and tuberose have a depth but without the poo-ey part of the indoles. The tea rose sticks around a bit and glamours this up too, very 1900-20s era photo of a woman standing in a garden of roses and other flowers and a glass hothouse nearby. This could also be good for other eras, 30s, 40s, or any time in the 1800s. It's vintage and timeless in a very pretty but not outdated way. A winner for Team Muguet! -
Osmanthus, Benzoin, and Bourbon Vanilla
RoseThornAndOak replied to Seajewel's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
It's definitely a unique floral, it's almost orangeish, but not like orange flower. It's softer, with a bit of spice/pollen. I could see apricot blossom sortof, maybe if there was a crossbreed between orange and apricot. It is definitely more floral than fruity. It's not a single note osmanthus but almost feels like one, with a slight benzoin anchor. I wish there was more vanilla too but I could see this being a great layering note. Kinda gives me Interview with The Vampire/ New Orleans vibes, like if you wanted an alternative to jasmine, honeysuckle, or rose, or wanted a southern floral layering note this would be great. I feel like it would be great over graveyard or other atmospheric blends, stony/dirt, etc, something with more oomph because this is pretty light/ephemeral and not very long lasting. -
I wanted to like this and was hoping for Last Unicorn vibes, but the jasmine is very breathy and indolic for hours and with the pear made this very cloying, and stomped on most of the other notes. Hours laters, it does pretty up into something sweet, floral, slightly herbal, and pastel, which I liked ok, it just takes too long to get there. This could do with some aging.
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I guess I'll review stuff coming off site soon as it will help the forum better make a decision. This one is nice, it has that allllmost fruity green leafy opening of The Little Ghost Who Died For Love, which I also love. That must be the same green sun-dappled leaves note (not dead leaf note, not bell pepper, woohoo!). There is a point where a little bit of almost a green spice comes through, like if there was a spice that was soft, green, and planty. Kinda like oakmosss but just way way better imo. Could be the iris playing with the green notes. The skin musk/Neutral vibe accommodates this well. It's clean and fresh underneath and suits the painting. Green, fresh, pretty, ethereal, almost glittery. I could see Galadriel wearing this. I'm so glad I picked this up! Been winning in the fairy and elven vibes recently. I'm enjoying this era of BPAL a lot, 2023's been a fantastic year for the Lab.
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Tropical florals + ambergris x black musk (but not too much) + vanilla = definitely agree, Elvira but she's moonbathing on the beach and can't be bothered. The vanilla smooths out the black musk just enough where it's not a problem note, and the beachy vibes are smooth, not too sharp or ozone, just fresh and breezy, clean but no laundry, everything is darkened a bit, like if the tropical florals were grey, blue, purple, and black. There is a bit of a gardenia vibe, totally agree. I love this. it feels like wearing an Enchanted Cloak Of Badass.
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What it says on the tin. Fudgy, chocolatey, marshmalloey. Boyfriend said it smelled like vanilla and food. It's not too doughy, bready, or cloying. Always happy to find gourmands that work on me!
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Well this is pretty gold, and pretty divine. Overall I get mostly the champa thankfully, nothing too heavy or cloying in this blend at all. In the opening and wet on the skin, I do very much get tea. It's not too astringent. It's pretty and reminds me of some of the other tea favorites from the Lab like Theodosius, in the way that those blends have tea as well as a lot of intrigue going on. I forgot honey was in this and I'm not getting much at all. The frank is light here, thank goodness. It's not deep, dark, and syrupy, it's lighter like benzoin, it is just a touch of an anchor for the top notes, like a glue holding the scent together. Lightning-struck made me think this would be ozonic or aquatic, but it isn't. The orris isn't lipsticky, either. The light amber, skin musk, and orris blend with the champa to create this soft, ethereal vibe, like a warm angelic hug. La Pluie ultimately dries down to a soft champa, skin musk, and amber with a smol bit of orris dust. So this is a win. Soft, pretty, ethereal, and no fussy notes at all.
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This is a nice vintage rose, a little darkened, but I don't read leather or opium, more of a rose fougere. A vampire or vampire goth would smell great in this, yet my mind drifts more towards Evening With The Spirits/19th century ghost. There are vague similarities to Alkemia's The Lover Tells of The Rose and Green Carnation, both of which contain a light patchouli note (either green or white). Many opium fragrance oils contain patchouli as a component, so I wonder if that is what I am picking up. Gratefully, it is the type of light patchouli that I love, that comes across as ephemeral, vintage, classy, minerally, almost like petrichor, fougere, or old cobblestone at historic sites as opposed to earthy oomph. I really like it. If you missed this or ran out, give the above a try. Not straight dupes, but if you like this you might like those. Tldr: Vintage green fougey, spooky rose.
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2011 bottle Well this is kinda great. In the bottle it's sweet, syrupy, golden hued coconut and woods, I reckon the tobacco is giving it the woodsy vibe. Definitely caramel in there too, mmm, but not cloying. I guess opium is present but it is not super prevelant as in other opium blends like An Opiate Vapor. If someone held this up blind I wouldn't have guessed it, although it is hazy, mysterious, languid, evening toned, and alluring in that sense. Black currant is who knows where. Spices, yes there is something here, but subtle and wearable, no spice rack vibe. Later, those caramelly tobacco woods come out more with coconut receding for the most part but subtly wafting about. Kinda wish the coconut stayed around better, but I'll try U Strip before the Lupers come down to see if I can get more sweet, woody coconut vibes, curious to see how they compare. Overall this is lovely and sexy. You gotta love that tobacco note though, but if you can roll, get ready for a fantastic ride smelling great. I think this would be great on the town, on a date on a beach trip, maybe somewhere romantic, old school, and... piratey?
