Belladonna

[Browneyes]

The devil's herb, which he cultivates with skill and pleasure. According to lore, the spirit of this plant may take the form of a breathtaking, achingly beautiful woman, deadly to behold. This scent is a tribute to such a dark and magnificent plant: a rich green and floral blend, earthy and haunting.

On me, it's definately medicinal and eucalyptus-y too! Once it warms up on the skin the eucalyptus starts to lose that sharp edge and it gets a bit milder and a bit sweeter, but not by much.

I don't really perceive any flowers, or voluptuous plant-woman, at all.

And I'm not sure I can wait for them to show up, if at all, because it really reminds me of sickness and a deathly smell, like there's something rotten under the medicine.



(ETA: lab description) Edited June 24, 2008 by Shollin
fixed BPAL tags --Shollin

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Very pale mint green coloured oil. Whoa! Sharp, very sharp. Green, a little bitter, mentholic, astringent. Spicy too, almost. Biting. Eucalyptus extravaganza!

 

Wet: Suddenly sweet; no longer bitter. Much gentler, though still quite mentholic, very green, and bracing. A touch of fruit, maybe berries, and cool, almost minty pine. Instead of smelling like wound-cleaning solution or Vick's, it's now a deep foresty blend, cool and wintry. That spicy hint comes from earthy patchouli, I believe, the lovely gentle sexy sort, but it's quite overwhelmed at this point.

 

Dry: Very slow drying oil. Juniper is emerging distinctly from the sharp green notes, vying with eucalyptus for dominance, and adding its own particular sweetness (juniper is often a bit sweet on me). Those red berries, which together with the cool pine (not juniper, but pine pine) and mint notes recall Snow White - yes, I really think it's the same berry note - are amping too, and they are lovely and sweet, 'wild', juicy but herbaceously so, not at all fruit punch/supermarket type berries.

 

Later: Wow, it's become dramatically woody, dusty and incensey, very different from the earlier stages. In addition to the patchouli, which remains a light note, I detect significant myrrh, some dusty warm sandalwood and strong, dry, hot cedar . The dry woody notes seem to be dominating at this point; I can still smell hints of juniper and mint if I strain, though. Berries, eucalyptus, and all sweetness have departed without a trace.

 

Summary: A strong, capricious scent that initially promises medicinal eucalyptus, but when wet additionally reveals a backdrop of slightly sweet mixed evergreens, wintry berries and light, grounding patchouli. As the oil dries, juniper takes over, and the berries amp, turning the blend into a junipery cousin of Snow White. But after not even an hour, these foresty green notes fade to virtually nothing, and the sweet berries vanish completely. A surprise tactical force of warm cedar, dry sandalwood, and smoky myrrh attack and institute strict martial law for eternity. Ultimately, masculine. Strong throw.

 

Clearly, this did not evoke a beautiful woman on my skin, nor did it recall nightshades in the least. Perhaps if that brief Snow White-type stage had persisted...to swaps you go!

Edited May 9, 2008 by fairnymph

[suileach]

Vial: Dirty. Earthy. Dry.

 

On: Wow. Warms up intensely. It still has a dirty, gritty edge, but there seems to be a sweet evergreen like terebinth pine or juniper present. There's also a prickly, wintry berry.

 

Five minutes elapse and the warming trend continues! I have only a brief time to wonder if amber is present when suddenly: AUGH. CAT LITTER. Oh gawd. This is not your simple, ordinary cat pee scent, but rather a deep medley of soggy clay and ammonia, with a soupcon of plastic tray.

 

Edited May 17, 2008 by suileach

[Clammmms]

Wet: Lush, green, slightly spicy

Dry: Fresh, green, slightly floral, earthy

 

I really like this. It's a little reminiscent of evergreen, but it's nice and earthy and a little spicy. I just wish the scent was a little longer lasting.

 

9/10

Edited May 19, 2008 by Clammmms

[kittycatpurr]

In the imp: Wow, both the fragrance and the oil color are such an intense green, it's kind of awesome.

Wet: Green grass and Vicks VapoRub.

Drydown: So is that eucalyptus or camphor or what? I appreciate that it is absolutely not sweet, but I'm only getting herbal cough drop. Ricola.

Dry: This is milder now, but I already have a bottle of tea tree oil. And it really hangs around inside my face.

