Inferno

[Seismogenic]

The Dark Side of Fire: cinnamon, bitter almond, and neroli. Heavily spiced, torrid, and possibly conflagrant.

This was a Lab frimp, and it had some pretty amazing timing. I gave septima_pica a ride to May Will Call, and on the ride over, we were discussing how On Fire would be an amazing Halloween costume. And then, BANG, the Lab frimps me some Inferno! Bwahahaha.

In the imp: Sharp cinnamon, something that is probably vetiver, and something else that's almost sour.

Wet on skin: Mostly sharp cinnamon, perhaps a little bit sweetened. I am now no longer sure there is vetiver, and whatever was sour isn't anymore.

Drydown: Freshly dry, this is hot sweet cinnamon and very little else. It's rather like I rubbed Atomic Fireball candy on my wrists. At one hour in, it's still cinnamony with little else, though the sweetness is starting to gain ground on the heat.

Five hours later: Gone.

End of the day: Still gone.

Overall: This is all about the cinnamon candy on me. I didn't pick up on the bitter almond or neroli at all. All cinnamon, all the time - for values of "all the time" that equal "about two hours." I do like the smell of cinnamon, though perhaps not as much in this sweet-hot candy sense as in the actual tree bark sense. I think I'll hold on to the imp, though, in case there is a need to be On Fire. Edited May 17, 2009 by Seismogenic

[bubblefish]

All I get is cinnamon. Slightly sweetened, brilliant cinnamon. This is the only cinnamon blend though that does cause a faint bit of skin irritation when initially applied to my wrists, which is a shame because it's probably my favorite cinnamon blend. But on the other hand, the reaction isn't that bad...

[cleske]

For the first minute or two this was straight up almond, then it morphed very sneakily into cinnamon. After the initial cinnamon WOW punch in the nasal cavities, it settled into an interesting almond/cinnamon combo (I didn't get any neroli, but that might be a time/chemistry issue). After about ten minutes I did get a bit of irritation, and I'm quite glad I only test imps with a little dab on my wrists. This might be one to test in a scent locket (...when I eventually get one!)

[RachelElizabeth]

I got this as a freebie in my last order (thank you!) and I couldn't wait to try it, since it was on my list anyway.

 

As soon as I put it on (neck, cleavage and wrists), my neck and cleavage came out all red and started burning like crazy - I had to wash them off . No problem on my wrists though, so the scent wound up lighter than I would have liked.

 

At first, it was all cinnamon - like slathering myself in melted Red Hots. I never really got the almond... when I got to the dry-down, I had vanilla and neroli, and just a hint of the cinnamon left, and it was delicious. I've been sniffing my wrists all afternoon! It's very faint, but it's still there - I'll have to do a heavier application next time to make up for only having one available pulse point.

 

Overall, as awful as this was at first, I wound up positively loving it. It bumped Eclipse off of my must-order-5ml list.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Cherry? Weird. Then a wave of cinnamon sears my nostrils.

 

Wet: Shoo, I suppose this is the neroli – unfortunately it smells rather rotten. Like a citrus explosion that is way too thick for its own good, combined with everything else. I normally like spicy scents but I seem to be having bad luck lately with my skin making everything uckily sweet. I don’t smell any almond, which is probably good because I can’t even imagine what the bitterness would mutate the already funky cinnamon candy feel into. I don’t know what I was thinking getting this, I guess I imagined it wouldn’t be so one-note.

 

Dry: Oddly enough, despite the fact I have sensitive skin, this didn’t inflame much. Probably because I didn’t apply a lot, though there’s a small, circular rash-like area on my arm now. Everyone is mentioning Red Hots and that’s pretty accurate. Yes, cinnamon is spicy, but to me it does not embody fire or the strength of the element. This is sugary and opens up your sinuses, but that’s about it. Maybe if this was paired with something else to deepen the scent I would like it more, but I’d still feel highly hesitant because of how cough syrup-y it is.

 

Verdict: So very wrong for me! Another scent to hand off to someone who either appreciates sweetness, or is addicted to cinnamon.

