The Bow & Crown of Conquest

[crazyredhead17]

Nobility and haughtiness befitting the Antichrist: sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather.

I'm pulling random things out of my "waiting to be tried" bag without checking notes first. Sage, lavender, cedar, and leather are some of my least favorite notes, so saying that this blend is seven shades of awful is an understatement.

(Imp and Wet thoughts were jotted down before I found the description)

Imp: Promising.

Wet: Floral with something I can't pin down.

As it dries: Cinnamon (Carnation, I'm guessing) and manly cologne

The cinnamon-y carnation fades into manly cologne that doesn't work on me.

Not for me.

[toomuch]

I really liked this at first, but the more I wore it the more it smelled like men's cologne. As I checked the site (this was a freebie), I found it was more for men. I think it smells too sweet to be for the anti-Christ, just my opinion, but I do think I'd love it on a man. Unfortunately, my man won't wear scents at all!! It'll depend on skin chemistry. It's a great scent, just not for me.

[mooncityminx]

In the vial: woods and lavendar

 

Wet: leather, and I think I can detect the carnation now, but it is subtle underneath the leather and lavendar.

 

Drydown: The woods are back, and they smell great with the leather and the lavendar. The carnation is now merely the background that blends the rest of it together. It smells civilized but forceful. How appropriate!

[awesomeoverlord]

There's a lot going on here, but if I stop thinking about it, it hits me as a general cologne kind of scent. Very classy and complex, though. Nothing to scoff at. Sweet, spicy and smoky. It smells like sexy man.

 

Drydown: Ok, definitely not me. But good. Really really good. This is all smoke and leather -- sexy man is right! Yummm.

[simpsonmeredith]

Bottled sex pheromones.

 

In bottle: sage and wood. I love this in the bottle but I think it's because of the association I have with it. It's an instant turn on.

Drydown: Leather amps up. The cedar is there but very light in the background. As it continues to dry, a smoky vanilla comes out and the scent does lighten somewhat. And then the cedar comes back out but more woodsy than cedar. It's very well blended.

 

I don't smell the carnation specifically but that might be what ends up lightening the scent during the drydown. Now this is with my body chemistry. On my husband it is similar, but it's literally the more masculine version. It's deeper, a little more woodsy, a little smokier. The vanilla is much darker but definitely there and definitely not sweet.

 

As a sidenote, the imp I tried and the bottle I have were not straight from the lab. I have no idea how old they are so this may be something that needs to age but it well worth aging if that's the case. Yum.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Heavy cedar and silvery sage on first sniff, with an undertone of leather—very masculine. On a second sniff, though, I get some of the vanilla and lavender, which mitigates some of those stronger notes. This is complex and interesting—very cool and dry to start, which I suppose is fitting.

On, wet: Cedar, sage and leather—still very cool and masculine, not at all comforting, but imposing. Already, the cedar and leather are sinking down to the base, while the sage and some lavender hang out with a touch of shimmery white musk. Hmm. That's actually… sort of sexy. It's a little bit herbal, a little incensey, and surprisingly appealing.

On, dry: Oh, WOW. The vanilla and lavender have soared to the top on a wave of white musk, a great tag team keeping each other in check--lavender adds freshness, while the vanilla sweetens everything up and the white musk makes it glow. Right underneath that is a very restrained carnation, just adding a touch of spice. Then the base is deep, dark cedar and warm, smooth leather. It's multilayered and complex, and yet all these strong notes just sing together perfectly. Whoever said this was like a bad boy with a heart of gold is dead on.

Later: Fainter, smoother, but basically unchanged. (Thank goodness!) Perfectly balanced and blended.

Overall: Amazing. This didn't smell all that great in the imp, but when it's on, it's… uh. Heavenly. Which is a little strange for the perfume of the Antichrist, but there you go. This is one of those scents where every single note works, and they all work together to create something glorious on your skin: classy, complex, very smooth and confident. Above all, it's drop dead sexy. It would be drool-worthy on a man, but it's not so masculine that I feel strange wearing it—which is a good thing, because this is a scent I want to smell over and over.

 

 

[fireflower]

A rather nice men's cologne. I get mostly white musk, leather, and lavender. Like someone else said, a little too sweet for the Antichrist. The sage and cedar are nowhere to be found. When first applied I don't get spice at all, but then I think the carnation comes out and makes it smell just a little spicy. When it's been on for a long time, it starts to smell a little bit powdery. This is a lovely masculine scent, but I don't see myself keeping it, as I lean more toward girly scents.

[eatingthesea]

omg! i've been longing for this scent for ages, because it just sounded so fascinating. i typically don't care for the scent of sage but still...fascinating enough combination of elements. and you know what this scent reminds me of? HOD! and i KNOW it's that hot-damn, sexxxified carnation that punctuates hod through and through that is calling to mind this comparison. i get a lot of cedar and leather on the drydown but while it's still slippery n' wet it definitely rings the HOD bell for me. and i quite like having that readily-available substitution at my fingertips in the GC catalogue. time will tell whether i will require a bottle. in the meanwhile, the imp will be kept close to the chest!

