The Illustrated Woman

[strahlend]

Skin musk, smoky vanilla, pine pitch, patchouli, Indian resins, golden honey, and tobacco.

In the bottle - a unique scent. It's dark and woodsy/musky but with the most interesting green element to it. It's not one I fell in love with at first sniff, but I was curious to know more.
On my skin - this smells like black musk to me, not skin musk. It seems like all the listed notes are in here if you look for them. This is a stunningly beautiful blend. It smells exotic and kind of wild and alluring. It's not a scent that's messing around, it seems like a strong willed scent that you want to wear with confidence. It's sweet and dark and mysterious and just a little bit like doing secret things in the woods. I can't say enough how much I love this scent. In my all time top 10, for sure. Also, one of only two scents strangers have ever complimented me on.

[*butterflybynight*]

The Illustrated Woman is an oil that I've been wanting to try since reading the description. The notes looked like a win and the concept is just as attractive...So, I was delighted when frimped a decant in the mail today, from 2008. Upon testing, I would never have guessed it, but this is Schwarzer Mond all over again! The Mond actually rivals Snake Charmer as my favorite scent to date, so this is absolutely awesome! The smell is a resinous, rooty headshop blend, just a touch sweet with much depth. The only real difference is in the strength and throw, both of which are lighter than Schwarzer Mond's syrupy thickness. I believe The Illustrated Woman would be a perfect substitute for anyone missing this hard to find blend.

[subtlesiren]

I was hesitant buying a bottle of the Illustrated Woman without sniffing or testing it first, given that it contains three notes I'm either not familiar with and/or flat out scared of: patchouli, tobacco, and above all, PINE PITCH! My fears were unjustified thankfully, because this scent is gorgeous! The notes I just listed brings this scent down from what would be a La Petite or O type scent (wonderful as they are), making a deep, earthy, sexy scent. Yes, pine pitch can be sexy.

[Gin]

Aw. I've been wanting to try this for a long time and finally bit the bullet and got a bottle. On my skin, it's a musky-resiny-vanilla-pine pitch combination. There's nothing wrong with that, it's a perfectly lovely smell, it's just not a 'me' smell.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Aged 5mL bought on LJ (about 1 1/2 years old when I bought it).

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This is one of those scents that didn't grab my attention the first few times I read the description. It sounded fine but not like something that would be amazing for me, especially since I find pine so hit or miss. But when I fell in love with the pine pitch in Troll and reread The Illustrated Woman's description, I knew I had to try it.

 

Theoretically, everything here should be good. Honey can be iffy (O smells simultaneously like sour vomit and cloying sweetness, for example, but The Infernal Lover is gorgeous on me) and I don't know what particular resins are in the "Indian resins," but as a resin lover, I'm sure they'll be fine.

 

First sniff:

 

Piney. Piney, piney, pine pine. Did I mention the pine? There's some sweetness here, too (the honey and vanilla) and a touch of muskiness, but the pine is taking center stage.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Still mainly pine, but the other notes are starting to peek out. I'm getting smoked vanilla and a bit of musk. It's like a more feminine version of Troll at this point, weirdly enough. That's not a bad thing since I really like Troll, but it's unexpected.

 

Dry down:

 

I've only tried one other pine-heavy scent that's changed so thoroughly as The Illustrated Woman has. That would be Stranger in Camp, which goes from all pine, all the time to a creamy, spicy, sweet wood scent.

 

The Illustrated Woman undergoes a pretty similar transformation, but in this case, the notes that suddenly come barreling out are ones that are actually listed in the notes. The pine disappears pretty quickly and I'm left with a smoky, sultry, musky vanilla and honey scent with a touch of tobacco. It's feminine, but not girly (in the sense that it's neither floral-heavy blend nor super sweet, both things that I associate with "girly" scents). It's sultry and a bit mysterious smelling, like so many of the Carnival Diabolique ladies are.

