High School Hair

[Seajewel]

New state, new city, new house, new school, new hair: burgundy wine, spiced chestnut, merlot musk, and clove bud.

 

 

 

[batsy]

In the bottle: Cherry merlot wine, quite tangy, almost vinegar-y? It tickles the nose.

 

Wet: Immediately get the burgundy, almost a mahogany quality to it. It's not furniture polish; this mahogany reminds me of Riding the Goat. I know it's not listed in the notes, so I'm guessing it's just how the burgundy and merlot blend. It's not particularly spicy when wet.

 

Post dry-down: It gets a bit gourmand foodie on the skin. It's sweet but not sugary. All the wine and spices blend into a deep richness. I tend to enjoy the blends with wine and this is no exception. The clove really starts to come out as it dries down.

 

Verdict: There isn't much throw to this one after about two hours; I slathered it on generously but it clings close to the skin. It did have a sour note about five hours on but it wasn't off-putting. If you're looking for something medium and lightly spiced, this might work for you.

[elissamay]

I love this. I'm a sucker for red musk, so I expected to like "merlot musk," but this really delivers. Wet it's very much cherry-spiked wine, and the clove bud comes through while wet as an almost numbing or tingling in the nose/back of the throat. On the skin, the the burgundy wine and merlot musk meld together for a really sophisticated, sweet (but not foody or cloying), velvety hug. The spiced chestnut is coming through as a bit of a woodsy anchor for me, and rides along very nicely with the clove. Really enjoying this one so far!

[MamaMoth]

mostly a mulled wine type thing in the bottle and freshly applied, but that musk really bobs to the surface on skin. it's reading as a fruitier red musk to me. the chestnut presents itself, too, as a smooth rich nutty (almost woodsy) undercurrent.  this is spicy, but in that deeply simmered-down mulled way with no sharpness. very winey to start with, but that lightens up considerably on me. 

 

rich, fruity, boozy, and musky.  not as heavy as it sounds, though.  settles in as a musky, lightly mulled wine with a whisp of chestnut. very yule-like. 

 

i really like it, and it's a perfect scent interpretation of lilith's beautiful new hair color! 

[Threemoons]

In the bottle:  Cherry Manischewitz! On, wet:  A bit of a mulled wine thing going on; must be the clove.  Also, getting a bit of an almost sweet woodsy musk compounded with a hint of chestnut.  Drydown:  Getting a kind of woody musk with a hint of sweetness.  Actually a really nice holiday scent!

[doomsday_disco]

High School Hair is mostly a musky wine on me. It's very wine-forward, with a bit of a grape-y note to the wine, with touches of chestnut and clove that are more noticeable earlier on than later in the day, when the musk takes over. To me, the musk is not red musk, but might actually be a musk infused with a merlot note. I seem to be an outlier in not getting cherry from this... which pains me, because I love cherry!

 

The musk in this scent makes it too perfume-y on me, so I don't think I'd reach for it over Mulled Wine and a Wool Blanket, but I'm really glad I got a chance to try this!

[deadlyves]

Wet and in the bottle, there can be a bit of a grapey gummy scent that (thankfully for me) doesn't stick around on the skin. Sometimes, the wine note is a bit too fruity on me, but I love the way this plays with the musk and chestnut to make it warm and soft. It's a very smooth, dark red wine with clove adding a nice level of spice.

 

I often have a really bad time with red musk, so I wasnt sure what direction the merlot musk would go. Whatever is going on here, it works for me so if youre not into red musk this may still work for you too.

 

Its a gorgeous wine scent. If I didnt already have a lot of Mulled Wine and Wool Blanket left, I'd definitely go for more of this.

[hpennspenn]

Have you ever pondered how the wee folk make wine? Well this scent is evidence that they in fact do! All I can picture is shapely sprites traipsing about,  having collected the darkest of berries, shaved the freshest of clove, and gently mulled and stored this lovely elixir in a hallowed out hazelnut shell.  

 

But of course they don't serve it that way! Why of course they select the finest acorn filled to the brim, creating a social focal point for each to fill their spirits and rejuvenate their tired limbs after laughing, dancing,  and mischief.  

 

Clove is often far too aggressive for me, but this blend demonstrates just how warm and grounding an ingredient it can be.  The full bodied wine is not dry, like I experience with The Elephant is Slow to Mate,  but it juicy and lightly sweetened.  The Hazelnut is additional component bringing warmth and depth. 

 

This is not gourmand,  imo, but it also is gourmand-ish.  Perhaps it belongs in a category all of its own.  If you are a fan of wine blends,  I HIGHLY recommend this lovely creation! 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by hpennspenn

[starbrow]

Love at first sniff. High School Hair is a gorgeous, sophisticated wine-inspired spiced musk that somehow also conjures the innocence of youth. I think there is something from my childhood that has sweet clove and chestnut scent memories for me, because everytime they come together like this, it is a huge wave of nostalgia and childhood happiness. Cat Event Exorcist is another example of that, but it is given a churchier twist with the incense and anointing olive oil. High School Hair is all first-week-of-school jubilance with juicy dark cherry squeezed into an eager reddish musk and poured over nutty spice with eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head effect.

 

It's taken so long for me to review High School Hair because words just don't seem to do it justice. Older BPAL wines can be sour and unripened (alas!) but don't let that stop you from trying this stunning merlot! This is more akin to the Harvest Moon wine of 2020/2021. Rich and indulgent and ripened, so very fall. They started mulling this wine at least two years ago, from the smell of it. You don't even realize it's alcoholic, because it's so smooth and sweet, but also doesn't even smell like wine, it's dark and meady, without the honey.

 

High School Hair flirts with autumn vibes because of its scent color, a vibrant and luxurious burgundy. Clove and something a little cinnamon-y but deeper serve up some generous but also playful spice. Meanwhile, chestnut is this autumnal gift right in the center of the scent. Sweet and deep and creamy and even a bit of shell, but no sweaty vibes as roasted chestnut can sometimes go. It's all just beautiful, all rich and snuggly. So warm. But this doesn't seem like a fall-only scent to me; it's working perfectly well in the spring, and I plan to rock it in the summer too.

 

My favorite scent of 2022. I now have three bottles, which are quickly being decimated because I'm OBSESSED. Somehow, this is teenage bright cherry-red hair crossed with adult mulled-wine spicey musk, the perfect intersection of young and mature. I just want to wear it all the time. If you haven't tried, and you like Harvest Moon or any of the more recent wine type of blends from BPAL, you NEED to sniff. Clearly, the hit of the Liliths for me, and a huge bright spot in 2022 and beyond.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by starbrow

[zankoku_zen]

Grape hair, musk, and a touch of spice. Medium throw and wear length. 

[Little Bird]

The red wine is strong and not as sweet as some red wine notes have been on my skin.  It's tart, rich, grape-y and plum-like, with hints of perfumey musk and sharp clove spice.  In the drydown, it leans a little towards grape cough syrup and isn't my favorite type of scent.  It feels very mature and I prefer my wine scents a bit sweeter (like Lilith & Sekhmet).