Dead Leaves, Red Musk, and Neroli

[HerbGirl]

Fantastic. The leaves are the ones from October - musky and dry yet colorful? Hard for me to put into words but definitely not green. The Red Musk sparkles like the one used in Bloodbath. So beautiful! Neroli gives this blend just a touch of a bitter (in the best possible way) and sweet floral lift. The drydown is similar to wearing October over Bloodbath minus the patchouli and rose...spectacular and I might just have to get another bottle.

[ResinManiac]

I'm really pleased with how this turned out, warm, smoky and bright like tramping through red leaves in pleasant autumnal sunshine. I was worried it was going to be bitter but I bought a bottle anyway because my intuition kept telling me to and wouldn't leave me alone about it and I'm so glad I listened! Red musk is so pretty on me when it works and this is just beautiful!

[Xaila]

This was a last-minute addition to my decant circle order, since I realize I didn't get a single one of the dead leaves. Boy howdy am I glad I did!

 

In the vial: GREEN. This had me slightly worried, I won't lie. It had a very vegetative smell, like freshly cut grass with a bit of sweetness.

 

On skin, wet: I still get that 'freshness' for a little bit, but then the red musk emerges and adds a really lovely warmth. Not sure if it's due to the red musk or the dead leaf component itself, but it quickly starts smelling a lot more like the dried and crispy sort of leaves.

 

On skin, dry: Wow, the dead leaf thing is just spectacular. It makes me want to go roll around outside in a giant pile of freshly raked leaves. The red musk adds that delicious warmth and dry, almost spicy feel. The neroli adds a touch of sweetness and light that balances some of the bitterness. The amount of throw this has on me is nearly perfect, which is rare.

 

A gorgeous and unexpectedly nostalgic blend. Neroli tends to remind me of Chanel No.5 which in turn reminds me of my grandmother, and of course the happy memories of playing in leaves. Red musk is generally kind to me, though sometimes can be overly masculine. Not so here - I would say this is a really unisex blend. This is basically what I wanted out of October, but October is just too bitter for me.

 

Just ordered the hair gloss version of this and it'll be a definite bottle order before the weenies go down.

[Poenari]

This is exactly what I had hoped for! I've been layering Luxuria bath oil with Pile of Fallen Leaves perfume to get a preliminary idea of how this might smell, but I am not an alchemist, nor do I play one on TV. This is so much better than my experiment! I love Beth's leaf notes, and this is the one that I love the most. Red musk is one of my favorite notes, and blended with the leaf note it sweetens the blend to perfection. Herb Girl described it perfectly, with the mention of Bloodbath minus the patchouli (I never got any floral from Bloodbath myself.) The musk keeps this scent from getting that cologne smell that I picked up from October, and keeps this scent barely on the feminine side. However, red musk also smells great on my man, so I can't wait to have him test this.

 

I can't wait until my hair gloss arrives and I can drench myself in this from top to bottom. I might even need a backup bottle of this one.

[savage_rose]

Red Musk and Dead Leaves--makes you think of very red, red leaves. And red musk always has a bit of a burning quality to it to me. The red musk in this is a bit strong on me, but it's still balanced enough that it's a lovely scent.

[ladyjc]

I'm loving everything about this. It feels autumnal yet clean and light? I can't wait for this baby to get some age on it. Right now it's primarily leaves and neroli...hoping over time the red musk will become stronger. Gotta seek out a bottle! <3

 

ETA: Bottle ordered. I recently rec'd a 2nd full imp I had mistakenly (but good, mistake) ordered. It smells pretty much like my first imp only as if it has aged some. I loved it even more and immediately placed an order for a full bottle. If you like leaves and red musk...you hafta try this!

Edited November 19, 2015 by ladyjc

[LizziesLuck]

I had already tried my decant of the hair gloss in this scent, and it was terrible on me. It turns out this is too. I now know I don't like Neroli much, and especially not with the dead leaves. Makes it altogether too bitter for me.

 

However, if anyone was wondering the hair gloss and the perfume oil smell identical to me.

