The Bow & Crown of Conquest

[Lambent]

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

 

A newfound GC love!

 

The Bow & Crown of Conquest reminds me of one of my favorite perfumes--Endymion from Penhaligon's. They don't smell exactly alike, but they do share some of the same notes like lavender, sage, and leather. My skin tends to amp cedar and I have conflicted feelings about that. But the cedar in this played well with the other notes creating that intimate closeness I feel when wearing the aforementioned Endymion. It's not overly spicy, floral, gourmand, woody, fruity, or saccharine. It has a masculine sort of sweetness and is a scent that is difficult to describe as being any one thing. Balanced, comforting, strangely sensual, and I could still smell it on me after the 6-hour mark. Massive win.

[Casablanca]

This one is the exact lovely blend I expected from the notes list.

First impressions: cedar, vanilla, sage, carnation. The second sniff is strong leather. The third is strong lavender. Then back to vanilla... They blend together at times, and take turns at other times.

The spicy edge to the carnation works well with the vanilla cedar. Sometimes, in the wet phase, it's almost enough to make me think "woody-floral Snake Oil."

This is fairly close to the skin on me when wet, and is more so once dry. I get cedar-vanilla-carnation when dried, with a touch of leather. The lavender and sage are mostly gone, but ghosts remain. This is probably one I'd reapply a few times during the day to freshen it. A treat.

[alyelle]

A frimp of unknown age, but not more than 18 months.

 

Imp: vanilla (which I originally took for myrrh earlier this week, damn sinus) and leather, with hints of soap, sage and lavender.

 

Wet: carnation, in its soapy, floral glory :/ But happily, an increasingly dominant combination of vanilla-lavender-leather, with a subtle astringent note of sage if you really sniff for it.

 

Dry: this belongs firmly to the group I refer to as 'new boyfriend scents'. It tends towards masculine, just, and feels comfortable. The vanilla and leather continue to dominate on me, as they always do; by the end of the day, they face to a clean soap smell, but the good sort - just pure, unblemished, freshly dried skin, with the vaguest hint of butter-frosting and garden herbs playing about the edges.

 

With a life of 8-10 hours and a pretty decent throw, this is definitely something I'd consider rebuying. Pleasantly surprised!

 

Stars: ★★★★

[lizardskin]

This has a very nice warm, slightly spicy smell. It almost reminds me of Christmas cookies, although I wouldn't necessarily call it a foodie scent--the spiciness of what I assume is the cedar/sage mixed with the vanilla just reminds me of baking spices. I'm not sure if I just don't know what carnation smells like (likely) or if I just can't pick it out, but I mostly get a warm base of vanilla/leather topped by the sharper cedar/sage. I couldn't pick out lavender at all, although it may just have been a short-lived part of the initial application.

It's long lasting without being overpowering. I think this would make a nice winter scent because of the warmth, but it's not so strong that it's too much for summer.

EDIT: I've retested this a few times, and now I just get a really weird pencil shavings-headed towards band aid smell, the same problem I had with Jareth I have no idea what weird skin chemistry thing is causing this, but it's bumming me out.

Edited January 6, 2017 by lizardskin

[Convallaria]

On me, it's pretty much straightforward leather and vanilla, almost boozy at the opening. The leather is dominant for the most part - very sharp-smelling, unrefined. Vanilla takes over in latter stages of drydown. I think it could pass as unisex, despite the sweetness.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Convallaria

[roseus]

In the imp: sweet, rich vanilla and leather

 

Wet: warm sage and leather, a little sweet

 

Dry: pretty much the same but with a little lavender

 

Overall: I really like this, it's a beautiful cozy sweet leather, but I just don't know how often I'd actually reach for it. I'll keep the imp for now however!

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: While I can identify all of the notes, none of them seem to be jumping out at more more than the others. Sometimes the leather, sage, and carnation seem to leap out to me more, but overall, it's a really well-blended leather scent with some sweetness.

 

Wet: The leather and carnation stand out to me the most, but I'm not surprised, since I tend to amp those notes. I am also getting the sage and cedar, but neither are making this too herbal or wood-y. They just add to the warmth of the scent. Then the lavender pops up, but it's like the dry lavender from a sachet. As the scent sits on my skin and begins to dry, it starts to get muskier and sweeter.

 

Dry: UNF. Cozy, warm leather, sweetened by the vanilla and warmed by the spiced carnation, sage, and cedar, with that white musk and lavender taking this into cologne territory (although the scent is unisex). It's in the same family as Jareth and Knight in Shiny Armor, but it's sweeter than either of those.

 

Verdict: I had tried this a few years ago, really enjoyed it, and yet somehow neglected to review it. So this is my proper review. I love this, and I think a bottle may be in my future. This will pair wonderfully with my beloved Mikado Saloon HG.

