Fake News

[Janel Kisner]

2016 turned out to be the year of the NASTY WOMAN - and thanks to your purchases, BPAL was able to donate thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood and Emily's List!

Unfortunately, 2017 is already shaping up to be the year of FAKE NEWS. In anticipation of the upcoming inaugural proceedings - and the months, nay years of high-volume dishonesty that are to follow - we offer the following blend to help penetrate the dense fog of of misinformation that's already begun settling around Truth, Justice, and other historically celebrated American ideals.

Wear it in vigilance as you sift through the memes, trolls, clickbait, hate-speech, and outright propaganda that continually threaten to overwhelm all the world's kindness, wisdom, and informed expertise. Wear it in courage as you refute ignorance and insincerity at every turn - even from our nation's highest-ranking figures - with indisputable facts from well-researched sources.

And try not to lose your sense of humor as you fight back, or your own essential humanity. As Anne Lamott once wrote: "You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too."

FAKE NEWS: A scent of misdirection, of 140 frantic characters typed out in spite at 3am, and paranoia-clouded churlish accusations hurled at perceived enemies: crushed pink pepper pod, bitter white tobacco, gnarled patchouli, all covered in glinting, garish slashes of gold.

Proceeds from FAKE NEWS will go to the American Civil Liberties Union, non-partisan defender of the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Fake News is a beautiful scent. It smells sexy and expensive, like something you'd spend $300 on. Or the kind that brings back childhood memories of your mother getting ready to go out. It is a little hard to pick out individual notes because they meld beautifully, but I'd say it is sweet and slightly earthy. The pepper and tobacco are probably more dominant, although hard to pick out. Both are sweet rather than dry. The patchouli is sweet rather than "hippyish", and far in the background, that I barely smell it. I don't get sharp or zesty notes. I wore it all day yesterday, and couldn't stop sniffing all day.

[boomtownrat]

Normally I only review something after I've worn it at least twice, but if I have a strong reaction (negative or positive) I won't wait. I'm reviewing Fake News on my first wear because it's remarkable.

 

The bottle is fresh off the mail truck, but I couldn't wait to try it so I rolled it a few times and dabbed some on the back of my right hand. After I was sure I could wear it, I dabbed a tiny bit on the back of my left wrist and my neck. You may think that's a lot for a patchouli scent, and normally it would be. With Fake News the effect isn't so overpowering. I think people can definitely smell me, but it's not shouting like other patchoulis do.

 

Fake News smells more upscale than my many other patchouli scents. The pink pepper pod is spicing up the patchouli, which is not the earthy, dirty-hippie kind. At times there's something Obsessionesque about it, which I love. I think that's the pink pepper and white tobacco.

 

#occupywallstreet is the protester chanting in the streets, and Fake News is that same protester who went on to a career as an investigative journalist. Fake News can go to parties that #occupywallstreet would get kicked out of, but that subversive spirit is still there.

[Jenjin]

The Bluebird with the triple dagger calls to me in a bewitching way. A cry of truth to look through the veil.

GORGEOUS green patchouli, clean leaning toward slightly minty. Fresh, feminine and upscale, it's perfectly balanced/blended with the white tobacco. Hot DAMN this is sweet, sexy and let me say exquisite, it settles into an exotic and intoxicating cloud. It's so wearable and makes me feel like a BOMBSHELL. I can't really detect the "slashes of gold" except to say it smells like a million buck$$$

 

I'm picking up a backup bottle

Edited February 23, 2017 by Jenjin

[lizabelle]

As others have mentioned, this smells seriously expensive. It's like that stuff at the perfume counter in a fancy department store you sniff again and again but you never get a bottle because you can't justify the cost (you know there's always that one). The patch in this is absolutely incredible. Bright, spicy, borderline fruity, and it blends perfectly with the pink pepper. The tobacco is just a faint whisper in the background, adding some dry smokiness. In my experience "gold" usually means amber, but I get no weird powder-bombing so I honestly don't know if it's in there or not. If so, it must be one I don't have trouble with. I'm getting a backup bottle, and possibly more than one. This is a gem.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

First sniff in the bottle...gold and tobacco. There's something both herbal and metallic going on. When I first applied it, it almost disappeared, but then the patchouli poked out and said hi. Patchouli and I don't always get along, and it always comes right to the forefront when it's in something I'm testing. After a few minutes, the pink pepper pod is warming up, making the herbal patchouli a little spicy...I can almost taste the pepper in the back of my throat. Wow. It's really great! It's bright and sharp and aggressive.

