Bluebeard

[starwild]

A scent swirling with dark rage, unbridled jealousy, and murderous intent. Violet, lavender, white musk and vetiver.

Bluebeard is either Anne Bonny's soul mate or her mortal enemy. I'm not sure which, but either way, this is like a masculine Anne Bonny on me. I'm going to layer them sometime and see what happens.

Violet, lavender, and vertivet are not really my friends, but I rather like this combination. It's sharp and unforgiving. It's verging on too masculine for me, but I'm willing to try it.

[windbourne]

I popped the lid on this one, curious as a puppy, and then it roundhouse punched me in the nose. BLAM. One whiff, and that lid was straight back on.

 

To my nose, this scent is rough and brash and cruel and dark and eminently suited to a man whose main source of notoriety was killing wife after wife and keeping their bodies in a secret chamber. I get a noseful of vetiver with some very black violets and a heavy reek of sneezy lavender cologne, and after that, I almost can't smell anything else for a while.

 

I braved it enough to toothpick test it on my wrist a few nights later, and the same thing happened. It sat and released an angry miasma that threw itself all over the room for fifteen minutes before I gave up and washed it off.

 

It's a very impressive scent and I hate it. So this one's heading straight for the swap pile. I'm glad I got to test it, though my nose may never forgive me. If you like strong vetiver and violet, this may be for you.

 

I usually am okay with both vetiver and lavender, so I'm assuming it's the combination with violet (never a favorite of mine) that's really kicking my schnozz.

[Gwydion]

In bottle only, as I know better than to try to wear this given my sensitivities and the ingredients: This is really interesting and I can imagine this being really cool on the right guy. It’s light and sharp. The violet and vetiver balance each other out, creating something pleasantly masculine when combined with the musk and lavender. It is inexplicably making me think of very butch cucumbers I don’t do well with violets or vetiver, but this was quite tempting, a case of the whole being greater than the parts.

[marared]

I like violet. I like lavender. I like white musk. I like vetiver - in fact, the vetiver is why I wanted to try it. It's not so bad in the imp, either - stormy, grassy. But holy bovine this smells HORRIBLE on me. I couldn't scrub it off fast enough!

[KassiK]

After taking a shower this morning, I was eager to try out a new frimp, so I chose one at random and Bluebeard it was. This is definitely not a scent for me, but it does have some positives.

 

Wet and dry on my skin, I smell leather (though I know it's not a note and assume that to be vetiver) and something herby/florally that if in nature, I'd surely be allergic to.

 

Strengths: This is a well-blended scent, where for me, it's hard to pick out any of the notes listed except the vetiver + some sort of floral. This scent is much more masculine than feminine. This scent has good throw; only a tiny bit will last a long time.

 

For me, this smells like a heap of leathery old smelling and dirty, worn in boots that have romped in the pollen of every known allergen to my body. Definitely on the swap list.

[Browneyes]

Ooooh this is like a more complex and perfume-y (but don't take that in a bad way, this is not your traditional perfumey scent) than SATURNALIA. Whereas Saturnalia is really heavy on the vetiver, making it borderline... eh... too dirty (though I still like it), Bluebeard has the added sweetness of the lavendar and white musk, and the violet is stronger. The vetiver is thus tamed!

 

I love it, I'll keep the imp!

[ladyver]

i had a bit of a giggle testing this one because i totally wasn't thinking about what something called 'bluebeard' might smell like... so i initially got a bit of a shock that it was so masculine and so dark!

 

i don't know how they got it from the notes, but it really evokes the drawings i have seen of bluebeard! definitely a smokey/ash smell that is a bit metallic, like a man who's been preparing his sword

[kittycatpurr]

In the imp: Lots of violets! Interesting. Oh, hello Monsignor Vetiver. Okay wait, I think I don't like violets.

Later: This is confirmed. All of the violet scents I find somewhat disturbing.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Violet and vetiver. This is the first violet scent I have tried so I have high hopes that violet works on my skin.

 

On Application

Initial application was quite strong violet - yay - but the vetiver is attempting to take over.

 

Dry Down

This has incredible throw and is absolutely lovely. Darker than I originally expected, I smell the violet quite strongly and the lavender gives a sharper edge. There is almost an anise scent in the initial drydown stages. There is nothing gentle or soft about this scent, as you'd expect from the concept, but I really love it even if it may be a touch too floral for me. I will need to try again but at this stage this may be a big bottle order for me.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[thomasblackthorne]

Description to a T

 

Imp: Vetiver right away, we're slowly drifting apart, vetiver and I...

