InaraRedCloak

Tested January 26, 2021 Opening the bottle a get a strong hit of the lab's dead leaves note, followed by some vetiver smokiness. On the skin it morphed almost immediately. I got the dead leaves note, then dead leaves and vetiver, next oud, then barbecue vetiver, followed by dead leaves and vetiver. It was an amazing experience just to go through all these morphed phases in less than an hour! After two hours, I got a small "dryer sheet" smell from the dead leaves. This all dried away and left me with burnt, or burning leaves. This one morphed on my skin so many times I'm really curious what it will be like when it has more time to settle and develop. Right now, it's not the type of scent I would wear all the time, but it is an excellent scent for darker and mysterious moods. It is definitely one for the dead leaves fans out there.

Tested January 25, 2021 It's been about 5 or 6 days since I've gotten my order. The oils have settled down a bit. Right as I opened the bottle, I got a soft musk mixed with a light honeysuckle. There was a light floral sweetness to the scent. Once on my skin, I got a sharp rose scent. It is a really bright scent (as in, you feel the scent in the front of your face, not deeper in) I didn't get any of the musk, vetiver, or oudh. Later in the day, I got a strong honeysuckle with rose blend. It was very strong and very floral. I never got the vetiver, or the oudh. I will try again, but right now, this blend is coming out heavy on the honeysuckle.

June 4, 2020 At first sniff I definitely get the darkness idea. A slight silky shadow-like scent that's so subtle I almost think there's nothing in the bottle. On my skin I get a beautiful and smooth tobacco. There's a subtle touch of vetiver and moss. This has aged beautifully. I can tell that the hemp, myrrh and opoponax have melted together into one harmonious scent. My nose doesn't recognize the sage at all. After about 30 mins the myrrh, opoponax, and tobacco are the primary notes. I'm not getting any hemp or oakmoss anymore. I'm starting to get a bit of that sage, but not a lot. This is still a myrrh/tobacco dominate scent.

Wow, this rose is a powerful one! I'm getting the bold and heavy rose that I find in Peacock Queen mixed with a deep sandalwood. I don't get a lot of vanilla, but I can but I can tell it's there making the blend more rich and smoothing out the acrid notes that can come from a rose this powerful. I get a bit of the bourbon from the bourbon sandalwood but it is blended in so well that it doesn't stand alone as it's own note. Oddly enough, this one didn't go powdery on me. If you like a powerful rose that sticks around, I would suggest this one for you. The sandalwood is a rich note and the vanilla bean smooths out the blend without making it too sweet.

This rose blend is very bright and cheery. A very fruity cherry scent. This is a bright and tart cherry; a fresh spring time sort of cherry scent. The rose is a "high" note. It is bright and clear. Some roses give off that heady scent but not this one. This is the same sort of rose found in Persephone, Rose Red, and Blood Rose. If you like the fruity rose from Persephone, you should try this one.

I was a little weary about the apple in this blend. (since my school bus mate drowned herself in B&B Country Apple back in the 90's I can't stand the scent) I was pleasantly surprised. The apple pulp and poppies take a distant back seat to the wisteria and orchid in this blend. Sadly, I'm not getting much incense from my decant. I would have loved BPAL's incense (like the one in 7SW Lust) with a wisteria scent, but I'm mostly getting a smooth, creamy wisteria musk. Don't be mistaken, I love this scent! Wisteria is usually a sweet and sometimes cloying scent. For me, this blend makes wisteria a softer floral. It's blended, smooth, creamy and close to the skin. I'm not getting a lot of poppy from my decant which suggests that it isn't a major player in this blend. I recommend this blend to lovers of orchid and wisteria and to those that feel that wisteria is a bit too sweet.

I loved this scent. Black Oudh/Oud works really well with my skin chemistry. I get a nice, woody incense vibe from the black oudh and the black cherry isn't as sweet as I expected. I ended up with a rich and deep scent with a small amount of throw. This scent dried down nicely to a cherry incense that brought to mind the burgundy colors and dark decore' of a goth shop. This cherry isn't overly sweet or candied. It is a great black cherry scent. It reminds me of the cherry in "Nimue the Blood Queen". Lovers of dark, rich and gothy scents should give this one a try. I'm probably going to get a bottle of this one.

