Liz

[ObliqueRed]

A light, feminine vanilla floral perfume and a swirl of smoke and leather.

 

This is really super nice on me. Vanilla and leather and florals are all usually my friends, but I was a little worried about the smoke; fortunately the smoke is just a bare whisper of an edge to this on me and it stays a sweet floral with an unexpected badass side. Love it.

[tziporra]

Oh, hurray, I finally got to see what all the fuss was about! Tested (and purchased) at ECCC.

 

Very sparkly "floral perfume" with smoke ringing the edges, supported by a lovely non-intrusive (ie no plastic cookies) vanilla and a hint of blondish leather.

 

Just yum. Instant bottle buy, could not stop sniffing the back of my hand. If you like perfumerie scents with a twist, this one is 100% a winner.

 

Tzi

[Teaker]

I've been waffling over this scent since I got it. I know I like it, but it's very different from what I expected. This is a very "perfumey" scent, almost a touch cologne-y, but still extremely feminine. This smells nothing like a typical vanilla perfume, there's vanilla sweetness but it's expertly blended with the other notes. The vanilla is NOT foody whatsoever, and in fact it's not easily recognizable as vanilla. The floral serves to brighten/sweeten things a bit, but I don't have the faintest idea as to what kind of flowers are in here. I'd swear there's no rose though, as rose is always soapy on me and I never get any soapiness. The floral is just a background player here anyway.

My issue with this is the smoke note. There is a chemical edge to Liz that almost verges on vinegar. I originally thought it was the leather, but then I ordered a perfume from another retailer that had a smoke note and it has the exact same sour/chemical smell on me. It's not terrible, it's just kind of distracting. I keep hoping this will dry to a simple vanilla/smoke, without the weird undertone, but it doesn't alter as it dries. It retains the odd sourness until it fades away completely, after about 3 hours. The throw is about average for most of my bpals.

The overall impression of this scent is a hazy, sexy, smokey perfume that is still sweet. But it's almost a bit more complicated that what I was hoping for. I do like Liz and am really hopeful that aging will help improve the smoke issue. But for a "sexy vanilla with a twist" perfume, Snake Oil is still tops for me.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Teaker

[ModderRhu]

I finally picked this up at NYCC this year. I had been wanting to smell this for years (like since I got into BPAL in 2010) but it was one of those scents that always escaped me.

 

In the bottle, I get some florals and leather. The florals aren't old lady or sickly sweet or anything. They're fresh. Mostly what I'm getting is like a fruity, tart, wet rose. Very true-to-life rose. Probably some vanilla orchid too. Maybe a bit of mild jasmine.

 

On my skin, the florals stay the same but there's no leather or smoke apparent at all. (I have plenty of smoky, leathery oils I can layer this with!) I don't detect any obvious vanilla. Its probably there in the background taming all the florals though. I might also smell a light incense undercurrent.

 

Even though I don't get as much leather or smoke as I would have thought, it's still a fantastic blend. It's lasted over 14 hours on my skin. Not what I was expecting, but still great. Anyone hesitant to try this should stop dilly dallying!

 

As for scent comparisons, it kind of smells like Celeste with some rose added, and not as much creamy vanilla. It's very wearable and easy to like. If you like Euphoria by Calvin Klein or Hanae Mori Butterfly, definitely try this one. It's similar to those but better and longer lasting.

Edited October 11, 2014 by ModderRhu

[InThePines]

I've had my bottle of Liz since 2012, and it has grown on me with age. That being said, I never seem to wear this one because it turns sharp on my skin. I adore the smoke and leather in this blend, but for whatever reason this turns mostly sour and sharp on my skin. I've never had trouble with the Lab's leather note before so who knows why this goes wonky on me. Wah wah I'll wear Haute Macabre instead

[faylie]

Liz may well be my holy grail of BPAL. It is soft with an inner strength and stamina, feminine but with an edge of someone who has been through a lot in her life and is not unaware of how hard life can be. I get the feeling (as someone who has not read the story or seen the movie) that Liz is world wise, she has grown to have an inner strength, this girl is really strong, but she hasn't given up hope that she can have a happy ending and she will fight for it.

