Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller (2006)

[Tiada]

Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum.

Oh my lord I'm in trouble.

I was so pleasantly surprised (more like thrilled!) to find a decant of this in a forum order as a frimp. I couldn't help myself and immediately washed off what I was wearing and put this on. This is absolutely DIVINE. It's warm and rich and sweet and just... YES. I was worried that I was putting it on and might have to wash it off before bed, which seemed like a waste, but I'm keeping it on as I don't want to stop smelling myself!

I need to get a bottle of this. Like, yesterday!

[cherrycherry]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet - it's one of my favourites.

 

The Madame is a go-to sexy scent for me. It's dark and delicious and heavy on the red musk. I absolutely adore red musk and amp it like woah. As much as I adore Snake Oil (and I do) this one for me is like Snake Oil plus - deeper and more sensual, not as heavy on the vanilla and it lasts a long longer on me. When the Carnaval finally leaves town, this will be the one I'll seriously grieve over. I have two bottles so far (one a year old, one fairly new) and I need moremoremore.

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: Very excited to find a frimp of this in a package I got this morning, because I was going to order a bottle this weekend on faith. Right away, this is glorious. It's a lot like Snake Oil, but the pomegranate and plum give it a juicy redness. The vanilla and the red musk are strong, and wonderful. I'm not getting any patchouli - does patchouli leaf smell differently than actual patchouli?

 

Wet: The red musk flares up for a few seconds, but then calms down and the blend becomes warm, smoky, sweet, slighty fruity, and somehow a little nutty. On the drydown, it's getting woodsy and a little herbal, which I'm guessing is the patchouli leaf.

 

Dry: This is SEXY. I've been trying to figure out how to describe this for ten minutes - the right words just don't exist. Mme. Moriarty grabs you by the throat, then softly strokes that sensitive part of your neck, so that you're frightened but turned on all at once. This is seduction to the dark side. Now, getting back to what it actually smells like. It's still reminiscent of Snake Oil, but it's much darker and more sinister. The red musk is prominent, backed up by the patchouli leaf, and ever so slightly sweetened by the vanilla. The pomegranate and plum aren't really noticeable, but they do keep the blend smelling red and vaguely fruity, and... a little boozy.

 

An Hour Later: The vanilla has made a comeback - it's sweeter now than before. Otherwise, it's the same amazing, sexy, musky, smoky, red scent.

 

Overall: I'll have to exert a lot of self-control not to get two bottles of this with my next order. I cannot wait until the boyfriend smells this tonight. Rowr!

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL's from various people.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I thought for sure I'd reviewed this, but I guess not.

 

This is one of those scents that sounds very close to perfect but could be ruined by one little note. Pomegranate smells like gummy bears on me 99% of the time. That wouldn't be a bad thing if I actually wanted to smell like gummy bears, but I don't.

 

Everything else here sounds wonderful, though.

 

First sniff:

 

I have bottles of Mme. Moriarty that are different ages, so I'm going to have to split this up between fresh(ish), aged (2 years) and very aged (4 years and a few months).

 

Fresh: Lighter than I would expect from the notes. It's in the same vein as Snake Charmer, but it's not even remotely close to being a dupe of it. This smells like soft red musk, vanilla and plum. It's feminine and sexy, although I'd prefer a darker, heavier scent.

 

Aged: Much better. Everything has darkened and deepend. This is a dark, mysterious scent. It makes me think of deep purple and red velvet curtains, black candles and curling incense smoke. This is very much a (mis)fortune teller's sort of scent.

 

Very aged: I didn't expect this to be too different than my 2 year old bottle, but the difference is noticeable. At this point, the fruity aspects have become more subtle and the strongest notes are the patchouli, red musk and vanilla. There's still plum and pomegranate here, but they're lurking under a dark, velvety blanket of earthy muskiness.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Fresh: This smells fantastic for about 10 seconds and then does something funky and turns into a strange, plastic musk sort of scent with an "off" (sort of curdled) smell to it. Weirdly enough, Snake Charmer used to do the same thing, but it's stopped. I don't know if that's thanks to aging or my skin chemistry changing (which would mean that Mme. Moriarty doing the same thing would be a fluke or the result of a different note than the one that gave me trouble in Snake Charmer).

 

Aged: More or less the same issue. So either Mme. Moriarty needs to be seriously aged to not do that or it's just going to happen with this scent no matter how long I let it mature.

