The Lights of Men's Lives

[puck_nc]

The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: Just hoping for that elusive "candle smoke" scent.

In the Vial: Sweet and light, with an impression of vanilla and maybe honey.

Wet: Light, sweet candlewax with that honey-ish undertone. I get flashes of the impression of a lit candle and smoke, but they're very faint and subtle if they're there at all.

Drydown: A bit muskier, and finally a bit smokier. It's a lovely, quietly sweet scent, perfect for someone who wants to know they're wearing perfume, but shouldn't because of a persnickety co-worker or some such.

Verdict: Definitely keeping the imp and we'll see how fast it goes. Edited November 28, 2009 by puck_nc

[tartchef]

Oh dear Seems Little Bird & I have similar chemistry - I'm getting a high, tinny hair spray note that's choking out the beeswax. Phoo. I'm tempted to stash my imp for a few months - I have a feeling this sharpness might fade with a bit of age...

[Xanon]

Just arrived from the lab a few hours ago.

 

In the Imp: Sweet, but not like anything that I have encountered. Smells waxy though...

 

Wet: Similar, but less sweet now. Slight hint of smoke, but nothing like what I get from other smoke blends.

 

Dry: like vanilla went and had a fling with bees wax candles and this is their love child. And truth be told... I really like it. Kind of reminds me of when I was a kid and I'd stick my fingers in the hot wax of the extinguished candles. It's warm and sweet but not plastic-icky. A bottle may perhaps be needed in the future.

[mineralgirl]

This was sort of what I was expecting and sort of not! It's honey and wax. I don't get a whole lot of smoke. I don't hate it but I'm not sure it's bottleworthy.. I'll definately hold onto the imp because it's interesting.

[revinn]

Oh this is heavenly.

 

Lots of syrupy beeswax, one of my favorite notes. Honey tends to turn a little too sweet on me, but beeswax is divine. I get a lick of vanilla (?) and a slight background of something smokey. I love this.

[IronMollyBlack]

I do love Hanerot Halalu, and although this is not quite as good, it's close. A bit smokier, lighter in throw, and with vanilla instead of olive, but still with the lovely beeswax. Warm and glowing, it's a winner! So glad it's GC, and I can order to my heart's content!

[hkhm]

imp: something sweet and creamy. not exaclty beeswax, but close.

 

wet: very sweet and light, this smells like a vanilla custard baking in the next room, where you just get soft wafts of it every now and again.

 

dry: this gets a little stronger as it dries and does have more of a honey/beeswax scent. but it's soft and very faint, so it gives of a glowing warm scent. very pretty.

[SophieCedar]

Like others, in the imp it smells sweet and creamy to me.

 

Wet: the honey has a different take. definitely candle wax. These smell like the ivory pillars I used to buy in the 90's from an oh so popular cool kids urban store chain..

 

Drydown: I'm floating in nostalgia heaven. ( I used to and still do burn lots of candles, being the good little gothy gal that I am.. the best part was and still is: blowing them out for the smoky smell mixing with the wax..sigh)

 

I'll be buying a bottle. This lasts however it's not overpowering on me and it doesn't morph either.

[FathomBelow]

This smells like vanilla candles to me. And the last poster is right, it definitely does not morph. It smells like vanilla and skin musk all the way through. It smells waxy, but not like genuine beeswax candles, which is what I was hoping for. It's a wonderful vanilla and very comforting, but if you're looking for a strong beeswax or honey scent, I would say that you could do better than this.

[Iceblink]

This smells almost exactly like O on me...O plus beeswax, so it's a bit heavier. It's got AMAZING throw.

I love O so this is really good too.

[Schmoozy]

 

Smoky, woodsy beeswax. It is light, not too sweet and the beeswax behaves with my skin chemistry.

[CiaoBonefish]

In my last order, I must say this was the imp I was most excited about trying. I would have gone ahead and ordered a bottle, but I was iffy and wanted to test first.

 

When I opened the imp I was overcome by this slightly tangy scent I can only accuse concentrated beeswax of being. Honey is like this in the imp too, to me, but the beeswax was less strong and creamier. No smoke or anything really, but definitely wax and honey. Mmmm. Tasty.

 

On my skin this sweetens up right away without being overly sweet like honey can sometimes be (I don't mind sweet but very honey-ish scents I have to apply lightly so they don't overwhelm me) and the creaminess of the wax comes out. Wow. This smells beautiful!

 

... however, It is a pretty simple beeswax scent. I wish I could smell the smoke and some variation in the waxiness if that makes sense. Some ash from the wicks of long blown out candles? Smoke from the burning ones? I feel more like I'm smelling a cave of candles belonging to children. It's lovely, but I would love some more depth.

 

All in all. I love beeswax, and will probably end up getting a bottle of this because

 

a. I love beeswax...

b. It is a very comforting scent.

c. I love the idea of the scent although it didn't smell quite like I wanted it to.

d. FABULOUS for layering.

e. This fades to a very yummy creamy beeswax skin type smell. Like me, but better!

[Lyrical]

In vial: honey and pollen a la Against Idleness and Mischief? I guess the candles must be beeswax ones, which is what I was hoping for. There's a syrupy vanilla here too. So far so good!

 

Wet on skin: I don't get candles at all - this is all honey and vanilla with a hint of hedgerow flowers. Very nice, though. Honey can be very nasty on my skin but so far so good with this one.

 

Dry on skin: now it's settling down into beeswax - with maybe a faint wisp of smoke. Not as stunning as I'd hoped. Then it starts to smell really plain and waxy - like an unscented candle. Very clever! Then the hedgerow honey comes back - slightly reminiscent of Mead Moon. The overall impression of this scent is somewhat underwhelming. Bland and syrupy - rather dull.

