whisperstilled

As the other reviewers mentioned, I would never have bought this one based on the note description, but it's completely different than I was expecting. I was anticipating a cousin of Inferno, but this reminds me of some of my first BPAL experiences - strange, fruity, herbal, lots of notes I can't quite place. Not quite my cup of tea, a little sweet/spicy/smoky/medicinal. If you like your BPAL herbal, you might like this, but it's not working for me.

In Decant: Green and Sharp. Wet: There's the frankincense, made very green by the palm and reeds. This is an almost aquatic frankincense, which I didn't think was a thing! The hibiscus is definitely in there, sweetening things and adding a floral quality. Dry: Dry frankincense and sweet greens, with a breath of hibiscus. A unique scent.

The aftershave does indeed contain violet, as the previous poster indicated. I'm almost relieved - now I can pass this sought-after bottle along to someone who'll cherish it! The notes beneath the violet are wonderful, and, indeed, very reminiscent of the Steamworks scents - I'm particularly being reminded of Robotic Scarab and Antikythera Merchanism. It has that oily incense quality that makes those scents so lovely.

The sweet black tea is a yes, but something in the truffle or the leather is making it go off on my skin. It sours an otherwise pleasant scent. I think if it was just a little less sweet and a little more astringent, it would be perfect.

Bottle: Strong amber and coconut, with a little spicy bite from the cardamom and a hint of patchouli and musk. Wet: Uh oh, I think this is the 'powdery' amber that doesn't get along with me so well. I'm also getting strong cardamom, much more so than I might have hoped. The cardamom is giving my skin a faint tingle, but thankfully this one doesn't seem to be hitting my allergy to spicier notes. Dry: Sweet coconut tempered by amber, which is starting to fade. The cardamom gives it an astringency. The musk is definitely there, but very well blended, and the patchouli is sweet. It's a beautifully blended scent, but perhaps not my cup of tea! I'll gladly pass along to someone who will appreciate it more.

Wet: Frankincense, sandalwood, and incense. Softer than I was expecting, with a woody background. This reminds me a bit of St. Clare, but it lacks the punch. Dry: Soft on the drydown. An extremely pleasant incense and woods scent. There are definitely other, more easily accessible BPALs that fit the bill of profile one for me these days, but I like it a lot!

So I seem to have the apple version to test! It is indeed fresh and green with a soft linen and incense backing note, and a touch of tobacco. Thankfully, that burns off very quickly and I get the soft linen and incense quality so many people have lauded about the original Black Lace. It's a little sweet, but not too much. I'd say my only complaint is that the throw is pretty soft. It's an extremely appealing scent, and I'll definitely be hanging on to my little bottle.

This may be the earliest I've ever been on a review thread, woo! I'm glad, because I want to be an evangelist for Zorya Polunochnaya. This is the vanilla scent of the gods. I put it on and it instantly shot into my top 3 favorite vanilla-focused BPAL scents. Light, floral, slightly sweet, but also somehow warm and comforting, this is the sophisticated vanilla I want to be when I grow up. Amber is a note I usually just cannot wear, but somehow it works here without turning into baby powder on me - I suspect it's the tobacco grounding everything, but the tobacco itself is extremely subtle. These notes add up to a white, soft, warm, waxy vanilla floral that is so close to a vanilla orchid scent that I would absolutely have believed it if someone had told me that was what I was smelling. I lean toward harsh scents that use vanilla to temper their sharpness (Liz is a favorite), and I think this is one of the first 'soft' vanilla scents I've tried that feels eminently wearable. This will layer incredibly with something green or sharp, no doubt. Run, do not walk, to go get yourself a bottle of Zorya Polunochnaya. I have no doubt this will turn into one of those incredible holy grail scents for some folks, and that it will age gorgeously.

This one has aged beautifully into a strong, wet lavender. Early reviews mention neroli, but I get nothing so sweet, just a strong extra something herbal as the previous reviewer noted. Clary sage, maybe? Chamomile is also a strong possibility. It's very soothing and pleasant. I would purchase this as a bedtime scent if I could still get my hands on it!

I have majorly gotten into lavender fougeres in the last year, so trying this one belatedly. Wet: Dry bright lavender and the oil note from the phoenix steamworks scents.A little moss, a touch of sage, and a breath of leather. Masculine, dry, bright, and complicated. Dry: My skin is absolutely devouring this one, almost no throw. The notes meld into a pretty standard cologne plus leather. If the leather was a little more pronounced, this would be absolute manna from heaven. As it is, it's still a very nice cologne.

Vanilla, and sharp, bitter opium. This is not sweet opium smoke, but tarry opium, 'indigo' as the description indicates. The coffee lends more bitterness, and the vanilla prevents the scent from going pure tar. Unfortunately, I think it's actually a little TOO bitter for my tastes. But for those concerned about the coffee being up front, it really isn't, at least on my skin.

Spiced honey musk. Reminds me strongly of Gennivre - must be the honey and tea. As it dries down, the honey fades off a little and becomes spicier, and I smell that green blackberry leaf coming through. Very pleasant.