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Oooohh, I like this a lot. Top notes of vanilla, lavender, carnation, and sage, with a solid foundation of luscious musk with a hint of leather that isn't overpowering, and the lightest whisper of cedar. Sweet and spicy and sexy. Yum! Plus, it really is gender neutral, so my man and I can share it!

[Saya]

This would be beautiful if the cedar didn't ruin it.

 

The vanilla, carnation and musk are stunning and then cedar comes in and tramps all over everything. Crap.

[spoilsofwar]

All I can say about this one is: SEX IN A BOTTLE! Not even kidding when I saw that I sneak sniffs of my wrists whenever I think no one is looking, and sometimes when they are.

[Animae]

This one is very masculine. I still enjoy wearing it though, simply because its very remincent to me of wearing my boyfriends leather jacket.

 

To me it smells like sex and leather.

 

 

[liquidtrance]

Right off the bat this smelled like cedar and perhaps the sage.

Quickly, though, it morphs to … a barely noticeable scent. At first I think I can hint at the cedar, then as I keep inhaling, the scent is nearly gone. A trace of the vanilla, and maybe musk.. but hardly anything there. Slowly the carnation seems to peek out. Very strange how it diminished so quickly. Though this was shy with my nose-to-wrist, the wafting scent stayed surprisingly full of cedar. I never got much carnation (as expected) before it dissipated.

[Lamia]

Mmmmmm sexy.

 

It's that delicious scruffy furry leather, with a hint of sage and sharp lavender.

 

I just want to rub myself up against someone wearing this. Nom nom nom

[catattack]

Bottle: Sweet and salty leather

Wet: Sweet and salty leather

Drydown: The scent has mellowed and the different notes are distinguishing themselves. Lavender is there adding a slightly clean and astringent feel. The vanilla is now very noticeable. This is really amazing as it dries down. After a little while, you can smell the herbally sage for a little bit before he retreats. The carnation is also there, but stays put in the far background. I never got the cedar.

Overall: I am so glad that I accidentally purchased this from the sales section. For some reason, I was confusing this with The Great Sword of War (I know, I know, they are nothing alike). This is a wonderful leather scent. It is not as masculine as some other leather scents (like De Sade or Western Diamondback). This has a sweet side. If you added a buttery bakery note, this is Le Pere Fouettard (on my skin. YMMV obviously). I want to bathe in this!

[donnatron]

Imp: Leather and lavender.

 

Wet: OMG. Sweet vanilla over leather. Very sexy and... uh... sexy. Let's see where this goes.

 

Dry: This winds up being a soft and sexy vanilla/leather with a sort of wild grass and lavender element. Super, super hot. The lavender is sort of sticky sweet and a bit dry and really... well, it makes me write with lot of elllipses. Sweet, sexy and the sort of scent where I can't believe it's taken me this long to truly discover it. It's a sexy scent. It grabs attention and holds it and doesn't let go.

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: This is sexy and commanding and totally in control. I like wearing this because it makes me feel like a million dollars and like I'm not going to take crap from anyone who suggests otherwise. So sexy and awesome.

[tajana]

I was contemplating buying a bottle of this unsniffed, but I bought an imp of it first instead. Well, I should have jumped straight to the 5ml! This is my favorite of the Come and See series for sure, and really, one of my new favorites overall!

 

The first time I wore this it reminded me a lot of Crowley, but it's not as sweet and it's $10 cheaper! (And I like it more than that perfume now!) Like Crowley, it's an ostensibly masculine scent that didn't fare too well on my boyfriend's skin! It did however, smell great on me.

 

Wet on the skin, it's a rush of carnation and leather. Yummmm, carnation! After a minute I notice the underlying complexity: along with the wondruous duo of carnation and sexy leather, there's herbal sage and sharpened, cooling lavender, a bit of softening and sweetness from a not-too-pushy warm vanilla note, and a base of cool, clean musk. As it dries down cedar really shines, and it combines forces with the carnation note to create a lovely, natural spiced floral-woodsy scent that harmonizes divinely with the leather and herbal notes. I wouldn't mind even more prominent cedar, but then, I'm a cedar fanatic.

 

After it spends some time on my skin, it predictably goes through a phase of being quite archetypally "cologne" like, but it smells like goood cologne. Sure it's on the masculine side of the spectrum, but my girly chemistry sweetens it up a bit and it also smells pretty and clean and irresistible. It eventually dries down to what more or less amounts to some gently vanilla-sweetened leather musk with an occasional whiff of spicy cedar. After a lot of time passes (i mean, hours and hours here... lasting power is pretty great) it's all vanilla, but that's what reapplying is for and my decant is significantly aged so I'm not sure how fresh Bow & Crown would behave.

 

This perfume is SO well blended and seamless, and it features a ton of my favorite notes! It's the kind of thing I could wear every day. It's beautiful, powerful, and definitely has some sex appeal. I aim on getting a 5mL at some point for sure!

