Variety of Pleasing Amusements

[fiddlehead]

Honey, leather, tobacco, and myrrh.

This is a nicely balanced mix of all the notes listed. At first I get more honey and leather/tobacco. Then the myrrh comes in and veils it all in spice. Still, after 30 minutes I can pick out the other notes. The tobacco note is well behaved in this, at least on me. I'll have to wear it a few times to see if it's a keeper. I think it might age really well.

[sharkdiver]

I'm not sure about this one...I too can pick out the different notes, but on my skin, it behaves VERY similarly to how "The Changeling" was on me...it sort of has that buttery nutty tang to it, though it's not at all foody - I think it's the tobacco doing this, but I don't dislike it...I am going to put this one away and see what happens to it as it ages.

[bpalscentsual]

1/31/2011: Variety of Pleasing Amusements

 

In the bottle: Dear God, it’s the same smoky note that slayed me in the cases of Philologus and Agnes Nutter. Oh dear. I’m already having trepidations about this one.

 

Immediately: Tobacco. Leafy but dry, earthy, and a little smoky (perhaps from the myrrh). That’s honestly all I’m getting.

 

Fifteen minutes: After a few minutes, Tobacco decided they didn’t want to talk to me any more and transferred me to Myrrh’s line. Oh, wait, no, they’re both trying to talk to me at once. I want to like you – stop chatting so loudly!

 

One hour: I want to like this. I really do. But this ends up smelling like a dusty china hutch to me. I’m getting more ‘wood’ than leather, at least when I’m comparing the scent to my leather Filofax. That’s the myrrh, then. Myrrh is skipping lively through the fields and dragging Tobacco with them, while Honey and Leather refuse to leave the house. No honey. There’s nothing sweet about this at all. It’s exceedingly masculine.

 

Several hours: Soft, soft myrrh – but myrrh is all I’m getting now. No tobacco to temper it and make it behave, either.

 

Overall: Really, because of the myrrh, this just smells like a less complicated blend of Voodoo to me. Either I amp myrrh or paying my monthly bill is wreaking havoc on my ability to test. Oh well. Someone out there is going to love this like I don’t. Once I test a few more of my LE bottles, I’ll have to post a sale.

 

DISCLAIMER: Due to differences in skin chemistry, inherent olfactory powers, and other scents that an individual might use throughout the day (i.e. scented deodorants, shampoos, room sprays, cooking odors), these oils will smell different on every individual. This review is only intended to illustrate my personal experience wearing it throughout the day.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: Musty sticky honey all the time.

 

Dry: light honey with myrrh and leather to keep it balanced. It smells pretty dang tasty and I think I will keep this one. It also helps that the cute guy in the office told me that I smelled good, yummy, and like breakfast.

[anaengel]

Just like sharkdiver, it mimicked The Changeling on me. Of course, it took her saying it for me to click. Which is good in my book since I love that scent. It also lasted so very long on me. Just a creamy, faintly woody scent.

[xscpx]

This is beautiful. It's just what I wanted Perversion to be. The tobacco note is prominent with the honey sweetening it beautifully. The leather is subtle and sexy with the myrrh adding a slight smokiness. It's very well blended and difficult to pick out the individual notes (but I've been huffing and seriously trying!) It's really gorgeous and sexy but not in-your-face. This will age beautifully too, I think. Definitely back-up bottle worthy. (Possibly two back up bottles!)

[strahlend]

Right out of the decant I'm thinking this smells really good. I would have guessed dark wood instead of leather if I didn't know. It's reminding me of Interfector, which is “ tobacco, sharp woods, frankincense, and bunn”. I guess the tobacco and resins with wood/leather is enough to have in common that the comparison doesn't seem too far fetched. When I smell them side by side they seem very similar, but the comparison accentuates the honey in this blend. It makes the overall impression a little bit more light and sweet than the Interfector.

[Honey]

Alas, this is not working - neither for my boyfriend nor for me.

