About Midnight

[mystery213]

Judgement rendered: vanillic sandalwood, holy balsam, cedar, and frankincense.

Ok, THIS is a morpher. Wet, in the bottle, it smells very much like (I hate even saying this) a port-o-potty. It actually made me shudder a bit. But I took one for the team and slathered anyhow (you're welcome ). It within moments turned into a very odd plastic-that-has-sat-in-the-sun-too-long smell. So very plasticky, and so unlike what it smelled like in the bottle. Like sniffing a plastic doll with a soft squishy head. After drying for a minute though, the woods and vanilla come peeking out and this becomes BEAUTIFUL. Like sunlight peeking out from the clouds, everything slowly comes together into focus and plays so well together. This has to be one of the first blends with cedar in it in which the cedar has played nicely with the others for me, and not just immediately dominated the group. The cedar actually adds just a touch of not-quite spiciness to the blend, and the woods all mingle so well together with the sweet vanilla overtones. If you can get past the drydown, this one is quite lovely.

[Atrous]

I have to agree with Mystery213; About Midnight is a morpher and does go through a brief plastic/rubber phase.

 

I actually like the scent in the bottle. It comes off as vanilla and sandalwood to my nose.

 

As soon as it hits my skin I smell Cedar and Frank. It becomes really sharp for a second and starts heading into plastic territory. But Sandalwood and Balsam appear to come in and save the day. The Sandalwood is indeed that vanillic, creamy type that is my absolute favorite. I love the scent of Balsam but it tends to disappear for me. In this blend it stands on it own making me very happy. In the end, all these notes are balanced and harmonious. I'm getting all the notes listed in just the right measure.

 

Slightly sweet but not foody, woods, resins, and vanilla. Medium throw and unisex. I love it. This blend reminds me of Tombstone what with the cedar, balsam, and vanilla but w/o sassafras, root-beer quality. If you wanted to love Tombstone but couldn't because of the sassafras this might be a blend for you.

[annemathematics]

I tested this next to two other ladies, on whom it was a glorious vanilla sandalwood. on me, it was pure cedary goodness. a plague of hamsters nooks!

Edited May 8, 2015 by annemathematics

[Hattress]

Like Atrous, I get vanilla and sandalwood when I pop open my decant. When I first apply it, that's still all I get. As it starts to dry, the cedar comes out to play, but it's just peeking out from behind the vanilla every now and then; primarily it's still vanilla sandalwood. It's only about half an hour later that I start to get the frankincense. That put me off a little bit at first, because frankincense has a nasty tendency to be overpowering on me. Surprisingly, that didn't happen this time. The scent settled into a sweet vanillic sandalwood with a smoky edge to it--and just an edge. The frankincense stays closer to the skin on me, so most of the throw is pure vanillic sandalwood. I don't know where the cedar went, but I don't get much of a sense of it being present anymore.

 

I didn't get the plastic/rubber phase that some others have gotten, but I've not had any scents go plastic on me so far.

[Haltija]

Not once did I get the plastic phase and I am so thankful for that.

 

This blend is just beautiful. A true vanilla sandalwood from wet to dry. The cedar vaguely comes out to make a short appearance but it in no way turns to hamster cage or pencil shavings. I think this is the first cedar dominant blend I own that doesn't overwhelm or turn bad. I just wish the entire scent was a little bit stronger. I can only smell it when I put my nose right to my wrist. A keeper nonetheless (:

[savage_rose]

This smelled dark and resinous to me--I think it's the combination of frankincense and sandalwood that powder out on me and the cedar. It's dark and forboding, but not really me.

[Balame]

The cedar here amps early on, indeed giving this a bit of a "sweet hamster cage" vibe, but after that it's a very true vanilla sandalwood. The vanilla is the soft, sort of powdery kind, but it doesn't veer into baby powder territory . The sandalwood is soft and lovely. Balsam makes everything smoother and the frank is pretty well-behaved, adding just a bit of heaviness to the blend. It's almost a bit too sweet for me, even though I enjoy all the notes. Kind of foody overall, and it does remind me of Tombstone. On the fence about whether to hang onto this or not.

[MCS4096]

My favorite of the Plagues! I have a hard time describing it though because it seems to be more than the sum of it's parts-- that is I find it to be one of those very well blended scents where you cant necessarily discern the individual notes. I find the cedar to be very well behaved (since I cant even really pick it out) personally. The overall impression is of warm, soft wood, a bit of nose tickling resin, and airy sweetness. It's soft and golden. I think of it as one of those blends that cant be reached for any time because it's appropriate for any situation. Really nice!

[zankoku_zen]

Dark vanilla sandalwood, with touches of cedar. This is pretty much vanilla sandalwood, and I find it lovely, dark, and slightly ominous. Good throw, good wear length.

 

I may need a partial.

[strahlend]

First impression – vanilla sandalwood, as stated.

Skin testing – super vanilla, but certainly not foody. I think I'm smelling mostly the cedar and sandalwood, which I like. A vanilla scent is never going to set my world on fire, but it's nice to smell a nice non-foody vanilla. It's rather light, I have to get my nose right there to be able to smell it. Fades off pretty quickly.

[stubbornfire]

When I tested this I got vanilla sandalwood, and...well that's about it! The vanilla smell was very creamy, not sharp and not foodie (thankfully!). I'd say it was soft, but it was a stronger smell than that. So.. Yeah creamy I guess, like the texture not the food. No cedar or frankincense but also no plastic some other reviewers have mention!

