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juushikaA BLADE OF GRASS (LE, Halloween 2008)
Autumn leaves scattered among blades of grass.
In the vial: The spicy, musk, wet, red-blue scent of the leaves in To Autumn with just a hint of sharper greenness.
On me: On wet it's a bit of rotting vegetation and too-sharp grass, but upon drydown this is lovely. I was expecting (and wary of) crayon-bright red leaves and green grass, but this is a beautifully subdued and more realistic interpretation. To my nose, the leaves are predominant: deep red edged with purple-black, gently spiced, dusty dry but also damp—they remind me precisely of the maple leaves that fall from the tree at my house. To the boyfriend's nose, the grass is predominant: green but not sharp or bright, more like the rain-fed and rain-hushed lush grass of autumn. There's nothing but the leaves and grass, but they are wonderful together. Unfortunately, the throw is very low.
Verdict: I'm in love—my only wish is that it were stronger. Blade of Grass is a natural, artistic, beautiful rendering of autumn leaves fallen on grass—shades of deep red, muted green, and tinges of purple-back, a touch damp, a touch dusty, softly spiced. This one is worth slathering to make it stronger and longer-lasting, and I'm very glad to have my partial bottle. Exquisite.
JACOB'S LADDER (LE, Yule 2008)
The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka.
In the vial: Slightly bitter golden resin. But don't mind me, I never love the bottle scent.
On me: The bitterness fades, but the sweetness of the tonka never comes out. As this dries and warms on the skin, it blossoms into something beautiful. It's not particularly complex, nor that different from the vial, and no one note is distinct to my nose. But together, they create an epitomic golden resin: not an individual, but an ideal. Golden, softly glowing, smooth, not too deep, powderless but not quite polished to a shine. I don't get any powder, or sweetness, or women's perfume—just lovely golden resin. Sadly the throw is short, but the wear length is long.
Verdict: This is not my perfect amber blend (that's Haunted), and so it doesn't quite send me into throes of ecstasy. But Jacob's Ladder is undeniably beautiful. This is golden amber, pure but never simple, exactly what I wanted. It's a must for amber lovers, and I shall treasure my decant—and I'm considering a bottle because it's sure to age well. Lovely.
THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT (LE, Yule 2008)
Embrace your villainy: balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress.
In the vial: An astringent woody scent, but not quite balsam—this is probably the cypress. It's pungent, a touch bitter, and clears the throat and eyes.
On me: The cypress is joined by a slightly less pungent balsam fir. Together they're light (in scent, not in strength) but astringent, almost like eucalyptus. The woodiness is gone—this is the scent of freshly crushed foliage. And that's it. No matter how long I wait, I don't get any of the other notes, there's no morphing, the blend never grows dark or bitter. The scent is colorless to my nose; the texture is gaseous, like evaporating chemicals. It's potent with a strong throw.
Verdict: I was hoping for the brightness of mandarin against a dark setting, but all I get from Winter of our Discontent is astringent pine—which isn't my favorite scent. I'm a bit crushed. I don't think I'll hold on to my decant. Unless a week or two of aging makes a significant change, this just isn't the scent I was hoping for or one that I can come to love.
BLACK CAT (Heaven and Earth Essentials, Spices)
Buttercream FO, Antique Patchouli EO, Sandalwood EO and Orange Blossom EO.
In the vial: Orange oil, slightly bitter, and a touch of cream. It's very faint.
On me: Upon application there's a bloom of delightful orange blossom and rich cream—softly sugared, barely fruity, and quite beautiful. In a few minutes the patchouli rises, balancing the brightness with darkness. The patch isn't as smoothly combined as I'd like, and I can never pick out the sandalwood, but this is a lovely scent: creamy sweet orange blossom (especially in the throw) grounded by the smokey, peppery darkness of patchouli. This is rich, sweet, and bright with a darker, spicier heart. The color is gold speckled with dark brown; the throw is high fading to moderate after the first hour of wear; the wear length is moderate.
Verdict: HAEE's Black Cat is my favorite non-BPAL perfume and a wonderful scent in its own right. The sweetness of cream, brightness of orange blossom, and darkness of patchouli is a brilliant, beautiful, balanced combination which is decadent without being foody or heady. I love it, and I'm ever-thankful to the BPALer who gave me this decant.