[Mechanical Death]

I tested this 3 times hoping that maybe skin chemistry, weather, and settling out of the mail box would do something to help, because the notes SHOULD be wonderful.

 

but it's not. It just smells sharp, and acrid. Sad. Red musk is one of my favorite base notes, and usually sings on my skin. I was really hoping it would be lovely. I guess I'll pass on this bottle to a friend and see if it works for someone else.

[zankoku_zen]

Dry leaves, touch of red musk, touch of orange. It's a nice musky leafy autumn blend.

 

If you're into that sort of thing. Good throw, good wear length.

[Little Bird]

Smells like an autumn sunset, with the red musk and neroli conjuring up images of fiery reds and oranges.
The dead leaves hang out in the background, and it makes me think of sitting out on the deck on an unusually warm night in autumn, watching the sunset's colors match the changing leaves.
I'm really happy with all of the Dead Leaves fragrances. They're simple, but good, and easy to wear.

[milo]

I think the neroli is not meshing well with the other notes in this blend at first. I'm getting the leaves, and a touch of red musk, and a whole lot of orange cleaner. That doesn't last, however, and it turns into pretty much a SN Dead Leaves, maybe a bit of musk. Ends up being too dry for me.

[agirlnamedfury]

This is very musky, and perhaps the driest and darkest of the dead leaves. Unfortunately I don't detect a hint of orange, which is a shame as I was really hoping for some brightness in here.

[BeyondBad1313]

Not sure how to describe this really, I get the red musk and the dead leaves pretty easily here. This smells like a fall day with a little something else. I can't say i have smelled neroli on its own, but I am pretty sure that is what is adding to the musk and leaves. Over all a very beautiful scent.

[soniahgreen]

In the bottle: The dead leaf note and neroli are front and center. I don't really pick up red musk.

Wet: The red musk emerges. It's quite dry and the neroli is giving a bit of greenness and bitterness to the blend.

Dry: All three notes meld together beautifully. There is a bit a smokiness from the musk and the scent has smoothed out considerably.

 

When I first got this over a year and a half ago, I was disappointed because it was so dry and sharp. I didn't get hardly any red musk. Aging has done wonders and I'm so glad I hung on to this. I'll be wearing this come fall time along with the hair gloss!

[Lucchesa]

Dead Leaves, Red Musk and Neroli introduces me to a new animal: reticent red musk. When it hits my skin, all I can smell is dead leaves (the wonderful gorgeous dead leaves note I love) and neroli. I expected this to be more like red musk, red musk and red musk, so this is a surprise. After about half an hour the red musk begins to emerge and it becomes exactly the scent I was hoping for, the fruitiness of the musk balancing the bitter citrus of the neroli, all smothered in the lovely pile of dead leaves. But for some reason, my skin eats this up in a little over an hour. I'm delighted I got to try it, though.

[torischroeder9]

This is my first experience with BPAL's dead leaves note. 

 

In the decant: Neroli is dominant, with a little red musk detectable, along with another dusty note (I'm assuming the dead leaves). 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's neroli first with a tinge of red musk emerging as it dries. 

 

As it dries, the neroli settles down though it remains the dominant note on my skin. The dusty dead leaves note is also present, and the barest hint of red musk curls around the edges. 

 

About fifteen minutes later, it's mostly dead leaves. The red musk is on the uptick, and the neroli is on the decline. (Some of these notes came for a sprint, and some showed up for a marathon.)

 

Another thirty minutes, and the blend balances between red musk and dead leaves (which now smell a little more like actual dead leaves to me, but the brown kind late in autumn, not leaves in the midst of color-changing and falling). The neroli is now undetectable to my nose. 

 

Hrm. I think the Lab's dead leaves note is pleasant enough, at least as I encounter it in this blend, but it doesn't evoke the particular type of autumn leaves for which I was hoping (at least, it doesn't end up working that way on my skin). As for red musk blends, again, this becomes pleasant enough within a few minutes (and neroli isn't a bad note on me -- it's just that red musk is much better), but it's not my favorite red musk blend.