The Lights of Men's Lives

[somethingducky]

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.

Going on this was lovely delicate all natural beeswax. The kind from a local hive that still has that golden color from the honey in it. Not super foody, not a whole lot of throw, but light and very comforting to me. I was in the middle of a very lonely pity party when I decided to try this and I feel a little better. It's the kind of scent that I feel i could wear and it wouldn't smell like I was wearing perfume but that it was just how I happened to smell. Bottle worthy for me.

Update! Finally purchased a bottle and mixed what was left of my imp into about 4 ounces of unscented lotion base I purchased from a website called Garden of Wisdom and it smells divine for everyday layering. I am surprised by it's subtle throw, not super in your face but definitely noticeable. Edited July 9, 2011 by somethingducky

[Maxinux]

Oh WOW. I guess this means I like BPAL's beeswax note. Like, a lot.

 

This is very sweet on me (which I suppose might not be the beeswax, but whatever it is I really like it). And there is a soft background waxy scent. It's actually somewhat floral...bad at IDing, it's a very feminine floral...It has a buttery richness to it, a soft yellowness. I'm surprised that I like it so much. There's a lot of vanilla-ness, too--and though I don't love vanilla, I can live with this! =D

 

EDIT: WHOA yessss on the drydown there's a hint of a tangy thing coming out too--HOORAY.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Maxinux

[milo]

At first, lovely warm beeswax with a bit of a perfumey edge, but it's not bothering me at all. Dry, much the same, sweet warm beeswax, just like those sheets of them you can buy to make beeswax candles. My mom used to harvest honey, and this is very much like the beeswax I remember from my childhood. Every so often, I do get a bit of what smells like coconut, but again, it doesn't really bother me. I will certainly use the imp up, but not sure if I need a bottle.

[gniwle]

Wet, this is somewhere between coconut, honey, and wax. But dry... when it dries it really shines. This smells exactly like what the description implies- beeswax. Gorgeous, gorgeous beeswax. This is soft and lovely and I wouldn't mind taking a bath in it. To be totally honest, it's a little sweeter than I like, and not enough (or any) smoke, but I still adore this. I could see this layering beautifully with another smoke oil.

[Brighid]

This is a gorgeous, slightly smoky warm beeswax with a bit of vanilla & honey lurking in the shadows. Lasts all day on me... I am in love with this one.

 

I wear it frequently, and someone at work told me, "Your perfume smells beautiful....and expensive. I couldn't afford you." LOL

[chimera87]

I got this as a frimp in my latest order. I was shocked. I had debated about ordering this before, seeing as how I LOVE the BPAL Beeswax note. It does WONDERFUL things for me, and I get glowing compliments when I wear Giant Vulva or Hanerot Halalu. This reminds me very much of HH. I don't have my bottle of HH on hand with me now, but this is the closest I've ever come to HH. So Happy! Ordering a full bottle of this when I have the funds.

 

Now, for those of you that haven't tried HH and don't know what I'm talking about, The Lights of Men's Lives is the most gorgeous sweet beeswax note with some added sweetness (I'm assuming in the form of vanilla or maybe even honey? I could be wrong, but I don't care, this is gorgeous!) and a nice smokiness that on my skin comes out to play the longer the oil is on me. It is reminiscent of blowing out candles on a birthday cake and blowing out the hand dipped beeswax candles we'd light for the holidays as a kid. It's a little imp of nostalgia, but as much as it makes me recall my childhood, there is something sexy about this as well, even sexier than HH. I have gotten the most compliments off of this one oil than I got out of ANY of the other oils that were in my package. The only downside is, there is a hint of powder in it, but it doesn't always seem to be there, and when it is it isn't overpowering or turn the whole oil to smelling like a fresh baby's bottom. Definitely a keeper, and a must for anyone looking for a great beeswax scent. This could be your HG!

[Chelse]

All sex panther....all day. It is a formidable scent....really burns the nostrils.

[pinkgyrl]

This vaguely reminds me of Hellcat but much much softer and without the almond (I also got a Monster Bait: Underbed light vibe from this which is surprising - it's not at *all* as aggressive as the spice in that blend - but if there was a "wear to work" version of MB Underbed - this could be a contender).

