I am Tired of Tears and Laughter

[JazzieCazzie]

White lavender, oudh, and Siamese benzoin.

Double-test-driving my two new purchases from the lovely Proserpine, one on each arm.

IN THE BOTTLE: Lavender lavender lavender. A beautiful, light, slightly herbal/resiny lavender. It reminds me quite a lot of my precious Baku and I could TOTALLY see this fitting in just perfectly with the Somnium series.

Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of that arm.

WET: On application, it is puuuuuure lavender on me and could almost be a single note at first. But the slightly medicinal and sweet benzoin note rises quickly to join it and makes it more complex. A very subtle and beautiful combination.

DRYDOWN: This is where it gets even more interesting. The oudh definitely joins the party on drydown and the result is fascinating to me. It's really kind of spectacular. It becomes less of a "lavender blend with other touches" and more of a "resinous woody blend with some lavender and benzoin." It stays just the unisex side of men's cologne for me, enough that I feel great wearing it myself instead of smelling it on a guy.

OVERALL: I <3 this. I think it is one of the most multi-dimensional blends I've smelled in a long time ... it has the lavender component for the lavender lovers, the kind of thing I can put on before I go to sleep to help me drift off into lavender loveliness. But it also has a strength to it that I think would totally appeal to those who classify lavender as either aromatherapy or girly-girl. I feel like I could wear this any time, anywhere, and people would come up to me and say "Ooooooh, WHAT are you wearing?" I will see if that happens on vacation this week.

On a scale of 1-5, really, a 5.

[bheansidhe]

This is so amazing, I am begging myself not to drag my tired carcass back to D*Con and buy a bottle on the spot. (I seriously overspent.)

 

It starts off with the gently astringent twin notes of benzoin and lavender - very much a herbal lavender, rather than sweet. Then the oudh rises up and everything becomes this warm, spicy melange of something warm and sharply woodsy. This blend is a love song to oudh.

[SadariEvenstar]

This is wonderful. I'm picky about my lavender (TKO actually made me cringe when I smelled it in the bottle) and up to this point I really hadn't found *my* bpal lavender.

 

This is lavender grounded by a deep spicy sweet base. It settles in like a second skin on me. I want to cuddle myself. It's very gender neutral. I keep thinking, "masculine, no feminine, no...."

 

The throw is not huge, but the lasting power is excellent. It's been 8 hours and it's only now starting to fade.

[Mechanical Death]

I love lavender scents. They're relaxing and help me on days when I'm in a lot of pain and really nauseaus.

 

I had to get this one when I saw the description.

 

In the bottle it's all lavender, slightly medicinal but that never scares me off with lavender blends.

 

immediately on the skin the lavender sweetens. It's less herbal than I expected and it almost smells like lavender bubblegum cough syrup. D:

As it goes into the dry down the bubblegum medicine smell disappears (thank the gods), and turns more into a sweet resinous smell that I know benzoin to be. There is a dryness lurking underneath, which brings the herbal lavender fragrance back to the fore front.

 

Now it's mostly beautiful dry lavender, with a little sweetness/resin lurking underneath. It's quite a simple fragrance, but endlessly beautiful and fresh.

It has almost a slightly ozone quality to it, making me think of cool fall air and drying herbs.

 

4/5. I almost want MORE lavender out of it, but it'll do for now. I can't wait to see what it does as it ages.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Beautiful strong pale lavender with benzoin in strong support and oudh to smooth it out. Wet: Richer and yet more sharply delineated on the skin. It’s wetter and juicier, but the balance remains essentially the same, only with stronger oudh. Dry: Mostly lavender with a kiss of benzoin.

[windbourne]

This is pretty gorgeous. Definitely a strong lavender at the start, but it does burn off as it dries down, allowing the oudh's spicy, woody glory to shine. The benzoin is not super-strong, but lends a vanilla-like, but nearly medicinal afternote. It is almost masculine, but I think settles in the unisex region and I think I need a bottle.

 

So, basically, what they said. ;; If it sounds like something you would like, you probably will. It didn't surprise me much at all.

