Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

[Atrous]

Lilith meets the Gargoyles of Paris: stone and ancient incense, beeswax and lavender smoke.



The stone and the incense are there.  I'm not getting any beeswax so that's kinda disappointing.

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the lavender smoke.  It does indeed smell like smokey lavender and is off-putting.  

I was hoping for a more beeswax/incense heavy scent with the other notes in the background.

[OctoberGwen]

This is beautiful. It’s a soft scent; the incense is blended beautifully with the beeswax, which gives everything a roundness, a depth. As much as I love the herb, I dislike wearing lavender because it tends to overpower everything else. Not so here: lavender smoke is not smoky per se, rather it’s a softer, wispier version of lavender and it’s perfect with the subdued incense note and the slightly creamy beeswax.

 

The only Travelogue scent I got a bottle of and I’m so happy I did!

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

In bottle: "meh". Smells like lavender. Lots of lavender. (Puts aside to destash)

curious..... 

 

wet: Oh wait, something is sweet here. Is that the beeswax, or the stone note? The incense though. Wowza. The lavender is so soft and smooth, wth? Gah, I am digging this, it's so smooth, that stone note is so pretty. It's like the tiniest bit of NAVA Dino limestone (the tangyness, but so soft and not harsh), I need to smell more BPal stone notes... 

 

dry: Going to need a full bottle *cries*

[zankoku_zen]

Wispy lavender, stone and a whiff of beeswax. This one ended up sort of a perfumey incense on me. Great throw and wear length.

[doomsday_disco]

My goodness, this is gorgeous.

I could tell that I would love it just from the decant sniff.

The lavender smoke, incense, and stone steal the show at first, and you can really tell that it is lavender smoke and not just pure lavender. The lavender and stone combination remind me of Waiting without the rain and musk notes that make that one veer into dryer sheet territory. The incense note is beautiful. I am not sure which notes comprise it, but I do think there may be some frankincense involved. The beeswax candles play a background role at first, but they end up being the dominant note on me after several hours of wear, mingling with the incense and stone, and what remains of the lavender. This definitely features beeswax candles and not pure beeswax; while there's a bit of sweetness to it, this is smokier and not as sweet as The Lights of Men's Lives. I went and smelled what remains of my Candlelight atmo, and it's more like the beeswax candles and smoke from that. I'm not normally someone that enjoys smoky scents, but I adore this. It isn't overly smoky at all on me. Every single note in this is a win, and together, they're stunning.

I was interested in so many Winter Travelogue scents that I restrained myself from getting any blind bottles, but this was one of the scents I was most interested in, and it did not disappoint. I still have more scents from this update that I need to test, but if I could only get one bottle from this update, this would be it. If I could only get two bottles from this update, both would be this.... because I really don't think one bottle will be enough.

[Casablanca]

Oh, gosh. The first-sniff thought is "Probable bottle."

 

Beeswax wreathed in smoky incense and lavender over a hint of stone.

 

This one has more smoke than the little bit I seemed to get from Snow of the Gravestones at Petersfriedhof; instead, the smoke here is pervasive in a way that reminds me of Dia de los Muertos. This smells like a festival-day smoke -- smoke wafting through the streets, present everywhere you go. Lavender sweetens and purples it.

 

The blended lavender and incense smoke wafts over stone that stands apart from the other notes. It smells subtle, flat, and gray to me. A lot of the time I don't notice it.

 

Lovely blend, very evocative.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: LOTS of lavender, and incense. I can totally smell the "stone" note as well. Wild!

 

Dry: Light lavender incense with a little bit of that stone note still hanging on. Beeswax, where are you?! As is, the scent is OK... but it's really missing that beeswax note. I think my skin ate it, which is a shame. I was really looking forward to that note popping out. 

[kscha2017]

Very strong on incense when wet. Almost had to wash it off. One tiny drop goes a long way. After several minutes, I am getting the stone and lavender smoke. I think the (very faint) beeswax is blending in with the lavender smoke.

[artisjok]

When I first looked over the this collection, Cathédrale was the one I wanted to blind bottle, so, accordingly, I sat on my hands and waited for reviews.  Luckily, I ended up getting a decant.... 

On my skin, I’m getting primary beeswax and lavender smoke. Feels a bit like the softer, kinder sister of Gaueko. 

It’s lovely, but only lasts about an hour before disappearing. I feel like if I had gotten some of the stone note, I would be more inclined to age a bottle and see if the wear length would increase.

As it is now, I can be happy with just a decant, and I can always change my mind if it shifts! 