[aislingeach]

This one is, to my nose, very sagey in the vial. There's too much complexity for just sage, but my nose can't make out other individual notes. When it first hits my skin, it's all sweet, creamy white musk and vanilla. As it dries, the cedar, leather and sage come out, in that order. I can't make out the lavender or carnation individually, but I'm sure they're somewhere in the background, helping create this richness and complexity.

 

This is a smoothly maniplulative, androgynous scent on me. "I'm a reasonable person," it says, "aren't I?" And you say, "Yes," because it feels like the only option. Mad love, and definitely bottleworthy. I'm wearing this to my driving exam, and hopefully it'll help me conquer!

[topazphoenix]

This one is nice. Sweet sagey vanilla-y leather. Almost a smokey quality somehow.

[Argentwolf]

Well-worn leather is predominant, though I can also smell cedar and some sage in there. After a while it went all Generic Boy Cologne on me, but it was sure nice for a while. It stays and throws very decently.

[pseedie]

~~The Bow and Crown of Conquest~~

 

In the Imp: Dusty flowers and leather

 

Wet: Wood and leather, as the flowers recede, the leather comes forward on me....

 

Dry: Wood, leather and a touch of smoke? Is someone on fire?? Is there a battle? Or do i just mix up smoke with leather and wood?? [=

 

Either way, I live in the wildfire area of Southern California, and the smell I'm getting that reminds me of fire is a little to PTSD for me. I'm done. This fragrance goes to someone that lives where they get rain between the months of April and November...unlike here.

[Mousesong]

Oh. My. Goodness.

 

This scent is a bit dizzying, constantly darting between being hot and spicy and cold and clean. I'm guessing this is the carnation and the musk/lavender playing havoc together.

 

What I can assure anyone reading this, though, is that for me at least Bow and Crown is one of the most intoxicating BPAL scents I've tried. And although I admit that my experience is limited, I think that this will remain a truth.

 

It's misleadingly quiet at first--I have consistently overapplied and had to go and scrub some off or risk incurring a headache--but it amps surprisingly and suddenly. My friend noticed it too--at first there was nothing, and then, suddenly, a blossom of scent, topped with carnation and coming up cool and fresh underneath. I usually get a lot of cedar from any cedar blend, which is fine with me since I love it and it plays nicely with my skin, but it's remarkably subtle in Bow and Crown. After it's completely dried down, most of what I'm getting is cedar and carnation, although it's lent a warmth and depth that I am attributing to the vanilla or possibly the leather. I confess that I'm slightly disappointed that I can't actually pick out the vanilla, since it's one of my favourite smells. The "cool" feeling remains just under the surface. This is remarkably complex.

 

The throw is not to be underestimated. Play gently, if this is unfamiliar territory--I feel like I'm choking people around me if I'm not careful with this imp. Within a half hour of putting this on I had four compliments. While this is good, it also tells me that it's super strong. I'm trying to find how much I need to tone it down.

 

If I had to choose overall adjectives, I think I'd have to go with sexy, but dignified--not raunchy. I felt comfortable wearing it to work.

 

While I agree that this scent skews masculine, I don't think it's something that a confident woman couldn't wear. I plan on wearing it whenever possible, although, to be fair, I also wear Dee religiously and it's extremely male.

 

On a side note, I have noticed that although I never smell a BPAL and immediately say, "oh, that's leather," pretty much everything with leather listed as a note has been an immediate favourite with me. I should go check into De Sade!

[unlaced]

Oh man. Why haven't I tried this before?

 

This is De Sade leather (De Sade is nothing but raw leather on me) but just a touch sweet (which sounds weird but is actually amazing), with just the barest hints of other things in the background. I can juuuuuust barely detect a hint of "green" if I sniff really hard but mostly it's just the musky leather and teensy bit of sweetness.

 

This. Is. Awesome.

[cleske]

Wow. People were right when they said this was sexy. It's like a blanket of sexiness. It's a very warm scent, and I mostly get a lavendar/leather/vanilla combo with the tiniest breath of of the other notes every now and again. The sage is definately more prominent in the beginning on me, but it settles quite quickly. Light throw, but this is the sort of thing that I'd want someone to have to lean right in to sniff.

[Epiphany]

So. Very. Close.

 

I tested this without knowing the notes. In the imp it smelled warm and soft, with a bit of a woody overtone.

 

Wet on my skin/initial drydown, it was GORGEOUS I could smell cedar (which I tend to amp) and I immediatly picked up on the leather and vanilla. Rounded and full-bodied. Where have you been all my life?!?

 

After checking the notes, I was thinking I might need a bottle and then...*sniff* Hey. Wait now. Where did my vanilla leather go? This smells like plastic and leather? Er...pleather? Dammit!

 

This is the first time I've experienced something with vanilla and/or leather going 'plastic-y' on me, though I know other people have had it happen. When I breathe deeply of the weirdness on my wrist, I can smell the sage + lavender, so I wonder if it's an effect of those two + vanilla + leather.

 

Apparently it's AWESOME GOODNESS on everyone else...not fair. These notes ALL work on me. ALL OF THEM. THERE IS NOT ONE BAD NOTE IN THERE and yet on my skin it smells like a fake leather sofa. AGH! *wanders off to huff Sacrifice in a corner*