 

Very aged: The funky stage is no more! Apparently it's something that does go away, but it takes quite a bit of aging to get there. It's similar to the bottle scent, but with even less fruit. There's still something deep purple-red here that has to be the plum and pomegranate, but I wouldn't call it fruity by any means.

 

Dry down:

 

Fresh: The funky curdled plastic note of doom disappears and I'm left with a light but mysterious dark purple/red musk, fruit and vanilla scent. I really like this, but I'd prefer a heavier, more intense scent.

 

Aged: Same as fresh, the "offness" goes away and I get a dark, sensual musk, vanilla, patchouli and plum scent. It smells like a really high class occult store mixed with a headshop, which I love. I don't mean to imply that it's a hippie scent. It just makes me think of dim lighting, flickering candles, incense smoke and musky skin.

 

Very aged: Similar to the scent of my 2 year old bottle, but darker, deeper and less plummy. The plum is still there, but it adds a synesthetic sense of deep purpleness rather than an actual fruit scent. I love the richness of this. The patchouli and musk have aged beautifully.

 

The bottom line:

 

This is a beautiful scent, fresh or aged, but I prefer it with some age to it (and it looks like I'm not alone in that). I feel sexy and mysterious when I wear Mme. Moriarty, but it also brings back happy memories of occult bookstores and shopping at Rocky Mudd's (a headshop near where I live), so it's a winner on two fronts.

 

ETA: Got my 4+ year old bottle in, so the review's been updated with my impressions of it.

Edited May 17, 2011 by Penance

[Medievalmaniac]

Lyonesse was my first love, but Madame Moriarty may well eclipse it! Where has this smell been all my life?!

 

Yuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. In the most getting-into-bed-ASAP meaning of the word. It's right up there with my visceral response to Sed Non Satiata.

 

I'm really dying to see what the boy's response to this one is.

[GeorgeJr]

First new review I've done in a while . In the bottle this is very dark , sweet , slightly fruity & spicy . Fresh on my arm it's more of the same , but spread out nicely . No one note really beating me over the head , which is a very good thing . Mmmm , love the red musk & vanilla combo . Just works so good together . The pomegranate & plum are in the background , keeping things nicely balanced . And I swear the patchouli leaf doesn't smell so much like patch as much as it does a very green leaf of some kind . Maybe tomato . So yeah , this is some kind of wonderful . More feminine to me , but might work for the right guy . It's fairly strong , so a little goes a long way . As it's drying I'm getting more darkness in the notes . Just f'n fantastic .

[taoeizzm]

I LOVE red musk and every blend I've tried with it has worked great...until this one! I tested a lab fresh bottle, and it was medicinal and smelled like bandaids actually. I'm so disappointed! Maybe it'll work better after aging...?

[StevenBoatman]

Mmmmm! I LIKE this one!

 

It doesn't morph that much on me from the bottle so here's just one, whole review:

 

This starts off as a red, deep, juicy smell, with a layer of fruit beneath it, and a layer of barely existent green smoke over the top. As it dries, the only change is a measure of vanilla that gets mixed into the juice.

 

Mme. Moriarty, you are welcome to come tell my misfortune any time!

[Vega]

Sniffed: Red musk overlaid with gentle sweetness of plum and vanilla.

 

On skin: Oh, Madame Moriarty is everything she's cracked up to be: sweet, heady and wholly feminine, light and heady without being overtly sexual. Red musk and plum are the predominant notes; the pomegranate, vanilla and patchouli stay in supporting role and contribute to the body and sweetness. I won't be surprised if there are additional, unlisted incense and/or spice notes. This is a scent in its own league: over time the notes continue to blend together until they become more than their sum total: sweetly feminine yet untouchable, mystic and alluring, beckoning one towards occultic secrets, simultaneously light and dark, airy and heady. Madame Moriarty is unique, no other blend quite smells like her. Kaidan and Countess Willie come close though: both have a similar plum and musk/incense notes. Colour impression is dark fuchsia.

 

Verdict: Yup, I'm definitely in the Madame Moriarty fanclub. There's nothing quite like her -- indeed, Beth is absolutely one-of-a-kind! A firm favourite, and bottle-worthy for sure!

[Verios]

This was one of those scents that, when I read the description and reviews, I was positive I was going to love--and when a very kind forumite included a partial frimp of it with a recent swap, I was ecstatic at the chance to try it out!

