Sin

[darestodream]

Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.

I received an imp of Sin after a friend loved it so much she had to order the big bottle, and then Beth kindly included a sample in my first order. I am definitely glad to have so much of it, as this is a rich, gorgeous scent.

I don’t even bother to smell the scents in the bottle, since they are always so different on my skin. The first thing I notice with this one is the sandalwood, and throughout the day that remains the top note. My favorite part of the scent is when the cinnamon peaks out. I love that spicy mix, and wish it lasted for the entire wear. Toward the end of the day, the scent has stabilized into a warm, woodsy smell. Even with that change, Sin is overall one of the most consistent of all the oils I’ve tried, and the scent does not fluctuate much. Because of the sandalwood, it does remind me a bit more of incense than of perfume, but even so, it is one gorgeous incense!

I’d classify this one as a sexy scent, but not overtly sexual or girly. It’s more of an earthy, confident sensuality. Edited October 1, 2005 by Shollin

[Alice Aforethought]

The cinnamon in this one is a warm, vital addition to the luxurious sandalwood, while the amber (which I don't always get on with) binds it into a heady mixture which is ever so slightly sweet. This is foody, but more in a gloopy drinking way than eating something hard and biscuity - it reminds me of dark cinnamon cordial to add to mulling wine.

 

It has very good staying power, and has something alive and energising about it - very good if you're feeling down!

[Northernminx]

In the bottle, cinnamon and sandalwood, a very dry scent.

 

On me, the patchouli and cinnamon are battling it out all day, but unfortunately it's the patchouli that seems to win. This ends up smelling like a slightly spicier version of some of BPAL's other scents on me (anne bonnie with more spice perhaps?)

It's yummy but not worth buying another bottle for - I was praying for more cinnamon. In the end this is just a little too masculine for wearing on any regular occasion.

 

However.. mwa haha! Anne bonnie is lovely on my boyfriend but I wanted a bit more spice. Guess who's getting an imp in the mail to test

 

A keeper, but for the other half of the brain instead of me.

[summer]

This started out very unpleasant on my skin, but quickly dried down into a warm, dry, smokey scent that reminds me of shops that sell middle eastern antiques. It smells like old fabrics and wooden boxes!

 

It's definitely a beautiful oil -- I am sniffing my wrists every 5 seconds -- but it's not "me." Sandalwood is hard for me to wear. It's almost as if it's too dark, too dry, and too somber for my personality.

 

However, the rest of the elements in this blend do a wonderful job of supporting the sandalwood and making it smell rich and warm and alive!

 

I'm impressed with this, but probably will not wear it again.

 

Edited to add: This has done strange things to my mood! I've just scarfed half a box of Hot Tamales, and I feel ... fiesty!

 

Edited again to add: Now the cinnamon is coming through more as I wear it. *deeep sniff* That's it, that's the last time I review an oil before I've worn it for at least several days! This one, like so many others, is proving to be very changeable and is settling in nicely to my skin!

Edited August 18, 2004 by summer

[malanna]

This reminds me of Voodoo. Cloves, cinnamon, spices. However, while Voodoo was young girls dressed up in masks dancing around a bonfire (with the ashes of the bonfire raining down upon them), this is less outdoorsy, and more of a mysterious woman in a black cocktail dress, who has pagan tattoos hidden upon her body. This faded after three hours on me.

[Nepthys]

Sandalwood is my all-time favorite scent, so I suspected I would fall in love with this and I was right. Wet, it didn't smell all that complex to me - then it dried down into a very rich, wicked and seductive smell. The cinnamon is barely detectable, but deepens and sweetens the sandalwood to a perfect extent. This reminded me of something a very confident, wealthy courtesan would wear.

 

Strangely this, more than any other BPAL scent, has elicited verbal compliments from men who usually refrain from such. One even made me write down BPAL's url so he could buy a bottle for his girlfriend.