 

A little of this will go a long way on me, but I really like it.

[Upstart Crow]

I'm getting coconut and chocolate? I should probably let it rest a bit after being mailed to me and try again.

[AmyO'Shields]

Gorgeous dark patchouli with hints of pink pepper and a touch of tobacco...lovely. As patchouli lover, I have to 'collect them all!' (well, except Tricksy which was ruined by the honey...) but the pink pepper gives this gem a new twist. Great stuff and I love the charity aspect!

[Dark Alice]

This is a lot prettier than I expected. I like the gold aspect much more than I thought I would. This is actually wearable. Even with the pink pepper and patchouli. Color me impressed.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was afraid to try this, because I hated the patchouli in Nasty Woman, but the bird label drew me in and I'm so glad that it did.

 

This blend reminds me of a lot of things - Reminiscence Paris's Eau de Patchouli (but not quite as clean, fluffy and sweet), Chanel's Coromandel (but not as warm, rich, sweet, spicy or creamy), bpal's Banshee Beat (but not as mentholic and sweet, and with more of a woody patchouli), Occupywallstreet (but more well rounded)... I think it reminds me most of what might happen if Coromandel and Occupywallstreet had a baby. So kind of like a toned down Coromandel with the more woody patchouli of Occupywallstreet, and a cold metal & tobacco of its own added in.

 

I like patchoulis most when they have a chocolatey edge to them, which this has, and it also has a hint of a creamy, vanilla-like roundness to it. It's still not as sweet as some of my favorite patchoulis, though, and I wouldn't call this gourmand. It's one of those patchoulis that has a woody/cedar-ish quality to it. The 'gold' note is also familiar to me from some of bpal's other metallic blends and kind of reminds me of the foil around cigarettes (that would always be found at the bottom of my mom's person when I was younger). That impression is strengthened even more by the tobacco in this.

 

The longer I've had my bottle of Fake News, the more I can really smell that metallic note and the tobacco, and it reminds me so much of that pack-of-cigarettes-in-a-leather-purse scent. Mixed with woody patchouli and a vanilla-like creaminess and a hint of perfumey, sweet spice (which is similar to Pediophobia).

So, to summarize this mess of review (sorry for so much name-dropping, lol): Woody patchouli, metallic foil wrapped around cigarette tobacco, and soft, perfumey, vanilla-like creaminess.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Little Bird

[SophieCedar]

Fake News, I love you. I mean, in real life I hate you but, in oil form I love you. Reverbing the whole expensive luxury perfume thing, here. It smells like how you want to be treated at a luxury boutique.

 

Wet: WWWHHHOLY JEBUS...smells identical to original release Prada Amber unisex perfume>> Sephora's extremely limited stock, it sold out in a few days and it was like $110 for 80ml....yea.. well, this was when Sephora was King Shit....hahahaa! The mass market release done in 2008 IS NOT the same. Original I'm talking about is much richer.

 

Dry: slightly like CK's Euphoria now? Well the pink pepper has sweetened and whatever the leather/musk/resin combo was has smoothed. I still love it. Now that I think of it, the cascade from BLAST during wet to calm waters in drydown matches BPALs intended evocation, right?

 

Good work lab, good work. <3

[missnix]

If patchouli always smelled like this, I would have zero problems with it.

 

Fake News is beautiful; it's sweet and faintly musky from the amber, and all about the wonderfully woodsy (almost exotic / spicy) patch note. Echoing what everyone else has said about how "expensive" this smells - it reminds me of a Tom Ford Private Blend scent. Somewhere in between Oud Wood and Tobacco Vanille because of its sweet, rich, decadent yet grounded patchouli. On my skin, I occasionally catch whiffs that are reminiscent of the best kind of creamy, spicy sandalwood you could ever hope to smell.

