There Is No Bliss Like This

[zankoku_zen]

A joyous, delight-addled, safe perfume: billows of vanilla with pink carnation, warm clove husk, sweet patchouli, ylang ylang, and cinnamon bark.

[Nepthys]

This morphed hard. It started out very woodsy and dry, not at all what I expected. The clove, bark and patchouli made it earthy and I decided this wasn't for me.... then after about 20 minutes, the sweetness of the pink carnation and vanilla came out and it became really lovely. But I don't see myself wearing it much.

[abejita]

On me this is dominated by vanilla and pink carnation, with light clove and just a breath of patchouli. I love it! Pink carnation is one of my favorite notes, and I'm glad to have this one for my collection.

[torischroeder9]

Received from the Lab on Friday, so bottle has been resting for about 3 days. 

 

In the bottle: Sweet vanilla cinnamon clove, with just a touch of carnation. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the vanilla and spices dominate, so the initial effect is almost that of spiced vanilla frosting. As it dries, the frosting aspect retreats a bit, and the carnation begins to peek out; so does the sweet patchouli, grounding the spices without being harsh or getting any of that "fresh patchouli stank" that can happen. 

 

After quite a time, it develops into a clovey carnation. It's still grounded by the patch, rounded by the vanilla, and given depth with the cinnamon. Of the carnation-clove blends I've tried, I'd say this is closest in actual scent to Ganymede's Junk, though it feels much softer. It's not as sheer as Pericardium. While it feels cuddly like Fledgling Raptor Moon, it doesn't have the toasted sandalwood, making There Is No Bliss Like This much more about the clove. 

 

As my skin ends up eating a lot of the vanilla, the throw on this is fairly close to the skin. That said, the clove and cinnamon make sure it is not a faint scent there. 

 

Edit 4/7 -- Wore again, this time as more than a skin test, and after aging. It could be hormonal skin chemistry changes, but I just wanted to note that the sweet patchouli makes a much stronger appearance this time around. Not until well into the drydown (an hour or so on skin?), and it's still acting as a base to hold up the carnation and spices -- but this patchouli is substantially more than the "peek" I noted in my initial review. 

Edited April 8, 2020 by torischroeder9

[Casablanca]

Fresh on, this one warmly greets with a warm pink carnation and warm cloves. A little warm patchouli and warmer cinnamon bark soon come out. It's warm!

 

The cinnamon-patchouli bark is lighter on me than the carnation-clove punch, but I keep noticing its rustic, bark-y quality. Its adjacent to a spicy broom shop, but is much more comforting to me. The vanilla is scarce on me; this is mostly about spiced carnation, patchouli, and bark. Homey!

 

Bliss reminds me a lot of the recent Lilith blend, All My Friends Are Turning Green (honeyed honeybush, carnation, aged patchouli, sweet clove, opoponax). It's like a cinnamon-bark homestead version of it, instead of the honeybush. I bottled that, and see an internal debate coming over whether I need another blend that's this close to it. But I love this cinnamon-patch bark -- so I can't rule it out.

[zankoku_zen]

Carnation, clove, cinnamon and a whiff of patchouli. Honestly, this sort of reminds me to the Smiling Spider, but sweeter. If you love clove blends, give this a whirl. Medium throw and wear length.

[Madame Mew]

This is a sweet, clove and cinnamon forward blend. I thought it would be a tiny bit of cinnamon to warm it up some, but I must say this is extra warm. I feel like this could have been a yule, save the carnation which peeks out when it dries down. No vanilla here, after trying for two subsequent days, and really at any stage. If you like cloves, try this. Unfortunately, the cinnamon is just too dominant for me. Into swaps with ye.  

[VetchVesper]

I get lots of clove and carnation over vanilla cream and a hint of heady ylang ylang. Then the clove hijacks the whole caboodle.  Surprisingly. I don't get much cinnamon, which I usually amp.  I amp clove too though, so I guess it won the death match. 

 

I prefer the gentler Wan Wan for my clove and carnation fix, but this does end up having a nice depth supporting the spice.  

Edited April 1, 2020 by VetchVesper

[Rane.]

A new go to favorite for me. In the bottle I smell the clove & cinnamon immediately. Reminds me of some tea bags my wife uses. After it dries the ylang ylang, carnation & patchouli come out more.

[feyofthefellwood]

Blends like this remind me of why I love carnation so much. This scent also has clove and cinnamon, which makes the carnation extra spicy in a very good way. The vanilla and ylang-ylang give this blend some sweetness to keep it from being bitter, and I think the ylang ylang also helps with throw. The vanilla gives the scent a creamy quality that reminds me of Morocco, which is one of my ultimate favorites. This is definitely a winner in my books.

Edited April 25, 2020 by feyofthefellwood

[donkehpoo]

After looking at the notes.. I have no idea why I ordered a decant of this.

 

Wet: Clove, cinnamon and patchouli. Very "dry" smelling.

 

Dry: A little creaminess to the blend now; the patchouli has faded into the background slightly, while the clove and cinnamon are right up front (with a good amount of throw). 

 

If a strong clove or cinnamon scent entices you, try this out. (As a side note: my skin has some sensitivity with cinnamon, and I had no issues with this guy.)

