Laudanum

[jessamynit]

The essence of the most debauched hunger encapsulated into a perfume. Desire beyond love, anguish beyond sanity. Nutmeg, sassafras, black poppy and myrrh.

ooooh, I love it! smells like myrrh, cherry cola/ opium, and darkness. I really should order a bottle. if only it was real opium on a day like today! oh lord

[pekeana]

Hmm...

 

In the vial, this is a very striking, heady green scent that stabs at my sinuses and screams to be smelled. It's not a bad thing, but it's a little disconcerting.

 

Once on my skin, it stays very green. I don't get the myrrh at all, and I'm pretty sure it's the sassafrass that's making it so herbal on my skin. I love the nutmeg and poppy mix, though -- that part reminds me of these cookies my grandma used to make with poppy seeds and gingerbread spices.

 

Even as I type, Laudanum has taken on a smoother, softer edge and is fading fast. Ah well.

 

I really like this in theory, but I'm not quite sure what I really think about it just yet.

[teza]

I tried so hard to like this.

 

Actually, that's a lie. I barely tried at all. One whiff of it in the bottle and I knew that despite the tempting descriptions it was not for me. I dabbed a bit on one of my friends, however. On her, all I could smel was black licorish. On me, all I could smell was licorish and bitter root beer.

 

Yes, you say, that's what's so great about it!

 

A wee problem: I can't stand either.

 

Fortunately for me, my friend really liked it so I passed it right on over.

 

As soon as I put this one on, I ran off and washed it off. :x I'm just glad to make a present of it.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: woah sassafras!

 

WEARING IT: definitely rootbeer, the poppy and nutmeg are very apparent too. as it dries i can notice the myrrh more and the rootbeer smell lightens considerably. something bitter is peeking through and really bothering me, very peppery.

 

VERDICT: too masculine for me, i found it very overpowering.

[Eris]

When I first smelled this in the imp, I thought 'no, no way.' Determined to give every BPAL fragrance a try, however, I tested it. Alas, the answer was still 'no, no way.' Both in the bottle and on my skin, I get a very strong, nearly overpowering medicinal smell. I can very faintly detect a smoky spice in the background--nutmeg or sassafras--but it just doesn't work with me, which is unfortunate, since I do so love the idea of opium dens.

[UltraViolet]

Laudanum

 

This is different and nice. Smells a little like maple syrup with the almost mintiness of the sassafras on the top notes, with the black poppy and myrrh backing it all up quietly. For you color people this is a caramel and muddy brown mix.

5 minutes

it isn’t as bright now but the same lineup is still there.

20 minutes

It hasn’t changed much, I smell the anise like sassafras, and the nutmeg and myrhh make less of a maple syrup smell now, but still yummy.

I would use up my imp but I don’t think I would order more.

[Nepthys]

This didn't work on me one bit. It went on like stale wood, then changed into root beer with an obnoxious medicine mixed into it.

[eclecticaurora]

mmm...I'm going to review this one on my Boy. I got this one as a freebie and I'm glad the Lab sent it! I smelled it in the imp and it just enveloped me with a sexy goodness! I knew it had to be tried on the Boy and I seductively applied it to him from the imp's ear...behind the ear, down his neck, and into an "I love you" on his chest (yes, I'm a dork, but hey...at least I'm a good smelling dork ). As was already said, it smells like a holiday cookie...spicy, yet sweet, but something sinful underneath (it's like you could gorge yourself on it)! He has since pulled this one out again and again to apply to himself (probably not in the same way I did, but...lol). A nice plus about this scent is that it's a very calming scent...when he was gone for a weekend I used a bit to help me fall asleep and it did the trick. Recently his imp spilled, so it's a little time before he can smell this good again because I'm not giving him his own 5mL until Xmas!

[jj_j]

Other reviewers mentioned spice cookies, which isn't something I'm terribly fond of. I put off trying Laudanum because of those, which turned out to be my loss.

 

The nutmeg is really blatant when I first put this on. Within a few minutes, though, the sassafrass starts to come out, and I get an interesting root beer and nutmeg blend. It's definitely medicinal, but in an herbal/home remedy sort of way.

 

Laudanum turned out soft and soothing with a bit of wear, and although it had only moderate staying power, it really was something of a soporific. Oddly enough, it reminds me of the cabinet in my kitchen with all the baking spices, and it's a gentle, almost delicate scent.

[closedacct]

Laudanum

 

Ohhhh! This smells like a homemade rootbeer I tried once! Dry and just barely sweet. I also get a nummy whiff of nutmeg. It does smell vaguely medicinal, but I really like that.

 

This is a nice change to all of my dark, spicy scents.

[xoe]

Laudanum is spicy, herbal medicine and I like it. I feel languorous.

 

Perfect!

[Rheliwen]

Laudanum ended up being totally different than I expected. I'm almost wondering if my imp went bad (received in a swap so I don't know how old it is).

 

In the bottle: Old, herby and medicinal. I also get a very dry pepper smell to this.