[SpinalDesign]

Wet :Heavy, smoky touch like a incense would have .Straight out of the bottle it’s a loud wicked smell of cinnamon. It reminds me of the bundle's of cinnamon sticks sold at the store where you snap them in half and the smell just snaps back at you . Underneath the rich cinnamon smell the musky sandalwood comes into play.

 

Drying : It’s drying to a deeper smell of hickory cinnamon sandalwood still very rich and smoky.

 

Dry : The cinnamon fades and the sandalwood and patchouli take over . It’s still very rich in it’s blend .You can smell different spices lifting off of your skin. But there is a black pepper mix with a strong wood like smell behind it.. It’s very strong on my skin I can smell it all around me .

 

 

Aftermath : The scent is strong yet playful . This would be a smell I would wear to a coffee house or a jazz club. It’s has a fun yet wicked vibe to it. It has a New Orleans type of feel to me. Chaos all around with a wicked touch sexual prowl . I love this smell and I love the vibe it gives off .

[LiberAmoris]

Sin has officially rocketed into my top ten. There’s not one element in it that I don’t love: sandalwood, patchouli, amber, cinnamon, yum! It reminds me of Nag Champa and homemade root beer---and for those Lush fans in the house, there’s something about Sin that is reminiscent of Karma (perhaps the sweetened patchouli?). Whatever it is, it’s delectable.

 

This one hangs onto my skin until I wash it off. It’s one of the longest-lasting BPAL oils I’ve tried.

 

And it is awesome layered with O.

 

Sin is In!

[madame royale]

I don’t know what I was expecting from Sin. Maybe something a bit sweeter, something that incorporates the visceral pleasure of sinning. All I got was the aftermath—the penance in church—which is not necessarily a bad thing. The sandalwood is so dry I was half afraid it’d leech the blood out of my wrists. Cinnamon’s there, but not as a prominent note like the sandalwood and patchouli. I like it. I like churches (that’s the Catholic in me) and their smells. Even though the Monsieur said it smells like BO (what does he know—he says my vanilla lotion smells like roach killer), I’ll keep Sin for layering.

Edited September 30, 2004 by madame royale

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Mmmm. Magical, thick, spicy, exotic, sexy and a little weird. I like it.

 

on my skin: Cinnamony and musky. I get a weird candy cane vibe somehow, in the background. This is very nice, it kinda reminds me of a cross betwen Lust and Darkness. I smell sandalwood. Yum. I'm not blown away, but I think it's very pretty.

 

I'd say this is sexy, but not sexual. It reminds me a lot of a Lust (which I feel the same way about) without the gold and red tones. I'm not salivating over it or anything, but it's very nice. This would be a spectacular room scent, I think. Autumnal.

[sihaya09]

In the bottle, I definitely smell the sandalwood and black patchouli. On, the sandalwood fades, and it smells of bitterness with the faintest twinge of underlying sweetness. It's very strong-- you do not need to put much on at all. I would call this smells like a sordid back alley. I catch whiffs of smoke and just a hint of anise in the mix. There's definitely a resin note that warms it a bit (and the skin), and my skin brought out the powder and cinnamon in the drydown. It's great if you want to feel mysterious-- I'll save this for little black dresses, high heels, a slinky walk, and lots of eyeliner.

 

ETA: The oddest thing happened about 3 hours after I applied Sin. All that was left was a sweet vanilla aroma. So odd.

Edited September 30, 2004 by sihaya09

[vitawash24]

There's something very odd about this oil compared to some of my others. It's got a thick, heavy quality to it that's very interesting.

 

The scent is delicious -- the amber comes out very heavily on me, as well as the patchouli, but not in a head shop kind of way. It's more of a mysterious follow-a-person around scent. With, oddly enough...a dash of root beer. Yes, root beer. I dunno. But it's , for the whole time I wear it. Definitely a night time scent.

