Blood Kiss

[Honey]

Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.

Imp: Very dark, all vetiver. Maybe the faintest hint of something medicinal, like sour cherry or patchouli.

Wet: Still all vetiver on me. The slightest hint of clove perhaps. And a musky sour red wine and cherries.

Dry: A tiny bit creamy, yes, but mostly dark and spicy with lots of vetiver and clove. A cherry that is not too sweet but rather fruity and sour. Also very dusty and musky. So mainly clover after a while, no honey or vanilla to my nose.

[Lyssa]

Blood Kiss and I have had a troubled history. I bought my first set of BPAL imps in early 2007, and Blood Kiss was one of those scents that I didn't seek, but was included in the eBay lot. I read the description on the BPAL website, and was willing to try it.

 

When my imps arrived, Blood Kiss was broken. It spilled over everything else, dousing other labels with its sweet, juicy, musky, sensual aroma. I didn't quite understand how scents could change on skin at the time. I mean, I was aware of it, but hadn't really experienced it. With Blood Kiss, I never got the chance. Something about the conditions it was kept in actually solidified Blood Kiss to the container it was shipped in, so it's almost like I have little globs of Blood Kiss amber. It still smells. For years, I kept it on my desk, and the scent of Blood Kiss would waft up to my nose at random intervals. I hated it at first. It was so dark and fruity and overpowering and strong. Well, of course it was! The whole imp had spilled all over the place! But after a while, it mellowed out, and I began to crave it.

 

Recently, I purchased another imp of it to finally try on my skin. I'd taken a hiatus from BPAL (I'm honestly not much of a perfume person most of the time), but it was one of the first I sought out when I began looking again. Blood Kiss is everything I remember. It's sweet, which I now identify with dragon's blood resin and cherry. It's sensual, which I think on me is the vetiver, wine, musk, and clove. The vanilla is lush, like the description states. It adds a warmth and creaminess to the fruitiness, but the vanilla isn't incredibly noticeable overall.

 

When it dries down a bit, it morphs into a muskier, clovey vetiver with hints of the cherry, dragon's blood, and wine. I don't know that I'm picking up the poppy or the honey. After a while, it flips back and forth on me between fruity musk (not my favorite -- I blame the vetiver) and the delicious, ripe, lickable Blood Kiss I fell in love with years ago. The musk/vetiver stays close to my skin, and the whiffs that hit my nose are less of the vetiver. It's juicy, rich, sensual, and I'd love to smell it on my boyfriend because it has just enough spice and darkness to work as a masculine scent.

 

Despite being so delicious, I don't think it's a bottle scent. I'm going to happily use my imp and decide then if I need more in an imp or a bottle, but I think the vetiver keeps me from loving it more.

[a_llb]

In vial: Vetiver honey, which actually smells amazing. Bitter, rich and sweet all at once.

Wet: The acidity of the vetiver is still strong, underscored by sticky wine & poppies. Wine notes do not usually agree with my skin, but it's tolerable so far. Not soured, not too fruity either.

Dry: Cherries and clove come out on the drydown, reminding me of the cherry/anise combo in Kabuki (which was a surprise love for me.) But in this case, the wine does its thing as usual and goes rank.

 

Verdict: Very darkly alluring at the beginning... too bad it doesn't last on me.

Edited October 18, 2011 by braybrigade

[KatharinaNordh]

I've been fighting myself for over a week now to write a review here - but I can think of no words, it just sounds tame - and this is so not a tame smell. It is wild and colorful and sweet and strong at the same time, and creepy and corrupting and luscious and...there I go again, trying to use words, when words don't fit

 

I just ordered two bottles, my imp is almost empty and all I know is that I smell like magic and can't wait for my order to arrive.

 

Edit: it IS however funny that so many smells seem to be love-love for me, so I won't make the mistake I did with O and go "this is the ultimate and I need nothing else" as I feel shallow when I then find the Next love - but this is at least my top-favourite right now, and I wish I could shower in it and I wish I had a festival to go to so I'd get proper use out of it.

 

It makes me want to be thin and way more successful and talented than I am, because the scent is made for people that are Noticably beautiful and Very Special...oh well.

 

---

 

My bottles have arrived. It took a month of cravings, but they are here.

 

Signature scent. MY signature scent!

Whatever I put on now, I find myself missing this - I want to cuddle and hug it, I wish it was a person so I could make it tea, give it backrubs and stare lovingly at it, take it out and show it off, write books and songs about it - all that stuff.