 

Edit: second wear, I can sense the stone note with the lavender in the wet stage. I think I was interpreting it as a sharp herbal of the lavender the first time.

Edited March 21 by artisjok

[VetchVesper]

Ooooh.  That's lovely.  I get beeswax and lavender right off.  Those are both notes that I find pleasant enough, but don't go crazy for, but here, they're really doing something nice together.  I didn't immediately recognize them, but after a few good sniffs, I identified them without looking at the notes.  The perfume has a cool vibe, though there's no "snow" or anything, and I think the smoke and incense add just a touch of nose tickling harshness that is really interesting.  It does sort of have a solemn, somber airiness to it that is strangely evocative.  I think more of a giant library, myself.  But it could be a cathedral.  I'm really enjoying the Travelogue scents so far.  

 

ETA:  After the fire at the cathedral, I couldn't help but buy a bottle of this.  Such an awful event. 😢 Even though it will be rebuilt, so much will not be the same.  It seems serendipitous that Beth, in some way, preserved the fragrance of the old building, and it's lovely that Lilith got a chance to visit it. 

Edited August 1 by VetchVesper

[Minh Scent]

This might be my favorite of the collection.  This is one of those "whoa!" perfumes for me in that it smells so atmospheric...having been in the Cathedral, this is what it smells like- incense, candles and stone.  The lavender confuses me a bit at first.  On my skin, this is the first note that comes forward, but then, yes, it does become a more incense, smokey lavender, and then the other notes come out as well.  Beautiful!

[theseagrows]

at first i smell stone and incense. maaaybe a hint of lavender but it's pretty subtle in the beginning. after awhile it pretty much dries down to just stone and incense. there is no beeswax to speak of, and i was really hoping for that note. i like this but it's not a love.

[LizziesLuck]

I could not resist this - lavender scents are likely my most worn, as I wear one every night for bed to help me sleep. And beeswax is one of my biggest comfort scents, so this was a no brainer for me.

 

Wet: The beeswax in this is super smoky, like another scents I have and love that I can't remember the name of (oh how I desperately miss my spreadsheet. RIP. I want to say the scent it's reminding me of is Loi Krathong, but that may be spelled horribly wrong. ) The lavender is herbal without being astringent as it sometimes is. The stone is cool and dusty. This doesn't have the sweetness I have come to expect from beeswax, it's a different note entirely. It smells sort of like a freshly snuffed candle, mixed with lavender. It's gorgeous. Not remotely what I was expecting, but gorgeous. Very unique.

 

Dry:  Stays true - smoky herbal lavender with a bit of cool dusty stone. This is an incredibly unique scent. While the smokiness does remind me of Loi Krathong, other than that I have never smelled anything like this. Beth is still blowing me away after all these years. I will cherish this one on nights when I need some extra comfort for bedtime.

[Lucchesa]

One of my favorite BPAL categories is anything with candles in the description.  And while the word isn't there, smoke and beeswax = candles, so this was a must-try.  And it's ravishing.  This is definitely lavender smoke, not the unadulterated herb; it's not hitting me over the head then disappearing like lavender usually does on me, but I keep getting wafts of incensey lavender over the next couple of hours.  Lovely!  (I typically don't get a lot of throw from most scents.)  The beeswax is the base note here which the smoky lavender floats above; it's not nearly as sweet as in blends like Lights of Men's Lives.  I'm not sure I really smell stone, but it might contribute to the generally cool, airy tone.  It is sort of reverent.  This is a wonderful, original addition to this category of scents.  

[Poenari]

I haven't been to Notre Dame, but I have visited many other ancient cathedrals in Europe, and always love the mingled scent of stone, incense, smoke, and candles. When Notre Dame burned, I ordered this because I will never see it as it was, even though it will be rebuilt.

 

Lavender wafts strongly from my wrist at first, and it is Lilith's lavender but wispy as smoke. The lavender then fades as the incense rises. This is a beautiful scent, slightly smoky, and captures the feeling of being inside such an ancient cathedral. I will treasure this scent. I'm so happy for Lilith that she got to experience Notre Dame in person.

[freyasfae]

This one was a bit of a no-brainer for me - Lilith's lavender, beeswax, incense, smoke - but I kept waffling. Glad I bought it before they disappeared because it is as heavenly as all the other reviews say. The incense makes it sweet, but not too sweet. The beeswax gives it warmth, while the stone just does something I can't even explain. The lavender haunts it is the best way I can explain it. So glad I purchased a bottle. This one will be on heavy rotation, particularly in the fall and winter.

 

Oh, this is a must for those who love Wan White Humming, too.