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BPAL Madness!
heathercaley

The Witch Queen

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Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke.


imp: plum and some florals. Very perfume-y.

wet: WHOAH! This changed TOTALLY the second it hit my skin. It becomes a little aquatic (believe it or not...my skin does that with lots of things). It stays very perfume-y but more on the aquatic side. The plum went underground.

dry: It morphs more and more over the next 2 hours (hubby likes it, but it's not really me). It goes on to being a little spicy/foody at one short stage, which is odd...finally landing on a stage that I heavily dislike...apparenly my skin amps pimento (???) or whatever that smell is. To my nose, it smells like olive leaf a little or some other kind of leaf...maybe slightly of bay leaf(???). Basically something I wouldn't want to be the dominant note in a perfume I wear. Bleh.

So...it's really not my fave.

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This is the Stardust scent I was most looking forward to because:

1. I am a plum whore. We loves it.

2. The description is just so fitting and awesome and purple.

 

I tried the scent at the EC Will Call. I was slightly worried when Witch Queen smelled a little like cleaning fluid in the bottle. Yet I was undaunted because there are many scents that smell funny in the bottle and end up luscious on my skin. The result? Still cleaning fluid. :P I can smell my yummy plum and something a little floral and a little incensy but mostly there's this watery astringent kind of scent to it.

 

Verdict: Unfortunately, Witch Queen doesn't work on my skin despite my high hopes.

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Okay, I thought that I had already reviewed this one, but apparently not. In fact, I don't think I had even tried it before yesterday when I slathered it all over myself on the way to work. I guess it's a good thing that it doesn't smell horrible on me.

 

This was a very strong floral on me, with incensey undertones. It was almost too strong for my tastes, so maybe I'll need to slather a little less with this one from now on. It had the best staying power of pretty much any oil I've tried. It seemed to go a bit smokey on me after a few hours, which was actually nice. I didn't really smell the red musk or plum at all, unfortunately.

 

Next time, less slathering.

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In the imp: ylang ylang, rose and heliotrope - very perfumey-sweet-florals. Hmm.

 

On me, wet: oh, the lily popped up immediately, and then was reswamped by those perfumey rose-ylang-ylang notes, and then the smokiness swept in and darkened it all. Quite the morpher already, apparently.

 

On me, dry: mrph, and now everything's evened out into one big amorphous but vaguely perfume-y indistinguishable floral muddle.

 

Verdict: The red musk? The plum? Sigh, those notes I really wanted just seemed lost under those floral notes. Swap.

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The Witch Queen is nearly as sexy as Glasya on me, but more wearable. The fruits tone down the simmering sensuality of the red musk. So the overall impression of The Witch Queen is one of a beautiful woman, totally in possession of herself, but with a dangerous element hiding underneath. I like that. I like projecting that. And I think Beth nailed the character well, especially as it is played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

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This one should have worked on me but didn't, and I don't know why. I tried it twice, and both times I got a slightly spicy, incensey plum scent. At first. After about an hour or so it developed this weird kind of sour/pungent scent. It smells a bit like when they try to make a room spray that's fruit-scented. That strange not-quite-right fruit scent. It doesn't smell like actual fruit, it smells... chemical, I guess. I don't know how else to describe it.

 

Both times I thought I liked it all right at first -- a little too much like traditional perfume for my liking, but certainly not bad. And then I ended up with that weirdness. It smells better in the vial than it smells on me, so I'm sure it's my skin chemistry messing it up, but, phew. Not good. I even tried to wash it off -- twice -- and I can still smell it.

 

I don't think this is ever going to work for me, sadly. But that's okay. There are plenty of other BPAL perfumes I like!

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The Witch Queen

 

In the imp: very much like Morgause- plum, sharp flowers and a hint of incense.

Wet on skin: oh no, I think the calla lily is disagreeing with me! it's going very sharp…this reminds me of Purple Phoenix now.

Dry on skin: is there wisteria here? It's not listed but it's doing what most wisteria scents do on me-smells sharp and acrid. It reminds me of the way the gardenia really sharpened up Morgause for the first hour or so. Either that or it's the lily, because I really like the other floral notes here. I also smell the plum, it's a tangier plum than most, lots of ylang, and a rich, smoky, purple-musky undertone. All this would be lovely if it weren't for that sharp, screaming floral note getting in the way.

After a while: that shrieking calla has calmed down a little now. At this point, it's dominated by ylang, a little bit of plum, and a hint of spicy pimento as well. The purple incense now reminds me of nag champa, a dry and spicy scent, but this time it's a little fruity, like the grape note in Purple Phoenix. The musk is discreet but adds that sensual undertone. it's not bad, but I was expecting something a little nicer…the floral notes don't seem to gel very well together with the plum incense. And the more I smell it, the more I start to get something that reminds me of shampoo, or even the harsh chemicals of hair dye…the throw I get from here reminds me of the smell of a hairdressers, and not in a good way.

After a moment of that disturbingly hair dye like smell, the scent then turns into a pleasant musky plum, very much like Bathsheba. Maybe almost like Nahemoth without all the 'Snake Charmer' goodies that scent had. But it's a floral musky plum with a heady ylang base, almost like Lust, but not as musky, this one is fruitier.