 

However, on initial application, I was afraid this was going to be a disappointment--it was almost sharp, and not at all the amazing blend on me I'd been hoping for...however, it quickly reined in, and now that it has, it's just...phenomenal. The red musk, vanilla and plum & pomegranate (not sure which red fruit I'm picking up more--but there's a distinctly red fruity note hitting my nose) are the most prominent notes, although I suspect the patchouli leaf might be helping to ground the scent. Really glad to have gotten a chance to try this (and I'm thinking it's definitely one of those bottles I'm going to have to hunt down-I can easily see myself wearing this for a night out

[DeCuvieri]

Naturally I would come by a decant of MME. Moriarty when the Carnaval line goes on hiatus. Normally I'm adverse to fruity blends or patchouli, but I love red musk. And this right here? It's probably the finest demonstration of red musk and pomegranate the Lab has to offer.

 

MME. on my skin isn't as strong as I like my oils to be, but I was complimented on how lovely this one is, yet isn't obtrusive. There's just enough of each component to make it beautiful, but no single one dominates over the others. The plum isn't too sweet, the pomegranate not too tart, the vanilla not too thick. It comes out of the bottle pretty harsh, but the drydown phase is practically drool-worthy.

 

I firmly believe that if anyone was to try a single CD blend, their best bet would be with MME. Moriarty. She may not work for everyone, but I'd still recommend her for anyone who's remotely curious.

[Helas]

I've had good luck with the BPAL "greatest hits" so far and Mme. Moriarty is no exception, even though she is completely unlike what I expected based on the notes and reviews. I thought she would probably end up smelling like a fruity version of the Snake Pit blends, with that kind of dark, decadent sexuality. She is just a little too strange to qualify as "sexy" for me, though. I get sharp pomegranate and a very bitter patchouli with a medicinal, almost mentholic herbal note. The vanilla is very subtle and creamy rather than sweet, and comes out mostly on the drydown. I may sound as though I dislike it, but I don't - I find it harsh but oddly alluring. Of all the scents that I've tried so far, it reminds me most of Black Annis - they share a kind of otherworldly beauty that comes across as ugly at the first encounter but has a hypnotic quality that encourages repeated visits. I'm a bit surprised at its popularity, though, since it doesn't exactly strike me as a crowd-pleaser.

 

Four out of five stars.

[RhinestoneHousewife]

I'm so sad that I waited this long to try the Mme! At first rather woody on me, she morphs into something dark and sweet and sexy. Once on for a bit, I can smell the patchouli and pomegranate and it's lovely. I'm so glad I bought a bottle at Seattle Will Call! I've gotten complements every time I've worn it.

[Viridian]

I bought this purely because it's popular and I was worried when CD came down it might suddenly sell out as everyone rushed to buy it, and then I'd never try it. I was iffy about a lot of the notes - red musk is nothing special on me and can turn into a weird foody note, and I haven't found success with a pomegranate blend yet. But the reviews were so overwhelmingly positive! I had to give it a go.

 

In the bottle, this smells complex and interesting; I get fruit and a little bit of a woodsy/leafy smell, and a soft vanilla musk. So far, so good.

 

On my skin I get a lot of the wood/leaf note initially -- I guess that's the patchouli leaf -- and during that stage I'm not sure of it, but there's a lot of sweetness to offset it. During this stage I really can't tell if I like it, but want to smell more of the underlying fruits and vanilla that keep peeking out.

 

There's something reminiscent of Snake Oil in here for a while.

 

After about an hour the vanilla creeps out and I get wafts of the fruits every so often. The musk stays nicely soft and background, and doesn't ever go powdery or weirdly foody! Hooray! This ends up a very soft scent on me overall -- I put a lot of it on the last time I wore it, to better tell what I thought of it and to judge what I was smelling, and it was not an overpowering amount of throw at all.

 

I'll be interested to see how this ages!

[ziggystardust13]

I have found my favorite scent ever.

 

Mme Moriarty, Misfortune teller is everything I love in a scent! I smell more fruit in the bottle. A fruity snake oil. But not overly fruity or sweet. Just perfect. Snake oil was a scent that grew on me. I became addicted to it. But this is so much better than snake oil...

 

On my skin the musk starts to come out. I'm not a huge "musk" fan, but the red musk is yummy. Perhaps I should try more scents with red musk! The fruit remains in the background. As more time passes a smoky, resinous vanilla remains. And that is a wonderful thing.

