VioletChaos
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Everything posted by VioletChaos
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This spirit shall return to Him Who gave its heavenly spark; Yet think not, Sun, it shall be dim When thou thyself art dark! No! it shall live again, and shine In bliss unknown to beams of thine, By Him recall’d to breath, Who captive led Captivity, Who robb’d the grave of Victory,— And took the sting from Death! Lilith at Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey – one of my favorite places in the entirety of this earth. Piety and intrigue, succor and terror… stone walls and painted glass panels bearing witness to generations of poetry, pride, conquest, and despair: the echoes of the incense smoke of hundreds upon hundreds of years curling around roses and oak branches. In The Bottle: This is...wow. It's got a rose in there, but it's honestly not like any I think I've smelled before. It's dark and dusky and the oak is certainly grounding it, even in the bottle. It's beautiful and somber and makes me want to walk in cemeteries on cloudy days- AND THIS IS ALL IN THE BOTTLE. Wet On Skin: The oak makes its presence more known and the rose takes a little more of a back seat. I'm less familiar with oak notes in the Lab's cannon, but this one reminds me of autumnal days and, yes, crunching through leaves. Unusual for me, but no complaints Dry Down: The rose is in the distant background, and this has become an oak incense - it's crunchy leaves mixed with an incense base. It waxes and wanes, strangely- one moment it's quite strong and the next it fades back. And it's got something I can't quite place...something that reminds me of childhood, though the scent isn't 'childish' in the least. It's dusty and powdery and incense-y and fallen-leafy and slightly musty. I honestly can't decide how I feel about it just now, but it's intriguing enough that I'm going to let it age and check back in later to see what's happening.
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As you have no doubt heard, during the third presidential debate, Hillary described her plan to raise taxes on the rich in order to fund Social Security. She took a swing at him over him being a tax dodger (which he is). “My Social Security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donald’s – if he can’t figure out how to get out of it.” Trump interrupted her and said, “Such a nasty woman.” These are two things uttered by the same man within the same hour: “Such a nasty woman.” “No one has more respect for women than me.” Amazing. Let’s put this pussy-grabbing, racist, predatory, misogynistic, hateful, irresponsible, ignorant, immature grotesquerie out of politics for good, and do what we can to ensure that he and his ilk never cast their miserable shadows over our political process again. Nasty Woman: black fig and patchouli, filthy bourbon vanilla, honeyed amber oud, and loukhoum. In The Bottle: A dark, dirty patchouli with a bit of our to smooth out the edges. Wet On Skin: I detect a rich tobacco, though none is listed in the notes. It's possibly the black fig, it has a similar "chewy" quality. Dry Down: The patch is back at the forefront, the kind our foremothers would've worn when burning bras and protesting the war at the Pentagon! The vanilla is a supporting character, along with that touch of honey- not sweetening the mix so much as adding further depth and preventing this scent from going over into HippyLand. It's rich and dark and not to be fucked with, just like angry women everywhere In All: Oh, she's a Nasty, Nasty Woman, alright. And she's only gonna get better with age!
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The civilized, sweet restraint of lily-white sugared vanilla silk gleaming with a glimpse of fang-white musk, smeared with wanton red musk seed, tobacco, red agarwood, and ritual benzoin, and blackened with a depraved miasma of clove husk, drooping oakmoss, black leather, and balsam. In The Bottle: a very, very gauzy white musk and an even fainter vanilla silk. the whole experience sniffing in the bottle is that of a dream, it's so light and wispy. Wet On Skin: The lightness of the scent continues in that it has very low throw, even as it warms on my skin. Joining the silk and white musk I get a hint of something slightly sharp, such as ambrette seed, although that's not listed in the notes. It might be the agarwood. Dry Down: The scent remains very soft and slow throw- try it by small increments at first, but i anticipate this one will require slathering to really get the full force of it. It's extremely well blended, so although I can detect ghosts of benzoin and clove husk now, I wouldn't say that either note dominates, but rather that it's all supporting roles for all players involved. I get no leather at all, which is unusual because my skin generally amps that note, so it might again be a testament to how thoroughly it's been blended. In All: A moody scent appropriate for this coldest time of the year, but definitely something that I'd wear for daytime- it lacks a total intensity but I think that's a good thing, because not all heavy scents should be reserved for nighttime uses
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With the coffee and tobacco, I was expecting something in line with Pinched with Four Aces. I also felt mildly concerned about the leather, as that frequently amps on me to the exclusion of all others. Instead, this is most carnation. In the bottle there's some promise of the other notes. But once applied, there's really just carnation on me, with a verrrrry delicate melange of the other notes doing deep background work. I have -and adore!- Spanish Carnation SN, so I like this scent and can also tell that *something* else is going on here than just the carnation. But it's more like Spanish Carnation is a fresh cut flower and this is more like that same flower several weeks later after it's dried but still has quite a bit of scent.
