Jump to content
Post-Update: Forum Issues Read more... ×
BPAL Madness!
lookingglass

Le Lèthè

Recommended Posts

Red musk and sweat-damp golden skin musk with labdanum, golden amber, nutmeg, tobacco absolute, black orchid, and hemlock accord.

 

This one is now in my "to-buy" pile

It's starts off all red musk, which I like but I already have enough of

Then it starts to warm to my skin and I get the golden skin musk & amber + the nutmeg and this is amazing!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's hard to pick any particular notes out of this, but it doesn't really do anything for me anyway. Normally I'd save it for re-testing down the line, but I'm trying to cull the stash, so off to swaps it goes!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

in the imp: there is a masculine sharpness to it. the labdanum and black orchid hit hard. the nutmeg lingers beneath and adds a compelling, interesting sweetness.

 

wet: my skin amps the nutmeg and it completely takes over. tempered only by sharp, acrid resins. the combination, with my skin chemistry, is unpleasant and reminds me somewhat of Youth Dew. gave me a mild headache for the first hour or so. fortunately it dries down to a much more pleasant soft tobacco-musk. i don't love this but i don't hate it. it's a truly unique and challenging fragrance. i probably won't wear it often but i will keep it around.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh wow here’s a red musk blend where I can smell more than just the musk (which I really amp). The tobacco, labdanum and Amber are all stunning. This is going to be a bottle upgrade. So lovely.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the imp: Red musk. And it is strong! I'm also getting the resins, tobacco, skin musk, nutmeg, and something sharp – I'm not sure if it is the black orchid or hemlock accord.

 

Wet: The musk notes are intertwining with each other, with the skin musk being stronger than it had been in the imp. I'm also getting a lot of nutmeg, far more than I did in the imp, and the smoky tobacco over the resins. The red musk note ends up dominating, as it is wont to do, but it isn't nearly as problematic on me as it usually is – I guess the other notes are helping to keep it in check.

 

Dry: The red musk note is still going strong, as is the skin musk, nutmeg, tobacco, and resins. The combination of the skin musk and nutmeg with the tobacco and resins is really nice. But the red musk is still a little too much for me.

 

After a while, the red musk does calm down enough to really let the golden skin musk shine with the nutmeg, tobacco, and resins. I wonder if there's golden champaca in this musk, or if the combination of notes here is just giving me that vibe.

 

Verdict: The red musk is stronger than I would like it to be for a while, but the scent is really wonderful after the red musk has calmed down and it has been dry for a while. I'll be hanging onto my imp, but I don't think I need a bottle, unless I end up reaching for it a lot and the red musk becomes smoother with age.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Source: Swap from a forumite

Preconceptions: Some reason I didn't know this one existed until I saw it in a swap-list. I thought "Huh those notes sounds interesting". I'm attracted to "Skin Musk" scents, after have success a few times with that. Lately I'm realizing Tobacco scents are actually incredible (I always assumed they'd be too masculine for me). And I also recently learned I shouldn't be afraid of labdanum - Dunno what it is exactly but I'm learning. Anyways - educated dice roll.

 

Bottle: Kind of empty to be honest.

Skin: I'm not going to bother with the stages on this one - it's dark, musky, warm, nay hot, summer nights. Sweaty with a breeze. Smooth but dirty. Sandalwood-esq in overall vibe. Sweet but salty. God why didn't I try this years ago?

 

This is going to be a slaterer for me. This is incredible.

 

Verdict: Sex in the back of his car at midnight in the middle of a hot summer. With a foreboding breeze trickling through.

 

Strong sillage to start, incredible staying power. It feels feminine to me but honestly I don't know why. Really sexy musty.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet: Heavy red musk. There's a fairly bitter and herbal note in here I'm not digging, that I'm thinking is the hemlock accord.

 

Dry: I'm a pretty big fan of red musk, but the underlying notes here just aren't doing it for me. Something is just way too bitter for me, and it's throwing off the whole scent.

 

Absolutely worth trying out if you're a red musk fan! Skin chemistry failed me here.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Frimp: My second red musk note frimp. It smells like an expensive incense stick in the imp. A syrupy smell is starting to come out of the spice as this dries. I'm not keen on the outcome on my skin. I think there is a floral in there which has messed with the syrup. It's a pass from me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the imp: Red musk, skin musk, and tobacco. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the red musk takes a back seat, and it's skin musk and tobacco. As it dries, the tobacco becomes the blend's strongest note. Given time to warm and develop, a bit of a... funk... emerges, like a touch of rotting vegetation. Hemlock accord, maybe?

 

An hour in and, true to its form, tobacco amps on me. There's a bit of musk, keeping the scent from going straight to my sinuses, but this is all tobacco's game right now. 

 

After another thirty minutes of all tobacco, I ended up washing this off. I'm not super fond of tobacco, and I'm a little sad that the red musk couldn't overcome it on me. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the imp, it's loud red musk. Directly applied, it's loud skin musk with the grapey red musk underneath it. After it dries, it's just powdery red musk, which dominates every other note in the blend, even amber.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a warm, dark bedroom, heavy with the lingering scent of bodies. Incense mingles with musk. The nutmeg prevents a syrupy quality from becoming cloying sweet. Sexy, brooding, a little melancholy. One of my favorite frimps.

