Desire

[Brianne]

The overwhelming agony of passion crystallized into a singularly dark and magnetic blend: bittersweet neroli, black patchouli and black musk, gilded by apple, bergamot, blood red rose, teak, and vanilla.

In the vial:
fruity almond

On me:
I was surprised to note see almond in the notes, I could swear I smelled it when it was wet on my skin.

That changes quickly though and I start to get a strange, powdery and yet somehow sort of sickly sweet scent. I cannot describe it and I have no idea what note - or notes - are doing that on my skin, but it's isn't very pleasant.

The sickly sweetness settles down after a bit but I still have a sort of generally sweet, powdery scent from this that I don't care for. I think I smell some wood in there, which must be the teak - but other than that, I don't really get any of the other notes in particular, which is very strange. I don't usually have any trouble at least getting one or two of them in particular, but this is just sort of a strange combo that went wrong on my skin.

Final note:
I am sure this is just my skin reacting to one or more of the notes in this blend. I don't like it on me, but I'm sure this smells way better on people who get more of the notes!

[filigree_shadow]

The first time I tried this I thought it smelled exactly like baby powder on me. Now I'm trying it again, and although I don't think it smells exactly like baby powder, it sure is powdery. Kind of like an orange-scented powder.

 

I like the orange part but not the powderiness, so I won't be keeping this one.

[moon_lemming]

I really couldn't have told you what was in this oil based on a sniff of the imp. Desire smelled like a sweet musk, which seems contradictory to me. Looking at the note list, it makes sense, though.

 

On me, unfortunately, all those notes that sound like they'd be so good together turn into a mish-mash of sharp-smelling powder. Definitely not for me.

[insanecatposse]

My favorite BPAL scent is Nosferatu, but it isn't exactly a "beautiful" scent. It's just very mood evocative and complex.

Desire, however, is my favorite beautiful scent that I've tried, by far.

 

In the imp: There's fruit and a touch of musk but it's a peppery/ginger that jumps at me and tingles my nose. Interesting.

 

Wet on the skin: The pepper/ginger takes a big step back and this sweet luscious apple blooms. It's not a particulary foody-type apple to me because there is a touch of musk, a touch of neroli, well-behaved bergamot, and oh, vanilllla! But apple rules.

 

Drying down: The scent is complex. I don't detect the rose and the pepper/ginger has faded to just giving body to the scent as a whole. Gorgeous. Not a bit of powder for me, just an achingly beautiful smell.

 

Dry and maturing thru the day: Fortunately, Desire has good staying power on me. It was noticeable without attacking people. I got compliments (which is nice even if you don't particularly judge a scent by others' reactions).

 

Overall: Beautiful! And it seems, to me, to be the scent of desire of love rather than a desire of lust. I have been thinking of ways to get up $$ to buy a big bottle from the first time this touched my skin. I'm desiring this to the point of cussing BPAL for even creating such a potion.

[rockchickie]

Wet: Ewwww. This smells like the perfume bin at a dollar store. It's loud and obnoxious. A brief glimpse of the rose but far too short as the patchouli and musk mix to stink it up.

 

Dry: It's improving. I'm grateful for the rose coming out and I'm not a fan of roses! It's turned soapy quickly but fading fast. 20mins later there's really nothing left except a sharp twinge if I linger too long.

 

Overall: Too bitter for me. Desire's a cougar and I want nothing to do with her.

Edited April 12, 2007 by Chickie

[euterpe414]

On my skin I get a lot of neroli, a hint of vanilla and rose. The darker patchouli and musk seem to form a backdrop for the lighter notes. This is a very lovely, sophisticated scent that at some points in the drydown almost gives off a foody feel. There's not a lot of throw, and while this is a rich scent, it doesn't get cloying, which is good!

 

To my nose, after it has been on my skin a while, this blend reminds me strongly of The Haunted Palace. However it's a touch more heavy and brooding. I would definitely get a bottle, but I already have Haunted Palace for this type of scent. When I run out, however, a bottle of Desire will definitely be snagged

[Browneyes]

Imp: Very sweet neroli, with dark musk and patchouli

Wet: I don't know how to describe this... perfumey, antique, something a mature woman would wear... The black musk has a sweet, perfumey and "nutty" nature on my skin... which I like. I do see how it could go all powdery, I guess black musk has a tendency to do that. I don't really get any teak, vanilla, or rose. Maybe I detect a *hint* of apple, but it's really camouflaged. The bergamot is probably contributing to the sweet citrus aspect of the scent. Hmmm. It definately does have a "madame" twinge to it. But I don't perceive it as cheap-smelling.

Dry: It is a bit more powdery now... I'm trying to think of who might smell like this. Maybe Mata Hari (I haven't tried the BPAL scent by that name, but I imagine she would smell like this on some days ) A kind of mature, seductive, slightly exotic, yet powdery smell.

