The Cracked Bell

[sarada]

How bittersweet it is, on winter's night,
To listen, by the sputtering, smoking fire,
As distant memories, through the fog-dimmed light,
Rise, to the muffled chime of churchbell choir.

Lucky the bell -- still full and deep of throat,
Clear-voiced despite its years, strong, eloquent --
That rings, with faithful tongue, its pious note
Like an old soldier, wakeful, in his tent!

My soul lies cracked; and when, in its despair,
Pealing, it tries to fill the cold night air
With its lament, it often sounds, instead,

Like some poor wounded wretch -- long left for dead
Beneath a pile of corpses, lying massed
By bloody pool -- rattling, gasping his last.

A winter's horror: smoke and stillness, faded incense and the metallic tang of blood.

Am I the first?...

This was the first Yule blend that I opened, partially because it was the first alphabetically and parly because it was the one I was the most curious about, wondering how smoke and blood would come across and excited about the incense.

In the bottle (which is lovely, by the way), it is a perfumey incense smell -- I think that the "metallic tang" is what gives it a slightly static, perfumey scent, rather distant and sophisticated and a bit like a very dark commercial perfume. When I wear it, the pleasant scent of and incense store starts to develop more -- I don't get any one particular kind of incense, it's just that kind of "occult store" vibe without any one element dominating. It is muted and slightly dusty, as though cloth had been soaking up the scent of many kinds of incense for years and is now being hung out in the cold to air out.

This warms up nicely on my skin, which loves incensy smells, but it's not an overwhelming scent. Could there be a faint breath of nag champa in there? Maybe something amber or musky as it dries? I may add more to this as I wear it but those are my immediate impressions...this might not be an every day scent for me but I think that on cold winter days, especially, the chill air will contrast nicely with this dusty incense-soaked tapestry.

[UltraViolet]

Bottle Pic: http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL202/154131...8/120632767.jpg

In the bottle

Mmm. Incensey, and...a mint and lime tang?

What a strange yet familar smell. Not strange "yuk" but strange "I haven't smelled this in awhile, what is it". It's comforting. Now I'm getting the smokiness.

It's really good in a sweet incensey lime kind of way. I thought it would be smokey or something from the description not lime. I do smell the sweet fading incense though. I think the smell is Frankincense.

On

Hasn't morphed in anyway.

30 minutes

I smell smokey lime.

Throw:

average

Scent category:

Incense/Citrus?

Summary

The pungent sweet Frankincense is all I smell initially and then this familar twngy scent that smells like limes comes through ever so subtley.

Purchase again?

Maybe. I'm leaning towards "yes".

1-5 rating (5 being best)

3

Edited December 2, 2005 by UltraViolet

[misfitroxy]

As one of the fortunate few to catch a whiff of The Cracked Bell during the BPAL store opening last month (I didn't feel I could describe it properly without slathering myself in it and sitting with the scent for a while, though so I wanted to wait until I had it in hand before saying anything definitive), I knew immediately that it was going to be one of my new favorites. My recently acquired bottle did not prove me wrong in the least.

 

It's slightly medicinal to start. Kinda herbal, kinda sweet. During the beginning phases, it has a quality that reminds me of Blood Moon without the spicy overtones or grain-like tinges (which would make sense with the shared references to "blood"). That same soft, smoky musk with a hint of kitchen-y warmth.

 

Instead of morphing into a vanilla-like cinnamon powder (which is what Blood Moon does on my skin), though, The Cracked Bell retains a jagged edge. I find that it's not metallic in the way real blood smells, and I don't view it as necessarily cold, but it *is* sharp (almost like the first hit of blends containing ozone) and provides a nice contrast to the incense. I think this is what UltraViolet is picking up on as "lime" because it does have that bright "zing" sort of quality to it.

 

I can see The Cracked Bell working well as a unisex fragrance. It's not too dark, not too light (though it's more "winter" to me and might be a tad heavy for the summer months). The oil has its own unique, sultry appeal that's ever so delicious. I'm off to go inhale my wrist for a while. ;}

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: a metalic bite, possibly red musk? and a hint of incense

 

wet: this reminds me greatly of blood moon. there are some definite similarities. there is what i believe is red musk and i feel i am also detecting some frankincense.

 

as it dries: wow, this is hot, steamy, bloody metalic which as i have stated i believe is derived from a red musk, there is a hint of something somewhat spice like but i am guessing it isn't a spice but a resin pretending to be spicy.

