Kali

[bodegaselkie]

Kali, the Black One, is the fearless Goddess of Destruction, Creation, Energy [in her Shakti aspect] and Dissolution. Also named Kaliratri [black Night] and Kalikamata [black Earth-Mother], she is the fiercest aspect of Devi, the supreme mother goddess. Kali is a protector Goddess, the destroyer of evil spirits and guardian of the faithful. She, along with her consort Shiva, represent the unending cycle of death and birth, sexual union, creation and destruction. Kali annihilates ignorance, maintains the natural order of the world, and blesses those who strive for spiritual awareness and knowledge of true holiness with infinite tenderness and motherly love. The constant, unending Work of Creation is called the "The Play of Kali". This perfume is a blend of the sacred blooms of cassia, hibiscus, musk rose, Himalayan wild tulip, lotus and osmanthus swirled with offertory dark chocolate, red wine, tobacco, balsam and honey.

Ugh. I wanted to like Kali so much -- I was so excited when I ordered this imp. It's the first BPAL perfume I washed off within hours of wearing. It was just so strong on me, and its dominant scents for me were that cherry-wine note a lot of others have mentioned. It came off like annoying heady candy, scratching my throat and giving me a headache. That said, in its good moments it reminded me of a perfume from the 80s -- Poison, I think it was -- which at a distance reminded me of grapey perfume, but too much also gave me a headache. Alas. I'm so glad this works well on others, because it's a brilliant idea!

[Lit Chick]

Oh, the joy of BPAL.

 

Kali, when wet, is a nightmare. So sweet, so cloying.... exactly the type of thing I hate. It's ripe and juicy.... and errgh.

 

And then, it dries. And oh, the pure bliss of that dry-down! It's so hard to pin down the notes. It's a strong floral. No! It's spicy! No - there's chocolate! Wait - some incense! And it sounds hideous to me to have all those things playing together - but hey - that's why I wear and Beth creates. This is sexy and playful, one I could wear for a variety of occasions. I have a feeling this will become a staple fragrance of mine.

 

[warmfuzzies]

whoa-- hoping for "chocolate, red wine, honey".....got: flowers, floral, flowery....

the total & complete opposite of what i was hoping for & expecting. must. wash. off. now.....

 

 

just read the reviews....do i have the right vial?????????

Edited February 26, 2005 by warmfuzzies

[lunalight7]

Out of the vial this smelled of earthy (almost dirty) medicinal chocolate but quickly dried down to a lovely, honey-sweet floral. I can't really pick out the individual notes because this is so well blended (big up to Beth once again ). Kali smells purple to me and reminds me of Midnight, except lighter and sweeter (must be the honey). I am finding that my skin likes honeyed scents. Kali seems to be a second-skin scent on me w/o a lot of throw.

[Julilla Regina]

Soooo wonderful! I really smell the honey and the chocolate is barely there, but noticeable...I can't discern the other notes, I only know that this is beautiful and I adore it. My skin does seem to soak it up though, but who cares? With something this gorgeous, I wouldn't mind slathering in it.

 

Can you tell I love this? There's something warm in this blend, too, the florals aren't chilly or cold florals, but warm without being humid if that makes sense. It's a work of genius, IMHO.

[rhubarbbear]

having recently discovered that i like smelling like chocolate even tho i don't like eating it, i've been on the hunt for all bpal chocolate scents. after reading kali's reviews, i was most pleased to have her!

 

in the bottle and wet she smells lovely. i try not to drool and contemplate rushing to the computer to place a big bottle order. the chocolate is only a hint, but it doesn't matter, this blend smells so good!! as kali dries, however, the extra goodness starts to fade. within half an hour all i smell is generic, floral perfume. all chocolate, wine and tobacco are gone

 

i'm very, very sad about this- why, skin, why??

[slave1]

I just got a big bottle of Kali.... from the descriptions it sounded like something I'd adore.

 

In the bottle it was very strong... but when I put it on my skin drank it up. My first impression was very floral... very pretty...

 

It's been about an hour and it is still pure floral. I don't smell chocolate, honey or tobacco like others have said, at all. It's very pretty but I hope it will get deeper and darker since I'm not the biggest floral fan. I do smell a slight berry note as well...