 

Wet/Dry (same on me): I have no idea why this is happening but I get mesquite barbeque sauce. I don't really detect any nutmeg and I have no idea what sassafras smells like (and now I'm not sure I want to). The poppy and myrrh I can detect faintly. It has this weird smokiness to it (hence mesquite) that's both tantalizing and odd. It's bitter, dry and peppery to my nose.

 

Unfortunately, I did not want to smell like a rib, so I had to wash this one off. Too bad, I was so looking forward to this one. I'm glad it works on others so I can live vicariously.

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: A very odd combination that is very hard to place. Hmmm...

 

On Me: A very powdery anise smell, with black poppy in the background. Once again, I love the smell of licorice, I just can't stand the candy. This is a very odd scent, its kinda on the verge of black licorice and old horehound candy, but dustier, maybe like sassafras or a sassparilla? Its very old timey, very nostalgic. Medicinal, yet gentle. Very interesting. I get the sensation of old photographs that are brown and faded. An old Western bar picture hanging in a soda fountain.

 

But its fading so fast, and to a half hearted shoe leather scent. I swear, its a new shoe scent now, but fading extremely fast. I just don't think that the semi-lingering scent of shoes is really something that I want. Contrary to most girly sterotyping, I HATE shoe shopping.

 

No, I think its time to swap this one.

[blackwifey]

This is the most comforting smell I can imagine. The power of suggestion is indeed a powerful thing so it might just be because of what the powers that be chose to name this oil (woo, few too many uses of the word power there ) but i'm currently battling an addiction problem and when I wear this my skin stops itching and I can finally sleep without feeling like I have spiders crawling all over me.

It is medicinal to smell but not in a harsh way, more like the comfort you felt as a child when your mother kissed your newest graze better and added ointment. It soon calms down to something softer, a haze around you which you hardly know is there apart from the glow of wellbeing and peace. I can understand completely the previous observations of transportation to another time. You can almost feel the opium smoke swirling through your hair. I try not to though

My favourite night time oil.

[byrdie]

Bottle ~ Warm, spicy and green, with an edge of damp, sweet amber. Probably one of the most complex bottle sniffs I've had so far. After a minute or two, I've started to experience a slight head-rush.

 

Wet ~ A dusky, almost anise-like scent. I don't like anise, though, so this may be the only part of this oil that doesn't appeal to me strongly. It's smoky, but not like wood smoke or incense. It's closer to older, worn-in pipe tobacco smell, but it's not quite tobacco either. (My head is still swimming a little.) I seem to have a thing for smoky scents, so this one makes me quite happy.

 

Drying ~ The anise-like scent is mellowing to a dried greenery. It's not strong, but I think it's similar to delivery-day at an herbalist's shop. It might be reminding me a little of sweet grass. I'm still in love, but drinking water is helping the swimmy feeling drift to the background -- no, there it is again.

 

Drydown ~ A barely sweet smokiness remains. The smoky note seems to be coming from something dried and green. If I could ever figure out how to properly burn sweet-grass, I imagine that this is what it would smell like. Can a scent in and of itself be dehydrating? Guzzling water is the only thing that's keeping my head from hitting my desk.

 

Dry ~ At this point, I have to darn near put my nose to my wrist to smell this one, and when I do I get a big snoot-full and feel all woobly again. Is this stuff legal? It makes me think of being snuggled up in blankets by a sweet-smelling fire with someone intoxicating.

 

Fade ~ It takes a while to fade. Hours, in my experience. So, it's wafting power is cut in half to maximize it's staying power. Fair trade, in my opinion.

 

Final thoughts ~ I got this in a swap from sihaya09, and it completely makes up for Persephone getting crushed during transit (*wheeze*).

 

In high school, there were two perfumes in the whole world that I loved. One was a drug-store quality concoction called "Tea Rose" that would have me rinsing out my nostrils now. The other was a standard commercial brand called "Opium." Within the past year or two, I had a chance to sniff a sample of Opium to see if it smelled the way I remembered. Laudanum smells the way I'd hoped Opium would. I suspect that this would be a good evening or weekend scent, just based on the sheer languidness it can bring on.

 

When my co-worker and I went downstairs for coffee the other morning, I invited the shop manager to sniff my wrist. It looks like the head-rush one can get from this oil isn't just limited to women. He also thought I smelled yummy.

 

This could well be my first 10ml purchase, though I'm worried that I'd stay in all day and sniff myself to death.

Edited February 2, 2005 by byrdie

[Gin]

Oh dear. It smells like burnt rubber in the vial. On my skin, I smell the nutmeg, which I usually like, but in this blend it's so medicinal. But when it's dry, it's quite nice! A bit like rootbeer, it's spicy and warm.

[shelldoo]

in the vial it is very herbal, green

 

wet, sassafrass, rootbeer w/ a hint of herbs behind it

 

dry, the opium scent is heavier and mingling w/ the sassafrass, nice, i didn't have this on my must try list and it has been sitting in my imp box, but i decided i would try it before i moved it to the swap pile, glad i did it is a keeper.