 

I will buy more bottles of it too - what if the Lab stops making it and I'll never smell it again?

I'd cry myself to sleep and have a Hole in my very being for it forever, or until I found something that smelled exactly the same again

 

---

 

Edited again, in the spring.

 

Wearing Blood Kiss lately has made me realise that I see this as a winter-scent. In summer, or even spring, it is ever so slightly overpowering. It still smells beautiful - more than beautiful - but in the winter, it just...I can't quite exlain it - but it works even Better in the winter.

Edited April 22, 2012 by Asinya

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Smoky, spiced cherries.

 

Drydown: Dark, smouldering, and lacquered with the sweet tartness of cherry. Positively hedonistic. (note: when fresh it smells quite medicinal in this stage, but with age that transitions into a deep spiciness)

 

Dry: Earthy, smoky, spicy, musky, tingly, sticky, and oh-so-sexy.

 

Note: Blood Kiss is a great example of what aging and a more experienced nose can do. It was one of the first BPALs I tried and my first impression of it was not a good one. Fast forward 10 years and it's now in my regular bottle rotation!

 

 

8 out of 10 bones

Edited March 4, 2022 by BoneBone24
(updated to include more recent impressions)

[nome]

At first: In the bottle, this smells very, very, very earthy to me. Not sure if that's the nose or the perfume, since on the skin (I had an accident opening the imp and got a solid smear) it is a crazy one-note-chorus of VETIVER for the first minute, after which some sort of floral/fruit comes through that I suspect is wine. After a couple minutes back-and-forth it settles into something that smells pretty strongly of sandalwood, with some rose thrown in. It may be my skin, and it may be an uneducated nose. It's very warm, somewhat musky, and very, very womanly. I don't think it's my favorite, since the sandalwood smell smells a bit like cheap touristy hippy shops to me, probably due to the crazy vetiver.

 

1 hour in: Okay, the spice has settled out into a very strong clove with hints of vetiver, on me. Behind it, there's something nicely creamy. I don't get the cherry, at all, but I think the cream might be honey. It still smells like roses to me, as a thread through it all, but all in all it's very pleasant. Still not my style, but for a nice, warm, spicy smell like autumn without the foodiness of something pumpkin, this is it. On my skin it verges on old lady perfume but it sophisticated enough to not quite go there.

 

Due to an accident with the imp, this was tested only an hour or two before bed, so the end of the review is the post-sleep scent, about 7 hours after application: Blood Kiss is now much a very warm, spicy vanilla. Very, very nice.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Wow, this is a complex scent. Immediately, I can discern the honey and vanilla, but it is made slightly boozey by the red wine. The cherry scent is evident with some concentration, but it is a cough syrup cherry to my nose. Hopefully that doesn't come out on my skin.

 

Wet: I get vanilla and honey on my skin made slightly medicinal with the vetiver, but I can certainly smell the musk, which is lovely as a base scent at this point. There is just a little of the red wine and dragon's blood that come out on my skin, and the cherries just made it slightly sweet. If I sniff for a while, I can detect the floral note of the poppy. This is might prettier than I had anticipated.

 

Dry: Dry (post workout and shower), the scent is warm with vanilla and sweetened with the honey, dragon's blood, and just a touch of clove. It's feminine, sexy, warm, and evocative.

[orata]

There is a Chinese loquat honey cough syrup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nin_Jiom_Pei_Pa_Koa) that smells EXACTLY like Blood Kiss in the wet stage. I love that medicine, so that's not bad. Vetiver started to come out as it dried and I was kind of unsure about how I felt about Blood Kiss, but once it was completely dry, I liked it again. Lots of cherries and wine and a bit of darkness from the vetiver, opium, clove, and musk that keeps it from smelling too Robitussin-y. It reminds me a lot of Madame Moriarty once it's dry--that dark strong fruitiness with vanilla--but minus the patchouli.

[Gerbie]

Wet: I get a little clove and a lot of vetiver and honey. Now that I have a handle on what vetiver smells like, I think I really dislike it! And I already dislike honey so I'm already having my doubts.

 

Dry: After a few minutes in, the honey is behaving well, but I still have my doubts about it. The clove is a little more faint than I would like it to be, I have to sniff and really concentrate to find it. But what I do smell of it, I like!

