Haunt 2021

[Seajewel]

Dry leaves under amber lighting, a whiff of Snake Oil and Dorian, lavender oil, and distant fires.

 

 

[bunnicula]

Fresh from the mail tests, I this one is my favorite of my 2022 liliths order! The leaves here aren't fully dead, there's still life in them yet! They don't have too much of that really strong peppery smell that the dead leaves usually have for me. Mainly this smells like a mix of red leaves on the ground, and snake oil. Also the snake oil smells a bit brighter somehow, oh maybe I'm smelling some of the lavender? I'm not getting anything smoky or distant fire-y, which I'm cool with. It's interesting how this blend changes everytime I sniff it, in terms of whether the leaves dominate or the snake oil dominates! It's hard for me to smell any Dorian in this right now. Maybe that will change with rest, I imagine this will be pretty stunning with time.

[elissamay]

Out of bottle this was 100% dead leaves, but on the skin it really opens up into Snake Oil wrapped in a warm amber hug. The leaves dissipate almost immediately as if taken away by an autumn gust of wind, and the amber-wrapped Snake Oil blooms. I don't get the lavender oil at all, and the smoke from the fires really is distant. If you love Snake Oil, you will no doubt love this, but if you don't like dead leaves, they only stick around for a brief time.

 

I have also never smelled original Snake Oil or Dorian, so more discerning noses than mine may have a different experience!

 

 

[Casablanca]

Freshly applied, for a few seconds, this is a non-cologney (and a bit richer) dead leaves bell pepper... then boom. Amber and lavender Snek Oil. For a brief phase, the blend offers things sweet, dark, a little lavender-herbal, and a little bell peppery.

 

The distant fires are distant. I can sense them as traces of cinder and smoke, but nothing too punchy in the snoot.

 

Dorian pokes his head in only after this dries. I'm not sure how to describe his effect on the blend, other than to say it gets more nuanced or involved, but doesn't overwhelm.

[LavenderCoffee]

Oh my heart, I'm so relieved. My grabby hands mailbox test was not good for this one: acrid burnt snek. Haunt has improved significantly after some good resting time.

Fresh on the skin, it's a gust of leaves, and then a pleasant smoky snake and sweet lavender! Which is more likely lavender and Dorian getting mixed up together. What a lovely Fall night for the fam.

[Poenari]

Oh I love this so much! This has the same leaves note as in my beloved Dead Leaves, Red Musk, & Neroli. I never would have dreamed of blending that note with Snake Oil and Dorian, but that's why Beth is the perfuming genius and I'm not. I can definitely detect the Snake Oil this, but not so much the Dorian or lavender. I really hope that Beth can blend more when the BIG MOVE is completed. I had intended to order a bottle but it sold out before I could do so. At least I was able to order a decant! In the meantime, I'm going to try layering my own Snake Oil and Dorian with SN Pile of Fallen Leaves to hold me over. I know I can't replicate this beauty, but perhaps I can find a way to placate myself until this returns.

Edited November 2, 2022 by Poenari

[Jenjin]

Fresh application brings a pile of freshly raked leaves that quickly dissipate. If you've never been able to wear a DL scent, this one is for you! It becomes a sweet, herbal scent afterward,  ooooh, this is a floaty, elegant warm embrace. The smoky amber is luscious like the glowing resin of an ancient tree along earthen fire pits. If you're looking for the Snake Oil/Dorian, they are very subtle, becoming something completely different here. I could describe it as Snake Oil dancing in a rich, amber glow. This is beautiful, and i'm wishing for more than a decant. 

[MamaMoth]

oh, what a masterpiece! 💜

let me start by saying that dead leaves notes almost never work for me, as i mostly find them too cologney, aquatic, and/or bitter for my liking. lavender is hit or miss for me as well.  but i find it nigh impossible to resist a snake oil blend, and the dorian and amber were very alluring as well. so i took a huge risk blind bottling this, but i was struck with such dreadful fomo watching that stock number dwindle.  and i am SO, SO glad i was.  i wish i'd been brave enough to buy several in fact, but i'll be crossing my fingers for an eventual restock.  (especially since my sister fell in love with it as well.  and i'd love to gift her a bottle, since she doesn't take to many of my perfumes.)

the dead leaves hit hard straight out of the bottle, but on the skin they almost instantly fall back.  now leading the charge is sweet, rich, vanillic snake oil, wreathed in amber perfume.  dorian is quiet, but its sweeter aspects are there in support.  in counterpoint to all this rich sweetness is the crackling whisper of leaves, whose dry, autumn-invoking, sharp bitterness cuts the rich sweetness. ugh, i FINALLY see the dead leaves appeal!  the balance of sweet and sharp is devastatingly perfect, and it's absolutely what makes this one so special.

as it wears on, the amber rises up a bit more, giving this an addictive perfumey quality.  the dorian also gains some presence.  i keep thinking that it has reached it's peak, but it just keeps getting better!

many of the liliths this year struck me as very halloweenie-like, and none moreso than this one.  i wore it a lot before halloween, and i'll be wearing it plenty after too.  i'd go so far as to say it's weenie-er than most of the weenies i've tried!

in short, it's basically perfection.  if you like fall scents and snake oil blends, don't hesitate on this one if we get another crack at it.  even if dead leaves usually give you pause, this one is still worth a try! 

