Lear

[jj_j]

A regal, commanding scent, but poignant. White cedarwood, blue sage and bay leaf.

I grew up in the country, and our land was covered, like much of Oklahoma today, with red cedars. On the back side of the pond, just past the big rock dam that water trickled over and down into a crawdad hole, there was a huge cave created by overhanging cedar branches. My brother and I would crawl in oh-so-carefully to avoid getting the itchies, and play; I always loved to weave garlands out of flowers and grasses picked on the way to the hidey-hole.

Lear is mostly cedar, although a drier version than the ones I grew up with, along with those broken and bent stems I tried so hard to make into a crown; barely green and leafy. Absolutely majestic, but in a quiet and reflective way.

Dried down to a scent that was gentle with definite strength of will and character.

[Thanatopsis Azraelis]

This is a definite woody scent -- the cedar dominates the entire time on me. As it dries, the cedar backs off a bit to let the other notes shine through a bit more, but still remains the strongest of the bunch. I like this a lot, and I think either sex could wear it, as long as they like woody smells

 

It stays strong for a long time, but remains subtle. Like jj_j said, it exudes a quiet sort of strength. Big bottle!

[allamanda]

This is very masculine on me, too much so.

 

When first applied I think of linseed oil, that means I am getting very strong woody smells that I am currently unable to identify. (As a gardener I oil the wooden parts of my tools annually).

 

As this dries I am getting a twisted smell, I believe it is the combination of sage and bay. I find sage very bitter and this is how this feels to me. The woodsy smell is there in the backgrounds, but at no stage could I have identified it as cedarwood.

 

The bitterness drowns this on me and I get a very masculine smell underneath. Far too much for me to wear.

 

Edited to say: Some hours later I can finally smell the cedarwood, this still doesn't suit my skin-chemistry though

Edited April 27, 2004 by allamanda

[Vaniclion]

This is one of the extras Beth threw into my first order, and I'm glad she did!

 

Out of the bottle, it's tremendously strong, and I didn't care for it.

 

Tonight, (well, this morning) I decide to try it out to see what its like. It's extremely masculine. First on, it's dark like leaf mold. After it settled a little, I realized what I recognized in the scent. When my parents got married, as a present they recieved a little cedar box. I played with that box all through my youth, always curious what was inside. After their divorce, my mother gave it to me and now I keep my gemstone collection inside.

 

Lear, on me, smells like the inside of that box. Dry cedar with some age on it, but yet there's still something moist about it darkening the scent.

 

Realizing that... almost brings tears to my eyes. It's a very comforting scent now.

 

Wow. Anyway... yeah. VERY masucline, and I don't think it's an everyday scent, but it is extremely original as a cologne/perfume. Very much like Cathedral, except without the incense tones I think.

 

Edited because Beth deserves a capitol letter!

Edited May 9, 2004 by Vaniclion

[hypothermya]

I've always loved the scent of cedar, and this is what attracted me to Lear. I remember that when I was little, my father would keep his sweaters in a big cedar chest, and I'd try to sneak off with the sweaters so that I could smell the cedar while I fell asleep. In a very non-Elecktra complex sort of way, I was hoping that this would be the perfect cologne for my boyfriend, who also likes the smell of cedar. So Vaniclion graciously swapped me for an imp of Lear, and we gave it a shot.

 

In the Bottle

 

This smells very strongly of sage, and the other scents don't come out so strongly. It reminds me of sniffing into an open bottle of dried sage while standing next to my box of spices. The sage is strong, but mingling with other herbal scents. The cedar is just an undertone in this, smelling vaguely woodsy, as if I had kept my herbs in a wooden box rather than a big shiny metal one.

 

Wearing It

 

On my boyfriend, this did not work at all. Once he put it on, it erupted into a strong, pungent, bitter sage scent and refused to show signs of anything else. Even when dry, he smelled exactly like the mountain sage that grows wild in some of the local hiking spots. As he put it, "I smell like I just ran through a bush of sage." No cedar, no bay. Dissapointing.

 

While I was sniffing the imp ear, though, I accidently got some one me, and it's a whole different scent on my skin. It starts out with a strong cedar smell, and I am immediately reminded of that old chest of drawers that my father kept his sweaters in. Once it dries, the sage and bay pick up a little, making this a rounded and full scent. Masculine, yes. Regal, yes. Not enough cedar now to remind me of my childhood, but a really lovely scent. Unfortunately it's the exact sort of scent I'd love on my boyfriend, but not on me. Pity it doesn't work for him

 

This is a great masculine scent, or even a great room scent, but I think that I'll probably be swapping it out. For the times when I need to be reminded of that chest of drawers, I think it will be better to just pick up a single note of cedar (or even buy a bag of cedar chips)... And I'm still a bit pouty that it didn't work with my boyfriend's skin chemistry.

