Lawful

[AmyO'Shields]

LAWFUL
Rigid oak, blue chamomile, rhubarb, and fig leaf.

Lawful smells sparkly. The first thing I smell is the Blue Chamomile which, despite being a flower, is so earthy and comforting. Next the Rhubarb and Fig Leaf come out and smell delicious together - the Chamomile is starting to lessen. After about 20 minutes, this turns into such a wonderful blend - I can still smell the Chamomile and the Fig leaf with a sparkle of Rhubarb, and the oak lays nicely underneath. I love Oak, but it tends to be quite powerful, and in this blend it is very smooth and understated. What a great blend - I'd say this is my favorite of the RPGs so far. 5/5

[calivianya]

I really like chamomile as a note so I had to give Lawful a try. In the imp, this smelled like a very bitter wood and was a little off-putting, but it immediately sweetened on my skin. I can smell the chamomile clearly, and there is a little bit of wood underneath grounding it. I'm not sure what rhubarb and fig leaf smell like, but there is more to this scent than what I've mentioned so I'm sure they are present. However, this is mostly oak and chamomile on my skin. I like it.

[Iceblink]

Starts out as rather harsh oak, almost wet-smelling. Dries down to a softer wood with a LOT of herby-smelling chamomile...kind of like being in a forest on a sunny day, actually--it's nice, although not something I would wear. I bet this would be fantastic on the right person layered with Ranger.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Bright and herbal. Can't pick out any individual notes.

 

Wet: It smells like...vegetables. I don't know how else to describe this. Not any one particular vegetable, just a general leafy salad smell. This is definitely a new one for me! It's rather pleasant and fresh.

 

Dry: Oak dominates on the drydown. A nice, soft oak - the other components help round it off. This is light with moderate throw. It doesn't seem to be a fully bloomed fragrance on its own, and will definitely benefit from layering.

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: Sharp oak, tangy rhubarb and a hint of chamomile.

 

On: Primarily chamomile and rhubarb, with a hint of oak. I don't detect any overt fig, which makes me happy, since it doesn't tend to work on me. This is an interesting scent.

 

Later: Rhubarby twang with a hint of oak sharpness. Probably an interesting layering component, though very faint on its own.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle and on my skin, this smells clean, herby-earthy, and spa-like. It makes me think of 'rain' or 'ocean' scented spa treatments. I mainly get the oak and chamomile here, which are two notes that I tend to hate from bpal, but they're clean smelling and subdued in this blend.

I wonder if blue chamomile is more clean smelling than the usual chamomile, because this doesn't have the smoky bitterness that I usually associate with that note. I don't find this scent to be fruity at all. It smells like rain, ocean, and hints of wood and earthy herbs to me.

 

Lawful makes me think of water and earth, and is actually very calming and gentle smelling...

Edited August 2, 2011 by Little Bird

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: Bitter oak. 

Wet: Fig leaves, broad and velvety. Stalks of tart rhubarb growing in a well-manicured garden. 

Dry: The chamomile is soothing, gentle and calm- perhaps gathered into bundles, arranged neatly to dry.

 

Verdict: I was nervous about the bitterness in the imp, but it softened significantly on my skin. It feels very proper and well behaved. Fresh, with the slightest bit of herby astringency and a light base of clean oak. It is not sweet at all, which is actually really nice. It brings to mind a garden behind a white picket fence, with a clothesline of starched ivory tablecloths blowing gently in a warm breeze. Simple and lovely!

[zankoku_zen]

Lawful gives me very ambivalent feelings.

 

On wet, it has a very strong oak note. It's woodsy and almost nutty. However, as it dries I get more of the chamomile which smells sort of earthy and the fig leaf and rhubarb, which sweetens the bit a great deal.

 

I think this will be a wonderful layering scent actually. Whereas Evil I feel I could wear on my own, Lawful needs "something".

[astarinel]

Surprisingly, I get a lot of rhubarb here in the imp.

 

As it dries on my skin, the oak is definitely the other note that sticks out most to me, it's kind of dry and woody. I find it a little overpowering, which is a shame since I like what I'm getting of the other notes. The tart bright rhubarb and soft herbal chamomile hang around, but not to the degree that would make me want to wear this scent.

