The Witch Queen

[heathercaley]

Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke.

 

First sniff: Actually it's pretty soft and light, but at the same time deep and full. I smell the florals straight away. I took another sniff and yep, deep down you can get the incensey smokey smell, no wild plum yet

Wet: It's still really soft and subtle, but still really deep. There's a lot going on with the scent but I can't tell the scents apart. It's a really dark and warm floral. Cmon plummyness don't be shy come out to me pleaaassseee!!


dryin down now: Ok the drama queen floral is taking her bow and leaving the scene.. Good thing too cause I was getting scared for a moment. It's starting to morph and become a sweeter softer floral. It seems very round and full still, but at the same time it isn't super strong. Oh wait the drama floral is back.


15 minutes later: hmmm.. it's has the same fullness of Dark Delicacies but where Dark Delicacies is sweet, Witch Queen is floral.

Much later: I like witch queen, but It's a bit on the floral side. I am so dissapointed because i absolutly love plum, but sadly all i could smell was a rosey musky floral with a deep incense undertone. It's very deep and beautiful and I'll give her another chance before I decide to keep or pass.


2 months later : I gave Witch Queen another go - and either my bottle has aged just a dab, or maybe my chemistry likes to adjust to seasons, but i absolutly LOVE Witch Queen now. I can't get enough of her. Super Dark and pretty floral and I totally smell the Plum (which plum can be a bit floral on my skin, which i learned by applying a SN plum. Doy on me )

[cuervosueno]

I read that first review right after I got my click and ship and so was eagerly awaiting my bottle of the Witch Queen.

 

And I hoped that I wouldn't get the musky floral. Because I loved the description of this scent, and in my mind I though of something sort of like Madame Moriarity--rich plum and incense, with a heady dose beeswax and some white florals. Really, I got this because of the beeswax and incense.

 

But I'm afraid my review is much like the first one: musky floral that almost smells like rose but not enough to gag me. Still, that's not at all what I wanted. There is a hint of the richness of beeswax if I huff it, but otherwise it isn't really there. It's mostly floral, with a slight soft incense note. Ok, think floral incense burning on an altar with a vase of fresh white flowers behind it, and you've got it.

 

Witch Queen, I so wanted to love you, and was so convinced I would, but I can tell now this is not one I'll change my mind on. It is just too generic for me (and I don't mean generic in the regular world of perfume, I mean generic in that it it too similiar to other BPAL scents I've passed on).

[funkmoppet]

I confess, the reviews of this one had me worried. I'm another who read the notes and thought this might be a second Mme. Reports of "floral" made me nervous...

 

But...I DO believe that my usually temperamental skin chemistry is working goddamn wonders here! Who knew!?

 

Sniffing the bottle, there's a definite ylang ylang floral blast. Beautiful, but definitely all floral.

 

Said florals play on my skin in a very pretty way. No dreaded cloying floral here, so at this early stage I'm prepared to love this just for being a floral I like.

 

Then it dries down and the magic happens! Hello my beloved red musk! Oh, it's a sexy blast coming up from under that floral disguise and suddenly it's womanly in a very good way. And now I've got that plum. It's not syrupy plum, it's fresh, ripe plum giving the red musk a marvelous hand. The beeswax also comes through, giving a fresh sunny wave underneath.

 

I am adoring this!! No, it's not Mme, it's it's own unique style of sexy. Lighter and breezier, but still giving a wicked smile. It's an outwardly beautiful grown-up blend with secrets and mischief.

 

Love it. Thank you, skin chemistry - I almost forgive you for ruining Doc Constantine.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Calla lily and other sweet florals, with a hint of plum deepening it in the background

 

Wet on skin: Calla lily, which is a bitter greenish floral to me with a hint of ozone, and bitter smoke over it - this is sharp, dark, specially from the pimento.

 

Drydown: The pimento and calla lily are at the forefront of the blend, and it smells a little bit woody, dark. I get hints of plum from time to time, making it a bit juicy but in keeping with the somber mood. I think I may be smelling a hint of myrrh smoke, too.

 

Overall: It's a quiet, solemn, dark scent, and though I don't know Stardust at all, I can see how this could go for a dark sorceress. It's womanly, rich, deep, a little bit like a darker Morgause. There's some foreboding, a lot of darkness here. Too purple to be my kind of blend, and I don't like calla lily in general, but it's interesting.

[alicia_stardust]

In the bottle: I smell a juicy, dark plum scent coupled with a touch of ylang and tuberose.

 

On my skin: The plum warms and steps forward, while the other notes mingle into an intoxicating and heady background. I get that slightly sharp ylang ylang kick, but immediately behind that I can smell a strong vein of tuberose. I love how tuberose is dusky without being powdery. I can detect faint traces of the other notes in there, and the lily especially, but for the most part those notes sort of meld together to complement the stronger notes. The florals at this stage are beautiful and intoxicating, hypnotic and almost sensual.

 

After a while: The red musk eventually makes an appearance but it's not the characteristic red musk that I'm used to. Normally red musk dominates a blend due to my chemistry, but in Witch Queen it does not. It plays with the plum and the florals just right. As a finale, the Witch Queen sends a blanket of purple, hazy incense smoke to blanket everything.

