Smoke and Lace

[VetchVesper]

Brazen and beautiful, unconventional and daring. The scent of soft white leather gloves and the sharp crack of a riding crop mingled with tobacco, clove, incense, and opium smoke seeped into sugar-spun vanilla lace, all stained with green cognac, sweet dried red fruits, and wild plum.

 

Lot's of leather in the bottle, and it is indeed that SN Riding Crop leather.  Brown but with just a touch of sharpness, with something animalic underneath.  Oudh or musk maybe?  When it touches my skin though, this becomes a poof of smoke.  Very masculine and harsh.  This is fresh from Darkdel, so I'm hoping it just needs some rest time and will calm down dramatically. 

 

Ok.  Smoke and leather relaxing.  Now I'm getting some of the soft, glove leather.  Something sweet, but unidentifiable starts to peek out, but there's a lot of notes I'm missing.  Hmmmmm... 

 

Oh dear.  I just accidentally put some Miss Forcible on it, thinking I was reapplying Smoke & Lace.  😕    .....  Huh.  .... I rather like the combo.    Well who'd have thunk it. 

 

Reapplying Smoke & Lace on the other arm.  ...I'm beginning to get the sense of a metallic clove and tobacco.  It smells like cigarette tobacco to me, which goes with the picture, but its a little jarring.  This still smells very male and sort of comforting.  Like - I could actually see a leather wearing, heavy smoking cowboy smelling like this naturally.  I think I might be barely getting a hint of plum in the background, but.... it's a dry plum, if that makes sense.  No sweet, fruitiness here.  This is like Bensiabel if he was told to shut the f@*k up, climb out of that fairy tale, and toughen up.     Maybe a touch of Marquis De Carabas. 

 

I ... might... like this?  I feel like it needs some revisiting after it's mellowed.  I also feel like it could really grow on me.  Time will tell.

 

As a side note - There are lyrics from a Joni Mitchel song I've always loved -  "He lives in another time/ Ladies in gingham still blush/ While he sings them of wars and wine/ But I in my leather and lace/ I can never become that kind."     Smoke & Lace and Crinoline & Lace seem to encapsulate the line for me.  Very different scents for very different ladies. 

 

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: All leather, all the time. The leather is SO strong that I could actually catch hints of it *when I opened the shipping box*. That, my friends, is a whole lotta leather.

 

Wet On Skin: As it warms on my skin, the leather takes a step back, thankfully. i'm not that big a fan of any leather note, and I blind-bottled this because I was hoping that the other notes would outweigh the beast-skin. The plum and opium are most dominant, holding their own against the leather, but it's still quite prevalent.

 

Dry Down: Remember The Smiling Spider? It was a clove cigarette scent that all us goths simply HAD to have once upon a BPAL time. This is Smiling Spider's broody goth-metal cousin that listens primarily to Type O Negative, early Marylin Manson and Slipknot. The clove, incense plum and oudh are all present and accounted for, but none can push down that damn saucy leather that simple HAS to get its way. I put Smoke and Lace on one hand, Crinoline and Lace on the other, and when I bring them together, they indeed help each other out, the vanilla/musk of Crinoline taming the leather while the deep, broody notes of Smoke grounding Crinoline and give her some razorblades and eyeliner. 

 

I am going to let this age, as leather sometimes mellows after getting to rest a bit. I like Smoke and Lace enough as a layering component to lend some other sweeter perfumes a bit more depth, but I do hope all those broody notes will become a little more prominent with some additional time to marinate together.

[zankoku_zen]

Honestly, I get ink, menthol cigarettes, and sultry perfume. The ink note reminds me to India Ink SN, and I get this notion of a woman that likes her whiskey straight, her men less so (because who says that men can't be softer), and her conventions not at all. Good throw and wear length.

[archaesophilia]

This is the same combination of leather/smoke that's in OLLA Quintessence of Dust, which is a little unfortunate for me because it's a death note in my nose. Fortunately, after an hour or so on, the screechy leather backs off and it does become a nice, soft kid glove worn by a wicked and interesting lady! It grows on me as I wear it, and it's one of the more interesting/evocative laces to be released recently. I don't think I'll need my back up of this, but I'm glad to have it and see how it ages.

[doomsday_disco]

Like VioletChaos, I can smell the leather in this outside of the bottle. So yeah, it's strong, especially on the riding crop leather. I let it settle for several days to see if the leather would calm down and I'd be able to get more notes from the bottle sniff. Nope. In the bottle, I can only smell the leather and clove.

On me, the leather notes take the center stage, with the clove and tobacco following in their wake. Then the clove ends up retreating into the background as a wisp of sweet opium smoke and tart red currant emerge. It ends up being a smoky leather scent, with a bit of sweetness from the opium and the tartness from the currant, the same dried currant found in Resistance, for many hours. Then, the clove returns, and the incense wafts up, making it a smoky, incensey, leathery lace. But it's not that lace-y on me, because usually, after a day of wear, the vanilla from the lace will be one of standout notes on me, but that wasn't the case with this one, though I am sure it is in there helping to tame some of the other notes. Maybe it will come out more with a little rest? Although I was worried about the plum, it was not an issue for me. I think that may be because I amp currant, though.

