The Lilac Wood

[changeling]

Ageless trees, everblooming flowers, brilliant grass, and soft shadows.

In the bottle: Strong lilac

Wet: Strong lilac

Dry: As it dries, the wood notes appear. By mid-day, this seemed to be a lovely green floral. It's spring here and I've worn this scent several times over the last two weeks. Over that time, the scent has stayed consistent: lilac, followed by a woody lilac, followed by a softer, green floral. It's lovely.

[calivianya]

In the imp, this reminds me strongly of Nothing Gold Can Stay. It has the same sort of freshly cut, juicy plant feel. It stays very similar to Nothing Gold Can Stay immediately on my skin, but starts to go in a slightly more floral direction as the lilac comes out. This is gorgeous! It is not the kind of scent I typically wear, but I might just have to make an exception because this is so lovely.

[lohengrin]

In the vial: Lilac with a touch of greenery.

 

On skin, wet: Greenery with lilac in the background. A bit of soap, but not too much.

 

On skin, dry: Pretty much straight up lilac. That hint of soap is still not too strong.

 

After an hour: And now it's soap. Lilac seems to fall into the same category as cherry blossom for me--very nice for a while, but eventually turning to soap. Sadness, as it's one of my favourite flowers.

[Doc M]

Age imp from unicorn horn set 2010.

 

In 2010: sophisticated lilac, floral but not cloying. A bit traditional. Dry grasses and something smooth, deep, and shadowy in the background. Pleasant but not really me. Will try again in 2012 and post updates to aging.

[chimera87]

I was really looking forward to this, and it failed on my skin so horribly. In the imp it was really fresh smelling and there wasn't as much lilac as I thought it would be. I'm always on the hunt for good lilac scents that aren't fake or overpowering. It smelled really nice in the imp even though it wasn't what I expected, but as soon as I put it on, the grass amped to extremes and then there was this soapy floral sharpness underneath that...and underneat THAT there was a nice bit of sweet lilac, but not enough to deal with the soapy smell, which lasts forever. So sad I have never really had such a soapy undertone come from any BPAL I've tried and this HAD to be the one it happened with. The upside - Someone will be getting this through swaps soon (and there seems to be quite a few fans of this) and I saved myself a good chunk of change as I nearly ordered the whole bottle before I decided on trying before buying

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Green, fresh cut leaves/stems and a hint of pepper

 

Wet on me - Softer, still green and pepper, but with a slight touch of something pepper

 

Dry on me - A soft powdery part floral/part musk scetn

 

Overall - Wet it's interesting and dry it's pretty, but neither stage is really me

[Leopard403]

Very strong lilac and something green, goes very soapy on the skin but I liked that. It's pretty lilac soap, the expensive French-milled kind.

[theredshoes]

I grew up in Santa Fe and our neighbour had a huge gorgeous lilac bush -- more like a wall of greenery and flowers -- and there were lilacs all over the city, so they really mean spring and happiness to me. Seattle has lots of lilacs too -- it might be my favourite flower to smell.

 

IN THE BOTTLE: Ohghod it was v green and sharp. I thought this was maybe another Two, Five, and Seven disaster where I just got blaring green and no florals at all! But, it was a bit more flowery than that (thank God). Even then, this scent had a certain something to it that drew me in.

 

WET: Still pretty sharp and green, but it settled down right away to a floral. As other people said, this really smells like actual fresh flowers -- not "perfumy" or soapy. There's some delicious note in there -- wood? musk? -- that seemed to be calming the green down. Usually I don't like the sort of high white sharp smells, especially with lots of grass, but this is converting me.

 

DRYDOWN: The lilac comes out more -- I was impatient for it! This has more staying power than I'd expect from such a light floral, and thankfully after a few hours the greens die way down and the musk comes out more. It's still pretty bright, but not in an unpleasant way. Nowhere near as sweet as actual lilacs, but that might be the green on my skin: for some reason it drowns out EVERYTHING else.

 

VERDICT: This kind of pretty gentle feminine floral is usually so not my thing, but it's delicate without fading, gentle yet strong, and is really sort of enchanting. It's definitely a wet, green, fresh flowery scent, like taking a walk in the Unicorn's wood after a spring rain. I find it energizing and clean -- it'd be a good morning perfume. Doubt I'll buy a bottle, but my skin usually amps grass LIKE WHOAH, and the sharp-but-delicate floral scents tend to give me headaches, so I'm delighted to find a grassy floral I can actually wear.