 

Wet: The vetiver ran quickly away when chased off by the angry violet...

 

Drydown:My chemistry is wierd tonight, no change really, but definitely not for a manly man like me, lol

 

Overall: Not something I would wear, but interesting nonetheless.

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Intense, golden yellow oil. Lavender, some other sort of tangy floral and something that I would swear smells like watermelon despite the fact that this is not one of the notes listed in the blend.

 

Wet: Fresh lavender and other fresh floral (must be the violet), still something melony. Very pleasantly strong lavender. I wonder if this will be one of the blends where lavender stays more prominent.

 

After a few minutes on skin: An heady purple-blue scent, with quite a strong throw without any apparent musky, incensey, woodsy notes. Intense peppery fresh floral with lavender and violet blended quite well and still in the forefront. I can see some people with perfume sensitivities potentially getting ill from the strength of this scent if it is being worn around them. Starting to get a faint tang of 'commercialness' in this blend, which makes me think there's musk after all - checked, yes there is, and the aroma of watermelon is getting stronger, and more unpleasantly artificial smelling. I can't stop smelling my wrist, alternating between mindsets of "Mmmmm..." and "Ugh..."

 

After first hour: Powdery artificial watermelon and not much else.

 

After two and a half hours: Powdery violet with faint artificial watermelon.

 

After 5 hours: Same as above.

 

Final Verdict: Not awful, definitely interesting, with a really great start, but the notes that last on me are not the ones I love best. Smelling of this would not be an extra boost of happiness to my day, and that's ultimately what I look for in a scent.

Edited July 19, 2008 by Greensleeves

[BelleAnge]

On me this is a burning wood smell. Reminds me so much of the old wood stove my dad had. I don't get any of the floral notes at all.

[Kimbernunk]

Starts out as all vetiver and lavender - very dark and masculine and stormy.

It dries down to a striking vetiver/violet combo - the white musk is making it a tad more androgynous than Saturnalia is. The lavender fortunately wafts away instead of going soapy on me.

 

This, I think, would be the perfect perfume for a dismal, stormy day when one is in the mood to wear head-to-toe black and high heeled boots.

 

Overall - not everyday, but I'm keeping the imp.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Extremely smoky non-sweet violet and lavender.

 

Immediately on skin: This is very smoky, barbecue pit vetiver. It’s almost savory smelling and it dominates the blend. The white musk is odd in this… crystalline next to the smoked vetiver. The violet is there, but it’s not sweet at all but it still smells of the essence of violet. The lavender is light, but bitter.

 

After a little while: The weird unsweet violet has finally sweetened up. What I get now is an herbal violet scent with dry musk in the background and smoky vetiver swirled over everything. It’s dark, brooding, smoky violets.

 

Overall Impressions: This was so not right on me at first, but it smoothed into something deep, dark, smoky, and mostly violet dominated. The mix of violet and vetiver is unusual, but this balances out at the end. I would even say this might be wearable for some men, especially if they don’t amp violet like my skin seems to do.

[angelicruin]

Imp: Whoa, way TOO strong. Smoky---I guess the Vetiver???

 

Wet: Still smoke. I cannot pick up any of the other floral notes

 

Dry Down: Just smoke. Yuck.

[Iceblink]

I had to try this because the idea of white musk + violet + vetiver was just too weird. I found this nearly repulsive when I first put it on--the vetiver in it reminded me of Saturnalia and...well, we won't go there...but as time passes the sweet white musk and violet soften the vetiver and this becomes almost powdery. It's weird. But it's not bad.

[crebbsgirl]

GAH! This one smelled like wet vegetation when first applied. Oh, so not good. It took about five minutes to settle and as it did I could detect violets and the lavender. Both on me are highly astringent. I usually require something quite sweet in the blend in order to wear either of them. Unfortunately, there was nothing sweet to temper these two in here. The vetiver didn't help matters as the two of us are rarely on speaking terms. Needless to say, this blend didn't work for me.

[acidrica]

I love this. In the bottle it's sharp, unforgiving lavender spiked with what I guess is the violet. Or vetiver. I'll have to ask my mom when she gets home. Whatever it is, I like it. Lavender has always been my friend, even when it's sharp, so this is like heaven to me.

 

On the skin, something else comes out. Probably the vetiver, or violet. I'm bad at identifying florals. The lavender lingers though, so I'm not left alone with the scary new strangers. I'm going to keep this on for a while. I like smelling like a murdering husband.