 

It lingers a while but I don't find it to be a super strong or long lasting fragrance.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/29/2015 at 5:17 PM, DiesMali said:

In the imp: Dry, bitter.

 

Wet on my skin: Still dry and bitter, dusty, and musky. Odd, and somewhat unpleasant.

 

Dry: I think I'm going to need to let this one age for a while, because it's just not working on my skin today. I usually do great things with amber, musks, and orchid, but not right now. It's almost all light, dry musk and dust, with something bitter-green that I think might be the hemlock. Will re-edit in a month or so if it improves!

 

Re-review, a month shy of 6 years later! No idea on the age of this imp, but I think it's a couple years newer than the one I tried for the 2015 review. My nose and tastes, and skin chemistry, have changed significantly since then.

 

In the imp: Dry red musk.

 

Wet on my skin: A mix of the red musk and body musk, dry and herbal with the hemlock, nutmeg, and orchid. Not much labdanum or anything. It's similar to the 2015 at this stage, but much more pleasant than I remember thinking it was back then. 

 

Dry: Red musk has a tendency to be 'juicier' on me in many blends, but not this one! These musks combine with the amber, hemlock, nutmeg, and orchid to be dry and a little dusty, and the labdanum lends a slightly effervescent quality to the blend. It's light, dry, and slightly spicy on my skin. The dominant notes in this on my skin are nutmeg, body musk, labdanum, and red musk, in that order, and there's a little bit of bitter, papery herbal quality from the hemlock. The tobacco and orchid are just faintly there, lending a little bit of sweetness to an otherwise fairly dry/dusty blend. Overall, this is a fairly light and inoffensive herby musk scent on me, leaning slightly masculine. It is a bit more chewy and sexy if I lean in and sniff the crooks of my arms, and I wish the whole throw was like that!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Got this as a frimp and I am so happy about it! I was immediately intrigued by how incredibly dark this oil is. The scent itself is also quite dark & sexy, spicy, and a little herbal.

 

In Bottle: Forward note is a warm, spicy amber musk. There is also a sharp herbal note that accompanies it, which I believe could be the "hemlock accord". The other notes aren't detectable to me at this stage.

 

On Skin: The warm amber fades a bit and makes way for the cool, damp herbal notes to come forward. This perfume smells very deep, like you could fall into it on a long inhale. Very heady and intoxicating. The nutmeg and tobacco keep this on a low, spicy burn that keeps the herbal notes in check. 

 

Dry Down: As this dries, it becomes a very resinous scent. It retains it's warmth through the whole experience, never being overtaken by the cooler notes. Herbal kick still detectable, but not as powerful. This is definitely going to be a full-bottle purchase for me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Finally, I'm getting around to reviewing one of the scents that I wear the most. I grab this for work most days - it makes me feel fancy.

I wasn't a huge fan at first, but it has definitely grown on me. I think part of that is because it is so complex, and I often feel like I get different notes out of it on different days.

I previously wasn't very familiar with red musk, but now that I've tried a few scents with red musk as a headliner, I can pinpoint it better. Hemlock I am not so good at discerning yet.

Tobacco is hit or miss with me, and luckily I don't associate with this scent with that note.

There's sweetness, there's smokiness, there's herbalness, there's muskiness... and like I mentioned before, somehow that combination equals sophistication and flies just fine in my conservative workplace.

I don't usually comment on this but the color of the oil? Lusciously dark.

It lasts a loooong time and I am here for that.

Edited by skyturtles

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Le Lethe is my favorite GC red musk, possibly because it isn't only and entirely red musk.  There's something about the red musk and nutmeg combination that really soars.  The nutmeg and dry blonde tobacco keep the red musk from going too grapey.  I'm not able to pick out the amber or labdanum, but I'm sure they're working their magic here as well.  The end result is sexy and warm and spicy, an absolutely gorgeous scent for autumn, but easily wearable all year round.  And it lasts all day on me. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm intrigued by this imp. I want more. It has all great notes. The "chewy tobacco" I was hoping for a gentle smell that would remind me of my great grandfather with his pipe. I don't get that, but this is still a lovely blend. As it fades I get the golden amber & nutmeg. Well, I just might have to buy a bottle.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Really gorgeous red musk and tobacco. On my skin I get the red musk first and foremost. It's rich swirly red musk, it has a certain sheerness and fruitiness. The tobacco is dark and chewy, and it follows the red musk closely. I get them almost equally once fully dry. I struggle to pick out other notes individually but I can tell they are adding complexity. I think the amber and orchid combine to give a luxurious, perfumey (in a good way!) facet. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a rare instance when red musk behaves on my skin. The red musk is drenched in tobacco, labdanum and nutmeg and I'm happy that the red musk usual incensey quality is muted here. Later on the tobacco and labdanum assert themselves and shut the dancefloor down. So good, spicy resiny tobacco gourgeousness ❤️

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×