 

It's a pretty unique blend, though, and I don't think I've ever smelled anything in the BPAL catalog like it.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Partial 5mL bought on LJ.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I've been holding off on trying this one because it sounds like I could either love it or hate it and I've got no idea which way it's going to go. I love oak and I like the smell of actual rhubarb, but I've never smelled it in a perfume before and I'm not sure I want to smell like it. Fig leaf and blue chamomile are unknowns here, so they could go either way.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, wow, I like this! Very unique. Lawful definitely has a wood base, but there's this bright, juicy pink-red note from the rhubarb and just a touch of dark green from the fig leaf.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I don't own anything like this. And that's saying something since I've got an enormous collection that spans a lot of different scent categories. The oak is still in the forefront of the scent (it reminds me of the wood note from Mary Celeste v4, but not as dry), but the slightly tart, bright rhubarb is right behind it and then the fig leaf and chamomile (which smells like "regular" chamomile to me...I'm not sure if the blue variety is supposed to smell different or not) bring up the rear.

 

Dry down:

 

I don't want to say this is a strange scent, but it's quirky. Definitely unique in a good way. It doesn't change much at all from bottle to drydown on me, which is a good thing, since I don't really like waiting out scent changes to get to the drydown. The rhubarb in this really does smell like the real thing, which amazes me. Tart, juicy and bright pinky red. The oak, fig leaf and chamomile give it a really nice woodsy backing without it smelling like a lumberjack.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm so glad I decided to try this. I love it! It's one of the rare scents in my collection that's nothing like any of the others. Definitely a keeper.

[Ryokumuji]

Lawful was very woody and herbal on my skin. Not really what I dig. I was hoping some of the chamomile or rhubarb would come out to play. I'll probably play around with layering this with the other RPGs I bought, but on it's own, I couldn't see myself putting this on.

[ajansuz]

I've seen other reviews of other BPAL scents mentioning "ashtray", and I never got that for myself until I opened this imp. In the imp it was pure ashtray.

 

Wet it was ashtray with a wadded up, chewed piece of Fruit Stripe gum sitting in the ashes.

 

Dry down most of the ashtray faded. It's astringent wood, herb, and something kind of cloying. I suspect fig is the culprit. It never does well on me. I don't even know if layering can save this with my skin chemistry. It's in the bottom three of the RPG's for me, along with Halfling and Gnome.

[ami226]

On the skin: A green, wood scent. Hmmm, quite smelly. It turns a bit ashy as time goes on.

 

Not for me at all. I don't think I could see myself layering this one with anything either.

[edenssixthday]

Lawful - I typically dislike fig, but I love every other note listed for this, so of course I had to try it "just in case." Sure enough, the fig leaf is the strongest note and it definitely smells like sweet, meaty fig, but blended with the dry, woody oak, the soft, ethereal and herbal chamomile, and the tart, juicy rhubarb... well, it works. And it works really well. It's really gorgeous. It's a very gender-neutral scent, and while it has good throw, it's gentle. It doesn't last long on my skin, but it's really pretty while it's there.

[rhubarb3point14]

I was so hoping to love this, because I love rhubarb so much that I made it my name! I wanted Lawful to be my signature scent!

 

Alas. Out of the imp there was a pop of juicy, tart fruitiness that gave me hope, but when it dried on my arm and mixed with my body chemistry, it seemed that every note except for the one I wanted took precedence.

 

I get a walloping amount of chamomile (which I recognize, and don't necessarily love, from having just tried La Catrina Calavera). And fig, lots of it, very sweet. There is an oaky dryness there as well.

 

I agree with what was said upthread about this being a surprisingly gender-neutral scent. It might be sweet, but it's definitely not girly.

 

But this is, I regret to say, not right for me.

Edited October 21, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[angelmecha]

In Imp: It's very dry and woodsy.

Wet: Along with calivianya up there, this sweetened once it hit the skin. I detect something *like* vetiver but not moldy (as vetiver always is on me)... it must be oak, because it's woodsy and strong, vibrant and bright. There's something a little cologne-y about this one; which makes sense, since it's meant to be an "upstanding citizen" sort of scent! It continues to brighten and get more effervescent as it dries...

Drydown: This turns into a soft woodsy scent. I feel like rhubarb is making it a little sweeter, redder, more rounded. Still has a hint of cologne, but the sharpness it had when it was wet doesn't stay. It's clean, bright, ... everything a lawful person should smell like! It really is a brilliant blend of very pure, clear "aquatic" and soft earthy leafy woods.

