The Perfect Lavender

[reconditarmonia]

Maybe The Bow and Crown of Conquest? It's sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather.

[jizatt]

My thought for the darkest incensey lavender was On Darkness -- black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin

 

Under the Harvest Moon is much duskier (I agree!) sweeter -- beautiful stuff =)

Edited January 27, 2010 by CaudaPavonis

[naeelah]

Oooh right, On Darkness! I knew I was forgetting something. I agree, that one is gorgeous! For me it's not so lavender heavy - it just has a well blended, purple smoke character -- but it's definitely worth checking out on a quest for smoky lavender.

[fiddledragon]

That sounds almost exactly like what you'd get if you layered TKO and Rumpelstiltzchen on me, actually.

[ChaosKitty]

I'd really like to find a perfect smokey lavender scent, an oil version of Serge Luten's Gris Clair. It's notes are

lavender, amber, tonka bean, iris, dry wood, and incense.

 

From a review of Gris Clair: "Cool dryness and sweet smokiness compete for prominence all throughout the development of Gris Clair. It starts with a cold, indeed “clear gray” accord of lavender, which makes me think about expensive, classic men’s after shaves and colognes. In a moment however, an unexpectedly sweet accord of amber and tonka bean appears; without reminding me of any fruit in particular, it somehow manages to convey a vague, abstract fruitiness. It is an enjoyable stage, but the best part of Gris Clair is undoubtedly the promised dry wood and “burned incense”. When these two notes come into play, Gris Clair acquires the wonderful depth and richness one associates with the best Lutens’s creations. At this point, all the notes are apparent on my skin at once: the chilly lavender, the honeyed amber, the smoldering ashes of wood and incense."

 

 

 

Jammies suggested Gaueko, Naeelah suggested the Erebos room spray, and sarahlaughs suggested TKO for lavender/vanilla and Liz for vanilla/smoke.

 

Anyone else care to weigh in?

 

 

Lysander (Lilac musk, tonka, wood violet, and urbane lime rind, with a Venus-kissed tangle of myrtle, blackberry leaf, and benzoin). Totally. It's gorgeous.

 

Edit to add: Lavender isn't in the list of components, but (IMO) they do combine to give it a very lavender-y scent; one that's very soft and smoky, and without that "sharp" note that lavender tends to have when it is an ingredient.

Edited January 27, 2010 by ChaosKitty

[heartbeast]

Two lavenders that are smoky in a metaphorical sense (by which I mean muted, sophisticated and a little sultry): Paris & Yvaine. I love lavender but it usually has an herbal sharpness that I associate with soap or aromatherapy blends for relaxation. Not what I want when I'm aiming for sophisticated and/or sexy. I never imagined before that a lavender scent could pull that vibe off, but those two do.

[bookandbroom]

Agony of Loss (French lavender, cedar, armoise, white sandalwood, awapuhi, and the smoke of burning love letters) might be heading in the right direction...

[Mrs.Black]

Quicksilver Phoenix reminds me a lot of Gris Clair. The resins lend an incensy quality to the lavender. But hurry up, it won't be available from the Lab much longer!

[jayne]

Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone. I'll be looking into all of them!

 

[copagirl]

Yes, and definitely try TKO.

Go to the sales pages and you can find alot of imps there for sale very cheap, as little as $1.00. Also if you go to the thread about essential oils, Beth has posted a nice reply as to what they use and why. (in case you hadn't seen it...)

[sunshinedaisybliss]

I'm wondering if you should give Wulric The Wolfman a try..

Friendly, charming, and cuddly, but possessing one hell of a mean streak: cocoa absolute, French vanilla, birch tar, lavender, bourbon vetiver, wild musk, clary sage, and cistus.

 

You can read through several pages of reviews here - I know it doesn't quite match with the description of Gris Clair but Wulric is really a very 'smouldering' scent with a soft side - although the cocoa is a definite feature in the blend, it's not a sweet/sickly type of chocolate note and it's beautifully blended with the darker notes. However the lavender in Wulric is the standout, it has a lovely smokey feel.

 

Wulric is part of the Carnaval Diabolique (CD) collection, which you can see here - he appears in Act III, about half-way down the page. You can't order imps of the CD blends, but you should be able to find a decant on the forum if you search through the sales posts.

 

Wulric may not be quite what you're looking for, but I just have a feeling you might like him

 

 

[TroubleDoll]

I'm deviating from the lavender a bit, but here's some blends that fit the smokey floral idea:

 

L'Heure Verte: Spilled absinthe, scorched sugar cubes, opium smoke, lilac blossoms, and rose water

 

Gaueko: Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum

 

Oneiroi: a somnambular blend of deep lavender, white sandalwood, jasmine, bergamot and mugwort.

 

Shadow Witch Orchid: This perfume is a dusky orchid, subdued and ethereal.

[reconditarmonia]

Important lavender question!

