Lear

[hologhost]

A regal, commanding scent, but poignant. White cedarwood, blue sage and bay leaf.

Imp: cedar and...alcohol?

On me - cedar, but not quite pencils. I think it's the sage making itself known. Very woodsy, but almost SN on me.

[sofiaviolet]

Pow! The cedar is definitely the strongest thing in here. I kind of smell sage, and I think it's okay. It's not setting off my allergies, at least, which is what I'd expect.

[RougeNoir]

Creosote!! ;-)

 

This is definitely woody - definitely cedar - and the sage note is very strong and medicinal - almost cough-inducing at this point (wet). Will post later on the drydown.

 

The sage has almost disappeared and it's just pure cedar now - quite mellow. Nice, but not really what I'd call a perfume - more like i've anointed myself with cedar essential oil.

Edited November 23, 2006 by RougeNoir

[euterpe414]

I just got this one as a frimp in my order. It is a very masculine scent, but one that I wouldn't be afraid to wear myself. The cedar and sage mesh very well together, and like the others have said, I don't know where the bay leaf is... This scent makes me feel very strong and secure, which is a good thing.

 

I do enjoy woodsy and strong scents, so perhaps my frimp will be promoted to a bottle soon if I can stop buying LE's at the moment!

Edited December 6, 2006 by euterpe414

[brownbear]

Hmm. Lear on me is dry and woody overall with a little bit of creaminess. It isn't as masculine as I thought it would be. In fact I find it very unisex. It really is nice. I like that it isn't coming out as entirely cedar. It is strong in a strength of character kind of way, not a smell you from across the room sort of way and it is still soft.

[Deiicide]

Lear is a very woodsy,clear and clean scent. There is a hint of alchohal that melds beautifully as it dries. Not the scent for me, but I think it would smell wonderful upon a guy.

[roxyhead]

Just call this one Smells Like A Hamster Cage. In the best possible way, of course, there's no hamster there, or it's just been cleaned. If you want cedar, it's here, though it disappears after a couple hours, leaving a very faint everything else. I never expected Lear to smell like cedar from the name, but maybe that's got something to do with my never having read the play, either?

[luna65]

Thanks to SevenSins for the imp.

 

Imp: This has a kind of understated masculine quality, you can tell it's wood and herbal, but it's not in-your-face about it.

 

Skin: The cedar is the most prevalent note, of course, but the sage makes for a nice base, a savory suggestion that works well with the other.

 

Drydown: This doesn't last long on me at all, and is mostly cedar, but while it does evolve it is a very strong and clear evocation. But then it just vanishes. No doubt this be very nice on a man, though.

[filigree_shadow]

I think Lear is my least favorite of the Illyria ones. It doesn't smell as soft and refined as the othe ones. There's nothing gentle about this -- it's harsh and herby. The cedarwood is pretty nice, but I don't like the blue sage and bay leaf. I know this is supposed to be for a man, but I don't really want my husband to smell like this.

[SueDonym]

I rarely write reviews because the process intimidates me. Sometimes I'll chime in if there doesn't seem to be anything else available and I think others might want a hint of what to expect.

 

HOWEVER...

 

I have to defend my Lear here.

 

I Lear.

 

I truly do.

 

It's a fabulous scent.

 

I casually swapped the first imp of it I had away, and regretted it just on the scent memory, which lingered. I did however make a micro review of that first impression, which I will share here.

 

imp: odd, dry strangely evocative but of what, kind of ew reaction at first

wet: dry dry dry, very woody cedarwood heavy, with some sage, possibly bay making it very dry.

Dry: same, but more sagey and bay Still a lot of cedar. Still an elegant combination, not a lot of throw

Drier: wow, nice cedar/sage scent, more throw, not getting a lot of bay here

 

I can see this clearly as Lear. It's so dry and uninflected, so at least Lear at the start of the play. In control before his lack of understanding/compassion leads to his undoing. None of his madness though, which is a little odd. Sad though; it does feel like a deeply sad scent. A good funeral scent...if that doesn't sound too weird to say. Masculine for some perhaps, as is proper by the name, but that doesn't bother me at all.

 

So no, not quite love at first sniff, but well deserving of serious consideration. A deeper affection if you will.

 

I found I was woman enough to wear it.

Things tend to go a bit sweet/creamy on me, which perhaps helps to make this simply an elegantly serious and somber scent. On me this scent doesn't shout at all. It isn't particularly harsh. Just soft, dry bones, and sadness. Maybe...as if you wandered through a field of sage and carried the light scent back home on your clothes, to a wooden house, with bay leaves steeping in the kitchen.

 

It's much more complex than simple cedar, bay and sage would seem to say. It's deep and sad and somehow regally...delightful isn't quite the word, but it does work.

 

 

And yes, if I had a funeral to attend (knock on wood with much gratitude to all higher powers that I do not and all the various imprecations my blessed grandmother used to ward off evil) this is the scent I would want to wear. If such considerations entered my mind under those circumstances. And other warding noises. Etc.

 

[ariosa]

I LOVE THIS! I've always been in love with the scent of cedar since I was a little girl, and this is quite beautiful. It's mostly cedar on me, though the sage and they bay leaf round this out quite nicely. I don't know whether it will be a big bottle purchase for me just yet, but I do really love it. My nose has been firmly planted in the crook of my elbow since putting it on!

