Midnight Bonfire

[ritardataire]

Lighting the path between worlds, the beacon at the threshold: night-blooming jasmine, smoldering maple leaves, a cluster of patchouli and blackened ti leaf, black sage, and pinewood smoke.

So, so strong and not really a morpher!

 

At first this smelled to me less like late night cold bonfire and more like a WARM bonfire. Something in the smell reminded me of charcoal grilling in summer. Im not sure it was the vibe I was expecting from this.

 

Nonetheless though its a cool, evocative scent!

 

A heavy application actually almost gave me a headache. Lighter application was way better and smelled softer! But then... it lost some lasting power. Bummer.

 

I think Im going to give this more time to grow on me. It might ended up neglected in favor of another smoky scent like bonfire toffee or scorched marshmallows, or it could end up a favorite.

[melandie]

I also find this one really strong, and even in the few weeks I've had it, I've noticed a difference. When I first received it, what I mostly got was pine...so much pine. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But yet I kept smelling my wrists...

 

When I tried it again a couple days ago, suddenly I got the SMOKE. So happy that has shown up! I was walking around the heart of the city feeling like I had just left an all night forest bonfire. Unlike the reviewer above, it doesn't feel like a particularly warm scent, but I'm loving the direction it has taken, and think it'll age and develop more.

[zankoku_zen]

Jasmine, maple leaves, pine and a whiff of smoke. It's a smoky, autumnal jasmine on me. Medium throw and wear length.

[Casablanca]

Hm, neat! On the wand, this was all heavy, smoky birch tar.

 

But on my skin, night jasmine and maple appear out of nowhere in the smoke, like a magic trick. 

 

Lots of smoky birch tar with well-blended jasmine, maple, and pine. Hints of patchouli and sage add touches of deep earth and cool herb.

 

The jasmine is more calm than usual in this one. She is smudged on all sides with smoke and warmed with maple.

 

I will need a bottle.

[Lunasariel]

(Yes, I'm still reviewing Weenies. >.< I love my job, but only being able to test new perfumes on the weekends is one of my less-favorite aspects.)

 

In the imp: My first impression was "fresh night breeze." I think this is the ti leaf and sage - BPAL's sage generally reads as softly, broadly outdoorsy to me, while ti leaf makes things fresh but not ozone-y or aquatic. I wouldn't immediately peg this as a floral, but there is some jasmine in there, twining around the sage. Maybe just a hint of woodsiness or smoke, but not an awful lot

 

Wet: And there's that smoke! It wavers for a few moments before resolving into definitely pine smoke, but it's not at all sharp or astringent. The sage is most likely to thank for this - on my skin, sage generally provides a gorgeous green-tinted, soft-focus filter over everything, and this is no exception. I think the ti leaf is also still going strong, providing the feeling of elusive curls of smoke on a soft nighttime breeze, instead of the snootful of smoke that you get from standing right over a campfire. The jasmine becomes an unexpected addition here: at first it felt incongruously elegant and ladylike in what is otherwise a campfire-on-a-beautiful-summer-night scent. However, after a few minutes, it melds into the smoke and sage wonderfully, becoming a little wilder and earthier.

 

Dry: As expected, the fresher, lighter elements burn off. This leaves the smoke more prominent, and the patchouli makes itself known. Overall, it's now a resinous, herbal scent, much darker and more appropriate for the witching hour.

[doomsday_disco]

I had a chance to swap for this decant, and I did it so that a friend of mine could try it, because I remembered her being interested in this last Halloween and not getting to try it. She loves smoky scents, and I do not, and she had decided to pass over it due to the jasmine that's listed as the first note. But I think she'd like this.

Midnight Bonfire starts off with some heavy pine smoke backed by the smoldering leaves. It's pretty intense at first, until the jasmine shows up and lightens up the scent a little, giving the scent its midnight vibe, as if you're attending a bonfire at midnight during the full moon. I'm actually glad that the jasmine is here, because otherwise there would be nothing to help tame the smoke on me.

It's still too smoky for me, but I do think it's evocative of its name. I am going to pass it on to my friend and see what she thinks of it.

Edited July 12, 2019 by doomsday_disco

[artisjok]

Definitely evocative of a smoky bonfire in the night. The smoldering jasmine comes in with a blast, and then the petals must have all burned up. Sweet jasmine disappears into the starry sky. I can sense the patchouli’s woodiness keeping the clouds of smoke grounded slightly. I feel the sage and pine lightly edging the smoke, like a sensation of cool night air on my back. This is all about showcasing the burnt elements. 

