Kubla Khan

[Dark Angel]

Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine.

source: Imp from the Lab

As others have said, this is so well-blended that it's hard to pick out any one note. At first I wasn't quite sure I was going to like it, because right after I applied it, there was a hint of a high, sharp note, probably a floral but I couldn't say which one. After a little while, though, that fades and the whole thing smooths out into a warm, harmonious whole. I don't detect any leather, which is good as far as I'm concerned because I've found that BPAL's leather notes tend to come across as a bit masculine and 'sweaty' for my taste. I don't detect any smoke, either. But then, I really can't identify any specific notes. I'm not great at picking out notes but I'm usually not this hopeless!

I can only say that it's a bit sweet (but not tooth-decayingly so), rather exotic, warm, and very lovely. On me, it doesn't have a huge amount of throw and is rather subtle (I didn't slather, though). Appropriate for daytime work wear without being generic or bland in any way.

Very, very nice!

[euterpe414]

I totally should have gone with my gut instinct to buy a bottle of this unsniffed, b/c it is gorgeous! In the vial it is rather overwhelmingly strong incense with a hint of floral, but once it hits my skin it turns into this exotic, light and sweet incense that I just can't get enough of. Seriously, this is one of those nose-attached-to-wrist scents... I can't really detect specific notes in here, it's just sweet and exotic. The closes type of incense blend that this compares to is Midnight on the Midway, but it really isn't anything like it in smell, just in feel, I suppose.

 

This is SO wonderful, and I am definitely getting a bottle in my next lab order.

 

:D

[Irukandji]

Today, my order of three bottles and altogether 12 imps arrived, and after putting the ones for my boy aside, I went a little crazy testing (just as usual ), dabbing this on one hand, that on the other hand and eventually ended up with five different scents scattered all over my arms. Of course, I forgot which was which and just decided they're all pretty nice and I'd figure later which I liked best.

 

Approximately ten minutes later, I caught a whiff of something absolutely heavenly from the back of my right hand. Sweet, slightly floral, a tad fruity, just gorgeous. Wow, was it ever good! But which one could it have been? Deciding that it must've been Vampire Tears or Kubla Khan, since the other ones were pretty distinct to tell apart, I tested both again and… got disappointed. Vampire Tears smelled completely different and all I got from Kubla Khan was.... citrus? Impossible. None of those two scents beared any similarity to that divine smell I had caught. I hate citrus!

Well, after - again - about ten minutes, it turned out that the scent actually was Kubla Khan. The initial stage is completely citrussy, smelling almost like washing-up liquid, but after a while it morphs to the most beautiful, sweet, fruity, warm opium scent. I'm definitely considering to get a bottle. <3

[rien]

yeahbutnobut used several adjectives that fit Kubla Khan perfectly, so I'll just quote them below in agreement:

hyponotic....harmonious....pretty....interesting....contrasting....luminous.... otherworldly....smooth

 

And...that about sums it up for me. Kubla Khan fits in the 'good things' category.

I'll ditto the above since it's impossible for me to pick out particular notes in this one. It's lovely and eeenteresting! The only downside I can report over here is that it disappears on me after about ten minutes. Why, why, whyyy? But that's easily remedied and worth the effort for this one! Yay!

[Miss Lynx]

This is way more feminine and perfumey than I would have thought from the reviews, at least on my skin. Then again, it has got rose, lily and jasmine in it, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It smells like a fairly high-end women's department store perfume -- very floral, but with undertones of other notes grounding it.

 

It's also quite markedly different on my wrists than in the crooks of my arms. On my wrists it's warmer, with more of the amber, vanilla and sandalwood making themselves known. In the crooks of my arms it's sharper, sweeter and drier, smelling predominantly like florals over tea, with a bit of that snowy note that's in a lot of the winter scents -- I suppose that would be "caves of ice" -- and something vaguely minty and almost medicinal.

 

It lasts for quite a long time, even through dishwashing and housecleaning, and on my wrists eventually settles down into something really lovely and warm, a bit like Lyonesse. In the crooks of my arms it stays thoroughly unpleasant for at least a few hours before eventually fading down to something not too unlike the way it smells on my wrists.

 

I kind of like the wrist version, though the vanilla did start to get a bit Play-Doh-y at a few points. I very much do not like the arm version. I had been certain this one would be really nice, but I guess I hadn't counted on the ability of my skin chemistry to amp the florals beyond all reason, and I really should have taken the ice reference as a warning bell too. Oh well.

