L’Intention Fait Valoir les Bagatelles

[Casablanca]

Black tea, lavender buds, Italian bergamot, and Siamese benzoin.

Bagatelles opens on me as equally an herbal lavender and a black tea. There's something borderline medicinal or astringent here, without being quite either. It brings to mind a Victorian doctor with a carpet bag carrying all-for-what-ails-you.

The bergamot lifts the blend somewhat, but supportively, rather than as a strong force.

I never smell benzoin significantly.

This is charming and pleasant, with an old-fashioned mood.

 

 

ETA: This reminds me a lot of Tyrannophobia. I think it's the same black tea.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Casablanca

[goblingrin]

Bought a bottle of this on impulse. In the bottle, it smells exactly like my stash of loose leaf earl grey tea. Unfortunately, on my skin it smells almost musty, though the scent seems to wick away quickly after drying. I can't seem to pick up the lavender at all in the bottle or on my skin, which is a shame as the lavender buds is what pushed me to go ahead with the order.

[Smaragdina]

Am I smelling... anise?

 

Seriously - the top wet note reads as anise on me. It mellows into smelling like a densely-packed box of unsweetened earl grey tea leaves. The tea is dense and maybe a little musty, but the bergamot props it up. I can't really smell much lavender, but I know I'm mentally comparing it to my stash of lavender earl grey tea that's very lavender-heavy, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

And every once in a while, there's these wispy wafts of... am I really smelling anise?

 

Huh.

 

Lucky for me, I love anise. I've been searching for a good black tea scent. This might be a keeper!

[annemathematics]

super dreamy sublime-smelling unisex scent focusing on the lab's black tea note. has moderate throw and layers beautifully with other scents (I tested it against globe and recommend trying the two scents together if you're able.) fades after a few hours, something i'm hoping a bit of time/aging will improve.

[RedPersimmon]

Wet: Sheer lavender and bergamot with a drop of peppermint water.

Drydown: Caramelized plastic.

 

Y'all, I love me some lavender and bergamot, but that deliciousness quickly gave in to what I can only assume is the benzoin. The whole thing faded pretty fast, too, which is just as well because I really wanted to wash it off.

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: Black tea, lavender, and bergamot.

 

Wet: The black tea is the most prominent note, followed by the lavender and bergamot. The black tea note does have a bit of an anise-y vibe (which sometimes happens with the Lab's black tea note on me). The lavender in this reads as dry lavender buds to my nose. I'm not getting any of the benzoin yet, but the bergamot note seems to be getting stronger over time.

 

Dry: The black tea note ends up calming down after a while (and no longer has a licorice-y quality to it), and the soft, somewhat powdery benzoin has joined it. The lavender is a lot fainter now, but the bergamot is still going strong. It's mostly black tea, benzoin, and bergamot on me, with a smattering of dry lavender buds.

 

Verdict: This is like the leaves of an unsteeped Earl Grey. The black tea note was a little too strong for me during the wet stage, and I wish the lavender ended up playing more of a role on me, so it's not something I need more of. I'm glad I got to try it, though.

[zankoku_zen]

Herbal black tea and lavender. I am definitely getting an anise edge with a slight resin base. Good throw and wear length.

[reconditarmonia]

Eeesh, is this what they call herbal lavender? It feels very cold and fuzzy somehow, and reminds me of another BPAL I've tried that didn't work for me - maybe Fairy Bites? (I can't even remember now if I've tried Pain or not.) Maybe I just need to stop hoping I'll find my perfect lavender

[samanare]

I struggled to smell this on my skin. I tried applying it multiple times in a row and at best I got a tea with bergamot scent that faded pretty quickly. I'd recommend Scraps of Poetry instead from the same release for that lavender/bergamot scent.

[LiberAmoris]

Mmmm, L’Intention Fait Valoir les Bagatelles really is like a lavender spin on Earl Grey. I love the Lab's black tea note, which does have a slight anise or licorice edge to it, and it's used nicely here. It's not a strong blend on me, but rather a hazy, gentle tea blend with a plush, resiny base of benzoin.