St. Clare

[Casablanca]

White sandalwood and tonka with sweet tobacco incense, vanilla-infused mahogany, rum absolute, and golden oudh.

In the bottle, and as the first impression on my skin, St. Clare leads with tobacco. To this point I've mostly found that I can't do tobacco-heavy blends, and that the leaves are just good for me as a support note, like how it blends into an earthy base in Gaueko.

 

But this is a lush tobacco, not dry or jarring, and I think it's changing my mind. Not just it, I guess, but the way it plays in this blend: there's a warm, deep, and almost sugary vanillic tone to the rest, a little bit woody, and very full, from the vanilla mahogany and... I guess tonka, but when I smell this I want to say benzoin, too.

 

The whole is colored with a golden vapor of rum, warm and a little caramelly. The golden warmth might be coming from the oudh.

 

I was afraid of the tobacco and rum but, on me, the former is lovely, and the latter is a lovely support.

 

This'll be a precious for late summer and fall, that time of year for temperature warmth shifting to color warmth. Love.

[whitewhale]

This was another complete surprise - I like sandalwood, vanilla and sweet tobacco but I wasn't sure about the mahogany, rum and oudh. In the bottle and wet, this is nearly fruity. Likely this is due to the rum, which starts out the strongest, along with the vanilla and the sweet tobacco. The sandalwood, mahogany and tonka don't come out until drydown, transforming this into a sweet, woody vanilla scent that's really lovely. This is another one that wears very close to the skin and has little to no throw. I have to basically put my nose right to my wrist to smell it, but I have the feeling this will get stronger as it settles/ages.

[Dark Alice]

This is the sexiest unicorn I have ever smelled. Tobacco, vanilla, and golden oudh. Heaven...just heavenly, sexy unicorn!

Edited August 12, 2016 by Dark Alice

[aphrodite]

This smells golden brown, with what I know to be the rum note, but which never smells boozy to me. It smells like liquid gold. If you DO find the rum note to be generally boozy and that's not your thing, then steer clear of this one, because while I don't notice any actual alcoholic element from it, it's definitely the note I smell the most. I get some tonka and some tobacco. This scent would be at home in a collection belonging to an autumnophile or a Mexicophile. It's rich, sweet, offertory, and extremely universal. It's strong enough and comforting enough to be a 'Weenie, but not so overwhelming that it couldn't be worn year round. It's unisex, and in fact would probably smell amazing on a man, but I definitely wouldn't say it veers masculine. I think it would smell appropriate on all genders, and that your own chemistry would probably make it work with you to seem juuust right.

I recommend for fans of Litha, Hellcat, Bard, Wezwanie/Hold, Elegba, Kill-Devil, Star Promenade.

[Jenjin]

St. Clare has a tiny, brown velvet unicorn on it's label, and I just want to hold it. To brush the soft fur and touch behind fawn-like ears.

 

"This is what it sounds like when unicorns mount"

I've been calling this one hornycorn the last few days. Wearing St. Clare calls to mind the darkest clubhouse, with black crystal chandeliers and ebony marble countertops. Everyone is smoking clove-laced cigarettes, while throwing heavy, sultry looks at one another before slinking to the dance floor for a sweaty, slow dance.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Jenjin

[roseus]

This starts off with rum at the forefront for me, but it is not too boozy. As it dries it is a sweet vanillic-tobacco backed by rum. I can't pick out the mahogany or sandalwood in particular but I do get a sense of warm woodiness and texture in the scent. Overall it's very well blended, a great warm scent that feels perfect for the holidays and cool weather ahead.

[Little Bird]

Something about the oud, mahogany and rum comes together to smell like I spilled cough syrup over a dark, polished, wooden table.
I can't shake that cough syrup impression, and it ruins St. Clare for me.
After a half hour, the cough syrup fades a bit (but doesn't ever fade enough) and the tobacco incense is dominating the scent. It reminds me of cigarette smoke; so it's a bit sharper and more harsh than I like my tobacco notes to be. The vanilla does sweeten it a little, though, and the wood does smell golden and lightly spiced. With a splash of boozy, medicinal, weirdly fruity cough syrup.

 

Cigarette smoke, perfumey vanilla, dark and golden and spicy wood, and boozy cough syrup. Too sharp for me, and then the cough syrup...

[VioletChaos]

Alas, so far all I get is tobacco. The sweet, chewy caramel-y French tobacco as found in Red Lantern and the single note of the same name.

 

Don't get me wrong- it's a lovely tobacco. I just wanted, you know, the other stuff.

To be fair, I tested fresh out the mailbox. I know that many of these notes do well with a bit of aging.

 

And the notes sound incredible!

 

So I'm willing to wait. For the present, it's All Tobacco, All The Time.

 

But I'll see what happens in about a month and hopefully have a solid edit to make then

[LizziesLuck]

Of the unicorns, this is the one that was the most no-brainer, instant blend bottle for me. I love tobacco, and all of these other notes should be full on win on me. Smells glorious in the bottle! Don't fail me now, skin!

