Bensiabel

[Watercolors]

Plum juice, lilac, leather, and a smattering of herbs.

 

In the imp and wet, this is very strong leather and something sweet.
Once it settles down, it completely morphs and becomes plum backed by green herbs and lilac. As the day goes on, the plum becomes a little sweeter and the lilac more evident, but it otherwise doesn't change.
The staying power is alright, but nothing to brag about. It's pretty faint by dinner if I apply around 7 AM.
Overall, it conjures the image of eating a ripe plum in my backyard, in the shade out near the vegetable-herb garden surrounded by lilac bushes. This'll be a great one for me in early summer, when everything's finally turned green and before the heat sets in.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Cozy, robust leather. There’s something indistinct but fresh hiding beneath it.

 

Drydown: Primarily soft leather supported by a powdery freshness. It stays consistent throughout the drydown, until it sweetens a bit towards the end.

 

Dry: Equal parts rugged-but-worn leather and nearly-powdery lilac. There’s perhaps a dusting of dried herbs in there too. Quite androgynous.

 

 

 

 

7 out of 10 bones

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: First whiff was fruity and herbal, then all of a sudden, whoa, floral! (Eloquent, I know ) Not getting the leather yet, but everything else has shown up.

 

Wet on skin: There's the leather! First and foremost. There's a hint of the other notes right mow, but it's mostly the leather.

 

Dried down: This is pretty much pure herbs and leather on me, with the lilac creating a bit of a soapy background. If I try really, really hard, I can smell the plum, but not otherwise.

 

Throw: There's a teeny bit of leather and herbs in the air, but that's it. Well, every once in awhile, I sniff and get some of the lilac.

 

Verdict: *** This is nice, but surprisingly enough, this combination with the leather isn't driving me wild. I don't think I'll be reaching for it enough to need a bottle, and I may even give up my imp. I've got enough other leather scents that I adore.

 

ETA: Ok, actually, I am getting a few whiffs of plum in the throw, and I can smell it if I rest my chin on my hand. It's pleasant, but I think my verdict still stands.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Magycmyste

[Erinofhere]

Wet I get mainly fresh new black leather. On my skin the lilac comes out and dominates. Lilac and I don't get on so well but thankfully the strong gorgeous leather and timid yet beautiful plum keeps this blend from turing into all lilac. It's very pretty...only that lilac just keeps coming up and smacking my nose. Sad to say this imp must go.

[Aviatrix]

I get a big blast of leather with a bit of plum's sweetness underneath, but only faintly so. I'm not getting the lilac, sadly.

The leather is nice and everything, but I was hoping for a bit more of the other notes too.

[Teaker]

A strong masculine leather note, with a soapy floral. I don't get any of the plum juice. There is a bitterness coming through from the herbs. I tried this a long time ago and thought I really liked it, but on re-testing I'm not a big fan. I'm thinking lilac is a problem note for me. Like rose, it instantly turn everything to soap. Such a shame, it's my favorite flower!

This one is not a keeper, even without the soapiness it's too masculine for my tastes.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: Notes are exactly as described. This smells really sexy to me & yet very unisex - I want my man to smell like this AND I want me to smell like this! I'm trying really hard not to drool right now!

Wet on skin: Same notes, but now they're competing with each other instead of complementing each other. Hmmm...

Dry on skin: The leather isn't playing as nicely with my skin as usual. It's still quite a pleasant smell (the plum juice note is gorgeous!), it's just not as amazing & sexy as it was in the imp.

After a few hours: Oooohh! This is really nice! Not the OMG-super-sexy it was in the imp, but pretty!

Verdict: I like it! I really want to test it on my husband too. I think the imp will do me for now, but if I ever get a scent locket, this is a must for a bottle upgrade!

[keltiejean]

Wet- earthy, herby goodness, with the lilac sloooowly showing its pretty face. This is an outdoors gorgeous dream.

 

 

Drying- I'm getting something sweet in the back. I'm guessing that's the plum coming out. The lilac keeps showing itself more and more. I'm

 

Dry- soapy clean leather and lilac. This is fresh and clean. There's something that reminds me of being a kid in here. But I can't put my finger quite on it. The plum adds sweetness, but doesn't take away from the freshness.

 

This is gorgeous and lovely, but not for me The scent memory can't place isn't sitting well with me.

[PixieSkull]

I love lilac and enjoy herbal tinges to scents.

 

In the Imp: this is lilac with the telltale dark herbal undertone.

Wet on Skin: the darkness of the leather bursts out and the herbal component's sharp astringent smells come out immediately on contact. The lilac swirls with some grittiness before sweetness comes out a bit and settles somewhat into a sharp, slightly powdery floral.

Drydown: just not what I'd want from a leather blend. It really only adds a bit of a darker base to the herbal floral. This is what most similar scents become on me; powdery, sweet, white florals with an astringent tinge. It's not horrible, just way too similar to other scents on my chemistry.

