A Melancholy of Goths

[zankoku_zen]

Clove smoke, champaca incense, plum velvet, and hairspray.

[atropinedrops]

In the bottle: Perfumey and sweet
First on: Smells like White Rain hairspray
As it dries: The champaca gets stronger and the hairspray dies off

Drydown: Sweet, vaguely perfume-y powdery

I actually really liked this one -it's kind of perfumey but in a good way. I appreciate the lack of patchouli and the champaca is pretty nice. I'm hoping it gets a little stronger as it ages.

Really good staying power too, I've had it on for 8 hours and you can still smell the remains of the champaca. 

[batling]

I want to preface this by saying that this rested from the mail for only like.. 9 hours or so but here we go!

 

In the bottle, its clove and a perfumed incense-floral.

 

Wet on the skin, the clove is very apparent. It's even kind of prickly on the skin. It kind of mellows out and blends into the incense note, giving it a headier quality than Constellation. Constellation, to my nose, is perfume-y clove because of the Egyptian musk but its "sweeter" than A Melancholy of Goths. AMoG is more incense and floral, less "bright" than its Haute Macabre sibling.

 

The warm clove stands out again on the dry down, giving it a soft bite to the scent while retaining that sort of powdery hairspray note that isn't screechy thanks to the champaca I think. If you know, you know.

 

It's a very strong. potent scent and I only needed one dab. If Constellation is a scent I'd wear during Summer and Thorns Clove Cigarette, which is a warmer, smokier clove, is a scent I'd wear during Winter, then A Melancholy of Goths would be something I'd choose for Spring and Fall-- before L.A. gets hit with sweater weather at least!

[DisguisedSuperhero]

This starts with sharp hairspray, but quickly dries down to a heady slightly smoky incense. The plum gives it a purple feel, but not as purple as Witch Birds. It settles into a really nice velvety spiced incense with a slightly fruity background. The clove really comes out after several hours of wear time. Stays strong for 8+ hours.

[WoolyBee]

Sniffing from the bottle: incensy, plumy, and sure, maybe a hint of hairspray. Surprisingly, the clove isn’t as prominent as I was expecting. 
Skin test: Incense heavy for sure. A little plumy. Then hairspray. And maybe sort of a smokey feeling, rather than a strong note. A wisp. I’m not getting an actual clove note, I think the smoke is definitely emphasized, rather than clove itself. It’s really everything I hoped it would be from the description. 

[Beary Strange]

This is so pretty, what the heck? It starts off with a blast of hairspray and champaca (what it actually smells like to me is a variety of champa being used to represent hairspray, but who knows, I'm not a perfumer). I think it must be the same champa as Snooty Bat's because they smell so similar to me, but without the heavy leather and patchouli that made that one so cologney, although I'd say this still leans unisex, almost but not quite into cologne territory but a lot of atmospherics do that.

 

I get the plush velvet note  and wisps and curls of clove smoke next. The clove is very quiet at first, but does become more apparent with wear as it warms up. This is more of a warm, ambient clove than someone blowing clove smoke directly in your face. If you're here for the clove, I'd say probably check out Vampire Milk based on those reviews. But for a nice gothy atmospheric, you can't go wrong. The velvet with the champa is just lovely.

[elissamay]

This is way more floral and way less clove than others of the "goth"-themed scents I've tried. The hairspray is very realistically evoked, maybe too realistically for me, lol. Not listed, but my brain went to nag champa or sandalwood, so that's probably the incense. I'm not sure about the velvet, but this is a very plush and heady scent.

 

If you want a more ethereal, Victori-Goth vibe, this is a great pick. If you're looking for the clove, definitely go with Vampire Milk.

[ghoulnextdoor]

Can you think of anything more goth than a marble gargoyle in a mourning veil perched atop a crumbling gravestone wearing perfume of honeyed funereal florals & infernal incense ash? That is exactly what this smells like. It also smells like what I imagine Anna Falchi in Cemetery Man smells like.

[MadameGorgon]

This is so much better than I hoped for and I had high hopes.

 

It’s hard to describe and difficult to tease out individual notes aside from the clove, but to my nose, the order they appear follows the order of the description.

 

Clove can be an overpowering note for me, but this is delicately wispy tendrils of clove smoke woven into a lover’s sweater.