Wet: Sweet charm in a bottle! This is much foodier than I usually wear, but good lord, the bay rum and sugar cookie combo makes Mr. Nancy a man I want to know better. The tobacco is there in the background, but really this is lime sugar cookies and bay rum. Dry: The bay rum comes out more as it dries, and the sugar cookies become more of a background note, which works for me! While still probably a little foodie for my tastes, I'll be hanging onto my imp, it's just too excellent.

Wet: Spicy cardamom floral. I wasn't sold on these notes on paper, but on the skin, they smell much nicer, like a high-end eastern perfume. Dry: Whatever those 'spices' are, they bring something really nice to the proceedings. Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, the drydown goes very 'floral potpourri.' There's enough moisture to keep it from drying out completely, but it's a little too dried flower petals for me.

Wet: Ginger, light and strong. A gingery cologne. I get the mandarin and the nutmeg, which bring a pleasant citrus/ginger/spice quality, giving it a brightness. The bergamot is also prominent. First impression - sweet but not too sweet, with a pleasinng sharpness. Dry: The bergamot gets a little dusty as it dries. The lime/mandarin/bergamot combo makes for a very well-blended citrus quality, while the nutmeg has moved to ground the scent. Just a whisper of ginger. This smells like a basket of sharp citrus fruits, but that 'dustiness,' wherever it's coming from (the vetiver?), gives it a slightly funky quality that holds it back.

Wet: Sharp bergamot and vetiver. Normally the latter would kill it, but this is one well-balanced and sharp bergamot perfume. Gorgeous so far. Dry: The hay is coming out as it dries, sweetening and adding a little spiciness to my nose. Unfortunately, what's beautiful when wet turns to a sort of damp-sweet hay smell as it dries. This is a great light cologne to start, but the second stage is just not as good.

One of those GCs I can't believe I haven't tried yet, it's a who's who of favorite notes for me! Wet: Opium and spicy myrhh, with narcissus in the background. Dry: Strong myrhh and narcissus with a breath of opium. Interesting, but a little on the damp side.

Rosewood and rose, astringent in the decant. Wet: Sharp and soapy rose. Rose soap. Dry: Softening into something a bit more woodsy, with the vanilla coming out. This is nice, but too close to the soap end for me, alas!

Rose, paper, and wax in the decant. I'm kind of in love already. Wet: Dry rosey beeswax oddness. The frankincense is quite strong here as well. This is a 'dry' incense scent to me rather than a 'wet' or heavy incense. A bit powdery and soapy, but nice overall. Dry: Going very soapy and sharp as it dries. I do like it though. While not the papery scent I might have hoped for, I do get leather as it dries down, again a fragile and dry leather scent. Interesting, but just doesn't quite work. So close!

I've had a decant of this one for ages, but I've never gotten around to testing it. Here we go! It's a beautiful scent in the decant, light and sweet. Wet: Light florals with musk and incense. Very well blended. I definitely get the lily as a top note, with faint almond and musk. Dry: A soft and sophisticated scent, if a little generic. It feels lovely and old-fashioned. An old school floral.

Sweet, almost medicinal vanilla floral and strong red musk in the decant. Wet: Whoa! Something here smells like mint cough syrup. WTF? Drying: My nose has no idea what is going on here. I definitely smell the mallow, and I think it's the sharp sandalwood mingling with the red musk that's giving this one such a weird and funky tang. And maybe the oudh? I've never been able to pick oudh out as a note, but I think it's what's bringing the vetiver-like earthiness to this. Not for me.

As someone who grew up in the Detroit area, I've been wanting to give this one a try since it was released. Excited to get my chance! Wet: This has a strong 'headshop incense' thing going on that must be the combo of the myrrh and the black musk. I do indeed get something faintly motor oil, but mostly it reminds me of some of one of the many old-school hippie import shops in the college towns I've lived in. Dry: I definitely agree that this is one of the musks in Smut, and now that I think about it, that's the scent it reminds me of most strongly. This is black musk, myrhh, and basically nothing else. I don't get any motor oil, but it's definitely a dark, incense heavy scent. Not for me, but I'm thrilled to have had the chance to try it.

A lovely sandalwood and leather scent, with coconut bringing up the rear. The champaca gives things a resiny quality, but I can't say it all comes together in the end. Between this and Hoiru, which has a similar note list, I'd take the latter.

Wet: Wow. Vanilla, coconut, and leather heaven. The black tea is definitely there to give things a little astringency. I am INTO it. Dry: This is exceptionally good, a perfect leather/sharp/sweet blend that hits every end of the scents I like without being too much of anything. As Shungas tend to be, it's pretty even across the board - I can smell everything in here, and even the patchouli isn't scaring me off. It feels like a scent to wear while studying in a cozy library with some fat leather books. I may need a bottle of this.

Wet: Sugared rose and carnation. This is way sweeter a floral scent than I would ordinarily wear, but it kind of works. A faint alcoholic bite from the cognac makes this more complex. Dry: This is the rose I always want from a rose scent, even though I don't wear them much. It's much more ~pink in its way than I usually go for as well, but something here is just working for me, the first scent from the Pickmans this year that has. A really excellent and well-blended floral. I don't know if I need a full bottle, but I'm definitely keeping my decant.