Kali

[Hallows_Eve]

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.

In the bottle: This is a very *adult* scent. It smells very much like all the good things that grown ups get into when being naughty at 3am. It is wickedly sinful. The wine, honey and tobacco really stand out when wet. Smoky, boozy, sexy.

On me: This is the scent of a decadent, hard partying night that starts out dancing and ends in sex. I mean it. I could smell the wine and tobacco with the floral notes behind it- you know how floral perfumes smell on people after a hot night at the club? Faintly, just a bit- there was the smell of sweat and sex.

As it dried, the honey and tobacco stayed with me the longest (sweet notes do that on me). It reminded me of those days of old when I would get home at 6am and have to go to work at 8a without any time to shower.

A good scent for those naughty days, I think. Edited September 14, 2007 by Shollin

[jj_j]

Going on, this is sweet, ripe blackberry wine, sultry chocolate, and pipe tobacco. No pun intended, Kali is absolutely divine. Honey, lotus, and balsam all show up as this warms up and settles in, and while it sounds like this might be a heavy scent, it's not.

 

Kali is flowing, deep, and sensual - think midnight offerings on a pool of water, illuminated to bare shapes by flickering candles bobbing on the surface of a slow-moving stream that's been showered with petals of all sorts. It's also rich, lush, and delicate - the blooms in this, along with the blackberry/wine note, mean it has wisps of exotic fruit and flowers that flit past your nose like they're on the breeze.

 

There's a complete cycle to this scent, though, as it's grounded by the palest wood note, balsam, and the velvet of tobacco leaves. These create such depth, and such anchoring for the other notes, that they may be the best balance of notes I've encountered in a very long time. This blend is complete, perfectly matched within itself, and an absolutely triumph of scent.

[Nadirah]

Mmm a sweet scent with with both light and dark creating balance Out of the bottle I smelled honey and wine, as it is applied it gets darker more musky. The chocolate is very slight, I can barely smell it. There are so many different notes that they seem to all blend together really well. I knew I would love this one, Its a light scent that int too light. It seems to be lasting pretty good on my too.

[hypothermya]

Well, I'd explain why I was interested in getting this scent, but I'm afraid that it might show exactly how "marketing" driven I am. I mean, a perfume named after Kali? It could smell like horse dung, and I'd still be tempted to buy it. Fortunately, this one comes from the Lab, and I completely trust them to make a stunning perfume, even if it doesn't work on me... So....

 

In the Bottle

 

Oh, this is interesting! From the description, I was expecting something darker (maybe I was imagining a heavy red wine), but this is light! It smells mainly of honey, and light milk chocolate, with these creamy florals behind it. The tobacco comes through, but it's the very spicey/sweet tobacco that you'd smell coming from a pipe -- not the kind that you'd get from a cigarette. I want to say that I recognize the cassia from Old Morocco and the lotus from Muse, but the truth is that it's too well blended. All I can smell is a golden/spicey honey sweetness, with the most dizzying sort of...well...corruption underneath. I would never expect to see Kali in such a sweet disposition; but from this, I get this mental image of her preening before her worshipers, and it's oddly appropriate.

 

Wearing It

 

Mmmm.... This is yummy. I like. Very, very much. It's sweet and golden, much like Dana O'Shee, but more exotic and more sensual. It develops this scent of sex -- not like O, which has that sweaty, post coital scent to it, but more like a light muskiness, or smokiness, which doesn't smell like a typical musk. It brings a darker flavor to the scent, which makes it much more intriguing than the sweet honey mazipan of Dana O'Shee. The florals are still creamy and spicey, and there's something weirdly watery about it. I keep thinking of pools of water around an altar, and I'm not sure why. The even weirder part is that it's watery without setting off my allergies -- a definite plus!

 

It's a very subtle scent on my skin, the sort that clings to my flesh and doesn't waft about. On the otherhand, it's fairly long lasting. It hides in waiting on my wrists for hours without fading much, and even after it's mostly faded, there's still a spicey honey scent left lingering.