[doomsday_disco]

There is No Bliss Like This is predominantly a spicy patch and carnation scent on me. I get a chewy, brown patchouli sweetened by vanilla and warmed by the cinnamon once applied. The carnation takes a background role at first, but then it joins the cinnamon to become one of the stars of the show after a while. By that point, it is pretty dry. You can tell this is cinnamon BARK here, mingling with the patch and carnation. The clove is there, but not nearly as strong as the cinnamon on me. The ylang ylang is not noticeable until after several hours of wear. It's the same one found in Formula 57 Massage Oil, and it smells really nice and creamy with the vanilla here.

I have sensitive skin, and I did not have a reaction to this scent, but I will say that the area on my arm that I applied this to feels very warm from the scent.

 

This is not something I need more of, as it's too heavy on the cinnamon for me, and the cinnamon bark makes this much drier than I would have liked. Lovers of spicy scents should give this a try, though.

Edited April 29, 2020 by doomsday_disco

[Rayleigh]

Carnation mingled with vanilla and some added spices. The spices are softened by the vanilla and carnation. The first time I tried this, I found it surprisingly thin. It seems to have gained a bit of depth already, though it's still light. It is a joyful scent, for sure, and a pretty safe bet for anyone who likes spicy vanillas or carnation.

[tinyvulture]

Sweet, spicy comfort. This is a very safe, cozy scent. The clove and cinnamon are lovely. But it's not a baking scent -- the carnation and patchouli are equally pleasant, and add an earty, non-foody complexity. Dries down to soft, spicy carnation. Very pretty.

[Dancing Raven]

Wow! This is fantastic!

It starts out with clove, and what my nose interprets as a sweet plum. Not sure where that came from, but it is definitely a sweet, syrupy plum scent. Then it becomes a bit like red hots candy. I think the patchouli is just underneath grounding it. Otherwise I get no patchouli from this whatsoever, which makes me a bit sad. About 45 minutes in, the vanilla starts to make an appearance. Two hours later I am getting a creamy, spicy carnation and clove. It's a spicy but warm and cozy scent. Just the right amount of sweetness. This is really long lasting and has a ton of throw. The super red hots beginning is definitely worth the final product. 

5 out of 5 stars. 

[Ythik]

Wet this smelled most strongly of cinnamon and carnation to me, but the sweetness of the vanilla and a little creaminess, I guess from the ylang ylang, were there too.  The carnation and ylang ylang give it something of a floral feel, without a strong floral smell.  As it begins to dry, the clove takes a strong place for me, and about a half hour in there was a period where it was really nothing but clove.  Thankfully that only lasted about ten minutes and it's settled back into a heavily spiced vanilla with is really quite pleasant.

[torikitty]

Clove and carnation. This reminds me of the smell of walking into a flower shop. Just a comforting, generic shop smell. This didn't really change on me. I think this would make a great room spray.

[theredkilt]

Beautiful carnation - clove - patch blend. Oriental and delightfully spicy smoky. 

[Permanent.Black.Ink.]

Super carnation and clove- forward with a big throw and long wear length.  One of my favorites, although it can be hard for me to find an occasion for it during the long Central FL summers.  This is a scent truly made for chunky knit sweaters or nights in flannel sheets.  But I am not giving it up; if you love clove or carnation, this will become one of your top tier lovelies; sometimes I just like to open it up and smell it for the sake of it.

[Lucchesa]

I didn’t get a decant of There Is No Bliss because of the ylang ylang but was happy to swap for one because it doesn’t show up as prominent in the reviews. This is indeed a happy, safe blend. My first BPAL love was Alice, and I’m still a sucker for a sweet carnation scent.

 

Carnation and clove, impossible to pry apart, are the main players on my skin, backed by a warm vanilla. I’m getting very little patchouli or cinnamon and no skin irritation from the latter. The ylang ylang is quiet or silent in this mix.  Beth was doing marvelous things with carnation last year — Pleasure Boat, Song of Hope — and this is similarly joyful for me.

[storme]

Wet: soft patchouli, some very light carnation.
Dry: a very nice sort of spicy floral? I regret passing up on a bottle when I had the chance. Oh well.

[starbrow]

Two years of aging have swirled this into a gloriously fuzzy, spicy-sweet, almost Egyptian kind of blend. The cinnamon bark (a hot and gritty kind of cinnamon, to my nose) stands out fiery-red, amplified by the clove. The carnation lends its own creamy floral spice that is absolutely perfect in this blend. Those three together always take me back to Egypt embalming spices. I don't know that the vanilla is standing out to me really strongly, but all that spice is nicely balanced by some sweetness, some pink girliness that is charming and cheeky.

 

Anchoring it all is a friendly, vanilla-sweetened patchouli, easy to get along with. So is the ylang ylang, it just contributes a little upward lift in the nose here without being a star. Comparing it to ylang ylang essential oil, I can in fact smell it in There Is No Bliss Like This, it's this herbal whoosh amidst the spice, but it's in the background and is not very floral or heady. If ylang ylang is holding you back from trying this blend, I wouldn't let it stop you! 

 

I suspect There Is No Bliss Like This will only continue to age into a more gorgeous beauty through the years. Highly recommend this to fellow cinnamon/clove/carnation fans like myself! 

 

I would wear this while: strolling an Egypt exhibit at a local museum