 

Grade: wrists B+, arms C, averaging B-

[theseagrows]

this one is very nice, not exactly what i was expecting, but light and pretty. it smells like incensy-lemon to me, reminiscent of midnight on the midway but less sugary and much more citrussy. i suppose i am getting the mandarin and maybe peru balsam the strongest. i dont seem to get much ginger or leather, and thankfully the jasmine is subtle on me. i really like this scent, i just wish it had more throw.

 

re-try years later after receiving a frimp from the lab: i think i smell mandarin, tea leaf and a hint of slightly sour rose. a little bit of opium and tobacco come through, and later on, some vanilla. this one is ok, but still remains a bit sour on me, so i think i will swap it.

Edited May 17, 2018 by theseagrows

[Mianjo]

In the imp: Opium, flowers...and maybe something a little dank suggesting cave air?

 

Wet on my skin: Really pretty...the opium and flowers play nice! I get a little tobacco, a little vanilla. Pretty.

 

Dry on my skin: Rose. Well, more like ROSE. I can smell the opium and vanilla trying to come through, but that rose has obliterated everything in sight. Too bad, because this was shaping up to be really gorgeous.

Edited November 21, 2007 by Mianjo

[janeness]

In the Bottle: Spicy and a little floral

 

Wet: OMG FLORAL. I tend to amp lily and rose (and not in a good way) so at first that's all I smell.

 

After a few minutes, the Crabtree and Evelyn soapy florals die back (but not far enough for me) and a dry opium/leather/tobacco note comes through.

 

Dry: It's teetering between a very sophisticated scent and smelling like my grandmother's house. It makes me think of Caress soap and old libraries.

 

A few hours in, it's settled for the librarian scent. It's like opening a scrapbook you found in an old trunk in the attic: kinda papery, a little dusty, with old leather, old rose petals and a touch of old perfume and pipe tobacco.

 

I *love* the poem and I'd hoped to love this oil. It's very pretty, but not really what I'm looking for.

[valentina]

I am really rather amazed that all the BPAL limited edition fans aren't all over this one like bees to honey -- Kubla Khan has all the complexity of limited edition scents -- look at that list of ingredients! And it's a GC scent! Best of both worlds!

 

I purchased a bottle of this unsniffed, a big ol' risk takin' for someone with my frequently snarky body chemistry. My brain so wants to love many things, my skin so often objects. However, the Khan has enough of my favorite components in it for me to get brave and give it a whirl. And as many complex scents do, this one went through a number of morphs. The epic saga is detailed below.

 

In the bottle, I got a lot resinous opium and florals. Nice. When it hit my skin, I experienced a shot of rose-scented opium, with a goodly amount of jasmine shakin' around underneath. Then my nemesis rose really hit its stride in about minutes 5 to 20. I smelled a lot like very intense, rose-opium incense that was going to verge on the intolerable if it amped much more. I was ready to wail in sorrow. I was ready to run up to my computer and post a sales thread. But I was fixing supper and I didn't want to stop doing that, so I pouted and cooked for about 10 minutes. Then I put my nose back to my arm, as hope springs eternal, and OMG, the joy! That bitch rose had burned herself out and what is left, and becomes the scent that remains, is a dark vanilla-opium-tobacco incense. Gorgeous.

 

If I had to compare Kubla Khan to another BPAL, I'd go with Khajurajo -- a lovely, lovely floral incense, very complex. Where I like this scent better than Khajurajo is in the vanilla, which gives the scent a mellow richness that I find very pretty, especially juxtaposed to the opium and tobacco, which impart a certain dryness. I'd actually like to smell this on a man, I think certain guys might be able to pull off wearing this scent. But for the femme incense lovers, this is a must-try.

[UploadedLobster]

AGH WHAT THE HELL

 

Isn't there supposed to be something in this other than rose and powder? This turned into bad drugstore perfume immediately. Seriously, how did every single note other than the rose turn to powder on me? Sandalwood usually LOVES me, where the hell did it go? Where's the tobacco, the vanilla, leather, mandarin? Where are ANY of those notes that usually work so well on me? Is opium smoke made of powder? I didn't think it was.

 

It's that goddamn lily, isn't it? The lily ate them all. WELL YOU KNOW WHAT, LILY? I'M BIGGER THAN YOU AND I CAN SWAP YOU WITHOUT BATTING AN EYE. Which is exactly what I'm going to do.