Verdict: I like this a lot and will be interested in layering it. I'm sad that I only have a sniffy of this; I'll have to track down more! (And make an RPG character that actually IS.... Lawful!) I need moar.

[joyfulgirl]

in the imp: it smelled strangely flowery to me in the imp. i didn't get any oak from it at all and was a little disappointed.

 

wet: still feeling flowery, but i'm starting to pick up the rhubarb and fig.

 

dry: aha, finally! it has calmed down to a nice, woodsy scent...definitely getting the oak now, along with a nice bite of rhubarb. the fig and the flowery notes have mostly faded. i'm pleasantly surprised! i didn't think i would like this at all, but upon drying, it's quite lovely.

[Eliyetres]

Feel the oak and the other notes like branches from its tree. I get mostly chamomile from it, sadly no rhubarb! I really wanted something like Heroine from this, I am dissapoint! Fig is something I dont' like at all and I can feel it lurking behind the chamomile... what a shame

[Maleficium]

Imp: bitter herbs, oak and chamomile

 

wet: becomes more floral. flowering woodland in the springtime.

 

drydown: becomes sweet, but still very herbal. Woody, but a very green and fresh wood smell. Something else that I think is the fig/rhubarb appears (just a guess, I can't recall smelling either. I don't know what else it could be) It begins to smell tart and juicy.

 

very soft throw. I have to hold my wrist to my nose to detect it.

 

 

What a unique scent! I can't say I've ever smelled anything like this, at least in something wearable. I'm undecided about this one. It is indeed pleasant, but I'm not sure it would be something that I would wear often. My wrist keeps making its way to my nose though, so I think I'll be keeping this imp!

 

(note, this is NOT the alignment that I usually choose...I'm more of a chaotic neutral kind of gal but unfortunately they don't have a scent for that yet!)

[Vega]

Sniffed: Light dry oakwood, softened by chamomile.

 

On skin: Dry and austere oakwood, sweetened with light, clear chamomile and maybe fig leaf. The oak recedes over time, and the scent gets clearer and lighter. It's calm, gentle and clean; a simple scent (as befits an RPG scent), unisex tending towards masculine. Colour impression is ivory white with a blue sheen.

 

Verdict: Pretty in its clean simplicity. I've yet to layer Lawful with the other RPGs, but I already like it by itself.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Leafy, herbal, but warm and sweet too. Almost smells like vanilla.

 

On skin, wet: Similar to in the bottle, without that vanilla-like note. More fruity, now.

 

On skin, dry: Fading fast, but the fruit is more tart, more clearly rhubarb.

 

After an hour: Light, tart and fruity, but nothing special. The leafy and herbal notes have gone poof, and I only ever got any warmth in the imp.

[TilHelvete]

In the imp, smells very gender neutral, sharp and herbal.

 

Drying on the skin, it is a dead-ringer for Thierry Mugler's Angel. Half wet, I smell tropical coconut and pineapple on top of angel.

 

After a few hours, it still smells EXACTLY like Angel, but without any of the chemical artificial notes in the Mugler scent. Lawful is slightly less cloying and I actually prefer it. I have found this to be the most complex of all the RPG scents I've tried so far. It's musky sweet fig and vanilla on me.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: WHOA, that's some strong wood! (.....)

But really, it's all I can smell. This may not end well. I amp wood notes like crazy. There is a hint of sweetness in the background, though.

 

Dry: Wood, and chamomile. Not bad, it's just too woodsy for me.

 

2/5

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Peanutty wood? Not auspicious.

Wet: ... Yeah. Like, I get all the notes listed seperately, but combined on my skin they are (CAPTAIN PLANET!) dirty peanuts. Gross.

Dry: Dirty, woody peanuts I really wanted to like Lawful (I need more chamomile in my life!) but this just didn't work on me at all.

[Quillifer]

I had high hopes for this scent which at first were bitterly disappointed. Oak and rhubarb are very me (I'm a hippy type, keen walker in a county full of oaks, and a keen rhubarb grower and eater). However although I love chamomile I just didn't like the way it dominated this for me.

 

HOWEVER - when used with others, as intended this is just sheer magic. I wear it with Ranger and Half-elf and am totally addicted to it