Femme Fatale Scents

[absinthetics]

What would you recommend for this 'idea'?

 

I'm looking for the dark, manipulative seductress. The kind of girl that smirks, lurks in shadows...uses knives. Either seductive evil, or Ninja Geisha evil. It's a femme-fatale sort of thing. Or the female Anti-hero. I could write a paragraph discription but...

 

My possible examples (though they are lacking) may be Scherezade, Salome, Devil's Night, Black Lotus, Bastet... maybe leaving the more incensy and going to more fruit...some Cobra Lily, Blood Countess, Lampades, Medea, Lady Macbeth...

 

This is why I am trying to find Snake Charmer, Gypsy Queen, Fire Eater.. I am deathly afraid that Storyville and Voodoo Queen are right up there. Do you think they are?

 

 

 

I have exhausted my other two 'categories' and now I am looking for these types of scents.

 

(My other two categories being:

 

1. The 'icey' catalogue for the Ice Queen (imagery wise, not the exact scent) kind of girl. Things like Snow White, Snow Bunny, Nuclear winter. (Trying to stay away from mint though, and trying to stay away from 'pine' and sandlewood interpretations of winter.) I haven't had a chance to get my actual hands on 'ice queen'. =/

 

2. the Etheral, gossamar, untouchable, misty aquatic sides. The girl that can vanish in a fog, pale, dissipating... Lady of Shalott, Sea of Glass, Beatrice, The Evening Star, Szepasszony, City in the Sea, R'lyeh, )

 

 

Hmm, so, any suggestions? Particularly on the Femme-Fatale scents.. though I would take them for the others too ^^

 

I'm pretty new to BPAL, so this is all really overwhelming.

[Torrilin]

If you're naturally a very watery sort of person (which seems to go with the other two categories you're interested in), the right femme fatale scent may need to build off of that. So here's a list of stuff in the GC that looks to fit in the stormy/watery/misty/icy category. I'm not going to list stuff you already have listed.

 

Lightning

Hurricane

Undertow

Olokun

Penthus

Yemaya

Pool of Tears

The Mock Turtle's Lessons

Amsterdam

Bayou

Danube

Dublin

Neo-Tokyo

Lorelei

Siren

Dirty

Anne Bonny

Black Pearl

Blood Pearl

Cathode

Empyreal Mist

Ephermera

Grog

Jolly Roger

Leanan Sidhe

Phantasm

Ulalume

Ultraviolet

Veil

 

FWIW, yes the LE scents, especially the *very* limited ones, can be really lovely. On the other hand, the regular catalogue includes some amazing scents that don't get anywhere near the love they deserve. Most of the screamingly popular sexy stuff is in the "oriental" or foody categories. They tend to be all about spices, vanilla, amber, honey, musk... things like that. I'd grab something like Snake Oil, Scherezade and O to see if that is up your alley. Those three are very popular for a reason *g*.

 

Kalli

[Fyre_in_Winter]

For the "dark, manipulative seductress" (mind you, this is probably based on my own scent biases):

 

Al-shairan

Blood Kiss (the vetiver in this particularly says "blade" to me..but I'm weird, I like vetiver)

Bloodlust

Lilith

Loviatar

Sin

Spellbound

 

and if you're into layering, I'd give Perversion (or Snake Oil) + De Sade or Iago a try.

 

"Ninja geisha" conjures up Nosferatu or straight De Sade to my nose, for some reason.

 

For the Ice Queen archtype that aren't minty or pine-y, perhaps the grapefruit and zingy lemon scents would be more what you're looking for... or violets (i.e. Numb)- I can't make any recommendations there, because those are generally notes that hate my skin.

 

And as for ethereal, misty gossamer scents, I'll second Empyreal Mist.

 

Have fun on your search!

[Macha]

Ice Queen is very minty. Without question. It also happens to be my all-time favorite LE scent.

 

I would recommend Szepasszony (cool, rainy, whispy AND evil), Dracul (works for girls as well as men,) Sacred Whore of Babylon, and Gamorrah. I found Les Infortunes de la Vertu to be sublimely bad-girl (you know DeSade's women and their love of flensing knives.) I also agree with Fyre_in_Winter's bad girl suggestions. You may also wish to try Sed Non Satiata.

[absinthetics]

I'm writing this all down and adding a good deal to my lists. I really apreciate the responses, thanks so much!

[medvssa]

The more femme-fatale scent I have ever tried is Loviatar, and I would also add Darkness and Medea.

[fiddledragon]

How about Kali? Depending on what it does on your skin, that can be *very* dark-heroine. On me, it's wonderful strengthening comforting wine-chocolate-incense, but on a friend of mine it's this really dark tobacco-floral sort of scent.

[Chrysantza]

Spellbound is very femme-fatalish, to my nose. (Musk, amber and rose). It's very heady and seductive and just a bit dark.

[ayelienne]

I'll second the Blood Kiss!

