Leather

[hlemonds]

I have a love/hate relationship with leather. Mostly I think BPAL leather notes don't work well on my skin, something about them seems to tend towards a sharp, chemical smell. I know it's my skin chemistry though, because leather blends tend to smell pretty darned fabulous on my hubby. My particular favorite on him is The Bow and the Crown of Conquest.

 

And a question for anyone who has Banned in Boston. It is very sharp and chemical initially, and it very much reminds me of how most leather notes smell on me. But it isn't in the listed notes, so I suppose something else could be making me think "LEATHER!".

[khazakant]

I seem to be having a problem with BPAL's leather note. I tried De Sade and Iago, and the leather in there was sharp and plasticy and reminded of (I've mentioned this a few times) the waterproofing spray I used to use on my leather jackets and not of leather itself. I'm not sure if it's my skin or if I just don't like the way the leather note smells, since it seems about the same in the imp.

 

I guess it's a long shot, but is there anything containing a leather that isn't as sharp and artificial? I love leather in general, and it bums me out that I can't wear the smell.

[septima_pica]

I think I know what you mean, actually. It seems to me that there are at least two main kinds of BPAL leather notes: there's what I've come to think of as the "stiff black" leather smell, like in Iago, De Sade, and Wanda, and then there's this "soft brown" leather, which I like a lot better. The latter shows up, for me at least, in Shrunken Heads, Hand of Glory, and Whip.

[Little Bird]

A lot of bpal's limited edition leather blends tend to smell a bit softer and sweeter to me than the GC leather blends. The Traveller was a more recent LE that smelled like soft, well worn leather. Dee is a softer, sweeter leather that's in the GC.

 

Iago and De Sade are both pretty dark, intense, and masculine, I think, so you might want to try some of the more complex and feminine leather blends, like Liz or Tezcatlipoca.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

I have tried most of BPAL's leather blends and I agree with previous posters - there seems to be two 'categories' of leather (although the leathers themselves do vary).. those that go sharp, bitter or chemical-y on my skin (De Sade, The Traveller) and those that go all warm and sexy on my skin (eg Crowley, Liz, Loviatar). However, leather seems to be particularly prone to the affects of skin chemistry and I think that's why we all have such different results from leather blends. I've also found that aging makes a HUGE difference to the overall tone and feel of BPAL's leathers.

 

khazakant - for GC blends, Crowley is by far the best leather for me - it lasts for hours and hours on my skin and is rich, warm and luscious. BUT! (and this is a big BUT!) - I have a bottle that's about 2 years old, and it's delicious. I recently bought a brand new bottle from the Lab, intending to stash it for aging, and the difference between new and old is astonishing - new, it's quite bright and slightly sharp, the other notes are way more noticeable. Unfortunately you can't buy Crowley in imp form from the Lab, but once the Swaps area comes back to the forum you could post an ISO and I'm sure you'll be able to find a decant of it to try. Liz also worked really nicely on my skin, but it's a more 'feminine' blend - the vanilla is soft and pretty where Crowley is more 'dark' feeling.

 

I'd also recommend trying Black Rider (black leather, oppoponax, tobacco, and black amber), White Rider (white leather and sandalwood), and Red Rider (red leather, red moss, and balsam) - they're all available as imps in the Marchen line, and might be a good way to get a feel for those three styles of leather as well as how other notes mix with leather. Black Rider is my fave of the three.. but I like the dark, rich kinds of leather blends. I think the secret of finding a good one lies in finding what combination of other notes bring out the best in the leather for your own skin chemistry.

 

What do you want from your leather blend, khazakant? Are you looking for dark, smoky, sexy? Or light, soft, pretty? Or.. ? There's so many choices in the GC!

[khazakant]

I think I know what you mean, actually. It seems to me that there are at least two main kinds of BPAL leather notes: there's what I've come to think of as the "stiff black" leather smell, like in Iago, De Sade, and Wanda, and then there's this "soft brown" leather, which I like a lot better. The latter shows up, for me at least, in Shrunken Heads, Hand of Glory, and Whip.

