Harlot

[500ml]

Based on a Romany incense blend reputed to induce sexual dreams: Somalian rose, Moroccan rose and Bulgar rose with a sultry dribble of cinnamon.

I tried this thinking I'd get lovely strong roses with just a little bit of cinnamon (love both notes), but instead I get a really faint rose with a stronger cinnamon note draped over it. It's very christmassy and I really like what I can smell, it's just far too light for me. If the roses were stronger then it would be an instant winner, but as it stands now I'm going to have to pass. Edited June 17, 2007 by porcelain

[hackess]

Imp: Rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover. It's astringent and sharp.

 

Wet: The roses are very heady and sophisticated. They're consistently the base note in this blend. On me, though my skin usually loves roses, this one turns out kind of sour.

 

Dry: The cinnamon comes out, but as sort of an "after-sniff." It's the last thing I smell after sniffing before the scent escapes my nose. Sort of tickles the back of my throat, too! After 20 minutes, I no longer detect any cinnamon. After 40 minutes, all that's left is faint traces of roses, but they're roses that have been left in a vase of water too long and are starting to rot.

[stellans]

Imp/Bottle: Roses! Sweet, pretty roses, not the seductive dark red scent I was expectingeither: more of a pink-y kind of tea rose scent, at least at first sniff. The cinnamon isn't present at this first sniff either. I really want to like this, but if rose is all it is, I have other already-beloved rose blends. We'll see...

 

First Applied: Upon application, Harlot immediately blends with my skin chemistry and deepens appreciably...now this is very nice! What was merely 'pink' in the bottle is now more rounded, more come-hither...and is that a hint of cinnamon? I think it is!

 

Dry Down: This scent stayed lovely, lush and beckoning for quite a long time, with excellent throw. The cinnamon didn't burn, which is a problem for my skin, but instead gave the rose notes a bit of fire, which was needed to set this blend apart from Beth's other excellent rose blends. I also wore Harlot in my Carnival Diabolique scent locket today, and was surprised to discover that the cinnamon note which didn't immediately register on my skin was quite belligerent in the locket! It came close outshining the rose notes, even -- thank goodness it isn't that way on my skin, or it would leave me red and burning. I like this scent a lot, and will reach for it often in the time to come, I think.

 

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Edited May 2, 2008 by stellans

[poisons_sanity]

I never really liked rose scents. Although I always wanted too, they just reminds me of "old lady smell." I thought I would try it again, because this imp seemed promising, and I really like the name Harlot. Mostly because I couldn't wait for people at work to ask me, "What scent are you wearing?"

"Oh this? Hmm... what is this called? I can't remember. Oh yes. HARLOT. I'm wearing HARLOT. HARLITY-HARLOT"

Unfortunately this will not happen. Why? Because it still smells like old lady smell to me.

[enchantedblack]

Harlot. Oh, my sweet little thing.

 

In the vial: Harlot smells rosey but it's a dark rose scent (which I'm grateful for). I'm reminded of burgundy roses as opposed to the regular red ones so this scent has promise.

 

Wet on skin: Rose? What rose? A sweet musky smell is wafting off my wrists. I still smell roses but that's coming from my cleavage.

 

Dry on skin: Hours later she's still working her magic. There's a slight rose scent mixed with the musk on my wrists (cleavage still smells like roses but in a good way).

 

Normally rose scents make me smell like my grandma but this one doesn't. It actually makes me smell quite delightful and more than a little flirty.

[Mixxi]

ROSES. Straight up many, many roses. But rose works with my skin chemistry so that is a good thing . Then there's a sort of smell you get after the initial roses which is a bit deeper.. I'm thinking that is the cinnamon. I'm quite liking this as it's most definately a dominant rose blend but with a little something extra to make it a bit deeper & a little sultry. This is definately not an innocent rose but it's not an overly sexy rose either if that makes sense. I'm not sure if this is 5ml material but I will certainly use my imp up & then make judgement if I need more!

[CrazyPretzel]

Ha! Another cinnamon one that I thought I wouldn't like and it's ended up proving me wrong.

 

I was afraid I'd get cinnamon red-hots, but instead I get super-lush, crushed red roses and a potpourri-ish sort of cinnamon. Not bad, really.

