Snooty Bat

[Seajewel]

On Wednesdays, we wear black: sugared patchouli, nag champa, black leather, and clove.

[lithie]

!! Fresh from the mail first impressions !!

 

the black leather enters the chat first, eventually backed up by a touch of clove. As it dries I’m getting more of the nag champa. The leather here reminds me a bit of snekhellden. It’s like a good quality motorcycle jacket. 
 

hoping I get more of the silky bat patchouli once this has a reasonable time to rest 

 

after two hours: the leather has dissipated and a beautiful spicy incense sugared patchouli emerges and it’s WONDERFUL. I’m really excited to see how this one rests up and ages!

Edited April 4, 2023 by lithie

[starbrow]

I GOT MY FIRST BPAL COMMENT IN YEARS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC. But more on that later!

 

Snooty Bat has big leather and nag champa energy when wet. I recognize the leather from Artist's Entrance, it's what I call "fancy" leather. Your really nice leather coat, stored at the back of the wardrobe. It's wrapped in an aura of nag champa incense, bright and a little poofy, a little floral almost. Dark Lace is a good cousin, but she's darker than Snooty. So is Streets of Detroit, but if you like that kind of nag champa, maybe you'll go batty for this blend.

 

Those two notes are such tops that even clove gets nearly buried for a while. But as the leather and champa's intensity burns off, a smoky spice swirls, almost like clove incense. Grounding it is a patch that reads part fancy to me and part musky, maybe even a little musty. This is a real gothy stage.

 

Give it a couple hours. The sugared patch and spices that we know and love from aged Snake Oil peeks its head out to say hello. Why, hi, little snek. Fancy seeing you here. I haven't smelled this kind of Snake Oil from a new blend in a long time. It's so good. SO GOOD. The waft continues for hours. I can only imagine its staying power will continue to improve with age.

 

The throw is...powerful. I never get compliments or comments from other people about what I'm wearing. I am a scent vacuum. They disappear into my skin and never come back. But immediately upon putting Snooty Bat on, I got a comment at the gym from someone I was at least six feet away from that..."Something smells like MOTHBALLS." So my first BPAL commentary since before the Covid times is that this scent can smell like mothballs to some people. Pretty sure it's the indoles of the nag champa! Plus the slight mustiness of the fresh patch, combined with the suggestive power of the leather which is often associated with coat closets and mothballs. Meanwhile at home, the hubs thought it smelled very strong and incensey. 

 

So save this one for times where you don't mind smelling a little like you just pulled your fiercest leather jacket out of storage where it's been soaking up your incense smells, your patch, your clove cigs, and yes, maybe even your mothballs. But you are ready to rock all those wild and raucous notes like your badass self. 

 

[elissamay]

If leather isn't your thing, this one is going to scare you. I like leather in blends, but I don't seek it out as a primary note. That said, how the eff was I not going to pounce on SNOOTY BAT? Obvi.

 

OOB and while wet, this is intensely black leather. There is 100% no getting around it and no getting past it. And if that's your thing, you will probably really love this part of our programming. But, this leather note doesn't hang around at this intensity for long. In fact, it mellows out really quickly into a very much in-the-background hum as this one dries down.

 

Once the leather calms down this is a beautiful blend of spicy-sweet clove incense. The patchouli is there, but it's not leaping forward to make this feel like a primarily "sugared patch" scent, like its assumed AI-fuel cousin Silky Bat. It's very well blended and smooth, with all of these classic BPAL notes melding into a cloud of Gothy, vampy, dark, yet sweet vibes.

 

If you love clove and incense, and you dabble in patchouli and leather, this one is most definitely something to put into your cart. If you're looking super STRONG patch, that's not really what this Bat is, but you have lots of options for that vibe already (see Silky Bat above). If you love both of these things (like me), then snap up this haughty-ass mammal now before he's gone!

Edited April 5, 2023 by elissamay

[ziggystardust13]

Snooty bat is a goth's dream. The leather is smooth and balanced by the other notes. It's not too patchouli forward but it does anchor the other notes, which all come together to create a sweet and softly incensed leather. Of course the hint of cloves are reminiscent of the djarum blacks I used to keep in my purse when I was just a baby goth. Dark. Sweet. Bold. Perfect for when I want to put on a little extra kohl liner and blast The Cure kind of days. 

[AbbyNormal]

I tried this fresh from the mail when I first got it and was more than a little intimidated. It was way harsher than I expected and I wasn’t too sure, but knew it needed to rest before I made any real decision. 
 

I tested it again today and it has definitely smoothed out a lot. I get all of the listed notes, and while I was hoping for something a bit sweeter I’m still happy I bought it. 
 

In the imp: sugared patch and spice

 

Wet: this is when the leather really comes out. I can see the comparison between this and the leather in Snekhellden, although it’s more of a feel of the leather rather than the actual leather smell. 
 

