Paladin

[LadyLuckless]

Immaculate white musk, sweet frankincense, bourbon vanilla, white leather, and shining armor.

 

I've never successfully worn a scent with leather or metallic notes, and have always passed them off as being too masculine, but a surprise love of playing a paladin character made me order an imp on a whim. I'm so glad I did! Paladin is exquisite! The leather is soft, white, and immaculate, the armor is gleaming like freaking justice and the beautiful vanilla/musk/frankincense combo radiates like a halo. This is bottled strength and nobility, it smells like every incorruptible heroine who has ever held aloft a sword and kicked evil's ass! I feel unbeatable wearing this. It makes me want to charge out into the world to right wrongs and triumph like a boss. My bottle can't get here fast enough!

[vanillabean]

In the imp: This almost smells nutty to me.

 

Wet on skin: Green and tangy, with something warm (leather and incense probably) grounding it slightly.

 

Dry on skin: This is very soft and feminine on me, which is completely in contrast to what I expected. It is almost powdery, which to me isn't a bad thing as I am pro-baby powder as a scent. Really nice, but not what I expected. Not much throw.

[sarandipitee]

Simple and soft leather sweetened a tiny bit. Very faint on me, especially for a leather blend. There is barely a hint of frankincense and metal. I get no vanilla or white musk.

 

I think I'll keep my decant for when I get some more RPG samples and try some layering combos.

[mymymai]

ITB: The metal is quite clear - a newly polished armor scent, which compliments the frankincense and bright leather. I like it so far.

 

Wet: The leather is a bit stronger here, but the frankincense and polished armor are still evident. The bourbon vanilla is very faint at this stage on my skin.

 

Dry: It's a lovely, resinous, and slightly sweet blend.

[SophieCedar]

I haven't reviewed this yet? Whhaat? anyways..

 

Paladin is awesome. Its Bow & Crown of Conquest but softer and sweeter. Bottle for sure.. Understated, but memorable. I would say it's good for all seasons and occasions. Its rare to find a sweet, soft leather scent with the capacity to seamlessly follow you from baby shower to night of debauchery.

[Wren12]

Mmm...Paladin. Easily my favorite of the RPGs

 

Wet it sweet, yet somehow warm. The tiniest touch of soft, soft leather, but I don't get any if the metallic note from it, such as the shiny metal in Witchblade.

 

Dry this turns into sweet, bourbon vanilla with a light resinous kick swaddled in the soft leather from above. Still no metallic note which I'm fine with, though I do love the Labs metal note, it's not needed here. The white musk peeks through after a bit, but it remains sweet, deep vanilla throughout. Love it.

[Jangzonrice]

Got this as a frimp. Wet: vanilla, white musk, frankincense...very pretty. Dry: white musk .....that's it. Just smells like commercial perfume now....too bad. I will not be getting a bottle of this..

[Aviatrix]

I'm mostly getting frankincense and leather from this one. As it dries, it gets fairly faint, and a hint of metal peeks out as well. The faintness of the scent makes it suitable for layering with other RPGs, I think.

It's very soft and comforting, and surprisingly the metal doesn't give it too much sharpness. The leather is a soft "white" type, and the frankincense isn't completely overpowering the scent. Overall, it's very well-blended and pretty. Kind of unisex, bordering on masculine, but not too much so.

[Rip]

The RPG series has been kind of disappointing to me because most of them seem to have almost no throw on me. Fortunately Paladin is different and I'm aware that it's there without having to press my nose to my wrist. On me it's warm and spicy and sweet. The dominant note is the frankincense but the others are there lurking in the background. I really like this one.

[Lunasariel]

This came as a frimp.

 

In the bottle: something sharp-yet-warm. Incense, maybe? This could just be me wanting to smell the listed notes, though - I'm easily influenced that way.

 

Wet: Initial burst of soap, but really nice soap. Like, handmade artisan fancypants soap. Sweet(ish). My initial impression, according to my notes, was "classic Oriental."

 

Dry: The first impression of soap fades, leaving the vanilla and leather much more prominent. It becomes spicier and sweeter.

 

Overall, the warmth and sweetness make me place this one in my "comfort scent" pile, but it's not comforting the way a warm fuzzy sweater is (which is how most of my comfort scents feel) - it's got a serious edge to it, something no-nonsense and comfortingly...responsible?

