In Templum Dei

[Diesis]

Oman frankincense, cistus labdanum, white sandalwood, and liquidambar.

This was a review of the second release, on a slightly aged bottle (about 2 years): 

 

Wet: Subtle, nice. It smells a bit like dry dirt. It almost disappears entirely, actually. Still there, but barely. Hidden. Which is odd for the wet stage. 

Dry: About 10 minutes later, it decided to show back up. Which seems oddly appropriate for a scent about being in a temple. Faith, gods, even commitment to anything in a temple can sometimes come & go. It starts out coming back very dry & powdery. Fairly sure it's the sandalwood with the frankincense attempting to overpower. About an hour later, surprisingly, it's the liquidamber that comes out on top. The sandalwood is still there, but that lovely honey-like resin of the liquidamber took over & mixing with that spicy sort of wood note that sandalwood can have on me, it's quite divine.

My little temple is throwing well too. Not too far & still a subtle scent, but I can smell it with my arm outstretched. I like that it wants to be oman frankincense, but it doesn't have that funny little citrus? snap to it (I don't know what else to use as a way to describe the difference of frankincense to other things except it wants to have a citrus snap in it & not just stay as a sweet woodsy resin that screams "I am in a censure"). I can't find the cistus (bummer, it's a favourite of mine & I quite miss rock roses where I currently live... the scent isn't the same, but it's a nice reminder), but that's O.K. In the end, it's definitely a temple & not a church. I cannot take Hozier here.

Decent wear time too. Almost 12 hours. 

 

Final thoughts: It feels like a temple with torches flickering. A place you'd be at night in a place you wouldn't really understand. A place far away, in time & not just distance. I've always thought this was beautiful (this is my fourth bottle) & I have no idea where it fits in the movie (I've seen it once & I don't remember it beyond loving Tilda Swinton's hair), though I've heard the song a number of times & it matches the tone of that perfectly, but I can imagine the idea of two ancient creatures in an ancient place for no reason other than it reminds them of something that isn't there anymore.

Edited April 28, 2021 by TheLampades
Updating review; including scent description since this started new page of reviews

[windbourne]

Woodsnresinswoodsnresins -- okay, but seriously though. For a mellow, meditative incense blend, this one is difficult to beat. Starts a little sweet, then dries out until it reminds me of a soft drift of incense smoke curling off my wrist. It's just complex enough to reward deep huffing; I can tease out just a bit of the labdanum after a while, but it doesn't ever overtake the pale sandalwood & frankincense. It does fall into the category of scents I think of as 'antisocial' in that, when I wear them, I prefer to be alone and not have to talk to anyone. Most of those scents are cold or have chilly notes, but this one is soft and warm. Gentle throw, lasts forever, clean, patient, holy.

[Threemoons]

Oh man...dangerously close to having ALL of the OLLA scents.  Had a bottle of this that I had not tried yet.  Sooooooooooooooo gorgeous.  In the bottle:  Gorgeous soft amber resins.  On, wet:  Resins sharpen up a bit but still a wonderful golden haze.  Drydown:  Still a radiant, wonderful, blast of light sweet golden resins.  No other way to describe this.  Need a backup.

[skyturtles]

My latest OLLA bottle; a much-appreciated gift from my partner's mother. Make your BPAL wishlists public, my friends!

Wet on my skin: Woody and clean. Old and fresh. Warm and loved, but no nonsense.

As it dries, some Catholic churchiness comes out. The smokiest of frankincenses and wooden pews with 40 year old cushions and leather kneelers that screech.

This isn't the "I reject your lifestyle" side of church; this is the crack of dawn mass whose old and dusty attendees are there because they want to be, because they need it.

This is bold and yet soft enough to wear at work (I work at a funeral home so maybe I'm biased?)

My anti-religion, atheist partner likes this scent too so WIN-WIN.

[QueenProserpina]

My tenth BPAL purchase! Sweet, spicy, and delightful! Light throw but lasts through the day. Has the same notes as the spicy components of Blood Popsicle, along with a distinctive incense note, and a woody note that reminds me of Our Hearts Condemn Us. Goes very well with pine/spruce-scented skin products. Purchased in December of 2023.

Edited June 1 by QueenProserpina
Additions

[ShadowEtienne]

I picked up In Templum Dei because I was chasing some of the notes from The Hound and the Milk White Doe, most specifically Liquidambar which doesn't appear in many of BPAL's scents and I love. The overlapping notes are labdanum, sandalwood, and liquidambar, and like in my beloved The Hound and the Milk White Doe, the liquidambar takes the lead with a lovely spiced wood resinous element that the other two notes really support. The frankincense is very harmonious with it, also resinous with a hint of spice.

 

This scent by itself is a little bit flat on me, but I think that it's going to make for a really nice layering base. Going to try to find some creamy florals to add more dimension to it and bring it more in line with what I love best about The Hound and the Milk White Doe in things that are more readily available to me.