 

I agree that an aged bottle of this might be really beautiful -- one might be worth buying for that alone, to see what it turns into in a year or two. If it was just a bit more flowery/sweet I might get a bottle.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Strong lilac, something slightly aquatic, and grass. It’s interesting, but there is the aquatic bit that keeps me from loving it.

 

Wet: Strong, aquatic notes swirl around the violets drowning out nearly everything else save the musky undertones.

 

Dry: I get more grass and some additional flowers, but lilac and the aquatic aspect are still the strongest notes. It’s not something I wear again, sadly.

[marraskave]

In the bottle: Grass, and mostly just that. A little soapy and somewhat artificial, a little like an air freshener. Something floral on the background, and I can detect an aquatic note as well. Perhaps it assists in that air freshener association..

 

Wet: The grass note gets a little gentler, but it's still very dominating: now it reminds me of the smell after lawn mowing. Definitely there's a floral note, but I don't really recognise it as lilac - to me it's nothing like real lilac blossoms anyways. It's more like lavender soap. Yeah, more soap.

 

Dry: It gets softer, drier-smelling and more pleasant. More musky, I think. The prominence of the grass reduces, though it's still mostly soapy and grassy. I can't find new notes anymore, or another changes in their essences or proportions. I think this just doesn't behave on my skin.

 

I was hoping for a lot of lilac combined with woodsy notes (a woodland in spring -kind of scent! Must try Arkham and Ulalume next.), so I was somewhat disappointed. I can't even find any wood in this one, and to me/on my skin that lilac note is hiding as well... oh well.

Edited June 23, 2013 by marraskave

[Lani]

This is one of my favorite scents, and it's the only BPAL GC for which I have a whole bottle (so far!). This is a beautiful clean, green, herbal, floral scent. I get the lilac most strongly, and it is an even fresh lilac that is not cloyingly floral. It's very fresh, very green, and very beautiful. Love this so much.

[DiesMali]

In the Imp: Beautiful, soft, fresh lilac with a hint of green grass.

Wet on my skin: Lovely lilac with spring greens. Not the usual fakey perfume lilac - this smells like the real thing.

Dry: I really, really wanted to love this one. Lilac is my favourite flower and it normally works very well on my skin. Unfortunately, something in this blend turns it to lilac soap on me. I'm going to try it again in a few weeks and see if it works better once it ages a little bit.

[Minh Scent]

I spilled half an imp on myself! (Pesky imps!) And smell wonderful!!! Green and lilac. I didn't get anything woody (or plastic, powdery, soapy). Lovely!

[savage_rose]

The green, grassiness is fabulous in this, and the lilac is lovely. But my skin amps lilac so much that it's overwhelming and shrill to my nose. Argh! Non-lilac ampers should love this one. It's a great scent on someone else!

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: WOW! The most realistic fresh green grass note. Amazing! Hints of lilac underneath, but mostly grass. It's one of those blends where you think, "how does Beth DO that??" I am not sure how wearable it is for me at this stage. Hoping for the floral to come out. I would love this as a room scent!

 

 

Dry: Uh, so sad! Stupid skin chemistry! Turned this amazing blend to soap on me. That being said, it's the prettiest floral soap I have ever smelled, and if I had a bar of it I would keep it just for company...but I'm not sure I want to wear it as perfume. Though I do actually think this would be a lovely bedtime blend for me. It's clean and light and gentle and soothing. Ya, I can totally see wearing this to bed, and may get a bottle after all. I do wish it had retained that amazing grass note on my skin.

[Cali]

A very soft fuzzy floral with a breeze finding it's way through bushes and trees.
Slightly aquatic. Light purple. Very pretty, very girly, very fairies fluttering through a forest-y.
Lemme link this song/attraction because it's what I'm transported to in my mind upon sniffing this.

[renfair]

I got The Lilac Wood in an amazing deal of a Unicorn Horn I pack that was new and never opened. I was so excited because this was absolutely at the top of my Last Unicorn wishlist!