 

 

Lobster Rating

better than: a punch in the ovaries

Edited December 2, 2007 by Uploaded Lobster

[storme]

In the imp: very thick and heady florals and incense with lots of soap.

 

On me, wet: soapy incense - it's weird, sort of smoky-clean.

 

On me, dry: soft floral soap. Sigh.

 

Verdict: The chances of this working on my skin were miniscule given the note list, but I love the poem. Ah well. Swap pile anyway.

[filigree_shadow]

"Kubla Khan" is one of my favorite poems, and BPAL is one of my favorite perfume companies. I would have been terribly disappointed if I hadn't liked this perfume. But, I do!

 

There's a haze of opium smoke over the scent, which is very fitting. And it kinda makes me smile. I think of it as a nod to Coleridge himself rather than the actual imagery in the poem, and I like that a lot.

 

As for the rest of the scent, it is impossible to describe with names of notes. I can't pick out any. I could not say, "Sandalwood lovers should try this," or "Anyone who doesn't like leather should avoid this." No single note is jumping out at me at all. The scent is complex and well-blended. It smells refined and graceful.

 

Smoky, comfortable, interesting, intriguing... I'm beginning to adore this scent.

[Czarina]

Lab frimp.

 

In the imp: sugary.

Wet: orange cake batter.

Drydown: disappointing. I think my skin just ate all the notes. After the strong mandarin note faded, I was hoping and expecting all the other exotic scents to come zooming up, but all I could smell after ten minutes was the remnants of Blace Lace from several days ago clinging to my outfit.

 

Unless it isn't Black Lace I'm smelling, but Kubla Khan. If so, the tobacco notes make them very similar.

 

ETA: Tried this one again.

 

Pure nail polish remover.

Edited September 21, 2008 by Czarina

[jarvenpa]

I bought a bottle absolutely unsniffed, just because I love this poem, and because with all the BPAL I've tried only one scent wasn't lovely on my skin. Worth the risk.

 

I love the blends that blossom in the warmth of my skin, the ones that start out going in one direction, all devious like and smiling over their shoulders, and then, whap! whole new thing going on...wait, what was that?

 

So Kubla Khan starts out very sweet caramel-vanilla, very foodie. And though I'm not much of a foodie scent lover, I adore every variant of vanilla, so, the initial maybe 3 minutes are quite satisfactory.

 

But I didn't think it would stop at cakes, and I was right. Suddenly, as if the smoke had swirled round my wrists--and out into the air, big throw at this point--there's what I think is opium. The reason I think it is opium is because the other blends that have this lovely bloom of sweet and incense seem to have opium as one of the ingredients (for instance, The Sleeper).

 

And then--well, my senses are reeling. My nose is not good at "oh yes, a bit of rose and a tiny dried leaf of cranberry bush and three drops of lily essence". What I get for a while is a fragrance that is very teasing, because it reminds me of a classic perfume sniffed a long time ago. Nothing I myself wore. The memories--or the vagueness of not being able to remember--are kind of distracting. The whole feeling of this is so very Kubla Khan I have to smile.

 

It is quite elegant. At the end (a few hours later) it has softened to a skin clinging scent that--for the first time in any BPAL on my skin--is actually the famous "soapy scent". But that's fine.

 

It is delicious and truly worthy of the poem and I am not sure why everyone isn't hoarding this. So good.

[Leopard403]

Too heavily perfume-y for me in the bottle, I haven't been able to bring myself to try it out on my skin yet.

Whiffing from the imp, the blend smells incense-y and heady, and the lily note comes out as the same "golden" note that I disliked in Tiger Lily.

I wish I got more foody from this, like others do, but this is a bit too heavy and "old lady perfume"-like to my nose.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Jasmine and lily, typical the two notes I most hoped to avoid in this blend

 

Wet on me – There’s a sort of minty sweetness, which if the jasmine wasn’t so prominent in the bottle would make me think that I had a mislabelled bottle of Incubus. Beneath that the rose and the lily are the strongest notes

 

Dry on me – Ashes and dust, before finally the tobacco and ginger combine to give a warm inviting skin scent

 

Overall – I expected this not to work on my skin, surprisingly the flowers didn’t ruin it, but something else did

[Victory]

Kubla Khan reminds me of Drink Me not because it smells ANYTHING like Drink Me but because my nose reacts in much the same way to KK as to DM: get it away. It doesn't smell bad, but if my nose can't figure out what it's smelling, it rejects it. I think that it's a combination of superior blending and an overwhelming number of notes for my nose to sort through. Is it hay? Opium? Vanilla? My nose needs a direction to sniff in, as it were, and I don't get any from KK. So if you really like very complex, complicated perfumes, KK may be for you! On the other hand, I put some on my mother, who prefers complex perfumes, and she didn't like it either. It's really too bad.

