Makhanitis, Lupercalia 2009: Ode to Aphrodite (1/10/09-3/13/09) Options

[Tramp]

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Makhanitis

Deviser, contriver.
Black plum, burgundy wine, sandalwood, and champaca.

A dark plum with almost a vetiver vibe. This is the plum in my beloved Hellion. Definatly with a wine vibe and I think I am getting that heavy spice/incense vibe from the champaca. The plum mellows into the background and the mellow spices really start to come through.

[Lunaliquid]

I got this one on a whim, thinking it wouldn't work on me and I could send it on to my Switch Witchee. Plum rarely works on me, and burgundy wine turns to rotting grapes in my experience.
Bottle arrived yesterday and the introductory sniff made me pretty convinced that Makhanitis would be moving on, but then this morning I made the big mistake of skin testing it.

Back off, withchee!!! This here lady is MINE!!!
Champaca and sandalwood, 2 of my favorite notes, are very much in the foreground with fruity middle and top note. I could have sworn Lady Makhanitis had been gnawing on a pomegranate before she took up residence in this bottle, because that's what I get.
Oh, and this girl is S-T-R-O-N-G! One tiny little drop goes very far.

Love, love, love in a bottle.
The Lady hath spoken; she has put her galoches on, toured the ranch and decided to stay. She will roll up her sleeves and devise a plan to rock my world. What can I do but obey?

[voodoobaby]

I am a little disappointed by this one. It smells identical to Urd on me and I never really cared for that one anyway. Maybe it's just that my skin latches on to wine notes and turns them into cloying grape popsicles, but that's pretty much all I get. It is not unpleasant, but I am kind of sad that I spent extra money on an LE that smells just like a GC. Off to the swap pile it goes!

[ralenth]

Bottle: Plummy wine with something deeper swirling behind it.

Wet: Odd. I really can't pin anything down, in spite of the fact that I know what the notes are.

Drydown: I get a bit of a hollow dark note, which isn't what I was expecting from my bottle sniff. As it continues to dry, I get occasional snatches of incense that peek from around the corner and then run off. Tag? But I want to sniff!

Dry: It is very faintly smelling of the champaca now, with a tinge of plummy grapeness (not quite plum nor grape alone). This blend is certainly a complex one and I will have to age it to see what happens. I'm intrigued, if nothing else.

[naeelah]

Other reviewers remarked that this is a strong blend. I spilled a little on my skirt today, so I can vouch, YES, IT IS STRONG. I turned my skirt around so the smelly spot would be behind me, but it still smells like a head shop anywhere within a 10 foot radius of me.

Luckily, I like plum. This is almost the same as Prospero, which is good news for anyone who missed out on the DD Poe collection. It's a dark, rich plum and red wine. The wine isn't at all cloying or grapey. It's bone dry. The plum isn't quite as candy-like as it is in some GC blends but it is very juicy. The sandalwood adds to the dryness. The champaca flower is noticeable but it is not as prominent as the plum and wine.

Compared to Prospero, this is a little earthier, from the sandalwood. Which is not to say that this is an earthy blend, only that it has a rougher edge than Prospero. Prospero was a little more smooth and polished, but it's a fairly subtle difference. The plum, wine, and champaca are the key notes in either case.

In a blurb: Dark, juicy plum and sweet florals anchored by dry wine and sandalwood.

[Aerinha]

Plum and wine, such wine! with a bit of wood in the far far background. Ok, I know the other notes well enough that I have finally have isolated what Champaca smells like. Also wow.


Very strong scent so far. The Champaca is clearly the dominant note, now, ahead of even the wine that loves my skin. Sweet, tropical and heady.

[Ahania]

This actually doesn't smell too bad! If I hadn't joined a decant circle with complete sets, I would never have tried it, because plum always goes awful on me. (I can't tell you how long it took me to get over the heartbreak.) It's not particularly thrilling, but it's all right. The sandalwood in here is really pretty, if it were more dominant this would be a keeper.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Wine and plum with a little bit of dry sandalwood.

