Lilitu

[Seajewel]

A melancholy scent, somber, smoky, and dark, but with a memory of a brighter time, a more innocent time: sweet oud, black leather, and lavender bud with cashmere musk, black tea, oakmoss, black orchid, carnation, and tobacco leaf.

[MuskWitch]

My second "haven't written a review in years".

 

Whoa there is a LOT going on in that bottle!  Can't seem to settle on just ONE scent, can't seem to delineate a even a few.  

 

On skin, something soap-like but very pleasant.  Promises of things to come.  As it dries it becomes a bit more like a perfume, less harsh.  I'm getting some black tea, oud, musk, sweetness, not getting much lavender, I detect some of the floral orchid/carnation note but not much, just way in the background.  

 

I think this one needs some aging, and then I think it is going to be wonderful.  

 

Next review, on week!  

 

 

[birdieflyaway]

Oh, this is beautiful. Something about it hits me like a slap in the face of a memory I can't place, something from teenage times. This is the most 'perfume like' BPAL I've experienced and I'm loving it. It's soft, shadowy and feminine yet has an edge of badassery. There's something different about this lavender, it's sweeter and less astringent, so maybe that's where the florals are working. A little tea. Something smoky, hazy, but not thick. I can't pick out the leather or tobacco individually, but maybe that's where the feeling of confidence and edge I'm getting from this is coming from. So glad I picked this one.

[katharina]

Bottle: Lavender is front and center in the bottle, and with the tobacco, it reminds me of Lavender Lace.

 

Wet: Lavender and tobacco, with a hint of cashmere. The oud is making itself known, but it really is a sweet oud with no hint of the shitstorm oud can sometimes be. In this case, it adds an incredible earthy & resin-y depth. The carnation adds just a hint of spice. The leather, orchid, and tea are dificult for me to pick out.

 

Dry: Even though this oil doesn't have any of the cognac and vanilla notes listed that the Laces typically have, I still find it to very much a Lace adjacent scent. This is a gorgeous, grown up scent. It's highly sensual and confident, yet with enough sweetness to be appropriate for day and/or evening wear. I may need a back up bottle.

[Seajewel]

I had high hopes for this one but it doesn’t quite work on me yet, though perhaps aging will bring out more aspects. It starts off with a note that I think is the sweet oud, and it has a hint of that overly sweet bathroom cleaner smell that oud can lead off with, the way You Get What Anybody Gets, You Get a Lifetime starts with (but much stronger in that case), but without the beautiful payoff of that scent. It then settles into largely a black leather scent with some sweetness. I wish I got more of the other notes. 

[murqmaid]

decant rested 1 day

the introduction to this scent is spot on, "A melancholy scent, somber, smoky, and dark, but with a memory of a brighter time, a more innocent time."  alot going on here and there's a little bit of everything, but the sweet oud, (sweet) lavender, and cashmeran musk are most prominent on me. i can definitely pick out the tobacco, black tea, oakmoss, and carnation, but the black leather is MIA (however, i'm used to wearing more leather forward scents).

the smokiness note made me pause, but this isn't charred smoke (like in Liz). it's more of a hazy, sexy whisper that adds character, which i think contributes to that somber, melancholic edge. this would be a going out scent for me, and if i smelled this ON someone, they would have my attention... like, hello there.

slightly perfumey, musky, medium sweetness. strong throw.
 

Edited November 9, 2021 by murqmaid

[doomsday_disco]

The lavender, sweet oudh, and cashmere musk are the first notes I get from Lilitu, but after a bit, it becomes a little difficult to pick out the notes. The black orchid lends a floral sweetness to the blend, and I end up getting more of it than the lavender after some time. The sweet oudh, which is prominent throughout wear on me, is not indolic whatsoever. The cashmere musk, which is also a main player, isn't laundry-like at all, if that's a concern. I tend to amp moss notes, but that hasn't happened here (although it has cozied up to the cashmere musk by the end of the day). I sometimes amp carnation, too (usually the bold, spicy red variety), but that also isn't happening here -- it's far in the background, adding just a tinge of floral spice. I get no licorice-y black tea from this and couldn't pick out the tea note in this at all. The tobacco leaf and leather are also really light (I could only detect a hint of leather at the end of the day when I went looking for it). On me, it ends up mostly being a cashmere musk mixed with sweet oudh, black orchid, oakmoss, and a bit of slightly smoky tobacco... but again, it all swirls together in a way that makes it hard to describe just by trying to pick out the notes.

 

I wish the lavender had remained as strong as it was in the beginning, but it is a nice, comforting, yet somber sort of scent. I may end up holding onto my decant, but I don't think I need a full bottle of this one.

Edited November 15, 2021 by doomsday_disco

[starbrow]

I don't get any of the listed notes. Instead, what I smell is 1980s department store perfume counters. Strong, perfumey, and with that certain range of aromachemicals that were well used in the 80s and 90s commercial perfumes. So if you're looking for nostalgia for such things, Lilitu might be a good choice. I really, really do not want to smell like any of that, and so this blend is a big nope from me. I just find it strange that out of all these notes that I love (except for oakmoss), I can't smell any individual notes, just one big commercial, nose-punchy perfume that has a dated but not vintage quality. I do find that disappointing and also surprising. But clearly, this will find other fans besides me!

