Lot and His Daughters

[filigree_shadow]

Lot and His Daughters, Hendrik Goltzius.

Indonesian black patchouli, petitgrain, brandewijn, incense, saffron, lemon peel, myrrh, skin musk, bourbon geranium, and tangerine.

In the imp: Sweet and spicy.

Wet: Mostly lemon peel and a little bit of tangerine, with something that smells slightly smoky behind it.

Drying: It's becoming kind of a sweet and deep scent. It's kind of like the sweetness of the citrus stays around, but if I didn't know what was in it I wouldn't necessarily have pegged it as citrus. It is a fruity-sweet kind of sweet, though. The lemon peel, which was quite strong at first, seems to be fading out completely.

Dry: When it's dry, I can detect the incense and myrrh, with a very gentle musk underneath. That fruity sweetness stays on top, but it seems like it becomes less sweet and more round over time. I really like the smoky undercurrent. Also, as it's drying it seems to be developing a very slightly spicy scent, I guess it's from the saffron? Also I think I can start to smell the patchouli more when it's dry, but it's not prominent at all. All in all, this seems to be a "skin scent" type of scent -- it's not overly strong, and it doesn't go too far in any one direction as far as scent families. I wouldn't call it fruity, incensey, or musky. Definitely not floral. Also, call me crazy, but it kind of seems like there's something almost foody underneath it. Very slight, but I swear I can smell it.

I'm glad I held off judgment on this until it was dry because I didn't care for the lemony phase much (I'm not a lemon fan). I like it when it's dry, though. It smells kind of exotic and spicy.

[edenssixthday]

When first sniffing this in the vial, I was positive I was going to like it. It smells like warm sweet wine and incense. When I applied the scent, I was initially not so sure about it anymore, as the bourbon geranium was fairly strong, but almost instantly, it moved into the background and the lemon peel, saffron, myrrh, incense, tangerine and wine became the strongest notes. It’s amazing that I can identify each of these as “the strongest” of the notes, since there are so many, but they honestly blend in such amazing unison, none of them overpowering the others. I’m blown away at how the lemon peel actually adds to this blend, rather than ruining it, as lemon notes normally will. I’m also surprised at how gorgeous the lemon peel and myrrh smell next to each other. I would have never guessed that combination could be so winsome. The saffron lends a really fascinating, sweet-spice mildness to the blend that seems to keep the tangerine from being overblown in its citrus brightness. I really can’t get over what a phenomenal fragrance this is. It smells like something LUSH would have come up with for a soap and bath ballistic scent. This is a beautiful and really unique scent. It’s warm, smoky and spicy enough that I think it would be a perfect winter scent, yet it’s bright, fresh, and fruity enough that I think it would be a fantastic summer scent, as well. I wish the throw were a bit stronger, but otherwise, it’s really terrific.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

I owe a debt of gratitude to Beth for her blends cured me of my distaste of and aversion to patchouli. Black patchouli being the variant that seems to work on me.

This is one of the blends that called out to me on reading the notes... I felt brave reading patchouli and thinking how well it'd work with the other notes. And it does.

 

Deep, resonant base notes are tempered and kept from collapsing inward by the citrus which isn't screaming ASTRIGENT, thånkgoodness.

 

You can pick out many of the notes and I'm sure a more sophisticated nose would identify more than I. But the notes work all together.

 

This is a timeless androgymous blend (tending towards masculine) that has an almost 'tonic' feel to it. And by tonic I mean strengthening. This would make a wonderful massage oil and I'd also like this in my study as a room scent or on my body when working with Qabala.

Edited January 7, 2007 by Heavenlyrabbit

[elka_knits]

I tried this one on last night. At first it was strongly lemon with something really lovely and incensey beneath it. Within half an hour the lemon was gone and I was left with a really sweet incense. This scent reminds me of a head shop in all of the good ways. Unlike a previous reviewer the sweetness makes it very feminine IMO. It is now morning and I still smell it on my wrists so there is a good lasting power. As with other BPAL fragrances I have tried there is no throw~ it stays close to the skin. I actually think incense might be the wrong phrase BTW. It is like standing over those oils at a head shop or the way the box smells when you first open it.... of course I go for resins such as amber and myrrah and francinscense! Exotic without being heavy or cloying. A total flashback to the 80's when I *did* work at a coop and all the gals wore essential oils and we did burn incense! I will wear this one very very often and I think it might become my fave scent.