Immediately on skin: This is strong, sweet wine and plum. It smells very red and fruity. I can smell a little of the champaca as well, but to me that note is a very purple, thick floral so it gets lost among the other notes.

After a little while: The fruitiness dies down a lot and the sandalwood seems to be poking its head out a bit more as this dries on my skin. It’s still a very wine and plum dominated scent, but the dry sandalwood adds a little earthy warmth to the blend. The champaca is just a touch floral, but still blends in mostly with the wine and plum.

Overall Impressions: This blend is dominated mostly by the wine and plum, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I just wish the sandalwood and champaca came out a little more. This is still nice, and if you like wine scents TRY IT! Otherwise, if you’re a little wary about how overpowering the wine and plum are, this might not work on you. It’s pretty, but very strong and fruity.

[FallDaze]

In the imp-> Dark and sensous plum wine.

Wet-> The same plum wine scent but with a little bit on spice in the background. This reminds me very much of Blood Phoenix. It has that same dark red vibe to it.

After a while-> Not a real big morpher, this one. The scent stays the same for the most part, with the exception of the sandalwood. The sandalwood doesn't take over, but it is present. Very nice scent.

[Iceblink]

Intense plum and wine--very much like Prospero but the sandalwood comes along in the drydown to calm down the cloying plum. The champaca adds to the sweetness. I don't think BPAL's wine notes work too well on me, though; it tends to amp like crazy and although I love wine and the smell of wine, I don't really want to smell *like* wine as it causes people to talk, heheh.

[savage_rose]

I fully expected to love this, but it's not quite working on me. The plum dries out and turns into a powdery grape floral that's not bad like violet scents, but...it's not really great either. I'll give it time and test it again, but it's not as fantastic as I was hoping it would be.

[Leopard403]

This smells the way I wanted Prunella to smell: Deep and heady and plummy. I think I may need a bottle of this one.

[Brianne]

When this is wet, it's a dead ringer for my much-loved original Hunter Moon. As it dries down, it stays like that. It's heady incense and plum - sexy and very distinct.

[AEris]

Hilarious -- apparently, Makhanitis is a chameleon that smells like a different BPAL to most that have reviewed her so far. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00000288.gif)

For me, I am reminded of Madame Moriarty, Bloody Mary, and Midnight Kiss. The red, juicy, fruity yum-yum-yum in the higher register of this blend just evoke those scents for me.

The sandalwood, I find to be a bit sharp and dry. It comes out and pretty much just competes with the moist, luscious fruits on me, and I don't especially enjoy the competition (although I'm sure it might be nicer on others who don't amp woods like me). Just doesn't blend.

After a few hours, the dryness of the sandalwood fades, and I am reminded of Smut - there's a haze of sweet, dark musk on my skin, and it's smooth and sexy.

[Femme_Fatale]

So I started to get a little worried with this one. As hard as I try, plum doesn't seem to like me all that much. If it's a dominant note, I usually end up smelling like a candle or craft store.
And at the very beginning, it does just a little. But that changes pretty quickly and it becomes darker and more incensey, yet somehow is still bright feeling. I was also worried about the wine, since wine notes can turn sour on me, but this one stays in check.
It's very pretty and stays close to the skin, though I think it might be worth slathering. I can see this being a year round scent, so it would probably get more use than some of the other more springtime ones.
I will try it a couple more times, but it's (for now) on my bottle list.

This post has been edited by Femme_Fatale: Feb 24 2009, 02:15 AM

[PhantasmMysteria]

Well, I'm going to skip the BPAL comparisons completely and venture over into another perfumer entirely! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00000288.gif)

In the imp, this is thick, luscious, but slightly unripe fruit. I think this wine has some raspberry or stone fruit in addition to the plum.

On my skin, this is a dead-ringer for Mara Fox's Nox. Definitely some strong-tasting fruits (rarely plum plays nice on it's own, and here this reacts much the same way the fruits in Crypt Queen do) and sharp sandalwood. This is no wallflower, people! I only swiped the wand onto my wrists once, but I got strong wafts of this one all morning. Upon drydown, the champaca/sandalwood threaten to become overbearing, but this eventually calms down.