Edited November 6, 2022 by MamaMoth

[Threemoons]

I was a little nervous about this one because I am not the hugest fan of the Dead Leaves note.  However, since it had Snake Oil listed, I tried it.  VERY good call.  In the bottle:   Sharp Dead Leaves dominates, with a hint of Dorian.  On, wet:  The Snake Oil and amber notes jump ahead, along with a wisp of lavender smoke.  Drydown: The dead leaf note settles way into the background, leaving a really gorgeous mix of Snake Oil, amber, and a touch of lavender.

[Llanval]

I couldn't resist testing this one even though I wanted to wait a few weeks before cracking the bottle open! And of course it's beautiful. Perfect, even. A masterpiece, even, as MamaMoth says above. Fresh, crackly red leaf litter and ephemeral snake oil, lavender and a thin hint of bonfire smoke. Dorian is in here, but he's a supporting player to the lavender, not as forward as I was hoping for. But overall, this is an incredible, oddly nostalgic, wonderful expression of Halloween nights. Every so often, bpal sends something truly magical out into the world and this scent is it for me, for 2022. I really hope there's a restock at some point, lol!

[birdieflyaway]

I'm so sorry to do this since it's not in stock, but I have to acknowledge the GD perfection of this. Agree - a masterpiece. It's atmospheric and sentimental, it feels like a spell has been cast on this oil. What a wonderful combination of faint smoke, lavender, leaf bits, and snake oil. Truly incredible, the season's delight. 

[HerbGirl]

 Haunt 2021 smells like a candied version of BPAL's dead leaves (though not this year's incarnation, which I cannot even describe...), plus a hint of Dorian and the new Snake Oil and it all fades down to the new SO in about 10 minutes. This is a decant, but I'm sure the bottle acts similarly.

 

Well yeah, this is gorgeous. Of course it sold out fast. And it can be closely reproduced if you have the necessary arsenal and a decent nose. I'm sure the OG Dead Leaves would be best, but I have Dead Leaves, Moss and Mushrooms, Dorian (I wonder which notes she used since it is oos), and Snake Oil. I think I might try it with old gooey 2006 Snake Oil sometime to see if it will last...

 

ETA: Aha! It smells like Devil's Night with a touch of Snake Oil (but with no longevity).

Edited December 2, 2022 by HerbGirl

[Incognito]

I get the dry leaves first, especially in the bottle, but as soon as it warms on my skin, I get a big hit of Snake Oil. I think I may detect some extra sweetness from some "amber" lighting? Maybe? But I can't detect any of the other notes, this is just dead leaves and Snake Oil on me, and I am not mad at it. I never knew I wanted a dead leaves and Snake Oil scent until now. This is great. Somewhat sad that I didn't get around to trying this until after Autumn, as this is for sure an Autumnal scent. I love this. As it dries more I am getting some whiffs of lavender, which is lovely. Oh yes, this is a keeper. 

[Janis]

The dry leaves are a bit much at first, but calms down after a bit. When wet I also got sugary whiffs (Dorian?). Drydown is soft and warm with a bit of kick from lingering dead leaves. I'm not big on standalone DL or SO but they balance each other out wonderfully here. Dorian is very quiet but adds a complexity I love.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Janis

[alterosen]

Strangely, I'm getting a big hit of neroli in the opening stages of thìs, then dead leaves of the dry variety, the older version of Snake Oil that has very little patch, & some sugary amber in behind. Not noticing any Dorian or lavender. It has decent wear on me but is not something I'm going to reach for that often.

[ND¢]

I get the hype. My only dead leaves scent is the original October and this does a good job of being a 'fresh' dead leaves scent, not cologney, opening up into mostly a Snake Oily amber and fire smoke. Touch of gentle lavender, ghost of Dorian maybe. 

Edited to add: This has aged beautifully. It quickly becomes something not dead leaves, not Snake Oil, not Dorian... entirely itself, and very beautiful! So glad I have it. 

Edited October 21, 2023 by ND¢

[doomsday_disco]

I passed up this one because the Lab's dead leaves and I are generally not friends, but a kind soul decanted some for me to try to make sure I didn't have regrets.

 

This is indeed a blast of dead leaves at first, and it stays that way for a while, until the Snake Oil and Dorian emerge and eventually overtake the leaves. Then it's Snake Oil swirled with Dorian and just a little bit of dead leaves in the background. I was not able to pick up on the lavender, so I'll have to retest this one and really look for it next time around. Going off memory (no death match), this kind of reminds me of the way that Snake Oil and Dorian come together in Salzburg Krampuslauf, but with leaves instead of snow.