File under: Does What It Says On The Tin.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Pale and creamy in a thick sort of way. Slightly spicy too.

 

Drydown: Resinous lavender with a bit of sweetness to it. Deep shadows with shafts of herbal-creamy-brightness piercing through. Dark, slightly woody, herbal, creamy, and slightly bright, …this stuff is really good.

 

Dry: Pretty much the same as the drydown, except it keeps taking interesting little slants. First it turns a bit powdery, then a bit robust (think Vicomte de Valmonte), then I swear it starts to alternate between waxy and smoky like an actual lit candle sending different notes to my nose as the angle of the wind changes. None of these slants take away from the scent, they just keep my interest piqued - like falling in love over and over again. If you haven’t ordered this yet, go do it now.

 

 

 

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Lavender. I love lavender, so I am looking forward to this!

 

Wet: This lavender is familiar. Is it the lavender in TKO, minus the awesome marshmallow-y sweetness? *goes to smell TKO* No, I don't think so. I am sure I have sniffed this lavender note before, though!

 

Drydown: Slightly resinous lavender. The benzoin seems to be making more of an appearance the longer I wear it, and it is helping to sweeten up the blend.

 

Dry: Well, this was unexpected. Perhaps the oudh started peeking out some more, because it seems to be somewhat masculine, and a lot more resinous than it was before!

 

Verdict: I had high hopes for this, but I prefer my lavender mixed with sugary notes (as opposed to other herbs and resins). I may test this again, but it has turned a bit too masculine for my liking. No bottle for me.

[Xue_Bai]

In the decant: Medicinal, yet smokey, lavender.

 

Wet: Soft, smokey, cool resin and lavender. The lavender is still loud, but it plays nice with the oudh.

 

Dry: The lavender is very soft now and is amazing with the smoky resin I'm getting from this.

 

Verdict: Still not really a lavender fan, but this is really nice! Not too much of a throw, playing soundly in the realm of unisex. Not something I'd wear out, but it's just the thing I want for a bedtime perfume. Interesting without being to complex or heavy. So while not bottle worthy, the decant is getting it's own home in my bedside table's drawer.

[Gateau]

This is WHOA, LAVENDER from beginning to end. It's the very sharp, medicinal kind. I happen to like it, but if I am going to wear it as perfume, I really need it to soften down at some point and this just didn't. It seems to crush the benzoin entirely on me, but i did start to get some of the oudh late in the game. It's a very masculine blend on me, not something I can wear.

[aphrodite]

Literally everything Gateau just said. Same exact experience I had. And the masculine part reminded me of my grandpa - I like some "masculine" smells on me, but the sexy kind. Not the grandpa kind, even though it specifically reminds me of when he was in maybe his 40s.

[Magycmyste]

I got a sniffie bottle of this along with the decant from my gracious circle host,so I'm going to use the sniffie to test, and follow up with the decant if I can't get enough on my skin. Also, I'm not familiar with oudh, but if it's as strong as other reviewers say, I'm hoping I'll be able to identify it in this blend, since I know lavender and I think I've gotten to know benzoin enough.

 

In the bottle: Huh. In the bottle, I think I'm mostly getting the oudh, a very spicy, woody scent, with a touch of benzoin. I don't think I'm getting much lavender at all. If any, it's very light, and blends almost seamlessly into the oudh.

 

Wet on skin: Primarily benzoin.

 

Dried down: The lavender's coming out now, blending beautifully with the benzoin and oudh. Mmmmmm..... I can understand what Jazzie said about it fitting in with the Somnium series. I could see myself wearing this before going to bed, maybe dabbing a little bit on my collarbone - I think it would fit nicely with my Nocturne TAL.

 

Throw: Not much, but I didn't get much on my skin, as I tested from the lip of the bottle. What little is there is primarily the oudh, I think. Maybe a little bit of lavender. I get the benzoin more if I sniff my wrists.

 

Verdict: **** I like this a lot, and the decant is definitely a keeper, but I haven't decided if I'm going to get a bottle yet. I'm a little afraid of my Halloween order getting too large, but we'll see.

