Loved To Death

[Poenari]

A scent of dark corners and forgotten mysteries, secrets unearthed in dark attics, and cobwebbed, timeworn artifacts: vanilla bean, blackened and smoked, with husky clove, cinnamon bark, and a touch of beeswax.

 

I obtained this bottle in a swap from a lovely forumite. In the bottle and on skin, this is definitely a softer, gentler scent than I would have expected. But if you consider the name, being loved to death would most likely occur in the same manner - this was not a crushing, cloying love, but a sweet gentle love that eased you as you passed on.

The dark vanilla is there at the forefront and it is softly spiced from the cinnamon and cloves. Those two spices are blended in the perfume the way that they blend in a recipe; although you may only use 1/4 of cloves to 1/2 of cinnamon, they swirl into each other smoothly with the clove just a hint more prominent, and the cinnamon lacking any heat. Fortunately for me, I don't detect beeswax which often goes sour on me, but it lends the hint of sweetness and holds the blend together. I will wear this scent with love on those anniversaries of the loss of loved ones.

And now here is the really strange part. This reminded me so much of another scent in my collection. I thought very hard and it came to me late last night, so I checked and yes! Although the only stated notes they share are the spices, this reminds me a lot of my bottle of Count Dracula. They are not the same, but in the feeling and in the surprising gentleness to each scent. I skin-tested them with one on each wrist, and side by side there is that difference in them due to the note differences, but I feel like they are sibling scents. Alluring and seductive in the most unsuspectingly gentle way.

[vanilla323]

Got a decant from a sweet forum member.

 

This scent was all smoky and dark clove on me! I didn't get much vanilla, cinnamon, or beeswax. It seemed masculine on my skin but still sexy. Very unisex I'd say. It didn't have much throw but stayed close the skin and strong with each wrist sniff. It was addicting though. And I did like it. Just something kept it just too smoky and not sweet for me to fall in total love. Just stayed in the like stage. Very glad I got to try it though. A unique scent that probably smells different on everyone and maybe best on a male. Might also turn more glorious with some aging I bet.

[elbow]

Others have done a fine job describing the notes for this blend. It's been hard for me to do so in any objective way, because something about it just grabs me on a visceral level. I liked it all right on my first couple wearings, but since then I've found myself vividly recalling and craving the scent when I haven't worn it in a while. It is warm, comforting, and just... so... ugh, it's so good.

 

I first encountered it when I received a decant from a generous forum member, and I recently sprang for a bottle. I don't buy bottles often, and I've certainly never paid $30 plus shipping for one before. But this vanilla beeswax magic is well worth the cost for me. It has catapulted into my top 5, and is easily my favorite scent of 2015.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet - This is instantly really pretty and intriguing. I almost get anise, but I'm guessing that's the mix of cinnamon and clove. It's sweet, but not too foodie.

 

The spice quickly dies down. And mmmm, that beeswax note! Amazing. Simply gorgeous. It's like nothing else I've smelled. It's feminine, with a bit of an edge. Captivating. I'm starting to get some of the smoky vanilla coming through, and it's to die for.

 

Spicy beeswax smoky vanilla deliciousness. Indeed.

 

 

ETA: ANISE. I wasn't crazy. I get anise from this, and it's beautiful. Creamy, spicy beeswax, vanilla and anise. It's lovely.

Edited January 4, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[yakiguri]

I love the Lab's beeswax note, but on my skin it utterly dominates this blend. There's some smoky vanilla swirling in the mix, but unless I rrreeeeaaallllyyyy sniff at my wrist looking for the spices the clove and cinnamon are practically nonexistent. I'm reminded strongly of a slightly more complex O and/or a softer Blossoms in Springtime. Since I missed out on the Blossoms in Springtime and have yet to buy O, I'm ok with this. I just wish that more of the spice would show up. Hopefully more aging will add more complexity to the blend.

[BeyondBad1313]

Yessss! This blend is everything I wanted, on my skin I get spicy vanilla and beeswax. On my skin these notes play so well together and they can all be smelled equally. I have begun hording bottles after I went through half a bottle in a month. I wear this blend so often and recommend it for anyone who likes spicy vanillas or beeswax notes.

[Little Bird]

This smells really cheap and unpleasant on me the vanilla, honey, beeswax and cinnamon give off this burning candle and cheap vanilla air freshener vibe on my skin. Waxy, too sweet, and the cinnamon amps up on me in the drydown. It just smells too much like a cheap candle for my tastes.

[ltrittipoe]

I ordered this as soon as it was available on LtD website, but honey-ish scents are hard fro me. I wanted it anyway! Of course I tried it right away, but it needed aging. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great. Honey/beeswax, loads of it, like a clean honeycomb.

 

 

So into the aging box it went. And now ... it is rich, and deep, sweet, and spicy. Honey, yes, but now the other notes are peeking out. The honey itself is light and clean, the vanilla is deep and smoky. The clove and cinnamon meld on my skin to create an almost carnation - like spice.

 

Elka compared the honey to Door in her review, and I see that - Door is one of the very few scents with honey that I can wear without it turning into funky b.o. It stays light, clean, and very sweet - and that's what I'm getting here.

[renfair]

I bought this at the actual Loved to Death store, while I was in San Francisco for a wedding. It was awesome to be able to sniff so many BPAL perfumes right there, though I decided in the end to just go with their signature fragrance.

First Sniff Impression: Like Nasty Woman without the booze and fig. Incense.