 

I'm not getting a carnal or sexy feel to this scent either. Since it is so floral I'm thinking more sophistication.

 

It is fading pretty quick too, but I love strong scents so it may just be me. I want to reapply it for sure.

 

whoa-- hoping for "chocolate, red wine, honey".....got: flowers, floral, flowery....

the total & complete opposite of what i was hoping for & expecting. must. wash. off. now.....

 

 

just read the reviews....do i have the right vial?????????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I am feeling the same way, it is pure floral. But I do think it is a pretty scent, I don't want to wash it off. But I do wish it had been darker, sweeter and as carnal as it's been described by so many others.

[scourgeotheseas]

Kali

 

In the bottle: I expected florals, but smelled red wine and chocolate instead. Hmmm...

 

On me/wet: Upon application it immediately smelled like chocolate, but within a moment that faded to the background, displaced by a subtle blends of florals. so far, so good.

 

Drydown: It's making my hand itch. Go away, itch. Stay, gorgeous floral blend with a hint of cocoa. A touch of rose, a hint of sweetness, this one is complex and fantastic. It gets sweeter as it dries. Wow. Just....wow.

[Barb25]

Kali is beyond beautiful. It smells mainly floral on me, I can really smell the tulip, but underneath the floral scent is this gorgeous chocolate/red wine/honey scent that blends together flawlessly. I absolutely love it.

[Surioara]

Sounds scrumptious, no? I thought so. But when I opened the vial, all I smelled was death. Which is most appropriate. I just took the one whiff and closed it back up, blinking in a stupor. I would have sniffed again, but I was in the back seat of a moving car and didn't want to risk spilling any on myself. Though now that I'm thinking of it, I'd like to sniff it again, and apply a bit to the wrist that isn't slathered with Snake Oil. Hold on a sec. . .

 

Second sniff. . . yup, still smells like death. Vaguely fetid, but with a sharp hint of tobacco. The hibiscus is there, too, adding a strangely sweet note to the spice of a soft rot. On my skin, it smells more like stale chocolate and heavy wine, and I think I may smell some of the lotus.

 

This scent is true to its description. I can tell this is going to be a complex scent, morphing into the musks and roses and honey as it warms on my skin. This is actually a very intoxicating blend, sweaty-hot and dark, dangerous, but somehow elegant. There's an element of raw sex and regal grace, bloated corpses and lush gardens. Yes, the wine seems to be growing stronger, but the florals and the chocolate are still very noticable.

 

This is incredible. I'm totally ignoring the spicy vanilla of Snake Oil in favor of Kali. Hell, I'm trying to *not* lick my wrist. The Kali blend is proving to be incredibly intense and compelling. It's dark and heavy and sexy and raw. I love it. I think a 5mL is needed. Soon.

[bellis]

I wanted to like Kali so much. So far it's been the only 5ml I've bought unsniffed that didn't work on me at all.

 

It was all sweet complex florals in the bottle, rich and thick and smoky. Immediately after putting it on my skin, however, something went very wrong. Something underneath the florals and the wine turned rancid. I think it might have been the chocolate, but whatever it was it made me sick at my stomach to smell it. As I had only swiped a tiny bit on, I just held my arm away from me and after an hour or so it had dried down into something sweet and spicy without the nastiness. I tried it again when I wasn't on my period, and wasn't overwhelmed as I was the first time, although the rancid smell was still there. I don't think I'll be able to survive whatever that first smell is, however, so off to swap to someone who it doesn't go evil on.

[tigerlust]

Kali was the lucky 1st imp to try from my lateset order. OH MY.....

 

This is a very complicated scent to me! It goes on very floral, the lotus really stands out the most to me, but wait, there's the ginger and the milky rose. Very floral, very feminin, lovely, just lovely!

 

This one's morphing quickly!! Now, only 15 minutes later I can definately smell the honey. It's all creamy, gingery springtime blossoms. I'm really liking this!

 

Morphing still, after about an hour, one whiff I get ginger, the next I get the blossoms. The milk rose & honey are peeking out just beneath. It's getting REALLY sweet now. It's making my teeth hurt to sniff my wrists, but I can't help myself! It's just intoxicating to me!

 

After about 3 hours it's starting to calm down now, not so syrupy sweet. More lovely florals and ginger with a creamyness to it. I never get any of the red wine, chocolate or balsam. I think I'm getting the tobacco on the edge.