 

I am so happy I got a bottle of this. I guess I should stock up on it. Its my heaven in a bottle

Edited July 30, 2011 by ziggystardust13

[Circaea]

Bonjour, Madame! Where have you been all my life?

 

Don't have much to add to the other reviews, except to say that this is pure gorgeousness. I need a bottle, and Carnival Diabolique needs to come back. Soon.

[arrow]

I broke down and bought a bottle of Mme. Moriarty just before we found out the Carnaval was leaving town. Today, I got a purchase in the mail from a lovely forumite who frimped me an imp from Summer 2010, so I'm lucky enough to be testing fresh and aged, one on each arm, today!

 

Fresh (well, less than three months old):

 

She is very, very musky and heady. Dark and deep red, with a hint of juicy sweetness underneath. Vanilla is toying with me. This is so sexy. I can't wait to try her out some evening...

 

Aged:

 

Woah, is this the same blend? Now I've got nummy squishy fruits swirling in my nostrils. There's still some musk, but really far in the background. More like support for the pomegranate and plum. She's still sexy, but in a different way. This Mme. won't be supplanting Snake Oil as my "go get 'em" blend.

 

I am a recent convert to fruity blends and am thrilled that I've got the aged imp to use until the bottle gets to this point-- I'd wear aged MM all day and still be happy to use her at night, sometimes. Perhaps with an extra SO zing!

 

I may always want to keep a bit of fresh around, too, when the Carnaval gets back. I miss the musky smokey sexiness of the fresh. Maybe I'll find a way to keep getting fresh decants!

[biocarolyn]

This scent is an amazing example of how your tastes change and grow. Back in 2009, I tried this scent, lured in by pomegranate and plum and ridiculously good reviews. At the time, for some reason, I couldn't handle the red musk. Something in my chemistry has changed since then, because it no longer tajes over the perfume. Now it is exactly what you have all been raving about! This is beautiful, incense, light patchouli, pomegranate and plum, just absolutely wonderful. I know Snake Oil is the "standard basic recommendation" everyone makes, but I think it should be Mme. Moriarty. This is incredible!

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle: Patchouli om nom nom!

 

Immediately after application: Red musky patch with a smidge of vanilla and the slightest hint of the fruits.

 

Warming up: Oh fark, it almost smells leathery with a slight vanilla hint. LOVE.

 

Fading: Musky patchouli and vanilla.

 

Faded: Average throw, average to long wear.

 

Overall: MMMM.

 

Rating: 4/5.

[Scorianelle]

One sniff of Mme. Moriarty and I could instantly see why it is so beloved. This is a complex scent, one in which the components work so well together that they become more than they are individually.

 

First Sniff: On top it is light and breezy, almost insouciant. There is a minty crispness that is softened by the musk. And even with all this, underneath there is a dark, rich and indolent presence detectable even when in the tiny vial.

 

Second Sniff: I think the crispness is the pomegranate and patchouli leaf. There is a background of burgundy resins.

 

Wet: Plum jumps out on top. It is not sweet at all, just fruity and grounded very well by the leaf. The red musk is like the plush carpet on which they all dance. It pulls them together beautifully.

 

Dry (30 mins): The plum drops back and the musk takes the fore, but it is lively and sensuous. The other notes don't dissapear, instead they all work in tandem to make this a soft but daring scent.

 

Dry (3 hours): This has mellowed and faded, but is still very present as a lovely, soft perfume. The vanilla has finally made an entrance and she sits perched on top of her velvet throne.

 

Throw: none.

 

Colour Association: Deep purple, followed by burgundy red.

 

I got this decant on a whim, purely because every other post mentions how fantastic it is. And it is certainly well deserving of it's reputation. While I can't say I'm as enamoured or entranced by the Madame as others, I certainly wouldn't object to getting a bottle during the next carnival. It is a very nice, well composed scent. Also I think I finally figured out the red note I loved from Czernobog - Red Musk. If you can get your hands on some then I would recommend you so so just to try it and know what everyone's talking about!

 

Edit: Grammar

Edited August 3, 2012 by Scorianelle

[Mechanical Death]

O-o

 

Alright. Um... Skin? What's up with you today?

I got this Used, and had been stalking around to find a bottle.

 

It's been sitting in my collection, my little treasure that I had been coveting for so long and I had yet to try it. Today was the day. I decided I wanted to be a sexy and mysterious gypsy.

