XCDL13

[absinthetics]

I also never liked Antique Lace. It always smelled floraly in the bottle and wasn't so hot on. This however.. is the single note in AL that I did like...and amped up 10 times. A beautiful but somewhat synthetic smelling Vanilla. Best thing about it is that it lasts all day.

 

This may be the first bottle I ever finish.

[mrstkeller]

I put this on one arm and a well aged AL on the other. They smelled VERY similar. . . the difference was XCDL13 was WAY stronger and had better staying power. Maybe a smidge more vanilla. . . but on my skin, they are super close.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

My tester dried out but I was able to swipe the last drop of oil out of it...man This is such a fantastic vanilla-berry scent. I smell a little boozy rum too.

 

ETA now that I have a half-decant to test properly (April '11):

This is very boozy and syrupy, like a vanilla cordial or that Madagascar Bourbon vanilla paste that is thick with vanilla bean flecks. There is something candy-like in here that I can't identify, although it smells just like this gogi-berry truffle filling in my favorite chocolate bars.

 

This stuff is holy grail.

 

ETA again now that I have a bottle (January '12)

Now that I can slather this with abandon, I get what Absinthetics wrote above that it's a bit of a synthetic vanilla. The "berry" note I noticed before is blueberry, and while it doesn't smell plastic, it reminds me of a blueberry scented doll I had as a kid. After a few minutes, the berry fades and I get the musky Madagascar vanilla bean soaked in booze smell I know and love.

Edited January 10, 2012 by mxtine

[Antoinette]

Oh boy...so this is the vanilla scent of my dreams. It just had to be, huh?

Well, if I never find anymore than these few precious drops that I was so fortunate to come by, then so be it. Just happy to try it and experience the loveliness.

 

It reminds me straight away of the vanilla in Antique Lace, but I don't get the muskiness here (which makes this ALL win on me). It's strong, bright and sweet. Basically, pure olfactory love.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Tester from Scrappy.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I've had an imp of Antique Lace (frimp from the Lab) for ages. I rarely wear it, but I do think it's pretty. So comparisons between XCDL13 and Antique Lace got my attention. I like vanilla quite a bit if it's not cloying. The berry that people are mentioning has me a little concerned, though. Berries are very hit or miss on me. I adore black raspberry and I like blackberry (in moderation and not all the time), but things like strawberry and blueberry are death notes for me. I love to eat them but don't want to smell like them.

 

I wasn't really anticipating getting to try this one since it's one of the harder to find protos, but Scrappy was kind enough to send me a generous tester when I bought a bottle from her on LJ, so I'm glad I get to see for myself what all the fuss is about.

 

First sniff:

 

I can definitely see where the comparisons to vanilla extract are coming from. Seriously, this smells like sticking your nose in a bottle of the stuff. It's got a strong, intense alcoholic smell to it (more like the alcohol you would find in vanilla extract than a drinking alcohol like bourbon or vodka), but it's also distinctly vanilla. I wasn't anticipating it being so sharp.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Somewhere between vanilla extract and vanilla flavored booze (the type is unidentifiable; it could just as easily be vodka or scotch or any other kind, except probably gin because I don't smell juniper...it just smells like alcohol). It's still fairly sharp and almost eye-wateringly alcoholic (strange since there's no actual alcohol in BPAL scents and I never get this reaction from the bourbon, whiskey and rum scents in my collection), but less so than in the imp.

 

I like it alright at this stage. If it smelled more like drinking alcohol (like, say, whiskey and vanilla), I would be thrilled, but it reminds me quite a bit of pure vanilla extract.

 

Dry down:

 

Oh, now I see why people love this.

 

The strange alcohol note disappears as XCDL13 dries and I'm left with something really lovely. Soft, lovely vanilla (similar to Antique Lace, I agree, but without the very faint florals and linen in AL) and a touch of what smells like amber to my nose. It's sort of creamy and soft and lovely but also kind of warm and golden. I don't get any berries at all from this (which is fine by me) and the booziness disappeared somewhere along the way.

 

Strangely enough, I find XCDL13 to be fairly soft, unlike other people who are reporting it being an intense "little dab will do you" kind of scent. It doesn't have much throw on me and it's not a strong scent, but it definitely lingers for a long time. A swipe on my wrists has lasted about 12 hours at this point and it's stayed at about the same strength the whole time that it's been dry (it's stronger when its wet).

