Vixen

[magdalene]

Lascivious, flirtatious, and vampy as hell. A true heartbreaker’s perfume. The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli.

in the bottle: Grand Marnier and candied ginger.

wet on skin: I've always liked orange blossom so much more than just orange. It has more depth to the note, more intelligence. This, combined with the ginger and the patchouli, makes this an absolutely flirty scent. The very oil to wear when out prowling.

dry: absolutely gorgeous.

[Ajila]

Wet on me this was patchouli with a sweetness in the background that smells like an orange boiled sweet. Dry on me it's the sweetened patchouli still, with a tiny bit of ginger in the background. It's warm and comforting and sexy.

[urraca]

This was a kind frimp from the lab.

 

I tried Ravenous a few months ago so it is interesting to try Vixen now. This is a much more complex and interesting scent, almost sly. In Ravenous, loud orange and patchouli duked it out for dominance. Here the notes play together nicely, perhaps with their edges softened by the ginger. I believe this is a different patchouli from the one in Ravenous, more subtle, though it does tend to dominate this blend.

[feline.by.design]

The patchouli is very dark in Vixen. I put it on about an hour and a half ago, and it was very dark upon applying. It's now dried down to a dark floral. The orange blossom isn't very citrusy, but more of a, surprisingly powdery, floral. The spice of ginger was most prominent in the wet and early dry stages, but now it's a bit powdery.

 

When it comes to patchouli, I don't wear it often, and it seems, in this case, it doesn't work out as well with florals. The patchouli BPAL I'm normally used to is Anne Bonny, which I really like. I'm a fan of frankincense, so it's unsurprising that I would prefer Anne Bonny to Vixen.

 

It's not bad, but it's just not something I see myself wearing that often, if at all, over the other oils I have in my collection.

 

-doreen

[vyvyan]

Vixen is pretty but ultimately disappointing, for me. Some people complained, on the Ravenous thread, of not finding Ravenous *enough* after Vixen (b/c it's missing the ginger); I loved Ravenous first, and I think against that Vixen seems comparatively light. Lovely, but not loud.

[pekeana]

Okay, Beth, I get the point already -- not all patchouli is bad.

 

I got a frimp of Vixen and dabbed a little on out of curiousity. It hit my skin and started to scream "sex, sex, sex, omgsex!" It's a cross between Snake Oil and Katharina, minus the strong fruity and sweet notes from each of those. It's warm and inviting, sexy in the extreme, and I must have more.

 

(I hate patchouli but I endorse Vixen, yo. How screwed up is that?)

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Orange, patchouli & ginger

 

First on: Snake Oil with patchouli

 

Drydown: This is exactly Snake Oil only with a hint of patchouli and a tiny touch of ginger. I honestly don't know which I like better, so I'll have to wear one on each arm to compare one day.

[Freyja Lux]

I love Vixen! I'm still not sure if I'd wear it, but the scent is beguiling and I'm a sucker for patchouli. The orange goes really well with the patchouli, making it sweet and lickable. MmmmMMmm!! Delicious!

[Chantarelle]

Whew - this is very strong at first. Definitely too much. In the end, it's a wonderful warm vanilla scent, with just a hint of the orange, but it takes a while before it calms down enough for me to be able to handle it.

[sarahj]

Vixen

 

in vial: orange blossom

 

wet: orange blossom with a hint of patchouli

 

dry: patchouli overload

 

verdict: not for me...I think I will pass this on to someone who may get better use out of it

[lemurcatta85]

if I liked patchouli, this would be great. It is nice, just too strong for me.

[Stumbeline]

This was one of the first BPAL oils I ever tried, and the lab recently gifted me with another as a frimp in an order. My first impressions when I tried it a few months ago was that it was pretty, certainly very womanly, but too heavy for me. Now, having the opportunity to try it again, it's still not for me but I can appreciate it more and pick out the exact reasons why it doesn't work. I'm adverse to patchouli, and florals don't work on me. I like ginger, but it doesn't show up in this blend for me. All I am left with when I wear it is a very sharp patchouli-floral that gives me a headache. Fortunately, my mother and I are scent opposites, so she loves it!

[brownbear]

I get mostly orange blossom and patchouli in this. I can't really pick out any ginger once it dries. Hmm it is good, but I can't see myself wearing it much. I do like the blend though. The orange blossom and the patchouli are well balanced.

[silverlilac]

Honestly, I've always been kind of bored by orange blossom. It can sometimes creep into that headache inducing territory for me. That said, I like Vixen. I like Vixen so much I'm majorly coveting a bottle right now, even though I know an imp will do me... for now, anyway. And now that it's been working with my skin for awhile, it's reminding of a floral version of Snake Oil... and on a deep breath, I can smell the patchouli. Oh dear. Hardcore coveting coming on strong.

[LiberAmoris]

Vixen is one foxy lady. I'm not so crazy about the orange blossom for the first hour or so, but once that calms down, it's definitely Snake Oil with a orange twist, and it is yummy! I love the Lab's patchouli, so this was kind of a no-brainer.

 

I'm setting aside my imp for a night out when I want to exude va-va-va-voom.

[pinkpoodle]

Dude...this scent *is* vampy as hell. Period. I was a little worried about the orange blossom at first, but the ginger really comes through and the patchouli keeps everything in check. After dry-down, I'm left with a sweet, fresh cut pipe tobacco smell that is just gorgeous. There's no powdery or soapy smell at all. I'm gonna go so far as to say that this is a step above Snake Oil. This is the type type of scent you strategically wear to reel in "the action." It smells like pure horny, lusty goodness!!! Bring it on!!!