 

But no.

 

In the bottle it smelled so yummy, I thought "yeah, that's the stuff!" I slathered it on, and immediately it turned. seriously, I could cry!

 

It smells like menthol cigarets! Yeuck! There isn't a single thing menthol in here, and it is burning my skin. It's awful! It smells like burning plastic, mint, and walnuts. I just don't understand. I have never had such a bad skin chemistry reaction with a bpal, or any perfume or oil. sigh. Off to the swap pile T-T.

[Wren12]

This. Is. A.Maze.Ing.

 

In the imp...super sexy red musk (I adore musks, red is my favorite, besides the 'infernal' musk in Crowley) with a touch of purple fruits sweetening it more and vanilla giving it a creamy, lovely base.

 

On wet...complex, the vanilla becomes more assertive as it warms, cuddling the musk in a sweet, scrumptious embrace.

 

On dry...the fruits sweeten the musk a bit further, but not in a cloying way, rather providing a lovely base for the musk to sing. The vanilla remains wonderfully, perfectly pronounced and warm, like vanilla sugar. Now the patchouli becomes just noticeable enough to enhance the scent and deepen it. I am simply amazed.

 

All in all...I must, must must have more. Bring back the carnival! Do it now!!! This is a bottle buy, a backup buy and maybe a backup backup buy!!!!!

[Missy_killer]

To my nose: It smells kinda manly in the decant. The patchouli is there and also something "red" which I believe would be the pomegranate and plum. It's not very sweet either, which makes me a bit afraid.

 

On: Oh..This is actually pretty. I thought this would be much more incense-y, which is why I haven't been looking much in Moriarty's direction. I have no idea why this scent seems familiar, nor am I completely sure of what it smells like. I can smell patchouli, and some dark fruits (not dried or anything, just..dark). I think the vanilla is rounding it out, and it's a smokey vanilla! Not cool and coconutty, not warm and buttery, but smokey.

It stays like this so far, dark fruits with smokey vanilla. For some reason I really would like to smell this on a man. I think it would be gorgeous and mouth-watering.

 

Four hours later: and this is still beautiful. The smokeyness left the show and now the vanilla is so soft and sweet, and also the most prominent thing left. A little bit of musk and sometimes I can still smell a bit of red fruit, but it's msotly the soft and sweet vanilla.

 

I can still smell it 8-10 hours later, that comforting and soft vanilla is all that is left. After 11 hours I'm sad to see it gone. I might need a bottle of this.

 

I think however that Moriarty will give me migraines on really hot days, but on cold days provide a warming blanket of dark fruits and smokey vanilla.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Missy_killer

[Ranna]

In the imp: I don't wear many dark oils, so I'm surprised at what a deep red color this is. It smells like a darker, heavier Snake Oil. I'm a big fan of Snake Oil, so I like this, but I hope there's something to set them apart on the skin.

 

On wet: There's definitely something sharper that sets this apart from S.O. I'm wondering if it's the patchouli leaf? I like this a lot, and I'll be disappointed if it changes much once it dries down. It starts turning sweet pretty quickly.

 

Dry: This still smells a lot like S.O., but it's smokier and I think I can pick up the sweetness from the plum, or maybe the pomegranate. It's definitely a fruity sweet. A few hours later it almost seems a little powdery on occasion, and the vanilla has gotten more prominent, but I'm still enjoying it. It's also earned me my second BPAL compliment ever from a coworker, who called it "soft and sweet." The imp is definitely a keeper, and I will certainly be picking up a bottle (or two) when the Carnaval comes back to town!

[GoddesShel]

Wet - Oh no! Big blast of sharp medicinal smell. I hope that's not the red musk...?

 

On and warming up - Oooohhh here's the vanilla. Hello, vanilla! Thank you for making the medicine go away!

 

Drying - Yummmm. Sweet incense-y fruity goodness. I like this. (Chris says cinnamon candle, but I'm not getting cinnamon) This is very, very strong (aged since 2009, purchased from a forumite), and the very tiniest dab goes a long way. Fortunately, BPAL usually doesn't have a lot of throw on me and stays close to the skin (a definite perk since I work in a library and my coworkers aren't big on perfume. I'm trying to change that...). This morphs a bit. Sometimes I can still get a faint hint of the medicinal smell, but not nearly as strong as in the bottle.

 

Dry - mainly the same sweet incense-y fruity goodness - Very nice!