[cyborgutena]

I get a herbacious background (which I like) but with sickly sweet over the top. I think the musk/vanilla is responsible for the sickliness, and it's a kind of sweetness that I don't handle very well. After thinking about it a while later, I realised that it's the particular combination of herbacious over very sweet that didn't work for me. Leather may have had a hand in it as well, because sweet leather can be weird for me too. I've been kind of wary about vanilla combos ever since, although I don't know for sure that I should be!

 

Unfortunately, I ended up having to scrub this off when I tried to wear it because the sweetness was making me feel nauseous. Even dry, the sweetness did not go down.

Edited January 4, 2020 by cyborgutena
update on the further thoughts I had

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Cedar, leather, and vanilla. A little bit sweet.

 

Dry: This is some type of miracle; my skin tends to amp cedar like no one's business, going as far as to turn a scent into Cedar Single Note. Somehow... the cedar in this blend has disappeared. I'm really, really happy about it.

 

What I'm left with is vanilla, leather, and just a hint of sage.

 

I think a lot of people would be crazy about this if they got the same dry-down as me; but... it's not really my thing.

[Lucchesa]

I rejected my first Bow and Crown imp as too cologney and swapped it away, but I was recently frimped another and as my tastes have changed, I had to retest it.  Wet on me skin, I got lavender, carnation, vanilla and white musk.  White musk is usually bad on me, unless it's Jareth, but it isn't too high pitched here.  The sage and cedar emerge as the lavender recedes, which it always seems to do on my skin.  The leather is faint on me but a warm background presence. 

 

I wear a lot of unisex scents now, and Bow and Crown will definitely be one of them. I think this is a good time of year for it, too (December).  It's a little sweet, a little musky, a little outdoorsy, a little spicy, and the overall feeling is cozy and warm.  It has some throw (rare with my chemistry) and pretty good wear length too. 

[Rane.]

I added myself to the restock list & finally was notifiedaybe 5 months later. I bought this immediately! Lol I wore this to work one day & someone said I smell like a brand new car, complimentary, mind you. I don't smell that but whatever. Lol It's a deep, warm scent, with a vanilla hint. The sage & cedar blends so well with the vanilla. This is my go to scent when I want to make a first impression.

[Cali]

A soft vanilla on a sharp leather. That leather that BPAL does so well. Only is slightly green on me, while I usually amp those. It's very unisex, quite sexy, well blended and versatile for any kind of day.

[Rayleigh]

In the imp, all cedar and sage. Nice and clean, without the alcohol sting I usually get smelling straight from the imp, but as much as I love the smell of a woodshop, I'm feeling cautious about it. It hits my skin the same - cedar, cedar, cedar, with sage singing background vocals. But within seconds, it blooms -- it expands as it unfurls, and in comes a warm, gentle vanilla, and what must be carnation blending with the cedar top note. I think the leather is there as a smooth, slinky foundation.

 

The leather gets stronger as it dries, but all the notes are harmonizing beautifully. The throw is mostly a subtly spicy, woodsy scent grounded in vanilla. Vanilla always plays so nice on my skin; it does exactly what it's supposed to without overwhelming any other notes or turning too sweet.

 

This lasted a good eight hours on me from when I put it on until a shower, through dishwashing and exercising, though it did fade, of course. It's probably a little sharp for regular use for me, but I'll definitely love using up the imp, and I highly recommend it to others. It has to be one of the most well-crafted and nuanced scents I have ever experienced.

 

Actually, forget everything I just said about it being too sharp -- I was originally thinking it wasn't "me", but I like it, so I'm deciding it is. It's definitely given me reason to try other scents with similar notes (particularly leather; I wasn't sure how that would play out on me). I look forward to wearing this again. In defiance of its inspiration, it is simply divine.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Strong cedar and sage in the foreground. They're making the other notes nervous. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's cedar and sage with a trickle of white musk. As it dries, some of the vanilla becomes apparent in the scent's throw, softening it and rounding it out. The overwhelmingness of the cedar and sage recedes, and I can also make out a bit of spicy floral carnation. This is largely where the scent stays, vanilla and cedar and carnation. It's actually got a vanilla component that's stronger than vanilla usually is on me. Still, the cedar remains a very strong backbone. 

 

It comes across as trending traditionally masculine on me, which is not my cup of scent tea. That said, since this was a Lab frimp, I'm wondering if it's very fresh -- and so if aging might soften the cedar and strengthen the vanilla and carnation.  

[monocainsheresy]

Warm musk + leather and herbal sage + cedar set atop a wonderful vanilla-lavender marshmallow. 

I love this exactly as much as I thought I would. Which is A LOT.

[rhinestone tempest]

I've tried this probably seven or eight times to figure out if I like this or not, and the answer is sort of....ehh?? It's ended up as "it's perfectly nice, but...", except I can't figure out what the "but" is asking for. I think I find it similar to a slightly weaker, sweeter Dee, and simply prefer the latter. This is certainly very interesting, I'm just not in love with it.