 

Rating:1/5

 

[topazphoenix]

I like this one! Wet it's a blast of almond, which I love, but almond never seems to last ...and then it dries down to a lovely intense cinnamon. In Chimera and Bengal the cinnamon was watered down and colorless, but the cinnamon of Inferno is red hot and spicy. Yum.

[Venneh]

The warning on this makes me edgy. My skin's kinda sensitive, as whatever was in Mircalla proved, and I'm kind of worried about what might happen with this. In the frimp, I gt almond with a hint of cinnamon. Light application for fear of warning. On me, it's an almondy-cinnamon, a pretty tasty scent, that turns into cinnamon hot candy on my skin. No redness/itching, so that's a good sign.

 

This is a solid scent, but, honestly, with how light I'm going to have to apply this (applied a bit heavier on one arm, and it's stinging a bit and getting red), staying as an imp.

Edited October 13, 2009 by Venneh

[Hyenajoe]

Holy cats! No joke, this is a cinnamon BOMB! Lucky for me I like cinnamon. When I put it on, the I did get the burning hot feeling, but no redness or itching. The hotness went away though, after a while. A keeper for sure.

[aquazoo]

Cinnamon cherry. Maybe it's the almond smelling like cherry, but that's what I get. Serious Red Hots. And then it is entirely the cinnamon candy.

[DeltaCat]

Cinnamon and almond! This is nice! The spicy kick of cinnamon is mellowed out a bit by the creamy sweet almond. This dries down nicely and has a great throw. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

[animalcule]

imp: almond and cinnamon

 

wet: Red Hots with orange, I like it!

 

dry: just Red Hots.

 

 

I didn't get a rash or burn, but I did get a tingling sensation! I don't think I will use this as perfume, but will keep the imp and use it for other things...

[SophieCedar]

Coffee jitters produced an imp accident with this one. Now my livingroom smells strongly of cinnamon and bitter almond and I'm left with a quarter of an imp . Smells nice but I'm not digging the cinnamon in this one. A bit too red and bitter. I'd rather stick with Chimera but I'll keep this one around...

[Aevie]

In the imp bottle, it smelled predominantly of cinnamon with a little twinge of almond. I put it on my wrist, and immediately my skin started to feel warm, but it never burned. It felt nice! But now I smell exactly like Red Hot candy. I love cinnamon, but this one is just a little too straightforward for me, I think.

 

It's only been an hour, though. If it changes, I'll update later.

 

EDIT: After two hours, the cinnamon died down and mingled beautifully with the almond. While it's faint now, a good 10 hours later, it's still there. I'm totally loving this scent now!

Edited September 11, 2010 by Aevie

[lejlkwiet]

I tend to have sensitive skin so I was afraid this one would burn me, however I was lucky and didn't have any trouble with it.

 

Inferno wasn't really what I expected from the description - I'm not very good at picking up notes from the bottle but on me it was an immediate blend of cinnamon, orange water and almond. None of the notes really overpowered the others, it's just a very spicy and extremely fragrant whole. A bit strong for me to wear too often but I think I'll be getting another imp of it at least because it's quite yummy and fades down beautifully.

[Ella LaRose]

blech! gak! This was soo strong!! even after I washed it off with dish soap it stayed overpowering! way too strong for me!

[milo]

At first, this is yummy strong almond with a touch of spice. Soon, though, it is all about the cinnamon, and nothing much else on me. There's an annoying dusty vibe going on here with this otherwise lovely blend that sometimes happens with some bpals. I think this is 'OK', but won't be seeking out any more of this. The cinnamon reminds me of Big Red, it smells just like it, and the dusty vibe is just too weird for me.

[Honey]

Also one of my first oils.. and one that really scarred me a little (literally). So damn hot, it actually burned my skin! People - watch out with that one!

 

 

Bottle: Yummy! A huge waft of marzpian-y almonds, a good dash of cinnamon and the bitter sweetness of oranges (neroli) hitting my nose.

 

Wet: Marzipan and cinnamon. Very much like.. well, marzipan.

 

Dry: Marzipan and cinnamon (like the one in Mentos or Big Red chewing gum). Very, very sweet and warm. Have to use it sparsely though since my skin actually reacted badly to it. I am not allergic to any of the ingredients (I was tested on almonds and cinnamon a while ago), but the warming effect of the cinnamon in this one is responsible for the redness of my skin I think. I am sensitive, and I have had a similar reaction to a cinnamon massage oil before (that I even bought because I wanted to heat up my skin and improve circulation). So, hmm.. while I like cinnamon, this combination is too sweet and a bit boring with only 3 noticeable ingredients.