It's nice enough but I don't think it quite works for me. I generally like black musk, but this may be too much powdery-ness after all. It seems as though my skin devours the patchouli for which I am sad.

[storme]

In the imp: neroli and patchouli and dry wood, very sharp and dusty.

 

On me, wet: neroli, lots and lots of neroli, and a very faint rose tinge. Vaguely sweet.

 

On me, dry: patchouli and dry wood and neroli, like a fire in a hippy shop. Sort of soapy, also.

 

Verdict: Well, at least the apple didn't show up. Swap pile, I think.

[alliekat13]

It's kind of hard for me to be fair when it comes to patchouli scents, because I hate patchoui so much. This scent is very musty and powdery, the rose and the vanilla combine to create a faint sweeness and the musk adds a richness to the scent. The patchouli and woods make it very earthy and dusty smelling, faintly sweet because of the vanilla. I don't smell any apple or other notes, this is predominantly patchouli. This is a wonderful scent for patchouli lovers but on me it just smells like BO.

[gailnilsson]

This scent works very well for me. Wet, it was yucky (a yucky fresh, non-flowery scent - almost like BPAL aloe & lemon combo which smells awful on me) but quickly dried down to a beautiful, warm scent. Nothing at all like the wet stage. It is a combination of Snake Oil, flowers (rose a bit), vanilla, and a bit of sugar (maybe that is the musk). A slightly sweet floral incense...this would fit well in the Carnaval Diabolique collection - it has a Snake Pit aura about it on me.

 

The final dry stage is quite faint and is mostly floral...I love this but am not sure about a big bottle since it doesn't last terribly long, however, most scents fade quickly on me so maybe I will end up with a 5 ml. Decisions, decisions! I won't waste any trying in a locket, though, since the wet stage was so bad.

[Diana]

wet: powdery neroli

 

dry: a dry, nondescript floral; slightly woodsy, a bit of musk. it's nice but a little too soft for my tastes.

[ceiswyn]

In the bottle: The bottle scent is unprepossessing. Its a little like flowers, but dryer, more astringent. The quality of the scent is a little like orange blossom, which I can faintly detect.

 

On the wrist: It sweetens on the wrist; dry or musky perfumes usually do, on me. Oh, yes. Definitely orange blossom, but sweeter, headier. As it dries a very strong, fruity sweetness (must be the combination of apple, rose and vanilla) comes through with a hint of teak. This is becoming really rather nice; an almost oversweet tropical flower fragrance, like distilled sunlight.

 

One hour later: Sweet, very sweet; flowers with the faintest hint of vanilla and apple, growing slightly musky around the edges. Over the next few hours it gradually gets muskier, but remains sweet and pleasant.

[Mixxi]

Smells vauguely like orange blossom and patcholi and something darker and musky in the imp. Wet on my skin I smell soap... and something nice lurking in the background. I hoped this lurky background scent would come forward but as it dryed it just vanished and it left my wrist smelling like soap and baby powder.

May try this one again sometime but for now it really just doesn't work with me.

[Rchll]

Bottle: dark, earthy, smoky. There is certainly patchouli in there.

 

Self wet: the vanilla comes forward a bit and sweetens the earthy smell in a nice way. And there is floral that must be the rose. This really is going all yummy and earthy as it dries. Nicely balance on the sweet end unlike Ravenous (also sweet and earthy) on me. A slight creaminess from the vanilla which is really the star note on my skin, backed up perfectly by the patchouli and musk.

 

Later: Hubby really likes it, says it smells good and does not make his eyes burn. Keeps the smoky vanilla smell pretty long (about four-five hours). This blend makes one feel sexy and sultry.

 

Overall: this has gone on my buy list. It fits well into my preference for blends, with the balance of dark and sweet and earthy.

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

Something like pine or patchouli, with an undertone that's sweet and almost foody.

 

Wet:

Definitely patchouli, and a wood-like note as well, which I assume is the teak. The foody note disappears or blends in pretty quickly, but there is still a tang of something that smells a little like lemon (the neroli mentioned in the description?). After about 10 minutes, the black musk makes an appearance. My skin seems to be having a field day with this fragrance, first amping one note for a while, than another, then another. After a while, I notice that the foody note that I noticed at the beginning seems to be back a bit. This is gorgeously complex on me.

 

Dry:

I can't even begin to describe what this smells like dry, but it's so lovely I can hardly stand it. It's a bit of everything, really. Yet another fragrance that I'm going to need in a full bottle, and soon.

[LadyCrow]

Okay, my skin and I are having a bit of an argument here.

 

I say that, given the black musk, the teak, and especially the patchouli, this ought to be great.

