SmellsPrettyGood2Me

This is a floral that I can get behind! Very fresh, green, grassy, clean, and a bit soapy in the bottle, with no distinctive floral note that I can discern even with a couple of deep sniffs. Most definitely NOT indolic. I've never smelled the released version (that I can recall) but this variant is really nice. Stays cheerful and bright on skin with a barely-there hint of vanilla in the drydown. There is also that whiff of lemonbalm that seems to mingle really nicely with the other notes. Really pleasant with medium sillage for about 6 hours before it starts to fade. At age 14, this bottle has lost no glory; the only note that seems much more subdued than others have reported is the honeysuckle. I love this for a day when your mood needs a little lift and your mind a reminder that spring always comes again.

Whomever said this smells more like fresh apple than citrus in the open was exactly right, according to my nose! There is an orange-y sweetness from the yuzu that reads more orange blossom than fruit pulp to me. I generally can't do citrus notes, but this one is ok when balanced out by the astringency of the tea. The cherry blossom is there with a slight powdery touch that adds some texture to the scent. While none of these notes appealed to me on paper, the combination and ratio of them are not unpleasant, especially after drydown. Overall, though, I get strong enough Bath and Body Works spray mist vibes from this that I am unlikely to wear it again.

In the imp, I get an overwhelming waft of artificially flavored marzipan. Blerg! No! I can't even force myself to put it on. If, like me, sweet almond tends to read pseudo cherry-like to you in an off-putting way, do not try Hecate. If you're into that, get right in there! With gratitude but strong aversion, this goes directly into the destash pile to find a more appreciative home than I can give it.

The imp I kindly received as a gift to test has a deep burgundy liquid and moderately crimped label, indicating it has had a comparatively long life prior to getting into my (metaphorically) grubby hands. I mention this upfront for comparison purposes as many of us have experienced the largely positive benefits of aged BPAL scents and understand that our mileage may vary based on the factor of time on top of everything else! Wet in the imp, there is a sweet, slightly chewy patchouli that doesn't come across as heavy or overbearing. I get none of the clove or cinnamon here that others have mentioned, and I'm not mad about it. Applied to skin, the scent swells into an incense-y red musk with just a touch of pleasant soapiness underneath. Gorgeous! Not masculine at all to my nose and skin, this gets even nicer the longer it sits and mingles with my skin. After 30 min the patchouli really starts to emerge and I am wondering what percentage of DNA this must share with Snake Oil as there are definitely some overlapping vibes. Goes strong for 7+ hours and I can still smell the delicious remnants of it on my skin when I wake up the next morning. I wish I had a time machine to get 5 bottles of this a decade ago and let them sit, because aging has transformed this into something deeply satisfying to wear. If you have the opportunity to get your hands on an aged imp or bottle I highly recommend it!

A scent as heavy as thunder from the Vatican, with notes that inspire every sin and excess. Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle. Immediately, wet in the imp, I get the sense of a commercial European men's fragrance that I've smelled in the past, but can't quite place. Despite that, it doesn't read exclusively "masculine" when applied to skin. The honeysuckle here really creates a nice balance with the darker notes, which are thankfully non-indolic in their florality. On drydown there is a sweet and steady thrum that sort of just wafts up at you from time to time. Low to moderate sillage and about 5 hours of wear before it largely fades away. Very workplace safe to my nose and, applied with discretion, also unlikely to cause offense in closed public spaces. I enjoyed the experience of wearing it and would probably appreciate it even more if I was just starting my BPAL journey. This is perfect for a man or masculine leaning person who wants to begin dabbling in indies but isn't quite sure where to start - not to say it is simple, but it has familiar elements in tone and wear to classic fragrances that will feel familiar but also a bit special.

The notes order listed here is like a set of ingredients, in that they display their strength in successively decreasing potency as written. I can detect each and every one of them both in the bottle, and on skin. Although it's not listed, I could swear that there is also a touch of cinnamon and/or cassia as there is a powdery heat that also emerges during the dry down. There is definitely a "mystical" aura here, something magical and ancient. The green cardamom is bright and snappy, largely front and center for the duration of wear, whereas the honeyed fig barely registers. I was incredibly impressed at how the overall scent bubble grew over time, giving a strong projection for 8+ hours. Beautiful, balanced, wearable. I foresee reaching for this a lot in colder months when I want to take an olfactory trip back in time.