[DeCuvieri]

I don't know if it's me or maybe the imp I got was wonky, but Inferno was not strong on my skin at all. The almond lasted maybe fifteen minutes before it went powdery, and all I got from the dry down after a half hour was the fainting dusting of cinnamon that you could only smell if you buried your nose in my neck. I'm giving this one the side-eye and tossing it in the swaps since I already have a cinnamon blend that works.

[rhubarb3point14]

I smelled a lovely burst of almond and orangey neroli when I first applied this, and then it settled down into smelling like Red Hots. Over the course of the day, it went from strong Red Hots to mild Red Hots.

 

I can't decide whether to keep this or not. It's pleasant, but is there any reason to wear cinnamon candy?

 

I don't get any burning or other skin reaction from this. I guess I have tough skin.

[coldandsleepy]

This is so straightforward to my nose: bitter almond oil and nice spicy (not sugary or sweet) cinnamon.

 

When I first applied, it smelled distinctly like SWEET almond oil, but now it's morphed. I love almond in any form and so I'm happy with both. And it's nice to have a cinnamon smell where the cinnamon doesn't smell like a cookie, if you know what I mean. Though I gather it does smell quite sweet on some other people.

 

Neroli is sort of a scent blind spot for me. I don't smell it here but then I often don't notice it in scents...

 

This is really a nice simple blend. If you like it, I'd suggest you look into All Night Long, which has a similar vibe.

[jensdays]

I'm another one who found this one seriously HOT. First time I've had a skin reaction to an oil. Luckily it was pretty mild and faded after about half an hour. As for the scent? Pure Red Hots. I spent the whole day smelling like cinnamon candy. Which isn't a bad thing, if that's what you're going for. Unfortunately, it's not what I was hoping for. I like cinnamon based scents and was hoping for a rich, firey one. Instead I got candy.

[captnklaus]

I got Infereno as a frimp with my first BPAL order and while I was expecting something a lot hotter, I still really like the smell of this one, both in the bottle and on my skin.

As others have said, its very Red Hot Candy. It went from almost too sweet to a warmer, spicier cinnamon candy smell on me. I don't get much almond from this one though.

Unfortunately, my usually non-sensitive skin had a reaction to Inferno, which saddened me. It didn't itch or burn, but the red marks were a little unsightly. I will either have to pass this one on or save it for days I'm either wearing long sleeves or have my hair down to cover my neck, haha.

[GoddessChaos]

Frimp from the Lab, which was lovely as I so wanted to try this. In the imp it's pretty indistinguishable from Eclipse. On, it's sweeter, with the neroli preventing it from being as foody as Eclipse is. Sadly, on drydown the almond and neroli fade out almost completely, and I'm left with cinnamon gum or red-hots. Plus a nice red patch where I applied the oil, which Eclipse didn't do. They're very similar at first, but I think Eclipse wins this one.

[AmethystDahlia]

In Bottle: Very sweet and cinnamony. Reminds me of Red Hot candies, like others have said, but for me it's a good thing.

 

On Skin: Still smells like Red Hots, but I think I'm getting more of the other notes now too.

 

Dry-Down: Unfortunately a few minutes in, my wrist is starting to itch a bit and there's a red mark, so I had to wash it off. I tried this on once before and didn't have any issues with it, but it looks like my skin may be too sensitive for this one after all. Which is a shame because I really do enjoy the scent.

 

My friend captnklaus gave me a bunch of samples to try, including this one because she also had trouble with the cinnamon note. Looks like I might have to give it up too, unless I can use it for a scent locket.

Edited May 28, 2012 by AmethystDahlia

[Gateau]

I loved the early phase of this--sweet almond and spicy cinnamon, with neroli creaminess, like Eclipse but wilder. Then it went all cinnamon candy on me and lost that almond. Within minutes I got the red, itchy, burning irritation that so many others described. This is the only cinnamon sensitivity I've ever had. It really is a strong one, no joke.