Holy Dirty Patchouli Batman! I agree with the above posters: this reminds me of the patchouli in Revenant Rhythm and Silky Bat. If that dirty, bold, goth patchouli is your vibe, you're going to love this one. The Cacoa is like a dark chocolate flaked into the patchouli. This is so bold. (personally for me, I'm not a fan of the dirty patchouli scents and this blend is giving me a bit of a headache) The first thought I had was rolling around in a dusty, dirty and dry leaf pile. If you want the smell of dead dry leaves but BPAL's Dead Leaves is too aquatic or "dryer sheet" for you I would suggest this blend. Perfect for the goth folks out there and some of the Tree Hugger-sort of hippies 💀💓🦇 🧘‍♀️(why isn't there an Earth lover emoji?!)

Wow! I am so pleasantly surprised with this one. I'm not sure what I was expecting. This cherry chypre in here is a tiny bit tart. The patchouli is that incense sort of scent that isn't too "green" or "dirty". After a few hours, I get that smoky hint from the patchouli. The scent is a bit overpowering at first, but settles down nicely. I would recommend this one if you liked Pomegranate Smoke from the Halloween collection.

I actually got an herbal vibe from this scent. It's not gourmand on me at all. Instead, I'm getting an Earth Mother, herbalist sort of scent. This scent isn't sweet on me at all, and the moss isn't a fresh green scent. This is dark, unisex and fairly close to the skin.

Oh so fruity! The blackberry in this scent is bold and juicy. I didn't get a bit of powder from this scent, it is all juicy berry. The oakmoss doesn't do a whole lot to bring down the sweetness of the scent. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the super sweet scents, but if you like them, this is right up your alley. Lovers of blackberry will love this scent! This one reminds me of Les Incubus des et Succubus from a previous year's Lupercalia. If you thought the Les Incubus was a bit too dirty with the patchouli, this is a great scent for you. Very fresh, juicy berry scent. I can't stress enough how juicy this scent was.

Right away I got the deep vanilla and sandalwood. It was a deep incense scent without being powdery. After a few minutes, I started to notice the rose. I don't think the labdanum was very strong in this blend (so if your a big fan, you might only notice a whisper of it). Personally for me, this scent reminded me a lot of Raksasha. The rose in this blend isn't very sharp but rather velvety. If your a fan of Raksasha, you might like this blend. This is a smooth rose blend.

At first I got a dusty, almost powdery rose which has settled into a woody scent. This is that beautiful rich rose of Peacock Queen. My skin chemistry has absorbed almost all of the other notes leaving a slightly woody rose behind. I believe it's a light throw, but I've seen that it has grown for others over time. Right now, it's not a type of rose I'll keep in my collection, but it was amazing to try.

At first sniff I got a light floral that is more reminiscent of Spring rather than Winter. I didn't get any of the oudh. When I applied, I could smell a high note of rose - fresh, clear and bright. This isn't like the Black Rose notes I was expecting, this is more of a clean, red rose scent. It almost smells like there is a lily in here, or some other kind of white flower. This is gentler than I expected. After wearing for a few moments, I'm now getting the wispy, ethereal sort of scent I've gotten from some plum scents: Euterpe's Ukulele comes to mind. There isn't any plum in here, but the black currant creates a light plum effect. There is something clean and bold here, it must be the birch tar. After a few hours I'm starting get some of the oudh to come through. The rose is still bright an clean, with the black currant keeping it as a high note. This definitely evokes the idea of bluish and purple shadows drifting through the sparkling snow while the deep blue of the night starts to creep in. To me, this is a light, fairy like scent that could be that time in winter right before spring. This could be an early spring or late winter scent for me. It's almost too feminine and gentle, but the oudh brings it down just enough that I could see myself reaching for this when I want to smell a little brighter.

Date January 12.2020 BNNU At first sniff I get woods and a bit of an incense scent. Almost a bit of plum too, but that could be my imagination. I get a small bit of floral which could be rose coming through. On skin wet dark roses, or more like dried roses in a wooden case. This evokes the images of dark wooden hallways, grey tinted windows, velvet furniture and roses. This is giving me that goth house feel. Dry 30+ mins A lovely darker rose. It has some of the depth of Peacock Queen without the acrid bite. There is a steady wood scent, like hardwood floors. No lacquer or polished notes here. Worn 3+ hours: I'm getting a little of that incense dry down. It's light and the roses seem to be fading into a dried rose scent (like in Zombi). There's a resinous note that clings to my skin. Final Thoughts: I love this scent. It's a mature, dark yet elegant rose. I love the goth element to this rose blend. The rose and incense only became slightly powdery and that is more than 4 hours later. Personally, I would have loved a stronger moss/Spanish moss note. I think this blend is inspired by the House of Usher; it totally brings an old, haunting gothic house to mind. I'm definitely keeping this one.