Edited November 23, 2005 by pinkpoodle

[hypatia]

Vixen smells like cookie dough. Unbaked ginger-and-orange cookie dough, to be exact. Something about it immediately signals "BAKING!" to my nose. Must be the ginger, because neither orange blossom nor patchouli make me think of cookies.

 

It's nice, and kind of vixenish, but I was hoping for something a bit sexier -- and on me this is more "relaxing afternoon making cookies" than "vampy and flirty." Pity.

[parrot_suspect]

Vixen is a gorgeous, glorious, seductive scent. Imagine LUSH Karma without the pine notes. The genuis of Vixen is that it blends bright, sunny, sweet notes (orange blossom and ginger) with the dark earthiness of patchouli, and the two opposites balance each other out. Anyone who thinks they can't wear patchouli needs to give this a try. This is a perfectly blended scent -- it's difficult to pick out the individual notes, they blend together seamlessly. The drydown is lovely. I should mention as well that this is a strong scent, not for the faint of heart, and it has considerable sillage. One of my top favorites -- I find myself reaching for this quite often. Bravo, Beth!

[cyclamen]

This is my most favorite. It's a bit strong, so I dilute it with jojoba oil and oh, I smell yum. It has something heavy and perfume-y when I first put it on (I think that's the orange blossom) and I wasn't too sure about that part, but on drydown it smells like wood ash, which is probably the patchouli. Diluting definitely helped.

 

I lurves it. Gf lurves it. Yess...

[Imptress]

Hot damn, this is *sexy*! It reminded me so much of Snake Oil that I dabbed a bit of that on the backs of my hands so I could compare them and see what the differences were. After some drydown, I found Vixen a bit crisper (from the orange blossom and ginger, I think) and earthier (from the patchouli). Snake Oil seemed creamier and smoother to me. I liked this much better than Ravenous (also similar) because I liked the addition of the ginger, which made this less "candy-like" to my nose. Hubby also really liked this on me, so I'll be wearing this one again and again.

[PurringPulsar]

Vixen

 

In the imp: a bit like Ravenous, but with stronger orange blossom.

Wet on skin: mmm, this is nice. I think I get a bit of ginger now.

Dry on skin: oh yeah, I like this. I swear I'm getting a musk effect here. This is a bit like a deeper, warmer Ravenous, with elements of Sin. Deep patchouli with tangy-floral orange blossom and warm, sultry ginger. Very sexy! There may be some red musk here, or maybe that's the patchouli reacting with another note, like what happened with Sin.

After a while: like Sin, I now get a lovely sweetness that comes out, a darkly sweet background which seems to be a completely different note to the ones listed. It's almost like a musk or vanilla like background, with hints of soft orange blossom flitting through now and then. I'm impressed by this blend and the way the notes are interacting. Or maybe it could be my hormones…(this is a time of month review!)

Verdict: this is the lovechild of Ravenous and Sin. This is a simple, yet delightful blend of patchouli, ginger and orange blossom that creates a scent which is sweetly sensual and earthy, yet also tangy and fruity-floral, with a spicy warmth. I also get a note that resembles musk or vanilla in here…whether it's an actual musk note that's not listed or just the reaction between the other notes, I can't say, but the result is very pleasant. I'm always amazed at how complex even the simplest BPAL blends can smell, there's always more to them than what's listed, it seems. I think this may be a future big bottle blend.

[moon_lemming]

Okay, I can't pick out the orange blossom. When this is wet, it's just incense on me, which, boo -- but as it dries it becomes more of a . . . red vanilla. It's quite vampy, and I like it even though I have to ignore it for the first bit. I don't think I'll get a bottle, but I'm keeping the imp.

 

edit 7/7/09: (I retried this after receiving a frimp, just for kicks.) Nowadays I wouldn't bother with the imp, god I hate imps. Another change: I LOVE Vixen now -- it reminds me of a sexy Penny Dreadful, with the warmth of the ginger and patchouli sweetened by the orange blossom. Love.

 

I will have to try this one out around Mike before investing in a bottle though, since he thinks Penny Dreadful smells like the ladies at his old church, and Vixen reminds me of that one so much. I usually just ignore him and wear Penny Dreadful when I'm at work or whatever, but I don't need TWO scents that get that reaction hanging around the BPAL box. We'll see.

Edited July 8, 2009 by karen

[mandragora]

This is a very strong and seductive scent. Like a woman confident in her sexuality. Patchouli hits you first and then hints of orange blossom as it dries. Not sure if it's me though.

 

Unfortunately, this scent overpowered me and gave me a headache after 5 minutes. Oh well ...

 

ADDED Jan. 22:

 

On the vial: Strong, spicy and sharp incense.

Wet on me: Same as from the vial. I smell the ginger seeping through.

Drydown: It didn't soften or sweeten on me. Remained sharp and incensey. No vanilla or florals :sigh:

 

I had to give Vixen away . I got it based on reviews about it being a vampy, sex kitten scent. Apparently, I'm not the vampy, sex kitten type

[Fefferbella]

Frimp from the lab:

OMG... this is such a "throw-me-down-and-f*ck-me" scent...

 

Dark seductive patchouli mingled with soft feminine orange blossoms... *pure sexual desire in a bottle*

 

Must get a BIG bottle...

[Lizzie]

In the Bottle Sweet and dark and rich. I can smell the patchouli and the ginger, and it smells a little like a mens cologne!

 

Wet on Skin It gets sweeter and loses the mens cologne thing it had going on in the bottle. I can smell the orange blossom now..mmm...sexy!

 

Dry Makes me feel like a sex kitten. This stuff is hot!! The notes are really well blended, and on my skin I can't smell one more than the others. I can tell this stuff is going to drive the boys crazy!