Kali

[tereshkova2001]

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.

 

It's a mix of dark florals, with none of the chocolate or wine I loved in Centzon Totochtin. The base notes must be there, but they don't register for me. Wait--several hours after applying, I can barely pick them out, and now the flowers are gone. The late drydown, with the honey and chocolate, is yummy, but it takes far too many hours to get there. Shame, that.

Edited February 19, 2006 by tereshkova2001

[Rhowan]

In the imp and wet on my skin, I can smell dark chocolate and florals.

 

As this begins to dry down, the choclolate fades away and the Lotus really is ovewheming everything - all I am getting is Lotus It's funny because when I saw rose and honey, I figured this would be powdery and grandma -y. Nope - lotus!

 

At complete dry down, I get really disappointed. The lotus fades and for just about 30 seconds I can smell a beautiful dark scent. Not overpowering lotus like I was getting but a musky dark spicy floral that promises to be absolutely one of my favorites and then.... it just disappears! It' just gone! Um... guess this isn't going on my favorites...

[arabella]

First Impression: A dripping, sticky, juicy fruit - like overripe figs.

 

Dries down to: A light floral with a hint of sweetness.

 

Additional Comments: This is yet another interesting combination of notes. There's several florals - but not the more common ones - along with a glazing of honey, chocolate and wine (which was the "fruity" note to me) on their petals. Fortunately, the honey behaves and the tobacco was not at all obvious to me. This one's absolutely gorgeous.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 5 out of 5

[Em-]

Kali reminds me a lot of the backdrop that I love so much in Freak Show before the fig takes over - the tobacco and dark cocoa, with honey and wine notes giving Kali the sweetness that fig and tonka bring to Freak Show. The florals are sophistocated and moist in this without being overpowering. It is warm and spicy and tasty, but still almost subtle - I really really like this blend - I think it may be a new favorite.

[gingersnapp]

There are many notes in this blend that are usually the standouts when they are on their own with other, less dominant notes with my skin chemistry, so I was curious which of them would win the battle for my nose.

 

This was chocolate and roses. Straight up. Very sexy and very demanding and powerful. I really like this one.

 

ADDED Jan. 30:

 

Hmmm. Dryer sheets? Something comforting like that. I have no idea which notes blended to give me that warm fuzzy feeling, but I kind of like it. It's not soapy or fake smelling like dryer sheets, but emotionally, this blend is having that effect on me.

[nancybridget]

Um, well, I Kali.

 

She's delicious and wearable and just plain old pretty!

 

Me wants a bottle!

[myandroidconcubine]

Kali is berries and wild roses on me. It's like hiding in the recesses of an overgrown garden with a friend (or a lover), sweet wine and playful sexiness. I love this; it's rich and dark and utterly evocative. Just enough food to appeal to my nose and just enough fruit/florals to stir up my memory. Mmmmm.

[abbycomix]

I got this as a frimp in a swap. The description doesn't seem like my style, but I'm liking Kali better than I thought I would. It smells sophisticated to me, and the strongest note on me has got to be the honey. That's the most recognizable, almost like honeysuckle. This is my first honey BPAL. It smells heavy, sweet, and bit floral but dark and mature. I think I can get whiffs of chocolate and sweet tobacco every once in a while too.

[Miss Surreal]

In the vial: Not able to smell any particular notes, except maybe chocolate.

 

Wet: This is so nicely blended im still not able to make out any particular notes. It's sweeter then I expected it to be.

 

Dry on wrists: It has grown a bit more musky, very nice.

 

30 mins later: Wait is it gone already???

 

Hour later: Um ok this is doing strange things on me. One minute it will fade to nothing, and then the next it is very strong.

 

Closing thoughts: LOVED this. Im amused that it kept fading and coming back...although Im not sure about wearability if it keeps alternating like that. Will have to try this once more tosee if this was a one time thing.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

heavier - all I can think of is sweet pear

 

wet:

nice floral mix

 

dry:

I don't smell much more than floral notes, but there is a nice depth to this, and the floral isn't too strong,

 

overall:

nice, I like it.

