Bed of Nails

[blood*rose*flowers]

Sharp, shining, metallic: rubbed iron with a dry wooden base.

In the bottle: Wow this is an odd one but not how I expected it seems to have ecualuptus, cinnamon and possibly dragons blood or something sweet at the back. But the menthol of the ecualuptus is the first thing you get with the sweet next and spice last.

On wet: If this is nails I only see clean and shiny ones. The ecualuptus has fallen to the back pushing up that slight sweet and spice. But this is no ordinary sweet and spice scent this is also very crisp and again slightly (very slightly) menthol. This scent is light and clean on me.

Drydown: This is getting more aquatic now very crisp and clean, with that slightly interesting twist to the back. I still don't get a metalic scent but it does remind me of sharp objects and could picture the shininess of the metal. I also don't see any wood in this.

Overall: This is an interesting I am getting a smidge of vanilla, spice and that green scent. I think its a very complicated scent, that should twist so many ways for so many.

But was a little weirded out when at one point in the dry down my SO sniffed it and said it smelt like Eternity for men and was a little scared that I also could see the smidge of colonge it had at that point. But that never stayed long.

[kmasden]

Bed of Nails wasn't my favorite scent, though not at all unpleasant, just didn't bowl me over like some of the others, so I will keep the review short.

 

I really felt like I couldn't identify anything in bed of nails. What I can say is that it was a bit pungent, in the way that alcohol is, yet it wasn't at all unpleasant.

 

One of the most fantastic thing I've noticed about the CN line, is that when i am smelling the scents and reading the descriptions, they really, really represent what Beth (or whoever wrote them :-) said they did. More so than many scents.

 

Bed of Nails is no different. For those that like an aquatic or ozone type scent, this is probably a must try. Unfortunately they don't agree with me as I'm more of a snake oily type of gal.

[ipb]

on the dry down, it somewhat reminds me of kingsport. alas, i am not a fan of kingsport, and not a fan of bed of nails.

 

it's very aquatic and ozoney, and the wood didn't really speak out on me either. what did speak out was a big ol I AM MAN I AM MAN *chest thump* so i wouldn't be surprised to see the men of the forum liking this.

[Hallows_Eve]

In the bottle: Smells how some of my back teeth (with the fillings) taste when it goes near metal. Or metallic well water. I know you know what I mean...

 

On me wet: Smells a bit like my husbands body wash. This is the ozone note mainly but its ozone-cologne-soap in the rain instead of ozone on dirt and concrete right before the downpour, which was actually was I was hoping for more.

 

On me dry: I dont get dry wood at all. I get freshly chopped living young wood, almost ferny, I havent smelled anything metal since it was in the bottle. Still comes off slightly soapy.

 

On my husband dry: It meshes well with his deodarant and body wash. Nothing really distinguishes it from that. A sort of clean top off to complete the routine. He likes it a lot, I'm okay with it- just no mystery or fantasy to go with it.

 

I like living wood smells but in a way BoN is too masculine for me, the one who has no qualms about sharing my hubby's oils. I guess its the distinction between perfume and cologne, and I get mainly the latter.

[Northernminx]

In the bottle: Almost citrusy, ozone and sharp. Hrm. An aquatic ::eyes the bottle specutively::

 

On me, this is...well aquatic. More cool dark water than metal on my skin, I get a bit of eucalyptus, a touch of metal, and thankfully this never goes that soft powdery sneezy sort of aquatic on me. It does soften as it goes but I never managed to get any wood scent out of this which was a little sad.

 

Later drydown: There's an old nail on my wrist. ...

wha? The metallic bits do come out in the end for a while, with just a touch of wood, but sadly it hops from that right into powdery. With the right chemistry it seems that this could be spectacularly intriguining but it never quite worked out for me.

[Lycanthrope]

I was fortunate, through the generosity of a forumite, to get ahold of an imp of Bed of Nails, hence breaking me into the world of Carnaval Noir. Many thanks to you, you know who you are So, down to business.

 

In the imp, I immediately get a big whiff of a sweetly citrus, grapefruit like aroma with something grassy or woody anchoring it. The reviewer that mentioned bright, shiny nails is right on - this aroma brings to mind cold bright light (not fire!) glinting off of new, metal spikes. Wet on skin, it's still mostly grapefruit and citrus, but as it dries it starts to adopt a sweet, lightly minty aroma similar to Incantation. It's a fresh, basil-herb aroma that sweetens and becomes lightly powdery over time. So far, Bed of Nails is a bright, but cold fragrance to me. Over time, I get a hint of something metallic (how does she do that?) layered over dry, dry and subtle woods and herbs. Over an hour or so, it stays subtly on my skin a definitely cool, gray-green scent.