Edited February 21, 2017 by missnix

[writergal969]

This is straight up amazing. Basically the same patch that's in Badgers to my nose but more upscale and spicy where Badgers goes sweet. I will be adding a bottle to my next order. Very nice.

[Allison93]

In bottle: Almost smell like Snake Oil? I get the people who say this smells like an expensive perfume, like a Tom Ford or something

 

Fresh on skin: I inhale, and as I take my nose away from my skin I smell chocolate? I get the spice from the pink pepper at the end. I think the gold note is what gives it the expensive smell, so this gold is not a metal smell. The patchouli is sure there but melds well with the tobacco. The white tobacco and gold make this perfume stand out

 

Dry: Let this one dry on you if you think you won't like it. It smells familiar, yet not. Like something I've smelled at a department store. But can't put my finger on the exact perfume. I feel like this is the scent of the "idea" of a department store perfume. What we expect when we first go to a department store perfume counter and hope to smell, but sadly don't.

 

Drying out I don't know if it's the white tobacco or the gold, but I'm getting a tiny tiny bit of metal? Or dryness? I think it might be the white tobacco. And while I normally hate metal/dry notes, it's actually ok. Because it still has the warmth from the patchouli.

 

This is defiantly a great perfume and going to become a signature scent I feel for lots of people. Not a summer scent, IMO it would be to heavy in a hot or humid environment. But a great scent for fall.

 

Going to buy a few back up bottles since it's LE. And I have a feeling it will also be great to have on hand to swap with people for in the future.

[patina]

HI I AM FAKE NEWS PAY ATTENTION TO ME I AM FANCY AND EXPENSIVE AND FANCY DID YOU KNOW PINK PEPPER CAN CURE CANCER!?

 

This has an insane throw on me. As others have mentioned the patchouli smells almost but not quite like chocolate, the white tobacco is dry and wafting all over the place and the pink pepper gives this a lovely bite and mischievous edge without being hard on the sinuses. I wish I could tell you what the gold element was. I can't. It's kind of metallic without being super ozony.

 

It's a lot like department store perfume, but the ideal of department store perfume. Super dry and cutting on drydown.

Edited February 27, 2017 by patina

[rjoskow]

I am a patchouli loving fool, but the patchouli in this is decidely different from the stuff I usually gravitate to, which is typically the more classic, familiar, hippie-ish patchouli. Perhaps it's the white tobacco that softens it. On my skin, there's a slight hint of vanilla or black tea after drydown -- it's hard to place, but a little sweet, and a little spicy, and very clean.

 

A really complex, lovely fragrance with real staying power.

[gloame]

So soft and warm. It is a bit quirky, but unlike certain tweets, it makes me happy. I would wear it daily, but I didn't give it 5 stars because it disappeared on me pretty quick.

[LiberAmoris]

I love the impetus behind Fake News, and what a glorious patchouli scent this is! On me it's pure hippie heartwood, pink pepper and white tobacco, rolled in gold leaf. It does smell upscale, but the patchouli isn't so buffed down that it loses that earthy tang that I enjoy. Wonderful!

[zankoku_zen]

Patchouli, pepper, tobacco, and buff of gold. This smells like expensive patchouli and I'm surprised at how wearable it is. It almost has a 'dark bitter chocolate' edge to it. Good throw and wear length.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Lots of patchouli, with an almost green edge to it. Woody and vegetal, rather than chewy or gnarly. It's really pretty. Soft, subdued. Classic, somehow, without smelling familiar or predictable. Very well blended, the pepper and tobacco blend seamlessly with the patch. I don't smell any metal, but it does have a old sort of feeling to it.

 

 

Dry: I really enjoy this. It's sweet, but dry. Very sophisticated. Sort of hard to describe. Patchouli is the star, for sure. But I think it's a patchouli that even people who don't like patchouli could like, Happy to have it. <3 you, Beth, for all you do.

[heatherlyn]

Just gorgeous, I'm a patchouli lover and this is an absolute keeper. Smooth and spicy and, ugh, so huffable. I'm not getting the pepper, but I have no complaints, just well blended and an instant favorite.

