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Voodoo Queen

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Voodoo Queen: (Yes, there was enough to test!!! Yay! Thank you growwild... you're awesome, girl!)

 

My first impression is rich... dark and spicy. I'm getting notes of clove and cinnamon with a tiny touch of a citrus and either night blooming jasmine or magnolia. There's something darker here too. Not a musk... maybe a black amber or a myrrh? Resinous, whatever it is! It goes a little powdery on me on drydown. Not enough to spoil it and it fades far too quickly for my tastes! I want that Queen to hang around a lot longer! As it's fading I get a hint of watery wood... like a wharf... very faintly in the background.

 

The comparisons to Gypsy Queen are accurate... there are differences but Gypsy Queen stays darker and smokier on me longer although it doesn't start out that way.

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Voodoo Queen is incense-spicy, resinous. It is regal and magical. Strong. Commanding. It reminds me of dusty shelves of magick books and occult shops that you can only find if you are told about them by someone who knows.

 

Amazing! I am in complete awe of Voodoo Queen.

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Another one courtesy of Ahania's sniffing circle :P

 

In the decant, this smells like a muskier, more seductive version of Velvet.

 

Wet on me: The resemblance to Velvet becomes even stronger, so I'm hazarding a guess that this might contain sandalwood or cocoa (very light cocoa) - almost certainly myrrh. It's slightly bitter.

 

After a few minutes: I can smell a slight burning note, like smouldering incense. Some spices start to come out more distinctly: maybe clove and cinnamon as others have mentioned. I like it much better now that the bitterness has faded and it's less like Velvet, which I really didn't care for.

 

Drydown: warm spices and musk. This is very nearly a foody fragrance on me, like incredibly dark gingersnaps with a generous quantity of spices. Very sultry, sexy, and spicy!

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I'm not one for big hits, or so it seems: yesterday, I hated Storyville and today, I'm all 'yuk' about Voodoo Queen.

Far too spicy for me... Too strong and too "sexy".

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I had the chance to try this a meet'n'sniff quite a while back, and was finally able to score an imp of my very own from a friend.

 

Interestingly, now that I've tried a fair number more scents in the meantime, this one doesn't strike me as being quite as unique as it did when I first tried it -- it's actually quite similar to Mama-Ji, but with an undertone of musk. Maybe Mama-Ji meets Mme. Moriarty. I can see the Gypsy Queen comparisons too, although it's much, much spicier.

 

It's got a really sharply spicy top note -- cinnamon and/or cassia plus a variety of other spices, I'd guess. Probably nutmeg and ginger and maybe a bit of black pepper? And there's a layer of florals beneath that, but not too sweet -- the spices are very much dominant here. And then grounding that, a soft earthy musk.

 

Overall, very nice, and very well-balanced. It definitely does evoke Mama-Ji, but I think I like it the better of the two... The musk rounds out the scent and gives it depth.

 

I know there's probably no way I'll ever find a bottle of this unless I'm willing to pay crazy prices on eBay, but I noticed that one of the new Salon Retail Exclusive scents is getting a lot of comparisons to Voodoo Queen, so maybe I'll just have to find some of that. Because this is really nice.

 

Grade: A

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A couple of drops in a frimp from the WONDERFUL, MAGICAL, FLYINGPIZZA!!!!

 

This is in my TOP 10... NOW!!

 

I know EXACTLY what it smells like. Having grown up in L.A. with so many African American, Afro-Cuban, Jamaican, and other buddies of color - and doing their hair - A LOT - and sleeping over, crying together, a hug here and there...

 

This is the scent of the nape of the neck of a warm, beautiful, mysterious, caring woman of color :P

 

 

5/5... Solid.

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This is softly spicy and earthy. When I first put this on I thought I had a 'whoa vetiver!' moment but it seemed to go quickly. It's also got a slight insensey and resinous feel. The more I sniff this the more I like it which is funny because in the imp this really doesn't smell good to me. In the final stages it reminds me slightly of a more soft, lady-like and less in your face Schwarzer Mond.

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This nearly legendary scent is most lovely, tho not as beautiful as my beloved Gypsy Queen. I'd wager that there's definitely black pepper and cassia in this more-resinous-than-musky blend. It is somewhat sweet, tho not foody on me. That notwithstanding, there is the smallest whisper of a cola note, something I don't think anybody's mentioned yet.

 

It is a little dirty, and it is secretive, the smile of one who knows.

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Whoof this is an intense blend!