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Lightning Moon: Violet and Hay Absolute
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
I concur that this could be a relative of Violet and Vanilla Chiffon, though perhaps more like a first or second cousin rather than a sister In the bottle and when first applied, this is straight up violet flower in all its glory. It gets through warming and over to dry down pretty quickly, which makes sense as a duet, as there are less moving parts that must arrange themselves. This is still mostly violet as mentioned in the previous review. The hay doesn't read as hay in this blend to me, which is a surprise, as normally hay amps at least somewhat with my skin, typically. No, what's interesting here is that the hay only adds a slight touch of sweetness, making this violet less of a direct flower and more of a soft floral essence. Honestly, the thing this scent reminds me the most of is my very first Violet BPAL love, Faith, from Carnivale Diabolique, that sweet, sugared violet confection. This scent is like Faith grown up. Whereas Faith was very much about the interplay of the SUGAR with the violet, here is the same violet note, but the sweetness, though present, is scaled way, way back. It's like running into a childhood friend years later- you can still see the second grader in there, beneath the refined bones of adulthood. I am *delighted* to add this to my collection of violet fragrances 💜 -
I got this as a frottle from the Lab and double thanks- both for sending me a treat with my order and also sending something I might not have tried but am glad I did! In the bottle and when first applied this is straight up summer salad on me- literally it smells like the cucumber salads I devoured as a kid, fresh cucumber from our backyard doused in a generous portion of Italian vinaigrette. YUM! Once it's had a chance to warm and really go through dry down, the lime mellows considerably (this was what read as "salad dressing" in earlier states) and the freesia comes out, balancing the cucumber in equal measure. A very light, fresh scent, I would recommend this for warm weather daytime wear for sure, and for those that need their food or florals to be on the delicate side of things. 😃
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Huh. Given the notes I was anticipating a delicately rich melange of summer confections, plus pumpkin. Instead, from start to finish this is largely fresh, pulpy pumpkin. After extended wear, I get whispers of tiare, but it's really in the background, just adding a little faint balance that prevents this from just being straight up pumpkin squash on me. I don't mind it- it's a light, fresh, pumpkin scent, which is a nice twist out of all the scents out there that are less about the squash and far more about the spice components. Still, I was hoping for the suntan lotion parts. I'll age it more and see how it does, but maybe this is also just a pumpkin flesh scent for me 🤷♀️
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2025 version. In the bottle: a sweet incense of indeterminate origin. Although it's early, I am already leaning in and wondering how I never picked this up before! Wet on skin: The amber and dark musk are distinguishing themselves a bit from the pack at this stage. I am continuing to marvel at the fact I overlooked this scent previously- it's SO lovely. Dry Down: This extremely well-blended scent is one of those that it's quite hard to pick out individual parts. I read the notes again and again throughout this testing, because I kept forgetting what, exactly was in here. And I go, "oh yeah, fruit, I can see that"- but I definitely wouldn't go "oh that's for sure blackberry / currant that I'm smelling". Same with the amber, same with all the notes. I can squint and say, "Oh, yes, I think I get that" but really, it's a cloud of rich, deep, incense-y, musky-sweet essence that defies a more pinpoint description. In all, a surprisingly low-throw scent, all things considered. Dark musks tend to require a longer-than-average aging time for me personally, given my particular skin chemistry, but there's enough to go on here that I can already tell that when the time is right I am going to be slathering this dreamy concoction every chance I get, but especially on frigid nights and biting days when I need a little extra comfort to pull around me and dream in.
