Just as the Clock Struck Twelve

[Seajewel]

An echo of lost love and longing, not sorrowful but wistful: damask rose and sweet patchouli, ambrette seed, cacao, and white musk.

[forspecial_plate]

I've tried this 3 days in a row after just getting it Monday.  As you know it could still change over time but I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what it smells like and that is white musk.  The lab's white musk note is showcased here above all else, although the rose and cacao are very much present.  I don't really smell the other 2 notes.  (Maybe the ambrette seed is there a little when I sniff up close, it's hard to tell).

 

I was drawn to the word "wistful" and that is an appropriate description of this.  It's perfumey and somewhat floral from the rose but I think the other notes help round it out.  If you love white musk this might be your dream scent, if it behaves like it does on me. 

 

PS: I got headaches yesterday and today after putting this on, not sure if the perfumey floral aspect gave me a headache, or if it's justy my usual allergies.  

Edited January 5, 2022 by forspecial_plate

[torischroeder9]

In the decant: White musk, cacao, and damask rose.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's cacao competing with rose. My skin chemistry history says rose will win, but you never know. As it dries, true to my skin's form, it's all rose. I maybe get a little effervescence from white musk and a little grounding from patch, but right now, this could absolutely be an iteration of a rose note on me.

 

Given more time to develop, the rose becomes even more dominant. At this point, the cacao and white musk are only the barest hints of ideas on me. It's mostly damask rose with just a touch of drier grounding from the sweet patchouli. The effect is a damask rose that's not fresh, green, or growing, but that's neither wilted nor completely dried, either.

 

The throw is very far on me, but that is generally true of me and roses of any kind, so YMMV.

[zankoku_zen]

I get mainly cocoa flowers and resins. This one is a soft cocoa blend with deep resins behind. Good throw and wear length.

[roseus]

In the bottle I get a rich cocoa backed by a dark, musky rose. On my skin it flips and I get more rose with a dusting of cocoa. The rose simmers down as it dries and allows the patch to peak out, it is a soft patch and blends beautifully with the cocoa for an earthy base. I can't pick out the ambrette seed or white musk specifically but I think they are adding to the warm musky thing going on. It has an old world glamour thing going on. It's very well blended, nothing really sticks out as the star. I wouldn't think of this as a 'rose' scent or a 'cocoa' scent. So glad I went for this one, I was waffling a bit but the 15 Minutes of Fume review sold me! 

Edited April 2, 2022 by roseus

[groovyrooby]

I had to try this one several times to figure out what's going on... still not sure. There is some particular BPAL combination that comes across as a salty, peanutty smell, and it's here! Reviewing my copious notes, I can't find a clear pattern, but I'm thinking it has something to do with the way cocoa plays with white musk on/to me? It's a weirdly savory smell to my nose. The first test may have been too soon from the mail, and the rose was nowhere to be found, just a suggestion of floral in the white musk. When the floral element finally came in on a later test, it's a soapy, sharp, shrill rose that is not my favorite version. Duly noted, damask rose. I had the same problem with To A Dead Friend. And The Madam. And Eve.

The elements in this really don't seem to gel for me, but it's so odd I'm interested in trying again with time. Feels like this is just not where it was intended to be. Except - nevermind, that dry rose is kind of a dealbreaker for me, and I don't imagine the quality of rose changing with time. This has potential if you're a dried rose lover. But I like them humid and plump. Not for me.

[Cali]

I'm sorry? But how in the f*ck do they make such an evocative scent, that almost makes me sad? Wistful indeed, a bittersweet mirror of worlds.

Very interesting deep scent. The cacao and the white/colder scents somehow work well together (there is definately something ghostly in here), and the rose and patchouli scooch over to the backseat in this one on my skin. Not an everyday scent, but beautiful. Just beautiful. 

[RoseThornAndOak]

Ok this was pretty gorgeous in the beginning. That cacao and rose combo with a bit of woody bits was a bit swoonworthy and very similar to other cacao or chocolate rose options from the Lab. Ambrette lends a slight maple vibe. Doing good doing good. Unfortunately this will have to be a locket scent as there's just enough patchouli in this to go sharp and acrid with my skin chemistry. Wallet's happy.

 

On this right skin this will be a stunner.

[starbrow]

Chocolate but make it GHOSTLY.

 

A rose-tinged cacao, nice and bitter, dances with a lot of spectral white musk. Not quite dryer sheet category, but it has the bright sparkly "clean" vibes that often come with white musk. This is a very clean ghost, y'all. I enjoy the grounding effect of ambrette seed, which is a little earthy, a little smoky, but definitely overwhelmed by the more vocal stars of cacao, rose, and white musk. I think ambrette seed would have needed one less of those to truly have its moment. Still, it gives a bit of vetiver-light to the blend, and I appreciate that.

 

Missing in action for me is patchouli. I would have liked more darkness here. There is some woodiness, yet if you told me this was a Cacao, Rose, and White Musk trio, I would believe you. The patch doesn't really have a part to play in this blend, unfortunately in my opinion. Nor does this go to foodie places, with cacao playing out like coffee instead of dessert.

 

I won't be upgrading to a full bottle, but I think if you enjoy ghostly rose blends, this one is rather beautiful.