[hellomoonglow]

In Imp: Old ladies. But I get that a lot from the imps. Old lady or cherry, those are my two standby’s.

Wet: Soap, roses.

½ hr. Dry Down: The roses in this are so very different than Lucy’s Kiss. I like the idea of cinnamon in the mix, because although I can’t smell it now, I know eventually it’ll creep out from behind the roses. This is a very weird (in a good way) kind of rose mixture. I like it but not enough to buy a bottle. Imps will suffice. Don't get me wrong, I really like it a lot, but there are several other rose scents the Labbies do that I like much better.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very dry rose.

 

Immediately on skin: Very light, dry rose with a slightly spicy undertone.

 

After a few minutes: This lightened up dramatically… I can barely smell it anymore and I’ve only had it on for maybe half an hour. It’s now a barely-there rose scent.

 

Later on: This faded to almost nothing very quickly… after an hour I could barely detect the scent on my skin.

[gloom bear]

When first applied, Harlot smells deliciously edible. The rose note is gone so fast I wouldn't even have guess it was there if I didn't read the scent notes. All I get is a wonderful cinnamon burst. It isn't intensely spicy, and is just a touch sweet. The cinnamon intensity dies down a bit after drying, and the rose comes back out just barely. Overall a lovely scent that I will wear again. A wonderful surprise since I was skeptical that I would like a rose-cinnamon combo. This doesn't last very long on me, but re-application is a pleasure.

Edited September 27, 2007 by gloom & doom bear

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: I can smell the rose & cinnamon, but there's something else too, like nutmeg.

 

First on: I can barely find this one anymore, and it's only been on for 30 minutes. It's very light, nice, but nothing really sets it apart for me.

 

Drydown: The roses are going a bit sour on me.

 

Overall: No thanks.

[Ningal61]

Yummy! In the bottle I smell the roses the most. The cinnamon is barely noticeable. It's like a rose garden, with just the tiniest hint of an interloper.

 

On my skin, I still smell the roses, but the cinnamon comes out to play to add just a touch of spice, so the roses aren't overpowering. It's very strange, though, but I get different reactions on my wrists. One smells mainly of the roses, which I love, but on the other the cinnamon comes through much stronger. Perhaps, despite my shower before applying Harlot, there's still something remaining from earlier in the day, and that's what I'm smelling in combination with Harlot.

 

My only regret is that there's not much staying power with my body chemistry. It mellows down to something barely noticeable in only a matter of minutes, which is disappointing, but while it's there it makes me very happy.

 

This one is definitely a keeper.

Edited October 14, 2007 by Ningal61

[erraticprophet]

Initial Impression: roses

 

On Wet: roses going very faint, cinnamon

 

On Dry: almost gone..

 

Final Impression: it was pretty while it lasted, but it didn't last long

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): 2.5, only because it faded so quickly ( 3.5 for the scent itself )

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Holy @#%*!!!! This one sexy, romantic blend! Roses and spice! I wouldn't waste this blend on anyone I wasn't in love...or at least extremely infatuated with. Classic and uber romantic, a hot date scent, for sure! I am in love with this smell...The spice pushes this scent beyond any conventional rose perfume into something really special. A keeper most definitely!

[LadyMedb]

I was convinced I was going to adore this scent, but the roses and cinnamon were just both a little too strong for me - the combination ended up smelling nearly exactly like a Yankee Candle of some sort - it's partly that the rose was a little too sweet (I love roses, but I think I like it best when it's either light and pure (Rose Moon) or dark and incensy (Black Rose) ). This one was just kind of in-your-face. I know Harlot would work really well on someone else, though.

[hkhm]

imp: rose, rose and more rose.

 

wet: there is a nice spiciness here. roses and rose-hips and spice is what this sorta smells like.

 

dry: this did not go too soapy on me (there's a faint bit of soapiness but i can manage) and that little bit of spiciness stays put. this is one of the nicer rose blends.

[waternight]

In the imp: Pretty much roses. All roses. No cinnamon.

Wet: First on, this is a bouquet of full, rich, heady roses. Now, I love roses, and I love BPAL roses, but so far, this isn't grabbing me. Ahh... and now the cinnamon shows up. I was leery of this one because cinnamon can go WOAH STRONG on me but here... oh, here it's amazing. The combination of rose and cinnamon is DELICIOUS. All the sweetness of the roses, cut by the spice of the cinnamon. This is lethal sexuality.

