Fallen

[Akurarei]

Fallen:

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav'n. This is our song to Lucifer, Lucis Ferre, Heosphoros, the Morning Star, the Brilliant One and the Son of the Morning. He is equated with Samhazai, the Heaven-Seizer, and Azazel, one of the 200 Fallen Angels of Enoch. The essence of overweening pride and unearthly angelic beauty. A regal scent, glowing darkly, elegant and patrician, but unfathomably desolate. Cherubic white sandalwood and golden musk with a dark halo of amber, a breath of imperial florals, unbending woods, and the shadow cast by vetiver and violet.

 

In the bottle:

Sandalwood and musky florals

 

On the skin/ wet:

Mostly Sandalwood and Vetiver(?) - it doesn't really smell like florals but it's not quite musk either - either that or all the other components are so smoothly blended that it's difficult to pick out an individual scent. I suspect Sandalwood and my skin really like each other though

 

Dry:

MMMM- Sandalwood, Flowers and a Woodsy scent...I can see why this scent was described as "glowing darkly" by the Lab - it seems to do exactly that! how spectacular! I had a co-worker walk by while I was wearing this a while back, and the question was "hey! where are you hiding your gift basket and bouquet? - it smells great over here!"

 

Final Opinion:

On me, this smells (in equal parts) Sandalwood, Floral (specifically, a violet & soft, soft rosy scent), and Woodsy (maybe just a little bit pine - but just enough to keep the Sandalwood and florals from being too sultry and feminine).

This will be part of my 5mL bottle collection (only because the 10mL bottles have vanished) for as long as it is available. Thank You Black Phoenix!

Edited November 29, 2006 by Akurarei

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Very woody sandalwood and something rougher

 

Wet on me - Warm and spicy with a slight green kick from the vetiver

 

Dry on me - Warm golder amber peppered with other notes that seem to rise and fall at random.

 

Overall - To me this blend seems confused, I certainly was wearing it.

[Phantasmagoria]

This one is somewhat strong to me. Definitely THERE, if you follow. It doesn't change too much on me from wet to dry, it only gets a tad softer. I'm sitting here trying to decipher the different components with absolutely no luck. But the overall effect is pleasant. Makes me think of flowers. Perhaps that's the violet coming through. It's a keeper, I must try it in my locket (finally got it today!).

 

EDIT: Alas! It hasn't been an hour, and it's gone powdery on me! Boo. Definitely gotta put it in my locket.

Edited December 20, 2006 by Phantasmagoria

[urbanruralferal]

wow, it is really amazing to read those reviewers of Fallen that say they don't smelled florals in this stuff! In the bottle and on the wrist, this is predominantly floral. Florals do tend to amp on my skin, wiping out whole families of possibility in the BPAL world...

As it settles in, the resins and woods started to warm up through the florals (I swear there is more than violet in here), and I was wondering if there were black patchouli in it, but no. I am just getting to know that one, black patchouli.

The vetiver never showed up. I am sorry about that. (Although I don't know if there is any tethering this scent, for me.)

I don't even have the patience to sit through the minutes, the hours, to see what this becomes. It is way too perfumey during this the first 45 minutes.

bye bye fallen.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Something unpleasant I can't put my finger on

 

On me:

I'm just not really getting what everyone else is getting. It just smells generally resiny to me - some sharpness from vetiver but mostly just this sort of generic resin smell.

 

Final note:

This one just doesn't work out well on my skin. To make matters worse, it goes to diaper cream smell after a while, which just makes it unpleasant on top of the generic scent I started with. Something isn't working out with me here.

[Voleuse]

Pretty! This is violet on me, and warm amber, and cool vetiver. It's androgynous to my nose--not neutral, but androgynous. Hm. Subtle, smoky, with a hint of musk. It skirts around sweet, but never quite approaches it. This is a sophisticated scent, with layers upon layers, and while it's not welcoming, it's pretty. I like it.

[rivki8699]

Between the amber the vetiver and the violet I was almost afraid to try this. I can't pick out any individual notes either in the imp or on my skin. On my skin it has a nice sweet spice to it. Interesting. I think I'll have to try it again when my nose is more educated.