 

It's mainly honey and tobacco that I smell. Kinda like an ashtray, but I think that's because tobacco never seems to work on me (or smell good to my nose). It's sickly sweet and strong. After a while, the myrrh comes out and blends nicely with the other components. I'd say this scent is very masculine, but that could be caused by the very dark and smokey overall appeal.

[Mellifluous]

This is a perfect blend of honey and tobacco. It is just a bit too musky for my personal tastes. I do think its the perfect amount of musky honey for what the blend is based on, but for me its a bit too much. This has a bit of a polished wood smell as well, thats not off-putting, but just isnt quite right for me.

[liquidtrance]

This is a perfect blend of these notes in my opinion. I like all of these notes, but some have a tendency to amp to high heaven on my skin, so I considered this blend a gamble. Honey often overwhelms everything to sickening sweetness on me, myrrh can turn to bubblegum, leather can become blusteringly dark...

...Tobacco's usually fine

 

Here, though, all the scents stay in harmony. Wet to dry, the notes step forward and behind eachother, but never by more than half a pace. This blend is both sultry and sweet.

[Eemia]

The honey in here is so silky and perfect. Honey is so strange on me sometimes but this a perfect honey. It's golden and sweet and never turns powdery or off in any way. It has a bit of an amber quality to it. This is one of the best leather notes I've ever worn too. Not a fresh or strong leather, more like someone wore a new leather jacket against bare skin, leaving the scent lingering behind once the jacket was removed. The rest is an impression of smoky sweetness. I agree that this is so well blended. It's soft and close wearing and very sensual. Love it.

[lookingglass]

I am SO loving this!!! I almost bought a bottle unsniffed but I didn't because I was scared of the leather. HAVE NO FEAR! Wet, the resin and honey is very zingy, slightly woody. The leather is smooth and sweet, like kid gloves. The tobacco is rich, dark, and sweetened by the honey. Dried out, this is a very complex blend that is both clean and sweet. I love, love, love it, and my skin does, too!! It really reminds me quite a bit of how the Illustrated Woman feels on me, which makes me very happy!

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I am terrified of this blend. Every leather that I've tried so far has turned weirdly sour on my skin. Even though this has honey (one of my forever win notes), my hopes are not high for this one.

 

Wet: Sweet, smokey honey and a hint of smooth soft leather with just a breath of tobacco. The leather hasn't turned on me yet, and this is surprisingly amazing.

 

Dry down: The honey has developed even more (the sweetness and smokiness has increased and deepened); the tobacco is sweet and the leather is gorgeous. I'm so surprised by this!

 

Dry: Overall, this is smoky, sweet, and a little dark. The leather here is smooth and gorgeous (and still hasn't turned sour on my skin). The tobacco isn't ashy at all, just beautifully slightly sweet, and the honey is excellent.

 

Final thoughts: This lasted forever on my skin (like we're talking 7+ hours now) and the throw was decent. I think that this will age marvelously and I'm so happy to have finally found a leather blend that works on my skin!

 

Verdict: There will be at least 1 bottle of this in my next Lab order!

[symphonyinsilence]

Luper win! Finally!

 

This actually smells better on my clothes, than on my skin! I can't pick out individual notes, but I do get tobacco, honey and leather. It's lovely. Very comfortingly familiar, but I can't place a finger on what it reminds me of...

 

I might need a bottle. Still contemplating.

Edited February 24, 2012 by symphonyinsilence

[Iceblink]

Leather is only good on me on rare occasions (hello, Bow and Crown of Conquest!) and the leather in this is the kind that smells like tires on my skin. This is quite sweet thanks to the honey and tobacco and has depth thanks to the myrrh but something is just off here and I'm blaming the leather. It's artificial and chemical and doesn't work.