 

As much as this is a very unique shapechanging scent (from brightness, to herbal freshness, to slightly tangy woods), it's not something I envision needing a bottle of. I will definitely enjoy the imp!

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Hmm. Aqueous, almost spicy with the ozone, more of a mens cologne type of scent.

 

On

It's kind of citrus (orange) now. It's one of those ozone-y water blends such as Sea of Glass etc except this has more. I can see how it would be clean and fresh and sort of steely smelling to some.

 

30 minutes

It dries down more powdery on me and it's quite nice. It's something similar to "Dublin". Smells sort of as if you mixed Dublin with Sea of Glass. Okay, here comes the minty kind of smell. Ooh that's nice. The mint is very very subtle.

 

Throw:

A bit more than usual.

 

Scent category:

Aqua/Citrus?

 

Summary

It smells like the description. It's clean and fresh to smell, especially when it starts to dry.

 

Purchase again?

Dunno. It's nice and I'll cherish this bottle. I probably would. I think it's one of the top "aqueous" blends.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[sheepzeit]

Hrm. Wow, I liked the imagery of "Bed of Nails" when the CN line was released, but I was certainly not expected this one to be the aquatic! I thought House of Mirrors was going to be aquatic!

 

This is very much 100% ozone and water to me. It doesn't change much on my skin and I am wishing I smelled some of the eucalyptus or citrus that some people have experienced, but not I. Although I am not terribly familiar with name-brand men's cologne I do see how this can be Eternity for Men.

 

Unfortunately this is a little too masculine and aquatic for me.

[Little Bird]

I was so excited to try Bed of Nails based on the description... but this has been a sadly disappointing blend on me. It never really reminds me of anything metallic or woodsy. It does remind me a bit of Kingsport or R'lyeh, as others have said. A sort of salty aquatic and ozone blend with a splash of dark/bitter citrus. In the drydown I also think that it turns a bit minty... but still nothing metallic and definitely no woods.

 

I'm going to try this out on my boyfriend, but it's definitely not going to be one that I wear frequently.

[sophia_helix]

This is another one I figured would work well on my husband, so we did parallel reviews.

 

In the bottle:

 

Surprisingly citrusy, more like orange or grapefruit than lemon, with something more resiny in the background.

 

Wet on me:

 

Wow, a very CLEAN citrus. I haven't been able to try Kingsport yet, though I've been dying to, but this is definitely my sort of ozone-clean scent. Not quite sure about the citrus, though, since that's almost hauling it into cleaning product-esque. No metallic scent.

 

Wet on him:

 

Still the orange, but no clean. The resin notes are stronger. No metallic on him either, which is strange considering Tintagel was all about metal when it was wet on him.

 

My drydown:

 

Within about fifteen minutes, the super-clean stage was over, sadly. Instead I got a serious wood scent for about five minutes (and I mean, wood like smelling fresh-cut planks), and then it morphed down into an indefinably spicy, woody men's-cologne scent.

 

WTF is up with me and CN scents turning into cologne on me? I don't know if it's the notes I pick or what, but every time I end up sniffing my wrist and thinking "I'd totally do me if I were a man."

 

His drydown:

 

He ended up with cologne too, thank god, although his was different. Where I got a warm, orange-smelling cologne, he got something with more spice and resin. I wasn't actually all that wild about it (it was nice, but not the best scent ever on him -- Dublin's pine was nicer), but he insisted he loved it, it smelled like his dad's European cologne, and he wants a bottle.

 

Well, after alll the money I've spent imp-swapping in the last few months, who am I to deny his first request for his own BPAL? We're going to split a bottle of Dublin, and it looks like I'll have to pick up Bed of Nails for him too. I guess the couple that smells good together, stays together?

Edited August 14, 2005 by sophia_helix

[Sistinas]

a review of Bed of Nails

 

Vial ~ In the bottle it is very aquatic/ozoney. I wonder if there is some

aloe in this.

 

Wet ~ On me it is salty, almost reminscent of Tears, but there is something

more to it that I cannot pin down.

 

Drying ~ I think as it dries one of the notes I am picking up on is a trace

of lime. I am not picking up any wooden notes.

 

Dry ~ Dry on my wrists, and I have yet to still pick up an sort of metallic

scent. But it is definitely salty and the lime is gone.

 

Fade ~ It seems to be lasting quite long, but the throw is not very strong.

