The Witching Time of Night

[TheIceMaiden]

It was the very witching time of night that Ichabod, heavy-hearted and crest-fallen, pursued his travel homewards, along the sides of the lofty hills which rise above Tarry Town, and which he had traversed so cheerily in the afternoon. The hour was dismal as himself. Far below him, the Tappan Zee spread its dusky and indistinct waste of waters, with here and there the tall mast of a sloop, riding quietly at anchor under the land. In the dead hush of midnight, he could even hear the barking of the watch dog from the opposite shore of the Hudson; but it was so vague and faint as only to give an idea of his distance from this faithful companion of man. Now and then, too, the long-drawn crowing of a cock, accidentally awakened, would sound far, far off from some farmhouse away among the hills-but it was like a dreaming sound in his ear. No signs of life occurred near him, but occasionally the melancholy chirp of a cricket, or perhaps the guttural twang of a bull-frog, from a neighboring marsh, as if sleeping uncomfortably, and turning suddenly in his bed.

Moonflower, night-blooming cereus, white hellebore, English ivy, monkshood, angel's trumpet, oleander, and eastern hemlock.

I'm not familiar with all the notes but I'll do my best to review. Witching Time starts off moonflower, a sharp floral, and lots of greenery underneath. Thankfully whatever the sharp floral is fades or settles and its now moonflower over lush greenery, of which I can pick out the hemlock and a little ivy. The drydown so far reminds me a bit of The Gibbous Moon but this is a bit more potent, greener, darker and more mysterious. I'm really enjoying this so far and hope the rest of the Halloweenies are as good!

[cam]

In the bottle, this smells really lovely. Green and floral in the soft, not-too-sweet way that I like. I can smell the ivy and moonflower. It does smell like the outdoors at night. Unfortunately, on me, it turns a little too soapy when it dries. Bummer.

[Brianne]

A very deep floral, it makes me think of the color purple. It's heady but has a slight fruity edge as well, just sweetens it up a tiny bit. I cannot detect any of the notes individually here, so that's about all I can say!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Cool flowers and ivy

 

On Application

Green coolness

 

Dry Down

Soft floral and lots of sappy greenery. I have an angel's trumpet growing by my door and I adore the smell of it at night. This is the first scent that I have tried where I can actually smell the angel's trumpet. Gorgeous! I am so glad I got 2 bottles of this. Stunning night scent which is definitely late summer/early autumn.

 

Rating (0-5)

5

[sarahmarie]

I didn't expect to, but I really, really like this one. It's sort of...ethereal, very much a garden at night sort of feeling. It's very hard to describe, and isn't something I would normally pick out...but I think I might want a bottle of it. It's pretty and clean like soap, but without being actually soapy or sharp like many scents of its ilk are on my skin. I'm sorry, I know this review is lacking, but I'm having trouble finding any specific words to describe it!

[Myrrha]

This one has a similar feeling to Bat, although it smells different. Both of them have a mysterious garden-at-night quality. Bat is sweeter and lighter, more of a summer fragrance. Witching Time of Night is deeper, greener and cooler for fall.

 

Witching Time of Night is strong, I could smell it a little bit through the plastic baggie before I even opened the imp and once the imp was open the scent pervaded the room.

 

Wet: I am not so good at picking out all the different flower notes yet. It is a clean, almost soapy fragrance with green notes underneath. I guess this is the ivy. It smells strongly, but the scent itself is delicate if that makes sense.

 

As it Dries: I'm pretty sure I can make out the night blooming cereus note and it is lovely. I kept sticking my nose into the inside of my elbow fascinated by the scent. There really is something witchy about it. The floral notes are interesting: slightly sweet but realistic and botanical smelling.

 

Dry: Perhaps a bit too high and sharp for me? On the other hand that is what I thought of Bat at first too and I really grew to like it. It lasted a good three hours on me and my skin eats scent fast.

 

Update: I am liking this even more now. I got to smell an angel's trumpet plant in bloom at a florists and now I think I can pick out that delicate note in the scent.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Myrrha

[ivyandpeony]

This is a gorgeous floral! I have a very good history with night-blooming floral scents in general, so I wasn't completely surprised that I like this one so much. It does have a soapy moment or two for me in between wet and drydown, but to me there's good-soapy and bad-soapy and this is a good-soapy, and it also goes away quickly. The floral notes rule The Witching Hour of the Night for me, making it heady, sweet, clean and cool. A definitely bottle purchase!