Dry: the florals from the nag champa throw a lot more than I expected which definitely brings and overall sweetness to the scent, but it’s still very patchouli forward. The clove just kind of hovers around in the background, and it becomes mainly a leathery, floral patch. It’s definitely growing on me the more I smell it, and I’ve already reapplied once. It wasn’t really fading, I just wanted to amp it back up a bit. 

[Roogna]

I'm a lover of bpal's leather most of the time, especially black leather, and a goth. I was really hopeful for this...

really low throw, very "incense" at first - the blend of patch and nag champa is very nice and not too heavy, floral, or dirty.

no leather? it's such a low throw it's hard to tell. maaaaybe if I squint? 

 

I think I"ll try this again later before passing, but I'm not hopeful  

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Roogna

[doomsday_disco]

Fresh applied, I get a big blast of leather in the throw but some patch and nag champa up close. It stays that way for a while, but eventually turns into mostly leather and nag champa (even up close). The leather is a loud, black leather doesn't doesn't feel like a worn variety to me, and the nag champa is tamer than usual. The lightly sugared patch, which is a chewy and more of a brownish black patch to my nose, is lovely, but it just can't hold a candle to that leather. And oddly, even though I love clove and tend to amp it, I get very little of it on me.

 

I so wanted to love this because it is a bat scent, but alas, it's not the bat for me. I think it would have to contain a different kind of leather to be up my alley.

[dancingchair]

I made the mistake of trying this right out of the mailbox and it was 1000% loud nag champa. It's been a couple of weeks now, and luckily it is a much different experience.

 

I get quite a bit of fresh and snappy black leather. The sugared patchouli is a strong supporting note, threaded with the nag champa that works to pull back the sweetness. The patchouli reminds me more of brown sugar than the delicate sugar in the recent Dried Cherry Incense trio. It's thick and chewy and it plays off the leather pretty well. I get the barest dusty whisper of the clove. Usually my skin amps spice so I'm not mad that this is more balanced.

 

This is nice! I'm glad I picked up a decant and I'm happy with how it's developing.

[MamaMoth]

initially i was half expecting a silky bat variant out of this one, and it's not that. when it was fresh, i got a bit more leather than i was comfy with (especially on initial application), so i put it away for a while to give it time to settle in and to reset my expectations. i didn't dislike it, but it wasn't what i had hoped for. 

 

trying it again today, i'm MUCH happier with it. everything is smoothing and mellowing out wonderfully. i still can't detect any silkybat in its dna, this bat is his own critter, but that's not a bad thing and i quite like it! the leather is still strongest on initial application. but clovey incensey patchouli quickly overtakes it, with leather dropping to a background note just giving it texture. the patch here is quite sweet, but it's not the distinctive lemony-type silkybat sugar. it's deeper, almost like a brown sugar.  it doesn't really even feel like the same kinda patch, but i may be wrong. whereas silkybat feels like a bright, sparkly-sweet, high-note patch, snooty bat is warmer and deeper: a dry-ish, incensey, spicy-sweet patch. the nag champa is not super prominent, but it is definitely more incense than floral so i'm very pleased with its presence here. as it really settles in, that clovey sweetness gives it an almost-foody vibe that i'm really digging on. a spiced patchouli cookie served on a scrap of leather.... in a room where incense is stored? sorry, the analogy fell apart there. anyway, this is yummy and i'm glad i blind-bottled it! 

 

[Irish Sea Mermaid]

Ive just tried my new bottle today having received it on Friday (it’s Sunday). On paper this is a slam dunk with the notes that are listed. However…On me the Nag Champa is doing the highland fling all over the other notes. It’s all I can smell.  Champa is tricky on me so I’m not too keen so far. 

 

I’m probably going to let it settle a bit longer and revisit. Will come back and edit when it’s had a bit more time. Watch this space… 

[LavenderCoffee]

I was wary of this one based on my experience with Cacao, Black Leather, and Incense from the '22 Lupers. That one was a big ol miss for me. This one is much better, but the leather and nag champa still dominate on my skin. I've had this over a month now and it's settled in really nicely, the black leather is giving a good leather jacket vibe, but I wish I got more sweet patch and clove.

 

Anyway patchouli is one of the notes that tends to age well, so I will find a nice little cave for this bat to hang out in. Plus the label is so dang cute! In my heart tho, I think a Snooty Bat would really smell like Cacao, Leather, Oakmoss, and Black Oud from the '23 Lupers. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by LavenderCoffee

[Teamama]

Today I learned that my skin amps the Lab's black leather note, & hangs on to it like no other scent I've encountered.

