Pleasures of the Imagination II

[Failmingo]

White tobacco, leather, and white sandalwood.

I wish more men knew it was possible to smell like this.

Leather is nice and sharp right in the bottle, and then wet on the skin it is definitely standing on planks of sandalwood, with means pretty much any sweetness you're getting here will be from the tobacco -- and that's a great place to be!

This is about as gentle a man-on-horseback scent as BPAL does, without getting into floral territory. Sure, dandies ride horses too -- but this one belongs more to the fellow who teaches them to ride (I like to imagine they'll end up hooking up behind the stables). He's clean, but he works hard for a living. You know?

To my nose, the leather is the first to arrive and the last to leave, but it takes you to lots of subtle places along the way. If you want a dirtier leather, you'll want to try RIDING CROP instead -- it was definitely not cleaned thoroughly after use.

[roseus]

In the bottle: sharp, fresh black leather.

 

Wet: fresh black leather, and tobacco. This is not a sweet, chewy tobacco though. But compared to the leather it is the tiniest bit sweet.

 

Dry: the leather still dominates, but I get some tobacco and sandalwood. It's a very bad ass scent, and maybe a little more on the masculine side. Layering this with something sweeter would make it perfect for me.

 

 

ETA: I decided to let this one rest awhile because the next two times I tried to wear it, not just one dab for testing purposes but several, it gave me a headache with how rough and chemical the leather would get. Now that it has settled more I get the sandalwood, and a little more tobacco than I got before. The chemical stage burns off quickly, though I would still call this a rough scent.

Edited April 7, 2017 by roseus

[Atrous]

The tobacco in this is super ashy in that it smells like an ashtray that hasn't been washed in a long time. Yuck.

Now combine that with leather and it turns into a chain smokers leather coat. Double Yuck.

I detect no sandalwood.

Needless to say, I had to scrub this one off.

[kbrown926]

This is a hardened black leather with tobacco and sandalwood. On me, this is a clean, almost but not quite sharp blend. The leather floats out while the tobacco and wood lean in. There is something straightforward about this blend.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Blarg! Cleaning products! Super chemically and astringent. Spilled on a pile of beautiful sweet tobacco. That tobacco note is great. Too bad it's doused in a white leather than is clearly not agreeing with my skin or nose. Ick.

 

 

Dry: Sadly this is just a huge pile of nope on me. Chemically clean white leather takes over everything, and it's just not my jam.

[Anne Taylor]

This is absolute heaven on me. I could go either way with white tobacco, but I'm really glad I decided to try this one out. Very masculine leaning (in my opinion), but I could definitely see I badass dominatrix wearing this also!

The sandalwood mellows out the tobacco quite nicely, so don't be afraid! Even with me just receiving my bottle today, I'm in love. Of course I'll update as time goes on and as the bottle sits for a bit, but at the moment, I'm contemplating several back-ups...

 

 

UPDATE: Mellowed out a ton and it's no longer very strong in the beginning. Still masculine leaning, but I could see anyone pulling it off with the right attitude! It's smooth all the way through and well blended. Gradually fades off into a nice, musky, close to the skin scent within 6-7 hours but I find that sexy as all-get-out. Wouldn't mind reapplying either I see multiple bottles in my future!

Edited March 27, 2017 by degaussingcrown

[Haltija]

I had the same result as Lizzie.

 

Super strong chemical smell on first application. It fades only slightly and I get a touch of sandalwood trying to cover it up. I get no tobacco whatsoever and only very little whiffs of leather. That chemical smell never truly disappears. Not a winner at all.

[Blood onmy hands]

I'm confused by this scent, because I usually love the lab's leather blends and I loved the white tobacco in Pediophobia, but this doesn't smell like anything else that I own. The Pleasures series is going strange and chemical-y on my skin, which isn't an issue I've really had with any of bpal's other leather scents.

II sounded similar to The White Rider (which is one of my favorite GC blends), but where White Rider is all soft, suede-like white leather and lovely vanilla-sandalwood, II seems to be overtaken by a really gritty, dirty, ashy tobacco, and the leather comes off as sour and a bit smoky on my skin (or the tobacco is going smoky). It's not like the black leather of The Manuscript or Brom Bones, which I enjoyed. It's chemical, sharp, cold, and perfumey. In the drydown, a powdery sandalwood tries to soften it, but I'm just not enjoying this one.

If you want a lovely leather and sandalwood, I'd recommend The White Rider over this, and The White Rider is only $17.50 for 5mls to II's $24 a bottle.

[joopjoop]

When I first put this on it is very similar to Fighter from the RPG collection - high-end leather handbag touched with a sort of metallic air-conditioning edge to it. I have no idea where the slightly chemically metallic undertone is coming from - this particular tobacco note I guess?

 

After a while it calms down and settles into an expensive-leather-handbag-with-french-cigarettes-tucked-inside-it scent, which is a lot nicer, but not what I was hoping for at all. I love the lab's white sandalwood note, but get none of it here, sadly.

 

I will be having the joopman test it as I think I might like it a lot better on him. Glad I only went for the decant on this one.

Edited March 23, 2017 by joopjoop

[SophieCedar]

Mahahaha..this is glorious. This is not a white leather, like The White Rider. White Leather is something I definitely cannot wear, no matter what application. I'd undoubtedly know if it was, as soon as it touched my skin...too chemically. I'm not sure where people are getting the white leather smell from?

 

 

Its clean, rich, riding crop leather with a beautiful floral tobacco and grounding incense-y sandalwood. Definitely buying a bottle. Maybe more. This is my kinda leather 100%.

Edited March 26, 2017 by SophieCedar

[Casablanca]

On the wand: white notes, some tan to the leather. I get an ethereal and pretty sweetness in the tobacco.

 

On my skin, the sweetness in the tobacco amps likably, followed by the pale sandalwood. I like both notes. The blend as a whole becomes dry-smelling as it dries on me. It takes on a bit of a bleached desert-like quality that reminds me of It Lifts from Leaden Sieves: maybe it’s the same white sandalwood.

 

This also reminds me of White Rider, but it’s been a long time since I smelled that one. I want to say that WR was more powdery and had less depth on me than this one, but it’s kind of a guess impression by now. This is my friend’s decant, and I can’t figure out if I need a bottle.

[themeaningofV]

I am so thankful that I'm not amping the sandalwood this time around, because this is the sultry leather/tobacco scent I have always wanted. Makes me want to wear loud lipstick, a fur coat, and start smoking outside a sleazy club at night.

[theseagrows]

yep, leather. prominent leather. and sandalwood mostly at the outset. after being on the skin a few minutes I smell a hint of tobacco which sweetens and warms up this scent. this is almost a single note leather scent for me, as my skin really seems to amp the leather. The combination of leather and tobacco almost smells like a leather floral scent-it's intriguing.

[zankoku_zen]

Leather, tobacco, and a touch of sandalwood. It smells like a more natural version of a black leather SN. A little more feminine. I can see those into leather blends being really into this blend. Good throw and wear length.

[whisperstilled]

Wet: Sandalwood and leather with a hint of green tobacco underneath lending sweetness. Yum.

Dry: Reminds me strongly of a number of BPAL's 'cowboy' scents, but for whatever reason, it brings Crowley to mind most strongly. I think there's a risk of it going powdery given time, but this has everything of the really great BPAL leather scents. Comparisons to Fighter and Paladin are very apt.