[Witch's Dagger]

Laudanum

 

Note: I did not check the notes before writing the review. Some of my "perceived" notes could be completely wrong.

 

I got this as a gift in a swap with Rheliwen. Thanks!

 

Preconceived notions: I thought this would make a good poisonous scent.

 

In the vial: Oh, what is this note? There’s something very sharp and pungent. I love it.

 

On me: The same scent - ah, yes, it’s similar to anise, but it’s a very blue anise, like black liquorice, as opposed to the anise in Mystery, which is a brown, savory anise. And there’s some warmth, perhaps allspice? I don’t like it, which makes me think it’s allspice (which I’ve discovered is the culprit in many “spiced” scents I don’t like), or perhaps clove, interacting badly with the anise smell. Vanilla, too, I think, again, a very sharp vanilla - this is the vanilla extract alone, not tempered by anything but alcohol. Altogether it’s not nearly as green as I expected, and I’d call it more a purplish-brown scent.

 

In 15 minutes: It’s definitely what I’d call a burnt, dry, spicy smell. Not really what I’d call poisonous, and I like Wrath better for spice. This is very unique.

 

In 30 minutes: It’s beginning to fade a bit, but the general scent is pretty stable.

 

In nearly an hour: It’s softer, more insidious, but still about the same.

 

Overall: I don’t think this is really me. I have Mystery, which I love for unique and complex anise, and I prefer the anise in Mystery. Plus, the other spice/spice combination irritates me.

 

Edited to add:

Ah, sassafras/rootbeer. Yeah, I don't like that. I don't like drinking it either.

Edited February 23, 2005 by Witch's Dagger

[bellis]

In the bottle this is very medicinal and intense. But having read the reviews I maintained faith that it would change and swiped some on.

 

Wet and drying on my skin, it got incredibly spicy and foody. The nutmeg completely took over and I smelled like the spice aisle in a gourmet grocery. Yummy, but not what I want to smell like.

 

About half an hour later, this has changed significantly. The spices have faded into the background and it's sweeter and VERY smokey. It makes me want to sit next to a bonfire.

 

I'm still not sure how I feel about this one. I'll have to try it again in a few days before I decide to keep the imp or not.

[feline.by.design]

Laudanum smells very spicey. The nutmeg is very prominent on me, with the sassafrass not too far behind. Delicious.

 

Do you remember YSL Opium? Well, Laudanum is better. Much better. Those of you who wanted to spray some Opium on back in the day will want to marinate in Laudanum. It's far spicier, with a much better bite.

 

On me, Laudanum doesn't seem to last as long as I would like, but that's my only complaint. A big bottle is definitely in the future, and I will be sure to use my imp up. This would make an awesome fall/winter fragrance, as well as a room oil. It would make my home smell like a den of sin, which would be very cool.

 

Yes, Laudanum definitely gets the thumbs up from me.

 

-doreen

[surf-tormented]

I have found out time and time again, I don't really like myrrh or sassafras in my oils. This oil leaves an overbearing root berry honey scent on my skin for about an hour.

 

Then the nutmeg comes up and it is honey-root beer-nutmeg...and on my skin, these three fight for dominance and do not get along whatsoever.

 

It is like I put on three clashing perfumes on my wrist. It is too much for me.

 

Off to swaps it runs.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Nutmeg!

 

After 10 minutes- Nutmeg and Sassafras are the dominate notes. It goes on all Nutmeg and slowly sweetens up with the Sassafras and Myrrh coming through. This is a very masculine spicy scent. It makes me think of the burning wood, spiced pies and dead leaves of autumn sans all the sweet vanilla that is usually in the autumn blends. This is what I was expecting Samhain to smell like.

 

After 30 minutes- This is absolutely wonderful. It fades really quickly but you can still detect a faint whiff of spicy autumn. I think this would be a good oil to layer with Gingerbread Poppet or maybe Eggnog to make it more girly.

 

Summery- This one is a keeper.

[TrinitySydney]

In the bottle: Is that maple syrup and licorice???

 

On: Did it suddenly turn into pure smoke?

 

5 mins on: Wow. Did it suddenly become the lightest, sweetest incense with not hint of what came before??

 

10 mins on: Oh I definitely like this one. Odd, considering it's barely tolerable in the bottle or just on. But wow, just give it a few and it becomes incredibly pleasurable.

[helarctos]

On me, Laudanum smelled of root beer and, surprisingly, hickory smoke. After a while, the hickory smoke evened out to just plain smoke, and the root beer sweetened and lightened to root-beer-barrel candy.

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - tested at Black Broom.

 

Wet - Mmmm…spicy goodness! Nutmeg with sassafras, which smells almost root beery, and yet this isn't a foody smell at all. It's a delicous spiciness.

 

Dry - It doesn't change on me at all when it dries, except that perhaps the myrrh comes out a little stronger. It lasts a long time on my skin, which is a plus. I like this one a lot. So much that I went back and picked up a big bottle of it today.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, I rate this a 4.