 

Final thoughts: The thing I love the most about this scent is that it smells so very purple, and yet no violets. I just love that and the way the plum and incense play off of the florals.

[shelldoo]

inthe bottle: musky, rose,slightly sweet

 

wet: still musky rose, but a bit sharper, and throw in some incense. hint of lily.

 

as this dries it deepens, becomes more incensy, but still retains a hint of rose, heavier on the plum and the plum reminds me slightly of snake charmer. i also can detect the bees wax. this is indeed very sinister, deep, dark, yet gorgeous. i LOVE IT!

[edenssixthday]

The Witch Queen – When I first opened the bottle, the first thing I smelled was the plum. Lots of crisp and juicy plum and a hint of swirling incense smoke - opium incense smoke. Likewise, when I first apply the oil to my skin, the fruitiness of the plum is the first identifiable note, although it is quickly rounded out by a gorgeous bouquet of florals – none of them individually distinct from any others (except for perhaps the tuberose which occasionally rises above the rest before it ducks back under the surface again), yet they are all sweet and pretty florals. The incense blending with the fruit and flowers reminds me a lot of Chrysanthemum Moon, although not as deep and heavy as Mum Moon. As the blend dries, the juiciness of the plum fades and the florals and incense blend together so nicely and become a gorgeous smoke-muted floral scent. It has average staying power, although the throw is below average. This is a gorgeous scent, although I have to be honest and say that the inspiration kind of surprises me because this scent is almost too pretty and on me at least, it's not remotely sinister enough to be worthy of being named after The Witch Queen.

[euterpe414]

This scent is a beauty! There's lots of juicy plum, very fresh smelling and almost glistening, piled on top of lily, tuberose and ylang ylang. The ylang is behaving itself, for once, and not going musty on me (woohooo!). WQ has an incredibly velvety feel to it once it's dry. It gives me the image of lying on rich, thick purple velvet and eating fresh fruit. The incense is not overly strong in this one, it just lends a hand in grounding the sweetness of the scent. WQ lasts for a very long time adn stays true; although, as it wears on it tends to stick closer to the skin.

 

I really think this is one of the most beautiful scents that I have ever smelled- it's so incredibly feminine and voluptuous; oddly enough, it's not at all sinister to me. Anyhow, it's simply stunning and I am a very proud owner of a bottle of it.

 

[Dark Sparkle]

I have found a new love, Witch Queen is everything that I had hoped that Madame Moriarty would be - unfortunately the Madame turned too perfumey on my skin.

 

Dark incense and lillies fill my lungs - I can almost taste this oil at the back of my throat - then the tuberose. After a little while, I can sense the beeswax and plums - this oil dries down to a very wicked incense perfume with beeswax and plum. Graceful, beautiful and classic but also sinister, haughty and foreboding - befitting for a super villainess

[heysunshine]

The second I apply this to my skin I get a burst of purple. Drying it becomes simply floral incense. There is a bit of a sharp, pepper note wafting behind everything -- the pimento. No plum or my beloved red musk yet. My favorite thing about The Witch Queen is the scent memory it triggers -- in my nose rests the exact smell of a dress I got at a head shop on the Jersey Shore as a little girl; a million smoky incenses mingling together to form this amazing smell. The first time I've smelled it in years and it is so evocative for me.

 

ETA: Red musk has arrived! At 11:42 am. I'm liking what this scent is doing.

Edited July 27, 2007 by heysunshine

[theseagrows]

in the imp i mostly smell the ylang ylang, but on my skin the tuberose and plum seem to stand out the most (mostly plum, as my skin tends to amp it). or maybe heliotrope? not sure what that smells like...

 

i get a slight incense/muskiness beneath the sweet floral, which grounds it some. i think i'll keep my imp but won't get a bottle.

[naeelah]

Ooh, this is lovely. I was so excited to see this one in the update, and I am not disappointed. It's everything that I'd hoped Morgause would be. Morgause was great, but was just a little bit too predominately floral for what I had in mind. This is a very similar scent, in that it's a mixture of florals, purple fruit, and incense, only the three qualities are in slightly more equal balance.

 

It starts out very floral, and goes through a bit of a sharp phase that scared me. The lily is definitely on top, with a touch of sweet plum in the background and a light undercurrent of smoky incense. As it dries, a sharper and sparkling floral note comes out, which is perhaps the ylang ylang. The sparkliness is nice, but the sharpness was not. Luckily, the sharpness of the florals quickly recedes and they blend beautifully with the purple fruit, which seems to get a little stronger (although I do tend to amp sweetness, I think). I was afraid the incense might lay timidly in the background, but luckily, it too becomes a bit richer. It's very smoky and not so resinous or woodsy. The red musk doesn't seem to stand out, so I think it just serves to add depth.

 

The end result is a rich, well-balanced regal, dark, mysterious purple scent that is certainly well suited to the Witch Queen. As I mentioned, it's very similar to Morgause, but with fewer white florals.

 

It has good throw, but I don't know about the wear life yet. It has morphed a lot in the first hour, which doesn't always bode well for wear life.

