Nothing is Unexpected, Nothing is Foresworn

[vikingpixie]

Nothing is unexpected, nothing is foresworn and
Nothing amazes now that father Zeus the Olympian
veiled the light to make it night at midday
even as sun was shining: so dread fear has overtaken men.
From this time on everything that men believe
will be doubted: may none of us who see this be surprised
when we see forest beasts taking turns in the salted field
with dolphins, when the echoing waves of the sea become
Dearer to them than the sand, and the dolphins love the wooded glen

– Archilochus

Red amber and heady red wine, benzoin, ash, and bourbon vanilla.

I can smell every note in the description, it's kind of amazing. Wet, this is a GRAPE CHERRY POPSICLE SURPRISE, and initially I was worried that it wouldn't work for me. But (as with other BPAL containing wine/cherry notes) it quickly mellowed into a deep incense-y red wine when drying on my skin.

Think old vine Zinfandel, with a *slightly* lighter fruitiness than usual, sipped while a warm spicy incense is burning a little too close for comfort. The ash is surprisingly present, and I can detect a wee hint of bourbon vanilla lurking in the background. This smells exactly how I would expect a carnival fortune teller's tent to smell, and I'll be hanging on to this one for sure!

[suki]

In the bottle, the wine is definitely the most prominent note, by far. It's that sweet, grapey, heady red wine note that I so adore in Glüwhein. Once it warms up and then dries on my skin, it shifts and yes, the ash comes in and it's become a delicious heady incense instead. The benzoin definitely gives it some kick in this regard, upping the ante when it comes to bringing on some spice. I don't really get any of the bourbon vanilla and for once, I'm not lamenting the loss- this scent is glorious all on it's own. SO happy I got my bottle before tomorrow's eclipse!

[theseagrows]

yes this definitely starts off with a strong red wine note! after about a minute i get hints of ash lingering in the background. a few minutes later i get something fruity-plasticky, like a plastic scented doll. perhaps it's something that makes up the red wine, because this sometimes happens to me with some of BPAL's fruit notes, especially plum. after about 10 more minutes, the plastic note dissipates, thankfully. i think i am left with amber, wine, ash and benzoin. i don't seem to get much vanilla from this. this seems like a fall/winter scent to me, and i think i need to try this again in the fall, when it will really shine.

[Chatoyant]

The red wine and amber I loved in Lilith & Sekhmet, although the amber here opens earlier and has the addition of smoked resin and a hint of ash. I'll have to cagematch to see if I really need both.

[LizziesLuck]

I got this as a free sniffie bottle from my lovely decantress <3.

 

Wet: The wine and the ash are the strongest notes, and surprisingly they smell lovely together. Also surprising is the fact that the wine smells great on me- normally it smells like grape cough syrup, but this is the second scent I have tried lately with wine and loved (the other was Behind the Veils). This is deep, rich, a bit sweet, but also a bit sour/tart (in a pleasant way). The wine and ash seem to balance each other out perfectly.

 

 

Dry: A rich wine and amber scent, darkened by hints of ash that make it a tad moody (in a way I really like). It's somehow a bit incensey as well. I have never liked a really strong wine scent before, and that makes me think I should have more of this one! So I think I will....

[ltrittipoe]

I love the red wine note that Beth uses - its rich and sweet and not too boozey. The alcohol dissipates after a few minutes, but keeps the aura of the wine, that smells jammy and amazing.

 

Wine and amber-y incense. Love.

[strick9]

In the bottle: I'm surprised by how wine-like this is. it smells like lambrusco. little hints of ash and incense, but not much.

 

Wet: whoa- this reminds me a lot of Penumbra (which i just got and like quite a bit once dry). It's real juicy and grape-y, and super sweet. The bourbon vanilla peeks out a touch.

 

Dry-down: now this- this i really really like, and as others have mentioned, you can seriously find every note that the description lists. It's wonderfully ashy and incense-y; I love the amber and benzoin. The wine/grape notes just float on top (despite being a "heavy red wine" note). I'm SUPER glad i got a whole bottle of this, and I think it will age beautifully. I'll definitely be wearing it long before it can age, though!

[Minh Scent]

First sniff-all deep rich red wine. On the skin the wine is joined by amber that is heavy on vanilla. The hint of ash is such an interesting addition to this perfume and I agree with reviewers above that it has an incense-like vibe. Beautiful!

[capncait]

So thick and juicy. I loved how this transformed- it went from berries and incense I'm the bottle, to a strong wine while wet, and then during the dry down, the smokey ash came to the fore, only to have the juicy wine and creamy resins return. Incredibly lovely, decent throw, I'm so glad I pulled the trigger on this!

[Madame Mew]

All wine in the front, not too sweet, but still berry and jammy. The ash comes out as soon as it dries, but I do not smell the vanilla bourbon. Maybe just the tiniest bit in the background. Surprisingly beautiful and perfectly encapsulates the feeling of an indian summer and moody pre-eclipse anticipation. So happy to have a full bottle of this. I have never smelled anything like it!

[zankoku_zen]

Red wine, ash, and amber. This is a smoky red wine blend. Medium throw and wear length.