 

Final thoughts ~ So far, it is pretty nice, I loved tears and have missed

it's departure. It will be good for a summer day or even during the winter.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 4.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Sistinas

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I was a weird kid (I grew up to be a weird adult, too, but that's not the point) and I used to love to lick metal, especially coins and keys and nails. I loved the metallic taste and the way it made my tongue tingle and the way it was like nothing else I'd ever tasted, so when Bed of Nails was released, I jumped at the chance to own a true metal scent because the smell of metal (and ozone) reminds me of the taste of all the metal trinkets I used to lick when I was little. I figure if anyone can bottle the smell of metal, Beth can.

 

First sniff:

 

Slightly sweet ozone, like the air during a thunderstorm. It's the first thing that comes to mind when I smell this because I associate the electric tang of ozone with the taste (and smell) of metal. This is extremely clean smelling - almost like a hybrid of dryer sheets, thunderstorm air and raw metal. I expected something sharper and more biting, but this is gorgeous anyway.

 

Wet on skin:

 

There's that harsh, sharp metal edge I was dreaming of. Bed of Nails smells just like an old watering can I used to play with when I was very small - like worn metal, sharp and biting and clean in a way that only metal can be. This is everything I'd hoped for in this scent. I can practically taste the metallic tang of Bed of Nails it's so realistic.

 

Dry down:

 

Sharp, intense metal with a very faint touch of worn wood. Bed of Nails is evocative and dangerous but compelling smelling; almost hypnotic in its draw towards danger. It's clean in a less-than-homey way that hints at cold steel and dangerous edges. But, at the same time, it's immensly comforting to me, reminding me, as it does, of my childhood and of the inexplicable pleasure of the metallic tang of a purloined nail held under my tongue or a penny sucked like a piece of hard candy.

 

The bottom line:

 

An unusual scent for an unusual girl. Bed of Nails is everything I'd hoped for and more. I'm going to need more of this.

[empi girl]

Intense Ozone. On me, it is very sharp, faintly citrusy, and very cologne-like. There is something in the ozone note that affects my head, and I don't like it, unfortunately.

 

I was hoping to get some of the wood notes, or saltiness, or resin, but no. It stays the same from start to drydown, and has good staying power. Eventually the sharpness became too much for me and I had to rinse it off (it took 3 tries).

 

If I liked ozone scents, I think I would like this a lot. But it is not for me.

[Astburygrrl]

Ok, this was tested only on my bf so far..

 

In the bottle: sharp citrus/metallic tang..very cologne smelling indeed

 

On his skin: (his neck and chest ) Mmmm..its very metal-ly still w/ some deep aquatic aroma rising to the surface now..i can still detect a lil citrus..like lime..?

 

Afterhours: This has dried down to a soft herbal/woodsy base..its very nice and it is now tucked into his cologne stash I'm happy he likes it so much cuz he's really darn picky about his sniffy stash heh

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: It reminds me of aloe. Aloe and some wood. This has a pretty silver sense to it, but then aloe has also struck me as being a little metallic like in its essence.

 

Wet: This is more wood when it hits my skin, which could be a bad thing as a lot of the wood notes are things I'm allergic to. It does retain the metal smell, though, which is less like aloe the more I sniff it but they do seem to be somewhat related. This is like smelling one of the Zen candles that's supposed to be the metal element. It's not a bad smell at all. In fact, it's rather pretty, but I'm not sure it's something I'm going to be wearing very often if at all. I'm not usually a wood scent person, but I like the mixture between the wood and the metal. The metal smell is very strong and clear and clean. I've got a bit of a thing for clean smells.

 

Dry down: This does have an aquatic/ozone sense to it, but it's not as strong an ozone as some and it's not as aquatic as others. I don't get the fabric softener smell from this that most aquatics morph into on me. There's a bit of citrus in the background that I can now pick out from reading the reviews. So it's starting to remind me of some kind of cleaning fluid. One of those citrus ones that takes everything off. This does have a very water water smell to me. Not the more ozone water smell I get in some scents but a clean water smell. The wood acts as a nice background note to the rest of it, though.

 

Dry: On me this is more wood with some clean, citrus, aquatic notes mixed in with it. But a lot of wood. Thankfully not one that I'm allergic to, though. The longer I wear it, the more it smells like wood and less like the aquatic water scent that I liked about it to begin with. I'm torn on this one. I don't know whether I want a bottle of it or not. Because it's not, but it's not what I expected. It seems like a scent that I should give to the boy, but I'm also intrigued by just the clean of it. It reminds me of the snow notes in some of the Yule blends. This reminds me of candles and cleaning and soap and woods. I'm just so very torn about it.