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant from eviltemptressdq's circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I'm a big florals fan, and this was one of the most floral of the Halloweenies this year.

 

In the Vial: Ooh, dark and rich and mysterious...like the black velvet of night itself.

 

Wet: A deep, sweet, heady floral. I'm not familiar enough with the individual notes to pick them out but the combination is intoxicating.

 

Drydown: Something, one of the florals, is brightening the scent, as if the full moon had risen to cast a coat of silver over the landscape of dark blues and purples.

 

Verdict: I'll try a couple more times to be sure, but I'm thinking bottle.

Edited September 15, 2008 by puck_nc

[femmefatale]

Floral, that's all I smell. I can't really pick out the individual notes, but I'm not into florals (I was hoping this would change my mind). Also, it went a bit soapy after a while.

It reminds me a lot of a perfume I used to have in junior high or high school. It's not bad (actually, it's rather pretty) but just not me. I don't really like my perfumes to sell like perfume.

 

 

ETA: Hubby suggested layering it w/some Graveyard Dirt. Wow, what a difference. It off set some of the sharpness and grounded it a bit. I still wouldn't buy a bottle, but will now keep the imp. I am however, buying mutilple bottles of Graveyard Dirt.

Edited September 18, 2008 by Femme_Fatale

[livingdead71]

I ordered this because I love the smell of angel's trumpets. However, I can't really pick out the angel's trumpets in this scent or any other notes really. It's just floral to me. It goes a little soapy on me, but at least it smells like a fancy, expensive soap. It's a pretty scent, but I don't know if I need a whole bottle. I think an imp would be plenty.

[Little Bird]

The Witching Time of Night is an odd, forgettable sort of scent on me. It goes rather powdery on me, with a bitter, dark greenery that I don't really care for. The florals are a little bit sweet, and the sweetness seems out of place. Mostly, though, this is baby powder and just gets more powdery over time. I don't like powder scents, so this is a dud for me.

[fairnymph]

Tested at EC Will Call: I liked this better than I expected, but it still isn't something I'd wear. A clean floral, with herbal and green notes too, hemlock and ivy especially, reminds me of lunacies and ars moriendi floral scents , somehow melancholy. It fits the notes, description, and concept beautifully. Feminine.

[Cereus]

In the bottle, night-blooming floral, distinct but not overly sweet.

 

Wet, hellebore and monkshood peeking through hemlock and ivy. As it dries I get a distinct impression of the moonflower and possibly also the cereus. As those soften the angel's trumpet, [and/or perhaps the oleander?] is a bit more noticeable.

 

Dry I simply get a haunting blend of nighttime flowers framed with green notes.

 

Where Churchyard was predominantly herbal complemented by floral notes, this is the converse on me. A distinctly floral scent complemented beautifully with herbal green notes. Again, this one isn't very sweet, but still fairly feminine.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Cereus

[zankoku_zen]

Western Haiku:

 

Nighttime flowers

turn into very beautiful

dryer sheets

[greenranger]

First whiff, green and nocturnal.

 

As it dries, there's a floral rising up...It isn't familiar to me. It could be any of the flowers listed since I don't know any of them.

 

Floral with green background.

[Iceblink]

I love moonflower but I tend to amp it like CRAZY. So mostly all I smell here is moonflower and something a bit green--the ivy? It's beautiful and light and a little spooky. I don't expect it to last long on me but it's so pretty while I can still smell it!

[dluszcz]

Lots of green ivy and tangy dark florals. The moonflower doesn't stand out for me as it does in other blends. This one starts off very strong and bold, with a lot of throw, but quickly fades to not much. I'm suprised by this, because it reminds me more of summer than autumn. Reminds me of my limited experience with night time in the South East...

[tartchef]

I don't wear traditional florals well, but Beth's more obscure botanical notes have been treating me well as of late... The moonflower/cereus/oleander combination is beautiful, a pale blue-creamy white floral, high & clear. The ivy deepens the background, keeping things from going soapy. No sign of the hemlock, which is fine with me - this is a lovely deep, meditative floral, really capturing the stillness of the night. Beth also gets extra botani-dweeb points for using such a delightful array of poisonous & hallucinogenic flora

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Oooo, this smells like an enchanted moongarden. White, silver, and green. Moonflower is immediately distinct, as is ivy--they are a great combination, a clean fresh floral. Witching Time is a little astringent right out of the imp, more like a commercial (i.e., alcohol-base) perfume...it reminds me a little of my Mom's favorite White Linen. She would love this. The drydown is softly herbal but still very fresh and pretty. What a great blend.