[HerbGirl]

Aw...sultry, spicy lavender. This is gorgeous!

 

ETA. This dries down to a gorgeous spicy benzoin...no lavender in sniff! I still love this and I bet the lavender will stick around longer with age. :-)

 

ETA: 18 Oct 2013 - verrry masculine...I'm hoping this will FEMME out just a bit with some age as well...

 

 

ETA: 18 Feb 2014 - oh dear. This has aged into such a beautiful lavender...I'm so glad I have a bottle. No harshness or masculinity in sniff...just beautiful woodsy lavender. Holy crap!

Edited February 18, 2014 by Herb Girl

[mymymai]

ITB: All I can get from the bottle is glorious white lavender. It makes me want to drift off to sleep.

 

Wet: Gosh, this lavender is so clean and herbal. I love it even if I can barely detect the benzoin.

 

Dry: It dries quickly down to an intensely resinous and almost earthy blend with tones of pungent white lavender swirled in. Interesting.

[milo]

I thought this would be a no brainer, as I love all of these notes. For some reason, it is a masculine lavender on me. So it's probably the combination of the resins that is doing this to the blend. It's kind of sweet, I'm assuming from the benzoin, but it is just too masculine to warrant anything but this 1/2 decant. I would like to smell it on a guy though.

[BlueberryPie]

This is pretty much a single note lavender on me, and a very herbal lavender at that. It reminds me of lavender stuffed pillows my grandma had at her house. This would be perfect for someone who likes lavender, or someone who can sleep to the smell of lavender, but personally, I'm just not very into lavender. Which is strange, since I usually don't mind herbal smells. I'm tempted to try sleep to this, but I've never had trouble going to sleep. I'm dead asleep usually the second my head touches the pillow, so it feels very wasteful wearing perfume to bed. I won't get to enjoy it.

 

I think I'm gonna pass this bottle onto someone who'll appreciate it more. Hopefully someone close by me so I can see if I prefer lavender when it's on someone else. I really wish I liked the way lavender smells, because I like the way lavender looks so much. *sighs*

 

 

SCORE: 6/10 (Although this is an admittedly biased score. I'm sure someone who enjoys lavender would rate it much higher)

[surlygurl]

Skin chemistry is so very personal! I almost didn't get a decant of this - lavender is not a big fave. Glad I got it.

 

In the decant, it's very much clean herbal lavender. Could be single note. But then.... I dab some on my wrist, and it gets dark. Resinous. Almost smokey. Very heady. It only takes a minute for the change to happen on me... The lavender sinks like the setting sun into a resinous night. Not a colorful sunset, but something warm & glowing just underneath. More like dusk.

 

I almost talked myself into a bottle, but the second time I tried it it gave me a headache. This is a special blend - not for every day wear. A "mood scent".

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I love lavender and benzoin, but oudh can go wonky on my skin so I'm curious to see how this turns out.

 

Wet: Whoof, that is some STRONG lavender. It's very medicinal and sharp and kind of stings my nose when I sniff it.

 

Dry down: Still nothing but strong lavender, although the sharpness disappears after about 10 minutes. This is exceptionally masculine to my nose.

 

Dry: Pretty much a single note lavender on my skin, but I can imagine that this is lovely on a man.

 

Final thoughts: I have other lavenders I like better, and this is far too masculine for this girly girl to pull off.

 

Verdict: Off to the sales!

[TheFrenchWaffle]

I have found my perfect lavender scent....and it's an LE. Years ago while studying in Rome I bought this handmade lavender perfume spray from a convent/monastery. It was perfect. lovely herbal lavender with a hint of lemon zest and something ever so slightly woodsy. For some reason it just clicked for me, comforting and ever so slightly nostalgic. Perfect. And I never found anything to match it. Until now.

 

Wet: A very herbal, woodsy lavender. Almost a faint hint of fennel or anise. I guess I would classify this as unisex if I had to.

 

Drying: I'm not sure of what oudh smells like, but perhaps that is what is giving this more strength. The benzoin adds some depth, but lavender remains the Queen here.