[theseagrows]

i smell predominantly white musk at first. then it seems that the frankincense and vanilla come through, warming this up a bit and rounding it out. it's very subtle, and it's mostly white musk on me with hints of the other notes. after about 15 minutes or so the leather and armor comes out more and it's less ethereal than it was before.

 

eta: a couple hours later this is a very pretty skin scent of white musk and vanilla. <3

Edited September 6, 2014 by theseagrows

[Heaven_Star]

Imp: sweet frankincense!

 

Wet: Frankincense! Sweet, beautiful frankincense, a little sweet leather, something shiny at the top. A lovely sweet musk in the mix too. I suspect the vanilla is helping the sweet along, but I can’t pick it out specifically.

 

Dry: Beautiful, bright sweet frankincense. It really doesn’t morph much on me, but I’m ok with that because it’s great.

 

This is the knight on the white horse, people. This is probably my favourite lab frankincense. It’s completely gender neutral (I know all the RPGs are, but this one really impressed me with how very easily I could see the smell on a girl or a guy. Probably not a big bottle purchase, because I’ve got lots of lovely incense blends already. I’m going to try this on my man tonight to confirm the gender neutral status.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Clean and white, but not in a floral or aquatic way. Airy, soft, and slightly sweet.

 

Drydown: Creamy vanilla joins the clean airiness. As it dries, something material-like comes through. Initially I think it might be a plasticky metallic, but as it develops further I realize it’s actually a very processed leather note. It lends an edginess to the blend without completely corrupting the purity of it all.

 

Dry: Airy, creamy, and clean, with a hint of soft leather. there’s a pleasant brightness to it, quite similar to tea. Pure and white, with a touch of edgy sophistication.

 

 

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Initially, I get very strong, sharp leather. I get the shining armor as well. The leather isn't as strong on subsequent sniffs, but it is still the most prominent note to my nose. I think I get some of the white musk as well.

Wet: The white leather jumps out at me at first, but then the white musk joins it. The scent is sweeter now, but it is mainly a white musk and leather scent. I am not getting any bourbon vanilla from this at this time, but I am sure it is helping soften some of the notes. The frankincense has decided to take a background role on my skin.

Dry: White leather, musk, and sweet frankincense.

Verdict: I am glad that I was able to try this, but this is too leather-dominant for my liking.

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Leather with frankincense around the edges.

 

Wet: Still leather and frankincense. There’s a slight metallic note, a gleam, as it were, from the armor.

 

Dry: I have tried few if any BPAL leather blends before this. I don’t know why, because Paladin is dreamy. It’s soft leather balanced by resiny frankincense. The musk becomes more apparent after a couple of hours. The vanilla appears in the final drydown, by which point Paladin has become soft leather and vanilla. Yum.

 

Paladin is wonderful. Thank you, Lab!

[doublehelix]

Wet, I smell musky, piney leather. Definitely a sexy unisex scent. It is quite spicy wet, which I notice only as it dries down more soft. Dry, I get much more vanilla, and it smells more gentle.

[Mokiefraggle]

Why do I keep forgetting to review things? D: I've had this almost a year, now!

 

Wet, Paladin is a very white scent. Light, almost invisible musk, light frankincense duskiness, light leather, and a very light, airy vanilla sweetness. Possibly a bit sweeter than I'd expect something called "Paladin" to smell, but very delightful (also extremely nice when layered with Elf!).

 

Now, once Paladin starts to dry, it's still a very white, very light scent. But it also gets a bit deeper, the vanilla and frankincense becoming a richer base for the soft leather and the very delicate, slightly more powdery white musk. Not sure if I'm actually getting the metallic note, but it might be there. It's all just such a light, airy scent that it's hard to be certain.

 

It's a very light scent, very delicate, and very pleasantly wearable for a woman, though I imagine it could be pleasant on a man as well. Nice, decently unisex scent, not at all dainty for its lightness. I like this a lot.

[Balame]

I've almost tested all of the RPGs, and I guess the "Save the best for last" adage is true... because Paladin is absolutely beautiful! So glad I finally got to try it.