[renfair]

I was sooooo glad I'd got a decant of this from a circle once I smelled it. The notes on the lab site turned me off right away, cause I couldn't imagine how any of that together would smell good, but it was totally heaven to wear. I ended up buying a full bottle of it.

First Sniff Impression: Peppery, spicy, kind of bitter.

Wet in Vial: Definitely dry and spicy. I feel like the notes I'm smelling should be gross, but they're actually pretty nice together.

Drying Down on Skin: This is one that's super strong in the vial but starts to separate into notes immediately upon application. I thought I might be smelling patchouli, so at least I was right about that. The tobacco gives it a dry note, and the pink pepper pod a "hot" spiciness (as opposed to earthy spiciness like patchouli). I get the forum reviews that say this smells like an "expensive, department store perfume."

Dry on Skin: This has a bit of a throw to it, but it's not too bad, and it helps that the patchouli seems to kind of fade into everything else, so it definitely doesn't have "hippie" smell to it. It's actually really, really nice. Warm, spicy, sophisticated, and EXPENSIVE-smelling. I really think I'm going to get a full bottle.

Conclusion: Yup, I'm continuing to totally love this as it sits on my arm. I'm going to have to get a full bottle, especially because it's Limited Edition and also I want to have the money go to charity.

[milo]

I initially passed this one over, as pink pepper and certain tobaccos are not my friends. No need to worry, this is a lovely blend of what smells like amber, woods, vanilla and spices. Just peeked at the notes, and totally off, but this is what it smells like to me, though it's so well blended, I can't really tell and was surprised that patchouli is listed. Incredible, and reminds me kind of like of Haloes and So Below but it's really its own blend. A definite keeper, and I can't wait to see how this one ages. I may even need a back up.

 

Oh, eta, it reminds me also of a more feminine Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford.

Edited April 30, 2017 by milo

[torikitty]

In the bottle: acrid patchouli

Wet: pepper and tobacco

Dry: still amping the pepper, which feels like it gives it a unisex quality. The patchouli and tobacco round it nicely, though, giving it an earthy quality. I can see how it would be compared to a Tom Ford or Jo Malone fancy tobacco perfume. Definitely reminds me of a Jo Malone perfume.

 

I'm still trying to decide if I want to keep this. The pepper and tobacco is right up my alley, but it might be too unisex to warrant keeping the bottle. My husband ended up amping whatever "slashes of gold" is. He smelled like my grandma, so he's not allowed to wear this.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Carrie

[maddies mom]

When I first tried this, it was immediately after it arrived in the mail. Now, I know that is not smart, but I was really excited. I was a little let down as the scent was very light and perfumey...not what I expected. I hadn't reached for it for a few months and let it set. Today I decided to try it and WOW! It is so lovely. The patchouli is the front note, but it is so smooth and grounded. It is spicy and soft thanks to the pepper and tobacco. It is so well blended. If you could touch this scent, it would be smooth, soft velvet. It reminds me of my favorite qualities Fledgling Raptor Moon, but more gorgeous and feminine. I absolutely love this and will have to pick up a back up bottle.

[dementia_divine]

I originally wasn't tempted by this one from the note-list, but the rave reviews for this scent made me curious, and I like that the proceeds go to the ACLU, so I decided to purchase a bottle.

 

In the bottle: I'm mostly getting the patchouli note, which reminds me of the variety from Revenant Rhythm. I can smell amber, crushed pink pepper, which sweetens up the scent, and a bit of tobacco. I would have expected this scent to be sharp, from the notes, but it isn't at all.

 

Wet: This is so well-blended, that it's hard for me to single out the notes. Despite the inspiration for this scent, it isn't sharp at all. The patchouli note isn't screaming at me, and I no longer think it's the same from Banshee Beat/Revenant Rhythm, but I could be wrong. The note I'm getting the most of on my skin is the crushed pink pepper note, followed by what I think is amber as the slashes of gold.

 

Dry: The pink pepper note still reigns, followed by the patchouli. I can smell more of the patchouli and tobacco in this phase of the scent, and the patchouli note keeps becoming more prominent over time.

 

Verdict: I like this, but I'm not sure how often I would reach for it. It's a little too much like department store perfume for me, even though it's much nicer than that. I think I'll hold onto my bottle for now.