 

 

 

So.... I dislike wearing anything with honey. I dislike wearing anything sweet. Can't stand floral scents. Hate the scent of chocolate on my skin. But for some weird reason I can't get enough of the scent of Kali. Honestly -- when I first smelled it in the bottle I thought, "Oh no, this is going to be one of those..." But wearing it is intoxicating. Even my boyfriend, who hates the scent of sweets or chocolates on me, really likes it.

 

Admittedly, I was expecting something dark and sinister, possibly even bloody when I thought of a scent that could embody Kali. But I have to admit that this works, and works well. This is one of my top 10 BPAL scents (actually, one of my top five), and I'm definitely getting a bigger bottle of this. Just can't get enough of it.

Edited July 31, 2004 by hypothermya

[Shollin]

First sniff: Kali is very rich and solid. I can’t tell whether it’s blood-red or chocolate-brown – I can smell chocolate in this, somewhere at the core, but there’s so much else going on. A generous splash of red wine over rich dark cocoa, with some lighter spices and flower petals sprinkled in, all mashed together with a heavy stone pestle.

 

Wearing: The wine stands out most when wet, and it’s gorgeous and juicy rather than boozy, somewhat like the wine in Blood Rose. This made me smile all day, and kept its lovely body-heat warmth, the wine and cocoa getting along quite well so neither ever dominated – and though it seems like those two things would smell hideous together, they’re fantastic. Love love love.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: It's cocoa out of the bottle. Not in the way of chocolate but like creamy soft cocoa butter.

 

Second Impression: The cocoa butter scent fades shortly after Kali dries leaving a trail of dark, sweet blossoms drizzled with red wine and a tiny drop of honey.

 

Final Analysis: I wish the cocoa butter stayed longer. I'm not in love with this scent, it doesn't evoke any images from me like most of the others do. It's nice and I may keep and use the imp or may put it up for swaps.

[la-roja]

This is a very feminine scent, not girly mind you but irrevocably feminine. It is sweet, warm, spicy, juicy, and floral without being flowery. I don't get any chocolate notes on my skin.

 

It reminds me of Malibu Musk which was an inexpensive drug store perfume popular when I was a young adolescent that I completely adored. It reminds Amberbreathing of the smell of the girl’s locker room at our old high school (in a good way). I wouldn't pin an age on this scent though, I think it would be as nice on a mature woman as it would be on a teenager. It is just so *female* that I think it would transcend age to accent different things on women in different life stages.

 

This scent really isn't my style (it is more overt than I normally wear) but I find that I can't stop sniffing the wrist I put it on to review it. I'm definitely going to have to keep it around for a while before deciding whether to buy or to swap.

 

~Roja

[Reinaluna]

Kali starts off kind of non sweet chocolate and ends up a juicy honey scent not too sweet. I like it even though my skin kind of soaks up the smell, I think I have to apply a lot to get a full effect. Another keeper for me.

[twistygirl]

When I first read all of the notes that comprise Kali, I couldn't imagine what it could possibly smell like. I also feared that it would smell dreadful on me, as I have had no luck with oils that contain red wine (it turns sour on me). This, however, is anything but sour on my skin.

 

Wet, the chocolate predominates, but not for long... as it dries, the wine comes out very subtly, as does the honey. Further along in the dry-down, this scent is so complex that I honestly can't pick out any single ingredient... it just blends fabulously into something totally unlike any fragrance I have ever experienced. I have no idea how to classify this other than to say that it's exquisite.

[TheDarkMother]

This scent for me was just decadent. It was a sugar sweetness that was simply airy and light. Once it dries the honey smell comes through more than anything else with a hint of almonds in the background.

 

It is just simply sugary sweet and light, like the lightest of honey lit up by the sun.

[Sara]

I don't know why I was expecting something dark and spicy, but Kali ended up being exactly the opposite of my original impression.

 

In the bottle it smells sweet and lovely and a little like some sort of juicy candy.

 

On my skin it holds its gorgeous juicy sweetness and eventually dries down into something soft and feminine...definitely a keeper.

[Eldritch]

After reading and falling in love with the description, I took a risk and ordered a big bottle of Kali without sampling first. The BPAL gods smiled down on me. Kali is WONDERFUL, if not what I'd expect.

