Cave of Treasures

[suki]

Sweet amber and golden honey, cream accord, blue lilac, and a drop of cardamom.

In The Bottle: Lilac and cream, oh my oh my!

Wet On Skin: The lilac is REALLY heavy! Frankly, at this stage it's verging on overwhelming me. Still, it's a lovely note, and I'm hoping it'll settle down some on the dry down.

Dry Down: When I was a kid, there was a giant lilac bush that grew outside the neighbor's house on the corner. I loved waling by it in late spring, when the boughs were heavy with blooming cones of the sweet flower. This lilac is very similar in freshness to what I smelled during that time. As it dries, the honey, a light, sweet yellow honey, not the dark, rich ones in "O", is certainly here as well, with the equally pal amber rounding it out. If there's cream here, it's mostly afterthought, which is a bit of a shame, honestly, because the sweetness of the other notes on my skin could use something to damp them down a little. The cardamom, however, IS there, but can only be detected as I pull my arm away from my face. Tricky!

 

In All: High throw- a little goes a long way! Very, very floral and sweet. I don't know if this is for me, but any floral fan would kill to have this for sure!

[missnix]

One of my biggest and most enduring BPAL regrets is that I was not around for the Blue Lilac SN, and it's nigh impossible to track down these days. Cave of Treasures scratches that itch, at least a bit.

The blue lilac note is the focal point of the blend, and it's gorgeous. Incredibly lifelike and realistic, it also has impressive staying power (most other lilac notes disappear on my skin, but this is going strong several hours in). At times it's fresh and sweet, almost recalling a sun-warmed peony bloom. Other times, with help from the cream and cardamom, it more resembles a creamy, spicy tuberose. But these are just aspects of the blue lilac note, which comes back into focus with any deep sniff. On a slight tangent; with very deep inhales I get a curious almost fuzzy / tingling sensation in my nose - sort of like the feeling right before a sneeze, but I'm never close to sneezing. Not sure what that's about.

If you're a fan of lilacs, run don't walk to the checkout for this beauty. It's by far the best BPAL lilac blend I personally have come across. It's warm, sweet, creamy, spicy lilac heaven! Both honey and cream can be a problem for me, but they are well-behaved in this blend (the honey is definitely pale and sweet as VioletChaos noted). So far, longevity seems to be good and for me personally the sillage is about average.

[absinthetics]

This scent is gorgeous. The sweet, creamy, spicy assuages my foodie desires...but I love lilac. And the touch of lilac in this is subtle and just utterly beautiful.

[sth0]

This is an expertly mixed scent. It is my Luper Winner. Wet, it is gloriously lilac, a bit foodie and sweet, but wow. Just gorgeous if you love lilac!

 

It only gets better as it dries. It matures...It is almost like one of your grandma's perfumes bathed in the blood of virgins and was reborn young and sexy but sweet and adorable.

 

Lilac lovers MUST TRY IT.

[Jenjin]

I'm a HUGE fan of the lab's sugared florals and Cave of Treasures hits that sweet spot for me. The lilac floats on top, reminding me of driving around in my car with the windows down while the lilacs are in bloom. Even though the notes are different, the cream note in this is a bit like NYCC Mrs. Dunbar with a big drop of lilac. If you love Mrs. Dunbar I would at least suggest a tester. Also, lilac is just one of those perfumes that can be overthetop perfumy, but here it's perfectly balanced and tampered by the amber, spice and cream.

Very wearable and lovely, it has a silvery like quality to it, like blue water droplets on the flowers turned to diamonds. The honey, that can be hit or miss for me, is super delicate, almost like a honey tea mixed with floating flowers and glints of sunshine.

This one totally knocks it out of the great big dreamy flower garden. It is full of springtime, blue, creamy floral notes and something like a big deep breath of fresh air

Edited March 21, 2017 by Jenjin

[Foodie]

Cave of Treasures is, like other reviewers have stated, a strong lilac scent. And like Jenjin said, lilac can be over the top perfumey. It may be behaving on y'all, but not on me! It's so very sweet and floral. I need something spicy in my florals, I'm a floriental girl. This has no spice, just straight up lilacs. I'm not getting honey or cream but I'm sure they're there, sweetening things up. Honestly this smells to me like perfume meant for teenagers and it gives me a headache. Really wanted to love this one! 😢

Edited March 12, 2017 by Foodie

[LizziesLuck]

I adore all these notes, and can't wait to see what they smell like together. Never would I have thought to pair lilac and cardamom.