The floral notes do tone down a little more and the musk and plum, sexy perfumed fruit, are the dominant notes at the end. It's a very pretty drydown but I was expecting more beeswax and incense.

Verdict: I'm surprised and let down by this one…from the notes, I was expecting a hit-but there was that pesky calla lily in there, and that's probably the note that ruined this scent for me. where I was expecting a musky plummy incense scent along similar lines to Snake Charmer and Hellion, I got, for the majority of the scent's wear, a screeching acrid floral and a nasty undertone of hair dye! That's what I disliked most about this scent-the part where it developed a nasty chemical sharpness just like the hair dye/shampoo used at my local hairdresser's. the drydown is much nicer, a musky plum with ylang ylang, but I much prefer Bathsheba, which is very similar to this scent's drydown, but doesn't have that horrid screaming flowers drowning in hair dye stage. so this one's being passed on. Sad really, because there were so many good notes that it should have worked…but my skin wouldn't let it.

Emoticon rating: :P

Is it a keeper? no.

If you like this, try: Morgause, Purple Phoenix, White Moon, Bathsheba, Nahemoth, Lust

Edited by yeahbutnobut

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This is like a more mellow version of Mme. Moriarty on my skin and melds into me so that it smells like me but so much better. This has the warmth of the beeswax blending everything together and making all the other ingredients behave and play well together but in a mild way that is gorgeously subtle. It is certainly purple—but more of a smoky, gauzy purple with that hint of sweetness and incense smoke swirling around the beeswax. This smells like the mysterious, candlelit workshop of the witch which leaves it traces of scent lingering on her garments, trailing after her both as warning and as beckoning. Beautiful.

Rating: 4/5

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Plummy sexy Witch Queen... what a delight you are!

 

Imp sniff: Spanked my nose! WOW! Sharp-azz plum and floral/incense smellies... oooch!

 

Wet on skin: Okay... play nice, now. Thassss better... Hmmm... Yum? Yes! YUM! Incense is bumping up a notch and plum is becoming a full-bodied lush fruit... oh, rapture!

 

Drydown: Wow... makes me want to cuddle in a blanket (lots of BPALz makes me wants to do that... mmmmpfh). Almost womanly, but just yum enough to play cozy. Very sexy and soft. Again - very lush sniffery... ahhhhhhhhhh.

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I was really hoping for noticeable plum, but I can only detect a hint of it if I sniff really close to my skin. In the imp, I can detect beeswax and incense, but on my skin it's mainly ylang ylang and tuberose, with a sharpness to it, which is exactly what I don't want.

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I love Witch Queen! I'd thought I'd already written a review for her!

 

Applied again today after not wearing for about a month (so many new scents to try!) and I adore the purple/plum incense of this womanly scent! As I was sniffing and admiring I was reminded of a much sought after LE.....Gypsy Queen! GQ is a bit more sweet and waxy smelling, but Witch Queen has a deeper more plum/floral scent. The underlying incense is extremely similiar to my nose, however! Very "woman in control" powerful incense.

 

So for those who love Gypsy Queen (and also love womanly florals) I would reccommend Witch Queen. They are like cousins.

 

Edit 2016...stupidly swapped my 2007 bottle away a year ago and desperately missed her. A beautiful bpal bestie ordered me a new bottle. Oh, Witch Queen! I will never let you go again! You are the ultimate plum/incense scent ever.

Edited by Bulletslc

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Plum, purply flowers, and incense...and it's gone SO fast on me. Dammit! This is nice while it lasts; it's very feminine and sexy but not overtly so. But I can't pick up the red musk at all and that's what I wanted to smell the most. Still, this is quite pretty.

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This one vanished almost as soon as I put it on--all I was ever really able to pick up on were hints of plum and resin. The resin lasts a long time and is somewhat detectable even after 30+ minutes (which is odd considering the rest of the perfume vanished in two minutes, if even that). Unfortunate that this one did not work out for me. :P

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This is really appealing for a fruit/floral with rose. The incense and beeswax give it a little special something. It's not nearly as cool as say Dia De Les Muertos, but that's an impossibly high bar, really. I'd like it better if the rose were not included, but I doubt I am the target audience. I'd really like to see an oil based on beeswax and incense though.

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I can actually smell the pimento amidst all the wonderful floral things! It has that candlewax scent about it which I suspect is the beeswax? There’s something very fresh in this that could either be the tuberose, calla lily or heliotrope. The red musk gives it a nice, earthy warmth. I wish I could detect the wild plum – sadly I cannot.

Edited by mspixieears

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This is a very clean-smelling, almost soapy perfume. I saw the word "astringent" used to describe this, and I think it is more of a softly clean smell, not quite biting.

 

There is an undercurrent of incense. I do not detect tuberose or caila lily, but it's so well blended that they might just be swirling together in an unrecognizable harmony.

 

I think it's nice, but it's too soapy on my skin for me to swoon over.

 

3 out of 5

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The character of the Witch Queen ages rapidly through the book, appearing different in almost every encounter. Like her namesame, BPAL's Witch Queen is a rapid morpher, evolving in distinct stages on my skin.