[supasonicsage]

I do really love this in the bottle and it may well be turned into something like a room spray or a sachet...

 

My chemistry... foiled again. I get the exact same smell as a sharpened pencil... with that slight lead/graphite undertone to it and everything... you know when you empty out the pencil shaving drawer. That is me right now.

 

It is another one that really didn't change on the dry down either.

 

I have to agree that either sex could wear this as it is very woody, and would smell wonderful on someone without the chemistry problems that I have.

[Alice Aforethought]

The cedar is lovely in this one, and normally I'm not a fan. There's a dry, woody spiciness to this one with a slightly sharper herby note to lighten it. Saying that, the sage is not strong on me at all.

 

There's a warmth as well as a reflective calm in this scent - very evocative.

[madame royale]

Lear is to me what the madeleine was to Proust. It’s redolent of cold, overcast fall days; the quiet of a library in the late afternoon; the roughness of a man’s stubble. There’s nothing floral or affected about this scent—it’s for the anti-metrosexual. Wet, it’s bracing and herbal, and entirely edible. Dry, it’s a clean, clean, clean cedar. As much as I would devour any man wearing this, I am keeping it for myself. This is what a bookish bobo of either sex would wear.

 

This non-girly girl who dislikes powdery florals and treacly fruits adores Lear: it will be my first big bottle.

[Lady_Ell]

I love how this smells in the bottle - the sage makes the cedar softer and more interesting.

 

On me, though, it smells just like cedar and a dude.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: i don't think i like cedarwood...or something. this reminds me of three jacks because it's heavy, almost oppressive. if i had to bet, i'd say that i wasn't going to like this.

on: more woody now, and not as heavy as three jacks. however, i'm getting that pickle smell. i wonder if that's the cedar.

2 hours later: very woody on me. i actually kind of like it.

overall: this is a really different scent for me, and i probably won't wear it very often, but i think i'm going to keep this imp.

[lemonlye]

Pretty much pure cedar on me. I like cedar very much, so that's fine - it's clean and bracing, and reminiscent of standing in a lumberyard on a brisk winter day. However, for a similar woodsiness I think I prefer Anne Bonny, which has a delightful wicked sensual streak. After all, for a regular daily fragrance I want something a bit sexier, not something that makes me think, "Hm, smells like a cedar-filled dog bed."

[TheDarkMother]

This was one of the swaps from LadyofDarkstar.

 

In the Bottle: Lear reminds me a lot of Tombstone with the lovely cedar note. This reminds me so much of things when I was growing up, from my Mom's Hope Chest to my hamster's cage lining. The thing that it hits home the most with is the closet in my husband's house that he was selling when we first started going out. I remember that my daughter (who was only about 6-9 months at the time) couldn't stand any place in his house but that closet. She would only sleep there.

 

On Me: Very masculine, and very cedary. In fact, I smell nothing else but. I really like this scent though, very mysterious and manly. I have to wonder how it would smell on the hubby.

 

I love this, and will be getting a bigger bottle of it soon. Until then...slatering time!!!

[Penance]

Got an imp of this as a gift from fallow deer.

 

First sniff:

 

Strong, dry cedar. This is a scent with attitude, much like my beloved Anne Bonny; it's very confident and powerful smelling, somehow. In the vial, all I can pick up is cedar and the faintest hint of bay leaf. This is a pretty masculine scent, but, at the same time, it's right up my alley. I love cedar, especially when it's combined with other dry scents. This is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Whoa, that's cedar, alright! I don't get anything but dry cedar from this when it's wet on my skin and that's more than alright by me. This is exactly what I've been looking for in a cedar scent, this is absolutely perfect for me.

 

Dry down:

 

Gorgeous, dry cedar and a hint of bay leaf and sage. The bay leaf and sage are just barely hinted at, but they give the cedar a depth that it didn't have on its own. This is a gorgeous, dry scent that's very calming but very powerful smelling at the same time. I love, love, love this scent.

 

The bottom line:

 

A new favorite, no question about it. I'm definitely getting a 10mL of this as soon as I can.

