Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller (2006)

[mjames121]

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

 

Sniffing the bottle got lots of patchouli and musk.

After wearing it for a bit the vanilla and plum started to come through. It does smell alot like Snake Oil but not as heavy and more feminine. I love this, What a beautiful scent!!

[stellaforstar]

Smelling this, wearing this, is heaven. And I am not sure why, because Snake Oil HATES me. Red musk--despises me. Vanilla--detests me. I mean, I wear those notes, I get migraines. Yet, all together, with the other notes, this is heaven. This blend reminds me of my grandmother's home, which would be all sorts of wrong except grandma Crystal was totally clairvoyant, mysitcal and wonderful. She invited maybe two hundred people, many off the streets, for her meals at the holidays, even though she lived in a tiny little house. It is, in fact, the house and Crystal's spirit that Mme. Moriarty evoke for me. And in spite of this association, when I wear it, I feel like a seductive minx! No Freudian interpretations, please!

[Voleuse]

Oooh. The frequent comparisons to Snake Oil are dead on, I think, though this is fruitier than Snake Oil is. The musk and patchouli create a dark, close-to-the-skin halo of a scent, sensual and a little earthy. The fruits and vanilla aren't strong, but they lend a heady sweetness to the blend that's a nice balance to the heavier notes. Although this isn't a light blend, on me it has very little throw, and fades quickly to a faint sweetness. The faint sweetness lasts for a long time, though.

[rivki8699]

In the imp:Astringent patchlouli

 

Wet: Patchouli and a floral scent.

 

Dry: This ends up being just straight patchouli on me, which is not really my thing. I'm not getting any of the fruit notes at all, nor the musk or vanilla. I think it's probably my skin chemistry pumping up the patchouli. I'm going to go to my room and pout now.

[batsy]

In the vial: red warmness, a bit of vanilla

 

On the skin: the plum comes out, and the patchouli leaf. It's a womanly scent, heady and mysterious. I love the hint of pomegranate. Yummy!

[cameroncrazed]

In the decant: Musk. Sharp spiced musk. If it smells like this on, I’m going to smell like some sort of animal that rolled around in bucket of spices. Hmm, is that a bad thing or not? I'm not sure.

 

Wet on skin: Ye gad, it’s spiced patchouli. I strongly dislike patchouli most of the time – it usually amps to the point that it’s the only thing that can be smelled. However, this is slightly different than the patchouli in Sin or Depraved. This might just be wearable.

 

Dry on skin: After about 15 minutes, the patchouli starts to disappear and a cloud of spiced musky pomegranate and plum begins to waft up from my wrist. Oooh, this is nice! Normally, the plum scents are ultra-fruity on me, but the plum’s behaving in this blend. After about an hour, the vanilla starts to kick in. It’s a deep sexy spiced plum vanilla. Wow.

 

Overall: I just have a decant, because I wasn’t sure about how the blend would behave on my skin. I must have a bottle now. I still haven’t tried Snake Oil, so I don’t know how it compares. This is by far one of the sexiest scents I’ve ever tried, and the throw is light enough to be inviting – someone else can get a faint whiff, but would have to get close to get a good sniff. The patchouli and musk give it a deep spiced sexiness, while the vanilla and plum give it a creaminess that makes it wearable and the pomegranate makes for a refreshing top note. At times, my nose gets confused and I could swear I smell a touch of apricot. I cannot stop sniffing my wrist, it’s so intoxicating. Mme. Moriarty is absolutely amazing on me!

[Shollin]

First sniff: Oh, WOW. I don’t know if I can pull this off, but it’s pheomenally beautiful. A dark, earthy beautiful. It’s musky and deep and a little bit fruity and hippielicious. [stalkerfangirl]Is it creepy that I can totally imagine Beth’s hair smelling like this?[/stalkerfangirl]

 

Wearing: This scent has got some serious presence going on. It seems subtle at first, but I kept getting wafts of it all day. Definitely one to apply with restraint. Over the course of the evening, a fantastic soft cedar scent showed up. I generally can’t wear cedar, but this was so soft and warm, no rough edges at all. Simply wonderful.

