SultryWolf

This review is for the Resurrected version (and here's hoping she may be resurrected again sometime!)

 

In the bottle: Musks and resins, heady, but almost sugary at the same time. This must be what They mean by “boozy”!

On: Just indescribably marvellous. This is the scent that made me realize I adore red musk – already knew that I adore Dragon’s blood, myrrh, and ylang-ylang. It’s a bit heavy at first, and over time settles into a sweet, spicy, sexy scent. Overall it proclaims resins, but each note contributes something. It is similar to Smut and Lust, but sweeter than either of those. Throw and staying power are strong.

So, a couple of months ago, Hubby and I got hooked on the HBO series Rome, thanks to a friend who loaned us the first season DVDs. I had forgotten that I had an imp of this among the horde, but ran across it and gave it a try. Wow! Loved it and immediately bought a bottle.

 

in the bottle: Juniper/cypress and rose.

on: Marvellous and complex, despite seeming to consist of two notes: the herbal and the rose. The rose has a bit of spice to her, and the cypress keeps the juniper from being too JUNIPER. I can't quite pick out the chamomile, but I'm sure it's doing something wonderful in there.

Throw and lasting power are moderate.

Love, love, love this one.

In the bottle: Piercingly herbal, the almost-eucalyptus of the fir sap glides over a mossiness.

On: The incense develops, just a bit sweet, riding on herbal crispness.

Complex and unique. I love it already, but I need to spend much more time with it to come to know it completely.

In the bottle: Fruity-spicy-sweet: tangerine, kumquat, lychee.

On: Much the same, with just a hint of florals. Though I'm a peony lover, I can't quite find it here.

Smells lovely, and I adore the label – but sadly I do not enjoy wearing fruities.

In the bottle: Fir and coldness, with just a hint of green florals.

On: Much the same. Something – the white musk? – adds a bit of warmth.

I appreciate the aromas of the “cold” scents, but, with very few exceptions, I don’t find myself reaching for them to wear. I’m such a corvids lover that I’m hoping this one grows on me some more.

 

ETA, in Dec 07 (original post is from Feb 07): My! This has matured nicely. The musk has really rounded out, tempered just enough by the fir. Just like a crow all fluffed up against the snow. Lovely!

In the imp: Spicy-sweet with a sharp kick of bay.

On: The incense comes to the fore, over the sweetness of honey wine, and the herbal kick of bay.

In the imp: Marvellous dusty resins.

On: Patchouli, tempered by the black musk, and myrrh, nicely balanced. Similar to Malice, which is a bit sweeter.

In the imp: The honey is strong! over a dusty myrrh.

On: Honey and myrrh entwined, with perhaps a bit of the florals in the distance. The strong, almost cloying sweetness of the honey dissipates quickly to a warmer sweetness.

From the description, I did not expect to love this one, but I do!

In the imp: An almost-citrusy herbal, a bit soapy.

On: Bright, with an almost-mentholly feel; citrusy without being strongly lemon.

OMG, Glasya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am too swoony right now to even post a proper review, which I promise to come back and do once I recover my senses.

Gasp! I love this.

Bottle: A faint herbal.
On: A wonderful, spicy herbal with just a touch of sweetness; myrrh and pepper over leather, and a touch of the "glassy" note from House of Mirrors (whatever it is!) here plays the part of steel. The Dragon's Blood isn't strongly recognizable - rather, it ties everything together and sweetens it up a bit.

Bottle: Sweet flowers waft over a dark, almost peppery current.

On: Fruity vanilla (though there's no vanilla in this) - complex and definitely "hypnotic" and "seductive". I almost want to say there is something Fierce about the scent.

Throw and staying power are moderate.

While it will never be the first bottle I reach for

{Ah! Haven't you learned to Never Say Never when it comes to BPAL? Silly girl!}

I will certainly wear it on occasion.

The other day, I wore it shopping and bought all kinds of sexy stuff.

Poor Kindly got a bit lost in a rush of other bottles which arrived around the same time. Twice I picked up the bottle because I didn't recognize it by label out of the corner of my eye!

But I really like it, and now I am ready to tell the world.

Bottle: Sweet and fruity.