 

ETA: I really do love this, but somewhere along the line, the cedar takes over and amps to the nth degree. It's a little too much. I'm going to give this one more go, but if it does the same next time, off to swaps it goes, sadly.

Edited April 5, 2007 by ariosa

[Rat The Unloved]

Initial Impressions: Cedar.

On the Skin: Cedar and tiny hits of floral, vague impressions of leather.

Dry: Leather, BRIGHT, resinous, cedar. Bare, background, floral traces.

Mature: Cedar. Grows faint quickly.

Several hours later: Faded entirely by now.

Over all: It's scent is so strong as to almost be single-note. It's Cedar and not a lot else. It would be excellent for layering.

Buyability: Not one I would, personally, pick up.

[sd357]

Wet: a light sage and bay leaf. I usually pick up cedar early, but not here.

 

Dry-down: Here comes the cedar - this is the perfect scent to store with my sweaters. Where are those BPAL dryer sheets, durn it?

 

Dry: a perfect blend of cedar, sage, and bay leaf. I adore this scent. I want to roll in this scent. I am *so* glad this is a GC!!!

[moon_lemming]

Why am I trying this one? I'm honestly not sure. Cedar goes horribly wrong on my skin, generally, and Lear is no exception. There's not much I can say about this one other than pointing out that there's cedar in it, since that's ALL I can smell from start to finish.

[xoe]

cedar and i can smell the bay leaf too. Lear is not really for me. But it doesn't last very long, so that isn't a problem. It's nice, just not for me.

[The_Merf]

I love the "leaf" scents--Alecto and The Jersey Devil are two of my favorites, and Lear is definitely in this family. Compared to the other two, Lear is a bit thinner and drier. The cedar gives an overall woody effect and you can actually feel a dryness in your nose when you sniff this one. The leaf adds the smokey quality that you get from Alecto, but this is not a scent that does much morphing. Cedar will be the dominant note for most people, I imagine.

[Garbazhul]

Woaaah, this one is great. Reminds of a weaker Malediction somehow. Nice, light and very woody. Seems to be very present, I was shopping a few minutes ago and 2 people asked what perfume I wore.

 

This is quite a masculine scent, definitively worth a bottle!

Edited May 18, 2007 by Garbazhul

[batsy]

In the vial: that's cedar. Like damp cedar chips.

 

On the skin: Hrm. This isn't appealing to me; I think it's just an over-dose of cedar. And the bay leaf. Neither of which are scents I'm all 'yay!' over. This can go to the swaps.

[waternight]

In the imp: Strongly woody, without anything sweet to make it smell like perfume. It’s dry wood, pure and simple.

Wet/Drydown: Strongly cedar, like first sniff, but I’m getting the sage and bay leaf now as well. This is a dry scent, and very natural. It’s like sitting around a cheery fire that burning dry wood, but this isn’t a smoky scent at all. It’s crisp and dry and wood and herbs. I love it, but I don’t think I want to smell like it. I think it’ll be fabulous as a room scent, so I’ll try it out in my oil diffuser.

Dry: Gentle cedar.

[CrazyPretzel]

I didn't expect to like this one too much as the cedar in it is so strong. Sure enough, although I can detect sage and a little spiciness to it when it's wet, the drydown is pure cedar, not bad-smelling but just not something I'd wear as perfume.

 

I do like cedar sometimes but only when it's dry and incense-y -- this cedar is a bit too wet. If that makes any sense...

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Strong cedarwood and very sharp herbal notes.

 

Immediately on skin: The cedar is the strongest in this blend. The sage and bay leaf seem to be there too, but they’re making the blend sharper as opposed to a dry wood scent.

 

After a few minutes: This smells like straight-up cedarwood on me. It smells much drier now… I don’t get the herbs at all.

 

Later on: Cedarwood, cedarwood, and more cedarwood. It seems like a single note blend almost.

[alhbooks]

For me Lear evokes walking through the woods in the autumn with leaves rustling underfoot and the sky hidden by high fog and damp clouds. I love the cedar, which is softened by the herbal companions. A great autumn scent, and I'm happy to have a bottle.

[Kimiko]

Upon opening my imp I squished up my nose, doesn't smell good at all.

I managed to spill a bit on my thumb though, and after a bit of smelling it I realized that it reminds me of an ex-boyfriends house.

Not in a bad way either.... I'm not sure I'll wear it, as I'm afraid that it's going to go bad on my skin- but I know I'll keep the imp.

Very much cedar and a touch of sage, it makes me feel warm, safe... The bay doesn't seem to come out at all as far as I can tell.

[YoakeNoKami]

This is another one which smells like damp, disturbed forest earth. It's the scent of things preparing to grow.

On/wet: Whoa, this does not do good things on me! Soap, soap…

Drydown: Urghhhh… soapy earth…

[yewberry]

I'm not sure why I never tried Lear before. I adore cedarwood, love sage, and think bayleaf is spiffy. I'm glad I finally took the plunge. Goes on single-note cedar. The drydown reveals a charming, almost fruity sage (like some of the fruit-scented salvias I love to grow). The bay peeps out a bit, but never in a "gentleman's cologne" way. It's perfectly balanced, and exactly the kind of warm, woody/resiny fragrance I love.