Blood Pearl

[jewelbug]

Lustrous, sanguine, soft and lavish: soft orris, blood musk, and coconut.

Imp: Similar note to Florence in this, I must look it up. Mostly, at this point, it's grassy, sweet, and slightly fumy. I don’t really get coconut out of this in the imp.

On, wet: On my skin, the musk darkens almost immediately to make it really sexy. There is something quite earthy, which I guess is the orris. There seems to be a hint of berry/cherry sweetness, too, maybe from dragon's blood? This is a light scent, which is surprising given the strong notes in here. But I really have to put my nose up there to smell it.

Dry: the throw increases significantly. This really reminds me of Florence with fewer berries, and with moresharpness to it. I keep thinking that there is iris in this, though the notes don't actually say so. The coconut is still, unfortunately, AWOL. There is something striking me as floral, as well, kinda powdery, but also a bitter greenness to it.

This lasts for 6+ hrs, and ends in a slightly berry sweet powdery musk. I think in the late dry down I get very fleeting coconut, but I might just be trying to convince myself.

Overall: This is a beautiful blend, slightly sweet, huskily musky, with a hint of powder. I wish that I got more (okay, any) coconut from this. This is quite a nice skin scent, but not my usual kinda love. I might revisit this later; to see if my hormones change to let the coconut through.

edited to add description Edited September 30, 2007 by Shollin

[metaldog32]

I ordered a 5ml of Blood Pearl unsniffed because of how much I had loved Black Pearl. As it was, my sis ended up getting the latter..so I was very excited to try another version of the "pearl" fragrance(s). Also..one of my birthstones is pearl..

 

Oh..and I happen to LOVE coconut..along with dry notes..seeing that orris sometimes run the reputation of being a bit "dry"...sounded like heaven.

 

Initial sniff from bottel: I get the vague familiarity of a type of iris-like note. If I breathe deeply...underneath that iris is a creamy base...sort of reminds me a bit of a touch of coconut but not quite..the creaminess is there..but not the sweetness..it's like a dry creaminess...so at this point..it resembles a bit like Black Pearl...but defintely doesn't smell like suntan lotion or anything like that.

 

 

Applied wet on skin: Interestingly enough..this is all very soft on me..no specific note is leaping at me per se...I get the musk..very much like a skin scent..with the orris keeping the coconut in check. Definitely muted...in fact the coconut really doesn't make a presence on me at all..it kind of just lends a creaminess in the background...I have the orris and blood musk basically in the mix..and that's all.

 

To me this is the more subdued version of Black Pearl. Again..I think the orris keeps this scent a bit more...restrained??? It's a soft, skin-like scent..hovering close on me...

 

A couple minutes drying on skin: Same players..I don't get any type of "blood" note..all I get is the musk and the orris..with that base of creaminess..which I am assuming is the vestige of the supposed coconut...which I don't really register. I still though..do get a floral..still reminds me of iris/violet. A touch of sweetness..nothing foody about it...

 

Drydown: Soft musk..intimate and close...

 

Throw on me is minimal..which I don't mind..and staying power...about 4 hours.

 

Bottom Line: Blood Pearl is a surprise. I think I was expecting a more warmer/coconut version of Black Pearl..but instead I got a touch more softer/dryer version..which actually..I do like. I had hoped that the coconut would have been a bit more prevalent..but I now can say I actually enjoy Blood Pearlas she is...a bit more dry, a bit more restrained. The opening whiff is similar..but once it hits my skin..it diverges from Black Pearl. To me Blood Pearl can almost be seasonless..however I can see myself wearing her in the winter and spring. A very soft skin scent that touches with a wisp of dry and a drop of warmth.

 

As far as coconut goes though...Black Pearlstill reigns supreme for me.

[Meg]

In the bottle: bitingly bitter and spicy musk with coconut, a very woodsy scent.

 

Wet: the musk softens instantly and keeps its spice while losing its bite, phew. There's still a bitter afterscent though. The coconut is still very shy, lingering in the background.

 

Drydown: There's a huge amount of musk here, with a bit of coconut to soften it down. It still smells bitter even when my skin has sweetened it. I can hardly smell the orris, which is weird, because flowers tend to come out first on me. There's a slightly aquatic note to this, reminiscent of a beach on a tropical island, which is probably due to the orris.

 

Overall: A very woody scent. It doesn't sweeten very much, which is very rare on my skin, and it's quite overpowering. It's mostly musk and coconut shells rather than coconut flesh, and on me it smells much too strong. Not me, interesting to try it though.

[zenvodunista]

musky and sweet in turns. This is a beguiling scent. I thought I hated coconut. I may not. I'm going to try this one again and see how much I reach for it. I'm surprised at how much I like this. It's… seductive. Almost vanilla, almost chocolate, almost... almost... kind of like a pearl itself, it shifts and yet the shifting of the color reveals the wholeness of the thing itself. it shifts colors and yet is seamless. wow.

 

i'm especially impressed because i *never* would have ordered this for myself. seriously, i don't really like coconut all that much. when i smell coconut, i often think of overly scented (and slightly rancid) cheap skin lotion.

 

but this is different.