 

My skin says that this was predominantly sweet neroli fresh on, and then set a new BPAL record for going straight to powder. Moreover, I am currently several hours into the drydown, and the pulse point on which I tested Desire smells like nothing so much as... I hate to say this... a teddy bear I got at Hersheypark years ago who came (and still is) scented like "chocolate." (Here, I'm sure the vanilla is the culprit.) With utmost respect to Beth (and, for that matter, Shelldoo), a Hershey's teddy bear does not remind me of desire. It kills me when a patchouli blend doesn't work for me, but this one is off to swaps.

[robozwil]

Oh my Desire - you were my first, you are my favorite, I love you so

 

At first sniff, this scent in the bottle is like Lemon Pledge. Who would have thought this complex little concoction would morph into something so wonderful

The fruit blends come out first on me but when dry the musk, vanilla and bergamot have melded into the sweet warm comforting scent that reminds me of curling up in a blanket in front of the fire with someone you really want to be with. I hope to never be without this blend

[Morrea]

This was a frimp the lab threw in with my first order (they're so generous!). Out of the imp, the first thing that came to mind was Tinkerbell cologne - the kind that was sold to little girls in the eighties, in the straight-sided bottle. It smells just like it. Not the perfume, mind you, but the cologne.

 

At first, Desire was intensely, cloyingly citrus-floral and sickly-sweet, which I assume was due to the neroli. As it dried, the apple came out to play, and it became more soft-sweet. Eventually I got the vanilla and musk, but I couldn't smell any patchouli or rose at any time. Too bad, I like those far better than neroli.

 

This isn't bad, once the initial floral wave subsides, but it is very soft and very feminine (read: not very me). Oh well, at least it was free, and I know to avoid neroli now.

[funkmoppet]

Ahhhhhh Desire.

 

Straight onto my skin, this is gorgeously blended neroli, black musk and patchouli. The neroli is very well behaved and never so much as threatens to overpower the other notes (like it can do on me). This is sensual and lovely, oozing with warmth.

 

There's a hint of the vanilla as it dries down, but it's quite fleeting. The rose also behaves as just a very faint compliment, and the bergamot is barely there. When dry, its back to the warm, subdued trio of neroli, musk and patchouli - gorgeous and dreamy.

 

So nice! I'll definitely use the imp, and it may be a bottle purchase in the future.

[CrazyPretzel]

In the imp: sweet tang of neroli blended with deeper, darker notes: patchouli and black musk.

 

Wet on me: Delicious. A well-rounded neroli that isn't at all sharp or powdery. Tricky to pick out the other notes, but I get an overall impression of thick, languid sweetness. This is pretty intense but beautiful. I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

 

After five minutes: Vanilla and apple come out but merely as complements to the neroli and musk -- neroli really is the star of this blend. Thank god the wood isn't coming out too strongly.

 

Drydown: Man, this is SO hard to describe. The neroli's backed down a little now, and I can smell the vanilla more strongly and a tiny touch of rose. Black musk adds a hint of something like -- well, like sweat, for lack of a better word, but it's not remotely bad; makes the whole blend really unmistakably sexy (i.e. this is NOT one to wear to a parent-teacher conference!) There's a bit of spicy apple as well.

 

This is amazing.

 

ETA: So cool! Well into the drydown, this turns into an incredible spicy apple blend! It's morphed big time but I love BOTH phases: the sexy vanilla-neroli, and the autumnal apple cider goodness.

Edited August 24, 2007 by Baitu

[jaeyne]

In the imp and wet I get neroli and bergamot with something a little dark. Dry close up I get vanilla and maybe a little musk, reminds me of Snake Oil, but whiffs that I get from moving around still contain the neroli. I flove this.

[MaidenGenevive]

Desire

 

How layered and complicated. The apple is tart, the neroli bitter, the teak and vanilla warm and sweet. The florals make it energetic, and the musk doesn't appear until after it has dried and worn a bit. At which point it's comforting. At first my nose didn't know what to think, it's quite unique in all it's blends. It's interesting how they work together. Also, what's more, some times I get the surprising throw of coconut oil, like sunbathers use; although, when I'm smelling it against my wrist, I don't get that at all. It's so much more complicated.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

4 / 5 : This is really nice.

[milkfree]

Desire smells exactly like looking into the eyes of someone you are in love with.

 

it is heavy, low, sweet, and soft. when I put it on i want to inhale it continuously and just not stop breathing. none of the other imps i've tried do that to me, even though i like them better than I like Desire.

 

i think it's a rather personal and intimate feeling, though, and I wouldn't want to wear it as a scent. but I'm really amazed at the lab for being able to bottle this kind of feeling. .___. Thank you, Lab

[taramarie]

On me, Desire smells like dragon's blood (plumeria on my skin) and patchouli. It's nice but it's really light on me. I'm hoping aging will make it stronger.

[Gwydion]

The apple and rose are the weakest notes, I think. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It really grew on me and reminds me of a more complex Snake Oil.