Tattered Lace

[GypsyRoseRed]

TATTERED LACE
An allegory of Victorian melancholy and madness: tea-stained bourbon vanilla, with white cognac, coconut bark, Oman frankincense, and woodmoss over opium tar-stained silk.

I've just skin tested this, and it's really pretty - the only unfortunate thing is that apparently my dry skin drinks this stuff up quickly so it doesn't hang around. When it was wet, I smelled rich vanilla with a slightly bitter edge (cognac?) and something smoky, but it had a very similar feel to Black Lace. That comparison vanishes completely once it's on my skin. Dry, it softens up considerably until the vanilla becomes warmer and almost slightly sugary, and though I don't get coconut from this, it does have a certain sweetness that I can't pin down to a specific note. With that said, this rides the line between kinda foody and sophisticated!vanilla, and it's not quite like any of the other BPAL vanilla scents I've tried... I wish I could be more specific, but my skin sucks this up so fast! Edited June 9, 2011 by Shollin

[strahlend]

This is much lighter than I thought it would be. It smells fresh, green, and spring-like. On my skin I get mainly an impression of soft sweet vanilla with a very light green coconut element. After a bit of dry down a little of the frankincense seems to come through. I'm not sure which note or combination of notes is giving me a floral impression, but since there aren't any florals listed maybe it's just me.

[Aldercy]

I too find that Tattered Lace does fade more quickly than the average scent and has a light throw, but it's not so weak that wearing it isn't worthwhile. I just had to apply more heavily than I normally would.

 

The main body of this scent is definitely a woodsy vanilla coconut. As someone who doesn't care for coconut that much, I think this is something that could please coconut-lovers and non-coconut-lovers alike-- the coconut isn't very strong, and it's not a straightfoward, fruity white coconut note either... it's a light, tempered, smoky-sweet coconut that blends really well with the other notes. The vanilla is a little foody, but not overwhelming or cupcake-batter-y. The frankincense keeps it all grounded, keeps it from getting too gourmand.

 

I also get a bit of sugar-kissed weak tea, but I don't think I'd know it was there if it wasn't listed. The silk note slithers around in the background, just lending some smoothness to the scent's texture-- it does seem related to Black Lace's linen. I don't get any cognac, per se, and the opium is definitely subdued if it's there at all. Every once in awhile I think I get a hint of its sticky blackness, but then it's gone just as fast.

 

It's a very quiet, comforting scent. Maybe even a good bedtime oil. It has a kind of poofy, feathery, marshmallow (I don't actually get marshmallow as a note, but it brings that image to mind) quality about it. It's kind of a blurry scent... like a dream or a watercolor. If I think of it in terms of color, I think of ivory and sepia tones.

 

Not like anything else I have, and I definitely like it well enough to keep it.

[hlemonds]

This is lovely! Definitely the wonderful vanilla we're familiar with from the other lace scents. I really like the coconut husk note, it isn't extremely pronounced, but definitely there. Pretty sure I'm getting a hint of the opium tar here, it reminds me of the opium note in Vamp Goth. Not that these scents are at all similar, just the one note. The other notes make this a wonderful, complex blend, but I'm not picking them out individually. This is right out of the mail box though, so it's probably endured some wicked temperatures the past coupl of days. Will edit this review if anything changes

[Klepz]

This is light vanilla and cognac with a hint of coconut and LOTS OF FRANKINCENSE. The vanilla/cognac is absolutely gorgeous and once the frankincense dries down it's a very smooth, mellow scent (unfortunately that's after 4 hours of wear, so probably the extreme dry-down considering how little I tried on). But frankincense is a very sharp, shrill smell on me - it's very perfumey and it kind of burns my nose, and it overpowers Tattered Lace for quite a while.

 

Hopefully that'll mellow out with a bit of age the way it did with Red Lace (still waiting to be able to wear that one though!)

[Cheri]

I first tried Tattered Lace yesterday, and thought it smelled smoky. Trying again today, it still smells smoky, but nicer. After drying it reminds me slightly of Black Lace, but so much softer. I'll probably stash it and check it in a few months to see how it's aging, but right now I have other scents that work better on me. Not bad though.

