Angel With Flaming Sword

[Seajewel]

Red musk, black rose, amber, Siamese benzoin, honey musk, mimosa absolute, frankincense, red peppercorn, and choya ral.

[elissamay]

I really am a big fan of the peppercorn note in blends. It hits here as you breathe in all this vibrant musk swoon with that tingle, numbing quality that tickles the nose just so. 

 

This reads as red musk, but it also reads as honeyed, and I'm guessing that's a combo of the honey musk and mimosa, maybe some of the benzoin sweetening.

 

I didn't know choya ral, but I think I am getting it as a sort of dry amber quality. The frankincense is so necessary here, and has a lemony brightness that lifts everything up. I honestly don't find the rose at all.

 

This smells like flame without heat or smoke. Like the essence of the light and play of the flames. Beautiful.

 

 

[Lin Swanson]

I have worn this four times now. I kept putting off a review because every time I have gotten something different! This is a confusingly delightful scent.

First test: woah, I didn't think I ordered an all-rose scent this time? (Consults notes)

Second test: bay leaves? Did I mix up which perfume I put on?

Third test: rose incense!

Fourth test: ooh, it's sharp, like pine or cedar?

 

Reader: I give up. The wet stage is anybody's guess. As it dries down, I get a more of the red musk and honey. It's spicy and interesting, in a mysterious way.

 

The scene of this smell: you have entered the private parlour of a person with questionable motives, who later in the book will turn out to be the villain. They bid you to make yourself comfortable amongst the plush draperies, they'll take good care of you here. You attempt to apply your attention to the papers on the desk, but you keep getting distracted by a bird cry, a slither of leaves,  a reflection off what turns out to be startlingly erotic art. The air in the room feels increasingly heavy, almost narcotic, as if the incense burner in the corner is drugged - wait -

[samanare]

I'm not sure how to describe this one. The only note I can pick out in the list is the red musk. Outside of that, I get a sweet spicy note. It reminds me of cinnamon, but sweeter. The scent has a woodsy, earthy quality to it and is also very sweet. The sweetness of the scent with the red musk very vaguely reminds me of bubblegum. Overall, I'd describe this a sweet, spicy, slightly woodsy red musk scent.

[LavenderCoffee]

Very pleasantly surprised by this angel. In fact I was somewhat startled by the fresh rose scent when I first applied (with green bits and all!), but that was fleeting. I get a nice hint of spice in the wet phase as well, but it's not the kind I feel on my skin. I often think of red musk as a slightly darker, heavier musk, so I am delighted to find this blend is lighter and brighter, maybe thanks to the combined effect of red musk, honey musk, and mimosa. There's a lovely sticky honey happening through the end of the wet phase, and then after that I get to where the resins have been hanging out and holding things down, and it becomes harder to point to honey as the source of the lingering wisps of sweetness.

The effect of the dry phase of the scent is warm and gleaming, rippling in the air like hot metal, but in an ethereal way, without the darkness and grit of the forge.

[theseagrows]

this starts with musk, rose and something effervescent. later i get some spiciness from the peppercorn. that effervescent thing is the strongest note here. it's kind of odd. yeah this isn't really working for me. later i get some incense notes but never any honey or benzoin. not really what i imagined at all...probably my skin chemistry misbehaving?

[Akire32]

I'm still quite new to Bpal and am also completely ineloquent when it comes to describing scents.
I felt compelled to comment on Angel With Flaming Sword because it smells exactly like stepping into a Michael's craft store, especially around the holidays. There's a soft floral quality mixed with a spice note that I'm surprised is not cinnamon, but must be the peppercorn. It's a sweet, spicy scent that's vaguely floral, but not in an overpowering way. 

[vthesiren]

I also get the strange effervescent note - there's a fizzy quality to this that I wasn't really expecting, almost like champagne/soda. Not much rose, it must be super well-blended. The musks are gorgeous and it winds up drying down into something woody. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I'll hang onto the decant.