The Elephant is Slow to Mate

[marared]

I gave this a shot because so many people are raving about it, and it's ... okay? Not bad? Not really my thing.

 

It's extremely fruity and juicy at first sniff in the bottle - reminds me of a spicier Jovial Embrace. It's quite loud. I was worried about the tobacco, since BPAL's tobacco frequently is unappealingly gasoline-sweet to my nose, and I can smell it in the blend, but it mostly behaves itself.

 

On my skin, it's HELLO RED/BURGUNDY MUSK. This was the other reason I was skeptical, because I amp red musk like crazy, About ten minutes in I can smell the smoke and the rose, but the opoponax, patch, and vanilla are nowhere to be found. Juicy fruity red musk is about the extent of it on me!

[wolf_truffles]

I'm not even sure how to describe this! There's so much going on and it's very, very strong. It can make you feel a bit tipsy smelling it. Rose tobacco incense and deep cherry wine incense (I don't even think that's a real thing but that's what I smell). This elephant is more like a gothic, blood-drinking, undead elephant with a flair for romance.

From a distance it's a smokey rose incense with a shriek of musk and then the further you go in, the more the boozy fruits draw you deeper. It's horror romance in a bottle.

[internetxplorer]

doods, I have to preface this by saying this is my first ever bottle of bpal ~noob here~ but I feel I couldn't have been more happy with a first blind bottle. This blend is gorgeous, deep, sultry and very sexy. such a YUMMY blend of juicy, fruity reds cushioned by something deep, dark and incense-y, with just a hint of sweet, real mouth-watering vanilla... smells as though I'm walking into a old and cozy occult shop with lots of sweet incense --- not burning incense as I don't get too much smokiness, but un-lit, sweet, resinous incense

 

in the bottle- sharp and fruity

wet- juicy cherries/berries and red musk, patchouli and rose notes begin to make an entrance

dry- the fruity notes have taken a back seat on me, this is when the that faint tobacco note becomes noticeable and the sweetness being to amplify and that hint of delicious vanilla bean really comes out to play

other thoughts- the tobacco note is fairly subtle and more of a faint supporting role. I can tell it's there but just enough to give a smokey, incense-y type of vibe. Not too much experience with exactly what opoponax or lanbdanum smell like separately, but I'd have to assume they are the culprits for that sweet, resinous-y chew. 

 

I'm honestly so so happy to have found this gorgeous gem and couldn't be more happy with my first impression of bpal. she's delicious. 

Edited August 21, 2021 by internetxplorer
more clarity

[aphrodisms]

Quintessential BPAL type scent - very dark, complex and fruity.

[groovyrooby]

Gah this so did not work for me. I really wanted to be on this train! The tobacco, patch, and smoke were calling me, but the red fruits, berries, and wine were red flags. I'm not sure how the sum of all those parts gave me old musty country house, but that's what I got.

 

It started like rich sweet maple and eucalyptus, brown and woody. But the Tussin cherry vibe revealed its predictable self and coalesced in the old room in in the upstairs of an old house that nobody goes in anymore. Or an abandoned church. Pretty good throw, and lasted longer than I wanted to smell this. Very sad I missed this train.

[Leopard403]

As this ages—and as I wear it more often due to cooler weather—I notice more and more similarity to Blood Countess. 

[LavenderCoffee]

In the bottle and while wet, this oil smells purple (even though the oil itself is a stunning dark gold). It's rich, sweet, smoky, dark purple velvet. If you asked me to name the scent notes, I would swear there is incense in this, but I suppose the labdanum, smoked rose petals, and blackened aspect of the blackened vanilla are all contributing to that.

Can all rose petals be smoked please? I have so much trouble with other rose petals 😅

 

The drydown is just as gorgeous, and not much changes for me except the dark fruits and tobacco become a bit more prominent. The sweet smoky incense goes on and on. I honestly can't pick out the individual notes very clearly. I can't believe there is patchouli in this! It is art.

This is an enormous scent with tremendous staying power, and one of my personal favorites.

[Tamarinda]

This one isn't terribly complicated on me despite all the notes in it. It goes on like it smells in the bottle: Cherries and roses with a slight undertone of perfume. I put this in my hair once and it survived two different hair wash sessions. It's very strong but very pleasant. I just scented some lotion with this and it smells great. Lasts pretty much all day and gives off a nice low aura of scent. Even when it fades, it keeps all the original notes, like dialing down the volume on a song.

 

UPDATE: Nail polish. That's what this smells like on me now. Fresh nail polish. I suspect its the rose since I've been amping rose to unpleasant proportions since The Great Skin Chemistry Shift of 2022. But did it have to go so wrong? Really? Booooo!

Edited August 2, 2022 by Tamarinda
Update

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Smokey, dark, rich berries. I can't stop sniffing this. 

 

Dry: Fairly close to the wet stage, but the berries are a little more prominent. Reminds me a touch of Midnight Kiss, minus the chocolate. 

 

I hope a decant will be enough!

[HerbGirl]

I have had this since the end of it's release, and am wearing it today so I figured I would chime in.

I love a good dark fruity red musk blend so this is lovely. Definitely red musk and dark berries, reminds me a lot of Hollywood Babylon with a twist of Mania (I love both). I am so glad I decided to get a bottle.

[tinyvulture]

These sexy red musk scents get me every year come Lupers. Here the musk shares the spotlight with the dark notes of opoponax and tobacco, and maybe a whisper of patchouli. I’m waiting for the rose and berries to come through…5 minutes later, there is a “sweet fruits” note, not distinctively cherry, probably more blackberry. Still not really getting rose. It’s still a lovely Luper blend.

[PumpkinGuts]

This is Blood Countess' mother, who happens to run a vampire brothel. Quite an overbearing scent, this is a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. The dominating winelike fruits rest on a bed of red musk and smoke. I can pick out the rose, but it's really well blended and not the type that goes sour on me. No vanilla to speak of. 

 

I can see why this is so popular, it does have that classic BPAL feel about it, but I think this is just too much for me.