 

 

edited because I cannot spell <g>

Edited January 7, 2007 by elka

[Little Bird]

Even though the whole incest thing was a bit of a turnoff, I felt that I had to have a bottle of this blend. I love black patchouli and skin musk, and I'm definitely a little more than fond of incense, saffron, myrrh, and tangerine. The other notes are okay. I had high hopes for this one working on my skin chemistry.

 

In the bottle, I can smell the dark, earthy patchouli underneath a seductive musk and tart, sweet lemon. It's almost like sexy lemonhead candies wearing leather and rolling around in some black soil (black patchouli has an almost leathery soil quality to me that I lurve).

 

On me... I sometimes have trouble wearing citrus scents, but this is like candied citrus peels and a citrus creme. Perhaps the musk is giving it that sweet, creamy smell. It's really not at all as dark as I was expecting it to be; it's moreso a bright and cheery sort of scent. The patchouli doesn't survive at all on my skin, though a sweet and smoky incense blend makes its presence more known in the drydown, along with something that smells kinda like grape candies.

 

For the most part, Lot & His Daughters is a sweet citrus blend with smoky wafts of a sweet incense and candied grapes. It's better in the bottle than it is on my skin. I like this, but I'm not sure that I'd actually wear it or if I'll be keeping my bottle...

Edited January 12, 2007 by Blood onmy hands

[supremegoddessofall]

This is a citrus version of a head shop or incense store. The overall effect is slightly-citrus patchouli. There's a bit of a boozy quality behind it, and I think I'm getting myrrh as a base. A lot of these notes I have no idea what they smell like, so it's hard to comment on them. This is a very complex scent, though, with different notes jumping in and out. I think it's a bit too citrus for me, however.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Powdery fruit and spice

On Skin: This smells like a spicy sweetart at first on me. The powdery candiness of it, with a gorgeous spicy background. The bourbon geranium offers a slight boozy note, the black patchouli seem to love me and offers a drop dead sexy feel that is heightened by the myrrh and the skin musk clings to my skin making me whimper a little. It’s all just so beautiful! I usually don’t like lemon, but the lemon peel just gives a nice slice of sourness to balance the sweetness of the other notes and compliments the tangering perfectly. The saffron creates the exotic spicy touch and brings the entire scent together. Another perfectly blended scent! I loove how this scent is sweet one moment, then sour then spicy! It morphs and creates a mood I can’t even explain. A keeper for sure! Light to moderate throw with an average wearlength on me.

[em_h]

Wet: Okay, this starts off *weird*. Lemon, bubble-gum, sharp green vegetation, and powder, all mixed together. Just ... indescribably weird. However, scents with patchouli in them often start off very strange on me and then dry down very nicely.

 

Drying: As I suspected , the extreme weirdness clears away. Goes through a phase of being clear strong lemon; then this starts to fade a bit, and the skin musk starts to emerge, with a hint of patchouli and spice behind it.

 

Dry: This is really nice, now. Patchouli and spice, soft light musk and some lemon. And it works even though I can't normally do citrus. It's a very pretty bright yellow scent. Light, but with a surprisingly good throw. This one's a keeper for sure. I just have to avoid thinking about that whole incest aspect ...

 

ETA: OMG, suddenly the patchouli has amped up like a wild patchouli thing! This is just fine, because I like patchouli, and my husband's also a big fan. But wow, it is strong. Still kind of spicey and a bit lemony. Yeah, this is a *good* scent for me. But if you don't like patchouli, you'd probably want to beware.

Edited January 31, 2007 by em_h

[indicolite]

Like Bood onmy Hands above, I felt turned off by the incest factor. However, I have to admit this: Lot and His Daughters are a beautiful blend. I am getting the patchouli, lemon peel and tangerine, with the rest of the notes melding into harmony. This is a very lovely scent that I am reaching for again!

 

The next day, in the locket, this is almost completely tangerine and possibly geranium - that neroli-like note that I found too overwhelming in The Star. It is still a lovely fragrance; I am holding on to the imp.

Edited February 2, 2007 by indicolite

[Emma2403]

Again, there are quite a lot of notes I’ve never heard of (brandewijn, anyone?), but let’s go and sniff it!

 

In the bottle: oh my god, that’s terrible and nauseating. The patchouli is so horribly overdominating. I also get saffron, lemon and incense (which would be nice), but the patchouli kills everything for me. There’s something boozey as well (bourbon, I suppose).

 

On my skin: oooh, that’s funny. Not a trace of patchouli left… a spicy lemon. With maybe a hint (but the tiniest) of something floral. It’s a lovely spicy lemon, but I can get that with many other (and less expensive) blends.

 

After a couple of hours: it morphs into something very sweet, like candied citrus.

 

Verdict: I’ll have to try again.