I knew this lace was a gamble, so I am going to give it more time to settle and retest it to see if it has changed. At the moment, though, I feel like this lace may not be for me. There's just not enough vanilla present to tame the strong leather, sadly.

[AirimirOfGondor]

This Lace was a surprise for me! I wasn't sure about it; I was worried that it would either be too sweet, or that the smoke note would be too strong.

 

But, on my skin, this is a very nice happy medium for me!

 

It is very leather heavy, and the incense/clove/tobacco are a very nice underlying layer. The smoke note itself is perfect - not too sharp, and just subtle enough to be noticeable, but not overpowering.

I feel like this lace is pretty close to Lycan Lace, actually; it feels cool and wet, and slightly dangerous. The smoke really gives it an awesome quality.

 

I am not 100% sure if this one is definitely a keeper or not yet (I only tested it once so far), but I do know I quite like it 😊.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: WHOA this has some THROW to it. Sour red fruits and leather... and oudh. Is there oudh in here? 

 

Dry: Okay, there HAS to be oudh in here. It's amping like crazy on me, and unfortunately this is the stinky oudh on my skin; oudh and sour red fruits.

 

Not working for me, sadly.

[torikitty]

I bought this because my husband tried it on at a Meet n' Sniff, and it worked on him. It was nicely balanced between leather and smoke, with the vanilla sweetening it up for him.

 

I tried it on myself. Immediately, the cognac amps on me, and smells like putridness. I tried to let it dry down, and see if it would change. I got annoyed with it, and washed it. It's got amazing staying power. The leather really stuck around, and had high sillage. It was nice once I washed it. Then the leather and light smoke was there for a long while.

Edited February 24, 2021 by torikitty

[OctoberGwen]

Leather lovers rejoice! Alas, I am not one, and it's very prominent on me in this blend. There's also less of what makes most Laces distinctive; that is, the linen note. I get a bit of sweetness and just a whiff of smokiness. Otherwise: LEATHER.

[Aveya]

Source: Decant circle

Hopes: So I really wanted to try this because "soft leather" has been glorious from the lab before. Plus, I've been on a tobacco kick. I love and adore clove. I love sugar blends, vanilla, and SWEET fruits with plum? I am so so so excited. But I am worried about the lace, cognac, and smoke taking things into a weird feminine place for me. Not to mention that leather riding whip going someplace more dominatrix than I'm prepared for.

 

Sniff: Holy shit guys - this smells EXACTLY like a horse tack store. Like I can't even. I lol'd and almost spilt my decant. It smells like leather and horse treats. I CAN'T EVEN.

Skin: Spiced smoke billows up from the horse tack store. The opium smoke, I think, almost smells sour. It's no longer a horse tack store - it's now a horse convention. My mom used to take us all the time to this event called the Equine Affaire when I was a kid and lived in Ohio. This scent smells EXACTLY like wandering through the stalls. Leather, treats, a mixmash of food and horse sweat. Thankfully no sawdust though.

 

Dry: The sweet aspects of the fruit/plum sort of suddenly poke out for no reason at all after everything dries down a tad. Next to the leather it becomes BRIGHT and tart. Sweet, sugared, spiced leather. With a unique musky background of a second layer of leather, vanilla...

 

What the heck I might really love this scent. With more age I think that leather will tone down a tad quicker and just become something fantastic. The late drydown is where this is at for me. YUM.

 

Verdict: Sugar-Studded whips & musky sweet secrets

[theseagrows]

first off i smell leather and something mildly animalic. i think i get cognac too because there is something a bit sharp and medicinal, so i'm assuming it's that. a little bit of clove and opium comes through next with the vanilla lace in the background. after being on the skin about 45 minutes to an hour it's a really pretty vanilla with tobacco and incense, primarily. i don't get much fruits,, thankfully because they often go plasticky, especially plum. it's a beautiful, rich scent.

 

 

 

 

[Joyleaf_]

I bought this from another forum member, kind of on a impulse, its birthday buy.

 

Boy am I glad I did. In the bottle its a little off putting, there's a sharp almost chemical smell to it. But on my skin, it blooms into this gorgeous complex scent. At first the leather is very predominant, and it is very much the riding crop leather as a previous reviewer mentioned. However, the cognac, incense and plum come to the forefront and help soften the leather and they meld into a very warm, almost cuddly sort of scent. Like a lady who has come home from a fancy event and just changed into her robe. 

 

I love it!

[alterosen]

This really doesn't work on me. Starts out super smoky as expected, then goes badly funky. Mildewy pine or wet dog? Mugwort? Something sour, murky & kind of rank. The funk fades as the smoke amplifies & takes on a bitter, inky tone which means a certain leather note has arrived. I asked my son if he wanted to sniff my wrist at this point & he fled across the room, fast.  And I had only dabbed it on, not slathered!

After about an hour of harsh, smoky leather, a whisp of vanilla musk arrives. It steadily gets stronger while the leather fades until we get the nice Lace base with a smoke accent. There seems to be a bit of extra musk, too. I do like the drydown but am not going to deal with the wet phases again. I was hoping for some spiced plum but never got any opium, clove or fruit. People who wear smoke & leather well might have better luck with this scent than me.