2025 version Having just smelled the Clove and Sweet Incense duet a few days ago, I definitely smell those exact same two notes here in the bottle almost immediately. This bat is punchy, screechy, LOUD and ready to take a bite out of anyone who gets too close. I put a wand size dab onto my skin and Holy Toledo, Batman - it fills the room. Are we sure there is no red musk in there? I could swear it is lurking in the background. The drydown is a bit of a rough ride for me, with the anise undertones of the clove really making it hard to smell much else. But patience is a virtue!! The sugared patchouli was waiting for me on the other side of it. Very assertive projection and 8+ strong hours of presence on skin. My shirt sleeve absorbed quite a bit of scent so it will be interesting to see if it all comes out in the wash or not! I think I like Snootier Bat better for regular wear, with more leather and less clove in that variation, but this is a total banger in it's own right, time and place. Not work safe or small enclosed space safe; you'll want to wear this to a club, festival or show where you want every nose turning in your direction.

Nobility and haughtiness befitting the Antichrist: sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather. I would be sorely disappointed if this ever disappeared from the GC. Leather, lavender and cedar are most prominent in the bottle, and the carnation joins the party when applied to skin. While I can detect the sage with deeper sniffs, it's really not medicinal or herbaceous, and the white musk is sparingly incorporated. Vanilla may be present but doesn't add much to the party for my skin. Others have noted the leather taking a front seat here and I enthusiastically agree. This is a scent for kicking butt and taking names, best worn as an amplifier of assertive and commanding energy. I like it for any situation requiring one to keep control of themselves and silently bend others to their will, Jedi style. Moderately strong projection and 6-7 robust hours of presence on skin.

Clean, sexy, soapy mountain man straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. This scent comes out of the imp strong and stays that way on skin, pleasant and refreshing. I would much rather smell it on Chad Michael Murray but it's not too bad on me, either!

My favorite destash partner was kind enough to slip in a decant of this with a recent order, along with a note stating that it I would probably like this even though I usually try to avoid rose notes. I am so glad I got the chance to try it! Overall there is not too much transformation between notes on my skin during drydown, but the combined effect of them is very pleasant and familiar as several of them seem to have been present in other BPAL scents I have tried. The lace and rose here are very reminiscent of Carved Wooden Bridal Shop, ethereal and faint behind the marshmallow musk. The cream isn't heady, more light than heavy. I can detect a bit of the same white satin here as in White Satin Hearse, a little shiny and bright, but nicely blended along with the other notes so that it doesn't dominate the scent. The oakmoss is incredibly subtle, not really popping in to make an appearance until fully dried down. On my skin, low throw and good longevity of about 8 hours. Mr. Smells, not prone to engaging in the testing process unprompted, leaned in for a sniff and said "this one doesn't smell like candles" (!) then came back again a few minutes later for a rare second whiff and grunt of approval. I can see why other reviewers have likened this to a baby powder or lotion scent. There is something beautifully old fashioned about it, like you'd find it in a hand cream on the dressing table of a Bronte heroine. If I had to choose one scent to wear on a tour of the grand homes featured in BBC bonnet dramas, this would most definitely be it.

Simply lovely. The orris root and ambergris accord mark this as close cousin to Lace Lichen, and if you like that scent this will evoke very similar feelings of brightness and lightness in the open. Largely tea and bergamot to start, with an aromatic greenness from the angelica. After a half hour the frankincense begins to emerge as a soft wisp, increasing in dominance as the top notes recede but never becoming terribly strong. The orris root stays subtle and not very powdery at all. This is a delicate, romantic scent, not cloying but charmingly feminine, perfect for times or places where a lighter scent touch is desired or appropriate. I would call this very safe for work or enclosed spaces 15 minutes after application as it stays close to skin in the drydown and thereafter. Lasts with appreciable detection for about 4-5 hours. Most definitely one of my favorites from The Prophet series that I have tried thus far, appropriate for almost any season or circumstance.

