Tattered Lace

[alterosen]

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.

In the beginning, this is a bright citrusy tea scent that hovers on the verge of being too fresh for my liking, but then the yummy vanilla musk comes out & all is forgiven. It doesn't have a ton of throw or staying power but will be just the thing in warm weather when I don't want to be overpowered by scent. Reminds me somewhat of Lady Lilith in its light fresh complexity.

[Gateau]

This is a new bottle of Tattered Lace, and I'm hoping that a few weeks of age (as suggested above) will enhance it because right now I can barely smell anything at all!

 

What I do get is a very light, fresh, slightly citrussy tea. It smells a lot like The Dormouse with a drop of Dorian in it. Eventually it develops in a vanilla direction and I can just sniff out a teeny hint of something a little smokier, but whether that's coconut, incense, moss, or opium I have no idea.

 

I hope it develops a deeper scent because I think I would like it if I could smell it!

 

ETA -- it did indeed develop with age. The coconut bark adds a woody depth, and the frankincense and opium step up. The tea also deepened. It's not not a heavy scent, but it has greater throw, staying power, and depth now.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Gateau

[lovelylily]

The first time I tested this pre-shark week it started as a fresh, crisp blend with only a hint of smoke. Once dry the bourbon vanilla was at the forefront made a little brighter by the cognac, but mind you I'm not able to individually pick out the boozy note on my skin. The heavy vanilla was made a little more rounded by the coconut bark which gave it a nice woody edge, but again the vanilla is definitely the star here.

 

During shark week,however, Tattered Lace becomes this deeply dark incense scent that has crazy lasting power. It is still somewhat lifted by the cognac but dang I'm getting mainly what I would think opium tar on silk would smell like. Oddly though, even though it's miles apart from my first test impression, I really like this darker scent and I'm loving the whiffs I catch of it.

 

I'll have to test again in a week or so! so far though I give it a 4/5 because it really is an interesting scent and it could probably age into something fun to wear.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Sugary vanilla is immediately distinctive, but it also has a smooth, lemony quality...

 

On skin: That lemony-green quality must be from the tea, which turns out to be the dominant note in Tattered Lace. This blend is smooth and watery in a tea fashion, light, gentle and demure. I've tried Antique, Black and Red Laces too, all of which have the distinctive sugary vanilla note, so I'm sorry to say that the vanilla in Tattered Lace is extremely subdued to the point of being non-existent. Neither can I identify any of the other notes. The blend does deepen over time, and heavier notes such as frankincense and opium/poppy begin to show their heads. But overall, it is a vague scent without strong character. Colour impression is the pale, yellow-green of delicate green tea.

 

Verdict: Well, this was disappointing. I was hoping to have a distinctive Lace variation here, but wasn't expecting a complete departure from the theme! Pass.

[The Planet Queen]

Vanilla tea with a hint of coconut. I'm glad I bought the bottle. The only downside is this scent is fleeting. I wish it had more wear length but it probably wouldn't smell the same then. I've had the same problem with pink lace.

[kawaiiferreto]

 

I love this!! It's a little sweet and creamy, but also a little bright and fresh (the tea, I assume?) I can smell a hint of the coconut bark in there. This is precisely the sort of scent I love! Sweet but with some tartness/ sharpness to keep it interesting! I do wish the wear length was a bit longer (it seems to be totally gone except for a hint of the creamy sweetness within 3-4 hours or so.)

 

I was always a fan of Antique Lace but I like this SO MUCH MORE. Antique Lace is so dry, and sweet, and powdery, like the best vanilla dryer sheets ever, which I LIKE, but a similar vanilla-y feel with less powder and some freshness instead? OMG!

[dawndie]

In bottle: watery sweet tea

 

On skin: lots of dusky almost-white musk

 

Half-hour later: settled down into that creamy Lace-ish base, sweet and dusty

 

In conclusion: my only fear was the tea, and luckily that doesn't come out too strong on me. This one lasted a decent amount of time on me too. Another nice Lace blend.

[Gin]

Usually I can pick out individual notes, but Tattered Lace gives me nothing. Pretty much all I can say is Tattered Lace = good.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Gin

[OctoberGwen]

Tattered Lace. The only Lace besides Red that I truly love.

 

Growing up, my mother used to take me to flea markets, antique shops, and places like Old Sturbridge Village and Strawberry Banke all the time. She has always loved old things, and for some reason the smell of Tattered Lace evokes all those memories for me. It's not that it smells musty or fusty at all - in fact, it's quite fresh - but it definitely brings to mind a beautiful old steamer trunk filled with impeccably preserved linens. Definitely a sepia toned scent, but clean.

