Scraps of Poetry

[boomtownrat]

A citrus chypre with French lavender, yellow bergamot, and clove bud.

My bottle has only settled from shipping overnight, but I was impatient. I'm a poet and I've wanted a poetry-inspired BPAL scent for a while now, so I've been hoping that Scraps of Poetry would be something I could love.

When I opened the bottle yesterday, all I could smell was a zingy citrus chypre and yellow bergamot. In the 22 or so hours since then, it's softened up but those are still the two notes that dominate in the bottle and on my wrists. There's the tiniest hint of lavender. I'm not sure how clove bud differs from the usual clove note, but I don't get anything that I recognize as clove. Citrus and bergamot seem to dominate every time I wear them so your mileage may vary.

For me, this is more Elizabeth Barrett Browning than any other poet that comes to mind. It's a soft, golden-pink, almost powdery type of floral that would be nice for wearing at a wedding. Many of the sharper, heady florals are a problem for me, but none of those notes are in this one and it isn't setting off any headache alarm bells. It doesn't have a ton of throw, so it's the kind of floral that shouldn't bother the people around you as long as you don't slather.

I'm sure it's going to change somewhat, but Scraps of Poetry doesn't strike me as the kind of fragrance that's going to age into something dramatically different. I don't think this is very "me," but I'll keep it and see how it changes once it settles.

[RedPersimmon]

Wet: Lots of French lavender and bergamot. It smells zingy and carbonated, kind of like Sprite. I love this phase!

 

Dry: The above notes soften and become honeyed and milky.

 

Dry-down: Now it's a toned-down floral with hits of green here and there. At the end, the base notes put off a deep, powdery, bitter vibe. This phase lasts the longest.

 

 

Low-medium sillage with medium longevity.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: The French lavender and bergamot are the most prominent notes, followed by the clove. It is reminiscent of Nanshe, but with more lavender. Yaaaaas.

 

Wet: The lavender is the strongest note, followed by the bergamot and citrus-y chypre. Then the clove emerges and adds some warmth in the background. This one is very strong on the citrus and lavender.

 

Dry: The citrus chypre reigns. The lavender is not as prominent as it was before, but it is right behind the chypre. The clove seems to be content with remaining in the background. It is weaker than it was during the wet stage of the scent.

 

Verdict: I was hopeful about this one when I smelled it in the decant, but this is too strong on the citrus chypre for me. I wish the lavender and clove were stronger on my skin.

Edited March 27, 2018 by dementia_divine

[zankoku_zen]

Zingy lavender citrus chypre. And on the drydown just a whiff of the clove. Very gender neutral. It's sort of comforting and yet zingy at the same time. I'm very torn on whether I love this or not. Good throw and wear length.

[AraliaShine]

Intrigued by the notes and description, I added on a decant of this one. Citrus dominant fragrances aren't something

I'm usually drawn to, but I am loving oak moss recently and wanted to give this a try.

 

Yep. This bitter marmalade is really not my jam.

 

I can see how the chypre works to ground the zesty citrus notes, so in that sense it's nicely balanced, just overall too

sharp for me. Didn't pick up on lavender or clove; will wait a while and retest, but will probably end up finding this vial

a more loving home.

[Lucchesa]

This is one my husband picked out for me. I wasn't so sure, though it is working better on me than any chypre I've tried previously. Wet, it's citrus and a lot of lavender, which always starts out strong on me and fades quickly. True to form, the lavender recedes and it's citrus, bright and sour but in a good way, like a kumquat. I'm imagining clove bud is the flower that is formed before the hard woody spice thing comes into being, because all I'm getting is a hint of clove, very much in the background. Scraps of Poetry has a really distinct personality, and I can see using it as a pick-me-up kind of scent. I'm glad to have the decant but don't think I need a bottle.