artemisia Report post Posted October 21, 2017 [No additional description provided.] Imagine you’ve invited your 3 favorite people to eat dinner with you on Hallowe’en. All three are smart, interesting and attractive and you’re excited because you’re sure they’re going to love each other. But unexpectedly something goes awry! When the three arrive, not only are they not talking, they aren’t even acknowledging the others. OMG! Is the moon in Mercury?No. You’ve just sniffed your bottle of Dead Leaves, Lemon Verbena & Cedar. At least that’s how the blend affected me. Individually, the 3 notes are among my Top 10, especially the BPAL earthy, green-spiced dead leaves (as in Pile of Fallen Leaves). It can be mid-August with temps in the hundreds and murderous humidity but a sniff of the SN tricks my brain into imagining mushrooms, rain-soaked earth and drifts of maple leaves outside. The smooth, soothing, spicy warmth of cedar seemed like a natural complement to the bite of green, maybe adding a subtly darker spice to the base. I wasn’t so sure about the Lemon Verbena, even though L’Occitane Lemon Verbena soap is almost always in a soap dish somewhere in my house. At best, I reasoned, it would work with the green spice of the leaves to enhance their invigorating rush. At worst I worried it might sink the boat. I’m not savvy enough to know if that’s where this Dead Leaves blend veered off course. But that’s my guess since I “got” the references to Lemon Pledge I remember from reviews of other blends. Color me Sad. Hoping time would encourage the notes to cooperate, I was about to store my bottle. Then, on a whim, I decided to try a 50/50 mix with some of my beloved Pile of Dead Leaves. The result is a greener, spicier fragrance that seems more grounded (or rounded) than either blend alone. I’m completely delighted with my serendipitous concoction. Earlier, I had tried layering the two but being in the same bottle enables them to enjoy each other’s company more fully. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zankoku_zen Report post Posted November 13, 2017 A ton of lemon verbena over dead leaves, and a whiff of cedar. Yup, loads of lemons. Medium throw and wear length. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