[Keslynn]

In the bottle, this one's musky patchouli with a little powder.

 

On my skin, omg! I am in total love!!! I keep sniffing my arm. This scent is rich and sexy and complex. It's deep from the patchouli and musk, but there's a luscious fruitier overtone. I feel exotic and sexy and mysterious. It's got great throw and a decent weartime. Later, it gets slightly powdery, but I don't mind a bit.

 

Verdict: Orgasm in a bottle! I'm definitely picking up a bottle (or two) before Carnaval leaves town.

[kat15lee]

I drool, I swoon, I gush along with everyone else.

 

Love this stuff.

 

In the bottle: its an exotic smell, but beautiful. Very musky.

 

Wet: Mmmm... wet red musk beautifully mixed with pomengranites. What's that in the background? Patchoulli! But not the patchoulli I despise, its Patchoulli leaf.. kinda like tobacoo...but ohhhh, so much better.

 

Dry: scent has vanished on me. Maybe my nose is numb from all my sniffing. Not much lasting power... must drench myself again!

[Em-]

How can I not have reviewed this amazingly wonderful scent (which catapulted into my favorited list the first time I tried it)?

 

Mme. Moriarty a rich, heady, sultry scent - a teensy bit sweet, a lot musky, with a dark patchouli undercurrent and just enough fruit to tempt the unsuspecting.

[Dark Sparkle]

First impression I get is that Mme Moriarty reminds me a lot of Blood Kiss without the honey and vetiver. Mme Moriarty is truly a remarkable scent but I am not sure if I will treasure it above Blood Kiss, oddly enough I do not feel completely blown away. Maybe its got something to do with throw and wear length: Blood Kiss lasts forever on my skin while the Madame disappears within a couple of hours on my skin and is overall more subtle on me

[Trish]

This had a lot of potential since vanilla, red musk and plum adore me as much as I do them. But I don't like patchouli (although Bpal has taught me not to avoid it completely - I love Snake Oil and Sin) and pomegranate is an unknown quantity.

 

At first it's sweet fruity incense with a somewhat green note. I hate green scents. However this isn't overly sharp and dies down as it dries fairly quickly. Once dry this does remind me of Snake Oil, but with a layer of very strong and sweet bright pink fruit over the top. This seems to be the pomegranate rather than the plum which is a little surprising as I can amp plum a bit. But this is a much "pinker" scent than plum to my nose.

 

I have to say I'm not enthralled by it, because it's too pink for me. However I'm hoping that aging will improve it, and bring out more vanilla, as well as the red musk.

 

EDIT:

 

I tried this again a week later and it was much better. I don't know if it was chemistry or that my nose was rebelling after sniffing my entire order or what, but this time the pink scent was more subdued and the vanilla more prominant. Much more my thing!

Edited February 26, 2007 by Trishek

[talula_fairie]

Oh, I love this one! It reminds me a lot of Snake Charmer, but it's a little earthier and slightly less sweet.

 

This is a warm, sexy, earthy, hippie scent. It smelled great on me and after the drydown some of the overly sweet parts tame out a bit and it mellows into a lovely and soft scent.

[black_and_bloom]

Um, wow.

 

I finally got around to locating a decant of this, and I'm totally blown away. From the reviews I was expecting Mme. Moriarty to be Snake Oil-esque, but I had NO IDEA how lovely and distinctive this would be on me.

 

Sure, I smell the fantastic vanilla/spice/patchouli base, but this has a beautiful, bright plum/pomegranate (I can't really distinguish them) note that really shines here. This is an amazing scent - truly one of the best BPAL scents that I've tried. One little decant is NOT enough!!!!!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a sweet, earthy musk with a hint of plum.

on: lovely. lots of patchouli and pomegranate, with just enough red musk to make me nervous.

1 hour later: sweet, heavy patchouli and musk. wonderful.

2 hours later: sweeter and more fruity. this is really lovely and heavy.