[abberlaine]

Vechernyaya worked killer sexy on me, actually. Maybe not "ninja geisha," but totally, Feminine Essence of Sawyer from Lost.

[Diva Urd]

My personal "femme fatale" scent is Anne Bonny. Definitely on the feminine side, but nowhere near vulnerable or otherwise wimpy. In my opinion, it screams "man-eater" (YMMV of course, depending on your skin and personal preferences).

 

I'll absolutely have to nth Loviatar. It's kind of required to mention it, anyway, considering that it is supposed to honor the goddess of dominatrices (and does a bloody good job at it, too! )!

 

For wispy and ethereal, Leanan Sidhe comes immediately to mind. If you like ethereal, dusky flowers, this one is very nice.

[lilsparrow]

Hello! I'm new here and was hoping you could advise me on picking a scent...

 

First thing you should know - I LOVE forties film noir and was hoping to find the perfect scent for a "femme fatale". Something really individual and subtly seductive.

 

Some scents I like include coffee, dark chocolate, spices, rum, tobacco and vanilla.

 

Any recommendations would be very much appreciated!

[gypsyjolie]

Mata Hari? Scherezade? Illustrated Woman?

[Little Bird]

I'd definitely recommend trying The Antikythera Mechanism (notes of: Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco). It's a really gorgeous, dark vanilla-tobacco scent. Also:

 

Intrigue - "A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes."

 

Centzon Totochtin - "Bittersweet Mexican cocoa with rum, red wine, and a scent redolent of sacrificial blood."

 

And Miskatonic University is probably your best bet for a coffee scent right now (note: The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls). You would probably love Pinched With Four Aces, but that was limited edition and practically impossible to find now :/ (notes: Colorado Maduro tobacco wrappers, cinnamon bark, coffee bean husk, and dry woods).

 

If you're interested in picking up a limited edition, El Dia de Los Reyes is currently available and has notes of "Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar."

[Iceblink]

The Black Temple Burlesque Troupe, another current LE, might be appealing--it's got chocolate and tobacco with a lot of musk and feels really dark and mysterious.

[lilsparrow]

Thanks guys! You've been really helpful - can't wait to start ordering some imps!!

[Christy]

I too love Forties film noir, so I can relate to the search for a femme fatale fragrance! Anyway, I haven't tried this one yet and it doesn't have the notes you mentioned, but I think the name and description fit with film noir.

 

Penny Dreadful: "Also called Gallows Literature. A dime novel rife with melodrama, horror, madness and cruelty; a ten cent analogy of vice and virtue in conflict. Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam."

[lilsparrow]

I too love Forties film noir, so I can relate to the search for a femme fatale fragrance! Anyway, I haven't tried this one yet and it doesn't have the notes you mentioned, but I think the name and description fit with film noir.

 

Penny Dreadful: "Also called Gallows Literature. A dime novel rife with melodrama, horror, madness and cruelty; a ten cent analogy of vice and virtue in conflict. Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam."

 

Yay, a fellow fan!

Oooh, that one sounds intriguing... I currently have some imps on the way but if any don't work out I will definately try to do swapsies with someone for that.

Thankyou for the recommendation!

[eyeska]

And Miskatonic University is probably your best bet for a coffee scent right now (note: The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls). You would probably love Pinched With Four Aces, but that was limited edition and practically impossible to find now :/ (notes: Colorado Maduro tobacco wrappers, cinnamon bark, coffee bean husk, and dry woods).

 

That said, Velvet Dogs Playing Poker is from a year ago, and may be more readily available. It worked on me when Miskatonic U didn't work with my skin chemistry, so I'm quick to mention it. "Smooth wood, sweet pipe smoke, tonka, and Irish coffee."

[captainecchi]

I recommend Hellcat (but I always recommend Hellcat): hazelnut, buttercream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond. Plus, the name is right up your alley

 

I never really got the coffee in Mata Hari - it was rose and a little tonka on me. Misk U is more boozy than coffee, but still excellent. I just sampled Mother Shub's Spiced Lait de Chevre, one of this year's Yules, and it also fits in this category.

[Thursdae]

Wanda gives me the film noir vibe like nothing else.

Mata Hari sounds like it's worth a try for you, although it didn't work on me.

[kohimame]

Black Lace always seemed to me to be a very femme fatale/film noir kind of scent. On me it's a smoky vanilla scent with a splash of booze. Very nice

 

I'm so glad it came back!

[septima_pica]

Have you tried Perversion, for a rum-tobacco scent?

[sarajane]

Wanda gives me the film noir vibe like nothing else.

Mata Hari sounds like it's worth a try for you, although it didn't work on me.

 

DEFINATELY try Wanda, even if you think the notes may not work on you (neither rose or violet really work on me, but Wanda is somehow perfection). It's gorgeous and I think it has the feel you're looking for.

[Tanya]

Harlot with the rose/cinnamon makes me think of a femme fatale. Feminine, but HOT!