Sepulcher

[AlaskaSnows]

Austere, majestic, and coldly beautiful. The scent of funereal blooms laid gently on cold marble. Calla lilies wrapped in rose and gladiola with the barest touch of sweetgrass and juniper.

Wet:

Dry: I get a light Moon-type floral (floral base of Moons not The Moon) covered by a bit of juniper and a LOT of sweetgrass. Unfortunately it smells a lot like celery seed. I am going to let this mellow for a few months and see what happens. Edited January 23, 2006 by Shollin

[desu]

In the bottle: I think I'm smelling the juniper. Weird scent.

 

On my skin: Prior experience with rose of any stripe has taught me that it goes to soap on my skin almost immediately. This one, though, is (mostly) under control which is a nice change.

 

Later on: Lingering sweet florals. The rose hasn't gone soapy at all.

[gingersnapp]

When I first put this on, there was a spark of Christmas Tree and I thought, well, I guess the juniper is going to dominate this blend. However, two of the strongest and most dominant scents with my skin chemistry are duking it out and neither one seems to be winning - the lily and the juniper.

 

It's a very strong floral with a piney undertone. And there is definitely that feeling of coldness.

 

Nicely done.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lilies and other flowers. very light and cold.

on: lush, wet flowers. gorgeous and mournful.

1.5 hours later: a bit sweeter. still lush and heavy. i really, really like this.

2.5 hours later: a tiny bit of soapy flowers, but mostly still gorgeous.

3 hours later: a bit powdery, but mostly sweet, heavy, lush flowers. not a happy scent; more reflective.

overall: i ADORE this. i'm so glad i nabbed an imp. i'm not sure if i'll try and track down a bottle, though.

[Thaleia]

I wasn't sure what to make of the fact that this scent was listed under men's recommendations on the BPAL website. I liked the notes, though, so why not?

 

I also don't know what to make of the fact that in the bottle, it smells like The Haunted Palace. I just did a comparison test in the bottles, and The Haunted Palace smells quite similar, only more citrusy. Hey, at least I have something similar in case I run out of THP, because I didn't get a spare.

 

Okay, never mind! When it's on, it's completely different. I smell absolutely no resemblance to THP whatsoever, but that's a good thing in a way. Sepulcher is a sad scent, empty and white, evocative of loss and death. The juniper comes out enough to lend sharpness to the floral, and the sweetgrass keeps the flowers from getting too overpowering. This is a cemetery, not a garden.

 

More melancholy than Ode on Melancholy, Sepulcher is perfect for those days when you need a light, unobtrusive scent that's just there, or when you're feeling introspective, but NOT when you're already feeling depressed. I'm still remaining faithful to my Ode, but this is definitely good to have on hand: 4.

[sarada]

In the bottle this is a gorgeous, sweet, soft, powdery floral -- and I don't like many florals, so why is this so compelling?

 

Sweetgrass and juniper serve to make this both sweet and slightly green. A cold, bright white floral -- sun on snow on a perfectly clear day -- but a heady sweetness that makes you want to go to sleep on a bed of satin.....in a wooden box. Hallucinatory sweetness.

 

On my skin, lilies and roses rest in a puff of powder. I don't care for florals on my skin, because before long it just smells like plain old perfume. But the first juicy crisp bite of these fresh flowers is really lovely, even though it becomes a faint powdery spray in a few minutes.

 

Alas, when it dries down it reminds me of a perfumed sunblock my mom used to always wear. This smells the way it did after the saltwater washes the perfumey lotion off the skin.

 

If I was into floral perfumes this would be a good one for me. As an experiment though I really like the way it smells in this empty bottle I got for sniffing purposes...it's not meant for my skin.

[zenvodunista]

delicate, sweet. Mostly gladiola and rose. Very floral, while still being light.

 

n.

[yeahbutnobut]

Sepulcher

 

In the imp: very sweet floral-I'm assuming that's rose and lily.

Wet on skin: whoo, this is heady, but in a good way. Rich, dewy floral notes.

Dry on skin: ooh, I like this. This smells like a bouquet of white lilies from the florist's-powerfully fragrant, mixed with the strong scent of rose and they merge to become one dominant floral note. The grass note adds a lovely hint of green to the scent, making the flowers smell fresher and more alive. There's a nice moistness here, almost like the flowers have been drenched by rain, and it's almost mournful at times-this is a funeral bouquet placed on a grave on a rainy day. I don't get any juniper, which is surprising since that's usually quite a bright, high pitched note that always peeks out of a scent.

After a while: the lily then moves away from the rose, and the scent gets drier and a bit greener. The drydown scent is of dry lily petals, clean, papery and white.

Verdict: this is a poignant, heady, emotional floral scent, which is predominantly the scent of rose mixed with highly fragrant lily. It's quite a melancholy scent, there's a lot of feeling in this, the floral notes sing on my skin, but it's a sad song, almost mournful. The lily note is made even more real by the presence of grass which adds a greenness to the scent which gives the impression of a bouquet from a florist's shop, or a bouquet lying on a wet layer of grass, as there's also a moist fresh feel to the scent. I really like this scent, only a drop is needed as the scent is potent and has a lot of throw. I don't need a bottle but I'm glad I have a decant of this gorgeous floral scent.

