The Living Flame

[ipb]

They pass before me, these Eyes full of light,
Eyes made magnetic by some angel wise;
The holy brothers pass before my sight,
And cast their diamond fires in my dim eyes.

They keep me from all sin and error grave,
They set me in the path whence Beauty came;
They are my servants, and I am their slave,
And all my soul obeys the living flame.

Beautiful Eyes that gleam with mystic light
As candles lighted at full noon; the sun
Dims not your flame phantastical and bright.

You sing the dawn; they celebrate life done;
Marching you chaunt my soul's awakening hymn,
Stars that no sun has ever made grow dim!

A luminescent red scent: breathless with passion, flickering with desire, and glowing with ardent and reverential love.

in a word: YUMMY

it's very well blended, hard for me to pick out individual notes. there's a sweet floral (a strong floral, like gardenia or jasmine), a musk (but i don't think it's red musk), slightly foody (maybe a hint of vanilla) but overall it IS red. it's a bit warm on my wrists. it's very well balanced - not too musky, not too floral, not too foody. i wish i could be more specific but ... c'est le vie.

it stays pretty much the same wet as dry on me (something "o"-y comes out, but the flowers and musk keep it from getting all icky as o does on me), which is great because i love how it smells. and i am SO thrilled i have another bottle coming.

40 minutes later, the musky o-y smell is more to the front than the florals. and that's ok coz it still smells great. 90 minutes later, it's now more of a slightly smoky, musky vanilla with a very faint florals. still very lovely and i want to go grab the boy and have my way with him two hours later, it's back to the balance in the beginning, like the room's cleared out from the smell of diryt fun.

and girlfriend*, it is NOT too late to go buy it - so rush out before my desire to horde grabs the rest

since i was asked: it's not red like cinnamon or cherries - while i won't say 100% they don't have them, i'm pretty sure they don't because my skin loves them both and they haven't peeped out. it's more of that "i'm so in love with you, the flowers were gorgeous, and let's go make love (not just fucking, but a passionate emotional kind of love, if that makes sense)" scent (since there's that note that's similiar to o in the background that comes and goes). i don't think it has dragon's blood in it (but i *could* be wrong).




*..or boyfriend, whatever the case may be


edited for the second bottle. i don't think i mentioned it, but my other bottle is a prototype. one i love very much. the final one smells somewhat similar, but there's nuanced differences and i do prefer the prototype, but the final release is quite nice too

[Caitfish]

Oooh, yay! Q_S lemme smell her premature arrival of the Living Flame. Unfortunately, this is also going to be an itsebitsy review. I can't remember what this smells like in the bottle, but on my skin, it's like a more vanilla-sweet, less spicy version of scherezade. Was there musk in that? I can't remember, but there is definately musk here... no cherry, cinnamon, carnation... to my nose, just sweetness and musk... warm vanilla-y goodness. It's treating me well.

 

Sweet, warm musky goodness. I don't get anything floral. I think that people who like Morocco, Scherezade or Blood Amber will adore this one - it doesn't really smell like any of them, but it's definately the same type of vibe. It's faboo.

[Imbrium]

Oh my god, yummy!

'Fraid this will be a short review, as I don't have it in front of me anymore.

 

 

Initially, The Living Flame smells floral, and there's definately musk. As it dries, I get much less floral - it's pretty much nonexistant - and instead, it's this wonderful sweet vanilla and musk smell. Oh this is so nice!

 

The boy loves it too... hee.

I'm willing my bottle to get here as quickly as it can.

[Scylla]

This is definitely a very well blended floral. As quantum spice mentioned previously, it is very difficult to pick out individual floral notes. It is definitely a very RED floral. For classification purposes, I'd say it is a very beautiful sophisticated floral.

 

I am not getting any vanilla OR any musk, as mentioned by previous reviewers. I am not getting anything "O-y" either, which is a good thing because amber smells horrible on me! I don't detect any roses, either, which, to my body chemistry is a good thing! Nor do I detect cherries or cinnamon. Or dragon's blood. Just "red" florals.