[lunaticana]

ohhhhhh noooooo sour and leather but to strong, I got only a sniff and that said enough

offcorse I still let my dear BPAL-friend put a few drops on my arm, cause I really wanted to test it

and this is def. NOT for me, I guess the only dif. with the Ta-Ta is that that one has orangeblossom in it, that makes it work for me

[detritius]

I love this. In the decant, I got a very strong honey, and and undertone of leather that came out much stronger once it was wet on my skin. This is a lovely leather too, very soft and sophisticated and not at all sharp. For the first fifteen minutes or so, honeyed leather is all I smell, but as it dries, it develops this delicious smokiness from the myrrh and tobacco. This is a very rich scent, almost masculine, but not in a way that would be out of place on a woman. I'd tentatively describe this as O's rakish older brother. Definitely going to need more of this.

[damonkitty]

I had more hopes this would be more of a leather blend. It took a good while for the leather to appear. The honey and tobacco are the dominant notes on my skin. It starts off very sweet honey then turns in to a smooth honey and light leather blend after about a half hour on my skin. I also thought it kind of smelled like black tea for some reason . I liked it, but I think I am going to move it along to a new home since I do not see myself wearing this one that much.

[SadariEvenstar]

Stale ashtray with honey on top. Bleh.

[Incendiare]

Cool, I get a balanced blend of tobacco and myrrh in the vial. Wet, there's no change. The honey starts to show itself around five minutes in. It reminds me of the honey from blends such as Lady Una and Half Elf v5. Leather is usually a fail on me so I'm surprised that I don't really smell too much in this blend. The longer this sits on my skin though, the smokier this becomes. Just maybe a bit too much for my liking. It's leaving me in limbo here. On one hand I actually quite like it, but on the other hand, that smokiness doesn't seem to stop and stabilize itself. Great note combination but I'm going to have to pass on this one.

[theseagrows]

i think i am getting primarily honey with a touch of leather and tobacco. not sure about the myrrh, but this is mostly honey, and it seems to be a waxy honey on me. not BPAL's usual honey note which turns strawlike on me, but more of a candle-beeswax sort of thing going on. this is ok but i actually don't like it as much as i thought it would...i think i may be amping the leather too much as it's giving me a bit of a headache.

[Teaotter]

Wet: There's a brief tussle between the leather and tobacco before they meld into a sweet, woody scent with just a hint of the honey.

 

Drydown: The woodiness pulls back and the honey comes through. Strangely enough, when I stick my nose right next to the skin I get a sourness that reminds me of ambrette seed. But the throw is all honey at this point.

 

Dry: Eventually, this settles into a gorgeous honey-tobacco. The ambrette sourness sticks around, but as I said, it's only right next to the skin. The throw is very light; I get whiffs of it off and on, rather than a constant cloud of scent.

 

Much later: The sourness burns off somewhere in hour three, but the honey just keeps going. Eventually, this is a creamy amber-honey on me that lasts all day as a skin scent. I never got any of the myrrh, which I usually amp.

 

I'm puzzled by this one, but I like it. I wonder what it's going to age into.

[zankoku_zen]

LEATHER + HONEY. I get occasional hints of tobacco, but in general its a brown leather + honey blend.

 

Being a fan of neither of predominant notes, I'm going to pass on this one.

[Circaea]

Super manly. Sharp, musky, men's cologny, aggressive, dry, strong, virile, balls out, in your face... MAN, this is masculine. I can feel black hair and a gold necklace spouting on my chest, fingers and back. It's starting to grow out of the back of my shirt, in a tsunami of proud manly fur. My voice is deepening, and I feel a raise and a sportscar in my future. I have to scrub it off before the testosterone takes over completely.

 

This one might mellow nicely in time. Right now I mostly amp myrrh and tobacco. I wanted honeyed leather. Will retest in a few months, and edit this if I notice a change. Or if I turn into a man.

[pinkstardust420]

Very sexy!! Nothing I'd wear but great for a guy..... the tobacco and honey compliment the myrrh well. I don't get much of any leather (maybe just a touch) and thats good, because leather = death for me! But I like this for my man!