 

This reminds me a bit of a darker Zephyr and smells like there's amber in the blend, that powdery sweetness that overpowers nearly every single amber blend I try. I also wonder if it's lily, especially since plenty of reviews use terms like "soapy," "clean," or "scrubbed." The plum juice only really came out in the sweetness in the wet phase and just died.

 

2/5 - my chemistry doesn't love the blend, I suspect a little amber and/or lily creating the overwhelming powdery/sweet/soapy scent. Washing it off, just "eh" for me.

Edited November 11, 2014 by PixieSkull

[nameoftherose]

This is a beautifully simple blend that doesn't morph much on me. Straight off, the fruity combination of plum and lilac is very strong, paired with dry, grey leather. As it dries, the notes mellow and come closer together. I find the lilac and plum particularly well blended, so that they just seem like two aspects of the same, purple-violet note: a sweet, concentrated and fruity one, and then the other, airier and softer floral facet.

 

Bensiabel is fairly long-lasting on me and has lovely throw, from both the plum/lilac and the leather. It has a nice vibe of adventurousness to me that seems so appropriate to a fairy-tale inspired blend; sweet, summery, but with an edge of cool, almost metallic leather. Invigorating and refreshing in turns.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Brand-new black leather and something vaguely floral.

 

Wet on my skin: Well-oiled black leather with that hint of sweetness from plum and lilac.

 

Dry: I was expecting this to be more similar to Jareth, given the leather and lilac notes, but it's actually very very different. In a good way! This is a youthfully masculine scent on me, primarily leather with wisps of plum, lilac, and just the faintest tinge of dried herbs. The lilac is the second-strongest note, and it prevents the leather from becoming too sharp. It's one of those "bad boy with a heart of gold" sorts of scents, and the mental image I'm getting from this would work perfectly for one of my Elven roleplay characters. It's a keeper!

 

Edit: After about 3 hours of wear, the leather note in this fades a bit, giving way to an absolutely gorgeous herbal lilac blend. It's even prettier in this stage!

Edited April 17, 2015 by DiesMali

[Malaena]

This is a very sweet floral. On me it seems like the lilac and the leather are of equal strength and combine to make: SUPER SWEET LEATHER! This is not a winner for me.

[Veronica]

Leather with a sweet fruity note. Not unpleasant, but personally a little nauseating for me.

[Anita]

fruity flowers, and I think leather wants to come out but I can't catch enough of it to really get leather. I think the lilacs are winning.

[russetfox]

I recently got an imp of this with an order. I love it. Wore it today at work.

 

Imp: leather and lilac

 

Wet: sharp sweet plum and lilac

 

a couple hours in all I can catch is light amounts of leather, and no throw except when wet.

 

Love it, so in line for a bottle as the imp will probably continue the journey to someone else who needs to fall in love.

[freyasfae]

Lots of leather right away, but then the plum juice quickly comes in. This is a fun scent!

[Cazzadeathgirl]

Thought id love this one, i love herbs and lilac, like leather too, not 100% sure on the plum but decided id order an imp to try anyway.

in imp- A rather medicinal scent, can smell the herbs which isnt too bad, cant smell leather either, just herbs and something reminding me of medicine

 

on skin- ewww, its reminding me of a dentists surgery and all of the latex gloves, needles and that nasty stuff them fill your mouth with before giving you braces.

let my mother in law try too, 1st thing she exclaimed was dentists room

 

dry on skin- sorry guys but this 1 was too much of dentist surgery to wear longer than 15 mins, i had to wash it off, thankfully i only got an imp to try

 

*P.S* may give this another try in the future, it was a fresh made imp, otherwise, it will be going to a friend to try (since shes never heard of BPAL

[LizziesLuck]

I am fully aware that this could be terrible on me - plum can go either way. Usually when its listed as wild plum it works much better for me (as in Mme. Moriarty, Frumious Bandersnatch, Black Moths). Who knows what plum juice will be like, or the "herbs"? Still, love trying everything I can!

 

 

Wet: Interesting. I can detect the lilac, and the plum is almost recognizable as "juice" rather than fruit - it's really concentrated. I like it so far! But the herbs smell more like spices to me, very fragrant, but not green like I had expected. This is quite strong and heady. Hasn't turned to plastic yet. so off to a good start!

 

 

Dry: A nice, dark, fruity floral. I quite like it, but do feel like I have similar things in my collection. I am undecided about whether I need a bottle of this in my life, but I do really like it. Glad the plum worked!

[Elspethdixon]

In the imp: I can smell both a strong dry, grey leather, and a slightly floral-tinged fruit note. They're really distinct, separate notes, with the leather slightly stronger but the fruit very present as well. Here's hoping it doesn't become leather single note on my skin.

 

Wet: freshly applied, there's a brief period of slightly stale funkiness, as something in the blend threatens to go unpleasant on me (or maybe it shares an ingredient with Skuld or the Gift, which both did the same thing).

 

After five minutes/on the drydown: The stale/funky whatever it was vanishes (just like in Skuld and The Gift) to be replaced by a strong leather with an overlay of fruit and something fresh and slightly floral.

