Songs of Autumn V

[zankoku_zen]

Sweet, quiet, velvet darkness: an eddy of dry maple leaves, blackcurrant juice, patchouli root, and bourbon.

[Velvet Lilly]

This one is complex! And amazing and several of us had fun trying to suss out the notes as it went from bottle to dry down.

Wet: I get the maple branches and leaves first, the black currants are smushed on the ground within the leaves, and are tempered with the bourbon touched patchy root.
I also get a bit of the green, smashed bud of the leaves, almost fresh mint-like, but not at all "minty" 

On skin, it blooms and the notes separate into a very unique, changing, whiff as you smell it. Not morphing so much as spreading out to tease out the notes.
I think I smell pepper and sweet red pepper in there too.
The geen leaf note peeks out farther and so do the black currants.

Dry down: It fades evenly, not leaving one singular note behind as some scents do.

This one is amazing.... it's Good Weird, in the best way. I'm so glad I got a bottle.

[forspecial_plate]

This smells fantastic.  I smell leaves, earthy patchouli, and other stuff.  The other notes are just hints without standing out as blackcurrant or bourbon.  It all just blends together, it's like a dark, chilly autumn wind.

 

It reminds me a lot of Hallow-e'en 1914, which makes sense looking at the notes, but the patchouli is standing out and making me love this scent even more.  There's nothing really surprising here, just a lovely fall Bpal scent, kind of what I expected from the notes.

 

Edit: just a little while later, the bourbon came out stronger.  I didn't notice it as much when I tried this yesterday.  It's really working in this scent.  I love it!

Edited November 15, 2019 by forspecial_plate

[VetchVesper]

Much drier and woodier than I was expecting.  It's very autumnal and dark to my nose, and I've been told it smells nice on me, but it's just not to my fancy.  I think the maple leaf is most prominent on my skin and it's in the same family as "dead leaves" but darker and woodier, without that aquatic note or spice dead leaves blends sometimes have.  The patch, again, is the kind that's more woody, less earthy.  I do smell the blackberries, but there is no hint of sweetness, nor is there any in the bourbon.  It does smell unusual, and I think would work well for a guy or a girl, but it's not to my tastes.  Swaps!

[Lucchesa]

Testing blind, I got red maple leaves and redcurrant from Songs of Autumn V.  What I did not get was patchouli.  So whereas VetchVesper's experience was drier and woodier than expected, mine was fruitier and juicier.  I suspect we would both want to swap for the other's skin chemistry in this particular case.  Fruity is rarely my jam, and the bourbon melded with the currant for macerated fruit.  I wanted drier leaves and perceivable patch.  OK, late in drydown I could make out the patchouli, but too little too late for me.  If you appreciate fruity scents, this is a beauty.  

[patina]

This captures fall nights very well. There is a bit of an ivy leaf/ pickle note I assume is the byproduct of the leaves, patchouli, and booze. Evocative as this is, I really prefer Dead Leaves, Blackcurrant, and Tobacco. That is, unless the patchouli root deepens on my skin. Will have to report back later.

 

Edit: on my skin the pickle note disappears and this turns out strongly fruity.

Edited November 26, 2019 by patina

[Casablanca]

Dead leaves, something like ivy, and something chemical that faded and were replaced by faint whiffs of black currants and booze.

 

This one didn't quite work on me.

[zankoku_zen]

Blackcurrant, maple leaves, and a touch of bourbon. This one is like an autumn cocktail based on blackcurrant. Dark purple, leafy, bourbon. Great throw and wear length.

[HerbGirl]

Leaves, black currant and patchouli, in that order. I absolutely adore this one and am surprised I didn't review when I got it last year! It is everything I had hoped it would be.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

This is - surprisingly - less dark than I was expecting. There is a definite undertone of darkness but it’s not heavy or overwhelming - it has a dark sweetness to it, and a nice freshness - like going outside on a chilly autumn day.
 

The blackcurrant is a nice touch, and I do agree that overall this has a velvety feel. No one particular note really stands out to me - everything here is beautifully blended. 
 

Overall though - as nice as this is, it doesn’t really knock my socks off. And unfortunately the blackcurrant ends up turning sour on me, so that spoiled everything 😔