The Lion

[OdetteOdile]

The Lion

The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious.

 

OK, very odd - normally amber is an outstanding note on me, but this smells like...toothpaste! Sweet, expensive, herbal mint toothpaste. I had a very nice (& very expensive) 5th Avenue dentist when I was little who had about 15 different toothpaste flavors that kids could choose from to distract them from the pain of the exam and cleaning, & this smells like one of them.

I'm very perplexed - amber has never smelled like mint on me before. I tried this on two different days just to be sure and still - mint, with a little cinnamon thrown in. Cinnamint toothpaste.

Boy my chemistry is weird sometimes. I would so have loved to wear an ambery scent called "The Lion" - but sadly, no Savannah for me today.

[cranberry]

Warm, slighly spicy, beautiful amber - this image I get is warm and glowing. The Lion stays very close to me - a bit closer than I want (as I imagine I would feel with a real lion) but it's a very beautiful scent. I adore amber and I love this scent, but I wish it were a bit stronger. I definately don't get ferocious from it. Unfortunately, it's very fleeting and disappears quickly. It's a sleepy, lazy scent, slightly sweet and dry. I can believe there's a touch, just a touch of cardamon in here, along with loads of amber.

 

If it stayed with me a bit longer and bit stonger, I'd definately go for a bigger bottle. Now I'm a bit torn but I love it just the same.

Edited July 29, 2005 by cranberry

[joseybird]

My first review was simply inadaquate...

 

I am a tabletop roleplayer, and I find myself drawn to scents that remind me of my characters.

 

One of my characters has a lover who is a tiger shapeshifter. He is tall and golden, with leonine features and thick red hair. He has an eager agressiveness comabined with an indolent laziness and sensuality.

 

The Lion is his scent--fiercely golden and warm, with wafts of spices that embody his exotic looks and nature. Although the scent is unisex, it also embodies a strong, sensual, and languid masculinity. It is the scent I can imagine a sun god wearing.

Edited May 30, 2005 by joseybird

[quinkel]

amber? are you...sure???

I smell my youth perfume 'le jardin d'amour"a floral. (and indeed a bit toothpast-like scent) light flowers, violets and spearmint that's all i get. I love this though!

It smells juicy and I want to chew on it, candied violet petals. If this is what amber smells like, i sure love amber!! This will do very nice as a summer scent.

[mobilejessie]

This scent totally disappears on me! I can smell something sweet in the bottle, but it goes on my skin and vanishes. I smell amber and cream veeeery faintly if I put my nose directly against my skin. Otherwise I can' smell it at all.

 

It's too bad really... I love amber scents!

[Digital_Hypoxia]

It seems that the words spiced and amber paired are enough to sway my bank account; few bottles purchased blindly have worked for me, yet I was compelled to buy a 10 ml of this.

 

I love amber; Haunted is one of my must haves. Brisingamen went south on me.

The Lion, it seems, is destined to fall somewhere in the middle.

 

It is much softer than I expected, the amber, the spice, all of it. In the bottle it’s rather dull, like the faint whiff of cinnamon on a gum wrapper in the bottom of your purse. There’s a sweetness behind it all, not heavy or terribly foody, but very obvious. It puts me to mind of marzipan.

 

On my skin, The Lion is initially the same unremarkable smell. After a few minutes, however, it begins to develop an intriguing spicy-sweet tinge. Other reviews mentioned the cake-ness, and I have to agree. The middle stage of The Lion smells exactly like the cake a Sunday school teacher made for every single church function/birthday/etc. It was not good cake by any stretch; I wouldn’t want to guess what she intended it to taste like, but the smell of it was always comforting to me.

 

I doubt I wear this blend often. I even debated listing it on ebay for a few minutes after testing…but I think I’m going to keep it, if for no other reason than nostalgia.

Edited June 5, 2005 by Digital_Hypoxia

[quikslvr]

Hellooo spicy amber. Nepthys' comment that this is Bastet meets Chimera isn't far off. Warm, for certain. Even literally. I wonder if my skin can't take the cinnamon, if there is any in it. Then: oh! Green tea, where did you come from? Dry, almost grassy--earthy in its way, but in the vegetation way, not the soil way. I feel like slathering this on a boy, but I'm not entirely sure it's for me.

[sheepzeit]

I had expected a scent that reminded me of the color yellow, but this is just too accurate!

 

The Lion is a languid, hot, feral scent. I see that many people thought of fruit when they smelled this, and I can understand as it is very sweet -- thought not in a really foody way. I am very impressed, as I would have imagined lions napping on a hot, dry plain in Africa had I not even known what the name of this scent was!