[hhelix]

I really like this one, though it’s hard to discern the listed notes, other than carnation and orchid. There is something that deepens it a little, but mostly it’s a cheerful, comforting, vintage-leaning floral, like a scent you would find on an antique dressing table amongst powders and makeup cases. I like it but would LOVE it if the darker notes showed up. Medium throw and longevity.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Clean cologne and earthy leather, a little bit sharp, a little bit sweet.

 

Drydown: Brightness mixed with earthiness. Fresh, tart, and fuzzy. A little bit floral now, but it's balanced out by the other notes. Youthful, yet sophisticated. Color-wise, I'm getting pale green with iridescent purple swirls running through it, and a delicate black fishnet pattern overtop.

 

Dry: Muskier, darker, and more floral once fully dry. Not quite heady, but sitting right next to it. It's grown up a good deal since the wet stage. Dusky-mauve hued now. Smoky and soft, with just a hint of an electric grit to it.

 

 

7 out of 10 bones

[rivetted]

i really thought i'd like this one more as the description had me thinking "dark & mysterious lavender" but..... it's kind of fallen flat for me. 

 

to be fair, i could see a lot of people liking this one.

 

it's very feminine - the comparison to a department store perfume counter is pretty accurate for me, unfortunately!

 

the lavender in this is the dominant note & it lends itself to be a somewhat sharp top note too, which i think is part of where that dept store perfume association is coming from.  

it could also be that the leather note in this is one of the sharper types. 

 

in any case - i dont get much from this that i was looking for, like "smoky", or black tea, sweet oud, cashmere musk, oakmoss..... they're in there, but they are hiding too much for me!

[theseagrows]

at first i get the lavender, cashmere musk, black tea and black orchid. it's a mix of herbal and sweet, but not super sweet. the tobacco leaf becomes more prominent and the scent gets sharper, then i get deeper notes that don't really smell like oud or leather, but they balance out the sharpness a bit-there is a hint of spicienss from the carnation. on me this is primarily black tea and lavender with black orchid in the back. pretty but not amazing on me. goes a bit too sharp for me.

[Rayleigh]

Lavender and blur. The lavender is pretty! The blur is blurry. A lot of the notes here are big hits for me. I love tobacco leaf and carnation, and have liked black orchid but don't run into it much. But I get only a muddle of unspecified sweetness and a pretty lavender that doesn't last very long on my lavender-eating skin. I agree that it is a pleasant, classic perfume. I was hoping for more of the dark and smoky notes to step up, which they may over time. Pretty, but surprisingly subtle.

[puellacaerulea]

In the decant, I get lavender and cashmere musk layered over the tobacco, oud (which fortunately behaves), and leather. I can't pick out the florals specifically, but they add a tiny bit of floral sweetness to the tobacco, etc., while the lavender and musk give a sort of effervescent effect. That combination of deep, smooth notes under effervescent top notes reminds me a bit of Perversion, but this is its own distinct (and more floral) thing. Definitely has a classic perfume vibe but with a dark, moody twist, especially as the effervescent quality fades a bit after drydown. This is the kind of thing I'd wear for going out or special occasions.

[marared]

I keep trying to figure this one out - one of my minions went "ooh you smell GOOD" this afternoon, though, so clearly it works ok on me!

 

The bottle has a slight oud funk. Not barnyardy at all, but it is definitely oud.

 

On my skin, it's got some kind of cool, almost metallic aspect to it. I think it's the musk and the tea that's giving it that impression. Nothing smoky about it. Oakmoss adds a layer of sweetness - it's not really floral at all, but the black orchid is definitely the most prominent of the flower notes - I don't think I have a decant of Tom Ford's Black Orchid anymore to compare, but I think TFBO is spicier. This is cool, calm, serene - melancholy is a good word for it.

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky sophisticated floral. This one is dark, floral, and a whiff of oakmoss and orchid. This is a much more grown up scent than I expected, and slightly dark. Gothy floral. Good throw and wear length.

[groovyrooby]

I surprised myself liking this as one of my favorite Liliths this year. And it's a triumph overall for me! Most of these notes are loves, but leather is usually a deal-breaker. Not only is this a rare leather win, but this is also the tea note I have been searching for!

 

The lavender and oakmoss combo is cool and herbal. I feel like the carnation addition makes this a spicy almost minty feel to start. The leather comes through up close, but it's earthy rather than tanned. The main throw for me is the tea, and it's just what I've always wanted - earthy, black tea, no lemon.

 

I can wear this pretty much anywhere - to work, to lunch with my mom, running errands, to sit in a park with friends... it's strong enough that I'm clearly wearing fragrance, but there's nothing too outspoken about it. It's mysterious and cool, just enough of a scent to feel put together. I immediately upgraded to full size.

