The Empress and Their Heckhound

[Seajewel]

Eternal, unwavering loyalty: coconut milk, lavender buds, vanilla bean, white sandalwood, and hazelnut.

[doomsday_disco]

In the bottle, I get creamy hazelnut and a smattering of lavender buds.

 

On me, the hazelnut and coconut milk are the first notes to leap out, followed by a bit of lavender. The hazelnut makes this rather rich, and it is the dominant note throughout wear, with the coconut milk right behind it. It doesn't smell like toffee, but the sweet nuttiness keeps making me associate this with it at times. After several hours, the white sandalwood pops up and helps tame some of the sweetness, but it is subtle and not too dry. The lavender and vanilla bean are also more noticeable by the end of the day, and I am thankful for that, because I wasn't sure if they were going to be buried by the hazelnut and coconut milk the whole time! It's not a lavender-heavy scent, though, for those who are afraid of lavender. Actually, I'd say this is more like a Lilith-y version of Ivory Vulva (Marshmallow root, coconut, macadamia milk, cream accord, and a drop of golden amber), but with hazelnut instead of macadamia.

 

This is a nice, rich, warm, nutty gourmand scent with a bit of lavender, and I'm happy to have it in my collection. It's going to have to be a daytime blend for me, though. There's not enough lavender here to put me to sleep, and wearing this to bed would just make me hungry.  

 

ETA: Deathmatched this against Ivory Vulva, and I have to say that I enjoy Ivory Vulva more. I seemed to get even less lavender with age and more of the coconut milk with the hazelnut, so I put it up for swaps.

Edited September 30, 2022 by doomsday_disco

[JakkieTreehorn]

This was a surprise but for me as I’ve yet to find a BPAL with lavender that isn’t too lavender for me.  This is right up my alley.  As mentioned above it definitely starts out coconut milk heavy and smells a tad tropical.  It’s still very soft at that stage though.  But it turns into a lively buttery, nutty slightly sweet gourmand that feels more sophisticated than my usual faves that pound you in the face with cloying sweetness.  The white sandalwood and the smidge of lavender make this a really soft and lovely blend that is similar to a lot of other faves but also completely different.  I received this in a swap and I’ll be getting a backup for sure.  This is the sophisticated hazelnut I’ve been trying to find for a while now!

[Estamets]

This is so rich and nutty. Like a hazelnut hug. 

 

The coconut milk, vanilla bean, and hazelnut are the star players. I don't get lavender at all, though the sandalwood adds a hint of atmosphere to what is otherwise primarily a yummy hazelnut steamed coconut milk. 

 

A comforting gourmand. 

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

Supportive review of everyone above. I smelled lavender in decant vial and it was so pleasing and comforting with the soft hazelnut, but, upon application the lavender behaves like a summer vacation crush. There and gone before summer camps over- what was their name again? Just a flirt.

 

On the skin the combo of coconut and hazelnut is unfortunately suntan on me and if you are a person who also struggles with coconut, I would have  diminished expectations of success with this scent.. My investment in trying was on the belief that strong herbal lavender would knock the edges off the coconut and render a snuggley, soft blend,  but alas, for me its playful summer scent, not a tranquil nighttime blend. 

[Rayleigh]

Unfortunately, this stomps way past my sweetness threshold and keeps going. I was expecting the sandalwood and lavender to tame the foodie notes, but they barely make a showing on my skin. This smells like a very fine hazelnut coconut cream, thick and decadent and made with high quality vanilla bean. It does soften with wear, but it's too rich and gourmand for me. A lot of people are going to love this. It's just not my cup of tea.

[dancingchair]

On application, this is mostly buttery hazelnut and coconut. I think the sandalwood keeps this from getting too decadent, but this is still a pretty rich scent. After wearing for a while, the sandalwood and lavender peek out a tiny bit more, adding a gentle floral touch. I don't get much vanilla, it's probably being swallowed up by the hazelnut and coconut. It has great longevity, I can usually smell whiffs of it well into the afternoon if I put it on early in the morning.