[pinkgyrl]

This is a sophisticated, slighty dark, incensey, smoky vanilla - it's just gorgeous. I would sum this up as a "dirty vanilla" but in the good way (hehe). The notes are blended so skillfully, that it is very difficult to detect individual notes - they all just blend together to make a smooth, smokey, slightly sweet scent that is incredibly sexy. I'm not a floral person and was a bit timid due to some of the notes - but this is just gorgeous.

[aestien]

Bottle: warm leather with tobacco, opium, hay, the tiniest hint of ice and mandarin

Wet: leather continues to be the predominant note, blended with the warm opium smoke and tobacco, just a little sandalwood and ginger, hay, balsam, a little vanilla. I don’t get the florals beyond the suggestion

Dry: it’s a lovely warm blend, I love the leather, opium, tobacco, ginger, vanilla combo, very masculine, a little exotic.

 

This is a very nice blend. I like it a lot. It dries down very round and warm and a lot of leather. Definitely masculine. I have other leather blends that I prefer, but this is very nice.

[septima_pica]

(Octopod)

Hmm. This goes on with a weird cacophony -- there's mint, roses, leather, something dark orange and reminiscent of Xiuhtecuhtli, something powdery? I'm confused. In about a minute, though, it turns into an incredibly well-blended scent, I'm not even sure what all the things are, but it's lovely. And now it's gone. Poof. All gone. WTF?

 

After a bit, I realise it's not gone. It's just reaaaaally subtle. This is pretty nice...I'll have to try wearing it for a day before I decide. It's not as feminine as I'd been afraid it was going to be, what with the roses and lilies and vanilla, but it's still much lighter than I was hoping for. Less like a scent than like the memory of a scent.

 

Edit: And a few minutes later...BAM, it's baby powder. Damn! >_< Oh well...

Edited February 13, 2008 by septima_pica

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: smells like old roses. Hmm.

 

On me, wet: roses are still there, but there's also a strong smell of... clay? Pink clay and spices. (Think this is the sandalwood, opium, tobacco, tea etcetera.)

 

On me, dry: about the same as wet. This is a really evocative scent for me-- I close my eyes and I just keep seeing pink clay grottos and crushed rose petals. It also strikes me as a particularly cold scent.

 

Throw and duration: throw is about average, but duration is truly excellent. This lasts at least 10 hours on me.

 

Overall: I really love this. It's one of those scents where I can't say, oh, this smells like (some other scent). There's really nothing quite like it for me. All of the spicy things blend together to form one strong spicy note for me that I can't pick apart no matter how I try. The florals are pretty secondary in this for me; nothing sticks out except the rose, which's really mellow and mild.

 

Definitely keeping my imp of this. I'll consider a bottle.

[sadtomato]

Kubla Khan is one of my favorite scents and I'm going to need another big bottle of this because I foresee myself going through this bottle rather quickly.

This is a warm, sweetish, golden scent containing notes of pretty much everything I adore so of course I couldn't pass it up.

In the bottle this is a little too sweet, almost like syrup.

On my skin, the sweetness dies down drastically and there is more of a warm, resiny scent. The opium smoke, amber tobacco, sandalwood, champaca, hay, and dark vanilla come out beautifully and mingle together into something warm, slightly sweet and incredibly decadent.

I'm sooooo in love!

A real winner in my book.

[mazaru]

I found it very difficult to pick out the notes in this at all. A lot of the listed notes are things that I love but that disappear on me. Tea, ginger and sometimes leather and tobacco - a lot of the things that help to ground the scent and keep it dark. It's a lovely smell in the imp – intricate, heady, very golden and high – but on me quickly dries to a dull, powdery, slightly floral smell.

[gchris]

In Vial: A little strange and fruity

 

Wet:There is so much to smell in this one but it is coming out all floral! and it's getting worse. Now it is a headache inducing floral. Too bad!

[savage_rose]

The first thing I smell in the imp is mint...is that the ice caves? Vanilla mint. On me, it starts to smell a bit musky, and a bit salty. It smells great, but there's something very heavy taking over. Is that the opium? It's very strong on my skin!