Tattered Lace

[calivianya]

An allegory of Victorian melancholy and madness: tea-stained bourbon vanilla, with white cognac, coconut bark, Oman frankincense, and woodmoss over opium tar-stained silk.

Tattered Lace starts out all tea on my skin, with the vanilla quickly appearing. Wet, those are the two most prominent notes I get, but as it dries down the other notes start to come out. I can definitely pick out the frankincense and what must be the smoky opium tar, but the other notes are blended very well. This is surprisingly light on my skin - I have to slather to really be able to smell that. I hope that aging improves both Tattered Lace's staying power and throw. We'll see.

[dreamingjune]

In bottle: Slightly citrus infused tea. Not what I was expecting.

 

Wet: This is really very green. All I am getting is the bpal tea note, which never agrees with me.

 

Dry: Still slighty citrus greenish tea. I guess there is a hint of vanilla trying to peek out but it never really manages to. It is reminding me of White Rose a bit, though.

 

Overall: I was hoping for subtle vanilla coconut goodness but got none of that. Instead I got wispy citrus tea. Meh. Also, I tried this on the roommate and he got nothing but green florals. Weird! I will say that if you liked White Rose you might love this.

[milo]

Wet, this is strong tea and a touch of vanilla. As it dries, it smells like a more boozy vanilla, less tea with a touch of crispness, which I'm guessing is the cotton. A couple of hours later, the vanilla is stronger still, and I can now get a sense of the cognac. The tea is virtually non-existent. This is like an adult foody blend, like homemade creamy vanilla ice cream, with real bits of vanilla with bourbon poured over top. In the distance, someone is sipping on strong brewed tea that is drifting in and out of your ice cream. The tea is 'good', though, the kind that you get from a tea shop and have to brew in those metal sieve thingy's. I love this blend, and so glad I took a chance on two bottles. I'm not really a true foody, but I love foody-like blends with something else to kick the foodiness into a bit of submission, like a musk or in this case tea, and maybe the other notes are contributing. This blend fits that perfectly, and I can only see it get better with age.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

When this first arrived, I tested it right away and found it to be sharp, and kinda stinky, so I put it aside for a few days.. hoping things might change.

 

So out it comes again today, and sadly - nope, nothing's changed.

 

The frankincense in this blend is so strong at first that it's overriding most of the other notes. When the frank burns off a bit, the tea is more prominent than I expected, and the woodmoss is very present during too the wet phase. The overall tone for me in the first 10 minutes is fresh/sharp greenery with a woodsy feel.

 

Around 15 minutes in, and that tone changes almost completely - now I can smell the lovely bourbon vanilla (which is deep and rich, rather than sweet).. and the coconut bark is there now too. The opium gives just a little bit of smokiness but it's not really noticeable - it does smell kinda silky at this point.

 

30 minutes in, and as others have mentioned.. it's faded a lot. I never really do pick up the white cognac specifically, although it does develop quite a boozy tone. Sadly the bourbon vanilla didn't stick around very long. The frankincense is back, as is the oakmoss, so the green-ish tones have returned.

 

This is probably my least favourite of the ".. Lace" series so far - I'd put it on the side of Black Lace because the tobacco in BL reminds me a bit of the top notes in TL and the cognac is very similar. And where Red Lace and Antique Lace have the soft, sweeter/prettier tones I find Tattered Lace has a more smutty personality with the same boozy character as BL. So if you enjoyed Black Lace, I think you'll really like this new one

[angelamaria]

In bottle: oooh, citrusy bright! Tea and bourbon vanilla, and slightly woody, slightly green. Woody-green, I suppose? I'm not entirely sure how that translates to "tattered lace", but okay!

 

Wet on skin: creamy, spicy vanilla and lemon tea. Beautiful! This is green and citrusy, smells rather yellow-green for me. It's light, and bright, but not overwhelmingly so; it has a creamy feel to it, as well. Very promising.

 

Dry: all dry, it's a creamy lemon tea. It reminds me a bit of Dorian, with the spiciness of Red Lace, but it's lighter and definitely more my style than Red Lace, as it is. Throw is light, stays close to skin, and sexy in a different way from Red Lace--this is more of a demure kind of sexiness. Later on, it's gotten a lot fainter, definitely hugging the skin, and "clean" smelling.

 

Verdict: I'm not too "sold" on this one yet. It's very pretty, but it feels a little...flat? Maybe it just needs a good bit of aging to have it smooth out some more and really come into its own.

[Little Bird]

I used to really like Tattered Lace, but it has turned sour with age. I don't get any vanilla or sweetness from it anymore, and the lemony qualities have really amped up. It smells like lemon dish soap and a whiff of sour green grass. Has turned really sour and astringent with age. I'm selling all of my Lace bottles, except for Black Lace. I'm really disappointed with how this one has changed over time...

Edited March 22, 2013 by Little Bird

[SophieCedar]

This is one of those examples where Beth knows so well how some ingredients will mix and what association it will bring, that she hit this one dead on.