 

I love this so much! It's like a big warm, fluffy hug. 

[frizzlechicken]

Oh yum I love this! At first it’s a blast of coconut lavender hazelnut. After an hour the sandalwood peeks out and blends in. It’s an elegant foodie scent. 

[wolf_truffles]

Somehow the hazelnut, coconut and sandalwood are turning into a chocolate mousse! A chocolate mousse with maybe some extra coconut shavings on top. This doesn't smell like any of the lab's chocolate notes, though. It is its own gourmand smell. Not getting any lavender. Wear/throw is a bit light. I think I will wear it for a few days to decide if I'm upgrading to a bottle!

[torischroeder9]

In the decant: Coconut, hazelnut, and a bit of sharp lavender, which, given the foodier main notes, my nose almost reads as a spice. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's coconut first, and then the lavender comes out underneath it. As it dries, though, the lavender disappears, and it's coconut over sandalwood, which is really nicely grounding for it. 

 

This is where it stays on me -- a little elegant foodie, a little sexy suntan lotion. I don't get anything overly sweet. The sandalwood does make a reasonably strong showing on me and I think tames the ultra-gourmandness it could otherwise be. 

 

This is also a pretty strong candidate for a bottle upgrade, though I think it would be a warm weather scent only. (But I live in Arizona, where warm weather scents get a lot of airtime.) 

[fairybites]

This is very pretty. Soft, sweet lavender and lots of milky vanilla bean on my skin. The hazelnut comes close to reading as honey dust to me. Doesn't have a good throw, it's very close to the skin and fades a lot after a couple hours. 

 

The throw is a bit disappointing, but I still enjoyed it. Would be a nice sleep scent, the combo of the coconut milk and lavender buds makes it very calming!

[rivetted]

i will compare this to Cerberus-ish, and this one will win. Hands down. they belong in the same family of smells for sure.

 

cerberus'ish is too sugary. this one is the better option, the sweetness level is just about perfect and tamed down compared to cerberus'ish. (unless you specifically love candy smells!)

 

the empress & heckhound somehow has the "chai buttercream" smell i was hoping to find (hazelnut / vanilla bean / coconut milk is that you??)

the sandalwood smooths & balances everything & helps to make it feel peaceful, cozy, & grounded.

i dont get much lavender.

 

 

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Buttery, creamy, coconutty.

 

Drydown/Dry: Creamy, fluffy coconut cream with a touch of nuttiness folded in. There's a bit of sandalwood acting as a grounding element in there too. The lavender never really shows, but I suspect it's responsible for keeping the coconut from veering into a plastic or chemical direction (as it often does on my skin). Essentially, this is a remarkably well-behaved and soft coconut blend flavored by just a touch of hazelnut. Very nice!

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

[Teamama]

Delicate, nutty & sweet. The lavender disappeared on my skin fairly quickly. I don't need a bottle, but I'll use up the decant. 

[deadlyves]

Mostly vanilla, sandalwood, and hazelnut. I think the sandalwood is what is bringing it back from being foody and giving it a perfumey/candle quality (not in a bad way, just a fragrance vs a treat). Not getting much coconut, but that could easily be mixed in with the vanilla. Theres a period where i can maybe pick out lavender, but not easily.

 

This is a sweet, warm blend that is somehow fun and upbeat. The hazelnut/sandalwood combo reminds me of partridges in the snow.

[splendidissima]

Hmm - I think I like this better in the bottle than I do on me! In there, it's hazelnut, lavender, and sweetness - on me, the hazelnut and coconut stampede over everything, and the lavender vanishes! It's not bad - I don't *not* like it - but on me it's less complex and much darker and thicker.

 

I feel like it's a good cold weather scent, rich and nutty and decadent, but also like a little will probably go a long way - it's the sort of dessert you almost can't finish because it's so rich, but it's delicious!

[zankoku_zen]

Coconut, hazelnut, and a whiff of lavender. Comfy. Good throw and wear length.

[groovyrooby]

I"m a gourmand lover at heart, but they rarely love me back. I keep trying. But this was no exception. Toasty, nutty... burnt plastic.