 

Later: I had to wash it off. The lavender completely disappeared and left me all alone with smells that made my head hurt. Lots of things are hurting my head today, so I'll try again in a week or so.

Edited December 19, 2008 by Acid

[anardana]

Bluebeard is the first of many scents that made me realize that I HATE violet.

[Jess2316]

I got this as a frimp in my first order and after reading the reviews I am wondering if I got a mislabeled sample. This smelled HORRIBLE and I'm shocked after reading the notes that together they would smell like this. I slapped some on my wrist and literally gagged.

 

It smelled like the stems of fresh cut flowers that have been in the vase too long and are starting to get slimy and rotted. Then take that smell and pickle it and salt it and that is what it was to me. I was shocked to see that lavendar and violet are part of this blend...both of them I usually really like.

 

I tried to let it settle into my skin but within a minute I was scrubbing it off.

[Ceri]

In the vial: A strangely soothing scent to me...must be the lavender at work. I can smell the vetiver, but it's not overpowering. Nice.

 

Wet: A sharp vetiver that made my nose itch. The beautiful note in the vial is gone, replaced by an angry, biting note that smells like freshly cut flowers & herbs. I don't know why, but the scent induced a gag reflect when I sniffed it too deeply. This just doesn't feel right.

 

Drydown: The bite is gone, leaving behind a strange incense smell. The floral totally disappears on my skin.

 

Overall: This reminds me of Bluebeard and I can definitely relate his life to the different stages of the oil. During the courting he is nice and approachable, after marriage he reveals that he is a unforgiving murderer. Eventually you die at his hand and he goes about his life to seek out another wife. A very strange and uncomfortable scent that's not for me.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Okay, pray for me, I'm going in to face the vetiver monster. And oh GOD, there it is! Yup, the vetiver smacks me in the face and assaults my nose on the first whiff, although I think it is slightly less obnoxious than the vetiver in Highwayman and Saturnalia. This vetiver is less smoky and more green and weedy—still the smell of rotting plants, but not quite as pungent. It's hard to smell anything past it, but I think there is a tinge of white musk in the background, which actually seems to be what's lightening this. Hmm. It is brutal and corrupted, which is perfect for Bluebeard, the serial wife murderer.

On, wet: VETIVER, with a side of vetiver, and an undertone of vetiver. Yet surprisingly, I don't despise it. I don't love it, but it interests me. The white musk really is lightening it up and making it tolerable, more of a pale green scent, and I think I can even smell some of the cool, sharp lavender. The violet and lilac, alas, are nowhere to be found.

On, dry: Lilac and violet finally peeked through during the dry down. Vetiver is still hanging around, but it's softened and sweetened now by all the other components. I get sweet, somewhat powdery lilac and violets and some shimmery white musk, with an ominous chill from the lavender and an undertone of decay from the vetiver. It's cold and unsettling, a cologne for a refined gentleman whose proper exterior hides a total sociopath inside. In other words: Bluebeard in a bottle.

Later: Basically unchanged. The vetiver is softer and the flowers are stronger, but otherwise not much difference.

Overall: I can hardly believe it, but I seem to have found a vetiver-heavy blend that even I can admire. It probably helps that all the other components work well for me, but still, I think this is sort of a magical combination of elements, which tames the vetiver and yet retains enough of it to use it to good effect. It's an eerie scent, and I don't think I'm going to rush out and buy a 5ml of it, but I think I'll keep the imp and wear this again.

 

 

[rayvn1]

Hmmm smells very pretty in the imp, but all I get coming off my skin is lavender. Lots and lots of lavender. It's a light, sweet and creamy lavender, but not much else for me here.

[catatonic1242]

In the imp: Hello, vetiver! There's something in there that smells slightly sour and off to me.

 

On, wet: Not good. I think I must not be a fan of vetiver, as everything I have smelled with that in the mix has not been pleasant (The Grand Inquisitor and Highwayman spring to mind).

 

On, dry: Well, the vetiver calmed down and now I can smell the florals underneath, but not so much that I can distinguish between the violet and the lavender. It's not as unpleasant as it was at first, but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it?

[femmefatale]

I've been very interested in this one for a while and decided to finally try it tonight.

 

It started off promising, and actually not as masculine as I expected, but dried down to just violets. I'm not a big fan of violet and was hoping that would be the one scent that wouldn't really come out. Oh well.

 

So I had dh try it and it turned soapy on him. sigh

 

Off to swaps, sadly.