 

In the bottle: rich, warm, sweet. I definately smell the dark chocolate, bug there's an underlying aged, heated smell to it.

 

On skin: Once applied, the stuff turned to pure chocolate on me. I didn't get any of the floral scents at all, just chocolate, leather and the slightest red simmery scent behind it. Very sweet, comfortable and warm for a scent dedicated to the blood-mouthed goddess.

 

Dry down: It mellows to a delicious baked smell. The chocolate doesn't come off as really foody, more warm and wispy. The juicey, simmering red is still there but pretty faint: this is all bittersweet chocolate and leather.

 

Surprising, but I'm in love!

[miss apple]

I just received Kali as an extra with my order and it is quite fabulous. In the vial I smell the honey and wine and just a whiff of chocolate, It's a warm, deep, rich scent - very yummy. It retains the same impression when I first apply it but after a few hours it dries down into honey-tinged frutiness. I can't smell the chocolate any longer but I still like it. I will defintely be buying a big bottle of this

[Ishtar]

Yaaay!!! At long last, a chocolate scent that I can wear! *Happy Ishtar dance*

 

To say the truth, I was a bit worried about it since the other chocolate scents turned dusty, almost dirty on me, but the other notes were so tempting I had to try it...

 

In the vial, the main notes are chocolate, hibiscus and rose. I can't wait to tell people that I am wearing a chocolatey floral!

 

On my skin, thankfully, the chocolate note decides to behave. No, it more than behaves. It is actually lovely. It imparts a soft creaminess, but it is so well blended that I don't think I would have been able to recognize it as chocolate had I not worn Bliss and Vice before.

 

As it settles down, the red wine and the tobacco start coming through, bringing a lot of depth and a robust base to a very complex floral blend. I can distinctly smell the hibiscus, which takes me back to Egypt, sailing down the Nile river and sipping karkade, a popular hibiscus herbal tea.

 

Kali had an above average staying power on me, which is good news since I like this scent a lot. A definite keeper

[Tesseljoan]

When first applied, I can smell cocoa and cherries. The cocoa fades quite quickly, and Kali becomes more of a fruity floral. To me, it smells like fig, even if that isn't in the description. When I smell it an hour later, I get a smokey tobacco smell, with a hint of floral. Overall, it's a light scent, something I wouldn't expect from the notes.

[Northernminx]

I'm going to save this one to try a second time as I think my chemistry is just wierd today.

 

A rich, fruity scent. I'm getting a lot of wine in this but the chocolate and honey are there on the dry down, making this sweet but still somehow punchy. I'd like to give it a second try and see if my skin works more on it so more in a few hours.

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Fruity and a tiny bit musty. Reminds me of Lady MacBeth only darker, more corrupt.

 

on my skin: I smell the chocolate now, but despite the fact that this smells fruity and chocolately, it's not foody in the least. This smells very mature and ladylike...a special occasion perfume like Spellbound. I have a feeling this will grow on me, though, like Wanda. It reminds me of Wanda in that it smells ladylike and mature, but that there's a deep, dark, volatile sexuality locked deep in there somewhere, and it will open on my skin later, when it decides it wants to show itself. This is earth toned, but intense. Browns, golds and reds. Earthy sexuality. Very nice. A definite keeper.

[nevermore]

I really enjoy wearing Kali, because different notes surface each time I wear it. Mostly though, it starts as chocolate and a slight touch of wine and dries to some quite exotic smelling florals. Occasionally, I’ll smell the tobacco and honey. It lasts quite a long time too – at least a full work day. I think I need a bigger bottle of this one too.

[Nepthys]

This sounded like such an odd blend of different scents that I couldn't even imagine how it would smell - but I have always loved the goddess Kali so I figured I had to order this. And it is divine. This is very light, not heavy at all, yet decadent and seductive at the same time. To me this strikes the perfect balance - not overly sweet or innocent like so many light scents, and not overpowering or heavy like so many sensual scents. As others have said, on me different notes dominate on different days - sometimes it's a very sweet and warm wine-floral smell and other times the chocolate comes through, and at other times it's quite smokey. It reminds me of the way a sophisticated perfume smells on a woman not when she puts it on, but hours into a party, when it's commingled a bit with smoke and the warmth of her skin.

