Unicorn and Ram

[TijuanaBible]

Wooly musk, soft leather, cashmere, cardamom, and leather oudh.

This one is really subtle. It starts with a warm, slightly sweet musk, with a touch of brown leather. The cardamom peeks out in the drydown, so it's sweet and a little... Not incense, but toasty? Must be the oudh. It's pretty close wearing, but not invisible. It's going to be really great when the weather cools down. Overall, very smooth and sweet with a bit of spices. I can definitely see how this one's a little "wooly"!

[marared]

I'm a little iffy on BPAL's leather, but this is not strongly leathery at all. It is indeed a touch sweet - cardamom musk with a hint of leather. I bet this would be great layered with a coffee note.

[Atrous]

On me, this smells nothing like the notes listed. I'm not detecting any Oudh, leather, cardamom, or musk.

Strange because I normally amp cardamom and oudh so I would expect to smell those at the very least.

All I get is men's cologne and not a good kind either. It just smells off and on the cheap side.

Very disappointing.

[animalcules]

This is very subtle. Light leather, sweet musk, cardamom. The musk amps while drying but after drydown it's close to the skin, and I get a bit of smokiness that might be the oud. Dry, it doesn't smell unlike my cashmere sweater when it's freshly washed!

 

Though it doesn't have notes in common it reminds me a lot of a less-sweet Morocco with leather. I think the 'wooly musk' and the 'warm musk' might be the same.

[t_for_tau]

This really does smell like wool! - not, on me, soft cashmere, but proper thick lanolin-bearing WOOL. I smell like a yarn store! - at least when it's wet. As it begins to dry down the other notes start peeking out, reminding me of various things: working outside a thick wool jumper under a sheepskin-lined leather jacket, then coming in to a cosy Christmastime house decorated with branches, with a hint of spices in the air. It's just lovely!

 

The leather isn't a harsh acidic leather; it's soft and warm, like harness leather warm from the horse (unicorn?) but clean. Different aspects fade in and out at different times, and as it settles it becomes more elegant - apparently it's now a refined gentleman wearing the woolly jumper. The "woolly musk" smells like the "baby goat musk" in My Baby And A Baby Goat, giving it that same warm snuggly feel, but more masculine and outdoorsy; the cardamom is the one in Spanked. A real winner.

[LizziesLuck]

I have no clue why this called to me so much - maybe the wooly musk? I adore musk. Or the cardamom, that's a favourite. But leather is sooo iffy, so I already feel a little nuts for having blind bottled this. But here goes nothing!

 

 

Wet: Not disastrous! The leather is very present, but doesn't smell like disgusting chemicals on me. The musk and cardamom are lovely. This is not as sweet as the type of scents I usually wear. It's very dry. But I am really enjoying it. And actually, it is getting sweeter as I wear it - musk is often perceived as "sugary" to my nose. Mmm. So far this is an amazing skin scent, very different than everything I have.

 

 

Dry: I'm really surprised by this. I like it quite a bit. It's totally not the type of scent I usually wear, but I am finding it so soothing and comforting, like pulling on a warm sweater. It's a musky, leathery skin scent. Light, with hints of cardamom. Just enough sweetness from the musk. It's very light though, no noticeable throw. I can see myself wearing it on rainy/snowy days though.

[samarablackcat]

I really didn't know what to expect, particularly since leather can be problematic for me. I fretted unnecessarily.

 

The leather reminds me C. Auguste Dupin, well worn and soft. At first, that was all I could smell, as leather usually overtakes everything. But as this dries, I keep getting an almost sweet scent, or maybe it's a gentle, musky sweater. The cardamom gives just a nod of spice. It stays close to the skin and I think this will be perfect for fall (or winter in Florida). Bottle worthy for me; that wooly musk holds it all together.

[Tal Shachar]

Almost a dead ringer for Ivanushka for me, the same "furry musk" note that I've also found in Coyote, Faunalia, and Hunter Moon. Sometimes on me this musk keeps amping and doesn't stop, but it stays mild in Unicorn and Ram. I can't easily pick up the cardamom and oudh, but that may happen later as it ages.