 

The Living Flame stays pretty much the same from in the bottle all the way through to drydown, at least on my skin. I'm not normally a fan of straightforward floral fragrances, but this is really nice!

 

ETA: On EXTREME drydown (say, 3+ hours) the berry and musky notes popped out on me, much to my surprise! I'm liking this even more now. I think I'll have to update again after I've worn The Living Flame a few times.

 

I also agree with Unseelie that this would be a great "bridge" scent to initiate your friends and family members to the BPAL Cult.

Edited April 4, 2005 by Scylla

[shelldoo]

in the bottle it was very sharp floral, kinda stung my nose.

 

wet it was a warm spicey floral, altho i am not sure which spice, it kinda of reminded me of DDLM but the florals are different. i think there maybe a saffron note? i am not sure but i get a slight saffron whiff occassionally.

 

dry it is glorious, there is a vanilla touch, maybe even honey? and the spice and i still say saffron, the floral has completely faded (yay) it is a geniously blended gorgeous scent i adore it

[Unseelie]

to sum up: OMFGWTFHAHABBQ!!¡1

 

this is floral. this is powerful. Oppanax/Galbanum type strength, MIGHTY lillies, not their weak and sweet funerial cousins. there's a heated lift to it; not cinnamon, not dragon's blood, nor patchouli. i'm having a hell of a time picking out anything individual from this, but i'm captivated.

 

bewarned - it smells like "perfume". the way Dragon's Eye had that "Hello! I am a perfume product!" scent to it, this is like.. that plus Venom {a terrifically strong blend reminiscent of Dior's Poison}.

 

In the bottle: rose? nnuh.. rose geranium mebbe? but.. i hate those, and i don't hate this. Or.. HM, flower? I can't *tell* what it is.. but.. i'm compelled to swipe it on.. play Tom Waits "What's He Building?" when you wear this for the first time.

 

Wet on skin: OH PERFUME! It's got that strong 'Perfume' smell i associate with Venom and other.. ooh, it's slightly more chemical than Venom, but going through a fabulous floral range. Candy-like-spice scent just wafted for a moment, then back to an 'expensive perfume' scent. WOW. it's wonderful. it will just kill me if it turns out that this has a huge Gardenia note that i'm suddenly inexplicably digging on.

 

Half an hour: It's still a strong scent. This is going to be a 'good all day at the office' scent. It's gotten a faint touch of powderyness to it now, softening of the brittle edges, but it's still potent. hm, i tend to powderize amber, so that may be a component. ORCHID.. my GHAD i just caught a lovely whiff of a dark orchid. *squee* Oddly.. uh.. it's not really reminding me of Fire. o_O In.. ANY way. It smells.. really good, to me, but.. uh.. "Hey Beavis.. huh-huh, how come there's no fire?" Some heavy florals, i can't get the inspiration to wear in warm weather - i think this one will do just fine. Ja, i can see wearing this in stifling heat and finding it uplifting and unwavering.

 

WARNING: i predict this will drive people with allergies B@TSH¡T, it's just so strong and wafty and floral.

 

HOWEVER: if you take public transpo and have had the Stinky Crazy Man get on, and then suddently caught a whiff of a Woman Who Smells Lovely and drives away the darkness? She'd be wearing this. This is the Galadriel of scents, ja, and it would feel pretty cool to be that Woman Who Smells Lovely.

 

PURPOSE: this would be a nice "bridge scent" to lure more traditional members of aquaintance or family to BPAL with! it's far from "hippy" or "headshop" and very strong, mature, and female.

[Nadirah]

Yes I think I will have ot agree that there is some kind of Orchid in this! It is very flowery and smells SO good. IF there is Dragons Blood in this there is VERY little, possibly none at all but I can't say for sure. Its deliciously fruity as well, pomegranite or berry. Its really hard to tell, whatever the blend, it works together so well that it just becomes itself. Oh and it is a little Musky with a touch of smoke at first.