 

Instead of a cute playful cub, I am reminded of the Bradbury story The Veldt crossed with a dusty antique store with lion heads and other taxidermic prizes un glass displays. Very spooky to me! Bradbury's stories was one of the most visual short stories I've ever read, and this scent is so dead-on when conjuring the image of the hot grassy plains and the glaring yellow sun. I just know that somewhere out there are huge lions, stalking me....

[Sheila]

Yep, this is all amber: spicy, smokey, sexy, and golden. I love amber (and I'm a Leo!), so this is going on my big-bottle list.

 

(This would be perfect for layering with other amber-based scents to emphasize the amber.)

[Little Bird]

Oooh... this is just as gorgeous as I thought it would be. All golden and sexy amber. In the drydown it smells like sweet dry meadow grasses that have been drizzled in amber.

 

The Lion is such a warm and beautiful fragrance. It's not horribly strong on me, but I can still smell it lingering on my skin even after 8 hours have passed.

 

I wish that it were stronger, but it's beautiful and romantic enough that I can see myself wearing it out (or in) with the boy... definitely going to buy a full bottle.

 

 

ETA: I really love this layered with Faustus... it adds more staying power and a spicier quality. Of course, Faustus and The Lion are still equally as wonderful on their own

Edited June 15, 2005 by Blood onmy hands

[harlequin]

Origin: Oblation Caravan (so, many of these are going to very short reviews because I've got about 4 of the circular swaps at once right now.)

 

i know i have this one waiting to be reviewed better, but as a preliminary...

 

this is absolutely gorgeous! it's warm and ambery, but seems to have a bit of a sugary hint to it too. I can't wait to give this one more of a wear, now. Apparently the "Mad Tea Party" category is very good to me. the only one i haven't absolutely loved so far is the dormouse, mostly because it didn't smell like anything at all on me.

 

eta: wow. the description says "proud, regal and ferocious." it should totally include "powerful" .. hehe. I was trying out all the stuff in the caravan and probably dabbed on a tiny bit of a dozen or more scents about 3+ hours ago, and the tiny bit of The Lion I put on is still going strong.. I mean, stronger than a lot of scents are in full application.. and the throw.. holy cow! amazing stuff.

Edited June 29, 2005 by harlequin

[SeaMonkey]

This is a very golden, warm scent

 

It doesn't remind me of the Lion in the Wonderland books though. It reminds me of Aslan, from the Narnian Chronicals. It reminds me of the moment that Aslan returns from the dead and Susan and Lucy rush forward and bury their face in his mane. I imagine this is what it would smell like.

[voodoobaby]

(Note: I think the version I tried was a prototype, so take this with a grain of salt as far as the current catalog version goes.)

 

In the vial: Ginger! So much ginger. Almost a single-note ginger. Wow.

 

Wearing: Well, you know, I can't really describe this. It does have quite an amber smell, but it's also got a spicy, musky, kind of powdery thing going on. There is most definitely cinnamon in here along with the ginger, which does die down a bit once it dries. Once again, I find this very difficult to describe, and I can't really give a play-by-play of how it changes. It's nothing overly special, but I do like it, so I will keep the imp.

[delicate_fangs]

I love The Lion. It's all amber, all the time, rich and nose-tickly and warm and happy. I think I could live in this scent. (Mind you, I'm the kind of person who usually has at least five different bottles and boxes of various amber scents around at any given time -- but this one combines the things I like about many of them.)

 

It's a glorious Leo scent. Definitely going on my big bottle wish list.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Amber dust and grass.

 

In the bottle: Spicy, almost sweet amber. Very pretty, and almost sexy.

 

On skin, wet: ...Huh. Amber, but absolutely no trace of anything resembling spice, even if I slather! It actually smells a bit grassy. Kind of like Coyote.

 

On skin, dry: Amber and grass. Not much spice. It's also very, very faint, and I have to sniff quite deeply to get much of anything beyond a whiff of warm grass.

 

Conclusion: Well, I've tried this three times now, and it just refuses to be anything but either 1) amber powder or 2) soft, warm grass and a faint bit of amber. I think I'll keep the imp, but I'm just about out of hope.

Edited April 21, 2006 by Aredhel

[Northernminx]

This goes directly to my friend Jay, affectionately referred to as The Leo.

 

Warm, just a touch of cinnamon and spice, and tons and tons of amber. Warm and soothing and a bit of dry savannah, this is nice on me but would be wonderful on a guy. Must. Cuddle. Nod. nod.