 

Every time I try this one, I decide that it’s just not for me, just such intense smoke. An hour later I’m swooning. It’s softened and the complexities peek out more and waft around me making me wish for cold walks in the late winter night.... a deeply contemplative mood emerges. I don’t want to let go. 

Edited September 10, 2019 by artisjok

[DigitalCoyote]

Wet: Wood and smoke

 

Dry: A whiff of jasmine, smoke, and Sharpie.

 

This doesn't like my skin.  Will try again.

[birdieflyaway]

This is quite robust, which is typically what I'm looking for. In the bottle I'm getting pine and I think the jasmine. Once applied the smoke and sage are there and stay. It does feel like a smoldering sort of burn, I really am pleased with the fire scent and the sage is a nice sidekick.

[Madame Mew]

I knew I was taking a risk on this, because dead leaves or smoldering maple leaves ran the risk of being similar. The only time DL works on me is with a sweet note to offset it. I generally like some smoke, but the acrid maple leaves portion and the smoke with all of the other "blackened" notes are just too much for me. I don't think I smell much jasmine in this, but if you love the dead leaves series, you'll probably love this. I was actually thinking that I may have accidentally gotten dead leaves on fire, because that's what it smells like.

[groovyrooby]

This was a total shocker to me. Tested from a decant that rested for days.

 

My initial impression was smoky and spicy, almost food spicy, something tasty in there, like a burnt hot dog over a fire? That didn't last long.

 

This turned 95% floral and a faint hint of smoke. Big blooms, all jasmine, and I really like it. Husband says "earthy," so maybe he found the patchouli. If I look for it, I think I can pull out maple dark sweetness, maybe a trace of pine. But I would absolutely consider this a floral on me.

 

Tested again a couple days later - same experience. Smoky floral. Considering upgrading to the big bottle to fill my current big-floral need.

[Biocarbons]

Wet: sharp, perfumey, old burnt tires & spilt motor oil.

 

Dry: Still smoky and and now the leaves have come out. The jasmine hangs out in the background. Pretty sharp and it sits in the top of my sinuses goading me into a sneeze. 

 

This would give me a headache, but I'm probably going to keep the imp because I bet it will vary a lot depending on the person.

[Rane.]

This is another head turning perfume for me. Mostly older women will make a second glance or sniff on me tho. Lol It smells like dead leaves with patches of jasmine struggling to grow thru the layers. The pine & maple is fragrant in this one. Not familiar with blackened ti leaf, so I cannot get my nose to pick up that note. Really smells like an evening walk thru a damp forest covered in maple leaves & pine needles, with jasmine blooming everywhere, & wet patches of earth sprouting young patchouli plants. A rare jasmine scent that I like. Helps with sleep, too.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Rane.

[Threemoons]

Finally cracked open the 2020 issue of this scent, been wearing it for the past 2 days.  In the bottle:  A strong dark floral, covered in fresh smoldering ashes.  On, wet:  Smoldering damp leaves and some kind of sweet smoke -- all of the notes really blend together on this one, no one particular thing really stands out.  Drydown:  Wet, smoky, sweet smoldering bonfire remnants with a bit of incense - almost like someone lit some incense during a bonfire on a wet, damp day.  I'm not normally a fan of the Lab's dead leaves note, but here, it blends nicely with everything else and makes for a most unusual smoky floral/incense scent. 

[hhelix]

I had to take this off of my sales page after I tried it again yesterday. It's so good. The smoke is more like fireplace soot or the remnants of a campfire, tempered by a sweet soft watery jasmine. The night-blooming variety is not as heady and indolic as sambac or absolute -- it's more of a clear, light, Elvin note (think Galadriel from LOTR). Mostly the scent was the interplay between the smoke and jasmine. Maybe later in the day I sensed the groundedness of patchouli leaf or leaves, although this is definitely not the typical cologne-y Lab dead leaves note here. I don't have anything like this in my collection, so I'll be keeping it. I don't typically like "summer" perfumes, but this one fits the bill as something I can wear on the hottest days, but still maintain an edge of darkness and a nod to autumn. For me, one swipe on skin resulted in low throw, about 4-5 hours of wear.