In Dubiis Libertas

[zankoku_zen]

"In doubtful things, liberty." A perfume that celebrates civil rights, true justice, and freedom from authoritarianism: golden amber, smoked vanilla, benzoin, and blue cypress.

[hackess]

TBH, I didn't expect to enjoy this; none of the listed notes are things I typically love -- but it's gorgeous. The resiny benzoin only comes out in the vial, for me. On my skin, the amber is in the forefront: bright and warm, then the vanilla kicks in and prevents it from overwhelming (whew - apparently I amp amber?). Cypress is a soft lemony green note on drydown. It's a confidence-booster of a scent. 

[tarotgirl99]

Let me say first that the concept of these knocked my socks off, exemplifying why I only wear BPAL.

 

Wet, this reminded me of my first forays into BPAL, maybe because it is an amalgam of so many scents. On first impression, it makes me think of a musical ensemble tuning up, and you can hear/smell individual notes as they make themselves known.

As it calms down, notes become more a part of the blend, with the benzoin and cypress notes slightly dominant, with the amber being foundational. 

Within a half hour, it becomes straight up amber. Which is fine. 

 

It stays that way for hours.

 

Not much throw, but longevity is very good indeed.

 

 

[Casablanca]

This was a lovely blue cypress note on my skin. It shimmered, like dreamy blue trees. It reminded me of the "sheer juniper" in The Crescent Moon -- cool blue-green and evoking a similar mood -- paired with that blend's warm amber.

 

Shimmering blue cypress on warm amber and benzoin.

 

This got a little perfumey on my skin after some wear.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Amber, benzoin, smoke, and cypress, in that order. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's lightly smoky amber and benzoin. As it dries, the benzoin and amber become more pronounced. It's still very lightly smoky. The cypress is mainly brightening the resins while the vanilla warms them. Neither of those two notes is prominent on my skin. 

 

This is perfumey amber and benzoin, very beautiful and elegant. Not sure how at home it is on my skin, but it is lovely. 

 

Edit: The next morning, the remains of this scent had a similar quality to my "morning after" Mme. Moriarty (the 2006 version only). To my knowledge, the only notes these two scents have in common is "vanilla," and different types at that -- but there you go.  

Edited December 21, 2019 by torischroeder9

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Amber and sweet, smoked vanilla. 

 

Dry: This is very close to the skin upon dry down, with minimal throw. Sweet amber and a touch of vanilla. The smoked scent from earlier is pretty much all gone; I would say this is probably 90% amber on me.

 

Like, not love.

[monocainsheresy]

Blue cypress on a base of amber and vanilla with the benzoin hovering in between. No smoke. Gives the impression of ambergris and oranges. Very clean.

 

A bit disappointed in this one - it smells an awful lot like a generic paper perfume sample from a Kohl's catalogue. 

[roseus]

Gorgeous golden vanilla amber base with a cool blue-green shimmer of cypress.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: An elegant, cool amber, backlit by benzoin and embellished by wafts of a delicate and, yes, smoky vanilla.

 

Wet: Primarily a fresh, outdoorsy cypress and that lovely smoked vanilla, with the resins as a glowing golden backdrop. Apparently vanilla + any sort of (non-abrasive) wood = a total win on me, but the combinations of the cypress and the smoky elements of the vanilla is particularly delightful.

 

Dry: Soft amber, with just a touch of vanilla.

[patina]

This warmed on my skin gorgeously. Cypress usually goes sour so that was quite a surprise. Here it's more fresh, almost floral when mixed with the vanilla.

[VetchVesper]

I expected something evergreen smelling - aka pine - but that's not what I get.  I get something alcoholic, almost like cognac, with a gently sweet backing.  It verges on cologne.  My brain wants to say this is a cousin to Golden Priapus.  They don't smell the same, but they're in the same family, both being sort of a nuzzly, sweet smell that's verging on masculine but doesn't quite get there for me.  This isn't particularly to my tastes, but it's pleasant enough.  

[doomsday_disco]

I got the smoked part of the vanilla (it's the same one from Cedarwood and Smoked Vanilla) backed by the amber and benzoin. For some reason, my skin was not bringing out the cypress at all, which was a note to which I had been looking forward. 

 

I was really curious about this one because I love Golden Priapus, but there's not enough vanilla or tree here for me.