 

Tried again a few days later: Much nicer now. So Tattered Lace is going to age very well I think.

Edited June 15, 2011 by Cheri

[abejita]

This will be joining my scant handful of multiple bottle scents.

 

I want to say that Tattered Lace has a resemblance to Black Lace (and the other lace scents), but only in the way that a series resembles each other. It's more like it shares a feel, a theme, an era of time.

 

Tattered Lace has a creaminess to it that isn't... cream. It's creamy like a very high end piece of parchment would be. Hello, synesthesia, right? It's got that lovely gourmand vanilla that isn't foody. This scent has texture. The opium is the tarry, rich note I love so much (rather than the thinner, floral poppy note). The tea is light and gives just a hint of Dorian-like character as it melds with the vanilla. The coconut is smooth and subtle. Cognac is a note I love in general, here it adds another dimension of sweetness that, to my nose, harmonizes well with the vanilla. The moss is almost undetectable, I think it grounds everything. The frankincense is a little raw, but that should age out. It's definitely wearable and lovely now, without aging, so I'm really excited to see what this will be like in six months to a year.

 

I love it so much. It's shot up to my top ten. Thank you, Beth!

[midnight_aeval]

I was almost scared off by the coconut bark in this (as a rule, coconut goes horribly wrong on me), but was so glad I chanced this. I feel like the name of this one should really be White Lace because it evokes white imagery - it's very creamy without actually having that cream note [the always goes sour for me], and is light and fresh. I'm beginning to believe I really love cognac in fragrances when paired with resins/smoky notes (see also Dreadful Lies). I think I might actually like this one more than Red and Black Lace! Multiple bottle purchase for sure

[Gryphon]

Hmmmmmmm. This one reminds me much more of Antique Lace than Black Lace. It's much much lighter than I was expecting and veers uncomfortably close to baby powdery during dry down. Fortunately, the scent is "saved" by the woodiness of the coconut bark and dryness of the moss.

[cfrancesca]

The only note I was worried about in Tattered Lace was the 'tea-infused' part, and unfortunately for me, that's the strongest note I'm getting. I was surprised at how tart it smelled in the bottle. On my skin, the scent blossoms into a light, complex, citrusy tea blend with some dry coconut husk, a little bit of smokey frankincense and soft vanilla in the background.

 

As it settles, I start to get the soft, sweet booziness from the cognac, the frankincense gets a little stronger and the blend looses some of it's citrusy tea tartness. At times, I think I'm getting hints of opium, but it's very fleeting. The overall scent is soft and stays close to the skin. If you like complex tea blends, I recommend you look into this one.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: :This smells just like the bourbon vanilla smooch from Villainess! It is a bit cloying actually.

 

Drydown: I smell this gorgeous tea antique lacish opium scent. I don't know what it is...but I do really like it. I just need to be able to handle the wet bourbon vanilla phase. Either way...I am definitely keeping my bottle.

[suki]

Now, I just got this in the mail, and have been warming it in my hands whilst reading the other reviews, so it's totally possible I'll be back to edit later, but I just couldn't wait to try this out now!

 

In The Bottle: I get the green of the woodmoss and a sharp tang of the frankincense in the background, but that's all.

 

Wet On Skin: Oh, HAI Cognac! Glad to to see you join the party! The woodmoss has left and I am getting hints of the coconut bark. As others mentioned, it's not a foody coconut at ALL. It lends a sweetness to the mix, but this is soft and powdery (though not like baby powder, no worries.)

 

Dry Down: Ah, *there's* the vanilla! The vanilla also isn't foody, and I actually understand the parchment comparison. This scent is light and delicate, like a piece of brittle paper. It's sweet, but not at all assuming or food-like. I don't get any of the opium tar or tea, for the record.

 

In All: Light throw- I put quite a bit on my wrists and still need to be pretty close to sniff it, so I'd say this might require slathering. There's a sugar-y note that's coming out- I amp sugar like crazy, so if you do too, be forwarned I understand why this is in the same class as the other Lace scents. There is an evocation that comes with this scent that reminds me of the others, though it's nothing like them, despite sharing some of the same notes. As a major fan of Antique Lace, however, I can see this being a good hot-summer substitute as a way of conserving the Precious while still keeping with a similar mood. I'm going to test this again in a week, as I have a feeling that aging will do this oil some good.

