Silver-Haired Bat

[impolight]

Gleaming white amber and silvered ambergris accord with copoiba balsam, benzoin, Atlas cedar, black pepper, and oudh.

Well, isn't this fortuitous? Location, location, location! Today was premium serendipity. Going to Bat's Day Black Market yielded all kinds of wonderful cerebral candy...Goodies from the Lab in particular! Beth, as usual was delightful in every respect. Ted was magnificently charming. Happiness was easy to come by, and come it did in multiple forms. One of the particularly good forms was this,'Silver Haired Bat'.
Several bottles were there to survey the wonders that are Southern California's dilapidated freeway system as the car hurtled eastward, but the interior of said automobile was a veritable utopia of fragrances. Bat's day is highly recommended to anyone with discerning taste.
From the Bottle: Silver Haired Bat is radiant. This is like pure morning sunlight warming the bark of a robust specimen of an arboreal diety as it surveys the whole world glittering silently beneath it. This is alive with warmth and vitality. There is a sweetness here as well that, at very first, is tempting to be compared to Butterscotch... This, however, is a very, very GOOD Butterscotch. It would also be fair to say that this is a very, very NAUGHTY Butterscotch. This could be the Benzoin toying with emotions in an unexpected way. Kind of like being eaten by a werewolf and then it starts...purring. The Copaiba Balsam and the Oudh are ridiculously good here. This is obscenity in a bottle.
On the Skin: Holy H-E-Dubba Hockey Sticks. This yumbelievably GOOD. The Oudh displays the most amperage. This blooms nicely with the body's warmth and cooperates well with the preexisting sweetness. The Black Pepper has exquisite timing when she lets her presence be known; long-legged step from the periphery to shimmy confidently by in a sequinned black dress that hugs her body like a constellation hugs a billion prayers.
If this is similar to anything from recent memory, it would have to be The Seekim...A silkier, sexy She-Seekim. Perhaps it is the Black Pepper? The Cedar has been surprisingly subdued on this particular occasion and the Ambergris slinks uncharacteristically at the heels of this blend. That being said, there is absolutely nothing bad to say about The Silver Haired Bat.
On Him, The Silver Haired Bat is smoky sweet seduction. A disarming surprise worthy of a second look.
On Her, The Silver Haired Bat is a breathtaking boquet. An all consuming intrigue. A lingering taste.

Silver Haired Bat gets a 5 out of 5.

[windbourne]

Despite having two Usual Notes of Death (cedar, black pepper), I liked this one. I credit the ambergris, which, as is usual for me with scents in which it appears, takes over and rules the scent with an iron fist. I mean, there -are- other notes there -- I can tell that it contains benzoin because there's a sweet, vanilla-like-but-not-exactly note, and I can tell that there's some cedar, some balsam, and some incredibly lovely oudh, and late into drydown, some mild black pepper, but by and large, on me, this is AMBER_{everythingelse}GRIS.

 

Awwww, yeah.

 

I really don't know many other people for whom this particular peculiarity of chemistry holds true, so, er, your mileage will almost certainly vary. I find this to be a soft, silvery, fuzzy scent with a teeny bit of creamy-woody shading. Kind of makes sense, I guess, for a silver-haired bat. :3

[Mellifluous]

As I said in the bats day thread, from the bottle, this almost smells like a musky cotton candy scent. The benzoin seems that prominent. Upon application though, 95% of that sweetness dissipates rather quickly. This then turns into a very musky amber/gris. I dont get much of the balsam, but the ceder and oudh are present. A bit of pepper too.

Passing whiffs of the ambergris/ceder in this blend can be a bit reminiscent of a post-workout scent, lol.

 

This is a skin musk smell that fortunately is not down the same aisle as cumin, but for me, is still not quite a sexy musk.

[suki]

In The Bottle: I can see the "musky cotton candy" analogy. There's definitely a creaminess from the get go that is sort of front and center, with some underlying dirtiness that makes it less-than-innocent. Which, if you think about it, isn't too far off from what a bunch of Goths invading The Happiest Place On Earth is kinda like...

 

Wet On Skin: the ambergris in this is GORGEOUS. Creamy and soft, without turning into a musk- this is shaping up to be rather fantastic.

 

Dry Down: The copobiba and benzion are in collaboration with the ambergris making this so rich and yummy and sensual without being overtly sexual and without being inappropriate in any given environment.