 

I love this!! I really do, it's Lovely, just Lovely!!

[pranashakti]

In the bottle this was strongly wine and tobacco for me. Wet, verrrry sweet and strong and in a moment turned into...something...

 

Ew.

 

It's VERY cheap cherry flavored pipe tobacco on me. None other the other notes pop out at all and it's inspired a headache in a flash. So bummed out about this, stooopid body chemistry! Had to wash this off. (sigh)

[cindyrella]

This is a strange one.

It really had to grow on me, but now I appreciate this one.

 

When I tried it the first time, it turned sour on me. Or maybe I say it wrong, it smelled sour to me. I couldn’t smell the sweet notes like the chocolate, I only smelled wine. And this wine wasn’t pleasant.

Only after an hour or so, the wine note mellowed down and the flowers and berries became noticable. That stage I liked, but I couldn’t get over the initial sour scent.

That’s why I tried Kali a few days later. When I put in on, I detected something sweet, and then the sourness rose up and made me sick.

So I decided to swap this one. I got a bottle of this without smelling it first: stupid!

 

I couldn’t get anyone to swap it, and then I tried it again. The strangest thing happened: Now immediately smelled the sweet berries everyone was talking about, and I smelled the flowers too. I still smelled the wine note, but it wasn’t sour. I can’t say this will become my favourite, although you never know, but it’s really nice for a change. I’m glad I didn’t swap this one.

[cormeretrix]

wow.

 

i didn't think i'd like this one, thought for sure that the evil lotus would try to kill me again.

 

never even smelled the little bugger!

 

instead, it's all lovely chocolate and red wine and some floral bits, but nothing overwhelming and then a bit (just a tiny bit!) of a sweetish tobacco and wow i think i'm just in love.

 

also... i made this one into a solid perfume, and it's still fantastic! yay!

[joseybird]

First sniff: Chocolate and wine!

 

Drydown: The florals are coming out more now, and the chocolate disspears...this smells very much like comercial perfume. Pretty, but not nearly as unique as I thought it would be =(

[Aurelius]

A gimp from the lab...

 

When I opened up my imp to sniff it and put some on I freaked out, thinking that it had turned. It smelled just like vinegar! Ew!

 

Then I put it on and the sucker just completely changed. It was suddenly berry goodness. Wine! Rich heady wine.

 

It stayed in all its wine-y glory until much later when the chocolate peeked out a bit. As for the other notes, well, I assume they were beaten into submission by the red wine.

[Sheila]

I first tried Kali as a giftimp from the lab. Thanks, lab--I don't think I would have ordered it on my own (the chocloate and tobacco would have scared me off)! I recently swapped for a bottle of this.

 

This is so well-blended that I can't pick out any individual notes. First, it's a very sharp scent--very dark and deep. As it dries, the florals (again, I can't pick out any specific flower) come out. This is very sophisticated and a bit sinister (as a scent named after Kali should be). It's lovely--perfect for when I want to feel kick-ass and confident.

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: It smells really sweet, but I can smell the tobacco underneath. It's interesting. I've never smelled anything like it!

 

Wet: Super sweet, a little like cotton candy. I can't smell the tobacco anymore. What is that flower that smells so sweet?

 

Dry: Overwhelmingly like cotton candy. Ick. I had to wash this off in a hurry. My friend tried it and it smells softer, with more of the tobacco and chocolate. Sigh...

[Orodemniades]

It's all been said by better writers than me, but suffice to say, I Lurve Kali!

 

Having said that, when wet on my skin, there's a distinctly unpleasant smell that reminds me of new wet leather, but this fades as it drys. Thank goodness.

 

It's a scent that lasts and lasts, too.

 

Oro

[quimerula]

Wet it's chocolate, tobacco and a mix of flowers, all together.

 

Dry I can smell rose, hibiscus and tulip, some flowers I can't pick up and tobacco; no honey or chocolate. The next stage includes rose, lotus, osmanthus and a bottom line of wine and balsam.

 

A very nice, changeling floral. Maybe a big bottle.