[windbourne]

Now, I love beeswax and have been collecting as many LE 'waxy scents as I could, so this was a no-brainer.

 

I just got it this afternoon and tested it out immediately.

 

In the imp, it's beeswax and smoke, just as described, with a slight honey sweetness. On my skin, it's much the same, but warms very nicely into a nearly-pure beeswax single note. :9 Fabulous.

 

It stays that way, warmer and less sour than Hanerot, sweeter than To Helen (the other two scents that I love that are closest to this one), and, as many others have said, sure to be perfect for layering. I'm incredibly happy that this is a GC so that I can use up the rest of my Hanerot and buy a bottle of this and never look back. Sorry, LE's. I've met a new perfume that will be around for a lot longer. :9

 

I love it.

[DeltaCat]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm beeswax! I never knew I liked beeswax until this scent. Creamy and I can imagine a candle burning when I smell this. Slightly honey since it is beeswax...Bottle worthy!

[Leopard403]

Damn, Beth is a genius.

 

Wet on my skin, this is all honey and wax. Sort of Burt's Bees-esque. Then, as it dries, it begins to smell exactly like a beeswax candle that's just been blown out: That wisp of smoke that is ever-so-slightly acrid but still manages to smell good, on top of that soft honey waxy smell. Quite lovely, and just as described. Good lasting power, too, and the honey that is left as the last note on my skin is perfect.

[Evilynn]

in the vial: beeswax

on the skin: warm beeswax with a touch of honey

drydown: still warm beeswax with a touch of honey. It stays quite close to the skin but it's absolutely lovely and I might get a bottle of this once I've used up my imp.

 

I've been on the fence over beeswax-y scents before, because they don't always give me more than, well, wax, but I get a bit of honey from this too, and it's a little sweeter than beeswax normally is, and it's a lovely comforting scent that stays close to the skin.

[fairnymph]

Golden oil. Sweet, creamy, honeyed beeswax, light and glowing and warm. Simply lovely.

 

Richer and creamier - is that coconut? I do think it is, or else it's something nutty/grainy. The honey note is rather boozy, very much like mead. This is more syrupy sweet. The waxiness is stronger too - overall, this scent is stronger and with better throw. I get a hint of something sort of plastic that reminds me of how O is on me...eek. There's a freshness that I agree is likely skin musk.

 

I still can't firmly place that nutty note - but it reminds me of a lot of creamy blends, like Dana O'Shee. The skin musk is a little soapy, and its almost-tart freshness doesn't really work with the sweet, creamy warmth of this blend overall. And the honey has faded, especially its boozy/mead-like edge. It most reminds me of old wax - beeswax that's several years old and is dry and crumbly and lost most of its honeyed odour.

 

This oil doesn't really dry. It goes a little rancid on me, like nuts sometimes do, so I really do think there is a nut note of some type here - or maybe it's a nut oil - I definitely get an oily feel. Musk, creamy and sweet but softly so throughout. The drydown reminds me a great deal of Mead Moon, but with the added waxy quality. Based on the notes and other reviews I should love this, but there's something a bit 'off' about this on my skin, a bit old and dry - it's just not working. The throw is rather close to the skin, but great longevity.

 

I was hoping for a delicious beeswax scent, but this is just very mediocre.

 

[kohimame]

From all of the reviews, I was convinced I would like The Lights of Men's Lives. I mean, I love vanilla, smoke and beeswax. But I didn't really care for this scent, and I don't know why. Something in the blend is very sweet and foody, and it makes me slightly sick.

 

It isn't a bad scent, it's just a bit much. I think I might hang onto the imp and see if it grows on me though.

[angelicruin]

Creamy, honey beeswax. Slightly smoky upon application, but dries down to sweet beeswax.

[septima_pica]

Yep, that's beeswax. No smoke, just sweet wax. Not quite as potent as taking a whiff of a fresh beeswax candle, which is what I was hoping for -- more honey and less pollen than that.

 

Ultimately, not as interesting as I was hoping for. Ah well -- I'm happy with my No. 93 Engine. ::shrugs::

[Sapphy]

Dribbles of sweet candle wax and the lingering whiff of smoke from an extinguished candle. This reminds me a LOT of the upcoming CD Waxworks, but Waxworks is WAY more dialed up and Light of Men's Lives is toned down and soft, less aggressive. More of a skin scent, but like a skin glazed in sweet wax. The beeswax has an almost honey note and an almost vanilla note, but really like honey and vanilla fused together with the wax so that it's not really honey or vanilla specifically.

[moon_lemming]

Fresh on and drying, I don't get any vanilla from The Lights of Men's Lives, but I do get wax. It's like warmed almost-melted candlewax. There's a little bit of smoke for a few minutes while the oil is still wet, not as strong as a just-blown-out candle but similar.

 

As it dries, something that smells like coconut comes and goes. It's very light though. Eventually I can find some vanilla, but it's the plastic kind that is Bad News. Overall the sum total of this blend plus my skin is Play-Doh.

[ami226]

I am definitely getting some beeswax as well as honey. Very very sweet. There is something else here that smells slightly smokey. A very soft scent.

 

Nice, but not my thing.

[strahlend]

I just got this as a frimp from the lab and I'm really loving it. I don't get any smoke from this at all, but there's a beautiful light honey that is just wonderful. It's not as dense as O, this honey reminds me more of the honey in the Shungas - light and spring-like. I just slathered some on but the scent doesn't seem to travel too far away from me. Very pretty. If I hadn't already gathered several bottles that feature honey as a dominant note I would be all over this one.