 

The bottom line:

 

I really like The Illustrated Woman. The bottle scent is a little too intensely piney to be something I'd wear all the time, but the drydown is beautiful. It's similar in some ways to Inez on me (but darker and more sultry, rather than haunting and delicate), but it doesn't trigger a migraine the way Inez does.

[stellamaris]

Well, just got this one with my first CD order, and I am very confused by it. Not that I don't like it, it's just very Sybil on me, it goes through extreme change just like 13 does. When I first opened it yesterday I smelled the pine, but when I put it on today I did not, and the patchouli does not come out until the very end. It starts out for me flowery tickle my nose ???? and turns into lovely sweet honey vanilla, then the patchouli appears. Weird.

I have been wearing it with Doll Girl, I find they hang out well together.

 

Edit* today I really smelled the smoke, and it is fantastic. Really love this one, although she is a psycho. No pine. Whatsoever.

Edited June 17, 2011 by stellamaris

[invisible iris]

On wet, this is tobacco honey with a smoky woodsy feel.

 

Dry, The Illustrated Woman is an evil sort of honey. Honey from the wrong side of the tracks. I’d say the defining note for me is pine pitch. It seems to be doing a lot of work yoking together other components of the blend. There’s a sinister sweetness coming from it that flavors the honey, making it kinda pinesappy, almost like sticky smoky-industrial medicinal honey. The tobacco pulls it back from being at all foody, though, and adds another hint of corruption to the sweetness. A bit headachey for me, at least at first. The woody quality of the pine pitch is at work too, melding with the resins and patchouli, giving the blend a tough don’t-mess-with-me vibe.

 

While the most evident notes are sticky sweet, the overall scent registers a bitter, sullen strength. I like it a lot, especially after it’s calmed down on my skin for a while.

 

Later: The huz said he smelled pineapple, and woah, it’s weird but after he said that I smelled it too! Evil, woodsy pineapple.

[calivianya]

Oh wow. I was just flipping through the CD forum and realized I hadn't reviewed this yet. I bought a 5ml unsniffed as an impulse purchase, and the first time I opened it I regretted it - the pine honestly made me recoil a bit. I hadn't experienced pine in my fragrances before this, and it just smelled wrong. Pine shouldn't be in perfume, or so I thought. I tested it a couple of times, and... magic slowly happened. The scent did not change over the first couple of weeks, but after I became accustomed to the idea that pine could be in perfume, I was spellbound. This is a GORGEOUS pine/honey/patchouli/tobacco scent on my skin. I don't really smell the vanilla or skin musk. I haven't tried every BPAL there has ever been, but out of everything I've tried this is one of the most unique. I have never smelled anything quite like this. It has some serious throw and staying power on my skin, too, making it even better. It has become one of my favorites and I don't want to be without it.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

The Carnaval going dark temporarily scared me into finally buying a bottle of this unsniffed. The "pine pitch" note scared me off, and I hoped a decant would float by one way or another but never did. I'm SO glad I tried this.

 

There's not much to the first sniff. I was expecting "whoa pine" from previous reviews, but there's only a faint woody pine note there. On my skin, it's a very faint smoky sweet vanilla-honey with woody pine, but in a couple minutes it jumps to a whole other level of awesome! I can pick out every note here, and they are so well blended that no note is fighting another for attention. It's such a unique, exotic and sexy scent. The dry stage makes me think of what a sexy patchouli/resin men's cologne smells like at the end of the day.

 

I can't wait for this to come back with it's new label. I'm telling you right now this is multiple-bottle worthy.

[DeCuvieri]

If I hadn't fallen in love with the Nuetral-Ranger combo first Illustrated Woman would probably be my defining scent. Pine pitch and tobacco might put the curious off, but the skin musk makes this feminine enough for a woman to wear comfortably. It's the perfect "woodswoman" fragrance, neither too sweet and nor cologne-y. I am in love.