 

its' dark the way Centzon Totochitn and Perversion are dark. but different too.

 

i very well may be picking up 5ml of this in my next order.

 

i'm just so surprised by this! i never would have thought i would like this scent!

 

n.

[AliBabble]

i like the simplicity of this one, and its old-fashioned feeling. i get mostly the dry, spicy/sweetness of powdered orris root. it's rather violet-like. (that's where i get the candyish/old fashioned quality..)

if coconut is mixed in this, it's mixed so well that i can't really notice it - it becomes one with the orris root.

if there is such a thing as "violet musk" (maybe there is? i dunno) - this would be it, to my nose. it feels very pretty - a bit ladylike, but not uptight. seems very wearable, as it's subtle, uplifting and natural-smelling. again, a delicate musky-violet, is how i would describe it.

[melrose]

In imp, and on, wet: Cloyingly sweet.

 

Drydown: Yum - I can't pick out the individual scents, but this smells like slightly sweet straw. I like it.

 

Later: Boo, hiss. It lasted barely 30 minutes, and I put on a lot.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Musk and coconut

 

On Skin: The coconut is strong… I smell suntan lotion right away. Very tropical and vacation like. The musk gives a nice sexy depth and the orris leaves a nice clean note. I’m happy this scent doesn’t smell fakely sweet like most Dragon’s blood scents. I would actually wear this one on vacation or whenever I wanted to pretend I was in Tahiti again.

[urraca]

This is very faint on me. There is a sweetness, a hint of what seems like red musk, and a faint plasticky overtone.

[PeshaRocha]

Simply lovely!

 

But as is so often the case for me, something is making me sneeze, sinuses hurt, etc. Blast my stupid alleriges!

 

Such a perfect balance of warmth, a hint of sweetness, and a touch of earth. Subtly dramatic, something to be worn by an earth faerie to the faerie king's ball.

[silver_springs]

Blood Pearl is my kind of scent. I like musky sweet scents and Blood Pearl fits that bill.

 

It reminds a lot of Blood Amber (another one I love) but much more soft and slightly sweeter. The coconut in Blood Pearl is the dominating note, but that's ok because I like coconut. Underlying it's a woodsy musk. But it compliments well. I'm not crazy about heavy woodsy smells, and this one isn't too heavy at all.

 

It's a really great laid-back kind of scent. Nothing too overpowering or unique about it but it works, it really does.

 

I wish it were stronger but I think this one is worth slathering on. I'll have to get a 5ml eventually.

 

7.5/10

[weaver]

It was a frimp. I would have never ordered it because of coconut and musk notes, and I am also weary of iris. But this one surprised me. This is the first oil containing coconut that I can wear. To my further amazement blood musk I can deal with. Usually musks overpower me. Here I do get musk and coconut, but they are extremely well blended, light and in the background. It seems that I love orris. Blood Pearl is boozy and a little sharp and smooth at the same time, and a bit powdery when dry. It's sultry and sexy and red. I like it quite a lot.

[jazlyn]

Hmm! Blood Pearl is warm, kind of smooth (coconut), kind of rough (the musk and/or orris), and irritating my nose ever so slightly. Once it dries down, it doesn't have much "throw"/quickly disappears on me. Another sniff (the whole scent is vanishing as I type) and I get a faint plasticky smell.

[Bagfish]

I was looking forward to the coconut in Blood Pearl, but unfortunately my major impression of this oil is white flowers and red fruits, neither of which work on me

 

Wet: very sweet and fruity

 

Drydown: the florals appear (must be dragon's blood by the smell of it) and it becomes a mixture of sweet fruits and flowers, and sort of soapy as time goes on.

 

I had to wash this off after about 2 hours as it really didn't suit and was beginning to give me a headache. The final straw was when DH had a sniff and pronounced to to be "old lady"

 

Off to the swap pile with Blood Pearl - now on a coconut mission!

 

B

[perpetua]

I love this blend. Coconut is my favorite smell. Sadly, I dont get any coconut from this, or from black pearl. Instead to me it is more of a sweet nutty vanilla scent, almost a hazelnut scent. It is still so gorgeous and i have not smelled anything else like it.

Something [maybe the red musk] has an ever so slightly fruity smell, like jam or wine. it smells red.

The musk makes it even more delicious. Something comes through that smells like a light, soft violet... but that must actually be the iris that other reviewers are talking about.

The blend in general is very soft and light. Not much throw, not super long lasting... quiet beauty.

Edited February 6, 2006 by lux

[loves_requiem]

Well, unfortunately, I dont think Orris likes me too much at all. It smells sweet in a dry laid back way for a moment...then BAM...its sharp, biting with a ton of throw. Sigh. Freakin' hormones ruining yet another olfactory experience.

 

Swappin'

[bodegaselkie]

Wow.. Blood Pearl is sweet. Way too sweet for my skin! I don't get a coconut scent, just super sweet pink-tinged marshmallowy sweetness, sweeter than Dragon's Milk. After wearing it a little while it fades down and gets more musky, and I like it, but it's quite faint. Blood Pearl is probably not for me.