 

 

Wet: Mmm. Sweet, smoooooth tobacco. The kind that's just a touch spicy. Gorgeous. The rum is almost tropical in this. The whole thing smells like somewhere hot and sultry. This is rich, heady and sexy, without being in your face.

 

 

Dry: Lovely. Rum, tobacco, hints of woods. On the border between feminine and unisex. Hints of vanilla swirl around. It makes me happy.

 

 

ETA: Upon further settling, the next time I wore this, it seriously reminded me of Aradia. I you adore Aradia and lament how limited it is, give this a whirl!

Edited September 21, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[LiberAmoris]

Like others above, St. Clare was a bit of a surprise for me. Rum notes in perfume tend to get very loud on my skin—I amp booze, what can I say. So when I first tested St. Clare, I was expecting a rum ball of sorts, but what I got was a gentle, fuzzy, soft cloud of tobacco and white sandalwood and mahogany and oudh. It's as soft as the downy fur on that tiny brown unicorn! The rum and vanilla give this a bit of a gourmand turn, but it's mostly light, layered woods and tobacco incense.

 

I dabbed some of this on my husband this morning, and it smells even better on him—we're going to have to share this bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

Incense, caramel and oudh. Doused in rum. This one is a boozy incense oudh blend. I was hoping for more sandalwood, tobacco and vanilla aspects. It was definitely a golden brown blend, more gender neutral than I expected (pulling toward the masculine). Good throw and wear length.

[Balame]

I keep testing this one and I want to dig it, but I don't think it's working out.

The tobacco is very much BPAL's French Tobacco, which is good. The rum is not overly sweet or cloying, which is also good.

On first application it smells like French Tobacco SN + boozy red fruits.

It sounds weird, but the slight astringency of the rum combined with the sweet yet high-pitched mahogany reads that way to me.

 

That phase is nice. It's full, sweet and a little aggressive, but in a sexy way.

As it dries down, though, I lose most of the complexity and the rum overtakes the tobacco.

It mostly turns into sharp, sweet booze with the rare hint of my dear tobacco or oudh behind it.

 

Sadly, too harsh with my chemistry!

[tharsei-thanate]

This was the only Unicorn I bought because I'm a tobacco junkie and I also loooove tobacco paired with tonka and/or rum. It's like Beth made this just for me!

 

It really smells absolutely gorgeous. I put this on and immediately I'm enveloped in a beautiful cloud of tobacco-vanilla-oudh. To me, it's evocative of a sunset with the dying rays of light pleasantly muted by a soft, hazy layer of clouds. Actually, to be more specific, it kind of reminds me of the cover of Joanna Newsom's Divers album (minus the plants at the bottom, of course- there's nothing green in this blend ).

 

When it dries the rum starts to come out and it smells wonderful. It's mostly sweet, not too boozy, and not at all sharp on my skin.

 

I then briefly get something that's almost like sweet rot but after a minute it goes away. Could be the sandalwood, sometimes my skin doesn't get along all that well with sandalwood. After that it's back to rum and tobacco and it stays that way for the next couple of hours.

 

Overall, I adore this! Especially that incredible Joanna Newsom-esque stage. Absolutely heavenly. Definitely try this one if you also have skin that loves tobacco and rum!

[ziggystardust13]

I am loving St. Clare. I reach for it so often! The label makes me so happy too. Brown fuzzy unicorn? yes!

To my nose, St.Clare is all sweet tobacco, incense, and vanilla. I don't get much rum at all and don't find the scent to be "boozy". It's very warm and inviting. Honestly, it reminds me very much of Autumn Lace and Black Lace.

 

If you enjoy the lab's tobacco note, St. Clare will most likely be a win for you.

Edited August 26, 2016 by ziggystardust13

[t_for_tau]

Oh my. This is just excellent on both my wife and I, in slightly different ways! It starts out with a smoky-treacle scent that almost reminds me of Bonfire Night, with a hint of faintly sour spice like cumin, but then it just absolutely blossoms. The tobacco comes forward, and it reminds me of a sandalwood snuff or one of the more floral English tobaccos, dry and perfumed, followed by the sweetness of the vanilla and rum and grounded by the rich woods. There's just a hint of booze, but it's not piratical rum at all; it's something far classier.

 

On my wife it came across as smokey-sweet-woody overlaid on a very classic women's perfume: a sophisticated lady in a cocktail dress who whispers in your ear that she's not wearing knickers. On me the polished wood was deeper and further forward, giving it a more cologne-like feel; not a crisp businessman's cologne but something far richer, classier and very slightly louche. A pre-war gentleman in immaculate evening wear at his club in the evening, all panelled walls and brandy and expensive tobacco in the air - but with his top button undone and a predatory glint in his eye. This definitely demands to be worn somewhere fancy!