[Argentwolf]

This one is definitely very 'green', earthy, and has a medicinal snap to it, though it's not overwhelming or obnoxious. More or less, it feels like standing knee-deep in a clump of thin, tiny green vines -- you can smell the tartness of the plants themselves, with a hint of the earth beneath it all, and a tantalizing sweetness throughout, as if from hidden blooms amid all the twining tangle. It's really nice. I'm still not decided as to whether I need a bottle of it, but, for the time being at least, it's a fond favorite. And the green color of the oil itself is pretty cool.

[Lamia]

I thought I had reviewed this, but apparently I was waiting for a second test.

 

I'd originally traded for this from WWindy, and my notes say "greenly astringent", but I'd tested it while cycling, so wanted to wait and retest. The retest is STILL greenly astringent, without being mentholated or medicine-y, and is more like a homemade astringent plaster than something you get from a bottle at the pharmacist.

 

This is green like a stained glass panel, rather than the green of a plant.

 

Trade bag.

[savage_rose]

This is like a greener Sassafrass to me...herbal, rooty, with a green, cleansing note. A bit mentholish...clean and dirty all at the same time. I think I like it, but I'm not sure .

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Imp

Piney, with a bitter dash of something else. Also-- I gotta add- a gorgeous green colour.

 

On Me

Piney for awhile, with a strong camphor note underneath. I'm not too sure about this: it doesn't so much as smell like perfume, but something more... medicinal. Like Chinese medicine stuff (and some of that stuff can smell not-particularly-pretty).

 

About two hours later, it goes to straight out loud-n-proud vetiver. Now... I'm vetiver's number one fangirl, but this is so intense and it just dominates everything, that I'm getting a headache. I never thought I'd say that abut vetiver, but whew!-- it's bloody strong.

 

I just don't think I have the skin chemistry and the taste to pull this one off.

[Iceblink]

This oil is the most gorgeous shade of green! Lovely. If I had it I'd want it in a clear bottle. I get herbs and eucalyptus from it. Actually it smells a little like Vicks! Not something I'd wear but fun to sample. .

[TeaLeaf]

All I really get from this is eucalyptus and soft herbs. I almost can't wait to get sick because this seems like it would soothing to me.

[Coldfire]

SW Award Frimp

 

 

 

Imp: GREEN! An herbal-y green with the

slightest touch of aquatic.

Wet on Me: Now an almost evergreen piney green.

Drying Down: now I get a very astringent evergreen.

Dry: More herbal comes back now over the

evergreen. This started almost swampy but has finished very crisp.

This one is a trickster me thinks.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

I have to say, this was neon green in my box and stood out from the others! In the imp - dusty herbal green and floral

 

On Application

Strongly eucalyptus

 

Dry Down

Vicks vaporub but then becomes a little more piney as it warms on the skin. Not sure how I feel about this one. I can't get around the eucalyptus scent which I like but not as a perfume.

 

Rating (0-5)

2

[anguissette]

Too green for me. Then again other green scents have ended up morphing beautifully, so I gave it a couple of hours. But nope. Stayed green. Very green. Not my style, its in the swap pile.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very herbal and dry with a medicinal undertone.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells on my skin much as it smelled in the imp: Super herbal with a strong medicinal undertone. However, it is a bit fainter on my skin.

 

After a little while: This gets a hint of floral sweetness that floats above the sharp herbal note I got at first. There’s also a bit of woodiness to this now, but most of the blend is bitter and herbal.

 

Overall Impressions: This isn’t a pleasant scent to me. It’s very herbal and sharp and medicinal, especially at first. As it develops it gets a bit more complex and a gentle flowery note joins the blend, but it’s not something I would wear.

[tartchef]

Oof. Too green even for me. The initial wet stage is bracing eucalyptus & perhaps geranium, with a trace of sweetness & of something faintly cedary. Left to dry down, though, Belladonna veers wildly into pine-cleaner territory. Sort of a Simple Green-PineSol blend. If I were being terribly decadent & making BPAL-scented cleaning spray, it wouldn't be half bad - an industrious, strip-out-the-cobwebs scent. But to wear? No thank you - Pain & Winter Holiday Stress Relief are better behaved on my skin...

 

ETA: Blarg. There's a trace of vetiver in here. The one I can't wear because it amps to screaming high heaven & gives me a headache. Big fat thumbs down, I'm afraid.