 

It reminds me a bit of The White Rider, which is one of my favorite BPALs overall. White musk with a gentle, slightly sweet leather.

Yet where Rider is drier and sexier, Paladin is lighter and more innocent with a predominantly vanillic leather and hint of frank instead of sandalwood.

 

I can definitely envision this as the "newbie" knight who's all sweetness, light and good intentions, where White Rider would be what she or he turns into after a little more maturity and world weariness set in.

This would be an ideal scent for someone who wants a dreamy leather blend but is nervous about the leather in itself.

Your mileage may vary, but to me it doesn't take the lead as in other blends (the bourbon vanilla is at the top).

 

Definitely among my RPG favorites now, and whether I wear this or Fighter will depend on the level of "rawr" I'm feeling.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Balame

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Sweet incense and vanilla.

 

Wet on my skin: Same as in the imp.

 

Dry: I ordered this because one of my main WoW characters is a Priest-Paladin hybrid, and I am not disappointed. This is a beautiful, almost churchlike incense sweetened by vanilla and tempered by just a hint of soft leather and white musk. I do not get any metal from this, but that's okay. The rest of it is very pretty, and I can't WAIT to see what it smells like layered with Elf (my Priestadin is an Elf, of course).

Edited April 28, 2015 by DiesMali

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: Sweet and clean. Like a soap or maybe it's the scent of cheap lip balm?I think soap is the picture I'm getting here. not even getting a colour from this scent, it's just "clean".

 

On: Yep, soap. It smells like those milk and honey-type soaps or body washes. This is so soft and clean, nothing here hints about armor or sweaty battles. Is it perhaps bath day for the Paladin?

The notes for this sounds amazing, but this is the second or third time that a scent with white musk smells nothing but clean. After looking through the spreadsheet of my listed collection I realize that white musk-scents either work very good, or are soapy.

And then WOAH! Is that tobacco I smell? Smoke? Something is trying to break through the clean! Hallelujah! Huffing it I think the "smoke" is actually the leather.

 

Unfortunately the leather could never break through the honey and milk-soap. To the swaps!

[Musamea]

Initial impressions in the imp: sharp and cologney, frankincense and metallic, cold and clean

Wet: all sharp metallic frankincense and supple wet leather, with the musk adding sweetness

Drydown: the sharpness dies waaaaay back, now it's worn-in smoky leather with a tinge of metallic armor (like a saddle under chainmail), with a bit of clean sweat; neither sweet nor cologne-y anymore, more on the masculine than feminine side but just barely that – it's more manly than masculine, if that makes sense, very very close to the skin; I'd probably never wear this on its own, but am interested in the layering potential and using for cosplay/DnD

[tinyvulture]

Pine, the very SWEETEST pine, blended with frankincense resin and soft leather. I love the bourbon vanilla and the additional sweetness it brings. This is not a foody blend at all, but I love how the vanilla complements the other notes and brings out their innate sweetness.

 

I love all pine blends, and this one's a delight. (Even though I don't smell any armor like I was hoping!)

 

Edit: Just noticed there is no pine in the scent description. ??? I don't know what my nose is up to. I smell pine and I love it!

Edited September 8, 2015 by tinyvulture

[HighlyBell7]

In Imp: Very light yellow. Light musky. Bit spicy?

Wet: Strong Wild Musk for Women smell like I used to wear when I was much younger. Beautiful. F-ing love!! I could wear this every day!!!

Dry: Light, sweet musk.

Later: A hint of Librarian glue? But still amazing. Now I want to try everything that has white musk in it.

Even Later: A hint of charred wood?

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: OMG so much metal and leather. Blarg. Was hoping for musk and vanilla.....

 

 

 

Dry: Predominantly leather and musk. The musk is quite powdery. There's some sweetness to this, and I still get hints of metal. Overall, not bad by any means, but not my type of scent either.

[Cali]

I was hoping for something strong with a big throw. But this is as strong as neutral, it's soft and clean. I'm getting of all things, a sharp vanilla. The vanilla being most apparent, and then there's a bit of that white musk and I guess shining armor.
​On drydown, a bit of leather shows itself, and even though I love bpal's leather note, it doesn't work for me in this. However this goes kind of "sweaty dude" on me after a while and I'm not a fan. On the swap pile it goes!