Pleasures of the Imagination I

[SadariEvenstar]

Black amber, leather, and myrrh.

In the bottle this smells like LEATHER. Black, shiny, intense leather. I was a little scared to dab it on, I like leather but this was overwhelming.

It absolutely blooms on the skin and the black amber marries perfectly with a much toned down leather and it shines. I don't know if I really smell myrrh.

[Dark Alice]

This black leather. Black whip leather. It purrs wit the myrrh. It's clean, sensuous, and perfect. This is needs to be added to my arsenal of war scents. I need another bottle of this b/c its just that damn sexy and fierce.

[Klepz]

So I wore this last night and yep, definitely black leather. Black leather and a myrrh-heavy amber that blend seamlessly together. Very powerful! A little dab had enough throw to get me a compliment from well outside my personal space

[Larinessa]

This is fantastic.

 

Bite your teeth down hard black leather with beautiful sexy myrrh and sweet amber blooming underneath. This is a blend to wear when you want to announce your kicking ass and taking names. Not for the meek.

 

In a lot of ways this is very similar to the Black Rider, minus the sometimes 'dirty' note of the tobacco that can amp on me. This will be layered with Bordello for certain. A winner!

Edited February 26, 2017 by Larinessa

[Atrous]

Shiny black leather combined with Myrrh and Amber = SEXY!

Not much more to say than that.

[kbrown926]

Black leather, a powdery myrrh and a hint of amber. Clean and uncomplicated.

[LizziesLuck]

So stoked about this whole little series! I got decants of I, II and III. This is the first of them I am trying.

 

 

Wet: Ugh. A punch in the face from leather. The kind that goes all "harsh industrial chemicals" on my skin. Ick! There's something sweet, in an almost mildewy fashion, just under the leather. Not off to a great start....

 

 

Dry: Pure leather. Fresh, chemically leather. It's not a scent I care for. I am going to age this a bit and try it again. I never smelled even a bit or amber or Myrrh from this...

[The Forest Floor]

Well this sounded good, looked like all notes I usually like in some variation, but in reality all I'm getting is a sharp, chemically, headache-and-nausea-inducing scent somehow reminiscent of "new car" (which I've always hated). Maybe it's not so much the smell itself as it is the headachy-nauseous reaction reminding me of getting car sick as a child (which may have spawned my lifelong hatred of "new car" smell). I've had it on for about an hour and it has lost some of the sharpness and softened a tad but I really don't like it so I am going to try to wash it off now. Oh well.

[lady_pandora]

It smells like I put on Winter, My Secret and then went to the BDSM shop. I really like this!

[patina]

On the drydown the myrrh and amber are sweet and gorgeous. Unfortunately, the leather makes the scent softer than I'd like at the end. Before it really dries leather's the dominant note. It really smells like bandaids or something medicinal mixed with weirdly sugary resins. Unlike The Red Rider, the contrast between sweet resin and leather is a little jarring here.

 

Not terrible, probably better after aging, but I'm not a big leather fan.

 

Edit: After a few days, the leather and resins seem to marry better and the scent is a lot more pleasant, more of a slinky leather and silk scent.

Edited March 20, 2017 by patina

[Haltija]

On me this is "HOLY SHIT the leather from Red Rider" which was unbearably strong on me to the point where it gave me a massive headache. But, this is saved by the stunning black amber and then the almost cola like quality that myrrh can sometimes bring out on me.

 

It's definitely a strong scent and not for the faint at heart. I will keep my decant for sure

[Blood onmy hands]

This is my favorite of the Pleasures series, but I don't like it enough to upgrade from a decant to a full bottle either. I think that The Black Rider (which is black leather, opoponax, tobacco and black amber) is better for a similar blend. And that one is a GC blend and only $17.50 a bottle.

The leather here is black, shiny, new, and slightly chemical smelling (like a 'new car' scented air freshener), the black amber goes powdery on me, and the myrrh is thick, sweet, and resinous, and similar to the opoponax in Black Rider. The Black Rider is richer, less 'new' smelling and slightly smoky on me instead of powdery.

 

I like this, but there are leather bpals that I like a lot more.

[Aviatrix]

SUPER strong leather in this!