 

 

 

[filigree_shadow]

This is very light on me. Something in it reminds me of citrus -- I'm guessing that's the tea part. I thought it would be dark and smoky, but instead it smells like tea and frankincense. I think I can smell a little bit of the bourbon vanilla, but it's not very strong on me at all.

 

It's a fine scent -- it reminds me of the Salon scents, which I tend to like. I think it'll age well. It's just so very light on me. The only part of the scent I catch any kind of waft from is the tea.

[Suusje]

I mostly get tea, something green and a bit of vanilla. It smells good but I totally wasn't expecting this. And it's so light, I almost have to rub my nose into my wrist to smell it.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from Dark Delicacies.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I'm not much of a fan of the Lace scents. Antique Lace is pretty and I'm glad I've got a bottle, but it's not something I would wear every day or even most days. Black Lace and Red Lace just weren't all that appealing to me. But I had to get Tattered Lace because it sounds so promising. I like vanilla and I love tea, cognac, moss, frankincense and opium tar. The silk has me curious (linen isn't a very good note for me, but silk somehow sounds like it would smell good) and the coconut bark could go either way.

 

First sniff:

 

I had to double check the label because this smells identical to White Rabbit in the bottle (although it was sitting in a hot mailbox for an hour or so, so I'll update my review if that change). Even after I double checked it, I wasn't sure that this hadn't been mislabeled. I'm not getting the dry vanilla scent other people are getting. Instead I'm getting strong lemon or ginger and faint tea and linen (which is exactly what I get from White Rabbit).

 

Wet on skin:

 

White Rabbit Tattered Lace is still all lemon or ginger (where that's coming from, I've got no idea) and sharp, clean linen (maybe silk smells like linen, otherwise I've got no idea where it's coming from, either). Some of the sharpness could be coming from the cognac, but I doubt it since I've never gotten that from a cognac scent before. So far this isn't going well.

 

Dry down:

 

Just when I was about to start asking around to make sure that I really didn't get a mislabeled bottle, the scent started to change and once it started, it went quickly. Now that Tattered Lace is dry, I'm not getting anything even remotely similar to the bottle/wet stage. Instead, it's turned into something very pretty and much closer to what I was envisioning.

 

Dry, this is slightly powdery (in the way that Antique Lace and Elf v4 are a bit powdery; not in a baby powder sense) bourbon vanilla with a touch of black tea, the faintest touch of frankincense and a soft, velvety darkness from the opium lurking in the background. No cognac that I can smell (which is a little disappointing), no woodmoss (which I'm neutral about) and no coconut bark (which is fine by me). If there's silk here, it smells nothing like linen (no sharp cleanness) and that's all I can say. I'm thinking that this might be one of those scents that improves with age.

 

The bottom line:

 

This is definitely a very Victorian smelling perfume. In some ways, it could be the feminine counterpart of Silas Ruthyn (which I love and find gender neutral to slightly feminine in a dark, mysterious sort of way). They're not similar scents exactly, but they have the same sort of evocativeness that makes me think of decrepit Victorian mansions falling into ruin.

 

I like Tattered Lace, but I'm not in love with it. I'll be keeping my bottle, but (at this point, anyway) I don't think a backup is necessary.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In bottle: Tangy! That was unexpected.

Wet: Vanilla tea, but not the smooth version in Dorian; this is slightly bitter & biting from the cognac maybe- melancholy indeed.

Dry: Pale frankincense, sweet & subtle. Dry wisps of coconut bark and woodmoss, earthy and dusty. I actually really like that combo- it's pretty and soft. I think I can detect a small bit of opium tar, adding just an edge of smoky depth. After a time I am left with a sweet, sheer, resinous (frankincense) tea scent.

 

Verdict: I have loved all the Lace scents, they are just so beautiful and evocative. Tattered Lace is no exception; I am curious to see what notes will emerge with time, but this has real promise even straight out of the mailbox!

Edited June 20, 2011 by braybrigade

[Heavenlyrabbit]

This is the perfect scent for me. It works so well.