 

The good news is that I, too, did not get a cologne bomb (or the dread bell peppers!) from the dead leaves accord in this, so I will have to decide whether or not I need more of this on my retest.  

 

ETA: Retested this last night. The dead leaves were stronger, stuck around longer, and did give me a headache, and I swear I got some neroli in the dead leaves accord, which would explain the headache. No bottle upgrade for me.

Edited April 14, 2023 by doomsday_disco

[Bassmastadroog]

Slightly smoky/straw like leaves with slightly warm Snake Oil, but not the spices of Snake Oil…it’s like Dorian is tempering it because I get that ever so slight vanillic tea floating around. I think lavender blends in to help that. It’s a subtle mix and it’s actually quite beautiful. If I didn’t know all of those perfume blends were in this I would have no idea what it was, just that it had an exciting familiarity to it…but also something very unique. It smells less like a perfume and more of an outside air, something you’d pick up outside and bring it in with you on a jacket. I love how natural it is! This one is a definite winner!!

Edited February 18, 2023 by Bassmastadroog

[Lucchesa]

Haunt is not quite what I was hoping for. I wanted the dead leaves to temper the sweetness of the Snake Oil, but instead I get them sequentially: first DL, then SO. Instead of Dorian, I get what smells on my skin like Snake Oil with a dab of TKO. No smoke at all. I think I was wanting something more like the love child of SO and DL on Fire. I’ll have to try that!

[Minh Scent]

This is a little stunner, with the entrance note an almost floral dead leaves (agree with Poenar who said it smelled like the dead leaves in Dead Leaves, Red Musk

and Neroli).  I cannot pick out the Snake OIl, but I am getting vanilla and Dorian, as well lavender. It's so gorgeous, I can barely pull my nose away from the keyboard 

to write this review!

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky, musky, and very Voodoo Queen lite. This smells like a young version of Voodoo Queen. Medium throw and wear length. 

[Cali]

Oof, I hadn't smelled that dead leaves note in YEARS, i'd forgotten just how strong it is!! But, i'm not getting the fires, but the other 'fumes are there, a very very soft snake oil, and a more apparent Dorian (the slightly cologne-y fougere being very strong on my skin here) and lavender. Took me a sec but now that i'm getting used to this i definately quite like this.

[Little Bird]

On 4/3/2023 at 8:24 PM, zankoku_zen said:

Smoky, musky, and very Voodoo Queen lite. This smells like a young version of Voodoo Queen. Medium throw and wear length. 

I recently won a bottle of Voodoo Queen on the Lab's ebay and have been wearing it a lot lately and I don't think that Haunt 2021 smells anything like Voodoo Queen.  To me, Haunt 2021 is crisp and cool toned with lots of Dorian and it doesn't seem to share any of the same notes or feel as Voodoo Queen.  Voodoo Queen is like a warm, spiced, earthy scent with hints of moss, sweet resin, and classic perfume.  It reminds me of a slightly less sweet and more complex and sophisticated The Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn more than anything else in the bpal catalogue. 

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how strong the Dorian component is in Haunt 2021.  When I've had other Dorian blends, the Dorian aspect seems to disappear under the other notes, but it sticks around strongly in Haunt 2021 for about 4-5 hours of wear before the whole scent starts to disappear from my skin.  The 'dead leaves' are the variety that I usually don't care for, like wet green leaves and cologne, but they take on a creamier, sweeter, more pleasant quality here because they're mixed with the Dorian and lavender, which both smell chilled and creamy to me.  They make the green leaves smell almost candied on my skin, like if the crisp scent of green stems from a florist's fridge were turned into a creme savers candy. 

The Snake Oil and woodsmoke come out in the drydown with a hint of powder from the amber, but the Dorian with hints of lavender and green leaf also stick around.  This is actually one of the nicest Dorian + Snake Oil pairings in my collection because the Dorian doesn't pull a disappearing act and really meshes well with all of the other notes.  Cool Dorian vanilla musk intertwined with Snake Oil's darker, slinky musk with hints of sweet, green stem, creamy lavender, amber powder.  The woodsmoke gets a little stronger on me over time, which I would normally dislike, but it brings out the incensey character of Snake Oil and does more of a sweet, exotic smokiness than a sharp one.

I really like this and I wasn't expecting to.  

[Lunameth]

This is a slightly sweet dead leaves blend on me, and I do have to wait for full drydown for the dead leaves note to be softened by the others. But the blend is very subtle, I wouldn't know SO and Dorian, or even lavender, are in this, it's just a slightly softened and sweetend, slightly smoky, lightly spiced dead leaves. It's really lovely and perfect for a dry autumn day.