[starbrow]

I sniffed this really early on in my BPAL adventures and loved it, and that feeling hasn't changed through the years. This is dusty herby cedar and warm, lived-in leather, with a memory of Dorian's lavender vanilla. For the Antichrist, the scent is remarkably...approachable. Even cuddly. Maybe that's the deception. But I am totally here for it, hook line and sinker. Just putting this on makes me feel relaxed, at peace. Resins predominate, but the herbs and florals soothe and temper the ruggedness. It has a throw that stays near to you but is also noticeable beyond the standard wrist-huff distance. Definitely my favorite of the Come and See line. I could see myself wearing this a lot!

[niffler]

In the imp: The sage, carnation, and cedar combine into an elegant spice, laid out on a smooth sheet of white musk. It's floral enough to dress up the roughness of the cedar, but not so much that it's overwhelming. The lavender is curiously only apparent for me on the exhale, adding a tingle in my sinuses.  

On my skin: Still spicy and gorgeous, no lavender when wet on me but the vanilla has decided to show its face. The white musk is so… pretty. Midway through drying, I can get hints of the lavender buried in the musk and it threatens to go powdery white and florals on me. As it fully dries the leather materializes, softened by the vanilla. This is not my usual cup of tea but oh it's so elegant. I'm entranced by the result of this morpher. 

[rhonorv]

This is really beautiful!

 

Oddly enough, this scent really reminds me of Snake Oil -- a toned down, less sugary Snake Oil, like if you removed 75% of the sugar and replaced it with leather.

 

I get no heavy florals or lavender; the vanilla and cedar dominate. It's a little spicier wet and in the imp -- when it dries down, it turns into a comforting, sheer, close to the skin scent. Going on that ever-lengthening big bottle list.

[Hesper]

A Reddit user swapped me an imp of this for the Ars Draconis imps I had that just go cherry rest stop soap on my skin, and I loved it so much I immediately full-sized. The leather and spicy carnation are my influences here, with white musk and that gorgeous vanilla that balance it out. The sage and cedar never quite come out for me; but the leather + musk + vanilla + carnation and a shadow of lavender underneath is literally perfect. Nobility in a bottle, a knight in white leathers, a falcon in the gloved fist. This is probably going to become my "signature" with Fallen resting In Memoriam, lol: it's so prettily androgynous and complex. 10 Antichrists out of 10!

[skyturtles]

Leather & cedar don't usually work on me, and this is no exception. This is complex & expensive-smelling, & I would put it in a masculine cologne category. Thank you labbies for the frimp; I will be passing it on!

[MamaMoth]

why have i dodged this one for so many years, again? 

 

oh, right:  lavender, leather, white musk. 

with that many of my caution!notes in one place, it's no wonder this never pinged my radar. but i was frimped this, and it turns out that love it.  whoops! 

 

this goes on as cedar and leather with a little spiciness from the carnation. i love the cedar, as i usually do.  the leather is... nice. like really nice.  what is this madness? 

 

almost immediately, it starts sweetening up. a lavender-tinged vanilla emerges: lightly herbal, creamy, quite sweet. it completely enfolds the cedar and leather.  they're still there, but muffled by an almost marshmallow-y lavender-carnation-vanilla.  white musk can sometimes read a bit sharp to me, but here it's just blending with the vanilla and probably contributing to the marshmallow vibe. sage is mia, but probably doing all kinds of Necessary Things outside of my range of perception. 

 

these notes do not sound cohesive to me at all, but it works so well. it all settles down into this seamless sweet-spicy-creamy-leathery-herbal vanilla that i cannot stop huffing.  bottle, please. 

 

Edited July 2, 2022 by MamaMoth

[dancingchair]

On me, this is kind of like a mashup of Western Diamondback and TKO. The vanilla is sweet and fluffy, not really what I was expecting. I don't get much carnation but the lavender is front and center. The sage adds a nice green element that I love. Of course, the perfume is rounded out with a great leather note. I also don't really get the cedar, but it might be hiding in the sage.

 

I really like this! It could be a sleep scent or a daytime perfume. This one may be bottle-worthy.

[amokslime]

On me, this is a warm vanilla/spicy carnation/soft leather blend from start to finish. My skin tends to amp cedar into a woodshop smell, so it's surprising that this is so suave and mellow on me all the way through. On my fiance, it starts out as a much higher, colder sage/lavender/cedar. It then dries down to a leathery vanilla with a lightly masculine colonge-y feel left over from the opening notes. Very interesting!

 

I get a strong brown, cognac colored impression from the leather. It feels cool and vintage, sexy in a suede-like way that would be amazing on any gender. The wear time is about 6 hours on me.

[asoursweetsixteen]

~~frimp review~~

 

wet, it smells like a christmas tree! shoutout to the strong cedar note < 3 I love you. it fades out pretty quick though and comes through reaaalllly clean and fresh. the musk is really nice, and leaves a nice heat on your nostrils, which I assume is also the work of the leather. it smells like something a haughty businessman would wear. it's very mellow and nice.

 

after a bit, it smells the same but fainter. it's really nice and chill. kind of masculine. I may wear this around occasionally