Dry: Aaaaaand the cinnamon goes *poof*. If the cinnamon had stayed, this might have been big-bottle worthy. But it doesn't, so it isn't.

[Torrain]

This one starts out with a whole lotta cinnamon coming out. Cinnamon, sadly, always fades fast on me (I keep hoping). This one lasts about twenty minutes. Weirdly, though, when it's gone, it takes the roses with it.

 

Upside: does not small like floral soap, as perhaps half the rose blends I try do.

 

Downside: after 20 minutes, does not smell like anything.

 

Swapped to a friend who has better-suited body chemistry. Oh, how I envy her.

 

L&c,

F

[RoseWhite]

OK, first review, so here goes......

 

In the Imp: Rose Spice, like Christmas cookies and Turkish Delight.

 

Wet: Floral! Was slightly worried by this, but it faded pretty fast and took on a muskier smell.

 

Dry: Much more understated floral notes. A darker rose with undercurrants of spicy cinnamon, I can see why someone else used the word 'dirty' to describe it (in a good way!). It's about 3 hours in, and has settled to a background musky spice which I get subtle wafts of as I move.

 

This is a sexy, musky, suggestive scent on me. It says Mayhem beneath the Mistletoe rather than blushing English Rose, and I'll bet it's very sultry in the summer. Thumbs up, but I'm not struck enough to want a big bottle.

 

Edit: I've been back to this a few times now, and it's growing on me even more. I'm loving this rose, maybe enough invest in a larger bottle.

Edited December 1, 2007 by RoseWhite

[seethroughstars]

I love the smell of roses but I’m wary of over-flowery perfumes. Spices and my skin play well together, so this seemed like a good selection.

 

Bottle: dripping wet roseroserose . . . heat? That’s from the cinnamon to be sure.

Wet: Definitely roses. More of a fresh, almost green scent of roses at that. Very little cinnamon.

Drying: The cinnamon begins to stand out much more. The roses move into the background, but add a refreshing kind of sweetness to the spice.

Dry: This gets very light on me, with the faintest hint of cinnamon and sweet rose.

 

This is one of those scents I would need to use more of to get a real impact from. But it's delightful all the same.

[Brianne]

Wow. Yup, that's rose alright. NO mistaking that for absolutely anything else - this is strong roses with a sort of wet smell to it. It's very potent and I do not get any cinnamon at all. Take that for what it's worth though, I am just not a fan of rose!

[FandF]

Generic rose scent on me with very little lasting power. My skin totally ate this up and I didn't get any cinammon at all. Lucy's Kiss worked much better for me as a rose scent.

[melrose]

Once again, Beth works her magic. The rose and cinnamon turn into some sort of alchemical blend that is gorgeous. The drydown brings out the cinnamon a bit more, and is even better, if possible. This fades so quickly, though. I guess I'll have to buy a big bottle and slather, 'cause I LOVE smelling like a harlot!

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: hello? Are you in there? I get a little bit of cinnamon, but nothing else.

 

On me, wet: the tiniest trickle of rose comes out and joins the extremely faint whiff of cinnamon.

 

On me, dry: little more rosy, but no big change.

 

Throw and duration: this had the least throw of any BPAL on me AND the shortest duration. Seriously, it was gone without a trace in less than 2 hours.

 

Overall: Rose usually works really well on me, and i often amp it. So i have no idea why Harlot doesn't seem to even exist on my skin. I'd been worried that this would be really strong on me, but instead... nothing. Sigh.

 

I'll wait a week or two and give it one more try, but it looks like my imp of Harlot is going to the swaps.

[Dorian]

There is one type of perfume I've never been horribly fond of and that's florals.

 

This is straight. up. rose. I got a teeny hint of cinnamon, enough to give it this sexual kick. It's a deep red rose. It smells like something that might line a Heidi Fleiss operation. That said, it's sexy, it's gorgeous. It's one of the few florals I actually enjoy. It hardly changed from the bottle, to being wet, to the dry down. The only difference was a small increase in the amount of cinnamon. I completely recommend this scent. It took a while to grow on me but now I'm flying through my imp.