[Electra]

Oh, purrr. Who ever would have guessed that Lucifer would be so feminine and darkly gorgeous?

 

I got a 5 mL of Fallen from an amazingly generous forumite. I wouldn't have tried it on my own, because BPAL violet is generally bad to mediocre on my skin (see: The Raven, Ultraviolet, Numb), and amber doesn't play nice most of the time either.

 

This, however. This is GORGEOUS. I am head over heels in love.

 

Fallen smells very similar to Black Dahlia on me, and Black Dahlia was my first BPAL hit back in 2004 - a dark, film noir-ish, slightly powdery (but more the impression of powder, if that makes any sense - not baby powder by any stretch of the imagination), velvety, sophisticated, unabashedly feminine floral. This is dark sultry glamour. Phenomenal.

 

I do understand why other reviewers are calling it "perfumey" - it is, compared to a lot of BPAL scents. Luckily I have absolutely no problem with that . I think it smells amazing. More, please!

 

(Bottle is from 2005.)

[theseagrows]

this is a perfumy musky floral on my skin. i smell some sort of white floral in the forefront (maybe some sort of lily?) with the violet in the background. i dont think it's very masculine at all, and the more it fades into my skin the more i love it

[isisonearth]

Here goes my first review:)

 

Imp: Mostly amber and some sort of soft undefined floral.

 

Wet: On my skin Fallen just blossoms and becomes amazing. Violet and vetiver join the amber along with an icy note which is so crip and clear I can feel the breath cold in my nostrils.

 

Dry: More of the musk and sandalwood comes out but I still smell the violets with an undertone of chill. Beth really captured a sense of majesty, pride and self-containment. Despite the florals it seems more genderless than feminine perfect for an angel.

 

Later: A fairly strong amber and violet scent lingers many hours later.

 

Locket: When not on my skin Fallen is very similar but warmer. That chilly note that was so unique doesn't show up. The scent is still pretty but less unique

[mspixieears]

Heavy base of sandalwood on this one. There is a sweetness about it but so far very similar to a lot of other sandalwood-based BPAL fragrances. It’s like a much sweeter Salome, something I prefer as a room fragrance. This is slightly more wearable, however.

[alliekat13]

A musky, woody, floral. The scent that is most dominant on me is the musk, and it stays and stays, however this scent is kind of generic smelling to me, and not something that I would buy, but it's not terrible.

[Aiglet]

I really wish I was getting some of what other people are getting from this, but sadly, I'm getting nothing but violets (which are basically nothing but soap on me) from beginning to end.

 

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it from the bottle-smell, and it didn't really change at all in the ten minutes I could put up with it before I had to wash it off.

[wolfwynd]

A little more floral than what I'm used to but this is a nice, complex, all round perfume I think will grow on me.

 

On me it is mostly amber and sandlewood and the violet pokes it's head through and get amped up, making it a little sweeter than what I'm used to.

 

No big bottle I think but I will definitely enjoy my imp

[labeth]

I think I have a confused relationship with this one.

 

In the bottle, it's an ambiguous incensey musk scent. On me, it's pretty much the same, and it's a very nice smell, but it's extremely potent. It's too potent. The throw on this makes me feel like I must have cartoon stink-cloud lines around me. I like my perfume a bit more subtle. It's possible I could get by trying a little less on my wrists, but I don't think that I put that much on to begin with.

 

Don't think I'll keep this one-- just too much smell! But if you're okay with being very, very obviously perfumed, it would probably be good on you.

[Trish]

I got this as a frimp from the lab.

 

In the Imp: Musk, sweet, wood, floral. Rather nice!

 

Wet: It's nearly all musk and sandalwood, two of my favourite notes, and just a touch of floral. This is wonderful!

 

Drydown: Oh crap. Baby powder. I knew this would more than likely happen due to the amber (and it's why it was crossed off my wishlist), but in less than 5 minutes? Bah.

Edited May 30, 2007 by Trishek

[sedona]

In the imp - a sweet floral but not overpowering

 

Wet - Oh no, is that jasmine I smell? jasmine amps on me and generally turns to soap I get an underpinning of some wood too.