 

My skin amps spice like crazy, and my chemistry made no exception for Voodoo Queen. She started out dizzyingly spicy, and all I could really notice was clove. (I have no nose for spice, so my review is terribly ignorant in that sense.) After an hour or so, the resinous qualities came out more, but it was still really spicy. (why are you still reading this review? It's terrible, I can't describe what I'm smelling, totally out of my league with this one ; -)

 

I can see why Voodoo Queen has such a cult following, especially for ladies who love dark, spicy scents. I think I will try to leverage my decant to swap for other rares, but I would definitely keep it if I wasn't on a noob-scent-quest-for-the-hard-to-get-BPALs.

 

Not everyone can pull this off, it's fascinating.

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Eh. I don't know what all the fuss is about.

 

...

 

...

 

I'm joking, of course. Although I SO wanted to have that reaction since I know there's no chance on EARTH I'll ever own a bottle of this.

 

I must admit, wet in the vial it seemed pleasant enough but nothing special. Certainly not special enough to open a vein or pledge a firstborn for.

 

Initially, my impression of "Ooooh very pleasant yes, but..." continued while it was on my skin.

 

Then I got clove.

Then I got the merest hint of vetiver.

Then I got tobacco.

Then I got... ooooh, I have NO idea but I kept getting more as it dried and now I can't stop sniffing at my hand.

 

Damn. There's STILL no chance I'll ever be lucky enough to get a bottle of this for myself.

 

Apparently though, I need to start with Velvet and see where to go from there.

 

MAD thanks to Ahania for running her decant circle, otherwise I'd never even have got THIS close to this incredible blend.

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I must say that for all of the spiciness this came out roaring with, this dried down and dimmed a bit to something very similar to the creaminess of Egg'd Mailbox with a bit more spice. It is a very rich 'skin musk' smell to me, and makes me envision dreadlocks and racks of Gypsy spices. Not one I can pull of wearing, but very exotic and beautiful

Edited by mystery213

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ok, i felt the need to totally edit the post i did for this back in april of 2008. i was fairly new to BPAL at the time and really, my nose was not very refined. so i talked smack about VooDoo Queen and now i have seen the err of my ways. so i wanted to set the record straight:

 

VooDoo Queen is complex, beautiful and yes, sexy as hell. there is spice here, and musk, and the slightest hint of vetiver when i first dabbed it on my skin, but that quickly faded. now, it's incense, it's the musk of dancing slow-without being allowed to touch!-for an entire night. it's the spice of quality sex- the kind people don't have until they've been around the black a few times and can really know what they're doing, and what they want done to them. :P

 

in all, this is one of the best oils Beth has ever produced- and she's made a LOT of really fabulous scents.

Edited by VioletChaos

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Ok, so I had gotten a bottle of this off ebay in Nov. 07. Hated it and sold it right away. Now that I'm more mature in my sniffer and used to the strong, deep BPAL scents, I purchased another bottle. And I like it waaaaaay better the second time around!

 

In the bottle: Strong, heady perfume. Deep, dark, sensual.

 

On me: Dill! Right away! But I saw it through to get to the drydown.

 

Dry down: I read somewhere where someone said this smelled a lot like Dior's Poison. And it does! I get that exactly! Prior to reading the review, I kept thinking, what perfume does this smell like? I'm glad to report that I get no powder note and no funkiness, which I tend to develop on many of the more complex scents. And happily, the dill also went away. I also get some pepper and I get the feeling of a deep, dark berry somewhere lurking in the mix. And maybe some anise.

 

Overall: A keeper, though not one I'll often reach for.

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Hmmm. I see the comparisons to Gypsy Queen. I don't get rose from this scent. I get a *very* strong black tea note from it though, it's kinda smoky, and incensey. After about an hour, I get tea, spices and maybe a whiff of something floral.

 

This is dark, sexy, feminine. I very much prefer Voodoo Queen, and might even consider wearing it on a semi-regular basis because the intersection of spicy tea is *very* nice and welcome. Except, this being the uber-rarity that it is, I'm torn on whether to try for more or just leave it be.

 

ETA:

Now that I have more and have used more than just a imp cap swab at a time - I definitely get a strong smoky, almost tobacco, overlay on wet. That fades into the background with the musk/incense/spice intersection on the drydown. I think there might be vanilla and champaca in there... The love I have for this blend surprises me since, I'm not one for resin/spicy/musky blends at all.

 

But this is my "I feel sexy" blend. Love it to pieces.

Edited by zankoku_zen

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Imp: Sweet musk and resins. Champaca?

 

Wet: Sweet, dark and musky. There is a fruity tinge, but I really think its champaca, since it goes that way on me sometimes. There's also a creamy edge, maybe a bit of dark smoky vanilla? Its SEXY!