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In the bottle, all the listed notes are present and accounted for in a frothy, rich, decadent mess that I am instantly smitten with. I agree with the prior post that all remain accounted for in the final drydown...I just wish it was anywhere near as strong as the warm, gooey WHOOMPH! I get from first sniff upon opening. That said, there's a way where this scent feels like a bit of a BPAL throwback to the ways Beth and Co used to do some of the olde-timey foodie scents. It doesn't remind me of any one in particular, more that sense of "This is a classic BPAL cake-rich scent!". It's very warm and cozy, and it makes me want to pull on a big sweater and cuddle up with a book. I imagine I will do just that whilst wearing this lovely daytime scent over the ensuing cold months, in fact! Medium throw and a nice base scent, I could also see layering this with either resins (to punch up the drama) or a decadent gourmand (to heighten and extend the foodie aspect). It's also a great daytime scent on its own that would be friendly in a host of environments. Yummy! 😋
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I am thirding that this scent is a morpher to be sure! Even so, the vibe remains the same throughout the journey, which is what I was hoping for. I'm not always friends with florals OR with myrrh, but I just had a feeling that this would be an exception, and I was right. At its heart BBM is a dark, juicy, vampish, goth-girl scent. I picture my 19-year-old self, with meticulously applied eyeliner, having a fun night of drama and dancing at a club in L.A. with all my friends...but also the remnants clinging to my skin when I crawl into bed just before dawn, cozying up for sleep and gorgeous, gothy dreams. 🦇 The tuberose and black orchid are definitely the stars throughout, but this isn't a straight floral scent- the myrrh and vanilla provide a grounded-ness to the scent, with the other listed notes coming in for visits, leaving, and coming back, repeatedly. Not only was this a blind-buy, but I was so certain it would be grand that I got a backup to boot- and I'm glad I did, as I know this will get even better with age.
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Ceaselessly By My Side the Demon Stirs
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Limited Editions
Definitely a morpher, but well worth the wait. In the bottle I guess I was mostly getting tea and maybe a hair of the white patchouli, because the scent seemed so clean, as to be almost acrid. It was startling because of all those deep notes. It needed a solid 15 minutes to settle into itself, but oh my, this scent is dead sexy in the final analysis. It's extremely well-blended, so that I can't really pick out individual notes, though the vibes of the amber, tonka and vetiver are definitely all playing their parts. The patch, tea and vanilla husk are adding an ever-so-slight perfume quality to the scent, but not so much that they're undoing the undernotes. Instead it's creating a very compelling high-low scent, where I'm able to perceive the tippy-top and the lowest bottom simultaneously when I'm directly sniffing it, but the two layers form a soft cloud of scent when I pull my arm further away. Because of that dichotomy, this is both a low AND medium throw scent. I would dab gently, at least to start, because I think that multi-layer aspect is quite unusual and I'd want to keep it, if possible. In any case, this is SO gorgeous and I'm really glad I snagged a bottle -
I tried several Dragons this year that weren't *quite* my thing. But Caput? I'm all in! In the bottle I get something that is fruity and that smells like light black cherries- it's clearly a mix of the fig and black currant. It stays that way for a while but once it's fully dry it becomes a *stellar* melange of spicy clove and rich resins (the patch and red musk, I presume). While I don't get the Mme Moriarty feels that the previous poster got (Moriarty is one of my top-5 ride or die scents, so I have my own associations with her) I can see how there's a similar vibe in terms of being a dark, wintery kind of scent. Clove can amp on me, but luckily it's letting other notes shine through, even as it adds a heavy spice to the proceedings. Given the density of the notes, I anticipate that this is only going to get better with age, and I'm VERY glad I have a whole bottle to add to my personal dragon hoard
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As others have said, very fresh, very bright, very green. In the bottle, I get a lot of the lime, but unfortunately for me, that dissipates almost instantly after application (this is is me-thing: I cannot hold citrus scents, alas. And it always makes me sad ). It's a summery, outdoorsy scent. I was hoping for more of the vegetal musks to be present for me, but largely, I smell like aloe vera and cucumber. 🤷♀️ I gave it to my partner, who is delighted by it, so no loss