Autumn leaves scattered among blades of grass.
In the vial: The spicy, musk, wet, red-blue scent of the leaves in To Autumn with just a hint of sharper greenness.
On me: On wet it's a bit of rotting vegetation and too-sharp grass, but upon drydown this is lovely. I was expecting (and wary of) crayon-bright red leaves and green grass, but this is a beautifully subdued and more realistic interpretation. To my nose, the leaves are predominant: deep red edged with purple-black, gently spiced, dusty dry but also damp—they remind me precisely of the maple leaves that fall from the tree at my house. To the boyfriend's nose, the grass is predominant: green but not sharp or bright, more like the rain-fed and rain-hushed lush grass of autumn. There's nothing but the leaves and grass, but they are wonderful together. Unfortunately, the throw is very low.
Verdict: I'm in love—my only wish is that it were stronger. Blade of Grass is a natural, artistic, beautiful rendering of autumn leaves fallen on grass—shades of deep red, muted green, and tinges of purple-back, a touch damp, a touch dusty, softly spiced. This one is worth slathering to make it stronger and longer-lasting, and I'm very glad to have my partial bottle. Exquisite.
JACOB'S LADDER (LE, Yule 2008)
The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka.
In the vial: Slightly bitter golden resin. But don't mind me, I never love the bottle scent.
On me: The bitterness fades, but the sweetness of the tonka never comes out. As this dries and warms on the skin, it blossoms into something beautiful. It's not particularly complex, nor that different from the vial, and no one note is distinct to my nose. But together, they create an epitomic golden resin: not an individual, but an ideal. Golden, softly glowing, smooth, not too deep, powderless but not quite polished to a shine. I don't get any powder, or sweetness, or women's perfume—just lovely golden resin. Sadly the throw is short, but the wear length is long.
Verdict: This is not my perfect amber blend (that's Haunted), and so it doesn't quite send me into throes of ecstasy. But Jacob's Ladder is undeniably beautiful. This is golden amber, pure but never simple, exactly what I wanted. It's a must for amber lovers, and I shall treasure my decant—and I'm considering a bottle because it's sure to age well. Lovely.
THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT (LE, Yule 2008)
Embrace your villainy: balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress.
In the vial: An astringent woody scent, but not quite balsam—this is probably the cypress. It's pungent, a touch bitter, and clears the throat and eyes.
On me: The cypress is joined by a slightly less pungent balsam fir. Together they're light (in scent, not in strength) but astringent, almost like eucalyptus. The woodiness is gone—this is the scent of freshly crushed foliage. And that's it. No matter how long I wait, I don't get any of the other notes, there's no morphing, the blend never grows dark or bitter. The scent is colorless to my nose; the texture is gaseous, like evaporating chemicals. It's potent with a strong throw.
Verdict: I was hoping for the brightness of mandarin against a dark setting, but all I get from Winter of our Discontent is astringent pine—which isn't my favorite scent. I'm a bit crushed. I don't think I'll hold on to my decant. Unless a week or two of aging makes a significant change, this just isn't the scent I was hoping for or one that I can come to love.
BLACK CAT (Heaven and Earth Essentials, Spices)
Buttercream FO, Antique Patchouli EO, Sandalwood EO and Orange Blossom EO.
In the vial: Orange oil, slightly bitter, and a touch of cream. It's very faint.
On me: Upon application there's a bloom of delightful orange blossom and rich cream—softly sugared, barely fruity, and quite beautiful. In a few minutes the patchouli rises, balancing the brightness with darkness. The patch isn't as smoothly combined as I'd like, and I can never pick out the sandalwood, but this is a lovely scent: creamy sweet orange blossom (especially in the throw) grounded by the smokey, peppery darkness of patchouli. This is rich, sweet, and bright with a darker, spicier heart. The color is gold speckled with dark brown; the throw is high fading to moderate after the first hour of wear; the wear length is moderate.
Verdict: HAEE's Black Cat is my favorite non-BPAL perfume and a wonderful scent in its own right. The sweetness of cream, brightness of orange blossom, and darkness of patchouli is a brilliant, beautiful, balanced combination which is decadent without being foody or heady. I love it, and I'm ever-thankful to the BPALer who gave me this decant.