 

Drydown - This is quite complex with no one note dominant. It's floral, then woodsy, then green, than a mish mash of all. I didn't detect any vetiver.

 

This one confused me and didn't last long before disappearing. I'll try it again before relegating it to the swap pile though.

[hackess]

Imp: Super-sweet banana bubble gum!

 

Wet: I keep getting bananas out of this one. Slightly spicy, like banana bread dough, not yet baked. Quickly gives way to generic incensey spices and dry flowers.

 

Dry: Smoke. Fire. Burning wood. Did the banana bread burn in the oven?? 10 minutes later, it's distinctly embers on my skin. Strangest I've ever had a scent morph on me before.

[JennyGardener]

If this is what Hell smells like, I think I'd like to go there. On me, this scent is delicious smoky incensey hint of flowers and a richness I find hard to describe. Doesn't smell evil at all. Then again, I like vetivert and violet and musk and sandalwood... Just wonderful. It does go a little soapy at the end. But then - the VETIVERT! Yeah, I like that stuff. And the violets seem to go with it. On the Faerygirl, it smells sweeter.

 

Faerygirl says "I like it on me but not on my mother".

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Predominantly violets with some amber.

 

Wet: Musk emerges strongly on my skin, and up close, so does the vetiver, which nicely cuts all the florally sweetness (can you tell I'm not usually a florals girl?) and balances out the amber.

 

Drydown: I have the amazing Sandalwood-Eating Skin. This doesn't just happen with BPALs -- it's any sandalwood. I could marinate in a tub of pure sandalwood oil for a week and still come out with no particular scent. So it's not particularly surprising that I don't get it here. What's most pleasing to me is the complexity; on drydown, the relative positions of the various notes shift around a little. I was actually hoping for a bit more of the violets, similar to The Raven (a larger, noisier cousin of mine, but that's another story), but on me, Fallen is pretty much HELLO MUSK and then the familiar powdery amber drydown in its last stages.

 

Verdict: I've fallen into a complex, musky scent, and I'm pleased! This warrants further investigation. It's not making me phone up friends and frantically beg for a ride to ECWC so I can see whether Shelldoo is currently stocking 5mls of this, but I'm keeping the imp.

[Lit Chick]

I think so far only 1 violent blend has worked on me, and this is not it.

This was a dark, sexy, very masculine scent. The violent turned it to elderly woman on me.

 

You know, I don't even think it's a chemistry thing. I think I really dislike the smell of violet. This smells perfectly nice, did not turn rancid at all on me - but ugh. Combine that with the tang of vetiver, and this is heading off to swaps. Sexy, but not my type.

[GoldenRubee]

I received Fallen as a frimp and it is one I normally would not have tried because of the vetiver. I just don't get along with vetiver-I wind up smelling on the masculine side. But I tried Fallen and then looked up the notes and was surprised to see vetiver in it. I can't detect it at all. At first there is heavy violets, but in time, that fades to a very light floral fragrance. The sandalwood and amber blend nicely together and make it a dry, smokey fragrant oil. I'm glad I tried this and will purchase a bottle!

[aquazoo]

Like Black Dahlia but not as intoxicating. Trade.

[Lunaratu]

Wet this is woody but in a vaguely minty way if that makes any sense—like smelling fir or some kind of evergreen minty tree. It stays very true to that as it dries—with a tiny bit of the spice coming in from the sandalwood that gives a glimpse of once being angelic. This is certainly apropos for it evokes the image of a character that is strong yet unbending and proud. It waffles back and forth between moments of smelling almost like the wood that has been in a church for a long time and soaked up the incense and being close to the heart of a large standing evergreen tree outside. Rather masculine but subtly so.

Rating: 3/5

[hkhm]

imp: i can only smell violets and a bit of musk. and strongly at that.

 

wet: boy, this is very reminiscent of something that i can't quite place... it's still musky violets but richer somehow.

 

dry: very nice, fades to a very soft musky violet then the musk fades altogether. i remember: it remindes me of an antique store i used to frequent as a little girl. they sold a victorian violet perfume and this is what the whole store smelled like.