I applied a wee dab of my decant, & within seconds of the leather note warming on my skin, it was practically the only thing I could smell. Kinda like being stuffed into the inside pocket of a leather jacket. I'm pretty sure SB also contains a lovable patch, plus spice & incense, but I couldn't tell you what the balance was like. My skin took this blend to the boot aisle of Ranch & Home, to try on some new Ariat ropers.

I eventually got leather fatigue. I washed my arm, to very little effect. Snooty Bat is a trip. 

[Cali]

Oh, this is delightful. This is very leather-heavy in the bottle, with something sharp that reminds me of the leather in toddler holster. Applied, this turns into a sultry, sexy soft leather, a soft sugared patchouli (the sugar here gives it this fuzzy almost edible edge), and strongest are the nag champa and clove. And that's where it stays. Absolutely lovely!! 

[roseus]

Big sweet patch in the imp with a smack of black leather. I also get a faint whiff of red rose for a moment. On my skin it is mostly patchouli and clove with a bit of smoky leather at the edges, very surprised to see it behave on me. 

[Little Bird]

The reviews scared me away from Snooty Bat at first, but then I figured I love all of these notes and the Lab makes my favorite leather fragrances, so this scent couldn't possibly be bad on me.  Nag champa is the only thing that can be iffy and cheap smelling to me, but it's luxurious and sweet here.  I don't really get the patchouli or any earthiness, but the sugared aspect melts into the dark, smooth nag champa incense.  The nag champa has a fruity/grapey tone to it.  It reminds me of the sugared incense in Midnight on the Midway, but darker and heavier.  The leather is also barely there on me and doesn't show up at all until a couple hours into the drydown.  I have some leather bracelets that have been soaked in perfume and after several hours, Snooty Bat makes me think of those soft leather bracelets infused with sugared incense.  I can't pick out any clove either.

As a bonus, Snooty Bat is really strong on me, making it about 8 hours before I showered it off, and it has really good, strong throw without being overwhelming.  My new favorite nag champa scent.

[DigitalCoyote]

Wet: Black leather.

 

Semidry: Weirdly sweet and almost fruity (say grape-like rather than a berry).  I want my leather back!

 

Dry:  Snooty Bat wears a well-loved leather jacket while it holds court and smokes clove cigarettes in an empty doorway.  It's quieter than Thorns: the smoke and clove smells are there but they are happily tempered by the gentle unfunky sweet of the patchouli.  The cigarette's been burning a while and nearly out.  This is the end of a night of dancing and philosophizing.  

 

Or maybe lurking in a private library.

 

If you like clove and smoke but with an air of subtlety suitable for office work or going out, this is it.  I enjoy that.

[marared]

I've been trying to figure out how I feel about this blend for months. The leather is pretty scary when it's fresh if you're not a fan of that note. But now that I've had it for 4-5 months, it's finally calmed down a little and let some of the other notes out to play, primarily the sugar and the nag champa. The patchouli is almost nonexistent, and the clove just barely there. The sugar is the questionable note for me now, and I'm not sure if it's turning a little bit on my skin - I can't wear Sugar Skull for that reason - or if I'm just not a fan. Otherwise it's a nice, calm, gothy scent.

[lilacea]

This bat is just delightful. Rich suede brushed black leather with sweetness behind it, to my nose I immediately thought of benzoin. As it dries the leather dissipates just a little until it’s left suede brush with sugared patchouli. I’m not getting a tonne of clove, unless it’s sweet clove, which is different to my nose, if I didn’t know any better from the description I’d call it pimento. All in all a gorgeous sweetened, warm leather which is wonderfully unisex (not that there’s any constraints on who wears whatever scents they wish, I’m just talking in terms of “traditional” perfume descriptions). Snooty is a perfect descriptor for this!

[patina]

This seemingly has more leather than Snootier Bat, considering that it doesn't get lost in incense or musk. I don't think most people would find the clove overwhelming, unless they simply dislike clove altogether. It's not sharp, more just slightly peppery. Pimento as Lilacea said. The Nag Champa is certainly there, adding its floral backdrop.

 

I think I like this one better than its snootier cousin, simply because the clove and noticeable leather adds some balance to the sweetness. I'll have to test more, though.

[RoseThornAndOak]

Very sugary and vegetal patchouli + clove in the bottle and fresh on skin. Later the nag champa comes out more and smooths this out. It's a very nice incense blend for the most part now. The patchouli and sugar recede, and the leather is very slight and not artificial. Mostly dry powdered incense and a bit of clove. Very nice! 

[coilymoe]

Starts with a slick glossy patent leather that I did not enjoy, but it quickly warms into the sugared patchouli, which is much better. The clove keeps things interesting and unexpected. 

[Liquid Sword]

Took me some time to get used to this one, and now I genuinely like it! It’s a unique sweet and leathery fragrance. Cool people wear this fragrance. I’m not too cool so I can only wear it sometimes.