 

Dry: The lavender continues to reign supreme. This is the lavender I want my life to smell like. Herbal, yet deep and slightly woodsy. Truly an amazing blend.

 

Final verdict:Thank you to the swapper/seller who slipped this in as a frimp, I never would have thought to order this (not knowing what oudh was). I have ordered two bottles now, and I never buy backup bottles before I finish with one.

[zankoku_zen]

Straight up herbal lavender, like the one in Oneiroi, but an added woody base with just a swish of resinous sweetness.

 

This smells like a sleep time blend. It's comforting, cuddy, and straight up AMAZING LAVENDER.

 

Simple, beautiful, lavender.

[ClockworkMoM]

(I should note here that I really love lavender...)

 

When I first read the notes for this blend, it sounded simply divine. It smells even better on . This is a lavender, but not a sleepy, TKO lavender. It is deep, resinous and sweet. Instead of making me sleepy, it is keeping me calm and warm on a cold day. It is sweeter and darker than TKO, with the benzoin and Oudh keeping this from being a typical lavender scent.

 

Going on 9 hours and still smelling amazing; I have felt enveloped in a serene, sweet cloud all day

[gypsyjolie]

This is a stunning bright beautiful lavender! Many lavender scents are calming and dreamy-soft for bedtime, but this one feels energizing to me. Herbal sharp-ish lavender at first, then the resins come up to round out the scent. The oudh is adding to the throw (as oudh does as it warms on the skin), with an woody, almost leather-ish warm note. The benzion is a resiny sweetness. Both are fainter backdrops to the gorgeous lavender. This is almost but note quite a single note lavender. Bright, herbal, cleansing lavender - not particularly sweet or musty-floral as some lavenders can be.

 

Good throw and excellent longevity (thanks oudh!). Unisex, herbal, energizing. Outspoken for a lavender blend.

 

If I wore this to bed, I'd probably have vivid, creative dreams.

 

How I wish I had not missed this in release!

Edited November 13, 2013 by gypsyjolie

[MCS4096]

Huge lavender fan here! This is pretty much a perfect lavender.. it might be mistaken as JUST lavender, but that's what's amazing about the other two notes in the blend-- they just accentuate two great aspects of this lavender; a slightly dry woodiness and an underlying sweetness-- not too much of either, just enough to round this lavender out

[Balame]

Oh man, I want to cry over the fact that I missed/overlooked this one when it was released. (But maybe not, since I'm tired of tears and all that.) Didn't know I was an oudh fan back then.

 

This is a fantastic lavender. A lot of BPAL's lavenders tend to read as very astringent on me, which is a bit depressing since I actually enjoy the herb. The main success I've had is with Who In the World Am I, which is an awesome vanillic/cotton lavender that's much more subdued.

 

Here I get the same softer, sweeter lavender. It's delicate and absolutely lovely. It seems a lot of people found this blend very strong based on earlier reviews, so it must've aged to perfection. This is as close to the actual plant as you can get. The best part is the oudh and benzoin do this crazy thing where, instead of adding a dry woodsiness, make this smell rounded and richer. Almost like a (cleanly) smoky lavender incense, if that makes sense.

 

And... it's fuzzy. I'm not even kidding, I imagine this is what it smells like if you were to press your face into a unicorn's mane. Softly sweet, magical, with a furry warmth. Such a great blend! Now I have another LE to hunt down.

[Clavis]

Lavendar doesn't always play nice with me. It tends to turn acidic, but this time it was perfect. Alot of people had the lavendar play center stage but for me it was more of a supporting role. It lended an herbal astringency that gave complexity to the sweet incense smell of the oudh and benzoin (something else that can be problematic on me) gave it sweetness and depth.

 

This dried down to a sweet warm fuzzy scent like a cashmere shawl. Very close to the skin and really sexy in a candlelight and skin-to-skin massage kind of way. A bit sleepy and relaxed. It is a touch masculine but I find that the masculine scents work very well on me (I wear Dee, The Red Rider, and Dracul regularly).

 

I really liked this one. Its a cool weather scent but s sublte enough and playsclose to the skin enough to wear in August too (which is why this review is being postedin August :-) ).