 

A really interesting thing about the oil is that I can smell different components on different parts of my body. My wrists are all dark vanilla and the scent wafting up from my cleavage is definitely tea with a hint of cognac. I'm surprised (and happy) that the frankincense isn't clobbering everything else at all - it blends very nicely here. In the scent locket I get a hint of it, along with the coconut bark, the tea, and the vanilla. Yesterday I wore it on my body AND in the locket, and enjoyed all the different aspects of it.

 

I think this will be a great scent for summer, as a departure from the tropical fruity/fizzy scents that I usually reach for when the weather is sweltering. It's true that it doesn't last as long on my skin as I would like, but it's certainly not an instant vanisher and it's great in the locket, too.

 

Tattered Lace is a keeper for me, definitely, for all sorts of reasons.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: I can't pick out any individual notes, but it's a complex scent, both bitter and sweet.

Wet: Vanilla in the background with a greenish, slightly bitter note dominating (cognac, perhaps?).

Dry: A booozy vanilla. Not bad, and I do like the concept, but too sweet for me.

[lahdeedah]

OK, so I tested this out of a cold mailbox which means that my impressions are likely to change!

 

First on: blast of citrus-y tea

 

Moments Later: Whoa vanilla! That is some rich bourbon vanilla there.

 

Much later: Stays put at a dry, dusty linen and vanilla scent. Fascinating. I have Autumn Lace on the other arm and I can tell the vanilla is of the same variety, but it feels much richer and foodier in this one.

 

Verdict: A very pretty, Victorian-y, girlish Lace.

[vanillabean]

In the bottle: Coconut tea with a hint of vanilla, and something sharp hanging out in the background.

 

Wet on skin: Citrus tea with a hint of coconut. This is making me think of an amped up version of Snow White 2010.

 

Dry on skin: Definitely a more citrus-y, amped up version of Snow White 2010. It is creamy and cool, and really quite lovely.

 

Glad I got a bottle of this.

[Ranna]

This is much lighter than I thought it would be.

 

On wet it was a very sweet, slightly smoky vanilla.

 

Once dry, it's faded to something creamier and more tea-like. I can't say I'm getting much citrus or coconut, but no complaints...I like it a lot as it is.

 

Verdict - it's a keeper. Glad I snagged a bottle!

[mymymai]

ITB: It's cognac, opium, and frankincense fresh from the bottle.

 

Wet: That's lovely. Bourbon vanilla, opium, cognac, tea, frankincense, and something that does remind me of silk.

 

Dry: It's warm (bourbon vanilla), feminine (silk and coconut bark), and deliciously resinous from the frankincense and opium.

[vthesiren]

This is so strange. I got a frimp of the Dark Delicacies signature blend a few weeks ago, and Tattered Lace's drydown smells JUST LIKE that: a creamy, heavy, almost smoky vanilla/coconut blend. Slightly sour and not "light" on me at all. Huh.

[theredkilt]

Hummm..i'm confused i can not quite describe what i'm smelling, but the image i'm getting is mainly a make-up bag filled with traces of dusting powder and lipstick. It's very feminine and powdery.

[Magycmyste]

In the bottle: Dark and sweet, a little syrupy.

 

Wet on skin: I think I'm getting the cognac and woodmoss more than anything. This is faint, but dark on me....

 

Dried down: As it dries down, the vanilla and coconut start coming out to play. While before I wasn't too sure about this, now I kind of want to bathe in this scent. The cognac is still there, but it seems more to temper the vanilla and coconut more than to add a scent of its own. I'm not noticing the frankincense much - it's usually a sharp incense on me, but right now it's blending with the vanilla and coconut.

 

Throw: I kind of have to sniff my wrists to get the vanilla and coconut. There is a little bit of throw on me, but it's very light, and oh so pretty! It reminds me a little of Go To Sleep, Darlings (I haven't worn that in awhile), I think, in the sweetness, but with a coconut undertone.

 

Verdict: ***** Ok, I'm sold. I'm glad I got a couple of backup bottles before this one sold out (I think it's sold out.) This is going into the BPAL treasure chest.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Magycmyste

[Missy_killer]

In the bottle: Ooooh... What is that? Tea? Cognac? It smells good! A rather sweet smell with a tart undertone. It honestly doesn't remind me of any of the listed notes, but it is very good. And so odd.

 

On: Citrus! Lemon? Citrus Tea? I'm gonna go ahead and say it's tea. It's not juicy or tart citrus, it's bitter. But it doesn't smell of grapefruit either (which is what I associate bitter citrus with). And then something happens that I don't like at all. It turns green. Stems of flowers, newly cut and dewy. It's grassy, bright green and very floral. Please go away

I'm not a fan of this stage at all, it then start screaming "floral with soapy undertones!!!" So loud and obnoxious. After it's been screaming for a while it calms down a notch and a light and sugary vanilla emerges.