 

rating: 7/10

Edited May 8, 2006 by HennaFairy

[desu]

In the imp: A wild party of florals and all sorts of stuff. I can't pick out any single note in this.

 

On my skin: Fruit that gradually fades to nothing as my skin sucks it in. Not even the honey has made an appearance. :/

[harmonyfb]

In the imp, it was all red wine.

 

On my skin, the honey flared, and then gave way to a heady floral blend, heavy on the osmanthus and hibiscus. I can just barely detect the tobacco, but it only gives a smoky base to the rest of the flowers. I like it, but the husband opined that it was waaaay too strong (this has big, big throw) and that it was making him a bit ill. Since I have a bunch of other faves, this one'll go in the swap pile.

[Nekomata]

Huh, can't really define any one note for certain. Smells fruity and sweet so it's great. Yay!

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Floral, chocolate.

 

On me: Upon immediate application, this is all red wine and chocolate. Now, I smell chocolate, orange, honey, and various florals. It's morphed again and the chocolate has faded after a few minutes and is now much more floral. Now, the honey is more prevalent, and the chocolate is back! Wow, what a fun blend - I love shapeshifters!

 

Verdict: Definitely a keeper. I like this scent a lot, but will have to try it a few more times to decide whether I need a bottle.

 

Rating: 5/5

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, this is honey and tobacco with lotus and hibiscus... a faint dash of musk rose and a tiny sip of wine. On, however, there's a breath of something entirely different: cassia and roses with tulips and balsam and a faint touch of honey just for added sweetness. This smells very much like a tea I used to drink - damned if I remember the name or brand though... Dry, this has a very soft florals over chocolate flavor that I find very nice. Reminds me of Godiva shops. Nice. It stays soft and floral with something dirtying it up just a little for most of it's life and then suddenly POOF! a dust of hibiscus and it's all gone. Byebye.

[Naamah_Darling]

A fiercely stinky blend in the bottle, Kali takes black cocoa, honey, tobacco leaf, and covers it with a faint patina of sweet florals. It smells very dirty, like sweat, or body funk.

 

On, the flowers come out in a spicy torrent in which I can identify a trace of rose and hibiscus; I'm not familiar enough with the other notes to tell what they are. This is actually a wonderfully complex floral, with a subtle darkness in the background and a throw that is delightfully feminine without being dainty or girly. A robust yet blazingly floral and female scent that is just as likely to strangle you with that silk veil as dance with it. I really hope it stays this nice, because a floral this interesting that I could actually wear would be a wonderful thing to have.

 

God, as it dries this just gets more beautiful. Exotic blooms dying in the heat, almost cloying in their spiciness, and underneath it all a questing shadow, a reaching tendril of darkness. I'm not getting the wine or the chocolate or the honey overtly, but they are there in the background behind the flowers, and they're holding them up, keeping them from going powdery. This stays juicy and wet, just one step from choking and overripe.

 

This lasts and lasts, and it doesn't go through a skanky powder phase at all. Glorious!

 

I'm amused by all the people saying "but Kali smells so sweet!" That's the idea, chilluns. She's the gentlest and most beautiful goddess there is, once you've opened your heart to her. Why should the smell of a death goddess be anything but lovely?

[neuilly]

In the bottle: At first there was some strong chocolate but it was quickly overtaken...by a wine/lotus smell. It's not mixing that well to my nose. Hopefully it'll be better on.

 

Wet: Very floral...blended floral. Can't pick out individual notes, nor can I decided if I like it or not. Will see how much it morphs over time...

 

Dry: Reminds me a lot of Moscow. It's a nice floral blend but just not me. I think it's a bit more "adult" that I am at the moment.