 

But yeah, if you missed Ivanushka and want something like that, go for this one.

[Aviatrix]

This does indeed feel wooly and comfy! I think it's the combination of leather and cardamom that creates this sweet snuggly cloud. This is a bit of a wild west kind of scent to my nose, somehow it reminds me a bit of Tombstone, even though they don't really share notes.

But if you like Tombstone, chances are you'll also like this!

[zankoku_zen]

Cashmere, leather, and a hint of cardamom. Honestly, this makes me think of Ren Faires, with wool and leather abounding. It's soft, cozy, with decent throw and wear length. I do get a soft brown impression as a color association.

[Balame]

I really like this one! It was exactly what I'd hoped from the description.

If you smelled Autumn Overlooked My Knitting then this is the same amazing "fuzzy" musk from that.

I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but it is indeed reminiscent of wool and other soft things you would knead your fingers into.

A slightly sweet, musky and cuddly warmth. Less woodsy than Ivanushka.

 

I pick up the leather here as well, which makes for a great combo.

It's subtle. The overall vibe makes me think of a medieval traveler decked out in a leather vest reaching an inn, then curling up near the hearth in a big wool blanket.

Can't tell where the oudh and cardamom factor into this, but I think that's because it's blended so well.

I just want to nuzzle into this critter's cuddly coat.

 

I smell amber as the top notes fade away after a couple hours of wear. Very pretty.

Super comforting smell with a hint of adventure about it - perfect for the inspiration! Glad I went for a bottle.

 

*edit* I've been slathering this multiple times since I got it, and the more it gets to rest, the more I can pick out the softly spicy cardamom and golden/incensey oudh.

Still comforting but now has a hint of the exotic about it; I totally get the Morocco reference earlier in the thread. Though this lacks the hairspray astringency Morocco eventually developed on me.

 

UGH, it's even better than before. I need a back-up bottle.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Balame

[Casablanca]

In the bottle, Unicorn and Ram is cardamom and woolly musk.

On my skin, it's soft cardamom, a cozy musk, and... well, really, I can smell everything in the notes list. The leather and soft fabric smell are so soft and bundly together that I just want to walk out of work, drive home, and roll up in a blanket for the rest of the day.

This blend stays as close to the skin as pajamas. After an hour, my skin has eaten most of it. All that remains is a hint of warm musk.

[PeculiarHeroine]

I bought Unicorn and Ram with my fingers firmly crossed that the leather in it would not overwhelm. And this time I lucked out. If I detect any leather, its very soft, a well worn leather.

This is a soft and cozy perfume, mostly the wooly musk, with a breath of the cardamom, which is just so, so delightful. Its a perfume for rainy days and soft sweaters.

It reminds me in spirit, if not in notes, of My Baby and a Baby Goat. I feel similarly snuggly with this one.

[Alaeidrel]

...all I got was baby powder. Straight baby powder. I'm so confused because I love cardamom and leather and I can't smell any of it.

[maudlinrose]

The leather oudh is beautiful. There's smething about the musk throwing it off for me - its a creamy sort of musk, and I think with a bit of time to settle, this is going to get even better.

[Little Bird]

The wooly musk and cashmere, I think, are giving this an overall feel of baby powder and warm musk. It does have a fabric quality to it, like smelling a dry, fuzzy, clean sweater. I don't smell any leather or oudh, but there's a little spiciness from the cardamom in the drydown. Too powdery for me.

[Fish That Swims]

Just got this in the mail this morning. Gosh! It's exactly the coziness scent I was hoping in it would be. In the bottle I am getting a warm, slightly spicy musk that if I inhale very deeply goes a teensy bit sour. On skin, a little bit sweeter, a little bit warmer. Not picking up leather, the cardamom is very very tame--nothing here that I want to eat but very fuzzy and cozy.