I am getting the resins as well, but to be honest, the leather really stomps all over everything on my skin. If you are a leather fiend, be sure to check this out. It is a bit too much for me, though

[Casablanca]

On the wand, black leather in clouds of amber and dark myrrh.

 

On my skin, at first, the amber is there, but the leather relaxes into a softer note, and the myrrh hides. As this dries, the black leather comes out more and the amber (which might have a little vetiver in it) sweetens. Then, kind of abruptly, the lovely amber drops out and I’m left with a soft black leather and a hint of myrrh.

 

Still, sexy brew. This is my friend’s decant, and I can’t figure out if I need a bottle. I thought I was done ordering, but I’m tempted, because I love the way this amber plays with the other notes while it lasts.

[d0gbones]

This is a very clean leather rather than the musky, dry type I usually like. The amber keeps it sweet and I'm not sure I smell the myrrh at all other than a slight hint in the vial. The leather is the longest lasting part of the fragrance (but then my skin just seems to do that with any leather note) but it's definitely not settled to a straight leather scent - there's Something Else going on there that I can't put a finger on, it's not striking me as either amber or myrrh but something very clean and almost aquatic.

[Anne Taylor]

Definitely a strong, black leather backed with amber and myrrh. The myrrh goes a bit powdery on me but I don't think I mind that.

 

 

VERY strong throw so you really only need a tiny bit to last all day. Not sure if I need a full bottle, but for sure will be keeping my decant.

[Lydialove]

Oh. Well then.

I was really looking forward to this one, considering how wonderful the myrrh and motor oil combination of Streets of Detroit is on my skin, but reading the reviews I started to get nervous about the strength of the leather but I guess in my case, I didn't need to be. The leather is surprisingly gentle on me and well balanced by the dark sweetness of the amber and myrrh. It settles right into my skin.

I want to test a little more, but my initial impression is that this is quite sexy. I'm not sure if I need a bottle or not - I do have SoD for when I'm in this mood (industrial smut goddess. That mood.) but it's different enough it may still be justified.

[Cassandra Dudum]

If Musée de l'Erotisme had a perfume, this is what it would smell like. Immediately when I smelled my decant of this, it reminded me of when I visited that museum in Paris. It smells just like it! I had to buy a bottle immediately.

 

The leather is soft and sexy. One of the softest leather notes I have smelled from bpal. The "softness" of the leather reminds me of the brown leather note from The Book from the 2016 Lupers. However it still has a "bite" to it but not in a bad chemical leather way. Almost like a slight pepper to make it sharp. Compared to my other black leather perfumes, I think "Pleasures of the Imagination I" is like a mix of brown and black leather. The only chemical leather experience I have had are with Ian and Adam from the OLLA line. But I know everyone's skin chemistry is different. Maybe it is the black amber and myrrh that calms the leather note down, but personally I am not getting any chemical scent like some others are from this scent.

 

On my skin dry: It is sexy worn leather with a slight sweet powdery dust. I think the powder/dust and the worn leather is what makes me think of the Musée de l'Erotisme. The powder dances back and forth between sweet and spicy (like pepper). It is very complex despite it only being three notes.

 

The throw is medium/strong and it sticks to my skin all day.

Edited April 15, 2017 by VioletVorpal

[zankoku_zen]

DeSade, is that you? This is pretty much a softer version of DeSade. Loads of black leather, hint of amber. Great throw and wear length. *wrinkles nose*

[leira]

I've been trying a few leather scents to find the perfect one, and this comes close for me. Shiny black leather like that of a riding crop, soft, gentle myrrh, and a touch of black amber to balance it out. I almost get a medicinal wipe smell from the amber when I put it on but it quickly blends in with the other notes. Glad I snagged a sample of this and I may get a bottle if it mellows more in the future

[Lucchesa]

Pleasures of the Imagination I is single note black leather on me. Not that that's a bad thing -- in fact, it's not a criticism at all, just a description. It's crazy strong, too, so you could add a tiny bit to any scent whose leather you felt needed a little bucking up. Only after a couple of hours do I begin to perceive any amber. I'm not sure I ever get the myrrh or if it's there underlying the leather the whole time. Definitely a keeper!