 

Wish I had my husband's nose - he said I smell like baked goods & sugar cane. 😢 Nice to know, but also heartbreaking. Stupid nose. Glad @BoneBone24 had better luck!!

[Little Bird]

I expected this to be more fresh and clean with the lavender and coconut, but there is no lavender to be found and the coconut is very sweet and slightly buttery smelling, perhaps with some extra sugary oomph from the vanilla.  The hazelnut adds a toasty warmth and the sandalwood a little bit of powdery in the drydown.  It does veer a little towards coconut suntan lotion smell on my skin (a little oily and waxy/plasticy), but is mostly a very sweet, warm, gourmand scent.  I almost find it a little too sweet.

[RoseThornAndOak]

@she's a carnival gifted a sniffie with just enough for a skin test.  Thank you so much!

 

This is a sweet gourmand with toasty coconut and bready notes. Hazelnut is there if I hunt for it. The coconut goes waxy/plasticy on me, too. The lavender peeks out after about 15 minutes. The final drydown is a melange of sweet notes that blur together but are pleasant. Feels soft.

 

On the right skin this would be a Girl Scout Samoa Cookie blend. I get the vintage coconut donut toy I used to play with as a kid in the early 90s. I'm so grateful to have a chance to try it before blind bottling and glad to have it for the nostalgia. 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by RoseThornAndOak

[Honey]

This is different than I had expected - not as nutty as I had hoped for.

The coconut milk is very dominant in the bottle and also on my skin. Very creamy and buttery at first - maybe also going into coconut oil territory? Definitely pleasant and truly gourmand (as in "milk or oil you would use in cooking or baking").

On me, there is no fake or plastic coconut note that you may know from shampoos or body lotions with coconut scent - definitely a plus!

There is a caramel or sugar note, however, that I know from other scents that does not work on me at all (it turns straight into celery).

Luckily for me, the caramel smoothes out into what I think is the hazelnut note. It's not really nutty though - still holding out for a scents that brings me nuttiness just as Queen of Sheba did.

I do not detect any lavender or sandalwood that would have given this a bit more depth. Therefore it stays rather flat.

This is a very milky scent - creamy perhaps, but it lacks some of the buttery oomph after a while and gets relatively thin and weak.

30 minutes into testing, the oil has turned into a smell that I know from when I rub leftover coconut oil into my hands while cooking. It's delicious, not too sweet but pretty one-dimensional in terms of perfume experience.

Maybe my skin just eats up the lavender and hazelnut which I was curious about the most.

I have other coconut-forward scents that I find more interesting than this.

If you are looking for a natural coconut that's not going plastic on you and that's not your typical tanning lotion, then give this one a try perhaps.

 

[vanilla323]

This is beautiful mostly strong lavender and sandalwood on me. I do wish the hazelnut came out more for me though. Cute label too. 

[maleficentsea]

This is absolutely lovely. I mostly get the gentle coconut milk and toasted hazelnut; it's very soft and smooth. On the drydown is when the sandalwood peeks out, but it's also very mellow and subtle, but gorgeous nonetheless. I'm bummed I waited so long to try this one, because I would have ordered multiple bottles had I known how much I would like this. This one will forever be on my ISO list!

[tinyvulture]

I’m getting a strong coconut note with an equal helping of hazelnut. I’m not picking up any lavender. This is a rich, creamy, coconutty blend that’s super nice, just not a sleep blend I expected. But a nice surprise.

[spaghettysburg]

This is not my usual wheelhouse, but I've liked BPAL's coconut milk note in other blends so I decided to give it a shot. The creamy coconut milk is at the forefront, with a nutty depth from the hazelnut and a bit of a powdery sandalwood underneath. I'm not able to pick out any lavender and I think the vanilla is just in the background adding a bit of creamy sweetness to the blend. The combination of notes is really reminiscent of cocoa butter or like a coconutt-y lotion on me. It's creamy, gentle, and softly pretty scent and I can see this one being a favorite for a lot of people but it's not my thing. Glad I got to give it a try though!