5 hours later: sweet and heavy. the red musk seems to be behaving itself.

6.5 hours later: sweet and still strong on the patchouli.

overall: i am so glad that the red musk didn't ruin this one, since all of the other notes tend to work really well on me. this is a fabulous, dark, sweet, earthy blend. it will be perfect once the evenings start getting a bit chilly.

[SeaLady]

I've been putting off reviewing this for a couple days, because I was quite nervous about how bitter this got on me after a while, and I wanted to see if a different time of month would be more complimentary.

 

But! After spilling some this morning ( ) I have figured out that to keep the amazing in the bottle smell, I just have to slather more than my usually wimpy dotting-from-the-cap applications. That said:

 

I freaking love this!

In the bottle, it's fruity Snake Oil, with a little extra feminine perfumey-ness.

On, the red musk comes out more and mingles joyfully with the fruit and the spice. If I don't put enough on, it dries down to a bitter something, that I can see being described as "sweaty" smelling. When I do put enough on, the vanilla softens the fruit and the spices, and it turns into a slightly less candy-sweet Snake Oil on me - not that I don't love my candy sweet SO, but this is gorgeous in a more sophisticated way.

[Archaic Smile]

When I first tried the madam she pulled a disappearing act on my skin, but as the day wore on she became stronger and oh so lovely. Such a seductive and mysterious warm scent - very similar to Snake Oil, but without the strong smell of cherry cordials. It's easy to imagine walking the carnaval grounds, catching this heady perfume drifting on the air and following it to the fortune teller's tent.

 

If I could only have one BPAL scent this would be it.

 

EDIT 02/20/07: Thought I would also add that Mme. Moriarty has very good staying power, too. Seven hours with only one application today and it's still alive and kicking though obviously somewhat subdued.

Edited February 21, 2007 by Archaic Smile

[PirateMaggie]

My bottle of Mme Moriarty, Misfortune Teller came with The Wheel of Fortune--not such a misfortune; perhaps a sign of a new cycle to come in life, and definitely a sign of good things to come where perfumes are concerned.

 

In the bottle, this was all musk and patchouli, which often become rank and overpowering on me. Dabbing it on my wrists, however, I was happily surprised. Wet, the pomegranate and plum really stand out, making this a fresh, juicy scent with the barest hint of vanilla for sweetness. The musk and patchouli give it a deep, smoky quality. As it dries, the fruits mingle and become smoky, thick, almost cordial-like, but not at all syrupy, alcoholic, or cloying. The vanilla remains light, while the patchouli gives a hint of freshly-turned earth and the musk makes it a glowing, delicious, second-skin scent.

 

The Mme is surprisingly light for a patchouli and musk blend--not a hint of overpowering head shop here. Despite the fruits and vanilla, this is neither sticky nor foody. This is such a warm, dark, comforting scent, but the fruits would make this a good tear-round blend. I will have to grab another bottle or two before the Carnival leaves town.

 

The Mme also layers really nicely over Lush's Skin Sin lotion--all that smoky, incensy fruit.

[wikkidraven]

with all the similarities between snake oil and mme. moriarty, i was expecting to be blown away by this blend. i remember trying some early on in my bpal collecting, but i couldn't have been too impressed because i swapped my imp. still, after trying so many scents i thought i'd give this one another go and i have to say, the madame still doesn't hold a candle to snake oil or snake charmer for me. this one is just a *shade* too earthy for my liking. that said, given the right time, i could see myself trying it for a sexy boost, it's quite sultry and bewitching, just not something i could see myself buying a bottle of.

[lightgatherer]

This is nothing like I expected it to be. Also, there is patchouli in this, and it works on me. I'm floored. This is what I was expecting Trick #2 to be like. I don't get so many of the notes in this - what I get is a woody note (is that what patchouli leaf is like on me?) with hints of fruit, musk, and vanilla around the edges. This isn't a scent I would reach for all the time, but I just kept breathing myself when I was wearing it. I'll be picking up a bottle or two of this before CD comes down.