Edited March 28, 2019 by alterosen

[Lucchesa]

I received some Smoke and Lace in a swap with a super generous forumite, and I might have put a little bit too much on this morning.  Wet, it's strong.  I don't usually get much throw from any scent, but I felt like I was walking in a cloud of smoky, leathery cologne for the first 45 minutes or so.  Then it dialed back to low throw and eventually my usual skin scent, but I bet a lot of you would get terrific throw from this.  It lasts really well, too. 

 

Scent-wise, smoke and leather are the dominant notes.  The leather reminds me very much of Pleasures of the Imagination II, which is also described as white leather.  With the opium smoke, it's also reminding me of Marquis de Carabas.  I'm not getting much in the way of clove or, thankfully, fruit, and the vanilla is quiet but more and more discernible the longer it wears.  This is pretty fantastic, but if you can't get your hands on any, Marquis de Carabas scratches a similar itch, and it's GC.

[mymymai]

After nearly 4 months of settling, this is still a whole lot of leather! I had to let it sit because I couldn't smell much else when I originally bought it, but now I get a bit more dry plum, opium, cognac, dusty clove...and did I mention leather?  It strikes me much less as a Lace and much more as a long-lost Goth. This makes me think of Bat Cave club days - seedy, dark dance clubs filled with leather, lace, dark spilled drinks, clove cigarettes, thudding Siouxsie or Sisters of Mercy, and thick eye liner. 

[Dancing Raven]

Wet: It started out quite harshly on me, which I think may have been a combination of the fruits and cognac. It took on a vinegar like smell, and I was worried. Everything except opium tends to do well on my skin, but it wasn't soapy, so I know opium wasn't the culprit. 

Dry: The tobacco, incense, and vanilla are merging to create the smell of Papier D'armenie. Absolutely gorgeous. I get the smoky scent of burning papers and a hint of cognac backing it up. I can smell something sweet which is likely the plum. I have a Guerlain fragrance called Bois D'armenie that I thought was a good likeness, and while I still adore it, I think this scent is more of a realistic representation. 

Later on, the cognac comes back stronger and makes it a bit more perfumey, probably with the assistance of the fruits and plum. I haven't gotten any leather, nor any clove (which I amp). I will probably set it aside for a little while to let it settle and see if the other notes come out more. Even though it's an obviously aged bottle, it is fresh from the mailbox during the summer. I would have liked to smell all of the notes, but it's beautiful as is.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

[littletiern]

Oooh! I'm looking for something that is the smell of Papier d'Armenie, I'll give this a go. Is there anything else I should check out for that?

 

[Rane.]

Glad to have received a decant of this. It's really interesting. Very smokey, but the rest of the choir plays out slowly. The fruits, clove, tobacco, & opium is a dynamic combination. This scent smells like what I imagine an old veil would smell like.

[myoubi]

Don't give up on this one -- the drydown is worth it.

 

First impressions: whoa, smoke and leather. A lot of smoke and leather. Almost acrid. I like leather, but this is too much. I gave it a minute, two, five... nothing mellowed. OK, I was done. I scrubbed it off.

 

Then I brought my hand to my face about 20 minutes later and smelled the most lovely deep, smudgy leather-vanilla-tobacco. Smoke and Lace has staying power because it survived the attempted scrub, and I'm so glad it did. After 30-40 minutes the green cognac comes out to play. The notes are well-blended into a darkish smear of a scent that feels like, well, smoke. It's not sweet, but it has that vanilla richness to soften the edges. It's not like anything else in my collection and it's quite lovely, in the way that things are only lovely when they are uncommon. I wouldn't wear this every day the way I wouldn't wear an evening gown every day. It has that feel to it.

 

I don't know whether my bottle of Smoke and Lace has a forever home with me. I might want a decant more than I want a bottle. On the other hand, I'm weirdly reluctant to let it go. I'll want to keep at least some in my collection, either way.

 

If you are on the fence about laces (as I was), try this one. If you are a lace fan, try this because it's different from anything else I've smelled in the lace series. 

Edited December 31, 2022 by myoubi

[RoseThornAndOak]

Sing it with me. It's

 

yar yar fiddily dee, but

 

Oud oud, oudily oud

 oudily oudily oudily oud!

and

hellbent, hellbent for leatharr!

 

for 45 minutes or so. Then, it goes very hellbent for smooth white leather, creamy sandalwood, with a bit of oud, and maybe a hint of vanilla. I don't get much nuance past that. No fruit, incense, boozy cognac (just the creaminess mentioned), or even particulary smoky or pipe-ish notes. I love a good opium or tobacco blend, and I wouldn't have guessed either as notes sniffing this blind.

 

It's nice past the initial blast, but I'm more of a White Rider girlie, and there are other leather scents I enjoy more as well. I will say that Concert is fairly similar, I would wager they share a similar oud-like note.

 

Next day: lacey vanilla cognac shows up.

Edited September 20 by RoseThornAndOak