First Sniff Impression: Like my backyard in summertime growing up. Fresh and comforting.

Wet in Vial: Grass, trees, fresh lilac

Drying Down on Skin: The lilac is the most prominent note, though it's a fresh, light realstic lilac, not a perfumey floral. The grass and a backdrop of lighter white forest flowers support it.

Dry on Skin: Dry, the leaves and grass smell recedes, leaving a light floral behind. It's a really great one because it still smells fresh, not heavy or cloying like some florals. Only sad part is, I don't know how long this will last on my skin. I also have to take into consideration I have zero idea how old this imp is. But already I feel the flowers fading and leaving behind that unique, fresh autumn air note I get with the Liliths sometimes.

Conclusion: Yup, as I feared, this lasted barely an hour on me before all that was left was that sort of base woodsy, air note that I get with the Liliths. It's too rare for me to want to reapply to try again, so I'll have to save this one for when I desperately need to smell the outdoors.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Grass and lilac.

 

Wet: This one is really strong on the grass and lilac. There are some other floral notes at play here, but I'm not able to identify them.

 

Dry: Soft lilacs and green grass on a warm spring day.

 

Verdict: I thought this might be too strong for me at first, but it actually calmed down and ended up being quite pleasant! It would make a lovely spring scent.

[Aveya]

Very Green scent. I didn't 100% know what lilac smelled like (Florals are not my strength) but now I sure do! This is a nice gentle floral/woodsy scent. It's not powder/soap or in-your-face floral. It's really comforting and natural. This warmed me up to lilac for sure.

 

Initially the florals come across strong, but after a small wait they mellow down. It makes this scent truly unisex to me. If you're actually non-binary this scent could be perfect. It's got such a beautiful balance between trees and flowers, it feels like... exactly what it should. The lilac wood. Innocent but with shadows. New growth but old as earth. Hmmm this scent gets to the heartstrings somehow.

 

Probably a swapper for me due to the floral slant, but there's something mystical about this one.

[Juliamon]

In the bottle: Lilacs and rain-soaked plants.

 

On my skin the plants dry off, keeping this from being an aquatic. They're still fresh, juicy, vibrant greenery though, a little bit spicy. If there are trees in here they are young and mostly leaf, if you're hoping for woodiness it's not to be found.. The lilacs (and I'm pretty sure there's another floral in there, but the lilacs are far and away the dominant one) are gorgeous and just bloomed, and they dance back and forth with the greens taking turns in the throw. There is magic afoot in this blend!

 

Alas, even with slathering it barely lasts a couple of hours on me, but it's wooooorth it.

[freyasfae]

This scent is soft, lovely, and wistful. To me, it really brings the overall feeling of The Last Unicorn to life - poignant and sad. I can't tell you if it smells like lilac as I haven't ever really had the chance to give a lilac a good sniff, but it is pale florals and green - perhaps some white musk in there, too. I think I'll keep it.

[lilyluxe]

This was a dream scent for me to try, and I hate to say it, but this was all sharp, screechy Irish Spring soap to me. The lilacs came off as very perfumey and artificial. I grew up with lilacs that would bloom outside my bedroom window and waft in beautifully in the springtime, and to me this perfume sadly doesn't smell at all of the flowers. 

 

The greenery is very soapy and shrill to my nose, though I think in general the lab's grass note and I just don't get along in the bottle or on the skin. I was really let down by this one as a serious lilac lover. If there is a realistic lilac note hiding in there, I must be blinded by the greenery. 😞

[Claire-of-the-Valley]

I never tried the original scent, so this review is for the 2021 version. Overall, I quite like it although it starts out stronger than I'd like. It's a very green scent, overwhelmingly so at first. To me it very much smells like freshly cut flower stems just taken out of a water-filled vase. In other words, it makes me think of a flower shop. I definitely get greenery more than lilac, though as the scent dries they begin to creep through. I'd say on dry down it ends up more of a faintly musky aquatic with a hint of lilac.

 

I'll admit this one doesn't immediately evoke a forest in my mind, especially not a lilac one, although I can see how it's supposed to (aquatic notes=stream, greenery=flora, etc.) but there is something unusual and pleasant about it all the same. I'd say it improves with wear and the scent, once dry, lasts a very long time.