[kirsten]

At long last, I have finally found the pine scent I've been looking for! The sap is sweet and resinous and complemented incredibly well by the honey, tobacco, and vanilla. Even the patchouli behaves! I definitely need a bottle of this.

[lookingglass]

The only reasons that I haven't tried this scent before today is because of the pine and some fierce resistance that I can only liken to trying to deny an intense romantic infatuation with someone you don't even know. I was so afraid she would smell like Pine Sol, which smells like cleaning up puke at elementary school to me. I know. I feel horrible even thinking that about a BPAL, let alone writing it, but I was SCARED. Scared the pine would be minty or Christmasy...just the fact that it was THERE. Even thought I heard so many amazing things about this Illustrated Woman. And I just happen to be a very illustrated woman myself. All the other notes are total win. "Common...put me on the wishlist...just see what happens...read the reviews... you know you want me..."she called to me. I didn't even want to read or believe the reviews because I could not imagine that the pine wouldn't eat up any other beauty she may possess. But now, today...I faced my fear and my desire.

 

I sniffed the bottle. Pine. Strong pine, but definitely not Pine Sol. Pine sap. Fresh flowing, gooey, amber colored pine sap that as I child I could not resist touching to see if it was dry as it oozed out of the trees that shaded the sandbox that I played in everyday, that lined the edges of the forrest I was forbidden to enter alone. (I want to go...let me go...I'm so curious!) When it was dry I peeled it off in thin ribbons, the amber edges all white, or I picked off small globs and rolled them around between my thumb and middle finger. I can feel the sensation even now... When it wasn't dry, my finger poked through the sticky membrane to the richly scented liquid. Either way it would get all over my hands and smell so amazing it was worth the dirt that would soon stick to it and last all day, no matter how many times I washed my hands. Sometimes later I would get in trouble for wiping it on my white cotton dress... But it fades....the memory...and the pine in the Illustrated Woman.

 

OMG. What a flashback...

 

Morphing...if it's not pine what's it gonna be? Sniff...what the? Sniff...

 

Fuck YEAH.

 

THIS is Holy Grail. WHAT am I smelling?! It smells like...like... what I always wished headshops and stores of magical objects and incense and every other perfume oil smelled like but DIDN't. It just smells absolutely amazing: chewy, rich, smokey, but like SKIN. It has a resemblance to Snake Oil (my true, true love for years), for sure, but she's less medicinal and with less sillage, and just...different; it smells just as musky and sweet but with different musk and different sweet. I think it's more complex than Snake Oil, with less vanilla and more honey and resins. But it FEELS just as comfortable and BAD ASSED at the same time. There is a slight niff of men's cologne but Iiiii like it!-it's subtle and naughty.

 

I cannot stop smelling myself. No one would dare fuck with me in this. It's the kind of scent I could imagine someone smelling and thinking "What is that?". It smells like some exotic PLACE really, or rather, like someone has been in some exotic place and then returned and I am enchanted by them and want to hear their stories and learn their secrets. And then I realize...it's really ME. Me. The bookish, tattooed, smokin' freak that I am and- I like myself. A lot...

 

I love this. LOVE it! I am so frustrated that the Carnival is down at the moment cuz I would buy multiple bottles right now, which is something that I don't do very often. I have to have more of this. Have to.

 

She delights me the way she smells so like my childhood and then grows into a dancing, wild gypsy and finally into a luscious, honied lover. Instant love. I have fallen. Honestly. Madly.

Edited August 4, 2011 by lookingglass

[patina]

Oh my. Why have I waited so long to try this? Tobacco is usually an amping note of doom on me and honey is suspect, but everything in this blend keeps everything else in line and perfectly balanced. It's sweet and it reminds me of bare skin.

 

The pine is very evident at first (not in a bad way), but it gradually takes more of a backseat to the honey. In effect, the scent goes from woodswoman to pin-up girl. The hue of this is fairly light, though it has good (not obnoxious) throw.