 

It smells like musty lace.. really it does!..strange dry musty lace and frankincense when wet, then drydown.. the cognac and oakmoss pop out more giving it this tattered lace meets dirty old man's library with aged, slightly soured, untouched in 20 years baking in the window booze, and traditional cologne wafting off of tired, wrinkled skin enrobed in costly velvet feel. Thoroughly bizarre but intriguing.

 

ETA: about 1 hour later, this settles into a sweet, earthy linen. Much more enjoyable!

Edited July 25, 2011 by SophieCedar

[angelicruin]

This is heavy bourbon vanilla on me with a green herbal undertone. Think this one will age wonderfully.

[kirsten]

Honestly, this smells nothing like I expected it to smell, which was something more along the lines of a whiter, less fruity version of Red Lace, which has a very dark feel to it in my opinion. Tattered Lace is alarmingly... well, thin. It does smell very nice and I do like the initial burst of coconut mixed with vanilla that's just a little on the boozy side (though fortunately not as vanilla-flavored-ethanol as Celeste was!).

 

I'm not really sure what to make of it. The almost-fruity first stages startled the hell out of me, LOL. This one definitely needs another test.

[Amoraexcena]

This and CC:F has become my winner-wears for this summer, and I can see both of them becoming long-term favs.

 

Initially, the frankincense is pretty strong, and I think combined with the woodmoss gives this almost a citrus feel. After the wet stage however the sharpness fades completely (I think possibly it'll fade completely with some aging.)

 

The drydown is so comforting. The lace is very well loved, snuggly, soft and with a worn-in feel. The vanilla tea is prominent with the cognac, opium tar and resin as supporting notes that keeps this from being a simple young-feminine blend. I can't get much of coconut bark or silk (I have no idea what the latter is supposed to smell like). There is none of the coconut note in Obatala or Tarot: Star etc.

 

It did initially remind me of Dorian but it's less sweet and way less musky. I wear it more than Dorian! It lasts about 3-5 hours, with a really enjoyable close throw.

[eml298]

I rarely write reviews as I don't believe I'm very good with them. That said, I owe it to Tattered Lace to weigh in, at least.

 

A little relevant background: I gifted my bottle of Antique Lace right before it disappeared from the Lab, and have regretted it ever since. A few blends have been somewhat reminiscent (like Joyful Moon with its added rose note), but none have really been a fair replacement.

 

This scent, however, comes very, very close to satisfying my AL craving. It's definitely in that same family - maybe nonidentical twin? Each time I wear it, it smells a little different in the wet stage. Once it dries, though, there's that familiar and beloved ethereal and creamy vanilla wafting on smooth tea and spice. It's close to the skin for me, but a winner even to my husband's nose - which is very rare for a sweeter scent.

 

Overall, I am in love, and have purchased multiple back-ups.

[Schmoozy]

Dusty, dry linens, with a citrus vanilla over frankincense. It is absolutely beautiful. Light, ethereal and extremely comforting.

[zankoku_zen]

It starts off as citrusy tea, and then I get vanilla, linens and a hint of coconut and cognac. It ends up a sort of boozey, sweet vanilla.

 

It reminds me to mix of Antique Lace and Black Lace.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Heavenly. The vanilla, tea, moss, and cognac are absolutely stunning together, sweet and wicked. The opium is softer, but perfect with the dominant blend. The coconut and frankincense are understated, but present. While frankincense often overwhelms, here it plays well with others. Wet: Less smoothly blended on my skin, but still quite lovely. The tea is more distinct and dominant. The moss provides good support. The vanilla is now dancing with the frankincense, and the cognac has dropped to the softness of the coconut. I do think it’s better in the bottle, but I like this too. Dry: Not quite as good on the dry down. It’s mostly vanilla and frankincense at this point. I have hopes that this will be interesting as it ages, and it really is still worth it, but the dry down is disappointing compared to fresh and in bottle.

[mryan66]

Ever since my beloved black lace was murdered by the apple changeling I have not liked anything "Lace" still its the idea and the name that gets me every-time, so of course tattered lace ended up joining her spinster sisters. However, a few weeks in the corner improved her greatly. When I first open the bottle I got my ultimate note of death, some stale lemony thing. I hate lemon! All citruses are supposed to function perfunctorily and humbly as brief top notes, so why does LEMON always mange to stick around and ruin everything? I braved that and, after applying it, i was intrigued at what it morphed into, but the scent seemed so week it wasn't worth snorting my nose into my face to try and figure it out, so I left it. Lo and behold, two weeks later, a miracle. Like so many bpals, time makes all the difference. The scent had become ten times stronger[though still not as persistent as the original black lace.] It's a white, bone dry scent to me, very reminiscent of old brittle linen. The vanilla is amazing, not cloying, but a sort of dusty, rich vanilla tea scent, its very much like antique lace, but earthy where that one was sweet and powdery. The lemon pretty much gets its butt kicked, and quietly integrates itself into the big picture.I kept trying to figure out what it reminded me of, and voila. I used to play with the fancy hand made lace doilies on my Great grandmas furniture, and they had that smell exactly; the ghost of furniture polish, spilled tea, wood dust and old cloth. Awesome. Ten out of ten for the scent, five out of ten for throw.

