Dandelions & Concrete

[gloame]

Sun-yellow petals thrusting through asphalt, a lilting touch of white musk, crisp juniper, blackcurrant bud, and ambrette seed.

I got to attend in person for the first time in my BPAL career thanks to a recent move to OC, California, and I was so freaking stoked to go to a lunacy event that I just basically flailed around smelling everything and being overly excited without a solid plan.

I WILL ADMIT that upon reading the description for Dandelions & Concrete that I was not expecting to like it. I was expecting greenery and oil on asphalt — greenery I like, asphalt I wasn't sure about.

Okay, but no. Not at all. This smells so fresh and uplifting. My husband got to it first in the lineup, and was all "Oh this one's nice," and I sniffed, and was like, "Wow, yeah, it's so spring!"

In the bottle: Sharp, green juniper and smoothed-over new flower blooms... really new blooms, still green and kinda bud-y, and which have been stepped on by rubber-soled sneakers.

On my skin: Less sharp, the juniper gets smoothed-over, too. Also stepped-on. The green opens up and it begins to smell yellow. It's bright, vibrant, but mature and self-assured. It's optimistic, but realistic. I really really like this. Low throw, but seems to be lasting.

The more I smell it on my skin, the more I really like it. Glad I bought a bottle.

And Beth was so nice! UGH I AM HAPPY ABOUT EVERYTHING TODAY.

 

Edit to add where I'd wear this: Shoe shopping for espadrilles in Spain, early April

[zankoku_zen]

Sunny, milky dandelions, with a hint of juniper, asphalt, and white musk. If you've been coveting a dandelion scent, try this one. It's green, summery, hot but there's enough of the other ingredients to make it more than just straight up green dandelions. These are tough, urban dandelions. Low throw, low wear length.

[LizziesLuck]

I adore the dandelion note in Venus Verticordia, and I am beginning to have an appreciation for stone/asphalt/concrete notes as well, so this was a must try for me!

 

 

Wet: Beautiful!! Apparently dandelions smell exactly like summer to me, because when I take a sniff I feel happy and keep thinking "summer in a bottle". It's a fresh scent, but with some natural sweetness from the dandelions. I was worried it would be too sharp or bitter, but it's not, it has a beautiful hint of sweetness, making it entirely my jam. The juniper is sooo soft and subtle, which is a pleasant surprise, as I often find it overwhelming. Hints of hot pavement add to the atmosphere of the scent. I am LOVING this so far.

 

 

Dry: I just love this. It's happiness and summer in a bottle. It smells like sticking your face into a Dandelion and coming away with yellow marks on your nose! So very realistic. It's wonderful, and Beth is a genius, as always.

[doomsday_disco]

Thank you, Labbies, for putting this one on Etsy! I adore dandelion scents. I have always associated dandelions with hope and perseverance, and so they tend to be 'happy' scents for me (I have the Lab's Wild Dandelion SN, and Venus Verticordia is one of my favorite scents). I'm so glad that I was able to get my hands on a bottle and support this wonderful cause!

 

In the bottle: A blast of dandelions, followed by the juniper and white musk.

 

Wet: This is very green. I'm getting more white musk and juniper on my skin than I did in the bottle, but the dandelion note reigns. After a few minutes, the ambrette seed begins to emerge as well as the asphalt note, creating the warm asphalt impression, and the blackcurrant bud can be smelled faintly in the background, adding some sweetness to the scent.

 

Dry: Although the juniper was a bit sharp and the scent was very green when first applied, it has softened a lot since then. The dandelion note dominates, and I'm reminded of dandelions on a warm summer day. The blackcurrant bud has become stronger than before and has sweetened up the scent significantly. It's so beautiful.

 

Verdict: Smelling this makes me really happy. I'm ecstatic that I was able to obtain a bottle of this and may try to obtain a back-up bottle on Etsy while it's still available.

[Minh Scent]

This starts off quite sharp and very green on application. At this point, it reminds me of Venus Vercordia. It then goes into bright, sunny dandelion flowers and indeed, as Lizzies Luck said, it is like putting your nose into a bouquet. For me, the most beautiful part is dry down when it smells more milky, with lighter floral scent and more musk and some sweetneness. Gorgeous! It is a heavy morpher on me. Low throw and only lasts about an hour.

[whisperstilled]

Wet: 'Crisp' is right, this is a bright, fresh juniper floral, the musk making it even brighter.

Dry: Distinctively a dandelion and white musk scent, with the juniper brightening. Not much warm ambrette seed here. A sharp, sweet floral. Not to my personal taste, but definitely more complex than just your average 'floral' scent.

[Fjaer]

Wet: The juniper really comes to the foreground, with something sharp and green. 

 

It was the idea of a concrete note that drew me to this, and I am getting that, it's just sharper than I anticipated... though I don't really know what I expected! 

 

Dry(er): The blackcurrant is tart and sharp... it's still overall sharp and green, with a big hit of currants. 

 

I'm not a huge fan, but I guess I'll keep this and try it out over the summer months. 

[Llanval]

I was on the hunt for this scent and rspades answered my ISO!! My first impression is immediate love!! Love love love this.  Smells like idealized green and growing plants, and over top the green is a bright, sunny, milky dandelion that really makes me smile. The juniper makes this sharper and brighter than expected but in a really lovely way. I don't get much ambrette or black currant bud but that's okay. If they're in here still, they only add to the complex greenery of the scent.

 

The hot concrete comes out as it wears, but it isn't a strong note on me.  I was hoping for a bit more concrete but I do smell it in here and it makes this bottle a keeper.  It does smell like the idea of dandelions growing through concrete warmed by a summer sun.

 

The only drawback is the very low wear time, about 2hr until it fades into a close skin scent, but for this one I don't mind reapplying to enjoy that incredible opening again! Really, really glad I was able to pick up a bottle of this, it is basically exactly what I was hoping for, and scratches the itch for my white whale, Tennis Match, lol!