[porcelina]

ok, i used to own the illustrated woman, but then i sold it because even though i love all of the ingredients, i just didn't think it would work for me.

 

i'm glad i tried this again. the pine pitch is very vibrant and living- like a cool, dark pine forest in the dead of night. the smoke and pine make me feel like i'm camping in the woods, and the skin musk/honey/tobacco combo sweetens everything, so now this is a sexy, adult camping trip and not like the horribly boring bug-filled nightmares i was subjected to as a child. yum yum yum. for now, it's great. when this ages, and the resins have a chance to grow up and come out to play, i think this will be amaaaazing.

[Suu4LC]

There are notes in this I love-skin musk, vanilla, and honey, and then notes that make me nervous-pine pitch, patchouli, and tobacco...but I know this blend is super popular and I am excited to try it!

 

In the imp it is almost all pine and earthy/patchouli notes. I don't get my beloved notes at all Hopefully those other notes will come out on my skin.

 

Hmmm...I think I can see why this is so popular, though I can tell it probably won't work for me. It is a smoky/sweet pine scent, the sweetness coming from the vanilla and honey and the smokiness from the tobacco, grounded with a bit of earthy patchouli. It's a bit of a heavy scent to me and really, I think you have to at least sort of like pine pitch to enjoy this because to me it's the strongest note.

 

I do like the dry down on this blend best-there's a lot more sweetness and vanilla. It is still a base of pine pitch, but the patchouli calms down and the smokiness of the tobacco pairs well with the sweet vanilla. I still don't get much skin musk and the honey is really only there in by adding sweetness to the blend. I would not need a bottle of this, but it's a lovely blend and I really can see why it is so popular.

Edited August 25, 2011 by Suu4LC

[Gryphon]

This is just lovely and I am SO glad I purchased a bottle before the CD went dark!! It's so incredibly well blended that it's difficult to pick out individual notes, and if I didn't know it had pine in it, I wouldn't have guessed. Now I'm wishing I'd bought a back up bottle!

[ziggystardust13]

The Illustrated Woman was so close to being my holy grail scent. It was love at first sniff, until...

 

The honey note reared its ugly head. I've tried so many blends with honey (it sure finds its way into a lot of em) and have found it is my death note. I get baby powder and something that smells off, almost funky. I love the tobacco and vanilla. So smoky and divine! And initially I feared the pine but it was much lighter than I thought it would be and it too smelled wonderful. I still think this is a really great blend but I can't get over the funk the honey leaves behind.

 

Damn you honey!

 

Everything else about this scent is perfection.

[OctoberGwen]

This is heavy and perfumey on me and there is an element here that I really don't like. It may be the musk - skin musk is terrible on me. Sometimes honey funks out on me, too. Either way, The Illustrated Woman is not for me at all.

 

Edited March 10, 2013 by OctoberGwen

[DeadlyNightshade]

Bought a decant a few days ago and tried it today.

Why didn't i try this first?! It smells amazing.

 

When i first smelled it in the imp i was worried, there's a lot of (sharp) pine.

But when i put it on it warmed up and changed to a soft and sweet scent!

I can smell the vanilla, musk and honey.

It also reminds me of when you have a date and some of your gentleman's cologne ends up on your own skin, fresh, soft and sweet.

Really amazing!

I wish i had a bottle of this!

[KittyHawk]

Bottle: smoky vanilla and tobacco with a hint of honey and a bit of pine.

 

Wet: Sticky, dark, and gritty. The pine pitch is surprisingly nice and the patchouli is kept in check. It’s so well-blended that I can’t pick out the individual notes anymore, but the overall vibe is sexy and just a bit dirty.