[Aponia]

This scent is like sex in a bottle. I felt so sexy wearing it. The main scents I could smell on me was amber and patchouli, but there was definately cinnamon and sandalwood hiding behind. Just a wonderful dry, sexy scent. It smelled like it was coming from me, and not lying on my wrist.

 

I have the 5ml and i will definately be repurchasing when it is gone.

[glampyre]

Sin.

 

Completely Fucking Rocks.

 

I love sandalwood. I love it as perfume alone, mixed with other notes, as incense, any time, any place, for any purpose, I love sandalwood.

 

I love it even MORE in Sin. Cinnamon and amber are perfect compliments and make the patchouli completely wearable.

 

I'm normally rather anti-patchouli, but I really like it in this blend. It's there, but in a very non freshman dorm way.

 

Bravo!

 

 

 

(Edited, as usual, for typing.)

Edited October 5, 2004 by glampyre

[kimberlygem]

I wonder if my beloved Perversion noticed the plummet to spot number 2? One sniff of Sin and it was all done but the crying. I could wear this everyday for the rest of my life and die happy. This is the most sultry, powerful, confident sexy scent. Amazing This smelled so good I almost had to have my way with myself I need a great big bottle or two or three so I never ever run out....

 

 

 

 

Kimberly

[fragrantgrasse]

Love... love.... love... Sin. I love ALOT of Sin

 

It is exotic and I am reminded of a desert oasis for some reason. I waited for quite awhile before trying this one on. I had hit a ruun of really floral scents - and while I like floral alot - I think I needed some.........sinnnnnnn.

 

I love all the notes in this, in opposition to Glampyre (btw, love your knitted designs!) - who loves sandalwood - I love patchouli and sandalwood I have a hard time with. Someone here mentioned it was too sombre and that is the way I feel - but Sin is so masterfully blended all I get is the best of all the oils....amber, sandalwood patchouli and cinnamon.

 

 

 

I love Sin and it will be added to my 10 ml. wish list.

Edited October 13, 2004 by fragrantgrasse

[Azrhiaz]

In the vial: cinnamon and incense.

 

Wet: the sandalwood is there, very dry as previously noted, and more incense. The cinnamon is still hanging in there, too. I can't smell the patchouli, but that's fine with me.

 

Drydown:...pencil shavings?

 

Yes, definitely. On me it smells like pencil shavings. Cinnamony pencil shavings, but still. Crap. That's the second 5 ml. I made a leap of faith for that didn't work for me. And sandalwood is my all-time favorite smell, too. Poop.

 

Oh, well. Off to swap and make someone else very happy.

[Penance]

This is one of my all-time favorite scents. I don't know why I ordered a 5mL bottle and not a 10mL one, but I think I'm getting another bottle in my next order.

 

First sniff:

 

Incense and cinnamon. Oh, God, this has my name written all over it. This is so beautiful and smoky and spicy and just...perfect.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Sweet incense smoke, like the inside of a Cathedral on Christmas Eve. This is so beautiful I can't even begin to describe it. It's like this was created just for me. It's resiny without being headache inducing (for those around me, not for me, resins never give me a headache) and it's spicy without smelling like a bakery. In short, this is pure perfection.

 

Dry down:

 

A light waft of sweet incense, like the smell that's left on your clothes after you've been to Mass. This is so beautiful, an instant favorite. I can't believe I waited to long to review it.

 

The bottom line:

 

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. It's so beautiful and calming and peaceful smelling to me. I love this even more than I love Cathedral and I adore Cathedral.

[phaedrine]

I fell in love with the cinnamon-spiciness of this one. I've always loved spicy amber scents, and this, to me, is the ideal of them.

 

Sometimes, on me, it smells very piney or almost like cedar...I'm guessing it's the interaction between the sandalwood and patchouli and cinnamon. Often I don't like patchouli scents, but in this, it's mild and not overpowering, which patchouli often is on me.

