L&L Grooming - Darkfall 2016
Kent V8 w/vintage badger knot
Gem Heavy Flat Top | Gem PTFE
L&LGrooming - Darkfall EdP (tester)
Darkfall was my first L&L soaps, and since then I've yet to find a fragrance that quite pulls off what this one does. While the soap and splash do a remarkable job imparting the essence of being deep in a Southern forest in the midst of Fall, the EdP is the full realization of this well-rounded fragrance. This is literally right up my alley, and living deep in the East Texas woods, I can attest to its accuracy. The ancient thick spongy substrate from hundreds of years of fallen oak leaves exudes a very different aroma when the temperature drops below 50°F. Add to that moisture and moss, and you have me at home. While neighbors are few and far between around here, everyone has a fireplace or wood stove. Given our scorching Summers, we're ready for the first cold snap and often fire up the stoves a little early just so we don't miss the opportunity. Along with the crisp fresh air, the result is a natural accord that's difficult to replicate, but Darkfall pulls it off magnificently. More importantly, this EdP is so masterfully done that it makes that Southern Fall forest wearable.
Darkfall opens with a dark and smoky resinous oud (agarwood) sharpened by cinnamon and clove. I tolerate cinnamon and clove in small doses. I don't detect the cinnamon and clove so much in the soap or splash, but the EdP is more rounded out in that they're truly realized without being overt. The cinnamon and clove essence gives a crisp sense of cold air. This dance between smoky resin balanced by crisp spicy notes gives way after a couple of hours to reveal a heavenly aged oak and amber which sustains for several more hours, never abandoning the spicy and resinous nature of the fragrance. The smoke also persists but in a gentle, understated nature. Darkfall quite simply is one of the best Fall and Winter fragrances I've every experienced, and the EdP has proven to be the full realization of this heavenly fragrance.
I was honored that Scott asked me to test this, his first EdP. He knew I was already a huge fan of his Darkfall soap and splash. While I find no fault with this current iteration, I am admittedly a big fan of smoky fragrances (for comparison, this doesn't even come close to approaching the smokiness of T+S's Morocco). It's my understanding Scott is considering decreasing the birch tar as to lessen the initial smoky opening. So, full disclosure, I didn't pay a dime for the EdP, but I will be purchasing the retail EdP along with a 2017 set of soap and splash when they become available September 19, because I never want to run out of this one.