Edited February 18, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Hey, I just noticed that this is discontinued! It's a generous frimp with my decant circle imps, and I'm so pleased to be able to try it, since I see the magic word "rose" in the description.

 

This is nice--like my sweetgrass massage bar; that's a note I haven't noticed in other BPALs, and I quite like it. There's the tiniest edge of citrus to it. Juniper appears for the first two seconds only, then vanishes. I don't really get the rose or the other florals, which is odd considering how florals usually love me. They appear only as extra sweetness under the grass, with just a hint of rose in the final drydown.

 

Completely unexpected, based on the other reviews! I like it; it'll be nice for summer especially--it's a lazing-in-the-sun scent. I have the weirdest chemistry; I thought this would be cold and sad, but it's quite the opposite!

[brownbear]

I love the sweetgrass note. It is a sweet, green floral. It's kind of heavy and humid. Very nice. A keeper.

[edenssixthday]

Sepulcher - Does anyone have a vat of this that I can have? This is a gorgeous scent. When I first tried it on, I thought it was very, very faint. Then as I went about my business, I kept catching wafts of something incredibly beautiful and I realized that the scent is very soft and light, but not faint at all. On my skin, it's full of lilies with a touch of rose. Worn in a scent locket, a drop of juniper is also evident, making the scent even prettier than when it's worn on my skin. This surprises me, as juniper/evergreen/pine scents and my skin chemistry usually clash. This is a gorgeous scent and I wish I'd known how pretty it was when it was available so that I would have purchased a full bottle instead of a decant.

[Eunice]

Sepulcher is exactly as described. Lovely cold calla lilies, rose, sweetgrass and just a little bit of juniper on me. This is my first scent with sweetgrass and I love the addition of this with the other ingredients. Sweetgrass keeps the florals from being to cloying and overpowering on me. This gets a greener scent the longer it is on my skin. An amazing oil!

[theseagrows]

this scent doesn't really do it for me...something in it is very sweet, perhaps the juniper or lily, and it turns strongly perfumey and cloying on my skin.

 

that being said, it is a cold funereal scent, even a little bit creepy, and i love that it evokes that feeling.

[supremegoddessofall]

Mostly rose and lily. Getting a little bit of the juniper and sweetgrass in the background.

[bifemmefatale]

This is a cool, green rose scent, with the glads and lilies tipping it towards soapy on my skin, but not entirely. The juniper is not really recognizable as such; it just adds a light, pleasant spiciness to the wet stage. The sweetgrass is what makes this smell green and cool, I think. Pleasant, but remote and refined, which is not me.

[Rat The Unloved]

Initial Impressions: High, sweet, slightly commercial.

On the Skin: Pungent with the same sour notes as Mr. Jacquel. Hints of strange scents that remind me of ... Curry powder. One HELL of a throw. The florals come forward with a vengance. The Juniper, a strong note on my skin, balances the over-all juju.

Dry: This scent is COLD. It feels chilly, and windswept. Honestly, and chillingly, it reminds me of attending my grandmother's funeral in December of 05. Even given the location (near the Gulfport Texas), even given the waving palms... there was a hunting chill to the air. This is that scent. Large bundles of lilies and frothy white roses... and the odd ornamental plant.

Mature: Gentle florals backed by hints of chill and rich earth.

Several hours later: Faded to muted tones of the earlier florals.

Over all: A lovely, lovely scent. High florals are not generally my cuppa, but I did enjoy this one.

Buyability: Sadly, this scent has been discontinued twice, so buyability is moot until such time as BPAL ever decides to ressurect it.

[filigree_shadow]

Hmm. This smells like neither lily nor rose to me but some new wonderful luscious species of flower that's a cross between the two. It has rose's velvety-ness and lily's boldness. Sweetgrass and juniper, while not at all my favorite notes, add beautifully to this scent. They give it a touch of greenness that makes me think of flower stems. This scent isn't just flower petals, it's the whole flower.

 

When it's completely dry the rose is the most noticeable note, and it's a lovely rose. Nothing weird or soapy or artificial about it. Just soft and perfect.

 

Beautiful. Sepulcher is so pretty.

[zankoku_zen]

Ah, this is a lily rose, with a hint of gin. As all things rose, its the most dominant aspect of this blend. It's slightly sad, very melancholic and just with a hint of green.

[voodoocatwoman]

I don't like Sepulcher at all either in the imp or wet. It smells musty and dirty, almost like something rotting. However, when it dries down, it turns sweetly floral and is just delightful. I nearly washed it off this morning- thankfully I was running late and didn't have time. I adore the fragrance.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

Bottle: lily mostly. With some ‘green’

Wet on me: uh oh. I just amped lily and it was joined by rose and they are taking a trip to Wizard air freshener land. Please abort this trip!

Drying Down: soapy rose lily now

Dry: this smells like the little rose shaped guest soaps my grandmother had.