 

Edited to add: I tried this again today (2/7) and ... wow, my opinion has entirely changed. This time I put it in my cleavage, and rather than staying sweet it immediately morphed into an orris-red musk loveliness with the orris definitely in the foreground. It's slightly powdery, slightly sharp, still a bit sweet and very feminine. I *adore* Blood Pearl, and if it continues to be this beautiful on me I'll definitely be getting a big bottle. Yum.

Edited February 8, 2006 by bodegaselkie

[AlaskaSnows]

This is delicious... I am just wondering why, on me, there is so little throw?

 

Sweet, spicy, musky, floral, tad coconutty. REALLY fun and summery! Not too sweet, just right. A big ole keeper!

[Lizzie]

This smells EXACTLY like Black Pearl to me! For a minute I was confused and thought I had to Black Pearl. But nope, it's Blood Pearl. BPAL Coconut does some horrible things on me sometimes, and this is one of those times! Straight to the swap pile. I'd give it a 2 out of 10 on my skin....just icky, like salty wet cardboard.

[poisonapple]

I got this as a frimp from the Lab...and all I can say is THANK YOU! This has moved up to the top of my next order list.

 

I smelled it in the imp and I could not pick out the coconut right off..it smelled a bit like buttercream. So I was nervous about wearing it. Foody scents and I don't get a long.

 

On My skin...well hello coconut..where did you come from? and then there was a bit of a resin smell. I never got a floral out of this...or my new nose just totally missed it in the spicey coconut heaven it was in.

 

It had a nice throw..but not something that was over powering and the dry down stayed true to my impressions.

 

I truely love this one..not as much as Snake Oil...but this one is so up there.

[storme]

In the imp: coconut and musk and some sort of alcohol scent.

 

On me, wet: whoa that's strong and stale and chemical and rank. Geez, I've never smelled a perfume from BPAL that's so nasty. It smells like it's gone bad now it's on my skin. I can just about catch a whiff of coconut over it all, but on the whole it's just vile.

 

On me, dry: well, it calmed down a bit - but it's still sour and chemical and powdery if I sniff anywhere my wrist. Further away, I can actually smell a really nice coconut scent - I guess that bit of the scent must have a wider throw.

 

Verdict: God, I have no idea what reacted like that - maybe the orris? - but it's made this unwearable. Still, the coconut note I got from further away was really good, so I will look for some other coconutty BPAL scents to try.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is faint sweet cherry. When first on this smells like dragon's blood mixed with violet- sweet, woody and powdery. There might be some vanilla here too. It reminds me of Florence. I really like this- it's warm, sensual and rich. I don't smell the coconut in here but I still love it anyway. I think there's a hint of berry in here too. I've worn the imp of this several times now and this may be a bottle purchase at some point

[TheStormCellar]

This, now, this was gorgeous. It has the subtle scent of dark roasted coconut. It was a little sweet in the vial, but when I put it on, it settled into something delicious and playfully sweet but not overly so. I'm definitely getting a full bottle of this.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Light, sweet and… perfumey. I can’t pin down any of the notes.

 

Wearing: It still just smells “perfumey.” I’m having a hard time with this one. I don’t get any coconut, or any musk, and I’m not entirely sure what orris smells like, but this is purely perfumey.

[the_cat_goddess]

I smell herbally rubber, if that makes any sense.

 

I'm not really good at picking out individual notes. I get a little bit of coconut that disolves into powder.

 

An hour later, it's all baby powder... this one goes in the swap pile : )

Oh, hmmm, just realized that it smells a lot like Black Pearl on the dry down on me.

[bookishgrrl]

Source: Blood Pearl was a fresh imp from the Lab

 

Wet on skin: Orris, ahoy! I can now state with confidence that the note that jumps out at me is definitely a floral orris after comparing to an imp of Dance of Death, which also has orris listed. I don't really get any coconut at all... too bad, 'cause I'm a big coconut fan. Moving on...

 

Initial Dry: Still a perfumey orris. No coconut. A bit of sweet fruitiness underneath it, perhaps? But not a 'fruit' scent. Just, juicy-like. This is a pretty enough scent, but I'm so-so about it on me.

 

About 1 hr in: WOW! I can't stop huffing myself and making everyone smell me. I am exuding a most wonderful scent. Something has bloomed on my skin. Musk? Orris alone = meh. Orris + musk = yowza wowza. Still no coconut, though? Or if there is, it's so well blended I can't pick it out specifically.

 

About 2 hrs. in: Blood Pearl has settled into a very quiet sweet scent. Powdery. When I ask bookishguy to sniff me he concurs: "Hmm. Powdery. But not, like, baby powder. Just... powdery." Again, not offensive, just not enthralled like I was for the middle one-hour window.

 

ETA: Final Verdict: Throw was mild. Lasted a number of hours, though settled into 'end' stages quickly. I don't know? What do you do about something that goes from a 2.5 to a 5 to a 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5)? I mean, that middle flash of greatness is really great, one of the best so far. But is it worth it for the not-bad-but-not-wow-on-me bookend stages? I think I'll finish the imp off and see if I miss it before ordering more.

Edited April 20, 2006 by bookishgrrl