lou77

Light and gentle marzipan.

I think the lab description for this scent has it spot on: the rich floral bouquet (of which I mostly pick out the gladiola) is most defintely 'made somber' by those notes resinous notes. I really admire the skill it takes to put together a big voluptuous floral and still make it melancholy. It is a very womanly scent, serious and dignified, mysterious and very grown-up.

Does anyone remember coal tar soap? That's all I could smell on the first try. Second time I get a slight whiff of sarsparilla, but it's quickly back to coal tar soap again. There's a note in this that I also smell in Love Me. I don't really like it in either scent.

Love Lies Bleeding smells like an almond? shortbread biscuit dusted with icing sugar. There's a hint of something green and floral like a thin layer sandwiched between two halves of biscuit, but it's overwhelmed by the sweet pastry. As it dries the icing sugar takes on that lovely powdery smell that reminds me of the drydown of Balenciaga's Le Dix.

This was my first attempt at a lighter more astringent BPAL oil, as it's the sort of scent that I would like to spritz all over me as an eau de toilette rather than a perfume oil. But I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. This is my favourite BPAL lemon scent so far. The others I've tried (Schrodinger's Cat and Macchu Picchu) tend to turn more cleaning-product lemon for my taste. But in Embalming Fluid the green tea seems to temper the harshness of lemon and turn it into a more ethereal breath of fresh citrusy air. I'm also impressed with its lasting power and throw: I'd have expected such a light smell to disappear more quickly, but it lasts well (much better than an EDT would). It was a lovely and unintrusive pick-me-up on a very tired morning. I highly recommend it.