Lear

[antimony]

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

I've had this forever, why did I never review it before?

It's woodsy and mossy and masculine. Overall, it's like getting hit in the nose with a brick of moss. On me the cedar takes a back seat to the mossiness. This blend has great staying power, I'd gusee 6-8 hours of noticibleness and a whisper for the entire rest of the day.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Very cedarwoody.

 

On Skin: The herbs give a nice spice to the cedarwood. This is very masculine and sturdy. I think it’s a bit too smoky for my husband, he usually likes sweeter scents so this one is off to the swaps.

[stardreamer]

Swapped for this as part of my "trying out woody scents" experiment.

 

Initial impression: This smells like my grandmother's old house! Which isn't bad, but it's not something I really want to smell like.

 

After about 15 minutes: Now it just smells like the inside of a brand-new cedar chest. Sharp, raw cedar; all the spices have vanished.

 

After an hour: Still faintly cedar-y, but nearly gone.

 

I can see this as Lear -- it's fairly masculine, and the "grandmother" association gives it the gravitas of age. Not useful for me, though. This one will be re-swapped.

[TrinitySydney]

Most of BPAL's scent elicit a 'WOW' from me and this one is no different.

 

In the bottle: Cedar.

 

Wet: STRONG cedar.

 

30 mins: Hasn't changed a bit. Strong cedar.

 

 

Thoughts: I have never seen a BPAL that didn't change AT ALL from beginning to end, not even a little bit, so this is a new and unusual reason for the "WOW".

I don't personally want to smell like cedar, but I do love the smell, so I'll either be using this as a home scent or passing it on to my husband (I KNOW he'll like it, being a huge cedar fan). Whatever the outcome, I'm glad I got to try this.

[Yagathai]

In the bottle: Definitely strong, dry cedar. I don't get any of the bay or sage in the bottle. It's like cedar juice.

 

On my skin: Initially it's a strong cedar odour, but after a while it settles down into... cedar chips? Cedar shavings? It's reminescent of wood paneling, of pencil shavings and fresh sheets. After an hour or so the cedar settles down a bit -- it doesn't ever leave the fore, but a hint of the bay leaf mingles with the cedar to make a warm, sort of spicy scent. I never get any of the sage at all.

 

Final verdict: This is a masculine scent that reminds me of when I used to work construction, but in a good way. It's like manly, spicy sawdust. This definitely wouldn't be an everyday thing for me, but if I were doing something active and sporty -- biking, hiking, going to the beach, repaneling a basement -- I think it would work. Probably not worth getting a big-bottle, unless I plan on using it to freshen my sheets. Which, actually, wouldn't be a bad idea. It's cheaper than a cedar chest. =)

[wolfie13]

In the bottle: Cedar

 

Upon application: Cedar

 

Drydown: Cedar, but a well-rounded cedar. The bay and sage give it a bit more depth and warmth, though I don't smell these notes that much as individuals.

 

If you love cedar, you will love this, and I love cedar! It's a really good one too - not perfumey or fake smelling like many cedar oils or blends that I've tried from other sources (and no - NOT the dreaded hamster cage on me either!). It smells like cedar trees, with some lovely sagebrush growing around the base.

 

I agree that this would probably be fantastic on a guy as well, but I am quite enjoying this for myself!

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): VERY crisp and green. Bay leaves?

 

Just On: Crisp, green, and there is bay leaf here, I just know it.

 

An hour or two later: This is mostly green, and a hint watery.

 

Around 6 hours: It's pretty much gone from me.

 

12 hours: Yup, still gone. <g>

 

Overall: It's an interesting scent, but I don't think it's for me. Might smell fabulous on The Mate... maybe if I sneak in while he's sleeping... <g>

 

After reading other reviews: I so wish I'd gtten the cedar out of this, if so, I might have loved it. As it stands, I'm pretty neutral about it on me.

[donsixgun]

Mmm! This is herbal, and woody. Like when you chop firewood, you get that dry wood chip smell, but also the scent from green wood. I can totally see how this would be traditionally masculine. I think Im gonna have to keep this one. It wont be an everyday scent, but its nice.

[Savannah]

Oh... wow.

 

This is amazing.

 

I got this hoping for a nice cedary scent for my fiance, who is addicted to Comme des Garcons White. This isn't that, though. It's a very strong, masculine, somber blend. It calms and strengthens me. It's extremely true to the character-- kingly and powerful with an undercurrent of bitter grief. This is excellent. I'm keeping it for days when I need a king's strength.

[girlmadasbirds]

VERY woodsy. i don't really smell anything else except for the cedar

[Shollin]

First sniff: Evergreen piney cedar. Cold and aloof.

 

Wearing: It’s not overly sharp the way cedar can be on my skin, but it’s too masculine to be me. I bet my guy will smell great in it though.

[Little Bird]

Lear is a very dry, simple scent to me. It's more cedar chips than cedar trees. Almost dusty in its dryness. After a few minutes, the sage comes out and makes me feel a bit ill. I have a bad association with the smell of sage that I won't go into.

 

Overall it's not something that I want to smell. Cedar chips and dried sage. Very woodsy. I could definitely imagine this working better on a guy than a girl... but I don't like it enough to make my boy test it out.