 

 

Wet: Oh my gosh the lilac. It's GORGEOUS. So true. It smells like stuffing my face in the lilac bushes that grew all over our property where I grew up. It's like being 10 and home again. This is the nest lilac scent I have smelled, EVER. I don't know what the other notes are doing, other than supporting the lilac, and I don't care. This is amazing. Honestly, I can't say it enough. If you love lilac, you must try this.

 

Dry: Still absolutely gorgeous. I really can't say enough how utterly beautiful this is. I will likely grab a back-up. Best lilac perfume, EVER.

[galahad]

In the Bottle:

Really intriguing in the bottle. Lilac, cream and a strange meaty savoury note

On the Skin:

An absolutely gorgeous lilac, tempered by the thick cream and with cardamom spiciness. Very unusual and beautiful.

On the Drydown:

I think I would prefer this without the cardamom which crashes and grinds against all of the other notes to give that strange savoury note. It's almost like a slightly off orange. I'd like to hope that things settle down with a bit of aging because the opening is so stunning

[Larinessa]

I had high hopes for this, as lilac is a sentimental scent for me, as my departed grandmother had lilac bushes around her house, and the smell reminds me of her.

 

Wet, this is glorious full on realistic lilac. Fresh, intoxicating, and lush. Divine.

 

Dry, this turned into old lady soap on me, as florals often do. I had a huge sad about that.

 

An hour later, the spot where I tested it had itchy red bumps. As I've never had trouble with cardamon, amber or honey, I'm assuming it is one of the other notes my skin is reacting too.

 

I'll keep the decant to huff, and maybe invest in a scent locket for this.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Larinessa

[Casablanca]

This opens on me as creamy, honeyed lilac with just an eetty beetty nip of cardamom warming its edge.

 

I was thinking when I first read the notes that cardamom and lilac was an odd combo, but the cardamom is so subtle on me that it works out OK. It's not as natural a spicy floral as the eugenol/clove thing in carnation, but the spice is pretty delicate on me here. The cardamom also works well with the honeyed part of the blend.

 

Anyway, I think this is dreamy. It doesn't change much on me during its life. Too bad it lasts under two hours for me.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Ambery, honeyed lilac.

 

Wet on my skin: Creamy, ambery, honeyed lilac.

 

Dry: Sweet, creamy, delicious lilac. This is so beautiful. Amber and lilac are the main players on my skin, with sweet honey and cream making it soooo smooth and pretty. Cardamom warms it just a tinge, but doesn't seem to be a discernible note on its own. I was hoping for a beautiful lilac, and this does not disappoint! It's not as heady as Initiation Sentimentale, which is on the other arm, but smoother and ...I think this smells like a Vulva, but with lilac instead of the usual lotus?

[kelpsoda]

Unlike other reviewers, I get very little lilac in the decant. It's all honey-amber-musk for me. There's a touch of something floral, but it disappears quickly.

[Lambent]

Absolutely gorgeous! It's a creamy lilac that, for some reason, reminds me of 2016's The Bride. Slightly powdery, but that drizzle of honey keeps it less dry in texture. A pinch of cardamom is apparent in Cave of Treasures' first few minutes, but this is definitely more lilac cream and honeyed skin than anything else. A periwinkle scent. Don't miss this one if it sounds up your alley!

[Aviatrix]

I'm a sucker for lilac scents, but I was worried the cream might make this one too heavy and foody on me. It didn't! There is a creaminess here, but it is mostly a light, airy lilac, not too much honey either, and a drop of light spice from the cardamom.

I really like this, but it is faint on my skin. It would be great to wear in everyday settings, though, as it isn't in-your-face in any way, and a lot of people would find this pleasant

[Haltija]

LILAC LOVERS REJOICE!

 

It is no secret that my favorite Lilac scent from the Lab is Ashlultum. But, dammit if this isn't giving it a run for it's money. I am such a fan of honeyed or sugared florals and this just hits all of my love radars. It's honeyed lilac with cream and a faint dance of amber. I get no cardamom at all, even during the full dry down and even though I love cardamom and think it would just up the percentage of how stunning this is, I love it the way it is.

 

It screams Springtime and just being happy, bright eyed and beautiful. I immediately got myself a full bottle and may need another

[theseagrows]

starts off with creamy lilac..so pretty! i smell the honey shortly after, and the lilac keeps blooming in the most intoxicating way. it's a really beautiful scent on me for the first 30 minutes or so, then the lilac just amps up so high i get a pure lilac single note.

Edited March 29, 2017 by theseagrows

[heatherlyn]

Just lilac on me, surprising as I amp honey and love amber - but they were no where to be found.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Since we have BPAL/BPTP bath oils, room scents, etc, the next thing should definitely be BPAL for intimate grooming. C'mon, don't tell me you want your bits to smell like a Summer's Eve when they could be a Cave of Treasures. Juvenile humor aside, this is much less sweet than I expected--in fact, after an initial flash of honey while wet, Cave isn't sweet at all; it's a dry spice--amber and cardamom. I love it! Really unusual, like a bone-dry chai.