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This was a very rapidly-shifting scent for me. I had pretty high hopes based on the description and listed notes, but alas, it went downhill quickly with my skin chemistry. In the bottle, I got the fruity pomegranate and a little of the patchouli, but once applied to my skin, most of that faded off rapidly, and was replaced by an ever-increasing dominance of what I believe must be the vermouth note as it's the only one in the mix I had no prior experience with. Upon total dry-down, I'm left with being in a goth kid's messy room...while they're touching up their roots with a box jet-black hair dye. Atmospheric, to be sure, but alas, not what I want to smell like.
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In the bottle: I get equal portions of red musk and wine. I think they are making each other a bit more fruity by proximity, the wine tossing its edge of booze and the musk losing its sometimes-acridity. Wet on skin: The "grape"-y aspect of the wine asserts itself as more of a thing and I gotta say, I'm a little surprised. But as it warms further, a more dramatic shift occurs, and all at once I'm getting saffron and a soft edge of the linen in the mix. It's becoming prettier by the moment. Dry Down: This is just gorgeous. The frankincense is present at full integration but this isn't the shrill, lemony frank that has often tussled with me in the past. In this blend it transforms the rest into a soft, and softly powdered, deeply beautiful experience. In All, a low-medium throw, this perfume stays fairly close to the skin. However, I would dab gently regardless, as the scent is so rich, deep and expansive, that to put too much on would ruin the impact of it for you as the wearer. I fully anticipate this is going to become extraordinary with age, though it really is sublime right now.
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Crow Moon: Black Currant and Black Violet
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
I am a violet collector (which I'm betting you could guess from my handle) and I made sure to snag this before it vanished forever. I don't know what to expect, but I've got my fingers crossed. In the bottle: A lovely dark violet. Velvety and deep. Mmmmm. So far, so good. Wet on skin: the black currant starts to come through, very fresh, actually, like a not-quite-ripe bit of tart fruit still growing. I'm digging the interplay thus far. Dry down: I didn't get the actual Crow Moon from the update to which this scent is attached, because fig and I frequently don't get along. But I feel like I get to enjoy the spirit of that Lunacy through this accompanying Duet. Now completely dry and melding with my chemistry, this scent is a sweet little gothy addition to my collection for sure. The currant and violet have combined to make something dark but delicate, clearly a thing that can be layered with other scents to bring an air of courtly grace, certainly, but which can be worn on its own as a daytime scent, which I will be doing for sure. When I *do* layer it, I anticipate mixing it with earthy-rich scents like Graveyard Dirt or Penny Dreadful, to add a little more complexity and drama to the proceedings. 🦇 -
In the bottle I get the neroli right away but there's something (based on listed notes) that I cannot name, that reminds me of...red pepper? It's completely bizarre. but then again, there's often aspects in a bottle-sniff that only make sense later, after application. Soooooo... Wet on skin: literally, the same. Orange blossom and red pepper. I. Am. Flummoxed. 🤷♀️ Dry down: Okay, finally at full dry down things have started to shift. I am getting some of that fruitiness mentioned in the previous review. I was expecting the red musk from Smut, but this is more blended with the fig here. And that's another thing- I was anticipating the HAI, FIG! that I have encountered in blends like Eden, but this is ALSO not the same note as I've previously encountered! There's a LOT of wild cards in this blend for sure. In all: What I've come too learn about the Prophet scents in general is that, for whatever reason, they seem to require more aging than many blends. It's possibly because if the richness or the complexity of the notes involved. For whatever reason, there's initial impressions and then there's what happens weeks or months later. For now, I am encountering a nice daytime musk, fruity and red, not intense, but not to be dismissed as simple, either. Given the listed notes, I believe this will definitely deepen and bloom with age, and I'm excited to see where it takes me, later.