[PurringPulsar]

In the imp: a dark, lemony, resinous incense with a hint of booze.
Wet on skin: lemony patchouli! This is an intriguing mix of dark patchouli-resin and bright citrus.
Dry: mmm, wow, this is really nice. The lemon and tangerine are the notes that hit me first, and they are warmed and spiced by the saffron, but underneath those sparkling spicy fruity tangy notes is a wonderful dark layer of patchouli and myrrh and incense. This is almost reminiscent of the Masque but with lemon replacing the spicy rosy honey, and the patchouli-myrrh scent also reminds me of Schwarzer Mond. I also smell booze here, probably from the brandy, but this note seems to work in here. The scent is a mix of golden sunny citrus and a shadow of smoky patch and resins. I don’t get much musk yet, but I think the geranium is mingling nicely with both the deep and the tangy layers of the scent.
After a while: wine? Why do I smell wine here? I suppose that’s the brandy coming out a little more…the scent is now a boozy lemony geranium (I adore bourbon geranium) on a base of earthy patchouli and myrrh. It smells a lot more fruity now as well, like there’s a ripe fruit note to this, almost reminiscent of the ‘fruity’ scent I got in Malkuth, actually. This eventually becomes a resinous earthy-dirty patchouli with a feel of ‘squashed ripe fermenting fruit’ to it, but the patch in this scent is very strong! I love the myrrh note as well, it’s really showing up at this point and it smells rich and incense-like.
The drydown after a few hours is strong rich patchouli surrounded by myrrh and a gorgeous skin musk with fruity nuances reminiscent of plums or grapes, this combination of notes is the sort of drydown that is distinctive to BPAL, I’ve smelt it in a few other fragrances, and it always strikes me as being quite an autumnal scent.
Verdict: this is a fascinating, rich and earthy-resinous fragrance, lots of patchouli, deep and complex with a citrus bite to it. At first it is very citrus-tangy, but the dark and heavy patchouli and myrrh really contrasts nicely with the sparkling fruity top notes. eventually the lemon fades, being replaced by a boozy wine like scent with a patchouli base and with geranium on top, before moving into a gorgeous boozy-fruity patchouli-resin incense with a hint of delightful musk appearing at the end. This is a very interesting scent, with lots of complexity and contrasts, and it has a very decadent, slightly sinful feel to it. I really like it a great deal, especially the incense and that deep patchouli, reminiscent of the patch in Schwarzer Mond…not sure if I need a bottle but I have a feeling this will be a great autumn fragrance.
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? Certainly the imp, not sure if I need a bottle but I like this.
If you like this, try: Polyhymnia, Death of Sardapanal, Malkuth, The Masque, Omen, Voodoo, Schwarzer Mond (if you can find it)

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Myrrh and lemon peel.

 

Wet on me - Fizzy fruit, a touch of lemon peel and just a hint of geranium in the background.

 

Dry on me - For a while it plays around with frothy citrus notes, before drying down to a soft, sensual, slightly spiced skin musk.

 

Overall - A dramatic change in mood on my skin. I do enjoy the dry down, but I'm not convinced I will where this very often.

[siddal]

In the imp, this is fruity and spicy to me. Despite the citrus notes, I almost sense a red fruit. I'm pleased to see the black patchouli in here as it confirms to me that this is one patchouli I CAN wear :-) The saffron, myrrh and incense start to come through on my skin, as well as the musk. All of this combined gives me the feeling of amber. Finally, the drydown stage reveals some of the citrus, and still a reddish fruity note, with spice.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a sweet, citrussy, floral scent with a lot of patchouli.

on: lemon and incense notes. also, a deep, dark patchouli. lovely.

2.5 hours later: mostly heavy, clean patchouli.

4.5 hours later: this is mostly a really simple patchouli on me.

7 hours later: soft patchouli and something powdery.

overall: lovely stuff. it reminds me a bit of depraved, but more sophisticated and complex.

[Em-]

This is the stuff - rich, red and spicy. I get almost a hot mulled wine sense from this- I guess from the richness of the base notes and the spices and citrus tinge. I like this blend muchly and shall be adding it to my bottle list post haste.

[maijasu]

This is a sweet blend, but I'm having trouble recognizing the notes. It doesn't smell particularly spicy or citrusy to me. But something in here does not agree with my skin chemistry, and it smells odd enough that I want to wash it off. My imp has just been added to the swap pile.

[vacpl]

This is one of the most interesting bpal scents I've tried (although none of them are ordinary, some just stand out). It started off in a way I can only describe as cynical. A bit sharp, though not in the way you'd expect, and sophisticated.

