The Chilling Cellar

[Schmoozy]

Wine just turning to vinegar, crumbling mortar, red clay, and the coppery tang of old blood.

When I first tried this when it was released, it was way to tangy and coppery for my liking. There was that unmistakeable scent of blood. Unfortunately it it really overpowered all of the other notes, and when it didn't overpower all I got was vinegar. 2 years later has improved this blend drastically. The coppery tang of blood is just an afterthought to the vintage wine and red clay. Instead of clashing with the other notes blood, mingles pretty good with wine and vinegar!! Edited September 23, 2009 by Schmoozy

[rayvn1]

Deeply, deeply meh about this one. I was concerned about the wine note and blood, but was hoping the clay would predominate. It did at first, but eventually my skin started amping the unfortunate notes.

 

ETA: Trying it again nearly a year later, I must admit it is a VERY evocative scent. Very much a scent picture.

Edited December 30, 2010 by rayvn1

[voodoocatwoman]

I just now got around to trying this blend. I did not pick up wine or vinegar at all. What I got was a sweet kind of incense fragrance. It has dried to magnificence and I think I agree with whoever said that it ends up smelling like Antique Lace. I could also agree with the whoever who mentioned amber. I am smelling that as well.

 

NICE.

[Nymeria]

Okay. This review makes zero sense, but the nose smells what the nose smells. So this scent smells exactly like when I was a kid, and I was sick and my mom would make me orange tea with lemon to help me feel better, with incense burning in the background.

 

It's nice.

 

Good for wearing: When I need that reminder that everything gets better eventually.

[ami226]

Just looking at the notes, I can't think of why I swapped for this one.

 

On the skin: Dusty with a hint of suntan lotion (must be the dragon's blood) and fruit? Very weird.

 

Wow, after the first application, this one changes pretty drastically. Now I get an herbiness that wasn't there before. And a hint of orange? I'd actually completely agree with Nymeria who said this smells like orange/lemon tea. Definitely an herbal tea rather than black tea. Weird!

 

Not for me.

[jenpo]

2012 Halloweenie Description

 

Wine just turning to vinegar, crumbling mortar, red clay, and the coppery tang of old blood.

[angelicruin]

2012 version:

 

Bitter blood, wine & dust. The 2007 version is much sweeter on my skin & one of my all-time BPAL favorites. I'll be keeping 2012 and start comparing it to 2007 as it begins to age.

[fiddlehead]

This is the 2012 version.

 

I definitely get the wine/vinegar notes but not as much clay as I wanted. Not as much as say, Penny Dreadful. Maybe that will turn up later. I get a spicy/metallic scent that I think is Dragon's Blood. Very nice!

 

I do wish the wine had stuck around a bit longer as it was a nice contrast to the sweetness. It's lurking underneath, though. This is a winner for me and I'm happy I took a chance on it.

Edited October 12, 2012 by fiddlehead

[zankoku_zen]

2012 version is much more CLAY on my skin. Mind you, its bloody clay. Like I can smell the 'blood', and definitely the CLAY. Strong, mineral clay smell, with an acrid note of vinegar on wet, but dries down to clay and blood.

 

And in some ways, it may be creepier to me than the 2007 version.

[kjirstiben]

I had to try this twice in order to get a handle on what I thought of it... First on, it's a rich, round wine note mixed with something spicy and maybe a little bit mineral-esque. (Which is really great.) However, over the course of the day, it fades into a rather weird perfumey, possibly plasticky scent. I can't tell if this is a skin chemistry fail or just a "nose chemistry" fail... but without the roundness of the wine note from the beginning, this is dull, flat, and a little dry. Sad, when it began with such promise!

[milo]

I'm finding a lot of these weenie blends are very pretty on me at first, but then my skin changes the scent to something not so pretty, or bland, and they seem to disappear quickly. The Chilling Cellar is quite pretty at first, muted wine, though floral like (moonflower). This faded pretty quickly and we're left with metallic blood and rusty powder. It's not bad, I'm still getting a bit of the lovely faded wine, and the powder doesn't really bother me, but this scent is just 'meh' on me.

[holborne]

This one started out as a wine scent on me -- not very heavy on the grape like, say, Athens, but more like a light white wine. I liked it very much while it was wet. But eventually, the wine scent fades and it smells more strongly of clay or bricks.

 

An interesting scent -- and I mean that in a good way, really -- but not one I could really see myself wearing under most circumstances. It would be good for someone looking for a very offbeat fragrence.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Oh yes, that wine is turning to vinegar.

 

Wet: Faint hints of the clay and the blood, but mostly the old wine. The oil is pinkish/reddish on my skin.

 

The dry-down: Not a morpher, much the same dry as wet. I usually like wine or blood or dirt scents, but I don't need any more of this.

 

ETA: this is the 2012 version.

Edited November 24, 2012 by thekittenkat

[mymymai]

ITI: Yes, there's the red wine, and it certainly is going bad. I also get the scent of older blood as well. Hmm.

 

Wet: There is a dusty, stone-like element that I smell just under the wine, which must be the mortar. It's sweeter and more approachable on my skin.

 

Dry: The wine is now sweet and spicy while hints of earth and a touch of something that reads of vanilla swirl underneath. This is quickly turned into an enjoyable wine scent.

[stellamaris]

I ordered this, and then did not really wear it, as it seemed kind of meh, flat, to me.

However now, months later, love this.

Strangely, I don't get an overwhelming wine from this, it's more cherry? Weird. The dry down is an awesome rich incense-y cherry (yeah I know, there is no cherry)with a light wine background.

Love this.

[roseus]

Sniffing in the decant: Yum! Sweet, red, juicy fruitiness. Looking at the notes now, it still doesn't scream wine. There is no sharpness or booziness yet.

 

Wet: gets a little older, less sweet and candish. Maybe even creepier, definitely getting some brickish note. Not unpleasant though.

 

Dry: for a bit this was really nice! An interesting wine scent, with some earthiness and bit of tang. However as it dries it gets very unsettling. Doe smell like a dark, cold cellar. The tang fades and there is just a hint of wine.

[Zorra]

Reading the reviews that say it gets more like a dusty cellar when dry I think perhaps I should try this again. It was such a sweet scent, like cherry cola or something like that, so completely not what i expected, that I washed it off. It is now almost an houf after washing it off and I still smell the cherry cola.