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Showing results for tags 'Masque of the Red Death'.
Found 31 results
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Black currant, rose otto, azure musk, and blue orris. Orris, with a smidgen of orris, and a faint trace of orris in the background. Seriously though; where is the black currant?! I thought I was losing my mind when applying this. I made sure to lightly shake my little decant to make sure everything was mixed... didn't make a different. Orris, orris, orris. Orris tends to equal baby powder to my nose, so this... isn't really ideal for me.
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Tea leaf, matcha, sheer juniper, and lime rind. The lime comes out strong, followed by the tea leaf and matcha. When it actually dries in the hair, it's much more of a matcha tea kind of scent. Not getting much of the juniper, which I don't mind, BUT I wish the lime would stick around in the hair a bit longer.
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It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to hearken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before. The chiming of the clock: ebony wood and black pepper, narcissus blossom and tuberose, clanging with dull, heavy opoponax and thick olibanum. Heavy dark wood, thicky olibanum (hence very very resinous). This blend is the resin equivalent of flipping taking a set of wooden chains and locking yourself in. It just sinks. I get a whiff of narcissus every now and then and it merely accentuates how dense this is. I wouldn't be surprised if a black hole smelled like this. Phenomenal throw, good wear length. Of course, the jerk.
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Blue musk and cassis bud, wild chamomile, dried blueberry, and blackcurrant. Beautiful dried blueberry rounded out by Blackcurrant. IT's lovely.
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Blackened mahogany, tobacco absolute, cardamom, grave loam, dried blood, and olibanum. Fancy male cologne. No mahogany. No loam. Just fancy men's fourege.
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King mandarin, orange blossom, blood orange, leather, and teakwood. Straight up fresh orange juice with blood orange and wood. NO orange blossom or leather...just oranges. Fresh ones too. I don't know how Beth Does it, but she is AMAZING.
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Tea leaf, vetiver, Himalayan cedar, white tobacco, and lime. The tea leaf (I'm reminded of the Lab's white tea note) and lime stand out to me when the atmo is initially sprayed, backed by the warmth of the cedar. These remain the dominant notes to me. There's no smoky variety of vetiver here, and the white tobacco gives it a slightly perfume-y quality. We don't often get citrus-y atmos, so I am thrilled that the lime is a main player in this one, and the tea adds a nice, fresh vibe to it as well. This is really nice, and it would be great to have around in the spring and summer. I think I'd love it if it were just pure tea and lime, though, without the cedar.
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Blackberry and sugared fig meat. Purple Window HG is very nice, surprisingly similar to Blackberry Sufganiyot if a little less sweet. It really captures “purple”! Moderate to strong throw, and great lasting power.
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The “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal –the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour. Splatters of red musk, bruise-purple violets, vetiver, and pimento. Violets on wet. As it dries I get vetiver, pimento comes on strong, and its got a musky overtone. Huh, pimentos. I don't think I've ever smelled it as strongly as I do in this blend. To end, musky pimentos. Medium throw and wear length.
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The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death.” Gushes of black and red wine splattering damask rose and white pear, engulfed in thick clove incense. Ton of red wine and clove incense. Loads of wine. This is a very red wine blend. Whiffs of roses on the drydown. Good throw and wear length.
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It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence. Opulent golden oudh, red benzoin, and bitter almond. A very strong almond on wet, and it dries down to a golden oudh and resin blend. Medium throw and wear length.
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In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation. In truth the masquerade license of the night was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod, and gone beyond the bounds of even the prince’s indefinite decorum. There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made. The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood –and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror. When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (which with a slow and solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain its role, stalked to and fro among the waltzers) he was seen to be convulsed, in the first moment with a strong shudder either of terror or distaste; but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage. “Who dares?” he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him — “who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him — that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!” Blasphemous mockery: blood musk and vetiver. Smoke and bloody musk. This is dark, brooding and a little disturbing. Medium throw and wear length.
