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In the decant: A very well-blended scent, with all the notes swirling around in a heady but light mixture.

 

Wet: The white tea is the most obvious note at the moment.

 

The dry-down: Very much a skin scent, probably because of the skin musk. A cool scent, also, Yet another scent that I would save for late winter/early spring, a gentle and lovely tea scent, touched by all the other notes, but not over-powered by them.

Edited by thekittenkat

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Picked this up in a fit of impulse, because violet leaf, tea, myrrh, and saffron are usually winners.

 

Wet, this is floral and tea, a little sharp, a little citrusy?

 

On skin initially I get more of the violet leaf, still definitely tea, and still that citrusy feel. No red musk at all early on, which is good because I'm fairly indifferent to red musk. No crypt dust or saffron at all yet.

 

Once it dries down it's mostly a lovely floral with a hint of something grounding it. It's very pretty. I'm not sure I get "vampire" from it, but I don't get dust either, and that's good because sometimes dust doesn't work AT ALL for me. The only thing making this not 100% a keeper for me is that I have so many florals that are pretty and I don't need all of them, so I'll have to revisit some of my others to see if this knocks one out or not.

 

Edit: in the late drydown I do finally get some of the dust and saffron, but it's not unpleasantly dusty at all. Just a subtle dryness.

Edited by Viridian

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I mostly get a citrusy white tea from this. It isn't unpleasant, but very, very perfumy, even if it warms up a little bit after a while. I'll keep the decant, but probably won't need more of this.

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Sniff: Sharp ginger and tea, with a musk undertone.

 

Wet: Becomes more floral and subdued. The sharpness fades and now this smells like a wreath of preserved flowers. There are grassy notes and hints of citrus and herbs. Earthy without being "dirty" and has a very autumnal feel, crisp and golden.

 

Dry: This is more musky, red and almost feral. Very interesting, this is the only blend I've tried that actually gets headier over time! The flowers grow warmer and stronger, it's a bouquet of dried stems over a bed of musk and old leaves. Pretty and soft, but also hinting at something deeper.

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When I first tried this, it did some really weird things on me. This is test v2, after I let it set for a week.

 

Wet on my skin, it's mostly soft white tea. I do get a little bit of the violet leaf, and something almost spicy in the background, but the white tea is the strongest note by far. After about ten minutes, the red musk amps, and I mean it really amps. The scent becomes almost single note red musk. The tea is way in the background, and I think I can pick out the saffron and the myrrh as well. It's very musky at this point. After it dries down, the musk recedes a bit, and it becomes a spicy white tea scent. It reaches the perfect happy medium between light white tea and sexy musk/spices. I really like this scent a lot, and I'm glad I sprung for a bottle unsniffed. I think this will only continue to get better over time. :D

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Straight up red musk and dust on me and the boy. No nuances, no complexity.. just blah. I amp red musk so in the red musk blends I own and wear the other notes must also amp enough to play nicely with the red musk... here they're just decimated.

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On my skin, I mostly get violet leaf (yes, more herbally/green with a touch of violet floral - thank goodness. Was afraid violet would overpower) and the citrusy-musky smell of elemi. Mild/moderate throw without being overpowering. Decent staying power, too. Last about 10 hours on me. Going on 14 hours now & I can still smell it a bit... if I huff my wrist. Lately one of my favorite activities ;) Considered a bottle but as much as I liked it I don't love it. May come to regret the decision...

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This is different than I had imagined. Usually red musk or blood musk is one of those notes that I amp but it's amazingly subdued in The Vampire Bride.

 

Wet: there's the violet leaf and white tea and maybe some wormwood at the background. It's really rather light and pretty.

Dry: it gets more interesting on the dry-down. I get the crypt dust and musk with violet leaf twined around it.

 

Verdict: this may need some aging to bring the woods and musk out more but overall it's a nice scent. I haven't smelled any Bpal quite like it.

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I remember being disappointed by this last year so I decided to put it away and leave it a while before writing up a review. I forgot that I had it altogether until today. I wish, wish, wish that the red musk was more prominent because I am a junky for the stuff. I don't get any citrus as others have, mainly on me it is white tea, elemi and a bit of myrrh.

 

It's much nicer than I remember it being; very crisp and fresh. It lingers a good while on me but it sings most beautifully just before the drydown. I won't be needing a backup, but I will definitely keep this bottle for use on hot days like today :wub2:

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this was a big surprise hit for me from last year's halloweenies. i am not even sure why i ordered it, since "icy" notes and blends don't usual like me. but i guess "icy skin" is different, because the vampire bride is quite nice! i even got a compliment on it from a random stranger in trader joe's, and used the opportunity to introduce her to the wonderful world of BPAL!

 

there's a prominent smooth, musky base, with the chilled top notes and hints of elegant violet leaf and tea, maybe just a teeny bit of saffron and resin? it's really a delightful, surprising blend that wears close to the skin. as it's aged, the white tea has become even more prominent, so if you are a lover of tea notes, give this a try! it's lovely, cool and musky.

