Sapphics

[Blood onmy hands]

Tonka, oakmoss, tolu balsam, grey amber, myrrh, and muguet.

Sapphics is definitely reminiscent of a classic department store perfume, but that's usually a bad thing for me and I actually like Sapphics. It smells a bit like something that my mother wore when I was little, actually. It's a warm, deep fragrance that makes me think of shades of dark, rich amber. The aspects of this are wonderful and they have that quality that I love in resins, where they smell powdery soft but not like baby powder. I think that I can smell the myrrh and amber, sultry and clinging warmly to the skin, along with something vanilla-esque and an overall cloak of something musky.

I like this, and it reminds me of my mom. I might actually purchase a full bottle before it disappears...

[hepkitten]

I get the same hairspray unfortunateness at the start of this scent that many others do, but at the end it softens to a delicate tonka/grey amber/oakmoss fragrance that's really lovely. Now I just need to decide if the end result is worth the wait....

[oneiromantics]

I bought a bottle of this based solely on its name-- I think sapphic stanzas are one of the most beautiful verse forms ever, and the Swinburne poem is great. I was bracing myself for disappointment because I don't have a particular love for any of the notes listed, but I am so glad I bought this one, because it's completely lovely. On me, it's a warm, sweet, spicy incense. I can't really pick out the individual notes because I'm a newbie without a highly trained nose. But there is definitely a lot of depth to this scent, and sometimes when I'm not wearing it I start having cravings for it. In conclusion, yay for sapphics!

[yeahbutnobut]

Sapphics

 

In the imp: mossy grey amber with resins, a soft misty-grey coloured scent.

Wet on skin: mmm, mossy and softly amber-y! This reminds me of another BPAL but I can’t say which right now.

Dry: mmm, this is gorgeous! I think the scent this reminds me of is Lyonesse, or Death and Life Completed? Maybe with a hint of Roux Ga Roux? It smells really interesting. The moss, a soft powdery grey-green scent, is dominant, followed by the sweet-powdery grey amber. There’s a gorgeous myrrh undertone to it as well, a hint of deeply sweet tonka. I also smell something almost reminiscent of crumbly grey stone? The muguet is subtle and adds a hint of white floral, but for now it’s not turning to soap! This is a very unusual but sophisticated scent.

After a while: it’s so hard to describe this scent, but the overall feel I get from this scent is of a dark grey or blue-grey colour, the colour of old stone flecked with moss, or rain clouds above white flowers, it’s almost melancholy but not quite. It’s heavy on the myrrh, which is of the powdery and sweet variety (no bad thing) and with a dusting of moss, and the grey amber in here is like the amber in Death and Life, which I love. This is the darker, silvery sister of Lyonesse and Haloes. The muguet note really completes the scent. Normally I dislike this note but I love it in here-it adds a floral element that really works. Over time this becomes smokier as the myrrh really comes into it’s own, and the tonka is wonderfully dark and sweet and shadowy here. Now there’s something pleasantly dusty to this scent. And now I realise what this reminds me of most of all…Eshe! The myrrh in here, as well as the dustiness and hint of floral, really reminds me of Eshe. Maybe a bit sweeter and mossier. The moss also reminds me of the soft purple-mossy scent I get in Robin Goodfellow. This gets richer and myrrh-ier and I also smell something like musk to this. It now comes across as a very grown up scent.

Verdict: this is a sophisticated, rich and beautiful scent. There’s a feel of something both classic (as in it smells like a classy vintage perfume) and classical (in that it brings to mind images of Greek statues when I smell it-I think it’s the moss and powder notes evoking images of stone), and all the notes merge in a scent of silvery blue-grey, it’s a scent that’s a little bit resinous, a bit floral, a bit musky, a bit mossy, a bit smoky…but all of it merges so nothing stands out and it’s a very seamless blend. The myrrh and powdery amber are dominant, with moss and muguet (which works in here!) also coming out at times. Definitely bottle-worthy and one which will age wonderfully, I think. (I don’t get hairspray from this scent but at times it does remind me of Stardust.)