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Got this in the mail, tried it, and it held similarities to Avon's Rare Sapphires, nicely floral and commercial-ish, but not overtly perfumey, just nice and with a bright kick. Let rest a couple weeks, and this one bottle specifically stayed on my desk for no specific reason. Watched The Wolfman w/ Emily Blunt last night, and I'll be damned, this painting is in the antique shop scene. So naturally I had to retest today. That vanilla is peeking out a bit more, but this is mostly about those pink, high end florals. Although it has a commercial vibe, it doesn't have that stronk alcohol oomph many commercial blends have, so I'm grateful. It's more subtle. It shares similarities to Awake and Ava but only in that commercial sense; it is very much it's own, springy thing. It's sexy and pretty in all the right places, but I do agree a bit more vanilla would be welcome. Something vaguely citrusy, bright, and cheerful, I'd almost guess grapefruit, blood orange, or lime somewhere amongst the florals, but only just. Definitely a keeper. Layered with that new Brazil Nut Body Butter from Trader Joes today and got compliments, said I smelled warm like vanilla, and I agree with WoolyBee below, this will layer perfectly with other vanillas.
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I'm not sure why this isn't more popular, this is awesome! It's sweet, clean, and fresh. There's quite a bit of Neutral/skin musk, like your skin but better, the soap is fresh, not bright and biting, just soft and clean. The ash lends a bit of softness on it's own, not cigarette or campfire in any shape or form. The incense is not deep dark, or super old smelling, just light incense smoke. It feels cuddly in the same way Boober does yet it is it's own scent. This is one of my favorite new-to-me BPALs. <3
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I definitely adore Schonpercten but this is nice in it's own right and I agree very different. It is only vaguely white amber on me, like a ghost or aura or whiff. This is mostly a softened, smoothed out evergreen, yet it's not uber sweet like Snow White or Schon, just happy little trees smudged out with white fluff. It's kind of an enigma. Okay, there we go. Now and then, it does have a bit of the Grey Columns vibe, just wintered up quite a bit. I see the resemblance now, but would never have guess white amber at all. I like it.
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Often @bygraveyardlight and I are of the same mind, this is dreamy. At first, it was mostly a nice smooth neroli, nothing novel, but very snuggly and calming like a fairy napping. The drydown is sooo pretty, gorgeous sweet sandalwood with champaca, the way they play together is *stunning*, ethereal, and otherworldly. Tried again today and must edit, quite a bit more champaca in the opening than I remember, softening the neroli and with a whisper of sweet sandalwood. I love this so much. Ack must edit again. I forgot Lily of The Valley was in this, not neroli, yet it still smells like it to me, just much much softer and subdued.
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Who is this chick? I get smutty laundry + high end aldehydes but not super bright (the aldehydes and maybe the chicky babe too). It's so strange yet I'm not sure I'm ready to destash it. It's got stronk MILF vibes which is so outside my wheelhouse that I find it oddly amusing. It kinda reminds me of O and Neutral together plus Chanel No 5 but from 10 ass days ago.
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Shepherd's Dream shares a few notes with Snow-Covered Landscape, which I am quite fond of. This starts out beautifully with the champaca, plays around with the lilac and wisteria, and dries down clean and soft. Champaca fades quite a bit, but I enjoy the overall journey this takes me on. Ambrette is not too showy, there is a nice sweetness throughout and there is a similar grey vibe that Snow-C has. There is a cut of grass from the lilac. Label art is gorgeous. It's a keeper.
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Like mango or melon candy, kinda juicy, probly the candies I wouldn't reach for. Doesn't play the best on me like most fruit notes. I think on the right skin it will be a fun fruity candy scent.
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I agree with the white choc + red fruit vibe. Dries down pretty clean. White chocolate doesn't agree with me too much but here it ain't too bad. Dries down with the opening sweet notes + clean white musk.
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Yep, nice peach laundry, similar to Fae somewhat, like the the laundry detergent version of it but without the other bits. I like it a lot, and its going to hang out with Boober often when I need a fresh laundry vibe without hitting the laundromat.
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Ooo this is nice! Definitely a sweet and cute but not cloying, candied violet. Its youthful and playful but still sexy. Not much amber. I do like how it's not quite sugared like Hope and Faith, but distinctly hardshell candied, if that makes sense. I never tried Fleurette's Purple Snails, but it does share similarities with La Befana without the charcoal or other bits.
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Tea Leaves, Vanilla Bean, and Incense Smoke
RoseThornAndOak replied to Seajewel's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Okay you know how black tea can be almost fruity? That was my initial impression, my mind distinctly went to hot 18th century dudes drinkin tea. It kinda puts me in that Old World/Master and Commander type headspace like Antikythera or No Man is An Island does. I mean, it's not masculine, it's really just fresh, pleasant, aromatic tea. Maybe the vanilla bean is smoothing things out, the incense smoke I agree there is maybe a hint of, giving a slight tobacco vibe, but this is all about that tea, completely gender neutral. Pretty light on me, too. -
I visited the Kittelsen House in Kragero, Norway, so had to try this. Actually got one of my favorite vintage tins for perfumes at the open air market in the village there. There is this dark, dusty, spicy, woodsy, smoky unsettling feeling to this, like 'feelin cute, might burninate the peasants later' vibe. It's kinda sexy though. Very masculine, long haired metal dude.