 

 

I think the vetiver is what really kills this scent for me. It just seems so in my face, like that really annoying person at work who just won't leave you alone and has to stand in your personal space in order to have a conversation with you.

 

Overall, just not for me. I don't dislike the smell as a whole, I felt like I gave this a lot of sniffs and a chance, I just hate vetiver and honey.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Ugh! Rancid honey! --Possibly mixed with sour wine. This does not bode well.

 

On skin: Sure enough, Blood Kiss is a disaster. Not surprisingly, sticky honey is the culprit; mixed with sour wine and ashy vetiver, it becomes thoroughly unpleasant. Where's the clove? cherry? musk? vanilla? I only smell my least favourite notes: clashing, chaotic and thoroughly nauseating. I can't wear this.

 

Verdict: Honey is my dealbreaker note, has always ruined every scent it's in -- so why do I persist in testing honey blends? Hope springs eternal, I suppose. Sadly, Blood Kiss is yet another dashed hope.

[Missy_killer]

To my nose: Musk! and clove, I think. It's not atypical spicy clove.. But a dry and smokey one.


On me: Vanilla and honey goodness (just like AWonderful Light) but darkened with vetiver and musk. The sad part is that thevetiver in Blood Kiss is not the "good" one, it's the "I wantwant you to smell like an ashtray" one.


5 minutes to an hour later: Ashtray with cherriesto begin with, then the cherries went away. After a while of ash tray-iness theclove and vanilla decided to come out and play and they are still here with thesmokey vetiver. I feel quite "meh" about it, it's not the delicious blend I thought it would be. I blame vetiver!

Edited September 23, 2014 by Missy_killer

[Morsigne925]

Freshly applied: I thought this smelled like incense right out of the bottle on my arm, but even just a couple of minutes after it's dried it turns into a scent I can only describe as pleasant; it's still got an incense-y vibe, but not in a smack-you-in-the-face headshop-y type incense way, more like a sweet spicey candle type way. The smells that come out most for me that I recognize from the description are a combination of the clove and musk, with a little bit of a floral and that is slightly sweetened by the vanilla. The floral is somewhat tart so it's possible I'm getting a big mix of the cherry/wine/poppy all in one that just smells like a tart floral smell to me. Altogether with the clove it's reminding me of the winter themed candles from bath and body works (which happen to be my favorite) and this is probably from the clove. It's a smell I enjoy enough to keep sniffing my arm! I could see this being a favorite winter perfume simply because I associate clove smells with the holidays.

After 10+ minutes: The tart cherry/wine/flower smell gets a bit stronger the longer it sits on my skin, and the clove goes more to the background (though it is still there). The vanilla remains more of a background player and stays about the same strength as when I first put it on, just acting to lightly sweeten the whole thing. I really like this scent! It is not super strong the way some of the other scents I've tried are - I can't smell myself walking around the house except very lightly - to get the full scent I have to put my arm to my nose. I appreciate a lighter but still complex scent int he BPAL perfumes as many of the ones I've tried are either smack-you-in-the-face strong or so light they fade away after a relatively short time. This one seems to be quite balanced.

 

Revisit AUG 2014:

 

Imp/wet: Definite incense thing going on; more like some of my favorite Japanese incenses than some of the ones people probably usually think of. Definitely more woodsy, like a cherry-cedar incense.

 

After drying a bit this starts to smell a lot like like one of my favorite candles, Leaves from B&BW; possibly the Winter one as well. I definitely associate this type of smell with autumn/winter. Not sure if this would become a staple in my wearables collection, but I may yet keep it around. I still find it quite nice.

Edited August 23, 2014 by Morsigne925

[Quillifer]

I would have bet good money that I'd love this, since I'm very keen on vetiver and cherries. But it turns out I don't like the honey note or wine. They seem to snag at my nose somehow. I managed to find what I hoped to get from this in Bloodlust so maybe someone with my likes/dislikes could try that I do love this - Blood Kiss - in about 85% of it, if you see what I mean, I just can't get past the raspy, snagy bit.