 

this is one i want my man to wear. i just "feel" it, a physical reaction very interesting.

[tinyvulture]

the clean, cool metallic note that i've smelled in other blends such as neo-tokyo is combined here with a rich warm incense. i'm glad that, overall, the scent is quite warm. it smells equally delightful on a guy or girl. i do wish it was a little stronger -- i find i have to apply a lot of it.

[coulrophobe]

Preconceived notions: Anything described as being a "metallic" or "blood" scent is hit-or-miss on me, so I have no idea how this one's going to turn out. I like smoke and incense, so I'm hopeful.

 

In the bottle: Perfumey incense. This bodes well!

 

On: Stays true to my initial impression. I'm not getting the sharpness or medicinal quality that others have - this is warm, smokey, perfumey incense on me. A definite evening-wear blend... this is one that's dark, strong and confident on a woman, and I bet it would be devestatingly good on a man. *drools* For me it has a similar feel to one of my favorite going out scents, Loviatar.

 

Verdict: This one's a nice surprise, maybe the sleeper-hit of my order.

Edited December 10, 2005 by coulrophobe

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: The incense is truly faded, for it is faint and wispy in the blend. Smoke hangs in the air, but it is the slight fruitiness of dragon's blood and a heavier note of 'true' blood that are the true focus.

 

On me: I like this, even though I couldn't say why. It's faintly metallic, and mostly incense and smoky. The slight fruitness I mentioned before remains. On my skin it's a surprisingly gentle blend, rather weak and difficult to notice. It will be a good subtle blend to wear around sensitive noses, because I don't think it's strong enough to irritate anyone.

[Diana]

Caveat: this one? SO hard to review. Ugh.

 

Putting this on, oddly enough I got chocolately cocoa notes. No lie. That faded a bit and turned into a sweet incensey kind of aroma with a slight metallic tang. The metallic bit did not hang around very long, but it has remained a sweet incensey kind of smell, slightly like sandalwood and/or musk, going on 9 hours or so now.

 

I can't really pick out any specific notes with any certainty, which is frustrating to say the least. It eludes me a great deal. I will say that I do like it a great deal, and this is one yule blend that definitely warrants a second bottle.

[gingersnapp]

My husband said, "You smell like church." And so I did. He claimed to smell frankincense, which I won't really deny. It was definitely a smoky, incense-y blend. Other than that, I can't say much, except that I really loved it.

[Smurf]

Well I have to say I am loving this

 

Smokey insencey wonderment. But definitely not insence in the same vein as say, Penitence - which smelled like old dirt on me personally. When Sarada mentioned occult shop the smell actually made me think of an old Apothecary. That could just be me however. If you ever wore Sun Moon & Stars by Lagerfeld in your pre-BPAL days this would be right up your alley. I think i'll splash some on a guy friend to see how it smells on men. I'll definitely buy another bottle before the Yule's vanish.

[BPAL_Samhain]

Well, I definitely enjoyed the decant I received of this blend, and look forward to receiving my bottle in the mail.

 

When I first sniffed it, I could smell the incense and smokey notes very strongly, and another dominating and dark perfumey note underneath. It smells like an opium note to me.

 

wet: opium and smoke

 

half hour later: a sweeter opium and a lot less smokiness

 

a few hours: a very faded version of Obsession, minus the masculinity.

 

Cracked Bell is now definitely becoming one of my favourite scents.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - spicy incense, soft and pretty.

Dry - and then it turns to baby powder on me. I tried this at last month's will call and loved it, so I am not sure if it's a time of the month thing or what. But once dry, all I get is baby powder.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

[QueenFae]

On me this smells like a really pretty incensey gentleman's blend. It's soft, slightly resiny and even a bit powdery. It's like a really high quality incense, but with a gentle grace. I don't get any of the metallic tang of blood, but my skin pulls the sweetness out of everything. This is a blue/gray scent for me, and it's subtler than most incense blends usually are. I think this is going to smell fantastic on my husband, I can't wait to try it on him.

[Little Bird]

I almost didn't order this one because I have a fear of any fragrance that mentions 'blood'. This is ironic given my fascination with blood in real life... but dragon's blood is my scent-enemy, so I feared that The Cracked Bell would be dragons blood-ish. Thankfully, no dragon's blood at all, but it didn't work on me as well as I would have hoped either.