 

This is one that I thought I should just buy 5ml of starting out, and it turns out I was right. I will definitely be picking this one up!

Edited July 31, 2007 by naeelah

[gwynethr]

Dang. This starts out very floral, much more so than I expected, but none of the deeper notes. Unfortunately on drydown, it turns to old lady perfumey floral. My skin seems to do something to lily notes of any kind, even callas. I am so bummed because the description just sounded magnificent to me. I'll definitely try it at other times of the month and in different weather and see if it work better, though.

[LadyBug]

First smell I could smell a very incensy smell. I really really loved the smell but I was sure it wouldn't work with my chemestry. Sadly, I was right. It was probably a little to dark smelling on me...which is strange because in the bottle it isn't musky or dark smelling. I would buy this bottle for someone else though because it smells so good.

 

Now that I just thought about it...I would use this one in an oil burner! Being new to BPAL though I don't know if you can use them in oil burners!

[Loligo]

Absolutely gorgeous! It reminds me a lot of Queen of Clubs, even though it doesn't share that many notes with it. I mostly get plum, ylang ylang, beeswax, and incense, but there's also something that smells really earthy -- but not typically musky -- and that's what binds it all together and makes it work for me. I have a pretty crappy hit rate with BPAL, and so I'm always so delighted to find something that truly works for me!

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Smoky and musky on top of florals.

 

On me: Clean, wet floral. Some incense and plum.

[Little Bird]

I wanted this primarily for the beeswax note, but I love all of the notes in it with the exception of the tuberose and ylang ylang, which both go horribly perfumey on my skin. Of course, I get a strong tuberose and ylang ylang from this and no beeswax at all. A lot of the florals that I've tried lately smell disappointingly like mainstream, department store floral perfume on me. The Witch Queen reminds me a lot of the Dark Delicacies blend. It has lots of lovely notes that just get eaten up by a musky, sharp, metallic, bitter, fakey-floral essence. It does have a dark vibe to it, but it's very musky and overwhelming to me.

[aine]

This is mostly plum, calla lily and ylang ylang on me. These aren't typically great notes on me and I'm thinking it might be a little too 'big' on my skin. It almost gets a metallic feel, and if I slathered it on I'm sure it would give me a headache, but the incensey notes are really amazing.

 

I can't smell the beeswax, which is a little disappointing as it is one of my most loved notes but also a little amusing because Tristran is the one that has a waxy note for me.

 

That 'sinister purple-hued incense smoke' is gorgeous though, and keeps me going back for another sniff.

[QueenFae]

Ok, I know this sounds bizarre, but this smells like celery on me!! Isn't that strange?? Maybe its the pimento? Anyway, yes, celery with a light, floral undertone. I was hoping the celery effect would go away on the dry down, but alas, The Witch Queen doesn't like me!

 

Oh well, I still love the Fairy Market.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: It smells very hazy and warm with a sharp biting floral note and a hint of dark sweetness.

 

Immediately on skin: The lily is very strong, but I get a nice incense underneath it and I can smell the plum a very little bit. The musk is definitely there as well, darkening the scent a small bit.

 

After a few minutes: This is very nicely blended, and the notes seem to balance well. It’s gotten sweeter and more floral, but that dark smokiness is still there. It’s very sharp, but I like it.

 

Later on: Finally, a plum that isn’t overly sweet on me! After a while the lily dies down and it settles into beautifully sweet incense. The florals still lurk, but they definitely aren’t in charge any more.

 

Overall, this fades to a beautiful scent to me, but I don’t know if I like the start of it enough for a large bottle.

[jade_starlight]

I had high hopes for this one, but sadly my wonky chemistry has dashed them. It's almost completely floral, with what smells like a hint of citrus just waiting to jump out of a dark alley and mug me. Plus, it makes my nose itch.

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Musky rose, slightly sweet

 

On Skin: Musky rose with swirls of hypnotic incense. This is a very mature, sophisticated and sexy rose.

 

On Drydown: This has a slightly purple vibe to it. Again, musky rose and incense and something else

 

Verdict: This is a beautiful, confident, sophisticated and maturely sexy perfume. Hot. I am not a huge rose blend fan but this on the right person would be regal and absolute dynamite.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: floral, incensey and a little sour. Quite unusual.

 

On my skin: smokey, muskey floral (sorry I cannot recognize what flower it is. I usually don't like floral scents but I must admit this one could be an exception).

 

After a while: sharper floral (still encensey/smokey though). It's still very elegant but I'm afraid it's not exactly right for me.

 

Verdict: the imp will do.

[reenie212]

This is a very musky, muted floral on me. I can definitely smell the calla lilly (love!) and heliotrope, although there is no sign of the plum so far. This is a beautiful scent, and I think I will be upgrading to a bottle.

[JenM]

I'm sorry I can't be more positive: in the imp, this was floral with a hint of fruit verging on what my uneducated nose deemed "artificial."

 

On the wrist: Motorway service station restroom soap. I was at a BPAL party. I waved my wrists at assorted members of both sexes. They all agreed. Motorway service station restroom soap. Stayed that way. Washed it off.

 

Bummer.