Edited August 27, 2016 by tau

[Convallaria]

The opening is pretty much sweet tobacco incense, maybe with a side of tonka. I've been a bit wary of the combination after The Plagues 2016 - one was a hit and the other a miss, both containing tobacco and some type of incense, but I'm glad I took the risk. The tobacco here does not go towards sour or musty side of the spectrum. It's dry, smoky and spicy. I expected something close to Elegba, but there is barely a whiff of rum until the drydown - even then, it's not very sweet, even with the vanilla in the mix. It's really well balanced. If you're looking for a great tobacco scent, grab this one before it's gone.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Convallaria

[Teamama]

St. Clare is a revelation to me. I'm totally smitten. The tobacco and rum are very strong when wet. As it dries, the woods, tonka and vanilla emerge, with a little incense, and it becomes a glowing golden sphere of pure Unicorn pleasure.

 

8/1/21 update: the rum note has mellowed quite a bit. The golden oudh & tobacco are the central notes, with wood, tonka, vanilla, & incense playing backup. One of my fave LE's.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Teamama

[milo]

Errgghhh. The notes sounded great on paper, but this one ends up being too masculine for me. It kind of reminds me of Antikythera Mechanism, though there's more of a sourness of this blend that is very off putting for me. Maybe this one needs time, or layering will something sweet may temper the sour woods. So disappointed, but will hang on to this unicorn for a bit to see if she changes.

[nolifeking]

Sweet tobacco with a fair amount of wood, rhum and vanilla.There is a slighty spicy feel to this scent too, maybe its cumin like Tau wrote

I really like it ♡ the unicorn on the label is cute, too ♡

Edited October 13, 2016 by nolifeking

[whisperstilled]

In Bottle: Tobacco and incense and sandalwood. So good so far.

 

Wet: Rum! Rum over the sandalwood. This is sweet and deep, with a little mahogany lingering in the back.

 

Drying: Rum and incense, with the tobacco falling off, at least on my skin. Something about this combination of notes is reminding me a lot of the Marquis de Carabas, without the leather.

 

Dry: This is, in a word, sumptuous. It's rich and incensey. The rum on my skin doesn't dominate. I want to eat my arm. If I had known this combination was going to become so deep and complex, I would have bought a bottle. This decant is not going to be enough, and this is exactly the sort of scent that ages like a total champ.

[Happicuppa]

In the bottle: Hello, sexy. Lightly vanilla and soft rum. Mmm

 

Wet on skin: Well, there's the tobacco. Sandalwood and rum and oudh are playing nicely. I get how people can find a sour note in this, but it was short-lived.

 

Dry: Ahh I understand the incense now, ooh and the mahogany. This smells like the cheap incense I used to grab as a teen in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE (not overpoweringly so, but in an 'ahh memories' sort of way). Still hints of vanilla and tobacco. I'm ...oddly...liking this. This is out of my wheelhouse but the more it dries, the more I'm like YES!

This is FAR more masculine than I expected from my first bottle whiff. However, for someone who is new on the scene to tobacco...I actually really like this? It's taken another turn and gotten sweeter (vanillic rum!) and I am really digging this one.

[theseagrows]

i think i'm getting incense and the vanilla-infused mahogany at first. it warms up even more and gets a somewhat caramelly thing going on, not sure what from. maybe tonka + rum? the rosewood seems to get stronger over time. it's mainly sweet vanilla/tonka/rum/rosewood. a little too sweet for my tastes, it borders on foodie.

[galahad]

In the Bottle: Smells so good in the bottle. I am loving the tobacco incense note off the bat. I love the lab rum accord and can pick that out too

 

On the Skin: This is definitely a warm and golden scent. It is sweet and the mahogany adds a dry and rich woodiness. It reminds me a lot of Mahogany Hall atmosphere spray. Overall, sweet and resinous verging on gourmand at times but never fully.

 

The Drydown: This seems to have great throw and lasting power, as you would expect from the resins. It has a spicy and elegant oriental feel to it. Definitely multiple bottle worthy.

[gloame]

Omg, when I opened this bottle, I was immediately taken back to my first love, Arkham. I have no idea what note it is doing that, but it has that forest-y, fresh tang that a lot of green scents have. But that doesn't stay. It immediate starts warming up into a softer, more seductive scent. The tobacco is definitely lovely, but I'm hoping more of the other notes come out as it ages. ETA: 7/14/17: It's a lovely warm tobacco now. Much less tangy. Love it, but in a completely different way.

 

Where I'd wear this: Backpacking through Ireland and letting the greenness overtake you

Edited July 14, 2017 by gloame

[kajacana]

In the bottle, it's all tobacco. As someone who was afraid of tobacco notes in perfume for a long time because I feared they would smell like cigarette smoke, I am thrilled to report that it's actually nothing like that. It's rich and dark, almost caramelly without being foody or sweet, if that makes sense.

Once it's on my skin, the rum comes out and I really love BPAL's rum note. It's not overpowering though, and I wouldn't even call it boozy. It's balanced beautifully by tonka and vanilla, and I definitely get the incense more and more as it wears, and even though the other notes start to take a backseat, they still round out the blend really nicely and give it some depth. It reminds me -- and I mean this in the best possible way, truly -- of the Renaissance Faire. It smells kind of mysterious and mystical, like I should be wearing a cloak while I'm wearing it.

So happy to have found a bottle on the forum, since I waffled too long and missed out when it was originally available!