 

It's pretty and delicate and just reads "warm" on my skin - kind of a creamy or vanilla feel and then a little bit of spice. It's very pretty and non-assuming. I've been curious about this one for awhile - and it's lovely.

[Incendiare]

Wow, this is so warm and comforting, yet elegant. It's all honey and beeswax. It stays close to the skin. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this.

[Aeva]

Unfortunately, this really didn't work for me It is no doubt exquisitely crafted, but my chemistry wouldn't allow me to enjoy it. I'm not a fan of sweet scents in general (although they can be wonderful at times, like the famed Snake Oil), but this scent was *cloying* on me. The beeswax note turned to pure sugar/baby powder, and the smokiness (which I hoped would be prominent) disappeared immediately. By the dry down, there was nothing but a terrible plastic/fake vanilla stench that makes me nauseous. I can tell this would be beautiful on someone else, but my skin likes to turn anything even remotely sweet smelling into a cloying nightmare. As for how it smells in the bottle, it smells just like a blown-out candle..and it's amazing how well done it is! If only it were meant to be..

[fiddlehead]

Can't add much to the reviews already posted. It does smell very close to beeswax candles. When I opened the imp and swiped in on I was immediately reminded of O, but just for a few seconds. I can smell honey in this but it's very subtle, much like it is in beeswax. Can't wait to slather this one

 

 

 

 

Aaaand this eventually smells exactly like O on me except not a strong.

Edited November 19, 2011 by fiddlehead

[subtlesiren]

In the imp: Slightly sweet with the beeswax note from Chanukkiyah and the stone/vanilla combo from Black Opal (RIP) evident. Very comforting.

 

Wet on my wrist: The stone note is the strongest note, with a trace of smoke emerging. The candles are being extinguished.

 

Dry on my wrist: The smoke is gone, leaving behind only the cave walls and a lingering sweetness of cooled vanilla wax. Bedtime worthy.

[orata]

A natural, gentle, slightly vanillic beeswax scent drying down to a soft smoky note. Lovely, soothing, comforting. The throw isn't too strong on me. It was one of those happy scents where I put it on, forgot what I had applied, and then an hour later was like "what is that gorgeous smell?"--in this case, a sort of vanilla-tinged smoke. I was scared this would be either too sweet or aggressively smoky (still have bad memories of the insane smoke in a Milk Chocolate, Bacon, and Cassia sniffie I was frimped). I love it!

[theseagrows]

this seems to work better on me than other beeswax scents i've tried. i've steered clear of them because they just always smell odd on me, but this one smells kind of good. kind of like a musky-vanilla with beeswax. this is wonderful, the kind of honey i've longed for. (also it reminds me of a less vanilla-sweet version of l'occitane's miel et citron, which i liked quite a bit.)

Edited November 24, 2022 by theseagrows

[Helas]

The Lights of Men's Lives smells like an unlit vanilla and beeswax candle to me. It is sweet and very light, and has a tendency to fade into the background. I don't get any smoke, sadly, as I love the smell of burning wick and melting wax. This feels more like a layering note to me than a complete scent, since it's rather bland on its own. Lovely name and concept, but disappointing execution.

[ajansuz]

This was a lab frimp, and WOW. Just WOW. In the imp, sweet beeswax.

 

Wet: Beeswax, honey, and to me it smells like amber. There's a faint touch of something incense-y, like myrrh.

 

Dry down: Gorgeous, creamy, comforting and sweet. This is very subtle, not much throw, but wow is it beautiful. This is the first imp I've had in a long time that made me think I need a bottle of this yesterday. SO beautiful!

[fashionfaerie]

Is one bottle enough?! I wear this pretty much every day, because I work in close proximity to others, yet can't bear to go without perfume. It's a subtle, quiet, sweet skin scent, and, with my chemistry, actually reads more like honey than the honey scents do (they go tart on me). Just gorgeous.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Very light. Honey and light smoke. It reminds me of O but it's much more delicate.

