sophia_p

Does anyone know about any notes that Cathedral and Kathmandu have in common? Both of them have something that turns to stinky B.O. on me, and it's difficult to figure out which since Cathedral doesn't list any notes. Kathmandu is: Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices. I suspect it might be cedar, so I was curious if anyone had any similar reaction or knew if there is cedar in Cathedral.

Oh my gosh, Ü is amazingly vanilla on me too. It starts out as more of a fresh clear balsam on me though, rather than cologne. I'm kind of sad that there's no leather, wood and old books like in the description, but for a vanilla lover, if you have the right chemistry it's perfect. (edited for spelling!)

Add me to the list of people who tried this hoping it smelled like books and was disappointed when it didn't smell anything like that. But with that out of the way, this a beautiful scent and I'd love to find a bottle of it. I liked both the balsam stage --fresh cool green smell-- and the vanilla stage. Like others have said, it's a very complex vanilla, and not a foody one. After a while, it smelled a little bit like a musk (which I love). Or maybe it's just in the same scent-family as musks. The best way I can describe this scent is "sophisticated." It's a very strong scent, and has a lot of throw and staying power on me (so much that I can still smell it after multiple arm washings!) and makes me feel sexy in an urbane, androgynous way. My only complaint is that I wish I could smell the leather in there-- I bet this would go well layered with a leather-dominant scent.

I was really excited about this one, and as a result really disappointed. Thankfully I only got a decant of this. At first all I smelled is cologne. I've noticed in another blend with incense, there was this cologne-y smell at first, so maybe it's that. As it dried, I gradually got the musk and incense on my skin, but only if I held my nose inches away. What was actually wafting up to me was just the cologne. I gave it many hours, but ended up washing it off. My quest for a book-smelling BPAL oil continues!

I originally got an imp of this because of the reviews saying it smells metallic. I figured the floral would be a subdued note, so I was pretty disappointed when all I smelled on myself was powdery, cloying violet. Fortunately, this one has aged well in 8 months, and now it smells crisp and clear, with a bit of a sharpness to it-- the eucalyptus and mint. I can picture the metallic part now (though to me, it reminds me of ozone). Wearing this makes me feel very direct and no-nonsense, and I think it would be good in a business situation. And not just because it's subtle.

… Her scent is a bounty of golden honeyed almonds and a whisper of African and Middle Eastern spices. This was part of my first (and so far only) batch of imps from the Lab, and I think it's my favorite. It does make me feel glorious, sexy and like I imagine the Queen of Sheba to be. To my nose, I mainly just smell the almond oil, with a little of the honey note. If I really try to find it, I can detect some spice notes, but I couldn't tell you what they were. Mostly they just add a little more complexity to the scent, but I was really hoping for this to be more of a spice scent. I still enjoy it, and I'm debating on getting a bottle-- I'd especially love to see what Queen of Sheba is like when its aged. The main downside for me, besides the fact that there is very little spice, is that it doesn't last very long on me. I put it on in the late morning, and by early evening, I could barely smell it on my wrist.