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But from a certain nameless awe with which the mad assumptions of the mummer had inspired the whole party, there were found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded, he passed within a yard of the prince’s person; and, while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple — through the purple to the green — through the green to the orange — through this again to the white — and even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him. Death unimpeded: bone-white sandalwood, dry cognac, and chilled ambergris accord. Softly aquatic sandalwood with a whiff of cognac. This is an interesting aquatic sandalwood - sort of solitary, and sort of chilling. Medium throw and wear length.
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But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments. But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life. Night-blooming jasmine and cereus reflected through ruddy musk and crimson amber. Jasmine, musk, and a whiff of amber. This one is a floral jasmine, with heavy red musk. It smells like dusty velvet jasmine. Medium throw and wear length.
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And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away — they have endured but an instant — and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. Dreams writhing to and fro, bubbling up from half-subdued laughter: pink peppercorn, jasmine sambac, and cypress bubbling up through half-subdued white lavender, stabbed through with streams of red musk and black currant. Jasmine, pink peppercorn, red musk and a whiff of lavender. This one has the floral elements rising to the surface over the red musk. The jasmine and lavender do a good job of keeping the red musk in check, and the pink peppercorn actually smashes down the jasmine in this blend as well. Overall, great balance. Medium throw and wear length.
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It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry –and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning the wild courage of despair, a throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave-cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form. The wild courage of despair: a screech of blood orange and a splash of blood entangled in a corpse-mask of tattered white sandalwood stained with balsam and a grime-crusted winding sheet. Blood, sandalwood, linen. This is mainly a blood/sandalwood blend. Medium throw and wear length.
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But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel. The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not. The swirl of a thousand glittering vices: absinthe and laudanum, opium poppy and neroli, star anise and black currant, whip leather and iron shackles, gilded vanilla flower and King mandarin. This scent is WHOA in a great way. Complex, sophisticated, sweet oriental. So deep that it sucks you in. The whip leather is what ties all notes together. Fans of Loviatar should try this. I can't stop smelling it. Its all the opposites: clean, sweet, dirty, leathery, oriental resinous, feminine and masculine, every color under the rainbow... I'm impressed and forever intrigued.
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And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who revelled. And thus, too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise –then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust. Terror, horror, and disgust: a bowel-churning sweet clench of myrhh and green musk in a pool of suffocating black moss and a shock of white cognac. Call me crazy. This smells clean and fresh and herbal green with a white sheets background. Overall this could've been called Citrine Waterfall in a Serene Mossy Wood and I would've said "Uh Huh. For sure!". The myrrh comes out in drydown and stays meditational due to the cleaner notes. Quite relaxing actually.
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Wild plum oudh and crushed violets. Ugh, I love The Violet Window HG. I love violet in general, so there's that. But the plum oudh falls like a purple shadow across the floral note in a way that makes this so huffable and addictive.
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King mandarin, wildflower honey, cognac, labdanum, honeybush and blood orange. The Orange Window HG is like an orange-lovers' dream. The king mandarin and blood orange are in the forefront, with the honey. The cognac, labdanum, and rooibos trail, making this a bit boozy/resiny and adding a subtle tea note. I think this is my second-favorite of the Halloween hair glosses I've received this year, and would layer so beautifully with any orange-dominant perfume or Snake Oil.
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Red musk, saffron threads, molten honey, and tobacco oudh. Red, red, red. The Blood Red Window Panes HG smells like dark red incarnate. I would call this a red musk-prominent blend, but the other notes really get their fingers into it. The saffron and honey sweeten this and turn it sideways, and the tobacco oudh makes it smell decadent and perverse. It's a bit like if the Infernal Lover took a dose of debauched tobacco oudh and went out on the town. The oudh is definitely present, but I wouldn't call it overpowering.
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Lily of the valley, osmanthus, white oakmoss, silvered orchid and ambergris accord. The White Window HG does smell white, like a white flower extravaganza. Lily of the valley (one of my fave notes), plus osmanthus and orchid—supported by ambergris and oakmoss. If you love white florals, don't miss this! It's really elegant.