 

The throw wasn't very strong on me, nor did last but two or three hours, however I only applied a little and my skin chemistry just eats up bpal oils anyway.

 

It's really nice, overall! Though I think I won't need a full bottle I might grab a partial, if I can, and let it age or play around with layering it a bit. 😊

[fetish911]

Pure, warm, glorious vanilla sandalwood!! No hamster bedding cedar chips on me at all.. Not a foodie vanilla either. This one is my absolutely favorite out of the bunch. Want multiple bottles!

[Alaeidrel]

In the bottle this is seriously funky vanilla plastic. It takes a while to morph into a subtle, resinous cedar and incense. I like it but that first stage is awful.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: ...Nothing. I can't smell anything.

 

Wet on my skin: ...Still can't smell- oh, there's something. Faint incense?

 

Dry: This scent takes a good 6-8 minutes to really appear on my skin as the oil dries and warms. It's a light but somehow foreboding blend, mostly that lovely vanilla sandalwood with just hints of the balsam and frankincense. It's not really spicy, just incensed and warm and rather unusual in that inhaling deeply brings a chill to the back of my nose (likely from the balsam). This is quite a nice scent, despite the almost ominous background that I'm sure is probably just the power of suggestion. I may need a second bottle of this, along with They Shall Eat the Residue of that Which is Escaped.

[karykeion]

In the decant: Vanilla and wood. It's classy and I like it.

 

On me, wet: Everything rather abruptly takes a backset to the vanilla. It's kind of the vanilla show right after it goes on with some interesting cedar backup. In retrospect, I think I actually like cedar--this reminds me of Cordelia. The cedar backs off and the sandalwood comes in after, I think, but the vanilla is still loudest. Frankincense picks up around the same time and, like...I really like this. It's very vanilla, but not too foody. The woods balance it out very nicely.

 

On me, dry: Vanillic wood with frankincense. I'm not quite sure I like it on me, but it's really stunning as a perfume. It's getting a full test soon.

[d0gbones]

In the imp (decant): It's sweet and slightly floral.

Wet: All balsam and cedar. Cedar's a bit of a death note for me, so I'm not getting my hopes up for this one.

Dry: Something milky has arrived to round it out. Maybe it'll be OK after all.

 

In the end, it settled to a nice vanilla sandalwood with just the slightest hint of cedar and balsam.

[sprout]

This really combines quite a few elements very well. Nonfoody vanilla, dry woody sandalwood, mellow green resinous balsam, with a hint of smoke and cedar. Frankincense is well balanced and slightly lemony but the other notes keep it in check. I can pick out all the elements but none clash or overpower. The vanilla is predominant but its a great blanket supporting and sweetening the whole.

 

Of course I love this, its all resin, wood and vanilla and I'm all about that bass. In total its woody, sweet, vanilla sandalwood with a hint of green sap, smoke, and cedar chips. The drydown is mostly vanilla sandalwood. Yeah, I blind purchased a bottle but what I did not anticipate is needing a back up.

Edited May 22, 2015 by sprout

[milo]

Dry vanilla, non foody. I'm thinking the sandalwood is doing this. Some woods here as well..I'd like to explore this one further, but my tester was broken, so there really wasn't much to go on.

[LiberAmoris]

About Midnight is another blend that reminds me of lovely incense. Here, a dry vanilla and sandalwood is rounded out by the holy balsam, cedar, and frankincense. The overall effect is a frankincense-sweet but dry sandalwood with spice and cedar. There's a phantom note that sometimes appears and smells a bit like coconut to me, but I love coconut and it's just the barest suggestion, so it's all good. I love how relaxing and warm this is, and it seems like the kind of blend that will only get better with aging.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Vanilla softened by frankincense. This is pretty. This reminds me almost of coconut, but not quite.

 

Wet on skin: Ooh. Vanilla, softened and edged by woods.

 

Dried down: Oh, this is gorgeous.

 

Throw: Soft vanilla floating around my head.

 

Verdict: ***** This is the first one I've loved out of the plagues, and of course, it's out of stock. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Light woods, resins, vanilla, a bit of camphor

Wet on skin: Cedar, vanilla, sandalwood

Dry on skin: Very soft, almost powdered vanilla incense

Final thoughts: I don't get the plastic phase on my skin that others have mentioned (hurray!). About Midnight reminds me of the incense that was burned before yoga classes at the studio where I used to practice. It also reminds me a bit of champaca incense, although less heady and intoxicating. I like it, but it's a bit too soft and light for my tastes.

Try if you like: Celeste, Diwali

Edited June 26, 2015 by CreamyJade

[ImpImpImp]

Hands down, this is one of the most beautiful scents I've ever smelled from the Lab. I wore only this pretty much exclusively when the Plagues came out and just got it out again today, and it's somehow even more beautiful than I remember.

 

This doesn't morph on my skin - it starts out a gorgeously blended vanilla sandalwood with a deepened richness from balsam and cedar, and it stays that way until it fades out. In my perfect world, all vanilla would smell like this! There's something peaceful and a little meditative about it, and my partner LOVES it on me - no other scent has ever provoked quite the reaction this one gets. It's light so does require slathering, and doesn't stay around as long as I'd like (forever?) - definitely a re-applier.