 

In fact, the whole scent is like snuggling into a new lover’s “borrowed” sweater you both know you’ll never return. You can’t bring yourself to wash it because it smells like them and you gather the cloth to your nose to inhale their scent when you have to be apart.  It’s soft and comforting, but also seductive and flirtatious.  Truly gender non-conforming and steeped in longing, as any good art referencing Goth culture should be.  Also surprisingly and seriously sophisticated given the label art and scent notes.

 

Middle notes have the feeling of vanilla- that cozy, enveloping sweetness- without any actual vanilla.  I’m totally spitballing, but maybe labdanum or benzoin with wine-stewed plum flesh?  Some kind of deep, warmly resinous sweetness.

 

It’s floral adjacent without being ~floral~ Soft rounded notes of Nag Champa Incense made of Golden Champaca Flower and resins with a pleasantly astringent spritz of Aquanet barely peeking through to bookend the dry clove, both serving to embrace and contain the pillowy clouds of smoky, velvety sweetness.

 

I predict this is going to be a classic and I’ll need more than one back-up. Definitely a new favorite and a much needed soft place to land today.

Edited November 7, 2023 by MadameGorgon

[darkalleyvampire]

in the bottle: i get clove and aquanet hairspray front and center with a little champaca incense mingling in the background

dried down: the champaca incense and plum velvet come out more, the clove becomes less like sticking your nose in the bottle of whole cloves in your kitchen and more like the gentle swirling smoke of a clove cigarette, the plum velvet gives it a slight floral-y sweetness feel that keeps it from falling into headshop territory, i was a little worried about the hairspray note, but it moves into the background as it dries and blends nicely with the other scents

 

this is so gorgeous; i think i'm gonna have to buy a back up or two, it's smokey and velvety and ethereal, i love it

[Poenari]

This is so good! I always amp clove, which is fine because it's a note I love. This clove doesn't stomp out all the other notes, although it is the most prominent note on my skin. The champaca and plum notes meld into the clove in a way that makes this a perfect scent on me. Also, no hairspray detected, which is fine. Dark, incensy, sweetened from the plum, but not as strong as Thorns Clove Cigarettes. It lasts a very long time, and several times I wondered what that lovely scent was that I was catching whiffs of. Then I remembered: It's me!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wickedcookie]

Cold from my mailbox it smells like thrift store upholstery. I will be good now and let it rest 😅

[theseagrows]

this starts with hairspray and incense (i guess?) it kind of smells like mothballs, but not in a jasmine way. then it gets very bitter and sharp, i am guessing from the hairspray? finally that dies down and it's mostly clove, incense and a less intense hairspray note. i get a hint of the plum, but not much. mostly incense + hairspray after the drydown. a solid like for me.

[Little Bird]

I got a partial bottle of A Melancholy of Goths, but I'm going to order at least one more full size for myself before it goes out of stock.  It is exactly as advertised, I can pick out all of the listed notes, and I feel like it captures its artwork and concept so perfectly.  It is the gothiest of goth perfumes from bpal. 

The clove cigarette smoke mixed with the champaca incense and hint of hairspray is a whole mood, with the beautiful plum note adding a hint of sweet and sour juiciness that's mouthwatering to me.  I even get the 'velvet' because there's an undertone of something here that smells like plush, old fabric.  It reminds me of Romanti.Goth, but is still its own unique, wonderful creation.

Sweet clove cigarette smoke, the foggy, slightly grape-y, hazy smokiness of champaca incense, the spark of slightly metallic hairspray, laying in a heavy draped room on an old, plush, velvet couch, with slices of dark, juicy plum on a tray next to you.  An amazing scent.

[monocainsheresy]

Mostly champaca incense and hairspray for me, but I can also smell the velvet (very worn and dusty) and a hint of plum. The clove is trying valiantly to claw its way up but I can only smell if I get super close.

Metallic, powdery, and utterly evocative of the concept. I think everyone has the potential to really like this regardless of their general preferences. It's witchy, it's goth, it's floral but not floral, it's sweet but not gourmand, it's classic and it's weird. It's even got a bit of that freshly-opened-BPAL-package smell. Dare I say that it's a masterpiece?