[Orodemniades]

Well, heck.

 

I love amber. And most of the time, amber loves me.

 

However, for whatever reason, BPAL's ambers just don't work with my chemistry.

 

Alas, I've bought (but have yet to receive) a 5ml of The Lion, and last week jumped on an imp, figuring I'd. Love. It. But no! On me, The Lion is sweet black tea with cinnamon and the barest hint of amber.

 

I'm so disappointed.

 

Oro

Edited July 15, 2005 by Orodemniades

[empi girl]

Yummm...

I got to try the Lion at the Minnesota meet up, and loved it. I had already ordered an imp, but now will have to get the bottle. I have been looking for a cinnamon scent that worked for me (and tried lots...), and in the Lion, I have found it, when I didn't even think it would be there. It is a lovely muted cinnamon note, balanced with a soft sweetness that must be the amber. There may be a hint of clove on the end, but it is very muted. It's just perfect-not cinnamon red-hots, doesn't turn the skin red, smells wonderful. And yes, there is a hint of grass in it, which I also love. Come Fall, I'll be reaching for this!

[Batgirl]

Okay, so I'm not crazy - to me The Lion smells remarkably like tea. Not the milky, sugary tea of some BPAL blends, but plain unadulterated black tea. I love the smell of tea, so this is a very good thing. There is a definite faint cinnamon undertone, but cinnamon typically burns my skin and this doesn't, so there can't be that much in this blend. I think my impression may be colored by the fact that we're experiencing blistering temperatures and a drought right now in Chicago, but this blend does remind me of the African savannah - hot, dry, and grassy.

[PurringPulsar]

The Lion

 

In the imp: mmm, spicy amber! Cinnamon! Yum!

Wet on skin: wow, this is lovely! Amber! And there's wonderful spice note with cinnamon.

Dry on skin: this is lovely! This is an amazing spicy amber scent. It's a really 'clear' and translucent scent, brings to mind the image of crystalline amber resin. It reminds me of a drink of sorts-root beer or ginger beer, perhaps? Or iced tea with spice? Possibly the latter. I know there's cinnamon here, and there's possibly some other spices and herbs as well.

After a while: It sweetens up really nicely-and develops a more 'liquid' aspect, like the scent of a really delicious spiced ice tea drink on a warm summer's day. Yup, I agree with other reviewers that it smells of tea-but that's no bad thing-it's making me want iced chai tea (does that stuff exist? If not, then why not?) It's warm, but has a refreshing aspect too, a certain clarity, a translucence, glowing and bright. I'm wondering if there's a bit of musk here too?

Verdict: this is a warm and luscious amber scent, accented by spice. It's clear, liquid or crystalline amber, sweet and warm with a spicy twist. Truly lovely. I love the cinnamon in this, it is so nice with the amber, it reminds me of the cinnamon-amber combination in Sin that I love. This is a gorgeous scent that makes me wanna roar with pleasure! Rwarr!

[ohm]

Really beautiful. I've been wearing this for about six or seven hours, and it's still strong and beautiful. It's warm and has a tiny pinch o' spice that I appreciate a lot. This is the first BPAL Amber to work on me, and boy is it great!

[sihaya09]

This is one of those timeless scents-- it smells sacred, like oils used to perfume ritual baths in ancient temples. It's sun-warmed amber, deliciously rich. It clings close to my skin, creating an aura of languorous sexiness.

 

This is on my bottle list.

[SyringaVulgaris]

For me, this kicks Brisingamen, Haunted, O, and yes, House of Mirrors to the curb in terms of amber scents. It soars.

 

I literally can't get enough of it on me. I kept going back to apply more...doesn't stay as strong as I'd like, and I'd like it to be STRONG! (ROAR!)

 

It's glorious.

[QueenFae]

This one's a bit spicier tha I imagined it would be, but it's very pretty. The top notes are red, exotic spices, and the amber is more of a soft, golden undertone. I think the amber fans will love this one, as I do. A perfect embodiment of The Lion; bold, golden, strong and complex. Lovely, I will enjoy my impie!

[tinyvulture]

at first it reminds me of a less-sweet sudha segara, or a delicate chai tea. it’s creamy, soft, and kind of smells like ginger. amber is always warm and lovely on my skin. but then, as it dries, an animalistic, sweaty aroma slowly comes forward. it’s interesting how the scent changes over time, but it’s not ferocious at all on me. in fact, it fades pretty quickly. i wish it were a bit stronger and long-lasting.