[misscoldheart]

So I don't know what changed about this that it works well for me now, but when I tried the tester I was generously frimped it was OK but not my fav. I don't remember specifically what I didn't like but none of the notes I wanted to be were there. I had a bottle coming anyway so its been sitting in the drawer a couple weeks . I decided to give it a try today on a whim and was very pleasantly surprised by the difference! I'm getting the vanilla and incense, but I def got copal when I used the tester I had and not with the bottle I tried today. I agree it doesn't stick around but I am pleased but the change! It's comforting and light, which is a nice change from big sister black lace who totally overpowered my sensibilities after a while. Could see this for any season also! I can never detect a tea note, bit this one is almost there on me! Coconut husk and woodyness is tiny but also lingering. It's interesting and lovely!

[theseagrows]

this smells like a very "classic" scent to me, and it's more "perfumy" than i thought it would be, which is a good thing, because this works pretty well with my skin chemistry. the vanilla is not a foody vanilla at all, which makes me happy, and i think i'm getting mostly opium and woodmoss with a bit of cognac in the background. very pretty, and i will keep my decant.

Edited February 21, 2018 by theseagrows

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Very alcoholic! I definitely get sharp booze notes mixed with smoke and tobacco.

 

Wet: It's not as strong as expected! Surprisingly light and I have to slather quite a bit on my wrist to really catch more of the scent. Alcohol is dominant, it's crisp and almost like ozone. A hint of vanilla creeps in, and it's the plastic play-doh kind of vanilla, sharp and acrid, not foodie.

 

Dry: The alcohol burns off in a few hours and I'm left with a dusty, muted musk. Close on the skin, it's dry and gummy, almost sickly sour. But from a distance, it throws off a lovely earthy cigar, which is nice. Nothing really bad about this, but it's also not something I really like.

[Rho]

I had to buy a bottle of this because the name and concept appeal to me so much. I was expecting something dark and sticky.

 

Wet on my skin, I get a lot of frankincense and a sort of blinding boozy vibe, which I think is coming from the cognac. I don't get anything woodsy or green like a lot of other reviewers have, so it must be my skin chemistry that's making a difference.

 

Dry, I smell this really pretty vanilla, and am totally sensing the tea (similar to Dorian's as others have noted). A whisper of coconut is there as well, and the scent is cuddly and poofy. Is this because of the silk?

 

My bottle is a few months old, and is neither a very strong throw, nor very weak. It's pretty average; I can smell Tattered Lace from the spot I applied it on my wrist, even while my hands are away from my nose and typing right now.

 

All in all, I like this one. I also have Red Lace, and prefer Tattered somewhat because it's so comforting.

[Amalthea]

I tested this at the same time as a Dorian v2 and I must admit I was a little disappointed at first...

 

In the imp: Boozey but sharp with lemon. Reminded me of cleaning product.

 

Wet: The same, although a little mellower. The vanilla probably coming out. Frankincense also about.

 

Drydown: It began to get creamier, maybe not creamier but rounder and better.

 

Dry: Dry it was so much better, wearable and gorgeous.

 

Verdict: After being initially disappointed, Tattered Lace went one way and Dorian v2 went another, both became their own and lovely in their own right. I feel like I'll wear this is summer.

[twilighteyes]

This one starts out smelling a bit like lemony tea while wet.

 

After the dry down it morphs to a sister of Black Lace but without as much throw. It disappears pretty fast on my skin.

[blu°]

I agree with previous posters that this gets much more pleasant after some weeks of aging. When I first got my bottles, the scent was very sharp and strong on the tea note. Now after some weeks, I got it out for testing again, and the tea blends much better with the vanilla-cotton base, more like a breath over those other notes. It still has a bright feel, but is much softer and more well rounded.

[Incendiare]

This is so white and bright in the bottle, bursting with sharp tea and bourbon. It smells glorious on me too. The opium is noticeable and the vanilla comes out more on the dry down. Unfortunately, this has barely any throw, so I need to slather this on like nobody's business. I was actually contemplating ordering multiple bottles from DD a few months back but it was the extreme lack of throw that changed my mind. It's really too bad since this is gorgeous and can be worn at anytime of the year, whether it's sweltering hot outside or frostily cold.

[Teaotter]

Wet: sugary vanilla. Very promising, considering my skin chemistry turns a lot of vanillas into plastic or something equally nasty.

 

Drydown: The coconut bark comes out swinging, giving this a slightly nauseating smell that reminds me of young coconut juice, which I hate, or possibly just rancid lotion of some sort. This is *much* less promising.

 

Dry: The coconut bark pulls back, but I'm still left with something that smells like a faintly vanilla lotion. Darn my skin chemistry!

[ami226]

On the skin: Sugar vanilla with an alcohol tinge. Reminds me quite a bit of how black lace started out on me. This scent turns floral really quickly on me. Pretty white floral with that alcohol tinge still.

 

Just not for me. *sigh*