 

When I first put this on, I thought that it was a bit citrusy, but it was hard to pin down. This is like a blend of many wonderful things, and the best way that I could describe it would be to say it is spicy and incensey. It reminded me strongly of "Alone" when I first put it on, so I wonder if it also has red sandalwood or some like ingredients.

 

I was really enjoying it for those first 15 minutes, and then it started to go very perfumey on me. It had that cheap hairspray smell and started to give me a headache. I wonder if this has some sort of musk in it? Musk often turns to hairspray on me .

 

I'm happy to have my bottle of "Alone", because it is pretty close to the first stage of The Cracked Bell that I was loving. This one just gets way too sharp and perfumey in the drydown for me.

[theshapeshifter]

Wow, it seems like this is one of those scents that gives people very different impressions!

 

In the bottle: This is going to sound odd, but there's something reminding me of Snake Oil - like Snake Oil, minus the vanilla.

 

Initial application: Really complex! It's hard to pick out individual notes, more impressions. The Snake-Oil-ish component is less prominent, more like a whisper in the background (maybe the 'faded incense' has some components in common?), and there's an almost tangy metallic overlay, plus an edgy, smoky note (a bit reminiscent of Djinn).

 

Drydown: It doesn't change too much in the drydown, actually. It doesn't have a huge amount of throw on me, but I can't stop sniffing my wrist. It's smoky without being warm, and metallic without being cold - a very intriguing scent.

 

Really, I hate to review a scent just by saying "it's like...", but I have to say, on me, The Cracked Bell can almost be summed up by the following equation:

 

Snake Oil - vanilla + small amount of Djinn + metal.

 

Given that Snake Oil and Djinn are two of my faves, that makes The Cracked Bell a definite winner in my books!

[nineveh]

Yeah, this is very difficult to review. I can't really pick out any notes for certain, so I'll have to do this by comparison.

 

This starts off with what seems like a bitter clove note; it's similar to Madrid or Sybaris, and it's going kind of wet-dog on me, as clove loves to do.

 

When it dries, it smells a lot better. It shifts to more of a Gypsy Queen kind of incense, but with more spice to it. It's dark and not sweet. There's a little bit of metallic sharpness if I look for it, but it's mainly just spicy Gypsy Queen incense. I think this is a lot creepier-smelling than Midnight Mass.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is a soft and distant incense on me. It's definitely there, but somehow filtered through an open courtyard, covered in snow. The reminds me the faintest bit of Blood Moon--there's a sweet, grain note that I can barely detect.

 

On me, this fades quickly, into a sweet and smokey note that really beautiful. I can't quite pin this scent down yet, but I do want a bottle of it.

[SeaMonkey]

In the vial, its incense and a certain sharpness. On my skin, it softens to faded incense with a tiny bit of smoke. Its very soft. I get a tiny bit of the tang of blood, but its very very soft.

 

I was expected something sharp and over powering, but this reminds me of a very old cracked bell, laying on its side and covered with snow.

[couscous]

I agree with the reviewer who said that this would be a sleeper hit. Even as I ordered it, I did so with a "here goes nothing" attitude. I was worried about the "metallic" thing, too.

 

As I smelled it in the bottle with my yule order, it was my favorite of the bunch. Sweet amber...this is very much like my beloved, Blood Amber! Oh, it was GORGEOUS. Sweet resin, but so light, so soft, so sexy.

 

As it dried, I got some spices and some sandalwood, with a slightly masculine herbal edge.

 

The final verdict is that the Cracked Bell is complex, resin-tinged, with a slight bit of metal (VERY slight), but not enough to turn anyone who doesn't enjoy that quality off. It doesn't evoke horror for me, because I find it beautiful, but it does evoke stillness and life- perhaps life lost. Ambers always give me that "pulsating" feeling.

 

If I'd had more imp vials, I would have sent out some with all of my recent swaps. I'm going to try and get hold of some so that at least one other person can try this before it's gone. I feel a need to convert with this one, because I truly feel that those who missed it will be sorry.

 

If you ordered midnight mass or Jacob's ladder and have some paypal to spare, try a bit of the Cracked Bell.

[Nachtwulf]

Geesh, and here I thought I'd reviewed this!

 

This was the scent I was really curious about in the Yule scents, but I was afraid it was going to be harsh and acrid. Fortunately, it's not.