 

In All: A low throw, this scent clings to the skin like a silk camisole, hugging the body in all the right places and offering a surprising amount of comfort.

 

This might be my favorite Bat this year!

 

ETA: This is the second day I'm wearing this gorgeous scent. I realize that it seemed familiar somehow and now I know what it is: This fragrance smells very close to Tears of the Seraphim Bath Potion! Which is handy for me, because I'd been rather sad that I could only smell that deliciousness in a bath form. Not anymore! Bwah Ha Haaaa!

 

:wub2:

Edited May 22, 2012 by VioletChaos

[calivianya]

Thank you so much to my wonderful fairy!

 

In the bottle: Whoa, much sweeter than I expected - but this is a good thing.

Wet: The benzoin really is stealing the show at first. Ambergris can go kind of sour on my skin, but that isn't happening here. I am definitely getting the woods, too - the cedar is most prominent to my nose, but I love cedar so life is good.

Dry: This stays woodsy with a hint of benzoin and ambergris. It's lovely, and it is extremely mild on my skin. This is a true skin scent - it smells more like I took a bath with scented soap than that I'm actually wearing perfume, if that makes sense. It means that I can wear this to work! I needed more scents so mild that I could get away with them at my scent-free job, so I am very much excited about this. I am so glad I found someone willing to pick this up for me!

3 hours later: This scent is still there, and it is giving me a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure exactly when this happened, but at some point it became mostly sweet benzoin with a soft woods backdrop again. Full of win!

Edited May 26, 2012 by calivianya

[ami226]

fairy!

 

Still slightly getting over a cold, so my sniffer might not be able to smell everything just yet. May need to come back a bit later and edit this review.

 

On the skin: Slightly woody (my nose thinks sandalwood but it must be the cedar) and vanilla sweet! Wow! This smells great! Slightly soft, but again it could be my nose. A very comforting/warm scent. I just want to wrap myself in this one and take a nap!

[Tramp]

I can see how some would get cotton candy from this. The musky sweetness reminds me a lot of the sugar spun sweetness of Midway. I think it is the Benzoin. I love the way this goes on but it seems to fade pretty fast on me (one hour). It could just be that it is warm here and my skin is dry so YMMV.

[Invidiana]

At first I actaully get a lot of woodiness from the cedar and pepper, but after about a minute those take a backseat to the softer, "silvery" notes of amber, ambergris and benzoin backbed by balsam and oude for a mildly sweet yet substantial depth. Seconding the spun-sugar feel of this once it dries down; I think the benzoin, which I amp, is behind that, giving it a vanillic undertone. The cedar and pepper don't budge from where they are and just meld into the undertones, letting the notes that have risen to the top command the show. One of the few BPALs with cedar I can do!

[portalkat]

First of all, thank you to my Faery for allowing me to get a bottle of this.

 

This had an initial blast of the cedar, which is a favorite of mine, but within a minute, it gave way to the benzoin. After it dries, it reads primarily benzoin and amber. I know that the balsam and pepper are giving it the brightness and that the wood notes are providing grounding, so what seems like a simple blend is really much more complex. This had good throw and staying power on me. I put some on before I went to bed and in the morning, it was still going strong. I'm glad that this is the bat that was first choice on my list.

[angelamaria]

Much love to my fairy!

 

In bottle: oooh, so lovely! White amber, cedar that reminds me strongly of Tombstone, benzoin, maybe a hint of the rest. It's almost foody, it has an almost chocolatey sweetness. Gender neutral, but slightly more on the masculine side.

 

Wet on skin: this is like a more complex Tombstone. The cedar is front and center, with lovely vanilla-like benzoin and amber giving it a yummy creaminess. I can see the "musky cotton candy" analogy as well, although on me, it's not as highly sweet as what I'd expect cotton candy to be.

 

Dry: it's grown fainter, but I can tell this will age beautifully as well as build more staying power on me. Vanilla-like benzoin, creamy cedar and amber. It's almost understated foody, which is just fine with me!

 

Verdict: very lovely~ definitely keeping this and seeing how it is a couple months down the line.

[violetblue]

fairy!

 

Still slightly getting over a cold, so my sniffer might not be able to smell everything just yet. May need to come back a bit later and edit this review.