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In the bottle: I get tendrils of the chestnut and the honey straight away. Honey in particular is a note that will usually jump out at me. Hopefully some others come out in application, though... Wet on skin: a teeny bit of the bread starts to emerge. I love the Lab's bread note, so if I'm lucky, this is a trend in the right direction! Dry down: the labdanum asserts its attachment to the honey at this point, which is a nice low-note addition to the mix. I'm also getting the bergamot now, but not the "sparkling" component. This is also not of the "earl grey" variety to me- this smells like the actual, fresh citrus fruit that bergamot is, as I encountered it in groves when I lived briefly in Morocco, and that is a very pleasant surprise to encounter here, and also feels thematically appropriate for a Gibran scent. In all: Because of the richness of the notes, I believe this will require aging to reach its full potential. That said, here in the present, this is a lovely, close-to-the-skin scent that reminds me of the BPALs of long ago, in that there's a sweet-hearted nature to this scent, and the chestnut / oakwood combo remind me, just a hair, of the 2005 release of Hearth, which is another sweet memory of the past. ❤️
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I got this specifically to help with what is intended- rest, recuperation, and hopefully some nourishment for my depleted nervous system. I will admit, I was worried upon first sniff- in the bottle I got a hint of what I can only describe as "urinal cake". Luckily that passed very quickly. I got a 30-second HELLO! from the slang-ylang, then that, too, passed by. Now that it's settled, scent-wise I'm mostly getting chamomile, lavender and tangerine. But the important bit is what it's *meant* for, and in that regard, it's giving me what I had hoped for, which is rest down to the cellular level. I opted to put this on at bedtime, and while the scent doesn't make me sleepy (like, say, TKO sometimes does) it IS relaxing me for sure. A *perfect* blend to help those adrenals get some much-needed support!
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In the bottle, I most just get a sweet almond, reminiscent of the crunchy Italian almond cookies I have enjoyed since childhood. This is a good start. Wet on my skin, the scent shifts dramatically, the lemonade roaring out of the shadows, the tart tang very distinct. Dry Down: There is indeed something mineralic about this blend, as mentioned by the poster above. It doesn't strike me as salt-y (like table salt) but rather as the kind of salts that would have been used in preparations obtained from your local chemist 150 years ago, perhaps to help with your fainting spells. But never, ever, to ingest. In all, a delightfully poisonous concoction that I will wear when I'm in specific moods...or perhaps when I rewatch Six Feet Under
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Strangled on Midsummer’s Eve
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in The Edward Gorey House
In the bottle, I cannot separate out a single note. Instead I get an impression of the scene being described above, which in itself is a treat. It's rare for a scent to contain so many elements and I can't identify a one. But here we are. It's an intriguing scent, though, so I'm happy to see where we go together next... Wet on skin: I'm definitely getting the wisteria and some other "purple" notes, which I assume are some combination of the violet ribbon and the bruise-colored velvet, which is delightful! That strong, black tea is bringing up the rear, and "acrid" is definitely the word I'd use to describe the note- but it's not unpleasant, because it's the counter-balance to the sweetness in those purple notes. Dry Down: A bloom of purple flowers, and bruises, alongside a cup of over-steeped tea, all arranged prettily on thread-bare table linens that are still kept meticulously clean and pressed. I get no roses or water/rain notes, which is fine by me, as there's plenty going on here as-is. This scent is not precisely what I expected, but I'm pleased as punch with it just the same. This seems to be a general theme for me with the Gorey scents, and I look forward to the next installment of this collaboration! -
Golden Peach and Butterscotch Soda
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Event Exclusive Oils