 

[RoseThornAndOak]

It's awesome watching Lilith's personal style coming along! Lilith knows how already knows how to work with colors, shapes, and styles that work together, way better than many who are 3x older!

 

 Just gonna have to resign to the fact that most ouds/agarwood/guiacwoods hate my skin and just won't work. It's not as heavy and intense acridity as others, but if this is a problem note for you too, I'd maybe pass. However if you find oud works on you but is usually too intense, this might be a safe bet that will work for you. In the vial I do get a lovely, sophisticated, complex, creamy lavender blend. I feel like this would be a real winner on the right skin. I agree with groovyrooby, there's a mysterious quality. Not much leather on me. Does have some similarities with Philopannix so if you like one you may like the other!

[fairybites]

I am very pleased with this, I was a little nervous that the oud would be terrible but it's actually lovely! Sugary, smoky florals at first, but it pretty quickly changes to a darker leather and oud scent with hints of the tea, lavender, oakmoss, and musk. There's also a faint metallic note I'm picking up, not sure what note could be causing it. Even with the leather and oud coming out more later, it's still a sweet lavender heavy scent. I'm really happy it's like that because while I do like some darker scents, this makes this more wearable for me and I didn't want those notes to overshadow the lavender that I enjoy in Liliths.

 

They smell nothing alike, but it kind of reminds me of Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe's description: A little kid’s interpretation of a gothy goth perfume. Except I'd replace little kid with teenager. 

 

If you want to try an oud scent, this is nice! I honestly wish this was the first oud I tried since it works so nice in this.

[LavenderCoffee]

I seem to dig the perfumey Liliths this year, of which this is definitely one. In my head, I thought this would be darker, but on my skin it dries into a lavender-backed orchid scent over plush musk and oud. Without looking at the notes, I would probably have just called this an orchid perfume.

No idea where leather and tobacco are hiding, but I think I'm gonna upgrade this one and see how it grows up. 

[Begonia]

In the bottle: Strong black leather, which makes me nervous, and equally strong lavender bud, which I find very pleasant.

 

On skin: This starts out with black leather, which worried me because I've found that leather can be a little too strong for me. Thankfully it calms down after a few seconds. Right alongside it is a strong note of lavender bud and apparently lavender makes leather amazing. It's hard to tell with notes I'm not sure how to identify, but I think I can smell... oakmoss? Tobacco leaf? Something that might be cashmere musk? Maybe a hint of the spice of carnation? A bit of black tea? They're all blended together to make a shadowy scent with a smoky impression. Overall it's dark and musky and not too harsh and I really like it.

And then there are the notes that define this perfume for me. Black orchid and agarwood! A combination I know and love from Shadow Embrace Bath Oil, an LE shunga from a few years ago that I had for a season and have not had again since. This is basically a darker, more complex version of that. Black orchid is the overarching floral here and what keeps this perfume recognizable to me. The sweet oud is indeed sweet and comes through to balance out the harsher aspects of the other notes. It doesn't strike me as being vintage or a department store perfume, but that may be because my strongest association is another bpal. It's comforting!

 

Drydown: Dark and sweet and smoky. It's the scent that lingered on my skin after bathing with Shadow Embrace and I have missed it so much. The black orchid and sweet oud have become more defined while the other notes gradually recede but remain wonderful enhancements. It feels like being wrapped in an actual shadow embrace. I only realized this was going to be beloved right after the 2021 Liliths were taken down, so this is the blend that drove me to finally work out how to do sales and swaps. That's how much I love this.

[Little Bird]

I love Lilitu when it's first applied.  For the first few minutes on my skin, this sings with sugared lavender musk, juicy black orchid, and hints of dark leather and cozy black tea.  If it stayed that complex, I would full bottle this immediately.  Unfortunately, it quickly washes out to just a whisper of sweet, cool lavender on my skin, even though it's full of notes that are usually quite strong.  I'm surprised at how quickly this fades on me.

[Lucchesa]

Lilitu on me is dominated by sweet oud (nothing scary here) and lavender. Typically, the lavender starts out strong, and it even lasts somewhat longer than it tends to on my skin. This is very reminiscent of a beautiful dark lavender oud bath oil I used to have from the Christmas Carol release.  Once the lavender fades about an hour in, I’m left with a perfumy oud. There’s a floral, presumably orchid, but I honestly can’t identify any of the other notes: no leather, no tobacco, no carnation, no tea. It’s one of the better ouds I’ve ever tried, but I do wish some of my favorite notes were able to be appreciated here. 

[quantquill]

This is a somber scent. Beautiful in the bottle. My skin chemistry amps leather, and it's that "new car smell" type of leather, not a sweet leather. On me, I can smell two layers of scent. The top layer is the leather, and then, when I put my nose to my skin, a beautiful, comforting cashmere musk with the rest of the notes blending into a seamless whole. Glad I got to try this, but I think it will smell better on someone who can handle leather.