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Lily of the valley, cedarwood, chamomile, vanilla orchid, white sandalwood, and polished oak. I love lily of the valley so was super excited for this atmo. And lily of the valley is definitely the star here. The cedarwood, sandalwood, and oak cut the sweetness of the floral and give this a woody base. The chamomile and vanilla orchid give it a slightly herbal edge/additional floral that skews a bit waxy and spicy. Super pretty!
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He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fete; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm much of what has been since seen in Hernani. There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. Delirious fancies such as the madman fashions, arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments: orris absolute and leather contorted by cherry and orange blossom. I'm trying reeeeaallly hard to like this one, but feel it's a huge miss from my 2018 weenie order. I guess orris hates me. Usually BPAL's leather, cherry and orange notes work well for me, which is why I liked the idea of this one, but at the moment, all I get is SOAP. Very cheap hotel soap. In the bottle I get the faintest whiff of cherry over it, but on my skin it's obliterated. I've had my weenies a few weeks and already the other ones have shown signs of settling and developing into lovely scents, but this one hasn't changed for the better...yet. I'll put it aside for a few months. Unfortunately, it has immense staying power, so washing it off is tough
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It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand. It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. A sycophants polished stench: green musk fougere, lime, and rose-tufted wig powder. Bottle fresh from the Lab. In the bottle: A cool fragrance somewhat reminiscent of a men's cologne, as I had expected from the list of notes. But hopefully not too much. No particular thing jumps out at me. I check the list and still don't pick out any of the notes. Maybe a bit of lime, but even that isn't definite. Maybe some lavender in the fougere? This is a well-blended perfume that really just smells like itself, not like specific ingredients. It figures that when I get a first review, it would turn out to be a scent that is difficult to describe! On me, wet: Just like in the bottle, but cooler and sharper. Then a single lovely whiff of floral that is too quickly gone to identify it as rose. At 5 minutes: The hint of floral is back, faint but there. It seems to have settled in to stay for a while this time. It still doesn't smell like rose, but is nice anyway. The lime and lavender notes are also tentative but pleasant. There is a sense of greenness, but I have no idea what green musk smells like, so can't tell if I am smelling that. At 10 minutes: The overall scent is light, bright, and cool, very refreshing. Rather sparkly, even. Perfect for the warm day that we are expecting here today. It doesn't smell like a traditional men's cologne at all, yay! At 20 minutes: It is getting even prettier. A bit more floral-ish and feminine, but not strongly so. Is that the musk starting to gain notice? The cool sharp edge has faded away, making it softer (in character, not in strength) and slightly warmer. Strength and throw are both light, but stable so far. At 30 minutes: At first sniff, I notice that the sparkle is still there, although the sharpness is gone. The close-in scent is beginning to lighten. At 45 minutes: This is a consistent perfume, not a morpher. The differences I mention are subtle, not distinct comings and goings of different notes. It still smells much the same as in the bottle, but without the sharpness. There is still a cool vibe. It is now becoming powdery, as musk does, in such a lovely way. It's a green powder. Well, that makes sense. At 1 hour: Soft, light, gentle. Musky, greenish, mildly floral powder. At 2 hours: Considerably faded. Otherwise, same as above. Still cool, which is unusual this late in drydown. That's probably what is making me think it is just a little men's-cologne-ish again. After wearing so many different BPAL oils for so many years, I have kind of lost my sense of "masculine" and "feminine" in perfumes, unless they are at either extreme end of the spectrum. I suppose that's a good thing, but it makes it hard to describe them for others! At 3 hours: Faint men's-cologne. No trace of powder remains. At 4 hours: Very faint plastic. No problem, it's time to reapply anyway. Prominent notes: None that stand out Character: Light, cool, blended. Fairly unisex. I agree with the description of it as "polished." 4 out of 6 stars: Not particularly exciting, but quite pleasant and pretty