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes-one to get a bottle of.

If you like this, try: Lyonesse, Death and Life Completed, Eshe, Roux Ga Roux, Stardust, Robin Goodfellow

[Czarina]

I suppose this smells mostly of amber and myrrh to me. I really have no good words to describe this. "Department store perfume" is as good a description as any to me. It smells good, but is not floral, and I can't identify most of the notes.

[grashopper8]

I am obsessed with this! It is a decant that I chose last-minute from my circle, and I'm beyond happy that I sprung at the chance to try it.

 

Sapphics is a dark, resinous blend, and Amber + Myrrh pretty much says it all. But the subtle balsam, along with the creamy tonka, makes a fascinating incense blend.

 

Take all that, and combine it with Lily of the Valley (muguet), which grew at my childhood home, and you had me at hello. Absolutely divine....

 

More more more more more!

 

I think I will buy 2 bottles, just to be sure.

 

If this smells like a department store, please tell me which scent, as I'd be genuinely curious to sample those as well.

 

4.8 out of 5

[maribouquet]

Ooh, lovely, darkly sophisticated at first, but my skin funks it up. > I blame the lily.

[savage_rose]

Sweet, and subtly spicy. A bit incensey. Almost aquatic, but earthier than that. A balanced, gentle blend, but with a great throw.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle I am getting a dark sweetness. Maybe the tonka and amber/myrrh.

 

On my skin comes a bitter note that fades into amber. It's a dark ambery scent now, not powdery or dusty. A little sweet.

 

I'm going to have to try this again later -- I've been testing a bit too long I think and perhaps my nose is starting to be overloaded, even with coffee bean sniffs in between.

[Miss Lynx]

I wanted to love this one (and Harikata) just for the inspiration -- I mean, how often does BPAL make overtly lesbian-themed scents?

 

Of the two, I think I like this one more. Harikata is considerably too girly for me -- this one smells a little more androgynous.

 

There are elements in it that smell almost, but not quite, like a men's cologne -- maybe the tonka, since that comes into a lot of men's scents? But at the same time, there's a sweetness (probably mainly the muguet) that keep it from going too far in that direction. The end result is sort of feminine, but atypically so, which gives it that appropriate element of queerness that Harikata hasn't got.

 

It's less earthy than you would expect something with myrrh and oakmoss to be -- those notes have definitely been added with a light hand. There's an element to it that's almost a bit reminiscent of Lyonesse, but less heady and intoxicating than that one is.

 

As it evolves, it goes through a phase that's almost too sweet, where my skin seems to be amping the muguet, but then that passes and it settles down to a soft, earthy/resinous, just slightly sweet skin-scent. Quite nice.

 

So it looks like even if the classical Japanese lesbians didn't work for me, I still get to maintain some dyke cred by liking this one. It takes long enough to get to the stage that I like that it is like rather than love, but I'll at least keep the imp, even though I don't think I need a bottle.

 

Grade: B

[naeelah]

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this, but it sounded very grey and fuzzy to me. That's about how it smells on me, too.

 

It's hard to describe. I can't really differentiate the notes, partly due to blending and partly due to lack of familiarity. I can tell there are resins, and a hint of oakmoss. It's not smoky. It doesn't smell like the usual amber. It also doesn't smell mossy or earthy. It's just subdued and fuzzy.

 

Some people have mentioned a hairspray quality, and I can see that when it's wet. Once dry, it still has that slightly sharp edge. I think perhaps it comes from the myrrh and oakmoss. It doesn't smell like hairspray, but it isn't as rich and warm as you might expect a resin blend to be. The myrrh doesn't have any sweetness here, just dry resin with a hint of smoke.

 

I realize that what this reminds me of is Coco by Chanel. They don't smell perfectly identical, but I feel like the character is similar. Sophisticated amber.