[lorajc]

When I first saw this LE, I was intrigued by it, as I am a Libra and the romantic nature of it really caught my eye. Then I heard that it wasn't going to have any cinnamon in it and I was bummed. Then I heard it also wasn't going to have any cherry in it and I was bummed. However, I was really wrong. I, also, can't place what's in it, but it is lovely. It is very smooth and velvety with just a tingle of some sort of berry when first applied (not strong at all though) and then it dries down into a creamy and slightly musky scent. It only goes slightly floral on me. It has just a touch of the warmth, the berry and floral in it. Nothing is overdone in this blend. It is very beautiful and I'm glad I ordered a few bottles of this. I just tested this so I might update after a full day of wear. I imagine this would be quite lovely slathered on. It is a very calming yet cheerful scent. Good job Beth.

Edited April 4, 2005 by lorajc

[summer]

Oh my GOD. This perfume AFFECTS me. I slathered it on my wrists and literally felt warmth rushing through my arms. Not the burn of a reaction to cinnamon oil, but just the feeling of warmth. The smooth flow of molten lava. This is a warm, body heat floral that penetrates deep down to the bone. Flowing through all the bullshit defenses to grab ahold of the heart.

 

I smell a musky, sweet, close-to-the skin floral, and spice -- I'm pretty sure I smell cinnamon. It's strong. It's powerful. It goes right up my nose and enlivens my brain.

 

Needless to say, I wish I had several more bottles of this.

 

The Living Flame is simply stunning.

Edited April 5, 2005 by summer

[pekeana]

Musk, flowers, and sugary-powdery-sweet fruity.

 

The Living Flame is nothing if not floral Sweet Tarts to me.

[gingersnapp]

I don't really get any florals out of this, but I'm still confused about what exactly it is that I'm smelling. It's very warm, but very soft and woodsy.

 

I think that what it most reminds me of is an old edition Scrabble board game that my mother had from her childhood. She kept it stored in her cedar hope chest, and occasionally she and my sister and I would take it out of the chest and play a game on the floor in the sunshine. The smell of the cedar chest had infused itself into the little wooden block letters, and it was just a warm happy time.

[Macha]

In the Bottle: Well, its definitely floral, although damned if I can tell what kind. It smells ever so slightly spicy, not a cinnamon spice, but something just hovering at the edges of it. It nags at me with the hint of recognition. I should know this smell, but I can't put any name or label to it. I'm a city girl though, and sometimes my ability to name floral smells are a bit lacking. It's almost a berry smell. This does, I should add, smell utterly gorgeous. It's not over the an top cloying floral, but soft and creamy and light, and yet, although I would normally associate those qualities with a white floral, this is warm and red.

 

Wet, on skin: It's a little more obviously floral on my skin, with a woodsy undernote and soft musk. And here I start to get a little concerned, because my skin seems to be drinking this up. It doesn't have a lot of throw on me, nor a lot of longevity. The musky undernotes are lovely, but I would like it to last....maybe it's a time of the month thing.

 

Dry, on skin: The Living Flame must have at least some real, honest florals, because when fully dry on me it goes a little soapy. Nothing unpleasant, thank God.

 

Conclusion: This is really beautiful, soothing, warm, gentle, loving. There is nothing hard or cynical about this, nothing wanton or perverted. It is a lovesong in perfume, and I smile whenever I smell this. I suspect this may end up being one to put in the scent locket.

Edited April 5, 2005 by Macha

[wolfie13]

This is a sweet-ish, musky floral on me, leaning more towards the musky side upon dry-down.

 

Not sure on the notes - maybe some lotus? (which is a sweet floral on me). Or perhaps Jasmine and vanilla?

 

It's not spicy on me, it's rather soft and gentle, more pink than red if you will.

 

The undertones remind me a bit of Wolf Moon, actually, (if you were one of the people that got floral from that) but warmer and sweeter.

 

I think if you liked that one, or perhaps Le Serpent Qui Danse or Belle Epoque type of scents, you will like this one.

 

I didn't outright dislike it, but it's just not me - it deserves a better home!