[shelldoo]

ok so in the bottle is a masculine men's cologne, not bad a tid ozoney

 

 

wet: umm yeah ozone.

 

dry: no "cologne" scent anymore, it is all ozone, a hint of something fresh airish, possibly some sort of floral, but not one i can put my finger on

 

 

 

this is definitely for someone who loves fresh, clean, scents.

[sarada]

Incidentally, Penance's review really captures this well!

 

My initial reaction was that this was one of the cologney scents that don't suit me, which I figured might be the case but just couldn't resist ordering it anyway. And yes it does have a lot of that aftershave/cologne/ozone scent that just doesn't seem to work with my incense-lovin' skin.

 

But I was testing this at work today, when I had my window open to enjoy the rain outside. I love that summer afternoon rain. It's just warm enough out that the sidewalk and the tops of cars start to steam and that wonderful mixture of damp ozone and greenery from the woods and park that surround my office compel me to throw open all the windows (safety be damned! i don't care if the computers get wet!) and keep the lights off and just inhale that scent. And I realized that Bed of Nails really mirrored that scent for me, as I alternated between sniffing my arms and sniffing the window (god, they must think I'm on drugs).

 

It's a slightly green, succulent ozone -- damp wood, the hissing mist that rises from the asphault when a torrential summer downpour unexpectedly splits the afternoon sky.

 

The cologney impression I got made me initially think I'd swap it but then when I found out my mom would be willing to get me the thing I wanted to swap for I decided to take it off the block for now. I'm not sure how much I'll wear it but I like to have some rainy scents around and I haven't really been able to find the right one yet. This might fulfill that need, since it really captures the hot green mist of a summer thunderstorm to me.

[arabella]

First Impression: Whoa!! This is metal, so bright it hurts my eyes, with pure, clean water flowing over it.

 

Dries down to: An aquatic metal. I never got any wood at all. The mental image I get is of someone sticking their tongue to a new, metal pole in the freezing cold of winter and then hoping the bright sunlight melts the ice enough to free their tongue.

 

Additional Comments: This is one more for the "enabling gallery" - it really showcases another aspect of Beth's amazing range.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[Splendid Molerat]

Fiddle-head ferns, ever so briefly.

 

Bed of Nails is aquatic/metallic, more metal cool than icy cold. A bit of woodsy-dark in the background.

 

The nails in the board are rusting, but the tips are gleaming sharp and shining, kept so by an orphan boy retained for just that task.

[Krista]

Everyone else can describe this scent so much better than I can. I do want to say that it strongly reminds me of CKone. It's very similar. I like this, but it's too masculine for me.

[gingersnapp]

I'm getting a masculine vibe off of this blend, but it's not so unbearable that I'm not enjoying wearing it. It's very warm woods, kind of dusty. I swear you can almost close your eyes and see the rough hewn slab in front of you. The nails are there too, but not much more than a sharp metallic tinge in the background, a little bit of ozone on top of all that rich woody goodness.

 

I am very impressed. I did not expect to like this blend, but I am finding that I like it quite a bit!

[Em-]

Bed of Nails came off as very ozone/aquatic to my nose and skin chemistry.

 

My nose and skin tend to turn ozone and aquatic scents into very strong cologne scents (think commercial men's colognes).

 

Ergo, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what this smelled like to me. Not my thing, alas.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - in the bottle this smells quite good, although I really can't name any notes. It's very refreshing..eucalyptus perhaps.

 

Dry - I can barely smell anything at all on my skin, and what I can smell is somewhat unpleasant. There is something metallic smelling, but it's a metallic tinged by decay. I wash it off, but some of it still clings to me...putridness. Yeah, this one's definitely not for me!

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 1.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Citrus and eucalyptus in the bottle. Very nice.

 

Wearing: There's that metal! This is the scent of a barrel of brand new shiny nails, the scent of your hands after you run them through that barrel, letting the nails clink together in a metallic rainshower, leaving your hands slightly greasy and covered with tiny prickles of blood. This is the scent that feels like the tast of a new filling in your teeth - not the new fancy composite fillings, but the old mercury amalgam... you know, the tang of metal and blood that linger after your office visit.

 

Final Impressions: I didn't get any wood scent at all from this - it was all metal. Very cool and interesting, but with an element of pain that makes it less enjoyable. I'll give it to the man, perhaps he won't mind the edge.

[sookster]

this is most def a masculine scent....very woodsy and clean smelling....

 

not for me as it is just too "manly".... off this little imp goes to my dear man

 

it'll smell oh so divine on him