 

The scent itself is musky, but I don't think there is musk in it. There are flowers, but I wouldn't call it a floral scent, Liz is no girlie girl, the vanilla is there, but it isn't taking the lead role which is unusual for me, the smoke too is there but it's not like sitting around a campfire, more like the wafts of a full candlabra just blown out, the leather is supportive of everything else, like some well fitting, well worn and well cared for boots. Everything in this is playing so well together, it has melded perfectly into a beautiful long lasting scent that I adore.

 

Beth if this is ever discontinued please give me good warning, I need to buy enough to last me the rest of my life.

 

Now I'm going to go get me some Hellboy to read, I need to know more about Liz.

[LizziesLuck]

This broke my heart a little. My name is Liz, so I desperately wanted to love the perfume that shares my name. t would have been so cool to wear a perfume called Liz.

 

Unfortunately, it's just not for me. One of the floral notes reminds me of something I don't want to be reminded of, so I would never be able to wear it, even though it is pretty, if not my usual type of scent.

[freyasfae]

I had just a scant bit left in a sniffie someone sent me as a frimp. This is gorgeous smokey vanilla (of the non-foodie kind) at first, and I was hoping it would stay that way, it got smokier and the leather emerged as a it dried, and I liked it a little bit less despite liking the BPAL leather and smoke notes. It was just such a lovely smokey vanilla at first that I nearly bought a bottle right then, but alas the drydown wasn't just quite right. Of course, if I were rich, I would buy a bottle, but I am not, so it is going in the "I wouldn't turn it down" pile.

[lizabelle]

I had to try this one, both because I love the character and because I am also a Liz. I was hoping it would be a favorite, and I think it just might be! From "soft vanilla" I wasn't expecting something as warm or resinous as this; it almost comes across as woody when it mixes with the smoke. The leather is very subtle, almost more like suede in the way it forms a soft base under the other notes. All together it almost smells fruity, woody, and then smoky (just at the very end of the sniff), and if you tried to convince me there was some kind of stone fruit or a bunch of resins in here I'd probably believe you. Very complex and deep but also soft and feminine. Probably a bottle for me eventually.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Smoke, leather, and floral perfume. I tested this at Drag Con and mostly got a lot of smoke and leather from it at first with the floral perfume coming out more later, but I didn’t really get any vanilla. I’m excited to do a proper test!

 

Wet: Smoke and leather, with the floral perfume note not far behind. I wonder if the floral perfume note features sandalwood or benzoin, as something in this reminds me of Kit (or maybe it’s the marjoram or a dry vanilla?). They both have the same dry quality about them.

 

Dry: The same dry quality that is present in Kit is the main thing I am getting from Liz. That accompanied by some smoke.

 

Verdict: I like this, and I’m really glad that I got to test it without tons of other scents on my arms! It’s not something I need a bottle of, given that I already own Kit, and this is very reminiscent of that on me -- but if you want something similar to that, or are looking for a really dry scent, give this one a whirl.

[torikitty]

I smell like BBQ! Reading all the reviews, I was expecting a smokey vanilla. I guess I amp whatever the floral vanilla is, and it just goes sweet. I ended up smelling like honey BBQ sauce! It mellows slightly into a smokey leather, but still getting an overall BBQ vibe. I hope someone else can love this since it doesn't work on me.

[supreme_c0rt]

2019 version :

 

I also smell like barbeque. The smoke/leather in this is the same kind I got from First Lash. It's not a swirl, it's a cloud. It's the kind of sweet-meat, bacon-y scent that you get in your hair and clothes after a camping weekend. This is a bit sweeter though, probably from the vanilla. 

 

I get pretty much nothing else until about 6 hours later when it's mostly gone and the "perfume" notes peek out from behind the smoke. These aren't vanilla notes, though. It actually reminds me a lot of Victoria's Secret Strawberries and Champagne. 

 

Not quite the leather/vanilla/smoke I was hoping for. 