 

Update: 8 months later I was frimped with this and decided to give it another go - and I love it I don't really know why the change. Maybe my nose has got a bit more tolerant or something? I can still smell the things I didn't like before but not they don't bother me. I get the cherry and the vetiver and just love it. One thing that does occur to me is that this is winter (I'm writing this in April with snow on the ground...) and before it was summer. Possibly the spicier, grittier smell is appealing now when I might have liked something smoother then.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Quillifer

[sidhenecromancer]

Was initially reluctant to try this as many of these notes usually make me gag. But it was included in the lot i bought on eBay. An initial reaction to this true to from was *gag cherry and clove* two of my death oils. I could not smell any of the wine that is another death note for me; thankfully. After about a minute, just as I was on the way to the bathroom to wash this off, a dark musky incense-ey scent started rising from my wrist. I re-sniffed my wrist and all the cherry had gone. All my death noted had come into balance to create a lovely slightly fruity musky incense-ey scent that just screamed sensual bordello-style burlesque sexiness. Taking the risk to try this on instead of automatically putting this in my swap pile paid off. :-)

[Kuba]

WOW, just wow. This is lovely!

 

In the imp: I could smell a strong cherry note which worried me because I really don't like it especially when it's Cherry Coke like.

 

On skin: The cherry disappears almost right away but stays there along with the wine note and gives a certain juiciness to the fragrance. It's nice, you can't really distinguish them as individual notes but they're there and working.

It's just gorgeous. Not really what I expected but I'm happy either way. Vanilla is really creamy but has some 'golden' quality thanks to honey ( you know like when you smell raw honey and you get that sharp tingle in your nose).

I can't really detect any vetiver but the blend would be too cloying without it so it must be here, toning it down.

Clove and poppy ???

The musk in here is not really a feral one. It's more of a skin musk. It's subtle and makes a great base for the fragrance.

 

The drydown reminds me Halloween: Las Vegas. Creamy vanilla is kind of like frosting in the other one and they both have vine note in them with the exception that Blood Kiss doesn't smell like jelly beans.

 

So good, loves it. 5/5

[SkySamuelle]

Blood kiss is... peculiar- as I wear it, wet on my skin is all sweetened musk. I can't smell the vanilla or the cherries . Just honeyed musk. I am crushed.

 

On the drydown, the scent blossoms into something far more layered, velvety, almost flowerly. I cant pick out any single notes but it's dark red soft veils and flushed flesh and my nose is quite pleased. Not in love but pleased.

 

I like that this scent warms me - I will keep wearing it. Probably this would make for a good winter oil.

 

Notice: I put this on at 10.00 AM ... in the evening, it morphed into honeyed wine rounded with something rich and velvety to stay like that... until midnight.

 

WOW, THIS IS SOME AMAZING LASTING EFFECTS. Also, this honeyed wine effect is truly lovely.

 

Rating: 3.5/5

[SkySamuelle]

Blood kiss is... peculiar- as I wear it, wet on my skin is all sweetened musk. I can't smell the vanilla or the cherries . Just honeyed musk. I am crushed.

 

On the drydown, the scent blossoms into something far more layered, velvety, almost flowerly. I cant pick out any single notes but it's dark red soft veils and flushed flesh and my nose is quite pleased. Not in love but pleased.

 

I like that this scent warms me - I will keep wearing it. Probably this would make for a good winter oil.

 

Notice: I put this on at 10.00 AM ... in the evening, it morphed into honeyed wine rounded with something rich and velvety to stay like that... until midnight.

 

WOW, THIS IS SOME AMAZING LASTING EFFECTS. Also, this honeyed wine effect is truly lovely.

 

Rating: 3.5/5

 

I wore it again and for some reason I got... clove as dominant note and dragon's blood-type of resinous sweetness. I was gorgeous and I got compliments at an ethinc shop I pass by sometimes. The shopkeeper was so impressed she wanted the oil's name. Plus the amazing resilience of the scent was confirmed - it lasted from the morning to the late night.

I think I shall order a bottle on this grounds alone.

[Mechanical Death]

I want so badly for this to be awesome. It smells like spicy syrupy dark cherry in the bottle, very aromatic in a perfumy way, not like cherry syrup--

 

But on my skin-- licorice?! D: that must be the clove. But I love clove. That doesn't make sense T-T

 

It starts to dry further, and the weird licorice smell fades, but it just fades into this strange blah.

It smells like the dry down of snake oil with a hint of cherry. I don't get any smoky sweet clove or spicy resin or musk. just slightly cherry snake oil. Meh.

 

Not sure if ill keep it. I think I'd rather keep looking for my perfect couple of GC scents rather than collecting a bunch ill only wear a few times.