Years ago I was lucky enough to order a Chaos Theory directly from the Lab that wound up being a thick, pure butterscotch on me. It was, and remains a glorious concoction. (I kept it and still wear it sometimes with delight). I'd been hoping that this scent would be that, plus peach. Alas, that has not been the case. That said, it's a perfectly lovely scent that starts with very fresh under-ripe peach and a spicy combo that reminds me a bit of pumpkin spice and a little of chai, without the cardamom. The peach doesn't stay around long on me here, but it settles into a nice, autumnal spice blend that I will wear for daytime use on its own in the coming months and maybe I will try layering it with some Weenies to amp the spice factor there, too. Medium throw, with long staying power- dab sparingly until you know how it's going to take to your skin chemistry -
In the bottle and straight through dry-down I get that aldehyde note front and center, that several others mentioned. I'm quite picky about my florals but these were delicately soft and fleshy enough that I found myself huffing my arm repeatedly to try to get a handle on them. Yes, there is a powdery aspect, no it's not of the baby variety. As the scent settled into my skin reaching full dry-down I was able to SO clearly picture that ballroom scene, the exceptional poof of that white dress, the dream-like quality of the party and its costumed revelers. There's magic here. Low throw but exceptional staying power- even after washing up, the scent lingered for hours. I will be wearing this alone for sure, but I can also see layering it with something vanilla-bean forward or even with a soft sandalwood. Total keeper
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In the bottle: very light, very delicate and fresh lavender- this is NOT like essential oil or lavender cologne. This is literally the experience of being in a garden in early summer when the lavender is first starting to bloom. It's one of those startling experiences where I go "But how did Beth DO that?!?" With a deeper second and third sniff, I also get traces of violet. Again, extremely delicate. The fact that the term "tender" is used in the description is quite apt indeed. Wet on the skin: as it warms, those two main elements hold to their delicacies- there is no big blast of florals that occurs. The musk and spun sugar start to emerge at this point, but they are just as delicate and fine as the florals. Dry down: This is *heartbreakingly* beautiful. A scent that retains its tender delicacy throughout, it is a classic "skin scent" in that it stays verrrrry close indeed: the throw is exceedingly low, as it should be, so I would discourage from slathering even though that might be an impulse. Myrrh and I typically have a fraught relationship wherein it aggressively takes over and unfortunately smells something akin to wet, rotting cardboard. So I am simply delighted to report that no such thing has happened here- the only way I can tell it's even in the mix is that after wearing for a while, the scent has a very slight powdery undernote that becomes part of the mix. But this isn't baby powder of old lady-ish, it's just more of the soft vulnerability that makes this scent so stunningly gorgeous. In all: A floral scent for folks afraid of florals, a scent of longing and nostalgia for those that worship at the altar of the original Antique Lace for similar reasons, a gentle musk for those wary of the genre. I anticipate this scent is going to be wildly adored by many. ❤️
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Black Butterfly Moon: Vanilla-Infused Frankincense and Raspberry
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
In the bottle, the raspberry jumps directly in front of anything else. I think it's the same Raspberry that once was squirted into Sufigyot, and that's what I'd been hoping for, so we're off to a great start. Wet on skin, the frankincense starts to assert itself. Frank and I don't always get along, but the other notes in this blend gave me the courage to give it a try. So far, it's behaving itself admirably, acting more like an oudh than the normally astringent frankincense I'm accustomed to. As it goes to complete drydown, vanilla finally joins the party, but this isn't an overt, assertive vanilla. The fact that it's specifically listed as a frankincense that's been *infused* with vanilla is apt- the van here acts to soften and sweeten the frank, and the frank definitely keeps the vanilla from being foodie or even gourmand at all. with a low-medium throw, this scent is warm and stays close to the skin. I've not layered this yet, but I can see how this would be compelling when paired with some of its Butterfly playmates, but I also like the low-key oudh-y vibes it's giving all on its own.