Edited January 13, 2020 by doomsday_disco

[puellacaerulea]

In the imp and after applying, it's mostly the amber and vanilla, with the cypress adding a pretty green note in the background. I didn't expect cypress to go well with the other notes, but it's a beautiful combination. The cypress slowly fades after drydown, leaving a slightly smoky amber and vanilla combo. Low-ish throw, but great wear length. I think this might be my favorite of the Black Friday frimps.

[Nightmare]

Just a quick impression of it wet- this is a sweetish, smoky scent with something sharp about it, almost sterile- maybe the benzoin and/or the cypress? I'm still not sure precisely what that smells like. It reminds me of Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht, except for that added sharpness.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Nightmare

[zankoku_zen]

Blue cypress, amber, and vanilla. Out of the three, this one may be my favorite. Gorgeous vanilla wood. Good throw and wear length.

[cyborgutena]

Very... amber-vanilla perfume. It starts off sharper (strong blue cypress I think) and then dries down into this weird thing that vanilla frequently turns into on me. It seems nice enough but it's definitely nothing I'm interested in wearing. Perfumey and doesn't sit right with me.

[Lucchesa]

On me In Dubiis Libertas is quite a pleasant vanilla amber blend, with hints of slightly smoky benzoin.  My skin just damps down any cypress from the get-go, so this is not an evergreen scent on me at all.  If anything, it smells a bit like the teak from Antikythera Mechanism.  This is very nice and I love the smoked vanilla note, but I do wish my chemistry were allowing some cypress to emerge.  No throw (normal on me) and good wear length.

[theredkilt]

This is is my favorite out of the three blends that the Lab has offered as freebies during the Black Friday sale. It's a beautifully balsamic sweet amber, with woody touches. I can't get over the fact how aromatic it is and it keeps lingering on and on. I get no smoke as other reviewers mentioned above. I wish the lab adds this to their permanent Activism line.

 

[Teamama]

Very light vanilla amber with a hazy hint of smoke. Only a trace of cypress on me. Charming.

[Juliamon]

I still need to try the third of this trio of scents but as the last one has orris in it I feel pretty confident saying this one is my favorite of the group. It would be just vanilla amber, but the cypress adds a prickly nearly-floral note that, combined with the smoke, reminds me of BPAL's more honey-forward blends without my skin amping it to high heaven. Nothing overly fancy or complex, but any more additions would unbalance it. A bit light but I think this would be suffocating otherwise. I would love to see this as a proper Activism scent!

[white_jenna63]

On me, this is very similar to Celeste. Definitely a golden vanilla scent.

[silverbottle]

At the risk of sounding like I'm exaggerating, this is my favorite fragrance I have ever smelled. If I had to pick one fragrance to wear every day for the rest of my life, this would be it for me.
 

Now, my experience is limited, so that might not mean much, but I can't stop sniffing my wrists and sighing whenever I wear it (which is not nearly as much as I would like to, as I really dread the day I run out). It's hard to pick out the particular notes because I get so wrapped up in how wonderful the whole thing smells to me, but there is definitely amber. I get the cypress note as well. I don't actually get that much vanilla from it, but I do pick up on some smoke.

There's something perfectly balanced about it, to me: not too warm or too cool, not too sweet, smoky but not too smoky, soft but not too soft... Everything is just right.
 

It doesn't last too long on me, but that may be me wishing it wouldn't fade at all. It isn't very strong, but it's not disappointingly weak, either. I really wish I could buy a full bottle of this.

[Rane.]

Amber with sweet vanilla, sugary. There is something else in there grounding this. But it sings high & sweetly. I think I smell mallow just faintly there.

[Claire-of-the-Valley]

One of my all time favorites. I would buy a full bottle of this without a moment's hesitation if one were ever made. The thought there probably won't is a little soul crushing.

 

On me it's the blue cypress that's strongest and I just love it. It's not "cologney," it's a very realistic take. The smoked vanilla and amber form the backdrop and give it a wonderful sweetness. I'm not familiar with benzoin, but from what I'm reading I think it plays its part in smoothing everything out. All in all, the whole thing takes me to a sunny, wintry wood where spirits are high. Absolute joy.

[dancingchair]

Got this as a frimp from the lab with a recent order.

 

Wet, this is a bit screechy. As it dries, the smoked vanilla smooths out and becomes a beautiful creamy amber-vanilla base. The cypress is also a bit lemony for me. It reminds me of Lights, Camera, Something with the cardamom replaced by the blue cypress because it's a touch lemony in the same way.

 

I'm glad I got an opportunity to try this, it's a very nice resinous vanilla perfume.