 

I seeee. *tents fingers* I thought the lab used another kind of leather note. I bet this one would work great on me.

 

A lot of bpal's limited edition leather blends tend to smell a bit softer and sweeter to me than the GC leather blends. The Traveller was a more recent LE that smelled like soft, well worn leather. Dee is a softer, sweeter leather that's in the GC.

 

Iago and De Sade are both pretty dark, intense, and masculine, I think, so you might want to try some of the more complex and feminine leather blends, like Liz or Tezcatlipoca.

 

I dig dark, intense, and masculine (I'm wearing Satyr right now, for example) which is one reason why Iago and De Sade not working on me has been keeping me up nights. But I'm not a stranger to complex and feminine blends, and I've heard good things about Tezcatlipoca especially. *takes a note of them*

[GeorgeJr]

Among the newer scents , I go with The Black Rider ( out of the 3 riders ) I enjoy all 3 , but the other 2 are more diffused by their other notes then The Black is . He is more dark ( duh ) , bold & just plain stronger in his leathery-ness .

[skyelyric]

I'd also list Hunter as a warm, lived-in leather scent...it's rich and very leathery, but in a comforting worn kind of way.

[yokaitenchi]

Besides Crowley, Black Rider, and Hunter as others have mentioned (all yummy <3), I'd also recommend Clockwork Couture: Male. Female isn't bad, but if you're going for a stronger leather note, not to mention Female is rather faint, go with Male. It's another of the more worn leather, but not so worn as Hunter.

 

Edit for spelling fail

Edited July 25, 2010 by yokaitenchi

[eoifemacbeth]

Question: if one is massively in love with the leather in Clockwork Couture: Female, where could one find a similar leather? It's only the second non-chemically leather I've yet found (Dead Man's Hand, of course, being the other, damn my luck!) and I just love it.

 

I've heard a lot of people say Liz has the same leather, but Liz sort of made me gag. The vanilla note she's got just rubbed my nose totally the wrong way.

[ivyandpeony]

I do think Liz & CC Female have a similar, soft leather note - but I also thought Tombeur had that note. So I was surprised when I saw the note list (well, not completely surprised because I think there's a bit of vetiver in most of Beth's leather bouquets - and only the ones with the very lightest touch are the ones I can wear). I think I remember you liking it at will call, but don't remember if you got any leather or vetiver from it.

[Sabir]

I hope I'm putting this in the right place. I thought about putting it in recommendations, but there's more too it than that.

 

I love the smell of leather. I do some leather working and I'm getting very familiar with the feel and smell of leather. Naturally I'm looking for a scent that contains a leather note that I like, but it seems like no matter what I try, I can't pick out leather in any of the scents I've tried.

 

Maybe it's faulty skin chemistry on my behalf? Maybe I've chosen scents where the leather note is being overpowered by something else? Or maybe, "leather" in perfume doesn't smell like what I think it should smell like? I'm not sure, so I thought I'd ask!

 

I've tried: Dee, Dragon's Hide, Havana and Manhattan. I can't pick out leather in any of them. In Coyote, I can sort of pick out what I think is "doeskin." That's the closest I've come to finding a leather note.

 

Thoughts?

[Lorelai1945]

The Riders (Red, Black, and White) from Marchen and Whip may have the leather you're looking for. Liz has leather and smoke with some floral. Clockwork Couture: Female has a shot of strong leather tamed with sweet vanilla. VILF has a softer leather to me. HTH!

[jizatt]

also try Ivanushka, it has that soft suede thing going on =)

[hkhm]

brom bones & the traveller are the leatheriest leathers i know of.

[thebirdofhermes]

If you can get your hands on it, Rivet.Goth is a very powerful leather note. I also highly recommend The Traveller. I found Olisbos to have a strong leather note, but I know quite a few found it stronger on the wood and olive oil. Ivanushka I found to be more furry than leathery.

 

Hmm, trying to think of other leathery ones... Ah. Liz had no leather to my nose. Neither did Dee, Hellfire, or Manhattan. So we miiight have similar noses for the leather notes.