 

All the other times I've tested this I remember that I've liked it. Because then it was a soft and clean, non foodie vanilla. Now it almost gives me a headache.

 

I honestly thing I will have to let this go. It's so, so strong! And not at all what I remembered

[LizziesLuck]

This just came in the mail today, and it is hot out, and I should be letting it rest before I test, but I'M NOT, so there.

 

 

Wet: Lots of sugared tea, and that amazing combo of note I associate with all of the laces and COCONUT! Omg, I get the coconut in this. I adore coconut. And this is like Black Lace with coconut so far - a million times better than expected! I never amp coconut, and usually only smell it in blends where it is the dominant note. *swoon*

 

 

Dry: Sadly, the coconut fades. But this has that beautiful creamy vanilla thing that I love so much about the laces. Sweet, creamy and elegant.

[nolifeking]

Light yet warm scent! At first, there is indeed a vague citrus-y tea vibe but coconut with sweet, rich vanilla quickly dominate the tea and for a while, I only smell these two, with maybe faint trace of cognac, not really sure.. the component of this perfume are very well blended!

After maybe 30 min, resin and opium add a nice smoky aspect to the scent ♡♡♡♡♡this is so sophisticated ♡

[celestia]

♔ Tattered Lace

 

In the Bottle: Slightly sweetened incense

 

Wet: Citrus and incense, it’s quite green and fresh- like a grass note in a springtime blend…or like one of those Ode to Aphrodite blends (Verticordia, Murcia etc).

 

Drydown: Smokiness is coming out, the grassiness disappeared and subdued now. I get cognac without vanilla. It’s quite sharp. I don’t really get any of the conceptually described notes at all and was hoping for the vanilla to be more prominently tea-stained but it smells aged, dusty and dry on me, not quite what I remembered of the creamy vanillas hailing from the lace family. I also get no tea mixed in, not do I manage to capture what “silk” here is supposed to smell like. The description is so beautiful, the last time I wore it, was also very beautiful- but currently, as of now- none of what I remember is present. It's not that delicate creamy lightly vanillic musk I remember trying back all those years. I imagined this to smell like an upper class, classic perfume from an older woman, perhaps resinous and regal with a slight fragility in the blend. It feels like this tattered lace became starchy and stiff – almost like crunchy tattered lace. It smells a bit like the decaying leaf note in the Autumn Leaves blends.

 

TL;DR: Crunch starchy, dusty musk with a light leafy citric incense.

[whisperstilled]

I've had my eye on this one for...eh...a million years? I've wanted to try as many of the Laces as I could get my hands on since I started with BPAL, and I somehow missed this one when it was released.

 

In Bottle: Astringent tea plus something slightly sweet. I think the sharpness is coming from the cognac and woodmoss. Maybe a hint of coconut?

 

Wet: Cognac and opium. Oooh. I like. This is my favorite opium note from the lab. I still only get coconut in the back, mostly opium and tea and cognac.

 

Drying: Sweetening up. Vanilla now, I think, and the resiny frankincense dominating over the opium note. The cognac and that sharp alcoholic quality is burning off.

 

Dry: Coconut and vanilla are now at the fore, with a breath of tea and medicinal opium. This scent. Is weird. But I like it? Not a ton of throw, but enough. I think this one deserves a full day wear to see how it settles. All in all, really well blended and pretty complex.

[bellumed]

Boozy vanilla and woodmoss. Smells kind of like furniture polish on my skin (I think that might be the tea being unfriendly in combination with the other notes) with hints of coconut. Aaaaabsolutely not for me.

[AirimirOfGondor]

I liked Tattered Lace, but it's overall a kind of nondescript Lace fragrance, with the sligtest note of coconut.

 

It's still quite nice, but it didn't really wow me; it faded a little faster than other fragrances, and had a very low throw. I like my oils to last a long time, so I prefer things to be pretty strong, with a pretty high throw. That way I can just apply a few drops to be good all day. With TL, I'd always found myself reapplying halfway through the day, and really slathering it on. Which would have been fine, really, except it jusy seemed like a waste for me to use up that much, when it's not my biggest favorite.

[sarandipitee]

This is such a soft, lovely, sweet addition to the Lace family. I only have a partial decant that I treasure so it comes out when I’m feeling like I need a BPAL boost.

 

On my skin it’s mainly sugared vanilla tea, light coconut, and opium linen. It’s got great throw and is different enough from my black and antique laces that tracking down a full decant might be necessary.