 

Most of the blends that have lavender listed as an ingredient don't specify which kind of lavender. French lavender is herbal and more like a cooking seasoning, while English lavender is sweeter and more floral.

 

So...if you can identify it, which blends have English lavender?

[tailoredshirt]

Important lavender question!

 

Most of the blends that have lavender listed as an ingredient don't specify which kind of lavender. French lavender is herbal and more like a cooking seasoning, while English lavender is sweeter and more floral.

 

So...if you can identify it, which blends have English lavender?

 

I've always thought of French lavender as a sweet, more floral blend as well, but I'm going off of the essential oils I have. I use French and Croatian, and Croatian is sharper and more medicinal by comparison. I couldn't tell French and English lavender apart because I don't know what the English version smells like.

 

However, Mysterious Warning seems to be a sweeter lavender. That might be the amber helping it along, though.

[kakiphony]

I am loving on this bar of lavender-cedar soap someone gave me right now. Loving hard core. It's simple and clean and fresh, yet the cedar gives it a depth without being sweet. The scent it leaves on my skin is perfectly me, but sadly fades far too quickly. Is there anything in the catalog that might approximate it?

 

These are what I've tried:

 

L'Heur Vert -- too floral

Gaueko - The nag champa amps on me and it's all incense, nice but not what I'm looking for

Oneiroi: The jasmine killed it for me

Wulric: Musk amps on me and smells of old man

Paris: Lotus is bad on me and makes me sneeze

Villain: Too much citrus made me sneeze

 

In general, I DON'T want anything with musk in it (musk and I just don't mix -- I amp it like crazy and it makes me smell like an old man's cologne) and I think anything with Vanilla will be too sweet for what I'm seeking. Really, I'm looking for Lavender on a base of woods with very few other notes. Maybe a little smoke or leather pr a very small amount of additional herbs (thyme? rosemary?) would work.

 

Ideas?

[Dusk]

Both The Scales of Deprivation and Old Scratch are lavender-based with wood notes. I found Scales of Deprivation to be more fresh and almost cologney and Old Scratch to be warmer, with more wood. They do have several other notes though. Old Scratch is mostly straightforward lavender/tonka/wood on my skin, though.

 

eta: A quick look through the catalog and the simplest lavender and woods blends I saw, with no musk, were the LEs Quicksilver Phoenix (Cinnabar and silvery liquid droplets of mastic, white sandalwood, elemi, and lavender) and On Darkness (black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin).

Edited August 9, 2012 by Dusk

[reconditarmonia]

Mercury is lavender and a woody cinnamon.

[Gateau]

I was applying a little lavender body oil this morning and realized that, though I love lavender, it's in many of my bath products, and I sleep every night with TKO, I rarely wear it during the day. I think that's because it's either a little simple (like the pure lavender body oil) or knocks me out. I'm trying to think if there are any sophisticated blends where lavender is a key player. Sadly, I can't do jasmine, lotus, or most musks, and if there are woods in the blend they do have a tendency to amp on me. Combing through this topic, but in case anyone has thoughts on this, I'd love to hear!

[KittyHawk]

Have you tried Luna Azul, Gateau? Unlike the other blue moons, there's no musk, and the mango adds a really lovely sweetness to the lavender. I've been wearing TKO to bed exclusively too, but Luna Azul is more complex and better suited to daytime, IMO.

Edited September 20, 2012 by KittyHawk

[Gateau]

Dammit, I KNEW I should have gone for that!

[KittyHawk]

Dammit, I KNEW I should have gone for that!

 

They aren't being advertised as such, but maybe the blue moons will be available at this month's Will Calls? It might be worth looking for a pick-up just in case. But seriously, it is the most beautiful BPAL lavender ever. I hope you find some!

[Gateau]

Oh great tip, thanks!

 

Any other lavender lovers with great ideas, I am all ears!

[topazphoenix]

I really enjoy Yvaine as a complex lavender, tho it's hard to find now.

 

Also, for a straight up, one note lavender, I just got Safari and am in love. It's extremely relaxing and I almost like it better than TKO.

[Tiada]

Paris and TKO are my top recommendations. Paris is my favourite lavender for wanting to smell bold in a feminine way. The spicy works on this one too. TKO is just for bed to me, but so wonderfully lavender! I haven't put it on tonight, but I've realised it smells in my pillows, and it's do relaxing!

[Lorna Brigid]

MY perfect lavender blend is Mysterious Warning, because I like my lavender a little sweet and not too herbal, but not syrupy sweet. But YMMV.

I will say, it is true that lavender has a calming, knock out quality, that is why it's a main ingredient in TKO. When my daughter is too squirrely, and indeed when she was a baby and colicky, I would burn a Lavender Fields candle in her bedroom and she calms right down. (I did the same thing to her father when he got on my nerves and I wanted him to get sleepy, he was none the wiser to it, lol).