Wet in Vial: Some kind of incense (must be clove and cinnamon), a smear of honey and a dash of licorice.

Drying Down on Skin: This has a really nice blend of incense in it. The honey (or beeswax, I guess) becomes stronger. It's obviously reminiscent of Nasty Woman to me because I hadn't tried many other scents yet, but it's somehow lighter and has less of a throw, maybe cause there's no actual patchouli in it. An excellent balance of sweet and spicy. Barest hint of a floral in there.

 

Dry on Skin: This remained just so warm and sweet. It had a fairly long strength to it as well, and remained pleasant and balanced throughout.

Conclusion: I'm definitely glad I picked up some Loved to Death at their store. It did end up being a super awesome scent, and being able to buy it in person and also sniff their other BPAL scents in stock was really cool!

[Soupy Twist]

This is at least 18 months old by definition, so "aging" is not the problem. Beeswax and smoky vanilla in the bottle. Goes on as a smoky cinnamon with the beeswax underneath. There is practically no throw on this thing whatsoever. There's a wee bit of vanilla as it sweetens, which briefly turns into a weird plastic. This continues to dry as an unpleasant clove, and then a queasy clove/cinnamon blend, like a cheap candle. It finishes as a vaguely smoky vanilla. An hour later, the vanilla has totally gone burnt plastic. Just as well there's no throw.

Dammit, this sounded so good on paper. Look at those notes. Look at all these great reviews! How could I miss?

I should just wait for zankoku_zen and Little Bird to review everything. They are apparently my scent twins. If either of them vetoes something, I should give it a pass.

[ramblingrambler]

Cinnamon used to be one of my favorite notes until I developed a sensitivity just recently, which is why I have this bottle. Totally forgot cinnamon was a note and didn’t sniff before I applied—but magically it went on without too much redness. (It was a little pink and stung at first, but it wasn’t too bad overall!)

 

I’m glad I applied today because I forgot how beautiful this is. It’s a dark, chewy vanilla foremost with hints of beeswax and cinnamon and clove. Honestly, wet it smells like a blonde-brownie on me, and then it transforms into a gloriously seductive blend that I can’t quite place. The only issue I have with it is that it fades into clove/cinnamon before it completely wears off, and though my BF is into it in all its stages, he does say this smells a little like potpourri before it’s gone. Totally worth the potpourri at the end.

[doomsday_disco]

I thought I had reviewed this, and after some searching, I found I had shared my thoughts in the Retail Exclusives thread, but I neglected to post my review here.

 

This was my original review: I wore Loved to Death for the first time yesterday, and it was mainly an amazing combo of blackened vanilla and clove on me (just like I wanted), with a bit of cinnamon that didn't burn my skin, and the beeswax coming out more during the dry phase. I'm so glad I bought a bottle.

 

Now I’m retesting it after it has aged for a few years.

 

There’s either anise or an anise-like aspect to the blackened vanilla, which I also got from this when it was fresh. It’s the same blackened vanilla note found in Black Vanilla and Cardamom Hair Gloss, which I swapped away because I never reached for it due to the prominence of the anise in my hair. Fortunately, this isn’t super strong on the anise, and it calms down over time. I also get a prominent honey note from this, although there isn’t one listed, that reminds me of Sweets to the Sweet. Maybe that’s from the beeswax. The spices are present, but they aren’t strong. I get more clove than cinnamon, and I still get more of the beeswax during the dry phase.

 

I like this, but I haven’t really reached for this once since I got it except to decant from it and to remind myself what it smells like. I actually wish the clove were stronger. I am going to continue holding on to this, because it is nice, but if I don’t reach for it at all once the weather cools down, I will force myself to let it go, because my perfume collection is getting out of control, and I prefer (Not so) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene to this one.

[Lucchesa]

I was given a nicely aged decant of Loved to Death by an incredibly generous swap partner. Given the notes, it should have a slam dunk on me. Instead, it was interesting. I tested blind, and i would have said vanilla, honey, cacao and maybe sassafras -- I think the latter two notes were how I was reading the smoked aspect of the vanilla, and I think that's what some reviews are calling anise. It reminded me a little of the Scroll. Maybe it's Ceylon cinnamon. The clove never was clear on me, and it definitely read more like honey than beeswax. Good wear length. I'm delighted I got to try it and my budget is glad it was idiosyncratic on my skin.

[Madame Mew]

I love this! So glad I snagged it. It is very vanilla beeswax until it dries down. I can’t smell clove until it’s dried down, and even then you have to look for it. I would love to add SN Clove to it. Now to find some...

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Dear Reader

 

Does your skin chemistry frequently betray you by turning beeswax into straight up honey? And then does it amp that honey up to 11 so that you end up with a screeching pile of honey on your arm, and all around you, as if you had poured a vat of it all over yourself when in fact all you did was dab the teensiest bit of oil on? 
 

And did you, per chance, buy Loved to Death because you hoped it would be all about vanilla bean, blackened and smoked, with husky clove and cinnamon bark, wishing desperately that “a touch of beeswax” wouldn’t count? Well you should have known better, shouldn’t you! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? 
 

We trust you find this information useful. To assist you in avoiding a repeat of this unfortunate experience, we invite you to subscribe to our free weekly email reminder service “Honey is not your friend”. 

[Riezky]

Not at all what I expected. Other beeswax blends I've tried don't go straight to honey, but this one does, to the point that it's reminding me a little of Womb Furie. Honey, wax, a hint of spice.