 

On the skin: Slightly woody (my nose thinks sandalwood but it must be the cedar) and vanilla sweet! Wow! This smells great! Slightly soft, but again it could be my nose. A very comforting/warm scent. I just want to wrap myself in this one and take a nap!

 

My thoughts exactly!!!! I can see why this one sold out. Omg, it's just awesome! I love the whiff of spun sugar when first applied too, and I thought sandalwood too!!

[mxtine]

I my fairy!

 

I wanted Silver-Haired Bat from go because of the ambergris.

 

I think the combination of benzoin with ambergris is making this scent a little Midway cotton candyish. It's butterscotch-vanilla-sugary in between the wet-dry phase, with a hint of the same cedar I recognize from Tombstone. At the end I get a slight whiff of pepper but it's not spicy, if that makes any sense.

 

This scent is fantastic!

[brilliantcat]

Thank you SO much to my wonderful fairy who sent me testers of all the Bat's Day scent

 

It smells DELICIOUS in the tester, must be the benzoin. Once applied, it's slightly foody vanilla sugar with a tiny kick of pepper. This is amazing! After a bit, I start to get the woodiness of the cedar. I love this!

[milo]

Thanks so much to my Fairy, and Fairy Broker!! This one is kind of difficult to describe. Kind of take the orange out of Lilith vs The Giant Crab, add a bit of cedar and this is what you may get. This kind of reminds me of Tombstone a bit with that cedar, and with the slightly musky ambergris and amber, this is a win on my skin. Like others have noted, this is a close to the skin scent, and I smell it more around me than on me, if that makes sense. I really like this, and will hunt down more than my decant, if I can get my paws on any, of course!

Edited June 26, 2012 by milo

[Blood onmy hands]

This is such an odd scent, but I find myself craving it lately. It smells like dry wood, candy and mushrooms to me. Almost like sandalwood coated in pink hard candy, but a little musky and oddly earthy. So weird, but I find it addictive. My husband doesn't think it smells like candy or anything sweet at all. Every time I ask him to smell it on me, he says "it smells like a wooden cutting board. Just dry wood."

Edited May 24, 2013 by Little Bird

[cfrancesca]

I get a warm, sweet tonka-like vanilla scent (probably coming from the mix of benzoin and amber), soft creamy woods, with a background of pepper. The scent reminds me a lot of Tombstone and Chimera v5. The pepper, woods and ambergris amp on me after a while and strangely start to create a scent that smells like musky patchouli and sadly turns a little bitter on my skin. I'm not liking this one at all.

Edited July 5, 2012 by cfrancesca

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: OMG! *eyes roll up* Just an amazing scent, with the cedar, the balsam, the benzoin, the ambergirs and the oudh.

 

Wet: ZOMG! This is one of the most marvelous things that I have ever scented on myself. All the notes, with the exception of the black pepper, are medling together. Glorious! I am in .

 

The dry-down: Okay, trying to calm down here. Sweet dry cedar, with some vanilla and ambergris mixed in, and the resins of the oudh to keep it grounded. A wonderful skin scent! Beth, thank you for creating this divine scent--truly you were inspired! To say that I want-nay, need more of this is an understatement.

Edited July 17, 2012 by thekittenkat

[sharkdiver]

OMG...so glad I managed to get my hands on this! This smells amazing!

 

Mostly on my skin, the Benzoin amps - this is like a very lightly resinous vanilla, the next strongest note I get is the cedar, which is really mellow alongside the Ambergris...I really don't get pepper at all.

 

This scent just skyrocketed into my top 5 BPAL blends of all time!

[porcelina]

silver-haired bat is dry, smooth and sweet. it has a dry resin feel, with smooth wood and a hint of nose-tickling pepper. there are similarities to tombstone and maybe even antikythera mechanism (though it is much much drier than the latter) but smoother and more elegant. i'm very happy to have a bottle!

[zankoku_zen]

So Silver Haired Bat starts up as an odd musky cotton candy blend, that quickly warms and loses its sweetness on me. It dries to a smooth, slightly sweet cedar and amber blend, with hints of pepper that gives it a spicy note on me.

 

Whee! I feel like I dodged a bullet. Part of me really wanted musky cotton candy. My wallet however was not in concurrence with the idea.