Verdict: I get from this what I was hoping to get from Dionysia, though this is going to need some age to take the edge off.

[hellomoonglow]

I really really love this one. It's like expensive plummy incense. Very smokey. It reminds me of the Grateful Dead. I know, that's weird. But it does! And yes, I'm actually old enough to have seen them in concert. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fear.gif)

[hepkitten]

Sexy, sneaky, seductive...this scent is a slow, creeping mist of sex that turns into an enveloping cloud around the wearer.

(Um, did I mention that I like it?)

Most of the Lab's scents with wine notes go to a horrible Kool-Aid place on me, but this one is beautifully anchored by the other notes in the blend. I'll need a bottle for sure.

[blu°]

Somehow all the wine blends end up smelling very similar to me, maybe I amp the dark red fruit notes.

Makhanitis turns out much nicer than I would have hoped, since I do not wear champaca well (sigh). That said, I can hardly smell it in here. All I get is a very dark purple wine-tinged fruitiness, maybe somewhat tuned down by the sandalwood.

While I like it, I like The Blood Garden much better for a wine scent on me, and I hardly ever wear that one, since I mostly feel like the wine notes are too loud for any given mood or occasion.

[Purrsnikety]

Plummy incense! Just as everyone else says (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00000288.gif) To me, this is reminiscent of Bordello, just not as thick and sweet. Makhanitis keeps the plum note on the very top and has a lot of staying power. I'm amping the plum so I'm not experiencing any morphing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_sad.gif) saddness. It is lovely though!!

[Schmoozy]

Oh no. It's that plum note and wine combo that hate me. Together with champaca this turns into smoky plum wine incense that is not my thing.
I had to try.

[zankoku_zen]

I basically get sweet plum wine. It's a little smokier and grittier at the beginning, but it dries down to plum wine.

If you love plums, I'd definitely give this a shot.

[Catseyes]

Huh, there is no vetiver in this blend?? I am getting a very smoky fruit smell from Makhantis. Not really my thing. This one is being swapped!

[angelicruin]

Mmmm this is yummy plum wine on my skin. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aroused.gif)

[yeahbutnobut]

Makhanitis

In the imp: patchouli and plum wine? I get something very reminiscent of Urd. Including patchouli.
Wet on skin: Mme Moriarty’s twin sister? I now smell red musk along with the patch and plum!
Dry on skin: and now the plum does a Snake Charmer thing on me! Wow! This is actually surprisingly good! I can smell the plum and the wine and champaca, but instead of smelling like Prospero and Purple Phoenix, this actually resembles Mme Moriarty (but with gentler patchouli), Nahemoth and even Snake Charmer! It’s also highly reminiscent of Hellion, but I prefer this to Hellion because there isn’t a burnt or cloying feel to it like with Hellion.
After a while: the champaca is behaving really well-much better than it did in Prospero and Temple Viper. This is still dominated by that sexy, sexy plum! rich deep sensual boozy plum, sweet and dark with the wine darkening it even more. The wine here does not smell like grape sweets like in Head of Holofernes. It smells like a sweet red wine should. I can’t smell much sandalwood but I’m sure that’s responsible for the incense-like scent I get here. And I still smell those phantom notes of musk and patchouli that gives the scent a resemblance to Mme Moriarty, Hellion and SC.
Verdict: I was expecting this to go wrong on me. The last scent I tried with wine, plum and champaca was Prospero, and I didn’t like it. This, though, is fabulous. It reminds me of Mme Moriarty meets Hellion meets the musky plum from Snake Charmer with a splash of wine. It’s mainly plum, dark and tempting sweet plum dipped in wine and deepened by what to me seems like patchouli and musk, and the champaca is very subtle. Like Melainis, this also gives off a feel of ‘femme fatale’, with it’s dark and sexy undercurrents, this is seductive musky plum gorgeousness, like Mme Moriarty, but sweeter and juicier. Definitely one for a bottle!
Emoticon rating: (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)
Is it a keeper? yes!
If you like this, try: Urd, Mme Moriarty, Snake Charmer, Prospero, Nahemoth, Bordello, Witch Queen, Temple Viper