 

It morphed quickly through the fruity stage and is currently the only bpal I've ever found that truly does smell like a metaphysical shop. Although, nose to my arm, it isn't the skin scent that smells like that. It's the throw. Very interesting blend. I'm going to have to keep it a while and try it again when I don't have a few others on at the same time.

[solcita]

In the imp: all woody and patchouli. On the skin: lemon peel, tangerine and saffron are the top notes initially, and while I kept thinking that something else would come forward, it pretty much stayed at that spot. It's pretty, a bit powdery but nice. I've been trying to find a lemony scent that wouldn't go to Lemon Pledge on me, and this doesn't. I could wear this and will probably consider getting some of my own.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Earthy, then citrusy.

 

Pre-Review Thoughts:

 

In the imp: Yikes: black patchouli. Black patchouli and I, we don't get along.

 

On skin, wet: Strangely sweet, unsurprisingly lemony patchouli. Myrrh lurks in the background, flanked by incense.

 

On skin, dry: Murky, musky, earth patchouli and sugary lemon-tangerine, undercut by a deep incense. Strange, intriguing, but altogether too earthy. As it wears, it grows softer, and sweeter, until the patchouli is a footnote to a sugary, vaguely smoky citrus scent.

 

Conclusion: I'm not a girl that likes black patchouli: it's far too dank and dirty for my tastes, and Lot and His Daughters sets those talents on display. While it's nice enough by the end of the scent's wearing life, its beginning is too heavy for me to want to wear.

[LauraB]

Oh dear. This has something in it that really does not work on me. It has a really deep dark base and then this "off" note on top, which doesn't smell like any of the listed notes, but I think it's the lemon peel (lemon has gone wrong on me before). I am fairly certain this isn't how it's meant to smell...

[jiggahava]

First impressions: majorly citrus, the lemon peel and tangerine jump right out at you. Underneath I can smell the slightly earthy patchouli, which smells dirtier than usual to me, probably the influence of the other notes. The incense makes this slightly dirty and spicy, so far it's....interesting, but not something I want to wear. I'll wait an hour or two and see what happens next.

 

Hours later, it's much nicer. Incensey and patchouli, with a hint of geranium. I like it, but I'm not completely won over. I'm not sure if I will swap it or keep it. It still feels a little too dark and oily to me. It makes me feel kinda unclean, but not in the fun way. It makes me feel like I need a hot shower. In a very appropriate way, this evokes the painting. Both the painting and the scent make me feel dirty and inappropriate. Intriguing, but not what I look for in a scent.

Edited June 4, 2007 by Hava

[Silverstrike]

I have no idea what geranium smells like. That said, I really liked this wet, but as it dried down, it started to smell more and more wrong. I think it was the black patchouli, because in GC blends patchouli and I have never really gotten along, but the beginning lemon was quite heavenly.

[Miss Lynx]

This scent is both the twin and the opposite of Three Gorgons, based on my trial of them at the recent Toronto meet'n'sniff. Twin in that they're both wonderful and I want bottles of both of them now. Opposite in that while Three Gorgons starts out beautiful and then diminishes, this one starts out a little off and then gets massively better.

 

When fresh, I was a little disappointed in it. Something in it was a little... not right. Kind of green, and overly sweet, and a bit "perfumey" smelling in a bad way. But once it had settled in for a few minutes... Oh. My. Gods. It was absolutely divine. A gorgeous, deep, intoxicating scent, complex and beautiful. It's simultaneously citrussy, spicy, incensey, boozy, musky, sexy and magical... Definitely one of the Best Scents Ever on me! It's practically up there with Red Phoenix, and nothing is up there with Red Phoenix!

 

*sigh* I was almost halfway hoping not to like any of the Salon scents, since they're so much more expensive than the regular ones, but this... whoa. A $25 price tag is not going to stand in my way.

 

Grade: A+

[storme]

In the imp: citrus and bubble-gum (is there lotus in this?) and spicy incense buried way beneath.

 

On me, wet: lemony powdery incense with a boozey tang.

 

On me, dry: my god, the lemon peel is assertive and brash and underneath is this wisp of rather nice (if cloying) saffrony petitgrin and musk crying out desperately as the candyish lemon stomps on it.

 

Verdict: this might be wonderful if the lemon wasn't so damned attention-seeking and sugary. I think I'll pass.

[JenM]

In the imp: musty lemon

 

On the wrist: lemon made musty by I think patchouli. And by musty, I almost mean moldy.

 

On drydown: musty lemon spiderwebs and patchouli. I’m sorry, it has to come off.