 

It's elegant without being overly formal. Earthy but not dirty. Creamy yet somehow dry. Sensual with a touch of Smut.

 

I can imagine wearing this any time.

 

Red Lace and Black Lace didn't work on me. This is a dream come true.

Edited June 20, 2011 by Heavenlyrabbit

[AliBabble]

very light scent - smells lovely while wet...reminds me a bit of white rose, from the bptp unity set....

as it dries, it becomes pretty faint, but i can smell: something kind of feminine-florally...no idea what this is, maybe the moss?? the frankincense and tea...again very faint, and sort of dusky...a dry hint of the coconut. a very faint vanilla "feel", but not obvious. i dunno, i like this...but was picturing something w/ a little more oomph, maybe from the opium tar, which i can barely detect...maybe aging will make this stronger? i dunno...i've tried it three times, and enjoyed it each time, but still kind of struggling to smell it. when it really dries down, i get the cognac, inside a sort of soft marshmellow-like feeling. and maybe i can now smell the opium, if i sniff hard. not bad, just wish it was stronger.

Edited June 23, 2011 by AliBabble

[stellamaris]

This one is very light and pleasant on me, I have a hard time smelling it, but it is very nice and "lady". I wore it to my daughter's kindergarten graduation, I did not want to be too scent aggressive. I also had my seven year old daughter review it for you, remember their little noses are more sensitive than most of our older ones, although they may not articulate as astutely as an adult, their impressions tend to be very insightful. For her, the top note was "leaf", and it morphed shortly after into "roses and candy". meaning she likes it.

For me, it's nice, but maybe not something I would order backup on, although aging may change my mind. As opposed to Red Lace, which makes me wonder why there is no Gallon Size BPAL.

 

Edit : Alas in the end, this was too meh for me, my nose could not smell it although it sounded so perfect. Weird, right? I traded it away, sigh...

Edited August 15, 2011 by stellamaris

[claudia6913]

In the bottle: There is something sharp and slightly off about this scent in the bottle. At first sniff I'm not loving it.

 

Wet on skin: That sharp smell dies off immediately and I'm left with a slightly alcoholic piece of cloth.

 

Drydown: There's almost a pine-like scent to it. Wood moss maybe? Definitely getting the coconut bark.

 

Dry: A bit of sweetness finally comes out (though honestly I could be smelling the Eat Me I put on this morning), and the bark/pine tempers out and smooths a little. It's now turned into a soft feather light scent.

 

Overall: I need to age this before I can say yes or no. Right now it's not my cuppa, but who knows in 6mo-1yr?

[ellebelle]

OMG, why is cognac not in EVERY BPAL BLEND???!

 

I love Tattered Lace. LOVE it. I smell vanilla with a rich backing that - to me - is reminiscent of copal. I think this is the cognac, coconut and frankincense blending. Whatever it is, it is beautiful. This is by far my favorite of the laces, even surpassing Antique Lace.

[megank4]

I don't get much of anything from this yet. A very faint scent, not very different from Red Lace for now. Guess maybe it needs to age a little (or a lot). But I have the feeling that in six months to a year it will be very nice.

[stellans]

OK. I love this. I think this is possibly my favorite of all the Dark Delicacies Annviversary blends to date, and that says a lot because I really, REALLY love the original Black Lace.

 

First sniff, the tea note is strong but as it dries the vanilla note comes out, but so softly it doesn't make me recoil. I really like the tea note in this blend, I think more than any other tea note I've liked so far. The frankincense, when it shows up, merely serves to underline the mellowness of the tea note. Thankfully, the vanilla note remains lightly in the background, gently sweetening the blend. The only downside is that it doesn't last too long on my skin, though it does hang around for a bit longer in my scent locket. Because of that, I have to mark the rating down from 4 to 3 of 5 stars.

[saralaughs]

Smokey, resinous POWDERED fruit + vanilla.

[Melenass]

It is the only Lace that works on my skin, the others were so mild and vague, not highlighted.

This, however, has an output of fresh tea that served with vanilla,though subtle, make it beautiful. Lasts well on my skin, as sweet incense smoke.