[MischiefofRats]

I don't have a lot to add that previous reviewers haven't mentioned--it's well-blended, subtle, warm, fuzzy, and woolly. I get the leather, but it's very tame. I wear this one to bed a lot because it's so comforting, but it's also incredibly light. This has ZERO throw. My nose has to be basically on my skin to smell it. I wish it had a louder voice, because I'd love a second bottle if it did. It's a gorgeous scent.

[Pyretta]

I love to knit, so I was pretty bummed that Autumn - Overlooked My Knitting didn't work on me. The leaf note came out too strong (as it usually does), with only a little bit of that wooly fuzziness that a lot of people mentioned peeking through. So, with no leaves in sight, I had high hopes for Unicorn and Ram!

 

Bottle: Musk and leather, with something playing in the background. It's slightly sweet but not really in a foodie way - more "cozy" and warm like others have mentioned. I think it's the cardamom?

 

Wet: This is almost all musk, wool, and leather now. The spicy/sweet cardamom note is all but gone on my skin. It still has that cozy quality, though, and reminds me of knitting in bed on a chilly evening. Throw is low-medium.

 

Dry: If you've ever blocked natural wool after knitting something up, you'll know wet wool has this distinct smell (not pleasant really, but not bad either). This has just a hint of that scent in the background and it's making me so tempted to start a new project. Not much has changed from the wet stage except that the cardamom came back, and the leather has blended in with the other notes. I was afraid for a moment it would go very masculine leather-and-musk but it's settled into something very snuggly.

 

Verdict: This is pretty much what I was expecting AOMK to smell like, so it's a keeper for me! It's definitely a scent I'd only wear staying in at home, though - maybe if I layered it with Stekkjarstaur or De Vos' Unicorn (or a Single Note?) it would get some extra oomph. This has the same coziness as My Baby and a Baby Goat, which I love to bits, but none of the honey or goat's milk notes that I amp like crazy - also a good thing.

[theseagrows]

i get the musk and leather at the outset, then some cashmere and maybe a hint of oudh. after about 10-15 minutes, i smell a little cardamom and the leather has calmed down some. after the drydown, i'd say the musk is the strongest, followed by leather and cardamom. i like this but don't love it. it is kind of cozy though, i think maybe i'm just amping the musk too much.

[Lisa Ing]

I really really love this scent, and aging it for six months has really helped the cardamom and leather notes pop on application. I smell a light smokiness now that wasn't there before, but it's still a wonderfully light, gentle scent. It's like being a kid hiding in your aunt's coat closet, face pushed in between woolly cashmere sweaters and a sheepskin-collared leather jacket that still smells faintly of her cardamom goat's milk lotion, lanolin, and skin musk.

 

The only downside is that it fades so quickly -- I like soft skin scents, and I never feel the need to slather anything but Unicorn and Ram.

[sasqa9]

Soft coconut leather. It's warm, comforting, lightly spiced. Not sure why I get coconut milk, but there it is. It's fuzzy, cuddly ... it reminds me most of Brown Jenkins. This is Brown Jenkins with leather instead of wood. The overall effect is softer, but just as cozy.

 

I love this. It's a scent for rainy days with cups of milky tea, wrapped in warm blankets.

[achildoftime]

I really wanted to love this. Leather and wool is like a dream scent, but it was just way too soft. It was a bit leathery and a touch woolly, but it was the perfume equivalent of butterfly kisses. Kind of cute in theory, but not substantial at all in practice. It's kind of heartbreaking because I love all the notes listed.

[artisjok]

Unicorn & Ram is so cozy. I detect all the notes, except oude. Soft leather wrapped in wool and cashmere, slightly spiced up by the cardamom, and a sweet touch of musk that comes out more as time goes by. It's got low throw, but I'm still managing to get whiffs of it from the dabs I put on my neck. I keep returning to sniff my wrists. It's a little chilly outside and this scent is so perfect for curling up with tea and a book. Glad to have found a bottle!

[ralenth]

Softly spiced leather. This one is definitely cozy, and I agree it is reminiscent of Tombstone, but wrapped in a soft wool blanket.