 

Dry: The skin musk, honey, and pine pitch are all still going strong, but any initial sharpness is long gone. This is resinous, earthy, comforting, and enticing! Even if patchouli is a bad note for you, I urge you to try The Illustrated Woman. It’s one of those blends that encapsulates Beth’s prowess and proves time and again why BPAL is the pinnacle of independent perfumeries. A masterpiece, truly.

[cherrycherry]

Smoked pine, vanilla and honey. I was concerned about the pine, but actually it's rather beautiful. Loving the patchouli and vanilla, those two are just singing on my wrist right now. Very nice blend indeed.

[Viridian]

Snagged this one from Etsy because I imagined it was one of the ones that might not come back, and my tastes have shifted such that I like more of the popular scents than I used to.

 

At first sniff, I'm cautiously optimistic: it's a lot softer in the bottle than it sounds, and not too heavy on the patchouli/tobacco. However, on my skin it turns very dark and sticky almost immediately. It is very well blended - I can pick out what each note contributes, but I don't get a sense of them separately at all. It's sweet, dark, and a little piney/patch-y. I think I would love this on someone else, but I'm not sure I love it on me. It's still a little dirtier than I like my perfumes.

 

It reminds me most of Schwarzer Mond, and though I haven't smelled Banshee Beat, I imagine it would appeal to fans of that one as well.

[Mellifluous]

Like Porcelina mentioned above, I too used to own a bottle of this. I remember opening it, sniffing, and thinking "ewww, no!" and quickly put it in my sales box. Oh foolish foolish boy! If I had only known what I would be missing. I'm assuming that first bottle was "lab fresh" and therefore, not quite as amazing as what I've experienced now... Or maybe my tastes have just changed Either way, this Illustrated Woman is a new favorite.

 

This reminds me of my first crush, when I was 12. She was 4 years older than me, and was a "bad girl". She had bleach blonde hair, studded black leather jacket, and always wore true red lipstick. She would "hide" the smell of smoke from the cigarettes she would steal from her dad, with her mothers musky vanilla perfume, and that is exactly what I get from this. Its a warm musky vanilla, with a touch of cigarette smoke. In that aspect, this totally reminded me of Black lace, but is much smoother, and not as if sniffing an actual ashtray. I think its the pine pitch mostly, actually, that lends that slightly astringent quality of cigarette smoke. Unlike many other reviewers though, I dont get much of a pine note at all. Only the charcoal remains. There definitely is honey in here too, but it is tempered with enough patch and other dark goodies to tame down the sometimes overly-naughty muskiness it can bring. The tobacco too is present and noticeable, but is not the "cigarette" smell in this blend (I leave that to the pine pitch). This is a rich chewy tobacco, the kind that has a similar profile to sage, however it too is tempered nicely behind the other dark and sweet scents.

 

This is most definitely a strong feminine scent, but I dont care, I'm still going to wear the hell out of it. It smells so good.

Now, time to update my ISO list

[sharkdiver]

OMG...this is gorgeous! I was a bit weary of every trying this, because I had read some reviews that the pine was a strong player, but I am happy to say that's not my experience with this blend at all!

 

Wet on Skin: The woodsy patchouli is a major player, that is quickly tamed and sweetened by the honey - not much else for me at this stage

 

dry: as this began to dry down, The honey kept the Patchouli in check, and the Tobacco came out to say hello. The vanilla added sweetness along with the honey, and kept the honey as a nice sweet innocent honey, not a stinky BO kind of honey like in O. The smokiness in the vanilla also peeked out, but I never really got the pine at all - which I am happy about! If it's there, it was so far in the background, that I didn't even notice it.

 

LOVE this. This just blasted it's way into my top 10 right near Banshee Beat!

[tealight]

Straight to powder every time! ARGH! Like a full bottle of baby powder upended over a campfire. I've never had a scent turn completely into baby bottom before and the only unfamiliar notes in this are smoky vanilla and pine pitch. I'm getting maybe a touch of vanilla and skin musk, and I feel like this would be truly lovely if it weren't for that overwhelming powdery top note.