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle, the scent is really light. It's definitely floral, but it did not sting my nose one bit. It had a warm, come hither vibe to it.

 

Wet, this is an incredibly juicy scent. It has those ripe, juicy berries that I get from Queen of Spades, but lighter and more springy. I'm also getting a wonderful bubblegum note. It's not bubblelicious, more like Extra bubble gum flavor (which has a bit of a spicey kick in the background). In the background is a beautiful bed of sorrowful blooms.

 

As it dries, the juicy berry notes stays and is even a bit intensified on my skin. Now, I am definitely getting something like red musk. It might not be the red version but it's definitely not dark or white either. It has good staying power, and hasn't morphed in the last couple of hours.

 

The Living Flame isn't fire, but it's definitely red. It's the burning love you carry around deep in the pit of your being. It's deep, sultry, sexy and very moving. It's giving me chills just sniffing it.

[Witch's Dagger]

The Living Flame

 

Preconceived notions: Red? Okay - I figured dragon's blood for sure, and maybe amber for the "glowing skin". I also figured there'd be some spice for the "Flame" part of the name.

 

In the bottle: Wow - smells a lot like Hunter Moon.

 

On me: This is somehow a mix of Hunter Moon (the very soft spice and mysterious air), Queen of Spades (I'm guessing it has some of those resins that I don't recognize most of the time: oppoponax, etc., as well as perhaps some plum or fig), and La Petite Mort (definitely some amber here). Like the Queen of Spades, this is a very thick and sticky blend, so I'm betting there are a lot of resins in it. But it has this wonderful amber background and a bit of wine/dragon's blood (this particular smell is in Blood Rose and Centzon Totochtin). It does still have that bit of spice, too, but it's nothing overwhelming and could be overlooked.

 

Overall: I love this and wish I had gotten myself a second bottle. Hopefully Dead Man's Hand, when it comes in a month or so (I ordered it March 13) will either be outstanding or swappable for this (i.e. hopefully not all the Living Flame swaps will be over) or I'll regret not getting a second bottle of this instead of that.

 

Excellent! It definitely evokes the image of a "living flame", especially the one in the poem.

 

Edit after reading other reviews: Strange, I didn't get any florals out of this at all. The strongest scent for me is a lovely, light red wine, with a bit of spice. And I do definitely get amber. But people found something floral in La Petite Mort and Queen of Spades, so maybe I just am not able to pick out those flowers.

Edited April 6, 2005 by Witch's Dagger

[Northernminx]

Wow.

 

A little berry fruity in the bottle, this utterly surprised me as I was expecting, by now, a lot of flowery notes.

 

This was warm,a ctually vibrant, glowing warm (I've no other way to describe it) with a faint cherry/berry undertone and lots of...well I don't know. It's frankly so well blended that I can't pick much out note wise. There is a touch of floral but it's rich, spicey warm florals, hot house forced orchids or jasmine. Rich and warm and glowing and decadant. I love this.

[joseybird]

A warm bouquet of spicy red florals...I coudn't detect any berry in this. I'm not a big florals fan, however, and I'm not very good at picking out individual floral notes =/

[Bard]

I had a very different sort of Flame experience with this.

 

On first application, this scent is flambouyant, fruity and fun. If there was a scent called La Cage aux Folles, it could not smell more stereotypically gay than this. After a few hours, the florals come through, As others have said, it's hard to pick out any of the notes though I would guess night-blooming jasmine is among these. The fragrance remains a a mix of fruity and floral for a number of hours afterward.

 

This is a lovely scent, but it's definitely a bit feminine. I expected something spicy, ardent and passionate with this scent, but I don't really get that when I wear it. Or rather, not a masculine ardent and passionate. I'd love to smell this on a lady.

 

The jury's out on whether I'll keep this one. But it will amuse my friend E: she's been pestering me that I need a Bunny Wigglesworth fragrance.

 

The Living Flame Haiku,

"I love her madly,"

he confides, "but not as much

as these fuschia tights."