[dorothy humbird]

This was my first unsniffed bottle purchase, and it's gone straight to my top 10. So, so glad that all these glowing reviews promised exactly what was delivered.

 

The Madame begins very fruity in the bottle, almost medicinally so - like cough syrup. This worried me to start with, but I waited her out...

 

Oh bliss! After a few minutes on my skin I can smell the warmer notes blossoming: vanilla bean, creamy and luscious, but still tinted deep red by the pomegranite and the juicy plum. This is a very red scent, period. Red, juicy, and delicious.

 

For several hours while wearing Mme. Moriarty I can smell her in wafts around my head, and it is luscious. Dry down renders the blend softer, more powdery, like most of my BPAL loves, and it's lovely. She doesn't stick around on me quite as long as my true love Blood Kiss, but she lasts long enough to ensorcel me with her charms. Absolutely worth the gamble.

[Lala]

Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller is completely beautiful. This is my first big bottle purchase from the lab. It is so unique and mysterious, yet strangely comforting.

 

The strange thing is, that when a first put it on, I couldn't smell anything much, so I reapplied. It smelled a little fruity/plasticky; with the patchouli underneath. I thought I might be in trouble. But then this amazing scent emerged once it settled. I get the vanilla bean and patchouli leaf, which does have a sweet tobacco-ish smell, and just a little accent of fruit.

 

This lasted all day on me, but it stays so close to my skin that it's like someone has hugged me and left their scent on me. I'm in awe of this scent. I also agree with everyone who said that if you can't normally wear patchouli, you can pull this off.

[ariosa]

I wore this one to work today, and it's lovely. I had washed this morning with a pomegranate body wash, which went nicely with the Mme. It was rich and warm and spicy upon first application, and it lasted for hours and hours. I especially loved catching whiffs of it during the day when least expected -- and there was no one note that stood out on me. In fact, little snippets popped out to play: sometimes it was plum, sometimes the musk, occasionally the patchouli and more often the pomegranate. I'll be picking up another bottle or two of this before the Carnaval leaves town, for sure.

[canadia]

This is beautiful. It's a very warm and feminine scent, but also sophisticated. At first it starts out all musk and plum, quite foody, but then the vanilla comes out and softens it. The patchouli is in no way overpowering; it sits in the background and ties all the notes together. This is definitely a scent I can imagine wearing every day, especially when it's still chilly out.

[habuchan]

This one was specifically requested by my Hubby. His intention is to base a character in his game off of it, but I loved the idea of red musk, vanilla, and pomegranate. So...into the cart it went. Coincidentally, it's one of the first Carnivale fragrances I ordered (along with Zarita, Habu, and Candy Butcher) so I was quite excited to try it out.

 

In the Bottle: Hmm. Stroooong patchouli. So strong my nose wrinkled, hoping to pick up some of the fruitiness. It's a very thick, viscous kind of smell. I could taste it at the back of my throat (which is normally a bad thing).

 

On Me: Wow. This is quite the interesting blend because I've never encountered a patchouli that I like. It is as thick as I thought it would be, and its scent just envelopes your senses until you feel like you're actually IN the tent with Moriarty as she reads your fortune in the cards. Slathered on, it's a dark scent...seriously dark and malevolent but not....gross smelling. It promises things that you shouldn't want to know, but deep down inside your heart lusts after these truths dangled in front of you. Insane.

 

Dry Down: The patchouli dies down, thank the gods, and it becomes this fruity, dark smoke tinged incense smell. Pure incense and smoke with pomegranate sweetness as a sharp afterthought. In fact, I'd label this one as spicy decaying fruit smothered in resined darkness. Not much throw on this one, it sticks pretty close to the skin and makes you really get close to it in order to smell it.

 

Overall, it's a mysterious scent, most definitely one of the darker ones I've had on. I liked it, but I don't think it's going to be one of my favorites. Perhaps I need to revisit this one to make sure my first impression isn't awry for whatever reason.

 

3/5