 

However, it's not at all what I was expecting in any real sense, either. My first overwhelming impression is that it's weirdly like Gypsy Queen. The incense in it seems to be the same note... not the warm resins of Midnight Mass, but something a lot darker and more sultry. It's not as sweet as GQ, though, and as it dries, it does seem to pick up a sort of iron-metallic sort of quality to it... like someone had covered the gypsy queen's tent with iron filings or something.

 

I think I need to try this separate from other oils for a good long drydown and expand on this, but I just can't get over the similarity to GQ at the moment.

[lorajc]

I thought for sure I had reviewed this oil, as it ended up being one of my favorites from the Yule's. I had to order a few more bottles of this one.......and to think I almost didn't even order this because the blood note scared me off. This is a gorgeous incense blend that is soft and the blood note comes out on me sort of like a fruity tang at the very begnning of wearing it, but then fades. Whoever said this stuff was like Crack........was right. I'm addicted to this blend.

[PurringPulsar]

The Cracked Bell

 

In the imp: dragon's blood or red musk, with a hint of sweet and resinous scents, I'm thinking amber and frankincense. It does bear a similarity to Blood Amber and Scherezade.

Wet on skin: there are times when I think red musk and dragon's blood smell similar and I can't tell which is which unless they are listed in the blend. I get that here. It's a musk/blood scent with amber and incense. It's lovely.

Dry on skin: oh wow, this is really quite gorgeous! There's something slightly 'perfume like' about it-but that's a good thing. I'm thinking there may be Arabian musk in here, as sometimes that turns to a 'posh perfume' scent. I'm also getting amber, and maybe some other resins, and something smoky. The dragon's blood/red musk is still there, but it's not as prominent now. This fragrance bears similarities with Bastet, Scherezade, Blood Amber and something else-either Othello or Rapture, I can't remember which. It's a sophisticated, deep, haunting scent, and I think it has an exotic quality to it-it's a scent that wouldn't be out of place in a Middle Eastern bazaar.

After a while: now the red musk/dragon's blood returns to the scent, adding a musky redness. There is a metallic quality to the scent, there's that blood scent from Blood Moon, and something that makes me think of gold, to me, it is a red and gold scent…this cracked bell is made of gold or brass, and is pulled by a blood-red velvet rope. Other than this, the scent still retains its exotic amber-incense-resin-musk scent though.

This scent morphs so much, it's so complex. After an hour or so, it is at a stage of sweet amber and red musk and/or dragon's blood, maybe some spices and resins scattered through it. This is now Blood Amber and Scherezade's lovechild.

And another morphing twist. Metallic blood, sweet resinous musk, and a deep smoky background.

Verdict: this is an amazingly complex and shape-shifting fragrance…far from being a sinister cold scent, this is very exotic, warm and quite sensual. There are elements from Scherezade, Blood Amber, and also Bastet and maybe Othello and some of the other Arabian musk/exotic musk scents-I can imagine a belly dancer smelling like this! It has a metallic aspect to it that brings to mind red blood (that same blood note from Blood Moon, possibly some dragon's blood too) and gold, like a golden bell. The scent morphs and changes like crazy, from red to gold, from musky to resinous, amber to smoke, to resin to blood and gold, and back again. It does have nuances of sophisticated musk perfumes, but due to its morphing qualities and unusual blood and incense notes, that is what adds an interesting twist. I may have to give in to a bottle, this scent is very intriguing, unique, and spellbinding.

Edited December 26, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[zenvodunista]

when i first came to BPAL, i thought i'd love the incense blends. instead, i found that they were almost always too heavy for me, too rich, to bogged down in rosaries and smoke and the like. and yet: i am always intrigued.

 

i ended up ording a bottle of this while waiting for my Original Wacky decant set. and while i won't be getting two bottles like usually do with an LE i like, i will keep my one.

 

this is the incense i can wear. slightly smoky, bloody at the beginning (i smell that metal tang), and then soft incense that sticks close to the skin.

 

really lovely, and really evocative. and a nice change of pace from the heavy-incense that so often happens with incense based blends.

 

n.

[zillah37]

I had no idea what to expect when I got The Cracked Bell, but it's nothing like I thought it would be. It's a bit sweet in the vial, but a creamy sweet.

 

On my skin it's incense and something soft, almost amber-like to me. There's a definite tang with a smoky feel. I'm amazed by this scent and I think I'm going to have to get a bottle. It's just gorgeous.

[Northernminx]

Sort of a light powdery incense with a metallic tang to it. I didn't particularly love this one as it set my allergies off so I'm afraid I can't comment more on it than that. Sad minx