[ModderRhu]

This is how I thought Vampire Bride should smell. In the bottle I get mostly wine, vetiver, and clove. On me somehow it turns into creamy blueberry with vetiver. I guess the cherry is coming off as blueberry to me. I really like this and I wouldn't mind if the vetiver and clove come out more when it ages, because it is super super sweet on my skin.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received as frimp from Lab in a recent impapalooza order.

 

Despite the descriptions from reviewers of Dragon's Blood (one of my favorite scents), even though it's not actually listed in the notes (though I guess maybe all "blood" titles are presumed to have DB in them?) as well as honey, which I usually like, I never would have ordered this because it contains not just one but TWO deal-breaking notes for me -- cherries and wine.

 

But in the name of science and anal-retentiveness, I'm going through my entire collection to review and revisit, so Blood Kiss it was.

 

IMP: Strong and actually bitter, almost to the point of being sour. The booziness made me think of sourmash.

 

I dabbed the ever so teeny-tiny bit on my wrist.

 

WET: Actually surprisingly not awful. The honey and vanilla, which I couldn't smell in the imp, immediately came to the forefront on my skin so while it was still boozy, it was sweet booze like liqueur. The cloves also amped which is always a good thing.

 

In fact, I got bold and dabbed a little more on both wrists to get full effect.

 

DRYDOWN: Surprisingly pleasant and complex and spicy and interesting. NOT a washoff.

 

OVERALL: I'd give it a surprising 3 out of 5. If I didn't have such a big collection I might consider even keeping it but honestly, I don't see ever wearing it again given my other options so this will go to the swap pile which will eventually, once closer to being complete, make it onto the site LOL.

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Herbal, incensey, dark.

 

Wet: I definitely get the bite of clove and I still get incense, likely the combination of the vetiver and musk. It's feral in a good way. I'm getting a green-ish note tucked in there too.

 

Dry: Oh hello honey! It's rich and sticky and lovely and melds nicely with the incense feel and smokiness of the vetiver. This is dark, dangerous, and wonderful.

[tealight]

In the vial this is sickly sweet, rotting fruit and sour wine. What. I love most of the notes in this, and they start to blend gorgeously on my skin. Vanilla, honey, cherry and earthy vetivert ...but sweet baby Jesus that rancid wine note is just throwing everything off. Will try this again when my cycle's at a different point and hope the wine doesn't go all cheap and nasty on me.

[KakashiMorph]

This imp is aged, but I am not sure exactly how old.

In the bottle: Cherries! Lustful red cherries sweetened by honey and some vetiver. I want to sink my teeth in it. This is what a luscious vampire should smell like!

 

On my skin: Wanton cherries that are sweetened; while the vetiver gives a lighter note to it, it is sinfully dark. Now I want to sink my teeth on my wrists. There must be honey, clove and musk in there but I am too busy trying to sniff my wrists off to smell them. I can also smell the wine ( I love the lab's wine note!) but it is very faint. A few minutes later the wine comes out to play as well, which makes me even more frisky.

 

Drydown: Not exactly dry yet, but about an hour later I can smell the dark, sweet cherries ( I think they are sweetened by honey) and some wine.. There is also something dark and sensual and raw in the background which might be the clove. And I still am too busy trying to sniff my wrists off in order to try and discern more notes! If it dries completely like this, it will go on the "want a bottle" list. Total drydown update: Cherries and the dark, raw, sensual background scent. I think I now what it is: an incense-like impression of clove with a hint of musk. I am in love.

[razzlecupcake]

Gross pickles, on me. I like pickles (although I wouldn't want to smell like one...) But this is old, bad pickled smell on me. I think wine + vetiver just turns to sadness with my chemistry. Ah well, one to cross off the list and pass on!

[vthesiren]

I checked this out because it was a sweet blend with vetiver in it, and oddly enough, vetiver is the one note I'm not getting. But that's okay, because this is otherwise UNNGHASDFDSAFSD -thud-.

 

The cherry note stays, which pleases me IMMENSELY, because my first cherry blend (Queen of Hearts :'() got eaten in an instant. I also get the wine, the clove, the honey, the vanilla, and what amazes me most is that it all plays nicely together. Nothing is screaming over the other notes; this is smooth and sexy the whole way through.

 

I didn't know I had an Inner Vamp until I tried this one. This makes me want to dress up in leather and pop on some bright ol' red lipstick. Decadent, somewhat obscene, and should probably be illegal. If this continues to be good when I wear it other days, this'll be a bottle for sure.