[olympia301]

Actually, this is a very nice scent! Named for the most ferocious of Indian goddesses, the smell is pretty tame bordering on the forgettable. It is supposed to have all sorts of things in it: chocolate, wine, blood and the like. Oddly, for all that thundering build up it only ends up smelling like some kind of lovely hand lotion. I just get the cartoon vision of having to walk into the den of the Goddess Kali and there she is in all of her carniverous glory, shrunken heads around her neck, kneedeep in human blood and on the phone. She looks at you and says,"Make it quick, I got the other guy on call waiting."

 

By the way, the above icon is the most ferocious Western "goddess", Mrs. Van Horne. She only has one set of arms, but she is as feared as her Indian counterpart.

Edited May 4, 2005 by olympia301

[Chimera]

I have no real experience with scents, especially when it comes to identifying components, so this review is aimed at the scent-novices like myself who have to go on impressions alone.

 

In the bottle: Exciting stuff! Chocolate, but not straight chocolate, more like bittersweet chocolate-covered cherries or creams -- dark chocolate with a somewhat sweet undertone that's not a component of the chocolate itself. I had chocolate-creams made with rose water once, this reminds me very much of that. Also, tobacco. Not a burning cigarette or cigar, more like a straight dried leaf of tobacco.

 

On, wet: Same.

 

On, dry: The strong chocolate instantly disappears, as does the tobacco. What I have is a combination of scents that are so blended they're indistinct. Absolutely nothing dominates. There's a pervading sense of something clean-smelling, almost soapy. When I sniff repeatedly at my wrists and really concentrate I believe I can still faintly pick out the chocolate, but maybe that's only because I know it's there from my first out-of-the-bottle whiff -- sort of a lingering scent-memory. What I get now is florals -- soft, but not caught-in-the-back-of-my-throught-sweet. I'm also strangely reminded of beeswax.

 

Later: The scent stayed close for about the first hour, after that it came off me in waves. There's a certain sweetness (personality-wise) to the florals, but there's something blended in the background that keeps it from being girly-feminine. I'd like that something to be stronger, more of a foil to the florals than it is.

 

Let me sum up: Overall, not bad, but not me. I wish the strong chocolate and tobacco hung around on me longer than it takes the oil to dry. All day would be nice. The wine scent and a very faint hint of the chocolate and tobacco popped out briefly at odd intervals over the course of the day, but only at a distance from my wrists, not close up. On a certain level I can appreciate the well-blended, chamelon-like quality of this oil, but from the description I was expecting something darker. All in all, I get the impression of a pleasant, expensive soap, with the occasional hint of something deeper. It's a nice scent, but on me it doesn't do what it's supposed to.

[Medici]

My nose isn't trained, exactly - but some things I can nail at first go while others are going to take some cultivation.

 

I was very nervous anticipating the reciept of Kali. I consider myself very fortunate to have found someone off livejournal who donated an imp before my order came in from the lab.

 

In the bottle: honey, wine, tobacco flowers. This is much sweeter than I expected, much lighter and already I'm amped. I was expecting something very dark from this blend - but the florals! Holy hell.

 

Wet Phase: The wine comes up strong at first, and running right behind it is a strock smack of hibiscus. It's not completely innocent, but it is definately honouring the passionate side to Kali as the Goddess linked with tantra. There is something sexual sitting behind it, which I attribute to the booze. On the first go this afternoon as the dry-down began setting in, I think I was swooning and getting drunk off the oil.

 

Dry-down: Bright hibiscus, other floral notes that I can't identify (damnable nose!) but oh dear - this makes me feel beautiful. I feel like I should be walking in the dusk - it gives me the impression of a rosey, deep pink colour. It softens as it wears, but still - I'm absolutely enchanted.

 

I will be getting an ample supply of Kali. I didn't think I'd like florals, but this sweet, magnificent brew has caused me to turn a 180.

[nineveh]

I love Kali. On me, it's a warm, deep, smooth, complex scent, but not dark or sinister. It feels feminine without being floral. I think that I can smell the tobacco, wine, rose, and chocolate most.

 

After a while, it fades into a sort of buttery, smoky scent that's not as strong, but still beautiful. It has great lasting power too. I wore this with a hoodie, and the next day, the Kali on my hoodie's sleeves transfered itself back to my wrists and completely covered up the Dracul that I was wearing!

 

The only downside is that I'll have to make my imp last until my 10 mL arrives.