Edited by porcelina

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Sadly (this is the 2012) I amp tea notes (and one reason I can't wear Dorian as much as I'd love to), so I get mainly dry tea from this. The dry down after a half hour is a pretty, though indescribable scent, but I am not picking up the musk or the sweetness/pinkness in this that some WCers mentioned. Off to swaps, but glad I got to try this one.

Edited by violetblue

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This is the 2011 version. Kind of a white cold floral at first, then morphs to a spicy blend. Very little floral now, I'm thinking the myrrh, tea and saffron on dominating on my skin. Even though it's spicy, it smells kind of 'cold' somehow. This reminds me of a high end perfume, or something that should be a high end perfume, it just has that quality to it. This is 'OK', but not something I would wear that often.

 

2012 version: The oil is a beautiful reddish pink, leaning on the pink, very pretty! Scentwise, I'm getting grapefruit, or something citrussy at first, really liking it so far. It then morphs to the spicy, resiny blend that was the 2011 version. This may be worth a decant, as I like spicy resins once in awhile, but I don't need a bottle.

Edited by milo

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This is the 2012 version. I like this one much better than last year's, which was pretty, but kind of meh on me. It is much sweeter, as the will call reviewers mentioned, and I love that the oil is bright pink! I feel like I smell like pink tea...and a vampire at the same time. :D My only complaint is its throw is a little light on me, but I'm happy to slather! I will enjoy using my bottle! :heart:

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Such high hopes for this, but it disappears on me. White tea does that, though.

 

Bottle: Getting that icy skin and crypt smell. The mourning flowers and gritty tomb smell. Evocative.

Wet: Swirling florals, a little bit of that grave dust combating with the saffron I dearly love with my chemistry.

Drydown: Disappearing already! No! A very mournful floral staying on my skin with a bit of dust wafting.

Dry: Dead, decaying flowers drooping in the dirt... very far away.

 

Virtually no throw, no staying power and didn't do much on my skin. I was really looking forward to this since I love the crypt-type scents. Not a keeper :(

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This is the 2012 edition.

 

I love this scent. I honestly do not know why I chose it, but I am not disappointed. When I first opened the bottle it was difficult to smell, but now I can open it and its quite powerful. In the bottle it is very violet & white tea.

Wet on my skin it has sort of a lemony dish soap odor to it, but this goes away pretty quickly (thank goodness).

 

The dry down is where it gets good and more complex. The dusty crypt smells melds with the violet in a way I really like. There are some notes in here I wouldn't recognize if I smelled them, but I suspect this is where they begin to come out. Once totally dry I catch a whiff of what I suspect is the myrhh.

 

My only complaint is that this one really fades quickly from my wrists. It is one that will require creative application for staying power (i.e. rubbed into hairs at the base of my neck or on clothing). This usually changes how it smells on me so it might require an updated review later.

 

It is a very pretty blend. I am beginning to think that violet is a note that favors me. Now, if only she would bring back the White Chocolate & Sugared Violets!

 

ETA: this has really become a favorite. I found that applying in the crook of my arms gives it all day staying power. The throw is good but not overpowering. When I walk close to people it makes they take a deep nose breath. LOL. It layers nicely with my hemlock honey too.

Edited by MtMoonKitty

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This oil is a lovely deep rose in color. Haven't seen this color in an oil before.

 

Wet: soft and woody floral.

Dry: this is so well blended that I can't identify particular notes. This is beautiful. Later, this is a very light perfume, but stays the same, no mutability. I think I'm going to need a 2nd bottle of this.

 

Later: my other half sniffed and said "you smell good.. like you only better".

 

Definitely need a 2nd bottle.. and maybe a 3rd.

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10/12/2012 -- I got to test this at the Seattle store! :-) In the bottle, it's definitely quite pink. On me this turned into a very light, sweet, pretty floral; I didn't get much of the musk, dust, wormwood &c. Got faint after a couple of hours, but it's v pretty, so I ordered a bottle. It was lighter and less cold and sharp than I expected from the description -- maybe like Stoker's Lucy "looking sweeter and lovelier than ever." :-)

 

 

ETA 2/24/2013 -- revisiting this after it's been settling a bit. At first it was a little disappointing, because it is indeed a very light almost faint scent with very little throw, but after slathering more on (like I need an excuse to do that -- heh) I was happier with it. In the bottle, and on wet, this is for me a sweetish citrus, not that sharp, without much musk or tea (surprising, usually I amp tea). As it dries down, it goes through a very pretty flowery-spicy stage, which I wish lasted longer, and then fades out into a very light sweet musk. As other people said, it would be a nice daytime or everyday scent; it's pretty cheerful! I still really like it, and was trying to figure out why since I usually don't like very pretty sweet vanishing florals. I think it's probably because most of those scents give me a nasty headache, but this one doesn't. The sad thing is it's more like a ghost than a vampire bride.