 

Half an hour in: The silage/throw has more of the fruity freshness (though still with a leather tinge), while close to my skin the leather dominates, as I expected. I didn't realize at the time that Bensiabel has lilac in it, but testing it a second time after going back and reading the notes, I can definitely smell the lilac as well as the plum juice.

 

By the second hour, the plum has faded except for faint whiffs of it in the silage/throw. On my skin, the leather has triumphed, but in the process it's blended seamlessly with the lilac, making it a fresh, floral-tinged leather that's perfect for spring. This is a light, grey-violet leather, as opposed to Two Old Men's grey-green leather or Red Rider's intense brown leather (or Fighter and Skekna the Slavemaster's harsh leather).

 

I think I may need a bottle of this. I really like it and am definitely going to quickly use up my imp.

[Casablanca]

Wand: This smells strange on the wand. There's a tin-like green smell, sharp, a little metallic, and a little medicinal. The liquid itself is also a green-tinged yellow. Is there galbanum in this? In the background, I get a little lilac, like a blue-purple ghost.

Wet: The intended notes happen on contact with my skin. Lilac, leather, plum. Boom. The plum is faint on me, as it was in Bathsheba: a purple fruity impression more than omgthat'splum.

Dry: The plum has blurred into the lilac as a softly backgrounded, purple fruit-floral note. I start to get a little aromatic smell now from the herbs, and some of it smells like lavender. Now I wonder if that was part of the sharp green note I got on the wand. It blends into the purple lilac-plum zone. There might be something else a bit sage-like, but it's barely a trace. The leather is there, barely, like a warmth over the cool colors of this blend.

 

I feel like this is the sort of scent that will give me different impressions on different days. Should be an entertaining imp, though I'm not drawn to bottle it at this time.

[spikyfairy]

Lab frimp that I am trying for science: I have no idea whether most of these notes work on me, although I know I often don't like leather, and any sort of "herbs" can be iffy..

In the imp: Er.. a bit weird & salty - The leather? The plum?
Wet: Opens with sweet juicy plum, quickly drowned out by a strange screechy green note. Almost smells like a cross between pine & liquorice, but I don't think it's anise? "Herbs" have been all kinds of weird on me lately. There was a hint of lilac at first, but it vanished as I seem to be seriously amping something in the herbs..
Dry: The bitter green has settled down somewhat, but now a slightly salty, clean leather is coming out, and I am not very keen on the combination. Verging on air-freshener territory. Plum is emerging more as it dries too, an almost-sour fruitiness on me. I can't pinpoint the lilac by itself, but mixed with the plum it smells a bit like dragon's blood does on me, which I don't like either.
After an hour or so, all the notes are more balanced: clean leather, herbs, & a faint whiff of plum, tied together by a background of soft lilac. It's pretty, but a bit soapy for me. Continues to meld and improve the longer it's on, but there's still a salty edge (the leather or the plum, or both) that I don't dig.

Not for me, but I'm sure for someone. Good throw & wear length. I think this is very unisex, but I do have slightly anarchic views on gender.

[Pixie-elf]

Gorgeous Plum and Florals. Juicy and Leathery right out of the gate! Mmm!

Then Plum and Lilac and Leather mingle. I adore this. I want a big bottle. It's so gorgeous. It is so amazing. ;_;

[Cali]

Ahh... The lovely leather note bpal does so well, and then there's the herbs, which, I'm pretty sure has mint in there too cause it smells very fresh; almost reminds me of the dentist office we went to when I was a kid in it's wet stage. Though the lilac might help with the freshness too. So apothecary-herbal-y, and that sweet sweet plum juice that grounds the whole thing in something sweet and gooey.

 

The leather goes softer after a couple of minutes, and so does the dentist thing; it mixes more with the plum in it's dry stage, though, for me it's still there, other people won't know how that place would have smelled.

It's only slightly masculine, but would work for everyone, and it's definately a spring scent to me!

Very interesting, very pretty. Glad I got to finally try this!

[milo]

Oh yuck, leather. It smelled kind of fruity in the imp, so I wasn't expecting this. This ends up being soapy, leather cologne. Leather fans should try this, though!

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: Black leather, backed by some lilac and plum juice.

 

Wet: The leather note is the strongest note on my skin, followed by the lilac. The leather was softer than I was expecting it would be from the imp, though. It's more like a well-worn black leather jacket. The plum juice note isn't playing a major role on me at the moment, and I'm fine with that, because I'm not particularly fond of plum in perfume.

 

As the scent begins to dry, the plum juice starts to peer out, sweetening the scent.

 

Dry: The black leather note continues to dominate, followed by the lilac, with the plum juice just adding some sweetness in the background. The plum juice note is stronger than before, but it isn't able to overtake the leather and lilac.

 

Verdict: Not bad, but this isn't a leather scent I could really see myself wearing. I think I need my leather to be softened and sweetened by notes like vanilla and tonka in order to really enjoy it.