On: Gentle sweet florals of just the type I have been loving lately (Annabel Lee, Arkham, Wolf Moon). Too many for any one to truly dominate. There's almost a tea note, as well (though there's no tea in here) - something crisp and light.

This review is for the Oct 2006 formulation.

I don't have my bottle with me, and I'd like to give it another sniff to accurately report the sniffage therefrom, so I'm going to just move on to the "On" description.
[Your assignment - parse the above sentence! j/k!]

Starts off sweet - not strongly chocolate or vanilla or orange, but a nice balance of the three, and not strongly foody. (Yay! I'm not a foodist.) There's also an almost-cologne aroma, which I can't identify, and which fades quickly. Moments later, florals appear, then the woods and resins. When I sniff now, T-3hrs after (a light) application, I get mostly sandalwood with a bit of vanilla.

The throw is moderate, and the staying power is good.

Like, don't love. Definitely a comfort scent. I predict this formulation will be at least as popular as its elder sister.

ETA (one hour later): Starting to love! Darn thing has really grown on me.

Heh. I was replying to this, apparently while the thread was being merged, and my computer went all "AAAAAUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" when I hit post

 

Anyway, I was saying:

I know my husband would get me BPAL gift certs, as sure as I am that he would never bother to go through my wishlist, pick scents, and order them.

 

But, as a biz owner, I also know what a hassle GCs can be: the risk of unathorized duplication, keeping records on GCs issued, redemption concerns including taxes ...

Going to a costumed meet-n-sniff tonight, so right now my costume (super-secret so as to surprise my meetup pals - sorry!) is in a duffle with my entire collection, picking up that glorious entire-drawerful-of-various-BPAL aroma.

 

I'm all thrilled just thinking about it; I think I have to open my bag and inhale now!

This review is for the 2006 version.

Thanks to evilmistressoftoast for running the decant circle which allowed me to try this before committing to a bottle. I was concerned that it might be too foody, what with the cakes, and I found that my instinct was (for once!) correct.

 

Imp: Sour honey cakes.

On: Much the same; the incense does come through much more strongly on the drydown, and it's a bit reminiscent of Resurrection of the Flesh.

Imp: Patchouli (though, apparently, it is a musk )

On: Lovely, gentle, "bookstore incense". (Heh Heh - I see articwolf felt the same!) Sultry and beckoning, with moderate throw and wear length.

Bottle: Aquatic sharpness over earthy moss.

On: Really smells like damp mossy bricks, with a bit of pine or cedar. I love.

 

Side note: Hubby can't get past the name because it makes him think of carfax.com, a website where one can check the collision history of a used vehicle.

Don't worry, he's read Dracula - it's just that the durned television commercial for carfax.com is on twenty times a day!

Imp: Greeny florals, and a hint of tea.

On: Much the same, with a light spiciness from the carnation. Gentle and feminine.

Imp: Crisp, fresh, and light; lemon tea.

On: Lemony and bright, and the musk gently appears.

While this is not the sort of scent I'd usually wear, I have become hooked on it as a relaxing bedtime scent. I'll get a bottle, eventually.

Imp: Patchouli, woods, and a hint of florally sweetness.

On: Marvelous sensual resins and woods; actually does smell a bit like a pirate ship! Moderate throw and wear length.

Imp: Butter rum candies.

On: That's just not going to happen. No offense meant - this just isn't my thing.

Imp: Something sharp, but not pine or cedar - actually, smells a bit like cut ivy - over floral; can't smell the amber.

On: Too cologney; whatever that something-sharp is, I don't like it. On the drydown, a bitter floral with, if I strain for it, a bit of amber.

 

I'm sure open to trying this again, perhaps from a bottle to get a better balance of notes (this one should have been a love, based on the description and reviews). But for now, it's a no-go for me.

Bottle: There's that something-I-don't-like-that-reminds-me-of-envelope-stickum (one of these days, I'll figure out what note or note combination that is!). Also, something sweet over a touch of neroli and spice.

On: Much the same, at first. The leather and cinnamon develop, and the envelope-stickum mellows into a manly cologne. Count Dracula would, indeed, have loved this! It's not for me, but its complexity intrigues me; I agree with those who suggest it should age well - in any case, it'll be going into the Gentleman's section of the BPAL drawer.