Edited by theredshoes

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This smells exactly like Unsteady Governess on me. I love that blend but I don't need another bottle of it! The color of this oil is the loveliest magenta.

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This was the only Weenie that I had to do back ups of last year, so I was looking forward to trying this years version, I am not disappointed. The citrus is a little sharper in this one I think.

Skin testing this today, and it is definitely Vampire Bride, but the same delicious lemony note I am getting from Boo and Sugar Skull is present in the wet stage, and dry it is a bit less dusty than last years. I love this scent, it's unique and strong but not over powering, it would be very wearable in situations where you don't want your perfume to say "oh hai, I am a crazy old hippie" like many of mine do...

Can I just say I have been wearing this for days, and wow I love this Vampire Bride. I love last years slightly more, but that could just be familiarity. This ones seems a bit lighter but not like fade away quickly lighter, just a lighter mood if that makes sense. To me this is citrusy, flowery, dusty and gorgeousy. Perfect everyday scent, very uplifting.

final verdict, this and Third Charm will be the only Weenie back ups this year. It's so weird after reading other reviews of this, my skin chemistry must be strange because this is so rich but not heavy and lovely on me, and it lasts forever, whereas most things fade in a couple of hours.

Edited by stellamaris

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Sweet, dusty/powdery, slightly floral. Very pretty and feminine, but not quite my style. I'll keep the imp, but I probably don't need a full bottle. Medium throw at first, but fades fairly rapidly.

 

ETA: Some additional thoughts after reapplication and another dry down - I don't really get any if the icy/shimmery feel that I expected from some of the notes. The violet leaf is the most distinct scent, and that red musk really is just a dribble (and the slightly fruitier feel of the lighter red musks - I'm not sure I would have recognized it as red musk if I didn't know it was in there). It really is a lovely scent, it is just a little too ... empty?... for me.

Edited by Rocza

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I tried this without looking at the notes and thought I smelled grapefruit. After looking at the description, it is still hard to pick out much other than the violet leaf. It's quite beautiful, bright and citrusy, but it disappears within minutes on my skin. It is so light that I can barely smell anything with my nose directly on my wrist. I will love my decant, but I can't buy a bottle of something that I can only smell for about 5 minutes. (Take this with a grain of salt- I don't have a very good sense of smell.)

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The most gorgeous colored oil. I considered buying a bottle for that beautiful fuschia alone. It was a lovely citrusy floral on my wrist when wet, but it never went anywhere. Dry, it reminded me of one of those Avon little-girl colognes from my childhood. Nondescript floral that never offends then fades to nothing.

 

Perhaps this oil will benefit from a tad bit of aging in the imp. Like a new Vampire Bride, she hasn't been undead long enough to develop much character.

Edited by zeldaZ4

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On me this is a sweet, lemony scent, with a hint of something green and herbal which I assume is wormwood or violet leaf. It's not what I was expecting, its sweeter and fruitier. I don't get anything dusty from this. It's quite pretty but does fade fast. I am going to try this again before deciding if I want to get a bottle.

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In the bottle: This has the same red musk and elemi thing going on that Third charm does, but this has tea and violet leaf as it’s dominant combination. The elemi plays well with the white tea and the red musk both and the result is more pale, while still having a touch of sensuality. The other elements are all present, but more support than strong voices on their own. This looks delicate, but feels dangerous, which suits the idea well. Wet: I didn’t have big hopes for this, but it’s gorgeous. The white tea is strong and lovely with the violet leaf and elemi. The red musk is soft and clever with the elemi and myrrh. This shouldn’t work, but it does. Dry: Fast fading. Weirdly mostly honeysuckle, elemi and olibanum, but really not much left in a very short time.

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My husband says this reminds him of "when aunt Rhonda used to come over and get a perm from my mom". He was really creeped out saying it smells exactly like the perm processing chemicals and hairsprays used by his mom. I say it smells great, but I've been husband blocked. If I get a bottle I'll never hear the end of it.

 

Anyways, onward to the review. This is a wonderful balanced smooth silky floral & musk blend. Seriously, if my house smelled like this when I was getting a perm back in the 80's I'd be less traumatized.

 

Wet: White tea, olibanium, violet leaf, and saffron come out together creating a meditational feel with sweet notes. Its sweeter and smoother than the read notes would elude. Something in this spells pomegranate to me. Same feel on the nose.

 

Drydown: Ahh.. I can see where hubby is getting the perm chills from. The white tea amps a bit and the myrrh and olibanium kick in stronger with crypt dust and wormwood, making this a sharper herbal resin blend. Violet leaf settles down and departs. Red musk has decided its done with me, over the past year. So as a funny trick, goes spikey claws out do not touch me.....its happening here. Sigh.

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