[Lucchesa]

Liz is very smoky on me, though not BBQ, thankfully.  Smoke and leather with a hint of vanilla.  The smoke note is one that usually does not stand up well to my skin chemistry, so I'm pleased that it is so forward here; in fact, this is so smoky I would hesitate to wear it to work (for the "Eww, do I smell smoke?" reaction).  After a couple of hours it's intensely lovely -- all the notes have found a balance, vanilla, light perfume (I don't get anything I would call floral), leather and smoke.  Really nice!

[RoseThornAndOak]

Liz is beautiful and very nostalgic for me. The bottle has aged very well over the past decade and seems to have remained very much what I remember: a very lovely soft floral leather blend. There is something cold and metallic about it, like steel or copper in a way, sort of like Copper or Silver Phoenix, but the florals soften it up and make it wearable. Usually leather is a bit iffy, but this never goes in that new car smell territory, thank goodness. It's more moto jacket, I guess.

 

This is very fitting of Liz, and also reminds me of a character in The Good Neighbors, part fae, part rock n' roll. Actually yeah, this is a very elf-punk appropriate blend and I really should be getting more use out of it.

Edited January 2, 2020 by RoseThornAndOak

[feyofthefellwood]

Gorgeous smoky leather. The floral vanilla comes and goes, giving the scent a feminine edge but staying under the radar. I will definitely wear this on days where I want to feel confident and badass, preferably paired with a leather jacket. Also need to try layering this with Rogue, since the throw on Liz is not high and it would probably be a good scent for layering, too.

[Lilah Ladybug]

Bringing some joy to my days of isolation by reviewing my hoard of oils.

 

This is day 19: Liz

 

Holy smokes! This is Smokey 🔥 

To be more specific it’s actually very much like the smell of a burnt out fire. The embers are cold. But that more acrid smoke smell lingers around the fire pit. Amazing...

 

Once it dries it softens to a more warmer smokiness, like wood that’s just been blown out. The vanilla and florals are very much sitting in the background. This is definitely Liz at her most ferocious, letting her fire dominate, but not completely take over, so there is the hint of the sweet girl anchoring her from loosing control. 

 

.... Ok so this scent awoke something within me. I was having a pretty disconnected and low day. Scattered and sad.

 

All of a sudden I felt powerful and reborn. Like a Phoenix rising from ashes... and now I feel empowered and alive...

 

It’s not for the faint of heart. This is a powerful scent that perhaps others may find intimidating... Wild and fierce yet sensual and alluring 🔥

 

I also visited the guy I’m seeing later in the evening and he commented on how sexy I smelt 🙃

[puellacaerulea]

In the bottle, I get a musky vanilla floral with a strong side of smoke (think campfire smoke) and leather. There's a brief period of intense smokiness after I apply it, but it settles down quickly. If anything, my skin seems to eat up the smoke and leather -- after that initial super smoky period, the smoke and leather have almost completely faded, leaving me with a sweet vanilla floral. Which is nice, but I wish the smoke and leather were a little more prominent. Might give this one a try in a scent locket.

[Dancing Raven]

I really wanted this to work on me. I read all of the reviews with beautiful flowers, vanilla, and light smoke. I let my bottle sit, and tested it from time to time. Two years later, I don't think it's meant to be. All I have ever gotten from it is single note mesquite barbecue. If I sniff really hard, I can detect a faint chemical smell which is probably the leather. Strong throw, unfortunately it's only throwing the barbecue type vetiver. Sometimes my skin chemistry disappoints me. 

0 out of 5 stars for me, sadly.

[alyelle]

In the imp: Strong on the leather, which is indeed very smokey, with hardly any vanilla at all. Definitely not what I was expecting. 

 

Wet: Slightly greasy bushfire smoke, easing off to a whiff of floral and a base of leather. There's something familiar about this; it makes me think of a Tori Amos album and scenes from a film I can't quite recall.

 

Dry: Eventually this morphed into a beautiful soft floral, with overtones of leather-bound books and crackling fires. It is such a punch in the face at the beginning though - prepare for some effort in getting acquainted with Liz.

 

Average lifespan of around 8 hrs, medium throw once the initial blast of application wears off.

Stars: ★★★★