Edited April 7, 2005 by Bard

[lavinia]

This is quite lovely and reminds me straight out of the bottle of Venom.

When I put it on, I get more of a pink grapefruit note with the florals rather than the lime that Venom has in it.

It is soft and glowing and very beautiful with soft lighter flowers in the blend.

I don't get anything heavy about this except a touch of light musk in there and maybe a resin.

Initially I thought it wasn't for me but now, I am second-guessing myself because I just put more on and it is quite haunting and similar in ways to other Bpal yet very stand-out and remarkable

I am glad I took a chance on this LE...a fruited glowing soft floral...ahhhh!

[harlequin]

Hmm. okay.. I'm sure I'll get a bizzare wtf reaction from this..

 

 

 

It's kind of hard to explain. Definitely a zippy scent.. it's kind of fruity, I realized when I first put it on, but not quite. It's vaguely familiar, but I can't make out what it reminds me of. It is definitely "Red", but without most of the traditional things a red scent might have.

 

Oh! There it is! I just found out what it reminds me of... the deeper/spicy parts vanished for a second

 

This smells like spicy..... wait for it...

 

Fruit Loops.

 

 

Yup.

 

It actually has to be just right for the Fruit Loop thing to be recognizeable, though. most of the time it's complex and well blended and deep and warm, but occasionally, maybe the wind changes or something, and bam. There it'll be for just a second.

 

Nifty. I likes more than I thought I would smelling it in the bottle. There's something I can smell in it in the bottle that my nose doesn't overly like, but it's nowhere to be found on my skin, whatever it is.

[aurianrose]

I love this.

 

It was definitely flowery when I first put it on, but a hint of the musk seemed to come out after awhile. Now, after wearing it all day, I keep getting a hint of the musk and more vanilla. It's a very sensual smelling blend to me. The other thing that I really like is that it's lasting -- I've had it on all day and I keep getting really pleasant whiffs of it.

 

Fantastic!

[FireInCairo]

This is a very powerful scent. Makes me feel like I could kick someone's ass big time whilst wearing this scent. I definately smell resins here..and maybe a bit of patchouli. It's kind of musky.. headshoppy.

[ChupaChup]

The Living Flame - straight out of the bottle I get hit with gardenia, not a good start. The gardenia calms down a bit and then jasmine, another nemesis of mine, arrives. I also get some kind of red fruity smell, like plum or berries (or both). Then the gardenia comes back. Ok, this is definitely not for me, headache city. After about an hour, I can detect some light musk. No resins, spices or vanilla for me. This reminds me a lot of the notes in King of Spades, minus the coconut and vanilla. Oh well, can't win them all .

[pkwench]

The Living Flame

 

Sniff: Oh, wow. Sweet. Sweet with red syrup from an Italian soda. Florals, black, dark cherries, and something that makes me smile-which generally means olfactory deja`vu.

 

Wet: As expected, my skin amps the sweetness on contact. It's candied sweetness and all happy.

 

After 10: Musk, light though, and red fruit-maybe plums, maybe black cherries. There are rich florals too-not roses, but I think there might be a touch o'the sweet pea in here.

 

Impressions: This is is a highly feminine and sweetly sensual blend. It sort of reminds me Pink Sugar's sophisticated, ultra beautiful foreign auntie. This blend knows how to twist its body and swing its hips just so. It's desired, but sweet enough that perhaps there's that last, clinging thread of something innocent. I have the perfect analogy for it in my head, but it wouldn't make sense to anyone but me. LOL

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Something floral, something fruity... something like Venom, also a little like Queen of Spades.

Wearing: I really can't pick out a single note in this one. I'm guessing orchid, jasmine, plum, red musk, and something citrus. I could, however, be completely wrong and not be at all surprised! This is gloriously red in a non-firey way. It stays pretty true on my skin (just like Venom!), and fades a little faster than I would like (also just like Venom).

Final Impressions: I likes it. Oddly enough, i don't like it as much as either QofS or Venom, which are two of my favorites, but I like it well enough in its own right.