Iceblink

This comes closer to Black Lace than any of the other lace blends have since (that's a good thing!), and I agree that the dried-leaf note is much like the one from Falling Leaf Moon. This is very soft on my skin and not overpowering (as opposed to Black Lace which is practically visible in the air). Very nice and will probably be even better next fall with some age behind it.

I tested this at Dark Delicacies on a very rainy day in L.A back in November and fell in love with the tropical smell immediately--it's just so gorgeous and summery! Stronger on the tiare than the other notes, which adds to the warm-weather feeling. And it was incredibly long-lasting. I knew I had to get a bottle once it was available, and I finally did. I have very VERY fine hair that will not hold a style at all but this doesn't weigh my hair down. It makes it feel wonderfully soft and look very tame. This smells just as marvelous as the prototype and I know my hair will be wearing it a LOT this summer.

Delicious--this does smell just like a spice cake! It's very rich. I think I need some sweets after testing this...

Waxy fruit--very candle-like! A little spicy and deeper than just a straight-up fruitiness...nice but it's too far into candle territory for me to want this on my skin.

This is an intense clove--sharp and medicinal! After a while I start getting the oak note; it really leaps out. The frankincense and cognac and vanilla are sweet but they don't do quite enough to soften that strong, hard clove on my skin. I do like some clove blends but this one is a bit too much. It might be a little more mellow with some aging, though.

Very sweet strawberry/vanilla with a plastic edge that's making me think of a Strawberry Shortcake doll. I think strawberry is officially going onto my death note list.

The pear note that opens The Vine is fantastic--fresh, crisp, juicy...I die. This dries down into almost a straight sweetcream on my skin with the pear only very faint in the background. Come back, pear! Not much throw; this is a very close-to-the-skin blend. I'll retest this one just to make sure the pear can't last a little longer, because it's lovely...the drydown is nice but so faint and generically "creamy" that it really needs the pear note to give it character.

Passion fruit and pomegranate immediately leap out of this blend. Plum, grapefruit, currant--so many fruits! I get a tiny whiff of opium and benzoin beneath it all but this is mostly FRUIT FRUIT FRUIT...it's a bit candle-y and jumbled. 13 notes or so is a lot for one blend, I guess.

Leather is only good on me on rare occasions (hello, Bow and Crown of Conquest!) and the leather in this is the kind that smells like tires on my skin. This is quite sweet thanks to the honey and tobacco and has depth thanks to the myrrh but something is just off here and I'm blaming the leather. It's artificial and chemical and doesn't work.

Whew--this one is really NOT working on me; the coconut is there, but the ambergris and ambrette really take over this blend and the mix of sweet coconut plus salty ambergris is just...not right. Plastic and stale.

ROSEMARY! When fresh this is crazy herbal and overpowering...and the dominant note is rosemary. I get a Catherine vibe from this, most definitely. On the drydown I'm still primarily smelling herbs here...maybe a slight floral touch but that's about it for the violets. It has great staying power but the herbs are just too much for me.

I loved this while it was still wet--it's the most luscious, velvety red rose, deep and dark. However the oude really jumps out and goes crazy once it dries and the rose nearly vanishes. What's left is far too strong and overpowering for me.

A very sweet floral blend--almost candy-like! This reminds me of a lighter, airier Celeste. It's very light and doesn't seem to have much staying power, though, so it'll need a full day's test before I decide if it's bottle-worthy. Pretty and girly!

Opens with a blast of the typical BPAL snow note and then settles down into a vague floral--I can pick up a bit of tuberose but that's about it. Very faint with little throw.

L'ESSENCE DE L'ARDEUR Centifolia rose absolute, tea rose, bourbon vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, champaca resinoid, myrrh, nutmeg, pomegranate, and benzoin. In the bottle: dark chocolate, rich vanilla, rose, and nutmeg are what I smell. Once this hits my skin I pick up the benzoin and champaca and a zingy pomegranate! This is one of those oils where every note listed makes an appearance at some point...it's incredibly rich and heady, but not overwhelming at all. The drydown is primarily pomegranate and nutmeg and myrrh...really nice, although I wish that gorgeous chocolate note had lingered a little more. There's still a little rose floating on top of it all. This is *really* gorgeous and decadent--I'm glad I took a chance on this one.