[Monster]

Gah! I'm having incredible luck with BPAL lately...but I LOVE this one!!!

 

Wow, cedar, cedar, cedar!!! This is all cedar on me and it smells absolutly gorgeous.

 

There really is't much more for me to say about this. It's amazing.

If you like woody scents, this one is for you.

 

I must try this on my boyfriend. Wow, this is one of those "Wear me so I'll be irresistable" scents

[greywind]

In the vial: cedar, but a dry, restrained cedar

Wet: Wow, the cedar gets richer and softer -- very nice, very simple and understated

Dry: The sage and the bay leaf are there as faint, dried counterpoints to that lovely, classy cedar.

 

I love wood scents, but I don't think I'll end up with a big bottle of this even though I like it. It's a powerful, quiet scent, made for dealing from a position of power. Since I don't find myself unobtrusively wielding authority and exerting influence often, I don't feel the need to aquire Lear.

[quikslvr]

Dry, dry, dry, mostly bay and cedarwood at first. Almost all cedarwood as it dries. Quiet, cool. Might as well be single note white cedarwood, though, for all I can identify the other notes after the first whiff.

[Fefferbella]

This scent is nothing but cedar shavings on my skin. There was a hint of a bay note while it was still wet, but the cedar is too overpowering.

 

Very masculine scent... must get the boy to try this one...

[Orodemniades]

Woodsy and dry. Cedar and sandalwood with other stuff that I can just barely sniff. This doesn't morph on me whatsoever, just fades to a lovely and austere dryness. I think this might work better on someone of the male persuasion, but I might use it for meditation, too.

 

Oro

[malanna]

I'm not fond of woody scents, so I was surprised to find that this was a somewhat comforting scent, all things considered. It smells like the grandfather who had all those books of world maps and was a rather refined gentleman, but who owould still pull you onto his lap to tell you stories about all his adventures. I definitely smell white cedarwood, but I think there's a bit more sage and bay leaf at the start of application.

 

ETA: It's odd, for a second the word "poop" popped into my head, but a more concrete description of what this smells like is a sauna, with the wooden benches and steam pouring off the heated rocks.

Edited November 27, 2005 by malanna

[Capriquarius]

Lear is very true to its original wet stage all through the drydown. It smells like a more complex (ie, not pencil shavings) cedar, with a bit of herbal dryness. I'm guessing that's the sage...very nice! I think this would make a wonderful men's scent, but interestingly enough my bf smelled this on me and said he thought it was very feminine. I'm going to get him to try this anyway! I think it's very comforting, cool, calm and collected. Like that stabilizing fatherly influence everyone needs...this oil seems austere without being harsh. Beautifully done! I think it would also make a fabulous room fragrance.

[Celogrl]

Oh, this is SO lovely. The cedar stays at the forefront for me, all the way from wet to mellow drydown. There are just enough hints of the sage and bay to spice up the mix a little, but I must admit I love cedar (to me it's a happy scent), so I am glad cedar predominates. This has excellent staying power and as it was described as 'poignant', I can really understand that adjective once Lear dries and softens. It is a happy fragrance, but somehow it conjures up memories of falls, winters, and family times. Yes, made all the more poignant because our family is getting smaller due to losing some loved ones as we all do. I will keep this lovely imp in a regular rotation. It's beautiful.

[tinyvulture]

I received a free imp of this, and now I want a bottle. Pure cedar. The smell of pencil shavings. Love it. The sage and bay leaf add a clean herbal touch. A strong, proud scent. I think many will find it quite masculine, but I (a woman) love to wear woodsy scents and I think it’s fine for either sex.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: mmm, regal and bold cedar.

 

wet on skin: this reminds of swimming in cedar water. Good water. When I was wee, my family would go on outings into the Pine Barrens where a lot of cedar water flows. I would swim through warm water, then dive down to the bottom to look up at the surface of the stained water. It always looked like blood to me.

 

dry: the sage sharpens up the cedar a bit with a slightly biting edge. A bitter King Lear on a bloody throne. This is gorgeous, but a tiny too masculine for me.

[SeaMonkey]

This reminds me more of Lear from the Last Unicorn and not King Lear. The sandalwood and sage are brilliant together. The bayleaf is a really nice accent to both

[aedes]

I was surprised when I didn't see patchouli on the list of ingredients, because this has all the bitter, pungent earthiness I've come to take as my patchouli alarm. It smells just like the dirt note in Burial while in the imp, and the patchouli smell keeps on ticking the whole length of the drydown. There's a woody and herbal background to it that isn't unpleasant. But woof! That grittiness! It must me the cedar that's doing the patchouli imitation on me. I just can't handle it, as much as I love the concept of smelling like cedar.

[Merlu]

I also smelled strong patchouli in Lear, but I'm guessing it's the cedar.

 

It's a woody and dirty scent, with something herbal in the background. It's a sharp and bitter, in-your-face scent, from the imp to my skin, to the drydown.

It's so strong, it's just too much for me.

 

It smells like a man that's so fierce, proud and obnoxious, you just really want to slap him as hard as you can to make him stop.