 

This stays really close to the skin.

[ladyver]

bottle: everything - hard to distinguish.

 

wet on skin: balsam and myrrh dominate, quickly followed by muguet.

 

bit later: the muguet is definitely doiminant. but just as i start to worry it could turn into a powdery floral on me all the other notes come out with the moss and then finally the amber & tonka appearing last. (i wasn't expecting the dominant floral note because i forgot muguet was lily of the valley )

 

i like this later when the muguet dies down (but still lingers) and i can enjoy the full blend.

 

much much later it is warm and mossy.

 

overall nice. it would be perfect for someone who likes lily of the valley but doesn't like strong floral purfumes

[matokie]

I was a little wary of this blend because I was afraid the incense would be too strong, but it works oh so well on me. It makes me think of forested Greek isles, ancient temples and smoking braziers, and yes frolicking women. Woodsy, rich, and very classic.

[filigree_shadow]

I have to be very picky these days about which bottles I buy due to money issues, so unless I honestly love something I can't really justify buying a bottle of it. I tested a bunch of decants to figure out if I wanted any bottles from Lupercalia this year, and Sapphics was one of the two bottles I bought.

 

On me, it's lovely. It smells dark but not too dark, and smoky but not too smoky. Kind of slinky. I think it's mainly a combination of grey amber, oakmoss, and myrrh that I smell on my skin, and it's a beautiful combination. To me, this seems like a dressed-up nighttime sort of scent. It seems more sophisticated than amber and myrrh scents usually are.

 

I can see myself wanting to wear this as often as Trick #1 and Black Orchid, which are sort of my default grown-up perfumey scents. This one doesn't smell as much like traditional perfume as either of those do, though, it's more of a "wow, what is that" kind of scent.

[edenssixthday]

Sapphics – Normally, I love oakmoss and myrrh, but this blend really doesn’t do much for me. It’s definitely woody, but not overpoweringly so. It’s slightly sweet from the tonka and oakmoss, but not in a feminine type of way. It’s a somewhat subtle scent on my skin and has a strong outdoorsy, woodsy feel to it. About 20 minutes after applying it, it actually starts to amp up and send the most gorgeous wafts of scent around me. The first time this happened, I thought it was coming from someone else and was beyond surprise to discover that the scent was coming from my very own wrists. When sniffing up close, I still smell the same scent I did before, and it’s still a little underwhelming and not particularly impressive. But the sillage is absolutely phenomenal! I love the way this scent smells as it’s carried through the air. I wish I could describe it better. The wafting scent is much stronger on the oakmoss (which I love) and tonka, and smells almost like there’s honey weaving through it – although I know it’s not. I love the way this smells around me even though it’s unremarkable when it’s just on me, if that makes any sense. I also think this would be a wonderful every day type of scent on my man. The throw is above average and the staying power is about average.

[LiberAmoris]

I couldn't pass up Sapphics because I love grey amber. Love. And sure enough, right out of the gates, there it is, that sweet and earthy note that's just so good. And happily, it stays. Even hours after applying, Sapphics on my skin is mostly that wonderful amber with the tonka, oakmoss, tolu balsam, myrrh, and muguet chiming in.

 

The tonka and oakmoss combined with the amber give this the feel of an earth-bound Lyonesse on my skin. Whereas Lyonesse is aqueous and has a sea breeze running through it, this is definitely a blend with both feet on terra firma.

 

I think this blend is wonderfully gender-neutral, and because of that, it's tremendously comforting to me somehow. This is the kind of blend I'd wear on a rainy day if I wanted to curl up with a book.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – An oddly cold resinous blend

 

Wet on me – A kind of grey masculine musk

 

Dry on me – A dry slightly herbal, lightly sweet musk scent

 

Overall – I’m a bit ambivalent, but that could be my current poor health rather than the blend

[GhillieDhu]

Oh, this is lovely! It's definitely a cousin to Hades, one of my favorite GC blends, but rounder, softer, and less musky.