[edenssixthday]

Kali - When I first sniffed Kali out of the imp, and when it was first applied to my skin, it was way too heady and the chocolate and tobacco were incredibly overwhelming. But I tried a little on my wrists anyway. It's a warm scent, full of bitter chocolate and tobacco. Even after the initial dry-down, it was too dank and dark for me. But after about 90-120 minutes, it really mellowed and seemed to increase in complexity, and was finally bearable. Once it's been on my skin for a while, the tobacco and chocolate decrease significantly in intensity. Unfortunately, none of the other notes come through on me, and the tobacco and chocolate notes don't work with my skin -- either in their initial whap-you-in-the-nose intensity or their post-dry-down subtlety, which has absolutely no character nor appeal. Gotta say, this one's going in the swap bin.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

impsniff: smells like clover honey that's gone to sugar

 

skinsniff, wet: chocolate

 

skinsniff, dry: Jergens lotion (almondy/cherry-cocoa butter) and chocolate-flavoured lipgloss.

 

i really don't think this does justice to Kali at all.

[seamor]

Oh my, I think I've got a new favorite!

 

Wet: Kinda "perfumey". An elegant, sophisticated fruit and floral scent.

 

Dry: Just a touch more "down and dirty". A fruity floral with a sweet, almost musky, base. The tobacco note is subtle but definitely present, and I think it's what really makes the scent for me - keeps it from being too sweet, blends wonderfully, makes the overall scent much more interesting.

 

I am not catching chocolate as an individual note, and I'm not sure why I'm getting fruit (dates? figs? Must be the florals - or maybe the chocolate? - blending with the tobacco.), or the slight musky effect, but it's amazingly yummy - I can't stop smelling myself. All the different notes blend beautifully - there's none of that back-and-forth everchanging scent effect that I have had with some others. This one just is what it is from the get-go, and what it is is wonderful.

 

It lasts about four hours, which on me is a long time. I can definitely see wearing this one every single day.

 

Top of the "big bottle" list for this one.

 

[Jocelyn]

I LOVE THIS! Im adding this one to the list of the few scents that work beautifully on me. When I first open the vial it smells like booze. Red wine, and eventually is softened by roses and sweetish honey and chocolate. Gorgeous!

[Babylon]

I was disappointed with how floral Kali turned out to be on me. Wet, it's delicious chocolate with various flowers. But as it dried, the chocolate took a hike, and I was left with a bit of a floral girlie perfume. Had hoped Kali would be darker. I'll stick with Centzon Totochtin.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Boozy, smoky, chocolatey. Complex and sexy. Very exotic smelling. All the smells smell familiar, but mixed together they become very exotic.

 

On the wrist, wet: Losing the cocoa immediately. This is fainter than I thought it would be and sweeter as well. I'm having a really difficult time smelling this on my skin. I can smell it strongly in the imp though....

 

On the wrist, dry: For the longest time I couldn't smell anything, then it morphed into a really heavy commercial perfume scent. I am convinced that my body chemistry is acting up and destroying this.

 

Final Analysis: I will try this again next week and see if I have the same results. I will post them accordingly. I could almost smell cocoa and something spicy but... I need to try this again.

[lunareclipse]

In the imp: sweetness almost to the point of corruption, and overwhelmingly so.

 

Wet: Very sweet and heavy - almost like overripe plums. The cassia, red wine, and chocolate are starting to make an appearance, Sexy and lush.

 

Drydown: the florals and honey come through, lightening the tone a little, but there's still a foundation of sweetness just before it becomes rot.

 

One of my all-time favorites. Wearing Kali, I feel sexy and strong.

[juniperus]

Bottle: tobacco and chocolate - like a dark chocolate bar sitting too close to an open pouch of pipe tobacco?

Wet: I can catch the red wine (please don't go sour on me), and hints of the florals.

Dry: wow, the florals, esp the sweeter ones, have really taken off and left the darker notes behind!

Later: sweet and sour florals. how very sad, I had so looked forward to this one.