 

Black Rider was quite leathery to me, but I think it was a bit smothered by the other notes. Hrm... Unfortunately, those are the only ones I've tried with leather notes that I think you might be able to find easily.

[Little Bird]

A lot of my favorite leathery blends are LE or have been discontinued, but I definitely suggest trying The Red Rider. It's a strong, intense leather and it's available in the GC. The Black Rider and The White Rider are worth a try too.

 

Of the ones you mentioned, I don't get a lot of leather from any of them, except for a soft tobacco and leather from Dee...

[alioth]

My bottle of Olisbos was so heavy on raw, wet leather on my skin that I ultimately sold it, so maybe find a decant of that to try? Crowley has a nice leather note to my nose, but there's a lot of other stuff in there as well and it's a very polished leather, like a leather couch in a man-study. Ivanushka is leather, but it's more of a 'wrapped in furry animal skins in winter' kind of thing.

[ModderRhu]

Whip is nice, and The Blockhead from the Carnaval

[loverstreet]

I would add my vote for Red Rider. It smells to me like walking into Tandy Leather Warehouse. Very raw, unfinished leather.

[mountainwitch]

Nanny Ashtoreth, one of the Good Omens scents in the Gaiman category, is one of the leatheriest leathers I have ever smelled. It lists other notes too:

Middle Eastern flowers, amber, honey, blood red-berries, whip leather, and polished paddle wood.

 

But I get mostly glossy black whip-leather.

 

Whip has a similar kind of leather, at least to my nose, but it also has a very powerful rose. If Snake Oil makes you happy, you might give Western Diamondback a try; I really liked this one, especially after it aged a bit. Others that are harder to find include De Sade, sadly discontinued; Quincey Morris, a very cool old LE; A Bachelor's Dog, which was an April Fool's Day Salon scent; and C. Auguste Dupin, which I remember as a rich, buttery-armchair kind of leather, if that makes sense.

 

I haven't tried all the riders yet, but I was also very impressed by Red Rider. I'm looking forward to giving this one a longer try-out period.

 

Why yes, I like leather too--can you tell?

[HighPriestessIce]

Hmm I don't see Western Diamondback mentioned yet. It's a very strong black leather. Iago was pretty good too. Whip is one of my favorites but I find the Rose tends to be alot stronger. So might not be what you're looking for.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

I think part of the reason why leather is so elusive for you in your BPALs is because you're so familiar with the smell that when you encounter it blended with other notes, it just doesn't smell right. Just a guess, or a thought

 

The best leathers I've found in terms of the leather being dominant over other notes, and being a "real" leather smell would be:

 

Soft/suede type leathers - Sacrifice, NGG023 prototype, Rivet Goth, Nanny Ashtoreth

Dark/hot type leathers - Spanked, Crowley, The Black Rider, Brom Bones, Western Diamondback, Iago

Old/worn type leathers - Clockwork Couture: Male, Hunter

Sharp/fresh type leathers - DeSade, The Traveller

Red/brown/raw type leathers - The Red Rider

Sweeter type leathers - Liz (flowery/vanilla leather), The Blockhead (bubblegum leather), Dee

Clean/fresh type leathers - The White Rider, Liz (again), Clockwork Couture: Female

 

Unfortunately, many of those are either rare or very hard to find, but if you do some hunting around you should be able to find most of them.

 

Leather tends to vary a lot on different skins, so the trick is to try as many as possible - what's soft and sweet for one person can be completely different for another. The good news is.. there's loads of leather blends in BPAL land, so there's plenty to try! It's worth reading through the leather recommendations thread too, there's lots more there to read about. (Actually this discussion will probably get moved there by forum mods, I think)

 

Good luck with your search!

[backthatelfup]

For me, leather shows up in Tezcatlipoca, Crowley; Perversion and Tintagel have hints of leather for me.

 

I've heard good things about Western Diamondback.

[Lavada]

This happens to me with jasmine, so I second this theory.

 

I think part of the reason why leather is so elusive for you in your BPALs is because you're so familiar with the smell that when you encounter it blended with other notes, it just doesn't smell right. Just a guess, or a thought

 

*snip*