I had a huge flashback when I opened this bottle; it was 2000 and I was in NYC's Chinatown with my then-boyfriend Patrick, his mom, stepdad and stepsister. As we stepped into one of the markets looking for some of the jasmine tea that his mom loved so much, our nostrils were assaulted by a combination of spices and incense. It is one of those very specific life experiences where nothing else before or since has combined to so precisely remind me of that moment. I had to put the bottle aside, have a cry, and come back to it another day. Young Smells did not know how much her life (and the world around her) would change less than 12 months after that experience. Both in bottle and on-skin there is something Chinese 5 Spice-y about this, where I could swear I also get anise and maybe even some nutmeg underneath the clove. My skin is prone to taking a dab of clove and turning it into an olfactory tornado, and that's precisely what happened here. Not for the faint of heart, this duet precedes you as you enter a room ("did you make a cup of tea?") and does not let you forget it. I'm not a licorice fan, and that undertone didn't really please me. Huge sillage and loooooong longevity at 8+ hours, which goes to show how much skin chemistry can be different for all of us in this game. (What ever happened to Patrick, you ask? We broke up after he cheated on me with a fellow exchange student during a semester abroad in Paris after 9/11, he then became an accountant and eventually he married someone else and moved to Minnesota. His mom died during COVID, and she's the one I cried for. She was a classy lady and I liked her a lot.) Destash for me, probably lovely for someone who loves licorice and has less emotional baggage tied to these scent notes.

An immediately positive impression as soon as I caught the first whiff! Lightly sweet (maybe slightly honeyed) liquid wax and a surprisingly jammy fig in the bottle with no smoke but a hint of some powdery resins deep underneath. First dab brings that beeswax out front and center and it warms up quite nicely on the skin. This must be the "Good" part of the equation? Honestly, it's quite cozy! About 10 minutes in the vetiver starts to creep out more and more, taking the scent the slightest touch deeper and darker. Still no smoke, but maybe there is a bit of cypress brightness intermingled in there? The myrrh and fig (which almost seems a bit stewed) are a terrific combination that are anchoring this in pleasant territory. Jammy, with a creamy resinousness that is beautiful to wear. At around the two hour mark, things take a turn. The beeswax has lost a lot of it's liquidity, cooling and hardening. Something gnarled, woody, and earthy emerges and starts fighting with the fig for supremacy. The powdery myrrh has completely vanished. What happened here?? Has the "Evil" come out to play? I'm desperately and deeply huffing, looking for that lovely sweetness that seems to be fading by the moment. By hour 3, all I can smell is something resembling an ash pile, and then it's gone. I'm not sure if this transition was intentional, or if my skin chemistry just ruined the scent the longer it had hold of it. I would wear the bliss of the first two hours often if somehow I could hang onto it! This is a perfect candidate for a scent locket trial as it is truly stunning to start off. I hope others are able to enjoy the journey more fully on themselves.

She's shifty! Grassy tannins with a waft of floral lilac in the bottle become completely transformed into something darker on skin. There is a blooming bergamot brightness in the wet open that I really like! Not at all sugared and much more of a booming floral than tea for the first hour. I do feel like maybe this combo would be a bit more smooth with a third note to draw down the sharpness of the lilac a bit, maybe some amber or sandalwood. As such I agree with other reviewers who have suggested layering it, because as a standalone scent, while I like it, it's missing a bottom note to anchor it and bring some gravitas. Medium sillage on my skin and a long lasting performance of 8+ detectable hours. I have a Black Amber SN from another house that I think will help make it a great trio of notes for winter wear.

This is the good stuff. Dusty, dry, sweet sandalwood and burnished, deeply tanned dark brown leather in equal and complimentary parts. There may even be more than one leather note in here as it seems to shift into something sweeter a few hours in. Sillage is low moderate and longevity was pretty good - although I could still detect it with a close sniff the next morning it was largely gone after about 7 hours. I think the Lab does really enjoyable, photorealistic "fabric" accords across the spectrum, but their various takes on leather are ones that I particularly enjoy. The black sandalwood does a great job of working with it to evoke a very nice smelling ranch hand, although it's not a deliberately masculine leaning scent; I would go so far as to call it pretty gender-neutral-while-still-giving-leather-chaps-vibes-in-the-open. I'll probably have to get a couple more bottles of this as it's enjoyable to wear and the two notes are perfectly paired.