 

It's a warm, lovely scent, and I adore the big bottle that I bought of it.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: patchouli, cinnamon

 

WEARING IT: i really like the cinnamon bit of this scent, it's the patchouli i have a problem with - it's a little too strong for me. as it continues to dry and change, i think i really like it - the patchouli takes a back seat and the sandalwood and cinnamon come through.

 

VERDICT: i'm happy with the scent, it's not an everyday scent, but very nice all the same.

[Lido]

Wow. On me this started out as full-throttle, no-brakes amber -- probably emphasized by the sandalwood, but they were sufficiently blended that I couldn't pick it out. Then about an hour later, the sandalwood showed up as an independent note, and then finally just a hint of the cinnamon. Somehow the overall effect is very woody, maybe even a tiny bit smoky. I found it warm and very, very dry. It's not seductive on me, but it's very nice... a confident day scent on the strong end of the spectrum.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Cinnamon. And dust. In the dark.

 

Wearing: The aura of Sin is instant patchouli – the cinnamon clings to my wrist and I can only smell it there. This isn’t quite as dark or growl-inducing as Obeah. I’ve been sniffing for amber and sandalwood, but they seem to be hiding, though now that it's completely dry there's a hint of woodiness far in the background.

 

It's weird - I wouldn't think the gritty-dark "don't fuck with me" straightforward patchouliness of Obeah would appeal to me so much more than the lighter Sin, but it definitely does. So Sin will be visiting someone else.

[closedacct]

I am in love.

 

Sin is definately a 10 ml. I got an imp of this in my first order from the lab. Cinnamon, amber, patchouli, vanilla OMFG. I wore this to dinner at my sister in laws house at Thanksgiving and my husband could not stop smelling me. Hell, I couldn't stop smelling me. I didn't get any sandalwood, but that is okay.

 

Very sexy, very delicious.

[JazzieCazzie]

I had a really good feeling about this one based on the notes, all of which I love, and I was right on target ...

 

IN THE BOTTLE: That wonderful sharp and spicy and slightly woody scent that is present in so many of my favorite BPAL scents.

 

Because I was double-dipping my last two testers in hopes of placing an order this evening (which I did, my biggest ever!), I only applied this to my left wrist and crook of my arm.

 

WET: Just the perfect combination of woodiness and spiciness that really cuts, for lack of a better word. Strong and delicious and a bit pungent.

 

DRYDOWN: Really delicious. One of Beth's finest sandalwood scents and to me this is one of her strong points anyway ... A definite keeper, I ordered another two imps of it!!!

 

REVISITING AND RE-REVIEWING IN APRIL 2013:

 

Going through my entire BPAL collection, A-Z, reviewing items I haven't reviewed and revisiting reviews of old. Interesting to see what's changed and what hasn't. This is an old imp though not, I'm sure, the original imp from 2004!

 

IN THE IMP: Oddly, the first ... and second ... sniff from the imp is slightly sour. Pungent might have been on target in that first review. But the resins and spices of the blend overpower that and I forge on. It's just odd for that moment.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. Just in case.

 

WET: Ahhhhh. Now that's the Sin I know and love. All traces of sour or pungent dissolve and instead the minute the oil hits my skin it's good sweet sandalwood, comforting amber, sweet cinnamon, evocative patchouli. Resiny, slightly spicy and pencil shavings.

 

DRYDOWN: It gets sweeter as it dries and is a lovely before-bed scent to send me to dreamland.

 

OVERALL: Still a favorite. I love Beth's resins.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4.8

Edited April 9, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[leapylees]

I was really looking forward to Sin. In the bottle it smells lovely - really sandalwoody with a hint of patchouli and slice. Perfect. Initially on I was disappointed as it seemed to lack 'depth' for want of a better word. However once dry it developed into a wonderfully incensey scent. In fact when my boyfriend came home last night he asked me if i was burning incense. It also lasted quite well on my skin, which makes a change. I like this a lot and the chances of me buying a 5ml of it are pretty high.

Edited December 2, 2004 by leapylees