 

The bottom line:

 

Soft, lovely, gentle and feminine. I tend to gravitate toward gender neutral or masculine scents (and typically the stronger, more assertive ones at that...which is strange because I'm quiet and fairly shy) but I do enjoy a feminine scent if it manages to fit with my personality. Too many feminine scents just don't jive with my own brand of not-so-feminine femaleness.

 

XCDL13 succeeds where so many feminine scents have failed and has earned a place in the elite and tiny club of Super Awesome, Made-of-Win Ninja Girly Scents in my collection. It's delicate and girly, but it somehow doesn't clash with...well...me.

 

Well played, XCDL13. Well played.

[ellebelle]

As others have noted before me, this is Antique Lace. If you like Antique Lace, and relatively simple vanilla scents, you will love this to pieces. While I can appreciate why other like this, I already have a bottle of Antique Lace and I prefer more complex scents, so I won't be searching this out. But thank you to the kind forumite who sent me a tester!

[Delirium1009]

This scent to me smells like a hybrid of Celeste, Antique Lace, and Candy Butcher. It's vanilla but on the perfumey side and just a touch musky, while being slightly sweet and smelling a little like a sort of whipped vanilla confection.

 

While I never loved Antique Lace, Celeste, or Candy Butcher enough to keep bottles and put them in my regular rotation, I think I would buy a bottle of this if it were released. Of course, I might just be loving it because I know it's something I'll probably never get my hands on.

[HerbGirl]

I was gifted a sniffie of this, and I was really tempted to not even open the decant...

 

Wow. If that isn't the most delicious Vanilla I have ever smelled, I don't know what is. ? !

 

I wonder what this is a prototype for...I see the letters CD which might be Carnavale Diabolique, but I have no idea. I hope it gets released someday - I would buy a bottle or 2.

[angelamaria]

In tester: oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. I opened the stopper and I said it out loud. Oh. My. Gosh. This is a sweeter, more floral Antique Lace. Whiter. If Antique Lace is like ivory, XCDL13 is white. A second sniff I did a few days after made me think of a coconutty tinge as well, although that note wasn't here my first test/sniff.

 

Wet on skin: oh. My. Gosh. Does not morph from the bottle scent so far. Sweet, slightly/softly spicy Antique Lace, and white. Brighter, sweeter. AL is old lace, this is fresh and white and lightly dusted with vanilla sugar.

 

Dry: soft, sweet Antique Lace. The floral note is not as prominent now, so it's not as "bright" as when wet, but still super beautiful. Simpler now, as well. Sweet, sugary vanilla. Light throw.

 

Verdict: newly on, I definitely favored this above Antique Lace and Elf v4 (which I realized I never posted my review on, yet). I love that brightness, that whiteness. Dry, that whiteness/floral quality fades and puts it very similar to the others, albeit being the sweetest of the three. It also disappeared on my skin about 2-3 hours after. So lovely--if the lab has not yet released this, and will be releasing this with the refresh, I'm definitely snapping bottles of it, but right now, 3 hours of loveliness from a blend I have *never* seen available on anyone's sales or swaps post, premium price or no--probably not going to be worth it.

 

See my three-way deathmatch between Antique Lace, Elf v4, and XCDL13 here: http://www.bpal.org/topic/65148-death-matchin/page__view__findpost__p__2050792

Edited October 11, 2011 by angelamaria

[cinnamonster]

Having been lucky enough to be gifted some of this by Cheshirecat in a swap, and at first sniff I'm thinking woooh...yeah, AL but with a little Faith, let's do sisde by side comparison with AL.

 

 

Put on AL.

 

Sniff proto...mmmmm.

Sniff AL...mould WTF?? AL is now mould, mould on linen. Super STRONG linen, but still mouldy. UGH.

 

I hate you proto, you ruined my Antique Lace, and I have more of that than I have of you!

 

(whispers to proto...mmmmm I love you really...dammit)

 

In case you have no idea what AL or this proto smell like, it smells like sugared violets, vanilla and a hint of lily. Maybe a smidge of cotton as time passes.

 

AL smells like mould, well USUALLY smells like:vanilla/violet/_lily/cotton/wonderful.