 

Drydown: The honey starts to sing! It's not so light anymore (that's not to say it's bold mind you, just not so light). Creamy, smoky, golden honey.

 

Dry: This smells like eating the richest, creamiest vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey while sitting in a candlelit room.

 

 

 

Gorgeous. This has all of the qualities I love about O without that in your face SEX-note that makes it uncomfortable to wear to work or, say, dinner w/ the in-laws (take my word! lol). Basically it's yummy and I want to lick myself allover when I wear it. Instant favorite.

[becca_s]

I love this

 

I've only had an imp of this for 2 days but it has quickly become a favorite. Warm, smoky beeswax ... very subtle and slightly mysterious. It does smell a bit like O - but O's honey & amber didn't work on me, I am so pleased that this did. If honey doesn't work on me at least beeswax does! The only thing is that it's on the faint side, but I tried layering with Snake Oil and they work really well together. 10/10, and a bottle purchase for me. I can see myself wearing this all the time.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Sweet, honey-like, but maybe a touch soapy.

 

On skin, wet: Pretty much the same as in the imp.

 

On skin, dry: Soapy-sweet and honey-like.

 

After an hour: Finally getting some hints of smoke, but the whole scent has gotten really faint. Which is weird, because it seems like the sort of scent that would have more lasting power.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: An absolutely non-foody vanilla.

Wet: Sweet, slightly smoky vanilla-tinged beeswax.

Dry: Very sweet beeswax with just a hint of smoke. Nice!

[sunlitgarden]

Received as a frimp from the lab.

 

Imp: Honey? I guess maybe beeswax, but it smells honey-like...

 

On my skin: more honey-beeswax. I was hoping for a bit of candle smoke here, but am not getting any. There's something "perfumey" about this... It kind of reminds me of some honey/beeswax soaps I've used before. This is pretty linear on me, from imp scent to drydown.

Edited May 28, 2012 by sunlitgarden

[catalyst]

Beeswax. It's tempting to say just honey, but it's slightly more complex than that, and there's just a difference between straight honey, and beeswax. I can't even put my finger on it. There might be a teeny hint of smoke in this, but it's so slight, it might be my imagination. You have to put on a lot, but it lasts a long time and doesn't change from start to finish. Not a big wow factor, but a keeper. Don't think I'll get a bottle, but I might, if I decide to layer it with others.

[Circaea]

I've had this one for a while now and I haven't reviewed it. Warm, sweet beeswax, with a touch of floral vanilla and a wisp of smoke. It's fine anytime of day, for any weather or occasion, but I like it for bedtime.

 

If you found the honey note in O sour, sharp, or sweaty feet-smelling, then you might like the softer beeswax scent of Lights. It layers well, and has the pretty, soothing sexiness of some of the more popular but hard to find LE's, notably Giant Vulva and Blossoms in Springtime. I consider Lights of Men's Lives a BPAL classic, and I hope it never leaves the General Catalog.

[Scorianelle]

Well, all I knew was that this was supposed to smell like candles. It did a pretty good job of it!

 

First sniff: Burnt caramel or toffee. It's sweeter than I expected.

 

Second Sniff: A soft honey, some mallow and a mystery note. Took me ages to get and I was quite shocked when it clicked and I realised it was creme fraiche! It's odd, but it works!

 

Wet: Wax! It's absolutely true. Plus a little spice and caramel.

 

Dry (30 mins): Marshmallow and wax. Somehow this makes warm beeswax candles and flickering flames.

 

Dry (1.5 hours): It's lighter, albeit subtly. It's like the candle has become brighter.

 

Dry (3 hours): Brighter still, and sweeter. The honey is more noticeable. Funny, I would've expected the candle to be dying out by now.

 

Throw: none, but it lasts for ages.

 

Colour association: Honey yellow or soft candle glow.

 

This was a very lovely sent. Not something I'd pick everyday, but definitely a go for quiet, rainy days inside and trips to the library. I haven't decided if I'll get a bottle yet. I'll have to give myself some more time to fall in love with it.