[malanna]

On application, this smells like Velvet--moist chocolate cake. After it tries, it turns into a smooth scent. To me, the image I get in my head is of smooth leather--without the tiny bumps. This is wine, mixed with tobacco (high-class tobacco), mixed with leather (the old leather chairs, that has the metal circles on the vertical side of the arms). This is a seductive scent...but I don't like it (tobacco and leather, not for me).

[verdigris]

In the vial, I can smell chocolate and red wine. When I applied Kali, however, I was slightly disappointed. The red wine and chocolate disappeared almost immediately and were replaced by the lotus and tulip notes. I smell no tobacco at all and the oil seems to soak into my skin very quickly. It is a very soft scent..if I breathe lightly on my wrist I can smell the very faintest hint of chocolate once again. Overall a nice scent, but I wish it hadn't changed so much with my chemistry and stayed more like the initial scent in the vial-dark and rich.

[Vicious Mistress]

Many pre-BPAL moons ago, I wore Estee Lauder's Beautiful. I loved the dry-down scent, but the reason I stopped wearing it is because the initial scent was so sharp and strong to my nose that it gave me headaches. Unfortunately, Kali seems exactly like that scent to me. It's strange, because when I tried a friend's imp, this seemed sweet on me and I ordered a bottle right away.

 

I wish Kali had the drydown scent of Beautiful instead of the initial scent. However, I will say that this scent didn't change a lot on me and it lasted until the next day when I took a shower. I have a feeling many will love this scent. I just can't wear it.

[MilkAndSugar]

"Oh my sweet Goddess! What's *in* this blend?" was my initial reaction when I dabbed some Kali on my wrist.

 

What a beautiful, sweet scent!

There's chocolate, there's wine, and that sweetness must be the honey.

They all, blended together, remind me of something I know but can't pinpoint. What is that? I almost got it just now, but it was gone before I could recognize it.

A bit annoying, but in an exciting way, like I'm an archeologist trying to dig through my memories.

 

(ETA: I got it! It reminds me of these chocolate scented stickers I had and loved when I was a kid. Not very Kali-ish, is it? But a nice memory from waaay back.)

 

The scent in itself is sweet, a bit berryish (if you don't like berry scents, don't be alarmed, it's not strong), the chocolate is not loud, it's dark and melted, mixed with honey. There's also a flowery note I get. Reminds me of the Lilac in Bruja.

Actually, this is a lot like Bruja (imho), only sweeter, darker and better. And not the least bit soapy.

I get the image of brown velvet from this one. One with a bold gold pattern on it.

There is a definate "tropical" feel to Kali.

 

Kali gets increasingly softer, sweeter and fruitier on drydown. I really, really like this one.

 

I echo the above reviewers, this is a very complex scent. Very deep and mysterious.

 

-Milk

Edited August 24, 2004 by MilkAndSugar

[alizarin]

I didn't like Kali when I first tried it, it just didn't seem to do much for me. But something made me try it again, and then again, and suddenly I find myself contemplating getting a 5ml of it. Tricksy scent.

 

Wet it was too sweet for me, but the sweet is just so complex on drydown that it works. It stays light but still has a prescence, like a swirl of mist or curl of smoke. Subtle, yet with a strength to it.

 

The wine is most prominent on me, which I like. The creaminess of the chocolate mixes with the florals and just confuses my nose so much that I can't stop smelling my wrists. I can't pick out single notes other than the wine, and the wine isn't so much a distinct note as a thought floating within the scent. There's a richness to it, it's languid and tropical and I am really going to have to get that 5ml, aren't I?

[starrykitten]

At first, Kali went on smelling kind of minty, almost like eucalyptus. I was hoping it would settle in, and then it did.

 

The rose came out, but it wasn't a pure rose. It was rose that almost smelled velvety, and had been drizzled with the other notes, which I couldn't pick out.

 

There's a myth about the goddess Kali dancing her consort to death. True to form, the scent lasted on me throughout a long party, and then I could still sniff it when I woke up. I felt like it actually got better with time, and hated to shower it away.