[Elspethdixon]

Wet/in the imp - perfume-y lilac and a hint of something creamy

Freshly applied - sour/funky mustiness similar to the unpleasant wet stage of Skuld, because indolic flowers hate me, and they hate me extra when combined with honey. (on my hair, however, it's honeyed lilac with creamy amber and a hint of spice and smells lovely - even if it stays awful on my skin I'm keeping this imp as a hair scent)

Fifteen minutes in - The sour mustiness has mostly faded, and now my arm smells like slightly powdery/slightly creamy floralness that's pleasant but doesn't shout "lilac" at me the way it did in the decant. My skin flattens all the glorious heady lilac down to a generically pleasant powdery floral with only a hint of lilac in it (meanwhile, having run the little wand through my hair a few times, I'm surrounded by a faint but just noticeable scent of lilac, like being outdoors in warm weather next to a blooming lilac bush. I want to wear this in my hair always. You will pry this imp from my cold, dead hands. I'm going to the sales forum to track down other decants of it as I type because decants work better than bottles for hair application)

Two hours in - After an hour or so of wear, the powdery generic floral blooms on my skin into a creamy honeyed floral (not like the heavy-thick honey note in O, but you know how lilac blossoms and honeysuckle smell almost honey-nectar sweet? Like that) that is sweet and delicious, and stays like that for at least the next hour. Scents don't really morph much in my hair, so that's still keeping on with the fresh outdoor lilac bush smell. I haven't really gotten any noticeable cardamom from either application, except for a few moments at the very beginning (and only in my hair).

By three hours the scent in my hair is starting to fade a little, and on my skin, Cave has mellowed from a creamy floral to a creamy amber with a hint of that honey-like floral . I'm reconsidering whether or not an additional decant will do, or whether I need a bottle after all.

[sailthetethys]

Ok, Beth. I get it. I don't hate florals after all.

 

This really REALLY wanted to go soapy on me, possibly because I fully expected it to. In fact, I attempted to scrub it off. But 20 minutes later, it's a lush creamy lilac with just a touch of spicy cardamom. And it's lovely.

 

This is so annoying. I'd already crossed it off the list and everything. Now I have to make a new list.

 

Maybe I'll hate it in an hour.

[Anaire]

Well I've tried this a few times and it's pretty much a single note Lilac on my skin. Ok, but not impressive enough for me to buy a bottle of.

[Blood onmy hands]

I had high hopes for this and every note in it should be a love for me, so I risked the blind bottle buy. Lilac is my favorite floral ever and I've never had trouble with it going soapy or sharp, but it's sharp and soapy here. The amber also immediately goes to baby powder on my skin, giving me a dry and powdery floral rather than a sweet and creamy one. It stays soapy, sharp and powdery for about three hours and then shifts into a honeyed lilac and baby powder, with the soapiness starting to fade off. Too little too late, though, and I still don't like the powder. I get no cardamom at any point.

Baby powder, soapy, sharp lilacs and a hint of honey...

[zankoku_zen]

This is mainly golden amber and honey, with a touch of lilacs. It's creamy and sweet, but the lilacs keep it from being a foodie scent, and the cardamom comes into the drydown and adds a touch of spice. Gorgeous skin scent on me. Low throw, great wear length.

[roseus]

In the imp: this reminds me a little of Blossoming Vulva, but with lilac not lotus. Though creamy, not slippery.

 

Wet: LILAC

 

Dry: spicy amber with honey. A little creamy with just a hint of lilac left. I like it, but I don't need a bottle. Too bad the lilac burns off in the wet stage.

[Arachnae]

Sniffing from the bottle, it's a very sweet and perfume-y honeyed lilac. Pretty!

 

On my skin, the sweetness dissipates very quickly but the lilac becomes beautifully creamy and soft, and the teensiest hint of spicy cardamom appears. The lilac is indeed strong with this one, which is not what I was expecting when I first read the notes. As an amber and honey fiend I was rooting for those two notes to be strong contenders in this blend, which, on me at least, they are not. This lilac is so stunning that I can forgive all that though. It ends up a slightly dry, slightly spicy, creamy lilac, absolutely gorgeous, and perfect for this time of year!

 

Throw is fairly low, and rather unfortunately, it seems to be one of those scents that my skin just eats up because it all but disappears after a couple of hours. I will be interested to see whether a bit of aging will deepen the amber and honey, and increase the longevity, because I do so want this gorgeous scent to stick around!