I Die of Love

[cinderfallen]

I die of love for him, perfect in every way,
Lost in the strains of wafting music.
My eyes are fixed upon his delightful body
And I do not wonder at his beauty.
His waist is a sapling, his face a moon,
And loveliness rolls off his rosy cheek
I die of love for you, but keep this secret:
The tie that binds us is an unbreakable rope.
How much time did your creation take, O angel?
So what! All I want is to sing your praises.
 

– Abu Nuwas

 

Balsam-dusted leather, crushed lilac, bay rum, soft black musk, cubeb berry, and smoke.

 

Soft, soft, a hint of leather. Close to the skin, lingering. Did you want to wear it, Lola? Don't just leave it for Edward. Prise it from his hand to yours, a delicate extraction. The afternoon slant of day echoes in a lilac haze, dust motes sputtering into universes par fume. Come to bed, come to bed.

[zankoku_zen]

Black leather, bay rum, hints of smoke and black musk. This is a very manly black leather. Leather, leather, leather. Good throw and wear length.

[Pittseminole]

Wet: Stong glossy black leather, smoke and maybe a little lilac. 

 

Dry: Very soft bay rum and sweet musk. Good wear length but no trow on me. Very pretty, but I’m not sure I’ll need more than my decant. 

 

Smelled amazing on my husband, but he didn’t really care for it. Bummer. 

[SophieCedar]

Sueded smoky leather that's like the best ever...with lilac and just a touch of bay rum. Its all kept sweet and fresh by the cubeb. If you've been wishing for something like Perversion that's not Perversion.. try this. Instead of Perversion's crystalline syrupy sweet leather feel, this is more amber with a tinge of sweet sweet lilac.

[Lucchesa]

I think this may be my favorite of this year's lupers (though I haven't finished testing all my decants).  On me, I Die of Love is not a manly leather at all.  In fact, as I was sniffing my wrists and making mental notes on the bus today, I decided it was an unusually femme leather.  Like mauve driving gloves, maybe.  Very soft leather, a haze of lilac which is one of the few florals that work on me, the softest musky bay rum.  Cubeb is usually very lemony on me, but here it's just a little bit of zing.  This has nice throw, which I rarely get with my skin chemistry.  Gorgeous. 

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: I don't think I'm getting any leather at all??? Instead, this is a soft, cologney-y/perfume-y scent, with light, almost aquatic florals, an enticing hint of a smoky/peppery kick, and a general feel of soap just washed off of skin.

 

Wet: An initial flash of aggressive black leather and smoke, tempered by lilac, before it settles down into a very close-to-the-skin scent, with everything very soft and well-blended. I think I can pick out the leather, musk, lilac, and maybe even the bay rum, but it's actually hard to tell.

 

Dry: Ah, now this is the black leather/bay rum/musk scent I was expecting, with an unexpectedly prominent but undeniably sexy smoky note. As time goes on, the leather and smoke fade away, leaving a soft, resinous, faintly musky scent. Looooooove this!

[storme]

Wet: faint, smoky musk and a warm leather that's really like the one in Dragon's Hide.
Dry: soft, warm,  a bit sweet, musky-sexy with the leather and smokiness. It still reminds me strongly of Dragon's Hide. Very nice.

[starbrow]

This is the dreamiest blend. Full of notes that could go very wrong, I Die of Love goes to all the right places. I am enveloped in a hug of bay laurel and skin-warmed leather, spiced and smoky and woozy, and dare I say, sexy. Could you die from this love? Gladly. The leather stays gentle and contained by the rest of its companion notes, enough that I don't even think about the leather when I'm wearing it. Nor is the smoke the dreaded char; it induces dreams rather than headaches. Gorgeous.

 

I can detect a squish of pepper-spicy berry in the cubeb, and the slight prickle of balsam, almost humorous as it mocks the deeply sensual notes with a touch of scratchy whimsy. The lilac is the softest dusting of that boisterous summer flower that you can imagine. Many times lilac takes a blend by storm and stomps out all the other notes, but here it is a welcome brush of sweet heady floral balancing out the heavier elements. I adore black musk, and while it doesn't stand out in the blend, it provides an inky, almost incensey depth behind the scenes. 

 

This is one of my unexpected favorites, and I am so thrilled to have a bottle. There is really nothing quite like it in the BPAL collection, its perfection of blending and balancing notes, with aspects of masculine and feminine that make it both mysterious and eminently wearable by any gender. Best lilac ever? Um, YES!