 

Wet: A cold, haughty floral. Like a bouquet of juicy flowers preserved in a snow globe; untouchable, but almost unbearably lush and voluptuous to see. And, yes, there is a purple tone to the smell, like dark plum velvet. Beautiful and womanly. The plum is juicy but not fruity.

 

Drying: Plum goes away. At the moment, it smells a lot like a fresh gardenia straight from the bush.

 

Dryer: Veers sharply back into plum territory, but a drier plum. Now it's sharper, and almost astringent, like plum wine overlaid with a haze of sweet smoke.

 

Driest: Still sweet, but faded and almost dusty. More of a tuberose/ylang ylang blend. Unlike many florals it never goes soapy on my skin, but it never really *agrees* with my chemistry.

 

Not me, but a really interesting progression, obviously worthy of the character. This might become someone's signature scent.

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In the imp, VERY floral. Kinda powdery. On my skin it becomes more bold, but I'm still only getting flowers. The tuberose comes out over time. Ok, but I've smelled better.

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Out of the different lily notes that Beth uses, there are one or two (maybe more) that start out as SOAP and develop into SOAPSOAPSOAP on my skin. Guess what? Witch Queen has that note. It drowns out everything else in the scent and also 'ruins' my nose for any other scent, for a couple hours, even after I wash it off. :P I think after a long while the other notes might come out, but I just can't get past that soapy lily. It happened with Sepulcher and Kostnice too, if I remember correctly.

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I bought this 5ml outright because of the wild plum, red musk and tuberose. The first two usually bode well on me and although tuberose is a bloom that my sis usually goes for in tandem with the other notes I figured I would gamble and see how it worked on me.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Incense smoke with lily and tuberose and ylang ylang; don’t really get the red musk or heliotrope or wild plum yet.

 

Applied wet on skin: Still very much the incense tinged lily and tuberose and ylang ylang.

 

Couple of minutes on skin: Basically the lily and tuberose with the veil of incense over it. Heliotrope and ylang ylang are kind of MIA..along with the wild plum which I was hoping would have been a bit more assertive.

 

Ten minutes later: Definitely a haughty floral going on here..with the haze of the incense over it. Again..mostly lily and tuberose driven..but now I get a bit more ylang ylang in the mix. Not much morphing since the beginning.

 

Thirty minutes later: Softened considerably..this is almost drydown phase actually…just a sheer wash of softened floral..still a bit haughty…the wash of incense kept it a tad chilly and distant.

 

Lasting power on this clocks in at about 3 hours or so..with throw soft to average.

 

Bottom Line: The Witch Queen is a slightly shadowy haughty floral. Think it can do well in the winter or possibly early spring..and although nice enough doesn’t wow me. However..I wore her on and off for about two and a half weeks so she did get some decent use out of me..I like her enough to keep her around…for now.

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The heliotrope in Witch Queen worried me (that note HATES me), but I love the concept, so I tested it at M n' S today. I needn't have worried--what I got was a surprisingly soft, well-blended floral, in which it was very difficult to detect individual notes. It was pretty but faded swiftly, which is odd for such strong notes. I'll test it again given a chance, but won't rush to buy a whole bottle.

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I received a half imp of this in an eBay lot. I didn't even read the description until this morning.

 

Imp: Molasses and cleaning fluid. I'm braving it.

 

Wet:

Dear Ylang Ylang,

I know what you're doing. You did the same thing to me in Erato and you've done the same thing before in commercial perfumes. You're making me smell like molasses, and that is not something I have ever aspired towards. Please dry down quickly, because we are not amused. You are also lending a hint of funk to the floral and fruit notes, making me smell somewhat rotten. Kindly stop that.

Yours truly,

PaperRose

 

Dry: This is a very pretty scent in concept. Once the ylang ylang has calmed down, I get a whiff of sweet florals, fruit and a bit of a woody scent. Unfortunately, the ylang ylang is not done tormenting me and rears its ugly head a few times.

 

Throw: I'm home alone so I can't ask anyone objectively, but this seems to have decent throw. It's not overpowering or a smell-from-across-the-room type scent, but if someone is in your immediate vicinity, he or she will probably be able to smell it. I've had it on between half and hour to an hour and it's had pretty good lasting power. Probably a once or twice a day reapplication.

 

Overall: I'll get you next time, ylang ylang. Next time.

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It's strange. I only get two notes from this, purple incense and red musk, that fades into a sweetish red musk. I get no florals or plum from this. It is very smokey and purple is a good way to describe it, it reminds me of purple eyeshadow being applied. I do like it but I'm debating whether or not to swap because it's nothing special to me.

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In the bottle: Smokey plum. Beewax and musk in the bottom note.

 

Dry on Skin: This becomes more floral as it dries and less fruity. Remains smoky and musky.

 

Another one with a large throw and good lasting power.

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this one is simple on me...it has the noche buena florals top note over a very light incense smoke and beeswax. it doesnt morph and it is long-lasting and carries a strong throw. the plum and pimento (2 notes that drew me to it) are not really noticeable to me, but that's ok. i still like it very much.

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