[Shimmershadow]

On Opening: Woody, mossy smell, kindof foresty. Makes me think of old stone buildings. Smells very organic, sort of mushroomy even. On second whiff, the wood smells really start to come out. Whoo! Methinks may be too strong...

 

Wet on Skin: Still smells mushroomy and damp earthy. Not a bad smell, just not one that I'm particularly crazy about on my skin.

 

Dry: More woody, very strongly cedar, and not a bad scent at all, but not one I'm in love with. Very masculine on me, and while I like masculine scents, this is a bit too much for me.

 

Overall: Nice, but not for me. Think my dad would like it though, so if I don't sell or swap it, I may give it to him.

[surf-tormented]

I really enjoy cedarwood based oils and this one is no exception. Lear smells very earthy, woody and regal. I can't really smell the sage or bay in this, but it does smell more full than regular cedarwood essential oil, which I have. Maybe it is that the cedar is white cedar and somehow fuller or richer than plain cedarwood.

 

Regardless, I really like this. I wouldn't buy a bottle of it because I already have cedarwood oil and could easily blend sage and bay into it. I would recommend it to others without the supplies to make their own though.

[Northernminx]

Dry, warm cedar and a touch of herbal sage. As others have noted I got a lot of cedar in this one. This was masculine but earthy, resonant of power but somehow not quite regal and the perfect scent for an aging Lear. I found this very soothing and comforting, woodsy and warm, maybe even a bit dusty. Not for me, but gorgeous none the less.

[Theravada]

This is almost pure cedar on me. I barely got any sage or bay, which makes me a bit sad. I adore wood scents, but cedar isn't my favorite wood note simply because it has SO many common memory associations. Everyone talked about this already above....the cedar chests and pencil shavings and hamster cages.

 

I wish this one was a lot less cedar and a lot more bay and sage. If the three notes were more equal players, I probably would have really loved this one. I don't hate this one by any means though. I might keep this imp, but I won't order a bottle.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Warm woods.

 

Second Impression: What a gorgeous scent. It's both warm/woodsy and green/fresh. I can't believe how harmoniously these notes blend. They just sing.

 

Final Analysis: This is definitely a rugged, masculine but also sensitive fragrance.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Yup - that's cedar!

Wearing: Yup - that's still cedar! Dirty cedar, at that.

Final Impressions: Cedarific! I'm going to pass this on to the boy.

[thesibylqueen]

In the bottle: an almost floral tone, but muted, and clean. Probably the cedar.

 

Wet: Still floral--I think it is the cedar and sage and my chemistry. A friend said it smelled very gender-neutral, woodsy, but told me I wasn't sporty enough to wear it! My girlfriend, however, though it was too masculine.

 

Dry down: Mellowed out to a soft sage-y scent that was warm without being overpowering.

 

As my friends seemed to think it was a wrong scent for me, I probably won't wear it as a fragrance, but I liked it so much I'll use it for a room fragrance.

[quimerula]

On my boyfriend Lear is cedar.

White, dry cedar.

Strong, commanding cedar.

Woody and plain cedar.

Stays true, lasts a lot... cedar.

Just not my cup of tea.

 

ETA(will edit after trying it myself).

Edited April 10, 2005 by quimerula

[quinkel]

OMG! This is the scent i want when i need to feel strong and a bit masculin. It's like a cave to hide in, makes me feel so protected.

 

The scent is foresty/herbal. Probably the Cedar, and sage. There is a bit similarity with Black Forest.

 

Great scent to wear in spring and summer, and while picknicking or camping outside.

[lavinia_short]

this smells very patchouli on me, though maybe what I'm smelling it the cedar, it just has that same sharpness to it - it's pungent in a good way, stronger than cedar shavings. It makes me feel rather confident and powerful…. Assertive, in a way… on the drydown, it still smells as cedary as it did wet. thankfully, it does not make me smell like a guinea pig cage!@

it's yum, but i probably won't order a big bottle of it. i do like it, however...

[shelldoo]

beautiful cedar, altho not cedar shavings in the least, lear is an antique cedar box, that at one time held sage, i am not detecting bay leaf but it could just be hiding in the box, under the sage. this is a deep resinous scent that definitely yells LEAR in my ear

[Malista]

On me, wet and dry, Lear is pure cedar. It's a lovely strong sauna-and-mountain-lodge sort of scent, but it completely eclipses the other notes. I might try layering Lear with O, as I think a strong wood note might be just the thing to keep the honey in O from going Play-Doh on me, but I don't think I'll wear Lear alone.