Edited October 4, 2012 by zankoku_zen

[ljaylh]

I've had my bottle of Silver-Haired Bat for quite a while now - I've been holding back on writing my review, because I didn't want to just come in and say IFUCKINGLOVETHISPERFUMESOMUCH.. that would just be rude. So I had to wait until I could find the right words.

 

But, here's the thing.. I'm still stuck on IFUCKINGLOVETHISPERFUMESOMUCH. Apparently I am rude, far more rude than I realised. It's like I have some new variant of perfume-induced Tourette Syndrome, because I find myself involuntarily dropping the F bomb a lot when I wear Silver-Haired Bat. When I take the lid off the bottle, it's OHFUCKTHATSMELLSNICE and then when I dab it on my skin it's OOHFUCKTHATSMELLSGOOD and then I start sniffing myself and it's OHFUCKISMELLSOGOODIWANTTOEATMYSELF. It's a problem, really.

 

OK.. come on now, get yourself together girl. People are reading this - what the hell's the matter with you? *ahem*

 

Oudh. It's oudh - I blame the oudh. Usually I like my oudh to be all dark and throbbing and smokey - I guess because most of the oudh-y BPALs I love tend to be on the darker side, but here it's somehow all quietly sexy in a slither-into-your-pants sort of way.. it's in cahoots with the silky ambergris and balsam and benzoin - the four of them together are like the fragrance equivalent of wearing satin underwear - it's like having my olfactory thingamebobs massaged by golden angels, I feel like there should be some sort of bright golden light streaming from my nostrils because my nose just can't contain the joy it's feeling. But under all that creamy sexiness is the pepper being a little spicy and ticklish, and the amber is just kinda dancing around in amongst everything, adding a lovely softness.

 

But what does it smell like? Oh.. I don't know - at first it's quite sweet, like a soft caramel - but NOT that nasty brown/burned-sugar kind of caramel, I mean that light brown soft chewy caramel or butterscotch - it reminds me a bit of the same cotton-candy kind of smell I get from Midway or Mouse Circus but not as light and fluffy as they are - the benzoin here in SHB has much more oomph.. like Midway would be water, and SHB is treacle. But the whole 'sweet' thing changes after about 15 minutes, when the pepper and cedar and oudh start to come out - that's when it gets interesting, and darkens up.. right before the ambergris+balsam+benzoin start slithering around. Overall, Silver-Haired Bat smells like peppery, musky, furry, shimmery golden goodness. Ahh.. I give up - I should have just stuck with what I know. IFUCKINGLOVETHISPERFUMESOMUCH.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Sweet, soft, sexy-sugared musk and a huge hit of spice and wood. Yes, I too kinda get the cotton candy thing! But it's awesome, exotic cotton candy.

 

Wet: Musk musk musk musk musk but a very very particular kind, that I've smelled before and can't quite remember. Snake Charmer, maybe, or Buck Moon? It's a very slinky, airy musk that smells good without being overpowering. Underneath it is the cedar, benzoin and maybe just a faint hint of lovely black pepper.

 

Dry: This ends up an almost exact dupe of whatever-it-was I'm remembering on me (Snake Charmer, I think?) It's a gorgeous, fruity, fuzzy musk with slight hints of spice and incense. Lovely, but since I already have some Snake Charmer I don't think I'll need more than my partial imp.

[catalyst]

I like it, especially when it's still in the honeymoon stage of the first hour or so after drying, but that last lingering note that hangs around for the rest of the day is something I don't like. Not sure what it is, but after a few hours I'm done with it. I can see the appeal, though. It's just not for me.

[Caper]

after smelling the ambergris sn I can definitely detect it in here. this has something a bit sweeter and denser, I can really decide which note it is, likely the benzoin, but if you can't find SHB try to track down the ambergris sn, because it is very similar.

 

also, I'm not a fan of tombstone because it is too dry for me, this one doesn't really remind me of tombstone much at all, and I really blame it on the ambergris base.

[Zii]

An odd note: This felt very thick and oily on my skin.

 

Wet: Ah, my beloved atlas cedar. You are always such a flawless note on my skin and this is no exception. The benzoin and oudh are giving this a deep incense base.

 

Drying: There's the pepper, making this scent tingling and warm. It's also getting sweeter, and a little foody.

 

Dry: This is a really odd combo of woods and butterscotch and somehow it totally works! I love it!