Edited September 3, 2008 by tartchef

[odalisque]

This is not for me, and I should have known better, because I've not found a green scent yet that I get along with. I blame sleep deprivation for my including it in my purchases. (Along with incurable optimism.)

 

It reminds me of -- it's not exactly like, or even strongly similar to, but evocative of -- some mainstream perfume or cologne that I've smelled before but I can't for the life of me remember what -- maybe Aspen?

 

Belladonna is green, green, green. I don't get spruce or fir or pine, but a slightly fruity-green opening, with maybe some "true" cedar; it tingles slightly on my skin, as if it's mentholated, but I don't smell any menthol. During drydown it becomes progressively softer and rounder, ending as an ever-so-slightly-sweet green floral -- my synaesthesia says "little white flowers in greenery" -- that I'm sure would be very nice on someone who doesn't loathe green florals.

 

Those who like this sort of thing will find that this is the sort of thing they like.

Edited September 4, 2008 by odalisque

[tinyvulture]

this oil is bright green in color, and its fresh-out-of-the-bottle scent is “green” as well. it’s pleasantly medicinal and herbal – lots of eucalyptus or mint. but then the minty note fades somewhat, and i smell green leafy plants combined with something mossy or earthy. it’s like an overgrown garden left to decay. it’s also a little soapy, and actually reminds me a lot of lush’s demon in the dark soap. which is to say, i like it.

[innocent]

The oil is a pretty color, but once I open the vial...

 

AAAAGH VICKS VAPOR RUB ATTACK

 

I actually had to wash it off since it was making me feel really sick (I also can't use mentholated cough drops because they make me sick to my stomach).

 

This is going away at record speed.

[sqwook]

Wet: Green with a slight bite

Dry: The greenness drops away quickly, to a soft incense. Very interesting.

 

Comparisons to other scents: The underlying soft incense is very similar to that in Wolfsbane, but Wolfsbane is smokey woods instead of green.

[tdgnika]

In the imp, this smells like the color green. I don't know what I mean by that, really.

 

On the skin, it has a strange tang - I'm not sure what note would qualify for this title. It was very earthy and kept that tang throughout. It wasn't horribly unpleasant or anything, but it just doesn't stand out as one of my favorite scents, so I think I'll pass on this one.

[hespera4523]

Belladonna has a crispness to it on first application. Being from The Great North Woods part of the country, my first thought was opening the front door on a chilly winter morning, to be greeted by the smell of the Giftmas/Yule wreath on the front door. Balsam, cedar, holly complete with berries, and cold 'Scansin air. It doesn't smell mentholated per se, but it does have a sharpish edge to it. I like it, and the color of the oil makes me happy. Will see if it grows on me enough to go for the bottle.

[rayvn1]

Very sweet dry, almost cough-syrup sweet! Most pleasant when wet with an herbal tinge that moderates the sweetness. Very dark smelling. Glad I have an imp!!

[jrothke]

Cool and green. Dense, quiet forests, mosses and lichens. Serenity. Amazingly evocative.

 

I am frequently amazed at Beth's ability to create fragrances that evoke such feelings. In 40+ years of wearing perfume, I never encountered this until I discovered BPAL. The depth and diversity of her creations is astonishing.

[MCS4096]

This oil is amazing to look at... I'm new to BPAL, but I imagine green oils aren't that common!

 

In the imp: Herbal and medicinal.. it actually smells like pine and eucalyptus to me, with the slightest hint of sweetness.. a sugary sweetness rather than floral.

 

Wet: Not a lot of change, the eucalyptus comes forward over the piney smell a bit, and the sweetness develops some.

 

Dry: I'm getting some BO scent here.. I think that may be some florals mixing with that dreadful pine aspect, or maybe a bad vetiver? It does become a lot more muted-- the medicinal sharpness goes away. As time goes on it finally becomes somewhat lovely.. sweet cedar with a hint of green.

 

Long Wear: If you can stick it out through the medicinal phase, this becomes sweet, herbally, and woody (almost bamboo to my nose).. but that BO lingers just below the surface unfortunately.

 

Overall: Boy.. this one clears the sinuses at first. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed, as I would have loved to love a scent honoring Belladonna. This one is just a little too funky for me I think... I might try it in an oil burner next time I have a cold. I should note it seems to make an excellent cat repellent!

Edited November 21, 2008 by MCS4096