[le fey]

This was one of two bottles I bought - the first two ever that I didn't buy as imps, so I'm excited and a little nervous about whether or not I'll like them. In general, I'm a bit iffy about florals, and was drawn to this one in large part by the name and by the ivy and hemlock and the idea that these were night-time florals rather than day.

 

In the bottle:

Soft floral, I can pick out the ivy, but nothing else is all that identifiable. It smells subtle and cool.

 

Wet:

Rats - I'm slathering, because I spilled a bit as I applied it. The ivy is still the overriding note, with a lot of cool florals joining the show. Strong, but I think that has more to do with the amount I'm applying than with the scent itself.

 

If I didn't know this was an oil, I'd assume it was a commercial floral perfume, something white and blue with lots of dark greenery. I hope the alcohol note will settle down.

 

Dry (1/2 hour later):

The ivy has faded into the background and a white floral predominates now - I'm not familiar enough with most florals to pick out which though I'm gathering this is moonflower. It's pleasant but not making me want to bury my nose in it. I do like that it is a 'cool' floral, and if I were smelling this sitting on my porch at night, I'd be very happy.

 

Later (1 hour later):

As I got to this point, I was growing wary - it went through a strong soapy stage, but now it's beginning to meld nicely into something creamy and the ivy is becoming prominent again. I'm not sure this is entirely 'me' but there is nothing unlikeable about it either - I think it would be a reasonably good standard scent for cooler weather.

 

Wind Down (2 hours):

This is still going strongly, which should be a good thing except that I'm just not liking it all that much, and that makes me sad. It's become a rather sour floral that leaves an aftertaste in the back of my mouth like I sucked in a whiff of hairspray. As long as I don't bury my nose in it, it smells ok but when I get closer, it's not that pleasant on me. I think that mainly has to do with my not being a huge fan of perfumey florals, but it is still disappointing - I'd hoped the nightblooming varieties would be more suited to my tastes.

 

As it stands now, I think it's going to have great staying power, though and I can see where a fan of florals would love this.

 

Verdict:

I will try this as a room scent and I think it will be lovely to dress candles with, but while it's one of the most standard perfumey scents I've tried for BPAL, it does not have a future on my skin.

 

I hope the other bottle I bought turns out better.

[aquazoo]

Starts with a light floral on me. Now it's settling in, and coming up with a complex mix. This is one of those amazing florals I've come to expect from BPAL. Nice!

[petrina678]

wet: EWW cheap soap?!?! it smell like something cheap and old...

 

which is not a good thing

 

dry: however as it dries there is deepens, its not as sharp as before, i smell purple,dark brlue, and something pine/earthy so some dark greens as well.

Im starting to like it. That gross soapy note has started to fade, i smell flowers,sweet flowers, with something kind of musky beneath , its not a cloying scent. it has a very feminine tone to it, yet you get a whiff so something masculine every now and again.

 

i do like it. but one imp is enough for me. its more of a night perfume, plus it feels a bit "old" for me, better suited for someone in their 30s or older...

[theseagrows]

this is a very ozoney-green-floral. it evokes the name of the scent perfectly- it smells like a cool, dark night. it's a pretty scent, and i love the idea of it, but it is too ozoney for my personal tastes.

[Schmoozy]

Well this starts off beautiful. Airy, floral, a little perfumey, green and very aquatic.

The dry down is where it starts getting a little dicey. Almost too perfumey.

A little overbearing and I am almost washed it off, however, after letting it settle the ozone notes mingle with the florals and it becomes so faint.

A whisper of perfume really. It's hauntingly beautiful.

[Caerphilly]

In the bottle: Snow moon!!! Snow moon!! I want a bottle now!!!

 

Wet: Ok...my inititial excitement has calmed down. I loooooovvveeee this. It smells exactly like Snow moon! A well rounded mix of florals, a bit of pine in there, and some coolness creating a snow effect.

 

Dry: Just florals. And it has good throw. I'm going to push the Snow Moon thing one more time...

 

Overall: I have to get another bottle before it's too late. This is just too pretty. And it lasts a long time!

 

P.S. This is probably my worst review because I am too utterly excited. I apologize for that!!!