 

The muguet is fresh, springy and green on my skin, instead of FLORAL SOAP DOOM. The resins are so nice and gentle, and a bit powdery without being baby powder. Tonka adds a warm, womanly character to this scent, so it's not straight up resinous, and the oakmoss contributes its crisp papery smell to the drydown. This "feels" softly greenish-gray and matte, with fuzzy edges.

 

This is a very grown-up perfume - if I made a "department store" comparison, it would be something classic from the middle of last century. Except I think this is what those classic perfumes are supposed to smell like, but they never do on me, so this is a fantastic surprise. Definitely keeping the decant, may need to track down a bottle.

[sadtomato]

in the bottle this is sweet and has a very, very slight floral to it, which i'm guessing is the lilly of the valley.

on my skin, the gray amber and tonka take the leak and are gorgeous. gray amber is my new love and i must seek out everything with gray amber in it, this is just truly a lovely, sensuous scent that does wonders with my body chemistry.

when this dries down i'm left with a soft, yet strong scent that is warm, slightly sweet but in a musky, not foody way and has the slightest floral hint to it.

very pretty, feminine, and achingly beautiful.

i am in love with this scent and will be rationing the contents of the bottle so as not to use them too quickly.

just gorgeous!

[Salsa Shark]

This scent was a complete surprise. I can't even remember why I ended up ordering it, because oakmoss is usually such a deal breaker note for me. I think the amber/muguet/myrrh combo seduced me.

 

Anyway, in the bottle and straight on this smelled sort of as you'd expect - grey, fuzzy and a with a definite 'generic perfume' feel. I can definitely see how other people got hairspray. At first I thought it was going to go powdery and soapy, but after about five minutes it warmed up and oh my word...

 

It smells like Snow White's more sophisticated lesbian older sister. I love it. There's a sharp, sweet lily scent from the muguet and tonka, while the throw is soft, dark resiny yum. Instead of taking over, the oakmoss is barely even noticeable, just sat there tying it all together and stopping it from becoming too 'girly'.

 

It eventually fades out into a soft sweet grey musk. Not a huge amount of throw or wear length, but it lingers around for long enough. Definitely glad I got a bottle!

[themerrybaker]

The Sapphics drydown includes both the resins and the muguet - making this one of the few wearable muguet perfumes I've run across.

 

This is definitely sexy, long wearing, and unusual enough that getting the bottle was worth it.

Edited October 23, 2008 by themerrybaker

[theseagrows]

oh my, i LOVE this. it's soft, warm, sensual and dare i say inviting? the notes are blended beautifully, and i love the oakmoss in particular in this. the muguet is soft and not overpowering. this is simply soft and beautiful, and i MUST have a bottle!!

[zankoku_zen]

Okay, here is where my obsession with Voodoo Queen is gonna come through... but a lot of the components here seem to act on my skin like the base of VQ smells like. I think it's the amber/myrrh resinous of it. Whereas VQ is spicy, this one seems to have a sweetness. VQ is more complex, and the Sapphics is more of a sketch.

 

On the other hand, Sapphics can give you an idea of what VQ kinda smells like. And it's the closest dupe in BPAL that I've gotten to.

 

Warm, sensual amber/myrrh resinous goodness. I prefer VQ, but Sapphics might do in a pinch.

[asciident]

Wet: Flowery soap, ew.

 

First on: ...Still soap.

 

Dry: Unchanged dry. Not a fan!

[lady_pandora]

Wow, this is lovely, a soft floral-incensy blend. If you can imagine a cross between Lucretia and Hymn, this is it. Dominant notes are the tonka (which I think is where the Lucretia feeling is coming from) and incense, and underneath that there is floral. I keep thinking I smell rose but don't see it listed. It's just the slightest bit powdery but not in a bad way.

Edited March 31, 2009 by lady_pandora