A Silhouette

[annemathematics]

Yellowing parchment and lampblack, a drop of lilac, a smear of labdanum, and a splash of white musk.

if the lab didn't already have a scent for good omens' aziraphale (which I haven't ever tried so please don't mistake this comment as implying any sort of death match or informed comparison), I'd nominate this as a solid contender. smells smart, distinguished, pedigreed, a little bit bright (lilac!), a little bookish, unisex in the way that angels are supposedly not quite one gender nor the other. dashing but slightly asexual. the drydown reminds me of a less-sweet, no-tea dorian ancestor. modest throw that lasted all through a 14+ hour workday.

 

[LizziesLuck]

So intrigued by this combo of notes!

 

Wet: It's very faint. Mostly book/parchment, but not that horrid chemical smell that "book" notes sometimes turn to on my skin. It's really nice. I really wish it was stronger! Usually white musk is intense on me, but I can't really smell it. Or the lilac. Or whatever the heck "lampblack" is. I am getting a tiny bit of labdanum, which smells a bit like cola on me. The longer I wear it, the stronger the labdanum gets, and the more I enjoy it. Weird, since it basically smells like books and Coke.

 

 

Dry: Very faint, books and cola-like labdanum. Really interesting, but not strong enough for me to wear. Too bad, as it's very unique. I am finding all of the Lupers I have tried so far this year really faint....

[doomsday_disco]

annemathematics' review is spot on!

 

In the decant: The lilac and yellowing parchment are the first notes to jump out at me, and then I get the white musk and lampblack. The combination of the lilac and yellowing parchment remind me of a flower pressed into an old book.

 

Wet: The yellowing parchment note is so realistic! I love that it's not accompanied by a leather note for once. I still get the lilac, but it is not as strong as it was in the decant. The labdanum is present now, and I can also smell more of the soot-y lampblack and white musk. I'd say it's a relative of Jareth.

 

After a bit, the lilac ends up becoming more prominent, which makes me think of a fresh lilac pressed into an old book again.

 

Dry: Now I am getting more of the labdanum, but the lilac and parchment have become sweeter. I keep wondering if tonka is playing a role in the parchment note. I am really enjoying this!

 

Verdict: I mostly got this one out of curiosity (with lampblack listed as a note), and because I've been wanting a book scent without any leather. I am so glad I decided to try it. It's really lovely and not like anything else I have. I haven't decided whether or not I'll leap for a bottle (right now, I'm seriously considering it), because I'm not sure how often I will reach for it, but if I don't end up upgrading to a bottle, I'll certainly keep my decant.

[zankoku_zen]

Lilac, white musk, and labdanum. I also get a combination that smells like lilac soap coming through. Good throw and wear length.

[Aviatrix]

Ink and musk!

The ink is overpowering the parchment for me, but I still get a distinctly bookish feel from this. The lilac is really only a whisper.

I found it to be a rather powerful scent in terms of throw and longevity.

[mishi-bear]

Definitely not just a drop of lilac at least on me, this is a very lilac forward blend. I don't mind lilac, but I wasn't expecting so much in this. It dominates the blend for a good while before finally letting the other notes peek out. I get a light, sheer white musk, a tiny bit vanilla smelling. The parchment is also a touch vanilla smelling, sweet leaning, kind of shiny and glossy feeling. The lampblack is interesting and was a note I was unfamiliar with, apparently it's a pigment made from soot. In this blend it has an interesting bittersweet black powdery smell to it. It's not so strong that it becomes sneeze inducing at least. The labdanum in this is surprisingly present, I'm used to it more as a fixative. In this it has a resinous and slightly medicinal smell to it. Good throw and long wear length.

[Juliamon]

In the bottle: LILAC. Very, very lilac, and maybe some parchment?

 

Wet: The lilac calms down to a reasonable level and a vanilla-like sweetness develops. I think it's from the musk? The labdanum may also be contributing to it. The parchment is old and stained by the bitter lampblack, it's remarkably evocative.

 

Dry: Most of the lilac has faded now, and the parchment and musk have taken the lead. It's very delicate, fragile, except for the inkiness of the lampblack.

 

Decent throw. I'm not sure about wear length because this is turning into a very "me" scent and I think I'm noseblind to it now that the lilac has faded. This is probably my favorite of the lupers I've had opportunity to smell and I'm tempted to get a backup since I only have a partial bottle.

[starbrow]

Three years later, this is one of the best bookish BPALs out there, to my nose. It reminds me of crackling stacks of dusty paper and thick black ink at an attic writing desk, a lilac sachet somewhere nearby. You could almost imagine Jo March scribbling away at her stories, author's hat perched on her head. It's an old-fashioned scent, something from another era, without being too mature or decade-specific for a modern wearer.

 

I love wearing a few drops of it while I'm writing. The ink note is really wonderful, not pickly. The parchment is one of the best scent representations of paper I've smelled so far, and the lilac doesn't take over, ever, rather lending a softly feminine touch of sweetness without blasting florals all over the place. I'm so happy I have a bottle, and will need to wear this more as one of my favorite bookish blends!