 

Drying: I get something a bit piney? occasionally. Overall, though, its a powdery, musky, sweet champaca incense. Lightly spicy, but not in the cinnamon sense…

 

Dry: Sweet musky vanilla and incense, slightly dusty. There might be a bit of leather to this, along with champaca. This is a really lovely scent, very sexy.

 

Overall: Love it, too bad its scarce as hen's teeth.

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Got this in a swap....

 

Dark, spicy and sexy....thats from wet to the drydown....I love it!

 

Too bad the cinnamon or clove or whatever is making this spicy is making my skin itch...

 

Oh well...off to the swap pile... :P

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A testable sniffie from the ever-dazzling zankoku_zen :kiss:

 

Mm. Yeah. :sniff: Mmmmm. A Snake-Oil-like musk & spice blend, but with a lovely sticky tobacco note, and just a trace of vetiver... The sweetness reads like coconut, every few sniffs, just a trace, but it's a drier, leafier scent than Snake Charmer... More like Death of Autumn, now I've had it on for a while - I'd swear there were chrysanthemums lurking in here, somewhere.

 

One of the only uber-rares that have crossed my path that I've taken a second look at... really beautiful, smoky & mysterious, but strangely comforting, very fitting :)

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I got an imp of this with the swap I did for HoHoHo, and I have no idea what all the fuss is about. This was nothing on my skin, instant fade. I got to make someone happy with the swap though. ^_^

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I was gifted a 1/2 imp of this from a fellow forumite. Sniffing the imp, I get the sense of clove and a spicy musk note.

 

On my skin, I smell clove and incense. I agree that there is something like smoky vanilla.

 

It's a very seductive, dark scent. Too bad it's near impossible to find.

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I was recently given a testable bit of Voodoo Queen from the lovely hellomoonglow. Thanks!!

 

Anyways, on me this smells like a sweet incense. Incense usually isn't my kind of thing, but this actually isn't half bad. This also isn't a heavily smoky incense. To me it is more of a spicy incense.

 

On the dry down, this scent just keeps getting spicier and spicier. Very interesting. I am glad to have had the chance to try it, but I will probably not be actively seeking any out. Bit relieved actually that I didn't fall head over heels for this one.

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In the imp: I agree with the people that said there was vetiver in this. It actually smells a bit like... and wow, weird association for my mind to make... but it smells slightly like dill.

 

On my skin: A little spicy, a little flowery. It's hard to detect exact notes in this one. Incense, maybe? I have aged Snake Oil on the other side of my hand, and I'd compare the two easily, with Voodoo Queen being a bit more floral.

 

Very glad to try this one! It's one of those I'll never find more than a sniffy of (without having to pay a LOT of money), so I'll content myself by keeping the rest of this one and being glad I even got to try it at all. ;)

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Sniffed: Amber coloured oil. Sweet, smoky, and spicy. Musky and resiny. First thought - Hellion! Definitely some plum, sandalwood, red musk (and others, I get a bit of Smut vibe, almost boozy). Some rich white florals, to be sure, as well.

 

Wet: This reminds me of Mme. Moriarty a lot, but it's not quite as dark, and not nearly as heavy on the red musk. The spice is bitter clove, but I get some carnation, too. Less sweet and fruity on my skin. I think olive blossom is one of the florals - I get that smooth, slightly oily feel.

 

Dry: I think one of the 'resin' notes is actually patchouli, a rather dirty headshoppy sort, but it's light, a minor note. The smoke + clove + fruit (and now some cassia) combo reminds me a great deal of autumn. The smoke seems to come from 'scorched sandalwood' which to me as also have a vetiver element.

 

Later: Despite all those dark/heavy notes, this is oddly fresh - I do think that there's bay rum, as well as some tobacco.There is a slightly astringent, herbal quality but in a way that balances the blend. A golden feel suggests some of sort of light amber.

 

Summary: I'd guess at: cloves, cassia, carnation, olive blossom, black and red musks, patchouli, scorched sandalwood, black plum, tobacco, vetiver, and amber. It doesn't go powdery on my skin. Decent throw, great longevity.

 

Very, very complex and unisex to feminine - another popular one which deserves its fame. I'm amazed by how it's both light and dark at once. It's too spicy and smoky for me, with how my skin amps clove, though.

 

Edited by fairnymph

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Ok, so I get the comparison to Gypsy Queen. However, there's no rose here. This is a spicy sweet smoky incense blend. I'm getting cloves and a hint of red musk, and tobacco. This is a little powdery on my skin, but not overly so. I'm not getting champaca here, and my skin amps the hell out of it. I think there's patchouli and myrrh in here too. Overall, I am reminded of Schwarzer Mond crossed with Gypsy Queen (minus the flowers). It's awesome.

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