First Lash

[starbrow]

Austrian black amber, woodsmoke, frankincense, and terebinth.

 

The woodsmoke is the headliner note in this one, warmed by swoonworthy terebinth and brightened by the frank. Compared with the early acrid note from Hearthflame and Incense, this one is much warmer and more rounded to my nose. Maybe that's the black amber? This is definitely something I want to smell like. I am hoping the terebinth pops more as it settles/ages. Fresh, it's very wearable and wood-forward. 

[zankoku_zen]

Pine, woodsmoke, and a whiff of amber. Very woodsy, piney. Slightly masculine. Medium throw, good wear length.

[Casablanca]

I love smoky, woodsy blends. On the wand, First Lash reminds me a lot of Przeczucie (terebinth, fir needle, and smoke). 

 

Fresh on skin, it gives off billows of woodsmoke, pine tar, and a warm, dark amber that borders on sultry.

 

Dried, the wood swaps with the woodsmoke in the order of strength, but the blend is still similar.

 

I didn't need to want another bottle, but I'd like one of this. Yules just do me in. 

 

 

[frizzlechicken]

Mmmm. The first blast is like the woodsmoke in Midnight Bonfire. Then it settles into whiffs of clove and pine. There's something else I can't put my finger on but it might be the Frankincense. It's lovely. 

[annemathematics]

frank-heavy amber under wafts of smoke. weirdly, not getting much pine.  this is lighter and brighter and less smokey on me than hearthflame and incense.  it's nice now, but i'm curious to see how it will shift with a few months of aging. 

[mandragora369]

First Lash has Austrian black Amber, so I'm from Austria, had to test it! It's very resinous, woody and has a slight herbal note to it. Not bad at all! ☺️

Stays this way throughout wear. But I doubt needing a full bottle.

 

[Juushika]

In vial: Smokey, outdoorsy, a gentle touch of pine.

 

On me: The piney scent of the terebinth is outdoorsy, woody, resinous--not at all sharp, which is what normally scares me away from pine. It sits alongside a smooth woodsmoke which is very slightly sweet. It has a true bonfire vibe, a little more "burning wood while in the woods" than straight campfire/chimney smoke, but not complicated by a complete sketch of the surrounding forest. Compare to Hearthflame and Incense (crackling almond wood and the deep sweet smoke of burgundy pitch, Austrian amber resin, black copal, and frankincense), which is similar but stronger and darker, and which has a lingering note of resinous sweetness reminiscent of marshmallow char of The Gorobble (a scent redolent of the crusty exterior of burnt marshmallows); this is more true to life, less strong, a beautiful balance of woods to smoke. The longer it wears, the more I get the frankincense, almost but not quite a single note, with a touch of woodsmoke in the background. Throw is good; wearlength is 10+ hours.

 

Verdict: My favorite scent in the whole world is chimney smoke, smelled while walking in winter in the Pacific Northwest. This isn't exactly that--the fire is a little closer than my neighbor's chimney--but it's as close as I've gotten in a BPAL blend. The frankincense finisher is pretty, and I've also been looking for a frankincense-heavy blend, but I wish this kept its beautiful woodsmoke indefinitely. I'll still probably get a bottle.

Edited January 30, 2019 by Juushika

[Lucchesa]

First Lash went on very green, woodsy and a little harsh.  I expected it to mellow on my skin, and within 30 minutes it had settled in nicely.  It never sweetened the way pine  does on me, but it softened considerably.  Dry, it was still green and bright and woodsy with a little smoke and amber, and eventually a woody frankincense becomes more prominent.  This is a lovely, outdoorsy unisex scent with some smolder to it. Low throw (normal for me) but a nice long wear length; First Lash outlasted Hearthflame and Incense on me.  Decisions, decisions!

[supreme_c0rt]

This is the smokiest blend I've tried to date*. On me, it's a warmer flavor of pure wood smoke -- the kind of meaty, bacon-y wood smoke that you can smell in your clothes after sitting by the fire on a winter's night. The other notes play on the edges of the scent but the smoke is definitely the forerunner. Not acrid at all though, like how Midnight Bonfire was on me, and it sits very close to the skin. The amber really warms it up beautifully and gently guides it away charcoal or carbon territory. Not getting any of the frank or the terebinth, but I don't mind that (I amp frankincense, with mixed results). 

 

It's lovely and grounding and comforting, but probably not for everyday wear. Maybe more for a specific mood or possibly even ceremonial -- it's completely perfect for Yule season. Layering with this is great -- I blended it with Fenris Wolf and it's sexy ancient forest magic on my skin right now. I'm excited to try it with other woodsy/musky blends; looking at A Young Boy and His Brother Seated Upon a Goat, Czernobog, and maybe even Iago if Iago doesn't eat it up.

 

*The Storyteller was the other smoky one -- First Lash feels like a less-sweet version of Storyteller. Which is nice since I wanted to love Storyteller but that beeswax note always turns into cloying honey on me. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by supreme_c0rt

[tinyvulture]

I just tested Hearthflame & Incnese, and this is a less fiery little brother maybe? The pine in this blend is cooler, almost minty. The frankincense and sweet amber are center stage. Less acrid than H&I, but just as smoky.